Phase 1 – Awakening Might
Andarian walked around his home in the Plants. He was waiting for his father, the current Chairman of the new CETA Alliance, to return. Andarian's father called him out of work early so he could give him a big surprise. What it was escaped him, but when his father said big, he meant big.
Andarian was a handsome young male with long dark blue hair and equally dark blue eyes. He was six foot, 18 years old and very skinny. Trained as a Mobile Suit pilot in the CETA Military, he piloted the basic CMSM.-X20 Twilight. It was not his choice but it was something.
He sat on the couch and looked outside the window at the simulated outdoors. It was very hot and dry and a grey overcast hung in the sky. Unfortunately the rain systems were not working, adding to the gloominess of the day.
Andarian turned to the TV and searched through some channels. He stopped on the news to see what was going on in the battle against the Hulgar. Things were not going well. The Earth forces recently sent a small force to destroy a close outpost near Earth's moon. Unfortunately, the battle went badly for the Earth forces but they were able to destroy their target. Based on the information Andarian gathered, the Hulgar knew they were coming and prepared a solid defence. The station was destroyed early, but the defence continued to fight off the small force. Only one Earth Alliance warship survived being destroyed, and that was captured by the Hulgar. No one knew what happened to those who were captured, but the thought both angered and brought fear to Andarian, for he too was going out to battle soon. The thought made him slightly nervous.
The next story to come up was about the CETA Alliance's Fourth Fleet. Although there was not a significant amount of information, such as where it was, but Andarian knew that the target was a Hulgar supply outpost on Mars. It was one hour until the attack began and final preparations were being made. One of Andarian's old classmates, Drane Struth, was sent to that battle. In school, he studied navigation, and now he was on board a warship at one of the navigation systems. Andarian was never really close to Drane, but he was proud that he had done so well.
Andarian turned off the TV just as the videophone started ringing. He walked over and answered. It was his father. Andarian saluted and his father did the same. "Chairman Tamaru. I was expecting your arrival some time ago." Andarian said, hoping not to sound rude.
The Chairman just smiled. "I know," he replied kindly. "I request your presence in Hangar Two. Your surprise awaits you there." With that, the Chairman saluted again and the screen went blank. Andarian went into his room and changed into his uniform from his work clothes.
Andarian drove out in a fancy blue sports car towards the Military Outpost near the edge of the city to the North. It took him twenty-three minutes to get there. Upon arrival, the captain of the Legitimate, a new warship that was nearing completion, greeted him.
"Andarian Tamaru?" the Captain asked as he stepped through the automatic doors. She was a beautiful older woman dressed in her light blue uniform with long blonde hair and green eyes. She was also dressed in her uniform. "I am Kiariel Hamatari, Captain of the Legitimate." She saluted, Andarian doing the same. "I have been sent to escort you to the hangar."
Andarian began to figure out what the surprise was, but said nothing about it. Instead, he bowed and said, "Thank you Captain Hamatari." He raised and followed her through the building. The Captain used her card key to get outside into the fenced-in area. It was a short walk to the second hangar nearby where the Chairman and three other top Mobile Suit pilots were waiting for him. This confirmed what Andarian thought it might be.
"Ah! There is CETA's finest young pilot," the Chairman exclaimed. He saluted, then gave his son a big hug. The chairman was a tall and proud man who closely resembled his son, though he stood slightly taller and his hair was more of a silvery blue. Andarian returned the gestures. "Now as you all know," he said, turning to the others as Andarian joined the group, "you have all progressed faster than most of the other pilots and you will be boarding the Legitimate when it joins the main fleet. We have finished our new Gundams, and they are looking for their pilots."
At that moment, the hangar doors opened revealing four new prototype Gundams. They were all grey and stood tall in the hangar. They looked similar to each other for the most part, all four like large, advanced mechanized humans with powerful weaponry. They all had different backpack equipment and many different weapons.
Captain Hamatari turned to the Chairman and saluted. "If you will excuse me, Chairman, I must return to the Legitimate and finish my paperwork." The Chairman nodded his head and Hamatari left hurriedly. A man drove up beside her in a small roofless truck with many boxes in the back. He saluted to the Hamatari and she saluted back, then got in. Once they both were settled, the man pressed on the gas and they made their away to the Legitimate.
