Gundam Unicorn: Narrative of Truth
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Unicorn, Gundam Narrative, or the Gundam franchise.
Industrial Six, Side 7
September, UC 0097
Booting...
Systems operational
Weapons systems: online
Servos: online
Thrusters: online
Communications: online
Optical systems: online
Audial systems: online
Vocalization systems: online
Olfactory systems: online
Radar: online
Psychoframe: offline - activation pending
Newtype-Destroyer System: offline - activation pending
Minovsky Reactor: Online
Memory files: corrupted
Beginning recovery...
Recovery 15%... 20%... 50%...
Error: Files corrupted. Cannot complete recovery. Booting restored files...
Files booted
Beginning startup sequence...
Sequence complete...
'Ugh... My head... What... what happened?'
That was the first thing that came to Seph's mind as he slowly came to. His head was tingling and aching as he tried to get his bearings. As his vision came back to him, he found himself staring out into space. It seemed that he was still connected to the Dracon. 'Huh. Least something good's happening,' he thought. As he went to rub his head, instead of his helmet, he felt something else. He paused. 'W-What...?' He rubbed his head, trying to figure out what was wrong. Something just felt off. Seph was wearing a helmet, but it felt as though he were touching his own head. However, instead of hair, he was feeling metal.
Slowly, worry began to fill his gut.
Seph removed his hand from his head, bringing it, and the other one, up to face level.
And every single swear word he knew exploded in his head as his hands started to shake as he flexed them.
'I... I'm... the Dracon itself...' The gravity of the situation and the memories began to flood his mind's eye. 'That's right... There was the backflow... and then that pain... And now...' He started to shake more, slowly curling his new mechanical hands into fists. It was then that he let out a scream of horror. Little did he know was that it was on all channels.
He slowly curled up, trying to keep it together, but the mere sensations flooding his new frame only made him freak out more. His new Minovsky reactor began to whir louder in his new audio receptors and he clamped his hands over them.
'What's happening to me!?' However, Seph didn't have long to figure it out before a lock-on alert blared.
He looked up, trying to figure out where it was coming from. 'W...What...?'
His HUD registered 4 signatures. As the system scanned them, they were identified as RGM-89D Jegan Type Ds of the EFSF. The radar alerted Seph to the fact that their FCS was active and targeting him.
'Oh... crud...!' he thought in a panic. 'I'm gonna be shot!'
He twisted his new frame around, trying to figure out how to move. 'C'mon... c'mon!'
The Jegans continued to fire as they approached, their aim becoming more precise. Seph could actually feel the heat from the beam shots. 'Crap!' Seph thought. He finally managed to right himself, but now he was stuck. He couldn't go anywhere, or do anything, for that matter. He didn't want to die like this, trapped in this frame. He wanted to live!
As if heeding his plea, something on his back flashed and then he found himself being propelled through space, an unheard yelp resonating in his head.
Seph stumbled through space like a wild puppet as the Federation mobile suits attempted to shoot him down.
Somehow he managed to straighten out his flight path, only to glance over his shoulder as he did so. He was surprised - and horrified - to see the flight pack on his back going. Unlike before however, this time he could actually sense and feel the heat from the flames as they shot out the thrusters.
"This is crazy!" Seph said as he continued to try and maneuver away from the Jegans.
He redirected his gaze to the front and drifted to the left, only to panic and right himself. He hadn't even noticed his voice now held a metallic edge to it.
"I've got to reach Industrial Six," Seph muttered to himself as he flew hard and fast.
"Damn... this pilot's good," one of the Jegan pilots grunted.
Seph's thrusters whined in his audios as he pushed his new thruster pack to the limit. Soon enough, the Dracon started to pull away from the Federation MS.
"We'll never catch up at this rate..." the lead pilot relented. Suddenly, he got a notice from Federation HQ: Londo Bell was on its way. The other forces were to stand down while the Ra Cailum and its forces made contact.
Seph finally took a cautious peek over his left shoulder, surprised to see the other mobile suits falling back. He wasn't about to take any chances though and veered towards a destroyed carrier left over from the war. As he positioned himself to float in place, he began to catch his breath, even though he was an MS and not a human now. Seph managed to plaster himself against the interior of the ship, his new armor's dark color proving to be an advantage as he tried to calm himself down. This whole situation was enough to cause him to shudder again, and he grasped his arms, rubbing them slightly.
