The Trojan Horse, part 7

Garmas Trap October 1st, 0079 On a cold October morning, the deserts of southern Nevada rustled and hissed, sand and tumbleweeds floating through the breeze. An old US military fence surrounded the compound, broken in several places. This facility was once top secret, used for important military research projects. Now it was a broken husk of its former self, with a lone, sand-beaten structure protruding from the center of the compound. A lone jeep drove through the dust, a huge scarf-bearing man leaping out of the still moving car and letting it skid to a halt by itself. He marched angrily up to the structure, a dilapidated sign above the door reading 'Saotome Labs' in faint red letters. "KUSO! WHO DARES HAVE THE ARROGANCE TO SUMMON THE COURAGEOUS ZAKU FIGHTER TO THIS MISERABLE WASTELAND!" Ando yelled, glaring up towards the top of the structure. It was domed at the top, with a small catwalk and railing surrounding it at its largest part. There was no answer to the mans yell at first, but slowly the dust around the facility started to billow, the building shaking as it began to move. Leaf by leaf, the domed top of the lab started opening like a flower, a short, stocky, Japanese sandal wearing scientist stepping out onto the catwalk. His face was covered in bushy gray beards and scruf, and his long labcoat hung down to his open and grizzled toes. No words were shared between the two, but as the dome began to open further, Shoji began to see. The rising sun began to shine from behind the open dome, lighting the spirit housed inside as well as Dr. Saotome's ferocious grin. Ando's emotions went from anger to hot blooded passion in a flash, the man raising a fist towards the open dome and matching the doctors smile. ~ As the sun wound higher into the sky, a great many people gathered at the old city square of San Francisco, the old beaten city now housing the great might of California Base. The weather was warm and inviting, a happy change from the usual foggy pall that the city on the bay would bring. Amongst the great square were tables and finery, caterers working nonstop to please and contend the partygoers, military and civilian alike dancing and shmoozing about in their best attire. Around the perimeter of the party were armed SS guards, Ghirens men keeping Garma and his entourage safe from harm in the venue, a number of old and beaten down buildings rising high above the square and providing an endless number of sniping opportunities. However, this is where Garma wanted the party to be held, and nobody said no to Garma Zabi. The young man walked between the crowd in his dress uniform, a number of sensationally beautiful women in ball gowns fawning over him as he passed through. "Oh, Garma always looks so gallant!" One of them said, another adding "I'm going to feint~" and collapsing into the arms of her friend. At the other end of the venue, an equally famous man stood, his back to the bar and a glass in his hand. The blonde hair, masked Char Aznable, the hero of Zeon, watched the crowd and slowly sipped his drink, the red uniform of a newtype soldier adorning him like a gigantic medal. He chuckled slightly as he watched the civilians lust after Garma, who displayed an art for dodging floozies and flunkies alike. Garma was used to this sort of thing. The purple haired man rushed over to the bar, Char smiling and greeting his old friend. "I'm drowning in suck ups." Garma said, leaning over the bar and downing a glass of champagne that was quickly given to him. Char smirked, looking on at the crowd. "Yeah, but they'd be terrified if they knew about the Trojan Horse and its mobile suits." "That's right. And once Kycillias scouts confirm that it has indeed landed in Seattle.." Garma responded, a smile reaching his lips as he remembered tonights operation. "Garma, who is that woman?" Char asked, already ignoring him. A young blonde in a stunning red dress had just entered the venue. It was a long ruffled affair, ending in spaghetti straps at the top to show the beautiful white skin of her Granada paled shoulders. A tuxedo wearing SS had asked her for her papers, and immediately upon seeing them had given her a massive salute. She gave a weak smile, walking into the crowd with a look on her face like a lamb among wolves. "Ahh, that is Persephone Dawn, one of Kycillias most promising newtype candidates. I hear she and old Diego held the siege at Manila for an entire day by themselves." Garma answered. Char smiled wider, and the young Zabi chuckled and patted his friend on the shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I have things to discuss with the mayor, Mr. Eschonbach." "My my, your pressure is indeed interesting, little girl." Char mused, staring at the young woman as if to beckon her to him. Persephone was overwhelmed by the stimulus of her first party, but somehow made her way to the bar, unconsciously moving towards the sirens call. ~ In an entirely different venue in northern California, three Doms huddled around the fallen corpse of an enemy GM. The four pilots were on the ground, a cigar toting Aldo P. Armistad somehow managing to chew a sandwich in between puffs of smoke and spouts of propaganda. High above them on the shoulder of his Dom Hugo watched the interrogation, arms slung lazily over his rifle. Donny was nowhere to be seen. "Now son, there are two ways we can do this. Either you can live, or you can die. Which of them it's gonna be is entirely up to you." Aldo circled the man, swaggering back and forth and barking his statements like a drill sergeant on TV, his accent mixing with his demeanor to create a powerfully frightening visage. The Federation pilot in his shadow was nothing more than a boy, covered in sweat and tears, tufts of blonde hair protruding from his small and pimpled head. He shook a little as the leader of the Basterds slapped a map of Washington State in front of him. "Now we know there's an Earther battlegroup somewhere on this map. We've seen them gatherin' their forces. What we don't know is how many ships, 'n what kind of mobile suits they have with 'em." Aldo stopped for a moment, releasing a heavy puff of smoke from his nicotine yellowed teeth. "All I need you to do is take your finger there, and point out how many of the Earthers there are, and where they are on this map." The young pilot looked up in Aldos eyes, gulping down hard as what was left of his courage took him over. "I would never betray my allies sir." He said, his voice cracking at the last statement and a fresh downpour of sweat slickening his face. "Well now, you're a military man, and I can understand that. I'm a military man too." Aldo patted himself on the chest, circling the young pilot again. As he did, the dry ring of a baseball bat whacking the armor plating of one of the mobile suits was heard in the distance. "Well now, you hear that?" The boy began to sweat more and more, slowly nodding as the circling MAF officer passed back into his gaze. "Yep, that's our pal Donny, and that there's the sound of his friend, a well used baseball bat he brought all the way from his hometown on Side 3. The two of them get along great." Aldo sank down to a crouch, looking the young pilot in the eyes. "Now you take your finger there, and you point out where the Federation is, or Donny's gonna come down here and beat you to death with that bat." Aldo grinned, the smoldering cigar parting to a side of his face and giving the smile the trustworthiness of a used car salesman. The Federation soldier thought about it for a moment, but the clanging became louder and louder, removing any courage he had left. His finger quickly darted to the map, slapping down on a dot in its northwest, the bolded word "Seattle" next to it. "That's my boy. Cooperatin's an easy business ain't it. Now you tell me how many mobile suits they have, and I'm gonna let you go, and that's as true a deal as any you'll get in this war." Aldo smiled wider, standing up and backing away from the lad slightly. The young boy shook his head slightly, tears streaming down his eyes. "I.. I don't know sir.." He said softly. Hugo started to cackle from his vantage point atop the Dom. "Welp! That's a darn shame ain't it!" Lieutenant Armistad said, taking a heavy bite out of his sandwich and joining in the laughter. "Hugo n' I are looking forward to it though, watching Donny go to town is the closest thing we ever get to goin' to the movies. Donny get out here!" The young boy watched as a huge bear of a man, clad in his BDU pants and a dirty old wifebeater, strolled out into the arena with a glare in his eye, dragging the bat across the dirt. The young Federation pilot began to sop uncontrollably, Aldo taking a happy puff of his cigar as Donny displayed himself in front of the captive, tee'd his bat against the boys face, and then pulled his swing back. ~ Now just after noon, the party was getting larger and larger, officers and notable pilots from across the TAF, MAF and SS gathering to delight in the Zabi families splendour. A band had begun to play, and people were dancing across the square with all the grace of a group of clouds. At one table in a corner the valiant soldiers of the 25th Aerial MS Attack Team were playing cards, laughing with each other and enjoying the drinks and food while keeping to their own company. "And then I'm telling you, he makes this amazing fake, the defender drops to his knees, and he sails the ball straight into the goal. Thirty yards, must have been." Genevieve said, making motions with her hands to try to explain it to everybody. Rhett and Cora sat back, laughing and downing drinks together. "I swear you are never going to get us interested in that stupid game." Rhett cackled. Dino butted in, doing his best to ensnare the subject away from Genevieve. "So I hear they finally got you a hawk boss?" He said, the crew laughing again at Parutas expense. "Man, you guys just shut up about it, damned clerical errors. Look, sure it took them a month, but they fucked up twice and got me one of those cool Dowadge hawks. I'm calling it karma." Rhett snickered, grabbing a roll that was thrown at him from the other end of the table. The group laughed aloud, but stopped as a huge black uniformed man loomed over their table. "You would do well to pay more respect to lord Garma. This is his party after all." Ritter Novosad barked, his voice carrying a slight metallic quality even outside of his