Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I sat there on the dinner table, with the light shining on my bright red hair all the while stuffing crusty slices of toast inside my mouth as the crumbs sprinkled all over like stardust. Staring at my phone, my thumb scrolled through waterfalls of pictures and text, stopping to see footage of the battle between the Dendrobium Gundam and the Neue Ziel, which had happened a couple years prior in 0083. It was a battle I had never seen before amidst the hundreds I watched online. The Gundam had a whole armoury sitting on top of its back, and within mere seconds was blown to bits by a bright, flashing beam.

Popping the last bit of toast in my mouth, I hurried to my room to get dressed in my school uniform. It was this flashy, bright blue colour that stood out no matter where I walked, all for it to be covered by a simple, white jumper. Ah… I felt much more comfortable in it. But as I slid it on, my eyes wandered over to the wall to see a poster of the Titans, Earth Federation's special forces. I took a considerable while staring at it, looking at this pilot in a black spacesuit with a menacing Gundam face in the back and the words “TITANS” below, written in a bold yellow font. They stand for everything. Justice, power, peace, even. Ready to take on danger and defeat anyone who dares stay in their way. With that out of the way, I searched for my randoseru and slung it over my back, pushing the front door out and headed for school.

‘Huh?!’ I exclaim. ‘There’s gonna be a mobile suit testing here?’
‘Believe it! I took a read in my dad’s confidential files, and there’ll be one happening near where the bullet factories are, south of the school here.’ Karl told.
This guy, Karl, happened to be one of my friends who shares the same interests as me. His dad happens to be an engineer for the development of mobile suits for the Federation, which is how Karl gets all his info from. I met him one day as I was reading a magazine about aircraft in the library, where he pulled up a seat next to me and talked about mobile suits and whatnot, somehow turning into an unconditional friendship.

My mind raced as I saw my peers fill up the classroom, each retreating to their allocated seats for the day.
‘Um, and I heard something about there being a warship coming into the colony, too.’ said Karl, looking up to the ceiling deep in thought.
‘No way! Which ship is it? The Albion? The Alexandria, perhaps? Or is it the White Base- er, no, that was gone a long time ago…’
‘I’m not too privy on the details, since it kept that part out. But you should go see for yourself, if you can.’

Staring at Karl’s wide eyes, I looked out the window and pondered about what I would be able to do with this info. My fingers rapped impatiently on my hip, unsure of what to do.
‘Karl, what time are they doing it?’
‘Well… they were gonna do it from now till the evening. You might have some time after school.’
That’s when it hit me; I could stay at boring school today and learn about methods, or I can pull off a ticket to skip class and run to the mobile suit testing. You already know what I chose.
‘Hey Karl, if you can, could you send me any important notes that I miss today?’ I ask him in a wry manner.
‘Why, Amate? Wait, you don’t mean-’
But before I heard the rest of what he said, I had already dashed out of the classroom past the growing crowd of students, ignoring what Karl cried out. I raced down the flights of stairs and out the entrance of the school, feeling the cool artificial air fly around my small body. With my school bag hanging on my back, I hurried onwards to the factories, which was at least a 5 minute run from where I was.

And I made it… finally… warehouses and buildings with chimneys stood tall in front of me as I stopped to catch my breath. Beyond me was an airfield full of Saberfish jets and tanks, guarded by a simple wire fence. I was willing to take a closer look, but feared that if I stepped closer, I could’ve gotten into some big trouble. So I didn’t risk it, but I still had quite a view. At that moment, I heard sirens going off, along with a man’s voice in a loudspeaker blaring into my ears, making my head ring with how noisy it was.
‘All units, please be advised to return vehicles to their original positions. Beginning testing in three, two, one…’

And it was like a dream come true. The hangar in front slowly opened like a cage freeing a bird as warning sirens blasted, accompanying this strange sensation of fear and excitement I felt. And from the darkness, out came a metal giant, trudging with each heavy step it took on the concrete pavement underneath itself. From what I saw, it was a GM painted in a bright red colour, just like my hair. Its hands raised up and down, crouching and moving around. I was in shock. Maybe I should’ve brought Karl to see this, but he’s the kind of guy to abide by the rules. Its movements were mesmerising, as I had never seen a mobile suit up close before.

-

‘We’re almost there, Kamille.’ A deep voice spoke. ‘Get ready.’
‘Roger, Lieutenant Quattro.’ The dark blue haired boy answered.

'Make sure to keep the chatter to a minimum. We can't risk the Titans to catch our radio transmission.'
In the vast infinity of the starry space, a bright red, single-eyed suit alongside a Gundam as white as snow hovered towards the rotating cylinder before them. As the verniers on their legs and backpacks flared in a bright blue, it slowly died into a mist of dust as the suits closed in on the surface of the docking bay airlock.

Each of the suits clunked and stomped on the bay platform, meeting a large, metal door before them. As the red MS pointed its large finger out in front, the white Gundam stepped forward mightily and reached its gigantic grey hand to the switch, turning it in a full 360 degree rotation. A gust of air breezed past the giants as they stepped inside the bay, lit with red sirens and alarms.
‘Warning. Airlock has been released. Repeat, airlock has been released.’ said the prerecorded announcer over the speakers.
The loud noises soon calmed down as the doors slowly closed behind them, ready to take action. But not only a second had passed, as lieutenant Quattro began getting a feeling through his mind…

‘What the- what is this feeling?’ Quattro gasped.
It was a strange, familiar sensation he had. Like a sisterly bond. But yet, this wasn’t who he thought it was. No, it was a different person.
‘Lieutenant, is everything alright?’ Kamille asks.
‘Y-Yeah.’ Quattro said, placing his fingers in the centre of his exposed forehead. ‘Don’t forget, we’re here to destroy their suits and assume control of the Izuma Colony.’
‘Understood. And according to the intel, there’s a bunch of GMs and Hizacks.’
Kamille looked out in front and thought to himself as well. He felt a weird and faint feeling in his head. Was someone trying to communicate with him? It sure felt like it… But he shrugged this off and took forth the mission’s orders, moving through the colony's suffocating corridors from below.

-

It seemed nobody noticed me at all watching the mobile suits move around. That was a good thing, because they’ve brought out the Hizacks! I always used to wonder why they looked so much like a Zaku, but it was because Zeonic was acquired by Anaheim Electronics and used their scientists to do their bidding. The Hizack’s bright pink monoeye rotated and scanned the area, flashing ominously in its forest green armour as it took each step with its brutish force. Its gigantic hands raised up and down, rotated 360 degrees and opened and closed its fingers. And finally, the giant pineapple-like suits stood together tall, menacingly, as its eye hummed ominously.
‘Hizack testing complete! We will now evaluate the Shirnom-’

But then, at that moment, I heard air raid sirens rattle the colony, suddenly surprising me. I stepped away in a bit of a panic, anxious of what’s going on. Is it an attack? Something like this had never happened before. My mind started going everywhere, uncertain of what I was going to do when an angry, booming voice started yelling directly at me.
‘Hey, kid! What are you doing here?’
Swiftly turning around, I saw a tall blonde-haired man standing atop the leather seats of a small jeep, his hand holding onto the clear window in front of him. He was clad in a black and red uniform, allowing me to instantly recognise that he was one of the great Titans.
‘Wha- no, no, I didn’t mean to intrude here!’ I proclaim, trying to disperse the situation. Yet, this only seemed to make him madder, as the soldier got up from his jeep and marched towards me despite the low-ranking soldier’s protests to return.

‘Listen here, little girl. Don’t be skipping class over stuff like this. There’s gonna be a terrorist attack here soon, so get outta here before you get hurt! Or are you one of them?’ he shouted.
‘H-hey, I support the Titans, so leave me be!’
‘Lieutenant Jerid, look above!’ the driving soldier bellowed.
As I turned to look behind, suddenly like the judgement of outer space, a whirlpool of fire darted down before me, exploding everything around it. It went so quick that I didn’t even understand what happened. Tanks, jets and the mobile suits were engulfed in the blast and were blown to smithereens, while I felt myself being pushed backwards by this immense force like a tsunami carrying you away. As I screamed in this chaos, my back suddenly hit a big tree that stopped my sudden throw, and instinctively I threw my arms up to shield myself from the explosion.

I could see past my ashy white jumper what was happening, like time had stopped. Soldiers ran amok in panic, trying to pull out any survivors from the wreckage, while Titans suits flew up in the air looking for the threat. All of them either stayed and held the area down or zipped away, never to be seen again. That was when I saw it. A red and white monster descended down in front of the flames, both of which seemed to be scanning the area. I was speechless, and felt as if I couldn’t move a single muscle in my body. It was the stolen Gundam Mk-II, now painted in a white colour as opposed to its black Titans style. They soon dispersed and wrecked havoc against their opponents as the Gundam grabbed its beam sabre and sliced a charging GM in two, engulfed in a fiery explosion.
‘The AEUG…’ I mutter, watching the suits move around and dodge bullets zip by them.

‘Amate… Amate…’

My head perched up in an instant. What is this echoey voice? I tried getting to my senses, my eyes watering from the roaring fires. This voice, I swear I’ve heard it before. It was a man’s voice, kind but guiding. I had frozen by the sound of this strange voice, uncertain of what to do.

‘Who… who is this?’ I ask, my hand placed on my head.
‘Go… fight… for me…’

My attention was attracted beyond these fires to what seemed to be a Hizack lying on its back, vacant and alone. The fires' light shone heavily on its army green colour with its monoeye shut off. As I curled up my legs in fear, I wasn’t sure if I should go. The scent of death lingered in the air, and knew if I ran out I could’ve been taken out by a bullet flown astray. But then, I eventually made up my mind, like I had a drive to do something and slowly got up, and with what little strength I had left, made a mad dash to the Hizack. I felt my body trembling in both fear and energy, huffing nervously while my shoes crunched on the charred, black grass. Gunfire surged everywhere, stomping of the mobile suits shook and more explosions erupted, but I didn’t let any of this deter me.

After what felt like a trip through hell, I had made it to the armoured hulking pineapple sprawled on the floor and climbed on its giant leg to get a closer look at it. Looking at the cockpit, the hatch was wide open, and I was able to see the different controls and buttons spread around the entire seat. Without hesitation, I jumped inside the cockpit in one fell swoop and started getting to know the controls of the suit. But, there were a million buttons, and that confused the hell out of me! I frantically searched for the button to close the hatch, when my hand accidentally hit something on the panels. Before I knew it, the door in front suddenly closed on me like I was a canned sardine, filling me to the brim with confusion and fear. Now I started regretting to close it. Maybe I should've left it open...
‘Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, someone help me!’ I scream.
But as I looked at the controls, I knew this was what I had chosen. I couldn’t back out of this now. So, I used whatever I could remember from how the controls worked in all those schematics I searched online by pushing the control sticks forward and back, trying to get the behemoth to stand up.
‘The auto-balancers seem to be in control. I hope I’ve got this.’

And within seconds, the suit stood tall like a great statue. Chaos surrounded me, no matter where I looked, with destroyed debris, burning mobile suits and vehicles and panicked soldiers. Glancing to my right, I bore witness to more projectiles flying in all directions into the mirrored, flickering sky. That’s where the battle’s begun. Trying my best to move, the suit marched to the battlefield, unable to turn away from fate.

Chapter Text

The Hizack’s mighty steps stomped on the barren concrete as I scanned the area, trying to see if anyone had survived. I knew there were civilians and engineers here that could’ve been caught by the blast. At the same time, moving this thing was starting to become much easier. Pedal left, pedal right, pedal left, pedal right… Maybe this was related to that feeling I had before? But that wasn’t the main thing here, I had a job to do. Though I really hope mum’s okay… she left early this morning to work.

‘Hey!!! You in the Hizack! We need some help!’ shouted a man’s voice.
Looking down to my right, I saw a man in a tan suit jacket with chestnut hair raising his hands requesting assistance. Slowly motioning towards him, he pointed out some rubble and parts of a helicopter that had blocked the entrance to a blinding, burning warehouse.
‘Can you move these out of the way?’ he asked loudly.
Heeding his requests, I moved the Hizack closer to the rubble as the man ran out the way, pushing its large mechanical hands and clambering them onto the debris sitting there, slowly clearing the doorway open. Revealing a yellow door behind the fallen rubble, the man took no time in prying the door open with a crowbar he somehow found. With all of his strength, he let out a visceral roar, pulling the door out until it was wide open. One by one, engineers and soldiers filed out the building as smoke spat out, some carrying onto others with some horrifying injuries. I couldn’t help but feel remorse for these people, my hands loosening on the controls at this sight.

The suited man then proceeded to give me a thumbs up and gave me his thankings, one after another.
‘I’ve never been so grateful! Those… those people, they were trapped in a lot of smoke. Had you not come, oh…’ he sighed.
Standing the suit up, I simply responded with an open wave, which the man performed back and walked away with the sole intent to find others. But that was when I saw it; a GM II, painted in a blazing red colour armed with a gigantic bullpup machine gun, emerging from the dark black smoke looking around the area just like me. It noticed me and sloughed forward, loading out a heap of military jargon that I somewhat got the gist of instantly.
‘Hizack, is everything clear?’ The GM asks on my radio.
‘Oh, um, yes. I can’t believe it. The AEUG got us good.’ I reply, unsure of what to say.
‘Yeah, we’re not doing well at the moment. Those bastards got their whole force out and we don't know where it's coming from. Good job finding those survivors.’
‘Ah… c-copy that.’

But during this brief exchange, the sensors of my cockpit alerted me with this sudden high-pitched sound and a flashing yellow warning, directing me to look behind myself. But everything went so fast again. A yellow laser beam faster than light zapped from my side and went straight into the GM’s cockpit, not giving it the slightest chance to react. I could hear the pilot’s dying scream as he evaporated from the beam attack and fell to the ground in his hulking behemoth of a suit.

The force sent my Hizack falling too as a result of the shock, and I was put into yet another panic, screaming and curling up into a protective ball. Moving the head up, I saw the two things I wanted to see last. The red and white mobile suits, with the red one having fired its beam rifle straight into the GM. The white one held a huge bazooka in its right hand, and I instantly knew I’d be pulverised if at least one got me. My body froze, terrified that this would be my undoing. But then, I snapped out of it and struggled to get the Hizack up in fear I’d turn into a hamburger if I didn’t escape. Lifting the main body up, I pushed the hands down and got it steady, standing tall like it was before.

'S-stand, c'mon! Stand up!' I shriek.

The suit rocked before it stood up properly, only to be met with the sight of the Gundam aiming its bazooka at me. Without a second wasted, I bolted away, feeling an explosion erupt behind me after the next.
‘M-Mum!!!’ I cry, feeling the hot tears run down my cheeks like a heavy stream.

However, that was when the explosions stopped roaring. The feeling I kept getting rang once more, like an energetic jolt of understanding through my mind. Coming to a sudden halt, I caught my breath before turning around to see the two mobile suits again. The red suit was lowering the Gundam’s bazooka by resting its hand on top, motioning it to cease fire. At that moment, my radio crackled to life once more.
‘You, you’re not an enemy, correct?’ a deep, manly voice asks from the radio.
‘Huh?’ I gasp, frantically wiping the tears off of my face. I searched around for the radio switch in order to connect onto their suits as well, rustling through each of the blinking buttons on the control panel. Eventually I found it by opening it from the ceiling that revealed yet another panel of commands to converse with the other suit, as I questioned, ‘C-can you hear me?’

‘Loud and clear. Are you a Titans member?’ the red mobile suit said.
‘...No. But I am a supporter of them.’ answered I.
‘Wh-what was that?’ said the Gundam. ‘Captain, this girl-’
‘Calm down, Kamille. She doesn’t sound like an enemy. Just a civilian, if I had to say. Why are you in a mobile suit, young girl?’
‘I just stepped in here by chance. I’m… I’m trying to save others here like the Titans are.’
But the red suit didn’t seem to take me lightly. Suddenly, the guy’s voice got all tense, like he was scolding me.
‘Hey, do you realise what the Titans have done in these past few years?’ the captain questioned, pointing his suit’s large finger to me. ‘They’re no one but killers!’
‘Huh?! If you’re trying to paint them as the bad guy, you’re dead wrong! The AEUG are just a bunch of people who aren’t even different from Zeon!’ I yelled.

‘You’re the one who’s wrong. Let me enlighten you. 2 years ago, they released tanks of G3 into Colony 30. And millions of protestors were killed as a result, even those that weren’t involved in it. They never gave a single shred of thought for those that lost their lives in the process. Do you understand me?’ he said. ‘We had to rise and fight back against these monsters that claim to be protecting the Earth, but are instead doing the opposite.’
‘You’re… you’re lying, right? But the Titans are heroes!’ exclaimed I. I thought everything that came out of the pilot’s mouth was false. I never wanted to accept it at first.
But it was at that moment that I heard sounds of beams and energy whizzing above me. I looked up to witness a red GM locked in a heated battle with a black monoeyed suit. Its head opened up a hatch to reveal some mean-looking vulcans blasting away with rains of bullets firing on the GM.

However, it dodged them effortlessly before charging its verniers up, punching its fist straight into the monoeyed suit’s chest. The black suit fell back to the ground as the GM aimed its dangerous bazooka to the struggling AEUG suit, who in turn started using some erratic maneuvers like a hypnotised king cobra. Then, the GM II fired off two missiles that zoned in on him, and in response the suit dodged it with lightning speed reflexes, rendering him safe.

But it came with a cost.

Those missiles instantly shot to the ground like two cars racing each other to the finish line, straight to where the injured civilians and employees were. I could only watch in horror, frozen in place, as the people were engulfed in bright clouds of flames that made them disappear into nothing. Explosions filled the panoramic screens of my cockpit, while my hands trembled uncontrollably on the metal control handles.

I… I didn’t know what to do. Those people I saved from dying, all gone. Everything started pouring out like a crashing wave of anger and hatred. The suit’s controls suddenly thrust forward and went full speed towards the GM, ignoring the captain’s commands to stand down. The only thing that filled my cockpit was the roaring of my burning hot fury, dead set on nothing but destruction.
‘Hizack! Restrain yourself now!’ he cries.
My Hizack moved the fastest in the colony as I charged past the black suit like a green blur and readied myself into a charging attack with my spiked, round shoulder dashing for the GM. The Titan suit was slow to react, allowing itself to get hit by my furious charge and sent flying away. As the suit regained its balance and control, it looked at me with its shiny teal visor and in retaliation pointed its dreaded bazooka at me, and with the pull of the trigger fired off various missiles in my direction.

Each of them quickly zoomed at me, but I was simply not fazed by this, maneuvering fast and swiftly dodging like they were nothing one by one. I closed into close quarters with the GM and readied the right fist of the suit before unleashing it and rammed it straight into its face.
‘Take that, you murderer!’ I cursed, still burning with hot blood.

I figured my fists wouldn’t do enough talking for me, so I decided to look for any weapons I had in my arsenal, and sure enough there it was; the trusty heat hawk. This should do it, I courageously spoke. It zipped onto my screen and flashed, showing me the location of the weapon stuck to the left hip. I moved the hand over and yanked the heat hawk before placing on the best imitation to a martial arts-like stance as I had seen in those old CQC MS books.

The GM II seemed to understand the direction I was going, so in response, it thoughtlessly threw the bazooka behind itself and lifted its left hand up, grasping its fingers around the beam saber on its backpack thrusters and gracefully yanked it out from the socket. A wispy neon yellow beam trailed behind the suit and stood up straight in a radiant glow, ready to slice anything in two.
‘I’m gonna kick your ass!’ I said before moving in.

