Alright I am back with Chapter 3 of "Meister of Your Future" to pick up where it left off from TheLandMaster's cliffhanger before I adopted it with his permission. Thank you for the early reviews and support and I thank you for it.
My responses to these Guest reviews that I can't normally reply on PM:
Interesting: Sad but true. Although Graham was curious about the mysterious new mobile suit that seemed similar to the Gundam and is apparently affiliated with Celestial Being after it worked with the four Gundams on an armed intervention at Ceylon. And yes, he, Billy and Ralph Eifman would be surprised when they learn Cornix is nuclear-powered.
Yup, Verna is Sleg Sletcher's daughter and Joshua better watch out, lol. XD
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 3
Indian Ocean, international waters
As soon as Chronicle finished his sentence, he pushed back the two Flags with Cornix's greater strength, sending them flying from him and fully transformed his mobile suit in order to fight back properly. Verna Romero, who is she? I don't remember her from the show. Oh well, I will check out her name with Varia when this is over., he thought before grimacing that he caught attention and interest from Graham instead of Setsuna.
Just my luck, now Graham will be after me every time I show up instead of the Gundams. Guess this is my fault. Oh well, I better scare them off and have them prefer the Gundams over me!, Chronicle cursed, having to hold back from easily destroying their mobile suits like he did before on Ceylon.
On the other hand, Graham and Verna were able to regain their bearings after being tossed aside by their bird-like opponent and maneuvered their respective Flags to charge in battle together. Graham brandished a second plasma blade of his mobile suit and made a double slash at the crow-like Mobile Suit with his Flag's thrusters unleashed at maximum speed.
However, Cornix easily tore apart the arms of Graham's Flag with one powerful slash of its beam claws, surprising the latter and spinning his mobile suit around. Undeterred, Graham used his Flag's legs and momentum to roundhouse kick Cornix, which barely did any effect, and then fired the 20mm Machine Gun from his Flag's left side of the abdomen.
The bullets pelted off from Cornix's armor that easily withstood it, distracting it enough for Verna to drop kick it on the face from above with her Flag after losing her plasma blade earlier.
Cornix's head of the unit looked up at her before it split apart to reveal a cannon which Chronicle retaliated by unleashing Cornix's Mega Particle Cannon from its head to fire at his enemy at close range. Verna barely dodged out of the way with her Flag's left leg ending up blown away to pieces.
The female Flag Fighter grabbed her mobile suit's linear rifle and opened fire at the head cannon of Cornix Furia in response. Chronicle used the Beam Shield to deflect the blow away right into Verna's Flag head, obliterating half of its face into pieces. And yet, Verna continued firing the linear rifle regardless. Meanwhile, Graham piloted his Flag into a spinning axe kick with its legs that winded the Cornix, annoying Chronicle.
"Enough of this!", the former Gunpla Mafia hitman yelled before turning his avian mobile suit around to cripple Graham's Flag with another beam claw slash.
But Graham then fired a hail of small missiles stored in the missile rack located on each leg's shin region where the shin armor flips outward to launch them, hitting Cornix's torso with a series of powerful explosions. While it may not damage the avian mobile suit at all, it is enough to keep it distracted.
Briefly disoriented from the impact and the smoke around Cornix Furia, Chronicle felt a thud followed by a piece of his mobile suit getting ripped off from the left leg. He looked down to realize that one of his Butterfly Busters was missing from the hips. "Oh that bitch.", he snarled.
"I got us a souvenir! Let's get the hell out of here, Graham!", Verna yelled after her Flag grabbed their opponent's rifle and flew away as fast as she can.
"Right behind you, Verna! Dammit, this is not over, Chronicle!", the Union ace agreed and followed suit for the MS carrier.
After receiving the two damaged Flags, the MS carrier turned around and flew away at top speed.
