Mobile Suit Gundam 0098: The End Begins

Episode 31: "Dukey, what the hell are those things!"

Frame 31: An Investigation Gone Wrong

Dukey and Zach arrived at hangar H and saw the Ragnarök. Standing outside of the Ragnarök were the fully repaired silver Hyaku Shiki and the Gundam Frame. The Ragnarök, like the Raider but bigger, was a dark green color, had only one main cannon on the belly of the ship, but it was at least twice as powerful as the Raider's Hyper Energy Cannons. Dukey ran inside and sat in the captain's chair. Everything was similar to the Raider on bridge so it all felt natural to him.

“They did an awesome job! What do you think Zach?”

“Remarkable. Should we get the mobile suits on board and get out of here?” asked Zach.

Dukey nodded and they left to see about the mobile suits. Both his, Zach, and a couple of Sharads boarded the new ship. The K1L-002 Sharad are a more up to date version a Nemo.

“Well…since the Admiral doesn't know what to do, what do you say we try to find out what the hell happened at Luna II?” suggested Dukey.

“Yeah, let’s go and investigate,” said Zach eagerly.

"Captain Dukey Aznable. We have been assigned to be your new crew. We are the Ragnarök Team." Dukey nodded and eyed up all of the men. Dukey liked what he saw, but would not forget about his old crew and would still continue the search for survivors. He saluted the men.

“Welcome aboard men! May I ask your uhh…name?”

"Please Captain, my name is Sergeant Vera Rosamé. The rest of the crew is made up of Petty Officers, but believe me; they all have extensive training on operating the Ragnarök." Vera would be the first female crewmember ever on Dukey’s team so this should be interesting.

“Alright Sergeant Vera. Your first task will be to make sure that the Hi-Nu Pegasüs Gundam and Gundam Frame gets completed. Then you are to  make sure that the Hyaku Shiki is refueled and ammo upped.”

"Aye-aye Captain!"

Dukey saluted and he and Zach left for some relaxation. Dukey hopped in the captain's seat as his team started up the ship.

With the engines fired up the Ragnarök began to hover above the hangar. Vera took her position and cranked the thrusters forward and it took off.

“RAGNARÖK, LET’S MOVE OUT!!” commanded Dukey. Zach sat right back in his seat next to Dukey, thinking.

“This ship is way more powerful than the Raider...” He looked around. Dukey definitely knew what he was doing; this seemed just like the Raider. It must feel like home for him.

Dukey started hitting a few buttons on the keypad in front of him and the ship took off for Luna II. The speed was amazing, even faster than the original. It only took them about fifteen minutes to reach Earth's gravity. After that, they wrapped around to the other side of the planet and shot off in Luna II's direction. “We'll arive in approximately twenty minutes,” confirmed Vera.

“Damn this thing is fast. I wonder how good this Atomic Beam Cannon is...” Zach closed his eyes, he didn’t want to nap, he just wanted to rest his eyes a bit. A lot of things happened lately. His face stung here and there. The gash had healed and it was itchy at times.

“Twenty minutes huh? This thing is fast hey,” he said to himself.

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They arrived near Luna II as Vera kept the ship steady.

“Alright, let’s go. No attacking unless I give the command. If they fire on us, just stay calm.” Dukey hopped in his silver Hyaku Shiki and launched. He and his team approached Luna II and skimmed the surface of the giant asteroid using his thrusters. “Now to find a Titan soldier, we need to talk.”

“You lead the way, I'll cover you,” assured Zach, following in a barrowed Sharad.

Dukey looked back at the Sharad and said,

“Sounds good. If you sense something just let me know.” Dukey continued on until he reached a small structure in the middle of nowhere. “What could this be? Stay here team and cover me.”

Dukey moved in closer and landed in front of it. It's much larger than a mobile suit and as wide as a hangar. Dukey tried to open communications with it, but nothing happened. The Hyaku Shiki turned around to look at the Sharad Zach was piloting and said to him, “I don't understand…is this an abandoned Titan base or something? It looks like it's been used recently though…” All of a sudden the top of the building opened up and these brand new model mobile suits started spewing out.

“Dukey, what the hell are those things!” informed Zach who hit his boosters and engaged with his beam saber. He swung and it went through one that was headed for Dukey. Dukey contacted the operators on his ship who informed him that these mobile suits have not been registered, but are appearing under the code name Zankou.

These unique mobile suits had grey feet, brown leg armor with grey thrusters, a think brown and grey cover for the leg joints that resemble a kilt, thick chest and shoulder pad armor, two holes on the side of their head, and an upside down yellow triangle in the middle forehead. “Could these be the mysterious mobile suits that have been randomly appearing? Could…could they be connected to the Elite Forces of Nemesis?” he pondered,

“We're going to have to fight our way out of here. We need to take one with us for questioning, now let’s go!” he ordered. Dukey quickly turned around to see a group of Zankous.

The silver Hyaku Shiki pulled out both beam sabers and locks sabers with a Zankou. It then kneed it in the stomach knocking it back, and slashed through the cockpit. The Zankou exploded and another Zankou dove through the explosion at Dukey.

“How many Zankous could they have stored in there?” he asked to himself. Zach’s mobile suit took out a beam saber with its left hand. He slashed at one Zankou and shot another with his beam rifle. Dukey swooped by and rotated a beam saber around and stabbed behind him taking out two Zankous.

“Hold your fire men.” Suddenly the Ragnarök team noticed the Zankous ceased fire.

            “What’s going on?” asked Zach.

“Why if it isn’t the brother of our Imperial Princess,” said a pilot in a black and grey Zankou, recognizing it.

“Who are you?” asked Dukey through a com-link.

“Sergeant Laloo Satigma…you captured me remember.”

“How…how did you escape Grenada?” asked Dukey.

            “Easily…some nut of a Newtype—Yugo Hitaki broke out which set me free as well. He’s dead now,” he explained

            “What? Yugo is dead?” asked Zach to himself. Dukey took this time and asked,

“Listen, I used to be the Captain of the Raider. I apologize for my forcefulness with you, but it was a mission I had to do, just as you must have missions that you regret. My men came here last aboard the Raider and I was NOT on that ship.”

"Are you saying someone took your own ship?"

“Well…not exactly. I was thought to be dead, so my ship was given to another captain. Our Admiral said his name was Captain Athens. Anyways, the real reason I have come here was to see if we could find some clues to what happened to my ship and the people on-board.

"Well…from my understanding, the ship's bridge was shot out by Captain Athens. Whoever was piloting the ship at the time had been killed and most of your men were destroyed by the Titans. The rest have been taken prisoner on former Londo Bell base now called Raven-star. I am sorry, but this is all I know, and you have surpassed your welcome here, so I believe you should leave before my men kill you for real. And trust me, you’ll stay dead.” Dukey and his team headed back to the ship as Laloo’s team moved back into the structure.