[X] Get Sicilia situated. Right now you're the only one she can rely on, and you feel responsible for her.
You should probably go talk to your mother right now, tell her what happened. You need to tell her that Kaylen is dead…
….
"Say, Sicilia," you pay your adoptive little sis on the head, "What do you say we go find a room for us? We're Gundam pilots, we should get our own room!"
"Is that normal?" she asks, and you just shrug.
"Dunno, but it should be."
You leave the hangar with her. You think you hear Eris shout, "Mrs. Naese!" but you just walk faster.
"Wow, this room is so nice!" Sicilia gushes, spinning happily in the center of your assigned room. Captain Sarina was kind enough to assign one of the pilot's quarters to you and your little sis. As expected of the legendary Pegasus-class, these are nice enough accommodations that it wouldn't look out of place on a civilian liner. A twin bed with crisp sheets, a modest desk, a padded lounge chair, a dresser for your clothes, a large screen that doubles as a pseudo-window, and even a dedicated bathroom!
Definitely a step up from your apartment back in Cascadia. Not that there's really anything left of that…
You didn't miss Sarina's subtle hint that you might be able to keep the room if you stay with Londo Bell. Guess Lt. Riddhe really gave you a shining review, huh?
…
Oh, they totally got the combat data from the Woundwort, didn't they? Yeah, they absolutely did, there's no way they'd be so impressed with you otherwise.
"Big Sis, there's a bathtub in here!" Sicilia exclaims happily, wasting no time in throwing off her clothes, "I call dibs!"
She shuts the door after her, and you soon hear the sound of rushing water. All in all, she seems to be taking everything rather well. Although you suspect that she's simply avoiding thinking about what happened. Shit, to wake up only to find that all your siblings were dead.
…
And now that you're alone, you can't avoid it either.
You sit down on the edge of the bed and stare at the wall. Picking up a little remote on the nightstand, you switch the screen to window mode, and it displays some lovely scenery from Earth. A calm windswept beach backed by the rolling ocean and setting sun. It bathes the room in a soft orange as you dim the lights.
"… Hey, Kaylen," you speak to empty air, "So I guess I'm a Newtype, huh? I don't think I could get Funnels to listen to me otherwise…"
"… Say, this is just a rumor, but I heard that Newtypes can talk to the dead. Crazy, right?"
"Yeah, I know, that's ludicrous. But I just wanted to try. You'd know what to say. I bet if I died you wouldn't be as messed up as I am over you. You're just like that. My strong older brother…"
"…Not… Not that I'm ungrateful that you tried to protect me, I am. It's just… weren't we supposed to change the world together? You and me, a couple of Ace Pilots, just like the White Meteor and the Red Comet? So… why am I the only one here?"
"……. What am I gonna tell mom, Kay? She doesn't know yet… What am I going to say to her? What did you want to say to her? I still remember how she was when dad died… this is going to break her, Kay."
"Please Kaylen, just… just talk to me. I can't do this alone… please."
Tears roll down your face as you try to hold in your grief. From the bathroom you hear muffled sobs, the running water failing to cover up the sound.
You guess everyone has their own despair to deal with.
After she took her bath, Sicilia just chatted with you in your room. She wanted to know everything there was to know about her new Big Sister! You were more than happy to oblige, and for a while you forgot why you cried.
But even Newtypes can't avoid hunger, you guess, and the two of you leave to go find the Mess Hall.
You're halfway there when you hear her.
"Cybele!"
You freeze, turning to face your mother. She rides track down the hallway, letting go of the handle as she nears you.
"I've been looking everywhere for you! Eris told me you were here and safe, I was so relieved! I don't know what I would do if I lost you and your brother! Where is Kaylen, by the way? I don't remember what Mobile Suit he flies, and I haven't seen…"
You didn't say anything, but you can't stop your emotions from spilling onto your face. You take a step back and try to control yourself.
"…Cybele? Where's Kaylen? Where's your brother?"
You clench your fists, almost tight enough to draw blood. You don't… you can't do this. You can't say it.
"… Hey, Sicilia," you force a smile, "I'm sure you're hungry, let's go get some dinner, okay?"
"…Big Sis?" she looks uneasily between you and your mother. You just pat her on the head and take her hand, leading her towards the Mess Hall, but your mother grabs your upper arm, stopping you dead in your tracks.
"Cybele!" she pleads, desperation in her eyes, "Where's Kaylen?!"
"Kaylen…" you mouth, throat dry. You… You don't want to say it… not directly.
"Kaylen… Dad would have… would have been proud of him…"
Her grip weakens, and her hand falls away. Her face is stricken with horror and despair. Her gaze seems to almost be pleading for you to be lying, to be joking, but you just look down, then away.
"No… Please… no…" your mother trembles, staring down at her hands, "Kaylen… not my boy… please god…"
You… You can't be here. You grab one of the handles on the track and let it pull you away. Sicilia looks back in concern.
"Not him too… god why… I…. I can't…" her sobs cut into you, and you look back. She curls into a ball, floating there as she's wracked with grief.
You should comfort her. You should be there for her. Kaylen wanted you to take care of your mother in his place.
But…
"… I'm sorry Kaylen," your whisper quietly, "I just… can't take much more of this."
You round the corner with Sicilia, your mother's wails echoing behind you.
The next morning Captain Sarina stands at the front of the briefing room, a stellar map of the Moon and all the surrounding Sides on the screen behind her.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming here," she gives an appreciative nod to the small group, "I know that this isn't the best of circumstances, and most of you are just civilians caught up in the fighting, but we're all in literally the same boat right now… so I appreciate your willingness to cooperate."
You nod slightly, and others do the same. Most are civvies, yes. You only see a couple of Cascadian uniforms, one of them being Ensign Mort. The guy is around your brother's age. Looks nothing like him though. Kinda scruffy.
