Graystar.

OOC: I stole this idea from Miyumi because it seemed like a good one. Sorry. But this project should give a better background on Eros Sabersky. I'll try to post one chapter at a time.

IC: Prologue

A half-century has passed since Earth began moving its burgeoning population into massive orbiting space colonies…a new home for mankind; where people are born and raised…and die.
It is the year 0079 of the Universal Century. The cluster of colonies furthest from Earth, Side Three, has proclaimed itself the Principality of Zeon and has launched a war of independence against the Earth Federation…

Initial Fighting lasted over one month and half of the human population was lost. People were horrified at the indescribable atrocities committed in the name of independence…

Zeon’s main tactical advantages throughout the early stages of the war were Mobile Suits, gigantic, humanoid robots that wield massive weapons. These new weapons’ performance and adaptability quickly outpaced those of the Federation’s old-style fighter planes and tanks.

It is now October, and the Federation has started the early phases of mass-production of its own Mobile Suits to combat those of Zeon. In order to gather data, operation, combat, and otherwise, the Federation created a few special pre-production MS. To provide support and maintenance for these Mobile Suits, the Federation also developed massive, powerful carrier battle ships. The first of the Pegasus Class Carriers was the White Base. The second is the Graystar, the focus of our story.

As a result of the early successes of the White Base and its MS, the Graystar was constructed and fully commissioned. The crew, however, is inexperienced, and young.

The Federation’s resources are stretched thin, and experienced pilots and officers are few. Thus, the Federation has begun a recruitment program among its remaining, loyal colonies. The crew of the Graystar is the first to complete the Federation’s one-month crash training program. They have had to cram as much combat, tactical, and other task-specific information as they could in the shortest amount of time possible.

The Graystar saw its first combat operation three hours after its initial launch from Side Seven which was still recovering from a Zeon attack barely a month before. The Graystar’s young crew is anxious to enter combat. Some for the thrill, others for vengeance, and a few for the sheer love of piloting machines…

Suggestion: Double space your paragraphs. It makes it easier to read.

OOC: Fixed.

IC: Chapter I: Launch!

“All hands, Red Alert!” Laura Setarus’ usually soft voice boomed over the Graystar’s intercom. “Pilots to the Maintenance Hangars.”

“That’s our cue,” Justin Zaccaria said to Eros Sabersky.

Zaccaria was a large boy. He was sixteen years old, six foot two, and weighed almost three hundred pounds.

He grabbed his helmet from the chair next to him. “Let’s go!” He jumped up, his bulk flying to the ceiling in the micro gravity. He managed to push off with his feet and flew towards the door of the mess hall.

“I’m coming,” replied Sabersky, another sixteen-year-old pilot. Sabersky had dark blond hair and awesome blue eyes. He was five foot eleven and was built well, though not nearly as large as Zaccaria.

“All gunners standby to lay down a barrage,” continued Setarus.

“I wonder how many there are?” said Sabersky as he and Zaccaria
traveled down the corridors via motor-driven handles built into the walls.

“Who knows? Betcha I kill more,” Zaccaria taunted Sabersky.

“Whatever,” Eros said, shaking his head. “You realize we’re talking about human lives, right?”

“Yeah. But if we don’t kill them, they’ll kill us,” Zaccaria returned.

The two friends arrived at the ship’s massive port side maintenance bay. The bay was huge, built to provide repair services to five Mobile Suits and five fighter craft, except there were only three MS currently in the bay. They were the prototypes. Standing against the upright maintenance tables were three mighty Mobile suits. The one closest to the entrance to the bay was an RX-75-4 Guntank. Guntank was the most crude of the Federations Prototypes, it moved via treads instead of legs and its arms ended in BOB missile launchers instead of hands. It was mostly blue with a one hundred twenty millimeter cannon mounted on each shoulder. Instead of being deemed a failure, a few more Guntanks were developed to provide long-range support for the other MS.

Against the second rack stood an RX-77-2 Guncannon. This MS actually had legs and arms with hands. Like the Guntank, the Guncannon had large cannons on its shoulders, only the Guncannon’s fired a larger shot, two hundred forty millimeters, and it carried a beam rifle. The Guncannon was almost entirely red, and had very thick armor. It was clearly intended to be a medium-range support Suit.

