Mobile
Suit Gundam: No Man’s Sky
Story
Treatment
The
Logline
In a possible future, humanity has
expanded its reach to all the planets of our Solar System with dozens of massive space
colonies. When a collection of them declare a war for independence and commit
terrorist atrocities doing so, seven youths are forced to pilot an experimental
force of mobile suits called the Gundams to make their way to Earth and free
their potential allies from an occupying force. In doing so, they attract the attention of their enemies' ace pilot.
Main
Characters
1) ZABEL
IRWIN ♂
- Age: 17. Birthplace: Earth. Pilot of both ISRX-2000-VII Black Gundam of Shadow
and the ISFF-1200-S Swordfish Fighter. The teenage tech wiz boy wonder of the
Neo Challenger colony as well as a big brother to all the pre-teen children of
the colony, Zabel’s father Grant had been informing his son about the Gundam
developments and entrusting them to him should a problem arise. With his
friends Hera, Pablo, Inigo, Samuel and Ulyssa by his side; Zabel is having a
mostly normal life in space until the Dominion attacks forcing him and his
friends to find cover in the Gundams which they use to drive off a Dominion
mobile suit force. Under command from Yuri Mua and field leadership of Xandra
Nakamura, Zabel and his friends discover they share a single destiny.
2) HERA
NEWELL ♀
- Age: 17. Birthplace: Karst Kranz (space colony in the binary orbit of Deimos
and Phobos). Pilot of both the ISRX-2000-I Red Gundam of Fire and the
ISFF-1400-X Core Block Fighter. An orphaned heir of the Karst Kranz colony’s
royal family hiding in exile for a normal life, Hera’s exile is soon upended as
the Grand Astros Dominion attacks and she begins to awaken ESP abilities as she
joins her current friends in piloting the Gundams to protect Neo Challenger and
the Saturn Sphere. But as she joins the crew of Acropolis as a
communications officer and pilot of the Gundam Force’s Red Gundam of Fire, Hera
is about to find herself on a collision course to a reunion with the brother
she long thought to be dead but is now the most feared ace of the Dominion.
3) PABLO
HAWKINS ♂
- Age: 17. Birthplace: Earth. Pilot of both the ISRX-2000-II Blue Gundam of
Water and the ISRX-1700-C Spartan Guncannon. An immigrant to Neo Challenger
from Guam on Earth; Pablo is one of Zabel’s few male friends alongside Inigo
and Samuel. Jovial and mechanically minded on a surface level, he often lies or
uses sarcasm to hide his embarrassment as being his truest self. When his
girlfriend Natsuki Ikuhara is killed in the attack on Neo Challenger by
Dominion mobile suit forces, Pablo turns from an evasive civilian wanting to
stay neutral into a fierce warrior with the Blue Gundam of Water out of a
desire to make sure nobody suffers like him again. He publicly remains his
stand-offish self to the Acropolis’ crew, but his friends can sense his
deep pain.
4) XANDRA
NAKAMURA ♀ - Age:
25. Birthplace: Luna. Pilot of both ISRX-2000-VI White Gundam of Light and the
ISFT-2100-H Mobile Suit Dropship. A test pilot for the Imperial Solar Defense
Forces, Xandra has mostly been more of a “shoe fitter” or ferry pilot for
Mobile Suits to use against the Dominion. But her chance for combat comes when
she meets up with her lieutenant comrade Yuri Mua at the delivery of the Acropolis
to the Titan colony Neo Challenger. In a daring attack by the Dominion forces
under Captain Xerxes Zion the “Blood Serpent”, her fellow test pilots are
killed and six youths from the Saturn Sphere caught in the attack fall into the
cockpits of the other six Gundams that White was to join. She now has to help
lead them to and start retaking Mother Earth.
5) INIGO
QUESADA ♂
- Age: 19. Birthplace: Earth. Pilot of both the ISRX-2000-V Yellow Gundam of
Earth and the ISFF-1500-G Tank Fighter. A stocky Latino boy with a dusky
complexion and an afro hailing from Costa Rica, Inigo is a mediator between the
senior crew of the Acropolis and the younger civilian recruits of the
Gundam Force as a gentle, caring and considerate comrade who was a member of
the Saturn Sphere’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps as a mentor to Zabel,
Hera, Pablo, Ulyssa and Samuel. Caught up with them in the Dominion attack on
Neo Challenger, Inigo’s own developing ESP abilities help him and the others in
beating back Dominion mobile suits to meet up with the White Gundam and help Acropolis
escape piloting the Yellow Gundam of Earth.
6) ULYSSA
YORK ♀
- Age: 17. Birthplace: Titan. Pilot of both ISRX-2000-IV Pink Gundam of Sky and
the ISRM-2500-S Valkyrie Mobile Suit. As the envied “girl next door” among the
high school student body aboard the Neo Challenger colony, Ulyssa currently is
intrigued by her next-door neighbor Zabel Irwin. As the Dominion forces attack
and leave her orphaned, Ulyssa feels a compulsion to use the Pink Gundam of Sky
to protect the children trying to evacuate in the transport shuttles as well as
the Acropolis. Finding mentors in both Zabel and Xandra Nakamura and an
apprentice in Samuel Petrlak, Ulyssa takes up a role as relief medical officer
as well as mobile suit pilot. The most affected by such a horror as war
exploding around her, Ulyssa is surprisingly a pillar of strength.
7) SAMUEL
PETRLAK ♂
- Age: 15. Birthplace: Titan. Pilot of both the ISRX-2000-III Green Gundam of
Forest and the ISRX-1600-T Taurus Guntank. A boy with a strong sense of
responsibility and cooperative spirit in spite of his own stubborn streak,
Samuel is a martial arts prodigy who has helped train many of his colony
friends like Zabel, Ulyssa and Pablo in judo. Caught up and orphaned in the attack
on Neo Challenger by the Dominion, Samuel is forced to pilot the Green Gundam
of Forest in order to escape as the others have to help him with unlocking his
ESP. Finally making his way to and being recruited to Acropolis in the
Gundam Force and bridge crew, Samuel’s strategic genius comes into play as our
heroes make their way to Earth and beat back Xerxes Zion’s warriors.
8) HARO
♂/♀
- Age(s): Unknown. Model: HELIOS Corporation Mk. 0079 Human Algorithmic
Relations Orbiter. The HARO units are multipurpose robots used primarily as
mascots for the Neo Challenger colony’s children and all the Gundam Force’s
allies. They are built with advanced A.I., face/voice recognition, speech,
light laser defenses, and mobility in gravity and zero-gravity by rolling,
walking and jumping. One of these was customized by Zabel Irwin with a pair of
five-fingered manipulator hands, advanced A.I. to be a leader of fellow HARO
units, and the ability to measure brainwaves. This HARO nicknamed “Zero” has
become a leader for HARO units “One-Eight”, “Five-Five”, “Niner-Eight”,
“One-Oh-One”, “Two-One” and “Six-Six” to scout and undermine Dominion strategy.
9) YURI
MUA ♂
- Age: 25. Birthplace: Titan. Commanding Officer of ISCB-7900 Alicorn-class
Battle Carrier Acropolis. An Imperial Solar Defense Forces officer cadet
who is a loyal and dedicated soldier both in war and peace, Yuri is forced into
a leadership position and command of Acropolis during the fall of Neo
Challenger to Dominion forces. It is only through the gentle admonishment of
Xandra Nakamura that his falling back on the strictest military discipline and
regulations is relaxed to be able to become more competent, quick adjustment to
complex situations and strong fatherly leadership. At first stressed almost to
a breaking point when his immediate senior officers are killed in the attacks
by the Dominion, his mind is put at ease by his new recruits proving their
talents.
The
Background
The year is Galactic Century 7002 and
all nine planets of our Solar System as well as the Asteroid Belt are in the
middle of population booms thanks to space colonies in orbit around the
planets, their most prominent and largest moons, and at the five Lagrange
Points in relation to each body and the Sun. Built in a variety of
configurations such as the McKendree and O’Neill Cylinders, Bernal Spheres,
Bishop Rings and Stanford Torii, and hollow asteroid space stations; these 67
large space habitats powered by a Dyson Swarm surrounding the Sun have provided
humanity with space to expand and survive without doing more harm to the Earth.
And for nearly two millennia, the Solar Empire has governed the Solar System in
an era of peace, prosperity, wisdom, freedom and justice.
But scientists Minovsky and Ionesco
have discovered a radiation that begins to induce paradigm shifts into humans’
evolution across space. Seven of the Solar Empire’s member colonies have grown
tired of Imperial Council leadership and declare they should form their own
nation – the Grand Astros Dominion – so as to resist trade and science
embargoes as well as reconquer the Earth their old ideologies were banished
from. The space radiation that enables extra-sensory perception also forces
belligerent forces to get up close and personal in fields of space combat. At a
severe resource disadvantage at first, the Dominion has stricken its first
blows for domination – wrecking the Earth Defense Fleet with its experimental
Mobile Suits and crashing mining asteroid Apophis to Earth.
