Expectations of peace soar to their greatest heights with the formation of the Earth Sphere United Nations. The year is After Colony 225. The dissolution of mobile suits and militaries from the human race has allowed veterans and civilians alike to a progressive new era for humanity. Grudges however are far more powerful than what many realize. Former members of the Romefeller Foundation have taken to the stars to act against the ESUN's pacifism policies. The horrors of war have revisited the Earth for a new generation of humanity in the form of the vengeful Falson Coalition. 11 years have passed since the conflict began. The ESUN's hope lies in the form of its own mobile suit project. Operation Rising Himalayas. The revival of GUNDAM.

Episode 5: Through Ruins and Deceit

As soon as the Earth Sphere shuttles had exited the atmosphere and into the further depths of space, Dana unlatched her straps and lifted into the zero gravity. Dana checked the systems on her panel when she observed, "Inertia Cancellers are still in effect. All that's left now is to pray." She fell behind Donna and Mercurio telling them, "Well that's it for the lift off! Welcome to your first trip in space! As you might remember, we're not going to be stargazing for the duration of the trip. Trust me it gets boring even after just a few hours." She handed both of them a thumb drive key and instructed, "There's a training simulator built into the back portion of the shuttle. We're going to be using it for 12 hours every day and I want to see flying colors by the time we reach Mars. Let's get started!"

Mercurio and Donna both agreed, "Yes sir."

Days passed as the two Earth Sphere shuttles continued their voyage, another 12 hours of training had been completed and the three Gundam pilots were able to get some rest in. Dana recognized their position when they found colonies passing by and pointed out, "There's the L5 Colony Cluster. We've launched at the right time to enter it. Keep your eyes peeled; the Coalition might have its patrol out there."

"So now we have to make sure that we don't come across any Coalition forces who might have a chance at taking us out. I hope it's not going to be impossible to miss them."

"I would hope so. If they are capable of hitting a moving shuttle out our current speed, then we might have something to worry about." Donna agreed.

The crew was doing its best to make sure that there wasn't going to be any attack. She knew that there would be some force out there ready for a fight and Dana was prepared as ever even if it was a problem for the shuttle somehow.

When the shuttles in Rome had made their ascent, the Testudo fortress had been making its advancement across the Polish territory and searching for any resistance. General Blare had known that it was a slow day but the loss of over a hundred Leo III units in a short amount of time was something to cause concern for the Coalition. There was only one hope that they would be capable of being able to subvert the Earth Sphere's efforts.

One of the Testudo operators handed a report to General Blare explaining, "We have confirmed that the Earth Sphere is not making any advancements."

Edward observed the battle plans and asked, "Very good. We can now begin the infiltration behind enemy lines. We can confirm that Berlin is the location for the Gundam production?"

"We are only able to speculate for now sir. We are sending in Agent Zelma to infiltrate the mobile suit factory to determine if it is."

"Very well. Prepare our troops and await for her report."

"Yes sir."

Edward gave a final push of confidence encouraging, "After this victory, the Earth Sphere capital will only be one step away from being taken. Soon this war will end, and the rebellion shall be complete."

It was only a matter of time now. When their agent Zelma was ready to give the signal for her mission, the offensive would begin its next major offensive.

Lindemann Estate, Berlin

Lord Till Lindemann sipped his afternoon tea, looking at his watch. "Today It has been a few days since the Gundams departed for Mars."

"We have word on the state of the war my lord. Warsaw was a pyrrhic victory for the Falson Coalition, but from what General Ulbricht has managed to discover Berlin will be the next main push towards reaching the capital."

"Berlin's position is significant for the ESUN. Our factories have only begun to produce the new Ursa units."

"Do you still believe it would be wise to go against Instructor W's insistance on evacuating to California?"

"Yes. I have far greater ambitions than watching this conflict from afar." He finished his tea and made his way to the mansion basement.

Till entered his basement of the estate to observe his more secret projects. "Gundam Sandesgeist. This is where you were created and Instructor W continued to provide the information required for future development."

He looked at a nearby picture when he remembered one of the key people of his life. Not one of his children but one who was no longer among the living. "Griselda... You still provide what I need to continue on."

The factory's secrets were protected by the Lindemann family for years with various mobile suits developed. Before him was the Mobile Suit currently being built in secret.

"I trust that the adjustments from the Instructor have been followed to the letter?"

"Yes sir. We have followed every step on the blueprints to complete this achievement of the Lindemann Estate. It is fortunate to see that we had the funding to make this Gundam a possibility."

Till nodded when he agreed, "My connections through Luxembourg were fortunate to acquire this design. As we continue to modernize this unit we shall see the Coalition will have at least one unit of opposition to be reckoned with."

"True. The first three Gundams have left for Mars. This mobile suit will at least be capable of providing us the support we will require. I believe my only concern is if it will be enough to ensure the Coalition is pushed back at all."

"This United Earth will not fall under my involvement. If doing so costs me everything I have then I shall ensure that it is a paid demand."

At the main factory of Berlin, there was an unexpected visit from an important individual who did not make her presence very public. She wore the Earth Sphere Inspector General uniform while wearing a beret that kept all of her hair hidden. Upon entry she met with one of the guards who instructed, "Greetings Miss. Please show your identification to the screen on your left."

Nodding at the request she thanked, "Of course. Thank you."

She took out a card and had it swiped to reveal the name of Inspector General Theodora Xhenemont. The guard thanked, "Thank you for your cooperation Inspector General. Please contact any personnel if you have any questions." She left without another word an made her way in. She now had the first portion of her mission finished and all that was left was to find the enemy's most valuable plans.

"Now to find it..." Zelma thought to herself. She wondered about where to begin and began to take out several observation tools out of sight. She had a pair of small binoculars and noticed that the main estate of the factory owners was not too far from here. Already in and I have discovered more about this place than most Coalition intel has able to confirm.

