The 2nd chapter is here~! And whoa, 18 reviews, 10 favorites, and 16 followers!? Thank you so much, people! Your contributions are greatly appreciated (salutes)
Now as for the reviews:
Fireminer - Thank you very much. I'm still doing my White Devil of SEED though. About Banagher with the other girls? Let's see that in the future, shall we?
mega1987 - Hahaha, is that supposed to be a seiyuu joke?
dragon shinobi - No, this story has no any relation with White Devil of SEED at all since the universes are different.
WhoeverIam - Thank you. Let's see that for later, okay?
Just an IS fan - Of course! This is Unicorn that we're talking about. Unwanted harem? Yeah I think that would work since IS is technically a harem anime.
Guest - You could look it at the bottom. Thanks for your idea.
GundamGuyUC - Thank you very much.
Guest #2 - Thank you. As for the KH with Gundam SEED, you don't mind if I use the story line of Gundam Build Fighters, right? Because I think that's the most realistic that I could imagine (IE. Sora tried to test his skill in Gunpla building from tinkering with Gummi Ship, and as the result he made a Gunpla with black color scheme and a miniature Keyblade as the main weapon)
Guest #3-4 - I already did that. As for the safety mode, you could look for it at the bottom.
CerealGuy27 - Thank you very much and you should. The OVA is really great and the digital animations are amazing! Good luck with your Third World Revolution too.
Cosmic Compiler - It's all thanks to you that I got this idea, man. I hope for the same thing for your Gundam 00: IS too.
BlaLig - Well, Banagher might have mastered the NT-D control, but he still has to learn how to pilot his Unicorn in IS form and he needs to adapt with the battle within Earth's atmosphere again.
Guest #5 - For now on, yes. But for the future? Who knows?
Guest #6 - Beam magnum won't make an appearance in this chapter unfortunately.
Guest #7 - You're right. 100 points for you!
Guest #8 - You make a valid point there. I'll try that in the future.
Guest #9 - Well, I haven't thought anything like that and you just gave me an idea to think about...
Beta by Vandenbz
Chapter 2: The Academy of Infinite Stratos
IS Academy - IS Maintenance Hangar
Inside one of the four maintenance areas in the Arena, a pure white IS which resembled Unicorn Gundam minus its head and upper chest armor was lying on the analyzer bed with some of its parts connected to the cables that went all the way up to the observation area on the 2nd level. Inside the room, Maya was typing on her computer, trying to access the data in the mysterious white IS that the brown haired boy had used while Chifuyu watched beside her with her arms crossed. While the black haired teacher kept her face calm and stoic, the green haired teacher on the other hand was a bit agitated because every time she typed something and entered it, the monitor screen only gave her one answer:
ACCESS DENIED!
"Still can't get anything yet?" asked Chifuyu to Maya.
"I'm still trying to get through it." She replied, still trying to bypass the security code, "But the security program is too tight! I couldn't get inside further than this!"
"How about the IS core then?" Chifuyu asked again in the hope of gaining the information about whether the core was registered or not.
But Maya gave her a completely unexpected answer as she turned to face her.
"That's the problem, Orimura-sensei. The core… it's kinda different from the other IS cores."
Chifuyu arched her eyebrow upon hearing this, "What do you mean?"
"Here, take a look at this." The green haired teacher then began to switch the file to the first stage analysis result and showed it to Chifuyu. On the monitor was a wire-frame of the IS in its standard form which resembled an armored suit with a horned helmet and a kind of complex machinery with a performance chart that went off the charts in terms of the limit at the supply and condenser cap category. Maya then zoomed in on another part of what she assumed to be the core of the IS although she was unsure about that. Why was that? The reason was because the core itself looked totally different than any other cores she ever seen.
The core of an IS normally had the shape of a sphere filled with what appeared to be an unknown material source that powered the suit and acted as the AI unit as well. However, this one had a shape of a letter 'T' with various components attached on it. The 'Core' itself was also glowing yellowish green, emitting green particles nearby*. The only reason why Maya concluded that the green T shaped thing was the IS core was because out of all components she had analyzed so far, it was the only one that provided the energy to the IS' frame.
