As is the case in most eras throughout the history of the world, when times change, people change. Humankind is no longer a power-hungry race bent on control of the world, or so it seems. Despite the greatest efforts to maintain peace and tranquility, life for many of those living in the Colonies is a constant struggle to get by. Many citizens, seeking some semblance of prosperity in their lives, have once again turned to the Mobile Suits to gain power. Fifty years after the Space Colony Revolution, it seems that nothing is changed. Mobile Suits are still oppressing the Colonies; however, soldiers of the United Earthsphere Alliance, sent in to control the people, are not piloting these new Mobile Suits. These new Mobile Suits are piloted by troubled youths that have discovered the ancient technology, and revived it in hopes of gaining some sort of easier life. They have formed gangs, forming a tighter knit family than any biological relations found in the poverty-stricken world they live in.

One man has come forth with the intention of uniting these warring Mobile Rogue Gangs, and forming them into his own personal army with which to take control of the Space Colonies in hopes of ending the seemingly endless suffering that war has brought to space. However, this man of great wealth and ambition, may lack the sincerity needed to make his stated visions a reality.

The year is After Exodus 249. Vaughn Marisson-Kincayde, soon to be patriarch of the wealthy Marisson Family, has nearly completed his journey around the Space Colonies, gathering as many followers as he can, secretly destroying those that refuse his offer. The four Gundam Pilots, are, as of yet, completely oblivious to the uniting of the Mobile Rogues under Kincayde’s control, and can only find out what they need to know to attack the Mobile Rogues by tapping into their radio channels and tracking their radar signals. They are fueled only by their desire to end the long reign that the Mobile Rogues have had in the Colonies. The stage is set for the ultimate battle to begin once again.

MOBILE SOLDIER N GUNDAM

By: L. Curtis Totty

Riser Caldwell sat in his seat on the empty Mobile Suit Carrier, heading towards Colony GA-85P232, home of several Internet Television Channels owned by the Marisson Corporation. His commander, Vaughn Marrison-Kincayde, had requested his presence. He simply sat there, his eyes closed, resting. He still thought, with bitter angst, of the destruction of his Mobile Suit, which he called the Lethal Injector.

Kincayde, himself, ordered its demolition. The two of them were sitting on the bridge of his ship, the Colonnade, when it happened. A few Mobile Suits pulled it out about a mile away from the Colonnade. Then, the Colonnade’s Main Weapon began its first test, on Riser’s Suit. The enormous beam shot forth, enveloping its target inside a column of energy, reducing it to scrap in seconds. The beam continued forward into outer space, as though the Lethal Injector was nothing more than road-kill fatally unlucky to be on its path. Riser couldn’t help but feel as though his Suit received a dishonorable death. He had distinctly and directly told Kincayde that he didn’t want a new Mobile Suit. If all of the Suits used by Final Judgment were to be made of Neo Titanium, then he wanted the armor on his Injector replaced.

At the outrage of having his Mobile Suit destroyed, Riser immediately asked what was going on. Kincayde replied that it would be too costly to replace the armor on the Injector. It would be a lot cheaper to simply use the parts of the Lethal Injector in the construction of a new, more powerful Mobile Suit.

One week later, the cockpit system for his new Mobile Suit, which Riser had been told would be something called a "Gundam," was completed. He was called in to test his skills on the machine. He remembered sarcastically asking Kincayde if the cockpit system was going to be destroyed after he was done. Kincayde chuckled and answered in the negative.

He was told that his cockpit was going to use something called the ZERO System. The ZERO System was a mysterious system. Normal people were unable to use it correctly. The ZERO System used special connectors that tapped into the user’s brainwaves, enabling the cockpit computer to directly show the pilot the conditions of the Gundam, as well as the conditions of the enemies. It was originally designed only to give the user battle data so that he or she could make faster decisions. The ZERO System was also designed to calculate the possible effects that each decision would have on the enemies, allies, and the Gundam itself. It would relay whatever decision the user was thinking about making back to the user’s brain, telling him what the consequences would be.

However, there was a slight flaw in design of the ZERO. Decisions based on battles were not the only decisions that the ZERO would predict consequences for. ZERO would also show the user the consequences of his decisions in relevance to his every day life. It would show what would happen in his near future if he did not alter his path. It would cause hallucinations in which enemy ships would appear to be the enemies that the pilot was fighting in the back of his mind.

Some theorize that the designer of ZERO actually had this in mind, that it was not a design flaw, but intended. Using the ZERO System enabled one to bring out thoughts in their subconscious, enabling them to get a clearer perspective. Using the ZERO System was beneficial to some, both in and out of battle. But to others, who could not handle and/or accept what they were seeing as truth, it served only as a distraction, and an untimely death.

None of these side effects influenced Riser Caldwell in the least. Kincayde noticed that Riser’s performance with the ZERO simulation had the highest-scoring rankings in several areas including speed, successful-hit rate, and deathblow-dealing accuracy.

