Jason nodded and dismissed Jack and went over to Paul and clapped him on the shoulder. [color=f26522]"Go rest Lieutenant you may not have done much but I don't like to see my friends tired. I'll keep SIGMA on standby so you won't need to worry."[/color] Jason said simply as he smiled at his young friend as he got up and saluted his commander briefly without gusto and he left the room. He was immediately confronted by Graham Aker. [color=0072bc]"So it's true?"[/color] Graham asked as Paul nodded already knowing what Graham was talking about. [color=0072bc]"Well that's a sad end to a brave soldier. I may have only known him briefly and talked with him less but I could see by the way he walked and the way he piloted his mobile suit that he wasn't some nobody. The guy had a history. Too bad it's gone. All the same that just means that I'm expecting all the more from you Black Star."[/color] Graham Aker said as Paul finally sighed and looked at him. [color=0054a6]"I'm just a man Graham Aker if I haven' said that before than I will now. And I'm not Black Star ok? I'm Paul Lyons so call me by that name not some title."[/color] Paul said bluntly to Aker who grinned at it. [color=0072bc]"And that's what I want to see. A man who can challenge me. I think you can do it."[/color] Graham said as Paul looked him dead in the eye. [color=0054a6]"I'm not looking for a rival Graham. I'm not looking for a enemy either. I'll be your friend and I'll be your ally but at this point in time there's another person who needs to die before I can move on with my life. Now goodnight Mr. Aker."[/color] Paul said with exasperation he had been listening to this for a week now and it got old quick. If he wanted someone to challenge him then he should look to himself not others. Graham kept his usual demeanor about him but said nothing as Paul walked away. === It wasn't much longer until they reached Mariemaia's base. Captain Jason Hiyan and World Leader Mariemaia Khushrenada met for the first time in front of the large base. Mariemaia was accompanied by Kenta and Jason was accompanied by the newly recruited Hiling Care and Beta Leader while other pilots stood on standby. Mariemaia was disappointed on how many of her own men were hurt in the attack but was glad that they had captured so many mobile suit pilots. After stripping Gyunei Guss's suit of funnels they handed it over the Mariemaia stating they needed them for Puru. Gyunei Guss himself alongside the Earth Federation soldiers were given to Mariemaia as she had stated that she had a special holding facility for prisoners. It would be a tight fit but she was confident she could hold them. She was also pleasantly surprised by the fact that they hadn't lost more than a handful of men to the battle. In a show of good favor Mariemaia bid that Captain Mask join with the Sundown's crew in order to seal their 'friendship and good alliance'. Jason accepted it and would state the Mask would be rooming with Graham Aker. The whole deal went off without much of a hitch as the winter princess showed more respect than Jason Hiyan had expected of the young leader. With supplies shared between the two groups (beam rifles for Mariemaia and food for Jason's group) they promised to come to each other's aid should the need arise. === Paul had gone to sleep that night dreaming about the day he had fought at the battle of Mexico City. A ZAFT insurgent group named Zeta Sun led by one of ZAFT's veteran generals. The battle had sprung up days ago and had lasted for a good week. Sneak attacks and footmen fighting had caused hell for the OMNI officials and citizens of the city. Mexico had trouble with Pro-ZAFT peoples since it Middle America was a contested land since OMNI took control of it in the previous wars. South America may fly an Earth flag but ZAFT remnants remained. And with the defection of Lao only weeks prior. Lao had led an abrupt rebellion in the middle of Europe by a group of disenfranchised soldiers who were sick of OMNI's policies regarding ZAFT and how they had to fight for years on end. They wanted an end to the war and the only way Lao said it could happen was by killing all of those who served OMNI. Lao La Lugara was a sick bastard but he was one of the top pilots OMNI had ever had since god knows when. Very few people had ever fought him and lived. Paul would be counted alongside them today. He was strapped into Raigo his blue and purple OMNI suit covered his face and body tightly and he could feel in his bones today wouldn't be his day. [b]"This is Santiago Lieutenant Lyons are you ready for launch?"