Chapter 45: Hathaway's Fall-Finale
TheBleachDoctor
Secretly a Cat
- Location
- The Plane of Infinite Kittens
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Mort is right, but you can't wait. You'll have to convince the Captain.
"…Damn it, I thought becoming a soldier was going to streamline things!" You growl as you grab your helmet, "I'll raise her on comms from my cockpit. Everyone, standby in your MS. I want to launch on a moment's notice."
Chain of command, bleh. How did Kaylen ever put up with it back in the defense force? You're already regretting signing on with Londo Bell…
…
Well, okay, the support and backup is nice. You have no idea what state you'd be in if you had decided to strike out on your own.
The TR-6 hums to life as the monitors surrounding you come to life. You can see your team starting up their own MS around the hangar. Mort's Methuss is sporting a different loadout now, with armor more traditional to the model and a Clay Bazooka mounted in each shoulder joint. Eris and Theo haven't gotten into their own MS yet, opting to swap their usual weapons for armament which won't level Hong Kong. Lorelei is chilling in her MP Nu with the cockpit open.
Glad to see everyone is on board with this. You must be a pretty good leader! You take a moment to bask in the feeling of superiority.
"Big Sis!" Sicilia calls to you from her seat, "The Captain is calling."
You nod, flipping comms to cockpit speakers and answering the incoming call.
"Ensign, the deck crew is telling me that you and your team are preparing to launch." She states, the demand for an explanation going unheard but pretty well implied.
"We've got incoming, Captain." You reply, continuing to boot up your Gundam's systems and go through basic pre-flight checks, "I don't know how to explain it. It's just this… Pressure, coming closer. But the local defense force knows that something is up too. Just look outside."
"You're basing this on a hunch?" The Captain asks, a bit incredulous, "I know you Newtypes can get premonitions sometimes, but we aren't seeing anything on the scopes… wait…"
You hear the muffled sounds of Captain Nouri talking to other officers on the Bridge.
"The HKDF is taking up defensive positions, you're right… don't launch, though. If we can take off before whatever this is hits us, so much the better."
You groan, leaning back in your chair, "Yes, Captain…"
This is a mistake. You also aren't keen on leaving Hong Kong to fend for itself if something does happen…
Mort comes through on the team line, offering an apologetic shrug.
"It'll be fine, Cybele. It's not like the city is undefended. If anyone wants to take a crack at us, they'll have to go through the HKDF first."
"That's what I'm afraid of…" you frown with frustration. Damn it, why can't the Captain just trust you on this? Nothing to do but just make sure you're ready to go, at least.
Your TR-6 really took a beating in the last fight, and the Drum Frame had to be repaired and reassembled. Given all that, you really didn't have time to put the Kehaar II parts back on, and why should you? You were going back to space anyways! Ugh, going into a battle with just the Woundwort itself isn't an enticing prospect…
You're not going to be able to mount the Hrududus at this point, they were pulled apart for maintenance too, so all you can use without throwing the balance of your Gundam way off is…
With a few button clicks, your MS reaches down to pick up one of the shields from the Kehaar II. There's a Scattering Beam Gun in it, so that should give you a little firepower boost. There. Everything else looks good, now you just have to wait-
A new unit goes active on the frequency that Cascadia and Alex Team share. A customized Jegan, judging from the designation. It's not one of Alex Team's, though… is it part of the cargo you just loaded on?
"Hathaway Noa! Launching!" You hear over the comms, right before the ship shudders a bit from the other hangar's catapult firing.
Really? Isn't he supposed to be a VIP? He should be the last person launching right now!
"Captain, what gives?" You put the Bridge back on, "You'll sortie Hathaway, but not us?"
"Hathaway did not launch on my orders." She snaps, with background chatter making it clear that the Bridge is in chaos, "I repeat, Hathaway is AWOL."
…
Oh boy.
"This is Cascadia Team," You follow up with a scowl, "Requesting permission to launch to drag Hathaway's sorry ass back inside!"
"Permission granted."
"HATHAWAAAAAY!!!!" Big Sis yells as she makes the Woundwort jump from the hangar, not even bothering with the catapult, "Get your ass back in the ship or I swear I'll slap you so hard you'll be seeing stars!"
You smile at that. Big Sis can be silly sometimes. It's one of the many reasons why you like her.
The MS Hathaway stole, a heavily-customized Stark Jegan painted in old EFF colors, is standing on the docks looking out to sea. If he was smart, he'd be running away from Big Sis, she's fuming! But where he's looking… you feel something from there too. Something approaching, full of malice. A violent, prideful soul.
You stop moving towards him, joining Hathaway as you stare out at the sea. It's coming…
"Big Sis…" Sicilia mutters, and you feel her fear through the Psycommu. The Woundwort raises its shield in response to the two of you.
As Mort launches and his Methuss lands near you, a bright flash of light across the bay catches your eye. It's a rocket booster… the Broadway!
"Captain!" You get back in touch with the Bridge, "Contact the Broadway! Tell them not to launch! They can't launch now!"
"What?" Captain Nouri answers in surprise, "It's too late, they're already taking off. What's wrong?"
"It's not safe! They're coming, the Federation is coming!" Hathaway adds with equal urgency, but the Captain was right. It's too late.
The two of you watch helplessly as the Broadway flies off from the end of the runway's ski jump, a large booster attached to the rear propelling the spaceship up… and up…
Only for a Mega Particle Beam rivaling that of a battleship's main guns to scream towards it from somewhere out at sea, tearing into the side of the booster.
Fire blooms out from the booster, and the Broadway immediately ejects the unit. It starts to fall away, only to explode and send debris tearing into the ship's aft section. There are telltale flashes of engine ignition, but nowhere near as many as a ship that size should have. Trailing smoke, the Broadway begins to fall.
"I saw lights!" Eris lands beside Mort as the three of you stare at the scene, awestruck, "What's going… Oh my god."
Halfway down to the water, you see numerous thrusters all over the Broadway's bottom fire, and it almost looks like they might slow down enough… then another beam shot rips apart what few functional engines it has.
The ship immediately drops like a rock, having lost both conventional propulsive lift and its Minovsky Flight system. It hits the water, sending a huge white plume into the air.
Screams. Screams tear through your mind, making you wince. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sicilia do the same. So many people, all at once…
You… You can't let the Bellerophon join them.
"Spread… Spread out." Ugh, you sounded so weak! You clear your throat and try again, "Spread out! We can't all sit in one place waiting for this thing to get us! Lorelei, are you still in the ship?"
Your team scatters, and you see Lorelei's Nu land on the docks just as the Guncannon Detector nearby starts firing out towards the sea. You've still got nothing on scopes, but that MS has a longer sensor range than you.
A chill runs down your spine. You shouldn't be near it.
You pull on the controls, and roaring thrusters throw the Woundwort away from the HKDF MS… just in time, as a solid pillar of beam energy plows straight through the docks and the Guncannon detector, swallowing it whole. The shot barrels past into the city, leaving nothing but a long, glowing scar.
Hong Kong cries out in pain as people and buildings ignite.
That's when your cameras finally pick them out.
A squadron of Mobile Suits on the horizon, flying low enough to kick up a wake of mist. Six large Base Jabbers with hulking Mobile Suits riding on their backs, flanking one machine large enough to be a Mobile Armor. Your computer can't identify the smaller MS at this range, but it can tell what that larger unit is.
RX-104FF. Penelope.
The HKDF Mobile Suits begin taking off, moving to better positions as the Penelope opens fire again. This time the shot is aimed high, and the targets go evasive just in time. They're two Zeta Plus models! Glad to see that not all the good AEUG and Karaba stuff went to the Feds!
