Matrix Dragon Presents....
Gundam Sorceress
(c) Matrix Dragon
***
The year is After Colony 195. The Earth Sphere Alliance
currently rules much of Earth and the space colonies in the name of
peace, using the deadly power of the Mobile Suits developed by the
Romafeller Foundation to keep civilisation in line. However, a number
of believers in peace without intimidation have been rising through
the ranks of the ESA, and are now in the posistion where they can
begin to change the world.
There is a threat to this new era of peace. The organisation
known as Oz hides within the ESA, waiting for the moment to strike at
the Alliance and seize true power for themselves. They have worked in
secret, destroying any trust that the colonies may have in the
Alliance, in order to ensure that only they will have access to the
military production abilities of space, most notably the legandary
material known as Gundamium. They have the support of the Romafeller
Foundation, who have secretly withdrawn their support from the ESA
and given to an organisation with the same goals.
What Oz, Romafeller and the Alliance do not know is that a new
factor is about to enter the equation. A group of engineers
responsible for many Mobile Suit designs, know of Oz's plans, and
have secretly built a number of powerful Mobile Suits in space, using
Gundamium alloys for armour, and using technology that makes even the
most advanced Romafeller suits look like toys. Now, these Gundams are
on their way to Earth, intent on destroying Oz.
***
Australia, Earth Sphere Alliance Nowra Base...
"Commander, radar is detecting an approaching aircraft.
Believed to be some form of Mobile Suit, although we can not
determine the model. ETA six minutes."
The base commander walked up behind the young officer, looking
at the radar screen. "Can we establish contact?" he asked. He thought
about the reports he had heard from around the world, about powerful
Mobile Suits attacking and destroying ESA bases. They were supposed
to be clad in Gundamium armour, which would make any suit an
incredibly powerful threat.
The young soldier shook his head. "No response from the Mobile
Suit sir."
"Launch three Aries to intercept." In less then a minute, three
Aries Mobile Suits launched, their turbines kicking into life. In the
control tower, the commander watched them go. "Keep trying to contact
the suit. Inform it that it is in restricted airspace and will be
shot down unless it surrenders."
At the same time, the Aries were approaching the unknown suit.
The flight leader activated his gun camera, transmitting the images
back to the base. The moment it came into visual range, the pilot and
those in the command tower got a good look at what would become known
as Gundam 06, or Gundam Sorceress.
06 was similar in general shape to the other Gundams. Like the
others, there was a shield mounted on the left arm, although both
hands were free, unlike most designs. It was painted with a
combination of red and black, the eyes glowing a bright green. There
was something on its back near the main thrusters, although no one
could really get a good look at it. The only visible ranged weapons
were the vulcan cannons in the head.
"Target confirmed. Commencing attack." The Aries broke
formation, spreading out to make themselves harder targets. Suddenly,
06 sped up and raced towards the ESA Mobile Suits. It raised its
left arm and there was a flash of light from under the shield. The
laser pulse caught an Aries dead center, punching a hole through the
suit and detonating its reactor. The Gundam flew past the explosion,
turning to face the other two suits. "Get on its right side!" the
flight leader screamed over the comm-net, banking hard to try to
escape the line of fire. It was too slow, and took a hit to one of
the turbines. He dropped towards the ground, watching as the last
remaining Aries opened fire with its gunpod. The enemy suit simply
shrugged off the bullets, raising its right arm. It wasn't until the
flight commander saw two laser pulses destroy the Aries that he
realised that there was a laser cannon in each of the Gundams arms.
With a crash, the flight leaders Mobile Suit slammed into the
ground, carving a small trench through a road. The pilot, desperate
now, fought with the controls, trying to get the Aries to move.
However, the Suit had only started to respond when a pair of golden
laser pulses tore through it, vaporising the cockpit.
***
"All three Aries have been destroyed. The target has resumed
its original course. ETA two minutes!" The young officer had failed
to keep the panic out of his voice. The screams of the dying pilots
had been heard over the radio, and now their destroyer - a single
mobile suit! - was making its way towards the base.
"Full alert," the commander ordered, appearing calm for the
sake of his men. "All mobile suits and combat vehicles are to launch
and prepare for assault."
Alarms sounded across the base, as soldiers prepared to defend
against the attackers. Many of them had heard the rumors from
elsewhere in the world. Mysterious Mobile Suits, seemingly
indestructible, tearing ESA bases apart and leaving almost no
survivors. Some dispelled them as rumors, for nothing could be so
powerful. Others guessed at the truth, but would never know how wrong
they were.
In less then one and a half minutes, all of the Mobile Suits
and combat vehicles already on duty were ready for combat. Others
were almost ready, and would join the battle in a few moments. It was
seemingly impossible that any one suit could be powerful enough to
stand against this sort of assault.
