In the year After Exodus 1, human beings on Earth began the migration into the first ever Space Colonies. During this time, the Earth was still divided into separate countries, brought together only by the organization known as the United Nations. Not long after the creation of the Colonies, it became apparent that the growing populations on both Earth and in outer space meant decreased unity among the people. Soon, every advanced country had several of its own Space Colonies, and many began building Colonies for the less developed countries. Eventually, thousands of Colonies would exist in outer space, surpassing the population of Earth itself. The United Nations, finding it more and more difficult to keep control of their respective Colonies, decided to form a stronger federation, known as the United Earthsphere Alliance. It made every Colony in the outer space under United Earthsphere control, rather than each respective country. This changed the lives of many of the Colonies’ citizens, who were directly affected by changing laws that they were not yet ready for. As the feelings of the Colonies and thoughts became more and more individual, protests and other forms of resistance began, forcing the United Earthsphere Alliance to resort to martial law to control certain Colonies. Finally, the time came to strike back.
In the year After Exodus 195, the Colonies declared their independence and formed the Space Colony Coalition, and declared war on the United Earthsphere Alliance. At the end of the Space Colony Revolutionary War, the Space Colony Coalition was victorious, and a treaty was drawn up, granting the colonies the freedom to govern themselves. Peace finally existed between the Earthsphere and the Colonies.
During the war, various new forms of war technology were put into use. Several years prior to the war, the United Earthsphere Alliance, created a new kind of weapon. It was primarily used in law enforcement on the Colonies, primarily designed to take down errant spaceships with the speed, strength, agility, and power proportionate to that of a human. It was called the Mobile Suit.
On the other side of the equation, the Space Colony Coalition’s military designed three variations of the Earthsphere’s Mobile Suit. The first was a specially designed Mobile Suit made from a recently discovered asteroid metal called Gundanium. The new kind of Mobile Suit was appropriately named "Gundam." It was hard to destroy, and was of a lightweight metal, allowing faster speeds and more carry-on weaponry. The second Mobile Suit variation was the AutoPilot Mobile Suit, which was controlled by spaceships, bases, and other large Mobile Weapons. It came to be known as a "Mobile Doll." The variation that followed was, at first, known as the Guided Mobile Doll, for it was controlled by a Mobile Suit with a human pilot, but later became known as a "Mobile Soldier." The automated Mobile Suits of this era were influential in allowing the Space Colonies to obtain victory.
After the war, the Space Colony Coalition provided the United Earthsphere Alliance with the information and technology to create Mobile Soldiers for use in the SAMLE Squadron, although the information on how the automated Mobile Suit technology was originally created was top-secret information and could not be revealed. To this day, the true origin of both Gundams and the Mobile Soldiers remains a mystery.
The year is After Exodus 249. Mobile Soldiers, mankind’s most advanced form of weaponry, has found its only match, in the power of the Newtype. However, the latest developments introduce the notion of Newtypes and Mobile Soldiers working together in battle, forming a truly unbeatable partnership. The question that remains is "Who shall have this formidable advantage?"
MOBILE SOLDIER N GUNDAM
By: L. Curtis Totty
Vaughn Marisson-Kincayde’s spaceship would soon approach its destination. It had just dropped off Riser Caldwell, Rannai Slaine, and the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO on the Colonnade. He was the only one on the Armored Carrier now; the AutoPilot system had been activated. He rested his eyes, thinking of the oncoming, inevitable battle. Within moments, the Armored Carrier arrived at its destination: a lonely Natural Resource Satellite, with a small base affixed to one side. The ship docked in the airlock, and Kincayde stepped out and approached the main corridor, leading to the base that belonged to Dr. Pharragan.
Kincayde walked into the central laboratory, and looked around, noticing papers strewn about, broken test tubes and strange-looking chemicals spilled on the floor. The bulk of his attention was drawn to the enormous wires and cables in the walls, ceiling, and floor. The place looked deserted. He decided to get started.
"Dr. Pharragan…" he said, a little impatient.
"Just a moment…I’m coming…"
An automated chair suddenly rolled up behind Kincayde. He reclined in it, waiting. "Nice place you have here," he commented.
Dr. Pharragan floated down out of the dark corner near the ceiling of his Base. "Comfortable?" he asked.
"I’m a multi-millionaire, Doctor. Of course I’m comfortable," replied Kincayde, with a wry smile on his face.
"Of course you are," said Dr. Pharragan, smiling. "Please, Vaughn…To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"Let me get to that later," said Kincayde. "Tell me, how are the Newtypes?"
"The ones that are piloting the four Gundams that I gave them seem to be faring well. Soon, they should all meet up with one another. Hopefully, they’ll join forces," said Pharragan. "It should serve as interesting research to see how Newtypes react with one another in a natural setting."
"Natural?" asked Kincayde, doubt in his voice.
"You know what I mean," said Pharragan. He crossed from his laboratory to Kincayde’s side. A chair rolled up beneath him, and he sat. "Speaking of research, how is the Artificial Newtype doing?"
"Rannai Slaine fares well with the Hardcore Mobile Suit, at least in simulation. She already has all the highest ratings in any of my troops. In time, she may even surpass Riser Caldwell as a Mobile Suit Pilot, and we owe it all to your special treatment." Kincayde said. "Of course, we can’t see how well she can do in actual combat until her weapons are complete," he added, glaring at Pharragan, who chuckled in response.
