Kidou Senshi Gundam UC

The sea of clouds expanded below their eyes to the distant horizon, laying a blanket on the land 6000m below. The continent of Australia was already far behind, and at this point, the “Garencieres” should be reaching the skies above the New Caledonia Islands, but it was impossible to see the landscape and the horizon from this place. On looking over, the carpet of clouds was laid around, showing a clear divide with the sky.

The “Garuda” overlooked the sea of clouds as it gradually rose in height. That was the largest aircraft made in the history of humanity, and even at close to 50km, there were other machines that could be clearly identified. Draped in the background The escort crafts were sesame seeds in comparison to the ship itself, a ma.s.sive object about in a carefree manner that was like a monster pelican flying, with the clouds draped over it—Flaste stared at the scene on the enlarged window, which caused him to forget the sense of scale, and just when he clicked his tongue, the expanded window had noise on it, and pink flashes covered the window.

The beams grazed past the ship and entered through the clouds, causing the “Garencieres”, which just floated out from the clouds, to be shaken. After a short pause, a thunderclap-like rumble rocked the bright, “EVADE!” Flaste yelled with a voice no softer than the alarm. Alec, on the steering seat, tried his hardest to turn the rotor, and the horizontal G-force struck the ship that was meandering around. Flaste caught sight of the “Garuda” that was continuously firing its beams with his naked eyes, felt a chill from the multiple shots, and turned his stare to the ship’s damage control monitor. They were not shot through by a beam, but the external armor was. .h.i.t by the scattered particles, activating the warning lights as a result. (Flaste! Bring the ship closer to the “Garuda”!) Ivan’s holler could be heard from the wireless communicator, but the voice was partially drowned out by the sound of the mega-particle bombardments.

(At this distance, our beams are basically out of range. Turn the ship to the “Garuda” and lower us down!)

“Don’t kid around! You’re asking us to charge right at their shots and their transformable mobile suit guards!”

Alec sputtered out saliva as he lashed out and glared at Ivan’s “Geara Zulu”. The “Garencieres” had managed to fly in at an extremely low height to Torrington Base to pick up Ivan’s “Geara Zulu” successfully. At this point, this mobile suit was poking half its body out from the upper deck of the “Garencieres”, and was acting as the only cannon on this unarmed, disguised trading ship that could defend. Kwani’s “Geara Zulu” was also picked up, but it lost an arm and was having emergency repairs. There was no news on the “Zee Zulu” which met up with them after the Battle of Dakar, and they had already lost contact with Commander Kirks’ “Zaku I” for quite some time. As for the other random machines that joined the raid from the Shinbu Base, the “Garencieres” had no means of confirming whether they had escaped or not.

Ivan’s unit wielded the beam machine gun to get ready as he stared at the “Garuda”, looking like he could start an attack anytime soon; however, its thick green armor took quite a bit of damage. (Then what else can we do!?) In the face of this arguing, Flaste bit his lips and swallowed the term ‘cornered’ into his heart.

(The Princess is definitely on the “Garuda”—)

A flash appeared again, and the noise appeared, drowning out the wireless communicator. The flash was brighter than the sunlight as it dyed the bridge, and a turbulence-like tremor struck the “Garencieres”. Flaste glanced aside, spotted Alec lowering the height of the ship to the clouds, and brought the microphone of the wireless communicator to his hand. He was terrified by the thunderous applause of the high heat particles raining down, “THIS IS THE “GARENCIERES” CALLING THE CAPTAIN!” but he still hollered out.

“The enemy’s fire is too thick, and we can’t approach it. it might be better to find another chance. Since we got the brat and the “Unicorn”, we can use them as a bargaining chip—”

(No, follow us outside the “Garuda” range. If we retreat now, we’ll be letting down the Shinbu squad people.)

Upon hearing the strong emphasis amidst the noise, whatever Flaste wanted to say vanished afterwards. Whenever Zinnerman started to speak with such a tone, it indicated that he would not be moved in the slightest. Flaste stared at the “Garuda” in the enlarged window, looked for the “DO-DAI Kai” mixed in with the patrol units, “What do you intend to do?” and growled. (Get onto the “Garuda”). Zinnerman’s words came together with the chaos in the speakers, and Flaste could not exhale any of the breath he gasped.

(I’ll bring the “DO-DAI” as close as possible and land on it by rappelling. As long as I can get inside, the situation will basically be in our control.)

“How are you going to go in? You’ll be shot through many times before you can even get close, right?”

(I’ll find a way. Once I rescue the Princess, I’ll send a signal to you, so don’t miss it. Get ready to retrieve me.)

A second pa.s.sed after the wireless communicator was interrupted, and the machines surrounding the “Garuda” immediately scattered as they started firing their machine guns at the large machine. The “DO-DAI Kai’ and the “Unicorn” riding on it had most probably started to take action, as the sesame-like machines that were hard to identify were seemingly dancing around the large object like bees, confusing them. “Wha…what do we do…” Alec let out a doubtful voice, but Flaste argued back with momentum, “What else can we do!” and activated the wireless communicator with Ivan’s unit. “It’s good even if we’re out of range. Just fire randomly to attract the enemy’s attention.” He commanded and turned his sights back to the expanded window again.

The “Garuda” continued to fire in all directions, and the patrolling units charged forward like bees, seemingly wanting to protect the ship. Flaste understood upon seeing the machine infected by Zinnerman’s stubbornness that it would be pointless to tell him logical, to fall back once things were alright. He made his resolve as he looked back at the “Unicorn” that would get involved in all sorts of misfortune once it got involved, and then grumbled a few words at the wireless communicator that was cut off.

“Good grief, at least think of your own age…!”

The beam machine gun had a lag in between its shots that were shot out from the “Garencieres”. However, due to the humidity in the atmosphere, the beams that were sweeping through had mostly lost their power, but their glows were still enough to cause someone to tense up.

The transformable mobile suit opened its legs from the disc-shaped platform and stopped abruptly to evade the beam shots. The other transformable mobile suits in the squadron followed suit; and upon seeing that there was a slight gap in the navigation route, “Charge in!” Zinnerman commanded Besson on the pilot seat.

The thrusters of “DO-DAI Kai” lit up, and the flat machine of the “Unicorn” immediately accelerated. Zinnerman felt a little intimidated as he saw the large shadow of the “Garuda” close in upon him gradually. From up close, the belly of the giant machine looked like a giant wall floating in the air. Also, it was set with numerous anti-air guns and could rip apart the winds that were flowing at 0.8 Mach.

