13 R.O.B - Chapter 11: Calm before the storm

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"Thankfully the video recording on my CGUE and Miguel's GINN were successfully recovered. Otherwise, we would have been a laughingstock for being beaten and bloodied by a bunch of mud crawlers using Mobile Armor and captured GINN." Creuset briefed the three MS pilots in front of him. One of them is Athrun Zala while the other two are Olor and Matthew.

With the recording showing the last moment of Miguel and the appearance of Viola, the three pilots can't help but flinch while clenching their fists. They then change to surprise and shock at the skillful piloting of Viola when using the GINN against Creuset. Noticing their expressions, Creuset continues.

"You all are already aware of the situation with the original OS. Given that fact, I have no idea how the enemy unit was able to move so well in the middle of the skirmish with Miguel. Coupled with this so-called Viola, Orb's idol, and her captured GINN would be bolstering the EA force, it's clear that we can not afford to leave them be. If we can not capture the last unit, we will destroy it here and now, alongside the ship and the idol. A piece of advice, do not underestimate any of them."

"Yes, sir!" The three pilots saluted before receiving an order from Vesalius's Captain.

"Matthew! Olor! Athrun! Prepare to take off at once! The authorization has been granted to mount the D-loadout! Athrun, you will be flying escort in the Aegis! With the preliminary data already extracted from it, we will be putting it through live combat to gather field data! This time, make sure you all put an end to this!"

"Yes, sir!"

The three pilots salute before floating out and heading over to the launch bay. Along the way, Athrun can't help but remember the scene with Kira back in the factory.

The boy needs to confirm whether Kira is really involved or not.

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After a staring contest, ending with the defeat of the Earth Alliance members, Murrue sighs before stepping in front of the security guards.

"We have had enough bloodshed for today, the last thing we wanted is for us to kill each other like this. Stand down, all of you."

It's Natarle that moves forward to contest the decision.

"Lieutenant Ramius, please explain yourself. No matter what she did, Viola still killed one of ours."

If Murrue fails to answer the query, Natarle is afraid that the current rift will enlarge into something much more troublesome in the future.

"*Sigh* It was all my fault that Viola was on edge. Before rendezvousing with the Archangel, I did hold the kids at gunpoint when they approached the G-unit. At that time, Viola talked me down but now? After her friends were being aimed at once again? Viola has every right to act in safe defense, especially more so when one of us let prejudice cloud his judgment and reached for his sidearm. Regardless, at the end of the day, the fault of the matter lies in me since I was the one that start this whole chain of unfortunate events." Murrue said with a sad smile while looking at the guard's corpse.

"As for Kira being a Coordinator, well, Orb is a neutral country after all. It won't be weird to see Coordinators living there to escape the flames of war." Murrue added while looking at Kira's group. "Am I wrong, Kira?"

Being addressed, Kira nods.

"No, you're correct. Especially with me being a first-generation Coordinator."

"First gen?" One of the crewmembers asked.

Viola is the one to reply while reloading her revolver. "This means his parent are Naturals. Now that the cat is out of the bag, can we move along? From a tactical standpoint, I don't think ZAFT will let us have an entire day to talk."

Chuckling, Mu turns to Murrue. "Well, the girl is right. Though I must also apologize." Looking at Viola, Mu gives her a respectful nod. "It was my question that caused such a stir, Even though you had saved my life back there, I have troubled you with my meddling."

"As long as this situation never happens again." Viola shrugged.

With a hand scratching his neck, Mu also asks. "Call me curious and here's hoping you aren't offended but are you also a Coordinator?"

Murrue gives Mu a stern look. "Lieutenant Flaga!"

Viola dismisses the concern though. "It's fine, with me piloting a Coordinator-made MS, it would be weird not to ask questions. As for the answer, no, I'm your so-called Natural. You can check my bio out in your database. After all, the Earth Alliance does place me on a watch list."

"Wait, you're serious?" Mu asked flabergasted. "So the rumors were true?"

"If you're talking about me removing some unwanted political elements then most probably the answer would be yes." Viola said nonchalantly.

Her calm attitude makes the EA members and even her friends lose their words.

Murrue, however, wakes up on her own and goes on to say.

"I think we've already spent enough time here, we need to get ready for evac. But first, we have to move the body somewhere else."

Seeing the chance to move past the previous conflicting atmosphere, Natarle nods. "Good point."

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After the boarding procedure on the Archangel is completed, the civilians, all except for Viola, are relocated to their own quarters. Viola, after parking her GINN and leaving it in the care of Petty Officer Murdoch, moves to a secluded corner in the hangar. With a swipe of her hand on her left wrist gauntlet, a holographic communication screen lits up. On the screen, a female android with her body parts coloring in black, gray, and white while also wearing a visor, can be seen. Viola and the female android hold a silent staring contest with each other for a few seconds before both breaks out into chuckles.

Viola speaks up first. "You fascinate me every time I lay my eyes on you, Aeria. It's really hard to look elsewhere whenever you're around."

