As it turned out, neither officer had to transfer to the other's ship. Henry McDermut had quickly pointed out to both Maj. Helen Ardulace and Col. Arnold 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 Greisser?"
"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 Greisser an apology for the consequences of my actions."
"I think Captain Greisser 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 me 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 Anastasia 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 Heinrich 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 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 Greisser, 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 Miller 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 Greisser, "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 Paul Recto 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 Baoa Qu, was no exception.
"Maybe you shouldn't have brought her along in the first place, sir," Sylvie Greisser 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 UC 0086) 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!" Shevardnadze finally vented just as Titans Cpt. 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 Maj. Benito 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," 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 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 Gusman 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 Chow 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..." 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?!" Filitov 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 be 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," William 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. Helen Ardulace, the architect of that idea, was the first to respond.
"The Achilles is ready," The Major 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 Greisser'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 Nagato 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 three is to one, and she now desperately needed help.
"This is Captain Greisser, 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 Greisser. He quickly aimed his bazooka and fired. He missed.
And then his eyes went wide as he realized just how BADLY he had missed...
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'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 Powell and Erich Milton 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 Greisser, "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?"
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"What... what's our situation?" Anya asked shakily as she and Juan 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!" Filitov 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!"
Suddenly, to Filitov’s surprise, Anya fired a shot that passed right over the shoulder of Filitov’s Marasai. Infuriated by Anya’s seemingly mutinous actions, he quickly drew his beam 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 Iosef’s Mobile Suit, and he only belatedly realized the presence of AEUG units nearby...
"We may have lost our nerve, but at least we’re still fighting, SIR!" Anya 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!"
"Mam, and I think that would be a very, very good idea," Juan advised nervously as he pointed to something on the horizon, "Because I think AEUG has just brought up another battleship..."
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"Alright! Reinforcements!" John 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, we’re getting a transmission from her, it’s from General Dolvich!" the radioman announced, smiles appearing on many faces at the mere mention of General's name. Known as a tough, responsible field commander who cared for his men, Alexander Dolvich was one of the highest-ranking Federal officers to have defected to AEUG. And he also happened to be John’s former CO.
"Patch him through," John 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...
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"Hey, and Sylvie, too bad about your Barzam..." Yoko went on cheerfully, continuing to pester Sylvie while on their slow trip back to the Shigure’s hanger, "I know it’s an ugly little Mobile Suit, but it kinda suited your personality, so..."
"Yoko, for the last time, will you please..." Sylvie started, just before she noticed something new on the Shigure’s 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 Greisser," the brown-haired pilot greeted as his face appeared on the view screen, "I... uhh... didn’t expect I’d meet you so soon, nor that you’d be a heck of a lot prettier in person."
Sylvie’s 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?"
"Brevet Lieutenant Hans Gustav Erwin," the pilot replied with a grin, seemingly unconcerned with her furious glare, "And I’m here to make a special delivery."
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"Colonel, Sir, why the in the world aren’t we pressing the attack?" Ardulace demanded as her face appeared on the video screen, looking very, very unhappy at this latest hold up, "The enemy’s on the ropes, we’ve got another battleship and two squads of GM IIs to boot, but we’re falling back?! What the hell is going on?"
"Major, General Dolvich has some disturbing news," Jefferson replied solemnly, the serious look on his face enough to instantly change Ardulace’s anger into concern, "The Titans. They’ve just taken Von Braun."
Author's Remarks:
- ** 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 country, not the American state) 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, Iosef Filitov is named after a certain Iosef Stalin, the former Soviet dictator 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 Warrior in the Shadow'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 story.
- ***** And yes, I borrowed an Irish class battleship. AEUG has a couple, and I don’t plan on keeping it with the crew for too long anyway, so it shouldn’t be missed too much ^_^.
Notice: This story and all related material is copyrighted by Thomas E. "Zinegata" Ting, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.