Gundam Crucible - [An AU Universal Century Quest]

TheBleachDoctor · Apr 20, 2022

An AU Universal Century Quest

TheBleachDoctor · Apr 20, 2022

Cybele Naese

Age: 16

Birthplace: Side 5, Island Cascadia

Rank: Ensign, Captain of Londo Bell's Cascadia Team

Hobbies: Mobile Suit Combat Simulations, Engineering

Skills: Trained in Mobile Suit operation and maintenance

About: Cybele grew up with her older brother and mother in a small apartment on the run-down Colony of Island Cascadia. Her father died in the Gryps war fighting for the AEUG. She's inherited her father's fighting spirit, and along with her brother shares dreams of making a difference in the Earth Sphere. Nothing is more important than family to her. Cybele only has a few friends, all of whom frequent the Combat Simulators with her.
Having lost her home and her brother, Cybele flies for Londo Bell as the Captain of Cascadia Team. Her exploits on the battlefield have made her infamous amongst Federation pilots as the "Black Death". A fledgeling Newtype, she has attracted the attention of Haman Karn's ghost, who seeks to turn Cybele into a successor of sorts.
Revenge against the Federation drives Cybele, and her judgement is often clouded with anger and spite.
She is convinced that the fast-food chain MacDaniels is engaged in a massive conspiracy to commit... something. What exactly that something is, she couldn't tell you.

Sicilia

Otherwise known as "Ple 42", this young girl was rescued by you from an abandoned Neo Zeon facility. While technically a Cyber Newtype by virtue of being genetically engineered and cloned, she doesn't suffer much of the mental instability common among Cyber Newtypes. However, lingering conditioning from her upbringing makes her prone to unpredictable behavior. She feels a deep connection to you, and calls you her "Big Sis".

The second-strongest Newtype on Cascadia Team, Sicilia likes to toy with her targets before finishing them off. Despite being one of the deadlier members of the team, most Federation pilots don't know her by name.

Eris Kallis

Your longtime friend, she's two years older than you. She used to help her father run a little museum out of their house, and as a result is a bit of a history buff. Her mother and uncle died when Char dropped 4th Luna on Earth. Her father fell into depression as a result, leaving her to take care of the household. Along with Theo, the three of you were an informal team who regularly used the Simulators together. Since her father died during the attack on Cascadia, she has no living family. She has a bit of a crush on Theo that she won't admit to.
A fledgling Newtype, Eris is an exceptional pilot and has amassed a considerable amount of combat experience. She has gained a reputation as a bit of a Char-wannabe amongst Federation pilots.

Theo Gataki

A shy kid, same age as you. A bit of a natural at piloting craft in Zero-G. He's the third member of your informal MS Simulator team along with Eris. Frequently the subject of Eris's bullying, he has no idea she's got a crush on him.
Theo lived in Cascadia with his aunt, whose fate he hasn't mentioned. You know that his parents live on Earth, but he never really talks about them, and you get the distinct impression that they aren't close.

A fledgling Newtype, Theo is a competent pilot and can quickly assess a situation. Despite this, he tends to fall into a support role and doubts his usefulness to the team.

Ensign Mort Mallory

Formerly a pilot with the Island Cascadia Defense Force. You saved his ass during the attack on your colony. Now he's a trusted and reliable member of Cascadia Team. You got him a ~~shiny new~~ Methuss to replace his older, shitty GM III.
Fun fact! His name means "Death Unlucky". Despite this, he is the sole surviving Mobile Suit Pilot from the ICDF.

Mort sees himself as along for the ride, and holds the rest of Cascadia Team in higher esteem than himself. Despite this, he is a skilled and deadly Oldtype pilot, more than capable of holding his own in a fight with most Newtypes.

Lorelei Vogel

A former member of the Federation "Hunting Pack" Newtype Squad, she's brimming with childlike enthusiasm, and has taken an odd interest in Cybele Naese. She acts according to the mysterious directives of her "Future".

She is a powerful Newtype and deadly pilot. She is just as adept at ground combat and can wield a firearm with ease.

She is currently in a coma.

Coming Soon...

Rita Bernal

Credit to Rolliandy for the art of adult Rita

The newest member of Cascadia Team, Rita Bernal is the former pilot of the RX-0 Phenex. She is the strongest Newtype on the team, enhanced or not. She is also the most unstable, requiring a high dosage of psychotropic medications to maintain her sanity and presence of mind. Without them, she suffers from delusions about the very nature of reality. Although she was off her medication at the time, Rita is directly responsible for the deaths of roughly ten million people when she obliterated the entirety of the colony Metis.

Despite all of these things, Cybele guilt-tripped Rita into joining Cascadia Team. There is no way that she could ever come to regret this.

Rhea Pagonis

An excitable Technician from Anaheim Electronics. She's passionate about her life's work, which is the study and reconstruction of the TR-6. Since you have an intact example, she's over the moon about it. While she doesn't have your best interests at heart, she's taken a liking to Sicilia and your goals align, mostly.

TheBleachDoctor · Apr 20, 2022

Third Neo-Zeon War/Laplace Incident
- The revelation of Laplace's Box upset the balance of power in the Earth Sphere. Although the war itself ended, the Earth Sphere is more violent than ever as uprisings, riots, and outright rebellion tear through the Colonies. All the while, the Federation is tightening their control at all costs.
Republic of Zeon
- The Republic of Zeon, long considered nothing more than a puppet state of the Federation, suffered a military coup in the year U.C. 0098. Sayla Mass, otherwise known as Artesia Deikun, took the position of Prime Minister and declared their full independence from the Federation.
- The Republic wasted no time instigating hostilities with the Federation, antagonizing them by immediately declaring their territory as safe refuge for fugitive Newtypes. Then mere days after Artesia's declaration, Republic forces initiated an attack on the Federation garrison at Von Braun in order to secure shipments of Mobile Suits to Side 3.
Earth Federation
- The ruling administration of Earth, what was once a semi-democratic government has descended into full martial law. Newtypes are registered to Federal databases, and then them and their families are transported to designated colonies firmly under Federation control.
- The Federation exercise almost complete control of information within their holdings, and the true nature of their actions is not well-known to those living within their borders.
Londo Bell
- Formerly the Special Forces of the Federation, Londo Bell acted as a Semi-Autonomous unit tasked with hunting down Neo-Zeon remnants and other dissident groups. In U.C. 0097 they declared their opposition to the Federation and moved to consolidate their holdings, securing Side 1 with the help of defectors from the Federation Space Forces. The Federation constantly probes their defenses, forcing a constant state of military readiness.
- Captain Noa Bright remains in command of the organization. He is a proponent for a truly Democratic future for the Earth Sphere, but currently Side 1's colonies are forced to obey Londo Bell.
- Despite their interests aligning, Londo Bell is not allied with the Sleeves, Neo Zeon remnants, nor the Republic of Zeon.
Neo Zeon/The Sleeves
- More a loose scattering of Neo Zeon and Zeon remnant groups than a proper organization, these factions have no centralized leadership. They generally oppose the Federation and engage in guerilla warfare whenever and wherever the opportunity strikes.
  - The Mineva Faction
    - Composed of the estranged crew of the Nahel Agarma and Garencieres, as well as remnants from the Vist Foundation, the Mineva Faction is a mismatched group with aligned interests.
    - Their base of operations is known as the Magallanica, a large megastructure that used to serve as the Command and Control, residential, propulsion, and engineering section of the Colony Builder known as "The Snail". It is significantly larger than a Jupitris-class freighter, is mobile, and has extensive docking facilities as well as habitation space.
    - Mineva Lao Zabi is the political and ideological leader of the group. She advocates for peace, and her faction engages in no offensive operations. That is not to say, however, that they are undefended.
    - Although possessing the former Londo Bell warship Nahel Agarma, as well as an unknown number of militarized civilian ships, the Mineva Faction does not have an active Navy. They also possess an unknown number of Mobile Suits, but also do not utilize an active Military. The Mineva Faction's current and only defensive measure is the RX-0, piloted by the Newtype Banagher Links. Details of the Federation's confrontations with the RX-0 are classified, but it's common knowledge that every assault they've attempted has failed completely.
Argent Keil-NEW
- Formerly an off-the-books Black Ops group, Argent Keil has since become a true mercenary group. They are discerning when choosing customers, and only take on one job at a time.
- Made up of former Zeon and Federation defectors. AK has no true allegiance or preference.
- They operate heavily-remodeled Zaku IIs and GM units, which pose a comparable threat to modern MS.
The Buch Concern-NEW
- A conglomerate made up of different companies, all founded by Scharnhorst Buch.
- Has recently published media advocating for a return to "La noblesse oblige", a societal structure in which a small number of nobility take leadership responsibilities for the common people, while also leading from the forefront in military engagements.
Birnam-NEW
PMC-NEW
Island Cascadia
- One of the colonies located at Side 5 "Loum". Cascadia managed to avoid major damage during the One Year War, but their economy went into recession shortly afterwards. The Colony was used as a Titans base for a number of years, before the Titans were abolished. Neo Zeon took up residence in the abandoned facilities, before they too left after the First Neo Zeon War ended. Since then, the colony remained mostly unmolested by any of the military powers in the Earth Sphere, however the state of the colony itself was poor.
- In U.C. 0098 the Federation attacked Island Cascadia under the pretense of searching for a dangerous fugitive Newtype. What followed was the systematic slaughter of the populace through wholesale destruction of the colony itself. All survivors were evacuated aboard the Londo Bell ship Bellerophon.
- Two days after the colony was abandoned, the Colony Corporation conducted a survey of the damage. While the colony itself is no longer habitable, the overall structure and major systems are intact and can be repaired in the future. However the Agricultural Blocks are missing, and require replacement. No further action by the Colony Corporation is planned.
LBSF MSC-10 Bellerophon
- A Pegasus-class Assault Carrier operated by Londo Bell.
- The spaceframe itself is old and hails from U.C. 0083, but the hull, armor, and major systems are all new construction.
SS Argama
- Formerly the "Argama" under the Federation and AEUG forces, the Argama was sold for scrap to a salvage company owned by Beecha Oleg, Elle Vianno, Mondo Agake, and Iino Abbav. They've done their best to restore the ship to spec, but a lack of proper materials has led to its current state, which resembles more a moving junk heap than a warship. It is, at best, on par with a Columbus-class in terms of combat strength.
EFSF Gaunland
- An Alexandria-class battleship serving as the home of the Federation Newtype Squadron "Hunting Pack". It has been refurbished to modern standards and equipped with a Minovsky Flight System.
ZRSF Astraia-NEW
- Flagship of the Zeon Republic's SDF. Commissioned to coincide with the installment of Artesia Deikun as the new Prime Minister and named after her late mother, wife to Zeon Zum Deikun.
- A modified version of the original Sadalahn-type hull, the new design sports a larger carrying capacity for MS, greater firepower, and increased durability in combat. However, it suffers from poor maneuverability.
Von Braun City
- A major Lunar city and home to a large branch of Anaheim Electronics, Von Braun claims neutrality in the multi-way war between the Federation, Londo Bell, Neo Zeon/The Sleeves, and the Zeon Republic. They enforce a strict No-Fire zone within city limits.
Earth Federation Special Forces - Newtype Division
- Despite being called the "Newtype Division", most of the personnel in it are Oldtypes acting as handlers for the Newtypes.
- While it is publicly unknown why any Newtype would want to serve the Federation when they've been hunted down and had their rights stripped away, nonetheless there are a significant number of Newtypes piloting High-End Psycommu and Psychoframe-equipped Mobile Suits.
- Each Squad consists of one Newtype or Cyber Newtype piloting an MS with Incoms or Funnels, escorted by a Command-type ReZEL, two Defenser ReZELs, and four Type-D Jegans. While ostensibly there to protect the Newtype, they are also there to ensure obedience and terminate the Newtype if they actively rebel.
- Newtype and Cyber Newtype Pilots are assigned RX-94 Mass-Production Nu Gundam units. Stronger Newtypes tend to equip the Fin Funnel loadouts, while even weaker Newtypes can effectively use the INCOM backpack equipment.
- This Division also has highly skilled Oldtype Pilots using the Quasi-Psycommu MS ARX-014 Silver Bullet.
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TheBleachDoctor · Apr 20, 2022

Silas Naese-[DECEASED]
Your father, who died during the climax of the Gryps War. He was a former Titans Test pilot-turned AEUG pilot. He flew on the Radish.

