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Xaviar stared. Soon he would engage in a nearly suicidal battle, having been given personal orders directly from the office of Gihren Zabi. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathed in deep, and then sighed. Within the confines of his quarters, the veneer of a Hauptscharfuhrer had left him, and he was in this moment a simple man. A tired man, who had lost too much. He opened his eyes, looking again. On the opposite end of the room was a small nightstand, and on it was an old, scruffy looking teddy bear, encased in glass. A few moments went by, and it felt to Xavier as if his body was trying to decide between sadness and anger. At first his hands shook a little, the memories flipping through his mind like an old, hazy movie. Then the knot in his gut began to tighten, and a warmth filled his muscles, strengthening his resolve. He had chosen anger, as would be expected by his Fuhrer. Putting on a pair of sleek, black gloves, he held the rosary around his neck for a moment, and then stomped out the door. A minute later, the U-85 Ashray began to dive, a mono eye lighting up on a monstrous weapon being towed behind the ship. "Sir, I just got another message from Thorns men. Enemy marines are starting to search the woods they're stationed in, they'll be found soon." Jarvis pretended to ignore the advice, more pressing matters at hand. Despite the reinforcements coming from Delhi, he did not feel comfortable assaulting the base. Rumor had it a submarine had been dispatched to relieve the Manila forces, and on top of that, their shelling had been less effective than he had imagined. The last point was brought to his mind as the guns on Jacks Guntank and the Arianrhods deck guns fired again, a small explosion appearing on the island in the distance. "Tell him he needs to hold out another day. How many aircraft do we have on patrol?" Jarvis said. As usual, his bad mood shone through, sobering the otherwise excitable bridge crew. "Sir, we have twelve Cods and six Dons in the air presently, everything else can be launched in just over three minutes." Came the response. Ackart looked on out the windows, lost in thought when one of the voices behind him caused him to bite his lip. "Sir, we have enemy planes sighted to the west. Looks like one scout and a group of escort fighters." "Well shoot them down! And launch our marine units, I don't want to be caught off guard." Jarvis responded, moving out the door and marching to the flight deck. Sirens started blaring, Bigby and Aurem picking up their weapons and moving to defend the Arianrhod even as planes started to move into the air. GM Divers leapt out of the Golden Platypus, joining others that were already in the water. Hirsch, still depressed from earlier events but no longer suicidally so, fired up the nearly repaired Aqua GM. "Captain, I'm just now getting preliminary targetting data from the Luggun, Federal fighters are moving to engage." The Ashrays comm officer held a headset to his ear closely amidst the dark bridge, illuminated only by red lights. "Tell them to get out of there, we'll use what they've given us. Plot missile and torpedo trajectories and prepare to fire everything we've got, we'll only have one salvo before they know we're here." Marina responded, the young, short girl bedecked in black Schutzstaffel regalia. She looked quite the image as she crossed her arms, an oversized black captains hat dangling off of her beautiful blonde hair. "Tell the Hauptscharfuhrer he's clear to launch." The Luggun started to peel away, its five escorts moving to engage the Federation fighters in pursuit. The group was outnumbered nearly four to one, with more Cods launching off the Arianrhod, and the battle was quickly over. The slower Luggun was enveloped by Federal aircraft, every Zeon pilot dying as the Federations air superiority remained unmatched. Jim Irwin, leading the Arianrhods CAP, whistled as he turned his Cod around, able to add another notch to the side of his plane. He was glad to be out of Africa, and in battles where the Federation had the numerical advantage. "Captain, targets are acquired, we are go for missile launch." Marina took a few steps forward, piercing blue eyes staring ahead at a target she could not see. "..Fire." A number of rockets burst out of the Pacific sea, fins sliding out of their sides as they arced onto a horizontal trajectory. "Captain, incoming ordnance, fifteen seconds to impact." The noise blared into Ackarts cockpit, Jarvis having just climbed into his GM Command. He grabbed his beam rifle and turned the mobile suit around to watch Antiaircraft guns spitting shells across the deck of the ship in a protective screen. Bigby, Aurem and the Lieutenant fired as well, the Gwydion adding to he flak cover. Between the lot of them, every last missile was destroyed. However, a moment later the deck of the Arianrhod shook, a pair of torpedoes striking the hull. "I want all our planes taking out that submarine, have our marine unit prepare to repel enemy mobile suits." Jarvis yelled, firing a few shots of his beam rifle meanlessly into the distance. Don Escargots buzzed through the air, sailing for the Ashray and dropping charges as they went. However, they quickly noticed that the Ashray wasn't the only target in the water. "Ari, this is unit nine, I'm reading a strange sound signature directly below us, depth about 300... It's too big to be a mobile suit, but..." Half of the Escargots broke off, moving low to the water and dropping charges and torpedoes after the new contacts. Beneath the waves, the Grabro sunk lower, Xavier and the Aggugguy supporting it on either side. An explosion shook the sea to the left of the mobile armor, the Aggugguy destroyed by one of the snails charges. "Keep diving, don't attack yet..." Xavier said to himself, the Grabro and his Z'Gok going lower and lower. Above them, a minefield of Anti