"You may think that I am slacking off, Vaughn, but I actually delivered the Hardcore its new weapon system just before you arrived," said Pharragan.
A quizzical look appeared on Kincayde’s face. "What? But…how?"
Episode 03: An Understandable Reaction…
"There it is," said Kenzikou Rainier, looking at the Colony he was approaching. "CY-72D517, one of the earliest Space Colonies remaining. I can’t believe it’s scheduled to be destroyed in two years…At any rate, there’s been some Mobile Rogue activity in there, and I intend to get rid of whatever Mobile Suit Gangs exist there." He tapped a button on his console, thus deactivating the voice journal he had installed on it."
He came closer and closer to the Colony, and decided to kill some time and listen to some of the journal entries he had already made. He reviewed battle information, and began to formulate strategies. He remembered fondly the mistakes he had made in battle when he was still trying to get the hang of piloting Gundam Freakstorm Gear.
"Today, I valiantly rescued a ‘damsel in distress’ from a bunch of Mobile Rogues…"
"Damn," he said, as he quickly turned off the journal’s playback. "I thought I deleted that one…" His hand motioned over to the "delete" key, but stopped short, and returned to the flight control systems. "Oh wait, now I remember why that one is still there…"
"Focus, Ken…" he said, closing his eyes. "Don’t think about…Can’t have any more close calls like last week." He exhaled sharply, opening his eyes wide, wiping the sweat out of his brow. He cricked his neck, and began to concentrate on getting his Gundam in through the airlock. He thought it saddening that the Colony was slated for demolition in three weeks. No, wait…No wait…Not three weeks, but two years. Three weeks ago he met…
"Where are those damn Mobile Rogues?" he shouted, as he entered the Colony. He had forgotten to scan for their profiles with his onboard computer. "There they are…there’s eleven of them that are recognized on the Gundam’s list, but one never seen before." He continued to steadily examine his screen, and saw that the mysterious new suit was made of Gundanium.
"Another Gundam?" asked Kenzikou. "But how…? Did Pharragan…?"
Suddenly, Kenzikou could see on the radar that the Mobile Suits were activated, and moving about. They were all the way on the southern side of the Colony, and it would be quite a flight. "The Mobile Suits must be in battle…It must be a single Gundam being attacked by the SAMLE Squad…Yeah, that must be it…"
Kenzikou could have punched himself if his hands weren’t on the console for this thought. He was hoping she would be there. He was trying to fool no one but himself. "You aren’t listening to me, are you Freakstorm?" He smiled, but after a few seconds, checked to make sure that he hadn’t left the journal dictation on again. He hadn’t, but he decided he was going to try to start talking to himself less.
He sighed yet again.
Deep into the eastern sector of Colony CY-72D517, was a brownstone apartment building with only two floors, which was missing a wall in one of the rooms on the top floor, and had all the windows covered in bars. It was once a housing project, but had long been abandoned. It was now the temporary headquarters of the Mobile Suit Gang known as the Endless Nomadic.
In the basement of this abandoned building sat the Endless Nomadic, playing cards. Their Mobile Suits were safely tucked away in an old storage facility warehouse no longer in use. The Endless Nomadic Gang was constantly in movement, for the SAMLE Squadron had been tracking them for years. They usually managed to stay out of their grasp by killing officers in Mobile Suit battle and making a break for it. Occasionally, they were able to capture SAMLE Suits and use them as their own to trick their enemies. They managed to keep their movements from being trapped through radar jamming systems they purchased. The Endless Nomadic made most of their money by selling the scrap metal and parts of the Mobile Suit Gangs they had defeated, on the black market. Every once in a while, they were forced to threaten to attack the citizens of well to do Colonies, holding them as hostages unless their monetary demands were met. They were usually in and out before the SAMLE Squad could arrive. They worked quickly and efficiently, and would occasionally have to deal with rival gangs whose territories they had crossed into. This particular day was different. They dealt not with a Mobile Suit Gang running twelve or thirteen deep, but a lone, and quite strange-looking Mobile Suit.
Rushing down the stairs into this basement base, was the newest leader of this Mobile Suit Gang, Jared.
"Ay’yo…" he said, calling the other members of the Endless Nomadic to his attention. "Listen up. We just got here in this Colony, but there’s already another Mobile Suit on our tail…"
"It ain’t the Sams, is it, Jared?" asked a member of the Endless Nomadic, indicating the SAMLE Squad.
"Nah, nah…" said Jared. "It’s one I ain’t never seen before. We gotta go check it out. Come on…"
Within moments the eleven members of the Endless Nomadic had made their way to the warehouse where their Mobile Suits were waiting, ready for battle. They climbed in, and activated their Suits while Jared climbed up on the warehouse’s catwalk to press the single button on the console that opened the warehouse’s garage door. As his cohorts walked out in their Mobile Suits, Jared climbed into his, and was the last one to leave.
"Follow me," he said, simply. The Endless Nomadic raced off to the south.
"This looks inconspicuous enough," said Lienfei Nathaniel, trying on a new fleece shirt with a zipper, which he had shoplifted from the department store. It was made by a long bankrupt Nautica brand, but for some reason the acronym "N.A.T.A.K.U." was embroidered in Chinese on the right sleeve. He tried it on over his martial arts shirt, and found it to be a comfortable fit despite the fact that it was slightly oversized on him. He rolled the sleeves back a bit, and found himself able to use his hands again. He began to walk aimlessly out of the store, back towards the Gundam Talonfang Stealth, which, ironically enough, he had been parked right in the middle of the street for all to see. He completely ignored the yells of the salesman he had just stolen from.
