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September 20th, Universal Century 0079 The entire room shook violently, throwing Amuro Ray back into the arms of Frau Bow, and the two crashed into the far wall of Ray's quarters on the White Base. "Damnit!" Bright Noa cursed, standing in the doorway. "This ship is under attack, your friends at risk, and yet you stay in quarters like the coward you are." Ray pushed himself away from Bow and stood his ground in front of the larger, angry Noa. "I'm exhausted, Bright. I can't sleep. I can't possibly fight." Noa moved forward and swung his hand backwards and with all his might, he struck Ray in the side of the face, sending the young mobile suit pilot sprawling to the ground. "What the hell?" Ray asked, shocked by Noa's actions. "Stand up," Noa ordered. "Please, don't," Bow asked, pleading with the two men. She tried to help Ray up, but the young man pushed her hands away and got off the floor himself. The room shook again as missiles impacted against the White Base's exterior armor. An audible smack could be heard throughout the room as Noa backhanded Ray a second time, against sending the pilot to the ground. "Damnit, Bright," Ray cursed, and again staggered to his feet. "Fight, you little punk," Noa ordered. "Fight or we're all dead." He pointed a finger at Bow. "Fight or she'll be dead." Noa swiftly turned and run out of the room for the White Base's bridge to direct the ongoing battle. Bow moved towards Ray, but he turned his shoulder to her. Grabbing his helmet, Ray sighed. "I'm too tired." "Amuro..." Bow said softly. Again, Ray kept his should turned away from her, and he calmly walked out of the room, leaving her behind. "Press the assault," Garma Zabi urged, maneuvering his Dopp past a barrage of anti-aircraft fire from the White Base. "We are close, gentlemen." He dived his Dopp underneath the White Base's fire and let off a barrage of missiles, a cluster striking against the lower hull of the mammoth Federation carrier. Below the carrier, the Federation's Guncannon and Guntank uselessly fired their weapons into the sky attempting to down the Zeon aircraft. Zabi sneered. Without the Gundam, this fight was theirs. Clearly, it was not operational. One of the other Dopps swooped low, past the main hanger bay of the White Base, which suddenly opened, revealing the Gundam. Zabi's eyes widened, watching in horror as the Gundam, equipped with a beam rifle, quickly downed the passing Dopp. "It's the White Devil!" screamed one of the Dopp pilots. The Dopp dived downwards, firing its 20mm vulcan cannons, peppering the Federation mobile suit. The Gundam ignored the incoming rounds, powered up its backpack thrusters and jetted skywards, landing awkwardly on top of the low flying Dopp. "Gagh!" the Dopp pilot screamed, "Get it off me." The Gundam neatly fired a beam rifle round into the cockpit of the Dopp, powered its thrusters and leapt off the burning aircraft carcass. Zabi could only watch in a horrid trance as the Gundam began annihilating his Dopps, expertly, with single shots, downing the Zeon aircraft. "I'll do it myself," Zabi muttered, bringing his Dopp around. He dived downwards, firing missiles and 20mm shells into the Gundam. At full speed, Zabi zipped past the Gundam, which pratically ignored his fire. As he banked away from the enemy mobile suit, the entire aircraft shuddered violently as the Gundam fired its beam rifle, the shot slashing through his left wing. "Shit!" Zabi yelled, desperately trying to control his aircraft. Wrangling the controls, he was able to get some control over wild Dopp. Sighing in relief, he throttled the Dopp to its top speed, fleeing from the Gundam. Ray fired another shot from his beam rifle, striking an incoming Dopp square in the body of the aircraft, sending the craft spiraling out of control, crashing into the barren wasteland of east central Arizona. On a ridge line to the north, a line of six Magella Attack Tanks opened up on the exposed Gundam, firing quickly their 175mm cannons. Shells rained on Ray's position. Ignoring the fire, Ray charged the ridge line, blocking an incoming 175mm shell with his arm shield, the explosion wrapping around the shield - it hardly slowed him down. The Magellas began backpedaling as Ray charged the Gundam forward and began firing with his beam rifle. A shot impacted against the hull of a Magella, sending the turret skywards. Instinctively, Ray raised the Gundam's head, sending a stream of 60mm shells skywards, peppering the flying Magella turret. The turret exploded violently. He continued up the rising ridgeline, where the remaining Magellas had retreated past, out of view. As Ray reached the top of the ridgeline, allowing him a look at the retreating Zeon tanks across the barren plain. Suddenly, a bright yellow aircraft dived from the high cloud cover. It leveled off at five hundred feet, thundering swiftly over the retreating Magellas. Two more of the same aircraft similarly dived from the cloud layer, following the first. Ray slowly raised his beam rifle, unsure of what the aircraft was. A red light flared to life on his com console, and Ray punched it. "Identify," Ray ordered. "Lieutenant Matilda Ajan, Federation Ground Forces," a viciously beautiful voice replied. Ray suddenly made the connection - the aircraft were Medeas, part of the EFGF's aerial lift unit. "The White Base is to the south, Miss," Ray replied. He throttled the Gundam to full speed to pursue the retreating Zeon forces. "I wouldn't do that," Ajan advised. "What?" Ray stammered, slowing the Gundam. The Medea flew over the Gundam's head, keeping a steady pace towards the White Base. "There's a Zeon assault carrier in the cloud cover maybe a mile north of here. It looks to have plenty of support." The bridge crew of the White Base looked relieved as Ray, escorting Ajan, arrived on the bridge after the engagement with the Zeon forces. "Good job," Mirai Yashima called out from her position at the White Base's helm, waving as the two pilots entered the bridge. Noa looked stiffly at Ray, who avoided Noa's eyes. "Thank you," Noa said softly. He turned his attention to Ajan. "Lieutenant Ajan, I do hope that those Medeas are carrying supplies." "Indeed, sir," she replied, saluting. She brushed back a strand of red hair, and hardly a man on the bridge could resist stealing a glance at the beauty. "Ammunition and spare parts mostly." "Excellent," Noa said, a smile on his face. "Also, sir," she continued, "I bring news from EF Command, General Revil particularly. My Medeas will off load most of the remaining refugees, as well as Captain Reed and his crew." Off to one side, Reed sighed in relief. "Further," Ajan continued, "The White Base and its crew is now recognized, fully, as a Federation battleship. The crew that is in place will remain the same for the duration of the war." "That is excellent news," Noa said. The White Base's crew, despite its composite nature between civilian and military, had performed exceptionally under the rigors of war. |