It was very possible. With a roar of thrusters, the Sorceress
swooped down from the sky, arm cannons launching golden death. The
Gundams first victims was a squad of Leos, punctured by the accurate
laser pulses. Moments later, the Aries squads raced towards the
enemy, gun pods blazing.
The regular rifle fire simply bounced off the Gundamium armour,
and the mystery Suit was agile enough to avoid the larger missiles.
Opening fire with its head vulcans, 06 destroyed the turbines of two
Aries, sending them plummeting towards the ground below. Raising its
arms again, 06 launched its laser pulses again, reducing the ESA
Suits to scrap metal.
Cutting the power to its thrusters, 06 dropped to the ground,
still firing all of its ranged weapons. All around it, Mobile Suits
either exploded or ran for cover. Then, without warning, the Gundam
simply stopped shooting.
"What's going on?" one of the Leo pilots asked.
"The power cells for his laser weapons must be drained," his
officer replied. "Keep firing until it's nothing but a pile of
scrap!"
The ESA Mobile Suits opened fire with their various gun pods,
bullets and missiles of all kinds speeding towards the Gundam. Moving
quickly, 06 dodged the main brunt of the attacks, taking to the air
again. Its right arm reached towards the object on its back. Before
any of the Suits around it could react, the Gundam drew a mecha-sized
sword from the sheath on its back, slicing through two Aries. Now,
the advanced suit was fighting at close and long range. Anything that
got too close was destroyed by the blade, and shooting from a
distance was just as ineffective.
Moving quickly, the Gundam tore its way through the Mobile
Suits, leaving a path of devestation behind it. On occasion, it
targeted the smaller vehicles, but the majority of its attention
seemed to be on the suits piloted by the elite division known as the
Specials.
In less then five minutes, one suit had destroyed much of the
bases Mobile Suits, and began to turn its attention elsewhere.
Warehouses and hangers were the first victims, destroyed by laser
pulses and that massive sword. As flames consumed that section of the
base, the Gundam began destroying aircraft, slicing the Suit carriers
into pieces.
In the Gundams cockpit, a young woman smiled to herself. She
looked to be about sixteen, with long blond hair and green eyes.
"I've destroyed the aircraft carriers. Now to finish off any suits
still working and I'm done." She frowned suddenly as a flashing light
appeared on a viewscreen to the right of her. Turning, she swore and
brought her shield up to block a beam saber aimed right at her head.
"Where the hell did you come from?" she growled at the enemy Leo. She
noted the energy cannons on the Leos shoulders, along with a number
of special markings, and guessed that this was the base commander,
determined to try and stop her. "A commander that leads from the
front. Now that's something I like to see." She opened a voice-only
channel. "Might I know the name of the brave soldier in front of me?"
"A girl?" the commander muttered, before growling a reply.
"This is Colonel William Clark of the Earth Sphere Alliance Army, and
commander of the Nowra Base. You'll pay for the deaths of my men!"
And with that, he attacked, bringing his beam saber up towards the
Gundam's head. 06 parried the attack with her own blade, then stepped
forward, striking several times at the Leo. Clark was a skilled
pilot, but a Leo was no match for a Gundam.
This is almost too easy, the girl thought as her sword, also
made from Gundamium, sliced through the Leos arm shield like paper.
If it wasn't so important, this would be murder. "You've got a lot
of skill," she said when she activated the comm-link again, "but
you're just too outmatched, in skill and technology." And with that,
she struck with a powerful overhead strike that cut through the Leo
from head to crotch. The two halves fell away from one another, then
exploded a few seconds later.
06 studied the burning base. Satisfied that it was properly
destroyed, the thrusters fired and the Gundam took to the air again,
leaving behind its first victims in the war against Oz. In the
cockpit, the girl enetered a command on a certain control panel,
opening a secure line to space. "This is Lina Diggers. Mission
complete, Nowra base has been destroyed."
One of the small communications screens sprang into life,
revealing another woman, apparantly in her early fifties by modern
standards. Her hair was a mix of blond and grey, and her face showed
some signs of aging, yet her green eyes were the focus point, a
strange mix of the excitement of youth and the determination of
someone that has seen hardship and suffering. "Understood Lina. You
did well. For now, find somewhere safe to land, then hide the
Sorceress for the night. I'll have a new mision for you soon."
Lina nodded, then turned her attention to a map of the
surrounding terrain. In a few minutes, she had located a forest that
would safely conceal the Gundam. Changing course, she headed north,
sticking close to the ground.
The forest was some distance from civilisation. There weren't
even farmers out here, and it was so remote that even tourists and
campers would never find it. Lina landed the Sorceress in a clearing,
then reached over and removed a cover to a switch. When she toggled
the switch, a camoflage net shot out of a space on the Gundams upper
back, settling over the mecha. Lina climbed out of the cockpit, and
made a few adjustments to the net, then climbed back up to and popped
open a hatch at the back, revealing a small stash of supplies.
