Waiting for Perfect Virtue
01. To Challenge the Dark Axis!
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And.. it's so short. If the next draft doesn't bulk these chapters up (like more dialogue good grief), I guess I'll be putting up more than one chapter per upload (if I do upload it here, although I've been warming up to the idea of using DA for written works). A ponyfic I've been keeping up with (Age of Wings And Steel) does that and it's very pleasant.
In other news, I have bent <div> in its most basic form to my will! :mwahaha:
...you have no idea how much trouble that code gives me. It just never works. Except now.
...And then I found out that apparently DA doesn't believe in <div align=""> either. FINE, HARD SPACES ONLY, JERK WEBSITE. It also doesn't understand arguments for <hr>? It's all very odd and not very sensible.
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The Gundam Force was gathering at Lab C in preparation for departure. Captain was bringing the Gundamusai (and by extension Raimi) from the S.D.G. lab where it had been reconstructed, and in the meantime Shute was showing off his new backpack... starting by giving his friends near-heart attacks by jumping off of one of the anscillary buildings. It was to show off his new booster jets, of course. (He also had a gun loaded with his special recipe of superglue, formulated a few months prior.)
They were well ready when Captain and the Gundamusai arrived. They had seen the ship a few times before, but this was the first time they'd seen it in flight. The vents, used to disperse bagu-bagu during the invasion, had been converted into regular doors leading to storage. The bridge was completely new, sporting a giant Gundamlike head. The cannons had stayed; the 'Musai remained a warship.
Captain waved, barely visible atop the crows-nest-like balcony above the bridge, and the rest of the 'Force on the ground waved back and called out.
Raimi greeted them when they came aboard. She was a professional A.I. and she stoicly tolerated the Gundam Force's inclinations toward shenanigans.
It wasn't long until it was time to go. The last of the supplies -- good, energy packs, so on and so forth -- were being loaded and the Gundam Force received a sendoff speech courtesy of Chief Haro.
"Gentlemen, today you are leaving on a historic voyage, toward the heart of darkness, to fight the forces of injustice!" He paused. "Good luck! We're all with you!" He saluted, and the Gundam Force returned the gesture.
The ship rose from the ground and moved toward the Zakorello gate; on the bridge, Shute held the small Zakorello 'phone' firmly and said, "Zakorello Gate, open a portal to Lacroa!"
The gate acknowledged with a booming "Rello..." and began to work... only to be disturbed by a horde of Zako soldiers scrambling across his vast head.
The Zakos had been waiting for this opportunity. The Zakorello had always refused to open for them, but now that he had begun the portalling process, they had a chance! They hounded the Zakorello, demanding that he open the portal to the Dark Axis' headquarters rather than Lacroa. The gate valiantly tried to resist, but could not stand against his little-known weakness to tickle-torture.
The portal opened and the Gundamusai, still unaware of what lay ahead, sailed through, quickly joined by a hail of Zakos.
The ride was considerably rougher than anyone had expected, and the surprise culminated when the ship's bridge breached the tunnel's wall, emerging in a room far smaller than the ship itself.
They gawked.
The room, despite being smaller than the ship, was still huge. Tubes lined the walls and occasionally some sort of energy pulsed through them. Hissing vats of glowing fluid dotted the floor, the spaces between them piled high with what appeared to be robots' armor and weaponry.
The center of one wall was dominated by the visage of...something. Three optics spun wildly, fixing occasionally on the Gundamusai and unintelligible snarls echoed throughout the room.
"What IS that?!"
"Where are we?!"
"Miss Raimi!"
"Scanning!... There is a 76% chance that this is the Dark Axis headquarters. Please be very careful."
They let that sink in. The headquarters? They had seen it before (well, not Baku), but only from afar.
"How...?"
"Look out now, someone's shown up!"
A bulky yellow robot had emerged from a hole in the wall -- had that been there before? -- on a floating platform and accompanied by half a dozen Dogas. He shouted something and the Dogas jetted away from him and toward the Gundamusai.
"Miss Raimi," Captain asked, "How stable is our position?"
"It seems to be stationary, Captain."
"Let's go," Captain said with a nod.
"Yes! Let's see how these villains like having the fight brought to them!" Baku declared, brandishing his swords.
