THE LOST WAR CHRONICLES: Chapter Three
The Gift
"Biometric scan complete. Acknowledging pilot identity: Zyann Nigel. Initializing mobile suit operation."
The monitor screen in front of the hazel-eyed eighteen-year old girl came into life. She flicked switches and pushed buttons on the dashboard console before her. Flashed on the screen was the following:
“GUNDAM 3.1.5, initialized. Global Unrestricted Neutral Deployer Aletheia Mission System.”
Mechanical hums, hydraulic hisses, and the unmistakable high-pitched sound of a fusion reactior powerplant are all telltale signs that a mobile suit is about to go. Seconds later, 5 vernier thrusters on the MS’s HiMAT pack expels off tremendous propulsion, thus marked the first deployment of the red mobile suit known as Astraeus Blaze.
˜Ë™
November 2, Lost Century 43
L5 abandoned industrial colony, PROMISED LAND
A Royal Zeon battle transport cruiser approached the colony and deployed 9 mass produced Zaku Nightmare MS known as the Phobos and Deimos Squadron, equipped with beam rifles, beam sabers and an additional flight module equipment for combat mobility a notch higher than the usual Zaku MS unit. The squadron commander’s MS was a Dreissen Threat Custom unit, armed with a particle launcher, along with its usual 3-barrel beam cannon on each of its forearms and a beam tomahawk. They were entrusted with the unofficial covert mission known as OPERATION: Davey Jones, the seizure of a rumored MS development. It was reported that a file found in a recent Royal Zeon elite group “Frontal Squadron” operation in Pakistan contained blueprints for a red MS currently developed from a discovered unknown technology. MS development had been banned and outlawed since Royal Zeon came into power.
“Gentlemen, we are given special authority to destroy this colony if we experience potential resistance from Earth Militaire,” said the squadron commander, Richard Diaz.
“That’s good enough, Commander Rick. This is a good day for this Earth scums to die,” replied Ensign Aziel.
“Yeah! Besides, this is a once-in-a-lifetime operation given directly to us by no less than the Striking Crimson himself, Captain Magnus Alexandersson,” said another squadron member.
“Hmp! All that guy saw was that effing Frontal Squadron led by that moron lady!” added another.
“Can we get over this now, sir? You know that I am officially on leave because I just got married,” complained Aziel.
“You blockhead! All you have in mind is--- Hahahahahaha!!!!!!”
Commander Diaz grunted. “THIS IS NOT A GAME, gentlemen! Keep your guard heightened. We do not know whether the MS is operational.”
The squadron chorused, “Yes, sir, Commander Rick Diaz, sir!!!!!”
The commander closed his eyes for a moment and thought to himself.
“…ten years. Is it that long already? I remember that day when we chased that ship of BASURA Inc. I didn’t know back then what we were after, and why we had to attack and capture a defenseless space garbage collector ship.
Had we known before that the ship’s captain discovered an unknown precious technology, we would have done it far better. Now, because of the failure back then…we had to comb this vast space to find this valuable “scrap”. But why can’t I shake this eerie feeling? These lowlifes will definitely pay for the wasted effo—“
His thoughts were abruptly stopped when his radar monitor detected a high energy beam shot from the colony.
“What the f--?!?!”
Commander Diaz rammed the propulsion pedal that allowed him to dodge a direct hit. In the process, two of the squadron’s MS were obliterated instantly. Horror came to Diaz’s face to see that the intended target was their transport ship, which exploded before his wide-open eyes.
The communications monitor went off. “A long-ranged positron beam shot, sir! An unidentified mobile suit is closing in!! Distance, 50 clicks…It’s a red Gundam!!!!”
Diaz zoomed his MS’s telephoto camera. Indeed, a red MS was soaring at a tremendous speed and was closing in to them.
“Why, you!?!?”
A Zaku flew towards the red MS head on, shooting off its beam gun. Six others followed suit. Meanwhile, the Gundam stopped, hoisted its right weapon on its shoulder. Little did they know that it was preparing for another pre-emptive strike using its twin-barreled hyper beam rifle, which can be configured for a long-ranged sniper shot.
“Team, fall back!!! We don’t know its capabilities yet! We have to regro—”
Diaz stopped in mid-sentence when the Gundam delivered a shot from a distance. Three Zakus were hit immediately on the torso that meant the instant deaths of his three squadron members.
Ensign Aziel cried in anguish, “NOOO!!!!! You bastard! You may think that we’re out of your league but…..DON’T MOCK THE PHOBOS AND DEIMOS SQUAD!!!!”
Aziel led three other Zakus and assumed an attack/defense formation. Two of them fired consecutively using beam guns while the other two, equipped with beam saber in each hand closed in for a close quarter combat.
˜Ë™
The Gundam dodged and blocked every incoming attack, unable to have a chance to counter. The girl piloting it was struggling to control the MS from the barrage. Plus straining against the G-forces, she was breathing profusely.
Gasping, she said through her intercom line, “U-Uncle Bill, (cough, cough) I can’t—”
A communication screen lit up and an aged man spoke to her.
“These Zeon pilots are skillful. They are trained well….charged with an unbreakable attack and defense stance. Well then, use the Aletheia System, Zyann!”
Zyann pressed a command button and said, “Aletheia System, activate!”
A voice recognition program of the suit’s OS commenced the command protocol, Aletheia System. It is a modified “ZERO System” that originally existed on board the Gundam, integrated within its previous OS. It is prompted to be compatible with a Newtype pilot through a mental-physical interface named SOUL DRIVE, allowing Zyann to increase her spatial awareness and overall battle periphery so that she can respond and react effectively during combat situations. Unconsciously, Zyann was now nimbly dodging all the attacks, as if she can predict where a beam will be shot or a swipe of a beam saber will come from.
“It’s now activated, Uncle. What do I do next?”
“Select the 'Remote Weapons' option on your monitor screen. Now, you can control them by projecting thought patterns. The Soul Drive will read your thoughts and convert them into battle movement commands automatically.”
"The Gundam's moving rather.....weird, Uncle! It's responding better and faster to me now!" Zyann replied.
"Ikke, Zyann!!!"
˜Ë™
The obvious difference of the Gundam’s movement and agility than when the battle started was a surprise to Commander Diaz. Despite the conditioned normal suit that he wore, he was sweating now, his heart pounded rapidly.
He thought, “…had I known back then that this was what we’re after…”
The two weapons from the Gundam’s pack detached and moved in an unimaginable speed and mobility.
“Confirmed remote weapons ability, sir!!!” reported Aziel.
“This is…this is…”
One Zaku was shot down and exploded.
“Am I seeing things?!? I can’t believe that there are still….”
BOOM! Two others were destroyed in one positron beam sweep.
“…is the pilot a...? Is the pilot…?”
The word didn’t easily slip out of Diaz’s mouth.
The remaining Zaku piloted by Aziel, equipped with two beam sabers, strafed and eluded the two remote weapons of the Gundam and was now directly behind it, poised to strike.
“The difference of our MS is great but…a MS alone does not ensure victory!!!” Aziel shouted.
Commander Diaz was horrified on what was about to happen. He called, “Ensign Aziel!! STOP!! You're breaking formation!! You can’t defeat him that easily! The pilot might have been a NEWTYPE!!!”
But before Aziel could react on Diaz’s warning, the Gundam’s green eyes blazed luminuously. It reached for the two beam saber hilts mounted on top of its pack. The Zaku tried to inflict a slice damage on the Gundam but it was just in time to block it using its beam saber, held by the right hand.
“Don’t think that’s all there is!!!” Ensign Aziel gripped his left control stick and gave all his strength to push it forward for a full power beam saber pierce thrust. He floored both the foot pedals to propel his Zaku for additional attack strength. The beam sword was aimed for the Gundam’s torso where the cockpit was. Zyann, being fully aware of the impending attack, made her move.
“As if I’m just gonna let you pierce me!!!!!” Before the enemy’s beam sword could hit, all the Gundam’s flight thrusters on its left shoulders and legs flashed into life that made the MS pivot sideward to the right.
Aziel shrieked, “What the--?!?” He realized that the table was now turned; he was now wide open for the Gundam’s retaliation. Together with the Gundam’s pivotal momentum, Zyann swung its left hand and successfully connected a slash that cut the Zaku into two. Its right hand followed a downward diagonal chop that severed the Zaku’s head. Inside the cockpit, the damaged circuitry sent off sparks of electrical current around Aziel.
“Is this the power…of a…?” Four seconds later, the Zaku exploded, disintegrating Ensign Aziel in the process.
˜Ë™
Heartrate going haywire, Diaz thought, "...Is this some kind of voodoo? No, this is something else...something..."
Diaz was helpless as he witnessed the downfall of his squadron. All emotions drenched him now, and caused his mind to snap. He then charged the particle launcher mounted on his Dreissen’s back. He adjusted the target coordinates which aimed the weapon against the colony.
“For my comrades’ sakes, I’m dragging you all down to infinite hell!!!!!”
Diaz clicked the trigger on his right control stick. Immediately the particle launcher blasted a wide particle beam. The colony was hit on target and exploded. Though the beam concentration was not that powerful, nuclear reactors of the colony were destroyed in the process, which caused the colony implode into a burning hell.