The Feds will be on you any second now! The HKDF can probably handle most of this, you just need to keep the ship safe!
"Okay, Hathaway, get back in the-"
"You bastards!" He cuts you off with a scream of rage, firing his waist missiles at the incoming Federation forces. Some of the HKDF units take that as the cue to fire too, and you see missiles streak out from the Super Nemos and other assorted units stationed near shore. The incoming Feds spread out, Vulcan fire taking out any missile they can't dodge. The Penelope goes up, looking as if to pass overhead.
"Oh no you don't!" Hathaway ejects his spent pods, draws a Beam Saber with his left hand, and in a rush of thruster exhaust he rises up to meet it.
… That idiot!
The Penelope ignites two large Beam Sabers of its own, locking blades with Hathaway. The superior thrust of the prototype MS overpowers Hathaway's Jegan, pushing him far into Hong Kong's airspace.
"I'm going after Hathaway! Theo, Mort, guard the ship, don't let any Fed close to it!" You glance back at your team, "Eris, Lorelei, let's go!"
The city is not a good place to fight. Too many buildings that will be used as cover, too many civilians to avoid. Regardless, that's where Hathaway is fighting, and that's where you need to go! Damn it!
Firing your thrusters, you leap into the city after them, with Eris and Lorelei on your six. You're burning through a fair amount of propellant staying airborne, but you'd rather that than risk all the people down on the streets. The wash from your thrusters alone… you don't want to think about it.
The city gleams as you clear most of the buildings, leaving only large skyscrapers up here with you. You see trails of thrusters interspersed with explosions and beam fire scattered about, with the occasional shot hitting the city. Dead ahead is Hathaway, barely holding out against the Penelope. That prototype unit isn't even pushing itself, whereas you can practically see that Jegan straining with every move it makes. Why are they taking so long to finish off Hathaway? Maybe the Fed pilot isn't used to the Penelope yet? You better get to them before they decide to finish Hathaway off.
As you close in on their duel, one of the Fed Base Jabbers swings about and moves to intercept. Two large Mobile Suits stand on their backs. You don't really recognize them, but they're turning up results in the Londo Bell database.
"Gustav Karl?" You flick through the info the computer has on them, which isn't much, "It's listed as a next-gen Mass Production model… shit, there's hardly any data on these machines."
"Whatever! We just gotta shoot them down!" Eris smirks as she steadies her Mk.III and fires her shoulder cannons at the incoming Base Jabber. She hits it dead on, but the two MS jump from their stricken mount with way more agility than a machine that size should have… holy shit, are they flying?!
And they're coming right at your group.
"Break! Break!" You raise your shield and try to move out of the way, but the lead Gustav body-checks you and plows right through, firing its rifle at Eris. She blocks with her shield, then jets to the side, drawing it away.
"Eris and I will deal with these guys!" Lorelei says as she draws her Beam Saber and blocks the other Gustav's saber, "You get Hathaway!"
"Big Sis!" Sicilia shouts, and you feel her take control of the Woundwort and turn the Gundam in the other direction, just in time to fire a short burst from the beam-scattering gun on the shield and intercept a small swarm of missiles that were about to hit you. Shit, you didn't even notice those.
You feel the Penelope's gaze as it flies rings around Hathaway. Crap, that pilot is starting to get a feel for their machine.
"We have to wrap this up." You grit your teeth and tighten your grip on the controls. The longer this fight goes on, the more likely you'll lose.
You feel Sicilia's thoughts as she confers with you through the Woundwort's Psycommu. You can't out-fly the Penelope, nor can you out-gun it, but maybe you don't need to.
"Hey, Feddie!" You prepare to fire the Shield Booster, anticipating the Penelope's course as you wind up for the throw, "Hands off the kid!"
You've been friends with Cybele for a long time, ever since that day almost a decade ago when you saw her crazy ass in a simulator trying to 1v1 a Zaku while piloting a Ball. You were more amused by it than Theo was. He wasn't too keen on teaming up with someone who took so many risks. Even so, Cybele did mellow a bit over the years, but every now and then she does something that reminds you of something that your father said one day after you brought Cybele home for the first time.
"That girl ain't right."
You break saber lock with the Gustav, the two of you putting some distance to allow for the incoming Penelope to blow right between you, trailing an undulating length of cable.
And at the end of that cable…
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
Cybele's excited screams mix with Sicilia's terrified ones as the Woundwort zips by, dragged by the Penelope like some sort of demented water-skier. The larger MA makes a sharp turn, whipping its hitchhiker into the side of a skyscraper and out the other side.
You'd be worried if you didn't know her better, but sure enough you can still hear them over comms. Not dead yet.
"Well, that's our leader for you…" you mutter to yourself before turning your attention back on your opponent, the Gustav Karl you're engaged in a 1v1 with. You made it lose its rifle already, although you can't be sure if it has anything else up its sleeve. The specs on this machine are surprisingly unknown.
With a grin, you equip another Beam Saber in your free hand. If you don't know the capabilities of this Mobile Suit, then there's only one way to find out! Throttling up, you rush the Gustav and swing, aiming to cut it in half.
It angles its shoulder shield and your saber splashes off it. Anti-beam coating! Well, that's why you have two! While your first saber reforms you thrust the other, looking to cut through the right arm. They catch your blade on theirs, locking the beams. Fine, but your first one is just about back! You thrust that one towards its cockpit, the beam already mostly-coherent.
Just as it looks like you've got them, they catch the saber in hand, manipulator clamping tightly over your own as the plasma spews from between the cracks of your fingers. Alarms go off alerting you to thermal damage on the hand and beam saber.
"Tch!" You click your tongue and flick the toggle for your shoulder cannons. They start to drop to level, and suddenly the Gustav's backpack flares up brightly, their thrusters pushed to full.
It pushes you out of the city, out over the water, until finally you manage to push back enough to slow your flight.
"Let go of me!" You jam the trigger and your shoulder cannons fire, carving straight through the shoulders of the Gustav. Its arms instantly loser power, so you pull your right arm back… only for the forearm to come away, your right hand having melted into theirs by now.
Hey, that hand was vintage! With a snarl, you rear back and slam the slagged stump into its face, blowing the head clean off. With one last maneuver, you kick them, slamming your foot into the cockpit with enough force to surely concuss the pilot. Losing all control, the Gustav tumbles towards the ocean like a rag doll.
You only lost a hand, but that's way more than you wanted to lose to some rando! Well, were they a nobody? You've never seen these models before, are they some sort of elite ace unit, like the Jesta?
No, they didn't measure up to the Jesta…
You'll have to analyze the data from them after the fight. So where did it push you out to?
It's at least a few miles back to the port, and you can see flashes of combat happening all over the skyline, with the occasional explosion taking chunks out of the city proper. A large signature can be seen swerving above the city, and you note that the signature trailing it (Cybele doing something stupid) gets close, firing its thrusters during one turn and slamming into the Penelope's side.
Go get 'em, girl.
Below is the ocean and… a ship, slowly sinking. Wait, that's the Broadway!
You land on the exposed hull. There are no signs of survivors. Pretty much only the hangar doors are above water, and they too will soon slip beneath the waves.
Wait, you feel something… or someone?
Before you can follow up on the feeling, a Mobile Suit bursts out of the water and lands on the hangar doors, denting them inwards. It's a…
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." You mouth as an Aqua GM attempts to square up with you, brandishing a harpoon gun, of all things.
You're about to send this sap to the afterlife when multiple thin beams pierce through the hangar door, slicing it up and carving through the Aqua GM as a result. As it collapses into pieces, something kicks the door outwards, scattering the debris. Two Mobile Suits jump out of the wreck just as water starts to stream in through the open doors.