uniform. The 25th quieted down, Rhett and his crew trying to huddle into their chairs as Novosads shadow seemed to grow larger and larger. "If you cannot behave yourselves, you would do well to leave." He continued, putting a gloved fist down on the table softly. A moment later however he was yanked out of their way, a four foot tall girl in an oversized captains hat hissing at him through clenched teeth. "You shut the hell up and get back to your post, I don't need an ogre like you bothering his excellencies guests." Marina spat, slapping Ritter across the face. "The last thing I need is a dirtmonger from the Shangrila slums spreading filth across this party, now get back to your goddamn post." She pointed a glove towards a bare part of the perimeter. "Ja, as you wish." Ritter responded, bowing slightly before quickly returning to the line. Marina looked at Rhett and his crew and gave a cold smile, returning to the party without exchanging any words. "Wow... That was pretty cool." Rhett said, Cora starting to snicker. "Wonder where I can meet the doctor who transplanted those cajones." Dino added. The snickering got louder and louder. Over at the bar, Persephone had finally found major Aznable. Char offered her a drink, which Persephone took obediently, curious as to the strange sensation that her superior was emitting. "So this is your first time Earthside, miss Dawn." Char asked, sipping his drink and gazing down at the girl behind his mask. Persephone nodded, trying to contain the strange emotions that were fluttering around her. Char could tell she was somehow damaged, a newtype so scarred by her experiences that her own control of her abilities was marred as a result. "Yes. I do not like it." Persephone answered. She felt it was her duty to continue conversation with the captain. "I can understand, the Earths gravity does not agree with many of us." Char said. He gazed out at the crowd, continuing the smalltalk lightly and watching as more and more pilots entered the venue. "Oh my god, look at this, all these bigshots... Ferusha, you spoil me." Clara gasped, stars in her eyes. She was wearing an impossibly short skirt, coupled with a dark blue top and humongous earrings. Ferusha wore a longer, sparkling dress with a flowered sash and heels, a single corsaged strap coming over her left shoulder. She had spent over an hour combing her hair for the event. "I swear, if you embarass me.." She sighed, her anger mixed with repeated occasional glances at the mechanics skirt. Clara led her along, the two mixing through the partygoers and heading for the bar. Booze was a top priority, after all. "Oh my GOD is that captain Char?!" Clara gasped, her voice raised and drawing the attention of several more important people in the room. She rushed towards Char and Persephone, Ferusha chasing after her. "Oh my god, captain Char, hi I'm such a huge fan. My name is Clara and-" The Zaku mechanics spasm'd conversation assaulted Char, the masked man looking over her shoulder at Ferusha as she came running up. The two locked eyes, names forming in each of their minds. Ferushas face turned bright red. "Ferusha, a pleasure to meet you." Char smiled, pushing Clara out of the way and taking Glavadeens hand. He started to walk away from the bar, one arm around Persephone and another around Ferusha, the three walking out of the venue where they could have more privacy. Clara watched, aghast. Had the hero of Zeon just picked Ferusha over her? Really? He even knew her by name. She stood shocked and let the bartender pour her a massive glass of vodka, he'd seen this look many times. Before she could snap out of it an older, fatter, uglier SAF pilot walked up to her, shaking her lifeless hand and introducing himself. "Hi. My name's Slender." ~ "God damn, how many of them can there be?" Bigby yelled, the GM Desert Type leaping over a ridge and tumbling to the dry ground below. His suit was racing across northern Idaho, smashing through dusty potato fields as he attempted to make his way towards Seattle on time. Behind him the Excelsior and the Stilva loomed overhead, mega particle cannons training towards the lone GM and firing successively. Dopps circled Bigby's machine, missiles and vulcans rattling across its armored hull. "Just my fucking luck, what the god damn christ." Wolfe yelled, the GM dashing as fast as it could. A missile struck his unit in the foot, the GM losing its balance and toppling over. Bigby's inner sailor was coming out, the 9th Combined Operations Fleets barrage too intense to ignore. The MPC fire was getting closer. He brought up his beam spray gun, launching several rounds of searing pink mega particles into the air. A pair of rounds struck through one of Stilvas wings, but the rest went wide, Bigby unable to accurately hit his target at such a distance. One of Stilvas wings began to smoke, but the Gaw still lumbered on. Dropping his weaponry, Bigby's GM picked itself up and began to dash again. "Why do I have to be out on this god forsaken rock all by myself" he swore. He hadn't seen the Gaws sneaking up on him, they hadn't shown on radar. Deep within enemy territory at this point, he was fundamentally screwed. As he dashed, he saw a small river flowing through the dusty ground, going in a zigzag course towards the sea. He had to be in Washington now, how far could it be? Another volley of MPC fire struck even closer to him, and Bigby had no time to think about it. He tripped his GM intentionally, its chest smashing into the river unceremoniously. Dopps circled again, the MPCs charging up for another blast. Kicking the release on his cockpit, Bigby grabbed his pistol and an MRE canister and leapt into the river, its course carrying him quickly downstream and away from the battle. He managed to get his head above water just in time to see Stilvas main guns slice through his GMs reactor, the entire horizon going red and then black as the GM Desert Type exploded. ~ As the party wound on, Alain Grace found himself knee deep in the stupor of his own choosing. It was a light high this time, the ecstasy mixing with the scotch and forming a delightful dance in his brain. The glass was an amazing crystal, the lights flickering around the venue and the colors of the dancing girls spectacular. He was in heaven, wearing his new, red uniform. Morses's scientists had confirmed his suspicions, and given him the full status as a newtype operative. Of course, they were simply creating the cover story for the EXAM project, but Alain didn't know, too caught up in his own delirium. His eyes danced around the room, watching the colors and hearing the sounds as they made sweet love to his mind. He took a long sip of the drink, glazed eyes moving up towards the higher part of the venue. San Franciscos square lied on a steep hill, and although the way the city was structured rectified this to a degree, some parts of the square were certainly more elevated than others. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, miss Icelina Eschonbach!" Came a voice from somewhere in the crowd, the young woman appearing from out of a limousine. She was wearing a bright blue outfit, and smiled as she walked into the crowd, which made way for her passing. "When does your father, sovereign Degwin, plan to arrive on Earth?" One of a pair of men asked Garma, who was doing his best to distance himself from their type, without success. "I haven't heard anything." Garma said calmly, trying to get away. "Well, it would be our pleasure to serve him in any way we can." The man responded. Garma smiled, turning and moving towards Icelina. "If you'll excuse me." He said, nodding to them and putting down his glass. He and Icelina moved to each other from opposite ends of the venue, clasping hands and embracing each other in a way that only lovers do. "Aww, Marko, aren't they sweet together." Naomi sighed, looking on at the youngest Zabi and Ms. Eschonbach. She moved a little closer to Dresner, who took a big gulp of his drink. "Yeah, I guess. Hope he doesn't die tonight." Marko's mood hadn't improved, the party and Naomi's company doing little to lighten his attitude. He was bearing the fatigue of his command, having the responsibility of many fallen soldiers on his shoulders. He took another drink, moving away from Naomi slightly. "Please conduct yourself with respect, Ota." He said, Naomi snapping back to her usual self. She stood up rigid, strict military training keeping her from exploring the emotions that come standard with her youth. "Yes sir." She sighed softly. Alain watched the scene, refusing to do anything but sit and enjoy his high. This was after all a high brow party, and the sort of debauchery he was used to wouldn't particularly go over well. Several women gave him looks as they passed, his new uniform attracting much more attention than those of higher ranking officers. He smiled, taking another long sip of his scotch. He was finally getting the respect and admiration he deserved. ~ The GMPGT spat out shells, its 100mm machinegun sending tracers into the Gaw above. Overhead, the already damaged Dragon circled, a mixture of MPC fire and Dopps forcing Verse against the Pacific shore. He had been stopped in southern Oregon, and was doing his best to stay underneath the Dragon, where its mega particle cannons couldn't find him. The two were stuck in a mexican standoff, Verse unable to recharge his beam rifle until he reached White Base, and the Dragon unable to deliver a finishing blow so long as he remained underneath. "Ghh, what the hell am I supposed to do." Jack said, his heart racing as he tried to think up a means of escape. The sun was shining down from above, clouds tinted with color as the golden orb slowly began to set into the Pacific. Dopps peppered the Gundam, doing absolutely zero damage, but preventing Jack from getting out of his machine. He turned the GMPGT around, downing a handful of fighters with his vulcans and desperately trying to find a means of escape. It was then that he saw it, a red Zaku II flying towards his position on a Dodai YS. This Zaku was slightly different than other models, a red cloth cape trailing behind it and three long blades protruding from each forearm. "ZAKU MISSILE!" Ando yelled, the voice controlled Dodai responding to his order. It fired a volley of rockets into Jacks position, the Gundam holding up a shield to defend against the attack. The caped Shin Zaku Two flew around the enemy