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Sand, sand, more sand, blowing sand, shifting sand, possibly quicksand, definitely slow sand, no one wanted a window seat in Odessa Task Force Hotel as it soared over the Egyptian desert, moving deep into North African territory. Eyes should've been on the sand however, as even a disinterested look across the barren desert would've been enough to spot a quartet of desert Zakus skiing across the sands and taking aim at the fleet of Medeas. "It's like they're not even paying attention!" One of the Zaku pilots joked loudly. "Don't let it fool you, they've got a compliment of fighters up there too." Another pilot warned, the four of them raising their weapons in unison. At the wave of the lead Zaku's hand, two 120mm machineguns and two bazookas fired off simultaneously. The volley streaked upward into the group of Medeas, rocking the cargo planes and alerting them to the enemy presence. On the bridge of the Picasso, Matilda struggled to remain seated as the barrage of bullets and explosive shells buffeted her aircraft. "Ma'am, should we send the Tin Cod's to draw their fire?" "No, order all aircraft to climb immediately. These supplies are for Odessa, not fighting every couple of wandering Zakus we come across." Matilda replied, watching the Zakus seem to fall away as the fleet rose above the clouds. The treeless, grassy steppes of Central Asia were once regarded as the crossroads of the known world. It is the geographical epicenter of two continents while skimming the edge of the Middle East. To the Earth Federal Forces enterring the region, the fortress port of Odessa is their prize. General Revil silently inspects the ships of Odessa Task Force Alpha from the bridge of his Sir Francis Drake. The Tin Cods of his elite "Desert Eagles" did a fly by as they continue on their combat air patrol. To port and starboard are the Big Tray-class land battleships Excelsior and Tyrant, whose Tin Cods are also in the air. A lot has happen since General Revil was a "guest" of the Duchy of Zeon. Upon his return he found a haplass Earth Federation, yet now that same Federation is back on the offensive. He hope he can see them to victory. General Revil is not that naive to even try to hope that his units would reach Odessa unmolested. They are hard to miss, especially with the formations of Odessa Task Force Bravo behind them and the wakes of the ships in Task Force Charlie advancing by water. All he can hope for is to minimize the amount of damage the Earth Federal Fleets take from ambushers. The Duchy of Zeon had wandering patrols around Odessa since the first day the Terrestial Assault Force landed. As the fortress port of Odessa continue to build up its defenses, it is up to these patrols to slow down the EFGF for as long as possible. The TAF high command is realistic enough to understand that the EFGF will not be stopped on the Central Asian steppes. All they can do is trim down the Federal attackers before they make their stand at Odessa. Within a few minutes of entering the Central Asian region, the Listening Posts of the 31st Air Patrol, Grey Snakes, Blue Dragons, and the North China Borderpost. Last but not least, the Doms of the elite Black Tri-Stars. Their purple and black mobile suits spun around on their hoverjets and like a well oiled machine, the three MS went into attack formation. "Overwelming odds again," grumbled Ortega as he pulled up next to Gaia's Dom. The Dom's monoeye turned towards Ortega," Where is the challenge otherwise?" From the left, Mash appeared in his Dom. "Maybe we can get Revil again." "This isn't space, Mash," warned Ortega. "Nor are we going to give him the benefit of living this time." The impromptu coordination of the Central Asian patrols meant that some units would attack ahead of the others. The Grey Snakes are closest to the Federal incursion while the North China Borderpost garrison is the farthest away from the Federal Fleets. The veteran pilots of the four Zaku II Js lay hidden as they watch the Big Trays go by. At first they saw nothing but the usual Big Trays when the Listening Post detected a significantly larger land Battleship behind the forward Big Trays. What the Zeon operators found is the enormous Heavy Fork-class heavy land battleship Venus. It's massive artillery armament is unmistakable. The pilots of the Grey Snakes assume that such a large vessel can only be carrying