Clpsealion: I will actually argue with you on that point, one of the major sticking points of this arc is to show that Zeon doesn't have that capability anymore, and are being pulled forward by the superiority of their mobile suits, which is quickly waning.

KnightOfZaku: Well, I still a few more twists in store for this chapter! And believe me - this story is FAR from over.

"Help me pry it open…!"

"I think she's breathing! Come on!"

"Commander…? Commander!"

Rose's eyes slowly opened to the loud noises of industrial machinery working their way into her cockpit, before long, a hole had been cut through, and hands pulled her out of the pilots seat and out into fresh air.

"Commander! Are you alright?!" A distorted voice stated,

"Helios…?" Rose said blearily,

"Don't move too much, from the looks of it you took a serious knock to the head." Helios stated, but Rose ignored him, forcing the drowsiness and bleariness away, she came into sharp focus.

"What happened…?" Rose asked him.

"A few of them got away, on top of that…" Helios sighed, "Semovente Corps was completely wiped out, and out of all of us…we have only seven pilots left - including you and me."

Rose's eyes fell on a stretcher, in it, Kayla - now missing a leg, part of a hand, and had bandages wrapping her left eye.

Without warning, Rose suddenly felt light headed, nearly stumbling off the ruined Gundam if Helios hadn't caught her.

"Commander…" Helios said worriedly,

"I'm fine, i'm fine. I'll see a medic." Rose was helped to her feet by Helios and another engineer and slid off the Gundam, taking a look at it in its entirety.

Needless to say, it was not looking good at all.

A massive hole had been torn through its upper chest, missing the cockpit by mere meters. Both sides of the nose-cone section were completely scorched where the beam saber and beam rifle had been stored and had imploded. On top of that, the Gundam had large slash marks, dents, and impacts from where she had been shot and slashed at all across its body.

"You got pretty lucky." An engineer noted offhandely, "From the looks of it it was an APFSDS shell and - luckily - it overpenetrated. But if it had hit even slightly lower…" The engineer didn't finish.

Rose nodded, touching the dried blood on her forehead.

She walked around blindly for a few seconds, not really sure what to do, and found herself in front of Lieutenant Hermann Yandell's M61A5, where he was basking in his cupola.

Remembering what he had done during the battle, she chuckled. "I could order a court martial, you know."

"No need, I was thinking about pulling out of the military anyway." Yandell said laxly,

"Right after our first major victory?" Rose asked,

"If you put it that way, sure." Yandell turned around to face her, hands crossed on the rim of the cupola,

And that was when she saw her for the first - but not the last - time.

A woman dressed in black smiled over Yandell's shoulder, her jet black hair obscured parts of her face, and more shockingly, she seemed almost transparent.

That was when Rose remembered what Yandell had asked her earlier:

"Lieutenant Commander…can you see him?"

"See who?"

"The Death God on my back, can you see him?"

'Is that…' She wondered, 'The Death God he mentioned?'

Suddenly, without warning, a gunshot rang out, snapping Rose out of her thoughts.

The area was engulfed in panic, several more as several more shots rang out. As Rose ducked down, she saw Herman slump over, in his cupola, three bullet wounds having ran straight through his body.

'But who and why!?' Rose ran over to him, and pulled him out, barely dodging a fourth bullet aimed for her head as she pulled him to the Type 61s side.

Finally, the distinct sound of an M50A1 Assault Rifle rang out, and everything went silent.

"Nononono." Rose looked at the blood on her hands, but it was Yandells. "Come on! Stay with me!"

"I should've known…" Yandell chuckled to himself, a small trickle of blood coming down his lips. "Death doesn't let people go so easily." He wheezed out,

Around him, Rose heard someone mention "ace pilot" and "White Ogre", had that ace survived? If so - why target Yandell?

"Don't go, come on Lieutenant, not after we just won!" Surat jumped out of his tank and landed beside the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Commander…" Yandell asked, ignoring his driver. "Can you see…the death god on my back?"

Rose's eyes widdened, as Yandell continued.

