Mecha Talk

Mobile Suit Gundam: To the End.

Some mood music.

Prologue:

"Attention all Zeon officers, and soldiers. I am Prime Minister Darcia Bakarov. Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi, along with Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi, have laid down their lives in battle. As Prime Minister of Zeon, I hereby order all extant forces to lay down your arms, and cease fighting."

It was the speech heard around the world. One year to the day after the Principality of Zeon had launched its savage war of independence against the Earth Federation, peace had been restored. All over the Earth Sphere, Zeon's remaining forces put down their weapons and surrendered to the victors.
For the most part, the surrender and disarming process was simple. The majority of Zeon's troops were exhausted after 12 months of war, and most simply wanted to return home to their friends and families.
The war was over.
Or was it?
In June of UC 0080, the Earth Federation publicly declared that the last visible Zeon units had been disarmed on the African front. In the streets of Dakar, the Federation capital, parades of captured Zeon war materiel were staged. News reports showed shiploads of tired Zeon soldiers being flown back to Side 3, where the reestablished Republic of Zeon waited to greet them in a new age of peace and prosperity.
However, this was a facade.
True, thousands of Zeon troops had surrendered after the official end of the war. However, thousands more had not. Determined holdouts still waited across the globe, lurking in submarines deep in the oceans, or in hidden bases across seven continents. Remote Federation bases were still sometimes raided by fearsome guerrilla units, and on clear nights, the cry of "SIEG ZEON!" could still be heard on heavily encoded military transmissions.
Though the war was officially over, the mop-up operations would continue for decades...

Chapter 1.

June 2nd, UC 0080, 7:00 PM GMT. Just outside the city of Kinsasha, Central Africa.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, we apologize for interrupting your regularly scheduled programming. However, what we wish to say will only take a minute or so, and we would appreciate it if you could listen to what we have to say."
The television studio was always a fairly tense place, but now even more-so than usual. Technicians and camera crews stood at their posts, the cameras focused on the evening news desk, as they did every night.
However, while a tight schedule could have made them work like they had a gun to their backs, the men in shabby Zeon uniforms holding assault rifles provided a good incentive as well. Most of them had masks pulled up over the lower halves of their faces, concealing their identities, except for an older officer type, who was sitting at the news desk.
He stared purposefully into the camera, and continued with his speech.
"Those of you with home taping equipment handy, I suggest that you try to record this address, as the Federation will likely try to keep it out of commercial circulation. But, as we wish not to inconvenience you more than is absolutely necessary, I will delay my address to you no longer."
The old officer had memorized his speech, and carried no papers. He wore a full Zeon dress uniform, with his helmet placed on the table next to him. He leaned forward in his chair, his eyes turning serious.
"People of the Earth, yesterday the Federation government issued a bold and brazen lie to its citizens. In a public address, the leaders of the Federation military declared that all Zeon forces still extant in the African continent had surrendered to the Federation, and had just completed disarmament.
"This statement is false, and the proof sits before you. I am Captain Theodor Graf of the Number 14 Supply Unit. I still consider myself an active combatant in the Principality of Zeon's war against the Earth Federation. I have thus far made no attempt to surrender to the Earth Federation, and neither have any of the troops under my command. Besides that..."
The Zeon officer reached down and drew a standard Zeon issue pistol from a hip holster. With a clunk, he placed it down on the desktop.
"...it should be noted that I am indisputably STILL ARMED."
He put the weapon away, folding his hands.
"So long as myself and the soldiers under my command are able to fight the Earth Federation, we will do so. We reject the treaty signed between Zeon and the Federation as a false document, created by traitors within the Zeon government. We do not recognize the authority of the Republic of Zeon, nor do we intend to return to our disgraced homeland until its rightful government is restored, and the goals of Zeon's invasion of the Earth have been accomplished. And we are not alone! Thousands like us exist across the globe, and will fight to the very end for the ideals we share."
Theodor stood, and raised his fist above his head.
"SIEG, ZEON!"
The words were repeated by the other Zeon troops in the studio. Theodor then sat down.
"Our war is not with the civilian population of the Earth. Let it be noted that my forces have no intention of knowingly involving civilians in any operations we undertake, nor will we conscript or take hostages from the civilian populations. Volunteers for our cause, however, are always appreciated."
He nodded.
"We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Have a pleasant evening."

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST.

_________________
"Captain! It's the Federation forces Mobile Suit! It has a head and limbs!"
_Oliver May, 603rd Test Team, upon first seeing the Federation's RGM-79 GM.

