Okay, guys I'm back and Chapter 2 of "Meister of Your Future" is here and after that, I will be working on Chapter 3 which will be next to pick up where the crossover story had left off that ended with a cliffhanger by TheLandMaster.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 and Gundam Build Fighters series. They both belong to Sunrise that owned the long-running Gundam franchise.
Enjoy and don't forget to review. :)
Chapter 2
Upper atmosphere of Earth, above the Indian Ocean…
Two red objects descended from space, trailing behind them bright green particles. Were any layman to witness the event, they would simply scratch it as meteors, even with the unusual trail they left behind. But to the Human Reformation League, just moments before, both objects had been found by their orbital satellites and confirmed to be two of the four dreaded machines that had just a few days ago declared war against the world and war itself.
And it was under this veil of protection that Virtue and Kyrios descended onto the blue skies, surrounded by a thick GN Field each. As the two Gundams finally broke free from the friction of reentry, the barrier surrounding both machines dissipated into thin air, their heated exterior quickly returning to normal temperature thanks to the powerful cooling systems inside the Mobile Suits.
"Virtue, switching from maximum GN particle emission to normal levels," called out the calm, collected voice of the heaviest of the Gundams' pilot, Tieria Erde. Behind Virtue, an orange jet adjusted its descent angle, pointing its nose towards the blue seas below. Inside its cockpit, a young man clad in an orange pilot suit smiled, glancing at the control levers of the Gundam.
"Good job, Kyrios," spoke Allelujah Haptism softly, before looking off to the side with a more serious expression. "Yes, I know. Now our mission really begins."
As the two Gundams descended, two more sped right above the ocean waters, trailing the same particles as Virtue and Kyrios. One was more lightly armored, painted green in several areas and with a sniper rifle stored on one shoulder. The other was instead blue, with a shield and folded sword and a shield held on its hands.
"They're here, Setsuna! Allelujah and Tieria," called out the pilot of the Dynames, Lockon Stratos in a cheery tone through the comm link. Aboard the Exia, a young boy stared impassively at the video feed that showed one of his fellow Meisters. This boy was Soham Ibrahim.
But to Celestial Being, his name was Setsuna F. Seiei.
"Confirmed," he said in a professional and detached tone. "After assembling at the rendezvous point, we will proceed to the First Phase."
And so, Exia and Dynames powered their GN Drives and sped ahead towards the descent point of Virtue and Kyrios, readying themselves for their first armed intervention.
-O-
Indian Ocean, two thousand kilometers from Ceylon…
Beneath the waves, headed towards the same destination as the four Gundams, was a pitch-black warship, with no emblems or insignias visible on it. Its hull was angular, just straight lines and edges, allowing its eight triple-barrel beam turrets to aim at almost any direction. A massive red blade protruded from the front of the ship, seeming to part the ocean ahead of the vessel as it sped forward. Two hangar doors, one on each side of the warship, were dead giveaways to its MS-carrying capabilities, and several disguised metal ports hid even more weapons underneath them. Underneath the ship, away from prying eyes, was one final hangar, this one meant for underwater deployments.
And it was in this hangar, aboard the customized Baronche-type warship called the Dark Veil, was a lone figure, currently sitting inside the cockpit of one of the two Mobile Suits hidden in the hangars. And with a press of a few buttons inside the cockpit, the hangar was flooded with water, allowing its doors to open and a black-and-gold Mobile Suit to drop beneath the Dark Veil before unfurling the large metal wings in its back, boosting away and towards the surface.
And as the Cornix Furia broke free from the Indian Ocean and changed into its bird-like MA form, its metal wings sprouted two brilliant Wings of Light, pushing the Mobile Suit forward at unbelievable speeds and quickly disappearing it into the horizon, while still beneath the waves the Dark Veil re-engaged its Invisible Umbrella Stealth, vanishing out of sight.
Aboard the Furia, Chronicle Bringer watched as the monitors inside the cockpit scrolled information at dizzying speeds as Varia transmitted both tactical forecasts and real-time intelligence on military movements from the HRL around and on Ceylon. It also showed that both AEU and Union had now moved spy satellites and a few token forces to patrol a wide ring around Ceylon, though the only bit that truly interested Chronicle from that kind of intel was the Mobile Suit Carrier Plane crossing the African continent, thankfully far enough from his location.
