Chapter 7: Light in the Darkness of SpaceSylvie tried to fan herself as she listened to the frenzied reports being sent all around her. It was a vain effort. Her Type 74 was now crowded by two dozen survivors of the 71st who had been trying to get news about the battle, and she was really at the point of throwing them ALL out after enduring three straight days of this heat. Well, she thought, at least they had been taken off the front line since the first day, and they didn't have to fight in any further battles until the operation was over. "Sylvie, come on, what have you got?" Captain Karl asked.
She held her hand up to tell him to be quiet as she adjusted various nobs in her radio. Her efforts were rewarded as the she got a clear transmission from the HQ. She grinned, "Alright! I have a final report! Final Zeon strong point in Baikonour has fallen! Confirming retreat of remaining Zeon forces! Operation Odessa is a success!" A chorus of cheers soon filled her Type 74 as the troopers began to congratulate each other on a job well done. It had been a bloody battle. More than half of the battalion was gone, but they knew that their stand on the hill had made this victory possible. And for many of them, it was a first. As she looked around though, she saw Max, leaning quietly on a wall. He still wasn't smiling... "Welcome Colonel," Revil started as a forty-two year old officer stepped into his office. "Yes sir, thank you sir, and congratulations," Col. Patterson replied quietly. "Enough with congratulations, I think I've had enough of them. Anyway, I've read your report... It must have been hard for you, given your relation with..." "Sir, with all due respect, it was my duty to take that hill, my personal feelings are not to be considered." Revil nodded. Patterson was one of his best Colonels, he knew. And completely loyal to the Earth Federation as he had just proven. The only problem that kept him from being a General was his family background. Seventeen years ago, he had married the kind and beautiful Patricia von Bock. Unfortunately, she was also the sister of a Zeon officer, then Major Erwin von Bock. It took a lot of self-control not to sigh. Their marriage had been a true love match, and despite ideological differences the two men had managed to become good friends. Now both brother and sister were dead, Patricia having died ten years ago to illness. And the Colonel's only daughter was missing somewhere in South East Asia after his home had been overrun by Zeon forces. It was such a waste, but the Colonel's courage and dedication despite all that has happened has made him admire the man all the more, "Very well. Now Colonel, on to business. You are to be reassigned to a new command." "Sir?" Sean was surprised. Most other commanders would have been relieved after such a disaster. Revil quickly read the look on his face. "Colonel, had it been any other officer on that hill, chances are they would have run, and we wouldn't be able to have this conversation. Anyway, your new assignment is on the the new Magellan class battleship Raymond Spruance*. She's one of the newest and best ships we've got, and I want you to command her." "Begging your pardon sir but..." "I know, it has been some months since your last command in space, but I do know that you commanded the cruiser Johnston** throughout the One Week War, and your exploits were quite impressive," Revil replied as he flipped through the Colonel's file, "One of the few ships that made it out of Side 2, fought at Operation British and the Ruum... The list goes on, Colonel." "Very well then sir, I'll get on it immediately," the Colonel replied, his voice brooked no argument.
"Good, Colonel. Major Martel will brief you. Now dismissed!" "Hey guys, chow time! And I've got some real food for you!" Pat declared as loud as he could as he drove a supply truck into the 71st's camp. For the past few days they had all been munching on dried MREs. Not today though, the brass had made sure everybody would get a hot meal today to congratulate everyone on a job well done. And they were among the first to get some. Not exactly a party but... "Private Patterson, did you get my special request?" an accented voice asked him as he pulled to a stop. It was Captain Karl. "Yes sir, here it is, sir!" Pat replied as he handed him a bottle of vodka. It took a while to get it but heck, Captain Karl was a great artillery commander... More than he could say about Captain Lars.
"Thank you. Alright men! Line up now. Hot chow for everbody!" "You know, Juan, you really should learn to enjoy hot food when you get it, it's not everday we get it," Fred advised as he vigorously attacked his own plate. Unlike Fred, Juan was a rookie, and the battle three days ago was his first. "Sorry Sarge, but..." "I know kid, Martha. But as I've told you eleven times or so, you couldn't have done more, get over it. Besides, you did a good job for a rookie." "Getting your wing-woman..." "Keeping alive is good enough. And you did save me and the Captain's ***. Now eat the food, we might not get some for quite some time."