"The Endless Nomadic is around here somewhere," he thought. "I’m sure of it…they must know what happened to Rannai…" His Gundam powered up, and lifted off into the artificial sky of Colony CY-72D517. He examined his radar, and saw that the Endless Nomadic was moving towards his location. He figured that it was useless to wait, since he could reach them before they reached him anyway.
"All right, guys…" said Nathaniel. "Here I…Huh?"
"Huh?" asked Rannai Slaine as her eyes suddenly opened up. She had just had a strange feeling in the back of her mind. Knowing not what it was, she tried ignoring it. A Mobile Suit engineering scientist suddenly approached her.
"Um…Miss Slaine?" he asked.
"What is it?" she asked, tersely.
"Did…Did your Mobile Suit always have that huge gun on its right arm?" asked the scientist. Rannai walked over to the window to the enormous hangar where the Hardcore Mobile Suit stood, with an enormous pair of Twin Beam Gatling Guns on its arm. She didn’t understand where it had come from, but suddenly, she received a phone call. She grabbed her cell phone and turned on the video screen to see Kincayde. Kincayde had a half-mischievous, half-serious look on his face.
"Mr. Kincayde, what’s the matter?" asked Rannai.
"Ah, Miss Slaine, how good to see you," he began. "Did you receive the present I sent for your Mobile Suit?"
"Mr. Kincayde, how did that giant gun get on my Suit out of nowhere?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"I had my dear associate send you the weapon using an incredible new technology," said Kincayde. "Think of it as…e-mailing a package!"
"But sir…"
"I’ll explain everything in more detail later…" said Kincayde, a smile creeping across his face. Rannai remembered that this was one of those guys that got a thrill by knowing things that others didn’t. "…But right now I want you and Riser to get over to Colony CY-72D517 right away. I want you to test out your new weapon right away. Make sure you record everything your Suit’s camera sees. Goodbye!"
Rannai hung up, and looked around for his commanding officer. "Sir, I’ve just received word from Kincayde. He wants us to head over to CY-72D517 right now."
Riser Caldwell did not acknowledge his only present subordinate at first. He was sitting in a chair, staring at the floor with his hands clasped on the back of his neck. He muttered something under his breath, forcing Rannai to ask him to repeat himself. "I said…" he began, rather irritably. "What are we supposed to do when we get there?"
"We’ve picked up signals of a Mobile Suit Gang, as well as two unrecognized Mobile Suits," said Rannai.
"The Gundams?" asked Riser, his eyes widening a little.
"I think so, but not the same Gundams as before," said Rannai.
"There are two new Gundams?" asked Riser, standing up. Rannai simply nodded. Riser’s eyelids collapsed on his eyes and he let out a long sigh. He began to walk aimlessly towards the door leading to Colonnade’s hangar, where the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO was waiting for him. "Let’s get this crap over with, then…"
Rannai entered the hangar after Riser, and climbed into the Hardcore. The first thing she saw when she activated Hardcore’s main computer was a strange computer message…
{ "N Weapon System" - v. 2.1
{ Modified by Doctor Pharragan
= 2x Beam Gatling…10000 ammo ea.
= 2x Guided Missile…7000 ammo ea.
= 1x Flare Shotgun…5000 ammo
{{ …Installed. Press any key to begin.}
"I’ve been doing a lot of study on N Weapon," said Pharragan. "I was able to recreate some of its abilities on the Hardcore. I’ll show you what I mean." He rose and began to walk to the back of his Base. Kincayde followed.
"So what exactly can N Weapon do?" asked Kincayde. Pharragan tossed a small, Palm Pilot-like device at him. It floated at him slowly. He caught it, and looked at it.
"That’s a voice activated model. Say ‘N Weapon - Cell Phone,’" said Dr. Pharragan.
"N Weapon - Cell Phone," said Kincayde. Suddenly, the small Palm Pilot began to glow, and it disintegrated. He watched the tiny particles of light swirl around and finally settle in the form of a working cellular telephone. "Amazing. How is that possible?"
Dr. Pharragan stopped in front of a computer, and brought up a screen showing what appeared to be a computer chip. "This is an N Cell. It is a tiny particle that emits and receives radio signals. They’re about the size of a piece of gravel. They are six-sided, so they can lock together in honeycomb formations to form any object. All one has to do is to program the information for the object into the N Cell’s data."
"So the original N Weapon has the same capability?" asked Kincayde.
"Exactly, except right now, it only forms weapons," said Pharragan. "As you can see, ‘N Weapon’ is quite the misnomer," he said, with sarcasm in his voice.
"Of course," said Kincayde. "So you’ll be outfitting the Hardcore with a weapons system similar to the N Weapon?"
"Naturally," said Pharragan. "I’ve already programmed Twin Beam Gatling Guns, a Guided Missile Launcher, and a good old-fashioned Flare Shotgun for the Hardcore’s version. I can post later ones that I develop on my server, so you can download them whenever you need to."
"I see," said Kincayde. "I’ll notify Rannai." He called her on his new cell phone and gave her a vague explanation of what happened, and got off the phone. "So what happens if an N Cell is damaged?"
"It’s made of Neo-Titanium all throughout, so it can’t be damaged beyond repair. Furthermore, there are always several repairing N Cells on standby in case others need fixing. So about five percent of the N Cells that have been developed for the Hardcore’s Main Weapon cannot change shape," said Dr. Pharragan.