The android, Aeria, sports a proud smirk as she leans back, showing off her well-crafted mechanical but sensual body. "Perks of being the very first mechanical lifeform to naturally form a soul, I guess. I always know you to appreciate uniqueness, and if I'm not unique, then what is, am I right?"

"So true." Viola nodded. Weird as it may, Viola is attracted to the mechanical body of Aeria, and by extension, her soul. It's a perfect blend of mechanical craftsmanship and natural beauty. "Though I would like to speak more, I don't have much time, so here. These are the data extracted from two Mobile Suits, a GINN, and a next-generation MS, a Gundam. If you analyze and develop it, the United Auroran Federation will be advancing by leaps and bounds in the field of warfare. Especially crucial when that interstellar gate of yours may prove to be trouble."

After saying that, Viola sends over the files to Aeria through the usage of her multi-function gauntlet. Having received the packages, Aeria's visor lights up as rows of blue codings run up and down. After five seconds of perusing the data, Aeria blows a kiss at Viola.

"Leaves it to you to spoil us rotten. With the technologies in the package you sent, the Federation will be unchallenged for years to come. How can we ever repay you, I wonder?"

Viola chuckles. "Well, you can start by limiting the ice cream Yuria is devouring. She's a Queen for crying out loud."

Aeria shares a laugh. "Maybe I will do just that, though Yuria may come crying out for you."

With the important exchange out of the way, the two ladies then bid each other goodbye, promising to visit each other's Universe later.

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Viola, now taking a seat on the bridge of the Archangel, is waiting for Murrue to finish her call. After parting ways, aside from Viola, they all have changed into their formal officer attires.

"I see, thank you for your information." Murrue put down the phone, turning over to the awaiting Viola, Natarle, and Mu. "I'm told that the colony interior is almost a hundred percent evacuated, though there exist a number of casualties."

Frowning, Mu responds. "Can't be helped, not with a battle of this size. Can we still get the kids into the shelter?" The last thing Mu wanted is to have children involved in the adult business.

Unfortunately, Murrue shakes her head at the question. "I'm afraid not, after the last incident, the colony alert level has been raised up to nine, which means all shelters have been completely blocked."

Crossing his arms, Mu sighs. "The kids sure drew the short straw today, eh?"

"You don't say, Lieutenant Flaga." Viola chuckled. "It's not every day that you woke up to the sound of a GINN stomping your front yard."

"That's an oddly specific description, but I like it! And please, just call me Mu, been hanging around ass-kissers for too long that title and seniority are getting on my nerve."

Instead of answering, Viola just chuckles with a thumbs up, her other hand is busy playing around with her revolver. Of course, her action earns an exasperate but cautious look from Natarle. Murrue and Mu, however, decide to just ignore the blatant violation of rules in front of them, if only for their sanity to remain intact.

Moving back to the main topic, Mu asks. "Then what should we do with the kids now? Can't exactly give them any other haven aside from here."

Viola is the one to answer this. "Since our dear Murrue here decided that we should be taken into custody after seeing military secrets, may as well stick with it until the end."

Natarle adds. "Though I hate to agree with you, Viola, you and the kids have to stick with us for the time being."

"It's fine, and if my conjecture is not wrong, being on this ship will be much safer than roaming around on Heliopolis." Viola replied, earning herself some raised eyebrows.

Deciding to explain, Viola says. "Think about it, after making such a bold move, attacking a neutral state to steal another country's secret, only to complete half the job, do you really think that ZAFT will stop at that?"

"Viola has a point, knowing Creuset, the bastard is raring for another go, especially after we put up such a fight and he is still holding the advantage." Mu chimed in with seriousness. "We'll be involved in some pretty serious fighting from here on out though. Won't it be better for you and the kids to stay away from this mess?"

Instead of answering the question, Viola replies with this. "If I can't have it, no one can."

Murrue and Natarle each sport a befuddled expression but Mu, being the more experienced one in combat, almost jump in shock at Viola's insinuation.

"Jesus, you don't mean they will actually use those on a civilian colony?!"

Knowing that they're out of the loop, Natarle looks at both Viola and Mu before raising a hand to ask. "Can you explain to us what are you talking about? We're a bit lost here."

With Viola gesturing for Mu, the Lieutenant then turns over to the ladies, saying.

"Well, in short, Creuset is smart, and with ZAFT unable to attain the last G-unit even with losses, he will turn to destroy it instead. This also applies to the Archangel and by extension, Viola's GINN. However, from what I've seen so far, the only thing in the ZAFT arsenal that tackles everything at once is the D-loadout for the GINNs, that is if they aren't sending in their warships. And in case you have been living under a rock, D-loadout consisted of short-range ballistic missiles and portable heavy ion cannons. Either of which can cause serious collateral damage on Heliopolis."

"Bloody hell..." Murrue leaned back, massaging her eyes after hearing the revelation. "As if things aren't already bad enough."

