Chapter
27: Lectures
As it
turned out, neither officer had to transfer to the other's ship. McDermut had
quickly pointed out to both Major Ardulace and Colonel Jefferson that the
Warspite had a sizeable wardroom nearby, and surprisingly enough, both had
agreed to use it. Jefferson had hoped that the fiery Ardulace would calm down
if the meeting was held in somewhat "neutral" territory, but to his
misfortune, the sole reason she had agreed to this was simple expediency: The
earlier they could start the meeting, the earlier she could start chewing him
out.
"SIR,
excuse me," Ardulace declared bluntly as the door finally closed itself
behind her, signaling the start of their meeting, "But before we start, do
I have permission to speak freely?"
"Would
it dissuade you if I said no?" Jefferson asked with a sigh, thinking that
there was no chance in hell that it would. He was wrong.
"Actually
SIR, it WOULD," Ardulace declared indignantly, "The question is
however, do you really want to stop me?"
"No...
I suppose not," Jefferson admitted after a moment's reflection, his eyes
downcast as he felt the full weight of Ming's crimes rest on his shoulders,
"Go on then. I presume your complaints will center around the treatment of
Captain Gressier?"
"Partly
sir, but not entirely. Unlike certain people around here, I try not to show
favoritism to old shipmates," Ardulace replied acidly, already flinging a
jab at Jefferson's leniency towards Ming and his other, former Zeon comrades,
"What I AM angry about is the fact that you were STUPID enough to
volunteer for this whole damn operation in the first place! Didn't you even
REALIZE that those two would go at each other's throats the moment they saw
each other?! It's a miracle that they're both still alive, and it's an even
greater miracle that they're both still willing to work for us despite
everything that's happened!"
"And
I still owe you a great deal of gratitude for helping engineer that miracle,
Major," Jefferson allowed, though earning a furious glare from Ardulace,
who did not seem impressed with his compliment, "And I suppose, I also owe
both you and Captain Gressier an apology for the consequences of my
actions."
"I
think Captain Gressier and I would prefer an explanation rather than apology,
sir," Ardulace countered, though her tone seemed a bit more restrained now
that Jefferson had openly taken some of the responsibility, "Before you
get her transferred, I'm pretty certain that she'd want to know WHY you made
her face Ming when your real intent was to recruit her in the first
place!"
"Major,
I'm not really sure if that's a good idea..." Jefferson replied, shaking
his head, "Both Ming and Sylvie already have enough on their plates, and I
wouldn't want to start something that could..."
"That
could do WHAT?" Ardulace cut-off, her eyes suddenly narrowing in
suspicion, "Don't tell met you still have more secrets to hide,
COLONEL."
"Major,
look..." Jefferson started out reasonably, before being met by the Major's
piercing gaze. Unable to meet the fire in her eyes, he turned away and sighed,
"Look... Does Sylvie know the whole truth of what happened to Max
Harper?"
Ardulace
now narrowed her eyes even further and crossed her arms in front of her chest,
"What do you mean by "the whole truth"?"
---------------
"Look
here, CAPTAIN..." Juan Ignacio shouted as he shoved he nearly shoved his
face into Shevardnadze's, "I NEVER signed up for combat duty, and there's
no way in hell that you're going to make me fight in your splendid little
war!"
"And
you are SUPPOSED to be a Federal OFFICER sworn to protect the Federation from
her enemies!" the Captain shouted back, angry at Juan's defiance,
"Are you truly one of us, or are you nothing more than a traitorous dog
like most of your spacenoid cronies?!"
"That's
enough!" General Pluskat interceded, "Look, CAPTAIN, he's under MY
jurisdiction, and he will NOT be transferred to the Richelieu while I
am..."
"Wrong
again, SIR," she interrupted, handing over a document to General Pluskat,
"You see sir, Lieutenant Ignacio here is currently under the jurisdiction
of the Titans, and THEY, not YOU, will be the ones to decide where he will be
of the most use. And thanks to the loss of the Blucher, the Richelieu is now
temporarily part of the Titan's Dorcetshire squadron, and hence is being given
the same authority as any other Titans unit."
"What
you are doing is bordering on abuse of authority and insubordination,
CAPTAIN!" Pluskat countered, now growing angry at the insolent, Earthnoid
*****, "I don't think that the regulations would support you on this
matter, and even if it did, it would have to be a VERY, VERY far stretch."
"Look
it up in the Titans Operational Manual, page 345, paragraph 3, and you'll see
that I'm right sir," Anastasia replied smugly, being one of the few who
took the time to memorize EVERY little rule in the book, even if the book came
from a rival organization, just in case, "And even if I'm not, General
Nicolo is just a phone call away, and I am _certain_ that HIS authority supercedes
yours."
"Well
I'm ALSO certain that I'm not going to follow your orders, especially if you
work for that ******* Nicolo!" Juan objected loudly, gritting his teeth in
anger as he remembered his former CO, "I've seen too many good men and
women die because of his ambition, and I'm telling you know that I'm not going
to be one of them!"