unit in a circle, Andos hands gripping the controls with a new and valiant fervor. "OPEN ZAK!" he cried, the magnetic lock holding the Zaku and Dodai together unfastening. The Zaku leapt into the air, its mount soaring up towards the Dragon to circle the battlefield until it was called again. The Shin Zaku landed atop the GMPGT, heat axe slamming into beam saber. The two suits forced each other back, both stumbling slightly before coming to a stop. Jack opened fire with his vulcans, extinguishing the saber and grasping for his 100mm again. Shoji held up his arms and the axe, blocking the rounds but still taking a significant amount of damage. He dropped the axe after the firing stopped, the Zakus two hands reaching into the air. "ZAKU TOMAHAWK!" He shouted, two heat hawks thrusting upwards into the Shin Zakus hands, propelled by a timed release of the two extra magnetic racks on the machines shoulders. He brought the two heat hawks together, blades facing opposite directions and connected at the handles. Jack watched on, delirious from the earlier assault and unable to properly defend himself. "TOMAHAWK BOOOOOMERANG!" Ando yelled, the Zakus hand holding the weapon beginning to spin as he threw it. The two heat hawks spun in circles as it flew, sailing towards the GMPGT. Verse sidestepped, dodging the shot and grabbing another beam saber. Ando retrieved his new greataxe, the Shin Zaku Two charging towards the GMPGT. Jack regained his wits, knowing now where the attack would come from. This was just a Zaku, and his mobile suit was much more powerful in hand to hand combat. Ando grinned, leaping into the air and forcing Jack to look up. He didn't see the twin heat hawk boomerang, which had turned around in flight and sailed back towards the GMPGT. It came down on the Gundams left leg, slamming into it and forcing Jacks suit to its knees. "What?!" Jack yelled, distracted and unable to defend himself. Ando Shoji came down on his mobile suit, the heat greataxe slicing through the GMPGT at the shoulder, piercing both the reactor and the cockpit. The great mobile suit exploded, the caped Zaku enveloped in flames as Jack Verse's life was brought to an end. "GATTAI NA!" Ando yelled, his Zaku leaping into the air. The voice controlled Dodai YS dropped out of the sky, grabbing the Zaku and propelling it above the Dragon and towards the setting sun. ~ As the sun began to set, the party continued, people still mingling and drinking their fill. The caterers were working hard, a number of people by now at the bar, tired and doing little other than drink and eat. Amongst them was Markos Steiner, the by now severely drunk Dom pilot causing a scene as he spilled a bottle of wine onto the floor, a number of attendants rushing to clean up the mess. At the end of the table, Rhett and his group were now playing flag football with cocktail napkins, still ignoring the rest of the crowd. Ferusha came storming into the venue, finding Clara and giving her a large hug. She pulled her away from the still persistant Slender, sighing and trying to get her embarassment out of her mind. "Clara, he.. Oh GOD what a creep." Glavadeen said, Claras eyes going wide. "You... You... Char did, and you... OMG you're such a dyke!" she shouted. A number of people stopped and looked, and the two blushed even further and tried to hide as best they could. In an abandoned area just south of the venue, Char Aznable moved his hands slowly over Persephones body, their lips locked in a long kiss. Persephone responded obediently, her body moving automatically but her mind racing as she tried to contain and control her emotions. Part of her was enjoying the man, but another part was desperately trying to get away. The two sides of her warred with each other, as Chars hands and lips explored the curves of her body. The girl clenched her eyes shut, feeling as though she was being invaded both physically and mentally. She tried to think of something else, the masked man pressing her against the wall, his scent and body overwhelming her. He rubbed up against her, Persephone shaking and trying to make sense of her feelings. Her mind flashed, memories of distant lands cycling through her mind as she tried to keep her thoughts away from Char. After a few moments the thoughts of a small boy came to her head, a face that she knew well but couldn't quite see in her minds eye. Her mood suddenly changed, and she began to cry, shoving Char off of her and slapping him before running away from the scene. The masked man blinked a few times, and then shrugged, looking out at the ruined city and wiping the lipstick off of his face. "So, he said he won't let his daughter marry a Zeon commander who's an heir to the Zabi family?" Garmas voice echoed over to where Char was standing, his embarrasment forgotten as he listened in on the conversation. Heh, he's still the same spoiled rich kid. Char thought, smiling with an amused curiosity. "Yes." Icelina said, looking up at her lover with stars in her eyes. "I figured that's what your father would say." Garma moved towards her, clasping his hands to hers, their eyes locked together. "I don't care about Zeon or the Federation. To me, you're simply Garma. I love you." She answered, her blue eyes sparkling and matching the blue of her dress. "Icelina.." He said, pulling her into his embrace. "Even if it means betraying my father, I want to be with you forever." She said, closing her eyes and nestling her form into his. "Not even I can oppose my father or all of Zeon." Garma said, stroking her hair softly. "Don't worry. I have a chance to capture the Federations secrets now. Once I've done that, my father will have to listen to me." "Garma!" Icelina cried, her smile widening as he spoke. "And if he doesn't, I'll give up being a Zeon." Garma continued. "Oh Garma~" She said, the wo locking in a deep kiss. Char continued to listen in, smiling at the amusement offered to him. Suddenly the two were interrupted, the black uniformed Xavier Brennan stepping up to the two lovers. "Your excellency! Oh, am I-" Xavier gulped, stepping backwards. "Yes, you are! What is it?" Garma turned, scowling at the officer. Xavier snapped to attention. "Sir! The Trojan Horse has been detected, it is indeed inside the old ruins of Seattle. If it breaks through the final defensive line, we'll lose it in Federation airspace!" "Just as I planned." Garma said, smiling and moving away from Icelina. "Inform everyone, we are moving out. I'll head there in my personal mobile air unit." Brennan snapped a salute, and quickly goose stepped his way back to the venue, finding Marina as quickly as he could. He towered over the young girl, her pendant sparkling as she listened to his orders. She nodded, taking his hand and getting on top of one of the tables before shouting Garmas commands to the crowd. "Party is over everyone, it is time to begin the operation. All pilots are ordered to proceed to the flight deck immediately by Lord Garmas command." The entire room snapped to attention, saluting the small girl before filing out. The civilians watched as she dropped down to the floor, Xavier catching her. The lot moved out, Char Aznable, Garma Zabi, Xavier Brennan and Marina Nimue at the head of the pack. ~ "Yep, that boy sure wasn't kiddin, them Earthers are headed straight for Seattle." Hugo said, the three Doms zigzagging between each other, huge dust contrails billowing behind them as they moved through the dry Washington Earth. Their targets were a few hundred yards up ahead, the GM S Type and Type 74 rushing forward with the Dracken E perched atop its back. "Jane, we've got three Doms coming in hot behind us, watch your back." Ela yelled, her Dracken E turning around as it sat and grabbing its bazooka. Jane pulled her 100mm off her rear weapons rack, watching the dust clouds as they closed in on them. Her GM would be able to outrun the Doms, but she had to move at the 74s much slower speed, making combat inevitable. "Donny, you flank 'em right, Hugo and I will go straight at the bastards." Aldo said, grabbing his MMP-80 and bazooka and taking point. Donny moved off to the right, dust bollowing from the Doms huge thrusters as it picked up speed. Jane whipped the S Type around, firing a blaze of flak into Aldo and Hugo, who seperated and tried to split up her fire. Jane followed Aldo, almost immediately striking the beam bazooka on his shoulder. The unstable weapon started sparking, Armistad dropping it into the dust and letting it explode behind him. "Christ, fuckers a nice shot." He said, responding with his own machinegun shells. Jane took the beating, the S Types reactive armor shrugging the rounds off as the ablative plating did its magic, deflecting every shell. She emptied one magazine into Aldos Dom, the two passing each other at 200 km/h. Dropping the expended magazine, she attached the next one, still having another 128 rounds at her disposal. Ela fired off her armament, narrowly missing Donny who zagged in and out of their way, coming up on the Type 74. Its gunner blasted off a vulcan barrage, which alongside Elas missiles and grenades forced the Dom back. Hugo came around behind Jane, firing a bazooka shell into the S Types back. The heavy shell exploded, the reactive armor absorbing the round. Her ablative plates were almost all expended by now, and she'd have to start dodging enemy fire. She whipped the S Type around while moving, pouring rounds into one of Hugos units legs. The leg collapsed under the Doms own wait, Hugo yelling as the mobile suit crashed around at high speed before coming to a stop in a humongous dust cloud. Aldo and Donny continued to advance, Jane turning back around and covering herself with vulcan fire, arming her machinegun with yet another 100mm magazine. "You distract her boss, I got this." Donny said, keeping away from Ela and the tanks fire and aiming his bazooka. Aldo nodded, biting down hard on his cigar and punching the throttle, his Dom zigzagging and moving in for Janes mobile suit. The two poured shells into each other, Aldo scoring several hits on non-essential systems while Jane carefully aimed for his units feet. One of the legs finally gave way, Aldos Dom crashing into the dust and sending up a cloud much the same way Hugo had. At the same time, Donny fired his round, the bazooka shell slamming into Janes GM and all but disintegrating its left arm. Sheppard cried out, her battered mobile suit trembling from the