Chapter 34 - [The Cyprus]

Yoshida's cockpit had been breached and twisted by some great force. I couldn't tell if it was the most recent hit or an earlier 60mm shell that had dealt damage to the mobile worker. Her arm was pinned to the side of the cockpit by a jagged piece of shattered steel. The piece of metal must have punctured her suit, and all of the air would have already escaped.

I began to push away from the mobile worker's cockpit when I saw Yoshida's head move slightly. Turning back once more, I realized that the piece of metal must have been holding Yoshida's suit closed. She was still alive, but she was pinned in the cockpit.

Another spark of lightning crackled in the distance, and my path was set. There was only one thing to do. The piece of metal obviously couldn't be removed. Even if I managed to pull Yoshida out of the cockpit, her arm could never be used again. The cockpit's first aid kit held a tourniquet, and my tactical knife would have to do the rest.

The situation was suboptimal to say the least. All I could do was try my best to save Yoshida's life as quickly as possible. A tight tourniquet went around my mechanic's arm, and the blade of my knife found its target.

Officer Yoshida flailed as I cut into her arm, and I could hear the reverberations of her breathless screaming where our suits touched. When I hit bone, I rotated my tactical knife and began sawing with the serrated edge. In less than a minute, I had performed an 18th century surgery in the 22nd century.

My tactical knife returned to its sheath as blood filled the cockpit. I figured the tourniquet would be enough to stop Yoshida from bleeding to death until I could get her to a doctor. She must have been in shock, since she barely moved as I dragged her out of the cockpit.

Pulling Yoshida through space, I could see the battle unfolding without me. Four warships pulled aggressively toward Zum City, firing randomly toward mobile suits that were flying out of sight. In an instant, the battle had changed from something I could meaningfully affect to something akin to a natural disaster. At any moment, I could get caught up in a nuclear strike or an exploding fusion reactor.

I weighed my options and decided to move toward the crippled enemy frigate. Once Cpt. Ral started firing his nuke-equipped bazooka, I wanted to have some steel bulkheads between myself and the blast.

The airlock at the base of the frigate's command tower opened without resistance, and we were able to enter the ship. I drew my service revolver, expecting to face armed Federation soldiers at any second, but none came as the airlock finished its cycle.

As I dragged Yoshida's slumped body through a hallway, I saw that the frigate was called the Cyprus. After destroying so many of those ships, it was a bit strange to see that they all had their own names.

There was a changing room near the airlock, so I pulled Yoshida into the room. A single man sat in one of the changing room's crash harnesses, curled up in a fetal position and sobbing heavily. I silently thanked God as I released Yoshida and lunged at the man with my knife.

"No! Please! I'll help you!" the Federation man screamed as my knife plunged toward his carotid artery.

My knife stopped a few centimeters from its target. Holding the knife to his throat, I asked, "What's your name, soldier?"

"I-I'm Petty Officer Sven Hanson," he said nervously. "A-Are you the pilot who took out the bridge? The Gray Demon?"

"I'm getting pretty tired of people recognizing me on sight," I muttered. "My name is Lt. Commander Sebastian Dogwood. Surrender or die."

"Surrender! I choose to surrender!"

"Good. Now, you're going to help me save the lives of every person on this ship. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Tentatively, I pulled the blade of my knife away from Sven's neck before saying, "Does the medical bay have access to the intercom system?"

"Uh, yes? I think so," Sven muttered.

"Hold her wound closed while I change," I said as I began unzipping my flight suit.

"What?" Sven asked.

I started looking through the nearby lockers, and I soon found a Federation uniform that was in my size. "I'm changing into one of your side's uniforms."

"But that's a…" Sven said, but I cut off the rest of his sentence by aiming my revolver at his chest. Yes, I knew it was a war crime, but we were WAY past the point of caring about such things. "Aye, aye, sir. I will hold the lady's wound closed."

Over the next few minutes, I changed into a Federation uniform and frantically gave myself a quick haircut. I shaved my facial hair and cut the hair on my head to a more manageable length. The slight change in appearance would hopefully be enough to stop the Federation soldiers from recognizing me at a distance.

When I returned to the changing room, Yoshida was beginning to stir from her position on the ground. She gestured for me to come closer. When my face was only a few centimeters away from mine, she gasped out a barely audible whisper, "Leave me here, Commander. Run. Save yourself."

My instincts screamed at me to listen to her, but some instinct I didn't fully understand overrode that feeling. At a low enough volume that Sven couldn't hear me, I said, "I won't let you die, Aiko. You will live, whether you want to or not. That is the curse I place upon you."

Aiko tried to say something to me, but I couldn't hear her as I pulled away.

"Sven, carry Warrant Officer Yoshida to the medical bay!" I shouted.

Together, two soldiers of Zeon and one captive Federation soldier traveled to the medical bay of the Cyprus. I held my revolver in one of the uniform's jacket pockets, ready to defend myself and my subordinate.