"What incredible technology," said Kincayde. "How ever did you come up with such an ingenious device?"
"Didn’t," said Dr. Pharragan. "It’s all in N Gundam."
"Of course," said Kincayde, with derision in his voice. "The Gundam that just popped up out of nowhere?"
"Don’t mock me, Vaughn," said Dr. Pharragan. "N Gundam was discovered, not built."
"Deep down, you’re just another conspiracy theorist, Pharragan," said Kincayde.
"No Mobile Suit, let alone a Gundam, was purely the imagination of some random United Earthsphere Alliance scientist. Gundanium was discovered in N Gundam," said Pharragan.
"And I suppose that Gundams were originally just hieroglyphs on ancient Egyptian pyramids?" asked Kincayde.
"Laugh if you want, but I still don’t think humans had the capability to create the Mobile Suits on their own," said Dr. Pharragan.
"I don’t think you put enough faith in your own species, Doctor," said Kincayde. "You’ve been in weightlessness a little too long, if you ask me."
"Really? Then explain why the computer language used to write the original N Cell code is nothing like anything humans have ever seen before?" asked Pharragan.
"Perhaps it was just some scientist with a little more ingenuity," said Kincayde. "After all, Dr. Pharragan, what has history proven to us about incredible breakthroughs in science?"
"That it’s always a woman or a member of a minority race?" asked Dr. Pharragan. Kincayde laughed.
"I was going to say that mankind is always progressing forward, never back," said Kincayde. "They just need someone to show them the way."
"Like you?" asked Dr. Pharragan.
"Exactly," said Kincayde, as he began to toy with his little N Weapon, turning it into an electric shaver. "Say, when do I get to see this N Gundam in action?"
"It’ll still be a while before it’s pilot is ready," said Dr. Pharragan.
"I thought that N Gundam was a Mobile Soldier," said Kincayde.
"It is," said Dr. Pharragan. "The Genome Newtype controls it from outside."
"How?" asked Kincayde.
"Telekinesis," answered Dr. Pharragan. Kincayde’s eyes grew wide.
"I’d like to meet this Genome Newtype of yours," said Kincayde. "Will you at least tell me this Newtype’s name?"
"Her name is Adrienne," said Dr. Pharragan. "Adrienne Francesca Cortéguez."
"How sweet. You named her after your late wife," said Kincayde.
"Francesca and I always wanted a baby, but we lost the chance when she contracted her cancer," said Dr. Pharragan. "So sixteen years ago I took a Petri Dish and some eggs that I got from her before she died…"
"I suppose you must have had an enormous supply of sperm just waiting to make this baby for the past fifty years, seeing as how you’ve been alone on this rock for all this time," said Kincayde, smiling. Dr. Pharragan exhaled in disgust at his partner’s sense of humor. "So this ‘daughter’ of yours…where is she now?"
"She’s here," replied Pharragan, simply.
"Where?" asked Kincayde. Pharragan walked over to a large door, with a password-protected lock. He keyed in a few numbers, and soon, it opened, revealing an elevator. The two gentlemen stepped inside, and rode to the top of Pharragan’s Base.
"Hey, what’s that?" asked a member of the Endless Nomadic.
"There it is! Hold up!" shouted Jared. The Mobile Suits stopped their flight and landed on the ground. They were standing on an incredibly wide and unused freeway. They had only flown for two minutes, and the Mobile Suit they were facing had flown an hour-long distance in under a second.
Lienfei Nathaniel stood facing the men that killed his friend Donney. He calmly opened the lines of communication to them. "I’m looking for a girl named Rannai."
Jared replied. "Rannai?" he began. "We don’t know anyone named Rannai."
"Don’t you remember the Dragon Slayers?" asked Nathaniel.
"I thought they were all captured by the SAMLE Squad," said Jared. "What, are you one of them?"
"You guys killed their leader while I was in jail," said Nathaniel. "Don’t you remember Donney?"
"Who the hell is Donney?" asked Jared. This new guy’s ignorance was taking its toll on Nathaniel’s patience. "Look, you better roll out of here before we take your ass down!"
"You listen to me right now! One of you had better tell me what happened to Rannai! She was the sister of the Dragon Slayers’ leader!" said Nathaniel.
"We don’t know nobody named Rannai or Donney," said Jared. "So why don’t you just get out of here before we get buck on you?"
"So you’re just another random Mobile Suit Gang then?" asked Nathaniel. "Then I guess it’s time to take you down…"
"Wh…What?" exclaimed Jared.
The Gundam Talonfang Stealth pointed its Hydra Fangs at the Endless Nomadic, and the Caloric Cables extended at an incredible speed, stuffing the Thunder Talons into the heads of two Endless Nomads. The Dragon Ailerons activated, and the Talonfang jumped up a bit and then swung the two Mobile Suits into the air. In midair, the Hydra Fangs flew into each other, causing the two Mobile Suits to collide. Nathaniel, then pulled them down into the ground, about two football field-lengths away. The Mobile Suits exploded upon impact. The smoke rose into the air, stopped, and diffused as it reached the Colony ceiling. The Hydra Fangs retracted to their original positions on the Gundam’s arms.
"Who’s next?" asked Nathaniel.
"SPREAD OUT!" cried Jared, to his allies.