"Then
you WILL be shot for treason," Shevardnadze enunciated very slowly and
clearly as she drew her firearm, surprising both Juan and Pluskat, "I will
be frank with you Mr. Ignacio. I do NOT enjoy working for General Nicolo nor
his subordinates, but I want to keep my pilots alive, and you're just about the
only pilot around here that has the skills that can do that."
"And
I want to make sure I get home to my pregnant wife, CAPTAIN," Juan replied
defiantly, still not intimidated by the Captain nor her weapon, "And if I
go with you, chances are that I won't, so seek help ELSEWHERE."
"And
if that's the case..." Shevardnadze replied, now aiming the gun at Juan's
temple, "I may as well send you home in a body bag. My fate and that of my
men will be no different once you're dead."
---------------
"I
can't believe this..." Ardulace fumed as she tried very, VERY hard to
restrain herself, "You mean to say that Ming Chow actually MURDERED Max
Harper in cold blood?! That he shot him dead while he was HELPLESS?! How in the
world could you let him get away with that?! And do you even realize that this
means everything Sylvie has done was perfectly justified?!"
"Major,
I didn't know he did that until after the war!" Jefferson insisted,
"And when I DID find out I sure as hell didn't approve of it! I tried to
stop him but..."
"But
you just couldn't put your damn feelings aside and turn him over to the
authorities, could you?" Ardulace cut-off resentfully, "Well that's
just ****ing great. I'm pretty sure you must be proud of the work he did in
Bunch 7. I never thought Zeeks could get so low as to start murdering people in
front of children!"
"Major,
listen," Jefferson asked, knowing full well that she was right, yet still
unable to bring himself to condemn Ming, "I know that what he did in Bunch
7 was inexcusable, and I'm just as guilty for allowing him to get there in the
first place..."
"But...
he... he changed after Bunch 7," Jefferson went on, his tone now growing
solemn, "You see... he met someone there. Someone who tried to teach him
that what he did was wrong, and that he had to make amends for all of his sins.
I... I thought he'd taken those lessons to heart after losing her, but..."
"Some
things just never change, and you should have been smart enough to realize
that, SIR," Ardulace finished for him, calming down a little yet
resentment still seething in her voice, "I hope you realize now that Ming
Chow keeps using his emotions rather than his intellect to make decisions, and
that from his perspective, Sylvie is nothing more than the manifestation of
everything he hates in both the Titans and the Federation. Too bad someone
close to him who knew the truth didn't bother to rectify his mistaken
assumption.
"Major,
it's not that simple..." Jefferson sighed, "I... well... I don't know
if he'll even listen to me anymore. Ming can be a stubborn as a mule, and every
time I tried to tell it to him, he just kept waving me off. I was always
worried that it would open some old wounds, but..."
"Colonel,
stop doubting yourself and just tell him," Ardulace advised, allowing a
small amount of understanding to slip into her tone, "If he trusts you,
then he'll listen to you no matter how much he loathes Sylvie Gressier, and
we'll be able to resolve this issue far more easily than you would expect. The
question is however, does he trust you as much as you trust him?"
Jefferson
bit his lip in response, realizing that he really didn't know the answer to
that last question, and that part of him really didn't want to know ever since
Ming lost Sandra at Bunch 7. But she was right, wasn't she? Hiding the truth
wouldn't solve anything, and living a lie would just tear you apart from within,
just as Sylvie tore herself apart to become something she was probably never
meant to be. And for the first time, as he gazed into her unflinching eyes, he
found himself admiring the Major for having the courage to tell him what he had
been afraid to tell Ming. He dutifully nodded his head and said, "Alright,
but what about Sylvie? Do you really think she'll just let it pass once she
finds out Ming actually murdered Max?"
"For
now, she won't know," she promised, "And even if she does, I don't
think she'll do anything rash. She knows how to keep her word, and more often
than not she thinks before she acts. She won't try to finish her own little
vendetta while a war is still going on."
Jefferson
nodded, but still couldn't help but feel some doubt as to the true nature of
Sylvie Gressier, "And if you're wrong?"
"Then
I'm afraid Ming will just get exactly what he deserves."
---------------
"Oh
God... what have I ever done to deserve this?" John muttered tiredly as he
watched Nikki Torecelli running around everywhere, seemingly intent on pushing
every single button on the Warspite's bridge, to the absolute horror of her
crew. As he had once found out to his own misfortune, Nikki loved ships and
idolized the men and women who crewed them, especially if they were veterans of
the One Year War. The Warspite, being a key player at the Battle of A Bao A Qu,
was no exception.