The
Premise
This reworking of the Mobile Suit
Gundam multimedia franchise as well as this pseudo-Universal Century can be
thought of as the laboratory experiment mix of Peter Pan and Star
Wars, Lord of the Flies and Starship Troopers, Foundation
meets Power Rangers. In this four-quadrant (males and females over and
under 25 years of age), five-act epic military science fiction mecha
action-adventure dramedy; six youths are suddenly orphaned when a hostile
renegade political faction of authoritarian humans attacks their space colony
as part of their war for independence from the Solar Empire over the Terran
Solar System. In their escape, the youths find they are the only ones capable
of piloting massive war machines called Mobile Suits to beat back invading
Dominion space warriors.
With their colony being evacuated as
the Grand Astros Dominion changes their war from being for independence to one
of conquering the Earth and the whole Empire, these youths who with an Imperial
test pilot form a Gundam Force out of tribute to the name chosen for the
Empire’s prototype Mobile Suits. Helping the Imperial Battle Carrier Acropolis
escape, the Gundam Force finds Dominion forces are blockading the Earth as they
consolidate their resources and power under the leadership of their greatest
warrior Xerxes Zion. Earth’s only hopes for survival lie in the Gundam Force
punching a hole in the Dominion blockade for the Earth Defense Fleet and
retaking the Solar Empire’s primary bases and capital in Geneva – where the
Gundam Force is demonstrating various talents.
The
Nemeses (The Grand Astros Dominion)
Aside from the dangers of space travel
(Man Vs. Nature) and their own human insecurities (Man Vs. Self), the Gundam
Force and crew of the Acropolis must do battle with the forces of the
Grand Astros Dominion (Man Vs. Society) – one collective of human space
colonies across the Solar System striking atrocity-marred blows for
independence from the Solar Empire governing every colony with a firm but
gentle hand of peace and justice. These seven colonies out of a total of 67
colonies have long held a growing population cynical of democracy and enamored
with dictatorships that once governed Earth that they see fit to reclaim for
themselves. To this end, they are launching attacks on ISDF bases to draw
attention away from an invasion and occupation of the Imperial capital.
1) XERXES
ZION ♂
- Age: 21. Birthplace: Karst Kranz (space colony in the binary orbit of Deimos
and Phobos). Pilot of the DMS-13S Arrow IV mobile suit “Blood Serpent”. His
custom black with red trim pilot suit is equipped with knee-length maroon cape
and a silver horned helmet with a white half-mask covering his eyes. The
youngest yet most feared ace warrior of the Dominion, Zion has led their fleet
and mobile suit forces to victory against the Earth Defense Fleet to conquer
the Earth’s capital. Mysterious and fierce, Zion has sensed a most familiar
presence to him close to the Empire’s secret weapons to turn the tide of the
war against the Dominion near Saturn. He is obsessed with tracking and
defeating the Empire’s “Gundam Force” sent to free Earth avenging their dead.
2) TYBALT
AXIS ♂
- Age: 21. Birthplace: Neo Plymouth (space colony in the primary orbit of the
Asteroid Belt). Supreme Commander of the Dominion Earth Forces and Pilot of the
DMS-13S Arrow IV mobile suit “Azure Wraith”. For a pilot suit, he wears navy
blue with red trim with a cobalt knee-length cape and a gold-horned helmet. The
youngest child of the Astros ruling family leading all seven colonies that make
up the Grand Astros Dominion, Tybalt is very popular amongst the people – both
men and women alike. Not merely the results of the propaganda or his own
feminine good looks, but Tybalt possesses a mixture of purity and natural
charisma alongside being a good fighter. He suspects his old friend Xerxes Zion
may be nursing a blood feud against the Axis family’s name.
3) RENATA
VITALE ♀
- Age: 21. Birthplace: Earth. Pilot of a DMS-15H Tural V mobile suit “White
Ghost”. Her standard black with white trim pilot suit comes with a silver
knee-length cape for formal functions and a white-horned helmet with breath
mask for battle. The daughter of the current Solar Emperor Erich Vitale XIV who
is the tie-breaking vote for matters relating to the 60 total space colonies at
risk of being destroyed or conquered by the Dominion, Renata has unfortunately
been swayed by Dominion propaganda. Having fallen in love with Tybalt after his
seeing some of her anti-pirate military records for a quite young recruit, she
is eager to get some action in. But it is through Renata that Tybalt is finding
an impetus to leave the Dominion to carve a new path for them both.
4) COLONEL
NYLOSS ♂
- Age: 54. Birthplace: Neo Atlantis (space colony in the orbit of Ganymede).
Commander of the Dominion Zurich Base and Pilot of the DMA-04 Zappa mobile
armor. His standard yellow with black trim pilot suit is equipped with a gold
knee-length cape for formal functions and a black-horned helmet with breath
mask for battle. During the Dominion’s occupation of Earth, he is the base
commander of a resource mining zone near Zurich; and is in charge of resource
mining, transportation, and base defense. Although he is uniquely skilled in
political maneuvering, he has a calculating personality, is unsympathetic and
ruthless, and gives the strong impression of being cunning and willing to use
any means necessary to accomplish the Dominion’s missions.
5) WILHELM
AXIS ♂
- Age: 54. Birthplace: Neo Plymouth (space colony in the primary orbit of the
Asteroid Belt). Commander of the Dominion Star Patrol Fleet and Pilot of the
DMA-07 Top Axe mobile armor. His custom emerald with black trim pilot suit is
equipped with a viridian knee-length cape for the formal occasions and a
bronze-horned helmet with breath mask for battle. Tall, burly, and scarred, Wilhelm
casts a fearsome appearance at a glance but is actually one of the more likable
of the Axis clan. Gregarious and good-natured, Wilhelm is a good man to both his
troops and officers. Being a family man, he is starting to question if he
should enlist Xerxes Zion’s aid in his and Tybalt’s consideration of defecting
to the Empire in exchange for clemency and battle tactic exchange.
The
Heroes and the Twist
At first, the Gundam Force seems to be
your average group of kids that we all at some points have been in our lives at
some point – a class clown, a lone wolf, a young genius, a tough guy who’s also
a mediator, and that young person who is destined for life greater than their
own backyard. But each of the kids has a dark secret they hold onto when they
are orphaned and forced to pilot a Mobile Suit to escape with their lives.
Taken in by Xandra Nakamura and Yuri Mua, the six youths who with Xandra are the
Gundam Force each demonstrate a growing paradigm shift in humanity called Omnis
who are gifted with ESP abilities that make them able to outfly and outthink
normal soldiers. It is imperative that they not fall into the hands of the
Dominion who seek to experiment on and kill Omni.
The
Story Breakdown
Prologue
In the year Galactic Century 7002; the
peaceful, prosperous and even-minded Solar Empire governing the human space
colonies of the Solar System from as close to the Sun as Mercury to as far away
as Pluto is engulfed in turmoil. Seven of the 67 total colonies have broken
away to form a new government called the Grand Astros Dominion. Originally
wanting to escape meddling of Earth and all the other planets, the Dominion has
stricken atrocity-laden blows against many Imperial outposts – even dropping a
small mining asteroid on Earth practically destroying Central Australia. Part
of it is due to the Dominion fielding new kinds of weapons and mecha called
Mobile Suits. To combat the Dominion forces, an Imperial colony in orbit of
Saturn is hosting their own Mobile Suit experiments...
Act
I
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Irwin Household
1) The
digital alarm clock strikes 6:54 AM local time within the bedroom of
17-year-old boy wonder Zabel Irwin. He wakes up and we see his green eyes as
well as his auburn brown halo pageboy hair messed up with bedhead from his
morning slumber. It is the morning of Friday the 13th in September
of what is the year Galactic Century (GC) 7002. Hauling his mess out of bed,
Zabel strips out of his sleeveless undershirt and boxer shorts to head for his
own bathroom to take a shower before breakfast. As the warm yet clean recycled
water washes over his fair skin, Zabel is lost in thought as he lathers up his
hair. He can’t help but think about what is going on across the Solar System
and what his parents have been doing in relation to trying to prevent the loss
of more innocent lives.
2) It
was just earlier in the year that seven space colonies broke away from the
67-member Solar Empire governing all the human space colonies orbiting every
planet in the Solar System from Mercury to Pluto whilst even colonizing the
Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Five of the six total Asteroid Belt
colonies, one from the Martian Sphere (Karst Kranz orbiting in binary of the
two Martian moons Phobos and Deimos), and one from the Jovian Sphere (Mount
Olympus orbiting Jupiter itself) broke away from the Empire to form the Grand
Astros Dominion in an effort to assert independence. But now, their goals have
shifted to conquest of the Solar System. Zabel thinks back to a news report on
television showing the Dominion crashing a mining asteroid Apophis to Earth.
