Stepping onto the tarmac, Shay looked up at the bright afternoon sky. Numerous resupply corps had been called in, no doubt to set up a temporary base of operation at the mining base. Digging his heels into the ground, he tried to sit and relax against a nearby rock, but his thoughts kept on drifting towards the previous battle. He didn’t know how he did it, but he managed to fend off Char, The Red Lightning! What should have been a cause for celebration made him more uneasy. Should he have shown that level of skill only after fighting so few battles?

No one understood his plight. The constant fear of death, the unceasing mocking by Kent and Jimmy, the detached crew of the Aegis, and of course Lily who couldn’t understand what he was going through. “Every-time I want to talk about it, no one has the answers. No one can explain it to me.” What did it mean to be a soldier? During one of his classes on board the Aegis, everyone present including Stein had their own answer for that. How could he? As someone forced to serve or left to rot in some cell, what answer could he give?

The 50th Air Resupply Corps led by Jim Anders had finished loading the Aegis with new supplies by the time Shay had returned. It was meant to replace the old aging supplies that the Las Vegas base had given them, most of it unusable. A long line stretched from the entrance of the mining base, with giant signs that read “Barbeque”. The smell of cooking meats and vegetables filled the air, and Shay’s stomach growled.

Unfortunately, the line didn’t seem to be moving at a rapid pace. If he tried to get in line now, all he would be left with would be the scraps that no one wanted. Drifting from place to place, Shay eventually found himself at a tiny little river a bit from the Mining Base. It looked man-made, with dams that seem to run across the length of the river. Compared to the natural majestic rivers that he had seen while flying overhead on the Aegis, this one seemed like a shell of its former self.

“What a joke. I feel like this has to be a bad dream.” Shay skipped a rock from one end of the ravine to the other. He did this motion several times before he noticed a woman staring at him from afar. She had on a black Federation uniform, with golden trimmings on the arms and legs. She had on a cap that officers usually wore and had on brown rimmed glasses. He turned back, the woman vanished. Uncertain about what he saw, Shay hurried back to the Aegis. He had a bad feeling about this.

#

The Aegis’ hanger had been in a frenzy since the resupply corps had arrived. Shay walked past familiar faces, unfamiliar ones, and pushed his way through the crowded hanger to get to the other side. There, he saw Stein working on unknown fighter that Shay had never seen before. It was colored in the same way as the X-Gain, and had a sleek, almost slim appearance to it. Walking up to Stein, Shay tapped him on the shoulder. “What’s going on? Why all the noise?” Stein turned, looked at the confused Shay and pointed to a small group of black uniformed officers.

“Those are the guys who are running the base now. They wanted to get a good look at the ship for some reason. Seems the Captain had no choice to agree. I wouldn’t go off talking to them. They seem to be the snobby types that like to hang back while grunts like us do all the fighting.” There was a certain truth in Stein’s words, as if he had fully believed in what he had just said. “Also, don’t wander off too far, the Captain said they needed you standby. Almost forgot to tell you.”

Standby? Shay thought to himself, leaving Stein to his duties. What for? He wouldn’t have long to think on that. Lily had found her way into the hanger and rushed into his arms. Everyone present turned their heads at Shay’s direction and his face turned red as he wildly looked away. Kent on one of the catwalks scowled as he bit on his calorie bar.

“Lily!? What are you doing?! I’m still on duty!” Shay tried to push her away, but she kept her hold on him, burying her face into his chest. “Lily!” After several more times she relented, slapping him across the face hard enough to echo throughout the hanger. The soldiers in black stared at them.

“You’re always busy! Too busy to even be with me! What am I to you!?” With another slap to his other cheek, Lily ran out with her hands buried in her face. Wide eyed, Shay began to chase after her when a hand suddenly grasped his shoulder.

“Leave her alone. Civilians can’t understand what we soldiers do.” Sgt. Rodriguez peered into Shay’s eyes for a brief second and motioned for him to follow. The pair walked out of the hanger and had taken one of the elevators to the officers’ break room. It smelled very much like coffee and had several posters of girls in Federation uniforms posing. Motioning for Shay to sit down, he went and poured them both coffee. “I’ve seen how you behave on this ship since you came onboard. You’ve brought some trouble with you, the way Kent and Jimmy are acting, that girl of yours, and of course how you act like its no big deal.” Shay took a sip of the coffee, he held himself back from making the face he wanted to. “Listen, being a soldier is suffering. But it also means you got to make sure you have everything in order.”

Sgt. Rodriguez remembered a time during a deployment in the Middle East, his squad had engaged a Mechanized Infantry squadron and were wiped out. Him being the last survivor, he blamed himself for not dying with the others. However, that way of thinking only caused him pain and suffering. What Shay is going through would lead to mutual self-destruction.

