[X] 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!
You want to save your mother with your own two hands, but the low fuel indicator flashes on the control panel. You definitely don't have the luxury of pulling off any extreme maneuvers anymore.
"…Damn it," you turn the Woundwort around, "Okay, let's head for the Londo Bell ship. Worst case scenario, we get some fuel from them and do this ourselves."
You use as little fuel as possible and end up coasting for a while in silence. You spend the time going over the status of your Gundam, trying to think about anything other than your brother. Kaylen… you wonder what he would have said right now if he were alive? You try to imagine his voice, but… it just hurts.
"Sis, I think I see it!" Little Sis points ahead at a shape hidden in a cluster of asteroids… no, that's a ship covered in dummy asteroids.
"Is that… no way," you squint, leaning forward as much as your position will allow.
It's a Pegasus-class Assault Carrier! The same type as the legendary White Base! Granted, the configuration is post-OYW, the four giant wings, extended hangar bays, and expanded engine blocks are a dead giveaway. Still, the class itself is practically ancient! You weren't even aware that any of them were still operating!
"Looks like their starboard hangar is open," you push the controls slightly, "Let's float in, nice and easy."
Strange, you'd normally have encountered an air patrol by now. Are they seriously not escorting themselves? There's no way Lt. Riddhe's Mobile Suit is their only MS, right?
But you get closer, you notice something that might explain why. This ship is… new. Like, seriously new. You can hardly see any wear on the paint, something that occurs normally on all ships that travel in the Earth Sphere. Any ship that's been flying around for long enough will have a close encounter or two with lingering clouds of debris spawned by everything from the One Year War all the way up to the Third Neo Zeon War. So unless this ship has been sitting in a shipyard all this time…
The Woundwort drifts through the hatch, and it closes promptly behind you. Nudging the thrusters, you set down and wait for the hangar to pressurize. Honestly, you're lucky that all that fighting didn't crack a hole in the cockpit. Without a Normal Suit, you wouldn't last long. The hangar itself is pretty big, you think it could accommodate a whole team of Mobile Suits! And this isn't the only hangar either, if memory serves you right, then there are three more. Strangely, the hangar itself is entirely empty except for the maintenance equipment.
Just as your Gundam registers a normal air pressure, several doors in the sides of the hangar open and a handful of soldiers pour out, each aiming a rifle at you.
"Seriously?" you bristle, jamming the PA button, "If I were an enemy, I'd be outside tearing you to bits, not landing in your hangar!"
You zoom in on the soldiers, scrutinizing their uniforms. ECOAS. Not good, ECOAS was one of those Federation military branches that didn't cleanly break or stay with the Feds, they kind of fractured all over and scattered to various groups. Any rising anxiety fades though as an officer in a Londo Bell uniform walks past the soldiers up to your Gundam. She looks like she's in her mid-20s or something, maybe, you're not good at judging age. Her hair is pale, and she's a bit tanned… tall. Yeah, you're gonna be looking up when talking to her.
"Just precautions," she reassures you calmly, "for our own safety. If you would like to come down, we can talk face to face."
"…Okay, just a second," you switch the PA back off and unbuckle yourself and Little Sis, "I'm going down. They try anything funny, fire off some warning shots or something."
She nods, and you pop the hatch.
The officer watches as you swing around the head and float downwards. The ECOAS troops have also lowered their guns, which is somewhat reassuring.
"Thank you," she smiles in relief as you touch down, relaxing a bit, "My name is Sarina Nouri, Captain of the Bellerophon. I take it you're not out here on a pleasure cruise?"
"Yeah," you nod, "I'm from Island Cascadia. I heard you answered our distress call? Thanks… didn't think anyone still cared."
"You're welcome. How did you notice our presence? Are we not camouflaged enough?" she asks, slightly concerned.
"Oh! No, you are," you think back to the pilot who rescued you, "Lieutenant Riddhe Marcenas told me to come here. I don't think there's any saving my colony, but we have a ton of survivors in at least one shelter. He said that you might be able to help."
Sarina shares an uncertain glance with one of the ECOAS soldiers.
"…Perhaps, but not as much as you might think," she finally replies, "We do have a few shuttles. However, we don't have enough qualified pilots. If this shelter is anywhere near capacity, it may take several trips. Not to mention, we can't provide escort for them either."
"Not enough pilots? No escort?" you ask incredulously, "Am I hearing that right? An Assault Carrier that doesn't have pilots?"
She gestures to the hangar, "You may have noticed the distinct lack of Mobile Suits. We were on a shakedown run. Even Lieutenant Riddhe was only here because he decided to scout ahead of our route to ensure we didn't blindly run into enemy patrols."
Are you serious? Some saviors these guys are turning out to be!
"Fine, give me some fuel and I can run escort," you grumble, "I don't want my mom to get shot out of the sky."
"Just you? No, our shuttles stand a better chance of survival if they don't have a Mobile Suit near them to draw attention. I'll ask for volunteers among the crew. If we have enough, I'll send out a rescue party. We'll also increase Minovsky Particle density so if the Feds get any ideas, it'll be harder for them to shoot our shuttles down."
"And give me more fuel so I can help with all that!" you repeat, only for her to hold up her hand, stopping you from continuing.
"Look, I respect your confidence, but I'm not sending you out there just to get killed. Just hang tight, our people will get yours back safe. You look exhausted, why don't you sit down for a bit?"
Sit down? Right now? Who does this lady think she is?!
"She's right, Sis!" Little Sis touches down next to you, and behind you the Woundwort whines as it powers down, "You need to rest for a bit!"
Sarina looks at Little Sis in surprise, "There were two of you in there? And… where are your clothes, young lady?"
As the Captain fusses over Little Sis, you silently admit to yourself that maybe you do need to take a breather. A… A lot has happened.
Londo Bell is going to help. That's what's important.
"You were in luck," Sarina pats you on the arm, "There were quite a few volunteers."
Out the windows in the port hangar, two large passenger shuttles exit the hatch and begin their journey. A round trip for them should be somewhere around half an hour, so you've got time to kill. Most of their time is going to be spent loading anyways.
"…Thanks," you sheepishly look up at her, "It means a lot that you're helping. Really. I just wish…"
"Wish that we could do more?" she finishes, sighing, "So do I, kid, so do I. Believe me, I'd risk the ship if I thought that we had a chance, but right now all I've got is a skeleton crew. Our shakedown wasn't supposed to go anywhere near a combat zone."
It's all on Riddhe's shoulders… he better be up to the task. You don't know him that well, but the impression you got from him was that of a strong, confident Ace. For the sake of everyone, you hope you're right.
You sit down in one of the chairs of the hangar's control room, and so does Little Sis. The two of you take a few seconds to enjoy how comfortable they are… then you look to her.
"So… still don't remember your name?" you ask, "I can't keep calling you 'Little Sis' all the time."
"I don't mind…" she shakes her head, "but no, I don't remember… although I think someone used to call me P-42. That's not a name though…"
Yeah, that isn't much of a name at all. More of a designation.
"You need a better name than a letter and a number," you decide, nodding, "How about-?"
[] Write in…
Author's Note: Behold, the most important vote in the quest! Choose wisely.
Also, I updated the informational posts on the first page.