There was no need for this mobile suit mothership to land other than the periodic maintenance, and it could revolve around Earth practically permanently—Princess Mineva is inside there. He however continued to think about this, feeling that this could calm his timid heart, and zipped up the fastener of the pilot suit he got from inside the unit. Once he put on the Federation helmet and latched on the attachments around it and the neck, he told Besson, “Follow it.” The “DO-DAI Kai” crossed through the crossing fire and got right below the “Garuda”. As it was about to spin suddenly, Zinnerman looked over at the transport carrier that was docked at the rear cargo deck hatch. The “Garuda” was extremely large, but it seemed that it was unable to keep the old Medea-type model from Torrington Base, which was why the latter opened its hatch as steps and stopped there temporarily.

Has the Princess boarded the “Garuda”? Zinnerman stared at the Medea that was being held down by numerous cables, looked into the inside of the hatch that was vaguely shown, and summoned the data values of the Garuda-cla.s.s onto the console monitor. There were 6 such large fleets in the Earth Defense Perimeter, and whenever a situation arose, they could immediately send mobile suits to take it on; this state of defense was the concept behind the Garuda. However, the distractions after the war had already reduced the fleets by half, and the “Garuda” in front of them, a precedent of its cla.s.s, was definitely one of the surviving few ships. The ship had been modified and modified over and over again until it was called an air fortress, and the structure was no different from the old Garuda-cla.s.s. Zinnerman could roughly deduce the internal workings of the ship, from the blueprints of the takeoff and landing. As long as they could enter, there was a chance that they could succeed—

“Listen up, Banagher. Once we get onto it, the “DO-DAI Kai” will be controlled by you. Just attack the “Garuda” and make them lower the alt.i.tude. We’ll use this chance to get the Princess back.”

He sent the data of the Garuda-cla.s.s to the “Unicorn”, and gave the instructions through the wireless communicator in the contact loop. It seemed that Banagher’s insistence to save Mineva was just like his, (I can do it) as there was a calm force in his voice.

(But what will do you when we’re escaping?)

“Once the alt.i.tude falls below 2000m, we won’t have to use gas masks when parachuting. No matter how big it is, it’s still a plane. When it’s punctured everywhere, it’ll have to lower its height to maintain the internal air pressure. As long as we follow this plan, they won’t even be able to launch the s.p.a.ce shuttle.”

The s.p.a.ce shuttle was dangling on the bottom of the “Garuda” right wing. It was a medium-sized s.p.a.ce shuttle that could ferry 2 mobile suits, and inclusive of the thrusters, its length should be about 50m. However, it looked like a mini-missile from how it was dangling under the wing. If they allow the “Garuda” to reach the stratosphere, the s.p.a.ce shuttle ferrying Mineva would be launched into s.p.a.ce, and everything would be for naught—the “DO-DAI Kai” went by the back of the “Garuda” and lowered itself into the clouds. At this moment, “We’re going!” Zinnerman aimed for this timing and shouted.

“Fly above the “Garuda” and get rid of the beam cannons. There are 4 we can aim at right at the top—”

(Let me pilot it!)

The interrupting voice ruptured Zinnerman’s ears as the machine suddenly turned to the side, causing him to be nearly shaken out from the a.s.sistant pilot seat. The thick beams grazed the side of the “DO-DAI Kai”, and the scattered beam particles that came in scorched the compartment. The fire did not come from the “Garuda”, but from somewhere else. Zinnerman grabbed onto the console and scanned his eyes around at the sea of clouds that was not overly visible. He could see a black machine showing itself through the gaps between the clouds; it was crouched on a round-shaped transformable mobile suit, the beam rifle in its hand was pointed at the “DO-DAI Kai”, and it disappeared amidst the clouds before it could be identified.

The “DO-DAI Kai” piloted by the “Unicorn” started to make an emergency turn, and the latter fired its beam Gatling guns, releasing trails of shots that were absorbed in the clouds. It seemed that an enemy unit had gotten behind the “Unicorn” as there was a mega-particle shot, brighter than the machine gun shots, which went by the head of the “Unicorn”. The “DO-DAI Kai” showed a brilliant light as it staggered greatly, and fell by 100m or so. Banagher immediately adjusted himself to let the machine rise, but Zinnerman tried all he could do to control the track the enemy through the thruster flares. He waited for the targeting screen of the Vulcan guns located on the sides of the machine, and immediately pressed the b.u.t.ton the moment the black enemy unit crossed by.

“Fall!”

The anti-mobile suit 60mm Vulcan cannons let out a low buzz, and let out a tracer round for every five shots as it let out a slightly green trail of light in the middle of the clouds. Zinnerman’s eyes however did not let go of the black enemy machine that was dodging swiftly as he only cared about pressing the trigger. (No!) However, Banagher’s call caused him to widen his eyes in a startled manner, and at the same time, the “DO-DAI Kai” lifted its bow as the Vulcan cannons lost their target and let out a blank trail of fire.

“Banagher…!?”

(You’re attacking Miss Marida! She’s on it!)

Zinnerman’s heart jumped for a moment, only to stop seemingly. ”What did you say…?” he asked as he squeezed out this voice, and started to look for the enemy unit that flashed by from the bottom. The pitch black machine raised the angle of the transformable mobile suit it was riding on, and turned upwards as a savage light lit the golden horn on its forehead. The black “Unicorn” was showing intense hatred within its eyes, and as it wielded its beam rifle with one hand, it charged over without hesitation.

Marida. Zinnerman muttered this name in his heart, and at that moment, as he turned aside to look, the sound of the scattered particles rang in his ears. The pair of azure blue eyes that had been serving him, that had been looking back at him, were wiped out by the flash, and a sense of pressure heavier than the G-force was lambasting his heart and body.

The “Unicorn” dodged the attack from the Beam Magnum, and after that, the “Garuda” rained down a torrent of fire as it awaited the “Unicorn” that was moving through the clouds; Banagher used the shield to block the machine gun shots he could not avoid, and intended to escape from the shooting range of the giant ship above him, but the killing intent from right below caused him to turn the “DO-DAI Kai” diagonally.