Kincayde stepped out of the elevator first, and found himself inside an enormous room with almost nothing but windows. It was very cold inside, and there was a strange mist in the air. "My God, Pharragan. You whack off so much that it’s become part of this place’s atmosphere," he said, jokingly.
"I’ve figured it out," said Pharragan, staring at Kincayde, indignantly. "You mask your hidden bastard side because of the bad press it would make."
"I just feel comfortable being myself with you, Doctor," said Kincayde, smiling. He suddenly noticed the enormous glass cylinder in the middle of the room. He could not see inside, for the mist covered it. "What’s in here?" he asked, as he wiped his hand across the surface. He shrieked, and drew himself back. "What the hell? What is that?"
"Say hello to my daughter, Adrienne," said Dr. Pharragan.
"Is she naked in there?" asked Kincayde, pointing and chuckling. "She’s naked in there, isn’t she?" Dr. Pharragan’s desire to punch Kincayde in the mouth was increasing exponentially.
"I actually have a set of clothes for her to wear once she comes out," said Dr. Pharragan. "I’ve based it on the past fifty years of observation."
"You mean watching MTV?" asked Kincayde. Dr. Pharragan nodded. "So why exactly is she stuck in there?"
"She hasn’t completed her growth yet. It’ll be some time yet before she is ready and able to pilot N Gundam," said Dr. Pharragan.
"She’s been in there the past sixteen years?" asked Kincayde.
"Yes. Don’t worry though…she gets all the nutrients she needs in there," said Dr. Pharragan.
"What about love?" asked Kincayde, smiling. "Tell me, do you hug your cryogenic freezing chamber everyday? Do you read stories to it? Do you tuck it in bed and wipe its tears?"
Pharragan took his finger and, on the glass of the chamber, wrote an expletive falsely describing Kincayde’s sexual orientation. "How’s that for tear-wiping?"
"It’s fine, but I usually use Windex. It gets rid of the mildew," said Kincayde. Dr. Pharragan began to walk back towards the elevator, and expected to find Kincayde following, but his eyes were transfixed on something he noticed in space.
"What’s the matter?" asked Dr. Pharragan. Kincayde pointed at a dark figure eclipsing the moon. It was a magnificent form, and Pharragan immediately recognized it for what it was.
"We’re here," said Riser, seeing Colony CY-72D517 above him. "There appears to be a lot of action on the south end, we should fly around to the back."
"Right," said Rannai. Suddenly, they were picking up several energy signatures on their computers, which Rannai recognized. "Mobile Suits…eleven…no, make that nine normal types around one Gundam, and another Gundam moving from the north."
"All right," said Riser. "I’ll intercept the one coming in from the north…"
"I don’t think that’s wise, sir," said Rannai. "Mr. Kincayde wants us to bring the Endless Nomadic over to Final Judgment. We should go and help them out."
"Fine," said Riser, but then he was thoughtful. "…Endless Nomadic? How do you know it’s them?"
Riser could hear her make a small noise with her voice box, as if to say something, but retract it. "I…I dunno…" she said, sheepishly. Riser smirked.
The Gundam stooped down low to the ground, then jumped up, and, in a flash, was high in the air, cutting a Mobile Suit in half. It fired some sort of machine guns at what looked like a Demon Fighter H050 Mobile Suit, a SAMLES Mobile Suit.
"Those are SAMLES Suits…" thought Kenzikou Rainier as he approached the battle scene. He tried to search their computers for pilot identification, but there was none. "Hijacked…" he thought, sadly, realizing that she wasn’t…
"Who is that Gundam Pilot?" asked Kenzikou, trying to distract himself.
Lienfei Nathaniel suddenly had a strange feeling, like a presence of a spirit that he remembered from long ago but had never met. He turned to see the Gundam Freakstorm Gear floating in front of him. "Who are you?" he asked, establishing video communication with him.
"My name is Kenzikou Rainier, and this is my Gundam Freakstorm Gear," he said. As he looked at the blonde Gundam Pilot before, he had the sudden feeling that he recognized him from somewhere.
"Well, are you friend or foe?" asked Nathaniel.
"Now I remember him," thought Kenzikou. "I saw him on Colony Cluster K91’s Most Wanted! He’s an escaped convict! I could turn him in and…" Kenzikou was beginning to despise himself for letting his thoughts constantly return to her.
He remembered that he was also a fugitive from the law, since he was also the owner and operator of an unregistered Mobile Suit. He decided that he would try to help him get rid of the Mobile Suit Gang. "All right…" said Kenzikou. "I’m a friend."
"Good," said the pilot of the Talonfang. "My name is Lienfei Nathaniel, and this is my Gundam Talonfang Stealth."
The Gundam Freakstorm suddenly connected its arm to one of the Dual Busters, and pointed it at a Mobile Suit. He fired once, destroying the Mobile Suit immediately, then turned to face another Mobile Suit, and fired again. It managed to dodge the blast, and return fire with one of its own. The Freakstorm dodged and unsheathed a Dyad Blade. The Gearshift Cell suddenly began to power up, and the Dyad Blade’s laser edge began to increase in size and energy concentration. The Freakstorm flew into the Mobile Suit and cut it in two, right down the middle. Seven left.
Suddenly, Kenzikou saw that three Mobile Suits were ganging up on Nathaniel. His heart caught in his throat, and he temporarily forgot how to use his voice to warn him.