Zero nodded, summoning his sword and shield, but did not say anything. Shute looked at him questioningly, but Zero just shook his head and followed the other two Gundams to the elevator.
The four emerged at the balcony and their appearance caused one of the approaching Dogas to straight-up fall from the air in shock (mumbling something along the lines of "Gundams came out of a giant Gundam's head..."). The others wavered in their approach.
The fat yellow mech gunned his platform toward them, bellowing "Imbeciles! It is a ship -- destroy it!"
Regaining their nerve, the Dogas hurried and began their attack run, strafing the Gundamusai's bridge. Captain fired back with his vulcans, while Zero and Baku brought the fight to them (the latter with the help of Zero's levitating magic disks). Shute remained on the balcony with Captain as moral support, a service that was far from minor.
To put it mildly, the fight did not last long. The mech who had been barking orders the whole time stood sputtering as the last Doga fell into the debris on the floor.
The face in the wall had not taken any noticeable action during the fight, though it had watched intently.
"H-how dare you!" the enemy mech finally managed to say.
"Villain!" Zero pointed at him with his sword. "This is the Dark Axis headquarters, isn't it?!"
The mech recoiled. "And so what if it is? You're not going to leave this place alive either way!"
Zero responded with a slash of his sword, sending a knife-edged blast of attack magic the yellow mech's way. He responded by holding out one hand dramatically as if to stop the oncoming attack, and hiding his face behind the other hand. The attack magic passed over him, unimpeded by the gesture.
When the magic dissipated, the fat mech stood unharmed. He pulled his hand back and shrugged apologetically. "Oh, was that supposed to hurt? My mistake," he called, mockingly. "I thought you were here to exact revenge or something!"
"Why that--" Baku started to say, only to be interrupted as the mech kept going.
"But anyway, I am The O, and I'm number two around here, after the General himself!" He gestured to the face in the wall grandly. ("What kind of name is 'The O'?" Shute whispered to Captain, baffled.) "And speaking of which, how dare you trespass into his chamber like this!" And with that, he unloaded on the Gundam Force with a high-powered beam rifle.
"I think we've worn out our welcome, guys!" Shute yelled as he ran for the elevator controls.
"I agree!" Bakunetsumaru called back, making his way back to the ship's balcony.
"Zero?" Captain asked, looking around. He found the Winged Knight glaring at The O and trembling, but turned when he heard Captain. "We need to leave, Zero," Captain said, and Zero finally assented and flew to the elevator.
The O watched them descend into the ship and his optic pulsed in vexation. He'd done a good job scratching up the paint, whatever it was made of was tough stuff. Gundanium? He smirked at the thought and directed his platform to move closer. He could see the despicable Gundams through the optic-shaped windows, watched them do a double-take at the sight of him right outside. He smirked and brought his rifle to bear --
-- and stumbled when the ship lurched forward, bumping his platform. By the time he got his weapon pointed the right way, the ship was rapidly sinking through the now-apparent Zakorello portal. The O snarled and fired anyway, feeling slightly better when it made a streak of slag across one of the windows. Apparently that had been a weak angle for the material.
Moments later both ship and portal were gone, and the General rumbled angrily behind him...
--|--
The ship had been hit just before they'd cleared the portal's surface, but they had escaped nonetheless! Unfortunately, the rest of the portal-tunnel had destabilized from all the stress it had been given, and they were thrown out of the speckled black pseudo-space into...
Where?
--|--
Meanwhile...
The hijacking Zakos had managed to clamber aboard their poor disfigured mothership and were attempting to regroup. The more observant ones had noticed that their travel seemed stalled, but there was nothing any of them could do about it, and soon enough the ship began moving again... and the Zakorello tunnel began breaking up.
What could they do?!
"Well," someone answered, "You could start by leaving the planning to me."
The Zakos turned, and there was Grappler Gouf and Destroyer Dom.
02. The Sea on the Edge of Forever
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Regarding the whole "no weapons" thing (which I totally didn't bring up in this chapter whooooops, it'll go in some further version), I generally consider the scene (in episode... uh, 28 or 29?) where Zapper dumps all the weaponry down a chute to be more of a visual gag than "yep the Gundam Force brought all that crap with them". Or I suppose Grappler or Dom could have smuggled SOME onboard, but...