"I'd like to know…what he looks like…before I meet him." Yandell sighed, shuffling up to the side of his tank.

Rose's eyes was downcast, as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Your death god…was a she." Rose whispered quietly.

Yandell smiled, then chuckled heartily

Then promptly died.

A woman with jet black hair hovered above the scene below, a bemused expression on her face.

"I want to see it…" She smiled, "Revenge…vengefulness…A history filled with hatred and curses that have built up for thousands of years due to Gravity itself. The time will come…the day when preparations for the ceremony of battle will be complete…"

The following morning…

A file smacked down on the desk in front of Rose. The top of her head was covered in bandages partially obscured by her golden blonde hair.

"It's been determined that Yandell's assassin was a Zeon ace called the White Ogre. He apparently survived his mobile suit being downed by Yandell during the battle." Colmatta explained, "He was particularly obsessed with downing this ace, and from the ultimate result, it seems the feeling was mutual. Nonetheless, the assassin was swiftly dealt with by Lieutenant Barberry."

Rose nodded, "...I see."

"Nonetheless, this is an overwhelming success, even I have to admit that. We wiped out an entire divisions worth of mobile suits, and took several problematic units off the frontline - even if it was only for a few days."

"Only at the cost of the majority of our more experienced MS pilots." Rose stated, it was stated very clearly, with no attempt made to conceal it.

"Do you have an issue?" Colmatta said,

"It doesn't matter." Rose stated, "No matter what we do or how hard we try. People we value will die. That is the nature of this war."

Colmatta chuckled, "My subordinates certainly are a weird bunch. All of you seem to be seeing something I don't."

Colmatta continued, "Anyway, Jaburo has seen this success extremely favorably, wiping out an entire division of mobile suits and crippling the Zeon Devils themselves is no small feat." Colmatta stood and adjusted his hat.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel Sahalin." Colmatta handed her rank badge over to her,

Rose nodded, barely even looking at it before pocketting the rank badge.

"Where to now?" Rose asked,

"Intuitive, as ever." Colmatta sighed, "You're being sent to Side 7 along with the Golden Gundam for repairs, as well as to help complete testing on the remainder of the RX series."

"Understood, I'll tell my team-"

"The 01st Mobile Suit Team isn't coming with you." Colmatta stopped her, "They'll be headed straight for Jaburo, several of your men are wounded and need to recover. They'll help train new pilots there. On top of that - 04 Augusta is being reassigned to North America."

"Even Lilith…can't have shit in this army." Rose sighed, "Have they been told?"

"I'll leave that up to you." Colmatta handed over a file marked with a wide V.

"This will tell you all you need to know about our…operations in Side 7." Colmatta stated, "Dismissed."

Rose left the room, where she found Sergeant Surat waiting for her.

"I don't have anything to say about Yandell other than that he was a good man." Rose said sadly, offering Surat a salute, she walked passed him briskly.

"She had black hair!" Surat yelled after her, causing Rose to freeze in her tracks.

"I knew it!" Surat walked up behind her, "You saw her too, didn't you? And he asked you the same question, if you could see the Death God on his back."

Rose didn't turn around, but quietly muttered: "Yes. I did." before continuing to walk away.

As she walked away, Surat yelled out, "Commander! What the hell are we?!" causing her to stop once again.

This time, she finally turned to face him, her face an impassive mask.

"I don't know."

South Europe - Behind Zeon lines

"Well…I suppose you'll be fine." The doctor stated, "Injuries range, but - fortunately - nothing fatal has been seen."

"Thanks…doctor." Ryan said quietly,

"Oh, and you have a call, it's from Prince Garma Zabi." The doctor saidd, and Ryan nodded, getting off the bed.

"I'll take it, thanks."

"I heard about what happened. I would've sent some of my own men but…" Garma said apolegetically.

"No. It's fine." He waved it off.

"It's not fine!" Garma argued, "Alot of your men died! You always act like it doesn't bother you but I know it does…! Just like your-" Garma cut himself off suddenly, realizing his mistake.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to…" Garma apologized,

Ryan smiled softly, "You really are a good person." He said, "You were always soft like this."

