Hello and welcome to the first (official) chapter! XD
Thanks a lot to Juliedoo for reviewing! ( I sort of wanted a serious/mysterious start to the story, but I think the first few sentences just ended up kinda bloody and the entire prologue pretty dark and depressing. -.-" definitely not my intention! o_o I'm really grateful for your encouraging review, though. :D It means a lot to me!)
Anyways, I hope you enjoy! ^^
Ch 1 : Celestial Being
::AD 2307::
::AEU Demonstration Area::
A few wispy clouds drifted about lazily in the deep blue sky, sleepily following the gentle nudges of an invisible wind breezing past. The sun shone brightly, cheerfully casting its radiant light upon a tall, silvery structure that reached far into the starlit heavens beyond...
The Orbital Space Elevator.
It looked rather pretty, a pillar of white that headed directly into space... but still, this isn't exactly the time to be admiring sights like a tourist.
Far, far below, in a large field, a green mobile suit burst into action. Displaying an admirable mix of strength and speed, it swiftly disposed of the targets that were set up around it at all sorts of different angles. A finishing aerial stunt in which the last of the targets were efficiently destroyed was executed perfectly mid-air, drawing even more impressed gasps from the audience fixated intently on its performance.
"Amazing..." Some of the men murmured, staring in awe.
I had to stifle a chortle at this point. Sure, it might be good according to their standards... but they really haven't seen anything yet. Tch.
"Mobile suit Enact, the AEU's first solar energy-compatible model," I blinked, my attention caught by one of the men musing aloud. His long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and there were a pair of rectangular glasses perched across his eyes. Judging the white coat he was wearing and the way he was analyzing the suit... he was most likely a member of the research department.
"At least they want to do something about their mobile suits," A blond-haired man arrived beside him, gazing out into the testing field. Both of his hands were casually stuffed into the pockets of his blue uniform.
"Hey, is this okay?" The research-department man looked slightly surprised, "For the ace of the MSWAD to be in a place like this..."
"Of course it's not okay," The blond shrugged, ignoring the incredulous look he just received from his friend and taking a seat instead.
The brown-haired man shook his head at him, deciding to change the subject, "You know... the AEU's got some nerve alright, announcing their new model at the same time as the Human Reform League's 10th anniversary ceremony."
The blond crossed his legs as he made himself comfortable, "So, what do you think of their suit so far?"
His brown-haired companion smiled helplessly, "To be perfectly honest, it's just a shameless copy of our Flag. The only thing original about it is the exterior design-"
"HEY, I can hear you!"
I giggled as the two of them jerked simultaneously at the indignant outburst directed at them. The Enact's pilot got out of the cockpit and glared in their general direction, "What did you just say, huh? Come on!"
"... Well, at least its hearing sensors are sharp," The blond remarked dryly.
His companion laughed, "I guess so."
"240082," A serious voice suddenly sounded from my earpiece, and I immediately returned my attention to my surroundings at hand. Surveying the situation was all fine and good, but I couldn't let myself get distracted by some conversation. After all, this was much more important than eavesdropping on two Union officers. I can't lose my concentration, not now... Especially since this is our first mission, our grand entrance.
"Exia, target destination confirmed. I will stop the GN particles when I reach the destination."
I swerved the display area of the screen in front of me to focus more on the green Enact. Faintly above it, I could make out the traces of a glittering trail against the blue sky, right near the Orbital Space Elevator.
"Primary target located. The first phase will proceed as planned."
I watched intently as the glowing sparks became closer and closer to the demonstration area. Already I could catch the general form of Exia, its blue and white armor gleaming resplendently as it reflected the sunlight.
... Since Exia is already this close... I bet the AEU forces are freaking out over why their communication devices are jammed just about now.
The Enact pilot finally realized there was another mobile suit headed for him, and he quickly headed back in, despite the orders his commander was shouting at him. That was fine, though. Things were advancing perfectly in accordance to Ms. Sumeragi's plans...
Exia touched down lightly on the ground, turning to face the Enact. Currently, the AEU security was trying to get everyone to evacuate, making confusion and pandemonium spread through the mass of spectators even faster.
