Sup guys and welcome to another chapter of Anomaly! Are you ready for this? I sure am! Anyway, this is the first actual new chapter of this fanfic! The rest were rewrites of my original rewrite! Both Exusia and Alauda will get upgraded, so ya better look forward to that!
SulliMike23: I'll be focusing on the characters' past (canon and OC) a lot throughout the first season to really develop them. Not just Tieria, but Lockon, Allelujah and Setsuna as well. Even Graham, Patrick, and the rest of them.
April Marciano: Thanks a lot! I won't give up on this fanfic, I'll see it through the bitter end! And you'll get a lot more Tieria scenes too!
Unicorn 359: The likelihood of creating a character based off of Shinn from SEED Destiny is very unlikely. But there will be one character who will use a suit based off the Strike and Impulse eventually.
Ch. 6 New Upgrades
South African Region, Mineral Resource Mining Site
Lockon Stratos certainly did the job well here, from the looks of the destroyed tanks scattered across the cliff. The pale moonlight shining on the dusty wasteland complemented the vast amount of wasted machines. It had only been a few days, but rust had already spread across the tanks. It looked like a graveyard, for crying out loud.
"Wow. They certainly did a number here." A scruffy-looking red-haired man said as he scanned the area. "That Celestial whoever did. But if we don't collect these rocks here, the economy will go boom... in a bad way."
A young man followed the red-haired adult. He had dark brown hair with the same colored skin to boot. He simply nodded to respond to the adult.
"Do you realize how many countries will be affected by this?" The red-haired man asked rhetorically. "But then again, I guess they don't care what happens to us as long as they can stop war."
"But you love war more than anyone else." He said.
"Ha!" He roared. "But Celestial Being uses war to end war! For me, it's a win-win situation no matter the outcome!
"Captain!" A man called to the red-haired guy. "We have a call from the PMC Trust!"
He took the phone, an irritated look on his face. "This is Ali-Al Saachez. What's the big idea sending us over here, and then calling us back? We are mercenaries! We make our living from fighting! At this rate, Moralia's gonna collapse!... Fine, we'll return."
"Boss?" The young man said, a worried look on his face.
But the red-haired man snickered. "Hmhmhm... Sepehr, looks like we'll get some action after all."
"What do you mean?"
"The big guys at the AEU have finally gotten off their lazy butts and have decided to do something after all." He said, a wide grin on his face.
Sepehr showed no face expression in response to this. But he secretly felt excited by this. He knew that he would finally get some action soon. His experiences in Krugis had trained him from a small weakling into a fierce yet quiet warrior and amazing mobile suit pilot. And more than that, he had finally become a man worthy of the love of his life, Amina Halabi. That bastard Emir had taken her away from him, but now he knew he could crush him like a fly to the swatter.
AEU Central Assembly
The AEU was having a very important discussion at this time during the middle of the night. They were the only nation that hasn't started fighting Celestial Being yet, even though they were the first one to be attacked. Not only that, but they've been struck a terrible blow at Moralia, where the PMC Trust is located.
The PMC Trust is an independent military contractor within Moralia who owns 20% of the four thousand corporations, which also helped to improve their economy. But mainly it functions as a private military who's numbers amount of an army of mercenaries. It even includes weapons transportation and development services. The PMCs are sometimes hired by the AEU to do any sort of deed, whether horrible or not.
The participants, consisting of the Moralian president and foreign ambassadors from different AEU countries, sat around their wide table, each with serious looks plastered on their faces. It really wasn't a day to joke around, considering the seriousness of the surrounding circumstances. Celestial Being had destroyed the machines responsible for mining the minerals, and now losing those rocks would hurt their economy in several ways. Precautions had to be taken, and serious action needed to be performed.
"Are you seriously considering sending the military to Moralia?" A member asked.
"Yesterday at the European summit, Moralia's PMCs were confirmed to being neccessary for our space development project." The only female foreign minster replied.
"But no matter how terrible our situation is, if we continue to support Moralia, Celestial Being will-"
"That's exactly why we must send our military." She answered, more straightforwardly.
The person sitting directly in front of her disagreed. "Still, if we send our military to fight on foreign land, the people will definitely be angry at us..."
"Let's no dwell on what happened three hundred years ago." She said. "Right now, we're trying to do what's best for the AEU."
The man next to he said, "We should leave the colony development to the Union and the Human Reform League. After all, both are relying on our financial power to keep it's progress intact."
"That may work for countries possessing great wealth like yours, but it isn't as simple for our nation." The man in front of him said.
"Is your country so desperate to sell all the weapons you make?"
"We need to strengthen our military if we want to make any progress in space." He responded. "If we give up control over space to the Human Reform League and the Union, then the final frontier will be lost to us."
"I agree with you." The final minister spoke. "No longer can we fall behind in the development in space. So we'll only deploy our forces to Moralia only by the countries that allow us to. However, this action must be agreed upon by all of the AEU nations. We must be Moralia's knight in shining armor!"
"Exactly."
All the participants gasped as they heard this unknown voice. They looked around, but no one claimed responsibility for this voice. Not until they all looked at the door to see a man covered in thick clothes and a trenchcoat. They assumed it was a man due to his masculine appearance, but his top hat hid his face. He held a laptop in his arms, with the symbol of an L on it.
"Who are you?" One person demanded.
The trenchcoat-wearing man said nothing, but the laptop emitted a voice. "I am L. I am a member of your military force trained in secret in case an event like this happened to occur."
"What?" The woman said, eyes as wide as the rest of them. "Our military foresaw something like this?"
"Not specifically." L replied. "But in the case that unforseen circumstances prompted an incredible emergency, training of special individuals had occured. That is all I will say to you at the moment. For now, my priority lies within the mission in Moralia."
"...You know already? About the current situation in Moralia?" A man asked.
"Of couse. I was trained to be able to specify certain events going on in the world and then deduce the outcome." L said. "I've been dispatched to support the defensive mission in Moralia."
"You're a mobile suit pilot?"
"...You ask too many questions." L said. "Yes I am a mobile suit pilot. I will be piloting my own custom Enact during that confrontation against Celestial Being-"
"You can predict that far?" Another minister demanded. "How certain are you that Celestial Being will once again attack Moralia?"
"It's an obvious outcome, given your current decisions." L said. The members of the Parliament were frightened at his monotone, unemotional voice. "And the most likely outcome would be the AEU's loss, even with the support of the PMCs. That is why I will be taking part in this battle."
"Do you believe you hve a chance?"
"I won't know until I fight. My mission is not to defeat the Gundams, but to observe and provide information based on their movements and weapons." L replied. "By the way, this is William. He will be your means of communicating to me, as he will be my means as well."
William bowed to the still surprised ambassadors. "Hello, my good sirs... and ma'am."
Above the Earth in space, in the midst of the line of satellites, the Ptolemaios flew undetected by others. Powered by Gundams, the ship also possessed the ability to go undetected by radars and any electrical communications. This was very good and neccessary, considering the Ptolemaios's lack of offensive weaponry.
"GN Drive linkage, satisfactory." Feldt reported. "GN Particle charge status at 75%. Dispersal status, stabilized at 40%. Nothing unknown within the field of vision-"
The door suddenly slid open, with Rachel quickly floating in. She exclaimed, "Hey guys! Don't you think that Origen and Allelujah have been in there long enough?"
"You talking about their jail time?" Lasse asked. "I'm pretty sure they'll be let out soon."
"Tieria doesn't think so." She said, folding her arms. "He thinks that they don't deserve to be Gundam Meisters, and that they should be fired."
"Well, Tieria is a jerk." Lichty said. "But he means well... somewhat."
"I guess." Rachel said.
"Why should you care what Tieria thinks anyway?" Christina asked. "It's not like he has the authority to do anything to any of us."
