Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Redefine

[FrostyFoster 453]

EPISODE 5

Thank you for using Heaven’s Pillar Travel Bureau Number E616 today. This linear train is a…

A single passenger sat in his own compartment, just finishing up some Sake. His metal hand gripped the cup tightly, recalling the mission plan Sumeragi had sent him.

Observe a mobile suit performance test done by the HRL. If you deem this a threat, destroy it and return to the Ptolemaios. However, if the situation gets bad, escape the area with the Exia intact.

Said mobile suit was held in its own cargo bay, with Albus having easy access if the time comes to strike. The HRL’s new weapon would be starting its test soon, not giving him too much time to interact with the Low Orbital Station’s gravity blocks, but maybe enough to enjoy the “vacation” at least for a bit.

As for Wing Lu Mei and Hong Long, who also were at Heaven’s Pillar to watch the demonstration, they would be near the cargo hold, making sure nothing went goes awry with the Gundam.

“Mistress. Albus has arrived on schedule.” Hong floated toward his sister gracefully, uttering his words professionally. Wei smiled as she continued to look at her communication device. The HRL had ramped up productions of new mobile suits since the Union’s attack on Taribia, knowing they would do the same to defeat Celestial Being. With two world powers in full effect against the organization, she wondered how the four Gundams would retaliate in the future…

“SAJI!” Louise Halvey grasped onto the teen’s arm, busy looking at one of the shops nearby. “Hold me, I’m cold.” Saji turned, like a few other civilians, toward the girl. “Louise, can you please not make a scene everywhere we go?” She responded by pouting, dramatically pulling her hand away. “Hmh! Some boyfriend you are. I’ve seen the way you looked at those girls by the malt shop!” As Saji sighed, far in space there were two machines beginning their own mission…

[Albus]

Albus’s fingers drummed on the arm of his seat, the empty glass touching down on the side table with a solid thunk. The sake burned in a way that he didn’t particularly find pleasant. It had been a few years since he first met Sumeragi in that bar in Hakone, where she insisted on having it. He hadn’t much cared for the taste then, either. Albus sighed, propping his face up with his organic hand as he ran through the mission parameters in his head for the umpteenth time.

I doubt just watching this thing is going to tell me how dangerous it is…

It seemed like a mission better suited for someone like Rai, who was a bit more in touch with the technical side of these things given his unique connection with VEDA. Maybe that was imagined though—for all he knew, Rai was just as ignorant as he was when it came to mechanical engineering. Albus groaned and rose from his seat, realizing just how much of a buzz he had gotten from the sake.

“I guess I’ll walk it off and make my way to the Exia,” he said to himself, replacing his glasses on his face and exiting the compartment.

Walking past the store fronts and attractions in the Low Orbital Station, Albus tried his best to enjoy himself. He was on a mission, sure, and one he didn’t particularly care to be on, but it was a rather cushy one compared to the last few. As he weaved through the throngs of people, bag in hand, he thought about Graham Aker and his persistent assault in Taribia. Christina and the others had pulled up a bio on him when the mission was over and Albus was surprised to see that it was the same blonde guy that stared him down during the Enact test. Upon learning that, the Meister spent some time thinking about how things might be different if he had just dealt with him then and there.

Might have saved me some trouble, but…

His thoughts drifted to Taribia, to saving the Flag from careening to the ground. Maybe it had been some selfish desire to prove to himself that he wasn’t the cold-blooded killer the others thought him to be, or maybe it had been genuine mercy—the line between the two was fuzzy for him and he had received a reprimand for it either way. He wasn’t brought on to be merciful, he was here to bring an end to war. Albus didn’t know of many wars that were won by saving the enemy.

Deep in his thoughts, Albus wasn’t watching where he was going. His shoulder bumped solidly into two people who had backed into his path and he had almost sent them toppling to the floor. The Meister was about to raise his voice in anger when he noticed who, exactly, he had bumped into.

“Watch where you’re fu—wait…Saji? Saji Crossroad, right?” He said, adjusting his glasses. “You’re the kid who lives in the apartment next to me,” he wasn’t alone, either.  Saji was being accompanied by a fiery looking blonde girl who was currently staring him down, about to give him a piece of his mind, surely.

[FrostyFoster 453]

(collab)

"Saji had to blink a few times before he processed what happened, but once he knew who had bumped into them, he was shocked. "Eh! Jack! What are you doing here?" The teen asked his neighbor. He found it strange that his neighbor would just so happen to take a vacation the exact same time as his school trip, but much stranger things seemed to be occuring in each of their lives. "I'm actually here on-" "Why don't YOU watch where you're going, neighbor boy! You could've hurt my wittle Saji." Steamrolling his conversation, she grasped the check of her boyfriend playfully, but Saji felt it was more of an annoyance. "Heh heh..." He sighed. "This is my girlfriend, Louise."

Albus quirked an eyebrow at the name Jack, having forgotten until that moment that he had given the kid a fake name to cover up his other fake name. He was about to respond when the blonde girl cut in with fury. Albus simply let it wash over him and Saji introduced her soon after. "Cool. Hey," he said, perhaps too dismissively. The kid had been cut off, but Albus could fit the clues together. "You're on some kind of romantic getaway, huh? You two eloping or something?" He smirked. "Does your sister know?"

“I wish...” Louise muttered under her breath, finally noticing “Jack’s” metal hand. She motioned to Saji, but he was busy trying to correct the misunderstanding. “No, no, we’re here on a school trip. You see, we’re studying to become engineers.” The teen wondered what Jack even did for a living. There’d be some days where his neighbor wouldn’t be home for days, giving the teen more interest in the peculiar man. “In fact, we even got to do a spacewalk! Ever done that?” He thought back to when Louise almost fell off the station, scared for their lives.

Albus chuckled despite himself "Only teasing. A spacewalk, huh?" Albus noticed Louise's interest in his hand and he raised it to rub his chin. "Can't say I have. Space isn't really my favourite place, to be honest. My soul is a little bit too weighed down by gravity, if you catch my meaning. But sometimes my employer sends me up here against my will. Speaking of which," Albus craned his neck to look at a nearby clock. "I ought to get a move on or I'm going to be late,"

“Oh, well it’s nice to see you then!” Saji waved, with Louise quickly pulling him toward one of the jewelry shops. 

“Follow the predetermined course at full acceleration.” Sergei’s order was dry, with the brightly colored Tieren pilot’s response being equally lacking in personality. “Roger.” Soma Pieres, one of the first super soldiers, took her special mobile suit across the stars...

[Albus]

“This is Albus. Exia is moving to scouting position,” Albus said some time later as he and the Gundam drifted through the dark folds of space. He had encountered Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long on his way to the hangar where the Exia lay dormant, but they kept their interaction mercifully brief. The Meister just wanted to get the mission done and get himself earthside again. Space just didn’t agree with him, he was learning, but if the job required him to be there…

“Coming into position now, Ptolemy. I’m not seeing anything out there just yet, but—” his long-range sensors began to beep and he frowned. He had been half hoping that the HRL suits wouldn’t show, but here they were, right on time. “Scratch that, HQ. I see them now. I’m picking up at least two mobile suits, maybe more,”

What a drag…

“I’m moving in to get a better look, I’ll report back with my findings momentarily,” Albus spurred the Exia, barely visible against the black backdrop of the stars, towards the Human Reform League mobile suits, a trail of green particles the only indication that the Gundam was there at all. “Let’s try not to spook them,” he muttered to himself as he closed the distance. In the distance he caught sight of the new machine he was here to spy on and potentially destroy.

“Looks like some kind of Tieran variant,” he said to no one in particular. “Nothing too special from what I can tell…”

[FrostyFoster 453]

Wang Liu Mei in return kept her response brief, only a mention of not scuffing up the "Gray Menace" with a giggle. Hong Long stood stone cold watching the Meister get in his mobile suit. In their eyes, the pilots were just cogs in the machine called Celestial Being. They were chosen for a reason and while none had made any drastic mistakes yet, there was a sense of dread in the air due to their personalities. "Why can't they all just be like the child?" She thought while leaving the cargo hold.