the theatre commander and as a result is a priority target. So then the Duchy of Zeon welcomed the Earth Federal Ground Force into its Central Asian domain with the contrails of 3-tub leg missiles. The Jet Core Boosters of Bravo's Bhatan are the first ones to signal a warning, followed shortly after by the fleet's Dish aircrafts. Like a swarm of angry hornets, fighting units of Odessa Task Force Bravo lifted off towards the Grey Snakes location. General Revil turned as a staff officer shouted from the radio station. "Sir! The Bhatan reports it is under light artillery attack. Recon analysis suggests it is a small MS Team and they should be able to repel it." The Grey Snakes are taking a pounding from the heavy artillery of Bravo's Guntanks and land battleships. Craters tore apart the ground around the prone Zaku II Js, showering them with dirt. But still the Zeon pilots hold, weapons at the ready. Just as the leading Type 61s closed in, death came from above. The Goufs of the Blue Dragons pounced on Odessa Task Force Bravo from the opposite direction from the Grey Snakes, catching the defending Tin Cods by surprise. The blue MS on their flying Dodais are more than a match for the Federal aircraft that stayed behind. On the Sir Francis Drake in Odessa Task Force Alpha, General Revil watched as his command staff analyzed the situation. "There is a land force and an aerial force flanking both sides of Bravo," reported one," the aerial force waited until Bravo committed units to counterattack the land force before striking." "We should head back and help them," advised another officer. "No," said Revil as his experienced mind deciphers the situation," they want us to turn and present our flank to them." He jabs a finger at empty terrain ahead of Task Force Alpha. "There will be an entrenched position here. They are waiting for us to turn to help Bravo fleet or hold our position as that we can cover Bravo if more forces converge on it." "So what should we do, General?" Revil looks at his second-in-command. "Have the fleet proceed full speed ahead for ten kilometers. Prepare for imminent enemy contact. Have the Desert Eagles scout ahead of us and get the Invincible 3rd Team on standby. We will destroy the enemy's ambush positions." "What about Task Force Bravo, sir?" "Ryer still has a lot of firepower, commander. He can take care of himself. Have Task Force Charlie reinforce their air cover with their naval aircraft." Out on the coast, Jet Core Boosters on the Alp lifted off the flight deck as they raced towards Task Force Bravo. Fishermen and civilians alike can see the flatops and surface warships from land. They aren't the only ones watching the Federal naval fleet. Onboard the Jukon-class U-11, the Zeon captain slapped the handles on the persicope as it descended into its storing position. "WEPS, load all torpedo tubes. Prepare to fire a full spread." "Aye captain, loading tubes one through six. Standing by to flood tubes and to open out doors." "Have the Zaku Marine Types ready to deploy. I want them to follow our torpedos in." Back on land, many eyes watched as the three Big Trays of Task Force Alpha approach closer. The North China Borderpost were lucky enough to find a natural defensive position in front of Task Force Alpha. The Marines fanned out as the Magellas went down to hulldown positions. The lone Zaku II J setup a small distance behind the defense line to avoid detection. Off to the east about four hundred meters are the three Doms of the Black Tristars. There they waited while craddling their 360mm Giant Bazookas. The three elite pilots watched in silence, each man knowing exactly what the other is going to do and what he should be doing. To the commander in charge of the North China Borderpost, the situation cannot be any worse. His group is meant to police the local population or maybe handle small amounts of Federal intruders. Now he's facing down the barrels of three land battleships. Still, he knows what he must do. In order to make his shots count, he must wait until Task Force Alpha is within striking range of his Magella's 175mm cannons. Suddenly the roar of lowflying jet engines startled him from his perch on the Weasel. "DAMNIT!" cried the commander as he saw the Tin Cods fly by. "Everyone get to cover and button up! Incoming artillery!" It was a matter of excerise at that point. Revil watched as the heavy cannons of his Big Trays smashed to