"It's 'cause our little Meister girl has a crush on big Tieria." Lichty said with a grin, recalling the events from before.
"Wha- No I don't!" Rachel exclaimed, gasping. "What makes you think that?"
"I can think of a lot of reasons." Lichty said.
"Me too." Lasse said.
"Enough of that." Feldt interrupted. "We have a new mission plan."
The Ptolemaios had a few prison rooms in case of disobedient members or, least likely, captured prisoners. It was basically a small room with several cushioned pillows plastered on the walls for comfort. But it didn't matter much, considering they were in space so they floated around. Allelujah and Origen were admitted into the 'jail cell' for disregarding the mission and instead intervening in the gravity block incident.
Allelujah floated opposite from Origen, head shrouded in thought. Ever since the gravity block incident, he had been silent from Origen. And that was very awkward because the two had been stuck in there for a week without a single conversation.
"Hey, Allelujah." Origen suddenly spoke, snapping Allelujah from his thoughts. "Do you remember what happened when we entered the space terminal in Heaven's Pillar? You said something to me, remember?"
"Huh?" Allelujah frowned, but he had a good idea of what he meant.
"Who is Hallelujah?" Origen demanded. "That other side of you, because I'm positive that that definitely wasn't you I encountered in the space terminal. I've known you for quite some time Allelujah, remember?"
Allelujah sighed. "Definitely, huh?"
"So, who was that?"
"...He is me." Allelujah replied after a few seconds of thought. "It probably has something to do with my brainwaves. He's some sort of... other persona. A different me. But in that sense, he is me."
"...I see..." Origen said, nodding slowly.
"Did you being that subject up because you were curious, or because I haven't spoken in a few days?" Allelujah asked, smiling softly. "I wasn't thinking about that. Something or someone actually interfered with my brainwaves prior to the station accident."
"Someone?"
"Yeah." Allelujah replied. "Someone just like me. Either a lost orphan put into the super-soldier institute... or an actual super-soldier."
Origen grimaced, then leaned back on the patted walls. "Allelujah, you sure are strange."
"Look who's talking." Allelujah said with a small laugh. "You abandoned the mission in order to save several peoples lives. That's not like you."
"Sometimes, it's not the mission that needs full priority." He responded. "For me, I have my own reasons for joining Celestial Being. If completing the mission 100% keeps me in, then I'll stick to it. But there are other things that are important-"
Suddenly, the door slid open, prompting Origen to shut up. Tieria floated in, wearing his civilian clothing. He had a stern look on his face.
"Our sentence finally up?" Origen asked, nonchantly.
"I've gotten pretty bored." Allelujah added.
"From the sound of it, you two don't any remorse about your actions, do you?" Tieria asked.
Origen grimaced a little, but Allelujah kept a straight face as he stared at Tieria.
"Allelujah Haptism, and even you Origen Admantus." Tieria began. "You both aren't worthy of being Gundam Meisters."
"Are you taking the Gundams away from us?" Origen asked.
"Of course." Tieria said. Origen's eyes widened and almost prompted a response, when suddenly Tieria continued, "I'd love to say that, but we can't afford to do so."
"That's right." Sumeragi said as she floated into the small jail cell. "We'll be requiring both your services again."
"A new mission?"
"We've acquired information that the president of the Moralian Republic is having secret meetings with foreign ministers of the major AEU nations." She responded.
"Moralia?" Allelujah exclaimed, eyes widened as he jolted up. "Is it the PMCs?"
"We consider this to be a direct challenge to us." Tieria continued.
"It's definitely going to be a difficult mission." Sumeragi said. "That's why all of us are going down to the surface to provide back-up to you guys. Allelujah and Origen, you are both hereby released from confinement. The three of you are going right now, so prepare for an immediate launch!"
"Yes ma'am."
Human Reform League, Low Orbital Station, Super-Human Institute Labs, Field Office
"We did a thorough physical examination of each super-soldier's body." The head of the institute explained to Sergei. The three soldiers laid on a table, eyes closed as wires were placed throughout their body. "And we found some interesting results."
"Interesting?" Sergei asked.
"First, Lieutenant Soma Peries. We looked at the Taozi's battle recorder and we've detected abnormalities in her quantum brain waves. This wasn't detected in the other super-soldiers." He explained. This normally is impossible... unless, there was an outside influence."
"Outside?"
"If that is the case, then whoever influenced her would have to be like her, having enhanced Glial cells and using quantum brainwaves." He said.
"So there's another person out there just like her?"
"Possibly." He said. "But there's no need to worry about that anymore. We've made changes to her mobile suit to block these quantum brainwaves. It'll never happen again."
"Hmm..." Sergei looked back at the other two. "And those two?"
"We found some interesting information on soldier Palus Eagle, actually." The scientist said, typing a few buttons on his computer to bring up her info screen. "It turns out that some of her parameters falls short of what the idealistic super-soldier is. Basically, she is a failure."
"A failure?" Sergei exclaimed.
"Yes. We also took a look at her battle recorder, but there was no outside influence that seemed to affect her." He continued. "It seems that it was actually a lack of training and confidence, as well as an unfinished experimentation that caused her to panic like that."
"So, she's just like an ordinary human?" Sergei asked.
"Similar, but she surpasses some of the basic fomalities." He replied. "Despite that, she comes short of an actual super-soldier. We have a replace-"
"I don't need a replacement." Sergei immediately said, to the scientist's shock. "It doesn't matter whether or now she's a super-soldier. The fact that she is a soldier is enough for me. But the fact she is a child isn't enough for me."
"We need children to take on these experiments so that they may live long." The scientist said. "Adults like us are frail and slowly decomposing. The institute is thinking about the future, after all."
Sergei narrowed his eyes, but said nothing more.
"Soldier Rhei Las Plaga is an interesting case, but it's nothing we haven't dealt with before." He said, to Sergei's confusion. "He simply forgot his medication. This time, we'll make sure it's placed within his mobile suit."
"I've been wondering for quite some time now, but what kind of illness does this soldier have?" Sergei asked. "I was never informed about that, or his medication."
"It's not something that you should worry about." The scientist replied. "As long as this super-soldier has his medicine, then all will go well. You don't need to know his personal details."
"...I just don't understand." Sergei said. "Why must you put children into the battlefield?"
The scientist sensed his hostility, and answered, "If that organization, Celestial Being, never came to existence, our research would have never come to fruition."
"Everything must lead back to that group, huh?"
AEU French Capital, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Marina Ismail walked inside this pre-modern building, styled like a post-modern castle. This was her first stop in her international tour and she wanted to make a good impression on the French Minister. And she did, but...
"Technical assistance for solar power generation?" The French minister had repeated what Marina had just said.
"Yes. We'd like to request for your assistance with that." She said with a bow.
The minister sighed, prompting Marina to lower her eyes. He replied, "We'd like to help you with this, but right now your country is very unstable. Without a guarantee that our technicians will receive proper protection, we won't get permission from the assembly. Besides, the AEU's elevator isn't fully operational. I don't know if we'll send our technicians anywhere else."
"Is that so?" Marina asked, smiling sadly.
"But we will make sure that we continually provide food to Azadistan." He said, reassuring her.
"Thank you."
And as she entered her limosine to continue her tour, the minister muttered, "A young princess taking part in the unfamiliar world of foreign policy in order to protect her country. I feel sorry for her, but we can't afford charity. It's all up to Moralia."
Francesca slid her boots on, straightening herself out as she did small poses in front of her mirror. It was the weekend and she was determined to relax and not think about school. She stretched a little and opened the door.
Then she heard another door open too. She blinked and turned to see Souji walk out of his apartment at the exact same time. She said, "Hey! You're Souji, aren't you?"
"Huh?" Souji turned and saw Francesca as well. "Oh, yes. And you're Francesca Apokata, right?"
