Well this has been a long wait for this update. I'm sorry for the delay. So many things get in the way of writing when you have a job and school work that you must do before you're able to write. Enjoy the update!

Mobile Suit Gundam: White Savior

Chapter 4: Challenge

Fiona walked through the halls of the ship while she ran her fingers through her hair. She tapped her left shoulder for Ranpu but forgot that was asleep on her bed back in her room. She was starting to get to know the ship pretty well, even though she was still being held against her will. A few people walked past her and waved at her before she waved back. She walked to the elevator so she could return to her room and feed Ranpu for the day. As the elevator opened Zhane stepped out in front of her. Fiona instantly turned her head to the side as he walked past her.

"Zhane!" she said before he stopped.

"What do you want?" he asked back with an icy tone.

"Why… why do you hate me?" she straight forward asked him before he let out a little chuckle.

"Miss… Harper right?" he asked as he turned around.

"Yes…" she replied.

"I don't hate you. I know nothing about you or your past. I do not know enough to hate you miss Harper. However… I dislike you and I don't trust you. As far as I know you are a spy who is just acting innocent. Your piloting abilities are horrible and if it was not for that machine you pilot, which I know nothing about as well, you would be dead right now. Never address me like this again." Zhane replied before he turned around to walk away.

Fiona watched him walk away before she entered the elevator. She could understand where he was coming from, but why her? What had she done to bring this distrust upon herself? Was it because she was inside of the Exodus when she was found? That had to be the reason. Fiona exited the elevator only to bump into Ken who was getting on the elevator.

"Ken!" shouted Fiona while Ken took a few steps back.

"What! ?" he shouted back before Fiona walked up to him.

"Teach me how to properly pilot the Exodus!" she replied.

"Well, I never expected to hear that from you of all people. May I ask you what brought this on all of a sudden?" asked Ken.

"I don't want to be the worthless one on the field or the one that depends on the technology of her mobile suit!" replied Fiona.

"Sounds like you ran into Zhane. Alright, I'm always up to humiliate my brother. Let's go." Ken said as he turned back to the elevator.

"I need to feed Ranpu first." She told him before she walked away.

"Meet me in the hangar when you're done!" Ken shouted after her as he entered the elevator.

"I'm going to show that little twerp that I can fight all on my own." Fiona muttered to herself as she found her room. Ranpu was still asleep when she opened the door. Fiona opened a can of food and poured it in a bowl for Ranpu before she walked out of the room again. In the hangar Ken stood next to the Exodus with his pilot suit on. Fiona walked up a few minutes later with her own pilot suit on.

"First things are first. I'll need to see what the cockpit looks like." Ken said to her. Fiona opened the hatch before the cockpit was lit to a dim level. Ken looked around before he sat down in the pilot seat.

"Scanners indicate that the person sitting in the pilot seat is not registered with this suit. Exodus will lock down in ten seconds until the proper command is given." The computer spoke before Ken looked around.

"Amazing… the suit has its own intelligence." Ken said before Fiona popped her head in the cockpit.

"Computer, this is Ken. Give him full access to the Exodus systems and controls." Fiona told the computer before the cockpit was fully lit up.

"Pilot Fiona's voice confirmed. Now unlocking all systems and functions. Greetings sub-pilot Ken." The computer greeted him.

"Hello yourself! Can you show me the specs for this suit?" asked Ken as the computer made a beeping noise.

"Displaying." The computer responded a few seconds later. A few screens appeared in front of him and Fiona with text and many charts on the screens.

"Wow. This suit packs quite the punch. It's almost as good as my own suit." Ken muttered to himself.

"Correction sub-pilot Ken, Exodus exceeds Eurus in many ways." The computer replied before shock hit Ken's face.

"Just how do you know anything about my Gundam?" asked Ken.

"This unit is outfitted with an advanced learning system that instantly identifies the strong and weak points to any mobile suit this unit has come into contact with. Example, the Eurus is equipped with a Yggdrasil drive that has been modified for short bursts." The computer replied before Ken looked around the cockpit for a moment.

