Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Mobile Suit Gundam Fan Fiction / Gundam 08th MS Team Fan Fiction ❯ Amalgam Gundam ❯ How Many Miles to the Battefield? ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Narrator: Universal Colony Year 118: A time where the Endless Waltz of history continues unabated. Let us go back one year to UCY-117: The Empire of Thallos declares war upon all neighboring star systems, and the dozens of space and planetary colonies within them. The Empire's military power is at equal strength with each Government they are at war with, so they are caught in a stalemate. However, halfway into UCY-117, the Empire acquired a new weapon whose name would be heard through the future: Mobile Suits. These new devices smashed through any and all resistance, and the Empire now controls more than 95% of the area. We now return to UCY-118. Five Space Colonies have had enough. They have formed an alliance, and purchased five Gundams from one Clarke Axem, and sent them on Operation Stardust. However, one of those colonies no longer exists...






Melanie had listened intently to each word the recording had said, memorizing in a fraction of a second the details concerning Operation Stardust. And listening to all of the plans and strategies, the sadness and sorrow she felt for the destruction of her home and the death of her father, mother, and sister changed. It was changed into a deep rage, and a thirst for revenge.

Melanie: Those bastards... The Thallonians... They're the ones that did this!

Melanie gritted her teeth and examined the controls of the Gundam. She moved her hands onto the main levers and moved them, somehow knowing exactly what to do. The coordinates of where her Gundam was to arrive to begin Operation Stardust were displayed, and somehow Melanie saw an image of maps and star charts in her own mind to indicate how to get there, and how to use the Gundam to get there.

Melanie: I'll make them pay! I'll make every last one of those Thallonian bastards PAY!






Kenola Mozart smiled and sighed in relaxation. Her ears tingled with delight as Amadeus Mozart's Turk Marsi played on the speakers of her Gundam. She mimicked with her own hands the piano notes that played in the song. She did each maneuver of her hands and fingers perfectly, as if she were playing the music herself. As the song ended, she opened her eyes again and looked over at the sensors panel. Her short-range scanners only detected the other two Gundams at coordinates 56-123-87. The communications console lit up, indicating that someone was contacting her. She reached her hand over and pressed a switch on the console, acknowledging the signal of the other Gundam.

She was not surprised to hear the confident, carefree voice of Den Ryuu on the speaker.

Den: Hey, Ken, mind putting that one up again? I really liked it.

Kenola: Sorry, Den; I never listen to the same piece twice in a row. It's a bad luck thing.

Den: Could you at least transfer it to me so I can listen to it privately?

Kenola: Well, maybe if you had uploaded something more sophisticated than the crap you put on your own Gundam, perhaps you wouldn't be having this problem, would you?

Den: Ouch. You got me there. How about I make my error up to you over dinner?

Kenola: Down, boy. I don't date guys that work with me.

Den: You're breaking this poor man's heart, Ken.

Kenola: I think you'll recover.

A beeping from Kenola's, or Ken's, sensor console interrupted the conversation. She turned her head back over to it and examined the readings. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Kenola: Den, Edmond: Are you guys getting this reading, too?

Den: I think so. It's the Gundam from LX-014, Jubilee.

Edmond: Quite unlikely. LX-014 was demolished two hours ago. No survivors.

Den: Oh, quit being a pessimist, Ed! They could've launched the Gundam before the colony was destroyed!

Edmond: Unlikely. And please refrain from addressing me as 'Ed.'

Kenola: Well, we're all detecting the same thing. I say we open communications.

Edmond: Oh, very well. Expose our position.

Den: This is Gundam RX-78NT-1 to unidentified mobile suit, do you copy?

The message was replied with nothing but static as the Gundam approaching them continued coming.

Den: I repeat, this is Golem to unidentified mobile suit, do you copy?

And then, after a few more moments of silence, there was a reply.

Voice: Um... Hello? Is this thing on?

Den: I can hear you. Who may I ask is speaking?

Voice: This is uh... Melanie Deikin piloting Gundam Jubilee.

Den: Ms. Deikin, you sound like a pretty young lady.

Melanie: Excuse me?!

Kenola: Oh, ignore him, he's an idiot.

Den: Hey!

Kenola: Hello, Melanie. Are you the Gundam from LX-014?

There was a silence as Jubilee slowly came to a stop near the other three Gundams.

Melanie: No.

Kenola: Then where-

Melanie: I'm not the Gundam from LX-014 because LX-014 was crushed and mangled before my very eyes.

There was another awkward silence from what Melanie had just said.

Kenola: I- I'm sorry, Melanie. We all mourn for your loss.

Melanie: Who are you guys, by chance?

Kenola: My name's Ken. Ken Mozart. The one who was hitting on you is named Den Ryuu, and the corpse who hasn't said much for the three hours we've been sitting here is Edmond Shibumi.

