Gundam Crucible - [An AU Universal Century Quest]

[X][Dr. Bidan] Agree to regular appointments to help work through your "issues".

[X][Story Arc] "The First Newtype" (Mission Option One)


You glare at Dr. Bidan. You do not need to see a shrink! You don't!

…

But if it'll keep him from taking away your Gundam, you guess you could agree to some remote therapy or some shit.

"…So to clarify, I regularly check in, we talk for a bit, and you won't keep me out of the cockpit?" You keep eye contact, watching for any signs of deception. He just nods.

"Yes, so long as you actually improve… or at least are stable. As I said, I'm here to help."

You aren't sure if you believe that… but you aren't sure whether it's because he's untrustworthy, or whether it's because you don't want to trust him. You don't want to think about it too much. He gets to talk to you about your feelings every so often, you get to keep flying. Everyone goes home happy. You refuse to think about it any deeper than that.

---

Having lived in a Colony your whole life, you've never experienced that "Going to the Big City" feeling in your life. You never really thought you would, given that you lived in an actual city in Cascadia.

But this? This place, Londenion, is the big city. Cascadia was the damn boonies, you get that now.

A day out on the town, in the largest city on Londenion, situated near Londo Bell HQ. It's nice that you get close to a week to relax and unwind from the absolute rollercoaster the last week has been. Just last week you were spending your days going to the Simulators, hanging out with your friends, dreaming of far-off dreams.

A week ago, Kaylen was still alive.

Now here you are, a MacDaniels shake in hand, checking out a Video Store… after days of nothing but fighting, fighting, fighting… You have to stop yourself from hurling your shake at the poor cashier and screaming.

…

Maybe Dr. Bidan was right. Talking might do you some good.

You glance over at your friends, Eris and Theo, as they argue about comedy films near the relevant section of the store. You finish up your own browsing, grabbing a box set of "Watership Down" to buy. Looks like a cute cartoon about bunnies. Sicilia might like this. You didn't read the description on the back, but come on, it's a cartoon about bunny rabbits. There's no way this thing is inappropriate for kids.

"Big Sis!" Sicilia calls out as she stops rummaging through the Clearance bin, "What about this one? It looks cool!"

You move to look at the disc she's fished out. The cover has some dude on the front who is either snarling intensely, or suffering an agonizing case of constipation.

"Morbius 2: The Morbening." You read the title with no small amount of confusion, followed by the tag line, "The Time to Morb has Returned."

….

What the fuck?

"Sicilia," you gently pull it out of her hands and place it back in the bin, "There's probably a reason that this is on clearance."

She nods, although she does look a bit sad… well, that look fades away as soon as you show her the cartoon boxset you're getting. See? Bunnies always cheer kids up.

You're checking out when Eris runs over with a brochure in her hand, plucked from the little rack for tourists by the door.

"Cybele, look!" She all but shoves the thing in your face, filling your eyes with the Londo Bell emblem.

"What am I looking at here?" You ask, trying to move away from the piece of low-quality paper pressed against your nose.

"It's the Universal Century Museum! It just opened last month!" She explains, practically vibrating in excitement, "I remember hearing about this a few years ago! It's amazing! We have to go!"

You snatch the brochure and pull it away from your face. Huh. Londo Bell plastered their emblem all over the front of this thing. Universal Century Museum, or Propaganda Museum? You wonder.

"What's admission like?" You ask, sparing Sicilia a glance. She should be able to get in on a kid's ticket, but honestly money is kind of tight. Yeah, Londo Bell gave you some relief money that should last you till your first paycheck, but your life savings are locked up in an abandoned bank on a derelict colony now. You have more than enough to buy food and essentials, and even this cute-looking cartoon about bunnies, but museum tickets can be pricey.

Eris flips the brochure to the last page, "Free! They aren't charging admission! Just asking for donations!"

"Come on, Cybele," Theo pops in, grinning, "They have the RX-78-2!"