With Hamatari gone, the Chairman turned to the only girl of the group. She had shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. She came from Africa, but was a coordinator. "Yumi, your Gundam is the first on the left." This Gundam was slim and had only one large gun on its back. He then motioned to the next. "Andarian, that's yours." This one had a large shield and was the one to have the grappling. It had a backpack of the DRAGOON System, which Andarian liked. "Alex, this one is for you." He pointed to a large Gundam with many guns on its back and large shields. This one seemed to be more heavily armoured and made Yumi's Gundam seem small. Alex, the shortest of the males, with short brown hair and red eyes stared at the size of his Gundam. Chairman Tamaru just laughed and pointed at the last Gundam. "This last one isn't quite ready yet, Amaru, but it will be soon." This one was still missing some parts and had no visible weapons on it.
The Chairman began walking into the hangar and directed them to a small room in the back. When all four of the pilots were inside, they sat at the conference table in the middle of the room. "Here you will understand the capabilities of your Gundams," explained Tamaru. He sat at the head and pressed a few buttons, bringing down a screen. The first up was Yumi's Gundam.
"This," began Chairman Tamaru, "is the CPSG.-230, also known as the Warp Gundam. This Gundam has only two weapons, and you'll see why in a moment." The screen changed to show a large gun with a long barrel. "This is the primary weapon of the Warp. It is a Density Beam Sniper. The density of the beam charge varies, and can do damage accordingly. A light charge would merely skin the front amour, while a longer charge can pierce the armour completely and continue on for some time." The screen changed to show a Beam Sabre. "The only other weapon is a low-power Beam Sabre." The screen changed to show the whole Gundam again. "The reason for the few weapons is because the Warp can travel at speeds estimated to be over Mach 5 here in the atmosphere. Extra weaponry would slow it down. Not to mention it has Mirage Colloid."
Yumi was surprised at what her Gundam was capable of for the size it was. Now it made more sense. She got the temporary password to the Gundam's OS and received a more detailed package on the Warp. Then it was Andarian's turn.
"The next Gundam is the CPSG.-240 Eclipse." The screen changed to show the Eclipse. "The Eclipse is our more medium-armoured Gundam. Its main focus is the newly developed EMP Disrupter Beam Rifle." The screen changed to show the shield. "The Rifle is hidden under the shield. The beam can change to two settings. The first is a normal beam that causes damage. The second releases a type of ultrasonic frequency that disrupts the computer systems of any Mobile Suit, Mobile Armour, and Warships." The screen then changed to show the backpack of the Gundam. "The Eclipse has also been equipped with the Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network System, or the DRAGOON System as you may know it. Although there are only eight gun detachments, it's still a great weapon to have." The screen changed again to show the grappling. "This is a basic Gleipnir Anchor and Grappling. The only difference is that this can drain the energy of other Mobile Suits as long as it hits the right area." The screen changed to show some round explosives. "These are the EMP Grenades. They are not yet finished so your Gundam has not yet been equipped with them."
Andarian was also impressed with his Gundam. Yumi envied Andarian over the type of Gundam that he got, but still preferred hers. Like Yumi, Andarian got a package on the Eclipse and the password to the OS. Alex looked up, ready to see his Gundam's data.
"Now we come to the CPSG.-250 Lunar." The screen showed the next Gundam. This was the largest of the four and had to most weapons. "We start with the OctaCannon. This new weapon system has eight beam cannons that can lock onto different targets at one time or fire all at once." The screen changed to the guns on the Gundam's back and demonstrated the possibilities before changing to the large shields. "These are special shields that use energy to reflect beams. However, they cannot deflect missiles and melee weapons like swords." Then the screen changed to a short movie that showed the Gundam's Mobile Armour transformation to a tank. Chairman Tamaru ran this clip through to explain it. "Basically the body folds in half forwards, the OctaCannon joins together to form a beam Machine Gun and the shields cover the body, making it a tank-like Mobile Armour."
Alex loved the power of his Gundam and acted as if he was the Gundam, blasting everything and letting out a loud laugh. Everyone loved this change from the seriousness. It was a temporary escape from the war. Alex always was that escape. He took the papers and the code and said, "In my hands I have the power to destroy our enemies and still have enough power to make popcorn!" Again everyone laughed. Even the Chairman found these informal outbursts amusing.
