MSG 0079 Side Story: Mentera Semerah Padi

[The Chief of Braves]

A Dragon in the Den's Dreams Production

Presents...

A One Year War Side Story


Mentera Semerah Padi


Di mana bumi ku pijak
Di situ langit ku junjung.
Alang-alang menyeluk perkasam,
Biar sampai ke pantal lengan…

Aku seru Mentera pusaka ku, Mentera Semerah Padi

- M. Nasir

Prologue


“I’m sorry, General.”

The single gunshot reverberated throughout the ornate, domed throne room and producing a very swift echo that lasted in about three seconds. The gun that had fired the shot was dropped onto floor as the hand that held it fell to the side, the sound of it hitting the floor muffled by the red carpet that covered every centimeter of the room. The hand that had held it was visibly shaking slightly as the person who had used it knew he had committed a crime he would be charged of but nevertheless, steeled the thought for the necessity of it all.

The receiving end of the shot, standing a few meters from him, dropped her pistol, her right hand feeling for the tranquilizer dart stabbing her left shoulder through her olive green uniform, pulling it out. She looked up at him, her face contorted into something of anger and confusion combined. Unheeding the drowsiness that’s starting to overtake her, she takes a wobbly step forward, her left arm outstretch towards her assailant.

“No… not now… Amir…” She mouthed every word with each word requiring more effort than the last, her steps gradually staggered with every pace she took. She couldn’t close the gap in time and she stumbled down onto the floor, the dart’s effect finally reaching its apex. She looked up, glaring lethargically at him in the eyes to try and instill a last minute fear in him in a bid to change his mind from what he has done, not that it mattered anyway since the deed was done.

Major General Izumi Yamashita of the 4th Terrestrial Mobile Division did not know if it had work. Her mind still racked with confusion to what was happening to her; everything that she have built up until now through many hardships and sacrifices is quickly disappearing and she would suffer herself of not seeing it being snatched away from her with her very own eyes. The unbearable drowsiness overtook her and finally, her entire frame spasms once before falling into a nightmarish unconsciousness.

Colonel Muhammad Amirul Qamarezat bin Abdullah stood and watch as his superior lay on the floor, knowing well that as much as how wrong this was, his deed was the right thing to do, considering the dire situation at hand.

“I’m sorry, Major General. I truly am.” He apologized again to the unconscious figure before turning to the Zeon MPs standing behind him. But before he could give an order, he heard a slight noise that was incorrigible to deduce but enough for him to quickly turn around and kneel down over the unconscious Major General in a defensive position while drawing his sidearm from its holster and taking aim, followed in sync by the MPs.

---

Mentera 1: Saya kembali, Tanah Airku (I return, my Homeland)

18th March UC 0079
South China Sea, Brunei Darussalam

The thunderous raining sky over the expansive blue-green waters of the South China Sea was broken by the thunderous roar of eight powerful rocket engines that propels two colossal Zanzibar-class Assault Carriers towards their destination; Muara Besar Island, located at the tip of a once small nation on Earth’s third largest island.

As they cruises in closer and closer to the island, its first defensive measures were already on its way to intercept the behemoths, in the form of dozens of guided long range interceptor missiles, screaming from the island and across the sky to stop and destroy the ships from reaching it.

The two Zanzibars were going to need more than missiles to even force them to turn around. As quickly as they discovered the missiles, each of the Zanzibar’s five anti-aircraft guns swivels to aim forward where the missiles are coming towards them.

Before long, the missiles were finally within firing range and all of the Zanzibar’s gun, including the forward aiming particle guns, opened fire without a second to waste while countermeasures were earnestly deployed to harass any missiles’ targeting system that managed to survive the wall of fire. The move worked and all the missiles did not harm them one bit, exploding safely beyond their reach or finding its own flight path that isn’t in the Zanzibars’ own as they continue towards their destination.

As the skies around the Zanzibars began to dot with AA fire from the island’s defenses, the massive bottom bay doors opened with an equally massive groan and screech, ready to unload its burden; twelve new MS-06J Zaku IIs. Fresh off the assembly line, these new lines of Zakus were supposedly designed to work exceptionally well in Earth’s gravity, and today they would be baptized in the fires of their first battle.

Once passed over the island’s sandy beaches, the pilots were given the clear to jump. The first Zaku II that jumps out, painted in green and brown jungle camouflage with a command antenna denoting a squad leader unit, takes aim at a platoon of Type 61 MBTs and AA guns emplacement on the ground below with its 280mm bazooka as it freefalls down. With a great whump, the bazooka spitted down on them fire and death as the first Federal casualties of Operation Kuromaku.