She spied out the nearest windows until she saw one very important figure of the Earth Sphere making his way towards the basement stairs. "Lord Lindemann... Pray that you don't get in my way." She had her weapons ready in case of the worst but was more concerned at the moment of seeing if the military secrets were anywhere to be found either here or if they were in the estate itself. Only such high thinkers would be able to consider new generations of Gundam units in the first place and be capable of ensuring it was in the most secure of areas.

Dana was always curious about how Mercurio would feel going into space having never gone into space before. His father was known to be a native from the colonies but since the end of the previous war he had settled down for acceptable reasons. He did seem to be handling things pretty well though. Mercurio was diligent in his training and kept a great focus with any order given. This much did seem to pass on from his father and but didn't seem to have much of the stoic and inverted nature. As she continued watching the status of the colonies with Mercurio she asked, "So tell me kids, have you gotten used to the zero g yet?"

Mercurio answered, "Yes Captain. If the simulations are showing anything, I'll be able to fight in this environment pretty soon." He continued to think to himself on his place in space noting, "I guess this is what I expected it to be like. My dad did tell me we'd travel into space when I was old enough. This war sure shot that plan down though."

Donna was preparing one of her water packets when she answered, "It's taken me a few days but I think I'm finally able to come to do well in this sort of environment."

"Just remember what I showed you. We don't want another drowning to happen." Dana reminded her.

"Of course Captain..." Donna said remembering her first experience in the current atmosphere. Her efforts at drinking without gravity was a challenge for her with liquids floating around and forming into spheres.

Dana brought up the results for their simulation training on her main computer to show the statistics. Dana turned back to Donna evaluating, "Been checking your progress, the beam machine gun is an effective thing to use in long range. Just be sure not to be totally reliant on those things."

Donna recognized her suprior's comment but didn't want to admit she found using the shotels in space difficult. "Of course Captain. I'm still going to make using the shotels effectively in space my biggest priority when I keep training."

Mercurio agreed with the problem she was facing when he added, "That could be a bit of a problem in general for physical weaponry. It's difficult enough to move around in space so it puts a lot of strain on the mobile suit frame."

"Exactly." Dana confirmed. "That's why you have to time your swing at the right time and make sure they count. In fact that's the benefit of having a beam sword out there but if you don't have one then you'll have to be the most expert shot you can get to be."

Falson Mobile Suits began making their way to the shuttle. The majority were comprised of Leo IIIs equipped with additional vernier for space. Tano was on the Sagittarius, a new Falson model for long-range combat.

"Okay. We will split our teams. One team will lure the Mobile Suits out to the ruins of the Long Colony, where we will have the advantage. While the first team engage with the ESUN, the second team will take the change to destroy the shuttle. Move out!"

Rufus was the first to contact Tano, "Save some orders for me already Lieutenant. I'm here to make sure we manage to carry that out."

"Yes sir..."

Rufus's Leo III unit took lead point from the squad of mobile suits. "Whatever you do make those shots count. I don't need to remind you how this is not going to be something to screw up."

"Trying to hit something moving at 40k miles an hour. Probably the most hardcore skeet shooting we can ever ask for."

Tano observed the debris of the colony moving when he promised, "Whatever the shuttle's flight pattern is the debris should be enough to get them if our shots don't."

"Just focus on trying to hit the unit Kiprotich. Out of everyone here you'll have the greatest chance. Be sure to remind us why we thought you were a good idea in the first place. Do you want to give orders or do you want to actually get results for this mission?"

"I will need silence to meet with the target sir. Just don't try to distract me."

The trip was definitely not boring with Captain Dana Houston keeping him and Donna busy and by now he was beginning to pick up some better aim with the beam rifle.

"If they were lucky they wouldn't have to fight while the shuttle was in motion considering that a shuttle moving at 11 miles a second would lose its mobile suits in less than a minute"

"I don't know if our mobile suits even have enough fuel to make that sort of pursuit."

"Add to that the enemy won't have have this sort of issue. Only real bene fit we have is that once we speed past them, they'll have a hard time catching up."

"We should just keep that in mind and we'll at least be able to reach Mars."

Dana entered the conversation between the two when she turned to Mercurio, "Anything you've got on your end Yuy?"

Mercurio checked his radar screen when he reported, "I'm not picking up any signals in the nearest sectors. I guess the Coalition is going easy out here... Wait a minute. Captain, there's enemy activity detected in the Long Colony quadrant. We'll be making contact within 6 minutes."

Looking Mercurio's screen, Dana could only comment, "No kidding. A Coalition battleship just lying there in wait and probably a squad already deployed." Heading to the pilot seat at the first sign of the upcoming ambush, Dana ordered the other two pilots, "Donna! You and Yuy report to your Gundams! I'll try and steers us as clear from the Coalition as possible! And whatever you do, don't forget to attach your lifelines! We can't deviate from our current course without losing sight of the Mars landing point!"

"I'm on it Captain."

This much was a very crucial point, if the Gundams were lost from the perimeter of the shuttle or even worse destroyed it would be a futile effort for the Earth Sphere in the end. While Donna and Mercurio prepared their suits and prepared to enter the vacuum of space, Dana opened the hangar doors of the shuttle to allow the Gundams to enter into combat.

Thick metallic ropes were wrapped around the waists of the Gundams for the lifelines. "Hopefully these should be enough to hold their own in the midst of enemy fire."

"They are supposed to be powerful enough to keep the Gundams within a safe area of the shuttle aren't they?"

"Assuming the shuttle doesn't take damage or... Or if either of us allows it to detriment us."

"Was that what you faced in the simulation? Did you accidentally damage your own lifeline?"

"Yeah... It was a simulation. I just hope the real thing gives enough pressure to not let it happen."

"Just focus on trying to stay with the shuttle. Keep focused and then you'll be able to pull through."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Donna. You just be sure to do your best out there."

"I don't expect anything less from you either. Now get ready for launch." He... might not be such a bad person to relate to... Donna shook herself from her line of thought as she prepared for the launch. "Now is not the time to concern myself over relatability." She spoke aloud to herself.