Kaylen Naese -[DECEASED]
Your older brother by four years. He was a Mobile Suit pilot for the Island Cascadia Self Defense Force. He died protecting you from a Federation Newtype.

Amanda Naese
Your mother. She worked long night shifts to provide for you and your brother. After Kaylen's death, she's been traumatized and mentally unstable.

Captain Sarina Nouri

A young woman in her mid-twenties, she commands the Londo Bell Pegasus-class Assault Carrier Bellerophon.

Lieutenant Riddhe Marcenas
A Londo Bell pilot, he's haunted by guilt from things he's done that he considers unforgiveable, even though nobody alive blames him. He fights to atone for his family's legacy, and to redeem himself.
He pilots the infamous "Banshee", sister-suit to the "Unicorn". It has lost its right leg, and as a result is permanently handicapped in terms of performance.

Commander Christina Mackenzie

The leader of the Bellerophon's second Mobile Suit team. A One Year War Veteran with a kind soul. She retired from the military after the One Year War and spent some time travelling before accepting a job offer with Anaheim Electronics helping to develop next-generation Mobile Suits. While she was retired for a time, she left civilian life and joined Londo Bell recently. Despite being an Oldtype, she is a skilled Pilot, and can (barely) handle over-tuned, sensitive Mobile Suits meant for Newtypes.

Hector Canales
Hector hails from a small resource satellite, where he spent his childhood as child laborer, gaining expertise with Mobile Workers. After emigrating to a colony in his late teens, he took up marksmanship as a hobby and excelled. Recognized for his talent, he was recruited into the Earth Federation Forces. Hector was calm under pressure and performed admirably in the field.
His skill and reputation saw him in high demand as conflict began to escalate in the Earth sphere. He was assigned to Londo Bell shortly before the Laplace Incident. Due to his strong personal convictions and sense of justice, he's committed to the cause of defeating the Federation.

Koike Ishi
Koike Ishi was born on Earth, to a loving family. However, tragedy struck one day when in the opening days of the One Year War, her city was obliterated in a large scale battle between Federation forces and Zeon invaders. Her parents perished in the fighting, leaving her to take care of her younger sister Haru, who would later begin to exhibit signs of Newtype emergence. Determined to provide for her last remaining family, Koike enlisted in the EFF. While she was at first utilized as a regular Logistics grunt, her skills with computer systems got her flagged for a transfer, and she became a Data Analyst and Network Security Technician.
She supported her family with her EFF job for years, until the Laplace Incident shattered her faith in the Federation and she resigned. She intended to move into the civilian sector when the Newtype Registration Act was implemented, and she promptly fled with her younger sister to the Colonies.
When Londo Bell declared their intent to overthrow the Federation, she joined out of a sense of responsibility to keep her sister safe. While she was initially assigned an IT job again, she showed enough proficiency in Basic Piloting that she was transferred to Alex Team to act as a support unit.

Ishido Inoue
Ishido is a Spacenoid from the defunct colony of Loum. She was a career pilot in the Earth Federation Forces, and had a deep sense of loyalty to them. She participated in multiple conflicts, including the First and Second Neo Zeon War. By the time of the second war, she was with Londo Bell and considered one of their better pilots.
After the events of the Axis Shock, she transferred to Torrington Base to train new pilots.
Much to her chagrin, Ishido was unable to sortie during the attack on the base in UC 0096. The hangar containing her personal MS was hit, making her machine inaccessible. All of her current students at the time died during the attack, and so afterwards she transferred back to a Londo Bell ship.
The Laplace Incident shook her faith in the Earth Federation, so she had little issue staying with LB when they declared their intent to overthrow the Federation.
Her single-minded dedication to her military career left her with limited skills in other areas, but as she has no intention of retiring, that doesn't seem to be an issue to her.

The Puru/Ple Sisters-NEW
The Puru/Ple clones are a series of individuals birthed through unspecified artificial means, by the Cyber Newtype labs at Axis Zeon. They are the culmination of efforts to refine the genetic traits of Newtypes, and are more powerful than most Newtypes.
With the exception of the "Cascadia Series" Puru clones (name pending), all Purus are aged roughly 19-20.

Camilla
- A Ple Clone serving in the Republic of Zeon's Royal Guard. She is very blunt and rarely jokes. Her sole goal in life is to serve her Master and protect Lady Artesia.
Lutetia "Luce"
- Much like her sister Camilla, Lutetia has been assigned as Artesia's bodyguard and wingman. She is a bit more casual than her sister. Lutetia has been traumatized by Cybele's reckless flying and will never fly shotgun to the younger girl ever again.
Adrastea "Stea" (Puru Seven)
- One of the original Puru sisters who fled the Earth Sphere and found sanctuary in the Jupiter fleet. Stea idolizes Judau Ashta, seeing him as her big brother. She is incredibly dismissive of those outside of her social circle, and is entirely willing to kill strangers for rather minimal reward.
Rin
- A "defective" Puru clone, mentored by Peche Montagne. She was one of three who Peche took under her wing, and the only survivor of Glemy's rebellion. She has since stuck with Peche with unwavering loyalty.
Gretchen (Deceased)
- One of Artesia's bodyguards. Killed in action against Rita Bernal in the Phenex.

The Gundam Team-Crew of the Agarma
Consisting of First Neo Zeon War heroes Elle Vianno, Beecha Oleg, Iino Abaav, and Mondo Agake, the Gundam Team man the semi-restored Agarma. They run a salvage company out of the ship, having lost their main branch on Shangri-la. Elle and Mondo fly a ReGZ-ID and Methuss Kai, respectively.

"Federation Commander"-[Name Unknown]
The commanding officer of the Federation Newtype Squadron "Hunting Pack". An Oldtype herself, she flies a Gundam Delta Kai equipped with a NITRO system that gives her Cyber Newtype abilities when piloting it. She has considerable self-control, and doesn't like to be shown up.

"Blue Wolf"-Luke Walker
The Newtype Pilot of the blue Mass Production Nu Gundam that murdered Kaylen Naese. Around the same age as Cybele, he's in the Newtype Division of the Federation Forces. He seems to have bought fully into the Federation propaganda line. In terms of skill, he's not as good as many Oldtype Aces out there, but his Newtype powers let him close the gap.

Ensign Acothley
A foul-mouthed battle-crazed redheaded Newtype with the "Hunting Pack" squad. She's a considerably skilled pilot, and flies a custom-tuned Mass Production Nu Gundam.

Lieutenant Shasta-[DECEASED]
Pilot of a Gaza-C in the Island Cascadia Defense Force. He instinctually knew that he was doomed the moment he stepped into the cockpit of that deathtrap, so he decided to go out in a blaze of glory.

Ensign James-[DECEASED]
Helmsman of the Bellerophon. Oh James, we hardly knew ya! Now some cadet has to fly the ship. How inconsiderate of you to be murdered and pass work onto your juniors, Ensign!

TheBleachDoctor · Apr 20, 2022

U.C. 0097-Side 1-Londenion-Ra Cailum

"General Revil is approaching the first defense line! The Calypso and Ra Kiem are in position and ready to engage!"

"Mobile Suit Squadrons Alpha through Delta have confirmed the launch of Federation Mobile Suits! General Revil's escorts are taking up screening positions!"

As his bridge crew called out from their stations around him the leader of Londo Bell, Captain Bright Noa, considered his situation. Even with the defecting Federation vessels, he wasn't sure if they had enough ships and Mobile Suits to emerge from this battle victorious.

"Message from the General Revil!" his communicators officer spoke up, turning to look at him, "They're demanding that we surrender immediately!"

"Surrender?" Bright repeated with a touch of incredulity. They really thought that he would surrender after everything that had happened? If he did, everyone on Londenion, all the men and women under his command, his family, his son, they were all-!

"I think-" Bright gripped the armrest, staring at the video feeds from the first defense line, "-that we are far beyond words at this point. All ships, fire on my command. After our initial barrage I want our Mobile Suits to follow up. Have the diversionary teams draw fire away from the strike force, then hit the Revil with everything we have."

A chorus of affirmations rang out as the battle chatter increased, the dull drone of a battle alarm serving as backdrop to the impending conflict.

"Amuro," Bright muttered under his breath as the Ra Cailum's main guns locked into position, "it's happening again. Those fools never learn…"

"Mega Particle Guns at 100% charge! Firing Solution locked!" Tactical announced. Bright stood up and steeled his gaze.

"All ships, open fire!"

In U.C. 0096 The Third Neo Zeon War ended with the opening of Laplace's Box, revealing the original Charter of the Universal Century. The revelation of the 15th Article threw the Earth Sphere into turmoil. Responding to an increased call for Spacenoid self-governance, the Federation began tightening its grip. Humanity's Potential, which seemed so tantalizingly within reach, began to fade into the growing flames of war.

U.C. 0098-Side 5 "Loum"-Island Cascadia-Naese Household

The mirror on your vanity is cracked, but it's enough to get the job done. Working off of what little unbroken surface remains, you finish braiding your hair into one long red braid, which you brush over your shoulder like always. Moving over to your worn dresser you pick through what few clothes you have, briefly considering what to wear. Most of it is secondhand, except for a nice sundress your mother bought for you a year ago. It's your only outfit that even approaches formal, so that's a no-go for today. A plain shirt and jeans it is, then.

You toss them onto your bed and quickly consult your calendar, one of many decorations covering the faded walls of your apartment complex. Mostly it's free promotional stuff from the Cascadian government. It used to be that you had wall-to-wall posters of Federation ships and Mobile Suits, but you tore those down almost two years ago now.