"That can't be the real thing," you frown skeptically, "I thought that was lost at A Baou Qu?"

"Who cares if it's the real thing or not?" Eris pouts, "It's the original Gundam!"

"I dunno…" You mutter, closing the brochure. Yeah, you aren't going, you're just not interested.

But then Sicilia bounces up, excited and bubbly.

"I wanna go! I wanna go!" She repeats, giggling, "Take me, Big Sis!"

…

Damn it. Fine.



You relent, and the other three cheer as you surrender to their whims. The things you do for friends.

---

It's tall.

Like, really fucking tall. You bet the gravity up at the top floor is at the bare minimum for safety.

White, sloped walls, and it's pretty deep and wide… about the length of a battleship, and twice as wide as one. Surrounded by neatly-cut green lawns, the museum is the most imposing structure around. Various couples, families, and parties are utilizing the wide-open space to play catch, have picnics, and just generally relax.

Very idyllic. You wonder if this is staged.

"Oh my god," Eris gasps as you pass through the front doors, "This is amazing! Just like those promotional renders!"

The entryway is a giant three-sided box that melds into the building. Reception desks sit near the front, flanked by benches. Behind it, dead center at the far wall, is a massive recreation of a Pegasus-class's hangar doors, open and waiting for visitors. It's flanked by two huge banners against a metal wall, each bearing the Londo Bell emblem. Just in front of the open doors is a replica of the Universal Century charter. Off to the right side is a fairly large Café that shares room with the Lobby. You can smell something nice coming from it. To the right are four large escalators coming from somewhere above. That must be the exit, since people are only descending from there.

Over the museum's speakers, a somewhat grandiose and trumpet-heavy song is playing. Oh yeah, you think you've heard this before. The Ra Cailum's band performed this a few years ago for a fundraiser. You watched the broadcast of it.

"So big!" Sicilia laughs, running past you just to run in circles a little distance away. You gotta admit, she's pretty cute.

Theo briefly leaves the group to grab a map, and you peer over it with him and Eris while Sicilia just turns the crank on one of those coin souvenir machines.

"Okay, so they have nine wings," Theo points to the respective maps on the pamphlet, "Federation and Zeon wings for the One Year War. AEUG, Titans, and Axis Zeon wings for the Gryps War. AEUG and Zeon wings for the First Neo Zeon War. Then there's the Londo Bell and Zeon wings for the Second Neo Zeon War."

"Eh?" Eris frowns, "What about the third?"

"Too recent," you wave your hand dismissively, "Besides, way I see it, if the Laplace Incident counts as another war, it technically hasn't ended yet."

Nobody has any response to that. Yeah, it's a bit sobering.

"Anyways, it looks like this is a linear setup, so we'll go through the wings one by one," Theo finally finishes, "might take us a few hours."

"Any good museum takes at least a few hours to go through." Eris insists, nodding confidently.

You still remember the first time you visited her house. She made you stay in the downstairs museum portion for a while, continuously prompting you to "soak in the history", whatever that meant.

The four of you pass through the large hangar doors, and are immediately greeted with the grand-daddy of all Gundams, the RX-78-2 itself. It stands at the front of a row of Mobile Suits, all lined up like they're getting ready to launch. The wing itself is fashioned like the hangar of a Pegasus-class, albeit modified for ease of navigation.

"There it is!" Eris squeals, grabbing Theo's hand, "Come on, let's get a closer look!"

You follow the two, with Sicilia hot on your heels. She's pretty fixated on the Gundam, so you give her a lift on your shoulders.

"Gundams are the enemy…" You hear her mutter. That's weird, where'd she hear that?

"No, Gundams are our friends," you correct her with a chuckle, "unless they're hijacked, in which case they're our enemies. Depends on who's flying it, Little Sis."

"… Frenemies." She replies. You imagine her face is screwed up in confusion, but you can't see her right now, busy carrying her.