A few minutes later, Lina was working on getting a campfire
going, cooking utensils in a small box behind her. She had a bit of
food stored away, although she knew that she'd have to find more
soon. Next time I'm near a town, I'll grab some food, she thought
to herself.
After some difficulty with the collection of leaves, sticks and
paper, the young girl finally got the fire burning, then turned her
attention to preparing the meal. Soon, she was watching the eggs cook
over the coals, eagerly awaiting her dinner.
"My first mission was a roaring success," she said quietly,
looking up at the stars, just visible in the dying sunlight. "My
quest to defend the colonies has begun. I just pray that I'm up to
the task." She ate her meal in silence, then set up her swag and
called it a night.
***
While Lina slept, an Oz aircraft was flying over the Pacific
Ocean. On board, Lieutenant Zechs was working through all the data
collected on the mysterious Mobile Suits that had appeared across the
planet. He had recieved reports of a number of attacks on ESA bases
by the Suits over the past twenty-four hours. There was too great a
distance between the bases, and too little time between attacks for
it to be the work of a single suit. The current estimate was at four,
possibly five suits, all of which came from the Space Colonies.
"Lieutenant, we've just recieved a report from Australia."
Zechs looked up to see one of the pilots turning to face him. "An
unknown Mobile Suit just destroyed the Nowra base. No confirmed
survivors as of yet."
"Add another Mobile Suit to the list," Zechs replied. "What are
the local Alliance forces doing about it?"
"ESA forces are searching the region where the Suit was last
detected," the pilot replied. "Lieutenant, if I may speak openly?"
"Go ahead," Zechs replied.
"These Mobile Suits... Anything the Alliance does will have no
effect on them, will it?"
The Lightning Count shook his head, his face hidden behind the
mask he always wore. "All reports confirm that these Suits are
covered in Gundamium Alloys for armour. I've never heard of anyone
spending so much on a Mobile Suit. We can expect that these....
Gundams are state of the art. All of its systems will be just as
powerful."
"Gundam?"
"That seems as good a name as any," Zechs replied. "When
something is given a name, it becomes something more then just a
myth, a legend. It becomes something real, and then you can destroy
it completely."
The two pilots were silent as they considered Zechs' words. A
few minutes later, one of them spoke again. "Lieutenant? If the
Gundams have such powerful armour, and we have access to that same
form of armour, why is it that we don't use use it in our Mobile Suit
designs?"
"The cost of producing Gundamium is exceptionly high. It can
only be produced in outer space in a complete vacuum, which causes it
to require specialised production facilities, all of which are
currently very limited." Zechs smiled faintly. "Transporting it to
Earth increases the cost even more, but whoever created these Gundams
didn't have to concern themselves with that particular factor."
"I thought the colonies were pacifists," the second pilot
commented. "Yet these Gundams may be the most powerful Mobile Suits
ever encountered."
"That is true," Zechs agreed. "Perhaps being isolated and cut
off from the rest of civilisation has changed the colonies in ways we
can not imagine."
***
It was the sound that woke Lina. She lay there in her sleeping
bag, trying to identify the sound. It wasn't part of nature. In a
matter of seconds she knew. Jet turbines, namely the Romafeller
SL-435 series used in the Aries Mobile Suit. They're looking for me.
Quickly and cleanly, she packed up camp, tipping a bucket of
water over the fire and rolling up her swag. Everything else was
packed away in the Gundam. Moving fast, she climbed up into the chest
cavity of her mecha and stowed the swag in the storage area, before
dropping into the pilot seat and activating the external sensors.
"Three squads of Leos to the north, along with ten M21-A1
Anaconda Main Battle Tanks supporting them. Two Leo squads to the
east, and a squad of Aries near them. Four Aries squads and five
Anacondas to the south, and another three squads of Leos to the west.
Have they found me already and are just closing in?" she asked
herself. "No, they're not moving towards me. They're all moving in
different directions. They must be from different ESA bases, and are
starting to meet up. It's just Murphy's Law that they're so close to
here."
Lina sighed as she sealed the cockpit. "So much for a good
nights sleep. I can't stay here, but I'll have to destroy them before
I leave."
To the east, the Aries squad ran their spotlights over the
sector below them. Despite the high power of the beams, they were
mostly unable to penetrate the thick layers of forest, reflecting off
the tree line. "This is useless," one of the pilots commented. "We'll
never see a Mobile Suit through all this crap."
"Then keep an eye on your other sensors," his commander
snapped. "And keep the chatter down." He returned his own attention
to his Suits own sensor systems, alert for any kind of reading that
would expose the enemy Suit.
In the Sorceress, Lina smirked. "Here we go," she said,
powering up the machine.
"Energy spike detected!" a suit pilot yelled as all of the ESA
soldiers in the region snapped to attention. All of the war machines
were able to determine the location of the suit thanks to the energy
reading. A moment later, the dark shape of Gundam 06 emerged from
under the tree line, turning to the north. The dark red and black
colouring made good camoflage, with the only parts easily visible to
human eyes the brightly glowing green eyes.