Once the outbursts calmed down, Chairman Tamaru addressed Amaru. "Sadly, the CPSG.-260, or the Nightmare isn't quite ready yet. We have a few changes to make to its structure. However, I can tell you now that it has no weapons. It combines with the other Gundams to give them further boosts to their power and special attacks." Amaru nodded. He knew the importance of this, but was slightly disappointed at the fact that he did not have any weapons of his own. Although it was not complete, Amaru did received some data sheets on the Nightmare. The team working on the it could not obtain accurate data, but did have some speculations on what it should be able to do, and that was what was included in the package.
The chairman put up a new image on the screen. "Now, what makes your Gundams different than all the others is that they have two power cells each." The group of pilots stopped their chat amongst themselves and stared at the Chairman and the screen. "The first cell is the normal Ultra Compact Power Cell. The second," he changed the screen, "is a Nuclear Core." Again, the team was surprised. "Changing from the Cell to the Core changes many aspects of the Gundam. It will change the power output for your weapons, and the Variable Phase Shift (VPS) Armour will change colour too. In addition, when you change to the Core, the Gundam's name and code will change. So the Eclipse will become the Prominence, the Lunar will become the Solar, the Warp will become the Fusion, and the Nightmare will become the Dreamstate."
Alex flipped through the sheets, trying to find the info on this. "You will not find this info in those papers," he said sternly. His face began to show his age as a light flickered in his eyes. "These capabilities of these new models must never go to anyone else. Neither the enemies nor our allies."
Andarian and the others nodded. They heard a large motor start up. Over the noise, the Chairman explained that the Legitimate was loading up the Gundams, with the exception of the Nightmare. "Amaru," he shouted so he could be heard, "you will board the Legitimate once the Nightmare is ready."
The Chairman dismissed Amaru, but Andarian, Yumi and Alex were to report to the Legitimate. They headed towards the new Warship and used their cards to gain entrance. Andarian glanced back, thinking that this may be the last time he stood on his home ground. He returned to the Legitimate and went inside, door closing behind him. Within the ship, the noises of the motors continued as the three Gundams were loaded into the ship's hangar, and spare parts loaded into another section of the ship.
A CETA crewman looked at his watch, then returned to the screen he was watching. Only half an hour until the Legitimate launched and he could return home from his patrol. "Stay vigilant men," said the male captain, noticing some of his crew slacking off slightly. "The Hulgar could attack at any moment, and we must be ready for when that happens."
The crew looked at him for a moment before returning to their posts. The ship was the mass produced Apollo Class. It had an average speed and power, but great defence. Two Apollo ships, the Viper and the Phaiz, had been patrolling the area for some time, nearly 3 hours. News had reached them of the battle near Mars that had gone poorly for CETA, and the only few remaining ships had been captured. To make the situation even worse, the target of the mission was not destroyed.
Down in the lower decks of the Viper, a young girl awoke in her bed. She had short red hair and slightly tanned skin. Her brown eyes glanced around the dark room before she stood to turn on the lights. She squinted as the light flickered on. Her cabin was like all the others, a two person bunk with the opening closable with a sliding wall, a desk and chair, and a videophone that could call anywhere in the ship. She let the blanket she held around her fall away onto the floor, exposing her nude body. She stood and stretched, then bent over to get her bag of clothing out from under the bed.
She looked at the time and quickly got dressed. She threw on a white bra, pulling up the loose straps, and some pink panties. She took out a short black skirt and pulled that up, followed by the light blue female CETA uniform, which bore the symbol on her left shoulder and her rank code on the right.
She zipped up the front and folded the collar, pulling up the straps again, before departing her room and up to the bridge. She used her key card to activate the lift and entered it. As the lift started, she wobbled slightly, but as it rose, the gravity lessened, forcing her to hold onto the sides of the lift. The doors soon opened and she pushed out of the lift into the large room, the bridge. The Captain and a few crewmembers turned to see her. "Hello, Miss Renomar," he said as she floated next to him. She saluted and the captain nodded an acknowledgement.
"Anything yet?" Jena asked, looking out into the star filled blackness. She obtained a lost look on her face as she stared out into the white dots against the black background.
"No," said the captain. "There has been no action." He reached to his side to get a see-through water bottle and took a sip of the cool water. Then a faint beeping noise came up from the radar. The crewman at that station pressed a few buttons.
"Unknown heat source detected," he stated. "Position; red 19 alpha, distance 3000."