His new reactor was now whirring softly beneath his chest armor, and he shivered at the sensation. "Man... This is so weird!" he murmured. However, his radar alert went off again. It looked to be more enemy reinforcements.
"Crap...!" Seph shrunk back from the hole he had hidden by, slipping into the shadows of the carrier. "How am I gonna get out of this one?"
"This is Crux of Londo Bell's Ra Cailum," Chase Lee stated his designation, "we're approaching the mission area."
"Good timing. The thief escaped into the debris field," one of the other pilots reported. "The new model mobile suit is clearly based off of the Unicorn to some degree, just so you're aware."
"The Unicorn?" Now Chase was very concerned. He knew that the series had been discontinued, and that the Unicorn and Banshee were supposed to be dismantled under inspection. If this was indeed another Unicorn, then either Zeon remnants or a third party were responsible. He frowned at the implications of a runaway Gundam.
"It appears to be, sir," the pilot replied. "Better be careful just in case."
"Anything else you can tell me about it?" Chase inquired.
"It's definitely got dark coloring, similar to the Banshee, but... it's also different. More like a dark shade of purple, bordering on black. That'll make it hard to spot, especially in the blackness of space."
"Great. Now we gotta find a sneaky ninja mobile suit," Nigel Garret of the Tri-Stars snarked.
"We always get to fight the weirdos and monsters, don't we," Daryl McGuinness asked.
"Just what we need," Watts Stepney shook his head, "more freaks."
Chase pursed his lips as he looked ahead. "Whatever the case is," he said, "we cannot allow the target to escape this airspace or enter any of the colonies. If need be, we'll shoot it down before it activates its weapons systems."
"Got it," the three pilots replied.
The foursome flew on ahead towards the area where the dark colored machine had last been seen.
Chase switched to his infrared, painting his monitor vision blue, with heat signatures showing as red-orange on the HUD.
His eyes flicked over the monitor, trying to spot the new mobile suit. "Hmm... now where would it be...?" he muttered.
"Nigel," Chase inquired, "any contact?"
"None," Nigel reported. "That thing's dark armor's gotta be concealing it."
"Maybe it's got some kinda stealth features," Garrett commented. "I mean, some machines do have that capacity, right?"
"Then it's all the more imperative to find it," Chase determined. It was then that the senior ranking Londo Bell pilot commanded, "Nigel, take your team and search the other sectors. I'll break off to expand the net."
"Yes, sir!" the three pilots replied. They split off in one direction while Chase searched another.
Seph shivered as he slowly poked his head out, his new optics scanning left and right for any intruders.
'Now what'll I do?' he thought. His new armor plating rattled against his metallic hide as he searched his surroundings.
The only good thing right now was that his armor was dark colored, making him incredibly hard to spot.
As he scanned the four new enemies, he found that he was up against one Delta Plus and three Jestas. Worse, these top of the line MS were registered to the EF's elite Londo Bell. He heard his share of war stories from ex-Londo Bell pilots now working for DarkSpace.
"Oh... crap...!" he moaned. He inched back into the ship's remains, huddling into a ball in the shadows. 'Please don't find me...' he thought to himself.
The Delta Plus in blue camo seemed to have particularly aggressive pilot at the controls. Judging by how fluid his movements between MS and Wave Rider modes were, Seph would have a cow of a time shaking him off.
Seph inched further into the shadows; he could barely see his own limbs due to how dark his armor was. Seph huddled closer to the wall of the carrier, his armor shaking. He felt his reactor increase its humming in his chest due to his worry and terror. 'Please go away... Please go away!' he pleaded mentally.
Unfortunately, the increased reactor activity did not go unnoticed. As Chase flew around, his radar lit up with a single dot showing increased reactor activity next to an abandoned carrier. "I'm detecting reactor activity behind that ship," Chase radioed to his allies, "must be the unknown contact."
"Good timing then!" Garrett remarked. "It's been a heck of a time trying to find the thief!"
"Can you try and head him off?" Nigel asked Chase. "My team and I can act in an ambush."