"Fire, fire!" one of the Leo Sergeants yelled, as the units to
the north opened fires, bright yellow tracer bullets ripping across
the night sky. A number of the bullets impacted against the
Sorceress's powerful frame, with little visible effect. In reply, the
Gundam fired its rear thrusters, tearing through the forest at its
enemies. The laser cannons built into its arms began launching golden
blasts, lighting up the sky and blowing Leos apart.
"Fools!" Lina screamed, her emerald eyes glowing with rage.
"You still don't understand, do you? You can't hurt me!" As if
demonstrating this fact, she drew the sword from its sheath on her
back, slicing one of the Leos in two. As it exploded she spun on the
spot, opening fire with her head vulcans and blowing apart another
Leos cockpit. One of the other Leo squads moved to attack her. Golden
death tore the squad apart, as Lina selected the next target. The
Anacondas. Perfect.
The MBT's were located on a nearby road, main guns raised and
armed. As the Gundam turned to face them, all ten tanks opened fire
with a salvo that hit the Mobile Suit dead centre, pushing it back
for a few seconds. In the cockpit, Lina growled, opening fire with
her arm cannons and wiping the tanks from existance.
Slightly calmer now, Lina assesed the situatuion. All of her
suits systems were still fully operational, and all the targets to
the north had been destroyed. All the enemy suits had to die, it was
simply a matter of deciding who was to go first. After a moments
thought, she chose the east, launching herself at the Aries squad.
The flying mobile suits were designed for high speed ranged
arial combat. They lacked the capabilities for effective close-range
combat. Lina knew this fact, and used it to her advantage, carving
through her foes at close range with her sword. She shredded the
squad in two passes, before landing and targeting the Leos with her
arm cannons.
As the Leos exploded under the barrage of laser pulses, Lina
swung her Gundam around to the south, where the four squads of Aries
raced towards her, gunpods blazing. A number of the Suits launched
missiles from wing hardpoints. Lina swore, and took to the air again,
ducking and weaving around the attacks, before firing her arm cannons
and vulcans again. Several Aries were destroyed in the first pass by
the ranged attacks, and two more were taken down by the Gundams
sword.
As Lina came around for a second pass, a status display began
flashing urgently. Swearing under her breath, the girl realised that
she was almost out of ammunition for the vulcans. Arm cannons and
sword only. Save the vulcans for when you need them.
Quickly and cleanly, she carved a path through the Aries
squads, before twisting in mid-air and shooting more down with her
arm cannons. Only five Aries remained from the southern group, with
the Anaconda's backing them up. The Sorceress grabbed a gunpod that
had been used by one of the fallen Aires. Holding the rifle in its
left hand and its sword in its right, the Gundam attacked the final
Aries, reducing them to scrap.
The Leos from the west group held their ground, trying to
destroy the lone Suit by ranged attacks. Lina ignored them for a
moment, turning her attention to the final tanks. The Anaconda's
gunners fired their 120mm main guns, trying to crack a hole in the
Gundamium alloys. Lina brought her arm shield up, blocking the
majority of shells. As the gunners tried to reload for another salvo,
Lina opened fire with the gunpod and her arm cannons, easily
destroying the smaller vehicles.
"Last and least," Lina commented, turning to her final
attackers, "your turn." The Gundam ignited its rear thrusters,
speeding across the small distance seperating the Leos and the
Sorceress. As she approached, Lina fired the gunpod, cutting down two
of the Leos before running dry. Her arm cannons took out four more,
and then she was amidst them. She slammed the empty gunpod into one
Leos' cockpit, crushing the pilot. Her Gundam's sword sliced through
several more. One Leo drew a Beam Saber. Lina fired her arm cannons,
punching through the Suits chest region. As the ESA Suit fell to the
ground, she caught the Beam Saber in her Gundams left hand, then
began using both blades to carve her way through the enemy.
Soon, Lina stood alone, the battlefield around her burning.
Lina regretted the damage she had done to the forest, but she didn't
have time to stand around and watch the bushland burn. More ESA units
were on their way, and she couldn't fight them forever. She tossed
the Beam Saber aside and sheathed her sword. Pausing for a moment to
take an ammo drum from a Leos gunpod, she then took to the air again,
racing away from the battleground. In the cockpit, the young woman
yawned, then hoped that she'd find somewhere to sleep for a while.
***
In less then twenty-four hours, the military forces of the
Earth Sphere Alliance, Oz and the Romafeller Foundation have found a
new horror story. Single Mobile Suits, appearing out of nowhere,
leaving destruction in their wake. No one could match them in battle,
even the most advanced models no match for these Gundams.
Zechs said that when you give something a name, it becomes
real, something you can fight and destroy. But it also becomes fear
given form.
A new age has begun. The Age of the Gundams.