The beam of the Beam Magnum grazed the “DO-DAI Kai” abdomen that was tilted almost 90 degrees, and the intense ray of light pa.s.sed through the clouds and surged upwards, grazing by the wing of the “Garuda” as it created a pillar of light reaching the skies. The “Banshee”, riding on the disc-shaped transformable mobile suit—the RAS-96 Anksha” immediately dashed out of the clouds and raised its beam rifle to attack. The “DO-DAI Kai” was spinning around as it was flipped by the shockwaves, and at that moment, the “Banshee” managed to go up high and arrived at a position where it could look down at the “Unicorn” with the sun behind it.

“Miss Marida!”

The glowing eyes under the sharp golden horn overlapped with the deep blue eyes that had all emotions removed. Banagher clicked his tongue as he used the Beam Gatling guns to fire a suppressing attack, and dodged the beam magnums as it moved up, out from the clouds. “If you can’t hear me…!” he muttered as he drew the beam saber from the side rack of his right shoulder, and then threw it at the “Banshee” following it. The beam saber continued to reverb as it cut through the sky like a flying dagger, attacking the “Banshee” directly.

The black machine managed to use its shield to deflect the flying dagger, but it was rendered unsteady as it swayed about; Banagher did not let go of this chance as he stepped on the pedal and let the “Unicorn” leap up from the “DO-DAI Kai”. It jumped backwards by using the rising air current, and charged at the “Banshee” at a velocity near supersonic. The black machine was chased off the “Anksha”, and ended up clashing in limbo with the “Unicorn” for a moment before it started to fall down

“Miss Marida! It’s me, Banagher!”

Banagher let the two mobile suits cling onto each other closely as they scuffled and called in through the communication circuit. The alt.i.tude meter continued to fall, and at this moment, the “Banshee” tilted its head slightly and turned the eyes under its visor at the “Unicorn”.

“The Captain’s on board too. You remember Captain Zinnerman from the “Garencieres”, right? He’s your original master.”

The “DO-DAI Kai” lowered itself at a breakneck speed and got down to the two mobile suits’ feet. Banagher restrained the “Banshee” from escaping and lit its verniers to turn its trajectory to the direction where the “DO-DAI Kai” was falling.

The thrusters let out an exhaust before they machine contact, and the machine negated its falling speed as it landed on the “DO-DAI Kai”. The “DO-DAI Kai” took the weight of both machines as it glided down hard, and the “Banshee” used this opportunity to grab the “Unicorn”, which released its arms due to the impact. However, the “Unicorn” restrained the “Banshee” that was intending to lunge back, and restrained it onto the platform. “Please wake up!” Banagher shouted with all he had.

“You two used to trust each other that much, and supported each other. I definitely won’t let you become the Captain’s enemy! That’s because you’re—”

(Ple Twelve. My master is Alberto Vist.)

The cold voice entered the c.o.c.kpit through the contact loop. The pitch black armor let out a golden glow from between its gap, and as the eyes lit up to look back at Banagher, the “Banshee” swung its arms to push the “Unicorn” aside.

“Marida…!?”

(Master said before that it’s alright to ensure the c.o.c.kpit and the pilot. I’ll wreck the machine if you resist.)

The “Banshee” grabbed the “Unicorn” by its visor and pushed it down onto the platform. The beam saber on its right arm was activated afterwards, and a beam that was partially subdued in power shot out, forming a scalpel that was at the “Unicorn” neck—the place that was the equivalent of the human carotid pulse that drives the system.

Marida, no the “Banshee” knew that it had a similar body structure as the “Unicorn”. Banagher could not chase off the black machine riding on him with the beam saber as his vital regions, and gritted his teeth. At this moment, (Marida…) he heard another voice come in. it seemed that the “Banshee” received the same voice through the contact loop as it lowered its arm in a doubtful manner.

(You’re really Marida, right? Can you hear me?)

The voice came from the control seat of the “DO-DAI Kai”, and the questioner sounded cautious, as if he was touching a tumor, but there was an indomitable will in his tone. This voice caused the two Unicorn-type mobile suits on the platform to tremble slightly, but after a short moment of stillness, the “Banshee” immediately turned its beam saber at the “Unicorn”. (Those guys from the Foundation readjusted you, right?) Zinnerman’s voice this time did cause the black machine to freeze.

(But it’s alright. They won’t be able to do surgery on you in such a short time. You’re just confused by the drugs and the brainwashing.)

(What exactly, are you saying…?)

There was clearly a wavering voice from the emotionless black machine. (Pull yourself through, Marida?) Zinnerman continued to call out, and the head of the “Banshee” looked like it was unable to steady itself as it looked left and right, ostensibly trying to look for the owner of the voice.

(Ple Twelve is just a codename. You now have a proper name. Think of the meaning of the name Marida.)

The “Banshee” lost the killing intent in its eyes, (Meaning…name…) and a murmuring could be heard muttered. (Only you and I know the significance of this name.) Zinnerman emphasized, and Banagher tried to see the blue eyes in his memories together with the eyes in front of him. During the moment when he was restrained on the “Ra Cailum”, Banagher once spotted some sort of light in her eyes. If that was her actual will, that meant that she—the latter half of the words did not form in Banagher’s heart however as he held his breath to wait for the “Banshee” reaction for several seconds. He suddenly glimpsed at other machines from past the black shoulder, and the moment of silence was forcefully interrupted.

The “Unicorn” did not wait for Banagher’s body to respond as it sensed danger and raised its Beam Gatling guns to fire. The approaching machine suddenly spun around, and the scatted parts of the disc-shaped machine were covered by the veil of water vapor. However, the machine was not blown to pieces, and the armor that formed the round disc opened upwards as it proceeds to cover the shoulder and forearm. The thruster units below the machine were turned 90 degrees, and once the mobile suit showed its lower body and legs, the goggles of its traditional Federation face stared right at the “Unicorn”.

“A mobile suit…!?”

The “Anksha” had both the beam cannons equipped on its arms, and was ripping through the water vapor as it closed in fast. The mega-particle bullets aimed at each other crossed through the clouds, and the “DO-DAI Kai”, which swayed about as the beams grazed it, lost its balance as it tumbled like a fallen leaf. Banagher let the “Unicorn” steady its feet onto the platform to prevent himself from falling in this battle, and could see the “Banshee” escaping in the sky. He witnessed his opponent use the wind pressure blowing upon its shields to negate the falling speed, skillfully adjusted its balance, and nimbly landed on the “Anksha” that transofmred into a round disc again.

