Galactic Century (GC) Gundam Movie Treatment - Volume I: No Man's Sky

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 13^th 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 79^th 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.