Sextilis
Transformations…
Chapter 16: Sextilis
“What’s the plan, Chief?” Lance asks as they approach the place from where the distress signal was sent.
“I’m not picking up anything as of yet,” Keith replies. “As for a plan, we’ll have to wait and see. It will depend on what we find.”
“Do you think we upset the Bismarck crew, Keith?” Fala asks as they continue towards the PLANT colony.
“Perhaps a little, but I think they will understand. Saber seems to have a good head on him, I’m sure he can get them to understand why we left and that we would be back.”
“I was relieved to see that he looked fine when he arrived in the room, I was a bit worried since we hadn’t heard from him.” Fala says.
Keith nods, “Yeah, I was beginning to wonder if he was alright, since he was gone for so long, but maybe it’s what he needed.”
“Hey Chief, I think we’re close now. From the images I’m getting it looks like there may have been some sort of attack down there. I’m also starting to get a lot of little things showing up on my radar screen, do you see it too?” Shorty asks.
“Yeah, I see them. Can you tell what it is yet?” he replies.
“Not yet. I’m trying to see if I can make out anything.” Shorty says, as he hits several buttons. “Oh shit! This is not good.”
Suddenly, the lions are surrounded by what looks to be several robots that look similar to small mobile suits. As soon as they realize they are there, the robots begin combining, and begin shooting at them.
“They came out of nowhere!” Lance complains as he tries to dodge the oncoming attacks. “How could they get that close without us knowing they were there?”
“I don’t know but we are in trouble. I put out a distress signal. Hopefully the Bismarck team can come help us,” Keith says as he continually dodges an onslaught of lasers and missiles.
They fight back and forth for a while, finally the Lions have time and they combine. This evens the field temporarily. They start making headway when the robots suddenly multiply and combine again, making several larger robots, two pull out a laser-type sword and begin slashing at GoLion. They hold one off, but they are severely damaged by the second one. They begin losing ground when suddenly, large groups of the robots explode, and gradually more robots explode until none are left except the two they are fighting. They use the distractions of the explosions to destroy one of the two remaining robots, getting hit in the process, the lions separate and fall to the ground just as the final robot is destroyed.
“What just happened?” Keith scans his screens looking bewildered.
Athrun appears on his screen, “We received your distress signal, Captain. We have contacted the Bismarck crew and told them we were on our way, so they are waiting to see if they are needed. It looks like you took quite a beating.”
“Yeah, we were ambushed, evidently. I’m not even sure if it was a real distress signal at this point,” Keith replies. “I’m glad you got here when you did or I’m not sure we would have survived.”
Athrun nods, “We came as quickly as we could. The distress signal is real. There is a good deal of damage to the colony, but I think the intent was to try and lure all of you out. If they had wanted to, they very easily could have decimated this PLANT.”
“Well, we are thankful for your assistance. Is there some place we can land down there? We need to do a damage assessment.” Keith replies.
“Yes, follow us down; I found a place that seems safe to land.” Athrun replies as he leads them down to a clearing. They all land and get out of their vehicles, meeting in the middle of the clearing. “The worst of the damage is to a city called Sextilis Eight. That is where the distress signal originated from. The damage there is extensive, I’m sure there was an extensive loss of life.”
“I’d be surprised if there wasn’t,” Kira replies. He turns and appraises the lions. “It appears that you will need some repairs done before you can fly those again.”
Keith looks over the lions and nods, “I just hope we can find a way to get back to Calvary Command. I’m sure we can make some repairs there, and then get back to Altea if it’s too bad.”
Just then, another ship is seen closing in on the group on the ground.
“Who is that?” Fala asks a bit worried.
“That would be Lacus and her ship, the Eternal,” Kira replies. “I’m sure we can load the lions onto the ship and get them back to Calvary Command.”
The ship lands and Lacus exits down a ramp, going straight to Kira’s side. “I’m glad to see you made it in time,” she says as she looks over the damage. “It looks like you are in need of some extensive repairs to your ships,” she says to Keith, who nods in reply. “If we can get them loaded into the cargo area, I believe we have equipment that can scan them to see how bad the damage really is. We may even be able to fix them and possibly add a few upgrades once we get back to Calvary Command.”
“You would do that for us?” Fala asks astonished.
Lacus nods, smiling “We are on the same side; I find that it is beneficial to help out our allies so we can defeat our common enemies in a more timely manner.” Fala nods in agreement. “Shall we see about getting the lions loaded? We don’t want to be here in the event that reinforcements come back.”