The second unit is a Qubeley painted in iridescent green, which is unusual, but the first MS?
…
That must be the weirdest Gundam you've ever seen.
There's no time to dwell on odd Gundam designs, though, as more Aqua GMs begin surfacing, and one has enough audacity to try to grapple you. It's too easy to cut down the claw with your remaining Beam Saber.
"Eris Kallis, Londo Bell. You two are?" You ask as they land, taking up defensive positions next to you.
"Peche Montagne," the other Gundam pilot, a woman with pale hair and purple eyes answers quickly, "My friend is Rin. We can finish introductions after we deal with these Feds."
She's right. You need to handle these Aqua GMs first. There's a pressing need to properly educate these idiots.
"Heheh…" You grip your controls, "Don't you guys know? GMs don't belong on the battlefield…"
You reverse the grip on your Beam Saber and rush towards the nearest cannon fodder.
"I'll send you back to the museum!"
"Get off me!!"
The voice of the Penelope's pilot echoes through the contact link. They're angry and shocked that you're even doing this, but hey, it's not every day that you get to ride a Mobile Armor like it's a bull, right?
Yeehaw.
"No way!" You retort, digging in harder with your Shield Booster's claw. Unfortunately, you didn't latch onto anything critical, just one of the stabilizers. Sure, firing the Beam Gun now would piss them off, but it would also dislodge you and open you up to a counterattack.
So, you hold onto dear life.
At any rate, at least this buys Hathaway enough time to get out of harm's way. Once he's clear, you can think about what to-
"Cybele!"
Oh, he fucking didn't.
He comes flying in on his Jegan, firing his wrist-grenades. They get predictably shot down, and the Penelope starts to line up a shot on him.
God damn it. You're already regretting this.
"Hathaway!" You all but shriek at him as you arm your Shield Booster's Beam Gun, "When we get back to the ship, I am going to strangle you myself!!!"
You fire, immolating one of the Penelope's stabilizers and losing your grip at the same moment. Good news, the Penelope is no longer aiming at Hathaway, bad news is because it's now focused on you.
The larger MA grabs you and throws you away, sending you plummeting towards the city.
You and Sicilia cry out as the Woundwort hits the side of one of the buildings, bouncing off in a spray of glass and steel, only to slam into the building on the other side of the street. Airbags deploy to stop you from slamming your head into the front console.
Once, twice, three times you pinball off of concrete and glass, only to land with a thunderous crash.
Your ears are ringing, and you hear Little Sis groaning. Not dead. Good. Dust obscures your vision all around, but… you hear other people. Screams. Crying. You shakily switch the cameras to thermal.
Oh… oh god.
There were people on the street. Probably running away from the fighting. There are people lying on the ground, hurt by falling steel and glass. Some are moving, some aren't.
The Woundwort landed on its left side, shield down. You can't see if you landed on anything… or anyone.
You aren't going to check.
"Big Sis…" Sicilia mutters in horror as the cockpit pipes in the sound of misery all around.
"It's… It's fine, Sicilia. Don't look." You grit your teeth and move the controls, making the Woundwort push itself to its feet. Those who can walk on the ground try to get away. You're careful to not step on anyone.
Above you, a little higher than the rooftops, you can see Hathaway locking Beam Sabers with the Penelope. The Fed pilot predictably overpowers him and delivers a savage kick, sending him flying away. They then level their Beam Rifle at you.
You remember the specs on that thing. You check your shield. I-Field on that shot, all you've got is the one in your Shield Booster.
It's best to dodge. You start to throttle up the thrusters-
"Brother!"
You freeze as the desperate cry emanates from behind you.
Don't… Don't look. You shouldn't. Civilian casualties are inevitable. You can't be concerned with collateral at this stage.
You can't.
You look.
A little girl is shaking an older boy (her brother, presumably), who is laying on the ground with a length of rebar through his gut. Judging from their positions, he shielded her from the falling debris. He looks like he's in pain.
If you move, they die. Everyone here will die. First, your thrusters will burn many them to a crisp, then the Penelope will reduce the rest to molten slag, with no bodies left to bury.
All you have is your Shield Booster. It has an I-Field, but you shouldn't rely on it.
You…. You shouldn't.
Hand on the throttle, you start to push it.
Kaylen stands in front of you.
"Hey, Cy." He says, "Take care of Mom for me."
"Hui, please, get up! Brother!"
The little girl looks up in fear as your Gundam's thrusters begin to spin up.
You… You can't….
Damn it.
"Damn it!" You kill your thrusters, raise your Shield Booster in front of you, and dump all available power into the I-Field, "Sicilia, give me external PA!"
You switch over audio channels and shout, "All of you, get behind me! Take cover!"
Some people get the hint, running for the shadow of your Mobile Suit. You make sure to position yourself directly between the siblings and the Penelope.
It fires.
The beam is huge, big enough to have come from a battleship. Brilliant pink slams into your I-Field and splashes off in all directions, hitting the surrounding buildings and sending molten sparks showering down over the civilians. Everyone who didn't take cover behind you is gone in an instant.
The Penelope fires again, and this time you're pushed back. Warnings blare. The I-Field generator is being stressed. It won't last.
More screams from behind you. Some of the molten debris got a few of them. A quick glance shows that the siblings are still there.
Another blast, and the Shield Booster's casing glows red as it starts to overheat.
This isn't working. You're all going to die at this rate! Unless…
You switch to an open channel.
"Penelope pilot! Cease fire!"
They fire again, and more screams are cut short. You hear Sicilia whimper.
"Cease fire, damn it! There are civilians down here! Civilians!"
They fire one more time, and this time something explodes inside your Shield Booster. The I-Field generator reports complete failure.
"…Civilians?" The Penelope pilot replies, not firing but still aiming at you.
"Yes, civilians!" You repeat breathlessly, "If you keep shooting, they're all going to die!"
There's a pause. Good, the appeal to his humanity worked!
"Just hold your fire till I get clear of them. Then-"
"No." He cuts you off, and the barrel of his Beam Rifle glows, "They made their decision when they gave their support to Spacenoids like you."
He… He's going to….
Why?
"You…." Sicilia's voice trembles as she bites back a sob, "Un… Unforgiveable…"
Grief and anger flood over you as a bright light fills the cockpit. These aren't your feelings.
They're hers.
"UNFORGIVEABLE!!!"
Sicilia takes complete control of the Woundwort as the Psycommu responds to her emotions, her rage and sadness. An unnatural aurora wreathes your Gundam as the Penelope fires.
The beam hits the Psycho-Field emanating from the Woundwort and dissipates entirely, not even diverted. Just… vanishes.
"You aren't Human!" Little Sis shouts, the Woundwort clenching its hands into fists in response to her rage, "You're nothing but evil!"
Somehow, this power pushes the Gundam airborne without any thrusters at all. Connected to the Psycommu, you still feel the Mobile Suit moving like it was your own body. You can feel the power coursing through it.
But it's not yours. It's Sicilia's. Her emotions. Her power.
It's amazing.
The Shield Booster, damaged as it is, is deployed in Heat Blade mode. With fury in her scream, Sicilia swings it at the Penelope, catching the Beam Rifle and cleaving it in two. The larger MA backs up and fires multiple beams at you from other mounts, but they just dissipate against the Psycho-Field.
"Bad people like you don't deserve to live!" Sicilia rages, against the Penelope, against the Federation, against everything that's made her suffer in this world, "Everyone you've hurt, all that happiness you've destroyed, you don't deserve to be happy after being so evil!"