attack. Donny whistled aloud, setting up the second shot when a small missile from Elas bazooka struck his mobile suit in the face, shattering both its camera and the giant bazookas secondary at the same time. "We need to get out of here!" The AU pilot yelled, her ammunition now expended. Jane nodded, throwing out suppression fire and speeding away from the battlefield in reverse. Donny turned away, meeting up with Aldo and Hugo who were already outside their downed mobile suits, sharing a beer and nodding to each other. "Yep, Feddie mobile suits sure is some high tootin' bullshit." Aldo said, taking a sip. "Yep." Hugo responded. Donny parked his Dom in front of the other two, the Basterds ignoring the dust which enveloped them. "Wonder if we're too late for Garmas party." Hugo said, Aldo smirking as the dust settled. ~ The old ruins of Seattle were a mess, open sewadge oozing into waterways, forming puddles amongst ruined buildings and the husked remains of automobiles. The sun had set, black clouds covering the moon and completely ruining visibility of the city. Seattle had been nearly abandoned prior to the One Year War, horrible weather pushing many out of the city to fill the void in more prosperous cities created by migrating colonists. Seattle had been in disrepair for close to fifty years, and several large battles in the area following the occupation of North America by Zeon had turned it into a complete wasteland. In an old sports dome in the center of the city, White Base had hidden itself. General Revil had called for reinforcements, and a number of individual mobile suit teams had already arrived. In front of the sports dome the misfit of Gundams and GMs and Guncannons organized themselves, the limited Federation air presence circling overhead in wide arcs. They only had a few fighters, Dishes, a Don Escargot and a Gunperry having to operate as fighters. Soon White Base would be ready to leave, but Bright worried that it would be too late, and that Zeon would be on them soon. They kept their M particle field low, the sports dome enclosing the Pegasus Class ship completely and keeping it from being sighted on radar. Because of this, they were able to use their own instruments to track the enemies advance, at least partially. "Yeah... Don't like the look of this at all." Jim Irwin said to himself, his Tin Cod slowly circling around the city. Three Tin Cods, three Dish, a Core Fighter, a Don Escargot and a Gunperry were all that seperated White Base from Zeons aerial might. Whenever the Duchy did attack, they would be forced to yield the air almost immediately. Irwin was confident in his own abilities, although it didn't seem that way to the rest of his peers. He was one of the Federations best fighter aces by now, on par with Amy Bauer-Meister and Sleggar Law. He had fought and defeated enemy Dopps over America, Africa and Asia, and had come out on top more often than not, despite the enemy Dopps clear advantage over his Tin Cod. However, Irwin was and always would be a pessimist, and didn't like to engage in hopeless battles. This battle, at least the air battle, did indeed seem hopeless. Sayla felt similar, seriously worried about her first real sortie in the ships spare Core Fighter. The Core Fighter was a better air superiority craft than the Tin Cod, and on par with the Duchies Dopp, but Sayla was not as experienced as Jim, nor was she a professional soldier. Almost none of them were. It was amazing, she thought, that she had made it this far. How long ago had she seen her brother Casval, fighting for Zeon inside Side 7? Would she ever see him again? She did not know. Job John was also flying above, the Gunperry having been equipped with a large number of air to air rockets. It was an interesting machine, able to move a mobile suit or equip any number of armaments, and Jobs duty in the battle would be to provide quick volley of suppression fire and then escape. In a sustained battle he would be unable to fight against the enemy air presence. He was normally White Bases backup pilot, but in this battle everyone would be necessary. The small blonde haired boy gulped hard, wishing it was Ryu or Amuro in his position. The fighters soared over the dark sky, ruined buildings and debris covering the entire landscape. Seattle had very few inhabitants left, most who remained being delinquents who scavenged to survive. They passed the sports dome, a small division of mobile suits assembling as they prepared to stave off the enemy assault. Eleven mobile suits covered the area, as well as Janes Type 74 Hovertruck and Elas Dracken E. It was a motley crew, and their ability to stave off attack did not seem great. However, several of the mobile suits amongst them were famous in their own right, the Gundam, Blue Destiny, and GM S Type chief amongst them. On the ground, Thorvald digged through a trash can, his keen nose smelling something that perhaps he could offer to the faerie girls that inhabited his blue mobile suit. "Uhh..." A voice came from behind him. The huge Icelander appeared from out of the trash, looking at a shocked and confused Amuro Ray. "What're ye lookin' at?" Siggurdson asked, dragging a half eaten fish back towards his suit. Amuro wondered if this was what all of the official Federation pilots were like, but then shook his head. Elsewhere, Ryu and Arden were attempting to move the fallen debris around the opening of the sports dome, to create a perimeter. "Good, just like that." Jarvis Ackart said, having put himself in charge of the ground defense. He was after all the ranking EFGF officer at the operation. His intercom crackled, Brights voice coming on in his monitor. "Crew says the repairs to the S Types arm are almost complete. I don't know how we had a spare." Noah said. The two officers were almost like star crossed lovers, their British accents complementing each other wonderfully. Jarvis wasn't so enthused though. Oh but how he hated stereotypes. "Good, about that... I think our chances are best if we have a decoy force draw them away, just a few mobile suits." Ackart said. Judging by the size of the M particle cloud coming towards them, they could be expecting as many as twenty mobile suits. "I was thinking Amuro, Jane, Thorvald, and Ensign Ricky. They're our best crew I think." Bright rolled the idea around in his head, quickly agreeing that it was the correct thing to do. "I agree. Frau, tell Amuro about the change in plans. Ackart, you tell your men." Frau Bo nodded and relayed the orders to Amuro Ray, a little nervous at her new position. Normally Sayla was in charge of White Bases communications. "They want me to what?? Geez, why is everybody always relying on me. I can't handle this stress." Amuro pouted, closing the hatch to the Gundam and walking off, Thorvald and Jane accompanying him. "It's not just you, the others are going with you. I swear Amuro, when are you going to grow up and be a man." She scowled. Even as she did the three children ran into the bridge, pulling at her short pink skirt and trying to drag her away. "You kids need to go to your quarters and hide like the rest of the refugees!" Bright yelled. The kids leapt in the air, waving their arms as they ran away from the terrible man. Mirai chuckled, looking at Noah with a long smile. "They are just kids Bright." "If we're boarded the Zeons will shoot at them all the same." Bright said, shaking his head and leaping into his chair. Behind him, Oscar and Marker immediately came to life. "Sir, we're getting a preliminary report. Looks like three Gaws at long range, they'll be here in about an hour." Oscar said, Marker confirming the sighting. "All right. Mirai, shut down the main engines." Bright said. Mirai turned around, looking confused. "Why would we do that?" She asked, her brown hair framing the lack of understanding on her face. "We have to do everything we can to avoid being spotted by the enemy. Shut down all of White Bases operations. We'll use the Type 74 to keep an eye on the enemy and wait for an opening to break through." Bright answered. Mirai nodded, doing as she was told. "Mr. Bright, I disagree!" Amuro's voice crackled on the radio, the vein in Brights head growing larger and larger. "Amuro in the Gundam. Kai in the Guncannon. Ryu and Hayato, stand by in the Guntank. And remember, we're still carrying civilians on board." Bright did his best to ignore him. "Khh, I'm a civilian too..." Amuro answered, shutting off his radio. White Bases hangar opened up, the Guntank rolling out. Kai would be along shortly, as soon as he finished the paper airplane he was working on. "All hands, stand by at level one battle stations." Bright announced. A bit of chatter came back on the comms, something about Kai being a coward and Ryu wanting to slug Amuro in the face. "Everyone, radio silence. Until I say otherwise, don't make a sound." Bright ordered. The crew of the ship sighed in unison, and after that the chatter began to cease. "Everyone, please stay inside!" Bigby shouted, running through the halls and making sure the older and younger refugees remained in their quarters. He had barely made it to the battlefield, but without his rifle he was only able to assist White Bases marine crew, a rifle in his hand. The ship was entirely understaffed, and many of the younger refugees were volunteering, blue scarfs around their shoulders to identify them as Federation crew. In front of White Base, the mobile suits hid just inside the sports dome, the makeshift fortifications of old cars and other debris coming up to the lines collective waists. One GM, one GM CCT, one GMPGT, the Guntank, Guncannon, Ardens GM Sniper Custom and Ackarts GM Command made up this rear line. Slightly ahead of the barricade and hidden amongst buildings were Ela in the Dracken E and the Type 74, the two of them as best an advanced scouting team as was available. Ela silently checked her weaponry, wondering how this strange turn of events had led her so far from Africa. She was one of the AUs best mobile suit pilots, and was using the Unions lone Dracken E. She thought of home, she thought of her family, but her resolve strengthened and she looked to the dark skies above. She had made a deal, and she would not let Des, the union, or Jane down. She had a job to do. "Don't like this one bit." Arden said to himself, annoyed that Ackart had split up his MS team. He and Jarvis were in the center of the line, beam rifles ready for any Gaws