[MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: STARBORNE ASCENDANCE]
Date Started: 2021-09-25 A.D. | Date Finished: 2021-10-01 A.D. | Date Last Edited: 2021-12-08 A.D.
A/N: This is something that I have been planning for quite some time. Long before I was a big fan of Doom, I was a HUGE fan of the mecha genre. I remember a localized dub of robot shows like Transformers (I started with Beast Machines, and I know how that is received by folks of the Transformers fandom) and mecha shows like Voltes V (I remember watching that a lot), Mazinger Z and, most importantly, Mobile Suit Gundam (I wasn't able to watch the original 1979 show back then but I was able to watch the English dub of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 on Toonami back in like 2012 or so).
So, after finding an anime streaming site I can reliably watch without getting cockblocked/blueballed by ads, I started watching the other entries of the Gundam metaverse as well. From the OG series to the wackier entries such as Mobile Fighter G Gundam and Gundam Build Fighters/Divers, I was able to brush up on the various settings and technologies that show up.
And during sometime by 2017/2018, I started getting into the Warhammer setting (thanks to If The Emperor Had A Text-To-Speech Device or TTS by the talented Bruva Alfabusa and his friends) and similar tabletop wargame settings such as BattleTech (MechWarrior for non-tabletop fans such as myself). Both settings will serve as prime crossover (ish) material for this fanfiction of mine, specifically the scale of both settings compared to Gundam's own scale (I don't think I've seen any of the canon Gundam entries go beyond Jupiter apart from the home planet of the ELS from the Gundam 00 film A Wakening of Trailblazer and even then I'm not even sure how far it was from Earth before it got destroyed or rendered inhospitable by a supernova or something).
So how does this all correlate to one another? Well, I'm starting my own homebrew Mobile Suit Gundam setting! It is like Gundam 00, especially the dating system being Anno Domini like IRL and in 00 but is ultimately its own thing at the end of the day.
It's mostly going to be a Soft Science Fiction setting as I am a bloody idiot and science is not my strong suit, but I'll try to keep the Mobile Suits and mobile armors close to the Real Robot genre as I can while trying to avoid blatant Super Robot shenanigans, especially when it comes to ground/planetary/atmospheric warfare where gravity adds weight to everything.
Well, enough rambling, let us get started! Welcome to Mobile Suit Gundam: Starborne Ascendance!
[Chapter 00: The Scattering]
[2440 A.D. | June 04th]
[Luna | Sector 40-K | Laboratory Complex Alpha-Prime 40, Hallways | Sol System Federation | First Sphere, Core System]
"This was not good," Azka thought as he dashed through the shaking hallways. All around him, his enhanced ears can pick up the sounds of gunfire and explosions.
The Federation had sent in their black hounds at them.
He growled lowly as he fired his pistol behind him, not even bothering to look back to see where his pursuers are. The shots either missed or had hit something, judging by the screams of pain that came as the bullets slammed into them.
They fired back, of course, but the shots missed due to the poor lighting that came because of the laboratory complex being hit by so many goddamned missiles and ship cannon shells. Another volley of either slammed into the complex, causing the halls to quake violently and throw so many of those within its walls off balance.
The debris around him were suspended midair as he flew through the halls.
"The arti-grav system's out," he noted. "I need to find Atham, and fast." Spurned on to find his friend and brother in arms, Azka pushed off the walls to boost/maintain his momentum as he traverses the halls leading to the sector of the complex that he knows that Atham was last in.
He cursed as a few bullets came close to him, making him fly for cover as more of the Federation's black ops squads have arrived.
He ejected the magazine of his looted pistol. A few rounds of 12.7mmX40mm Federation PDW left, he'll have to make it count. He had a few more mags in his pants once the current one goes dry.
Slamming the mag in, he slightly angles himself out of cover and takes potshots at his adversaries. Without the pseudo-Earth gravity to weigh down the bullets, their speed and momentum was greater than before and slammed into a black ops soldier dead in the chest, piercing the armor and exploding out the back.
The rest of his buddies fired at him, some moving in to flank him through the other halls. He looked around him and saw that, rather conveniently, there was a ventilation shaft above him.
Handy, he'll use it once these blackies are dead. Picking up the sounds of the flankers, he turns to aim his pistol and fires just as the first two blackies emerged from the corner, one losing their head and the other being shot right through the lung.
Two more emerged, one throwing a flashbang at him. Cursing, he pushes away from his cover and away from the blast zone of the concussive grenade. Once it went off, he flies back and fires the rest of the mag, the last two shots nailing the two blackies.
The pistol locked back empty, prompting him to load in a new magazine. He pulls back the charging handle mounted on the side and just like that, he was back in action with twenty new rounds of 12.7mm Fed-PDW.
He jumps out of cover, landing on both feet at the wall and pushes off to launch himself at the blackies, firing his pistol wildly at them. They were surprised at the brazen attack that by the time some fired off a shot, the rest of the squad was dead.
The remaining squad members landed multiple hits on him, most of the rounds hitting him in the torso and one shot going straight through his right eye and out the back of his skull.
His corpse passed them by before crumbling into a heap by another wall.
"Check it out," one of them told the closest soldier. Cautiously, he approached the body.
"Careful, you never know what sort of tricks these types of Higas are capable of," the de-facto leader of the surviving members said.
Inspecting the body, the soldier placed two fingers at the corpse's neck. He shook his head and turned to his squad mates.
"He's dead."
To their collective surprise, a fist punched straight through the man's chest, in its grasp was a Federation colored Blackburn Interstellar Corporation M90 Personal Defense Weapon.
From behind their now-dead teammate, Azka fired his PDW at the remaining blackies. They dropped dead before any could fire back. With the blackies dead, Azka ripped out his fist from his unwitting meatshield and headed to where the vent shaft was.
"Goddammit," he cursed as the socket where his right eye was busy regenerating. No matter how many times this has happened, it was still a massive pain to deal with, especially since the blow was so close to his brain.
Pushing through the pain, he leapt high, aided by the lack of artificial gravity that mimicked Earth's gravity, and reached the ventilation shaft. Ripping the grills out of their sockets, Azka begins to travel in the direction that will lead him to Atham.
[Luna Laboratory Complex Alpha-Prime 40, Laboratory Sector AP-0010 'The Ascendancy' | Sol System Federation | First Sphere, Core System]
He had to do it. He had no choice. They forced his hand.
Doctor Atham looked at the empty incubation pod containers, their charges long jettisoned into the cold darkness of space.
"They'll be safe, I know it." He told himself this, even as uncertainty coldly gripped his heart.
Even as the Federation black ships bombarded the complex, he still remained rooted to his spot. In the corner of his eye, he can see the one remaining computer that was functioning displaying a projection of their predicted courses and when they are predicted to arrive.
It seems that a majority of them will arrive at the Third Sphere of Influence portions of the Federation's galactic territory while the rest would land in the Peripheral Colonies or in the territories of the rising Coalition of Independent Star Systems, and some would land in the Second Sphere of Influence.
Good, he thought to himself. At least his children will be safe. The Second and Third Spheres aren't as controlling as the First Sphere. They won't be as radicalized by the First Sphere's extremist dogma.
Especially under the hands of the Wyrdstone Clan.
He gritted his teeth at the thought of that particular family of elites within the Core System's political stage.
The same ones who have sent the Federation forces currently cracking down on this very complex.
"Atham!" He heard someone call for him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw one of those that still remained with him throughout all of this rushing towards his location.
Malcolm Hint, another Higa just like him, looking as haggard and stressed as Atham. He was an average looking fellow clad in the standard laboratory coat like Atham, he stood at the height of 1.82 meters, with his chocolate brown hair in disarray to give off the look of a mad scientist to go along with his usually vibrant chocolate brown eyes and his light tanned skin, he cuts a charming figure in his own right.
"Atham! We need to go!" Malcolm shook him by the shoulder as he reached him. "This place is falling apart! We'll be crushed by debris if we stay here!"
"Alright," Atham spoke, facing Malcolm as the room around them shook. "But if we perish here, then I have already done what I could… My progeny will carry on what I've started."
"No, they won't," another voice spoke up, followed by one of the ventilation grills being violently kicked off its sockets and sent crashing onto the floor.
The speaker dropped down a good distance away from the front of Atham.
He was large, at over 2.10 meters in height, with an unsettling greyish-white skin. Compared to Malcolm's youthful face, the newcomer had a face forged and hardened by battle. His athletic build was framed by the form fitting t-shirt and military cargo pants he is currently wearing. His hair was kept extremely short, like a crew cut style. His left silver eye stared deep into Atham's golden eyes, the right one in the process of reforming.
Azka Laierro looked upon his brother in arms. He glanced to the state of the laboratory and cursed underneath his breath.
