"Lieutenant Ramius!" came a call from further insde the cavernous hanger and a little group in Earth Alliance uniforms came running towards Maria as she led the little group down from the hands of the Strike Gundam, Kira having kindly carried them all up and onto the ship. "I'm relieved to see that you're alright," continued the woman in the lead.
"And you," Maria replied. "I'm pleased to see that you were able to protect the Archangel. You saved us," she added, referring to the ZAFT mobile suit that had left rather than face the ship and the Strike Gundam at one time.
Up above this little conversation, the Gundam's hatch opened, and a rather woeful looking Kira emerged, drawing surprised looks from the military personnel. "Come on," protested a scruffy looking man in coveralls. "What's going on here? He's only a kid. You mean that child piloted that thing?"
"That child," Thomas remarked sarcastically, "took out another Mobile Suit as easily as you or I take out a bag of trash."
"Lieutenant Ramius, what's going on?"
Maria was at a loss for words, but an interruption saved her from having to give an immediate response.
"Wow, what a surprise," came a voice from behind the ships crew and an blond man emerged from the shadows, wearing a grey and violet flightsuit. "I'm Lieutenant Mu La Flaga of the Seventh Orbital Fleet." He saluted. "Nice to meet you."
"I'm Lieutenant Maria Ramius of Sector Two, Fifth Special Division," Maria replied, returning the salute.
"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel of the same division," added the lady leading the crew. Thomas choked his laugh off into his fist - she didn't look like a 'bad girl'.
"I'd like authorisation to board this ship," Mu said, ignoring the dirty look that Natarle was shooting at Thomas. "Who's in charge here?"
Natarle lowered her eyes. "The captain and top officers of this ship have all perished in battle," she admitted. Thomas stifled his amusement immediately. "Therefore, I believe Lieutenant Ramius is now in command." Maria gaped speechlessly at the Ensign. "Only a dozen or so of us were saved, mostly non-commissioned officers. Fortunately, being in the shaft, I was able to escape danger," Natarle explained.
"The captain?" Maria exclaimed, regaining command of her voice. "How could that be?"
"Oh, man," Mu sighed. "What a disaster. In any case, Lieutenant Ramius, I request permission to board the ship. My Mobile Armor has been shot down."
"Ah. Sure. Permission granted," Maria agreed.
"And who's that?" Mu asked, jerking his chin towards Kira.
"As you can see he is a civilian teenager," Maria explained. "For some reason he was in the factory district while we were under attack. I let him on the G-weapon. His name is Kira Yamato. As Thomas - sorry," she added. "This is Thomas Finn, a civilian doctor. As he said, thanks to Kira we were able to fight off the Jinn and protect this one machine.
"He fought off a Jinn?" Natarle exclaimed. The other military types looked at each other in disbelief. "That kid did that?"
"I came here as an escort to the young pilots trained to pilot that," Mu said to Maria, an enquiring expression on his face. "Where are they?"
Natarle cleared her throat. "We were bombed when they were in the control booth, being welcomed by the captain," she explained. "So they too..."
"I see," said Mu sadly. He paused in thought for a moment and then stepped towards Kira and the other students, the rest of the group trailing after him.
"Wh-what is it?" Kira asked nervously.
"You're a Coordinator, aren't you?" the pilot asked kindly, sending a ripple of concern through everyone in earshot - everyone except Thomas.
"Yes," Kira admitted.
Instantly, the four soldiers at the back of the group raised their rifles to port arms. Almost as swiftly, Tolle Thomas interposed themselves between Kira and the soldiers. "Put those toys down before I take them off you!" Thomas snapped with such authority in his voice that the four had relaxed their grip on the almost before they took in who was speaking to them.
"You are in no position to give orders!" snapped Natarle.
"Lower your rifles," Maria ordered.
"Lieutenant!" Natarle protested. "Why...?"
"There's no puzzle, is there?" Maria chided gently. "The Heliopolis Colony belongs to a neutral state, after all. It is natural that some Coordinators would choose to come here to avoid being involved in the war. Am I wrong, Kira?" she asked.
"No, you're right," the boy said. "Especially with me being a first-generation Coordinator."
"'First-generation'?" one of the crew muttered in confusion.
"Meaning your parents are Naturals," Mu said for the benefit of the crewman. "Well, I apologise for causing such a stir. I was just curious. Nothing more."
Thomas snorted. The man played the innocent well, but there was a reason he'd asked the question in front of the crew. His reasons might have been good - Thomas couldn't have said for sure - but the action had been calculated.
"On my way here, I observed a fair number of simulations involving the guys who are expected to pilot this but not one of them could do much more than get it to move," Mu told them as he backed up and then started to walk back into the ship.
"Lieutenant, where are you off to?" Maria asked.