Additionally, Riser showed no signs, nor did he give any indications, of experiencing any hallucinations due to the use of the ZERO System. It was as though ZERO knew exactly which part of Riser’s brain to extract battlefield information.

"Lieutenant Caldwell?" asked the pilot of the ship.

Riser’s eyes opened. "Yeah?"

"We’ve arrived at our destination…" replied the young pilot.

Episode 02: This Is My Pilot…

At AM 7:43, Tyrahl Jackson’s eyes opened. He looked around, wondering where he was, then suddenly remembered.

"Damn…" he moaned, as he looked at the blinking cursor on his Gundam’s cockpit computer screen, and sighed. "That’s the last time I play Half-Life for six hours straight…" He rose from the chair and kicked the empty soda can out of the exit bay. He suddenly found himself shielding his eyes as the bright Artificial Sunlight of the Space Colony he was on nearly blinded him.

For a split-second, he forgot where he was. Then, suddenly, he remembered that he was on Colony GA-85P232. He had previously ascertained via the radar on his Gundam Shockwave Storm that a large Carrier would be arriving at the Colony. However, his sensors did not pick up the energy signatures of Mobile Suits, nor did his sensors indicate that any Neo-Titanium on board. He figured that it was probably coming to pick up some sort of cargo. He knew that whatever the cargo was, it was illegal, otherwise the Carrier would be from GA-85P232, and not from somewhere else. "If the Carrier had been built on this Colony, then it would have been built by the SAMLE Squadron. If it weren’t built by SAMLES, then whoever built it would have been arrested long ago."

From this known fact, Tyrahl figured that the illegal cargo was a completed Mobile Suit. The only question left was how it was built. GA-85P232 definitely was not a Natural Resource Satellite, so the materials to build the Mobile Suit were foreign as well. But how could they sneak the material in?

Then Tyrahl remembered. Several empty Cargo Ships flew into the Colony a few weeks before he had arrived, but he could not remember anything about them leaving. The answer became clear. The Cargo Ships were made of the material itself, and were being dismantled and used to build the new Mobile Suit.

"Wait a minute," thought Tyrahl. "If the Cargo Ships were made of Neo-Titanium, why didn’t my sensors pick it up? Is the material something else?"

Tyrahl looked up at his Gundam. "Could they be building a Gundam?" he asked himself. "No…the sensors didn’t pick up any Gundanium either…"

"Just what are you Mobile Rogues up to?" Tyrahl said. He could hear a faint beeping from inside his Gundam, and the eyes suddenly began to glow. He quickly jumped inside. "A whole fleet of Mobile Rogues are on the way…All of them are made of Neo-Titanium…But why would they attack a Colony where their own Mobile Suit is being built?"

Suddenly, another idea popped into Tyrahl’s head. He theorized that the Mobile Rogues were going to attack the SAMLES Members that were guarding the entrance to the Colony. That would allow the Carrier to escape with the new Mobile Suit intact. "And here I was thinking they’d blast their way out…"

He saw the empty Carrier fly over his head. It headed towards the Southeast End of the Colony, also known as the Abandoned Borough. There were sure to be plenty of old, unused Mobile Suit Hangars there, left over from the Revolution. The only thing that stopped this Colony dropping into the status of a Destitute District was the thriving community centered around the Internet Television Broadcasting Company that was owned and nearly monopolized by the Marisson Corporation in the Northwest End of the Colony.

He chuckled. After figuring out all this, Tyrahl knew what his role was, and it was the part he was born to play. "Looks like all I can do is attack the Mobile Rogues that are on the way, at least until the new Mobile Suit shows itself! Maybe then I can steal it for my backup supply!" He socked his fist into his hand, and smiled greedily.

"Mobile Rogues…" thought Lareika Keaghen, as she studied the data that her computer gave her. "Colony GA-85P232 in the F91 Colony Cluster…"

It was to be her first battle using her Gundam Atomsmash Bomber. She had put a lot of time into practicing on asteroids, and was certain that the powerful abilities of her Gundam would help her win the fight.

She had already detected the empty Carrier that was on its way to GA-85P232, and wondered what was going on. All she knew was that she had to take down those Mobile Rogues, but she was going to wait for them to arrive at the Colony, so she might get a better understanding of what their plans were.

The Gundam Atomsmash Bomber took off towards Colony GA-85P232, following the Mobile Rogues that had already arrived at their destination…

Riser Caldwell was brought inside a large, rusty, and visibly decrepit Mobile Suit Hangar. He noticed that there was nothing inside except what appeared to be a large trap door in the middle of the room. "Perfect. Looks like I’m going to be piloting the Mutant Mole Man Gundam…"

"Ah, Mr. Caldwell. Always the joker, welcome!"

"Same to you, Kincayde. Let’s get this over with…" said Riser, without looking up.

