Thomas is not quite a self-insertion, but he is an Original Character. He's going to be even more of a mentor than La Flaga, but he won't be contributing much directly once the mobile suits start shooting.
I'll have to do a bit of backfill for this one, to cover some of Episodes 3 and 4, but it's what I have for now.
_______________________________________________
"Three thermal energy readings detected in the aft quarter. Distance, sixty-seven! They are mobile suits!"
"They came after all," Marie concluded.
"Prepare for anti-mobile suits battle," Natarle ordered from the CIC deck. "Missile launch ready from thirteen to twenty-four. Linear pad, variant, positive gunnel movement. Input the target data, hurry up."
A bustle of activity filled the small compartment. "Identified the fuselage!" came the report. "This is... X number... Duel, Buster, Blitz!"
"What?"
Maria gasped slightly, looking back through the bridge at the sensor operator, a reaction mimicked by many of the crew. "Putting the stolen G's in the front!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.
Outside, Kira's breath was ragged as he saw a lone mobile suit closing in on him. "One suit," he muttered.
Lieutenant La Flaga's words went through his mind. "Just think about protecting the ship and yourself... for now."
"Protecting them..." he said with a firmness he did not feel. A moment later and his eyes went wide once again as a more detailed report appeared in front of them. "That mobile suit... Athrun?"
"Enemy mobile suits, spreading out!"
"Attack now!" Maria ordered. "CRC, what are you doing?"
Natarle blinked, drawn from her shocked reverie. "Laser guidance, is it ready?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Missiles from launchers thirteen to eighteen, launch! Load the Sledge Hammer..." the Ensign ordered, resuming direction of the Archangel's formidable armament suite.
Outside, as flares and decoys painted space with light and electronic interference, missiles burst from the white ship's tail section, none of which was of concern to Kira and Athrun as their suits plunged towards each other, beam saber's igniting.
Kira focused, and as the two suits passed each other the Strike Gundam's saber bit deeply into the leg of the Aegis, before they spun away from their respective vecotrs to face each other again.
"Kira?" Athrun called on an open channel, his voice betraying shock at the attack coming from his friend.
"Athrun," the young man replied, confirming his own identity and his own regrets at having struck at the other boy's mobile suit. He remembered the advice from Thomas: "To defeat an opponent without killing him is the highest art, kid. I respect your not wanting to harm your friend... defeating him need not mean destroying him."
"Stop it, take your sword back, Kira! We are not enemies! Right? Why do we have to fight?"
"Athrun..."
"You are a Co-ordinator, why are you fighting us?" Athrun demanded.
"We're all human! Why are you attacking us!" Kira shouted back. He looked back at the Archangel and saw three more of the Gundam suits attacking the ship, advancing through a firestorm of energy beams and cannon fire. "Archangel is..."
He changed course back towards the embattled ship but the Aegis Gundam cut him off. "Stop it, Kira! Why are you on Earth's side? Why are you fighting with the Naturals?"
"I'm not with the Earth defense!" Kira protested. "But I have friends on that ship! I won't let you hurt them! Why are you with ZAFT? Why are you in the war? You said you hate the war too! Why did you destroy Heliopolis?"
"Because those naturals are making these things!"
"I know! But you didn't just take them! You -" Kira was cut off from finishing 'came back and destroyed the colony!' by the need to evade incoming shots from another mobile suit.
"Why are you just standing around, Athrun!" demanded the new pilot.
"Isaac!" Athrun protested.
The suit appeared as X-102 on Kira's sensors - another of the stolen Gundams. An energy blast battered at the Strike Gundam's shield and Kira dodged the follow up shots. *Well at least I'm keeping the two of them away from the Archangel,* he thought.
"Just like a fly..." Isaac cursed as Kira evaded another volley of energy beams. "Are you going to keep on running away?!" He closed in with his own beam saber, leaving Athrun to wrestle with his conscience. More energy beams announced the arrival of the other two Gundams, drawn away from the Archangel to deal with the lone mobile suit.
*And now I have all four of them on me,* Kira thought, watching his battery levels fade as he ducked and parried the attacks. *Good for the others, but not for me!* He was panting, as much from the tension as from the exertion.
Almost simultaneously, all five Gundams received signals from their respective motherships.
"Vesalius was attacked?!" Isaac exclaimed in shock. "Damn it!"
The conversation was cut off as the two potent energy weapons mounted in the 'toes' of the Archangel, fired on the ZAFT carrier, inflicting even more damage than La Flaga's surprise attack had. Almost immediately, flares around the Archangel signalled for Kira to return.
"Return signal!" Isaac shouted, recognising the standard colors for the signal. "Who said that! I've got to shoot him down!"
"Isaac! They ordered us to retreat!" Athrun shouted as the hotheaded pilot closed in again.
"Shut up, asshole!" Isaac bellowed. But this time he wasn't attacking in co-ordination with the other Gundams and Kira stopped him cold, punching three shots from his beam rifle - thus far unused, punching three shots into the Duel Gundam, crippling ankle, knee and then hip with pinpoint accuracy, putting Isaac out of the fight until he could compensate for the new balance and the lost thrusters.