Den: Or Ed, as I call him.

Edmond: Do not call me 'Ed.'

Melanie: If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I won't. What I will make uncomfortable is that Empire of monsters that destroyed the home that I grew up on.

Den: Now that's the spirit!

Melanie: But there's one problem.

Ken: What?

Melanie: Well, you see, my escape from LX-014 was an accident. I'm not really the pilot for Jubilee, I've never even thought about piloting this thing. I was just sleeping in the cockpit and woke up inside of it while I was in space. Then, suddenly, I watched the colony get compressed from it's own gravitational stress. In all honesty, I don't even know how I managed to pilot this thing to you guys in the first place.

Edmond: Unacceptable!

Video-link communication was finally established. Melanie looked over the three pilots slowly, taking in their appearances. Edmond's face was straight and serious, his eyes cold and without mercy. His hair was a white that Melanie had never seen before, which only added to his somewhat evil appearance.

Ken looked quite different from Edmond. Her eyes looked as though she had lost some sleep, but they were full of kindness and almost an innocence that Melanie had thought disappeared from the universe. Her hair was highlighted a light green in the front and top sections, and got darker as it moved down her head to her shoulders.

Den looked as though he had come out of a male model shoot. He was gorgeous in appearance, looking like a lady's man or a player. His hair was long, tied into a braid behind his head in a very Duo Maxwell-like fashion. He winked at Melanie, which made her blush slightly. He looked carefree and fun in the eyes of Melanie.

Edmond: We cannot have a child piloting a weapon of mass destruction! She wasn't trained to pilot, either! She could put the whole mission in jeopardy! We should leave her here and proceed on the mission ourselves! We've waited long enough; we can't wait here for the other pilot and train this one ourselves!

Den: I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Ed. This mission's too important and has a time schedule of it's own.

Kenola: I can't believe you guys! You really think we should leave this poor-

Now, all four Gundams' sensors beeped, indicating once again that an object was approaching.

Edmond: The final Gundam seems to have arrived. My computer registers it as an RX-79G.

Den: Good, we're all here.

Edmond: Technically, we are not. The Jubilee's pilot-

Melanie: Is doing a fine job already, you jerk!

Edmond: I am not a jerk. I am merely thinking of the greater good, young lady.

Melanie: Don't call me young-

Voice: God, I wish I could smoke right now.

There was an awkward silence after that. The four pilots looked at their communications displays, and saw that the transmission had come from the incoming RX-79G.

Den: Excuse me, RX-79G, what did you say?

Voice: I said I really want to take a smoke right now. But noooo, smoking's a bad thing to do while in an enclosed space with limited oxygen and life support on board!

Kenola: Who may I ask is transmitting this?

Voice: The name's Aram Hashta. And I'm not 'RX-79G' you freakin' pansy. This is Arsenal. Would you like to see WHY it's called Arsenal?!

Edmond: Not necessary. I think we all have a pretty good idea.

Aram: Good. I don't want to kill the people I'm supposed to be working with. At least not on my first day on the job.

Video communication was then established with Aram. Melanie recoiled in a moment in disgust at the appearance of him. His eyes drooped a little, and he had brown hair. He wore a red bandana around his head, and an earring on his left ear. Melanie had seen pictures of people who were high on drugs, and Aram looked similar to those pictures.

Aram: What're you all looking at?!

Kenola: Are you really the pilot of that Gundam, or did you just accidentally become it's pilot, like Melanie here?

Aram: My colony chose me to be the pilot of this stupid cigarette-less machine, okay?

Edmond: We should get back to the matter at hand. Melanie must stay here-

Melanie: I will do no such thing!

Den: I know how you feel, Melanie-

Melanie: NO! You DON'T know how I feel! The Empire just destroyed everything I ever cared about right before my own eyes! My father, my mother, my sister, THE HOME I GREW UP IN, everything! I want blood, Den! I want to see Jubilee covered in the blood of Empire soldiers! And when all of their cities are burned to the foundations, I shall take the leader of the Empire's throat in my hands and squeeze the life out of them, and I shall tell them of the day my home was destroyed, and that the DAY OF RECKONING IS UPON THEM NOW!

The four pilots stared in awe at Melanie, who took in deep breathes from her sudden outburst. Edmond did a half smile.

Edmond: You can come along. It seems you might be right for this job after all.

Aram: Geez, you need a cigarette.





Edmond: The asteroids are coming in at 4 o'clock.

Den: Reading you loud and clear, Ed. Okay, gang; let's establish docking with the asteroids.

Kenola: Engaging primary thrusters.

Melanie: Uh... Me too!

Aram: Arsenal has successfully landed on the first asteroid.