Submarine Weaponry slowly fell, creating a virtual sinking forest of death. Even below them, the Ashray began to creep up on the ocean floor, preparing to wait until any survivors needed to be extracted. GM Divers went around the sides of the Arianrhod and the Gwydion, only to find a pair of Acquy's already there, just under the waterline. But before they could carry out their orders the Divers attacked, six marine GMs firing a large salvo of torpedoes. One of the Acquy's was destroyed, the other piercing a GM Diver with its own ordnance. Aurem and Bigby fired into the water with their machineguns, providing cover for Jack as the Guntank continued to shell Manila. Hirsch brought the GM Aqua around and was about to engage the Acquy's when something caught the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw barely visible on his monitor the lone Z'Gok, sailing at high speed out from the fortress. "So you want to play again huh." Hirsch mused, raising an arm and firing a pair of torpedoes. The Aqua GM went horizontal shortly after, speeding towards the enemy Z'Gok. The Duchy pilot raised an arm and fired his MPC, destroying both torpedoes before they could impact. The two units circled each other, Hirsch dodging MPC fire and dropping a pair of depth charges off the Aquas legs, pulling away as they exploded. He dropped to a lower depth, the Z'Gok appearing out of the haze caused by the grenades and firing on him again. The Aqua spinned, rolling around and firing torpedoes straight upwards as it did. One struck the Z'Gok, which pulled away firing at the same time. "Crap.." Hirsch said, clenching his teeth as he tried to come out of his spin in time. The Aquas shoulder was hit, the entire arm exploding as unspent torpedoes detonated due to the mega particle beam. The GM reached out with its only good arm, launching his scissor anchor into the enemy Z'Gok. The Duchy pilot responded, ramming into the GM Aqua head first. Hirsch grabbed a beam pick and moved to slam it into the Z'Goks cockpit even as the Duchy pilot unlocked the safeties needed to fire his missiles underwater at point blank range... Deep below the ocean, a charge exploded on the side of the Ashray, the bridge shaking and the crew cringing at the sound of metal bulkheads buckling. It was the third round that had hit them already, and the snails were simply dropping more and more. Their accuracy would get better and better till all of them were at the bottom of the sea. "Captain, how much longer are we just going to sit here?" the helmsman asked. Marina walked forward and, drawing her pistol, whipped the man over the side of the head with it. "Seaman, we will leave when his excellence Ghiren Zabi commands us to leave. Do I make myself understood?" "Yes maam." the man said, holding a bleeding face and looking into the scowling blue eyes of his captain. Another round struck the Jukon, the crew instinctively ducking again as the explosion echoed throughout the ship. Closer to the battle, Xavier and the Grabro had arrived, both of them damaged by the forest of explosives they had been forced to wade through to engage the enemy. Both Acquy's, as well as the Panzergrenadier boarding team riding with them, had already been killed. "Mein Hauptscharfuhrer..." the Grabro pilot said, his face invisible through a black SS pilot suit. "Tell his excellency that I died with honor." Xavier was silent for a moment, his Z'Gok holding onto the massive mobile armor with one hand. The GM Divers were already closing on them, and it would be all Brennan could do just to escape. "...You have my word. Sieg Zeon." "Sieg Zeon." the pilot responded, suddenly gunning the throttle of the Grabro and accelerating to its maximum velocity. The damaged mobile armor blasted ahead, hurtling through the seas faster than any of the GM Diver pilots could follow. A large yellow claw arm burst out of the monsters side, grasping one of the Divers and slamming it against the edge of the Arianrhod as the Grabro came up, surfacing and digging its other arm into the side of the Himalaya. "What the hell??" Bigby yelled, turning along with Aurem and Jarvis. The three fired their weapons into the Grabros armored hide, even as it launched fourteen torpedoes into the Himalaya at point blank range. The aircraft carrier shuddered and groaned, beginnig to sink even as the massive claw arm clipped through the GM Divers minovsky reactor, causing a tremendous nuclear explosion right against the ships hull. In an instant, the Arianrhod had been split in two. Mobile suits and tanks were tossed into the water, Cray Vermillion wondering why he had signed on for a naval battle on such short notice in the first place. As the Type 61 sinked into the waves, he and Ion Bossa-Nova climbed out the top, looking up to the sky for rescue. The GM Sniper, GM Desert, GM Command and Guntank were now all striving to stay afloat, the surviving crew of the Himalaya jumping overboard as the aircraft carrier sank to the bottom of the sea along with the mangled corpse of the former Grabro. A good death. Xavier thought, snapping out of it as the four surviving GM Divers descended upon him. He fired off his beam weaponry, striking one of the Divers and destroying it. The others slammed torpedoes into his Z'Gok, all but destroying it in one salvo. The Federation mobile suits drew their beam picks, diving for the Z'Gok and preparing to kill Brennan. Gathering his wits, Xavier launched a group of missiles out of the Z'Goks head and turned around, flying for the Ashray as fast as he could. The missiles exploded around the Divers, a strange chemical resembling a sticky purple goop grabbing them and forcing them to cease their pursuit. "Captain, the Hauptscharfuhrer is returning." the Ashrays comm officer yelled, even as another charge exploded near the ship. They were badly damaged now, but they would hopefully be able to get out in one piece. "Alright, pick him up and get us out of