Mobile Suit Gundam Century's Dawn
The calendar of the Universal Century has reached the year 300. The Earth has fallen into a state of disarray due to a
war against an organization of countries who are seeking total world domination. Even though the Earth Federation has
numbers on their side, they are being overwhelmed by the battle-hardened soldiers of the Alliance of Middle-Eastern
Countries. This is because they had one advantage: strange humanoid machines that could devastate entire platoons
with a single strafe. To make matters worse, the Colonies have severed all diplomatic and economic ties.
Now, one ship will reawaken an ancient power that will turn the tides in this Century Dawn War.
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Koshiro Anaka and Paiyako Mushimi are children from the small town of Scatterhaven. One day, they were visited by Zakus,
large humanoid robots piloted by an AMEC patrol group. Koshiro sent them away with false directions to an Earth
Federation base. But the Zakus returned and attacked Koshiro and Paiyako. Luckily, they were rescued by the EF
flagship Exalon. The Zakus were sent away but for how long?
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Koshiro and Paiyako sat against a fence. The EF ship they saw had just drove back the robots that attacked them.
They were both panting from running away.
"Good thing that Earth Federation ship was in the area, otherwise we would've been dead, huh, Koshiro?"
Koshiro was silent next to her. She turned and saw him panting more than she was. Did that attack really tire him out?
But as Paiyako looked closely, she realized that he was trembling. His eyes had a haunted and scared look to them.
"Koshiro? Koshiro!" Paiyako shook him. "Koshiro, talk to me."
Finally, Koshiro shook himself out of his trance and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Pai. I just... froze for a moment."
"I know, Koshiro. That was a scary event."
"Not only that," Koshiro replied. "But... will they come back?"
"They? You mean those giant robots?"
"Yes."
"I hope not, Koshiro, I hope not."
But deep down, Koshiro knew that they would be back. He didn't know how he knew, but he did.
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Paiyako's hopes were in vain, for at the AMEC base, the two Zakus that managed to escape the onslaught of the Exalon were
reporting in.
"Are you positive it was an EF ship?" The Base Commander asked. "I don't want to make a mistake that would cost us
the support of the colonies."
"Most definitely," Rashad replied. "It had markings and everything. And from the looks of it,it looked like a
Pegasus-class."
The Base Commander let out a whistle. "A Pegasus-class, now I haven't seen one of those in a long time."
"Yes sir, I'm sorry to say they sent us running."
"Don't be ashamed, Rashad, hardly anything can stand up to a Pegasus-class."
Beside and a little behind Rashad, Mileena struggled to hold her tears in. "They got Naram...those blasted Feddies killed
Naram! He didn't care for battle, yet they killed him, in cold blood! I swear I will not rest until every last person
on that Feddy ship is gouged and hanging by a pike!"
Rashad put a hand on Mileena's shoulder. "I know how much Naram meant to you, Mileena. We will avenge his death, but
going in there with guns blazing isn't the answer."
"Actually," the Base Commander said. "Going in with guns blazing might just be the answer." He lead Rashad and Mileena
over to a table map that had been set up. A scale model of Scatterhaven was set up. "Let's assume that the town is
just a front for a Federation base, or maybe the town is real and the base is underground. Whatever the reason, if we
set our forces behind the hillsides around the town, we can wait until the Feddy ship lands there and then attack it. With
all the firepower, the ship won't have time to take off, that's when we'll send two Zakus, that will be you two, in
to take out it's starboard engine."
"Sir, you can't destroy a Pegasus-class ship by destroying just one engine."
"Yes, but if we can disable it enough, it'll be helpless before our ground forces, Rashad." The Base Commander looked at
Rashad and Mileena. "If you two don't want to go through with this, I'll understand."
"I am a soldier," Rashad recited. "Lead and I will follow."
Mileena's was a bit more intimate. "If it's to avenge Naram, I will go into the pits of Hell and challenge the devil
himself."
"Don't let your feelings overcloud your judgement, Mileena," the Base Commander instructed. "You won't be able to avenge
Naram's death if you're dead yourself."
"Yes, sir," Mileena saluted although her sound appeared bitter.
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Meanwhile, Commander Noah Lucas was having a bridge meeting. The Exalon was currently stationed at an empty riverbed,
where the Menovski Particles were in dense concentration. Less of a chance to be discovered by the DD.
Lucas looked around at his bridge crew. Helm officer Muro Okawa, Engineering Liaison Henry Kozuko, Weapons Chief Shinji
Katzuhito, Operators Victor Lenard and Tasha Benson (referred together as "The Twins" due to their similarity in
appearance), and Communication Officer and Field Commander Leeka Moshiro.
Lucas' gaze lingered somewhat on Leeka, or Lee as she insists on being called. Lee joined the crew some two months
before, and is still new to the ways of the Exalon, but she performed her jobs with dedication that was unexhibited by
anybody else, including Lucas himself.
"We traced the Zaku robots' route back to this location." Lucas used a laser pointer to highlight a spot on a video floor
map of the area. "Our most obvious choice would be to send a Remote Camera Unit, or RCU, to investigate the area,
however, because of our close proximity to AMEC territory, we can't risk it. Ladies, gentlemen, I need thoughts, ideas,
comments, suggestions, anything you can throw out would be helpful."