As Dana concentrated her focus on the path ahead she observed the shuttle making its way towards the wreckage of the Long colony. "We've got a few miles in between the Coalition squads and the wreckage. Any further to either side and we're going to get creamed by either one of them."

Rufus watched the shuttle making its way through the colony wreckage as he ordered, "Here we go boys. Open fire!" The Leo III machine guns fired their shots but missed the shuttle.

"They're still headed into the colony sir."

"That's the type of plan I'm talking about." seeing as the shuttle moved towards the ruins. These were not going to be Earth Leo IIIs the imitation Gundam pilots were facing.

"Sir! The shuttle is moving towards the Long Colony!" A soldier in a Leo III reported.

Tano smiled. "Good." He responded. He remained hidden inside the colony with other Sagittarius units. The shuttle had yet to pass their firing point but Tano could see the target coming within his sights. "That's a good boy." He thought as he waited. "Just one hit and I'll singlehandedly end the war with their defeat."

"Gundam Sandesgeist! Heading out!" Donna announced to Dana. The hangar door was already open as Mercurio was the first to head out. The cable was also attached to Donna's Gundam as it is a literal lifeline that divides the mission between success and failure.

As soon as he left the shuttle, she was attacked from above by the Leo IIIs. They constantly moved and surrounded her like vultures. She fired back with her beam machine gun but they evaded the shots. "I don't think I can get any closer. The enemy is out of my range."

Dana responded to the report on Donna's channel, "Stay where you are Lindemann all three of us need to get out of this in one piece."

The Testudo fortress continued to make its slow walk across Poland and was soon to march towards the critical Earth Sphere state of Germany. The conflict would be far greater than what was previously expected with this being one of the Earth Sphere's last stands.

Edward continued to observe the gathering Coalition forces as they organized for a future attack. He was reported by one of his operators, "Sir, we are closing in on the border. The enemy is most likely prepared for our arrival however."

The General evaluated, "Yes if our sources are correct the Earth Sphere will have the new mobile suits ready for combat. After all this time they will begin to put up a fight."

"We shall do everything possible to find the ideal pushes into enemy territory."

Edward began to consider the defenses of the German country and proposed, "It will probably be best to envelope them into a single territory and then subject their ranks to the power of our mobile armor."

Another operator warned, "We would have power on our side, but there would be a concern if the Gundams were here on Earth."

"Agent Zelma has informed us that the Gundams have begun a mission to Mars. We may find a weakness in the Earth Sphere defenses before they return."

The first operator agreed, "Understood. When shall we make our first move?"

"We must wait for Agent Zelma to contact us before we can attack. Once we have the enemy weaknesses we shall have a distinct advantage."

Bertram was the first to inquire, "Can we trust Agent Zelma general? Her lack of military experience over the past eleven years makes some wonder if she can offer anything."

Edward assured him, "She has shown me what she was capable of before. Her military experience is not to be of any concern because her operations are not intended for public view. We will have the results we are looking for." They only needed to see their agent-for-hire make the next move necessary to bring the Earth Sphere to its knees. Soon victory would be in their grasp after all these years. Edward could almost taste it.

"Understood Captain." Mercurio confirmed the order. He floated to the other side of the shuttle as quick as he could and prepared his helmet to handle the conditions of outside. He and Donna entered the airlock and in an instant were able to head to the hangar holding their Gundam units. Mercurio jumped up to Uriel and found that the zero g was still a force to deal with even after the training. He almost jumped to high to miss Uriel's cockpit but managed to grab onto a corner in time.

Forcing himself in, he ran through a systems check and announced, "Unit 2 prepared for launch!" The hangar doors above opened and Uriel made a jump up with the lifeline attached. The shuttle was moving at a very fast speed but the tug on his line reminded Mercurio that he would stay attached. Mercurio reminded himself, "It's like the simulation. I just can't move too far away... And I can't stay too close either." Arming Uriel's beam rifle to the arm, Mercurio kept an eye out for the incoming enemy. Soon there would be a battle and the two forces had he had to give every ounce of effort into his accuracy

The Uriel grasped to the hull of the shuttle as the speed from outside added to the pressure from the vacuum of space. Mercurio found several of the enemy hiding among the debris of the colony as they swarmed around their particular shuttle. Not wanting to waste any ammo, Mercurio too careful aim and tried to encourage himself, "Come on… I'll get you…" Several Leo IIIs were doing everything they could to destroy the shuttle but the shots were dodged by Dana's piloting. The situation probably wasn't as hopeless but the tension did not die down.

After serval more attempts at firing, Mercurio shot down one of the nearest Leo IIIs and into the cockpit area. It was an effective kill and Mercurio allowed a slight relief, "Finally. Maybe I'm not totally lost."

In that moment, he found something else happening. There was a mobile suit that didn't look like any of the other Leo IIIs. He hadn't seen this particular model before and warned, "Donna! There's a unit out there that seems to be the leader!" He continued to fire on the enemy but wasn't able to hit any of the furthest ones.

It wasn't until some of the enemies started to come in close range that Mercurio felt relieved he was able to use a buster sword instead. Slicing through as many Leo IIIs as possible, the shuttle only took some minor damage but was still intact to make it through the battle.

The Sagittarius dodged the shots from the Uriel. "You can't shoot, what you can't see properly." Tano remarked. He began adjusting the sniper rifle for accuracy against the Gundams. He chose to aim at the Sandesgeist, seeing it as the weakest in space.

Donna responded to Mercurio. "Thanks for the tip! I will be careful!" She began to move more often with the Sandesgeist, seeing that snipers need to be a stopping target to sim effectively. With her machine gun, she was able to shot down a Leo III with multiple shots at the cockpit. The machine gun is the only weapon she can use for now with the enemies focused on long range combat.

