[FFML] [Einhander] Phases of the Moon part 2 : Full Moon

There was a time, in the era of great chaos, when the earth and
the moon were at war with each other. A daredevil from the moon piloted
a bizarre aircraft... it was feared and, because of its shape, called
"Einh�nder"

*****************

Phases of the Moon part 2

Full Moon

*****************

An Einh�nder fanfic by Snapdragon

Snapdragon@videotron.ca

*****************
[Music: Einh�nder - 17 - Thermosphere]

What did you know, the witch was right...

As the latest spacecraft bound for Selene pummelled towards its
earthbound doom, the three lunar fighters each took time to fill their
lungs with air. They could still breathe, that was already something
good. The last minutes had been frantic, and air had been a rare
commodity indeed in the last hours.

But they had not passed through earth's defence force without a
scratch. The defenders had put their best unto them, and so damage had
been inevitable. Michael's ship had taken a few direct hits on his left
wing, and they were causing trouble. They had forced him to slow his
right wing propulsion down to compensate, or he would have been a wall
decoration a while ago. It had made dodging more difficult, but not
impossible. If so, he would have joined his enemies along the rocky
ground.

The Martian girl was the one who had taken the least blows.
Beside a few harmless hits along the armor of the cockpit, her Astraea
FGA Mk. I had no other apparent damage. Her superior skill had shone
true today, and would hopefully still shine on. Her surprising agility
in the skies made her enemies think the pilot was a bird and not a
woman. Few other females could hold against her.

The worst off was James' Endymion FRS Mk. II, whose manipulator
arm still held by the graces of the gods after the many hits it had
endured. A few other blows donned his machine's hide, but they weren't
slowing him down a bit. He feared the manipulator would drop at any
time, wasting his precious Riot gun.

Their were still waiting for Selene's Main Unit, which should
have been there to demolish the latest spacecraft instead of them. But
it had somehow been delayed, and the Einh�nders had been forced to do
without them. They had luckily been able to handle such a task with
their limited numbers, and the moon was safe for now.

Speak of the devil...

Dozens of vessels appeared in the afternoon sky and stood still,
seeking whatever target they could find. Their metallic blue skins
contrasted with the clouded heavens, and they seemed to be an unlimited
legion from the pilots' vantage points. They were the completed EOS,
the result of years of work that cost the lives of so many other
pilots. They were programmed to emulate the best pilots' abilities, and
to replace the Einh�nder program. This would be their first service.

Then the message from the lunar satellite Hyperion came... and
changed the course of their lives forever...

Less than a second after its fateful transmission, three voices
were heard over the com-net, drowning the sounds coming from outside
the ships...

"Those bastards ! ..." cried Caroline in blood red fury, eager
and ready to crave her name in the EOS' armors. She boosted her
propulsion to full, and charged head-on in the once-allied swarm.

"Do they want to kill us ? ..." added Michael, also in shock that
their country would do something like that to them. He sat there
unmoving as the EOS sensors worked their way across the battlefield.

"Why ? ..." was the only word that escaped James' mouth, and the
only one on his mind. Why would their own country turn against them,
them who just fought through the whole earth defense for their sakes...
Why?

However, the gods weren't answering this particular question now,
and the sounds from his ships dragged him back to the situation at
hand.

Danger warnings flared everywhere in James' Endymion FRS Mk. II
as it became the target of a hundred spacecraft. As the message from
the moon had said, they were now the last test for the EOS and were
considered enemies to their steel eyes. He barely dodged the dozen
cannon shells that buzzed just under his right wing. His mind then
sprang back into action, focused on the wave of heat-seeking missiles
just ahead, and his question was pushed to the farther recesses of his
brain, utterly gone for this fight.

He would not go so easily...

*****************

End of Chapter Two - Full Moon

Is followed by Chapter Three - Blood Moon

Notes : This will be the smallest of the Phases of the Moon series. The
reasons for this is the time covered : Chapter 1 covered a day, Chapter
2 covers 30 minutes of time, Chapter 3 will cover a week while Chapter
4 will cover the rest.

This Chapter is set before the last stage of Einh�nder. There are 6
stages of battle between Chapters 1 & 2. Chapter 3 will be set after
chapter 2 before stage 7 and Chapter 4 will cover the part after the
Final Battle.

Einh�nder belongs to Squaresoft and is not meant any displeasure by
this work

Snapdragon/Thierry Chartrand-Chamblay
October 2000

*****************
Snapdragon / Thierry Chartrand Chamblay
http://www.angelfire.com/games2/angelsnapdragon/

-Never open Pandora's Box, for it shall send the worst of all evils unto the world : HOPE !