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Introduction
With
high expectations, human beings leave Earth to begin a new life
in Space Colonies. However, the United Earth Sphere Alliance
gains great millitary power, and soon seizes control of one
colony after another, in the name of justice and peace. The year
is After Colony 195: Operation Meteor. In a move to counter the
Alliance's tyranny, rebel citizens of certain colonies scheme to
bring new arsenals to the Earth, disguising them as shooting
stars. However, the Alliance headquarters catches on to this
operation....
The
Shooting Star She Saw
Shiouja
ga Mita Ryuusei
A space station hovers over the Earth. "Moving object confirmed at Le Grange Point AX moving in the GY position. Estimated to hit Earth in 600 seconds," a voice says. Inside the space station, several uniformed soldiers stand huddled around a computer console.
"It's not just one?" the commander asks.
"No, sir," an underling replies. "The radar has picked up five metal objects"
"Zechs is in the atmosphere, let him know what we've found," the commander says. "It's probably some parts from an old satellite or something like that."
"Yes, sir," the underling complies.
In a blue ship floating in the Earth's atmosphere, Zechs Merquise sits, cross-legged, reading a report in the passenger seat of the cockpit. "Lieutenant Zechs," one of the pilot says, "Surveillance is reporting a meteorite."
"Figures," Zechs snaps. "The sattelite survelliance folks are practically blind. They really think a meteorite would ride the wave course to enter the Earth's atmosphere?"
"So," the pilot replies, "its just as Oz Headquarters told us."
"Right. Operation M for certain. There's no doubt about it. How many can this carrier catch up with?"
After analyzing the courses of the five falling objects, the pilot concludes that they can only catch up with one, the one heading for Eastern Eurasia. Zechs smiles. "One would do just dandy. A hired frontline soldier shouldn't rush to battle."
The pilot's seat moves back as the pilot watches Zechs, intent. "That's quite the bold statement, sir."
Zechs bows his head and chuckles. "I told you...I am a true soldier."
The sun rises up over the Earth, bathing the sphere in its holy glow. A carrier floats downwards, towards the blue orb. The pilot inside says, "All areas functioning. Will commence operations in seven minutes." Suddenly, a beeping alarm catches his attention. He looks to the side to see a civilian shuttle, also descending towards Earth.
In the shuttle, Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian looks over to his daughter sitting next to him, asking her what is wrong. "Aren't you glad to be coming home to Earth?" he asks.
Relina Dorlian spins around from the window. "No," she answers sharply. "Not a bit."
"I'm sorry I didn't spend much time with you, but I'm afraid my work keeps getting in the way."
"Father," she sighs, "next time we go to space, how about leaving yourself a little free time?" Suddenly, something catches both of their attention. They look across the aisle and out the window, seeing a small object sparkle in the sun's light. "Father, what is that?"
The pilot of the small carrier locks on to the shuttle. A lid opens, revealing a cannon. The pilots hand grabs the joystick controller and pulls it back. "Engaging auto-lock," he says. "Ready to shoot the obstacle down." However, another alarm is triggered and the pilot looks down at the console to see that another shuttle is closing in on him. "Earth assualt carrier?" he asks, surprised.
The blue carrier flies towards the small carrier. "We've caught up," the other pilot, Otto, declares. "I'll bring it up on screen."
"Just as I thought," Zechs says. "That's their little battle seed, all ready to sprout into new battles."
"Operation M..." the other pilot says.
"He has to reduce speed. There's a civlian shuttle up ahead," Zechs notices.
"Isn't there the chance that he might shoot down the shuttle and increase his speed?" the pilot asks.
"It's not very likely that he's going to shoot it down right in front of us," Zechs replies. "He's on a secret mission, you have to remember."
"The Alliance is already on to me," the pilot snarls. "Damn it!"
Suddenly the small carrier is enveloped in flame as it burns through the Earth's atmosphere.
"He's entered the atmosphere. Will follow." the pilot of Zech's carrier declares.
The pilot in the small carrier shuts his eyes and smiles. "I'm finally here. I made it to the Earth." He toggles the switches on his console, changing his course. He heads closer to the civilian shuttle.
"The capsule has apparently changed course," Otto notes.
"Is he trying to commit suicide?" Zechs asks, bewildered.
"He must think the only way to keep this a secret is to destroy the evidence," the other pilot suggests.
"But the capsules increasing speed," Otto counters. "He's trying to break away."
"How could he? There's no way he could survive that heat!"
