The sky above the jagged mountain range was violently torn apart.
Two streaks of blinding light one a brilliant, pure white, the other a striking, sandy yellow ripped through the thin morning air. The roar of their thrusters echoed like a continuous roll of thunder, shaking the very rocks below them.
Inside the cockpit of the White Gundam, Zaki's hands were practically glued to the control sticks. His knuckles were completely white. Sweat beaded on his forehead, stinging his eyes, but he didn't dare blink.
"Maki! How's the reactor output? Are we gonna make it in time?!" Zaki yelled over the deafening hum of the thrusters, his voice tight with raw panic.
From the copilot interface, Maki's voice cracked through the internal comms, equally frantic. "I'm pushing it to the redline, Zaki! If I give it any more juice, we're gonna fry the primary circuits before we even see the enemy! Just keep her steady, damn it! I'm constantly adjusting the stabilizers so we don't spin out!"
"I am keeping her steady! Just—ugh, just tell me how far out we are!" Zaki snapped back, his heart pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird.
"Three minutes!" Maki shouted back. "Maybe two if you stop whining and focus!"
Right beside them, flying in perfect, aggressive synchronization, was the Sunflower Gundam. It was a beast of a machine, a beautiful sand-yellow silhouette with unique, sharp wings that cut through the wind resistance like a hot knife through butter.
Inside its cockpit, Augustina Mcgraven was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. Her hands trembled, but not from fear—from pure, unadulterated adrenaline. She could feel the power of the machine pulsing through the control yokes. This wasn't the clunky junk she was used to. This was a masterpiece.
"Hey, Augie!" Zaki's voice buzzed into her ear. "You holding up over there? Don't push yourself too hard, it's your first time in that thing!"
Augustina let out a sharp, breathless laugh. "Are you kidding me, Zaki? This machine... it's responding to my thoughts before I even move my hands! I've never felt anything like this. But we don't have time to marvel at the tech. Look at the radar. They're already at the perimeter!"
Zaki glanced down at his tactical display. Red dots were swarming like angry ants around the green circle that marked the Mars Colony Base. "Dammit! They're not waiting! We have to intercept them now, or the civilian sector is gonna get caught in the crossfire. Full throttle! Let's crash this party!"
Down on the ground, the situation was already a complete nightmare.
The Tracen Army's Pioneer Mobile Suits bulky, heavily armored, and brutally ugly machines were indiscriminately raining fire upon the Mars Colony base. Explosions violently rocked the earth. Plumes of thick, black smoke choked the morning sky.
Inside the civilian shelters, children were screaming. The Colonian Mobile Suit defenders were desperately trying to hold the line, but they were hopelessly outgunned and outmaneuvered by the battle-hardened Tracen rebels.
"Push forward! Crush these Colonian scums!" a Tracen squad leader barked over the open radio. "Don't let up!"
But just as a squad of Pioneers raised their heavy rifles to blast through the main defensive wall, the sky above them literally exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
The ground violently quaked as two massive metal titans slammed into the earth right between the rebel forces and the terrified Colonians. A massive shockwave of dust, dirt, and shattered rock blasted outward, blinding everyone for a few terrifying seconds.
The Tracen Army troops froze. The Colonian defenders stopped firing. Utter silence fell over the battlefield, save for the whining hum of high-performance reactors cooling down.
As the thick dust slowly cleared, the horrifying reality of the situation dawned on the attackers. Standing there, radiating an intimidating, almost god-like presence, were two unknown Mobile Suits. The White Gundam's optical sensors flared a bright, piercing green. The Sunflower Gundam spread its mechanical wings, looking like an avenging angel made of steel and sand.
"What the hell..." a Tracen pilot whispered over the open channel, his voice shaking. "What are those things?!"
High above the chaos, dodging stray laser fire, a Colonian news helicopter was desperately trying to keep its camera steady.