"Not without your guidance, at least," he finished. He looked around the room, seeing the state that it was in. It was a mix of a miracle and foresight engineering that the room was built deep into Luna's surface as to not be compromised quickly when breached.
"So… they struck this place, too." He glanced to the pods only to find them completely empty.
"Where are they?"
"Gone," Atham replied, voice grim as they headed to the doorway. "I had no choice. They forced my hand."
"Dammit," Azka growled lowly. "Who sold us out?"
"Eva," Atham answered him as they passed through the doorway and into the large halls of the laboratory complex. "She sold us out to the Wyrdstones." Azka slammed a fist into one of the already broken terminals, shattering it further.
"Where's she? I have a few words I wanna share with her…"
"She's long gone, probably on a transport ship to the Wyrdstone Clan as we speak. Olivia went after her, but I doubt that she alone could apprehend, let alone kill Eva." Azka did not like that answer. He turned to Malcolm.
"Are the hangars still operational?"
"They've not managed to destroy them yet, miraculously," Malcolm told him. "But that might change. I'm guessing you'll fight them off with the Silver Daemon?"
"Nah," Azka said, looking to the monitors that displayed the Federation Black Ops ships bombarding the complex.
"I'll annihilate them." His words held no room for argument, Malcolm and Atham noted.
"It's a tough job," Malcolm stated.
"Maybe, but we Higa-IIs were meant to fight the toughest shit the galaxy throws at us," Azka fired back.
"Even so…" Malcolm began but stopped whatever he was going to say. He sighed in resignation and nodded to Azka.
"Make them pay for setting us all back," Azka nodded back to Malcolm. Before he could go to the hangars, he looked to Atham.
"Hey," he began. "They're still out there, yeah?" Atham nodded.
"Based on that computer's projections," he pointed to the sole terminal that was barely operating. "Most of them will land in the Third Sphere portion of the Federation's territory, and some will land in either the Peripherals, the up-and-coming Coalition, or the Second Sphere."
"Then once this is over with, we can go and grab them," Azka responded. He was not one for grand speeches, so he kept his words short.
"Right now, let's focus on getting out of here alive. Let's not give Eva and the Wyrdstones the satisfaction of killing us easily."
"Not even a rousing speech to give?"
"Not built for that," Azka responded to Malcolm's lighthearted jab, a small smile on his face. All the while, the bombardment from the Federation continued and showed no signs of stopping.
As they left, Atham looked back at the remnants of the laboratory. This was once a place of discovery and innovation. Now it serves as a tomb for many, regardless of what side they were on.
All he wanted to do was help advance mankind through technology and genetics. And he was stabbed in the back for it.
He turned to face the door that will lead them directly to the hangars and the control tower to coordinate the upcoming fight.
"Malcolm, head for the control tower. Azka and I will start up the Silver Daemon and the Golden Angel." Atham told his friend, who nodded in confirmation.
"Good luck, you two."
"Tell that to the Feddies up top," Azka spoke up as the three Higa-IIs headed for the Panopticon Hangars.
They travelled through the barely lit-up hallway that leads to the hangars, the three silent as the dead. On their minds were the thoughts of surviving this onslaught and killing as many Federation troops as possible.
"Looks like the transports between sectors are still operating," Malcolm spoke up suddenly, pointing to one of the tram cars that helped transport supplies and personnel throughout the complex.
"Good," Atham said. "We can reach the Panopticon Hangars faster using this."
An explosion nearby rocked the hall greatly, making it shake and send some debris up. Luckily, the arti-grav systems were out, meaning that they weren't as disorientated as they should be.
"Inside, now!" Azka did not need to tell them, yet he felt like he had to. A force of habit, he supposed. They forced their way inside of the still-functioning tram car and Malcolm inputted the sector code for the Panopticon Hangars.
They reached the Panopticon Hangars soon enough. Due to the sudden attack, no many were able to mobilize. Not even the security forces stationed in this laboratory were able to reach their Mobile Suits in time.
Around them lie the remnants of MBT-04-01 Phantom Main Battle Transformable Mobile Suits. Some of them were still intact, resembling humanoid figures like most Mobile Suits across Human-Occupied Galactic Space, 20.0 meters in height, with fixed swept-back wings. Their skull-like head modules gave them their name 'Phantom'.
Many of the Phantoms were destroyed or were in the middle of maintenance when the attack had started. Those that were fully maintained were already leaving their hangars and into the fighting above, intent on fending off the Federation ships blasting the complex, their home, to bits.
"I'll head for the control tower," Malcolm stated, already headed for the structure in the center of the Panopticon Hangar and not giving them any chance to object though neither of the two Higa-IIs saw any need to do so. "You guys get to your Mobile Suits and fight off the Feds!"
Azka and Atham nodded and looked to where their Mobile Suits were stored. They headed their separate ways, ascending a few floors as they headed to their Suits.
Atham had reached his suit first.
"Hello, old friend," he greeted the suit, a small smile on his face. The Luna Labs Aurum Mobile Suit Combat Dominance Experimental Model 11 Series 19 'Golden Angel' Custom, simply known as the Golden Angel, impassively stared back at him with deactivated eyes.
Just like most Mobile Suits, it was a bipedal humanoid, standing at well over 20.0 meters in height. Its torso was slightly wider than most Mobile Suits, to provide ample room for the angelic 'wings' that are on its back. On its thighs were two melee weapons, High-Frequency Longswords to be exact, deactivated just like the rest of the Mobile Suit. On each of its arms were twin Beam Machine Guns, designed for close-quarters (by Mobile Weapon standards) combat. Its head was shaped after the Japanese kabuto helmets used by the samurai, with its distinct V-Fin on the forehead area. Its two eye sockets were covered by a specialized pane of silver glass.
On its back were two Solarii-Particle Drives, powering up and synchronizing with one another to maximize energy output and efficiency.
Living up to its name, it was primarily colored bright metallic gold with secondary colors being pure white for the under-armor areas, the 'feathers' for the 'wings', and for the Mobile Suit's frame. Of course, due to the lighting and the attack by the Federation's ships, the color has somewhat dulled, and the overall look of the Mobile Suit was with scratches and similar superficial damages.
The overall appearance of the Golden Angel could be best described as an angular and graceful humanoid angel.
Atham quickly changed from his laboratory coat and into the specialized suit that all Mobile Weapon operators use to keep their bodies as stable and secure as possible while piloting these fearsome titans of war. Much like the Mobile Suit, the colors of his pilot suit were gold with white trims.
Donning on the pressurized helmet, Atham quickly got in the Golden Angel via the top-mounted hatch on its upper torso.
Going through the process of activating the Mobile Suit, Atham was satisfied when the operating system booted up as it should.
The Golden Angel's eyes flashed bright white before lowering down to a more stable level.
This titanic weapon of war was ready to take to the battlefield once again.
"Good, nothing out of place nor was anything significantly damaged," he noted internally. He looked up, the Golden Angel's head module also looking upwards, to see the Panopticon Hangar's roof was wide open. This was both good and bad. Good because he and Azka can fly out of the Hangar easily. Bad because the Federation can send in their troops and ordnance down the opening and wipe them out.
"Come in, Atham. Can you read me?" Malcolm's voice crackled through the comms system of the Mobile Suit.
"I hear you, Mal," Atham responded. "Sortieing out now."
"Roger that. Looks like your column's clear, Atham. Whenever you're ready," Malcolm said. Atham moved the Golden Angel to an appropriate and wide enough area for what he is about to do.
"Golden Angel, Atham Argenteus Aurum, Flying Out!" The Golden Angel's wings suddenly spread out; the boosters built into some of the larger 'feathers' going in at maximum takeoff power. The boosters in the Mobile Suit's lower legs/calves portion also did their part.
In a few seconds, the Golden Angel was soaring out, shooting past the open roof like a bright comet blazing through the cosmic skies of the universe.
"Where's Azka?"
"He's still prepping," Malcolm informed Atham. "Focus on the Feds for now. I'm sending you whatever battle data I could recover."
Within a few seconds, the recovered data was sent to the Golden Angel's OS, Atham looking over it and assesses the belligerents.
"Well, this is just plain overkill," he mentally noted. "Forty light cruisers, ten heavy cruisers, five carriers, and two battleships. Just what the hell did Eva tell the Federation to have them bring this much force against me?!"
On one of the battleships, the personnel operating the radars reported their findings.
"Sir, we've spotted another Mobile Suit heading out of the enemy's hangar."
"Put up the image on the screen," the captain ordered. Complying, the radar operator brought up the image of the approaching Mobile Suit on the main screen of the bridge. What they saw stunned the crew on the bridge.
"What in the world is that?" the captain wondered out loud the thoughts of everyone on the bridge. By now, the rest of the Federation ships present were also looking at the newly emerged Mobile Suit.
He noticed something etched into the silver upside-down pentagon. A word, it seems.