Zechs jumps in. "Not neccessarily. Obviously, our enemies are very technologically advanced."
Relena rolls down her window and watches as the little carrier shoots down past them. "An atmosphere entry capsule?"
"Opeartion Meteor..." her father says silently. Relena spins around and looks at her father with wide eyes.
The little capsule's wings and nose start to glow bright red. The pilot inside furiously pushes the buttons of his console. Suddenly, the entire shell of the carrier breaks off, revealing the true form of the craft inside. A fighter jet spreads its wings as it accelerates towards the Earth.
The carrier's computer analyzes the newly introduced craft. "Lieutenant Zechs!" Otta cries. "What is this!?"
"The enemy's new weapon is a fighter," Zechs replies.
"It moves just like a bird..." the other pilot comments.
"Reached flight altitude. We can proceed to attack," Otto states. A visor over the windshield lowers down.
"Let's wake him up with our machine gun," the other pilot suggests.
"No!" Zechs cries, standing up. "No machine gun for him! Shoot him down!"
"But Lieutenant Zechs," Otto says, turning around.
"We were told that the purpose of the operation was to bring in the weapon, but its not the weapon, its the fighter pilot inside," Zechs replies, sharing his new revelation with them.
The carrier fires at the fighter jet, causing him to take evasive action. He sways to the right, avoiding their constrant string of fire. The pilot looks back. "I'll escape, no prob." However, as always, his alarm goes off. "Alter mission?" he asks. "That craft is carrying Oz mobile suits. Judging by its speed, there's probably three suits onboard." He pulls a complete 180 in his plane. "Roger that mission, I will return right now to shoot down the Oz carrier." It accelerates backwards towards Zechs.
"Enemy fighter has turned around and is heading right for us!" Otto declares.
"Is Leo ready for use?" Zechs asks as he stands up and opens a door.
"Yes," the other pilot answers, "but you're going after him in a mobile suit?"
"You guessed it," Zechs replies.
"Then, wouldn't the Aries lightspeed suit be better than the Leo ground battle mobile suit?"
"My Leo is plenty fast enough. Besides, if its a fight he wants, I should at least give him my best."
The back of the carrier opens up and a Leo mobile suit, holding a beam rifle, backflips out into space. The other pilot assures Zechs that he'll send backup as soon as possible. Zechs blasts off towards the battlefield. However, suddenly an alarm beeps over head. "What the!?" Zechs screams. "He's above!?"
The Leo spins around and fires a shot into space, missing the incoming jet. The jet whizzes by Zechs, barely missing him. Zechs spins around and fires another shot, this time hitting the wing of the plane.
The pilot inside the jet attempts to regain control. "Left drive system malfunctioning....he's good."
The jet spirals down towards the Earth, leaving a trail of smoke behind it. "Nice shot, Lieutenant Zechs!" the pilot of the carrier comments.
"So much for him," Zechs replies. "That was far too easy."
"Lieutenant. Should we go after him with the Aries once you return with the Leo?"
To Aries suits, one holding a blue box, hover down around Zechs. "We'll head after him with the carrier and capture him on the ground," Zechs replies. "This is our chance to find out the purpose of Operation M."
"Any chance he'll blow himself up?" one of the Aries asks.
"He's made it all the way to Earth," Zechs says. "He's not going to commit suicide before setting foot on it."
The pilot reaches up to the ceiling and pushes a control forward. His foot stomps a pedal, and then all of a sudden the jet takes on a radical transformation. Suddenly, the jet is no longer a plane....but a mobile suit with wings, weilding a giant shield and a buster rifle!
"He transformed into a mobile suit!" Zechs says in awe.
"Lieutenant Zechs, what kind of machine is that?" one of the Aries asks.
"No clue," Zechs responds. I thought only the Alliance and Oz had the technology to create mobile suits, he thinks.
The Aries smacks the blue box it was holding onto the back of Zechs' Leo. "Lieutenant," the Aries says, "leave 'em to us!"
"Right," Zechs approves as the parachute on the back of his Leo opens. The two Aries descend towards the falling mobile suit.
They fire constantly into the mobile suit, sending it spiraling towards the land, smoking. It regains composure and continues to fly downwards. Zechs, watching from above, comments on the pilot's intensity. The Aries close in, firing rapidly. Suddenly, the mobile suit turns around. "It moved!" one of the Aries pilots comments, startled.
"Nevermind! Just shoot!" the other one commands.