paste the Zeon defense line spotted by the Desert Eagles. Revil knew he can count on Lieutenant Amy Bauer-Meister and her Tin Cods. Then an entire squad of Type 61 tanks exploded. Everyone's eyes snap towards the burning wrecks as three Doms rushed together in tight formation towards the fleets. Gunnery crews opened fire on reflex but none of the shots were calculated and all of the rounds missed. A wing of Fly Mantas dived at the speedy mobile suits, their 30mm vulcans chasing them across the steppes. Like a giant precision anti-aircraft cannon the Black Tri-Stars spun around and in one smooth movement blasted the Fly Mantas out of the sky. Revil watched as his command staff hurried to move units in to block the elusive Zeon attackers. A sense of familiarity tickles the back of his mind until he noticed how the Zeon mobile suits were moving. "The Black Tri-Stars", he whispered. Ortega stomped the head off a GM that Mash tripped with the butt of his Giant Bazooka. Gaia shoulder checked the dead GM as the trio rocketed past. Suddenly, extremely accurate and concentrated fire halted their advance. South Burning and the Invincible 3rd Team appeared, firing their weapons with practicied precision. The Black Tri-Stars scattered before regrouping. "C'mon Zeeks! I've got your lead TABLETS right HERE!" promised Monsha with great enthusiasm. "Control yourself Monsha," advised the higher ranking South Burning," these aren't normal pilots." Indeed they weren't. However, that did not change the situation for the Black Tri-Stars. The team of three can tell that the Invincible 3rd would take more than a driveby to overcome. That and the element of surprise had expired. Dying here would accomplish nothing. So with a final display of defiance, the Black Tri-Stars withdrew, out running any pursuers. As Revil oversaw Task Force Alpha securing the decimated North China Borderpost position, Ryers in Task Force Bravo watched as the last Gouf is gunned down into the ground. Out at sea, Task Force Charlie is still suffering from the chaos inflicted by the sudden attack by U-11. It will be another five hours before the waters around the naval fleet are deemed clear of enemy submarines. At that point in time, the Federal advance towards the Zeon stronghold of Odessa continued. Bryce Hollerfelt - 1 VP Gained, No Damage Not even the camp stove could remove the desert night chill from Amuro's last can of beans. He sat sheltered from the stars' gaze in the abandoned ruins of a desert town, now just a sand-worn memory of crumbling remnants without any trace of its past life. Gigantic footprints traced a path to Amuro's camp, and to the Gundam laying sand, covered in various sized tarps. Another block crumbled somewhere, and Amuro started at the sound. He reached for his pistol, but as soon as he recognized the sound, his heart's beating calmed and he relaxed. His spoon was nearly back in his mouth when he heard a new sound - it was definitely a machine, and it sounded like it was flying. He turned off the camp burner and grasped his pistol. He peered around a dilapidated wall, pistol in hand. Something was flying over the town. That's... a Zeon Mobile Armor! An Adzam soared past, accompanied by a group of Dopps. Amuro didn't know it, but it was a man named M'quve's Adzam, and with him rode Kycilia Zabi - the commander of the SAF. Debris rained down on Amuro as the Adzam passed overhead. It didn't see him or the Gundam as far as he could tell, and he was at least thankful for that. "What are you going to do with him if Amuro comes back, Bright?" White Base's crew was tense after Amuro's desertion, and Hayato was the first to ask the question. The bridge was filled with a handful of Amuro's closest friends - or, at least, the people who he interacted with most often. "Shoot him, obviously," Kai said. "He's a deserter. That's what you do to them, right, Bright?" "No! You can't do that!" Kai was surprised at Frau's desperate response. "That's what martial law dictates," Bright began evenly, "but I don't know." "How can you do that to your friend? He's worked so hard!" Frau was livid. "We'd only do it if it was absolutely necessary, Frau." Sayla tried consoling her, but... she wasn't exactly used to it. Mirai spoke up, being the only one who was capable of emotionally supporting anyone else on the entire ship. "Stop all of this nonsense!" She walked over to Frau, gently smiling and holding out a