Edmond: The asteroid I was designated to land on is not suitable for my atmospheric mode. Locating alternate landing source.

Den: Landing successful on my target.

Melanie: Okay, I've landed! What do I do now?

Kenola: Switch your systems on automatic, and they'll deploy the atmospheric protection to Jubilee. As for me, my Gundam has landed and initiated atmospheric protection.

Aram: Atmospheric protection online for Arsenal. Dear God, I need a cigarette.

Den: It'll take ten minutes for us to reach the atmosphere, enter it, drop, and land on the ground, Aram. You'll survive.

Edmond: Found new asteroid. Engaging Wave Rider Mode.

Melanie listened intently, as the exchange of talk continued, each Gundam reporting it's own status. She winced; not really knowing how to pilot or control the Gundam, yet her entire body knew on instinct exactly what to do. Melanie flipped three switches on her Gundam, activating the automatic systems. She then shifted her camera view over to Gallant, Edmond's Gundam. It was transforming, having several of its systems converting into a fighter-like vessel. It then clung onto the asteroid.

Den: Deploy armor!

For a moment, Melanie thought Den was giving a command out to everyone, but the cameras only showed his Gundam reacting to the command. At the joints of Golem, Den's Gundam, the skin of the Gundam glowed and metal plating appeared over it, extending outwards to envelop most parts of it, the exceptions being the head and most of the legs and feet. Golem then clang to the asteroid it was on.

Melanie gulped and prepared for Operation Stardust.





Melanie: So what actually made our respective resistances choose us, well besides me, to be the pilots for our Gundams?

Den: When mobile suits were being sold across this sector, it was discovered that there was a genetic trait in certain people that gave them a certain edge over other people. It was a sort of psychic power, equipped with faster reaction time, telepathy, and premonitions of up to a few seconds in the future. People who had this talent were titled "Newtypes." I think you may be a Newtype, Melanie.

Melanie: How can you be sure? Amuro Heding was supposed to be the pilot for the Gundam.

Kenola: Well, look at it logically, Melanie: How else could you have known how to pilot your Gundam so well? You've never trained with Jubilee or any other mobile suit before in your life.

Melanie: I see... Hey, Ken?

Kenola: Yeah?

Melanie: Your last name, 'Mozart,' does that mean you're a descendant of the composer?

Kenola laughed for a little bit.

Kenola: I get that a lot, and no, I'm not. However I do share his talent for music composing and piano playing. Also, Ken is just my nickname. My real name is Kenola.

Aram: Heh, we don't have much classical music back on MG-166.

Melanie: What is on MG-166?

Aram: A whole lot of hell, that's what. The MG designation is used for colonies linking to mining operations and corporate crap. However, when the mining operations were completed, MG-166 became a backwater station, full of sleazebags, strip clubs, mafia, gambling, you name it. When the Empire seized control of the colony for the heck of it, my family was killed. That's why I joined the resistance.

Melanie: I'm sorry for your loss.

Aram: Yeah, whatever.

Den: Hey, Ed, what are you doing here? What was your childhood like?

Edmond said nothing for a moment. He had his eyes closed in his Gundam, appearing to the other pilots like he was meditating.

Edmond: I never had a childhood.






Den: Velocity is 9.7 meters per second! The smaller asteroids are disintegrating!

Kenola: What's the condition of the asteroids we're on?

Den: They are intact, but the outer edgings are crumbling or melting!

Edmond: Stay on target. Release hold on the asteroids when I give the signal.

Melanie gulped as she looked all around herself at the readings. Even with the atmospheric shielding, the temperature within Jubilee was rising. The internal readings said the temperature was currently 93 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was slowly climbing. What Melanie could also feel was the pull of gravity on the planet. When she had piloted the Gundam in space, it was a bit freer moving, having more control and balance to it. Here, even though her systems said this Gundam was designed for planetary combat and not space combat, she couldn't escape the uneasy feeling of the pull of gravity on her.

Edmond: Release!

Immediately, the other Gundams unlatched themselves from the asteroids. Melanie followed suit, noticing how the asteroids were descending at a much faster rate, whereas the Gundams were falling slower now. However, it did not help the fact that they were still in freefall.

Kenola: Initiate landing procedures!

Melanie saw that the Wave Rider Mode of Gallant did not turn back into a Gundam, but appeared to be gliding down along the atmosphere. Melanie's Newtype abilities suddenly kicked in, and she knew the right switch to hit on her Gundam to initiate the parachutes. She flipped the switch, and three areas on the back of her Gundam opened up, releasing parachutes. The other three Gundams did similar maneuvers. Their rate of fall fell to about .3 meters per second, and they gently landed upon the ground with no harm. Gallant transformed out of its Wave Rider Mode back into its Mobile Suit Mode.

Aram: Ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to Thallos.





To Be Continued...