here, we've done what we came for." Marina yelled. She left the first mate in charge, leaving the bridge and moving to the mobile suit deck to greet Xavier on his triumphant return. Jarvis and his men were unable to plan a counterattack, damage control and the problem of having so many fighters with nowhere to land suddenly a more pressing priority. On the island, Tael and his men were pinned down, a group of Marines three times their size having found their position. They had recently lost contact with the Arianrhod, and would soon be overrun. Another one of the self-made pirates men dropped beside him, Tael firing his rifle into the woods. A Duchy marine slumped over from behind a tree. Another of Taels men dropped, and they pulled back to their communications equipment. The firing went for a few more seconds, but all of a sudden the Duchy forces stopped. "You are surrounded. Drop your weapons or we will kill all of you." came the voice, now directly behind them. Thorn looked at his men, the group thinking for a moment before the bandana'd soldier dropped his rifle, raising his arms above his head. Jarvis Ackart - 6/2 VP gained, no additional damage Hirsch Munchek - 6/2 VP gained, Repairing +4 Injured 2 Cray Vermillion - 6/2 VP gained, Destroyed 1 Jim Irwin - 6/2 VP gained, no additional damage Jack Murphy - 6/2 VP gained, no additional damage Bigby Wolfe - 6/2 VP gained, no additional damage Aurem Senaiha - 6/2+1 VP gained, no additional damage Tael Thorn - 6 CP gained, Captured Xavier Brennan - 8 VP gained, Repairing 4, promoted to Untersturmfuhrer Everything looks so tiny on Earth from up here. The incredibly blue, white, and green planet spins innocently against the black of space. To the casual observer, it is impossible to believe that a war is going on. That is, until you see the odd wrecked Saberfish fighter float by or the parts of destroyed warships burn up on reentry. "Out of my way you poor excuse for a conscript! Battle is upon us and all of you need a REAL officer to show you how it's done!" "B-but sir, that's my GM-E." Ensign Cato Goloni turns around to face the subordinate pilot. "Not this time son. My own MS isn't ready quite yet and I'll be damned if I sit around while that beast cut its teeth without me." The Ensign points at the RX-78-1 whose pilot is climbing onboard. Issa Koboyashi's mind is currently contemplating this upcoming battle and the consequences it will have on him. Nearby, two GM-E pilots are talking as they zipline their way to their mobile suits. "I'm telling you," insists Petty Officer Marc Simmons," it'll be worth everyone's while if I get to look at that mobile suit over there." "As if that would happen," Seaman Recruit Emil Myberg informs his fellow GM-E pilot," if you ask me, the officers around here don't trust us one bit. Besides, didn't the miss say she was from the EFSF Mobile Weapons Research and Development? I doubt you are better than that bunch." The 'miss' in question is Seaman Rachel Arronax and the mobile suit is the GM Juggler. The female pilot watches intently as the Full Armor option finish installing. On the bridge, Ensign Issac Lon'Dozai watches the preparations for the battle up ahead. He has gone over this plan many times and with the approval of his second-in-command, Rose Caldwell, he knew that his plan will most likely succeed. Too bad he can't take a drink before the fighting begins. "My lady, we have two Federal capital ships sighted on approach. We are picking up Minovsky Particle interference but we think they might be the same force as the other day." A frown deepens on the face of Cima Garahau. She is still fuming about the battle the other day. Although the Federal forces are as incompetent as ever in combat, the appearance of new mobile suit designs and the harassment of her ship by Federal fighters forced her to withdraw. Now, she mused that the federal fleet commander is going to press his advantage. As if she would let him. "Tell the Zaku II E that he has done well. Prepare the other mobile suits! Scatter Minovsky Particles! We will show those Federal bastards how real mobile suits fights!" Cima's frown turns into a smirk as the crew of the Cleopatra ran to battlestations as she struts her way to her personal Zaku I S. "Disengaging Foot Clamps." "Missile tubes one through eight are loaded. Outer doors are open. Standby for firing procedures." "Echo leader, you are clear for launch." "Three-inch room reports 500 units of Minovsky Particles pumped." The disorientation of zero gravity is now normal to the pilots of the 1st Experimental Disco Fleet. Hiding in a protective fog of Minovsky Particles, the engines of the Shinji Ikari and the Floppy Lion went to full power. Their plan is to close in on the Cleopatra and corner her just like Augustus cornered Antony and Cleopatra in Egypt many centuries ago. But this time the Queen came out to meet them. The wave of Saberfish squadrons from the Monitor sped across space. They easily spotted the enemy Musai Late-type and close in on it. A hail mega particle fire greets them, but the Saberfish continue to watch for the launching of Zeonic mobile suits. Then, to their surprise, the massive Zeon light cruiser charged them at full speed. The Federal fighters broke ranks to evade, only to be cut down after the ship pass them. "What the-? The Zakus are behind the-." A burst of 120mm shells silences the Saberfish as Cima's mobile suit team follows the Cleopatra. The ship charge forward, allowing the Zeon mobile suits to use it as a protective shield against the anticipated wave of anti-MS MIRV missiles from the Shinji Ikari and Floppy Lion. "Musai cruiser closing in damn fast!" cries out Rhin Mahou from her operator station," Minovsky interference is growing beyond our intended levels!" Issac Lon'Dozai clenched his teeth as the Salamis-Kai class vessel swung to port. Under the control of their helmswoman, Arturia Basil, the Floppy Lion turns in order