00 WITCHES: The Rewrite Chapter 3: Celestial Being, a Gundam 00 + Strike Witches Crossover fanfic

00 WITCHES

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Celestial Being

April 19th, 1945.

Romagna, 504th JFW "Ardor Witches" Base

General POV, Ardor Witches

It was a calm morning at the base of the Ardor Witches; there were very few clouds in the sky, and the temperature was at a comfortable 83 degrees. Of course, it was only calm outside the base.

Inside the base, however, there was a flurry of activity as technicians were scrambling to complete final checks on the Witches' Striker Units and weaponry as the time for Operation Trajanus drew near.

Overseeing the preparations was a young woman who was around 19 years old, had naturally tan skin and originated from Romagna. She was wearing an open black military jacket with a red shirt underneath it, knee-high black socks, black shoes, and a pair of visible red panties. She also had black hair, and a pair of deep green eyes. This woman was Federica N. Doglio, the Squadron Leader of the 504th Joint Fighter Wing, aka the Ardor Witches.

Standing next to her was another woman who also appeared to be around 19 years of age and was a Fusojin. She was wearing a buttoned up white military uniform, a pair of small white socks, white shoes, and a one-piece swimsuit underneath her uniform. On her neck was a necklace with a green pendant with a red jewel in the center, and is kept tucked inside her uniform. She also had brown eyes and brown hair. This woman was Takei Junko, a Flight Lieutenant of the 504th JFW.

Takei turned to Federica. "Federica, how are the preparations coming?"

Said Squadron Leader turned her attention to Takei. "I'd say that the preparations are going smoothly; we'll be outfitted with extra weapons and ammo in case things go south… but I'm still doubtful about this whole operation."

"That may be so, but remember; the sooner we can end this war, the better. And if it means coexisting with the Neuroi, then so be it." Takei replied.

"So you think this operation will succeed then." Federica stated, to which the Fusojin answered with a nod. "Then tell me; what makes you think it will?"

Takei smirked. "I heard how Sergeant Miyafuji, on two separate occasions, nearly made contact with the Neuroi, but she was interrupted both times. In my eyes, this will be the third attempt, and you know the old saying; 'third time's the charm'."

Federica laughed. "Well, when you put it that way, I can only hope that is the case."

A technician walked over to them and saluted. "Squadron Leader Doglio! All preparations to the Striker Units and weapons have been completed!"

Federica nodded. "Thank you for the hard work. You're all dismissed!"

"Ma'am!" the technician saluted again, then left to tell the others.

"I better round up the rest of the Witches, then." Takei said mostly to herself, but she was heard by Doglio.

"I'd appreciate that; we're running on a tight schedule. Get them here as fast as you can." The Squadron Leader requested.

"Yes, ma'am!" Takei saluted, before walking off to gather the others.

Federica turned to look at the Strikers while thinking to herself. 'I can only hope that nothing goes wrong…'

A short while later, Takei had returned to the hangar with the rest of the Witches in tow, and who were all chatting with each other.

The first girl was a Hispanian, was around 18 years old and had slightly tan skin. She was wearing a black military uniform on top of a blue shirt, and was also wearing a small blue skirt, underneath which were a pair of red panties, and on her feet were a pair of black socks and brown shoes. She also had yellow eyes and brown hair. This girl was Angela Salas Larrazabal.

The second girl was also around 18 years old and was a Liberian. She was wearing a brown leather jacket with a cream-colored shirt underneath it, as well as a tie and a pair of white panties. On her feet were a pair of white socks and brown combat boots. She also had black hair and teal-colored eyes. This girl was Dominica S. Gentile.

The next three girls were all Romans who were wearing the same outfit, consisting of a black military jacket with a red shirt underneath it, red panties, long black socks, and dark brown shoes. The first girl had long light brown hair and brown eyes, the second girl, who was taller than the first, had short black hair and grey eyes, and the third girl, who was shorter than the first two, had light cream-colored hair and bluish-grey eyes. These three girls were Fernandia Malvezzi, Luciana Mazzei, and Martina Crespi.

The next girl looked to around 17 years of age and was a Liberian. She was wearing a tannish-brown coat with a cream-colored shirt underneath it, and a pair of white panties. On her feet were a pair of black socks and brown shoes. This girl was Jane T. Godfrey.

The last girl also looked to be around 17 years old ad was a Britannian. She was wearing a cream-colored jacket with a blue shirt underneath it, a pair of white panties, a pair of thigh-high striped stockings which were colored light tan and brown, and a pair of brown combat boots. She also had brownish-orange hair and blue eyes. This girl was Patricia Schade, who was commonly known as Patti to her friends.

"What do you think about this operation?" Angela asked her god friend, Patricia.

"I'm having mixed feelings about it…" Patti answered. "On one hand, we should be able to bring the war to an end… but on the other, we just might be flying right into a trap."

"If worse comes to worse, my wife and I will use our One-two Punch to break us out." Dominica said, something which said wife, Jane G., agreed with.

"I'd like to get this operation over with; I'm almost done sewing another jacket." Luciana said, although she was mostly speaking to herself.

"Aww, come on, Luciana!" Martina playfully whined. "Spend some time with me every once in a while!"

Luciana sighed. "I suppose I could…"

"Yay~!" Martina cheered.

"Now, now. No need for you to bug Luciana into spending some time with you; she'll spend some time with you when she wants to, Martina." Fernandia said.

Martina replied by latching onto Luciana and sticking her tongue out at Fernandia in a playful manner.

Federica chuckled, but then got serious. "All Witches, to your Strikers on the double! We have an operation to complete!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The others replied.

Thirty minutes later, the 504th JFW was airborne, and had linked up with the Venezian 241st Fighter Squadron, which mostly consisted of Macchi C.202 Folgore fighters, although for this mission there were also a few Junkers Ju-52 transport planes.

One of the fighters approached Takei, forming up next to her and gaining her attention. When the pilot saw that he had her attention, he nodded and flashed her a salute.

Takei smiled, and returned the salute.

The fighter's pilot seemed to be satisfied, and he returned to his formation.

"What was that about?" Federica asked as she flew next to Takei.

"I'm not sure…" The Fusojin answered. "But I think he was wishing me good luck."

"Well then, you're going to need it; you know what you're supposed to do."

"Right." 'And I can't fail; the lives of countless people depend upon the notion of peaceful coexistence with the Neuroi… Please let this attempt at the Dialogues-to-Come succeed.' Takei thought to herself, fingering the necklace she was wearing.

She knew that if she could succeed in this attempt, then Celestial Being wouldn't have to reveal themselves to the world. But if her attempt at the Dialogues failed… then they will take action.

How did she know all of this? Simple; she was an observer agent for Celestial Being, and has been for several years now. And she also knew their history in the timeline Celestial Being had originally came from.

To put it simply, she had knowledge about said organization that others would kill for.

She was brought out of her musings when Federica placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey Takei? Can you hear me?"

"Eh?" Said Flight Lieutenant turned her attention to her Squadron Leader.

"Heh, you were spacing out again." Federica chuckled, before she got serious. "Look there; we're approaching the Hive."

Takei's head snapped forward upon hearing that, and sure enough; the Hive that was above Venezia was directly in front of them.

"This is it, everyone… I'm going in." Takei reported, before she flew ahead towards the swirling clouds that made up a Neuroi Hive while the rest of the group stayed back, but ready to help the Fusojin if she needed it.

As she approached the Hive, Takei noticed a small shape descending from the nest… and it was a Humanoid Neuroi, just like what Yoshika saw back in Gallia.

'So… that's what Yoshika saw six months ago…' Takei thought to herself.

"Neuroi detected!" A crew member of one of the Ju-52's reported through the radio. "Looks exactly like the humanoid form reported by the 501st last year!"

"Confirmed here as well. Now commencing contact procedures!" Takei reported as well in a commander's tone of voice, but internally she was nervous. 'Please… let this work!'

The Fusojin positioned herself so that she was ten meters away from the Humanoid Neuroi, which made no aggressive actions; instead, it seemed as though it wanted to try and tell her something.

All of a sudden, several floating screens appeared around her, showing her various scenes. One such scene showed when the Neuroi first appeared above Gallia, and several Gallian fighters started shooting at the Hive. When the three fighters entered the Hive, they were swiftly destroyed, and the Neuroi sent out one of their own to perform a retaliatory strike.

'So… that's how this war with the Neuroi started…' Takei thought to herself.

Another scene showed several Witches of the 504th JFW duking it out against a Large-type Neuroi that Takei recognized as one that she herself had shot down eight months ago.

The third scene, however, was something far different; it was a scene of a production line that had several white mechs on it… and judging from the large red fragment that she saw was attached to each mech, Takei could easily guess what the white units were.

'Mass-produced Warlocks?!' She thought, genuinely shocked at what she was seeing. But her attention then turned towards the fourth screen.

On the fourth and final screen, there were two Witches, one a Britannian and the other a Fusojin, who were together with another Humanoid Neuroi, with the Fusojin's hand extended. The Humanoid Neuroi's arm also extended and five "fingers" emerged from the end of the arm. The two drifted closer together, but right before they could touch, the first Warlock showed up and interrupted the contact.

Takei was instantly able to identify the scene she was seeing; it was Yoshika's second attempt at the Dialogues-to-Come, which had failed due to being interrupted a second time.