that might accidentally fly overhead. "I don't like it either old friend, but we'll just have to do our best to survive." Jarvis responded. A few hundred yards to the south, Amuro in the Gundam, Thorvald in the Blue Destiny, Jane in the hastily repaired GM S Type and Ensign Ricky in the GM G waited. Jane was worried that her suit would not hold up, it was still heavily damaged and the reactive armor plating had not yet been replaced. She was tired as well, her nerves shot from the Basterds ambush. Thorvald was worried, he had not heard Marions presence in some time, and he knew he may need her help before the battle was over. He was still unable to have an actual conversation with her, although he knew she at least acknowledged his existence at this point. In the sky, Sayla, Job and Jim continued to circle around, trying to count the number of Dopps in the distance. "Alright everybody, we're going to make one pass from the west, try to act like you're defending the airspace close to the bay. With any luck we'll be able to trick them into bombing away from White Base." Irwin ordered, doublechecking the firing systems in his missiles. "We're going to maintain coverage for fourty seconds and then break off. Head towards the Pacific, and pray you don't get hit on our way out." Sayla nodded, her worry and fear threatening to overwhelm her senses. This was simply too much for her to bear, she didn't know if she would be able to make it out of this battle. Meanwhile, a mile or so to the west, Hirsch Munchek and the rest of the Krakens floated in the bay. The Aqua GM and two GM Divers would be the rear line, protecting White Base as it made its final escape. Hirsch had arrived before anybody else, and had spent the last two days making friends with Bright and the crew of White Base. He was concerned for the refugees safety, feeling a bond with them and understanding their pain. They reminded him of his own displaced mother, and he made a silent vow to protect all of them. The three aquating aces floated on the Pacific shores, watching as the small cloud of Duchy aircraft came closer and closer to the dark and lightless ruined city. ~ Several miles south of the battlefield close to the Pacific coast, the Schutzstaffel controlled Schmerz and U-77 Lorelay pulled up into position. Black armored Panzergrenadiers started to file out of the Dobday, leaping onto Wappas and revving their engines, waiting for the assault to begin. In front of them, a pair of Zaku II Ks and the massive frankensteined Rhinocerous mobile armor checked their weaponry, ready to barrage the Trojan Horse as soon as the order was given. Atop the Dobday, a lone Zaku II E adjusted its camera, watching for the white ship as soon as it broke the debris. At the head of the mobile suit line, Duncan Keystone and the rest of his team were on guard duty, protecting the artillery team from the possibility of a surprise attack. Duncan was slightly bored, wishing he was still at the party, his chatty nature keeping him from staying focused amongst so many people who had other jobs to do. It was in this mood that he caught Rhett Paruta, the 25th stationed in reserve in order to do an aerial attack of White Base, should it happen to break through. "And then she said 'Oh in that case, I'll have three bananas!'" Cora said, everyone bursting out in laughter. Duncan walked his Gouf over to the Dodai team, the lot of them high fiving and becoming thick as thieves within moments. They would have to spend more time together in the days to come. Below the mobile suits, Ritter was back in his element, his tuxedo discarded for the black carapace that he called home. He surveyed his team, totalling twenty five Wappa armed panzers, the Scharfuhrer at the lead. His orders had been specially given by Ghiren, and they were simple. Find White Base. Board it. Kill everyone inside. Garmas attack was merely a diversion. Everyone knew their duty amongst his men, and there was no need for words. Giving a final salute, Novosad donned and strapped his red eyed helmet, leapt atop the hovering bike, and flew towards Seattle, Ghirens warriors close behind him. In the sea, the Lorelay surfaced, Marina giving strict orders to her crew. The Lorelay would assist the Schmerz and the artillery team in bombarding the city, the lot of them hoping to flush the Horse out from hiding. Xavier stood with her, his piloting suit a stark contrast to her medalled and ornamented captains outfit. The necklace matched the rest of her uniform wonderfully. "It's time for us to head out." Xavier said. She turned and gave a salute, always the serious soldier. "You stay safe, alright?" The father smiled. She held her salute, strictly bound to the SS's military discipline. Xavier returned the salute and turned away, moving to the Lorelays hangar. A minute later, a pair of Z'Goks launched from the Jukon, heading north in an effort to cut off the enemies escape route. ~ "Too slow!" Irwin shouted, his vulcans slicing into the second Luggun and piercing its fuselage. The advance scout toppled and fell, unable to relay its findings back to the main fleet. Two of the scout craft had been sent out in front of the advance fleet, but quick action by Sayla and Irwin had shot them down before they could detect White Base. Aboard the bridge of the Viktoria Luise, Garma and Char watched the two explosions in the distance. "Did the Luggun patrol find the Trojan Horse before it was shot down?" Garma asked, one of his bridge crew turning and shaking his head. "They're still in the city, we'll have to look ourselves." He said, clenching a fist. Char began to laugh, wearing his complete helmet now, he looked like a samurai of ages past. "A little carpet bombing should drive the rats from their hole." He added, continuing his low chuckle. Garma nodded in approval. "All right. Order all Dopps to destroy their fighter wing. All Gaws, prepare roller shifts and commence bombing! Order the artillery unit to begin their attack!" The orders were given by signal light, the Gaw fleets minovsky particle field thick enough to make quick communication to the Dopp teams difficult. More than a score of the small green fighters picked up speed, moving from defensive positions around the three Gaws to an offensive screen, attacking the small Federation air wing. "Looks like we're outnumbered about three to one." One Dish pilot yelled, gaining altitude as he prepared to engage Duchy air superiority fighters in a recon plane. "Remember guys, fourty seconds." Irwin responded, doing his best to make light of such a pessimistic situation. He turned into the storm of fighters, his two wingmen and Sayla picking up the rear. "Job, punch a hole for us." The hangar to the Gunperry opened up, revealing a staggering array of air to air missiles. Job did his best to acquire targets, programming his ordnance for a wide angled spread, and hit the trigger. Dozens of smoke contrails flew out of the oddly shaped green ship, Dopps banking in all directions to evade the barrage. Four of the small green fighters were destroyed, punching just enough of a hole for Jim to exploit. He shot into the enemy fighter cloud, pulling up immediately and slicing into a Dopp from below. Sayla fired her missiles, taking out another fighter by luck more than anything else. The group pulled off to the west, trying their best to stave off attack as the remaining Dopps collapsed upon them. A small wing of Duchy fighters broke towards the remaining Federal air wing, downing Dish and the Don Escargot which valiantly defended Job John, the Gunperry running away from the battlefield. A lone Dopp headed after the Gunperry, but machinegun shells from the water destroyed it as Job made his way to the Pacific. "Nice shooting Mar." Hirsch said, the three aquatic suits floating amongst the waves. Jims Cod was hit in the wing, his plane shuddering as Dopps swarmed around him. He launched off his remaining missiles, destroying another one of the fighters. Behind him, his two wingmen were picked off, over a dozen Dopps firing on them from all sides. Sayla in the faster Core Fighter managed to break away, its luna titanium armor blocking vulcan shells and her amazing intuition keeping missiles from striking her. However, Irwin would not be able to break out of the cloud. As the shells tore his fighter apart, he made a wide turn back towards the Gaws, using the split seconds surprise to hit his ejection lever. The canopy of the fighter opened up, and he was thrown into the night sky, descending to the ruined city below. Now uncontested, the three Gaws began to bomb the surface of the city, slowly moving from sector to sector. Bombs peppered the cities surface, explosions tearing already damaged buildings asunder and red flashes illuminating the sky. Inside the bowels of the Pegasus, refugees young and old cried out as the ship began to shake. Bigby moved amongst the refugees, one hand resting on a rifle and another on a flashlight. "I feel like I'm suffocating." One old man said. "What are they doing?" Another responded. "If we're getting attacked again, they should just let us off here." Another old man said, huddled in the corner with the others. "Yeah, we could take shelter in the city!" Someone added. "Shut up!" Bigby said. "We've made it this far, calm the fuck down." He was still upset over the loss of his mobile suit. "If we pull together and fight, we'll definitely make it out of this." He added. "But..." One of the older men began, when the high pitched wail of crying children filled the room. Bigby shined his flashlight towards the scene, the three White Base kids holding a small crying baby. "Turn off that light! You're making it worse!" Katz shouted. "There there." Kikka said, trying to cheer the baby up by making faces. "What are you doing?" Bigby scowled, walking towards them. He didn't like dealing with kids. White Base shook again, another set of bombs landing dangerously close to the sports dome. "You don't have to cry, little bastard." "My baby! My baby!" A woman shouted, rushing to the kids and taking her child. "I'm sorry, I just left for a minute. Thank goodness my baby is alright!" Bombs continued to rain down on the city, the three Gaws sailing over the sports dome and back again. They could not find the Trojan Horse, but sooner or later the cover would be obliterated. "We'll be lucky if we're not hit." Ryu said, he and Hayato watching the dark scene light up as the bombs