Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam

The Flame's First Light

By Ben Knight

"Hail Zeon!" Garma Zabi shouted to his inspired army. "Hail Zeon!" The army echoed back, as if the embodiment of Zeon were in those words. One soldier in this army stood out from the others, his name was Alexander Maxwell. He had shown exceptional skill in his earlier battles, and it was this skill that got him a position in the mobile suit corps. "Today is the day that we, the people of Zeon strike back at the Federation. Their continued attempts to oppress us have gone too far. For only so long will we sit back and allow this tyranny to continue! My people rise and take back what is yours! HAIL ZEON!" The army was buzzing with cheers and chatter. Alexander, other than saluting his superior officer Garma, made no sound as he quietly walked out to his mobile suit. It was the newest model, a Zaku II. Of course it had been tuned to his paint scheme of dark grey. Alexander jumped up, with the help of zero gravity, to his suit's cockpit to run simulations.

"Ensign Alexander Maxwell your suit's repairs have been finished, please report to the hanger and prepare to engage the enemy." The intercom boomed. It had been an hour since he finished his simulations. Alexander sighed and put down his food. "It's always when I'm eating isn't it?" Alexander went into his room and changed into his space suit. He arrived at the hanger just in time to see his teammates, Nick and John boarding their Zaku I suits. He turned to his technician "And you made sure the ammo has been loaded and the heat hawk has been fine-tuned?" The tech nodded and smiled "Yes sir, in fact your heat hawk has been modified for enhanced performance, orders from Garma." Alexander looked up at the technician. "You're serious? If you'd be so kind as to send him my gratitude it would be much appreciated" Alexander got into the cockpit of his suit and hooked the suit onto the catapult. "How has the battle been going so far Nick?" Alexander asked his partner. "Very well, I even have heard that a pilot in a red Zaku II took out FIVE battleship single-handedly. They are calling him 'the Red Comet'!" Alexander would have responded but his suit was launched into the battle before he could.

"Damn, they could have told me they were launching my suit. Anyway Nick, John, I want you to take my wing and give me cover fire, I'm going after that Feddie fighter over there." Alexander sped towards the a lone PUBLIC unit and twisted under it. "Gotcha you damn Feddie!" Alexander fired his machine gun into the fighter's belly and boosted off, only seconds later hearing the sound of an explosion nearby. "These weak PUBLIC units are easy picking for this mobile suit." He looked up and spotted another fighter. Alexander pulled hard on the controls; his Zaku II jetted upwards and rammed its shoulder spike directly into the cockpit of a federation fighter. Alexander surveyed the battlefield, checking for any weaknesses in the defense line. "They are so predictable." Alexander muttered to himself. He turned and spotted a Salamis type cruiser. Alexander's wingmen were preoccupied so he couldn't execute a plan at the moment. "Damn, oh well here goes!" his Zaku II boosted toward the ship, Alexander pulled out his heat hawk and flew under the belly of the ship.

The heat hawk gave off a loud hissing noise as it sliced through the ship's underbelly. Alexander flew back under the ship again and this time he pulled out his machine gun. He aimed at the exposed wires and fuel tanks of the damaged ship and fired. Alexander boosted away from the ship as it burst into a brilliant light. Alexander smiled at his victory, just then he heard: "I've never seen anyone fight with such pure intensity before!" Alexander turned to see where the transmission came from, he saw a Federation fighter in his path. "He's like the fire of Zeon itself!"

Alexander paused, and then smiled. "The Fire of Zeon", I like that." He said to the pilot. "I think I'll spare you for this." The Zeon boosted towards the fighter and sliced off one of its wings and damaged the nose. "Consider it my thanks…" He flew away from the immobilized fighter and continued in the battle. Suddenly he felt a sensation in the back of his head, a feeling that he should move, that there was someone behind him. Alexander turned and saw another Salamis cruiser firing directly at him; he dodged the shots and flew in for the kill. He used the heat hawk to destroy some of the guns and charged towards the bridge of the ship. He pulled out his machine gun and fired into the bridge. The glass shattered and Alexander thought he heard the faint sound of screams. The bridge exploded and the ship drifted on. Alexander wondered what that sensation was, but shook the feeling and flew off into the lights of the battle.

The suit twisted and turned, slicing its way through ship after ship. He was about to destroy another PUBLIC fighter when he felt the sensation again. "What is this feeling?" he thought to himself. Alexander acted on it and boosted back, just in time to avoid a beam shooting right past him. Alexander was dumbstruck, the beam was too small to be from a cruiser, but too big to be from a public unit. He turned and saw something he never expected to see ever, it was a mobile suit, with a federation insignia on its shield. "How the hell?" It was the only one there, yet it hadn't been shot down yet. IT was obviously a proto-type from the looks of it. Alexander boosted forward and raised his heat hawk to permanently decommission the Federation prototype. The prototype looked over and got into an offensive position, it had obviously spotted him. The prototype swung its saber horizontally attempting to cut the Zaku II in half at the waist. Alexander had the feeling again and boosted upward, flipping over the prototype and turning to face its back. The prototype moved quickly and block the heat hawk with the beam saber. "This guy isn't half bad, but he is leaving himself wide open!" Alexander ducked and pulled his heat hawk away, the lack of support caused the prototype to fall forward, off balance. He wheeled around and brought down his beam saber into the prototypes back. The prototype sparked and flailed for a bit then went limp. Alexander kicked off of the destroyed prototype just before it exploded.

"This is an incoming transmission to all Zeon forces, the pilots known as 'The Black Tri-Stars' have successfully captured the Federal Forces General Revil. Victory is ours! Please return to your ships. We don't want to ruin our negotiations now do we?" Alexander laughed as he heard the last part of the announcement. "Excellent, Zeon has won the Battle of Loum, it is a great day to be a Zeon." John boosted up to Alexander "Don't you mean it's a great day to be 'The Fire of Zeon?'" Alexander smiled "I think I'm going to keep that name, I hope that Feddie pilot who gave it to me lived, I'd hate to have gone back on my word…" Alexander Maxwell defeated over 100 enemy units in the Battle of Loum. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and sent to earth to aid the Zeon forces located there. He was also given a new suit, the newest model MS-07B Gouf. Alexander customized it be more than twice as effective as a normal unit. It was now the MS-07BAM Gouf (Alexander Maxwell Custom). Ever since the battle of Loum the name "Fire of Zeon" would live on in honor, even after the wars end.

Constructive Cristicism Please