39Having been reading Fanfiction for the past several years, it is about time that I put one up myself. This is my first real attempt, my unpublished fix-fic notwithstanding. If you have not seen the original Mobile Suit Gundam, this will make no sense to you. For those of you who have, however, this fic will make for an interesting deviation from the final episodes.
Pointless Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam. Unfortunately.
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Bright Noa was, to put it bluntly, out of ideas. The officer candidate-turned-commander of the Earth Federation's most advanced warship had found himself in numerous, if not innumerable, situations that called for difficult decisions on a moment's notice, most of which had fallen upon him during the past three months alone. Yet despite these trials, Bright had fulfilled his duty as the ranking officer of the White Base without regret, knowing that even the sacrifices could be borne when the alternative was the dominion of the Principality of Zeon.
Now that that scenario was no longer simply an alternative, but rather unalterable fact, Commander Bright's worldview had suffered a severe blow.
The rest of the EFSF fleet, speeding toward L3 in a desperate attempt to outrace the end of General Revil's peace negotiations with Great Sovereign Degwin Zabi, was unaware of this fact, fortunately. The commanders that Revil had placed in charge of the fleet were aware only of what was now common knowledge, thanks to Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi's propaganda announcement two days before: that a task force of Zeon ships had used the Battle of Solomon as a distraction, during which it had launched its own assault on the Federation stronghold of Luna II and the half-constructed (and still heavily-damaged) colony of Green Noa, the only habitable cylinder of Side 7. According to Gihren's announcement, Green Noa had been dropped on Earth, in direct violation of the Antarctic Treaty; this much had already been confirmed, though the status of the target, Jaburo, was still a mystery. Moreover, Gihren had claimed that the fortress of Luna II had been captured, and that it would be the next object to fall on the planet; the possibility of damaged communications systems on Luna II made this impossible to confirm without first-hand observation, since the garrison would not respond to the fleet's hails. General Revil had taken no chances, sending the majority of his fleet to L3 in order to contest any attempted deceleration of Luna II, while he and a small flotilla of support vessels reported to a point chosen by Great Sovereign Degwin to conduct peace negotiations that had a fair chance of failing. It had been Revil's hope that the fleet could determine the threat of Luna II before the talks could fall through. However, the White Base crew had quickly learned that those talks had had no chance of a long proceeding at all. Within a day, they were over.
No one knew exactly how. The only agreed-upon fact between the strong Newtypes aboard the ship was that they had ended violently, and that in their wake General Revil and his entourage—and even, insisted Amuro Ray, the Great Sovereign of Zeon—had been erased from existence. Just as contact between L3 and L5, the Sea of Solomon, had been impossible, there had been no means of breaking through the Minovsky particle field drifting in the fleet's wake to make contact with the negotiation location, placed halfway between Solomon and the fortress of A Baoa Qu orbiting L2. Laser communications, of course, were a very poor option compared to tried and true radio waves; until such communications could be restored to General Revil's flagship, then, Bright had ordered that the news not spread beyond his ship, as there was no reason to alarm the fleet without confirmation, and Revil's final orders remained active regardless. Even so, without General Revil's celebrated mind, the remaining high command at Jaburo (or what was left of it) simply had no means of countering the likes of Gihren and Kycilia Zabi. With the threat of a third drop operation literally hanging over their heads, they would quickly give up the fight. The war would be over; Gihren Zabi would rule over the Earth Sphere. Sieg Zeon.
Which returned Bright Noa to his dilemma. He was a Federation officer to the core, an Earth-born man with his own share of prejudices regarding the Spacenoids—at least, before he began acting as commander to Spacenoids aboard the White Base. And although his opinion of space colonists had certainly changed, Bright was still very loyal to the Federation cause; to him, Zeon remained firmly the enemy. No matter the faults of the Earth Federation, it had been Zakus, not GMs, that had gassed Sides 1, 2, and 4.