"That's right." She said, smiling. "Are you going out with your friends as well?"
"Er... something like that."
Souji had to go soon. He was ordered to head straight towards CB's island to retrieve new weapons that Alauda and Exusia would be upgraded with. For some reason, the main engineer kept Alauda with him because he wanted to install a new system in it. So he had to meet with Setsuna (who had probably already left) so he could hitch a ride.
"We're growing up real fast." Francesca said, a reminiscing tone in her voice. "Soon, we'll be adults, working, aging, and more. It's kind of sad."
Souji frowned. This girl definitely wasn't Rachel. He's seen her excited before, but not as crazy as Rachel. She had an air of maturity and wisdom too, despite her young age. It was kind of nice to be around her. Too bad Souji felt no attraction towards her. Hopefully, she wouldn't end up on the battlefield one day.
"Ah! Sorry for ranting like that!" Francesca quickly said, a small blush on her face.
"That's alright." Souji said, softly smiling.
Meanwhile, at the orbital elevator Heaven's Pillar, Sumeragi, Christina and Feldt were heading towards the surface. Feldt began explaining the circumstances surrounding Moralia.
"The Moralian Republic: Founded twenty-three years ago in 2284, it is a small country within Southern Europe. The population is relatively low at 180,000 people but over three million foreign workers live within the country's borders. PMCs account for twenty percent of four thousand private companies, which stands for Private Military Company. These PMCs use actual military deployments, train soldiers, transport weapons, and logistical support, based on the business models of profit."
"That's going overboard, Feldt." Sumeragi said.
"Just doing my job." She replied, nonchantly.
"Ms. Sumeragi, Moralia is a country that developed by inviting PMCs and treating them favorably, right?" Christina asked. "Then why have we never considered them a target until now?"
"If wars around the world lower, their businesses would never survive." Sumeragi explained. "But it sure would've been nice if they ended up self-destructing."
At the exact time, Lichty rubbed his hands with a wide grin on his face. This was the chance he has been waiting for. The day all the girls would leave so that he could execute his master plan: enter Christina's room and find her diary.
He had one true reason for doing this: all he wanted to know is what she thought of him. If she liked him, Lichty would have the courage to ask her on a date. But he also wanted to know what her room looked like. And maybe he could find something more personal than her diary.
He went into the Ptolemaios's control room and deactivated all the locks to the rooms. Then he crawled towards Christina's room and opened it. His body was shaking with fear and excitement, but this was the only chance he'd have in a long time.
Chrstina's room was a little more messy than he expected. Clothes were scattered all over the place, and papers and books sprawled across her desk. Her computer junk was laid across the floor and one laptop sat on her bed, undergarments resting on them.
Lichty thought carefully. Christina was a computer-type person, so he believed her diary would be in her computer. And her laptop happened to be on her bed, making him hypothesize that her diary was in that one. So he crawled towards the laptop and reached for it, picking up her panties to get to it...
"What are you doing, Lichty?" Dr. Joyce B. Moreno asked from outside the room, causing Lichty to jump up and scream.
"What the?" Lasse said, peeking into the room as well. "What are you doing? And why are you holding Christina's underwear?"
"Eh?" Lichty gasped as he realized he was still clutching her orange panties. "Oh no! This is-"
"Oh, I understand." Lasse said.
"As do I." Dr. Moreno added. "Lichty has an underwear fetish. Either that, or he is a pervert."
"WHAT?" Lichty yelled. "NO!"
Lasse shook his head disapprovingly. "This just has to be reported to the girls at once. I propose we do it right now.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Hi, Mr. Katagiri." Julia said as she walked into the room. He was the only one inside the MS warehouse, doing research on his computer. She walked in, handing him a cup of coffee.
"Good evening, Ms. Reeves." He said, smiling. "How are you doing?"
"Fine." She replied. "What are you looking at?"
"I've been monitoring Moralia's actions for quite some time, and I believe I have enough evidence to hypothesize that Celestial Being will intervene there."
"Oh?" Julia blinked in surprise.
"I'm a little surprised that Celestial Being has decided to act now though, considering that Moralia has had PMCs for quite some time." Billy said. "But Moralia has accepted the AEU's offer for military support. They need the PMCs if the AEU wants to continue their space development project, but since the PMCs promote war, Celestial Being won't just leave them be. Moralia also wants to save their economy, and they need PMCs as well."
"It's a horrible situation, huh?" Julia said. "If Moralia gives up their PMCs, their economy will certainly crash. But if they don't Celestial Being will intervene."
"Yeah."
At the Moralian Air Force Base, Peter flew over the soldiers in his new custom Enact, the Valiant. The air force stared up in wonder at the new mobile suit as they compared it to their cheap Hellions.
Peter twiddled with the control stick to make sure it wasn't stiff. He was a little nervous. It was his first official battle against the Gundams, and he wanted to be prepared to fight the sniper one. Hopefully, the Valiant would be enough to take it on.
He had heard another interesting thing. An unknown mobile suit pilot who supposedly was trained secretly would be doing a recon mission here, trying to obtain info about the Gundams. He's supposed to be some legendary pilot who's skills surpass Graham Aker and Julia Reeves, but he felt that to be going overboard. He's never even heard of a guy called 'L' anyway.
The Valiant landed safely onto the runway in it's fighter mode next to another Enact. Peter blinked in surprise: He thought he was the first one there. He hopped out of his cockpit and looked at the other to see a familiar face. "Chip!"
Chip gave him a wide grin. "Hey Lieutenant!"
"I didn't expect you to come here." Peter said.
"Me neither." Chip replied. "They picked a few teams and individuals at random, and I happened to be the lucky winner. Isn't that wonderful?"
"The best." Peter said, grinning as well.
This was nice. It's been awhile since Peter had saw his old friend. He grew up with Chip and Dale, and the three decided to join the military because they were great mobile suit simulation pilots. They became feared as the 'Hellion pilots who raised hell', because of their chaotic battle style and never-give-up attitudes. They had great times playing poker, gambling for extra sausages, keeping the rats of their bed... that was the life. And now, Dale was gone. And Peter and Chip would be left to fight his killers.
"Did you hear Colasour was sent here too?" Chip said, an irritated look on his face. "That guy's gonna get hurt. And just after he got released from the hospital too!"
"Now, now." Peter said. "We all lost to the Gundams once before. He just happened to face a more humiliating defeat then all of us. More than our duty, I'm sure all the soldiers here have a grudge against Celestial Being."
"YA-HOOOOOOOO!" A familiar yell tore through the skies, prompting everyone to look up.
Three Enacts flew through the air. One of them was the new AEU Enact Commander Type, presumed to be piloted by Patrick. The only outward difference in appearance was it's head, with a slightly different design. Other than that, it looked exactly like the regular Enact. Peter felt that it was rushed in development and it could've been much more effective than it is now.
"Speak of the devil." Chip said.
The three Enacts flew at a dangerously close distance to a building before landing on the same runway as the other two with flaunt style. The Moralian soldiers frowned, confused and horrified. They wondered if this guy would be strong enough to protect them.
Patrick immediately popped out of his Enact, rudely pointing his fingers at the soldiers, saying, "Yo! I'm Patrick Colasour, the AEU's ace! I'm here to help you, Moralia!"
"What a jerk..." One soldier murmured.
"He's got some nerve."
"Well. Colasour certainly has left a first impression on Moralia, hasn't he?" Chip said with a smirk.
"Yup."
Suddenly, they felt heat and air combined as another mobile suit zoomed overhead the other pilots. All the pilots looked up again, their heads aching from all the looking, and saw a strange sight. This Enact was painted blue rather than green, and it's gray parts were painted yellow. The letter 'L' was painted on it's left shoulder.
"Is that the mobile suit pilot genius I heard was coming?" Peter murmured.