Dana could only comment on the fighting outside, "Shit! Well this plan has already got its first issue!" She was flying on manual being the best way to maneuver away from the attacking Coalition mobile suits. There were several explosions occurring outside and slightly brought her off course. Dana continued to deal with the stress and adjust the shuttle's calibration to stay with the target course. Dana would rather be out fighting against the mobile suits in Artemis, but as far as Dana could tell autopilot would have been immediately shot down.

After realigning the shuttle's path she ordered, "Unit 2! Focus on defense and don't let any shots even scratch this can!" She switched another channel warning, "Unit 1! Two are sweeping in from behind!" There was a great deal to keep up with and could tell that she needed some help keeping the shuttle from being destroyed. She contacted the other shuttle a distance away asking, "Capon! Can you find us a path around the colony?!"

In Shuttle 1, the crew saw the skirmish taking place outside the remains of the Long colony. Being a distance away from the Gundam shuttle they were able to have some assurance that they wouldn't be shot down unless the Gundams couldn't handle the defense. One of the pilots pointed out, "Captain! Shuttle 2 is in trouble!"

Alberto observed, "I can tell from here. Just our luck it turns out."

Another one of the pilots pointed out, "We've got a message from Captain Houston sir!"

Listening to the emergency hail from Captain Houston, Alberto answered, "We read you Captain! We'll try to provide some covering fire!" He turned to the two nearest pilots and ordered, "Gilliam! Jutila! Take out those Ursas and latch to the right side of the shuttle! Provide covering fire for Shuttle 2!"

They both saluted before heading to the hangar bay, "Yes sir!"

Alberto turned back to his communication panel when he answered Dana's question, "We cannot afford to lose sight of the landing point Captain! You will have to make as many manuevers through the colony debris as possible to avoid losing sight of your objective." Alberto hesitated before he advised, "If it takes any of those nauseating manuevers your first trip to Mars took then they will have to be used."

Dana did not sound dissapointed on the other line when she agreed, "Roger that sir. I'll see if I have any of those left in me."

"Time to see if I can get those priveledged kids some debt on my account. Hope the Coalition has some decent pilots out there."

Before entering his cockpit Keijo told Roy, "I know you're not saying that hoping for a challenge Roy. Just get over trying to prove yourself and try to actually assist your fellow pilots out there."

Just as Keijo shut his cockpit Roy gave a mock salute agreeing, "Sir yes sir."

As soon as the two Ursa units were released onto the side of the shuttle, the two units did everything they could to provide some covering fire. Keijo cursed, "Come on... I'll get this one..."

Roy asked, "Hey Jutila! Can you at least give me some help aiming at those things?"

"Wish I could! Those enemy units are moving too fast!"

"They're too used to this environment. Do we even have a chance at this point?"

"Ah shit! Looks like that one out there is going to have a decent shot!"

The Leo IIIs continued their assault on the Gundam shuttle. They ignored the other shuttle as their main aim was the Gundams. Rufus continued to fire on the shuttle but found the Uriel's shield still providing to be a challenge in even being able to attempt some damage. As soon as he saw the shuttles making their way towards the key point within the colony ruins he ordered, "Kiprotich! The enemy is nearing your position! Make that shot count!"

Tano did not even respond as his Sagittarius pointed its sniper rifle at Uriel. Tano carefully adjusted the scope of the rifle to aim for the cockpit. "Goodbye, imposter Gundams." He whispered as he was prepared to make the shot.

Donna swung the heat shotel at the approaching Leo IIIs, bisecting them through the cockpit. She blocked shots from other Leo IIIs with her shield and fired back at them. "I think we've got the enemy forced to improvise now Captain. I'm not sure how much longer we can hold them off though."

"We're almost out of here Lindemann. Keep with the defense. We have a schedule to meet up with."

"Copy that Captain." As soon as he received the order Mercurio saw two Leo IIIs charging at the shuttle. "They're headed this way!" He had to act quickly as he managed to find a piece of debris that was nearing the shuttle's path. Hitting it right in time as it passed, Uriel knocked the nearby gas canister with the blunt of the sword. It was meant to provide cover but it immediately exploded in a ball of fire once the bullet from the Sagitarrius made its shot. The explosion wasn't too large thankfully although the shuttle might have been slightly singed at the act. There were at least two fewer Leo IIIs following them. Mercurio asked, "Captain, the enemy is still in pursuit! We can't find the long-range units!"

The attempts were far from finished before one of the leading Leo III untis made their way through the explosion and behind the shuttle. "Just you watch guys. This is the sort of thing I've been honored for!" Rufus's voice announced as it took aim towards the shuttle carrying the Gundams.

Tano watched from a distance as his superior tried to take aim before he saw the several shots headed towards him. He saw the Uriel Gundam prepare its beam rifle and saw what it was preparing for. "Captain! The enemy has you in its sight!"

Rufus's Leo unit continued to fire on its target when he responded, "This is the sort of thing you get yourself into Lieutenant! When we're in the most demanding situation that is when we act most impracticaly!" His unit continued to fire but it was only a few seconds before the fire from the distance away found its way into the cockpit of his mobile suit. Tano could only watch now as Rufus's final shots were fired before the mobile suit exploded.

The Uriel took up its buster sword in shield mode and blocked the shots that were headed his way. Mercurio checked behind his shield when he noticed an explosion from a distance away. "If that was one of the enemy units at least that one won't be a problem."

Dana could only curse at the effectiveness of the crew on Shuttle 1. "Damn it. That covering fire isn't doing anything for us. Shuttle 1 is too far away!" The moment she noticed this, another explosion occurred and lights went up showing that there was damage of the left side of the shuttle. It was bearable but an inch would end up going a long way at this rate. She warned, "Yuy! Try not to get any further damage on that side if you can help it!" They were almost out of the ruins but there was one big obstacle for them ahead. The debris was thicker than ever and there were two chunks of the colony about the collide into one another.

"How are we supposed to get through that?!"

"Captain can you still turn?"

Dana observed the colliding debris and could see there was at least one opening that would be just big enough to fit through but would require she be able to dodge the debris in her path. She gave a quick warning, "Both of you hang on! Just know that you won't be able to make any shots for a while!"