Her attention then shifted back to the Humanoid Neuroi, which kept staring at her. On a whim, she decided to raise her arm in an outstretched position.

To her internal joy, the Neuroi copied her action, and the two began to drift closer… until it abruptly stopped, snapping its head skyward.

Takei did the same and, to her horror, there was an enormous red beam bearing down on her.

Before she even had time to blink, she felt herself being pushed backwards by the Humanoid Neuroi, as it shoved her out of the way of the beam and taking the hit in her place.

All Takei could do was stare with wide eyes as the Humanoid Neuroi was destroyed in front of her eyes as it sacrificed itself to save her… but her attention on that matter was short-lived as an enormous shadow engulfed most of the Venezian coast. She looked up… and was horrified at the sight.

Directly above the black Hive was an even bigger Super Hive, spanning an area around five times that of a regular Hive. What really shocked her, though, was the fact that the new Neuroi were mercilessly slaughtering their own kind by destroying the old Hive.

"This is Takei… the mission has failed…" said Fusojin could only say in an emotionless voice, but her expression quickly turned to panic and fear when the new Neuroi, who have just finished killing off the old Hive, turned their sights on the 504th. "EVERYBODY, RETREAT!"

Even as she frantically shouted the order, she and the rest of the 504th were flying away from the Super Hive as quickly as they could while dodging numerous beams. Unfortunately, the few Junkers Ju-52 transports weren't as fast and agile as the Witches and their fighter escorts, and they were the first to be destroyed.

Takei could only pray that Celestial Being would make their grand debut to the world right here and now, otherwise she and the Ardor Witches would be history… Unknown to her, help was on the way.

General POV, Celestial Being

Up in the upper atmosphere, Yoshika and Lynne (with the help of their Haro partners) began atmospheric entry protocols as Exia and Dynames approached the Earth's atmosphere.

"Lynne, do you remember what to do?" Yoshika asked her friend and fellow Meister.

"Um… I think so." Lynne answered as she continued with the procedure, with her emerald green Haro making any corrections when needed.

"Now listen, this the tactical plan that Miss Sumeragi sent us; When we initiate Phase 1, I am to enter the battle first and destroy the first dozen or so Neuroi, after which you are to provide covering fire for me and the 504th. After the 504th has retreated from the battlefield, we will initiate Phase 2; a force consisting of several squadrons of NGN Mobile Drones led by seven Empruss Drone Types will draw the attention of the Neuroi, while the two of us will infiltrate the enemy Hive and destroy the central Core. Afterwards, we are to wipe out any remaining Neuroi to hopefully delay them knowing about Celestial Being. Do you understand, Lynne?" Yoshika asked, making sure that Lynette understood what to do during their first official mission.

"Um… Yes, I believe I do." The Britannian answered after memorizing what she was told.

Yoshika smiled at her friend through the communication screen, then got serious. "We're now beginning to enter the atmosphere. Engaging GN Field."

"GN FIELD! GN FIELD!" The Haros of the two Meisters shouted out as the green barrier of GN particles enveloped the two Gundams, which began to descend into the atmosphere.

General POV, Ardor Witches

Back with Takei and the 504th, things weren't looking so good; two Folgore fighters have been shot down trying to protect the Witches, and Jane G.'s right arm had several shrapnel wounds due to her gun exploding from overheating.

Federica was having a very difficult time trying to defend herself, as her MG 151/15 kept spraying bullets at the numerous Neuroi that were shooting at her. She hastily raised her shield, blocking one set of beams, then performed a Stall Turn followed by an Immelmann Turn to get on the tail of a Neuroi and fired her machine gun at it, managing to destroy its Core.

Takei blocked another beam that would have hit Dominica, who was holding onto Jane G. protectively, and returned fire with her Type 99-2 Model 2 Kai, managing to damage the responsible Neuroi but not quite getting the Core. She gritted her teeth, and prayed for a miracle.

Dominica, on the other hand, was holding her wife with one hand and her M1919A6 Browning machine gun with the other. She quickly rolled to the right, evading yet another beam that would have killed both her and Jane G., returning fire as she did so. She gritted her teeth; she had to get Jane G. out of here and to a medical facility.

Those shrapnel wounds that her friend had were starting to bleed really badly, turning the right sleeve of her uniform into a dark red color, and Jane G.'s breathing was starting to get heavy.

Angela wasn't doing any better; she was on her last clip of ammo for her Boys anti-tank rifle Mk1, and even that was beginning to run low. Super-charging another bullet, she fired it at yet another Neuroi and managed to destroy it, but the Neuroi that she destroyed had reinforcements, and they were chomping at the bit to shoot her down. Angela managed to evade most of the beams, while using her shield to block the beams she couldn't avoid. Once she found an opening, she pointed her rifle at one of them and pulled the trigger. To her horror, all she heard was a click; she was completely out of ammunition.

Fernandia, Luciana, and Martina were barely managing to keep the Neuroi off their backs; Luciana was the farthest ahead of them in their retreat, firing her own Boys anti-tank rifle Mk1 at any of the Neuroi that tried their hand at shooting down her two friends, while Fernandia and Martina were spraying molten lead out of their MG42s at any Neuroi that got too close. However, the three friends weren't without injuries; their clothes had burned away in some places, revealing 2nd degree burns caused by Neuroi beams grazing them when they barely had enough time to dodge.

Patti was in a similar situation as the rest of the 504th; despite her ability to control her shields' strength to avoid unnecessary magic consumption, she was forced to almost constantly use it. Her Spitfire Mk.22 Striker Unit had taken a hit earlier, and she was down one flight leg. She ejected the useless left flight leg, shedding some weight and helping her move a little faster. With a small amount of difficulty, she managed to roll out of the way of yet another barrage of red beams, returning fire with her M1919A6 Browning machine gun.

The six remaining Macchi C.202 Folgore fighters of the Venezian 241st Fighter Squadron did all they could to evade the red beams of death; they barrel rolled, jinked, corkscrewed, and just about every other trick in the book, and so far it was working… that is, until one of them took a hit to the tail.

"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Questo è il tenente Martino Manzo! Sono stato colpito, io vado-" The pilot frantically shouted through the radio in his native language, before the rest of his plane was vaporized by another red beam.

All in all, the human combatants in this battle were in a desperate situation.

Takei, who had managed to find some breathing room for a few precious seconds, observed the situation and positions of the Neuroi… and she saw something that sent her into a panic. "DOMINICA, ABOVE YOU!" She screamed through the transponder.

Dominica, due to her concentration being focused on keeping Jane G. safe, didn't quite hear what the Fusojin shouted. "What did you-" she was cut off as a Large-type Neuroi dropped in in front of her, with its beams ports already glowing in preparation for a charged shot.

Dominica's eyes shot open in horror, as time seemed to slow down for her. Her life flashed before her eyes; the times when she would play on the tire swing with her mother and father, when she would take up odd jobs and working at a junk trader's shop to help her family with their financial problems, when she first became a cadet at one of Liberion's Witch academies, when she first went to Britannia as a part of the Eighth Air Force, when she slapped the retirement notice in her superior officer's faces when she was ordered to return to Liberion to become a flight instructor, when she first transferred to the 504th JFW, and when she met the girl she would fall in love with: Jane T. Godfrey.

Just before the Neuroi could fire its beam, however, the front section was destroyed by a flash of pink light. Several more flashes of pink light followed, and the Neuroi was destroyed, leaving Dominica staring at where the Neuroi was just at, wondering what just happened.

A few seconds after that, a peculiar sound could be heard… and it was a sound that nearly made Takei break out into tears of joy as she recognized it.

"What's this sound I'm hearing?!" Angela asked through the transponder, but only got static. She and the rest of the Witches turned their heads towards the direction the sound was coming from, and were greeted to the sight of something that was covered in a ragged cloak descending from the sky, positioning itself in front of them while emitting green particles from under the cloak.

When the thing began to shift slightly, they raised their guard, but when it threw off the cloak, their jaws dropped.

For directly in front of them was something that looked like it came straight out of a science fiction novel; it was a giant humanoid robot which sported blue and white armor, an enormous sword on its right arm, and a shield on its left arm… and the green particles that they previously noticed were coming out of its back.

General POV, Celestial Being

As she looked at the 504th JFW through the panoramic cockpit, Yoshika could easily see the looks of shock and wonder, as well as their wariness due to their current situation.

She decided to ignore them, and focused her attention on the numerous Neuroi in front of her. "Targets confirmed. Gundam Exia will eliminate the targets."

With that said, she accelerated the Exia forward directly into the fray, its eyes flashing as they acquired its targets.

General POV, Ardor Witches

When the unknown humanoid machine's electric blue eyes flashed and it surged forward with a burst of green particles, the Witches of the 504th JFW (except for Takei; she's merely acting along) began to panic, but that was replaced with surprise when the machine ignored them and used the enormous sword on its right arm to slice a Neuroi in two, destroying it in one swing.

As it passed by the Witches, though, Federica managed to get a glimpse of a word that was on the unknown machine's head.

'Gun…dam? Is that… the name of the machine?' Federica thought to herself as she saw the Gundam charge towards another Neuroi and destroyed with one swing of its sword, then repeating the maneuver while easily evading the red beams that were fired at it with an agility that honestly made her jealous.

Why couldn't their Strikers fly like that?