The GoLion crew goes and gets into the lions, and loads them into the ship; and then meets the others on the command bridge. The ship takes off, and they do a fly-over of the worst of the damage, before changing course towards Calvary Command.
A couple of hours later, they arrive near Calvary Command and are granted permission to land. Upon landing, the lions are brought out to a hangar; the Bismarck crew comes out to meet them.
Colt lets out a whistle. “Looks like you got whipped.”
“Yeah, we nearly didn’t make it back.” Keith replies. “If they,” nodding to Kira and Athrun, “hadn’t shown up, we would have been done for.”
“I’m glad to see that you made it in time,” Fireball says to Athrun and Kira. “I’m not sure we would have been quick enough to save them.”
Athrun nods slightly. “We should see about getting some repairs done. Cagalli has sent an envoy to help the colony, but we may be needed again in the event of another attack.”
Lacus goes and meets with some of the techs in the hangar, telling them how to run certain machines and talking with them about possible upgrades.
Fala approaches Saber from behind, “Are you doing alright, Saber?”
He turns towards her and nods. “Yes, Your Highness, I’m doing well. I’m glad to see that none of you are seriously injured; looking at the lions, I’m a bit surprised.”
“The lions are made to take the brunt of the damage. I’m sure we’ll all be a bit sore in the morning,” she replies. “Several people were worried when you were gone for such a long time today,” she adds quietly.
He nods, “So I’ve heard,” he says wryly. “But honestly, I’m fine. It felt good to get away from everything for a while. I ended up at a farming village several kilometers from here. A group of school children spotted me on Steed and want to check both of us out, once their teacher decided that I wasn’t a threat, I and ended up visiting with them a good bit of the afternoon before returning here.”
“That sounds nice,” Fala says smiling. “I’m glad you were able to get away. It sounds like you needed it.”
Lacus comes over as they are talking, “Excuse me, Your Highness,”
“Yes?” Fala replies.
“I would like your permission to possible add a couple weapons to the GoLion robot. I can’t do too much, but perhaps if you have a few things that the enemy isn’t aware of, you may be able to get of out a bad situation should it arise again,” Lacus asks.
“Of course, Ms. Lacus, I am grateful for any help that you are able to offer us. Being away from Altea so long has been hard, but I feel that if we don’t stay and help fight this threat, it could very well wind up in our own backyard. I don’t even care to think of my world being destroyed again, we have finally started thriving after the rebuilding efforts following the defeat of Daibazaal and Sincline.” Fala replies.
Lacus nods. “War is a terrible thing. If more people were like we are, able to work through our differences and embrace them, perhaps humanity as a whole would thrive and we could wipe out those that wish to eradicate us.”
“I feel that we are not the only species worth saving. Even the Galrans have the right to survive, just not at the expense of another race.” Fala says.
“It was the same with the Outriders in this galaxy. They wanted our worlds for the natural resources, but at the price of countless human and Outrider lives. They were willing to sacrifice their own kind just to get ahead. I don’t think I could ever understand that logic.” Saber adds quietly.
“Perhaps one day we can truly have peace. We have to believe that, or we would just give up.” Fala says quietly. Lacus nods in agreement.
Kira comes over to where the trio is talking. “We think the worst of the damage can be repaired by the end of the day. As for the weapons to be added, the techs need some schematics and explanations, Lacus. I told them I would come and get you, since a lot of it is your design.”
She nods, “Thank you Kira. I’m coming. Please excuse me.” She says to Saber and Fala who nod in reply and she follows Kira back to where there are several people working around a computer.
Saber chuckles, “I didn’t expect to hear that she had a hand in the design of the weapons. She seems so much against violence.”
Fala smiles, “So it’s not because she’s a girl that you are surprised?” she asks teasingly.
“No,” he replies, shaking his head, “You’ve met April. She came up with the idea for the original Bismarck, and had a hand in all three designs. I do not think that women are inferior in the least, Your Highness.” Fala starts to say something and he holds his hand up, smiling, “and I’m not just saying that to you because of your station.” He adds a hint of amusement in his voice.
Fala laughs as Keith comes up behind them. “What’s so funny?”
“The Princess was trying to trap me, Keith.” Saber says amused.
“I was not!” Fala replies laughing. “I actually didn’t mean for what I said to come across as entrapment, though I quickly realized that’s what it sounded like.”
Keith looks between the two of them confused, shaking his head. “I don’t think I even want to know.” He looks to Saber, “Are you doing alright?”