...Oh, or maybe it was stashed somewhere onboard and the SDG didn't find it. Eh, this is already A/U, I'll just say it wasn't here.
Speaking of Zapper, he, uh, needs a better introduction. I'm not sure where it should be.
Also the previous version of Hazel's story had more of the canon ZZH about the Musai's makeover and it's funny so I want to get it in here somewhere too.
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They were going from one strange place after another, weren't they?
The Gundamusai was sailing through a canyon whose walls seemed to be formed of some kind of thick sea-green fog. They stretched from further up than they could see to far below sight. Behind and fore, the canyon seemed to have no end.
Raimi ran a scan. The results were... inconclusive.
They turned to the Zakorello 'phone'.
"Zakorello Gate, open!" When nothing happened, Shute tried asking more politely... Then cajoling. But there was no response.
Next they tried the onboard copy of Neotopia's own Dimension Transport Device. It whirred and pinged and... the screen lit up to show Bell Wood sitting by the console where they'd last seen him.
Bell blinked as the screen flickered to life, showing the bridge of the Gundamusai. The Gundam Force were looking... worried.
"Hey guys, what's goin' on?..."
They explained.
"Aw, jeez... Okay, let's see what we got here..." He began tapping at the keyboard, retrieving the ship's travel log. Neotopia, Neotopia, Zakorello portal, what was apparently the big bad's room inside the Dark Axis HQ, and...
Errors. Every entry after they left the 'General's room was logging an error. That couldn't be good.
He called the Chief.
[I didn't know how to stitch these parts together, so I skipped it entirely. I still dunno what to do. BLARG.]
Zero spoke up. "I've got it!" He looked out the windows, at the teal expanse. "We are in the Minov Boundary Sea. It is a strange place, said to lay beyond the world's edge... I thought it was but a myth." He shook his head, bemused. "This does match how it was described, however."
"'Beyond the world's edge'...?" Captain echoed, puzzled.
"Wait... does that mean..." Shute stopped, wide-eyed.
"What? What does it mean?" Baku's not cut out for dimensional science stuff, come on guys!
"We're not in ANY dimension?"
"It seems that way," Zero said softly.
Bell frowned. "We can use the dimensional transport device to get you guys back, but the Gundamusai'll be stuck there..."
"Aww, no," Shute said unhappily and turned to Raimi's onbridge avatar. "We can't just leave Raimi behind!"
"Do not worry," Raimi said reassuringly. "I will be waiting when you find out how to open ship-sized portals to this place."
Shute still didn't like it, though. "Let's wait a bit longer, guys.."
Well, they did have enough food to last them a while, and learning to adapt their scanners to the Sea would surely be useful in the long run... They agreed to stay put for now, in the name of science if nothing else.
A day later and they had broken out the cards. After a couple hours spent comparing the games they knew and convincing Zero that it wasn't improper since they weren't really betting, they settled on plain old poker.
Bakunetsumaru, brimming with beginner's luck, managed to bag the first two games. Unfortunately, Zero's declaration of intent to lose no more went unfulfilled when Raimi interrupted the third game.
"Attention! There is unusual activity on the outside deck."
"Unusual activity...?"
"We're all here, any activity elsewhere is unusual! Let's go!"
Unusual activity indeed; Grappler Gouf was yelling for the Gundam Force to come on out and fight (or are they chicken?). Destroyer Dom was wheeling around, bereft of weapons but not of fighting spirit. Zapper Zaku was... threatening a group of Zakos with a mop.
A most motley crew. The 'Force eyed them from the balcony.
"C'mon, what are you waiting for? An invitation?" Grappler yelled up at them.
"How'd they even GET here?" Shute wondered aloud.
"Surely they haven't been here since we left Neotopia?!"
"Those villains! They shall taste my blade!" And with that, Baku dashed off down the front of the Gundamusai to meet them!
"Baku, wait!" Well, they couldn't let him go alone, right?
Even so, the samurai got there first, charging right through a clique of Zakos that were unfortunate enough to be between him and Grappler.
"Come on, samurai," Grappler taunted, steady in a defensive stance.
Swords ready, Baku rushed him and was surprised when Grappler did not, in fact, try to block him but just stepped aside, allowing Baku to run right off the side of the ship.
"That fool!" Zero changed course, diving over the edge and out of sight.
