TOKYO-2 WEEKS AFTER INITIAL CELESTIAL BEING ATTACK
It was a pretty normal day. Many commuters were going about their business. One of these was Umi Sonoda, member of the secretive organization Celestial Being and pilot of the Gundam Exia. However Umi was not here because of CB-related work. Rather, she was on leave right now. Nozomi, the ship captain and de factor leader of their group, encouraged such leaves, believing that rests are necessary for their health. Umi agrees, but she didn't want to lose her edge; thankfully, she knows of a place where she can practice swordsmanship without revealing her identity as a pilot.
She stopped in front of a huge wooden door and knocked.
"Oh, Umi!" It was Genjirou Kousaka, head of the Kousaka Kendo dojo. "Nice to see you again!"
Genjirou was a large and jovial man. When Umi first approached the dojo to inquire if she could practice there, he enthusiastically agreed.
"May I come in?" Umi asked.
"Oh, of course. How rude of me! Come in, come in," the man said.
The two went straight to the dojo, where they engaged in mock combat.
Genjirou, being more experienced, had the upper hand.
"That was a good fight," Genjirou said. "I wish my own daughters were that interested in kendo."
Umi understood. Yukiho, the younger of Genjirou's two daughters, practiced a bit but wasn't as skilled, while their adopted daughter, Honoka, wasn't interested at all.
"I'm sure Yukiho will improve over time. She and Arisa show promise," Umi replied.
"Oh, that's right!" Genjirou said. "That reminds me; Eli is here right now. She just arrived from her overseas job."
"I should pay her a visit then," Umi said.
"Honestly, this place is a mess."
Umi opened the door to the guest room to find news articles, print-outs, and photographs posted on the wall and scattered around the floor. In the middle of it all was Eli, working on her laptop.
"Oh, Umi!" Eli looked up from her laptop.
"Well. Looks like you're quite at home here," Umi said, looking around.
Eli smiled sheepishly. "Well… I got busy, I guess." She stood up and cleared an area of clutter so that Umi can seat.
"Sometimes I wonder if the only reason Mr. Kousaka keeps me and Arisa around is because he and my father were friends." Genjirou Kousaka and Eli and Arisa's father, Tatsuya Ayase, were close friends. Both Eli's parents were soldiers; when a disastrous mission ended with both of them dead, the Kousakas took the Ayase siblings under their wing.
"I think Mr. Kousaka really likes having the two of you around," Umi said. "Either way, what are you working on?"
Eli took a photograph from a nearby stash and showed it to Umi. The blue-haired girl tried not to show her discomfort; it was a picture of the Gundam Exia, during the Enact demonstration. So Eli was there, Umi thought.
"Celestial Being. After that worldwide incident, I did some research on the guy in the video, Aeolia Schoenberg. Not much is known about him except that in his time he was a famous scientist."
"Why the sudden interest?" Umi asked.
"I was there," Eli said. "If you were there too, if you saw this Gundam, you would understand,"Eli said.
She laughed. "The guys at the office think I'm already obsessed with this. Maybe they're right." She got up and headed to the door. "Let's go downstairs; it's almost lunchtime."
"Oh no, it's too much," Umi said.
"Nonsense," Eli replied. "Come!"
Umi and Eli went down and arrived in the living room. Lying down in one of the sofas was Honoka Kousaka. She was about Umi's age, but she had brown hair with a ponytail tied to the side.
"Lazing again, Honoka? Try to be like your sister more! At least she tries to do kendo."
Honoka stirred from her nap. "Oh, Umi-chan! Nice to see you here!"
"And I see you still haven't changed," Umi replied.
"Ehehehe…" Honoka sat up, and sniffed the air. "Is that food I smell?"
"Yes, Honoka. It's time to eat," Eli said.
"Oh yeah!" Honoka got up and hurried to the dining room.
The TV was on, and it was showing footage of the Gundam and how the world leaders will be meeting to decide how to best handle this crisis.
Honoka turned to the TV screen. "The world will get chaotic again," she mumbled, "thanks to those guys. There might even be a war…"
Umi remembered that Honoka was a war orphan. "I'm sure the governments will handle it," she said. "Come, let's eat."
Still she could not help to wonder just how exactly the government will respond to Celestial Being.
AEU Base-Africa
Rin Hoshizora stood in the shade of the hangar where the mobile suits were stored. She was pacing back and forth. On her mind was the Gundam attack. "That was supposed to be my moment!" She said out loud, to nobody in particular. "But that gundam guy had to ruin it."
Despite her young age, the short-haired orange girl was one of the aces of the AEU. She had never suffered a loss before-up until now, which is why her defeat was gnawing at her.
She cast a glance at the main building in the base. She saw an official looking car dislodge it's passengers.
"That must be that Colonel that would be arriving! I better come take a look."