Against the far table stood the mightiest of all the prototypes. This MS was called the G-3 Gundam. It had less armor than the Guncannon, but the gray and blue armor was just as strong, if not stronger. The G-3 was built for melee combat. It, unlike the others, had beam sabers capable of slicing through an enemy Mobile Suit. It was also capable of carrying the Hyper Bazooka, and a beam rifle that was as strong as a battleship’s beam cannon. G-3 was a fastMobile suit. On the head was a pair of antennae designed to look like an ancient Japanese Samurai, and two sixty millimeter Vulcan cannons. Either side of the head sported cooling intakes, above the horns was a single camera, and below them, a dual set of cameras that resembled human eyes.

“Whoa,” Sabersky uttered in awe. “It always hits me the same way every
time I come in.”

“I know whatcha mean man,” replied Justin.

“Uh-oh.”

“What?” asked Zaccaria.

“We don’t know which Mobile Suits we’re supposed to fly,” responded Sabersky.

“HEY, PLEBES!” yelled a short, powerfully built man who was Chief Mechanic Gray. “Over here!”

The two young pilots moved towards the mechanics.

“You,” he pointed to Justin, “in the Guncannon.”

“Yes sir, pack-mule, sir!” mocked Zaccaria.

“Knock it off and get in,” Gray replied shoving Justin towards the Guncannon. “And you,” he eyed Eros. “Get in the Gundam.”

“Yes pack-mule, sir!” he taunted as well.

“That’s enough,” commanded Gray, becoming very agitated. “You’d better quit, unless you want to pull the trigger and find out that you’re out of ammo.”

“All-right, all-right,” he conceded, pushing off towards Gundam.

I’m actually going to pilot the G-3, he thought with wonder.

As he climbed in the cockpit, the comm unit beeped. Eros flipped the receiver switch on. A small video transmission window opened on his view screen.

“No way.” said Justin, who seemed somewhat perturbed. “I know he didn’t just give you the Gundam.”

Eros slid into the pilot’s seat and flipped the respond toggle.

“I’m surprised too. Guess we know who’s gonna kill more now.”

“When we get back, I’m gonna kill you!” threatened Zaccaria.

About that time, another window popped up on both pilots’ screens.
“You two cut it out!” Laura Setarus demanded. “Justin, you launch first. We detected three Musai Class cruisers before we spread Minovsky Particles. The gunnery team will start firing on the cruisers. You and the other Guncannons will move out to three hundred meters and standby to fire on the MS.”

During the order giving session, Eros strapped himself in, sealed his pilot suit to his helmet, and started his pre-launch checks.

“Eros,” Setarus addressed him.

“Yes?” he responded absent-mindedly as he finished up his checklist.

“Wake-up!” she said to snap him out of his state of indifference. “You will launch thirty seconds after the Guncannons, and as soon as the enemy MS come within the max firing distance of the Guncannons, you are to proceed into melee combat.”

“Why can’t I just use the Beam Rifle and pick them off?” Eros questioned.

“Chief Mechanic Gray reported that the Beam Rifle is still being charged. And before you ask about the Bazooka, we were not stocked with ammunition before we departed Side Seven. We’re supposed to be supplied with some when we rendezvous with the Heron.”

“Whatever,” Eros replied.

The window on Eros’ display closed, and Setarus’ voice sounded on the bay’s intercom.

“All hands not in Normal Suits, clear the maintenance bays. We are prepared to vent the atmosphere.”

The various mechanics and other crew rushed for the airlock leading into the main part of the ship. As soon as the airlock’s last cycle was complete, the mechanics that drove the door and elevator leading to the launch deck groaned to life. Zaccaria moved his Guncannon into a full standing position.

“See ya on the other side,” Justin said, then closed his channel to Eros.

The Guncannon moved from the maintenance table and slid its Beam Rifle from the charging rack that folded out from the wall of the bay. Then he moved onto the elevator, which rotated the MS as it arose to the launch deck.

Eros felt the vibrations of the guns firing, then of the catapult propelling the Guncannon to a safe distance from the ship. Then another window popped up on Eros’ screen.

“Your turn,” Gray, who had just poked his head into the open cockpit door, ordered.

“All right,” Eros responded, as he pushed his controls forward to move his Gundam away from the table.

“Hey, machine gun bolts should bounce right off of your armor, but their melee weapons won’t. So, before you go, get the shield.”

“We have a shield?” Eros asked.

