The War on Gundam

by Eyefantasy

New dangers lurk when our After Colony heroes are mysteriously transported to Anno Domini. A new war will be waged, and it's up to Heero and friends and their new Gundams to protect this new world from falling into catastrophe. Battle lines will be drawn and crossed as military and political leaders plot revolution. As the world changes, the war on Gundam has just begun.

3. Chapter 3: Intervention

AN: Another one on the way! This one is a bit more content heavy. For the person who said it was a bit jarring for the time shift, I quite agree. I'll be using characters from Wing's and 00's side novels/mangas. The fandom page and others have been a great help.

---

Setsuna F. Seiei sat on a rock by a spirited stream in silence. The breath of the ocean-filled wind did not move him. He was so consumed by his thoughts he ignored the sound of the laughing stream beside him, the melodious songs of birds flitting from tree to tree, or how clear the water reflected his taciturn expression. The stream captured his black, voluminous, disheveled hair that fell down his light brown face and grazed his cheeks. Ponderous, chestnut brown eyes remained glued to the water, seeing past his reflection.

A canopy of tropical trees sheltered him with their leaves, shading the area in shadow. Warm sunlight dappled through the wall of leaves, trailing bars of light across his body. The island air breezed around him, flicking his bangs, and tickling his exposed skin from his blue flight suit. Setsuna found peace to lose himself in his thoughts amid the relaxing atmosphere on this island in the Pacific Ocean.

His mind replayed his first armed intervention two days ago at La Tour. All his training, hours of studying military tactics and history, military physical training, combat simulations, and destiny had culminated in that significant day: the day the world would change. The world was distorted, hopelessly heading toward a path to its own self-destruction.

The flames of war and conflict between nations, races, ethnicities, creed, religion, energy, politics, gripped in a bellicose dance of cyclical violence, would engulf the world. Two days ago, Celestial Being made it known. Two days ago, the Gundam Meisters made it known. Two days ago, he and his Gundam, Exia, had made it known: to unite the world, to stamp out the writhing and ferocious flames, the eradication of conflict must be necessitated violently.

They were the revolutionary force that came in struggle when peace could not be mandated, attained, or kept. Peace talks led to people dying. Setsuna knew that fact very well in his ruminations of the world. Peace talks were meaningless while the flames of war devoured Krugis. Peace talks were meaningless while MSER-04s gunned down his comrades, splattering their blood and remains on the ground and shelled out, crumbling walls.

The only hope for the world was the Gundam. They were the saviors of humankind. People were led astray by God, by religion, by their paranoia and obedience to magical deities that watched the world die, that scorched earths, and upended lives. The truth the world needed to hear, to bear witness, simply: There was no God.

There was only Gundam, and its power to change the world.

The flash of glowing green, angelic wings, and a white mechanical body, encapsulated in an aura of majesty and otherworldly power amid a burning battlefield, crossed his mind. Green eyes beheld the world. Green eyes captured him. Setsuna knew with clarity, as it pierced his mind, that this being was the power of change.

"Gundam," his deep voice rumbled in a fervent whisper like a prayer.

One day he would become a Gundam. Just like that time when one hovered before him in green ethereal light that touched on the heavenly and the divine. And he looked at it, with tears in his eyes, as the world burned around him, and Allah had turned His back on him and his friends. There was only Gundam.

The sound of footsteps broke Sestuna from his thoughts. He turned his earnest eyes on the cause, noticing a man in a green flight suit. "Lockon Stratos."

Lockon Stratos stood behind him, admiring the landscape, an easy smile settling on his lips. His blue eyes were bright and lively, perhaps too comfortably so. Lockon must have found something entertaining, for those eyes, when alight, were jovial to the point of annoyance.

Setsuna found Lockon the most genial member of Celestial Being compared to other Meisters. Tieria Erde was too rigid and condescending. Authority ruled him, and Setsuna loathed to work with him on team exercises. He would never complain though, for Celestial Being and Aeolia Schenberg's plan superseded all personal grievances.

Allelujah Haptism, on the other hand, was on the quiet side like him but more amiable with people. He was friendlier than Tieria, more thoughtful in his conduct and approach. In comparison, Setsuna was more proactive than to Allelujah's hesitancy. There was a timid reluctance that sometimes-shadowed Allelujah's actions. And yet, Setsuna bore no ill will towards him because he knew the volcanic grounds Meisters undertook to complete missions.

Tactical analyst and forecaster Sumeragi Lee Noriega often paired him with Lockon. Besides his gregarious personality, Setsuna held a small gratitude for the older man. Because of his age, most of the Meisters and Celestial Being members were strict with him, criticizing his value or lack of knowledge to the organization. Lockon was different. Lockon treated him like a comrade-in-arms most of the time.

Looking down at him, with a tablet in his hand, Lockon said, "You naughty boy, I've been looking for you. Did you see the news, Setsuna? We're in every country in the world. The shiny jewel that has captured the world's attention; they cannot stop talking about us," his colorful accent showing in his excitement and upbeat attitude.

He chuckled. "The news here, ah, JNN, say, 'mysterious organization makes a declaration to the entire world to end war.' Of course, a great majority don't believe us," he said while rubbing his long brown locks. He put his hand on his hip.

He again chuckled and shook his head. "Talk about the greatest underestimation of the 24th century. Their disbelief at our pronouncement makes it seem like we're some amateurs who have gotten way over our heads."

"Then, let's make them believe Celestial Being is serious," spoke a soft, feminine voice.

Setsuna turned his head down the stream and found the voice of the person. Arms wrapped around the shoulders of her personal assistant and bodyguard, Hong Long, and her legs dangling from his grip on her thighs, the young Chinese girl in her stylish, beige safari wear and laced sandals that wound up her legs, gave a mischievous grin. Her pale skin contrasted with her midnight black hair that hung in two long ponytails, a pink bow holding the two tails together underneath a safari hat.

"Wang Liu Mei," he acknowledged simply.

Liu Mei was a Celestial Being agent and observer. Setsuna had met her before, when he first became a Gundam Meister, and after. She had been the same: deferential to their current needs, exceedingly polite, inquisitive, and zealous. She was a true believer and advocate of Aeolia Schenberg despite her age.

According to Veda, the girl and her brother Hong Long's family had been devotees to Celestial Being for generations. Her family's vast wealth, one of many, supported Celestial Being's endeavors and projects. Whatever access they needed, she aided and abetted. As a socialite, she had more connections in the goings of the world than the average elite.

It was this access that made her dangerous and valued. The mystery of Liu Mei, Setsuna came to find, was not her wealth or age, but her network system. He did not know the extent of her network. It, on its face, seemed innumerable.

There was excitement in Liu Mei's brown eyes, an eagerness in her smiling lips. "Celestial Being's ideals can only be demonstrated through actions, after all."

A grin came to Lockon as he watched her. He did not look surprised by her presence. "You came early," he simply stated, adding to Setsuna's assurance that he knew they would come.

"It's time for the second mission, yo!" she exclaimed.

"Let's not waste time, otherwise some of our more punctual members," Lockon said delicately despite the roll of his eyes and the smirk on his lips, "would feel contrite at our tardiness."

Lockon waited until Hong Long and Liu Mei were ashore before he made way into the foliage, down an earthy trail. Setsuna stood up and followed him through the jungle. They walked quietly, brushing against large, dark green leaves. When they came to the end of the path, a large clearing opened, housing two large containers.

The containers served as their Earth base of operations. Both the Exia and Dynames had their respective container. The containers were mobile and, when needed, versatile for air, land, and sea operations. Veda had listed numerous containers around the world for staging operations, and Setsuna knew they would be in use quite frequently with how the world was shaping to be a battlefield.

Lockon moved to Exia's container door and inputted the code. The door unlocked and they headed toward the mobile suit bay. They passed by Exia and the busy Haros clambering over Exia for maintenance, to an adjacent lounge room. Finding a seat across from the window of Exia, Setsuna stared at his mobile suit quietly.

Lockon lounged beside him, his face serious. Liu Mei and Hong Long sat to the side, a smile of impatience dancing on Liu Mei's face. The brightness in her eyes reflected her moving thoughts that brimmed to the surface. Lockon checked his watch and counted, "Three, two, one."

Not a second later, Sumeragi appeared on the main monitor wearing a white normal suit. Her long flowing brown hair floated beside her and down her shoulders, and her bangs trailed down her face and lingered near her brown eyes. Beside her, in separate screens, were Tieria and Allelujah.

She gave a nod to the two of them, a small smile on her pink full lips. "Check in."

"Tieria Erde," said the long, purple-haired man in his matching normal suit.

"Allejuah Haptism," said the young man with an asymmetrical, brown fringe in an orange normal suit.

"Lockon Stratos," said Lockon.

"Setsuna F. Seiei," announced Setsuna.

"Good. Today we start Mission Two briefing." A window popped open next to Sumeragi of the island of Ceylon.

Sumeragi continued, her face determined and her voice sharp. "Our mission is an armed intervention into Ceylon, former Sri Lanka, in the Human Reform League territory, southeast of India. Currently, Ceylon is in a state of anarchy and civil war. This is due to an ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority. The two ethnic populations' animosity increased after British colonial rule in the 20th century to a state of violence and insurrection.

"The British ruled the island as one territory, unaware or simply not caring, of the ethnic and cultural differences between the two groups, seeing their needed administrative control of the whole island instead of two separate entities like the Dutch and Portuguese. Because the Tamils had more English fluency, they held higher positions within the society compared to the Sinhalese people, who were the ethnic majority.

"When the British left, Ceylon, which was then Sri Lanka, gained its independence. The British ceded power to the majority, the Sinahlese. Discriminatory and ethnic policies ensued, and an insurgency grew in the Tamil people.

"The Tamil's, seeking to make their own state, Tamil Eelam, control the east and northeast of the island. They are backed by the HRL and are provided Tierens and military logistical support and hardware in their war to stabilize the island into a single country. With their full support, the Tierens had increased their position on the island and territory, destroying outdated Anf's, controlled by the Sinhalese.

"However," and Sumeragi narrowed her eyes, "Veda has received intel that the Sinhalese have been given arms and support from the ESUE. The ESUE are hoping to destabilize and find foothold in the HRL. The mobile suits given are the original model ESUE-01 Serpents and they are providing military advisory on how to control these suits."

The image of the mobile suit took the place of the island. The mobile suit was conventionally smaller than the Tieren, standing at 16.6 meters compared to the Tieren's 18. The mobile suit was detailed in dark gray color scheme on the shoulders, chest, side skirts, and knee joints. Cream colored the legs and arms, metallic red the shoulder vents, and a menacing metallic green for the rectangular head camera. Just like the Tieren, it was heavily armored, however, where the Tieren's bulky armor clung to it and utilized small, protruding shields, the Serpents had a heavier, denser build.

"The first clashes were a month ago, and it has proved, through strategy and military advisory, deadly for the Tamil as the Sinhalese made massive gains in the north," Sumeragi lectured. "There are numerous outcomes to the conflict, but Veda and I agree more chaos will ensue as the Serpents storm their way through the island. According to Veda's predictions, this will create greater friction between the two nations, thus the HRL will feel the need to retaliate in a larger cold war. There are predictions it will become hot if left unchecked. The HRL will declare their sovereignty infringed, while the ESUE will proclaim merely to assisting a valued customer.

"If the Sinhalese people declare their allegiance or cooperation to the ESUE, greater scale conflict will erupt. To prevent this, Celestial Being will perform an armed intervention into the ethnic conflict. The Sinhalese, from their deal with the ESUE, have 25 Serpents in the field, in combat. Twenty-five more are spread out on their bases, in reserve. The Tamil have 40 Tierens in active combat and two carriers off the east coast. They're putting more suits and troops into the conflict to compete with the Serpents."

Ceylon reappeared on the screen, with red arrows signaling their insertion point off the coast of Mulative.