hand. "Come, Frau--" "I wasn't sure why Amuro left before, but now I know!" Frau stormed off the bridge, feeling more alone than ever, and wishing that Amuro was there. Someone's coming. Hide. Gun. Get the gun. Amuro sank low against the wall, waiting for whoever was coming to pass him, and then - "Frau? What are you doing here?" Amuro lowered the gun and Frau took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to scare you, Amuro. I just... wanted to find you. I need you to come back. We need you to come back." She had driven all the way out here, following the Gundam's footprints, just to convince Amuro to come back. Amuro walked over to Gundam and waved at it with his gun. "Isn't this what they want? Their Gundam?" "No, Amuro, that's not it! If you just come back, they'll forgive you!" "Forgive me? For what?!" "People... were talking about it. Kai said deserters should be severely punished." Frau clapsed her hand over her mouth. She didn't mean to say that. Now Amuro would... "I see how it is." Amuro looked angrier than before. "Go away." "Amuro, we need you!" "Go away!" Amuro climbed onto Gundam, heading towards the cockpit. "Are you running away again, Amuro? Are you afraid no one will approve of you as a pilot? Is that why you can't come back?" "Nobody cares how I feel about this!" He dropped into the cockpit and the white Mobile Suit raised itself to its feet, and walked away. A tent in the distance. Amuro noticed it, and made his way through the boiling desert sunlight to the hot shade. A man was sitting inside. "Excuse me," Amuro started, "do you have any water?" "Water is precious here," the man said, "there is a town, not far from here. Much water there." It didn't look like he'd get anything to drink without heading to that town, then. "Thank you, sir." Amuro waded through the sands once more. He hadn't gone very far before he came upon the outskirts - no, the main street - of the town. It was true, there were some buildings that looked inhabited, and a few yards away, he saw something that might be a restaraunt. He walked to the open doorway and spoke into the cool interior. "Excuse me, do you serve food here?" Amuro gnawed on the bread he had been given. It was tough and chewy, but it was strangely moist. The cheese he had been given was warm and soft, but it tasted like the best thing he had eaten in years. Some kind of convoy rolled in as he ripped chunks out of the roll with his teeth, and rambunctious voices poured into the saloon. There were a lot of them. "Hey! Hope you guys have room for thirteen!" A Zeon soldier walked through the doorway. "This way, please, Miss Hamon." A beautiful woman entered the door, flanked by more Zeon soldiers. And then, a large man, dressed in a blue officer's uniform, barked an order to another soldier outside before entering. Amuro heard a name: "Ramba Ral." Ramba Ral? "Eat up, fellows," Ramba Ral said, "this is the last meal you'll have before the big mission!" The proprietor walked over the table and meekly rubbed his hands together, and stuttered to the gray haired lieutenant. "Sir, our town, Sodon, is, well, considered, um, neutral, so if, uh, you're going to, um, fight, we'd--" "Don't worry, we'll take it elsewhere," Ramba Ral gruffly comforted. "Th-thank you." Amuro wrapped his fingers around his pistol grip hidden beneath his traveling cloak, and watched the soldiers intently out of the corner of his eye. "Well have 14 of whatever you have, please." Hamon asked the man nicely as the soldiers talked and laughed about unimportant things. "14, dear?" Ramba Ral asked. "Thirteen for us, and one for the boy over there." Amuro tensed. He stood up and walked over to the soldiers' table and declined Hamon's offer. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept that." "No?" Hamon asked "I'm not a charity case." Ramba Ral laughed. "He's got you there, Hamon, the kid's pretty sharp." "It's no big deal, I've taken a liking to you, that's all," Hamon smiled. "Yeah, the goddess of fortune has smiled upon you!" The soldiers laughed. "I'm not a beggar," Amuro insisted. "Well, I'm quite impressed, kid," Ramba Ral rubbed his chin while expressing his surprise. "You sure don't mince words. The offer's not just from Hamon," Ral slapped Amuro's back, "it's from me too! You can accept it then, right!" "Well-" "Lieutenant!" A voiced shouted from outside, accompanied by a girl's scream. "We found a suspicious person