"Maybe
you shouldn't have brought her along in the first place, sir," Sylvie
commented dryly, worried that Nikki would damage something irreplaceable on the
bridge. Unlike other Magellan class ships, the Warspite(after her last refit
back in 86') had a specially constructed bridge section that was actually
nestled within the ship's armor belt instead of its traditional position on the
conning tower. The new position was much safer and better protected than the
original, but in order to give the command staff the ability to monitor the
battle around them from their new, windowless vantage point, a prototype
180-degree panoramic monitor had to be installed on the bridge along with its
accompanying electronics. The system worked, but unfortunately, using panoramic
monitors on battleships never caught on, and McDermut had been hard-pressed to
find spare parts ever since.
"Yeah...
I know, but she would probably have turned MY ship upside down if she didn't
get what she wanted," John reminded with a shrug, trying to ignore the
mayhem that Nikki was now causing for McDermut, "Well, at least it's good
for her morale."
"Always
trying to be the cheerleader and guidance counselor, aren't you John?"
Sylvie commented, though without any hint of sarcasm or emotion in her tone,
"It's all well and good, but you're supposed to be an officer and a leader
now, and you should concentrate on keeping order instead of trying to keep
everyone happy."
"I
know... I know... Miss pointy-eared schoolmaster..." John agreed jokingly
as he glanced at Sylvie, wondering if she knew that it was currently HER that
he wanted to cheer up the most, "But I am who I am, and this is how I
lead. I don't plan on imitating Major Ardulace anytime soon, though I am
surprised she's late for the briefing. I thought she and Colonel Jefferson have
already decided what we're supposed to do next."
"She's
probably "lecturing" the Colonel a little on his lenient command
methods," Sylvie advised, not sure whether to root for Colonel
Jefferson(who, after all, was still related to Ming), or for Major Ardulace(who
had, after all, sent her to that agonizing day-long ordeal with Ming), "However,
I think it's quite obvious what will be our next course of action."
"Let
me guess..." John replied with a sigh, "We're going to escort this
battlewagon all the way back to the Moon, with those Titans nipping at our
heels every step of the way, right?"
Sylvie
nodded, but decided, after a moment's reflection and a twitch of a cheek
muscle, to add a verbal response, "Of course. It's the only logical thing
to do."
---------------
August
10, UC 0087
Titans
Cruiser Dorcetshire. Somewhere in the Earth Sphere.
"I
am TELLING you sir, we ARE on the right course!" Captain Shevardnadze
finally vented just as Titans Captain Iosef Filitov again objected to her plan,
"They are heading for the Moon, I am sure of it, and sending half of our
Mobile Suits on scouting missions to make sure they aren't going somewhere else
isn't going to help!"
"And
I am TELLING you, CAPTAIN, that these AEUG criminals may be more deceitful than
you think!" Filitov insisted, now getting annoyed at this interfering
_Federal_ Captain and her half-***ed ideas, "The Moon is just too obvious
a destination, and we have reports that they have bases elsewhere along the
same route, particularly near Side 2. I have had enough of chasing these
rebels, and we must find their true destination at all costs!"
"But
sir, may I remind you that even if they DO have bases elsewhere, and even THAT
is doubtful," Shevardnadze reminded, "Only the Moon has shipyards
capable of restoring a battleship the size and complexity of the Warspite! They
are most likely heading for Granada or Amman, and if they DO get there, then
your stay in Von Braun could..."
"Silence!"
Filitov ordered angrily, wondering WHY in the world had Major Ferelli informed
THIS particular officer about Operation Apollo, "You may be working for
the Titans for the time being, but you are not one of us, and it was a mistake
telling you what you now know."
"The
secret should already be out to the people of the Lunar Capital anyway,
SIR," she replied testily, though knowing that thanks to Minovsky
interference, there was no good way to be sure if the attack had gone as
planned, "And I was informed because I was supposed to assist you in
formulating a battle plan. Little did I realize that it was YOU who I was
supposed to battle!"
"A
descendant of the Georgian dog who gave away the Second Empire** shouldn't be
surprised," Filitov replied gruffly, confident that she would not be able
to respond. Anastasia merely smiled.
"But
at least I wasn't named after the Georgian monster** who killed off half of his
own people, SIR," she retorted, drawing from her own considerable
knowledge of Middle Age history, "You know. The one who kept insisting of
taking command of the Red Army despite leading it to one bloody catastrophe after
another."
"Oy,
keep the tone civil you two. People outside can already hear you arguing,"
Major Benito Ferelli advised as he walked into the room, hands in his pockets
and looking rather bemused by the whole situation, "Especially you Captain
Shevele... ergh?"
"Shevardnadze,
SIR," Anastasia corrected as she scowled mightily, "Or just Captain
Anya if you'd prefer sir. I've had scores of senior officers who found it
impossible to remember my last name."
"And
probably scores of others who got tired of your insolence," Filitov added
with a snort, "Major, again, I must question again why in the world did
you let this wench..."
"Captain,
enough with the petty name-calling, please" Ferelli warned, "But to
answer your question, I'd have to ask you something first. What was Captain
Anya's prediction concerning the movement of the enemy Task Force again?"