"You… You think you're the only one who's suffered?!" The Penelope pilot's voice echoes not over speakers, but through your mind, and you see light begin to emanate from their unit, "It's because of that kind of selfishness that this war never ends!"
They're a Newtype too?! Sicilia replies with a wordless scream as she throws the shield at him. He deflects it, as she intended, and Little Sis uses that opening to cleave off one of their Beam Cannons.
Psycho-Field clashes against Psycho-Field, and you feel them. The pilot of the Penelope.
A young man. Around the same age as you and your friends. He's lost loved ones too. Relatives, friends. His rage and grief are just as real as yours.
This is where, in the days of old, someone like Amuro Ray or Kamille Bidan would have likely called for some kind of mutual understanding. An empathetic connection that only Newtypes could form. They might have called for a halt to the fighting, made an appeal to your collective humanity.
But you're different. You know. All three of you know.
What good is understanding if life is a zero-sum game? In war, one side emerges the victor and the other the loser. Even if you understand their reasons for fighting, even if you know that the fighting is tragic, what will be gained by stopping?
Your grief, your loss, it won't go away by laying down your arms. There is no hope for some kind of "kumbaya" moment. Decades of bloody war have poisoned that well. Justice and freedom for Spacenoids, or safety and power for the Earthnoids. Both can't exist in this world that's been created.
No, there's only one way this war ends.
The two fields repel each other, and Sicilia growls as she faces down the Penelope. She is the stronger Newtype, you know. You can feel it. Even now, you're just being dragged along for the ride, your own powers as a Newtype barely a candle to her roaring flame.
However, the Penelope pilot has the better machine. He has more functional weapons.
And Sicilia can't keep this up forever.
He deploys two Beam Sabers from the arm-mounted shields. Sicilia readies the Heat Blade again.
The Woundwort and the Penelope clash, break apart, then clash again. Repeatedly she strikes out at the enemy, and repeatedly the blows are blocked.
Sicilia is fighting so hard. You can feel it. You can feel her love. Her passion.
She wants a family. A family that loves her and cares for her.
She used to have so many sisters. Sisters that understood her. They were united in purpose, with a collective sense of belonging.
Then they went to sleep, and Sicilia woke up alone.
Alone… but you were there.
You were her family now. You were all that she had.
She'll fight with everything she has, all to make sure that you stay with her.
Your mind touches hers through the Psycommu.
"I understand." You tell her, "You don't have to fight through this alone."
It's as if you wrap your hands around hers, and together you guide your strikes.
Heat Blade carves through stabilizer. Beam Saber slices through armor plating. With each clash you and the Penelope take chunks out of each other.
Battered and scorched, Woundwort and Penelope face each other down. The city is spread out below you, a sea of fear and death. You notice that some combatants even pause to look at the spectacle.
"Big Sis…" Sicilia pants, pale and sweating. She's at her limit.
You reach other to take her hand. She did well… You'll take it from here.
She slumps in her seat, out cold. The Psycho-Field enveloping the Woundwort weakens by a lot, but remains, fueled by your determination.
It's strange, this somehow feels more natural now, like this power is something you had all along. Was it because of Little Sis? Regardless, you can carry on the fight… although you do have to turn the thrusters back on. You're not that strong a Newtype.
Stillness for a long moment, then you push the throttle to full and charge the Penelope. The Federation monster rushes you as well. A wordless scream issues from the both of you, a cry for a world where you can finally be happy.
"Liar…"
From the sky, a torrent of despair. The agony of being betrayed.
You stop dead in your tracks.
Everyone does.
"Michele… Jona…"
Looking skyward, you see an image. A golden phoenix wrapping itself in a coat of blades and guns.
"Liars… Both of you…"
Dread smothers you. There are voices calling out for the phoenix to stop, but she doesn't listen.
"YOU LIARS!"
The phoenix throws her wings wide, and the blades lash out. The guns fire.
Millions of voices cry out in fear and pain, and they rapidly fall into silence.
The feeling fades, still there but faint.
There is only a faint, distant glow in the sky.
That's…
"A colony…" Sicilia mutters in her sleep, "A colony is burning."
She's right. You don't know how, but she's right.
As you stare at the sky in horror, the Penelope pulls away. Turning, he runs. The surviving Federation forces turn to follow him, breaking away from their respective fights.
They're too shaken to continue. Honestly, you can relate.
The Bellerophon is already lifting off when you land on the rear deck, which is crowded with Mobile Suits. Two that you don't recognize are in the process of being transferred into the central hangar. You quickly check to see how your team fared. Mort and Theo seem well off, escaping relatively untouched.
Hathaway's Jegan is already landed and disembarked, so you'll have to reserve his chewing-out for later.
Lorelei's MP Nu took damage to the chest, and the cockpit hatch is lying on the deck in front of it. Looks like she had to blow it off to get out.
Eris's Mk. III is missing its right hands, and the shield looks like a pincushion.
"Aqua GMs." She answers the unspoken question as she drops the ruined defensive equipment, "I'll show you the battle data later."
Aqua GMs? That'll be an interesting story…
As the ship pulls away from the city, you see a plume of water erupt in the bay. Two Gunperry craft circle the area, weapon bays open.
Well, the Aqua GMs had to get here somehow. You silently salute the poor cannon fodder that got deployed in such archaic vehicles.
"These Feddies kind suck, don't they Sicilia?" You quip with a chuckle.
No reply.
"…Sicilia?" You turn to her. She's slumped in her seat, breathing heavily.
You reach over and feel her forehead. She's burning up!
Without delay you trigger the emergency egress procedure, making the Woundwort all but flop onto the deck face-first, all while not jostling the head too badly. A few of the deckhands shout in alarm. To be fair, you were close.
You'll deal with their protests later. You open the hatch and climb out, taking a deep breath.
"MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!"
Hang on, Little Sis. It'll be alright.
Beep. Beep.
The heart monitor continues its steady report.
Good. That's good.
Beep. Beep.
The ship rumbles around you. You're still not out of Earth's gravity well yet.
Beep. Beep.
Sicilia looks weak. Even weaker than the day you woke her from her long sleep.
Beep. Beep.
"I remember when I was that young."
A familiar voice. You turn to look as the newcomer enters the infirmary. She looks almost exactly like Sicilia's older sisters. Sounds like them too. She has some scars, and you're sure you haven't seen this woman before specifically.
"I'm Rin." She smiles softly at you, "I'm from the Broadway. I'm hitching a ride because, well…"
You nod. You saw her Mobile Suit being loaded when you landed, along with a weird-looking Gundam. You assumed that was the case. Two survivors from that doomed ship.
"There's a lot of you, huh?" You chuckle, "Makes you wonder why Sicilia wants me as her big sister. Seems like she has a lot of choice in that regards."
Rin pulls up a chair, sitting down next to you at the little Cyber Newtype's bedside.
"I don't know how the two of you met, but I could feel her back during the battle. You mean a lot to her, you know?"
"Yeah. I know." You look at Rin, "I felt her too. We were right there, together."
The two of you sit in silence, watching the sleeping Sicilia. If she hadn't done what she did, you probably would have died, or been forced to abandon those helpless civilians.
Did those siblings survive? The little sister, probably, but was she able to get help for her brother? A wound like that would be fatal without proper treatment.
…
You're… lucky to have her. Really.
You think you love your Little Sis just as much as she loves you.
"…I'll watch her for you." Rin offers with a comforting smile, "You go get some rest. I'll let you know if anything happens."
You… think you'll take her up on that offer.
But before you rest, there's something you need to do.
[] Find Hathaway. Slap Hathaway.
[] Find the Captain and demand punishment for Hathaway.
[] Graffiti Hathaway's Jegan with "I'm a stinky Earth baby that endangers his allies."
