[FFML] Mobile Suit Gundam Storm, Chapter 4 (Draft)

[Andrew Dynon]

Personal Log – Athene Gold

 

It has now been one month since I boarded the Gallipoli.  In that time, I
have taken part in six operations under the command of Lt. Alan McDermott,
alongside Ensign Shane Yamada.  Both have proven to be effective soldiers
who I am glad to have had the opportunity to fight alongside.  McDermott is
a leader whose decisions I trust, and is always willing to give his
subordinates advice.  Yamada is inexperienced, but skilled, and his tactics
are creative and hard to predict.

 

The ship, under Captain Monash, places far less emphasis on protocol than
Sparta Base did.  I am used to knowing how I am expected to behave, and this
lack of regulation is sometimes difficult to adjust to.  However, during the
large amount of downtime we experience aboard the ship, I am glad to have
the opportunity to watch vids and play games (despite the fact that they’re
far too unrealistic to be of any use in combat).

 

Today, we dock at the city of New Moscow, and Captain Monash has indicated
we will be given shore leave.  I would much prefer to remain aboard the
ship, but I worry she will insist.

 

[End Personal Log]

 

I finished writing my entry, and brushed my fingers over my scalp.  Pausing
halfway through the motion, my thumb and forefinger closed over my hair, and
I managed to take hold of a few strands.

 

That meant it was too long.  I remembered our melee combat instructors’
words well.  “Do not grant any unnecessary advantage to your enemy!  If your
hair is long enough to take hold of, an enemy can use that against you!  You
are to ensure that cannot happen!” 

 

I had placed my shaving cream and razor in the cabinet above the basin,
between my and Yamada’s bunk – I was careful to be sure I knew where all my
equipment was.  I stood up and opened the cabinet to retrieve them.

 

They weren’t there.  I quickly scanned over the other shelves, and then
stood in shock for a few seconds, before the realisation of what had
happened to them dawned on me.

 

“YAMADAAA!!!!”

 

*****

Mobile Suit Gundam Storm

A Fanfic by Andrew Dynon

Based on Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Haime Yadate

 

Chapter 4: New Moscow Panic!

*****

 

                I spotted Yamada in the mess hall, and stormed over to him.

 

                “Yamada, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

 

                He gave a faux-innocent smile.  “No idea what you’re talking
about.”

 

                “The hell you don’t!  What the fuck did you do with my razor
and shaving cream?”

 

                “Oh, those?  I hid them.”

 

                “Where?”

 

                “If I told you that, they wouldn’t be hidden any more, would
they?  Besides, you’re a girl.  Being damn near bald isn’t right.”

 

                “I’m not a girl, I’m a supersoldier.  Having long hair makes
it vulnerable to being grabbed by an enemy.”

 

                “Hey, you don’t need to remind me.  I’ve seen what you can
do in battle.  But you’re an MS pilot, not infantry!  We don’t have to keep
our hair that short.”

 

                “I am expected to be able to fight on foot as well as in an
MS.  I will not compromise those capabilities.”  And neither should you.
Why would you want long hair, anyway?  What’s it useful for?

 

                “Yeah, I can still feel the bruises from my hand-to-hand
session with you the other day.  But anyway, if it’s that big an issue for
you, I’ll give them back
 if you do something for me.”

 

                “What?”

 

                “Take advantage of shore leave while we’ve got the chance.
Come into New Moscow with me.” He seemed to like having something over me.
Bastard.

 

                “If I’m going there, it’s even more important.  What if
there’s an attack by pro-LunaPact terrorists while we don’t have MS nearby?”

 

                “Geez, how paranoid can you get?”

 

                “’Paranoid’ means it’s not realistic.  If you’d been paying
attention, you’d know that there are several suspected terrorist cells in
the region.”

 

                “True, but unless an attack actually happens, I suggest you
let the regional security forces worry about it.” Captain Monash said.  “You
are to take your shore leave, and try to relax and enjoy yourself.”

 

                “Ma’am, I’d really prefer
”

 

                “
to stay on the ship.  I know.  But you need to learn how
to act in a civilian environment.  I’ll ask you to dress as a civilian as
well.”  According to regulations, members of the Commonwealth military were
permitted out of uniform while on leave, as long as they carried ID.

 

                “The only clothes I have are my combats, dress uniform and
normal suit, ma’am.”

 

                “See if you can borrow some from Khadija or someone.”

 

                “I think Khadija’s clothes would be too small for me,
ma’am.”  Besides, I wouldn’t want to wear anything she owned.

 

                “You can borrow some of mine.” Yamada said.  “To help make
up for what I did with your property.” 

 

                We went back to our cabin, and I looked through his gear,
picking out a T-Shirt and jeans.