***
TO BE CONTINUED....
Gundam Sorceress
(c) Matrix Dragon
***
The year is After Colony 195. The Earth Sphere Alliance
currently rules much of Earth and the space colonies in the name of
peace, using the deadly power of the Mobile Suits developed by the
Romafeller Foundation to keep civilisation in line. However, a number
of believers in peace without intimidation have been rising through
the ranks of the ESA, and are now in the posistion where they can
begin to change the world.
There is a threat to this new era of peace. The organisation
known as Oz hides within the ESA, waiting for the moment to strike at
the Alliance and seize true power for themselves. They have worked in
secret, destroying any trust that the colonies may have in the
Alliance, in order to ensure that only they will have access to the
military production abilities of space, most notably the legandary
material known as Gundamium. They have the support of the Romafeller
Foundation, who have secretly withdrawn their support from the ESA
and given to an organisation with the same goals.
What Oz, Romafeller and the Alliance do not know is that a new
factor is about to enter the equation. A group of engineers
responsible for many Mobile Suit designs, know of Oz's plans, and
have secretly built a number of powerful Mobile Suits in space, using
Gundamium alloys for armour, and using technology that makes even the
most advanced Romafeller suits look like toys. Now, these Gundams are
on their way to Earth, intent on destroying Oz.
***
Australia, Earth Sphere Alliance Nowra Base...
"Commander, radar is detecting an approaching aircraft.
Believed to be some form of Mobile Suit, although we can not
determine the model. ETA six minutes."
The base commander walked up behind the young officer, looking
at the radar screen. "Can we establish contact?" he asked. He thought
about the reports he had heard from around the world, about powerful
Mobile Suits attacking and destroying ESA bases. They were supposed
to be clad in Gundamium armour, which would make any suit an
incredibly powerful threat.
The young soldier shook his head. "No response from the Mobile
Suit sir."
"Launch three Aries to intercept." In less then a minute, three
Aries Mobile Suits launched, their turbines kicking into life. In the
control tower, the commander watched them go. "Keep trying to contact
the suit. Inform it that it is in restricted airspace and will be
shot down unless it surrenders."
At the same time, the Aries were approaching the unknown suit.
The flight leader activated his gun camera, transmitting the images
back to the base. The moment it came into visual range, the pilot and
those in the command tower got a good look at what would become known
as Gundam 06, or Gundam Sorceress.
06 was similar in general shape to the other Gundams. Like the
others, there was a shield mounted on the left arm, although both
hands were free, unlike most designs. It was painted with a
combination of red and black, the eyes glowing a bright green. There
was something on its back near the main thrusters, although no one
could really get a good look at it. The only visible ranged weapons
were the vulcan cannons in the head.
"Target confirmed. Commencing attack." The Aries broke
formation, spreading out to make themselves harder targets. Suddenly,
06 sped up and raced towards the ESA Mobile Suits. It raised its
left arm and there was a flash of light from under the shield. The
laser pulse caught an Aries dead center, punching a hole through the
suit and detonating its reactor. The Gundam flew past the explosion,
turning to face the other two suits. "Get on its right side!" the
flight leader screamed over the comm-net, banking hard to try to
escape the line of fire. It was too slow, and took a hit to one of
the turbines. He dropped towards the ground, watching as the last
remaining Aries opened fire with its gunpod. The enemy suit simply
shrugged off the bullets, raising its right arm. It wasn't until the
flight commander saw two laser pulses destroy the Aries that he
realised that there was a laser cannon in each of the Gundams arms.
With a crash, the flight leaders Mobile Suit slammed into the
ground, carving a small trench through a road. The pilot, desperate
now, fought with the controls, trying to get the Aries to move.
However, the Suit had only started to respond when a pair of golden
laser pulses tore through it, vaporising the cockpit.
***
"All three Aries have been destroyed. The target has resumed
its original course. ETA two minutes!" The young officer had failed
to keep the panic out of his voice. The screams of the dying pilots
had been heard over the radio, and now their destroyer - a single
mobile suit! - was making its way towards the base.
"Full alert," the commander ordered, appearing calm for the
sake of his men. "All mobile suits and combat vehicles are to launch
and prepare for assault."
Alarms sounded across the base, as soldiers prepared to defend
against the attackers. Many of them had heard the rumors from
elsewhere in the world. Mysterious Mobile Suits, seemingly
indestructible, tearing ESA bases apart and leaving almost no
survivors. Some dispelled them as rumors, for nothing could be so
powerful. Others guessed at the truth, but would never know how wrong
they were.
In less then one and a half minutes, all of the Mobile Suits
and combat vehicles already on duty were ready for combat. Others
were almost ready, and would join the battle in a few moments. It was
seemingly impossible that any one suit could be powerful enough to
stand against this sort of assault.