Juan nodded somberly. Hell, he thought, Sarge was right, probably. He picked up his spoon and fork and started to eat his own meal. His hands shook as he ate.
"Alright guys, I promised that we'll have a drink when we won, and now is the time," Karl said as he opened the bottle of vodka. He was standing in the old field near the Baikonour space port where the Zeon forces first landed. It had been months, but he could still smell the smoke. He quickly took a slug, before pouring the rest of the contents at the exact spot were his tank had brewed up in his first combat action of the war. Their graves would have been better, but Zeon didn't exactly mark were they had buried the dead. "That was for you Igor and Marko, rest in peace." He then snapped to a salute, then turned to leave. Sylvie had just finished her meal when she saw a series of trucks move by. They were carrying pieces of wreckage. Most were parts of Zakus but she noticed that one had a different load. It seemed to be part of a missile of some... "That's the nuke they took down Sylvie," Max explained, "Please don't be mesmerized by a nuke like that again, okay Sylvie?"
Sylvie nodded, but her thoughts were already far into the past...
January 3, UC 0079 "Communications officer LT. SYLVIE GRESSIER! WAKE UP! NOW!!!" a booming voice ordered that quickly sent Sylvie crashing back from unconsciousness. She wished that she was just dreaming, that it was all just a nightmare... She looked at her hands, it was still covered with blood. It was all real. She quickly looked around. She was now in the secondary bridge below the main one, and a backup crew was frantically trying to cope with the situation. She looked outside. The space around the Amerigo was filling with wreckage. Behind the Amerigo, she could make out two Magellans and four Salamis from a distance, firing off to enemy ships too far away for her to identify. The bridge of one of the Salamis suddenly exploded from a shot fired by an unknown assailant, and the huge ship quickly lost control and smashed itself into a colony. The cruiser then exploded, creating as huge hole in the colony and she could see tiny objects... People. People being being sucked out into space... "Dammit! Gressier, contact fleet command. Tell them were the hell is the rest of the fleet.. they should have launched from the colonies by now..." Sylvie nodded despite the fear and half a dozen other emotions that she had no time to discern now clouding her mind, "Fleet command.. where are the other ships... we are down to... three Magellans and thr...' "There are still five Salamis! The Johnston and Eindhoven are trying to outflank the main Zeon forces! Damn it! They have three Tibes and seven Musais! We need help now!" Captain Alexander Dolvich said as he tried to keep his ship intact. Around them, four enemy MS were firing at the Amerigo causing massive damage, and the Federation's Sabrefish fighters escorting them were vainly trying to shoot them down. It was clearly an impossible job for the fighters, mobile suits were just too maneuverable for them. "Fleet command here... we have enemy humanoid type units..." the transmission abruptly ended and was replaced by static. Sylvie looked right in front of her. The main fleet was stationed in colonies some distance in front of the Amerigo. She could see the lights from those colonies, and she narrowed her eyes... trying to make out... Several bright balls of white suddenly appeared that engulfed those colonies' dim lights. Sylvie had never seen such bright explosions before... "Oh my God... WARNING! Alert level one, alert level one! HIGH ORDER DETONATION!!! Zeon use of Nuclear weapons!!! Broadcast to ALL Federation commands now! Torpedo room! Ready our own nukes!" the Captain ordered as he realized what those lights meant... and he also knew that they were now all on their own. Sylvie looked on as the bright fireball subsided. To her horror, the lights of the faraway colonies, containing millions of people... were all gone... she quickly sent the Captain's message even as her hand now shook uncontrollably from the fear... "Sir! Enemy Tibes are firing missiles at the main squadron!" a lookout reported. "Comms, warn them now... warn them before..." A blinding flash suddenly filled the space behind the Amerigo. The entire crew looked back towards the direction of the fleet. It was gone. Every ship ahd been vaporized save one Magellan, and that ship was now ablaze from bow to stern, its armor scorched black from the heat. Nobody could have survived. Around it, the shattered remnants of five colonies caught in the blast announced the addition of millions more into an already monstrous death toll. And it was still not over. "Sir, Echo 4 here! We can't keep those humanoid machines away for much longer... I'm down to two fighters... Oh s..." A series of small explosions around the ship announced the death of the last of the fighters. And once again, the Amerigo was alone. "Helm, get us out of here now! Comms, can you get