˜Ë™
“UNCLE BILL!!!!!!!”
Zyann’s voice reverberated as she saw the colony destroyed into oblivion. Then an audio communication was established. It was the enemy!
“Now, it’s only you and me. Let’s end this right here, right now!!”
Diaz’s Dreissen moved swiftly towards the Gundam and attacked.
“You are no different from those in Pakistan!!! You are no more than an empire of murderers!!! You can’ allowed to be in power!!!”
Diaz was shocked to hear a girl’s voice. “…the pilot’s a girl???”
˜Ë™
In the blackness of space, sparks from a beam saber crossing blades against a beam tomahawk can be seen.
“Had we destroyed completely that doomed BASURA ship before, this could not have happened to us!” Diaz shouted in frustration over the communication line. Zyann heard this and realized the truth behind her father’s death ten years ago.
“You… you were the ones…who killed my father….??”
“Hahahahaha!!!” Diaz sneered. “So you’re a child of that stubborn bastard? Now you know, foolish brat! Serves him right for conspiracy with these damn rebels and illegally developing MS like yours!!! We killed your father back then, I will kill you now!!!! Time to meet him in the afterlife!”
Diaz set the particle launcher to spread burst mode, shooting beam pulses all over the battle perimeter. But no matter how he tried, he cannot land a clear damage on the Gundam. He used both the beam cannons on its arms but to no avail.
“Hit it, dammit, hit!!!!”
Zyann deployed the remote weapons for the second time before she rushed towards the Dreissen, armed with the beam sabers. She threw them towards the enemy, who by instinct shot down the spinning beam sabers using the beam cannons. He was enveloped in a haze of smoke due to the blast.
“What?! Trying to distract me, huh? You have to do more than that, fool!!!” Diaz charged the launcher and tried to shoot among the haze of smoke, but the Gundam was nowhere to be found. He scanned his 360o screen but he cannot locate the missing MS. Suddenly, the radar beeped and warned of an object right behind him. The Gundam quickly took hold both of the Dreissen’s arms.
“An eye for an eye!!! YAAAAHHH!!!!” Zyann screamed on top of her voice. The Gundam’s right leg actuator moved, that sent a solid kick on the Dreissen’s back and severed its arms as well as damaging its propulsion. Diaz couldn’t move away.
Inside the Dreissen cockpit, a voice-synthesized warning was heard, “ALERT. Propulsion system offline! ALERT. Propulsion system offline!”
"I know, I know!!! Dammit!!! Move, you piece of junk, move!!!!" Diaz shouted, slamming his fist into the monitor in front of him. He was disoriented by the jarring kick. Suddenly another alarm set off. Two heat sources both from his left and right were detected. The flash from the positron cannon and the hyper beam rifle blinded Diaz. He realize that his damaged MS was on the crosshair of the remote weapons’ targeting system.
Before he was hit, Commander Richard “Rick” Diaz was heard inside Zyann’s cockpit screaming, “Sieg, Royal Zeo—”
˜Ë™
EPILOGUE
Zyann managed to survive her first real mobile suit battle. But she can’t help but mourn for her Uncle Bill, and the reality behind her father’s death. She set the Gundam into autopilot and was now traveling towards her next destination.
She noticed a flashing message tab on the console monitor. She tapped the screen and it revealed a video recording by her father, dated October 31, LC 33.
“Test… Test… Is this mic on now? Are we recording already???”
Zyann couldn’t fight the torrent of tears streaming down her face as she watched her father’s video.
“Hi, Zyann, my girl. It would still be until two days but HAPPY EIGHTH BIRTHDAY!!! I KNOW, I KNOW… It’s been three years that I haven’t been with you… and I know that I was not always there. You were right to say that your daddy is a stranger to you. Hahahahaha!!!! Please don’t get mad at your Uncle Bill for telling me this!”
“Sorry for leaving you under your Aunt Melinda's care for too long, but I am trying my best to support you adequately. Ever since your mom died, a part of me died as well, but I realized that I still have you, my greatest treasure… So I decided to quit this salvaging business. I’m gonna sell Basura Inc. and be with you. I know that you can’t be pleased that easily, but your Uncle Bill and I are assembling a mobile suit that we discovered in space. Now we’re developing it just for you BUT! There is a big BUT! You can only have it on your eighteenth birthday. So, until then, wait for daddy to come home and make amends to you, ok?”
“I love you Zyann. Rest assured that Daddy is always with his little baby. Advance Happy birthday!”
Monday, May 09, 2011
THE LOST WAR CHRONICLES: Chapter Two [Do Or Die]
THE LOST WAR CHRONICLES: Chapter Two
Do Or Die
***Still in the works***
Do Or Die
***Still in the works***
THE LOST WAR CHRONICLES: Chapter One [Coincidence]
CHAPTER 1: COINCIDENCE
The cold breeze is the only sign of vividness around the lifeless desert. The night in the desert is a very cruel scenery for everyone, the ambiance of nothingness, lives lost without any important reason in these people who have died, and the stench of the thousands of humanity wasted upon with the entire city.
"I'm very glad they took the bait!" said by Keith, who survived the onslaught of The Crimson Striker, Captain Magnus Alexanderson. And in the ravaged cockpit, lies the unconscious teenage girl, named Zyann Nigel.
"Looks like the girl passed out on the fast-paced turn of events..." as Keith said while carrying the sleeping Zyann, who is very pitiful of the young lady, being dragged in an event where she was not supposed to be.
"I'll call Mario and the rest of the remaining REGALIA members to come up with a plan on Going to Colony 5. If I reached it somehow, we might have the chance to fend off Royal Zeon longer, but, FOR HOW LONG?" a confused statement by Keith, questioning if they even had the chance to win a very one-sided war.
Meanwhile, on Colony 12, where the High Command of Royal Zeon is located, a meeting is being held. There along with the highest officials of Royal Zeon, Ensign Aya is on the vigil, reporting what happened in the Operation: Desert Wipe, and with the casualties. The Crimson Striker also sits there, thinking of the next operation to be held.
After the meeting, Captain Magnus greeted the Ensign for a spectacular report.
"Nicely Put, Ensign Aya, I never doubted your ability of you being my personal soldier, you have never failed my expectations." the Captain said in a flashy attitude.
"Th-thanks! Captain Magnus, I will always make you proud! Can I ask the next briefing, Captain?" replied Aya.
"Well, well, isn't the famous Crimson Striker getting weaker? I heard that your MS was considerably damaged in the fight, where I investigated that you and your troops are fighting ONLY ONE enemy, and even pushed you to be SERIOUS in a battle, there is no doubt that you are LOSING YOUR TOUCH..." said somebody familiar to Magnus just the moment the Captain is ready to answer Aya's question.
"And who in the world are you? Interfering in a conversation where you have no right, you have a lot of guts to....."
"HOLD YOUR TONGUE!!! ENSIGN!!!" Magnus yelled at Aya. "You don't merely know this man, and what authority he holds. So better keep your word dressed."
"That's right, masculine-imbued female informant, you should follow what your dearest Captain said, or you might end up being WORDLESS by losing your tongue." The man said, insulting the both of them.
"Why, you?!?!"
"I SAID STOP!!! ENSIGN!!" shouted Alexanderson, in contrast to Aya's Rage.
"It seems that your soldiers are in need of dire knowledge around them, for they don't know to deal with somebody whose position is as high as the heavens, and also, you yourself are in need to train harder, the Supreme Commander wouldn't be pleased if one of the empire's best falls into battle because of being CONFIDENT IN HIS SKILLS. Have a GOOD day, Crimson Striker. Hahahaha...." laughed the man in honor of himself after saying some stray words toward the captain, without any word from Magnus.
"That man is really getting on my nerves!!! Sorry Captain, but I just can't respect that man!!" said the Ensign, filled with grudge in the man earlier.
"I am the one who must apologize to you, for I can't speak up...." said the captain in a low tone.
"Who the hell is that over-confident guy anyway?" asked Aya.
"He is widely known as Ribbons Almark, he is one of the high-ranking officials of the High Command, you can say that he holds the greatest sovereignty in the High Command with the Supreme Commander's absence" answered Magnus.
"He doesn't look all-noble compared on what you said, captain, you are more of a noble and respected man than him, combined with you MS battle capabilities, he's a goner!!" a proud deduction of the Ensign.
"But that's how he got to the pedestal where he was right now, because he is feared in combat, in some histories in war, he is called "The Harbinger of Death" clarified the Captain.
"Hamburger of Wealth? But, on what reason, I never saw him on combat, and on my perception, you are more of a pilot than him!!" a faithful expression of Aya to her admired Captain.
"His abilities are of no joke, on what I have read, on LC 38, the Royal Zeon decided to take over Russia, to determine the moves and the plans of the Earth Militaire, to start with, Russia is the biggest base of Earth Militaire, and is one of the most powerful army in the world. But, in just a few months, Russia has fallen." told the Captain.
”At that time, I was training in the Royal Military Academy, and you are an Ensign just like me, right? But what is his role in over taking Russia? I’m sure that what you did in the Battle of San Francisco is way more epic in LC 42," a smiling demeanor of Ensign Aya, while still fascinated by his Captain's achievements.