“Yeah. It will lower from its storage rack in the ceiling, so don’t bump your head,” he said with a chuckle.

“Okay, okay. That was a one-time thing.”

“Take care, man,” said Gray, his voice laden with uncharacteristic concern. Gray jetted away from the Gundam.

“Always,” Sabersky assured him.

The mighty G-3 Gundam’s cockpit door slid shut as it moved to the elevator. Eros moved the G-3’s head to look up and smoothly received the massive slab of metal that was the shield as it descended from the ceiling. Eros rotated the head so that he could view the front. Emblazoned on the top portion of the shield was G-3 in crisp, black lettering.

Awesome, marveled Eros.

He stepped onto the elevator. The elevator began to rise, and, to rotate.

Beautiful.

The G-3’s head cleared the interior of the bay, giving Eros a full view of the launch deck, and Space. Eros felt a tug in his heart. He was surrounded by an endless, black void which was highlighted by stars, planets, other celestial bodies…and gunfire.

“G-3…. Space is calling…” he whispered, trailing off.

The launch decks and maintenance bays were set up like old style aircraft carriers. The repair bays were situated beneath a large launch deck with three elevator doors and a catapult. Situated between the two launch decks was a launch coordinating center with view ports that ran the entire width of the center, providing the operators and observers with a grand view of the decks and battle field.

The G-3 stepped forward onto the catapult and the clamps locked down onto its feet.

Here we go, just like the sims, Eros thought to quell his fear of his first real launch. He then manipulated the Gundam’s control to move into a semi-squatting position so that the catapult didn’t just throw the legs out from under the Gundam.

“Sabersky,” an operator in the coordinating center addressed him. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Good. We’re starting the countdown. Godspeed.”

“Thanks.”

A countdown timer appeared on his viewer.

10, “beep”, 9, “beep” the timer sounded. It proceeded down to zero, then…

“Go!” shouted Eros.

The G-forces pressed him into his seat as the G-3 rocketed toward open space.

Eros almost blacked out…

Awesome post! You had me captivated. I literally couldn't take my eyes off of it. The details are great.

Switching between first and last names is kind of confusing, and it gives the impression that they aren't that great friends. Keep it to first names when they are alone (except that first time, when you used both, keep that), and use the last names when it's their superiors' point of view. It doesn't have to get repetitive, if only the two of them are exchanging back and forth you really only need to identify the order they start speaking. If one person says something, then there's action, and then the same person says something, keep it in the same paragraph, and we'll know speakers haven't switched.

did he almost black out from fear, or from the speed? You might want to make that more clear.

Those are my suggestions, and I really can't wait to see more.

Definitely because of the G-forces. ("Guys don't black out from fear" according to machismo.)

Try adding more description to the dialogue or...vary it a bit more.

miyumi wrote:Awesome post! You had me captivated. I literally couldn't take my eyes off of it. The details are great.

Switching between first and last names is kind of confusing, and it gives the impression that they aren't that great friends. Keep it to first names when they are alone (except that first time, when you used both, keep that), and use the last names when it's their superiors' point of view. It doesn't have to get repetitive, if only the two of them are exchanging back and forth you really only need to identify the order they start speaking. If one person says something, then there's action, and then the same person says something, keep it in the same paragraph, and we'll know speakers haven't switched.

did he almost black out from fear, or from the speed? You might want to make that more clear.

Those are my suggestions, and I really can't wait to see more.

Sorry that the name switching was confusing. My friends and I interchange our first and last and nick names every other sentence, and I'm trying to make their friendship seem realistic. That's just the style I know. Although I see the cinfusion.

G-Forces. It explins in the first few lines of the as yet incomplete Chapter 2.

explanation in chapter 2:

ah, okay.

Hmm, I've only known people to use last names with friends as a joke...

Well, in the group I hang with. There are two guys w/ the same first name, so we just interchange names.

Chapter 2: First Battle
“NNH,” grunted Eros as he recovered from the shock. “I don’t care how good the sims are. That was brutal.”

“How’d you like the launch?” sounded Zaccaria’s voice in Eros’ helmet.

“That’s hilarious,” responded Eros with much sarcasm.

Eros maneuvered the G-3 into position next to the Guncannon.

“POs Sabersky and Zaccaria, cut the chatter,” commanded the agitated voice of Setarus. “ There are three Musais. Intelligence reports say that each one carries three Zaku type MS.” She paused. “Justin, the Zakus are about to be within firing range, so target one and fire!”