Nothing major today. Guess you'll hit the simulators. You heard that they got some new combat data last week. You're always up for a new scenario, it's getting hard to top your score on the last one anyways.

Phone, handbag, and finally your jacket. An old, worn black leather jacket that used to belong to your father when he was young. A bit too small for your older brother, but just right for you.

Also, pockets.

The pockets are nice.

"I'm headed out," you announce, walking fast through the cramped living/dining room just down the hallway, "Call me if you need anything."

You're almost to the door when your mother flags you down with a small bag in hand.

"Cybele!" she hands you the package with a smile, "Would you be a dear and take this to your brother? He forgot his lunch."

Yep, that sounds like Kaylen. He was probably in too much of a hurry to get to work. His C.O. always gives him hell when he oversleeps.

"Are you going to be busy today?" your mother asks hopefully.

"I was planning on hitting the simulators," you answer, "Why?"

"Oh, well I was wondering if you had time to help me with something," she sighs, "There's one last box of your father's things to go through from the storage unit. It's a bit much to go through on my own, but if you can't spare the time, that's no problem. Have fun!"

You give your mom a kiss on the cheek and head out. Your mother, older brother, and yourself have been sorting through a bunch of boxes that your father left in a storage unit, one which you didn't even know about until about a week ago when the company operating it told you the rental period had finally expired. You had initially hoped to find something exciting in it, but it was mostly a bunch of memorabilia from his time with the AEUG, along with some trinkets that you think might have been gifts he intended to give to you and your brother if he hadn't died during the battle at Gryps II.

"Newtypes are demons!" some deranged maniac shouts from a nearby street corner near your apartment, waving homemade flyers in the air, "Demons sent from Hell to purge the Earth Sphere of Humanity! If we desire peace in our time, then we must-!"

You tune him out, walking right by. Lunatic. Federation propaganda is one thing, but you can't even imagine what sort of narrative that guy is feeding into. Some people are just flat out crazy.

What is peace? Adults have always told you that peace is when there is harmony between everyone, when there is no war, no fighting, no killing. It sounds lovely, but you've never truly experienced that for yourself. Just one year after you were born, Zeon remnants dropped Island Ease onto North America, and in response the Titans were formed.

As you walk down the streets of your city, you can see their legacy. Faded posters in back alleys and abandoned checkpoints every few blocks. They used to have a facility here and a little garrison, and if what your mother says is true then they weren't well-loved. After the Titans were annihilated at Gryps 2, the remaining Titans here kind of scattered to the wind. They probably feared retribution. Now the colony is free of their oppression, and everyone walks around freely. The bustle of daily life fills the air around you. Looking up you see the tall apartment buildings flanking each street, with shops and other businesses at street level. Everything is a little worn down, a little ragged, just like the colony itself and the people who live here.

A hairdresser's shop with a Zeon flag hung in the front window reminds you of the next "occupiers" of this colony. Neo Zeon. You grew up with those guys hanging around the city, then after them the Sleeves. It's not that Cascadia Island is diehard Zeon supporters, but after years of Titan occupation, you suppose people here just wanted to side with someone who shared common interests.

The Linear Train races along the outer wall of the colony, interior crowded. You barely managed to get a seat. It's stuffy and cramped. You can't get out soon enough when it pulls into your destination several minutes later. From there it's a quick walk to the port.

"Hey," you wave to one of the guards by the port's military entrance, the gruff older man familiar to you, "I have something for Kaylen."

The guard recognizes you and lets you pass. You don't make it a habit to wander the place, but you're here often enough that you're a regular sight. After all, the Cascadia Self Defense Force base is the only place in the colony where you can see real, operational military Mobile Suits!

The hangar is awash with activity, Cascadia's defending behemoths all lined up in two rows, a handful of technicians and pilots conducting maintenance on their MS. It's a mashup of suits from various conflicts. There are a few Hizacks, a handful of various GM variants, and even a couple of Gaza-Cs! But all of them pale in comparison to the single Doven Wolf standing near the front! Piloted by Cascadia's resident veteran of the Gryps war, former AEUG pilot Miles Benning!

You don't know the man that well, you just like his suit. You take a moment to admire it as you pass the Doven Wolf's massive legs. You wonder what it must be like to pilot something like that. For real, you mean. You've flown one in the simulator, but that's not the same.

A few more Suits down stands your brother's RGM 79-GS, a relic of the One Year War. It's painted in Cascadia's signature dark green with dark blue highlights. Oh? One of the arms is off.

"Kaylen!" you shout out to your older brother, his dirty mop of red hair standing out against the armor of his MS's right arm, "You forgot this!"

He turns to look at you, oil streaking his jumpsuit and some tool in his hand. He instantly recognizes you, greeting you with a smile.

"Hey, Cybele, look who finally got up!" he smirks, accepting his lunch as placing it on a nearby tool cabinet, "If you slept in any longer, I bet mom would have asked me to buzz the apartment!"

The thought of your whole apartment complex getting shocked awake by a Mobile Suit flyby does amuse you. Although you doubt anybody would really appreciate that. He's just joking. Probably.

"What are you doing, Kay?" you ask, peering at the detached arm on the hangar floor, "Need a hand?"

He nods, "Actually yeah if you have the time, Cy. The right elbow feels kind of loose, and I was trying to diagnose the issue. It's not terribly important, but with another hand to help we could have this done in a couple of hours."

This wouldn't be the first time you helped your brother work on his MS, and to be honest it's actually quite fun. But your mother also needs help, and you wanted to hit the simulator today… argh!

"Why don't you get one of the mechanics here to help you?" you ask. You mean, wasn't that one of the perks of being in a military organization? The maintenance of your MS would be supported by the group?

"I would, but they're all tied up right now making sure our Suits are ready to head out if necessary," he shrugs, unconcerned, "A small Federation task force was spotted in the sector. We don't think it's headed here, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

So Kaylen doesn't strictly need your help, he'd just like it. Normally you would be all for an opportunity to work on his MS, but your mom needed help too, and you can almost hear the combat simulators calling your name…

[] Help your brother repair his Mobile Suit.

[] Go help your mother sort out your father's things.

[] Go to the combat simulators.

TheBleachDoctor · Apr 26, 2022

[X] Go help your mother sort out your father's things.

As much as you'd like to help out your brother or ditch responsibility and hit the sims, it would be a bit heartless to let your mother sort through your father's things all by herself. Sitting all alone with her memories… someone needs to be there to help her focus on the happy memories!

"Sorry Kay, mom wants to sort through the rest of dad's stuff," you give him an apologetic smile, "and I don't want to leave her alone in that headspace, you know?"

He nods, "I gotcha. It's not a problem, I'll just put the arm back and run those checks later. It's not critical. If you see anything interesting in dad's stuff though, set it aside for me, okay?"

"You got it!" You wave as you head out of the hangar. Next stop, home!

You sit across from your mother as the two of you pick item after item from the stuffed cardboard box, inspecting each item before sorting them into "Keep", "Sell", or "Trash". So far most of it is trash. Your small TV is on in the background, some newscaster talking about something you aren't paying attention to. It's just background noise.

"How many bottle caps did Dad keep?" You ask, slightly incredulous as you find another small plastic bag full of the stuff.

"Your father liked to think that he'd make something with them someday as a hobby project," your mother explains, placing a worn postcard into the keep pile, "it's just trash though. There are much more sentimental things of his to keep."

You have to agree there. Much more valuable things to keep, like this photo!... Wait…

"...Why is Dad in a Titan uniform?" You show the photo to your mother, "I thought he was with the AEUG!"

She nods, "Before he joined the AEUG, he was a test pilot for the Titans. You don't remember it that well because you were still so young. He joined the AEUG soon after it formed. The Titans had become too corrupt for him, he said…"

You look at the photo of him smiling in front of a Marasai painted in test colors, his uniform that signature Titan dark blue. Heh, you can see where Kaylen got his good looks from.

You put that in the keep pile. Sure, the Titans were pretty awful, but it's still a part of your father's history. It would be wrong to just pretend that it never happened.

There's even a lanyard in the box with what looks like an ID card! It looks like it used to be your dad's security clearance for whatever Titan base he used to work at. You're not so interested in that, it's probably useless, but the lanyard itself is nice, so you pocket that for later use. After making sure your mom is okay with it, of course.

You set aside a few old magazines on Mobile Suits that were in the box. Kaylen might like those.

Then as you're finishing up, you notice a package from the colony's postal service, all wrapped up in old paper.

"Oh, I noticed that when I went to get this box," your mom tells you when you hold it up questioningly, "It was shoved in a corner. The shipping label is too faded for me to make out."

You gingerly pull apart the wrapping, revealing an unassuming cardboard box with the AEUG logo on it. You and your mother share a glance before eagerly cutting through the packing tape and opening the box itself. What could this be?!

…

Three letters, some clothes, picture frame with photo in it, a seashell of some kind, a pendant and an hourglass.

One of the letters is for your mother. One for Kaylen. One for you.

"Oh…" your mother covers her mouth, staring at the photo in shock. Your mother and father stand face to face, staring into each other's eyes. Your mother is dressed in a white gown, your father in a suit. Behind them is a large fountain in the middle of a verdant green park.

"It's our wedding photo," she picks it up reverently, "I thought that this went down with the Radish!"

"Dad must have sent this back to keep them safe in case the battle turned bad," you hold your letter, "...or in case he never came back."

"But he sent it to the storage unit?" She wondered, turning her letter over in her hands, "He must have forgotten to tell us about it… or maybe he mentioned it and I just forgot."

"Well at least he wasn't hiding anything from us," you sigh, "I can't imagine why he'd want to hide any of this."

Nothing about any of this made much sense, but there weren't any major revelations with his stuff… if anything, you just wonder who would deliver to a storage unit and shove the package in a corner.

….

Actually, you don't wonder that badly. Cascadia Post is notoriously shitty.

As you run your hands over the yellowing paper of your letter, you notice that the program airing on TV has changed to some sort of press conference. A Federation official standing at a podium awkwardly adjusting his tie.

"-as to our stance on Newtypes, our position remains the same," he continues on, "Newtypes are dangerous, and pose a risk to themselves and others. For the safety of the general public, we are continuing our efforts to identify and register all Newtypes in the Earth Sphere, and relocate them to suitable housing."

A reporter stands, "Minister, what do you say as to the allegations that the Federation is coercing Newtypes to serve in the armed forces under threat of violence? There have been credible reports-!"

The Minister scoffs, "Baseless accusations made by Neo Zeon fanatics. The Earth Federation would never engage in such behavior. All of our Newtype Pilots willingly serve in the armed forces. Next question."

"What does the military intend to do about Londo Bell?" Another reporter asked, "They have growing support among Spacenoids because of the Laplace Declaration, and loyal Federation citizens on Earth are concerned about the possibility of another Colony Drop! Do you have any reassurances for the general public?"