3) Dropping
Apophis to Earth on Central Australia was just the deadliest if not the
costliest atrocity enacted by the Dominion against many of the Imperial
outposts across the Solar System. But now, the Dominion Star Patrol Fleet have
taken to blockading the major trade arteries of the Asteroid Belt as well as
the Earth Sphere. Thinking back to what his father said about the Dominion’s
most powerful weapons – the Mobile Space Utility Instrument Tactical or the
Mobile Suits for short; Zabel has been thinking about how the Empire can
counter the terrible attacks by Dominion Mobile Suit forces. He then finishes
up his shower and dries off with a black towel to get dressed. He slips into
black boxers, off-yellow T-shirt, blue jeans, denim jacket, white socks and
white slip-on shoes.
4) He
then heads downstairs to find his spherical pet robot HARO (Human Algorithmic
Relations Orbiter) friend “Zero” making breakfast in the kitchen for him. Zabel
greets Zero warmly as the bacon, scrambled eggs, wheat toast and hot water for
the hot cocoa are ready. All that’s needed is for Zabel to fix cereal with
milk, fruit-on-bottom yogurt, and the mixed fruit juice cocktail as he himself
prefers it. Once the hot stuff is at the kitchen table, Zabel fixes his
breakfast in talking to Zero about what is going on in the Solar System that
day. The kitchen TV shows a news report about how an atmospheric gas extraction
mine station in Jupiter’s atmosphere just fell into Dominion rule. As Zero
watches Zabel eat, they can’t help but worry if war will find its way to the
Neo Challenger colony.
5) Outside
the Irwin house, several large military goose-neck flatbed tractor trailer
trucks roll along the road towards a nearby military base. We notice that these
flatbeds carry what seem to be humanoid statues under large tarps that cover
them from head to toe and front to back. It is on that note that when we look
to the immediate horizons of the area around, they do not curve or bend in a
convex manner like they would down on a planet. They are formed in more of a
concave as this is just one large ring of a gigantic double Stanford torus –
one of many types of human space colonies. Looking out a nearby window, we see
it is the Solar Empire’s Neo Challenger space colony parked in orbit around
Titan – the largest moon of Saturn and part of the Empire’s own Saturn Sphere.
Saturn Sphere, Orbit of
Titan – Neo Challenger Colony
6) We
see the Neo Challenger colony rotating and orbiting above Titan with a view of
Saturn in the distance that almost mask an approaching battle group of what
appear to be some kind of space battleships. There is suddenly a flurry of
background chatter from radio as Imperial Solar Defense Forces personnel bring
out the docking path lights and tractor beam emitter towers near the Neo
Challenger central cylindrical core’s Stardock. Already, small glimpses of what
is appearing to those working the dock to be a large capital ship arriving at
Neo Challenger. Preliminary glances reveal it is made of a newer and stronger
metal than others with an approximately equine shape measuring 200 meters tall
by 550 meters long by 450 meters wide with a full wingspan of nearly 360
meters.
7) But
we also hear that the new arrival is being monitored by a scout trio of machines
that are almost humanoid in overall shape to stand at over 15 and under 20
meters tall. The feet plates and joint armor are black, yet the rest of these
machines are in a two-tone dull off-olive green livery. But in the so-called
heads of these titans of metal sits a feature to set them apart from what is
yet to come after– glowing cyclopean eyes in their helmets which hide the
cameras for a single pilot riding in the chest. These are three of the DMS-13S Arrow
IV-class Mobile Suits belonging to the Dominion Star Patrol Fleet’s top 79th
Mobile Infantry Corps. Using the rings of Saturn and the black of space as
cover, the trio of Mobile Suit scouts moves towards a maintenance airlock for
the colony.
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Main City Street
8) From
outside his house, Zabel and “Zero” hear the sounds of a familiar horn honking
outside. It is the electrically-powered streamlined dune buggy of the former’s
childhood friend/classmate/crush in girl next door Ulyssa York to take them to
school. Grabbing his school bag and with “Zero” following behind him to take
the cargo trunk spot, Zabel is out the door and in Ulyssa’s car when they drive
off to Challenger Central High School. As they pass through another residential
block, Ulyssa asks Zabel if he thinks the Dominion plan to launch an attack on
Neo Challenger. He replies that he hopes not and they shouldn’t so long as
whatever Project Zodiac for the Solar Empire is remains secret. But he would
not put it past the Dominion to send scouts if there was a security leak.
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Maintenance Airlock
9) In
the meantime, the three Dominion Arrow Mobile Suits have made their way
to an abandoned yet still functional maintenance airlock of the colony. With a
little prodding and torque, the pilots enter Neo Challenger through the airlock
and are able to sneak into a large set of maintenance corridors. The names of
the three pilots are Tyrian, Heinrich and their commander Wolf. Wolf reports to
their immediate superior going under the call-sign of Blood Serpent they have
managed to infiltrate Neo Challenger with little to no detection. They are
about to make their way to the military block of the colony via the maintenance
tunnel network and start their reconnaissance. Blood Serpent tells them not to
start shooting unless detected and they need to clear themselves an escape
route.
10) Acknowledging
these instructions, Wolf reminds his two subordinates of the importance that
they stick to observing and reporting on the Solar Empire’s Project Zodiac. If
they are to destroy the elements of the Project, the orders to do so must come
from Dominion Star Command. Any jumping the gun is sure to spiral the current
war toward mutually-assured destruction which will be an unmitigable disaster
for both Empire and Dominion alike. Privately, Heinrich and Tyrian are chafing
at these orders and looking for some action and shooting to quench their
bloodlust. For now, however, they play it cool and move through a vast
labyrinth of tunnels big enough to accommodate the Mobile Suits as the three
Dominion pilots move to avoid detection from security sensors and chat.
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Stardock Catwalk
11) In
the large Stardock hangar of Neo Challenger’s quasi-cylindrical core center,
the vast equine-shaped space battleship is soon revealed. It is painted a
reflective metallic white with certain other parts painted in a deep metallic
red and a metallic blue with some highlight parts painted gold. One of the
Imperial Solar Defense Force officers on duty overlooks the docking and mating
of this ship from a catwalk. Holding a data pad in his hands, the officer
observes what is the registration as the Imperial Solar Carrier Battleship
number 7900 – first in the Alicorn-class of Battle Carriers the IDV Acropolis.
He then sees a winged air/space fighter docking at the fighter stand near him
powering down its main systems and waves to the pilot inside as she climbs out
of the fighter’s cockpit.
12) The
female Imperial fighter pilot removes her helmet and floats on over to the male
Imperial officer with a smile on her face. She calls out his name of Yuri Mua
as Yuri embraces the one calling him with a smile as he sighs a name – Xandra
Nakamura – in relief to see her again. They are happy yet concerned to have
been assigned to this project, especially since they are merely at a rank of
Lieutenant. Yuri is appreciative but wishes the circumstances of their reunion
were less critical as they begin briefing each other. Xandra then asks a status
on Project Zodiac to which Yuri replies that the Gundams are awaiting testing
in the Military Sector of the colony. Seeing as how the Acropolis is going to
be playing a major part with the Gundams, Xandra asks who is to be the test
pilot.
13) In
response, Yuri replies that the Imperial Solar Defense Forces brass all agree
that Xandra is more than qualified and she should test pilot ISRX-2000-VI
(Imperial Space Registered Experimental 2000 Series Mark VI) or the White
Gundam of Light as being called by the rank-and-file officers. Xandra says she
has no quibble with piloting White Gundam and is in fact eager to do so. On
this note, though, Yuri tells her to slow down a bit. He has very legitimate
concerns over potential security leaks across the ISDF – ones that pose a clear
danger to Project Zodiac and could lead to the Dominion either stealing the
Gundams or destroying them. With that, Xandra says they should get the brass to
let her test White Gundam early so that they can have an ace to play on the
Dominion.
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Challenger Central High School
14) Lunch
time soon comes for the high schoolers as Zabel carries his tray of space food
over to his friends. In Challenger Central High’s cafeteria; all the students’
rehydrated order for the day is the main course of beef steak or beef patty;
appetizer of mashed carrots and spinach with almonds; medium drink of orangeade
Tang; side of wheat crackers and sharp cheddar cheese spread; all with a
dessert of candy-coated peanuts (Peanut M&M’s). Ulyssa waves for him to
come sit with her so they can be close to their friends – class clown Pablo
Hawkins, genius martial artist Samuel Petrlak, and mysterious transfer student
from the Mars Sphere colony Karst Kranz one Hera Newell. Pablo isn’t feeling
the vegetables while Zabel and Samuel do and toast the day with their Tang.
15) Pablo
and Samuel then notice there is ISDF security present with one of the people in
an ISDF JROTC uniform having graduated from their school just two years or so
ago. Ulyssa asks Hera about if she remembers where every top hiding spot in the
school and across the colony is. Hera says she has a funny feeling inside her
that their lives are about turn upside down. Not just because the school and
city are located in proximity to the ISDF’s attached military base which would
explain an ISDF presence. The blue uniform-wearing ex-student with a stocky
build comes up and introduces himself as Inigo Quesada, a cadet of the ISDF
Saturn Sphere’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Zabel then offers for
Inigo to join him and his friends for lunch to which Inigo happily agrees.