"Commander Almark's role in seizing Russia, is the greatest battle achievement a soldier can get in battle, for he, ALONE and being the only one to attack Moscow and other cities in Russia, in just a day, he is able to wreak havoc on more than hundreds of MS and several dozens of battle ships in his first sortie, not only that, it is said that no one, enemy or ally alike, saw the MS used by Ribbons. He is also the one who leads the final attack in Caucasus Mountains, achieving a complete victory, and declaring Russia as the First Empire-Earth base"
"After the battle, Ribbons was promoted from being a Captain to a Captain Commander, and was given the Royal Medal of Valor, the highest award given to any Royal Zeon personnel. With his authority and masterfully attained experience, he is one of the best pilots, together with the Supreme Commander...” explained by Magnus himself.
"T-that's.....No!! I believe that.....You are also included in the best pilots in the empire.....YOU ARE THE BEST!!" said by Aya in confusion.
"You don't need stress out thinking that, we must discuss about the rumored allegiance of Colony 5 to the rebels" said the captain.
"Yes, sir!!" Answered by Aya, as the two walked together and discussed about their next mission.
--------
In a solemn garden, there goes a Girl, running around the flowers and smiling at the butterflies flying around her. In there, it is an episode of peace and serenity, no wars, no battles and weapons, only a wide garden of happiness, where one could find tranquility without oppression and aggression. The girl is very happy, as she runs around a garden if beautiful camellias, She tried to pick one, but a huge blast has thrown the flowers to nowhere. The whole place is burning with the flowers, the nature of the garden change like that of a battlefield, full of gunshots, grenade explosions, and whining of innocent people, that was killed one by one, man or woman, adult or child, rich or poor, there is no exception.
The girl ran in about an endless segment of destruction. As she ran, she saw many cruel doings, beheading of many men, burning houses, victims of slavery, and young women being sexually abused by the tyrannical soldiers. The whole environment has changed, it became a place compared to Hell, but unlike Hell, which is being populated with demons, the ravaged place is more than that. It is because even though they are just human beings, all the actions they did, even scares the hell out of the devil.
In the entire ruckus, a man appeared in front of the girl in which, to her, is very familiar with.
"Zyann, you must escape.....Go, and fulfill my will......"
The noise inside the girl's head started to culminate, and repeats the words the man said.
"FATHER!!!!"
"Snap out of it, Girlie! It's just some dream!!" A man said. It seems that Zyann is on a nightmare, and she was on a warehouse where she was taken care of by a man named Mario. They are on a hidden house near the desert of Pakistan, where the remaining members of the REGALIA organization, which is led by Keith himself, is hiding for the moment.
"Better drink water, dear. Bear for us in a moment, we do not like for you to be here...." said Mario in consent.
As Mario comforts Zyann in the fast-paced events of war, Keith and the remaining members are organizing a plan in order to get to colony 5, by sneaking in on a small military base near the west part of Pakistan, where several Space shuttles are to be used as transportation.
"It has to be easy for us since it is only a small base, and we monitored that they removed the MS squad earlier because of the city's elimination." Uttered Miguel, one of the members of the squad.
"So, we'll start this evening, where their security is at low, since they thought that they eliminated the remaining rebels by wiping the entire city, this should be an advantage." Paolo commented.
"That's good then! Miguel, monitor the base again at this hour, and inform us about their movements, and as we get your CLEAR signal, Paolo and I will ready the equipments and strategy, thus getting at least a shuttle to go to colony 5," Keith commanded and tapped Miguel's shoulders, bidding him to take care and have good luck.
Miguel left to watch the base about their operation, as Keith and Paolo ready the equipments and themselves for the warring danger at stake. At some point, Keith saw Mario and Zyann talking to each other, and exchanged stories.
"Aren't you getting sad about leaving you family at Thailand? I'm sure that you miss them as they miss you a lot" Zyann said to Mario.
"Of course I miss Celia and my daughter, but in order for them to live without witnessing this bloodshed, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep this oath of mine, to take down Royal Zeon's goal once and for all, and even the odds are very big, we will still continue to fight for everyone's freedom to live," Mario said in his heart.
"And also, for the likes of you, who are innocent. Just by looking at you reminds me of my daughter Michelle" Mario confessed.
"I cannot consider myself as innocent, mobile suit wars, independence, and these happenings; I saw them ever since I was way before 8." Zyann replied, looking at the sky, as if searching for any hope.
"What do you mean you saw them?" Asked Mario.
Zyann stood still, and as she starts to talk, Keith bugged on the conversation.
"Mario, let us ready ourselves for this evening assault, this is the best chance to get out, ready the weapons, we'll get out of here this night." Keith said to Mario, who followed Paolo on fixing the guns.
"Did you ever enjoy riding a space shuttle? Surely you'll enjoy it!! Set aside the background music of gunfire and malicious screaming, I hope you'll bear for it and just enjoy the ride!!! Hehehe!" A goofy Keith talked to Zyann.
"Actually, I have been on the space shuttle many times before, as my father always takes me to his work." Zyann sadly answered.
"Many times? So you are from a rich family!! Maybe I knew your father! Can I get his name?" Asked Keith, but Zyann refused to talk about it.
"You really don't want to talk about the past, huh? That's ok, but don't try to hide your feeling for it if you wanted to let it out. I'm not saying to forget the past, but just be natural and don't hold your feeling for it, it's hard to be Haunted with memories of the past, you know? Just rest, as we will escape this desert of loneliness this night." Keith stated as he went down to help Mario and Paolo.
"Father........" said Zyann to the wind, hoping for someone to answer her, alive or not.
The sun went down, as the moon replaces it to witness the happenings in an alone world on darkness. The base west of Pakistan has no soldiers for the outside security of the base, even the base was lit, and there are no signs of possible defenses. Miguel immediately flashed his flashlight as the sign of clear entry. They quickly gathered behind a rock near the entrance, and assessed the plans.
"The space shuttles are located on the tallest structure at the northeast of the base, as we kill them as fast as possible, it shouldn’t be a problem." Miguel informed the group, including Zyann, wrapped in heavy clothing, and was anticipating feeble dangers ahead even what Miguel said.
"As we start the assault, we will split into three groups, Paolo and Miguel will act as the diversionary, killing the soldiers along the way and getting their attention as long as possible, as Mario disrupts the communications tower and sets up decoy records of answers should the Royal Zeon’s contacted this base, while Zyann and I will find our way to the space shuttle, while the two attract their attention, failure is not an option!" Keith cleared the battle plan in a strong expression
"ROGER!" The remaining members said in unison
The group prayed for the success of this mission, they all have the most crucial goal to reach colony 5, in hopes for the future of not only the Earth people, but on the freedom of men. As the remaining minute before the operation commences, they all took a deep breath, and Zyann, closed her eyes, wishing to quickly end the operation once and for all.
As they decided to infiltrate the base, lights shut off, rending the whole area in pitch-black state.
"Just what happened?? Is this a trap set by Zeon?" Paolo concluded, even not so sure about what truly happened.
"Everyone, watch your backs!" Keith shouted and lit up a flare.
While venturing the area, they saw many dead people. As Keith approached the dead bodies, he saw the insignia of the Royal Zeon Empire. This leads to Keith think another possibility.
"Looks like we've got company, and from what I’ve seen in the bodies, he is an expert. He preferred to use Hand-combat skills to kill them off, in a silent manner; he is also a professional infiltrator, by jamming the communications tower in switching off the main power source. He is not troubled by the Zeon's attempts to contact this base, he wanted to do something fast, and is confident to defend himself should the enemy traces him?" Keith deducted
"Him? How do you say it is only a man who did this by himself? Asked Mario.
"I checked the ground, if they were many, then they would show many marks of footsteps in their way through here, since air entrance is not possible due to the communications center, that easily tracks heat signatures airborne, and also, at least they would prefer use firearms in the process, and the third is, it is just my feeling that only one man did this......which is very skilled." Keith answered.
As they walked in the area cautiously, Keith told Mario to set up the decoy records for assurance, as the remaining four went to the shuttle warehouse, seeing more dead bodies. And reaching their destination, they saw someone manipulating the controls of one of the shuttles, as they went to talk with the assassin, it quickly drew his gun.
"I would never expect reinforcements to arrive and draw my gun. One wrong move, and you'll get hurt” The cloaked man said.
"Don't get wrong on us, we're in the same reaso-"
"BANG!!!!!" The dark shade fired his weapon. The gunfire grazed Keith's left shoulder I the moment he talked to the man
"Just I said, one wrong move, and you'll get hurt, even lip movements are included to what I said. In this world, you must not always follow what you hear, and the worst is, to TRUST the word they said, that’s just betraying somebody to take advantage to get what you want......and I am USED TO THOSE!!"
The man said in a furious manner.
"YOU'RE WRONG, MISTER! WE ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE" Zyann shouted in reason.
"BANG!!!!!" the stranger threw another gunshot, but he missed on purpose, just hitting a strand of Zhan’s Hair.