"I'm at maximum acceleration."

The white haired woman took full control of the pink Tieren as it turned and spun through the depths of space. Her commander awed at the Taozi, not so much as a powerful mobile suit, but the fact that its pilot could handle the max speed told Sergei these Super Soldiers were nothing to mess with. "I can't believe it." Sergei sat in his own Tieren as he continued to stare at the clearly superior machine, now showing off quick stops and side steps. 

"Coming out here was worth it, Second Lieutenant." He called out to Soma, who didn't let off of her controls. "The HRL has created the first mobile suit that can actually keep up with the Gundams. This data will be very useful." He almost bit his tongue as he said this though, thinking back to his own time against one of Celestial Being's machines. Years and years of training led to a fight where, if he hadn't left the vicinity, the "winged one" would've likely mopped the floor with him.

"Gundam... your reign will end. No matter what..." 

[Albus]

It’s quick…

Albus watched as the HRL’s new mobile suit sped across the star field, his long range cameras struggling to keep up with it.

It might even be able to keep pace with the Kyrios…

His grip tightened on his controls. This thing was bound to be a problem at some point, especially with a pilot who seemed able to handle the significant stress such speed would be putting on them. When he was with the Union, him and his fellow rank-and-files had heard ghost stories about some legendary Super Soldier project—a class of genetically altered warriors—that the Human Reform League was developing under the radar. Him and the others had believed it to be little more than a myth though, a story cooked up by the top-brass to scare them into duty. But after joining Celestial Being and seeing just how deep the rabbit hole could truly go, Albus began to doubt.

Memories of that fateful day over the pacific began to come back to him then, memories long buried clawing their way, zombie-like, to the surface of his cognisance. Albus could see in his mind’s eye, clear as the day it happened, his comrades being picked out of the sky by enemy Tierans on the ground. First Amada, then Sanders...he wasn’t close behind. A rogue shot. Had he been paying attention, he would’ve danced around it with ease. But the sound of Sanders’ screams as his Realdo plummeted towards the ground had shattered something in him. One wayward bullet was all it took to clip his engines and send Alistair Judge, a man whose skills on the battlefield had earned him the nickname ‘Arbitrator’, crashing into the Pacific Ocean.

His grip tightened on the controls even more, his left hand doing its best to try to snap the throttle it held with pure anger. Amada…Sanders…their swan songs reverberated in his head, quickened his pulse. Albus could feel his blood begin to boil and the bile in his stomach churn like the stormy ocean into which he fell.

“This is Exia. Moving to exterminate the HRL prototype. This is a threat that can’t be ignored,” he said coolly, masking his rage as he impelled the Gundam, as fast as he could, towards the enemy Tierans. Rai’s admonishment of him as a cold-blooded killer came to him in that moment.

“Tch,”

Who gives a shit what that robot thinks?

On his approach, the Exia’s sword arm swung up and several blasts from the rifle heralded his vengeful engagement.  

[FrostyFoster 453]

Soma continued her gracefulness with the Tieren Taozi against the cold black darkness of space, only for her performance to be interrupted by a few stray shots. She had no time to react as the  blasts slammed directly into the pink mobile suit. “Second Lieutenant!” Sergei screamed, watching smoke arise from the side of the special machine. However, as it subsided, only singe marks appeared on the Taozi, taking no actual damage.

“It’s armor…” The White Bear of Russia moved himself away while Soma sat in her cockpit, not opting to move the machine at all. “Gundam is engaging in battle the Taozi!” Alarms and blares went out from one of the control stations, with members of the HRL suiting up in their own machines. “We’re sending reinforcements shortly. Just keep him busy!”

Sergei grunted as he finally saw the culprit, the gray Gundam with the sword attachment. He knew from his research that the mobile suit was one of the speedier Gundams, an excellent playmate for the Taozi. “Delay that order! This is the perfect time to see the true quality of your new mobile suit!” Scientists and crewman began to panic as the Tieren Space Types were put on standby. After all, not only was that machine expensive, but Soma was all they had in terms of pilots with almost unhuman abilities by this point. Losing her could end up ruining the entire Super Soldier Program. However, Sergei also had other ideas for the Gundam…

“We’ve just received a message from Wang Lui Mei. Albus has just engaged the HRL’s mobile suit.” Sumeragi scowled at Multi’s statement. In her mind, this meant the machine was actually enough of an issue to be deemed dangerous, unless Albus just wanted to show off once again. “If this mobile suit really is a challenge, you knows how far behind the Union and AEU are.”

All alone, Soma brought her machine up to the new threat. No emotion was shown on her as she watched the Gundam get closer. “Soma Pieres. Responding to the threat.” The Taozi jetted forward to fire one shot, only to then send the machine diagonally upward, firing another. Deciding to not keep herself in one area for too long, the Super Soldier continued to fire, then move at an erratic pace. Thankfully, the two were far enough from the orbital station that no civilians would end up in the crossfire, but this didn’t stop people from watching. More heads turned as what looked like tiny specks between the stars glided at each other. While Louise looked in awe, unsure that they were even mobile suits, Saji looked in disgust.  

[Albus]

Albus narrowed his eyes when he saw the effect his preliminary fire had on the Taozi but otherwise he said nothing. His focus was locked on the pink machine, his heart hammering in his chest as some part of him tried to fight its way back up to the surface of his psyche. The Meister hadn’t lost control, per se, so much as a sort of tunnel vision had overcome him. The part of him in control of the Exia wanted nothing more than to destroy the enemies before him while the rational part, the one still swimming upward through his consciousness knew his reasoning to be faulty. Albus had vowed to himself when he joined Celestial Being that those days were behind him, that he would leave his time as a Union soldier, as Alistair Judge, firmly in the past.

Evidently, that was not the case. The Meister was clearly at odds with himself, but for now, all that mattered was the battle before him. The pink Tieran could dance, it seemed, much like the Exia. Not quite as graceful, sure, but quick—speedier than its bulky frame would suggest. Albus wondered how such a machine handled under Earth’s gravity, though. Was it just a one-trick pony that could only move like it did when it was in space? The Exia, still without its shield, took the brunt of the gun fire that its pilot couldn’t avoid. Rolling in a lateral corkscrew, the Exia fully extended the GN sword and, when it got the Taozi in its crosshairs, Albus put everything he could into the thrusters. By the time he reached the suit and swiped with his blade, however, the Tieran had already moved away.

Stay still, you bastard

The two of them danced together like this for what felt like minutes, with the Exia looking the worse for wear as it continued to drag on. No matter how he moved, the Taozi seemed to anticipate him, jet away, and fire another volley. Even when Albus switched tack to a more ranged approach, it accomplished little. Eventually, Albus was clenching his teeth so hard that he was afraid they might break under the pressure. The longer the battle went, the more he could feel himself unravelling. Exia was supposed to be able to deal with any enemy. All he needed was one opening, one small chance to get into close range and he was sure he could obliterate this clunky suit before him, but he couldn’t seem to find it.

“Why won’t you die?” Albus eventually cried out despite himself.

[FrostyFoster 453]

“Saji, are the lights those Gundam things?” The teen finally realized that something was up as the gray and pink machines from far away got slightly more noticeable. Saji only nodded as he continued to watch. “This world is getting scarier. Terrorists run amuck, higher powers take over countries, who knows what’s next?” A pit in his stomach began to form just from the thought of collateral damage, or worse, the deaths of the people he loved. “I-I gotta use the restroom.” Saji Crossroad ran away from his girlfriend, still staring at the hi tech mobile suits.

