Chapter 2, Part 2 (2/4)

 

It's a few hours after Heero and Trowa have gone to rest....

Not even Noin thought that they could go to the base just like this, without incident. She suspects that the OZ investigation party, who doesn't know the base's location, must have set a net and are waiting for the cargo plane to fly into it.

As if to prove this prediction, the co-pilot Klaus, who also controls the radar, reports to Noin as they are approaching the Antarctica high in the sky.

"Lieutenant Noin, we are being followed by a few cargo planes of the investigation party."

"So they're here...."

Noin has been expecting this and her answer is calm.

"It seems they have calculated the flying range of this plane. Have they concluded that we were going to hide in the base where Zechs is just like this?"

"Then we'll change directions and throw them off."

Cutting off the flight captain Charles' words, Noin issues her orders.

"No, if we abandon two Aries' we can shake the pursuers. Even if they know the location of the base, we can face them there."

"Yes Sir!"

Leaving behind the two pilots, Noin goes to the hangar together with a mobile suit pilot called Ricardo. As if they had guessed that something had happened, Heero and Trowa are coming up to the cockpit from the resting room.

"Stop lying. You wouldn't do something which would be a burden to Zechs."

Has he heard Noin's orders? Trowa immediately sees through Noin's plan. She intends to make the investigation party believe that the cargo plane, by dropping the cargo, wants to become lighter and escape into higher altitudes. Then she wants to take advantage of the opening and make a surprise attack.

"You're going out in the Aries? You will only be overcome by the enemy's number."

Heero seems to have come to the same conclusion and calmly points it out.

"My mission is to deliver you safely. Let me do it my own way."

After Noin has answered with a hard expression, she descends into the hangar.

It's only after the two have made their sortie that the pilot and co-pilot understand Noin's true intentions.

 

**********

 

After Noin and Ricardo have taken out their Aries' from the rear hatch, they leave them to free fall without controlling the posture.

"There seem to be three small cargo planes. That means nine mobile suits."

Looking up at the rear monitor, Noin confirms the enemy planes.

In the zero gravity of the free fall, Noin's short bangs rise. At the same time as the Aries' enter the sea of clouds and are not visible anymore from the cargo planes, Noin pushes the lever and ignites the Vernier engines. Gravity quickly presses her down and the bangs are pressed to her forehead.

"Let's go!" shouts Noin and pulls the control lever towards her.

The two Aries' exit the sea of clouds and attack the cargo planes of the pursuing troops. It's Noin's conclusion that this is just a surprise attack.

However, the pursuing troops don't consist of such incompetent people either. They have already released their own Aries and are preparing for battle.

Noin grasps the situation quickly and goes towards the cargo plane which has not yet let out the Aries'. Catching the plane with the target system in the monitor, she pushes the trigger switch. She attacks by showering it with bullets from the rear hatch to the engines. Flames are swirling up from the left wing's engines and the balance of the hull is destroyed. But because of the enemy Aries', which are starting their counterattack, she cannot put an end to it.

Ricardo's Aries goes towards the cargo plane from which smoke rises.

Seeing this, Noin shouts "Don't rush things! Go back into the clouds!!"

"No, I can go."

Immediately afterwards, an enemy Aries breaks through the sea of clouds and appears directly beneath Ricardo.

Ricardo tries to evade the attack.

However, the enemy's attack is too fast. The right Vernier engine is hit and his suit sinks into the clouds.

Noin attacks with her machine gun for distraction purposes, then descends, following Ricardo.

Ricardo's Aries stands tilting to one side since a leg is buried in the icy ground.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, this was careless."

There is force in Ricardo's voice. When Noin learns that he's not injured, a load is taken of her mind.

However, five Aries descend, surrounding Noin and Ricardo. Furthermore, four cargo planes appear high up in the sky.

"Reinforcements!?"

Looking up into the sky, Noin sees how the cargo planes let out Leos. The sky is filled with close to twenty mobile suits in no time at all.

"Lieutenant Noin, I'll back you up! Please escape!!"

"Don't be absurd!"

Shouting back at Ricardo's message, Noin sets up her Aries' machine gun against the descending Leo troop.

 

**********

 

On board the cargo plane, in which Heero and the others are flying, the co-pilot Klaus notices the reinforcement of the pursuing troops approaching and reports to the flight captain Charles.

"We will go to the rescue of Lieutenant Noin! Turn back quickly! And hurry with the preparation of the beam canon in the bow!"

Charles immediately tilts the control lever and Klaus proceeds to preparing the firing of the beam canon.

"This is a violation of orders."

Seeing the situation from behind, Trowa calmly points this out.

"What was that!? You guys have no right tell me what to do!"

Klaus throws this at them in irritation.

"Too soft."

Murmuring this, Trowa crosses his arms where he stands and watches the development. He makes a face like an actor who knows that it will be his turn soon.