"Gun… Dam?" he read it in his mind, confused as to what the word meant. An experimental prototype, most likely.
From the way it appeared and the way the golden coloring reflected off the rays of the sun coming over the far side of the moon, it looked rather radiant.
It was like looking at a golden angel, coming forth from Heaven to greet the faithful flocks of God.
"It seems that our intel was correct," one of the higher-ranked officers noted to the captain. "Doctor Atham really is making experimental Mobile Suits without proper authorization from Federation High Command."
"Indeed," he replied. "And we have been ordered to crush it to dust!"
"Sir!" another officer called out. "There's another Mobile Suit coming from the same hangar!"
"Give us a clear feed!" The image went up, the two feeds side by side now.
"Good God…" the ship's captain breathed out.
Where the first Mobile Suit was angelic and clearly mirrored after a beautiful human's image, the second one was its thematic opposite.
Where the first was golden like the rays of the sun, this one was silver like the full moon. Where the first one's wings were like the angels of religion, this one's wings were pragmatic in appearance. Where the first one approached them slowly and gracefully…
The second one shot straight for them, like a demon that broke through the gates of Hell. Its form was not humanoid, instead appearing like a massive fighter jet.
"Shit! Forward batteries, fire upon that approaching Mobile Suit!"
The battleship's forward batteries did that, firing their macro-laser cannons and missile batteries at the fast-approaching Suit.
Just when the missiles and macro-lasers were about to hit, the fighter jet rolled hard to the right, letting the macro-lasers harmlessly sail past it and slice into the Moon's surface while the missiles overshot their intended target.
In retaliation, the gun mounted underneath the nose portion fired a burst, sending off none other than…
"RAILGUN ROUNDS?! SHIT! EVADE!" the cry was too late as the burst of railgun fire sliced through the bridge, killing the crew stationed there and rendering one of the battleships immobile.
And on Atham's comms, he heard his brother's voice.
"Silver Daemon, Azka Laierro, Destroying Hostiles!" With that roar of declaration, Azka's Silver Daemon commenced the slaughter.
The Silver Daemon transformed from its fighter jet form to its mobile suit form, Hyper-Burst Assault Railgun in one hand and a solid metal Anti-Ship Buster Sword in the other.
As the rest of the Federation fleet scrambled to deal with the two Mobile Suits, Malcolm Hint observed the battle from his spot in the control tower.
"Good luck, guys," he spoke through the comms. "Strike them down!"
"Roger!"
Azka had reached his Mobile Suit just as Atham had sortied his out of the Hangar. Where Atham greeted his Golden Angel like one would an old and intimate friend, Azka spoke nothing as he gazed at his Mobile Suit.
The Blackburn Interstellar Corporation Mobile Suit Combat Dominance Transformable Experimental Model 015 Series 031 'Silver Daemon' Gundam, or the Silver Daemon for short, was an imposing Mobile Suit, even when it is deactivated.
Much like the Golden Angel that served as its thematic counterpart, it was humanoid but there are key differences. Its hands, compared to the Golden Angel's very much humanlike hands, had sharp claws that, while still capable of grasping the Hyper-Burst Assault Railgun and the Anti-Ship Buster Sword currently holstered at the thighs, can easily rend anything it grips into pieces. The same can be said about its feet, where the Golden Angel's had graceful looking feet, the Silver Daemon's feet were clawed and beastlike in appearance and function.
On its back, between the folded wings, were multiple ammunition drums for the twin Burst Missile Guns. Compared to missile racks, missile guns use a singular barrel much like most missile launchers used by Mobile Suits to load and fire its payloads at targets. They were also shorter in stature, especially compared to the missile launchers, allowing it to be used in confined spaces (by Mobile Weapon standards) and can swivel easier as a result but this does sacrifice its range.
Its wings were also smaller and more in line with military equipment, currently folded backwards. On the rear skirt armor segment was a blade, pointing directly down. Two binders were also on the rear skirt armor, housing the extra boosters and thrusters for when it is in Fighter Jet mode and even provides powerful boosts of speed in Mobile Suit mode.
Its head was also different. For one, it had four eyes instead of simply two eyes. Where the V-Fins were in the forehead was a singular horn.
Compared to the Golden Angel's height of 20.0 meters, the Silver Daemon stood at the height of 25.0 meters.
Much like the Golden Angel, it too had twin Solarii-Particle Drives on its back, close together and safely stored within a backpack-like module.
Changing into his pilot suit, silver opposing Atham's gold, Azka hops in his Mobile Suit through the top-mounted hatch.
Once properly seated, he went through the process of starting up the fearsome titan of war. When the OS booted up and the Mobile Suit began to straighten up, Azka takes full control of the machine. He looked at the onboard systems and began assessing his machine.
"Operating System is fine, no signs of tampering. Mobile Suit Frame is intact, no significant damage outside of superficial scratches. Mobile Suit Armor integrity at full capacity, same state as the MS Frame. Weapon Systems are optimal, ammunition stores are filled up and structural integrity are all green. Hyper-Burst Assault Railgun fully loaded, one-hundred rounds of One-Two-Seven-millimeter-By-One-Five-Two-millimeter explosive core munitions loaded in the magazine and ten magazines in spare located in skirt armor segments. Anti-Ship Buster Sword integrity at One Hundred Percent, blade sharpness in similar state. Twin Burst Missile Guns are loaded, twenty-five missiles loaded in each gun and eight extra drums in reserve. Twin Solarii-Particle Drives synchronizing, power output at over One Hundred Fifty Percent." He assessed what he could. Once he was sure that the Silver Daemon is good enough to sortie, he moved the Mobile Suit to an appropriate area.
"You're good to go!" Malcolm told him as the Silver Daemon thundered to a wide enough area. Azka nodded before activating the boosters and thrusters of the Mobile Suit.
The Silver Daemon rose from the ground, aided by Luna's natural gravity weaker than Terra's and the engines of the Suit, and transformed into its Fighter Jet mode.
It accelerated and shot past the open roof into the battlefield above, its entrance noticed by all combatants.
Scanning the area, Azka spots the two battleships in the formation and makes a straight charge towards one of them. As expected, the weapons of the battleships and the surrounding cruisers both light and heavy fired at him. He paid them no heed, barreling towards the battleships.
It was only when the macro-lasers, missiles, and ballistic rounds came within 15 meters of the Mobile Suit did Azka make a move to dodge, the fighter jet rolling to the right and letting the projectiles sail harmlessly past him.
By now, he was within 10.0 kilometers away from one of the Federation battleships. Aiming the HBA-Railgun at its bridge, the Silver Daemon fired.
In a single trigger pull, the HBA-Railgun sent out a burst of 127mmX152mm ballistic rounds, further accelerated by its linear conductors, that slammed through the battleship's bridge, the sheer force behind each round sending shockwaves that are enough to kill grown men before the ballistic rounds themselves exploded violently, their explosive cores triggering a second after penetration and by now had gone past the bridge and towards the topmost thruster in the rear of the ship, dealing moderate damage from their cones of shrapnel.
The Silver Daemon swung its AS-Buster and aimed it at the Federation fleet.
Through the comms, its pilot bellowed its message.
"Silver Daemon, Azka Laierro, Destroying Hostiles!" The Silver Daemon boosted towards one of the nearby light cruisers, slamming its anti-ship buster sword into the starboard side, creating a large gouge in the cruiser, before firing its HBA-Railgun into the various magazines for the weapons systems on board, causing a chain reaction as the ammunition cooked one another and exploded, singing through the cruiser before exploding into two halves.
The Golden Angel sped up its approach, intent on supporting its twin.
"Twenty Mobile Suits approaching, bearing One-One-Zero!" Malcolm warned Atham. Sure enough, ten Solus Dynamics Main Battle Model 010 Series 01 Abrams Mobile Suits and ten Blackburn Interstellar Corporation Light Armor Transformable Model 014 Series 040 Tomcats were approaching, the former boosting through the rocky surface of Luna while the latter flew overhead.
The MB-010-01 Abrams were thickset humanoids thanks to the large pieces of segmented composite hex-armor covering its frame, especially when it comes to its torso and legs. Much like the late 20th century General Dynamics M1 Abrams 3rd Generation main battle tank that the Mobile Suits are named after, it is equipped with a high-powered cannon module although due to being a Mobile Suit the Abrams has two 360mmX720mm Main Battle Cannons mounted on their backs on a module moderately extending from the back, while high-capacity Spray Missile Pods are mounted on each side of their arms. They were slow in their approach especially when compared with the Tomcats.
