One hour later…
White Base, Scootaloo’s Quarters
Knocking drew Scootaloo’s attention to the door of her quarters. “Come in,” she called out.
The door opened, and the light grey pegasus from the colony entered the young mare’s quarters. “Hey,” Scootaloo said, sitting up.
“Hey.”
The young stallion smiled, with strain lines appearing on his face.
Scootaloo patted a spot on the bed next to her. “Come here,” Scootaloo said, “you look like you need a break.”
The other pegasus nodded in agreement, and sat down next to Scootaloo where she had indicated.
Scootaloo prompted, “What’s your name?”
“Shockwave,” the young stallion replied, “Shockwave Melt.”
Scootaloo giggled. “I like your name.”
Shockwave nodded, out of instinct, it seemed.
“Now,” Scootaloo said, pulling Shockwave into a hug and swinging around to sit on his lap, “how’s about I help you relax?”
Shockwave said nothing, but his wings flaring out, making a pomf sound, was all the encouragement Scootaloo needed.
Scootaloo giggled, again.
************
22 hours later…
Falmel, Briefing Room
A lone stallion sat in one of the chairs in the Falmel’s briefing room, watching the recorded videos from the previous engagements with the Federation’s newest mobile suit, light from the vidscreen reflecting off of his glasses.
He wiped a strand of scarlet hair out of his face. “Reverse and hold at 38.5.”
The video stopped, rewinded, and held at the designated time. The Federation’s newest mobile suit, was staring down the Zaku II whose feed the scarlet-haired stallion was viewing. “A demon…”
The door to the briefing room opened, admitting another stallion, a unicorn. The scarlet-haired stallion turned his head to look at the newcomer. Curiosity shone in his violet eyes, surrounded by teal fur. “Yes,” he prompted, “Lieutenant Blast?”
“Figured I’d find you here,” Blast replied, “Sub-Lieutenant.”
Quartz nodded, and gestured at the screen. “Just reading up on my enemy, sir.”
“Really?”
“I’d like to be as well informed as I can. I’ve been compiling a list of… quirks… our enemy has.”
“Do you feel that you are ready to face it?”
Quartz shook his head, rising to his feet. “No. No, I am not ready to face it. Something like this… It’s like something Tirek himself would make.”
“How so?”
Quartz responded, beginning to pace. “Fast. Faster than anything we have in mass production at this time. Your R2 is the only mobile suit we have that can match that thing in acceleration and speed.
“Powerful. Able to annihilate a mobile suit with a single shot, and rendering mobile suit armor useless.
“Tough. No weapon we’ve used against it have actually inflicted real damage, at least, no rapid-fire weapon anyway.
“And look at it… It looks like a demon, all clad in white.”
“So what do we call it, then?”
“Based on its performance and its appearance, I’ve named it ‘White Devil.’ Rather appropriate, I think.”
Blast nodded. “I’ll bring it up with Commander Blitz about giving that mobile suit an official nickname. See what he says.”
Quartz nodded, “You do that.”
Blast left.
Quartz made a sweeping motion with his automail arm in front of the vidscreen. The device shut off, like that of the first telescreens Quartz had read about he was younger, more naïve.
Tapping a number sequence on the holographic pad on the briefing table, Quartz retrieved a rectangular device from the table. He turned it over in his hands and tucked it into a pouch on his utility belt.
He left the briefing room, intending to make one last stop at the mobile suit hangar and his Zudah in particular.
************
One hour later…
White Base, Briefing room
Murmuring filled the room as the assembled pilots waited for Lieutenant Bright to brief them on their mission. “Alright,” Bright announced to the room, “here’s the mission.”
He tapped the controls to the briefing table, bringing up a holographic representation of Deimos, Mars’ smallest moon. “This, as most of you likely know, is Deimos, the smallest moon of Mars. In a normal situation, there’d be no reason to stop at Deimos on a route to initiate an interplanetary jump. However, this is not a normal situation. As you know, we have been tailed by one of the New Lunar Republic’s best pilots, the Red Comet and his Musai-class light cruiser.”
A few button presses, and a representation of the White Base and the Red Comet’s Musai, with the Musai following behind the White Base, appeared.
Bright continued, “During this period, the Red Comet has lost two-thirds of his mobile suit squadrons. Six of these casualties were due to their reconnaissance of Tanegashima Station. The other four were due to the engagement about a day ago. Within thirty minutes of that engagement, our sensors picked up another signature.”
Another sequence of button pressing and another ship appeared. “This is a Papua-class supply ship. Apparently, the Red Comet has squawked for resupply, and he has been answered.
“Now, this is what we’re going to do. When the Red Comet rendezvouses with this Papua, we’ll destroy both the Papua and the Musai, taking out the Red Comet!
“Most of our mobile weapons are crewed. We just need a crew for the last Guntank we have, Unit Three. Any volunteers?”
Babs Seed shot her arm up, and responded, “I’ll be the driver, I just need a gunner.”
Another arm shot up, covered in pale olive fur. “Ah’ll be the gunner! It shouldn’t be too hard! ...Right?”
“Well,” Bright said, suppressing the urge to facepalm, “there’s our last crew.”
He sighed, and continued, “Is Scootaloo here?”