Your friends are also here. Eris and Theo are near the back, the former whispering something to the uncomfortable-looking latter. She must be bullying him again. Really, she should just be honest with herself.
You and Sicilia sit near the front, next to Lt. Riddhe. He insisted, and you have to admit he's rather good looking. Kind of old relative to you, but hey, nothing wrong with admitting that he's attractive.
"As you know, the Magellan forced us to take evasive action, and as a result we missed our transfer window. We don't have nearly the supplies to wait for the next one." She holds up her hand, stopping those who started to talk, "Yes, I know, we aren't anywhere near capacity on this ship, but we only had enough supplies for the skeleton crew for a week, tops. As it stands, we won't last a day, which limits our options."
She highlights your current trajectory.
"Luckily, there's a transfer window to Von Braun City coming up. If we deorbit soon, we'll be there before the end of the day. As we all know, Von Braun City is primarily controlled by Anaheim Electronics, who have maintained neutrality in the ongoing conflict between Londo Bell and the Federation. Both the Federation and Londo Bell maintain non-combatant branches here as well. Once we're inside the colony's port, we can expect relative safety. Any refugees from Cascadia who wish to leave will do so at that point." At a sudden rise in chatter, Sarina adds, "You may share that information with the others. If you wish to stay, however, we will consider that an application to join Londo Bell, and we will begin your onboarding process. Now, if that was all there was to this, I would have simply made this announcement over the PA… but here's the issue."
She highlights a marker following the Bellerophon, the Magellan. As your ship's projected course changes during the simulated deceleration, the Magellan's path intersects yours.
"Right now we are at the same relative velocity. Once we decelerate, however, we do not expect the Federation warship to begin their deceleration burn until they are within striking range of us. There will be approximately one hour between us coming within their range, and us entering Von Braun's No-Fire zone." She scans the group, "I won't lie, our chances of surviving that timeframe aren't high. This ship did not leave port with a full crew, and putting civilians on gun turrets isn't that much better than having them unmanned. So… I need ideas. Suggestions. You all brought your equipment from Cascadia, so you know their capabilities better than I do."
She switches the display to a lineup of Mobile Suits, presumably the Federation forces.
"Our estimates, taking into account their losses already, put their strength at a Mass-Production Nu Gundam, a slightly-damaged Delta Kai Gundam, two Jegans, a ReZEL, and possibly some more support MS, like long-range heavy weapons platforms or an EWACS unit. The Magellan itself is virtually impervious to our weapons. Their I-Field is strong enough to deflect Battleship-grade beam fire, and the Bellerophon does not have any kinetic munitions for Mobile Suits in storage. We hardly have any weapons in storage, in fact. So, ladies and gentlemen, your suggestions please."
Everyone begins discussing possible plans of action amongst themselves, and Riddhe motions for you and Sicilia to lean in close.
"I saw your combat data. The two of you are naturals." He looks at your Little Sis, "In fact you remind me of someone I used to know… but anyways, we have the two most potent Mobile Suits on the ship. It's our responsibility to make sure everyone else here makes it out unscathed."
You kind of agree, but…
"If they want to help, they should," Sicilia says what you were thinking, "It would be mean to leave them out."
"…I suppose," he nods reluctantly, "but honestly your colony's weapons, excluding your Gundam of course, look more like antique show than a military force. I'm worried they'll just get in the way."
"Hey, don't underestimate antiques," you smirk, "I mean, you should see what my brother can do with a GM! He's the quickest-!"
… You freeze, smile fading. Oh yeah, that's right.
Kaylen is dead.
"…I also saw how your brother died," Riddhe softly addresses you, "my apologies, if only I'd arrived sooner, then maybe…"
You cut him off with a raised hand, steadying your breathing as you try to focus and recenter yourself. You can't grieve now. You'll fall apart if you do. The time for tears is later. You can mourn later. Now…. Now is not the time. You repeat that to yourself.
After much spit balling of ideas, three distinct plans form, each with their own supporters. Ensign Mort is the mastermind of the first, which has been dubbed "Plan Stampede". The Bellerophon has the numerical advantage, even if most of those numbers are museum pieces. If you throw everything you have at the Magellan, they might get spooked and change trajectory, allowing you to descend to Von Braun unmolested.
Eris came up with the second plan, called "Plan Long Slap". There is exactly one weapon onboard that could bypass the Magellan's I-Field at range, that being her Zudah's Anti-Ship Rifle. If someone, probably one of the Gundams, spots for her she can dial in her shots and hit something important on the Magellan, forcing them to decelerate sooner to get out of range of her gun. Then they can't attack the Bellerophon directly!
Lt. Riddhe suggests a third course of action. "Plan Misdirection" involves you and Riddhe sortieing in your Gundams, then moving as if you both intend to attack the Magellan alone. Then, as Minovsky Particle Density reaches combat levels, a small strike force leaves the ship and attacks the Magellan while its Mobile Suits are fighting with you and Riddhe.
Honestly, all three of them are good plans, even though the first is rather simplistic.
"… Captain," you ask as you consider which plan to back, "What weapons do we have in storage that I could equip to my Gundam? The loadout is otherwise pretty basic."
Sarina thinks for a minute before answering, "We have several Beam Rifles meant for Jegans in the hold. There are even a few thigh-mounted missile racks we could try to equip to your Gundam, if you wanted."
"I think I saw some Enhanced Maneuverability Option Parts too," Riddhe adds, "You might need those, or that Delta Kai will run circles around you."
You look to Sicilia, who just smiles.
"I'll do whatever you want to do, Sis."
[] Plan Stampede
[] Plan Long Slap
[] Plan Misdirection
[] Propose your own plan (Write in...)