After all, there was no need to end up in the eyes of the Union so soon… And especially considering who was aboard that plane, his obsession with the new enemy just starting to bud.
"Varia, give me an estimate of the Gundams' position and their ETA," said Chronicle as he pushed the control levers forward, flaring the wings on the Cornix even brighter. And as the crow-shaped Mobile Weapon sped towards the future battleground, Chronicle watched as his map was updated with four fast-moving markers, all headed in the same direction as him.
-O-
Africa, aerial space above Uganda…
Aboard one of the Union's top-of-the-line stealth MS Carrier, two geniuses of their respective fields sat inside a small rest room overlooking the plane's cargo bay where two Union Flags awaited use. These men were the Union's top ace, Graham Aker, and one of MSWAD's top engineers, Billy Katagiri.
"Former Sri Lanka…" mused Billy, peering at the mug filled with coffee upon his hand. "From what I recall, the HRL allied itself with the Tamil minority for ten years now."
"Yes. Under the pretext of bringing peace to the region," replied Graham, his eyes never leaving the Flag in front of him. "The actual reason, of course, being to maintain their underwater power lines safe from sabotage." The ace pilot turned back to his life-long friend, and to Billy's surprise the MS pilot seemed almost melancholic as he spoke. "The Tamil presence is strong there, and their intervention only resulted in escalation of the war and anarchy…"
Billy and Graham stared at one another in silence for a moment, until finally Graham turned back towards the glass and tapped a specific spot, opening a digital screen with the pilot on it. "Yes, lieutenant? What can I do for you?", he asked.
"Ask the Captain to change course," said the pilot, unminding of the gasp that escaped Billy behind him. "Also, I'd like you to prepare a Flag for me."
"Of course, sir," answered the soldier before shutting off the comm link, leaving Graham and Katagiri alone again.
"Are you serious?!" asked the engineer in an aghast tone. "This is too reckless, even for you!"
"Oh, he's quite aware of that, mister," called out a youthful voice as the door to the break room opened, drawing the attention of both men to a young woman with shoulder-length dark-green hair and bright blue eyes, clad in the standard Union military uniform. "Unfortunately for everyone else, he's usually an unreasonable man. Isn't that right, Mr. Overflag?"
Graham's response was to simply chuckle and stare in amusement at the new arrival. "You'd be correct, Ms. Hurricane of the North." The woman laughed aloud in response, taking a step forward and offering her hand to Graham, who promptly grasped and shook it.
He asked, "I suppose you'll be tagging along in this endeavor?"
"Of course. After all, I am just as curious about these Gundam as you," she replied, licking her lips in eagerness. "Challenging the world… Sounds like a fun battle, doesn't it?"
Billy simply sighs as he shakes his head, "She is Sleg Sletcher's daughter alright."
"Lieutenant?"
Graham's response, however, was interrupted by the voice of the pilot echoing from the digital screen, drawing the attention of the room's three occupants. "What is it?"
"The captain requested that I pass a message forward to you. MSWAD has ordered us to change course and head towards Ceylon."
That caught them all three off-guard, with Billy even rising from his seat and approaching the screen. "What do you mean? Is it related to Celestial Being?"
"Negative, sir. It's… Something else. Observation satellites have detected an unknown anomaly moving towards Ceylon as well." And indeed, the screen expanded to show a map of the area surrounding Ceylon, a red dot marked as UNKNOWN moving towards it at what could only be impossible speeds.
"A ship? Or a Mobile Suit?" asked Graham, his voice shifting into a more serious tone.
"It is likely. But…" The soldier shifted uncomfortably, before another screen came up, with several readings on it. "Its… Its speed is three times that of the Gundams."
-O-
Island of Ceylon, on approach to the coast…
It did not take long for the four Gundams to reach their target area, with Exia leading the formation. The island was barely visible over the horizon, and so were the numerous columns of black smoke that rose from the battlefields doting the land. Inside the cockpit of each Gundam, screens showed live feeds of the battles through hacked HRL drones, all of them showing green Tieren Ground Types systematically demolishing the beleaguered Anfs of the local militias, while another showed a map of the island and with targets and operational zones marked across it.
"We'll respond individually according to Miss Sumeragi's combat forecast," called out Lockon from aboard the Dynames. "I expect some decent performances, so see to it."
"Decent, he says…" mused Allelujah, a ghost of a smile on his face as he peered to the side at the Dynames.
"I will be thorough," said Tieria matter-of-factly, his eyes never leaving the horizon.