"While this one looks pretty different than any cores the IS possesses, it's still an IS core nevertheless from its energy reading, and these ones…" she then dragged the cursor to point at two strange turbines and one small generator that were attached to the core, "…are the parts that somehow give the core an unlimited energy supply to operate. Based from the energy output it has, it's almost that… this IS uses a core that functions similar to a nuclear reactor if you ask me." She concluded with a somewhat uncertain look on her face.
"A nuclear powered IS core?!" Chifuyu was taken aback with that information. How did this mysterious boy have an IS like this? No, how did he even pilot it in the first place?
Looking back at Maya, Chifuyu then asked another question.
"What about its designation code then? Any idea which country it belongs to?"
Maya just sighed and shook her head in disappointment, "Unfortunately not. Aside from the core, I couldn't get anything else as the database has been locked which I couldn't bypass until now…"
"(Sigh) this could be very troublesome..." The black haired teacher said, rubbing her temples in exasperation.
Maya then stopped typing to rest her hands for a moment while bringing up another topic, "Say, Orimura-sensei... how is that boy's condition right now? You brought him inside the infirmary along with the student council members, right?"
"Well… he only suffered minor injuries from the fall, but other than that he's just fine." explained Chifuyu while remembering the moment when she and the nurses had to change his pilot suit into clothes befitting a patient after they had successfully released the boy from his IS which was kinda… awkward for her and the others, but thankfully she managed to restrain her embarrassment.
"He's still sleeping in the infirmary though, probably due to exhaustion."
The green haired teacher stood up from her chair upon hearing this. "How about we pay him a visit? Maybe we could learn more about his IS and where he came from." suggested Maya with a smile.
Chifuyu pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement, "I suppose so..."
Just before the two left the hangar, Maya closed all of the files and programs that she used to crack the Unicorn's database and then shut down the computer to make sure that no one would tamper with it for later. However, one thing that the two didn't realize was that the thing they dubbed an IS wasn't an IS at all. It was something that more than anyone in their world could ever imagine about its purpose and capabilities...
...
IS Academy – Infirmary
"Urg… mmmmnnn…" Slowly opening his eyes as he began to regain consciousness, the first thing that Banagher saw was an unfamiliar room with a white ceiling and some empty beds beside him. When the brown haired boy looked to his right and left, he noticed that he was the only one inside wearing the patient clothes like the ones he recognized from various hospitals. From what he was seeing, he could tell that he was in some kind of infirmary although this one wasn't like the one in the Nahel Argama which led him to a very obvious question…
"Where… am I? He slowly asked as he tried to get up but immediately winced when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his left shoulder. "Ack!"
"Looks like our guest has finally woken up." A woman's voice caught Banagher's attention which made him turn to see two women, one in a black uniform and the other one in a yellow short sleeved dress coming from the door in the far corner of the room.
Banagher then cautiously eyed the two from his bed, fearing that they might be members of the conspirators who wanted to open the secret of Laplace's Box. While the green haired woman eyed him worriedly at both his condition and how he stared at them, the other woman could tell that the brown haired boy was being hostile towards them.
"Easy there, you still haven't fully recovered yet after that crazy stunt you pulled." Chifuyu said in a reassuring tone as she approached Banagher's bedside followed by Maya.
That statement puzzled Banagher a bit as he frowned, "Crazy… stunt?"
"You were free-falling and crash-landed in the IS arena." Maya explained with concern in her voice, "You were lucky that you only got your left shoulder sprained thanks to your Infinite Stratos."
"Infinite... Stratos…?" Banagher asked again, not having any slightest idea about the term until the black haired woman answered him.
"The IS, the power suit that you were wearing when we found you." She then took a chair nearby and sat down, crossing her arms and legs once she was settled.
"You don't have to worry about your IS for now." The green haired woman added as she took a chair too, "We've put it in the IS hangar for the time being, at least until you're fully recovered."
Banagher was silent for a moment, confused with what they were saying. What did they mean by Infinite Stratos or IS? Were they referring to his Mobile Suit? However, he immediately snapped out of his thoughts when he remembered something very important as his eyes widened in realization.
