Resitance of steel
Chapter 7: Freeden
It has only been a few hours since Bellzelute, along with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have been picked up by the large ship, the Freeden. The two of them were still impressed, how such a large ship, made out of metal, can float across the ground as if it was water. After the initial confusion died down, the two pegasi managed to explain their situation to the captain.
"So, you are here to seek asylum for your Princess?" Jamil Neate has been the captain of the Freeden for a while now and has seen many interesting things, nothing could have prepared him for this though. Right in front of him, there were two colorful ponies, talking to him. They looked like someone ripped them straight out of a cartoon and pasted them into the real world.
"That's right, so we want to go look for them now. Can you please just give us a map or something?" The rainbow maned pony asked. She was kinda brash, actually reminded him a bit of that kid they captured as they rescued Tiffa. In the corner of the bridge, the blonde communications officer, Toniya Malme, was cuddling the other one fiercly. Fluttershy seemed a bit nervous in the grip of the other woman.
It would be the easy solution, maybe he could just send them on their way and they all could pretend this never happened but he was not so ignorant. Something big was going to happen and just maybe he would regret sending them away then. Also, their doctor reporter that Tiffa became much calmer after the Bellzelute entered the Freeden.
The Bellzelute was another factor. Kid was never so excited as he examined it, the technology was something completely new and there was the fact that at least three other machines of that type existed. No, he couldn't just let them leave so easily but on the other hand, he can't just keep them as prisoners. "I could give you the maps but I have a better idea. It is not safe out there, especially alone. We can certainly give you additional protection and we meet a lot of mercenaries along the way, who might have some more infos on your friends."
Rainbow Dash contemplated the offer. She was not really a big talker or tactician but she knew a good offer when she saw one. "Sounds good but no funny business okay?" Despite the generous offer, she was still a little suspicious.
"Certainly, you will of course be able to leave whenever you feel like it." Kid will need to hold back a bit, so they won't think they just want to have the Bellzelute for themselves. While learning more about that robot and the orgone would be good, they were not robbers. Also, he wanted them to stay nearby because of Tiffa. If their calming influence could help her recover, he wanted them to stay close to her as long as possible.
"Good, because after that welcome you are a little TOO friendly." The glare on the pegasus was diffused a bit by the fact that... well, she was a cute, colorful pegasus. Among her own people she might be able to intimidate someone but even Jamil had to admit they were rather adorable, even though he had enough self control not to just cuddle with them. At that thought, he glanced towards Fluttershy and Toniya. "Now tell me, what reason do you have to keep us around?"
Jamil supposed, that he might as well tell them. The short time they talked and the more he learned about them, he figured that seeing Tiffa might even convince them to stay. "There is one thing. Please follow me." Jamil lead them towards the medical bay, where Tiffa was.
The doctor on board, Techcs Farzenberg, was sitting at the girls side, monitoring her condition. As he heard the door slide open, he turned around to see the captain. "She is a lot calmer now, unless something happens she should make a quicker recovery." Every time the captain came down to the medical bay, he asked about Tiffa.
When two ponies then followed Jamil, the doctor's eyes widened. Word already got around on the Freeden, of the two pilots of the Bellzelute, Techcs however thought it was just a joke at first but there they stood, two small, colorful ponies with wings on their backs. The yellow one, with the long, pink mane and tail, immediately approached Tiffa as she saw the girl. "Oh goodness, what happened to her?" She asked.
"This is Tiffa Adill, we have brought her on board for protection. She has special abilities, that some people want to abuse for their own profit. However, she has been present when a lot of people died." He gave a little pause, to let the ponies absorb the information. "She can read minds, she has felt the pain and terror of them all and it became too much for her to handle." Tears started to form in Fluttershy's eyes as she heard this, not only because of Tiffa but because of all those people who have apparently died.
"W-what does this have to do with us?" Asked Rainbow Dash, the brashness in her voice and posture fading. She tried her best to keep up the though act but was rapidly failing.
"When you two came on board, Tiffa became much calmer. From that I know, that you two are good peo... ponies. I hoped that, if you stay here just a little longer, it would help her recover." Jamil explained to them.
Fluttershy was leaning on the edge of the bed, holding the hand of the comatose girl with one hoof, before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, we have to stay her, just a little longer. Jamil and the others can help us look for the others and we just have to help this poor girl." She pleaded with her friend.
Rainbow Dash looked back between Tiffa, Fluttershy and Jamil a few times, before sighing. "Alright, you have us convinced. We will stay her until the girl gets better. But you really have to help us look for our friends, this is also important to us."
"Alright, we have a deal then. We will need a description of your friends mech's, so we can ask anyone we come across if he has seen them. While your presence seems to be enough, I would like to ask you to visit Tiffa every once in a while. Doctor, these two hereby have the right to visit at all times." Jamil said, facing the still dumbstruck doctor, who slowly came out of his daze.
