Gundam 00P

Gundam 00P volume 1
Translation

This is meant to be read alongside the RAWs (they have illustrations inside). The numbers correspond to the RAW page numbers. The RAWs are found here http://pastebin.com/zDqTp4hj
Big thanks to Delta for proofreading and editing this translation.
-Nozaku

Current Table of Contents
Prologue
File No.1 Gundam Astraea
File No.2 Gundam Meister 874
File No.3 - Astraea Weapons
File No.4 Gundam Plutone
File No.5 Crisis of Krung Thep
File No.6 Ground Battle
File No.7 Ian Vashti

Page 5
File No.1 Gundam Astraea
Celestial Being Gundam Meisters. In order to realize the ideal of eradicating war, they poured their hearts into developing the Gundams. This took place 15 years before Celestial Being made itself known to the world...
–
6
File No. 5 Crisis of Krung Thep
Gundam Meister 874 sorties in the Sadalsuud in order to gather more intelligence on the vessel approaching Krung Thep. Ruido also equips the Astraea with the Double GN Launcher in preparation of combat and sorties.
–
8
File No. 8 Joyce Moreno
Marlene's Gundam, Abulhool, reaches completion. But during tests, Marlene gets into a fight with a squadron of Hellions. She almost perishes but is then saved by Moreno of the organization Doctors Without Borders.
–
10
File No. 10 Chall Acustica
Despite catching wind of a large-scale terrorist attack on the Human Reform League's orbital elevator, Veda decides not to intervene. However, Chall went against this decision and her actions caused great tragedy.
–
13
File No. 10 Chall Acustica
“Gundam” is a mobile weapon created in order to realize Aeolia Schenberg's dream of permanent peace. The second generation four units are complete. From here on, development will focus on actual combat for the third generation.
–
14
Ruido Resonance
Meister of Gundam Astraea. 25 year old male (as of year 2292). Even as an engineer, he is very skilled and is thus taking part in the Gundams' development. He is also a better pilot than most, but is not too sure about “fighting another human being.”
–
Chall Acustica
Meister of Gundam Plutone. 16 year old female (as of year 2292). Despite her young age, she was highly regarded for her talents by Veda and was made a Gundam Meister. She is struggling with the contradiction between the high ideal of “eradicating wars through violence” and the reality of the world around her.
–
15
Marlene Vlady
Meister of Gundam Abulhool. 25 year old female (as of year 2292). Originally a criminal, she is always kept confined except during Gundam tests. She refers to herself as a part of the Gundam's components. She is an extremely skilled pilot, but shows many problems with her way of thinking.
–
Gundam Meister 874
Meister of Gundam Sadalsuud. She has the appearance of a 15 year-old girl but her actual age is unknown. Even her name, 874, is a code number, and she only ever communicates with other members via a monitor screen.
–
16
Ian Vashti
Celestial Being's leading technician. 37 year-old male (as of year 2292). Originally a leading technician for the AEU. In this computerized world, he is a master at his craft and has superb insight, allowing him to create unique robotics.
–
Joyce Moreno
Celestial Being's supervising physician. 28 year-old male (as of year 2292). He was practicing medicine with the organization Doctors Without Borders when he joined Celestial Being together with Ian Vashti. It seems that they were old friends from before.
–
17
Gundam Astraea
Test bed for “GN-001 Gundam Exia.” This is a high-utility unit meant to test a variety of equipment, unlike Exia, which is specially made for MS close-combat.
–
18
Gundam Sadalsuud
Test bed for “GN-002 Gundam Dynames.” Its biggest feature is that its sensor functions were increased to the utmost limit, and the large shield on the left shoulder doubles as a composite sensor bed. It is also designed for underwater use and is much more water resistant compared to the other units.
–
20
1st Season Prologue

	Though it was made to appear like an old-fashioned building, the massive complex was actually a modern undertaking. This facility had the look of a library or museum and was called the “Union Human History Research Center.”
	Even under the cover of night, there were many rooms illuminated by gleaming light.
	“Hey there, Grave. Pulling an all-nighter again?”
	Many documents were carefully arranged in this room. In this digital age, it was very rare to see so many paper-made photographs, books and the like. All in a single room. And yet, the room was incredibly organized. Everything was in its proper place.
	This was a reflection of the tenant's personality, a man named Grave.
	Grave seemed to know exactly where everything was located, and he continued organizing his materials with a fluid elegance.
	“What, are you deaf?”
	This man, a coworker apparently, spoke up once more.
	“Sorry. I can hear you just fine.”
	Grave's hands paused as he looked up from his paperwork.
	At the same time, his black hair shifted slightly. His hair was very long, uncommon on a man.