Sumeragi continued, "The strategy is to neutralize the conflict. Phase one: Tieria, you will take the coast of Mulative and Tricomalee and eliminate HRL naval supply ships, carriers, and the two naval bases. Allejuhah, you and Kyrios will aerial bombard HRL supply bases at Badulla using the tail unit, the C-gear equipment. Setsuna, Exia will engage ground mobile suits between the HRL-backed Tamils and Sinhalese at Matale and Kandy. Lockon and Dynames will provide aerial support to Exia while engaging antiballistic and anti-mobile suit missiles, and artillery mobile suits and units.

"For phase two, rendezvous at Polunnaruwa and engage the enemy at Sigiriya. Tieria will destroy the Tamil base at Sigiriya to deny the forces occupation. Setsuna, Allejuhah, and Lockon will withdraw after Virtue's assault. Phase three: Withdraw to your bases and prepare for the next operation.

"I would be vigilant of the Serpents. Their beam weaponry, although outdated, presents a danger to E-carbon alloy, and their Gatling guns and 8-tube shoulder missiles are hard-hitting. The beam cannons may not have a high rate of power, which is its weakness, its sheer amount of power will make up for it. The Serpents are more versatile and mobile than the Tierens and Anfs and can put a strong defense with their neo-titanium armor.

"Do not get complacent. Mission starts at 3300 after last mission. Good luck."

The screen went black. A strange feeling settled in Setsuna's stomach; it was tight and heavy like the times before a deadly battle in Krugis, where a period of waiting came, solemn and anticipatory, that drifted closer to the edge – the unknown, the fear, that removed the bottom from feet.

He put the feeling aside. He'll think on it when the battle was over. All that remained was the mission. This would be a real battle, a real test of his resolve as a Gundam Meister.

Lockon's laugh shifted Setsuna's eyes to the man. "It's going to get tough from here. It will definitely get tougher from here. Are you ready for your first real battle, Setsuna?"

"Yes," Setsuna said simply. He had been preparing for the very moment his whole life. Nothing existed except being a Gundam. Nothing existed except Celestial Being's mission.

It was prophetic when the alarms blared for their next mission, ringing, ringing, and ringing, strident and urgent, like the sound of the divine. They echoed in his head like thoughts and caused his muscles to react, to flex and tense, age-old instincts awakening and imploring him to fight. He scrambled from the room, running to Exia. He climbed into the cockpit and the red retinal scan flashed across his eyes.

"Disengaging GN System Repause. Priority passed to Setsuna F. Seiei," he said, the control light blinking from red to green as the haros disengaged from maintenance.

On his open line with Lockon, his haro called, "Hatch open. Hatch Open. Exia and Dynames, ready for deployment!" it repeated.

Setsuna brought Exia to standing and walked to the end of the clearing. "Commence GN Dispersal."

A hum rose from Exia's GN drive as sparse green particles fluttered into a maelstrom. The tight feeling came back, but he breathed it out, calming his nerves. The time had come to face the world.

"GN-001 Gundam Exia, Setsuna F. Seiei. Commencing second mission," Setsuna said. He guided Exia up slowly, the trees and grass, caught in a hurling whirlwind from the engine's gusts, thrashed in the wind. And then, suddenly, he was off the ground. Setsuna guided Exia into the great blue followed by Dynames.

Below him, smiling softly, was Liu Mei and her brother. She held on to her hat amid the gushing wind.

"So those are Gundams," Hong Long said, dark eyes fastened to the Gundams's backs.

"The embodiment of Aeolia's plan," Liu Mei added, watching the Gundam disappear into the deep blue firmament.

---

Travelling along the Pacific Ocean, blue water shimmered under the golden sunlight. The light danced across its undulating surface as a pod of dolphins broke it, bursting and vanishing beneath the surface. The matching sky was clear with wisps of clouds streaming by, seemingly lost in their direction compared to the stretch of blue left untouched. Setsuna heard an alert, and a screen on his main monitor brought up two roaring, brilliants streaks of unearthly green and flaming red particles from the sky.

Kyrios and Virtue had reached the rendezvous point as they came closer. The orange and white mobile suit, the GN-003 Kyrios, descended in its flight mode. Attached to its tailless rear was its disposable C-gear equipment that stored air-to-ground guided missiles. The C-gear also stored, when the operation called for, air-to-air missiles or other types of missiles and could fire them from the 14 hatches on the top surface or carry various types of bombs such as 18 rounds of Napalm bombs and drop them on ground targets via opening the two hatches on the bottom-rear section.

It was a much-needed weapon for bombardment and Setsuna found it useful when attacking a large enemy force or base. The attack would reduce the enemy's capabilities significantly, to the point where Setsuna could solely focus on his objective without thought of any enemy reinforcements on his heels or additional supplies to reinvigorate enemy forces.

Barreling down next to the Kyrios, its GN Field activated in defense of its atmospheric entry, the GN-004 Virtue, dispersed its barrier into countless particles. The Virtue, the most heavily armored and defensive Gundam, was Celestial Being's heavy artillery suit. Gripped in both hands, the Virtue held its main armament, the GN Bazooka. The weapon fired high density, high energy GN particles.

The Virtue's second armament were its shoulder mounted GN Cannons, each shoulder holding a twin barreled beam cannon. Although the GN Cannons had a lower output than the GN Bazooka, its power could still demolish mobile suits in one directed beam. Slow moving it was, the Virtue, for all its capabilities and armaments, had the most propulsion of GN particles to utilize its GN Drive and GN condensers to circulate its excess of particles. Setsuna had also heard the Virtue had a secret weapon called Nadeleeh. He was not sure of Nadeleeh's potential or capabilities, but Veda described it as to use wisely and with extreme caution.

Setsuna's attention was taken when he heard rather than saw Lockon's smile and energetically exclaim, "They're here, Setsuna! Tieria and Allejuah!"

Like gears rotating into position, Setsuna confirmed. "After assembling at rendezvous point, we will proceed on to the first phase."

The Virtue and Kyrios sidled along them. Setsuna took point of the element, Dynames filled the rear, Kyrios flanked the left and Virtue flanked the right.

"According to Sumeragi's combat forecast, we'll engage individually. I expect a decent performance from all of you," Lockon reported. Setsuna could hear the implicit meaning behind his words, and he tightened his hold on his joystick.

"The world needs a demonstration of Celestial Being's true intentions to conflict and war," Lockon stated.

"Decent, you say," Allejuah said with irony, a wry smile appearing on his lips.

"I'm gonna be thorough," Tieria declared. There was an eagerness if not authorial tone coloring his voice. Setsuna knew whatever was in his path, whatever attempted to obstruct his path, would be annihilated. Being thorough for Tieria was a declaration of complete eradication, with no chance of surrender.

"As you wish. How about you Setsuna? Setsuna?" Lockon called, but Setsuna had phased him out.

In a world of his own, Setsuna saw the battlefield in front of him. The Serpents engaged in a heavy firefight against the Tierens. Blazing stretches of fire rampant and the billowing pitch-black smoke stretching and swallowing the sky. Seeing the conflict had triggered something in his mind.

He gripped his controls tightly. His heart raced. The flashes of battle in Krugis called to him, echoing in distant explosions and shell fire, vanishing the vibrant blue ocean of the present. Dilapidated buildings and ruins crumbled on him and around him. The earth shook and quaked, and he felt it through his entire body like a receptacle. And then above him, power incarnate drifted, like an angel from heaven with wings of swirling green light. Its arms opened and outstretched as if asking for him to take its hand.

He felt the call and the desire well in him, and he felt something ignite within him. It started small but grew intense, relentless, and inexorable. It exploded in a haze of red. A haze of destructive and violent red. His body seized, becoming tight, and all he saw was his objective and the howl of violence.

"Gundam…" he whispered.

Lockon called him again. "What? Setsuna? What are you saying? Setsuna?"

The moment of clarity within the haze of red came and he uttered, "I am a Gundam," and stormed into the waiting battlefield, leaving his comrades in states of confusion and shock.

The first enemy came into his sight, a Serpent blazing hellfire with its twin Gatling gun across the hills at the slow moving Tierens. Perforated, the Tierens went up in a flash of smoke and fire. Its green camera flashed, spotting him before he touched ground. It went to move its gun, but Setsuna was quicker, firing a purple beam into its bicep. The collision had caused its arm to fling off.

Countering, the Serpent maneuvered to face Setsuna and opened its shoulders. A stream of rockets burst forth. Setsuna evaded the missiles by sidestepping and closing in with his GN Sword and lashed out. The head toppled to the ground, along with its body. Smoke rose from the fallen machine.

The battlefield stilled. The combatants had paused, their metal faces staring at Exia in what was stunned silence that seemed to morph into terror. Celestial Being had descended from the heavens, and Setsuna would proceed, with divine purpose of the celestials, to eliminate all targets. He glared at his enemies in their stillness, in their terror, in their boldly arrogant posture that presumed they had a chance in this fight.

He would see to it they had no chance.

An alarm sounded, beeping of incoming projectiles from his three o'clock position! Acting swiftly, he used Exia's shield in defense, raising to guard his chest and face. The impacts were harsh and forceful, blowing into him as a convergence of acrid smoke and fire whirled around him. The power from the blows pushed him back a few meters, while his feet tore chunks of rock and soil from the ground.

More missiles assailed him from his twelve, and he took to the sky, high enough that when he dove, and it came fast, the momentum caught the enemy Serpent off-guard. In a quick successive slashing strike, he sliced into the Serpent's body, from its shoulder to the hip. Behind him, pink beams rained down on heavy artillery ground Tierens on a bluff above him, leaving them in smoky ruins.

"Lockon," Setsuna noted barely through his haze of destruction.

A flurry of yellow shells lit the sky like unexploded rocket streaks, brilliant and deadly, hounded Dynames. A group of Serpents had finished waiting for Dynames to demolish their foes and came for the Gundam prize. Dynames spun and twirled in the air, avoiding the shells while accurately shooting at the firing Serpents. The thrums of explosions from wayward missiles painted the sky in thick black splotches. Shooting one in the arm and two in the legs with its GN Sniper Rifle, the Serpents collapsed. Dynames prowled for its next enemy. Three more Serpents had it pinned, unable to fire a critical shot.

Setsuna turned his warpath to those Serpents and rampaged. Taking out two beam daggers at his waist, he threw them at the two Serpents with pinpoint accuracy. They slumped over as fire and smoke barreled from their chests.

Moving on to the third, he folded Exia's GN Sword into a rifle and fired. The pink starbursts were dodged by the Serpent as it opened a fury of yellow beams from its cannon. Exia dashed forward, avoiding the yellow beams as they splashed around and burst like thunder on the ground. Closing in, the GN Sword swung at the waist, bisecting the Serpent in half.

Setsuna looked to his radar. There were four Serpents left. Two flew into the sky and engaged the Dynames; the other two, in large bursts from their verniers, spread out and flanked Exia. One on the right fired heavy bursts from two dual Gatling guns as it circled him, releasing waves of missiles from its shoulder containers. The other assisted in a deluge of missiles, its beam cannon thundering yellow streaks of death.

"They're trying to pin me," Setsuna gritted through the bombardment. The impacts shook the Gundam so vigorously it almost felt as if he was leaving his body. The shuddering could be felt from the tips of his toes all the way to the tips of his fingers, a persistent vibration that almost left Setsuna off balanced.

To escape, he gained altitude and as if on cue, the Serpents, gunning their verniers, plowed into him. One grabbed from the back, the other the front. The momentum tossed Setsuna sideways in his chair. Setsuna tried moving his joystick, but the force of the enemy mobile suits continued to jam his controls.

I can't move Exia's arms! Setsuna exclaimed inwardly, anger erupting that they would dare touch him.

The held him tightly in their crushing embrace like two walls pushing together. One of them was going to break, and he was certain it would be him if he could not break free. Exia groaned from the weight and grip, the metal burdened by the stress. A burst of anger fueled Setsuna, setting him alight in rage.

How dare they!

"Don't touch me!" he shouted.

He fired his GN Vulcan in Exia's forearms at their legs. The surprise was enough to give him leeway to attack, and he viciously seized on it. Ejecting his shield into the Serpent's face at his twelve, he turned and swung his GN Sword across the cockpit. While spinning, Setsuna grabbed Exia's beam saber in its left manipulator and buried it through the obliques.