16) As
Inigo goes with his tray to pick up his lunch from the cafeteria line, it is
Pablo who in waiting for his crush Natsuki Ikuhara is among the first to see a
horrifying sight taking place outside. Roars of crowds nearby outside Central
High and around the city center turn into unholy screams of terror along with
falling debris and beam energy weapons fire signaling explosions. One of these
explosions shatters all the glass in the windows of the school buildings as our
heroes duck and cover just barely in time. Rising up amidst the shattered glass
and falling concrete and metal dust, Zabel and Inigo tell the other students
and staff to head down to the underground shelters. Inigo takes command of the
five kids – Zabel, Hera, Pablo, Ulyssa and Samuel – as they must get to the
base.
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Main City Center
17) The
three Arrow-class Dominion mobile suits from before are marching through
the main city’s thoroughfare laying waste to everything in sight as they spot
the ISDF base ahead. In a moment of trigger-happy zeal, one of the Arrow pilots
– Heinrich – fires a rocket towards one of the large office complexes. The
ground beneath them shakes as children are crying and people are all running
around in terror. Emerging from the school into a mass of chaos; a sudden flash
of inspiration is soon present between Zabel, Hera, Samuel, Pablo, Ulyssa and
Inigo as they all take initiative to herd everyone into underground shelters or on
a course to evacuate towards the colony spaceport while they try to find
shelter themselves at the base under Inigo’s orders. Alarms sound across the
colony.
18) Continuing
to lay waste to the city turning it upside-down searching, the Arrow pilots
almost miss the six youths heading toward a base where a white humanoid mecha –
the White Gundam of Light - appears to be undergoing her first test sortie. Having
known about the Gundam project from what his father Gregory had told him and
his mother Patricia, Zabel senses that the Gundams will be what saves the
Empire’s people from the Dominion invasion. Zero soon catches up to Zabel and
tells him to lead the others to the base through some of the underground
tunnels. Hera dives and saves a child from the falling office building debris
before helping with getting others into the tunnels. Zabel is able to tell
Inigo about the Gundam project since his father had been working on it.
Act
II
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – ISDF Headquarters Block
19) Once
the distressed and wounded are out of the line of fire and are being looked
over by ISDF personnel, Inigo and Zabel tell the personnel to bring the base to
full alert as they rush to ensure the safety of the Gundams. The lead Arrow –
piloted by Wolf – fires a rocket that blows off the tarps covering six of the
total seven humanoid objects which are the Empire’s prototype Mobile Suits –
the ISRX-2000-VII Black, ISRX-2000-I Red, ISRX-2000-V Yellow, ISRX-2000-III Green,
ISRX-2000-IV Pink and ISRX-2000-II Blue Gundams which with White Gundam
comprise the initial order to test against the Dominion forces. As if by some
cosmic instinct, Zabel tells the others not to argue with him and just climb
into a Gundam to pilot it. He’ll show them how to pilot them all using his
mind.
20) Xandra
is in the middle of testing maneuvers with the White Gundam as the headquarters
is suddenly on high alert with the Dominion Arrows closing in and Yuri’s sense
of their being a security leak is becoming manifest. She picks up a beam rifle
to try and protect the Gundams. As the kids and Inigo rush to pick their Gundam
with ISDF HQ falling under attack, Xandra curses knowing kids are in peril. The
Gundams’ cockpits are located in the torso chest as Zabel points out while
taking Black Gundam. Hera picks the Red, Pablo the Blue, Inigo Yellow, Ulyssa
Pink, and Samuel Green. Managing to lift their Gundams upright, they fire off
the twin three-barrel machine guns mounted in their heads at the Arrows before each
drawing one of the two backpack-mounted beam sabers.
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Main City Center
21) Back
in the City Center, the Arrows fire off another rocket exploding an armored car
with spacesuited ISDF pilots inside. This causes a building to start collapsing
atop some school children as Zero points out to Ulyssa who delivers the punch
to push the falling debris out of the way and carry the children away in
gigantic hands to safety. Soon, the six Gundams have beam swords drawn as they
deflect away the beam rifle shots of the Arrows. Tyrian manages to fire another
rocket towards the ISDF headquarters leveling their command center with many
officers inside and Yuri barely managing to escape. Hera manages to destroy one
of the Arrows before the White Gundam contacts them and tells them to come with
her if they all want to live. Inigo is obligated to salute Xandra.
22) The
six friends decide to follow Xandra in the White Gundam and help everyone
evacuate Neo Challenger in any transport shuttles that will take them on down
to Titan or to any of the colonies in the Saturn Sphere. Questioned by Xandra
of the whereabouts of her six chosen test pilot candidates, Zabel tells her
that the armored car that was destroyed held the bodies of the pilots and she
learns that a majority of the brass and senior crew for Project Zodiac were
killed in the Dominion attack. With that in mind, Zabel senses their only hope
of escape is with Xandra who leads them back to the pride of Zodiac – the Alicorn-class
Battle Carrier Acropolis. Pablo and Samuel stand back-to-back as they in
Blue and Green deliver the killing blows to the last two Arrows before
retreating.
23) Announcing
from their Gundams that the evacuation of Neo Challenger is underway, our
heroes tell all surviving civilians and ISDF personnel to make for the Central
Stardock and board any starships or escape pods they can. It is only a matter
of time before the Dominion reports their scout party missing and sends the
heavy guns after them. Children and the wounded or sickly are the first to be
boarded on shuttles to take them down to Titan. Xandra and Inigo lead the
younger friends to service tunnels and hatches that will take them all to the
Stardock where their primary hope for escape is being prepared. Xandra then
asks how a civilian like Zabel knew about the Gundams and he tells them all his
father told him and his mother about it and how to operate it just in case.
Neo Challenger Colony,
Saturn Sphere – Stardock Launch Bay
24) Making
his way to the Stardock, the injured Yuri discovers the six original chosen test
pilots and most senior officers were killed by Dominion scouts but that the
Gundams are safe thanks to five kids and a JROTC cadet as Xandra is able to
report. If not for the children who killed the Dominion scouts, the seven
Gundam prototypes would have been destroyed. Yuri knows everyone aboard the
colony is in danger with their activities reported to Xerxes Zion. The order is
given for abandoning the colony with everyone taking any ships they possibly can
down to Titan or to other colonies. Xandra and Inigo introduce the kids to Yuri
as they marvel at the sight of the Acropolis in preparation for taking
their Gundams up to the ship’s service bay. More problems soon arise for our
heroes.
25) With
the Acropolis’ captain confirmed killed in the Dominion attack, Yuri and
Xandra find they are in joint command of the ship and the name the hangar deck
crews are giving to the six kids who saved their collective asses is to be the
Gundam Force. The kids and Zero meet fellow survivors of the Dominion attack as
they board the ship and try to settle in – including a few fellow HARO units
who look to Zero as a new commanding officer for missions. The Gundam Force
reports to the boarding airlocks to help more evacuees aboard with the
knowledge setting in that Neo Challenger is not safe anymore. People are dead
and more will die if the Dominion is not stopped. Ulyssa and Pablo check among
the evacuees for any signs that the former’s parents and Natsuki had survived.
ISDF Battle Carrier Acropolis
– Servicing Bay
26) The
Gundams are soon being fueled up and outfitted with their shields and beam
rifles for their next battle should Acropolis manage to escape in time.
The next battle will be to escape Neo Challenger and the Saturn Sphere if the
Gundam Force can help break through a patrol led by Xerxes Zion. Zabel asks who
Xerxes Zion is and Xandra tells him, Inigo and Samuel that Xerxes is by far the
top Mobile Suit pilot for the Dominion forces. In the early stages of this war,
Xerxes led the Dominion Mobile Suit squadrons that distracted the Fifth Fleet
of the ISDF Earth Sphere Forces while the mining asteroid Apophis was soon
crashed into Australia. For his leadership and growing kill count in battle,
Xerxes has become a symbol of dread as the ‘Blood Serpent’ threatening the
Empire.
ISDF Battle Carrier Acropolis
– Main Bridge
27) Just
then; Yuri calls Xandra, Zabel, Pablo, Inigo, Ulyssa, Hera and Samuel to the
Bridge. They arrive as the Acropolis is finally clear to leave Stardock
and depart from Neo Challenger. Around a holographic strategy table on the
Bridge, Yuri and Xandra explain the plan. In their Gundams; Xandra will launch
with Inigo, Samuel with Ulyssa, Pablo with Hera, and Zabel covering the rear flank
as they are to drive the Dominion mobile suit reinforcements off both the Acropolis
and escaping transports so they can escape. Inigo calls out to the
communications officer for a status update on their Gundams to which the
officer replies that all seven Gundams are refueled and ready for launch. Yuri
orders Xandra and the kids to get suited up in spacesuits and head down to the
Gundam launch bays.