Beyond the moral objections to living under Zeon rule, there also were numerous practical reasons to worry. The White Base and its mobile suits had seen action in several important campaigns over the past three months, and had accumulated not only a suitable reputation to match, but a kill count to back it up. Gihren and Kycilia Zabi could hardly be expected to forget that the White Base had been responsible for the death of Captain Garma Zabi, their youngest brother, and that the teams that had been sent to gain revenge had also been destroyed or badly mauled—depriving Zeon of some very experienced aces. The White Base had furthermore taken part in Operation Odessa, and the Gundam had been instrumental in routing Char Aznable's infiltration team at Jaburo; even the three children on board had done their part to foil the Zeon captain's attempt to sabotage the mass-production of the Federation's new mobile suits. As if this record were not enough to send the White Base crew before a Zeon firing squad, the blood of Vice-Admiral Dozle Zabi, the commander of space fortress Solomon, was also on the crew's hands, thanks to the efforts of Amuro Ray and Sleggar Law. The White Base represented the deaths of numerous Zeon notables and the defeat of many of their plans, and Gihren Zabi, to say nothing of Kycilia, would happily take advantage of an opportunity to humiliate the Federation's remnants by doing away with such a troublesome lot.
Simply put, Bright Noa's lack of ideas was putting his crew in deadly peril, and the added pressure wasn't helping.
For that reason, as he dressed in his cabin before taking over his shift, the commander resolved to call the notable crew members to the bridge for an open forum. As he stepped out into the corridor and made his way toward the bridge, Bright continued to sort the situation through his mind, but with a small bit of optimism: Since most of the crew was composed of former civilians, there might be several ideas that might occur to them that would not occur to a military-trained man such as himself. Hoping that this was indeed the case, Bright let go of the handgrip and entered the lift to take him to the bridge, tapping his foot with impatience as he waited. Upon disembarking, he quickly floated to his captain's seat and activated the ship-wide PA system. "All pilots, report to the bridge."
/**/
News of the Solar Ray's activation reached Granada immediately after the fact, due to Kycilia's use of observers keeping an eye on the movements of A Baoa Qu and Side 3 during her term as the lunar city's commander. The target, however, as well as the weapon's effectiveness, had been impossible to ascertain, and the rear admiral had been quick to contact A Baoa Qu to learn the results of the firing for herself. The control room supervisor was unhelpful, and Gihren himself was "indisposed"; probably celebrating with the help of that whore Cecilia, Kycilia guessed. She promised to contact the fortress again the next day, and assured the supervisor that she would accept nothing less than direct contact with her brother at that time, which the man promised to pass on to the supreme commander. After that, the woman was left with little to do but contemplate the state of the war, and the sudden possibility that Zeon, after losing two of its ruling family and suffering several recent crushing defeats, might actually have reclaimed the conflict's momentum.
The rear admiral, therefore, passed the day in a state of self-congratulation while daydreaming of a victorious Zeon. She had reason to be proud: Operation British II, which had dropped Side 7's Green Noa onto Earth, had been her idea. A very small task force had been assigned to the task of battling the Federation garrison at Luna II as a diversion, while another force took the opportunity to drop the colony onto the planet. Although focusing her attention on this plan (as well as the potential threat posed by the Federation's possible Newtype Corps) had distracted Kycilia so badly that the EFSF had been allowed to regroup almost unopposed, resulting in the devastating Battle of Solomon, the rear admiral could only see the loss of the space fortress as a blessing in disguise, as it in turn distracted the Federation from the dangers posed by a possible second colony drop. Indeed, the focusing of the EFSF on L5 had placed virtually all of the Federation fleet days away from L3, meaning that the diversion at Luna II had been far more effective than initially planned; Gihren was certainly lying when he claimed that Luna II was under Zeon control, but it would be many months before it could become a threat in space again—by which time, it was likely that the war would be over.