A dual rumble came, and the suits exploded in fire and sparks. Setsuna breathed hard, gripping his controls like his life depended on it, slightly trembling from the exertion. He calmed himself, taking a deep breath, and released his controls for a moment. The battlefield had become eerily quiet.

Around him fire raged with smoke, the earth smoldered and blackened, embers ebbed and faded into the sky, and mobile suits lay in ruins of their demise by his and Lockon's hands. Seeing no signs of movement, he confirmed the area was clear. He looked to the sky, spotting Dynames, alone, black scorch marks on its shield and right leg.

Setsuna did a quick diagnostic test assessing damage. There were no irregularities which was good. He could still continue on to the next phase. The Tierens on the bluff and by it were destroyed, the fingers of smoke their final resting places. Setsuna moved to regain his shield and placed it back on Exia's forearm.

He looked to the time and nodded and said, "First phase complete. Entering second phase."

He took Exia into the sky and zoomed to the rendezvous point at Polunnaruwa, followed by Dynames on his heels. A sea of green blurred below him. As they approached the point, his navigational map went wild with enemy forces as black dots emerged. Deep in the forest, smoke billowed, and beams and shells crossed like superheated particles around a large penetrating mountain called Sigiriya, Lion Rock, the Tamil base. The sound was thunderous in its ferocity, almost deafening in sound and terror.

Setsuna counted 10 Serpents and 12 Anfs against the dwindling Tamil's 12 Tierens. There were four Serpents and four Anfs on the crest of Lion's Rock, sheltered by the rugged terrain of the old fortress and the small bluffs. The Serpents, with bazookas in their hands, blazed a path of destruction. Rockets screeched in the forests from the giant rock, searing foliage into infernos and blasting Tierens into scrap. The Anfs firing their 200mm x 25 Caliber Smoothbore Gun assisted in the Serpents' fury, pinning the enemy from encroaching to their former base.

Six Serpents within the foliage were pushing forward, raining shells from their Gatling guns on the Tierens. The Tierens were in retreat, firing to keep distance, and finding coverage in thick foliage, which was soon shredded by the Sinhalese onslaught. An orange blur shot through the region and transformed into a mobile suit. Kyrios pounced on the first Tieren, perforating the suit with its GN Beam Submachine Gun.

At Kyrios' approach, Exia stormed Sigiriya and slashed the first Anf at top, cutting off the nose and firing at the second Anf in the face. Pink beams streamed around the mountain, hitting the other two and one of the Serpents. Three more left. Setsuna dashed to the next Serpent, bisecting its bazooka in two and bringing the sword down from the head to the chest.

A pink streak came from behind and hit the head of another bazooka wielding Serpent's head. It tumbled down the cliff, breaking apart along the face until it crashed into the forest floor in a fiery wreck. The last Serpent threw down its bazooka.

Setsuna, for a moment, thought it was surrendering until it transferred from its rack two dual Gatling Guns into its empty hands. The Serpent unleashed hell on Exia. Setsuna weaved to the left but was pinned by the concentrated fire. In reaction, he brought out his shield and moved forward.

A missile collided with the shield, holding Setsuna in place. Lockon, spotting Setsuna, sent beams into the Serpent. The Serpent weaved backward, the beams harmlessly dancing around the suit as it nimbly dodged. The Serpent dived into the ruins and fired a concentrated barrage of rockets at Setsuna. Setsuna distanced himself, the missiles colliding into the small bluffs on the rock, streaming fire and smoke on impact.

Lockon provided scattered shots into the ruins. The shots collided with the walls as columns and facilities collapsed on impact. Yellow bursts arced into the sky at Dynames. The agile machine danced and weaved around the shells trading shots in return, creating a brilliant show of crisscrossing of yellow and pink light that lit the afternoon sky. The Serpent moved in between the old ruins and Dynames' shots continued to miss.

Two missiles came at Dynames, but they were shot in the air. The smoke acted as a perfect screen as a maelstrom of shells and rockets crashed into the Dynames. Lockon was able to use his shield to limit damage but did not see the Serpent burst from the ruins and kick the Dynames' rifle out of its manipulators. The rifle fell to the forest floor, lost in the green trees and leaves.

Instead of attacking Dynames, the Serpent's shoulders opened once more. Two rockets barreled out, aimed at where the rifle fell but met two pink GN beams from Dynames' GN Beam Pistol. Dynames quickly re-holstered its pistol and dove to the forest floor. Setsuna dove to defend his fellow pilot as he searched for his weapon.

"Lockon!" Setsuna shouted.

"Damn. What is with this guy? I could not get a direct shot! And I lost my rifle! I need to get it back! Setsuna, cover me," Lockon growled.

It was highly unusual to encounter a pilot who could not only dodge Lockon's sniping but come out unscathed in a duel of range weapons. Lockon's aptitude for accuracy and hitting his targets was well known within Celestial Being. He had scored higher in range and overall piloting than he and his fellow members. This Serpent pilot, he could tell, was formidable and he watched the suit warily, wanting to finish the fight as quickly as possible.

The Serpent attacked once more, its Gatling guns clicking and rumbling and spinning. Setsuna readied, taking flight in a steady hover. Surprise came when the Gatling guns emptied into air. "Their empty," Setsuna stated.

He watched the machine carefully, trying to read the pilot's movements. So far, the pilot hadn't retreated, and he gripped Exia's controls, preparing to attack. "Do they intend to finish the fight?"

Finding their weapons were out of ammo, the Serpent retracted its Gatling guns to its rear rack. The main head camera then flashed green, its right shoulder slid open, and a missile exploded forth. Anticipating the move, Setsuna readied Exia to dodge only for the missile to explode prematurely. With a suddenness that shocked him, brilliant white light flooded his monitors.

Setsuna moved his eyes away from the light and used Exia's shield as a barrier. The initial burst had his eyes stinging, and he blinked back tears that had crested from the pain. When the light ebbed away, he redirected his attention to his main screen, finding the machine had vanished.

It came as no surprise, but still stunning, in how he did not perceive that type of retreat. He silently cursed. A strong opponent like that would prove challenging in future battles. If they weren't thwarted, he foresaw future conflict with that -

Setsuna barely got the alert as a roaring purple beam crashed into the Lion's Rock, tearing the base asunder! The stream of energy was immense as it crashed into the infrastructure, pulsating as it ravaged its way through, alighting everything near on fire. A thick mushroom ball of fire and smoke erupted, rising to the ocean of blue, poisoning the sky in acidic, thick, black plumes. A torrent of fire engulfed the base as embers and debris rained.

And in that moment, Setsuna braced himself.

The resulting shockwave blew into him and then into the surrounding area. The energy rattled his machine and Setsuna again braced himself as he endured it. For as quick as it was, it almost felt like forever as his arms shook slightly. His heart was thumping maddingly in his chest, threatening to bust out. When the wave dissipated, Setsuna breathed out a sigh and calmed himself.

Setsuna withheld a scowl that threatened his deep frown. Too close. It was far too close for his comfort. If he had not reacted quicker then he would have been swallowed by the inferno. It was only by the grace of Exia's sensors that he had escaped the blast.

"That would be Tierra," Lockon said disapprovingly, a scowl on his features, moving Dynames to Exia's side. "A word of warning would have helped. I guess that was thorough enough."

Lockon sighed. He seemed to want to say more but chose, "I recovered my rifle. Commencing next phase."

Reluctantly, Setsuna nodded and said, "Second phase complete. Entering third phase and withdrawing."

Without a word, they moved together and formed an element. They encountered no form of resistance and only streams of smoke greeted them on their departure. When the element reached the ocean, Setsuna broke off.

"Where's he going?" Setsuna heard Allejuah ask.

"Let him go ahead," replied Lockon. "He's done enough. He did well today."

"I don't understand why Veda selected him as a Gundam Meister," he heard Tieria say.

But Setsuna did not care. The long day had tested him. He had been surprised at how well the Serpent pilots were trained, some faired more than others. Had the ESUE's military advisors made such a difference in combat readiness in this short amount of time? He was not sure, but he would be on guard. The fight had only begun.

From his monitors, the sunset heralded over the horizon in bright oranges and yellows, the sign of the coming evening transition. The sight was tranquil and warm as ocean waves lapped over each other. His eyes drifted from the water to the horizon, fatigue creeping on him like the cold, and relaxed. His eyes almost fluttered to a close then –!

An alert rang throughout the cockpit!

Setsuna tensed, gripping his joystick reflexively, his eyes shot to his radar. Two black dots emerged, and one was heading to his position at an alarming speed. A screen popped open, and Exia's cameras caught the sight of a plane. The sensors made quick work of analyzing its framework and design and projecting the results to him immediately.

"A Union carrier?" he questioned confusedly, his eyes wide and then narrowing in preparation.

"What is it doing here?" he spat.

Setsuna knew he had not made it into Union aerospace yet. He had only a few hundred miles left of his destination to Japan. For the Union to be deploying in HRL's aerospace meant the Union, or this carrier, was acting on its own volition. This could only mean they were getting bolder in seeing Celestial Being as a threat that they would provoke an attack in enemy territory or operating, as America usually does, in policing the world. Setsuna chose the latter as the carrier only sent one mobile suit to attack.

His eyes tracked the moving dot, and his screen captured the Union mobile suit. The SVMS-01 Union Flag blasted toward him with reckless abandon. Data from Veda lit his screen. The machine was specially tuned and faster than a regular Union Flag, judging by a Flag's regular specs.

Setsuna moved to meet the machine as he snapped his GN Sword open. The Flag transformed in midair and met him with its blue Sonic Beam Blade. The pilot was certainly brash with that maneuver; not many could transform in midair. The two blades clashed and held, each mobile suit pushing with their full weight and power. The stalemate was a toggle between output and power, and Setsuna knew Exia was fully capable of defending herself from the enemy suit.

In a turn of the extraordinary, the Union's Flag line was open. The pilot roared in enthusiasm and shouted, "Nice to meet you, Gundam!"

"Who are you?" Setsuna returned though his line was closed.

The pilot must have had read his thoughts as he replied, "I am Graham Aker! A man who is obsessed with everything you are!

"Who'd figure I'd have the opportunity to meet you?" Setsuna could feel Graham's grin and energy as he continued speaking, his voice almost lost in awe, "As a sentimental Virgo, I can't help but feel that this is destiny. Or perhaps I was able to find you because you weren't emitting those light particles.

"Probably the latter!" he roared and gunned the Flag's engines to increase the pressure of his strike.

Gritting his teeth, Setsuna was the first to break the stalemate, using his shield to brush off the Flag's downward strike. The Flag gained distance, and Setsuna charged in. Blue beams burst from the Flag's Beam Rifle and raced forward to meet the Exia. Agile, and gaining speed, Setsuna weaved through the beams and met Graham's Beam Blade.

"Gundam! Well met! I can feel your soul in your strikes!" Graham called.

Setsuna, ignoring the man's prattle, grabbed his beam saber from the waist, and sliced off the Flag's sword hand. Graham threw a roundhouse kick, but met Setsuna's shield, scaping against the metal as it was pushed off. With the Flag off momentum, Setsuna closed in on the Flag's back.

Slicing into empty air, the Flag gained altitude and positioned its rifle into Exia's turned back and fired, unaware that Setsuna threw his shield between him and the Flag. The beam collided with the shield and a pink saber, arcing from the smoke, slashed into the rifle.

"A beam saber!" Graham gasped.

He grunted, transformed his flag into flight mode, and took off after the Union carrier.

"Don't touch me," Setsuna growled, his furious eyes trailing after the retreating machine.

---

There is a comforting feeling of being alive, Lynx thought reflectively, in the solitude of his cockpit. The steady hum of his computer interface relaxed him a bit, though, he was still hypervigilant. Death meant an end to everything and so far, his ticket had not come yet. Maybe he should have been grateful to life for Lady Luck; she certainly held him in high esteem. Such a preference, he idly wondered, was never meant to last.

