AN: This is the start of a story I worked on years ago. My friends and I had really gotten into Gundam: Wing when it aired on Cartoon Network, and we also spent a lot of time building the models. We began making custom models, and made up back-stories for their pilots. It started as branching out from the Gundam Wing series, though we eventually decided to make it our own Gundam universe. However, I had written this as a test of sorts while we were still working in the framework of Gudam Wing, post "Endless Waltz". Since I've been posting some other stuff to fanfic, I thought I would share this as well. This is about half of what I had written for it it for now, but if there is any interest, maybe I will post the rest and could work on this alongside my Destiny stories.

…

Gundam Wing: The Gathering Storm

The year is After Colony (AC) 198. It has been two years since the culmination of Operation Meteor and the last great war. The last two years have been a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity, but the peace is not as stable as it appears. Where there are people, there will always be conflict. Someone will always want more money, more land, and more power.

As recently as three years ago, mobile suits – large, man-shaped armored war machines – had been numerous and wide spread. They were easily produced, easy to control, and made an awe-inspiring sight. The Mobile Suit Wars of AC 195 (The OZ Wars) and AC 196 (The Last War) had caused massive amounts of destruction and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Only the intervention of a small number of pilots flying special mobile suites known as "Gundams" had been able to keep the wards from costing even more. Now, only a handful of mobiles suits were known to exist, all in the charge of The Preventers.

The Preventers were an organization created after the OZ Wars. It was an organization compiled of ex-soldiers and former political officers. Most of the people in the organization had been a part of OZ, and had joined to make up for the destruction their actions caused. Keeping an eye on the planet Earth, and patrolling the space between the colonies, the Preventers worked in secret to quiet any and all signs of insurrection.

…

High in Earth orbit, the Gundam Archangel floated serenely, its four large wings wrapped around its blue and silver body. Its pilot, Vincent Bure, aka Paladin, rested quietly in his seat. A strand of his long brown hair drifted down across his face, and he reached up and brushed it away.

He'd been floating here for close to three hours now, waiting. A messenger from the colonies was due in, and he had been sent to get the report. The small ship that the messenger would be traveling in was a space-only transport, and could not survive reentry, so he'd been sent in his Gundam to meet it in orbit.

A quick glance at his sensor screen showed that he was still alone. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the inside of his view panel. Reaching up, he ran a finger down the length of the long scar that went from his hair to his jaw in front of his right ear. If he had wanted to he could have had it removed long ago, but he kept it to remind him always of where he came from.

Years ago, his family, his whole country, had been slaughtered and he was among only a handful of survivors. Since then, he had dedicated himself to finding the man responsible for the massacre, and that was why he was here. The messenger was bringing general information about the political situation in the colonies, but also information concerning his quest.

A beep from his sensor panel drew him back to the present. Someone was coming. Hands sliding back to the controls, Vincent got ready for company. Archangel's wings unfurled, flaring out wide as he flew into a higher orbit.

…

New Japan, Earth.

It was night in this part of the world. Most windows in this section of town were dark, except one. The window of Takira Yoto's office still had light streaming through it. As he regularly was, Takira was the last person still at his office. He'd always been the first one to show up and the last one to leave. He regularly showed up an hour or two before he was required in to get a jump on his day's work.

Takira had always been known as an overly diligent student and worker. He had graduated first in his class from Hioshira Academy, and had always been a top student before that on his home on colony LaGrange Point 5.

Takira had been hired quickly by the Yasherobi Organization, the fastest growing technology company in the Earth Sphere days after graduation. Over the last several years, as the planet had been ripped by conflict, the Yasherobi Organization had continued to grow, and Takira had been right at the heart of that growth.

Today had started out like most others, with Takira showing up for work over an hour early, and quickly getting started on his days assignments. But things had gone downhill rapidly after everyone else left. More tired than usual, Takira had not been paying as much attention to what he was doing as he should, and had somehow stumbled his way into the company's secure files. Hitting keys rapidly, trying to get out before the system caught him, Takira had only worked his way further and further into secure files.

Before long, Takira found himself looking at so-called "Black Ops" files, corporate files that were never intended to be seen by anyone, files outlining illegal activities the company was engaged in. Perplexed by the actions of his computer, Takira continued trying to exit, but he kept going deeper in. One particular file caught his eye, and he hesitantly opened it.

This had to be some kind of joke. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"So, what do you think?"

The voice startled Takira and he spun around, trying to use his body to block the view of the screen from whoever was standing in his office door. Akearan Yasherobi, President of the Yasherobi Organization, was standing in his doorway.

"You didn't answer me. What do you think?"

"I... I don't know what you mean," Takira mumbled.

"Please," Akearan said, "don't bother lying. I know what you were just looking at. In fact, I'm responsible for it. Didn't you wonder why your computer wouldn't do what you wanted it to?"

"Well," Takira said, turning back to his screen, "I had wondered how I had gotten into secure files. And the fact that I kept trying to exit, but only went in deeper was quite puzzling."

Akearan Yasherobi stepped into the room, walking over to Takira's desk slowly, looking around the office. Takira moved to stand, but Akearan waved him back to his seat.

"I've had my eye on you a while now, Takira. Ever since my father hired you, actually. You have always intrigued me. And now, I have come to you with an offer, and a great understanding of what the Yasherobi Organization is. There is more to this company that what is presented on the surface, and I want to bring you into it. I think we could make a great team."

"Go ahead," said Takira, "I am listening."

…

He saw himself as a modern-day Alexander the Great. In truth, he was little more than a petty tyrant, but no one dared tell him that. He craved conquest in a day and age where conquest was denied him, but that couldn't stop his dreams of power.

Steven Tomlinson was the kind of man the Preventers had been formed to control. An elected official that had forcefully changed his title of President to that of Supreme ruler, and changed his small democracy into a dictatorship. He'd even managed to acquire a number of damaged Serpent Mobile Suits left for scrap after The Last War. Repairs had been made, and now his army was ready for action.

In all the years of recorded time, this army would not have amounted to much. Until now. With very little military force left on the planet, any army would be considered large. Supreme Ruler Tomlinson was quite, quite please with his "conquering hordes," as he liked to call them.

The troops had been assembled, and the mobile suits stood ready. All that was left was to give the order to attack. A small city at the northern border of the next country south had been chosen as a first target. Something small and easy for practice.

Fortune had been smiling on Supreme Ruler Tomlinson as well. A blizzard had rolled in over the last couple days, and that would provide his troops with adequate cover to be able to take the town by complete surprise. However, as the order was about to be given, something unexpected happened.

Something huge and hard to see had come roaring out of the snowdrifts. The entire line of serpent mobile suits began erupting into flames, being carved into pieces by two large, red-hot objects. As Supreme Ruler Tomlinson watched in horror, his entire army was completely obliterated, then the thing turned to him. His last view was of two glowing green eyes and a giant foot coming down on top of him.