Saturn Sphere, Orbit of
Titan – Neo Challenger Colony
28) With
more Dominion Arrow mobile suits reported incoming, Acropolis is first
to move to engage the hostiles and provide cover for the evacuating civilian
ships. The Gundams soon launch in pairs from the forward launching bays of the Acropolis
to begin their mission. Xandra and Inigo are the first launched in White and
Yellow, followed by Samuel and Ulyssa in Green and Pink, Pablo and Hera next in
Blue and Red, and Zabel will cover them from behind. With all their senses becoming
heightened by time spent out in space, the Gundam Force begins to grow faster
in their reflexes to shoot the Arrows strafing their mother ship and trying to
make attack runs on the civilians. Destroying an Arrow with one shot of the
beam rifle, Pablo is stunned at the power realizing this is war.
29) Ulyssa
reports some of the attacking Arrow mobile suits are charging off towards one
of the Acropolis’ landing bays with one of them having a call-sign of
Dominion “Blood Serpent.” Hera moves to cut the Arrows off and dismember them
to leave them unable to pose a threat. With speed and ferocity unmatched by any
top Dominion mobile suit pilot, she charges at and sends Arrows hurtling into
one another in brilliant tactical maneuvers. Her game only gets thrown off when
she is prevented from killing the Blood Serpent’s pilot by some gut feeling
when Zabel takes out his beam rifle to score some hits on it and force it into
retreat. From his cockpit, Xerxes Zion detects a presence he has not sensed for
a good several years. He is both intrigued and terrified by this new warrior.
30) With
the Dominion mobile suit forces sent into retreat and their escape route out of
the Saturn Sphere cleared, the Gundam Force heads back to the Acropolis
to recover and plan for their next move. Ulyssa makes a head count of the 30
major passenger and freight starships that escaped the colony and is relieved
they managed to save 27 in total. And there are also hundreds of the escape
pods that used the debris fields and Saturn’s rings to great effect while
plotting courses for other Saturnian colonies and Titan. Zabel counters this is
most likely beginner’s luck and they aren’t going to be safe for a while. They
all are now familiar with the skills, prowess and raw power of the Blood
Serpent and its pilot. But Hera can’t get his mental image out of her mind as
she returns.
Act
III
ISDF Battle Carrier Acropolis
– Captain’s Ready Room
31) The
Gundam Force meets with Captain Mua in his Ready Room to plan out their next
move since the Grand Astros Dominion is not going to take being forced into a
retreat laying down. Zabel catches on that these attacks on their home of Neo
Challenger may be an effort to distract from their ultimate goal of conquering
the Solar Empire – by way of invading and conquering Earth. Pablo then asks how
they are going to beat back the Dominion’s occupation of Earth since they are
still far away and at top speed it will take days to reach. Samuel is the first
to suggest Acropolis and Gundam Force launch sneak attacks to slip through
the Dominion’s Asteroid Belt blockade and then the Earth blockade to free Earth
from occupation by the Dominion forces. Yuri is keen to consider it.
32) Hera
tells the others that she sensed the presence of an older brother in Xerxes
Zion when she was out fighting the Blood Serpent in space. Xandra and Yuri ask
her what she means by this, and Hera says she once lived within the Mars Sphere
on the colony Karst Kranz parked in the binary orbit between Phobos and Deimos.
She had earlier memories of a life before the Dominion as Astros began as a
movement for freedom spearheaded by Karst Kranz's ruling royal family. She was
one of the princesses who fled into exile when the colony began erupting into
civil war, making her way to Neo Challenger due to similar designs between the
two colonies. Inigo wants to suggest that Hera be stricken from flight status
but she insists she has to confront her past if they’ll survive.
Surface of Earth, Earth
Sphere – Imperial Capital in Geneva, Switzerland
33) Down
on Earth, a flotilla of the Dominion naval and mobile suit forces are marching
on to take control of the Solar Empire’s governing capital in Geneva,
Switzerland. Nagus-class Attack Tanks are escorted by platoons of the
Arrow mobile suits turning every building and every residence upside down
looking to find survivors to imprison. Very few people, however, are left
behind since they mostly fled into the surrounding regions to hide until and
unless the Empire was to send a force to begin retaking Geneva and launch a
counterattack. With the majority of the buildings and residences around the
city empty of people, many of the Dominion forces are now eager to strip and
loot them of all wealth that was left behind. Various heritage and
archaeological sites are soon vandalized.
Imperial Capitol Assembly,
Geneva – Emperor’s Suite/Office
34) The
Earth occupation force is under the joint command of effeminately beautiful and
conflicted Tybalt Axis and the trigger-happy Colonel Nyloss with the view of
the city and surrounding lake giving them a panoramic view. From a small
glance, it is clear that Tybalt actually appreciates the beauty that can be
found on Earth and wants to preserve it while Nyloss is a raging inferno formed
around a figurative machine-hearted man. Their musings are soon interrupted
only by a long-range video call from Xerxes Zion informing them of Acropolis
and Gundam Force’s escape from Neo Challenger and the Saturn Sphere. Their
current projections have the Acropolis on this roundabout Asteroid Belt
course towards Tybalt’s blockade of aid to Earth. News of Gundam has Nyloss
worried.
35) Nyloss
decrees that taking charge of resource mining operations over in Zurich is
imperative if the Dominion is going to be able to force the Empire to accept
its claims of legitimate rule over the Solar System lest they will be forced to
destroy the Earth. If the Dominion cannot have the entire Solar System, then
all of it and its people must be destroyed. Before he cuts the video call from
his end, Tybalt and Xerxes exchange some brief glances making it clear from their
expressions that the two but have misgivings over destroying Earth, but have to
suffer Nyloss’ command for a while until some force removes him. Tybalt is soon
summoned to his command ship in orbit which he eagerly welcomes as it will mean
Nyloss will be out of his hair and way at least until a new engagement.
ISDF
Battle Carrier Acropolis – Captain’s Suite
36) As
the Acropolis slips past the Jovian Sphere with Jupiter and its several
moons on a course for their next engagement, Yuri records a log entry clearly
bothered by how his life and the war had led him to this. Project Zodiac and in
the process the Gundams had to have been leaked to the Dominion which led to
the Dominion mobile suit attack that devastated Neo Challenger. Most of the
Saturn Sphere-posted ISDF brass were killed including Colonel Kristoff Xavier,
Yuri and Xandra's commanding officer who was originally in line to be CO of the
Acropolis. With having to take command of the junior crew aboard Acropolis
in light of being one of the two most senior officers aboard, Yuri is visibly chafing
at having to depend on essentially children without any formal military
discipline.
ISDF Battle Carrier Acropolis
– Crew Quarters
37) Across
the ship, the Gundam Force are helping to settle survivors in and get any
sickly or wounded cleaned up and treated. Sharing a communal shower, Zabel and
Ulyssa show increasing concern for Pablo as he’s currently brooding in his
quarters. Zero and one of the other HARO units – 55 or “Five-Five” cannot help
but overhear and wish to get to the root of the problem. Five-Five goes to
Pablo’s quarters and rolls up while asking Pablo to just vent and let his
problems all out. Pablo is grateful and states his frustrations to Five-Five
that he’s, for a long time, detested authority. He doesn’t like serving in a
military capacity with discipline, but he just learned that his girlfriend
Natsuki is with Ulyssa’s parents among the dead victims of the Dominion forces’
attack upon Neo Challenger.
38) He
doesn’t want to let their deaths go unavenged, but he’s terrified that war is
going to pervert him into something he doesn’t want to be. Through their
burgeoning extra-sensory perception powers that enabled them to learn how to
operate a Gundam on the fly; Zabel, Hera, Samuel, Ulyssa and Inigo pick up on
Pablo’s heartbreak and how much it was hurting him to have to deliver such news
as the fact that Ulyssa is now an orphan. Redressing after a good cry in the
shower only being comforted by Zabel, Ulyssa asks Xandra and Inigo how Samuel
and Hera are holding up. Hera’s still got the true identity of Xerxes Zion on
her mind and Samuel is trying not to dwell on the past in checking over the
Gundams to ensure they are ready for when they take on the Asteroid Blockade.
39) All
the HARO units are ordered to keep track of all crew and passengers’ emotional
and psychological well-being and share such vital information among both
themselves and Acropolis’ senior officers. The HAROs learn from Zero of
Pablo and Ulyssa’s states of grieving as they communicate it to both Inigo and
Xandra. They were just kids only several hours or days ago, but the attack has
forced them to grow up and take responsibility before they were ready. Xandra
is among the first to recognize that these are going to be realistic reactions
to being forced into a traumatizing series of circumstances, and somehow it is
the Gundam Force’s burgeoning ESP abilities that are helping them work through
it all. Compiling the information, Xandra and Inigo head off to consult with
Yuri.
Sevastopol Station Colony,
Earth Sphere – ISDF Academy
40) Via
flashbacks, we see that Xandra and Yuri were in the same graduating class of
officer cadets from the Imperial Solar Defense Force Academy which was located
at the colony Sevastopol Station in orbit around Earth’s Moon or Terra Luna.
Yuri Mua was not the athletic type, but was able to get in shape by way of
Xandra Nakamura's tireless patience. He extended that same courtesy to her when
she was not the bookish type to study for aerospace superiority fighter combat
training. Together, they became two of the top test pilots for all ISDF
starfighters and aircraft in the leadup towards this war. This is where their
strengths really paid off – Yuri is able to focus on the necessary tasks and
keep everyone’s eyes on the prize while Xandra keeps the human element
balanced.