"Maybe this suit is too smart. Alright then… you take over Fiona. Let's head out." Ken said while he was getting out of the machine. "A system that can instantly identify the weak points of a mobile suit… what kind of secrets do you hold Exodus?" Ken thought to himself as he walked away from Fiona.

"Based on the screenshots and reports from Captain Jackson… this mobile suit White Savior is… quite the weapon. However… what is more interesting to me is the fact there is another mobile suit on the battlefield that looks like White Savior…" a man completely in the dark spoke as a picture of Eurus is displayed on a large screen in a dark meeting room. Jackson stood before the man with his eyes locked onto the Eurus.

"Based on what was witnessed sir, I can safely say that the enemy faction has overwhelming firepower. Please look at the screen." Jackson said before he pointed a remote at the screen and pressed down on a button. A video clip started to play of the Boreas when it fired its cannon.

"I see. Captain Jackson… what is your opinion on the matter at hand?" asked the man.

"Based on everything that has occurred and given the fact that another mobile suit that has the same V piece on its forehead has appeared… I believe we are dealing with a group that is completely separate from any of the nations. The ship did not match in any of our records, and the new mobile suit has also brought up a negative in our records. Whoever they are… they made the choice to hide until project White Savior was sold. That's my… opinion… sir." Jackson replied before he let out a sigh.

"Thank you Captain Jackson. Your service is greatly appreciated. Please take a couple days and relax before you go back onto the field. Take your friend with you." The man said to him.

"Sir!" replied Jackson with a salute before he turned around to walk out of the room. Outside of the room Barrett stood leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. As Jackson walked out of the room Barrett walked over to him with a curious look on his face.

"So? How did it go?" asked Barrett.

"He didn't like the fact that the Brutus was taken down so easily. However he did give us two days to relax before we are shipped off again." Jackson replied with a frown.

"Relax huh? Haven't had one of those days in awhile." Barrett commented as the two of them walked away.

"Yeah right… they just don't want us near the crew while they question them. Smart idea on their part… nobody messes with my crew." Jackson also commented as they exited the building.

"Before we start, I'd like to know your history with mobile suits. You can obviously pilot it at an average level. When did you get those skills?" asked Ken as Eurus boosted beside Exodus.

"I never even wanted to pilot one to be honest. It was just a requirement at the college. I wanted to be a computer engineer since I love to work with computers so much. The colony REACH discovered my test scores and sent me a full scholarship to attend at their college." Fiona replied as the Exodus hummed in the background.

"Did you go?" asked Ken, now extremely interested.

"I did… but not without a fight from my father… he and my mother hated the colony REACH, since they made most of the weapons that supplied the war on Earth. I ended up being disowned by them… because I made the choice to pursue my goal of becoming a computer engineer. I scored the third highest in the world." Fiona continued.

"Wow, that's pretty good! But how did that lead to mobile suits?" asked Ken.

"There was a series of tests performed on the students by putting us through battle simulations. They were video games to me though. It was like one of those arcade systems with the entire cockpit around you. They put us through mobile suit training for about two weeks before it stopped." Fiona explained.

"I see." Ken replied. "So they were trying to find a high aptitude for pilots… that doesn't surprise me at all." Ken thought before Eurus turned to Exodus.

"So here I am… a ruined dream… piloting this thing in space so I can teach a teenager a lesson…" Fiona muttered as Ken listened.

"Show me some basic movements in the Gundam. We'll start with that." Ken said while Fiona boosted ahead. Ken followed behind while the Exodus boosted back and forth.

"So what is the deal with your brother anyways?" Fiona asked suddenly.

"He has his trust issues, that's all." Ken replied as Exodus boosted upward.

"What happened to make him that way?" asked Fiona.

"That's… too long of a story for today. Right now we will focus on the training." Ken responded. "Let's start the next portion. Dodging." Ken added as Eurus drew its saber.

"Okay!" Fiona replied before Exodus drew its own saber. "But what if I hit you by mistake?" she asked.

"You won't." Ken quickly replied.