illuminated the city. Jarvis bit his lip, wishing he was back in Manila, even with all the bugs and annoyances. Oh but how he hated carpet bombing. Kai dropped the paper airplane he was working on and clenched his eyes shut like a coward, debris from the sports dome landing on the Guncannon as the bombs echoed overhead. Farther south, the diversionary force hid between the buildings, much less protected by the huge dome. Jane worried about Ela and the 74, which were exposed to Zeons assault. Amuro began to sweat, wondering what would happen next. The precision of the bombings was eerie, was Char on one of those ships? Aboard the Gaws, pilots loaded their weaponry and waited for the order to drop. Noelle and Markos were in the Viktoria Luise, their Doms flanking the green and red Zakus of Char and Garma, with Slenders Zaku in the rear. Marko and Naomi and their teams led the drop force in the Hansa, and Alain, Persephone and Ferusha were aboard the Mediterranee. Persephone was still somewhat shocked from the afternoons events. Clara was as well, but for an entirely different reason. On the maintenance deck of the Mediterranee, she bit her lip and pouted, unable to understand why Char liked Ferusha more than her. All of a sudden the entire night sky lit up, huge shells and rockets from the artillery team adding to the barrage from the Gaws. The Schmerz and Lorelay were much less accurate than the purple behemoths, but if they managed to strike the sports dome with their shells it would be demolished in a single volley. Slowly they moved from sector to sector, reducing the city to rubble in their wake. "Well? Has the Trojan Horse come out yet?" Garma asked, looking over the shoulder of his pilot. The Viktoria Luise sailed along "No sir, not yet." The pilot responded, focusing on his instruments. Garma scowled, turning away and looking to Char, who sat with his back to the wall at the end of the bridge. "Where are they? Why won't they come out!" The young Zabi growled, impatient. "They're starting to get the hang of combat." Char responded. "If they're going to be this way, I'll have to go down myself." Garma stated flatly. He moved to exit the bridge, but Char blocked his path with a grin. "No, wait. If you really want to do that, I'll go down there with my men instead." There was a glimmer in his eye, invisible behind his steely mask. "You're my superior, after all." Char added, giving Garma a slight nod. "Only for now. You still serve directly under my brother Dozle, after all." Garma figured Char was trying to take his glory, and moved to exit. Char blocked him again. "You're being hastier than usual." Char said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "You shouldn't let feelings for a woman allow you to get sloppy. Calm down." "... You're in charge." Garma said, turning away and deferring to Chars advice. He was, after all, the most famous newtype in all of Zeon. Char nodded and moved to the mobile suit deck. Am I getting sloppy because of Icelina? Ridiculous. Garma thought, pushing a hand through his hair and moving back to the bridge. ~ Meanwhile, in the most wealthy part of San Francisco, a young woman in a blue dress and white overcoat ran to her private helicopter, out on the lawn of a great chateau overlooking the bay. "S-Somebody, please help! The young lady is trying to leave!" A maid yelled. Two large men in sunglasses ran after Icelina, grabbing her and pulling her away from the helicopter. "Let go of me! You don't understand!" Icelina cried. The two men did their best to restrain her without hurting her, under orders to never harm the young lady. "You'll die if you go out there miss!" The maid cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Miss, you mustn't. Your father is calling for you." One of the men said. Icelina howled, trying but unable to get away. "How dare you do this to me!" She howled, stomping on one of the mens feet. He bit his lip and kept his composure, the two of them forcing her back to the front door of the chateau. "Let me go! There's somewhere I have to go! I said let me go!" Icelina cried. "I have nothing to say to my father!" "So you want to marry the son of the Zeon leader, do you?" Mr. Eschonbach said, a cigar in his mouth as he walked out onto the lawn. The two men let go of Icelina, who shook an angry fist at her father. "Not even you, father, can deny me my freedom! I have the right to decide how to live my life!" She was shaking and crying, her fathers shadow looming over her. "No you don't!" He responded, backhanding her so hard she fell to the floor. "Listen here! Don't let her have the keys to the jet!" He ordered his men, who nodded their heads in understanding. He turned and went back into his mansion, Icelina picking herself up and sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh lord Garma..." She cried, looking out into the night sky. ~ Aboard the Viktoria Luise, Char climbed into the cockpit of his Zaku, flanked by Markos Steiner, Noelle Everett and Slender. As they suited up and prepared to drop, Garmas voice echoed over the radio. "Char! Inform me as soon as you've found the Trojan Horse or any mobile suits. I'll destroy them with my Gaw!" "I'll do exactly as you've requested. Good luck, Garma." Char said, giving a salute. "May the glory of victory be yours!" "Hmph, finally, lets get this party started." Noelle added, his Dom powering up. The door to the Gaw opened, Char leading the drop. Five mobile suits and six Magella attack tanks dropped into the ruined cityscape, fanning out and beginning their search for the Trojan Horse. "Bright, five mobile suits are descending. Looks like they're headed straight for us." Mirai said, her eyes glued to a pair of binoculars. Bright nodded, signalling Frau to open a channel to Amuro in the Gundam. "Amuro, do you read me? Zakus are coming. Draw them away from White Base with the Gundam. We're going to use Ackarts idea, act as a decoy for the Zakus and the enemies main forces. Lure them in front of White Base at all costs, Amuro. Then we'll hit them with everything we've got!" "Roger. Gundam, moving out!" Amuro responded. "Blue Destiny, S Type, G Type, move out with Amuro and cover him." Bright continued. Thorvald, Jane and Ricky nodded, moving to flank Amuro as they advanced towards the Duchies forces. Overhead, the artillery rounds continued to fall, the sky slowly lighting up as the flames began to build throughout the city. "Tricking my own men doesn't sit well with me..." Char mused, scratching his chin as they advanced. He already had a reasonably good idea of where the Horse was, his sixth sense able to read their presence behind the dome. "Well, the Horse must have sent out mobile suits already..." He added. The group turned the corner of a building and were fired on immediately, Amuro and Jane shooting bazooka rounds at Chars Zaku. He leapt back behind the building, priming his own bazooka. "Char?!" Amuro yelled, rushing out to advance. Jane took a defensive position on top of a ruined building, not wanting to push her damaged GM, and Thorvald and Ricky moved along either side of the Gundam. We need to help her... The voice echoed in Thorvalds ears, the blue GMs dull eyes showing a small white light in their very center. Noelle and Markos skated around the corner in their Doms, firing bazooka rounds and lighting up the night with their scattering beam guns. One 360mm shell slammed straight into the cockpit of Rickies GM, the mobile suit keeling over and the Ensigns shirt stained red with blood. Amuro, Thorvald and Jane let down suppression fire, Noelle withdrawing as his Dom became badly damaged. Char and Slender moved in next, covered by Magella Attack Tanks which rolled in behind. "Char.." Amuro gritted his teeth, the Gundam charging the red Zaku II and firing its bazooka. Char ducked under the shell, chopping off the head of the weapon with his heat hawk. He leapt his Zaku into the air, dropkicking the Gundam, which tumbled against the side of a building. Tanks fired heavy shells successively into the Blue Destiny, which was beaten backwards by the barrage. Thorvald fired his missiles, destroying a pair of the tanks even as his shield shattered in front of him. Amuro gripped a beam saber, but before he could engage Char he was blocked, Slender and Markos engaging him with melee weapons. Amuro went for Slender first, blocking his heat hawk with the Gundams shield and slamming the saber through the Zaku reactor. Slender screamed, his Zaku exploding and the other combatants leaping away. Jane faced off against the Luises Zaku II G, firing bazooka and machinegun shells into it as it responded with its own bazooka. Both rounds hit home, the G type Zaku pulverised just before hitting the S Type in the knee, forcing it down to a disabled position. The damage to her mobile suit was too great, and it seemed Sheppard would be immobilized for the rest of the engagement. Char rushed over to Markos' fallen bazooka, picking it up and firing a 360mm shell towards the Blue Destiny. Already beaten back by the tanks, Thorvald was shaken and couldn't think fast enough to dodge the round, aimed straight for his cockpit. I will protect you... A blue and pink flash swept across his monitors, the Blue Destinies eyes glowing a brilliant red as it grasped a beam saber, cutting the bazooka shell in twain midflight. A vision of his faerie angel floated into his cockpit, Thorvalds eyes going wide. The berserk Blue Destiny charged straight for the Red Comet, Char readying his heat hawk to defend against the assault. He watched for an opening, but then grabbed his helmet with both hands, blood starting to flow out of his ears. "What the... This pressure..." The red Zaku stopped in its tracks, Marion spinning round and kicking Char Aznable and his machine into a damaged building. The Destiny whipped itself around, vulcan shells tearing the Viktoria Luises tank complement apart. Aboard the Mediterranee, Ferusha and Persephone began to sweat uncontrollably. Ferusha was the first to flip her comm system on, yelling at the top of her voice. "Commander Char is in trouble!" "We have to help Commander Char! Open the hatch!" Persephone called out. The Gaws hatch began to open, Ferusha and Persephones Zakus leaping out and rushing to the scene of the action. Alain didn't really understand what they were yelling about, but he figured it was some newtype thing, so he moved out as well. Whatever it was they could