It was very possible. With a roar of thrusters, the Sorceress
swooped down from the sky, arm cannons launching golden death. The
Gundams first victims was a squad of Leos, punctured by the accurate
laser pulses. Moments later, the Aries squads raced towards the
enemy, gun pods blazing.
The regular rifle fire simply bounced off the Gundamium armour,
and the mystery Suit was agile enough to avoid the larger missiles.
Opening fire with its head vulcans, 06 destroyed the turbines of two
Aries, sending them plummeting towards the ground below. Raising its
arms again, 06 launched its laser pulses again, reducing the ESA
Suits to scrap metal.
Cutting the power to its thrusters, 06 dropped to the ground,
still firing all of its ranged weapons. All around it, Mobile Suits
either exploded or ran for cover. Then, without warning, the Gundam
simply stopped shooting.
"What's going on?" one of the Leo pilots asked.
"The power cells for his laser weapons must be drained," his
officer replied. "Keep firing until it's nothing but a pile of
scrap!"
The ESA Mobile Suits opened fire with their various gun pods,
bullets and missiles of all kinds speeding towards the Gundam. Moving
quickly, 06 dodged the main brunt of the attacks, taking to the air
again. Its right arm reached towards the object on its back. Before
any of the Suits around it could react, the Gundam drew a mecha-sized
sword from the sheath on its back, slicing through two Aries. Now,
the advanced suit was fighting at close and long range. Anything that
got too close was destroyed by the blade, and shooting from a
distance was just as ineffective.
Moving quickly, the Gundam tore its way through the Mobile
Suits, leaving a path of devestation behind it. On occasion, it
targeted the smaller vehicles, but the majority of its attention
seemed to be on the suits piloted by the elite division known as the
Specials.
In less then five minutes, one suit had destroyed much of the
bases Mobile Suits, and began to turn its attention elsewhere.
Warehouses and hangers were the first victims, destroyed by laser
pulses and that massive sword. As flames consumed that section of the
base, the Gundam began destroying aircraft, slicing the Suit carriers
into pieces.
In the Gundams cockpit, a young woman smiled to herself. She
looked to be about sixteen, with long blond hair and green eyes.
"I've destroyed the aircraft carriers. Now to finish off any suits
still working and I'm done." She frowned suddenly as a flashing light
appeared on a viewscreen to the right of her. Turning, she swore and
brought her shield up to block a beam saber aimed right at her head.
"Where the hell did you come from?" she growled at the enemy Leo. She
noted the energy cannons on the Leos shoulders, along with a number
of special markings, and guessed that this was the base commander,
determined to try and stop her. "A commander that leads from the
front. Now that's something I like to see." She opened a voice-only
channel. "Might I know the name of the brave soldier in front of me?"
"A girl?" the commander muttered, before growling a reply.
"This is Colonel William Clark of the Earth Sphere Alliance Army, and
commander of the Nowra Base. You'll pay for the deaths of my men!"
And with that, he attacked, bringing his beam saber up towards the
Gundam's head. 06 parried the attack with her own blade, then stepped
forward, striking several times at the Leo. Clark was a skilled
pilot, but a Leo was no match for a Gundam.
This is almost too easy, the girl thought as her sword, also
made from Gundamium, sliced through the Leos arm shield like paper.
If it wasn't so important, this would be murder. "You've got a lot
of skill," she said when she activated the comm-link again, "but
you're just too outmatched, in skill and technology." And with that,
she struck with a powerful overhead strike that cut through the Leo
from head to crotch. The two halves fell away from one another, then
exploded a few seconds later.
06 studied the burning base. Satisfied that it was properly
destroyed, the thrusters fired and the Gundam took to the air again,
leaving behind its first victims in the war against Oz. In the
cockpit, the girl enetered a command on a certain control panel,
opening a secure line to space. "This is Lina Diggers. Mission
complete, Nowra base has been destroyed."
One of the small communications screens sprang into life,
revealing another woman, apparantly in her early fifties by modern
standards. Her hair was a mix of blond and grey, and her face showed
some signs of aging, yet her green eyes were the focus point, a
strange mix of the excitement of youth and the determination of
someone that has seen hardship and suffering. "Understood Lina. You
did well. For now, find somewhere safe to land, then hide the
Sorceress for the night. I'll have a new mision for you soon."
Lina nodded, then turned her attention to a map of the
surrounding terrain. In a few minutes, she had located a forest that
would safely conceal the Gundam. Changing course, she headed north,
sticking close to the ground.
The forest was some distance from civilisation. There weren't
even farmers out here, and it was so remote that even tourists and
campers would never find it. Lina landed the Sorceress in a clearing,
then reached over and removed a cover to a switch. When she toggled
the switch, a camoflage net shot out of a space on the Gundams upper
back, settling over the mecha. Lina climbed out of the cockpit, and
made a few adjustments to the net, then climbed back up to and popped
open a hatch at the back, revealing a small stash of supplies.
