Prologue

Our universe is but one of many universes, all variations of the same history. In one universe is the Universal Century; in another is the After Colony continuity. This story takes place in different universe, a universe much like our own, but at the same time it is different…

AD 1998 - Earth Orbit

The battered and demoralized Gundam Project fleet lies in wait as it continues its orbit back towards the enemy base. The war is almost over; the next engagement will be the last. Both sides have lost many brave soldiers, neither can continue on any further. Aboard the flagship Albion, Republic silently recaps the events of the past few months in his mind. The assassination of Gundam Project's president, Keith Rhee. The many battles of the civil war between their forces and Pyrus' rebels.

Either way, it will end here. I will not retreat from this battle until the rebels are defeated and peace is restored. he thinks.

"Admiral, we have visual contact with MO-II," says the Ensign stationed in the seat above his own. Republic floats to the large window at the front of the bridge.

"Has the fleet finished refueling and rearming?" asks Republic.

"Yes sir," he replies. Republic floats silently, sorrowfully watching the light shining from the wreckage of the destroyed mobile suits surrounding the distant asteroid.

So many people have died…and for what? What have we been fighting for? It must end here; I will not allow this war to continue. thinks Republic. He reaches for his navy blue cap; he'd worn it since the start, and throws it away.

"All ships, full barrage! FIRE!" orders Republic, yelling at the top of his lungs. Moments later, the many Salamis and Musai class cruisers open fire on the distant asteroid fortress. Seconds after, MO-II returns fire, immediately destroying several more ships, killing hundreds more.

_____

OZ Soldier shifts nervously in his RGM-79[E] GM's cockpit. He's been fighting nearly non-stop for three months since the civil war began; it just so happened that he enlisted the day President Rhee was assassinated and Pyrus started the war. He'd watched almost everyone he knows die in this bloody massacre of a war, some of them under his command. Not many good pilots are left in the GP Forces, he happens to be one of them. Unfortunately, he's not good enough, the very best pilots got any Gundams the higher-ups were able to dig up.

"Lieutenant, you're cleared," says the runway operator.

"Roger," replies OZ Soldier, igniting his verniers and launching from the ship. In the darkness of space, OZ Soldier joins up with the many other Gundam Project mobile suits as they charge en mass onto the enemy's fortress: MO-II.

_____

The mobile suits of the two warring factions meet in the space above Europe and the brutal final battle between them begins. Pyrus Gelgoogs strafe GP GMs, while GP aces in various Gundams duel their surviving rivals. With each beautiful flash of light, many more lives end. On the surface of the asteroid itself, a golden mobile suit stands, awaiting a challenger to its supremacy. Inside, its pilot smirks.

"Ah, yes, murder yourselves you fools. No one can defeat me, I am the greatest pilot to ever live!" says Pyrus, his icy blue eyes scanning the carnage before him. Yes, no one has ever faced him and lived, that is why he killed President Rhee. That way he could prove to the entire world that he is greatest, by commanding the power of the greatest spacenoid nation and using it to seize control of the Earth. It's then he notices a mobile suit landing before him, challenging his absolute dominance.

"Pyrus!" yells the pilot over the universal frequency. Pyrus stares with amusement at the enemy, a Gundam he has never seen before, and marvels at its uselessness against his own mobile suit, the Hyaku Shiki.

"Identify yourself, peon," demands Pyrus. A small image appears on cockpit's screen, a young man removes his helmet to reveal his face.

"I am Captain Bladed Edge of the Gundam Project Defense Force," the pilot replies, "And I am going to finish you once and for all!" The Gundam, which resembles the Gundam Epyon, activates a twin beam saber and stands ready for battle. Pyrus smirks yet again, moving some of his long blonde hair out of his eyes, and activates his own beam saber. The two mobile suits stand in wait for a moment, then they both leap at each other and their beam sabers connect in a flash of light.

_____

OZ Soldier dodges another rocket fired at him and dives in close, his beam saber drawn, and effortlessly slices the Gelgoog in two. As the explosion illuminates the space around him, OZ Soldier notices flashes of light outside the field of battle…on MO-II.

"Someone is fighting over there…" he whispers, igniting his verniers and jetting towards the asteroid. The GP Forces seem to be winning the battle, so they can afford him going to check it out. As he nears, he immediately recognizes one of the mobile suits.