[] Confer with the rest of your team. You need to talk about what just went down.
"…Damn it, I thought becoming a soldier was going to streamline things!" You growl as you grab your helmet, "I'll raise her on comms from my cockpit. Everyone, standby in your MS. I want to launch on a moment's notice."
Chain of command, bleh. How did Kaylen ever put up with it back in the defense force? You're already regretting signing on with Londo Bell…
…
Well, okay, the support and backup is nice. You have no idea what state you'd be in if you had decided to strike out on your own.
The TR-6 hums to life as the monitors surrounding you come to life. You can see your team starting up their own MS around the hangar. Mort's Methuss is sporting a different loadout now, with armor more traditional to the model and a Clay Bazooka mounted in each shoulder joint. Eris and Theo haven't gotten into their own MS yet, opting to swap their usual weapons for armament which won't level Hong Kong. Lorelei is chilling in her MP Nu with the cockpit open.
Glad to see everyone is on board with this. You must be a pretty good leader! You take a moment to bask in the feeling of superiority.
"Big Sis!" Sicilia calls to you from her seat, "The Captain is calling."
You nod, flipping comms to cockpit speakers and answering the incoming call.
"Ensign, the deck crew is telling me that you and your team are preparing to launch." She states, the demand for an explanation going unheard but pretty well implied.
"We've got incoming, Captain." You reply, continuing to boot up your Gundam's systems and go through basic pre-flight checks, "I don't know how to explain it. It's just this… Pressure, coming closer. But the local defense force knows that something is up too. Just look outside."
"You're basing this on a hunch?" The Captain asks, a bit incredulous, "I know you Newtypes can get premonitions sometimes, but we aren't seeing anything on the scopes… wait…"
You hear the muffled sounds of Captain Nouri talking to other officers on the Bridge.
"The HKDF is taking up defensive positions, you're right… don't launch, though. If we can take off before whatever this is hits us, so much the better."
You groan, leaning back in your chair, "Yes, Captain…"
This is a mistake. You also aren't keen on leaving Hong Kong to fend for itself if something does happen…
Mort comes through on the team line, offering an apologetic shrug.
"It'll be fine, Cybele. It's not like the city is undefended. If anyone wants to take a crack at us, they'll have to go through the HKDF first."
"That's what I'm afraid of…" you frown with frustration. Damn it, why can't the Captain just trust you on this? Nothing to do but just make sure you're ready to go, at least.
Your TR-6 really took a beating in the last fight, and the Drum Frame had to be repaired and reassembled. Given all that, you really didn't have time to put the Kehaar II parts back on, and why should you? You were going back to space anyways! Ugh, going into a battle with just the Woundwort itself isn't an enticing prospect…
You're not going to be able to mount the Hrududus at this point, they were pulled apart for maintenance too, so all you can use without throwing the balance of your Gundam way off is…
With a few button clicks, your MS reaches down to pick up one of the shields from the Kehaar II. There's a Scattering Beam Gun in it, so that should give you a little firepower boost. There. Everything else looks good, now you just have to wait-
A new unit goes active on the frequency that Cascadia and Alex Team share. A customized Jegan, judging from the designation. It's not one of Alex Team's, though… is it part of the cargo you just loaded on?
"Hathaway Noa! Launching!" You hear over the comms, right before the ship shudders a bit from the other hangar's catapult firing.
Really? Isn't he supposed to be a VIP? He should be the last person launching right now!
"Captain, what gives?" You put the Bridge back on, "You'll sortie Hathaway, but not us?"
"Hathaway did not launch on my orders." She snaps, with background chatter making it clear that the Bridge is in chaos, "I repeat, Hathaway is AWOL."
…
Oh boy.
"This is Cascadia Team," You follow up with a scowl, "Requesting permission to launch to drag Hathaway's sorry ass back inside!"
"Permission granted."
"HATHAWAAAAAY!!!!" Big Sis yells as she makes the Woundwort jump from the hangar, not even bothering with the catapult, "Get your ass back in the ship or I swear I'll slap you so hard you'll be seeing stars!"
You smile at that. Big Sis can be silly sometimes. It's one of the many reasons why you like her.
The MS Hathaway stole, a heavily-customized Stark Jegan painted in old EFF colors, is standing on the docks looking out to sea. If he was smart, he'd be running away from Big Sis, she's fuming! But where he's looking… you feel something from there too. Something approaching, full of malice. A violent, prideful soul.
You stop moving towards him, joining Hathaway as you stare out at the sea. It's coming…
"Big Sis…" Sicilia mutters, and you feel her fear through the Psycommu. The Woundwort raises its shield in response to the two of you.
As Mort launches and his Methuss lands near you, a bright flash of light across the bay catches your eye. It's a rocket booster… the Broadway!
"Captain!" You get back in touch with the Bridge, "Contact the Broadway! Tell them not to launch! They can't launch now!"
"What?" Captain Nouri answers in surprise, "It's too late, they're already taking off. What's wrong?"
"It's not safe! They're coming, the Federation is coming!" Hathaway adds with equal urgency, but the Captain was right. It's too late.
The two of you watch helplessly as the Broadway flies off from the end of the runway's ski jump, a large booster attached to the rear propelling the spaceship up… and up…
Only for a Mega Particle Beam rivaling that of a battleship's main guns to scream towards it from somewhere out at sea, tearing into the side of the booster.
Fire blooms out from the booster, and the Broadway immediately ejects the unit. It starts to fall away, only to explode and send debris tearing into the ship's aft section. There are telltale flashes of engine ignition, but nowhere near as many as a ship that size should have. Trailing smoke, the Broadway begins to fall.
"I saw lights!" Eris lands beside Mort as the three of you stare at the scene, awestruck, "What's going… Oh my god."
Halfway down to the water, you see numerous thrusters all over the Broadway's bottom fire, and it almost looks like they might slow down enough… then another beam shot rips apart what few functional engines it has.
The ship immediately drops like a rock, having lost both conventional propulsive lift and its Minovsky Flight system. It hits the water, sending a huge white plume into the air.
Screams. Screams tear through your mind, making you wince. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sicilia do the same. So many people, all at once…
You… You can't let the Bellerophon join them.
"Spread… Spread out." Ugh, you sounded so weak! You clear your throat and try again, "Spread out! We can't all sit in one place waiting for this thing to get us! Lorelei, are you still in the ship?"
Your team scatters, and you see Lorelei's Nu land on the docks just as the Guncannon Detector nearby starts firing out towards the sea. You've still got nothing on scopes, but that MS has a longer sensor range than you.
A chill runs down your spine. You shouldn't be near it.
You pull on the controls, and roaring thrusters throw the Woundwort away from the HKDF MS… just in time, as a solid pillar of beam energy plows straight through the docks and the Guncannon detector, swallowing it whole. The shot barrels past into the city, leaving nothing but a long, glowing scar.
Hong Kong cries out in pain as people and buildings ignite.
That's when your cameras finally pick them out.
A squadron of Mobile Suits on the horizon, flying low enough to kick up a wake of mist. Six large Base Jabbers with hulking Mobile Suits riding on their backs, flanking one machine large enough to be a Mobile Armor. Your computer can't identify the smaller MS at this range, but it can tell what that larger unit is.
RX-104FF. Penelope.
The HKDF Mobile Suits begin taking off, moving to better positions as the Penelope opens fire again. This time the shot is aimed high, and the targets go evasive just in time. They're two Zeta Plus models! Glad to see that not all the good AEUG and Karaba stuff went to the Feds!
The Feds will be on you any second now! The HKDF can probably handle most of this, you just need to keep the ship safe!