Not surprisingly, Lee was the first to speak up. "Sir, what about that town we passed by while we were chasing them?
Perhaps it was some sort of cover for the... Zakus." Lee stuttered while saying the name. Lucas couldn't blame her.
He himself hadn't really known the name until he checked with his contacts at EF Headquarters.
"Ah, yes, the town." The video floor map zoomed in to the town. "Can anybody tell me anything about it." Of course,
Lucas knew all about the town, also from EF Archives, but he liked to test his crew about knowledge other than what
their assigned positions are.
Victor stepped forward. "Scatterhaven, located in Quadrant Gregory-9210, population 483 not including the animals.
A real private community, most of the residents have lived there all their lives."
"The town really has no strategic value to either the Federation or AMEC," Tasha continued. "It doesn't make sense
that they would take interest in it." The Twins shared a smile.
"It is possible that AMEC was using the town as a stepping stone in attacking our fuel depot," Shinji said straightening
his wire frame glasses.
"But that would mean that they know where our depot is," Muro pointed out. "So why don't they attack?"
"Perhaps they don't have enough firepower yet," Tasha pointed out.
"Let's move away from that theory for a moment," Lucas said. "If anything, we need to be on the offensive..."
"Excuse me, Commander Lucas," Henry called out. "But I'm in the dark here, what are these Zakus, I've never heard of
them before now."
"Looks like somebody didn't get the briefing material," Lee said eyeing him. Henry blushed and a few of the other
crewmembers chuckled.
"I understand, Henry," Commander Lucas smiled. The video floor map disappeared and a 3-D image of a Zaku, weapon and
all, appeared in the center. "A Zaku is the main weapon of the AMEC terrorists. According to our spies, it is a type of
weapon called a Mobile Suit." Sensing Henry's next question, Lucas continued. "A long time ago, Mobile Suits were used
in abundance by the armies of the Colonies. They replaced conventional combat. The rumors about Mobile Suits include
the fact that a Mobile Suit could withstand heavy bombardment and take out an entire platoon with a single strafe from its
weapon. It is expected that it is what wiped the Colonies out."
The other senior crew looked at him strangely. They had never heard of any of it. Where did these Zakus come from?
And Where did Commander Lucas learn all this?
"Obviously the Federation today couldn't stand up to such a weapon," Muro said. "So how did they... we... survive all
these years?"
"That answer... died out with the Colonies." Muro kept staring at her old friend/senior officer. There was something
he wasn't telling them, she could tell. But he was her superior and if that information was on a need-to-know basis,
then there wasn't anything they could do about it.
"So nothing can stand up against a Mobile Suit?" Tasha asked.
The Commander lowered his head. "That... is not entirely true. The prototype for this very ship was able to fend off
wave after wave of enemy Zakus for over a year." He didn't want to reveal the true anti-Zaku weapon, not yet anyway.
"I hate to interrupt this history lesson," Victor said, "But what are we going to do about the Zakus that attacked
Scatterhaven?"
"That brings us back to our beginning question, what were the Zakus doing attacking such a small town?" Lee asked.
"Perhaps there's a clue to the reason in the town itself," Muro suggested. "Perhaps if we go to the town and ask around,
we might be able to find something."
"Of course we might also get the citizens there upset at the Federation and defect to AMEC," Henry argued.
"We are not here to win a popularity contest," Lucas came back. "We are here to assess whether or not the AMEC forces
in this area pose a threat to the Earth Federation. Commander Okawa, plot a course for Scatterhaven. Let's go, people!"
The crew began to leave the briefing room. But Commander Lucas kept staring at the image of the Zaku.
Muro noticed that the Captain was lagering. "Commander... Noah, is something wrong?"
Lucas smiled, thankful of Muro's thoughtfulness to his well-being. "I will be there in a moment, 'Ro. Prepare the course."
"Aye, sir." As Muro left, the image of the Zaku disappeared and the room was plunged into darkness.
"So, after all these years, they're back. And this time, we don't have the Gundam to aid us,"Lucas said to himself. He
pulled out a small notebook. "What do we do, Grandpa? When the only weapon that could turn the course of the war in
our favor is nothing more than legends?" He replaced the notebook inside his jacket and left for the bridge.
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Koshiro and Paiyako exited the school building. Because of the situation with the Zakus, school had been let out two
hours early, therefore the two had the entire afternoon to do whatever they wanted. They decided to spend the
afternoon in their favorite place, a forest grove outside of Scatterhaven.
They would soon wish that school hadn't been let out.
All around the village, Zakus were being set up. The DD had been using camuflage netting to avoid being detected by
both the residents and the Exalon.
Rashad and Mileena, along with the Base Commander, used some buinoculars to scout the area. Rashad tensed when he
saw Koshiro and Paiyako, talking underneath a tree. "That's them! It's those kids who sent us in the wrong
direction earlier."
"Are they Federation spies?" Mileena asked. "They look so young."
