Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Redefine

[FrostyFoster 453]

EPISODE 1:

October 6th, 2307 AD

AEU ORBITAL ELEVATOR

Automated machine guns blared inside a military testing ground, sending an array of bullets against a sleek green mobile suit. This is little to stop the machine though, responding to the attacks with dodges and speed, using its rifle to hit many of the targets. A crowd of suits watched with awe at the new AEU creation, although two stood out as they observed it. The two Union members discussed the mobile suit, referred to as the Enact, intently while also discussing its flaws.

Union engineer Billy Katagiri mentioned how the basic design was just of copy of their mobile suit, the Flag, to his cohort Graham. However, the demonstrator took note of this. Due to the Enact’s hi-tech sound system, he exited the mobile suit, only to badger the observer for his statement. Far above the mock city was a creation who was bound to give the pilot much more of a problem. The sleek mobile suit sped downward at a breakneck pace, causing the military to attempt to make contact from the orbital elevator. None could be made though as more of the crowd noticed the strange machine head towards the testing ground.

The red haired pilot watched along with the others, getting back inside the turquoise mobile suit as people slowly began to evacuate. “Hey! He yelled through the Enact’s intercom. The gray and orange paint scheme caught the pilot’s attention quickly. “What are you? You look like you’re HRL… Whatever you are, you’re ruining my mock battle!” When no response was given, the pilot got more aggravated. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Patrick Colasour, the best ace in the AEU!” A small blade slid out of the machine’s wrist, creating a deafening frequency as it vibrated. The Enact ran towards the Exia while pointing the sword outward to the enemies cockpit. “Hey! Talk to me!”

[Albus]

Albus closed his eyes and took several deep, steady breaths. His Gundam—his Gundam—the Exia, flew threw the sky so effortlessly, so smoothly, that in the darkness of his introspection he might’ve forgotten he was moving at all. He opened his eyes slowly and looked out at the blue sky through which he soared on wings made of green particles. The GN Drive. Albus was no gearhead, but it was clear that there was something special about this piece of engineering. Over the last two years of training, it was the GN drive and his experience with it that made him think that maybe, just maybe, this dream of peace was more than mere fantasy.

Albus turned his attention to his readouts and his radar in turn. His eyes levelled on the demonstration zone coming up fast ahead of them. “Thirty seconds to contact,” he said, his bloodshot eyes narrowing on his target. The visor to his helmet had been coated in a photochromic tint, adjusting to the light of the blazing sun and sparing his damaged eyes the full brunt of its shine. It was the next best thing compared to his sunglasses, which wouldn’t fit inside the helmet and would ridiculous even if they did. The rest of his orange and gray pilot suit was similarly customized. Hell, there didn’t seem to be any part of him that wasn’t customized in some way. Albus flexed his robotic right hand without thinking. It was currently slotted into a tunnel-like receptacle that allowed it to interface directly with the Exia.

This thing might be the difference between life and death…

A transmission came in over his radio, a challenge of sorts from some loud-mouth on the other end. “Ten seconds, Rai. I’m going to engage with this so-called Ace, show him a thing or two. Keep an eye on any enemy movement and if I need you, I’ll call you. Exia, beginning operation,”

Twisting the Exia gracefully in the air over the demonstration, Albus flipped his comms over to the local frequency so the pilot in the test-suit could hear him. “What’s with that mobile suit of yours?” he said with a scoff. The Exia landed lightly on the tarmac and stared down the Enact. “Seafoam green huh? Bold choice. In the interest of giving you a chance before I wipe the floor with you, I’m going to give you the first move,”

 

[FrostyFoster 453]

The Enact’s feet skidded across the concrete as it stopped in its tracks. Patrick now received a response from his mysterious opponent, but not the one he was looking for. “Eh? Wha-Who are you?” Continuing to hold the loud vibrating knife, he scoffed at the idea this unknown machine would beat him. “I’m Mr Special and I won’t let some cocky loudmouth get away with this!” Spinning the blade upside down, he tossed the weapon while the crowd still held their ears in pain. “I’ll make this quick!” The Linear Rifle was then directed at the enemy’s torso, sending a few rapid shells toward it.

Going into alert at the reveal of the unknown unit, a trio of Hellion flyers erupted into the sky from a nearby military base. The older machines strayed further in the air from the upcoming battle. “We’ll standby in case this gets dicey.” The squad member in the middle uttered to the others. “Let’s hope the clown at the demonstration takes care of it for us.” Little did these three know, the Exia wasn’t the only Gundam in the vicinity…

…

A state-of-the-art transport ship flew through the depths of space, far from any battle. Four varied crewmembers worked diligently on it’s bridge, playing their role in this operation. “We have passed the scheduled completion time for Exia’s first phase. We assumed it has entered the second phase.” Christina incorrectly stated, unknowing of their comrades current situation on Earth. Multi cracked his knuckles as he sat opposite of her. “Albus better not be showing off. We got work to do.” Lichty chuckled. “Watch him ruin the whole thing on our first mission!”

“Enough small talk. It’s nearly time for the next phase.” Christina muttered while clicking on her keyboard, only for the woman in charge to float in. “Calm down. This is a special time for Celestial Being. Hopefully he’s making use of our Gundam well!” Murmurs began as the crew noticed alcohol in her hand, only for the forecaster to brush it off. “

Meanwhile, Multi continued playing his part, moving their winged machine to the Ptolemaios’ catapult deck. “Kyrios is in position. Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520.” The operator uttered. The clamps connected to the deck, signaling the pilot of the dark blue and black Gundam. “Launch preparations are complete. You’re good to go!” Multi smiled, giving a thumbs up. As she took a sip of her drink, Sumeragi’s face turned grim while staring into the stars. 

“It’s time, Gundam Meisters.”

[Rai Nemerič]

It's begun. Dressed in a gray normal suit, Virtue's pilot had been listening on Albus ever since their air drop. While GN-005's stealth field dissolved to reveal a hulking dark gray and red Mobile Suit falling from the skies, Rai thought out loud on an open line with Albus. "Perhaps if you would take your mission seriously instead of smarting over the shade of green I chose for it, we'd be onto Phase 2 by now." Spotting the three similarly-colored flyers circling around the demonstration, Rai decided to make an entrance of their own. "18379845, Virtue. Current directive: support Exia. Executing preemptive action." Leaving this on the record, Rai guided Virtue's fall towards the three Hellions, which were between Virtue and the military base guarding the Advanced European Union's Solar Elevator.

"Phase: One." The Hellions couldn't spot the second Gundam until it was far too late. Like a brick landing on top of a toothpick, Virtue snapped the squadron leader's flyer in half, and kept falling down, as the better half of its victim trailed smoke and lost altitude. While they initially spared the other two machines, it wouldn't be long until Rai spun Virtue on its vertical axis, aiming its GN Cannons at them. They're scared to be spotted in violation of their own treaty. I wonder how much time will pass until they find us worse than an international tribunal, and deploy the elevator garrison. Gripping the controls of their Mobile Suit harder, Rai opened fire on the green AEU machines.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Replicator

[Albus]

Albus smirked to himself as Rai responded to his comments about the colour of the enemy suits but kept his focus levelled solely on the Enact in front of him. He knew he could afford to leave whatever other variables might come up to Rai. The Virtue’s pilot possessed a calculating nature, a person dedicated to precision from what little Albus actually knew about them. Their connection to VEDA was invaluable as well. Best of all, they were capable.

Unlike this hotshot…

Albus’s eyes narrowed as his opponent made his move. The knife came at him quick, but the Meister’s two years of training, two years of honing his instinct and deepening his connection with the Exia did not fail him. His right hand began to move, and with it, so too did the Exia’s. The Gundam’s GN Sword flicked out of its gun configuration but rather than knock the dagger out of the air, the Exia surged forward.

“Please, you’re trying that rookie move? I’ve seen children pull off better feints than that,” he laughed with derision. His thoughts turned to Feldt, who was leagues ahead of this guy at her young age. The Exia surged forward, letting the knife connect with the its armor and glancing off. Albus brought the mobile suit low and away from the linear rifle shots, its GN drive spewing green particles as it danced. With a flick of his right hand, the Exia slashed at the barrel of the rifle and drove its left shoulder into the Enact’s body.

“You want to know who I am? I’m the future. I am Gundam,”

[FrostyFoster 453]

“H-How…” The Enact’s knife almost bounced off the gray mobile suit, giving Patrick a true sense of fear. “No! You don’t get it!” The Gundam easily dodged his long ranged attacks as he spoke. “I’ve done two thousand of this mock battles. I’m the best pilot the Earth has ever seen! I’M PATRICK COLA-“

Silence.

Pure silence from the cocky pilot and the entire crowd. Graham’s jaw dropped as he looked at the Exia’s shoulder, now wedged inside of the Enact’s torso. The green machine stopped completely, only to begin falling backward. The large mobile suit crashed and cracked onto the concrete, it’s cockpit crushed. Specks of red coated the Celestial Being unit’s shoulder, but most of what came out of its donor was smashed in between sheets of metal.

The suits started rushing all around the stands with some still attempting to contacts bosses or other workmates. In the commotion, Billy stared directly at the broken Enact, wondering how the gray machine could not only cleanly cut through its rifle, but how a piece of armor was created strong enough to collapse what was apparently supposed to be one of the safest mobile suits on the market. Meanwhile, Graham kept his eyes on the killer. There was no fear racing through the Union pilot, only a feeling like an invitation was given to him. An invitation for a true competition. 

The remaining two Hellions in the sky never saw it coming while they participated in their own battle. The beams hit the green machines directly, causing an extravagant display from the dual explosions as their leader was crushed beneath them. Military personnel watched as the bulky machine made quick work of their squadron, giving them no choice but to use their illegal elevator hangars. Six reinforcements of Hellions blasted downward from the runways, breaking into two teams as they headed towards the Gundams. 