"Are we live?! Tell me we're live, Dave!" the reporter screamed into his microphone, his eyes bulging out of his head. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you are tuning in from home, I don't know what we are witnessing! The Mars Colony Base was seconds away from total annihilation, but out of nowhere, two... two completely unidentified Mobile Suits have just dropped from the sky! They aren't Federation! They aren't Colonian! Look at the design on that white one! It's... it's a Gundam! We are looking at a real-life Gundam!"
Millions of miles away, in a dark, heavily guarded subterranean base, the broadcast was being projected onto a massive wall screen.
King Sirius Nelphime of the Mercury Colony sat in his lavish throne-like chair, a crystal glass of expensive red wine in his hand. But as the camera zoomed in on the sand-yellow Mobile Suit standing defiantly on the battlefield, the glass slipped from his fingers.
It shattered against the marble floor, the red wine pooling like blood.
King Sirius slowly stood up, his entire body trembling. The color drained from his face, only to be violently replaced by a dark, furious crimson. The veins on his forehead bulged as he stared at the screen, his breathing turning into ragged, animalistic gasps.
"That..." Sirius choked out, his voice a dangerous, low growl. "That's... impossible."
He stepped closer to the screen, his eyes wide with a manic, unhinged disbelief. He recognized the armor plating. He recognized the joint articulation. He recognized those damn wings.
"THAT IS THE ROMEO BLU!" King Sirius suddenly roared, his voice echoing off the metallic walls of his command center. He violently kicked a nearby command console, sending sparks flying. "They changed the paint! They altered the V-fin! But that is MY technology! MINE!"
His top advisors flinched, stepping back in sheer terror as their King completely lost his mind.
"How?! How did those rats steal it and turn it against me?!" Sirius screamed, tearing at his own hair. "My masterpiece! My secret weapon! And they are parading it on live television like some... some cheap toy! I'll kill them! I will peel the flesh from their bones and burn their colonies to the ground!"
Back on the dusty, war-torn plains of Mars, the tension was thick enough to cut with a combat knife.
Augustina took a deep, shaky breath. Her heart was breaking, but her resolve was absolute. She flipped the switch on her console, bypassing the local comms and broadcasting on an encrypted, wide-area public channel. She knew exactly who was leading this slaughter.
"Troy Steven!" Augustina's voice boomed across the battlefield, loud, clear, and dripping with authority. "Call off your men! Stop this assault immediately!"
There was a moment of heavy silence. Then, a dark, cynical laughter echoed back through the speakers. It was a laugh that made Zaki's skin crawl.
Stepping out from the rear of the Tracen formation was a heavily modified Pioneer Mobile Suit. It was painted a horrifying, dried-blood dark red. It was covered in extra armor plating, vicious spikes, and scorch marks from countless battles. In its hands, it held two massive, terrifying Heat Sabers. This was the personal unit of the 'Red Oni of Earth'.
"Well, well, well," Troy Steven's voice sneered over the comms. "If it isn't little Augustina. I was wondering when you'd show your pretty face again."
"Troy, look around you!" Augustina pleaded, desperation leaking into her voice. "This base is right next to the civilian domes! If you keep firing those heavy cannons, you're going to breach the life support systems! You will kill hundreds of innocent Earth inhabitants and Colonians! This isn't a war anymore, it's a massacre!"
Troy laughed again, harder this time. It was the laugh of a total psychopath.
"Innocents? There are no innocents in this war, Augie! You've gone soft! You've become nothing but a pathetic Colonian lackey!" Troy spat viciously. "I don't give a damn about the civilian area! You wanna play the big hero in your shiny new yellow toy? Then get the hell out of my way! Or I'll tear you and your little friends to scrap metal!"
Troy didn't even wait for a response. He keyed his squad channel. "All units! Ignore the base! Turn those two new freaks into swiss cheese! FIRE!"
"Dammit, we tried!" Zaki yelled, his hands flying across the keyboard. "Maki, it's go time! We can't negotiate with a madman."