 

                “Wow, Athene, it’s even harder to tell you’re a girl in
civvies than in uniform.”

 

                “I don’t see why that should matter, Ensign Yamada.”

 

                “Oh, and since you’re supposed to be learning how to act as
a civilian, please refer to me as Shane.”

 

                “Ensign Shane.”

 

                “Wrong.”

 

                “
 Shane.”

 

                “See?  Feels much better.”

 

                “Shane, you ready to go yet?” Khadija called from outside
the room.  I stopped.

 

                “Wait.  She’s coming with us too?”

 

                “Is it a problem?” Khadija asked politely, then her
expression hardened.  “If it is, please keep it to yourself, because I would
like some time off the ship as much as anybody else.”  She then brightened
again.  “Now, let’s all go and have a day where we can enjoy ourselves.”

 

                She wasn’t even part of the Commonwealth forces.  She had no
authority to give orders.  So why didn’t I feel like pointing that out?

 

                As I prepared to go, I glanced at my Personal DataPod, and
saw a message.  Unknown Sender – weren’t military issue PDPs supposed not to
allow anonymous messages?  And why would anyone want to send one to me?  The
only people I knew who would have cause to message me were based on the
ship.  My curiosity piqued, I opened the message.

 

                White Rose Café, Little Deakin St, 13:30 – a map was
attached showing the location.  

 

                “Did either of you send me this?” I asked.  Yamada took the
PDP and looked.  

 

                “Nope.  Don’t think it was you either, Khadija?”

 

                “Wasn’t me.  Looks like there’s someone else who wants to
meet up with you.”               

 

                “But why?”

 

                “Well, we’re going to have to find that out, aren’t we?”
Khadija replied.

 

                “What if it’s a trap?”

 

                “First of all, you need to learn to stop treating civilian
situations like military ones.”  Shane said.  “Secondly, even if it is, from
what I’ve seen you’re probably capable of handling anything that’s thrown at
you short of a ballistic missile strike, so why worry?”  Well, at least he
had confidence in my abilities.  “Anyway, we’ve got some time before that,
and the first order of business once we get into town has got to be picking
out some clothes for you.”

 

*****

 

                Khadija drove us to a department store called Dai-Myer in
central New Moscow, and as soon as we headed inside, I was struck by the
sight of rows upon rows of clothing, in every imaginable colour, size and
style.  I stood, transfixed at the landscape spreading out before me.

 

                “So
 see anything you like?” Khadija asked.

 

                “I like my uniform.”

 

                “Come on, I’ll help you pick out something.”

 

                “No, thank you.  Ya- Shane?”

 

                “Well, I guess I can try.  I’m betting you’d probably prefer
something more on the practical side.”  With his help, I picked out some
decent pants, jackets, and footwear.  Greens, dark blues and browns, nothing
too bright or showy.  Shane grinned when he saw my choices.

 

                “Okay, now just take them to the counter and pay for them.”


 

                “Pay?”

 

                “Yeah.  Your PDP’s linked to an account, isn’t it?  Or does
your “position” mean you don’t get paid for your service?”

 

                “Oh, that’s right.  I was assigned an account.”  I had never
had cause to use it before.  With a few touches, I brought my account up,
showing I had one month’s worth of pay.

 

                “Only that much?” Shane asked.  “Man, the least they could
do is give you pay for the eighteen years wormmmph—“ I slapped my hand over
his mouth to prevent him divulging confidential information in public.

 

                “This will do.”  I took the clothes up to the counter, paid
and headed off.  As we left the department store, it dawned on me that these
clothes were not equipment or uniform that had been assigned to me.  They
were the first possessions that I could truly call my own.  When we got back
to our car, I took one of the jackets out of the bag and sat there, gazing
at it as we drove off.  Khadija wanted to look around some of New Moscow’s
famous markets, so we dropped her near one of them and arranged a spot where
we could meet after I had visited the café the anonymous message had
specified.

 

*****

 

                I arrived at the address specified in the message I received
– a building designed to look like an old-style café, an odd-sight among the
cutting-edge buildings that made up most of New Moscow.  As we parked, the
doorman spotted us and opened the front entrance.

 

                The café was empty except for a single customer – a young
lady of about the same age as myself.  But at a glance, I could tell that
age was the only thing in common.  Where my skin was dark and my hair black
and short, her skin was strikingly pale and her white hair flowed in
luxurious curls down the back of the chair she was sitting in.  She waited
patiently, holding a teacup delicately in her hand as she sat, gently
smiling.  Despite the fact that I didn’t have much of a sense of beauty, it
was easy to realise how attractive she was, even without taking into account
the reactions of Yamada and Khadija, who had gone slack-jawed at the sight
of her.  