To be thrown into a series of high-risk situations meant one day his luck would run out. It was only a matter of when, when his clock ran out of time, when Lady Luck stopped favoring him and threw him to the lions. He was hoping that day would be a long way off.

But today was a close call; close enough where he had run out of ammunition. Living was a small silver lining to an awful day. He snorted at his own survival. I guess that close call did me a favor, he thought, watching the scenery from his monitor.

Now, he faced major disappointment on the horizon and blowback from his superiors. Today was supposed to be the push to take Sigiriya, and they had earlier in the day. Their forces had led a successful campaign, capturing substantial ground from the HRL-back Tamil forces and had their Tierens scrambling. They had cleared the mobile suits from inside the mountain in a daring push to seize the base.

It all came to a glorious end when Celestial Being's Gundams, descending like deities from the sky, trounced both forces in a hail of fire and vengeful strikes. Celestial Being had done in hours in what they had sought in days: destroy their enemies. Too bad their forces were also at the receiving end, going up in flames and debris. The Gundams had proven their complete superiority on the battlefield, and it left Lynx agitated, a bitter taste on his tongue that reviled weakness.

He assumed the Serpents would provide a decent challenge against Celestial Being's mechanized warriors, and he was right in a way. Above average pilots fought to a stalemate. He was living proof, but those months' worth of training the Sinhalese pilots proved inefficient. Lynx knew that, knew that without support, the Tierens would have pushed increasingly into their territory and claimed a foothold to end the war.

However, they were back to square one.

"An opportunity lost is not an opportunity abandoned. Yet the opportunity was a costly one," he said softly.

There would be significant damage to their forces. He was at a loss at how many casualties, but he figured it would be detrimental to their gains, assuming the ESUE would sell this nation more mobile suits. The months' worth of training had resulted, now, to nothing but dead corpses.

Lynx shook his head and swallowed the distaste that gathered in his mouth. The eastern campaign would suffer from the loss of advanced machines. He nearly scoffed at the word "advanced" as he sat in the confines of his own outdated Serpent. This Serpent was not enough facing the versatile capabilities of those Gundams.

His Serpent lacked the versatility and strength to do significant damage. He carefully noted the output of those Gundams and their mysterious, particle engines. All communication had jammed from those lights and that deeply troubled him. It was communication hell.

To think Celestial Being had the revenue and the assets to construct these weapons did not escape him. Lynx wondered who was funding their missions. To build these advanced machines unnoticed was worrying. And if they continued their armed interventions, and the result continued in a pattern of success, then the shift in military power would be significant.

The pilots had proven their worth in combat, no doubt.

The Gundam pilots' spirits were fierce. He had stood his own but relying on such an old model was useless. He took his helmet off, and green eyes raked the clearing on his screen. He opened his cockpit and let the warm air caress his skin.

He had not been in a struggle like this for a while. It showed how unprepared he was. He rubbed his short brown hair, grimacing as he stepped on top of the Serpent's cockpit, overlooking the vast green foliage. Behind him the scars of war and tendrils of smoke billowed ominously.

The contrast was stark as birds, as if living in their own microcosm, continued their natural cycle unaware or simply inured by the sounds of warfare. He had not heard any since the start of this operation on Ceylon. It sounded pleasant, almost like his childhood. Almost.

A thundering noise caused the birds to flee into the sky. He turned his eyes on another Serpent entering the clearing. The Serpent stopped near his. In its hands was a single beam cannon.

Lynx dived into his cockpit and contacted the pilot. His comrade appeared on his screen. The man took off his helmet and his stern expression penetrated him. The man was of caramel complexion with a blond military cut and a strong jaw with a cleft chin. His brown eyes glinted earnestly.

The man acknowledged him with a simple nod and said, "Lynx, that was one hell of a battle. The breadth of difference between our suits and theirs was stark. I could not score a clean hit compared to the versatility of those Gundam models. These damn outdated suits were insufficient."

Lynx nodded somberly. "Don't beat yourself up, Arrow. The Serpent Customs would have provided a fairer fight. For the ESUE to send them would only further escalate tensions. You made it out alive. That's what counts."

Arrow smirked as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "It'll take a lot more than that to kill me. However," and his face became grim, "I've lost contact with Sting, Bliss, and Rail. Those Gundams were blocking communication and I could not get through. When they left range, all I received was radio silence. I did a radar check on their signature… they're gone."

Lynx exhaled softly and slowly through his nose, letting the deaths of his comrade's rollover him like a gentle wind, and nodded. They were good soldiers and in their line of work, their knowledge and experience were priceless. He was never one to mourn or grieve; his training had desensitized him to most traumas of war. All he felt was a waft of sadness that he let envelop him, briefly, and then set aside.

"What happens to our plans now? They just literally went up in smoke," Arrow asked, eyes on his screen, distracted by something other than his thoughts. "Do we regroup at headquarters?"

"Yeah," Lynx confirmed. "We're the only ones left. The Gundams cleared house. Once we rendezvous at command, we'll proceed with the next stage of operations. I've contacted HQ and told them we're coming in."

Lynx powered his engines and in a storm of dust and roaring noise, they drove to the main operating base in Colombo. Evening had dusted across the sky a bloody red when they arrived at the base. It was a silent trip, both pilots lost in their thoughts from the battle and the loss of life. Lynx halted at the depots where a busy atmosphere greeted them.

Anfs and Serpents, strategically guarded the base, their dark silhouettes casting dark shadows that stretched across the base, enveloping stationed tanks and gun and SAM trucks. At the ground level was an armed guard of soldiers, surrounding General Salpadaru, the commander of the eastern operations.

Lynx used his pulley and filed out of his mobile suit. He and Arrow met the general and saluted. The man's wizened, brown face was grimmer than Arrow's. He had a scowl, and his dark eyes were furious pits of black.

General Salpadaru gave a curt nod and saluted. "There's only two of you?" he asked, his tone a mixture of bafflement and disgust.

"I figured men of ESUE's 1st Advisory Detachment would have fared better than the common soldier against a Gundam. Turns out they were wrong, and you all were just as disposable."

Lynx and Arrow merely stared, their faces blank, a perfect wall of military discipline against insults. The insult rolled off Lynx like water and he doubted one would ever find some form of attachment. Finding no reaction from his accusing words, General Salpadaru threw a sigh at the ground. He turned away and watched the relocation of SAM trucks. Lynx knew his thoughts were not on the trucks. He spoke again, but his tone calmer, somewhat subdued.

"Well, you survived unharmed; that has to count for something. We lost significant gains and resources from Celestial Being's incursion. Sixty percent of our Serpents were decimated, along with 30 percent of our Anfs. The bastard Tamils got their asses handed to them, too. According to reconnaissance, they lost 50 percent of their forces and two naval carriers, a naval base, and a main operating base in Polonnaruwa.

"It's a disaster on both ends and it'll take a while to regroup our fighters and hold Sigiriya. I received orders to retake Lion's Rock and hold for tomorrow before the Tamils' take advantage and recapture the base."

General Salpadaru turned to look at them, a sureness expressed on his features and his arms crossed. "We have numerical and technological superiority due to your nation's generous agreement. We will honor it if we gain the northeast of Ceylon. Remember – you're operating under my command until your time here expires.

General Salpadaru tilted his head towards Arrow and said, "Arrow, you'll leave at 0530 to retake Lion's Rock. Lynx, I need you at Anuradhapura Supply Base, managing the supply shipment coming from Zimbabwe. They should have already been here, but there was a technical issue on our part that delayed shipment by a day. We should be getting a mobile suit shipment tomorrow coming from the ESUE. I heard it's your Virgo unmanned mobile suits."

As soon as he said those words, a wicked smirk took its place on the general's face. Lynx had seen it before and, usually, it never boded well for the recipient and their victims. The smirk told and promised of untold violence.

The general continued. "Make sure you coordinate with the ESUE Virgo team at Anuradhapura. We cannot afford another mishap," he said the last with a harsh edge in his tone.

"Do you believe Celestial Being will attack if we restart operations?" Lynx asked, curious of the general's answer. "We cannot discount that group's aim, and if they do, we need to make retaliation plans against them."

General Salpadaru waved his question away. "Doesn't matter. Our objective is firm. It's what high command wants. Besides, I doubt it. Not with these Virgos in action."

"As you command, general," Lynx said deferentially. He had his doubts about the objective, but he would not voice them against the general. The man's response was too simplistic in nature, and the overconfidence in this coming mobile doll force was a disadvantage to their cause.

Mobile dolls were highly capable and operational machines, requiring unmanned piloting and were able to learn from with its A.I. interface, but it lacked originality. They were too mechanical, unthinking in their operations, and though they could outlast a human pilot, one could not remain complacent or overeager to use them.

They're nothing but machines to exploit mass murder, Lynx thought troublingly. He couldn't help but feel a slight shiver run down his back as he thought of the Nights of Fire that took place during ESUE's invasion of Pakistan and Afghanistan and how ruthless the ESUE were in eliminating all terror networks and resistance. The Virgo IIIs were legendary in sweeping the nation in fire for a full two weeks. It had earned the ire and appall of the world.

The general soon took off, his entourage followed closely behind him into the facility. It was after a moment, where it was just Lynx and Arrow, did Arrow voice his disagreement.

"Incompetent," spat Arrow, throwing a glare at the general's back. "Take it back?! There's nothing left to take back but a burned-out crater. What foolishness is this?"

Lynx raised an eyebrow. He turned to him, crossing his arms, green eyes curious. "We're not here to argue," he said softly, much to Arrow's mocking snort. "We're here to do a job, whether it's practical or symbolic. Let's contact command."

Lynx dug through his pocket for his cellphone and dialed a series of numbers. The call rang and then a voice spoke.

"Identification," responded the automated voice on the other end.

"Overwatch, this is Operator Lynx of the Ceylon Advisory Unit of the Earth Sphere United Empire 1st Advisory Detachment, number: 030501."

"Lynx, number: 030501, permission granted. Report."

"Mission has been setback. Unknown units called Gundams intervened in our conflict. We suffered three casualties: Sting, Bliss, and Rail. We have enough units to continue the war; however, if Celestial Being attacks, we'll be down more essential units. Awaiting further orders."

"Report received. Orders: Continue with operations. The fallen's bodies shall remain on the island. Overwatch out." The called ended in silence.

Lynx stared at his phone for a long, resentful moment, feeling restless aggravation surge through him. He couldn't forcibly strangle the feeling, so it writhed freely much to his disapproval. In a way, he should have known this would be their response. It always was.

Stand strong noble warriors and fight on, that was the implicit motto that ruled the advisory units these days, whether they were winning or losing it didn't matter. And why would it? This continued war, this zero-sum game, was an inconvenient way of losing lives and militarily posturing the enemy. These games went back and forth, and in the end, they were useless if not ginning up a nation's citizenry in defense of the nation – and that worked completely.

Just like continuing this ongoing operation was useless unless the ESUE escalated it to new level. If Celestial Being's warning emphatically stated they would intervene, then this was a waste of time. With the mobile suits they had now, they would still lose if another intervention were conducted, no matter how well the Virgo support troops performed. These Ceylon men were not as hardened as the ESUE rigorous mobile suit program, and it showed on the battlefield.

"Judging by that look, we're remaining here," Arrow said grimly, now scowling at the ground.

Lynx scoffed as he turned his eyes on Arrow. "You guessed it."

"If Celestial Being comes back, I'm taking their head," Arrow declared fiercely while walking into the base.

Lynx watched him fade into the night and then turned his eyes at the winking stars and wondered was this how it would begin. Perhaps the stars, in their twinkling and mysterious response, knew something more. They were as old as time and foretold important events, so surely, they knew what to expect of the future. He looked to them to discern their prophetic message. After a moment of fierce if not mirthful twinkling, he headed inside the base, realizing in his daftness he was not a seer of the divine and heavenly.

