Zechs Merquise
Chapter 1 - The Battle At Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Middle East
Flowing platinum blonde hair swept aside as the young OZ Baron tilted his head. The weapon console in front of him confirmed that the beam saber and rifle had been loaded correctly. Zechs' thoughts swam as he gauged the upcoming battle. If all went well as he predicted, the engagement wouldn't last long. Characteristically, Zechs was a capable commander and overall excellent pilot. However, he wasn't the most complimentary when it came to his own self esteem.
The trick was their approach. Luckily, the Alliance base at Baku was situated near the Caspian Sea giving them a mask. The carrier was going to fly low and use the sea waves to mask themselves from radar.
Zechs' hands flew across a second console as the Earth Alliance army appeared on the screen. He continued to dig further into the database and brought up the most recent status report from Baku. Zechs studied the readout carefully.
"Studying thine enemy, Lieutenant?"
Zechs turned to find his slim built second walk up and prop himself down on a nearby stool. He returned to studying the console in front of him. "Yes, I'm confirming to myself that my skills will be sufficient."
Zan turned around and leaned his back against the bay archway. "I don't see much of a problem. Besides, that's quite the negative view you're taking, sir. Most people in OZ look up to you, you're symbolic to them."
Zechs silently snickered at the thought, still keying through the Alliance database. "Don't you think my skills are being overrated?"
"Not in the least, sir. You should give yourself more credit. You deserve it." Replied Zan as he flicked aside a lock of red hair.
Zechs displayed a small grin, "the base in Baku is pretty standard. At least, as far as it's mobile suit compliment is concerned. The base is one of the Alliance's key positions in the Middle East, and has been refitted with laser turrets and surface to surface missiles."
Zan braced himself against the console to confirm. "You're right, what do you make of it, Lieutenant?"
"It will be our most difficult obstacle.""Our, sir?"
"Yes, I've decided to take you up on that offer. I want you to pilot the Aries as my wing man. Are you up to it?"
Zan stood to attention and saluted. "All you have to do is give the word, Lieutenant," he responded.
"Good" he stood to his feet and made his way towards the Leo. "We drop in half an hour."
Zan Crawford tugged lightly on his flight goggles, "Lieutenant, we are nearly ready to drop the Leo. Standby."
As if it happened by cue, the large carrier bay doors slid open, the wake they were making caused the carrier to shake.
"Lieutenant Zan" the console in front of him lit up and was replaced by another OZ officer. "Check your vital sign monitor."
Zan complied. It did look rather unusual, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the irregularity. "What about it?" he inquired.
Don't you think your wing man's vital signs are looking a tad... unusual?"
He was correct, Zechs' were running at a very slow rate in comparison to his own. "Don't worry about it." 'After all, he's the Lightning Baron. Battle comes so naturally to him that I wouldn't be surprised if his vitals didn't change until the battle was over.'
"I guess you're right, Zan- Prepare for drop..."
The launch bay door sounded, red warning lights pulsated as the technicians cleared out and strapped themselves safely into their seats in the cockpit. The final approach warning sounded as a series of heavy cables automatically detached from Zechs' Leo as it slid towards the launch hatch.
Zan could feel his stomach being sucked to the ground as the carrier immediately jerked it's course vertical.
Zechs keyed a sequence into his suit's second panel. The pack on his Leo's back exploded as drop chute shot out. Zechs quickly surveyed the area - the enemy Leos were few in number, obviously unaware that he had been dropped. Zechs exhibited a silent snicker, 'excellent.'
Without the slightest amount of hesitation, he wrapped his hands around the pilot yokes and proceeded to engage the Leo's lower thruster, which launched the suit forward into combat.
The proximity alarm was the first to sound, along with a set of smaller warnings, indicating that the laser cannons were aware of his presence and were in the process of locking on. Zechs brought his Leo to bare on the nearest of the laser cannons, which was destroyed by a missile the instant he saw it. Zechs rotated his viewer and recognized Zan's Aries make a low pass on several other laser cannons, showering them with bullets. Zechs followed suit by engaging the other cannons with the Leo's massive dober rifle.
Another warning sounded - he was being targeted, at this time, by one of the guarding Leos. He responded by firing a round from his dober gun into his attacker's chest. 'This is too easy' he silently muttered.
A third Leo began to train it's machine rifle on Zechs, only to be splashed instantly by Zan's Aries.
"Zan, concentrate on destroying the turrets, I'll handle the other suits." Zechs spoke.
"Yes sir!" Zan confirmed as the tactical monitor overhead registered two more turrets destroyed.
'This kid is good. And to think, it was at the count of me.' Zechs found the concept amusing.
His tactical monitor tore him away from his thoughts, the main hangar was opening, and inside waited two Tragos suits each bringing their double cannons to bear on Zechs. Zechs reached for the pilot yokes again and forced his suit into the air by way of the rear thruster and reached for the Leo's beam saber.
Another Leo took up position close to the hangar and trained it's own dober cannon onto Zechs and fired a single round. Zechs was quick to dodge it as he landed next to his attacker and severed it's limbs with a twist of his right arm control. The Leo returned to it's previous stance, brandishing the beam saber towards the two Tragos suits which were still inside the hanger.
The first moved outwards at a snail's pace. Zechs made a lunge for it and too destroyed it with a clean lance of his saber.
The second, however had acquired his Leo and began firing, and Zechs countered by forcing the Leo from left to right and finally bringing the beam saber down on his attacker.