"It's still some ways away," the captain said to himself. "Check thermal patterns. If no match is found, open a link on all channels." He stood and went over to the station.
"Checking thermal patterns..." The crewman began to press some buttons. Other crewmen began notifying the Plants and the Phaiz, and preparing for battle. "No match found."
One of the other crewmen on the other side of the bridge then opened a link. "This is the CETA Alliance warship Viper. Identify yourselves." The crew remained silent, waiting for the answer that did not come. "No answer sir."
Jena looked at the radar. The ship was closing fast. "I'll go prepare the Centaur for battle," she told the captain. Again, he simply nodded. Jena began to leave when the crewman at the radar station spoke again.
"I've lost track of the enemy ship," he exclaimed.
"Go to Condition Yellow. All battle crew are to go on standby." The captain sat in his chair as he gave the order. Jena looked back before re-entering the lift.
"Yes sir," replied the crewman. "Condition Yellow is announced. All war crew are to be on standby at their posts. Condition Yellow is announced." Everywhere, yellow lights began flashing and sirens began wailing. Crewmembers dashed out of rooms half dressed as they ran to their posts.
Jena got out of the lift, several more entering, and she headed down the gravitated hall at a quick pace. She went to another lift and took it down the hangar area. She entered the change room and threw on her pilot suit. It was like her uniform, but it was black and silver. She carried the helmet under her arm as she made her way to a silver and black Mobile Armour. The hatch opened and she climbed into the cockpit, the hatch closing shut. However, before she could start it up, the ship shook slightly. She called the bridge. "What's going on?" she asked quickly.
"The Phaiz has been hit," the answering crewman said. "The enemy is on us. It had Mirage Colloid or something like it."
Jena cursed as a different voice came up. "Jena, you are third to launch." She turned to see that they had announced Condition Red, and that they were indeed in a battle. She watched as two Shadowedge Mobile Suits took off. Then it was her turn. The lift she was on took her to the launch gate, which sealed behind her. She shut the visor of her helmet and turned the Mobile Armour on. "CETA Alliance Jena Renomar. Mobile Armour Centaur. I'm heading out." She pushed the throttle forward as the lift released the MA and took off with great speed into space. She glanced over at the Phaiz and, based on her observations, they could not send anyone out because the launch gate had been damaged.
On the bridge, the Captain was trying to assess the situation. "Increase speed to eighty percent," he commanded. "Load missile tubes one, two and four with Anti-beam Depth charges. Ready the Igelstellungs! Fire!" The Viper's guns fired on the enemy ship. They began sending out their own Mobile Armour-looking ships to counter. "What's the strength of the enemy?"
"Unknown," a crewman replied. "One warship and a least five MA's."
Jena whipped around one enemy and unleashed her plasma rays on it. The rays detached from the hull and flew around the ship. However, most of the shots missed and the ones that hit barely scratched the surface. The battle was going ill. Jena turned in time to see the Phaiz burst into flames as the damage brought it down.
"Damn it," cursed Jena. "This isn't going well at all." She zipped around back to the Viper she and defended it.
"Fire all missile tubes!" commanded the Captain. "Where's our mobile weapons?" He looked around the screens.
"She's behind us sir. The Hulgar are trying to surround us," replied a crewman. The ship's alarm began to sound, signalling that the ship would not hold for much longer. The ordered a distress signal be sent to the Plants. "More MA's are being launched. They keep coming, and the Centaur and the Shadowedges' are low on power."
"Recall our Mobile Suits and Armours and set up a barrage. Watch their movement patterns and tactics." The Captain got up from his chair, floating above the floor slightly, and began going from station to station, using the walls and railings to guild him. "Quickly re-supply our forces and send them out again."
The Mobile Suits had come aboard and the Centaur was preparing when the enemy ship fired a powerful nuclear beam that struck the Viper. Jena stared in shock for a moment before getting away from the explosion and heading back to the Plants.
She looked at her screen that showed low power. Behind her the Hulgar were in pursuit. Either the Hulgar would catch her or her power would run out before she got back to the Plants, and then they would catch her.
Andarian and his friends find themselves in a furious battle outside their homeland. The powers of their Gundams unfold before both the CETA Alliance and the Hulgar. Power never seen before gets used for the first time. Next time on Gundam Seed Abyss, Battle under the Stars. Eclipse! Use your skill to vanquish your enemies!