anybody!? Militia, reserves, anything! We need help now!" the Colonel ordered nervously as the gun turrets of the ship desperately tried to hold the enemy MS at bay as the ship slowly limped away from the death factory that Side 2 had become. Sylvie began to send out a mayday. She then began to pray silently... it was just about it. Three Zakus began to charge their way towards the Amerigo. A point blank beam shot took out one of them, while a second was downed by AA gun fire, but the third made it through. And it was now almost right in front of the bridge... aiming a huge bazooka straight at her... A missile suddenly struck the Zaku from behind, exploding the suit. Sylvie had been so afraid that she hadn't noticed she wasn't breathing. She quickly regained her composure and looked around. She then saw a lone Sabrefish, blue painted and the insignia of the 27th Squadron printed on it left wing. It was a Side 2 based formation... home based in Side 2's 8th Colony... "This is Lieutenant Max Harper. I am ready to provide assistance." Max? She thought... he couldn't be... she looked at the 8th Colony. It was Max's home colony. It was still intact... but there were several MS heading for it..."Max! Get back to your home colony now! Those Zeon bastards are trying to..." "Harper, there are eight enemy units in that area, but if you feel necessary to go back there, then you have permission to do so," the Colonel interjected coolly. Sylvie was a little surprised at Colonel Dolvich, he rarely showed his humanity... but she was more worried about Max's home colony. The MS seemed to be carrying canisters... and she had illicitly read a report on how Zeon had poison gas... "I'll stay with you sir... I... I'm the only one left in my squad anyway..." "Max... dammit don't..." Sylvie started. "Thank you son," the Colonel replied in a quiet, regretful tone. Sylvie looked back to the colony. The MS WERE carrying gas... and Max's entire family... "It's not over yet, people!" the Dolvich declared, "Any further enemy units?" "Sir, this is radar, I think we may have gone by unnoticed, no forces are pursuing us... but ... OH ****! Musai right in front of us!" Sylvie looked straight ahead and saw a Musai right in front of them, its guns locked and ready... She closed her eyes. It was over... they only had one forward turret still in service... and it wouldn't be enough... and it was too close for a nuke... "Sir! Friendly laser fire! Musai has taken a hit! Two hits! Musai is exploding!" a lookout jubilantly reported. And a final, blinding flash filled the bridge. "This is the Major Sean Patterson of the Johnston. Are you alright Amerigo?" "Thank you Johnston!" the Colonel replied, "How are you?" "Eindhoven has been badly damaged. But we have made a clear path for the fleet to retreat to..." "We are the fleet," Sylvie replied grimly for the skipper. "Understood, then let's get the hell out of here before they notice."
Sylvie looked out into space as the ship began to move. Pieces of wreckage began to pass by the window. Most were pieces of metal, but one caught her attention. It was a teddy bear, a red scarf carefully tied arounds its neck. Perhaps by the child who owned it. But that child would never be able to hold it, or anything at all for that matter, ever again... Sylvie looked out quietly into the sky above. It was now orange from the sunset. That day... it was the start of it all. Though she hadn't known it at the time, it would be the start of the first, and greatest, war of the UC era. In less than a month, half of humanity, five BILLION people, would die. Casualties unheard of in all of history. Her hand still shook and tears formed in her eyes when she remembered it. All those people... for what? "Sylvie, message," Earl reported as he passed her a form. She quickly blinked her tears away and scanned through the report... it was a transfer order.
Consistency notes:
- * Raymond Spruance is one of the best Admirals in US history. He was the one who won the battle of Midway and Philippine Sea; In one of the most courageous actions of the war, the six ships would fight so fiercely that the Japanese fleet believed that they faced the main US fleet composed of heavy cruisers and withdrew. The Johnston and two other ships did not survive the battle. However, both sides would honor their courage. Commander Evans would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and as the Johnston went down, "There, on the bridge wing of a Japanese destroyer, stood a lone Japanese officer. As Johnston, mortal enemy only moments before, slipped beneath the waves, this Japanese officer lifted his hand to the visor of his cap and stood motionless for a moment, saluting..."
Roughly paraphrased, from Tom Cutter's "Battle of Leyte Gulf".
Oh the wild charge they made! Honor the Light Brigade! Noble six hundred! Closing lines, Alfred Tennyson ~Charge of the Light Brigade~
Notice: This story and all related material is copyrighted by Thomas E. "Zinegata" Ting, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. |