 

**********

 

Noin and Ricardo's Aries' are completely surrounded. Just judging by the numbers this is not a situation from which they can escape.

"Any further fight is useless. We will surrender."

After informing Ricardo, Noin opens a communication line.

"We have thrown away our weapons. We'll surrender. Stop the attack!"

As a reaction to Noin's message, a man who seems to be the commander is displayed on the submonitor. The face is not visible because he's wearing a normal mobile suit pilot's uniform, including the goggles, but it's Inspector Acht.

While his thick lips show a scornful smile, Acht declares "You think these rules apply to persons who have betrayed Romefeller? It might be different if you present me the Gundam which proves Zechs to be a traitor."

"What are you saying?!"

Noin leans forward towards the monitor.

"However, even in that case Zechs' fate will be the same. We will shoot him at this South Pole. As a reward, our skills to have him defeated will be recognized."

"I will not allow you guys to meet up with Zechs!"

"Ah, I see! So Zechs is here after all!!" Acht shouts with a triumphant voice.

His eyes below the goggles have a look as if he were watching prey which has fallen into his trap.

"Fine, they are of no further use! Finish them!!"

The Leos surrounding the two Aries' set up their rifles all at the same time.

She must not die a meaningless death in such a place just like this!

With the firm intention to stab the investigation's party command suit, even has he will be stabbing her, Noin extends her hand towards the throttle lever.

At that moment, the Leos standing on Noin's left side explode one after the other.

"That's impossible!?"

When Noin lets her eyes run over the rear monitor, she can see a well known blue cargo plane coming towards her.

"Why have you come back!?"

Noin shouts this out towards her own people, towards the cargo plane approaching at a low altitude.

The Leo troops immediately start showering the cargo plane with bullets.

So they don't understand why Ricardo and I have left!

While Noin vents in an angry voice inside herself, she proceeds to attack the Leos with her rifle.

If through this the Gundam pilots cannot be sent to Zechs, she cannot face him anymore. Whatever it takes, she has to keep the plane away one more time.

However, Noin's death-defying attack is in vain as the cargo plane, just before it withdraws, is hit in the right turbo engine and starts losing altitude.

"Emergency landing!"

The flight captain of the cargo planes understands that he cannot maintain the thrust because of the plane's loss in output in the right main engine, and wants to enter into landing preparations. This is where Trowa intervenes.

"Let me drop before this. I'll pay for you guys' softness."

After saying just this, Trowa goes towards the hangar and slips into Heavyarms' cockpit.

Heavyarms was already on standby and it jumps onto the snow field from the cargo plane, which has descended lower than twenty meters. It immediately catches the enemy and opens fully the Gatling canons in the chest and on the left arm.

In just a few moments, the investigation party's stance crumbles. Even if their number is by far larger, it's clear that their fighting spirit deteriorates through the appearance and the bullet shower-like attack by the Gundam. In just a few minutes, twenty mobile suits are completely smashed up.

"It's a Gundam! It's Gundam 03!!"

While Acht stares with frightened eyes at the Gundam with its red shoulders, which is displayed on the rear monitor, he steps onto the pedals in desperation.

I have to flee. This is not an enemy I can defeat. No, I have to tell this to the following investigation party.

However, the Aries has been hit by bullets and in its damaged condition it cannot move.

It's there that Heavyarms comes following from behind.

"The Gundam will be used as an excuse to attack the colonies. I cannot allow him to make a report now on the Gundam."

While staring at the Aries from the cockpit, Trowa murmurs this calmly.

"A person who has seen a Gundam cannot be allowed to live. This is the mission."

"It's enough! Stop!!"

Ignoring Noin's call coming in through the communicator, Trowa presses the right control lever down. The blade in Heavyarms' right arm extends and pierces the Aries' cockpit.

"Mission... accomplished."

Trowa's voice wavers. Even if he pretends to be calm, he cannot suppress the agitation inside him entirely. Following the fight in Marseilles, Trowa's heart shakes at killing an enemy without fighting spirit.

"Damn...."

As if feelings which have been suppressed until now burst out, pain runs through Trowa's chest.

"That I have to fight this way...."

Trowa lets out a sad voice as he tears off both arms from the control levers, arms which were not moving, as if they were frozen there by the pain in his heart.

As Noin sees Heavyarms, which has stopped moving still in the posture of destroying the Aries, she wonders whether he has been injured and contacts him.

"You're okay?"

"The name is Trowa. Can I ask you to replenish the ammunition for when Heero uses it?"

When Noin hears the pained voice coming back, she understands.

These children are too pure. Because they want to be so perfect as fighters, they thoroughly throw themselves away. That's why they don't care if they are destroyed themselves.

"Don't worry about this! Do worry though about what you will do from now on!!"

Noin raises unconsciously this shout as she thinks dark thoughts about the future towards which the Gundam pilots are going.

 

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