Roromi

The sudden flash of thrusters stole Creed’s attention. The strange mobile suit seemed to phase into existence and it dawned on the veteran that his opponent was using Mirage Calloid (or something like it). His fascination was short lived as the Archer-esque mobile suit jumped straight over him, launching a pair of daggers at him as it went to dazzle past him. Again, Creed wasn’t the type of sword man to bat a projectile out of the air; instead he let go of the hilt as he lifted his shield up with both arms to block the weapons. Between his momentum and shield he ended up only having to block one of the daggers as the other flew past him harmlessly; the other struck deep into the shield, becoming lodged. With his right free hand he reached up to grasp the hilt of his right beam saber. The Astray wasn’t particularly special in terms of features, but something it had was speed and agility. He pushed off another boulder to change his direction and twist around to chase his opponent. As he turned he slashed down with the poised right arm, simultaneously igniting the pink blade of his saber. He knew the stroke was one of desperation but he needed to swing the tide of the battle. The important thing was he now had his shield and weapon directed at his dangerous foe and he was within striking distance. “Let’s get this started!” Marco howled out loud as he moved in for a follow up to his initial attack.

A boulder to Creed’s left suddenly exploded, a line forming from a slice of some type,trailing through the material. The dust from the explosion sucked behind the source as it flew away, a beam boomerang. Confusion riddled Creed’s face for just a moment before it dawned on him that it was a distraction, or rather that I most likely had to be. Based on the direction of the boomerang it had originated somewhere vaguely in front of him, which meant what exactly? Creed instinctively brought the Astray to his right, weapon poised but still tucked away; and just as he turned his attention away from the exploding boulder a glimmer caught his eye. Two boomerangs! He thought as he jerked his controls to hop backwards into the direction of the cut boulder. There was no way he could track the second projectile, and he feared that he couldn’t do much to prevent the second attack. While he wished he had the skills to cut the boomerang midair he was happy enough as his instincts paid off. The glimmer of the second projectile violently sailed just in front of the Astray’s head. The heat of the beam likely sizzling off some of the paint. The proximity of the weapon was enough to startled Creed, and he stumbled backwards against a boulder which barely stopped him from falling on his butt. Thinking of how “uncool” he must seem he took a deep breath then fired his thrusters. The Astray hobbled back onto its feet and began a trot roughly towards the 2 o’clock from his original position. He didn’t run in a straight line, he knew better. Instead the Astray jerked after every other boulder and would kick off one of the obstacles to make a zig zag approach towards what he was guessing was his enemy’s location. He grimaced as he picked up a tempo to his movements. He still didn’t have a good idea where the enemy was or what he was facing for that matter. Based on the returning vectors of the boomerangs he could make a good guess where to go but nothing was popping out to his eyes. This made the veteran all the more skittish as he kept checking his rear sensors for another trick. If he kept moving maybe he could stir up another attack and get a better idea what he was dealing with. “Bide your time…” he murmured to himself.

((This is a GBN battle rematch between Roromi and Frosty! Creed will essentially be using just a dolled up Astray Red Frame.)) Creed’s environment shifted from the public GBN lobby into the familiar scene of a Gunpla cockpit. The man stroked his beard as he glanced at the displays and the status of his unit. CIWS empty, beam rifle lost; they weren’t kidding about melee weapons only. The veteran let out a nervous chuckle as he took in the virtual controls. He looked at the environment he was in and was surprised to see that he was on an earthly pasture. It appeared to be set on a high plateau with views all around of deep valleys. The grassy field he was set on danced like waves in the wind, crashing harmlessly across his mobile suit’s feet. There were a few mobile suit sized boulders around, enough to offer brief lapse of cover against an opponent. Enough boulders riddled the field to offer a loose maze with no path clearly seeing the other side of the plateau’s edge. It felt like a perfect dueling ground, not too open, and not too convoluted with obstacles. Cracking his knuckles the man let a grin grow on his face as he took the controls. The Astray Custom Gold frame jerked into motion lifting its colossal hand in front of Creed and swinging the limb over to grasp the hilt of the stories-tall samurai sword on his hip. With his left shielded hand he brought the Astray to hold the scabbard steady and poised to draw the blade out in a slice. He held the blade back, instead opting to stalk the maze, like a samurai stalking a ninja. He was ready to explode into action with a single stroke. His mobile suit strode deliberately and not quickly. The Astray was nimble enough but Creed knew that melee fights could be unpredictable and his best bet was to remain aggressive but cautious. It had been years since Creed had built, much less used this particular unit. Essentially it was the Astray Red Frame but painted up as the gold frame instead. The markings were also custom displaying “OMNI Enforcer” and other earth slogans since this was a unit he had made long before he became a Zapp employee. The armaments consisted of a single samurai sword, his anti beam Shield, and the two beam sabers on his back, not to mention the somewhat unreliable power couplings on the hands. Needless to say he was excited to be using the unit once more. The gold glistened in the sunlight and he couldn’t help but appreciate the aesthetics the unit had to offer. He shook his head letting the notion slip from his mind so he could focus on the challenge before him. He had to find his enemy and destroy them, no matter the cost.