"You are even using a girl, huh? What's with you insane people? You treacherous bastards can't do it yourselves, so you forced a girl to do you schemes? THEN I'LL KILL YOU ALL TO SET THINGS RIGHT!!" The stranger pointed the gun on Keith.
Just as the man was about to fire, Paolo drew his gun and fired, faster in just a fraction of a second, to the man, grazing the wrist of the man, dropping the gun in the process. Paolo rushed in and attempted to fire another shot, but the professional lone wolf, who moved faster, grabbed the hand of Paolo and twisted it, letting the gun out, and quickly kicked Paolo out cold.
Miguel rushed forward to take out the man who hurt his comrade, equipped by a knuckle duster, tried to brawl the man out of desperation, in whereas the man stayed cool, and evaded every punch Miguel threw at him, and landed a quick jab in Miguel's solar plexus, that stunned Miguel, and in an instant, he grabbed the right arm of Miguel, and did an overhead throw just like the First Judo master Jigoro Kano did, and knocked out Miguel fast.
"Damn you!!! Even if you're just misinterpreted, you'll get hurt really bad for what you've done!!" Shouted Keith as he drew his .500 Magnum, and fired at the assassin.
The assassin dodged the first shot, but Keith did a double-tap, which fired two consecutive shots so fast, that it only sounded like a single gunfire. In surprise on Keith's skill, the man wasn't able to dodge the second one, his right shoulder punctured by the bullet as a result. The man rushed to the handgun which he dropped, but Keith shot the man in the left leg, stumbling on the floor in the moment. But the man hasn't give up, the moment he was down, he threw a dagger on Keith, which Keith shot easily, but unknown to Keith, it was just a diversionary tactic, when Keith shot the dagger, it bought time for the man to get the gun on the floor, and shot Keith's hand, slipping the magnum in Keith's hand, and the whole ordeal fell in favor of the man.
"You're pretty good for a soldier, Zeon, but you're just the same sloppy crap like them" The man commented, still gathering air right after the encounter.
"How many times do I have to tell people? I AM NOT A SOLDIER!" Keith shouted and flew to sever the man with the broken dagger he shot earlier, but the man shot the arm of the angry Keith, that bled so badly.
"How desperate, don't worry, I’ll end your demise after I blow your head to eternity!!" The man said as he was about to finish Keith.
"NO!!!!!" Zyann, who is trembling in fear and cannot move, just shouted.
"RICARDO!! STOP IT ALREADY!!" shouted by Mario, who happens to luckily arrive just about Keith was about to be silenced forever.
"M-Mario? You're alive?" The killing intent of a man named Ricardo, changed into a surprised, goggly-eyed man.
"GOTCHA!!" Keith abused the opportunity to kick Ricardo's injured leg, and taking Ricardo in a headlock.
"Y-You're i-into them to?? Y-you have betrayed me as well?" Ricardo exclaimed.
"Cut your yap, Assassin!! I was to say that we are on the same reason on hijacking a space shuttle and that we are not Zeon, but you shot me already. Had it not for Mario who knows you, I would have broken your neck at this moment!!" Keith said on Ricardo, in a very angry nature.
"Who would have thought that the Ace of the Earth Militaire and my former colleague, Ricardo Ismail, is still alive? And that we met here, I can barely say that this is merely a COINCIDENCE." Mario said, while rejoining his former friend.
The tension is now gone, now that Ricardo, who happens to be an Earth Militaire ace, is now enlightened. And Zyann in a relieving manner. Who is this Ricardo Ismail and what is his relation to Mario? Why is he also hijacking a space shuttle? And what made Ricardo not to trust in any people, even not enemies at all, is because of what happened in the past, Will this great mercenary join them?
Find out on the next chapter.........DO OR DIE! ENTERING COLONY 5.
The cold breeze is the only sign of vividness around the lifeless desert. The night in the desert is a very cruel scenery for everyone, the ambiance of nothingness, lives lost without any important reason in these people who have died, and the stench of the thousands of humanity wasted upon with the entire city.
"I'm very glad they took the bait!" said by Keith, who survived the onslaught of The Crimson Striker, Captain Magnus Alexanderson. And in the ravaged cockpit, lies the unconscious teenage girl, named Zyann Nigel.
"Looks like the girl passed out on the fast-paced turn of events..." as Keith said while carrying the sleeping Zyann, who is very pitiful of the young lady, being dragged in an event where she was not supposed to be.
"I'll call Mario and the rest of the remaining REGALIA members to come up with a plan on Going to Colony 5. If I reached it somehow, we might have the chance to fend off Royal Zeon longer, but, FOR HOW LONG?" a confused statement by Keith, questioning if they even had the chance to win a very one-sided war.
Meanwhile, on Colony 12, where the High Command of Royal Zeon is located, a meeting is being held. There along with the highest officials of Royal Zeon, Ensign Aya is on the vigil, reporting what happened in the Operation: Desert Wipe, and with the casualties. The Crimson Striker also sits there, thinking of the next operation to be held.
After the meeting, Captain Magnus greeted the Ensign for a spectacular report.
"Nicely Put, Ensign Aya, I never doubted your ability of you being my personal soldier, you have never failed my expectations." the Captain said in a flashy attitude.
"Th-thanks! Captain Magnus, I will always make you proud! Can I ask the next briefing, Captain?" replied Aya.
"Well, well, isn't the famous Crimson Striker getting weaker? I heard that your MS was considerably damaged in the fight, where I investigated that you and your troops are fighting ONLY ONE enemy, and even pushed you to be SERIOUS in a battle, there is no doubt that you are LOSING YOUR TOUCH..." said somebody familiar to Magnus just the moment the Captain is ready to answer Aya's question.
"And who in the world are you? Interfering in a conversation where you have no right, you have a lot of guts to....."
"HOLD YOUR TONGUE!!! ENSIGN!!!" Magnus yelled at Aya. "You don't merely know this man, and what authority he holds. So better keep your word dressed."
"That's right, masculine-imbued female informant, you should follow what your dearest Captain said, or you might end up being WORDLESS by losing your tongue." The man said, insulting the both of them.
"Why, you?!?!"
"I SAID STOP!!! ENSIGN!!" shouted Alexanderson, in contrast to Aya's Rage.
"It seems that your soldiers are in need of dire knowledge around them, for they don't know to deal with somebody whose position is as high as the heavens, and also, you yourself are in need to train harder, the Supreme Commander wouldn't be pleased if one of the empire's best falls into battle because of being CONFIDENT IN HIS SKILLS. Have a GOOD day, Crimson Striker. Hahahaha...." laughed the man in honor of himself after saying some stray words toward the captain, without any word from Magnus.
"That man is really getting on my nerves!!! Sorry Captain, but I just can't respect that man!!" said the Ensign, filled with grudge in the man earlier.
"I am the one who must apologize to you, for I can't speak up...." said the captain in a low tone.
"Who the hell is that over-confident guy anyway?" asked Aya.
"He is widely known as Ribbons Almark, he is one of the high-ranking officials of the High Command, you can say that he holds the greatest sovereignty in the High Command with the Supreme Commander's absence" answered Magnus.
"He doesn't look all-noble compared on what you said, captain, you are more of a noble and respected man than him, combined with you MS battle capabilities, he's a goner!!" a proud deduction of the Ensign.
"But that's how he got to the pedestal where he was right now, because he is feared in combat, in some histories in war, he is called "The Harbinger of Death" clarified the Captain.
"Hamburger of Wealth? But, on what reason, I never saw him on combat, and on my perception, you are more of a pilot than him!!" a faithful expression of Aya to her admired Captain.
"His abilities are of no joke, on what I have read, on LC 38, the Royal Zeon decided to take over Russia, to determine the moves and the plans of the Earth Militaire, to start with, Russia is the biggest base of Earth Militaire, and is one of the most powerful army in the world. But, in just a few months, Russia has fallen." told the Captain.
”At that time, I was training in the Royal Military Academy, and you are an Ensign just like me, right? But what is his role in over taking Russia? I’m sure that what you did in the Battle of San Francisco is way more epic in LC 42," a smiling demeanor of Ensign Aya, while still fascinated by his Captain's achievements.
"Commander Almark's role in seizing Russia, is the greatest battle achievement a soldier can get in battle, for he, ALONE and being the only one to attack Moscow and other cities in Russia, in just a day, he is able to wreak havoc on more than hundreds of MS and several dozens of battle ships in his first sortie, not only that, it is said that no one, enemy or ally alike, saw the MS used by Ribbons. He is also the one who leads the final attack in Caucasus Mountains, achieving a complete victory, and declaring Russia as the First Empire-Earth base"
"After the battle, Ribbons was promoted from being a Captain to a Captain Commander, and was given the Royal Medal of Valor, the highest award given to any Royal Zeon personnel. With his authority and masterfully attained experience, he is one of the best pilots, together with the Supreme Commander...” explained by Magnus himself.
"T-that's.....No!! I believe that.....You are also included in the best pilots in the empire.....YOU ARE THE BEST!!" said by Aya in confusion.
"You don't need stress out thinking that, we must discuss about the rumored allegiance of Colony 5 to the rebels" said the captain.
"Yes, sir!!" Answered by Aya, as the two walked together and discussed about their next mission.