to avoid an unwanted collision with the Cleopatra as well as realign their gun turrets at it. On the opposite flank, the Shinji Ikari does the same. What this meant is that for the moment, the Federal mobile suits and fighter pilots are without ship fire support. A rapid succession of mega particle fire rakes the ranks of GM-Es. A few narrowly miss, but one in particular blew up trying to block the volley with his tower shield. Only a spinning finger is left of that tragic mobile suit. Just like the Saberfish pilots, the GM-Es dart out of the way as the Cleopatra ran through them. The GM-Es then clash with Zaku II Fs in a massive exchange of machine gun fire. The technically superior Federal units collide with the battle harden Zeon pilots. In the middle of it, Issa Kobayashi tries to lock on to what is supposed to be an old and outdated mobile suit. The RX-78-1's beam rifle sings as the E-Cap discharges another burst. But the experienced Cima got under the lethal shot and sinks her heat hawk into the weapon. Kobayashi tries to back off as the weapon explodes. Cima doesn't let him go far. A barrage of 105mm shells only dents the Lunar Titanium armor however as Kobayashi backs off, drawing his beam saber. "Tsch," mutters Cima as she threw a grenade at the Federal Mobile Suit. The cracker grenade explodes but Kobayashi emerges from the smoke, disoriented but relatively undamaged. Then something nearly grazes her as she fumbles with the aging mobile suit. Cima saw no obvious attacker. Her mind races with the memories of the previous attack, then guns her thrusters to full power. A small distance away, Emil Myberg grapples with a Zaku II F. The enlisted civilian has his beam saber drawn as he fends off an aggressive heat hawk. Suddenly, 90mm rounds pelts the Zaku II F from the side as Marc Simmons drives the Zaku II F away. Together, the civilian and the mobile suit fan chase the damaged Zaku II F. Back towards the rear of the 1st Experimental Disco Fleet, the only fire being exchanged is Ensign Cato Goloni's yelling and his helmet microphone. "C'MON YA DAMN SPACE NAHTZEES! I'VE GOT YOUR BUTTKICKING RIGHT HERE!" The Ensign had been yelling like that ever since he took the GM-E from an unsuspecting pilot. Next to him is Rachel Arronax in the GM Juggler as she concentrates her mind. The wired ball bits are far away and hitting something in this chaos is hard. Something is wrong though, she notices. "WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU DIRTY-!" said Goloni until he paused," hey, HEY! I recognize YOU!" Cima had raced through the flak barrage of the Floppy Lion and Shinji Ikari. The famously ineffectively Salamis AA poises no threat to the experienced Zaku I S pilot as she closes in on the GM Juggler. "Come here and taste beam death!" promises Goloni with glee as he attacks the old mobile suit that humilated him a few days ago. But he is then reminded that he is in a GM-E instead of his usual GM when a stream of 90mm shells fails to catch Cima. Arronax gasps as she pulls the GM Juggler back while reaching for her beam gun. A splatter of 105mm rounds nicks Arronax but the Full Armor option installed on the GM Juggler protects her. Cima drew her Zaku Bazooka, hoping a point blank hit will destroy this odd GM. But then Arronax's fingers move on their own intuition. The beam gun rose and fired before the computer locked onto anything. The seemingly blind shot went straight up the length of Cima's Zaku Bazooka, destroying it and sending the Zaku I S spinning. The veteran Zeon pilot regains control with great skill only to see a GM-E come at her. "Hey, don't you dare forget about me!" yells Goloni as his 90mm machine gun roars. Meanwhile, the ships in this battle have begun to exchange broadsides with each other. In the middle of such heavy Minovsky Particle densities, it is incredibly difficult for the ships to hit each other. Electronic sensors are useless and gunnery must be done the old fashion way: by sight. But what baffles Lon'DOzai is that the Cleopatra is scoring some remarkable hits on them and the Shinji Ikrai. For every shot that even grazes the Musai Late-type, the Cleopatra hits them at least twice. Unknown to the Salamis-Kai and Fuji ship captains, a Zaku II E is still hiding under the belly of the Cleopatra. The high quality camera gun makes excellent targetting footage for the Zeon gun crews. Suddenly a shadow looms over the unarmed mobile suit. "Stop cheating!" shouts Kobayashi as he sunk a beam saber into the chest of the Zaku II E. Leaving the beam saber in the dying Zaku II E, the RX-78-1 flew away just as the mobile suit explodes right next to the Musai Late Type. Marc Simmons saw the explosion of the Zaku II E as he and Emil Myberg finish off the last Zaku II F. Together, their GM-Es join the others in catching up with the speeding Musai, their ranks thickening with Saberfish fighters. There is little to no ammunition left to the Zaku I S. But that doesn't mean that it was over for Cima. The strong willed woman is still hounding the GM Juggler and the commandeered GM-E. A final burst of her 105mm machinegun ate up some more of the GM Juggler's Full Armor when the darkness of space grew bright. Slowly but surely, the Cleopatra died. Attacked from behind by GM-Es, Saberfish fighters, and by the often forgotten RB-79 Balls the Musai's death stroke came when an engine nacelle exploded. The ship slows enough for the two fighting ships of the 1st Experimental Disco Fleet to visually lock on to her. Megaparticle fire and anitship missiles strike her amidships. Then in a blaze of glory, the ship ruptures in a massive explosion. Cima realizes she was alone but also that the death of her ship is also her ticket to safety. Goloni charges her again, with the beam saber drawn and the tower shield forward. But then the Zaku I S spun around as fast as it could, puncher shield at the ready. The violence of the attack broke the towershield, tearing