ISDF Battle Carrier Acropolis
– Captain’s Suite
41) Entering
the Captain’s Suite, Xandra and Inigo find Yuri brooding against the window
looking outwards into space. He vents to the two about how he is stuck having
to essentially babysit traumatized children who may be mankind’s only hopes
against the Dominion. Before he goes further, Xandra tells Yuri that Inigo and
the Gundam Force are displaying abilities on par with extrasensory perception,
telepathy and empathy due to being born or raised out among the space colonies
and not on Earth. Yuri wonders if they all could be the first few of a
generation of Omnis. Omnis have been rumored to be a paradigm shift or next
step in human evolution with abilities and skills far beyond. It is imperative
the kids not be allowed to fall into the hands of or be killed by the Dominion.
Dominion Space Battleship Tyrant
Wolfgang – Captain’s Suite
42) As
Tybalt settles into his quarters aboard a large manta/zeppelin-shaped space
battleship Tyrant Wolfgang, he finds his love interest Renata Vitale who
was the Solar Emperor’s daughter waiting for him. A tall yet willowy thin woman
with blonde hair and blue eyes, Renata is a crack mobile suit pilot and
recruited officer in the Dominion Armed Forces. Removing each other’s clothes,
the two engage in a night of passionate lovemaking which follows with them
waking up the next morning with post-coital clarity setting in. This becomes
clear as the young Tybalt wonders if what the Dominion is doing to the Solar
System and Earth is wrong. Renata tells him it’s not like the Solar Empire is
any better with favoritism and secret corruption, but she chooses to follow
where Tybalt goes.
43) Tybalt
poses the question of what that would involve even if it were for them to
defect from the Dominion and carve their own path in exile on a neutral colony
under new names. The more she thinks on it, Renata is at least intrigued by the
idea of changing identities and living a simple life on a neutral colony – a
real and new family with both her and Tybalt having real and fulfilling jobs
that don’t involve the Dominion or the Empire. However, that would mean that
both Tybalt and Renata would have to disown their own families along with the
vast creature comforts of wealth and essentially royalty. There is simply no
path of ease to escape the war for now, which they both recognize. But if they
are able to court some allies, they could throw off Nyloss and manage to flee
into hiding.
Dominion Light Cruiser Nordhausen
– Officers’ Quarters
44) In
the showers of the Officers’ Quarters aboard a Dominion light cruiser parked
between the orbits of the Asteroid Belt and Jupiter, Xerxes is plagued by
visions of the female Red Gundam pilot who broke past his mobile suit forces
sent to destroy Neo Challenger. The beam rifle shots by both it and even Black
Gundam had to been as powerful as the beam cannon of a battleship. And yet this
girl was able to move faster and slowly beginning to anticipate his strategy
all before he could enact them. It is upon thinking of his time on the colony
Karst Kranz that he remembers growing up in with his little sister – and now there
is a growing likelihood that his sister has grown up to battle him. This drives
Zion to tears seeing how this war from the beginning is tearing many families
apart.
ISDF Battle Carrier Acropolis
– Main Bridge
45) As
Yuri returns to the Bridge, Xandra reports down from the launch bays that she
and the Gundam Force are ready. They are just waiting for the Bridge to deliver
the target objective data to their sensors before they launch. One of the few
direct paths the Acropolis must take on her course to free the Earth is
through the Asteroid Belt but it blocked by a fleet of Dominion capital ships
and a mobile armor task force stationed on the blockade’s protected outpost in
the Hygeia asteroid sector. Fitted under the Gundams’ heavy-duty shields are
long-range bazooka rocket launchers to fire off at the blockade ships’ engines
so as to punch a hole through them and take out the Hygeia listening post.
Pablo is quite eager to let some of his pent-up aggression out as he in Blue
gets ready.
Dominion Base Hygeia,
Asteroid Sphere – Command Center
46) Striding
into the base’s Command Center, Tybalt’s older brother Wilhelm Axis is
contacted by Tybalt and Renata via his video link and told to bring his forces
to a state of alert at minimum. Surprisingly agreeing with little brother
Tybalt that bad feelings over the Dominion’s actions are well-founded, Wilhelm
prepares for the worst as he decides to pilot his DMA-07 Top Axe mobile armor
to the lookout point on Hygeia. Some of the command center technicians are
concerned for their Commander as he suits up to pilot the Top Axe (a colossal
two-legged command chicken walker) walking up to the airlocked gangway on the
outside of the base. Relieving the two regular Top Axe pilots, Wilhelm makes
his way aboard and checks in to prepare when bright lights illuminate their
sky.
Asteroid Sphere, Orbit of
Hygeia – Dominion Base Hygeia
47) What
the Dominion Star Patrol Fleet has not prepared for is Pablo in the Blue Gundam
firing off his shield-mounted Hyper Bazooka ahead of Acropolis and the
Empire’s other six mobile suit prototypes to clear a path between and break up
their blockade. Seven Nordhausen-type light cruisers are crippled so
badly they start to fall towards the asteroid surface before exploding. Some of
the cruisers attempt to charge the Acropolis only to get shot up by
anti-capital ship turrets and mega particle cannons. Taking some advice from
Xandra, Yuri takes one of the turret fire control stations on the bridge to
fire off salvos so as to feed targeting data to his officers. Putting faith in
Xandra and Gundam Force taking on the mobile suit forces, Yuri is here to clear
some of the skies for them.
Act
IV
Dominion Base Hygeia,
Asteroid Sphere – Surface Outside Hygeia Base
48) Dominion
space battleships and armed freighters are falling left and right as the Acropolis
fires her anti-air and anti-ship beam cannons to help the seven Gundams get
through down to the surface. Zabel, Hera, Pablo, Xandra, Inigo, Ulyssa and
Samuel are making quick work of vast Arrow mobile suit platoons when they spot
what appears to be the blockade’s surface posting on Hygeia which they have to
disable. Zabel orders Hera and Ulyssa to cover Xandra when they take out the
surveillance and communications equipment while he and the boys take out the anti-air
and anti-capital ship turrets. Samuel spots a cluster of turrets as he lines
them up for him and Pablo to obliterate with blasts from a Hyper Bazooka. Hera,
Xandra and Ulyssa prime charges to blow comms array.
49) With
their sensors, communications and defenses destroyed, the Hygeia base for the
Dominion is effectively cut off from the Star Patrol Fleet. But they still have
one last defender the Gundam Force must confront – the DMA-07 Top Axe mobile
armor. Lighting up some Hyper Bazooka shells, Pablo aims for the feet of the
walker to try and get the behemoth tripped over so our heroes can take out its
primary defense systems. Charging fiercely after Blue Gundam in a frenzy, Wilhelm
demands to know just who these brats think they are messing with as Pablo tells
him the Dominion killed both his beloved Natsuki and Ulyssa’s parents. Ulyssa
is also eager for divine justice, but she tells Pablo not to kill their foe
here. Drawing his Beam Sword, Pablo slices the Top Axe’s cannons right off.
50) Zabel
in Black Gundam targets the feet of Top Axe and fires off a Hyper Bazooka shot
that brings the mobile armor tumbling with Wilhelm escaping by the skin of his
teeth. Xandra congratulates the Gundam Force on a job perfectly executed as the
orders are given to come on back to Acropolis. All seven of the Gundams
depart Hygeia leaving the base battered and cut off with Wilhelm in a spacesuit
hiking across the surface to a secret cavern. Wilhelm hides for just the
shortest time possible until the Gundams are too far away as he makes his way
to the cavern where a Nordhausen-class light escape cruiser awaits for
an evacuation of the base. By the time the cruiser is able to escape Hygeia to
rise to investigate the remains of the fleet, Acropolis is out of range
bound for Earth.
ISDF Battle Carrier Acropolis
– Observation Lounge
51) Yuri
and the HARO units are waiting for Xandra and the Gundam Force to arrive after
having landed and gotten cleaned up. But once Xandra and Inigo have Samuel,
Hera, Pablo, Ulyssa and Zabel arrive with them; they all take their seats as
though they are the ship’s senior crew. Yuri and Xandra sit at the heads of the
table while Zabel, Ulyssa and Samuel take one long side and the other long side
is taken by Inigo, Hera and Pablo with the HARO units brought in with them as
well. So far, they’ve managed to evacuate Neo Challenger and broken through the
Dominion asteroid blockade. Now, they have to punch a hole in the blockade
surrounding Earth so they can free the Empire’s capital of Geneva from Nyloss’
invasion forces. For many, this will be their first time on the Earth.
52) Zabel
reminds Xandra, Yuri and the Gundam Force that reentry for the Gundams will be
very trying but surely not impossible for these mobile suits if they calibrate
their shields and thermal protection systems properly. Acropolis and the
HARO units, Hera reminds them all, will need a distraction if they are to break
through and free Geneva. Suddenly, Zero has a suggestion that Samuel is keen to
share with the senior crew. The idea put forward is to have Samuel launch a
HARO unit platoon out of Green Gundam to create enough mayhem amongst the
defending positions in Geneva ahead of Acropolis before he goes off to
join the other Gundams to hit against Nyloss’ resource mining operations in
Zurich. Confuse and misdirect is the name of the game to liberate Geneva.