“Yes ma’am,” responded Zaccaria with mock meekness.

The shell and beams from both the Musais’ and the Graystar’s cannons blazed around the two friends. The area was both beautiful and deadly at the same time.

Eros mashed a foot pedal, sending the Gundam upward. Half a second later, a Mega Particle Beam lanced through the area where the Gundam had recently hovered.

That was too close, thought Sabersky. He was very surprised a how quickly the G-3 reacted. How did I do that? I gotta quit trusting the simulators. This thing is fast.

Two shells launched from the cannons on Justin’s MS’s shoulders. Eros watched as they slammed into the midsection of a Zaku. Two seconds later, the Zaku exploded in a brilliant burst of fury.

“Your turn, buddy,” said Justin. “They’re closing fast.”

Here goes everything, thought Eros.

* * *

“Laura, are the Mobile Suits ready to fight?” Captain DeMarco asked from his command seat.

“Yes, Captain. Guncannon 01 reports a hit on a Zaku. The flight control deck says that the Gundam is moving in on an attack vector,” Laura informed him.

“Good,” said DeMarco, then sat back in his chair. “I hope PO Sabersky knows what he’s doing.”

“He tied for highest sim scores in our class.”

“Real combat is far different from any simulation. He may not be able to fight as well for real as he did in the simulators. That is true for all of the pilots. As good as simulator technology is, it still can’t even compare to a real life-or-death situation,” DeMarco said. “Anyone could falter for just a moment, and lose their life.”

Laura sat in silence for a few moments. DeMarco could not tell if she was listening to combat updates or just thinking. She was thinking.

Eros…Please don’t die… Laura silently pleaded.

* * *

As the G-3 Gundam rocketed towards a Zaku, it pulled a Beam Saber from the charging rack on the right shoulder. The Saber flamed to life, a pink beam emitting to a length almost equal to the height of the Gundam. Eros made the G-3 strafe to the right just before the Zaku swung its Heat Hawk. G-3’s Saber slashed downwards, and right through the Zaku. Eros fired the thrusters and the G-3 flew towards yet another Zaku, riding on the waves of expanding debris and propellant.

The Gundam was suddenly knocked into a spin by another explosion.

“Yah!” Eros yelped in surprise.

A Zaku had moved past the Guncannons’ defense line. It shot Eros with a bazooka, and was now closing in on the Graystar.

“Not good,” Eros muttered in desperation.

Eros fired the G-3’s stabilization verniers. The Gundam stopped spinning, and turned to track the Zaku.

Red? Eros thought. It’s faster than the others.

The G-3 followed the red Zaku. Eros noticed some extra panels and thruster nozzles on the Zaku’s legs. It weaved around shots from the four battleships and other various MS fights going on, propellant spewing from the nozzles mounted on its legs

It’s different than the others. “What is it?” he pondered out loud.

Eros made G-3 swing its saber upwards. The attack caught the Zaku on a coolant cord. The Zaku spun around and fired a shot from its bazooka.

“Not again,” Eros said to the Zaku through the void of space.

G-3 raised its shield and easily deflected the shell. Eros pulled the trigger to fire the Vulcan Cannons mounted in the Gundam’s head. The Zaku strafed left with a stream of bullets tracing its path, threw away the bazooka, and chunked a Cracker Grenade at the Gundam. The MS rushed in with its Heat Hawk held high over its head, clearly intended to destroy the G-3’s cameras.

Eros easily dodged the grenade, but barely managed to block the Heat Hawk that was swinging towards its head. The shield slipped into position above the antenna horns in just enough time to firmly lodge the heat axe into the midsection of the giant metal slab.

Screams… He heard screams.

* * *


The Graystar was wracked with a violent explosion. People and objects that were not bolted down were tossed around like rag dolls. The whole ship groaned and echoed with the sound of metal shifting where it shouldn’t and atmosphere escaping into the depths of space.

“Damage report!” demanded DeMarco.

“Sir, it appears that the flight control deck was hit. Med teams report several casualties!” Laura replied frantically as she tried to process the numerous reports coming in from all over the ship.

“Try to steady us,” Captain DeMarco told Ensign Louis Ramone, a slender man of Italian origin and the pilot of the Graystar.

“Already trying.”