apart both mobile suit's left arms. The beam saber fell from Goloni's grasp as Cima grabs his damaged GM-E and heaves him into the GM Juggler. By the time they recover, Cima was gone. The chaos the death of the Cleopatra and her crew had inflicted on the fleet was enough to make her escape at the last moment. It would take hours for the 1st Experimental Disco Fleet to reorganize, but in the end they have won their first real battle together. Issac Lon’Dozai – 8 VP gained, Damaged Emil Myberg – 8 + 1 VP gained, Repairing 2 Marc Simmons – 8 VP gained, Repairing 2 Issa Kobayashi – 8 VP gained, Repairing 2 Rachel Arronax – 8 VP gained, Repairing 1, Injury 2 Cato Goloni – 8/2 VP gained The headaches... Why wouldn't they go away? Florian fidgeted in his cockpit as he escorted the shuttle of Marines to their target. Periodically the boy would wince from the pain, shifting in his seat. Why was the cockpit so uncomfortable? The newtype saw the abandoned colony come into view on his screens as they entered the shoal zone. What a bother, why did Siobhan volunteer him for this job. Florian brought the prototype Dom to a halt as he watched the shuttle dock with the empty shell of a colony. The marines, in their space gear, filed out of the transport and mobilized. In no time they had spread out and locked the colony down, and as the final marine cleared his patrol, they radioed to Florian confirming the capture of Texas Colony. The young Flanagan subject rubbed his temple as the incoming communications echoed in his cockpit. Florian was thankful that the mission had gone smoothly, but he was anxious to get out of this suit. I'm ready to get out of here... Florian Cuyler: 1 VP Gained, No Damage "Ugh. Need. Coffee." Nigel Ferdinand, the Prince of Orange, Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg, looked more like the face of Death at the moment. The Lieutenant shook himself, scattering droplets of dew that had already accumulated on his clothing. They landed heavily on the still-wet sand, which was slowly drying out as the day began. He looked around, hoping to catch the attention of somebody who could find him something warm and stimulating. His eyes lit on his wife, Melissa, and he grinned despite himself. 'Wrong kind of warm and stimulating, I'm sure,' he thought warmly. She saw him then, and returned his gaze with a slight smile. Behind her, the hustle-and-bustle contrasted with the early morning air. The 42nd Brigade was preparing to move out and abandon his poor Medea, Benedictus. The GM Ground and Gundam Mass Production Ground Type both were lifted out of the hangar bay and to the desert sands below. Suddenly, a cry of alarm sounded from the direction of the last forces leaving the Medea. A young bridge officer came racing towards Nigel's position, yelling at the top of his lungs. "The Zeon are coming, the Zeon are coming! A mobile suit strike force is on its way!" The news slammed into the assembled forces like a shockwave, and panic-stricken murmurs ran through the crowd. They began to move towards where Nigel stood, white-faced. Through the approaching Brigade, Nigel could see his chief lieutenant, Joe Dzurik, arriving at a quick pace. "Wha? But... We need to, uhh..." As Nigel ran his hands through his hair, Joe Dzurik stepped forwards towards the waiting Brigade members. Joe spoke first, his voice carrying so that almost all the Federation forces could hear it. "Okay, we can't panic. Let's keep this orderly, and simple." He pointed to the various members of the Brigade's infantry platoon. "You groundpounders get outta here and get to ground. Keep comm silence and wait for a contact through our networks. You know what to do better than I do. So go do it." He then wheeled and spread his arms, taking in the assembled crew of the Benedictus. "You're gonna get back in that thing, get it airborne, and go off in another direction. Don't let the damn Zekes keep their forces in one piece and chase us all down." Nigel froze at that, terror gripping his heart. Not stopping, Joe began to turn one last time. Jack Verse - who had slowly been drifting closer to the center of the assembled Brigade - raised his hand and grinned widely in interruption. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Us flyboys will watch your backs while you all run off to the hills. Just don't come crying to me when we hog all the glory for ourselves and you have to listen to the tales of the Mighty Mobile Suit Support Group, the 42nd Brigade." A few chuckles permeated the crowd, and a ripple of nervous laughter followed them. It did seem to break the tense atmosphere a little, at least, and the faces of some of the Federation forces eased. Joe nodded grimly. "A damned genius you are, Verse. Got it in one." He switched to a tone of a drill sergeant, then, barking as loudly as he could. "Okay then, you know what you gotta do. Get to it!" Rhett Paruta cursed softly. It appeared that the Federation forces had caught wind of his approach. He softly slapped the arm of his cockpit chair in annoyance. He had hoped to catch them totally off-guard. He sighed, and crossed his arms in front of his lanky torso. His sound system popped once, and then Alain Grace's languorous voice could be heard over the speakers. "You see what I see?" Without even waiting for a response, Alain continued. "Eh, no worries, Rhett. Not gonna matter WHAT they do. We've got 'em right where we want 'em." The much shorter man picked at a piece of lint on his flight suit, flicking it off to the side. Despite himself, Rhett nodded at that. His Zaku Cannon stood astride on a Dodai, flying on a direct intercept course. To his left was Alain's Efreet, the blue standing in stark contrast to the soft browns of the desert behind it. On his right side flew Dino Kofuta's Gouf. The blonde pilot had so far proved himself no more pleasant than before, but had handled his piloting duties with no problems. Both men's suits were also on top of Dodais. And behind them rode a platoon of infantrymen on Weasel personnel carriers, while a half-squad of Dopps screamed by overhead. 