sense, why was it he couldn't sense it as well? Char came to his senses, the migraine slowly subsiding and his vision returning to normal. He came out of it just in time to dodge a beam saber, finding himself cornered on both sides by the Blue Destiny and RX-78-2 Gundam. Amuro lunged first, Char expertly grappling the Gundams arms and sweeping it into the Destiny. He fired his thrusters, the red Zaku leaping into the sky. "Damn, he's getting away." Amuro called out. The Blue Destiny looked up, red eyes watching the Comet sailing away from them. However, it did not pursue, Marion spinning the Destiny around and rushing in the opposite direction. There she is, we have to help her Markos quickly attempted to follow Marion and block her path, but his pursuit was halted by Jane, who fired the entirety of her weaponry into Steiners Dom. The two pilots gritted their teeth, shraphnel slicing into Markos' gut as he tried to push his Dom forward. Letting out a rallying cry, he grabbed his heat saber and leapt at high speed towards the disabled GM S Type. Jane continued to fire, tears in her eyes as her life flooded before her eyes. Thoughts of Jack, of Ela and Des, of all that she still had to do. The Dom collided with her GM, bullets piercing its reactor and causing a gigantic explosion. Both Steiner and Sheppards lives were extinguished, the nuclear blast matching the explosions caused by the artillery rounds from the Schmerz arcing overhead. From his vantage point high above the buildings, Char managed to sight the sports dome. His suspicions were correct, this Federation force had been trying to lure them into the Horses line of fire. He looked up, the three Gaws still sailing around and unable to find their target. That's a good plan... I'll use it to take my revenge. Char thought, landing behind cover and away from the Federations forces. He activated his radio, the commander types enhanced comm systems barely able to pierce the M particle field. "I've been waiting, Char." Garma said, a grin on his face. "The Federation suits are retreating. The Trojan Horse must be up ahead. Can you follow it?" Char stated, pretending he was under fire. "We will!" Garma answered. He gave the orders, the three Gaws moving to go past the sports dome and put White Base directly behind them. "I'm not going to let Char have all the glory... Keep the Gaw on its current course, tell everyone to prepare to drop the mobile suit forces! I want to see the Federations devils for myself!" "Char got away.." Amuro called out, looking around as the forces on both sides retreated. Noelle followed the Blue Destiny, her quick Dom skating away from the Gundam and out of its line of fire. Amuro decided he would follow Thorvald as well, not wanting to get split up in the dark and burning cityscape. The Gundam shot into the air, chasing after Noelle, who followed Marion on her course for the Efreet Custom. ~ Under the waves of the Pacific Ocean, Xavier Brennan and his wingman shot quickly towards the city, moving at top speed and trying to reach the battlefield on time. "Sir, I'm picking up three Federation mobile suits on sonar, one Aqua and two Divers." They're between us and the shore. "Damn that god forsaken Aqua GM... We'll have to punch through. Sieg Zeon!" Xavier shouted. His Z'Gok fired a volley of torpedoes, the three Krakens fanning out to dodge the attack. Hirsch moved the Aqua GM low, crawling along only one foot from the oceans floor. He pushed the GM upwards from underneat the two Z'Goks, firing torpedoes into the air. Xaviers wingman dodged to the right, straight into the two GM Divers. The Divers readied their shields and fired torpedoes into the Z'Gok, the SS pilot shouting as the missiles impacted his units hull. Xavier was about to get away when a scissor anchor latched onto his suits foot, dragging the Aqua GM ever closer. "Damn you!" Brennan hissed, firing his MPCs at the tether. The shot struck true, snapping the chain and allowing Xavier to move away. The remaining Z'Gok crashed into Mar's Diver, MPCs slicing through her right arm even as she obliterated the enemies cockpit. "Goddammit! I'll kill you bastard Nazis!" Hirsch yelled, refusing to let anyone harm White Base. His Aqua GM raised altitude, bursting through the surface of the water. Pointing his two arm-mounted torpedoes at the Z'Gok, Munchek fired, each torpedo striking one of Xaviers mobile suits legs. Both legs exploded, Brennans Z'Gok washing up on the shore seconds later. He kicked open the hatch and drew his pistol, ready to fight the enemy hand to hand. Hirsch would have obliged, when he caught the sight of missile contrails and artillery flashes moving from the south. "If those rounds hit White Base..." He said to himself. Turning away, he and the Krakens speeding for the Schmerz and the Lorelay. Xavier watched them leave, throwing his pistol and helmet into the sands after they had gone. "FUCK!" He yelled, collapsing and looking angrily up at the night sky. ~ "Captain Bright! We're getting readings from the hovertruck. Enemy Gaw formation is right over us, they'll be directly in our line of fire in thirty seconds!" "Right. Mirai, power up the ship and tell all units to prepare to open fire on my mark." Bright shouted, hands gripping his chair with suspense. The Pegasus began to light up slowly, winds howling as the Minovsky Craft system pushed it just off the ground. The Viktoria Luise, Hansa and Mediterranee came into view overhead, moving directly into the Pegasus class ships line of fire. "Main cannons will be ready in ten seconds Bright." Frau said. Ackart and Massenfer ordered everyone to hold their positions, the mobile suit teams guns carefully aiming for the Viktoria Luise. However, before they could open fire, Magellas and Zakus began falling straight in front of their barricade, Garma Zabis brown Zaku II FZ the first one to land. A dozen tanks and eight mobile suits, including Markos Dowadge, Naomi's Gouf and Garmas Zaku immediately engaged the Federation forces, Dopps swinging around to provide cover fire from above. "Christ, open fire!" Arden yelled, the two sides decimating each other with successive volleys of lead. Magella attack shells tore through Kai's Guncannon almost immediately, the heavily armored suit dropping to its knees. Ryu and Hayato pulled the Guncannon back, but Naomi charged forward, landing on top of it and slicing its treads apart before a beam rifle shot out her Goufs shoulder. Her mobile suit team covered her as she began to retreat. Jarvis fired his beam gun as fast as he could, dropping it as soon as it was spent and grabbing a machinegun off his rear weapons rack. Tank and machinegun shells poured into the GM Command, shraphnel biting into his leg as his suit toppled over. Garma charged forward, vulcans blazing as he moved for the Horse. Arden stopped him, the two facing off with heat hawk and beam saber. They lurched towards each other, Garma slicing through Massenfers cockpit as Arden cut off the Zaku II FZ's left arm. The Dowadge moved in front of the Zaku II FZ, Marko shielding Garma from the retaliation fire. Smaller explosions struck the Dowadge in the shoulder, and Dresner whipped his suit around, finding Ela and the Type 74 aiming for the young Zabi. He fired two bazooka shells, hitting the Dracken E and Type 74 and destroying both of them. The carnage was over quickly, Naomi and Marko moving Garmas damaged Zaku to safety while tanks and Magellas covered them. The Guncannon and Guntank made it back to White Bases hangar on time, the Pegasus class ship moving out into the open with the remaining Federation mobile suits covering it. "Open fire on that Gaw!" Bright ordered, MPCs and missiles arcing out of the White Base and aiming for the Viktoria Luise. The Gaws engines and reactor were hit almost immediately, ordnance tearing its rear to shreds. The Gaw fell through the sky for a short moment before exploding brilliantly, White Base ascending into the sky. Damn... Garma wasn't on the ship. Well, I can still get the Horse if I act now. Char thought, activating his communications system once again. "Marina Nimue, this is Char Aznable, I'm sending you telemetry data for the Horses position." Meanwhile, unknown to both the Federation, and the TAF's attack force, a dozen or more black armored footsoldiers leapt off their Wappas, grabbing onto the Trojan Horse with suction cups and slowly making their way to several of its many hatches. "Team one, move to the bridge and kill the crew. Team two with me, we'll move to the engine room and disable the ship. Meanwhile, deep within the ruined city, Persephone, Ferusha and Alain found themselves face to face with the red eyed Blue Destiny. We have to help her. "Now lassy, I've been lettin' ye do as ye please fr' a while now, and don't think I'm not grateful fer' ye' savin mah we life." Thorvald shouted at the ghost before him, the Blue Destiny charging into the three newtype mobile suits "But it's three aginst one and ye' can't be serious aboot this!" Ferusha and Persephone moved up first, firing machinegun rounds which bounced harmlessly off the Blue Destinies thick armor. Marion body checked both of them, throwing the two Zakus aside and rushing for the Efreet Custom. Kill me. The voice echoed in Alains mind, distracting him as he fired missiles towards the red eyed GM. The Destiny leaped back, dodging grenade and missile rounds which levelled the buildings behind it. Marion was about to attack again when Everett came in from behind, firing the remains of her bazooka shells at the lone Federation unit. "Now it's four on one, what the hell can ye' possibly need ta do other than retreat! And why are ye' spoutin' this kill me piss again!" Thorvald cried, trying to move the controls. The Destiny refused to respond. Kill me. "Tha's not you is it lassie." Thorvald muttered, noticing a slight difference in the voice. Marion looked for a way out when the Gundam came smashing down next to it, Amuro blocking Noelles final bazooka shell with his shield. "It's the Gundam!" Persephone cried out. She and Ferusha moved to engage Amuro, pouring machinegun fire into the RX-78-2 and keeping it pinned down. The sheer weight of firepower the Zaku II Manipulator Type was capable of putting out was amazing. Persephones heart began to beat quickly, strange sensations and emotions pushing their way into her soul. Kill me. Sister, I'll save you. Alain grabbed the Efreet Customs twin heat