"Sure thing," Chase said as he charged his beam rifle, "the Delta Plus was built to pursue and destroy anyways." He thrust his throttle forward as he sped around the side of the ship.
"This is Crux, engaging!"
Seph's radar blared in his head and his HUD sent him the feedback. Had he been human, his stomach would've fallen to his feet. But instead, his reactor increased its output slightly more, and he began to panic. "Oh, crud...!" he whined.
He inched away from the ship's wall and turned to flee back into the depths of space. Suddenly, the blue Delta Plus sprang out from behind some debris and fired two shots at Seph.
"Yipes!" Seph turned and flew as fast as he could, his thruster pack sending shudders throughout his metal frame.
Chase then got a good look of the dark-colored MS that he was pursuing. His main camera zoomed in on the target, revealing it to be what seemed to be a dark purple, winged version of the Unicorn, with a very ornate horn to boot. It did not have any visible armaments, but it had high speed and mobility.
"Another Unicorn?" Chase wondered to himself before shaking his head. 'Doesn't matter,' he thought, 'we'll be darned if we let it escape!' He then changed his Delta Plus into Wave Rider mode and hit the thrusters.
Seph shot a glance back over his shoulder, only to see the Wave Rider coming at him. A panicked yelp escaped his new vocalizer and he weaved to the left, relying on his greater speed. Or so he hoped.
"You can't outrun me!" The Londo Bell commander proved himself very adept at high-speed fighter maneuvers, as he weaved the Delta Plus around the debris while maintaining his speed. As he closed the distance, he switched to his long-range air-to-air missiles mounted on the wings. Getting a lock-on, he let loose with two long, sleek missiles that streaked rapidly towards their target.
Seph let out a terrified yelp as he dove down, trying to avoid the missiles. "C'mon...! I need some ideas, or anything!"
He turned and fled between some debris, his thruster pack roaring in his audios. He managed to twist his frame around as the missiles exploded against the debris. "That was far too close!"
However, Chase was not about to let up. Locking onto Seph again, he let loose with four more long-range missiles. The sight of the missiles prompted Seph to push his thrusters to the limit. He was so scared at this point he was desperately wishing for some kind of weapons. Any weapons, really.
'As expected... this guy's fast,' Chase thought as he continued to maneuver after the Dracon, 'I just hope Nigel is ready to spring the trap.'
Seph's reactor was now racing double time in his chest as he sped through the debris field. "C'mon! How am I supposed to destroy these things?!"
He then remembered that he was the Dracon itself. If so, then he had more direct control of his weapons. He then mentally focused, and true enough, his system menu popped up on his HUD.
He was surprised at the amount of firepower the Dracon - no, he - possessed. Seph needed projectiles though, and sure enough, one of the options lit up - and he felt the weirdest sensation ever. He could feel a physical tingling in his head, where the Vulcans were located. He could feel the rotary cannons spin inside their housings!
"Ah!' He yelped, and the sensation stopped. "Okay... this is so freaky!" However, the sight of the missiles incoming caught his optic and he let out a small scream. The strange sensation started up again, and this time, he was caught by surprise as something else happened. Flashes of light reached his sight, and then he saw something streaking away from his helmet. He stared as he watched the tracers stream towards one of the missiles, shredding it to pieces and blowing it up. Now with a desperate idea, he started to pivot his head, keeping his mind focused on the Vulcans.
The blue bullets ripped through space, Seph using the reticle in his vision to aim the Vulcans. The remaining three projectiles were quickly intercepted, with one just barely grazing Seph with shrapnel.
"Missiles intercepted..." Chase grunted.
With that taken care of, Seph turned and flared his flight pack, trying to flee. However, he had no idea he was heading right for an ambush.
Chase continued to fly hard and fast, making sure that the unknown mobile suit never left his sight. He fired more beam rifle shots to the target's sides as a way of steering him in a particular direction. Seph's reactor was now whirring loudly to where he could actually feel his new chest armor vibrating. "Oh, crap! Crapcrapcrapcrap!" he cried, weaving and trying to avoid the shots.
"Just a little more..." Chase said. Seeing an opening, the Londo Bell commander did a high speed transformation into MS mode. With a blue flash of the optics, the blue Delta Plus got under the Dracon and fired upwards.