'Yes. Right where we want them indeed.' Rhett's Dodai wobbled briefly, and his reverie was broken as he grabbed for his controls in a brief panic. 'Ack! Wouldn't want a repeat incident...' Joe came over to Nigel and clasped his shoulder firmly. The prince started, once, then looked at him as if he had almost forgotten what was happening. Then his gaze turned, as Melissa arrived on the scene. She somehow managed a slight smile for him. "So, when do we board? Or do I have to go through security first?" Joe shook his head at that, and Nigel followed suit. He might not be a brilliant tactician, but even he knew that the safest place she could be was as far from him as possible. He looked at her sadly, and she knew instantly. To her credit, she didn't cry out. She didn't waste time arguing, or curse him for his assessment. Instead, Melissa crossed the space between them and gave him a full hug, running a hand through his disheveled brown hair. He kissed her softly, then, and she put her lips next to his ear. "God will see us through this. Please believe that. If you have nothing else, have your faith. And always know that I love you." She gave him one final hug, then twisted away from him and headed towards the ground troops. He could feel the wetness of a single tear on his cheek, but his own eyes remained dry, and he realized how difficult this all had been for her. 'She has held herself strong for so long, for me.' Not caring who might hear it, his voice rose above the cacophony of noise from the soldiers. "Melissa! I love you!" As the words left his lips, Nigel thought of King Alexander, leading from the front, managing to return - scarred, but alive - from behind the lines of an encroaching enemy. He thought of his own failure to do the same so far, and his hands began to shake. The frustration nearly overwhelmed him, a combined with a fear that he would never be able to live up to his father's example. He patted his pocket, hoping to draw some strength from the image of his father he kept there. He could see the man's visage in his mind's eye, but it quickly dissolved to one of his mother's face, the day he had learned of his father's demise. The rage that boiled in his blood gave him the force to press forward, and he clung to it dearly. It drove him to re-enter the Benedictus, and stride onto the bridge. He began to bark orders to make ready for liftoff, though many of the crew were already in the process of doing so. Nevertheless, they were heartened to hear some semblance of surety from their commander. 'Well, at least there's one thing I can thank my mother for, I suppose,' thought Nigel, the lines in his face tight with anger as he watched the final preparations being made. "Okay, you know what we're doing, guys. Let's make this as clean as possible - I'd like to avoid -unnecessary- casualties if we can." He stressed the 'unnecessary' as he truly hoped that there would be as few as possible. He heard various forms of assent, including a brief grunt from Dino. 'I'll have to do something about him eventually, I suppose. No time for that now, though.' He shook himself and once more focused on the mission at hand. "Okay, break on my mark. 3. 2. 1. Mark!" At his command, the Zeon forces split into three teams. The infantrymen headed directly into the center of their camp, with instructions to capture or kill any and all ground forces of the Federation. Alain and Dino would provide close air support, protecting them from any potential mobile suit stragglers. And as for Rhett and his Dopps... 'This one's for you, Alta. That Medea is toast!' Jay Tessa had heard the situation report as Mike Rhea had broken down the medical tent. Without waiting for further information, she took off at the closest thing she could manage to a full sprint. She tried to run towards her waiting GM Ground, crossing paths with the departing infantry members - led by Joe Dzurik, who was explaining how they needed to keep Melissa safe. She made it a bare few steps, though, before falling to the ground in pain. Joe Dzurik noticed her, and stopped his own fast trot to head back towards her. His mind was made up in a brief moment, and he grabbed at his communications unit. Coughing to clear his through, he got in touch with the GMPGT. "Jack - get over here and pick up Jay. Once you do, I want the two of you to hightail outta here. She's not combat ready, and neither of your suits is really in fighting shape." "What?" Jack had already begun moving towards the oncoming forces, though his motions were slow and clumsy due to the incomplete repairs. "Won't they just shoot us down from behind?" "Don't worry about that - I'll take care of things here. You just get Corporal Tessa and yourself to a safe location, and make sure you don't let that suit of yours fall into enemy hands. We clear?" Joe had already begun heading towards the waiting GM Ground, his steps unwavering and sure. "What, I'm just supposed to leave you alone? Don't be ridiculous. We'll fight them off together." Even as he said them, the words rung hollow in Jack's ears. His suit and the GM Ground were both still damaged, and outnumbered by opposing forces that were well rested and in a good state of repair. There was almost no chance of victory, and Jack knew it. "Don't argue, dammit, just get her out of here!" Joe's tone made it clear he would accept nothing else. Without even waiting for a response, clambered up into the cockpit of the GM Ground and closed it. Sighing, Jack moved to pick Jay up. He moved as gently as he could, but he could hear her lips open in a moan of pain as he brought her body towards his cockpit. He opened the hatch of the GMPGT, and reached out carefully to bring her body in. She hesitated to grab his arm and enter the cockpit, though. Jack opened his palms