Author Note

Hey Guys,

I've been busy with work and school. Lately, that's what I've been focusing on. Sadly, I was let go of from my job. Not really in the mood for anything really, but here is the chapter. The epilogue is going to cap it, but the story is officially done with this next one. It's been a long journey, and I can't express just how thankful I am to everyone. Reminder, there is a Q&A going on. And of course I am going to be responding to reviews and everything for next chapter. It's late, and I've had classes all day. I hope that you guys enjoy it. The next chapter is going to have some M-Rated moments with Suletta and Aiden, and the epilogue is going to put a nice tiny bow on our 60 pages.

Thanks again and much love. I just lost my job, so, if you guys wish to support me and my cousins writing. You guys can check out his novels on RoyalRoad. Warcasket - The Sons of Mars which is similar to this fic, and The Ethan Chronicles. Likewise, you guys can donate here's the link: c/user?u=66538754

Thanks again, and have a good one.


Chapter 59 - The NewTypes of Plant Quetta

Guel

Guel didn't care anymore. Aiden Winters, Harmony House, Miorine, his family, his company—none of it mattered. Right now, all he needed was to do what he did best: kick ass in a mobile suit.

His scream tore through the cockpit, raw and defiant. "Ensign Marty!" he bellowed, plunging his Gundam into a fierce descent. Marty's gaze tracked him with the predatory focus of a hawk, his smile widening as he locked onto Guel.

Guel jammed the throttle, his shout mixing with the howl of his engines. Marty let out a dark laugh, mirroring the maneuver in his Full Armor Gundam. "Jetturk dog!" Marty, Ensign of the Nexus 65th, spat. He'd forgotten all about Travis in the heat of this chase. Sure, Travis was a prick, but Guel had killed his squad. Now, Marty was going to return the favor.

Both pilots roared as they charged, beam sabers drawn and crackling, crashing together in a storm of sparks. Marty tilted his twin beam cannon forward, angling it through their saber lock, the barrels pointed dead at Guel's cockpit.

"That was easier than I thought…" Marty sneered, voice smug and dripping with finality. "Time to die."

But Guel's grin only grew. His Gund Bit had been circling silently, waiting for the perfect opening. It fired a purple blast that shredded Marty's cannon, and in the same moment, Guel spun, landing a brutal kick that sent Marty spiraling.

Recovering quickly, Marty blasted forward again, and Guel chased, both mobile suits now stripped down to their core arsenals. Guel's Gund Bits shot out, encircling him like a lethal shield, as Marty zigzagged wildly through the dark void of space.

"Damn, nowhere to hide!" Marty cursed, his gaze shifting to the Plant's jagged remains below. Without hesitation, he dived into the cavernous structure. Guel gave chase, the two of them swallowed by the shadows of the wreckage.

Gripping his beam sword, Guel drew a second blade into his free hand, ready for the close-quarters battle to come as they tore through the ghostly, silent cityscape. He felt each twist, each bump, smirking to himself. "Just like those duels back at the academy…" he muttered, bracing for the clash ahead.

And unlike Marty, he moved with the steady, lethal confidence of someone who was born to fight.

"What the hell is with this guy now?" Marty grunted, whipping his Gundam around in a tight maneuver around a building. Guel started to cut him off but changed course, veering above. Marty, noticing, swung his tank cannon upright, aiming to take another point-blank shot.

But Guel anticipated it, shifting his path so the tank cannon's shot streaked just over his head. "Three more rounds left, just like last time," Guel muttered with a smirk. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my friends!" he shouted, surging after Marty.

As Guel's lasers ripped through the building, debris rained down toward Marty's position. Sweat traced down Marty's brow as he narrowly dodged the massive chunks, speeding along the road as the building collapsed behind him, enshrouding him in smoke. Guel hovered close behind, sending out his Gund Bits to scan the area. He noticed one was missing but shrugged it off. "Hiding in the dark like the monster you are," he murmured, calculating his options. He had enough left to make it work.

As the smoke began to clear, Guel's eyes swept the surroundings—too late. A tank cannon shot tore through the apartment complex beside him, sending a fresh wave of debris and shrapnel crashing down. "Damn it," Guel muttered, pushing his thrusters to the max, rocketing through the colony's open sky as Marty's cackling echoed in his ears.

The fight was far from over.

Aiden

"Suletta, be careful with this one… it's different from the others," Aiden cautioned as they streaked through the stars toward the dying structure ahead.

"A-Aiden, I…" Suletta's voice faltered as she saw two blips appear on her radar, mirrored by Aiden's grunt. He'd seen them too.

"Damn it," he muttered. "I was hoping we could snag Miorine and get the hell out of here." He tightened his grip on the controls. "Looks like the day's not over yet, babe."

Suletta smirked, steadying her breath. "Move as one, kill as one, right?"

Aiden chuckled. "One step forward, two steps forward. Confront your fears and gain strength and pride."

They shared a glance, stars blurring around them, and both smiled. As their Gundams raised their hands in silent unison, Aiden felt the strange yet familiar energy of the Aerial. "After this, let's go on a proper date," he said.

Suletta smiled through the day's pain and haze. "I'd really like that."

"Definitely," he replied, and they shot forward, watching the enemy shapes hurtling toward them.

"They're charging us… ready, my Suletta?" Aiden shouted.

She didn't answer, eyes wide and fixed, body tense. She'd settled into the mania of battle, the simple clarity: fight, or those she loved would die. Was there a greater reason to fight?

Aiden glimpsed the blue and brown Gundams drawing closer. His beam rifle sparked to life, shots firing as the two enemies split apart. Suddenly, pain lanced through his head, and he clutched his helmet.

"Aiden!" Suletta's voice crackled with worry.

"I—I'm fine," he grunted, eyes trailing the blue Gundam. Enemy or not, it didn't matter now—they'd pay for their transgressions today. "Die, Gundam!" he roared, charging at the brown unit.

The brown Gundam unleashed a scattershot, beams skimming Aiden's armor as he deftly circled, raising his shield to absorb the brunt of the fire. Yet one blast struck true. Sophie yelped as her Gundam's left shoulder exploded, the arm slumping uselessly. Aiden, now blazing at top speed, thrust his shield forward like a spear, slamming it directly into her cockpit. Sophie was jolted hard, her helmet cracking in a spider-webbed pattern as metal shards rained down inside.

"Sophie!" Norea's voice cut through, but Suletta descended on her like a lightning strike. Drawing her beam saber, she drove an overhead slash down onto Norea's Gundam.

"Sophie! Increase the permit level!" Norea shouted, her tone frantic. "These two… they're the real deal!"

Sophie clicked a flurry of buttons, Norea following suit. Aiden shot forward, positioning above Sophie, ready to bring down a powerful overhead cleave that would've split her Gundam in two.

But at the last second, Sophie zipped away. "What the—?" Aiden exclaimed as Sophie's Gundam's shield arm slammed into his cockpit. Metal screeched, and his vision scrambled as a third of his feed went dark. He blasted away, only to find Sophie hot on his tail.

Aiden and Sophie dove into the ruined Plant below—a place now transformed into a desolate battleground. His eyes scanned the wreckage, his mouth tightening at the sight of floating bodies, shattered skyscrapers, and gaping holes where life once thrived. The one bright, warm place they had known was now cold and dead.

A grimace crossed Aiden's face. Marko, Prospera… he'd been playing to their tune for too long. He'd find Miorine, but first, he and Suletta had to handle these two.

Beam gatling fire pursued him, tearing through the remnants of the Plant, puncturing dead bodies and further ripping apart the decaying buildings. Aiden twisted and dodged as blue tracer rounds flew past, his armor nicked and scorched but his core systems miraculously intact.

"Suletta, on me!" he radioed.

Suletta nodded, guiding the Aerial to follow him, with Norea in relentless pursuit, her beam scatter gun tracking their every move. Unknown to their opponents, both Aiden and Suletta had grown stronger, honed by the struggles they'd faced.

"I-I had to mainline two more levels to keep up," Sophie rasped, a manic chuckle edging her words. "It… hurts this time, Norea."

Breathing heavily, Norea kept her focus on Suletta. Her gaze hardened, her movements manic, as she tossed aside her helmet, sweat streaking her face, blue eyes wide and bloodshot. "Don't run from me, coward!" she screamed, the fury in her voice jagged and raw.

She flung away her beam scatter gun, drawing her beam saber and igniting a secondary blade from her left wrist. "Die!" Norea howled, eyes blazing with frenzy as she dove toward Suletta.

But Suletta's Gund-Bits sprang into action, circling around her as she descended into one of the Plant's gaping holes. Six laser shots fired off from the Gund-Bits, creating a web of lethal light between her and her attacker.

Norea felt an itch pulsing along her frontal lobe, prompting her to dip into a semi-circle maneuver before arching forward at full throttle. She descended with brutal speed, her beam blade slicing into the Aerial's left arm, leaving everything below the elbow a sparking ruin.