"Well then, as you wish. Setsuna, do you copy?"
But the young Meister did not answer, Lockon's repeated calls of his name drowned out by a droning buzz that seemed to take over his mind. All Setsuna had eyes for was the footage on his cockpit, of the Tierens easily blowing apart any Anf that crossed their line of sight.
It was no different than back then… When he and his fellow soldiers had been wiped out. They had been promised that God would save them, bring salvation to the land…
But God had not appeared.
What had saved them was…
"… Gundam…"
"Wait, what did you say?"
"I… am Gundam"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
But Setsuna did not reply. He instead accelerated, Exia quickly breaking formation and speeding towards the mainland.
"H-Hey, Setsuna!" cried out Lockon, but the boy paid him no mind as he kept moving forward. Not a moment later, Kyrios and Virtue broke formation as well, each heading to their own targets.
"You can babysit him."
"Commencing operation maneuvers."
"H-Hey, you two! Get back here!"
"SHORT END OF THE STICK! END OF THE STICK!" happily cried out the small orange bot inside Dynames' cockpit.
"You don't have to tell me that," half-mumbled Lockon in exasperation, before steeling his expression and turning his gaze forward. "I'm gonna focus on shooting. I'll leave the evasion to you, Haro!"
Aboard Exia, Setsuna quickly crossed the distance into the battlefield, zeroing onto a Tieren about to strike a fallen Anf unit with its carbon blade. In one fluid motion, the Exia raised its GN Sword Rifle and fired a single shot, severing the Tieren's forearm and flinging the blade far away.
With almost ethereal grace, the Gundam floated to the ground and landed perfectly and swung its GN Sword into position, taking up a readied stance with its shield forward and blade reared to strike. "Exia, confirming conflict. Beginning elimination."
One Tieren charged towards the Gundam from behind, raising its smoothbore gun towards the Mobile Suit. The moment it fired, Exia dashed to the side, circling around the lumbering Tieren and cleaving it in two with the GN Sword, quickly boosting away as the two halves fell to the ground. Without pause, Setsuna turned towards his next target, two more Tierens maneuvering to fire at him…
That is, until his radar let out a warning signal. Something was approaching. And fast.
Too fast.
A second later, two beam shots gored the two Tierens, destroying the torso of both Mobile Suits. Setsuna turned towards the direction the beams had come from, his eyes widening in shock at what he saw.
Far in the horizon, framed against the sky like his savior all those years ago in two massive wings of light, was a black crow-like Mobile Weapon. It held two rifle-like weapons on its talons, and four wings in total: two on the back, and two as arms like a normal bird. Its hull was covered in several panel lines, as if the frame would open further, and its avian head had the optics covered in a visor-like plating.
Suddenly, in a burst of light, the bird burst forth towards the Tierens and Exia. In the sky above, Lockon stared at the incoming unknown in a mixture of surprise, shock and apprehension. "Haro, give me something! What the hell is that thing?"
"NO DATA FOUND! NO DATA FOUND!" replied the small robot, flapping its ears as it spoke.
"No data? Not even Veda has anything on it?" mused the sniper, raising his sniper towards the bird and zooming the image of the unknown. To his surprise, he saw no sign of any standard propulsion system, only the massive purple wings emanating from the two back wings. He also saw that the unit had a long metal tail trailing behind itself, and a large solid sword on its back. "Setsuna, watch out. It's headed your way. Be ready to intercept if hostile."
The rest of the HRL forces did not seem content on waiting, however. Slowly but surely, the rest of the Tieren forces turned and opened fire with their smoothbores, while far further away their Long-Range Cannon counterparts opened fire with their 300mm guns, filling the skies with ordnance.
The avian Mobile Weapon quickly reacted, dodging and weaving through the storm of shells aimed at it. Over and around the explosions it rolled and swerved, even striking some of the shells out of the sky with its wings of light, before taking aim with the rifles grasped on its talons at the far away artillery Tierens and firing a storm of beam shots at them. And to Lockon's surprise, each shot was deadly accurate, striking their targets through the torso and piercing their cockpits easily. One by one, the Cannon Tierens were wiped out, their escort units scrabbling to try and find cover, leaving the avian Mobile Weapon free to dive down at one lone Tieren firing desperately up.
