New fanfic: Gundam Seed Phoenix

Your own tale of two mecha.
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Antares
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Trying to make amends for my earlier slothiness in posting, here is episode 42. After this I have to take a forced two week hiatus, as I am going to Japan for a holiday. But aside from that, please take a look at episode 42 - Burning Horizon. The Alaskan battle is drawing to a bloody close, and PLANT eugenics is discussed with a bit of changes Hammer leadership added for flavor. Hope you like it. Comments are, as always, most welcome, and also the MSV challenge still stands. I will gladly give additional information if necessary. :)

Oh and here is an excerpt:
Cagalli: What the hell is going on!?
Sanders: They are opening the launch doors. Their ships are preparing to launch for space. They were ready faster than we anticipated.
[Cagalli is taken aback; she also expected it to take them a bit longer to get ready to leave. Besides, risking take-off while the EDF and Orb forces camped over their base was rather reckless.]
Miriallia: I got visuals from a Murasame unit!
[The visuals are immediately shown on the main display, clearly showing the DAMOCLES and the LIBERTY, noses up and smoke starting to billow around their hulls.]
Cagalli: Fire at those ships!
Sanders: Belay that order! [to a furious Cagalli] There is a Geschmeidig Panzer over the launch ports, you would be wasting ammo and endangering our allies! Our only hope is to hit them when they get airborne and blow them out of the sky. [shouts into the headset.] Move them into position right now. That’s our best bet! [to Cagalli] I advise you to evacuate all personnel and ships not heavily armored to a mile radius. We are in the area of the risk ourselves, but that is a chance we will have to take!
Cagalli: [grabs Sanders’s collar] What the hell are you talking about?!
Sanders: [grunts] The APOLLO guns. I diverted six to fire on JOSH-B. I had hoped we could have contained them until the positron blasters would be in position.
[Cagalli’s face pales, and several of crew, including Miriallia, gasp in shock.]
Cagalli: You! You would use an orbital positron blaster here?!
Sanders: Won’t be anything worse than the CYCLOPS detonation. And we can end this with minimal casualties to our own side.
Cagalli: Have you no morals, man?!
Sanders: [calmly] Someone needs to end this. Someone with no reputation to tarnish. Someone who is old and expendable in the long run.
Cagalli: [bodily slams Sanders to the window] Did I ask you to wash my hands clean of this? Did I?! You can’t make decisions like this by yourself!
Sanders: [groans, but determined] I would give the evacuation order if I were you. The guns are on their way. They will decimate JOSH-B.
Neumann: Cagalli-sama! We have propulsion!
Waldfeld: [out of breath] Take in as many ships as we can! Retreat from the blast radius, but keep our guns trained at the launch ports! Ready the GOTTFRIEDs one and two!
[The ARCHANGEL slowly lifts from the ground, and Miriallia gives the general withdrawal. Inside JOSH-B, many Terranists suits already downed and waiting for death to descend upon them find themselves suddenly alone as the EDF and Orb suits retreat in full flight, taking those comrades with them that might still be alive. A ragged cheer, if a rather uncertain one, goes up among the defenders due to this ambiguous reprieve. Elsewhere inside the base, the GeoGOOhNs and other mobile suits likewise hasten in retreat. The WINDAMs engaging the EDF and Orb mobile suits are surprised to see their enemy fall back, leaving non-essential materials behind, like medical supplies and food. One WINDAM immediately drops to one knee, the pilot jumping out and running to a medical tent. The lieutenant fires a spray of shot into the shield of a withdrawing ENFORCER, leaving a row of tiny holes embedded into it.]
Lieutenant: Get back in your cockpit, soldier!
Terranist pilot: My cousin is badly wounded back inside. We’re out of supplies! He’ll need this!
Lieutenant: [curses] Worry about the dying only after we’re out of this. Why are they running?
[The GESCHEIDIG PANZER over the launch ports deactivates and the prow of the DAMOCLES lifts up, shortly followed by the LIBERTY in the second hatch. The camera goes to the ARCHANGEL’s bridge.]
Miriallia: [eyes wide] the MIDWAY reports there are wounded pilots and some other personnel who cannot clear the site in time!
Cagalli: [tryies to grab at Sanders’s headset] You have to give time for our ships to…
Sanders: [closes his eyes, into the headset] Fire at will!
--
and another!
[The camera zooms at the massive UPA battle cruiser. On the bridge the atmosphere is rather tense. Arthur glances at Ramius, who in turn glances at Frost, who glances at worriedly at Athrun’s stiff back. Athrun stands at the front of the bridge, staring out of a window with his arm drawn over his chest and his mouth a tight line. Apparently he has been there for some time, and the aura of silence he exudes has permeated the whole bridge crew. Everyone knows they are on an official UPA mission, but the way Athrun is now acting makes it very much look like they’re on a personal vendetta. Ramius takes her cap off, and can’t help but to wonder if that actually may be the case. The general atmosphere seems to be that the VALKYRIE and the ZAFT ships are not only looking for the INFINITY and the Terminal asteroid factory, but hunting for it. Ramius looks at Athrun again, whose face is lightly reflected by the window he is standing in front of. There has been very little activity recently, given that they are skirting Hammer space and not heading right into it. Furthermore, they are somewhat off the usual courses ships tend to take.]
Arthur: [quietly] Aren’t we going off mission? We were supposed to organize a show of force and open up a dialogue with the Hammer if we can. Why are we staying this far back?
Ramius: [quietly but loudly enough for Athrun to hear] We have some internal business we need to take care of, it seems. At the moment that takes priority.
[Arthur realizes who the words were really intended for, and notices that Athrun shifts his weight from one leg to another. He glances behind him through his reflection. Ramius is giving him a somewhat challenging stare. Athrun’s face doesn’t much change, but he looks down for a split-second before he turns and faces Ramius.]
Athrun: For the best interests of peace, commodore.
[The air is clearly confrontational, and Ramius only stiffly nods her head, acknowledging Athrun’s words but not really agreeing with them. Athrun nods back and heads off the bridge. He pauses once, glancing toward Ramius, who turns her head, surprised, as well. Before she can catch his eyes though, Athrun already diverts his eyes and walks off. Ramius looks around the bridge, realizing how few people he knows there. She knows Frost, and she likes to think she is getting to know Arthur, but beyond that there are no familiar faces from the ARCHANGEL on the VALKYRIE. Ramius gets a sudden pang of homesickness, the ARCHANGEL being her closest thing to a family after two devastating wars.]
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
lordyu
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat May 05, 2007 11:18 pm

As You know I hate the EDF, Orb, Plants and others.

When will the nation of the EDF finally decide to end the Ruse an split.

PS. I Hate Orb!!
Antares
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Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
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lol, lordyu, I know. But in my fic, you can expect the AF and other blocs to stay in a bit longer still.