“She’s winning.” Sergei was almost having trouble keeping up with the two mobile suit’s movements, but the results were clear. If the Taozi was able to keep up the pace it currently held, the Gundam would be done for. However, their main mission wasn’t to destroy a Gundam. “Your Taozi has proven itself…” Sergei stated with a smirk under his helmet. “Launch the Tierens on standby and make sure Gel Launchers are equipped!” His own space type blasted towards the two fighters, with the bridge crew thankful the HRL commander was giving this order.

Soma responded to Albus’ want for close combat, also sending herself closer to the enemy machine. This was no showing of confidence in her piloting skills though. Her goal in mind was to take out the Exia’s main weapon using the only thing that mattered in her eyes, the Taozi’s skills. Thankfully, her superior had a similar idea as he fired upon the gray mobile suit a few times. “…Now.” With the Gundam likely to be distracted, Soma latched her entire mobile suit on top of the Exia, primarily using her machine’s arms in an attempt to push the sword handle out of the CB machine’s hand. Those reinforcement would have to arrive soon if she wanted to keep up with this attack though, as less pressure was put on the Exia’s left arm. 

By pure coincidence, another pilot who acted similarly to the HRL super soldier was awaiting her own orders as she sat in her cockpit. The black machine stood tall, with an identically colored droid placed near the pilot. The thumbs up from a fellow crewmember was all she needed as the Gundam got into place.

“Feldt Grace. Gundam Dynames. Launching.”

[Albus]

At last!

Albus almost barked with laughter as the Taozi closed the gap between them, bringing itself within range of the GN Sword that had been ineffective so far. But just as the enemy suit reached the Exia, a flurry of gun fire came from another direction and caught Albus’s attention for just long enough to allow the Taozi the window it needed. The pink Tieren clamped onto the Exia and began to pull at the GN Sword.

“What’s with you assholes and trying to steal my stuff?” Albus growled. First that Aker guy, now this? At least with the Flag he had an the atmospheric option, but out here in space, his choices were limited.

I already lost the shield, I’m not losing the sword too,

The Exia tried to reach for one of its beam sabres but both arms had been pinned by Tieren. Albus clenched his teeth again, pulling the trigger multiple times in the hopes it might get the Taozi to loosen its grip. But the Gundam Meister wasn’t without a backup plan. There was a reason he had been entrusted with a Gundam—it was a testament to his skills as a pilot, an ace, and being an ace meant that sometimes you had to get creative, for better or worse.

“You want to wrestle, huh? We can wrestle,” Albus hissed to himself, changing tack. The GN Drives whirred to life and the Exia began flying backwards, away from the incoming HRL reinforcements and towards the Orbital Elevator at top speed. In the cockpit, Albus hailed the pilot of the Taozi. “What’s more important to you-- my weapon or the elevator?  Either you let go now or we’re both going head first into the station and a lot of innocent people are going to die,”

Albus thought of Saji and his girlfriend. He didn’t want to crash the Exia into the elevator, but letting it fall into enemy hands was unacceptable. With both his arms pinned though, what options did he really have?

Come on, do the right thing here,

[FrostyFoster 453]

What is he doing?”

Sergei watched in awe as the Exia brought itself and the Taozi away from the battlefield, heading directly toward the orbital elevator’s civilian blocks. The HRL soldier brought his Tieren to the breaking limit has he blasted to the two interlocked mobile suits, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough, opting to fire upon the Gundam instead. The speed and length between the two caused every shot to miss, leaving the squad with only one left who could slow down this maddening idea the crazed Gundam pilot had.

Soma had no response for the Meister’s threat. The fact that the Celestial Being terrorists would stoop to such a low as to allow innocents to perish in such a manner didn’t surprise her in the slightest. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t allow them to be in control of the situation. The super soldier pressed hard on the petals and pushed with all of her might to slow down the mobile suit. With practically all of the Taozi’s power going to the thrusters, the descent to the orbital elevator started to lessen in speed.

Tourists screamed as the two mobile suits got closer and closer, with most running far from the windows. “Louise. Louise! Come on!” Saji grabbed the arm of his girlfriend, who stood unmoving in fear, to pull her away from the possible collision. Her eyes widened as she continued to lock her eyes on the machines, while Saji’s opinion on Celestial Being worsened.

“They just let us die...”

Still not backing down, Soma grunted as she tried to slow down the Exia. While the Taozi did have power and speed almost rivaling the Gundams, she knew if this kept up, the Taozi would lose this battle. The tides had been turned completely, with the pink machine appearing the hug the Exia in a last ditch attempt to stop it, only for the Celestial Being mobile suit to stop completely.

On their own accord, the Tieren’s equipped with gel launchers fired their entire stock upon the Exia. The hardening gray sludge coated itself all around the back of the mobile suit, with a few shots getting deep within the elbow and knee joints. However, the main goal of the grunts succeeded. The gunk lodged inside the open GN Drive. “You, you stopped it.” Sweat formed underneath Sergei’s helmet. By this point, the Taozi pulled the Exia forward as it struggled, with Soma having to recalibrate the power systems back to normal. “Keep your grip, Second Lieutenant.” Sergei called out to the white haired girl. “We’ll-“

Boom! Boom!

Two Tieren’s in the area brightened Sergei’s camera’s as they exploded into a mess of metal. “Where’d that come from?” His Tieren looked around, only to barely see a pure black Gundam above each of them. Something was different about the machine though. A wall covered the front of the Dynames as it held two pistols protruding more beams and the Taozi and Exia.

Tossing the gunked up mobile suit aside, Soma returned fire with her rifle, only for the shields to cause no damage to the black Gundam. “Engaging second Gund-“ The Dynames pushed itself upon the pink mobile suit, sending it away from the two Gundams. Feldt then decided the grab the gray mobile suit, pulling it toward hers. “No you don’t!” Soma pushed her joysticks forward, only for sparks to ignite from the Taozi’s propellant tanks.

The two Gundam’s left the scene with no enemies left who could catch up with them. Sergei could only watch in defeat as Celestial Being’s monstrosities disappeared into the depths of space. “Dammit! We were so close...” The Commander Space Type turned back to the elevator’s hangar bay. “I can’t let you escape anymore, Gundam. You don’t deserve to live after the tragedy you’ve caused this planet.”

...

Ian and the tiny mechanical workers could only sigh as they scraped chunks off the Exia. Finally making it back to the Ptolemaios, the two Meisters joined up with its captain in the meeting. “Don’t worry about it, Albus. Your fight gave us tons of information on the HRL’s new mobile suit. They’re the first to start retaliating with comparable machines.” The look on her face showed sadness at this statement. They KNEW this time would come, but she wondered if even 2 of those special Tieren’s had fought the Exia a few hours ago. Feldt Grace only watched the two as she held her robotic companion tightly. She had only caught up with the battle in the middle of it and didn’t have much to add, only getting in range once she saw the Exia pushing the Tieren.

“That’s right.”

“Exia’s pilot attempted to commit several civilian casualties to complete his mission.” Feldt’s voice didn’t waver as he spoke almost like a droid, immediately leaving the meeting room to Sumeragi and Albus. There was silence in the air for only a few seconds, only to be broken by the Forecaster’s single word.

“What?”

[FrostyFoster 453]

(Collab)

Albus's eyes narrowed at Feldt's words as they came, unapologetically. He had been saved by this little girl, sure enough, but he was not in the mood to be thrown under the bus. "The Exia's pilot has a name, damn it," he said, scowling at Feldt. "Tch," he turned his attention then to Sumeragi, who was now questioning his decisions. "As the pilot of the Gundam, I am afforded a certain degree of agency in how I go about my mission. We've been told by Veda or its mouthpiece again and again that keeping the Gundams out of enemy hands is high-level priority and so with that in mind, I made a tactical decision--a gambit. I gave the enemy pilot an ultimatum that I had no honest inclination to follow through on. Had Feldt not come to interrupt, I would have changed my plan. I won't deny that there was some danger presented to the people on the elevator, but it was only present as a result of the enemy's unwillingness to comply."