“Do whatever you can to immobilize them!” One yelled through his comms. “Those things, they can’t go on…” The three fired upon the bulky machine directly below them, while the others flew down closer as they attempted to fire only at the Exia, hoping to not get any collateral damage on the thinning crowd while they evacuated. 

…

HEAVEN’S PILLAR

A lavish party was currently being held at a separate Orbital Elevator, with only two members aware of what was happening on the surface, as well for what was bound to happen. Putting their confidence in Sumeragi’s forecast, the two sibling awaited for the inevitable attack. Terrorist’s also using Hellions had managed to avoid the HRL’s defenses. The three mobile suits had complete control of the situation, getting in position to fire their missiles. Launching, they headed directly at the High Orbital Station.

But then there was nothing. No impact came from the weapons to the guests and no rattles were created. Only a few pink beams were seen by the Hellion pilot. “What was that!” One yelled out, scared of what weapon the HRL held in secret. It was no weapon from the world powers though as it hid behind one of the station’s rings. The pure black mobile suit blended in nicely with the darkness of space, sending itself backwards with a rifle in tow.

A black Haro was mute, only sending data to the Dynames’ pilot while the mobile suit floated. The young girl watched as she moved the rifle forward, awaiting their final pilot to appear. “Feldt Grace. In position.” She knew it wouldn’t be long until the winged unit took the trash out for the Human Reform League.
 

[Roromi 417]

“I have control.” Edmund echoed back to the crew of the Ptolomios. He gripped the controls of the Kyrios firmly. He took a deep breath realizing that this would be the real deal. “This is Spectre! Kyrios launching!” He jerked the controls back causing the Gundam to lurch foreword in a jolt of movement from the launching catapult. 

Kyrios shot out of the ship and did a barrel roll. Edmund recalled how unreal the first handful of sorties had been with the GN drive. By now though the sensation was no less fascinating. “This must be what it’s like to drive a high end sports car all the time?” He muttered to no one in particular. The agile fighter made good pace going to the designated battlefield just outside one of the orbital platforms. 

“So this will be a real battle at last huh?” As if in response his heads up display lit up and designated unknown tangos. “There’s the terrorists…” as if reading his mind a pink blast jetted across the black abyss to shoot down the missiles the three hellions fired off. “She really is something else…” Edmund mused before turning on his Comm, “Acknowledged Feldt! Kyrios moving in!” 

Edmund wasn’t one for showy theatrics, “that’s what the Exia is for…” he gritted his teeth as he dove straight for one of the enemy machines, his mobile armor nearly blending into the black folds of space. Just before the Kyrios rammed into one of the terrorist, the shield/nose split up open to snag the unsuspecting victim in its’ devious maw.

Edmund could imagine the scream of terror and confusion from the enemy pilot as the claws of his machine clamped down and chewed the machine in half. The explosion briefly silhouetted the Kyrios as it banked around to regard the remaining two machines. 

There was no pity for terrorist, it was despicable targeting innocent people. Are we any better? Edmund shook the notion from his mind as he focused on the present. He transformed Kyrios into its’ mobile suit mode and paused to aim his rifle at the two remaining machines. 

A smile creased his masked face, perhaps there was room for some theatrics. He calmly called out, “take them out Feldt.” The girl was quick in complying sending two more precise bolts down to shoot at his targets, almost giving the stunning illusion of the Kyrios calling down lightning of some sort. Edmund didn’t fire a shot as he put the weapon away and transformed back into flight mode. 

“Any other targets?” He asked cautiously. As  dubious as he was about Feldt originally he had to admit the lady made big strides in being an asset on the team. He even enjoyed the intangible comfort she seemed to offer when she was “in position” with her rifle ready to deliver judgement. “Snipers!” He chuckled to himself. 

[Rai Nemerič]

Rai initially smirked in response to the Hellions that prepared to fire their linear rifles upon them. Virtue's GN Field could've made short work of the 120mm rounds, however, the pilot would think twice before activating the field. It is imperative that the enemy finds out as little as possible about GN-005. Perhaps, I should only use what little I've already shown them. With this in mind, Rai changed Virtue's attitude, speeding up as it adopted a flying pattern. Virtue wasn't especially fast or maneuverable, but being stuck firing forwards, and not being spectacular shots on top of that, the Hellion pilots would not land any meaningful shots either. Soon, they would fly past the ascending Virtue, which ascended with little more than scratches.

The pilot was prepared. Before the group sent to stop them had any chance to scatter, they zeroed both GN Cannons on the group and fired. “No, I don’t think you will.” The beams of light hit the three machines without mercy, even going as far as to disintegrate one. However, the other three, assigned to take down Exia, escaped the artillery Suit's wrath. Rai was quick to warn Albus, calm as ever. “Three coming your way. Deal with them quickly or do that little dance of yours first… knock yourself out. I've met my quota.” Below the snark, Rai began to understand the reasoning behind Veda's choices. Albus had acquired a taste for flashy, unnecessary moves. Edmund loved to play the lone, aloof ranger. Even Feldt was full of what they perceived as eccentricities, but so far, Rai had not seen anyone who could do their jobs better.

As long as we do what we're supposed to...

[Albus]

“What’s the matter? Did I leave you speechless? Did I take your breath—” Albus pulled the Exia away from the crushed Enact and caught sight of the blood that was leaking from the cockpit, the blood that spattered against the Exia’s dark shoulder. “…away…”

Shit….SHIT!

The Meister’s eyes, hidden away by the tint of his visor, widened in surprise. He hadn’t been strictly prohibited from dealing with his enemies lethally but this was only supposed to be a demonstration. He didn’t know about Rai and the others, but he hadn’t come here to kill anyone, not without reason. Albus watched the spectators to his accidental murder flee the scene in terror. All except two—a blonde haired man and his companion stood in the stands, staring at him and the wreckage of the Enact respectively. The Exia turned to return Graham’s stare, but inside Albus began to shake.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I’m supposed to be a Hero…

The Meister tried to suppress his emotions. He knew that this thing had a camera with a direct feed to the Ptolemaios and that Veda—that omniscient spectre that pulled the strings of Celestial Being—could probably sense something was off. That data, he had no doubt, would be relayed back to Sumeragi or worse, Rai. Albus bit his lip.

Get a hold of yourself, you coward,

He raised the GN sword slowly, pointing its tip at the blonde man staring at him as if to say ‘do something about it,’ before the fire of incoming Hellions drew his attention away. The Exia crouched and the leapt up into the sky, carried off by the power of the GN Drive towards the approaching enemies. Rai’s voice came in over his radio and the other Meister’s words caused a scowl to creep across Albus’s face. “It’s all just numbers to you, huh? You’re no better than that damn computer,”

There’s no avoiding it now…this is part of the job,

“Fine,” Albus whispered to himself as he reconfigured the GN Sword into its gun mode. As he glided up past the Hellions, the Exia turned elegantly and rained fire upon them. Albus’s face was a stony mask of dissociation as he watched them smoulder and plummet towards the ground, two of them colliding and exploding along the way.

“This is Exia, reporting a…mission complete. I’m moving to exfiltrate and rendezvous with Virtue,”

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by Judge

[FrostyFoster 453]

Graham didn’t move in inch as he stared deep into the eyes of the mobile suit. While Billy wanted little to do with the insanely powerful machine, the crazed look in the Union pilot’s eyes gave him a revigorated feeling inside. This was no AEU or HRL rival. With the blade pointed dangerously close to him, Graham’s hair and clothes blew violently as the mobile suit jumped away. A smirk appeared on his face.

“That mobile suit… has changed everything.” Billy exclaimed, watching as ambulances surrounded the broken Enact. 

“Hmm. My Flag will be the one to change everything!” Graham motioned the scientist to follow him back to their vehicle, his goal in life clearer than ever. 

…

“Mission complete.” The black machine watched as the Kyrios left the “battlefield”, signaling her time to remove herself, as to not be identified by whoever else was out there. The party members had little clue of what was happening outside, but they knew something was wrong based on the little explosions and members of the League staying on high alert. 

There would be no way to get answers though, as the two mysterious mobile suits were long gone before any camera crews could get any footage. Wang Liu Mei finished her drink while the patrons attempted this, smirking to the fact that Celestial Being’s Gundams did a fine job not presenting themselves, at least the ones in space.

It wasn’t long before the Dynames and Kyrios were back with their mothership. The Exia and Virtue were likely back at their containers in the Pacific Islands by this point as the black Gundam finally docked, missing the festivities in space. Haro had immediately left its pilot in the cockpit, transporting data while Feldt was still in her seat. The Meister didn’t even remove her helmet as she ignored the bridge, instead heading back to her quarters.

Multi wrapped his arms behind his head, lying back while the bridge crew chatted. There was success, even though the timing didn’t go exactly to plan, but he could feel a sense of nervousness from the others, knowing that they’d just created such a large event in the Earth Sphere. The crewmember pushed his feet off the wall to float toward his colleague nearest to him. 

Chris tapped away on her keyboard as Multi arrived. “So… we finally did it, eh?” He stated, acting suave in the process. “It’s been a long day for all of us. You wanna come back to my quarters. There’s a new movie about Bigfoot that we…” He watched as Christina turned to him, grasping the back of her seat as she brought her face close to his.

“I can’t believe it! Is she really going to kiss me here?”

Instead, Multi got a finger flicked onto his nose, surprising the crewmember. “Nice try!” Chris smirked, turning back to her monitor. “I’ve still got plenty of work to do and I’m assuming you do too. Your little fantasy date will have to wait!” Lasse and Lichty bellowed with laughter as Multi rubbed his nose in defeat. Sumeragi stood in the corner and only watched. While she should be happy, she wondered if the mobile suits they set loose would give the world an end to war.