"Suletta!" Aiden shouted, watching in horror as the Aerial was impaled. Suletta's eyes filled with panic as warning lights flared red.

"You're mine now!" Norea screamed, crazed with fury. She raised her beam saber, ready to cleave Suletta in a deadly arc.

"No!" Aiden fired off a shot with his beam rifle, forcing Norea to pull back. Suletta quickly ignited her thrusters, and they resumed evasive maneuvers, both of them breathing heavily.

"We… we should leave," Aiden said between gasps.

Suletta's head snapped toward him. "Leave?" she asked incredulously. "But you were so sure Miorine was—"

"Suletta, we're facing two Gundams out here," he interrupted, his gaze narrowing. "I felt something out here… something familiar. Was it Miorine, or…?" His voice trailed off as his expression shifted, a flicker of alarm in his eyes.

"Miorine is our friend," Suletta replied, her voice steadying him. "We need to find her."

The hiss of laser fire echoed around them. "They're furious now," Aiden muttered, whistling low. He hesitated, struggling to get the words out. "Suletta… you're my responsibility. I… I… I love you. But there's something I've kept from you, ever since we first met."

Suletta fell silent, absorbing this revelation. Aiden pressed on. "Listen… I just know we're connected, that our fates are linked. That's why I've been—"

"…and you decide to tell me this now?" she interrupted, her tone sharp but laced with surprise. Aiden's response faltered, leaving him silent.

"I… I wasn't thinking," he admitted, rubbing a hand over his face.

"First off, we're in the middle of fighting two unhinged pilots," she said, exasperated. "I don't need that in my head. And second,"—she softened, her hand grazing the Aerial's console—"we're going after Miorine. You're right. She's our friend. I know her; if she's here, she'll be doing everything she can to save us."

Aiden's shoulders relaxed, a slow smile breaking across his face. "Then let's go get her," he said, his tone resolute.

Suletta nodded, returning his smile with a determined smirk.

"But don't think you're out of the woods yet. I still want to know what that big secret is," Suletta said, her voice tinged with a mix of determination and curiosity.

Aiden opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the blue Gundam came barreling down at an impossible speed. "What level is that freaking pilot on?" he muttered, alarmed, just as a hail of beam gatling bullets splattered across his mech. He and Suletta swerved sharply into the side of a hangar and—

Aiden's eyes widened. "No way… we came full circle!" He took in the familiar sight of the hangar that housed the Gundams, and as he magnified his view, his gaze locked onto two figures along the damaged scaffolding, some parts blown away but unmistakably there.

"Miorine… Delling?" he murmured, his voice catching. Dressed in space suits, they were clutching the railings, staring back at him in utter disbelief.

Miorine's eyes softened as she breathed his name, "Aiden…"

He was about to smile, but Suletta's gasp cut through the moment. "Aiden, look—"

Aiden whipped his head around, raising his shield just as Sophie crashed into the Aerial, with Norea slamming into its side right after.

"Suletta!" Aiden shouted as the Aerial was driven into the wall, leaving the scaffolding above shuddering and splintering. Delling and Miorine clutched the railings, hanging on as the structure threatened to collapse beneath them.

"Suletta!" His heart sank as he looked at the Aerial, now embedded in the wall and eerily still. "Please…"

He felt a sick, hollow pit form in his stomach, then turned his gaze to the two Gundams. Tossing his beam rifle aside, he drew the massive beam blade in his right hand—a greatsword of a weapon—and leveled it at them.

Sophie let out a dark chuckle. "Sword fight, huh?" She clicked her tongue. "Such a boy," she sneered, her voice mocking.

Beside her, Norea's whole body was trembling, her eyes blazing with fury and something darker, more unhinged. She had stripped off her astronaut suit entirely, sweat pouring down her face.

Aiden roared, wielding his beam weapons with brutal precision. Sparks erupted with each clash, fierce bursts of light as he parried and struck, forcing his opponents back inch by inch in the tight, confined space.

"S-Suletta…" Miorine whispered, her eyes wide with fear as she clutched her father, staring at the motionless form of the Aerial.

"Nothing will stop me!" Aiden's voice thundered through the comms, filling the space with his raw determination. He brought his blade down with force, each swing powerful, but it was his left arm, moving like a well-placed haymaker, that caught them off guard.

"Norea, this guy…his Gundam moves differently!" Sophie barely managed to gasp out before being tossed around in her cockpit. Aiden struck decisively, hammering her cockpit with two brutal blows from his shield. Sophie gasped, tearing off her visor and heaving, sick and disoriented.

With Sophie weakened, Aiden didn't waste a moment. He drove a hard kick into Norea's mech, sending her crashing against the wall. She tried to lunge back at him, but Aiden's blade flashed, severing her arm and elbow-mounted beam saber in a single clean cut.

Norea ignited her thrusters, retreating to gain space, and Sophie struggled to follow in her dazed state. Before she could regroup, Aiden closed in again, propelling himself forward with a fierce burst of speed. He threw his shield with pinpoint accuracy, slamming it directly into Norea's helmet. Then, in a powerful two-handed arc, he brought his blade down, forcing both of them to scramble to block his relentless onslaught. Miorine, Delling, and the battered Aerial watched, the beam sabers' light pulsating around them in a thunderous, electric hum.

"T-this…" Miorine stammered, her expression locked in awe.

Delling's gaze was unwavering. "True mobile suit combat…he's a warrior."

Sophie gritted her teeth, voice cracking in frustration. "Why won't you just die?!"

Aiden's response was another howl, his movements only growing more intense as he broke free of their lock and pressed the attack. His saber slashed and struck with relentless speed, each blow harder and faster than the last. "Come forth and get slaughtered!" he shouted, his voice raw and wild in the haze of battle.

Suddenly, Norea managed to plant a kick, sending Aiden's Gundam skidding back, sparks flying as it scraped against the metal ground. He slid to a stop, his smirk glinting as he steadied himself. Norea and Sophie stood breathless, visibly shaken.

"What…what are you?" Norea whispered, horror etched in her face.

Aiden's Gundam rose, gripping the large beam saber in both hands, adopting a poised, sword-like stance. "It doesn't matter," he declared, his tone cold and unwavering. "You won't live long enough to care."

Sophie scoffed. "You think you're some real hot shit, don't you?" she taunted.

Aiden sneered back, his own chuckle escaping—a sound that clearly irked both girls. Even Miorine couldn't help the small smirk that crept onto her face; she knew, as she always had, that nothing—not even two Gundams—could stand against her Holder.

Norea's glare was piercing, so intense Aiden could almost feel it. "Just walk away, buddy," Norea spat. "We're here for the girl and Delling. He's a real prick, so do yourself a favor—get lost. Your partner's down for the count, so it's two against one now."

Sophie laughed, her voice grating and cold. "Yeah, you heard her! Get the hell out before we tear you apart!"

Aiden's mind registered the name Norea, but he quickly shook it off. It didn't matter now. If he hesitated, he'd die here, plain and simple.

"No," he replied steadily, flourishing the beam saber and shifting into a new stance. "That girl is Miorine Rembran, and I will always be her sword. I am Asticassia's Holder!"

Sophie and Norea charged him, weapons raised. "Miorine," Aiden spoke quietly into the mic, "stay behind me. I'll protect you."

Miorine's eyes filled with tears, her heart pounding at the sound of his voice.

Norea and Sophie descended upon him like wild, feral animals, their attacks a furious light show against the dimmed displays of the Aerial. Blows rained down—hard, fast, relentless—but Aiden held his ground, his strikes balanced and calculated. He noticed, though, that both women were beginning to falter, their movements growing erratic and desperate.

As they locked sabers, Norea and Sophie's strikes became heavy, their exhaustion taking a toll. Sophie's strikes in particular grew sluggish, her pleas for him to just fall already echoing angrily through the comms. In the middle of a lock, Aiden seized an opening, using the Reuse Psycho Device to amplify his precision. Norea was fast, but Sophie was lagging, her energy flagging with each swing.

Suddenly, Aiden's Gundam's leg shot out, slamming into Sophie's cockpit. She lurched forward, vomiting again from the impact.

"Sophie!" Norea screamed. Fueled by rage, she tried to drive her beam saber into Aiden's cockpit, but he deflected her blade, sending it sparking harmlessly against the ceiling.

Miorine watched, a soft smile spreading across her face as tears streaked down her cheeks. "I knew… I knew he'd come," she whispered. Beside her, Delling's voice rasped, pulling her gaze. She turned, startled to see a faint smile on her father's face—a rare, almost vulnerable expression.

"I finally… found someone strong enough…" he murmured, his words trailing off, but his smile held.

Delling's voice rasped softly as Miorine approached, but her gaze was fixed, unwavering, on Aiden—her focus, her resolve. How far was she willing to go for what she wanted most in this world?

