Mobile Suit Wars: Starting with Gundam OO

At the military exercise area near the AEU orbital elevator, numerous Vulcan Cannons were wildly firing shells, while a green MS darted back and forth amidst the barrage, its right hand Linear Rifle continuously firing, calling out the designated targets one by one.

"Oh~" The invited guests in the audience exclaimed in admiration of the MS's outstanding performance.

Billy Katagiri, although one of the spectators, appeared calm and composed, as if everything was under control.

"Is that the MS [Union Flag Custom], AEU's first solar-compatible unit?"

"AEU is lagging behind in the development of the orbital elevator, so they must be trying to regain some ground with their MS, right?"

"Hey, is it really okay for you to be here? The ace of the Mobile Suit Weapon Assault Division is just hanging around." Billy Katagiri teased Graham, expressing concern with his words, but his expression showed no worry at all. If Graham hadn't snuck over, he wouldn't be Graham Aker.

"Of course, there's a problem."

"Hehe."

Faced with Graham's assertiveness, Billy Katagiri smiled and changed the subject to [Ahead]: "But speaking of which, AEU is quite ambitious, choosing the day of the Human Reform League's tenth anniversary to hold a press conference." Billy Katagiri remarked.

"Hehe, to tell a joke, I really want to know if the AEU military's brains have been caught in the door. That person has left quite a lot of good things in the Human Reform League, and in terms of MS technology, they have far surpassed UNION and AEU. Provoking the Human Reform League in the field of MS is just asking for trouble." Graham chuckled.

"Not even the [Flag] can compete?" Billy Katagiri asked with a laugh.

"Ugh~ Although it's frustrating, that guy really has a knack for MS design, but… you're still here, right?" Graham said seriously, looking at Billy Katagiri.

"Don't have such high expectations of me." Billy Katagiri smiled wryly. Although he was reluctant, in terms of MS design, Yang Hui had indeed surpassed him by a lot. Back when he was just a student, he could only do simple adjustments to MS, while Yang Hui had already led the Human Reform League's MS to the forefront of the world.

"Haha, actually, you don't need to feel discouraged, Billy. Among normal people, you're already quite excellent." Graham comforted, patting Billy Katagiri on the shoulder.

"He's not an ordinary person?" Billy Katagiri raised an eyebrow.

"Have you ever seen an ordinary person who can design MS and is also an ace pilot?"

Billy: "…"

You make a good point; I have nothing to say.

"But back to the topic, what do you think of AEU's MS?" Graham smiled and asked.

"What's there to see? Isn't it just an inferior copy of the [Flag]? Aside from a somewhat unique design, is there really a bigger difference from the [Flag]?" Billy Katagiri commented disdainfully.

"An inferior knockoff, truly that guy's style." Graham nodded in agreement.

"Hey! Over there! I heard that!"

Suddenly, the communication from [Ahead] was broadcasted, interrupting their conversation.

The cockpit opened, and the pilot stepped out, arrogantly shouting at Billy Katagiri and Graham, "What were you just saying? Answer me! Hey!"

"Looks like the audio performance is quite good." Graham said confidently, while Billy Katagiri felt a bit embarrassed, having been caught badmouthing.

At that moment, Billy Katagiri glanced at the time and then at the sky, noticing a barely perceptible light spot rapidly descending.

"It's starting."

"What?" Graham, hearing his friend's muttering, looked at Billy Katagiri in confusion.

...

"240082, Gundam Exia has observed the target location, GN Particles will be dispersed upon reaching the target."

Setsuna reported the situation, and the screen zoomed in on the center of the exercise area where [Ahead] was located.

"Target confirmed, according to plan, the first phase of the mission begins."

...

As the altitude decreased, Gundam Exia was also detected by AEU, which notified the test pilot on site.

"Huh? An unidentified unit? Why now of all times…"

"Zzz~"

The signal was interrupted, and the harsh noise forced him to cut off communications. He looked up and saw Gundam Exia descending to a height visible to the naked eye.

"It's here!"

Although Billy Katagiri already knew all the plans in advance, he couldn't help but feel nervous. The first step of world reform would begin here.

Graham also noticed the issue. Spectators from other countries suspected that the Gundam Exia descending from the sky was another MS prepared by AEU for display, but he didn't think so. The appearance and armament had no similarities, and there were special light points emanating from its back.

Gundam Exia landed opposite [Ahead], standing still and facing it.

"Hey, hey, which side are you from? UNION? Or Human Reform League? Well~ no matter which side you're from, you're trespassing on private territory now. Don't think you can go back safely!"

The test pilot returned to the cockpit, controlling [Ahead] to draw the Sonic Blade and charged at Gundam Exia.