The LAT-014-040 Tomcats, by contrast, were lean in build and lightweight thanks to the thinner armor plating on the frame. Like the mid-20th century Grumman F-14 Tomcat 4th Generation fighter aircraft that it is named after, its wings were folded back to reduce drag in the artificial atmosphere Luna now sports ever since its mass colonization back in the mid-22nd century. Compared to the Abrams, the Tomcats carried their twin 60mmX90mm Linear Sub-Machineguns in their hands. All ten Tomcats are in Fighter Jet mode, speeding towards the Silver Daemon.
"Redneck One, focus on the golden Suit. We'll take care of the silver Suit. Keep in mind the Solarii Particle Interference. Looks like these Suits have their own custom SP Drives."
"Roger that, Viper One. Redneck Squadron, carrying out bombardment orders!"
The Abrams fired their MB-Cannons at the Golden Angel. The first and second volleys missed the golden Mobile Suit by a wide margin, thanks to Atham's quick thinking, but the third and fourth volleys found their mark.
"Dammit," Atham cursed before dodging the following volleys and taking evasive maneuvers. Once he got close to one of the Abrams, the Golden Angel shot out with its twin swords. The blades cut into the armor of the Abrams, but the thick armor halted any momentum the blades had. Atham gritted his teeth before flicking a switch.
The edges of the blade suddenly heated up, allowing the Golden Angel to carve through the Abrams' armor.
"Shit! Someone get this fucker off me!" the pilot of the Abrams yelled out as the high-frequency swords sliced through the left arm and right leg of the Mobile Suit. With the limbs removed, the Golden Angel fired its twin Beam-MGs at the torso, the Solarii-BW condensed particles punching through the thick composite hex-armor that protected the pilot.
Within a few seconds, the beams shot through, killing the pilot, as well as cooking up the ammunition in its external backpack.
The Golden Angel flew back a good distance, avoiding the other Abrams that fired either of their twin MB-Cannons or their SM-Pods at him, as his slain foe blew up.
"Dammit! Redneck Two, Four, and Six, flank him. The rest of us charge from the front." The leader of the Abrams squadron ordered.
"Roger that, boss!" Three Abrams boosted to the Golden Angel and were moving to flank it. Atham clicked his teeth before flying high up.
"Dammit, that's too high up and too fast for us to pursue!"
"Fire everything you've got, then! He can't dodge them all!"
Switching tactics, the Abrams spread out in pairs and fire their MB-Cannons or their SM-Pods at the fast-moving Golden Angel.
The Golden Angel dodged the projectiles and fired its Beam-MGs at the Abrams below. Some shots hit and grazed the heavyset Mobile Suits, and others do not, hitting the ground around them. The Abrams scattered, constantly on the move and firing their MB-Cannons and SM-Pods at the golden Suit in bids to hit it.
"Dammit, he's too fast!"
'Wait until he gets low enough and then fire!"
The Golden Angel switched to its HF-Longswords and flew towards one pair.
"Two, Four! He's coming in hot!"
"We see him!"
"Take this!" One of the Abrams fired its twin MB-Cannons, the shells sending out clouds of Anti-MS pellets at the Golden Angel.
To their surprise, the Golden Angel activated a field of condensed Solarii Particles.
"Fuck! He's got a CP Field!"
"That does it! I'm heading in!" One Abrams charged at the Golden Angel; fists raised to slam into the golden menace.
"Redneck Four, no!" The warning came too late as Redneck Four's Abrams slammed both fists into the Condensed Particle Field. The pilot grits his teeth and yells, pushing the forearms of his MS as far past the field as he can. Once the muzzles of the SM-Pods were through, he fired.
"Take this, yah sonuvabitch!" Missile upon missile launched forth from the pods, emptying into the Golden Angel. Clouds of smoke and shrapnel engulfed the golden Suit, covering it from view.
Silence blanketed over the Abrams squad.
"Did I… Did I get him?"
Redneck Four's question was answered by the Golden Angel's HF-Longsword barreling through the smoke cloud and punching through the torso and cockpit before vertically slicing the heavyset MS in half.
The Golden Angel bursts forth from the cloud, not giving the two nearby Abrams any time to react and slicing them horizontally in half as well with its twin blades.
"Dammit, fire everything at this bastard!" The remaining six Abrams Suits fired their MB-Cannons and SM-Pods at the rapidly moving Mobile Suit that claimed six of their own.
The Golden Angel bursts towards the next pair, firing its Beam-MGs individually at each of the two Abrams in its sights. They were also firing their SM-Pods and MB-Cannons at it to no avail as the golden Suit dodged each projectile. The beams sliced through the cockpits and even cooked the ammunition within the backpack module.
And now there were four left.
Atham wasted no time and flew towards the next pair, HF-Longswords at the ready. They spread out widely, firing at him from different sides. He aimed his arms at each of them, firing the Beam-MGs at them, leading his shots as they moved around. The shots did not cook the ammunition, but they did nail the cockpits, rendering them no factor in this fight.
Last two.
The Beam-MGs were low and needed to recharge via the Solarii-Particle Drives, so the HF-Longswords have the spotlight now. He boosted towards one, the pilot of the enemy Suit having no time to react as the Golden Angel slashed through the cockpit.
Turning his attention to the last one, he flew high up into the air.
"Bastard! You'll pay for that!" The last Abrams fired the rest of its ammunition at the Golden Angel, the golden Suit dodging the shots as much as he can. One lucky shell struck the left wing of the Suit, making it falter and forcing Atham to land his MS.
"Gotcha!" The Abrams charged at the Golden Angel, a High-Frequency Tomahawk in its hand, raised to strike down the Angel.
The Golden Angel blocked it with one of its HF-Longswords before stabbing the Abrams' cockpit with the other sword.
And with that, all Abrams were dead.
"Dammit, more incoming!" Malcolm called out. "Bearing Three-Zero-Zero!" Atham moved his Suit to face that bearing and soon enough more Abrams and Tomcats approached him.
With Azka, his Silver Daemon continued flying around the Federation fleet, dealing damage to the ships with its AS-Buster and repelling any hostiles with its HBA-Railgun.
Right now, he had taken down ten of the light cruisers and had damaged two of the heavy cruisers, not enough to take them out of the fight entirely but had crippled them enough to where they cannot support nearby allies.
"There he is!"
"Viper Two, Fox Two!" One of the Tomcats fired one of its SM-Pods at the Silver Daemon. The silver Suit dodged, letting the missile sail past where he had previously been and slam into the side of the heavy cruiser he was attacking.
"Dammit!"
"Watch your fire, Viper Two. We got allies around us."
"Damn merc, using allies as meatshields!"
Azka paid their rambling no mind, firing his HBA-Railgun at the squadron of Tomcats. Only one burst scored a kill, cooking off the remaining missiles in one of the Pods and causing it to explode violently, splitting the MS in two.
"Two!"
"Focus on taking down the Silver Suit! We can mourn later!"
The Silver Daemon flew high up, pursued by the Tomcats close behind. They fired their Linear-SMGs at the silver Mobile Suit, their shots barely making dents in its armor.
"What kind of armor is that?!"
"It has a weakness, I'm sure of it! Just keep firing until he's in pieces!"
"Roger!" The Tomcats continued their barrage. Azka clicked his tongue in annoyance. The Silver Daemon, in its Fighter Jet form, soared even higher.
"Is he escaping?"
"No, he's performing a Post Stall!"
"What?! Is that guy crazy?!"
"He's fighting an entire fleet by himself, what the hell do you think?!"
As their leader predicted, the Silver Daemon pulled off a PSM, near-instantaneously facing them and firing multiple bursts from its HBA-Railgun at them, scoring three kills and booming past the rest.
"Fuck! Three, Five, and Nine are down!"
"Viper Squadron, continue the pursuit. Support is coming!" One of the carriers called out to them and sure enough four more squads of Tomcats flew out, ready to strike down the Silver Daemon.
Seeing the sudden increase of hostile Mobile Suits, Azka clicked his tongue. Speeding up the Silver Daemon, he barrels towards the heavy cruiser he had left alone for a bit. The warship's weapons, the ones that were still functioning, fired their ammunition at him.
Twisting and rolling out of their path, the Silver Daemon transforms midair and brandishes its AS-Buster. Using the momentum that he had gathered, he slams the sword right down the middle, the force behind the blow combined with the weight of the blade and the sharpness of its edge sliced through, carving out a large opening into its side, causing it to space out whatever was near the opening personnel and gear alike.
With its other hand, the Silver Daemon fired its HBA-Railgun inside the heavy cruiser, aiming for critical areas to cripple or even destroy the warship as quickly as possible.
Bursts of Linear-SMG fire made the Silver Daemon head directly into the heavy cruiser. Inside, it saw the surviving crew members who were trying to repair as much of the damage as it can. Azka scanned his surroundings.
The direction to the bridge is in his direct right. Using the AS-Buster, he began to slice through the ship and head straight for the bridge, heedless of the panicking crew in his path. Soon enough, he reached the bridge, slicing it off the heavy cruiser in a single stroke of the blade.
