In the hangar of one of the four Avalons that would participate in the attack on Alpha colony, Sabrina M. Ortiz stood in front of her M.M.U. F-808, now equipped with new armor that gave it more firepower, mobility, and resilience. In her hand, the isotonic drink bottle she had just consumed was crushed by her fury. A few minutes ago, she and First Lieutenant Qiqiang had been summoned for an emergency briefing. Now, just days from the mission's target, they were called to be notified of the attack on the Tsukuyomi lunar base. And what irritated Sabrina most: having her loyalty to the cause questioned, since two of Project EX's pilots had participated in the attack.
The gravity of the situation had made command hide the news for a few days, and Sabrina understood why: not counting on M.M.U. Arthur and its Excalibur cannon was an additional challenge for the mission, even though the advancements in both Project EX M.M.U.s still in the operation, and the sheer massive size of the Aegis forces that would attack Alpha, kept confidence in success high. Now, not only would they not have the power of the main Avalon, but they would also have to deal with the fact that they could become a target of an attack from it and its formidable M.M.U.s, which until a few weeks ago were allies.
Merseyside's departure should have been a sufficient warning, but Aegis had been too lenient with the British manufacturer. The actions taken against the company and subsequently against the Avalon's crew should have happened weeks earlier. In any case, Aegis dispatched part of the force that would attack Alpha to protect and investigate the perimeter, searching for traces of possible action by the rebels.
Sabrina sighed, as she did to regain the calm that was her characteristic outside the battlefield, and after composing herself, she noticed the presence of her subordinate and pilot of M.M.U. YuHuang, First Lieutenant Xu Qiqiang. The man, uniformed like her, observed on his communicator the projected image of a smiling woman with long black hair, holding a little boy with hair of the same color in her arms.
When Qiqiang noticed his captain's approach, he closed the image and saluted.
"At ease, First Lieutenant. Your family?"
Xu nodded before continuing.
"My wife and my son. I haven't seen them for a few months. But their smiles help me stay focused on our true enemy, Captain. We will win this war, and I will finally give my son a world where he can grow up in peace and follow the path he desires."
"What do you believe is the true intent of the Avalon that betrayed us, First Lieutenant?"
Sabrina had a hypothesis, and Xu, after some thoughtful moments, seemed to arrive at the same one.
"I really don't believe they betrayed Aegis to join forces with the U.S.C. Perhaps they just rescued the people in custody at the base because they were loved ones, but I also don't believe that's the main reason."
"So you also believe they are pursuing a larger target?"
They began to walk down the long hangar of the Avalon II they were traveling on, towards the exit, before Xu continued.
"The possibility may sound improbable, but what if their target is both organizations? We know Aegis will have to break some eggs to correct humanity's course, but perhaps for them, that's too much?"
Sabrina believed the same, but the idea seemed absurd even for a weapon as powerful as M.M.U. Arthur. Facing both sides would be too much, even if they believed in it, due to an idealism that the Aegis Captain knew to be foolish since she was very young.
In any case, they were enemies now; if they interfered with their plans, they would need to be destroyed. Sabrina remembered her first encounters with Kiyoko and Gabriel but quickly pushed that from her mind. She was days away from the largest operation in the history of terrestrial forces, and she would give her blood and life for the war to end there, once and for all.
<>
Helena Kjestein's squadron was summoned directly to Commander General Rafael Hertzog's office, something that rarely happened, regardless of the squadron. August Leitz, Elijah Thompson, Immanuel Kaul, and Laila Rubio were lined up in front of the most powerful figure in the U.S.C.'s military forces.
One member of the group was missing; Helena's imposing, almost ethereal presence was not there. Laila knew the reason, and the cold sweat trickling down her neck would be a clear denunciation of it. However, Rafael proceeded before it became a problem.
"This information is confidential and under no circumstances can it leave this room. We will know immediately if it happens that one of you was responsible."
The disciplined squadron's silence satisfied the commander, who then continued.
"Around 18:00 hours on April 4th, one of the Aldebaran cruisers, plus 5 Sagittarius M.M.U.s, disappeared from our radars during a training exercise.
Among the crew were Director Mathias Granqvist, Director Rosemarie Molineux, Captain Park Dae-Sang, and Captain Helena Kjestein, who were on that mission."
The surprise was contained but evident.
"We don't know the reason for the disappearance. We don't believe it was an attack by terrestrial forces; there was no wreckage at the site. In any case, I am calling you here because, unfortunately, we will not have time to conduct a search mission before our enemy's attack. We will need new leadership for your squadron until we have more information on your captain's whereabouts.
...First Lieutenant Kaul."
The experienced pilot took a step forward.
"Sir."
"You will be the new squadron captain. We don't have the luxury of assigning another pilot to join you, but I believe you will be able to perform your function nonetheless.
I wish you a good hunt, for The Cathedral, for the U.S.C.!"
<>
In one of the building's waiting rooms, Laila sat beside Elijah, who noticed the expression of doubt on his squadron mate, whom he knew so well.
"What's the problem, Laila?"
She hesitated, because for a moment she thought of telling him about the conversation she had with Helena days before. But she didn't want to involve someone she loved in a matter that could easily be branded as treason to The Cathedral.
"...It's nothing, I'm just worried about the mission."
"We're going to win. We have all our strength concentrated on the colony. We'll give them a defeat big enough to end this war... And when this is over."
He stood up, kneeling in front of Laila, who after a small start, smiled at her friend.
"Would you live with me? I know I'm not good at these things, but for you, I'll do my best."
Laila flicked Elijah's forehead, who was left confused.
"Leave that for after the mission; we'll have all the time in the world."
She extended her hand to Elijah, who smilingly accepted. Both walked away hand in hand, ignoring the surprised looks of their colleagues in the corridors. Laila knew that everything was at stake in the approaching battle: her future, that of thousands of other lives. She thought of her captain, and the last question she had asked her:
"Why do you fight, Laila Rubio?"
<>
The darkness of M.M.U. F-808's cockpit soon disappeared as its differently colored instruments gave shape to the machine's interior. Sabrina concentrated, eyes closed; the sounds of the launch procedure, which she had heard for almost two decades, were a calming agent that helped her focus on the missions she executed with a single objective: victory.
Beside her, M.M.U. YuHuang, with its brilliant platinum finish, was also ready for launch. Both would be the main force of the more than 5000 M.M.U.s and 100 ships that would participate in what would be the largest space battle of all time.
The hangar opened, and after receiving permission for launch, Sabrina M. Ortiz repeated the phrase she had said so many times:
"Captain Sabrina M. Ortiz, M.M.U. F-808, initiating mission!"