Seph managed to avoid the shot, but barely as he pulled back, his thrusters roaring. "Crud! I'm so dead!" he whined.
Seph shot upwards towards Industrial Six. Chase smirked; he had where he wanted him.
"Nigel," Chase prompted, "now!"
"Okay, guys! Hit it!" Nigel exclaimed.
"Yes, sir!" Garrett and Darryl cried.
Seph suddenly got a radar alert, as three Jestas showed up on his HUD as they discarded their fake asteroid camo.
"Nuts!" Seph suddenly found himself surrounded. Seph braked as best he could, trying desperately to find a way through the trap.
"Oh no, you don't!" Watts aimed his launcher and fired. The round streaked in front of Seph, before detonating and splintering into red-hot penetrators. Seph panicked as he felt the shards' heat on his armor. "Crap!" He tried to dodge, but a few lodged themselves into the seams of his armor plating. "AGH!"
"Eat this," Daryl shouted as he fired twice. Two rockets streaked towards Seph's back as his missile warning screamed in his head. Seph reacted by twisting his frame to the left and firing his head Vulcans in a panic. "Just stop!" he pleaded, but his plea went unheard in the soundless environment of space. Seph managed to destroy one rocket, but the other one broke through and exploded a few meters from the Dracon. Seph found himself showered in a molten hail. While the armor held, it felt like he was being stung by wasps. "Aahhh!" The burning overwhelmed his senses.
'I...Is this what... a mobile suit feels... when rockets hit?!' he thought as he struggled to remain conscious. The pain was intense, that much was certain.
Nigel then aimed his beam sniper rifle, lowering his visor to increase accuracy.
Seph reacted by bringing his mechanical arms up in front of his chest and face, trying to shield his reactor and head from any damage. "Ah!"
Nigel focused his scope onto the Dracon, with the system confirming a solid lock. "Say goodnight!"
Seph didn't know what else to do. Here he was, trapped in a mobile suit frame he couldn't control, let alone use, and he was being shot at by Londo Bell forces. He... He didn't want this! Not... one... bit!
Seph had no idea his instinct to live had overridden the limiters installed into his frame. His armor began shifting and changing, snapping open to expose a glowing violet inner framework. He didn't notice his frame getting taller by a full three meters, and seeming to become more muscular in its construction and appearance, let alone how his helm was changing.
All he could think about was living. His helm's visor retracted inside and the horn on his head snapped open into a golden V-fin, his true features now exposed.
He didn't even realize his voice had changed as well, becoming deeper and more powerful. "Leave me alone!" he cried, suddenly throwing his arms out, unleashing a surge of energy from his frame as the sniper shot came at him. The burst of energy caused the shot to dissipate, and narrowly missed Nigel's Jesta, but hit the rifle. Nigel pulled back, only to witness a shocking sight; his beam sniper rifle completely disintegrated!
Chase caught up to the Dracon, but noticed something different. It's wings were flared out, and it had grown bigger, with bright purple glowing parts. "Oh no..." The Londo Bell realized what was happening. As the dark purple mobile suit turned around, he knew that his worst fears had been recognized...
The Dracon WAS the Unicorn Gundam, and it had just engaged its Destroy Mode.
Poor Seph was too terrified to even notice. He just turned and fled, trying to find a new spot to hide. His frame was now shaking visibly in his fright.
"Lieutenant, did you see that," Daryl said in shock.
"I sure did..." Nigel squeaked. "That... That almost nailed me..."
Watts narrowed his eyes. "Sir, what do we do now?" he asked Chase.
Chase huffed in frustration. The situation was clearly a code red that could not go unabated. Now that the target was indeed a Unicorn Gundam, it was all the more reason why they had to capture the unit... or destroy it. "The three of you go back to rearm with heavy weapons and Base Jabbers," Chase ordered, "I'll continue pursuit in the Wave Rider."
Daryl looked to the Delta Plus as though its operator were insane. "That's a suicide mission! You saw what it nearly did to Nigel!"
"We have no choice!" Chase snapped. "I'll be darned if we let it get away and cause who knows what damages!"
The Tri-Stars looked at one another before nodding. "Yes, sir."