Inside her cockpit, Sophie was spiraling, each blow from Aiden relentless and punishing, always aimed at her. The cockpit around her was peeling away, fractured from the relentless assault. Every hit blurred her vision further, her body beaten by the jolts and shuddering metal. The Permit helped, yes, but it was barely enough. She was slipping, eyes stinging with tears, stars dancing across her vision as she feared she might black out.

"Die! Die! Die!" Norea's voice was raw, unhinged as she bore down on Aiden, her beam saber swinging in furious arcs. "Die, die, piss blood and die!" she shrieked, each wild chop reverberating with desperate hatred.

Aiden blocked each blow, sparks flaring with each clash of their weapons. The light grew brighter, louder, pulsing through the hangar like a heartbeat. He grit his teeth. "Get the hell out of our way!" he shouted, slamming his wrist into the cockpit of Sophie's Gundam. She jolted forward, her face hitting the console hard.

"You bastard!" she cried, dazed and furious.

Norea's rage only burned hotter. "I'll kill you!" she screamed.

"Bring it!" Aiden yelled back, swinging his weapon into a two-handed grip. He brought it down in a powerful, arcing cleave. Norea dodged just in time, her Gundam spinning from the force of the near-hit, tumbling almost clear of the hangar.

Seizing the opportunity, Sophie whipped her blade in a desperate attempt to slice at Aiden's legs. But Aiden detached from his armor, freeing himself from its weight. Moving faster, his Gundam now resembled the agile RX-unit it descended from. With a swift strike, he cleaved through Sophie's Gundam's legs, severing them cleanly.

Sophie screamed.

"Sophie!" Norea shouted, throttling her controls to rush back. She aimed a vicious chop at Aiden, forcing him to raise his saber defensively.

Through the dizzying haze, Sophie tried to regain control, her remaining hand weakly grasping at the controls, struggling to keep her focus. But Aiden was locked in, reaching out with his left hand—a real, visceral movement, his eyes blazing. Memories of the old Harmony, the trauma, the fury—all surged within him, igniting his very soul with a purpose beyond battle.

The punch Aiden delivered left Sophie seeing nothing but blackness, but she could still hear. Through the haze, she was aware of Aiden's Gundam as its hands, like lethal talons, tore into the fragile cockpit around her, squeezing with brutal force.

"No!" Norea screamed.

Just before Aiden could crush Sophie in a manner befitting the brutal legends of old Harmony, Norea slashed downward with fierce precision, severing his left hand from his Gundam's arm. The pain was immediate, raw, blazing through him like fire, forcing a visceral scream from his throat.

He staggered back from the hangar, still screaming, tears stinging his eyes as he stared at his now stump-like arm. The pain was as intense as if he'd truly lost his limb again. His vision flickered, darkening as the anguish and shock surged through him. Norea's triumphant battle cry only intensified the confusion.

"Stay away from us!" Aiden roared, managing to raise his remaining arm to block her next strike. Norea angled her blade with calculated momentum, driving a vicious kick straight into his Gundam's head.

The blow jolted him, slamming his head to the side, but it pulled him back from the brink of his own mind. Aiden braced himself, lifting his beam saber to clash hard against Norea's. Sparks and energy crackled between them as the sabers locked.

"Die!" Norea screamed, slashing down with unrestrained fury.

"Get lost!" Aiden snarled, attempting to throw a kick, but her beam saber sliced across his mech's thigh, the damage sending a shockwave of pain through him.

"Damn you!" Aiden spat, retaliating with a swift kick that knocked her back.

They crashed into each other, relentless, slashing and clashing as Miorine and Delling watched, horrified, from a distance. The violet glow of their sabers cast fierce, storm-like shadows over the dead surface of Plant Quetta, with Earth looming below as a silent witness.

Aiden and Norea fought with primal intensity, each blow a testament to their blood and instinct for survival. They were born of their mothers' strength, destined to inherit the stars. But here, in the furnace of mobile suit combat, they fought like the true heirs of NewType warriors, determined to claim their legacy.

As they came together in a final, bone-jarring clash, Aiden's voice rang out, feral and defiant. "Come on!" he shouted, slamming his stump into his Gundam's chest. "Is that all you've got?" His voice rose, charged with the fierce battle lust of Elan, recalling the first time he'd lost his Gundam. He was a warrior, the next stage in human evolution, the blade of old Harmony incarnate. None would escape his wrath.

Norea screamed, her voice raw, as she struggled to block Aiden's assault. Their thrusters roared, sending them spiraling around each other in a deadly dance. Then, in a brutal clash, their Gundams' foreheads slammed together in a fierce headbutt, their cockpits shuddering with impact. Pain flared through Norea's head, searing, but there it was—that familiar sensation, a humming frequency resonating deep within her…a song only Aiden could create.

In that moment, Aiden felt it too—a pulse of music, like sparks leaping along the edge of a beam saber, binding them. From Earth's first steps to this brutal meeting, every path, every soul, had somehow led here.

Unseen by them, Cecilia and the others hurried to evacuate the sector. Yet, even through the fog of this strange, shared trance, Aiden could sense her presence. Somewhere in the haze, he glimpsed Cecilia's widening eyes, her silver hair shining like starlight in the shadows.

"A-Aiden?" Her voice trembled into the void, reaching for him, though she knew he was already in another place entirely.

The NoWhere Place

Aiden floated in the vast haze of space, disoriented, his eyes darting around in frantic confusion as he awoke within the emptiness. His body was angled upright, arms and legs slack, as he struggled to breathe, staring in shock at the sight before him. It felt familiar…but this time, something was profoundly different.

His visor was gone—no, his entire helmet was gone. Tentatively, he stretched his limbs downward, expecting the familiar resistance of prosthetics, but instead, he found himself whole. His real hand moved before his eyes, not the artificial constructs of the IMC or Prospera. He clenched his fingers, feeling them flex with the fluidity of muscle and bone. A smirk ghosted over his lips, but his gaze soon drifted back to the strange expanse surrounding him.

"What is this?" he murmured, glancing around, as though hoping to find some tether to reality. "Come on…what is this?" he repeated, his voice small against the endless dark.

He recalled fragments of the doctor's recordings, the philosophy of NewTypes—echoes of a universe that could exist without war. He had yearned for a reality where no one would have to endure his losses, where no one would have to suffer as he had.

But this... This was beyond comprehension. The fear in his chest began to ebb, replaced by a quiet, pervasive darkness that settled over him and all of space, obscuring the distant stars. Through the blackness, he strained his eyes, narrowing his gaze, trying to catch sight of something—anything. Yet there was nothing but a creeping, delicate shadow, slipping just beyond his reach. A splitting pain stabbed through his head as he clutched his temples.

"What…what is this familiar feeling…?" he whispered, the words trailing off, swallowed by the silent void around him.

Norea stood on the other side, eyes locked onto a shapeless figure that seemed to breathe within the shadows. Breathless and shaken, her heartbeat thundered in her chest as if trying to keep pace with the terrifying place she found herself in. Relief mingled with fear—her Permit was elevated, but this place… What was this place?

Her arms wrapped around herself, trembling as if an icy chill had seeped into her bones. Her wide blue eyes, usually vibrant, were now clouded with a red haze, zipping anxiously around as she brought her knees to her chest, curling in on herself.

"P-Please…please…" she whispered, her voice lost in the suffocating emptiness. She was floating, directionless, and the lack of grounding, the disorientation of it all, clawed at her sanity. She could tolerate space, but this vast, weightless prison threatened to unravel her entirely. Sophie might have had the right idea after all. If there was a chance to throw it all into the fire and escape with Sophie…a life with her… But still, there was the mission, the Legion, the endless abyss between planets.

A shudder of pain coursed through her, cutting through the haze. Somewhere in the fog, Aiden stirred, picking up the hint of a voice.

"Who's there?" he called, straining to make sense of the dark around him. "You…in the dark?" His mind strained to piece it together, thoughts tangled and blurry, as if half-formed. "Suletta? No, too different… Miorine, maybe? No, this one is far stronger…angrier." He blinked, trying to center himself, but images swam in and out—a flash of Suletta's vivid red hair, the steely gaze of Miorine, and Renee's easy laughter. The way she'd laugh at his jokes, he thought, strange how he could only realize that now.

Norea clutched her head, her mind screaming. "I-I don't know. I-I…just…I just want it to end," she whimpered, her arms pressed tightly over her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks.

But her mind wouldn't stop; a memory pushed its way forward—a man with tan skin, his blond hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed in a sleek suit. Shaddiq, their mission handler. It had been him, hadn't it? And some private contractor who provided them their machines. No… not him. This one was different. She could sense it here, in this fractured, vulnerable state. This one was a liar. A snake, coiled in shadows—a predator far darker than anyone she had known.

Her mind's eye wandered to Marty: thin, black-framed glasses perched on his nose, intense brown eyes brimming with an almost feverish eagerness, his curly brown hair falling in a haphazard mop, straight in some places. Dressed in army fatigues with his jacket unzipped, she saw him as clearly as if he were standing before her.

