Part 29: Mission 9 (Earth Route) - Prologue

Earth route was the winner of the route-split vote. So off we go with the prologue of this LONG mission:



Kazuma informs the log that he and the crew are helping with the hijacking while the Space Knights head to the Nadesico rendezvous.
He's heard that Mithril is also pitching in independently with the hijacking: par for their course of fighting terrorists their own way and with their own gear.
Kazuma doesn't entirely trust them, despite his father's assurances; are they trying to make a name for themselves? Are they just arrogant?
In any case, Kazuma longs for this mission to be over so he can return to the normal Trailer lifestyle. As per the maxim, he wants to "be not fettered by anything".



The hijacked plane's whereabouts are currently eluding Tessa and crew.
It vanished somewhere between Okinawa and Haneda Airport, and is believed to have headed north into the Eurasia Union's territory.
Since the Eurasians are squared off against the Atlantic Union and the Federation Army it controls, this spells extra trouble.
The Eurasians are unlikely to resort to open war, but some kind of power play for the top government seat is inevitable at this rate.



Tessa laments how her folks underestimated the bad guys, but Mardukas points out that no one's confirmed that the hijackers are actually after Kaname.
Given the mechanical "trouble" that Ambassador Dorian's plane suffered before the flight, it seems much more likely that she's the target - but no one can rule out that *both* girls are in the crosshairs either.
The strategists are sending in Mithril to avoid info on Kaname leaking to any other organizations…admirable defense of secrets, except that there are bigger things at stake just now.
Kalinin notes drily that the world is turning faster than the strategists can see - as this little incident proves in spades.
Anyway, the terrorists can't be allowed to monopolize two people pivotal to the world's survival, especially considering how harmful it could be if word of the Whispered were to be revealed.



Mithril's spy satellites have finally figured out where the plane will land.
Kalinin advises counting on the "Poison" within the enemy's bodies: Sousuke, who he hopes could get them some kind of transmission to help set up a rescue operation.



In an anonymous military facility, a certain man is congratulating Gauron on his splendid work.
His forces are converging with all due speed, and he wants Gauron to hand the girl over at once.
Gauron tells him to hold his horses, since another client of his wants the “other” girl dropped off in Eurasia first.
The other man, some sort of minister, couldn't give a damn about Gauron's schedule, and tells him to make Relena's handoff top priority.



Gauron then says that the Eurasians are also interested in Relena, hoping to use her to fortify their standing in the Federation.
The minister is outraged at this, which doesn't surprise Gauron in the slightest - after all, the minister, or rather his backers, seem to be rather at odds with the Eurasians.
The minister is furious that Gauron and his bosses are trying to play the two sides against each other, but "Quicksilver" Gauron cuts him off mid-rant.



He's actually not interested in anything that happens after he delivers the merchandise to the buyer, preferring to leave that to "Mister Silver".
All he wants now is for Relena, plus a certain arms dealer, to make him rich.



Elsewhere in the base, the passengers have finally realized that they did not in fact land in Japan.
Even Mamoru's oblivious parents realize they're mixed up in something bad, but Mamoru's dad sternly tells Mamoru not run off on his own like he did in Okinawa.
As Hana keeps silently repeating that she’s “not afraid”, Kaname tries to cheer her up with the old adage that Evil Never Prospers.
Meanwhile, Sousuke is furious with himself for watching that mystery man so closely that he missed the hijackers - and is wondering how the hell said hijackers managed to evade the airport body search.
It can only mean a sophisticated plan with some heavy organization behind it, and it becomes clear who the moment Gauron walks through the door.



Gauron skips the B.S. political explanation, and tells the passengers, pleasantly but summarily, that circumstances beyond anyone's control have made them his hostages.
As Sousuke stands unbelieving that Gauron is still alive, he calls their attention to the Rk-92 Arm Slaves out the window, who plan to welcome them with open arms.
Unless, of course, someone tries to escape, in which case every last hostage will be summarily shot.



He then asks everyone to join him in a little photo shoot for the benefit of the press - and calls Hana up to stand beside him.
Mamoru tries to tell him to cut it out, but Gauron tells the brave lad that he has no use for boys who give him the heebie-jeebies.
Mamoru’s father and Kaname protest at him picking on children, which earns her the dubious honor of taking Hana's place.
Gauron recommends she not resist, unless she wants that long hair of hers to get a lot shorter.



Relena then steps on the scene, knowing that it's her he wants and demanding the release of the rest of the hostages.
He admits responsibility for Relena's plane's engine trouble but, to show her how he won’t tolerate any obstacles to his job, he shoots Relena's secret police protection.
Sousuke tries to warn them but it comes too late.



He then takes both Kaname and Relena with him, though he promises Relena that he'll release Kaname and the other passengers once he's done with her.
He does want to make one more point to whoever shouted out "Get down" as the secret police were being offed.
Sousuke realizes what peril Kaname will be in should he fall here, but just then one of the stewards intervenes by dropping and breaking a dish.



