The Guardian of the Cosmos

V2 - (7) Lohengrin

The day after the battle, we reached Mahamul base, at the end of the Persian Gulf. As we are closing, the pilots head down to the hangar to check on their MS, and I have to get to the hangar as well, since there are no other place large enough for me to call it out. Can't help but overheard two Mechs checking up Savior on "Lacus" and "her" concert, if they just discuss it out loud. Why the quotation mark? Well it's quite easy to tell the two apart as their differenate on clothers, tones, anyone who known her face-to-face for a while can tell the difference.

It was a real joy when they are talking about her... clothes and Athrun walked up to them without knowing, the face, and how they want to pull off two or three of Savior's cables. "Leonardo! Didn't expected to see you here." I waved to Athrun as a respond. "I have to check on my MS too, alright." "I thought you didn't have to, thought you can just check it via internal scans." "I wish, but not now, maybe later. I still have to call it out for a throughout check." "I see."

"Oh and I heard those lads was talking about pulling two or three of Savoir's cable. You are now a lucky bastard, you know that?" He sighed. "Not you too..." "Heard she's now doing a concert here, don't worry, I won't tell Cagalli what might happen here, if you catch my drift." I was immediate responded with a nudge. 

"Joking is over," I put on my serious side. "Now what I want to know is, what actually happened back there." He looked around. "This is not a good place to talk about secrets, come over here." As he take me to his room, and he sat on his bed while I sat on a chair next to the door, armed crossed and lay back. He then begin to tell me about Meer aka the "Fake Lacus" and his talk with the Chairman. I voiced out my thoughts: "Well, something seems fishy, but I can't point it out now. Stay cautious, remember." "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

The PA system camer back to live: "Docking completed, all hands, prepare for checking and calibration, and are requested to wait onboard until further orders. Commander Zala, please report to the bridge." "Well, it's calling to you. Good luck." "To you as well." As we left him room now that our convo is over. I head back to the hangar, call out my Jumpship, and have Leonardo ran interior checks on the system and discuss about expanding arsenals, such as a ranged weapon for underwater warfare. ZAFT and the Alliance has bazookas/Torpedos, but I need something unique, like a Special purose (SP) rifle w/ launcher. 

As the idea now clicked into my mind, I immediately call out to my blueprints module and begin the layout and mapping. I can make a MIDA Mini-Tool and make adjustments for the modification. Luckily I got plenty of resources to get it done, but it take time. Hopefully it can be done before they come back to annoy us. It is a hard way to produce Mobile Suit weapons inside my inventory spaces but at least I have Leonardo to do it. 

I got some times, so I take a stroll around the ship, and bumped into Rey. "Hey there." "Good evening. Is there anything I can help you?" 'Well, I was curious about your... past encounter with Le Cruset and I hope you can tell me more about it." "Sure." As we strolled together. "Rau was... a father figure to me, he often come to the facility to visit me whenever he had times, before the war broke out." 

I stopped him for a few second: "Excuse me, a facility?" "Indeed, as a clone, he is forced to take medication to keep him from being broke down, quite literally. Seeing this, they try to improve, and I was born, or rather, created at that point." "I see." "I was improved, indeed, but I still have to take medications, not as frequent and not in much pain as Rau, however." "You told me about how he often visit you, I assume he told you many things?" 

"Indeed, he would tell me many things, such as the changing world, the bottomless greedy of man. *I sighed* I learnt a lot from him, and so I wish to be like him." Oh boy, things are going to go down. "Then I assume he told you about Mendel on Area L4 and a certain individual that was heavily connected to that place." "If you are refering to Kira Yamato, then yes, he did. He had exclaimed of his usefulness in wars, and also how he was be able to survive and walk a different path." "I see."

The conversation keeps on, and I was a listener, asking him short questions, not interrupting his monologue and his memories. "Well, it was a nice time talking with you, Leonardo, but I'm afraid that I am needed elsewhere." "Sure, I hope to talk with you again." As we parted ways.

The next day we are on our way to a destruction of a Lohengrin Cannon battery, guarded by another variant of Positron Reflector-equipped MA, and thus we couldn't go to them heads on. Therefore the plan is to have Shinn and his Impulse fly though a small ravine and assault the battery from the rear, while the main force with act as a diversonary force before the strike.

Minutes before the Ops, I catch up to Shinn who is going to Impulse: "Hey, can I have a look at the data?" "Sure." I took a look of it by holding it on my hand and run a scan on the disc. The ravine is barely narrow enough for his small jet and his body packs to fly though, meaning that he will have to go in without his Silhouette packs. As I keep holding it on my hands, I put in some extra info. "I updated the data by adding a line to indicate a flight path, should be easy as the path is made in consideration of your fights. Hell I even make suggestions on the flight speed." "Thanks."

As the MS on Minerva are dispatched, we found ourselves landing on a nearby rock. "Lure enemy 101: Either wait for them to get close, or charge them from heads on." Athrun gave me a heads-up when he saw me just fly up ahead. "They are armed with flying pack and missiles, be careful out there." 

30 or so Daggers as Initial units for the defences. I aim my rifle and railgun at all of them and unleash my firepower upon them. I pushed forward alone, near the base of the hill, I switched for my pistols to attack more targets. A explosion sounded and Impule emerged from the blaste open hile and assembled. "The cannon has begun to lower down, make it quick!" "Roger!" As we fend off many Daggers. 

I set my eyes upon the Alliance MA as it fired its rifles toward Impulse, I fired my pistol and hit both of its arm, their hand and rifle detached. It faced me and deployed its shield. I put back my pistols and charge to the MA unarmed. With its shield deployed, I need alternative methods, such as flip ot over and shoot it from the bottom with my railgun, and that's what I excatly did. Seeeing it engulfed into explosion, I looked up just to see Shinn throw a broken Dagger MS into the closing hatch of Lohengrin, and many small explosions sounded off.

It was at that moment I just know tht Alliance are too bad when even the people of earth finished off the stragglers via public execution, burned the flag, and cheers to the ZAFT VTOLs. The cheers gone louder when Savior and Impulse landed at the square in the middle, cheers for those who freed them fom the oppressors.

As I landed my ship in a good distance, I get to the square, the two pilots are surrounded by crowds. I laughed when Shinn complained about the pitch black ravine he has to fly through. "Sucks to be you, I have a vision enhancer in simple English in my visor, I don't have such probs." "And there we have Leonardo, the man who charged into the Daggers head on, all while not giving a care." "That's me."

Athrun shrugged a bit. "We have to RTB, Shinn, Leonardo." "Got it." "Roger."