…

The next day was met with intrigue, wonder, and fear from much of the public as news stations attempted to scrounge up whatever they could find on this new threat to the earth sphere. That was until a video recording was sent all around the planet. A recording which would truly solidify the change in people’s lives onward.

“I would like to address this statement to every single human being born and raised on Earth. We call ourselves simply Celestial Being. We are a private armed organization in possession of the mobile weapon Gundam. The main objective of Celestial Being's activities is to completely eliminate acts of war from this world. We do not act for our own benefit or for personal gain. We have chosen to intervene for the greatest goal of all to rid ourselves of the scourge of war. As of this moment I make this declaration to all humanity. Territory, religion, energy no matter what the reason or excuse if there is an evident act of war being carried out, we will commence intervention with our force. Any country, organization or corporation that promotes war will also be a legitimate target for our intervention.”

END OF EPISODE 1

Edited February 9, 2021 by FrostyFoster

[FrostyFoster 453]

EPISODE 2:

Union.

AEU.

HRL.

All three world power had all of their plans turned upside down once Celestial Being first attacked. None knew much about their new enemies, even less so since no pilot who fought them had survived. All that was known was that they had mobile suits miles better than anything in their arsenal. It was unknown when they’d strike again. 

The two Meisters on Earth, Albus and Rai, had awaited their next orders as they hid in the Pacific Islands. It wasn’t long until a special benefactor of CB arrived to continue their goal for eradication of conflict.

“Time for your second mission!”

Only the four Meisters watched as Sumeragi gave her mission plan, clearly shown on the floor of the Ptolemaios’ meeting room. 

“As you may know, the island of Ceylon, formally Sri Lanka has been having an ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority for many years. Since the HRL has supplied the Tamil with their Tierens, the bloodshed has continued. Celestial Being will intervene this battle with all four Gundams and end it. The factions will be engaged in battle here.” She pointed near the middle of the floor, then moved her hand to the right. “An HRL base needs to be destroyed here, along with an attack cruiser here. We DON’T pick favorites. Show the world that Celestial Being will fight anyone who created this war.

…

Feldt gripped her controls tightly as the Dynames slowly lowered into the catapult deck. Multi gave his seal of approval as the pilot looked directly forward, ignoring him and Christina’s portrait. “Dynames. Feldt Grace. Launching.” A girl of few words, the black mobile suit swiftly left the deck as she headed to the descent point. With how fast the Kyrios was, even with its equipped missile launcher, she calculated Edmund would be behind her shortly. 

Edmund once again settled in the seat of Kyrios. He watched as Feldt cleared the catapult. She was always rather reserved, but since the missions started he felt like there was more going on with her. “Like I’m one to judge…” he muttered helplessly as he unconsciously traced his mask with his gloved hand. He clenched the same hand before gripped the controls. “This is Edmund Spectre! Kyrios heading out!” 

Kyrios shot out of the ship like a bullet and made quick pace to catch up with Feldt. He pulled along side her and rocked his wings once in acknowledgement. For people like them, words could only go so far, sometimes a physical presence was more than enough.

The Dynames along with the Kyrios reached the entry point, with the two protecting themselves as they went through the atmosphere. “Commencing GN particle emission.” The sniper didn’t move a muscle as she preformed this task for the first time, putting her trust in her co-pilot and mobile suit as they broke through the barrier.

Edmund echoed Feldt’s announcement about GN particles and pulled up ahead of her to help slice the atmosphere with his more aerodynamic shape. The cockpit shook some but it was a lot smoother than doing the maneuver without GN particles. Undoubtedly their profile would appear to be nothing more than a single falling star to any naked eyes, though Edmund doubted they would even be seen.

Unfortunately, the spectacle was easily caught by the HRL’s orbital station’s sensors. They were now the first members to know of CB’s atmospheric capabilities, continuing to learn more and more about the new threat’s frightening technology. With the rendezvous point currently in sight, Feldt switched her GN Drive back to normal. The Dynames decelerated once it saw the two remaining Gundams, its pilot maneuvering to get closer. “Exia. Virtue.” She called as her face appeared on their cockpit’s front screen. “Atmospheric entry 98.7% successful. We will proceed with the mission to Ceylon.”   

[FrostyFoster 453]

(Thanks for the collab everyone!)

Albus let Sumeragi’s words wash over him as he listened to the mission break-down, absorbing their meaning, understanding his mission, but not so much paying attention. His thoughts were back in that test city at the foot of the AEU’s orbital elevator, the scenario replaying again and again in his mind. 
Duck, slice, shoulder. Duck, slice, shoulder…
He had done everything right, had danced around his opponent like he was some kind of clumsy toddler, but in the end…

Edmund matched pace with his teammates as he flew out ahead of everyone. For a long while there was nothing said so he decided to break the ice. “How has the earth been to treating you guys?” The irony of the masked man asking such a trivial question wasn’t lost on himself but Edmund wasn’t so shallow to shun his teammates. They might all be Meisters but they were all human, I think… he mused as he waited to see if anyone would respond.

“Tch,” Albus sat upright and stared out at the ocean. Over his personal communicator, Feldt’s voice alerted him to their status, followed quickly by Edmund asking them how Earth had been. 

“Just fine,” Albus said as he flew over to Rai. “Damn peachy, Tin Man.” He looked at his fellow Meister and nodded upwards at him. 

“You ready to go? I’m getting antsy out here. It’s too quiet,”

Albus’ question was soon answered. The island of Ceylon appeared in their sights, with a minimap of the location displayed on each Meister’s screens. The majority of the area was covered with dense trees, but wherever there was dirt and debris, a battle seemed to be on top of it. A few Anfs continued their fire against the superior Tierens, with very little success. The Tamil responded quickly and efficiently, sending a bombardment from their long range types before the Sinhalese could even get close. The battle on the island would likely be over quickly, but Celestial Being’s third party had other plans.

Many of the Tamil started to get alerted of their inevitable arrival, with some beginning to even panic. However, the military group had already gotten far in their victory. “Heh! Let’s see them try to fight us!” A confident Tieren pilot shouted, the green machine continuing to fire on the Anf closest to him.

Feldt continued her silence as the four got closer. Her line of thinking wasn’t to panic or be confident, those emotions were taken a long time ago, but she understood that two factions had nothing meaningful to attack them with. This didn’t mean CB should assume they automatically win though. While she trusted Rai, she wondered if the other two would even take this threat, however small it was, seriously.

Edmund let Albus’ smart alec and remarks slide off and he simply shook his head. “The attitude on that man…” he muttered under his breath. Fortunately they were all spared further boredom when the island came into view, ripe with conflict it would seem. He tensed his hands over the controls wondering if he should open the first salvo. Shaking his head he veered for the base. “Kyrios, heading to destroy the base.” It made the most sense for his package, he’d just be wasting the overpowered payload on mobile suits alone. He kept his breakneck pace as he skimmed the land. Soon he spotted the HRL base and had to bank to avoid enemy fire. Not that it would matter in a minute. He flipped the safety off his trigger and squeezed the control. 

The canister on his back came to life sending a deadly volley towards the HRL facilities. The effect was immediate as flames and explosions bloomed to life on the base. “Package delivered.” Edmund stated stoically.

With the introduction of CB's winged ally to this battle, one of their objectives was quickly completed. Few survived the attack as another machine flew over the wreckage. Feldt controlled the Dynames while pulling it downward into the forestry. The soft hover of the mobile suit slowly sent it onto its stomach. Haro's eyes lit up for a split second, only for the droid to spin forward. The young Meister how had complete control over the sniper rifle, grabbing the scope inside the cockpit while its head was covered. The long weapon pointed accurately through the dense amount of trees, now brought upward to a ridge of Tierens firing upon the Anfs. "Feldt Grace. Commencing intervention."

Three pink beams flew out of the rifle, with three Tierens unknowing of being targets. The accuracy was astounding, with the three exploding on impact. A arm slammed into the long range type's cannon, causing its pilot along with the others, to begin fleeing their spot. "Wha- Was that a Gundam? I gotta get this one outta here!" The long range pilot shouted. "Cover me!"

Rai smirked. It was a very unfortunate coincidence that just like in Veda's simulations, they now faced squads of green Tierens and brown Anfs. "Like it was yesterday..." It wasn't specifically a tall order, though the Meister couldn't help but wonder if Veda had predicted this specific battle, and used it to train them. However, they quickly pulled themselves together, and assigned themselves a target. Feldt was focusing on the Tierens that constituted the voice of an enraged minority, and Edmund took upon himself to destroy the facilities, belonging to those who sold weapons to one side, but continued to supply ammunition and Anf parts to the other.

The hapless, retreating forces of the Sinhalese could be taken care of by Exia, which was likely to dance around them like with the AEU's ace. This left Rai with the task of destroying an attack cruiser, for which they flew in its direction and focused on them with their main camera. "Virtue. Aegir-Class Attack Cruiser spotted. Identified as B7R0460, Comberth. Commencing armed intervention in T-minus five." As promised, it took Virtue five seconds from that announcement to ground itself on one of the rocks near the shore, and aim its GN Cannons towards the ship. Without any further words, Rai pulled the trigger, hitting the ship with the full force of the four barrels.

No matter how hard he tried to push it up out of his mind, the image of the slain Enact forced its way to the forefront until Albus was forced to acknowledge it. 
Stop crying to yourself said a voice deep within him. You were a killer long before that Enact pilot got himself killed
Albus frowned. 