"Lieutenant Zechs..." Zan called. Zechs gave no response. "Lieutenant...?"
"I'm here, Zan." He replied, "is that it?"
"Yes sir, I've destroyed the last of the cannons. All that's left now is to demand their-"
"-Yes, Zan. I know." He interrupted. Zechs brought his Leo's rifle to bare on the base's control tower. His communication window lit up and the image of a young Arabic man took the position. "Ho-"
Zechs raised his hand to cut him off. "I am a soldier with the Earth Alliance special mobile suit corps. I ask for your immediate surrender. Failure to comply will... Well, I'm sure you can figure it out yourself-"
"Spare me your fake sympathy!" the rebel commander spat. "I will not be threatened by yo-"
"-Please, don't make this situation worse than it is and surrender. Enough people have died today..."
The rebel commander's facial expression changed immediately, almost as if he was touched by what Zechs had said. Unexpected that one of the Alliance's soldiers would show remorse. "Very well, we surrender-"
"But sir!" Yelled an officer behind him.
"Shut-up, I know what I'm doing! Lieutenant... we surrender, but I ask that we meet in person."
Zechs slowly nodded his agreement and the screen went dead.
Zechs walked down the main hallway of the rebel base, Zan and another officer at his side. Zechs noticed Zan was uneasy about meeting with the commander and kept his hand increasingly close to his holster.
"Zan, I can understand your uneasiness. But if you keep your gun so close, they might get the wrong idea."
"But Lieutenant..! Why are you so trusting to someone who only moments ago tried to shoot you down?"
Zechs slowed his rate of pace and turned to Zan. "It confuses you, huh? Well let me explain." He said, looking over to the other officer who was with them and whispered to Zan. "It's not us they don't trust, it's the Allied forces. And you know as well as I that they can't be trusted."
Zan changed expression and whispered back, "I know... I forgot about you and them..."
Zechs returned back to his normal pace as the three proceeded towards the control room.
Zechs and his entourage entered the control room and were greeted by the commander. Zechs couldn't help but notice the other restless looking rebels who were giving him and Zan a dirty look. They didn't trust him, and Zechs couldn't blame them.
"Lieutenant... This way" the commander motioned down an adjacent hallway.
Zechs turned to the other officer and asked that he wait in the control room while he and Zan went ahead. "What was it you wanted to speak with me about?"
The commander stopped and looked towards Zechs. "Please, don't rush things. My name is Kasim." He said and extended a hand to Zechs.
He reluctantly proceeded to shake his hand. "My name is-"
Kasim smiled and withdrew his hand, tucking it behind his back. "Zechs. Zechs Merquise, and I right?"
Zechs and Zan exchanged a confused glance and Zechs moved his attention back to Kasim. "How did you know?"
Kasim continued down the hallway. "There are only few men in the Alliance military that could have single handily taken on our forces like you did today." He stopped and then smiled again. "And even fewer that bare a silver mask."
"Heh... you seem to know quite a bit about me."
"No, not really. Me and my organization aren't completely obvious to what's going on in the military, but enough."
"And what organization are you a part of?" Zechs further inquired.
"You may have heard of us... we are known as the Maguanac Corps."
"Mmm..."
Zan looked up, "Maguanac?"
"They are a fourty-man army which has been known to start up conflicts in the Arabic nations. I'm surprised you haven't heard of them."
"Ah.. I see."
"I understand the gripes you have with the allied forces, but you must understand... I am under their employ and you did surrender."
"Yes, yes. I understand, Lieutenant." Replied Kasim. "I just wanted to be sure of who I was surrendering to."
"I understand... We'll remain here until the time when a relief force comes to secure you and your comrades."
"What kind of relief force, Allied or Specials?"
"... Alliance."
Kasim sighed and turned his back in anger. "I see... I guess I was hoping for too much, but is it possible that you could have my men spared?"
"I can't do that either... the Alliance asked for everyone to be punished... but I'll see what I can do about having a Special unit as a relief force."
Kasim turned back. "Thank you, Lieutenant Zechs. I won't forget it."
'He doesn't owe me anything... Why?'
'It's looking more and more likely of a test. First my combat abilities as well as my diplomatic skills... I can't help but wonder. Is someone in the Alliance pulling strings in OZ?'
Zechs tilted his head downward to the rapier tugging on his belt and removed it. The blade was clean and unmarked. 'Why?'
"Lieutenant, I've gotten through to the Alliance general's office."
"Thank you..." Zechs stood up from his chair and stood next to the communications panel.
A pudgy man appeared on the screen. "I'm a very busy man, Lieutenant Zechs. What is it you want?"
Zechs one hand behind his back and the other on his waist. "I want your relief forces rerouted. A Specials unit will take their place in operating the base at Baku."
The man on the screen's eyes bowed inward in puzzlement as he began to laugh out loud "You gotta be joking! On what authority?"
"Under the terms of the Specials' charter, we are given the authority to act in any battle or military outpost currently operated by the Alliance. If you have a problem, file a complaint with headquarters." Zechs stated as he extended his hand to the panel and cut the link. 'That threat should be sufficient, I doubt that he would bother complaining. In the end, it's more trouble than it's worth.'
Zechs moved away from the console and sat back in his chair, leaning his head against his hand. "Is the carrier ready to leave?"
"Yes, Lieutenant."
"Begin takeoff..."
"Course?"
"We've done our duty today... Head for Hong Kong."
The officer at the pilot's seat nodded in acknowledgement and began the takeoff checks.