She could sense something akin between them. But Marty… Marty had miles to go before he'd grasp true human understanding, demons yet to conquer. This one, though, was different. But as—

Another image materialized within their minds, searing its way through, leaving a strange, pulsing stillness behind. Aiden and Norea each clutched their heads, yet the pain melted away, replaced by a strange, muted awe as they both stared at the vision forming in their minds.

There was Sophie and Norea, young, almost ethereal in the faded memory, like a static painting. The two girls huddled close on the side of a desolate road, shielded only by a frail cardboard shelter, clinging to one another against the relentless downpour.

"W-what is this?" Aiden murmured, his voice wavering.

"A memory," came a voice, distant yet familiar.

"Norea…" Aiden's tone softened with hesitant recognition.

And as though the fog itself lifted, the vision cleared, yet still, neither could see the other. They floated on the brink of the universe, a realm beyond simple things like life, death, or time. The image lingered—Norea and Sophie, grasping each other with a love that transcended survival, bound together by something stronger than Earth itself.

Flashes and fragments swirled in Aiden's consciousness, bits of Norea's feelings, fears, the nuances of her love and struggles. They poured through him, a flood into his mind's depths, only to fade like drops merging into a vast ocean. He couldn't fully recall, but he felt them, understood them.

"You were on your own," Aiden said quietly.

Norea's expression tightened, a sneer crossing her lips. "It was hard. But Sophie and I…we survived."

"She's more than a sister to you," Aiden continued gently. "Far more."

A brief silence fell. Then Norea's lips pressed tightly together, holding back an answer.

Aiden, unperturbed, spoke again, softer. "I-I don't know why we're here, but I understand you…"

Norea's sneer deepened, skeptical, her gaze hardening.

"I'm serious, Norea De Noc," Aiden pressed, meeting her stare with sincerity.

Norea's eyes widened. "How the hell do you know my name?"

"I'm sure you told me," Aiden replied, almost too casually.

"I didn't tell you my last name," she sneered. "Stay out of places you don't belong. If I wanted you to know, I would've told you."

"Listen, Norea…" Aiden began, but she cut him off.

"Don't get cozy with me," she declared bluntly.

Aiden sighed, choosing his words carefully. "I just want you to know that… I understand." He hesitated, his gaze softening. Norea was tough, even mean, but through Sophie, he glimpsed the good in her.

"I grew up in a warzone too. I know what it's like to be on your own."

As he spoke, a new image flashed into focus, hazy yet vivid.

"What's this?" Norea asked, almost incredulous. "You… go to school?" A hint of amusement tugged at her lips, as if trying to stifle a laugh.

The memory solidified: Aiden and his friends at a wild party. Deacon was passed out on a girl's lap as she stroked his hair, her laughter warming the air, while Oscar had a joint in each hand and two bottles of malt liquor beside him. In the corner, Jack was dancing with Cecilia, her red dress clinging tightly as Jack laughed, thoroughly enjoying the night.

"You're all insane," Norea remarked, shaking her head.

"They're my brothers," Aiden replied simply.

Norea's eyes widened at that, then flickered with something unnameable—a zap of electricity along her frontal lobe, an instinct she'd trusted her whole life but never understood. It jolted her again as Aiden raised his hand, and the memory seemed to ripple around him.

"Don't fight it," Aiden said softly.

Her fury returned instantly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Aiden held her gaze. "I saw Sophie… through you. And honestly, I—"

"Honestly what?" she snapped, her voice cutting into him like a blade.

"I-I saw everything. I know you guys grew up in that orphanage. There was some guy…Bob. No, Billy. The jerk who used to mock your speech impediment when you were little…"

"You were poking around my mind," Norea accused.

"Norea, I'm not trying to invade anything. I'm a NewType. This is just…what we do. I get that now. For us to achieve a universe without war, we—"

"A universe without war? What kind of crack are you on?" she snapped as the haze around them began to thin. "You Harmony types are all nuts! Don't any of you know how to relax? And now you're expecting me to just accept your memories—"

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Aiden murmured, glancing through the fading fog. "Norea, I did this on instinct. I know you…"

"You don't know me," she shot back.

"But we've met before," Aiden replied, exhaling slowly. "I know you're afraid."

"What?" she spat, incredulous.

"It's okay. I saw it," Aiden said, his tone softening. "I shouldn't have tried to force this on you. But, Norea… I don't want to fight anymore."

A beat of silence hung between them.

She let out a dry chuckle. "Then you'd better hand over Delling Rembran. I saw it too, Aiden—I saw your memories!" Her voice gained a hard edge. "That man destroyed your planet. He lets Earth get ravaged by corporations, and both you and I are byproducts of his system. And here you are, protecting him and his daughter. Why?"

Aiden pressed a hand to his face. "Miorine is my friend," he said simply, and the words seemed to silence her. "I'm not about to let my friend be murdered because of her father's actions." He paused, meeting her piercing azure gaze.

"Then why protect him?" she demanded.

Aiden hesitated, his eyes narrowing. "Take a guess. You saw some things back there. Why do you think?"

Norea fell silent, her thoughts unreadable. "I don't do this to protect him," Aiden added, "but because it's the right thing to do. And you're not Legion. I know that."

"Oh, so it's just the 'girl thing' throwing you off?" she replied with a bitter smirk.

Aiden slowly shook his head. "Honestly, with the way Marko is now…I doubt he even cares about his own rules anymore, let alone Harmony's." He paused, his gaze narrowing. "Why are they here? What's their connection to Prospera Mercury? These new suits they're using—they're almost identical to Titans. They could be from the same line for all we know."

"Prospera Mercury?" Norea repeated, her eyes widening. "I've heard that name before. She's the woman who supplied the Gundams, the one who contracted them out to us."

Aiden's eyes widened, then narrowed as his mind raced. But before he could respond, Norea pressed on, her voice demanding. "How do you know her?"

"There's a lot you don't know, Norea," Aiden began, his voice strained, but then he doubled over, clutching his head as a wave of pain overtook him.

Norea reached toward him. "W-What's wrong with you?" she stammered, but just then, the same blinding pain surged back through her. "N-Not again," she gasped, as a bright blue light began to bloom around them, shifting to pure white, like waves crashing against a sandy shore.

The light arced above them, spilling warmth that felt timeless, as if the presence of countless ancestors enveloped them. Through the brilliance, vague figures appeared—faces and forms that spanned ages, flickering in and out of focus.

"Oh my god…" Norea whispered, tears forming in her eyes as she felt herself drifting among the vastness of human existence.

While Norea was overtaken by fear, Aiden's face broke into a grin, as if he could glimpse the full potential of humanity. "W-What is this?" she asked, almost in awe.

"Resonance," Aiden replied, his voice filled with wonder. "The doctor at the Vanadis Institute…she believed humanity was evolving. She called it 'resonance'—true understanding."

Norea's eyes widened as she reached out, her hand trembling in the luminous haze. "Human understanding?" she murmured. "So…people really can grow to understand one another?"

Aiden let out a laugh, his eyes closed, taking in everything—the beauty, the horror, the unity. And though Norea recoiled from the feeling, deep down, Aiden sensed she was learning—that she was beginning to understand. It was okay to be afraid, he realized, but someday, everyone has to face who they are.

"These are just memories," Norea rasped, her voice breaking.

"No," Aiden said, shaking his head. "All of us—from the very first to walk the Earth to Neil Armstrong. Humanity, the universe…we're vast, and we're powerful. Space truly was the final frontier."

Norea's face twisted with frustration. "So, leaving Earth was the right choice?" she snapped.

"No, Norea," Aiden replied, his tone almost gentle, as if explaining something fundamental to a child. He turned, offering her a smile, pure and sincere. "I know you're afraid. But look—really look—and tell me what you see…"

"Humanity?" Norea asked, her voice uncertain.

Aiden shook his head softly. "Not just humanity. From the very beginning, we came from Earth. That planet created life in all forms, and now, because of the greed of a few, it's being ravaged. Maybe this understanding of humanity…maybe it can reach back to Earth itself. We're different, Norea. Born on separate worlds, victims of war—but we both descend from Earth, and we share this pain. So why should we be enemies? What's the point in killing each other?"

"True human understanding…" Norea murmured, but this time, her tone had softened, losing its edge of fear.

Aiden nodded, meeting her gaze. "We're on the brink of it," he said. "Just take a moment…look within."

And Norea closed her eyes, letting herself open to her mind's eye. "Accept who you are," Aiden encouraged gently.

A flash of tension crossed Norea's face, her eyes—and then her mind—flared with light as Aiden's memories rushed through her like an unstoppable force, ripping away her defenses but leaving fragments scattered, small enough for her to grasp.

She saw his mother, flickering through her vision—a brief, fierce love that faded into the relentless regimen of training camps, cold metal trays, and the sterile lights of med bays. And then she felt it—a pulse of raw power within him, rising like a storm.