And I am back from my trip to Japan. It was quite fun. Except for the horrible flu I got on the second to the last day, and now I am dying in mucus. I should put up another episode soon, but if I feel like this it is sufficient for me to stay upright and read the other fine fics on this forum for the time being. :P
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

The server is down again. Sigh. Frozen all over again.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Server is back up and new episode, 43, is up soonish. I think. :P
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
CHASER
Posts: 612
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:11 am

That server was down for a while, but at least it's back now. And yeah, episode 43 with some nice fireworks, for great justice.

O.o;;;
HellCat wrote:
ShadowCell wrote:I'm skipping this one if it's in suppository form, though. Like, I like Gundam, but not that friggin' much.
They decided against that because most Gundam fans already have something up their butt.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
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As CHASER said, here we go, for great justice indeed. The story is a bit.. fluctunat in this one with some serious bits that have a lot/some/few funny bits in between. But anyway here is episode 43 - Silent Movements. Q&A is up as well, but with little to add. The focus of the story is now switching to space with the big rumble in Alaska dealt with, and a new chain of events is escalating. Exciting, no? :wink:

Here is an excerpt of the episode. It is fairly long but I hope it will get you curious enough to read the whole thing. :P
Athrun: Renegade ship INFINITY. Power down your engines. Please do not try to flee. You’ve stolen ZAFT military hardware, which is a serious offence. [pause, eyes narrow] Lacus, don’t make this any worse for yourself as it already is.
[Lacus inhales sharply, a rosy blush rising on the one cheek Athrun had slapped her. Her mouth is a tight line of disapproval.]
Lacus: Send text message only. Tell him we have no intention to do battle here but that we will not submit either.
[The message is sent and on screen they see Athrun reading it real time. His face takes an angrier glow, and his words become more clipped.]
Athrun: Lacus. You fall under the jurisdiction of the UPA just like everyone else. It was an organization you helped us found. You can’t ignore it if it becomes inconvenient for you. [pause, face softens slightly] Kira, can you hear me? Please stop this madness. This isn’t right, it can’t be right.
[Lacus turns her head toward Kira, who is now clearly torn inside, turning to look Lacus in the eyes, pleading for some solution to this.]
Athrun: Kira, please. I know you don’t want to fight me. I want to talk with you.
[The turn to a sincere plea in Athrun’s tone can be heard by everyone, and even Hilda feels uncomfortable.]
Kira: Athrun…
Lacus: [taking command] We have to leave now. If we stay and talk, we cannot escape if the situation calls for it. [to Kira’s shocked expression] We cannot launch our mobile suits, because they can’t catch up with us. [softens her tone] If Athrun wants to talk with us, then he can find us. And he can come alone and not with an entire fleet. To show his sincerity. [turns to the comm. officer] Send him that last part. Helm, take us to the secondary location, full speed.
[The camera cutting to his cockpit, Athrun watches disappointed and in disbelief as the giant engines of the INFINITY roar out, the propulsion system quickly accelerating for maximum thrust. The distance is still too great for his GUNDAM; even if he flew at them with full throttle, he might not even reach weapon range. Watching the ship rapidly depart, Athrun’s attention is called to the message that comes up on his comm. panel.]
Athrun: [inhales through his teeth] You… ZOINKS.
[The camera cuts to the bridge of the INFINITY again where Athrun’s image is still on the display, but the increasing distance causing it to distort and break at times. A crackle is heard, and Athrun says something. The comm.. officer increases signal strength temporarily so they can hear what he says.]
Athrun: [furious but in control] I do not have to prove myself to you, Lacus. Or to you, Kira. Your IFF status is now hostile.
[His tone is indication enough that he is seriously pissed off. The point about the IFF seems to be that he is willing to make this hostility official. Athrun cuts the link, and the SOLARIS breaks with its thrusters, stopping completely. The GUNDAM looks at the Factory. The sensors of the INFINITY have been enhanced enough to give them a view of the ZAFT fleet even while their moving farther away. They cannot imagine what kind of radio chatter is going on between the fleet and Athrun right now, but everyone tries to see for some indication of what is to come. The camera cuts to the bridge of the VALKYRIE, which has come to a stop as well, the ZAFT ships decelerating as well. Ramius looks at Athrun with her mouth open, in shock at what she just heard. Styx is on a second line, looking contemplative. Frost clears his throat.]
Frost: That is a rather extreme measure to take, colonel. Are you quite sure?
Athrun: I see that a firm stance is needed. Commodore Ramius, feel free to make a note of your protest.
Ramius: Athrun! Reconsider! We’re burning away any hopes of finding common ground.
Athrun: [eyes narrow again] I don’t think we will find any common ground if we don’t state our position in clear terms. Lacus needs to be woken up to realize that she is not by default right in every matter.
[Ramius can detect growing resentment in his voice, having a brief flashback of Athrun’s disgust at the use of Lacus as a hostage before. Ramius knows full well that they were engaged to be married before Athrun found Cagalli and Kira found Lacus. Or the other way around.]
Ramius: Don’t let your personal feelings affect your judgment too much, Athrun.
Athrun: [sarcastically] I fear I’ve let them affect my judgment all too much. If I acted as the rational leader of UPA, I would’ve given them an ultimatum, and not begged for them to hear me out.
Styx: Commodore, the colonel has a point there. He’s done all he could… [searches for a word] diplomatically in this situation. The UPA cannot afford to show favoritism or selective enforcement of its mandate.
Athrun: [quietly, to them as much as to himself] You reap what you sow.
Styx: Colonel Zala, our ships stand ready as ordered.
[Ramius looks at Athrun and makes her defiant stand. She says nothing. Athrun gives a sad sigh, and looks at Frost, questioningly. Frost swallows, and looks at Ramius who looks ahead, face rigid. Frost raises his eyes to Athrun’s and holds the gaze, and then finally salutes. Athrun gives a very small smile, and even Styx seems to relax a bit. Hearing his heels click, Ramius closes her eyes, left alone in her protest.]
Frost: Gunnery control. Activate the VALHALLA module, all weapons. Load all missile tubes with high-yield SCHÄFER missiles. Target the asteroid in front of us.
Weapons officer: Sir, concentrated firing of all our weapons at the target will drain our energy temporarily.
[Outside the VALKYRIE, the VALHALLA weapons module in the front of the ship peels open from multiple sides, large weapons sliding out, barrels extended into the full battle-readiness of the VALKYRIE. The guns start to charge with a steady hum. The lights on the bridge dim almost imperceptibly.]
Frost: In this situation that is acceptable. ODIN and THOR cannons, stand by for initial barrage.
Styx: [over the link, to his own crew] Set firing solution, mark fire by the VALKYRIE. Full energy yield, but don’t let them overheat.
[Frost looks to Athrun for final confirmation.]
Athrun: Fire.
Frost: Fire!
[The VALKYRIE is pushed back as the energy streams from the barrels of all weapons of the VALHALLA modules, heavy green and multi-phased beams cut their way through space and impact the asteroid of the Factory with a brilliant flash and an explosion, peeling away rock from the asteroid. The missiles rain on the blasted rock second later as the guns recharge, and the metal hull of the Factory underneath the rock is starting to tear apart. On the bridge of the lead ZAFT ship, the AGAMEMNON, Styx watches with grim satisfaction as heavy green beams fly from the turrets of the Nazca-class ships of the fleet, likewise tearing into the rock and metal.]
Styx: [comments out loud] For great justice. All your base are belong to us. [to the captain of the ship] For a moment there I almost thought we might have a mutiny in our hands. Honestly, there are days when the UPA resembles kids trying to play nicely together in a sandbox more than a serious organization trying to uphold peace in the solar system.
Captain: Maybe it’s that youthful naïveté that also doubles as their conscience.
[Styx turns to the captain genuinely surprised. The point is a good one, especially from Styx’s point of view. The captain only shrugs, not wanting to seem too sympathetic to the UPA but also feeling a need to defend them from callous remarks. The camera moves over to the bridge of the INFINITY, where the mood is shocked, in a word. The heavy beams cause enough interference for the image of the asteroid to be unclear and fuzzy at times, but it clear enough. The barrage is tearing the base that built the STRIKE FREEDOM and the INFINITE JUSTICE, the base that sheltered Lacus before they could challenge Durandal’s plans. They are speechless at the sight of this wanton act of destruction. The camera cuts to Athrun in his cockpit, watching the asteroid break in two with a crack as the main cannons of the VALKYRIE fire again, illuminating his face and his cockpit with their rather radiant glow. A larger explosion tears through the base as structural integrity is compromised and the power plant detonates. The distance is long enough for the fleet to avoid any damage. Athrun watches the barrage to the end, the explosions and beams laid over the black background of space lighting up his cockpit, reflecting of his visor. In the end there is nothing more than pieces of rubble and some torn, half-melted plating left. The VALHALLA module closes its weapon ports, and the SOLARIS turns to give a look after the quickly disappearing INFINITY. The camera moves to the bridge of the INFINITY once more, where the screen is switched off, and the ship moves away with top speed.]
Lacus: I’m afraid this time there will be no Three Ships’ Alliance.
Oh the drama. Please read and comment. :)
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