"That
she was 100% certain that it was heading towards the Moon," Filitov
replied dutifully, "I, however, believe that her theory is completely
wrong, and I'm willing to bet a thousand credits to that effect!"
Ferelli
smiled and handed a report over to Filitov, "Start paying."
---------------
"About
time you paid me a visit, Ming..." Jefferson welcomed as the Chinese pilot
stepped into his privates quarters, his face looking rather haggard after yet
another extended sortie. He had been meaning to have a man-to-man talk with
Ming ever since that meeting with Major Ardulace, but only now did both of them
find time to have this conversation take place. The Titans were hunting them,
and the entire Task Force was constantly on alert in case of a sneak attack.
Yet, thus far no one was complaining about providing escort to the lumbering
Warspite, as the ship was also proving to be a veritable treasure trove of Federal
and Titans technology. Scott had even found spare components for a mysterious
"RX-121" project in the main hold, and that particular discovery
excited those bigwigs at Anaheim so much that they were already promising
bonuses for the entire crew for the ship's safe arrival. He really hoped they
would keep their word on that one. A couple of Ming's buddies mentioned that
they desperately needed the money to make this month's rent.
"Well...
I'm here sir, what is it that you want to talk about?" Ming asked in a
rather suspicious tone, seemingly uninterested to be having this meeting with
his commander. Jefferson resisted the urge to sigh out loud and decided to just
continue as planned.
"I
think you already know," Jefferson answered, "And before you say
anything, this time, you're really going to have to listen."
Ming
snorted, "What IS there to know about that damn ***** anyway?! She's just
a psychotic murderer and nothing more, and you should stop wasting your time
trying to defend her to impress your new friends from the Federation!"
"Ming,
I'm not doing this impress anybody, I'm doing this to help YOU!" Jefferson
growled, angry that Ming's stubborn, unyielding nature was resurfacing yet
again, "Haven't you ever wondered why she hates you so much?! Haven't you
ever wondered why..."
"All
I ever wonder about is how I should kill her once this was is over!" Ming
shouted back in an equally angry tone, not wanting any "help" as far
as that ***** was concerned, "And if you've got nothing better to say I'd
like to go now, SIR!"
"Actually,
I do," Jefferson replied firmly, grabbing Ming by the arm to keep him from
walking away, "Do you remember that sniper back in the war? The one you
MURDERED on the last day of the war?"
"What
about it then?" Ming asked haughtily, seemingly unrepentant of his
actions, "You want to bring up HIS
memory too?! Look, he KILLED Mike and a lot of our..."**
"But
that doesn't make it right Ming!" Jefferson countered, his temper once
again rising at Ming's inability to tell right from wrong, "And what makes
matters worse is you haven't even realized the consequences of your
actions!"
"You
don't have to remind me, I already know very well the consequences of my
actions..." Ming muttered quietly, his head turning away as he once again
remembered his love for a woman whose heart was so pure that she tried to save
him, even though he knew in his own heart that he could not possibly be saved.
It was already well over four years since that fateful day, yet still, he could
not forget the pain as he tried to hold her dying form in his arms, begging for
her to live... "Because of what I am, she died a meaningless death. But
what's done is done, and I can't bring either of them back, so sir, please,
just drop the subject and leave me alone..."
Once
again, Jefferson found himself biting his lip, unable to find words that could
comfort his friend and comrade. But he reminded himself that this wasn't the
time to sympathize with him, and that he brought him here for another, equally
important purpose, "Ming, look, I know it's hard on you, but... you see...
Sandra wasn't the only one..."
"Look,
I don't care how many there are, alright?!" Ming shouted back, looking as
though he was near tears, "As she said, it doesn't really matter if I
killed one or a hundred, all that matters is..."
"Ming,
WILL YOU JUST LISTEN?!" Jefferson cut-off, surprising both himself and
Ming at his sudden outburst, "Look, that sniper you murdered, his name was
MAX Harper. NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
For a moment,
Ming's face belied his confusion, echoing Yoko's sustained commentary on his
apparent short sightedness. Yet soon, the realization did come, but to
Jefferson's horror, Ming's face showed neither pity nor regret, and instead
showed fierce determination, "So what? So are you saying that all of this
was MY fault?! That _I_ am responsible for Sylvie's actions?! What about her
then?! Couldn't she have just moved on and..."
"Ming,
it's been FOUR years, and YOU haven't moved on either!" Jefferson replied
reasonably, now just hoping to instill some sense into the infuriated Ming,
"You KNOW how hard it could be to lose someone, and...
"Oh
it's hard alright, I'll tell you that..." Ming answered resentfully, now
looking as though he was spoiling for a fight, "But what happened to her
ISN'T MY FAULT! Look at her record! She's just a damn crazy murderous *****
who's done nothing but betray her own people! How many times have you heard her
say that she'd much rather fight for those Titans?! How many times did
she..."