"Five…Five…Five," young voices chanted in her head, echoing from Aiden's memories. "Take our rage, take our will, take our pain…and make them understand."

Ghostly figures surrounded her, and through Aiden's smiling face, she saw them reflected in his eyes, demons of the dead calling for vengeance, unable to rest. That chant thrummed through her mind like nails piercing her own thoughts.

As visions collided and twisted in her mind, she struggled to hold on, but each image stuck for only a heartbeat, peeling away like wet paint barely adhering to the walls of her consciousness.

"I…I understand," Norea whispered, her voice tinged with awe as flashes of memories, sensations, and emotions coursed through her, revealing why Aiden was as fractured as he was. The connection between them felt complete, a tangled web of shared pasts.

But then, a memory emerged, unexpected and sharp. "What…is this?" she murmured, her mind struggling to push it away, but curiosity rooted her in place.

"Norea, don't—" Aiden's voice was a warning.

But she pressed on, unable to resist. An image, vivid as if drawn from her own eyes, bloomed before her: the rich scent of smoke lingered on her lips, and across from her was a girl with crimson hair, her skin kissed by the sun. Norea could feel the cool air of a forest brushing against her skin, the faint hum of wildlife in the background. And then, realization struck—Suletta Mercury…Prospera Mercury!

Confusion twisted to fury as the truth hit her. "You think you can just pull the wool over my eyes?" she spat, seething. And in an instant, that beautiful connection unraveled, dissolving into ribbons of severed understanding.

"Norea!" Aiden shouted, reaching out. "Why?" he called again, his hands flailing as he fell, spiraling through an endless void until the stars around him dimmed, fading into blackness.

When Aiden next heard Norea's voice, he was back in his Gundam, his vision clearing. His heart sank at the sight of his peg arm—too harsh a reminder of what he'd lost, what he used to be.

"Winters," she addressed him sharply, her tone dripping with hurt beneath the anger. "Stay away from me and Sophie." Her voice cracked as she gritted her teeth. "The only reason I'm not finishing this now is…" Her words trailed off in bitterness as she turned, blasting away from him.

Just then, a blazing trail of blue rockets fired from the hangar. Aiden's eyes widened. Suletta was knocked out cold, and he knew the other pilot was out of commission. He hadn't finished the job. Now, he had no choice but to handle Norea first.

Without another word, he turned and shot back toward the hangar. Norea, with a heavy sigh, redirected her Gundam to where Sophie's unit hovered.

"Sophie, are you okay?" Norea called out, worry thick in her voice.

"Never better," Sophie croaked, blood splattering against her helmet, so much that she knew she'd need a fresh one. "What the hell was with those two? Those had to be Gundams…"

"Sophie, let's just leave," Norea interrupted, her tone curt and final.

Sophie's Gundam turned toward Norea. "Leave?" she questioned, eyes narrowing as she glanced at her Gundam's limp left arm and legless frame. The only thing keeping her mobile now was the rapidly leaking propellant. "We still need to kill that bastard," she muttered. "The only reason I didn't finish it was…"

She gritted her teeth. "They're probably heading for an escape pod or something. We'll wait and—"

"Sophie," Norea interjected, her voice steady but firm, knowing exactly how Sophie could get on these missions. She took a deep breath. "This battle's been raging for hours. If you want to chase them, fine…but who's going to get Marty?"

Sophie's eyes widened, cutting through the haze of battle fury. "Sophie, your mech is barely holding together," Norea continued, her tone softer. "You're relentless, but we can't keep doing this. Let's get Marty and leave it all behind—that's what you two wanted, wasn't it?"

Sophie's gaze drifted to the hangars, the distant docking bay, and finally, the ship. But, to Norea's shock, instead of heading toward Marty's ship, Sophie braced herself, readying her Gundam to dive back into the depths of the Plant.

"Sophie, enough!" Norea shouted.

"Why are you hesitating?" Sophie snapped. "This is the guy who ruined our lives! The Legion wanted the Plant attacked—this was the real mission!"

Norea grimaced but didn't have time to respond. Her eyes widened as the scarlet bronze glow of heat began to ripple across the Plant's surface. Sophie and Norea watched the scene in awe and disbelief.

"It's already breaking up in the atmosphere," Sophie observed.

Norea's face paled. "I thought Travis's plan was just to cripple it, leave it adrift…"

"No kidding," Sophie replied, her voice edged with disbelief as more mobile suits, some even from Earth, ascended to meet the plummeting Plant, while Legion suits began to swarm toward the adjacent hangars.

"Norea, what is going on?" Sophie asked, her eyes darting across the unfolding chaos. "They're just going to burn up out there."

She started to nod but hesitated, her mind racing. "Theoretically…they could ride it down, use the Plant as a shield to crash into Earth with their suits intact…"

Sophie's eyes widened. "They're actually going to crash the Plant into Earth," she murmured, the realization settling over her with chilling silence.

Norea's voice came low and hesitant. "Maybe it'll break apart in the atmosphere…"

"That would be a disaster," Sophie said, dread filling her voice. "It'll rain debris—and if it hits…centered on…"

Norea's fingers flew across her Gundam's controls, running calculations. Her eyes went wide as the data filled the screen. "If it keeps its trajectory, it'll cut an arc straight through Europe."

"Oh, hell no," Sophie declared, gripping her controls tighter.

They both stared at the smoldering edge of the Plant, watching the enormous structure edge closer to the point of no return. Norea glanced at the battered chassis of her Gundam, the breached cockpit that had barely held. But there was no hesitation. Together, they ignited their thrusters, hurtling forward in a desperate bid to intercept and halt the Plant's deadly descent.

Miorine

"Kill her!" her father shouted, his voice echoing as the Aerial slowly rose.

"Suletta…," Miorine murmured, her eyes fixed on the towering machine, steady now on its two massive feet.

Suletta had already discarded her helmet. A shard of glass, faint but sharp, had nicked her just above her brow, leaving a thin line of blood trickling down her face. Amid the chaos, her hair tie had come undone, releasing dark locks that tumbled free from their hold.

Gritting her teeth, Suletta felt her mother's words, Aiden's words, hammering through her mind. This was an enemy Gundam—a killer. But this was different, far more dangerous than any she had faced before. Aiden and her mother would be proud of her for this victory, for ending this threat.

With a determined glare, she raised her only good arm, drawing her final beam saber. The weapon snapped to life, its light casting a stark glow as she moved forward, each step a heavy crush against the fractured floor of the destroyed hangar.

"Kill that monster! Destroy it!" Delling's voice cut through the din. Suletta felt weariness press down on her shoulders; she wanted this day to end.

Then, Aiden's words and his familiar smile flashed in her mind. If she finished this, if she rid the world of all its enemies, those she cared about could live long, peaceful lives. She raised the beam saber toward the brown-orange mech, which now had its cockpit partially open, the emergency lights inside flashing a furious red.

However, as Suletta raised her beam saber…

"Suletta, stop!"

A new voice cut through the static. Miorine's face was streaked with tears. "Suletta, just stop!" she shouted. "It's over, you won! Do you really think she can fight in that thing?"

Suletta took a shaky breath, the beam saber still raised. She enlarged the cockpit image and peered closer—a small figure came into view, barely visible through the breach. A girl, she realized, voice soft. But the Aerial's systems flared red, radiating a strange, intense malevolence, as if her machine itself sensed a threat. She could feel the trigger pulling, almost of its own accord, as if something deeper within the Aerial was compelling her to strike. I need to oil these damn controls, she thought, trying to steady herself.

Inside the shattered cockpit, the girl panted, lines of Permit energy pulsing through her with a fierce, unnatural glow. Suletta's eyes widened just as the girl activated her back thrusters, blasting free from the hangar and rocketing upright.

"Aiden…" Suletta whispered, her eyes darting to Miorine and her father. She was torn—should she stay and protect them? They were the last ones she needed to find; now, she and Aiden could finally leave. But that girl…she was still out there.

"D-Don't worry about the boy…" Delling's voice came weakly from where he lay, his face pale as blood seeped beneath him.

"Father," Miorine murmured, steadying him, her arm wrapped tightly around him. His gaze was unfocused, drifting as if he could barely cling to consciousness. "That one…too damaged…no fight left in her." His words trailed into a coughing fit, blood speckling the inside of his visor. Miorine gripped him tighter. "They won't be able to stop him now. He's too strong."

Miorine felt his weight sag in her arms. "Dad…Father!" she cried, struggling to hold him upright.

Suletta's eyes filled with urgency. "Miorine, hop onto the Aerial, and I'll—"

Suddenly, a massive blast rocked the hangar. The Aerial swayed under the impact as Miorine gripped her father with desperate strength, lifting him with a surge of adrenaline. "There's an escape pod close by…get out of here, Suletta!" she shouted.

With one last look, Suletta turned, tearfully punching the thrusters and blasting out of the hangar. Her monitor filled with smoke as she wiped her eyes, voice trembling. "S-She'll be f-fine, right, Aerial?" she whispered.