“Captain!” interrupted Laura. “Gunnery teams report a direct hit to one of the Musais!” she proclaimed jubilantly.

Instead of rejoicing as well, Captain DeMarco started issuing orders. “That’s not our chief priority. Organize repair and medical crews. Send them to the damaged areas. Get estimates on repair times, and prepare to retreat.”

Laura was slightly rebuffed by the captain’s command to retreat, but followed his orders.

* * *


Eros jerked the shield away from his face, which consequently took the axe from his enemy’s hand. The Gundam whipped around in just enough time to watch the Cracker Grenade, intended for Eros, slam into the launch control center of the Graystar.

“No!” screamed Eros as he helplessly watched his comrades explode in a burst of twisted metal, bodies, and venting atmosphere.

His first impulse was to rush back to the ship and try to help.

There’s nothing I can do, he thought, trying to sooth his sorrow, but get that Zaku!

Eros whipped the Gundam around, fully intending to rip the red Zaku limb from limb. He traced the vapor trail, but he only got a glimpse of it retreating into the hangar of a badly damaged Musai. Eros grabbed the shield and fired all of his boosters towards the nearest regular Zaku.

The Gundam swung its Beam Saber in a wide arc, and it met the Zaku’s Heat Hawk half way in towards its shoulder spikes.

“HAAAH!” Eros yelled with fury. “DIE!”

He swung again, and was again deflected.

Something clicked inside his head. He felt something… change.

Stab. He heard in his head.

Eros ducked under a wide swing from the Zaku, then plunged its Beam Saber up to the handle into the Zaku’s stomach region. The G-3 kicked off from the Zaku, pulling the saber with it. The Zaku exploded, and with it, the last of Eros’ anger.

Eros slowly turned to view the battlefield in space. One Musai was only a dead hulk; the others were cruising away at full speed. Eros counted six clouds of debris that he hoped were only the enemy’s MS. He flipped a toggle, which opened a comm channel to the Graystar.

“Eros!” cried Laura Setarus with relief. “You’re alive.” Then she was all business. “Proceed to the landing deck, the mechanic crew will handle you from there. I have too many other calls to deal with, so I can’t help you.” And with that, she cut the connection.

Fear and desperation welled up within Eros’ spirit.

What have I done? he thought, the last bit of his energy leaving his bod

Chapter 3: Collateral Damage
The bridge of the Carrier Graystar was an area of frantic activity. Crewmen were using the backup comm stations to coordinate landing procedures for the victorious Mobile Suits. Orders were going out to begin repair and rescue operations, and other various post-combat procedures.

“Laura, are you all right?” asked Captain DeMarco.

“Yes, sir. Just worn out.”

“Take a break,” he called another crewman to take her station. “We may need you later, and I don’t want you too stressed.” He turned to Ensign Ramone. “Activate station-keeping verniers and take a break as well. We’re not going anywhere for at least a few hours.”

“Aye,” replied both Setarus and Ramone.DeMarco watched them leave.

Maybe I’ll oversee the repairs myself.

About thirty minutes later, DeMarco donned the helmet of his Normal Suit and left the bridge


* * *

“Oh man,” Justin’s concerned voice sounded in Eros’ helmet. “What happened?”

“I let them die,” Eros responded with guilt staining his every word.

“What’dya mean?” asked Justin with genuine confusion.

“I avoided the grenade that hit them,” Eros replied, his voice wavering. “That red Zaku tried to hit me, and I let him kill everyone on that deck.”

“No, man. You did what you had to do to stay alive. Nobody can blame you for that.”

“I let them die,” Eros repeated.

“Look, land the Gundam and help search for survivors,” Justin said in an attempt to calm Eros.

“Right. Good idea,’ Eros replied, his spirits lifting a little.

The G-3’s main engines fired, propelling it in to make a landing on the port launch deck. Eros touched down midway to the aft. A mechanic emerged from an airlock and fired his booster pack towards the Gundam. Eros triggered the cockpit door’s release mechanism.

“Secure the G-3. I’m going to help the clean-up crews,” he informed the mechanic, who’s face he couldn’t see through the Normal Suit’s visor.

“Gotcha, Eros,” Gray’s voice sounded in the Pilot Suit’s helmet.

Eros jetted to the fissure that was once a center of communications technology. The glass view ports were destroyed, and the metal frame was twisted at odd angles. Everything was scorched as black as space.
Eros saw a few limbs floating around, and almost vomited in disgust.