A small transport ship that looked like a personal jet moved through space with a slight humming noise. Inside the small jet was a man with who wore a black and red mask that covered his eyes. He had short black hair that was spiked a bit in the front. He wore a brown trench coat with black boots. He held in his hands a device that had pictures of Exodus and Eurus on it. The man smiled as the statistics followed the pictures.

"Excuse me sir." A large man spoke from beside him. The man was easily over six feet tall and was built like a brick wall. He was bald with a light brown beard. He also wore a brown trench coat with black boots. His eyes were brown.

"Ah, Mason my friend. What is it?" asked the man with the mask.

"Kelvin, we have yet to locate the ship that has your mobile suit." Mason told him.

"I see. That is troublesome my friend. However I have figured out where they are just by this report that was hacked from the Alliance. The blue ship packs quite the punch." Kelvin said before he stood to his feet.

"As expected of you Master Kelvin." Mason said before he let out a chuckle.

"We're going to meet up with the Razorback. Please contact them and let them know that I am coming. I'll need a mobile suit from them." Kelvin told him before Mason nodded his head.

"Right away sir." Mason replied before Kelvin walked over to a mini bar on the other side of the jet and poured himself a glass of wine.

"I'm not one to become obsessed over a mobile suit, but when you pay a good amount of money you expect to get what you paid for. Isn't that right… project White Savior?" Kelvin asked as he tipped his glass toward space.

"Fiona… Harper…" spoke Zhane as he sat in front of a computer in a dark room. "Went to REACH for a scholarship in computer engineering… interesting. Father's name is Zack Harper and mothers name is Lisa Harper. Must be where Fiona got her middle name… but her father… his name is familiar to me. Zack Harper… why does that sound familiar to me?" Zhane asked himself as he sat back in his seat.

Exodus boosted toward Eurus before Ken pulled back on his joysticks and released the pedals below his feet. Eurus fell back while Exodus flew over. Fiona started to become irritated that she could not even connect with his saber this whole time. Ken was becoming a little amused by this, but he kept himself from smiling. Exodus turned before Eurus appeared in front of it and slashed downward. Exodus then brought up its own saber and clashed for the first time. Fiona felt a rush overcome her as Eurus boosted back. Eurus pointed its left arm toward Exodus before it made a challenge gesture with its hand. Fiona pushed down on the pedals before she pushed forward on the joysticks. Exodus boosted forward again as Eurus remained still.

"You can't overcome an enemy with the same move every time." Ken spoke as Eurus fell back again.

"Agh!" Fiona shouted while Exodus flew over Eurus again. "Computer!" she shouted after she turned the communication off.

"What the…? Did we lose signal?" Ken asked himself as he looked at a snowy screen that was full of static.

"What is it pilot Fiona?" asked the computer.

"Can you plan out a strategy for me? Every time I go for an attack he falls back!" Fiona shouted.

"Analyzing attack pattern… Analyzing strategic possibilities… Analyzing reaction time of Eurus… Strategy found." The computer replied.

"Show me." Fiona returned as Eurus appeared in front of Exodus. Fiona pulled back on the joysticks before Eurus slashed downward again.

"She was ready that time. Maybe she's just getting serious?" he asked himself.

"Here we go…" Fiona said before she took in a deep breath and let it out. Exodus boosted forward again as Ken shook his head.

"I guess not." He said before Eurus fell back right as Exodus went for an attack.

"Now!" Fiona shouted before Exodus grabbed the right foot of Eurus.

"What the…! ?" shouted Ken before an alarm went off. He looked at his main screen to see Exodus in front of him with its saber held to the head of Eurus. Fiona appeared on his screen after that.

"I think that counts." She said with a cheerful tone.

"I think it does too…! You can let go now!" Ken said as Exodus released his Gundam.

"Strategy has been stored in the mainframe." The computer spoke.

"Let's go back to the ship, we're done for the day." Ken said to her while she nodded her head. "She's actually not that bad. With a little refining of skills she could be a deadly pilot. Matched with that suit…" Ken thought to himself while they returned to the ship.

"When you get back from playing with your little frag doll, grab your weapons and head back out." Zhane spoke through his com.