"The Garencieres!" Banagher shouted which startled Maya a bit as he tried to get out of his bed. However Chifuyu restrained him from doing that as she held his chest and grabbed his shoulder firmly.
"You're not going anywhere until you're healed properly, young man!" Chifuyu warned in a stern voice.
"Just… let me go!" Banagher demanded, still struggling to break free from black haired woman's grasp, "I can't leave them alone! I need to get back out into space!"
"Listen! I don't know what's gotten into your head, but you're in no condition to go out!"
"I don't care! I can't let those people know about the location of 'that place'!"
At this point, Chifuyu gritted her teeth in annoyance as her patience finally reached her limit at Banagher's resistance. "I said calm yourself first!" She angrily said while tightening her hold which made Banagher growl in anger as he couldn't move anymore.
"P-please calm down, you two..." Maya pleaded, trying to calm them down as she leaned closer to Banagher and looked at his face worriedly, "We just want to help you. How about you explain from the beginning to us?"
Seeing the boy had finally calmed down, Chifuyu finally released her hands while Maya leaned back and sighed in relief. For a moment, Banagher was silent, hesitated whether to tell them or not as he didn't know if they could be trusted. Trying to ease up the situation a bit, Maya started to ask first.
"How about we introduce ourselves first?" The green haired teacher then began to introduce herself and Chifuyu, "I'm Maya Yamada and this woman is Chifuyu Orimura. What's your name?"
"…Banagher." The brown haired boy slowly answered, "Banagher Links…"
This time it was Chifuyu who gave him a question, "Okay then, Banagher. Care to tell us about what happened?"
There was a moment of silence again as Banagher was still unsure about telling them the truth. However, giving the circumstances that he was in, the brown haired boy didn't have another choice especially if he wanted to return again to space.
"My Mobile Suit, Unicorn…" Banagher began to explain while looking at the two, "It has something that I can't let them have. If that happens, 'that place' will turn into a battlefield and more blood will be shed over…"
Both teachers could only stare at him in confusion as they had no idea what he was talking about especially the way he referred to his IS until Maya asked him, "Uh… who and what are these things, people, and that place that you mentioned, Banagher? And why did you call your IS a… Mobile Suit…?"
"I could ask you the same thing too. Why did you call my Mobile Suit an IS?" The brown haired boy asked her back before continuing, "As for the thing that they're after… it's… something that could overthrow the Earth Federation. And those people… are the conspirators from the ECOAS organization. As for that place…"
Banagher then looked up at the ceiling again, "It's the space colony… Industrial 7…"
Maya could only stare at him with a totally puzzled look on her face while Chifuyu only rubbed her temple. "I don't know whether you are delusional or you got your head hit by something before you came here." The black haired teacher said, looking at the brown haired boy with her arms crossed, "There are no things such as Earth Federation or space colonies like you said here. Although I'm not sure if I've heard of this ECOAS either…" Chifuyu then placed her finger under her chin while lowering her head in thought.
Banagher's eyes widened in disbelief. How could this woman not know anything about the Earth Federation or the Space Colonies? They were so common in everyday life that there shouldn't be a single person on Earth unaware of them. And top of that, why was she acting like he was talking about total nonsense?
"What do you mean you don't know about them? The Earth Federation was formed late in the 20th century, several decades before the colonization of space. Surely you know about that? It's in every child's history books!" Banagher asked in confusion.
"Umm… Banagher…" Maya called him, "I'm sorry, but… right now it's already the year 2055 AD and we don't know anything about the Earth Federation or this space colony…"
"I don't get it! How could you people not know anything about… Wait!" Banagher was about to reply back but stopped in the middle after realizing what Maya had said.
Turning at the green haired teacher with a rather dumbfounded look on his face, Banagher slowly asked, "What… what did you say again?"
"Ah-uh…" Maya was nervous for a moment before answering, "I said it's already the year 2055 AD and…"
"Year 2055!?" Banagher cut her off right after she mentioned the year number. "Impossible! This is the year of Universal Century 0096! The Anno Domini designation had been abandoned ever since 2045!"
Upon hearing this, Chifuyu frowned in confusion as she turned to Banagher again, "Kid, I don't know what you're talking about. But I think you need mental medical treatment as you're being delusional right now."