Hmm what if we did our own version of destiny’s timeline?

Creed settled into the virtual cockpit for Bael. He cracked his neck then popped his knuckles. He scowled at the screens as they lit up. Marco was in a serious mood today. No more experimenting, no more half taken measures. Today, Creed meant business. Gritting his teeth he gripped the controls for the powerful machine. “Marco Creed, Bael taking off.” He grumbled out loud as Bael made its way down the catapult of the Versailles. When the alabaster mech cleared the ship he flared the thrusters and spun the elegant mobile suit in a barrel roll. When he got to a safe distance from the Versailles he shifted the suit to gaze back at his teammates. He turned just in time to see Hikaru launch off with his tell tale Gundam and G weapon. Creed watched his team launched off one after the other. His mind wandered with each thruster flare and he found himself contemplating just how the day was going to turn out. His gloves hands caresses the controls affectionately. In just a few moments he’d be putting the golden blades of Bael to maximum effect, a smirk grew on his lips in anticipation. Still part of him grimaced at the notion of even working with the renowned nihilist Rae Le Cruset, but Creed knew now was the time to put such thoughts aside. Never mind the fact that in this world Rau’s logic could somewhat be considered reasonable. If Alpha team was gonna succeed in taking down an unsinkable ship they’d have to be indelible in their actions today.

Alright I think I’m pretty much done. I’m gonna get an action base then take some really cool pictures later on! I tried weathering the yellow with gold and I kinda like how it looks. I also figure out a cool way to weather with a sponge. I finished it all by using a tamiya weathering kit. I like the dirty look! I still can’t believe I have a kit this cool! It’s been an awesome build. Let me know what you guys think!

I like this idea! That way we have access to all the tech. I am curious about the presence of cannon characters vs not having them there.

Hmm well I mean we’re all a bit of amateur hour here but maybe that’s the angle you could take with it? I’d sooner compare to the gunpla section of reddit but this is much more of a close knit community. I feel more comfortable and bold posting meager attempts on here versus being perhaps more self conscious on a bigger site. Maybe you could put up challenges for Gunpla poses and pictures? Just thinking out loud at this point I’d be curious what everyone else would think?