"Very well captain, I hope they can really help Tiffa." He figured that, if horses can be used for therapy, then this would be pretty much the same.
For the rest of the night, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spend time on the Freeden, getting to know the rest of the crew. Fluttershy went back to the hangar for a bit, while Rainbow Dash walked around by herself.
In the hangar, Fluttershy was walking between the mobile suits, feeling a little scared. Even though she knew these were machines and that the pilots were not their enemies, they were still very intimidating. All that steel, formed into the human-like shape, almost like they were more of an extension of the pilots body. Was it like this for her and Rainbow Dash too? She hasn't thought about it too much yet but it just felt so natural, controlling the Bellzelute.
Deep in her thoughts, she didn't see the person in front of her and bumped into him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I really should have paid more attention. Are you hurt? Can I help you somehow?" She asked nervously. The person she bumped into was a child, yet he was in the typical clothes of a mechanic. She already heard of him, Kid, the head engineer of the Freeden. From what she heard, he was a prodigy at this early age.
"No need to apologize, I'm okay. It would have only been bad, if you had bumped into me while I had a torch on." He explained. "So... you are one of the alien-ponies... wow, I never thought I would ever say that sentence." As he looked at Fluttershy, he saw how insecure she appeared to be. Despite the fact that he was okay.
"Oh, sorry. I will stay out of the hangar then, so I won't bother you." Fluttershy was in a slump and already wanted to leave, as Kid stopped her.
"Come on, don't take it personal, you don't need to leave." He explained to her. "And if you actually were a bother, I would tell you immediately but just looking around is not bothering anyone. How about you come and watch me do maintenance on the Gundam X?" He could not really explain it but somehow he just wanted to make friends with this pony.
Fluttershy was still unsure if she should really stay but it would be rude to reject that offer. Also, it made her feel better to know that she wasn't bothering anyone. "Thank you, I won't be in the way. Which one is the Gundam X?"
Kid turned around and pointed at a white mech at the end of the hangar. It had two V-shaped fins on the forehead and a L shaped fin on the back. Fluttershy briefly wondered why it was called Gundam X then. The chest was mostly blue and red, had a green spot right in the middle though. There also was a long, thin barrel strapped to the back.
"This one is it, a real powerhouse. If the fins on the back spread open into the X-shape this Gundam got it's name from, it can gather energy from an installation on the moon, to power the satelite cannon." He explained to her. These Gundams were widely used as anti-colony weapon back in the days, so the satelite cannons existance was not too much of a secret.
However, that was not the part that really got Fluttershy's attention. "On the moon? How did a building get up there?" Did a group of people get banished to the moon? Did they build a city up there? And what did they do to get banished in the first place? Kid however laughed a little.
"We have developed the technology to fly into space, we can even build huge cities, whole biomes with forests and lakes. Compared to that, building a moonbase was easy." He was always fascinated by technology and being able to brag a little about humanity's advancements to an alien made him feel kinda proud. Although it did have it's disadvantages. Mankind was always aggressive, most of the technology only made the conflicts worse.
Together they went onto the mobile platform, being hovered towards the spot Kid wanted to inspect first. Fluttershy watched in awe, as Kid made sense of all those circuits, pistons, cables and other mechanical devices that confused her. While shy at first, she eventually started to ask more and more questions, which Kid happily answered.
While Fluttershy was in the hangar, Rainbow Dash looked around the ship. Captain Jamil recommended, to her displeasure, that she didn't fly around too much to avoid drawing attention to the Freeden, so she was left with nothing to do pretty much. However, nothing could ground her completely for a long time.
She noted that the halls were pretty tall, so she could actually fly around for a bit, without risking to bump into someone. And even if, she could just apologize and be more careful. So she opted to use this as an opportunity to practice sharp turns, much to the surprise of some of the crew that passed beneath. While Rainbow Dash flew high enough, some of them still ducked as she approached.
While it felt good to spread her wings, this wasn't quite doing it. Rainbow Dash needed air and while the Freeden was not badly ventilated, it was just not the same. Here she was surrounded by metal walls, while otherwise she flew through the blue air, the wind at her side.
As she was lost in thought, she didn't notice that she was getting lower, until she crashed into someone. "Oh man, sorry, I wasn't watching." She said, rubbing her head and helping the man she knocked down up.
"No problem but please be more careful, I need to keep an eye on this prisoner." The guard said, pointing at the door he stood next to. From the other side, both could hear loud protests being yelled. "He's been at it for a while now, we picked him up when he was trying to fly away with Tiffa and the Gundam X." The guard explained with a sigh.