They finally managed to get through to each other somehow. Banagher grumbled in his heart as he let the machine grab onto the grip of the “DO-DAI Kai” and got down to track the “Banshee” below. (Marida—!) Zinnerman’s agonized cry rang, and the “Banshee” gave a glare after regaining the killing intent it had. (It’s really your style to attack me while I’m confused, you despicable people…!) Marida exclaimed as her words stung Banagher’s eardrums.

“No! I was just—”

(Shut up! The “Gundam” is my enemy!)

The shout faded far away, and the block of energy from the Beam Magnum caused the clouds to scattered. The beam reached out to the sky, missing the “Unicorn” as it blew a hole in the sea of clouds. Banagher immediately felt a chill in it. The “Garuda” was right above, but she did not care when she attacked. She had no thoughts about working together with the defense forces, and what she gave was just her hatred against the “Unicorn”. She aimed at the “DO-DAI Kai” that was dodging around and fired a second shot without hesitation. Banagher raised his height to check the location of the “Garuda”, and his vision was covered by the mega-particles that flew in, “Don’t fire! Miss Marida!” as he raised his voice.

“Audrey’s on the “Garuda”. Princess Mineva is on board!”

There was no response, and what came in through the wireless communicator was the chaotic noise that seemed to have infected Marida. A third beam chased the “Unicorn” as it pa.s.sed through the clouds, and Banagher was forced to fire a screen of shots to hold off his opponent. The mega-particle shot that was as powerful as a battleship cannon raced through the blue eye, and the beam grazed the straightened rear wing of the “Garuda”, causing the weird bird with its wings spread 500m wide to tremble.

A sharp painful impact rocked the floor, causing the tremors to rise up to the ceiling above. Mineva grabbed onto the extendable pole of the gondola to support her body that was about to fall, and after a moment, a white light covered her sights, causing her to close her eyes inadvertently. A thunderclap-like boom followed suit, and the wind flowing into the deck paused for a while. She opened her eyes forcefully, turned around, and spotted the mobile suits riding on the DO-DAI SFS.

The mobile suit deck of this “Garuda” was far bigger than the “Ra Cailum” in terms of specifications. It was 60m wide, 200m long, and over 30m in height. The rear cargo deck hatch that functioned as an entrance was as big, but currently, the two thick doors were opened vertically, and the Medea transport carrier could be seen resting at the bottom hatch linking to the deck.

In the end, the large transport carrier that flew in from Torrington Base was being held in by the restrains and the numerous wires on the tail of the “Garuda”, and the machine that had a 70m wingspan was mostly exposed in the sky. The mobile suit riding on the SFS was right beside the Medea, crossing through the sky behind for only a moment, but Mineva could already see the clear image of the “Unicorn” machine in her eyes. The white machine was chased off by the “Banshee” that appeared afterwards, before disappearing diagonally above, and an explosion expanded again, shaking the empty deck.

The Medea machine was starting to lose its shape because of the refracted light, and the external air of 6000m was flowing in from outside the hatch. The air barrier from within was allowing the deck to maintain standard pressure, but the strong winds that were bellowing freezing point still felt chilly. Mineva zipped up the front of her flight jumper, looking for the two Unicorn-type mobile suits in the middle of the void. She was taken in just a little more than 10 minutes ago, and a battle began again, causing everyone to wait on the unsheltered deck for their own doom. The black-clothed subordinates of the Vist Foundation were standing around, looking outside the hatch with pale faces as they watched how the battle developed. The mechanics were all charging over ferociously, and the important personnel of the “Garuda” did not come out to meet them, probably because they intended to let the Foundation people get onto the shuttle directly, or that the unexpected battle caused them to panic. As Mineva wondered about this, a mega-particle beam caused a thunderous boom outside. “Can’t we close the hatch?” Martha asked anxiously. A black-clothed subordinate immediately brought his face to the wireless communicator.

“How long are you going to keep the hatch opened!? Hurry up and move the transport carrier away!”

(Who’s the idiot there? How can we let a transport carrier head to its death in the midst of an aerial battle! If you’re a guest, go straight to the shuttle launch deck and standby!)

The target of this call through the wireless communicator was from the commander of the “Garuda”, most likely stuck in the flight deck. The Medea could not increase in height, and could not launch into s.p.a.ce. He was in fact the most anxious as he could not find a way to chase off the troublesome customers. “If the stray shots. .h.i.t the shuttle, what do we do? We can’t possibly remain alive in the launch deck, right?” The subordinate started to argue back, but an umpteenth boom deafened the ears again as the largest impact up till this point rocked the “Garuda”. A horrifyingly weird sound rang from the empty deck supported by a large number of steel frames, and the wires supporting the Medea were at their limit. “The beam just went by us?” “Did the “Banshee” fire?” Martha glanced aside at her subordinates who in an uproar, “How’s the situation?” and coldly turned her eyes to the man in white clothes.

“There’re irregularities on the specimen’s brainwaves. At the rate this keeps up, the hypnosis will likely weaken. I suppose it’ll be better for her to retreat first…”

The man stood in front of the observation monitor, and turned his balding head at Martha as he made this reply tentatively. Alberto, who boarded the “Garuda” a little later, was standing beside the old man who seemed to be the facility head of the Newtype Research Inst.i.tute, but he had been staring at the monitor of the observation installation up till this point, and did not seem to care about the surrounding buzz. Martha turned her stare to him and coldly stated, “Alberto, you’re her master, you know.” Alberto’s pudgy shoulders shuddered slightly, and he turned his anxious face at Martha.

“Only the “Banshee” can restrain the “Unicorn”. Think of something. Does it not matter that you’ll lose to your younger brother?”

Little brother. This dissonant yet ever-realistic term was etched within Mineva’s ears, and she looked over at Alberto. He, who was at a loss of words, looked away from Martha, and his face certainly looked similar to Cardeas Vist in some ways. Is he…Mineva thought as she continued to look over at Alberto, who turned his back on her and looked at the monitor on the observation installation. He picked up the wireless communicator and spoke, “Ple Twelve, it’s me, master. Do you hear me?” His calling voice however sounded really weak in the midst of the raging winds.

“Just listen to everything I say. Every other message is a trick by the enemy to confuse you. Listen, I want you to capture the “Unicorn” and bring it here. That guy’s the “Gundam”, the enemy that robbed the “light” from you. As long as you can bring it over, your “light” won’t be taken away.”