Half of the barrel of the unknown's rifles flipped forward, allowing two massive beam blades to spring to life. And in a burst of speed, the bird dove down, slamming against the Tieren and goring it top to bottom with the beam sabers, making the Mobile Suit explode beneath it. Two other Tierens fired into the cloud of smoke, aiming at the silhouetted shadow inside the smoke. Suddenly, the bird's entire body rose and its torso spun vertically, transforming it from an avian form into a humanoid one and allowing the now Mobile Suit to vault into the air, avoiding the shots before snapping its weapons back into weapon form and firing at the two Tierens several times. Both machines were torn apart by the continuous fire, and not a moment later detonated from all the damage.
And when the Mobile Suit landed back on the ground, Setsuna and Lockon could now more clearly see the changes. Its talons and wings had shifted position, with the former becoming arms and the latter becoming legs. Both rifles were still secured tightly in its grasp, and the wings of light had disappeared, leaving only the unfolded metal ones on its back. Its visor was now open, revealing a singular purple eye swiveling inside the head, until it finally focused solely on the Exia.
Inside the Gundam, Setsuna warily kept the unknown Mobile Weapon on target. Whatever it was, and whoever was piloting it, were very dangerous. The machine's capabilities were obviously beyond the scope of most Mobile Suits, maybe matching even their Gundams… Or perhaps surpassing it. Add to that the fact that not even Veda seemed to be able to find any information on the mysterious machine, and the young Meister had every reason conceivable to be cautious.
It was quite a surprise to him, then, when a signal was laser-transmitted to the Exia from the unknown Mobile Suit. Text-only, just a short burst, but enough to cast even further questions on who this was.
I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY. I FIGHT WAR AS WELL.
"Lockon, are you—"
"Yeah, I'm seeing it too. Tieria, Allelujah?"
"I'm receiving it as well. You think—"
"Irrelevant. Whether they stand for or against the plan, they will be wiped out," cut in the pilot of the Virtue, his tone now far more irritated. "Eliminate your designated targets, then detain the unknown." The explosion at the coast that followed that statement showed that indeed, the Meister would go through with his decision.
Tsking low, Lockon pulled the shooting scope inside his cockpit into a ready position, quickly taking aim at another far-off group of Tierens that were approaching Exia and the unknown. Some anti-air fire was shot his way, yet Haro quickly set the Dynames into a flurry of twists and spins in response, with Lockon firing his GN Sniper Rifle at every opening.
Down on the ground, meanwhile, Exia and the unknown mobile suit stared at one another for a moment longer, until finally the avian Mobile Suit holstered its two rifles onto its hips and drew the large metal sword from its back.
And of the many things Setsuna was expecting to come from the holes on the side of the blade, fire was not one of them. But indeed, bright red flames burst forth and enveloped the sword, the glow on them a clear giveaway that the fire was not normal.
And as the unknown dashed away in the direction of another group of hostiles, Setsuna turned the Exia towards his own targets, a smaller group of Anfs attempting to take advantage of the massacre the HRL was suffering.
No matter what… I will become Gundam.
-O-
Outer orbit of Earth, in geosynchronous orbit…
Sumeragi Lee Noriega was not one to pride herself on her tactical forecast capabilities, but she was also acutely aware of how proficient her skills were. The fact she now had access to a quasi-omnipotent quantum supercomputer that could tap into and freely manipulate any information network or source that she requested only served to make her forecasts even more accurate.
It was something the crew of the Ptolemaios had become acquainted with.
So it was quite a surprise to the entire bridge team to see their captain utterly flabbergasted as footage from the unknown mobile weapon played on the main screen as it tore an unholy path through any HRL Mobile Suit that tried to stop it, while on the auxiliary ones were displayed the many, many databanks Veda had gone through, all of them being negatives.
"W-What is that thing…" muttered Christina Sierra, her trembling hands reaching up to her face as she watched the avian suit tear into a Tieren's cockpit with its bare claws before using it as a makeshift shield to ward off cannon fire aimed at it.
"It's so damn strong…" continued Lichtendal Tsery, or Lichty as he was known to the crew, his eyes glued to the screen. Other smaller windows opened on the viewscreen, each showing one of their four Gundams doing just as much work at demolishing the Mobile Suits of both the Sinhalese Loyalists and the HRL/Tamil Tigers alliance. "At least it's on our side, by the look of things."
"Just because it's attacking them doesn't mean it won't attack us," said Lasse Aeon, his expression still a scowl as he watched the carnage unfold. "He could very well be a trap."