"No," the Commander replied. "Most likely they just wanted to protect their village. No reason to make an enemy of them
yet."
A soldier came up to them. "Commander, sir, our scouts are reporting something big heading this way."
"Is it the Federation ship?"
"They're unsure, sir, but possibility is good."
"Don't move until we have confirmation that it IS the Federation ship."
"Yes, sir."
About ten minutes later, a loud hum filled the air. The AMEC forces looked up to see the Exalon cruise over at a low altitude.
"That's it," Rashad identified.
Mileena fumed. "They're the ones who killed Naram!" She ran to her Zaku.
"Mileena, wait!" Rashad called back.
"Stop it, that's an order!" The Commander threw in. But it was too late. Mileena was already powering up her Zaku.
The Zaku took out its Heat Hawk axe and charged the Exalon.
"Blast her," Rashad muttered. "I knew it was mistake bringing her on this mission."
"Nothing we can do about it right now," the Commander said. He took out a flare gun and shot a beam of light into the air.
All around the village, Zakus began popping up all over the place.
Mileena's Zaku rushed forward. A cannon on the Exalon came out of its bay and fired. Mileena dodged to the left then
dodged back. The cannon kept firing but Mileena kept dodging.
"This is for you, Naram!" She cried. She swung her axe down, destroying the cannon.
On the bridge, Shinji called out, "Cannon 14 has been destroyed."
"Sensors are picking up Zakus all around us!" Tasha reported.
"It was a trap," Lucas realized. "They must've known we would return and layed in waiting for us. Deploy all weapons! Do
we have any Core Fighters?"
"Sir, we have one but it's mostly designed for transporting," Lee informed.
"Not good enough. Deploy all weapons!"
The Exalon returned fire.
"We have to take their attention away from Mileena," the Commander said as he and Rashad fired their Zaku's guns.
Meanwhile, Koshiro and Paiyako were trying to hide behind a tree. It was unsuccessful as the tree didn't provide much
cover for the two teenagers.
"Koshiro, why are they attacking here?" Paiyako asked.
"I don't know, but I don't want to find out, let's get out of here!" The two turned to leave when a stray shot from one of
the Exalon's deployed cannons destroyed an entire city street. Another stray shot from a Zaku destroyed a building.
Fire began engulfing the whole town. You could hear the screams easily.
"NO!" Paiyako tried to run back into the town but Koshiro held her back.
"Paiyako, don't go," he pleaded. "You'll be killed."
"No! All my family, my friends!"
Koshiro was behind her and he reached out and emcompassed her body in a bear hug. He laid his head on her shoulder.
"I don't want you to die," he told her. "I lost too many people, I don't want to lose you too."
Paiyako stiffened, but not because of his words, but rather because of the tear that fell from his eyes down his cheek
and onto her sweater.
Paiyako turned and faced him, a sad smile on her face. "Koshiro..."
The moment was interrupted by heavy bombardment. Koshiro instinctively pulled Paiyako close. She allowed him.
On the bridge of the Exalon, Commander Lucas grunted as the ship was hit with another barrage.
"Sir, over 83% of our weapons have been destroyed," Shinji reported.
"Looks like we have no choice. Muro, take off!"
"But sir, what about the Zakus?" Lee asked.
"He who turns and runs away lives to fight another day, Lee," Lucas recited.
"Sir, there might be another way," Henry argued. "If we turn our engine on at full capacity, the jet fire let out by the
engine might be enough to destroy them, or at least scatter them enabeling us to take off. What do we have to lose?"
"At this point, nothing. Do it, Henry!"
Outside, the engine began powering up. As predicted, the exhaust fire destroyed a couple of Zakus and caused the rest
to scramble for cover.
"Oh no you don't," Mileena cried. "You're not getting away this time!" Mileena fired her jets which thrust her up to
the top of one of the launching bays. She was eye-to-eye with the bridge.
"Close the blast shields!" Lucas commanded. All along the windows of the bridge, metal shields slid into place.
"Muro, Tasha, Victor, switch to virtual guidance!" Lucas reached under his seat and took out a pair of sun glasses
with a wire attached to them. When he put them on, he was treated to a view of the outside of the ship courtesy of
special cameras. As Lucas turned his head, the camera turned too so it was almost as if he was outside the ship.
"Helm, rotate ninety degrees starboard." As the ship turned, the exploding engine decimated some more Zakus.
Mileena kept pounding at the blast screen. "Damn you, Feddies! DAMN YOU!"
"Wow, you've got to admit, they're resilient," Victor commented.
"How about a little encouragement for our side," Lee called out.
Outside, Koshiro looked from Mileena's Zaku, to the Exalon, to the other Zakus. Something triggered in him, an
understanding. Suddenly he knew what was going on, why Mileena was so diligently assaulting the Exalon, why the Exalon
returned to Scatterhaven, why the Zakus were lying in ambush. It was like God showed everything to him.
"Paiyako, I want you to run away from here."
"What?"
"Run away, please. The battle is going to escalate. The entire countryside is going to be destroyed. It's best if you
run and don't look back."
"But what about you?"
"I'll be right behind you. Now go!"
