Cloud (Aegis Gundam) against Ferd Yuy (Altanza) – Sneak Attack at Barren Desert

The soft night winds swept over the dunes, stirring up the sand in miniature storms. The temperature was at a staggering -3 Celsius, as opposed to its temperature of 60 in the daytime. In the midnight blue sky, the moon lay pale and ominous, shining it’s cold light on the two figures moving in the distance. As they tramped along, the clanking figures left huge footprints in the shifting sands and cast a large shadow across the desert, signifying they were far from human…

“So where are we going again?” asked Ferd Yuy, peering at his navigation map display. The MS on his left turned to face him and pointed out to the west. Then a comlink channel opened and a voice said “Not far now Sir, we only have a couple of miles left before we hit that rich deposit of oil I told you about”. The voice paused and clearing it’s throat said “I left my Jagd Doga there to guard the site, can’t trust the d**n SS or red dragons to come prowling around – let’s hope he’s still there”. And indeed thought the voice, it still was; waiting in the cliffs of Messer Grand with it weapons primed for its next target. Cloud grinned to himself and then snapped back to what Ferd was saying. “I see, well, I have faith in you Cloud – we sure could use that extra fuel supply to get our fleet underway – although I’ll only know whether its worth anything when I get there” spoke Ferd with some scepticism in his voice. Unheeding of Ferd’s words, Aegis Gundam activated its thrusters and lifted off the ground, closely followed by the Altanza. They bunny-hopped their way there and then powered down their mobile suits in a rocky inlet.

Ferd leapt out of his MS and landed lightly in the ground while Cloud stood facing the dark abyss of the nearby canyon, his massive sword resting on his shoulder. Ferd’s ninja senses told him that something was very wrong and he loosened his katana in its sheath as he approached Cloud. “Now that we’re here Cloud, I’m sure you’re going to want to be showing me the oil depot” prompted Ferd. The smile that Cloud gave him chilled him to his bones…now he was sure that something was wrong. “Sure Sir, this way,” called Cloud. Ferd walked behind Cloud, watching his every move. Glancing upwards, Cloud said quietly “There it is, near the grey rock outcropping,”. Ferd’s mistake then was to let his vigilance drop and look up to see…a blank cliff wall. Immediately, Cloud’s sword came swinging at Ferd’s head and only Ferd’s quick reactions saved him from a decapitation. He somersaulted backwards and drew his katana. Then with lightening speed, he jumped above Cloud and brought down his blade, straight onto Cloud’s. The two swords locked and each struggled for a better hold. Ferd looked straight at Cloud’s hunted eyes and said “You’re not a very good actor you know, so why?” Cloud stared back at Ferd and said “Because I must…because I can…” With a powerful thrust, Cloud pushed back Ferd who began to backflip back to his Gundam. It was all a trap reflected Ferd as he strapped himself into Altanza and started up the MS. But for what reason? he mused and boosted off into the sky.

Yet, the gauges began to show strain and suddenly the Altanza stopped moving. He checked his exterior camera to see a heat rod wrapped round his foot, extending to the Aegis Gundam. It now showed it’s true colours; the devilish black wings curled around it like a cocoon and it’s heat vents issued hot steam in great gusts. “Not going anywhere are we, Sir?” mocked Cloud and with a giant tug, he slammed the Altanza into the cliff side, dislodging several rocks that collapsed and covered the mobile suit. “Well that was easy,” laughed Cloud. He turned and started to walk away when a rumbling came from the pile and out burst the Altanza, his Angel wings filling the area with blinding white light. “Good for me that I got these babies to take down your disloyal ass,” fumed Ferd and in the darkness, flashes of light appeared and a hail of bullets rained down onto the stunned Aegis Gundam. “d**n fool, you should have died there!!!” yelled Cloud and switching on his beam glaive, raced towards Ferd and slashed at him wildly. Ferd weaved in and out of the stabbing glaive and said “You have got to do better than that if you want to beat me Cloud otherwise then I guess you really are just a good-for-nothing soldier”. The Aegis faked a strike to the leg and then spun around, cutting off the Altanza’s arm in one swift motion. “Any better you good-for-nothing soldier?” retorted Cloud and blocked an upward hack from Ferd’s beam saber. Suddenly, he heard a loud tearing sound in his armour and leapt backwards to see a large army knife protruding from the Altanza’s forearm. “You’re definitely going to need a new paint job after that,” said Ferd calmly. Cloud growled and ascended upwards, his black hole wings filling the sky with a spreading darkness. Altanza was close on his heels, his Angel wings glowing a brilliant white in opposition to Cloud’s wings and the two fought in the twilight; matching beam saber and beam sword in beautiful harmonic combat. Feathers from the wings floated slowly to the ground as the fury and speed of the battle intensified. All that could be seen now were fast moving blurs and the occasional tsssiiwwer sound of weapon against weapon. It looked like a complete stalemate until out of the gloom of the canyon; a single roving red eye launched a heat shortel into the air. Ferd didn’t see it until it was too late and the heat shortel lodged in the back of the Altanza, chopping off one Angel wing and causing him to drop from the sky. “There goes Ferd,” shouted Cloud and whipped out his Quazer Rail gun and fired a blast from it. The blast went straight through the other wing of the Altanza just before it crashed into the ground, a fallen Angel…

In his madness, Cloud began to fire again and again at the limp form of the Altanza until nothing remained of it…save a white feather. Even as Cloud departed the area with his Jagd Doga, feeling retribution against Ferd, the story of the two bright lights of the west, black and white, was never forgotten by those who saw it. They called it the coming of the gods to earth, to judge them for their sins…yet only one person died that night, Ferd Yuy, the fallen Angel.