The Aerial glowed with a gentle yellow light in response, and Suletta managed a small, tearful smile, steadying herself. Her monitor flickered, and Aiden's white Gundam appeared, racing toward her as they both took in the massive structure below.

"It's falling into the atmosphere…" Aiden muttered, his eyes widening. "Holy…where is this thing going to hit?"

They watched as the colossal, mechanized landmass—a remnant of their fractured world—hurtled toward Earth, its edges burning and disintegrating. Together, the heirs of the stars looked on as their birthright disintegrated around them.

Guel

"Fucking stand still and die already!" Guel Jetturk shouted, his voice crackling through the comms as they hurtled back into the heart of the battlefield. Amid the chaos, friend and foe alike were too distracted by the larger war to notice the personal clash raging between the two Gundams.

Caught in the haze of combat, they tore through the enemy forces. Marty's missile payload erupted, rending through what remained of the battered plant, and he grinned, satisfied to see no more purple glints from Jetturk designs among the wreckage.

Meanwhile, Guel's beams had already cut down countless Zakus, his focus shifting only as Marty charged after him, their battle illuminating the dark cosmos in fierce, erratic flashes.

With a fierce jab, Marty slammed down on his red button. The great cannon fired, sending rockets streaking like bullets toward Guel. But Guel anticipated the move, cutting his engines and letting inertia carry him out of the missile's path, his Gund-Bits whirring into formation. They fired an array of green torrents, intercepting the missiles and shrouding Guel's Gundam in a cloud of smoke and debris.

Guel gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing at the status of his Gund-Bits. A low growl escaped him as Marty's mocking voice pierced the silence. "You're a real slimy bastard, Guel Jetturk…a real slimy bastard!"

Marty hit his thrusters, using the charred remains of his shield to gain momentum. With a strained yell, he raised his left arm, his lasers searing through the metal with an intense heat. "Damn you, cocksucker!" Ensign Marty howled.

In a final burst of power, the two pilots collided, their Gundams slamming hard into one another. They ricocheted apart, propelling back into the vast, star-studded darkness as the relentless battle raged on.

"EDF…EDF…EDF!" the chant crackled through the comms, echoing from every channel. Guel's head snapped up, his smile widening with a thrill that shone in his eyes. "Reinforcements from Earth!" he chuckled, his voice deepening with satisfaction as he called out, "Reinforcements from Earth!" The words echoed like a battle cry.

Pilots from his father's company and the weary plant militia responded with wild cheers, their morale ignited. GMs and Nemos soared into the skies, three colossal warships leading the charge, unleashing fire upon the Legion's fleet. Guel let out a triumphant laugh, watching as the green-armored battleships opened fire on the Legion warships.

In the cockpit of his Gelgoog, Travis's expression froze as he peered through his viewports, disbelief darkening his gaze. How could a one-sided battle twist into this?

"Commander, should we fall back?" a lieutenant in a beige Zaku asked, his voice taut over the comms.

Another voice chimed in, "We could pull back to the plant…or take shelter on one of the warships. They'll absorb the descent."

A dry chuckle broke through the channel as Travis's eyes stayed locked on Guel and Marty's ferocious duel, and on the looming vessels closing in.

"Commander Travis, what are your orders?" one of his men pressed. "They're advancing fast, and we're massively outnumbered…"

"Let the Gundams tear each other apart," someone muttered.

Travis's lip curled into a smirk. "That green machine—that's Marty in his Full Armor."

A familiar, gruff laugh echoed back. "Then let them finish each other off."

As he focused on the largest warship, Travis watched as one of their own, The Eons of Harmony, ruptured, breaking apart in fiery streaks as it plummeted toward the atmosphere. Another Legion vessel, badly damaged, still powered forward, throwing everything it had into the chaos—guns blazing, mech suits and titans spilling out in all directions.

Guel leaned back into his thrusters, grinning as he saw Marty's Full Armor Gundam hesitate in the face of the EDF forces, edging back. Guel's smirk darkened as he flexed his fingers over the controls. "Don't back down now," he taunted. "The fun's just beginning! Now it's time to strike back!" He surged forward, slamming his throttle and taking the offensive as Marty reversed course.

"Commander Marty!" crackled a young voice through Marty's comm.

"Lieutenant, status report!" Marty barked, his brows knitting as he recognized the unfamiliar tone—a voice tinged with youth, sharp with anticipation.

"This is Private Joe!" the voice crackled through the comms, high-pitched and frantic. Marty could hear the panic, even the tears. "The Lieutenant took a beam saber—everything's got beam sabers and beam weaponry! That damn blue suit!" Joe's voice pitched higher, caught between a scream and a sob. "We've been firing everything—machine guns, rockets—nothing's even made a dent! Three Zaku units… three damn Zaku…" His feed cut out abruptly.

Marty's eyes widened. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath, feeling the walls of the plant collapse around him. A flash of Sophie came to mind, just for a second, but he forced the thought away as quickly as it appeared. There was no room for distraction.

A beam blast tore across his shield, searing through part of his forearm. "Damn it!" he yelled, seizing his beam saber and hurling it at Guel.

Guel's visor flared with smoke as he braced himself. But Marty's fingers were quicker—he fired his beam vulcans, and the beams collided with the saber mid-air, creating a thick haze of smoke.

Within the fog, a Zaku lunged at Guel, heat hawk swinging down. Guel dipped and countered, slicing cleanly through the suit with his beam saber.

Marty took the opportunity, blasting away and rounding a corner, his eyes scanning the scene. Bodies, debris, flickers of suit parts scattered—he felt the disquiet settle in his chest. Among the wreckage, he spotted a rifle, one eerily similar to Aiden Winters'. Abandoned by a Nemo or GM, it was there, ready. Grabbing it, he let the silence close in around him, eerie and pressing. Somewhere out there, Guel Jetturk was lurking, just out of sight. The battlefield was littered with death, smoke clinging to the wreckage, and Marty knew he had to pick his moment, strike hard. He had two shells, a final payload, a beam saber, and this rifle. It would be enough.

Guel, meanwhile, took in the wreckage around him, stretching out his Gundam's limbs as he surveyed the scene. Nemo and GM units were picking off stragglers with ruthless efficiency.

"Good job!" Guel called out over the radio, nodding to the remaining troops. They turned their gazes to him, acknowledging.

Switching channels, Guel tried again, "Guys, how's everyone holding up?" Silence met him—an eerie, complete silence on the joint Jetturk-Militia frequency.

Guel's throat tightened. "This is Guel Jetturk," he said, his voice carrying an edge of desperation. "I need a report. Who's left out there? Injuries, survivors… anyone?"

He was still met with silence. Guel's eyes widened. "No, I—I… I can't be the only one left…" His voice trailed off as he turned his gaze towards the edge of his Gundam's display. For a moment, he tried to look away, to ignore what was in front of him, but there was no escaping it.

The GMs and Nemos, even the warships—they were opening fire on everything. Not just the Legion forces. No, they were targeting Jetturk and the plant's militia too. Guel frantically switched his radio frequency, horror creeping into his eyes as he heard the desperate voices cut through the static.

"There isn't enough air here!" someone screamed.

"Clear a path! Get women and children in space suits now!" another voice yelled, only to be abruptly silenced. Guel's radio fell into static as his horror grew, watching as more EDF mobile suits turned their visors toward him.

One of the orange EDF suits drove its beam saber through a Legion-class titan, tearing it apart before locking its gaze on Guel. He felt the weight of the pilot's stare, as if assessing him, judging. To them, he was an outsider—the boy in the Gundam.

Guel flicked on his radio, desperation thick in his voice. "What are you doing?" he shouted. "Those are civilians! Plant militia, members of my father's company—" His words cut off as laughter echoed over the channel, dark and mocking, as if he'd just told the galaxy's cruelest joke.

"You think this is funny?" he yelled, gripping his Gundam's controls tighter. "Killing innocent people, children—how do you justify that?" His second beam saber snapped to life, his mace now strapped to his back. Both sabers were drawn, his voice tinged with tears and anger. "The Legion is our enemy! Aren't we all on the same side? Why are we fighting each other?"

One of them sneered, the voice dripping with disdain. "Stop fighting? You think you still call the shots?" It was a woman's voice, cold and mocking.

Another voice, this time from an older man, echoed through the radio. "You think you can destroy our world, pollute it, ravage it without consequence?" The old man's tone was seething, weighted with grief. "I lost my daughter to you bastards. Now, you'll feel our hate!"

Then, like a wave, they charged at him, their engines blazing scarlet, fury propelling them forward.

Accusations filled the comms, cutting through the static with searing rage. Guel's eyes widened, confusion mixing with pain. Why did they hate him? What had he done to deserve such hatred? Couldn't they see who the real enemy was?

"You think you can burn our homes, kill our friends, limit us, separate us—and that we wouldn't come for you?" someone roared.