21
	Grave raised his head to reveal a pair of dark-lensed glasses, behind which gleamed the eyes of an intellectual.
	His face gave off an androgynous impression. However, one could see the muscular features of his tense body, hiding behind a mountain of papers.
	“Sorry, I was just about done organizing everything. If I lose my focus now, it'll take me a while to get back into the flow of things. Forgive my selfishness.”
	Grave looked straight at the other man and earnestly apologized. Few people sincerely ask for forgiveness like this over such trivial matters.
	“Old habits die hard, eh.”
	The other man forgave Grave with a laugh. He knew very well that Grave meant no offense. It was his own fault for striking up a conversation while Grave was focused on his work.
	“Still, you always have a ton of papers and stuff in here.”
	“I'm researching history. Piles of old documents are quite unavoidable.”
	“But even for the old stuff, aren't there digital copies?”
	“During the process of digitalization, some of the essential parts of the documents may be left out. I don't want that.”
	“Of course you don't.”
	“Speaking of which, was there something you needed?”
	“Not really, I'm just done for the day. Just wanted to see if I could pull you away long enough to get a bite to eat. But by the looks of things, probably not huh? You're probably just going to get right into finalizing your report once you're done organizing. Ah well, maybe next time.”
	“Sorry, I can't join you. I'd like to finalize this African territories report by the end of the day.”
	The man held no hard feelings after being turned down. Grave was not two-faced and never lied. And he always explained things as they really were, never using them as an excuse.
	In romance, such honesty might paint him as a “boring guy,” but as a coworker, simple and easy-to-understand was the way to go.

22
	The truth was, one might think this was how human interaction ought to be.
	“I know how much you like this kind of job.”
	He dared not tell him “good luck.” He knew that Grave was always giving it his all. Grave's coworker thought for a moment and said the following.
	“Don't overdo it.”
	“Yeah.”
	“Well then, I'm off.”
	“Enjoy your evening.”
	When the man left, Grave returned his gaze back to his documents. And continued rearranging everything.
	This “Union Human History Research Center” where Grave worked was a civilian facility, but as suggested by its name, the Union financed its establishment. The intent was to unify the Earth under one “human sphere.” To this end, the center was pushing forward a project to unify under one large label the histories of all the peoples of the world scattered across the Earth.
	All this work was done principally by the U.S.A., which doesn't have so long a history compared to other nations. The U.S. had an underlying motivation of being able to take pride in their own “long and old history” by sharing in the histories of the rest of the world. This is associated with the idea that  “the whole world is connected,” and the Union, who safeguarded the world and intervened in conflicts, saw great virtue in this.
	Of course, none of these idealistic desires had anything to do with Grave. As the man from before pointed out, Grave loved this job. It wasn't just history; he was simply infatuated with anything pertaining to humanity.
	He didn't know why it was so, but he had been like this as long as he could remember.
	“There may not even be a reason...”
	With his newly-arranged materials, he now focused his efforts on writing this report.

23
Snap!

	It happened suddenly.
	Something like an electrical current zapped through his head. There was no pain. There was no sense of discomfort either.
	Only, a tiny hole had bored into his head by this current, and through it, a soft voice began to talk.
	“Registration number 07362-AW641, human name Grave Violento. Proceed to new mission. Corresponding data downloading... 90% complete. Maintaining connection...”
	A few seconds passed.
	And Grave realized he wasn't human.
	“An Inovade, is what I am. Created to study and comprehend humans on Veda's behalf... And from here on, I must gather humans for Celestial Being. Humans that will carry out armed intervention, as Gundam Meisters...”
	Grave grasped the meaning of his existence in an instant and rose to follow his new orders.
	“...”
	He thought for a few moments and sat back down. He then returned to the report he had just started.
	All the materials were now in order, so the report would not take that long to complete. Though he had a new mission now, abandoning the report as it was would cause trouble for the remaining staff.
	“Just a little more...”
	It was the most fun Grave had ever had on the job as he worked on until morning, at which point, he bid farewell to this assignment forever.
	The following morning, the next person who visited Grave's office found a neatly organized room and an expertly written report on his desk.

