Episode 3

Another six weeks had passed since the death of one of the rogue Gundam pilots on colony J9 and the preventers still knew very little about the new threat to peace. Bits and pieces came through the ranks. Rumors mostly. They were a terrorist group calling themselves the Dark Wave. There were legions of Gundams waiting to attack. They were planning on attacking earth it self.

Lu just shook his head at the rumors. The men should pay more attention to their duties than to idle chatter. Those Gundams were out there somewhere waiting, and if the preventers weren’t careful more colonies could be lost.

At the moment he and Solo were restoring old mobile suits for active duty. Not that a handful of rusted out Tauruses would stand much of a chance against a Gundam, but they would offer some defense until a better plan could be devised. He walked across the old warehouse to where Solo stood supervising the repairs being made to the suits.

"Hey Lu" Solo said glancing up from his clipboard. "Looks like we may finish ahead of schedule."

Lu glanced over to the suit nearest to them being worked on, noticing the mechanic dutifully working on one of the rear stabilizers. It was a woman, with shoulder length brown hair, and she wasn’t in a Preventer uniform.

"Solo, who’s that. She’s not one of ours is she?"

Solo glanced at his friend and a wry smile came to his lips. "Good eye Lu. I noticed that cutie when I got here. She’s been here all day, I think she’s with the museum. She’s got great… er…um… assets, if you get my meaning."

Lu had gotten his meaning and more. She was quite beautiful, leaning over the mobile suit, with a smear of grease on her cheek. I wonder what her name is…Snap out of it man… you have a mission.

"Lu...Hello, any one home?" Solo waved his hand in front of his friend’s face. "Hey man if you think she’s that hot go talk to her."

"Wha?" Lu shook his head. "No, I…I just think that we should monitor who we let get near the suits that’s all. Make sure they have the proper clearance." He was doing his best to cover. The mechanic leaned further over the suit. God those coveralls fit her in all the right places.

Solo smiled and slapped Lu on the back. "I think she’s got the proper clearance."

"Solo we’re on the verge of a war and all you can do is check out women?" The question was directed more at him self than Solo. Now is not the time, I shouldn’t even think about it. The mechanic stood up and whipped her brow with the back of her hand. Lu could see her entire face now. Beautiful.

Solo licked his lips. "Well if you’re not going to talk to her…" He started towards the mechanic. Lu grabbed him before he even took three steps.

"Alright I’ll talk to her, but only to verify her ID."

"Sure buddy…what ever you say." Solo patted him on the back. "Verify her ID

a couple times for me" He called after Lu as he walked towards the mechanic.

She looked up. The taller one with the black hair was coming this way. She had over heard enough of their conversation to know that of the two he was the one with manners. If that little creep with the brown hair looks at my ass one more time I swear I’ll take this wrench and…

"Excuse me Miss. Could I see your ID card?"

Still this one was good looking. Love all that hair… What the Hell am I thinking?

"Miss?"

"Oh ID right." She pulled her ID from her hip pocket and tossed it to him.

Lu looked over the ID; everything seemed to be in order. Rowan her name is Rowan…nice. He caught his thoughts beginning to wander and stopped him self. The mission that’s what is important. "This looks about right. Thank you carry on." He said and handed the ID back to her. Their fingertips brushed for a moment. Electric… and then she pulled her hand away.

Lu turned and walked back to a smirking Solo. "Not a word Solo, we have a job to do here."

"Crash and burn buddy. Man, Lu, as soon as this little conflict is over I’ve gotta get you out more. You have no clue when it comes to women."

***

It was almost midnight when the attack started. Lu had just drifted off into dreams of brown haired goddesses when the sounds of explosions awakened him. What the hell? He dressed as quickly as he could and stumbled out in to the hallway. Once out side he caught the arm of a junior officer as he tried to flee.

"What’s going on?"

"Captain Peacecraft. Sir. The Gundam…it…it’s here. And there’s a bunch of mobile dolls with it."

"Mobile Dolls…are you certain?"

"Yes sir. They’ve already penetrated the south block and they are advancing towards us."

The suits…the enemy must have discovered their plan to use the Tauruses. "Where’s Solo?"

"In the warehouse I think he’s going to try and take them on in one of the Tauruses."

Damn it Solo’s gonna get himself killed. Lu released the officer, and sprinted towards the warehouse. No one was there when he entered. Let’s see 1,2,3,4,5…Damn one of the suits is missing. Only one thing to do. He’d have to take one of the mobile suits as well. No way he’d stand a chance against a Gundam, but at least fighting would buy the colonists some time to evacuate.

He ran his fingers over the console. He’d been in a simulator enough times to know how to operate a mobile suit. Being a mobile suit pilot was in his blood, he had always dreamed of taking one into battle. He got that from his father. Well, father let’s hope that good piloting is genetic. He hit the turbos and flew out of the warehouse.

***

Solo was in the thick of a fierce dogfight with three mobile dolls when Lu finally reached him. The Gundam was no where in sight.

"Glad you finally made it to the party Lu." Solo grumbled into the com as he rolled his suit to the right dodging a blast from one of the doll’s rifles. He pulled his suit in a complete one-eighty and came up behind one of the dolls. "Say hello to the new God of Death." He cried and slashed into the doll with his beam saber. He quickly maneuvered his suit away from the mobile doll. It exploded taking one of the other mobile dolls with it.

"The new god of death?" Lu chuckled to him self.

"Yeah, I’ve always wanted to say that. You think Pop will be pissed that I took his title?"

Lu didn’t have time to reply as another wave of mobile dolls charged at them. He raised his beam rifle and fired into the storm of suits. Mobile suit parts rained down on the colony below. He and Solo were actually holding their own. As he fought, Lu let his mind wander to the colony. I wonder how many people have been evacuated. Rowan…I wonder if she got out.

Solo’s suit took bad hit, and he began to lose altitude. "Damn Lu, I’m loosin the flight controls. I’ll have to back you up on the ground."

"No problem buddy. Watch your self down there." Lu watched Solo’s Taurus slowly fall to the surface of the colony. Where more mobile dolls quickly pounced on it.

Shit... there’s no way he’ll be able to handle all of them with a crippled suit. Lu turned his suit towards Solo’s.

The alarm on his suit went off, one of the mobile dolls was coming up on him from behind. He turned to fire, but nothing happened. The rifle, which had been neglected for years, had completely shorted out from the sudden repeated use. Shit. He hadn’t expected this. Lu swallowed; at least he’d go down fighting. "Get on with it then." He screamed at the mobile doll as it moved into position to fire.