((This was a collaboration between me and Hikaru. Enjoy!)) Creed was snapped out of his reverie by Hikaru’s question. The older man had a flustered look on his face as he returned to the here and now. He looked at the kid and took an extra moment to contemplate the question. “Hmm” he pondered out loud. Bael was somewhat specialized, if not specific in its design. By all rights he suspected that his machine would be fast enough to compete with the Strike, maybe even the Destiny is that became an issue down the road. The question wasn’t wether or not he needed a boost, it was if Bael would be better without the bonus? Marco finally shook his head, “let’s see what everyone else brings to the table. I’ll take you up on it if no one else has a use for it. Bael is plenty fast enough, my only fear would be off balancing the machine with too much speed. It could become unwieldy.” He looked at the kid directly, “thank you though!” He was genuine in his appreciation, at least the kid was trying to help his teammates. “Bael might get nakered up but it should outpace the Strike… last I checked sword beats knife.” He added the last part with a snicker as he referred to the armor Schneider knives the Strike was known for. Hikaru smiled back, getting the joke. "Heh, yeah. Those and its vulcans may be the only things that can actually hurt your machine aside from the Sword Striker or maybe the Launcher Striker's overkill." He chose to respond to the gratitude next, glad someone appreciated it. "You're welcome. Logging my machine in while standing on the Flying Armor was as easy as not, and my machine's new G Defenser should be just as fast so I don't need it unless there's call for atmospheric re-entry. It's essentially a 'poor man's' Mobile Armor with a Beam Smart Rifle for longer range hits." That wasn't the full loadout, but it was a decent summary. "I also added some emergency non-beam armaments in case I ran into a machine with anti-beam properties. You and Risu are already fielding them, and it's only a matter of time until the enemy does too..." The Diver tried to keep combat trends in mind and predict them, though he wasn't going to pretend to be 100% successful. Marco nodded his agreement as Hikaru spoke. “If they’re smart they’ll mix things up as well. Best we can do is hope to keep them off balance.” As he mused he began stroking his beard nervously as he gazed out the window. “Do you really think they’ll have us diving into the atmosphere?” The veteran asked cautiously of the younger man. His reference to the flying armor Hikaru brought along. “That’ll make things very interesting if it goes that route.” "Well, I don't know if it'll happen this mission or not." Hikaru admitted, having given a shrug. "Things are up in the air and the timing is likely off, but both scenarios this seems to be comprised of have an eventual orbital drop mission we can use it for. In the meantime, the Flying Armor is something that might be able to keep an otherwise sluggish teammate more highly mobile. It seemed better to have it as an option than not to carry it along. The Aile Strike is fast. Some of Beta Team's machines are also fast. It was that simple in the end." Indeed, things were getting harder to predict. The unit was something he could carry along with his machine into GBN without any form of penalty, and he didn't HAVE to use it...so why not? Again Marco grinned at the man, a twinkle in his eye and looked back at Hikaru. “It’s very smart of you bringing that in. Any edge will help us! Once this is over I’d like to take -“ his voice trailed off as a man floated towards the pair. Non other than Rau Le Cruset appeared with an eerie smile on his lips. The NPD gave a salute towards the divers, “gentleman… the briefing will commence momentarily. I would suggest you attend the conference room soon”. With a curt nod the devilish man floated away and Marco gave Hikaru a helpless look. “If our teammates don’t show up won’t the simulation forfeit us out?” The question was partially directed at himself. In previous versions an impartial team would be disqualified from participating in the mission. Was this something 1.8 had changed? Marco’s panic grew as more and more NPDs piled into the briefing room. It soon became obvious that the briefing would start one way or another. He looked at Hikaru, curious to see what the kid had to say about all this. Hikaru noted Rau, creeped out a bit by the man after knowing his true ambitions but giving him a nod. Whether they remained in this altered era was hard to determine, however. In this merged universe, Rau may well take on Char Aznable's more ethically questionable aspects as well. Entering and having a seat with Marco, Hikaru started noting various AEUG and ZAFT pilots. There was even Shiho Hahnenfuss. Lots of background characters were present. "...Given that the other team was allowed to participate with an NPD filling their fourth slot," Hikaru started when speaking to Marco, "I suspect that we might not get the boot so easily. It's more likely that Kamille and Fa, who are here because of our actions, would be compelled to fight to balance out the roster. That's just my guess though." Marco found himself sitting with his teammate and nodding once more with Hikaru’s assessment. He was glad that he was stuck with a competent diver at the very least. It helped that they seemed to be of like mind as well. “That’s a valid point” Marco mumbled as the lights and din died down to let the attention settle on the infamous commander. Rau took a moment for the chatter to die down and a moment more before finally talking. “Thank you all for being here. As you are well aware we are still in a dogged pursuit of the legged ship. We have reason to believe that they will be making a run to enter the earth's atmosphere and proceed to Joshua.” He paused again to let his mask scan the crowded briefing room. “Because of the value of the G machines and our depleted fighting force we will be relying on the strength of our recently acquired mercenary force for this mission.” Rau lifted a glove hand to motion to Hikaru and Marco who shuffled nervously at the attention of so many NPDs. “Of course you will not be deploying alone, ZAFT does not take this task lightly so I will deploy as well to offer any assistance on this matter.” He let the gravity of the unusual deployment settle over the room. “At this point we can’t be certain of the exact strength of the enemy force but we can assume it will consist of five mobile suits and a single mobile armor.” The mention of the mobile armor hung in the air like a stale odor which caused the commander to grimace ever so slightly. “We must assess the enemy’s strength quickly and adapt accordingly. I would not ask for such a reckless course of action if it were not important.” As he finished there was that eerie smile along his lips once more. “Crew is dismissed, I want a word with our hired swords.” Marco tensed up as the man floated past the dispersed crowd of NPDs and paused an arms length from himself and Hikaru. “A word gentlemen…” he said politely, “it’s about that peculiar piece of equipment you brought along today…” Rau motioned to Hikaru and Marco felt his stomach sink as the NPD proceeded to formulate a plan, a decent plan, that used the resources of their small team. Marco’s emotions rolled from terror to fascination as the NPD got his reluctant approval.