The “light” that was taken away. The significance in that term, that ominous feeling stabbed into Mineva’s chest, causing her to feel gooseb.u.mps.

Is that the restraining bolt on Marida? Is that the driving force that forces her to charge into the battlefield emotionally? If that’s the case, what’s driving Marida now isn’t hatred for the enemy, but self-guilt. This thought will normally lead to destruction at the end, including herself. She’s just focusing her self-destructive thoughts on the keyword “Gundam”, and she’s not even controlled by the master— Mineva continued to look at Alberto, who was yelling into the wireless communicator, felt a sense of guilt from that back, and intended to walk forward before she suddenly stopped. Two black clothed subordinates blocked her path, and from past their shoulders, she could see the white slender face of Martha looking back at her.

It’s useless. The grin that showed these words spread to the side. She did not know about the b.u.t.tons they pressed, and would probably only blame Marida’s abnormality on a system malfunction. Things were unlikely to change even if Mineva were to explain it, and she could only avert her stare to the rear hatch. It seemed that the “Unicorn” and the “Banshee” had already arrived over the head of the “Garuda”, and there were no signs of the two mobile suits outside the hatch. The transformable mobile suit called the “Anksha” or something was moving about in helter-skelter, as its round disc body, unable to interfere in the battle, continued to dodge without any contribution.

There’s only a hundred meters at most from here to the rear hatch, and there’s no other way out. I might as well… Mineva muttered as she was driven by her impulse, and clenched her trembling fist. At this moment, she spotted a black silhouette appear in the sky, and it was quickly solidifying.

The machine that was like a fighter jet instantly got bigger and dashed past the “Anksha” squadron as it charged right at the “Garuda”. It decelerated right at the back of the rear hatch, and an explosive vapor immediately surrounded it as its fighter jet form collapsed. The machine, the “Delta Plus”, charged into the mobile suit deck; before Mineva could understand the situation, the machine that had transformed into a humanoid state ducked down the wings of the Medea transport carrier, and the loud sound of the landing spread apart together with the heat waves on the deck. The crewman with the command baton was shocked by the giant that suddenly appeared, and hurriedly dodged away from the hatch.

“What the!?” “Where did that mobile suit come from…?” The “Delta Plus” did not care about the ramblings of the subordinates as the landing impact caused it to charge forward by several meters before finally stopping. The thick grey armor was dyed in burns, and even though it lost its right hand, Mineva could tell from its unedged “Gundam”-like face that this was the machine that brought her to Earth. As the black clothed subordinates surrounding Martha were retreating, Mineva harbored a certain form of premonition as she looked up at the “Delta Plus”. The c.o.c.kpit at the abdomen opened, the inner hatch slid open, and just like what she expected, a familiar pilot suit appeared from inside.

“That guy actually chased us all the way here…!”

Alberto muttered seemingly to himself, but Riddhe did not seem to care about the numerous stares right at him as he stood on the lift wire beside the c.o.c.kpit and landed onto the deck from the knelt “Delta Plus”. He removed his helmet visor and fixated his determined stare at Mineva only, and the latter could only look back at him from behind the black figures that immediately got in their way.

It was an unbearable moment. The way both parties made it all the way here without care for each other caused them to feel a premonition of bitterness. “Ensign Riddhe, I don’t believe that I gave the permit to land here, did I?” at this moment, Alberto stood beside Mineva, but Riddhe did not intend to stop as his continued to approach Mineva, his determined look not wavering in the slightest. Alberto pointed his chin to direct the subordinates, and as the latter intended to suppress the pilot suit, Riddhe turned his hands behind his neck. It was too late by the time the black subordinates reached their hands into their chest pockets, as he quickly pointed a handgun barrel right at Alberto.

Riddhe probably prepared some tape on the nape of his neck, and he quickly turned the handgun around to hold off the surrounding subordinates before standing approximately 2m in front of Mineva. The subordinates still had their hands in their chest pockets as they surrounded Riddhe in steps; and the latter detected their motions as he fixated his stare, in unison with the gun barrel, at Alberto. Mineva sensed that Alberto beside her took a step back as she stared at Riddhe silently. The latter was aiming his handgun with both hands, and his beige eyes merely glanced at Mineva for an instant.

“I came to get you.”

He stated his intent firmly, and turned his gun around to hold off the Foundation people. The pressurized anxiousness in his eyes proved Mineva’s premonition, and she turned her face towards Riddhe, unable to make a sound.

The black “Unicorn” used the disc-shaped transformable mobile suit as a footing and let its large body fly in the sky. It spun its shield skillfully and adjusted its position as the winds struck at it. Once it landed on top of the “Garuda”, it reached its arms out and landed on the wide wings cleanly.

One of the machine gun turrets were wrecked, and at that moment, the black machine that landed on the wing pointed its golden horn at Banagher. The “Unicorn” leapt off the “DO-DAI Kai” platform before the opponent fired its beam rifle. Zinnerman was nearly shaken off the driver seat that was tilted greatly as the mobile suit riding on it abandoned the craft, “That idiot…!” and grabbed the console as he growled. “Let’s fall back first!” Besson shouted, “No!” but Zinnerman yelled back and looked for the “Unicorn” in his extremely shaky vision. He could barely see the white machine land on the wing of the “Garuda”, and it charged in, dodging the cannon attack of the black machine.

Even when considering the measurements of a mobile suit, there was still enough s.p.a.ce on the strange bird with a 500m wingspan. It was not inconvenient for both Unicorn-types were about to clash on it as it was wide enough, but the problem was that the wind pressure was flying in at 800km per hour. Banagher sensed that the 30ton machine was about to be blown aside by the wind as he let the “Unicorn” reach its hand out to Marida’s machine. The black “Unicorn” took the wind pressure, skillfully glided on the wing, and once it stopped, it let out a flare from its beam rifle. The powerful impact of the Magnum shot grazed past the top of the “Garuda”, and the scattered particles fell down in the path, causing the wing armor to be ripped off and blown to the back. The “Unicorn” dodged, stepped onto a beam cannon, crushed it, and barely managed to let itself stop on the wing as it struggled to regain balance.

It was not weird for both sides to fall anytime soon—no, the frame of the “Garuda” would not be able to support them before that happened. Marida was obviously acting disorderly, and Banagher was gradually drawn in by her confusion. Zinnerman stared at the wing of the “Garuda” that was fluttering like a bird. The Princess is inside there somewhere, and so in the guy who readjusted Marida and made himself the new master. He’s forcing her to fight, the one who’s causing her pain.