"Okay, Hathaway, get back in the-"
"You bastards!" He cuts you off with a scream of rage, firing his waist missiles at the incoming Federation forces. Some of the HKDF units take that as the cue to fire too, and you see missiles streak out from the Super Nemos and other assorted units stationed near shore. The incoming Feds spread out, Vulcan fire taking out any missile they can't dodge. The Penelope goes up, looking as if to pass overhead.
"Oh no you don't!" Hathaway ejects his spent pods, draws a Beam Saber with his left hand, and in a rush of thruster exhaust he rises up to meet it.
… That idiot!
The Penelope ignites two large Beam Sabers of its own, locking blades with Hathaway. The superior thrust of the prototype MS overpowers Hathaway's Jegan, pushing him far into Hong Kong's airspace.
"I'm going after Hathaway! Theo, Mort, guard the ship, don't let any Fed close to it!" You glance back at your team, "Eris, Lorelei, let's go!"
The city is not a good place to fight. Too many buildings that will be used as cover, too many civilians to avoid. Regardless, that's where Hathaway is fighting, and that's where you need to go! Damn it!
Firing your thrusters, you leap into the city after them, with Eris and Lorelei on your six. You're burning through a fair amount of propellant staying airborne, but you'd rather that than risk all the people down on the streets. The wash from your thrusters alone… you don't want to think about it.
The city gleams as you clear most of the buildings, leaving only large skyscrapers up here with you. You see trails of thrusters interspersed with explosions and beam fire scattered about, with the occasional shot hitting the city. Dead ahead is Hathaway, barely holding out against the Penelope. That prototype unit isn't even pushing itself, whereas you can practically see that Jegan straining with every move it makes. Why are they taking so long to finish off Hathaway? Maybe the Fed pilot isn't used to the Penelope yet? You better get to them before they decide to finish Hathaway off.
As you close in on their duel, one of the Fed Base Jabbers swings about and moves to intercept. Two large Mobile Suits stand on their backs. You don't really recognize them, but they're turning up results in the Londo Bell database.
"Gustav Karl?" You flick through the info the computer has on them, which isn't much, "It's listed as a next-gen Mass Production model… shit, there's hardly any data on these machines."
"Whatever! We just gotta shoot them down!" Eris smirks as she steadies her Mk.III and fires her shoulder cannons at the incoming Base Jabber. She hits it dead on, but the two MS jump from their stricken mount with way more agility than a machine that size should have… holy shit, are they flying?!
And they're coming right at your group.
"Break! Break!" You raise your shield and try to move out of the way, but the lead Gustav body-checks you and plows right through, firing its rifle at Eris. She blocks with her shield, then jets to the side, drawing it away.
"Eris and I will deal with these guys!" Lorelei says as she draws her Beam Saber and blocks the other Gustav's saber, "You get Hathaway!"
"Big Sis!" Sicilia shouts, and you feel her take control of the Woundwort and turn the Gundam in the other direction, just in time to fire a short burst from the beam-scattering gun on the shield and intercept a small swarm of missiles that were about to hit you. Shit, you didn't even notice those.
You feel the Penelope's gaze as it flies rings around Hathaway. Crap, that pilot is starting to get a feel for their machine.
"We have to wrap this up." You grit your teeth and tighten your grip on the controls. The longer this fight goes on, the more likely you'll lose.
You feel Sicilia's thoughts as she confers with you through the Woundwort's Psycommu. You can't out-fly the Penelope, nor can you out-gun it, but maybe you don't need to.
"Hey, Feddie!" You prepare to fire the Shield Booster, anticipating the Penelope's course as you wind up for the throw, "Hands off the kid!"
You've been friends with Cybele for a long time, ever since that day almost a decade ago when you saw her crazy ass in a simulator trying to 1v1 a Zaku while piloting a Ball. You were more amused by it than Theo was. He wasn't too keen on teaming up with someone who took so many risks. Even so, Cybele did mellow a bit over the years, but every now and then she does something that reminds you of something that your father said one day after you brought Cybele home for the first time.
"That girl ain't right."
You break saber lock with the Gustav, the two of you putting some distance to allow for the incoming Penelope to blow right between you, trailing an undulating length of cable.
And at the end of that cable…
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
Cybele's excited screams mix with Sicilia's terrified ones as the Woundwort zips by, dragged by the Penelope like some sort of demented water-skier. The larger MA makes a sharp turn, whipping its hitchhiker into the side of a skyscraper and out the other side.
You'd be worried if you didn't know her better, but sure enough you can still hear them over comms. Not dead yet.
"Well, that's our leader for you…" you mutter to yourself before turning your attention back on your opponent, the Gustav Karl you're engaged in a 1v1 with. You made it lose its rifle already, although you can't be sure if it has anything else up its sleeve. The specs on this machine are surprisingly unknown.
With a grin, you equip another Beam Saber in your free hand. If you don't know the capabilities of this Mobile Suit, then there's only one way to find out! Throttling up, you rush the Gustav and swing, aiming to cut it in half.
It angles its shoulder shield and your saber splashes off it. Anti-beam coating! Well, that's why you have two! While your first saber reforms you thrust the other, looking to cut through the right arm. They catch your blade on theirs, locking the beams. Fine, but your first one is just about back! You thrust that one towards its cockpit, the beam already mostly-coherent.
Just as it looks like you've got them, they catch the saber in hand, manipulator clamping tightly over your own as the plasma spews from between the cracks of your fingers. Alarms go off alerting you to thermal damage on the hand and beam saber.
"Tch!" You click your tongue and flick the toggle for your shoulder cannons. They start to drop to level, and suddenly the Gustav's backpack flares up brightly, their thrusters pushed to full.
It pushes you out of the city, out over the water, until finally you manage to push back enough to slow your flight.
"Let go of me!" You jam the trigger and your shoulder cannons fire, carving straight through the shoulders of the Gustav. Its arms instantly loser power, so you pull your right arm back… only for the forearm to come away, your right hand having melted into theirs by now.
Hey, that hand was vintage! With a snarl, you rear back and slam the slagged stump into its face, blowing the head clean off. With one last maneuver, you kick them, slamming your foot into the cockpit with enough force to surely concuss the pilot. Losing all control, the Gustav tumbles towards the ocean like a rag doll.
You only lost a hand, but that's way more than you wanted to lose to some rando! Well, were they a nobody? You've never seen these models before, are they some sort of elite ace unit, like the Jesta?
No, they didn't measure up to the Jesta…
You'll have to analyze the data from them after the fight. So where did it push you out to?
It's at least a few miles back to the port, and you can see flashes of combat happening all over the skyline, with the occasional explosion taking chunks out of the city proper. A large signature can be seen swerving above the city, and you note that the signature trailing it (Cybele doing something stupid) gets close, firing its thrusters during one turn and slamming into the Penelope's side.
Go get 'em, girl.
Below is the ocean and… a ship, slowly sinking. Wait, that's the Broadway!
You land on the exposed hull. There are no signs of survivors. Pretty much only the hangar doors are above water, and they too will soon slip beneath the waves.
Wait, you feel something… or someone?
Before you can follow up on the feeling, a Mobile Suit bursts out of the water and lands on the hangar doors, denting them inwards. It's a…
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." You mouth as an Aqua GM attempts to square up with you, brandishing a harpoon gun, of all things.
You're about to send this sap to the afterlife when multiple thin beams pierce through the hangar door, slicing it up and carving through the Aqua GM as a result. As it collapses into pieces, something kicks the door outwards, scattering the debris. Two Mobile Suits jump out of the wreck just as water starts to stream in through the open doors.