Left alone in the middle of the ocean and stupefied of such audacious action from his opponents, Chronicle was absolutely livid as his hands shook while grasping his mobile suit's controls. Not only did he underestimate Graham and this Verna Romero in his attempt to scare them off than destroy them outright, his rifle got stolen and there's no doubt that it will be studied by a certain professor in the Union's anti-Gundam squad and an old acquaintance with a crush on Ptolemy cell's tactical forecaster.
Going after the Union Carrier Plane and catching up to it won't be too difficult... but I might end up biting more than I can chew with the world assuming that I am attacking a Union transport unprovoked that isn't part of Celestial Being's armed intervention., he thought before calming himself down. No need to cry over spilled milk. They win this round for now. Time to return to base.
Transforming into its avian form, the Cornix Furia flew its way back to the Dark Veil where Chronicle will have to make sure no mistakes will happen again and prepare for the upcoming meeting between him and Ptolemy cell of Celestial Being.
-O-
Somewhere within the Indian Ocean, international waters
Unbeknownst to Chronicle however, there was a Gundam with a sensor mask observing from the sidelines far away to be spotted by enemy detection and sight on deep underwater. Gundam Sadalsuud Type F powered by the 0 Gundam's GN Drive and piloted by Fon Spaak of Fereshte who was ordered by its leader Chall Acustica to monitor the armed intervention of Ptolemaios Gundams on the Tamil Tigers and Sinhalese factions at Ceylon.
That is before the sudden appearance of the crow-like mobile suit that joined up with them and left.
Heeding Chall's orders to observe it and also interested of the unknown mobile suit, Fon Spaak discreetly followed it where he witnessed the one-sided battle between the said mobile suit and the two Flag Fighters including their conversation. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!", the psychotic Gundam Meister of Fereshte laughed his ass off at the spectacle before him.
"Even though that Chronicle guy's birdy mobile suit is somewhat superior and could give the Gundams a run for their money especially with his unknown power source that doesn't seem to have GN Particles, I applaud those two Union pilots for their resourcefulness before they snagged his rifle under his nose and high tailed out of there! Judging from how Chronicle reacted, he must have been too used to dealing with fodder and underestimated them. Now look where that got him!", Fon complimented.
Turning to the adorable Haro with a cat theme on his cockpit's terminal, Fon asked. "Have you scanned the entire frame of Chronicle's mobile suit inside and out, including the energy readings and made copies of it for anaylsis, Hanayo?"
"Confirmed! Confirmed!", Hanayo chirped eagerly.
Nodding with a smirk, the spiky haired blonde man stated. "Good. Send that info to Veda and Chall. No doubt they will do the same for Ptolemy and the Observers which I know they would be very interested of their new party crasher showing out of nowhere. We're heading back to Fereshte."
Hanayo asked, "Why? Why?"
"Because, I have a feeling that we will see Chronicle again soon where he might show up in any of Celestial Being's next armed interventions as their uninvited guest. Until the time comes, we will be ready for him with new orders to either find and capture him or eliminate him and seize his technology depending on Veda's orders.", Fon answered before laughing maniacally out loud and piloting the Sadalsuud Type F to discreetly fly home.
-O-
At the Union Carrier Plane en route to MSWAD
"My oh my, you and Verna are really two unpredictable peas in a pod, Graham. How come you two aren't married yet already?", Billy teased as he analyzed the data from the Flags' encounter with the mysterious mobile suit called "Cornix Furia" on his portable laptop.
It was a one-sided battle as the crew of the MS Carrier Plane had to use fire extinguishers to prevent the Flags from exploding. The extension of the damage they sustained is that Graham's Flag lost two arms while Verna's got half side of its head and a leg taken out. It was by luck that they are still alive and kicking to fight another day.
But fortunately for the dynamic Flag duo, they managed to steal one of Cornix Furia's two rifles from its hips and it is now under Union custody. As for how they got the name of the mysterious mobile suit the two Flag Fighters faced, its identification was found on the forehead Billy took screenshot when observing the battle. It is de ja vu how Graham found out the name of "Gundam" from Celestial Being's mobile suit.