* * * *
24
	About 200 years ago, there was a man that dreamt of permanent world peace.  His name was Aeolia Schenberg.
	He was a superb scientist and he knew that his dream was “possible.” He knew just as well that it would take an outrageous amount of time...
	His only worry was that humanity's folly would bring about its own demise before Schenberg's dream could be realized.
	Aeolia Schenberg gathered colleagues of a similar mind, and together, in order to help make this dream a reality, they embarked on a certain project. Built into the foundation was an entity that inherited their very wills.
	“Veda.”
	The name of this quantum processing system meant “Knowledge.” It was an enormous computer, one that consisted of networks that encompassed the entire globe.
	Because it was not flesh and bone, Veda never slept, never stopped working towards realizing Aeolia's dream. It only silently endeavored to fulfill the objective it was given.
	Veda, as the name's meaning implied, was an “Intelligence,” but was entirely different from a human being. Because of this, it didn't comprehend humans at all, the very element it was meant to protect.
	Aeolia and his colleagues, in order to lend Veda a hand, produced artificial beings made with human DNA as the base. This DNA was provided by Aeolia's fellow scientists.
	These artificial beings would live in society posing as humans, would learn “what are human beings?” and continuously upload that information to Veda via quantum transmission.
	They were called “Inovades,” which meant they were imitations of “Innovators,” which were thought to be the coming evolution of humanity. The former also imitated the abilities of the latter.
	Many of these Inovades lived day-to-day not ever realizing they were not human. Only a handful were aware that they were not human beings, and were actively carrying out sensitive tasks handed down by Veda.

25
They were given abilities surpassing those of regular humans and were the closest thing there was to an actual Innovator.
	Grave was one of those kept unaware until that moment, and now he was given a new mission. There were not many of his kind.
	“So I was to function in human society to experience human interaction to understand people to the degree necessary to be able to recruit out personnel...?” Having grasped everything now, Grave calmly analyzed his current situation.
	Veda was preparing the mobile weapons called Gundams, an important element in the plan for armed intervention in conflicts.
	Additionally, there was the private arms organization and the Gundams that they possessed. These very Gundam would later leave a tremendous impact upon the world. To fight back against these, the world would unite as one. This world union would of course make for a formidable opponent.
	The Gundam pilots that would bear the brunt of this opposition, called Gundam Meisters, had to be sympathetic to the organization's ideals, and on top of that be in peak physical condition.
	Searching out potential Gundam Meisters was the task given to Grave. First, he had to choose a Meister to take charge of development. Among these, there would even be Meisters that would also partake in actual armed intervention.
	“They will fight on for the world, though the world becomes their enemy...”
	Though the conditions were very strict, Grave imagined himself an ideal candidate.
	Veda had already prepared an enormous list of potential candidates before hand, but that was not an issue. He would carefully examine each and every one and then meet each such candidate in person to be certain of their qualifications. Finally, he would submit his final assessments to Veda.
	“Make decisions after examining the materials myself in person.” This was how he had conducted his work up until now, and this was not likely change from here on either.

* * * *

26
	The first potential candidate was locked up in prison. She was a woman on death row for committing mass murder.
	Normally, anybody in that situation would never be considered. However, Grave judged that “She possesses enough of the qualities.” Of course, Veda also agreed.
	Through Veda, Grave was able to slip her onto the schedule for visitation. Before any final decision could be reached, he absolutely had to meet her face-to-face.
	Veda was able to easily invade any and all systems and modify the data. Thus, scheduling a visit with this woman was a breeze.
	“Here comes the hard part.”
	The only snag was that she had refused all prior visits to her. She had come to terms with her coming execution and even refused a lawyer.
	“And she'd also refused the clergy...”
	She had been responsible for countless deaths and was facing her own death head-on, but still wanted no part with religion it seemed. Grave saw this as an advantage. He wasn't really speaking against religion itself here. It was only that he sensed based on her personality that she was a “realist.” If such an individual was told that they could “change the world,” they were likely to respond favorably.
	“Either way, I wonder why she's on death row?”
	Grave had not been able to discover the reason for her especially harsh sentence. He imagined it might even be quite absurd.
	If he was successful in recruiting her as a Meister, she would be able to avoid the death sentence, even if it was only for a short while. That would be the best outcome, he thought.
	Grave sent this woman a letter. This letter would be integral to being able to meet with her. The letter was brief. All he wrote was “eradicate all tragedy.”