"I'm with you, Zaki!" Maki responded, her digital voice sharp and focused.
"Augustina, listen to me!" Zaki commanded. "You take the Pioneer grunts! Keep them away from the domes! Use the Sunflower's speed, don't let them pin you down. AIRIS and I are gonna take down that big red ugly bastard!"
"Be careful, Zaki!" Augustina cried out. "He's completely insane in close combat! Don't let him corner you!"
"I won't!" Zaki promised.
Augustina slammed her foot down on the thrust pedals. The Sunflower Gundam exploded into motion, moving so fast it looked like a mirage. It danced through the air, dodging a massive volley of incoming laser fire with terrifying grace.
"Sorry, guys," Augustina whispered to herself, tears stinging her eyes as she locked onto her former comrades. "But I can't let you do this."
She pulled the triggers. The Sunflower's twin Beam Rifles lit up the battlefield, firing precise, devastating bursts of energy. She didn't shoot to kill; she shot out their legs, their weapon arms, their main cameras. The sand-yellow unit moved like a furious fairy, completely tearing the Tracen Army's formation to shreds in seconds.
Meanwhile, Zaki locked eyes with the Dark Red Pioneer.
"Maki! Stowing the Beam Sub Machine Gun. I need the single Beam Saber, now! Route power to the right arm!"
"Copy that!" Maki yelled. "Securing firearms. Releasing right shoulder storage! Beam Saber is hot and ready, Zaki!"
The White Gundam gracefully holstered its gun on its rear armor skirt. Its right hand reached up to its shoulder, grabbing the cylindrical hilt. With a vicious, electric hum, a blinding green blade of pure plasma erupted from the emitter.
Troy Steven saw the glowing sword and let out a manic howl over the radio.
"You think that little glowing toy sword is gonna save you, kid?!" Troy roared. "I'm gonna melt you inside that cockpit! DIE!"
The Red Oni fired its massive thrusters, launching itself forward like a dark red missile. The two blazing orange Heat Sabers in its hands were superheated, completely distorting the air around them.
Zaki didn't flinch. "Bring it on, you psycho!"
CLAAANG!
The collision was deafening. The White Gundam's plasma blade met the two superheated physical swords in a shower of explosive sparks. The kinetic force of the impact threw Zaki hard against his restraints, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
"Ugh!" Zaki grunted, his teeth gritted in intense pain. The alarms in the cockpit were screaming.
CLAAANG! CLAAANG! SWISH!
The close-quarters dogfight was absolutely brutal. Troy attacked with a wild, animalistic ferocity, swinging his heavy swords in chaotic, unpredictable arcs. Every strike held enough force to cleave a normal Mobile Suit in half.
But Zaki wasn't alone. "AIRIS! Predictive tracking!"
The onboard AI system flooded Zaki's retinas with real-time movement data, painting holographic trajectories of Troy's swings milliseconds before they happened. Zaki danced the White Gundam backward, parrying a downward slash, ducking under a horizontal sweep, and countering with a swift thrust that barely missed the Red Oni's cockpit.
Troy was sweating, his eyes wide with a mix of thrill and rage. This kid is keeping up with me?! Impossible!
"You're dodging too much, you little rat!" Troy screamed, losing his patience. He suddenly pulled his Mobile Suit back, creating a fifty-meter gap between them.
"What's he doing?!" Maki panicked.
"Taste this, hero!" Troy laughed maniacally.
Instead of aiming at the White Gundam, Troy aimed the massive missile pods attached to his unit's legs high into the air. He didn't lock onto Zaki.
He locked onto the Mars Colony Base behind them.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
A dozen high-powered, armor-piercing missiles streaked out of the pods, leaving thick trails of white smoke as they arced over the battlefield, heading straight for the fragile glass domes of the civilian shelters.
Zaki's heart stopped. The blood froze in his veins.
"NO!" Zaki screamed, his voice tearing his throat. "HE'S TARGETING THE KIDS! THE CIVILIANS!"