The mobile suit turns all the way and aims its buster rifle. Energy starts gathering around the barrel of the gun, and then suddenly explodes in the form of a gigantic beam. The beam engulfs the two Aries and they both explode. The pilot of the mobile suit throws his head back and laughs hysterically. He stops, then turns around. "One more to go," he says.
"He blew away two Aries with just one shot? Not too shabby..." Zechs comments. Zechs' Leo throws away its rifle and then unlatches itself from the parachute. As it falls, it pulls a beam saber from its left arm. The other mobile suit aims upwards up towards the falling Leo. He locks on and fires, but Zechs evades the shot. He comes up in front of the mobile suit and swings the beam saber downward, but the mobile suit catches Leo's arm and the two lock in a deadly grapple as the fall towards the planet below. A hatch in the Leo opens up and Zechs jumps out, releasing his parachute as he falls. The two mobile suits fall to the ground, the Leo with its arm still upraised.
"Lieutenant Zechs, are you all right?" the voice of the other pilot in the carrier asks.
"Yeah, sorry to worry you," Zechs responds. "I did everything I could."
"We have a complete data analysis."
"And?"
"Judging from the strenght of the mobile suit, it could only be made from gundanium alloy."
"So then....that was a Gundam!"
The two mobile suits, still locked together, splash into the ocean.
"The mobile suit might be undamaged, but that reckless pilot won't have survived," Zechs says scornfully.
The carrier flies in front of Zechs. 'Lieutenant, the Marina mothership is offering to bring up the unregistered mobile suit."
"Let them do as they wish. Tell them it sank in the JAP point of the Asia area," Zechs says, in a tone that suggests he doesn't care.
"Yes, sir."
"They offer to bring it up? Ha!" Zechs laughs to himself. "There's no bright future for soldiers scurrying for their reward."
The two mobile suits, still locked in that melancholy embrace, sink the very bottom of the ocean...
Dorlian and Relena ride down an escalator as a group of papparazzi surrounds them, asking various questions regarding the Colonies' hostile intentions. Both Relena and Dorlian are obviously used to such treatment and just stand there, enjoying their trip down the escalator. As the two of them step off the escalator, they are might by three miltary soldiers. "We have been waiting for you, Mr. Dorlian," the commander says. "A military vehicle is waiting for you outside. Please proceed quickly."
"Right away? That won't do. I have some things to take care of for my daughter's birthday," Dorlian replies.
"I have arranged for a seperate car to take your daughter," the commander answers.
"Don't trouble yourself about me," Relena pipes up. "I'm quite capable of finding my own way home."
Dorlian sits in the back of the military car with the commander next to him. Relena watches on the sidewalk behind them. "Well, let's go then. General Septum is expecting you." Relena turns around, but can't resist looking over her shoulder one last time.
The girl walks along the coast as the sun sets in the background. She stops. "Father! Don't you know my birthday is coming up soon!" she explodes, yelling at no one. She calms down. "The average girl would probably flip over this..." she sighs, bowing her head. She looks up at the sky at a military carrier. "A military plane....this place would have already been a space harbor if it weren't for those planes..."
She shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I guess I'll head home," she says dreamily as she starts walking.
Then, something catches her eye.
A body lays on the beach, not moving, washed up by the tide.
She gasps as she hurries down there. "A body!" She stops as she nears the body. "A military uniform?" she asks herself. "He's a soldier!" Suddenly, the body moans and begins to writhe. "I'd better get help!" she says as she spins around.
Treize Kushrenada pulls the Opera glasses from his eyes as he sits in the balcony of the great theatre. "You're saying that three of your mobile suits have been shot down?" he asks calmly.
"Yes, sir," the voice of Zechs emenates from a small computer screen on the table in front of Treize.
"Its unlike you to be so careless," Treize says. "It will be quite an effort to calm down the Alliance bigshots."
"We were up against a mobile suit made of gundanium," Zechs replies, putting extra emphasis on the last word.
"You're joking!"
'It's true. Just imagine if it was made by the Colonies."
Treize rubs his chin. "Something like this would never have happened if you and I had been here at Oz fifteen years ago, that much is for certain."
"Gundams are on Earth," Zechs declares.
"Can't imagine otherwise," Treize says, smiling. "Alliance's surveillance was far from being suffecient."
"The Alliance's Marina is on their way to gather the evidence."
"Allright. Leave that business to my men. I'll send in my specialists on undersea searches, then you can take it from there, Zechs."