and motioned for her to take hold. "Corporal? Jay, listen. You need to help me out a bit here and give me your hand. I can't bring you in otherwise." Biting her lip for a moment, Jay swallowed back the fear building in her throat. It settled into a lump in her stomach, and she whimpered briefly at the thought of the enclosed space she would have to share with a man. Closing her eyes, Jay tapped a wellspring of courage she wasn't sure she had, gritted her teeth, and grabbed Jack's wrists as tightly as she could. He was surprised at the strength in her grip, but Jack knew that he couldn't let the opportunity pass, and pulled quickly. She tumbled into the GMPGT's cockpit, though he attempted to cushion the fall with his own body. He found the situation a bit awkward, to be sure, but Jay scrambled quickly off of him and into the furthest part of the cockpit. As her eyes darted about wildly, they settled on an approaching series of shapes. Jack saw her eyes focus, and he turned to see what she might be looking at. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" A mere handful of meters away, a Gouf and an odd blue suit landed heavily on the sand. They both rose quickly, managing to dodge a burst of machinegun fire from the GM Ground. Jack swore and flung a grenade at the pair. The weapon's explosion caused a hail of sand and dirt, but as the cloud cleared he could see the two suits had taken almost no damage - perhaps a few dings here and there, but no more. "Verse, this is not a debate!" Jack's head swung around as Joe's voice filled his ears. "Get. Going." With a yell borne from a combination of anger and despair, Jack grabbed at the GMPGT's controls. Pausing, he looked back one last time at his passenger. Jay's twitches of pain - 'And... fear?' - determined his course of action more surely than any order could have. She looked at him, then, through eyes that shimmered with unshed tears. Her voice was plaintive, and almost sounded like that of a young girl. "Just get us out of here in one piece? Please?" He nodded without a word. The Gundam Mass-Production Ground Type took off at maximum velocity, away from the onrushing forces, and Jack could only hope that he would be able to find some sort of a safe haven where the two of them could hole up and get well. He winced at the sound of the squeal of gears that reminded him the GMPGT needed some repairs as well. 'Just hold on until we're safe. That's all I ask...' The Benedictus had groaned as she rose off the ground, and there continued to be a strange thudding noise every few seconds. Nevertheless, she was making surprisingly good time out of the region, and Nigel even began to get his hopes up that they might be able to make it out. But the next sound he heard cut straight to Nigel's heart, grasping it in the cold hand of absolute terror. "Attention, Federation ship. This is Corporal Rhett Paruta of the Zeon Terrestrial Armed Forces. I am giving you this one opportunity. Surrender, and land immediately. Otherwise, you will be fired-upon. This is a non-negotiable agreement. You have one minute." To accompany the warning, the Dopps buzzed the Medea's bridge, wiggling their wingtips in mockery of the Federal forces' dire predicament. All of Nigel's anger and drive vanished in an instant. The thought of entering into captivity immobilized him. The sheer concept was so alien, so repugnant, that it seemed to block all sound before it could exit his throat. His crew looked at him expectantly, waiting, hoping, begging for a response of some sort. Instead, Nigel's paralysis almost seemed to extend throughout the bridge until none moved at all. The soft rising and falling of their collective breathing hammered like a blacksmith's anvil, so quiet had the room become. Until the silence was broken not by any of them, but an ousider. "Federal Ship. You have 15 seconds. 10 seconds. 5... 4... 3... 2..." The GM Ground stood alone as the Efreet and the Gouf stepped warily towards it. They could tell that it had sustained some damage, but tales amongst Zeon soldiers of the Federation's powerful new suits had reached their ears as well. That was why they had decided not to pursue the other mobile suit as it had fled - a desire to avoid any sort of trap. It was Alain who made the first move. The Efreet's shotgun loosed a flurry of shells, digging into the dirt and the GM Ground's shield. Joe made no attempt to dodge, but instead returned fire with another burst from the machinegun. The rounds sprayed around the Efreet, and a handful collided with its shoulder. But the heavy shielding there allowed it to shrug off the blows. Meanwhile, the Gouf had sidled up near the GM, and Dino raised his suit's left hand. The five-barreled gun blasted rounds into the unprotected flank of the Federation suit. Even despite its heavy armor, the open rivulets allowed many of the rounds to dig into vital machinery. Smoke began to fill Joe's cockpit, and he gritted his teeth. "Damn you! How about this?!" The GM Ground flailed its arms wildly, and suddenly its shield was flying at the Gouf. The unexpected maneuver caught Dino off-guard, and he tried to jump out of the way of the projectile. His dodge was only partially successful, as it slammed into his lower-body. He flipped forwards, landing heavily on the sand, and the pilot could hear metal crunch and warp. Alain had taken that time, though, to close within melee range. He looked to end the fight immediately. "Enough." The Efreet grabbed its heat saber, and took a massive downwards cut. The blow slashed straight through the GM Ground's cockpit, killing Joe instantly. The brave soldier was spared the pain of being blown apart, as the GM crumpled slowly to the ground and then exploded a few moments later. Alain had dashed backwards, knowing to avoid the blast, and he reflexively ducked to avoid several burning pieces of metal flung in his direction. "...1... Fire." The Zaku Cannon let loose with its primary weapon, and all the Dopps fired missiles in unison. The blasts struck the already-damaged Medea, instantly shattering much of the ship's inner support structures. A handful of secondary explosions rippled along the outer hull, and the Benedictus began careening towards a small grove of trees below. Within the ship, screams echoed amongst the halls. The crew were already dead, and the knew it. Several beat their fists against metal, before being blown into ash. Others whispered goodbyes to loved ones they would never see again. And as the ground came rushing up towards him, Nigel closed his eyes. He could hear the words of his wife, pounding in his ears, imploring him to "believe." And the Prince of Orange pursed his lips, unable to vocalize the thoughts that came to him. 