“…Match the relative velocity of the “Garuda” and let the machine land on the gun turret.”

There’s no other way. Zinnerman pointed at the machine gun turret Marida’s unit wrecked as he gave this order. “But if the “Unicorn” isn’t here, the DO-DAI control is…!” Besson argued back with bloodshot eyes. “Stay here.” But Zinnerman forcefully commanded and strapped a parachute container onto his shoulder.

“Once you let me go, drop the machine out of firing range. After 30 minutes…no, 20 minutes, if there’s still no movement, bring the “Unicorn” back to the “Garencieres”.”

He waited for the machine to land, and left the seat. “This is reckless. You’re going in alone…!?” Besson chided, but Zinnerman turned his back on the other man as he opened the dock leading to the cargo deck. The parachute container on his back was a backpack that had equipment on the b.u.t.tocks till the legs, and there was a spare parachute filled in front of his chest. He carried the heavy equipment that even the paratroopers would be amazed by, pa.s.sed through the door, climbed down the ladder to the air lock, and reached the cargo deck that was right below the platform. The cargo deck filled with spare supplies looked like an underground bunker, but it could occasionally be used as an explosive depot, as there was a hatch to drop the explosives through on the floor.

Zinnerman closed the helmet visor and activated the installation to reduce the air pressure. As the machine continued to rumble, he pulled the cable from the winch beside him, and fastened the safety harness on his shoulders onto the wire firmly. Once the green light indicating zero pressure was lit up, Zinnerman pressed the release b.u.t.ton to open the hatch. The wind that blew into the craft immediately hit the helmet, and he could see the surging clouds below.

The thick grey wings of the “Garuda” covered the white cloud carpet as it appeared in Zinnerman’s eyes. He looked over, and could see ice forming on the wings. “How reckless…” he vented his complains that would happen to him, and stepped onto the ground.

A falling feeling felt like it was going to tighten his b.u.t.tocks, and the harness embedded upon his shoulders felt extremely discomforting. Zinnerman started to descend down along the rope as he was tossed by the currents flowing below the ship, his body swaying heavily as he relied on merely a rope. The closest the “DO-DAI Kai” could get close to the “Garuda”, without the interference of the wild currents, would be more than 30m. The blown hollow of the machine gun turret was so small as compared to the wide wing that filled his vision, a depressing sight at that, and he immediately felt regret.

(Banagher, the Captain’s about to land on the “Garuda”! If you can hear me, cover him!)

Besson’s shout rang from amidst the noise, and Banagher’s attention that was captured by the battle in front of him started to move. The heel of the “Unicorn” was firmly etched into the wing of the “Garuda”, and as he let the machine stand on the engine block, he got into attack mode and swung the beam saber that was clashing with the “Banshee” forward.

The “Banshee” tried to retreat quickly as its footing was unstable as compared to the attacker. The black machine glided down the machine and stopped at the edge of the wing. Banagher witnessed this as he let the main camera line the wireless communicator signal to the other side. The “DO-DAI Kai” was trying to match its relative velocity with the “Garuda” as it flew 30m above the wing, and he could barely see a human figure dangling on the wire dropped from the “DO-DAI Kai”.

It was Zinnerman. He had a large rucksack on both front and back, and his waist had a backpack on it; that pilot suit silhouette was landing towards the destroyed gun turret, but he could not fall directly as the air currents continued to rage. His body was nearly dragged off as he could only move down diagonally, and in fact, he looked like a human flag blown by the wind. “Are you serious…?” Banagher muttered, and as he tried to let the machine turn towards the “DO-DAI Kai”, a killing intent from beside him stopped the “Unicorn” in its tracks. The “Anksha” got onto the wing, surrounded by water vapor, transformed into its humanoid form with high shoulders, and drew its beam saber as it leapt onto the “Unicorn”.

There was no room for Banagher to retreat. He went full throttle as he stepped onto the pedal and let the “Unicorn” charge forward against the wind pressure. The thrusters in the backpack were activated, and the “Unicorn” was a.s.sisted by an explosive thrust as it raced down the “Garuda”. It clashed beam sabers with the “Anksha”, melted the latter’s right shoulder, and swung backhand as it sliced off the beam cannon on the left hand. At the next moment, a Beam Magnum light went right in front of the “Unicorn”. The high amount of scattered particles charged right at both the “Unicorn” and the “Anksha”, and the latter, which did not have a shield, was immediately blown into blews.

The limbs of the “Anksha” rolled onto the wing of the “Garuda” limply, and the machine immediately exploded on the rear wing. The flying flames and debris were gone with the wind, and the burnt explosion dust made a black smoke trail with the help of the 20 engines. Banagher used this opportunity to deploy his I-field, and barely managed to avoid the attack of the scattered particles, but the impact from the explosion caused the “DO-DAI Kai” in his sights to sway. The machine dropped down greatly, and Zinnerman, who was descending, landed hard on the wing; in an instant, his profile was mixed in with the debris that was blown away.

“Captain!”

The “Unicorn” stepped off the wing surface as it lit its thrusters and charged at the silhouette. The wire was snapped, and Zinnerman’s body rolled down many meters. His hand managed to grab onto the wing rectifier for merely a moment, as the strong winds instantly blew him to the edge of the wing. He flew right by the nose of the “Unicorn” with its outstretched hand, and Banagher immediately chased after the other man who was thrown into the empty sky as he let the “Unicorn” leap out of the wing. Banagher used this momentum of the wind to let the “Unicorn” grab the man that was blown away by the wing.

At the same time, he lit all his thrusters to veer the machine. The “Unicorn” twisted itself in the empty sky, letting out a trail of thruster flare moving forward, and landed back on the edge of the “Garuda” wing. It rolled onto the side of the vertical rear wing and knelt down; upon this, Banagher checked that Zinnerman in his hands was safe. The body wearing the Federation pilot suit moved slightly, and the face under the helmet turned towards him as Zinnerman raised his hand gingerly to give a thumbs up to the main camera.

It seemed that the parachutes on both front and back sides worked as an air cushion, preventing a fatal injury. (Behind you, Banagher!) just when Banagher was feeling relieved, a voice came in through the contact loop, and he immediately diverted the “Unicorn” away. The beam saber that was swung over from the back went by the bottom of the armpit, and the blade ripped the surface of the “Garuda” wing as the backhand strike was launched up at the “Unicorn”.