Sumeragi pondered the situation. She knew, like all other crew members, that the Gundam’s were the highest priority to Celestial Being, no matter the cost. However, did she fully trust the Meister on the fact of not actually going to ram the mobile suits into the orbital elevator? Albus was their loose cannon, after all. “Well...” She finally stated. “If everything you say is true, then I shouldn’t be too hard on you. Plus, the results didn’t cause the Exia to be captured or civilian deaths...” A thought popped into her head soon after. Perhaps Albus needed some time away from the mobile suit. “Fine. I won’t punish you, but you’re going on standby until further notice. The Exia needs to be cleaned AND upgraded anyways.” Veda’s predictions had gotten stranger in the eyes of the Forecaster, so she felt the plan would allow only three Meister’s out in the field. “You’ll go back to Tokyo and stay there until further notice.”

Albus frowned but didn't fight his captain's orders. He knew that going on standby was the right decision after everything that had happened out there, but it didn't sting any less. The Meister felt like he was being benched.  "Tch, you're the boss. I'll be ready if the others need some help." As he walked out of the conference room, Feldt stood at the edge of the hallway, with Albus turning to face her again. "Can't wait to hear how smoothly it all went without me,"

END OF EPISODE 5

[FrostyFoster 453]

EPISODE 6:

“Free Taribia!”

“Down with the Union!”

“Celestial Terrorists!”

It seemed as if every news station on the planet was covering either the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations, mostly due to the occupation of Taribia, or Celestial Being. Word had gotten out that the HRL’s orbital elevator had almost been caught in the crossfire with a Gundam, public opinion continued to plummet for the group. While a majority of protests around the globe were within Union countries, the entire world’s thoughts on the still new organization were mixed.

Making sure to stay up to date was a massive part of a Forecaster’s job, but even Sumeragi was beginning to feel the after effects of these missions. She sighed as she scrolled through her datapad, the bumps on the road continuing to mess up her hair. She sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle, unknown if it was a rental or something the driver owned, as it continued down the busy road toward an underpass. She was neck deep in Union territory, but it would be the only place for the Forecaster to meet up with her contact.

She didn’t tell any of the other crewmember where exactly she currently was in the US, only that what she was doing would be greatly beneficial to their cause. Sumeragi was already dressed to impress for the occasion, as was the individual to the left of her. “Thank you for picking me up, by the way.” She stated to the driver. “My hotel is pretty far from the airport unfortunately.” Traffic was piling up quickly as the sun began to set, the vehicle stopping smoothly behind another. “I should’ve assumed you’d be a good driver, considering your skills with a mobile suit. I bet Albus is a completely different story.” She giggled as she turned to the driver.

“You know, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” She thought about this statement for a bit, realizing something. “Well technically I’ve NEVER seen you, but you know what I mean’t. How have you been doing?” She couldn’t tell what the driver would say, considering the fact that a mask hid his emotions.

…

SYDNEY

“Absolutely not! That movie stinks!” A man and a woman were seated in a booth inside of a café on the outskirts of the Australian city. The woman quickly typed on her laptop as the man propped up a small zipped bag next to him. “I’m telling you, your taste in film is just awful.” Christina didn’t even look upward as she kept working on her computer, the man sighing as he drink a cup of coffee.

“Come on, it’s a classic!” Multi scoffed at Christina’s opinion, but didn’t want to be too rude about his disagreement. “I can’t ruin this! It’s pretty much a date, until the third wheel shows up…” As he finished his drink, Christina grunted, stopping her key presses. “These guys are good, I can’t get through this firewall from here.” She closed the laptop, finally able to a somewhat enjoy her now chilled Latte. “Looks like we’re gonna have to do Plan B.”

Multi gulped as he heard this. Inside the bag was a couple of masks specifically for Plan B… along with two Browning Hi-Power pistols. “That’s the much more dangerous one.” He sighed. While every crewmember was trained to handle weaponry, Multi wished the Meisters could just handle everything with their Mobile Suits. Strangely on cue, a dark blue haired individual came through the doors of the café, immediately sitting next to Christina and across from Multi.

“Rai, we’re switching to Plan B.” Christina uttered quietly toward the new arrival. “We have some stuff that will help get us though, but I hope you brought your own ‘protection’.” The crewmember was unsure as to what the Meister was thinking about, though for him it didn’t involve a metal mask. Multi chuckled as he heard this. “Hopefully they got some cheese in stock here. We might be stuck in this café for a while.

...

TOKYO

Rain poured down upon Kinue Crossroad while she ducked into a nearby alley. Having to ditch her business shoes long ago, the puddles kept making her trip as she tried to find the nearest police station, to no avail. She wasn’t too far from her apartment, but there’d be no way that she’d make it back the speed she was going. “This is so stupid! You’re better than this!” She thought as she hid behind a dumpster. Two burly men in suits looked around the street in anger. “You’re only making this worse, reporter! Come on out.” One of them motioned to the alley, hearing the noise of a handbag opening.

Kinue shook as she took pictures of the files she had, attempting to send them to her station. “Come on. Come o-ah!” The reporter felt a large hand pull on her hair as another grabbed the phone. “Big mistake.” One of the men said, crushing the device. Tossing Kinue onto the ground, she coughed as water from a puddle went into her mouth. “It’s a shame such a pretty face is gonna have to disappear. No one will find the body.” The two laughed as they pulled out switchblades, only to hear screeching of tires.

A motorcycle parked across the alley, a white haired man getting off. “Hey, mind your own business, bud! You don’t wanna end up like her.” The red metal hand didn’t clue them in that something was up with this person. He wasn’t the type to back down from a fight…
 

[Spectre]

Edmund automatically drove the car, habit really guiding his use of the vehicle. He was still thinking to himself about the mystery note on his picture. His contemplation was interrupted by Sumeragi talking to him. Again, it wasn’t the first time he shunned the use of the mask; it’s not like she could see his features scrunched up in focus, she didn’t know she was interrupting him.

Her remark did have him scoffing in amusement; imagining Albus driving was like envisioning a demolition driver working as a chauffeur. The laughter was grating to hear through the mask’s filter. He then tilted his head as she asked how he was. For the years they worked together she never went out of her way before to ask. He honestly thought she was a bit self-centered, always getting drunk, charming whoever needed it. It explained how she was dressed the way she was. Still, he couldn’t deny her tact, her ability to be on par with Veda with most details.

Reaching up, Edmund shifted the collar of his suit, the tie digging into his neck. The outfit he had almost seemed bombastic as he word a suit and tie with his signature mask covering his head. Finally, he replied, “I’m doing well ma’am…” it was a lie, the lie he had been telling everyone since his accident. People always asking him how he was doing, or how he felt; they never understood. He could tell her right there that he was feeling a pain that was so intense that he just couldn’t explain it to anyone; and she wouldn’t care. Could he keep it up? Lying to everyone around him? What would happen to him after all the missions if he kept lying about himself?

There was another eerie pause in the conversation before he spoke up, “Actually… I’m not alright…” his voice quivered as he tested out his relationship with the commander. He focused on a slow turn through traffic before adding, “I’m not convinced we’re taking the right course for our goal…” He realized as soon as he said the words that she could likely pull his privileges from piloting a Gundam just for saying that, but so be it. “Let me ask you something Ma’am…” the car wasn’t moving much so he took the chance to twist in his seat and look back at the attractive lady, “Why are you doing this? What caused you to commit to our cause?” It was an honest question, something he had been itching to ask many other members of Celestial Being. Edmund twisted back in his seat to look at the road but kept his gaze on the woman through the mirror, curious what she would say.