---

Duo sat on a short table in JNN's newsroom, coffee in hand and articles splashed before him from other independent news outlets from around the world. He was circling anything strange or relevant to paint the picture of the ESUE's strategic cold war against the three nations. He had noted the shift in arms to Sinhalese from the ESUE. The deal had happened two months ago, and the Sinhalese had gained significant ground using Serpents. It was a call to escalate the war between the two factions and to gain foothold in Asia, a strategic position to not only launch mobile suits and supplies, but also to invalidate HRL claims to specific regions.

Duo had noted the increasing tension in Africa, and with Heero informing him of ESUE military weapon hardware and mobile suits, although outdated, into the hands of rebels in the Sahel, accompanied with military advisory, brought mounting escalation of a cold war becoming hot. It was simmering now, but there was fear of the ESUE-backed rebels gaining traction with their anti-AEU movements. The wars were at a stalemate.

The ESUE were playing on the fears and the anger of past colonial histories and economic imperialism that consistently drained the reserves from AEU African-aligned countries. Countries like Mali was still fraught with paying surpluses and taxes to France, the center of the AEU. The ESUE had been increasing their propaganda arm to spur anxiety and distress. The Solar Wars had ravaged many oil producing nations economies; however, it was thanks to the orbital elevators that they maintained some form of stability.

From what he had circled, the North African blocs were fighting sporadic insurgents inside their home territory and against the regions claimed by the rebels. Years of propaganda had worked, and the rebels looked at the ESUE as the only way to free themselves from the grips of the AEU while still maintaining shared control, through the ESUE, of the orbital elevator.

The same things were happening in the Middle East, especially in Azadistan. Azadistan was spiraling rapidly. The ESUE were provoking and stoking civil war and upheaval, from religious to ethnic conflicts. What Duo found worrying, was how successful their attempts to subvert nations and create turmoil. If they were not checked, then the ESUE would soon expand their hegemony. They had already established a diplomatic compound and embassy in the heart of Azadistan at the reluctance of the reformists and sweltering, strident call of the conservatives.

That nation wanted to stir up battles. Duo shivered, feeling world war on the horizon. He really did not need to be reminded of the past. He had faced a lifetime of devastating war and its consequences on human life and the environment left its irrevocable scars on him. These people would not realize the true extent and cost of a global war with devastating effects.

"Plus," he added as an afterthought under his breath, "outer space is a mess with all that debris. Polluting our world only creates more unnecessary problems the next generation will have to clean up after. As usual."

"Look at you, looking all at home here," the jovial and teasing voice of Hayato Ito came, unannounced and unwanted. "I always thought you could never sit still. I guess looks could be deceiving, or maybe the Rookie is looking for a raise?"

Annoyed, Duo looked up at Hayato, a senior correspondent at JNN. He was a plain looking almond-skinned Japanese man with short brown hair, a long face, wearing a beige blazer over a dark green shirt. He played with a pen in his hands as his eyes glinted in amusement at Duo's annoyed facial expression.

Duo rolled his eyes at Hayato and slyly smiled at the sitting man. "Can a guy get some solace from the crazies around here? They always seem to insert their long noses in other people's businesses."

It was Hayato's turn to roll his eyes. "Duo, you work in a newsroom. You know how busy we are these days. Look around you," he said, using his pen to circle the room as added emphasis of reporters at their workstations, practically filling three to four rows of seats and monitors, conversation abuzz and rampant.

"Doesn't mean it can't be quiet sometimes," Duo shot back, grinning. "And I know on slow news days it is."

Hayato chuckled, his shoulders shaking. When his chuckles subsided and his shoulders relaxed, he waved a finger through his bangs. "We haven't had a slow news day in a while, Rookie."

Then, his brown eyes fell on Duo's mess of newspapers and tabs on his laptop, flicking from the headlines and the company titles. He whistled lowly.

"You got a lot of work cut out for you," Hayato said. "I'm surprised you're not staying on the Gundam topic. Those pictures and your analysis were a godsend to us, you know that, right? The chief was practically glowing at your pictures. Glowing. You could put him next to the sun and I swear he would be brighter than it!"

Hayato shook his head. "I'd never seen him that ecstatic since we broke the story of the South African Rebellion. Though, he is a pretty boastful man of our news stories."

Duo smirked, nodding in agreement. Hayato's assessment of the chief was on point even with his demanding side that drove them into the dirt. The man did love a good news story, and when they broke it first, his happiness came like a rainbow, showering them with praise. He had complete confidence in his staff and pushed them to their peak to uncover the muck and grime of stories.

"I'm sure I'll report on them at a later date. I suspect these Gundams will be making interventions a habit, so I figure I'll probably get caught up in it," Duo said with a shrug of his shoulders. He took a quick sip from his cup and then placed it on the table.

He leaned back a bit and narrowed his eyes. "Things are getting pretty heated in North and West Africa. I've got a source who informed me the ESUE are selling outdated mobile suits to rebel factions in the Sahel rebellion wars. Most of the rebels cannot afford these weapons in general, but they're betting on furthering their reach on the continent."

Eyebrows shooting up, Hayato whistled, turning his full attention on the teen. "You can't be serious? You know how destabilizing this is to the AEU. There constant wars in regaining control of the Sahel have engendered discontent. They're wary of putting more boots on the ground besides advisory as the conclusion of the war is not ending."

Duo nodded, raking a hand through his bangs. "Tell me about it. Which is why I'm hoping the chief grants me access to cover there. There's a story in waiting."

Hayato placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward, his expression scared and serious. "Duo, this is a dangerous assignment. I know you've covered wars before but with all that's going on in the world were scrambling to get our reporters safe. There's been a high casualty of journalists covering these battles. I have a feeling they're selectively targeting reporters, too."

Hayato's eyes shot to the front of the room, growing somber. Duo followed his gaze to a wall and felt his expression soften. Five pictures were pinned to the wall, each one holding a reporter who had lost their life while on the beat. What stood out were the dates of their deaths. Each death was relatively close, and from what Duo knew, they all seemed to be following the lead on the ESUE's growing hostility.

Hayato then appraised him, his eyes narrowing. "Not to mention your age, Rookie. You'll put us in a hotspot since you're almost an adult. You should cover something simple, like the ethnic conflict in Northern Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants. There's something there could make a great segment. We can even get Lily to help."

Duo chuckled dismissively but it only seemed to make Hayato warier. His frown transformed into a line. Perhaps placating him might calm him down, thought Duo, watching the keen expression of his friend.

"Hayato, I know the dangers of covering these assignments. It's not my first rodeo, ya know. I'm a pretty slippery dude, almost like a shadow. Besides, don't let my age bother you – I know war. Many of you here don't, no matter how much you cover the story, it's different on the ground. So different and the threat and fear level high, every fiber of your being wants to escape, to flee."

"I'm inured by it," Duo said sadly, his eyes finding something other than Hayato. He looked toward the outside windows.

Hayato sighed, rubbing the back of his head, his eyes on the floor. "You really want to do this huh? I won't… I won't indulge my curiosity in your background. I figure that's your story to tell. I do want to hear about it one day."

Hayato gave an awful sigh that sounded racked in resignation and sadness. "I guess there's no talking you out of this. It must be your Americanness. You all are sure hotblooded, bursting from the seams with adventure at the head while damning the consequences. Americans certainly have a warped perception of reality."

Duo laughed loudly, returning his gaze on his friend and said, "I can't agree more!"

Hayato looked up and smiled, and then looked next to Duo. "What do you think, Kinue? Kinue?"

Duo looked next to him, to Kinue Crossroads. She looked to not have heard the question, her brown eyes glued to a picture on her monitor. She was the picture of a perfect reporter at work, laser focused on a thread that would lead to a network of greater truth. Duo had found the woman beautiful whenever her rich brown eyes on her soft ovular face became attentive to a subject or person, like, in that instant, it was the only thing that mattered.

Duo was not a man of instant infatuation. It took a lot longer to arouse his hormones and yet, being in Kinue's presence certainly gave him pause and a knowing stirring in his belly that he could not ignore. Something about her medium length, brown-haired bob that fell an inch short from her shoulders and curtained her long, pale neck, opening at the front into a deep side part and split into asymmetrical lengths where it curled near her left eye, her soft nose with thin cute lips which were in a line, and the clothes she wore - a dark blue t-shirt under a turquoise, short-sleeved dress shirt – that complimented her shape, called to Duo.

He wondered as he gazed at her lips how soft they were and imagined them on his. It was with startingly clarity and fact that Duo knew he was at war with his hormones, a war that he was losing on purpose. And the longer he thought of her, the more foolish and goofier his thoughts became. Reluctantly, he cast those romantic thoughts aside and called her.

"Kinue, what are you doing?" Duo got up and went to her side and peaked over shoulder. "Aeolia Schenberg, huh. You find anything on him?"

Kinue's reaction was priceless. As if struck in the face, the woman whipped her head back. Then, coming to the present, she blinked furiously. There was an embarrassed blush that settled on her cheeks.

"D-Duo!" she stuttered. "What is it?"

Duo smirked at her expression and tilted his head to Hayato. "She wasn't listening, Hayato. She was in the zone, oblivious to anything and everything. I could probably cut her hair and she'd think it was just the air conditioning. Complete obliviousness."

Hayato nodded, giving Kinue a knowing smile that revealed that this had happened before. Duo understood that Kinue partnered with Hayato on specific projects from the chief and her behavior was not an anomaly in the world of journalism. "That's our Kinue. She's so focused on the subject that she tunes the world out. It's like if we had an earthquake, I doubt she would have felt it.

"Moving on, what Duo asked is if you found anything on Aeolia Schenberg, our mystery man?"

"Leading man!" Duo added, snickering, while Hayato gave him a soft smirk.

Kinue gave a confident nod, her soft brown eyes firm. "I've been diving in on his background, revealing more historical information on the man and more questions. This might be a lead. There's something in this, hidden purposefully.

"How can a man who had died over 200 years come back? What is his and the motivation for Celestial Being's war interventions? There has to be more than the eradication of conflict. I mean, he was a strong advocate for solar energy and space colonization."

Duo brought his brow up. "You mean you do not believe in his wanting to eradicate all conflict?" Duo asked.

"I do but… there has to be more. This is intentional. Why now of all things?" Kinue asked, crossing her arms under her breasts, and leaning back against her chair, legs crossed.

Duo's eyes trailed down them to where her beige cutoff pants ended a few inches past her knees, revealing smooth skin that ended in blue high heels. He quickly brought his eyes on her, inwardly smiling as Kinue was not paying attention.

"There's so many hidden questions that need to be revealed, and it's just not making complete sense of this venerated man," she continued. "Why now?

Duo raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Aeolia was a sore topic for him, and he would not divulge any information to them of who he was. There would be pandemonium or a laughing disbelief, like he was some nutcase. That Aeolia came from another universe? The laughter generated from his statement would haunt him for days, he was sure. He would probably stuff his head in a bag for the rest of his career.

Watching Duo's unexpected silence, Kinue leaned forward. "Duo, do you not think it's a good idea to pursue?" she asked softly.

"You're asking my opinion?" Duo asked, nearly falling over. It was rare for Kinue to ask his opinion on topics. It was usually she that was giving support or assistance. He was the Rookie, after all, a novice navigating the ins and outs of the media. Compared to her, he had a long way to go.

Kinue sighed and tapped her cheek. "As young as you are, you're good at what you do. It's amazing such a talent like you came in at this time. Right at the cusp of world changing events."

Hayato laughed, grinning, and elbowed Duo, and said, "Look at that man, you're moving up the ranks if Kinue thinks so highly of you."

Duo threw back his head and laughed. "Aw shucks, that's one of the nicest things you said about me."

He then gave a flirtatious wink and a dashing smile and said, "What would be nicer if you go out on a date with me."

"Bold. The man is bold," Hayato declared, trying and failing to withhold his laughter.

Kinue gave him a pointed look. Finding Duo's grin growing wider, she sighed exasperatedly and said, "Duo, you know you're too young. You're like my brother, Saji's, age."

Duo nearly fell from his table. How dare she compare him to that meek brother of hers? He was nice of course, but he was too innocent. In a way, he reminded Duo of people who had never experienced severe hardships, wrapped in their own bubble of safety and comfort. It was disgustingly safe.