The “Unicorn” barely managed to dodge at the last moment, and the “Banshee” did not let go of this chance as it swung its beam saber down. Banagher used his shield to block this thunderous slash as he pulled the right hand with Zinnerman on it back to its chest. The heat from the beam saber could rupture even Gundarium, and was definitely not something to be treated idly. If he were to be heat by any of the scattered particles, Zinnerman would end up no different from a target of a high-powered laser.

“Stop it, Miss Marida! The captain will burn to death if we clash like this!”

Banagher retreated back as he yelled out loud. The cold air at freezing point was scattered apart, and the scorching beam saber swung down without mercy as (STOP IT!) Marida’s yell rang in his ears.

(This incessant yelling is hurting my head…! If you want me to stop, just surrender!)

“Your headache is proof that the real Miss Marida is resisting! If that’s the brother unit of the “Unicorn”, you would be swallowed by the machine. Aren’t you the one who told me that my machine has such a terrifying system!?”

(That’s ridiculous…!)

The “Banshee” swung over, and used the momentum to swing an elbow, denting the “Unicorn” shield. The machine was knocked backwards onto the ground, and the wing of the “Garuda” took the ma.s.sive 30ton frame as a cavity appeared in its wing like plywood. Banagher protected Zinnerman in his hands as he immediately regrouped, but the “Banshee” leapt in from above as it reached its hand to cover his sight. The “Banshee” grabbed the “Unicorn” by the head and plummeted it to the wing, and the reverse grip beam saber tip was pressed against the abdomen of the “Unicorn”.

“The “Banshee” will give me power. This power will burn off all the slugs on me and return me the “light” that belongs to me.”

The high heat of the beam saber caused a at the back, and a emotionless pitch black figure was swaying. “Miss Marida, you—” Banagher’s words were interrupted as the “Banshee” stared to exert strength on the beam saber it was wielding.

(n.o.body can ever think of getting in my way. I’m going to cut your stomach up too…!)

A demonic glow radiated from the eyes of the machine, and the hatred from within was directed at Banagher. I’ll be killed. Banagher screamed within his heart. (YOU BLACK MONSTER!) another voice entered the contact loop as Zinnerman furiously got up from the palm, appearing in the side of Banagher’s vision.

(RETURN ME MARIDA!)

He yelled as he fired the rocket launcher on his shoulder. The rocket head dragged a trail of white smoke and charged from the “Unicorn” palm to the “Banshee” face, causing a little explosion in the facemask. The “Banshee” stumbled backwards, (Now, Banagher!) Zinnerman growled as his voice followed. Zinnerman abandoned the disposable rocket launcher and pointed at the gun turret on the wing, and at this moment, Banagher understood the other man’s intention. It got up and punched the unmanned gun turret.

The giant fist shattered the gla.s.s in the canopy, and the gun was bent like malt candy. Banagher let the “Unicorn” uproot the gun and dropped Zinnerman’s body into the large hole opened in the side wing. (I’ll leave Marida to you!) the back profile exclaimed as it sled from the hand, and Banagher waited for the other man to infiltrate successfully before pulling its beam saber out and turned the back. His prediction that the enemy would attack did not come true as the “Banshee” did not attack during this moment. The black machine had its face looking down after it took the direct rocket hit, and the darkness that had wind blowing upon it was quietly huddled up, not getting up.

(…The “Gundam”, is the enemy.)

The armor on the machine expanded, and the huddled black shadow expanded. “Miss Marida…!?” The “Banshee” did not respond to Banagher’s call as it lifted its head that was looking down, and the exposed Psycoframe started to radiate a golden glow.

(You’re the enemy that killed us. You’re the enemy that robbed the “light” from within me. You, you’re the “Gundam”…!)

The lone horn on the forehead broke into a V-shaped, and the shattered facemask slid up. The “Banshee” rose up, showing the glow of the Psycoframe, and the golden glow ostensibly showing the will of the pilot was flickering. There was no doubt that its form was a “Gundam”—as Banagher was at a loss of words, the “Banshee” in its destroy mode raised its beam saber. The killing intent mixed in with the golden glow spread all around, pa.s.sing through Banagher’s body as he grabbed the control sticks again.

A loud boom sounded through the ceiling, making it seem that it was going to collapse, and the ma.s.sive body of the “Garuda” swayed up and down. The siren showed no signs of ceasing its wail, and the brightness of Zinnerman’s handheld explosive was not easily identified due to the lighting.

Since the battle was held on the wing, it might not be surprising to have a little tremor, but the shaking this time was different from before. Is a “Unicorn” shot down? He looked up and the ceiling as the dust fell, and felt a little suffocated. The numerous footsteps running down the pa.s.sage made him lean his body to the wall. He took out a sub machine gun from his backpack and peeked through a slightly opened door to check the situation on the corridor. The furious rampage of footsteps closed in, “You sure you saw him?” someone’s growl rang in his ears.

“Glamel of the 17th cannon said that he saw someone drop from the “DO-DAI Kai” onto the wing.”

“A solo operation? He’s not in freefall flight now, right?”

“Don’t talk about that now. Can’t we chase off those mobile suits? If we let them rampage on, even the “Garuda” can’t hang on!”

BOOM. A certain knocking sound rang inside the machine, and the shaking sound faded with the footsteps. They’re all novices. Zinnerman muttered as he stuck an explosive beside the wires on the wall, and once he was certain that there was no one on the corridor, he opened the door completely. He was in a Federation pilot suit, but his heavy equipment meant that he could not mix in with the crew. He waited for the group equipped with oxygen masks to pa.s.s by, and carried his heavy backpack as he charged out again.

He felt his feet shaking, not because of the interrupting tremors. The reason why he felt an abnormal pain in his flank was most probably due to the heavy fall he had when he landed hard on the wing. His ribs may have fractured, but the situation did not allow for him to slow down. As the two “Unicorns” continued to do damage upon the wings, the “Garuda” continued to increase in height. He had already spent approximately 3 minutes checking the internal map of the monitor sheet and running around the thick wing before finally reaching the corridor leading to the engine rooms.

Each engine room had two main engines, and there were 10 of such rooms along the wings. There were not a lot of crew members as the “Garuda” had successfully converted into automated mode, and it was impossible for the crew that totaled less than 100 to remain on standby at this place. As he had expected, there was not a single guard leading to the engine rooms. He closed in on the 5th engine room door on the inside of the left wing, took a deep breath, exhaled, and pushed aside the unlocked door panel. “Oi, didn’t you hear?” Zinnerman yapped, and there was a man who seemed to be a mechanic, turning his stare around in fright.