You should! We got a lot of people who do Gunpla on here!

I completely agree!

Creed did his daily routine as normal. Wake up, eat breakfast, and do shores around the house, and post on his Zapp Inc blog. It wasn’t until midday that he started having any thoughts about GBN and the next part of the mission. Gundam Seed had always been one of his favorite series and he vividly recalled being thrilled by the exploits of Rau Le Cruset during the show. This caused Marco to decide two things for his planned session that evening: the first being to not pilot the savior, the latter being to have fun with the situation. His two conclusions caused the sponsored professional to literally dust off a mecha from his shelf and do some light touch up work on it. Before he could really ask himself what he was doing he had his paints out and his printer etching out a custom design on decal paper. He meticulously cleaned the surface of the regal white Gundam with cuetip and applied his custom decal where the old one had been. The Gundam Bael had intrigued Marco, especially for being in a series that wasn’t particularly his favorite. Still the fan in him enjoyed the simple design the machine boasted. The white and blue paints paid homage to Tallgeese II and the weapon choice reminded him vaguely of Epyon in their specialization. Twin gold swords (which Marco had made out of actual metal) hung ready on the hips of the model. Even motionless and poised the figure had a majesty about it which Marco had to concede made it appropriate to lead Gjallarhorn. The skilled builder smirked as he ran his fingers over the recently added logo. He replaced the IBO livery with something more appropriate. On the left shoulder of Bael now housed the symbol for ZAFT with the letters being innocently swapped out to spell ZAPP instead. By the time Marco had finished his updates to the model he ate a light dinner then finally decided to log into GBN and get his bearings for the new mission. As Creed appeared in the beta lobby because it was a beta he hadn’t bothered to set up a force nest just yet, and he took in the scene of the public lobby. He took a moment to access his menu before heading for the default hangar. He toggled a few commands and as he exited his menu his avatar shimmered for a moment as his clothes changed. It was no secret that Marco wasn’t a young buck anymore and his frame was no longer the wiry build he had from college. Fatherhood added a few pounds to his waist and he sighed in resignation as he looked at himself in the clingy red spacesuit of a ZAFT ace pilot. Ultimately he had to smile because this was the first time in awhile that he had gotten excited enough to play along with a mission. He paused to look at the patch on his shoulder and grinned when he saw his custom ZAPP patch in place there as well. A few random players paused to look at him but nothing too obtrusive as the veteran went to the tower’s launching pad. Within a few moments he was within the cockpit of the Bael. He flexed his arms and fingers as he settled over the controls and launched the machine into the always perfect skies outside. Bael wasn’t a true flying machine but it had a knack for maneuverability and unlike the savior wasn’t so rigid when shifted directions. He eased the machine through some simple paces and soon brought the machine to the loading point for his mission. In an instant he went from soaring around the pleasant blue skies of the lobby to the motionless, frantic pace of the Versailles Hangar. Technicians floated to and fro, pushing crates around as they prepared for battle. Creed pressed a button and found himself soon alongside the foot traffic, as he pushed himself towards the briefing room. As he sailed past different crewmen he noticed that a lot more of them paused to salute him, apparently appreciating his effort at wearing one of their uniforms. Marco smiled as he saluted back and was wearing a cocky grin on his face as he opened the door to the briefing room. As he neared, he wondered if his teammates would be appearing soon as well. Marco had a tendency to show up early for missions so he could prepare as much as possible; he knew he was likely the first one onboard the ship. Even so, the foot traffic of the NPDs was alarming as they hustled around, legitimately worrying about their existence as they prepared for the upcoming battle. Their existence, Creed mused, his grin fading into an expression of thoughtfulness. That notion stuck in his head more and more as he took note of the diversity in the ship's crew, and the unformed expressions on their faces. It was that damn look, not the look of a mindless NPD, but one of genuine concern about living the day through, which was unmistakable. He found himself floating outside the boardroom, staring out the viewport towards the stars, wondering just how far this update had taken GBN.

