Chapter 9: Responding to the Call
December 14, UC 0084 "Damn... Why did it have to be him?" Major Natalie Dolvich muttered as she read the message that had been sent to the command post. "Mam?" Captain Manuel Garcia, current watch officer for the base, asked as he saw her expression change. They were getting reinforcements after all, he thought, why was the Major upset? "Nothing, Captain," the Major replied quickly as she regained her composure, "Get me Captain Greisser." "Already here, Mam," Sylvie declared as she entered the command post. "Brigadier General Dolvich is arriving tomorrow to bring in reinforcements. They believe that trouble may flare up around Side 2," Natalie explained, "I need to personally send some men to the docks to make sure the reinforcement effort goes smoothly." "Would you want me to go with you, mam?" Sylvie inquired. "No, I want you to start sending out patrols around the town," the Major replied, "New intel reports have shown that resistance groups around Side 2 are up to something soon. We might get attacked." "Mam, excuse me but..." Sylvie started before stopping herself, remembering that Natalie was still her commanding officer. "I know Captain, the civilians," the Major finished with a slight smile, "That's why I want the patrols to be kept in civilian clothes. Hopefully, that shouldn't tip off any rebels hiding out in the colony AND keep the civilian populace from getting too alarmed. If intel is right that is..." she finished with a slight touch of contempt in her voice. Nobody really believed in intel much, and were in fact seen as something to be mistrusted. "How do we identify them if fighting does start mam?" Captain Garcia interjected, trying to forget several unfortunate friendly fire incidents he had seen in his career. "Tell them to bring their caps and to wear them if shooting starts. That should be enough identification," Natalie replied with a nod, glad that the Captain had thought about that possibility. "How many men should I send out?" Sylvie asked, already thinking up of a list of names to send out. "Thirty should be enough," the Major replied, "And I'll be taking twenty men to the docks. That should leave you with a hundred men, Captain Garcia." "That would be more than enough to defend the base mam," Garcia replied confidently.
"Good," Natalie concluded with a nod as she started heading for the door, "I'll be off now, take care of the base for me you two." "How much weaponry is usable?" Zeon's Major Gibbons inquired as his group finished unloading the weapons they had hidden these past three years. "Enough assault rifles and submachine guns to equip everybody, Major," Lieutenant Tagore reported, "But only three of our mortars and one of our rocket launchers are still in operational order. The rest are a little too damaged to use." "We're awfully short on heavy weapons," Jake observed. "Don't worry about it, Lieutenant. We have Sergeant Horton, right?" the Major countered, referring to their group's expert mortar operator. "Don't worry, Jake. I'll take them down before they could get out of their barracks," the Sergeant replied in his usual, soft-spoken manner. "Getting to those Feddie mobile suits would still be difficult though..." Jake reminded. His part of the plan was relatively simple: get in the base along with the other pilots and commandeer the Federation mobile suits that had been stored in the base. Hopefully, once they had them the battle would swing to their favor, but he still had his doubts... "Don't worry about those Feddie pilots either Jake," Corporal Gustav, one of the group's snipers, encouraged as he patted his sniper rifle, "We'll get'm before they could get to their mobile suits." "I know... but still..." Jake muttered in reply. This is STILL crazy, he thought. "It's still for our homeland," Gibbons declared proudly, "Our homeland that has been made into a puppet of the Federation. And it is our job to show the rest of our fellow spacenoid brothers that is time to be free of the shackles that the Federation has put us all in. SIEG ZEON!" he declared as he raised his hand in salute.
The men all quickly followed and raised their hands in salute, shouting the Zeon battle cry as they did so. All but one. Jake still had nothing but doubt... "Careful, careful..." Sandra warned as Ming started to walk gingerly on his own. "Don't worry, Sandra, I think I can handle myself now..." Ming replied as he started to walk more comfortably. The pain was totally gone now, and he was feeling like his old self again. "So... will you be going soon?" Sandra asked rather disappointedly. "Yeah," Ming replied as he scratched his head, "Thanks for all the kindness you've shown me..." "I'm a doctor, it's my job," Sandra replied with a slight grin, "Do remember to visit me once in a while... alright?" "I'll try," Ming promised. "Wouldn't you like to... to stay a little longer?" Sandra asked quietly as she looked away, "I mean... It's a lot nicer to have some company and..." "I'm sorry, but I really have to get going," Ming replied in a sad tone as he took a step towards Sandra, "But I'll always remember you..." Sandra turned her head and chuckled at that remark, "Oh, you're trying to charm me now, eh?" "Just being honest..." Ming replied, blushing lightly. Oh ****! I did it again! "Well then that's good," Sandra replied with a wide grin, "Anyway, rest here for another day. I think it'd be safe to release you by tomorrow."