The fight continued with a swift dash and a throw of the axe, but the GM reacted quickly using its beam saber to block my attack before resisting and pushing my strike back. My body was racing with energy, dead set on finishing this duel. The heat hawk swung to its head and threw desperate punches at the GM, trying its best to fight back and defend itself. But no matter what it did with its beam saber, the slashes and stabs were all evaded by my calculating speed. The sparks between the axe and saber fizzled and cracked, as they came into contact with each violent attack.

Eventually, I managed to get it good by striking upwards with the axe, narrowly missing the GM by inches, then I quickly responded by readying myself like a bulldozer and crashed into him once more with the Hizack’s arms spread out, roaring like a great beast. Desperately I took me and him down to the ground, feeling the force buckle against my body. And soon enough, we collided into the green, grassy area as trees and foliage went astray from our mighty battle. We then separated together as a considerable amount of distance stood between us, the Titan suit holding its saber in both hands waiting for my next move, while I raised my hand out with the axe glowing red hot, prepared to take it out.

'Don't know why...' the grip on the controls tightened as my head lurched up to the battle in front of me, somehow finding a new surge of greatness course through my blood and soon my body. '...but I think I've got it now!'

And all of a sudden, I felt myself move forward with the heat hawk while the GM did the same, as each second that passed felt like forever. The axe shot up and slashed in a violent motion, and once I got closer, it swung with so much force as a deep, melted cut morphed into the red cockpit of the GM. In its final moments, the beam saber had gotten me good too, as the trail of light cleanly sliced my suit’s arm off and to my monoeyed head. Everything went dark, as all I could hear was the emanating radiance of our weapons and gunfire running amok.

Suddenly, an explosion roared loudly, feeling myself get thrown backwards and the large metal shell around me clunk heavily. As I opened myself up and looked around, I couldn’t see anything. It was all pitch black. Panicked, I took slow, deep breaths until a red light constantly blinked above me, suggesting that the backups in the power system must’ve kicked in. Scrambling for the hatch’s button, I finally located it once more by the controls and pushed it using my thumb. The door slowly lifted up and opened as the sunlight poured inside the cockpit, blinding my eyes. I’ve sat inside there for too long, I thought. This must be how the pilots feel during the various conflicts that arise every now and then.

I stood up from the backrest of the leather seat all wobbly from the violent action. In front of me lay the defeated GM II, the whole upper body blown to fiery smithereens. I exhaled in a sigh of relief, closing my eyes and feeling the cool air blow across my short hair. That was when I saw the mighty red mobile suit from before zooming around in the sky before noticing me, stopping in a dead stop and slowly descending down to my position. A large laser rifle was held within its giant hand, ready to take down any enemies it came across. I had never been so happy to see someone in the most dire situation ever.

Chapter Text

The red suit’s slow fall came to a stop as its feet rumbled the artificial ground below, eyeballing me with its menacing green monoeye. It proceeded to take a knee and position its hand to its cockpit, lifting the hatch wide open to reveal a man in a red spacesuit. He slowly walked out of the metal confines and jumped onto the hand’s palm and onto the grassy land underneath us, locking his mean eyes onto me. I felt a strange, dangerous feeling radiating from him, just like how looks could kill.
‘I take it you’re the pilot of the Hizack?’ he asks.
‘Well, kinda obvious, isn’t it?’ I replied, looking at the Hizack I was standing inside of. But the pilot simply gave me a chivalrous chuckle, his hands placed akimbo on his hips.
‘That was a show you put on. I can see you’re fit for this kind of stuff, given that you’re only young. My subordinate’s just like you, never willing to back down from a fight.’
‘Your subordinate?’ said I. ‘You mean, uh, Kamille? The one using the Gundam? Was that his name?’
‘Yes, that’s right, he’s called Kamille Bidan. He never sleeps on the job. He’s proven to be invaluable to the AEUG. His growth is slow, but steady. And the fact that you defeated this GM here…’
He glanced over to the mobile suit's remains as I could see a small smirk plastered across his handsome face. I was unsure of the direction this guy was headed.
‘...maybe you could follow in his footsteps.’
‘What?!’ I cry. I mean, a mobile suit pilot sounded awesome, as that’s what I’ve dreamt of for a while, but like this? I was growing skeptical towards this man, unsure of what else to tell him.

‘Don’t be alarmed, young lady. It’s quite a simple thing. It seems as though you're straying away from the Titans, after all.’
‘I guess you can say that for yourself, but it’s only my first day using a mobile suit.’ I crawled out of the Hizack and jumped down to the land, listening to the lush, green grass rustle under my shoes. My legs wobbled uncontrollably, struggling to gain a footing on the ground. I then got face-to-face with this guy, getting a much closer look at his defined face and blue eyes, just like the sky above us. Locks of blonde hair stuck out from underneath his pinkish-red helmet, softly blowing in the slow wind. ‘What are you getting at, sir?’

‘You see, I sense a deep power within yourself. One that has yet to be awakened, but can engulf all that’s in your way. That power can be harnessed to your advantage. But it can destroy you if you’re not careful.’
My heart sank upon hearing this. A power inside of me… One that can destroy me if not used properly. And then my mind started racing again, worried about the circumstances that could happen.
‘H-Hey, what do you mean “destroy”?’ I ask timidly. ‘First, you say I can be a mobile suit pilot, and now you’re saying I’ve got a power that’s gonna kill me?!’
‘No, it’s only if it’s used recklessly. Don’t be a worrywart.’ The man turned his back towards me in the direction of his red suit, ready to jump in. But before he did, he glanced over to me behind his shoulder, turning slightly to face me.

‘I haven’t caught your name. I’m Quattro Bajeena, lieutenant of the AEUG.’
‘It’s Amate. Amate Yuzuriha.’ I answered.
‘I see. Well, come with me, Amate. I’d like to show you the full face of the AEUG now.’
Quattro walked on to the suit and hopped onto its large hand before disappearing into the cockpit. I followed along too and copied what the captain did, but when it came to getting inside, I struggled so much, trying to lift myself on the fingers before finally managing to get on the palm’s centre.
‘Come on. We haven’t got time to spare.’ told Quattro, sitting on his seat like it was his own throne.
‘Alright, alright.’ I grumble, stepping inside the small cockpit.
As I walked inside, I took a spot beside Quattro’s seat as he punched in the commands into the control panels. The doors before us shut before the 360 degree screens powered, revealing the Hizack and GM’s ruins once more. Suddenly, Quattro pushed the controls as we shot up into the air, buckling against my petite body. And soon enough, the suit sped off to where everyone else was fighting, as lieutenant Quattro seemed to be unfazed by the force that lay upon us. I was, however, barely holding on by the skin of my teeth.

‘Quattro, about your subordinate, Kamille. It’s…’ I couldn’t resist chuckling a little, struggling to get the next words out of my mouth. ‘That’s a girl’s name. Hehehe…’
‘I advise you don’t say that in front of him, Amate. Unless you want a bad beatdown.’ he answers.
‘Really? Did something like that happen?’
‘Yes, quite recently.’

Some time went by until we got to the rest of the Anti Earth Union Group’s forces, their suits all hovering and some descending to the ground. The pilot’s radio crackled as a man’s voice spoke loud and clear.
‘All units, the Titans have retreated from the Izuma Colony. Repeat, the Titans have retreated.’
‘Roger. Confirm a mop up. Izuma will be under our control soon.’ Said Quattro.
‘Why did you guys take over Side 6? I thought we were a neutral colony.’ I asked him.
‘We’re liberating those from the clutches of the Titans. Side 6, especially Izuma, is a prominent Titans stronghold. As such, people like you believe in them, but they were truly oppressing them in response. That’s why we formed the resistance, to bring back freedom to the Earth Sphere.’
This guy had a way with words, I thought. However, the longer I spent with him, the more this interesting notion in my head grew. Almost like he was someone I knew. I couldn't shake that feeling off...

We soon reached the rest of the AEUG forces holed up near the city’s river as soldiers ran amok, issuing orders and informing each other the situation. Quattro’s suit came to a stop in the blue sky, lowering itself to the grasslands before making a loud thud on the ground. As the hatch opened, me and Quattro filed out one by one to the outside as AEUG suits surrounded us, stomping like colossal giants.
‘There he is. Kamille Bidan.’ Quattro spoke.
Out in the blue sky, the Gundam Mk II flew at a high speed and closed in on us, carefully dropping to our position. As it touched the ground, the colony shook beneath its might as it took a knee to reach our level, its red hatch lifting wide open to reveal a white-suited pilot. He stepped outside and hopped down, running up to us quickly before giving a swift salute to Quattro.
‘Lieutenant Quattro. The civilians have evacuated from here. And the Titans have all pulled out. Anyone that tried resisting was put down as a prisoner.’ the young man Kamille said to him.
‘Understood. This operation has become a success.’
There, the young pilot saw me, and with a dumbfounded face, questioned his superior about who I was. Judging from his appearance, he looked only to be just a little bit younger than I was. To think people with dreams like him were sent out onto the starry frontlines of space’s infinity… it was heartbreaking to see.
‘She’s Amate Yuzuriha, newest cadet of the AEUG.’
‘Huh?! So she’s a new member?’ I blurted. Hearing him call me a cadet caught me off guard just like this young guy.
‘...yet.’ said Quattro.
‘Is that so? Well, I’m ensign Kamille Bidan. Good to have you on board soon.’ he smiled, giving a small salute to me.
‘Hey, you guys, don’t be jumping to conscriptions now. I haven’t even thought this out yet. Look, I only skipped class to see this.’ I shot back, my arms crossed.
‘Don’t be so angsty, Amate. We’re just giving you an offer. All that's needed is the ability to serve and being physically fit, which you fit all of them. You can think about it on the way home.’
‘But…’
‘Did you forget what I was saying before? You have potential in yourself. It would be a waste to not fight with us. And you said the Titans were growing ever more powerful and using it improperly. Amate. You wanted to stop them, just like me and Kamille are doing.’

I stared into Quattro's blue eyes, feeling as though he was right. Honestly, now that I think about it, this business is a bit of an interesting one. I suddenly went deeper into my thoughts, realising a great epiphany within. The Titans… they’re doing much more harm than service. And someone needs to stop that. Joining the Anti Earth Union Group may be the key to this. I've cast the anger away and now everything's come to light. My eyes were closed, tapping my finger rapidly against my wooly arm as the sharp, cool air whooshed past my bright red hair. But, the moment was soon broken by a loud, insistent ringtone, buzzing from the small pockets near my abdomen. Kamille and Quattro’s faces turned intrigued by this as I fished my pockets for my smartphone, bringing it out to reveal its bright red casing and dangly charm.

And I saw it was mum. A feeling of ease and relief overwhelmed me as I frantically hit the “call” button, placing it to my ear and looking around to face out to the wide colony and beyond.
‘M-Mum?!’ I cry into my phone.
‘Amate!! Are you hurt?’ she asks in a raggedy but hyperactive voice.
‘No, I’m fine. What about you?’
‘I’m alright. I was stuck inside my office and couldn’t get out. The power lines went down and I couldn’t get to anyone. Is- No, where are you? Are you still at school?’
‘I’m not, but I got to a safety shelter. They let us out after the battle was over.’ I lied to mum, not wanting to let her know about this ordeal with the AEUG.
‘Oh, thank goodness. Come home, Amate, we’ll be safer there.’
‘Alright, mum. I’ll come home soon. ...Bye.’
Hanging up the phone, I looked at the two AEUG pilots, both looking as uncertain as I was.
‘It was my mum.’ I reply. ‘She’s fine.’
‘Good to hear. She must be worried sick for you. Go back home, Amate.’ Kamille said. But then, I saw his face grow sad, tilting his head down like a swan at a shimmering lake.
‘...Are you okay?’ I ask him.
‘Y-Yes, it’s nothing of the sort. You have to protect her.’

But this was more than nothing. Judging by his expression, it seemed something bad happened to him about his own parents. Yet I was hesitant to dig further to what had happened, so I simply left him be. The pilots proceeded to leave for their mobile suits, but Quattro Bajeena swiftly stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at me, a new determination sparkling in his eyes.
‘Amate, do consider this carefully. The waves will be rough if you do ever join us. Be prepared for this.’ Said the red-suited pilot. ‘If you do want to join, don’t be afraid. The flagships of the AEUG will stay here for sometime.’
Simply remaining silent to him, I placed my small hands on the thighs of my legs and gently bowed to him; the ancient way of showing your gratitude. I saw him answer back with a formal army salute, then spun back to the direction of the red giant and climbed back in. Kamille did the same too, wearing a slight smile on his youthful face.

Soon after, the Gundam and red suits stood tall and mighty, activating their thrusters before slowly lifting up into the bright blue sky as my wide eyes locked onto the both of them. The Gundam Mk II turned and raised its hand; an acknowledging wave at me. I too did the same with more enthusiasm, moving my hand back and forth continuously. Finally, the hulking behemoths braced themselves, charging up their large vernier engines before zooming off into the distance, turning into nothing but dark dots in the vast atmosphere.

An AEUG pilot would be awesome, I pondered. But with that, a great responsibility will become apparent to me.

I watched a metal bowl of rice swivel and swim around like little tadpoles, guiding my hands around the white powdery water. Behind me, I could hear the sizzle of the frying pan, the oil cracking and popping endlessly.
‘It’s impressive you can still cook after all this, mum.’ I said to her.
‘It’s fine, Amate. I still have to provide for you. At least you’re okay from the AEUG attack today.’ she replies.
I listened to the TV blaring from the lounge room as a news reporter spoke about the recent events of today’s turmoil. It was harrowing, to say the least.
‘Today, an attack by the Anti Earth Union Group has reached the Izuma Colony, driving out the Federation Titans from the area. 80 people have been confirmed to have died, with 120 injured, half being soldiers from the Earth Federation. However, they seek no harm, having assumed full control and intend to liberate the rest of the other colonies. The Titans have fully shown their true colours, finding no care in their civilians. We ask that all citizens stay safe and reach a safety shelter should any more attacks occur here. Now, onto…’
And then came mum’s usual complaining of the news, often huffing about the Earth Federation government being unable to do a thing.
‘Jeez, I don’t care for the political disdain between these groups and whatnot, but the AEUG certainly have to tone it down a little. I mean, you still like those Titans, right?’ Said mum.
I remained silent on the matter, only giving her a small “mhm” to her in response.

Soon, plates of food were placed onto the table as we sat down and started to dig in. I placed some octopus sausages onto my steaming bowl of white rice and ate them one at a time. The worst part though was that I didn’t blow on it, so sat there as my mouth burnt red hot. It was like putting lava into your mouth, the heat vaporising your mouth away like it would disappear. Chewing on it quickly, I swallowed it down the hatch and frantically grabbed for my glass of cold water.
‘Amate, blow on your food!’ Mum spoke, putting small clumps of rice into her mouth. ‘You’ll burn yourself.’
‘Sorry, I’m just hungry.’ I mumbled.
‘How was school today?’
‘Good. I saw Karl and my other friends again.’ I answer.
‘Good to hear! I was swamped with more work, hehe.’ Mum chuckles. ‘Not interesting, I know. Well, except for being at work because of the AEUG.’
I just nodded at her as an answer to her experience today. Looking at the food in front of me, I was wondering how I could bring myself to tell her that I just crossed paths with the AEUG and actually want to fight the Titans.
‘Mum…’
‘Yes, Amate? You seem a bit distraught.’
‘You know, school’s not all that important to me. It’s just a waste of money.’
‘But I spent so much time putting you there. I can’t let you quit like this. Besides, you’re great at school, too.’
My mouth was closed shut, scared of what could befall me if I spoke up. She would kill me for sure, telling me that I would be risking my life. But soon enough, the courage inside slowly pieced itself together just like patchwork. My fingers tensed up, looking at mum’s eyes as the words finally came out from my mouth, ready to take the consequences.

‘I want to join the AEUG.’ I spoke up, my posture becoming as straight as an arrow.
‘Huh? You don’t like the Titans anymore? I thought you adored people like Bask Om.’ Mum questioned.
‘No, that’s not what I mean. I want to fight for them.’
Mum looked at me like I was delusional, placing her long wooden chopsticks neatly onto the table before looking up at me. Her hands were clasped together, her face appearing as if she was deep in thought.
‘Amate. What are you thinking? They’re terrorists-’
‘They aren’t!’ I cut in, my voice raising a little. I took a slow, deep breath and knew I had to let her know everything. ‘Sorry… I feel the truth should come out. I didn’t go to a safety shelter. I was at a military base. And the AEUG just showed up, destroying their suits. They took care to just target the soldiers, and the civilians left unharmed. But the Titans… they couldn’t care less. I… I saw it with my own two eyes. A Titan suit carelessly killed a group of people with a bazooka. It was chasing after an AEUG mobile suit, focused more on the battle and its personal gain rather than the safety of the civilians in the colony. W-what kind of military do we have that are as reckless as this?!’
My eyes grew hot again, and I felt more of my tears roll down my face, having to revisit those terrifying memories. I saw mum rush to the chair beside me, picking my hands up and wiping my face with her own.
‘Amate… don’t cry…’

‘I know, I know.’
‘Look, Amate, I’m scared of losing you. You’re the only one left with me.’ She said to me. ‘So I beg you, do not go.’
‘But there are people dying out there because of them. R-remember what Dad fought for, why he went to fight Zeon in the war. He knew they were trying to destroy the Earthnoids and Spacenoids for themselves.’
And then, that energetic tingle rang again. Why did I suddenly bring up Dad? Mum stared at me with a look of uncertainty, her mouth agape before squeezing my hands tight and racing her eyes down to the floor.
‘You are right. Dad fought because he knew the weak were being used and killed by the treacherous Zeon. He was a hero. The Titans are no different from them either. And he fought not only for them, but for us, to protect us too. That’s why… his soul went on to keep the fight going. If you truly want to protect the weak, you must protect where you came from.’ Mum softly said. ‘I trust that you will protect me- no, the whole universe from danger if you want to fight in this conflict. You have to carry the fire he had, too.’
As she slowly stood up from the wooden chair, Mum stepped over to the drawers near the kitchen, rummaging around the heap of things thrown in there. Eventually she pulled out a small, brown box from the pile and brought it to the table before placing her hand on top of it, slowly lifting the lid off like a present box. And inside, I bore witness to it once again; Dad’s dog tags. She picked them up by the long, beaded chain as they dangled in a shimmering silver colour. Then she stepped towards me, opening up the balled chain and placing it over my head like I was being knighted by a queen. The dog tags jingled around my neck, the round rectangular pieces of metal sitting in the palm of my hands.

‘I trust that you will keep it safe. That there is Dad’s soul. You must protect it with everything, just like how he will.’ Mum whispered, looking at me with a tired yet sweet face.
In response, I too, stood up on my feet, and stepped close to Mum before opening my arms out and grasping her within my reach. Feeling her arms wrap around my body, a nostalgic warmth flooded over me as I didn’t want this moment to ever end. My war’s just about to begin, and yet, I already know what I want to fight for.
‘Please… be safe, Amate…’ I heard Mum softly whisper.
‘I will Mum.’ I answer back.