Paiyako quickly hugged Koshiro then took off. Koshiro smiled, seeing his friend heading towards the road that lead over
the mountains. He turned to the Zaku. Picking up a rock, he threw it with all his might towards Mileena's Zaku.
Incredibly, it made a dent in the armor. Mileena's cyclo-eye swirled to face Koshiro.
"Over here, you giant tin can!" Koshiro called out waving his arms. "Come on, come and get me, you bucket of bolts!"
Mileena's temper flared. "Nobody comes between me and my revenge!"
Koshiro continued his taunting unaware that Mileena could hear him. "I've seen tricycles with better movement than that
rust bucket! You might as well join the Federation because you sure aren't going to make a good enemy of them!"
That was the last straw. Mileena leaped off of the Exalon and rushed towards Koshiro.
"Mileena, get back here and attack the Pegasus-class," the Base Commander ordered.
"I would never join the Federation, they are my sworn enemy!" Mileena took her machine gun and fired a stream of bullets.
Koshiro rolled to the left. When Mileena swung her gun to take aim again, he dove right between the legs and doubled
back towards the Exalon. It took Mileena a moment to realize the human was gone and turned around.
{Man, that pilot's slow,} Koshiro thought. {Or it takes longer for the robot to react than the pilot.}
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The Exalon bridge crew (those with virtual guidance glasses anyway) saw this escapade.
"Is that kid crazy?" Muro asked. "Taking on a Zaku like that."
"Sometimes crazy works," Commander Lucas commented with a smile.
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Koshiro thought his plan was coming together when one of the Zakus called out "Mileena!"
"Don't you dare try to stop me!" Mileena shouted at it.
"I don't want to," the Zaku came back. "But you might want to use this." The Zaku tossed Mileena's Zaku a small orb.
"It makes more destruction."
"Uh-oh, that doesn't look good," Koshiro muttered.
Commander Lucas, if he could hear Koshiro, would agree with him. "A Particle Detonator! Lee, take our Transport Core
Fighter and pick that kid up!"
"But why?" Lee asked.
"That kid got that Zaku off of us. I don't want his action to be in vain or not returned. Besides, we should show the
civilian populace why we're different from the Desert Dictator army."
Lee gave him a smile. "I thought you said we weren't here to win a popularity contest."
"We're not, but scoring some browney points never hurt."
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Paiyako ran until she was near the mountain. She dropped to her hands and knees, out of breath. She looked back.
Scatterhaven was still in flames. The Exalon hovered near it. Zakus were pouring bullets into it like they were going
out of style. It was beautiful in a horrible way.
"Come on, Koshiro, where are you?" Paiyako strained her eyes and thought she could see Koshiro, or at least his shadow.
Suddenly the robot that was chasing him tossed something in the direction of the Exalon. Suddenly the early afternoon
sky lite up with fire. Paiyako covered her eyes.
{Oh my God, was Koshiro caught in that blast?} she thought.
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A wall of fire came rushing at Koshiro. He quickly threw himself to the ground. To his surprise, the fire passed over him.
"Hey, kid, get up," a voice called to him. He looked up to see a red and blue plane landing right next to him. The
cockpit hatch opened and a figure wearing a flight helmet looked out at him. The outline of the figure suggested it
was female, but any other features were obscured by the helmet. "Come on, get on. They'll be throwing another particle
detonator soon and this time they won't miss."
Koshiro saw the Zaku getting ready to throw another round sphere, probably the particle detonator the pilot was talking
about. He really didn't want to get caught up in the war between the Earth Federation and the Zakus but at that moment,
he realized he didn't have much of a choice. He climbed into the seat behind the pilot.
"Core Fighter to Exalon," the pilot called out. "I have him, returning to the ship." Koshiro couldn't hear what the
reply was, the communication link must've been inside her helmet. "Roger, understood, will contact you again in ten
minutes." She began to power up the Core Fighter.
Koshiro almost paniced when he discovered that they were angling in a direction away from the ship.
"What are you doing?" He asked. "The ship's back that way."
"If we enter the ship while the Zakus are firing at it, they could seriously dammage it. We're going to split up and meet
up with them in a few minutes, assuming the Zakus don't follow us." Koshiro accepted the pilot's explanation even though
he didn't like it.
But the Base Commander saw them leaving. "Mileena, you and half of Company A come with me. We're going after that plane."
"No, I want the destruction of the Feddy ship!" Mileena cried.
"Mileena, that's an order. Either come with me or I will shoot you right here and now and think nothing of it!"
Mileena could see that there was no escape. "Yes, sir," she agreed bitterly.
Wings popped out from the backpacks on several Zakus. They began lifting into the air.
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Lee saw them coming from her rear viewer. "Oh fantastic, the Commander didn't tell me about this."
Koshiro saw the same thing. "You mean those things can FLY too?!"
"Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are. Hang on." Lee hit the afterburners and the Core Fighter headed Northeast
with the Zakus in hot pursuit.
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The Zakus force the Core Fighter down by a huge mountain. Once down, Koshiro and Lee take cover in a cave which they
discover to be more than what it appears to be: an ancient facility. And what it stores will shock all.
Next episode: The Facility.