"Wait, so he is a kidnapper?" Asked Rainbow Dash and as soon as she said that, the prisoner was banging against his door. "You got that mixed up! I was trying to get Tiffa free from you guys!" He yelled at them. Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow as she heard this and looked at the guard.
"Well, while he might have had good intentions, there was no way he could protect her properly." The guard then looked into the cell, were the prisoner has retreated to his bed, before pulling Rainbow Dash aside. "Also, he is the reason why Tiffa is in her current state."
This piqued her interest, how could he protect her but put her into a coma? Wait, what was the reason for that again? While she thought about it, the guard continued to explain. "Several mercenaries were payed to retrieve the Gundam and Tiffa, when they were surrounded, he used the superweapon of the Gundam X to destroy them all. All that death around her was too much to handle."
This was it. While he may have had the best of intentions, his methods really needed improvement. Kinda reminded her of herself. That gave Rainbow Dash an idea. "Oh alright, keep guarding, I will be on my way." After saying goodbye for now, Rainbow Dash flew towards the bridge, where the captain was.
The next day, the Freeden was travelling through a forest area, at the edge of a desert. It was a strange sight, to have such biomes so close to each other but such was the damage of the colony drop. As far as they could see, no one was following them. Still, Jamil had a bad feeling, so he had all pilots, including Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on standby.
Jamil was still thinking about the suggestion Rainbow Dash made. It seems like she has seen in that boy a kindred spirit. From what he understood, she was very brash herself, even though she only has the best for her friends in mind. Still, just trying to get that kid to join his crew? This was asking for trouble. Jamil knew that type, living alone for so long robs you of the ability to sympathize. Even now the prisoner was seemingly trapped in his little world, where he was the knight in shining armor for Tiffa.
It was not as if Jamil wasn't glad that he wanted to help but the kid just didn't know how. Rainbow Dash's suggestion to just give him the Gundam X and let him join was risky.
The captain of the Freeden was then snapped out of his thoughts by an explosion nearby. "What? Have we been discovered?" Asked his communications officer but the answer was negative, they weren't the target.
In the desert part, they saw another ship, along with some mobile suits, chasing after a target. It was a familiar type of mobile suit, a Gundam Ashtaron. It was a transformable mobile suit, currently in it's mobile armor form. As in glided over the sands, it almost looked like a purple crab with it's pincers.
Shots were getting closer and closer, as it was being chased down. As they got closer, the chasing group of six mobile suits were splitting up into two teams, one of them heading their way. "All mobile suits launch, defend the Freeden." Ordered Jamil. Now was as good a time as any to take on Rainbow Dash's suggestion. Jamil left the bridge, heading for the brig.
Outside, the mobile suits of the Freeden, as well as the Bellzelute launched, each taking on one of the attackers.
Fluttershy was shaking in her seat, why did they attack that purple robot and why were they know attacking the Freeden? This seemed to be a very violent world. Rainbow Dash however, was confident as ever. "Alright you jerks, you're gonna leave us and the purple guy alone or else we'll smash your suits to bits." She growled, as she drew the short launchers from the Bellzelute's hips.
Despite her confidence, Rainbow Dash was unsure of what to do in this situation. She didn't really want to kill anyone but she might have to in order to protect the Freeden. Then there was the fact that Fluttershy was with her. Would the other pegasus even be able to look at her, if she really did it?
In her hesitation, she almost failed to notice how the enemy suits opened fire. Evading in the last moment, the beam shot grazed the shoulder of the Bellzelute. Rainbow Dash quickly took into the air. "Fluttershy, it might be risky but I'm gonna try and shoot it's weapon out of it's hands." She announced. Fluttershy felt relieved, although there was this strange feeling, as if she was holding Rainbow Dash back.
Their partners did not have such reservation and quickly managed to down their respective targets by the time Rainbow Dash got a good shot. Thanks to the Bellzelute's maneuverbility, they managed to flank their enemy and get a clear shot, destroying the rifle and hands of the enemy suit.
By then however, the chased mobile armor moved towards them, probably hoping to get protection but was hit and laid in the sand. Behind it, the other pursuit team approached, together with the enemy ship. The confidence of the cyan mare started to falter, as she stared up at the massive ship but there was no choice, she had to defeat it.
By now, Jamil returned to the bridge, together with a young man. He had green eyes and messily kept, black hair. He was the prisoner, who stole the Gundam X and wanted to get away with Tiffa. Up to now, his experience in combat was limited to hijacking mobile suits to sell, this fight would be a first for him.
"What did you bring me here for?" The annoyed teen asked. Jamil only herded him towards the window, where the sound of explosions could already be heard.