"Oi, oi, who are you working for?" The Enact began moving again as its pilot took control again, "The Union? The Human Reform League? Well, either way... you've stepped into someone else's territory. I'm not letting you get away that easily!"
A blade was brandished directly at Exia, "Do you even know who I am? I'm Patrick Colasour of the AEU, the special one who has never even lost a mock battle! I won't let you beat me!"
His knife began spinning rapidly, emitting a high-pitched screeching noise, and the Enact charged forward recklessly.
"Exia, eliminating the target."
The blade along Exia's arm sprung out, and in one fluid motion the Enact's arm was cut off.
Shock was palpable in the air as astonished cries of disbelief came from the onlookers. Even the pilot of the Enact was stunned into silence... for a few moments, at least, before he regained his senses again, "You bastard, you don't get it, do you?"
... Or not. There are plenty of idiots out there without any common sense, after all.
Exia spun, the shot from the Enact's gun missing completely. The familiar light of the beam saber Exia wielded flickered briefly as the Enact was ruthlessly taken down in three strokes. There was a huge thud as the green mobile suit collapsed to the ground, utterly decimated and missing several components (includeding both of its arms). The pilot continued screaming, though, all sorts of nonsensities about his supposed 'fame' and being 'unbeatable'...
The same voice sounded in my earpiece again, as Exia's pilot completely ignored the ensuing panic he'd just caused, "Exia, first phase complete. Proceeding to second phase."
GN particles began streaming into the air again, and the Gundam rose into skies once more. As expected, the AEU were quickly recovering from their loss, starting to deploy their forces after Exia...
I tightened my grip on the controllers from my spot, a small thrill running through me as I was finally going to be piloting my Gundam for the first official mission.
... Any time now...
None of the mobile suits were able to stand against Exia for long, since a few slashes were all it took for the machines to go tumbling down. The AEU Hellions switched to a different tactic, staying at bay and going for long-ranged attacks. They didn't seem to be actively trying to bring Exia down, though... it... it was more like they were trying to stall for time...
"Reinforcements," I muttered, just as more dark green mobile suits appeared from the depths of the Orbital Space Elevator, "The AEU has so many armaments hidden inside the pillar..."
"Heh, this might be tough even for Setsuna," Another window popped up on my screen, revealing a familiar brown-haired man. He cracked a good-natured grin at me, "Shall we aim at a few of them for him, Spica?"
I smiled back at him, "You've got it, Lockon."
"Let's go, then! This will be the first battle!" I briefly saw him pulling down the giant gun before his image disappeared, and I was left staring at a blank spot on the screen.
"Eh, I should get started, too," I straightened up as I reached out with my hands, my fingers reflexively closing around the complex switches with a firm hold. Nervousness and adrenalin twittered through my body for the briefest of moments as I steeled myself. Everything, all the training I went through these years... it was all going to begin now.
I can do this.
"Gundam Luchanti, striking down the targets," I said, feeling my mobile suit moving smoothly in unison to my commands. Piloting is like second nature for me, after all... though, whether it was through my own efforts... or because of those experiments...
I shook my head roughly, dispelling the scattered thoughts from my mind.
"Thorns, pierce!" I commanded.
Four lances whistled upwards from their hidden compartments according to my control, slicing through the group of mobile suits using their sheer numbers to attempt containing Exia. These Thorns had many purposes, and acting as blades was one of them. Luchanti was equipped with a total of eight Thorns, four if you subtracted the ones I'd just sent out.
The Thorns weren't exactly the strongest or the most durable of weapons, but they were fast and sharp. The main advantage lied in their speed and high maneuverability, as well as its many different methods of utilization. In close combat, I could use them along with Luchanti's GN beam saber... or, simply just use them as swords to overwhelm the target directly. There were a lot more functions the Thorns had (other than just being swords), but it mainly depended on what the situation was calling for...
"Gotcha," After dispatching another one, the yellow blurs of my Thorns moved in to attack-
I almost swore, swerving them away just in time as a blast of pink-tinted GN particles took care of the mobile suit I'd been aiming for.