53) Xandra
and the Gundam Force agree they must cause enough damage to get Dominion mobile
suits out of the city and into their trap while also keeping on lookout for the
Dominion Blood Serpent. Before they adjourn, Yuri wishes to apologize to the
younger members of Gundam Force for how he may have been acting or thinking of
them in the previous days. None of them wanted this war, but as of now, they’re
the only ones who can fight to ensure nobody else suffers due to Imperial
incapacity or Dominion cruelty. Some crews were able to go in and salvage
mementos of Ulyssa’s parents and Natsuki so they remember who and what they are
fighting for. Our heroes return to their quarters while the HARO units fly out
to assist the hangar deck crews in prepping the Gundams.
Dominion Light Cruiser Nibelung
– Main Bridge
54) From
the bridge of his light cruiser; the recovered Wilhelm Axis contacts via video
call his brother Tybalt and Renata aboard the Tyrant Wolfgang, Xerxes
Zion aboard the Nordhausen, and Colonel Nyloss aboard a prototype mobile
armor code-named the Zappa stationed near Zurich. Wilhelm reports that some
Imperial mobile suit force has broken through the Asteroid Sphere blockade on a
course speeding for Earth. Nyloss is foaming at the mouth over the thought of how
Wilhelm, one of the golden children of the ruling Axis family, was brought low
by kids in Imperial mobile suit junk which brings great shame to Tyrian Axis
the Supreme Commander of all the Dominion Armed Forces. Xerxes and Tybalt, on
the other hand, are intrigued as to whether these children may just be Omnis.
55) Having
studied both Imperial and Dominion comms scrambles, it is Tybalt who asks his
brother if these infants were the Gundam Force escorting the all-new Imperial
battle carrier Acropolis. Wilhelm replies that they would very well have
to be – it seemed as though each pilot of a Gundam could anticipate each other
and Wilhelm’s next moves and execute a counter move on the fly. Xerxes suggests
Tybalt and Renata both prepare their Arrows and be the only ones to hold Geneva
with mere token reinforcements while he provides some cover for Nyloss in
Zurich when the Gundam Force and Acropolis swoop in for battle. In
asking why he has to be the one to confront the Gundam Force, Tybalt learns
Xerxes has an inkling that he and the Red Gundam’s pilot share some destiny.
Act
V
Far Side of Earth’s Moon,
Earth Sphere – ISDF Earth Defense Fleet Remnant
56) Soon,
the day arrives as the Acropolis moves out from hiding alongside a few
remaining Earth Defense Fleet ships behind the far side of Earth’s Moon (Terra
Luna) that managed to survive the Dominion’s attack that wrecked most of the
Fifth Fleet. It was the loss of the Fifth Fleet that allowed the Dominion’s
plan of crashing the mining asteroid Apophis to Earth. Yuri notes to one of the
other Imperial starship commanders that the majority of the Dominion’s Earth
mobile suit forces are being concentrated outside Zurich on Colonel Nyloss’
orders. A few well-placed mega particle cannon shots should clear a path right
into Earth’s atmosphere. The Gundam Force launches and then will each hitch a
ride on an ISDF ship to cover Acropolis in breaking up the Dominion
blockade.
57) Emerging
from behind the far side of the Moon, Acropolis and the Fifth Fleet
remnants give their signal to fire their mega particle cannons at a cluster of Nordhausen
and Tyrant ships in a full-on sprint for Earth. Xandra primes and
launches White Gundam’s Hyper Bazooka to take out the nearest light cruisers
(corvettes). Pablo in Blue, Inigo in Yellow and Samuel in Green Gundams fire on
the medium cruisers (frigates and supply freighters) to clear a path for Ulyssa
in Pink and Hera in Red Gundams to bullseye the heavy cruisers (battleships,
carriers and destroyers). As several starships begin tumbling off their nominal
trajectory axes, the blockade is crippled as Gundam Force prepares to enter
Earth’s atmosphere. Zabel detects Dominion mobile suits leaving a battleship.
58) It
is an Arrow – the “Azure Wraith” of Tybalt Axis; and one experimental DMS-15H
Tural V-class – the “White Ghost” of Renata Vitale. Yuri is taken aback by the
possibility of the Emperor’s beautiful daughter falling under the sway of
Dominion propaganda while also considering her anti-piracy service record in
ISDF as a prerequisite for being recruited. Before long, the Gundam Force and Acropolis
are coming up on interface for entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Zabel and Xandra
guide their squadron mates through deploying their shields and the heatproof
plus cooling systems, with some of our heroes taking the opportunity to ride
the shields into the atmosphere like surfboards. Hera takes a look out as she
sees the course for where they are heading – the Alps of Central Europe.
Earth’s Atmosphere, Earth
Sphere – Skies Above Europe
59) Breaking
through the atmosphere and finally emerging victorious in this trial by fire,
Acropolis and the Gundam Force are soon crossing over the French Alps at 79,000
feet near Geneva and Zurich. From inside the storage bay of the Green Gundam, Zero
reports to Samuel and Zabel the HARO unit platoon waits ready to launch. Zero
and Five-Five will lead One-Eight, Niner-Eight, One-Oh-One, Six-Six and Two-One
through secret utility tunnels outside and under the city of Geneva to
infiltrate the city. Upon receiving the go-ahead, Zero and the other HARO units
are fired off by Samuel from Green Gundam and proceed to jam and scatter the
Dominion radio chatter by saying Imperial mobile suit forces are closing on
Zurich. News of the attack disrupts a Dominion prisoner march.
Nyloss’ Zappa Mobile
Armor, Outside Zurich – Command Bridge
60) Nyloss
is panicking as he requests mobile suit reinforcements to defend their
operations, so all available Arrows are to make for Zurich and ambush the
Gundam Force when they arrive. What he is not aware of is that a platoon of all
Arrows is remaining with Azure Wraith and White Ghost even as they haven’t a
hope to defend their occupation of Geneva with it. When he is made aware of
this, he orders his officers to prepare the Zappa to take on the Imperial
mobile suits himself. His base begins to move and reveals itself to be a large
DMA-04 Zappa mobile armor (a four-legged “spider walker”) armed with eight
anti-tank turrets around the central command pod. Overhearing his plan is
Xerxes Zion currently en route to investigate the Red Gundam and test its combat
abilities.
Central City Thoroughfare,
Imperial Capital Geneva - Downtown
61) Zero
and the HARO platoon rolls through the city in secret so as to avoid detection
by the minimal mobile suit security patrols. Knowing Acropolis will be
coming into range to provide cover fire, Five-Five reports their home base is
at the moment closing on Geneva with barely any protection from the Dominion’s
Arrows left in the city. One-Oh-One tells the HAROs they should all teleproject
images of the Gundam Force’ Gundams onto the Dominion’s mobile suits and
sensors so they blast each other apart. They set about doing so and the whole
city erupts into a frenzy as Arrows blast each other apart while Tybalt and his
Renata move to intercept and draw the fire of Acropolis. Some of the
modern looking buildings in Geneva are caught in the crossfire as the HAROs
stroll on.
Dominion Resource Mining
Base, Outside Zurich – Lake Zurich
62) In
the meantime, Samuel rejoins the rest of the Gundam Force to make a landing on
the outskirts of Zurich which is swarmed by Arrows and DMS-70A A'Mond
amphibious suits defending the Dominion drilling rig and manufacturing plant
sitting in the middle of Lake Zurich. They go in with all beam rifles blazing
to hit dozens of mobile suits before they even touch down on the lake to charge
at the spider-looking vehicle departing the rig. It is that fool Nyloss in his
Zappa stupidly trying to take them on. Xandra fires a Hyper Bazooka to start
blowing the rig to kingdom come as Nyloss orders his men to fire on the brats.
Back-to-back, Pablo and Ulyssa take out their Beam Sabers to dismember the
Arrows and A'Monds buying time for Hera to study the Zappa for any known
weakness.
63) With
his forces falling at the hands of the Gundam Force and the drilling rig base
destroyed, Nyloss is cursing himself for not being able to see how this was a
ploy to get him to abandon the Dominion’s occupation of the capital. He orders
his men to start the Zappa into the skies and return to Geneva in a vain effort
to take on and destroy the Acropolis. Hera finishes gathering a
targeting plan on the Zappa and lays out the turrets on the legs as valuable
targets which Zabel, Pablo, Inigo and Samuel need to destroy. They set to work
dodging the hails of fire from the turrets as the Zappa begins to move while
trying to slash or shoot a turret with a Beam Saber or Beam Rifle. Just then,
Hera realizes she senses a presence barreling for the battlefield, telling
Xandra to fly for Geneva.