The final member of the bridge crew, one Feldt Grace, chose instead to remain quiet. Her face was a mask of calm and emotionlessness as her eyes drifted to each footage. She saw Kyrios fly circles around the scant few aircraft that the locals managed to deploy. She saw Dynames put their last artillery units to shame by sniping them from so far off, their cannons could not even reach the green Gundam. She saw Virtue obliterate an armored column that had been peppering the heavy Gundam with its GN Bazooka, leaving naught but a burning trench where once there had been twenty tanks. She saw Exia dance around Tierens and Anfs, the slow, cumbersome suits futilely attempting to match the agility of the melee-focused machine, only to be cut down by its GN Sword.
And then she saw the bird-like suit destroy any enemies in its path in a brutal display of violence. Be it with its massive flaming sword, its claws, or the head-mounted beam cannon (which had, admittedly, surprised even her), the unknown spared none. And for some reason, she could feel something when looking at the Mobile Suit.
It was… Oppressive. Crushing. Like a wave of anger washing over her…
Finally, after a long moment of silence, Sumeragi straightened her posture on the command chair, the steel and conviction returning to her gaze. "Lasse is correct. Even if the unknown is assisting us now, we do not know their goals, nor how they acquired this technology. Chris, contact Wang Liu Mei. Have her set up a search net for wherever the Mobile Suit is deploying from."
"Y-Yes ma'am!"
"Feldt, compile every piece of data we already have and set up an interception grid for any intel the HRL might gather."
"Understood."
"Hey… I think it's over."
Lichtendy's words dragged the bridge crew's attention back to the main screen, and indeed, the battle had finally ended. What few Tierens were still intact had cut their (admittedly high) losses and retreated from the battlefield, while the Loyalist forces scrambled to gather survivors from wreckages. And standing amidst the destruction and flames, were Dynames, Exia and the unknown suit, with Kyrios and Virtue approaching from further away. The avian machine turned to stare at both Exia and Dynames, strangely far longer at the latter than the former, before suddenly shifting its limbs around and returning to its bird form.
And so, before any of the Gundams could do anything, the bird took off in a blur of black metal, its brilliant pink wings spread wide as the machine disappeared over the horizon, leaving the four Gundams behind amidst the remains of battle.
With a weary sigh and the beginning of a headache already pounding her head, Sumeragi unfastened herself from the command chair and drifted towards the door out of the bridge, casting a look at the crew. "Coordinate the return of the Gundams with Liu Mei, and make preparations to return Virtue to space… And get me tracking on that Mobile Suit. We haven't seen the last of it." And with that, she left, leaving behind four stunned crewmembers…
-O-
JNN Head Office, Japan…
Amidst the bustle and noise of the central room of JNN's office, a woman and her co-worker leaned over a computer screen, showing a number of documents and reports, along with pictures of a man that had, hours ago, declared war on war itself.
"I knew it. Aeolia Schenberg," she muttered, eyeing the aged man on the screen.
"But how? The guy died over two hundred years ago…"
Before either of them could continue their train of thought, a voice shouted louder than any other, coming from their editor-in-chief.
"Celestial Being appeared?!... An armed intervention at Ceylon, and they attacked both sides?! That's—Wait… WHAT DO YOU MEAN, A FIFTH MOBILE SUIT?!"
And when she heard those words, Kinue Crossroad realized that her job might have just become a lot more complicated.
-O-
Heaven's Pillar, HRL Orbital Military Base, Space Elevator…
"Did we find any information on the unknown machine?... Understood. Continue investigating and report any findings to me."
With an angered growl, Sergei Smirnov took the communication piece from his head and stashed it away on a pocket of his coat.
The Wild Bear of Russia thought, First the appearance of the Gundams and Celestial Being, and now a new enemy… Has the world created another harbinger against war?
-O-
Uncharted island, Indian Ocean…
With a soft yet calculated smile, Wang Liu Mei sipped from the cup of tea prepared by her brother and assistant, Hong Long, who was now approaching with a small communication terminal. "It seems the plan will be even more interesting than expected…"
-O-
New York, UN Embassy Residential Building…
"Ribbons, it seems yet another player has entered this board.", the head of the Corner Family mused.
"Indeed, Mr. Corner. But what is their goal?", Ribbons wondered.
Alejandro Corner stated, "I believe the answer to that will be revealed to us soon. For now… Let us see what the future will hold."