"Here they come! Everyone look sharp!"
Flint Hobten looked at the monitors which covered the walls of his Mobile Suit's cockpit, currently showing the outside world in the ghostly green tones of infrared night vision. His Suit, an old J-type Zaku II, stood as part of a guard unit around the temporarily captured television station which Captain Graf was making his address from. Light vehicles which had carried the ground troops for the operation were parked just inside the gates.
They were scheduled to finish up and leave any minute now.
Of course, the ZOINKS was about to hit the fan, slightly earlier than anyone had expected.
Three large thermal signatures were plodding along toward the TV station, along with a few smaller ones, presumably Mobile Suits and light vehicles carrying ground troops.
"I see them! Hasn't the Captain finished his speech yet?"
"He should be just getting done with it! But this could get ugly real soon."
"Lieutenant Flint, how're things going out here?"
Flint looked down to see the strike team quickly moving out of the building and piling into their vehicles. Captain Graf stopped and gave a salute up at Flint and the others.
Flint saluted back with his Mobile Suit, turning back to the approaching enemy forces.
"You should get moving, sir, we have several heat signatures approaching fast. Light vehicles and Human-type Mobile Suits by the looks of them."
"Thank god the Federation doesn't watch the news as much as they should, or they would've been all over us much sooner. Good work standing guard, Lieutenant, now let's make a strategic withdrawal, shall we?"
"Yes SIR!"
The Captain smiled and climbed into one of the Sauropeltas parked outside. The group of jeeps pulled out of the parking lot and sped away down the road.
The voice of one of Flint's wing-men came over the comm.
"Sir! Enemy Mobile Suits confirmed and within range!"
Flint's hands tightened on the controls of his Zaku, and he turned to face the enemy troops. His 120mm machinegun dropped down to his hip, at the ready to fire.
"Acknowledged. All units, suppressing fire! Light 'em up!"
"Roger!"
The muzzle-flash and noise from three high-caliber auto-cannons, each wielded by a Mobile Suit, lit up the night and shattered windows in the TV station below. One of the GMs stumbled and fell, and the other two stopped moving. Several vehicles flared and halted as well, their gasoline engines blazing.
Letting the other two Zakus keep laying down a curtain of fire, Flint reached down and withdrew a Sturm Faust rocket from its hip storage mount. Aiming, he fired at one of the GMs, splitting the pinned-down Mobile Suit into two pieces at the waist.
Reaching for his other rocket, he turned to see the other GM slowly breaking away under cover of its shield. Hurriedly, he aimed and fired, but the enemy Suit threw the shield at the warhead and managed to slip into the jungle.
Flint cursed, searching the trees. "Jims" were fast, and as a matter of course, Zeon pilots didn't like to lose track of their targets.
"AHH!! L-LIEUTENANT!"
One of the other two Zakus stumbled back, its head sliced off by the glowing length of a Beam Saber. The GM had burst from the jungle, and was about to administer the killing blow to its quarry. Reflexively, Flint turned and let loose with his machinegun.
The GM stumbled, but wasn't seriously damaged. Turning, it flashed its green visor menacingly, running at Flint instead. It weaved from side to side, dodging Flint's machinegun fire.
Flint cursed, igniting his Heat Hawk. As another matter of course, Zeon pilots didn't fight GMs hand-to-hand, if they could help it. Beam Sabers were dangerous weapons indeed.
The blade of the enemy's Beam Saber crashed against Flint's Heat Hawk, and electrical arcs danced between them. But the GM pilot had made a rookie's mistake, and Flint used it to end the fight quickly.
He pressed his machinegun against the GM's unprotected cockpit, and pulled the trigger once.
The light behind the GM's face visor dimmed, and the Beam Saber's blade vanished. The once might Federation Mobile Suit crumpled to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.
Deactivating his Heat Saber, Flint turned to the others.
"That's all of them. Everyone alright?"
"Y-Yeah, just fine sir. My sub-cameras kicked in so I can still see."
"I'm good sir, but a little low on machinegun ammo. "
Flint nodded, turning his Suit around.
"Good work, team, let's get going. We wouldn't want the Captain to get worried about us."
"No sir!"
Flint plodded along at a jog after the Captain's convoy. Tonight, Zeon had been victorious.
But what would the future hold?

NEXT TIME:
The Number 14 Supply Unit gets resupplied! But by whom? And more importantly, what will the Federation do about it?
Find out next chapter.
Who will survive?

_________________
"Captain! It's the Federation forces Mobile Suit! It has a head and limbs!"
_Oliver May, 603rd Test Team, upon first seeing the Federation's RGM-79 GM.