I smack you with an update!
Here you go, Episode 44 - Entering the Firing Lane (yes, it is a near-rip-off from a Babylon5 episode).

As usual, only some Q&A stuff since I have faith by now that people know most of the stuff and my writing doesn’t make it more and more unclear. :P And I think I am still going to hold on to the tech specs for the KNIGHT DUEL and DESPAIR, just because I don’t want to spoil their capabilities before they enter battle. So check the episode and tell me what you think. It is more fast-paced than usual, with again (surpringly) a lot going on in different directions. Athrun, the OUTRIDER crew, and the DAMOCLES crew all have big changes coming up. This might be a bit more fast-paced than usual, but hey, I hope the action and plot developments make it better in that regard (I well know at times I can get a bit long-winded).

I also decided that since there will be an eventual rewrite on this, and since no one has expressed a need for the .pdf -files, I’ve stopped putting them up. In case you really really want one, let me know. Another admin issue, I try to update this fic roughly every two weeks. It depends quite a lot on the progress I make in the story, since I always keep 4 episodes in between so I can go back and fix stuff before I publish it within a comfortable margin. I would also like to apologize for the server-problems we’ve been having, hopefully they go away now. :wink:

But enough with the blabber and on with the excerpt(s):
[The ZAKU leaves the propulsion platform on a tether outside and moves inside the colony. The camera moves inside with the ZAKU, which quickly moves to a strut and the pilot exists using the winch and cable. Nightfall takes his helmet off and his long blonde hair cascades down. He takes a few strands to his perusal, and he looks at it distastefully. He also has a pronounced stubble of blonde hair on his chin, and he scratches at that with a sense of novelty, and, to a considerable extent, irritation. He moves quickly to the pilot’s showers. His flight suit also seems quite stretched over his frame. Nightfall quickly disappears into the showers when the camera is not looking, the rising steam quickly covering him. He sits down for a moment, and then reaches for a pair of scissors from a shelf. He casually starts clipping his hair shorter in great big wads, which quickly litter the floor of the shower room. With a razor he also removes the stubble from his chin. As he finishes up, his eyes move to the door to a small shadow there.]
Nightfall: It is not polite to peek.
[Kildare takes a step inside the shower room, slightly surprised by the deeper voice that Nightfall commands now. Kildare looks at the hair on the floor and the hair strewn all about.]
Kildare: [genuinely worried] Is it becoming faster?
Nightfall: [shrugs] A bit. But at least it is not very painful anymore. Everything seems to be in place.
Kildare: How much longer?
Nightfall: [brusquely] I don’t have to check my watch just yet, if that is what you mean.
Kildare: So why are you here now, then?
Nightfall: The PHOENIX should be ready. I want to test it.
Kildare: [surprised] We took out the fuel cores from the GRIFFIN to prepare for the needs of the reactor kick-start... But I received word that colonel Voltaire has taken over the command for the Hammer of ZAFT and wants all ships to join in right now. Apparently he has some kind of plan.
Nightfall: I know. [shuts the faucets, and catches the towel Kildare throws to him] I also knew you would still be here.
Kildare: [stammers] With the PHOENIX here, I couldn’t possibly…
Nightfall: The fuel cores are still in place?
Kildare: [frowns] Yes. But my men are exhausted. Give them a moment to sleep. Tired men can make more mistakes more easily.
[To this Nightfall frowns in turn. He walks to the dressing room and, contrary to his earlier words, picks up his watch from a pile of clothing and looks at it for a moment.]
Nightfall: [back to Kildare] Give them six hours. I want them to be ready to work within seven. I’ll be at the PHOENIX, fine-tuning it.
[Kildare stifles a wide yawn, and decides she could also make do with the extra hours. The PHOENIX is now ready, and Kildare has no reason to believe it wouldn’t work. Plus, as insurance, she also has the controller and password for the PHOENIX still locked away, so there is no risk in letting Nightfall tinker with the GUNDAM until the actual tests are ready to begin.]
Kildare: Do as you like. We’ll start the tests in five hours, then.
[Kildare walks away, and Nightfall exhales, relieved. He sits down on a bench and grits his teeth, his entire body shivering and convulsions wrack through it. He opens his eyes, in full SEED-mode, and then clenches them shut again. He takes a tired, shaking breath and stands up. He discards the old flight suit and takes out a replacement from the small bag he carried with him. This one has an emblem of a white bird flexing its wings, surrounded by fire on the chest, and Nightfall touches it gingerly once. Then he smiles, and suits up. On the bench next to him, the hands of the watch move forward in their usual unstoppable pace.]
Locke: A very disconcerting piece of information has been brought to my attention. It seems we might have a traitor in our midst. An unbeliever among the faithful. A… [spits out the word] Coordinator on this ship.
[Vries wizards up a blank expression on his face, even while Dei swallows visibly and his face turns ashen. Kofu glances at him and then does a double-take, disbelievingly dragging his eyes back to Dei. His guilt is pretty much stamped on his forehead. Locke leans forward in his chair.]
Locke: It might be easier for you if we don’t have to… extract a confession out of you.
[As he says this his eyes fall squarely on Dei, and also Chiiro turns to follow his gaze now and her face twists in revulsion. Vries stares at Dei as well, faking surprise and outrage.]
Vries: [to himself, hoping Dei could hear] Shut up. Just shut up. Or be outraged. Challenge the man! Don’t accept it!
Locke: [continues mercilessly] This engineer here says he has witnessed certain technical feats that you’ve performed. They do not seem to be possible for a clean-blooded Natural. And after re-evaluating your performance, I have come to agree with him. So, who are you?
[Dei takes a ragged breath, his whole body shivering. Vries tries to will him to stand up and defend himself, but instead Dei raises his eyes to meet Locke’s.]
Dei: Yes, it is true. My name is Dei Caliano and I am a research scientist from PLANT.
[The silence is deadly and stunned. Even Locke recoils at the confession, seeing a live, filthy Coordinator on his bridge. One who has fought next to them several times. This is also the logical argument Dei chooses to put forth.]
Dei: [pleads] But what does it matter? I’ve fought with you, for you, so many times…
[His plead is cut short by Chiiro’s shriek, as she jumps from her chair and grabs Dei, tossing him bodily overarm to crash down on the console next to him, followed by a twirling kick into the side of the head. Dei can feel his ribs cracking from the first impact before the spinning boot makes him see black and he lies still, sprawled on the console. Chiiro, hyperventilating, grabs her sidearm, but Kofu manages to slap the gun up before she fires. The ricochet nearly hits Vries. Chiiro trashes about, but Kofu keeps a hold on her gun arm, and now also Vries moves to subjugate her.]
Kofu: Don’t kill him! We have to know what he knows and how he got aboard in the first place!
[This makes the blood in Vries’s veins run cold. If they find out he has been sheltering Dei knowingly…]
Locke: [calmly] Chiiro. Calm down, dear.
[Hearing his voice, Chiiro settles down rather quickly, though eyeing Dei with murderous intent. After all, the Coordinators are who killed her husband and her child. She also shoots a suspicious glance towards Kofu and Vries, with the latter seeing questions with rather serrated edges in her eyes. Locke moves next to Chiiro and pecks her on the cheek and then moves to Dei like an old hunter seeing a prone, helpless prey.]
Locke: Oh yes. There certainly are questions I will want to ask from this one. [grabs Dei’s collar, and pulls his lolling head to his hissing teeth] Abominations need to be cleansed. It is a rare treat to get one so handily presented to you.
EDIT: I forgot to give thanks to CHASER for reading my stuff once more to correct some of the more glaring mistakes, both contextually and linguistically. So thanks, CHASER. :)
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