outside!" The soldier walked in, and Amuro recognized Frau immediately. "Frau!" "Amuro!" "This girl, she's a friend of yours?" Hamon asked slyly. "Yes... she is." "This looks like a Federation uniform," one of the soldiers said. "Yes? What do you say, Hamon?" Ramba Ral asked. "I say she's this boy's girlfriend." "Hmmm. Alright. Let her go." Ral walked away from Frau and the soldier and waved them away. "What?" "You heard me, let her go." Ral walked over to Amuro. "You've got the eyes of a soldier," he said, and reached for Amuro's cloak, lifting it to the side. "Well, that takes of a lot of guts, boy." Ral spied Amuro's hand wrapped around a pistol. "Now I'm really impressed with you. Amuro? That your name?" "Yes, sir." "If we should meet in battle, it will be different. Do you understand, Amuro?" "Yes, I do. Thank you, Mister Ral and Miss Hamon. I really appreciate what you tried to do for me. Let's go, Frau." "Amuro!" "Let's go!" As soon as Amuro was out of earshot, Ral ordered one of his men to follow them. "I want you to follow them, Zagan. If they're Federation, the Trojan Horse should be around here somewhere." "I told you to go back to the ship and leave me alone, Frau." "You're mistaken if you think I came here for you!" "You're the one who's mistaken, you're the one who was caught by the Zeons!" "Just who do you think you are?! Amuro!" Amuro started the buggy and told Frau to get in. "You're just getting further and further away from me every day, Amuro." Amuro stopped the buggy and got out. "You can go the rest of the way by yourself," Amuro said. "You're going to regret this, Amuro!" "No, I won't. I'm going to live my own life from now on." "You're so dense!" Frau sped off, and Zagan trailed not far behind. "I won't regret this. At all..." Amuro walked away. Zagan followed Frau all the way to an outcropping of rocks, until he saw something white peeking out from behind the ridge. He killed his engine and mounted a rock. "It's the Trojan Horse, alright," he said. "We've got a message from Zagan, Lieutenant. Coded." "What's it say?" Ramba Ral asked, waiting aboard the Blauer Reise. "He's found the Trojan Horse!" "Alright, prepare to move out. It's time to attack." "You saw the Gouf, Frau?" Bright interrogated the returned Frau Bow. "Yes, on a flatbed truck. There was another one there too, it might've had another Mobile Suit on it." "Did you happen to see Amuro?" Kai wondered. "Yes, he was in the same place. It's called Sodon." "Ahahahah.... oh, I bet he got chummy with the Zeeks," Kai laughed. "I'm sure he blabbed about White Base." "Kai, keep your comments to yourself," Bright yelled. "All repairs are canceled, White Base is on full alert status." Ral's Mobile Suit was prepared, and Stetch's Zaku was equipped with missiles. "Right, then," Ramba Ral began. "We're going to begin now. Are you ready, Hamon?" "Yes, dear. Take care." "Go five kilometers up the road and wait for us there. Don't use the radio any more, dear." Ral's Gouf jumped into the air, heading towards White Base. Amuro went over the encounter again and again in his head until he was interrupted - a Mobile Suit jumping overhead. He jumped to his feet from the sand. "They followed her to White Base!" Amuro dug a hole in the sand, revealing Gundam's cockpit hatch. "I have to stop that Gouf. No one else can!" The Gouf beat on White Base's forces, knocking Kai in the Guncannon back. Stetch's Zaku destroyed the Guntank's right tread with a missile, immobilizing the MS. "One of the tracks has been damaged!" Hayato was piloting Guntank alone, and now he was stuck in an immobile target. "Wait - I can forcibly eject the top and then use the core fighter!" Hayato pulled a lever, and the top half of the Guntank's body rocketed off, followed by an unfolding core fighter. "Sorry, Guntank! But I've gotta find Amuro!" "Ramba Ral, sir! We can take out that suit now!" "Haven't you been paying attention, Stetch? We've got to save our ammo for the Trojan Horse!" Their attacks on the ship renewed, and Kai wasn't amused. "Great, now I'm alone. Thanks, Hayato. Really." The core figher soared past another sand bank, and finally spied the Gundam - it was struggling against a Gallop. "Amuro!" Amuro jumped away from the Blauer Reise, still attempting to use the vulcans on the landship, not wanting to waste any beam ammo. "Hayato!" "I'll take care of this, you need to go help White Base!" "Thanks! I'm going, then!" Amuro