An orange hand shot up from the crowd as the pegasus came forward. Dressed in her pilot’s uniform, Scootaloo looked rather nice, in Bright’s opinion. “Yes, Lieutenant?”
“I want you and the Gundam on standby, so you can support the rest of the strike force if needed.”
“Yes, sir!”
Bright nodded in approval. “Good, good. That’s it for the briefing!”
The pilots left the briefing, with Bright following close behind.
************
Falmel, Mobile Suit Hangar
Sanguine Quartz chuckled as he thought about how the pilot of the White Devil would react to his Zudah.
Shaking his head, he lowered his helmet’s visor. Reaching forward and flicking a switch on his pilot’s console, he began his flight check.
“Reactor… check,” he held down a button on his console, “and… online.”
“Sensors… check,” he flicked a couple of switches, “and… online. Not that they’ll help much what with the Minovsky Particles being poured into the crater… Guess it’s the thought that counts.”
“Mono-eye… check,” pressing a button on his console, he continued, “and… online.”
A few minutes later, and Quartz was ready to launch. He reported, “Alright! Everything checks out! Ready for launch!”
“Good,” Blitz barked over the radio, “good! Now, launch!”
“Yes, Commander! Launching!”
Closing his eyes, Quartz felt the launch catapult activate, sending his mobile suit down the track and out into space. I’m flying again, he thought. I’ve missed this feeling.
He opened his eyes, a smile having crossed his face.
************
The ash grey Zudah landed, crouching. Blitz, in his red Zaku Commander, nodded in approval, and barked, “Come along, Sub-lieutenant! Gemstone will not wait forever!”
“Of course, Commander!”
Quartz’s Zudah rose to full height and hefted up its Anti-Ship Rifle. It took a few ponderous steps forward, then bounded over to the edge of the crater. Quartz, smiling wide, reported, “Vertigo here. I’m in position.”
Blitz nodded, “Good, good!”
Switching channels on his radio, Blitz told the older mare, “Captain! We’re ready!”
“Excellent, Commander! Let’s get this started,” Gemstone responded, “so it can be done with. This crater’s so thick with Minovsky Particles that I’m afraid I’ll drown…”
************
White Base, Starboard Mobile Suit Hangar
Featherweight pulled at his pilot suit’s collar, attempting to make his collar more comfortable. Sighing, he waited for his turn on the launch catapult.
Over the radio, he heard one of the other Guncannon pilots report, “Private First Class Fiery Glass piloting Guncannon Unit Two here, launch complete!”
“Alright,” Fiery Glass said, “Private Featherweight, it’s your turn!”
“Hooo boy,” Featherweight murmured to himself, “it’s now or never, I guess.”
Following what he’d been told by Fiery Glass, Featherweight directed his Guncannon over to the launch catapult and dropped it into a crouch. “Private Featherweight here,” he reported, “ready to launch!”
The Guncannon lurched forwards as the catapult shot forward to shoot the Guncannon out into space. Featherweight felt himself be shoved into his seat by an invisible hand. “Pull the lever, Featherweight,” Fiery Glass barked, “pull the lever on your console! Pull it or you’ll crash into the surface!”
Featherweight pulled the lever, but managed to slam his Guncannon into the surface of Deimos, and the mobile suit bounced, doing a clumsy cartwheel in a lazy arc.
Babs Seed murmured under her breath and sighed. “In planetside gravity, he’d have gone down in flames.”
Apple Bloom, seeing her friend fail at piloting a mobile suit, was trembling. “Hey, Bloom,” Babs Seed said, “don’t worry! We get to take it easy!”
Babs Seed pushed the control sticks of the Guntank forward. A smile crossed her face as she saw Featherweight stick the landing from his Guncannon’s cartwheel.
************
Daisy stared out at the two Koumusais perform maneuvers that looked as complex as a pegasus mating ritual. She shook her head, clearing out those thoughts, shuddering slightly. “I’ll never get used to this double Kom business.”
“Lieutenant! We’re transferring over the Zakus now!”
Daisy nodded, and responded, “Thank you, Captain! You are delivering ten Zakus as promised, right?”
The older mare nodded, “Yep. Ten MS-06F-2 Zaku units, along with additional spare parts for the EMS-10, MS-06R-2, and MS-06S units attached to the Falmel.”
“I see. Thanks for coming all the way out here for us.”
“De nada, lieutenant,” Gemstone replied, “it’s nothing that a Papua captain like me can’t handle.”
“Lieutenant Daisy!”
“Yes, ensign?”
“We’ve got unidentified contacts closing in! Eight of them!”
Daisy’s eyes narrowed, “Mobile Suits.”
“Captain Gemstone!” The lieutenant barked, “How long until the transfer is complete?!”
“Four, maybe five minutes!”
“Alright, then! Commander Blitz, you and our remaining mobile suits protect the ships for around five minutes!”
***
“Affirmative, Daisy! RED COMET TEAM! PROTECT THE PAPUA AND THE FALMEL!”
“Of course,” Blizzard Blast responded, getting excited for the engagement, “Commander!”
The other two Zaku pilots replied, sounding very zealous.
Sanguine Quartz sighed, and murmured to himself, “Pilots these days……….”
Shaking his head and smiling, he reported, with a chuckle in his voice, “Vertigo here, I’m ready to go!”
To be continued...