It was just Captain and Shute against their Dark Axis foes... but said foes were still unarmed. The Zakos bumrushed Captain and tried to force him toward the edge using their collective weight. They had just reached the edge when Zero reappeared, carrying Baku in a rather ignoble fashion.
The Zako ball hesitated.
"OH, ARE YOU KIDDING ME," Grappler yelled, frustrated. "GET THEM!"
Destroyer wheeled up, ready to shove that Zako-and-Gundam ball like a monochromatic Katamari, while Zero was preparing to play a different game: bowling.
And that's when Zapper walked up, planted his mop like a flag and started berating the Zakos for slacking AND scuffing up the decks. Disgraceful! Uncouth!
The Zakos shifted unhappily -- oh, what had happened to their dear Lord Zapper Zaku? -- and Grappler groaned. Destroyer shrugged and shoved the Zako ball anyway.
Surprised, the Zako ball nearly disintegrated into its component mechs -- which only served to engulf Zapper as the ball surged over the edge. Zero made a face and the throw, chucking Baku right at Destroyer's face, and dove to catch Captain (and some Zakos too, he guessed, it was not exactly noble to let them all fall to their deaths, or whatever lay below).
By the time Zero made it back up with everyone, Baku had made short work of Grappler and Dom and had them backed up against the other side of the deck. When he saw that Zero had returned he called out, "What shall we do with these stowaways?"
The Gundams thought for a moment. "We could return them with the Dimensional Transport Device," Captain offered, "but we can only move one at a time."
Grappler sneered, "We're not going back there, and there's no way you can make us! NOW!" On command, the Dark Axis robots pushed out past the Gundam Force and ran full-tilt for the nearest door back into the ship.
Frustrated, the 'Force returned to the bridge, where Raimi informed them that the goons had sequestered themselves in the engine room.
"Isn't that kind of... dangerous? What should we do?" Shute asked nervously.
"Surely they would not be so reckless as to sabotage the only thing keeping them afloat..."
"We can only hope so."
--|--
Locked in the engine room, a familiar stage saw action for the first time in months: the Zako Zako Hour had made its triumphant return!
"Good evening, ladies and gentlebots!"
"Is it evening?" the Zako with the yellow microphone asked.
"It doesn't matter! You always overthink things!"
"We're getting off topic! Didn't you read the script, zako?!"
"No!"
"GAH! Okay! Our subject is --"
The subject then waltzed by on stage, shining the floor and humming a little tune.
The three hosts watched him, deflated of enthusiasm.
"Oh Lord Zapper Zaku, what did they DO to you?!"
"I heard that those villains took him into a tiny room and did THINGS to him!"
The other two shivered. "T..things? Like what?"
"You know..." he said with a conspiratory glint in his optic, "Things."
"Ohhh." Pause. "Wait, are these good things or bad things?"
"Of course they were bad you lump! Haven't you been paying attention?!"
"All I saw was Lord Zapper Zaku with an SDG badge on his shoulder and using a mop instead of a gun!" A sniffle. "It's scary. I wish the REAL Lord Zapper Zaku would come back."
"It's his own fault. D-Dom and me got away just fine, why couldn't he?" a new voice cut in.
"L-Lord Grappler Gouf!" the Zako hosts yelped, but quickly calmed down. "Wait! What were you doing until now, Lord Grappler Gouf?" They watched him expectantly.
Ugh, he should have known not to get involved. Why'd he have to open his big mouth... Grappler humphed and said, "I was hiding out and biding my time until the opportunity presented itself so I could get back to the Dark Axis. What else?"
The Zakos looked suitably impressed... for a few seconds. Then one piped up wondering how D-Dom managed to avoid capture, or for that matter survived without his beloved weaponry.
Grappler shrugged and turned to leave. "You'll have to ask him. I'm outta here."
"Aww, we're never gonna know..."
Dom ambled by, tilting his head curiously at the stage.
"Do you... wanna ask him?"
"N-no..."
They sighed, and blinked when they noticed a robotic mouse following Dom. "Uh... anyway... I guess that's it for the Zako Zako Hour! Good night, and Zako soldier fight! Yeah!"
The stage 'curtain' lowered, but you could still hear "But how do you know it's night?!" and a crash.
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