"And
why don't you realize that she would never have done those things IF YOU HADN'T
KILLED MAX?!" Jefferson shouted back, his anger now growing so great that
Ming was stunned for a moment, as though some sense was finally knocked into
his skull. Unfortunately however, his hatred for Sylvie was simply too great to
overcome, and his anger quickly matched Jefferson's.
"And
why don't YOU realize that she probably would have turned into a monster
ANYWAY?!" Ming retorted, "She's a KILLER, and nothing more!
And..."
"Ming,
damn it! Don't you even have..." Jefferson was about to cut off, just as
the intercom began to beep, much to the anger and annoyance of both officers,
"WHAT?!"
Remarkably,
the voice that responded remained perfectly calm despite Jefferson's furious
tone, his feat proving to be even more remarkable given the content of his
message, "Sir, it's the Titans. They've just shown up."
---------------
"Come
on, LIEUTENANT Ignacio, we don't have all day..." Captain Shevardnadze
encouraged as she noticed Juan Ignacio's GM II trailing behind the main attack
formation, obviously still unhappy that he had been "drafted" for
combat duty despite the fact that she
had "kindly" reduced his term of duty to a mere seven days instead of
four weeks. Oh well, she mused, some people just don't know how to compromise.
"Yes,
MAM..." Juan replied in an annoyed tone, though his GM II refused to speed
up as ordered, seemingly on the verge of insubordination. Anya wasn't too
worried though. He would not defect in this battle because of the threat to his
wife, although this was certainly NOT helping his image to her immediate Titans
superior.
"Maybe
you should have just left him behind," Filitov observed coldly, still
unhappy at losing his earlier bet and even unhappier that she was now serving
as his XO for the attack, "Spacenoid sheep are always unreliable, and they
are liable to shoot you behind your back."
"Perhaps,
but without him my men would not be as well trained as they otherwise would
have," she countered, pleased that Juan, at the very least, HAD managed to
impart some of his knowledge and experience to the six other GM II pilots on
the Richelieu. As a result, her men were deemed competent enough to serve along
with the main Titans attack formation, instead of being used as fodder to
shield their main advance. As it was, that honor was reserved for the Suffren's
inexperienced Mobile Suit complement alone, which was now a few kilometers
ahead of the main body and already being bracketed by the guns of the enemy
ships. She almost considered praying for the poor souls. It would be a miracle
if they survived.
Suddenly,
to her complete surprise, there was an explosion on the Suffren's lead GM II,
destroying its weapon arm along with a good portion of its chest. Then, as if
by sorcery, the weapon arms of two others simply disintegrated, spreading panic
to the fourth, as yet undamaged member of the team. Filitov, who had also
witnessed the event, was aghast.
"What
the hell was that?!" Iosef shouted as an explosion rocked the last
remaining GM II, also taking out its weapon arm along with a good portion of
its backpack, "Another AUEG trick?!"
"No,
it's not a trick..." Anya replied, her eyes now warily scanning the
horizon, "It's a sniper."
---------------
'So...
they want to hunt me down, do they?' Sylvie evaluated automatically even as she
disabled the last of the first four GM IIs to approach the Task Force. Of the
eighteen remaining Titans and Federal Mobile Suits(which was already of great
concern already, since it STILL outnumbered them almost two to one), four had
suddenly peeled out of formation, apparently searching for something. That
something could only be her.
"Sylvie,
I think you'd better get back here!" John warned as he also spotted the
foursome, along with the unwelcome sight of flashes coming from the barrels of
the enemy ships, "NOW!"
"No
sir, I don't think that would be wise," Sylvie replied calmly, apparently
unconcerned about the odds being presented to her, "We are badly
outnumbered as it is, but the enemy has just made a tactical mistake by
squandering a quarter of their forces to hunt me down. If I can keep these four
distracted long enough, then perhaps our more evenly matched main body will be
able to prevail against theirs."
"Sylvie,
you'll outnumbered four to one!" John insisted, his voice starting to
break up as the enemy ships began finding their mark, "And even if you CAN
keep those four out of the battle, we've only got nine suits against..."
"Then
just pray it will be enough John," Sylvie ordered as she cut off the line,
turning her attention back to her opponents. All four were Titans, and this
time, she would be aiming for the cockpit...
---------------
"Damn
it!" John shouted as Sylvie cut-off the line, just before his ship was
jolted by yet another explosion. Growling in anger, he quickly decided to
forget about Sylvie for the moment and to concentrate on running his ship,
"Status report!"
"Just
some minor damage on the port AA-batteries sir," O'Connor reported,
"Guns have locked unto the enemy Mobile Suits! They are almost at
point-blank range!"
"Alright,
what about the other ships?" John asked, though now wondering if it had
been wise to save their guns only for the enemy Mobile Suits, and whether or
not it had been wise to withhold fire until they were this close. Major
Ardulace, the architect of that idea, was the first to respond.