"Wow." Chip said. "In terms of flashiness, he exceeds Colasour."
"Hey! What the heck is that?" Patrick yelled as he jumped off his mobile suit, running towards the other two. "That mobile suit Enact has a wierd look to it! What's going on?"
"L?" Peter said.
The Enact switched to fighter mode and made a quiet landing onto the same runway as the other pilots. Everyone looked in wonder to see who this amazing mobile suit pilot was. They expected a buff, six foot man with an unshaved appearance. So you can imagine the extremely shocked looks on their face when they saw what he actually looked like.
He wasn't even wearing a jumpsuit. He had spiky black hair with slightly blue highlights, although you had to squint to see. He had pale white skin, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and jeans with tennis shoes. But the most standout feature was his eyes, as big and shaped to look like a fish's. He looked very creepy and sleep-deprived, evidence by the bags under his eyes.
He slouched down and looked at Patrick, Peter and Chip. He said nothing and stared at them.
"Umm..." Peter stepped forward, saying, "L?"
"Yes, that's what I'm called." He answered with such a lazy voice. "But to be honest, that name is just a cover. My actual name is Lamont. Lamont Louis."
"Lamont?" Patrick said, frowning. "Are you from Wales?"
"Such information is irrelevant." Lamont replied, to Patrick's irritation. "I'm here not to fight against the Gundams. I'm here to gain information on them by observing their habits and such. The chances of the AEU and Moralian forces achieving victory is low, at least to my hypothesis."
"I'm sure you're not the only one thinking that." Chip replied.
"But these deaths won't be meaningless." Lamont said. "If we obtain battle data from the Gundams, we will be one step closer to defeating Celestial Being. I'm quite positive on that."
They nodded.
"I don't like Celestial Being. Their creed that killing soldiers to obtain world peace is contradictory. And I hate hypocrites. Especially hypocrites who have force that can overpower anyone they face. They're nothing but bullies." Lamont said, then his mouth curled into a smile. "Let's show Celestial Being what justice truly is."
"Y-Yeah!" Chip said, more hyped that Lamont agreed with all of them. "We can do this."
"Hurry up and show your faces, Gundams!" Patrick exclaimed, grinning. "We'll beat you guys up!"
Peter smiled, then whispered to Lamont, "But you just said that you don't believe we can beat Celestial Being the way we are."
"I know, but a pep talk never hurt anyone."
Back at Wang Liu Mei's mansion, the young woman sat on a chair viewing the ocean past her private flower bushes and palm trees. Liu Mei was rich enough to afford stuff like this because she inherited the Wang fortune. It was enough that she could support Celestial Being financially.
"Moralia and the AEU are performing a joint military drill?" Liu Mei repeated what Hong Long had said as she put down her cup of tea.
"It's on scale of a full regiment." Hong Long explained. "An alliance of PMCs is also taking part in this operation. And I've gotten word that they've hired a privately trained professional to lend his support in all this. Adding all this together, they are estimated to have over one hundred and thirty mobile suits."
Liu Mei stood up, saying, "It's a full scale operation. The world will be forced to look at Celestial Being from a closer view."
The sun was setting at the hotel where Sumeragi and the girls were staying. They would be heading to Wang Liu Mei's mansion the next day to begin the mission, so they reserved a top-class hotel. Despite that, Christina was extremely bored and Feldt typed on her computer, silent. Sumeragi entered the room and frowned at the quiet girls.
Christina couldn't take the quietness anymore. She instantly leaned up and said, "Ms. Sumeragi! Our flight is tomorrow, so can we do whatever until then?"
"Is that what you want?" Sumeragi said. "Alright then. Go ahead."
"Yay!" She said, then got up and grabbed Feldt's hand. "Let's go shopping, Feldt!"
"I haven't verified the mission plan yet." Feldt replied.
"Come on! Let's go!" Christina yelled, yanking Feldt from her computer and trudged towards the door. "You'll have lots of fun! Besides, the more interventions we commit, the more inflation will skyrocket!"
"The data analysis...!" Feldt argued.
"Alright then! See you Ms. Sumeragi!" Christina said, shutting the door behind her.
Sumeragi smiled as she shut the door behind her, and said, "Now then. Time to get a drink."
Exusia flew towards Celestial Being's island, with Souji crammed in the cockpit. The Gundams were not made for two people to ride in, unless one person laid on the others lap. And this is no yaoi fanfic okay?
The Gundam landed beside a cliff, and were greeted by Lockon and a pale-skinned man with black hair. He is Ian Vashti, the main engineer in charge of Celestial Being's Gundams' maintenance. Despite his old age, he was quite kind and was a family man. Souji was aware that his wife and daughter were part of Celestial Being as well.
"Hey! It's Mr. Ian!" Souji exclaimed as he hopped out of Exusia. "Where's Alauda?"
"No 'hi' for me?" Lockon asked, smiling. "But I guess I'd be excited too, knowing that my Gundam is getting a present."
"Hey Setsuna. Souji." Ian Vashti said. "I want to show you Exusia's and Alauda's upgrades."
"Upgrade?" "Present?" The two Meisters asked in unison.
"Look. I've already equipped Dynames with it's upgrades." Ian said, pointing to Lockon's Gundam behind him. It was now cloaked with two huge shields with the same color. "Those are the GN Full Shields, designed to give Dynames full protection while sniping.
"It's a big help." Lockon remarked.
"What about Alauda?" Souji interrupted, staring at his mobile suit. "It looks exactly the same."
"Externally, it looks the same." Ian said. "First, I want to direct your attention to this." He pressed a button on his remote, and a huge container on his truck opened up to reveal a spiked ball attached to a chain. "This is the GN Hammer, a specialized flail for ranged combat. It was originally used by the Alauda and Exusia's predecessor, the Astraea."
"That's a hammer?" Souji asked. "And wait. Is that it for my upgrades?"
"Of course not." Ian said, chuckling. "I told you I'd install a special program into Alauda, didn't I? But I have to tell you, this system might prove to be... a little fatal."
"Huh?"
"It's called Eclatant Lumiere." Ian explained. "It removes all armor from Alauda, but they are still connected to it through special GN chains and magnetic coating. You'll see what I mean later. With all it's armor released, it will emit a slightly different GN particle that will emphasize extreme speed more than any other funtion."
"Seriously? Amazing!" Souji exclaimed. "I want to use it-"
Ian shook his head, saying, "But the strain of using this program could prove fatal. It could destroy your flesh, and worse, rip out your innards if abused."
"Oh..." Souji drooped his head, a little sad.
"It disregards the pilot's safety, so it should be used as a last resort." Ian continued. "But I assure you that the speed of Eclatant Lumiere can easily overwhelm a group of enemies in case of desperate times. It also takes time before your organs can't handle the strain of the system, so you may be able to use it a couple of times. Otherwise, you might die."
"DIE?" Souji said, gasping.
"That's why you don't abuse it." Ian said. "Now, as for Setsuna..."
The second container on the back of the truck opened up, revealing Exusia's GN Claymore, but with a few differences. It was a little slimmer, and a rifle attached to the left side of the blade. The blade curved in order to be held like a gun.
"This is the upgrade to your GN Claymore, Setsuna. This was supposed to be it's actual form, but time restraints caused us to put a hold on this project." Ian revealed. "The GN Sword Rifle is it's name. In addition to being able to fire beams, it also possesses even more super-compressed GN particles that can easily cut through a three-meter-thick e-carbon plate. So, what do you think?"
"GN Sword Rifle..." Setsuna murmured. His voice was monotone, but his eyes showed a twinkle of awe.
"It's no Seven Swords that the original Exusia was supposed to be equipped with," Lockon said. "But it's certainly an improvement to our forces."
Setsuna closed his eyes and began to walk towards Exusia, without giving any regards to Ian.