"Londo Bell are just another group of corrupt warmongers, like the Titans," the Minister huffed, almost scowling, "while we are concerned over possible attacks they may make against Earth, we have seen no movements that would indicate an operation to drop an asteroid or a colony on Earth. Furthermore, their support is greatly exaggerated. As the Federation has clarified multiple times, the so-called 'Laplace Declaration' was misinformation spread by Neo Zeon terrorists. Mineva Zabi is a known enemy of the state, she has every incentive to falsify information."

Your mother sighs, shaking her head, "That man lies so much, I wonder if he even knows what the truth is anymore."

The reporters begin asking something about the Earth's climate when the audio cuts out, the video freezing.

"Did it finally die?" Your mother leans over to check the TV as you fiddle with the controls on the side. Well, you suppose that this thing was pretty old. This was bound to happ-

Emergency tone. The video feed switches to a static announcement from the Island Cascadia Administration, all in bold letters.

"SEEK REFUGE AT YOUR LOCAL DESIGNATED SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

You feel a creeping nausea as air raid sirens begin to bleed in from outside.

Is… is this-?

"Pack a bag," you shove the keepsake pile into the now empty box and dash to your room. You hear your mother frantically opening drawers in her room as well!

A few essentials go into a worn black side bag, and you're racing for the front door, your mother right behind you.

You take only a moment to grab the items from the package and put them in the box with the other keepsakes. Better keep them safe.

"What's going on, who do you think is attacking?" Your mother asks worriedly as you slam the door behind you, your neighbors in a similar rush to leave.

"Kaylen said that there was a Federation fleet in the area. I'd bet money that we're the target!"

Running down the street with your mother, you look up into the sky. Even the wind has picked up, as if it sensed the turmoil brewing.

At the entrance to the shelter, the mass of people clamors for entrance. You're shoulder to shoulder, and it's all you can do to get in what passes for a line. As you near the large shelter doors however, an older woman in a defense force uniform walks up to you, concern etched on her face.

"I recognize you, you're Ensign Kaylen's sister, right?" her voice barely audible over the shouts and cries of the crowd, "We're looking for any able Pilots! We don't have any more Mobile Suits, but there are several older Saberfish, Publics, and Petite-Mobiles that we're trying to man! We're going to need every bit of help we can get!"

You stare at her in shock. Saberfish? Public-class Gunships? Petite-Mobiles? How desperate is the defense force to be breaking out the antiques and glorified cargo loaders?!

"Are things really that bad?" you ask, but her expression says it all.

"The Feds are still pretty far out, but we've got a good estimate on their forces."

The idea that your home will come crashing down around you chills you, but there's something more important that you'll lose if she's right.

Your brother will die. Then you will as well.

The odds seem impossible. Your thoughts must show on your face, as she continues.

"Please, I've already got a couple of volunteers, but you're probably the only one out of the group that would even know what to do in the cockpit of one of the Petite-Mobiles."

….

There really only is one thing to do, isn't there?

You hand your bag to your mother with a forced smile, "Keep my stuff safe, okay Mom?"

"Cybele!" she grips your arm, a grief the likes of which you've never seen in her eyes, "Don't go! It's too dangerous! You could-!"

"What's the point in hiding if the Feds blow up the colony, mom?! Kaylen is going to be doing everything he can to protect us, how can I just sit in a bunker and let him put himself in danger? Besides, I have to protect you too, mom!"

Her grip tightens for a moment, before loosening in defeat.

"Just…" her gaze seems so distant, like she's staring at something only she can see, "Just don't end up like your father."

You give her a hug, "I won't. Gotta read my letter, don't I? I'm not going to die before I find out what dad wrote to me, and Kaylen will get to read his letter too! So you hold onto those for us, okay?"

Her hands linger on your jacket as you pull away, and you don't notice the moment when the crowd sweeps her along. A more fatalistic person would say that it felt like a final goodbye, but you know it isn't. After all, you still have things to do.

In the end, only about five people including yourself volunteered out of that crowd. Thankfully the Linear Train was entirely empty due to the emergency, so your little group had it all to yourselves.

"…Never thought the Federation would ever pay attention to us," a young man about your age shakes his head, "but I'll be damned if I don't do something about it."

Bravado or bravery? You'll see when the fighting starts.

"Um…" a girl a few years younger than you worriedly glances outside the windows, "Is it safe to be using the train right now?"

"Strictly? Probably not," the woman from the defense force admits, "but it's the fastest way to the hangars. The Federation forces aren't in weapon range yet, so we should be fine."

Another older man looks out the window, brow furrowing with unease, "Um, ma'am, you said they were out of range, right?"

The unspoken warning prompts everyone to move to the windows, and with horror you see a Mega Particle beam streak by the colony, bathing one of the large mirrors in its bright glow.

"What the hell…" another boy your age gapes, "Why are they firing from so far out? Are they trying to punch a hole in the colony?"

As if to answer him, a beam slams into the colony directly in the path of the Linear Train farther down the line, and everyone is thrown to the floor as the emergency brakes kick in. You hear the younger girl screaming in terror as the shockwave and debris crash against the front of the train, the vehicle screeching to a slow halt.

Is this how it ends? Killed by a random shot by a Federation warship? No fucking way!

The shaking soon stops, and the brakes quiet. You've stopped moving.

Almost as one, the group rises to look out the front window. Not several meters in front of the train are the twisted, mangled tracks, still glowing red from the hit. Air can be seen rushing past that. There's a hole in the colony.

You barely have enough time to worry about how you'll get to the hangars now when it happens.

Crack

Small, barely noticeable. A little mark in the glass.

Crack

It spiders out, almost the size of your thumb.

Crack

"Reverse…" the defense force member gasps, "Somebody put the train in reverse!"

Crack

You're already pulling open the maintenance panel in the roof. There's a simple manual throttle meant for emergencies and maintenance crews. You slam it in full reverse.

Crack

The train begins to pull back, gaining speed as it heads back towards the station. But as fast the train is accelerating, so is the size of the crack in the window.

Crack

It's almost to the window frame. You get as far away from it as you can and grab onto a seat.

Crack

You can barely see out the front window. But you make out the thruster flashes of the colony's Mobile Suits rushing to meet the incoming enemy.

You exhale.

The window shatters, and two of the men in your group are pulled out instantly, having neglected to grab ahold of anything.

The young girl flies past you, and you reach out to grab her hand. You catch her sleeve, but not the rest of her, and her frightened eyes are the last part of her you see before she's sucked out of the train.

The older man and defense force member hold firm, as do you. The wind dies, and although you still feel the movement of the train, it all goes quiet.

No air. No oxygen. Nothing but the cold vacuum of space.

You shut your eyes. It hurts. It's only a little cold, but there's just… a lack of pressure. You don't know how to describe nothingness. You had been told what to expect during safety drills. But to feel it-!

No air. You can't stop yourself from trying to breathe, but it's pointless. There's nothing.

There's nothing.

The feeling of air rushing across your skin has never felt more wonderful. Air! Glorious air! You cough and gasp as your body pulls itself back from the brink. The train must have reached the previous station! Thank god! Shaking, you push yourself to your knees and look around.

The other two are sprawled out on the ground. As strength slowly returns, you crawl over to check on the defense force member. She's breathing, but it's ragged. You think you see some blood. Did she forget to exhale before the glass broke?

The man is unmoving, unblinking, eyes staring at the ceiling. You weakly try to give him CPR, but it's no use. The shock did him in, probably, and you're no medic.

Damn it, you were going to help, right? You were going to save people, and now here are two right in front of you and you're helpless!

It's just… you need a weapon! A vehicle! Anything!

The train doors slide open for you as you stagger onto the platform. The lights are only half-lit, and the entire space looks neglected, dirt and trash accumulating all over the place. This station, it hasn't been maintained or used in a while. The train must just rush on by normally.

The escalator is still working, and it groans to life as you approach it. Good, you're not sure you could have made it to the surface on your own. You take the momentary reprieve to gather your thoughts.

…

What the hell? You were almost killed by stray fire! The rest of your group too… The defense force woman is probably a goner. She must have held her breath, so her lungs are burst now. Unless you find help immediately, she's a goner…

It feels a bit heartless to leave her there like that, but she was right, the colony needs every bit of help it can get. You've got to make all this death mean something!

The light hits your eyes, and you leave the station. It exits onto a main highway… and right across the street is a building you'd only ever seen in passing, through the window of a car.

Three stories, blocky, and unassuming, the only indication that something is off is the large security fence around the building. It was a research facility back during the Titan's reign. You remember hearing that Neo Zeon used it for a bit too. Nobody goes there anymore, due to concerns over anything dangerous that might have been left behind… but there's a garage! Sure, it's closed with metal shutters over it, but it might have a car you can use! Or, if you're lucky, an old MS! Anything is better than being stuck on foot!

As you make your way across the street a roar echoes through the colony, and you see two Mobile Suits streak inside, probably through that hole from earlier! It's hard to make it out… but as they clash beam sabers you recognize their silhouettes and color schemes! The colony's Doven Wolf is squaring off against a Federation Jegan! Inside the colony!

The two combatants put some distance between each other and the Jegan fires their beam rifle, the shots barely missing and hitting a forest on the other side of the colony. That probably made another hole. You see two flashes from the Doven Wolf's shoulders, and two little dots dart out. Those must be the Incoms!

"Come on, you got this!" you pump your fist, enthralled by the fight as the Incoms fire, the Jegan taking a few hits. Yeah, a direct hit!

Then the Jegan explodes! The Doven Wolf has no time to celebrate, throwing itself to the side to avoid a ReZEL in Waverider mode that screams into the colony as well, making a strafing run against it! You almost get sucked into this fight too… but then you notice something heading towards you.

It's one of the Jegan's arms, trailing smoke and flames.

Oh shit.

With a scream, you run, hoping that wherever you're going is away from where that thing is going to land! The ground shakes and you stumble as it crashes behind you, the sound of tearing metal and shattering concrete filling the air! You stumble, barely catching yourself before you fall!

Shaking a bit, you turn around. The Jegan's arm lies near the building, its landing having crushed a section of the security fence as well as the front doors of the building, leaving a sizable hole that anyone can just walk right through.

…

Well, you're not going to turn down this opportunity.

The facility is dark. Kind of damp, you think it smells kind of mildewy. You should have expected it to be like this…

Neo Zeon really stripped this place on their way out. Some of the light fixtures are missing, not that any of them are on at the moment anyways! You can barely see!

You almost wish it was silent, but the sounds of battle creep in from outside. Explosions, cannon fire, beam weapons… you can almost picture your colony falling apart around you.

All the better that you find the garage and get some kind of vehicle! Hell, you'd take a Normal Suit right about now!

You turn a corner, and notice something. There's… a bit of light underneath one of the doors. Light… there's power in there? You really should keep looking for a garage, but what if that's a stairwell? You have to see.

You try the handle. It's locked. Heh, like that's going to stop you! With a kick, you bust the door inwards! Loud, but it's not like you're trying to sneak around!

You peek inside as soon as the dust settles. Whoa. A row of tubes against the far wall, facing the ceiling. A server rack in the corner, flashing intermittently. The light, however, is coming from one of the tubes. Hesitantly, you approach. What could it be? Is this something that Neo Zeon left behind? The glass is almost opaque, dust caking the surface. You brush a bit off and…. What the hell?