27
	Finally, the day had come. Grave had been waiting in the visitation room at the prison when the female candidate appeared in front of him. A reinforced glass window kept them apart, but at least they could talk face-to-face.
	The woman sat down in a chair and was the first to speak.
	“So, what exactly did you mean by that?” She was of course talking about Grave's letter.
	“Exactly what was written. If you so wish, you can dedicate your life for 'that'.”
	The woman considered for a moment.
	“...Let's hear it.”
	At that moment, Grave was confident she would join.
	Grave told her about the organization called Celestial Being and that they wished to enlist her as a test pilot for a series of mobile weapons called “Gundams.”
	Everything said in the visitation room was being recorded, but that was being altered by Veda on the fly. Even the fact that Grave came for visitation would not be left in the records.
	Through the course of their conversation, Grave found that the woman before him was actually a very kind person, to the point of being a liability. It was even possible she might betray the organization itself out of that kindness.
	This was a truth that he uncovered only after meeting her in person.
	The instant Grave figured this out, Veda would also know. Veda would very likely undertake some measure prevent this betrayal. It was unavoidable.
	Right now, recruiting her would also save her life. Grave hoped from the bottom of his heart that recruiting her would prove to be a benefit to her in the end.
	Having concluded his explanation, Grave asked the woman seated before him for her final decision.
	“Sure, if tragedy is something I can really stop.”

28
	Grave felt a great conviction behind her words. And thus, Marlene Vlady joined the ranks of Celestial Being.

* * * *

	The next candidate Grave met with was a man who didn't just possess the skills needed of a Meister, but also was a talented mechanic.
	Veda was developing the Gundams using the latest scientific know-how pilfered from worldwide networks, as well as its own technology that was ahead by a few hundred years. At the same time, Veda had taken initiative and acquired various engineers from each respective generation. The organization's creator, Aeolia, seemed to dislike the idea of leaving everything to Veda's hands. He wanted there to always be a human presence in Celestial Being. Even if this wasn't quite as efficient, it had been decided that the organization would be run in this fashion.
	This man was well-known for his contributions in the development of utility-use work loaders. The AEU had once tried to recruit him for mobile suit development, as they had been seeking talented individuals to help develop new model weapons at the time.
	But, he shook his head in refusal.
	“These kinda weapons only breed conflict. That's not for me...” he smiled awkwardly whilst turning down their offer.
	Grave had been able to watch a security video of this encounter as Veda had previously downloaded this footage.
	The man spoke while smiling in an apologetic manner. Though he wasn't particularly attractive, he possessed a certain down-to-earth charm. Grave was able to comprehend this, but Veda could not.
	Grave was about to propose to him the very same job that he'd rejected before, weapons development. That the man would reject Grave's offer was the logical outcome. However, Grave had an ace up his sleeve. To aid in recruiting this man, he had prepared one particular photograph.

	Grave scheduled an appointment and made plans to meet this man himself at the factory where he worked. With Veda's help, setting up a meeting was just as easy this time as well.