The use of the Solar Ray, therefore, was confusingly unnecessary. Gihren was not known for wasting military resources—unless one counted his use of inefficient but powerful weapons as opposed to less-powerful mass-produced models—so the use of this over-the-top laser cannon had to have had some purpose, as far as the admiral was concerned. The fact that he hadn't made this target public immediately after firing only made Kycilia nervous, as it indicated that the target's destruction served Zeon far less than it served Gihren, and therefore either did not aid or possibly even undermined his sister. Of course, the rear admiral considered, it could also mean that the weapon had failed, and that Gihren refused to publicize an attack on a target that was obviously still intact. In the latter case, the Solar Ray's shot could work to her advantage as a means of embarrassing her brother. Even as she considered it, though, Kycilia refused to get her hopes up. She would act only when she knew for certain what her brother had planned.
Upon contacting A Baoa Qu the next day, therefore, Kycilia did not mince words. Once Gihren's face appeared on her monitor, the woman wasted no time with pleasantries. "Brother, I refuse to believe that there was anything remotely within range of L2 that required your fantastic cannon to solve. What were you firing at?"
Gihren scoffed. "Won't you bother to begin with 'Hello'? I thought Father raised you better than that."
"I want answers, Gihren."
The supreme commander sighed. "Impatient as always," he muttered. "If you want so badly to know, you'd best join me here at A Baoa Qu. We have the data from the Solar Ray, as well as confirmation reports regarding Jaburo. Operation British II was not as accurate as planned, but even so, Zeon now has the upper hand. I hope to take advantage of our new-found momentum; we will need to coordinate more attacks for the very near future. How soon can you arrive?"
Kycilia narrowed her eyes. "I'm leaving immediately. Expect me shortly."
Gihren smiled. "I'll do that."
/**/
Captain Char Aznable had no great love for retreats and withdrawals. It irritated him even more that, in this case, he hadn't even been forced from the battlefield by a superior opponent, but was instead withdrawing of his own volition. But after the strange pressure he had felt, he didn't dare to continue any operation without the confirmation of his superior officer. When Lalah Sune nearly became epileptic over the same pressure, the captain decided to obtain those orders personally, and set course for Granada.
There was obviously reason to worry. Whatever had occurred, it had been Earth-shattering and terrifying enough to cause an extreme Newtype reaction; both he and Lalah had had similar reactions to the latest colony drop, but at least that had been explained. Char knew also that it would be exceptionally unwise to continue operating the Elmeth with an unstable pilot, and Lalah, having suffered two breakdowns in a week, clearly needed a rest. And Char would not allow the threat of Kycilia's anger prevent him from giving Lalah the rest she needed.
Standing on the bridge of the Zanzibar, which acted as flagship for the 300th Independent ("Newtype") Corps, the masked man observed as the lunar city of Granada appeared on the horizon. "Once we enter communications range, alert the command center of our arrival. I don't doubt that Her Excellency will want to learn of our coming as soon as possible."
Upon being given confirmation of this order, Char turned away from the bridge window and strode (as well as one can stride in the moon's lessened gravity) through the door and off of the bridge, grabbing the nearest handgrip to take him to his quarters. As he suspected, Lalah was waiting for him outside the door, frowning in worry. Char smiled reassuringly as he let go of the handgrip, drifting to his cabin door and entering the pass code. "We're almost to Granada," the captain said, motioning for the ensign to enter. Following her inside and closing the door, Char added, "I'm sure Kycilia won't be happy to see us so far from the fight at L5, but after all that's happened, I'm sure she'll understand."
Lalah nodded, but her frown deepened. "I'm sorry, Captain, to put you through this trouble."
Char chuckled. "It's nothing. In fact, I'm hoping to get some answers while we're here, so this trip will only benefit us in the end." He guided the young woman to the only seat in the cabin, at his desk; he sat on his bed as he added, "Beyond that, there was no reason to remain at Solomon—or Konpei Island, as the Feddies insist on naming it—while peace talks continue. Until they're finished, we should consider the war at a ceasefire."