About that time he spotted a white suit floating twenty meters away from the ship. He spun about and jetted to the form. As he pulled up alongside the limp form, he saw a thin, white stream of atmosphere venting. Eros quickly removed an emergency patch from the pouch on his belt. He sealed the rip on the form’s stomach.

Eros gently touched his visor to that of the person in the Normal Suit’s.

“Are you alive?” he shouted.

Eros watched as the young man’s eyelids fluttered open.

“Don’t talk, and try not to move,” Eros ordered. “I’m taking you back to the ship.”

Eros fastened a lifeline between his belt and the Normal Suit’s, then grabbed the Suit’s backpack and boosted back towards the yawning fissure in the control center.

Two crewmen in Normal Suits bearing the Medical Division logo on the shoulder met him.

“He’s barely conscious, so take care of him.”

“Roger,” the one on the left responded. The meds carried the man to the corridor leading into the ship.

For the next twenty minutes, Eros helped out in any way he could. He salvaged equipment, removed debris, and helped weld down emergency bulkheads. The last thing he did was collect various, derelict body parts. He found heads missing bodies, torsos without arms, and legs that lacked feet. Eros loaded the parts onto stretchers so they could be identified via DNA, then given a proper burial.

As the repair crews finished caulking the cracks around the bulkheads, Eros watched from the starboard corner. He was sitting with his knees to his chest, contemplating the preceding battle.

“You know, it wasn’t your fault.”

Eros looked up to see the form of Captain DeMarco, a fatherly man in his mid to late forties. DeMarco had slick brown hair, and a brown goatee.
Eros began to rise to attention.

“No, sit back down,” DeMarco told him, then he himself sat, albeit clumsily.

“Sir,” Eros began, “I was dueling that red Zaku. He meant to hit me, but I moved.” He paused on the verge of tears. “G-3 could have taken the hit easily, but instead, I let them die.”

Both sat silently for a few moments.

“I won’t lie to you. I do not know how you feel. I can try to imagine, but I will never fully comprehend the guilt of letting others die so that I may live. It is not your fault. You should feel no guilt, although you doubtlessly will,” consoled DeMarco. “But you helped drive the enemy away before they could kill anyone else. All of the Guncannons came back relatively unscathed, and this deck was the only one on the ship that received any damage.”

Eros contemplated the Captain’s words for a few minutes. Then thought of something strange he had felt before the explosion.

“Sir,” he began, “just before the grenade hit, I heard screams. I heard them even before I knew the grenade would hit.” He stopped to think for a few seconds. “When I destroyed the last Zaku, I could see what he would do next, and how to hit him. Oh, and before I even engaged the enemy, I avoided a blast that didn’t even register on the G-3’s sensors.”

“Hmm…” DeMarco contemplated the sudden download of emotion and information for a few seconds. “Go get some sleep. Come see me in the morning… I have a few calls to place.”

Eros was puzzled at the Captain’s abrupt conclusion of the meeting.

“Yes, sir.” Eros arose and jetted to the corridor that led to the gravitational core.

He traveled to the airlock, and remembered to step up into the graviy shelf when he entered. As soon as the airlock cycled through, Eros removed his helmet and shook his hair loose.

“Oi, I hate the helmet,” he said with much relief. The far door rolled open, and Eros looked up. “Justin!” he called to his friend who was about to step into the shower room.

“Hey, you took so long I wondered if you’d ever come in.”

Eros ran up the corridor to talk with his fellow pilot.

“Yeah, clean-up took a while. There were so many bodies,” he shook his head, then released the collar of his Pilot Suit.

“Man, don’t let it get you down too much. This is a war. People will die,” Justin told him. “ The only thing we can do is remember, and carry on. We’d have a hard time bringing them back to life, so we just have to be content to avenge them.”

Eros started to pull his gloves off. “You know, you’re not as dumb as you look.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Much welcome. I’m gonna go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” Eros said, moving to his quarters.

“All right, I’ll save you a seat at breakfast.”

Eros entered his quarters and stripped off his Pilot Suit. He grabbed a soda from his minifridge and lay down. He slowly sipped the orange goodness and reviewed the prior events in his head. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he remembered to set his alarm.

“Three hours. Great.”

And with that, he was out.