“I’m aware of that. Its not like I had a choice in the matter.” Shay could still remember the man who had him sign the contract. And the terror he would constantly face as he woke up every morning anticipating it could be his last. His hands closed around the mug of coffee and he began to think out loud. “Who can you guys do it? Aren’t you all afraid of death? Even Stein joined as a new recruit, but so far he seems like a natural. We’re the only combat ready personel the Aegis has, so no one is coming to save us if we do get in some trouble.” Sgt. Rodriguez eyed Shay carefully. He had a good eye for figuring out what troubled soldiers, and this time had been no exception.

“Its that girl isn’t it?” Shay lifted his head slightly up and felt a prickle at the back of his mind. He shook his head slightly as he sipped some more of the bitter coffee. “Listen, you got to find yourself a reason to go on and kill the enemy. You’re so stuck in fear, the anchor you must need to keep you sane you’ve been missing. Its right in front of you kid. Don’t let anybody take that away, don’t you goddamn forget it. Not the enemy, nor Kent is going to get in your way in coming back.”

A small smile played in Shay’s lips. He felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Man may be capable of killing, but they are also capable of understanding one another.” Shay whispered as Sgt. Rodriguez stood up and washed his mug. The prickling feeling at the back of his mind was still there, waiting for him. He knew what had to be done, how he had to survive until the war was over. How long would it be? Would Lily even want to be with him anymore? He didn’t know, but he currently had to overcome this fear and move forward.

#

“The legendary Red Lightning. Must be tough having lost several Armored Suits to the Federation’s newest model.” Mina Cotton snidely said as she sat down on a couch opposite of Char. “What’s so special about the white AS? Its just one machine, it’s not like the thing is a Super Robot.” It was Char’s turn to smile. A projector screen unfurled from the ceiling, covering the rectangular shaped window that stretched from one end of the room to the other. On it, a recording from Char’s Armored Suit black box began to play. “What is this Char!? Its like a monster!” The recording itself was impressive, it showed Char’s close encounter with the X-Gain and the amount of damage she suffered even while managing to land several shots that should have been a direct hit.

Several high-ranking Bardone officers were in the room, all faces on a monitor as they broadcasted from various locations on earth and space. “Do you see now? Imagine if the Federation were to mass-produce this? Our forces would crumple under this white menace, this ‘White Devil’. I propose that we focus a portion of our resources in pursing the Federation’s warship and putting an end to this machine.” The room became filled with loud murmurs as the officers on the other end began to converse with another.

“You will have your resources Char.” Devin Astras Bardone declared, his voice booming over the speakers that put an end to the noise. “But I want to see that this was not a one-time occurrence. I want to see you in action against this Armored Suit. Commander Cotton follow Char’s orders until we are absolutely sure this machine is as dangerous as are led to believe.” Devin Astras Bardone is the Supreme Commander of Bardone. A man in his late sixties, his hair had turned gray from the stress of his position. He led the Bardone Military, as well as oversaw the social, and economic policies of Bardone. “This briefing is over. Sieg Bardone!”

“Sieg Bardone!” Everyone else followed.

“Sieg Bardone.” Char said almost in whisper. When the transmissions all shut off one by one, Mina gave off a loud yawn and threw off her jacket. Underneath, she wore bright pink lingerie.

“So, Char, you have control. For now, are you going to order us all to die? Or perhaps you can work one of your miracles like you did during Luna II.” Char smiled and began to walk out of the door.

“Its been a long time, but the answer is no. I’m not into woman. In fact, I would rather go on a date with the pilot of that white AS than someone like you.” With a slight bow, Char strode out.

“You bitch!” Commander Cotton screamed. The two guards outside her door looked at one another nervously as the Commander broke into another one of her rants.

Char returned to her room, booting up a small portable computer she always carried around. She stuck a flash drive into one of its various USB slots and began to transfer some data from it into the computer. When it was done, she crushed the flash drive underneath her heels and tossed it into a nearby wastebasket. The portable computer opened a window titled Project R. Unfortunately, the Federation had wiped most of the data. What was left were brief descriptions of the weapons it used, terms she didn’t recognize and of course, the Armored Suit’s name.

“X-Gain.” Char felt a prickling feeling in the back of her mind, as if the words were connected to something, or someone out there. “I don’t know if it’s the pilot or the machine, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”

The Cyclops is a land based mobile operations vehicle. It was dubbed as the Federation killer, for its mounted Anti-infantry guns, heavy shells to take down mechanized infantry and of course the large mono-eye that glowed from the front. It also served as a launching platform for Bardone’s Saberfishes and Armored Suits, making it a one in all package.