swords, preparing to engage the Blue Destiny as it charged. He pushed on his throttle, moving to make a countercharge, but suddenly the Efreet Custom wouldn't respond. Please kill me! The Efreets eyes flashed red, the two blue mobile suits colliding. The Efreet managed to slice off the Blue Destinies right hand, taking its beam saber with it, but the Destiny body checked her opponent, the Custom dropping one of its two heat swords. The GM picked it up, the two colliding sabers and then stepping backwards. "Holy mother who art in heaven.." Thorvald prayed, desperately trying to find any way to get out of his situation. The Blue Destiny dropped into a slide, firing vulcans above as the Efreet leaped into the air, launching the remains of its missiles. The street pavement behind the Destiny exploded, Marion kicking the suit into the air. Both mobile suits seemed to run up the side of a skyscraper, red hot sabers colliding and sparking as they moved. The Efreet leaped onto the top of the building, the Blue Destiny in quick pursuit. Amuro continued to be beaten back, the three mobile suits before him seeming to have no end of ammunition in sight. The Gundam dropped to its knees, Amuro slowly moving one arm and grabbing a grenade off of the suits hip. He used his shield to hide his movements, rolling the grenade along the ground and then running to the left. "Watch out!" Persephone yelled, the grenade exploding between her and Ferushas Zakus just as they leapt away. Ferushas Zaku slammed against a building, lodged tight within its floors. Debris started to cover her suit, and she screamed out for help. Persephone and Noelle decided to let the Gundam get away, digging their fellow out of the building as best they could. Atop the burning city, the Efreet Custom and Blue Destiny faced off, silent and unmoving for a few seconds. The Efreet charged first, swinging high and firing vulcans out of its chest. Marion brought up her left arm, keeping the shells from penetrating the cockpit and hitting Thorvald while blocking the heat sword with her own. The Destiny leapt backwards, the Efreet following and the two dropping down onto another city street, fires blazing from the earlier carpet bombing. Kill me. The Destiny leaped into the air, bouncing off of buildings to the right and left to fake out its opponent and coming down hard from above. Marion sliced off the Efreets right arm, its heat sword dropping lifelessly to the ground. Sparks flew across Alains cockpit, the EXAM system monitor flickering and then going lifeless. Something was wrong with the system, it hadn't been integrated properly. The Efreets eyes went dull, and Alain fired his last remaining grenade into the ground. A smoke round, he used the distraction to rush off into the distance, wondering if the voices that had called out to his mind had been real. The Blue Destiny moved forward, but after a few seconds Marion noticed that Thorvald had been hit. A 60mm bullet was pinning his left arm to his chair, and blood was flowing freely into the cockpit. I... I'm sorry. She said, giving Thorvald an ethereal hug. The Blue Destiny turned away, running back towards the Federations position. Marion hoped that somebody in Ackarts team would be able to stop the bleeding and save her friend. ~ Far to the south, the Schmertz and Lorelay adjusted their fire, using the targeting data Char had given them and preparing for a decisive strike. Duncan watched the light show, saying goodbye to his new friends as Rhett and the 25th moved to intercept the Trojan Horse over water. "Looks like we're the last line of defense guys. The cavalry, if you will!" Paruta mused. Cora juked the Dodai right and left, making him yell as his Zaku almost lost balance. The group laughed. "I am NOT your horse, jerk." Cora shouted. They all laughed again. The artillery team readied their rounds, Marina counting down until it was time to fire. "Three... Two... One... Now." The blue eyed woman said coldly, explosions deadening the ears of all around. The barrage sailed into the air, slamming into White Bases port side. "What the hell?! Bright, we're under attack!" "Gain altitude, put us above the cloud cover!" Bright yelled. A number of holes were in the Pegasus class ships hull, but it hadn't been destroyed. "What the... How could a ship survive an attack of that size." Marine gasped, astonished. "Is their ship made of the same armor as the white devil?!" White Base began to pick up altitude, Paruta and the 25th moving in pursuit. Below, the artillery team was about to prepare another round when proximity alarms went off in Duncans Gouf, tracers from the water shooting into the Schmerz a moment later. Hirsch Munchek and the Krakens had emerged from the water, moving to distract the Dobday and let the Horse get away. Duncan charged, the Rhinocerous turning and opening fire on the GM Divers. The Divers held their shields high, firing the remains of their 90mm shells into the formation. Several rounds struck Keystones shield, but he wasn't badly damaged, and quickly smashed into Mars GM Diver. A swing of his heat sword ended her life, and his heat rod slid out towards Hirschs Aqua GM, cutting off one of its arms. "Damn, we need to escape!" Munchek said, grabbing a grenade off of his knees and throwing it into the air. It exploded in a quickly dissipating ink cloud, but the distraction gave he and his remaining GM Diver enough time to make it back to the water and escape. In the clouds, Paruta, Dino and Genevieve sailed for White Base, opening fire on the ship and dodging left and right. Missiles traced out towards them, the Pegasus class ships impressive AA battery keeping them from closing their distance. "What the hell, I've never heard of a ship with such total antiaircraft coverage." Dino howled, his shells bouncing off of White Bases heavy luna titanium armor. Several AA shells sliced through the shoulder of Parutas Zaku II K, destroying his 180mm cannon and their only hope of piercing the enemies armor. "Well, this was definitely a bad idea..." Rhett said to himself, ordering the retreat. Just as quickly as they entered the battlefield, the 25th was hightailing it back to California Base. ~ The battle had more or less ended, both sides moving away from each other and recuperating their forces. However, a dozen operatives were still engaged in combat, deep within the Pegasus class ship itself. Three Panzergrenadiers moved through the halls, firing indiscriminately on everyone they found. Bigby led the marines in the defense, rifle shells pinging off the Schutzstaffels personal armor as they advanced to the bridge. "Captain, we can't hold them." Bigby's voice echoed through the loudspeaker, Bright wondering if he could hold his ship after all. He leapt out of his chair, grabbing a rifle and running to assist Wolfe and the marines. "Mirai, you're in charge!" He yelled, rushing down the corridoors and coming to where the Marines were blockading the SS. He arrived just in time to see Bigby shot in the chest, the test pilot falling over while still firing his rifle. Bright ran into the breach, grabbing a grenade off of Bigby's fallen body and throwing it into the Panzergrenadiers ahead of him. Elsewhere, Ritter and his men had found the portside engine room, and killed everyone inside. They were placing explosives carefully throughout the engines, hoping they had enough C4 to destroy the engine and disable the ship. After seeing how little damage the Schmerz had done firsthand, Ritter was worried that they wouldn't be able to ground the ship after all. He had just finished placing the charges when machinegun fire pinged across his armored body. He turned to see an exceptionally fat, dark skinned pilot firing away at him. However, the man was too late to stop them from placing their explosives. Ritter turned to his team, ignoring the mans zealous machinegun fire and running to a huge open hole in the ship, made by the Dobdays fire minutes before. He leaped out of the White Base and into the water, Ryu moving to the edge of the hole and firing down on him and his men, screaming as he let off his barrage. "Sieg Zeon." Ritter yelled, pressing down on the trigger and activating a personal homing beacon at the same time. White Bases portside engine exploded outright, Ryu's broken body tossed into the water along with the SS. Slamming into the water themselves, Ritter and his men would use their personal oxygen tanks to survive until the Lorelay could lock on to their beacons and pick them up. However, even with its portside engine destroyed, White Base continued to fly, the minovsky drive and starboard engine still operational. It wouldn't be till an hour later when they picked up Amuro, Hirsch and the Krakens that they would realize Ryu had been killed. Outcome: Draw Aldo P. Armistad - 10 VP gained, Repairing 3 Ando Shoji - 10 VP gained, 6 CP gained, upgraded to Shin Zaku II, Upgrading ??? Jack Verse - 10 VP gained, Promoted to Corporal, Killed in Action Bigby Wolfe - 10 VP gained, 6 CP gained, Injured 4 Destroyed 6, Promoted to Corporal Jim Irwin - 10 VP gained, Destroyed 1 Missing in Action 4, Promoted to Master Sergeant Hirsch Munchek - 10 VP gained, Repairing 3, Promoted to Corporal Jarvis Ackart - 10 VP gained, Repairing 3, Promoted to 1st Lieutenant Jane Sheppard - 10 VP gained, Promoted to Private First Class, Killed in Action Thorvald Siggurdson - 5/2 VP gained, Repairing +2 Injured 3-1, Promoted to Private First Class Marion (Blue Destiny) - 5 VP gained, No Damage Arden Massenfer - 11 VP gained, Promoted to 1st Lieutenant, Killed in Action Ritter Novosad - 10 CP gained, Injured 3-1, Promoted to Oberscharfuhrer Duncan Keystone - 11 VP gained, Repairing 2-1, Promoted to Staff Sergeant Rhett Paruta - 10/2 VP gained, Repairing +3-1, Promoted to Master Sergeant Xavier Brennan - 10 VP gained, Repairing 4-1, Promoted to Obersturmfuhrer Noelle Everett - 10 VP gained, Repairing 4-1, Promoted to Sergeant Markos Steiner - 10 VP gained, Promoted to Staff Sergeant, Killed in Action Marko Dresner - 11/2 VP gained, Repairing +3-1, Promoted to 1st Lieutenant Ota Naomi - 11 VP gained, Repairing 4-1, Promoted to Sergeant Alain Grace - 5 VP gained, Repairing 4-1 Injured 3-1, Promoted to Corporal Marion (Efreet) - 5 VP gained, No Damage Persephone Dawn - 10 VP gained, Repairing 2-1 Injured 3-1, Promoted to Specialist E2 Ferusha Glavadeen - 10 VP gained, Repairing 2-1 Injured 2-1, Promoted to Flight Sergeant