Playfully sticking out her tongue, Verna retorted. "It will never work out between us at all, Billy. I mean we tried dating before. Sure, my father offered Graham my hand in marriage but we're better off as fellow Flag Fighters anyway. Speaking of which, I can't believe that Chronicle guy trashed us there and we barely made it back alive."
"Indeed. We will have to file an apology for this.", Graham grumbled after taking a drink from a cup of water.
"There's no need. The data we gained on this "Cornix Furia" and its energy readings that doesn't look like those light particles the Gundams emit including the capture of its beam rifle is worth the exchange. The paint your Flags scraped off when you kicked it could lead us to it. Not only that, I am glad you guys made it out alive.", the mobile suit engineer reassured.
Changing the subject, the blonde Union Lieutenant commented, "That pilot who calls himself Chronicle is quite a ruthless warrior. He tore off my Flag's arms like it was nothing."
The green haired woman said, "It's probably a codename. And his voice was obviously deeply modulated to protect that guy's identity."
"No doubt about it. He could have easily destroyed our Flags like what he did to the Tamil Tigers and Sinhalese forces on Ceylon. And yet he pulled his punches on us.", Graham noted as he did observe what it can do prior to launching out with Verna in their mobile suits to face Cornix Furia.
"It sounds like either Mr. Chronicle underestimated you or he was just going easy after knowing who you are.", Billy speculated.
Verna sighed in relief, "Guess we should thank Graham's luck that he underestimated us. Although, I wonder if Chronicle is such a cutie outside that deep voice modulator he hides behind. He sounded a bit like Darth Vader."
The two men chuckle with amusement at her accurate pop culture reference.
Then, the pilot of the Union Carrier Plane announced. "We lost the Cornix Furia, Lieutenant Aker."
Graham simply shrugged away, "We got dumped and now the bird has returned to its nest. We will see it again soon."
-O-
At the Heaven's Pillar Orbital Elevator, Base Station, Human Reform League
Blending in among the many people from walks of life who are going about their daily lives with their respective civilian attire where no one would suspect they are members of Celestial Being, the three Gundam Meisters were standing at one of the small round tables at the food court before their fourth comrade, barely a child, arrived and walked up to them.
Lockon Stratos cheerfully called out, "Hey, you're late, you naughty boy."
"Sorry for being late.", Setsuna F. Seiei said.
"What happened?", Allelujah Haptism asked with worry.
"I submitted a detailed report to Veda about the unknown mobile suit we encountered at Ceylon and that I got caught in the middle of traffic when I was on my way to the station.", the pilot of Exia explained to the three older Gundam Meisters.
"I will look it into it later, including the data package Lockon gave me when that interloper sent it to Dynames.", Tiera Erde stated with a frown on his face.
Ever since their encounter with the crow-like mobile suit, the four Gundam Meisters are conflicted and wary of the unknown pilot's intentions. Sure, he may have helped them during their armed intervention on Ceylon but his appearance threw them off the loop. Especially when that said mobile suit doesn't seem to be powered by GN Particles like their Gundams.
That warrants an investigation on their mysterious ally/potential threat the four Gundam Meisters agreed on for once when they return to the Celestial Being's secret island hideout where the capsule containers for Gundams are located there until the next mission.
Changing the subject, the Irishman stated. "Anyway, the main thing is that we are all safe. Tieria, I'm counting on you to look after Ptolemy in space. We'll get started on our next mission."
Giving a light glare at the Krugis boy while holding up a touchscreen pad that contains the data package inside, the purple haired man with glasses responded. "I'll follow orders, though I have my doubts."
Clearly, Tieria is still peeved at Setsuna's gung ho action on their armed intervention mission on Ceylon even before and after the sudden appearance of the avian mobile suit that interfered with Aeolia Schenberg's plan from his point of view. While Lockon and Alellujah simply shrugged since they are used to Tieria's cold and aloof albeit professional attitude he displayed to nearly everyone on Ptolemy crew.