[/b] Avery Santiago asked Paul as he confirmed that everything was green. Santiago had been the communications officer before Williams had come along sometime later. [color=f26522]"We can't let these insurgents take the city and we don't want to risk the Sundown or any other ship. I'm sorry I didn't explain this to you earlier Paul but you need to understand this is the only way to make sure there are no massive losses in the city if a carrier crashes."[/color] Jason said to Paul as he looked at the screen. He hadn't ever questioned his captain not since he first met him. He only disliked the fact that he refrained from telling him vital information. He understood why he did and why he couldn't confide everything in the young 19 year old pilot. Besides things could get sticky if that girl Lacus accidentally heard something come out of his mouth. Why had his father insisted on getting him married off? It was his freaking fault he was in the military was this his way of 'repenting' apparently so. [color=ed1c24]"Stick a sock in it dude let's get serious now."[/color] George Kyleson shouted as his painted red Dagger suit flexed it's arms slightly. [color=f26522]"Fair enoguh George let's get a move on. You're clear to launch anytime now."[/color] Jason said patiently as the red haired pilot took off from the mobile suit deck of the carrier. Paul groaned as he watched his friend launch. [color=0072bc]"Bastard...Just because he thinks he's a pilot now he thinks he's all that. Fine I'll show him how an experienced pilot fights. Hear that George I'm coming! Lieutenant Lyons launching in Mobile Suit Gundam Raigo."[/color] Paul said as the suit flared up and launched out from the flight deck. He could see the heavy amount of air to surface and surface to air missiles had caused massive amounts of dust to clog the air making it hard to see the inside of the city. The once proud city now laid in flames as if the cartels that lived here suddenly got sick of the government and decided to burn it down. [color=ed1c24]"Look Paul I got this you just gotta sit down and chill. I'll make short work of them all."[/color] George said with a grin at Paul over their shared com screen. [b]"Cut the chatter Kyleson don't bullshit this mission this is some serious shit. Kyleson you and Paul are to go to sector bravo in the southern section of the city and take out the enemy mobile suits who are gathering there. They got some GINNs smuggled in from Africa. Bad shape and everything but they're still a threat. Or that's what the intel says. The point being it's time for you and Lyons to rack up the kills again."[/b] Santiago said as Jason chimed into say that they should work together and have Paul's Raigo take the brunt of any damage due to it's Phase Shift Armor. [color=0072bc]"This bloody war never ends and never does the resourcefulness of ZAFT's god damn militia. Where the fuck did they find GINNs at? I thought we blew up Africa's MS corps during the war. Didn't you participate in that Captain?"[/color] Paul quarried as Jason said to focus on the task at hand. [color=ed1c24]"Holy shit you were in Africa Captain? That was some stuff going on during that part of the war. Well hopefully I can hold up to your old ass."[/color] George joked as Paul told him to shut the hell up. The city was in flames and the only things Paul and George could were bodies everywhere Santiago shouted orders to other pilots including Beta Leader and his team. It was gruesome but things could've been much much worse for the two young pilot. Though Paul at this point had done much worse and seen much worse than all of this. Hell he could say he had it worse then some of these people but that would be a lie at the end of the day he was alive and he wasn't in the worst spots imaginable. Jason had told him of the days of Extended pilots. Before he could tell what was happening though George blew through a wall of a building collapsing it. Omega Team was right behind him and was shelling the nearby buildings. [color=ed1c24]"Man it's such a pain doing this..."[/color] George grumbled as his Dagger for good measure stomped on a pile of rubble. [b]"Unfortunately yes. who knows how many insurgents are in this city. We have to be thorough. Even if there are innocents in these buildings then they should come out and be waving their arms to us. Otherwise they'll be classified as possible enemies. On the other end it doesn't make it any less awful right kid?"[/b] Omega One asked Paul as he felt a sick twisting in his guts. What was right and what was wrong and how far did he have to go to make sure people stayed safe? Mexico city would need a shit ton of resources from OMNI and other governments to get back on track and the loss of life...