Outside, the two other mobile suits, as well as the Bellzelute, were busy with the enemy ship. The Gundam Airmaster was currently in it's mobile armor mode, flying around the ship to draw fire. Whenever the ship redirected it's fire towards one of the others, he used the brief pause to take out one of the armaments.
The Leopard was mostly busy with the mobiles suits that came out of the ship. Since he was not as agile as the Bellzelute or the Airmaster, he had to rely on the cover of the dunes. Still, his armaments allowed him to deal devastating damage, whenever the occasion arised.
Despite their lack of experience, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew the Bellzelute expertly. While flying around the enemy ship, they took pot shots at the turrets with the orgone rifle. All three of them worked together as one, supporting each other whenever possible and gaining the upper hand, despite all other disadvantages.
"So this is a Gundam battle." The boy, Garrod Ran, said to himself, as he watched the scene. It was nothing like he was used to. Even when he had the Gundam X for a brief time, he was mostly just relying on it's technological superiority. When he was surrounded by all those mercenaries, he could do nothing but cower and would be dead if it wasn't for the satelite cannon. And said cannon was now the reason Tiffa was in a coma.
Finally, the battle drew to a close. Most gun turrets were already taken out and the supporting mobile suits were destroyed. The Gundam Leopard shot a barrage of missiles towards the bridge of the enemy, making a dent into it's base and probably shaking up the crew members.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy also saw a chance, to take out a row of the remaining turrets. Mid flight, the shot launchers of the Bellzelute flew off the hips and attached themselved to the top and bottom side of the orgone rifle, as they landed on one side of the ship.
The turrets were already moving towards them, so the ponies had to react quickly. The orgone rifle opened up a bit and the energy started to flow. Then Rainbow Dash pulled back the rear part of the rifle, making it almost look as if the Bellzelute was wielding a bow.
Fittingly enough, the orgone energy formed a large, crystalline arrow in front of the rifles muzzle. As the shot was fired, the arrow sliced clean through all obstacles, leaving several of the remaining turrets wrecked and scorching the side of the ship. Even the two pilots, who had the knowledge engrained into their minds were impressed by the strength.
This was the ultimate weapon of the Bellzelute and it deserved that status. While they were glad that they had such power available, it also made them worried. Was anyone hurt with that shot? They silently swore to only use it if everything else failed. That was not just an ethical decision however, since this shot also drained a good portion of the Bellzelute's energy.
Something then flew up into the sky, a flare. The signal was a bright yellow. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy got a message from the Freeden's bridge, explaining to them what it meant.
The different ship crew's, wandering the wastelands were called Vultures, after the carrion eating birds. Communication between ships was mostly done using these flares. The yellow signal was a surrender, it meant that they didn't want to fight anymore.
Captain Jamil accepted the surrender and allowed the other ship to gather the remains of their mobile suits, as well as any surviving pilots and escape with them. They in return, welcomed the pilot of the mobile armor on board.
In order to keep the ponies a secret from the outside world a bit longer, they faked a fault in the cockpit, that would require the pilots to stay inside for a bit longer. This did not keep them from getting a good look however.
The pilot of the purple mobile armor had a clean, sharp look to him. While they didn't know humans for long, this was pretty much how they would picture a noble of their species to look like. That brought up the question what he was doing in that robot, right in the middle of the desert.
"I don't know Fluttershy, I just have this weird feeling about him." Said Rainbow Dash, who's instincts told her that this guy was trouble. She may have had that feeling before and was wrong, like when Nightmare Moon returned and she briefly thought Twilight was a spy for her but everything about that guy screamed at her to keep an eye on him.
"It is a bit strange but the poor man was just chased around the desert. At least he should get the chance to rest for a while. And who knows, maybe we can become friends after all. You should give him a chance." Argued Fluttershy. While she was also nervous about him, her kindness won over.
After the man, Oulba Frost, was shown to his room, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy finally left the cockpit of the Bellzelute. While walking away, Oulba Frost shot a curious look at the machine. The look in his eyes was strange, almost as if he was mentally somewhere else for a moment. The pegasi however shrugged it off and went to talk to their own rooms. With that visitor present, their freedom to move around the ship was limited but maybe it won't be too long.
During the night something happened. The guard that stood in front of the brig got a whif of something strange smelling, before losing consciousness. Shortly after that the door opened and the prisoner escaped.
After following the forested area for a while, the Freeden stood by a large field. A short distance away, Garrod Ran was kneeling on the ground. For the past few days, whenever they were in the right area, he would sneak out and get a few flowers for Tiffa. He didn't know if it helped but at least he was doing something.
Right now he had a few, nice flowers picked again and stood up to return. The night wouldn't last forever, so he had to be quick. As he turned around however, he saw captain Jamil, standing right in front of him. Garrod cursed inwardly, as he was spotted. "I knew it was you."