 

                However, her lack of muscle tone indicated that she hadn’t
undergone a great amount of physical training, and she didn’t have any
concealed weapons on her that I could spot, and with the dress she wore, if
she had anything in a harder-to-observe location, I would be able to take
her out before she could reach it if necessary.  I noticed that the café
staff cleared out as we entered.

 

                “Athene Gold.” She said, gesturing for me to sit down.  “I
am delighted to make your acquaintance.  My name is Victoria Castella.”  She
picked up the teapot and poured tea for all of us.  She also passed out
plates with huge slices of cake, with thick layers of cream, custard, and
frosting.  I looked suspiciously at the food on offer – surely it was so far
outside of regulation dietary intake that the instructors from Sparta Base
would have screamed at me for hours if they caught me eating it.  Not that I
had any chance to deviate from the prescribed diet while I was there.

 

                “Don’t worry.” She said reassuringly.  “An occasional treat
won’t hurt your fitness.  You can consider this a special occasion.”

 

                “Victoria Castella?  As in Castella Industries?”  Shane
asked.  Castella Industries was a major conglomerate which manufactured –
among other things - military equipment.  Some of our Gundams’ components
carried the Castella industries logo on them.

 

                “That is correct.” Victoria replied.  “I am the daughter of
their CEO, Alfred Castella.”

 

                “I see.  Well, now that you’ve introduced yourself, I’m
interested to know why the daughter of a major manufacturing corporation’s
CEO is on Mars, and what, specifically, they want with me.” I said.

 

                “Officially, I am on Mars for first-hand study of Castella’s
manufacturing efforts here and in space.  A necessary component of my
education.” Victoria said.  “What I want with you, of course, has nothing to
do with that.”  Her tone was lighthearted and reassuring, yet at the same
time her voice seemed to penetrate into me – not in the way that the yelling
of our instructors at Sparta Base did, but a gentle flow from her mouth,
through my ears and into my brain, piquing my curiosity.

 

                “Do go on.”

 

                “I recently became aware of projects in the field of Human
Enhancement.” Victoria said.  “It’s a field which I have a personal interest
in.  Not so much the science behind it, though, as the ramifications of it.”

 

                “I’m not sure if you have studied the history of the early
colonisation period, but at the time, there was a somewhat-popular theory
that immigration to space would result in the birth of a new type of
humanity, with superior abilities.  Some advocates of this theory claimed
that this new breed would bring about the evolution of the human race, and a
better future.”

 

                “However, as the years went on, evidence of this leap
forward in evolution failed to emerge.  All claims of new abilities that
were scientifically investigated ended up being debunked.  Wars, of course,
went on, as they have since the first caveman hit his rival with a rock.  In
fact, some of them literally involved hitting your rival with a bigger rock.
That’s progress for you.”

 

                “I know about the asteroid drop on Florida that ended the
Lunar Independence War.” I replied.  “This doesn’t seem very relevant so
far, though.”

 

                “What I’m getting to.” Victoria replied.  “Is that it seems
that Mother Nature’s lack of progress on the human evolution front has
prompted certain people to try and jump-start things.  Have you been told
anything like that?”  

 

I had, but I wasn’t supposed to disclose anything about my training.  I kept
my mouth shut.

 

“I apologise.  Military secrets and such.” Victoria said.  How could she
tell?  I felt sure I hadn’t made enough of an expression for her to read it.
Was I wrong?

 

Her expression became more focused, but her voice still contained its
serene, calming quality.  “Anyway, what’s more important is:  If you are, in
fact, the representative of a new kind of humanity, what is it going to
mean?  How are you going to make a difference?”

 

I didn’t know how to respond.  I had heard our instructors talk about the
concept, but it had never been something that had mattered to me.  Victoria
looked apologetic.

 

“I know the idea might be hard for you to get your head around.  You’re a
soldier, you’re not used to grand philosophical debates.  Nevertheless,
please think about what I said.  Don’t let anybody dictate what being a new
kind of human means to you.”

 

“Why are you telling me this?” I couldn’t help asking.

 

“Let’s just say there are more facets to this project than just soldiers.”
She replied, and winked.

 

*****

 

                I felt confused as I headed off.  I had been told before
that I represented a new kind of humanity, but it had never really meant
anything to me.  My conversation with Victoria, however, had made me aware
that my existence – and that of my siblings – in itself had ramifications,
which I was barely beginning to become aware of.  Were we really destined to
spur on human evolution?  Or were we intended to simply be tools, as Shane
had said when I met him?  His words had been taunts, designed to put me off
our simulated battle and keep me from thinking straight, but they had struck
a nerve, a worry hidden under my layers of professionalism that we
ultimately served no other purpose than to fight and die.

 

                “You feeling all right?” Shane asked from beside me.