The second unit is a Qubeley painted in iridescent green, which is unusual, but the first MS?
…
That must be the weirdest Gundam you've ever seen.
There's no time to dwell on odd Gundam designs, though, as more Aqua GMs begin surfacing, and one has enough audacity to try to grapple you. It's too easy to cut down the claw with your remaining Beam Saber.
"Eris Kallis, Londo Bell. You two are?" You ask as they land, taking up defensive positions next to you.
"Peche Montagne," the other Gundam pilot, a woman with pale hair and purple eyes answers quickly, "My friend is Rin. We can finish introductions after we deal with these Feds."
She's right. You need to handle these Aqua GMs first. There's a pressing need to properly educate these idiots.
"Heheh…" You grip your controls, "Don't you guys know? GMs don't belong on the battlefield…"
You reverse the grip on your Beam Saber and rush towards the nearest cannon fodder.
"I'll send you back to the museum!"
"Get off me!!"
The voice of the Penelope's pilot echoes through the contact link. They're angry and shocked that you're even doing this, but hey, it's not every day that you get to ride a Mobile Armor like it's a bull, right?
Yeehaw.
"No way!" You retort, digging in harder with your Shield Booster's claw. Unfortunately, you didn't latch onto anything critical, just one of the stabilizers. Sure, firing the Beam Gun now would piss them off, but it would also dislodge you and open you up to a counterattack.
So, you hold onto dear life.
At any rate, at least this buys Hathaway enough time to get out of harm's way. Once he's clear, you can think about what to-
"Cybele!"
Oh, he fucking didn't.
He comes flying in on his Jegan, firing his wrist-grenades. They get predictably shot down, and the Penelope starts to line up a shot on him.
God damn it. You're already regretting this.
"Hathaway!" You all but shriek at him as you arm your Shield Booster's Beam Gun, "When we get back to the ship, I am going to strangle you myself!!!"
You fire, immolating one of the Penelope's stabilizers and losing your grip at the same moment. Good news, the Penelope is no longer aiming at Hathaway, bad news is because it's now focused on you.
The larger MA grabs you and throws you away, sending you plummeting towards the city.
You and Sicilia cry out as the Woundwort hits the side of one of the buildings, bouncing off in a spray of glass and steel, only to slam into the building on the other side of the street. Airbags deploy to stop you from slamming your head into the front console.
Once, twice, three times you pinball off of concrete and glass, only to land with a thunderous crash.
Your ears are ringing, and you hear Little Sis groaning. Not dead. Good. Dust obscures your vision all around, but… you hear other people. Screams. Crying. You shakily switch the cameras to thermal.
Oh… oh god.
There were people on the street. Probably running away from the fighting. There are people lying on the ground, hurt by falling steel and glass. Some are moving, some aren't.
The Woundwort landed on its left side, shield down. You can't see if you landed on anything… or anyone.
You aren't going to check.
"Big Sis…" Sicilia mutters in horror as the cockpit pipes in the sound of misery all around.
"It's… It's fine, Sicilia. Don't look." You grit your teeth and move the controls, making the Woundwort push itself to its feet. Those who can walk on the ground try to get away. You're careful to not step on anyone.
Above you, a little higher than the rooftops, you can see Hathaway locking Beam Sabers with the Penelope. The Fed pilot predictably overpowers him and delivers a savage kick, sending him flying away. They then level their Beam Rifle at you.
You remember the specs on that thing. You check your shield. I-Field on that shot, all you've got is the one in your Shield Booster.
It's best to dodge. You start to throttle up the thrusters-
"Brother!"
You freeze as the desperate cry emanates from behind you.
Don't… Don't look. You shouldn't. Civilian casualties are inevitable. You can't be concerned with collateral at this stage.
You can't.
You look.
A little girl is shaking an older boy (her brother, presumably), who is laying on the ground with a length of rebar through his gut. Judging from their positions, he shielded her from the falling debris. He looks like he's in pain.
If you move, they die. Everyone here will die. First, your thrusters will burn many them to a crisp, then the Penelope will reduce the rest to molten slag, with no bodies left to bury.
All you have is your Shield Booster. It has an I-Field, but you shouldn't rely on it.
You…. You shouldn't.
Hand on the throttle, you start to push it.
Kaylen stands in front of you.
"Hey, Cy." He says, "Take care of Mom for me."
"Hui, please, get up! Brother!"
The little girl looks up in fear as your Gundam's thrusters begin to spin up.
You… You can't….
Damn it.
"Damn it!" You kill your thrusters, raise your Shield Booster in front of you, and dump all available power into the I-Field, "Sicilia, give me external PA!"
You switch over audio channels and shout, "All of you, get behind me! Take cover!"
Some people get the hint, running for the shadow of your Mobile Suit. You make sure to position yourself directly between the siblings and the Penelope.
It fires.
The beam is huge, big enough to have come from a battleship. Brilliant pink slams into your I-Field and splashes off in all directions, hitting the surrounding buildings and sending molten sparks showering down over the civilians. Everyone who didn't take cover behind you is gone in an instant.
The Penelope fires again, and this time you're pushed back. Warnings blare. The I-Field generator is being stressed. It won't last.
More screams from behind you. Some of the molten debris got a few of them. A quick glance shows that the siblings are still there.
Another blast, and the Shield Booster's casing glows red as it starts to overheat.
This isn't working. You're all going to die at this rate! Unless…
You switch to an open channel.
"Penelope pilot! Cease fire!"
They fire again, and more screams are cut short. You hear Sicilia whimper.
"Cease fire, damn it! There are civilians down here! Civilians!"
They fire one more time, and this time something explodes inside your Shield Booster. The I-Field generator reports complete failure.
"…Civilians?" The Penelope pilot replies, not firing but still aiming at you.
"Yes, civilians!" You repeat breathlessly, "If you keep shooting, they're all going to die!"
There's a pause. Good, the appeal to his humanity worked!
"Just hold your fire till I get clear of them. Then-"
"No." He cuts you off, and the barrel of his Beam Rifle glows, "They made their decision when they gave their support to Spacenoids like you."
He… He's going to….
Why?
"You…." Sicilia's voice trembles as she bites back a sob, "Un… Unforgiveable…"
Grief and anger flood over you as a bright light fills the cockpit. These aren't your feelings.
They're hers.
"UNFORGIVEABLE!!!"
Sicilia takes complete control of the Woundwort as the Psycommu responds to her emotions, her rage and sadness. An unnatural aurora wreathes your Gundam as the Penelope fires.
The beam hits the Psycho-Field emanating from the Woundwort and dissipates entirely, not even diverted. Just… vanishes.
"You aren't Human!" Little Sis shouts, the Woundwort clenching its hands into fists in response to her rage, "You're nothing but evil!"
Somehow, this power pushes the Gundam airborne without any thrusters at all. Connected to the Psycommu, you still feel the Mobile Suit moving like it was your own body. You can feel the power coursing through it.
But it's not yours. It's Sicilia's. Her emotions. Her power.
It's amazing.
The Shield Booster, damaged as it is, is deployed in Heat Blade mode. With fury in her scream, Sicilia swings it at the Penelope, catching the Beam Rifle and cleaving it in two. The larger MA backs up and fires multiple beams at you from other mounts, but they just dissipate against the Psycho-Field.
"Bad people like you don't deserve to live!" Sicilia rages, against the Penelope, against the Federation, against everything that's made her suffer in this world, "Everyone you've hurt, all that happiness you've destroyed, you don't deserve to be happy after being so evil!"
"You… You think you're the only one who's suffered?!" The Penelope pilot's voice echoes not over speakers, but through your mind, and you see light begin to emanate from their unit, "It's because of that kind of selfishness that this war never ends!"