took an opening and jumped away from the Gallop, boosting towards White Base. Now, he would show Ramba Ral how he fought. "Sensors indicate a Zaku approaching the stern," Omar announced back on White Base's bridge. "What?" Bright was starting to get extremely nervous. "What about our rear missiles?" "No one's there!" "Directly behind us?" Mirai asked. "Engines, full speed ahead. Hold on for dear life, everyone." The nuclear pulse engines fired at full capacity, catching Stetch's Zaku in their radius. "Oh no, it can't be!" Stetch screamed as his Zaku disintegrated in the blast of the Trojan Horse's engines. "Stetch, you stupid fool!" Ral cried out and jumped after the Federation ship, an opening Kai had been looking for. He jumped after the Gouf and raised his targeting visor. The Gouf landed on White Base and began bashing the engines with its heat rod. "Bright, we have to flip White Base to shake him off," Mirai said. "What about you?" "I'll be fine! Hold on!" Mirai turned White Base over, and the Gouf slid off, landing directly in front of the Guncannon. Kai screamed and lowered the red Mobile Suit's body, tripping the Gouf. The Gouf destroyed one of the Guncannons cannons and fried the Mobile Suit with its heat rod. Gundam arrived. Amuro fired on the Gouf, with near perfect accuracy. But he still couldn't hit the Gouf. "What's going on?! How did I miss?!" "Your accuracy is pretty good, Gundam. So good, in fact, that my computer can easily dodge your shots!" Ral commended the suit, but smiled at its amateur pilot's attempts. "Only one shot left, I'm ditching the beam rifle!" Amuro decided to drop the useless rifle. "This pilot's making some excellent judgements," Ral smirked, "tough man. But.." He jumped over the Gundam and whipped it with the heat rod as it drew a beam saber. Ral drew his heat sword, and the two Mobile Suits clashed, but the Gundam disappeared behind its shield as it was cleft in twain, and his saber's tip scorched the Gouf's chest, melting the edges of the cockpit hatch shut. "Damn computer, I know it's hot out there!" Ral shouted as his computer. "The monitor's fried, too! Guess I'll just have to blow the whole damn thing off!" He flipped a few switches, and explosive bolts in the chest armor activated, blowing the entire cockpit hatch away from the chest, and it fell into the sand. Ral returned the favor with a quick swipe of his sword, ripping, rather than cutting a segment of the Gundam's front chest armor off. Amuro raised the hatch, his monitor capabilities had been reduced greatly as well. Amuro ducked underneath the Gouf's next attack and cut the blue Mobile Suit's arms off at the bicep. Their open cockpits aligned, and the pilots saw each other. "Y-you! I knew it!" Amuro said. "It's... that kid! You said your name was Amuro! Times have changed... kids like you, becoming pilots!" Amuro reached around the Gouf's body and buried the beam saber in its back. "Take that!" Ral launched a wire at the Gundam's crotch, catching a ride on the Mobile Suit as it escaped the exploding Gouf. "Very good, Amuro! But don't forget you owe it to the Mobile Suit's strength and nothing more!" "You're just a sore loser!" The Gouf exploded and knocked Ral into the desert floor. "I'll have to meet up with Hamon this evening." The brig door shut on Amuro. "Whatever your reasons were, i can't forgive you for tarnishing the crew's morale." Bright sighed as he locked the door on Amuro. "That's really one sided!" Amuro said. "You have to hear my story." "No, Amuro. I'm sorry." Bright walked away. "Bright! When Ramba Ral comes, I'll have to go out and fight anyway!" "I don't know anymore, Amuro. Maybe there's someone else to pilot Gundam." Hayato, Bright, and Kai walked away, and Amuro continued to shout after them. "Wait, let me explain! Please! Don't lock me in here! Let me say what I need to say! I have things I want to say! Sayla, can't you hear me on the monitor?! Answer me!" Amuro slid down the door. "It's true, I'm the best pilot here! Aren't I? I am! I'm the best..." Tears poured from his eyes. He didn't know what he was doing. He didn't have... an identity without Gundam. White Base was settled near a lake as the bridge crew went over an encrypted message. "The decryption isn't wrong, is it?" Bright asked. "No, it's 'Don't move until we activate the Odessa Day.' I've check it several times," Sayla responded. Mirai finished mending the childrens' clothes