"As you wish, sire.", the Innovade simply nods.
-O-
Indian Ocean, international waters…
Chronicle Bringer let out a weary sigh inside the cockpit of the Cornix Furia before pulling off his helmet to wipe away some of the sweat that had drenched his forehead.
His first encounter with Celestial Being had been… Acceptable, at most. He knew if he had stayed behind, then most certainly the Meisters would have attempted to either capture him… Or take him down. Tieria certainly would have gunned him down without a second thought, all for the sake of the Aeolia's plan. With any luck, the data package he had tight-beamed aboard the Dynames would be enough to convince Sumeragi into a… Well, ship-to-ship meeting.
But all of these thoughts, and those of future plans, were secondary to Chronicle now.
No… What was first in his mind was that once more, he had become a murderer.
It was not the first time he had taken a life. The Gunpla Mafia had asked this of him time and time again, for so many reasons. Many of them quite petty.
But here, in this Earth wreathed in conflict and death… His killings held purpose. They were not the end, but instead the necessary path towards the peace Celestial Being desired. If he had to become a tool of fate and of a larger will…
Well, for twelve years he had done so already. A few more would be just as easy.
With one final deep breath, Chronicle slid his helmet back on, feeling the slightly damp protective foam around his head. With a few taps on the console next to him, the pilot sent the necessary rendezvous coordinates to the Dark Veil…
WARNING. ENEMY TARGETS INCOMING. WARNING…
Scant seconds later, Chronicle was forced to cut the Cornix's cruising mode in order to avoid a hail of fire directed at him from above, his panoramic cockpit becoming surrounded by a veritable rain of small blue bolts.
"Linear rifle rounds… So he's here," muttered Bringer as he turned his gaze skywards. And indeed, diving from above in its Flight Mode configuration was a blue Union Flag MS, its pilot quite obvious once the machine transformed mid-air into its humanoid form and drew a plasma blade from its right forearm.
Yet to Chronicle's surprise, the Union's top ace was not alone which he didn't see it coming. For there is a second Union Flag right beside the first quickly transformed as well, and similarly drew a saber of its own, this one from its left forearm.
Both Flags accelerated towards the Cornix, with the first one taking a wide swing at the Cornix's left side. With no time to draw the Butterfly Busters to defend himself, Chronicle spun the left side's limbs into their humanoid configuration and activated his beam claws, clashing the five smaller pink blades against the larger blue one.
The other Flag, however, dove further below the Cornix, going instead for an upward slash aimed at his right wing, which was blocked by the right arm's beam claws just as the first attack.
Within the half-transformed Cornix, Chronicle let out a low tsk, just as two voices blared from the Flags' external speakers.
"Hoh. You have superb reflexes, indeed. And even possess such refined beam weapons… You're indeed a fearsome enemy," spoke the calm, collected and familiar voice of Graham Aker from the first Flag. "It was indeed worth it to pass over the Gundams this time to come searching for you."
"I do hope you put on a good show to us, little bird," called out the second pilot of the other Flag, this one with an unknown female voice that sounded quite chipper and full of excitement. "I haven't had an enjoyable fight in quite some time!"
"And to whom do I owe this engagement?" asked Chronicle, being careful to layer his voice with a proper modifier.
"I am Graham Aker."
"Verna Romero, at your services."
With said responses, both Flags flashed the jagged eye patterns on their faceplates. In return, the Cornix's single eye lit up and swiveled inside its head, peering at both Mobile Suits.
He declared in return, "I am Chronicle Bringer… Let us begin then."
Author's Notes: Well, Chapter 2 is done with Chronicle Bringer facing off against Graham Aker and Verna Romero, the two ace Flag pilots of the Union. Because of Cornix Furia's debut during the four Gundams' armed intervention on Ceylon that took the world and Celestial Being by surprise, he is targeted instead.
On the other hand as a consequence, Setsuna pilots Exia home to one of Celestial Being's hideouts for concealing Gundams unimpeded and never met Graham in first meeting unfortunately.
Also in this story, Verna Romero is the daughter of Sleg Sletcher, the former top gun and living legend who was mentioned in Graham's character background as the pilot of the Union Blast. Sleg offered Verna's hand in marriage to Graham but the latter refused and that they're incompatible, preferring to remain as friends and fellow aces of the Union.
Enjoy and don't forget to review. :)