29
	“So you're the one who wanted to see me, yeah?”
	“My apologies for pulling you away from your work. But, I promise this will be worth your time.”
	“Either way, how were you able to squeeze yourself into my schedule?”
	For a moment, Grave couldn't figure out how to respond.
	“Don't sweat it, No need to explain. You used some kinda trick right?”
	“Why would you say that?”
	“To be honest, I was doing my best to avoid this whole meeting thing. The whole affair just seemed kinda troublesome, y'know? Anyway, I had put down “priority business” on my schedule as an excuse, but every one of those things ended up falling through. The sales talks went south and all my flights were canceled across the board. No way that was all just a coincidence.”
	“I see.”
	It seemed that Veda had overdone it. He couldn't quite put the blame on Veda though. A typical person wouldn't even consider that a third party had intervened like this. A scant few might suspect, but usually this kind of situation was just impossible, and a coincidence would be the most likely culprit.
	The man in front of him was very perceptive, on account of being so full of passion and possessing the technological insight of a skilled mechanic. In the end, recruiting him was a smart move.
	“You assume correctly.”
	“Thought so. But, how'd you pull it off anyway?”
	“I can't answer that right now. Once I finish stating my business here, I might tell you.”
	“Okay, I'm all ears.”
	 “First, have a look at this.” Grave showed the man the photo that he had prepared in advance.
	Instantly, the look in the man's eyes had changed.
	“Just what is this?!”
	Even though he'd asked, the mechanic had already figured out the answer.
	“It's a new model-. No. It's something more. A mobile suit of the future?”

30
	The photograph that Grave showed him was one of the organization's top secrets, the 0 Gundam. Grave explained to him about the Gundams and their use in armed intervention.
	“So, what do you say?” Grave asked him.
	“I'm on board for sure. If it's for the purpose of stopping wars. I'll even pilot it and all that. Besides, that means I'll be able to tinker with a machine like that!”
	The man sealed the deal with a smile.
	Seeing the man's demeanor brightened up Grave's mood as well. The man had the ability and the charm to influence the feelings of others.
	Recruiting this man, Ruido Resonance, became a point of pride for Grave.

* * * *
	This girl had come in second place in a work loader piloting competition. And her achievements in high school were top-notch.
	Construction of the space elevators was gaining steam and her piloting skills were highly regarded. Firstly, as a pilot of a work loader, which were indispensable on the construction site. And secondly, as a mobile suit pilot for the defense (and possibly the destruction) of the space elevators.
	However, she was never recruited by anyone.
	Humans have a tendency to ignore individual abilities and see people in black-and-white. Because of this, the winner of the competition received countless offers while she as the runner-up was ignored.
	On the other hand, Veda was not like humans. Veda analyzed her abilities and judged that she had enough of the necessary qualities to fulfill the role of a Gundam Meister. Grave happened to agree with Veda.
	Grave glanced over his files and apparently, the unit that she had used up until the competition had been prohibited, due to an on-the-spot rule change. She was made to pilot a unit she was unaccustomed to for the competition.

31
	The unit that she had been using was the Xiaoshou, a space-use utility mobile armor developed by the Human Reform League. This unit was sometimes used as a military weapon, and thus went against some of the competition regulations. The reason that the rules were changed right before the competition was because of aggressive petitioning on the part of her rival.
	Grave made contact with her as she was returning from school.
	“He-hello, how can I help you?”
	Chall had a gleam in her eyes. Clearly, her emotions were running high. But just what kind of emotions, Grave couldn't determine.
	Though Grave had lived a long time among humans, he seldom had opportunities to initiate conversation with young girls.
	Grave hesitated. He tried to be straightforward and let his thoughts be known.
	“I can't help but get a curious feeling as I'm looking at your facial expression...”
	“I understand. I'm the same way!”
	The girl explained that feeling was “love.”
	Love? Towards her? Impossible.
	Immediately, using his quantum brain waves, Grave searched through Veda any other possible meanings for the word “love.” He found a few possible meanings, but none corresponded to his current state of mind.
	Oh well. Recruiting her was the more pressing matter.
	At that point, Grave invited her to sit down at a nearby coffee shop so he could explain the organization to her.
	“Thank you! It'll be my pleasure!” This innocent girl that talked of love smiled ear-to-ear in response.
	As soon as Grave began his explanation inside the coffee shop, even this energetic young girl put on a serious face. She listened to Grave intently and gave her answer after giving it a few moments of thought.
	“I accept.”
	This very moment forever changed the fate of the young girl named Chall Acustica.




File No. 1 Gundam Astraea

page 32
	“Eradicate wars through armed intervention.” This is the oxymoron idea held by the paramilitary organization Celestial Being, the very entity that would fight as the enemy of the world and also bring about a great revolution.
	However, the world does not yet not know of their existence. A period of time must still pass before their name is engraved into the minds of the populace.
	It is 2292 A.D. Before Celestial Being casts the world into the storm of the century, before they show their faces before the masses, 15 years must come to pass.