A young girl lies inside, pale and sleeping. She has orange hair, and… no, she's not sleeping. The glass was cold. This is a cryogenic pod! Are the others-?

You quickly check the adjacent pod, which is dark, and after brushing enough dust off of it you gasp in shock. Inside is another young girl… or you assume so. Her skin is wrinkled, almost ash-like, and her hair is faded. You can tell, she's dead.

The rest are like that too. Who… Who could do such a thing? You feel sick.

But… But one of them is still alive! Well, she's in stasis, but you can save her, right? You can't just leave her here, the colony is getting blown to bits! You couldn't save the others in the train, but you can save this girl!

There seem to be some controls near the base of the pod, but any writing has faded beyond recognition, leaving their function a mystery. But you have enough technical know-how to mess around with the systems as well.

[] Investigate the controls. You think you can trigger the sequence to wake her up.

[] You only recognize some of the systems behind the access panel, but you're certain that you can trigger the emergency failsafe and make the pod wake her up.

[] Fuck it. Smash the glass.

TheBleachDoctor · Apr 28, 2022

[X] You only recognize some of the systems behind the access panel, but you're certain you can trigger the emergency failsafe and make the pod wake her up.

Messing around with life support systems is a very bad idea. That has been drilled into the head of every Spacenoid since birth. But that also came hand in hand with education so that you knew what you were looking at in case you ever did have to mess around with them.

Granted, you've never looked at a Cryopod before, but you recognize atmospheric and temperature sensors anywhere. You can only see their back, so they must be facing inside the pod. Now, what could you do that would cause a relatively quick but still detectable fluctuation in those readings?

Using your jacket as a makeshift barrier between you and the almost certainly freezing hoses of coolant, you grab a hold of the tubes and yank! Immediately ice-cold gas begins billowing out of the sides of the pod, and you take a few steps back. It's barely audible over the hissing, but you can hear an insistent beeping now. That must be the system doing an emergency resuscitation. You hope. If you just accidentally killed this girl, you'll never forgive yourself.

…

Cold.

It's so very, very cold.

You try to hold yourself, to warm yourself up, but your arms feel so weak, like they're weighed down.

Your eyelids are slow to open, and all you can see is frosted glass. Where… are you?

A snap, a hiss, and the glass rises gradually. It's dark outside. The only light comes from around you. Whereas there was silence before, now there is faint rumbling, and intermittent pounding coming from somewhere far away.

A face, a girl older than you, maybe in her teens with messy red hair that's been lazily braided into a braid that falls over her shoulder.

"Hey," she reaches out to touch your shoulder. She's so warm.

"Are you okay?" she pulls you up slowly into a sitting position. You notice that you're naked. Why? You try to recall, but there's nothing…

"I…" your voice is scratchy, and it hurts a bit to talk, "I don't… know. Am I okay?"

"If nothing hurts, then you're probably fine," the girl smiles with relief, "I'm Cybele. What's your name?"

"My… name?" you blink in surprise as you try to answer and realize something. You don't know your name. But surely people used to call you something! Everything is a blank, though.

She smiles apologetically at you, "Sorry, if it's too hard you don't have to answer. You were probably in stasis for a long time."

"…Stasis?" you look down at where you were sleeping. A pod of some sort, with icy mist drifting from it. A… A crypod. And around you-!

"…Sister?" you reach for one of the other pods. You don't know how you know, but you just know, the other pods hold your family! Your… Your sisters! The girl stops you before you step onto the floor. She looks into your eyes, and you see a sadness deep in hers.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly, "They're gone. You were the only one left."

…

Gone?

"….No… gone, they can't be gone…" you mutter, images of smiling faces just like yours flashing through your mind, "We were… were going to-!"

You gasp, clutching your head as pain lances through it! You… You were going to do something with your sisters! You… You were meant to-!

"Hold on, don't push yourself!" she catches you before you can topple to the floor, "Look, it isn't safe here. We have to get out of this building. Can you walk?"

You shakily nod. It hurts, and you feel weak, but you can walk. That much you're sure of!

Cybele leads you by the hand, and you find yourself more and more confused as you walk through abandoned, destitute hallways. Where is everyone? Where you were before, there were… people. People you knew. Someone… Someone who was important to you was there. They told you what you were for.

You were born to-!

A low hum becomes a deafening roar, and the building shakes as if an earthquake had seized it! You cry out, fear coursing through you as you hold onto Cybele.

Directly ahead of the two of you, something plows through the wall, shining metal and groaning mechanisms. It continues on until halfway through the other wall, then halts. There's a muffled roar of… thrusters, yes, the roar of thrusters outside, and the mass of metal lifts upwards. A foot passes. A leg, it's a giant metal leg!

A Mobile Suit.

"What-?!" Cybele gapes, getting dangerously close to the edge and staring up at the MS as it rises to meet an incoming foe, "Wasn't that-?!"

"AMX-014, Doven Wolf," the information surfaces in your mind as you repeat it aloud, "Manufactured at Axis Mobile Suit Production facilities. Equipped with Quasi-Psycommu weaponry."

Cybele looks at you strangely, "…That's right. Well, if you were with Neo Zeon I guess you would know what that suit was."

Neo Zeon? What is-? Oh… No, that sounds right. But looking around you, you wonder if you still are a part of it. Despite everything, they left you behind. They let your sisters die.

All those people whose names and faces you can hardly recall, they were all lying when they said they cared about you.

So you cling to Cybele as she leads you back in the other direction, your path ahead cut off. Cybele is a stranger to you, but you can't recall being cared for this much. She… She really is concerned for you. You can feel it. You've never felt this before. You're certain of this.

You pass by a set of large double blast doors, and you pull Cybele to stop.

These doors… you remember. The people who taught you were mad that they stayed closed. You and your sisters thought it was silly that they made a door they couldn't open. They said they didn't make the door. It belonged to-

"The Titans," Cybele mutters, staring at a large insignia in the center, "Looks like it heads deeper into the facility…"

She steps closer, inspecting it. You point out a card reader, and she brushes it off, revealing a dim red light.

"It's still got power…" she sighs, "Damn. If it was dead, maybe we could have forced it open. But I need an ID card, and it's not like I'm going to find… a…"

You look at her in confusion as she trails off, and she slowly reaches into her pocket.

"…No," she slowly pulls a badge on a lanyard out of her pocket, "It couldn't be that easy, right? This can't still be valid."

Even so, she holds it up to the reader, and much to her shock the light turns green.

"Is that yours?" you ask curiously as the door slides open, stale air pouring out and washing over the both of you.

"No," she answers quietly, pocketing the badge again, "It belonged to my father."

Down. The stairs go down and down. You started to shiver, so Cybele gave you her jacket. It was big and heavy, but warmed you up a bit and covered up enough for decency. Not that you really cared about "decency". You don't remember much, but there are flashes of people in coats scolding you for running out of the bath without getting properly dressed. You never cared.

Empty offices, silent conference rooms, quiet labs, the place is untouched and dead. Dim lights from mostly-failed ceiling lights give a dreary ambience to the place.

"They sure left in a hurry," Cybele comments as the two of you peer into another empty lounge, "Have you ever been in here?"

"…No," you shake your head, "This place isn't familiar."

"Huh," she frowns, "Okay, let me see if I can't find one of those fire escape maps. I don't want to keep blindly wandering this place until all the air in Cascadia gets spaced."

All the air? This place is… yes, a colony, a big cylinder spinning in space! Filled with millions of people, all going about their daily lives! If Cybele is talking about all the air going away…

"Is the colony leaking?" you ask as she squints at a faded map near the door.

"Yes. The Federation is attacking us. I don't know why, but they've already punched one hole in the colony, I doubt they stopped there. We've got to get a car or something to get us to the port."

You wander around the room, touching an old couch. It's coated in dust.

"What are you going to do when you get there?" you ask.

"…Fight, I guess," she clenches a fist, banging it against the wall, "Damn it, my brother's out there fighting, and I'm here, useless."

You don't say anything to that. You almost want to tell her that she has done something good. She woke you up… but part of you almost wishes you were still asleep. At least then you didn't know that you were alone.

"…Okay, this place has a hangar. Come on," Cybele heads for the door, and so do you. You want to help her. You don't want to see her in distress. Maybe…

Maybe she can be your new sister?

The doors to the hangar rattle open, but it remains dark. You step through, and the girl follows you, clutching your father's jacket tightly. You suppose it must be comforting.

"…It's dark," she whimpers quietly, "Cybele, where are the lights?"

"Must be motion-activated," you speculate, "or dead. I hope it isn't the latter."

After walking about as far as the light from the corridor reaches, you start jumping up and down, trying to trigger whatever motion sensors there might be. The girl you rescued starts copying you. It's hard to see in the dark, but you think you see her start to smile a little.

Then the lights snap on, illuminating the whole hangar. There's only one Mobile Suit, but it's enough to make you stand in awe.

It's like nothing you've ever seen before.

Mostly white, with dark blue highlights and yellow detailing. Thighs that make up almost half of the Mobile Suit's mass. The legs resemble pegs, and the feet are more like landing gear than anything else. It's all arranged around some kind of drum frame, and in its right hand it's carrying a large unidentifiable weapon that's longer than the Suit is tall!

However, one thing is unmistakable.

On the crotch area, a red recessed area with a golden V. Golden wings on the head, contrasting against white metal.

There's no mistaking it, this Mobile Suit is a-!

"Gundam." The girl breathes in awe.

[] Climb into the cockpit immediately. You just found your ticket out of here!

[] Scour the hangar for Option Parts. You'll need every bit of firepower if you want to contribute to the colony's defense!

[] Do a pre-flight inspection. Gundam or not, this thing has been sitting here for long enough that you're worried about its flightworthiness.

TheBleachDoctor · Apr 29, 2022

[X] Do a pre-flight inspection. Gundam or not, this thing has been sitting here for long enough that you're worried about its flightworthiness.

"Good, it's still hooked into power," you sigh in relief as the panoramic monitor flickers to life around you, the low thrum of ventilation systems coming to life filling the small cockpit, "let's run some pre-flight checks first, okay? I don't want to fly out of here only to crash."

The girl nods, "Makes sense. Who's driving?"

"I've got hundreds of simulator hours racked up, and I've flown my brother's Mobile Suit a few times. Haven't flown an MS with an actual Linear Cockpit before, but it can't be that different than the sims."

With that, you plop yourself down in the pilot seat. It's well-padded, but you can tell that this was meant for someone wearing a Normal Suit. Still, it'll work.

"RX-124, Gundam TR-6 'Woundwort'." You read off the name of the Gundam as it appears on the screen during the boot-up sequence. Huh, you've never heard of this Suit before. But that kind of makes sense, the Titans made a lot of experimental MS during the Gryps War. Not all of them are commonly known.

"Okay, running diagnostics," you state as you find the right switches, flicking them on. In front of you, the monitor displays various schematics and readouts. You and the girl lean forward to take a look.

