Chapter 6: Introductions
December 12, UC 0083 "Alright, we're here," the Columbia's Captain declared as he joined the two Zeon fugitives hiding in the shuttle's hold, "Get your things ready." "I guess..." Jake muttered. Though the Columbia had provided them with a safe ride to Side 2, it had not been a comfortable one. The hold had been hot and cramped, and the food had proven to be just as worse as the freeze-dried rations they had subsisted on during their long fight under Delaz. "Don't complain," Ming ordered sternly, "We're soldiers, and we are supposed to endure such hardships."
"Yes sir..." Jake muttered in reply. Boy, he thought, with company like this... "What is HE doing here..." Sylvie muttered as he saw a familiar face among the Titans officers stepping off the shuttle. Ivan Romanov. "Ahh... it's good to see you again, Captain Gressier," Ivan declared in an insincere tone as he saw his former CO. Having a bad time, I hope? He didn't add but so very much wanted to say. "Good to see you, too..." Sylvie muttered in reply as she gritted her teeth. Of all the worthless *******s Nicolo could have sent, it had to be that Ivan... "Do I sense displeasure in your tone?" Ivan observed with an evil grin. Want me to flush your career further down the waste bin, Captain?
"Not at all," Sylvie replied as she barely managed to keep her voice neutral. Ivan, she thought, you worthless murderer... I hope that someday you'll get your just deserts... "Abuse of authority, complete lack of tact and subtlety, not to mention being totally unsuccessful at catching at any of the rebels. The list of offenses that those idiots Nicolo picked just gets longer and longer..." Major Natalie Dolvich reported contemptuously over the videocom to her commanding officer, the prospective Titans Field Commander, Colonel Bosque Ohm. "What do you suggest we do to these band of brigands?" Ohm asked almost with a grin. "Good..." he thought, the more that Nicolo's men screwed up, the less likely that scheming idiot would become the Titan's Commander... "I'd like to train them myself," Natalie replied confidently. And I'd show those arrogant boys how to fight, she didn't add. Though too young to have participated in the great battles of the One Year War, she had graduated near the top of her class at the Federation's Nijmegan Academy and had led a number of successful raids against Zeon guerilla forces operating around Africa. "Major, you are there merely as an observer..." Ohm reminded. "Even if they make us all look bad, Sir?" Natalie asked almost sarcastically. But she was keeping a close reign on her feelings. Ohm was her commanding officer, and as a member of an elite unit, she had to show a lot of professionalism. "That is true..." Ohm conceded. A couple of nosy independent journalists, particularly that annoying Kai Shinden, had been publishing a number of derogatory articles about the Titans. Articles that had called the new organization as nothing more than a bunch of "thugs" or "Nazi wannabes." Articles that General Jamitov and General Corini were not at all pleased about. And if "he" would be the one to solve that problem... "Would you need anything if you were to train them yourself?" "I have all I need right here, Sir," Natalie replied with a nod. "Come on, Sir," she thought, lemme beat up that motley crew... "Very well, I'm giving you the authorization, you may train them yourself," Ohm replied with a nod, "Just don't disappoint me, Major Dolvich."
"I won't, Sir," Natalie started, "But please don't call me by my surname sir. It reminds me of General Dolvich," she finished with spite in her voice. She did not want to remember the man that she had once called father. If only he hadn't encouraged her brothers to join the military... if only he had stayed on with mother instead of doing his "duty"... But that was his way. Always duty over his only daughter... "This looks a lot different from Side 3..." Jake observed as he stepped out of the shuttle. Unlike the claustrophobic, windowless, and highly artificial looking "sealed" colonies of Side 3 that had been built to accommodate more colonists, Bunch 7 was one of the more typical "open" type colonies. Based on a design proposed during the 20th Century, it had been designed from the start to be an Earth like suburban paradise, and the natural light coming down from the giant glass panels and wide open green spaces certainly made it seem like that. "It is, but we don't have time to admire the scenery," Ming declared as he joined Jake, "According to the Captain the resistance cell is located in the town of Santa Fe** near the military base. That's an hour's walk from here." "Near the military base?" Jake asked doubtfully, "Why there?"
