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September 16th, Universal Century 0079 The White Base slowly entered the southern point of the Grand Canyon, the massive environmental monument of a bygone time. Strong winds blew from the west, sweeping sand and dirt with it. Amuro Ray sat calmly and quietly within the cockpit of the Gundam, geared and equipped in the White Base's hanger, along with the Guncannon and the Guntank, all three mobile suits ready for action. "Seriously, Bright," Ray announced, breaking the silence, over the radio. "Why do we need to be at the ready? It's not like we haven't seen a Zeek, let along a cyclops in the past several days." Several moments passed before Bright Noa, the White Base's senior officer, replied. "Because," he said sternly, "This is where I would ambush us. The area of the canyon around Midlake is a virtual chokepoint." "I-," began Ray, before being cut off as the entire ship shuddered violently. "What the hell was that?" "Mirai hit a rock outcropping," Noa seethed over the radio. Ray could barely make out an argument over the radio, probably between Noa and Teniente Reed. "Jesus," Ray muttered under his breath, and he continued waiting. "Bright, you must turn back," Reed insisted. "No," Noa replied, turning to face the older, superior officer. "We will take the Grand Canyon and follow its course." "But the Zeeks force have already spotted us!" huffed Reed. "They have," Noa acknowledged, turning back to the White Base's forward bridge view port. "And we will push past them. I have confidence in it." "I'm sure you do," Reed answered. "But I don't, and this White Base much reach Jaburo intact." "And it will. I assure you." A sudden commotion rang from one of the entry doors to the bridge of the White Base. Both Noa and Reed, and much of the bridge staff, turned their attention towards the commotion, revealing a group of the civilian refugees, led by a young woman, her child in tow. They had shoved past the two guards that had been posted at the door. "You!" the woman cried, pointing at Noa, "You must let us off." Noa glanced over the group of refugees, mostly older men and women, with a sprinkling of the young. They looked ragged and exhausted and hungry - they had spent most of the time since Side 7 in fear, running from the Zeon forces that had moved to intercept the Federation warship. "He can't," Reed butted in, moving to Noa's side. "Why not?" the woman, the spokesman for the refugees, asked incredulously. "Because we are in the midst of a military operation," Reed continued, "As well as the middle of a war zone and enemy controlled territory. It would be irresponsible for us to discharge you here." "Bullshit!" one of the men called out. "Yeah, what he said," the woman echoed. Noa scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Shit," muttered one of the radar operators from across the bridge. Noa snapped his head in that direction, certain of what he was going to hear. "We've got contacts, sir," the radar operator announced. Noa and Reed moved swiftly to the operator's shoulders, examining the screen, while the refugees began talking rapidly amongst themselves, unsure of what was going on. "What have we got?" Noa asked. "A Gaw assault carrier," the man replied. "Looks to be the same we encountered several days ago. It's got a reinforced fighter compliment, if its the same one." "Shit," Reed said. "Battle stations. Launch the mobile suits!" "Wait," Noa suddenly said, a grin on his face. He turned to look out the bridge view port, the Midlake chokepoint rapidly approaching. "I have an idea." "The White Base is approaching rapidly," announced the radar operator on the Gaw. Garma Zabi swiftly approached the console, examining the radar monitor. "It appears that I was correct, Char," Zabi announced happily. "Finish deployment of the Dopps and have the Magellas begin to move into position. And get Cato Heron and his Zakus ready." "Yes, sir!" replied the bridge's com officer. Zabi turned back to face Char Aznable. Aznable, still dressed in his old red, Zeon uniform and his white face mask, grinned. "So it seems that you will have another chance at victory, Garma." "Inde-," Zabi began, before being cut off by the com officer. "Sir!" "Yes?" Zabi asked, turning towards the office, irritated by the interruption. "The White Base is attempting to contact us." "What?" Zabi asked, astonished. "What for?" "They want to unload some civilian refugees before the battle. They are worried that they might perish in a fight." Zabi scratched his chin, thinking. "This could mean that the White Devil and the Federation's carrier are more heavily damaged than we thought. Thoughts, Char?" Char turned to face his superior. "It's a terrible idea, Garma. You must press the assault." "But innocents could die!" Zabi cried incredulously. "And? This is war," Char replied coolly. Zabi wrinkled his nose indignantly, and turned back to the com officer. "Tell them that we agree to their request, but one of our aircraft will escort whatever vehicle they use to unload them, as I doubt that the Federation is that heartless as to leave refugees in the middle of this desolate wasteland." "Yes, sir!" the officer answered. "God, if this works," Hayato Kobayashi muttered. He looked through the forward view port of the Gunperry as it streaked in a northwesterly direction, away from both the White Base and from the Zeon forces concentrated to the north. "If," Ryu Jose echoed. Both men sat comfortably in the cockpit of the White Base's transport, the Gunperry, an oddly shaped aerial lift. In the passenger compartment, nearly two hundred refugees had been, along with their meager positions, been shoved in. Both pilots were to land the Gunperry on the western edge of the Grand Canyon, in the midst of a small town and then return, via jetpacks, to the White Base to main the Guntank. Of course they were going to man the Guntank. But, in the massive central storage compartment, equally crammed in, was Ray's Gundam and Kai Shiden's Guncannon. After several minutes of flight, the Gunperry reached its target zone, and Kobayashi easily set the aircraft down. Above, one of the Zeon's Luggun radar aircraft, a large, two-dished vehicle, circled, watching as Jose deployed the Gunperry's smoke