A cave that will change everything.
The calendar of the Universal Century has reached the year 300. The Earth has fallen into a state of disarray due to a
war against an organization of countries who are seeking total world domination. Even though the Earth Federation has
numbers on their side, they are being overwhelmed by the battle-hardened soldiers of the Alliance of Middle-Eastern
Countries. This is because they had one advantage: strange humanoid machines that could devastate entire platoons
with a single strafe. To make matters worse, the Colonies have severed all diplomatic and economic ties.
Now, one ship will reawaken an ancient power that will turn the tides in this Century Dawn War.
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Koshiro Anaka and Paiyako Mushimi are children from the small town of Scatterhaven. One day, they were visited by Zakus,
large humanoid robots piloted by an AMEC patrol group. Koshiro sent them away with false directions to an Earth
Federation base. But the Zakus returned and attacked Koshiro and Paiyako. Luckily, they were rescued by the EF
flagship Exalon. The Zakus were sent away but for how long?
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Koshiro and Paiyako sat against a fence. The EF ship they saw had just drove back the robots that attacked them.
They were both panting from running away.
"Good thing that Earth Federation ship was in the area, otherwise we would've been dead, huh, Koshiro?"
Koshiro was silent next to her. She turned and saw him panting more than she was. Did that attack really tire him out?
But as Paiyako looked closely, she realized that he was trembling. His eyes had a haunted and scared look to them.
"Koshiro? Koshiro!" Paiyako shook him. "Koshiro, talk to me."
Finally, Koshiro shook himself out of his trance and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Pai. I just... froze for a moment."
"I know, Koshiro. That was a scary event."
"Not only that," Koshiro replied. "But... will they come back?"
"They? You mean those giant robots?"
"Yes."
"I hope not, Koshiro, I hope not."
But deep down, Koshiro knew that they would be back. He didn't know how he knew, but he did.
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Paiyako's hopes were in vain, for at the AMEC base, the two Zakus that managed to escape the onslaught of the Exalon were
reporting in.
"Are you positive it was an EF ship?" The Base Commander asked. "I don't want to make a mistake that would cost us
the support of the colonies."
"Most definitely," Rashad replied. "It had markings and everything. And from the looks of it,it looked like a
Pegasus-class."
The Base Commander let out a whistle. "A Pegasus-class, now I haven't seen one of those in a long time."
"Yes sir, I'm sorry to say they sent us running."
"Don't be ashamed, Rashad, hardly anything can stand up to a Pegasus-class."
Beside and a little behind Rashad, Mileena struggled to hold her tears in. "They got Naram...those blasted Feddies killed
Naram! He didn't care for battle, yet they killed him, in cold blood! I swear I will not rest until every last person
on that Feddy ship is gouged and hanging by a pike!"
Rashad put a hand on Mileena's shoulder. "I know how much Naram meant to you, Mileena. We will avenge his death, but
going in there with guns blazing isn't the answer."
"Actually," the Base Commander said. "Going in with guns blazing might just be the answer." He lead Rashad and Mileena
over to a table map that had been set up. A scale model of Scatterhaven was set up. "Let's assume that the town is
just a front for a Federation base, or maybe the town is real and the base is underground. Whatever the reason, if we
set our forces behind the hillsides around the town, we can wait until the Feddy ship lands there and then attack it. With
all the firepower, the ship won't have time to take off, that's when we'll send two Zakus, that will be you two, in
to take out it's starboard engine."
"Sir, you can't destroy a Pegasus-class ship by destroying just one engine."
"Yes, but if we can disable it enough, it'll be helpless before our ground forces, Rashad." The Base Commander looked at
Rashad and Mileena. "If you two don't want to go through with this, I'll understand."
"I am a soldier," Rashad recited. "Lead and I will follow."
Mileena's was a bit more intimate. "If it's to avenge Naram, I will go into the pits of Hell and challenge the devil
himself."
"Don't let your feelings overcloud your judgement, Mileena," the Base Commander instructed. "You won't be able to avenge
Naram's death if you're dead yourself."
"Yes, sir," Mileena saluted although her sound appeared bitter.
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Meanwhile, Commander Noah Lucas was having a bridge meeting. The Exalon was currently stationed at an empty riverbed,
where the Menovski Particles were in dense concentration. Less of a chance to be discovered by the DD.
Lucas looked around at his bridge crew. Helm officer Muro Okawa, Engineering Liaison Henry Kozuko, Weapons Chief Shinji
Katzuhito, Operators Victor Lenard and Tasha Benson (referred together as "The Twins" due to their similarity in
appearance), and Communication Officer and Field Commander Leeka Moshiro.
Lucas' gaze lingered somewhat on Leeka, or Lee as she insists on being called. Lee joined the crew some two months
before, and is still new to the ways of the Exalon, but she performed her jobs with dedication that was unexhibited by
anybody else, including Lucas himself.
"We traced the Zaku robots' route back to this location." Lucas used a laser pointer to highlight a spot on a video floor
map of the area. "Our most obvious choice would be to send a Remote Camera Unit, or RCU, to investigate the area,
however, because of our close proximity to AMEC territory, we can't risk it. Ladies, gentlemen, I need thoughts, ideas,
comments, suggestions, anything you can throw out would be helpful."
