Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Macross "VF-X Ravens" ❯ Chpt 6 - Mission 5: Moby Dick ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6

 

Mission 5: Moby Dick - October 14th, AD 2050

 

 

The hangar alarm continued to hum as Aegis and his newly formed team headed for their fighters. Piloting Thunderbolts, Suzie and Tohma along with another veteran fighter, deployed themselves before Aegis in his new commanding fighter, a VF-17D “Nightmare”. Some time after setting formation...

 

Bridgette: “This is Mission Control... Cherry , ok?

Aegis: “Cherry, ok! Target codename: Moby Dick confirmed.”

Bridgette: “Ok... good luck Alpha Squadron.”

Suzie: “Captain Aegis... Why would you designate your own call-sign as “Cherry” anyway?...”

 

Aegis: “Captain Gilliam... used to call me this when I joined VF-X Ravens initially. For a reason today… I used it for his sake...”

Suzie: “I see...”

 

Syun: “VF-X Cherry... Enemy sighted... 2160...”

Aegis: “Roger, ok. Alpha Squadron, formation break!”

 

In a two by two formation, Tohma and the veteran broke up formation heading for their objectives while Suzie tagged with Aegis. Not long after, 3 deep-space fleet ships cruised along the blackness of space. Guarded by multiple fighters encircling the area, he ordered Suzie to eliminate the disturbing enemy fighters as he tried to crush the well defended enemy fleet ships.

 

Suzie: “Captain... this is easier than I thought.”

Syun: “My sentiments exactly Captain...”

 

A similar group of fleet ships and fighters appeared just off their radar scans and Alpha Squadron immediately deployed to the area.

 

Syun: “Captain Aegis, our zone is clear, is it possible for us to join the fight?”

Aegis: “No Tohma... It is important that we keep the internal battlezone clear in case any surprises might come by.” he said as he took down a fleet ship...

Syun: “... Roger...”

 

As soon as he took down the last ship, a larger battleship warped out of nowhere into the battlezone.

 

Bridgette: “VF-X Cherry!” Target: Moby Dick has appeared into the region. Seek and Destroy immediately!”

Aegis: “So that's Moby Dick eh... Suzie! Tohma! Let's go!”

 

Looming ahead was a moss-green colored battleship, what seems like a long hull and a rear set of battlements positioned in a cross, armed with a gun battery each. Impressive yet menacing. Arming their missiles, Aegis and his squad prepared to launch multiple salvos to cripple the ship's shielding all at once... But not even getting close enough to launch, the four gun batteries launched a massive onslaught of random crossfire.

 

Suzie: “Shoot!... they're depending on blind shooting to hit us!”

 

Tohma: “Ugh!”

Suzie: “!!... You alright Tohma?!”

Tohma: “Uh... just a slight scratch... I'm not gonna let that thing off that easily!”

Aegis: “This battleship doesn't seem to have missiles, good... Let's take our time to destroy the ship entirely. Don't haste it...”

 

Putting himself in frontline, Aegis warded off the gunfire from the guns while Tohma and Suzie crept from underneath to attack. Looked safe... but Tohma suddenly sights 2 rotating turrets that had 8 barrels pointing towards them.

 

Tohma: “Break Suzie! Gun batteries inbound!”

Suzie: “Yikes!”

 

Making a sharp banking roll, Tohma attempts to launch a small cluster of his missiles, but the guns safely destroy the missiles before contact. Aegis himself failed to strike the gun batteries down and decided to switch to gunnery... The only way to effectively destroy them. But aiming a gun while being caught in crossfire can prove be a daunting task. On his orders, Tohma and Suzie followed suit, this time acting as diversion. Distracting the top 3 batteries, they slowly dealt with one battery after another. Aegis decided to test out his weapons of his Nightmare on the ship. Surprisingly to Aegis, instead of seeing vulcan rounds, a blue beam projection emitted from under his fighter.

 

Aegis: “I didn't know this VF is equipped with laser... What's this.... M.B.L?”

 

Falling back, Aegis turns tail and accelerates away at full thrust, and then doing a return trip veering sharply towards the Attacker class battleship.

 

Aegis: “Take this!”

 

With a sudden transformation at high speed, Aegis used the flight momentum and switched to Battroid mode charging under the battleship's hull at high speed. Charging up the “M.B.L”, the laser rifle began to glow and electric fluxes of blue shades encased the rifle. Upon fire, Aegis felt a heavy recoil followed by a release of electrical energy discharged violently and hit the gun battery nearby, vapourizing the battery instantly. Then switching back into Fighter mode to escape impending crossfire...

 

Tohma & Suzie: “...That was cool...”

 

Repeating the process, Aegis crippled the batteries and let them finish off the battleship with their cluster missiles. Like a splendid display of fireworks, blue shockwaves released upon micro missile impact showered the blackness of space. Explosions from the battleship began to follow as well, as the hull shattered in half and the ship's battlement falling apart.

 

Aegis: “VF-X Cherry. Target mission objective “Moby Dick” has been destroyed. Mission Moby Dick, completed.”

 

Bridgette:” Roger...”

 

Aegis: “Suzie, Tohma... Well done. How does your first mission feel?”

Suzie: “Satisfaction indeed.”

Tohma: “I need a break...”

Aegis: “Wait... where's Alpha 4?...”

 

Suzie turned her head another direction and saw a gleaming white mass floating in space. Confirming her doubts, she flew closer to view... the white mass was space debris of a VF-X Raven Thunderbolt...

 

Suzie: “Captain Aegis... Alpha 4... didn't make it...”

In gloom, the remainder of Alpha Squadron returned to home base, saddened by the loss of another squad member. Back at the briefing room for debrief... the pilot was marked KIA in bold red letters under his name... In deep regret, the dwindling number of pilots left in VF-X Raven was a piece of bad news... only 4 more secondary crew pilots remain, Including the primary Alpha Squadron members...

 

After a relaxing bath... Aegis heads for the viewing gallery at the aft section of the base ship... Staring out into space, obviously deep in thought. Suzie happened to pass by the gallery noticing Aegis with a depressed look on his face... With gentle footsteps, Suzie approached Aegis and greeted him.

 

Suzie: “Aegis... something bothering you again...?”

Aegis: “No news of Gilliam yet... I'm afraid to even think he would be considered KIA in the next 30 hours...”

 

Suzie: “I believe he would be alright... Maybe he just cannot find a way to send a distress signal..”

Aegis: “I hope you're right...”

Suzie: “Let's head back to the cafeteria for a drink... I'm thirsty... You mind following?”

 

Once again... Aegis had nothing else on his mind but for the safety of his captain... ex-captain, Gilliam...

 

Aegis: “Where could you be... Gilliam” saying in his thoughts...