"Wait, what?!" Donna asked before feeling the roll take effect. She was taken offguard with the increase of g-force. She felt like she was being spun around like a top. She tried hard not to vomit.

"What sooooo..." Before Mercurio could finish his question he found himself in the greatest thrust of g-force that he had ever experienced. The shuttle was taking an aileron roll and was spinning through the debris that would prevent them from any further damage. It seemed impractical but was actually working with the desired results.

Mercurio endured the feeling as though he was being tossed through a clothes washer and spinning into nothing. Dana was right when she said shooting would be ineffective at this point. Right now Mercurio couldn't focus his sights on the nearest target and just squeezed his eyes shut in hopes of losing some nauseum.

His mobile suit thankfully couldn't get the same reaction and was only hanging on to the shuttle for dear life. At least with the navigation the shuttle would be able to make its way through the wreckage.

The shuttle continued to speed through the wreckage in its roll as it avoided what debris threatened to damage the shuttle any further. It was only a short distance few feet for the shuttle to make it out of the ruins alive. Dana kept the shuttle leaning on its left while she perservered in her thoughts, Come on girl... Show me that I can do this trick several times over....

The shot of the Sagittarius missed thanks to the resourcefulness of the Gundam he targeted. Tano was shocked with what the Gundam was able to do before meeting its timely demise. He could only watch with a sense of defeat as the shuttle managed to fly its way to safety through the crushing colony debris and out of range. With the Gundams stronger than he anticipated, he changed the sniper rifle's ammunition to a flare. He fired it so the Leo IIIs can see it. The flare signalled to withdraw.

"Sir? We are withdrawing?" One of the pilots asked.

Tano responded. "You saw the Gundams. We are under-equipped to take them down. Your friends were shot and sliced with ease if you have not paid attention. We will return to the main ship and report."

The Leo IIIs began exiting the ruins of the colony to return to the battlecruiser. Sagittarius prepared to leave as well. It revealed itself to the Gundams as it left. Its face-plate camera was hidden by a targeting mask. On its back it carried a backpack that was connected to the sniper rifle it used to prevent overheating. To help keep it mobile, it has verniers all-over its grey body.

It was a great relief for the crew of Shuttle 1 when they saw their brother shuttle making it through without being destroyed. Capon ordered, "Gilliam. Jutila. Return to the bridge. You did all you could and it might have provided the assistance our pilots needed."

The two Ursa units made their way to the hangar door of the shuttle while Roy spat at the command, "Yeah. That sure sounds right. We save their asses and the higher ups aren't even able to tell if we did."

Soon the spinning stopped and Mercurio gathered himself back to attention. He noticed that the enemy wasn't pursuing any further and seemed to be headed somewhere else. He reported, "Captain... I think... the enemy... won't pursue."

Before she can attempt to, she saw the retreating enemies. "The leader... he was out there... huck..." Donna held back the unsanitary action when she remembered what her superior brought her through. "I'm heading back to the shuttle now." She said on the channel while holding back what her body was about to release. She sat in her cockpit with the first intention of jumping out to find somewhere to vomit without making a huge, unpleasant smelling blob in front of everyone else upon landing.

Brussels, Earth Sphere Capital

The House of Representatives were meeting again under the request of President Franz Kecker who began his speech, "My fellow Earth Sphere Representatives! For eleven long years, we have fought against the Coalition to preserve our way of life! We have only been fortunate that our unity and the enemy's lack of a single motion have allowed us to stand for so long against them!

"Three decades ago, it was understandable that embrace pacifism to allow the progress of human peace. It was hoped that this action along with the devastating wars that followed would prevent humanity from ever wishing to see conflict again. We have seen the consequences of such policies. It has made us weak and easy prey to the jaws of human ambition. It has taken a once united world and divided it once again as the fronts for another war.

"It is my hope that this is now the beginning of a new era for the Earth Sphere United Nations. The day that we move forward from these policies and remind humanity why it is we are the greatest hope of unity! Fellow Representatives. I present to you the new step forward in mobile suit power. The first model of our official mobile suit army. The official ESMS-002 Ursa unit!" At this proclamation, a picture of the first Ursa units being produced from the Earth Sphere factories. It was the new symbol of power for the united people of Earth. The House stood in applause at their new hope with the exception of a small minority of pacifist politicians who saw the last pieces of their hard work fade into history.

After the applause died down, Franz continued with his speech, "You have seen the beginning of our new military. Tomorrow we shall see the Earth Sphere mobile forces begin their first assault. We shall have the first 500 units manufactured and the Coalition will fall by our hands!" There was another round of applause that the House gave as the President continued.

As always the First Priority Speaker Malcolm Hunter announced at the end of the speech, "The Parliament shall now hear from the leading Opposition Party. Speaker Relena Yuy, you have the floor." Relena Yuy didn't have any intention of debating the President's position at this point, but she was now being expected to speak on this subject.

She spoke to the House, "Representatives of the Earth Sphere. I feared this to be the worst outcome of our future. Now that we have stepped on this path, it shall be lifetimes before we can ever hope to deviate from this course. It may be a motion for the good of humanity, it may be the return to where we were thirty years ago. All I can offer now is my humblest hopes that this will prevent further casualties and possibly wars. I only ask the House of Representatives to remember where the Earth government was many years ago. I ask you to not repeat the exact mistakes that were made by the previous Earth leaders."

Later that night, Relena returned to her apartment building she was staying in. Being forced to participate within every possible Earth Sphere meeting she had to be near the capital building. She could only feel a sense of relief after finally leaving the meeting but regret from another failure of a political movement. She heard the most pleasant voice that day, "Relena."

She looked up and welcomed, "Heero. I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm happy to… I have to explain something to you."

"It's not an assassination attempt is it?"

"No. It's about Mercurio."

Relena was bracing herself with the worst when it came to what their son was up to. She couldn't fall back on her daughters expecting them to replace him. No one could replace any child. Still she knew Mercurio was a soldier and there was a chance something terrible would happen. She prompted him, "… Please tell me."