The engineer frowned, saying, "What's with him? I rushed to this island to reveal the Gundams' new weapons and-"
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Ian." Souji said. "Setsuna just isn't the type to say 'thanks'. But he is grateful. He is in love with that Gundam after all."
"He sure is." Lockon said. "He thinks he's a Gundam."
"Exusia..." Setsuna whispered. "My Gundam..."
Suddenly, six bright lights flashed above them. Adunai (with it's Chest Flyer and Leg Flyer), Virtue, Kyrios, and Phasma flew down from the sky, enveloped with sparkling green lights. They had just exited the atmosphere and were now heading towards the island.
"They're here!" Souji exclaimed.
A Hotel in AEU Territory
Sumeragi leaned against the lonely bar table, watching a news report from her telescreen. Her wine sat idly next to the screen. Sumeragi was an avid drinker, and she knew when to overdrink and when not to. Besides, she was a little more concerned with the news more than her beloved wine.
"On JNN News today, a special report on the military exercise taking place in the Moralian Republic conducted jointly with the AEU forces, codenamed, "Operation Dawn." The newswoman said. "Over a hundred mobile suits from all the involved forces were brought in, but what need is there to perform such a large-scale operation?"
Sumeragi sighed, her thoughts exactly. She finally picked up her small wine glass and took a sip.
"Does this interest you?"
She blinked, turning around to see a white-suited Billy Katagiri standing near her. "Hey."
Sumeragi, a little surprised, gave him a small smile. As the waiter asked for his drink, she immediately turned off the telescreen, hoping not to get into an unfavorable discussion.
He took a seat next to her and asked, "What do you think of Moralia's recent actions?"
"Let's not talk about that." Sumeragi said, attempting to change the subject. "We haven't seen each other in a long time."
"Since graduate school, huh?" He reminisced. "How long has it been?"
"Don't bring that up!" She exclaimed. "My age'll become obvious!"
Billy chuckled as the waiter handed him his drink. "I know your age."
"When a woman reveals her age, some of her youth is lost." She explained.
"Do you have the data to support this theory?"
She giggled. "You haven't changed at all, Billy."
As the moon began to rise in the dark night sky, Billy became more influenced by the alcohol. He began talking about more private things, such as the Union's militaristic intentions. Sumeragi wasn't surprised that the Union had developed a special task force to deal with the Gundams though. But that wasn't the first thing to come into her mind...
"Anti-Gundam Investigative Force?" Sumeragi exclaimed, laughing. "What kind of name is that?"
"Well, it was formed just recently, and we haven't come up with a formal name." Billy replied, sinking into the depths of alcohol.
"Are you assigned to this task force?"
"It's not just me." He said. "The legendary Reeves Team is in on this, and even professor Ralph Eifman."
"That famous professor?"
"He's already caught on with the concept of the particles the Gundams emit from their backs." Billy said.
"That sounds... interesting." Sumeragi said, more focused now. "What kind of particle is it?"
"He won't tell any of us." Billy answered. "But let's not talk about that right now. What have you been up to for the past few years?"
"Um... just a couple of things."
Then, Billy's tone turned slightly grave. "...About that time..."
"I've already forgotten about it." Sumeragi quickly said.
"...I see." Billy said. He put his hand on Sumeragi's softly. "That's fine. I'm just glad we were able to meet again."
"Yeah."
Meanwhile, in the same exact hotel, Marina sat at the small desk talking to Shirin. The first day of the international tour hadn't produced splended results and Marina wasn't exactly in an optimistic mood.
"As we predicted, we were only able to gain food support." Shirin communicated over her telecomputer.
"Don't say it as if it was some forgone prophecy." Marina said. "We need to obtain technical support somehow."
"I'm pretty sure you know from the news reports by now. Celestial Being is about to confront Moralia." Shirin said. "So if the war situation is likely to continue, I want you to return immediately."
Moralia's military base was very busy. They began to line up different colored Hellions to make it look like a joint military exercise, when in reality they were preparing for battle. Several rows and lines of Hellions stretched the entire military grounds.
"A joint exercise?" Ali Al-Saachez said with a laugh. "I never would've thought the AEU would take part in something like that."
"Well, this is a result of diplomatic efforts." The AEU ambassador said as the three entered a mobile suit warehouse. Sepehr followed cautiously. "We can't always get the short end of the stick. The AEU needs to put in some effort as well."
"No kidding."
"What is this place, boss?" Sepehr asked.
"It's a PMC Weapons Hanger. It's where you and I will be getting our new weapons." Ali replied with a grin. "We've been specifically requested to use these weapons as we fight the Gundams."
The lights were put on to reveal two Enacts in fighter mode sitting idly in front of them. One was painted dark blue and dark silver trim. The other was yellow with dark silver trim.
"I want you two to use these machines." The ambassador said.
"That's the Enact, right?" Sepehr asked. "So why are they placed in a private hanger?"
"These aren't normal Enacts." The man said. "Originally, it was a testing machine, but it's been tuned up to perform better than normal mobile suits."
"The AEU wants me to beat a Gundam with this?" Ali asked, feeling his new mobile suit.
"Capture one."
"That's easier said than done."
"We're prepared to pay you enough so that you can live comfortably for the rest of your life." The ambassador responded, much to Sepehr and Ali's surprise.
Ali whistled. "That's very enticing."
Would the boss take it? Sepehr wondered. No. The real question is, will he decide to live comfortably for the rest of his life? Because this man is like a predator. He can't stop seeking his prey...
Hong Long pulled the car over as it arrived at Wang Liu Mei's mansion. Sumeragi, Feldt, and Christina walked out to be greeted by Liu Mei. This was where the operations base for this mission would be held at.
In the bar room of the mansion, two big computers sat in the middle of the room. Christina and Feldt took out two memory drives and inserted it into the computer, with several maps of Moralia being displayed.
"Impressive, Ms. Liu Mei." Sumeragi said. "This is all very excellent."
"Thank you."
Hong Long blinked as he saw another map of Moralia displayed. "This shows how the Moralian and AEU forces are being deployed."
"The PMC Trust as well, and this is all in real time." Sumeragi added.
Feldt looked over to Christina, asking, "Where did you find the time to hack them?"
"Before breakfast." Christina replied, winking.
"The mission will begin at zero hundred hours as planned." Sumeragi commanded. "Our targets are anything hostile against us."
"Roger."
Anti-Gundam Investigative Force Room
The base of operations for this task force was lively as ever. They were also about to use this opportunity to study their battle habits and strategies, and hopefully find a weakness against them. TV screens were plastered all over the wall, and stacks of books in the island desk.
Eifman put down a book entitled 'Studies of Special Particle as Gundam's Appearance' when Billy told him about his encounter with Sumeragi. "Is that right? You met up with Kujo? How was she?"
"She was great." Billy replied.
"Did you discuss the incident?"
"She told me she had forgotten all about it." Billy said, smiling softly.
"I've heard of Kujo before." Raven murmured. "Wasn't there some incident involving a woman like her acting as a tactical forecaster?"
"Ah...!" Simon gasped as a new screen appeared on his computer. "We have visual confirmation of the Gundams. I'm bringing them up on the monitor!"
Seven screens appeared on the big monitor, showing the seven Gundams. A few of them were equipped with new armaments.
"They have new weapons!" Howard exclaimed.
"Those aren't in our data." Daryl also added.
"That just means Celestial Being is getting serious." Graham muttered.
Amina also stared at the screen, looking at the red mobile suit. It held a flail in it's hands, it's glowing green eyes looking ahead. "Emir..."
A lone Enact flew in the sky, spotting the Gundams. "Gundams have been visually confirmed. Point A4576."
"They've spotted us! I'm so excited!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Listen up, Meisters! Act according to your mission plan only!" Lockon shouted. "Keep the coded line open at all times. Expect mission plan revisions from Ms. Sumeragi too."