They're a Newtype too?! Sicilia replies with a wordless scream as she throws the shield at him. He deflects it, as she intended, and Little Sis uses that opening to cleave off one of their Beam Cannons.
Psycho-Field clashes against Psycho-Field, and you feel them. The pilot of the Penelope.
A young man. Around the same age as you and your friends. He's lost loved ones too. Relatives, friends. His rage and grief are just as real as yours.
This is where, in the days of old, someone like Amuro Ray or Kamille Bidan would have likely called for some kind of mutual understanding. An empathetic connection that only Newtypes could form. They might have called for a halt to the fighting, made an appeal to your collective humanity.
But you're different. You know. All three of you know.
What good is understanding if life is a zero-sum game? In war, one side emerges the victor and the other the loser. Even if you understand their reasons for fighting, even if you know that the fighting is tragic, what will be gained by stopping?
Your grief, your loss, it won't go away by laying down your arms. There is no hope for some kind of "kumbaya" moment. Decades of bloody war have poisoned that well. Justice and freedom for Spacenoids, or safety and power for the Earthnoids. Both can't exist in this world that's been created.
No, there's only one way this war ends.
The two fields repel each other, and Sicilia growls as she faces down the Penelope. She is the stronger Newtype, you know. You can feel it. Even now, you're just being dragged along for the ride, your own powers as a Newtype barely a candle to her roaring flame.
However, the Penelope pilot has the better machine. He has more functional weapons.
And Sicilia can't keep this up forever.
He deploys two Beam Sabers from the arm-mounted shields. Sicilia readies the Heat Blade again.
The Woundwort and the Penelope clash, break apart, then clash again. Repeatedly she strikes out at the enemy, and repeatedly the blows are blocked.
Sicilia is fighting so hard. You can feel it. You can feel her love. Her passion.
She wants a family. A family that loves her and cares for her.
She used to have so many sisters. Sisters that understood her. They were united in purpose, with a collective sense of belonging.
Then they went to sleep, and Sicilia woke up alone.
Alone… but you were there.
You were her family now. You were all that she had.
She'll fight with everything she has, all to make sure that you stay with her.
Your mind touches hers through the Psycommu.
"I understand." You tell her, "You don't have to fight through this alone."
It's as if you wrap your hands around hers, and together you guide your strikes.
Heat Blade carves through stabilizer. Beam Saber slices through armor plating. With each clash you and the Penelope take chunks out of each other.
Battered and scorched, Woundwort and Penelope face each other down. The city is spread out below you, a sea of fear and death. You notice that some combatants even pause to look at the spectacle.
"Big Sis…" Sicilia pants, pale and sweating. She's at her limit.
You reach other to take her hand. She did well… You'll take it from here.
She slumps in her seat, out cold. The Psycho-Field enveloping the Woundwort weakens by a lot, but remains, fueled by your determination.
It's strange, this somehow feels more natural now, like this power is something you had all along. Was it because of Little Sis? Regardless, you can carry on the fight… although you do have to turn the thrusters back on. You're not that strong a Newtype.
Stillness for a long moment, then you push the throttle to full and charge the Penelope. The Federation monster rushes you as well. A wordless scream issues from the both of you, a cry for a world where you can finally be happy.
"Liar…"
From the sky, a torrent of despair. The agony of being betrayed.
You stop dead in your tracks.
Everyone does.
"Michele… Jona…"
Looking skyward, you see an image. A golden phoenix wrapping itself in a coat of blades and guns.
"Liars… Both of you…"
Dread smothers you. There are voices calling out for the phoenix to stop, but she doesn't listen.
"YOU LIARS!"
The phoenix throws her wings wide, and the blades lash out. The guns fire.
Millions of voices cry out in fear and pain, and they rapidly fall into silence.
The feeling fades, still there but faint.
There is only a faint, distant glow in the sky.
That's…
"A colony…" Sicilia mutters in her sleep, "A colony is burning."
She's right. You don't know how, but she's right.
As you stare at the sky in horror, the Penelope pulls away. Turning, he runs. The surviving Federation forces turn to follow him, breaking away from their respective fights.
They're too shaken to continue. Honestly, you can relate.
The Bellerophon is already lifting off when you land on the rear deck, which is crowded with Mobile Suits. Two that you don't recognize are in the process of being transferred into the central hangar. You quickly check to see how your team fared. Mort and Theo seem well off, escaping relatively untouched.
Hathaway's Jegan is already landed and disembarked, so you'll have to reserve his chewing-out for later.
Lorelei's MP Nu took damage to the chest, and the cockpit hatch is lying on the deck in front of it. Looks like she had to blow it off to get out.
Eris's Mk. III is missing its right hands, and the shield looks like a pincushion.
"Aqua GMs." She answers the unspoken question as she drops the ruined defensive equipment, "I'll show you the battle data later."
Aqua GMs? That'll be an interesting story…
As the ship pulls away from the city, you see a plume of water erupt in the bay. Two Gunperry craft circle the area, weapon bays open.
Well, the Aqua GMs had to get here somehow. You silently salute the poor cannon fodder that got deployed in such archaic vehicles.
"These Feddies kind suck, don't they Sicilia?" You quip with a chuckle.
No reply.
"…Sicilia?" You turn to her. She's slumped in her seat, breathing heavily.
You reach over and feel her forehead. She's burning up!
Without delay you trigger the emergency egress procedure, making the Woundwort all but flop onto the deck face-first, all while not jostling the head too badly. A few of the deckhands shout in alarm. To be fair, you were close.
You'll deal with their protests later. You open the hatch and climb out, taking a deep breath.
"MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!"
Hang on, Little Sis. It'll be alright.
Beep. Beep.
The heart monitor continues its steady report.
Good. That's good.
Beep. Beep.
The ship rumbles around you. You're still not out of Earth's gravity well yet.
Beep. Beep.
Sicilia looks weak. Even weaker than the day you woke her from her long sleep.
Beep. Beep.
"I remember when I was that young."
A familiar voice. You turn to look as the newcomer enters the infirmary. She looks almost exactly like Sicilia's older sisters. Sounds like them too. She has some scars, and you're sure you haven't seen this woman before specifically.
"I'm Rin." She smiles softly at you, "I'm from the Broadway. I'm hitching a ride because, well…"
You nod. You saw her Mobile Suit being loaded when you landed, along with a weird-looking Gundam. You assumed that was the case. Two survivors from that doomed ship.
"There's a lot of you, huh?" You chuckle, "Makes you wonder why Sicilia wants me as her big sister. Seems like she has a lot of choice in that regards."
Rin pulls up a chair, sitting down next to you at the little Cyber Newtype's bedside.
"I don't know how the two of you met, but I could feel her back during the battle. You mean a lot to her, you know?"
"Yeah. I know." You look at Rin, "I felt her too. We were right there, together."
The two of you sit in silence, watching the sleeping Sicilia. If she hadn't done what she did, you probably would have died, or been forced to abandon those helpless civilians.
Did those siblings survive? The little sister, probably, but was she able to get help for her brother? A wound like that would be fatal without proper treatment.
…
You're… lucky to have her. Really.
You think you love your Little Sis just as much as she loves you.
"…I'll watch her for you." Rin offers with a comforting smile, "You go get some rest. I'll let you know if anything happens."
You… think you'll take her up on that offer.
But before you rest, there's something you need to do.
[] Find Hathaway. Slap Hathaway.
[] Find the Captain and demand punishment for Hathaway.
[] Graffiti Hathaway's Jegan with "I'm a stinky Earth baby that endangers his allies."
[] Confer with the rest of your team. You need to talk about what just went down.
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