"Yes... tomorrow..." Ming said with a nod as he looked away. Tomorrow, he thought, he'd finally be able to leave. And perhaps he might finally get back to his mission... A mission that he couldn't... WOULDN'T let Sandra get involved in. He wouldn't. Not to someone like her... "Keep quiet, men..." Major Gibbons ordered as his squad reached one of the abandoned houses in the outskirts of town. Those houses would be the staging point for their attack, which was due to start very shortly... "Mortar crew set, Sir," Sergeant Horton reported over the radio. Unlike the assault teams, the heavy weapons personnels were deployed in the town itself, on the rooftops of a number of abandoned buildings along with the sniper teams. It was the one advantage they had over the Feddies. They had the high ground. "Rocket team here," a second voice reported, "I've spotted their command bunker. Just give us the word and we'll blow it all the way to hell." Gibbons nodded at that. Taking down the command bunker and disrupting communications was an essential part of the plan, or else the enemy might be able to muster a coordinated defense that could most likely overwhelm his troops. "What about their mobile suits? Are any patrolling at the moment?" Gibbons inquired, wanting to make sure the enemy's most powerful weapons were not yet in play. "They are still in their hangars," Gustav reported, "Looks like they are down for some maintenance, like our sources have said." "Good," Gibbons replied with a slight smile. Those MS would now prove ripe for the taking... "Jake, are you and your fellow pilots ready?" "Just fine..." Jake replied over the radio from another abandoned house. With him were six other pilots, all of them armed, along with another eight men who weren't pilots. It was the job of those eight to get them to the mobile suits, no matter the cost, and that did not please Jake.
"Good. Begin the operation." "Alright, how's the patrols going?" Sylvie inquired as he saw one of her non-uniformed NCOs, Sergeant Shang. "Going well," Shang reported, "So far, we haven't alarmed the civilian population yet, and so far we haven't seen anything too suspicious in the town." "What about the area around the base?" Sylvie inquired, "Have you checked the abandoned houses around there?"
"I've sent five men to that area. It should be enough," Shang replied. Private William O'Connor was unusually apprehensive today. Although he had patrolled the town countless times during his stay in Santa Fe, he had never felt this level of anxiety. Perhaps it was the first time he was patrolling or because he was out of uniform, but he didn't think it was it...
Suddenly, a bright stream of flame shot out of the rooftops of the town. It was, he realized, a wire-guided anti-tank rocket, and one that was heading for the base that he called home. He stared in utter disbelief as the rocket smashed itself into the command bunker, easily ripping through its reinforced concrete wall before its warhead exploded the bunker from the inside out and sent pieces of it into the air...
"Go! Now!" Major Gibbons ordered as he saw the command bunker explode after a direct hit from their rocket launcher. His men quickly lobbed a trio of smoke grenades in the direction of the base, enveloping the outermost machinegun posts in smoke. His men began to move forward as the whistling sound of falling mortar rounds began to fill the air... "Oh my G..." O'Connor started as he saw a group of men, armed to the teeth with assault rifles, beginning to advance towards the base. Before he could complete that statement however, a trio of mortar rounds landed right on top of Barracks Two and blew the building apart. Twenty men were in the building at the time. None made it out alive. "****!" O'Connor swore out loud as he began to reach for his pistol. He hadn't been spotted yet by the advancing column, and he was sure that he could get some of them before...
"But I wouldn't be able to get ALL of them, wouldn't I?" he suddenly realized, AND I'd most certainly end up dead. He quickly stopped extracting his pistol and ducked for some cover before extracting his second weapon. One more subtle than a pistol, but one far more deadly. A radio. "What... what is going on around here?!" Ivan declared as he ran towards the ruined command post. Explosions were going off everywhere, but it couldn't be... "Sou... Sound the alarm..." Captain Garcia pleaded as he staggered out of the bunker, bleeding profusely from his face and arms as he did so. Before he could take another step, he collapsed and fell onto the shocked Ivan's arms, smearing his black uniform with blood... "Garcia! Get a hold of yourself... get..." Ivan started until he felt for Gacia's pulse. He was dead. "Oh God... they're all dead..." one of his Titans officer reported as he took a peek inside the command bunker, "What... what do we..." "I... I don't know..." Ivan replied as his hands began to shake. Those spacenoid *******s are here again. Here to kill me...