"Why is that little brother?" asked Ken, now a bit curious.

"You're going to get some more practice, that's why. Our long range scanners are picking up a single ship that is headed in this direction." Zhane replied.

"What type of ship is it?" asked Ken as they returned to the hangar. Fiona listened to everything that was being said.

"That is what is strange about it. It is only a transport class. It could be that it is just passing through… but taking into consideration how the past couple of weeks have gone for us…" Zhane said as Ken nodded his head.

"You're right. We'll head out right now." returned Ken while Eurus grabbed its beam rifle.

"I'm ready." Fiona chimed in.

"Alright then! Let's wait and see if this transport ship is an enemy or not." Ken replied as half an hour went by. The transport ship moved past their location as Zhane watched it closely. He noticed an emblem on the side of the ship that worried him.

"Ken. That emblem belongs to Kelvin Blackard." Zhane told his brother.

"That's bad… that means… he knows we are here." Ken said before Eurus stepped onto the launch platform. Eurus started to raise into the catapult as Exodus did the same not too long after.

"Ken in the Eurus, I'm ready!" said Ken before Eurus shot across the catapult. Exodus followed soon after as the two Gundam's flew up to the transport.

"Greetings my fellow pilots." A voice came through the com.

"Who is this?" asked Ken.

"Please forgive me. Let me show myself." The voice replied before a mobile suit appeared out of nowhere in front of the transport ship. The mobile suit wore a gray cloak that covered the body. The blue head of the mobile suit was thin but long. It had only one red eye in the middle of the head.

"A cloaked mobile suit?" asked Zhane as he entered the bridge. "Interesting…" he added before he sat down in his seat.

"My name is Kelvin Blackard and I am here for project White Savior. I paid a good amount of money for the weapon and I intend to take what is mine… with a challenge." Kelvin replied.

"A challenge?" asked Ken.

"Correct my friend. I request a one-on-one duel with the pilot of White Savior." Kelvin replied.

"Absolutely not." Ken replied quickly.

"Why not Ken?" asked Fiona before the cloaked suit turned to Exodus.

"What is this? A flower on the battlefield? This is no place for you my dear. Why don't you hand over that mobile suit and go somewhere that is less dangerous?" asked Kelvin before Ken put his hand up to his helmet.

"Why did he say that?" he asked himself.

"Why did he say that?" Zhane asked himself before he shook his head.

"W-What did you say…?" asked Fiona as Exodus focused on Kelvin's mobile suit.

"I refuse to fight a woman." Kelvin returned.

"Fiona, I'll handle this. You go back to the ship." Ken told her before Exodus turned to the Eurus.

"Fine." She replied with an angry tone.

"Since White Savior is out of the question, I challenge you, pilot of the other mystery mobile suit.

"This suit is called Eurus." Ken returned before Eurus boosted in front of Kelvin. "You would do well to remember that name." added Ken.

"Eurus is it? I will remember that name. This suit is called Ghost. Let's begin the duel…" Kelvin said before his Ghost vanished.

"Okay then… he wants to play hide and seek…" Ken muttered while Eurus looked around for an opponent. Every now and then Ken could see a bit of distortion around him, which let him know that Kelvin was in motion. From the side came an attack that sent Eurus forward. The Gundam turned around to find nothing. Ken lowered his head a bit before he pushed down on his pedals. Eurus began to move forward at a rapid speed before Kelvin appeared beside him.

"I see. The Ghost cannot maintain the cloak at high speeds. Too bad for the pirate since speed is Ken's specialty." Zhane thought to himself while he watched the battle.

Eurus turned while it still boosted backward and fired a few shots at the Ghost. Kelvin boosted forward before he pulled next to Eurus and threw off its cloak. The blue chest of the suit was curved from right to left, just as the stomach area was. The shoulder pads were a bit long and slick looking. The armor of the shoulder pads lowered a bit. The arms were blue with a black piece of armor sticking out and up on the elbow pieces. The legs had a spike on the knees that went upward a short distance. On both arms was a blade that curved upward from the wrist. The Ghost attempted a slash before Eurus moved to the left. Eurus then placed its beam rifle behind it on its waist before the Gundam pulled out two beam sabers. The Ghost attacked again before Ken pushed forward on his joysticks. Eurus rushed forward and clashed with the Ghost.