Major Mohammad Amirul Qamarezat bin Abdullah grinned, rejoicing for a moment as his first shot took out three Type 61 MBTs and some AA guns emplacements and damaging the rest with shrapnel. A second whump from the bazooka finishes off the rest of what meager defenses were placed here.

Firing up his Zaku II’s main thrusters, he killed his mobile suit’s descent velocity enough for his Zaku II’s feet to touch the soft, wet, sandy beach soil deftly without any bone jarring crash. As it stood up to its full height again with actuators groaning, something rattled his mobile suit’s right shoulder shield that rattles him in his cockpit as well. Amirul shift and snap the mobile suit’s entire form and mono eye respectively to see one last remaining 30mm AA gun that had survived his attack and dared to pelt fury at him. The third shot from his bazooka finished it off in an explosion before the rest of the eleven Zaku II-Js of the 7th Mobile Armor Company touched ground around him.

Following their training, the Zaku II-Js spread out to form a small perimeter, with Amirul’s Zaku in the center. Amirul nodded with pride at the quick response of his unit, now only waiting to see how they would perform in actual combat within Earth’s gravity. Pushing the ‘transmit’ button to all of them, he queried: “Status report?”

“All Zakus accounted for, sir. No casualties.” the stoic reply of his XO and wingman came to him over the static.

Amirul nodded and looks skyward to see the two Zanzibars making a turn before pressing another switch to connect to the Zanzibars’ frequency. Once a link was established, he spoke into his helmet phone and said, “General, this is the 7th; all units are ready and waiting for orders.”

---

18th March UC 0079
ZSS Karasu, Zanzibar-class Assault Carrier
Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam

“Very good, Major.” Earth Attack Force Brigadier General Izumi Yamashita commented. “Proceed to the target area as planned. We’ll run cover fire from above until reinforcements arrive and the HLVs lands.”

“Roger that: proceeding to secure primary mission objectives, over and out,” Amirul replied before closing the comms link on his end.

Izumi turns to the bridge crew. “Prep the main guns to fire at designated targets on my mark and set the bombs ready to for dropping. We’ll deliver our gifts to the Federation shortly.” The crew’s general murmur of agreement told her her orders are acknowledged. Keeping the cold, expressionless face that she now wore, she turns back towards the port view screen as the scenery below them pass while the rattling of rain drops on the view port continues.

Despite the calm and ruthless exterior Izumi is presenting, she is very much anxious of the outcome of this engagement and wished hopefully, for her own face than her sake, that they can pull it off soon and well and not disappoint Lady Kishiria Zavi. She would hate to disappoint her after all she had done for her.

After all, Izumi’s career in the military would have been ruined if Kishiria had not found her. Like other female officers in the military, Izumi was a subject to the old ‘women don’t belong in the army’ belief that the Zeon military still practices somewhat lightly but enough for it to be an annoyance. Even worse, she was in Dozul Zavi’s Space Attack Force and because of his, ‘famed’ kindness to women, what’s with him being a married man after all, he had a hand in subtly assigning most of the female officers in his Space Attack Force to menial duties that would prevent them from having to engage in the front lines of battles, much to their chagrin at being treated as such.

Izumi was one of the few lucky ones who served on the front line when the war started, assigned as an XO on board the Musai cruiser, Samui. There, she served through the One Week War and the Hell that was Loum. The later in which, she had taken command of the Samui when her CO was mortally wounded by a missile dud that crashed into the Musai’s bridge. She was specifically given orders to turn her Musai around and retreat by Dozul himself when he had learned that she was in command of the Samui. But Izumi ignored him and continued to engage the Federation fleet until the retreat orders to all ships was given.

Suffice to say, her action was deemed insubordination and she would have been court-martialed if Dozul hadn’t just honorably discharged her from her duties, saying that the military was not a place for women like her. Distraught, she almost believed her career was over until Kishiria came and found her. When Kishiria heard of her plight, she was quick to enlist her into her Earth Attack Force where she is placed now, commander of a special invasion force to take over one of the Earth Federation’s vital assets for Zeon to use.

Smack dab in the middle of Southeast Asia, on the Earth’s third largest island, the Federation has a substantial base in the small country of Brunei Darussalam. Once a country rich in oil and gas, the Federation recycled, replaced and updated many of its old oil and gas manufacturing plants to produce rocket fuel for ships and to facilitate its second largest mass driver launch facility after Jaburo. The last reason making it all the more urgent for the war to make sure a threat to the SAF is neutralized. It is not an easy task but with the advent of the Earth invasion, the Federations defenses are stretched out thin to defend all viable military target. Seeing as Jaburo is high on the priority list, Intelligence has found that on this date, the defense of Muara Besar Island will be at its lowest. Whether the fact stays that way remains to be found out.