The waiter walked up to them with beverages on the tray he carries and placed them on the table for the four Gundam Meisters. "Here are your drinks. Please take your time.", he said.
"Milk?", Setsuna questioned with a blank stare as a cup of warm milk is placed before him.
Lockon smirked, "It's on me. You're a growing boy after all. You need your calcium."
Allelujah gave a little chuckle while Tieria simply left the table and head for the HRL Orbital Elevator's linear train that will take him up to space with his Virtue hidden among the containers for colony development materials and supplies, allowing him to return to Ptolemy so that the main ship will have its resupply of GN Particles with his Gundam's GN Drive.
While the three Gundam Meister left the station after finishing their drinks to prepare for their next missions for Celestial Being, Colonel Sergei Smirnov also left the station where he is greeted by a squad of HRL military personnel in uniform saluting him for his return. "Colonel Smirnov, welcome back to Earth. We've been waiting for you. How was space?", Lieutenant Ming said.
Returning the salute, Sergei stated. "I find myself more comfortable in gravity."
"I agree, sir.", Ming nodded before adding. "Colonel, we have orders to take you to Commander Kim at once."
He moved in to take the man's suitcase but the Wild Bear of Russia refused. "Before that, I want to stop by at Ceylon. I don't believe things until I see it with my own eyes. I want to see the power of Celestial Being's Gundams especially their fifth mobile suit myself. I am sure the commander will understand."
Saluting, Ming complied. "Yes sir! I will accompany you!"
-O-
At the MSWAD headquarters, Illinois, Union
After returning to base, Graham, Verna and Billy are within the room of officer where they listen to the man's summarization of the events ever since the debut of Celestial Being to the world as he writes down the details on the paper for a report. "You were there to see the AEU's new model but it turned out to be a huge mess? First a Gundam and now a crow-like mobile suit designated as "Cornix Furia" that is affiliated with Celestial Being."
"I never imagined such units could exist and we almost died to one of them.", Graham stated.
"But we did manage to capture its rifle from the pilot named Chronicle. It's worth the encounter.", Verna commented.
Billy agreed, "I think it's worth researching."
Putting down his pen and bring up three folders from the drawer, the MSWAD officer told them. "It appears our superiors feel the same way. There is a transfer order for you three because you've actually seen the Gundams and their fifth mobile suit even if they're different types. Not only that, there are promotions for you Lieutenant Graham and Warrant Officer Verna."
Graham read out the title of the folder's content with interest, "Anti-Gundam Investigative Task Force?"
"It's a newly formed squad. I'm sure Union Command will give it an official name later on.", the officer explained.
"I recommend the Overflags since Graham would be the leader here.", Verna suggested with a smile after checking out the folder.
The older man on the desk shrugged, "Sure, why not? I will have the higher ups informed for that."
"Professor Ralph Eifman! He's going to be our technical chief?!", Billy said in surprise after seeing the man's name in the folder and it has been a long time since he studied under the esteemed professor himself and graduated.
The MSWAD officer ordered. "It shows how serious the top think this is. Deal with this immediately."
Putting down their folders, the three made a salute together to the superior officer of the Union. "Yes sir! Captain Graham Aker, Lieutenant Verna Romero and Technical Advisor Billy Katagiri acknowledge transfer to the Anti-Gundam Investigative Task Force: Overflags!", Graham declared.
-O-
At the Pacific Ocean, international waters
After his recent return from his debut to the world by joining in Celestial Being's armed intervention on Ceylon and encounter with two Union Flags, Chronicle Bringer was browsing with Quasi-Veda of the Dark Veil to check on the information about the second pilot of the Flag who was with Graham Aker and the one who managed to steal away his Cornix Furia's rifle after trying to go easy on them.