"Konpeitoh Arsenal?" you note the logo near the top, "So this isn't an Anaheim suit. Still using the Anaheim standards though, I can work with that."

"What's a 'Composite Shield Booster'?" the girl asks, pointing at your weapons loadout, "It has a lot of stuff on it."

You use the controls to expand that window, "Long Beam Rifle, Claw, Heat Blade… and it functions as a Bit? Talk about overengineered."

"Sis, look!" the girl excitedly points out the last piece of equipment your Shield Booster is packing, "We have an I-Field generator!"

"Really? Well damn. Those Fed bastards won't even know what-…" You pause, her words registering, "Did you just call me 'Sis'?"

"…Yes," she looks at you with a shy but hopeful smile, "Is… Is that okay?"

You're not too sure how to feel about that… but you pat her on the head.

"Sure, I can be your Sis if you want. Always wondered what it'd be like to have a little sister."

She brightens up and plops herself down in your lap as the two of you continue to run through the system checks.

"Well, we're good on propellant, could use more but I'm not going to go hunting for more right now," you linger on a few systems, "But… the drivers on this weapon look pretty basic. 'Training Funnels'. Is this an addon?"

"Maybe it's a prototype?" she suggests, "I noticed some orange cylinders kind of strapped to the booster on the back. Maybe those were it?"

You shrug. There are also a bunch of Psycommu systems that you know only in theory, but have no way of knowing whether they're actually working or not beyond what the computer itself is telling you.

"Well, we should be good," you flip a few more switches, "Hatch closed, reactor running at optimal values. Let's warm these thrusters up, then I think I saw an exit over by-"

The far side of the hangar caves in in a mess of torn steel and shattered concrete, destroyed by a Mobile Suit being plowed through it headfirst! It stops on the hangar floor, upside down, while debris continues to rain down around it! The girl hurriedly straps the two of you in while you quickly aim the Head Vulcans at the suit! The IFF system doesn't recognize the suit, and it's half-slagged and missing an arm. Still, you can recognize that suit anywhere.

"That's the Doven Wolf!" you gasp, dread pooling in your stomach. If the colony's strongest MS is already like this, then what about your brother?!

But something more urgent. The Doven Wolf has been heavily damaged, and you know the reactor output on those things is high… and they can be volatile.

"Hang on," you tell the girl as you grip the controls, "This isn't going to be pleasant!"

The acceleration is nothing compared to a GM, and you grit your teeth as the Woundwort shoots forward, twisting around to avoid hitting the Doven Wolf and flying up through the hole it made! You pass a few floors before emerging outside the facility, just beyond the front doors. You notice that Jegan arm from earlier. It looks so small now!

"We're out…" you look around, seeing the Gundam tracking multiple targets all across the colony. The fighting has spread. Every major city in Cascadia is on fire or has a fight actively happening inside or around it. As the seconds go by, you can see your home slowly being destroyed bit by bit.

There are no less than five breaches now, all of varying size, but the largest you could fly a Salamis through.

"…We're finished," you mutter as it dawns on you, "Cascadia is done for."

There's no coming back from this.

"What kind of Mobile Suits are those?" the girl draws your attention to the nearest fight, indicating the Jegan pressuring one of the local GM IIIs. Your suit doesn't have the IFF data for those MS either.

"Jegan, the standard Mobile Suit used by the Federation," you answer quickly, activating the Heat Blade, "I've got this."

You punch the thrusters, and the Woundwort screams forward. With how long it is, and how flat the tip is, the only way to use this thing properly is to swing it.

Like an executioner's sword.

"You're mine!" the blade catches the Jegan's neck as you streak by, sending it flying. In that precious moment when the pilot is switching cameras, the GM III draws its beam saber and spears the cockpit! It slumps to the ground like an abandoned doll.

"You got them!" the girl cheers, "Your first kill, Sis!"

"That was just an assist," you brush off the praise, landing next to the GM III and establishing a contact link.

"Are you alright?" you ask.

"Thanks! Thought I was a goner!" you hear the voice of a young man, likely one of the greener pilots in the defense force, "Where did you come from, I've never seen that Mobile Suit before!"

"I found it. Long story. Do you know where Kaylen is? Kaylen Naese, he's my brother."

The GM III turns to look at the far end of the colony, where you can see the distant trails of Mobile Suits clashing in the skies of the colony.

"Last I saw, he was with Lt. Shasta, they were trying to draw the fighting away from one of the shelters!"

"Thanks. Can you come with me? They might need help."

"Of course," he stands, preparing to launch, "You saved my life, least I can do is assist you!"

He follows, but you start to leave him behind. The acceleration of his Suit can't match yours, and you need to make sure that your brother is safe! As you approach the shelter, you recognize the area. That's the one your mother is in! Outside, many buildings have already fallen. A couple of Cascadian MS are lying broken in the street, but there's still weapons fire! A Jegan with a heavy weapons loadout stands with its back to you, firing its rifle at two MS taking cover near the shelter. Backing it up is two more of its fellows. One of them turns, noticing your rapid approach.

"Too late!" you gun the thrusters and switch the Composite Shield to rifle mode! With a whine, the beam rifle charges up and fires, punching clean through the Jegan's side!

Switching to Bit mode, you then launch it at the second Jegan, the Composite Shield transforming into a claw in mid-flight! The Federation pilot tries to intercept the incoming Bit with their beam rifle, but miss every shot. It clamps around their midsection, and you pull the trigger.

A particle beam spears the Jegan, and you reel the Bit back in before the MS explodes! Thankfully you didn't hit the reactor.

Now for the third- Where is it?

The Gundam shakes, making you and the girl cry out as the whiplash strains the belts keeping you in place. To the left, you see the Jegan's head, eyes glinting menacingly.

"You bastard!" a gruff voice echoes over the contact link, "So what if you're in a Gundam!"

He lashes out with a kick, the impact jarring you and the girl and sending the Woundwort sliding backwards! You regain your senses in time to see the Jegan level its multiple heavy beam weapons at you!

A bright flash of purple, beams engulf your vision, then multiple shots spiral away to slam into the neighboring buildings and streets, a few flying off into the sky to hit the other side of the colony.

Your Woundwort stands tall, untouched, Composite Shield raised. The I-Field generator hums. Your hand is tight upon the controls, tense finger still jamming the activation trigger for the I-Field.

The Federation pilots stands in shock, just for a moment, but that moment is all that is needed. A hail of Beam gun shots hit the Jegan from the side, and you see your brother rush out from cover, his GM Command dual-wielding small beam guns! The Jegan tries to recover, but one of the shots nails the cockpit and it goes over like a sack of bricks.

"…Wow…" you breathe, finally relaxing a bit, "A Gundam is really something else, huh little Sis?"

"Gundams are the enemy." She whispers under her breath.

"Hm? You say something?" you ask, not having caught whatever it was that she mumbled.

She blinks in confusion, "Huh? I didn't say anything."

Your brother's GM touches your shoulder, "Thanks for the assist. Name and affiliation?"

"Kaylen, it's me!" you grin, relief welling up within you, "I'm so glad I made it in time!"

"Cybele? What-?" his GM looks up and down at your Woundwort, "Cy, where'd you find a Gundam?!"

You smirk, quipping, "Thrift shop down the road. They've got a great selection, you should check it out."

Your "little Sis" giggles, and you pat her on the head. She's been a good sport so far.

"In all seriousness though," you point back where you came from, "I found it in the old Titan facility."

Then in the distance, a bright flash of light engulfs the facility, swallowing it whole as the Doven Wolf's reactor goes critical.

"…Shit," Kaylen curses, "A reactor just blew."

"That was the Doven Wolf," you answer, mentally tallying the number of breaches in the colony, "Kay, what's going on? Why is the Federation attacking?"

"They said that we're harboring a Newtype," he growls, "but that's nonsense. This is just a massacre, plain and simple. We're Spacenoids, nothing but trash to them."

Really? Is this all this is? Federation grunts blowing off steam? That can't be it, can it? Can someone truly value Human life so little?
But you know. You've known for years.

Some people think that they're above respecting life.

"…Mom's in that shelter," you let Kaylen know, "What should we do?"

Kaylen's GM looks up at the ongoing fights, "Truthfully, I don't know. I've lost contact with most of our allies, and the only other survivor I can personally verify is my buddy in his Gaza-C over there."

You notice the other MS that had been pinned down as it peers over a smashed convenience store at you.

"I saved one of the new guys in his GM III a little ways away," you check your monitor, "I think I see him inbound. I kind of left him in the dust."

"That's not a lot to work with," Kaylen says, and you can almost hear him shaking his head in irritation, "Alright, get that rookie down here, and he can shelter-sit with Ensign Montoya over there. You and me, we're going Newtype-hunting."

You're taken aback, "Wait, what? We're going to try and find the Newtype that the Feds want?!"

"No, not that," he replies as he walks over to one of the downed Jegans, grabbing its intact rifle, "The Feds brought a Newtype Flight in with them. I only caught a glimpse of them, too short to ID, but I definitely saw a big blue one using Funnels."

You mentally go over Mobile Suits that fit that description, there are none you can think of.

You're not thrilled to go up against a Newtype, but… this is war. You've already killed two Federation soldiers, and assisted in the deaths of two more. You almost want to run away, but there are people here you want, no, you need to protect.

And the Federation isn't going to just let you walk. You've never heard of them wiping out colonies like this, but you have heard recently of some colonies just going dark… and you can think of a chilling reason why nobody knew the cause.

Still, Kay is in a GM. A GM Command, granted, but it's still no match for a Jegan. And against a Newtype-use Mobile Suit? You don't like his odds.

Still, he wants to fight, and you're not sure if insisting that he stay behind would be any better…

"You can take a Newtype all by yourself!" Little Sis speaks up, "I know you can, Sis!

[] Agree to the plan, accompany Kaylen to go hunt a Fed Newtype.

[] Just go. Kaylen is too fired up, and he isn't going to listen. Tell him to stay behind, then go confront the Newtype Wing yourself. You're way faster than him anyways, he won't be able to catch up.

[] Offer to switch Mobile Suits. Kaylen is the more experienced Pilot. He can make much better use of the Woundwort.

TheBleachDoctor · May 1, 2022

[X] Just go. Kaylen is too fired up, and he isn't going to listen. Tell him to stay behind, then go confront the Newtype Wing yourself. You're way faster than him anyways, he won't be able to catch up.

Kaylen can be confident and just a bit bull-headed at times, and it's always pulled through for him. You doubt that it'll pay off this time though. A GM of any variant against Funnels is a losing proposition.

You don't think he'll listen, but he doesn't need to. You can outrun his Mobile Suit.

"Just stay here, you'll only slow me down," you fire up your thrusters, "I'll go deal with that Federation attack dog."

"Wait! Cyb-!" his voice cuts out as you rocket out of optical voice range, the Woundwort going straight up and from there you jink sideways and head towards the space port side of the colony. You saw some fighting over here, and judging from the pattern of the weapons fire you're pretty sure Funnels are in use!