[Rai Nemerič]

The midnight blue-haired figure, dressed in a matching turtleneck with a brown coat and pants, would receive the news immediately upon sitting down. They took a moment to breathe in and looked out the window, spotting a white vintage convertible with a red synthetic leather top. Breathing out, their mind harkened back to driving the delightful vehicle into the parking lot minutes ago. Their contact in Sydney, an Observer who went by the moniker “Numbat”, had really gone out of their way to disguise modern equipment as historical replicas from the twentieth century. From the white convertible and its chrome “Saab 9000” badge, secretly an electric vehicle that benefited from the same breakneck acceleration as a modern sports car, to the modernized Browning HP pistols in the bag, blued with polished wood grips and chambered in a more contemporary cartridge. And then, their gift to the Meister, now trying to pierce a hole through the inner pocket of their cashmere coat: a replica of a Borchardt C93 pistol, originally made in what was now AEU territory, chambered in the same caliber as the Brownings to bring the weapon into the twenty-fourth century.

The heavy but exquisite silver pistol with white pearl grips wasn’t a weapon as much as it was a piece of art, a statement in class, a heirloom from a more civilized, if simple age. The thought of putting on the white rubber gloves and using any of the pistols almost made Rai flinch, even though they knew Numbat personally, and knew the weapon’s eccentric owner probably kept authentic units of each model to themselves in a cold, dark cellar. “Well,” the Meister finally exclaimed, “so much for subtlety. It appears we will have to see for ourselves how well these work in the right here, right now. Unless you want me to have a go at that...” Rai pointed at Christina’s closed laptop, before dedicating Multi a warm smile, and making what could be interpreted as a sarcastic joke. “It could potentially save us from ridicule. You know, by the woman who can’t hold her liquor and the man who instead failed to maintain possession of a shield the size of two premium apartments?”

Edited March 23, 2021 by Replicator

[Albus]

The steady hum of his motorcycle was drowned out by the pouring rain that had managed to ambush Albus just as he was headed home. He had just been driving, roaming the streets of Tokyo without purpose. Sumeragi had put him on standby and that had made him restless. The Gundam Meister felt like a caged animal, foregoing all of the various forms of entertainment Tokyo had to offer in favour of having his own angst-fuelled pity party across the city at large, a tour cut short by the sudden influx of rain. Albus was about to make the turn onto his street when he saw it—or rather, her. Saji’s sister, Kinue Crossroad, running down a side-street and ducking into an alley, shoeless and soaked. The Meister pulled his bike over to a secluded spot and shut off the engine, watching as two imposing toughs entered the alley after Kinue.

That doesn’t look good…

Albus swung his leg over the bike and began working his helmet off his head as he made his way to the mouth of the alley. From within, he could hear an exchange—Kinue in distress, the flick of hidden blades, the same kind of tough guy chatter all the tough guys out there spew. Albus stood, silhouetted by the street lights, taking a second to assess his situation. He had the element of surprise—it’d be fairly easy to get the drop on the—

The sound of screeching tires on the nearby street caused the thugs to turn their heads. Noticing him, they tried to warn him off, but Albus had already consigned himself to violence. Leaving Kinue here wasn’t an option. He tightened his grip on the helmet and cracked his neck.  Albus tried to think of something clever, something heroic to say.

“Tch,” was all he managed before he started to advance. The thugs redoubled their efforts to threaten him, waving their knives at him as he approached. But when Albus was within range, he swung his helmet at one, letting it fly as he grabbed the knife hand of the other with his own metal hand, squeezing as hard as he could. The second thug batted the helmet away with ease and tried to lunge at the Meister, only for his knife to be knocked out of his hand with a swift axe kick that left him reeling. Albus squeezed harder on the hand until he heard the delicate bones within begin to crunch. He then proceeded to swing the thug around, guiding him to stumble towards the entrance of the alley rather than the brick wall at the last second.

Easy does it,

He wanted to help her, not scare her. The second thug came at him again, his charge stunted by a side kick to the gut followed by a tornado kick that sent him crashing to the ground. Albus landed on the slick pavement and only just managed to keep his footing. He grabbed the thug he had just knocked out by his shirt and tossed him towards his buddy with the broken hand.

“You’re gonna’ want to ice that,” Albus smirked. “If I catch you around here again—or anyone from whatever rinky-dink operation you come from—I’ll do more than break a hand. A lot more. Now get lost,”

The thug scowled but nonetheless helped his partner to his feet. Once both of them had scurried off into the night-time deluge, Albus turned to Kinue and offered her his metal hand. “Let’s get you someplace dry, huh?”

[FrostyFoster 453]

Sumeragi was quite surprised by the Meister’s honesty. To her, Edmund had become a shell, someone who would follow orders and not ask questions. However, she realized that it was wrong to judge a book by its covered face. There WAS a person inside of there. The lofty question came at her like a truck though. “Well…” Sumeragi wasn’t even sure where to begin. The Forecaster had become so worked up in how she’d do this job and not why she did it.

“It’s because I feel like I owe the world something.” She shuffled in her seat as the car started to move again. “It needs to change and Celestial Being is the only organization that allows me to change it.” She contemplated bringing up her tragic past, which had played a part in leading her her, but knew that wasn’t apart of protocol. Maskman had his secrets and so did she. “I’m confident that my skills along with each of yours will allow us to reach that goal of a world free of war. There’s too much bloodshed on all of our hands and no one else should have any on theirs.

Eventually making it to the towering hotel, Sumeragi had her car door opened by the masked Meister. It was refreshing to see the perks of being a Forecaster through the hotel she’d be staying at, but first it was time for business. “Now remember.” She muttered as the two walked into one of the nearby elevator. “The second you hear him mention the base’s location, you hightail out of here in the Kyrios.” As Sumeragi attempted to put her earphone in, knowing Edmund’s mask had one built in, the elevator violently shook for a few seconds. “AHH!” She yelled, falling into the Meister’s arms. Shocked that something like a little elevator malfunction would scare her like that, the Forecaster realigned her feet, giving Edmund back his space.

“Sorry about that. You’d think these would be a little higher quality…” She felt a sense of uncomfortableness in the tiny transport, fortunately ending once the doors slid open. In front of them was a highly lavish restaurant and an entirely separate section for the bar. “I’d bring you with me, but I can’t. Not because of the mask, but my friend… it would work better if I was alone, but if I need saving…” She winked at the orange eye, splitting up as she went toward the bar.

About a half hour had passed with Sumeragi at the bar, stirring her drink. By this point, she assumed Edmund was having a nice dinner without her, presumably without his mask. “Unless… Does it have a mouth opening?” Her comical thought was stopped once another patron sat to the right of her. “Une Peree please.” He told the bartender as he sat. “It’s been a long time, Leesa Kujo.” Hearing her real name after so long brought both pleasant and bitter memories, with the man next to her, Billy Katagiri, a part of the former.

…

“Haha…ha… Absolutely not.”

Christina shut down Rai’s offer quickly. While she was supposed to trust her teammates, something about the Meister gave her the creeps. “At least Feldt is just a kid. She’s got an excuse to be weird.” Rai’s joke was a little more humorous to the crewmember across the table though. While the Exia by this point had another shield on the Ptolemaios, the fact one of Celestial Being’s artifacts was going to rot at the bottom of the ocean amused him. “I hope it’s still there.” Multi thought as he watched the window.

At any minute, it would be showtime for the trio. That minute seemed to be far from them though. The group continued to mingle, mostly about whatever Multi thought was a good piece of entertainment, but still disagreeing with Rai’s own opinion on the film “Diving Green”. Christina shook her head. “Looks like both of you have poor taste in-.” From the corner of her eye, she watched a dozen civilians huddle into a small jewelry store down the street. “Oh. Go time!”

Glad Rai’s vehicle was around to out their bag in, Christina and Multi hid their weapons inside their jackets as they walked into the jewelry store. In each of their hands was a mask of much lower quality than Edmund’s, a strange yellow symbol brandishing each. As they walked up to the counter, an employee greeted them with a smile. “You hear about that tea skirmish?” The employee politely asked.