--------
In a solemn garden, there goes a Girl, running around the flowers and smiling at the butterflies flying around her. In there, it is an episode of peace and serenity, no wars, no battles and weapons, only a wide garden of happiness, where one could find tranquility without oppression and aggression. The girl is very happy, as she runs around a garden if beautiful camellias, She tried to pick one, but a huge blast has thrown the flowers to nowhere. The whole place is burning with the flowers, the nature of the garden change like that of a battlefield, full of gunshots, grenade explosions, and whining of innocent people, that was killed one by one, man or woman, adult or child, rich or poor, there is no exception.
The girl ran in about an endless segment of destruction. As she ran, she saw many cruel doings, beheading of many men, burning houses, victims of slavery, and young women being sexually abused by the tyrannical soldiers. The whole environment has changed, it became a place compared to Hell, but unlike Hell, which is being populated with demons, the ravaged place is more than that. It is because even though they are just human beings, all the actions they did, even scares the hell out of the devil.
In the entire ruckus, a man appeared in front of the girl in which, to her, is very familiar with.
"Zyann, you must escape.....Go, and fulfill my will......"
The noise inside the girl's head started to culminate, and repeats the words the man said.
"FATHER!!!!"
"Snap out of it, Girlie! It's just some dream!!" A man said. It seems that Zyann is on a nightmare, and she was on a warehouse where she was taken care of by a man named Mario. They are on a hidden house near the desert of Pakistan, where the remaining members of the REGALIA organization, which is led by Keith himself, is hiding for the moment.
"Better drink water, dear. Bear for us in a moment, we do not like for you to be here...." said Mario in consent.
As Mario comforts Zyann in the fast-paced events of war, Keith and the remaining members are organizing a plan in order to get to colony 5, by sneaking in on a small military base near the west part of Pakistan, where several Space shuttles are to be used as transportation.
"It has to be easy for us since it is only a small base, and we monitored that they removed the MS squad earlier because of the city's elimination." Uttered Miguel, one of the members of the squad.
"So, we'll start this evening, where their security is at low, since they thought that they eliminated the remaining rebels by wiping the entire city, this should be an advantage." Paolo commented.
"That's good then! Miguel, monitor the base again at this hour, and inform us about their movements, and as we get your CLEAR signal, Paolo and I will ready the equipments and strategy, thus getting at least a shuttle to go to colony 5," Keith commanded and tapped Miguel's shoulders, bidding him to take care and have good luck.
Miguel left to watch the base about their operation, as Keith and Paolo ready the equipments and themselves for the warring danger at stake. At some point, Keith saw Mario and Zyann talking to each other, and exchanged stories.
"Aren't you getting sad about leaving you family at Thailand? I'm sure that you miss them as they miss you a lot" Zyann said to Mario.
"Of course I miss Celia and my daughter, but in order for them to live without witnessing this bloodshed, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep this oath of mine, to take down Royal Zeon's goal once and for all, and even the odds are very big, we will still continue to fight for everyone's freedom to live," Mario said in his heart.
"And also, for the likes of you, who are innocent. Just by looking at you reminds me of my daughter Michelle" Mario confessed.
"I cannot consider myself as innocent, mobile suit wars, independence, and these happenings; I saw them ever since I was way before 8." Zyann replied, looking at the sky, as if searching for any hope.
"What do you mean you saw them?" Asked Mario.
Zyann stood still, and as she starts to talk, Keith bugged on the conversation.
"Mario, let us ready ourselves for this evening assault, this is the best chance to get out, ready the weapons, we'll get out of here this night." Keith said to Mario, who followed Paolo on fixing the guns.
"Did you ever enjoy riding a space shuttle? Surely you'll enjoy it!! Set aside the background music of gunfire and malicious screaming, I hope you'll bear for it and just enjoy the ride!!! Hehehe!" A goofy Keith talked to Zyann.
"Actually, I have been on the space shuttle many times before, as my father always takes me to his work." Zyann sadly answered.
"Many times? So you are from a rich family!! Maybe I knew your father! Can I get his name?" Asked Keith, but Zyann refused to talk about it.
"You really don't want to talk about the past, huh? That's ok, but don't try to hide your feeling for it if you wanted to let it out. I'm not saying to forget the past, but just be natural and don't hold your feeling for it, it's hard to be Haunted with memories of the past, you know? Just rest, as we will escape this desert of loneliness this night." Keith stated as he went down to help Mario and Paolo.
"Father........" said Zyann to the wind, hoping for someone to answer her, alive or not.
The sun went down, as the moon replaces it to witness the happenings in an alone world on darkness. The base west of Pakistan has no soldiers for the outside security of the base, even the base was lit, and there are no signs of possible defenses. Miguel immediately flashed his flashlight as the sign of clear entry. They quickly gathered behind a rock near the entrance, and assessed the plans.
"The space shuttles are located on the tallest structure at the northeast of the base, as we kill them as fast as possible, it shouldn’t be a problem." Miguel informed the group, including Zyann, wrapped in heavy clothing, and was anticipating feeble dangers ahead even what Miguel said.
"As we start the assault, we will split into three groups, Paolo and Miguel will act as the diversionary, killing the soldiers along the way and getting their attention as long as possible, as Mario disrupts the communications tower and sets up decoy records of answers should the Royal Zeon’s contacted this base, while Zyann and I will find our way to the space shuttle, while the two attract their attention, failure is not an option!" Keith cleared the battle plan in a strong expression
"ROGER!" The remaining members said in unison
The group prayed for the success of this mission, they all have the most crucial goal to reach colony 5, in hopes for the future of not only the Earth people, but on the freedom of men. As the remaining minute before the operation commences, they all took a deep breath, and Zyann, closed her eyes, wishing to quickly end the operation once and for all.
As they decided to infiltrate the base, lights shut off, rending the whole area in pitch-black state.
"Just what happened?? Is this a trap set by Zeon?" Paolo concluded, even not so sure about what truly happened.
"Everyone, watch your backs!" Keith shouted and lit up a flare.
While venturing the area, they saw many dead people. As Keith approached the dead bodies, he saw the insignia of the Royal Zeon Empire. This leads to Keith think another possibility.
"Looks like we've got company, and from what I’ve seen in the bodies, he is an expert. He preferred to use Hand-combat skills to kill them off, in a silent manner; he is also a professional infiltrator, by jamming the communications tower in switching off the main power source. He is not troubled by the Zeon's attempts to contact this base, he wanted to do something fast, and is confident to defend himself should the enemy traces him?" Keith deducted
"Him? How do you say it is only a man who did this by himself? Asked Mario.
"I checked the ground, if they were many, then they would show many marks of footsteps in their way through here, since air entrance is not possible due to the communications center, that easily tracks heat signatures airborne, and also, at least they would prefer use firearms in the process, and the third is, it is just my feeling that only one man did this......which is very skilled." Keith answered.
As they walked in the area cautiously, Keith told Mario to set up the decoy records for assurance, as the remaining four went to the shuttle warehouse, seeing more dead bodies. And reaching their destination, they saw someone manipulating the controls of one of the shuttles, as they went to talk with the assassin, it quickly drew his gun.
"I would never expect reinforcements to arrive and draw my gun. One wrong move, and you'll get hurt” The cloaked man said.
"Don't get wrong on us, we're in the same reaso-"
"BANG!!!!!" The dark shade fired his weapon. The gunfire grazed Keith's left shoulder I the moment he talked to the man
"Just I said, one wrong move, and you'll get hurt, even lip movements are included to what I said. In this world, you must not always follow what you hear, and the worst is, to TRUST the word they said, that’s just betraying somebody to take advantage to get what you want......and I am USED TO THOSE!!"
The man said in a furious manner.
"YOU'RE WRONG, MISTER! WE ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE" Zyann shouted in reason.
"BANG!!!!!" the stranger threw another gunshot, but he missed on purpose, just hitting a strand of Zhan’s Hair.
"You are even using a girl, huh? What's with you insane people? You treacherous bastards can't do it yourselves, so you forced a girl to do you schemes? THEN I'LL KILL YOU ALL TO SET THINGS RIGHT!!" The stranger pointed the gun on Keith.
Just as the man was about to fire, Paolo drew his gun and fired, faster in just a fraction of a second, to the man, grazing the wrist of the man, dropping the gun in the process. Paolo rushed in and attempted to fire another shot, but the professional lone wolf, who moved faster, grabbed the hand of Paolo and twisted it, letting the gun out, and quickly kicked Paolo out cold.
Miguel rushed forward to take out the man who hurt his comrade, equipped by a knuckle duster, tried to brawl the man out of desperation, in whereas the man stayed cool, and evaded every punch Miguel threw at him, and landed a quick jab in Miguel's solar plexus, that stunned Miguel, and in an instant, he grabbed the right arm of Miguel, and did an overhead throw just like the First Judo master Jigoro Kano did, and knocked out Miguel fast.
"Damn you!!! Even if you're just misinterpreted, you'll get hurt really bad for what you've done!!" Shouted Keith as he drew his .500 Magnum, and fired at the assassin.