“Yes. I’m doing well. Much better than I was even a week ago,” he replies. “I suppose my extended absence today cause a bit of an uproar. It was not my intention to upset or worry anyone. I just needed to be alone for a while, away from everything.”
Keith nods, “I can understand that. You’ve been under an extreme amount of stress.”
“We all have,” Saber replies. “I’m not the only one. Everyone has had to deal with difficulties, not just me.” He turns and looks out the window to the fields outside. “I just hope we can end this soon. I don’t want more innocent people to lose their lives. Perhaps we should send some others out to the place that sent the distress signal.”
“I’m not sure that would be the best idea. Apparently, Merla has a base some place close to there.” Keith replies.
“Why do you think that?” Saber inquires.
“Because the robots that attacked us came out of nowhere; so either they have some type of radar jamming technology, which would most assuredly not be a good thing, or they have a base hidden somewhere close to there. My hope is that there is some sort of base close by, and not the other option.” Keith replies.
“Yes, I could see where that could be a problem. If she has such technology available, it could cause a bit more trouble for all of us. Not an idea I particularly care to think about,” Saber says.
“Perhaps we should look into trying to attack her first,” Fala states. Saber and Keith look towards her. “Well, it worked when we were fighting Daibazaal and Sincline. If we can find a weakness, and exploit it, perhaps we could end this before more people are killed.”
“It’s how to go about finding that weakness that could be problematic,” Saber replies. “However, I think you may be on the right track.”
Lacus, Kira and Athrun come walking over. “Well, the worst of the damage is almost repaired; the Lions should be able to fly again by tomorrow afternoon, I say we all get some rest. We plan on heading back to Sextilis Eight as soon as the repairs and upgrades are completed. After talking with Lt. Ramius from the Archangel, they could use our help getting things done there after the hit that city took.” Lacus says as they arrive at the group.
Saber nods, “If you need help, I’m sure we could arrange to return with you.”
Lacus shakes her head, “Thank you for your offer, but I think between the Archangel crew and the people that we have on the Eternal, we should be fine. Sextilis has people that can help as well. But I will let you know if anything changes. It may turn out that you are needed here. I could almost see them using this to draw you out, then attack here, as you leave your base undefended.”
“A valid point, Ms. Lacus,” Fala says. I am not sure that either of our teams leaving here is a good idea. At least until we know what is going on.”
“Shall we go and get some rest, Kira, Athrun?” Lacus asks, receiving a nod in return. “All right, we shall see you in the morning then.” They leave, heading to their ship to rest.
“An interesting woman,” Keith says as the three leave, getting curious looks from Saber and Fala. “Well, it’s obvious she’s the one in charge, I just find that amusing. She definitely seems to have the brains for it.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Fala asks a bit harshly, while trying not to laugh as Keith begins to look a bit uncomfortable.
“She’s a coordinator, Keith.” Saber interjects, trying to diffuse a potential argument, while trying not to laugh. “Perhaps her skill set is planning and strategy. It would make sense to defer to her if she is the best suited for a job.”
“Is everyone on Orb a coordinator?” Keith asks surprised, and pointedly changing the direction of the conversation.
“I don’t believe so. I seem to remember someone saying that there are both ‘naturals’ and ‘coordinators’ living and working in Orb. The whole point that they were trying to make is that they can all coexist, or something like that,” Saber replies.
They talk for a while longer before retiring for the evening. The next morning, everyone meets in the hangar to check the status of the repairs and upgrades. Lacus comes up to the group as they gather, “Well, are you ready to try out the lions?” she asks brightly. Several heads nod and she continues, “I think you’ll like that we have increased their speed, and some of the weapons that you already had are now a bit more powerful. We were also able to give the GoLion robot a stronger sword, and I have added a surprise or two that I hope you will see as beneficial to GoLion. I’ll explain those once you are in formation.”
Keith nods and looks towards his crew, “Let’s go, team.” They nod and head for the lions, taking off and heading for the clearing. The others watch as they take off.
“Shall we head out in our suits?” Fireball asks. The others nod and they get into their suits and catch up to the GoLion team. Kira and Athrun follow them in their suits as well.
“Okay, why don’t you get into formation so we can show you how your weapons are different, the biggest changes are the weapons for the robot,” Athrun states as they catch up to the others.
“Alright, GoLion combine,” Keith says and they go through the combination sequence. “Let’s see what we have.”
“You still have your other sword, but should it be knocked away from you, there is a way to pull out a secondary laser-type sword. It would form the same way as the original, only there is a blue button that you hit now, just to the right of your console. It can be activated by either black, red, or green lion. The button activates the formation and the sword form. It has the ability to deflect lasers and can cut through almost any type of metal,” Lacus voice says over the intercom.