With the three putting on their masks, Multi responded. “Eh, leave the ops to the Brits, not us.” A single nod was given to the trio as an entire section of the wall opened behind them. As they walked inside, the wall swiftly shut behind them. “Step one complete.” Christina stated as they waltzed through the dark complex. The area was surprisingly bigger than she had expected it to be, but was still enough for her to sneak away. “See what info you can get out of them while I work.” As she left the two alone, Multi took Rai another direction. The hallway curved into a decorated chamber filled to the brim with masked people. “There’s way more people here than I had assumed.” Multi whispered as he stared at around 100 others. 

The chamber almost looked like a ballroom, but somewhat dingier with the flags and banners inside. A five letter word brandished a pedestal atop the stage, GREED in large green letters. Celestial Being had been keeping track of the growing Australian paramilitary organization once they got the lead on their next plan of attack, albeit still unknown to Sumeragi and the others. Multi knew that whatever was being planned here, it was important enough for Chris to leak their info to the authorities once she got to the server room. “Time to split, Rai. Go drink the punch or something.” He exclaimed, almost diving into the sea of people mingling before diving back. “Actually, don’t do that.” He felt bad leaving the Meister behind, but sticking together would lead to more dire consequences if they were caught. Nevertheless, they had time to kill before Greed’s leader arrived.

…

Kinue assumed she was going to die in a dingy alley someday, considering her somewhat reckless on field journalism, but that day didn’t come here. As she laid on the cold floor, the reporter could barely see the motorcycle driver. He’d managed to piss off her assaulter by his arrival, but from what she saw, that wasn’t an issue. Whoever it was, they had a knack for hand to hand combat, easily taking down the two with an array of moves. Even through the pouring rain, she noticed the white hair on the man, now drenched. “Wait a minute…” She thought to herself while trying to get up, only for a pain in her leg to bring her back down to the ground. It was only until a metal hand reached out to help her for Kinue to realize who her savior was.

“Jack?”

The motorcycle sped down the street as Kinue held Albus tightly, who also gave the reporter his helmet. The luck here amazed her. Not only was her next door neighbor able to hold his own in a tense fight like that, but he was willing to give her his only protection while riding the crotch rocket. Her whole body ached, along with the cuts and bruises she received. Not wanting this attack to be known though, she told “Jack” to go back to her place instead of the hospital. “If the station knew what happened, I’d be stuck in an office forever…”

Opening her apartment door, she motioned Albus to come inside. “Saji is at a friend’s house tonight, so I got the place all to myself.” Walking to her personal computer before anything else, she checked her messages. “Nothing? Dammit!” The reporter’s files were not received by JNN. She sighed, offering Albus a seat on her couch. “Make yourself at home. I gotta change.” As much as she wanted to pursue her lead further, Kinue knew it was time to take a break. “Maybe I should do the same with Schenberg…”

After a few minutes, Kinue came back out into the living room wearing a tank top, bandages showing around her. “Ok, now I have everything taken care of.” She said while grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge. The reporter finally had some time to relax, sitting on the couch next to her first. “First of all, thank you. I would be dead right now if it wasn’t for you. Those guys were from a real nasty gang. In my opinion, they make the Yakuza look like pansies.” She chuckled at her own comment. “But seriously, thank you Jack.”

[Spectre]

Edmund remained paused in the elevator for a long moment after the woman left. It had been quite awhile since he had held anyone in his arms and the sensation was more intense than he would openly admit. Finally he hit the button to go back down to the parking garage and retrieve their vehicle. All the while he kept an attentive ear on the conversation.

He had just gotten to the driver door when he heard the male voice talk to Sumeragi, or was it Kujo? Again the Meister stood still as he rolled the name around in his head. His grip on the door handle tightened as he suddenly realized one simple fact, “I know that name!”

He practically ripped the door open but quickly composed himself to slumping into the driver’s seat and gripping the steering wheel tightly. Inside his mask he bit his lip and grumbled incoherently. His hands gripped the leather-bound steering wheel tightly. He kept shaking his head to try and focus on their conservation.  I have to stay focused… but that damned name, Kujo; why was it so familiar? More importantly to Edmund, was why did the name make him so angry? 

[Albus]

The rain stung his face as the two of them sped down the street towards their apartment complex. He wondered, briefly, morbidly, what Celestial Being would do if he accidentally hydroplaned, spun out and cracked his skull open. Would they find a new pilot for the Exia? Surely they would. He was just a means to an end after all, a hand to guide the sword. The Meister pushed the dark thought from his mind as he focused on delivering them safely home, only to be distracted by the sudden awareness of Kinue’s body pressed against his.

Focus, Jack,

Jack. He had almost forgotten about the fake name but for some reason he kept running into the Crossroad family who only knew him by his pseudonym. Each time they referred to him as such, it was if the man named Jack became a little bit more real.

When they got back, Kinue invited him inside. “Ah, well actually I should—” but she had already walked in, leaving the door wide open for him. ‘Jack’ hesitated, opening and closing his metal hand anxiously until at last he willed himself into the apartment and closed the door behind him. He found a seat on the couch as Kinue went off to change, bringing to his mind several pleasant images that all filled him with a special kind of dread he did not fully understand.

Why are you nervous? You’re a damn Gundam Meister,

Albus didn’t know what to do. He simply sat on the increasingly damp couch, staring dead ahead as he grappled with his newfound anxiety. When Kinue returned, it was with a bottle of wine and several bandages placed on her body. Albus stared at them, before averting his gaze.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, shrugging at her thanks. Was he being too aloof? “I’m, uh, just glad I was in the right place at the right time I guess. Though I gotta’ say, if that’s the crowd you run with, you might want to consider some protection. I…know some people. I could probably get you something small, easily concealable,” He took a drink of wine and frowned. Now more than ever he lamented the loss of his sense of taste. “I take it this had something to do with work?”

[FrostyFoster 453]

It had been years since the Forecaster had seen her old friend, saddening her that the only reason she invited him was to get information. While her main mission was to learn of a retired military base, one where they’d gotten information that suspicious events were taking place, she needed to learn more of the Union’s activities in the present and the future. “I swear, you don’t look a day older than our graduation.” Billy stated with a smile.

Sumeragi blushed at the comment, although she wondered if the scientist thought their meeting was meant to be a hookup. “I wish. You already know how old I am.” She took another sip of her drink. “I can’t fool anyone.” It was then that the meetup started to feel a lot more pleasant for the Forecaster. They continued to talk about the old days, all while continuing their consumption of alcohol. It mostly pertained to the friends they made, along with the friends they’d lost.

“Do you still think about him?” At that moment, Billy killed the mood of the entire conversation. Sumeragi turned away, tears almost forming. “Oh, I’m sorry Leesa. I didn’t mean to… It’s just been a while since then.” The scientist apologized, placing his hand on the Forecaster’s shoulder. “Leesa” turned back toward him. “No, It’s… um… so how is your new job? It seems like the Union has been struggling a bit. How’s that affected things?” She wanted to take the conversation somewhere else, not just for her sake, but Edmund’s. Knowing he was listening for the magic words, she knew the Kyrios was hidden to the north of the city, waiting to be piloted. Nevertheless, the two kept talking and talking about more recent events within the Union newstream, with Billy finally mentioning his own new job.

“The Anti-Gundam Task Force has been working in full effect under, and you won’t believe this, Professor Ralph Eifman.” Sumeragi wasn’t exactly surprised by the news, but quite intrigued. “Woah, hold up. You and our old professor are apart of some special operation? Man, talk about a class reunion for you!” The effects of her drinking tonight were beginning to show, as was his. “I couldn’t believe it myself. They gave us some of the best pilots and mobile suits in the entire Union, but that’s not stopping us from improving on them. I mean, have you seen those Gundams, they’re crazy good!”

“There we go…” She thought, finishing her glass. “Yeah, those Celestial guys are something else. Where did… Where did you test them? Probably some super-secret facility, huh?” Billy looked around, knowing civilians shouldn’t know this information, but was still drunk enough to tell the beauty next to him, leaning close into her ear. “It’s at Harris Base in California. Place has been abandoned for around a century…” With Edmund getting this objective, Sumeragi finished hers. “I’m… I’m so sorry. This drink’s really messing with me. I thinking I’m gonna go lie down.” To the surprise of Billy, she planted a kiss on his cheek. “Nice seeing you, Billy…” She exclaimed as she walked away, waving.