Char had left behind the Clarant to participate in this operation, but it didn’t really matter. She had no love for the people on board the Cyclops and not even those on board the Clarant. All the people she had respected had died long ago during the Bardone coup d’état. “X-Gain lets see if you can manage to survive again!”

#

Shay peered out the cockpit of the X-Gain. That prickling feeling at the back of his mind had grown stronger, almost like an itch that wouldn’t go away. May Sachs had hooked up several wires to the X-Gain’s onboard computer and was making some slight adjustments. “I’m impressed Shay. You manage to fine tune the X-Gain to your liking huh? I didn’t think you had it in you!” May looked into the cockpit with a wide-eyed grin and motioned for him to move the Verniers around. “Okay, that’s good. Its looking like everyday the X-Gain is putting out one hundred and ten percent. Including you of course.”

Shay glanced at the dashboard and looked back at the Chief Engineer. “I do spend most of my free time with the X-Gain.”

“Is that so? That must be why that girl is always moping around. I’ve been seeing that Kent guy hanging around her pretty often.”

“What did you say?”

“Oops! My bad! Now, try revving the engine as high as it can go!”

Groaning, Shay did as he was told. The meter immediately began to rise, taking about ten seconds to reach the emergency shut down feature to prevent the engine from overloading. “I think the X-Gain might need an overhaul for more cooling.” May once again peeked her head back in and simply giggled.

“You mean the next model? Sure, but who knows if you’re be given that as a replacement.” Shay’s eyes grew in response that comment. “Next let’s run the targeting tests. If you manage to get all shots in the adjustment phase I can tell the Captain to sneak a poster of Charlotte Bardone for you.”

“What?”

The tests ran for about two hours. When it was done, the sun had set, and it was time for the second dinner. Shay walked through the line, looking for whatever struck his fancy. He picked out a ribeye steak with mashed potatoes and hash browns, with a glass of milk. In front of him, Stein chose some sort of chowder and ham with bread. The two chose a table near the end of the lunchroom, content to be away from other prying eyes.

“So, Shay, what are your thoughts so far?

“About what?”

“You know, the whole war. With you piloting possibly the only thing that the Federation has that can turn this war around, you must have some ideas.”

Shay thought about it while shoving some steak into his mouth. “I think, that Bardone has to be stopped.”

“You think?”

“Well, all we’ve seen so far is just a single unit and of course a base. What really makes them different from us? We want to go home and so do they. Its just the manner of how one goes about things.”

Stein gave a look of pity to Shay as he leaned back. “Listen Shay. There’s something you need to understand if you’re going to keep on fighting. I’m from Space alright? Like, from a colony. My colony is one of the very few that calls itself still part of the Earth Federation and that has put some pressure on us, we are essentially defying Bardone. Sure, we might have a brigade of ships from the Federation to protect us, but what happens if they decide to get serious?” Shay shoved another piece of steak into his mouth.

“Nothing good.”

“I’m in the same boat as you. After St. Clara they were going to pin the blame on me.” Shay looked up. “That is, until they said I could prove my loyalty to earth. So, I joined, whether that was fair or not, I don’t blame them. The Republic of Bardone has done so many heinous acts, and the colonies that follow them are doing the same because they believe in what Bardone preaches. That makes for something dangerous, more dangerous than any weapon or figure. They have something to believe in.”

“An ideal that they can strive towards.” Something felt wrong. Something made him sick beyond belief. “Something is coming.”

“Huh?”

“Get down!” Shay lunged across the table, causing him and Stein to fall towards the floor. Not a second too soon, something pierced through the outer armor of the Aegis, burrowing itself into the inner layers, then detonating. Plumes of black smoke erupted from the hole made in the cafeteria, and the smell of burning flesh filled Shay’s nostrils.

“What the hell!?” Shay and Stein ran out, covering their mouths and noses. In the hallway just outside, crewmembers rushed about. An alarm began to blare, with a monotone woman telling for all pilots to head to combat positions.

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

Jumping into the cockpit of the X-Gain, Shay pushed several buttons and the engine roared to life, giving him a kick in the seat that told him it was functioning correctly. The cockpit hatch closed with a hiss, and the monitors began to transmit images from the Main Camera. The catwalk began to recede, and the hanger shook with another shockwave that sent crewmembers sliding about.

“Get the AA guns online! Disperse Takan Particles and brace for combat!” Arthur screamed over the alarm. The Bridge’s windows closed with a steel shudder, and the monitors began to display the outside world. The Aegis engines fired off in full throttle, incinerating some Federation soldiers situated behind the ship. “Launch the X-Gain!” Flying out of the Arm, the X-Gain blasted out into the black smoke, its eyes glowing yellow as it entered battle. Strapping on his seatbelt, Arthur gave the command to lift off.