Ever since the people of Earth first began migrating to the Colonies, many changes have come up. The people that lived in the Colonies found interesting side effects living there. The people there found that the lack of gravity, further proximity from the Sun’s harmful rays, and regulated temperatures have had adverse effects on their physiologic structures. The people there were much more athletic, stronger, faster, and were able to think quicker. When Mobile Suits were invented, those that were born and raised in the Colonies found themselves at the advantage when in battle as opposed to those from Earth. Those that had been trained to maximize these outer space abilities were far greater adversaries to face in battle. These "superior beings" were dubbed a special kind of human. They were called, "Newtypes." This training, which maximized a Newtype’s abilities, was an effective examination in testing one’s status as a Newtype or not.
In a world where war is no longer a threat to the people, there are few people left in the Colonies to test the Newtype theory. Some theorized that now that the war was over, the Newtypes were extinct, and that if any more Newtypes were to be born, it would be almost impossible to test them on whether they were a Newtype or not. Thus, the Newtypes have become all but forgotten.
The year is After Exodus 249. There are times in our lives when, in times of crisis, we really have no stand on either side of an issue. Many of us often times find ourselves to be neutral, and often cannot make a decision, not even under the influences of the arguments that each side makes. However, there is a saying that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. It is a statement the underlying fact that no person can maintain neutrality for long. The time comes in such issues to either join one of two sides, or create a third one…
MOBILE SOLDIER N GUNDAM
THE NEW GUNDAM ZERO
By: L. Curtis Totty
She stood there at her father’s grave, trying to make sense out of what was going on. It wasn’t much, but it was all the solace she got these days.
"Father, everything is so screwed up, now," said Lareika Keaghen. "The Colony Federation has just announced that ours is one of the Colonies that they’re destroying! All because of the damage that those Mobile Suit Gangs have done! It’s just not fair! How can they do that?"
Lareika sat down on the grass next to her father’s tombstone and closed her eyes. "You always knew exactly what to do, Father…" she began. "Not even when the Mobile Suit Gangs confronted you did you stand down. You were never afraid, and if you were…it…it was amazing the way you never showed it…"
The wind began to pick up, and Lareika’s dark brown hair flowed over her blue eyes. She pulled her trench coat up closer to her body to warm herself up. She looked up at the Colony’s artificial sky. She thought about how it had come to be…
On the Earthsphere, there exists a continent called North America. On this continent exist several Native American reservations, which have existed for many centuries. When it became known that several countries planned a long list of Space Colonies to be built throughout the Solar System, many people from Native American tribes banded together to create their own outer Space Colony.
However, there were many Native Americans that refused to go into space. They believed that making artificial land was a deplorable act. Trying to copy nature was unheard of to them. Therefore, those that migrated to the Colonies were shunned from the Native American tribes on Earth.
Regardless, a considerable percentage of the population of Native Americans did migrate to the Space Colonies, along with those of many other ethnicities, nations, and religious beliefs.
Now it was all going to go. The place she was born on was going to be destroyed, because no one could live there anymore. The destruction the Mobile Suit Gangs caused was so great that many buildings and towns and people had been destroyed.
Lareika bid farewell to her father and began to walk out of the cemetery. "Now my father’s body will be destroyed as well…" she thought. She remembered how so much pain had been caused because of the Mobile Suit Gangs. She remembered her friend from school, Rannai, who mysteriously disappeared not long after her friend was arrested for being a Mobile Suit Gang member. She thought about the many kids that stopped coming to school, and the greater and greater numbers of Mobile Suit Gangs appearing. It seemed that all anyone cared about was power, even though it was at the expense of so much death.
But what could she do? She really had no business thinking about such things. On one hand, the Colony was in a devastated state to begin with. In the Space Colony Revolutionary War, the government had set up so many bunkers for Mobile Suit manufacture in this Colony and so many others, that people couldn’t prosper from anything besides lives of crime. The Colony legislature had no plans to fix anything up that the war had caused, and only cared when Mobile Suit Gangs started attacking the Colonies that were filled with various well-to-do families that hadn’t been demolished by the war. Sometimes, she thought that the Mobile Suit Gangs were needed. The Colony federation had to realize that all of this was a problem.
Then again, were the Mobile Suit Gangs really such a good idea? Were they really all that different from those from the past that wanted nothing more than war? Were they helping, or just hurting the situation even more?
"Father…you just wouldn’t give up…never…"
"You kids mustn’t do this…It isn’t right, it doesn’t make sense!"