And later, the moon’s light shone across the entire colony. Mum was exhausted after dinner, so she went to bed afterwards. Might call in sick tomorrow, she told me. I want to do the same for school, but with me now having decided to side with the AEUG, I wish to live out the rest of my youth before going on to fight. There, I was just getting ready to go to sleep by folding my clothes and stuffing them back in the drawers of my cupboard. Closing the brown wooden doors in front of me, I turned to see the Titans poster once again, stuck to my wall. As I stared at the dark suited pilot standing proudly before the eagle insignia, my fists clenched tightly, feeling my nails dig into the palms of my hands.

I quickly walked over to the wall, standing on my toes to rip the top half down and moving onto the lower part of the poster. With the wrinkled poster now in my hands, I grabbed the top of the poster and with an ear splitting tear, ripped the whole thing in half. And then, I threw whatever was left into the small mesh bin near my desk.

Eventually, I plopped onto my soft white bed and lay there, thinking about what had happened today. It was like a trial of my morals, pitting me against what was wrong or right. But now, it’s changed. No longer are the Titans with me. No longer will anyone suffer because of them. And I'll make sure that the universe will soon know what true freedom is.

Soon, my mind drifted off into a soothing, quiet state of sleep, ready for the morning to come.

Chapter Text

My alarm buzzed into my ears like a small chirping bird as my hand struggled to look for it in the cool darkness, finally stamping it onto the top button to shut it off. Reading the bright green time saying 7 AM, I groggily got up on my feet and paced around my room, opening up the blinds and looking outside. The light poured into my dark room as it illuminated my face and white jumper. I left my room and carried out my usual duties, getting my breakfast ready and dressed in my aqua blue school uniform, all for it to be covered by my white jumper. Eventually, I entered Mum’s room and bade her a farewell, which she tiredly responded with a groan.

And soon enough, I went flying out the door and down the elevators, heading for school. I had my randoseru slung over my back and listened to the charm jingle, walking past the pedestrians like yesterday didn’t happen. But those events still filled my mind, as I wondered what could befall me in the path ahead. Perhaps, maybe, I could escape this false rotating world among the stars and go beyond to be free. I could go to the Earth, or the Moon. Anywhere I stepped on would be magical. Today was immensely different than usual. It somehow felt a lot less restrictive, like it was breathing a fresh breath of air. Maybe because the AEUG had taken over. At least the Titans won’t be keeping us captive anymore. The lights at the crossing switched green as I stepped forward, just like the rest of the horde of people.

And finally, I was at my school. A tall building with clean windows and railings stood in the centre like a military base, concrete walls surrounding it like its guards. My body filled with energy and excitement, as I was ready to visit my friends once again, and I stepped to the barred gates of the school, only to be met with a sign hung onto the dead centre.

NOTICE: SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS WEEK DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES.

And disappointment ate me up instantly.

My grip on the randoseru’s straps tightened, turning to the ground and furrowed my brow, defeated. I wanted to feel the thrill, the bravado of the classroom once again, being surrounded by those you could laugh with. I guess I’ll never feel it again. I felt my shoulders slump in response, unsure of what to do.
‘Damn it.’ I grunt.
‘Hey, Amate!’ cries a familiar voice. As I looked to my left, a tall young man clad in a white shirt and a backpack trotted over to me with an enthusiastic expression written over his face.
‘Karl?’ I say. ‘You’re here too?’
‘Sure am. Wh-what’s wrong? Where’s everyone?’
‘Well, this should explain it.’
I pointed my finger to the gates which Karl went to read before instantly realising what’s happened.
‘Oh… that’s why you seemed so disappointed. You liked school, didn’t you, Amate?’
‘Yeah. But now, my reasons for it have increased my liking even more now, bud.’
‘Is that so?’ His finger tapped on his backpack’s strap before looking back at me with a beaming face, his eyes wider than usual. ‘Hey, wanna go uptown then? We should hang out!’
‘You wanna hang out? Sure.’ I smile. I took this chance quickly, knowing that this may as well be the final time I’ll see this guy and his big heart of gold.
After a bit of chatter, chuckling and a slap on the shoulder, we headed over to the nearby metro station, walking past the crowds of people talking and heading to their daily jobs and duties. After paying $16 Hytes to pass by the gates, we stepped down the long flights of stairs before stopping to our desired platform.
‘What happened yesterday when I was gone, Karl?’
‘Nothing important. That’s why when I was super invested in solving the volume of a glass of water, I heard rumbling outside, followed by a Hizack dashing around in the air and battling a GM. Along with that, the AEUG’s suits started zipping around too before the teacher told us to leave and get to a shelter.’
‘Right, about that Hizack…’

And suddenly, the space monorail came through as it made itself present behind the glass windows before us. Karl headed inside as I followed along, searching for some seats before finding some near the windows. We sat down and rested our aching legs, chatting away like usual in the busy train. People in office wear, school uniforms and the like surrounded us all holding onto their various different bags.
‘You were saying about the battle again?’ I asked.
‘Basically we gathered at a shelter after the sirens rang. So many people were in there, almost like I would suffocate had I stayed in there longer. They let us out after I believe an hour.’ said Karl.
‘Mhm. How did the town look? Were any of the buildings destroyed?’
‘Some were. There was fire and smoke everywhere I looked. It was horrible. And you… where were you? You skipped class without the teacher knowing, and he marked you as absent.’
‘I went to the base. Simple.’
‘No, what actually happened? I get the feeling you’re hiding something, Amate.’
‘You really want to know? Then come here.’

My voice lowered as my mouth went to level with his ear, ensuring nobody else could hear a word I said.
‘That Hizack you were talking about on the platform… I was in there.’ I whisper.

‘Wh-wha???!!!?!’ He screamed, lurching back onto his seat.
As I sprung forward to calm him down, several people started looking at us in confusion, some irritated by this blockhead’s sudden outburst.
‘S-sorry, guys.’ I apologise before looking at Karl again, bringing my voice down to a low whisper. ‘What the hell?! Don’t be screaming like that, you.’
‘I’m sorry, just hearing you say that surprised me a lot. But are you for real? H-How did you even get inside one?’
‘It was just abandoned, like a toy no one wanted anymore. And then… I had this weird feeling, to get inside the Hizack.’ I told him.
‘And this happened at the base? My god..’ He sighed, clearly worried about my state.

'Now arriving at Earl's Court.' Said the speaker above us. 'Please ensure all your belongings are with you.'
And then, the monorail came to a sudden stop, the glass doors sliding open to the new station. Karl stood up and motioned me to follow as I did so, and headed outside into the platform. The station was of a dull, grey colour as people stood around waiting for their next train to arrive. We went walking with the crowd traversing up escalators and large atriums with various shops until the sunlight hit our eyes, being greeted by tall skyscrapers and apartments in front of us.
‘Wanna get some soba?’ Karl offered. 'I'll pay for it.'
‘Sure, Karl. I was getting hungry, after all.’ I smile.
We moved further into the bundles of buildings and onto the streets, moving past busy shops, restaurants with a smoky yet delicious aroma and fast cars zooming by. Finally we got to our destination, stopping at a small restaurant with a huge sign hanging above the entrance. Wavy noren curtains billowed softly as I could see people standing behind them slurping at their noodles. We headed in and saw the master clad in a blue haori and a white headband loudly greet us with a big smile on his face.
‘Welcome, good morning!’ He greeted us.
As I exchanged a friendly wave with him, we hurried over to the machine and inputted the meal we wanted before handing it over to the master and standing at the chair-less table bar.
‘So, uh, there’s a bunch more stuff I haven’t said before.’ I spoke, examining the interior around us.
‘Yeah? What else has happened?’ asked Karl.
‘Well… I met two of the AEUG’s top pilots. Kamille and Quattro.’
‘Y-you met them both?! But those guys are deemed criminals by the Titans! Weren’t they?’ he exclaims, his eyes going wide again.
‘Not to me, they aren’t. But that’s not all. Quattro Bajeena wanted me in the AEUG.’
I saw Karl’s jaw drop instantly to the ground, his eyes about to bulge out instantly. He didn’t even say a word as we were locked into a silent stare-off turning the situation into a rather awkward one. Until suddenly, the master chimed in with our plates of soba, reaching over the counter and handing them to us. Giving a swift thank you, I looked at my plate of brown noodles heaped with green spring onions before grabbing some chopsticks and digging in, dipping the cold noodles into the sauce bowl before slurping them up in my mouth. A sweet and tangy taste attacked my taste buds which made me feel just at home. Looking at Karl eating away at his food, he proceeded to look up at me in wonder, a singular sesame seed stuck to the side of his mouth.

‘Hmm? What’s wrong?’ he asks, almost as if he forgot what I said before. ‘Man, this tastes good. What did you get again?’
‘I got a normal plate with some spring onions. And didn’t you wanna know more about this offer I got from the AEUG?’ I answer.
‘Yeah, tell me.’
‘Well, for starters, after I got out of my Hizack, Quattro took me for a ride in his mobile suit. Then, we met up with the rest of the AEUG and I saw Kamille and his Gundam. We spoke for a bit, and Quattro said I had potential, that I could join the AEUG. And now… with the Titans having shown who they truly are, I feel that this path is the only way I can stop them from murdering heartlessly.’
‘...is that so…’ Karl said, looking as if he was deep in thought. ‘Well, no use worrying about it now. Let’s eat.’
His plate was filled with slices of delicious-looking chashu pork spread all over the dish, stuffing each of them into his mouth one by one, eating up all the long strands of noodles. Some time went by as the only thing that met our eyes was the saucy and empty plates of noodles sitting together on the wooden countertop.
‘Phew… great meal there, huh, Amate?’ a full Karl exhaled.
‘Yeah, sure it was.’ I smile.
Karl gave me a small reassuring pat on the back then walked out of the restaurant and past the noren curtains, to which I followed from behind and out into the colony’s blinding sunshine. Seeing Karl nudge his head to follow him, we walked along the busy footpath discussing stuff about what his Dad’s been up to, the Federation’s new plans and mobile suits. And finally, we both stood at a vending machine illuminating the variety of drinks wrapped in their colourful and gaudy packaging, from round, cylindrical metal cans to plastic bottles in different shapes and sizes. As the machine rattled inside, Karl pulled out from the panel two cans of coffee, one coloured in a cocoa brown and the other in the colours of the rainbow. He handed me the colourful can as I lifted the tab up, punching down the weak metal to reveal the beverage inside. An earthy aroma of cocoa and coffee beans rose from the can and into my nose, relaxing my senses before taking a light, calm sip.

At that moment, this blissful minute was soon interrupted by a nagging and urgent ringtone coming from a smartphone. But I knew it wasn’t mine. I glanced at Karl as he looked around his personage for his own belongings, shoving his hand into the deep pocket of his bright blue pants and whipping out a black cased phone.
‘Sorry, Amate, it’s me.’ He nervously chuckles, followed by a questioning “hello”.
He nodded profusely and agreed constantly, hanging up afterwards before looking at me again.
‘Hey, Amate, I’m gonna have to go now. My mum’s a bit sick.’ Karl says.
‘Really? Is she ok?!’ I thought the worst had fallen upon his mum, but he simply reassured me once again.
‘Don’t worry, it’s just a cold she’s got. Dad’s been busy with the AEUG, and he’s now making a deal with them. Appreciate the concern though pal.’ As he turned his back to me, Karl slowly turned around to me again, this time with a much worrisome face. ‘Will… will you be alright in the AEUG? You’re going onto the battlefield and it’ll be like hell there.’

‘Karl, man, I piloted a Hizack and survived for god’s sake. You can count on me that I’ll be safe.’ I promised, placing a hand on his shoulder. ‘My Dad was a soldier in the war, and his soul will be with me to protect my life.’
‘...I hope so. Just don’t do anything brash, and be safe. Be seeing you, if you’re still kicking.’ he joked with a grin before heading off down the street.
And that was the last I would ever see one of my best friends. I sighed heavily in exhaustion then looked at the colourful can of coffee in my hand, placed the cold metal rim to my lips and downed the entire thing, the cold beverage running down my throat like a running heavy stream. The can was thrown into the bins near the vending machine and I made my way off into the big city.

Another tiring day, I thought. I was shopping around the city just looking at clothes, sports gear and the like. I had seen a cool tracksuit jacket, coloured in a dark green with red lining and blue-as-midnight sleeves. My instincts told me to get it, but after seeing the price tag as 1200 Hytes, I immediately skipped out on it.

Right now, I was at the train station, listening to the crowd again bustling about. Heading to the shiny metal gates, I stared at the card sensors before sliding in the prepaid train card as an affirming beep rang in response, sliding open the binders in front of me. I walked past a considerable short distance when I started hearing voices screaming and yelling behind me. Turning around in wonder, suddenly my eyes met two tall, mean-looking thugs in dark clothing chasing after a long-haired, tan girl in a stadium jumper jacket with a backpack strapped around herself. She was like a human blur, the way she moved so quickly and looked ever so concentrated on getting away. I froze in confusion when she closed in on the gates and swiftly placed both her hands upon the metal binders, making a great leap over them as she gracefully flew in the air. In this moment, that energetic tingle in my mind rang again, feeling a sense of connection to this girl. Something told me she was a friend, that this girl would become an inseparable comrade in battle. I knew I had to help her.

Then, the young girl pounced on the tiled floor and kept on running away while the thugs struggled to get over the gates themselves, finally freeing themselves from the borders leading to the outside world and making chase and disappearing among the crowds of people. My eyes wandered down to the tiles once more to witness something shiny on the floor. It looked like some sort of device, so I crouched down to pick it up. Staring at it within my hands, it was a battery covered in a red case connected with different coloured wires and had all these different kinds of technological wording and jargon that I didn’t understand a word of. Flipping it around, I thought this was the thing they were running after, but why a measly battery? I went into a state of deep thought, pondering whether I should go or not and return this right where it belongs. I clenched and unclenched my fist nervously before I started pacing over in their direction, turning into a slow run before picking up some speed and finally forward as my heart pounded against my chest as I burst with a youthful and exciting power.

I finally reached a corridor to find the same thugs eyeing the girl down, who was unfazed by their scheming threats towards her.
‘C’mon, little girl, hand the battery over, and we’ll forget this ever happened.’ one of the guys said.
‘Yeah, over my dead body.’ she replies.
‘Gwaharharhar! That’s what they all say before regretting it! Just because yer a girl doesn’t mean we’ll lay a finger on you.’ the other thug boasted.
‘Why don’t you leave her alone?’ I chimed in, my hands shoved into my pockets.
The thugs turned to look at me with a mix of confusion and attitude, and seemed to treat me just like the defenceless girl before them.
‘What the hell did you just say?!’ said the tall thug.
‘Tch, don’t get in our way. We’re here to retrieve what’s ours.’ the gruff fat guy grunted.
‘Hm? Don’t you mean this?’

I pulled my hand out from behind to reveal the battery and waved it mockingly to them as the judgemental expressions on their faces melted into realisation, having seen everything with their own two eyes. The fat man stuttered and pointed at the precious battery, yelling at me in a screeching panic.
‘H-hey! That’s the battery! G-give it back!’ he cries.
‘Nah, I might hold onto it for now.’ I sneer.
‘Cocky brat. I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!’
The tall gangster walked up to me imposing as ever, outstretching his hand towards me, but I quickly swept my feet backwards and ran forward, jumping high up into the air and threw my hand upon the thug’s bushy blonde hair, leapfrogging over him like he was a mere fence and to the long-haired girl. Without hesitation, I shot my hand forward and clutched her small wrist, pulling her with me as we zipped down the brightly lit corridors of the station while the thugs angrily gave chase for us.

It felt like forever when we got out of the station and out into the colony. My eyes danced back and forth if the gangsters were still coming for us, but it seemed like they were gone for good and had become a part of the crowd. We puffed and panted as we ran down the stairs from the footpath to a small path, leading to a calm stream slowly moving down the bank. A low bridge stood tall before us as me and the girl took refuge underneath, basking us in the shadows from the bright lights of the colony. The girl rested her back against the graffitied concrete wall, while I was completely out of it by collapsing to the ground on all fours and struggling to catch my breath as ragged, short puffs sputtered out my mouth.
‘Hey, why did you save me there?’ asked the girl.
‘Hah… I dunno. Something told me to help you.’ I reply, heaving over onto my back. ‘I hate it when people pick on the defenceless.’
Looking at this girl, she seemed ever so mysterious and elegant up close. Her skin was slightly tan, with bright eyes as yellow as sunflowers. Her hair fell to her back and hung like a dark river, illuminating with a lustrous bright shine. A warm smile grew on her face, seeing her become more relaxed around me.
‘Thanks for that, though. For saving me, and the battery too.’
‘Huh? Oh, you mean this?’ I ask raising the battery in front of me.
‘Yeah, that.’
She crouched down to pick it out from my hand before placing it into her left, and suddenly grabbed my forearm and pulled me up. I was taken aback by this swift motion, wobbling a little as she brought me back to my feet. Could she be seeing me as a comrade, just like my mind told me to?
‘This thing here, I stole it from a gang hoarding electronics in an underground shop.’ She informed me, looking at the battery in her hand. ‘I needed it to finalise one thing I’m working on.’
‘Is it? But, why go through the trouble of stealing it?’ I ask, pointing at the contraption.
‘Not like I’ve got loads of cash. These are expensive. Besides, I like to show off once in a while. We’re like each other. Quick as the wind and calculating as a computer.’ The girl smiles.
‘R-really? Aha, I’m just good at athletics and stuff, don’t worry about it.’
As she let off a slight chuckle, the girl looked back at me again, this time with a much less composed expression.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Me? I’m Machu. W-wait-’

Machu? My childhood nickname… it just blurted out all of a sudden! I didn't know where my head was at the time, could’ve been because of this long day. My rebuttals were shot down by the girl while she prattled on, not letting me have a chance to recorrect her.
‘Cool name. I’m Nyaan.’ she said. ‘Courier for those that need it the most.’
‘Oh… is that so…’I whimper. ‘L-like a cat?’ That was a pretty cute name, I'd admit.
‘Yeah, like a cat. I get that a lot. You know, I live around here. I can show you where my house is.’
Her house? I sorta wanted to go back to MY home, and felt my hands shake nervously, but suddenly I froze up when that familiar tingle zapped through my head, urging me to go. And then, that echoey voice spoke once again.
‘Amate… Go with her… She’s a comrade… Bring her with you… to fight…’
This guiding voice… bring her to fight? With the way she moved from before, and her quick thinking, perhaps she could be material for the AEUG. I might ask her to do so.
‘Oh, um, sure, Nyaan.’ I say.