"Sis! Look!" Little Sis points towards a few small shapes holding position equidistant from the sides of the colony, close to the port. Three Mobile Suits, one vaguely familiar blue one in the center that you can't quite make out from this distance, but the two flanking it look like ReZELs. One is the normal type and the other a Defenser variant. They have their attention focused on a fight nearby, a Cascadian Gaza-C in MA mode is pulling some insane evasive maneuvers as small shapes dart around it, firing intermittent beams at it but missing each time. The defense force Suit keeps trying to close the distance, but three Jegans are pulling interception duty halfway in between. The Gaza-C is backed up by an old Hizack, which is being ignored by the Funnels. It must not be considered a threat by the Newtype. The Jegans are still giving it a hard time though.

"…That must be the Newtype Wing," you try to maneuver to get a better look at the blue MS, "The Funnels must be from that blue one. So one Newtype, five escorts. Oldtypes?"

Have the Newtype use Funnels whilst the Oldtypes keep the opponent from closing in. Clever. Still, isn't five MS a bit much for escorting one Suit? Unless…

"I got it," you grin, gripping the controls tightly, "Those two ReZELs must be handlers. They're making sure their attack dog behaves."

"Are you sure, Sis?" Little Sis asks, concerned, "I don't like the feeling I'm getting from him."

To be honest, you don't either. It's like a… Pressure. A Pressure emanating from the blue MS. You've never felt this before. But if he needs handlers, then he's probably not fighting of his own will. In that case…

"Alright Little Sis, we're going in!" you gun the thrusters and rush in, aiming for the ReZEL Defenser! It has the most firepower, so it has to go!

It barely notices you in time and flares its thrusters, making your decapitation strike shear off its legs instead.

You curse, rolling the Woundwort and accelerating towards the other ReZEL as the blue MS tries to distance itself. That's fine, you're not going for him. Beam gun shots bounce off your I-Field and you ram full-speed into the ReZEL, heat blade melting through its chest! You pull back the controls, meaning to pull out the blade and turn your attention to the Defenser again… when the ReZEL grabs your arm, eyes flashing.

"Got… you." A woman's pained voice crackles over the contact link. Shit, the pilot's still alive?!

"Sis!" Little Sis cries out and you turn to look where she's staring, and you pale. The Defenser and blue MS have their beam rifles leveled at you, and your I-Field probably isn't going to withstand a barrage from the Defenser's two Mega Launchers!

You screwed up.

"Kaylen…" fear creeps up into your throat as you realize that this is it. You got cocky. You'll pay for it with your life.

"No…. No." Little Sis's voice hardens, and you suddenly feel an intense Pressure from her, "You won't take her from me!!"

The monitor flashes with an alert that the Training Funnels have launched, and four orange cylinders zip off of the Woundwort's booster, positioning themselves around you.

You aren't doing that.

She is.

"Funnels!" Little Sis calls out, and the weapons respond, firing thin beams at the Defenser, slagging the cockpit and blowing the Mobile Suit in two! The blue one breaks off, firing its rifle at the Funnels which give chase. One Funnel goes down, but Little Sis growls angrily and the Funnels start rapidly evading while returning fire.

You're… alive. You didn't die. Little Sis, who apparently is a Newtype or CyberNewtype, saved you.

….

What are you doing staring in shock for?!

The shaking of the Woundwort jolts you back to reality, as you see the ReZEL you impaled try to reach for its beam saber.

"Oh no you don't," you toggle manual control of the right arm, turn the blade 90 degrees, and slice inwards a few meters.

A gut-wrenching scream echoes over the contact link, only to cut out. The ReZEL also goes limp.

"Sis, hurry," Little Sis reminds you, concentrating hard on controlling the Funnels, "The Jegans."

That's right! Those three Jegans are the last "handlers" of that Newtype! If you destroy them, the Newtype in the blue MS won't have to fight anymore! Maybe he'll even join your side! After all, who would fight for a nation that considers them less than Human?

The three Jegans only notice that their rearguard is gone when you blast one in two with your beam rifle. Sensing their chance, the Hizack and Gaza-C charge the last two. The Hizack pulls a Heat Hawk and gets into a melee with the Jegan, and you think you see both go down in flames, hacking at each other.

The Gaza-C tries to pull a transformation while heading directly at the Jegan.

Now… you're assuming that all the pilots in the defense force already knew how many times each Gaza-C has transformed in its operational lifetime. You're sure that none of them would be stupid enough to transform it a third time. So, giving the pilot the benefit of the doubt, maybe this Gaza-C was just… built worse than the average Gaza-C.

Regardless, the result is the same. The Mobile Suit flies apart at the joints, so instead of tackling the Jegan the Gaza-C more or less turns itself into a shotgun blast that shreds the Jegan's extremities on impact.

You're… not sure whether to laugh or cringe at that.

Regardless, you… you did it! You took out most of the Newtype Wing all by yourself! Kaylen is going to be so proud (and jealous)!

Little Sis calls off her Funnels, only two having survived. The blue MS, having lost its rifle at some point, stares in your direction. You toggle the optical voice on.

"Hey, it's alright! The Feds keeping you prisoner are dead! You don't have to fight anymore!"

You expected thanks, or even grudging acknowledgement, but you receive silence.

A growing Pressure begins to weigh down on you.

"…Sis…" Little Sis whimpers.

"So it was you…" the blue MS's eyes flash, your own Suit translating the optical signals into an audio feed.

Several thin shapes, the Funnels you saw from earlier, rush back to the blue MS and snap onto its back in the shape of a wing on its left side. As the silhouette completes, you realize where you've seen this Mobile Suit design before. The design is undoubtedly a derivative, there are too many differences in its frame, but you can tell what it's based on.

The personal MS of One-Year-War Hero and Ace Mobile Suit Pilot Amuro Ray during the Third Neo-Zeon War. The Gundam that saved the Earth.

The machine that caused the Axis Shock.

That blue Mobile Suit is a Nu Gundam.

"You're the Newtype we were looking for!" he grabs his beam saber from his backpack, and with the flash of his main thrusters he rushes you.

You can't move.

All you can ask is, Why?

Why fight for the Federation, if you're a Newtype?

Why fight for corrupt Elites who see you as nothing more than a weapon?

Why fight for those who deny you your own Humanity?

"Sis!"

You…

"Sis! He's coming!"

You just don't get it.

Little Sis wrestles your stiff hands from the controls and takes over, putting the Woundwort into full reverse.

It's too late though. He's upon you, and his beam saber descends. Little Sis tries to counter but she won't make it in time.

This is the end.

"Cybele!"

Another Mobile Suit shoves you out of the way, and the back of a GM Command fills your monitor. It catches the falling saber with its own, and the two lock blades in a clash of lightning.

The enemy Gundam's saber rebounds, and you can… can almost sense surprise from the Federation Newtype. Your brother practically bursts with glee, and you can feel it. He has this bastard dead to rights. All he needs is this one moment of hesitation. He turns his GM's arm and begins a thrust to nail the Nu Gundam's cockpit.

The arm freezes with a jolt. A malfunction.

Surprise from both of them. Shock that rapidly turns to confidence from the Fed, and panic from your brother. Kaylen tries to back up and reset his arm, but his GM backs into your Woundwort and can go no further. Little Sis tries to reverse and give him some more room. It's not enough.

The Nu Gundam slashes, and the right arm of your brother's GM flies away. Kaylen fires his head Vulcans, but they do nothing as the enemy angles his beam saber for a thrust.

Resignation. It's almost as if Kaylen is sitting right next to you. It's like you can hear him close his eyes and accept this.

"Hey, Cy," he says, and you don't know if you're hearing him in your head or whether it's an audio feed, "Take care of mom for me."

The beam saber carves through the GM's chest, straight out the back. Kaylen's Mobile Suit hangs there.

…

He's gone.

Your brother is gone.

….

PAIN

It's as if there was a part of you that had always been there, something you'd taken for granted, something you never realized you could lose, and it's been torn out of you. Someone is wailing in agony and you only half-realize that it's you. Your brother's presence, something you'd always felt in some manner since you were born, is gone.

All that's left is this ocean of grief, and you're drowning in it. This agony reaches so deep that you feel like you could die.

And out of that ocean… rises anger.

Kaylen… was killed.

And…

His murderer is right in front of you.

"…Sis?" Little Sis whimpers as this roiling, burning hate churns in your gut, spilling out into your limbs as you seize the Woundwort's controls even as Little Sis still has her hands on them, making her whine in pain at your grip. You should feel bad, you know, but there's room for nothing else in your soul right now but this searing, all-consuming hate.

"You… You Federation dog…" you snarl, "You killed him…"

The Funnels respond to you, taking up position. You don't stop to think about how you're controlling them, or what that means about you. That doesn't feel important.

"Funnels!" you scream as you deploy your heat blade, "KILL!"

The orange Psycommu weapons dart forward as you lunge forth, the Woundwort's blade carving through the air. Heat Blade meets Beam Saber and the two spark against each other. His Fin Funnels begin dueling yours.

He needs to die.

"Just give up!" the Fed Newtype demands as he pushes back against you, his Gundam easily outclassing yours in terms of thruster power, "All this senseless death can end right now if you surrender! This never would have happened if you hadn't hidden from us!"

"Stop talking nonsense, I'm not who you're looking for!" You snap back, "You just made up a reason to slaughter us!"

"How can you say that," he lashes out with a kick, "when you're using Funnels?!"

You and Little Sis cry out as the Woundwort shakes from the blow.

"S-Sis, we need to go!" she cries, trying to take back the controls from you, "We can't fight him like this, we'll die!"

"No, not yet!" you answer vehemently, "Not until he's dead! I won't allow-!"

"Sis!" she turns to look you in the eye, and you see equal measures of panic and concern, all for you. You can feel it as well as you can see it, "Please!"

[] Kaylen's death cannot go unavenged. Press the attack.

[] Little Sis is right. Your mother is waiting for you. Kaylen's dying wish was for you to protect her. Run away while you still can.

[] Surrender. If the Feds have you, they'll stop this, right? And if they don't, this attack dog will see what his masters are really like…

TheBleachDoctor · May 2, 2022

[X] Little Sis is right. Your mother is waiting for you. Kaylen's dying wish was for you to protect her. Run while you still can.

Little Sis's cries cut through the rage that's clouding your mind, and you stop your charge. Kaylen sacrificed himself so that you could live, and he wanted you to protect your mother now that he can't.

Kaylen was murdered, and here is a chance to avenge his death… but how much of a chance is it? If you press the attack you might be able to wound him, hell, even kill him, but at what cost? The Woundwort has carried you through the fight so far, but there's no telling when it'll fall short of your expectations. Not to mention, that's a Nu Gundam. A mass-production version, yes, but if it has a Psychoframe in it…

You back off, directing the Funnels to prevent him from following. They're likely nearing their limit, and they're having to contend with the Fin Funnels too. This will be your only chance to escape.

"This isn't over," you growl at him like the attack dog he is, "I'll be back one day. I'll make you pay for killing Kaylen."