Not surprisingly, Lee was the first to speak up. "Sir, what about that town we passed by while we were chasing them?
Perhaps it was some sort of cover for the... Zakus." Lee stuttered while saying the name. Lucas couldn't blame her.
He himself hadn't really known the name until he checked with his contacts at EF Headquarters.
"Ah, yes, the town." The video floor map zoomed in to the town. "Can anybody tell me anything about it." Of course,
Lucas knew all about the town, also from EF Archives, but he liked to test his crew about knowledge other than what
their assigned positions are.
Victor stepped forward. "Scatterhaven, located in Quadrant Gregory-9210, population 483 not including the animals.
A real private community, most of the residents have lived there all their lives."
"The town really has no strategic value to either the Federation or AMEC," Tasha continued. "It doesn't make sense
that they would take interest in it." The Twins shared a smile.
"It is possible that AMEC was using the town as a stepping stone in attacking our fuel depot," Shinji said straightening
his wire frame glasses.
"But that would mean that they know where our depot is," Muro pointed out. "So why don't they attack?"
"Perhaps they don't have enough firepower yet," Tasha pointed out.
"Let's move away from that theory for a moment," Lucas said. "If anything, we need to be on the offensive..."
"Excuse me, Commander Lucas," Henry called out. "But I'm in the dark here, what are these Zakus, I've never heard of
them before now."
"Looks like somebody didn't get the briefing material," Lee said eyeing him. Henry blushed and a few of the other
crewmembers chuckled.
"I understand, Henry," Commander Lucas smiled. The video floor map disappeared and a 3-D image of a Zaku, weapon and
all, appeared in the center. "A Zaku is the main weapon of the AMEC terrorists. According to our spies, it is a type of
weapon called a Mobile Suit." Sensing Henry's next question, Lucas continued. "A long time ago, Mobile Suits were used
in abundance by the armies of the Colonies. They replaced conventional combat. The rumors about Mobile Suits include
the fact that a Mobile Suit could withstand heavy bombardment and take out an entire platoon with a single strafe from its
weapon. It is expected that it is what wiped the Colonies out."
The other senior crew looked at him strangely. They had never heard of any of it. Where did these Zakus come from?
And Where did Commander Lucas learn all this?
"Obviously the Federation today couldn't stand up to such a weapon," Muro said. "So how did they... we... survive all
these years?"
"That answer... died out with the Colonies." Muro kept staring at her old friend/senior officer. There was something
he wasn't telling them, she could tell. But he was her superior and if that information was on a need-to-know basis,
then there wasn't anything they could do about it.
"So nothing can stand up against a Mobile Suit?" Tasha asked.
The Commander lowered his head. "That... is not entirely true. The prototype for this very ship was able to fend off
wave after wave of enemy Zakus for over a year." He didn't want to reveal the true anti-Zaku weapon, not yet anyway.
"I hate to interrupt this history lesson," Victor said, "But what are we going to do about the Zakus that attacked
Scatterhaven?"
"That brings us back to our beginning question, what were the Zakus doing attacking such a small town?" Lee asked.
"Perhaps there's a clue to the reason in the town itself," Muro suggested. "Perhaps if we go to the town and ask around,
we might be able to find something."
"Of course we might also get the citizens there upset at the Federation and defect to AMEC," Henry argued.
"We are not here to win a popularity contest," Lucas came back. "We are here to assess whether or not the AMEC forces
in this area pose a threat to the Earth Federation. Commander Okawa, plot a course for Scatterhaven. Let's go, people!"
The crew began to leave the briefing room. But Commander Lucas kept staring at the image of the Zaku.
Muro noticed that the Captain was lagering. "Commander... Noah, is something wrong?"
Lucas smiled, thankful of Muro's thoughtfulness to his well-being. "I will be there in a moment, 'Ro. Prepare the course."
"Aye, sir." As Muro left, the image of the Zaku disappeared and the room was plunged into darkness.
"So, after all these years, they're back. And this time, we don't have the Gundam to aid us,"Lucas said to himself. He
pulled out a small notebook. "What do we do, Grandpa? When the only weapon that could turn the course of the war in
our favor is nothing more than legends?" He replaced the notebook inside his jacket and left for the bridge.
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Koshiro and Paiyako exited the school building. Because of the situation with the Zakus, school had been let out two
hours early, therefore the two had the entire afternoon to do whatever they wanted. They decided to spend the
afternoon in their favorite place, a forest grove outside of Scatterhaven.
They would soon wish that school hadn't been let out.
All around the village, Zakus were being set up. The DD had been using camuflage netting to avoid being detected by
both the residents and the Exalon.
Rashad and Mileena, along with the Base Commander, used some buinoculars to scout the area. Rashad tensed when he
saw Koshiro and Paiyako, talking underneath a tree. "That's them! It's those kids who sent us in the wrong
direction earlier."
"Are they Federation spies?" Mileena asked. "They look so young."
"No," the Commander replied. "Most likely they just wanted to protect their village. No reason to make an enemy of them
yet."