A few minutes later, Lina was working on getting a campfire
going, cooking utensils in a small box behind her. She had a bit of
food stored away, although she knew that she'd have to find more
soon. Next time I'm near a town, I'll grab some food, she thought
to herself.
After some difficulty with the collection of leaves, sticks and
paper, the young girl finally got the fire burning, then turned her
attention to preparing the meal. Soon, she was watching the eggs cook
over the coals, eagerly awaiting her dinner.
"My first mission was a roaring success," she said quietly,
looking up at the stars, just visible in the dying sunlight. "My
quest to defend the colonies has begun. I just pray that I'm up to
the task." She ate her meal in silence, then set up her swag and
called it a night.
***
While Lina slept, an Oz aircraft was flying over the Pacific
Ocean. On board, Lieutenant Zechs was working through all the data
collected on the mysterious Mobile Suits that had appeared across the
planet. He had recieved reports of a number of attacks on ESA bases
by the Suits over the past twenty-four hours. There was too great a
distance between the bases, and too little time between attacks for
it to be the work of a single suit. The current estimate was at four,
possibly five suits, all of which came from the Space Colonies.
"Lieutenant, we've just recieved a report from Australia."
Zechs looked up to see one of the pilots turning to face him. "An
unknown Mobile Suit just destroyed the Nowra base. No confirmed
survivors as of yet."
"Add another Mobile Suit to the list," Zechs replied. "What are
the local Alliance forces doing about it?"
"ESA forces are searching the region where the Suit was last
detected," the pilot replied. "Lieutenant, if I may speak openly?"
"Go ahead," Zechs replied.
"These Mobile Suits... Anything the Alliance does will have no
effect on them, will it?"
The Lightning Count shook his head, his face hidden behind the
mask he always wore. "All reports confirm that these Suits are
covered in Gundamium Alloys for armour. I've never heard of anyone
spending so much on a Mobile Suit. We can expect that these....
Gundams are state of the art. All of its systems will be just as
powerful."
"Gundam?"
"That seems as good a name as any," Zechs replied. "When
something is given a name, it becomes something more then just a
myth, a legend. It becomes something real, and then you can destroy
it completely."
The two pilots were silent as they considered Zechs' words. A
few minutes later, one of them spoke again. "Lieutenant? If the
Gundams have such powerful armour, and we have access to that same
form of armour, why is it that we don't use use it in our Mobile Suit
designs?"
"The cost of producing Gundamium is exceptionly high. It can
only be produced in outer space in a complete vacuum, which causes it
to require specialised production facilities, all of which are
currently very limited." Zechs smiled faintly. "Transporting it to
Earth increases the cost even more, but whoever created these Gundams
didn't have to concern themselves with that particular factor."
"I thought the colonies were pacifists," the second pilot
commented. "Yet these Gundams may be the most powerful Mobile Suits
ever encountered."
"That is true," Zechs agreed. "Perhaps being isolated and cut
off from the rest of civilisation has changed the colonies in ways we
can not imagine."
***
It was the sound that woke Lina. She lay there in her sleeping
bag, trying to identify the sound. It wasn't part of nature. In a
matter of seconds she knew. Jet turbines, namely the Romafeller
SL-435 series used in the Aries Mobile Suit. They're looking for me.
Quickly and cleanly, she packed up camp, tipping a bucket of
water over the fire and rolling up her swag. Everything else was
packed away in the Gundam. Moving fast, she climbed up into the chest
cavity of her mecha and stowed the swag in the storage area, before
dropping into the pilot seat and activating the external sensors.
"Three squads of Leos to the north, along with ten M21-A1
Anaconda Main Battle Tanks supporting them. Two Leo squads to the
east, and a squad of Aries near them. Four Aries squads and five
Anacondas to the south, and another three squads of Leos to the west.
Have they found me already and are just closing in?" she asked
herself. "No, they're not moving towards me. They're all moving in
different directions. They must be from different ESA bases, and are
starting to meet up. It's just Murphy's Law that they're so close to
here."
Lina sighed as she sealed the cockpit. "So much for a good
nights sleep. I can't stay here, but I'll have to destroy them before
I leave."
To the east, the Aries squad ran their spotlights over the
sector below them. Despite the high power of the beams, they were
mostly unable to penetrate the thick layers of forest, reflecting off
the tree line. "This is useless," one of the pilots commented. "We'll
never see a Mobile Suit through all this crap."
"Then keep an eye on your other sensors," his commander
snapped. "And keep the chatter down." He returned his own attention
to his Suits own sensor systems, alert for any kind of reading that
would expose the enemy Suit.
In the Sorceress, Lina smirked. "Here we go," she said,
powering up the machine.
"Energy spike detected!" a suit pilot yelled as all of the ESA
soldiers in the region snapped to attention. All of the war machines
were able to determine the location of the suit thanks to the energy
reading. A moment later, the dark shape of Gundam 06 emerged from
under the tree line, turning to the north. The dark red and black
colouring made good camoflage, with the only parts easily visible to
human eyes the brightly glowing green eyes.