As she hovered there, the rest of the 504th flew next to her. "S-Squadron Leader Doglio… what in the world is that thing…?" Angela asked, freaked out at the unknown machine that was wreaking havoc on the Neuroi.

"I honestly have no idea… but whatever it is, it pretty much saved our lives…" Federica said to herself, although it was audible to the others as they kept their eyes on the unknown machine.

To their shock, the enormous sword folded up against the arm, and it began to shoot pink energy beams from the hilt, destroying several smaller Neuroi, before it spun around, unfolding its sword and slicing apart another Large-type that tried to sneak up on it.

"T-T-That thing has BEAM weapons?!" Martina exclaimed, before Jane G. let out a pained whimper, getting their attention.

"JANE!" Dominica shouted, beginning to panic as her beloved's condition began to get worse.

Takei gave Jane G. a closer look. "We have to get back to base; we can't treat her here!"

Federica nodded and sounded the retreat. "All Witches, retreat from this airspace immediately! We are in no condition to continue fighting!"

The other Witches of the 504th were only too happy to comply, but it seemed as though a Neuroi managed to sneak past the Gundam and take another shot at the Ardor Witches.

'Dammit!' Takei cursed to herself and moved to protect her comrades with her shield.

But before she could move into position, another pink beam pierced the Core of the Neuroi from above and destroyed it.

"What? Another one?!" Martina exclaimed as she and the others looked up, only to see another giant humanoid robot sporting green and white armor and was holding an enormous rifle in its hands. They could only assume that the second machine was responsible for the shot.

This was confirmed when the yellow head crest snapped down, covering the eyes and revealing a glass circle in its head, and aimed the rifle at the Neuroi which were trying to destroy the first Gundam, destroying each of them with a single shot.

"Just what are… those things?!" Luciana actually exclaimed, something which was highly unusual for her, as she and the others watched the two machines make mincemeat out of the Neuroi.

"We can worry about that later; right now we've got to get out of here!" Takei exclaimed.

"My wife needs medical attention now!" Dominica shouted, holding Jane G. close to her.

The others agreed, and began to retreat back to their base.

Takei mentally prayed for the safety of the two Gundam Meisters.

General POV, Celestial Being

Yoshika smiled when she saw the 504th JFW finally retreat as they followed the fighters out of the area. "Attention 2nd Defense Fleet; Phase 1 has been completed. I repeat; Phase 1 of the operation is complete. Send in the Mobile Drones so that we can initiate Phase 2." She said through a CB communication link.

"This is the 2nd Defense Fleet of the ESF. Roger, we will comply. Sending in the drones now." The Captain of the Takemikazuchi, the flagship of the 2nd Defense Fleet, said through the radio.

Yoshika looked to the southeast, seeing a massive aircraft carrier, along with several other carriers which were somewhat smaller, on a screen that was zoomed in on the specific location disengaging their Optical Camouflage, the massive Takemikazuchi launching an assortment of Flag and Enact Mobile Drones from the six catapults it was equipped with, and the smaller carriers each launching a single Empruss Mass Production Drone Type, yellow particles emanating from each of their two GN Tau Drive II's as they took off.

"Lynne, get ready for Phase 2; the MD force has just launched!" Yoshika told her friend as she used the Exia's GN Sword Kai II's Rifle Mode to destroy several Medium-type Neuroi from range, before switching the weapon back to Sword Mode to bisect another Large-type.

"Right!" Lynette replied as she continued to snipe Neuroi after Neuroi from a safe distance, occasionally having her Haro help her dodge the beams that came her way.

After a few minutes of fighting, the Mobile Drones arrived at the battlefield and began firing at the Neuroi.

The first of the Mobile Drones to begin shooting were the AEU-09MD AEU Enact Drone Types, which were currently in their Flight Mode. Consisting of two four-ship formations, the eight Enacts first climbed to a high altitude, then dived upon the unsuspecting Neuroi, managing to destroy several of their number on the first pass. Pulling up from their dive, four of the Enacts transformed into their Mobile Suit Mode and engaged the Neuroi up close and personal with their sonic blades, the drones' extreme reaction time enabling them to evade most of the beams fired from the Neuroi with ease, while blocking any of the beams they couldn't avoid using their Defense Rods, as they cut apart one Neuroi after another. The other four Enacts, meanwhile, stayed in their Flight Mode to engage the Neuroi in high-speed dogfights using advanced air combat maneuvers that would have most likely killed a human being from the g-forces if they had a pilot.

The next eight Mobile Drones to arrive were SVMS-01MD Union Flag Drone Types, which were all also currently in their Flight Mode. The eight Flags performed their own diving attack on a different group of Neuroi which were moving to engage the Enacts, eliminating them from the equation as they turned skyward. Reaching an altitude of 25,000 feet, they repeated their diving attack run, this time targeting a group of Neuroi that were starting to give the Enacts some trouble. Bringing their Linear Rifles to bear, the Flags opened fire, destroying three Neuroi and heavily damaging five more. Four of the Flags transformed into Mobile Suit Mode and joined the four Enacts that were also in MS form and used their Linear Rifles to give fire support to the Enacts that were using their Sonic Blades to slice apart one Neuroi after another. The other four Flags remained in their Flight Mode and assisted the four Enacts which were also in their own Flight Mode in destroying any Small and Medium-type Neuroi that they came across.

The third and final flight of MD units to join the fray were seven GNMA-Y0001MP/D Empruss Mass Production Drone Types. Like the Flags and the Enacts, the seven Empruss units entered the battlefield high above the Neuroi, but instead of diving, they remained at altitude. Using the gravity-manipulating properties of GN particles, they oriented themselves nose-down while still hovering and opened their center section, revealing the barrels of their GN Particle Cannons. Taking careful aim at seven Large-types, they opened fire, unleashing seven large and deadly yellow GN particle beams that tore straight through the unsuspecting Neuroi, as well as several Small and Medium-types that were also caught in the line of fire.

Taken by surprise, several groups of Neuroi started flying upwards to intercept the Mobile Armors that were above them, but the beams they fired were either easily evaded or blocked by a yellow GN Field. As the Neuroi drew ever closer, the Empruss units suddenly dived on them, using their "wings" – which were in reality Anti-Ship GN Swords – to cut through their attackers, destroying three of them and inflicting major damage on eleven more. After their attack run, the Empruss units used their GN Beam Cannons to fire a barrage of particle beams into the enemy ranks, easily destroying dozens of their number even as they performed erratic evasive action to dodge the numerous beams that were being fired at them.

The amount of chaos that the Flags, Enacts, and Empruss units were causing amongst the enemy ranks caused the Neuroi to focus most of their forces on them… leaving Exia and Dynames free to attack the Super Hive with only a minimal amount of resistance.

"Lynne, the path to the Hive is open; now's our chance! Follow me in!" Yoshika said to Lynette as she made Exia charge towards the Super Hive, dodging the occasional beam that was fired her way.

"I'm coming!" Lynette replied as Dynames followed the sword-wielding Gundam into the enemy's den, leaving the Neuroi that were outside the Super Hive for the MD units to handle.

When Exia and Dynames entered the Super Hive, their pilots were anticipating that there would still be some Neuroi within, but they didn't expect that there would be close to 80 or so Large-type enemies lying in wait. Upon spotting them, the Neuroi immediately let loose with a huge barrage of beams, forcing the pilots to block them with their GN Fields.

"Damn, I didn't expect this many to still be in here!" Yoshika yelled as she began to open fire on the Neuroi, taking down two of them in short order.

"I can see the Core, too… and it's huge!" Lynette exclaimed as she began to dodge another volley of beams, returning fire with her GN Sniper Rifle whenever she got the chance to do so.

She was right; the Core of the Super Hive was twice as big as an average Mobile Suit… and it seemed as though it was actually growing each second they left it alone.

"We have to destroy that thing ASAP!" The Fusojin said, dodging another set of beams and withdrawing three GN Shuriken from the GN Melee Shield, throwing them with the aim of a pro and scoring two more kills. Afterwards, she oriented the shield and fired the anchor claw at another Large-type.

With the Exia's strength, Yoshika pulled the Neuroi so that it was in front of her, using it as a shield as it was killed by beams fired from its own kind. She sighed sadly at this. 'The Neuroi don't care if one of their own is in the way of fire…' "Lynne, I need you to get back and aim at the central Core; as long as it's there, more and more Neuroi will continue to spawn!"

As if to prove her point, two new Neuroi Cores materialized in front of her, but she destroyed them before they could generate any armor.

"Got it!" The Britannian girl answered, moving the Dynames back away from the other Neuroi so that she could focus on aiming at her target.

Yoshika, meanwhile was buying her friend enough time by engaging the Neuroi up close and personal; the range she specializes in. Exia's left arm reached for a handle that popped out under the right shoulder and pulled out a beam saber while igniting it, quickly swinging both the saber and the GN Sword Kai II to destroy two Neuroi that made the mistake of trying to flank her at near point-blank range.

She set her sights on several Neuroi that were moving to pursuit the Dynames and charged straight at them. "Oh no you don't!" she yelled as the foot-mounted beam sabers ignited, bringing the total number of swords she was now wielding to four.

She reached them before they could fire at her friend, and Yoshika lashed out with the foot-mounted sabers, the kicks cutting away large swathes of their armor and exposing the Cores of five of them, which she destroyed with a single shot each from her sword's Rifle mode.