"Now that's cruel," he whined, shaking his head. "Shut up, Hayato!"

Hayato was full blown laughing his head off, now. His hands were on his stomach, his body barreled over, and tears were rolling down his face. His laughter was stirring others in the room, curious heads popping over their computers and desks to catch the trio.

Kinue blinked and tilted her head in confusion. Duo thought she looked adorable. "What? He's a good kid. Intelligent, kind, good-natured, lovable, and caring. What's not to like about him?" Kinue asked looking between the two.

Duo snorted and turned his head sideways with a mocking smirk. "If you like being rolled over by a controlling girlfriend. Louise, right?"

Seeing Kinue nod, he continued, "He's playdo in her hands. She can roll him and mold him into any shape. I saw them the other night at Shooting Stars. She was latched to his arm like a leech. It was positively frightenin'!"

"His taste in women isn't… isn't the best," she admitted, glaring at Hayato as his laughs became louder. More people were now watching over their monitors at them, some confused, others amused.

"Getting back to your question about my opinion, it depends how far you wanna go down the rabbit hole," Duo said, striking a thinking pose. "No. I would suggest not to look so deeply into this."

"Duo," she sighed. Hayato egged him on as well.

Duo did not smile this time and expression became serious. The dramatic turn caused Hayato to stop his subsiding chuckles and Kinue to drill her eyes on him, confused and attentive. "Look - I know you Kinue. You go full on in. You might get in too deep, and believe me, if Celestial Being is anything like a secret organization, then they'll be keeping tabs on you."

"Don't all nations do that already?" she said offhandedly, giving a dismissive hand motion.

Duo shook his head and leaned a bit forward. "This will be different."

"What makes you so sure?" Kinue asked skeptically but her eyes implored for more.

He could see she had a stubbornness to pursue the truth at all expense. It looked damn irritating. Duo smiled in return. In his smile held the knowledge of dank and dark prison cells and the promise of certain torture.

The knowledge of solitary confinement and brutal interrogation. Of forced labor and coercion. Of long depressing thoughts and cold floors. And finally, not soon after, the promise of death through a bullet through the head or asphyxiation. Such great and lovely times, he thought sarcastically all cooped up in OZ's little pen like chickens – handsome chickens – waiting for slaughter.

"Male intuition," Duo responded airily.

"Does that exist?" Hayato asked, looking between Duo and Kinue, his face in disbelief. "Does that really exist?" he repeated in a perplexed tone.

"Male intuition?" she repeated, bemused. "Is that it?"

Duo nodded vigorously. "I got great foresight on things like this. Trust me on it."

Kinue sighed again. "Sure. Now –"

"Breaking news! Celestial Being intervened in Ceylon! They attacked both sides and decimated their forces!" interjected a male colleague, standing up from his seat, a phone cradled between his ear and shoulder, brown eyes wide and frantic. "They did it in two hours!"

The chief came scrambling from his office and shouted at his staff. "What? Get a crew team, finish a draft, make sure this is on in five minutes!"

The chief then turned his eyes on Duo, Kinue, and Hayato, shouting, "You three! Get to work! This is big!"

The trio gave their affirmation to the chief and scrambled to their work areas.

"There goes my fun," Duo complained as he went on his laptop, scouring news outlets. From the data, Celestial Being did more than intervene in the ethnic conflict, judging by the pictures posted by the Sinhalese and Tamil. Lo' and behold, the Tamil's pictures of destroyed Serpents. This would be great information for the evening news.

The HRL would try to downplay their casualties, but they lost big in this gamble. So did the ESUE. There would be no denying the ESUE's cold war hooks into the Sinhalese army. They would not be able to hold that foothold in that part of Asia, and whatever underpinnings they had in drawing the HRL into these small conflicts would lose its value if Celestial Being kept interfering. The HRL, Duo doubted, would not surrender so easily. They invested too much money and manpower to relinquish their hold on Ceylon despite what it looked like was the turning of the tide for that conflict.

Duo worked in a flurry, updating senior correspondents on the Gundams and their objectives and also putting an article on the growing arms movement and distribution between ESUE and the three solar powered nations that escalated conflict. It was an opinion piece, but it would satiate leadership, for the moment. They had an indescribable need to consume any and every relevant information they could gleam about this mysterious, premier, paramilitary organization.

It was the hunger of the obsessed – seeking a storyline thread so worthy that any information about these upstarts became newsworthy or sensationalized. The lack of information only contributed to their mystery where speculations were launched in such carefree manner that it could almost be seen as truth. JNN was not immune to it, but Duo did try and minutely influence the direction of the news through his research and pieces.

Hours flew by in a thick storm of frantic excitement and assiduous that would make a praying monk proud. Soon Duo too had lost himself in the trance of flashing computer screens and paperwork. After ungluing his eyes from his laptop, he rubbed them irritably and looked at his phone. "Eleven? How long did I stay at work?"

He looked around the room, as people were still about, including Kinue, typing quickly. Hayato had long gone. Duo suspected his girlfriend was the reason, judging by how much he checked and texted on his phone, returning a sheepish look on his face when he was called out on it.

"I'm heading home," he told Kinue, putting his laptop in his satchel. "The mind cannot work without the body and my mind is dead tired," he said, slinging his satchel over his shoulder. "I need some shuteye. Otherwise, I'm gonna crash on my desk. Night."

He threw a lazy wave at her. As he turned her voice stopped him. "Wait!"

He looked back as she was typing, giving an audible yawn, not bothering to cover it up. "What's up?"

"Give me a moment," she said, typing furiously. "Just another moment. There!"

She hurriedly packed up her things and took her large, purple purse. She gave him a friendly smile that made his heart leap higher than usual. "Calm down, just calm down and act cool," Duo said under his breath. She walked towards him, and Duo gave her a bright smile.

"Thanks! Let's go!" she exclaimed and patted him on the shoulder, and they headed to the elevator.

They took it down to the lobby and walked into the night. The night was busy, and there was always something to do in Tokyo. It always seemed so carefree. They walked to the designated bus stop for their industrial area and stopped.

He looked above him, to a screen embedded in the middle of a building flashing advertisements in bright colors. His thoughts returned to Aeolia's Gundams, and he soon found himself reminiscing about days of old. When there were only five Gundams Earth and space had to contend with, and his bratty-ass self eagerly took on the villainous OZ and their schemes. Those days in Operation Meteor and with Howard were some of the best and worst times he ever had.

Succeeding in operation after operation and seeing the Earth was a wonderous occasion. Although, and Duo found himself missing this by the second, he preferred to be in space. There was nothing like zero gravity. He missed home and the more he missed it, the more he longed for it.

The Earth was great, it had its wonderous moments like rugged blue and brown mountains erupting from the ground, the vast blue oceans that sparkled when the sun kissed it, the sweltering deserts of Saudi Arabia. The environment was a beauty to behold, especially for a first-time visitor like him.

But the fact remained: space was his heart and soul. Earthlings who never been to space could never understand how challenging, dangerous, and worthwhile living in the colonies. Many could not imagine the challenges of each day being a battle. Sustaining oxygen levels, fighting foreign bacteria, and creating gravity to reduce bone and muscle atrophy made space habitation a worthwhile fight. And the total freedom of space was vast compared to the skies of the Earth.

But they still trash it like the Earth, he thought.

A chuckle interrupted his thoughts, and he turned his blue eyes on Kinue, who had a small, warm smile aimed at him. "What ya find so funny?" he asked, humor coloring his voice.

Kinue, still smiling, said, "It's odd. I've always seen you loud and gregarious. A bit dramatic to boot. Almost obnoxiously so. When you came in, we hadn't seen a personality like yours in a while. Most of us are very serious about what we do, but here you are – loud, obnoxious, determined, so unbecoming – with so much knowledge and insight, always in the mood for a good talk.

"It's just…" and she trailed off and paused while looking at him. There was an inscrutable look on her face. "You're never this quiet. Is there something wrong?"

Duo smirked at her. "I've been thinking of you," which was true, but that was earlier in the day. Kinue rolled her eyes and told him to stop.

Duo continued to smile but turned his eyes on the passing cars. "A lot has been on my mind lately. The Gundams, Aeolia Schenberg, the world. The world looks like it's about to blow up. It's on a powder keg waiting for a match to light it up."

"What makes you say that?" Kinue asked, her eyes intent. Duo felt like he could fall into her eyes but shrugged that feeling away.

"Aeolia has a plan for the Gundams. There's no doubt about that. The man wants to end all conflict, turning all anger and animosity to Celestial Being. Fighting violence with violence will only unite those aggrieved by violence," he said sadly. "Anger and despair – those tragedies in waitin' – unites people like nobody's business."

He remembered the colonies' betrayal and Heero killing the peace delegation from the Earth Alliance. That shit affair created lasting echoes that led to disaster. Perhaps things would be different this time, this universe. He hoped so but was not that naïve to believe things would magically change in his favor. The future always hinted of the past, and it was up to those willing to guide it (or right it) in the correct direction.

A good kick in the ass would be enough, Duo thought humorously.

Kinue blinked prettily and tilted her head as if in thought. "You're leaning on something I've been thinking about too. All this chaos, when it continues, is going to unite hatred.

"Do you think that's Schenberg's goal? To unite the world against Celestial Being?"

"Perhaps? Or he's just an old codger who likes to play god." Duo chuckled softly, ironically, and mockingly. He probably wasn't too far off from the mark on that. The mystery of Aeolia, indeed, was in his idealistic plan.

Kinue gave him a look and then smiled. "Impressive. I guess you can say some things serious."

"I'm pretty witty, ya know," Duo quipped, earning a soft chuckle from Kinue. They stood in comfortable silence as they waited for their bus to arrive.

A few minutes passed. Finally, the large bus scurried into the bus stop and stopped with a loud screech. The doors slid open and green light, reflected from the walls, shined on Duo's face. He entered the bus and found a seat in the middle. Kinue sat next to him on his right, next to the aisle. As soon as they were seated the bus drove into the festival of lights that was Tokyo.

Duo noted a few people were on the bus: a gaggle of girls were in the back talking loudly and giggling, a youth leaned against a floor pole, his head bouncing up and down to music on his headphones; and a middle-aged couple sat at the front, their faces disgruntled from the loudness of the girls' conversations.

The bus stopped and the middle-aged couple got out, although, not before glaring at the girls. The door closed and the bus drove on.

There was a comforting silence between Kinue and Duo. It was a silence spent in their own world and thoughts. Duo watched the outside world in silence like watching a movie screen. Everything seemed to be in motion, a neon cinematic dream. He found himself thinking a man could go crazy in this whirlwind of lights and motion and find himself blinded by the spectacle of the living city.

He thought this was what Heero must have felt like living in Tanaka by himself. A city so busy that it drowns everyone in its lights and motion. Getting lost was as easy as closing one's eyes and finding their self in a new location amassed by a sea of moving people. It was an escape to nowhere.

The bus stopped and the guy with headphones got off. The gaggle of girls were too, making their ways off, however, when they passed Duo, he could not help but raise an eyebrow at them and give a flirty wink. They giggled and pointed in his direction. Their heated and longing stares were now in full view. The group continued to giggle at him as they stopped at the bus's exit.

The bus driver wore a surly look, his eyes dripping in disdain and fatigue. He probably had a rough night with how crowded and noisy the evening occupants were. He looked as if he wanted to yell at them for holding him up. The way his eyes glinted in annoyance Duo suspected he was right.

"Come on, Saiyu, go talk to him," said one of the girls, smiling at Duo before blushing and turning away when he met her eyes. Their quieted whispers built up into overt talk of admiration. Duo blushed, withholding a smug smile, though he bounced his eyebrows at Kinue, who looked exasperatedly at him, thin lips pursed.

"He's so delicious."

"Those blue eyes."

"That wild hair!"

The group of girls pushed a black-haired girl to the front. She gave her friends an irritated look, but they encouraged her with a cheer. Duo watched as the girl exhaled and walked to him confidently. She took slow steps, each step building in mounting anticipation, making the girl burn red.