"Just don't get killed while waiting for us!" Nigel yelled over the comm.
Chase pursed his lips hard as he transformed the Delta Plus into a fighter and hit the afterburners. He rocketed after the fleeing purple Gundam, which was now as fast as he was.
Seph was too panicked to even notice the other three retreating. All he could think about was hiding and staying alive. He ducked into another destroyed carrier, slipping behind the wall of the hull. Of course his newly activated psychoframe gave away his location, alerting Chase to where he was hiding.
"You're as bright as a flare now!" Chase activated his flight nose launcher for a radar lock.
"Crap!" Seph turned and bolted, leaving a violet trail in his wake.
As the sudden maneuver broke the radar lock, Chase realized that missiles were not going to cut it. He had to get closer for a precise beam rifle shot.
"No choice..." Chase grunted as he went full afterburner. His chest tightened up from the inertial forces of the acceleration.
The panicking Gundam ducked around a cluster of rocks, not even bothering to watch where he was going. He shot a glance back over his shoulder, and he yelped, increasing his speed to full...
WHAM!
Seph collided with the side of a derelict vessel, doing the equivalent of a human going splat in a sitcom.
That was the last thing he recalled before his vision went dark.
At the same time, his psychoframe shut down and his armor returned to its original Unicorn Mode.
Chase had to stop himself from shooting. Transforming into MS mode, he was completely dumfounded by what he just witnessed.
'What is this,' he thought, 'he should have avoided that...' He raised his rifle as he began to scan for reactor activity. The unknown's reactor was humming steadily, but at a much lower output. It was enough to keep the suit active, he noted, but in a low power mode. Now Chase was really on edge. 'Is this a trap?' He circled the target as he continued to train his rifle. He was debating whether to shoot or not. But the Gundam just drifted there, limp and silent. It was as if the pilot had knocked himself out in his panic.
Ra Cailum
As this was going on, Nigel and his team were finishing their preparations. Darryl looked to the commander of their trio. "So, you think the commander got the target?"
"I hope so," Nigel remarked. "But honestly, I'm hoping he hasn't gotten himself killed."
"Yeah. I hope so, too," Watts said seriously.
"Okay, you three. Everything's all set!" one of the techs replied as he glanced at them.
"Good. The sooner we launch, the better!" Nigel stated.
It was then that Captain Bright appeared on Nigel's monitor from the bridge. "That will not be necessary, Nigel," he said.
"Why not?" Nigel asked. "Did the thing knock itself out or something?"
"Well..." Bright was a bit off guard from Nigel's snark, "in a way, yes. Commander Lee has the target in his sights, but there's no activity from the Gundam."
It was then that both the Tri-Stars and Ra Cailum were contacted by Chase. "This is Crux," he reported, "there's no movement from the target. Tell the Tri-Stars to launch with anti-MS nets so we can bring it in. Stay alert."
Nigel was surprised by the comment, as well as the fact that he was right. But he composed himself and nodded. "Yes, sir. We'll be out once we get properly equipped."
"Roger that," Chase said before the line cut out.
Daryl was completely dumbfounded now. "That's it," he questioned, "the Gundam just stopped like that?"
Watts seemed to be visibly ticked. "All this preparation for nothing! I'm more than a little sore right now!"
"I know, crazy as it sounds," Nigel remarked. "I don't even want to know what happened to cause it to knock itself out. Let's just get the thing back to the ship."
In truth, even he was a bit POed.
Magallanica, Side 3, Republic of Zeon
Mineva Lao Zabi sat in her office, contemplating the recent events and the fact that somehow, someone or something had rendered the revelation of Laplace's Box down to a mere footnote. There was a greater call for Spacenoid independence, sure, but no one else was even thinking of it. To her, this was worrisome.
Mineva kept her composure, but even the two older men in the room with her could tell that she was far from serene.
"It seems our efforts were for nothing..." Otto murmured sadly.
"Don't say that," Zinnerman reminded his Fed counterpart, "you're not exactly encouraging the princess here."
"..." Otto was silent as he looked down. The whole war... and now this... He felt like everything had been thwarted.
"I don't know what happened, either," the old Zeon veteran followed up, "I'm no Newtype, but it somehow feels that we've been missing a piece of the puzzle."