It was a long walk down as we went to the catacombs of the less fortunate people, as I passed by shacks made of large metal sheets, dilapidated old buildings and people selling whatever they could make a living off of. The air suddenly felt dull and empty, seeing the husky souls of people weighed down by war and misery. The ground crunched with each step I made, kicking empty bottles and crushed metal cans thoughtlessly thrown away. Signs and flyers stuck on grey concrete walls were the things that caught my eyes, all written in Chinese, Japanese and even Thai.
‘Your house is around here?’ I shuddered.
‘Yes. You should blame this on the Titans. Many people were displaced from their homes here and the other colonies. Stupid crap about Spacenoids being the problem and how they oppose the Feds.’ Nyaan complains.
‘Oh. I… I see.’
‘Ah, sorry. I made the moment a bit gloomy.’ she ironically says, given the location we were surrounded by. ‘Well, I live in that apartment up there. It’s not all that big, but I love it.’
And so, we headed inside this run-down apartment building by heading up a small staircase, being greeted by a guy reading a glossy magazine behind a counter, separating himself from the outside world. It looked like his own natural habitat.
‘Hey, Nyaan.’ He called, not looking up from his magazine.
‘Evening.’ she answers back.
We carried on to an elevator deep within the ravines of the corridor, watching her press the button to the 7th floor and darted up into the air, higher and higher. Then a loud ding rang out before the doors slid open to reveal yet another hallway stained with black dirt and a ruined, carpeted red floor stretching out like the Amazon River. Nyaan took the first step out as I followed behind, wary of what would happen in this place of mystery and uncertainty. And soon, we got to a wooden door where Nyaan dug into the pocket of her jacket and materialised a golden key. The key snugly fit inside the lock and she turned it, pushing open the door to a dark, cold room. The light that covered the doorstep was aided fully by the lights on the ceiling switching on, illuminating the entire apartment instantly. And surprisingly, it was beyond what I had expected.

A green, comfy-looking couch and a computer sat in the lounge room, with a small kitchen having a shiny metal sink and a microwave, with cabinets spread across on top. A small table with some cushions was set on the side with a pot of beautiful flowers sitting there.
‘Huh, this is a nice place.’ I complimented, looking around the apartment.
‘It’s funny, since such a good-looking apartment is situated within the worst building ever. I try not to let it bother me. I’ll be back, I’ve got something to show.’ Nyaan told me before she disappeared into the rooms beyond where I was. From there, I could hear cupboards being rustled through, followed by grunts and heaving. Letting Nyaan do her stuff, I decided to familiarise myself with this place, feeling my eyes dart around the apartment uncontrollably. I stepped to the computer and stared at my own muffled and unclear reflection on the black screen. A Monterry Electronics was embossed on the lower end of the PC as its bright orange symbol quickly caught my eye. But what intrigued me the most was a wooden picture frame facing down, its leg standing up in the air. Almost like it didn’t want anyone to see what was trapped inside its frame. Unable to handle myself, I slid my hand underneath and carefully lifted up the picture, eager to see what awaited me.

But it was something a little bit confronting, almost like something that should’ve just stayed in the depths of a person’s cold, hard memories. Turning the frame over, my eyes were met with a small, long haired girl hugging a joyful man while a woman with glasses laughing in the background stood there. I was unable to think of anything as I stared at this mysterious photo in wonder.
‘Machu!’ I heard a voice cry. Instantly my hand gently but quickly set the picture frame down, turning to her direction and acting as if nothing happened. A large, grey ball-like sphere with two dark eyes sat in her arms, and in her left hand, a bunch of tools that they use for repairing computers. She brushed away its shell covered full of dust like it was a small patch of beautiful snow, except in a dull grey colour.
‘A Haro?’ I ask, pointing a finger at it. My eyes lit up at the sight of this toy she had in her possession, excitement seeping out of me like a steaming pot ready to explode. Allegedly Amuro Ray during the war had his own Haro that he modified himself from his home. Well, according to the stories formerly from those on the White Base posted online. I walked towards it to have a closer look, noticing the device was kept in an almost perfect condition for whoever knows how long.
‘Is it even operable? It looks a bit old.’ says I.
‘No. That’s why I stole that battery you held onto earlier.’ Nyaan answered, setting her various tools and the Haro onto the small dinner table to the side. ‘It’s got most of the components inside there, but I just needed one last thing to get it running, which was the battery.’
‘...but couldn’t you just buy it?’ I added, a bit confused by her logic.
‘Pfft, what with the situation I’m in? Couriers don’t get much pay, Machu. Now, watch as I make quick work of this.’

Reaching inside her backpack, Nyaan pulled out the treasured battery and immediately got to work with the Haro. She picked up a separator with a yellow handle and a gleaming metal wedge that could take apart even the tightest of gaps, placing it into the seam on the side and pushed it in an upwards motion. The front cover lifted up and was pried open, sliding out neatly and placed to the side. Notably, the centre looked empty as ever until she picked up the battery and placed it right where it belongs, slotting the component in. Then she grabbed the various coloured wired clips and plugged them into the adapters one by one as everything fell into place like she was a master at work.

Nyaan grabbed the half round shell and aligned it up with the body, pressing it firmly until the click rang out once more. As she turned the Haro around to the back, her thumb pressed on an invisible button before returning to its frown-like face. As we stood in silence, the red eyes suddenly blinked rapidly, turning to a full shine and fluttering its wings energetically before jumping out of Nyaan’s hands. We clamored in excitement as long tubed mechanical limbs with small hands and round feet slithered out of the round robot, shouting out my comrade’s name loudly.
‘Nyaan! Nyaan!’ he blurted.
‘Whoa, he’s so cute!’ I cry.
‘Nyaan’s friend! Nyaan’s friend!’ It said to me.
‘Hehe. I forgot I had this Haro for a while.’ spoke Nyaan, carrying him up in her arms. ‘You see, I saved him from being thrown out a month ago. I was throwing out some rubbish myself when I found him lying near a bin. I couldn’t bear to see it like that, and I wasn’t sure who the owner was. When I brought it to my house, I turned it on and it turned on with whatever juice it had left. Suddenly, he asked my name, and after I told him Haro shut down. Turns out the battery was defective, and I had to find something after a while. But you know, delivery got in the way, and I couldn’t get my hands on one until today. Just so happens I met you as well.’
‘Now, we’re inseparable! Right?’
Nyaan simply replied, ‘I guess.’

I looked at Haro and couldn’t help but feel the sadness it went through, even if it was a mere robot. But the thought was too heavy. Being thrown away like rubbish and forgotten about forever… it’s something much worse than death. I felt my fist clench itself, wanting to make sure no one gets left behind.
‘You wanna look at the horizon? We can go to the rooftop.’ Nyaan asked all of a sudden.
‘Huh? Oh, uh, sure.’ I reply.

It wasn’t until we headed through stairs after stairs that we got out of an old, rusted door to be hit by the cool rushing wind that traversed around us as I looked up to the colony’s orange sky. Long wispy clouds slowly drifted away, with millions of bright stars shining beyond in the infinity of space. As we drew closer to the edge of the building, I was able to see the entire city, almost as if I could grab and fit the entire thing within the palm of my hand.
‘What’s your story, Machu?’ Nyaan asked.
‘I’m an AEUG soldier. Or, about to be one. Outside of that, I’m just a student.’ answered I.
‘Huh? You’re part of the AEUG? Does that mean you were fighting yesterday-’
‘No, no. Or well, kinda? I was in a mobile suit after all.’
‘Hold on a minute. You were piloting a mobile suit? But don’t you need training to use one? You don't seem like one to have it as such.’
‘I’m serious. And during all that, I found the Titans’ true colours. I… I don’t want this colony, no, the entire universe to have a leash around itself by someone who seeks out violence for their own benefit. That’s what the AEUG is seeking out, to have freedom for all.’
I stared out further into the colony, having this strange, nagging sensation that seemed more important than what I was fighting for.
‘Yes, the Titans are troublesome. I even want to stop them.’ said Nyaan.
‘Then you should join the AEUG with me.’
‘Join you? I can't, I’ve got a job to attend to. I don’t want to risk myself out there either.’
‘But if you don’t, who’ll do it? I may hate them as much as you do, but I know sitting around won’t do anything.’
‘Conscription isn’t going to work on me, Machu. Just drop the subject.’ she harshly declared.

I grew silent on the matter and looked at Nyaan’s face focused on the skies above us. She’s perfect for the AEUG, but she’s got no drive to stop the danger that looms over us. At that moment, something clicked in my brain. I’ve found it. I finally know what I truly want in this service, seeing the dullness of this life in this current position I’m stuck in right now. With an exhale of breath through my mouth, I told Nyaan everything I had thought about for so long.
‘You know, I’ve lived here in this colony my entire life. I have everything I could ask for. Yet, it just feels false. Like nothing truly exists in this world. The gravity that presses us down here isn't real. Spacenoids will never know anything real... whether it's air, the sky, let alone... the sea. I’ve yearned to just have wings and fly out into space forever. I could go explore this vast infinity. Maybe even Earth. Siding with the Anti Earth Union Group is my way to do this, but as compensation, I must help those who have no one left to save them.’
‘...Maybe you’re right. This world does feel false. And the Earth… maybe I can find my answers there as well.’ Nyaan’s head lowered a little, hugging Haro closer to her chest as her fingertips grew a fleshy white. Her shiny black hair softly blew in the air behind herself, deep in a sea of thoughts. What she said last intrigued me the most. What answers were she looking for? A purpose in life, like me? Or something even more greater and personal?
‘I mean, I’ve wandered this artificial world for years too. It’s the one place where I can be free, yet, everyone here is as trapped as a caged bird. And some have no liberty to even run free. No matter what, I just walk on by myself. I-’ I saw small tears roll down her eyes and run into the round collar of her white t-shirt, soaking away into its material. I couldn’t get a single word out, only watching as she slowly broke down in front of me. ‘I wanna see what lies across the galaxy, what humanity has done just to get us here. But even more, I want to find-’
But I couldn’t take it anymore. I suddenly found myself lurch forward and put her within my arms just like she was doing with Haro, my resolve feeling ever so determined. I could finally see it. Nyaan was craving love. Connection. To think how long she’s kept this all in.
‘Machu?!’ she cries, surprised by my sudden action.
‘Go on, I'm listening.’ I strongly spoke, feeling my arms tighten around her.
‘Oh… And… the Titans… well, they’ve only made it worse, with more people in this town going hungry and miserable. All because they want to protect the stupid Earth Federation. They’re doing more harm than benefit to people living here in space. And I, I want to change that.’ Nyaan sobbed, somberly sniffing as she turned quiet from her outburst.
‘That’s what the AEUG is fighting for. If you truly want to make a change, you gotta do what’s right by becoming part of them. No way can you go lone wolf on this oppression. We stand as a united front.’ I answered, calming the young girl down.

Nyaan only replied with a muffled “mhm” as I slowly let her go from my reach, locking onto her teary eyes as she wiped them with her forearm.
‘Sorry… for heaping all of that onto you, Machu.’ Nyaan apologised.
‘Huh? Wait, why are you apologising?’ I burst in surprise.
‘I made the mood worse again, didn’t I?’
‘C’mon, you let it all out after so long. If anything, you’ve made everything better!’
‘Oh… have I? Ahaha…’
Her small giggle managed to stifle a small chortle out of me as well, slowly rising into a spiral of laughter as the sun dawned upon us, the orange skies turning darker as stars filled up the horizon.

Chapter Text

‘Whaaat?’ said a gruff voice.

‘Yes, you heard right, boss. I’m going to join the AEUG.’ Nyaan replies.

‘But how do I know you’re not turning tail and running away-’

The long dark haired girl stepped forward and forcefully slammed her palm onto the brown desk as a loud crack in the atmosphere rang out, the large yet timid man jumping in surprise.

‘799 parcels and counting. That’s how much of your tech I’ve delivered to your clients. I did this just so I can earn a living. But the opportunity to fly higher and be free is facing eye-to-eye with me. I’m going to make a change, so allow me to resign, boss.’ she calculated accurately, eyeballing her menacing, catlike eyes onto him.

The man groaned stressfully as he rubbed his face and eyes underneath his clear, black-framed glasses and dived deep into the depths of his thoughts.

‘I don’t know, Nyaan. You’re the best one we’ve got.’ he said.

‘I say let her, darling.’ a soft, almost British-like voice feminine voice spoke.

Nyaan’s head turned to the right to bear witness to a young woman of fair height and unruly light brown hair, like an acorn was sitting on top of her head. She had a black t-shirt underneath a white denim vest with ripped-up sleeves, jeans tighter than a necktie and black studded leather boots.

‘Eliana! Where did you come from?!’ the boss exclaims.

‘You didn’t even know I was here? I was just watering the plants here. Now you see boss, a young girl like Nyaan has to be independent one day. Handing out deliveries isn’t going to do her well, not with that crummy pay I see you hand out every day.’ she told the man, her accented voice coming out like a soothing song.

‘H-hey! I give her plenty of pay! Right?’ he cried, looking back at Nyaan.

But the casually-dressed girl looked at him in dead silence, not even stifling a reply out of her. The man grew nervous by the minute before finally breaking down under her great staredown.

‘Alright, alright, I get it. You may join the AEUG, but under one condition, Nyaan. Prove to me you can get this delivery done and return to the office in half an hour. I’ve got someone up north calling for this component here…’ he told, rummaging through a cardboard box sitting beside the spinny chair he was enthroned upon. The boss proceeded to materialise a device covered in a red and metal shell, resting it carefully on his desk. ‘If you can, I’ll pay you handsomely. If not-’

‘Pay or not, it doesn’t matter. One last delivery to top it off… Remember that rainy day in the colony when I was just 14? I was alone, cold and hungry. Until I ran into you guys. You saw potential in me. You fed and nurtured me in exchange for delivering your tech. I’ve never questioned your intentions once, and I hold you in high regard. So believe in me, I’ll do this in a fell swoop.’

As she picked up the metal device and neatly stuffed it in a mustard yellow envelope, the bespectacled brought his phone out as a timer slowly ticked away by each waning second.

‘Clock’s ticking, Nyaan. Get to it.’ said the boss.

But the girl didn’t even hear the last word he said, having flown out of the door and disappeared into the city. As she ran out the office, Nyaan parkoured by swiftly sliding over bins, spinning around people and over unassuming Kei trucks loading off supplies. At that moment, an insistent buzz began as she stared at the map, and she glanced up to see it was none other than a certain redhead, Amate. However she shoved the phone and ignored it as her mad dash continued on through the busy crowd of people.

‘Sorry, Machu, but my life’s riding on this one.’ Nyaan said.

It was notably busier than ever today. More people filed into their offices and out of their apartments, proving to be a bit of a problem for her. But Nyaan simply shrugged this off with unconditional confidence, knowing that nothing will stop her.

-

Looks like she’s busy, I thought as I put my phone onto the dinner table. I was gonna go talk to her about the enlistment tomorrow. Taking a slow, deep breath, I step over to the shining window as I stare out to the city far and wide wondering what’ll happen to me today. The AEUG… I’m going to have to put myself out there if I want to protect the safety of humanity.

‘Amate, can you come here?’ asks Mum. ‘I need help loading the dishwasher.’

‘Sure.’ I bluntly replied.

I paced over to the kitchen and stood close to the dishwasher. Three caddies sat in place that rolled in and out as much as you wanted, pulling them out to stack the various ornate glasses and bowls inside.

‘Amate, promise me you’ll be safe.’ Mum told me.

‘I will. I won’t die out there. Just that, it’ll be like a rite of passage for me. I’m at the age where I have to leave the nest and make my own destiny.’

‘Yes, exactly. You said you’ll enlist on Saturday?’

‘Yeah. I promise mum, when this war comes to an end, I’ll come home.’ I answer, aligning a white plate into the stakes of the caddy. ‘Also, the other day I met this girl… well, she was a courier, I’d say. She wants to join the rebellion too.’ I tried my best not to reveal too much about her true self, so as to not make mum worried that I’m hanging out with the “wrong side of the colony”.

‘Just like you, huh? What’s her name?’

‘Nyaan. She wants freedom for the Spacenoids as well. I said.

‘Really? She sounds just like you.’ Mum laughed, scrubbing away at an oily plate with white foamy bubbles scrubbing away at the morsels of food.

She’s like me… I guess that’s right. Wanting freedom in life, to escape the bars of this cage and go beyond.

-

The dark-haired girl continued her flight along the bustling crowds for what seemed like forever. With a quick glance at her phone, the clock read 9:40 AM. 20 minutes left, Nyaan thought. And it looked like there were more people than usual out for work. It’s only a matter of time before she can prove what she truly is capable of. She ran even harder as she leapt over a plastic bin and under a scaffold with bustling workers carrying equipment and materials. Quickly zipping past them, Nyaan burst out and continued back on the street, passing by more people carrying on to their usual duties for the day.

And finally, she marched up a grueling set of stairs, one by one, almost like climbing up a treacherous steep mountain you could fall off from. Yet Nyaan pulled through, quietly puffing ragged and tired breaths from her dry mouth. As she got up to the designated floor, the girl ran forward, passing by blurs of doors as the wind travelled around her small body. And finally, she came to a dead stop to a shut door, then stepped forward curling her fingers into a fist and insistently rapped on the door. As it seemed like her hand would turn red raw, the door suddenly swung open to reveal a tired, black-haired young man confused at who this visitor could be.

‘Hello, are you in a hurry?’ Nyaan said, offering the package to him.

‘Huh? Oh, not particularly.’ he asks. ‘But I only ordered this yesterday-’

However, Nyaan wasn’t sticking around for any chatter, having jumped on the balcony’s concrete ledge behind herself like a fateful leap of faith, jumping onto a truck full of boxes and off onto the street as her new destination now changed to the delivery office.

‘...She’s taking longer than usual, darling.’ Eliana adds.

‘Maybe we shouldn't have given her this job. I’ll probably just give her half the pay of what I was going to hand out.’ the boss said.

‘Hey! Don’t skimp out on this! She’s going to need it aboard the Ardaha-whatever ship she’ll be on! A soldier needs everything, and she can’t just leave this place behind meaninglessly.’

The man’s eyes wandered to the phone’s timer as the numbers fell down one by one. 3 minutes. 2 minutes. Now 1 minute. He exhaled sharply from his nostrils, his finger tapping energetically in this harrowing wait. It was almost like she’d miss it, that everything could go down in shambles, nothing left behind. And now, it boiled down to 10 seconds. No one showed up through the door like usual.

‘I may have to call it, Eliana.’ the boss accepted, placing his hands on each other as they rested upon the wooden desk.

Then suddenly, like an energetic shock, the office door swung wide open at the crack of a single second left on the phone. And before the two stood the weary sight of Nyaan, huffing and sweating profusely, her hand shaking on the door. The phone proceeded to buzz and ring, setting off repeatedly without control. The boss looked at Nyaan in awe and was unable to utter a word from his lips.

‘800 parcels delivered, boss.’ Nyaan gasped followed by short ragged breaths of air.

Eliana only replied with this achievement by making a small clap and smiled at the young girl.

‘You’ve made us proud Nyaan.’ she cheered calmly as she rested on a filing cabinet.

‘Well? What do I get out of this?’

‘Ah! Well, here’s your reward.’ the boss chimes in, reaching under his desk to pull out a silver, metal briefcase.

As he rested it upon the wooden table, the clips in front flicked open as his fingertips reached to the front to open it slowly, revealing stacks of cash piled within. It was like a green forest, with money in place of leaves. Nyaan couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for how much he was giving away to her, especially for serving in the AEUG.

‘8,000,000 Hytes. That’s what I’m giving for your efforts.’

But Nyaan simply raised her hand out in front of the briefcase as her face looked down to the tiled floor.

‘I’m not doing this for money. I… I just wanted to do this as thank you.’

‘Th-thank you? Hmm… I see now. But you said you didn’t care about whether you’d get any pay or not.’

‘You see boss, I had thought while I was running that I should carve my own legacy out. That money’s yours and yours alone, which you crafted from your destiny. And I’m not using yours to make mine.’ said Nyaan.

The boss proceeded to look down to the desk once more as he dived into his thoughts again, then looked up to the young woman with a smile wrapped onto his face.