"He has taken a mission to Mars and won't be here for another few months." It was another piece of news that seemed to fall on Relena as though it were another stone thrown upon a gravel pile. Heero asked her, "You're not upset?"

Relena walked to the nearest window when she answered, "How can I be? It was his decision. He's a soldier. He has everything that made you who you are."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and reminded, "You know you can't hide your regrets."

"I know. I've been against it from the beginning. I've been against this war since the beginning and all I can do is sit by and allow the new President to take down everything I've ever wished to see achieved."

"And you still continue on. You're stronger than you know Relena." Heero said as he turned her to face him.

Relena looked up to his gaze when she asked, "You believe that I can still be the peace make I was all those years ago?"

Heero hugged her lightly, "I think you will be. You've done it before and everyone remembers what you have been able to achieve. Nothing will be able to change that and you will be able to make a difference again."

Relena took this moment of comfort for all it was worth as she returned the embrace and explained, "It's moments like these that remind me why I married you."

"Don't underestimate your strength Relena. You're more than you might think you are now."

Zelma searched for the nearest computer in the room as the production of Ursa units began to pick up. She plugged in a thumb drive that opened the main layout of the production plant. Overlooking the shipping schedule for previous mobile suits, she managed to find what she was sent to find.

"There you are. Quite unfortunate for you Lord Lindemann." She needed only to make the extraction from here and then could report to the Coalition front for the true attack.

Zelma returned the equipment to her coat and wasn't stopped by any security. She managed to slip past anyone's suspicion and back to the entrance. She was greeted, "Have you already finished the inspection miss?"

Zelma answered, "One of my secretaries has left some critical detail papers for my inspection. I shall return momentarily." It was a perfect way to excuse herself without sounding too quick to leave.

"Understood Madame."

As Zelma left the main factory, she was now on her way to the Lindemann Estate that was carrying the hidden object of the Coalition's mission. Still disguised as the Inspector General, she was prepared for whatever came next in the mission. Sounding the doorbell, she awaited the first welcoming to find her target.

Till continued to watch the adjustments made when he received a beep on his phone. "Ach. Who is that?" He checked to see it signalling the front door bell being rung. He turned to the others in the basement as he ordered, "Continue operations. I will take care of this."

He left the basement as he locked his project away with a swipe of his card. He made his way to the entrance and was followed by another man, who was muscular in build, bald and taller. He opened the front door to find the General Inspector at the steps.

Zelma was the first to speak as she introduced, "Lord Lindemann?"

"You must be the General Inspector?" Till was the first to introduce. "Lord Till Lindemann."

Zelma introduced herself to the estate noble, "Greetings my lord. I have come wishing to inquire several matters on the unit production. From what I have found there appears to be high demand among officials requesting an update on current development." Not even those of nobility could deny the inquiry of the highest political pressure. It was either see that Lord Lindemann agree with this idea or get right down to business.

Lord Lindemann raised an eyebrow at the request. "I assure that the Mobile Suit production has progressed as with current demand." He insisted. "The ESUN has asked for financial support in this project. We will talk further about this inside." He guided Zelma into the estate. Gardeners were working their work of making the garden presentable as they walked by. The house, built in Gothic architecture stood in the middle of the land. He opened the door with maids greeting them with a simple bow. He continued to take the inspector to the living room and signalled a maid to prepare some tea. He sat on one of the chairs in the room and gestured her to sit on the opposite chair.

"We may continue the talk now." He said to her. "Like I said, the Mobile Suit is legal. It has been approved by President Kecker."

Lord Lindemann had some fair taste in his estate she could grant him this much at least. Luckily this granted her entrance to the mansion and was able to sit across from Lord Lindemann and fingered through a report from the ESUN headquarters. She responded to the question explaining, "Quite true my lord. The ESUN is looking forward to your further support." Turning over another sheet she pointed out, "There is some interest however if you are currently working on your own personal project though. If it has been observed prior we may require another evaluation."

The word on his pet project got Till's attention. "Hm... It seems the President knows this will be a public announcement at some point anyway." He thought to himself. He looked back up to the Inspector when he continued, "Very well then, I am able to provide some footage of the testings that have been done so far." He produced a video casette labelled with the sign of the water-carrier. He passed it on to his bodyguard who inserted it to a video player. A projector was also brought to the room and connected with the video player. While the preparation was made, a maid came into the room with a kettle of tea with finely decorated cups.

The video showed a blue Mobile Suit. The face looked similar to the Gundams but the face-plate was painted red and blue. The Mobile Suit first demonstrated its mobility, speeding past an unknown countryside. The next footage showed it in a combat situation. The Mobile Suit began using heat rods similar to the ones used by the Epyon and Tallgeese III, slicing through a Taurus. It then used a Dober Gun to destroy another Taurus. The final attack it used had it fly in the air. The binders on the shoulders began glowing and the surrounding enemy Mobile Suits stopped moving. This Mobile Suit was his masterpiece.

Lord Lindemann turned back to the inspector. "Magnificent isn't it?"

"Quite an accomplishment my lord." As the video played before her. Zelma was now able to confirm just what the project was that Lord Lindemann was shipping to his mansion was providing. She instead answered, "It should be quite sufficient in quelling the concerns of the House members who have invested."

He asked her. "Also, as much as this may be off subject I should like to know. When did President Kecker issue for this inspection?"

When she was asked a second question she answered, "He sent me the assignment for this inspection yesterday at nine p.m. Do you require some confirmation from him?"

"No thank you. I am fully willing to accept the word of anyone who Franz trusts."

The projector and the video player were packed away by the servants as the video ended. The cassette was removed while Till's servant returned it to its case. "It did take quite a number resources for the construction of the Wasserman to be possible." Lord Lindemann said. He subtly changed his tone of voice. "I believe the inspection is not complete without observing the actual Mobile Suit in question?" He asked her. He gestured at a door in the room. "After you." He said to her.