and reclined on a cushion next to Sayla. "You finished already?" Sayla asked. "You're pretty devoted." Frau brought food to Amuro, and insisted he tried some. "You haven't eaten!" "Close the door, I might run away." Amuro pouted. "Don't say things like that!" "Ramba Ral will attack us again. He'll only be more eager." "Just, please, eat..." "Bye, Frau." Frau closed the door on Amuro and stumbled away from the brig deck. Hayato boarded the bridge and approached Bright. "Bright, you're still counting on Amuro, aren't you?" "Of course, Hayato," he responded, sighing. "Why?" Hayato looked puzzled. "He could've sold us out to Zeon. He could've given them Gundam. But he didn't. And I'm not sure why." "You still believe in him, then." "Yeah." Bright looked off into the distance, trying to figure Amuro out. Aboard the Blauer Reise, Ramba Ral receieved a message from Dozle Zabi. "What does it say, soldier?" "It's been relayed by M'quve, sir." "Let me see that." Ramba Ral took the piece of paper and read it, nodding. "Admiral Dozle is sending us three Doms, the land based Mobile Suits." "Doms?" Hamon asked. "The heavy Mobile Suits?" "The one and the same, dear. We're moving out," Ral announced. "Well attack the Trojan Horse as soon as we receive the Doms." "Hmmm... Ramba Ral knows too much about my mining activities here. This mine will be extremely valuable when Kycilia takes control. Admiral Gihren must not know what we're doing here." M'quve mused aloud, standing before one of his men. "You know what you must do, don't you?" "But, Captain, we're sabotaging a request from Admiral Dozle." "Don't worry, that Ramba Ral won't know a thing..." "Point A13. Are you sure?" Ral asked. "Yes sir." "30 minutes have passed and still nothing." "Look, there's a light," Hamon pointed to an incoming craft. The craft landed, and one of M'quve's men exited, saluting Ramba Ral sharply. "Sir, I have bad news. Our official escort didn't make it in time to rendevouz. The supply ship was destroyed." "Right. Tell M'quve that I, Ramba Ral, will carry out my mission if I have to do it with my bare hands." The soldier saluted once again and took off. "Well, what will we do?" Hamon asked. "We specialize in guerilla warfare, so that's exactly what we're going to do, my dear Hamon. Come! Let us prepare." The Cuis rolled toward White Base, and Ramba Ral rode atop one, basking the glory of battle. "Yes, the wind whipping against my face. This is what war is about!" The Zaku and the Blauer Reise continued maneuvering into position over the loose soil and sand of the bleary terrain. "That boy we saw earlier," Hamon mused aloud, "he must be a pilot. The pilot of the Mobile Suit Gundam! Such a nice boy. Well, let's see how he fights." White Base's alarms went off as the enemy came into range. "Sayla, how close are they now?" Bright asked as they rushed to their posts. "It's hard to tell with these settings, so I called for Marker and Omar to come back to their posts!" "Prepare all weapons, begin preparations for take-off!" Bright commanded with a wall of confidence covering his inner insecurity. Marker and Omar jumped into their seats, apologizing for their lateness. "Engines ready in 120 seconds, Bright," Mirai announced from the ship's helm. "Be ready, everyone," Bright growled. "Gallop appears to be in the front," Marker said. "We're within their range!" "All weapons, fire!" Bright's voice signaled the opening barrage, and the ship shook. "Port side guns, what are you doing?! There's a Zaku there!" Sayla's face appeared on the hangar monitor, and it looked like she was in one of the Mobile Suits. "Bright! I'm taking off in Gundam!" "Alright, good luck, Sayla." Sayla fired on the Zaku, but was unable to get the beam rifle's aim just right. Bright called Frau, asking her to get Amuro out of the brig. "You can unlock it with the Type-E code!" "Frau!" "Amuro!" The door opened, and Amuro seemed like he had been waiting there for a long time. "Where's Gundam?" "It's out, Sayla's piloting it! You've been asked to work the port side gun." "Alright," Amuro said, putting aside his selfish thoughts, "I'm on it!" "Sir, two tanks approaching us from behind!" Omar brought up an image on one of the bridge's many monitors. "What?" "Commando tanks. Cuis, sir." Bright bit his lip. He had a bad feeling about this. "We can't let them board the ship. Are you two armed?" He asked Marker and Omar. "Sayla!" Amuro called