"I'm sounding the alarm!" one of his subordinates, Lieutenant Kyle Ferrel declared as he unhesitatingly entered the ruined control room and began to search the carnage around him. Miraculously, the alarm system was still intact, and soon alarm claxons began to ring all around the base, while a distress call was sent to all nearby commands... "O'Connor! What's the situation?" Sylvie inquired over the radio as she cocked her pistol. She had never really used one in combat before, but she DID often learn quickly enough... "Bad!" O'Connor replied, "The machine gun nests are holding them at the moment, but just barely. But the base has been blown all to hell by those damn mortars! We need them taken down now!" "On my way!" Sylvie replied as she signaled Shang and a squad of men to follow her, "Give me their position."
"I see one on top of the Hillary office building," O'Connor reported, "Beside the 3rd district clinic..." "Sandra, stay here!" Ming ordered as he started heading towards the door. Even from here, Ming could here the sounds of explosions going off in the distance, and he was certain that this was the work of the resistance cell he was supposed to contact. "Oh no!" Sandra replied angrily, "You are NOT going out there in your condition! Stay here, you'll be safe!" "Sandra, I have to..." Ming started before stopping himself. You don't want her to get involved, would you Ming? But if I stay here... "Why?!" Sandra asked angrily, before moving her face only inches away from his, "You... you aren't one of them, are you? You aren't one of those Delaz rebels..." "Sandra..." Ming started before he stopped himself and sighed, "I'm sorry..." he the quicklyturned around to leave.
"Damn it! Get back here!" Sandra suddenly shouted back, running after Ming. Ming... Why? she couldn't ask, why didn't you tell me? Where you afraid... I wouldn't understand? "This is bad!" Jin declared as he ducked for some cover. His decision proved wise, as a trio of mortar rounds suddenly smashed into the barracks behind him and sent pieces of it flying into the air, killing several exposed men. "We need to get to our mobile suits..." Terry suggested as he crawled his way to Jin's position, closely followed by several other pilots. Damn it! he thought, we should've kept at least one mobile suit on patrol, but with all the budgetary and supply problems...
"You're right, Terry..." Jin agreed as he saw one of the machine gun posts go up in smoke after taking a direct rocket hit, "Let's risk it." "Sir! I've spotted the enemy pilots," one of Gustav's snipers reported, "They are heading for the hangar!" "Take them down!" Gustav ordered as he took aim at the lead pilot and centered him on his sights. He fired, and the man fell down on the ground, bleeding from his thigh as he did so. Two more men fell in a matter of seconds, before the rest of them began to run back for their cover. Another went down before they reached it. "Sir! One is still alive, should I..." one of his snipers reported.
"No," Gustav countermanded, "He's bait." "Sniper on the roof!!!" O'Connor reported over the radio, "On Warehouse 17, beside the construction site!" "****!" Sylvie muttered. Snipers... she thought, "O'Connor, could you get anybody else in your patrol group?" "No, I couldn't reach any of them!" O'Connor replied with worry in his tone, "I haven't seen any of them either. I'm afraid the Sergeant may be planning some heroics of his own..." "Great..." Shang muttered in reply. He should've picked somebody with a cooler head to lead that patrol, he thought... Damn! "Don't worry, Shang, I'll handle those snipers. You focus on that mortar crew," Sylvie ordered. "Mam! You can't go there alone..." Shang started.
"Those mortars are our priority Shang," Sylvie reminded, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself." "It's them again... Those Zeon *******s are here again..." Alejandro muttered as he saw the explosions from his vantage point on top of the construction site. They were coming again... to kill everybody. To kill his wife... his daughter... his son-in-law... even his grandchild... And he wasn't able to do one thing... "No," he suddenly realized. I CAN do something. I CAN. He looked at the rest of his crew, who all nodded in agreement without speaking a word. "Not again," they all thought, "Not again..."
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. |