“There’s an order to evacuate this block. Tell the other crew to hurry up and leave.”

He spoke in a tone only a war veteran would spoke in. “Ye…yes!” the skinny young mechanic instinctively accepted the order as he froze, and the parachute behind Zinnerman caused him to blink in bewilderment.

“But the engine rooms are completely automated. The inspectors should be in the Central Control room…”

“Very good.”

Eh? The mechanic’s mouth was half opened, but Zinnerman did not see his face as his fist slammed right into the other person’s abdomen; and for added precaution, he added in a karate chop on the neck. He ignored the mechanic who fainted and looked around the cabin. The wing surface was acting as a large cover to protect the fusion core jet engines, and there were numerous switchboards linked to the Central Control room right below the engines. This simplistic scene was basically no different from the air conditioning in an office building.

“Then…”

Zinnerman rummaged through the mechanic’s waist for the keys and opened a cubicle. It was easy to destroy everything with the sub machine gun, but this would end up activating the backup system. He would first have to paralyze the turbine power system and lower the height of the “Garuda”. If there were time after this, he wanted to destroy the mega particle control system as well and create an opening for the “Garencieres” to approach. He considered that he would need to spend quite the effort in saving Mineva, and could not stay here for too long. He pulled out the lead wires of the heat circulation system and cut off 3 of the 5 wires.

Once he was certain that the alarm was lit, he switched off the control valve. The large engines above started to slow down drastically, and the alarm got relatively louder as it rang in his eyes.

The sounds of the machines became a Figured Ba.s.s shook the air of the mobile suit deck, and suddenly, there was an irregular sound. Mineva felt her body float up seemingly and looked back at the opened hatch.

She could slightly see the clouds below her eyes from past the Medea transport craft. Before this, the scenery outside the aircraft was hidden by the hatch and could not be seen. Are we falling? as she felt puzzled, a crewman shouted, “5th main unit, both engines down!” and hurried footsteps could be heard from above.

“I heard that there’s no external damage. It’s not a power system malfunction?”

“There’s a problem with the 4th unit too. Call anyone that’s free to head to the engine room!”

The crewmen panicked as they notified each other and ran over the catwalk along the wall. There was a commotion over a report that someone may have snuck in just now. Is it… the moment she thought about it, Mineva looked up at the ceiling far away from the wall. “I can hand you Banagher and the “Unicorn”, but this determined voice caused her to turn to the front in shock.

“But I want her back. If you refuse, I’m going try and get her back with all I have.”

Riddhe aimed his automatic handgun with both hands as he took a step forward. Alberto, who had lost out in terms of willpower, started to back away, and the surrounding black suit subordinates had their hands reached within their chest pockets, but their hands were trembling. In this extremely tense situation, Martha was the only one who showed an emotionless and undeterred expression. “Do you understand your situation here, Ensign Riddhe?” Martha did not move forward nor backwards in the face of the black suit barricade, and even showed a light sneer, but Riddhe’s helmeted head shook slightly.

“We’re in a battle here. Even the prince of the Marcenas’ family won’t be able to escape the fate of an accidental death. Who else will know that you’re dead other than you yourself?”

Thud. The black subordinates let out this sound as they closed the perimeter. However, Riddhe remained unmoved by Mineva’s urge to shout out as he remained calm and turned his stare and the gunpoint at Martha, “The military certainly fusses over the cause of death over anything else.” He said as he gave a stiff smile.

“Everything I said will be recorded in the black box of the “Delta Plus”through the wireless communicator. Let me tell you first, it’s useless to finish me off with the machine. When the machine’s about to be wrecked, the system is set that the information will reach the nearest ally machine.”

A subordinate whispered something to Martha, and the sneer immediately vanished from her face. Mineva deduced that he probably told her that Riddhe was not bluffing. If they were to kill Riddhe here, the “Garuda” and all the surrounding mobile suits would become witnesses. At this point, she finally realized the intention Riddhe had when he barged in here, and turned to look at his tense face again. “You have two choices.” He pressured on as the flashes and boom of the mega-particles shook the atmosphere.

“Do you hand her over to me obediently? Or do you kill me and become an enemy of the Settlement Issues Council? I don’t care what you choose anymore.”

The muzzle was pointed decisively at Martha now, who, upon witnessing that stare full of madness, showed less than a second’s worth of faltering. Her white, slender face showed a little bitterness, and she immediately showed her poker face again as she raised her hands and stopped the subordinates who would shoot anytime soon. All the subordinates removed their hands from the chest when her stare reached everyone, and Riddhe, who had been retreating slightly, turned to look at Mineva.

“Hurry. Get onto the “Delta Plus”.”

Riddhe growled as his gun was pointed at Martha unflinchingly. Mineva looked back at him and stopped her legs from nearly moving on instinct as she clenched her fists and remained here. I’m going to say something stupid—no, something vicious. She understood this well, and inhaled before turning her chiding stare at Riddhe again.

“What do you intend to do once you take me away? Are you going to lock me in the house again?”

She would not budge unless this was clear. BOOM an overhead explosion rang again, and she stared over at Riddhe, who did not seem to understand the question as he looked back, and showed a pleading look for a short moment. “We’ll talk about it after we leave!” he turned back to look at Martha again.

“Hurry up and get onto the “Delta Pus”. Those guys are using you as a hostage.”

“It’s the same in the Marcenas residence.”

“Audrey…!”

“What do you want to protect? Me? The secret of the “Laplace Box”? Or do you want to protect this secret to maintain your family honor you maintained up till this point?”

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT MY FAMILY!”

The voice that came from deep within the stomach rang in everyone’s ears, causing Mineva to falter from deep within. Riddhe did not look at the speechless Mineva as he pointed the gun at Martha. “What I care about aren’t about those. The secret of the “Box” isn’t what you think…” he muttered as his face was twisted with anguish.

“Everything spun out of control since 100 years ago…when the Prime Minister Residence “Laplace” was blown up. No matter whether it was me, my dad, or the Vist Foundation people here, everyone ended up being here because of this loss of control. But no matter how crazy the world is, there’re still 10 billion people…what can I do? Am I limited to protecting this kind of world? I can’t t