from one of the MPC turrets. "You need some distance between you and the Zaku. Jump backwards!" Sayla jumped away from the Zaku and Amuro opened fire. The Zaku sank behind a hill, avoiding the cannons. Sayla jumped after it, and as the Zaku rose from behind the hill, her sights lined up and she pulled the trigger. The beam rifle's round destroyed the Zaku's head. "Excellent, Sayla!" Amuro commended her. Ramba Ral's plan entered the next phase, and the Cuis opened fire on White Base's aft. Bright reached for a rifle. "Everyone who can fight, proceed to the aft!" He yelled over the intercom, hoping there were still enough hands free to hold the ship's interior. Amuro raced through the ship's halls, handgun clenched between his fingers, and exhaling words between each gasp of air. "That... man... is... coming..." He wanted to beat Ral, to show him that he had skill, that it wasn't just Gundam. The Zeon soldiers jumped away from the Cuis and used their jetpacks to land on White Base, and began fighting their way inside. Ramba Ral rushed to White Base's sub-bridge, and ran into Frau Bow along the way. She was brandishing a pistol, but he knocked it out of her hands and told her to hide. "Stay somewhere safe until all of this is over." She was at a loss for words, and the soldiers ran past her before she knew what to do. Amuro brawled with a Zeon soldier, struggling to keep the gun pointed away from him. A bullet between the Zeon soldier's eyes finished the fight; Bright lowered his gun and smiled at Amuro. "Take Gundam. Sayla's waiting to switch with you." "Right!" Amuro ran towards the Gundam. "Get the enemy out of the second bridge, Amuro!" "I've got it, Bright!" Amuro jumped into the Gundam as Sayla climbed down. She ran towards the second bridge herself, grabbing a gun along the way. "Don't you think it's odd, sir?" One of Ral's soldiers asked. "This ship's crewed by no one but kids?" "Not now, soldier. It's open!" The gunfight started again, and curiousity took a backseat to survival. Sayla opened the door next to the sub-bridge, and ran directly into Ramba Ral himself. They both paused, not sure what to do, and then Ramba Ral broke the brief silence. "Your highness? Artesia? That is you? Of course it is, you've grown up, but I'd never forget that face! Do you remember me? I'm Ramba Ral, Jimba Ral's son. He took care of you after your father died." "If I am Artesia, then why are you pointing a gun at me?" Ral lowered his gun just in time to catch a bullet in the shoulder as Job John fired down the hall. "Sayla, get down!" Job John dodged the return fire from Ramba Ral. Ral retreated into the sub-bridge and shut the door. Bright arrived as the door slammed shut, and communicated with Amuro. "They've taken the second bridge! You'll have to destroy it!" "Roger." Inside the bridge, Ral gave the order to retreat. "Just retreat! The mission is a failure!" "Dear?" Hamon asked over the radio. "I'm sorry Hamon, but... I want you to get away. In the middle of a fight, Ramba Ral forgot to fight. But you should know about Artesia..." he gasped, his wound paining him greatly. Suddenly, the bridge's outer wall exploded, opening a hold to the outside. The men around Ral were killed by shrapnel, but Ramba Ral lived on, struggling to draw each breath. "That boy in the Gundam. To think that my opponents were all children..." He stumbled towards the opening as the bridge's door heaved open. He turned to face the new arrivals. "You have fought splendidly," he commended them. "But now you will see the fate that awaits true warriors! Now, I want you to watch closely!" He pulled a grenaded from his hip and pulled the pin. "Everyone, out, shut the door!" Bright shouted as they pulled the door shut. Amuro couldn't turn Gundam's cameras away. Ramba Ral turned his head up and was then enveloped by the explosion. Sayla tried to open the door, but Bright held her back. Amuro didn't breathe, he didn't hear anything else. He just kept looking at the spot that Ramba Ral had been. The wounded were taken to the medical bay, and the dead were sealed away in an empty room. The Zeon soldiers had all died, and their ship had retreated. Amuro landed Gundam in the hangar, but he didn't come out. He sat there for the rest of the night, until Bright noticed he was missing. At first, he wanted to put him back in the brig, but he decided to just let Amuro sleep the way he was, in Gundam, for the night. |