"Mr. Caldwell, I’m surprised! I was expecting more enthusiasm on your part!" said Kincayde, as he walked towards him.

"Whatever, Kincayde. Let’s just see this ‘Gundam’ of yours…" said Riser.

"Very well, Riser. I truly do hope you find your new Mobile Suit to your liking. We installed the same cockpit controls as the Lethal Injector, so that you would feel more comfortable. The Injector’s main weapon was also installed, so that your main battle tactics would go unadulterated. Are you ready to see it?" asked Kincayde.

Riser simply nodded.

"Good then," said Kincayde, just before nodding to a technician standing near a large control pad on the wall. The trapdoor on the floor began to slide apart, and from its hidden position beneath the surface, Riser’s new Gundam rose.

The Gundam was of a silver gray color, wearing a large, darkish-gray cloak, with a hood covering its head. Riser deduced that the cloak was designed to protect it from the massive heat during entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The cloak rested on the Gundam’s shoulders and upper-arms, covering the breastplate and leaving its forearms and abdomen visible. Riser watched the technician who brought the Gundam out climb inside. Attached to the left arm of the Gundam was the same weapon as Riser’s old Lethal Injector: a gun with a narrow barrel, similar to a syringe. Unseen by Riser was the Gundam’s incredible secondary weapon.

"This Gundam is actually based on a fifty-year old design that was never used in battle. The Space Colonies originally created it for use against the United Earthsphere Alliance. However, the leader of the Space Colony Revolutionary Militia at the time did not think that this Gundam was suitable for any type of battle…" said Kincayde.

The Gundam’s eyes glowed green…

"Riser Caldwell…"

The Gundam’s fist clenched.

"Meet your new ultimate weapon…"

Several large apparatuses on its back, similar to gun barrels, but rectangular, and of very little width, rose to attention, pushing the cloak up some.

"The Gundam Ghostblade ZERO…"

The apparatuses powered up, and from the Gundam came six enormous Beam Wings, three on each side. Kincayde smiled at it. "It has such an angelic beauty for a bringer of death," he thought.

"Interesting weapons system," said Riser. "What else makes this Gundam different from the old version?"

Kincayde turned to Riser, and prepared to give his speech about his favorite feature about the Gundam. Riser, sensing this, rolled his eyes, pulled up a chair, and popped a can of soda open from Kincayde’s expensive-looking refrigerator.

"Our scientists have discovered a method to combine Neo-Titanium and Gundanium into an incredibly powerful alloy. You get the strength and durability of Neo-Titanium along with the lack of weight and sizable speed and mobility advantage of Gundanium, allowing for an incredibly dense package in a small size. You are looking at the least destructible Mobile Weapon in existence, and you are its pilot. What do you think?" asked Kincayde.

"I think you should keep talking. I haven’t finished my root beer yet," said Riser.

Kincayde chuckled. "Now, Riser, before we continue, there’s someone that I’d very much like you to meet. She’s one of our best soldiers, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy working with her."

Riser turned to see a young woman standing at the entrance to the hangar. She walked towards a grinning Kincayde and an indifferent Riser. "Kincayde, I’d like you to meet your new second-in-command, Miss Slaine. Miss Slaine, this is Riser Caldwell."

"I’m looking forward to working with you, Mr. Caldwell. I’m certain that you will find my troops and any other asset I may have of great use to you," said Miss Slaine. Riser nodded.

"Very well then," said Riser. "So what kind of Suit do you pilot, Miss Slaine?"

"Please," she began. "You can call me…Rannai…"

"All right, guys. We’re closing in on GA-85P232," said the pilot of the Armored Carrier, which had dozens of Mobile Rogues inside, as well as several protecting it on the outside.

"So what’s the mission outline again?" asked a Mobile Rogue Pilot.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself for you idiots?" asked the Armored Carrier Pilot. "When we arrive at the Colony, the SAMLES are going to be there, and we have to fight them until Caldwell can get his new Mobile Suit on the Carrier and get out of there."

"So this is a decoy mission?" asked the Mobile Rogue Pilot.

"Exactly," said the Armored Carrier Pilot. "Now shut up so I can get paid."

Lareika Keaghen could hear them speak with the help of the Stimulus System. She heard all of the details of the mission thanks to the Gundam Atomsmash Bomber’s superior sound reception. She quickly began to formulate a plan. She decided to wait for the Mobile Rogues to begin their attack on the SAMLE Squad, then fly in and stop them. Once the Mobile Suit Carrier showed itself, she would attack it, and try to destroy the new Mobile Suit inside. The Mobile Rogues were getting closer and closer to GA-85P232.

Soon, Lareika would have to make her move.

"I am not going to let myself be reduced to some random guy’s ‘damsel in distress,’" thought Lt. Darlene Millar as she kicked Sgt. Kenneth Michaels into the wall. He fell to the floor, groaning in pain.