"Can it, Mr. Keaghen…We’re gonna steal every nickel out of this bank and there’s nothing you can do about it!"
"Daddy, let’s just get outta here…"
"No, Lareika…Where were you kids yesterday when you were supposed to be in my class?"
"It isn’t any business of yours, Mr. Keaghen! Besides, what can you teach that’s going to get us anywhere in life anyway? No matter how good an education we get, wherever we go for a job, we’ll be stuck with being from this Colony as our label! This is the only way we can rise up!"
"Don’t think that way! You can’t let such a trivial thing get in the way of your dreams!"
"Dreams? Dreams?! What dreams can I possibly have? I can’t do anything except pilot this Mobile Suit!"
"There’s more to life than Mobile Suits…"
"Shut up, old man…just shut up and get the hell out of here…"
"You know in your heart that your education is still important…"
"I thought I just told you to shut up!"
"Daddy…let’s go…"
"I’ll go, but only when you kids promise to go to school…"
"FINE! I’LL SHUT YOU UP, KEAGHEN!"
"NO! DADDY! DON’T DO IT!"
She stopped in her tracks, and realized she’d reached her Aunt Marilyn’s house. Lareika’s Aunt Marilyn had already left for another Colony. Lareika opted to stay behind for a while and come a few weeks later. She still had to let go of a lot of memories tied in with her home.
She almost forgot. One of the most vivid memories this old house had given her was the one she was about to leave the house and forget. She decided to look at her backyard one last time.
She stood in her old bedroom, which, on one side, had a wall made completely of wooden boards. Lareika swung her fist through the wall, causing all of the boards to fall down into the backyard below.
She stared down through the hole she had made. She looked at her fist, and realized that she was in no pain. She had always seemed to be different from other people. She had always been one that had been somewhat stronger, and smarter. She never understood why. She turned her attention back to her backyard.
Leading up to the backside of her house was a long, deep trench. At the end, lying atop the broken remains of a small play-fort, was the broken-off arm of a Mobile Suit, holding an enormous gun of some sort.
"Ten years in two weeks," she thought. "Hard to believe that it’s been this long since the day I witnessed that first Mobile Suit Gang war being fought on this Colony." She took a sip from her coffee mug and removed her trench coat, placing it on her bed. She put her hands in the pockets of her flare jeans, and adjusted the straps of her light brown tank top, and walked downstairs from her bedroom to the kitchen, and then exited through the back door to the backyard. She walked over to the enormous cannon and peered into the barrel. She then advanced to the metal fingers that clutched the gun’s handle with the same strength as they had when the Mobile Suit was still fully assembled and operational. She jumped up on the arm as she often did, and lay herself down on the arm, staring up at the artificial sky as she often did. She closed her eyes and let the man-made breeze fly over her.
"They’re going to destroy the entire Colony, expecting everyone to just move out. The people here hardly have the money to even afford a new home in any other Colony.
"What for? They’re going to just destroy the Colony because the Mobile Suit Gangs left it almost totally ravaged. They think no one can live here now because the place is so out of shape.
"They’re probably right, but destroying the Colony isn’t the answer. It should be renovated. In destroying this Colony, they build another to replace it somewhere else. Is it cheaper to build a whole new Colony rather than to rebuild one of the oldest Colonies in space?
"It just doesn’t make any sense. What they’re doing is wrong! It’s all because of those Mobile Suit Gangs. But what about the government? It was because of that Space Colony Revolutionary War that this happened! They neglected the people for so long! Mobile Suits have been the only way that many of the people could make a living!
"I don’t know who to find fault in. I don’t know who is in the right anymore. I just wish all this anger and violence could just end, but there’s nothing I can do..."
She noticed something strange. Her eyes were closed, and it was artificial daytime. She should have seen a blanket of red in her closed eyes, but everything was black. She realized that something was above her, and she quickly opened her eyes, and sat up on the Mobile Suit arm. She gazed up towards the sky, staring at the shady specter floating there. She saw the figure get larger and larger, and the breeze she had been feeling became stronger and stronger. She climbed down from the Mobile Suit arm and slowly backed away.
She then noticed the pair of glowing green eyes emanating from the top of the machine. Her eyes were wide with shock, and she realized that moving down from above was a Mobile Suit.
The Mobile Suit landed on the ground in the middle of the trench in her backyard. Lareika gazed up at it, and took in its features. It was mostly a dark, midnight-blue color, with a pair of some kind of long metallic objects, like the barrels of guns, protruding from the sides of the forearms of the Suit. It had similar objects on its back as well.