A soldier came up to them. "Commander, sir, our scouts are reporting something big heading this way."
"Is it the Federation ship?"
"They're unsure, sir, but possibility is good."
"Don't move until we have confirmation that it IS the Federation ship."
"Yes, sir."
About ten minutes later, a loud hum filled the air. The AMEC forces looked up to see the Exalon cruise over at a low altitude.
"That's it," Rashad identified.
Mileena fumed. "They're the ones who killed Naram!" She ran to her Zaku.
"Mileena, wait!" Rashad called back.
"Stop it, that's an order!" The Commander threw in. But it was too late. Mileena was already powering up her Zaku.
The Zaku took out its Heat Hawk axe and charged the Exalon.
"Blast her," Rashad muttered. "I knew it was mistake bringing her on this mission."
"Nothing we can do about it right now," the Commander said. He took out a flare gun and shot a beam of light into the air.
All around the village, Zakus began popping up all over the place.
Mileena's Zaku rushed forward. A cannon on the Exalon came out of its bay and fired. Mileena dodged to the left then
dodged back. The cannon kept firing but Mileena kept dodging.
"This is for you, Naram!" She cried. She swung her axe down, destroying the cannon.
On the bridge, Shinji called out, "Cannon 14 has been destroyed."
"Sensors are picking up Zakus all around us!" Tasha reported.
"It was a trap," Lucas realized. "They must've known we would return and layed in waiting for us. Deploy all weapons! Do
we have any Core Fighters?"
"Sir, we have one but it's mostly designed for transporting," Lee informed.
"Not good enough. Deploy all weapons!"
The Exalon returned fire.
"We have to take their attention away from Mileena," the Commander said as he and Rashad fired their Zaku's guns.
Meanwhile, Koshiro and Paiyako were trying to hide behind a tree. It was unsuccessful as the tree didn't provide much
cover for the two teenagers.
"Koshiro, why are they attacking here?" Paiyako asked.
"I don't know, but I don't want to find out, let's get out of here!" The two turned to leave when a stray shot from one of
the Exalon's deployed cannons destroyed an entire city street. Another stray shot from a Zaku destroyed a building.
Fire began engulfing the whole town. You could hear the screams easily.
"NO!" Paiyako tried to run back into the town but Koshiro held her back.
"Paiyako, don't go," he pleaded. "You'll be killed."
"No! All my family, my friends!"
Koshiro was behind her and he reached out and emcompassed her body in a bear hug. He laid his head on her shoulder.
"I don't want you to die," he told her. "I lost too many people, I don't want to lose you too."
Paiyako stiffened, but not because of his words, but rather because of the tear that fell from his eyes down his cheek
and onto her sweater.
Paiyako turned and faced him, a sad smile on her face. "Koshiro..."
The moment was interrupted by heavy bombardment. Koshiro instinctively pulled Paiyako close. She allowed him.
On the bridge of the Exalon, Commander Lucas grunted as the ship was hit with another barrage.
"Sir, over 83% of our weapons have been destroyed," Shinji reported.
"Looks like we have no choice. Muro, take off!"
"But sir, what about the Zakus?" Lee asked.
"He who turns and runs away lives to fight another day, Lee," Lucas recited.
"Sir, there might be another way," Henry argued. "If we turn our engine on at full capacity, the jet fire let out by the
engine might be enough to destroy them, or at least scatter them enabeling us to take off. What do we have to lose?"
"At this point, nothing. Do it, Henry!"
Outside, the engine began powering up. As predicted, the exhaust fire destroyed a couple of Zakus and caused the rest
to scramble for cover.
"Oh no you don't," Mileena cried. "You're not getting away this time!" Mileena fired her jets which thrust her up to
the top of one of the launching bays. She was eye-to-eye with the bridge.
"Close the blast shields!" Lucas commanded. All along the windows of the bridge, metal shields slid into place.
"Muro, Tasha, Victor, switch to virtual guidance!" Lucas reached under his seat and took out a pair of sun glasses
with a wire attached to them. When he put them on, he was treated to a view of the outside of the ship courtesy of
special cameras. As Lucas turned his head, the camera turned too so it was almost as if he was outside the ship.
"Helm, rotate ninety degrees starboard." As the ship turned, the exploding engine decimated some more Zakus.
Mileena kept pounding at the blast screen. "Damn you, Feddies! DAMN YOU!"
"Wow, you've got to admit, they're resilient," Victor commented.
"How about a little encouragement for our side," Lee called out.
Outside, Koshiro looked from Mileena's Zaku, to the Exalon, to the other Zakus. Something triggered in him, an
understanding. Suddenly he knew what was going on, why Mileena was so diligently assaulting the Exalon, why the Exalon
returned to Scatterhaven, why the Zakus were lying in ambush. It was like God showed everything to him.
"Paiyako, I want you to run away from here."
"What?"
"Run away, please. The battle is going to escalate. The entire countryside is going to be destroyed. It's best if you
run and don't look back."
"But what about you?"
"I'll be right behind you. Now go!"