"Your machine is a fine weapon." Kelvin spoke up before the Ghost backed up.

"My Gundam is not a weapon." Ken returned as Eurus backed up as well.

"What do you mean?" asked Kelvin before his Ghost's arm blades came forward.

"My Gundam is a tool. A tool that can carve out the future that I have chosen!" Ken replied before he flipped a switch in his cockpit.

"That is an interesting philosophy you have there… then let's see which one of us is right!" Kelvin shouted before his Ghost boosted forward.

"To the skies and beyond carried on the hopes on the wind… to carve out a future that my loved ones can live in… that's my philosophy! I'll fight and fight until that future is made!" Ken shouted before Eurus' eyes lit up. Eurus disappeared at the exact moment the Ghost went for an attack.

"What! ?" Kelvin shouted before he received attack from all directions. Eurus attacked from above before Ken pulled around to attack from the right, then the left. Each time he attacked from a different direction with a direct hit from his saber. Kelvin's Ghost lost its right arm before the left leg was cut off. Eurus appeared in front of the Ghost before Kelvin pushed forward on his left joystick. The Ghost attempted to run the Eurus through with its left blade before the Gundam grabbed the arm with its left hand. The Eurus then ran its saber through the head of the Ghost before a blast hit the Eurus from behind.

"Agh!" Ken shouted as Eurus flew past Kelvin's Ghost.

"What was that! ?" asked Kelvin.

"Sir, our sensors have picked up an Alliance battleship. It just fired upon the enemy unit." Mason reported.

"Pick me up now! Have the second unit prepared for battle!" Kelvin commanded as the transport ship neared his Ghost.

"How bad have you been hit?" asked Zhane while Fiona walked onto the bridge.

"What happened! ?" she panicked.

"Whatever they hit me with… My suit is disabled, but the drive is fine… that was a hard hit too. I can't get the controls to respond." Replied Ken before Zhane looked toward Fiona. She backed up a bit as he stood to his feet and walked over to her.

"Go help him. Bring him back to the ship. And if you can, engage the enemy." Zhane said while Fiona looked at him with a serious face. She understood at that moment that Zhane was not as heartless as she thought him to be. Fiona nodded before she ran out of the room. Zhane turned back around to watch Eurus float around in space as enemy fire rained down around him.

"Sir, are you sure you want to help out? You have quite the bounty on your head as it stands with the Alliance." Mason reminded his leader before Kelvin turned to look at Mason.

"The Alliance just interrupted a very important battle… I'm not happy." Kelvin replied as he climbed into the cockpit of another Ghost.

"This is Fiona! Ready for launch!" Fiona shouted before Exodus was shot across the catapult. She was pushed back into her seat a bit before she entered space again.

"Warning. Incoming enemy fire from multiple directions." The computer warned.

"What! ?" Fiona shouted as the radar displayed incoming enemy units. "Why is it always the Alliance!" she shouted.

"The Alliance has a lot of units because they are always cutting back on costs so they can make more mobile suits. That's why they break so easily…" Ken laughed a bit as Eurus took some damage. Eurus lost its back boosters and left arm.

"Ken!" Fiona shouted before Kelvin appeared next to her.

"I'll help you in this battle. Get your friend to safety while I hold off the enemy. If you feel like helping out after that… that's completely up to you." Kelvin told her before his Ghost boosted toward the enemy. Exodus picked Eurus up and boosted back toward the ship while Kelvin engaged the enemy units. His Ghost threw off its cloak before its arm blades came forward and cleaved an enemy in half. Inside the hangar of the Boreas Zhane walked out of the elevator before Exodus put down Eurus. Zhane ran toward the two Gundam's as Fiona opened her cockpit. She jumped down and opened the cockpit of Eurus as Zhane climbed onto the Gundam. There was a small amount of blood that floated around the cockpit as Ken coughed a bit.