"The
Achilles is ready," Helen declared calmly over the radio, despite the fact
that her ship was already being pummeled by the vengeful Dorcetshire, "Our
Mobile Suits are also in position."
"Alright,
all ships, prepare to fire!" Jefferson announced, his eyes now trailing a
certain orange Mobile Suit, which had been running late because of certain,
extenuating circumstances. Though he was still angry at him, he wished him
luck, and hoped that he would not be distracted by what had transpired between
them. The whole plan may just come apart if he did.
---------------
"This
isn't going to work..." Erich Milton moaned as he watched the much longer
enemy line close on their positions. They were still just outside of gunfire
range, but they were steadily gaining ground, and with the orders he was being
given, contact would be made TWICE as quickly than it otherwise would have...
Finally,
the dreaded moment came as an orange haze shot pass his GM II, a red flare
soaring above it, signaling the men to move forward. Beams from all three of
their capital ships trailed the fast-moving form, then overtook it, hungry for
Titans steel. And from his radio, all that could be heard was a single word:
"Attack!"
Erich
gulped, but as he looked around him, everyone was already moving forward. He
knew that he didn't have a choice. He quickly followed the others, hoping that
they were feeling better about this than he was...
---------------
Ming
was definitely NOT happy. In fact, he was infuriated. And unfortunately for the
Titans, they were in his way.
Screaming
towards the enemy line at break neck speed, Ming quickly aimed his bazooka at a
Titans Hizack, which was busy evading fire from the Shigure's guns. The
distracted Titans Mobile Suit hadn't even realized that the AEUG line was
actually _advancing_, and it never would. Mentally placing Sylvie Gressier's
image on his targets cockpit, Ming fired off a round and scored his first kill
of the day.
Ming
quickly shifted aim at a second Hizack, this one a little more attentive than
the first, and fired off a pair of shots. The first one missed, but the second
shell struck true, turning the Mobile Suit's lower half into a charred, twisted
mass of metal. Ming was just about to finish it off when a third Mobile Suit
entered the fray, firing well-disciplined yet inaccurate shots at his Rick Dias
and forcing him to back off.
The one
firing those shots was Anya, and she certainly did NOT expect this to happen.
While she had expected the enemy ships to give some support fire, she had not
expected the outnumbered enemy suits to charge them as well, catching her men
off-guard as they were avoiding beams from the enemy cruiser's guns. As it was,
the AEUG ploy was working, resoundingly, and most of her Mobile Suits had
already suffered severe, though thankfully enough, not fatal, damage. Her train
of thoughts was suddenly interrupted when a maniacal voice started screaming
over the guard channel.
"Caught
you by surprise, didn't we?!" Yoko trumpeted as she snuck up behind Anya's
Mobile Suit, her own GM II already aiming its beam rifle, "Well take this,
Earthnoid scum!"
"Damn
you!" Shevardnadze shouted out loud as she realized the precarious
situation she was in. She started to turn around, but she knew that even if she
could...
But
then, out of the blue, someone came to her rescue. Before Yoko could fire a
beam sliced off her weapon arm, surprising the battle-maddened AEUG pilot who
quickly turned her attention towards the offending Federal Mobile Suit. Anya's
jaw dropped as she realized that Mobile Suit belonged to Juan Ignacio.
"So,
you wanna play, eh Feddie?" Yoko challenged as she charged the enemy
Mobile Suit, drawing her beam saber in the process. But to her surprise, her
opponent flung his shield towards her Mobile Suit, and the relativistic speed
was too great to avoid a collision. She smashed head long into the floating
mass of metal, decapitating her Mobile Suit and stunning her temporarily, while
Juan fired a trio of shots that took out all of her Mobile Suit's remaining
appendages. Then, seemingly just to add insult to injury, her opponent refused
to finish her off, choosing instead to leave her in her crippled GM II while he
rejoined his struggling comrades.
"Come
on, CAPTAIN, we've got to stabilize the situation," Juan suggested as he
pulled up beside Anya's GM II, who seemed to be in a state of shock after that
close brush with death, "Where's the rally point anyway?"
"This
is Captain Filitov!" a voice boomed over the radio as a white colored
flare soared over the battlefield, "Gather around me! We'll show AEUG how
Titans fight!"
---------------
'They fight
well enough, thank you very much...' Sylvie thought to herself as she evaded
another volley from the group pursuing her, wishing that they would simply go
away. She had managed to destroy only one of the four so far, and while she did
manage to damage two others, the damage on her own Barzam was mounting. An arm,
a leg, and the head were already gone, and her ammunition was running very low.
Much as she hated to admit it to herself, she knew that against veteran pilots,
she still wasn't able to handle odds greater than two, perhaps even three to one,
and she now desperately needed help.