‘I like what you say, Nyaan. One must go out of the nest some day. If this is truly what you want… so be it.’ said the boss.

-

And soon, the day I leave rose upon me. Mum had eaten breakfast with me after she made some of her greatest dishes ever; pasta bake. An explosion of tomatoes, olives and cheese attacked my taste buds as I gobbled it all up, knowing this could be the last possible time I’d be with her in person. That’s why I must protect these times, for the universe. And before I set off, I was stopped and became placed within the warmth and comfort of her grasp. A familiar, heartwarming smell I’d never forget met me in that moment.

“Call me, Amate.”. That was the last thing she told me before I headed off.

A few days ago I rang Nyaan after she seemed to have finished up an errand. She told me that she’ll see me soon at the captured airfield today, and I had been dying for this time to come. Somehow, today felt just like any other one. The white clouds floating in the artificial sky flowed across the colony like a gentle stream as people moved around me and filed out from their buildings. I was dressed in my blue soccer shirt that matched the sky, moving slowly to bask in this peaceful moment. Perhaps though, earth will be even more beautiful when I get there…

Then, an insisting nudge shook my shoulder as I turned around in response, immediately being met with the sight I’ve been waiting for.

It was Nyaan, clad in sunglasses and a black glossy sukajan jacket with the most unassuming expression that seemed apparent even under those shades she sported. A square shaped bag was hung on her back, and something round protruded out, but I wasn’t sure what it even was. The words “DELI EATS” was written over it, and instantly I figured it was part of her courier disguise. Smart move, being a food deliverer, but would anyone dress like that serving food? She’d fit a photo op, though.

‘Nyaan?! How’d you find me?’ I blurted.

‘The base is this direction. We’ll go together.’ said the dark-haired girl.

‘S-sure. Have you gotten ready?’

‘Yep. I’m ready for anything.’

Just like usual, Nyaan had this cold and serious demeanour around her, like an apex predator. As each minute passed, my stomach felt like it dropped even more. For once I’m going to be leaving Izuma and dancing among the stars. And I’m going to become a soldier, just like those legends in the One Year War. But then again they say not to be a hero though. To be frank, I’m scared of seeing what’s out there, and what’ll happen to me. But I dismissed the thought and knew that this is what I wished for. Inhaling sharply through my nose and closing my eyes, a slow puff of air breathed out from my mouth as my head cleared up, calming myself down.

‘Something wrong, Machu?’ Nyaan asks me.

‘No, it’s nothing. My head was a bit cluttered.’ I answer.

‘I get that a lot. Back then, I worried if I couldn’t make a delivery or not. Yet I still managed to do it.’

The journey was soon coming to a close as we passed by the same warehouses and factories that I witnessed on that hectic day. It was harrowing, to say the least. Trucks and army jeeps passed by us as they carried all different kinds of supplies, guns and… chickens?

‘Livestock, maybe.’ Nyaan told me, now having taken her sunglasses off and placed them in her jacket pocket. ‘You know, for the crew on the ships. They probably have karaage and stuff.’

‘What if they’ve pecked one of those soldiers before? Ugh, I don’t wanna do farmwork…’ I groan, growing unnerved by the notion of this thought.

‘Well, that’s what they have to do Machu. Soldiers have to go through everything after all. I mean, I don‘t know much either, but I know it’ll be tough.’

And soon we reached a boom gate, and beyond it I could see various vehicles and hangars bustling with crewmen and repair parts galore. It was like the day with the Hizacks and GMs. It still makes me feel sick the more I think about it, so I chose to breathe in and out, washing away the curses that I’m haunted by in this airfield.

Within the post sat a busy blonde-haired guy clad in a red jacket, speaking back and forth with the radio next to him. Then, he looked up to witness me and Nyaan, instantly finishing up what he was doing and stood up and opened the door. His face had “what are you doing here?” written all over as I could see both his fists clenched tightly and the deep furrow between his eyebrows.

‘Do you need something? Because this area isn’t open to civilians- hang on… you’re Amate Yuzuriha, right?’ he questions, pointing a finger at me.

‘Huh? Yeah, but how do you know who I am?’

‘Lieutenant Quattro told us all about you. That you destroyed a GM in a Hizack without any training. He even said you were a brave young woman and are able to fell even the greatest of enemies. But… you’re not exactly what I pictured in mind.’

‘“Not what I pictured in mind”- Hey! What are you getting at?’ I yelled, as my blood started to boil red hot.

The man stumbled back in fear as I felt a hand grab my shoulder, and turning my head around, I saw Nyaan staring her yellow eyes down at mine before shaking her head repeatedly.

‘It isn’t worth it.’ she simply said. I looked at her with a bothered expression, then back to the guy again.

‘Sorry.’ I muttered.

‘H-hey, sorry about that. It kinda blurted out. I haven’t told you who I am, but I’m Torres. I believe you two are to enlist, right? Though, he never said anything about you, though…’ he asks, looking at Nyaan.

‘I only decided to join a couple days ago. My name’s Nyaan.’ she answers.

‘Well, you do seem fit enough to serve. Right, I’ll show you two around and-’

‘That isn’t necessary, Torres.’ chimed a deep voice.

Me and Nyaan, both surprised, were brought to witness the man I’ve been dying to see for so long; Lieutenant Quattro Bajeena. He walked over in an elegant yet casual demeanour, donning a loud red sleeveless jacket and dark-as-night sunglasses and wearing a slight smile across his mouth.

‘Good to meet you, Amate. And you are?’ Quattro greeted us, looking at my comrade next to me.

‘Nyaan. I’m joining the AEUG as well.’ said she.

‘Heh. So you want freedom for spacenoids as well?’

‘I do. This colony, it’s been under their hands for too long… lieutenant.’

Looking at the two, my mind started feeling that fuzzy, familiar feeling again. The atmosphere turned into a pale red, waves of yellow crashing out as I looked at Quattro. Strangely though, this feeling suddenly warped over to Nyaan as I was shrouded in wonder yet understanding towards her. Her eyes zipped over to mine before returning to Quattro’s.

‘Well, come along. The Anti Earth Union Group welcomes you aboard.’

Nyaan took the first step in tow with Quattro as they went inside the airfield while I looked at Torres, confused. With my hands shoved in my pockets, I eventually followed and caught up with them hoping they hadn’t gone too far.

‘So, where are the Titans currently located?’ Nyaan asked.

‘Everywhere. They control much of the colonies and Earth.’ Quattro answered, looking at a black monoeyed mobile suit. Those suits, they’re called Rick Dias from what I’ve seen online.

‘Are any of the AEUG located on Earth?’ I add, wondering the extent of the group’s firepower.

‘Well, there’s Karaba. They’re Earth’s anti-Titans group. However, Karaba is much more ragtag than us and can only rely on ground weaponry. They lack mobile suits, so they have to create their own countermeasures as well.’

Karaba… to think a group like them are holding their own against a mighty special force. That’s how determined many of us are against this fight. The red-suited man continued on through the base past vehicles and soldiers moving about, a strange metallic scent emitting around us while we moved on. Soon enough, me and Nyaan were frozen in shock as we were met with the huge sight of a spaceship, sporting a white and blue colour scheme with a deck built with various windows that revealed a command room beyond. Two wings shot out from each side with a yellow circular pod built on the undersides. A pair of launch bays stuck out, with doors ready to send out any mobile suits to battle. I was speechless. I had never seen a carrier ship like this up close, and all of a sudden I was brought to see this with my own two eyes. It was almost like a piece of artwork on a fresh, blank canvas.

‘The Liverpool-class Alfonso. This, along with the Radish and Argama are among our strongest ships in the AEUG. You two will be placed onto the ship as per orders from the higher committee. They’ve seen the awakening of the Newtype ability within you.’ said Quattro.

‘Newtype ability?’ Nyaan chimed in. ‘Wait, you’re saying we’re superhumans now?!’

‘It’s possible. Amate has already displayed such powers. And so could you.’

Hearing him talk about Newtypes, it grew something within me. They’re those that were born into space, evolved into one beyond human understanding. My hand was placed onto my chest as my palm felt the quick-dry fabric of my shirt pressed between.

‘These Newtypes, are they rare?’ I asked.

‘Not really. It’s just that they haven’t been awakened yet, and sleep dormantly within the human soul. Well then, I believe it’s time for you two to meet the crew. Come aboard.’

My stomach dropped as I heard him take us along onto the ship. Now we’re being taken inside already? My mind already wondered about the kind of people I’d meet there. There could be people young and old, all willing to free the Spacenoids and Earthnoids of the universe. After being lifted onto the track of a bay teeming with soldiers and mechanics, Quattro walked on forward as we followed behind, amazed by the size of this appalling yet monstrous ship.

‘I wonder how the AEUG got something like this. Aren’t these kinda expensive?’ Nyaan spoke, looking at the Alfonso’s wings and command docks.

‘This could be a captured ship, or a repurposed civilian type.’ I replied.

And soon enough, the blonde-haired lieutenant guided us in the hangar of the flagship. I was blown away, and suddenly felt myself burst forward as a winding wave of colours breezed around me. Ignoring Nyaan’s cries to come back, I had already been taken away.

As I zipped around the busy crewmen in the launch bay, my eyes were locked on each of the various mobile suits resting against the walls and awaiting their sortie. The excitement within me couldn’t be contained one bit as I dashed towards them, capturing each of their minute details one by one. There were GMs coloured green and white, red Rick Dias being having their machine guns maintained and cleaned out, and so much more. But during this quick sightseeing, there was this one particular suit that attracted me the most. Running to a complete stop, I stood in front of a GM that looked much different to the others within the hangar. I stared at it in wonder as I examined every detail on it. This was painted in a much darker green colour with an orange-yellow visor, two antennas that protruded out its round head and the back thrusters that looked akin to the Gundam Mk II’s. Was this a different suit Frankensteined together? Given this was the AEUG, it was no surprise to me. Then out of nowhere, I felt a hand grasp the side of my head and pull me to the side, feeling a pair of nostrils planted onto my hair and catching a deep whiff from them. I instantly snapped out of my wondrous trance and turned in surprise as my arms were raised in a defensive fighting guard.

And what I saw in front of me was a boy, no more than my age with long dark blue hair like a midnight sky and red eyes like shining rubies. He was clad in a white zip-up shirt with dusty brown worker gloves, with a neutral face staring back at my flabbergasted expression. His head cocked to the side like I was a mere wonder to him.

‘Are you a new member?’ His monotone voice asks.

‘Y-y-yes…’ I stutter. ‘But what the hell was that all about?’

‘Hah… Machu, don’t be running off like that.’ said a mildly annoyed Nyaan, walking towards me without even taking note of the weirdo behind her. ‘You know, you- ack!’

Without warning, he too placed the girl within his grasp and sniffed her long flowing river of dark hair, catching her off guard and in retaliation placed her hands to his abdomen and shoved him away. Nyaan's clasped her arms inwards and took on a defensive motion towards the boy, eyeing him down with her threatening, yellow eyes.

‘You- what are you doing?’ she barked. It looked as though she'd snap at any minute. I wasn't prepared for any of that.

‘Sorry. It’s a force of habit.’ he answered.

‘Pardon him, you two.’ Quattro said from behind. ‘Ensign, these two are our new recruits for the Alfonso.’

‘As I guessed. My name’s Shuji Ito. I maintain the mobile suits here on this ship. Your name’s Machu, right?’ He questioned.

‘Well, yes. Though it’s kind of a nickname…’ I answer as my voice trailed off.

‘Nyaan. Good to meet you.’ my comrade greeted, bowing slightly to Shuji.

‘You all seem fit for mobile suits. You like them too?’ asked the boy.

‘Oh, ah, yes! I’m very fond of stuff like that.’

‘Well, this suit here is the Nemo Test Type. It’s fitted with a greater field of vision and communication. Anaheim will put it into mass production soon, but they’ve given us this hunk with reused parts.’

‘Aren’t they for stuff like easier manufacturing? I can see the skirting’s from a Hizack, and the back thrusters are the same as a MK II’s.’ I added.

‘Indeed. If we ever capture any of them on the field, the Titans’ suits are compatible with this prototype. But I trust you won’t damage it badly, Machu.’

Me? Damage it badly? Does that mean this thing is my own MS? Now everything was starting to get even more stranger but exciting, I thought.

‘She catches on quick. I see you three have already become acquainted. That’s good.’ said Quattro. ‘Hm? Captain Melchior!’

‘So these are the new recruits you’ve told me about, lieutenant?’ said a deep, manly voice.

Turning around behind myself, I bore witness to a tall man with a neatly maintained beard, clad in a red trench coat and a striking, persuasive demeanour around him. He took each step with refined bravery, locking his warrior-like eyes onto mine.

‘That’s right. Amate has exceptional skill for fighting in a mobile suit.’

‘I see. Amate Yuzuriha, I welcome you aboard the Alfonso. I’m Melchior Gaba, captain of the Alfonso.’

The captain stretched his hand out to me, prompting me to take hold of it. I responded with a swift grasp on his hand, shaking it enthusiastically while I could see a warm smile on his face, looking at me calmly yet casually at the same time. I didn’t say anything while looking at him in awe, taken away by his overpowering demeanor.

‘You’re pretty cool, sir.’ I sputter.

‘Haha! That’s a way to describe me.’ Melchior laughs. ‘The AEUG is in dire need of good pilots, so you and your friend will have to do well. It’s no longer about marks, it’s about success.’

‘I joined simply because I want to help. Captain… will Spacenoids ever be free?’ I question.

‘They shall be. Our universe, we strive to bring it an eternal peace.’ the captain simply said. ‘Well, you two should get prepared. We leave at 1800 hours tomorrow, so I can take you to your quarters.’

Nodding at the captain, I turned to Quattro looking at me and Nyaan with his shades over his eyes and hands shoved in the pockets of the sleeveless jacket.

‘Thank you for everything, lieutenant. We’ll meet again, right?’ I smile.

‘One day, ensign. Do this for me, Amate.’ said Quattro giving me a salute.

At that moment, I looked over at the mysterious Shuji, who warmly smiled at me. His long, mid-length blue hair like the evening sky fell, his eyes fluttering in a bright red shine. And then, that connective feeling washed over me again. My eyes widened as my brain was overflowing with emotion; love, passion, understanding.

‘We’ll fight together.’ said an echoey voice, a rainbow of colours crashing around us like a deep sea.

There I felt my hand interlock with another as several fingers wrapped around the palm, holding onto it tightly as ever.

I looked at the boy in complete, utter silence until Nyaan brought me back to my senses by shaking my shoulder and throwing me back to the present.

‘Machu, we’ll put our stuff away. Captain Melchior will bring us to the quarters.’ she told.

‘Come on, you two. You’ll be in for a lot, so rest a little.’ Melchior said.

Taking up his offer, our captain guided us through the Alfonso and took us through the mazes of corridors deep within the ship. All these different rooms flew past us, like a laundry room and a cafeteria. And soon, we were stopped at a room as the captain pushed a button on the keypad, sliding the door open to reveal a small bedroom with a bunk bed and a carpeted teal blue floor.

‘I’ll leave you two at it. Excuse me.’ he spoke before leaving us.

‘Thanks, captain!’ we both cry as he left.

Going inside the room, immediately we made ourselves at home as I slump myself into the chair suspended at the white desk while Nyaan threw her bag down and checked everything out, pacing around the quarters curiously. Suddenly her bag fluttered and jumped up and down uncontrollably while I looked in confusion. And without warning, a grey ball popped out into the air speaking with its iconic high-pitched voice.

‘ON BIG SHIP! ON BIG SHIP!’ he shouted.

‘Haro!’ I exclaim excitedly. ‘You brought him with you?’

‘Yeah. I hope they leave him alone, though.’ Nyaan picked up the troublesome robot in her hands and looked it in its eyes while examining its round body all around.

‘He’s only just a toy. They would love to have Haro around.’

Somehow, it seemed like everything was set. My eyes wander over to the glass window outside and walk over to it as I press my fingertips on it, looking out into the colony before me. The artificial glass sky, and trees blowing in the breezing wind. These people, these places, I must protect it all with my own life, no matter what. I’m ready. I’ll change today and bring down the Titans, so that we can all be unshackled and able to move without anything holding us back. My fingers tensed on my chest feeling the dog tags around my neck. My resolve hardened even more, the reflection in the small window staring back angrily.

Chapter Text

It’s been a day since I got onto this ship. This morning we were briefed on how to use the ship’s guns and controls and where the different rooms were. I found all of this introduction to be quite informal, compared to how I’d imagine it.
‘The AEUG is a civilian group, after all.’ Nyaan said. ‘No need for formalities.’
Today, the Alfonso will leave in a few hours in the evening. A thought like this just serves to excite me even more, to see space for the first time ever. I couldn’t contain myself even at lunchtime, taking up more of my time talking rather than chowing down.
‘Piloting a mobile suit’s gonna be great! Say, Nyaan, you think you’ll get one soon?’ I exclaim, lifting myself up from my seat.
‘Dunno, Machu. Let me eat first.’ she mumbled, munching on some beef and carrots.
‘Man, you’re no fun.’ I reply as I shovel some cheesy macaroni into my mouth.
At that moment, a conundrum of voices could be heard down the corridor behind us, several belonging to young men and an elegant woman. Me and Nyaan looked over to the door in complete silence, awaiting what this crowd had in store.
‘Izuma sure does have some nice baths. Maybe when this war ends, I’ll head back and relax in them again.’ said the woman’s voice.
‘But this place doesn’t really interest me.’ A more adolescent voice answered.
‘What?? Izuma is home to one of the best technologies in the universe! How don’t you know that, Kaine?!’
And out came the door were four eccentric individuals all filing into the cafeteria. A woman in a black dress with a white suit jacket and orange bobbed hair took the lead, with a bespectacled, big-lipped young man and long hair, a spiky blond haired man and finally another in fully black clothing. Me and Nyaan stared in confusion at this group until the woman looked over in our direction and strutted over to us, a wide smile pasted on her mouth.
‘Hmm… you two are our new pilots, huh?’ she asked. ‘You seem to have potential. Tell me, do you know much about mobile suits?’
‘I know every different Gundam variant, like the Gundam EX in Romania, the RX-78-2 and the NT-1 that clashed right where we are-’ before I got another word out, the lady cut in and continued on with what she had on her side.

‘I see, I see. You’re quite well informed. I’m Annqi. Former MS pilot for the Principality of Zeon.’ sticking a hand out in front of me, I took hold as she grasped it tightly, shaking it calmly. Her dangerous and menacing eyes sharply stared into mine as I remained silent. I looked at her in wonder, unable to even grasp the concept that this lady was a pilot for Zeon. She doesn’t even look that old! ‘You… were a Zeon pilot?’ asked I.
‘Yes. I joined the reserves in Side 3 and used Zakus and Doms. I think you’d fit them well, Amate. As for you…’ Annqi looked over to the eating Nyaan, who stared at her with her trademark cold eyes. ‘Well, we do have some captured mobile suits from here. Maybe you could take hold of one. They’re pretty easy to pilot for someone new to this.’
But as I glanced over to Nyaan, she simply remained quiet, almost as if she was ignoring the woman and shoved her fork back into her mouth, stabbed onto another piece of sliced beef.
‘I mean… I was told they were giving me that test type GM suit in the hangar.’
‘You mean the Nemo? Oh, yes, we were informed of that already. I was saying that a rookie like you could handle a Zaku better.’
‘If only we had one, Annqi!’ the big lipped man butted in. ‘Even getting a Hizack that’s at least in good condition is hard on its own!’
I let the two go at it with each other as I slowly returned to my meal and quietly ate away. Glancing up, I could see Nyaan let out a small smile at me, almost like an amused giggle.
‘They’re a lot like you, Machu.’ she said. ‘I can see why you joined the AEUG.’
Feeling my face burn red hot, I stuffed more and more of the macaroni into my mouth, swiftly standing up and throwing my fork into the cleaned up tray.
‘I’m done!’ I cry.
Nyaan stared at me in silence before resuming back to her meal, breaking off any contact with me.
‘You’re hopeless.’ she mutters.