"Roger." All the Meisters said.
The Gundams then split up in different directions, and with that, the mission has begun.
Back at the university, several concerned students looked anxiously at the huge monitor in the cafeteria, watching the news. The news reported that the battle at Moralia had just started, and were questioning Moralia's intents by doing this joint exercise.
"Who are they doing this?" Saji muttered.
"Huh?" Louise said.
"Don't you think this is wrong, Louise?" Saji said. "Celestial Being rescued us, but now they're starting a war themselves. Doing that won't change the world. It'll just create hate. They'll plunge the Earth into chaos."
Kyrios and Adunai flew towards a small valley near the base, with a group of airborne Hellions awaiting them.
"Two enemy squadrons found in E332." Allelujah said. "It's just like what Ms. Sumeragi said...!"
Kyrios quickly fired it's GN Submachine Gun below it's cockpit, with all the Hellions spreading into different directions. This was what Allelujah wanted though, as it's Tail Unit opened up revealing several guided missiles that smashed into the Hellions, killing them!
Adunai flew at the side, launching GN Missiles at the enemies around it. It took down a few of them, but most had just seen Kyrios killing off their teammates and decided not to fly behind it. They rapidly fired their linear rifles at Adunai, but the Gundam dodged the blasts easily. It converted to mobile suit form and fired it's GN Mega Cannon at the rest of them, killing several of them. Then it switched to it's double beam rifle, taking out the rest.
"Enemy formations destroyed." Feldt reported. "Kyrios and Adunai. No change in mission plan."
"Roger." Allelujah communicated. "Continuing intervention."
"Roger." Origen replied.
"Dynames, Virtue, and Phasma are switching to armed intervention in D883." Christina reported.
D883 was the Moralian air force base itself, and sending three Gundams there was overkill.
"TAKE THIS!" Rachel roared as she hacked away on a Hellion, destroying it. "Hahahahaha! The grim reaper is back!"
Several more appeared behind her, causing Phasma to turn and aim it's beam cannon at them. Some got the message and attempted to run away, only to be grappled by it's extendable claw arm and blasted to bits! When she got tired of the cannon, she went back to her scythe and began slicing away. The Hellions took to the sky again and when they turned around, the Gundam wasn't there.
"Did we lose the Gundam?" One of the Hellion pilots asked.
"...No you didn't..."
Every one of them gasped as Phasma materialized in the sky, right in the middle of all the Hellions! Phasma spun like a tornado, slicing them all in a circular motion! They didn't have the time to scream in fright, as the Hellion corpses fell from the sky.
"Hmm..." Lamont was in deep thought as he observed Phasma from afar. "It's a fact that the Gundams are low in number. It's also a fact that they were designed for stealth operations, given that they can disable communications and radars. Therefore, I believe that this Gundam in particular has a specialized stealth system that allows it to move while unmaterialized."
"Do you have any idea why?" William communicated.
"Perhaps that particle on their back may be key." Lamont replied, biting his nail. "It's a scary thought that a Gundam can move, invisible to the naked eye. William, I'm going to fight it and see just how powerful it is."
"Be safe, Master," Was William's response.
The Integrity (which was the name of Lamont's Enact) switched to mobile suit form and flew towards Phasma at full speeds. Although Rachel took a quick glance at it, she didn't think the enemy was that powerful until it rammed at her! She screamed as the Integrity began falling towards the ground!
"You bastard!" She screamed, trying to slice it with her scythe.
The Integrity turned to the side to dodge the scythe, firing it's linear rifle at the Gundam repeatedly. In retaliation, Phasma fired it's GN Missiles at the Enact, but Integrity shot most of them away. The ones it couldn't shoot it dodged.
"Amazing." Lamont muttered. "The Gundam is indeed powerful, but its pilot has the mentality of a child."
"Why you...!" Rachel yelled. "Take this!"
Phasma's GN particles began to fully envelop it until it disappeared from Lamont's view. His eyes widened, and he quickly switched back to fighter mode, flying away as fast as he could.
"I'm not going to let you go free!" Rachel roared.
"I see the Gundam is gullible as well." Lamont said, slowly grinning. The tail unit attached to the Integrity's thrusters immediately opened up, with several missiles being fired at the exact spot the Gundam disappeared.
Rachel was slow to react as the missiles crashed into her Gundam, creating a smokescreen explosion! The smoke covered her main camera leaving her unable to see anything. She quickly directed Phasma out of the smokescreen, but she couldn't locate the Enact afterwards.
"Awww..." Rachel said.
The Integrity was successful in escaping the Gundam's clutches by hiding in the cliffs of a nearby mountain, but its pilot wasn't in any mood to fight it again. He was also suffering from Gundam shock, his entire body shaking from head to toe.
He pressed a button, opening communications. "William. I'm going to analyze the Gundams' actions from here."
"Were they that strong, Master?"
"...Yes."
Back at the base, Dynames stood in the middle of the warehouse area being shot repeatedly be Hellion fire. But thanks to the GN Full Shields covering it's body, none of the bullets were able to strike it. The Hellion pilots were in panic mode because of their fearful knowledge of the Gundam, and wasn't even thinking strategy as they fired at an unpenatrable target.
"Hmph!" Lockon scowled, then he grinned. "Sniping the targets!"
Dynames lunged forward, all verniers activated, toward the Hellions. They immediately spread out as Dynames drew it's GN Beam Pistols from the holsters next to it's knees, firing several beams at the one behind it. It crumbled as it exploded.
Another Hellion circled behind it, firing it's linear rifle at the back of Dynames. Then it's pilot gasped as the shields at the front of the Gundam slid to it's sides, blocking the bullets!
"You think you can hit me like that?" Lockon mocked.
Dynames spun around and fired at Hellion's rifle, destroying it. The Hellion attempted to retreat, but Dynames continually stalked the mobile suit. Feeling like the Gundam was mocking him, the Hellion stood it's ground and tried stabbing Dynames with it's sonic blade. Dynames shot the blade then smashed its arm away with it's pistol, blasting it's other arm away before pointing the gun at it's head. The Hellion pilot immediately froze as Dynames commended judgement on the poor mobile suit.
The other three Hellions fired missiles at Dynames and the already-deceased Hellion, but the Gundam managed to jump up as the missiles struck the corpse. Dynames flew right in front of the sun, causing all the Hellion pilots to squint! Dynames rapidly fired both its pistols, destroying one of the Hellions.
The Gundam quickly swiched to it's sniper rifle, the 'V' emblem on its forehead dropping to reveal a scope. And with complete and utter accuracy, he shot and stuck down the rest of the Hellions with one blast each.
"GUNDAM!"
Lockon's eyes widened as he heard that familiar voice, and turned to see a dark-green Enact flying it's way. The Valiant leveled it's linear shotgun and fired at the stunned Gundam. Although Dynames tried to dodge, the spread shot of the shotgun forced him back.
"Arghh!" Lockon yelled. "Th- This guy! He's from last time-"
"It's time to get revenge for Dale... and for the last time too!" Peter roared, firing the Valiant's shotgun, blowing Dynames back. Although the power of the shotgun was unable to do any actual damage to the Gundam, it was strong enough to push it back. And once it's back hit the wall of a warehouse...
"Shit!" Lockon exclaimed as soon as Dynames hit the wall.
"Bastard!" Peter roared a battle cry, drawing the Valiant's sonic blade and attempted to stab right through Dynames's torso!
Suddenly, Dynames's Full Shield slid to protect the torso, deflecting the Valiant's blade. Peter gasped as the Gundam drew it's pistols and rapidly fired at the Enact. The Valiant flew back and fired it's shotgun in retaliation, but the beam pistols' power overwhelmed its might. Peter ended up retreating, but the Gundam attempted to stalk the mobile suit just like it did the Hellion.