*sigh* Server down again. I seriously don't know what is going on. Sorry about this to everyone who wanted to read but couldn't because of this. I sent a message about this to the provider yesterday, and I expect it to be fixed over the weekend.

EDIT - SERVER FIXED.
:D

I'm trying to make due with the provider for the time being simply because I haven't got the time to look for and set up the fic on a completely different site (plus I like Wordpress). I hope you can bear with me. When the story has been written to the end (episode 60ish), I will probably transfer the whole thing to a new, more stable location. And maybe make a rewrite, changing from the script-format to a novel-format. But I just want to finish this first in one form or another, and I can only hope the server will cooperate.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Episode 45 - Wings of Fire is up.
Good times. A bit of old, a bit of new. Still no tech specs to give, since I am holding onto them. :P But hey, go see, and please comment too. The excerpt this time is a three-parter of the same scene. It's a long one, but I like the scene so I wanted to post it here as the appropriate teaser.
Kildare is the only one who seems still active and eager, most of the engineers are dead-tired. As they approach the PHOENIX GUNDAM, the winch of the mobile suit activates and down from the cockpit comes Nightfall. Kildare stifles a yawn, and just nudges her head, and in wordless acknowledgment the engineers and other scientists spread out to their posts and to their tasks. A few give Nightfall a curious glance, interested to see what the day will bring. Nightfall pretty much ignores them, and focuses on Kildare, and then to the small briefcase Kildare is holding. Kildare notices that Nightfall is looking at it with an expression of displeasure, and she smiles, patting the case.]
Nightfall: [coldly] Give the controller, please. Without it I cannot activate the OS. It has to be upgraded.
Kildare: [a little taken aback] Such a hurry. Although I can’t blame you. If my cellular structure was…
Nightfall: [interrupts] That is enough. Give me the controller.
[This was not a request, but an order, and Kildare finds herself already opening the case. Before she can shut it again, Nightfall reaches in and takes the controller. He holds it in his hand for a moment, testing the weight and form of it, and then nods.]
Nightfall: There is a code as well?
[The tone has softened slightly, but the edge is still there.]
Kildare: It’s George Glenn’s birthday.
[Nightfall looks at her for a moment, then his eyes change, as if turning inward. After retrieving the answer from wherever he sent his thoughts just then, Nightfall returns his eyes to Kildare.]
Kildare: [troubled] What?
Nightfall: You left the ejection system still in although I specifically asked you to remove it.
Kildare: [shuffles uncomfortably] It is integral to the cockpit, so we couldn’t take out without totally dismantling it. [gets determination] Besides, it is a prototype. It might be safe to keep an ejection system in it.
Nightfall: [amused] If anything goes wrong with this experiment, the ejection system wouldn’t do you much good. Have you told your men that?
Kildare: [quietly] They don’t need to know every detail. The ejection system is a precaution.
[Nightfall cocks his head to the side and looks Kildare again from head to toe. His height matches and exceeds hers, now.]
Nightfall: A precaution. I see. [voice getting suspiciously sweet] Precaution, against what, exactly?
[The question is rhetorical, and Kildare isn’t going to answer it. To her credit, she is holding her own against Nightfall in a staring contest. She can’t help shivering though, as the look in his eyes has none of the warmth or even humanity they once housed. Nightfall leans slightly closer. Kildare’s left hand clenches a remote control in her pocket and she pulls it out slowly.]
Kildare: This is a remote ejection system.
[Nightfall slowly turns his eyes to look at the remote, and then back to Kildare.]
Nightfall: [whispers] Are you afraid of me?
Kildare: [tries to laugh] Of you? Ridiculous!
[Nightfall smiles faintly, leans back, and turns away, walking with the controller in hand to the PHOENIX.]
Nightfall: [just loud enough for Kildare to hear] Maybe you should be.
[Kildare shivers again. He is turning slightly more unpredictable, but supposedly that was to be expected in the long run. Kildare is well aware of the specs of the project that created him, and tries to push her fear and anxiousness to the side. She turns to her right, toward a group of engineers.]
Kildare: Attach the energy main to the GUNDAM.
-------------
[The camera cuts to a smaller room deeper in the asteroid, where men in heavy anti-radiation suits move a glowing fuel rod into position and let it sink into its plug so that only the top of it remains.]
Nightfall: It is a pity we cannot start this reactor independently.
Kildare: The technology is not yet perfect. We need to get a serious jolt of energy into the reactor so it can start and then it will creates its own power cycle that is by all estimates almost eternal.
Nightfall: Eternal energy. I am sure there would be civilian need for something like this.
Kildare: [watches energy readings start to rise slowly, distracted] Maybe some day. That is not what we’re after though.
Nightfall: True. How can these be restarted then if it once stops?
Kildare: [huffs] You should know. It can’t. You’ll need the reactor of a colony or something like that to get a new kick-start. But this test is all about achieving non-fluctuant and stable power-levels. One step at a time.
Nightfall: [good humouredly] Yes, ma’am.
[Kildare smiles also a bit. Nightfall seems to be returning to his old self now that the test is underway. An engineer next to Kildare taps her shoulder, and shows the gauge reaching the required borderline. Kildare nods, and switches channels on the headset.]
Kildare: Push in the second fuel core. [to the surprised engineers] One is not going to amount to anything. Might as well commit all the way right from the start.
[The engineers and scientists share a glance, but the madness-like enthusiasm is catching on. Soon they all nod, and follow the gauges and power frequencies with gleaming eyes. Kildare switches the channel back to Nightfall.]
Kildare: First connection in five, four, three, two, one… Connect.
[She turns a large dial herself to the first position. In the back of the PHOENIX, the cable lights up with thousand lights and an electrical hum starts to emit. The lights also light up in the plug-end of the PHOENIX, and the camera goes to the cockpit. The complete darkened systems flash once, then twice, and the cockpit lights turn on.]
Nightfall: [amused] Well, at least I can see.
-------------
Nightfall: Observation, we have a successful stable conduit here. I want to follow it up with a stress test to see that there are no fluctuations.
Kildare: [a bit hesitant] Right now? Shouldn’t we do that outside?
Nightfall: Thruster specs should not be a problem. I want to test the power levels while I am still hooked up to the main in case we need to up the levels still.
Kildare: [dubious] That would be unlikely. But fair enough. Give us the system you plan on testing and we’ll monitor that especially.
Nightfall: [smiling] Understood. Well, the beam shield. Deploying straight ahead.
[With a white-purple flash, the beam shield of the PHOENIX is created in front of the mobile suit from an emitter in the head. Many scientists blink the afterimages of the flash away. Nightfall pushes more power to the shield, watching the power levels carefully. He smiles again, seeing no anomalies.]
Kildare: Shield is holding. Next?
Nightfall: Mirage Colloid camouflage.
[New exhausts open on the shoulder and the sides of the PHOENIX, and a small cloud of colloid particles starts to emit. Very quickly they wrap around the PHOENIX as a glittering, moving blanket, as the magnetic field pulls them into position, and the whole GUNDAM fades from sight. There is a series of impressed gasps from the observation room.]
Senior engineer: Remarkable! No anomalies! The reactor output barely registers the activation of a major system like Mirage Colloid!
[Kildare clenches her fist in elation. The PHOENIX has proved out to be worth the trouble. She looks into the empty test chamber, where a huge GUNDAM is supposed to stand. Even the cable is partially masked by the colloid particles. The camera moves inside the cockpit, where Nightfall breathes heavily. He flicks a few switches and activates the systems on the left arm. The status window to his left shows the two large, curved blades flash once or twice. The camera goes back to the observation room, and Kildare turns away from the window.]
Kildare: I am going to go congratulate our test pilot. The system is a complete success.
[As she finishes the sentence, a new loud, metallic bang is heard from the room, and she stops in mid-step. An engineer quickly scans the systems of the PHOENIX that are active.]
Engineer: There was something in the colloid particle flow. They were disturbed by some technical change.
Kildare: [frowns] What change?
Engineer: [confused] Unknown. All systems should be nominal and only the camouflage is active.
[Kildare inhales sharply, as she hears three booming steps from inside the test chamber. Her hand drops immediately to her pocket, to the ejection remote. This is an unnecessary action though as several meters of titanium steel in the form of the curved blades of the PHOENIX smash in through the window of the observation room, their colloid camouflage peeling off on impact. The strike is so violent that several engineers and scientists immediately turn into red smears and scattered body parts. Kildare herself is crushed behind a dislodged computer panel, crushing her legs and banging her head to the wall. Her hand is trapped under the panel too, the crushed fingers inside the pocket of her lab coat. She gives a scream of profound pain. The blades jerk to the side once, finishing the rest of the research team and come to rest right next to Kildare. Their beam edge starts to glow as power flows into it. Kildare can only look at the edge which will soon incinerate her body. Her headset crackles.]
Nightfall: [his voice weak in her ears] Thank you. And goodbye.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
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I try to publish even if writing has stalled, again. It's not that I don't want to, I just have a lot of stuff to go through and you all know the drill. But luckily here it helps to write somewhat in advance, so you won't have to go without your fix. That said, I would really like to see some comments from other people up here again. Give good or bad, as long as it is in constructive format (praises I can also take at random :P ). Also, I wonder how much longer am I supposed to be stickied... Not that I am complaining, but I think six months might've passed already. :) Aaaaand finally, a big thanks again to CHASER for going through the text to point out errors I couldn't spot. :)

After that introduction, here is Episode 46 - Escalation. The bulk of the narrative is focused around a big, important fight between key players. I know my narrative of battles is a bit dry because it gets into detail which kills the momentum (or at least so I have come to understand), but I don't see a way I could aboid that and still convey the images I'd like to to. I suppose that is the problem when you write in script format.