But I could’ve been more…I could’ve been better

A low growl escaped his throat. He was getting distracted and compromising the mission. Worse, his fellow Meisters might think that he was hesitating. He wouldn’t allow them to see weakness in him—he wouldn’t allow weakness at all. Not anymore. Albus scanned the battlefield as he descended low over the trees, ripping their tops off as the Exia flew overhead. Edmund had taken care of the base, while Rai was assaulting the Aegir cruiser. That left Feldt to deal with the Tierens and for him…

“This is Exia, I’m engaging the Sinhalese Anf units,”

No mercy, Al

The Exia landed feet first on one of the HRL suits, driving it into the ground as its bullets pinged off of his armor without effect before two quick shots of the GN Sword’s gun rendered it still. Some of the Sinhalese forces stopped their retreat to turn their attention on to him, letting loose a hail of bullets that the Exia avoided by leaping upwards, juking left in a corkscrew, and hanging in the air. Albus’s right hand, embedded in the Exia’s systems, pulled the trigger on the GN Sword and brought down two more Anfs with ease. Albus pushed the Gundam forward, the GN drive whirring up as he flicked out the blade of the sword and brought it down upon one of the Sinhalese suits, cleaving it in half.

The Dynames flew upward as it sent its last shots toward a few lone Tierens. They crashed and burned into a blaze of fire, mimicking the wreckage surrounding the majority of the island. The speed at which the four Gundams moved and communicated in their mission on Ceylon was astounding. Many mobile suits and people were quickly silenced by the strange machines, although unlike last time, some pilots and military personnel did survive. 

"Mission complete." The black Gundam removed itself from the battlefield, with the other three joining her. The HRL, or rather, whoever was even left was shocked that both sides were taken out equally. There wasn't a choice made by Celestial Being. Their message only continued to teach the world that they weren't messing around. Back at the Ptolemaios, Sumeragi floated in her quarters, continuing her hobby even though the mission was a resounding success.

Celestial Being. Don't fail us.

...

A single Union transport jetted across the ocean as the sun began to set. The only piece of cargo it stored was a single Flag, with Graham Aker inside of the cockpit. "Check again!" The pilot on standby asked Billy over his communications. The scientist sighed. "They're not here. I'm sorry." Billy continued looking at multiple monitors, but found nothing of note. The Union Ace slammed his fist into the controls, taking off his helmet in defeat.

"Those stupid light particles! We came out here for nothing!" For hours they had searched, but Celestial Being always planned ahead for situations like this. The transport rolled to the right, sending itself back towards their home base. Suddenly, a smirk appeared across his lips.

"You can't hide for long, Gray Menace. My obsession with you won't allow it. The last thing you'll see is the piloting skills of GRAHAM AKER!!!" 

END OF EPISODE 2

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by FrostyFoster

[FrostyFoster 453]

EPISODE 3:

HRL ORBITAL ELEVATOR

Passengers boarding Heaven’s Pillar Travel Bureau Number E-273, please proceed to Gate A12.

As hundreds of people came and went through the terminal, four sat in the corner of the waiting area on large couches. While a couple people glanced at Edmund, no one paid much attention to the group. Now that Celestial Being was around, a man in a mask was the least important thing on civilian’s mind.

Feldt held a single black bag tightly as she sat. The Dynames, along with Haro, had been loaded with colony development materials on their trek back into space. She was the only one to be going back to the Ptolemaios, with her following these orders as she awaited her time to leave. It had been the first time in a while since the four were all in one place. Mingling was bound to occur, but not from the girl Meister.

Edited February 9, 2021 by FrostyFoster

[FrostyFoster 453]

(Thanks again!)

Edmund remained perched on a wall with his arms crossed watching Feldt leave up the elevator. It figured that he would be stuck with the two most awkward people on the team, at least he knew he could work well with Feldt. His mono eye went from the retreating girl to Albus before settling on Rai. He silently wondered if his charade was doing more harm than good, as his fingers traced the chin of the mask. Shaking his head he stood up straight, “so… what’s your take on the rest of the crew?” He gave an indicated nod to Feldt as she disappeared, “I know there was a lot of apprehension when we first started…” he turned his gaze to Albus as he ended his question. “Has your impression changed?”

Rai, sitting in a bench and eating noodles out of a box with two sticks on his hand, didn't actually feel like saying 'I told you so, suckers', but didn't want to let the chance pass to get a laugh or two out of the awkward moment. "Hmm, it must be stated that we used to be quite trepidatious when it came to a certain someone's skills. I, too, was anxious about their capabilities, but now that I've tried this out..." Rai motioned to briefly raise the noodle box in their direction, before lowering their arm again. "I must say it. This low-calorie, MSG-deficient hogwash does NOT hold a candle to Reid's gnocchi with parmesan sauce. It is unfortunate that Feldt must be the only one to return to space. I, for one, want to congratulate him. Its pasta is truly worthy of ending wars through culinary intervention."

Albus turned his gaze as Edmund stood and inquired with him and Rai about their thoughts on Feldt. Rai, with a box of noodles in hand, went on in a ramble about his opinions on the Dynames’s Meister and the food he was eating at the same time. Albus could only quirk a brow and shake his head when the Virtue’s pilot stopped talking. 

“I had my reservations,” Albus looked up at Edmund’s mono-eye. “Still do. She’s young, but she knows what she’s doing and does it well enough. Her coldness worr—bothers me, too, but I guess being a child soldier wouldn’t necessarily fill me with teenage joy, either,”

Albus side-eyed Rai again. “And if you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Don’t be a such a snob. These people are just trying to eke out a living,”

Edmund cocked his head at Rai and gently shook his mask. “How are you liking the Exia?” He asked with genuine curiosity. He asked mainly to avoid having to talk about noodles at that particular moment.

Albus narrowed his eyes, turning his orange, reflective gaze back to Edmund. "I am the Exia. It's not about liking or disliking," he held up his orange hand, spread wide. "It's an extension of myself, not a toy."

Rai just ate some more, before finishing the box and getting up to throw it in the recyclables bin. "You know, I did enjoy this meal. I just did not want to gloat over the fact I knew Veda wouldn't be caught dead being wrong. I am only hoping you put a little more trust on it down the road. After all, if it says in the file somebody is worthy of climbing into a Gundam, I believe in that word." Rai looked at Albus, their eyes suddenly acquiring a wholly different profile. "And that's why I didn't need to see you cause unnecessary casualties to know you are the stone cold killer Veda says you are."

Albus practically shot to his feet, quickly closing the distance between himself and Rai and stopping mere inches away from him. He lingered there for a moment, a myriad of possible actions, many of them violent, brewing in his head like a raging storm. In the end, he merely smirked. "You go tell your little computer mommy that I don't give a rat's ass what she--or it-- thinks I am--I'm the still the best Meister you've got,"  Albus shouldered his way past Rai towards one of the food stands beyond, more for the sake of his own repose than any kind of hunger. But before he had left earshot, the Meister turned and pointed to the Virtue's pilot with his metal hand. "And I'd be careful what you say, Rai. You might be the next unnecessary casualty. Purely accidental of course,"

“Heh. Looks like someone’s having a bad day.” A scarred man walked past the food stand, briefcase in hand. The HRL commander didn’t think much of the squabble though as he went for the front door. Multiple soldiers awaited the Wild Bear of Russia, saluting the man.

Fearless, Rai let Albus pass, and let Edmund know about their feelings on the matter. "What a fool. Veda would know days or even weeks before. And then, one night, he would go to sleep for the very last time. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. I really wouldn't want to be awake then, and find out what Celestial Being does to traitors. Anyways, I'm off to buy a feather duster, and exotic salts for the chefs. If you'll excuse me." Rai then walked away and entered one of the shops nearby, without getting too far away from the other two Meisters.

Edmund remained tense at seeing the exchange but wisely bit his tongue, knowing he could likely make things worse. Just before Rai could leave he did speak up. “Veda isn’t omnipresent… Veda can assess files and make predictions, but predictions aren’t reality until it happens. Veda also can’t predict how we will get along… just remember that Rai. Diplomacy can go a long way.” 

With that said, Edmund went on his way as well. He didn’t like being in public like this so he went to the bathrooms. A few moments late,  a maskless Edmund moved into the crowd of people leaving.

...

UNION MSWAD HEADQUARTERS

“Reporting for duty, sir!”

Graham Aker and Billy Katagiri saluted their superior, only for the stern soldier to almost ignore them as he began to write their story down. “The AEU’s new model was taken down by the Gundam’s shoulder?” He asked the two, perplexed. “Correct. There’s so little we know about it. We should be researching it in battle.”

“That’s exactly what you two will do.” The soldier handed them transfer orders, with the two reading its contents. “It’s called the Anti-Gundam Investigative Task Force. It’s head chief seems to trust you well enough to make you apart of the team.” Billy was shocked once he read who was in charge. “Professor Ralph Eifman!”

It wouldn’t be long before the two were reunited. Graham’s single Flag towered over the three new members of the Force, with more soon to come. The older gentleman cleared his throat as he turned to the pilot. “You better be as good as you say.” Ralph stated, hoping the pilot was up for the challenge. “Sir, I’m even better.” Graham responded confidently. The chief huffed at the cocky flier. “I hope so, since I want you to capture a Gundam.” 

Billy was surprised by the statement. The Union hadn’t even battled the Gundams yet and they were going to try and take one? Graham on the other hand took that challenge as a badge of honor. His Flag was no different than any others, but he still able to show he was one of the best fliers in the world, enough for Ralph to want him here in the first place. However, the American knew it wouldn’t be long before he went head to head with Celestial Being’s machines. While he knew his skill well, there was still a need to prove why he was chosen in the first place.

“Very well.” At that moment, the pilot’s phone started to ring. 

[FrostyFoster 453]

Taribia

Simultaneously, Virtue hovered over burning coca fields in Taribia, littered with the pieces of orange Hellions whose pilots had painted their machines in flashy ways, but lacked the skills to back up their delusions of grandeur. Virtue fired its GN Cannons over and over again on what was left of an old manor, to no avail. The leader of the Mendoza Cartel laid beneath, well-protected in a bunker which the GN Cannons were having trouble with. After the fifth try, Rai was well through playing around. 