Dynames suddenly stopped. Peter thought this as a chance to escape when he saw, to his horror, the Gundam leveling it's rifle. The Valiant tried to fly out of harm's way, but Lockon was no amateur. He calmly aimed at the Valiant as it tried to fly away. Peter saw his life flash before his eyes as the beam fired right towards him...
"Run... Peter..."
An explosion occured. But Peter was still alive. An explosion had occured right in front of him. But he was still alive. So who took the blow...?
Peter already knew, but he couldn't believe it. Chip, his best friend, his closest comrade, the one who stuck by him thick and thin... sacrificed himself to save the Valiant.
Peter's whole body shook with rage and fear at the same time. He wanted to take revenge, but he couldn't. That's not what his friend wanted. And he was in no condition to fight back. As Dynames attempted to blindly fire its rifle through the smoke, Peter quickly retreated, but not without muttering these words...
"I WILL KILL THE GUNDAM..."
Meanwhile, Virtue had finally landed in the base with a large, rumbling quake. All the Hellions took to the sky in fear of seeing what Dynames and Phasma had done to their comrades. A few Hellions, however, wanted to take revenge and stood their ground against the towering Gundam.
Tieria was hardly fazed. "Virtue, eliminating Hellion squad."
Virtue picked up it's GN Bazooka, aiming it towards the sky. A gigantic amount of particles filled up, and before the grounded Hellions could escape, Virtue fired a massive beam that destroyed everything in its path! Several explosions occured on the ground as well as the sky.
Patrick in his Enact as well as two other Enacts flew above the destroyed Hellions. He had a cocky grin on his face. "I found you! You're a different type than the others, but you're a Gundam too, right? That means you're my enemy!"
"Enemy mobile suits approaching rapidly from G653." Feldt reported.
"Roger." Tieria said, Virtue's shoulder-mounted double-barrel GN Cannons aiming straight at the three Enacts. "I will eliminate the targets."
Each cannon charged up with GN particles much faster than the bazooka, and fired a huge blast not as massive, but quite deadly. Patrick gasped and quickly maneuvered out of the way as his two comrades were wiped away by the blast! Although he didn't die, the boosters got hit, sending him spiraling to the ground.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" He screamed as he was sent down.
"Continuing mission." Tieria said.
"Virtue, Phase One cleared. Now proceeding to Phase Two." Christina reported.
"Kyrios and Adunai have dealt with the aerial forces." Feldt added. "Moving onto Phase Two."
"Alter Dynames's and Phasma's mission toC5." Sumeragi said.
"Roger."
"So this is the power of the Gundam Meisters..." Wang Liu Mei said in awe.
"We've only just begun." Sumeragi said. "What's Exusia and Alauda's status?"
"They're both engaging enemy squadrons at T554 according to plan." Christina replied.
At an isolated area outside of the Moralian air base, Alauda and Exusia were commencing combat with the rest of the Hellion teams. Both were having an easy time with the mobile suits, but they were using this experience more as a testing ground rather than a mission.
Alauda swung its flail in the air as if to mock the Hellions. The pilots got aggravated, but they weren't idiots. They wouldn't step in without a strategy. So, Souji decided to take the preemptive action. He spun the GN Hammer even faster and threw it at the Hellion in front of him! His enemy quickly dodged and flew away, only for Alauda to spin around and strike it to the ground, crushing it with the spikes of the ball.
Exusia flew right in front of a Hellion, slicing it in half with it's new GN Sword Rifle. The two Hellions on the ground fired their linear guns rapidly at the descending Gundam, prompting Exusia to fire two beams from the rifle portion of the blade, the two beams taking them out. Two more Hellions attempted to stab him from both sides, but Exusia did a spin attack, slicing the two through the torso!
The remaining Hellions ran towards the Gundam, attempting to surround it from all sides. Exusia dropped its shield, sheathed its blade and fired it's machine cannons at the two in front of it, pumping the two with beam spam! Then the Gundam turned around, beam sabers in hand, slicing the remaining two in half!
"There you are, Gundam!"
Setsuna blinked, surprised to hear a mobile suit pilot's communications open. He turned to the sky to see a yellow Enact flying towards him. Setsuna was a little surprised by the bright colors, but figured that the pilot was some wannabe hot-shot and took towards the sky.
"I'm gonna make you mine!" The Enact pilot roared, drawing the Enact's sonic blade and activating it's vibroblade. Setsuna had encounted something like this before, and easily swatted the blade away with his beam saber. But this was what the pilot wanted, as rocket anchors were shot out from it's forearms and ankles, wrapping around the Gundam!
"What?" Setsuna gasped.
"That was way too easy!" The Enact pilot yelled, howling with laughter. "You Gundams suck!"
Setsuna frowned. Not because of the Enact pilot's attitude, but because of his voice. He recognized it from somewhere, but he couldn't remember anyone recent. He thought back to Krugis, thinking it was someone from his terrorist days. Then he remembered one in particular... one who had a huge crush on one of Setsuna's friends.
"Sepehr... Sepehr Khan!" Setsuna yelled, opening his communications.
"Eh? How do you know my name?" Sepehr questioned. "And why do I recognize your voice?... Wait... You're Soran Ibraham, aren't you? You're the guy who hung out with my Amina and that bastard Emir!"
That was definitely Sepehr. The only guy crazy enough to seduce a young girl in the midst of combat was Sepehr Khan, Ali-Al Saachez's right hand man. Setsuna knew he was a good mobile suit pilot, but he couldn't believe he would team up with the AEU.
"What are you doing here?" Setsuna demanded. "And where's Ali-Al Saachez?"
"Huh? You haven't seen him yet?" Sepehr said. "He's somewhere in the battlefield, trying to find one of you! But I'm the one asking the questions! Why are you piloting a Gundam? And where's Emir and Amina? Are they Gundam pilots too?"
Setsuna grimaced, then fired the machine cannons straight at the Enact! Sepehr was forced to remove the rocket anchors from his mobile suit, retreating slightly.
"Why you...!" Sepehr yelled.
"I don't know where Amina is." Setsuna replied, returning the favor. "And that's all you want to know, right? There's nothing else you want to know."
"Hmph!" Sepehr scowled. "I'm guessing Emir is a Gundam pilot, based on your voice. But I think you're telling the truth about Amina..."
Setsuna wasted no time. He quickly tackled into the Enact to Sepehr's surprise and tried stabbing it with his beam saber. But Sepehr was no amateur. He quickly turned around and drew the Enact's other sonic blade, clashing with the saber. Although he was unable to overpower the beam blade, he managed to use it as a diversion to fire his linear rifle!
"Urgh!" Setsuna scowled.
"You still fight like you did back then." Sepehr said with a grin. "You're still green."
Souji was wasting every Hellion that came with the GN Hammer. He continued to swing and spin, crushing every mobile suit beneath the weight of the spiked ball. This weapon was very unique in the fact that it could be used as a long-ranged as well as short-ranged weapon. And it could easily switch functions within a few seconds, making it a very balanced weapon. This wiped away Alauda's weakness as a primarily close-ranged mobile suit.
"I've got them all!" Souji reported. "I'm moving to support Set-"
Suddenly, several bullets were fired at the ground near Alauda! The Gundam immediately flew back to evade it, but the bullet trail continued to follow him and eventually began to hit the mobile suit! Souji retracted the GN Hammer into the shield, then blocked all the bullets. He looked up and gasped, seeing a dark blue Enact hovering in the air, rapidly firing its custom blade rifle at him!
"I-I can't take to the sky because it'll knock me back!" Souji cried. "What is this Enact?"
Suddenly, the Enact stopped shooting. Alauda peeked behind its shield to see the Enact ram into it, knocking him back!
"HAHAHA!" The Enact pilot roared with laughter. "That mobile suit's amazing, but the pilot isn't quite to par! What do you say you stop going easy on me, Gundam?"