Anyways, here is a short excerpt:
[The flashy approach of the FURY is well noted by the Hammer mobile suits too, and several fire a wall of fire with beam rifles and assault rifles right into the path of the speeding GUNDAM. Styx grunts and the wings of the FURY open smoothly alongside a huge flow of Colloid particles. The Wings of Mirage activates, giving the FURY an additional boost in speed as well as scatters the numerous identical mirror images all around. The Hammer pilots, some of them aware of the FURY’s capabilities, are still unable to lay down a completely suppressive curtain of fire. A few ORTHOS guns fire, but the FURY nimbly dodges these and twirls, and maintains its deadly bearing all the time right at the HADES. Splitscreen, Nina and Styx.]
Nina & Styx: You again!
[The HADES turns all its SCORPION TAILs at the FURY, which again is able to dodge the slashing beams with the help of the mirages. Nina lets out a scream of outrage and sets the shield and the sword ready, determined to catch the attack of the faster GUNDAM. Styx grimaces as a few beams flash right by him on his wild approach, but the beams miss by a hair. The old colonel settles down in his seat and holds the controls, and shuts his eyes. Nina realizes only a second before impact that the FURY intends to ram her instead of engaging in combat. A huge crash is evident as the FURY recoils violently back and the HADES is thrown clear away from the deck of the VALKYRIE. Disoriented and reeling, Styx manages to keep the beam shields up to cover the VALKYRIE and himself from the fire from the Hammer mobile suits. The crew of the VALKYRIE is quick to utilize their respite.]
Ramius: Set maximum thruster output, break through the circle! Let’s box the Hammer main force between us and the ZAFT fleet! Fire countermeasures and set all CIWS guns to mobile suit intercept! We need to use them to clear a way since our main guns are too slow to take down their mobile suits this close!
[The VALHALLA module still has its uses as it fires another volley of FENRIS missiles, succeeding to take down several Hammer suits in the process. The CIWS of the VALKYRIE switch modes and three GINNs feel the immediate result as they blow up in the devastating fire of heavy interception cannons. The ZAKUs and GuAIZs put their shields up and predictably retreat a bit to get some more room to maneuver. Some of the few remaining ZAKU PHANTOMs do see the opening and hammer a few missiles into the hull of the VALKYRIE, but the sturdy battlecruisers shrugs off the hits with minor damage. At the same time the HADES has managed to stop its crazy spinning, and Nina silences the alarms around her, seeing that very little in the way of actual damage was delivered, but that the slam did drain her energy again as the PSA automatically reacted to the blow. The SCORPION TAILs are thoroughly confused, their guidance systems needing a little more time to cope with the slamming contact before they can acquire the target again and lock to fire. The camera moves to the SF and the SOLARIS, facing each other, and this time Athrun sees the most recent flow of events more clearly in his instruments, and he immediately turns around and fires his boosters to get back to the VALKYRIE. Kira is surprised at the sudden disengagement to the extent that he doesn’t get a shot in, and when Athrun’s is already moving away from him, he is not willing to drill a beam shot into his back either. Kira grunts and the SF speeds right after the SOLARIS. Now that the SOLARIS has lost its BOOSTER Aile pack, the SF can easily catch up with it.]
Kira: Athrun! Stop running!
[Athrun looks to his instruments to see the SF gaining, but grits his teeth and tries to push the SOLARIS again to the same speed that allowed him to save a little face in Orb by landing on the KRAKEN. His own Neo-DRAGOONs have slotted back into place to recharge, and Athrun is mindful of his energy readings, conserving his shots now. A multi-phased beam from a Hammer ORTHOS gun makes Athrun dodge to the side and return fire, disabling the offending ZAKU with a shot to both arms. The Hammer pilots who see two other GUNDAM racing to the scene now experience a sudden plummeting feeling in their morale. The SOLARIS, with the beam rifles in hand, is not much interested in giving them a chance to leave. While Athrun dodges the shot fired at him, he downs a GuAIZ and a ZAKU with direct hits into the torso of the mobile suits and keeps his speed on. Kira is aghast.]
Kira: Athrun! STOP KILLING PEOPLE!
[Athrun snorts derisively, and avoids another volley of fire as he sees the FURY fire its thrusters, scatter the Colloid particles, and charge for the HADES. The Hammer pilots shoot at the SOLARIS and the SF both, while trying to withdraw from the scene without deteriorating into a full rout. The SOLARIS releases its two remaining DRAGOONs and lances a beam through a GuAIZ, pilot screaming in pain and fear before the fireball engulfs him. Kira hears their screams as acutely as if they had been next to him. He snarls and fires his railguns into the back of the SOLARIS, and releases his own DRAGOONs. The Neo-DRAGOONs, already occupied with targets, are easy pickings for the faster Super-DRAGOONs. The explosions of his remote weapons flash in Athrun’s sensors. Athrun turns the SOLARIS around and dodges Kira’s beam saber charge to the side, firing his beam rifles at the SF, which sets up the beam shields to block. Splitscreened, Kira, still in SEED-mode, and Athrun, both intent on each other again. The SF lunges at the SOLARIS which just barely manages to keep away. In the background the VALKYRIE fires in all directions, breaking free of the brief encirclement, and then to its side a Colloid particle storm of the FURY washes by the HADES as the two GUNDAM lock weapons again, Nina being able to match Styx’s charge.]
No new tech specs to give, and no Q&A I could think of. If you have issues, please let me know.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

I am sorry I have fallen a bit behind; I was supposed to put up a new ep this weekend. I've been doing some rewriting I had to consider, and it got pushed up. I expect to have the next episode, 47, for you this weekend. I hope you can wait and still retain enough interest. :wink:
