"Launch control, this is Leonhart, ETA with Luna in 90 minutes. We are go."
"That's an affirmative launch control, this is Almasy following Leonhart's ETA by 2 minutes, let the games begin!"
Laguna spoke over the comm with a commanding voice, surprising the party, "Don't get too cocky boys, you've got two missions up there."
"Roger that launch control, obtain Moon Stone and eliminate all Ultima Demon Cry Points."
"Good, Esthar and the World are counting on you!"
"Great, I really wanted more pressure!" Seifer said on a closed channel to Squall.
Squall toneless as usual replied, "Your primary mission is to eliminate the demon points, consider all monsters as side targets, I'll back you up, but my main mission is obtaining the moon stone."
"Oooh goody, I get to blow stuff up." Seifer quipped.
"Keep moon surface damage to a minimum, focus only on the target points and the Ultima Demons."
"Yeah, yeah, I copy..." muttered Seifer.
The party waited with baited breath for the confirmation, but as soon as they heard Squall say, "Touchdown, we are on the surface.." They breathed a sigh of relief, Rinoa most of all.
Laguna turned from the comm and spoke, "Now you people have a mission: we need to secure all points surrounding Esthar, even though we won't have all 11 gates secured until Squall locates the stone, we should still be ready." He handed each brave and Delita a communicator, "Use this to confirm your location, contact the others only when you've reached your designated area."
Delita nodded, but had a few questions, "I'm not presently an official brave, but my sword is something of a trigger to the powers of the stones, is there a center point where I can utilize it?"
"As a matter of fact both you and Rinoa will be going to the center of Esthar, the main square. She to prepare her barrier, you to initiate the stones. We need all the help we can get." Laguna said.
Rinoa piped up, "Laguna, I would prefer it if I could retain a comm link with Squall if I may..."
Laguna with a smirk realizing what she wanted said, "Don't worry we'll establish a satellite hook-up right there."
"Good." She said.
The mobile strike suits worked better than Squall had hoped, and he was eager to test their combat capabilities. Sure enough, over the horizon of the dark moon, a huge pink-purplish wave rose and came their way.
"It's coming--brace yourself!" Squall tensed.
A sea of monsters washed over the mechs like they were simply stones getting washed ashore. Squall was the first the draw a beam saber and cut a swath through the wave. Seifer followed suit.
"How the heck are you gonna get the stone in a sea of monsters?" Seifer mocked.
Squall countered with, "How are you going to get to the points?"
"Hurrrgh!" Seifer grunted as he plowed through another wave of the creatures. At first it seemed difficult battling the little beasts, but it was only a matter of time before the waves thinned and they'd just be walking on the moon again.
"Up ahead!" Squall barked. One of the black-winged demons seemed spawning in a vat of monster pustule, and grinned a toothy grin maliciously at the pair. A hiss and a lunge at Seifer was all Squall needed to launch a large salvo on the creature.
Unfazed by the ammo pounding, the demon pounced on Seifer's mech and began scratching at the frame. Seeing it impossible to break into it tried pounding it into the ground. Surprisingly quick in space, Seifer found it difficult to block the creature's hits. But one quick slice with the gunblade-like beam saber was all it took and the beast and its focal point were a floating mass of fluid orbiting the moon.
"These freaks aren't all that hard to fight!" Seifer grinned devilishly, "I'm gonna have me demon for dinner!" And he boosted for the next focal point on his hologram-map of the moon.
Squall lifted his sensor array, "Computer. Scan for Adamantite/Lunar fragment." [SCANNING]
Before Squall arrived on the moon, the lab technitians analyzed the components of the Zodiac stones, and realized they were composed of one compound. Adamantite. Since previous trips to the moon had proven there was no source of that metal found anywhere on the surface, it could only be assumed that it came from earth in ancient times. How, he had no idea, but he was going to make damn sure he found that Moon Stone. The braves counted on him, especially considering the fact that the largest cry he knew was aimed straight at the heart of Esthar, and he knew Rinoa would be there, of course she could cast barrier on the city and protect herself, but how long could she hold it up?
The bigger that main cry got the more Squall was worried.
Meanwhile back on earth, the parties had split up to their individual sectors of the city. Each eventually radioing their position in to Rinoa, Delita, and Laguna.
"I rrreeeally hope this works." Laguna ran his hand through his raven hair nervously. Rinoa hadn't really heard him, she was busy reading Squall's vital statistics, pulse, and watching his face from inside the suit and from a cam which told her where he was looking. Basically she was fussing over him.
Laguna, seeing his comment meant nothing, sighed and turned to Delita, "So how exactly did you activate those time gates, anyway?"
"Well," Delita seemed not quite able to answer the question, but he tried, "I...just drove my sword Legend here," he showed the blade to Laguna, "into some sort of groove or slit in an anvil. It just did it."
Laguna looked at him wide-eyed in confusion, and asked, "Umm, how exactly do you plan to activate the stones without a groove."
Delita was abruptly nervous, "Erhm, I guess I could just as well point the sword at the sky and see what happens."
Now it was Laguna's turn to be nervous, "I.....hope you're right."