"Lockon!" I grumbled.
It was by complete chance that a different Hellion somehow tilted wildly of course, falling directly in front of my spinning Thorns. Not one to waste a chance, I quickly directed them forward and shredded the suit to pieces, avoiding the cockpit. Thankfully, nobody realized our mis-coordination... the consequences of that would've been disastrous. God knows how Tieria would react to a mess-up like that...
I shivered involuntarily.
Exia lunged at another Hellion, swinging the large blade on its arm and instantly decapitating the last of the AEU forces. Looking at the trail of smoke from the wreckage as it spiraled toward the ground, I let out a small sigh. Things could've gone much worse, I guess... At least we finished the mission successfully, and revealed to the world that the AEU had stationed far more troops in the Orbital Elevator than was allowed by the treaty.
"We're done," I slid back in my seat and pushed a few levers gently, watching my yellow Thorns fly back to me.
Setsuna's voice came alive next to my ear once more, "Second phase-"
"-Complete," Lockon finished.
::Unknown Island::
"I would like to address this statement to every single human being born and raised on earth," The black-dressed man began, looking directly into the recorder, "We call ourselves simply Celestial Being. We are a private armed organization in possession of the mobile weapon Gundam. The main objective of Celestial Being's activities is to completely eliminate all acts of war from this world. We do not act for our own benefit, or for personal gain. We have chosen to intervene for the greatest goal of all: to rid ourselves of the scourge of war."
Get rid of war.
If there was no more war, then there was no need to fight...
If there was no need to fight, then there wouldn't be any more... Super Soldiers, like me, created... there would be no more suffering for ones like my brothers and sisters...
There wouldn't be any more tragedies like the one with Mr. Laelia all those years ago repeating itself. There would be no more senseless violence, no more unnecessary deaths, looping and looping in endless chains...
"As of this moment, I make this declaration to all humanity," Aeolia Schenberg continued, "Territory, religion, energy... no matter what the reason or excuse, if there is an evident act of war being carried out, we will commence intervention by force. Any country, organization, or corporation that promotes war will also be a legitimate target for our intervention. We are Celestial Being. We are an armed organization that is established to eliminate all acts of war from this world."
"I repeat..."
The small holographic screen disappeared, and I looked up to see Lockon stowing the portable device back into his pocket.
"It's begun," He murmured, "It's beginning... and it can't be stopped."
The foreboding aura that followed the normally optimistic man's words was eventually broken by the orange robotic ball, Haro, bouncing up and down on the ground, "Can't be stopped! Can't be stopped!"
Lockon leaned against the stone boulder behind him, his eyes flickering to us, "... We picked a fight with the world. Got it, Setsuna, Spica?"
Setsuna, standing off to the side, merely nodded as he took of his helmet, "Yes... I know."
I arched my head up at the three Gundams lined together. Lockon's Dynames was situated in the middle of Setsuna's Exia and my Luchanti, a splash of green between blue and yellow. The warm golden color of Luchanti's armor almost seemed to glow against its surroundings in the dusky night, its pointed bronze plates circling over white metals in a fluid swirl. Luchanti is actually the smallest of the five Gundams, but it also possessed the slimmest build and highest mobility out of all of them. Adding the Thorns into the equation, Luchanti was perfect for things like creating diversions and facing off small groups of enemies.
... Luchanti.
My Gundam.
Staring up at her filled me with an incredible, indescribable feeling, and I could almost feel my resolve solidify even further. The world was going to change. No, the world is going to change. The five of us... Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, Setsuna F. Seiei, Tieria Erde... and me, Spica Duciel. We are going to be the catalyst for the change with our Gundams.
Setsuna narrowed his eyes in determination as he broke the heavy silence that had fallen over us.
"We are... Celestial Being's Gundam Meisters."
Chapter 1 : End
... Any thoughts? ^^"For some reason, I feel like this is almost a recap of the first episode, just… with a character thrown in. o_o" I'll do my best to focus on the OC perspective more for the next chapter… I read over this one a couple times and I couldn't figure out a good way to change it. Um, feel free to give me some tips, I guess? XD Constructive criticism is appreciated!