A feminine chuckle echoed through. "Kill this Benrett scum," she sneered. "We finally have our weapons. We finally have our unity. Now it's time to take back what's ours!"

Guel gritted his teeth, bracing himself as he gripped both blades. The EDF had come, forces from the ravaged lands of Old Earth—what was left of America, Europe, and Asia—united in their fury. They were ready to kill any Spacians who stood in their way, driven by a fierce desire for independence.

An independence that, Guel knew, would not come without a brutal fight.

Norea

Norea and Sophie watched the Gundam plummet, its frame scorched by the atmosphere as they free-fell at full thrusters. Around them, more GMs and Nemos swarmed, slamming into the hull as if the trajectory had destined them for a mass-casualty event.

"Increase your level—now!" Norea shouted, her eyes widening. Those strange, intensifying feelings had only grown sharper, stronger, more undeniable as they fell.

As they listened to the frantic voices of the other mechs and soldiers fearing their descent, it was their Gundams that struck the hull with brutal force, thrusters blazing. Both girls roared as they felt the plant creak and strain under the surge of their combined strength.

Sophie growled. "We should've blasted this thing to pieces!" she shouted.

Norea coughed, blood spotting her visor as she winced. "We couldn't. That would've scattered debris across the whole damn world." She sneered, defiant. "The damage isn't worth it. We can do this!" she shouted, clutching onto that conviction.

Yet she could feel it all—the groans, the roars, the fear. She could feel their willpower, the voices of the dead… and within that moment, she reached a higher focus, elevating her permit level, her pulse drumming with a shared strength beyond herself. In her mind's eye, through that eerie connection, Norea felt the clarity of her evolution: she was a NewType, a silent testament to humanity's next stage. Aiden Winters and his so-called "druids" might have come first, but they were a generation too early. For Norea and her kind, the struggle was only beginning.

Aiden's words, the Doctor's vision—dreams of a universe united by understanding, a golden age of peace straight out of science fiction—floated somewhere in her mind. She almost admired it, yet what did it mean for someone like her? She was a warrior, and so was Aiden. Two NewType warriors, fated to know only battle.

Norea shook her head, grounding herself. She knew who she was. This power was a weapon, a boon, like the Gundam's permit itself. Let Aiden speak of peace if he wanted. She had a mission, and she was here to see it done.

As if summoned by her will, Aiden burst into the fray, his impact against the Plant reverberating with such force that everyone present felt the shockwave. He pushed the Calibarn Chimaric to its limits, throttling it to the edge of its capabilities.

"You…you came, Aiden?" Norea's voice was faint, weighted by pain.

Aiden grimaced, catching Sophie's gaze as her expression morphed into a swirl of disbelief and confusion. "The f—Norea, you know this guy?" she demanded.

"Doesn't matter now! Push this thing, together—now!" Aiden shouted, slamming the throttle forward. His left arm and leg pulsed with a strange, phantom pain, as though they might rip away at any second. But he reminded himself—it wasn't real. This entire world was different, a second chance. Here, he could fix what was broken, become the hero they needed—a true NewType.

His eyes flickered over the console. The Calibarn's permit system surged through the synthetic nerves woven into his body. He could raise the level…he could push it further.

Thoughts of Suletta flashed through his mind—the time before he'd left, before things had turned intimate, when she was just his friend. He remembered the sunlight glancing off her skin, her teal eyes, and that wide, carefree smile as he handed her a blue-stacked ice cream cone. Miorine, Deacon, Jack, Oscar—all of them, his friends from Harmony House and Earth House, even Norea through their shared ordeal… They were part of him now, these memories like sparks from a clashing saber. This was their home, and he would defend it.

Aiden began to increase the permit levels. At first, nothing—not even a flicker at level four. But by level five, a stiffness prickled in his nub, as if something were squeezing it. As he climbed to level six, then seven, the sensation intensified. But it was at level eight that the pain truly settled, a searing ache that made his breathing grow shallow and unsteady.

Sophie and Norea exchanged glances, their eyes widening as the Plant's shift began to reverse, forced back by the combined power. Norea's voice, barely a whisper, escaped her. "Aiden…"

"It's moving… it's moving," someone breathed, their voice breaking with relief. An exhausted, pain-laden laugh coursed through the comms as the realization took hold.

"We can do this! We can make it!" another voice shouted as Aiden pushed harder, cycling through his permit levels. His heart pounded with such intensity at level ten he thought it might burst.

"S-so, this is the power of the device," Aiden gritted out, the permit lines blazing across his body. "This… this is what you felt… all that time ago." His mind flashed back to when he was thirteen, to the day he lost his limbs to a Gundam pilot. He realized now that the pilot had likely endured this same, bone-deep agony.

"It's moving!" Norea gasped, a mixture of alarm and resolve in her voice.

But Sophie wasn't shouting in relief—she was yelling in pain. "Norea, it's getting hotter in here—too hot!" she cried out.

Norea's eyes widened. "Sophie, your cockpit took a lot of direct hits, and…,"

"Well, maybe if that psycho didn't…," Sophie gritted her teeth, her voice breaking as a strangled laugh burst from her lips—a manic, hollow sound that sent a chill through Norea.

"Sophie," Norea whispered, the fear in her voice trembling.

"It's fine, Norea," Sophie murmured coldly, and Norea sensed she'd activated yet another level. "We're just orphans. What are the lives of two girls if our home is going to be wiped out?"

Norea swallowed hard. "Sophie…" she said again, her voice cracking.

Then her gaze shifted, distant and wide. "Marty… Ensign Marty," she said, almost in a daze.

"Ensign Marty?" Aiden interjected, his eyes widening. "Marty Moreno, of the Nexus 65th? How the hell do you…?"

"He's out there," Norea murmured, her voice soft with something close to reverence. "I see him… surrounded by shades of purple and gray, fighting for his life while the greatest tragedy of our race unfolds around him." She gasped, a surge of realization filling her. "They're both there—those two men…"

"Who?" Aiden pressed, brow furrowed. "Who's he with?"

Norea hesitated, then, almost reluctantly: "Guel Jetturk."

Aiden's eyes went wide. "He's here too…"

"And piloting that cursed machine," Norea added, "the same Gundam from back then…"

Aiden's expression darkened. "Guel's Gundam?" He sneered. "How the hell did he get his hands on that?"

At once, both of them seemed to reach the same conclusion. With three of them, they had a chance. Already lost in the upper atmosphere, they could see the GM units frying, the Nemo suits struggling and withering in the heat.

Aiden sneered, and he and Norea locked eyes, knowing exactly what needed to be done.

"Guel Jetturk!" Aiden's voice tore through the comms, his demand echoing with raw power.

Norea followed, slamming her comms button with fierce determination. "Ensign Marty Moreno!" she cried.

Their voices reverberated like a deep resonance, amplifying through the void, their call booming forward as if from a cave's entrance. Their message was clear, a plea bound by fate.

"We need you!"

Guel

Guel heard the blip first—a faint signal lost in the haze of the battlefield—but he barely paid it any mind. He had dealt with the EDF stragglers, and now… the battlefield was eerily silent. Below, he gazed toward the free-falling plant, watching as red streaks flared along its hull. Mobile suits from both sides were scrambling, some rushing toward the escape routes, others straight into the fray. Guel's brow furrowed as he struggled to make sense of the chaotic scene, until…

"Who is this?" he demanded, flicking on his comms.

"Guel!" Aiden Winters' voice cracked through the static.

Guel sneered. "Winters. What the hell do you want?"

"G-Guel," Aiden's voice faltered, splintered by static. "W-…n-…d… need—"

Guel slammed his hand down on the console, cutting the transmission short. His gaze shot back to the blast trail of the Full Armor charging toward him, signaling the final standoff. Aiden's fractured plea vanished, and in its place, the comms burst to life with a voice filled with cold, mocking intensity.

"Come forth and get slaughtered!" Ensign Marty's voice declared with a low menace as he powered toward Guel, ignoring the fiery descent of humanity's birthplace.

In another comm channel, Norea's anxious voice crackled to life, pleading for Marty to pull back. "Marty, we need you, the plant is…!"

Marty growled, snapping his comm off. "Enough, Norea. I'm working," he muttered, coldly brushing her aside. A moment of tense silence filled his cockpit before he clenched his fist, steadying his nerves.

"It's time to end this," he declared, his eyes sharpening as he zeroed in on Guel. "A mutt like Guel Jetturk should be put down."

Guel's hands tightened around the controls, his heartbeat steady, mind clear. He didn't sneer back or offer his usual fire. Instead, he thought of Felsi, of Kami. A calm determination settled over him. Without hatred, without regret, he spoke into the empty expanse between them:

"You will die here, Ensign Marty Moreno."

Guel Jetturk spoke, as, almost like a comet…the plant was heralded towards the Earth.

Aiden

"They're not going to come," Aiden murmured, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Yeah," Norea replied simply.