Chapter 4: Change

After telling Eros to go to bed, and telling the Graystar’s pilot to set course for the newly reconstructed Luna 2 base, Captain DeMarco went to his office where he had a private comm terminal. DeMarco punched in his access code, and was connected to a young operator at the Federation’s main command base at Jaburo.

“This is Captain DeMarco. Please patch me through to Commander Dustov in intelligence,” he ordered the nameless operator.

“Sir, before I can do that, I need your clearance code,” she responded.

“Seven, six, eight, three, three, alpha,” DeMarco rattled off.

“One moment please.”

The view screen changed to a room lined with surveillance screens.

“No, no, no. The Zeonic Company, not Anaheim. Oh,” said the dark skinned man giving orders, “Captain DeMarco. How are you today?”

“At ease Jimmy. I need a favor.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“I need all the information you have on Newtypes,” DeMarco requested of Dustov.

“Ooh, touchy subject,” Dustov winced. “I’ll see what I can do. We may have next to nothing on them.” He paused, typing in some access codes. “Look, I’ll call you back when I get the info, good?”

“Good,” confirmed DeMarco. “Thanks Jimmy.”

Dustov nodded then cut the channel.

This should be interesting, thought DeMarco.

* * *

Eros.

The young pilot didn’t stir.

Eros! The voice sounded again.

“AH!” awoke Eros with a start. “Where are you?”

Nothing happened. Eros surveyed the room, looking for an intruder.

“What was that about?” he wondered aloud.

Eros looked at his clock and realized that his duty shift started in thirty minutes. He ran across the hall to the shower, then, after quickly bathing, back to his room. He zipped up his pilot suit, grabbed his helmet, and strolled to the airlock, then floated to the mess hall.

“Eros!” Justin hollered from the far corner.

Eros waved back, and then went to the serving line.

“Bacon, and citrus juice please,” he requested of the cook. “Thanks,” he said as he received his food. Eros then turned and slowly floated to the table where Justin was sitting.

“Rough night?” asked the other pilot, with concern.

“Yeah.”

Gray floated into place next to Eros.

“How’s the Gundam? Too fast fer ya?”

“No. Just faster than the simulators.”


“What’dya do my shield?”

“Your shield? If I keep piloting G-3, that’s my shield.”

“Ah, whatever. Come down to the hangar later. You’re gonna help me get that axe out, plus I need to show you a few things.”

“He’ll be there,” interrupted Justin. “I’ll force him down there if I have to.”
He turned to Eros. “How many did you ki-“ he stopped in the middle of the last word. “Ooh, sorry,” he apologized, as he realized his misuse of words.

Eros felt a pang in his heart.

“It’s…all right.”

“On another note,” interjected Gray, who then sounded a “DING.” “We go on shift in, oh,” he looked at his watch, “five minutes.”

“Right,” replied Eros as he rose, floating about three feet from the floor.
The comm receiver in Eros’ helmet beeped. Eros pulled it up near his mouth.

“Sabersky,” he spoke into the mike.

“Eros, I want you, PO Zaccaria, and CM Gray to meet me in my office ASAP,” sounded the voice of Captain DeMarco.

“Did you guys hear that?” Eros asked his companions.

“Yes,” the two agreed.

“Be there in five,” Eros told the Captain. “Well, you heard the man.”
The three friends floated to the elevator and traveled up to the Captain’s office.

* * *

DeMarco received the information about Newtypes from Jaburo, and quickly poured over it. He then called PO Sabersky, and the only others he thought might have had conversational contact. That list included PO Zaccaria, CM Gray, and the comm officer, Laura Setarus. Most of the information that he had received was considered, for the time, classified. He wanted to nip any chance of a leak in the bud.

He contacted the first three crew members via Sabersky’s comm unit, then called Setarus straight from the bridge. As he awaited their arrival, DeMarco hit some of the more important parts of the documents he had received. The idea that had the most impact on his intellect, and his big heart, was the theory that Newtypes could potentially be used as weapons. Though most of the information was theoretical, he did not automatically discount its value.

DeMarco eventually became so immersed in his reading, that he failed to notice the door buzzer until it sounded almost constantly.

“Huh? Oh, enter,” he said, snapping to full alertness.

Eros, Justin, Gray, and Laura entered as soon as the door whooshed open.

“Sorry for the delay,” said DeMarco. “Please, have a seat, all of you,” he directed, motioning to a couch that was bolted to the floor. “Mr. Sabersky,” he began, addressing Eros, “please recount to your friends what you told me last night.”