Lalah nodded again, but then suddenly shook her head. "I don't think it will be that simple, sir," she murmured. "Something tells me that there will be no peace." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I don't understand, sir! Why won't the killing stop? What happened to the Newtype Ideal?"
Char sighed. "Zeon Zum Deikun's ideal Newtype was the next stage of evolution for all mankind. He envisioned that all the people in the world would be able to understand one another, and all war would end. But… that isn't happening, Lalah. Kycilia has her own views of Newtypes that I find myself agreeing with more and more: that Newtypes exist only because war exists; that they are born of war, and will therefore continue it."
Lalah stared at her captain. "But that is just too cruel!"
"I have seen no evidence to suggest otherwise," continued Char heavily. "Although it is a dire prediction of humanity's future, I can only guess that wars will continue forever, and that Newtypes will continue to fight them. Just as we do now." The man glanced out through his cabin window, taking in the blackness of space in the direction of Side 3. "As much as anyone else, I wish for Zeon's Newtype dream to come true. But as long as the world is ruled by Oldtypes, wars will continue unabated." Char returned his gaze to Lalah. "That is the future we must prepare for, even if we pray that it never comes." The woman nodded slowly, reluctantly accepting her captain's words.
Before the two could say more, however, the intercom buzzed on Char's desk. Lalah gave up her seat as Char sat down and activated the video feed. "What is it?" he demanded of the lieutenant on the other end of the line.
"Sir, we have received a signal from a Musai-class registered to Lady Kycilia's lunar fleet, requesting immediate contact with you."
Char's eyes narrowed beneath his mask. "Patch the signal through."
A moment later, none other than Colonel M'Quve's panicked expression provided Char with an omen of things to come. "Captain Char! Retreat from this sector immediately! We've been tricked!"
"Tricked?" asked the captain, confused. "By whom?"
M'Quve scowled. "By Supreme Commander Gihren. We were escorting Lady Kycilia to A Baoa Qu when we were intercepted by the defense forces there. They targeted the Gwazine before we realized they were hostile. Her Excellency's dead. My group is the only piece of her escort to escape, and I'm sure they mean to pursue. Get your forces out of here, or they'll come after you as well!"
Behind Char, Lalah had gone pale. "Is this a coup?"
The captain clenched his teeth. "This is the second time I've been forced to flee Zeon," he muttered. To M'Quve he asked, "Is A Baoa Qu moving against Granada?"
The colonel shook his head. "I don't know, but I certainly hope not. Lady Mineva is there."
Char hissed. "Still? I would have thought she'd be in the homeland by now." Thinking quickly, the captain demanded, "Give me her location, Colonel. I'll see what I can do."
"Captain, risking your small group anywhere near Granada will be tantamount to sui—"
"Sir, I'm asking for that location so that I'm at risk for the least amount of time possible."
M'Quve sighed. "She's in the main government complex, in the governor's quarters. Her rooms are adjacent to Lady Kycilia's. She'll still be there, as long as Gihren doesn't have spies in the building."
Char nodded. "We can hope as much, though I doubt it. Shall we rendezvous afterward?"
The colonel nodded. Glancing to his right, where a map of the Earth Sphere was no doubt visible, the man said eventually, "I will wait three days for you in the Loum Shoal Zone; Texas, most likely. You're familiar with the place, yes?"
"I am." Lalah had tested her Newtype potential there with Char and Dr. Flanagan only a day before the Battle of Solomon, culminating in a duel with the Federation's Gundam mobile suit; the colony had taken damage, but at least one of the ports was still operational.
"If either of us cannot make the rendezvous, continue on your own to Side 6, and pray that they'll keep a secret," M'Quve continued. "I know that they had good relations with Her Excellency in the past."
'They didn't have a choice,' though Char darkly, and he wondered if they would be quite so welcoming to her soldiers when the threat of extermination didn't back them up. "We'll do that," he answered aloud.
The colonel nodded. "M'Quve, out."