"Right."
"I'm sure you are aware, but this is an important period. Do not do anything that would anger the Alliance."
"I fully understand," Zechs says, grinning. The picture on the computer screen blips out.
Treize walks towards a long table surrounded by men in varying uniforms. "I'm sorry I'm late," Kushrenada apologizes as he walks in.
As he sits down, one of the men sitting at the table says, "Treize, I heard your subordinate lost three mobile suits while entering the atmosphere."
"Yes, sir," Treize says. "You're point being?"
"You wasted three mobile suits just to bring a minor rebellion under control?" the man next to Treize, General Septum, asks.
"And as a result, we were able to keep the rebellion from developing into anything."
"I'm not talking about the results!" Septum screams. "You're abusing the Alliance Military's valuable combat resources!"
"Valuable combat resources?" Treize repeats. "Are you talking about our soldiers, or are you talking about the mobile suits?"
"Are you making fun of me, damn it!?"
"Calm down!" a voice calls, bringing order. "Colonel Treize, it could happen again. Be more careful the next time."
"Yes, sir," Kushrenada replies.
"Right." The lights dim as a map is shown at the front of the room. "On to our main agenda, which is constructing correlation between the colonies."
Treize watches, but isn't paying attention. The Alliance Millitary is getting too complacent in this time of peace, he thinks. The new era will be completed by my organization, Oz.
Relena pulls the helmet off of the pilot's head, gasping at the fact that he's still just a young boy. He groans, and then suddenly his eye opens. He jumps to his feet, holding the back of his hand to his face in a weak attempt to cover his face.
"Don't try to move!" Relena advises. "The ambulance is almost here!"
"Did you see!?" the boy snarls.
"See what?" The ambulance drives up. A few paramedics leap out of the ambulance and race towards the beach.
The boy opens a hatch on his suit and pushes a red button. He then smashes his wrists together and the little hatch explodes. He flies back a few yards, but the device has failed - the boy's still alive. He gets back to his feet and races to the ambulance, bowling the paramedics out of his way as he goes. Relena watches in awe and horror.
The boy kicks the window of the van so that it cracks, but doesn't break. Then, he grabs a hold of the top of the ambulance and swings it, reducing the window to millions of tiny shards and kicking the driver out onto the road. Relena watches as he races into the distance, driving the ambulance.
"My name is," she says to the fleeing ambulance, whose sirens are still wailing. "My name is Relena Dorlian." She extends her arm as though to invite an invisible man's. "What's yours?"
The inhabitants of an Oz military base mill around, tending to their Leo suits and going about their business. Suddenly, there's an explosion. Confused, a Leo suit spins around. "We're under attack?" It's reply comes from a swinging sickle that chops it clean in half. The sickle then slices through another Leo, and then slices through another. The black Gundam holding the suit continued to destroy the suits that surround it. The pilot inside, with a beaming smile on his face, claims, "This is Duo here! I've destroyed the main monitor! Now I just have to slice my way out of this battle!"
Elswhere at another base, a huge line of mobile suits continues to fire at the impending doom that is one upright, closing in mobile suit. The bullets and missiles explode all around the Gundam that walks forward, a red mobile suit with a giant gatling gun. It aims to gatling gun and sprays the line of mobile suits with bullets. "Now that you've seen me, I can't let you live!" the pilot says. "My mission was to destroy the spaceport....but now I'll destroy everything!" Suddenly, several compartments all over the red mobile suit opens up, shooting out countless missiles. The missiles almost completely eradicate the spaceport. "This is battle 001. Pilot's name: Trowa. For the record."
A regiment of Leo suits mill around the dunes of an endless desert. "You're sure the rebel capsule fell in this area?" one of the Leos asks.
"Yes, sir."
"But there's nothing here!"
Suddenly, hundreds of mobile suits rise from the sands, the lead one screaming, "Attack!!!" The suits of Maganac Corp charge forward, firing their rifles at the surprised and confused Leos. The commanding Leo and a subordinate escape the line of fire and slide down a dune, completely caught off guard and frightened. However, at the bottom of the hill a white Gundam stands waiting for it, with another line of Maganac soldiers behind it.
"Give up your weapons and surrender...and I'll spare your lives," the Gundam offers.
The two Leos back away, the commander screaming, "Fire! Fire!" The white Gundam charges forward, slicing the two Leos straight down the middle with two giant Shorters.