Paiyako quickly hugged Koshiro then took off. Koshiro smiled, seeing his friend heading towards the road that lead over
the mountains. He turned to the Zaku. Picking up a rock, he threw it with all his might towards Mileena's Zaku.
Incredibly, it made a dent in the armor. Mileena's cyclo-eye swirled to face Koshiro.
"Over here, you giant tin can!" Koshiro called out waving his arms. "Come on, come and get me, you bucket of bolts!"
Mileena's temper flared. "Nobody comes between me and my revenge!"
Koshiro continued his taunting unaware that Mileena could hear him. "I've seen tricycles with better movement than that
rust bucket! You might as well join the Federation because you sure aren't going to make a good enemy of them!"
That was the last straw. Mileena leaped off of the Exalon and rushed towards Koshiro.
"Mileena, get back here and attack the Pegasus-class," the Base Commander ordered.
"I would never join the Federation, they are my sworn enemy!" Mileena took her machine gun and fired a stream of bullets.
Koshiro rolled to the left. When Mileena swung her gun to take aim again, he dove right between the legs and doubled
back towards the Exalon. It took Mileena a moment to realize the human was gone and turned around.
{Man, that pilot's slow,} Koshiro thought. {Or it takes longer for the robot to react than the pilot.}
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The Exalon bridge crew (those with virtual guidance glasses anyway) saw this escapade.
"Is that kid crazy?" Muro asked. "Taking on a Zaku like that."
"Sometimes crazy works," Commander Lucas commented with a smile.
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Koshiro thought his plan was coming together when one of the Zakus called out "Mileena!"
"Don't you dare try to stop me!" Mileena shouted at it.
"I don't want to," the Zaku came back. "But you might want to use this." The Zaku tossed Mileena's Zaku a small orb.
"It makes more destruction."
"Uh-oh, that doesn't look good," Koshiro muttered.
Commander Lucas, if he could hear Koshiro, would agree with him. "A Particle Detonator! Lee, take our Transport Core
Fighter and pick that kid up!"
"But why?" Lee asked.
"That kid got that Zaku off of us. I don't want his action to be in vain or not returned. Besides, we should show the
civilian populace why we're different from the Desert Dictator army."
Lee gave him a smile. "I thought you said we weren't here to win a popularity contest."
"We're not, but scoring some browney points never hurt."
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Paiyako ran until she was near the mountain. She dropped to her hands and knees, out of breath. She looked back.
Scatterhaven was still in flames. The Exalon hovered near it. Zakus were pouring bullets into it like they were going
out of style. It was beautiful in a horrible way.
"Come on, Koshiro, where are you?" Paiyako strained her eyes and thought she could see Koshiro, or at least his shadow.
Suddenly the robot that was chasing him tossed something in the direction of the Exalon. Suddenly the early afternoon
sky lite up with fire. Paiyako covered her eyes.
{Oh my God, was Koshiro caught in that blast?} she thought.
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A wall of fire came rushing at Koshiro. He quickly threw himself to the ground. To his surprise, the fire passed over him.
"Hey, kid, get up," a voice called to him. He looked up to see a red and blue plane landing right next to him. The
cockpit hatch opened and a figure wearing a flight helmet looked out at him. The outline of the figure suggested it
was female, but any other features were obscured by the helmet. "Come on, get on. They'll be throwing another particle
detonator soon and this time they won't miss."
Koshiro saw the Zaku getting ready to throw another round sphere, probably the particle detonator the pilot was talking
about. He really didn't want to get caught up in the war between the Earth Federation and the Zakus but at that moment,
he realized he didn't have much of a choice. He climbed into the seat behind the pilot.
"Core Fighter to Exalon," the pilot called out. "I have him, returning to the ship." Koshiro couldn't hear what the
reply was, the communication link must've been inside her helmet. "Roger, understood, will contact you again in ten
minutes." She began to power up the Core Fighter.
Koshiro almost paniced when he discovered that they were angling in a direction away from the ship.
"What are you doing?" He asked. "The ship's back that way."
"If we enter the ship while the Zakus are firing at it, they could seriously dammage it. We're going to split up and meet
up with them in a few minutes, assuming the Zakus don't follow us." Koshiro accepted the pilot's explanation even though
he didn't like it.
But the Base Commander saw them leaving. "Mileena, you and half of Company A come with me. We're going after that plane."
"No, I want the destruction of the Feddy ship!" Mileena cried.
"Mileena, that's an order. Either come with me or I will shoot you right here and now and think nothing of it!"
Mileena could see that there was no escape. "Yes, sir," she agreed bitterly.
Wings popped out from the backpacks on several Zakus. They began lifting into the air.
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Lee saw them coming from her rear viewer. "Oh fantastic, the Commander didn't tell me about this."
Koshiro saw the same thing. "You mean those things can FLY too?!"
"Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are. Hang on." Lee hit the afterburners and the Core Fighter headed Northeast
with the Zakus in hot pursuit.
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The Zakus force the Core Fighter down by a huge mountain. Once down, Koshiro and Lee take cover in a cave which they
discover to be more than what it appears to be: an ancient facility. And what it stores will shock all.
Next episode: The Facility.
A cave that will change everything.