"Verna Romero. Flag ace pilot with the rank of Warrant Officer, now Lieutenant from Florida, USA, and daughter of Sleg Sletcher, the pilot of the Union Blast who was the top gun and a living legend in the past. Hmmm... that mobile suit was phased out by the Union after it lost in a mock battle contest over which mobile suit will be its mainstay mass production to the Flag piloted by Graham Aker who gained a bad reputation for killing a superior officer even though it was an accident.", he noted upon checking out the personal data of the green haired woman and her life including her father.
Considering her recent promotion, it is quite obvious for the pilot of Cornix Furia to know that she would be on the Union's anti-Gundam squad with Graham already being promoted as captain.
The green hair reminds me too much of Ribbons Almark. At this time, he served as Alejandro Corner's personal aide before betraying him at the end and took over. I will deal with him later... Anyways, I wonder if Verna could be an Innovade like Healing Care or she probably could be like Feldt Grace who liked to dye her hair pink since she had a complex of not being born on Earth., he wondered.
The former Gunpla mafia enforcer finished, "Not only that, her father Sleg Sletcher was facing financial difficulties of raising her after his wife Quess Romero died of a murder by a serial killer and often insured himself at a high price with the Bell Factory that created the Union Blast paying him a very handsome paycheck which was enough for Verna's trust fund he left for her. Hence the mock battle with Graham Aker and he died there."
This intrigued Chronicle as he did recall the episode where Graham was mocked by Joshua about killing a superior officer prior to the joint operation by three superpowers to capture Gundams but didn't reveal the name of that person, and that the deceased top gun's daughter is fighting alongside Graham as fellow Flag pilots. I can just chalk it up to Graham explaining to Verna what really happened to her father and clear out the misunderstanding. Unlike that smug schmuck who got casually blasted away by Lockon, she understood him and let bygones be bygones., he shrugged.
Receiving notifications from Quasi-Veda, Chronicle saw that the three Gundam Meisters have begun their respective missions on Ceylon, South Africa and Taribia through the visual screens of Exia, Dynames and Kyrios proceeding to eliminating their targets respectively while knowing Tieria have left for space with Virtue to re-dock itself with the Ptolemy. There was no need of him to take part there until there's a mission that will require three or all four Gundams.
Most likely Taribia and its attempted secession from the Union or the military exercise between Moralia and its PMC forces and the AEU for example.
Oh and also the three superpowers' joint operation to capture the Gundams prior the debut of Team Trinity and their Gundam Thrones too as well.
Hopefully, Tieria brought along the data package I sent it to Lockon and give it to Sumeragi Lee Noriega who would analyze it., he thought.
Chronicle knew that Celestial Being and its agents including Wang Liu Mei on Earth have already started investigating him and trying to find his location with Veda's help. But with the Umbrella Stealth System active by his side, they won't be able to find and trace Cornix Furia and the Dark Veil anytime soon. At least until he allows it and he will be the one meeting the paramilitary organization of Aeolia Schenberg on his own terms.
Not only that, the Dark Veil have possessed full atmospheric entry and exit capabilities to go into space anytime he likes which he has the advantage over Celestial Being that mostly relied on covert orbital elevator ride to smuggle their Gundams back into space. At least until the Assault Container and Ptolemy 2 but it will be a long time until they are deployed.
Deciding to stretch out a little and see the world, and also buy new food and supplies to store inside the Dark Veil's kitchen that was empty when he found out the hard way after being transported here via Plavsky Particles, Chronicle gave out some new orders.
"Varia, prepare a fake identity for me and hack into any rich billionaire's assets to transfer sufficient funds into my new account. I'm going for a little trip in Japan."
Author's Note: Okay, the third chapter of "Meister of Your Future" is done and I hope you like it. After his debut to the world, Chronicle decided to go for a walk in Japan, a very enthusiastic walk until there is another major Celestial Being mission to get involved and shake things up. On the other hand, it appears that the Cornix Furia got its attention from Fereshte, the black ops support team of Celestial Being.
By the way, Chronicle didn't know about Fereshte from 00F since he is more familiar with the Gundam 00 show than the side stories.
Enjoy and don't forget to review. :)