"But I'm telling you the truth, ma'am!" replied Banagher as he desperately tried to convince Chifuyu that he was telling the truth because the black haired woman had begun to think that he was crazy.
"It's for your own good. I'm going to call the nurse now." Chifuyu then stood up as she was about to leave the room, but Maya stopped her.
"W-wait, Orimura-sensei! Please give him a chance to explain everything first." Maya pleaded to Chifuyu before looking at Banagher with a concerned look, "Banagher… could you tell us what's the last thing you remembered before coming here?"
...
Sometime later…
"So basically you're saying that you come from a space colony called Industrial 7 and that you were being pursued by some group who wanted a secret inside a 20 meter tall robot that you call a Mobile Suit." Chifuyu said, trying to summarize the whole story Banagher had told them. She took a deep breath from her nose and fought the urge to pinch said appendage as it sounded like Banagher's explanation came straight from the plot to some old sci-fi movie or anime.
"And after running away to Earth you then tried to get back into space in order to rendezvous with your allies to secure that secret, but instead you found a strange phenomenon in transit and the next thing you knew was that you were falling from the sky, leading to where we are now?" She finished with her arms and legs crossed once again.
Banagher didn't reply back and just nodded with what she said which made the black haired teacher rub her temples and heaved out a sigh.
"I think I could only conclude two things from your story… Either you watched too many science fiction movies which made you imagine those things…" The first part made Banagher frown in annoyance and glare at her until Chifuyu finished, "Or… you really told us the truth that you're from another world where those things that you mentioned exist, and you're stuck here for a moment which I find it really unbelievable and illogical, but kinda makes sense I guess…"
Banagher sighed in defeat upon hearing her answer. "So you still don't believe me, huh?"
"I'm not saying that I don't believe you." She simply replied him back while thinking at the same time. 'Though that maybe could explain about why his IS uses a different power source or why he could pilot it, but... this still doesn't make any sense at all...'
"But… more importantly…" Now it was Maya's turn to ask, "What are you gonna do after this, Banagher?"
"It's obvious…" Banagher weakly answered her while lowering his head, "I'll find a way back to my world since there a lot of people who need my help."
"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Chifuyu asked him which made Banagher turn to her again, "Seeing that your Mobile Suit has transformed into an IS and on top of that you're a boy, the government… no, the whole world will surely go after you, especially since you're not from any country here."
Clenching his blanket tighter while gritting his teeth, Banagher then asked her back at a near yell, "Then what am I supposed to do now?!"
"I can offer you two choices." Chifuyu answered while showing her index finger to Banagher, "One, you're on your own once you're fully recovered." She then lifted her middle finger, "Or two, you could enroll here as a student of IS academy while we think of a way to send you back."
Banagher raised his eyebrow at her 2nd offer, "Enroll here as a student…?"
"That's right." Chifuyu nodded, "Since your Mobile Suit has now taken the appearance of an IS, you're qualified to study here. Plus, since the students here are the academy's responsibility, you'll be safe from the government or any other organizations for at least three years if you're really stuck here." She then crossed her arms again as she waited for his answer.
"So, what do you say, Banagher Links?"
Banagher thought over her words very carefully, should he disguise himself as a student so that he would be safe for the time being? That was acceptable, but what were the guarantees that he would successfully find a way back? Everything was now possibly a wild goose chase for him. Even if he could find a way by himself, from what Chifuyu had said to him, he would make the government… no, the whole world his enemies in the process. Looking back at Chifuyu, then at Maya, returning to Chifuyu again, the brown haired boy sighed in defeat.
"You really make this like I don't have another choice, huh?" He said to Chifuyu before answering her offer with a determined look, "Fine, I'll accept. I'll enroll here as a student of this academy."
Upon hearing his answer, Chifuyu gave him a rather pleased look as a small smile formed on her face. Deep inside, she was glad that the brown haired boy had accepted her proposal, not only because he would be safe from outside interests that would take an interest of him but also from a certain pink haired woman with robotic bunny ears who annoyed her a lot.
"That's great, Banagher." Maya happily exclaimed with clasped hands, "Now we have two male students and Orimura surely will feel more comfortable with you here."