---

18th March UC 0079
Charlie line Defense Perimeter
Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam

The heavy downpour is still not showing signs of letting up any soon. Yet, the Federation Type 61 MBTs drove on in the mud and in numbers as Federation infantries in rainproof gear escort them on foot or on jeeps despite the deepening mud underneath them. One of the Federation soldier, an Infantry Private First Class, stood still in the rain while the rest of his squad marched on. Sighing, he scans his surroundings to find that through the rain, he couldn’t make much out of the thick foliage that surrounds them.

But it didn’t stop him from noticing the out-of-place reddish glow through the trees.

Shocked, he stepped back and ingloriously fell backward on his behind first before raising his rifle and fired it in the general direction of the red glow. And from behind the trees, burst forth the gaunt Zaku IIs from their hiding place with guns blazing.

The lone soldier was lucky enough the first few bursts of 120mm shells the Zaku IIs fired didn’t touch him even when he managed to get up and run back to the columns, his warning scream unheard over the rat-tat-tat of Zaku II autocannons and their shockwave inducing stomps. But the Type 61 MBTs were already turning their dual 150mms to the left at the incoming Zaku IIs nevertheless, and fired immediately without taking any proper aim.

The results was most of the shells missed as the Zaku IIs impressively side stepped or jumped upwards to avoid them entirely before raining the Type 61s and infantries alike with their 120mms, causing series of explosions erupting in the columns as the Type 61s exploded from burning munitions and breached engine, killing their crews and any infantries standing nearby instantly.

One surviving Type 61 manage to fire at a Zaku II that was careless enough to stand still in one place for too long after getting a sure aim, scoring a hit on the Zaku II’s cockpit which resulted in it falling back and down dead with its chest now burning gap. In the Type 61’s gunner’s haste to find another target, he did not see a Zaku II high above the Type 61, its 120mm autocannon targeting reticule on the tank’s less armored top. The Zaku II fired a single round and that was all it takes to penetrate the thin top turret armor and destroy the Type 61 in the ensuing explosion.

Amirul gripped the trigger tightly with his gloved hand as his Zaku II lands deftly beside the burning Type 61’s wreckage. He glanced at the fallen Zaku II with its now burning cockpit before turning away shortly to see that the rest of Federal forces were already destroyed or scattered by the rest of the company. One of the Zaku II walks over to the dead Zaku II and proceeded to strip of their deceased comrade’s Zaku II of its weapons; he took the still full autocannon while distributing the two still untouched ammo drum and cracker grenades between two other Zaku IIs. Taboo it maybe to scavenge from the dead but with this ammo they can fight on longer and without doubts and avenge their fallen comrade at the same time.

“Alright, lets go.” Amirul said to his men over the tacnet when everyone was done. “We’re almost to our primary objective.”

---

18th March UC 0079
ZSS Karasu, Zanzibar-class Assault Carrier
Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam

Izumi monitors the tactical displays and visuals as the 7th’s mobile suits continue to engage the ground targets, noting also their first casualty of the operation. Their approach has taken the Federation by surprise really well and the new Zaku IIs were proving to be quite a machine so the loss of one pilot and its relatively new machine was balanced out by the interim success so far.

“Firing solution set, we’re ready to fire, ma’am!” The gunner operator announced.

“Then fire, but make sure the facilities aren’t harmed.”

The gunner operator fired on command, sending several lines of mega particle beams at their acquired target, followed shortly by the other Zanzibar’s own mega particle beams.

“Hit confirmed, ma’am,” Observation Station announced. “Enemy primary ground defense elements neutralized.”

“Good work, gunner.” Izumi congratulated. “Helm, get us in range of the next target. Gunner, get firing solution ready again on my mark.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Came the enthusiastic reply.

The crew were quickly getting the hang of the battle and of Izumi’s orders and her congratulations on each of their approved actions.

---

18th March UC 0079
Bravo line Defense Perimeter
Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam

Futilely pulling the trigger for a second without effect, Amirul quickly controlled his mobile suit’s human like hand to remove the now empty drum of his autocannon. Feeling he shouldn’t waste a weapon’s capacity to kill despite how useless it is now or was its purpose, he scanned the area surrounding him before throwing the empty drum straight at another approaching Type 61, crushing its turrent under the impact, and rendering it useless at the same time.