"Oh God, Ken! Are you all right?" she cried as she ran to his aid. She helped Sgt. Michaels up.

"My head…" he groaned.

"Jeez, I’m so sorry," said Lt. Millar as she helped him rise to his feet. "I suppose I must have been thinking about something else…"

"Maybe we should cut down on the training for a while," said Sgt. Michaels, grinning. Lt. Millar smirked back. They exited the martial arts gym to their locker rooms, and returned in uniform.

They walked to the Mobile Suit/Soldier Hangars and started to work with the Mobile Technicians fine-tune their Mobile Weapons. The two members of the SAMLE Squadron leaned on the rail of the catwalk near the ceiling of the garage, as the mechanics worked. "Lt. Millar, I’ve been assigned to your Unit…"

"Really?" said Lt. Millar, still staring at her Suit.

"Uh yeah…" continued Sgt. Michaels. "I guess Capt. Carrel figured you could use a few more troops."

Lt. Millar smiled weakly at Sgt. Michaels before turning back to her Mobile Suit.

"Hey are you all right? You’re usually a bit more talkative," said Sgt. Michaels.

"I’m fine, really…"

"If you ever need my help again, connect to my Gundam’s channel, and I’ll come…"

Sgt. Michaels detected a frailness in her voice. He said, sarcastically "Sure. It’s just that I figured you might need some psychiatric help."

"I don’t need any help…"

"You’re gonna need all the help you can get…"

"Well…all right," said Sgt. Michaels.

One of the hangar technicians approached them. "Lt. Millar? Sgt. Michaels?" The two turned towards the technician. "You’ve just received an order from Capt. Carrel. You are both to report to Colony GA-85P232 with your Mobile Suits and Soldiers immediately."

"All right. We’re on it," said Lt. Millar. The technicians were already beginning to patch up all the modifications they were making to the Mobile Weapons. Lt. Millar and Sgt. Michaels rushed down to their Suits.

"Hey, Darlene…" said Kenneth.

"…Yeah?" asked Darlene.

"Whoever has less Mobile Soldiers still functioning after this mission has to buy the other dinner tonight," said Kenneth, grinning.

"Ken, you haven’t held on to a single Mobile Soldier since you got out of the SAMLES Academy," said Darlene, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"So? What do you say?" asked Kenneth, smiling.

"Sorry, Kenneth. I’m going to be kind of busy. I really want to quicken the reaction time of my Mobile Suit when I get back," said Lt. Millar.

"Of course, Lieutenant…" said Sgt. Michaels.

"Maybe some other time," said Lt. Millar.

"Yeah, sure…" said Sgt. Michaels, as he quickly climbed into his Knight Guardian C114 Mobile Suit, and activated his Vanguard Soldier L916s.

Lt. Millar’s Advanced Soldier V325s flew out of the hangar ahead of her, and she soon followed in hot pursuit. Sgt. Michaels’ forces soon left the hangar as well. Their orders were to guard Colony GA-85P232’s entrance. A lot of energy signatures coming from Mobile Suits were appearing in the F91 Colony Cluster Area, and GA-85P232 was the home of an important part of the Marisson Corporation, so of all things, it required the most protection.

Lt. Millar was disgusted with the assignments that she and most of the other SAMLES Officers received. The SAMLE Squadron was practically indifferent to the "Ancient Colonies" because they were old and the people that lived there could not afford to move anywhere else unless their Colony was about to be destroyed. They were usually more helpful to newer Colonies where people of more comfortable incomes lived, but GA-85P232 was one of the oldest Colonies in existence. It thrived because of the long and wealthy Marisson Family line, which helped the economy there flourish.

Nevertheless, an assignment was an assignment, and Lt. Millar would make sure it was carried out. She would make sure that no Mobile Rogues entered the Colony, and with Sgt. Michaels to back her up, there would be no need for the vigilantism of that mysterious young man in the enormous "Gundam."

She looked at her watch, and noticed that she had been training for seven hours straight, including the half-hour at the end with Sgt. Michaels. The time was now AM 6:44. It would take about an hour to get to the Colony.

"Soon, I’ll have to make my move," thought Tyrahl, as he climbed into the Gundam Shockwave Storm. "The Mobile Rogues are almost here, and…What’s this?"

The Gundam Shockwave Storm picked up another Mobile Suit on his radar. This time, it was showing a large percentage of Gundanium in its makeup.

"A Gundam?" asked Tyrahl. Even he could not believe what he was seeing. "Could the Mobile Rogues have really come up with something useful for once?"

Despite this new turn of events, Tyrahl Jackson smiled. He pulled his bandanna off of his head, and pulled back some of the hair on his head until it formed a ponytail that pointed straight up. He binded his hair in this position by wrapping the bandanna around it as though it was a scrunchy. He believed that with his hair tugging at his roots like this, he would be able to think more clearly. "A bunch of Mobile Rogues, a Gundam, and an Unknown Mobile Suit, all after my ass…" He activated the Gundam Shockwave Storm, and it began to power up. "Those are my kind of odds…"

"Why were we even given this assignment, exactly?" asked Sgt. Michaels.