I had left for the hangars to see the GM again, away from Nyaan and that strange bunch of a ship crew. That suit felt like it was calling for me. Heading down the elevator and to the hangar, I moved at a brisk pace past the busy engineers swiftly fixing machines and carrying materials around. Gazing around, I finally found the GM locked to an MS cage, its panels all open wide to see the internals. Wires, grey metal plates and tubes wrapped itself around, like a beauty hidden underneath the outside. And from there, I saw some rustling and moving from within the cockpit. Taking a step closer, it turned out to be a certain blue-haired boy at work with this miraculous suit.
‘Shuji...’ I softly whispered whilst looking at him.
As he moved out of the tight cockpit and turned around, he noticed my presence and answered with a warm, unconditional smile.
‘Yo, Machu.’ He calmly said, stepping onto the tall scissor lift. Like a god, the lift slowly descended as he brought himself to my level, stepping off of it in an almost casual manner.
‘Oh, hi, Shuji.’ I replied. ‘Have you eaten lunch yet?’
‘Yeah, I have. The volunteers were handing out lunches to those who were working. Anyway, I had spent all this time working on this mobile suit.’
‘It’s a GM, right? Looks like one.’ I ask.
‘It is, but simply a different variant given by Anaheim, with better thrust and generator output. After taking data from the RMS-179, they went to work and started fielding out test models of that suit. Its designation: MSA-003 Nemo.’ answers Shuji.
‘Nemo? Sounds fishy, but I guess that’s a cool name. Also, you said something about this being my own suit? Why?’
‘Put simply Machu, it’s ‘cus you’re deemed by lieutenant Quattro to have some otherworldly powers. He requested you to be the pilot knowing that the Nemo would yield some good results had you been signed for one. If we can retrieve data from the suit, we’ll be able to see its limits and improve them for mass production.’
The boy turned over to the MS and smiled at it nonchalantly, almost like he was fully invested with it. I looked at him in wonder, curious what was running through his funny mind.
‘The Nemo is saying… “I want to fight.”’ He suddenly said.
It wants to fight? Was this his intuition acting up?

‘All hands on deck! Leaving Side 6 airspace in 20 minutes!’ said the announcer above our heads.
‘We have to go. Come on, let’s get to the bridge.’ Shuji offers.
‘Wh-what’s happening?’ I asked.
‘You’ll see, Machu.’
As Shuji walked on over to the elevator with me in tow, we rose up high into the upper depths of the ship until reaching the highest floor, a loud ding ringing into our ears. As we walked around the tiny corridors, passing by doors and mechanics, we finally reached a metal sliding door standing right in front of us. The boy hit the button on the side of the wall, moving the doors open like a treasure chest opening up its contents to reveal what was beyond.

And there it was. The whole control room, filled with everything like you would see on a space warship. Panels with buttons, seats, screens all took the stage no matter where you looked. And as expected, a commander seat was placed in the center of the bridge, ready for its commander to enthrone themself upon. I felt myself run forth and look at everything like a museum, examining every little button and screen like there was no tomorrow. And just at that moment, I heard the door swiftly slide open again, prompting me to turn around amidst my excited viewing of the control room.

And there entered none other than the shining captain Melchior, his long coat flowing past behind himself in his ever so confident radiance. In tow was the same odd bunch that I encountered back in the cafeteria, that being the blondie and the black-haired guy. Both headed to their battle stations and looked over the buttons, flipping every switch upwards and pressing every button there was.
‘Captain!’ I exclaim, followed by a salute. Shuji, too, did the same as well.
‘Good day, Amate.’ Melchior walked over to the commander’s seat and placed himself onto it, looking through every tidbit below him. ‘I take it you’re used to everything by now?’
‘Well, kinda. It’s a lot less… restrictive than I imagined.’
‘Haha, really? I’ve never heard anyone say that, but you’re right about that, come to think of it. I believe you know, but we're going to leave very soon. Soon, you’ll see the wonders of beyond.’
‘Machu, hold onto something. The liftoff can be quite intense.’ said Shuji, gripping a bar below him. I too did the same, concerned that I’d be thrown around like hell within that confined room.
‘Everyone ready?’ asks Melchior, picking up the phone beside his armrest. ‘Alfonso, commence lift off! Hang on, bridge!’

All of a sudden, a loud, mechanical roar exploded behind us as the entire control room quaked in fury, bringing us upwards by the minute. Feeling my grip not loosening the slightest, I held on for dear life until we were in the air, floating high like an eagle.
‘Liftoff, OK!’ said the blondie.
‘Alright, let’s go!’ ordered the captain.
The ship’s verniers redirected themselves and shot forward as the Alfonso made its way towards the edge of the colony. The entire control room rumbled furiously, and at that moment, my fingers were slowly slipping away from the rail bar. In response I frantically tried bringing myself back, but it was useless doing so. My fingers kept sliding away from the force as I flew away in this conundrum until suddenly, I felt myself fall away from the metal rail plummeting down to the hard, cold floor below us. My mind panicked in that split moment, realising I’d become dead meat in this liftoff and get sent out of combat, right before the fight’s even started. But that was when my hand was gripped by something leathery and soft, stopping me from falling down.

My eyes were shut tight, unwilling to see what had happened when I slowly opened them and looked up in fear, only for it to be turned into wonder. Shuji, grabbing hold of my hand without even willing to let go staring out into the open. Then, he pulled me back up and onto my own feet as I looked at him in complete, utter silence.
‘You okay?’ He asked.
‘What? Ah, um, yeah.’ I reply, trying to gather my words together.
As I turned to look outside the windows, a round and metal airlock hatch stood in our way, red sirens blaring into my eardrums like no tomorrow. The doors in front proceeded to slowly pry themselves open while grey steam spat out like flames of a dragon. Heading inside, the Alfonso docked by the colony bay as workers in spacesuits moved around, heading for panels and getting ready to carry out protocol.
‘Amate, we’re going into a zero-g environment soon. You’ll feel like you’re swimming.’ the captain casually said.
‘Is that so? Sounds easy.’
‘Haha, it’s way more than it does!’

He was right. The neon signs above the airlock door flared red, saying “ZERO GRAVITY”, and all of a sudden my body felt lighter almost like I was a feather. That’s when it hit me; we’re in space. I felt myself float uncontrollably, feeling myself rise above the rail bar.
‘Opening airlock in 3, 2, 1…’ the PA announcer spoke above.
And just like that, I was engulfed away like the sea. The hatch flung wide open to reveal the outside world, ready to send us free. Millions of words overwhelmed my mind, but not one of them I could even get out. The sight that beheld me was simply astonishing. Tiny stars speckled across a dark cosmos one by one, as AEUG ships flew around awaiting our arrival. The Alfonso slowly thrust forward out into the open, with flashing lights guiding us out of the confined colony. Loosening my grip on the rail, I let myself move around while I felt my hair float calmly in this moment of bliss and serenity. My mind lit up again as I dug my hand into my shirt’s inside, fishing for what I was looking for until I got it out; dad’s dog tags. The silver metal glinted within the light as my eyes looked back up to space out front. Everything was so magical. The millions of stars, the asteroids floating amok, they were all just like how I imagined it. It was like the ocean, floating within the deep depths of nothing, like peace.

‘Dad, you’re back here again…’

While the Alfonso drew further out to the galaxy, I swam to the window at the side and bore witness to the colony’s exterior. A round pillar with satellites rotating around forever like fans covered by a clear case of glass. Inside I could see the homes of people, buildings and cars speeding away on thousands of twisty roads. Perhaps they will never see the real light of what truly lies forth. At that moment, the mechanical door slid open, directing the room’s attention to it, revealing that it was none other than an unassuming Nyaan and Haro flapping his wings happily.
‘Nyaan!’ I cry.
‘Hey, Machu.’ the girl sprung forward into the starboard, past me and Shuji and came to a dead stop as she joined in on this marvellous sight.
‘Space…’ Nyaan says, looking out into the infinite depths beyond. Her black hair slowly fluttered in the air and her feet pointed to the floor. ‘It has been a while since I was here.’
‘BEYOND! BEYOND!’ Haro shouted.
‘So it seems you’re a bit experienced with space too, huh Nyaan?’ asked Shuji.
‘When I left Side 2, yes.’
‘Eons of wars have gone on ever since.’ Captain Melchior said. ‘I’ve seen it myself as well.’
‘It has, captain. No one truly gains anything in conflict.’ Shuji answered.
‘Yes, but we’ll certainly get something from this, right? Equality for Spacenoids and Earthnoids.’ I added, turning to Melchior and Shuji. ‘That’s why the Anti Earth Union Group was formed. To stop the oppression of the Titans.’
‘...I suppose so.’ Melchior smiled, closing his eyes and looking down to his lap.
The bouncy Haro then proceeded to float towards me and as per usual, show off his bubbly and cheery personality, excitedly talking away about everything we could do. ‘MACHU, MACHU! WE CAN GO TO SWIM ON THE EARTH! SHUJI AND NYAAN CAN RUN ON THE BEACH WITH US!’ Haro loudly cries.
‘Yes, yes, Haro! You’re talking my language.’ I answer, placing a hand on top of the grey shell of the robot.

Some days passed by as I struggled to find my roots on this new lifestyle I’d taken on. Yet the one thing that stopped me was my stubbornness. I had helped Shuji out with maintaining the suits as part of training alongside Nyaan. He told us it would help us out one day if our own MS became damaged heavily. After that, we had run over to the cafeteria to grab some chow, and once we sat down, I found myself laughing with these strange, newfound comrades I had known for so little. And yet, it felt like forever. Life truly is strange. I chewed on some corn and dry noodles listening in on Shuji’s bizarre stories about going to Afghanistan and bargaining for a sword, and braving the cold throughout Russia.

But at that moment came a searching Kaine, as he scanned the entire cafeteria looking for something. There, he noticed our table as his face lit up and rushed over to us while a piece of paper was held in between his fingers.
‘Ensign Amate, got a minute?’ he asks after approaching us.
‘Yes, sir?’ I hastily answered back.
‘You’re to sortie in the Nemo in 3 hours for testing. Orders from captain Melchior.’
My heart skipped a beat after hearing the word sortie. I looked at him in shock, struggling to get a single word out of my mouth. They want to start testing the Nemo now?
‘A-already?’ I ask.
‘I dunno, Ensign. Just get ready.’ said the blonde haired guy.
As the young man walked away, I stared back at my comrades in silence, trying to even make sense of what was said to me.
‘Guess you’re already in the big leagues, Machu.’ said Nyaan.
‘Piloting’s no skill to master in a short time, so you being chosen like this is impressive.’ Shuji replies, smiling a little.
‘Oh! Ah ha, I just feel like I know how to do it already… even though it was just a mere Hizack…’

My body was a shaking, nervous wreck. I was enthroned in my confines surrounded by a white sphere and a control screen below me. And there, I could see Annqi guiding me through the basics as a refresher.
‘This switch here activates the thrusters on the feet and the backpack. Got that?’ she told, looking at me.
‘Mhm, yes.’ I say.
‘Right, that’s about it. Here, Amate, put this on.’ sticking her hand outside onto the scissor lift, a space helmet floated inside and towards me as I grabbed ahold of it, examining every bit of detail engraved on it. It was a white and pale red colour, with a soft padding inside as cushiony as a couch. A black casing covered the front, with a red switch on the side. I slowly turned the helmet to its rear, raising it high in the air over my head and strained it against my cranium before pushing it all the way through. Reaching for my neck, I attempted to connect my collar to the helmet, but couldn’t even find the correct zip for it. Fumbling around for it, suddenly another pair of hands butted in and helped me as I felt a tightness right around my neck, finally connecting my helmet to my normal suit. Looking up, it was Annqi giving off a piercing glare into my soul.
‘You call yourself a pilot, yet you can’t zip a helmet to your suit?’ she boomed at me.
‘Huh? What do you mean?’ questioned I.
‘Being a pilot’s got weight. It isn’t a daytrip, Amate. As a former Zeon, you’ll come back with regrets. But now it’s different. You know we’re doing this because we’re-’
‘Fighting for the freedom of Spacenoids? I’m here exactly for that, Annqi. It’s why I want to use what I’m good at against the Titans. My mum, she’s waiting for me. I’m going to get out of this alive.’
‘Hmph. If you say so. I won’t be stubborn about what you think. …Is the helmet too tight?’ the woman asked after remaining silent for a couple of seconds.
‘What? No, it’s not. A little bit, but I feel fine.’
Annqi simply gave me a nod and a smile as she stepped out from the tiny cockpit, ready to float away from the MS.
‘Do good on the test, ensign.’ she reassures me.

My heart pounded against my chest fiercely like drums, knowing that I’ve been able to achieve my dream once and for all. Looking forward, the hatch lifted up and shut tight as the panoramic monitor shone on, displaying the entire hangar around me. It’s just like last time. But now, I’ll make things different.
‘Prepare the hangar for launch!’ said the PA. Below me, workers in spacesuits moved about, ready for the monstrous suit to get moving.
‘Ensign, do you read?’ a voice emanated within the Nemo’s cockpit alerting me.
‘Kaine, I hear you. Radio comms are fine.’ I told him.
‘Roger, just checking. Ok, the hangar’s all set. See that catapult over there? Move the suit towards it and lock the feet into place.’
Placing my foot on the pedals the MS started moving, stomping with each step it took to the catapult. I had to take each movement with care, otherwise I’d risk damaging something and paying for it dearly. But soon, I managed to get to the catapult at last. The green, metal feet pushed into the trays as the bars slammed itself tight, bending the legs into its braced position. My eyes were closed, feeling determination course through the entirety of my body. My hands tightly held onto the controls waiting to move them in conjunction and rhythm.

Then, my eyes opened wide to see the large shutter door slowly rise open to reveal the dark, infinite space. The day has come where I’m sitting in a cockpit, about to go forth onto a dark bed of sparkly stars. I smiled happily at this sight and immediately felt my body become more tighter and ready for action.
‘Amate Yuzuriha, Nemo, launching!’ I shouted loudly in excitement, in the image of those of the Federation’s aces.

Chapter Text

The suit shot out like a bullet as the catapult threw us forward, the raging g-force buckling against my small body. However, I courageously fought back and pushed the Nemo to its limits before reaching the end of the bridge and releasing from the catapult.
‘C’mon Nemo, pull it together!’ I said through my clenched teeth.
All of a sudden, I was out there, drifting away in space peacefully. However, the suit was unable to hold it together, the thrusters roaring as I struggled to keep control in this new, mystical environment. I panicked and hyperventilated trying to keep control of the situation moving the controls back and forth.
‘Ensign, don’t fight the zero-g, the AMBAC will do its job.’ told Nabu.
AMBAC? That’s right! Calming the suit down, I repositioned the feet and propelled the verniers carefully. The Nemo stood tall, floating in the abyss and awaiting its desired commands.
‘Ok, ensign, just follow the orders I give and you’ll be fine. Press the pedals using your feet to propel yourself with the vernier thrusters.’
‘Roger.’ Flipping the switch on the controls, I pushed my feet onto the shiny metal levers and slowly accumulated the thrust on the verniers, sending the suit upwards by the second.
‘Now turn the suit around to send it flying forwards. Come towards the Alfonso’s bridge as your vantage point.’ Nabu ordered again.
Maneuvering the controls around, the Nemo aligned itself in a forward motion, and as I pushed the pedals even harder shot out furiously. The suit drew itself closer to the Alfonso’s brightly-lit bridge as the small, black silhouettes slowly grew bigger and coloured. Zooming past, in my peripheral vision, a flashing glimpse of the cheering crew watched on, waving and staring at me fly by at the speed of light. At that moment, I was able to catch a smiling Nyaan and a cool-headed Shuji, hands shoved into pockets watching my efforts. It was like a state of frozen time, feeling myself bond towards them even more as I gave a smile in response.

Soon enough, the MS circled around the flagship out into the darkness again en route to fly higher, taking me further away to freedom. The more I spent in this infinity, the less I felt like a captured animal, diving off from the thousands of cages that held onto humanity. My intuition slowly grew minute by minute, familiarising myself within this empty void, as I shifted my feet around the silver pedals and fiddled with the controls, moving the verniers continuously.
‘Got the hang of it, huh, ensign?’ asked captain Melchior.
‘Captain! It’s almost like it’s become second nature.’ I reply ecstatically.
‘The Nemo’s a great machine. Anaheim aims to make these suits easy for pilots with little to no skill by using the latest software.’

But before I could say any more, Kaine’s voice rung through the comms, frantically telling me of some unexpected news.
‘Distress call, coming in!’ Kaine cried. ‘It’s a civilian type shuttle, it’s intercepted by the enemy!’
‘What?! What are the Titans trying to do?’ I ask.
‘No clue, but it could be bad. Ensign, go and take that shuttle! They could be detaining them unfairly! Be careful, there are three Hizacks! We’ll send support!’
‘Damn Titans… On it! But I don’t need backup, just lemme deal with them!’ I replied, thrusting the controls around and blasting off into the vast space.
But before Kaine could say anything else, I had switched the comms instantly. I can do this, I thought. Three Hizacks are too easy. At least they don’t have a generator output that’s too strong. Moving the suit forward, I slammed forth onto the pedals, feeling the g-force buckle tightly upon me as I thrust the Nemo straight ahead into battle, my eyes darting between the panoramic monitor and the pointy direction markers.

-

The Hizacks guarded the shuttle as tightly as a locked box, one swirling around it as they kept a lookout for enemies willing to strike.
‘Lieutenant Sugai, I feel you should’ve gotten a better MS than this.’ a Titan soldier commented, rotating his monoeye to the lieutenant.
‘It’s fine. Hizacks are manoeuvrable. I have piloted other mobile suits like GMs. With the Federation having acquired Zeon’s companies, our mobile suits are getting better to use. Soon those out of the nests are bound to become fully-fledged apex predators.’ said Shiiko Sugai, focused on the depths in front of her. ‘Anyway, we have to bring these civilians to questioning. We suspect they’re part of the AEUG.’

Meanwhile inside the shuttle, the passengers were all much too unappreciative of their flight being delayed, unsure of what could happen. ‘H-hey, dad…?’ quivered a young man, grasping the rough-skinned hand of his uniformed father. ‘What’s happening?!’
‘These Titans… Karl, don’t be scared, like I said. If anything were to happen to me… do use the money I gave you in the bank account. Look after mum, okay?’ he replied calmly.
‘Dad…’
His beady eyes trailed back outside the window as the Hizack made its next circle round the vehicle, eyeing down its terrified passengers. The shuttle continued its ascent forth as uncertainty wandered around the deathly situation. But then…
‘Lieutenant Sugai! An unidentified mobile suit is coming this way!’ shouted one of the Hizacks. The suits’ pink eyes zipped around in a panic, wary of the enemy’s presence within the area.
‘What?! Damn it, of all times. Team, keep a tight formation on the shuttle! Do not let it get near us! Bocata, with me!’ said the Lieutenant.
‘Roger!’ replied the female pilot.