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Sorry for my tardiness. I have good enough reasons but nothing I would like to relish here anew. So. Here is episode 47 - Reckoning. The episode is a little longer than usual (about two pages), but it has so much stuff in it that I couldn't squeeze it much shorter. Mechas clash and people die. I would imagine that this piece will spark a few comments from people due to deaths, the fights, or the way I depict certain people. Or, maybe not. Anyways, here is the excerpt (had a tough time finding a suitable one):
[The huge thrusters of the OUTRIDER flare and the ship gains speed. Between the mobile suits, the battle is engaged fast and hard. The OSIRIS casually tosses aside the crispy ENFORCER and charges ahead. Zander’s GAMMA has taken a position over the bridge of the PEGASUS and decapitates a HAWK ENFORCER with a shot from his beam sniper rifle. Two more HAWK ENFORCERs are taken out by the violent abandon with which the Hammer pilots commit themselves to the fray. On the other hand, the stubbornness of the UPA pilots matches theirs as Dearka uses the BLASTER as a rallying point and Lunamaria’s GOUF keeps any more Hammer suits from getting too close. Dearka colors the space around him green with the beam Gatling guns. Two GuAIZs get through the deadly screen and close in, beam claws out, but they are met by Lunamaria’s fierce counter-charge. The TEMPEST sword cuts the left, clawed hand off from one GuAIZ and she slams it back with the shield. Just as the second GuAIZ is moving in, Lunamaria fires her rapid firing beam guns on the wrist to make the pilot reconsider. A lash from the heat rod pushes the GuAIZ further back and Dearka easily realigns his beam gatlings to shred the GuAIZ.]
Dearka: Good job, girl!
[Lunamaria is momentarily taken aback by the unaccustomed praise, and even blushes faintly. She snaps back into action though to dive under the BLASTER to chase away a ZAKU PHANTOM attempting to get to the BLASTER’s blind spot.]
Lunamaria: I am a red coat, after all!
[Dearka smiles at the proclamation, and aims with his rifles, shooting at two different directions, his beams piercing two Hammer ZAKUs with accurate shots. Dearka dodges quickly though as he gets fire back. Zander’s sniper rifle scores a hit over the left shoulder of the BLASTER, detonating the missile compartment there, rocking the BLASTER severely.]
Dearka: [to himself] Damn, better not to get too cocky!
[The camera moves slightly to show the OSIRIS picking a target, Voltaire’s interest in getting kills here slightly eclipsing his role as a commander who should be calling the battle. The heat rods lash out, and his target, Ash’s HAWK ENFORCER, quickly moves out of the way and returns fire with its beam rifle while continuing to withdraw.]
Ash: Giro, I have the bastard on me! Come on!
[Kurogawa’s ENFORCER pauses in mid-battle and quickly turns to pursuit the OSIRIS. Jerry covers Kurogawa’s attack by wordless agreement as the HAWK ENFORCER closes in on the OSIRIS. Ash grins as she sees Voltaire is giving a proper chase, taking the commander slightly further away from the heart of the battle. The only Hammer pilot to notice this is Zander, who also notices Kurogawa’s ENFORCER.]
Zander: [to himself] Two against one… [scoffs] Well, he is a big man, he can handle himself.
[Instead of trying to pick off Kurogawa’s ENFORCER with his beam rifle, Zander aims for one of the GOTFRIED turrets on the OUTRIDER. The camera cuts to the bridge of the vessel just as the beam strikes home, and the whole ship shudders.]
Fu: [alarmed] Heavy damage to gunnery decks! GOTTFRIED#1 is down!
Shiho: Tell the pilots to sweep the Hammer clean off the PEGASUS so we can fire more freely! What about the ZAFT ships?
Fu: [checks the sensors] Mostly still engaged with the Hammer detachment in the rear.
[The camera cuts away to show what is going on in the rear, and indeed the Hammer forces have started to give ground again, mostly due to the GIRRs making good use of their speed and weaponry to make hit-and-run attacks and then return to the cover of their own lines. A Nazca-class cruiser blows up, marking the fourth casualty of the engagement, but the Hammer forces have been pushed back, and the ZAFT ships now engaging them with heavy weaponry effortlessly slice mobile suits open with heavy beams. The Hammer pilots, again remembering why they are a guerrilla army, and still technologically behind the latest models ZAFT can field, are once more having doubts. However, the fervent battle waged, barely visible, at the tip of the column gives them motivation to keep trying.]
This time there is also Q&A and some new specs for the new Gundams I've put out. Fanart is more than extremely welcome if someone wants to try their hand with them based on specs (I will gladly offer additional info if requested). But please go read, and sorry again for the delay.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
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RedShirt0909
Posts: 176
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I must say I did NOT see that coming. I hope the fanboys never get a hold of this for your sake, but its a good move. Funny, I always had the other one pegged for the death and him pegged as the survivor.
Yea, though I sail through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil, for I am conning ten thousand tons of 'screw you'
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
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Thanks for the comments, Red, but don't give me too much credit yet (if I guessed right what you meant). :wink:
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Sigh. I am truly sorry about letting this slip so often. All I can say is... life. And writing other stuff that seems flow out so easily that I have to catch it while I can. This project is not dead by any means, and I know where I am going, but I don't feel that great of a motivation to sit down and write hard. So uh, yeah, I'll try to get episode 48 out here, but I don't know when. I've stalled at ep 52, but as I've said, I like to keep a bit of a distance between what I write and what I publish in case I need to revise it. Thanks for everyone who has been interested, and I hope you will swing by again when I actually have a new ep up. :)
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Here you go, guys. Not sure if it is worth the wait, but a new ep is up. 48 - Sleight of Hand. This project is not dead, but it only takes more time to get there. Thanks to CHASER again for going through it, and hope you like it. :)