Eros looked confused for a moment.

“Sir, which part?”

“About your… abnormal experiences.”

“Oh… This is going to sound so strange. I could see things… that hadn’t happened yet. At first I just avoided a MPC blast before the G-3’s sensors registered that it was coming. I took that to be good luck and nothing more,” He paused for a few seconds to decide how to word the rest of his experiences. “There was a red Zaku, and it looked different from the other Zakus. When I attacked it, it threw the grenade that hit the control deck. I dodged the grenade, but before I knew it would hit… I heard screams; the screams of the people on the control deck. After I saw the explosion, I attacked another Zaku in a fit of rage. At first, it was able to parry my attacks, but then I felt…I don’t know…I just knew how to destroy it. I could see how he was going to move before he moved. And then I killed him.”

No one said anything for a few moments. Then: “What?” Justin asked, clearly bewildered.

“I have no idea,” Eros replied.

“I might, though,” input DeMarco. “Have any of you ever heard of a Newtype?”

“Aren’t they supposedly psychic?” asked Laura.

“You think Eros is a psychic?” scoffed Gray.

Eros sat there feeling dejected.

“Telepath, from what has been theorized, is a better way to put it,” replied DeMarco, coming to Eros’ defense. “The idea was proposed by
Zeon Deikun-“

“Zeon?!” Justin interrupted. “You mean the people we’re fighting?”

“Not Zeon as a people, but Zeon as a man. He was the leader of the Republic of Zeon before the war. Neither EF Command nor I know what happened to Deikun, but the Zabi Family is now in control of Zeon,” DeMarco paused for a moment as he realized that he had gotten off track. “Deikun theorized that as people moved into space, we began to change. Certain people that he observed exhibited amazing mental abilities. Telepathy was the one he saw at work the most.” DeMarco paused again, awaiting interjections from the young crew. When he received none, he continued. “Deikun’s work was largely discredited by the mainstream scientific community, but he created an institute devoted to the research of Newtypes, that is, as far as intelligence indicates, still in operation within Side Three.”

Eros, who had said nothing for a long while decided to pipe up just then.

“So… you think I’m a Newtype?”

“I really don’t know. As far as the EFSF is concerned, Newtypes do not exist. But my point is that you should be open to that possibility. All of you could very well be Newtypes.”

“All of us?” Laura asked, her voice full of careful consideration.

“Maybe. It’s hard to tell.”

“Assuming we are,” began Justin, “what would happen to us? Would we be, like, dissected, or something?”

“Of course not! You’d still be human. To my knowledge, you would still be regular officers. I don’t think anything horrible would happen.”

“Newtype?” Eros wondered aloud.

“Well,” DeMarco said with finality, “ You all have duties to attend to. So, go do them.”

“Aye, sir,” four young voices chimed together. The young officers rose and floated to the door.

“One last thing,” DeMarco called after them, “everything I just told you is classified. You are not to discuss it. And if you feel abnormally compelled to do so, only with each other in private. Understood?”

“Aye,” they agreed, and then left the room.

I can’t wait to see how this plays out…thought DeMarco.

* * *

“Eros,” Laura called out as the young pilot boarded the lift.

“Yeah?” Eros replied, stepping away from Justin and Gray, who

“Uh…uh…” stammered Laura, her mind suddenly going blank. “I haven’t
the slightest idea,” she said. “I forgot what I was going to say.”

“Yeah…well, if you remember, call me. I’ll be in the hangar deck.”

“Alright.”

Laura watched as Eros coolly entered the lift and began the descent to the hangar deck. I truth, she hadn’t forgotten what she wanted to say. Laura wanted desperately to tell Eros how glad and relieved she was that he had come out of the battle alive. She wanted to tell him how scared she was when he left the ship to fight. She wanted to tell him how scared she had been when the ship was hit. She wanted to tell how much she…how much she…loved him.

* * *

As Eros rode the lift down into the bowels of the Graystar, his heart was suddenly burdened. It was a strange feeling that he couldn’t seem to shake.

What’s going on? He wondered.

OOC: Before Kiyoshi says so, I know the thing about Deikun is wrong. I'm doing research, and will correct it once I find the necessary information. But if anybody has any info concerning Newtypes, I' appreciate it if you'd post/PM/email it to me.