It was an opportunity that Athrun wouldn't give him. Almost instantly, the claws of the Aegis locked around the damaged Gundam. "We're headed back to the ship," he ordered, and then, switching channel. "This isn't over, Kira."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
I'll have to do a bit of backfill for this one, to cover some of Episodes 3 and 4, but it's what I have for now.
_______________________________________________
"Three thermal energy readings detected in the aft quarter. Distance, sixty-seven! They are mobile suits!"
"They came after all," Marie concluded.
"Prepare for anti-mobile suits battle," Natarle ordered from the CIC deck. "Missile launch ready from thirteen to twenty-four. Linear pad, variant, positive gunnel movement. Input the target data, hurry up."
A bustle of activity filled the small compartment. "Identified the fuselage!" came the report. "This is... X number... Duel, Buster, Blitz!"
"What?"
Maria gasped slightly, looking back through the bridge at the sensor operator, a reaction mimicked by many of the crew. "Putting the stolen G's in the front!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.
Outside, Kira's breath was ragged as he saw a lone mobile suit closing in on him. "One suit," he muttered.
Lieutenant La Flaga's words went through his mind. "Just think about protecting the ship and yourself... for now."
"Protecting them..." he said with a firmness he did not feel. A moment later and his eyes went wide once again as a more detailed report appeared in front of them. "That mobile suit... Athrun?"
"Enemy mobile suits, spreading out!"
"Attack now!" Maria ordered. "CRC, what are you doing?"
Natarle blinked, drawn from her shocked reverie. "Laser guidance, is it ready?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Missiles from launchers thirteen to eighteen, launch! Load the Sledge Hammer..." the Ensign ordered, resuming direction of the Archangel's formidable armament suite.
Outside, as flares and decoys painted space with light and electronic interference, missiles burst from the white ship's tail section, none of which was of concern to Kira and Athrun as their suits plunged towards each other, beam saber's igniting.
Kira focused, and as the two suits passed each other the Strike Gundam's saber bit deeply into the leg of the Aegis, before they spun away from their respective vecotrs to face each other again.
"Kira?" Athrun called on an open channel, his voice betraying shock at the attack coming from his friend.
"Athrun," the young man replied, confirming his own identity and his own regrets at having struck at the other boy's mobile suit. He remembered the advice from Thomas: "To defeat an opponent without killing him is the highest art, kid. I respect your not wanting to harm your friend... defeating him need not mean destroying him."
"Stop it, take your sword back, Kira! We are not enemies! Right? Why do we have to fight?"
"Athrun..."
"You are a Co-ordinator, why are you fighting us?" Athrun demanded.
"We're all human! Why are you attacking us!" Kira shouted back. He looked back at the Archangel and saw three more of the Gundam suits attacking the ship, advancing through a firestorm of energy beams and cannon fire. "Archangel is..."
He changed course back towards the embattled ship but the Aegis Gundam cut him off. "Stop it, Kira! Why are you on Earth's side? Why are you fighting with the Naturals?"
"I'm not with the Earth defense!" Kira protested. "But I have friends on that ship! I won't let you hurt them! Why are you with ZAFT? Why are you in the war? You said you hate the war too! Why did you destroy Heliopolis?"
"Because those naturals are making these things!"
"I know! But you didn't just take them! You -" Kira was cut off from finishing 'came back and destroyed the colony!' by the need to evade incoming shots from another mobile suit.
"Why are you just standing around, Athrun!" demanded the new pilot.
"Isaac!" Athrun protested.
The suit appeared as X-102 on Kira's sensors - another of the stolen Gundams. An energy blast battered at the Strike Gundam's shield and Kira dodged the follow up shots. *Well at least I'm keeping the two of them away from the Archangel,* he thought.
"Just like a fly..." Isaac cursed as Kira evaded another volley of energy beams. "Are you going to keep on running away?!" He closed in with his own beam saber, leaving Athrun to wrestle with his conscience. More energy beams announced the arrival of the other two Gundams, drawn away from the Archangel to deal with the lone mobile suit.
*And now I have all four of them on me,* Kira thought, watching his battery levels fade as he ducked and parried the attacks. *Good for the others, but not for me!* He was panting, as much from the tension as from the exertion.
Almost simultaneously, all five Gundams received signals from their respective motherships.
"Vesalius was attacked?!" Isaac exclaimed in shock. "Damn it!"
The conversation was cut off as the two potent energy weapons mounted in the 'toes' of the Archangel, fired on the ZAFT carrier, inflicting even more damage than La Flaga's surprise attack had. Almost immediately, flares around the Archangel signalled for Kira to return.
"Return signal!" Isaac shouted, recognising the standard colors for the signal. "Who said that! I've got to shoot him down!"
"Isaac! They ordered us to retreat!" Athrun shouted as the hotheaded pilot closed in again.
"Shut up, asshole!" Isaac bellowed. But this time he wasn't attacking in co-ordination with the other Gundams and Kira stopped him cold, punching three shots from his beam rifle - thus far unused, punching three shots into the Duel Gundam, crippling ankle, knee and then hip with pinpoint accuracy, putting Isaac out of the fight until he could compensate for the new balance and the lost thrusters.
It was an opportunity that Athrun wouldn't give him. Almost instantly, the claws of the Aegis locked around the damaged Gundam. "We're headed back to the ship," he ordered, and then, switching channel. "This isn't over, Kira."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.