-

I could see it. The shuttle was slowly moving away to somewhere. Zooming in with the cameras, I bore witness to three green mobile suits with bright pink monoeyes scanning the area. Not letting up on the throttle I let the Nemo speed up faster, pointing the beam rifle out forward with my trusty shield covering the great machine. Activating the targeting system on the screen, I realised I’d have to watch where I fire this thing, otherwise those passengers are dead meat. The stakes have already begun to get higher. The Hizacks were already getting closer, with two already dispersing and watching my movements. The scope on the grey rifle locked itself down in front of the visor while I aimed at a decently spaced Hizack near the shuttle and placed the crosshairs in line with each other. With each pounding beep the lines slowly aligned closer and closer until it finally gave off a loud, acknowledging tone.

‘Amate…’ chimed that echoey voice.

My focus on the enemy diverted fully to this familiar sensation again, stopping me dead in my tracks. It’s him again, that voice. ‘Don’t hesitate. Let him have it.’
Warping back to reality, I lurched forward and prepared myself coursing with energy and rage, not holding myself back at all.
‘Eat this!’ cried I, clicking the button on the other side of the control.
The Nemo’s finger pulled on the trigger with an audible clunk, and at the muzzle, it shone in a blinding pink building up into a ray of destruction, slowly growing by each passing second. The light shot out suddenly as it made its dash towards the Hizack, closing in towards its midsection.

The laser zoomed closer and closer and proceeded to pierce its cockpit, melting away the dark metal in a ring of fire and sending the suit back into the illuminated darkness. The pink monoeye darkened, and the Hizack was thrown away flying into space, accumulating into a bright ball of an orange explosion and evaporating the enemy into ashes. My hands shook as I stared into the ashes of stardust, mouth agape in shock.
‘One shot… just took out a mere Hizack? To think I’d see it up close…’ I muttered. At this point, I had never even used a beam weapon before.

But then I felt my hands tense up gripping the controls and pushed them forward into the empty abyss. My eyes were directed at the space shuttle and the protective Hizacks. There’s only two left, yet I wasn’t sure about using this new powerful weapon. But at that moment, one of the green mobile suits zipped towards me like a blur with a yellow beam saber aimed towards my suit’s neck. It moved with lightning speed ready to kill, but I motioned my suit backwards out of the beam’s direction and created a far distance from the Titan suit. Circling around, the Hizack suddenly pointed its weapon at me, firing away like nothing.

In response my lightning-fast reflexes forced me to throw the shield of the Nemo up, defending myself from the onslaught of bullets storming away. Seeing its efforts as futile, the MS seemed to change tactics by holding its arm inside with the spiked shoulder out and charging forward like a raging bull. ‘Damn it!’ I thought.
The Hizack drew closer and closer, but at the last minute once it got to my space, I leaned the suit backwards feeling the mass buckle up against my body, tucked my leg in before shooting it out, throwing a desperate kick to the Hizack’s cockpit.

The metal clunked and crashed loudly, feeling the aftershock rumble my suit like a crashing wave. Chunks of sharp, sparkling metal flew everywhere around us like a shower of junk. In a strange, panicked coordination I moved the suit back to its normal stance and redirected the verniers to charge up and thrust the MS forward. In an instant, I closed in on the Hizack and extended the arms of the Nemo out before wrapping them tightly around the enemy and came eye-to-eye with the Hizack’s menacing bright pink monoeye. ‘Screw you!’ I shouted.

Pushing my thumb on the red trigger, a click followed by a loud hail of bullets roared out before me and onto the Hizack. The bullets sounded so much like a raging buzzsaw chopping down a large tree. Straining against the force, the face of the Zaku-like mech melted bit by bit, its monoeye fading away from existence. Soon enough the head became nothing but a shredded piece of silver and green metal crackling with electricity. Ready to finish the Hizack off, I pushed it away roughly to create some distance and raised the shining beam rifle right at its cockpit. The beeping inside my hatch was getting much louder and rapid, slowly aligning the two crosshairs together for another clean and powerful shot. Yet, at that moment, my instinct tingled once again.

My mind zapped with energy as everything around myself turned into a colourful wave of thoughts and danger. Looking behind, I bore witness to another Hizack zooming in as fast as a comet, aiming its machine gun at me. I swiftly moved away as it fired out, creating a reasonable amount of distance between myself and the enemy. All of a sudden, the radio crackled to life again as the channels scrambled together to form a clear voice.
‘You, GM pilot!’ cried a strong-willed woman’s voice.
‘What do you want?’ I angrily shout back. The Hizack closed in front of its comrade’s ruins, motioning it to retreat from battle. Its head sparked with electricity, unable to tell what was going on. Using whatever juice it had left, the damaged Hizack turned around and slowly propelled itself into the darkness, hovering past the shuttle and into the darkness, never to be seen again. The other Hizack stared at me as its monoeye pierced my soul, feeling its fury transfer over to me.
‘Your opponent will be me. Unless you want to die a painful death, I’ll be happy if you put your weapons down and surrender.’ the female pilot replied.
‘What? Says the one who was about to kill those civilians!’ I barked at her.
‘Those civilians? They aren’t going to die, rest assured. You AEUG pricks though, you may as well do whatever pleases you.’
‘Grrr… They’ll die either way, so move it!’

Firing my beam rifle, hundreds of lasers shot out as each one tried to vaporise the green suit but to no avail. It simply dodged side to side leaving behind a trail of blue sparks, slowly closing the gap between us. Soon enough, it was mere inches away from my suit, readying its fist high into the sky and darting towards my main visor at the head. Impulsive I threw the shield up and covered my suit from impending damage before a forceful strike knocked me away like a weightless balloon, sending myself deeper into space’s infinity. I heaved against the force of the hit struggling to hold the suit together and came eye to eye against the mighty Hizack again. A barrage of bullets followed as I maneuvered the Nemo around high and low to escape the incoming attack from its machine gun, prompting me to draw closer and closer.

The charge on my beam rifle had already depleted, rendering it useless, but an idea had sprung up during this fighting. Zipping around like a fly, the bullets came to a halt as the pilot reloaded her magazine quickly, finally opening the chance for me to make my move. Raising the rifle in my hand high up, I positioned the weapon carefully in the Hizack’s way, calculating in my head as each second ticked away before letting go and throwing it like a spear.

The Hizack was caught off guard at the incoming weapon as it stanced its arm inside before dashing it out and setting the beam rifle aside off into space. But that was when I would throw some tricks into the mix. My hands pushed and I felt the MS zoom forward like a cannonball shooting into the far distance, slowly roaring into a loud, earsplitting crescendo. The Titan suit noticed my incoming advance, trying to get itself together to defend against my unsuspecting attack. Each second stormed away like nothing, quickly closing the distance between us. But once I was finally a meter close from the MS, I heaved backwards and pulled the controls back while shooting up like a rocket before I swiftly strung together a series of movements by lashing out the beam saber from the backpack and turning it downwards.
‘This’ll put you on the spot!’ I screamed as I descended upon the Hizack.
The surprise attack almost looked too easy, like I’d be able to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. Each second felt like eternity while I descended, knowing that I had seized the chance to end this whole fight. But it was all for nothing moments later.
‘Too naive!’ screamed the pilot. Before, a blinding light of yellow flashed before me, causing me to reel away from the sensors in front. It all went too fast, and I couldn’t comprehend what was going on in that brief moment. As everything came back, I swiftly looked in front to witness something unexpected; a surprise counterattack. I stared in shock as my beam saber’s blade grinded with the enemy’s own, like two thunderbolts connected to each other.
‘That’s the oldest trick in the book. I’ve come across many different pilots in my years, and the most unskilled ones go upwards!’ she boasts, triumphantly turning the tide over to herself.
The Hizack’s monoeye stared straight into my soul again before it pulled its beam saber away, pulling me in suddenly and reeling its left leg inside, following with a heavy kick targeting my cockpit. Desperately I maneuvered the controls forward and allowed the attack to collide with the large, metal plate, but it was enough to throw me off course. The force sent me rocking back and forth in the confines of my Nemo as I struggled to keep it together.
‘Damn it, she’s good!’ I cry, managing to get the Nemo steady.

A quiet yet dangerous standoff ensued once I drew back from the enemy’s attack, both of us floating in unison. This one’s a hard nut to crack, I thought. No moving in without getting hit, much less countering either… Everything seemed to have been lost when a loud, commanding voice rang through my ears, giving the info that I had not been expecting amidst the heat of battle.
‘Ensign Amate, Shuji’s come out to fight! Hold out until he gets there!’ informed captain Melchior.
‘Shuji’s coming?!’

As the radio comms fizzled, Shuji’s stern voice spoke out, a tone from him that I hadn’t even heard before.
‘I’ll be there shortly.’ said Shuji. ‘ETA 2 minutes.’

Suddenly, I felt relieved instantly knowing I won’t be alone. But I knew it wasn’t time to slack off yet. A deep and calm breath, followed by my eyes opening suddenly to the enemy ensued. My hands gripped the controls on the Nemo tightly, then sent it full throttle to the Hizack, ready for round three.

Chapter Text

Pushing the controls of my suit, I burst forward at the Hizack in rage, raising the beam saber in my hand high up and slashing at it in a downwards motion as it dodged out of the way. I seized my chance to hit the trigger on the controls and out came a storm of bullets firing away at the enemy, zipping out from the head vulcans. Frantically the enemy threw its shield up high as bullet holes tore through the thick metal of the Earth Federation-covered shield before charging in for a quick slash of its beam saber.

The infinite darkness was sliced into pieces as it zoomed by me, swiftly turning to me like it was weightless despite its abnormal amount of armour and zoomed right into my suit as a last-resort-suicide option. The sensors inside my cockpit started going crazy, and a bright neon yellow sign started flashing rapidly followed by a guiding arrow pointed behind myself. As I looked behind, I was face-to-face with the wreck of a box-shaped ship, its hull half-torn, windows shattered, a floating graveyard of steel and silence. We went crashing in as sparks and metal flew around us, forcing us into a desolate hangar filled with the eerie souls of space and fighter jets scattered around. There I was pinned onto the half-open launch hatch of the ship, looking up to witness the Hizack moving in like a dangerous predator going in for the kill.

‘Say your prayers, AEUG scum!’ screamed the pilot as her machine gun pointed out at me, aimed directly for my cockpit.

My eyes closed in fear, accepting the untimely demise that would be greeting me. But all of a sudden, the roar of steel came crumbling around me, as I came to see the Hizack being intercepted by a green and white blur, throwing the suit outside of the battleship. As they struggled and clashed together, I followed suit and watched on as I left the hangar. Coming out, the Hizack was locked in a challenging duel between an antique GM Custom, the former dodging its projectiles of hot pink beams fading away into stardust. It came to my realisation that Shuji’s arrived; arrived to help me.

As the two distanced themselves, Shuji’s GM drew closer to me, almost like it was defending me rather than coming to my aide.
‘Are you OK, Machu?’ he asked me.
‘Y-yes…’ I stuttered.

‘Hehe… So another one got out of the cage. Damn Newtypes.’ mutters the female pilot.
‘Huh?! What’s it to you, idiot-’
‘Machu. No time for arguments. Get ready!’
Before I could get another word out, the Hizack burst through past the destroyed asteroids and debris, staring us down with its menacing pink monoeye. With his cat-like reflexes, the boy defended us immediately using his shield as sparks flew around us. Throwing the Hizack off, Shuji began barking orders at me, telling me what to do to survive.
‘Machu, disperse and fire at the enemy. I’ll draw her attention away!’ he commanded, handing me his own, worn-down beam rifle.
‘Huh? Oh, got it!’ I reply.
Revving the Nemo’s thrusters in a deafening roar, I pulled away into the void, aiming up my rifle at the Titan suit. The two danced around the scattered ruins of history, causing my sensors to struggle keeping up with their speed and pace. I aimed as best I could, the reticle trembling across my display. As the sights lined up slowly, the loud tone rang once again; the command to open fire.

A bright ball of pink energy built up in front of the barrel before a howling beam lanced through the infinite space and straight for the enemy. However, all it ever did was graze the Hizack’s spiked shoulder armour, rendering my efforts useless.

But that miss was all that Shuji needed.

‘There!’ He screamed in the comms.
The pilot swung his suit’s hand forward as the beam saber came slicing down the Hizack’s left arm, melting it away in a hot, molten pile of metal. The arm of the enemy went flying away as electricity sparked from the damage it sustained. It was then met with a swift kick to the cockpit, sending it away from my comrade. But in a fit of rage, the Hizack surged once more and rammed itself into Shuji’s GM followed by a hard knee to his torso. As he linked up with me again, we stared at the green suit in unison, prepared for the worst until Shuji spoke up suddenly.
‘You’re too damaged to fight. Give it up.’ said Shuji.
‘Give up? Tch, all of that fighting and you want to spare me? Don’t talk down on me, kiddo. You don’t know the real weight of war.’ she barks back, her breathing ragged.
‘I’m only doing this for your own sake. Just leave.’
‘...Hmph. Remember this, you two. The Titans will destroy anything that dares oppose it. I, Shiiko Sugai, will come back to end you.’

As her thrusters kicked up and flared, her machine gun raised up towards us, impulsively forcing me and Shuji to defend ourselves from impending damage, but all that happened was a hailstorm of bullets hitting debris, building up a blinding cloud of dust between us. Slightly motioning myself forward, Shuji’s hand stopped me before I could go any further as I watched the blinking red dot retreat on my radar before fizzling away. Me and him stood there and for a long time, there was nothing but the hum of our reactors and the faint drift of debris.

‘Why’d you let her go like that?’ I ask.
‘Something tells me that inside of her wasn’t malice or evil.’ he said back. ‘It’s the Titans who're doing this, not her.’

I looked down at my trembling hands on the controls, still shaken by the chaos of it all. Shuji’s GM hovered beside me, the metal of his armour riddled with scratches and damage. At that moment, the comms within our cockpits came to life, followed by the panicked voice of a man.
‘Hello?! Can you hear me?’ Asked the man.
‘Yes, loud and clear. Are you guys okay?’
‘Yes, we are. The shuttle was just suddenly attacked by those Titans. Your friend was the one who helped us.’
There, all I could do was smile as my body finally relaxed itself from the heat of battle. Our mobile suits closed in to the shuttle and guided it to the Alfonso, carefully bringing it back to safety.

A little while had gone by as soon as the shuttle made its way into the airdocks of the Alfonso. With the doors closed and the airlocks shut tight, AEUG soldiers gathered around guarding the passengers of the shuttle, ensuring everything was in form. As I opened my cockpit hatch, I stumbled out in exhaustion, feeling my weightless body float into the ship. I scanned around the ship looking at the shuttle passengers file out and providing ID to Nabu and Jezzi, who had set up an impromptu checkpoint using a small folding table. I stood on the bridge of the MS cage watching them do their job when Shuji came up to me with a calm, happy smile across his face like a steady stream, his hand clutched to the lower half of his yellow helmet.
‘You did really good out there, Machu. It’s your first time piloting a suit in zero-gravity. I’d say you did well.’ Shuji playfully complimented.
‘Oh, I didn’t do much, ensign.’ I reply flustered.
‘No one’s ever destroyed a mobile suit on their first ever sortie in space. Don’t beat yourself up over it.’
‘Is it that hard to do so, Shuji? I just go with my gut and fire.’ I answer.
‘You have to take consideration of where you are, especially since the enemy can get you however from any direction. You have potential, Machu. But you must be sure not to rush in.’
But amidst my conversation with him, my eyes were caught by a pair of men, one who seemed quite old and the other my age. Scooting by Shuji, I took a closer look only to come to a quick discovery as they came to the tables to have their passports scanned.
‘Is that…’ I muttered.
‘Something wrong?’ questioned Shuji.
‘Hang on. I think that’s somebody I know. Be right back.’ I tell him.

No way it’s that idiot again, I thought.

My feet touched the metal surface of the floor as I paced over to the line, excitement bubbling within me. I walked over to the young man clad in a dark green jacket, a wide grin cheekily touching each side of my ears. The young man clearly invested in getting his passport read, was suddenly taken out of his daze as I slapped my hand super hard on his shoulder.
‘GAH!!!’ cried him.
‘Karl, why’re you here?’ I ask him cheerily.
‘A-Amate? You-’
But Karl turned white as a ghost, shocked at my presence simply for being there.
‘What, I’m stationed here, is that not a surprise?’

Chapter Text

‘What the hell are you doing here?!’ asked Karl. ‘After you ran off from Side 6 I was half expecting you to be dead!’
‘I’m not. Hurry up and get scanned already.’ Behind him I could see his dad struggling to keep cool as he stifled a small smile on his face. I could see him clad in his tan Federation uniform decked with patches.

After Karl got his passport scanned, I hurried to get Shuji and Nyaan together and rushed to the cafeteria. All of that fighting made me hungry, and I was wanting to show Karl how things worked here. Once we got eating, Shuji all of a sudden asked him;
‘Are you on a holiday?’
Karl, looking up as he shoved some peas into his mouth, looked up again and gave him his trademark, friendly smile.
‘Nah, I came along with Dad to see what Augustus was like. He said that it was like a land of opportunity.’

A week’s gone by since the sortie in space, and it was like the air got even less restrictive around the Alfonso after Karl came along. Him being here did let us get our laundry done a lot quicker since only Kaine was the one who did it. He even enjoys it quite a lot. I had walked into the laundry room to find him hanging up a pair of faded jeans and t-shirts on a thin wire stretching across the entire room, and smiled with the widest grin ever.
‘Amate! Got any laundry?’ he asked me proudly.
‘No. I was actually wondering where you ran off to.’ I said.
And so, he let me off with a slap on the back, telling me that it was great to have friends, especially when they save you against some mean Titans.

The passengers aboard that shuttle had gone to Augustus, a neutral colony where Karl’s dad would go and discuss with other Federation officials that actually saw the light.
‘Will your dad be okay?’ I asked before I left.
‘He’s fine. Dad will go back to Side 6 shortly after he’s dealt with those Fed officials.’

Meanwhile, the Alfonso had been in a straight direction heading towards Luna II, swimming across the endless stars beyond. I wasn’t sure of what our next objective was up till today, when Nyaan came to me in the hangars in a rush. There, I was working on my Nemo with Shuji recalibrating the camera visors.
‘Good, now magnify it to x2.’ told Shuji. Doing so, the camera zoomed in closer, focusing onto the doors of the bridge in front. But as I was looking at it, they suddenly opened to reveal a jumping Nyaan moving towards us.

‘Machu! Shuji!’ She shouted.
‘Hm? What, Nyaan?’ I ask back, still able to see her from my open cockpit.
‘Did you see it? All of a sudden there’s these battleships rallying together with the Alfonso!’
‘Is something going on?’ I wonder.
At that moment, the PA speakers called upon us as Captain Melchior’s voice came speaking out, alerting the entire crew of the ship.
‘All crew members report to the bridge. Briefing will begin shortly soon.’
With no time to lose, I hurriedly switched off the Nemo and made way with Nyaan and Shuji, hovering around the tight corridors of the Alfonso.
‘I heard there’ll be an attack soon.’ told Shuji.
‘An attack? What for?’ I ask.
‘Captain will tell us.’