Colonel Hanayo Koizumi repositioned her glasses for the hundredth time as she sat down in the chair in her office. It was her way of relaxing herself when she was nervous-and she was very, very nervous right now. Perhaps that was her main flaw. However she has a brilliant mind for strategies and tactics, which allowed her to rise the ranks quickly, and why she had been flown over to this base, to discuss what AEU's next step could be. Fortunately the other officers gave her time alone here, in order to collect her thoughts.
This was to be short-lived, as the door burst open and an orange-haired girl stepped into the room.
Rin paused when she saw the woman wearing eyeglasses. Whoah, she's cute!
"Are you Colonel Hanayo Koizumi?" Rin asked.
"Ye-yes…" Hanayo answered cautiously. "Who are you?"
Rin stood proud. "I'm Rin Hoshizora, a top pilot for the AEU! Ready to serve, Kayo-chin!" she said, saluting.
"Wait, Ka-kayo-chin? Where did that come from?" Hanayo asked.
"Well, a pretty girl like you deserves a pretty nickname, right?" Rin said with a smile.
Hanayo blushed, too embarrassed to rebut Rin. "Fi-fine…"
"So, Kayo-chin, how are we going to fight back?" Rin asked. "I was humiliated by that Gundam. "
"There's been talk about the HRL, Union, and AEU forming an alliance. If that's the case, then I trust that you'll do your best, Rin-chan?"
Rin blushed at the colonel saying her name. "Yes Ma'am!" she said as she saluted.
HRL Base-Russia
Lieutenant Colonel Kisaki Nishikino held her jacket close to her body as she entered one of HRL's secure Russian bases. A tall, red-haired woman, she is a veteran of many battles, which could be seen in her battle-hardened expression.
An aide was waiting for her. The young man hurriedly escorted her inside the building and away from the freezing cold. "We've been waiting for you," the aide said.
"Why have you called me here?" Nishikino asked.
"It's concerning the HRL's plans to fight back against Celestial Being," the aide replied.
"So what is it? A new mobile suit? I didn't know there was a mobile suit development factory here."
"Oh, no, no. Even better. I'll show you," the eager aide said.
Nishikino entered a room which showed on a huge screen a simulator battle. In it, the pilot, using a Tieren-the bulky and huge mobile suit of the HRL-was taking down multiple opponents with ease.
"She's in the other room, where the simulator is," the aide said. "You can talk to her after she finishes it."
Nishikino stared at the screen. This person, she must be incredibly talented! I've never seen Tierens handled with such skill.
The screen flashed to indicate that the training was done.
A moment later the door opened and a young, red-haired woman entered.
The aide introduced her. "This is Second Lieutenant Eriko Hori." He turned to Nishikino. "Lieutenant, this is Lieutenant Colonel Kisaki Nishikino. You'll be under her for your upcoming missions."
The girl saluted to Nishikino, who was mildy surprised.
Why, she's so young! Young enough to be my child.
"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant," Nishikino said.
"Ma'am!" Eriko saluted.
"At ease. There's no need to be nervous, we'd be working together for a long time."
Eriko lowered her hand.
Nishikino took the aide aside.
"That girl, what did you do to her? A girl that age shouldn't be piloting mobile suits yet!"
"If I recall, you took to the battlefield at around the same time, Lieutenant Colonel," the aide replied.
"That's not the issue here! What kind of training did that girl endure?"
The aide looked at her and said, "She's a super soldier, Lieutenant Colonel. She has no parents. We designed her, trained her, and now she's ready for battle."
"How could you do that?" Nishikino asked in disbelief.
"The top brass wanted a secret weapon, just in case. Well, with Celestial Being, the time is right. We have no choice."
Nishikino looked at Eriko once again. A child born of experimentation, made only to fight… what has this world come to?
UNION HEADQUARTERS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
General Theodore Allen put the phone down.
"I did what you wanted. Now it's time for my end of the bargain."
The young woman who posed as his secretary during public events smiled. "Of course. We will deposit ten million dollars in your account, as well as get rid of your political rivals."
"Good. I don't want details. Just do it."
Allen reached such a high rank by following orders, doing what was expected of him, and never questioning orders. That was what got him into this position, and that's how he's lived up to now. The arrival of this girl disturbed him a bit, especially since she seemed to know an awful lot about him-like his many contacts in the underground drug trade, who he protects for a fee. However when the girl said that she won't reveal that information in exchange for some favors, as well as allowing her to play as his secretary in public, he decided to go along. Being paid wasn't so bad either.
He shrugged as the girl left the room. She's more than meets the eye, he's sure, but that's none of his business.
The general is so easy to manipulate, Anju Yuuki thought as she left the room. She opened her phone, which was on a secure line.
"The pieces are set. It's time…"