His optical voice transmission is lost as you pull a 180 and push the throttle to maximum. There's no sense trying to head anywhere inside the colony, he's got a clear view of everywhere. So…

"We're heading outside for a bit," you tell Little Sis, "Keep an eye out for Feddies, okay?"

You move your finger over a rather hefty button you'd noticed earlier, and press it. You've never piloted this Suit before, but you saw some of the readouts when you were doing diagnostics earlier, and you've also flown a simulated Gaplant. If that Titans suit is anything like this one…

The Woundwort jolts a little mid-flight as the whole Mobile Suit begins to invert. The thick legs fold up, and the arms start to shift down. The back skirt module flips around the head recesses up into it. Everything locks into place solidly, and you notice that the estimated acceleration on the monitor has increased substantially.

Nice.

You and Little Sis get pressed back into the seat a bit as you gun the thrusters again, and you shoot through one of the many breaches in the colony just as your Funnels are destroyed.

The bright "sky" of your colony vanishes, replaced by the cold void of space. You put some distance between you and Cascadia, then look back.

Your colony spins in the black, surrounded by the shattered remains of the other colonies of Loum. There are five… no, six breaches, each spewing air and debris. Every single one a gaping wound, bleeding as Cascadia dies.

It's as tragic as it is mesmerizing.

"…Did he follow us?" you keep an eye on your exit point, but no sign of the MP Nu.

"I don't think so, Sis, you did get his escorts after all," she adds, slightly amused, "He must be worried that you might have friends."

"…Good, let him worry," you look over towards the port, "Okay, if we can get into the launch bays, I think we can find a passenger shuttle or two. If I can take control of their flight computers, we can get them to dock to the shelter's external airlock, then we can get my mother and everyone in the shelter out."

As you say that, you notice a small shape moving away from the port towards you. No, two shapes. Your Gundam quickly IDs the silhouettes.

Salamis Kai, Federation colors. The Woundwort tags them as friendly, but you quickly override that and set yourself up for an attack run.

"Sis?" Little Sis yelps as you suddenly accelerate, "What are you doing?"

"Those bastard Feds took my home," you scowl, priming the beam rifle, "I'm going to make sure they don't have one to go back to either."

You fire off two beams at the foremost Salamis, one grazing and slagging off the port turret, the other punching a hole in the flight deck. They open fire, but miss you as you scream past the first and head for the second.

"Down you go!" you wait until you're right on top of that Salamis, then switch to Mobile Suit mode. The Woundwort groans and shudders as you hear and feel some of the anti-air machine gun fire pepper you. That's not enough to stop you, and for a second you think you can see the terrified faces of the Salamis's bridge crew.

Uppercut with the heat blade at an angle. You cut through every deck in the superstructure, corner to corner, diagonal across the front. Your weapon carved through it like butter.

You let out a triumphant shout as you shoot past, leaving the two wounded cruisers in the dust. They probably won't pursue. They likely didn't expect to be engaged by a Mobile Suit with both their teams inside the colony.

Actually… now that you think about it…

"Federation patrols are usually three ships," you frown, "and I don't see them assigning ReZELs and a Gundam to a Salamis Kai…"

Little Sis blinks, then looks left. On a gut feeling, you do too, and your eyes widen as the two of you take the controls at the same time and put the Woundwort into a relative steep dive.

Several mega-particle beams burn through space, filling the spot you were just about to occupy. Emerging from behind a large piece of dead colony, the third Federation ship slowly moves forward.

"Sis, what is that?!" Little Sis gapes. You don't blame her, that design wasn't very active during the Neo Zeon Wars. Hell, it still isn't. It's a dying breed, rare and endangered ever since the Delaz Fleet made them obsolete. But it looks like this one got a new lease on life, courtesy of a giant Clop-class type hangar that now occupies where its own small shuttle hangar used to be. The ventral main turret has been replaced with a launch catapult as well, but the turrets on the dorsal, port, and starboard side? All still there… and tracking you.

"Magellan!" you answer quickly, switching back to Mobile Armor mode and going evasive. Space around you glows as beam after beam roars past you. They're big, big enough to swallow your Gundam should one actually hit, and you're unsure of how your I-Field will fare against it. Those beams look bigger than what used to come standard on a Magellan. Their accuracy is bad, to say the least. But what disturbs you more is what the presence of such a ship means.

"Hunting a Newtype? Bullshit!" you bite out, tearing up as you realize their true intentions, "They really did come here just to blow our colony to hell!"

You really hoped that the complete destruction of your colony wasn't their actual plan, despite what you said earlier. What a fool you were.

You aren't going to try and attack that ship. Not on your own. If Kaylen was here, maybe one of you could act as bait or a distraction. As it stands, you do not want to be the sole focus of all those guns.

"Sis! Incoming!" Little Sis places her hands over yours, pressing other buttons as you focus solely on changing acceleration, thruster nozzle angles, and other evasive techniques.

The Woundwort throws out the Shield Booster again, this time guided by her thoughts. It fires a couple of times, making an incoming craft change course. The computer tries to ID it but fails. It's some kind of fighter? Primarily white but with blue and gold highlights… No, that's no fighter, the design is far too elaborate, and the size and mass of it…

"Waverider," You try and scrutinize the enemy, even as you continue trying to put distance between you and the Magellan. So it's another Mobile Suit? It's mounting a pretty big rifle as well. Even if it can transform, though, as long as it's meant to be a mass production design, you can definitely take it!

Then it starts to transform, parts shifting around rapidly. The head emerges, and a V fin deploys.

"…Two Gundams. Two Gundams for Island Cascadia," you feel light-headed, "Should I feel impressed or enraged? Were they that afraid of our Doven Wolf?"

It doesn't answer, not that you broadcast that question. Then two long thin shapes you thought were Wing Binders detach from the back and start zipping towards you.

"Two Newtypes?!" you all but shriek incredulously, using floating debris to put some cover between you and those Funnels as they start firing rapidly on your position, "What did we do to deserve this?!"

"No, he's not a Newtype!" Little Sis shakes her head, "He doesn't feel right!"

"Newtype or not, he's using Funnels!" You reply. Newtype or not, the end result is the same, isn't it? He's got Funnels!

A massive mega-particle beam as thick as a cruiser suddenly fills the space in front of you, forcing a rapid deceleration. Little Sis chokes a bit as the two of you are pressed into your shared harness.

"H-High Mega Cannon?!" you glance fearfully at the Gundam, the beam still coming from its shield, "This is bad!"

No Funnels. Your strongest ranged weapon is a beam rifle. You're also starting to dip into the red on your propellant.

You want to go home, but home is burning. There's nowhere for you, and no one to help you.

You deflect fire from the Funnels with your I-Field, but you notice too late as they herd you towards an area thick with debris. You frantically look for an escape vector, but the enemy Gundam is blocking the only way out.

It raises its rifle, and for the second time today you stare death in the face.

"…Kaylen…"

"Sis…" Little Sis leans back into you, whimpering, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help."

"No, it's okay," you try to comfort her with a confidence that you don't feel, "You tried."

Killing intent pierces the Woundwort, and you and Little Sis close your eyes.

…

The Woundwort's cockpit chimes with an alert. It's the one that sounds when a new MS is in sensor range.

You open your eyes in time to see a glowing yellow blur slam into the enemy Gundam at insane speeds. The impact sends the MS spinning, its shield in two pieces and that damn High Mega Cannon crushed. The Gundam tries to stabilize, but the newcomer doesn't give him a chance, striking him two more times at high speed. One of the arms flies off, and without delay the Gundam shifts back into Waverider mode and boosts away. The newcomer doesn't pursue, and comes to a stop near you.

You finally get a good look at it. The armor is black, head to toe, but there are golden parts around the neck and back. Through gaps in the armor, you see the telltale glow of Psychoframe. It's a wonderful yellow. In their right hand they hold one of those famed Beam Magnums, and an Armed Armor in its left. A golden V fin adorns its head. Gundam.

It's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen… well, you're not counting the right leg, which is gone below the knee, and looks to have been replaced with a Jegan leg with extra thrusters added on.

They reach out, touching the Woundwort's arm.

"Are you alright?" the other Gundam's pilot asks. He sounds young, but definitely not that young. He sounds confident… and that's pretty reassuring right now.

"I'm fine," you smile in relief, laughing softly, "I don't know who you are, but… thank you, you saved my life!"

"Mine too!" Little Sis chimes in.

"You've got a kid in there with you?" he asks, surprised, "Wait, you don't sound too old either. How young are you?"

"My mom told me not to hand out my personal information to strangers, but I think I can make an exception here," you joke, trying to get your mind off of the fact that YOU ALMOST DIED AGAIN, "I'm 16."

"…I'd ask what you're doing in a Mobile Suit, but that's not important. Listen, I'm with Londo Bell. We were in the area when we heard your colony's distress call."

Cascadia sent one out? You suppose that makes sense, although honestly you wouldn't have expected anyone to answer or even care.

"Our ship is holding position at the far end of your colony's airspace. Go to it, you'll be safe there. Let them know Lieutenant Riddhe Marcenas sent you, that's me."

He starts to pull away, but you quickly grab his Suit's hand again.

"Wait! We still have survivors in the shelters! Can your ship evacuate them?"

He pauses for a second before answering, "Maybe the Captain can spare some shuttles for it, but I'll be honest. We aren't equipped for a fight. We won't be able to provide an escort, even if the Captain decides to risk it."

"But my mother is in that shelter!" you shiver at the thought of losing her too, "Please, I can't leave them!"

"I'm sorry," he pulls away, "I really am. I'll keep the enemy battleship busy, maybe you can come up with a solution. That's the most I can do."

Lt. Riddhe's Gundam seems to glow brighter, and he accelerates away towards the Magellan, the Federation battleship striking out at him in vain.

You sit there for a long several seconds, anxiety threatening to swallow you. You just lost Kaylen, now you could lose your mother too? No, no no no. There has to be a way. You could go to the Londo Bell ship! But what if they refuse to help evacuate the shelter? What if they won't let you launch again? Shuttles would definitely help, but that's only if they'll provide them! You could try and find a passenger ship in the docking bay, but what if you run into that MP Nu again?

The potential for disaster starts to crush you.

"Sis! Come on, Sis!" Little Sis squirms in your lap, "We have to go! We need to get out of here!"

She's right, you have to go. You have to go and…

[] Charge the Magellan. If you sink it, then the Captain of that Londo Bell ship will have no complaint about sending his shuttles in. It was a dodgy proposition with just you, but with Lt. Riddhe helping in his Gundam, victory is assured. You think. You bet.

[] Search the Docking Bay for a passenger liner. You're not placing your mother's life in the hands of some stranger. This plan is risky, but at least it's up to you and not someone else.

[] Head for the Londo Bell ship. Londo Bell are the guardians of the Spacenoids, aren't they? They're the last thing stopping the Federation from outright wiping out all of the colonies! They have to help, that's what they do!

Gundam Crucible - [An AU Universal Century Quest]

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