As you expected, this RX-78-2 isn't the Gundam Amuro used at the Battle of A Baou Qu. That particular Mobile Suit was destroyed. However, the Core Fighter was recovered, repaired, and then this Gundam was assembled using the Core Fighter and non-functional damaged parts that were replaced over the course of the Gundam's service.

So… essentially, this is still the Gundam. It's not operational, and is really just junk given a touch-up, but still. This is history.

A little mini-documentary plays by the Gundam's feet, showing old war footage along with post-war interviews with Amuro Ray. It's… strange to see him that young. Hell, at that time he was around the same age as you.

The rest of that wing shows off an original Guncannon, Guntank, GM, and Ball. Off to the side are some Saberfish and the decapitated cockpit of a Public, but they're not really something you're interested in.

Near the door leading to the Zeon wing is a row of simulator pods, all with screens next to them showing what the current user is seeing. Above the simulators is a giant sign, asking, "Would you survive the Battle of A Baou Qu?" An informational billboard next to the simulators inform everyone that a similar row of simulators is set up in the Zeon wing for those wishing to participate on the other side of the conflict.

You, Eris, and Theo stare at the sign before sharing the same wide mischievous grin. Most of the kids using that simulator are kids too…

So, it's seal-clubbing time.

---

"Get him off of me!" You snap into your headset as you throw your GM Command sideways. Slow OYW piece of shit! Machine Gun fire zips by the cockpit as the pursuing Zaku fires another burst. You retaliate with the Beam Gun, but it dodges at the last second. Zippy little bastard!

"On it." Theo answers, followed by an incoming cannon round which the Zaku narrowly avoids… only to be nailed by the follow-up round. It explodes into bits instantly.

"Splash three!" He calls out, his GM Cannon boosting past you, laying down more fire at an approaching Gelgoog. Luring the Zeon MS in close, he sidekicks at the last moment, clearing the way for Eris to core it with her Beam Sniper Rifle.

"Splash four!" Eris cheers, and the three of you reposition to lure in some more unwitting Zeeks. You must have run this kind of sim a hundred times on both sides of the conflict, so this is old hat. True, these museum simulators restrict you to certain GM variations, otherwise you'd be flying something more obscure, but a GM Command suits you just fine.

You try and identify another "player" in this massive battle, but it's hard to tell the kids from the simulated Zeon cadets. They're all pretty unskilled.

"Big Sis, Big Sis!" Sicilia calls out, flying past in her GM, holding Spray Beam Guns in both hands, "Watch me!"

She dives her machine into a cluster of Rick Doms, positioning herself so that they can't shoot without possibly hitting friendlies. Her guns flash, and one by one her enemies vanish.

"Whoa," Eris pulls up alongside you, "She's good."

"Yeah," you answer quietly, "I mean, she's a Cyber Newtype."

You can only imagine what carnage she'd be able to wreak if these sims let you choose Newtype-use Suits.

But then it happens. Five yellow beams lance out and take Sicilia's left arm off. She's already moving before the second salvo comes at her from another direction, grazing the left leg. Her MS trails smoke and flames.

"Sicilia!" You gun your thrusters and rush forward, frantically scanning your monitors. That was fire from the Zeong, right? A few flashes of movement catch your eye, but by the time you've turned to look, there's nothing there.

Then another salvo hits you, taking both the legs off of your GM.

"Damn it!" you dump more power into your remaining thrusters, trying to dodge the next shot.

"Cybele, don't worry, I'm-!" Theo rushes to you, but you see five more beams hit the back of his Mobile Suit, cleaving it in two.

"Theo!" Eris screams in a somewhat melodramatic tone, firing her Beam Sniper Rifle at a fast-approaching blur. It dodges, and fires a salvo of beams directly into her. Her Mobile Suit comes apart, exploding seconds after.

The enemy comes to a stop near you, and for a second you stare him down. Char Aznable.

Well, a simulation of him, but still.