"Because those brain dead Federal soldiers never see things when it's right under their noses," Ming replied contemptuously as he picked up his bag, "Now enough talk, let's go." "This is the base we are supposed to operate from?" Ivan scoffed as their jeep pulled to a stop inside Bunch 7's Santa Fe military base. With the exception of the shiny new GMs, the entire base was in serious disrepair. Obviously, not enough money had been released to completely repair the damage Zeon had done during the One Year War. "It's a little messy, but the base is quite habitable," Sylvie countered. A little too messy for your elitist tastes? She thought. "I'LL decide what's adequate for our purposes or not," Ivan declared forcefully. "No, _I_ will," a new female voice suddenly declared even more forcefully than Ivan did. Everybody turned to see a beautiful young woman wearing a sleek black uniform with a Major's insignia clipped neatly on her collar, "And I say this base is probably too good for you..." "Who the hell are you?" Ivan asked rudely. Don't you know who I am? He thought. The Major's eyes only narrowed at that remark, "I am Titans Major Natalie Dolvich, and please remember I do outrank you. Show the proper military courtesy or you'll be sorry." "Oh really?" Ivan asked arrogantly. He could not have known the Major was just itching for him to say that. Natalie simply nodded as she grinned lightly. Suddenly, using only one hand, she grabbed Ivan by the collar and lifted him up from his seat, "So, because I'm just a woman you think you could push me around, eh?" she asked as she pulled his face closer to hers. "No... No mam..." Ivan replied nervously as the Major suddenly tightened her grip on his collar and began to choke him. Jeez! He thought, how the hell could a girl be this strong? "Good," Natalie replied as she let go of his collar and let him drop back to his seat, "Get your men assembled at Barracks Three in five minutes time. And if any of you come in late, you'll have to deal with ME. Understood?" "Yes, mam!" the Titans officers replied quickly in unison. Sylvie grinned. It looked as if her wish had been fulfilled... "Oh, and Captain Gressier, I'd like to discuss some things with you and your regular forces," the Major added as the Titans quickly began to file out of their vehicles. "Me, mam?" Sylvie asked. "Yes," Natalie answered, "As far as I know, you and I are the only ones with extended combat experience in this base. Even though you are not a Titans, I know of your exemplary record and your loyalty to the Earth Federation. I'll be needing that to turn this band of scarecrows into top notch soldiers worthy of the Titans' name." "Well... this is highly irregular, mam..." Sylvie started. Almost every Titans officer she had met so far had been an elitist who had shunned her for being a spacenoid. But then again, the Major was probably related to her old CO, Brigadier General Alexander Dolvich, even though she hadn't mentioned it yet, and Sylvie knew that the General was a fair man. "I judge people by their talents, not where they were born. Just so long as they are loyal to keeping the people on Earth safe from rebels like those Zeon remnants," the Major explained coolly, not wanting to admit that she had inherited that philosophy from her father. "What about the daily patrols the base commander has ordered, mam?" Sylvie asked, "He has been posting regular Federal Forces troops all over the colony to watch out for those rebels."
"Forget about them, since I will be commanding this base from now on," Natalie explained, "And I'm going to put a stop to these police state tactics. There are many ways to skin a cat, Captain." "Jeez this looks like a police state..." Jake observed as they arrived just outside the Santa Fe. Although Santa Fe was just a small rural town, he could already see several Federal soldiers patrolling around the town, while the only road to the district was guarded by a heavily armed checkpoint. "Let's split up," Ming ordered, "That way we both don't get caught at the same time." "We have fake IDs remember, Sir?" Jake reminded as he produced one of the exceptional forged IDs that Jefferson had provided for both of them. "Yeah, but what if those Feddies ignore them?" Ming countered, "Don't worry, the safe house is only around fifteen minutes walk from here now. We'll meet there. So long as you remember the address..." "Don't worry, Sir," Jake reassured, "I remember. Just don't get lost like you always do, Sir."
Ming merely grunted in reply, knowing that Jake's last statement was true. "Alright, we've got new orders from base HQ," one of the checkpoint's guards declared, "All patrols around the town are cancelled, and all personnel are to return to base ASAP." "About time..." one of the soldiers manning the machine gun muttered in reply. It had been an extremely boring week for all of them, having done nothing but watch grass and search the occasional immigrant coming in from the other Sides. "Hey, I think I see two guys heading towards the town," one of the men manning the observation tower reported, "They aren't using the main road."
"Leav'm alone..." the machine gunner shotback, not wanting to stay in the cramped check point any longer, "They're probably just another bunch of hikers out there for a good walk..."