Flipping the visor down on their helmet, the Meister initiated contact with the bunker. It wouldn't be long until the kingpin himself appeared on their screen, a voluptuous, red-faced man in what used to be a very expensive tailored suit. Behind him stood what was left of his enforcers, and perhaps somewhat heartwrenchingly, his family. "Malnacido robot del espacio! What kind of dead man walking... DARES ATTACK GILBERTO MENDOZA?!" Rai, without moving a finger, spoke to the crime boss. "This is the voice of Celestial Being. Let me confirm... your shelter is secure?" Mendoza was confused, but still furious. "¿Que clase de pregunta es esa? You bet it's secure, hijo de puta! See for yourself how powerless you are to kill me!" Rai grimaced, but Mendoza couldn't see them do so under the dark visor. All they said, before instructing Virtue to switch to the GN Bazooka, was a cold "Roger that." 

As the heavy artillery Mobile Suit lifted the large weapon and trained its sights onto the bunker, Mendoza's anger turned to fear. Right as he attempted to use the presence of their own sons to dissuade Rai from firing, they exerted pressure on the red trigger. With an enormous fireball, accompanied by a potent shockwave that shook the ground for miles, the pleas became silent. Lifting the visor to reveal an angry mug, Rai could only mutter one more thing. "You... s-should have thought of them sooner..."

South Africa

The Exia stood at the edge of the mining pit, visible in the night only by virtue of the full moon against which he was silhouetted. The miners below him, still operating their workloaders, were panicking at his arrival but all Albus could do was look down on them with a look of misery on his face, the confrontation with Rai and the other Meister’s at the elevator weighing heavy on his mind. So far, his tenure with Celestial Being had been less than smooth. Even after two years of training together, he found it hard to place his trust in his fellow Gundam pilots and they in turn seemed to have trouble understanding him and trusting in return. They were effective in combat, but off the battlefield…

Albus’s frown deepened. He listened to the ping ping ping of machine gun fire ricocheting off of the Exia’s armor, growing steadily more bored by the second until eventually he opened up his comms and spoke through the machine.

“Abandon your workloaders and leave here immediately,” he said, his voice echoing against the quarry walls. He raised his sword pistol and took a few deliberately lazy shots that went wide of any of the workers. “I am permitted to use lethal force if you do not comply. What you’re doing here is not worth your lives. Go back to your families and don’t come back,” another few stray shots. The song and dance went on for another couple of minutes before the miners finally took the hint, abandoned their workloaders and scrambled off into the night.
Albus leaned back into his seat and sighed. He tapped the button on his helmet that toggled his visor and let his bloodshot eyes stare out into the night. He keyed in the radios for the Ptolemaios.

“This is Albus. The miners have given up and left. No casualties to report—that’s mission complete for Exia,”
He immediately turned off his comms before a reply could come through and launched the Exia up into the sky on a trail of green particles. 

No casualties. He thought back to his conversation with Rai and frowned again, his anger flaring up again at the Meister’s comments about him being a cold-blooded killer. “I’ll show that asshole,” Albus muttered to himself as he looked out towards the moon.
 

Ceylon

“Gonna finish who’s left, huh? You monster!” Three green Tierens had just gotten the message that one of the Gundam mobile suits was returning to their battle torn base. They each fired up in the air at the same machine that killed their friends in the first place. “Die winged one!” Number Two yelled, sending more bullets up at the dark blue Gundam.
Edmund didn’t take pleasure in killing his opponents, in fact ever since they had started doing the armed interventions he was feeling more uneasy about fighting even if it was against soldiers. “One sided fights don’t feel right…” he aimed his gun at the HRL grunts and took mercy shots aiming for their feet. “Maybe if they lose the will to fight…” he mused.
The barrage of beam bullets sent themselves at the feet of the HRL mobile suits. Because of their low defense compared to the Kyrios, Number One managed to have his feet snap, causing the machine to tumble over. “Number one is down, wait!” As the two others still fired on the Gundam, Number one pushed the Tieren off its stomach, responding to the attack with its own as it held itself up off the ground.

Just stay down!” Edmund roared as he swooped in. This time he pulled out his beam saber and went in one at a time. Kyrios would surely be too much for the mere Tierens to repel. One by one he went in cutting limbs from the mobile suits. As he came to the last one he latched it with his shield claw and held the suit helplessly. “Don’t you get it?” He cried out as he debating killing the enemy or not.

“Ah. AHHHH!” The remaining Tieren pilot struggled in moving the machine with all its might, but to no avail. “S-stop! You guys are crazy!” His voice was deafened by the sound of jet engines heading toward the two. A brown Tieren flew through the air above them, firing multiple smoothbore shots at the Kyrios.

Edmund jerked the helpless suit to shield himself reflexively and grimaced as he caused the friendly fire. The new unit was special, he could tell that much. Tossing the limp suit aside Edmund regarded the new comer. “Just get out of my way!” Edmund growled as he dove for the Tieren, beam saber in one hand and claw open on the other.

Sergei scowled as he watched the other Tieren get fired upon. "So that's how a Gundam acts. You are a stain on this planet." He knew their firepower was too weak, so the Wild Bear opted to use his carbon blade, connecting it with the beam saber. However, there wasn't much he could do as the claw snapped on his wing, since the HMT had little in terms of shielding.

“I have to agree with you…” Edmund replied sorrowfully. He kicked away from Sergei to try and keep some measure of distance. Not many pilots had the courage to try and challenge a Gundam to melee weapons so something was bound to be special about this enemy. “I’d tell you to leave but something tells me you won’t will you?” Edmund reasoned out loud.

The kick ripped off his left wing, sending the Tieren back toward the base. As Sergei attempted to land safely, the other wing rotated back into storage. "Not to people like you." He responded, picking up another carbon blade from a nearby broken machine. Dual wielding the weapons, the HRL soldier stood his ground. "Come at me, winged one."

Something about the man’s moxie didn’t sit right with Edmund. The attitude the solider had, it just felt too familiar. Shaking his head Edmund did the only thing that felt right in that moment, he ran. Kyrios unceremoniously transformed then headed in the opposite direction. He could have fired upon the enemy with his blaster but that notion sat even worse in Edmund’s growing conscious. Slamming his fist against the side monitor he growled out, “what the hell is wrong with me?” He reached up to take the mask off, realizing a tear was shedding down his face. “What is wrong with all this?” He lamented.

Sergei had a confused look under his ironically similar helmet as he watched the Gundam blast away from him. He knew the Tieren couldn’t catch up, even in flight mode, but he something was up. “That mobile suit could’ve defeated me. Nothing anyone has could stop it...” The Tieren turned to march back to base.

…

“Prepare for docking.”

The Dynames didn’t take long to return to its mothership. As it docked, the Gundam’s GN Drive was quickly connected to the Ptolemaios’ energy system. Once again, Feldt didn’t bother with even taking off her helmet as she left the cockpit of her mobile suit. Sumeragi in her regular clothing floated towards her as she went through one of the ship’s many hallways.

“The mission was a success.” She said as the silent Meister floated past her. “Feldt? Don’t you want to celebrate? I’m real proud of you too.” No response came as she turned the corner.

“What happened with her?”

In the hangar, Ian pulled out Haro as he did some tweaks to the controls of the Dynames. As he looked through data, he was amazed at the precision and skill of its Meister. The average crewmember assumed she just practiced, but the mechanic frowned as he glanced at the perfect scores. “Ruido and Marlene would’ve never wanted this for her.” He mumbled, looking saddened. “I wonder… Chall…”

…

High above in a Tokyo apartment, a brown haired teen pulled out a key from his satchel, only for him to get distracted by the man to the left of him. He looked to have a metal red hand as he watched the person pull out his own key.

“Excuse me? Are you my new neighbor?” The teen turned toward the white haired guy. “I’m Saji Crossroad. I live here with my older sister.”

Albus, pulled from the depths of his thoughts, turned to look at the kid addressing him. "Huh?" he said at first, settling his orange sunglasses on Saji. "I guess so, yeah," Albus turned his eyes to the door, then the key in his hand, and the back to Saji. "You can call me Jack," he said at last, thinking it best to not use his actual codename. The kid had the friendliest face he had seen in two years, completely unbiased by the knowledge of his mission and the weight on Albus's shoulders. It was a refreshing change. "I just moved in--nice to actually meet a neighbour," he held out his metal hand for Saji to shake.

Saji was surprised by the new neighbor's hospitable personality. In fact, the student thought he looked kind of cool. "Nice to meet you too!" Saji noticed how cold the hand felt. Normally, people would just regrow their limbs, but the teen wondered if something had occurred to not allow that. At that moment, a woman walked out of Saji's apartment. Noticing the two, she waved at her neighbor. "New neighbor? I'm Kinue, Saji's sister." She kept walking past the two. "I'm sorry I can't talk. Have to get to work." Saji was perplexed by this night shift, but he didn't let it bother him much. "Oh, ok then." He then also waved at "Jack", grabbing the door handle. "Well, it was nice to meet you Jack. Stay safe out there. We live in a crazy world now..."

"Uh, hi," Albus said as Kinue appeared in the door. "Nice to meet you, too," his eyes followed her as she left, drawn back to Saji only by the teen speaking to him once more. "Yeah, thanks. Keep your head down and your wits about you, too, kid. Things tend to get worse before they get better," with a nod, Albus opened his own door and walked into the apartment beyond. He sat himself down on the bed, staring blankly at the wall across from him before letting his shoulder slump, his head bowing. With his metal hand, Albus removed his sunglasses, placed them next to him on the bed and rubbed his natural left hand across his eyes. Meanwhile, Saji along with the rest of world was soon to learn of this new war's consequences.

The Real IRA was ceasing terrorist activities.