You try to aim your Beam Gun, but he takes off the arm. The next shot will finish you.

"Big Sis!" Sicilia's GM slams into the Zeong, making him miss. He throws her off of him and aims his hands at her-!

There's something like a flash of intuition, and it looks like Sim-Char felt it too, as he immediately aborts his attack and fires his main thrusters. A pink beam spears the space he was just occupying.

The RX-78-2 comes rushing in, Beam Rifle in one hand and Hyper Bazooka in the other. It's Amuro Ray! Or, his combat data at least. He fires off four bazooka rounds, trying to box Char in. Char dives for an opening and the rockets barely miss. Amuro hurls his Hyper Bazooka at Char, and then fires his Beam Rifle ahead of Char, forcing the man to brake… and the Hyper Bazooka is on course to slam into him.

That alone won't do much damage… so you switch to Head Vulcans and take a shot.

Your small-caliber rounds intersect the bazooka as it collides with the Zeong, and the resulting explosion damages the large skirt armor!

You can almost feel Char's simulated pilot glaring at you before breaking off to fight Amuro alone. Watching the White Meteor fight from a distance… it's almost mesmerizing. You've seen so many pilots burn propellant going evasive, but Amuro… he uses the absolute bare minimum, only adjusting course when he needs to. He dodges before the enemy has even pulled the trigger, but no movement is wasted. It's clear to see just how outmatched Char is. Sicilia gives chase in her damaged MS, and you have half a mind to chew her out for such recklessness.

Then a stray shot from a Musai takes you out.

"…Damn it." You sigh as the simulator opens up, revealing a smirking Theo and Eris.

"Didn't last that much longer than us, huh?" Eris helps you out, "Well, not much you can do against Char when you can't customize your Mobile Suit."

"Yeah, but I think we did okay," you shrug, "I scratched his paint a bit. Dented that pretty skirt on the Zeong."

"In a GM Command?" Theo raises an eyebrow, "I know we're good, but we're not that good."

As he says that, a little machine on the side of your simulator rings, printing out what looks to be a certificate. Intrigued, you pick it up and read it with the others.

"… 'You Damaged the Red Comet'…" you read off the title, "Huh, well, nice little souvenir, I guess. Kind of a novelty though."

Suddenly there's an alarm, and confetti poppers go off on top of all the simulators, making the three of you almost jump out of your skin.

Sicilia's simulator slowly opens up, revealing the ecstatic Cyber Newtype.

"Big Sis! Big Sis!" She cheers, "I did it!"

"Did what?" You walk over to her, and just as you reach her the printer on the side of her simulator spits out a certificate. You pick it up and your eyes practically bulge out of your head.

Eris looks over your shoulder and has a similar reaction.

"You shot down Char?!" She gapes at the little girl, who giggles happily. There's no way, her GM was already pretty damaged!

Then the monitors do a replay. She rushed Char while he was preoccupied with Amuro, and when he finally noticed he fired everything he had at Sicilia, taking the head and legs, but missing her GM's right arm… which she then used to grab her Beam Saber and bisect the Zeong.

Her GM pretty much exploded right afterwards, but still.

"…Okay, yeah, nice job," You pat her on the head, "But don't do anything that reckless in a real fight, okay? We want everyone to come home."

She nods. Shooting down Char is something to be proud of, even if it was a mutual-kill…

…Speaking of which, that museum attendant doesn't look too impressed.

"Hey," You wave to get his attention, "How often does Char get shot down in these things anyways?"

He shrugs in disinterest, "Once every other day or so. Usually to kamikaze runs like what that kid just did. I've never seen anyone take him down in a fair fight."

Huh. Makes sense. Most of the Pilots in that battle didn't want to die, and they knew that their enemies wanted to live as well. You can't imagine that Char dealt with many suicidal Pilots in his career at that point. The combat data-driven AI just probably didn't know what to do.