"Guess our scanners didn't pick them up in time…" Ken said as he held his side which had a piece of metal in it.

"Ken!" shouted Fiona before Zhane clenched his fists.

"Take him to the infirmary. Now they've pissed me off." Zhane told her before he walked toward the mobile suit with a cover over it.

"Help me!" Fiona said to the men and women who ran up to her and Ken. Fiona helped carry him to the elevator before she looked back to see the covered mobile suit boost out of the ships hangar.

"God help them." Ken spoke as the elevator doors shut.

Outside in space Kelvin's Ghost backed up from a group of Valiants before a barrage of energy rounds shot past him. The group of enemy Valiants blew up before Kelvin turned his suit around to see an incoming mobile suit with a cloak on that completely covered its body and head.

"And who are you?" asked Kelvin.

"My name is not important. Pull back or be destroyed along with them. That was your only warning pirate." Zhane replied. His cockpit was a bit larger than the others with wires all around it. His seat had two screens on each side with a keyboard on each side. In front of him was three more screens all lined up together. Below those screens were two more sets of keyboards. On the arm rests of the seat were his joysticks with the pedals right under his seat. He had on a grey pilot suit with a grey helmet that had a black visor. Zhane lowered his head before he began to type on the keyboards in front of him. At that moment Zhane's mobile suits green eyes lit up before small machines came out of the back of his mobile suit that looked like small cones. The total amount of machines was thirty as they each moved in a different direction than the last.

"Those… those are Extents!" Kelvin exclaimed in shock.

"This is to the United Alliance forces. If you wish to continue fighting… are you prepared for the consequences?" Zhane asked on all frequencies. The Valiants continued to attack before the screens in Zhane's cockpit lit up. The data could be seen on his visor before he raised his head. "So be it. I gave you your chance… let no one forget that." He added before the all the screens went red.

Each of the cones opened at the top and fired a beam at a mobile suit. The enemy units panicked and boosted around while trying to shot down the Extents. Zhane continued to type on the keyboards before he moved to the keyboards on the side. He typed so fast that he was issuing dozens of commands to the Extents every few seconds. The Extents flew around in such random patterns that the Valiants could not predict them. After a few moments the battle was already over as the enemy ship started to retreat.

"It is much too early for Zephyrus to be shown…" Zhane said as his cloaked mobile suit turned around and boosted away. The Extents returned to the mobile suit before they flew underneath the cloak.

"Sir, I suggest we retreat as well. The pilot may attack us next." Mason advised Kelvin.

"I don't think so Mason. If he wanted to kill us… we would already be dead." Kelvin replied as his Ghost returned to the transport ship. "Gundam... I will remember that name as well..." he thought to himself.

Back on the Boreas Zhane walked into the infirmary where Fiona sat next to Ken. Ken's head and sides were bandaged up with a bit of blood on the bed around him. Ken woke up as Zhane walked over to him.

"Hey little brother… did you give them hell?" asked Ken with a smile.

"I did. Get some rest so I can shout at you properly later." Zhane told him before Ken let out a chuckle. He then turned his head and closed his eyes to rest. Zhane stood there and looked at his brother in the condition he was in. He then looked at Fiona who was fixed on Ken.

"I'm sorry." Fiona spoke up, which shocked Zhane a bit.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked in a sharp tone.

"I should have been there to help him… I should be the one in the bed right now." Fiona said.

"You're a fool." Zhane quickly returned.

"What?" asked Fiona.

"He would never let that happen. That's why he sent you back to the ship. My brother may act like a complete idiot at times… but he's not stupid. He must have predicted that someone or something was going to attack while he was in that battle. That's why he sent you back to the ship. He knew you couldn't handle it." Zhane told her before he turned around to walk off.

"Oh…" she let out before Zhane took a step.

"But for what it's worth…" Zhane started before Fiona turned to look at him. "Thank you." He added before he walked out of the room. Fiona felt a small bit of hope inside of her that Zhane was starting to come around and trust her. She hoped at least…

End of Chapter 4