The room hummed with the low vibrations of the ship’s engines. Holograms flickered on the main screen, displaying schematics of the enemy base, terrain maps, and satellite scans. Outside, Salamis-kai-class cruisers lined together, buzzing with communication. Everyone around us stood up in unison, with me standing next to Nyaan, Shuji and Karl. However, this chattering soon came to a silent stop as Captain Melchior’s voice cut through the crew’s voices.
‘Bridge, we’ve come closer to enemy territory. Right now, the AEUG has been rallying together to group up for the attack on Chirico Base. I apologise for those who may have not been in the know, but communications between friendly forces have become difficult recently.’ told the bearded man, in a calm but sharp voice. ‘Intel shows that this base will have a large force of Titan suits gathered together, including Hizacks, Marasais and Galbaldys. Lots of turrets and mines will be in the area, and asteroids too. The plan is this; our ships will lay fire onto the base first to weaken their defence, then hit ‘em hard with the mobile suit teams. We will have three teams: Team Alpha will lead the attack first and strike them hard. Team Bravo will move in to secure the entrances of the base to allow our forces to move in. And Team Charlie will be moving north to attack the mobile suit hangars to recover supplies and suits for our forces. Ensign Amate Yuzuriha, Nyaan and Shuji Ito will lead Team Charlie.’

My head looked up as I heard my name being called by him, noticing he had chosen me and my comrades to take control. Of all people, why choose a bunch of inexperienced kids as leaders?
‘Sir, why us?’ I chimed in. ‘Are you sure you can trust us?’
‘Why have I chosen you three to lead, ensign? You’ll see soon when you're on the battlefield.’
I’ll see soon? Tch, right as I was expecting a straight answer…

‘Any questions? Ok, back to your duties, crew.’
I sheepishly looked at my comrades in silence, unsure of what to say back to them.
‘Do I get to come?’ Karl asks suddenly.
In response, Shuji simply shrugged at him in uncertainty, as we looked unsure of his role. But at that moment, a glimpse of a pale green spaceship caught my attention amidst the grey, colourless ships. Floating myself closer to the windows, I bore witness to see it fitted with AA guns and blinking lights, signalling its menacing presence.
‘The Radish. It’s one of our many battleships. The ship’s captain is Henken Bekkener. He used to pilot ships during the One Year War. Odd fellow yes, but he’s got respect.’ Captain Melchior added. ‘The ship will be among the ones that’ll aid us in Chirico Base’s attack.’

Shortly after, the captain retreated back to his commander's seat, leaving me to my own duties. Soon I found myself hovering around the long corridors of the Alfonso, still thinking about why we were chosen to lead on the battlefield. Surely a captain from the One Year War knows better than to put some kids with virtually no combat experience to lead. Unless, if he’s trying to teach me something…

At least a day went by since the briefing, and the operation was due to start soon. Pilots rushed to their mobile suits while others quickly changed into their normal suits, headed for their orders and duties. Already, the firing of the ships has begun. The deafening roars of cannons thundered outside as each spaceship did their best to wear down the base. But I had other things to do. I stood by an open locker dressed in my half-open red and white pilot suit, tightening the gloves of the suit to my liking. Looking down to reach for my zipper, Dad’s dog tags caught my eyes again, dangling in front of my sky blue jersey. Keep me safe, I thought. Picking the metal zipper of my suit, I pulled it high up all the way to my neck ensuring it was all in place before turning to the upper cabinet of my locker to look at my helmet. The memory of Annqi frustratedly putting my helmet on echoed through me, reminding me of her hard-boiled demeanor. People like her are why we keep on living, because they just move on in life.

Snapping out of my thoughts instantly my gloved hands grasped its round cranium, swiftly placing it on my head and managing to connect it to my collar. To the left stood a quiet Nyaan tying her hair up into a circular bun, fully clad in a bright yellow pilot suit.
‘How do you feel about piloting a mobile suit, Nyaan?’ I curiously ask her.
‘The simulator gave me an idea about using one. I just hope I won’t die.’ She adds.
‘You’ll be fine Nyaan. If worse comes to worse, we’ll group up and keep company.’
‘Thank you.’
Once the girl stuffed her head into her helmet, we hurried over to the hangars to find mechanics servicing suits, last-minute calibrations and vulcans being reloaded with fresh new bullets, ready to buzz through anything. Floating towards my Nemo Test Type, I stopped my movement by holding onto the chest of the MS and descending to the bridge, looking for the switch to open the cockpit. Nyaan made her way to the Hizack locked within the MS cage to my left. Interesting, so that’s the suit she’s been assigned to…

The Hizack was painted in colours highly contrasting with its normal army green, being covered in both white and navy blue armour with red highlights. It looked just like ensign Kamille’s Gundam with those colours. A large AEUG symbol covered the chest area in order to signal its allegiance to allies. But looking closer, I noticed her face was slightly grim, her lip trembling. Her hands were clenched tightly into fists as she stared at the face of the Hizack, then looked down at her feet before climbing inside.

I dismissed it as odd and thought nothing much, and jumped up to the head of the Nemo, standing onto the body and placed my hands near the smooth, round surfaces of its orange visor. The reflection of my small body stared back as I looked at myself deep in thought. There, I heard Shuji’s voice call for me, turning my head over to look at him floating towards me. Like Nyaan, he donned a yellow pilot suit, puffy yet fitting onto his body. He held onto the ammunition hatch of the vulcans, looking at me with a friendly smile. His eyes were like red gems, half covered by his somewhat sleepy eyelids.
‘Yo, Machu.’ he casually greeted me.
‘Shuji? You’re ready, aren’t you?’ I ask.
‘I am. Soon we’ll be plunged into our first actual battle. This is a first for me too.’
‘You’re saying you’ve never been in a full battle before?’ I looked at him with wondrous eyes, not expecting him to reply with that sort of answer.
‘No, never. I only ever got into small firefights with other enemy forces. Back then it was only Annqi who helped me out. But with you now, it’s gotten easier.’
‘Huh, really? I’m just that good?’
‘No, you’re still at that level of a novice. But you’ll get there eventually, Machu. Ahh… where’s Karl?’
‘Karl? I’m being told he’s on bridge duty. I heard he went to be part of the gunners.’
‘I see. I’m heading back to my GM. It’s still in need of some maintenance. See ya.’

At that moment, a high-pitched robotic voice came crying my name behind me, instantly forcing me to turn around to find Haro flapping its wings towards me.
‘MACHU! MACHU!’ cried the robot.
‘Haro?!’ I said.
There, I saw behind Haro a rushing Karl chasing after it, his body swimming helplessly in the zero-gravity hangar. The robot excitedly chirped my name drawing closer towards me.
‘C’mere, you!’ Karl yelped.
‘Karl? Haro?’ I said, confused.
‘Amate! Grab him!’
In response, I swiftly caught the robotic ball of excitement and held it under control, squirming uncontrollably in my arms.
‘Hehe, it’s fine. Weren’t you on turret duty?’
‘I am, but since I kept Haro with me for moral support, suddenly he jumped out and went for the hangars, saying he wanted to see you and Nyaan, as well as telling me he’s happy.’ he puffed, all out of breath from chasing the robot. ‘Though, I didn’t really need him.’
‘Why did you come for me, Haro?’
‘HARO, HAPPY! I WANT TO FIGHT!’ it replies.
I stared at Haro's luminous red eyes beaming with ecstasy, but unfortunately I was unable to grant its desires.
‘I’m sorry, Haro, but I can’t take you with me. You need to watch Karl.’ I solemnly told.
‘Watch over me? But I said I can do fine by myself.’ complained Karl.
‘You’ll need it. I know who you are. I can’t have you getting into a ton of mishaps, so take him with you.’ I handed Haro over to Karl, staring at me with uncertainty on his face. In what felt like forever, he reluctantly took back the grey robot and looked at it sheepishly, taking a hard swallow and glanced back at me.
‘If you say so. Please be safe, ok Amate?’
‘I will.’ I reassured him.

After Karl jumped away and retreated back to the ship, I turned around and crawled into the cramped cockpit of the Nemo, seating myself on the blue-framed leather seat. The soft material cushioned my body, fitting my oxygen tank into the empty square-shaped space. With the hatch locked down tight, the panoramic cameras warped to life surrounding myself. I took a slow, deep breath and clasped my hands together ready for action. At that moment, the PA above spoke loudly as a crew member’s voice cut through the deafening machinery screeching outside my MS.
‘The base’s defences have started to weaken! All units, prepare for action! Team Alpha, launch!’ yelled the speakers.
Heeding his command, several GM IIs stomped and heaved as they latched their suits’ feet down onto the catapults, a red siren blaring to catch our attention. The catapult doors slowly opened to reveal the white stars beyond, illuminated by pink flashes of the ship’s cannons. Each shot destroyed fleets of ships, mobile suits and turrets firing away and holding them off from approaching us. Once the doors had fully opened, the GMs made way as the catapult slid off into the brightly-lit battlefield, transporting each mech away from sight.
‘Bravo Team moving out!’ cried the radio inside my cockpit.
As the next few squads of grunts shot out, it was finally our time. My heart sank. The thought of battle attacked my mind, instilling silent fear and anxiety in me. What if I die? Will I go on with making even an impact at all? My head was overwhelmed thinking of a way out of this. Then, that voice rang through me again suddenly. It echoed like a hallowing ghost, fueling me with confidence and strength.

‘Don’t fear… Nothing can stop you.’ said the voice.

I hope that’s right. I felt my eyes close and took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool.
‘Charlie Team, move!’ said the radio.
‘Roger!’ replied Shuji and the other pilots.
It’s time! I hurried to the catapult launch and locked the feet of the Nemo in place as I came face-to-face with the starry battlegrounds before me. Beams and bullets zipped past each other at the speed of light taking down mobile suits and ships. As my hands clutched the controls, I performed the necessary steps before launching, just like a ritual.
‘Amate Yuzuriha, Nemo Test Type, launching!’ I shouted.

Straight away I was thrown away into the depths of battle in an instant, the catapult releasing my Nemo off into the sky. I went full throttle and rallied behind a large asteroid with a bunch of Bravo Team pilots, awaiting Alpha to take down Chirico’s wave of defences. Soon came along Shuji’s GM Custom and Nyaan’s Hizack taking cover behind the barrage of fire coming our way, the rest of Charlie dispersed from us hiding behind wreckage.

‘Is everybody OK?’ I frantically ask.
‘Yes, Machu!’ pants a nervous Nyaan.
‘Charlie Team! It’s a hellhole out here! Minovsky particles are dense. We can’t communicate with Alpha!’ said a GM pilot.
‘Roger that. Are you able to give a sitrep?’ Shuji asks.
‘Yes. Alpha was able to push through but they’ve been hit hard. We may have to assist them.’
‘Copy. Ok… Bravo will have to move forward and cover Charlie. Maintain a wide formation to keep us covered and moving forward.’ said Shuji.
‘Roger. Bravo, move! Keep Charlie covered!’

So it begins. Our suits hovered weightlessly as the GMs tightened around our squadron and moved us forward. But amidst our advancement, dozens of Titans suits popped out of nowhere and began their onslaught. Hizacks and Marasais came forth firing beams of destruction from their rifles, forcing our squadron to spread and handle each one. Shuji went ahead and assisted the Alpha Team, ordering us to remain with Bravo. As two Hizacks blasted their machine guns at me, I threw my shield up and swiftly deflected each projectile with ease. Then I stuck my beam rifle to the side and fired two clean shots at the green suits, watching them explode into pink clouds of debris and stardust. At that moment, the cockpit’s warning sensors alarmed me, directing to my 6 o’clock and coming face-to-face with a dark red GM II, firing away with its beam rifle. I drew further from the enemy and covered my cockpit using my shield, raising my own rifle high up into the air. But before I was even able to pull the trigger, a sudden, violent force came brushing past my mind, one full of anger. But it wasn’t directed at me. Taking a look to my left, a white and blue flash came zooming past and ramming straight into the GM like a raging landslide.

Coming back to my senses, I witnessed a white and blue Hizack desperately pointing its machine gun at the GM and firing what seemed to be its entire magazine into the enemy. Bullets shredded the mobile suit’s metal armour like cheese before culminating into a loud explosion.
‘Nyaan!’ I cry.
‘M-Machu!’ the young girl answered back, her suit turning around to reveal its pink monoeye staring back.
‘Stay in formation, link up with me! It’s too dangerous here!’
As the timid girl agreed and pushed forward, our suits’ vernier thrusters flared shooting us forward into battle like a rocket, dodging bullets, lasers and missiles. Slowly, it felt like I was able to pinpoint each enemy and their actions. I fired my beam rifle at each enemy Titan, managing to hit at least a few. My vulcans roared with gunfire intercepting missiles and mobile suits moving towards us, whilst Nyaan tried her best to take out the onslaught of enemies. Her machine gun rattled with countless bullets, destroying mobile suits as they blew up in clouds of explosions. Nyaan’s erratic, almost feral dodging was somehow enough to keep her out of harm’s way.

‘There’s just too many of them! How close are we to the northern entrance?!’ asked Nyaan through our comms channel.
‘We’re almost there! Just hold out!’
‘Ensign Machu!’ cries the voice of Shuji. I turned quickly to see his GM Custom with several AEUG friendlies in tow flying towards me, firing away their weapons as beams danced around us, illuminating the metal armour of our suits. Each of them struck the enemy, as one blew off a Hizack’s head clean off while sparks flickered out from its neck. Our squadron proceeded to advance forward until we made an emergency landing onto the hard, rough surface of Chirico Base. We all crouched near the debris of a wrecked Salamis-kai’s hull while I looked at our GM-filled team and Nyaan’s Hizack.
‘Charlie Team, we have to get to Vanilla Box. No time to lose!’ said Shuji.
Shuji was the first to lead us through this hellhole, our suits flaring up and down within this weightless environment. But while we kept moving forward, I felt a howling shot rain towards us, my mind warning me of the impending danger coming. But before I was able to speak up, the two GMs in front of me were decimated into a fiery cloud, throwing me and Nyaan back from the violent force.
‘Damn it, we’ve been hit!’ I yell into the radio.
‘Keep moving! Don’t worry about them!’ replied a GM pilot.
I looked up in front of me to see the remains of the GMs, only showing their bodies and weapons burnt up. I can’t believe it… Lifting my suit up from the ground, we quickly kept on going to the entrance of the base, not letting anything stop us.

Soon enough we rallied up at the northern entrance of the base, which was a dark, mysterious hangar-like surrounding with MS cages ready to launch. Unpainted metal frames, wires snaking everywhere across the cavern walls and panels floated aimlessly, knocking against the enclosure of the base.
‘Machu, you lead.’ Ordered Shuji.
‘Me? Lead?’ I ask, confused.
‘Yes. After all, captain Melchior said you could. Let’s go, commander.’
All of a sudden, a million thoughts raced into my mind. How do I act as a commander?
‘Amate… keep together. Don’t let your men die.’ informed the haunting voice.
My hands tightened their grip on the controls and felt my feet push down, hovering slowly into the base’s hangars. If that's how it goes..
‘Ok, I want everyone to stay together. Keep a tight formation!’ I commanded.
As the team agreed with a unified roger, our suits slowly drifted down the cramped tunnels leading further into the base’s labyrinth. Rocky walls followed us everywhere we went, illuminated by lights attached to them struggling to stay lit. Scaffolding towers and tools floated amok in areas where construction crews hadn’t completed sealing off the cave’s interiors, followed by Draken-E workers left in their lonesome.

We pushed deeper into the dark labyrinth. Dust and metal fragments hovered in the thick air, and in some places the tunnel widened into partially excavated chambers. Huge caverns were reinforced with only skeletal support beams, as if the Titans couldn’t decide whether this was meant to be a hangar, a command center, or a tomb.
‘This doesn’t feel right, Machu.’ shivered Nyaan. ‘No work crews or guards around…’
‘They must’ve evacuated.’ I replied to her.
But I was proven wrong instantly. A sharp ping erupted on my radar while I commanded the entire team to freeze. Before anyone could react, a side passage, a thin, half-carved tunnel branching off to the right, flared with violet muzzle flash.
A storm of beams shot out from the darkness like arrows.
‘Break formation!’ shouted Shuji over the comms.

Beyond the thick, heavy dust, three Rick Dias-sized silhouettes cut through, but when the light hit them, I saw several shades of red, followed by a bunch of green monoeyes. They’re Marasais! The first few volley of shots had gotten our soldiers good. One GM’s shield exploded instantly from a well-placed shot, sending its entire forearm spiraling away. Another took a beam through the knee joint and spun helplessly in micro-gravity. I fired my beam rifle in anger, lasers zipping out of the hot metal barrel consecutively. Within the darkness each of them were taken out, except for one. A Marasai missing its arm darted between uninstalled support pillars, using them like cover in a zero-G dance. In its hand was a beam saber shining with a neon green blade, raising it high in the air and charged forward at us. As its thrusters flared with blue flames, its monoeye staring at us like prey, I quickly told Nyaan to close in on the enemy and finish the job.
‘Nyaan, on me!’ I cried, the adrenaline inside me pumping through my veins.

As her Hizack swerved to the side with its beam saber drawn, my rifle pointed itself at the Marasai’s leg, ready to fire. Its shots came out, evaporating its left leg into a slag of molten armour and throwing it off course. Nyaan quickly charged in and her beam saber carved straight through its remaining arm and the machine arced back. Its hissing thrusters struggled to keep stability, sparks trailing like blood. The beam struck its cockpit and burnt it away, killing the pilot in the blink of an eye. The suit floated lifelessly in the air while we rushed over to the GMs shot earlier ensuring they weren’t severely injured.
‘Petty officer, is everything OK?’ Shuji asks the armless GM II.
‘Don’t worry ensign, I can still fight. No injuries or anythin’.’
‘Argh, Machu, we’ve got an issue here.’ Turning to Nyaan’s Hizack, I saw next to her the other GM– a GM Cannon II rested on the ground severely inoperable. Its leg was torn completely off by the beam shot sustained earlier and its left cannon overheated and unable to fire. I opened the cockpit hatch and jumped down to the MS, floating down to the pilot standing to the side of her own cockpit.

‘Ensign!’ shouted the pilot, who was a breathless and battle-worn woman. ‘It’s no good. I can’t go any further with this suit.’
‘How are you holding up yourself? Are you injured?’ I asked, ensuring she was ready to go.
‘I’m fine, just exhausted. I… I don’t think I can go with you. I’d be killed in the crossfire if there’s any other tangoes inside the base, and we can’t call for a medical ship beyond this hellhole.’

‘Then remain here and watch the entrance. Those are your orders. If any enemies come through, keep your head down and radio us. Do your comms work still?’
‘Yes. The damage wasn’t severe enough to cut off communications. I’ll do my best… commander.’
We both exchanged a quick salute to each other before I headed back to my Nemo and punched it online. All that’s left in our team is me, Shuji, Nyaan and a Rick Dias. My heart hammered against my chest. Not training, not support duty, but real command, real lives in my hands. Suddenly Captain Melchior’s reason to make me lead became clear. And somewhere in the sea of my thoughts, I swore I heard that voice again.
‘You’re doing fine… just don’t hesitate.’ his echoey voice whispered to me.
I raised my Nemo’s shield, aimed my rifle at the dark tunnel and gave the order.
‘Charlie Team… advance.’