"A big one," Otto mused. "I thought we knew the whole story behind the Box."
The Nahel Argama captain then frowned. "Perhaps with so many failed revolutions and destruction wreaked throughout the Earth Sphere, unless you were a die-hard Zeonist, you'd lose your appetite for reform and change... and unfortunately, who can blame people?"
"Perhaps, but... this whole thing... it seems as if someone stopped it cold..." Zimmerman mused.
Mineva frowned as she heard the conversation.
Now that she thought about it, it did seem like something had halted the impact the Box's revelation had on people...
"Mitas, Zinnerman..." Mineva hesitantly asked, "how are the rest of your crews holding up?"
"To be honest, Princess... not well," Otto admitted. "The morale is very low."
"Same here," Zinnerman said softly. "This has taken a toll on them."
Mineva pursed her lips. The whole post-Laplace ordeal had been taking a toll on the few allies she had at her side. With the Nahel Argama disavowed by Londo Bell and the Garencieres crew being persona non grata with the rest of the Zeon remnants, the Faction was in a very precarious position. No doubt that Monaghan Bakharov himself had plans for her that did not involve any guarantees of safety for her loyalists. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out a plan of action.
"We're safe here in Zeon for now," Otto inputted, "but knowing that foreign minister's ambitions and influence, I don't think it will be long before he makes his move."
"Not to mention that ban on psychoframe mobile suits that we had to make to throw the Federation off our trail," Zinnerman added with a groan, "even in the event of an emergency, if we use the Unicorn and the Banshee, both the Federation and the Republic would go all out to destroy us. Not to mention, we're not even sure if both RX-0s' powers can be controlled if they grow any stronger. Either way, if we're attacked, we'll be outnumbered and outgunned."
"Yes. And it worries me," Mineva mused. Her eyes flicked to where the door to the mobile suit hangar was securely locked. There was so much they didn't know... and for that matter, who would try to cancel out the impact of the Box's revelation?
"For now, all we can do is pray for a miracle..."
They had no idea that they were soon about to get one.
Ming Institute, Lunar Surface
Ming's eyes narrowed as he pondered the next course of action. 'One year since the Laplace Declaration,' Ming thought, 'it's as we feared. The masterminds of the Universal Century are more dug in. Unless the contingency plan is initiated, all will be lost.' He looked to where the colony builder, Magallanica was located.
'The Unicorn, Lion, and Princess,' he mused, 'ironic how it all rests on the heirs of the three families that founded the Universal Century. Perhaps it's only fitting that they should end the old and begin anew...' Ming forced the thought from his mind as he looked to the screen showing the breaking news of the recent theft.
The anchor from the Dakar News Corporation was rattling off from a report provided by the Federation authorities about an unauthorized MS test flight being conducted around Side 7, and that the pilot went rogue and tried to steal the mobile suit. Fortunately, according to the report, Londo Bell forces were immediately dispatched from Luna II, and have succeeded in apprehending the suspect and the unit without casualties.
His eyes narrowed a bit. That mobile suit... it was his own design. He had built it with his own two hands... and now... he could only hope that someone worthy had taken it.
Beside him, Revil was also watching the report. "Someone must have leaked the details of the Dracon," Colonel Revil said, "this is not good at all..."
Dr. Ming took a deep breath. "I'm not too worried about them cracking the encryption on the La+ V2.0," he replied, "however, I must admit that the test pilot breaking the seals on the NT-D was completely out of the equation."
"Is that a bad thing?" Revil asked.
"At this point, we have no way of discerning who the pilot is, nor his intentions," Ming pointed out, "and at this point, we have to now assume that the Noblesse are watching the Dracon very closely."
The colonel knew he had a point. "All we can do now is hope for the best," he murmured. "And speaking of which, have we been able to get in contact with our ally?"
Dr. Ming chuckled a little despite the situation. "That's the easy part," he said, "he's been most supportive of the mission."
"Good. I think it is about time we try and get in contact with him and the Princess," Colonel Revil admitted. "She has to learn the truth..."
Then his gaze landed on the report of the stolen machine. "And we have to find out who that pilot is."