After pondering, Natarle speaks up. "Then, what if we make a breakthrough with our best speed? If we bring the battle away from Heliopolis, the colony should be safer."

Mu shakes his head. "To do that, just the Archangel alone isn't enough, we don't have enough crew to even man the bare necessity of the battleship. And in case you've forgotten, the Zero is still grounded. Unless...?"

Turning to look at Viola, Mu poses a silent question. Raising an eyebrow at their expectant look, Viola wryly smiles.

"Hey, now, in case you've forgotten, I'm a civilian of Orb, you know?" Chuckling at their 'Oh, right!' look, Viola adds. "Joke aside, I can and will fight if the situation requires it, yet, you must know that my GINN is low on ammo. Unless your Chief Technician can pull cases of 76mm cased telescoped APFSD out of his ass, I don't think the GINN can fight in sustained combat."

"So, another bad news." Mu sighed. "They said that no plan survives first contact but our plan didn't even make it out of the drawing board."

Leaning back while looking at the ceiling, Murrue thinks up one possibility. "Then what about the Strike? After what Kira did, it has been working like a charm. Mu, can you pilot that?"

Shaking his head, Mu complains exasperatedly. "Are you serious? Have you seen the monster of an OS that the kid wrote? And even he said that Viola's OS is made with voodoo magic so don't even think about me piloting the GINN!"

Rolling her eyes, Natarle says. "Then are you suggesting we let the lad pilot the G-unit, again?"

Raising his hands, Mu replies.

"If the kid agrees to do it, then yes! Kira can't pilot the GINN while nobody can control the Strike except him. If he uses the Strike and Viola sorties in the GINN, we have a much higher chance of breaking this blockade. Wait for a second, can you use the Strike, Viola?" Mu turned around and asked.

Viola places a finger under her chin. "Well, I think I can but with Kira already personalized the Strike for his own use, it will take time for me to work around it, the time we don't have."

After hearing that, Murrues comments. "So if Kira doesn't agree, we are back to square one."

Mu raises a finger up, about to say something but then put it down. "You're right..."

"Regardless, it's the best one we can act on." Viola cemented the idea. Unknowingly, she has earned the respect of the Archangel's leadership, hence they're willing to listen to her input even after what happened.

Viola then continues saying. "Well, Murrue, I think you should be the one to go convince Kira to take up arms."

"Eh? Why me?" Murrue asked back, confused.

"More like because you're the Captain of this ship now?" Viola responded with a question of her own.

Mu also adds. "The girl is right, I may have seniority but I know nothing about this ship. And no offense but I don't think the kids will react kindly to Viola showing up after the conflict earlier."

Viola replies. "None taken."

Seeing that Murrue is still hesitating, Natarle seals the idea by saying. "Lieutenant Ramius, I think Kira should be more comfortable with you showing up, after all, you two did spend a moment in the Strike's cockpit."

Though Natarle said it, she is confused when Murrue and the rest look at her weirdly. "W-What?"

Murrue speaks up. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"Eh? What joke?" Natarle didn't understand what Murrue was getting at.

Viola and Mu laugh at this exchange while Murrue facepalms. It takes Viola to say. "Wow, our Ensign is a bit innocent, color me surprised." That Natarle finally understand just what kind of sentence she uttered earlier.

Although she is blushing, knowing that she messed up, Natarle doesn't rephrase it.

"Find, I will go see the kid, see if he is willing." Murrue relented, moving the topic back on track.

The trio in front of her nod with Viola holstering her revolver, saying. "While you do that, I will see if I can get the comm of the Archangel fixed. It will be great if we can contact Earth about what happened. Though I think we need to pull Orb Union into this, also."

Raising an eyebrow, a bit wary about the potential political mess that this could bring, Natarle asks. "I know this is a stupid question but do we really want to involve Orb this early?"

Viola raises her fingers. "First, it was Orb that developed and sold you the G-units and this battleship design, that I can infer just by taking a look. Second, Heliopolis is now an utter mess because it got caught in the crossfire between the EAF and ZAFT. Third, Uzumi Nara Athha has some explaining to do."

Noticing the hidden anger when Viola mentioned Lord Uzumi of Orb, one that Murrue and Mu seem to miss, Natarle is just about to ask about it when Viola waves them away.

"Now, unless you all have time to kill, it's best we get to work before reconvening when I get the comm line up and running. Make sure you're done getting Kira up to snuff when we're ready, Murrue."

"Though you all said that I'm the Captain here, you are acting like we're your errant runners." Though Murrue complained, there was a small smile on her face. Even Natarle and Mu can't help but chuckle along, clearly noticing the situation to be very off the book with Viola's presence.

The girl in question though just shrugs before shooing them away, with her taking up a terminal to work her magic. Seeing her typing away at the console with lightning speed, limited only by the processing power of the ship's computer, Natarle can't help but comment.

"Mu was correct. If that's not voodoo magic, I don't know what is."

"I know, right!" The blonde pilot laughed while Murrue and Natarle look with googly eyes at Viola's handiwork.