The assassin dodged the first shot, but Keith did a double-tap, which fired two consecutive shots so fast, that it only sounded like a single gunfire. In surprise on Keith's skill, the man wasn't able to dodge the second one, his right shoulder punctured by the bullet as a result. The man rushed to the handgun which he dropped, but Keith shot the man in the left leg, stumbling on the floor in the moment. But the man hasn't give up, the moment he was down, he threw a dagger on Keith, which Keith shot easily, but unknown to Keith, it was just a diversionary tactic, when Keith shot the dagger, it bought time for the man to get the gun on the floor, and shot Keith's hand, slipping the magnum in Keith's hand, and the whole ordeal fell in favor of the man.
"You're pretty good for a soldier, Zeon, but you're just the same sloppy crap like them" The man commented, still gathering air right after the encounter.
"How many times do I have to tell people? I AM NOT A SOLDIER!" Keith shouted and flew to sever the man with the broken dagger he shot earlier, but the man shot the arm of the angry Keith, that bled so badly.
"How desperate, don't worry, I’ll end your demise after I blow your head to eternity!!" The man said as he was about to finish Keith.
"NO!!!!!" Zyann, who is trembling in fear and cannot move, just shouted.
"RICARDO!! STOP IT ALREADY!!" shouted by Mario, who happens to luckily arrive just about Keith was about to be silenced forever.
"M-Mario? You're alive?" The killing intent of a man named Ricardo, changed into a surprised, goggly-eyed man.
"GOTCHA!!" Keith abused the opportunity to kick Ricardo's injured leg, and taking Ricardo in a headlock.
"Y-You're i-into them to?? Y-you have betrayed me as well?" Ricardo exclaimed.
"Cut your yap, Assassin!! I was to say that we are on the same reason on hijacking a space shuttle and that we are not Zeon, but you shot me already. Had it not for Mario who knows you, I would have broken your neck at this moment!!" Keith said on Ricardo, in a very angry nature.
"Who would have thought that the Ace of the Earth Militaire and my former colleague, Ricardo Ismail, is still alive? And that we met here, I can barely say that this is merely a COINCIDENCE." Mario said, while rejoining his former friend.
The tension is now gone, now that Ricardo, who happens to be an Earth Militaire ace, is now enlightened. And Zyann in a relieving manner. Who is this Ricardo Ismail and what is his relation to Mario? Why is he also hijacking a space shuttle? And what made Ricardo not to trust in any people, even not enemies at all, is because of what happened in the past, Will this great mercenary join them?
Find out on the next chapter.........DO OR DIE! ENTERING COLONY 5.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
THE LOST WAR CHRONICLES: Prologue [When Hope Was Gone]
With the natural passing of time, we go about our daily lives as usual. Ignorant and unknowing, we fail to see, fail to comprehend the suffering of others as they struggle for survival. In this stark and unkind reality in which the world is in peril, you may wish to remain blind to the truth.
It is the Year LC 0043, the Lost Century, the era in which the meaning of peace has been lost to the ravages of time and only exists as an ideal state in the dreams of children. But for those who have survived to adulthood amongst the strife, peace has no place in their lexicon. Forty-four years after the terrible incident known as the War of Pride during which the forces living in colonies, having wanted nothing more than freedom and independence from the oppressive Earth government, decided to retaliate after one of their colonies had been gassed. Abhorred by such an atrocious turn of events, the people of the colonies rallied together in great numbers against the Earth government. Decades of failed negotiations led the people to believe war was the only answer. And with that terrible realization came a grave message, “Win our independence, crush the Earth government and make their people suffer tenfold for what they have done to us.”
The rallying cries sparked the greatest war mankind had ever seen. As time passed, the main factions of the colonial governmental powers, the Royal Zeon Empire as the representative of the thirteen colonies, together with the Ceres Contingent, a group of elite soldiers located near Ceres, gained the advantage, killing a significant number of enemy soldiers and seizing main territories on Earth and the Moon, like America, Russia, and China. The invasion was so sudden and devastating to the point where the people living on earth cried, "There is no future here for us!" Civilians, frightened of what would become of them should the Royal Zeon Empire take full control of the planet, became spies and informants for Zeon and Ceres. They migrated to the colonies just to survive their wrath. In response to this sudden occupation, the Earth government formed the Earth Militaire by pooling together all remaining militaries. However, as there was a significant deficit in military personnel following the initial Zeon attacks, there was inadequate time to train recruits and for the remaining current soldiers to get acquainted with one another and put aside their differences to stand against Zeon. Because of this the Earth Militaire is on the verge of defeat and for many, it became apparent to them that there was no hope for the Earth anymore.
"This pitiful planet…” grumbled Captain Magnus Alexandersson as he arrived at a small dusty town in Pakistan. “It’s a damn shame what’s become of it.” Despite being an ace pilot of Royal Zeon, he was fond of Earth as it was his birthplace. Magnus’ family lived and died here before he migrated to the colonies and joined the military. He had gained the title “The Crimson Striker”, like Char Aznable, the “Red Comet”, and Johnny Ridden, the “Crimson Lightning” before him, for single-handedly seizing San Francisco and destroying forty GM IVs and three Nazca Kai ships in a mere ten minutes. This opened the door for the Royal Zeon Empire forces and allowed them to move in and occupy the United States. However his task this time around lacked the luster of his previous exploits. His current assignment was to investigate a rumored base in Pakistan. The order was simple, clear, and to Magnus, unsettling; “Wipe out every Earth Militaire Personnel if a base containing weapons or even plans for a coup d’état were found.”
The Pakistani town once considered to be a ghost town until people from the country were relocated there by the Ceres Contingent. As a result of the sudden increase in population, its activity nearly doubled, prompting an investigation by Royal Zeon. “What’s with the silence in this place? With so many people you’d expect it to be a bit more…bustling. But it’s still like a ghost town. It’s like their souls and hearts are devoured by fear to the point where they’ve shut down, no longer conscious of the world around them. They could’ve just migrated to space colonies. Looking at them now though…talking to them would be useless.” Captain Magnus thought to himself as he took a sip from his glass. He was very well disguised, to the point it appeared as if he belonged to the town. “This silence is unsettling…nothing like the silence in space. This whole thing could be a trap for all I know. The Earth Militaire is still mobilizing in spite of all that’s happened.” After inspecting the bar, the Captain left, calling his subordinates via nanotransceiver as he started his way down the dusty street. Lost in his thoughts, the Captain failed to see where he was going and bumped into a person.
“S-Sorry sir, it was my fault!” said the voice of a girl, clearly the person he had bumped into.
“No, no. You’re alright. I apologize for not paying attention to where I was going,” replied the Captain softly.
“You look different. You're not from here are you?” said the girl.
“Yes, I’m just here for a look around. I’ve heard stories about this town," smiled the Captain. Quite frankly, he was taken aback by the girl’s ability to see through his disguise. Whether or not that was luck had yet to be seen. “Seems like I’m not the only one who apparently sticks out. I thought that all people here were dead on the inside, but it seems that I was wrong," the Captain chuckled at his own joke despite how terrible it was in the context of all that had transpired while the girl just stood there, unsure of how to react. Magnus quickly reached into his pocket as the transceiver beeped after having received a message. His smile disappeared as he read the message he was given. He leaned slightly forward just so that his face was level with the girl’s and placed a hand on her shoulder. He tried his best to smile again so as to not instill panic into her.
“Listen, you must leave this town immediately. This place will become a battlefield soon, and people will get caught in the crossfire." the Captain told the girl sternly.
“Why? Is something wrong? Is something bad going to happen?” the girl questioned.
"May I know your name?" asked the Captain as he conveniently avoided the question.
“O-oh? Zyann, it's Zyann Nigel, sir! Nice to meet you!” the girl replied cheerily in spite of the ominous warning she had been given.
"O-ok..." the Captain said. Magnus was quite surprised. He never thought that someone would be this cheerful and upbeat even in these dark times. "Listen Zyann, I want you to get out of this town as fast as you can. Head to the spaceport at the northern tip of Pakistan and show them this pass. They will take you to someplace safe.” Magnus whispered as he handed a card to Zyann. "That innocence and light in your eyes…you must live where you can be happy. Do whatever you can to enjoy that flame of youth you have away from this hell.” murmured the Captain.
“B-But, I don't understa-” started Zyann before her words were cut off by the sound of gunfire breaking silence. The Captain’s head jerked to the direction of the sound of the shots before quickly turning back to Zyann.
“Go now, there’s no time left. Get as far away from here as you can,” pleaded the Captain as he tapped on her shoulder twice hard in the direction away from the town. Civilians began to panic and flee, pushing and shoving one another while others trampled over those slower than them. It was every man for himself now.
Magnus broke into a run towards the coordinates given to him in the message, expertly avoiding the approaching storm of fleeing people. Upon reaching the coordinates, he met up with his subordinates, who had discovered the presence of a hidden entrance. One of them handed the Captain a flashlight before they all crouched down and crawled into the tiny entrance. After traversing what felt like an infinite corridor, they ended up in what they realized was a massive underground compound. The entrance had led to a particular room that contained weapons and blueprints of unknown mobile weapons. One of the soldiers requested the execution of the order they were given, “to sweet entire city and all the rebels around it and burn the blueprints.” Before Magnus could reply, the rebels took the initiative and fired upon the soldier. Quickly, everyone else dove for cover while Magnus threw a table up on its side and drew a pistol, firing back at the rebels and shooting one through the kneecap. The rebel who had been shot fell onto his back in immense pain, screaming as his hands shook and reached for his leg. The other soldiers fired at the rebels, successfully defeating them.