Lynette, meanwhile, was taking careful aim at the Core while charging up her shot, but she knew she didn't have much time before the Neuroi began firing at her. To her joy, she finally got a complete lock on her target.

Before she pulled the trigger, though, she looked at her emerald green Haro as a question popped up in her mind. "Hey, Haro? Did the previous pilot of the Dynames say anything when doing this?"

"TARGETED AND FIRING! TARGETED AND FIRING!" The Haro exclaimed.

Lynette smiled. "Thank you, Haro." Her expression turned serious as she peered back into the sniper scope built within the cockpit once again. "This is Lynette Bishop in Gundam Dynames. Targeted… and firing!" With that she pulled the trigger.

The beam of charged GN particles shot out of the GN Sniper Rifle and raced towards the large central Core that was their target, striking it dead-on.

Yoshika was just about to attack another Large-type when it suddenly shrieked, then shattered into white shards. Surprised, she looked around to see that the other Neuroi were suddenly shattering as well. Her eyes then locked onto where the Super Hive's Core should have been, only to see that it was fragmenting and breaking up.

She smiled to herself. 'Lynne… you have much more potential than you think you have… you just needed the proper training, and a friend to support you…'

Lynette, meanwhile, was looking at the Core she shot with wide eyes. "I… I did it…?"

Yoshika opened a communication line to her best friend, and quickly figured out what she was thinking by looking at her facial expression. "Lynne… you did it…"

"I did…?" the Britannian replied, even as she and Yoshika gazed at the rapidly disappearing Super Hive, which began to clear the skies over Venezia from any more Neuroi.

Yoshika's eyes caught a few black glints. Zooming in on the glints, her eyes widened.

"A few Neuroi survived, and they're trying to make a run for it! We can't let them get away!" she exclaimed, even as the Mobile Drones, the Flags and Enacts all in their respective Flight modes, took off after them, firing when they got within range. Yoshika decided to join them, and engaged Exia's GN Drive Burst Mode to catch up.

The few surviving Neuroi were desperately trying to get away from the metallic monsters that were chasing them down… which were quickly catching up to them. The Neuroi began firing wildly at their assailants, even as said assailants fired precise shots into their ranks, killing one after another of the few survivors of their Hive's premature destruction.

Only four Neuroi were left, but they would meet their doom at the blue and white Horned Demon, which had rings of green particles emanating from its back, that was already on top of them. Said demon sliced apart two of their number in short order, and a third fell to one of the white metallic monsters.

The last Neuroi didn't even have the time to comprehend what was happening, as its Core was pierced by a single pink beam that was fired from the green and white Horned Demon that was several kilometers away.

Yoshika looked back at the Dynames and smiled. "Nice shot, Lynne. I should have recruited you sooner!"

Lynette blushed at the praise she was receiving from her best friend. "Umm… what do we do now?"

Yoshika kept the smile as she explained. "We're to head to Sahara Base Alpha and wait for Carla, Micchi, and the Ptolemy to arrive there as well, so we can plot our next move. Since Celestial Being's existence has now been revealed to the world, we're going to show the Neuroi that we mean business."

With that said, Exia and Dynames turned and flew south, while the Mobile Drones returned to their carriers, which then cloaked themselves with Optical Camouflage and sailed away.

April 19, 1945

Atlantic Ocean, 508th JFW "Mighty Witches" Base, Liberion Carrier USS Lexington

General POV

It was a calm morning for the Carrier group that made up the 508th Joint Fighter Wing, also known as the Mighty Witches, as they sailed eastward while escorting a group of cargo ships towards Britannia, where they would refuel before heading to the recently liberated Gallia to assist in relief efforts.

Standing on the deck of the USS Lexington was a 23-year old young woman who was enjoying the breeze of the salty sea air. She was a Liberian who had waist-length brown hair and emerald green eyes. She was wearing a blue Liberion Navy uniform, which was currently unbuttoned, showing that she was wearing a white bra underneath which supported her high C-cup breasts and matching white panties. On her feet were ankle-high white socks and black shoes. She was also wearing a single white earring on her right ear. This woman was Jane Thatch, the Wing Commander of the 508th JFW.

Jane T. sighed as she felt the breeze sweep across her body; she honestly loved getting up early just to feel this sensation. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around.

Standing behind her was a woman who was 19 years old. She was a Fusojin who had shoulder-length blue hair as well as brown eyes. She was wearing a standard white Fusoan Navy top which was currently unbuttoned to let in the breeze, a pair of small white, white shoes, and was also wearing swimmers underneath her uniform. This woman was Mie Shindou, the Squadron Leader of the Mighty Witches.

"The breeze is pleasant this morning, isn't it Wing Commander?" Mie asked as she walked up beside her.

Jane T. nodded. "It is… and how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jane when we're alone?"

Mie nodded back. "Oh, sorry Jane. So, shall I wake up the other girls?"

"I don't see why not."

"Very well; I'll have the girls in the Mess Hall in thirty minutes." And with that, Mie walked off.

Jane T. turned around so that she was facing the breeze again. "I suppose I can stay out here for a few more minutes…"

Thirty minutes later, Jane T. was walking to the Mess Hall, guided by the smell of breakfast. But before she reached it, though, somebody covered her eyes with a blindfold. "H-Hey! What the-" But before she could continue, she felt something being pressed against her back.

"Do me a favor and walk real slowly…" A voice said behind her, a voice that Jane T. recognized instantly.

"M-Mie?! What's the meaning of this?!" The blindfolded Liberian exclaimed.

She then heard the distinct sound of a gun being primed, causing her to gulp. "Just follow my instructions, and I promise you that you won't be harmed."

Internally, Jane T. was panicking; had they learned about her deepest secret? She would have to tread very carefully to get out of this situation.

As she was being led along, Jane T. happened to notice that the smell of food was becoming stronger, causing her to become suspicious as to what was actually going on. As she was forced to take another left, the smell was at its strongest.

"Alright," she heard Mie say. "You can take off the blindfold now." After Mie said this, there was the sound of her running to an area nearby.

Jane T. hurriedly got rid of the blindfold, but she wasn't expecting what was in front of her.

"SURPRISE!" the voices of several Witches shouted out at once.

There in front of her was Mie along with seven other girls who were all behind a big birthday cake, with a banner above them with the words "Happy 24th Birthday!" sewn onto it. Also, everyone there was giving her a huge grin.

Jane T. couldn't believe it; she had completely forgotten that today was her 24th birthday, but everyone else remembered. Her eyes began to tear up slightly as she looked at the other Witches who were there.

The first girl was a 16-year old Fusojin who had short brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white Navy jacket with a patch that signified her as a Flight Lieutenant. She was also wearing black socks, white shoes, and a swimsuit underneath her jacket. This girl was Takami Karibuchi.

The second girl was a 17-year old Liberian who had mid-length light brown hair and teal-colored eyes. She was wearing a Liberion Navy uniform with a white undershirt beneath it, white panties, black socks, and brown shoes. This girl was Cecilia E. Harris.

The third girl was an 18-year old Britannian who had light brown hair that went down to her mid-back and was tied in a braid. Her outfit consisted of a Britannian Air Force jacket with a green undershirt, knee-high striped stockings which were colored dark red and light green, brown shoes, and white panties. This girl was Delia M. Jeram, the only Britannian in the 508th JFW.

The fourth girl was a 15-year old Liberian who had shoulder-length red hair and unusual yellow eyes. Like Cecilia, she was wearing a blue Liberion Navy uniform, but was wearing a green undershirt beneath it. She was also wearing green panties, white ankle-high socks, and black shoes. This girl was Jamie E. Swett.

The fifth girl was also a 15-year old Liberian, but she had pale blonde hair that was slightly longer than Jamie's, as well as bright green eyes. She was wearing a blue Liberion Marine Corps jacket with a camouflage-print undershirt which was custom-made by her request, blue panties, white socks, and black shoes. This girl was Dorothy Baker.

The sixth girl was a 17-year old Fusojin who had unusual strawberry blonde hair that went to her waist and bright red eyes. She was wearing a white Fusoan Navy jacket, white socks, white shoes, and swimmers underneath the jacket. There was also a Fuso Sword in its' sheathe strapped to her back. This girl was Shouko Matsuda.

The seventh and final girl was a 19-year old Fusojin who had long black hair that was tied in a ponytail and gray eyes. Like Shouko, she was also wearing a white Fusoan Navy jacket, but she was wearing blue socks and brown shoes, and a white swimsuit underneath the jacket. This girl was Sadae Komura.

Dorothy was the first to notice Jane T.'s teary eyes. "Oh, come on Jane; there's no need for the birthday girl to be sad."

"I'm pretty sure we surprised her." Sadae said with a smile.

Jamie smirked in amusement at what Sadae just said. "Yeah, first your birthday that was yesterday, and now we have Jane's birthday today. She must have forgotten that hers is only a single day apart from yours, Sadae."

"Be nice, Jamie." Delia said. "This is supposed to be a happy day for all of us, especially for Wing Commander Jane."

"Yup~! You only turn 24 once, after all!" Takami said cheerfully.

"Amen to that." Shouko said to herself, but the others heard it.

"Come on, Jane. Make a wish and blow out the candles already!" Cecilia whined playfully.

Jane T. looked at the Witches once more, before wiping the tears out of her eyes. "Everyone… thank you…" With that said, she approached the cake, which she now noticed had 24 lit candles on top of it. She closed her eyes and silently thought to herself. 'My one wish… is that the Aeolia Principles can finally be achieved.' Then, she blew out the candles, even as she remembered when Celestial Being explained about who they were and what they were fighting for.