Also, this is essentially just a game for kids. You wouldn't be surprised if the parameters of the NPCs have been turned down.

"Well, should we head onto the next wing?" Eris suggests, pointing to the door to the Zeon wing for the OYW, "They've got a Zakrello! We should get a photo next to it!"

Everyone makes a silly face next to the ridiculous Mobile Armor, and as the little camera flashes you briefly forget just how much your life has crumbled around you.

---

It's in the Neo Zeon wing for the First Neo Zeon War that it happens. In a large room built to look like a hangar in Axis, Sicilia freezes in front of one of the Mobile Suits. A large, black Mass Production Qubeley. You almost don't notice, only stopping when you see that she didn't follow you.

"…Sicilia?" You walk back to her, "Are you okay?"

She doesn't respond, fixated on the giant Mobile Suit in front of her. She looks… almost horrified.

You still don't know everything that happened to her when she was with Neo Zeon. The Gundam Team from the Argama said that the Ple clones were brainwashed, but… how? You haven't noticed any really weird behavior from Sicilia, and even then, how do you know what sets her off?

"Hey," You kneel down next to her, "We can move on if you want."

Sicilia stays silent. You pull her gently away, and she lets herself be led after you. It's only after that you've left for the next wing that she seems to return to her senses. She still doesn't say anything, but holds onto your arm tightly. You let her hug you like that.

Maybe Dr. Bidan should be talking to Sicilia too? You'll ask when you have your appointment with him.

The final wing, the one dedicated to Londo Bell in Second Neo Zeon War, is grand and magnificent. It's a large circular room with vaulted ceilings and plenty of lighting. Mobile Suits ring the room, mostly Jegan variants, but the center of the room is dominated by the imposing figure of the RX—93 Nu Gundam, Fin Funnels and all. It's holding its Beam Rifle upright, as if ready to stride into combat. At its feet are informational displays and screens showing mini-documentaries and interviews with Amuro. A large glass display case shows Amuro's many military commendations, right alongside another case with a large model of Axis suspended in the center. Along the bottom, small models of Jegans, Geara Dogas, and GM IIIs can be seen pressed up against its surface, all trying to push it away from the Earth. In the center is a tiny Nu Gundam, with lighting making it seem to shimmer green.

Amuro Ray… The First Newtype, the White Meteor, Hero of the One Year War, and Savior of the Earth. He enacted a miracle… so they say.

You quietly read the various billboards and placards situated around the Nu Gundam, as does everyone else. While most of the other wings are filled with the sounds of conversation, this one is silent. The only noise comes from the videos playing on the screens.

Then you come to the last video.

"Amuro Ray, missing in action." The narrator speaks as a photo of Amuro in civilian clothing pans across the screen, "While usually the status is symbolic, in this case it's very literal."

A Federation official comes on screen, being interviewed, "Salvage crews were able to recover the Nu Gundam. It was in a stable orbit and intact. The reactor was still running, although it had run out of propellant."

"What of the pilot?" someone offscreen asks, "Did you recover a body?"

"…No," the official shakes his head, "The cockpit was absent. It appears that Captain Ray ejected at some point. Given the circumstances, it's likely he reentered the atmosphere and burnt up."

The video fades to an interview with Captain Bright, although he looks much younger in the video.

"It's unlikely that Amuro is still alive," Bright admits with a bitter smile, "but I like to think that he is, and he's just given us all the slip. That he's spending his days relaxing, enjoying life… enjoying a kind of peace that he should have had when he was a kid. I know this sounds a bit cheesy, but whether he's alive or dead, I know he's in a better place."

"If Amuro Ray is still alive, do you think he'll ever come back?" the interviewer asks, "Would he come out of hiding, if he is in fact alive?"

"…Yes, I do think he would," Bright nods, "Amuro isn't the sort of man who can sit around and watch injustice just happen. If we ever truly needed him back, I think he would return."