Excerpty 1 (spooky and funny):
[The camera cuts away from them and speeds through space to arrive at PLANT and the hourglass-shaped colonies dominating the view. There seems to be some activity going on, and most notably the condenser module of the PRISM is being moved by heavy cruisers. A GIRR flies past the camera, its eye-sensor moving, and then blasts away. The camera moves inside the nearest colony, which unsurprisingly is PLANT EPSILON, the weapons R&D colony on the edge of the main cluster. Moving inside to the restricted zone, the camera shows Dalon walking away briskly, deep in thought. Instead of trailing him, the camera moves down the corridor to where he came from, and sneaks in through a closing door to a laboratory. The twins, Hel and Janus, are, in lack of a better word, enjoying a brief respite from their intensive testing and training. All they do is sit and toss an orange ball between them, hardly paying any attention to their surroundings. Hel glances at the two-way mirror on the wall and frowns.]
Hel: [softly] I hate this place. It is so dull.
[Janus hushes his twin sister, who is wearing her one-sided mask still.]
Hel: [scoffs] You think they would understand? Even if I spoke plainly?
[Janus shrugs, wanting to drop the issue.]
Hel: [an edge of a little girl’s enthusiasm in her voice, touches Janus’s hand] You felt it too, I know you did. It was like a star being born and I was there to see it. [sighs dreamily] It had to be so pretty…
[Janus looks uncomfortable; apparently he didn’t sense anything quite that strong, and he doesn’t want to bring attention to it. Hel looks into his eyes and gives him a sad smile, rubbing his hand.]
Hel: [child-like] Don’t be angry. Don’t be sad.
Janus: [more gruffly] Then don’t pity me.
Hel: I know you want to be out there, like me. There are so many interesting people!
Janus: [weary] Yes. Them, I sensed. Those other two. I can feel the tension.
Hel: [eyes sparkle] Do you think we could see one of them flare out? That would be so pretty too!
Janus: [emphatically] Yes, that would be pretty. And I think that windbag would want us to do exactly that. [shakes his head] Whatever he tells me to do, I feel like spitting right back at him. He doesn’t see, hear, or even speak right. But since he knows some of the words, we have to listen to him.
[Hel nods, and they both look at the two-way mirror again, and then continue tossing the ball. In the observation room the scientists are writing down everything that has been said.]
Scientist#1: Remarkable. It seems they have some sort of heightened awareness.
Scientist#2: Maybe there are others like them, somewhere.
Scientist#1: They don’t seem to think very highly of the colonel, though.
Scientist#2: That shouldn’t matter. They have been imprinted with the command words. The idea the Naturals had with their EXTENDED wasn’t too bad.
Scientist#3: [butting in] Didn’t the colonel want to station them somewhere soon?
Scientist#2: Their data has been recorded and all anomalies accounted for. They should be stable from now on. [all three completely miss the sarcastic huff coming from the guards in the corner]
Scientist#1: Under supervision they will respond to all orders. Their training is now complete. All we need is a field-test, and I suppose that is what the colonel has in mind.
Scientist#3: I don’t know, they seem to be kind of unnerving to me, still.
Scientists#2: Well, they are closer to automatons than humans, so I think that is a natural reaction.
Guard#1: [under his breath] Ha ha.
Guard#2: What?
Guard#1: He said a Natural reaction, it… never mind.
Scientist#2: Well obviously we need some security for them, too.
[The pair in the corner suddenly goes very still.]
Scientist#1: Yes, it is best to be safe. Having a few guards along would not hurt.
Guard#2: Oh fuck me.
Guard#1: [morosely] Hurt who?
Excerpty 2 (yet even more players to the field):
Sanders: [gruffly] I don’t want to be disturbed.
Aide: I know sir, but the officer here is insisting on it. He says he is with the Heron Spear.
Sanders: [dry laugh] The what? Sounds like mercs, and lamely named ones at that.
Aide: I think they are.
Sanders: [interest sparks] Well show him in.
[As Sanders waits, he looks to his screen, tapping the keys and gets hit by a tidal wave of information. Sanders takes it stoically, seeing that his part in this play has already been acted to the end. It has become clear to him that the future doesn’t need his type hanging around. But it does look like the situation is deteriorating, and the EDF military has just completed the long march back from the ruins of JOSH-B. Soldiers need to perform roles from civic duties to crowd control now that the rebellion has been crushed. Looking at the footage from the base in Turkey, which is a source of no small controversy over the media, maybe even a more determined approach would be in order. But even if Sanders had any troops under his command, he would need to get them reassigned. Sanders looks up as his guest walks into the room and salutes. Sanders salutes back out of habit and then frowns.]
Sanders: You don’t need to salute me, mister. State your business.
Man: Apologies, general. I usually salute officers of higher rank, or show deference to a worthy adversary.
[The statement makes Sanders’s throat clench. The man is a Terranist. But he is not armed, at least not in any evident way. Sanders takes his sidearm from his holster and places it on the table. His eyes narrow.]
Sanders: Who are you?
Man: I am Haruki Akama of Heron Spear. We are a mercenary outfit, as you might have guessed.
Sanders: [voice low] What is your rank, soldier?
Akama: Mercs have no real ranks, sir.
Sanders: [patience wearing thin] Don’t play me. What was your unit in JOSH-B? I can tell it was spec ops.
Akama: [tries to hide his uneasiness with a smirk] I was the lieutenant of the 5th special operations mobile suit battalion.
Sanders: [nods] Then I know who you are. And I know the history of your unit. A joint venture between Atlantic Federation and Eurasia, back in the day. Not Phantom Pain, but close.
Akama: [now annoyed] No sir, definitely not Phantom Pain. Soldiers, sir.
[The way Akama phrases it, the connotation is clear that to him soldiers like him don’t like to be compared to Phantom Pain, perhaps more aptly described as butchers.]
Sanders: [leans forward, intrigued] And what is it that brings you to me?
Akama: Me and some thirty of my comrades. [to Sanders’s stricken expression] We fled JOSH-B before the positron beam killed everyone.
Sanders: [swallows] Inevitable. It was war.
Akama: [hides his anger, but only barely] If you say so, sir. I’ve never been one to make such a call. But the reason I am here is simple: employment.
Sanders: [dumbfounded] Work? From me?
Akama: Mercs need people to pay for them, their equipment, the works. Not that many seem to be hiring right now, so I thought to offer our services to you.
Sanders: Actually I think quite a few people might be interested in a force of twenty-odd WINDAMs right now, especially if it is led by one with a bird clutching a spear emblazoned on the chassis. Even captain Waldfeld made a note to find you.
Akama: [face like stone] I am honored, I am sure.
[Sanders leans back in his chair and very slowly holsters his sidearm. He looks at Akama like a biologist might at a particularly fascinating bacteria, trying to decipher what it does. Trying to find out if it is lethal without ingesting it. Akama handles the stare quite well, only a slight tremor in his feet revealing that despite being a dedicated soldier, he knows that there is very little that would stand between him and a firing squad. On the other hand, it might be more likely that the old man would drill the hole in his chest personally, cutting out the middleman.]
Sanders: Wherever did you manage to hide… lieutenant?
[Akama shifts uncomfortably. Now he is also dooming his comrades.]
Akama: One of our men was a local, by chance. He remembered an old, abandoned ICBM silo nearby. Not much luxuries, but quite spacious.
Sanders: [nods approvingly] Creative. Don’t you fear revenge?
Akama: [sincerely] Only to myself and my comrades. I checked that our families were not hurt.
[Sanders almost stands up to demand what kind of a soldier Akama thinks he is, but then calms down quickly. Sanders’s screen blinks again and gives a beep. Sanders turns to it, irritated, but that fades fast. By sheer chance, the joint chiefs have asked him to take care of several of the problematic cases of military matters, such as the apparent sale of EDF equipment in Turkey. His colleagues are entangled within the civilian administration, and Sanders has some clout as the leader of the expedition against the Terranists. The forces he has been given look fairly minimal, mostly logistical support. Akama tries to keep his own curiosity from showing as he looks at Sanders reviewing his mission.]
Sanders: [turns to Akama] I might have a task for you after all. Give me the identification numbers of your mobile suits, and I’ll have them reassigned into our system. As a mercenary unit.
Akama: You haven’t heard our fee, sir.
Sanders: [narrows his eyes again] Your fee will be your admission back to the ranks of the EDF and humanity in general. With possibly some benefits. Don’t push your luck.
Akama: [shrugs] Fair enough.
[Sanders turns to his console and types a neat, short order, prints it, and gives it to Akama over the desk.]
Sanders: I will give you the command of this airlift squadron assigned to me. Get your men and your equipment and move them to Nova Scotia as fast as you can.
Akama: [frowns, now honestly surprised] Sir? We have a mission?
Sanders: Well I didn’t hire you here to sit on your asses now did I? Get moving… major. A commander needs to be senior officer. Congratulations.
[Akama stammers for a moment, but then snaps a salute and exits, not really believing his luck until he is out of the building. Sanders, on the other hand, goes through the identification numbers Akama gave him.]
Sanders: [mumbles] Wouldn’t hurt to put some marks on their families, too. Just in case… [looks at his screen and the aerial shots of the bases mentioned in his orders] A delicate touch, but a determined one.
Fairly long ones, yeah. There is some Q&A, but no new specs yet. Especially mecha fanart is still, or rather always, welcome and greatly appreciated.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
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RedShirt0909
Posts: 176
Joined: Sun Feb 04, 2007 11:57 pm
Location: San Diego, CA