With the heavy cruiser down, the Silver Daemon flew out the disabled ship and barreled towards the rest of the fleet.
On its tail were the Tomcats, forty-six of them in total. They were widely spread out and approaching him from all sorts of directions.
He calmly activated the Twin BM-Guns and painted the Tomcats as they approached. Once he has a proper lock, he fires off the ammo drums in each gun and launches forty missiles locked on to most of the Tomcats.
"Shit, evade!" The Tomcats evaded as best as they can, but most of the missiles found their mark. Out of the forty-six Tomcat Mobile Suits, only sixteen remained.
"Fuck! Boa and Rattler Squadrons are wiped out! Viper Squadron still fine and Cobra Squadron is in the clear!"
"What kind of missiles were those? To bypass the Solarii Particle Interference…"
"We can think on that later. Right now, let's take this bastard down!"
The sixteen Tomcats fanned out in groups of four, firing at the Silver Daemon in bursts from their Linear-SMGs or SM-Pods.
The Silver Daemon dodged their attacks, calmly retaliating with its HBA-Railgun, taking out some of their wings and forcing them to land on the rocky surface. Azka transformed the Silver Daemon into its Fighter Jet mode, accelerating away from them and heading towards the carriers next.
Locking on to the bridges and the thrusters, the Silver Daemon unloads its BM-Guns and sends forth another swarm of missiles headed for the carriers.
"Taking evasive maneuvers!"
"Popping countermeasures!"
"CIWS guns firing!"
Similar cries sounded off from the crews of the carriers. He paid them no mind, simply firing another swarm from freshly loaded drums. The Silver Daemon rushed in, firing its HBA-Railgun at key locations of the carriers. Its bursts took out CIWS guns and missiles, damaged other defensive structures, and weakened the bases of the bridges.
The missiles slammed into the bridges and the thrusters, exploding violently, and taking out the carriers from the fight.
That's ten light cruisers down, two heavy cruisers damaged but still operational, one heavy cruiser down, and five carriers eliminated.
"Monster!" One Tomcat came flying at the Silver Daemon, slamming it from the side and tackling it away from the carriers.
"Cobra Seven!" The Silver Daemon kicked the Tomcat away from it and fired off a burst into its cockpit, causing the Mobile Suit to explode and kill the pilot. Not giving them any time to react, the Silver Daemon fired burst after burst at the Tomcats, nailing three more and reducing them from sixteen to twelve. The Tomcats took evasive actions and retaliated as well, firing their Linear-SMGs and SM-Pods at the silver Mobile Suit.
Four Tomcats came in, Mobile Suit Machetes brandished. They came at him from four cardinal directions. The Silver Daemon had no time to switch to its AS-Buster.
"Gotcha now!"
The Tomcats came in for the kill.
The Silver Daemon's arms shot out to intercept the ones at its northeast and southwest, stopping two of the four Tomcats. The one on its northwest stabbed the upper left torso, missing the cockpit as Azka maneuvered the Silver Daemon to take the blow where the torso armor was at its thickest. The one coming from the southeast drove its MS-Machete into the lower right backside.
An intercept.
"What?!"
The blade mounted on the rear skirt armor plate came to life and moved into action, intercepting the Tomcat's MS-Machete.
"An RC Blade?! This guy thought of everything!" The pilot of the southeastern Tomcat exclaimed in shock. He exclaimed again, this time in fright, as the RC Blade shot out, stabbing right into the cockpit killing him and disabling the suit.
The Silver Daemon threw off the two Tomcats in its grasp before kneeing the last one away for the RC Blade to stab through the cockpit as well.
With ten Tomcats left, the Silver Daemon dove down to retrieve its HBA-Railgun, which had fallen from its grasp to allow the silver Mobile Suit to grapple one of the Tomcats, from landing onto the rocky surface of the Moon. It sped up to catch the falling weapon and pivoted quickly to fire off a burst to destroy one Tomcat and using its free hand to block another one. It gripped hard, crushing the lean limb of the Tomcat before harshly caving its torso in with its knee.
Using the momentum, the Silver Daemon threw itself at the remaining eight Tomcats. They scattered, getting some distance between themselves and the Silver Daemon. The silver transforming Mobile Suit fired one of its BM-Guns, firing off a smaller swarm of missiles.
Five Tomcats went down as burning and smoking wrecks.
The Silver Daemon fired burst after burst, cutting down five to one. The HBA-Railgun clicked empty, and the Silver Daemon barrels towards the last Tomcat, slicing it in half with its AS-Buster, causing it to explode behind the silver Mobile Suit that had shot past it.
With the hostile Mobile Suits dealt with, the Silver Daemon can focus on the ships. Painting another ten light cruisers, the Silver Daemon fired off another swarm of missiles at them while also firing burst after burst with the freshly loaded HBA-Railgun as it barrels towards them.
It was mostly effective. Eight of the light cruisers were down, bringing it down from thirty light cruisers to twenty-two light cruisers, while two managed to survive the bombardment. It was short lived as the Silver Daemon shot burst after burst at the bridges and engines, taking them out of the fight.
Twenty light cruisers, seven heavy cruisers, and two battleships remained now.
He focused on the light cruisers, firing swarm after swarm of missiles that slammed into their sides. The following explosions ripped fifteen of the light cruisers in half, rendering them no factor in the combat zone.
The remaining five light cruisers fired their macro-laser modules and anti-ship railgun batteries at the Silver Daemon in an attempt to remove the monster of metal from the battlefield.
Burst after burst of railgun propelled explosive rounds destroyed their bridges, rendering them no factor.
Seven heavy cruisers and two battleships remaining, with one of the battleships immobile but can still fire off a deadly salvo if he were reckless.
The Silver Daemon made to move towards the nearest heavy cruiser. It stopped short, letting a barrage of 360mm rounds fly past it.
"Dammit, I missed!" The pilot of the Abrams MS cursed before getting blown up by Atham's Golden Angel, the forearm mounted Twin Beam-MGs having their barrels smoking.
Azka nodded his thanks to his brother before resuming his assault.
"How are things going, Mal?" Atham asked through the comms.
"Those that are still alive on our side have been escorted by our forces to evac point RK-1200E5. Right now, thanks to the attention you two are bringing to yourselves, the Federation hasn't pursued our transport ships." Malcolm relayed.
"Really? Not even some automata to hinder you guys?"
Even though he could not see it, Atham knew that Malcolm was grinning.
"Did you really expect some automata to lay us low?" The two Higa-IIs chuckled at this, sharing a moment of respite amidst the carnage wracking Luna. "Anyways, we should be good. We're just waiting on you both to head to the evac point as well."
"Got it," Atham nodded and flew up to join Azka in dealing damage to the rest of the Federation ships.
"Goddammit!" The captain of the remaining active and mobile battleship slammed a fist onto his deck. "How the hell are two Mobile Suits dealing this much damage?!"
"Sir, the silver Suit's heading straight for us!"
"What?!" Eyes wide, he looks to the main screen to see that the Silver Daemon was indeed gunning for them. And flying beside it was the Golden Angel.
From the Silver Daemon's shoulder came forth another swarm of missiles headed straight for them!
"Pull up the blast shields! Brace for impact!" The crew did as their captain ordered. Blast shields came up to protect from the projectile attacks of the silver Mobile Suit.
It was for naught.
The missiles slammed into the bridge, exploding and blowing away the blast shields and spacing out the crew.
Seven heavy cruisers left.
"You look like you had your fun."
"It was either them or me."
"Right, right. Anyway, you wanna take the heavy cruisers, or should I?" The Silver Daemon's head turned to face the Golden Angel's.
"Be my guest," the silver Mobile Suit transformed into Fighter Jet mode and blazing off.
"They're at Point RK-1200E5!" Atham relayed and he could see Azka nod through the feed on one of the holographic monitors. The transformed Mobile Suit shifted course and headed to where Point RK-1200E5 was.
As the silver Mobile Suit exited the combat area, the golden Mobile Suit looked towards the seven heavy cruisers that were on the retreat. And in that direction, he could see more ships approaching from Terra.
Atham noted that this was a full-on naval fleet much like the previous one. He did not have the munitions and energy to take them all on.
Or did he?
Atham looked through the OS and found what he was looking for. One weapon system that theoretically works. In practice, there may not be enough of a power supply to do so.
Except perhaps…
He flew back to the Panopticon Hangar.
"Atham?"
"Mal, you guys are at Point RK-1200E5, yeah?"
"We are, why?"
"Good, because what I'm about to do may be reckless and suicidal."
"What the hell are you planning, Atham?"
"Golden Path."
Two words. Two words had made Malcolm Hint stop. His eyes were wide in shock, and he scrambled to his laptop where it lay a few meters away from him. He ran the numbers and saw the results.