But just then, Lienfei Nathaniel felt a strange feeling. A heat rushed up his back into his brain. Without turning the Gundam around, Nathaniel pushed the appropriate buttons on his console, causing the Hydra Fangs to open up, revealing their energy blades, which flew through the first two Mobile Suits’ chests, then turned to fire the Rapid Machines on the third. Four Endless Nomads still lived.
"Hey! How’d you do that?" cried Kenzikou.
"That’s a good question!" answered Nathaniel. "I wish I knew."
"Jared, what do we do?" cried one of the Endless Nomads.
"These guys are too good for us, man! We gotta get!" yelled another.
"For sure! We’re outta here!" said Jared. The four of them turned to leave, but they were soon stopped.
"Oh no, you don’t!"
The Gundam Freakstorm Gear pushed its Dual Busters together to form a single cannon on one arm. Kenzikou pointed the Dual Buster Rifle at the four Mobile Suit Gang members, and fired several heavy shots forward. Two of the Mobile Suits were destroyed, and the other two managed to fly out of the way. The Gundam Freakstorm Gear flew towards one of them, and pulled out a Dyad Blade. He rushed towards one of them and slashed it in the arm, cutting it, and its energy gun, off. The impact of the Freakstorm’s strike sent Jared’s Mobile Suit flying backward. The other remaining Mobile Suit flew in to aid him, but was soon struck down by a Hydra Fang, courtesy of Nathaniel’s Gundam Talonfang.
"It looks like that one is the only one left," said Nathaniel.
"Right," said Kenzikou. "Would you like to do the honors?"
"Sure," said Nathaniel. He pointed the Hydra Fang at Jared’s Mobile Suit. "Sorry to have to do this. Good…Huh?"
"What’s wrong?" asked Kenzikou.
"I think…I think someone’s coming…" said Nathaniel.
"Someone coming?" asked Kenzikou. "But who? There’s no one on the radar," said Kenzikou.
"I can…I can feel it, somehow…" said Nathaniel. His Gundam suddenly turned to see two Mobile Suits flying towards them. "Over there."
"Who the hell are they?" asked Kenzikou.
"It looks as if these two Gundams have taken out almost all of the Mobile Suit Gang members," said Rannai.
Riser’s Gundam Ghostblade ZERO landed in front of Jared’s broken Mobile Suit. "If you’re willing, my commander would be willing to employ you as a soldier for a hefty sum of money!"
"Anything, man! Just help me!" cried Jared.
Riser sighed and turned his Gundam towards the Freakstorm and Talonfang. "More Gundams I see…"
"Who are you?" asked Kenzikou, establishing video link between his Gundam and Riser’s.
"The name is Riser Caldwell, and I am a soldier of the Final Judgment," said Riser.
"There’s something familiar about that other one…" thought Nathaniel, focusing on the Hardcore Mobile Suit.
"What do you want here?" asked Kenzikou.
"This man is our new soldier," said Rannai, as the Hardcore pointed to Jared’s Mobile Suit. "And we will not allow you to destroy him…"
"I don’t understand this," thought Kenzikou. "Why would they turn such a weak pilot into their soldier?"
"I would suggest that you two would surrender, immediately," offered Riser.
"No way, pal. We’re here to get rid of Mobile Suit Gangs, and if we have to include you in our plan, then so be it," said Kenzikou, as the Gearshift Cell began to increase his Gundam’s power.
The Gundam Ghostblade ZERO spread its wings. "Very well," said Riser Caldwell. The Ghostblade and Freakstorm tossed themselves into the air and began their aerial war, leaving the Talonfang and Hardcore alone on the ground.
"Step away from that Mobile Suit," ordered Nathaniel.
"Make me," said Rannai, as she pointed her Mobile Suit’s Twin Beam Gatlings at the Talonfang.
The Gundam Talonfang Stealth rocketed towards the Hardcore, energizing the energy blades between its Thunder Talons. The Hydra Fangs served as a shield from the Hardcore’s heavy fire. Nathaniel’s Gundam fired the Rapid Machines on the tips of the Thunder Talons at Rannai’s Mobile Suit, which quickly dodged and fired at the Talonfang’s exposed blindside. The Talonfang was knocked out of the air and landed on its feet. "This one is good," thought Nathaniel, as he extended his Gundam’s Caloric Cables. The Hydra Fangs flew toward the Hardcore, but were not fast enough to embed themselves in the Mobile Suit’s metal. Hardcore managed to escape and jump into the air.
"It’s time for a different attack," thought Rannai. "I’d better switch weapons…"
It was then that Nathaniel saw a strange sight before him. He looked at his enemy’s main weapon begin to change before his eyes. It emitted a strange light, disintegrated into several glowing particles, which swirled around the Mobile Suit’s right arm to form a different weapon altogether. "What the hell?"
Rannai pointed her new Suit’s weapon, the Flare Shotgun, at the Talonfang, and fired her first shot with it. A burst of energy was emitted from it, which traveled over to the Talonfang Stealth, and exploded on impact, rocking the Talonfang Stealth, despite the use of the Hydra Fang as a shield.
Nathaniel cried out in pain as his Mobile Suit shook. He found himself intact, but he did not want to get hit by that weapon again. His Gundam’s Dragon Ailerons began to power up, and emitted an incredible amount of exhaust, and the Talonfang flew with incredible speed toward the Hardcore, dodging the Flare Shotgun blasts it fired, and soon managed to punch it in the face with the Thunder Talons.
"Damn it!" cried Rannai, trying to brace herself. "Who the hell is this guy?"