"Several unidentified Mobile Suits are headed towards this Colony, and it’s our job to make sure that nothing gets in," said Lt. Millar.

"I see," said Sgt. Michaels. Suddenly, he saw a space ship approaching from above. He connected to their radio channel. "This is Sgt. Kenneth Michaels of the SAMLE Squadron. Please state your name and purpose…"

"Ah…we’re here to deliver a very important shipment for Mr. Kincayde," said the pilot of the ship.

"Exactly what kind of delivery?" asked Sgt. Michaels.

"A death warrant…" said the pilot, smirking.

The two SAMLE Officers’ eyes opened in shock, as several Mobile Suits suddenly flanked them and fired their weapons on them. The Mobile Soldiers flew in front of the SAMLE Mobile Suits and defended them from the attack.

"Where the hell did they come from?" asked Sgt. Michaels.

"I dunno…but it looks like there are even more !" said Lt. Millar as several more Mobile Rogues flew out of the Armored Carrier. Lt. Millar and Sgt. Michaels quickly returned fire on the Mobile Rogues, but were unable to destroy them.

"Damn it! They’re using some kind of super-powerful armor!" said Lt. Millar, as she watched the Rogues destroy their Mobile Soldiers. "We’ll have to try to evade them, Michaels!"

"Right!" said Sgt. Michaels as he piloted his Mobile Suit towards hers, and the two of them flew towards the Colony. They soon stopped, and found themselves face to face with another Mobile Suit, holding some sort of long staff with an energy blade at the end.

"Crap, we’re surrounded! I’m calling for backup!" cried Sgt. Michaels.

"That won’t be necessary," said the pilot of the Mobile Suit.

"Who are you?" asked Lt. Millar. It was the second that she asked that question that she noticed something familiar about the Mobile Suit’s design. Something about it reminded her of the pilot of that white Mobile Suit she had met before.

"Never mind who I am! Listen, I want both of you to fire your weapons at me right now!" yelled Tyrahl.

"What? Why?" asked Sgt. Michaels.

"No time to explain! Just do it, and get behind me fast!" yelled Tyrahl.

Hesitantly, the SAMLE Mobile Suits and their remaining Mobile Soldiers turned to fire on this mysterious new Mobile Suit. Tyrahl’s Gundam Shockwave Storm absorbed the energy that their guns cast upon his suit, storing it up. After only a few seconds of this, Tyrahl ordered them to move behind him, and leave the rest of the Mobile Rogues to him. The Mobile Suits and Mobile Soldiers quickly complied, and the Gundam Shockwave Storm’s Quantum Receptors were full of enough energy.

"I’ve got to end this quickly before the other two Gundams arrive!" thought Tyrahl. The Guard Cloak on the front of the Gundam Shockwave opened up and revealed the Shade Barrage, which began to fire thousands upon thousands of energy blasts at the oncoming Mobile Rogues. He managed to disable them, and then rushed towards them with his Nuke Glaive, and began to rapidly swing it at the Mobile Rogues, knocking out their systems. "Neo-Titanium is just too damn strong, and these new models are even tougher than before. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to last against them! I just don’t know what to do…"

Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling came over Tyrahl. All at once, he had the memory of a powerful Mobile Suit attacking his own sticking out in his mind. But he didn’t remember fighting this Mobile Suit before. He remembered fighting it…soon… "What the hell?" he thought. He quickly closed the Guard Cloak back over the Gundam’s torso, and held off attacking so that the Quantum Receptors could absorb more power. He activated the Assault Rig, and fired a wave of energy upon the Mobile Rogues. Several more of them were floating in dead space, unable to function. Unfortunately, the more Mobile Rogues he defeated, the more came out of that enormous Armored Carrier. His Gundam was beginning to run low on energy, and the Mobile Rogues were starting to fire less of their energy weapons, and started to use physical force on the Gundam Shockwave. "They must be onto me! They’ve figured out that their giving me energy by shooting at me, so they’re trying to damage the Quantum Receptors! Crap!"

Only a handful of Mobile Rogues surrounded the Gundam Shockwave. It was then that Tyrahl remembered the SAMLE Officers waiting nearer to the Colony. With the remainder of the energy left in his Gundam, he flew back towards them so they could fire at him some more. Unfortunately, the Mobile Rogues were already after them. The rest of the Mobile Soldiers had been destroyed now, and Tyrahl found himself flying to protect the SAMLE Officers from a powerful energy gun blast from the Mobile Rogues.

"Quick! Shoot me some more!" cried Tyrahl.