END OF EPISODE 3

[FrostyFoster 453]

EPISODE 4:

It should’ve been a celebratory time for Celestial Being. The Real IRA was ceasing hostilities after hundreds of years. However, once the HRL gave their conference, people’s opinions of the new organization started to lower. 164 people were killed in the Ceylon attack, with the government comparing them to the same terrorists they’ve fought against. On the bridge of the Ptolemaios, the crewmembers discussed their next plan. Feldt Grace only watched with no input.

When little had come to fruition, the forecaster summoned her best weapon for advice, Veda. “13 different counterplans.” Sumeragi explained as she looked through the enormous amount of data given to her. “None of them are positive…” At that moment, the captain was interrupted.

“…The Taribian Republic will secede from the Union and claim independent access to this energy!”

Taribia had made one of the biggest decisions the Earth had seen for a while, likely due to the interventions from Celestial Being in the past. They spoke to the world about their removal from the world power with passion, promising that any aggression will be swiftly stopped by their military.

Celestial Being was given a challenging route to react to, but something had to be done. “We’re starting this mission! Contact the Meisters!” Miss Sumeragi told her crew. While the Kyrios and Virtue were in the Pacific Islands, Exia had to be hidden in a more discreet manner near Tokyo. War is coming soon, since the Union and American militaries were announced to be dispatched to Taribia. 

The three Gundam Meisters had to launch and make decisions for themselves without the guidance of CB. However, they know every step they done would have consequences, whether they be positive or negative. 

[Albus]

“God damnit,” Albus spat as he looked down into the dark waters of the Tokyo harbor. He had hidden the Exia in a secluded enough spot, a corner of the docks where there was little in the way of traffic and night-time work being conducted. “But still…why did I decided to hide it underwater?” he asked himself, folding his arms. He turned to look at the city rising behind him. Unless he had parked it somewhere up in the mountains outside of the city proper, there was no where else it could have been and hiding it outside the city would have made quick access an impossibility. Albus sighed again as he hastily began to remove articles of clothing. They were all far too large for him, baggy to the point of excess but not to the point of suspicion—the whole point was to avoid that but keep them big enough to conceal his normal suit beneath them.

No way in hell am I getting my good clothes soaked

When at last he was free of his clothes, he opened his backpack, removed his helmet and placed it over his head. Then he stuffed his clothes back into the bag, slung it over his shoulder and, with some hesitation, dove head-first into the water.

The Exia was deep, deeper than anyone would bother to look for it, or such was the hope. It was also, coincidentally, deeper than Albus cared to hold his breath for. As he approached his Gundam, the Exia’s eyes lit up, the robot coming to some facsimile of life as it sensed its Meister drawing near. In a few short minutes, Albus was seated comfortably at the controls, the last of the water purging from the cockpit as he hailed the Ptolemaios.

“This is Exia,” he said, sliding the visor of his helmet up. “Proceeding to mission coordinates. Someone want to tell me what I should expect when I get there?”

[Rai Nemerič]

Cloudy afternoon. A storm loomed over Caracas, and as its first droplets made contact with the floor, Rai was already making their way out of the city in a green scooter, protected from the elements by an orange waterproof poncho with big shoulder pads. A dead drop made by Celestial Being, the scooter included a delivery box on the back, with "Pizzas Julito: A Domicilio" printed on it. Inside, there used to be a matching uniform, but the space was now occupied by Rai's usual white suit. Instead, they wore the uniform under their poncho. No way I'm going to ride under the rain for an hour with that thing on…

Indeed, an hour and a half later, Rai was still riding the pizza delivery scooter along the Taribian highways, harassed by heavy rain, when they set eyes upon their chosen hiding spot for Virtue. Riding on a side road for ten more minutes, they finally pulled up to the front gate of an abandoned airfield. Closing it behind themselves, their scooter made their way past the discarded airframes of old fighter jets, some still bearing the insignias of the country Caracas used to be a part of, before Taribia was established. Rai was pretty proud of themselves for having succeeded to hide their Gundam so close to the urban center without being spotted.

At last, they entered one of the hangars, seemingly empty. Virtue's stealth field had its limitations, specifically up close, so Rai could see the Mobile Suit laying down on its back. Even with the delays due to the rain, it didn't look like Edmund, Albus or Feldt would show up in Taribian airspace any time soon, so they took their time to change into their blank normal suit, drew a cold pizza slice from the scooter's box and finally climbed inside Virtue, turning on the communication systems to listen in on every military and civilian frequency. As soon as any of the Gundams showed up in Taribia for a showdown against the military, they would be ready to deploy and provide support.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Replicator
Malnacidos espías de la HRL, quieren robarse mis ondas cerebrales cuánticas

[Spectre]

“My body is a temple. Shattered or not… this mortal coil is all I have left to impact the world…” Edmund kept his eyes sealed shut as he stood erect in the sandy beach. It was rather cold that morning and the rolling water almost felt like sharp needles on his exposed feet and ankles. The ex soldier kept his hands near his hips, palms up, fingers curled in a fist. With his knees slightly bent, Edmund was in a classic “horse” stance, body poised for action. He was miles away from anyone or anything, just him and the ocean breeze. 

“My body is a temple. A mortal coil for my restless soul….” He kept his mantra as he meditated in his martial stance. In and out, his deep breaths reached down into his belly then out his mouth in a steady controlled manner. A cold gust swept in at his body sending a chill down his spine and combing through his brown hair. Still he kept his stance, unyielding to the report from nature. He let let out a long drawn out breath and slowly opened his eye lids. 

Despite the chill in the water he felt clarity, he knew warmth and strength. His two scarred hands slowly, deliberately reached forward, scrapping the ocean wind. “I am a weapon. I am a soldier.” He held the poise for a long while, his fingers curled to make his hands into figurative paws. Still he steadied his breathing, forcing any pain out of his body. 

A buzzing noise pierced into his moment of concentration, he was on the precipitous of delving into a deeper meditation but knew that the call had to be important. Still with a sense of patience he slowly moved his limbs until he was standing erect. Letting out one last measured breath he opened his eyes and calmly turn to walk to his pile of equipment he had on a towel. Next to his mask was his communicator with the the rest of Celestial Being. 

“Taribian….” He muttered as he looked at the screen. “Surely the others will show up.” Briefly the notion of not joining the others crossed his mind. One Gundam would probably be enough to bring a single small country to its’ knees. But the way the other pilots were bickering; he was certain they would need him if for no better reason than being a third party. 

Slowly and deliberately he walked to the storage container that housed Kyrios. As he walked inside he began putting on his space suit. “I wonder what would happen if the group fell apart… what would happen to the plan…” it was a well known secret between the pilots that there were provisions for Gundam on Gundam combat but it hardly seemed fair for Exia to be the only known trump card. Shaking his head he pulled up his familiar helmet mask and dawned the new face. “No… there’s bound to be another system or trump card not even the meisters knew about.” He looked out at his own Gundam which was twisted into its’ mobile armor configuration. He let out a stress filled sigh and jumped into the cockpit of the machine. Flipping switches, he booted up the system and soon he had energy readings climbing up. “The sooner we change the world the better, because I don’t know how much longer the miesters will agree to keep working with each other…” 

[FrostyFoster 453]

(Thanks Grayson for the edit!)

“Gundam. Our very first battle will begin soon.” Graham Aker glided through the air along with his new wingmates, Daryl and Howard. He gripped his controls tightly as he thought about the failure at Ceylon. “I’d like to see you try to get away this time, Gray Menace!” The three identical Union Flags flew far from the pack as several battleships and MS carriers entered the water space of Taribia. A majority of Union machines, Realdos. held the airspace of many Taribian cities. As they flew through the clouds, orange Realdos owned by the South American Nation watched from below, only in three of the major cities. A stalemate had arisen, but it would inevitably be broken as tensions began to rise. One thing was for sure though as sailors and pilots watched the skies. 

Gundams had arrived. 

While the Virtue was no where in sight, it was clear that the Exia and Kyrios had appeared, albeit in different areas. "Damn Gundams!" One of the ship captains scowled as he saw the winged machine high in the sky. "What's your plan..."

“Gundams in position!” Christina uttered to her crewmembers as Multi watched his own screen with interest. He watched the dots on his screen moved in wide motions. “This could be the biggest battle we’ve had…” Sumeragi looked over the shoulders of both, hoping the pilots could pull something off. “The politics of the world were still in an everchanging state, even if Celestial Being wasn’t around. Floating back into her captain's chair, she reached for another beer, only to be disappointed when nothing was grasped. She sighed as she wondered if her forecasting would help.  "Well, The decisions they make here are their own.” Unsurprisingly, Feldt kept herself from the crew, keeping herself inside the meeting room. She stared blankly at the electronic screen as the three Gundam markers blinked as they moved across the map. 

“Meisters. Live.” 

“There you are.” Graham banked right through the clouds, confusing his squad. “Lieutenant?” Howard asked while watching his comrade pass him. “Should we-“ The soldier was silenced by the Union Flag blasting ahead at a breakneck pace toward the gray machine. Annoyed by Howard's call, Graham kept his eyes forward, with every thought in his head about the Exia. “Just follow me!" He finally responded. "I want this to be my chance to shine. Come on Gundam!” With two behind him, the American flyer proceeded to get dangerously close to his adversary.

[Albus]

“At least one of you showed,” Albus said, hailing the Kyrios as it appeared on his sensors. “Makes sense considering yours is the fastest, I guess,” the Meister read the data readouts as they appeared on his feed, his hand firmly embedded into the recess in his machine’s controls.