“I knew it was a trap,” the Captain muttered in frustration.
“Captain Magnus, I’ve got the blueprints of the rumored mobile weapons, sir!” cried a female soldier.
“Good work, Ensign Aya. After the rest of the team has been prepped and has confirmed that all civilians have evacuated, we will commence a purge of this entire area. Stand by!” ordered the Captain.
“Yes, sir!” replied Ensign Aya Creuset. She was one of the original members of the “Frontal Squadron”, one of Zeon's many elite soldier groups that carry out the most important and dangerous missions for the Empire. Aya is a specialized soldier trained in all areas, be it reconnaissance, information gathering and even shoot-to-kill orders. She is also an experienced combatant and mobile suit pilot as second-in-command of Magnus’ team.
“That girl…Zyann. Has she left the city?” pondered the Captain. The squadron was now ready for action, and Captain Magnus gave the order. “Civilians confirmed evacuated. We will now commence the destruction of this town. You two, prep the Mobile Suits. Alpha team, come with me. Bravo team, join up with Charlie team handle the enemies above ground. Move out!”
-----
“W-what's the matter? What’s going on? I don’t understand what’s happening!” Zyann asked the people in panic that she met, but her cries fell upon deaf ears for the civilians were too concerned about their own safety to pay attention to the shouting of a little girl.
“OUT OF THE WAY!” shouted one fleeing civilian as he knocked Zyann aside. The poor girl was knocked under a table, where she decided to stay and hide. After a few minutes, the shooting started again.
The loudness of the gunshots was only matched by the screams of civilians. What Captain Magnus Alexandersson had been told about the full evacuation of civilians was a lie so that some of the soldiers could enjoy killing, an unfortunate fact he would discover later to his anger.
“Which is noisier, the yelling of these dogs or the noise of my machine gun?! Hahaha!” yelled one of the Zeon soldier.
“Hey, is killing these people really okay?” shouted another soldier who had refrained from shooting the fleeing civilians with his automatic shotgun.
“They’re already fucking dead in their minds! It doesn’t make a fucking difference if you kill them or let them live!” commented the first soldier, who was enjoying the sound of the firing guns and the moans of the injured people.
“Wh-Why? They are all innocent, why are they shooting them? Stoppit! This is wrong!" cried Zyann. Seizing the opportunity amidst the bloodbath, she ran off, but saw two Royal Zeon soldiers beating a suspected rebel.
“Who is in charge of these blueprints and plans for a manufacturing facility? Answer me!” shouted one of them.
“A- As if...I would tell you. You scum!” defiantly declared the suspected rebel.
“Y-You...Son of a-” the soldier pressed a gun to the side of the man’s head and cocked the weapon.
“Stop it!” shouted Zyann, whose feelings had gotten the best of her. She gasped and covered her mouth as she had realized the mistake she had made.
“Huh? Stop? Why don’t you try and make me?” yelled the soldier, who had turned the gun on the girl.
Zyann bit her lip and shut her eyes. Her legs shook right where they stood as she was too afraid to run. She whispered as tears streamed down her face, “Father...”
Then two gunshots rang out followed by two heavy thuds. Zyann opened her eyes to find the two Zeon soldiers dead on the ground. They had been shot in the head by another stranger behind her.
“These bastards…They don't have any mercy, even to women and children!” the stranger growled.
“Keith...Tha-thank God you’re alive!” The beaten rebel gasped as he coughed up blood.
“You should be worrying about yourself. Let's go! We need to get you somewhere safe,” said Keith.
“No, professor, take the girl. It’s too late for me. Please professor...j-just....take the girl...and run...my time is almost up…I’ll hold them off!” the rebel coughed, staggering to his feet.
“I understand. May God bless you on your journey…” Professor Keith said to the man.
The rebel saluted and picked up his gun, limping off to where the fight was in the hopes of holding the Zeon forces off long enough for Keith and Zyann to escape. “That man sacrificed his life for you, so don't let that sacrifice be in vain!” Keith told the confused and shaken girl. Even though she nodded, the past few minutes had not registered in her mind just yet. They kept to the backstreets and alleys, evading the Zeon soldiers until they came to a seemingly abandoned factory. The professor, along with Zyann, came up to a huge Gundam type mobile suit. As soon as Zyann saw it, she began to understand why Royal Zeon had started this bloodbath.
“You’re one of the rebels, right?” Zyann asked the man wearily.
“Rebel? Ha! I would prefer the term “freedom fighter”, and to begin with, I’m against Royal Zeon’s ‘methods’, so we are just fighting for our own sake and justice, not rebelling against some silly government,” answered Keith, his voice saturated with sarcasm.
“It’s far from being completed…but I'm sure it’ll work just as fine.” said the professor, who was tapping complicated algorithms and codes onto a touch screen device in his hand.
“Umm...w-will you also kill people?” asked the girl, afraid to see more death and destruction.
“I would never say “yes”, but in order to save you, and to somehow recreate the word “peace", then yes. I would kill!” Keith said with a burning passion, jamming his finger onto the screen as the holographic keys melded together to form one large green holographic button. The eyes on the Gundam flashed green. At once steam was released from all the vents located on its body. There was a deep rumbling and whirring sound as its reactor started up. Zyann merely watched in awe.
“It’s…coming alive!” she said, eyes widened with surprise. The whirring sound of a crane came over head as a backpack was slowly lowered behind its back. It was then moved slightly forward and clamped shut in place with a loud metallic “bang” that echoed throughout the factory. The Gundam stood up and then kneeled down in front of the two, lowering its hand to them so that they could hop on.
"Get inside; it won’t be long until they notice another heat signature popping up..." the professor told Zyann as he jumped onto the giant mechanical hand, followed by Zyann. With both of them on, the hand rose slowly to the torso. Pieces of the armor folded down, revealing the cockpit hatch which lowered for them. The two clambered inside, and the cockpit hatch closed with a hiss, followed by the armor closing over it.
"Initializing data link, all systems green, all connections established, all programs functioning at 100 percent. Reactor status nominal. RX-88NT-1 II, Gundam Alex MK II, heading out!”
--------
“Heh, Zeon technology’s improving every year! Killing people has never been so easy!” A Royal Zeon pilot sneered while piloting his MSN-04M Sazabi mass production type.
“Concentrate on wiping out evacuated areas! Recklessness will only get you killed!” yelled Ensign Aya in her own custom Ginn high-mobility type.
There were four mobile suits patrolling the area. With half the town already destroyed, the town’s very existence was hanging by a thread. Magnus had finished searching the underground facility and was contacting the High Command on Colony 5 to report his findings.
The sound of an especially loud explosion tore through the air, attracting everyone’s attention. One of the mass produced Sazabis had been taken down from a shot that left a hole in its chest. Metal and hydraulics groaned and strained as the mobile suit toppled backwards onto a few houses with sparks jumping all about its torso as the mobile suit remained lifeless. Lucky for everyone still within the area, its reactor had not been struck.
“Louis! Where did that shot come from?” the Ensign shouted as she looked around frantically while constantly moving her mobile suit, trying in vain to locate the source of gunfire. Any smart pilot would know not to stand still, as that would only invite another shot.
“It’s an enemy mobile suit! It must ha--*zzzt*” A rush of static overwhelmed Aya’s head piece before Louis could finish. He was another victim to an as of yet unseen enemy. The projectile had torn through the Sazabi's armor with little effort. A small explosion in the cockpit spat out pieces of shrapnel. With a defeated groan of metal, the Sazabi collapsed onto a nearby building, throwing glass and stone everywhere as it went down with the mobile suit.
“This mobile suit meant for combat at any range. With this sniper rifle, whose power is enough to pierce through MS Armor with little effort and its range of thirty kilometers, it’s really just…kickass! Perfect for wiping out mobile suits quickly and efficiently without the danger of nuclear explosions.” Keith said to himself proudly like a little child proud of his A+ test. He was a man who took pride in his inventions, which he boasts, “are a cut above the rest.” Meanwhile, Zyann simply nodded and pretended she knew what he was talking about despite not knowing any of what was just said. “Now…onto the third target..." the professor said to himself as he aimed for the next mobile suit. Once he had a clear line of fire, he pulled the trigger. The Alex MK II fired a single round that pierced through the mobile suit he had been aiming for. Another one down.
Aya was startled as the mass-produced Sazabi next to her suddenly keeled over. “Damn amateurs! Now I’ll have to take this on enemy myself!” Aya shouted in frustration as she readied herself for the next shot. Keith and his Gundam Alex Mark II fired the fourth shot, but Aya’s Ginn, which had kept moving all this time, avoided the shot by putting on an extra burst from her thrusters. She now knew the sniper’s position.
“Gotcha!” Aya shouted as she boosted towards the Alex, only to be stopped as a crimson Sazabi descended in front of her with its right arm out to its side, blocking Aya. It was apparent that Captain Magnus had made it to his mobile suit in the ensuing chaos.