He ran them again, with slightly altered variables. Different results but with one conclusion.
Utter annihilation of whatever earned the ire of the Golden Path and of the Golden Angel itself.
"Are you crazy?!" Malcolm yelled, much to the surprise of the evacuees around him, some who were scientists that personally knew him to be a calm and rational person that never raised his voice.
Atham's voice calmly responded through the comms, his voice clear for all around the laptop to hear.
"If I don't, then the newly arrived fleet will wipe us all out." His words made the evacuees nervous. It was bad enough that one fleet had assaulted the complex and now a second one was rolling in to finish them off.
Atham looked towards the approaching fleet.
"None of us have enough conventional weaponry to cripple them enough for us to escape. The Golden Path is the only way we can wipe them out effectively at this point."
"We haven't tested it past a few dummy targets and beyond twenty percent! The strain will make the suit explode!"
"Then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. What is one man amongst the untold billions across the stars?" Atham rhetorically asked before switching off his comms.
He directed his Mobile Suit to hover directly above the Panopticon Hangar's control tower, adjusting his position every so often as he prepares for what he is about to do.
He flicked through the appropriate switches, entered the necessary codes to reroute as much power to the Golden Path as possible, and positions himself as he observes the approaching Federation fleet.
By now, they were around 10,000 kilometers from the surface of the Moon. Once they get past the 5,000 kilometer mark, that shall be when he strikes.
"Atham!" Malcolm tried but to no avail. He could not reach him. Quickly thinking, he switches over to Azka's comms.
"Speak."
"Azka, bad news. A new Federation fleet is headed our way and Atham's planning to use the Golden Path to wipe them out in one go!"
"…" Azka was silent, already moving the Silver Daemon to head back to the Golden Angel.
"Go."
"What?"
"Leave this space. I'll retrieve Atham."
"…" Malcolm was silent before nodding in affirmation. "Good luck, Azka."
"Roger." With that, Azka switched off his comm link to Malcolm's and sped up towards where the Golden Angel was according to his radar. However, thanks to the interference from the Solarii Particles from his own Mobile Suit and Atham's as well as from some of the Federation fleet's ships, the data was inaccurate, only showing the general area instead of his exact coordinates.
No matter, that's where the optical systems come in, including his own eyes. Scanning the area, Azka found the Golden Angel gathering up a lot of energy. Judging by the readings, these were far higher than what they had tested the Golden Path with many years ago and the years following the first test.
"Impressive… most impressive…" He thought to himself internally. He clicked the comms on to hail Atham.
"Atham, can you read?" No response. It seems that the Golden Path required everything, but the bare necessities disabled for it to activate.
"Atham," he called again to no success. He clicked his tongue before moving his Mobile Suit directly in front of the Golden Angel.
That got a response.
"Azka! I thought you were with the others!"
"I would if you aren't doing what I think you're doing…" Azka calmly spoke, even as the Solarii Particle buildup created large amounts of pressure and light. By now, the Federation fleet was 8,000 kilometers away.
"I have no other options now!" 7,500 kilometers.
"Retreat would have been another option." 7,250 kilometers.
"And risk being hounded?" 7,000 kilometers.
"Better to be hounded alive than to be dragged across the mud dead." Atham heard his brother's voice and sighed. 6,750 kilometers.
"I can't subject the rest to that, Azka." 6,500 kilometers.
"I know." 6,250 kilometers.
"Then why do you wish for me to stop?"
"Because I can't allow one such as yourself to throw away your life so carelessly."
"The needs of the many outweigh our own few needs, Azka. You know this."
"And yet from the few, we can save the many." Atham paused at this.
"You yourself told me this, Atham." A chuckle escaped his lips.
"Yes, I did, didn't I?" Atham looked at the OS, seeing that the charge was complete. By now, the fleet was within 6,000 kilometers away from their current position. Just a little more.
"And besides," Azka spoke up. "With me here, you'll survive. I'll forcefully rip out your cockpit if I have to."
Another chuckle. 5,500 kilometers.
"Always so direct, Azka." 5,250 kilometers.
"It's what makes me effective."
5,000 kilometers. Atham smiled at this and activated the weapon system. The Silver Daemon backed a good distance away from the Golden Angel as it prepared to fire.
And he was not the only one to notice the buildup of energy.
"Sir, Solarii Particle buildup is going off the charts!"
"What?! Where is it?! Pinpoint its location!"
"Over there! Just look at the big golden ball of light!"
"My God…"
Atham looked up to see the Federation fleet approaching them. The Golden Angel activates its thrusters and soars right at them.
"It… It's coming right for us!"
"Dammit all! Evasive maneuvers! Now!"
The distance between them was now 2,000 kilometers and it was closing fast. Once he was in optimal range, Atham activates it.
"With this blade…" his voice carried out through the comms.
"I FORGE A GOLDEN PATH FOR ALL TO WALK ON! FOR THE ASCENDANCE OF MANKIND!" A massive golden beam of light erupted from the hands of the Golden Angel as it swung it right at the fleet.
"That's a… beam saber?!" The gigantic beam saber cuts through the ships that were on the Golden Angel's right and then it proceeds to do so with the left. With the flanks dealt with, the Golden Angel swings down the massive golden blade of light and cuts through the remnants of the fleet.
The blade, made up of Vol-Solarii Particles, sliced through them like a hot knife through butter.
All around the Golden Angel, explosions rocked the skies around them. This carried on for a solid minute before finally subsiding into complete silence.
Atham breathed out heavily, the attack taking a tremendous toll on the onboard systems, causing most of them to rupture and explode, sending small bits of shrapnel at him and around the cockpit.
"This… is where… I die… Heh, I suppose I should be glad that I went out like this… Defying the Federation- No, the Wyrdstones like this…" He looked up past the remnants of the fleet and towards Terra. "Do you see this, Genesis? This… is my… middle finger… to what I think of your way of running things…"
Atham's eyes closed as he slumped down unconscious.
The Silver Daemon flew towards the Golden Angel, quickly reaching its front and jabbed one clawed hand into where the cockpit is. The golden Mobile Suit sparked and crackled, the attack it had performed being too much of a strain on its frame and twin drives.
Once he found a good grip, Azka ripped out the cockpit and immediately fled as fast as this Mobile Suit's thrusters could take him.
"So… that's the Golden Path," he thought to himself internally as the Silver Daemon flew towards Point RK-1200E5. "The Heavenly Sword that cuts open a path for all humanity to walk on." He glanced back at the Golden Angel and noticed how it was completely FUBAR.
"It's a shame. So much funding and resources went into that Suit." As the Silver Daemon flew away, the Golden Angel did something that will be etched into his memories forever.
It exploded. It transformed into a massive golden fireball that could easily have been mistaken for a miniature sun. And it was still rapidly expanding, the Solarii Particles left over around the battlefield serving as fuel for it to grow.
"Shit!" He cursed and sped up the Silver Daemon, transforming it to Fighter Jet mode with one hand still clutching Atham's cockpit. The silver Mobile Suit was just barely able to escape the artificial sun and boosted towards safety, towards Point RK-1200E5.
They were safe. They had survived. They had wiped out the Federation forces sent to destroy them.
[2440 A.D. | June 25th]
[Somewhere in Pluto's orbit | Medical Facility]
"How is he?" Azka asked Malcolm as they and the other doctors oversaw the healing process of Atham. The Vita-Solarii Particles were speeding up the healing process of the nanomachines operating on Atham's body but the aftereffects of using the Golden Path, particularly the Vol-Solarii Particles emitted by the massive beam saber, were slowing down the process significantly.
He will live, but it will not be any time soon that he will recover.
"He'll live," Malcolm responded, looking over the data-slates showing Atham's vitals. "He'll be out of action for a couple months, but he'll live."
"Good enough for me," Azka nodded at this as both men walked over to a somewhat secluded area.
"I'm guessing you'll be out there finding them?" A nod.
"However long it takes, I'll find them."
"And if they are already out of their pods and living whatever lives they are living?"
"Then I'll give them a choice. Join us or stay away from this fight."
"Heh, direct and as blunt as ever." Malcolm chuckled at this. The air around them was still tense, however.
"You don't even know where to look."
"Atham said they'll end up in the Second and Third Spheres, yeah? I'll start looking there."
"And even then, it'll take years. By the time you'll find any of them, they'd probably be living their own normal lives."
"Don't worry, Malcolm," Azka assured him. "I've a few contacts."
"Really?" Eyebrow raised; Malcolm could not help but be curious. "Who?"
"Beowulf."
"The mercenary company?"
"The one and only."
"You're using mercs to cast a wide net." Malcolm's eyes narrowed, showing his displeasure at such methods being used. Azka simply shook his head at this and explained his reasoning.
"Mercs are widespread and have lots of connections. The way I see it, it's the most effective way of finding them and striking at the Federation."