Flashback, Three Years Ago

Jane's POV

I was still trying to get accustomed to my new surroundings. Just ten days ago, I was recruited into this organization called Celestial Being by a man named Tieria Erde. When I first joined, I only thought that it was an experimental Witch unit.

Boy, was I wrong or what?

Turns out, Celestial Being was a paramilitary organization that was far bigger than I thought it was… and they had technology so advanced that the researchers at Neue Karlsland would drool over. In fact, it was because of said tech that I'm where I'm at right now, even as I stared out at the stars from the window of the ship I was in. If I remember correctly, then this ship is called the Exodus, a Nile-class battleship that was currently in space.

Yeah, that's right; this was a space battleship that I'm in, and it's currently a part of the 4th ESF Orbital Defense Fleet, which was in orbit above Earth.

I was brought out of my trance when I heard a voice behind me. "Jane Thatch, I believe it's time for you to know a little more about us."

I spun around, having to use the hand rails to keep myself oriented due to the microgravity as I came face to face with the person who recruited me, Tieria Erde. "What do you mean by that?" I asked him.

I saw him pull out one of those PDA's that everyone else on this ship had and gently throw it in my direction. "Everything you need to know has been uploaded onto that PDA. A Haro will provide any assistance that you may need." As he said this, I saw a metallic purple ball float its way into the room, flapping its "ears" as it did so. I was able to identify it as a Haro, one of the (in my opinion) cute robotic companions that those of a higher ranking possess. The Haro in front of me most likely belonged to Tieria due to their matching colors, but I didn't care about that for the moment.

A chance to learn the history of a paramilitary organization, especially one like Celestial Being, was too good to pass up. With some help from Tieria's Haro (okay, a lot of help) I began looking through the data.

I've been looking through the data for an hour now… and to say I was shocked would have been the understatement of the century.

They came here from an alternate world, which had a disturbingly similar history compared to this one, but there were a few differences, most of which happened to revolve around they not having any magic whatsoever.

The biggest difference, though, was what they call World War II.

Even now as I continued to look at the history of said war, I couldn't believe how humans could be cruel to one another. The Holocaust caused by the Germans (their world's version of Karlslanders), what the Japanese (their world's version of Fusojins) did to their POW's (which to my horror included any captured civilians), and finally the Americans (their world's version of Liberians) unleashing a power never before seen in the form of two atomic bombs, each with enough power to destroy an entire city.

What truly horrified me was that the Americans had actually dropped said bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing the Second World War to an end.

The more I looked at this particular set of data, the more I see our war with the Neuroi as a blessing in disguise. 'At least we aren't fighting each other…' I thought to myself as I began reading about the Korean War.

It's been around five more hours according to the Haro that was helping me use the PDA, and I had just reached the point where a person named Aeolia Schenberg was designing a new type of engine called a "GN Drive". To my surprise, there was a video file attached to the data. With some help from Haro, I opened the file and began to watch it.

Video

2091 A.D., Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

General POV

On a lonely island in the Pacific Ocean was a large mansion (A.N.: I'm not really sure what it is, but I'm calling it a mansion), in which were two men talking to each other.

The first man looked to be in his early forties and had brown hair and grey eyes. He was wearing a white lab coat with a purple shirt underneath it. He was also wearing a pair of round glasses, white pants, as well as black shoes. This man was Aeolia Schenberg, the founder of Celestial Being.

The second man looked to be in his early twenties and had green hair and purple eyes. He was wearing a black business suit, a white undershirt beneath it, black pants, and brown shoes. This man was Eternal Alan Ray, or E. A. Ray for short.

"The discovery of new fundamental particles that can transmit one's consciousness. The theory of a semi-perpetual engine that generates those particles. The invention of a quantum-type processing system. The proposal for a solar power generation system based on the construction of orbital elevators." E. A. Ray said as he looked through Aeolia's database of ideas. "Every one of these outstanding technologies would make life better for humanity. But I always thought you hated humans; Isn't that why you live on this solitary island?"

"What I hate are people who misuse their intelligence," Aeolia replied to his friend. "The ones who get caught up in their own personal beliefs and prejudices and lose sight of the truth. It leads to misunderstandings, followed by discord and then by conflict. All I want is understanding between people… Humans must learn to apply their intelligence correctly and evolve beyond their current. People must change, otherwise even if humanity expands into space it will only create new conflicts."

"So that's the kind of world you seek." Ray said back.

"Humans must learn to apply their intelligence correctly and evolve beyond their current state." Aeolia then turned on his chair to look at Ray. "People must change, otherwise even if humanity expands into space, it will only create new conflicts… and that would be a very sad thing."

"Aeolia Schenberg." Ray said to his friend with a smile, showing that he had faith in him.

Video End

So… that's why Celestial Being was created.

It wasn't only to eradicate war… but also to guide humanity through its supposed next step of evolution as they colonize space.

"Haro… is this next step in human evolution even possible?" I asked the metallic ball.

In response, it pulled up another set of data. Reading through it, my eyes widened in shock; apparently, there were already humans who had evolved into the next step, and were known as Purebred Innovators. What shocked me even more was that approximately 75% of all personnel within Celestial Being were Innovators.

Although I was shocked, I decided to get back on track, and looked through Celestial Being's recent history.

It took me three more hours… and to say I was shocked was again an understatement.

The armed interventions that Celestial Being undertook against the three blocks – the Union, AEU, and the HRL – were astonishing, showing the power of the four Generation 3 Gundams. However, there were things going on behind the scenes that even Celestial Being didn't know about; the Trinities, the traitor named Alejandro Corner, the Innovade named Ribbons Almark, the A-LAWS (who in my opinion were just like the Nazis of their world's Germany), and finally how they were forced to abandon their reality's Earth to flee from the invading ELSes after the Dialogues-to-Come failed.

It all made sense now; Celestial Being was trying to prevent the same mistakes that they and the humans of their world made, and they would have started by bringing a swift end to our world's WWII if it had happened; instead, the Neuroi showed up, and through observational footage one of their scouts managed to acquire, humans lashed out against the unknown threat, causing the Neuroi to retaliate and start the war.

The only good thing about that particular event was that WWII never happened. Unfortunately, Celestial Being arrived too late to stop the First World War.

There was one more piece of data I still haven't looked at. Opening it, I saw that it was a short list.

The Aeolia Principles

Unite the world under one banner through the use of the armed interventions.

Watch over the world as humanity advances into space, and perform armed interventions only when needed.

Make contact with a yet unknown sentient race and initiate the Dialogues-to-Come.

So these are the Aeolia Principles… interesting. The more I looked at all the data, the more I'm enticed to help make this a reality.

I suddenly became aware that I wasn't alone in the room, and I looked up only to see Tieria standing next to me. "Is there something you need?" I asked him.

"I take it you've finished reading through the data?" He asked back.

I answered with a nod, and gave him his PDA back.

He pocketed the PDA, and presented me with a tray of food. "You became too absorbed in reading the data that you missed lunch and dinner. Aren't you hungry?"

Wait… did I really miss out on those two meals?

As if answering my question, my stomach let out a loud roar, causing me to blush deep red in embarrassment.

Tieria chuckled in amusement, and left the tray of food to float in front of me. "Go ahead and eat up; I'm pretty sure you need the food right now."

I nodded in thanks, and snatched the floating cutlery and tray from the air, beginning my meal as soon as I did so.

Around twenty minutes later, I was finished with my meal. I was surprised, though, to see that Tieria was still here, but what caught me off-guard was the fact that his eyes were glowing a golden color. "What's up with your eyes?" I asked before I could stop myself.

His eyes stopped glowing a moment later. "I was consulting with Veda to determine your position within Celestial Being. It would seem as though you would fit the role of an observer agent the most due to the connections in high places you possess, as well as your proposals to the top brass to form a carrier-based Joint Fighter Wing. However, your leadership skills are also good enough for you to lead your own squadron of Mobile Suits if you desire to do so."

So those were my choices. I began to think really hard about it, and came up with my conclusion ten minutes later. I turned to Tieria as I made up my mind. "I would like…"

Flashback End

General POV, Mighty Witches

Jane T. smiled as she remembered the decision she made three years ago. Although she was currently an observer agent, she was also the leader of the Overflags, a squadron of elite Witches who all piloted SVMS-01O Over Flags and their variants, the SVMS-01OA Over Flag Astro Package Type, the SVMS-01OSG Over Flag Ground Package Shell Type (a variant of the Over Flag recently designed for ground combat use), and the SVMS-01OAS Over Flag Aero Sky Package Type (a variant of the Over Flag that was also recently designed, but this variant was dedicated to aerial combat, and was faster than the regular Over Flag).

"Jane, Jane, Jane~! Tell us what you wished for~!" Cecilia said excitedly.

"Heehee, sorry, but that's a secret~!" Jane T. said back with an equal amount of playfulness, something that caused Cecilia to pout.

Mie shot the gun she was holding into the air, but instead of a bullet, confetti came out.

Jane just looked at her friend with wide eyes. "M-M-Mie?! Do you have any idea how much that thing scared me?!"

The Fusojin scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry…" She apologized while getting a knife from the kitchen.