"That's the Hyaku Shiki! Its Pyrus!" he says, and then notices the Gundam fighting it, "And that's the Tiamat! Bladed Edge is fighting Pyrus!" Gundam Tiamat swings the twin beam saber over its head, and stabs down at the Hyaku Shiki, which easily blocks with the beam saber, all of this while they are speeding over the surface of the asteroid. The two mobile suits continue to block each other's attacks and speed toward an elevator leading deep into the fortress. Quickly, the Hyaku Shiki dodges an attack and jets down the shaft, Tiamat follows.

"Crap! I'll lose them!" yells OZ Soldier, following the two.

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Tiamat turns up the afterburners and catches up with the Hyaku Shiki. Using its heat rod, Tiamat grabs its golden adversary's right arm and tries to drag it towards itself. Suddenly, the Hyaku Shiki cuts the verniers, spins around and punches Tiamat square in the face with its free arm, all while still flying at high speed down the elevator shaft. Reeling from the blow, Tiamat rips off the Hyaku Shiki's arm and kicks the mobile suit into the wall. With the high speed, the mobile suit violently bounces off and rams the Gundam, sending them both reeling into the opposite wall of the shaft.

"Dammit!" yells Bladed Edge, a circuit exploding into a shower of sparks behind him. Tiamat grabs the Hyaku Shiki and puts it in between itself and the wall, forcing it to take the brunt of the blow as they collide into it. Before he can tell what is happening, the Hyaku Shiki is on top of him and unsheathing its second beam saber.

"Now you will DIE!" yells Pyrus, Bladed can hear the insanity in his voice. Just as the beam saber ignites, the golden mobile suit's back is riddled with machine gun fire. Bladed takes the opportunity and kicks the Hyaku Shiki away from him.

"Bladed Edge!" yells a familiar voice over the radio.

"OZ Soldier?! What are you doing here?!" yells Bladed.

"I'm giving you cover! Let's get this guy!" he replies. The GM gets behind Tiamat as it rights itself and the two continue to jet down the shaft, following the Hyaku Shiki. A few moments pass and they reach the bottom: a huge mobile suit hangar deep within the asteroid. The Hyaku Shiki is nowhere in sight, but instead…

"Holy crap…" says OZ Soldier, as they marvel at the gigantic machine before them. A giant ring, apparently organic, its base seemingly growing over half the room.

"Welcome, my friends, to the destiny of our race," says Pyrus, his mobile suit walking out from behind a large rock formation.

"What the hell?!" says Bladed, watching as the Hyaku Shiki walks over to a large…thing and pushes a glowing knob. A loud hums resonates within the room and a wall of light forms within the ring.

"I have opened the gate to Paradise!" yells Pyrus.

"Oh my god…" says Bladed Edge, realizing the depth of what he'd just said.

"You're insane!" yells OZ Soldier. The Hyaku Shiki walks toward the light, stops just before entering and looks back at the others.

"Bladed Edge, I will give you one chance to join me. Come, enjoy the power I possess! Nothing can stop what is coming, join me!" offers Pyrus.

"You are one sick bastard…" he replies, unsheathing Tiamat's twin beam saber. Pyrus just smirks, not disappointed at the response.

"Good, this will prove much more interesting," says Pyrus, turning back toward the wall of light, "We will meet again, Preventer Agent."

"Who's Preventer Agent?" asks OZ Soldier, but he receives no response. The Hyaku Shiki turns and walks into the light, then the entire room begins to shake.

"What's happening?!" yells Bladed, just as warning lights begin flashing.

"I don't want to find out, let's get out of here!" replies OZ Soldier, turning and running back towards the elevator shaft. Tiamat turns to follow, but stops and looks back at the ring, watching as several boulders dislodge from the wall and collide into it, destroying the machine. Without thinking about it anymore, Bladed turns and flees back up the elevator shaft.

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Six Days Later

"…And our top story tonight takes us to L4, the sight of an ongoing civil war since the assassination of Gundam Project's president six months ago, where Admiral Republic of the Gundam Project Defense Force is about to make a statement."

Republic steps up to the podium, wearing his full navy blue uniform, and clears his throat as he waits for the applause to end.

"As many of you know by now, Gundam Project forces ended their siege of the asteroid base MO-II six days ago when it was destroyed during the battle by rebel forces. In the course of this, the rebel leader Pyrus was killed, his death verified by two of our own pilots. Within the past few hours, the remaining rebels have all surrendered. I can now officially announce that the civil war has ended, exactly six months after the assassination of Keith Rhee on May 12. Elections for a new president will be held within the coming weeks…"

AD 1998 - Peace is finally attained in outer space.

The year is now AD 2001…