All through the rest of the year and into CE 71 the war between OMNI and ZAFT continued until the climactic battles at Jachin Due. With GENESIS destroyed and their chairman killed, ZAFT called for an immediate cease-fire. OMNI, themselves demoralized by the destruction of the Dominion and its accompanying nuclear-equipped fleets, quickly agreed. The deaths of Patrick Zala and Rau Le Creuset signaled the end of ZAFT's open warmongering, although the moderates took control there remained those bitter at the loss of war and the believers in the fanatical ideology of Zala. OMNI and its ruling organization, LOGOS, disappeared into the shadows once more to lick their wounds.
The Heroes of the Bloody Valentine War retired to civilian life under pseudonyms or rejoined their respective militaries. Peace reigned in space, at least on the surface. It was now September, CE 73.
The Junk Guild Lesseps-class vessel Haruna had been sent to salvage whatever they could from the wreckage of Heliopolis under orders from the "Lion Princess" herself, Cagalli Yula Athha.
"Pass the word to Technician Morrey: Captain Masters requests his presence on the bridge. I repeat..."
Jan Morrey, petty technician in the Junk Guild and new crewman aboard the Haruna looked up from his meal. Glancing at Chief Sarasin, he pointed to himself in bewilderment.
"Probably just a formality, kid. Don't worry about it." Sarasin sipped from his hip flask and waved lazily. "Don't keep 'im waiting long, though."
Jan returned his tray to the counter and left for the bridge.
The Haruna was a new addition to the Junk Guild fleet, given by the nation of ORB as a token of goodwill and payment for this clandestine mission. As such, it didn't have the patchwork quality that dominated other Junk Guild ships...yet. Jan was sure Captain Masters would fix that as soon as they salvaged something good from the wreckage of Heliopolis.
He arrived on the bridge and took the time to glance at Nami Tamaki, a cute little bridge tech in a very unflattering grey jumpsuit. She glared at him for a moment before returning to her console. Must still be sore over that little feel in the corridor.
"How long are you gonna ogle Tamaki's fine ass, Morrey?" Masters turned in his chair and leveled a heavy glance at the new recruit.
"I was waiting for you to acknowledge me...sir."
"Another fine excuse, Morrey. Keep that quick tongue of yours and we'll see how long it stays in yer head." Masters was an older man with grey stubble and thick eyebrows. His hair was thinning on top and he tried to compensate by growing the rest out long.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Not particularly, but I have a mission for you." Masters stood up and rubbed his sore behind. "Not that I like giving an important mission to a new snipe but you're the best Pod pilot I've got on board."
Morrey allowed himself a bit of pride at that comment. "What's the mission?"
"Pod flying, didn't I just say that?" He gestured to the nearby screen and pointed to the crushed wreckage of Heliopolis' mining asteroid. "The princess asked us to investigate whether the asteroid's debris might still yield usable ore and to recover any technology left behind in the abandoned Morgenroete facility."
"And I'm doing this alone?"
"Yessir, we only have six pods aboardship and each one cost us a pretty penny from OMNI. I want you to see if you can scrounge up some spare Pod parts for us out there."
"Permission to ask why I'm doing this mission alone?"
"Denied, but I'll tell you anyway." Masters hopped back into his seat. "There's a lot of debris swimming out there, so much that we can't even use sensors. Now a Pod's a little thing, barely the size of a car, a bolt or colony wire gets you out there yer dead." Suddenly he burst into laughter. "So we can only spare one pilot, understand?"
Wonderful, Jan thought, my first mission and they're expecting me to die.
Out of the blackness on the periphery of his vision he saw a blip but ignored it. Probably just a piece of glass reflecting...no, there it was again, green light.
Angling the Pod to the anomaly, he gradually made-out the silhouette of a rough lifeboat against the black void of space. Grasping the heaviest parts of the edges with the manipulator claws he brought the 'front' up to the main camera.
The face of a pigtailed man apparently asleep came up on the HUD. The ice covering the rest of the glass coffin had been brushed away in only one location, allowing Morrey to peer inside and witness with his own eyes the gradual rise and fall of the mystery man's chest. He was alive!
(Posted Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:39)
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