"Fire, fire!" one of the Leo Sergeants yelled, as the units to
the north opened fires, bright yellow tracer bullets ripping across
the night sky. A number of the bullets impacted against the
Sorceress's powerful frame, with little visible effect. In reply, the
Gundam fired its rear thrusters, tearing through the forest at its
enemies. The laser cannons built into its arms began launching golden
blasts, lighting up the sky and blowing Leos apart.
"Fools!" Lina screamed, her emerald eyes glowing with rage.
"You still don't understand, do you? You can't hurt me!" As if
demonstrating this fact, she drew the sword from its sheath on her
back, slicing one of the Leos in two. As it exploded she spun on the
spot, opening fire with her head vulcans and blowing apart another
Leos cockpit. One of the other Leo squads moved to attack her. Golden
death tore the squad apart, as Lina selected the next target. The
Anacondas. Perfect.
The MBT's were located on a nearby road, main guns raised and
armed. As the Gundam turned to face them, all ten tanks opened fire
with a salvo that hit the Mobile Suit dead centre, pushing it back
for a few seconds. In the cockpit, Lina growled, opening fire with
her arm cannons and wiping the tanks from existance.
Slightly calmer now, Lina assesed the situatuion. All of her
suits systems were still fully operational, and all the targets to
the north had been destroyed. All the enemy suits had to die, it was
simply a matter of deciding who was to go first. After a moments
thought, she chose the east, launching herself at the Aries squad.
The flying mobile suits were designed for high speed ranged
arial combat. They lacked the capabilities for effective close-range
combat. Lina knew this fact, and used it to her advantage, carving
through her foes at close range with her sword. She shredded the
squad in two passes, before landing and targeting the Leos with her
arm cannons.
As the Leos exploded under the barrage of laser pulses, Lina
swung her Gundam around to the south, where the four squads of Aries
raced towards her, gunpods blazing. A number of the Suits launched
missiles from wing hardpoints. Lina swore, and took to the air again,
ducking and weaving around the attacks, before firing her arm cannons
and vulcans again. Several Aries were destroyed in the first pass by
the ranged attacks, and two more were taken down by the Gundams
sword.
As Lina came around for a second pass, a status display began
flashing urgently. Swearing under her breath, the girl realised that
she was almost out of ammunition for the vulcans. Arm cannons and
sword only. Save the vulcans for when you need them.
Quickly and cleanly, she carved a path through the Aries
squads, before twisting in mid-air and shooting more down with her
arm cannons. Only five Aries remained from the southern group, with
the Anaconda's backing them up. The Sorceress grabbed a gunpod that
had been used by one of the fallen Aires. Holding the rifle in its
left hand and its sword in its right, the Gundam attacked the final
Aries, reducing them to scrap.
The Leos from the west group held their ground, trying to
destroy the lone Suit by ranged attacks. Lina ignored them for a
moment, turning her attention to the final tanks. The Anaconda's
gunners fired their 120mm main guns, trying to crack a hole in the
Gundamium alloys. Lina brought her arm shield up, blocking the
majority of shells. As the gunners tried to reload for another salvo,
Lina opened fire with the gunpod and her arm cannons, easily
destroying the smaller vehicles.
"Last and least," Lina commented, turning to her final
attackers, "your turn." The Gundam ignited its rear thrusters,
speeding across the small distance seperating the Leos and the
Sorceress. As she approached, Lina fired the gunpod, cutting down two
of the Leos before running dry. Her arm cannons took out four more,
and then she was amidst them. She slammed the empty gunpod into one
Leos' cockpit, crushing the pilot. Her Gundam's sword sliced through
several more. One Leo drew a Beam Saber. Lina fired her arm cannons,
punching through the Suits chest region. As the ESA Suit fell to the
ground, she caught the Beam Saber in her Gundams left hand, then
began using both blades to carve her way through the enemy.
Soon, Lina stood alone, the battlefield around her burning.
Lina regretted the damage she had done to the forest, but she didn't
have time to stand around and watch the bushland burn. More ESA units
were on their way, and she couldn't fight them forever. She tossed
the Beam Saber aside and sheathed her sword. Pausing for a moment to
take an ammo drum from a Leos gunpod, she then took to the air again,
racing away from the battleground. In the cockpit, the young woman
yawned, then hoped that she'd find somewhere to sleep for a while.
***
In less then twenty-four hours, the military forces of the
Earth Sphere Alliance, Oz and the Romafeller Foundation have found a
new horror story. Single Mobile Suits, appearing out of nowhere,
leaving destruction in their wake. No one could match them in battle,
even the most advanced models no match for these Gundams.
Zechs said that when you give something a name, it becomes
real, something you can fight and destroy. But it also becomes fear
given form.
A new age has begun. The Age of the Gundams.
***
TO BE CONTINUED....