It was a dirty, vile trick. Troy knew exactly what he was doing. If Zaki dodged or attacked, the missiles would wipe out hundreds of people. If Zaki tried to block them, he would leave himself completely open to the Red Oni.
Zaki didn't even have to think. He shoved the control sticks hard to the side.
"Maki! AIRIS! We have to shoot them down! ALL OF THEM! NOW!" Zaki roared, pure adrenaline taking over his body.
With neck-breaking speed, the White Gundam spun a complete 180 degrees, turning its back entirely to Troy Steven.
"Locking on!" Maki screamed, her holographic hands flying over her tactical boards. Multiple red squares popped up on Zaki's screen, tracking the fast-moving missiles.
"AIRIS, VULCANS! GIVE 'EM HELL!"
The twin Vulcan Cannons mounted in the head of the White Gundam roared to life.
DOR! DOR! DOR! DOR! DOR!
A continuous, blinding stream of heavy physical rounds sprayed into the sky. Zaki jerked the machine's head, tracing the path of the missiles. High in the air, the rounds connected.
Explosion after explosion painted the sky in orange and black. The deadly missiles were detonated mid-flight, safely away from the domes, raining down only harmless, burning shrapnel.
"Got 'em! We got all of them!" Maki cheered, tears of relief streaming down her face.
But the victory was short-lived.
"You stupid, bleeding-heart kid!" Troy's voice mocked, right behind them.
Zaki turned his head just in time to see the proximity alarm flash completely red. He had sacrificed his position, and Troy had capitalized on it instantly.
Before the White Gundam could even turn around, the Dark Red Pioneer slammed its massive, heavily armored shoulder directly into the White Gundam's back with the force of a freight train.
CRASH!
The horrible sound of crunching metal filled the cockpit. Zaki was thrown violently forward, his helmet smashing against the console. His vision blurred, ears ringing with a high-pitched whine.
The tackle threw the White Gundam completely off the cliff edge they were fighting near.
Gravity took over. The majestic white machine was suddenly tumbling helplessly through the air, falling freely down the deep, rocky canyon.
"ZAKI!" Maki screamed, absolute terror in her voice. "WE'RE FALLING! MAIN THRUSTERS ARE OFFLINE! ZAKI, WAKE UP!"
The ground was rushing up to meet them at terrifying speed. The wind howled against the chassis.
"N-Not..." Zaki coughed, tasting blood in his mouth. He fought through the dizzying pain, forcing his eyes open. The rocky floor of the canyon was only seconds away. "Not yet!"
He grabbed the sticks with a desperate, crushing grip and violently stomped on both thrust pedals.
"IGNITE!"
Just meters before they would have been flattened into a pancake of white metal, the thrusters in the Gundam's backpack and legs exploded with blue fire. The immense counter-force hit Zaki like a physical punch, pressing him so hard into his seat he felt his ribs groaning.
The White Gundam stopped its descent with a violent, bone-rattling jolt. A massive crater of dust and shattered rocks exploded outward from the sheer force of the thrusters hitting the ground.
Breathing heavily, his chest heaving, Zaki manipulated the controls. Through the thick cloud of dust, the White Gundam slowly, defiantly, stood back up, drawing its beam saber once again into a ready stance.
Up on the cliff edge, Troy Steven looked down at the dust cloud and let out a booming laugh.
"Not bad, kid! Not bad at all!" Troy yelled down at him. "You survived! But you just showed me your biggest weakness! You care way too much about other people! And on the battlefield, that's gonna get you killed!"
Zaki wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes narrowing with a cold, focused fury. The battle had only just started. The Red Oni was a monster, far more dangerous and cunning than he had ever anticipated.
Far above them, seeing the White Gundam take that brutal hit, Augustina let out a scream of pure rage. "TROY!" she yelled, pushing the Sunflower Gundam's reactor beyond its limits, determined to tear through the backup forces and get to her friend.
The real war for Earth had truly begun.
To be continued....