Lt. Millar and Sgt. Michaels fired the rest of their ammunition on the Gundam, which was not enough for him to fight off the Mobile Rogues. "I’m in it deep now," said Tyrahl, to himself. Suddenly, he saw an enormous light moving towards the area from above. "Is that…? It is! The other Gundam!"

Lareika opened her Full Bombers, and fired several energy blasts from the Burst Particles in them. She shot down several Mobile Rogues as well as the black Gundam that she saw. "That must be the new Gundam!" said Lareika, as she fired upon it.

"The pilot doesn’t seem to realize that it’s giving me energy! Shouldn’t the other Mobile Rogues have notified this Gundam pilot by now? No matter, I’d better leave it that way!" thought Tyrahl. He quickly turned towards the Mobile Rogues and fired his Assault Rig at full power at them. He slowly moved the beam around towards the Mobile Rogues, and managed to knock the rest of them out of commission.

"What is he doing? Is he with the SAMLE Squad?" asked Lareika.

Tyrahl turned up towards the Gundam Atomsmash Bomber and connected to its communication channel. His face appeared on Lareika’s screen, and hers on his. "Are you with the Mobile Suit Gang?" he asked, simply.

"No! Who are you?" asked Lareika.

"There’s no time for that! The new Mobile Suit is…" Suddenly, Tyrahl felt another memory enter his head that had yet to be experienced. It was the memory of a large silver-colored Gundam with enormous wings of energy flying towards him. He quickly turned back towards the two SAMLE Officers, and flew past them towards the Colony. "Over here! Here comes the Carrier with the new Mobile Suit in it!"

"It would appear that the other Mobile Rogues are all out of commission," said Kincayde.

"So are most of the SAMLES Mobile Soldiers," said Rannai. "But what are those two other Mobile Suits over there?"

"Gundams…" said Kincayde.

"Gundams? Like mine?" asked Riser. "Did you build them?"

"No. Those are brand new. I’ve never seen them before," said Kincayde. "Say, Riser…I think those Gundams would be pretty good practice for the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO."

"You want me to take them both out by myself?" asked Riser.

"I would have Rannai help you, but her Mobile Suit, the Hardcore, is not yet complete," said Kincayde.

"That’s fine, Kincayde. I’m off," said Riser. He walked to the back of the Carrier, and found his weapon. He climbed inside the enormous Gundam, and was soon exiting the airlock into outer space. He saw ahead of him two Gundams and two SAMLES Mobile Suits. He decided that it was time for a little target practice. With the Beam Wings fully extended, he dashed forth towards one of the SAMLES Mobile Suits.

In the mind of Tyrahl Jackson, Sgt. Ken Michaels was about to die.

The Gundam Ghostblade pointed the Syringe Sniper at Sgt. Ken Michaels’s Knight Guardian C114. A small red light beam emanated from the top of the Syringe Sniper, stopping on Sgt. Michaels’s Mobile Suit’s head. It fired a long, thin laser at the Knight Guardian, which flew fast and furious. The Gundam Shockwave Storm quickly flew in front of Sgt. Michaels’s Mobile Suit, and absorbed the thin laser into its Quantum Receptor. Surprisingly, to Tyrahl, the tiny little beam gave his Gundam a large amount of energy. The laser had its energy densely compacted into a tiny package.

"Now it’s your turn!" shouted Tyrahl, as he powered up his Assault Rig and fired it at the mysterious new Gundam.

The Gundam Ghostblade ZERO pulled its Beam Wings up in front of it, forming a powerful shield that the Assault Rig’s blast could not penetrate. "What?" cried Tyrahl. "That shield is too strong!"

"Let me handle it!" shouted Lareika as the Gundam Atomsmash Bomber flew forth, and opened its Full Bombers. The Burst Particles flew out. Several encircled the Gundams Shockwave and Atomsmash, as well as the SAMLES Squadron, while the rest surrounded the Gundam Ghostblade. The ones around the Ghostblade fired several powerful energy blasts at it from all sides. The Beam Wings could not protect every single side of the Gundam.

Shaken, Riser moved his Gundam up out of the trap he had been ensnared in, and flew towards the Gundams, pointing the Syringe Sniper at the Atomsmash Bomber. The Atomsmash quickly activated the Burst Particles, forming shields around the Mobile Suits. The Gundam Ghostblade ZERO fired the Syringe Sniper anyway, which was easily deflected by the Atomsmash Bomber’s shield. However, the Gundam Ghostblade continued to fly towards the Gundams, still pointing the Syringe Sniper at them.

"What’s he trying to do?" thought Tyrahl. His "second memory" didn’t seem to be kicking in at the present moment, but for Lareika, the Stimulus System was working its magic. Just as the Gundam Atomsmash Bomber picked up Lareika’s thoughts and transferred them into commands, the Atomsmash could detect Riser Caldwell’s thoughts and relay them into Lareika’s mind.

"If the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO’s Syringe Sniper is anything like the main weapon of the Lethal Injector, then I can power up a super-charged explosion beam and stick the Sniper through their force-field to fire it!"