"Remember my name! AEU's Patrick Colasour, add a line to my achievements!"

[Ahead] closed in, the Sonic Blade in hand almost piercing Gundam Exia's armor.

At that moment, Gundam Exia's eyes… lit up!

"Gundam Exia, begin target expulsion."

The right hand GN Sword ejected, and a silver flash passed by, sending the hand holding the Sonic Blade from [Ahead] flying into the sky.

"What!?"

Whether it was Patrick in [Ahead], the command room at the exercise site, or the spectators who hadn't had time to escape, they all gasped in shock.

Gundam Exia's movements were too fast, visibly more than twice the speed of [Ahead]. This was no mass-produced MS, but a prototype for demonstration, and it was a new type of MS, yet it had created such a huge performance gap with an unidentified MS.

Patrick was completely stunned, his frantic shots all dodged by Gundam Exia, while the GN Sword in both hands swung continuously, quickly turning [Ahead] into scrap.

"Gundam Exia… such terrifying performance… that guy really wasn't joking." Billy Katagiri didn't even realize he was getting a bit too excited.

But it was understandable; seeing the data and witnessing Gundam in person was a completely different experience.

Whether it was pilots or MS researchers, upon seeing Gundam, their hearts would definitely burn with passion.

What Billy Katagiri hadn't noticed was that his muttering had been overheard by Graham, who had seen through his unusual excitement.

"Billy."

"What's up?"

At Graham's call, Billy Katagiri snapped out of his excitement, but seeing Graham's serious expression filled with questions, he knew he had messed up.

"I think we need to have a serious talk." Graham said.

"Isn't it unnecessary?"

"No, it's very necessary."

...

"Gundam Exia, first phase complete, transitioning to the second phase." As scheduled, Gundam Exia took off from its position and flew towards the AEU orbital elevator, while the subsequent launching [GN-X] could only eat dust behind it.

Upon reaching the AEU orbital elevator, as Gundam Exia slowed down, not only did the pursuers finally catch up, but the MS units that AEU had been hiding in the orbital elevator also moved out.

"Sure enough, AEU has hidden an army exceeding the treaty limits within the pillar."

Setsuna dodged enemy fire while looking for opportunities to shoot down opponents, but unfortunately, he wasn't very skilled in aerial combat. The two GN Swords had too clearly exposed Gundam Exia's area of expertise, and the AEU's [GN-X] squads continuously surrounded Gundam Exia, not giving him a chance to get close. Although the thickness of Gundam Exia's armor surprised them, they believed that as long as they could continue to hold him off, they would definitely be able to shoot down or even capture Gundam Exia.

But… with only Gundam Exia alone.

Two pink beams shot up from the ground, piercing through the clouds, and two [GN-X] were directly shot down.

The sudden change threw AEU's formation into chaos, giving Gundam Exia the opportunity to quickly shoot down three squads of [GN-X] with the sniping support of Gundam Dynames and Gundam Cherudim on the ground.

"Second phase…"

"...complete."

"Ah, so boring, Neil." Lyle complained.

"Well~ don't say that, Lyle. This is just the first mission; the opponent doesn't even know our level. It's normal for them not to take it seriously. Besides, our goal has been achieved, hasn't it?" Lockon reassured the somewhat impatient Lyle.

"True, but…"

...

Ptolemaios was currently hiding in a cosmic orbit, and although they had been training continuously, executing a mission was still different. Everyone on Ptolemaios appeared somewhat tense, except for Sumeragi, who looked relaxed and was sipping a drink.

"Huh? Miss Sumeragi, you're actually drinking!"

"Is that true!?"

"What does it matter? I'm just formulating the operational plan; you all are the executors."

"If only Myer were here, he could keep an eye on Miss Sumeragi."

"Let's skip that; if he were here, the drunkard count would just double."

While everyone chatted idly, they didn't stop their work. The launch decks opened simultaneously, revealing the ready-to-launch Gundam Kyrios and Gundam Virtue.

"Third phase plan begins, Gundam Kyrios, Gundam Virtue, you may launch."

"Understood, Gundam Kyrios, begin pursuit of the target."

"Gundam Virtue, commence bombardment of the target."

The voltage of the electromagnetic catapult rose to full value, and the two Gundams were launched. The fastest Gundam Kyrios took the lead, while Gundam Virtue, though a heavy firepower MS, wasn't slow at all, closely following Gundam Kyrios.

"Go, Gundam Meisters, make a grand debut for [Celestial Being] and cause a ruckus." Sumeragi murmured, watching the rapidly shrinking figures of Gundam Kyrios and Gundam Virtue.

(End of Chapter)