This story is copyright 2002 CJL "Morpheus/Psycho Cheetah". Please do not distribute or place this anywhere else without my permission. Turn-A, Mobile Suit, Gundam and any other used trademarks are trademarks of their respected companies)

TURN-A GUNDAM: AWAKE AND DREAMING

Chapter 1: "From my Distance, Destination of Choice…"

Space. Cold. Vast. Foreboding. An eternal black cloth, dotted by tiny pinpricks of stars. In which the void of it, many men had been lost among the ages.

But to Sireck Molag, it was his rock. This was his home. While others of the Moonrace often talked of returning to Earth, returning to the mother planet, he had found that space was his mother place…forever living, breathing, with its harsh outward appearance fooling those of lesser mind.

Sireck was twenty years of age now. His golden hair shone in the lights, and his sapphire eyes carefully checked each instrument panel. He smiled as he watched space pass by, and as another object began to fill his view.

The new object glowed in crimson red light under the glare of the sun as it turned into its brilliance. It stood there in space, like Earth…but also much different. The red was intense, and Sireck shielded his eyes, and he tried to observe the planet that now filled their screens, the team’s destination.

Mars. The planet of the god of war. The blood red planet. Of course, it was not of war as of now. It was, in an ironic sense, peaceful. No human life scarred the surface. No movement, no action…just sitting in space, a small red ball…

"You’re getting this info to the Arcadian?" Sireck turned his head, and saw a face turned to him. Sireck nodded. "Yup. Arcadian knows everything that’s going on. We’re keeping the uplink and it’s firm. Nothing to worry about Sidd."

Vidd nodded. Vidd was short, thin, and was a redhead, and Sireck’s friend. Sireck was glad he was stuck with him among the crew that had been picked for this job.

"Well then, let’s get this baby planetside then, shall we?" Sireck smiled, and nodded back.

The FLAT responded sluggishly to Sireck’s input into the computer, but soon began to change course. The FLAT was already in drop mode, the same as the other two FLATs that were off to its right. Each held three pilots, all anxiously waiting for the command to be given.

For a while, there was a silence. Sireck nodded, and leaned back, and turned towards the third man in the FLAT’s cockpit, Ulen Ewek.

"So…Ulen…why the heck are we going to this red ball of dust again?"

Ulen, much older than either Vidd or Sireck, turned from his position, the gray streaks in his raven black hair showing. He narrowed his jade green eyes, and with an agitated voice, he replied to Sireck’s question.

"I already told you. It’s nothing much. Command wants us to do a review of this planet…something about old historical sites…"

"Yeah, whatever, Ulen. You’re just mad ‘cause you aren’t seeing any action Earthside," Vidd teased.

"I could care less about some dispute over who gets what part of Earth. I’m doing my duty…and right now, your duty is to make sure this thing is going to be landing properly."

Not bothering to continue the argument with the "old man," Vidd sat back. Sireck checked the screens again. FLAT’s 1 and 3 were well aligned with them, FLAT 2. It was only a matter of time now…

"All FLATs, this is the Arcadian. Storage pods have entered the atmosphere. You are clear to proceed."

Vidd looked up, his face beaming. "That’s it. Let’s go!"

Ulen pushed the controls forward, and the FLAT began its descent towards the surface of the red planet…

"Entering the atmosphere in 15 seconds," noted Sireck, as he closed the faceplate on his helmet.

The heat was becoming intense, and now more than the planet appeared red to the view screens, and they shut down for a second or two.

What seemed like a minute passed. Then the color of the heat began to pass, and was replaced by the red dust of the red planet. Vidd looked up. "We’re in. Preparing for landing."

The FLATs raced towards the surface, like eager children racing for a lake to swim on a hot summer day. They eventually slowed, however, preparing to touch down easily on the soft, red Martian surface. Each member of each of the FLATs felt the machine lurch and shake as it slowly touched down onto the surface of the planet.

After a few minutes, after allowing the alloyed machine to cool, the door to the FLAT opened with a crackle, and Sireck’s helmeted figure poked his head out, to survey the landscape.

"You see the containers around the landing area, Sireck?" asked Ulen, trying to get a view past Sireck. Sireck squinted his eyes, searching the red land…until his eyes fell upon several black cylinders in the distance.

"There. I see all the mobile suit pods and the base pod." He pointed.