"I can get in touch with Londo Bell from my end," Colonel Revil indicated with some hope in his tone, "if the ship containing the Dracon is the Ra Cailum, then Commander Bright will be most receptive." He remembered Bright well. His father, General Revil used to talk fondly of both Amuro Ray and Bright Noa. While he and Bright never met in person, Joseph was sure that Bright would recognize his name quite quickly.
"It would be quite reasonable for Bright to assume that Anaheim would be involved," Joseph added, "and as garrison commander of Von Braun, I should have little trouble getting him into a meeting of some sort."
"That would be a good idea, Joseph," Ming said. "The sooner, the better."
Then his gaze flicked back to the location of the colony builder. "I shall do what I can to get in touch with the Princess, as well."
Joseph nodded and saluted Ming. "Godspeed to us all."
The engineer nodded in response. "Yes. And let us pray for a victory this time around."
As Revil left for his post, Ming turned his eyes back to the news. However, the terminal on his desk began beeping.
The engineer looked over and tapped it. A grim look appeared in his eyes when he saw who it was.
As the old engineer tapped on the touchscreen, a certain blonde with blue eyes appeared. She was a recent edition to his circle of trust after the events surrounding Laplace's Box, and her revelations concerning the Federation, Vist Foundation, and even Luio and Company. "Dr. Ming. It has been some time," Beltorchika Irma said solemnly.
"Beltorchika," the Ming Institute head began, "I'm sure you heard about what transpired with both the Dracon and Ra Cailum." "I saw it on the news," the blonde said, "I was worried..."
"The Ra Cailum," Ming mentioned, "your boyfriend is stationed onboard, isn't he?"
"Yes," Beltorchika said softly. "He's a good person, but... with that... thing... in close proximity, I'm worried for his safety..."
"Just calm down, Beltorchika," Ming consoled her. "He will be just fine. The Dracon has several failsafes in place to keep the machine and pilot from acting on their own. The limiters are designed to activate ONLY when the machine's pilot is in a life-threatening situation. In addition, if it is activated in a non life-threatening situation, then there is a way to shut it down remotely, which only I have." He held up a small device that had a purple glowing switch. "I press this button, and it will shut down. The Dracon will also temporarily be rendered immobile until the pilot is secured."
"Besides..." the engineer smiled, "I hear that no one can fly with a transformable MS like Commander Chase Lee now, right? I do have to commend him for taking down the Unicorn Dracon with a rather standard machine."
Beltorchika grinned at his comment. "That is true. And I will tell him you said that," she said. Then she went serious. "There is another issue though..."
"I guessed that much," Ming replied, "what is it about?"
"See for yourself." Beltorchika gestured to a small image that appeared in the corner of the screen.
The old engineer saw an image of a golden figure soaring through space in some glowing blue aura. It was a recon photo taken by one of the Institute's covert ReZEL pilots. His old eyes having difficulty focusing, he clicked on the image to zoom in. As the resolution cleared up, his eyes widened. "It's... it can't be..." he whispered. The mobile suit in question had been missing for over a year.
"The Phenex...!" Dr. Ming's eyes narrowed. "So... it's returned, I see." The reappearance of Unit 3 now threw a wrench into everything. Was it a friend, or a foe? "Irma... continue to relay all relevant information regarding Unit 3's movements and intentions. Whatever happens, we cannot let it fall into the wrong hands," Dr. Ming ordered.
"Understood," Beltorchika acknowledged, "and what about the Ra Cailum and Londo Bell?"
"I will handle things on that end," the engineer replied. His eyes flashed. "We have to make sure the plan goes through this time. No matter what..."
Chapter 2 End
A catastrophic accident leaves Seph merged with what turns out to be the Unicorn Gundam Dracon Unit 4, and in the hands of Noa Bright's Londo Bell. Mineva and her allies remain trapped in the Republic of Zeon, knowing that both the Federation and Zeon eventually want to dispose of them. Dr. Ming prepares to make his next move to oppose the faction known as the Noblesse, and the Phenex returns to the Earth Sphere.
Whew! Another update in a short time. I hope you guys are enjoying this, because it's only going to heat up as it goes. Please read, fave, and review! Constructive feedback and criticism help!
Thank you, and God Bless! :D