"Tyrahl! He’s going to stick his weapon through the force field and then fire it! It’ll be too much for your Quantum Receptors to pick up!" cried Lareika.

"Uh…Okay…" said Tyrahl. He guided the SAMLES Mobile Suits out of the way. "How does she know my name…and all that stuff about my Gundam?"

"Damn it!" thought Riser. He saw that his plan to get through the force field would not work the way that he planned. He decided instead to go for the Gundam Shockwave. Just as the Ghostblade began to shift its balance so that it could go after the Shockwave, Tyrahl’s sixth sense kicked in, and he remembered the Ghostblade swinging its Beam Wings into Shockwave’s armor.

"Oh no, you don’t…" thought Tyrahl, as he pointed the Assault Rig at the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO.

"What a fool…doesn’t he realize he’s just going to waste his Gundam’s energy?" thought Riser.

But Lareika could easily see what Tyrahl was planning to do. "All right! You two SAMLE Soldiers are going to have to clear out of here right now! You’ve got to leave this up to us Gundam pilots!"

Without any protestation, Sgt. Ken Michaels and Lt. Darlene Millar began to escape in the opposite direction. Their Mobile Soldiers completely battered, they began to head back to base.

Riser attempted to bring his Beam Wings to the front, to point them straight at the Gundam Shockwave as he flew forward. For a few seconds, Riser was sure that he would win. But then he began to wonder. "Why hasn’t he fired yet?"

As a precaution, Riser decided to stop flying and end this quickly. He began to focus the energy in his Syringe Sniper into a high-concentrated explosion blast. There was just one problem…his Gundam was still going forward.

"Damn it! What the hell is wrong with my Gundam? Why won’t it stop?" asked Riser. He looked up and he could see what the Gundam Shockwave Storm was doing. It began to fly straight down. Suddenly, the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO began to follow it, without any command from Riser!

"That weapon! It’s a magnet! It’s pulling me in!" cried Riser.

"Now that his guard is down, it’s the perfect time for that other Gundam to attack!" thought Tyrahl.

Lareika needed to hear no more. The Burst Particles in her Full Bombers were already pointed straight at the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO. The Particles flew out of the casings of the Bombers, and began to fly straight toward the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO.

"So that’s your little trick, eh? Too bad it won’t work out the way you planned!" Riser pointed the Syringe Sniper straight at the Burst Particles that were heading towards him. He fired an enormous blast, and for a few seconds, it seemed as though all of outer space was illuminated. The huge beam engulfed the Burst Particles, causing a huge chain reaction of explosions. The Gundam Atomsmash Bomber was caught up in the discharge of energy.

"DAMN IT!" yelled Tyrahl Jackson. The explosion pushed his Gundam and the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO into opposite directions. Not even the magnet in the Shockwave’s Assault Rig was powerful enough to keep them all together. While he and Riser Caldwell were relatively safe, the Burst Particles had exploded seconds after being fired, meaning that Lareika Keaghen was in point-blank range.

"God…" groaned Riser Caldwell. "Those guys are a lot tougher than I thought. It would be best if I…called it a day…" The Gundam Ghostblade ZERO headed back off towards the Carrier with Kincayde and Rannai. He wondered how Kincayde would react. For some reason, though, he didn’t think he would be very angry. Who knew? Maybe this entire battle was some sort of test, like Kincayde told him as he sent him off to battle. It definitely seemed like Kincayde’s style to applaud him as he returned from the fight, which was exactly what Kincayde did.

Tyrahl Jackson, however, was not in the most enthusiastic of moods. He activated his communication channel and tried desperately to talk to Lareika. "Hey! Um…Gundam! Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

But Lareika Keaghen could not hear Tyrahl’s desperate cries. The shock of the explosion had sent her to a whole other level. She had been incompletely logged out of the Stimulus System. She lay on her chair, her limbs limp and lifeless, drool cascading out of her mouth; her eyes were wide open with fright and horror. When Tyrahl Jackson got over to her, the same look crept into his own face.

"What the hell was that?" cried Sgt. Michaels as he watched the explosion.

"I don’t know…" said Lt. Millar. "Do you think they survived?"

"Not sure. Those are Gundams, after all…" said Sgt. Michaels. Lt. Millar nodded in agreement. Suddenly, he began to pick up something on his sensors. "The Gundams are all still functional…"

"Heh. I’m surprised that your Mobile Suit is still functional, let alone the Gundams…" chuckled Darlene.

Ken was forced to smile. "You’re right…and we’re not really in a position to go book ‘em, are we?"

"Nope. All of our weapons are shot. We can’t even fly on full power," said Lt. Millar.

"Right. Should we head back to base, Lieutenant?" asked Sgt. Michaels.