"Made it..." Jake whispered to himself as he reached a concrete embankment that seemed to mark the borders of the town. It was easier than he thought. The patrols he had seen on the way in had disappeared upon his arrival, while the nearby houses seemed empty. Getting to the safe house would be easy now, he thought as he checked his map. All he needed now was to pick out the best path... It was getting frustrating, Ming thought. He had gotten into the town with surprisingly little difficulty, but now he had a problem. The route he had taken had led to a dead end, and now Ming simply had no idea where to go. A tap on his shoulder suddenly interrupted his train of thoughts, "You new around here, Mister?" a voice asked him from behind. Ming turned and found himself face to face with a young woman, with a pretty, inquisitive look on her face. He quickly drew his face back a little and started to open his mouth, but then stopped himself, not knowing what to do or say... "I said, 'You new around here mister?'" the woman repeated as she brushed away her long black hair. "Umm... yes..." Ming replied nervously as he quickly eyed the young lady. She was wearing a doctor's coat, he saw, with a name tag pinned on her right chest. Cassandra... "Cassandra Miller," she finished for him as she saw Ming trying to make out her name, "But everybody calls me Sandra. What's yours?" "I'm Ming Chow..." Ming replied almost unconsciously. Oh ****! He thought, that's not my name on the ID! Why the HELL did I just say my real name to her?! "Pleased to meet you, Ming, now could you please tell me what you're doing here?" Sandra asked with a grin. "Well..." Ming replied nervously. Oh ****! He thought, this is what I get for not dating during high school... "You always like this when you're around a girl?" Sandra asked in a playful tone as she saw his face. He seemed quite easy to read somehow, though she didn't know why... "Yes... sorry..." Ming replied as he tried to regain his composure. "Well then don't let that worry you," Sandra reassured, "What are you doing here anyway?" "I'm looking for a relative of mine," Ming explained as he thought through his cover story, "He lives in Oak Street, do you know where it is?" "Yeah," Sandra replied with a nod, "Want me to take you there?" "I wouldn't want to trouble you..." Ming started. "Don't worry," Sandra replied enthusiastically before he could finish, "I've got free time, and it's on the way to my clinic anyway. Besides, a bodyguard would be nice." "Bodyguard?" Ming asked rather doubtfully. What does she mean by that?! "Just a joke!" Sandra replied with a smile, "Jeez, are you always serious?" "People do tell me that..." Ming admitted.
"Then loosen up a bit!" Sandra encouraged as she grabbed Ming's arm and started dragging him away, "Come on! Let's get you to that relative of yours!" There it is! Jake thought as he spotted the two-storey apartment building he had been looking for. The safe house. "Strawberry," a voice suddenly asked him from behind. "Cream," Jake replied as he remembered the proper coded reply. "So you're the new arrivals eh?" the voice asked, "Where's your partner?"
"You mean he's not here yet?" "So many construction sites..." Ming observed as they passed by another building under construction. "An awful lot of buildings were destroyed during the war, and we're only just rebuilding it now," Sandra explained before she spotted a familiar looking old man... "Hey! Mr. Alejandro, is that you!?" "Oh! Doctor!" one of the construction workers shouted back as he put down his tools and ran towards the two of them, "When did you come back?" "Just a few days ago," Sandra explained as the man took off his helmet to reveal his weathered face and graying hair, "Haven't you thought of retiring yet?" "Been a construction worker since even before you were born, doc, and I'm not giving it up ever," Alejandro declared proudly, "Especially after what those Zeek *******s did to us during the war. Murderers..." Ming's eyebrow raised slightly as that remark, but he controlled himself. It was not the time to blow his cover. "Oh, and who's your friend?" Alejandro asked as he noticed the man standing just beside Sandra, "Your new boyfriend I hope?" Ming's eyes went wide at that remark. "Come on now! You know better than to tease me like that!" Sandra replied before Ming could embarrass himself any further, "He's just here to visit a relative of his." "Okay... okay, got it..." Alejandro replied with a chuckle, "Anyway, I have to go back to work now so..." "Please, don't let us detain you..." Ming replied a little coldly. Alejandro merely nodded in reply as he put on his helmet, before running back to the construction site. Sandra quickly stared coldly at Ming, "You were a little mean back then you know..." "Sorry, I came from Side 3 you see..." Ming explained. Oh ****! Not again! He thought. His ID had placed his residence at Side 6, not Side 3! Why am I being so damn honest?! "Well... maybe I could understand that but..." Sandra started quietly, obviously not wanting to discuss the issue. "Sandra? Is there..." Ming started. Oh ****! Here she is helping me out and I go hurt her feelings... "Look out!!!" a voice suddenly warned, followed by the sound of metal crashing to the ground. Sandra instinctively looked up and saw a huge metal beam falling right on top of her. She felt paralyzed, unable to move, but before she was squashed she felt somebody push her out of the way and sent her flying into the ground. The sound of the crashing metal subsided just as suddenly as it started, replaced instead by the panicked voices of the construction workers. She slowly sat up, and saw to her horror that it had been Ming that pushed her away... And his right leg was now being crushed under that beam...
Remarks: - ** Each colony contains several towns and cities each. Please visit the site High Frontier for more details.
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. |