"Orimura?" asked Banagher as he turned to the green haired teacher.
"Ichika Orimura." Chifuyu answered him first, "My dense little brother who is also a student here."
Banagher nodded to her, understanding that she also had a younger brother who enrolled here. However, there was still one thing which he didn't understand though: Why did this school only have two male students including him? Turning back to Maya, Banagher then asked her.
"Miss Maya, you said that I and this Ichika Orimura are the only male students here. Why is that?"
Maya was nervous about telling him the reason. Since Banagher was from another universe, he clearly hadn't known yet that the IS had previously only been operable by females which labeled both him and Ichika as extremely rare cases since they could pilot them. But how should she explain that? Considering her words carefully, the green haired teacher was about to answer him… only for Chifuyu to beat her first…
"Well, in this school, the students here are given an education on how to pilot the IS, a powered exoskeleton suit which is similar to yours." The black haired teacher explained to him which made Banagher look at her with a confused look.
"What's so strange about that?" Banagher asked her.
"The IS are only operable by females." Chifuyu stated it as a matter of fact. Again the whole room was silent for a moment until...
"WHAT!?" Banagher was totally shocked upon hearing her answer. A machine that could be piloted only by females? Now that sounded more illogical and unbelievable when compared with his story. "How come!? The IS are machines, right? How could they are limited only to women?!"
"Beats me." Chifuyu replied back with a shrug, "That's why I told you that the government would go after you if you're roaming around. Both you and my brother are the only boys who can pilot the IS in the entire world."
"I see…" Banagher paused for a moment before he finally realized that the black haired teacher was just trying to help him by giving a shelter and protection. Looking back at Chifuyu, the brown haired boy slowly thanked her, "Thank you… Miss Chifuyu…"
"That's Orimura-sensei to you!" scolded Chifuyu with a stern look which startled Banagher at her sudden change of attitude. "I'll handle your enrollment papers for your class and your uniforms, and you'll attend class starting tomorrow. Is that clear, Banagher Links?" She asked him in a commanding tone.
"Y-yes ma'am." Banagher answered her with a slight stutter.
"Good." Chifuyu then stood up and headed to the door, but she stopped for a moment to look at the brown haired boy over her shoulder for the last time.
"Get some rest for now. Tomorrow you'll get your uniform, books, and what classes that you'll attend." She said before she finally left the room and closed the door leaving only Banagher and Maya there.
"Well… I better get going too." Maya said as she stood up from her chair, "I'll handle your room appointment later. You're okay if I leave you here for one night, right?"
Banagher chuckled a little at her words as he found them quite funny. Seriously, did she think that he was a 10 year old child who needed a babysitter? Looking at the green haired teacher, Banagher then answered her.
"I'll be fine. Thanks for worrying about me, Miss Maya."
"That's good." Maya then gave him a warm smile as she walked toward the door. Just before closing the door, she looked at Banagher for the last time from the door gap, "Have a good rest. Tomorrow will be your first day in IS academy, okay?"
As the door finally closed, leaving the brown haired boy alone on his bed, Banagher then started to lie down again with his hands placed behind his head. Looking again at the ceiling which he saw which he saw when he first opened his eyes, Banagher took a deep breath and sighed.
"Just… what am I getting myself into?"
…
With Chifuyu
Back in the IS maintenance hangar, the black haired teacher once again stood before the maintenance bed where the Unicorn Gundam was placed. Normally, she wouldn't care of a new type of IS after she got the basic information of what it was capable of and then just went back to her job as usual. However this time, curiosity had gotten the better of her.
As a woman who piloted the very first IS: The White Knight which then had brought the world into the Infinite Stratos units, Chifuyu was quite well versed in IS technical specifications. But this one was pretty different and caught her interest.
Its appearance alone in fact was already strange enough for her as it was less bulky than most ISes. The arms and legs were slightly shorter and they looked more proportioned to a human's body and it didn't even have any wing binder or stabilizer unit like the standard models like Uchigane or Rafale Revive.
Overall, rather than Infinite Stratos, it looked more like a mechanized suit of armor. The closest similarity it shared with the IS was only the core it had. Maybe perhaps because it wasn't even an IS in first place? From what the boy, Banagher had told her, the IS before her was actually a humongous 20 meter tall mech which she still found hard to believe.