"I don't think that's very fair." Garma huffed, "I've changed!"

Ryan nodded, "I don't doubt that."

Garma leaned into the camera, "Where's Char?"

"I don't know, off with Lalah somewhere probably." Ryan shrugged,

"Hm." Garma nodded, "I would've liked to see him…"

"I'm sorry Garma. I'll try to bring him along next time."

"No, it's alright. Char has the right to spend time with those he loves." Garma said, "You know…I haven't introduced you to Icelina yet, have I?"

"Icelina?" Ryan questioned,

"She's my girlfriend." Garma said proudly, "We met in New York."

"You have a girlfriend?!" Ryan asked in shock,

"Why are you acting so surprised?" Garma asked, "Don't tell me you're one of those people who thought I was gay."

At that accusation, Ryan looked to the side guiltily. "You did?!" Garma asked incredulously,

"I mean…you hung around Char alot…so I thought…" Ryan stammered out,

"You thought I was gay for Char Azanble?!" Garma asked, and Ryan began stammering, until Garma finally just laughed, eventually being joined in by Ryan.

Wiping a small tear of his eye, Garma smiled at Ryan. "I'm glad we're friends."

Ryan's smile fell, as he thought back to his family.

"Yeah…me too." Ryan nodded.

"Well, I don't have that much time left, I am the Commander of a terrestrial mobile division now." Garma nodded, "I'll call you down the line."

Ryan nodded, and hung up.

'Garma Zabi…would we still be friends if you knew who I truly was?' He wondered, 'If you knew that I had lied to you all these years…?'

Alma Stirner couldn't bring herself to get out of bed.

"Why…?" Alma asked of the empty room, "Why are we fighting like this?"

Without warning, a knock came on her door, when Alma didn't respond, the person simply opened the door, revealing Marion with a tray of breakfast.

"You didn't come to breakfast." Marion smiled, sitting next to her. "The Alma I know would sooner die than miss breakfast."

"Not hungry." She grunted.

"You're always hungry." Marion replied, "You're just sad. Come on, eat." Marion poked a section of egg with the fork, and prodded Alma's cheek until she finally opened her mouth, upon which she proceeded to feed Alma with it.

"Thanks…Mari." Alma smiled slightly.

"So." Marion sat down in front of Alma, who had begun eating on her own. "What's wrong?"

Alma sighed, "It just…until Heinrich died, it didn't feel real."

"The dying?" Marion asked, and Alma nodded.

"I mean…I felt sad, but ultimately, it didn't hit me as hard as Heinrich's death did. One moment…he was talking to us and Ryan was telling him to come back, and the next…he was just…gone. No flowers, not even a body. A single beam and the comms disconnected and suddenly everything went cold." Alma clutched her knees to her chest, "I don't get it…how can people throw themselves into something like that? Knowing that at any moment they could just…disappear?"

Marion placed a hand on her shoulder, "Well…you do it."

"Huh…?"

"You do the exact same thing. So do I. So does Seven. So does Ryan and everyone else."

"Yeah…but why?!" Alma began to cry, tears welling up at the corner of her eyes. "Why can't everyone just talk about it? We're Newtypes - right? We're supposed to understand people, and yet I can't understand how any of this is for the better!" Alma blurted out, and she finally began to sob when Marion wrapped her arms around her.

"Ssshh…" Marion softly petted Alma's hair. "...It's going to be alright…"

'I'm going to keep you safe…don't worry.'

As Ryan was lost in his thoughts, an officer entered the room he was in.

"Sir - Kycilia Zabi wishes to speak with you." The officer saluted

'Two Zabis in a single day?' Ryan laughed mirthlessly, "Right, patch her through."

The officer nodded, and left, seconds later his computer was connected to a secure line.

"Lieutenant Commander." Kycilia acknowledged him,

"Your highness." Ryan saluted,

"I'll keep this brief, we have new intelligence on Project V." Kycilia said, and Ryan nodded, the 300th Newtype Corps was originally formed for this express purpose.