Malcolm sighed, seeing the logic behind that. He just could not feel comfortable in using mercenaries to find Atham's genetic progeny. Even though mercenaries are widespread across Human Occupied Galactic Space, many are apprehensive towards these warriors for hire. A mercenary employed by you today could kill you tomorrow, a common sentiment of non-mercenaries everywhere.
And yet, mercenaries still thrive, fighting conflicts for various powers minor and major and keeping things going, especially when it comes to the war machines of the various power blocs dominating HOGS.
"You don't have to like it," Azka told him. "But whether you like it or not matters little in the grand scheme of things. We'll find them, even if we end up looking like the villains to their eyes."
Malcolm could not help but growl at this before begrudgingly nodding at Azka's words. The imposingly large Higa-II made his way to exit the ward.
"You're leaving already?"
"No time like the present," Azka responded. He had rested a couple hours ago. Higa-IIs did not need to sleep as much, even compared to their public knowledge counterparts the Higa-Is, being bred to fight and adapt to any situation, especially those that concern conflict.
"Good luck," Malcolm muttered, although Azka heard it and reciprocated the gesture with a light nod and a small smile.
The super-soldier headed for the hangars.
It was time to reunite the family.
[Terra | Mega-City "North America" | Wyrdstone Clan Estate]
"Are you certain of this?" An elderly yet powerful voice inquired as he spoke to a holographic monitor. It did not show the other individual's voice, only displaying a text box that said: 'VOICE ONLY'.
"Yes sir," the voice on the other side of the call responded. "Subject 08-02-000322-2000 has sortied from somewhere within Pluto's orbit and is headed towards the Second Sphere, according to our projections."
"I see," the elderly man nodded at this, taking a moment to smoke a cigar. Cuban, a lovely kind of cigar that does wonders to your sense when properly prepared and exhaled. "Have some of our Black Ops shadow the Subject as he makes his way to the Second Sphere. I want to know exactly what he is looking for."
"Understood, Lord Wyrdstone." With that, the voice on the other side of the call hung up. Silence dominated the room shortly after.
The elderly man, Lord Wyrdstone, leaned back into his seat.
"Oh, Atham, Atham, Atham…" he spoke like a parent scolding their child in a patronizing and cruel manner. "When will you learn that defying me only ends in tragedy."
He had a hunch on what Atham, Subject 08-01-000900-1987, and his fellow Higa-IIs, such as the aforementioned Subject 08-02-000322-2000, were plotting on Luna, so close to home yet he paid it no mind at first.
When Eva, Subject 08-01-000900-2020, came to him and informed him of what exactly was going on, he was both furious and amused.
Furious that Atham would do something as drastic as this.
Amused that Atham would do something as drastic as this.
He smiled. In the end, it all served him and the Wyrdstone Clan all the same.
"Soon," he spoke to none but himself. "All of humanity shall be under my grasp. As is dictated by destiny!"
He was going to enjoy the coming years.
A/N: Well, that's all she wrote, folks! As I had said in the beginning A/N, this will be bigger in scale compared to a majority of canon Gundam entries, being more in line with the likes of Warhammer and BattleTech in that regard.
I'm sure some of you guys are cautious of this since most entries of the Gundam metaverse stick to Earth and the space colonies around them (maybe even go to Mars like in IBO and Jupiter like in some of the UC entries and in 00) but I'll try my damn best to make it work.
Anyway, if you're having trouble visualizing the original Mobile Suits I've mentioned in this chapter, I'll help:
[TERMINOLOGIES]
Human Occupied Galactic Space (HOGS) – The space and territory in the Milky Way galaxy in which all of humanity has officially claimed as their own. Currently sits in around 10% to 15% of the overall space of the Milky Way.
Solarii Particles – This setting's counterpart to the Universal Century timeline's Minnovsky Particles, the Anno Domini timeline's Gundam Nuclei Particles, and the Post Disaster timeline's Ahab Particles. Formed by experimenting with photons, the particles of light, and converting them to hydrogen, Solarii Particles are named after the fact that they have been harnessed by the light and for the sun-like glow the drives give off due to the condensed particles being packed together into a small space.
Comes in multiple types:
Basic Solarii Particles: The standard type and most widespread. Used for powering up homes, appliances, and entire cities through power plants. Depending on the type of drive used, it can be powerful or weak.
They also are used for Beam Weaponry. Depending on their power output, SP-Weaponry can range from usage by Infantry to Mobile Weapons to Warships.
Vita-Solarii Particles: Solarii-Particles that have been 'polarized' (for lack of a better term) to boost/improve the healing factor of biological organisms such as plants and animals, humans included. Used in medical facilities such as hospitals (those that can afford it, anyway) and clinics through large chambers that 'shower' the body of the patient/recipient with Vita-Solarii Particles.
There have been attempts to make these Vita-Solarii Chambers more portable but official attempts have been unsuccessful so far, ranging from lacking a powerful enough portable power source (attempts to use Basic Solarii Particles have been used but mistakes in input have resulted in these portable Vita-Solarii devices in malfunctioning and, in rare cases, killing the recipient) to insufficient funding.
Vol-Solarii Particles: The thematic opposite of Vita-Solarii Particles. Where Vita-Solarii Particles heal, Vol-Solarii kills. Specifically, Vol-Solarii Particles are formed when basic Solarii Particles are 'polarized' in a way that individual particles are hyper stimulated and move around in such speeds that they generate large amounts of heat. These particles were originally used to burn away any biodegradable trash or rotted crops but findings in 2369 have found that Vol-Solarii Particles, due to their extreme heat, also generate a type of radiation like that left by nuclear power sources and weaponry.
By 2440, the various power blocs of HOGS have agreed to the 'Luna Conventions', named after the horrendous explosion of the Luna laboratories in Sector 40-K, where the usage of Vol-Solarii Particles in the context of any form of warfare is outlawed and punishable by death.
The use of Vol-Solarii Particles still exists, especially when it comes to waste disposal or the burning of rotted crops, but it is now done in highly controlled environments and these sites are sterilize after every use.
Solarii-Particle Drives – This setting's counterpart to Gundam 00's GN Drives. Widespread and used by multiple factions in HOGS. Comes in multiple types:
Gen-01: Common and used by civil sectors such as power plants. Size ranges from as big as a human's fist to as big as a grown man, and this is without any protective frame that companies will use being considered. Introduced in 2125, following the introduction of Solarii Particles, and was originally used by 1st Generation Mobile Weaponry. Operating time of singular Gen-01 SP Drives for Mobile Weaponry, without deactivation and left running, range from one month total without recharging to six months total without charging, depending on the Drive's size.
Gen-02: Used by various armed forces since its introduction in 2250 but is showing signs of age by 2400. Used mostly by 2nd Generation Mobile Weaponry. Gen-02 Drives are the size of a four-door sedan. Operational time of singular Type-02 SP Drives is twelve months total (one year) to over five years.
Gen-03: Introduced in 2410, the Gen-03 SP Drive is used as a direct improvement over the Gen-02 Drives. These ones are used in 3rd Generation Mobile Weapons. Similar size to the Gen-02 but with a far superior power output and operating time, with Mobile Weaponry usage lasting ten years without recharging.
Gen-04: A new type of SP Drive introduced by the turn of the century in the year 2500. Its energy output is far more efficient and last longer than the Gen-03. Used by 4th Generation Mobile Weapons, in Mobile Platforms, and even on some classes of Stellar Warships used by the various power blocs of HOGS.
Cross-Gen Drives: In-between SP Drives between the different Generations of Solarii Particle Drives. Often a stopgap between one generation to the next and serves as experimental testbeds rather than widespread Drives.
Solarii Particle Interference – SP Interference occurs when Solarii Particles over any given area condense and expand. This causes radar signals to be erratically scattered, rendering the accurate pinpointing of hostiles, especially those in Mobile Suits, near impossible, forcing most pilots to make use of their eyes to actively search for hostile forces. This also has the effect of rendering communication useless beyond short range due to the interference garbling up any attempts of long ranged communication.
Attempts have been made to minimize SP Interference as possible but so far it would seem that SP Interference would be another obstacle that all combatants of warfare shall endure for the time being.
BIC M90 PDW - Blackburn Interstellar Corporation M90 Personal Defense Weapon. Resembles a hybrid between the TDI Vector (overall appearance) and the AR-15 (buffer tube to house the recoil system). Chambered in 12.7mmX40mm Federal Personal Defense Weapon. Standard magazine capacity is 20 rounds in a double-stacked magazine. Standard sidearm/PDW of the Federation's troops, colored in steel gray.
MBT-04-01 Phantom – Mobile Suit Main Battle Transformable Model 04 Series 01 Phantom, manufactured by the Blackburn Interstellar Corporation.