“And there goes the cover fire,” Amirul noted, as his mobile suit’s hand slip another drum into his autocannon before ratcheting the forward assist to complete the reload. While explosions from the Zanzibar’s strafing guns and bombs wrought havoc in the Federation’s main defense line, Amirul was quick to remember that the explosion to his left and right points out that he and his men were still within enemy gun sights.

Despite their best effort in destroying advancing or dug in Type 61 MBTs, even more Type 61 MBTs came out of the jungle forest around them to replace their dead; some even as far as using their dead as cover and to entrench themselves in positions but all the same with guns blazing forming a veritable wall of fire to stop the mobile suits from advancing further. Even if their aims and visibility were hampered by the heavy downpour, it was still proving to be a challenge for the nimble Zeon mobile suits to break through.

Jumping to the left, Amirul dodged another cannon fire before raising his autocannon and continue his assault, destroying several more Type 61 MBTs in an attempt to blow a hole in their line for them to advance. He was still somewhat surprised that with every Type 61 MBTs they destroy, more seem to replace them as quickly as they are destroyed with twice as more hate and fire being thrown at the towering Zaku IIs.

They’re relentless, Amirul assumed confidently, [/i]but they’ll run out of tanks soon.[/i]

---

18th March UC 0079
ZSS Karasu, Zanzibar-class Assault Carrier
Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam

“Ma’am, I have three Hausenka shuttles on radar approaching bearing oh-four-seven and are hailing us,” the sensor operator reported.

“Put it through then, Ensign,” Izumi ordered the communications operator shortly.

“Done, ma’am,” replied the ensign shortly as the vidscreen lit up to show a smiling, mustachioed, Caucasian man.

“This is Major General Izumi Yamashita of the 7th Mobile Armor Division.” Izumi introduced herself first to the man on the screen. “To whom am I speaking to?”

“Commander Victor Fulkevich,” the man replied, “We’re here to provide reinforcements. I hope we’re not late; current Philippines weather condition delayed us for an hour.”

“No you’re not, Commander, you’re just in time,” Izumi assured him. “But what is the reinforcement’s disposition?”

“Well, as you can see, we have three Hausenka shuttles, carrying a Zaku II platoon and three companies of Marines Special Forces per Lady Kishiria’s orders. It’s not much actually but we have Luzon as our priority and we just don’t have enough logistics to spare for this operation so we’re making use whatever we could with the exception of the Marines. I just hope it’s enough.”

“That would do just fine, Commander,” Izumi assured him, “Deploy your Zaku IIs at point Delta-Delta-two-five and assist our Zaku IIs in capturing the launch facility from the flank.”

“Roger that. I’ll inform the pilots right away.” Fulkevich replied with a salute before cutting off the connection.

---

18th March UC 0079
Alpha line Defense Perimeter
Brunei-Muara District, Brunei Darussalam

After battling through another battalion worth of Type 61 MBTs with the cost of one of the Company’s Zaku II’s left arm, the 7th Mobile Armor Company have finally breached the Federation’s final line of defense. In the distance beyond the foliage and wire fences, they could make out with the Zaku IIs powerful optic sensors the gray buildings of the Federation’s launch facility. Above them, the Zanzibars continued to rain fire and death down at the facility but was ineffective as the fixed AA gun emplacements inside the compound forced the Zanzibars to evade fire and making many of their shots miss and ineffective.

After a quick assessment the battlefield situation, Amirul flicks his Zaku II’s finger, and the other Zaku IIs kicks into a run forward, priming their cracker grenades and throwing them about at the buildings, which exploded after the grenades had detonated. Some of the AA guns now turn their attention to the mobile suits but too late, as the Zaku IIs had made them their primary targets. Those that survived the initial grenade attacks were quickly destroyed with precision fire on the Zaku IIs part, forced on to them now thanks to dwindling ammunition after the extensive use on the engagements with the Type 61 MBT battalion earlier.

“Watch out! Doggie choppers, incoming!” screamed one the Zaku pilots over the tacnet as he fires his autocannon with a raised elevation aimed not to shoot the ground tanks defending the facility. Amirul actually heard it over the din before he actually saw it; the sound of the twin spinning blades of a Federation Cerberus attack helicopters, a squadron or two’s worth roaring towards them with guns blazing and missiles flying.

Amirul did not need to give an order to tell his men to switch targets to the Cerberus as he had already briefed them on it before the mission; lethal airborne threat, much more lethal than the Fanfan hover attack vehicles. Combining more than enough maneuverability to give the lumbering Zaku IIs some trouble and anti-armor capabilities, Amirul had made a point that they must be destroyed on sight when encountered. He quickly strafes to the right and duck and took cover behind a nearby building. Peeking over the flat rooftops, mono eye snapping to the left, he quickly stood up to let off several burst at a hovering Cerberus, finding their mark with deadly accuracy.