"Just 'sorry' isn't going to cut it this time!"

"Come on, somebody cut the cake already!" Takami exclaimed.

Shouko whacked the energetic Fusoan on the head. "Learn some patience." Shouko scolded, causing Takami to whine.

Delia giggled at the display as she began to cut the cake after taking the knife from Mie. "Now, who wants cake?"

It's been several hours since the party, and Mie, Shouko, Takami, and Sadae were currently flying on patrol.

"Hey, Sadae." Takami said to her friend. "What's it like being 19 years old?"

"I'm not sure…" She replied. "I still feel the same as I did two days ago."

"Not surprising." Shouko said with an even voice. "A person doesn't simply change in the blink of an eye when they age another year."

"That's a good point." Mie commented.

"That's not what I meant!" Takami yelled.

"Oh? Then please do tell us what you meant, Takami." Sadae said with a smile.

"E-Ehh?! Well, umm… what I meant was…" Takami tried to come up with an explanation, but was saved when the Lexington's radar officer contacted them.

"Attention Witches on patrol. We have a Neuroi contact bearing 3-1-5, altitude 5,000. Change your course to bearing 2-9-0 from your current position to intercept."

"Roger that, Lexington. Changing course to intercept." Even as Mie said this, she executed a smooth turn to the correct bearing with the other three Witches right behind her.

The four Witches continued to fly on their current course for 13 minutes before Mie spotted a black glint in the distance. "Neuroi spotted. Commencing intercept." She reported through the transponder as she, Shouko, Takami, and Sadae corrected their course slightly so as to intercept the Neuroi from an optimal angle. But when they were just reaching firing range, the Neuroi, which looked like an oversized bomber of some sort, dropped twenty drones from its lower fuselage, which started to attack the Witches mercilessly.

The four Witches were immediately put on the defensive as they began to evade the oncoming beams and return fire at the drones, which proved to be more agile than expected as they dodged most of the bullets; only one of the drones was shot down in the initial barrage.

"This is Squadron Leader Mie! The Neuroi has launched more than a dozen or so drones! We need back-up if we want to get to the core!"

"This is Captain Matsubara Hiroshi of the Shoukaku. Roger, we're sending fighters to assist-" But before Hiroshi could finish, he was interrupted by the radar control officer.

"Sir, we've just detected five more Neuroi approaching from vectors 0-9-5 and 2-0-7!"

"What?! Launch all fighters and combat-capable Witches to intercept them now!"

Mie and the other three Witches couldn't believe their ears; it was a tri-pronged attack by the Neuroi, and they were already having enough problems to begin with. "Alright, girls! We have to take that thing down now!"

"Right!" The other three exclaimed as the four charged into the fray, keeping each other covered as they did so.

General POV, Celestial Being

In space, Carla and Michiko were beginning atmospheric entry procedures using their Haros to assist them. "Carla, have you read the tactical plan that Miss Sumeragi sent us?" Michiko asked her Liberian partner through the communications network.

"Yeah, yeah. I've read it already." Carla said back. "Since Virtue has a higher defensive capabilities and a stronger GN Field than the Kyrios, you're entering the battle first since you can just charge straight through the atmosphere without burning up. You tango with the Neuroi for a few minutes until I finally arrive to get the drop on the black and red suckers. We then wreck the Neuroi's plans and bug out once we've finished them off."

"Uhh… yeah, that's it in a nutshell." The Fusoan sighed, before turning to her light purple Haro which was nestled in its docking port. "Haro, begin atmospheric entry procedures."

"BEGINNING PROCEDURES! BEGINNING PROCEDURES!" The Haro exclaimed. "GN FIELD! GN FIELD!"

The GN Field emitters on the Virtue opened up and began emitting GN particles in the shape of a spherical GN Field that surrounded the Gundam. With the barrier in place, Michiko charged into the atmosphere as fast as she could, with Carla following as close as she can with her own GN Field active.

General POV, Mighty Witches

Back at the fleet, the ships were putting up a wall of AA fire directed at the incoming Neuroi, the sheer amount of bullets and shells managing to shoot down five enemy drones that had just deployed from one of the Neuroi. However, it cost the fleet two destroyers and a light cruiser when the Neuroi managed to get within firing range of their beams. The USS Lexington, HMS Victorious, and the Shoukaku were launching their fighters to assist the airborne Witches, whom consisted of Cecilia, Delia, Jamie, and Dorothy; Jane T. had very little magic left due to her age, so she was unable to fly.

That didn't mean she was idle, though; she was constantly observing the situation through a set of binoculars and updating the nearby Witches about what was happening, as well as prioritizing targets.

Cecilia rolled to the left to dodge another barrage of beams, then returned fire with her M1919A6 machine gun, managing to damage one of the drones that shot at her. A lucky shot from a heavy cruiser's 12cm high angle gun finished the job. Cecilia looked down at the ship responsible for the shot, and laid her eyes on the Takao. She made a mental note to thank the crew of the ship later as she focused her attention on another drone that was trying to get past her.

Delia, meanwhile, was firing her Lewis automatic rifle at another drone in short bursts to help conserve ammunition, and managed to destroy it after firing four times. Seeing that her current enemy was defeated, she turned her attention to the next drone, but instinct screamed at her to put up a shield behind her. Doing so, she blocked a beam that she wouldn't have had time to dodge coming from her right. Turning her head in that direction, she saw two more drones that were gunning for her. Gritting her teeth, she disengaged the drone she was currently fighting to combat the new threat.

Jamie was dual-wielding her two M3A1 submachine guns and firing away at a drone. She managed to destroy it with ease, but she saw that some of the Lexington's F6F Hellcats were in trouble with a few more drones. She quickly turned to assist her fellow countrymen, but one of them was clipped by a beam before she could get the drones off their tail. The slightly damaged Hellcat swerved wildly to the left then straight down, but the drones ignored him. Enraged, Jamie opened fire at the drones and managed to destroy one of them, attracting the attention of the other two. As they headed towards her, the two drones were suddenly shot at from below, the bullets managing to destroy one of them while damaging the other. Jamie looked down momentarily and saw the slightly damaged Hellcat climbing madly, ready to get back into the fray. Smirking to herself in pride of her fellow countryman, she opened fire on the damaged drone, managing to destroy it.

Dorothy, the sniper of the 508th, was keeping back from the fight and taking careful aim at another drone that had wandered into her sights with her M1 Garand. Pulling the trigger, she fired a 30-06 Springfield 7.62×63mm bullet, which shot out of the barrel and straight through the drone, destroying it in a single shot. She took a quick look at her surroundings, and rolled away from a barrage of beams that one of the main Neuroi bombers shot at her. Gritting her teeth, she made a move to go after it, but the Neuroi suddenly dropped twenty more drones from its belly. Dorothy's eyes widened in horror as she began to weave and evade wildly, using a shield every five to ten seconds to keep herself from getting killed.

The F6F Hellcats, Supermarine Seafires, Sea Hurricane Mk XIIA's, and A6M6c Type 0 Model 53c's were fighting to the best of their ability, cooperating with each other and giving the Neuroi drones a hard time, however, they too were beginning to be shot down; one unlucky Zero pilot didn't even have time to blink as one moment he was dodging one beam, then the next moment another beam strikes his plane from underneath and directly through the cockpit, killing him instantly.

Unknown to the airborne Witches above the fleet, however, the sixth Neuroi, which had managed to break through Mie's formation, suddenly surged forward, intending to fire upon the USS Lexington at point blank range. Mie, Shouko, Takami, and Sadae were still pursuing the Neuroi, but they wouldn't make it in time.

Jane T. was still observing the situation and coordinating the serial combatants when she heard the alert of another Neuroi approaching from the starboard side. Since she was on the port side of the carrier Lexington, she had to run over to the other side of the ship, something which was easy because she was on the flight deck. When she reached the starboard side, she looked through the binoculars… and was horrified to see a Neuroi charging directly at the ship.

The Neuroi was closing the distance fast, and once it reached a distance of 1,500 meters, it fired a charged beam directly at the Lexington.

Jane T.'s eyes shot open in terror at the approaching red beam of death, but right before it could hit the carrier (which would have been an area directly beneath her) a sphere of glittering green light dropped down from the sky in front of her, blocking the beam.

She looked at the green sphere of particles with wide eyes, already knowing what it was… but the rest of the fleet, including the Witches and the opposing Neuroi, stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the strange phenomenon.

After four seconds, though, the sphere dissipated, revealing the form of a massive, heavily-armored humanoid machine that was defying gravity and floating in midair, had green particles coming out of its back… and there was a huge rectangular weapon of some kind being held by both of its hands, the interior of which was glowing a pink color.

'But isn't that… the Virtue?!' Jane T. thought to herself in shock; she hadn't expected Celestial Being to make such a bold move in revealing themselves like this.

General POV, Celestial Being

As Michiko was descending upon the battlefield, she saw a Neuroi break through a formation of four Witches and charge right for one of the carriers. "Well, I guess that's my first target." The native-born Fusojin said to herself before shifting her eyes to the Haro in front of her. "Haro, keep the GN Field active; we're going to make a flashy entrance." This she said with a grin on her face.

Yoshika wasn't the only one who wanted to make Celestial Being's grand debut to the world stylish.

"ROGER! ROGER!" Exclaimed the purple Haro, even as Michiko moved the GN Bazooka to the front of the Virtue and began to charge it while having the Gundam drop down into the fight. Michiko observed her target's movements and deduced that it was trying to fire a point blank beam at one of the carriers.