Aiden scanned his surroundings. Even within the reinforced cockpit of the Calibarn, he could feel the heat intensifying, and Sophie's labored breaths echoed rhythmically in his ears.

Suddenly, Sophie erupted in a scream.

"Sophie!" Norea yelled as Sophie's Gundam burst into a blazing red light, as if submerged in molten fire.

"Sophie, pull out!" she pleaded.

But Sophie sneered. "So, Marty and that kid won't come? They'd rather keep up their damn pissing contest while millions are on the line? Fine. I misjudged them," she spat, her words venomous. "But we can do this."

"Sophie, enough is enough!" Tears welled in Norea's eyes. "I don't want to lose you."

"I know, Norea, but this is bigger than us!" Sophie shouted, their visors now awash in a deep bronze glow. Aiden's eyes widened as everything seemed to slow, alarms blaring across the Calibarn's dashboard.

Sophie cried out in agony, her pain rippling through the comm.

"Sophie!" Norea's gaze flicked down to Earth, then to her friend's Gundam.

"I'm so sorry…" Norea whispered, releasing her grip on the Plant as she hurtled forward, colliding with Sophie. Her Gundam's arms wrapped tightly around Sophie's, engines igniting in a desperate blast as they arched along the falling Plant, which now resembled a massive, churning tornado of melting metal.

Breathless, Aiden looked around. Now, it was only him. "Guel!" he shouted. "Guel!" But there was no answer.

"The one time…the one damn time we could've…"

He lowered his head, his eyes tracking the Plant's descent. They were within Earth's atmosphere now, orange clouds blazing beneath him. Warnings flashed across his display, but he knew the reinforced armor of the Gundam would hold—for a while, at least.

Through the haze, he saw the flurries of clouds, the sun's warm bronze hue rising along the horizon. His eyes widened, a shiver running down his spine as a memory surfaced. He'd seen this very scene before, years ago: the same sunrise, the same sliver of a crescent.

He realized, with chilling clarity, that if he failed, Suletta would find him below, his body broken within the Calibarn, her cheek brushed by his bloodied fingers. His greatest failure, waiting in the aftermath if he couldn't stop it.

"Aiden, I'm sorry…but Sophie is my world." A sob escaped Norea as her gaze drifted to the falling Plant. "I know you understand that."

"I do," Aiden grunted, activating the next level of permit. He roared, pushing back against the force of the plummeting Plant with everything he had.

Norea twisted her mouth in frustration. "Aiden Winters, you fool!" she shouted. "This isn't your world. Don't throw your life away for—"

But Norea was right. Aiden Winters would not die for some prophecy. He surged forward in an arc, chasing her shadow, fighting against the violent currents of atmosphere and the storm of debris hurtling after him.

He skimmed the hull, pushing the RX unit to its breaking point. Sweat streamed down his brow as he flung off his helmet, letting the cool air rush over him. He cut his engines to dive deeper, gliding along the Plant's fractured interior, blasting through its crumbling ruins.

Once such a beautiful place… now riddled with destruction. Aiden Winters and everyone else there would be haunted forever by what happened at Plant Quetta. The lives lost, the scar left on history—it was a weight he felt in his bones. And force, he thought, was a weapon humanity had wielded for far too long.

"Force answers force…" he murmured, dipping his Gundam just as a high-rise tower began to collapse around him. He wove through it, barely escaping. "War breeds war…death only calls for more death… Peace can't be kept by force. Only by understanding." His eyes flashed open, watching as darkness threatened to consume him, the Plant collapsing all around.

He hit the ignition hard, his head slamming back from the force as alarms blared, his machine rumbling as the world continued to fall apart around him. He sped through fragments of the Plant's artificial atmosphere, dodging debris, mobile suits, everything clogging the air like a storm.

There was a belief Aiden held, one he'd shared with Deacon what felt like months ago, up on their manor's roof after his first victory over Guel.

No fate. They decide their own.

He would choose his ending. He understood Norea better than she realized. Sophie was her world, and Norea would give anything to save her. But the difference was…he wouldn't have hesitated, not for a heartbeat.

He and Suletta would be together.

Aiden drew his beam saber, hacking and slashing as debris dented, shattered, and tore into his Gundam. But he fought on, surging forward like a blue comet toward the light ahead. "I…I can do it," he murmured, his mind flashing to Suletta—her narrowed eyes, vulnerable and fierce before him. "I can do it, Suletta!" he shouted.

His eyes snapped open just as a massive piece of debris slammed into his side, followed by another. A third shot overhead, but he slashed it in half, blazing forward. His Gundam's head took a direct hit, leaving it half-destroyed.

"A-Aiden!" Suletta's voice crackled through the comms, panicked. "Where are you?!"

His teeth clenched as a tremendous impact nearly sent him spiraling out of control. Then, a sickening warmth spread across his forehead, and a dull ache pulsed where his head had collided with the exposed metal of the cockpit. He was breathing hard, instinctively raising his left arm—his real arm.

A massive shard of debris struck him then, pitching him into the darkness, spinning wildly, as though he were no more than refuse in a trash compactor.

"Aiden!" Suletta's voice cut through the static.

From the hole above, her teal eyes locked onto him, widening as she took in the damage. His Gundam hung like a broken marionette, limbs sprawled and ravaged, its armor pierced by jagged debris. Its head was gone, shattered entirely. Suletta wrapped her Gundam's arms around the Calibarn, her face set with fierce determination. "Aerial, go!" she shouted, her thrusters flaring to full power as she dragged him up and out of the wreckage.

The Aerial rocketed through the hole in the ceiling, carrying the Calibarn just before fiery tendrils consumed the Plant's interior, the intense heat radiating behind them. Suletta held fast to Aiden's crippled Gundam as they watched the remains of the Plant—the bridge between Earth and space—consume itself in flames.

Chunks splintered off, spiraling out, scattered across the atmosphere, tearing into pieces like a fractured pie. Debris rained down on Earth, and though some may survive, the Legion's will would persist—they had always been tenacious. Now, with a new world and the taste of independence on Earth, only one thing was certain: the spark of what was to come would not be easily extinguished.

Suletta

The battlefield lay silent as Suletta guided the Aerial free of the atmosphere, slipping out of the chaos she'd left behind. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to turn back, to check, to hear Aiden's voice just once more—anything to reassure her. He'd been silent for too long. Her fingers trembled as she unclasped her seatbelt, each movement heavy with dread. She snatched the medkit from above her, barely aware of her own ragged breathing.

"Aerial," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper, "I'll… I'll be quick."

The Aerial's console blinked green, and with a soft hum, the cockpit opened. Stars stretched out before her, their light cold and distant against the silent wreckage floating through space. She could still see flashes of debris and shattered mobile suits. There, in that vast darkness, she knew she'd remember these moments forever. Her heart twisted, breaking through a swell of tears, and she bit back the sobs that built in her throat. She gripped the tether connecting her Gundam to his, her gaze drifting to the medkit in her hand as she forced herself to move.

As she floated to Aiden's cockpit, her hands trembled against the emergency hatch release, her breath quick and shallow. The door groaned open, and she saw him as she always wanted to remember: upright, confident, his face turned toward her with that same knowing smile.

But the door cracked further, fully revealing the cockpit—and reality shattered her illusion.

Aiden's form was slumped, his limbs strapped to the cockpit's controls, blood seeping from the connection points where his mechanical limbs once met his body. His visor was cracked, the web of broken glass streaked with blood and condensation. Through the fractured glass, his eye looked out, swollen and unfocused, as if staring through her into some unseen void. A low hiss of leaking oxygen sounded in the silence, and droplets of blood drifted around him, floating in the zero-gravity space like crimson beads.

As her gaze shifted down, horror clawed its way into her chest. Below his ribs, a jagged metal pipe had punctured his side, thrust deep into his abdomen. It was part of the Gundam's reinforced interior, twisted and sharp. The wound pulsed with blood, every faint breath causing the dark liquid to seep and spin in the cockpit, filling the air with a cold, metallic scent.

"No… no…" Her voice broke, her gloved fingers flying to her face. She tapped her visor, gasping for breath as panic set in, her fingers tracing along her faceplate, desperate for something to feel. Her wide, teal eyes darted over the scene, strewn about in shock and horror, her mind spiraling, barely able to process what she was seeing. She gasped again, fingers curling against her visor, as though hoping to scrape away this nightmare.

Then, the scream tore free, erupting from her throat—a cry so raw, so filled with anguish that it reverberated through her body. "Aiden!" she screamed, the name fractured, stretched in her agony, her heart breaking into a thousand shards. The sound was guttural, primal, an outpouring of her soul, torn from her as if she could pull him back with the sheer force of her voice.

She slammed her hands against her visor, gripping the sides of her helmet as tears streamed down her face. Her breaths came in sharp gasps, each one punctuated by sobs she couldn't contain, a sound of despair so deep it seemed to echo in the silence.