"Sounds like a plan," said Lt. Millar. The two SAMLES Mobile Suits headed for Headquarters, fatigue in their pilots’ bodies and Mexican jumping beans in their hearts.

"Very nice for a first battle, Riser," said Kincayde, smiling. "I must say that you and this Gundam seem made for each other…"

"Whatever," said Riser as he crawled into his seat.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Caldwell. I’m sure that the next time you are in battle, I’ll be at your side in my Mobile Suit…" said Rannai.

Riser had nothing to say. He hated losing in battle. The only solace he could find in his mind was that he didn’t have a bunch of members of his old Mobile Suit Gang dead in this one, their blood being his fault for lack of leadership. "When am I going to start ordering around my old Gang again, Kincayde?"

"Well, that’s what I need to talk to you about, Riser," began Kincayde. "You may not get the chance to lead your old troop for a while."

"What do you mean?" asked Riser.

"What I mean is, I’ve been reviewing our forces and I’ve been considering changing around the ranks. Some of your old Death Row members would, I think, work quite well with some of the Bloodline Cutters, or the Electric Kings…" said Kincayde.

"Electric Kings?" cried Riser. "Who in the hell are they?"

"Just some of the other members of Final Judgment. Come on, now…don’t you think it would be good for the children to learn to play well with others?" asked Kincayde.

Riser was feeling as though he was being treated like a child, which ticked him off. He rose to his feet, and stared into Kincayde’s eyes. "You said it wouldn’t be that different if we joined you! Why in the hell have you been screwing everything up?"

"Riser, you forget. I said that you would have to obey my orders," said Kincayde. "And don’t go trying to quit on me. You may pilot the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO, but I have it’s Detonation Switch close to me at all times…"

"Bastard!" yelled Riser. "So this is it then…you’ve enslaved me!"

"Well, to be fair…" began Kincayde. "I’ve ‘enslaved’ all Mobile Suit Gangs, to put it the way you did. The Detonation Switch I have is really just an ordinary cellular telephone. I just dial a special phone number, and then the extension of the specific Mobile Suit I want out of my hair. It self-destructs automatically."

"Where is Death Row?" yelled Riser Caldwell.

"You’ll be reunited with them soon enough," said Kincayde. "Well, with what’s left of them…"

"YOU DESTROYED MY GANG?" yelled Riser.

"Nonsense! I didn’t destroy Death Row!" said Kincayde, chuckling. "You really should relax, Riser. No, most of Death Row is still alive. Unfortunately, some of them were in battle using early models of Neo-Titanium Mobile Suits, which had rather unstable systems..."

"You…put my Gang…into faulty Mobile Suits?" asked Riser.

"They met in battle with the Gundams. The Gundams may not be able to destroy the Neo-Titanium Mobile Suits, but the early Suits’ pilots tried to exert the Suits’ abilities beyond their limits. The Gundams are so fast that the Suits literally fell apart trying to keep up with them…"

Riser’s rage was burning. He was ready to kill Kincayde right then and there.

"…Your gang should feel glad. By testing the Mobile Suits in battle, they saved countless lives. At least they died with honor on the battlefield…"

"YOU! I’M GOING TO…" Riser stopped dead in his tracks. Well, dead was what he would have been if his fist had struck Kincayde’s face, for Rannai’s pistol was lodged in his ear, waiting to fire.

"Good work, Miss Slaine. You’re faster on the draw everyday…" said Kincayde.

"Thanks, sir…" said Rannai, smiling.

"I would advise you to be more cautious and to keep your emotions in check, Mr. Caldwell," said Kincayde, as he reached into his pocket for a small envelope. "It would have been a shame if you were to have died before receiving your first paycheck. Here…"

Kincayde walked back to his seat, and directed the Carrier pilot to hurry up and get back to Headquarters. He felt much safer now, as he heard the sound of Rannai putting her pistol away. Riser had checked out the balance that was on his Cash Card Statement, and was staggered by the enormous deposit Kincayde made to it. He slumped down into his seat, and sighed. He turned to Rannai with a weary look in his eyes. Rannai smiled mischievously at him. "Do you make this much?" he asked. She simply nodded. Riser looked out the window into deep space. "Rich ass…" he moaned.

Lareika Keaghen’s eyes opened up. She looked at her surroundings. She was sleeping on a small bed in what appeared to be a Motel 6. She rose to her feet and looked around, wondering how she got there. The door was wide open and she walked out. Straight in front of her, she could see the Gundam Shockwave Storm and the Gundam Atomsmash Bomber, sitting in the swimming pool. To her left was the pilot of the black Gundam she had just been fighting with, his eyes glanced up at her, then back to staring at the Gundams.

He extended his hand to her. "Tyrahl Jackson…"

She took it, and sat down in the chair beside him. "Lareika Keaghen…" Then, for a split-second, the eyes on both of their Gundams flashed an eerie green, as though acknowledging each other.

Fellow Gundam, say hello to my pilot…

77"<

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