…

Trapped within a sea of masked people, Multi had lost Rai completely. “Uh oh… He drank the punch, didn’t he?” The crewmember accidently bumped into a suited gentleman on his way to get toward the front of the stand. “Geez, this about classes in this group…” He muttered under his breath, noticing a larger person wearing a camouflage vest. “They’re just taking anybody, aren’t they?” Eventually, with enough shoving done by Multi, he made it to his destination. Just in time too as an array of trumpets began to blare from speakers behind the podium, starling the crewmember.

Meanwhile, Chris had managed to get further deeper within the entire facility, reaching an end point as she heard a faint hum through a nearby walkway. Peeking inside, hi-tech servers laid all across the walls, glowing as she took another step. She gasped, stopping in her tracks. The hacker looked around, wondering if an alarm had been triggered, but she couldn’t wait long. Voices from across the hallway got louder and louder, signaling her to hide behind the large electronics. “Shit! I gotta do this quick!” Not able to bring her laptop with her, Christina had to rely on a tiny mobile device to hack and leak an entire organization’s data. “Piece of cake…”

Immediately, the people in the crowd all stood at attention, watching intently through the slits in their masks as a lone individual strutted across the stage. Multi noticed the man’s graying hair and scars quickly, since he was now the only one in the room not covered his face. He could almost smell the smugness and confidence from Greed’s leader, seeing him grab the pedestal tightly as he began to speak.

“People of Greed! I am glad you’ve come. It appears that we have a very high turnout today. I have returned to announce some news. Firstly, thanks to the generosity of your donations, we have managed to purchase five more Hellions for our final job.” The crowd started to cheer, with Multi looking perplexed. “What job?” The leader continued. “Next month is coming soon, so I expect everyone in this room to be willing and ready for sacrifices.” The Celestial Being member started to get more concerned. “With our mobile suits and help from the other bases on this continent, Sydney won’t know what hit them, until it’s too late. As Christina worked on her assignment, she gasped as she learned the truth. “Oh my God…”

“That blasted colony currently in construction will land directly on this pitiful city without any Union interference! This world tainted by the powers that hold it hostage will delve into chaos! No longer will humanity be controlled by the scum in their governments! Praise-“

BANG!

The leader stopped, blooding dripping down onto his nose from the hole through his forehand. He dropped backwards, with most members had their eyes on a single person holding a smoking pistol.

…

Kinue took her time pouring the wine into two glasses on the coffee table as she spoke. “Yeah, they’ve been dealing with a ton of contraband in the country and more research needed to be done. My stupid boss said it was ‘too dangerous’, which…” Her entire body continued to ache, getting worse at that moment. “He was probably right.” The reporter smiled at the tanned man, picking up her glass and swirling it around slightly. “After the Union’s occupation on Taribia, everything has seemed to be getting worse…”

She assumed Jack had been keeping up with the news. A majority of Union countries were declining quickly. In her opinion, she thought the AEU and HRL would take advantage of this, but nothing had truly come to fruition of it yet. The aftertaste of her drink left a sour flavor in her mouth, but she felt she needed it just to get through the night. “I swear, Celestial Being has thrown a wrench into everything, but I can’t ever crack their secrets.”

Letting her body go loose, the smooth fabric of the couch felt very relaxing. “That’s pretty much been my main job for a while now. They’re so strange! I mean, Aeolia Schenberg died 200 years ago for crying out loud!” She realized Jack wouldn’t know (or wouldn’t even care) who that was. “That’s their founder. They’ve been playing the long game apparently…” She remembered what Saji told her on his school trip, about how the two mobile suits almost crashed right into the Orbital Elevator. “After hearing that my brother was almost killed by them though, I’m not sure I even want to give them the satisfaction of being well known. Wait a minute, Saji said you were on that elevator too!”

[Spectre]

Edmund sat in the car for many moments not moving. He mulled over their entire conversation, trying to piece together what it could all mean. Finally, he shook his head in defiance, “I… I still have a job to do….” He could put the puzzle together after the mission, right?

Popping the car into gear, Specter squealed out of the garage. “Harris base….” He kept muttering to himself as he drove to where Kyrios was stashed. It became a mantra to keep his mind clear during this turbulent time. Didn’t it all feel too convenient? Perhaps he wanted to know more about Kujo, but he felt a creeping feeling wash over him as we weaved through traffic. He pulled out his phone to make a call, the line rang a couple of times before he asked, “Leesa?”

Shaking his head, he swerved the car to make a turn, “don’t you feel like this is a trap? If we attack right now your mark will figure out that you’re connected, won’t he?” Edmund tried to focus on driving as he asked the questions. He would be at the Gundam in just a few moments. 

[Albus]

Kinue danced around his offer and shifted the conversation over to Celestial Being instead. Albus knew it was for the best—he wasn’t fully sure how he was going to sneak a pistol out of the base to begin with and considering who he was offering it to, he couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t trace it back to his employers as well. If that happened, he feared what would happen to her. Thugs were bad, but a pissed off secret organization wanting to remain secret was bound to be far worse.

“Sounds like you’re pretty deep into this stuff,” he said after she had gone on and on about the shadowy organization he called home. But Kinue wasn’t content with just that, shifting gears to his and Saji’s chance encounter aboard the elevator the other day.

I can barely keep up with her,

“Yeah, I was up there for work. My employers like to give me the run around which means I’m constantly going up and down. The apartment next door is less a living space than it is a bed for the short periods I’m even in the city, but I suppose it’s the closest thing I have to a home, really. Anyway, I ran into your brother and his girlfriend a little bit before the attack. It was a terrifying situation for sure…but not as terrifying as that Louise girl. She’s something else, definitely going to make Saji work for it, I think,”

Work for it? Work for what?

“I-I mean, like, the relationship. Not, uh, you know,” he rubbed the back of his neck nervously and brought the wine glass back up to his lips. “Can you tell I don’t drink much?”

 

[FrostyFoster 453]

The Forecaster fell on top of her hotel room’s bed with only a bathrobe, not wanting to do anything but sleep through the whole night. A part of her wondered what Billy was currently up to, but the thoughts were quickly erased as her phone rang. “Edmund…” Taking her time, the intoxicated woman eventually answered the call. “Yeah?” She responded, too drunk to realize that Edmund had used her real name, let alone the fact that he now knew it from listening in.

The Celestial Being violation wasn’t important at the moment though, with the Gundam pilot calling in concern. “Just… just um… do recon around the area. Be a sneaky Meister…” She whispered through the phone, ending the call right after. Tossing the device aside, Sumeragi’s skills as a leader were clearly not shown in this situation. However, she didn’t even care as her wet hair touched the pillows gently, ending her involvement in the mission.

Union radar devices had continued to be prioritized and improved once Celestial Being had first appeared, specifically in the world power’s main homeland. Their tracking still didn’t work well enough to pick up the Gundams though, with the Kyrios never appearing on their screens, until now. “I read a mobile suit about five miles east from our location, sir!” Yark Base in Illinois, about a third of the way between Harris Base and the hotel, was only barely close enough to catch a tiny blip, only for it to disappear. “Hm, could be a mistake, but it could also be a good test… Send him out, hopefully he’ll get what he wants.”

Only a few minutes passed before a single flying mobile suit was in the sky. Nightfall had swept over the farmlands and grassy hills below the machine’s pilot, with almost no trees in sight. There would be no cover for either as the pilot continued his trek. “Heh. The winged one almost blends in with the sky. No wonder their colors are so dark. Speeding toward him at a breakneck pace, the Kyrios was reaching the pilot’s location, only for the Flag to transform midair.