But then again, crazy things often happened a lot in her life, didn't it? Her brother's case was a prime example for that.
"The Unicorn, huh…" Chifuyu muttered, looking at the white Gundam. An idea suddenly popped up in her mind at the 'Unicorn' name as she reached her pocket to take out her phone.
She then tapped a few numbers which the phone recognized as one of her contacts' numbers. A woman name then appeared on her screen before she touched the dial pad and then brought the phone to her right ear.
"Hello…? Yeah, It's me..."
Technical Report:
Name: Unicorn Gundam
Model Number: RX-0
Namesake: Unicorn
Known Pilot: Banagher Links
Battle Type: All Rounder
Power-plant: Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor fused with IS Core/Minovsky Ultracompact IS Core Reactor
Armor: Luna Titanium Alloy/Gundarium Alloy Ceramic Composite
Armaments:
- Vulcan Gun (Mounted on headgear, usable in all modes)
A basic armament of Unicorn Gundam. While essentially ineffectual against the IS due of weak firepower, they are useful in intercepting incoming missiles/rockets, destroying sensors, and engaging lightly-armored vehicles.
- 4 x Beam Saber (2 x mounted on forearms; 2 x stored in backpack, usable in Destroy Mode only; power rating varies depending on the mode)
The beam saber is a small cylindrical device which is powered by an energy capacitor that is recharged from special racks. The beam saber emits a blade of plasma contained by an I-Field and is capable of cutting through almost any metal that has not been treated with anti-beam coating. The Unicorn is equipped with a total of four beam sabers, two on the forearms and two in the backpack. In Unicorn mode, the IS only has access to the two forearm mounted beam sabers. In Destroy Mode, the other two beam sabers flip out from the backpack, allowing the IS access to all four sabers.
The forearm mounted beam sabers can flip over and be used directly, in this form, they are known as beam tonfa.
- Beam Rifle (rechargeable, usable in Combat and Destroy Mode)
The same beam rifle used by the RGZ-95 ReZEL. This weapon has become Unicorn's main arsenal when engaged in ranged combat. In addition, the beam rifle can also emit a beam saber from its tip, allowing it to act as a bayonet. This allows the rifle to be used as a close combat weapon in the event that the pilot is unable to draw the beam saber in time.
- Beam Gatling Gun (rechargeable, usable in Combat Mode only)
A manipulator-operated, gatling-style beam weapon. While the firepower isn't as strong as a regular Beam Rifle, this weapon is capable of a high-rate of fire. However the spreading area of the beams made it very hard to use except in close range combat. When in Destroy Mode, the Beam Gatling Gun is replaced with Double Beam Gatling Gun. An improved and more powerful version of Beam Gatling Gun.
- 2 x Double Beam Gatling Gun (rechargeable, usable in Destroy Mode only)
The improved version of Beam Gatling Gun. Aside from the double barrel modification which increases the firepower by twice, the beam spreading area also becomes tighter, allowing for more precision firing and making it ideal for mid-range combat. The Unicorn is equipped with 2 of them during its NT-D State, but once the IS reverts back into normal state, they will be replaced again with the normal Beam Gatling Gun.
- Beam Magnum (5 round beam clip, 2 additional clips are stored in rear waist armor, rechargeable once all used up and retrieved, usable in Destroy Mode only)
A highly customized Beam Rifle which serves as Unicorn Gundam's trump card. Using the special E-Cap battery to produce the mega particle cannon which is equal to 4 times of standard Beam Rifle power, the Beam Magnum is capable to penetrate the IS in single shot regardless of the Absolute Defense and the Shield Energy it has, thus making it as an Anti-IS Weapon. Each E-Cap magazine is loaded with 5-battery clip, allowing a total of five shots before it needs to be replaced with the spare one which is stored in the IS' rear waist armor.
- Hyper Bazooka (6 round magazine; 5 rounds in the clip and one inside the chamber, usable in Combat and Destroy Mode)
A Bazooka which is fed with 6 round magazine. The rounds operate differently than a normal bazooka because they explode before actually making contact with target and hinder the enemy's sensors and vision, making it more ideal as a tactical weapon rather than an actual combat weapon.