“Mop up the rest of the town, Ensign. I’ll hold him off until then. Once the mission objective is complete, withdraw our forces," ordered Captain Magnus, who was in his very own MSN-04E Sazabi Mark II.
“B-but Captain, it took down three of our men! It’s too dangerous to go alone!" Aya replied.
“Then all the more reason you shouldn’t go. Trust my abilities Ensign. This sniper used the terrain to his advantage and took out three of our men. Whoever is piloting that mobile suit is either no novice or damn lucky. I am better able to deal with this imminent threat. Am I understood?” Magnus surmised.
“…Understood sir,” was all she said.
“I missed the fourth one. That one’s different from the others. Eh? It’s your first time in an MS cockpit isn’t it? Are you all right?” Keith asked the dazed young girl.
“U-uh...sort of...” Zyann answered groggily.
“Well in that case--!” Keith began as he was cut off in mid-sentence. He had been caught off guard from the sheer speed of the enemy he was now facing as Magnus pushed the Sazabi MK II at full throttle towards the Alex MK II, aiming a well-placed kick into the Alex’s abdomen and forcing it backwards from the impact. “Dammit!” Keith shouted as the sudden impact threw him forward from his seat along with Zyann. The Alex came to a stop, and in its cockpit, Keith was panting from having the wind knocked out of him and the pain in his shoulders from the pilot restraints pressing hard against them. Zyann had unfortunately passed out.
“Such an outdated machine…I’m impressed by the fact that you could restore to such perfect working order. For you to pose a threat to us even with this type of mobile suit, I must say you’re either lucky…or skilled. Either way, kudos to you.” the Captain said with a stern face. It had been a long time since he had come across worthy opponents.
“And you must be the “Crimson Striker.” You live up to your name indeed...” said the professor, who had just realized one of his back vulcans had been taken out of commission from the strike and the subsequent impact. Seems like not everything was in working order.
“Don’t you dare look down on me, Crimson Striker!” Keith yelled as he raised the MK II’s arms, firing at the Captain with all four of its Gatling guns.
“Resistance is futile, soldier...” Captain Magnus said as he fired the Sazabi MK II’s right verniers easily maneuvering it out of the way of the barrage of rounds Keith had fired.
“I'm not a soldier! I'm not a soldier dammit!” Keith shouted. The Alex MK II stopped firing and bent forward. Several missiles ignited and launched its backpack towards the Sazabi. Magnus fired the reverse verniers and flew backwards, launching flares to counter the missiles. He kept a wary eye on the Alex MK II, which had now drawn a beam saber and used this opportunity to move in close. Magnus grunted, increasing booster output and reversing even faster. However, that was not enough, and the Alex lunged forward with an extra boost with the beam saber aiming for the cockpit. Thanks to a combination of Alexandersson’s unusually quick reflexes and piloting experience, he managed to move his mobile suit to the right, causing the beam saber to miss its chest. Instead, it grazed the Sazabi’s shoulder.
“Enough fooling around!” Magnus said upon realization that this pilot could very well be his equal.
The remark made Keith shudder. This was bad. Was he toying with him all this time?
The professor quickly tried to fall back, but in a flash the Sazabi MK II drew a beam saber and swung across as it fired its boosters in a single burst, quickly overtaking it and slicing off one of the Alex’s Arm Gatling guns. Keith winced as he started to type rapidly into a keyboard on his left while trying to keep his mobile suit balanced while still attempting to maintain distance. However, the Sazabi was still fast approaching.
“Time to show you that an old MS can still pack a punch!” he growled. Magnus had launched three funnels from racks out the back of the Sazabi. The individual funnels were each much more faster and agile than the Sazabi itself. They flew towards Alex while rapidly darting in different directions and fired beams in rapid succession. In a desperate move, Keith mashed the thruster pedal forward.
All at once Alex’s thrusters ignited, launching the mobile suit skyward. He fired all Gatling guns at the funnels. However, these rounds were different from the standard armor-piercing ammunition. These were high explosive rounds with a timed fused attached to the rear, essentially becoming air burst rounds that detonated in mid-air after a certain amount of time. The barrage took down the three funnels. With them out of the way, Keith aimed at Magnus, striking without hesitation.
In spite of all this, the Sazabi had not strayed from its initial path towards the Alex. It easily dodged the barrage Keith unleashed. With the ferocity of Keith’s attacks he had only managed to destroy his shield and deal minor damage to the Sazabi’s left side.
“Dammit! What the hell is this guy?” Keith growled in frustration.
“This has been truly entertaining, but this operation is complete. Let me leave you a parting gift by showing you the real Crimson Striker,” said Magnus. Throughout the entire battle, the wind had been gradually growing in strength to the point where it had suddenly created a sandstorm. The howling of the winds and the patterns the flying dust and sand formed in its wake made it seem as though the souls of the dead were flying about the place, freed from their fleshy containers.
“A sandstorm, this is great! It’ll be easier to escape…” Keith gasped as he looked about his surroundings before realizing the Sazabi had disappeared. The professor reasoned that the mobile suit had been buffeted by the storm. Keith tried with difficulty to maintain his MK II’s balance in the sandstorm, but the machine would not cooperate. The throttles shook and rattled while the cockpit itself seemed to be vibrating and falling apart. While he was preoccupied with just keeping his mobile suit still functional, a humanoid silhouette appeared through the thick cloud of sand and dust, catching him by surprise. “What? Take this!” Keith fired at the silhouette, but it had disappeared in the explosions as though it had never been there. They kept popping up at random places, constantly disappearing and reappearing with each attack. “Dammit!” Keith screamed, shooting at all the silhouettes without realizing that the surrounding sandstorm was clearing up around the Alex, concentrating itself into a vortex.
“Stop toying with me and show yourself!” And then Keith came to a realization. “Heh. I’ve seen through your tactics.” Magnus remained silent.
Without another word, Keith detached tanks connected to the Alex's backpack, shooting at them with the Gundam's head vulcans. Before the bullets struck, the tanks sprayed fuel into the vortex and ignited. After that the Alex launched all of its missiles. They flew into the sandstorm and detonated, turning the vortex into a massive tornado of fire. Magnus, who had in fact been circling the Alex in the vortex, quickly shifted Sazabi away from the flames. This allowed Keith to catch a glimpse of the mobile suits, which was more than enough. “Time’s up!” he sneered.
The Alex lunged forwards into the burning inferno and pulled the Sazabi out from the burning flames. It fired at the Sazabi with its head vulcans while reaching for its beam saber. Magnus had no time to be shocked that his enemy could figure out his strategy in such a short time. No, he had to react accordingly. The monitor had gone static as the mooneye had been temporarily blinded by the sudden flash of the explosion. “This is it Crimson Striker!” Keith cried as he brought the beam saber crashing towards Magnus’ Sazabi. Without warning three funnels emerged from the bottom of the vortex at lightning speed and flew up towards the two.
“Checkmate,” Magnus smirked.
The Sazabi’s monitors flickered back to life as Magnus pushed the Alex’s hand away retreated into the safety of the sandstorm. The flaming vortex had been extinguished due to the fuel being completely burned away. The old mobile suit had overworked itself. Its thrusters were losing power and he had run out of ammunition. The professor merely closed his eyes and remained silent as the funnels closed in, striking the Gundam at different points on its body. They darted around the Alex with such speed and precision that their movements could not be followed by a person’s eyes alone. Each beam that had been fired sliced off the Alex’s arms, legs, and head and pierced through the upper torso. Completely dismembered and out of commission, the pieces of the Alex MK II began to plummet towards the ground, disappearing in the sandstorm as it did.
Minutes later the sandstorm had subsided. The burned and slightly bullet-riddled Sazabi returned to the Pakistani town and landed next to Aya’s Custom Ginn. The Ensign had never seen the Captain’s mobile suit so damaged. The Sazabi MK II’s torso was charred and there were bullet holes riddling its left side. A mobile suit’s handprint could be seen at the base of its neck.
“Captain Magnus, are you alright?” asked the female soldier through the a communications link.
“Yeah…I’m alright.” replied the Captain as the armor on the Sazabi’s torso groaned and rattle open, revealing a hatch that lowered, allowing the Captain to exit his mobile suit.
“What happened to the enemy?” she asked.
“I’m not reading any heat signatures. I suppose he went down in the storm and perished,” replied the Captain.
“Captain, is something wrong?” asked Aya.
“It’s nothing. I’ve never had the chance to ask for the pilot's name. It’s a damn shame.” He sighed as he looked north, “But…war is war, nothing will ever change that.” He stood there rigid, his arm angled in a salute for the past lives and souls of the desert, for the unnamed mobile suit pilot, and for the girl, Zyann, who he hoped had escaped safely.
“Assemble the rest of the team. We need to report to the High Command and explain the situation.” he said as he reentered the Sazabi’s cockpit.
"Yes, sir,” replied Aya as they left this forsaken place.
The destinies of Keith and Zyann remained unknown as the bloodbath and the events of this day came to a close. Thus marked the beginning of “The Lost War Chronicles.”
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