"Off to?" he asked, as if it were obvious. "I landed after being shot down, and the team waiting outside is Le Creuset's. He's one persistent fellow. If you ask me, I don't think we can afford to spend too much time here."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
"And you," Maria replied. "I'm pleased to see that you were able to protect the Archangel. You saved us," she added, referring to the ZAFT mobile suit that had left rather than face the ship and the Strike Gundam at one time.
Up above this little conversation, the Gundam's hatch opened, and a rather woeful looking Kira emerged, drawing surprised looks from the military personnel. "Come on," protested a scruffy looking man in coveralls. "What's going on here? He's only a kid. You mean that child piloted that thing?"
"That child," Thomas remarked sarcastically, "took out another Mobile Suit as easily as you or I take out a bag of trash."
"Lieutenant Ramius, what's going on?"
Maria was at a loss for words, but an interruption saved her from having to give an immediate response.
"Wow, what a surprise," came a voice from behind the ships crew and an blond man emerged from the shadows, wearing a grey and violet flightsuit. "I'm Lieutenant Mu La Flaga of the Seventh Orbital Fleet." He saluted. "Nice to meet you."
"I'm Lieutenant Maria Ramius of Sector Two, Fifth Special Division," Maria replied, returning the salute.
"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel of the same division," added the lady leading the crew. Thomas choked his laugh off into his fist - she didn't look like a 'bad girl'.
"I'd like authorisation to board this ship," Mu said, ignoring the dirty look that Natarle was shooting at Thomas. "Who's in charge here?"
Natarle lowered her eyes. "The captain and top officers of this ship have all perished in battle," she admitted. Thomas stifled his amusement immediately. "Therefore, I believe Lieutenant Ramius is now in command." Maria gaped speechlessly at the Ensign. "Only a dozen or so of us were saved, mostly non-commissioned officers. Fortunately, being in the shaft, I was able to escape danger," Natarle explained.
"The captain?" Maria exclaimed, regaining command of her voice. "How could that be?"
"Oh, man," Mu sighed. "What a disaster. In any case, Lieutenant Ramius, I request permission to board the ship. My Mobile Armor has been shot down."
"Ah. Sure. Permission granted," Maria agreed.
"And who's that?" Mu asked, jerking his chin towards Kira.
"As you can see he is a civilian teenager," Maria explained. "For some reason he was in the factory district while we were under attack. I let him on the G-weapon. His name is Kira Yamato. As Thomas - sorry," she added. "This is Thomas Finn, a civilian doctor. As he said, thanks to Kira we were able to fight off the Jinn and protect this one machine.
"He fought off a Jinn?" Natarle exclaimed. The other military types looked at each other in disbelief. "That kid did that?"
"I came here as an escort to the young pilots trained to pilot that," Mu said to Maria, an enquiring expression on his face. "Where are they?"
Natarle cleared her throat. "We were bombed when they were in the control booth, being welcomed by the captain," she explained. "So they too..."
"I see," said Mu sadly. He paused in thought for a moment and then stepped towards Kira and the other students, the rest of the group trailing after him.
"Wh-what is it?" Kira asked nervously.
"You're a Coordinator, aren't you?" the pilot asked kindly, sending a ripple of concern through everyone in earshot - everyone except Thomas.
"Yes," Kira admitted.
Instantly, the four soldiers at the back of the group raised their rifles to port arms. Almost as swiftly, Tolle Thomas interposed themselves between Kira and the soldiers. "Put those toys down before I take them off you!" Thomas snapped with such authority in his voice that the four had relaxed their grip on the almost before they took in who was speaking to them.
"You are in no position to give orders!" snapped Natarle.
"Lower your rifles," Maria ordered.
"Lieutenant!" Natarle protested. "Why...?"
"There's no puzzle, is there?" Maria chided gently. "The Heliopolis Colony belongs to a neutral state, after all. It is natural that some Coordinators would choose to come here to avoid being involved in the war. Am I wrong, Kira?" she asked.
"No, you're right," the boy said. "Especially with me being a first-generation Coordinator."
"'First-generation'?" one of the crew muttered in confusion.
"Meaning your parents are Naturals," Mu said for the benefit of the crewman. "Well, I apologise for causing such a stir. I was just curious. Nothing more."
Thomas snorted. The man played the innocent well, but there was a reason he'd asked the question in front of the crew. His reasons might have been good - Thomas couldn't have said for sure - but the action had been calculated.
"On my way here, I observed a fair number of simulations involving the guys who are expected to pilot this but not one of them could do much more than get it to move," Mu told them as he backed up and then started to walk back into the ship.
"Lieutenant, where are you off to?" Maria asked.
"Off to?" he asked, as if it were obvious. "I landed after being shot down, and the team waiting outside is Le Creuset's. He's one persistent fellow. If you ask me, I don't think we can afford to spend too much time here."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.