"What the hell is this thing?" she asked.
"This Mobile Suit before you is called a Gundam…"
"Who are you? Come out!" she yelled.
"There is no one piloting this Gundam, madam…This Gundam belongs to you…"
"What do you mean it’s for me?" cried Lareika. "I don’t know anything about piloting a…a…a Gundam!"
"Just think about your goals, Lareika…You could easily achieve them with the help of this magnificent Mobile Suit!"
"How…How do you know my name?" cried Lareika.
"I know much about you, Lareika Keaghen…I know you’ll want to use this Mobile Suit to complete your mission…"
The cockpit door swung open, and the Gundam knelt down, lowering its hand to the ground, right next to the hand of the old Mobile Suit arm that lay in her yard. Uneasily, Lareika stepped into the Gundam’s hand, and rose the short distance to the cockpit. She climbed inside, and sat down in the pilot’s seat.
Ahead of her was nothing. Nothing was on the console. All the Gundam had was a small computer screen and the larger camera screen. She read the readout on the small computer screen ahead of her. What she read amazed her…
"This Gundam Mobile Suit employs the use of a specialized Mobile Cockpit System, known as the Stimulus System. Via a series of Sensory Interception Units, the Stimulus System makes the user see, hear, and feel what the Gundam’s sensors pick up. In turn, the Stimulus System intercepts the nervous impulses in the brain that control movement, and relays them to the Gundam itself. As a result, the user’s brainwaves are altered so that he or she feels that they have the body of the Gundam instead of their own human body. This enables the user to naturally use the extensive features and abilities of the Gundam, for they exceed the human manual capabilities of conventional cockpit controls. Once connected to the Stimulus System, the user is advised to exercise extreme caution, for unexpected shocks to the Gundam can cause unknown effects on the user’s motor abilities. Users must always wait for a full and complete system shutdown before disconnecting from the Stimulus System program.
"To engage the Stimulus System and start up the Gundam, place your palm on the screen now."
Lareika considered the idea of using this Gundam to stop the Mobile Suit Gangs and preserve the Colonies that were to be destroyed. Her right hand rose and hovered towards the screen, and she pressed her palm against it. The screen glowed, as did the larger view screen behind it.
"Decision confirmed. Welcome to the Stimulus System."
Lareika saw a small storage facility beneath the computer screen open up, and inside was what looked like some kind of helmet with several wires sticking into it. She pulled the helmet on, and on the translucent, plastic visor, she saw the same message on the computer screen. She suddenly felt several wires attach themselves to her temples, and the readout on the screen changed.
"Now beginning temporary Gundam data upload."
She suddenly began to feel strange. Several lines of computer code were being displayed on the visor, as well as several flashing lights.
"What’s going on here?" thought Lareika. Her body suddenly felt very limp. She could not move at all, no matter how hard she tried. She thought she was going to throw up.
What she saw in front of her changed. She no longer saw the visor and the inside of the cockpit. She could see what was happening outside. She suddenly began to feel herself again. Her body felt very strange. She tried to see if she could move her arms and body.
She looked down, and realized that she was now made of metal, and that she was several feet tall.
"What the hell?" she thought. "I don’t believe this…I’m the Gundam!"
She tried to throw a punch, and her gigantic fist flew outward into the air. She began to examine her new body, and began to figure out the many new abilities she had been endowed with.
The Gundam was equipped with several powerful weapons. The large casings affixed to her arms and back were, as the computer called them, the Full Bombers. With the flick of a Bomber, Lareika made them open up, revealing several strange mechanisms inside. These mechanisms were large, and looked like missiles, called the Burst Particles, named so because of their ability to orbit the body of the Gundam, like the electrons of atoms. Thanks to the Stimulus System, Lareika could make these missile-objects fly in whatever direction she desired. They could also open up to release an enormous energy explosion, capable of destroying several square meters of very dense material. They also had the power to shoot powerful laser blasts, as well as form shields around the Gundam. She could fire the lasers while the Burst Particles were still inside the Full Bombers, or release them to do extra, confusing damage on her enemies. The Full Bombers on the back of the Gundam could use the Burst Particles as jet boosters, allowing for incredibly fast flight.
As Lareika familiarized herself with the various functions and abilities of her "second body," she thought about her new power.
"This Mobile Suit is amazing," she thought. "I might even be able to stop the Mobile Suit Gangs with this. I could finally end all the fighting in the Colonies, and the people would be happy. There would be no more need to destroy my Colony, or any others. This is too good an opportunity to be true…"
"All right…who are you, and just why are you giving me this…this Gundam?" asked Lareika.