At the offer to see the mobile suit in action, Zelma agreed, "That would be excellent my lord. My superiors shall appreciate the data." She followed the two men to the room and was offered in before them. She was still on her guard to make sure that she was ready for whatever Lord Lindemann had to offer. This was either going to save her a lot of trouble trying to find the enemy mobile suit or it would be the first step into an interrogation of some sort. She remained composed however and remembered everything that she was taught for her training.

As Zelma entered the room, she found her first clue to what Lord Lindemann was planning. The room was empty and did not even have furniture set up or anything of particular value in sight. There was a speaker in the ceiling. As soon as Zelma was inside the room, Till slammed the door behind her and activated the keypad to locked her inside the room. "Send in the others." He ordered his personal bodyguard. "Have her unconscious and brought to the ESUN for questioning."

"Of course my lord." He used his earpiece to announce, "We have a subject compromised on the premise. Apprehend her now."

The walls within the empty room rotated as they revealed waiting men with pistols in hand. The leading bodyguard within the room stepped forward to confront Zelma, "Miss Inspector, the President would have contacted Lord Lindemann personally in regard to such an inspection. I shall see to it however that your superiors do not have anything to learn from this day. Miss Inspector Theodora Xhenemont, who are you? Are the superiors you mentioned the Falsons? You and I both know that you won't be able to get out of here unharmed."

Zelma stood still when she prepared for her answer. Her cover was officially out in the open and the Lord of the residence knew it full well. She was not stirred from her objective however when she answered, "Unfortunately you are correct. Now I must finish with this charade." She pinched her thumb and finger together and activated a gas capsule that was filled with a thick mist. Several guards coughed at the blinded the sudden appearanceo f the mist while they tried to get their guns to the ready. Zelma shut her eyes hard and dashed towards the door while using a key on the door lock. Once outside the door she shot the keypad locking the guards inside. Right after rubbing her eyes from the materials of the gas, she was now able to return to the mission at hand.

Till did not even hesitate to make his way to the basement he was presiding in earlier. "Cursed Coalition spies. I will have to take Aquarius somewhere closer to Brussels if I want to be safe now." He hastily walked down the stairs to the garage and nearly tripped as he made an effort to hurry from Zelma's potential pursuit.

Listening to the footsteps that were not inside the room she left, Zelma heard her target noble rushing towards another door in a quick hurry. Keeping a safe distance away from him she managed to find Lindemann making his way into his hidden basement. After a fair descent down the steps there was the object of Zelma's mission. He was now rushing towards the Aquarius and Zelma took out her pistol. With precise aim she shot twice in the back of Till Lindemann's knees.

"AHH!"

As soon as Till fell over she found a keycard on the floor that fell out of his hand. She picked up the card and thanked, "Thank you Lord Lindemann." She threw a cellphone to him giving a chance to call an ambulance.

Quickly observing the controls and launched Aquarius out of the basement doors. It would just be a short journey before she could find the enemy Gundam outside the German borders. She reported to the Coalition officials, "Reporting general. I have the enemy mobile suit. Returning to base."

Lord Lindemann groaned out of a desperate rage as he grabbed the phone. He did not take time to question Agent Zelma's action when he phoned the Berlin garrison. "A SPY STOLE MY GUNDAM! STOP HER! BRING ME AN AMBULANCE ALSO! I'M BLEEDING FROM MY KNEES!" He ordered on the phone.

"Right away Lord Lindemann! Sending them now!"

Till continued to hold what blood he could in his knees as he observed the opened hangar door. He gave out a final "DAMN YOU FILTHY WHORE OF A SPY! I WILL ENSURE THAT THIS HUMILIATION DOES NOT GO UNREPAID!"

A squadron of ten Taurus were being launched from Frankfurt. "We have our mission men. Prepare to Intercept the stolen Gundam and keep it from falling into Coalition hands."

"Do we capture it or just flat out destroy it sir?"

"Doesn't really matter at this point. It's better if that thing is destroyed than letting it be used against us. But if anyone can actually take that thing in tact, I'll make sure you're on the roster for a promotion."

"Just the kind of motivation I need. Ready to move out sir!"

"All laser gun units stay at the front. Be ready to fire on first contact."

Half of the squadron were armed with beam cannons with the others with laser guns. As the Second Generation Gundams are made with Neo-Gundanium alloy, it became necessary to use laser guns if they are to do proper damage. The Mobile Suits were launched from the base's airfield and were heading straight towards the stolen Gundam.

"We found the Gundam! Attack!" Ordered the sergeant.

The mission was nearing its completion when Zelma manged to take the mobile suit across the German borders and closer in range to the Testudo. "The Earth Sphere is right behind me in pursuit. The arrival will have to wait." Thankfully the Gundam she had taken was equipped with a pair of heat rods and she was willing to put up a fight against them. She checked her radar again to confirm the presence of Coalition units observing, "No support units in range. I suppose I shall have to handle this myself."

It was a bit of an unfair fight though with the Taurus mobile suits being the only things the Earth Sphere had to offer as a challenge. The older mobile suits had the weaponry that could put a dent on them but were easily short of the skill. As soon as the squad came within range the Aquarius fired its two heat rods towards two of the Taurus mobile suits. The first two were destroyed and the battle was only to begin from here.

As General Blare continued to observe the border, he heard the hail from Agent Zelma. The Testudo and several mobile armor were making their way closer to Germany's border and battle would be a matter of time now.

"Status report on Earth Sphere patrol."

"None have been confirmed sir. Wait sir, we have confirmation on headed our way." Edward looked to the map panel when he observed the signals headed towards him. Success in Germany was a matter of time but this one particular accomplishment was soon to be theirs.

Edward saw two explosions out the window confirming Zelma was indeed returning with what was promised. Edward wasted no time to order, "All units, the enemy mobile suit has been taken. Provide covering fire and allow our agent for retrieval." The Testudo along with several Scutum units were giving their supporting fire as the main cannon fire made its attack.