"Right," said Vidd, hopping a bit to get the feel of the Martian gravity. "Short walk. Let’s go."

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The small temporary base had been unloaded quickly, and Sireck flicked on the power, and watched as a light glow began to fill the interior, and oxygen began to flow.

"I think that did it," said Vidd, who looked outside and waved at a Gozzo outside that had helped construct the crude base that they were ready.

"I get a top bunk!" yelled, Ikal, a small scrawny black haired pilot yelled.

"No you don’t," muttered Rilen, another small man who looked like a twin of Ikal, pushing him aside."

Ulen grunted. "Let’s not fight kids. We’ve got a job to do, and I believe that command has stated to us that we are to have this job done in five days. No more. The Arcadian has gone back to the moon, and it’ll be six days before another ship is cycled in to get us out of here. Let’s make sure we don’t kill each other in that time."

A quick silence followed. Ulen smiled, pleased to put these greens into position. Then…

"I get the bunk near the window," Quisail, a tall man with brown hair, quickly said.

Ulen rolled his eyes.

Sireck took off his helmet, and took a breath of the oxygen circulating the base. Vidd looked over to his pal.

"What do you think about this rock? I’m personally looking forward to the five days going by fast."

Sireck laughed. "C’mon, Vidd. Have some spirit! This is just like when the first people touched down on Mars. This is a new frontier. Have some spirit."

"Easy for you to say. You’re the wandering kind."

"Hey, you’re just mad ‘cause we’re taking time out of your ‘schedule’ with Miah…"

"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!!" Vidd yelled, and tried to grab Sireck’s head to give him a noogie. Sireck laughed as he dodged his friend.

It would be a long five days…

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Sireck gulped down the last of his instant noodles, and watched the green light glare on his face. The nine pilots had gathered around a display panel, with Ulen, the senior officer, briefing them on their mission one more time.

"Listen up kids, ‘cause if you missed this the first time, this is the last time. Got it?" Ulen was grumpy as normal, and many had learned to live with this.

"Okay…see this here? This happens to be an old base…WOULD YOU QUIT THAT OUT SOLAK?!"

Solak, a brown haired, blue-eyed, chubby fellow, was slurping the broth to his soup. Ulen’s yell had startled him, and he spilled the broth on him.

"Sorry…"

"Now, let me continue…the base is an old base, from another age. We’re supposed to be a sort of ‘millitary research’…see if we can find any mobile suits left here, and bring them to command to be used in the current conflict…"

"Sort of what like the Earth Militia is doing right?" Sireck asked. "Like those ‘Kapools’ they just found in the mountains…"

Ulen nodded. "See, at least one of you paid attention. Now…this base lies underground, but the opening is large enough even for the WaDoms…apparently built for mobile suits…which means there’s a good chance of mobile suits being stored there. Now, that’s simple enough. Just three rules for you rookies: one, don’t fire on anything that’s a mobile suit that's not being piloted, two, don’t fire on anything that looks unstable, and three, don’t act stupid."

The rest of the briefing went quickly…just who got which of the nine mobile suits that had come in the capsules…the FLATs were not going to be used, for they were to be used only in case of an emergency. In the end, Sireck was landed with a SUMO. Vidd got a SUMO as well. Ulen took a WaDom for himself. The three Gozzos went to the members of FLAT 3, Solak, Rilen, and Ikal. Lostan, a member of FLAT 1, got the other WaDom, Quisail got a SUMO, as well as the last member of FLAT 1, Asan.

Nighttime set quickly on Mars, and before they knew it, the cold, dark eve of Mars had covered the land. Climbing onto one of the bunks, Sireck stretched out, trying to kill off whatever energy he had left in his body.

"Getting ready for tomorrow already?" Vidd inquired as he began to sit down on his bunk below Sireck.

Leaning over the side, Sireck replied, "Yeah. I can’t believe you’re not excited. Just think…there’s more history here than you’ll learn just by studying the Dark History. I’m dying to get out there and see this base. Who knew what ways the ancients had?"

"Whatever…" Vidd layed down, and didn’t say another word, apparently not wanting to talk for much longer. Sireck shrugged, and laid back, still thinking. For some odd reason, he still had energy in him. Energy that he spent wondering what he’d find inside that ancient monument to the past.

Eventually sleep finally came, and he closed his eyes.
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