 

                “Yes, I’m fine.”

 

                “You just seemed distracted for a bit.” He asked.  “Don’t
worry, I don’t know what my purpose in life is, either.  I thought joining
the military would give me one, but
 it’s not what they made it out to be.”

 

                “You became a soldier to give yourself a purpose in life?”

 

                “I was bored helping grow crops back home, and I’d seen all
the news bulletins about how LunaPact had launched an unprovoked war of
aggression against the Earth Sphere Commonwealth and were going to do
terrible things to all of us unless I, personally, helped stop them.  So I
headed to the recruitment office to sign up.  The recruiter asked me my age,
I told her sixteen Earth years.  She said the Commonwealth couldn’t have
sixteen-year-olds in their military, and to go to the back of the line and
tell her something different.  When I was called back in, I told her I was
eighteen Earth years, and that’s what they entered in my records.”

 

                “An officer ignoring the fact that a soldier is lying is a
serious breach of protocol.”

 

                “You’re more concerned about that than the fact I’m
underage?”

 

                “I don’t really understand why a soldier has to be eighteen
to go into battle.  Bronze platoon are currently ten Earth years old, but
they have had far more training than a Commonwealth recruit needs to be
deemed battle-ready.”

 

                Shane looked disturbed. “Are they seriously going to send
ten-year-olds to fight?”  

 

                “The rest of Gold Platoon would probably go active first,
and then Silver Platoon.  Is that more comforting?”

 

                “And Silver Platoon would be
”

 

                “Fourteen.”

 

                “Not really helping.”

 

                We arrived at the spot where we had arranged to pick up
Khadija, but I couldn’t see her.  Something was off.

 

                Shane looked around.  

 

“Is she late?  She would’ve sent a message
 hey, wait up!  Where are you
going?”

 

I had already jumped out of the car and started running into an alleyway.
There, Khadija was backed up against a wall, four larger men leaning
threateningly over her.  Even if I didn’t like her that much, she was part
of the Gallipoli.  Besides, she was Shane’s friend.

 

“Be careful!” I barely registered Shane’s cry of warning as I acted.  I
aimed a punch at the first man’s throat, the whole movement seeming almost
in slow motion to me.  These men had attacked one of my crewmates.  They
were the enemy, and I was prepared to kill them.  Except that Khadija
wouldn’t want me to do that.  At the last split-second, I adjusted the angle
of my strike, hitting him on the point of the chin.  He collapsed,
unconscious, but alive.  Two of the others tried to draw the knives they
were carrying, but I knocked them out before they could bring their weapons
to bear.  I blocked the last one’s punch, grabbing his arm and throwing him
against the wall.  None left.

 

I turned to Shane.  “You didn’t need to warn me to be careful.”

 

“I was warning them.  Not that it helped.  “Shane rushed to Khadija’s side.
“Are you all right?”

 

“Yeah
 yeah, I’m fine.”  She turned to me, looking annoyed.  “You didn’t
need to do that.”

 

“I saw you were being threatened, and took action!” Didn’t she understand
that she was in danger. 

 

“Just chasing them off would have been enough.  You didn’t need to punch
them out!”  She knelt down beside them, checking on them.  “Thank God, they
seem to be all right.  But we should get them to a hospital to make sure.
You’re going to help me.”  Her glare and voice cut into me like a beam
saber.

 

We took the thugs to a hospital and reported the incident to the local
authorities, but Khadija declined to press charges.  After the report had
been filed,  we returned to the Galipolli.  If this was a typical shore
leave, I would not object to another one sometime.

 

Oh, and Shane did return my razor and shaving cream, as promised.

 

*****

 

Earth Sphere, Lagrange Point 4

 

                “How are you liking it so far, ensign?”

 

                “It seems magnificent, Captain.”  The young woman with the
blonde buzzcut replied from inside the cockpit.  The rounded surfaces of the
MS were a brilliant white, with black highlights on the shoulders and legs
and a ruby-colored “visor” where the main sensor was placed in the head.
“The handling and power output are tuned to perfection.  And these beam
cannons are more accurate than I’ve ever seen on a mobile suit.”

 

                “I’m glad it meets your approval.”

 

                “When I was transferred from Sparta Base, I was told there
was a special mobile suit waiting for me.  I would have been disappointed if
it wasn’t up to standard.  I like the name, too.  Sirius, the brightest star
in the heavens.”

 

                “And you are the one who shall make it shine brightly,
Pallas Gold.  It is an honour to have you aboard my ship.”

 

                “It is an honour to finally fight for the Lunar Pact,
Captain.” I replied.  All who saw the Sirius would be able to witness my
skill.  Hopefully, one day, Ares and Athene would be among them.

 

 

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