SHENANIGANS! I hereby declare shenanigans. I know its a SEED tradition, but for the love of God, there is absolutely zero chance he survived that kind of explosion, even with Fukada-grade plot armor.

Other than that, good show as usual Antares.
Yea, though I sail through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil, for I am conning ten thousand tons of 'screw you'
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

*ashamed* Shenanigans, is it? True enough. Everyone get your brooms, I will freely submit. :P
Honestly though, I can appreciate it seems a bit far-fetched, but bear in mind this is Athrun-I've-lived-through-several-MS-shot/selfdestructed-from-underneath-me-Zala, so he knows when to jet. The jetpack took him to the FURY before the detonation of the SOLARIS, since he probably didn't feel like staying what had essentially become a huge target. FURY bought him the necessary seconds to get clear. And, in further defense (my, aren't I defensive today), in space the blast is more contained, since there is no real blastwave, which also worked to Athrun's advantage.

I swear I will properly off some more cast soon. No promises on the blue-haired one, though :D

And thanks for reading, Red. :) As always, if there is something more in the episode you'd like to ask about, comment on, or whatever, feel free to bring it up. I am a total sucker for attention. :wink:
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Antares
Posts: 1546
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:44 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Argh. I will be traveling for the rest of the week, and then moving to a new apartment pretty throughout the rest of the month. I'll do my best to get episode 49 up soon though. Then I expect I'll stop publishing until I have written this thing to the end and then finally publish the whole lot. Sorry to anyone waiting, but since I can't give this project the time and thought it deserves, I'm rather opting to take my time with it than produce a steaming pile of crud fast (I assume the end-product will not be quite as steaming crud). So 49 will come, but after that it might take some time. Sorry again.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
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