Eris sighs as the video fades to black, "Well… it's been a while since we needed him. I think we can safely say that he's dead."

"Yeah," you nod, "Wishful thinking is just that… well, at least he didn't live to see that he saved Earth only for it to all burn again."

What would Amuro say if he could see the Earth Sphere now? Would he be disillusioned by the Federation? Would he be disgusted that nothing has changed? Would he be proud that his friends and comrades are finally fighting for freedom?

You guess you'll never know.

---

[][Impression] The museum is just Feddie propaganda slightly retooled to suit Londo Bell's narrative. These regimes are all the same.

[][Impression] Londo Bell… even before they existed, the people who would become them were on the right side of history. They served just causes then, and they still do.

[][Impression] … It's a museum. Big whoop.

[][Impression] Become an Amuro Groupie. Purchase Amuro Ray merchandise from the Gift Shop.

---

"So," you lean forward, looking at the driver as he guides the small elecar between rows of massive warehouses, each with big sliding doors stretching from ground to roof, "How did Londo Bell end up with all the old Titans stuff anyways? I think I know the general story, but I've never heard about it in detail."

"Oh, it's not that complicated," the young man chuckles as he drives you, Rhea, and Sicilia through the storage complex, "After Londo Bell was formed, we were given a lot of the old Titans infrastructure and facilities, which came with a lot of their equipment. The stuff that hadn't been scuttled or looted, anyways."

The elecar slows, and he puts it in park in front of a large, disused-looking warehouse, "Anytime we got old Titans gear from cleanup operations, we got to keep it. It just kind of piled up over time. I think the Commander didn't like to use most of it because of the baggage it carried, but it's war, so we don't have a choice now."

As he messes with his keys, trying to find the right one, Rhea asks, "So how did you acquire the materials from the Titans' TR program? Anaheim has been looking for any surviving materials for years, and you just happened to have them sitting in a warehouse?"

"Well, I wasn't with Londo Bell when it happened, but I did take a look at the notes associated with the recovered equipment," he explains, unlocking the door, "We raided a Titans production facility that failed to surrender themselves after the end of the war. The engineers there attempted to destroy their equipment, but I guess they didn't have enough explosives on hand. In the end, they just ended up wiping the OS off of every Mobile Suit and module they had on hand, and we were never able to recover the data. The officer in charge of the operation wasn't able to find anyone who knew what they'd seized, and so it just got thrown into storage and forgotten about… at least until you dug through our files like a madwoman, ma'am."

Stepping inside, he flips a clunky switch on the wall, and rows of ceiling lamps snap on with audible clanks. The area inside is massive, easily big enough to park a few Cruisers in. Strewn across the floor, on shelves, and stacked atop each other are pieces of machinery, some recognizable as Mobile Suit option parts, others far more enigmatic. Standing in the center of this grand mess, two Mobile Suits loom. Their silhouette is distinctive, and although they're slumped and damaged, you recognize them.

"…More Woundworts." You mutter, but Rhea looks like she's died and gone to heaven.

"I was so worried about spare parts," she giggles excitedly, "but it looks like that won't be an issue! Um, Lieutenant, you said that the OS on the Mobile Suits and all the option parts had been wiped?"

He nods, "Yeah, it pretty much bricked every bit of tech in here. I guess we probably could have figured it all out eventually, but nobody has really tried."

"Of course, it's not like the officer in charge of the operation thought to run these things by Anaheim or anything." Bitterness seeps into Rhea's excitement, "Well, what's done is done. We have the equipment now, and that's what matters. I better start restoration and repairs soon… I hope the damage isn't too extensive."

"Do you think you can get some of these things working before the mission?" You cut into Rhea's little monologue before she gets too into it, "Outfitting my Gundam takes priority, right?"

"Of course, of course," she waves you off, "I'll let you know what configurations will be available to you after I finish cataloguing all of this by the end of the day. By the time the mission begins, I'll have the necessary modules ready to go."