"Quatre reporting," the pilot says. "I've destroyed the leader." He pulls his goggles up onto his forehead. "I told you....you should have surrendered."
Explosions erupt all over a fleet of battleships. A mobile suit stands poised in the flames, its dragon-like arm extended. It steps back, pointing the dragon arm towards a tower on the ship. Suddenly, the arm shoots forward, destroying it. Two planes fly overhead, and the dragon arm shoots two columns of fire at them, destroying them. "My name's Wu Fei," the pilot says. "I'm not hiding anywhere. This battle will be over in practically notime."
Zechs' carrier flies over the ocean. "Haven't the search troops arrived yet?" the other pilot asks.
"They say they won't be here for two hours," Otto replies.
"What's taking them so long!?"
"Don't get so flustered," Zechs jumps in. "That Gundam's not gonna go anywhere. And don't forget it's quite deep here. It's natural that the Marina's search would take quite a long time to complete."
"But-"
"Why don't I show you something interesting?" Zechs says, getting up and showing two photographs that he's holding in his hands to the pilot. They show, from a bird's eye view, an exploding battleship, and then, on the second one, a mobile suit causing the battleship to explode.
"What's this?" the pilot asks.
"An Oz observation craft took these pictures. Don't you think it looks an awful lot like the one we saw?"
"You mean there are two of these things?"
"No, there appear to be even more than that. There are reports that a mobile suit factory held by Oz, a spaceport, and troops searching for a capsule much like ourselves came under attack and were completely annihilated."
"So there are four!?"
"Five alltogether, if you include the one we sank."
"Five of them!? There are five Gundams!?"
Zechs stands up and turns around. "Consider ourselves fortunate, because we made it out alive after an encounter with a Gundam."
A young girl in a school uniform walks up to a table of other girls, all wearing the same uniform as her. "I'm surprised Relena isn't here yet," she says.
"You can't blame her. She's been so busy. She just returned from her trip to outer space," another replies.
"I truly do envy her," another one says. "I'd love to take a trip to outer space, just one time!"
"I guess that what comes with being the richest girl in school, huh," another replies.
"Oh, yeah, that reminds me," says another as she sits down. "I think that its Relena's birthday tomorrow."
"You're right! I wonder who Relena's going to invite to her birthday party?"
Suddenly, Relena walks out to the balcony where everyone is having this conversation. People get up out of their chairs to greet her as she walks down, giving her compliments and salutations as she goes.
In a giant classroom, the students all await the arrival of their teachers. Finally, the giant doors swing open and a nun walks in, followed by a young boy.
Relena's eyes widen in wonder. "Hey!" she exclaims silently, to herself. "That's him!"
"Quiet please! I'd like to introduce you to a new student to our class," the teacher says.
The boy stands with his hands behind his back. "My name is Hiiro Yuy," he says. "It's a pleasure."
Relena watches intently. I'm sure that's him, she thinks.
"Take the seat beside Relena," the teacher says. "Feel free to ask her any questions you have."
Hiiro walks up and sets in the desk next to Relena. Relena attempts conversation. "Nice to meet you, Hiiro," she says gregariously. But, Hiiro just sits there, his eyes shut, and doesn't respond.
After class, Hiiro is up on a balcony, sitting and enjoying a breeze. Relena and her little entourage appear. "Excuse me, Relena?" one of her friends attempts, but Relena ignores her and walks towards Hiiro.
She extends her hand, holding an envelope, to Hiiro. "Here you go." He takes it and studies it. "It's an invitation to my birthday party. I hope you'll be able to make it to the party," she explains. Her little troop of friends appluads the Kodak moment.
She smiles as Hiiro rises the envelope up level with her face.
Then, he tears it in two.
The clapping stops.
A gust of wind carries the two halves of the envelopes away. Relena watches them go, her hand trembling. "But....but, why?" she asks as tears form in her eyes. Hiiro's hand comes up and wipes the tears away. Suddenly, her face brightens up again and she smiles as he walks next to her so that their heads are close together.
Then, he stops. "I'll kill you."
Hiiro walks off, leaving a confused, startled, and very frightened Relena.
Next
Time
The
Alliance's Marina has sent out troops to find the sunken Gundam.
But Oz's Zechs was the first to find the Gundam, using the Cancer
mobile suit. Hiiro must destroy the Gundam before anyone gets
their hands on it. But, in the dark ocean depths, another Gundam
shadow appears...Next, on Gundam Wing, Episode Two - The Gundam
Deathscythe.
Written by PJ