"Have we located the Valkyrie and her Gundam?" Ryan asked,

"Yes, and worse." Kycilia stated, "According to our intelligence, several more mobile suits of Project V are nearing completion."

"More…?" Ryan asked, "Do we have any intelligence on what they might be?"

"Rumors. But we know there are at least 3 varying types." Kycilia said.

"I see…you know the location?" Ryan asked, and Kycilia nodded.

"Side 7." Kycilia said simply,

"It's close to Luna II…but enough out of the way that its out of suspicion. Side 7 is currently consisting of a singular colony under construction - correct?"

"Yes. We are sending down some more mobile suits to replace your own stock." Kycilia explained, "With your…reduced numbers, supply should be easier. Something like this will never happen again, not to your unit at the very least."

"Thank you." Ryan nodded,

"One last thing, Ensign Alma Stirner." Kycilia said,

"Yes?" Ryan questioned, "What about my little - Ensign Stirner."

"She's being transferred to test a new Psycommu Weapon at California Base." Kycilia said,

"Sorry?" Ryan said in surprise,

"You heard me." Kycilia stated,

"Ensign Stirner is one of our most proficient pilots-" Ryan argued,

"You're attached to her, aren't you?" Kycilia stated, less as a threat and more of a realization, and Ryan's protests died in his throat.

"Nonetheless, I'm not changing my mind. Stirner will ship out soon, let her know." Kycilia ordered,

"Yes ma'am." Ryan choked out, a lump in his throat, it felt like losing Rose again.

"Oh and Ryan…" Kycilia began, but paused.

"...Ma'am?" Ryan asked,

Kycilia sighed, "...don't fail me again. You're dismissed."

Ryan nodded, and hung up before burying his head in his hands.

He'd never felt more alone.

Kycilia stared at the blackened screen, then at the open file beside her laptop, at the top of the page, marked in bold letters

CLASSIFIED

Active File on Rosary Ral Hamon

Her eyes fell on a set of words highlighted at the top of the page

Aliases:

- Rose Sahalin
- The Golden Valkryie

Kycilia stared at it with one eye, 'I considered telling him…but that'd be too cruel. Even for a monster like me.'

She placed a lone hand on her stomach and let her thoughts drift.

'Isn't that right…Ridden, my lightning knight?'

Side 7

A young brown haired boy woke up with a start when a Haro unit bumped into his leg.

"Wuzzah?!" The boy groaned, mechanical parts surrounding his face, "Oh man…I feel asleep?"

"Haro! Haro!" The Haro rolled around the floor, when it suddenly rolled of the room, and the boy followed it.

"Oh man! Haro you better not make a mess!" He called after it, and it was only then he noticed the light coming from his father's room.

'Is father home…?' He began walking towards the room, "Hello? Dad are you home?"

"Don't go, Amuro! Don't go, Amuro!" Haro rolled around his feet, but Amuro ignored Haro.

Upon hearing no response, he slowly opened the door and scanned the room, seeing no one else around.

'He left the lights on…? He must've been working late last night...' Amuro thought disappointedly, and it was then his eyes fell on a rolled up blueprint tucked in side a folder marked with a bolded red V.

"What's this?" Amuro wondered, "Haro, do you know about this?"

"Put it back, Amuro! Put it back, Amuro!" Haro insisted.

"Guess not." He shrugged, and opened the file, where he began to read...

RX-78-2 Gundam

A/N: And on that note, we end MSGG Season 2 - "War on Earth".

This season got dragged out alot longer than I thought it would be, but I also got to return to alot of material (not as much as I would've liked, but it works) and it was - all in all - extremely fun to write.

Now, we move on to Season 3 - "Soldiers of Sorrow"

As implied, Soldiers of Sorrow finally introduces the White Base crew, including none other than the White Devil - Amuro Ray himself. I've already started on the first chapter, and plan for it to primarily follow the movies.

Official Wiki: official-solar-century .fandom. com