As the Cerberis were shot down one by one, more Type 61 MBTs shows up from inside and around the corner of buildings with cannons blazing at the Zaku IIs to give them more things to fire at and worry about with slowly dwindling ammunition on top of it. The Zaku IIs responded with whatever is left of their 120mms and cracker grenades which were proving to be insufficient against the numbers when the first Zaku II throws its now empty autocannon at the Type 61s and transmits, “I’m out!” while drawing its heat hawk melee weapon from its skirt armor rack to bear at the remaining, still many Cerberus and Type 61s.

“Jahanam,” Amirul muttered as he too threw his now empty autocannon at the Type 61s. The heavy autocannon crushes and wrecks a Type 61 to block the path of its comrades, buying them a little time for Amirul to think of a solution out of this.

The only solution he could think of that is plausible at this point is to retreat and re-supply; that was unacceptable when they are so close.

“I’m hit!” An explosion to his right made Amirul shift his Zaku II to see a Zaku II falling on its back, its head now a ruined and burning stump from a direct hit. Distraught at their predicament, Amirul was about to order to take cover and fall back slowly when another explosion rang, this time coming from the behind the Type 61s.

In the confusion that ensued after the surprising explosion, Amirul risks a glance over to the area of explosion, just in time to see a rocket streaked through the thick black smoke from somewhere towards the amassed Type 61 MBTs, plowing through their ranks and causing chains of explosions that finally resulted in the turrets of the surviving Type 61s quickly turning towards the source of the attack in synch, with the rest of the 7th Mobile Armor Company Zaku IIs following with their eyes.

From the midst of fire, smoke and burning wrecks, three marine blue Zaku II-Js steps out, continuing their bazooka barrage at the Type 61s and shooting down the remaining Cerberus, which had made the three newcomers primary targets over the ones that have expended their ammunition.

The communications panel to his right buzzed and Amirul mashes a button to hear a woman speak over the speakers, “Captain Elena Macdagal of the 233rd Mobile Platoon, here to assist you. God sent us.”

“You’re just in time, Captain,” Amirul replied with relief, chuckling softly and briefly at her last sentence, “Our ammunitions are almost expended.”

“It is part of the job, sir.” Elena replied as her Zaku II tossed her now empty bazooka in favor for the 120mm autocannon. “But do you think you can help us out with moping up these Feddies? The three of us might not be able to finish them all off on our own. I’m afraid re-supply is not an option for all of us right now.”

“Roger that, Captain,” Amirul replied, closing the link with another push of a button. With renewed vigor, he then kicks his Zaku II into a run towards the surviving Type 61s columns, swinging his heathawk from below, connecting and digging into a Type 61’s armor which then sends it flying high into the air spectacularly for a good few seconds before crashing down on one of its comrades. The rest of his company soon join in the ‘tank golfing’, sending more Type 61s into the air while Elena’s Zaku II platoon kills the rest of them with autocannons and some well thrown cracker grenades.

It wasn’t long before there were no more tanks to feed the killing frenzy, all their burning or over-turned wrecks now littered the facility, which thankfully left most of the structures still standing unharmed. Monitoring one building closely with his Zaku’s optics, he could discern numbers of people moving about, trying to run away before the inevitable or soldiers going to fortify the place whatever good it may bring them.

“General,” Amirul said after opening a link to the Karasu’s communications channel, “All Federation armor defense elements have been neutralized.”

“Good,” Izumi’s voice said through the speakers, “Set up a perimeter and take care of any remaining resistance while the Marines mop up the building interiors. They’re parachuting down now.”

Glad that their day is about to be over, Amirul sighed with relief while his entire rigid frame slumps in his seat before replying, “Roger that, General.” Shifting his Zaku to look up to the skies, Amirul could see the numerous parachuting Marines coming down slowly towards them before he orders his men to enforce a perimeter around the base and prepare for any possibilities

Considering their loss and gain by the end of the day, it was a job well done.

And besides, he was finally home again.

-----

Chief's Musings:

Welp, here is another 0079 side story I have written before but have never come around to posting it up anywhere due to time constraints and other RL distractions. This one, if it isn't obvious yet, will focus on an element of the 4th Zeon TMD. The reason why I chose this setting is mostly because I am familiar with the area involved, or at least with Brunei anyway which is where I reside. XD

So, please do read and review the first chapter, and any thoughts, criticism and what have you is very welcomed. If it's about whatever grammatical errors in my writing, I can only apologize because English isn't my first language, so there. XD