Well, she wasn't going to let that happen anytime soon.

Right as the Neuroi fired its deadly beam at the carrier, Michiko moved the Virtue to intercept it with its GN Field still active, blocking it with ease as the Gundam was barely pushed back an inch.

"Heh, it'll take a whole lot more than that to beat me." Michiko said to herself, disengaging the GN Field as she locked onto her target with the GN Bazooka. "Virtue has locked onto the target. Releasing all compressed particles!" With that, Michiko pulled the trigger.

An enormous pink beam made of GN particles was fired from the bazooka straight at the targeted Neuroi, which didn't have any time to react before the beam plowed straight through it, destroying it in an instant.

General POV, Mighty Witches

Everybody was shocked into silence at what they just witnessed; a machine, which looked like something that had come straight out of a science fiction novel, had first dropped from the sky while blocking a strong Neuroi beam with a strange green light, then proceeds to fire its own beam – and a ridiculously large one at that – and destroyed the offending Neuroi with only a single shot.

"Wha… What is that thing…?!" Dorothy tried to contact her friends, but she only got static. In response to this, she flew over to the other airborne Witches who had converged together.

"Just what is that thing?!" Jamie exclaimed, even as the Neuroi and the drones turned their undivided attention against the new threat and began firing at the machine, which just floated there and erected another green sphere of light to protect itself.

When the sphere dissipated, the beam cannon that it was holding with both hands was glowing again, and with careful aim, fired in the general direction of the Witches.

The airborne Witches panicked for a moment, but were surprised when the beam went past them… and a few seconds later, they heard the distinct sound of a Neuroi shattering behind them. Looking in that direction for a moment, they saw the familiar white shards of a Neuroi that had just been destroyed.

They couldn't believe it; a Neuroi had managed to sneak up on them, and if it wasn't for the beam that the machine shot at it, they would have likely been dead by now.

Several drones decided to try their luck against the machine, but before they could fire, the two black areas on the knees popped open and opened fire on the drones, destroying each in a single shot as well as revealing that they were in fact knee-mounted beam cannons.

"What the hell?!" several of the Witches exclaimed at the same time.

The Neuroi seemed to be pissed off that the newcomer was making short work of them, so they decided to gang up on the machine. This in turn forced said machine to maneuver in ways that something of that size shouldn't be able to do; although it was bulky, the machine had maneuverability which rivaled, if not superior, to that of a fairly skilled Witch.

The pilots of the fighter planes, meanwhile, were just as shocked and confused as the Witches and the fleet were.

The Neuroi were keeping some distance between themselves and the machine, but that couldn't be said for the drones, which were vectored to attack it in close range.

That would also prove to be a mistake.

General POV, Celestial Being

Michiko gritted her teeth as she was forced to dodge yet another barrage of beams, although she couldn't help but smirk at the fact that the Neuroi were now focusing entirely on her.

It would make Carla's entrance all the more unexpected.

"Alright, come and get me." The Fusojin said to herself as she continued to dodge enemy beam fire, making sure to return the favor with her knee-mounted GN Cannons whenever she got the chance.

She then noticed the five main Neuroi pull back, while the drones charged straight at her.

"Trying to take on the Virtue at close range? I'd like to see you try! Fangs, fly!" Michiko yelled, her eyes glowing a golden color as her Quantum Brainwaves took command of the eight GN Fangs that were launched from the Gundam. With practiced ease, she vectored them and launched a multi-directional attack against the drones while charging the bazooka for another shot, this time aiming it at one of the five main Neuroi bombers.

General POV, Mighty Witches

The jaws of almost everybody dropped when the unknown machine suddenly launched eight drones of its own, but these were controlled with the skill of a pro and were propelled by the same green particles that the machine had coming out of its back. The GN Fangs started firing at the Neuroi drones from multiple angles, managing to destroy 13 of them before they broke formation in an attempt to evade their attackers.

But the GN Fangs were faster and far more maneuverable than the drones they were going after, so it didn't matter how hard the Neuroi drones tried to evade their pursuers.

It seemed as though the five main Neuroi were really pissed off now, and they launched more than 100 drones each to try and destroy the unknown machine once and for all. But before the third Neuroi could finish launching all of its drones, it and the drones it had just launched were destroyed by another shot from the machine's beam cannon. The remaining four Neuroi moved their drones to overwhelm the machine's eight drones, which then did something completely unexpected.

The eight GN Fangs formed up in a circular formation with their pointed ends facing outwards, then started spinning around the center of their formation in a circular pattern, maintaining said pattern even as they started maneuvering wildly while firing beams. This unorthodox attack pattern was surprisingly effective, as one Neuroi drone after another were continuously being shot down.

Now the Witches were envious; if their Strikers could fly like that, then shooting down Neuroi would be a whole lot easier.

Apparently, the four main Neuroi had had enough, and they charged into the fray even as two more Neuroi entered the battlefield from the north.

However, before the two new arrivals could open fire, a large number of pink beams rained down on them, destroying one and inflicting major damage to the other.

The eyes of the Witches widened in shock as they looked up, only to spot an orange and white fighter plane diving into the fight… and it was the most advanced-looking fighter plane they had ever seen.

'The Kyrios, too? So I guess this is Celestial Being's grand debut, then.' Jane T. thought to herself, internally smiling at the thought of being able to help in the war her own way soon.

Being an observer agent as well as being the commander of an elite Mobile Suit squadron certainly had its perks.

The damaged Neuroi began to regenerate its armor as it fired a barrage of beams at the orange fighter, but said fighter easily rolled out of the way before doing an impossibly tight turn, which almost made it look like it was drifting in midair. The fighter returned fire with its nose-mounted cannon, destroying even more of the armor and revealing the core, but not quite destroying it.

And that's when said fighter did something they never thought possible.

General POV, Celestial Being

Carla sat impatiently in the Kyrios, waiting to arrive at the battlefield. "Are we there yet, Haro? I don't want to let Yamakawa have all the fun!"

"NEARLY THERE! NEARLY THERE!" the metallic orange ball said, even as the Kyrios finished atmospheric re-entry protocols.

Carla grinned. "About time. Now let's see what we're up against…" Using the Kyrios' sensors, she zoomed the image onto the battlefield and took a good look. She saw that there were five Neuroi bombers… well, there were five, until the Virtue fired its GN Bazooka at one of them, taking it and a whole squadron of drones out in a single shot.

Something else got her attention; apparently, Michiko had already revealed her GN Fangs, as they were spinning around one another and tearing apart the enemy drone units with minimal difficulty.

"Now which one should I target…?" Carla said to herself as she looked at the four remaining Neuroi bombers.

"ENEMY APPROACHING! ENEMY APPROACHING!" Her Haro suddenly called out, pulling up an image of two more Neuroi approaching from the north.

Carla grinned; she had just found her Gundam's first targets. "Heads up, Yamakawa; there are two more approaching from the north. I'll take care of them." She said over the private channel she shared with her partner.

"You do that, and I'll keep these bad boys busy for a while longer. After that, think you can deal with the rest of the drones? They're starting to get on my nerves." Michiko said back, even as she recalled her GN Fangs to recharge them while engaging her GN Field to protect herself.

"Heh, no problem." With that, Carla had the Kyrios, which was currently in its Fighter form, dive onto the two new Neuroi and opened fire with her GN Beam Gatling Cannon, easily destroying one of them while inflicting major damage to the other.

Pulling out of her dive, she spun the orange Gundam around for another attack run, easily evading the beams fired at her and returning the favor with the GN Gatling, managing to reveal the core of the Neuroi but not quite managing to destroy it.

"Heads up, Carla; several drones are headed your way!" Michiko called out, warning her partner of the incoming danger.

Carla took a quick look at her surroundings, before seeing several drones break of their attack on the Virtue and started heading her way. "Thanks for the heads up. Guess I'd better finish this one off, then." With that, she transformed the Kyrios into its Mobile Suit mode and fired her GN Twin Beam Rifle directly at the exposed core of the Neuroi she was targeting, destroying it in one shot.

She then turned her attention to the incoming drones and opened fire with both the rifle and the two hip-mounted GN Submachine Guns.

General POV, Mighty Witches

Suddenly, the unknown fighter's began to shift and transform, until it looked almost exactly like the first unknown machine.

"It… it TRANSFORMED?!" Mie exclaimed in shock; just what were those machines?!

They saw the second unknown machine open fire at the drones with what appeared to be hip-mounted beam machine guns, easily taking them out of the picture, before transforming back into its fighter form and charging towards the numerous Neuroi drones which were constantly firing at the first machine, which was forced to use its barrier to constantly block the huge number of beams that were trying to pierce through its defenses. They also noticed that the first machine recalled its drones for some reason.

The fighter opened fire on the drones as soon as it closed the distance, managing to shoot down 53 of them as it blitzed through their formation. This in turn caused the rest of the drones to switch targets, the fighter now being their top priority.

That, however, proved to be a mistake; the first machine dispelled its barrier and opened fire with a charged shot from its beam cannon, taking down one of the remaining four Neuroi bombers. This in turn also caused around 61 drones to suddenly shatter, their connection to their mothership being severed.