Seems like these guys are banking on us to beat up their bullies…cheeky…

“Spectre,” he turned his camera on this time. He looked at his fellow pilot’s image on the screen, stared deep into his singular eye and had to force back a scowl. “Give me your two cents on this. I’m no fan of the Union but it seems like these Taribian fools are trying to get us to fight their battles for them. I think we should teach them a lesson about trying to manipulate the big dogs,”

Albus had no chance to hear whatever Edmund’s answer was. His sensors began to beep wildly, alerting him to incoming hostiles that were coming up on him fast. “God damn it,” he groaned. “Three bogeys inbound and they’re moving quickly. Flags, by the looks of it. Exia is moving to eliminate and will proceed to objective shortly,”

The Exia’s GN Sword flipped out of its gun configuration and the Gundam brought its shield up tight to the chest. If these guys wanted to try and strafe him, he wouldn’t let them do it without a little bit of punishment. The lead Flag was flying directly towards him with little regard for safety, it seemed.

So we have a hotshot, then…fine by me…

 

[Spectre]

Edmund was about to respond to Albus when they both noticed the trio of flags approaching. Something about the machines felt familiar to him, he just couldn’t place it. Shaking the notion from his head, he pushed his controls to push past Exia. 

Kyrios zipped past the flags and with grace that only the GN drive could display, Edmund transformed midair to turn and shoot a volley at the trio. He aimed specifically to the point man, suspecting the other two would try to cover for their leader. “We have to fight them on our terms Albus!” His words were more reasonable in tone, rather than challenging, to his fellow Meister. 

It felt odd seeing three flags out alone like this, it made Edmund nervous. Something wasn’t right about the encounter, he just didn’t know what exactly. 

[FrostyFoster 453]

“Tchh. Guess you’re not the killer I thought you’d be.”

Graham scoffed at the Exia’s defensive position as the Union Flag got closer toward it. After watching the mobile suit take out the Enact at the demonstration so easily, he hoped its pilot would’ve been dumb enough to attack the Union’s greatest ace first. However, as the Union Flag was about to bank right, another flying machine raced past him and his comrades.

“Heh! Thanks!” Graham chuckled as the Kyrios transformed in the air to fire on his squad. “I’ll do you one better!” At the breakneck speed a human should handle, Graham’s machine also changed midair, pulling its legs to the side to dodge the volley of beams completely. For only a split second, the American had his dark blue Gundam in sight, firing upon it with a few linear rifle shots.

“Howard! Daryl! Stay on him!” The Union Flag quickly turned to get next to the Exia, sending its right leg up toward it. Graham tried to kick its shield off while also pulling out his own melee weapon. “As a Virgo, it has been my destiny to fight someone like you!” The blue blade ignited, slashing upward at the Gray Menace. “This is the beginning of our relationship, GUNDAM!!!”

“Damn, this guy’s fast. This’ll be fun!”

Seeing someone other than Graham transform midair like that made him feel slightly queasy. He couldn’t imagine the G-Forces being placed on the pilot. 

“Then again, these Gundams have some crazy tech…”

Him and Daryl began circling the Kyrios in their Flags, sending missiles toward the mobile suit whenever they had a clear opening. Like Graham, Howard was extremely confident in the Flag’s abilities, but Daryl began to suspect the mobile suit’s actual potential once he saw the Kyrios effortlessly transform.

“Sir! The Gundams have started attacking the Flag Squadron!” A crew member yelled out to his superior. The commander had a perplexed look. “What? Have they attacked the Taribian military?” After a negative response, the commander rose from his seat. “Are they protecting them?” Like many others, Celestial Being’s goal still seemed mysterious. “Those terrorists have attacked Union soldiers! Send Foxtrot squadron toward the Gundams. The others have my authority to commence battle in the cities.”

Christina’s eyes widened while she watched a dozen Union Realdos head for the two Gundams. “Sumeragi! The Union’s attacking!” The Forecaster almost cracked her bottle when she saw this. “Why? The Union shouldn’t have retaliated this soon!” She watched as the three enemy dots moved slightly faster than the others Union machines. “Whoever’s in charge of those three just made this battle much bloodier…” Gritting her teeth at her now failed plan, she tossed the drink aside in anger. “Come on, Rai…”

“Union mobile suits, dead ahead!” The orange Realdo’s pilot didn’t last long as multiple shots slammed into his mobile suit, killing him instantly. While Caracas was still holding its own, Maracaibo and Cayenne’s defenses couldn’t handle the Union’s superior pilots, slowly by surely starting to lose more units. Taribia’s leader could only hold his head in shame as he watched a Taribian Realdo slam onto a nearby building, causing a rattling explosion. The Battle of Taribia had begun…

[Albus]

“Our terms, huh?” Albus said as he blocked the few pitiful shots the lead Flag had taken at him before boosting towards him, his comrades distracted by the Kyrios. “Then I guess we show them that we can’t be pushed around. It’s world peace by our terms, no one else’s.” Albus’s mouth set itself in an unflappable scowl as the Flag engaged, sending its leg up in a tricky little kick that honestly caught him off-guard. The Exia’s shield, divorced from its mobile suit, spun off into the depths of the world far below them. Albus couldn’t lose focus though. He didn’t need the shield to deal with this guy—the Exia had superior armor after all and he was banking on that fact to at least buy him the time he needed to stick a sword through this persistent Flag.

“All you’ve done is free up my hand,” Albus said to himself as he parried the blue beam blade. The Exia’s left hand reached backwards to its rear skirt armor and pulled free one of its GN beam daggers.  Albus swung the Exia’s left hand forward, bringing the short blade towards the Flag’s engines as the Gundam slipped to the left around the Union machine.

“I didn’t realize they started giving rookies the good mobile suits,” Albus said, hailing the Flag directly. “Or are you one of those officers whose daddy paid their way up the ladder? Because with the way you’re coming at me, you could honestly be either,”

Let’s get him all riled up, shall we? Albus loved to throw his barbs for many reasons, but chief among them on the battlefield at least, was the effect they could have on the opponent. If he could get under the enemy’s skin, then the battle was half-won.

[FrostyFoster 453]

(Collab)

“Hahaha…HAHAHAHA!” The Flag’s engines quickly shut down, causing the weapon heading for it to miss as the machine fell from the air. However, the tiny blade singed the side of the mobile suit’s head, the mobile suit reigniting its thrusters. “The brutal killer is feisty today after all.” While turning his blade off, Graham used every muscle in his arms to bring the Union Flag behind the Exia.

“That’s right. I watched you murder that cocky pilot at the AEU Demonstration.” Bringing himself to level with the Gundam, he could only get a glimpse at the GN Drive before the Exia would have a chance to react. “You terrorists are cold-blooded, but you get to the point.” The Flag immediately wrapped its right arm around the neck of the Exia, using its left hand to grasp the head. “You should’ve killed me there too when you had the chance, because I, Graham Aker, am going to be taking this as a souvenir!” The pilot started to pull on the mobile suit in the least gentle way possible. “HAHAHA!”

Edmund’s eyes went wide at the sight of the flag transforming. Only when there linear rifle hit him did Edmund fully understand what had happened. “That crazy bastard! The G’s!” His lament was short lived as the other two fired missiles at Kyrios. The best Edmund could muster was bringing his shield up and even that was meager. He cried out as his machine shook violently from the explosions. 

A cloud of smoke enveloped Kyrios and for a moment it appeared defeated. The notion was short lived as a splatter of pink blasts returned back to the two flags attacking Edmund. A moment later the Winged Gundam shot out of the cloud to come fast towards one of the Flags, shield claw out stretched and poised for a grab. “You’re going to seriously regret underestimating me!”

Did we get him?” Howard asked over his communications as he watched the smoke intently. Daryl shook his head, already knowing the answer. The pink beams flew out of the cloud as the Flags attempted to dodge the attacks. Some slid across the fliers though, causing moderate damage to each.

“Damn!” Daryl pulled his Flag back, only for a claw to rip through part of his mobile suit. “I’m down!” He yelled out, his machine violently shaking down toward the ocean. More radio chatter came through as six Union Realdos fired upon the Gundam.

“We got you covered!” Foxtrot’s leader hoped that even though his team was further than he’d like, the winged one would stop take its eyes off the elite squadron. With only Howard having proper aim, he let loose a few bullets from his linear rifle at the head of the Kyrios. “How dare you damage Daryl’s Flag!”

Meanwhile in Caracas, all hell was breaking loose. Having patiently waited until a large enough contingent crossed his sights, Rai had fired his cannons on an entire wing of Taribian Realdos, taking down ten of them with a surprise attack. The hangar Virtue had been hidden in was now a smoldering wreck, while the Gundam flew free, still firing its weapons on the Taribians while making its way towards one of their bases. "1445. The Taribian military no longer possesses the power needed to stop this Gundam. Commencing bombardment." Mercilessly, once the base was within range, Virtue opened fire on its hangars, while steering clear of buildings like the control tower.

“Another one of the Gundams is attacking the Taribian army!” Chaos began to erupt from both the MS carrier battleship and Taribia’s parliament building. The country’s leader held his telephone tightly, knowing that he’d have to surrender eventually. However, he wasn’t sure WHO he’d even be surrendering to.

“Sir, do our Realdos have authorization to engage the new Gundam?” Surprisingly, the Union soldier was met with a negative response, much to the bewilderment of the crew. “Let the big one mop up these Taribian fools for us. Tell the squad in Caracas’ to standby until further orders.” The Union commander creased down, putting his head on his temple. While their Realdos had mopped up most of the enemies in the other two cities and could take on a single Gundam with their force, three would be an issue.

”Doing nothing would also look bad for the Union...” The commander quickly had his subordinates contact the Union Base nearest to Taribian airspace. “We’ll need reinforcements...”

Albus scowled at the man's attempts at taunting him. He knew better than to dwell on it though. The Meister pushed the words away to a deeper part of his mind and jabbed back as the Flag grappled the Exia and started tugging its head. "Don't you worry, rookie, there's still plenty of time to kill you," with those words, Albus adjusted the Exia's bearing, sending it straight up into the air with all the power he could  draw out of the GN drive without any signs of stopping. As he ascended, Albus folded the GN sword back into its gun configuration but rather than fire, he swung the Exia's right arm backwards, hoping to drive the tip of the folded blade into Aker's suit.