The girl finally stopped in front of him, between Kinue, her dark eyes on him. She fidgeted with a piece a paper in her hand, her voluminous confidence diminishing with time and Duo's smile. Seeing how wound she was, Duo eased her with a smile and said, "Hey. What's up?"

"I-I wish to," she stuttered.

"Hurry up!" the bus driver yelled, a threat behind his words.

"Would you go out with me," she cried.

She held a slip of paper with her phone number. Duo looked at her carefully, and his face became softer, and he used a gentle tone when he spoke his next words. "Saiyu, right?"

Saiyu nodded, dark eyes bright and waiting. "Thank you for this, Saiyu. It means a lot to me."

The girl smiled brightly, but Duo knew he would have to break it, and make it fall to pieces. "I am sorry, Saiyu, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now. It's nothing about you. I'm sure you're a great girl, I know you are with how brave you asked me.

"It's just, jeez," Duo half-smiled half-grimaced, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "I'm… it's…"

"He's extremely busy at work," Kinue finished, looking between Duo and Saiyu, a soft frown on her face. "He's been given workloads that bleed into the late hours in the day. Handling a long work life and relationship might be too much for him, now."

Duo gave Kinue a grateful look. Kinue did not look at him, her brown eyes fixed to the confused expression of the girl.

"He's busy at work? Aren't you a secondary student like me?" Saiyu asked, looking between the two.

Duo shook his head. "No, I graduated early. I work at JNN." He brought his badge up from his neck.

"Wow!" Saiyu exclaimed, peering down at his badge. "You must be really smart. I thought you went to the local high schools here. You look about my age."

Duo chuckled lightly and said he got that a lot from other kids his age. More than once adults at work thought of him as an intern from the local high schools or universities. It was why Hayato had pounced on that slipup and excessively used "kiddo" to refer to him. Duo had put him into a tight headlock until he stopped.

The girl thanked him, her face still red and fled the bus, her peers not far behind her. The door closed and the bus rolled on, the driver's irritated expression lessening somewhat. Duo turned to Kinue. "Thanks for that. You didn't have to –"

"You know she was pretty cute," Kinue said suddenly. "I'm surprised you said no. You are single."

Duo's mouth fell open, but he quickly closed it. It took him a moment, but he responded, "Yeah, but it would be difficult to hold a relationship. You're right about me being too busy."

"Even when you ask me out?" Kinue questioned, a delicate eyebrow raised in expectance.

"At least you're at work!" Duo admitted with a grumble. "I get to see more of you there, and we do live in the same apartment complex, too! How about you? Where's your boyfriend?"

"My b-boyfriend?" Kinue sputtered, pink dusting her cheeks. "I'm busy too."

Seeing Duo's unconvinced look, Kinue sighed and said, "Duo, other than work, I still take care of my younger brother. It's a full-time job since my parents passed away.

"Besides," she continued, giving Duo a measured look, one that he knew would be trouble, "where are your parents? I'm sure they have to be worried with you working over hours."

"My parents are dead as well," Duo said simply, crossing his arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Duo," Kinue said quickly and softly, "I did not mean to offend you."

"Ya didn't know, so there was no offense," Duo replied, hiding the grief of his foster family in a soft smile. "And it's not like I can remember them either. I never knew them. I've always been an orphan."

Any trace of his blood-related family or records were lost to time. He had looked, hoping to find something, but all he found was nothing. And it was not like he could find anything out either. He did not know his surname or birth name, just the colony he belonged to.

It was all he ever knew for a time. All that his world was before he had met Solo and his gang of miscreants and then was adopted by the Maxwell Church. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen were the father and mother figures he had desperately wanted and needed, no matter when he was adopted by foster parents, whose love only came with tacit discipline and respect to fit into their society. It was not like he gave them an easy time; he made his foster parents' world a living nightmare until they sent him back to the church. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen handled his precociousness and mischievous personality with learned patience and enjoyed his ramblings. But they were long gone now, massacred by the Earth Alliance.

He looked out the window and the blinking lights looked less exciting and duller, more mocking. He tore his gaze away to Kinue, who was staring at him, expression somber. Perhaps there was pity. Perhaps it was sadness that shone in her large, brown irises.

Duo let a loud yawn and put his hand behind his head. "I am so tired I feel like I'm going to drop. Hopefully, tomorrow's workday would be better, hopefully smoother."

"Duo," Kinue said softly.

"Kinue," Duo said, just as softly, just as gentle, "don't worry about me. I'm over it. It happened a long time ago. You should focus on catching Saji in bed with Louise." He said the last with a knowing smirk and raised eyebrow.

Kinue's expression twisted between humorous and horrified. Her mouth went open and closed. She swallowed deeply. She moved her lips to speak but they just twitched. She palmed her face and groaned miserably.

"Please, I hope it will never come to that," Kinue confessed. "I know it happens with kids their age and how hormones wreak havoc on the teenage mind, but that is something Saji should know better. Please, can we talk about something else."

And they did, spending the rest of the trip conversing about their coworkers and any miscellaneous thing that came to mind. It was dull, insipid, but easygoing and fun. So, this is what the simplicity of peace is, Duo thought, watching Kinue talk animatedly. It made the world colorful and bright. It made her and everyone she loved worth protecting from the coming storm.

Before they knew it, the bus stopped, the driver tilting his head to the door. Duo gave him a wave, telling him to sleep more. The driver grunted, closed his door, and drove into the night. The two walked into the lobby and to the elevator. Five seconds later, the elevator rang on the seventh floor. Kinue walked out and faced him, a tired smile on her face.

"You should drop by for dinner one day. I usually make more than enough and have extra for the week. Saji's not a bad cook, either. One of the things he gets from me," she said brightly as she lightly brushed her hair with her fingers.

Like alluring fruit dangling from a vine, Duo eagerly took it and shouted, "It's a date!"

Kinue blinked, her lips twisting in confusion. "Saji will be there," she drawled.

Duo merely smirked and said good night, leaving behind a frustrated Kinue when the elevator doors closed. On the 10th floor, he made way to his apartment, entered the door, changed into his boxers, and fell soundly asleep on his bed.

Hours later, a beeping noise roused him from his slumber. Duo opened a sleepy eye and glanced at his blinking phone next to his bed. It seemed to be more often that he slept with it close by. He pulled it to him and opened the message from Hayato. Breaking News, it read, The IRA and Northern Ireland Have Created an Armistice. At the end of the message was an emoji smiley face and the words "I told you so."

"Well, damn!" Duo sat up and peered at his phone, a well-planted smirk on his face. "The world is changing."

---

"Not bad," were the first appreciative words Zechs uttered as he accelerated Gundam Sandrock Errai through open space.

The white stars were mere specks, like afterthoughts, glinting in and out of focus. The Gundam's speed made them insignificant and dull as it accelerated. Zechs found the Gundam's output phenomenal as he increased altitude, climbing higher and higher into the myriad of stars, and then diving into an endless bottom, performing a standard roll that flipped his cockpit.

The ease of performing the move did not surprise Zechs, however. What did surprise him were how the controls reacted easily to his response, like the malleability of clay, his fingers and mind, in constant agreement and insolubility, guided the direction. This way and that, under and over, a twirl here and there, a smooth roll, a sharp bank into an upside-down roll, the Gundam responded with grace and precision, blazing through the stars, a trail of green glowing particles following in its wake. He had never experienced something so smooth in transition since piloting the Tallgeese III. It was finesse in motion, Sandrock's GN Drive pushing the machine to boundless heights.

Zechs was at his finest when speed was added into the equation. He lived for high-performing mobile suits that relied on a stellar output that left G-forces to the wayside. He was a man who exceeded human limits – his limits – to personify lightning striking. And this Gundam, although not as fast as the Tallgeese III, still took him to the near brink – and that's what made his blood burn in excitement.

Zechs envied its pilot. The Polaris Series Gundams were far adaptable in ability than their predecessors, machines limited in versatility and extended flight. Built with limitless and rechargeable power, the GN Drive allowed an endurance and combat effectiveness that outlasted the original Gundams. GN particles brought, in essence, because Zechs knew the strengths and weaknesses of energy consumption, a nuanced and new application for weapon and armor creation, resulting in the production of technology far alien than the familiar norms he was used to, and he was used to the alien.

He looked down at his interface, watching the GN Drive gauge fluctuate between 80 to 90 percentage range, a nominal and consistent level that did not threaten malfunction or immobility. He internally sighed in relief. This was good. He had been fearing the Drive would be performing below average.

"This is perfect," Zechs said to himself, feeling his shoulders slacken as he leaned back against his seat.

In the initial stages earlier in the year, the Sandrock Errai and the rest were having a difficult time adjusting to the GN Drive. The output was low, and they barely got it to move, less perform. Howard had said there was some sort of resistance to GN particles and Gundanium on a molecular level.

Through barrels of coffee and long sleepless nights where his eyelids would drop to the floor, an ongoing fight against Morpheus in a test of endurance, Zechs and Howard struggled for a solution. They had engineered countless hypotheses and experiments that were either thrown to the void or built upon and then hit a dead end, and like all other plans, discarded. Then one day, while inserting the GN Drive into Sandrock and powering the Gundam, they had accidentally overloaded the drive, saturating the machine with excess particles. An engineer had carelessly swung his elbow on the latch, increasing particle consumption and capacity.

That was when terror and fortitude struck. The gauge had looked to be overexerting itself, and the thrum of the engine screeched in agony, threatening something destructive if a solution did not arrive on time. As the screeching took on a new crescendo, it suddenly lowered to a smoother thrum. Howard had scrambled to check the readings as the GN particles mellowed, falling out of its erratic particle bursts into a normal transition of steady green balls of lights.

They realized that an influx of GN particles into Gundanuim alloy would forcibly bond the molecules together, thus creating a successful distribution of energy into the system. It was a strange sense of luck that did not blow up in their faces, let alone the entire base. Zechs had discreetly chuckled at his fortune. It would have been a shame had he perished from a malfunction or mishap instead of the battlefield. He imagined Treize's disappointment at such an end.

"I'm bringing it in, Howard," Zechs said, guiding the Gundam to the asteroid base.

"Read you loud and clear, Wind," Howard replied on his audio frequency.

He brought Sandrock into hangar three and carefully passed by the other stationary Gundams until it reached its slot. He reversed the Gundam until the GN Drive locked into the docking gears. Opening the cockpit and ejecting his seatbelt, he pushed into the bay, the momentum carrying him up and to the catwalk. In one motion, he took off his white helmet, his long blond hair, free from its confines, swung around him.

He touched the railing of the catwalk across from the Gundams and swung his body over it. Howard was there in shorts and a red palm-tree-patterned shirt. He wore a relaxed smile as he greeted Zechs, looking amiable as usual. "Did you enjoy the ride, Zechs? Quite the performance you put on there. I'm starting to think you're getting restless out there."

Zechs smiled and eased on the railing, leaning against it, arms crossing. He looked at Sandrock like a man looking at a fascinating sculpture. The Gundam had a rare beauty, notwithstanding its original purpose, and it seemed far larger in its stature, particularly its green eyes, gleaming under the white lighting of the bay.

"I am getting pretty restless. My blood burns for a fight. If only to right the wrongs of my bloodied, storied, past."

Zechs then snorted humorlessly. "Speaking of the past, if the Gundams were designed like these during Operation Meteor, I fear OZ and the Earth Alliance's defeat would have been inevitable. The response time is incredible. You really outdone yourself, there, Howard," Zechs said with appreciation, giving a curt nod to the older man.

Howard chuckled lightly and stroked his pointed chin hair. He looked at the Gundams, his glasses reflecting their new designs. Zechs joined him, looking at Sandrock. The PSXGN-04 Gundam Sandrock Errai stood proudly, its paint arresting and almost captivating, for a large weapon of war.

Sandrock's chest body was detailed in ocean blue with its top helmet reminiscent of a Roman soldier Galea, its long red plume curving along the top to the back. Its vents were crimson red, and its gold crested V-fin and shoulder fins shined majestically. Dark and light gray painted its segmented shoulder armor, arms, and its long legs.