- Shield (houses an internal I-Field generator, usable in all modes)
A four-petal shaped shield that houses an I-Field Generator; the feature is operational in both Unicorn mode and Destroy Mode. The max duration of the I-Field is unknown, but it is long enough to deflect one beam cannon shot before it needs to cool down before it can be used again.
Special Equipment and Features:
- IS Closed Form/Safe Mode (takes a form of a pendant with a unicorn head which resembles the Vist Foundation logo)
- IS Energy Shield
- La+ Program (unusable at this point)
- NT-D System (can be activated once entering Combat Mode)
- I-Field generator (activates in Destroy Mode only)
- Psycommu Jack (usable in Destroy Mode only)
Technology & Combat Characteristics:
After travelling through the Dimensional Rift, the RX-0 Unicorn has taken a new appearance as an IS in order to adapt to the new world's rules and environment. Unlike any other ISes which are categorized as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation, Unicorn doesn't belong to any category since it isn't an IS in the first place. Due to having a different power plant unit that feeds directly to the propulsion unit, the Unicorn doesn't have to worry about boosters fuel consumption since the core will always provide the energy it needs.
Despite being an Infinite Stratos, Unicorn Gundam is still a partly Mobile Suit, thus making it a MS-IS hybrid which possesses traits from both units, making it unique. While Infinite Stratos normally moves around by hovering, Unicorn Gundam still has to walk or run around and could only hover or fly using its back thruster. It's also capable to perform an emergency maneuver known as quick boost, a movement where the boosters perform a powerful, instantaneous thrust for a short distance.
While Infinite Stratos boasts the emergency life protection called Absolute Defense to protect the user from getting harmed further by converting all of its remaining energy it has once the energy shield has reached 0, the Unicorn doesn't have that. To compensate this, the pilot is fully protected by the Gundarium armor plate all over the unit's frame without having to convert its remaining energy, thus allowing Unicorn to operate normally without its energy shield active.
By incorporating the psycoframe technology throughout the frame, this transformed Mobile Suit into IS can be easily piloted by Newtypes as if they were controlling their own body. When not in use, it will take the form of a pendant which is usually dubbed as Closed Form for most custom made IS. However this form is more accurate to be called Safe Mode.
During Standby Mode, this IS will cover only the pilot's shoulders, arms, and legs, while the rest of the body except the head part is covered with light armor. Also, the pilot wears a horned headgear with two cylindrical tubes on its sides which function as the Vulcan Guns. In this mode, only the beam sabers stored on forearms and the shield are usable.
In Combat Mode, additional armor and a helmet with a green sensor visor will be added to the pilot, giving the appearance of a human-sized Unicorn Gundam. This mode will automatically activate when the IS detects high levels of hostility or manually activated via the pilot's brain command that linked with the psycoframe. More weapon options which are also accessible in this mode include Beam Rifle, Beam Gatling Gun, and a Hyper Bazooka. This is the form that Banagher will use most of the time.
Destroy Mode is the form that it takes when the NT-D System is activated and at least one of these conditions is fulfilled: One, the IS detects brainwave controlled weaponry which it'll assume to be wielded by a Newtype. Or two, the pilot has enough willpower to activate it. Under normal circumstances, this mode will only last for five minutes, but the operation time can be extended if the pilot is strong enough to overpower the system at the cost of heavy physical and mental stress after usage. When the NT-D is activated, Unicorn will also deploy the extra protection, the I-Field barrier which forms an invisible barrier around the IS.
This barrier can deflect incoming beam projectiles but cannot deflect the strongest shots as it only reduces the damage incurred. In this mode, the IS also gains the ability to take over the brainwave controlled weaponry used by the others and turn it them against them in a manner known as Psycommu-Jack. More weapons now available include the powerful Beam Magnum, two Double Beam Gatling Guns, and additional Beam Sabers on backpack. The IS will also takes on the appearance of a human-sized Unicorn Gundam in Destroy Mode.
* The Unicorn's IS Core takes the shape of Psycoframe component as seen on Char's Counterattack