"Gheh!" Graham gritted his teeth as his Flag and the Gundam blasted upward at an alarming speed. "Lieutenant!" Howard called out, dealing with his fair share of problems as well.

"Let go!" Instead, the pilot tightened his grip around the neck of the Exia. "No! I won't let him win!" The Flag  erratically shook around, joints and armor seeming to be hanging by a thread. "You have nothing, Gundam! These tricks won't stop Grah-Graha..." The human body could only take so much speed. Graham Aker coughed a glob of blood as he went unconscious. Adding insult to this, the pilot did nothing as the Gundam's sword tip jabbed itself deep into the Union Flag's right shoulder, only barely missing the machine's torso. Celestial Being's blade cleanly cut through the entire piece, removing the arm from body. "LIEUTENANT!!" Daryl could only scream with his life vest, his own Flag in the ocean, as he watched Graham's freefall.

Edmund hissed as he took a piece of Daryl’s flag. He wasn’t going to let the Realdos distract him from the distinctly more dangerous Union fighter. Still he maintain enough discipline to recognize the threat from the remaining Flag, and cut his propulsion to drop and avoid the head shot. As he fell, he leveled his machine gun to fire frantically at the Flag. His sense of buck fervor almost cost him as the Realdos came in to fire at him. He transformed back into a mobile armor and veered away to try and get distance on the new threats.

Howard wanted to continue fighting the winged one. He felt that he could eventually get the upper hand, especially after dodging the machine gun fire. However, his superior was in trouble as he plummeted to the sea. Howard took his Flag away from the Kyrios, speeding forward to Graham.

On the edge of her screen, Christina watched a multitude of dots flicker. “Sumeragi! More MS carriers heading to Taribia!” As the Realdos continued their fire upon Kyrios, albeit with not much luck considering its speed, the Taribian remnants were much worse for wear. What little was left dropped their weapons at the Gray versions and the Virtue, defeated. The Union’s president had just got off the phone. “Taribia has just surrendered.” He told his subordinate. “Alert the reinforcements to run the Gundams out of there.”

A news bulletin, shown in the Ptolemaios’ bridge, scared Lichty as more Realdos were shown in the footage. “The Gundams can take those easily... right?” Sumeragi felt a pit in her stomach. She thought this wouldn’t gone much smoother. The Gundams take out the war promoting Taribian army and they’d be done. Unbeknownst to her though, a blond haired pilot with an attitude to bait people caused much more bodies to be stacked up. ”Damn, hopefully they retreat before damage is done to the Gundams.” However, there was no way to contact the trio. It was all up to them to make the right decision, whatever they felt was right.

Albus felt the weight of the Flag ease off of the Exia's frame and watched as it began to plummet to the world below. Halting the Gundam's ascent as he watched, it soon became clear to the Meister that the pilot within was not responding. 

"Did I kill him?" he asked himself. From what he could tell, the sword had only managed to separate the Flag's arm--it shouldn't have been lethal damage. Albus's eyes continued to trace Aker's rapid descent and something within him snarled.

"God damn it," he hissed, sending the Exia into a dive. As he narrowed the distance between them, the Gundam reached out for the Flag's other arm and latched on. Albus reversed his thrust and slowed the descent of the two mobile suits. 

"Today's your lucky day, Graham Aker..." as the hot-headed fighter's ally came zooming towards them, the Exia released its opponent once more, dancing off into the sky before the rescuing Flag could try and mount an offensive. Maxing out his speed, Albus brought his Gundam towards the Kyrios as the newly arrived Realdos appeared on his screens.

"Can't seem to catch a break today, huh?"

“Graham! Wait...” Howard wasn’t sure what his plan of attack was going to be. Would he have slammed into the Exia to prevent the killing of his Lieutenant? Would he have been able to catch the machine on top of his own Flag? He wouldn’t have a shot at either though as he saw the Gundam grab Graham’s mobile suit to slow it down.

Taking matters literally into his own hands, Howard grabbed the broken Flag in MA mode, which would’ve been close to sinking before he arrived.

“Lieutenant?”

No response. The soldier made the call to leave the area with his ally. Daryl was bound to be picked up at some point and reinforcements were soon to arrive. Howard quietly sat in the seat of his cockpit as the two Flags sped away, wondering if even the best pilots on the planet could top a mobile suit like that. Although, it seemed as if maybe that wouldn’t matter as much.

”The Gundam showed mercy...”

“09, stay in formation!” The Union Realdos had no intention of stopping. The other six who left to fight the Exia, were now back with their original group, only barely making it as the two Gundams came close to each other. Now a dozen machines fired everything they had against the mobile suits, knowing at least a few attacks should hit...

In most cities, civilians could only hear the faintest sounds of war from afar. Union mobile suits by this point had occupied the area with more on the way. However, a beast still raged in Caracas. It would require more than a few to stop it in its tracks.

Edmund grimaced as he saw Albus’ own act of compassion. As the Exia came to fly besides him, Edmund didn’t immediately respond to the question instead quietly asking out loud, “-doing the right thing?” His words could easily be misunderstood from what he was really intending. Before he could speak up to clarify the Realdos fired upon them both. He jerked his controls to avoid the incoming fire and roared out loud as he came about to open fire on the fodder. “You want to die?!” He called out rhetorically to the mindless soldiers attacking them. The GN machine gun sputtered shots at the enemy, moving in sequence from target to target.

Two of the Union Realdos exploded upon contact, which answered Edmund's question in a strange way. Four pulled back at the explosions once another one took a bit of damage from the shrapnel. "Keep on them!" Their leader yelled out as he fired a set of missiles upon the Kyrios, the only one equipped with the extra loadout. The fliers seemed like more of an annoyance if anything, but the extra MS carriers continued their way into Taribian airspace, many more in tow.

Taribia's leader sat in the back of a bulletproof black sedan speeding down the broken roads. "Like it would even help." He thought as the car turned another corner through the wartorn city. While his country had officially surrendered, he wasn't going to become a puppet in an occupied territory. "The Gundams don't seem to be merciful either..." While his plan was SOMEWHAT successful, Celestial Being and Union had managed to create some create a massive mess in the country, hoping the public would still look down upon the world power.

The vehicle stepped hard on the brakes as it reached the president's private plane. He slowly opened his door, staring in the sky at an unidentifed object. The machine was entirely blue, holding a single large rifle pointed at the plane. "An-anothAHHH!" A single shot erupted, the plane and sedan bursting in flames upon impact. The mobile suit didn't even watch the explosion as it quickly left its location. The pilot smirked, letting out a bellow of joy from his mouth.

“HEHEHEHEHEHEH!!!"

Making quick work of their Realdos, the Exia and Kyrios watched as each of the fliers either exploded on impact, or crashed into the waves below. The sleek mobile suits hovered atop Taribia, only for their alerts to be reignited. Dozens upon dozens of Realdos began heading to their location, with the two quickly leaving the area. “Wait! Pull off! They’re retreating!” The commander told the squadrons in the sky.

While the Gundams did have the capabilities to take on the weak Union machine, the pilots knew wasn’t worth the risk of possibly damaging their mobile suits. Plus, the battle didn’t quite go to plan. Sticking around would make it much worse for the organization, with the Virtue already gone, leaving a trail of orange scrap behind. With the Union abandoning the Gundams, MS carriers and mobile fighters closed back in on the South American country…”

…

“Yesterday, Celestial Being took advantage of a tense situation, opting to attack both Taribia and our military. They’ve continued to spread bloodshed and pain on our planet, killing numerous soldiers and civilians in the process…”

Back at the MSWAD Headquarters, Graham and his crew watched the broadcast from the Union General intently. It had been a few days since it and America’s military had occupied the country of Taribia by force. Without a political leader, it was unknown how the country would turn out, only that they were once again unified with the world power in a strange way. The Lieutenant could only think about his fight with the gray Gundam, wishing his Flag could’ve had the power to prevent his embarrassing fall into unconsciousness.

“Have they found it yet?” Graham asked the Union’s famous engineer, currently looking at a screen filled with data. Ralph grunted in response, opting to not talk with the pilot. “Cocky bastard. You baited those Gundams.” In his mind, Ralph felt the Lieutenant was the real one responsible for this bloodshed, but the show must go on. Behind him, Graham’s broken Flag was currently not only being fixed behind him, but rebuilt to become a mobile suit the Union had never even seen. Graham turned back to the unfinished creation, surprising not smiling at his new shot at capturing a Gundam.

“Why? Why did you save me?”  

…

Getting extremely close to the TV, Saji Crossroad watched as Union protest footage was being shown. Some civilians felt the battle was provoked by the Union bringing themselves into the independent country’s airspace in the first place. Others didn’t believe that the Gundams were responsible for the death of Taribia’s leader as reported, feeling that the world power would want to remove the country’s biggest adversary in the ensuing battle with Celestial Being. The teen couldn’t take much more of it, turning off the electronic.

“I just… don’t get it.” Saji told his sister. “Celestial Being said they were going to stop the fighting, but now they’re starting them.” He turned to Kinue, who was at work typing away to get more news stories out in time. “And-and the Union just occupies the country? That’ll cause even more deaths!”

Kinue looked back at her younger brother in pity. “That’s what war is. People fight. People die. People take over.” She looked back at her own screen. “People report on it. None of it will ever make sense to any of us.” Unbeknownst to her, their neighbor laid in his bed. Celestial Being had given him a new life, but would it also take others away? There wasn’t much time to ponder though as Albus’ phone began to ring.

END OF EPISODE FOUR

Edited March 4, 2021 by FrostyFoster