"Oh! Oh!" Sicilia points at one of the derelict TR-6 units, "Can I fly one like Big Sis?"

"No, not yet." Rhea quickly shoots her down, "Until I have enough data to manufacture new replacement parts, we're keeping those two in reserve to supply spare parts."

You wished you knew a bit more about this so you could help things go faster, but as Rhea starts ranting to herself with folders and laptop in hand, you decide to leave her to it. Although, you are a bit excited to see what she can do to your Woundwort now that she has all these extra parts. She did say that the TR-6 was one of the most customizable Mobile Suits ever designed. She better put her money where her mouth is!

---

You gape at the report that Rhea just handed to you, with Eris and Theo sharing your expression. Sicilia is straining to get a look at the pages.

"Well? Take your time deciding." She grins cockily, "These are just the loadouts I can get working with by end of week. Londo Bell and the local branch of AE (which doesn't officially exist, so shhh~!) have given me a bit of a budget to work with. Any surplus I'm left with after getting your loadout set up, I'm going to dedicate to reverse-engineering the materials we have on hand. Because the more components we can manufacture ourselves, the more flexibility we'll have down the line. You'll even be able to design your own configurations! But until then, these are your choices!"

---

[][Loadout] HAZEL II – Composite Shield Booster Unlocked

[][Loadout] WOUNDWORT-RAH – Hrududu II Unlocked

[][Loadout] KEHAAR II - ??? Unlock Progress ¼

[][Loadout] HAZE'N-THLEY II – New Loadout Option Unlocked

[][Loadout] GAPLANT II – Shield Booster Unlocked

[][Loadout] HRAIROO II – Weapon Cargo Unit Unlocked

---

You adjust the collar on your new uniform, very conscious of the looks you're getting as you walk back onto the Bellerophon. Sure, your uniform isn't anything unusual, but you've thrown your father's leather jacket over it. Nobody has given you any flak about so far, but you don't hold out hope that will stay the case… still, you won't stop wearing it, no matter what anyone says.

The ship is a lot busier than you remember it, although you suppose that it's just at normal capacity now. Seriously, it had a skeleton crew when you first boarded! But now that it's finally home, you're getting a full crew, full engineering team, mechanics, and… well, you guess another Mobile Suit team, because you don't remember those units being here earlier. Three of them are slightly customized Jegans, but the fourth…

"Big Sis, who flies that one?" Sicilia, now clothed in a rather cute pink cadet uniform, points out the rather distinctive white-and-black Mobile Suit sporting a Monoeye and two big Wing Binders… looks like a Rick Dijeh, if you had to take a guess, although it's been modified a bit.

"That would be me." A woman answers, making the two of you turn towards the speaker. She looks to be in her late 30s or early 40s, has deep red hair, bright green eyes, and a kind smile. She offers her hand, "I'm Commander Christina Mackenzie, I'm leading the Bellerophon's second Mobile Suit team. We'll be working together."

You shake her hand. She's got a nice, firm grip, although you note that she doesn't squeeze Sicilia's hand quite as tightly. Christina actually looks a bit surprised at Sicilia herself.

"She's your little sister?" She asks, which makes you smile a bit. You never really thought of yourself as the big sister type, but you could get used to this. Taking care of Sicilia is kind of nice… you wonder if Kaylen liked taking care of you in the same manner.

"In a sense," you answer, "but she's also my copilot."

Christina's expression seems to freeze at that, but whatever reaction wanted to surface, she manages to force it down.

"I… see…" She pauses, "… Captain Nouri briefed me on the situation of you and your friends, but I never realized…"

"I get that we're pretty young, but we're Newtypes." You counter resolutely, "Staying out of the fighting isn't an option for us."

Her face seems to fall at that, before she sighs, "No… I guess it isn't, is it? My apologies, Ensign Naese. With what you've been through, I shouldn't treat either of you like kids."