They were panels that came with the kit to make it appear more “prototype” same with some of the other thrusters. I thought it was a nice detail they included so you could make it go either way. I still got a ton of weathering to do! I may bust out the nice camera when it’s all done. I’ll be sure to align the thrusters and everything just right then! 😉

Here’s another update on the MKII! I got it pieced together finally. I even got the decals going on it. I wanted it to be a little different so I went with the 00 scheme and used the alternate vents it came with. I started weathering it (not pictured), I’m hoping to finish the first phase of weathering soon. I plan on doing several layers. I’m pretty happy with the decals it’s amazing the amount of detail this kit has!

(OOC: if anyone wants to jump in feel free! I just thought I’d be fun to write from this perspective!) Marco let out a sigh of relief as he put the visor down for GBN. He glanced over at his Gunpla poised on his station and rubbed his chin as he contemplated the toy right next to him. He gave a cursory glance behind his shoulder to the shelves of other Gunpla that he built. Each one had their own story, their own flavor that he appreciated. He found himself paused as he contemplated that very idea. He used to love slapping together kits. He loved the lore behind each mobile suit and in turn trying to personify that through his work. “Used to” being the key term, how did he find himself so disconnected from what was happening? It was at that moment an idea sparked in his mind. The realization that he hadn’t built a kit… in what? Months? Years? When was the last time he even went to a hobby shop. Standing up, he stretched his body and cracked his neck. Finally he popped his fingers in front of him before sighing again and walking out the room he had designated as his workspace. Marco called out as he entered the hallway. “Honey! I’m going to town, mind if I take the kids with me shopping?” —— It was the crowing his kids did that made Marco realize that it had indeed been too long since he has gone out shopping for his job? Hobby? He had grown so used to having everything delivered to his countryside house that he had forgotten what it was like going to one of the infamous Gunpla shops in town. The place was busy, fans of all sorts lined the lanes of model boxes. Even the colors of the boxes was exciting, as it formed a pallet of unique colors surrounding them that you just wouldn’t experience in normal stores. Marco gripped the small hands of his two children tightly so as not to loose them or have them damage a rare kit on accident. Yet still the boy and girl marveled at all the colors and toys in front of them. It dawned on the man that he hadn’t even built a Gunpla with them yet. So focus on his work that he hadn’t realized that his kids were nearing that ripe age where their dexterity and maturity would allow them to share in his passion. The father grinned to himself as he asked his kids outloud. “So… which kits do you two wanna buy and build for yourselves?” His children gleamed up at him with awe on their faces, “really?” “You mean it?” They both asked in unison. Marco chuckled, “sure I’ll even help you guys start building them here before we leave! Now be good and bring me back what you find so I can pay for them. Daddy’s got to do a little research while we’re here.” His kids let go of his hands and practically flew off into the store gawking at each kit, mesmerized that they would soon have one as their very own. Being a father, Marco couldn’t help but smile as he watched them romp away. As they rounded a corner, he lazily followed behind while scanning the shelves for one item in particular. Mumbling to himself he spied what it was he was curious to find. The black and blue coloration made the kit pop out in his mind. “There you are…” it was a real grade Titans MKII Gundam. Something about the last mission rattled in his head, it felt like this particular unit was becoming a type of recurring theme in his mind that he just couldn’t shake. “Know thy enemy…” he mused as he gripped the rather dusty box. He blew away the film to marvel at the artwork before turning to find his kids, Titans box tucked under his arm.