around the landing zone. Billowing black smoke rose as refugees began swiftly disembarking, running quickly from the Gunperry and towards the nearby town. After the last of the refugees had left, Kobayashi keyed the Gunperry's radio. "Amuro, this is Hayato. You guys are good to go in..." He check the aircraft's chronometer. "About five minutes. Good luck." "The same," Ray's voice cackled in return. "How interesting," Aznable noted, peering at one of the Gaw's bridge monitors. "What?" Zabi asked, moving behind his friend to examine the same monitor. "It appears that the Federation's evacuation is what it is," the pilot replied, pointing at the monitor as the last of the refugees and the Gunperry's pilots left via jetpacks. "Why should it be anything else?" Zabi asked, curious. Under his white mask, Aznable rolled his eyes. "Anyways," Zabi continued, turning back to his com officer. "Order the assault to begin!" "Bright," Reed announced, examining one of the White Base's bridge monitors. "We are approaching the Midlake chokepoint, and the Zeeks are ready for us." "Everyone at battle stations?" Noa asked. Reed nodded. "Good. Thus it begins." "Incoming Dopps!" shouted one of the bridge spotters. A pair of Dopp missiles smashed into the side of the White Base, the Zeon aircraft diving from high altitude on the Federation assault carrier, jolting the bridge crew. "Open fire!" Noa ordered. The White Base's crew responded immediately, anti-air craft fire from its cannon and missile batteries firing skywards, filly initiating the battle. "Let's go," Ray ordered, maneuvering his Gundam out of the Gunperry's hanger. Close behind followed Shiden in his Guncannon. The two mobile suits, free from the confines of the Gunperry's hanger, glanced around, taking in the situation. Above, the Luggan from earlier loitered low over the small, nearby town. "Shit," Shiden said, a tinge of panic on his voice. "Keep calm," Ray replied, aiming his beam rifle at the Zeon aircraft. The aircraft, at that point, seemed to notice the two mobile suits, and swiftly began to maneuver away from the Federation suits. Ray calmly fired a shot from his beam rifle, striking the hull of the Luggan, sending the aircraft tumbling out of the sky. "Follow me!" Ray ordered, throttling the Gundam to full speed, heading towards the edge of the Grand Canyon. Within minutes, the two mobile suits began descending the steep slopes of the massive canyon, bringing them swiftly to the canyon floor, and behind enemy lines. With only the urgency that the balance of life and death could bring, Ray and Shiden made their way southwards. Coming around a bend in the canyon wall, both pilots were able to make out the massive aerial battle underway between the White Base and a small horde of Zeon Dopps. On the ground, a ragged line of Magella Attack Tanks and Zaku II-Fs began approaching the White Base, their cannons and bazookas firing on the White Base. "Open fire, Kai!" Ray ordered. He charged forward, blowing away two of the Magella Attack Tanks with his beam rifle. Shiden began firing the Guncannon's twin 240mm shoulder cannons, its rounds falling upon the Zeon tanks. The four Zakus that were part of the assault turned back, looking in horror as the Gundam and the Guncannon charged the Zeon line, pincering the Zeon forces between the new arrivals and the White Base. "Damnit all," Zabi cursed, watching from one of the Gaw's bridge monitors. "They must have used that damn ariel lift to get the Gundam into the rear of our forces." He watched in horror as the Gundam easily blocked a 280mm bazooka round and dispatched of the bazooka's owner with ease. Zabi slammed his fist into the console as another Magella tank exploded violently. "You were right, Char," Zabi said, sadness on his voice. Aznable chuckled softly to himself. Three of the Magella tanks had surrounded the Guncannon, throwing Shiden into a panic. "Shit!" he yelled, turning his mobile suit rapidly, trying to destroy the tanks. One of the two remaining Zakus charged forward, heat hawk in hand, swinging down at the Guncannon. Panicking, Shiden tumbled backwards, barely maneuvering past the heat hawk. "Amuro!" he yelled. Ray swung the Gundam back towards his fellow mobile suit, watching as the Zaku took another swipe with its heat hawk, again missing. He raised the Gundam's beam rifle, putting two quick sots into the back of the Zaku. The Zaku exploded violently, sending debris into the Guncannon. Shiden rolled the Guncannon over to one side, firing two quick rounds into a nearby Magella. "Thank god," Shiden breathed, turning his Guncannon back towards the Gundam. "Oh shit!" Shiden screamed, "Behind you!" Behind me, Ray thought at nearly the same time, his mind envisioning an incoming Zaku bazooka. With nearly superhuman reflexes, Ray swiveled the Gundam, raised its arm shield, blocking the rocket round, which exploded around the shield. Within moments, Ray raised his beam rifle and fired, destroying the last of the Zakus. Nearly two thousand feet to the south, the White Base continued its duel with the Dopps. Several had been destroyed, but most continued to strafe the Federation carrier, their missiles striking against the ship's hull. Beneath the mammoth vessel, the Guntank's cannons roared skywards, Kobayashi and Jose expertly maneuvering the Guntank around Dopp missiles. Ray and Shiden charged southward, past the destroyed Zeon ground line, both firing skywards. Quickly, the Gundam downed two Dopps, their fiery carcasses striking against the canyon's walls. Within moments of the Gundam and Guncannon joining the battle, the Dopps began to withdraw, heading skywards, towards the far off Gaw. The cries of victory ringed on the bridge of the White Base. "Yes!" Reed yelled, fist-pumping. "I can't believe it. It worked!" Other members of the bridge crew showered Noa with accolades and congratulations. Another victory brought the crew of the White Base life and meant that, for another day, the Federation's war effort could continue with hope. Noa punched his com button, activating his radio link with the carrier's mobile suits. "Excellent work, gentlemen," he began. "Return to the White Base." "Acknowledged," Ray answered wearily. His body and mind were tired, and there were many days of combat ahead. |