Keith nods, “Okay, let’s try out this new sword.” He hits the button and the sword forms.
“Nice,” Lance says. “I could get used to using this.”
“You also have the ability to hold a shield now. I have created a sort of METEOR-type shield. It can fire weapons, like the Cowboy’s METEOR unit can, but it can also be used to block laser and sword attacks,” Lacus says as the GoLion robot practices handling the sword. “To activate the METEOR shield, Keith has to hit the purple button with the crest shield of Altea on it, next to the blue button. It is pulled from your back, from the wing area. After that, any lion can fire with it, using the plain purple button on the right of the console.”
“Saber, do you think you could come at them with your sword?” Athrun asks.
“What? Are you serious?” He replies a bit shocked.
“Yes, I’m serious. Your sword isn’t a laser sword, but is made from metal that is practically indestructible, you could actually fight them and not waste your sword. I want them to see how it handles.” Athrun replies.
Saber nods, “Alright.” He pulls out his sword and heads for GoLion, they block the attack with their sword and parry back to him, causing him to block, this continues for several minutes, neither one gaining an advantage. “Not bad,” Athrun states. “Would you mind fighting them with the METEOR shield?”
“If you think it’s safe for me to do so, I’m fine with it. I’m still learning the limitations of my suit as we go.” Saber replies.
“Since you’re good with your sword, and your suit is practically indestructible, I figure you would give them some good practice, without seriously putting yourself or them into danger,” Athrun replies. “Just remember that you can use your sword to help block the lasers they fire, and they won’t harm your suit anyways. Worst case is you get knocked around a bit.”
“Let’s go then,” he replies as he gets into a fighting stance, the other members of his crew hanging back to watch. He fires at them, and then pulls his sword as they engage the shield, deflecting his attack back at him. He blocks it with his sword and narrowly misses getting hit by another attack. They begin firing back in more rapid succession; he manages to block the majority of the attacks, with a bit of effort. Occasionally, he pulls back and regroups, managing to fire at them before they can fire first, each time having the attack deflected back so that he has to dodge it. This continues for nearly half an hour before they break and land in the clearing below. “I’m impressed. I don’t think you have to worry about losing your sword again. Not with having that shield and secondary sword,” Saber says as they all gather on the ground.
“Yes, it is rather impressive, he replies to Saber. “Thank you Miss Lacus, these upgrades are going to help us quite a bit I think,” Keith says as he turns to face Lacus.
She smiles and nods, “I’m glad we were able to take some time to help you. Now I’m afraid we need to be off. We are needed to help on Sextilis; you should take time and practice with your new weapons, maybe even letting the Cowboy shoot at you a little. I think you will get better with the weapons the more you are able to practice. It will also allow the Bismarck crew time to workout in their suits as well.” She turns and nods to the others, “We will call if we need assistance. I hope we find a way to end this soon.” Kira comes over and places a hand on her shoulder; she looks up and smiles at him, “Let’s go, Kira.”
He shakes his head, “I don’t think we should go to Sextilis yet, Lacus.” he says quietly. She looks up at him curiously. “Athrun and I were talking, and we feel that perhaps we should try and find this base that we believe is near Sextilis,” he pauses, trying to think of how to continue, “For her robots to have just appeared as quickly as they did to attack, they had to be close by. I’m sure she expects us to just all show up to help with Sextilis, but we just spoke with Lt. Ramius, and she said that they are fine and have enough help. So, I said we would return to Orb. Our thought is, we take a crew to seek out the base, I don’t think Merla would expect that. Perhaps we could find some weakness in her forces that way.” Keith and Saber both nod as he speaks.
“It makes sense, strategically speaking,” Saber says. “I think your assessment is correct, I doubt she would expect us to seek her out. As you stated, perhaps we could figure out some weakness in her defense pulling an unexpected move on her and her army and exploit it.”
“The question would be who to send,” Keith adds. “We know how the last scouting mission turned out.”
Saber nods, “Yes, not the best results, although it just was bad timing on our part I think.” He looks to Lacus and Kira, “Should we call a meeting then and discuss the possibilities?”
Kira looks to Lacus then nods, “I think we should have an open discussion about it. Perhaps we can come up with a better plan, and have a back up plan in place in case something goes wrong.”
“Let’s do that then. Should we meet in the board room in say…fifteen minutes?” Saber asks, looking between Kira, Lacus, and Keith. They nod and all go to arrange everyone to meet in the board room.