“GUNDAM! I’m so happy I’ve run into you here. Such a coincidence, isn’t it? I get to show you some new tricks, while you get to perish at the hands of my new Flag. I, GRAHAM AKER, will prove to the world how obsolete your Gundams have become!”

…

“What was that?” Even from her hiding spot, Christina could hear the sound of a pistol firing. As her device continued to load more data, the hacker cocked her own pistol, not willing to take any chances. Footsteps raced across the halls toward the blaring sound, but strangely, there was only silence coming from the room packed with people. Multi gripped the gun tightly while people still watched in shock. The silence was broken as a guard fired a few shots at the crewmember.

Immediately after, the screams from Greed’s own members filled the entire room, with many attempted to run back out through the front door. Multi tossed his mask at a guard atop the stage to distract him, firing a few of his own shots. “Terrorists!” Multi watched as the guard dropped dead, only for more to burst through the doors. The chaos of the screaming civilians stopped anyone else from firing, incase a stray bullet hit someone. Friendly fire didn’t stop one of the terrorists though, sending a few rounds at Multi, who was pulling himself atop the podium.

“Damn terrorists.” Squatting behind the pedestal, Multi had very little cover to defend himself. He got lucky that none of the previous bullets had hit him, but at the pace they were going now that a majority of people had left the massive room, this luck wouldn’t last long. The Celestial Being member blindly fired above the pedestal, hoping to scare the four guards he saw away, but to no avail. There was no proper reasoning behind the downright asinine decision he’d just made, but Multi could care less. A monster like that didn’t deserve to live another second in his eyes.

“Rai? Come on Rai!” He looked around as bullet riddled the stage, but didn’t see the suave Meister anywhere. “Rai? Please.” The pleading turned into a wimple as the browning fired its final bullet. Wherever the Virtue’s pilot was, they weren’t helping the crewmember at all. Suddenly, the firing stopped, followed by one of the thugs saying “Shit, really?!” At that moment, the guards removed themselves from the room at a breakneck pace.

“Let’s see what the Union will think of this.” Christina tapped a few buttons, leaking practically every single piece of information Greed had in their location here. All that truly matter to the hacker was the colony plan, knowing this would put in end to the horrifying mission Greed had planned. Sliding her device back into her pocket, she heard more screams, not from any civilians, but guards. “What the…” Holding her weapon tightly, Chris slowly put her neck outside of the doorway.

“Place is wired to blow!”

“When?”

“They didn’t tell us, just get outta here!”

Christina gasped as she heard this, wondering where Rai and Multi had ending up. The main entrance was likely to be either blocked, or would lead her straight into the police’s hands. Once the enemies were long gone, the Celestial Being member picked up the pace in another direction, pulling out her device to see if any maps of the facility were downloaded. Fortunately for her, a map showed a back way through the complex, causing her to run even faster toward it.

“Rai! Multi! Please don’t be dead.” She didn’t care that their names were being yelled out. They would likely be dead soon anyways if they didn’t reach the backdoor with her. “Chris?” Multi popped out from behind the stone hallway in front of her. “Something’s wrong, Rai is gone.” Christina gave a perplexed look. “Is… Rai dead?” Multi shook his head. “No, like… gone. Just disappeared, but we can’t stay here. The whole building could blow at-“

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A single member of the Greed paramilitary organization got his revenge for his dead leader, smiling as blood trickled down Multi’s back.

…

The reporter gave Jack the stink eye as he mentioned the relationship between her sister and Louise. Kinue wasn’t too fond of the spoiled teen, but laughed once her neighbor had attempted to explain himself. “They’re an… interesting pair.” Taking another sip of her drink, she realized how little she also drank. “I only bring out this stuff on special occasions, but you don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to.”

Placing the glass back on the table, her arm ached, causing her to clinch up. “Sorry, I think I’ve been acting like this is work or something. Hounding you with all these questions and whatnot. I’m just glad no one got hurt on the elevator.” Sighing as she thought about her brother, the reporter remembered her last partner, along with how long ago it was. She turned back toward her secretive neighbor, noticing how tanned he truly was. Unbeknownst to her, her face began to turn red, blushing slightly.

…

PTOLEMAIOS

“Exia’s weight balance is 91.6 percent complete.” Lasse kept his cool on the outside, but he was ecstatic to be able to pilot the Gray Gundam as it dashed around space in front of the mothership. By this point, all of the gunk from the Tieren mobile suits had been cleaned off. Not only that, buy two shiny swords, stuck onto the waist of the machine, gave the mobile suit even more of a powerhouse, but the backup pilot knew he’d likely never experience it.

“Lookin’ good, Lasse!” Lichty stated into the comms icon on the bridge of the battleship. Ian crossed his arms and smirked as he watched the Exia. “Nice to see my hard work pay off. That gunk was just…” From the corner of his eye, he noticed a blinking light coming from Christina’s station. Floating toward the console, which had the data and locations of the four Gundams, one strangely blinked, then disappeared entirely.

“What happened to Virtue?” He exclaimed, planting himself into the seat by the console. Peaking Lichty’s attention, the crewmember got close to the engineer, watching him attempt to fix the situation. “I don’t understand.” Ian uttered, pressing the keys intently. “The Virtue is just… gone.” No data came from the fourth Gundam, nor would it ever again for Celestial Being.

[Spectre]

Edmund sat in his cockpit rather nervously, “She’s not thinking this through, is she?” He reasoned to no one in particular. She had to be drunk right? Could he refuse her orders knowing she was intoxicated? Yet here he was flying out to a base to reconnoiter it. “Try being discreet in a mobile suit…” he muttered.

He was admittedly distracted still when his radar warned him of the incoming enemy. He glared up at the scopes, seeing the modified Flag making a grand entrance. Specter was in no mood for the distraction. “Save the fancy speech for Exia!” he howled out loud as he dived in for the enemy, his lasers firing for the perfectly posed foe. He pushed his throttle hard to dive in straight towards the Flag. He hoped he could end the fight quickly but knowing his luck today that would likely not happen.

At that moment, Edmund was seeing red. He welcomed the fight, he wanted to shed some blood at that moment if only to feel alive. “If this is…” he muttered but shook his head, “I’ll kill you…” he promised coldly as he attacked.

[Albus]

“No it’s fine,” Albus said, looking down at the wine glass in his hand. “I just…I don’t know much about wine, to be honest. Not much of a drinker, these days. And don’t worry about the questions, honestly. It’s refreshing to have an actual conversation with someone. My coworkers…well, let’s just say we don’t get along too well. None of us are exactly the personable type, I’d say, although maybe that’s just me,”

Albus looked at the young woman sitting across from her. She was beginning to turn a delightful shade of red that made his already nervous heart beat even faster. Any pleasant thought he might have had was swiftly coopted by Celestial Being. There was no way he could get involved with someone right now, especially not an investigative journalist already hot on the heels of his employer. Still, he thought about the fit that VEDA and the others might have if they found out, forgetting that VEDA might already know.

Albus looked away, rubbed the back of his neck. “I…should probably get going,” he said, placing his glass on the table and rising to his feet. He tried to ignore the big wet stain his rain-soaked clothes had left on the couch. “ I appreciate the hospitality, Kinue…and, uh, we should maybe do this again some time soon. The proper way, one that doesn’t involve you being chased down by thugs before hand,”

Internally, he was both chastising and praising himself. He shouldn’t have extended such an invite to her. Maybe it was the wine influencing his decision making, he told himself, knowing full well that that wasn’t the case. He made for the door and gripped the knob in his metallic hand before pausing and turning to face Kinue once more.

“If you ever need me, I’ll be there. The same goes for Saji,” he said, his voice serious. “But try to stay out of trouble, got it?”

And with that he left the apartment, rushed to his own door, and ducked inside. Albus made his way over to the bed, seldom slept in, and sat down on the edge of it. He leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees and leaned forward as he had done so many nights before.

I guess all there is left to do now is wait…