Earth’s Atmosphere, Earth
Sphere – Skies Above Europe
64) With
all the chaos going on down on Earth after seeing the ruins of their blockade,
Xerxes has anticipated Nyloss ordering him to come down and assist him against
the Gundam Force even as some distant female voice tells Xerxes he must not
fight. Xerxes listens to his thoughts and the voice intently yet says that he
cannot help but be compelled to battle. So long as whoever was piloting the Red
Gundam continues to live, Xerxes’ life with whoever is reaching out to him is
in mortal peril. He tells the voice that he sensed the presence of what he
thought was his little sister when he was fighting the Red Gundam during their
attack on the fleeing survivors of Neo Challenger. But in order to know whether
or not for sure the pilot was who he thought, he must go out to fight against
it.
Swiss Countryside, Between
Geneva and Zurich – Foothills of the Alps
65) Nyloss
and his Zappa are in retreat along with a few remaining Dominion Arrow mobile
suits to help Renata and Tybalt hold onto Geneva while blowing the Acropolis
out of the skies. Hera can sense the arrival of Xerxes the “Blood Serpent” and
tells Ulyssa to get in a place to target the legs of Nyloss’ spider walker
before it reaches Lake Geneva or the Imperial capital. The Zappa’s leg turrets
are having a hard enough time fighting the Black, Blue, Yellow and Green
Gundams without hitting each other, but soon the Zappa’s automated defense
turret mainframe begins to freeze up and overload from the stress. The officers
knew it was suicide to take the Zappa into mass production and testing due to
its various problems, now Nyloss is about to pay a price for unbound
impatience.
66) As
Xerxes and his Blood Serpent Arrow close in on the debacle unfolding, he spots
the Red Gundam of Fire drawing one of its Beam Sabers to intercept him drawing
his Solar Spike axe to parry. Through both comms frequency and telepathy, Hera
asks Xerxes why go through all this trouble causing pain upon misery to the
Earth if all the Dominion wanted was independence. Xerxes can only respond that
the Solar Empire’s become too corrupt and self-important to survive and that
the Dominion is simply a means to an end. Fighting alongside the people who
killed his mother and father is simply a way for Xerxes to claw his way into
power so to exact divine punishment on the Axis family. Zabel has concerns for
Hera’s sake even as he notifies Acropolis to be ready for hostiles.
67) Zabel
and Xandra receive word from Yuri and the crew of Acropolis that they
and the HARO platoon have mostly decimated the Dominion’s occupation force with
few mobile suits or even Nagus tanks left. Two mobile suits, still, are
making it hard for the Imperial battle carrier what with some damage wreaked on
the anti-air defense cannons – but so far, Acropolis has the two mobile
suits pinned down throughout the city. Ulyssa is still preparing the Hyper
Bazooka to cripple the Zappa before it gets too close to Geneva. It is then
that the Gundam Force deciphers that the Blood Serpent’s return is not to take
them out since it is too late to save the drilling rig. He has come to settle
the score with and test Hera in the Red Gundam of Fire due to something that
took place not long ago.
Central City Thoroughfare,
Imperial Capital Geneva - Downtown
68) The
Acropolis has taken moderate damage from Tybalt and Renata firing on or
slashing at to disable her anti-air cannons, but Yuri knows he and Gundam Force
will have time to repair should they survive. Zabel and Xandra soon arrive
ahead of the others and Nyloss’ Zappa spider walker to provide cover for the Acropolis.
The new arrivals soon have Tybalt and Renata on the back foot going toe to toe
with White and Black Gundams while Ulyssa gets a Hyper Bazooka shot to at last
cripple the Zappa closing in along Lake Geneva. The rocket shot launches and
strikes the spider walker mobile armor in the rear of the command pod true.
Nyloss is thrown off his feet by the impact and begins to rise back up only to
feel the floor wobbling beneath him. The Zappa is listing down backward.
Swiss Countryside, Between
Geneva and Zurich – Foothills of the Alps
69) As
she continues making her way towards Geneva whilst also facing off with the
Dominion “Blood Serpent” in Xerxes Zion, a repressed memory strikes Hera – that
of a name and vision of the one she called brother. A boy on a path to manhood
with blue eyes and long blonde hair just like her named Xavier Ion Woden,
prince of the Martian colony Karst Kranz and eldest heir of King Astros Abraham
Woden and Queen Zelda Gon Woden. This in turn triggers a memory in Xerxes of
the one he called sister – a starry-eyed girl with hopes and dreams wanting to
live in peace and share that peace with others in any ways she ever could as
Zephyra Hao Woden, princess of Karst Kranz. Finally, the other shoe drops as
the two finally realize they are brother and sister, reunited as enemies.
70) Declaring
that they will meet again but hoping that she can convince her brother to join
her cause, Hera moves with the speed of lightning to just barely dismember
Xerxes’ own Blood Serpent custom Arrow with a swing of her Beam Saber before going
off to help Gundam Force drive the Dominion out. With his suspicions confirmed
and stupefied by how the Red Gundam’s pilot was able to best his current mobile
suit, Xerxes realizes he and his sister Hera may turn out to be Omnis. Omnis
were part of the Astros movement his father the long-deceased King Astros
espoused would be the keys to lead humanity into a new golden age out of
darkness into the light. He contacts Tybalt and Renata in an effort to warn
them that the Red Gundam is inbound and they must all fall back.
Bridge
Over Rhône River, Imperial Capital Geneva - Downtown
71) Hera
arrives on the scene to help Pablo, Inigo and Samuel clean up any remaining
Dominion Arrow mobile suits and Nagus tanks while Ulyssa observes the collapse
and explosion of the Zappa mobile armor into the Rhône River. A series of
groans and creaks signals the spider walker trying to claw its way up and back
to stability before the rear legs give out and it splashes onto its back
falling into the river as a small conical escape capsule shoots out towards the
lake. It is Colonel Nyloss leaving his men to die as he receives the signal
from Xerxes to fall back. As soon as the capsule is clear, the Zappa explodes
into a cloud of dust, smoke and metallic debris. Having depleted or lost their
weapons, Renata and Tybalt begin retreating to pick up Nyloss and Xerxes from
beacons.
72) As
they leave, Tybalt and Renata are glad they and Xerxes won’t be the ones to
have to explain the failure of their Imperial capital occupation. Nyloss will
be facing the wrath of Tybalt’s eldest brother Tyrian Axis and sister Panorea
Axis for this failure while they and Xerxes will be questioned about the Gundam
Force pilots potentially being Omnis. As Samuel moves to collect the platoon of
HAROs among them Zero with Green Gundam, he spots Tybalt’s Arrow and Renata’s
Tural fleeing and asks if they should pursue to which Xandra and Yuri reply in
the negative and to focus on now cleaning up the damage. The scared populace
sees Geneva has been liberated thanks to the Gundam Force as our heroes catch
their breath. Thus begins a weeklong citywide cleanup process.
Central City Thoroughfare,
Imperial Capital Geneva - Downtown
73) Help
both from and for the Acropolis arrives as our heroes are using the
Gundams to help clean up the wreckage and repair damage from the battle to free
Geneva and the Solar Empire’s capital Earth from the Dominion. Zabel and Samuel
spot Ulyssa as she helps lift a new canopy roof for the downtown into place.
For the first time in just under a month, she is able to start finding peace
again. Ulyssa knows now that machines by themselves aren’t always good or bad –
it is mainly the intent behind the machine’s operator and those controlling the
operator that determine the path of justice or tyranny. Emperor Erich is one of
the first to congratulate the Gundam Force for their heroism and reports to
Yuri that Project Zodiac is a success with the Gundams as perfect prototypes.
La Grange Park, Imperial
Capital Geneva – Along Rhône River
74) Once
the clean-up is completed, the Acropolis is parked on the river all
while a ceremony is taking place in La Grange Park. Yuri and Xandra are both
given medals and promotions before the Emperor has them bestow medals on the
rest of the Gundam Force and HARO units for a job well done in bringing Earth
out of an immediate danger. Pablo, Inigo, Samuel and Ulyssa are ecstatic for
the medals and accompanying week of leave, but Hera and Zabel are quite
doubtful that they themselves should accept the commendations when there’s
still much work to do. The Dominion’s forces may have been driven back, but a
feeling has set in that the real war has only just begun for Gundam. Still, all
the Gundam Force members are assigned a HARO as Earth’s thanks. Roll credits...
Epilogue
(Preview Summary for Fire In Your Heart)
Running alongside and after the
closing credits is a preview of scenes from the next Mobile Suit Gundam movie
“Fire In Your Heart”. With the Empire’s capital of Geneva secured, both Acropolis
and the Gundam Force hurry out to the Imperial Solar Defense Forces’ largest
headquarters in the Central African Tripoint where counterattacks against the
Dominion are being planned. Having seen victories by Gundam Force all across
Europe; Tybalt and Wilhelm Axis are considering a defection alongside Tybalt’s
girlfriend Renata, Xerxes Zion and a mysterious girl named Ophelia Haman.
However, Colonel Nyloss is an agent of both Tyrian and Panorea Axis who will
stop at nothing to prevent defections and avenge his ever-humiliating defeat.
And it may take daring sacrifices to ensure all will not be lost.