That makes you feel a bit better, you guess. Kind of weird to be called an Ensign, but since you're with a Mobile Suit Pilot with Londo Bell now, you need to be an officer at least in rank. You just hope that you don't have to stick too closely to military regulation. Captain Nouri said that Bright gave you and your friends some special exemptions, but still…

---

Later that Week...

The Bellerophon slowly inched out of port, igniting its main engines as soon as it cleared the hatch. It set a course for the remains of Axis, the ruined asteroid habitat stuck in an elliptical orbit around the Earth. At the same time, the Ra Cailum left Londenion's final defense line, bound for the Shoal Zone. On board, the famed Shezarr Team. Meanwhile, a single Salamis slipped away, heading for low earth orbit. Elle Vianno watched Londenion grow distant through the window, before turning to look at her young charge. She wondered why Bright chose this boy in particular to be their representative…

---

Bellerophon- Mission Briefing Room

"We're currently at the perimeter of Axis airspace." Captain Nouri points to the map, then to the Bellerophon's position, "Minovsky Particle density is high, so we can assume that the Federation has a presence here, likely ships stationed on the far side of Axis. Composition of the enemy forces is unknown, so we will need to conduct reconnaissance before anything else… although…"

She switched the display to an image taken with one of the ship's telescopes, showing a long red warship with an aft reminiscent of a Musai but a prow like the Gwadan, escorted by two green Musai-shaped ships of much smaller tonnage. The photo is fuzzy, but the designs are unmistakably Zeon in origin.

"A task force of unknown affiliation is present on this side of Axis as well. They're out of comms range, and Minovsky interference makes communication with them impossible. The main ship seems to be a Sadalahn-class Battleship, with the escorts being refurbished Musai-class Cruisers." She looks out at the assembled Pilots, "If they are with the Republic of Zeon, then it's possible that we could coordinate our efforts here. However, if they're Neo Zeon Remnants, then we might be facing a two-way battle here."

The Captain addresses Christina first, "Commander, I want you and your team to investigate the interior of Axis. This is only a scouting mission. If you encounter enemy resistance, fall back so that we can regroup."

She sighs, "I would like to establish contact with that other fleet to see if they're friend or foe, but we also need eyes on whatever the Federation brought to the table… so congratulations Ensign Naese, you get to pick your mission."

You get to pick? Huh, you were almost expecting her to demand you obey orders and not ask questions, but… this might be nice.

You turn back to look at the rest of the Cascadia Team, "What do you guys think?"

Sicilia does a little salute, "Whatever Captain Big Sis thinks!"

Eris hums in consideration, "Well, the Federation might be hiding something big, but at the same time, we can't leave those Zeon ships out there to do whatever they want. We should talk to them, one less thing to worry about."

"I dunno, they're probably trying to guess who we're with as well." Theo chimes in, "So they're in a similar boat to us. It's why we haven't attacked yet, and vice versa. If we do something to upset the status quo, a fight might break out even if they aren't Neo Zeon."

"Good point," Mort comments, "but what if they decide to break the status quo on their own? And if they're allies, then we've got this mission in the bag, don't we? Three ships can carry a lot of Mobile Suits, and unless the Feddies brought a whole fleet to the party, we'll have the numbers advantage."

"But what if they did bring a fleet?" Theo counters, "If we don't scout them, we won't know until they make an attack run on the Bellerophon!"

"It is a conundrum, isn't it?" You nod slowly, considering all their opinions, "Commander Mackenzie, what are your thoughts?"

"I can't manage your team for you," she answers apologetically, "but if it helps, I'd appreciate it if you scouted out the Federation forces for me and my team. You'll be closer if we need help, in that case."

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[][Plan] Establish contact with the Zeon task force.

[][Plan] Scout the Federation forces on the far side of Axis.

Author's Notes: I stayed up till 2AM for this. I almost stopped to finish it tomorrow, but I was really in the groove... so here. Also, I updated the info posts on the front page.