As a close-quarter combat to midrange shooter, Sandrock's weapons equipped it to be the commander of the group. Besides its expanded radar and advanced communication and analysis systems, Sandrock Errai's main weapons, its dual heat Gundanium-fused GN Shotels, were locked behind its back. Its snakehead motif shield was on its left forearm. Equipped in its right hand, was a high output beam rifle that could be magnetically locked behind its rear side skirts.

On Sandrock's right, was the PSXGN-05 Gundam Altron Vermillion, another close-quarter combat and mid-range fighter. Altron Vermillion looked positively vicious with its dragon-like resemblance, a mechanical creature birth from myth. Gold decorated the V-fin, trimmed the chest's border, and painted its dragon mandibles on its GN Dragon Fangs. A moss-colored green splashed across the chest and the front side skirt, while a red vent centered the chest. Forest green detailed the shoulders, arms, GN Dragon Fangs, its scorpion-like twin beam cannon, the front, side, and rear skirts, and the sides of its dragon-like face and eyes. A cloud-colored white detailed the middle shoulders, the Gundam's face, its GN Dragon Fang fins and legs.

Altron Vermillion's weapon were updated to accommodate the significant change with the GN system. Its GN Dragon Fangs were detachable, using smaller GN engines to fly remotely without the segmented, foldable, and moveable blocks. Anti-beam coating coated the fangs and body. Its twin beam trident sat retracted behind its waist. Altron bore an air of majestic patience, while green serpentine eyes darkened in what seemed to be in ponderous thought or prayer.

Fighting its predecessors had been worthwhile challenge. One on one with this fearsome opponent meant certain death. Zechs remembered Lady Une's grave warning in Baikal – Never engage in one-on-one combat with 05 and its pilot. This Gundam could not be defeated without a large accompanying army at its helm, and fighting its successor, the Altron Gundam, while piloting the Wing Zero, had been a chance encounter and a thorough challenge to overcome himself and master the fearsome ZERO System that sought to bury him in defeat.

Paralleling the Sandrock was the PSXGN-03 Gundam Heavyarms Prometheus, the artillery fury of the Gundams. A long-range artillery mobile suit, Prometheus was detailed in dark blue and green with a lighter shade of green stripes over its weapon compartments. Forty-four homing GN Missiles in total were stored in the front skirts and leg missile pods. A total of 52 micro GN Missiles found haven in the short skirts and shoulders. Atop Prometheus's chest, on its the clavicles, sat two GN Machine Cannons and inside the chest hid a GN Gatling Gun.

Heavyarms Prometheus had dual main weaponry. A dual beam GN Gatling Gun, on its left storage rack and a GN Beam Rifle that alternated modes – to Trowa Barton's preference – a rifle mode, and a beam cannon. The output was far stronger than the Vayeate's beam cannon and should make good headway against a large force.

On its flanking side skirts, beside the missile pods, there were two GN Bits that were detachable and acted as offense against targeting mobile suits. Trowa would find the mobile suit to his liking for someone who demolished bases and scorched military hardware from the face of the earth. Indeed, Zechs knew from reports from his days in OZ how Trowa had left the military bases in infernos. Bases devasted by such fury could never be repaired nor the men who had fallen reclaim their lives.

Zechs often, though sparingly, in his moments alone thought of Walker. Trowa had attacked the Corsica Munitions Factory, followed by the Maganac Corps and Quatre's Sandrock. Seeing pictures of the ruined base, and hearing the demise of his subordinate, put into context the devastating power these Gundams contained, and the ruthlessness in their fury to avenge the colonies. The irony that he now fought with them was not lost on him. The world had changed, and so he had to change too.

To Heavyarms left, was the PSXGN-02 Gundam Deathscythe Acheron, a stealth mobile suit that relied on close- quarters combat, using jammers and GN particles to disrupt communication systems and AI suits. Its scythe now had three blades which alternate functions into a cross guard where the blade emitted from the guard. Its stealth, when in combat, had a three-minute system. Its Buster Shield bit was now mid-range machine gun besides a beam blade, and like Altron's GN Dragon Fangs, the shield held autonomous movement.

Moving his blue eyes to the last Gundam, Zechs could not underappreciate the monstrosity that stood so imposingly before him. If its predecessor was destruction incarnate, then this machine was the embodiment. An imminence replete with power; the kind of power to change the future, and perhaps, as it had done years ago, the world. The machine was graced by a new name, and it came from the stars of its origin.

The PSXGN-01 Wing Gundam Zero Polaris.

Aesthetically, the suit had gone through an overhaul in its presentation. It was a marvel of a machine painted in the garish colors of a hero, unlike a monochrome war machine: and war machines were meant to be faceless terrors. Replete in blue, green, red, gold, and white, this machine could never hide on the battlefield and its system would never allow it. It was meant to be seen, to be held in terrifying awe, felt in the deepest parts of hearts, whether in hope or terror, and leave a lasting impression in the minds of its allies and enemies. For its allies, it was the symbolic rally of changing the era. For its foes, it was the last thing they would ever glimpse before disintegrating into oblivion.

Dark blue painted the protruding chest frame surrounding a green orb sensor, its front and side skirts, and the first three-wing-layered shoulder. Red colored the obliques that sat on the Zero's white hips and the heel and toe cap feet. Gold trim outlined the first three-wing-layered should and its double V-fin crest that glimmered. Glossy green colored the circular sensor orb. And, finally, angelic white painted the legs, the second and third-winged shoulders layers and arms.

White also covered its shield-like angel wings that flanked its shoulders. Insides its wings, laid a completely new form of weaponry. Four pairs, a total of eight, winged GN Bits were hidden inside the under armor of the wings. Small, AI- and human-controlled autonomous beam weapons. A white, gold, and blue color scheme painted its avian shield that covered the whole left arm.

Its main weaponry was still its notorious Twin Buster Rifle, a weapon known for its complete and utter destruction. A weapon of mass terror. One shot at full power could obliterate a colony.

Like its predecessor, the Polaris charged its rifle through two points of entry – a rechargeable station above the GN Drive on the back, and through the machine's hands. Presently, the rifle sat above the GN Drive. GN Cannons sat on the shoulders and would rise to fire. They were a pair of small 4-barrel GN Gatling Guns housed on the clavicle section. It had three beam sabers. One inside the shield, and two inside the shoulders. Its shield had one pair of Vulcans and a piledriver. Its upcoming weaponry the GN Drei Zwerg still needed completion. When finished, Zechs knew the Zero would be an inexorable force unto the world, unto history.

The last weapon came from within, in the heart of the cockpit system. It was a computer interface that interacted with the pilot. The artificial intelligence known as the ZERO System was a system to increase spatial awareness and a pilot's combat effectiveness through the transfer of raw data into the cerebellum. It was created to give birth to the perfect soldier, eliminating all human weaknesses until only the solitary objective was in sight.

The ZERO System almost felt sentient, and it was this sentience, born from science, that gave Zechs pause. He knew for certain Zero was listening to them in its silent gaze, warping their mind, every time they entered its cockpit. It took more than a strong will, but a stronger heart to comprehend the data and force it into an efficacious outcome.

It was not something Zechs liked to think about – losing himself to a machine, seeing his deaths, mind warping to a human host only focused on battle and destruction where victory was the ultimate objective, at all costs. Powerful designs like the Zero interlinked humanity to machines but created dynamic fissures as wide as the largest chasm between the reliance of such extraordinary technology and the human heart. He had eventually mastered the system, but the overload of data and his own future nearly drove him to insanity.

Gazing into the Zero's humanlike green eyes, he felt the machine judging him and curious: it was a tickle at the corner of his mind. There was something in that gaze that felt soul-piercing, and Zechs did not doubt it for a second. Machines were a tricky thing when artificial intelligence was added.

"I only did what I can," Howard said after the long moment of silence, nodding and smiling at the mobile suits. "Aeolia left a great legacy for the Gundam pilots. Streamlining the GN Drive to the Gundam, surprisingly, was a smooth fit."

"Not everything fit together as neatly as the rest," countered Zechs, tilting his head slightly to the Wing Zero.

Howard nodded ponderously and crossed his arms. "Fascinating machine, the original Gundam design is. I never thought of machines as beings, but the more I gaze upon the Wing Zero I get the feeling it is watching me, that it was built for a specific purpose. It could be the effect of the ZERO System on the mind, changing my cerebral chemistry and functions. A terrible machine to pilot. He must have known."

He looked back at Zechs, sunglasses glinting in the light like mischievous eyes knowing a secret. "Aeolia has a plan. Always did. He never did something spontaneous. He was a man of strategy and research. Still, and I do wonder…" Howard trailed off, giving Zero a measured look. "Did the design of Zero factor in with Aeolia's plans? This is not common coincidence, and such coincidences should be looked upon thoroughly."

"What was your relationship like?" Zechs asked.

"Affable. A man of few words but valued research and critical thinking, thinking beyond the present moment," Howard remarked, his expression looking wistful. "Conversation on the smaller things in life never connected with him. Like he would give a damn about some paradise island watching the waves lap.

"Ole Aeolia was a giant supporter of Heero Yuy and his pacifism. He was willing to give up on the Tallgeese and abolish weapons if Mr. Yuy persevered. Alas, that was not meant be," Howard said the last with a shake of his head. He then looked down in thought, and then back up.

Zechs gave a nod, and then his mind focused on the other engineer. "How about Quarante? I did not expect Gundam scientists fighting each other."

Howard snorted. It was a sound Zechs was unfamiliar with for Howard rarely held disdain for people. "We're not all built the same. Quarante was of a different sort. Ambitious, cruel, studious, and militaristic. He was not a pacifist – never cared much about the world than his weapons. They say a weapon protects a man but cannot replace the heart of man. There is no substitute for love, and that man lacked all of its benefits.

"He dreamed of weapons and lived for war. You can say many of us did too, wanting to tackle the world and bring it into a new epoch, and supposed we did, providing the blueprint of downsizing the Tallgeese into the Leos."

Zechs new the downsizing of the Tallgeese into the Leos, the first mass mobile suit, heralded the world into bitter oppression. With man in these machines, the very aspect and nature of war was transformed. The Romefeller Foundation funded this new weapon and OZ and the Earth Alliance greedily benefitted, distributed, and turned the tides of war among the population of the Earth, and then to the defenseless colonies.

There was something still bugging Zechs as he thought of mobile suits. "I'm surprised we haven't seen Quarante's work. I've looked through the records, but nothing has turned up. There hasn't been any hint of Quarante's or Dekim's for that matter use of GN Drives. This type of technology should have radically changed this world. It's still operating under the illusion of a pre-technological breakthrough."

"What are you saying, Zechs," Howard said, eyes peaking above his sunglasses.

"I'm not saying anything. I'm trying to make sense on why and where, besides the Serpent IIs and the development of previous OZ mobile suits, is Quarante's influence. Why hasn't he initiated a full takeover?"

Howard shrugged helplessly. "That's a good question. It's not something I can answer. Even so, I believe that question resides in the bowls of Colony X-18999."

Nodding, Zechs returned his cool gaze to the Gundams. His restless soul could not find peace with Dekim Barton leading the way, and, to his dismay, Valder Farkill, a more nefarious man that believed in Treize's radical autocracy and romantic ideals of warfare. To be benefitted from a man like him, Zechs and his allies would have an uphill struggle. Valder's skills rivalled his and Treize, and the man's brilliant mind was irrevocably corrupt, a black rose of despair and terror with bloody thorns waiting to rip and tear flesh.

And then there was that girl, who looked so much like Treize with her icy blue eyes, Mariemaia Khushrenada. Just thinking of her, thinking that Treize had a daughter was outstanding! And to not even mention it to him left Zechs feeling unnerved at his former friend.

Why was she hidden, Treize? Zechs thought, turning his eyes to the ceiling.

The seeds of hatred were growing in space. Zechs wondered what kind of flower would bloom and whether its vines would slowly entangle them, pierce them with its sharp thorns, and bleed them dry.