It basically resembles the RGZ-91 Re-GZ from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack but with the flight mode resembling the IRL McDonnel Douglas F-4 Phantom II (at least with the wings). It has a single Gen-02.5 Solarii-Particle Drive mounted on its central upper back.
Carries the following armaments:
One (01) Linear Assault Rifle (LAR), Caliber 60mmX90mm (LAR Model 60). Resembles a FAMAS FELIN but for Mobile Suit usage, feeds from 200-round casket magazines. Fires in full-auto at a rate of 1000 RPM or in ten-round bursts in a faster 3000 RPM. Optional High-Frequency Rifle Bayonet (HFR-Bayonet) and/or four-shot Under-Slung Self-Propelled Grenade Launcher (US-SPG-Launcher). Holsters at the side skirt armor plates when not in use.
One (01) High Frequency Mobile Suit Machete (HF-MS-Machete). Holsters at the side skirt armor plates when not in use.
MB-010-01 Abrams – Mobile Suit Main Battle Model 010 Series 01 Abrams, manufactured by Solus Dynamics.
Resembles a hybrid between the RX-77-2 Guncannon (torso, shoulders, and thighs) from Mobile Suit Gundam, the ZGMF-XX09T DOM Trooper (forearms, lower legs, pelvic and abdominal area, and head) from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (a rather cursed entry, at least with how the Doms are fighting Zakus and Goufs), and the RX-79 [G] Gundam Ground Type (the container backpack) from Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. It carries two Gen-02.5 Solarii-Particle Drives in its upper and lower back.
Carries the following armaments:
Two (02) Main Battle Cannons, Caliber 360mmX720mm (MB-Cannon Mark 360). Resembles the twin cannons of the OG RX-77-2 Guncannon, feeds from an ammunition container backpack holding dedicated feeds for each individual cannon holding 80 shells each. Practical ROF is 100 RPM per individual cannon.
Two (02) Spray Missile Pods, Caliber 240mmX240mm (SM-Pod Mark 240). Large body missile pods that hold a maximum of fifty (50) rockets total, one mounted on each arm of the Abrams. Practical RPM is 120 RPM per individual pod.
One (01) High Frequency Mobile Suit Tomahawk (HF-MS-Tomahawk Mark 25). Basically, the Heat Hawk Type 5 used by the MS-06F Zaku IIs. Holsters at the rear skirt armor plate when not in use.
LAT-014-040 Tomcats - Mobile Suit Light Armor Transformable Model 014 Series 040 Tomcat, manufactured by the Blackburn Interstellar Corporation.
Resembles a hybrid between the SVMS-01 Union Flag and the AEU-09 AEU Enact from Mobile Suit Gundam 00, although the flight mode resembles the IRL Grumman F-14 Tomcat. It carries a single Gen-02.5 Solarii-Particle Drive on its central back.
Carries the following armaments:
Two (02) Linear Sub-Machineguns, Caliber 60mmX90mm (Linear-SMG Mark 90). Resembles the FN P90 but for Mobile Suit usage. Feeds from top-mounted 200-round coffin magazines. Fires at a steady rate of 1000 RPM. Holstered at the side skirt armor plate when not in use.
One (01) High Frequency Mobile Suit Machete (HF-MS-Machete). Holsters at the side skirt armor plates when not in use.
Two (02) Spray Missile Pods, Caliber 240mmX240mm (SM-Pod Mark 240). Large body missile pods that hold a maximum of fifty (50) rockets total, one mounted on each side of the Tomcat. Practical RPM is 120 RPM per individual pod.
CDX-11-19 'Golden Angel' Gundam – Mobile Suit Combat Dominance Experimental Model 11 Series 19 'Golden Angel' Gundam, manufactured by Luna Labs Aurum.
Resembles the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam (TV version) from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (overall appearance, especially the wings). Its primary color is gold, and its secondary colors are white and black. It has four Gen-03.5 SP Drives, two on is upper back and one hidden inside each lower leg.
Carries the following armaments:
Two (02) High Frequency Longswords (HF-Longsword). Twelve (12.0) meters in length, the HF-Longswords are the primary weapons of the Golden Angel. The high-frequency module allows it to slice through enemy Mobile Weapons with ease. Holstered away at the side skirt armor plates when not in use.
Two (02) Twin Beam Machineguns (Twin Beam-MGs). Uses up the SP supply coming directly from any of the four SP Drives. Each Twin Beam-MG has an overheat threshold of over 500 shots per barrel in Standard Energy Output Mode. Built into the forearms of the Golden Angel.
One (01) Golden Path Mark 01 High-Output Mega Beam Saber (Golden Path Mk.1 HOMB-Saber). An experimental weapon developed by Atham and his compatriots in secret. It was designed to create a beam weapon that uses a great deal of Vol-Solarii Particles to create a massive beam sword that can wipe out entire stellar fleets in a single swipe. On its debut on June 4th, 2440, the Golden Path was used to wipe out a second Federation fleet in mere seconds. This however came at the cost of exhausting the available Solarii Particle Supply and its experimental nature meant that the module on the right forearm that houses the Golden Path itself was overloaded, creating a miniature sun that used the surrounding Solarii Particles, be it from wrecked Mobile Suits and destroyed ships to the overall SP Interference caused by concentrated Solarii Particles many months prior, as fuel to grow in size and cause an explosion that wiped out Sector 40-K from the face of Luna and was the primary factor that caused the 'Luna Convention' to be passed.
CDTX-015-031 'Silver Daemon' Gundam – Mobile Suit Combat Dominance Transformable Experimental Model 015 Series 031 'Silver Daemon' Gundam, manufactured by the Blackburn Interstellar Corporation.
Resembles the RGZ-91B Re-GZ Custom (overall appearance) intended for Amuro Ray in Char's Counterattack, but with clawed hands and feet and with the head of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (Unicorn Mode) from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn but with four eyes instead of two. Its wings resemble the McDonnel Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, and it has the rear boosters of the RX-78GP03S Gundam 'Stamen' from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. It has four Gen-03.5 SP Drives, two on its upper back and one on each forearm. Its primary color is silver, and its secondary color is deep blue.
Carries the following armaments:
One (01) Hyper-Burst Assault Railgun, Caliber 127mmX152mm (HBA-Railguns). A railgun rifle created initially for the Silver Daemon but has since cropped up in several Mobile Suits and Mobile Armors in the years after the Luna Sector 40-K incident. It fires shells 127mm in diameter, loaded with electrothermal chemicals that help power up the internal battery mounted within the stock, and is fed by 100-round casket magazines. It has the effective visual range of over 10,000 kilometers. It also has the option of mounting HFR-Bayonets and/or US-SPG-Launchers. Resembles the ShAK-12 but for Mobile Suit usage. Holstered in the side skirt armor plates when not in use.
One (01) Anti-Ship Buster Sword (AS-Buster). A twenty (20.0) meter long and five (5.0) meter wide blade used by the Silver Daemon for anti-ship combat but is just as viable in dealing with hostiles smaller than light cruisers as well. Holstered at the side skirt armor plates when not in use.
Two (02) Burst Missile Guns, Caliber 240mmX240mm (BM-Guns). Two back-mounted rifles that launch short-ranged (by Mobile Weaponry standards) missiles to saturate an area of enemies. Thanks to the Silver Daemon's advance targeting systems, it can also make use of optical guided missiles 'painted' by the four ocular modules in the Silver Daemon's head. Each BM-Gun loads from 25-round drums, allowing the Silver Daemon to bombard most types of foes with ease.
One (01) Remote Controlled Tail Blade. Fitting the Silver Daemon's name and appearance, the Tail Blade it uses does not conform to the basic human form used by most Mobile Suits including its brother unit the Golden Angel. The Tail Blade can retract and extend through a specialized wire to strike at foes from unorthodox angles, with the maximum range that the wire can extend to being over 1.0 kilometer, but the Silver Daemon uses it at far closer ranges to maximize its effectiveness and minimize complications from external factors such as Solarii Particle Interference. Mounted at the rear side skirt armor plate when deactivated/retracted.
And that's about it. I have big plans for this project. Now I'm sure that some of those who major if various fields of science would probably be rolling their eyes in my attempts to rationalize and explain some of the tech in here, so criticism and feedback is welcome.
This project/fanfiction is also another one that shall be crossposted. Aside from the obvious FanFiction site, I'll also post this on AO3 and on SpaceBattles.
As I'm sure most of you can tell, there is some obvious influences from Warhammer in this setting. Having read up as much lore and homebrews as possible, I also wanted to pay some tribute to canon and fanon Warhammer elements in this Gundam setting. This is no more apparent with Doctor Atham, being this setting's expy of the God-Emperor of Mankind.
Aside from Warhammer, there are other sci-fi settings I've read and heard of that I want to pay tribute and I shall reveal them in due time.
Until then, farewell and stay safe.