This steward, the actual Heero.
This earns him a vicious slap from one of the other terrorists, and handily distracts Gauron from whatever dastardly deed he had in mind.
Gauron makes his exit, but orders his men to check the passengers' luggage, just in case.
That and, no cel phones will work here. As the two girls get dragged off the ship, the people inside can only wonder what will happen to them but but Sousuke vows to get them back...



Back in the Valstork, who hasn’t had any news of the hijack since it went into Eurasian territory and vanished.
Kazuma complains that while we stay here, not knowing where they went, the plane's passengers are in grave danger, but Duo assures him that at least for now, everyone but the ambassador should be safe.
Meaning, if the bad guys' main plan is thwarted, they might well slaughter the remaining passengers as an example.



Just then, Gai's arm starts beeping: it's Mamoru's callsign!
Good thing that the GGG's pagers are satellite-based and usable anywhere on the globe, and even better thing that the terrorists likely don't suspect a grade-schooler of carrying one around.
The signal's coming from Eastern Eurasia, a good hour's flight from here.
Quatre tells a worried Noin that "he" is in the area, and will head straight to the scene once the hijacked jet's location is relayed to him.
"He" is codename "Water", one of the Preventers' stoutest allies - and in fact he's likely aboard the plane as they speak.
Duo is gleefully awaiting the inevitable tummy-ache the "poison" the bad guys swallowed will produce. What's more, Liger, on his way back to America, also has a message...



Meanwhile, Sousuke managed to sneak out of the plane and get on the horn to the Danaan.
He's discovered explosives planted in the plane's cargo hold, and states frankly that they're beyond his skill or equipment to defuse.
Tessa tells him that the GGG helped localize his position, thanks to that incognito boy agent of the GGG.
Sousuke doesn't know where they've taken Kaname, but is pretty sure that both she and Relena were the specific targets of the hijacking.



Kalinin tells Sousuke to seek the girls out only so far as safety permits: he's needed as a decoy as well.
Sousuke then concludes by telling them who the enemy leader is: Gauron, acting differently than when they fought but unmistakable nonetheless.
And Sousuke should know, having personally shot the guy in the forehead once already (which left a scar).
Just then, one of the guards spots Sousuke, and threatens to shoot him if he won't say what he's up to.



Sousuke hesitates, but before he can act, Heero knocks the guard out.
Heero's impressed that someone like himself was among the students, and introduces himself to the Mithril agent as "Duo Maxwell", Relena's shadowy bodyguard.
He wants no thanks for saving Sousuke on the plane, but tells Sousuke to help with Relena's rescue.
Sousuke protests that he's got another mission, and Heero rapidly deduces that the other girl must be one of the Whispered the Mithril have marked.
Sousuke is amazed that Heero would know that, but Heero is unwilling to say where the info came from.



He presumes Sousuke won't be helping him, and tells him to get to his mission while he goes about his.
Before he does, Sousuke gives Heero a "Calorie Friend", presuming he must be hungry.
He says it's fruit-flavored, since he can't stand anything else, and Heero smirks and says that he's a fruit fan too.
As he runs off, Sousuke cautions Heero that Gauron is a top-flight adversary...



Kaname is not looking kindly on the weird Xray(?) machine the bad guys are trying to put her in.
The scientist says he's trying to find out if she's the real deal or not, and warns that he'll have to get violent if she doesn't settle down.
He shows her some kind of weird 3-D image, and tells her to keep her eyes open while he continues.
Suddenly, a torrent of technobabble begins to pour from her mouth, things the scientist claims she knew since before she was born.



As in, "2-D crystalline structure... ECS... Non-invertable reactive transposition composite AF... IFSS retrospect... infinite-chain information circuit... Overroom 808... Progenitor culture Es... Leo Culture... Boosted gamma-grifeptan... production array conductors... Galeoria Comet..."
Kaname starts fidgeting from information overload and yells for the scientist to stop – he does, too excited at the discovery.



Sousuke bursts in and demands that he stop the machine, having disabled the guards outside.
The scientist won't stop now, so close to getting what he wants, and Sousuke promptly levels his ass, saying that he only gets one warning.
The scientist manages to ask who the hell Sousuke is, and he replies that he's the Trash Officer.



Heero has also made his way to Relena, who is in very good health.
Gauron isn't very happy to see that Relena had a secret bodyguard on hand, and is even less happy that that damn green-glowing boy is with her too.
He really has a complex about kids, and tells Heero why he kidnapped Relena: she's his ticket to winning many allies worldwide, even if he has to reduce her to a drugged up marionette in the process.
He will not, however, tell Heero who he works for, and just then someone in colony clothing fires a warning shot and demands Relena be handed over.



It's Trowa, whose identity becomes clear when the warning klaxons start blaring.
It seems someone else is raising hell elsewhere in the base.
Realizing that Kaname is slipping through his fingers, Gauron runs off and leaves the scene to Trowa...


You think that's a lot of text? Just you wait...Next update, things are gonna get even crazier.