The Gundam Talonfang Stealth locked its Thunder Talons into the arms of the Hardcore, and wrapped its Caloric Cables around its body, holding it still. The Caloric Cables began to swell with energy, heating up the Hardcore. It was unable to point its Flare Shotgun at the opposing Gundam. "This ought to hold you…"
Rannai decided that the time had come to switch weapons again. The Flare Shotgun began to glow and dissipate into her last weapon, the two Guided Missile Launchers, one on each arm. Several bays opened up on the barrels of the Launchers, revealing small rockets, which flew out of the Missile Launcher and began to emit large energy fields about them, making them appear to be, and make the same impact as, any normal laser weapon. However, these Missiles homed in on the Gundam Talonfang, and struck it down into the ground.
Nathaniel managed to shake it off, and the Gundam Talonfang rose to its feet. "Maybe I can get it to run out of ammo somehow…" The Gundam Talonfang Stealth powered up the Dragon Ailerons once again, and rocketed backwards, and into the air, still facing the Hardcore. The Hardcore fired its Guided Missiles at the Talonfang as it flew about the Colony.
Like an instinct, Nathaniel knew just how to move to avoid the missiles as they flew towards him. He put up his guard at all the right moments, and used his weapons to destroy all of the Missiles before they could damage the Colony.
"It’s like he can feel where they are," thought Rannai. This type of constant awareness seemed all too familiar to Rannai, but she could not quite place the memory of exactly who this pilot was.
"Too close," thought Nathaniel. "How does that pilot fire with such accuracy? I’ve got to go in for the kill now!"
Meanwhile, high in the air in Colony CY-72D517, the Gundams Freakstorm Gear and Ghostblade ZERO were involved in a battle of their own. They flew through the air, exchanging gunfire, and dodging each other.
"This guy is good," thought Kenzikou Rainier, as he fired blast after blast of his Dual Busters at the Ghostblade, which used its Beam Wings to block each one. "But I think his Gundam is better…"
The Freakstorm’s Gearshift Cell began to increase the Gundam’s power again, and the Dyad Blade that was drawn began to glow brighter, and increase in size. The Freakstorm flew quickly toward the Ghostblade, and slash at its chest. The Ghostblade’s Beam Wings protected it from the attack, but Kenzikou was unrelenting.
"There’s no way his sword can penetrate my shield!" thought Riser Caldwell. "What’s he thinking?"
"If I push the Gearshift Cell a little more, I’m sure I can break through!" thought Kenzikou. He pushed the lever a little further, and the Dyad Blade increased in size. He began to feel the temperature increase in the cockpit, but he wasn’t stopping.
"You’ll only kill yourself if you keep this up!" cried Riser.
"That’s where you’re wrong, my friend! I won’t die…" said Kenzikou, as the Freakstorm pushed upward and from the Ghostblade ZERO, and put its Dual Busters together to form the Dual Buster Rifle. The heightened energy increase in the Gearshift Cell made the entire Gundam begin to shake violently. "I WILL SURVIVE!"
The Gundam Ghostblade ZERO found itself being pushed downward into the ground with incredible speed, unable to right itself with the powerful energy blast driving into it. It hit the ground, and its pilot found himself looking up at a Gundam glowing with power, flying down towards him with a pair of huge energy swords drawn, preparing to strike.
"And now…" groaned Riser. "It’s…your turn!" He pointed the Syringe Sniper up at the Gundam Freakstorm Gear, and aimed straight at the Gundam’s head. It released one thin laser that flew toward the Freakstorm. Kenzikou managed to dodge the small beam at the last second. But suddenly, Riser sent a sudden burst of energy up the shaft of the laser, increasing its power and width. The blast pierced the edge of one of the Freakstorm’s Twin Fin Jets, decreasing its mobility. Kenzikou was forced to land in front of the Ghostblade, and recover from the exertion he was forced to endure due to the massive energy upsurge brought on by the Gearshift Cell.
The Gundam Ghostblade ZERO slowly rose to its feet, its Beam Wings flickering. The two Gundams faced each other, and their pilots immediately understood that the battle would have to continue on solid ground. The Gundam Freakstorm Gear’s Gearshift Cell would need a few minutes to recharge, and the Gundam Ghostblade ZERO was also low on battery power, though it managed to get enough power back to use the Beam Wings as weapons. The Freakstorm drew one of the Dyad Blades, and prepared for battle.
The two Gundams rushed towards each other, and locked their energy blades together - a Beam Wing against a Dyad Blade. They stood like this, stalling the fight so that they could restore their power, thinking of their next moves.
A few blocks away, Lienfei Nathaniel’s Gundam flew towards the Hardcore; its Caloric Cables fully extended, forming an attack blanket that overwhelmed Rannai. She aimed her Flare Shotgun at the Talonfang and fired. The Talonfang quickly dodged and shot the Hydra Fang at the Hardcore, which dodged, and returned with another Flare Shotgun blast. The Hydra Fang was locked into a large building, which served as an anchor to keep the Talonfang from flying too far away because of the momentum. Nathaniel powered up the Dragon Ailerons to maximum power and decreased the slack between the Gundam’s arm and the Hydra Fang. The Gundam floated there, stuck to the building, unable to move away from it, until Nathaniel released the Hydra Fang from the edifice, sending the Gundam Talonfang Stealth flying forward at an incredible velocity. His Gundam tackled the Hardcore and pushed it into the wall of the Colony, then slammed it into the ground.