"You really have no need for that information…Just take your Gundam and begin your journey…"
"You were foolish enough not to conceal the source of your communication channel…How do you keep others from finding your location and killing you?"
"That is of no concern to me…I've completed my mission…I could die without any regrets now…"
"But you just gave me a Gundam and you don’t have the slightest idea what I’m going to do with it…why do I even deserve this Gundam anyway?"
"It doesn’t matter whether you deserve it or not…your heart is one that shall guide the Gundam, which will in turn guide you to the path you must take to achieve your goals…"
Lareika received no further answer from this mystery benefactor. She decided it was time to take matters into her own Gundam’s hands. Her new weapon took off into outer space, and searched for her new "friend."
Lareika came across an eerie-looking Natural Resource Satellite. It was some kind of space base connected to a gigantic meteorite where Gundanium was being mined by mechanical automatons. The Gundam approached the entrance to this space station, and entered through a large airlock. Lareika soon found herself in an enormous laboratory. All around her were several cables running along the walls. They ended upon a man in a white lab-coat with long red hair, sitting in a chair with a computer connected to it. He typed frantically, then looked up to see Lareika’s Gundam.
"So you’ve come after all," he said, smiling.
"Who are you?" asked Lareika. The man rose from his chair and slowly approached the Gundam. Lareika noticed the cables from the walls sticking into his body. He looked rather young to her. She realized that this man must have been in outer space for a really long time, where people age a lot slower. The cables must have been some sort of life-support system. She suddenly heard him speak.
"You may simply call me Dr. Pharragan," said the gentleman.
"All right then…Why’d you give me this Gundam?" asked Lareika.
"I think you could make the best use of it," said Dr. Pharragan. "I’ve been watching you for a while now, Lareika, and I think that you and this Gundam belong together. You have displayed the necessary skill, desire, and motivation to pilot this Gundam, and it is for that reason that I bestow it upon you…"
"What are you talking about?" asked Lareika. "What do you mean you’ve been watching me?"
"From my post I have kept vigilant observation on you, as throughout your life you have displayed certain qualities signifying the possibility that you are a Newtype…"
"Newtype?" asked Lareika. "What’s a Newtype?"
"A Newtype is one displaying unique abilities or skills surpassing those of normal human beings," explained Dr. Pharragan. "Newtypes were discovered during the first few decades of the creation of Space Colonies. It is believed that the varied gravitational and other types of conditions created in Colony atmosphere triggered the…‘change’…
"From what I have seen you may very well be a Newtype, and one of the best ways to test one’s status as a Newtype is to place them in a position where their entire range of abilities are forced to maximize and display that person’s fullest potential…"
"The battlefield?" asked Lareika. "You’re saying that in order to really see if I’m a…a Newtype…I have to fight in this Gundam?"
Pharragan nodded.
"I don’t like this…What exactly do you plan to do with the data you get from this little experiment?" asked Lareika.
"If I can see what it is to be a Newtype, there is a chance to see how these abilities can help humanity change for the better," said Dr. Pharragan.
Lareika considered what Dr. Pharragan said for a moment. She thought about how she could use this Gundam to put an end to all the death and destruction that the Mobile Suit Gangs were creating, and decided that, for now, she would participate in this little experiment of Pharragan’s.
"I’ll do it, Doctor…but don’t expect me to tone down my battle actions just so you can jot everything in your notes, all right?" asked Lareika.
"Of course," said Dr. Pharragan. "Although, there’s one thing about your enemies that I think I should warn you about, before you go…"
"What is it?" asked Lareika.
"Your enemies are becoming more powerful…The Mobile Suit Gangs are uniting under a single, very powerful leader. This new leader is providing them with powerful new Mobile Suits. It will be a lot harder for your weapons to destroy them…"
"I understand…Are they using Gundams as well?" asked Lareika.
"I’m not sure…What they’re using may be just as fierce as your Gundam, if not stronger…" replied Dr. Pharragan.
"I see…" said Lareika. "Very well…I’ll do what I can to defeat them…"
Lareika’s Gundam began to power up the Burst Particles in the Full Bombers on its back, and it rocketed out of Dr. Pharragan’s Laboratory. She was once again in open space, and flew back towards the Colony Cluster.
"My new Gundam needs a name…I think I’ll call it…"
"…The Gundam Atomsmash Bomber…"
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