[color=0054a6]"Got it Thompson, Ashton on my six we're going to take and hold the sector."[/color] Paul growled too his partners as he spun around and used his beam rifle to blow a hole through a building. His sensors had picked up movement and he reacted preemptively. His newtype powers weren't awakened at this point in time. The beam melted a whole sector of the building and he knew then and there what'd he'd need to do... Later that day he and Jason were alone separated from Paul's Omega Squad. Santiago wasn't there with them either due to jamming and having been ambushed by a GINN Strike Team in the middle of a square didn't help. Luckily enough they were unable to overwhelm the duo. Paul reacted quickly parrying blows with his shield causing it to become dented as the enemy's sword pounded it relentlessly. [color=0072bc]"You're a coordinator aren't you!?"[/color] Paul growled at the enemy as the man shouted back at him in Spanish. Paul didn't understand...and or care really. After a moment Paul was flanked by the enemy and then he surprised them with a sudden cheap shot dropping his beam saber he shot a missile from his flight pack into the face of the enemy Ginn destroying the cockpit and thanks to his armor he absorbed the shot. He was blasted straight into another Ginn which he took use of his anti-armor knives to quickly destroy the enemy driving the knife into the rusty cockpit of the Ginn. George was struggling against his enemies due to the Dagger's poor systems but he held his own well against them all the same. George wasn't some poor man's pilot he was a natural...just like his shitty old man. [color=0072bc]"I got you!"[/color] Paul shouted as he picked up the enemy Ginn's sword and ran over to them driving the sword through the side of the cockpit a swirl of blood emerging from the exit point. He then fired his CIWs at the other enemy Ginn as George blocked the shots from the enemy's rifle. Before he knew it George had pulled out his own beam saber and drove it through the enemy's cockpit. [color=ed1c24]"Good work bro."[/color] George said breathing heavily as he tried to locate the jammer nearby. Firing noises were heard nearby that meant that there was more work to be done. [color=0072bc]"Yeah but we're not out of the job yet George I got your back. Let's regroup with Omega hopefully Ashton is still alive after that RPG Shot."[/color] === Timeskip Two days later - 1:50 PM Chapter 4: Something to Prove To say that things were boring would be an understatement. To say tensions between the crew were even worse would be on the money. With the addition of Mask, Hiling Care, and their new allies from Mariemaia's Army some of the crew were wondering how long this trip would really be. People distrusted Nena, and Reve with varying amounts of suspicion. Some people wanted them gone, some people wanted to give them a chance, other people wanted them in the brig and their suits scrapped for good measure. Hiling Care gave Paul and Jason a very detailed list that backed up Saturnalia's own confessions about the people of Celestial Being. Jason was wearying of loosing allies in this time as they were losing their 'grunts' at a terrifying pace. News had spread about Gabriel's apparent death and that rose discontent around some members worrying about their own place and being left to die a lonely death. Burials were held for suit pilots who had passed and Jason said to everyone that no one dies alone unless they do something stupid or they want to prove something. There were no real contacts though Mariemaia had given them the info on the enemy base. Apparently it was located on a coastal city of sorts not far from Mariemaia's own base. However some of their apparent allies had a base near the OMNI United Force's own Twilight Citadel. While they still needed to study the thing more things were becoming clear though Jason hadn't revealed info and Head Mechanic Yuri refused to comment to anyone. The crew was left to varying degrees of autonomy. Though there were still some good news about the ship as Jason had decided he was going to reform Omega Squad and had Graham Aker declared as Paul's first wingman. Auxiliaries were to make up the rest if no other choices could be found. Likewise Stella L. Was chosen as a possible choice but Paul refused to make use of an Extended girl who hated to fight which Stella was happy about but still felt that she needed to do something for the crew and not waste away in a medical bed. She had insisted on finding her old team and her 'Captain'. Stella was also cleared to actually leave the medical bay and had spent some time outside of the ship with Puru under guarding watch from Beta Leader.