"Now then," said Nathaniel, as he established video link with his opponent. "It’s time for you to explain just…"
His eyes grew wide with shock as he looked at the face of the pilot he had been dueling with. He was in complete disbelief, as was Rannai. At first, he thought that it wasn’t her, just some other girl that looked like her. After all, he had been in jail for a while hadn’t he?
"…L…Leafy?"
He shook his head in horror. "No…Rannai?" he asked, shuddering. "Is it really…What happened…?"
Suddenly, Nathaniel caught sight of the remaining Endless Nomad, Jared, escaping for his life. He then noticed the Gundam Freakstorm Gear push the Ghostblade ZERO backwards, then fire several energy shots from its Dual Buster Rifle at it. The Ghostblade ZERO managed to block the blasts, and rushed over to the Endless Nomad.
"Come on, Rannai! We’ve got what we came for! Let’s blow!" yelled Riser, as his Gundam’s Syringe Sniper fired a blast at the Talonfang, knocking it away from the Hardcore, allowing Rannai to escape. It then fired another blast back at the Freakstorm Gear, hitting it in the shoulder, knocking it on the ground. The two members of Final Judgment, plus their newest recruit, escaped from Colony CY-72D517 safely, returning to find their home base battleship, the Colonnade, waiting for them. Nathaniel watched them escape. Riser’s final attack wasn’t sufficient to disable him from striking back against them, but he decided that he wasn’t going to try to go after them. He wanted Rannai to live, even if she were his enemy. He let out the exhausted sigh of a soldier returning from war to learn the ironic fact that his wife had died during his absence. He held back tears. It was an understandable reaction…
Rannai turned back one last time to look upon the Gundam Talonfang Stealth, and its pilot, her old friend Lienfei Nathaniel, from their home on Colony DX-20F376, which had been destroyed only a few months earlier. "With our home, goes our memories together, Nate. You are my enemy now…"
"So you’re a Mobile Rogue now, Rannai," thought Nathaniel, as he wiped his eyes. "I’ll meet you again in battle, and next time, I will win you."
Kenzikou Rainier sat in his cockpit chair, breathing heavily. He was out of breath and out of strength from the incredible physical exertion he had undergone because of the Gearshift Cell. He didn’t quite understand why he was able to endure it, but he made it somehow.
"How was that pilot able to take such a beating and live?" thought Riser Caldwell. "I thought his Gundam was going to explode, but the radiation wasn’t enough to kill him…He’s strange somehow…"
"Hey, are you all right?" asked Riser, connecting to Jared’s channel.
"I’m fine," said Jared, quietly, fighting back sobs.
"Mr. Kincayde will take care of you. Don’t worry," said Rannai. "We’ll avenge the deaths of your comrades…" The three Mobile Suits soon boarded the Colonnade, leaving the thoughts of their battle behind.
Kenzikou Rainier jumped out of his Gundam and ran towards Lienfei Nathaniel’s. They met halfway and stood facing each other for a moment. Then, Nathaniel walked over to Kenzikou and regarded him warmly. "Good fight," he said.
"Thanks," said Kenzikou, smiling. He groaned, and allowed himself to drop to his knees. Nathaniel helped him up. "We’d better get out of here." He began to walk Kenzikou back over to the Freakstorm Gear.
Kenzikou nodded, exhausted. "I feel like I’m going to throw up if I stay in this Colony a second longer…"
"That looks like…like a Mobile Suit…" said Kincayde. The outline eclipsing the Moon looked startlingly familiar to Dr. Pharragan. He rushed back over to the window and peered at it.
"It…it can’t be…! What is…" Pharragan looked at his asteroid, and saw that another portion of his Base had an enormous hole in its ceiling. "It is…" He turned and stared with fright at his "daughter," still locked in her cryogenic chamber. His eyes returned to the apparition floating before the Moon. "She…I don’t…I can’t believe this…"
Yet it was true. In all its glory, Mobile Soldier N Gundam floated there in space, its enormous wings at attention, the armor venting its exhaust fuel, trembling, almost breathing as though living, and an enormous cannon affixed to its shoulder, in a confident battle stance. It was not a statue; it was an exhibition of perfect fighting skill. It declared its unending might to the entire Universe. It threw punches, kicks, and displayed its many other martial arts abilities. It could easily be seen that the great weapon lurched on its shoulder was not the only one, for it often disappeared and reappeared to form other things. It was a shield, a sword, a spear, and many other things all at once. It was a warrior, and at the same time, a god. Its appearance was beautiful, yet torturously fearful. It was a murderous demon with a valiant sense of honor. All this was easily seen through the eyes of its two admirers, and controlled by the Genome Newtype.
Kincayde turned his eyes towards the chamber containing Adrienne. His eyes widened with shock, as he noticed that the figure inside had not moved at all, yet in his own mind, it had. It haunted and taunted him. All the heat within his body could not stay in because of the cold from without, and within that deadly ghost of a being; waiting, yet beckoning, inside the capsule. He was seized with fear, yet welcomed it, for it seemed the only respectable and honorable response to this incredible force.
"I…" was all Kincayde could say at first. "I guess…" He regained the ability to form phrases. "…I guess I shouldn’t have stared at her chest so much." Kincayde was once again full and complete; a moron through and through. Dr. Pharragan could say nothing.
It was then that a crack appeared in the glass on Adrienne’s chamber.
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