'Lord... God... Please...' Then, there was only blackness. What had formerly an oasis amidst the sand, the once-serene landscape was set ablaze by the impact of the sizable ship. The Medea slammed into the turf and split down the center, shredding the enormous engine pairs and flinging twisted metal blades in all directions. A thick plume of black smoke belched from the center of the crash site, and bright orange flames began to consume everything within sight of the impact point. One wing of the once-proud airship had spun off far enough away that it would avoid destruction by the flames. Instead, it was quickly immolated by a blast from the Zaku Cannon's main weapons. "Guh. What a waste of life." Rhett sighed, and stared down from his Dodai at the wreckage below. Nothing could have survived that, he assumed. Making a brief salute in memory of the forces he had lost in chasing this white rabbit down, he turned away and headed back towards the main staging grounds of the operation. It was time to see what spoils his ground forces had managed to turn up. Tim Sheetz took careful aim even as he jogged backwards fast enough to keep up with his platoon. He slowed for just a moment to ensure his accuracy, and pulled the trigger. The crack of a muzzle could be heard, followed by a -whuff- of satisfaction from Tim's chest. In the distance, one of the Weasels slowed to a stop, as its driver slumped backwards. The man had lost most of his cranial matter and probably would have fared poorly behind the wheel, anyway. Andrew Young patted Tim on the shoulder. "Nice shot - see if you can g..." Before he could finish his request, a loud crash resounded behind them. Even as they had been attempting to pick off the approaching vehicles, several had managed to pass them and double-back. A half-dozen shots pittered into the sand about them, and two slammed into Ryan McGhee's chest. He coughed blood and attempted to cry out, but had no wind in his lungs to muster a sound, before falling softly to the dune at his feet. The remaining Federation marines reacted instantly and closed in around Melissa in a protective shell. They were surrounded quickly, as dozens of Zeon soldiers streamed out with weapons at the ready. The 42nd readied their weapons and prepared to make a final stand. Suddenly, Melissa's voice rang out above the sounds of their frenzied preparations. "No! No more." She turned her eyes sadly to McGhee's body, as his hands spasmed and grasped at the grains of sand. "I'm not worth it." She strode between them, and displayed her arms, wrists-upturned. "I surrender." Sadly, the infantrymen watched her being taken into custody, and they lowered their weapons in preparation for the same fate. The Zeon soldiers worked with brusque efficiency, unaware that they had just captured the wife of a Crown Prince. And as they talked of the foolhardy Medea pilot and his certain fate, they couldn't help but feel a pang of pity as the beautiful woman in their custody began to sob uncontrollably. "My liege?" Barely out of boyhood, a young page stepped slowly towards the throne of Queen Margrethe the Third. He already had learned that her gentle smile was but a facade - he could see the ice in her eyes at his entrance. Knowing what news he bore made his insides quake further, but he stood straight and firm nonetheless. The Royal Court would have accepted nothing less from its messenger service, a combination of the extensive network of informants that reported to the Dutch crown, and the age-old tradition of in-person message delivery. "Well, what is it?" The Queen's voice was curt, but curious. Her mind maintained its sharp edge even as she had entered her later years. One gloved finger tapped slowly on the monarch's throne, the only visible proof of her impatience. The page cleared his throat, sighed inwardly, and decided there was no use in putting it off. "My lady, I regret to tell you this. But it appears..." He coughed again, and Margrethe's eyes narrowed. He continued. "Your majesty. Your son, Nigel, has been killed in action somewhere in Africa." Her eyebrows raised slowly, and the page was stunned to see what he could have sworn was - 'Is than an expression of glee?!' But a mask of sorrow quickly consumed her visage, and she put a dainty hand to her throat. Slowly, with a tremor, she opened her mouth to him. "Go on..." Amidst the wreckage and flames, a body could be seen. It was broken, like a rag doll thrown against the wall and forgotten to time. At first it looked no different than the other various corpses scattered about the downed Federation ship. Its limbs splayed out in all directions, and lacerations covered every inch of exposed skin. But incredibly, a shuddering breath filled its chest. Then came another, following by wracking coughs of pain. It was alive. And Nigel Ferdinand's eyes suddenly fluttered open, and he screamed. Rhett Paruta: 7 VP gained, no damage, promoted to Sergeant Alain Grace: 8 VP gained, Repairing 2, promoted to Private First Class Jay Tessa: 1 VP gained, Destroyed 3 Jack Verse - 6/2 VP gained, Repairing +1 Nigel Ferdinand - 6 VP gained, Missing in Action 6 Injured 7 |