The orange fighter transformed again, and used its double-barrel beam rifle to fire a few shots at one of the three remaining Neuroi bombers, making them open fire at the second machine, which evaded the shots with a grace that no Witch could match in a Striker Unit. The orange machine transformed into a fighter again, charging at the Neuroi while opening up with the beam guns on the bottom of the fuselage, the twin beam rifle on the right side of its body, and the nose-mounted beam cannon. In one pass, it had managed to inflict moderate to major damage to two of the bombers, which the bulky machine finished off with two shots from its left shoulder-mounted beam cannon. This in turn reduced the number of enemy drone units to 31… that is, until the transforming fighter turned back around and opened up with another salvo from its beam weapons, reducing the number to a measly four drones.

The last Neuroi apparently had enough and turned to run, but the fighter took off after it as the bulky machine started charging its main beam cannon to finish it off. After around five seconds of charging, the bulky machine fired its cannon off into the distance, managing to score a bulls-eye on the Neuroi if the distant white flakes were anything to go by.

The Witches (except Jane T., who is acting along), as well as the entire fleet were stunned at what they had just witnessed; two unknown machines, each possessing technology so advanced that they doubted even Neue Karlsland would be able to produce such machines.

The bulky machine looked around at the fleet, even as the fighter soared overhead and flew off to the east. A few seconds later, the bulky machine followed the fighter off into the distance.

The Witches looked at each other, all sharing the same thought. 'What just happened?' Deciding to ask their commander, the eight airborne Witches turned to land on the Lexington to consult with Jane T. Once they landed, the eight walked up to her. "Commander… what were those things?!" Mie all but shouted; she was still shocked at what she had just witnessed.

After seeing something like that, who wouldn't be?

Jane T.'s eyes narrowed in thought. "I'm not sure myself… but I did manage to get a glimpse of a word on the big one."

"A word… well, what was it?" Takami asked, the other seven Witches nodding as they too wanted to know.

Jane T. seemed to be thinking about how to pronounce the word if the way her mouth was silently moving was anything to go by. "The word… was Gundam."

General POV, Celestial Being

In the cockpit of the Kyrios, Carla sulked. "Yamakawa, did you really have to steal that kill of mine?"

Michiko giggled. "Sorry for stealing your kill, but the drones from that specific one were the ones that were irritating me the most."

"So it was retribution then, huh?" the Liberian asked. "Well, if that's the case, then I won't argue with you."

"Thanks, Carla. So, you know where to go now?" Michiko asked her partner to confirm it.

"Yeah; some place called Sahara Base Alpha that's located in Africa. There's even a map to guide us there on a screen in front of me!" Carla said out of excitement; she was having a blast piloting the Kyrios, especially in combat.

She would pilot a Gundam over a Striker Unit any day.

"Correct. Now come on; Yoshika, Lynne, and the Ptolemy will be there as well, the latter of which will have some more equipment for us." The native-born Fusojin said as she piloted the Virtue on course towards the base, even as Carla in the Kyrios followed closely.

"More equipment for the Kyrios? Now this I got to see!" the Liberian exclaimed.

A/N: And this concludes chapter 3. Took a little longer to write than I expected. Anyway, here are the specs of the machines that debuted in this chapter.

1) AEU-09MD AEU Enact Drone Type

Model number: AEU-09MD

Unit type: Mass Production Unmanned Transformable Aerial Mobile Suit

Developed from:

AEU05/05 AEU Hellion Perpetuum

SMVS-01 Union Flag

Developed into: none

Variants:

AEU-09 AEU/MD Enact Space Drone Type

AEU-09/LSMD AEU Enact Landstriker Drone Type

Manufacturer: Celestial Being Mobile Suit Factory

Operators: Celestial Being, ESF

Power-plant: Solar Energy System + E-Carbon Armor (stores Hydrogen)

Armor: Laminated E-Carbon Armor

Armaments:

20mm Machine Gun (mounted next to where the drum cockpit would have been)

Defense Rod - A standard defensive feature of AEU and Union Mobile Suits. The defense rod is a rotating rod usually connected to the elbow joint of the Mobile Suit's left arm. Using rotary motion, the rod is capable of deflecting certain physical rounds such as bullets from a machine gun and in some cases a shot from a beam rifle by generating a plasma field. Compared to a conventional shield, the defense rod is lighter as the Flag has to maintain its speed advantage and maneuverability during combat.

Linear Rifle

2 x Sonic Blade (Plasma Sword)

Special Equipment(s) & Features:

Mobile Drone Control System

Visor AI

Chaff & Flare Dispenser

"Veda-based Operating System"

2) SVMS-01MD Union Flag Drone Type

Model number: SVMS-01MD

Unit type: Mass Production Unmanned Transformable Aerial Mobile Suit

Developed from:

YMS-01A Union Flag

Developed into: none

Variants:

SVMS-01AS/MD Union Flag Aero Sky Package Drone Type

SVMS-01OP/MD Union Flag Orbit Package Drone Type

SMVS-01SG/MD Union Flag Ground Package Shell Drone Type

SVMS-01AP/MD Union Flag Orbit Package Colony Guard Drone Type

SVMS-010A/MD Over Flag Astro Package Drone Type

Manufacturer: Celestial Being Mobile Suit Factory

Operators: Celestial Being, ESF

Power-plant: Solar Energy System + E-carbon Armor (stores Hydrogen)

Armor: Laminated E-Carbon Armor

Armaments:

20mm Machine Gun (mounted next to where the drum cockpit would have been)

Linear Rifle

2 x Sonic Blade (Plasma Sword)

Missiles (Air-to-air, Air-to-surface, Surface-to-Surface)

Special Equipment(s) & Features:

Mobile Drone Control System

Visor AI

Hardpoint (for extra missiles)

Chaff & Flare Dispenser

"Veda-based Operating System"

3) GNMA-Y0001MP/D Empruss Mass Production Drone Type

Model number: GNMA-Y0001MP-D

Unit type: Mass Production Unmanned Assault Mobile Armor

Developed from:

GNMA-Y0001 Empruss

Developed into: none

Variants: none

Manufacturer: Celestial Being Mobile Suit Factory

Operators: Celestial Being, ESF

Power-plant: Solar Energy System + 2 x GN Drive Tau II

Armor: Laminated E-Carbon Armor, GN Composite Armor

Armaments:

GN Particle Cannon - A powerful beam cannon that uses a large amount of concentrated GN particles. It is a weapon reminiscent of the Alvatore's main weapon, although it is unlikely that the Empress's particle cannon can match the Alvatore's in terms of power or recharge rate since it has few GN Tau Drives. However, since the Empruss MP/D is powered by two GN Drive Tau II's as well as the Solar Energy System, it possesses a faster recharge time than the Alvatore's GN Particle Cannon.

4 x GN Beam Cannons (Two mounted on top of the unit, and the other two are mounted on the bottom)

2 x GN Vulcans (1 on each arm)

2 x Grappler Arms - The Empress is equipped with two forward mounted pincer-like claws. The claws are mounted on arms normally stored within the mobile armor's body and can shoot out Egner Whips.

• 2 x Egner Whip - The Egner Whips are oval shaped shells attached to the claws by a long wire and are capable of penetrating GN Fields and once in proximity with enemy Mobile Suits it releases four more conductive wires, all charged with high voltage electricity. The Egner Whips can be used in conjunction with the particle cannon in a devastating combo where the wires ensnare and disable a target, leaving them open to be hit by the powerful beam of the particle cannon.

2 x Anti-Ship GN Sword - The two "wings" of the Empruss are actually large GN Swords, useful for slicing enemy battleships, Mobile Suits, or Neuroi.

Special Equipment(s) & Features:

GN Field

Mobile Drone Control System

Trans-Am System

"Veda-based Operating System"

4) Takemikazuchi-class
Namesake: Takemikazuchi
Unit type: Sea Carrier
Ships of the Line: Unknown
Manufacturer: Morgenroete
Operators: Celestial Being ESF Branch

Power-plant:

Solar Energy System + GN Drive Tau II
GN Drive Tau II (unconnected to ship, held in reserve for ship)

Ship accommodations:
Command Bridge
Cafeteria & Mess Hall
Living-quarters
Conference Room
Medical Bay
Bathing and Shower Hall
3 x Mobile Weapons Hangar
6 x Catapult Launcher
MS Capacity: 60

Armor: E-Carbon

Armaments:

Chemical Bing Depth Charges
2 x 10m-Grade Dual GN Laser Cannon
46 x GN Missile Launcher
4 x GN Torpedo Launcher
10 x Anti-Air Laser Phalanx
6 x GN Flak Cannon

Special Equipment and Features:

Enhanced Sensors
E-Sonar
Pulse Compression Subsurface Radar
Stealth System
• Optical Camouflage
• High GN particle
Tight-beam Ultrasonic Scanner

Optional Equipment:

none

Mobile Weapons:

8 x AEU-09MD AEU Enact Drone Type

8 x SVMS-01MD Union Flag Drone Type

4 x CBY-077MP/D GN Cannon Mass Production Drone Type

10 x GNX-609T GN-XIII

10 x GNX-612T/AA Superbia GN-X

10 x GNX-803T GN-XIV

3 x GNZ-003 Gadessa

3 x GNZ-005 Garazzo

4 x GNZ-007 Gaddess

Innovative Strikers:

? x GINN

? x GINN Assault Type

? x GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Type

? x CGUE

? x CGUE Assault Type

? x CGUE DEEP Arms