"This
is Captain Gressier, if anybody's not busy, then I'd like to have some
assistance," Sylvie requested as calmly as she could, just before the
enemy trio once again came back for an attack run. She evaded the first few
shots, but then a beam from the hitherto undamaged squadron leader found its
mark, taking out her remaining leg and much of her remaining maneuverability.
Sylvie tried to remain calm, but this time, a real sense of urgency took hold
of her, and she found herself shouting, "NOW!"
---------------
"Hey,
hey, looks like I'm not the only one who needs help today..." Yoko
observed after hearing Sylvie's distress call, her injured pride taking some
solace in the fact that even her Newtype rival got into trouble sometimes.
Then, as she turned to Ming, who was dragging her wrecked Mobile Suit back to
the Shigure, a wicked thought entered her mind, "How about we help
her?"
"I
am NEVER helping that *****, alright?!" Ming growled as his angry face
appeared on Yoko's vidcom, smoke seemingly puffing out of his nostrils as he
spoke. Yoko resisted the very real urge to laugh out loud as she watched Ming's
face, and decided to soothe the poor hotheaded pilot's temper before it ended
up getting released on HER.
"Just
joking Ming, besides, Jean and Erich are probably on their way," Yoko
advised with a shrug, "Though by the look of things, I think Sylvie'll be
dead before they can get to her."
'Yes...
that's right... burn...' Ming thought to himself as he turned to Sylvie's
Barzam, which was now being mercilessly chewed at by three Titans Mobile Suits.
She was just a damn ***** anyway. A psychotic murderer. A killer who...
'You
took away the only man I could ever love...' a ghostly voice suddenly reminded
from the back of his head, popping up despite the vehement protests of his
consciousness. Ming angrily gripped his hands together, telling himself a
hundred, no a thousand times that damn ***** deserved what she got. That she
was damn ****ing murderer. That it wasn't his fault that she turned out this
way. That Jefferson was wrong and...
"Damn
it!" Ming growled out loud, now feeling the need to release the anger and
confusion now swirling in his mind. But still, he swore to himself, he would
NOT help her. She DESERVED to rot in Hell, and it was about time the Titans put
her out of her misery. Seeing that two of the three Hizacks attacking Sylvie
had decided to flee, leaving only one Hizack to finish her off, Ming decided to
make an example of those two who had DARED leave the field of battle without
KILLING Sylvie Gressier. He quickly aimed his bazooka and fired. He missed.
And
then his eyes went wide as he realized just how BADLY he had missed...
---------------
'This
is it, it'll finally be all over...' Sylvie thought to herself as the remaining
Hizack aimed its beam rifle directly towards her Barzam's cockpit. Help was
coming, but she knew that they would be too late, and she could only hope that
when death finally did that come, that... that maybe...
Such
was not to be. To her surprise, a round suddenly struck the Hizack, exploding
the binders on its backpack. The Mobile Suit was damaged, but not destroyed,
and while the explosion had stunned the pilot, she knew that it would only be a
matter of time before...
Again
however, fate intervened as Jean and Erich appeared in the nick of time, each
firing a shot at the offending Hizack. Both their beams found their mark,
leaving an irregularly shaped hole where there should have been a cockpit.
Sylvie almost felt relieved until she realized who it was who fired that first
shot.
"Oy,
Ming, I thought you said you weren't about to help her..." Yoko observed
as she narrowed her eyes, quite... shocked that Ming had actually HELPED Sylvie
Gressier, "You're not falling for her charms, are you?"
"I
am NOT!" Ming declared indignantly, though from the tone of his voice, it
was pretty clear that even Ming himself didn't know why in the world he did
what he did, "I was aiming for the Hizacks that were running away, but
somehow I missed and..."
"Really
now?" Sylvie asked coldly, now wishing that she truly WAS dead and burning
in Hell rather than to have had THIS travesty transpire, "If you think
this will save you from my wrath in the future, Ming Chow, you are sadly
mistaken. What you did to me was unforgivable, and a feeble attempt to save my
life will not change anything!"
"I
didn't INTEND to save your ****ing life, you WHORE!" Ming shouted back,
now thoroughly confused by the whole situation, wondering what the HELL was
wrong with him today, "I missed that damn shot! But by some
miracle..."
"Has
to be her charms..." Yoko repeated as her eyes narrowed even further,
"Charms work on the subconscious level, so that's why Ming didn't realize
that he was..."
"Yoko,
SHUT UP!" both Ming and Sylvie shouted together, obviously not amused at
Yoko's attempts to explain this situation. Finally, deciding that he'd seen
enough, Jean decided that it was time to intervene.
"Hey,
guys..." Jean reminded coolly, "Have you all forgotten that we still
have a battle on our hands?"
---------------
What...
whats our situation?ECaptain Shevardnadz asked shakily as she and Juan
Ignacio reached the rally point, now feeling demoralized by their losses.
Nearly half of their Mobile Suits were out of action, and most of the rest
damaged, while AEUG had gained both the momentum and initiative to go on the
offensive. Filitov however, was hardly demoralized, and was in fact growing
determined rather than disheartened.