Souji took this opportunity to fly towards the sky. But he was quite shocked at this pilot's skill... and his voice.
"Don't I know this guy..." Souji muttered, then gasped. "Could it be-"
A yellow scar lighted up on the mobile suit's head, probably there for striking fear in the enemy. Souji gasped again, as the memories flooded into his brain. Memories of him, Soran and Amina being rescued by a certain red-haired man.
"You're interfering with my business!" He roared. "I've got a payment due for this!"
The Enact flew down and kicked Alauda back, causing it to slam into the ground. Souji screamed as he fell and rocked back and forth by the impact. He calmed his nerves, muttering, "You've gotta be kidding me..."
The enemy pointed its blade rifle at the Gundam. The red-haired man grinned. "I'm gonna make you mine, Gundam."
SO WADDYA THINK, GUYS? First of all, you might be thinking, "I waited so long for this piece of crap?" And you're probably right. The quality of this chapter is pretty low. But I figured you guys were waiting long enough, so I decided to finish it up now. School's getting a lot busy and stuff, so I don't have as much time as I used to. Hope yall forgive me!
Anyways, this is the last of the OCs being introduced until much later. I know I kept adding OC after OC, but their purpose will come eventually. I hope you come to love these people. And that reminds me: The character Lamont is obviously based off of L Lawliet from Death Note. I created him as a recon professional mobile suit pilot and his role will be like Sumeragi's and Kati's, except he'll be on the battlefield.
The inspiration for the sword rifle came from another fanfic I read called Dauntless by Maileesaeya (great fic!). And before you say anything, I'm aware there already is a GN Sword Rifle used by Gundam Harute. But I couldn't exactly use GN Gunblade, because Qan(T) Full Saber uses it. And I thought sword rifle was a better name for this weapon. The GN Hammer came from Astraea, but the reason for giving Alauda this is because its a predecessor for its next generation's new weapon. And the Eclatant Lumiere will be shown later.
Alright! To end this chapter, I'll show you guys the specs for the new Enacts introduced!
AEU-09PL AEU Enact Valiant Custom
A custom Enact, designed for the role of long-ranged combat with close-ranged capabilities. In order to complete this requested mobile suit, engineers have added a specialized linear shotgun that is used for close-quarters combat. This mobile suit also features a faster fighter mode transformation and added speed, lessening the pilot's safety in exchange for complete freedom in any action. This specialized Enact was requested and assigned to AEU Lieutenant Peter Loewen for settling his vendetta with the sniper Gundam.
Model Number: AEU-09PL
Code Name: Valiant
Unit Type: Custom Transfomable Aerial Mobile Suit
Manufacturer: Advanced European Union
Operator: Advanced European Union
Pilot: Peter Loewen
Accomodation: Pilot only, cockpit in torso
Dimensions: Overall height 17.6 meters
Weight: Max gross weight 66.2 tons
Armor Materials: E-Carbon
Power Plant: Solar Energy System, Hydrogen
Special Features: Flight Mode
Looks: Same as the Enact, but painted dark green with white trim. Its wings are more jagged and painted jade green. Its shotgun resembles a Winchester M1897.
Weapons: Custom Linear Shotgun, mounted on right hip, hand-carried in use; 2x Sonic Blade, mounted on hips, hand-carried in use; Defense Rod, mounted on left elbow;
Comments: I don't know if you guys guessed, but this mobile suit is named after the first shotgun Irvine uses in Final Fantasy VIII. I had already known what kind of mobile suit I wanted Peter to pilot eventually, but the idea of him facing Lockon as his main rival came a little later. Anyway, this mobile suit's shotgun is the main feature. It fires a spread, enabling it to attack a wide area in front of it, but its range is terrible. You might notice a common trend in leading close-ranged mobile suits. I don't know why, but I prefer close-ranged suits to long-ranged ones. Its power does exceed a normal linear rifle, but that doesn't mean much in fighting the Gundams. It simply means that now he can scratch their suits.
AEU-09L AEU Enact Integrity Custom
A custom Enact. It is the successor to L's previous Hellion mobile suit. Just like the predecessor, it is a recon mobile suit that specializes in gathering data and allowing for in-and-out combat. It has several escape capabilities to get out of a tight situation, including a tail unit that contains smokescreen missiles and hip-mounted flash grenades. Its role also includes ninja-like abilities, such as a much-looser control system to twist and turn much faster than most standard mobile suits. After the production of the Enact official began, secretly-trained soldier Lamont Louis was one of the few to receive an Enact.
Model Number: AEU-09L
Code Name: Integrity
Unit Type: Custom Transformable Reconnaissance Mobile Suit
Manufacturer: Advanced European Union
Operator: Advanced European Union
Pilot: Lamont Louis
Accomodation: Pilot only, cockpit in torso
Dimensions: Overall height 17.6 meters
Weight: Max gross weight 65.2 tons
Armor Materials: E-Carbon
Power Plant: Solar Energy System, Hydrogen
Special Features: Flight Mode
Looks: Just like the Enact. Its painted blue rather than green, and its gray parts are painted yellow. A black 'L' is emblemed on its left shoulder.
Weapons: Linear Rifle, stored at the right hip, hand-carried in use; 6x Flash Grenade, three stored on each side of the waist; 2x Sonic Blade, mounted on hips, hand-carried in use; Defense Rod, mounted on left elbow;
Optional Weapons: Tail Unit, contains smokescreen missiles or bombs;
Comments: The name is a little contradictory, huh? The name of this mobile suit means 'morals and ethics' while this suit's special ability is to gain information and run while spamming the enemy with flash grenades and smokescreen bombs. I didn't want to create another powerful mobile suit that could match up to the Gundams. I like to innovate with some of my characters and I think this mobile suit can fight the Gundams mentally, like brains vs. brawns matchup. I wonder if this is the kind of mobile suit L from Death Note would pilot. In terms of escaping, this mobile suit surpasses the Comet because it doesn't have much offensive options and more distraction tactics.
AEU-09Z666 AEU Enact Sepehr Khan Custom
A custom Enact, created for the specific use of capturing a Gundam rather than defeating a Gundam. While containing several standard weapons, this Enact mounts rocket anchors for latching onto mobile suits to restrain them. It also contains a prototype sonic javelin, with this mobile suit being the testing bed. This custom Enact was assigned to Ali-Al Saachez's right hand man, Sepehr Khan.
Model Number: AEU-09Z666
Unit Type: Custom Transformable General-Purpose Mobile Suit
Manufacturer: Advanced European Union
Operator: PMC Trust
Pilot: Sepehr Khan
Accomodation: Pilot only, cockpit in torso
Dimensions: Overall height 17.6 meters
Weight: Max gross weight 66. 2 tons
Armor Materials: E-Carbon
Power Plant: Solar Energy System, Hydrogen
Special Features: Flight Mode
Looks: Just like the Enact. Painted yellow with dark gray.
Weapons: Linear Rifle, stored at the right hip, hand-carried in use; Prototype Sonic Javelin, stored at rear waist, hand-carried in use; 2x Sonic Blade, mounted on hips, hand-carried in use; 4x Rocket Anchor, stored on forearms and ankles; Defense Rod, mounted on left elbow;
Comments: I didn't give this mobile suit a name because Saachez's suit didn't have one. I wanted to follow suit. Anyway, not much to say about this mobile suit besides the fact that this was the prototype Phasma. Phasma was supposed to have rocket anchors too, but I thought that would be more fitting to a unit without GN power. I don't know why. The javelin was to give it variety. The stealth feature was given to Phasma because I thought it might've been overpowering and strange for a AEU mobile suit to have. But I don't really have much to say about this bad boy besides all that.
Well, the last thing I have to say is to review! Press that button down there, write what you thought, and go on with your life!