Zelma's communication came through again when her voice confirmed, "General Blare. I have the enemy mobile suit. Requesting docking."

He answered Zelma's report ordering, "We read you Agent. Head towards the Testudo and receive the pilot." He turned to his operatives when he asked, "Has the pilot candidate been selected?"

"He is currently awaiting your approval in the hangar bay sir."

"Keep an eye on the field and permit Agent Zelma to find entry to the hangar."

"Yes sir."

As Oleg continued to wait for the new mobile suit he would be assigned to arrive in the hangar he saw a nearby camera light a hologram projector where Edward's image appeared. Oleg saluted, "General. I await your command."

Edward remembered the profile on the man before him when greeted in a salute, "Tsubarov. This is your chance to achieve great things for our cause. This will be an instrumental response to the Gundam pilots we must concern ourselves with. The fact the Earth forces wish to use our former symbol of hope against us will not be an action we shall see go unnoticed."

Oleg obediently assured, "I have always sought to see this day happen sir. I will not fail the Coalition in its cause."

Edward reminded him, "Captain Belyakova has spoken well of you, I hope to see results."

"And I will see to it she does not regret those words sir." The hologram of Edward faded to leave Oleg to continue waiting for his chance to shine. He turned to the entry area of the Testudo hangar bay when he told no one in particular, "Come on Agent... I just need that Gundam..."

3 Juno

As the President of the Earth Sphere United Nations presented the beginning of a new military, President Nathaniel Falson and several Coalition generals were watching with keen interest. Overlooking the speech that Franz Kecker was giving, Nathaniel was able to confirm, "It has begun."

One of the generals asked, "It has Mr. President?"

The President explained, "Yes. The ESUN has now become what we have needed to it be. Now that the Earth Sphere military has been established, all citizens of Earth shall see what we are fighting to break from."

The Vice President Lucas Lehrer was more skeptical asking, "Then we shall assume that the Earth Sphere will use its newfound military might to repeat what the Alliance did?"

Nathaniel answered, "Not immediately. Once the first operations begin, all of humanity shall see what their choice is."

Another general elaborated, "Their ultimate decision shall be between either an old enemy with a new name or our soon to be dated forces. If we don't rebuild our forces into something capable of standing against those new units, our cause will be lost."

Nathaniel reminded them, "The Earth Sphere will have the technology capable of overwhelming us. We shall have the support of the people."

Another one of the generals could only ask in concern, "But how? We need a definite battle plan for such ambition."

The President offered one final word on the matter, "We do. I have what we require for such a manipulation. When General Blare has made his way to the capital we will have the Earth Sphere government cornered where we need them."

"Edward has certainly proven himself capable. Would it be wise to see him entrusted with such a responsibility however?

"I have no reason to distrust him. He has proven himself to be every bit as loyal as any other official in our organization. Him using the Testudo to reach the Earth Sphere capital wil provide nothing short of our total victory."

It wasn't until later that Nathaniel Falson was alone and away from the other Coalition members that he was able to make contact with Edward. The voice on the other line was kept secret only to be heard within Nathaniel's earpiece. He began, "I have received the report. The Earth Sphere is now preparing for a new offensive and the forces have been rebuilt. I trust Berlin will not be a stumbling block before reaching the enemy capital."

Edward evaluated, "Of course not Nathan. Once this offensive has begun the Coalition will strike the decisive victory it has been seeking since this war began. The progress of humanity's true unification shall begin."

Hoping to see another piece of assurance, Nathaniel asked, "I trust you are still loyal to see the will of my father achieved?"

"I shall personally see the ambition of Ewan Falson realized Nathan. It is only a matter of time."

"Thank you. This struggle for humanity shall be worth the sacrifices we have made."

"It may be a sacrifice. But you have shown the proper dedication to make it worth fighting for. Gundams or not I will see they do not return to an Earth that will stand with them."

The Sandesgeist landed inside the hangar of the shuttle. Even the small g-force started to take a negative effect on her. As soon as the cockpit's hatch opened. She made her way to the rest room.

As soon as the roll was finished, Mercurio was able to notice the enemy making their way away from the ruins. He heard Donna was planning to return to the shuttle and agreed, "Unit 2 following suit." The two Gundams entered the hangar bay and the chamber pressurized to meet with human conditions. He felt really nauseated after the effects of the g-force and it was probably one thing that all the training couldn't prepare him for. He was sweating and still felt as though his stomach was preforming a backflip that seemed to prevent him from releasing his stomach's contents. He entered the cockpit hatch and asked in between burps, "Uh… Captain, is the… enemy close by?"

Dana turned to notice that the two younger pilots had entered the shuttle's pilot section while Donna was obviously too sick to speak properly just now. Dana answered Mercurio, "We're getting further away from the enemy but they aren't in pursuit. Nice work Yuy. Most cadets don't hold out for that long. Sorry about the roll from earlier but it got us out of that colliding wreckage. Get some rest and get ready to keep watch, we'll have to keep going if we want to get to Mars safely." Dana continued to navigate the shuttle and could only hope that the remains of the colony behind would prevent the enemy from catching up with them.

Mercurio saluted to his superior, "Roger that Captain…" Mercurio sat in the left hand seat behind Dana and checked out the window next to him while also checking the radar for any further enemy activity. He couldn't see any other Leo III units or the unit that stood out from them only guessing that the attack wasn't going to chase after them. He steadied his breath a bit hoping that he would be able to regain his composure for the next round of training Dana had for him or for the enemy attack that would possibly happen.

"Everyone prepare to head back to the main ship. The Admiral will require an update on the status of the Gundams."

"We hear you Lieutenant." Tano made sure his channel was switched off when he cursed his loss, "Damn it Captain. That sort of manuever was more risky than you should have known."

Tano reviewed the motions Rufus went through in his final moments before he reminded himself, "Whatever he thought he could accomplish it is worth nothing now. The destruction of those impostor Gundams is the first thing we have to see accomplished."