Well Captain, I can now confidently say that we are in the middle of a ****ing disaster!EFilitov answered, glaring at Anya as though saying she was someone whom he never should have trusted, We still have sufficient numbers to hold them back, but our men have lost their nerve, especially you and your stupid, spineless Federals!Eo:p>
Suddenly,
to Filitovs surprise, Anya fired a shot that passed right over the shoulder of
Filitovs Marasai. Infuriated by Anyas seemingly mutinous actions, he quickly
drew his saber, intent on eliminating this defiant, interfering _Federal_
Captain once and for all. Before he could do anything however, an explosion
went off right behind Iosefs Mobile Suit, and he only belatedly realized the
presence of AEUG units nearby...
We may have lost our nerve, but at least were still fighting, SIR!EAnya admonished as Filitov finally realized his mistake, her fear now being replaced by anger towards her arrogant, idiotic CO, Save your arrogance for later. For now we have to figure out a way to survive!Eo:p>
Mam, and I think that would be a very, very good idea,EJuan Ignacio advised nervously as he pointed to something on the horizon, Because I think AEUG has just brought up another battleship...Eo:p>
---------------
Alright!
Reinforcements!EJohn declared jubilantly as lookouts confirmed the presence of
an AEUG Irish class _battleship_ in the area. He could only surmise that
Anaheim had managed to dispatch reinforcements after all, and with the extra
Mobile Suits on her they could certainly...
Sir,
were getting a transmission from her, its from General Dolvich!Ethe radioman
announced, smiles appearing on many faces at the mere mention of General
Dolvichs name. Known as a tough, responsible field commander who cared for his
men, he was one of the highest-ranking Federal officers to have defected to
AEUG. And he also happened to be Johns former CO.
Patch
him through,EJohn ordered with a nod, wanting to deliver good news to the General.
Unfortunately however, it was General Dolvich who had news to bring, and they
were far from being good...
---------------
Hey, and Sylvie, too bad about your Barzam...EYoko went on cheerfully, continuing to pester Sylvie while on their slow trip back to the Shigures hanger, I know its an ugly little Mobile Suit, but it kinda suited your personality, so...Eo:p>
Yoko,
for the last time, will you please...ESylvie started, just before she noticed
something new on the Shigures deck. It looked like a purple colored Nemo, and
a souped up one at that, but its head was somewhat... different, and sported a
pair of fins that seemed part of an improved sensor package. Her careful
evaluation of the unit was suddenly interrupted when its pilot finally decided
to contact her.
"Oh, hello. You must be Captain Gressier," the brown-haired pilot greeted as his face appeared on the view screen, I... uhh... didnt expect Id meet you so soon, nor that youd be a heck of a lot prettier in person.Eo:p>
Sylvies eyes narrowed at that compliment, disliking any and all mention of her supposed physical beauty, and she quickly scanned the man with a long, interrogating look, Who the hell are you?Eo:p>
"Brevet Lieutenant Hans Gustav Erwin,Ethe pilot replied with a grin, seemingly unconcerned with her furious glare, And Im here to make a special delivery.Eo:p>
---------------
Colonel sir, why the in the world arent we pressing the attack?EMajor Ardulace demanded as her face appeared on the video screen, looking very, very unhappy at this latest hold up, The enemys on the ropes, weve got another battleship and two squads of GM IIs to boot, but were falling back?! What the hell is going on?Eo:p>
Major, General Dolvich has some disturbing news,EJefferson replied solemnly, the serious look on his face enough to instantly change Ardulaces anger into concern, The Titans. Theyve just taken Von Braun.Eo:p>
---------------
** A
bit of modern day history here. Eduard Shevardnadze(who's supposed to be
Anastasia's ancestor) served as Mikhail Gorbachev's Foreign Minister, and was
instrumental in helping end the Cold War and abolishing the Soviet Union.
Afterwards, he returned to his native Georgia(the Central Asian one, not the
American one) and is currently serving as president of the war-torn republic.
(and given the country's current state, I think he'll probably need all of the
help and publicity he can get)
*** Of
course, Filitov is named after a certain Iosef Stalin, who was actually
Georgian and not Russian. Also, by the way he addressed Anya, you could also
tell that Filitov isn't too fond of democracy ^_^.
****
Ming refers to Lieutenant Michael "Mike" West from WiTS's prequel,
The Forgotten Fleet. He was Ming's best friend during the war, and
incidentally, was also a close friend of his sister, Mei Li Chow. Both died
over the course of the fanfiction.
*****
And yes, I borrowed an Irish. AEUG has a couple, and I dont plan on keeping it
with the crew for too long anyway, so it shouldnt be missed too much ^_^.
---------------
Notice:
This fic and all its contents are copyrighted by Thomas E. "Zinegata"
Ting. No part of this work may be taken by any other person without permission
from the author. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by Bandai and
their respective companies.