* * * *

	In the heart of the colony, in the zero-gravity block near the airlock, stood a young man and an even younger girl. These two have just met and saw each others' faces for the first time. Before, they had only been informed of each others' name and age and nothing else.
	(So this little girl is Chall Acustica...)
	This girl standing before Ruido looked overwhelmed by anxiety and her big eyes looked ready to tear up.
	(Can't blame her.)
–
33
	She had become a member of a secret paramilitary organization at the mere age of 16.
	According to the documents Ruido had glossed over earlier, she had left quite a good impression at a workloader competition during her time at school. Without a doubt, the computer that governs the organization, Veda, had set its sights on her skills. And if one looked close enough, even in the zero-gravity block, she was able to control her body and stand firmly in place. This was something that seemed easy on the surface but was actually very difficult. That was how professionals, people who have trained for a long time in space, carried themselves.
	“Welcome to Celestial Being.”
	Ruido extended his hand out slowly so as not to startle her.
	“Thank you.”
	Chall shook his hand without a moment's hesitation. Her grip was stronger than he had expected.
	(She'll do just fine.)
	Ruido was sure of that. Surely Veda had chosen her based on criteria other than mere skill. He himself was chosen in such a way. And now, he was hard at work as part of this organization. He was nobody special in particular, and yet he was able to do his work just fine. There was no reason the girl in front of him couldn't do the same.
	(That's right. Even then...)
	The man who saw that in him, the very agent who had scouted him into the organization, had confidently told him so. “You'll do just fine.” Just like that man believed in me, I should believe in this girl.
	“My name is Ruido Resonance. I'm a Celestial Being Gundam Meister.”
	“A Gundam... Meister.”
	“Yeah. From now on, you are a Gundam Meister too.”
	“Ok!”
	For the first time, a smile appeared on Chall's face.

* * * *

	Krung Thep. That was the name of a certain space colony situated in Lagrange 3. It meant “City of Angels” in the Thai language. The facility has been built by Celestial Being for the purpose of developing the mobile weapon “Gundam.”
–
34
	With its one kilometer-wide, five hundred meter-long structure with a cylindrical residential sector at its core, the colony had a giant umbrella-shaped mirror at its tip. It was barely large enough to accommodate daily life, but in a period where expansion into space was not yet in its prime, it was adequately sized as a “transitional” model. Of course, it went without saying that it also housed adequate facilities for the Gundams' development.
	Currently, one can count the existing space colonies on their fingers. The Union possesses the most colonies and they also beat the other alliances to the punch when they towed a resource-asteroid to Lagrange 1 and started constructing more colonies. Lagrange 1 is between the Earth and the Moon and is extremely convenient compared to other locations. It is prime real estate in space.
	On the flip side, Lagrange 3, where Krung Thep was located, was the furthest from the moon and thus, no other colonies existed there. That meant no neighbors. These conditions were ideal for a “secret organization's base.”
	One day, the space elevators that are now under construction will be finished, space development will pick up steam, and conditions will likely change.
	The space elevators.
	They are not just to simplify space development, but also to realize humanity's longtime dream of limitless energy in the form of solar power. However, ironically this answer to humanity's dream became the spark of another conflict. The "Solar Wars" occurred due to the rift between the proponents of the space elevators and those opposed to them. This miracle system would widen the disparity between those in possession of an elevator and those without. The Union, Human Reform League and the UAE all carried out construction of the elevators. And these enormous alliances expanded even further. On the other hand, the countries of the Middle East were experiencing economic disaster due to fossil fuel reserves drying up. Such were not set to benefit from the elevators.
	Therefore, a conflict flared up.
	Humanity is still fighting among itself. And so it has for much of history.  The only ones who can stop this are none other than Aeolia Schenberg's Celestial Being and the Gundams. For the permanent eradication of war, there isn't any time to lose in developing the Gundams.
–
35	–
	The Gundam Meister Ruido Resonance was another such follower of Aeolia's ideals. That was why he answered Veda's call. He chose the path of becoming a Gundam Meister. All for eradicating war...

* * * *

	“This is 2nd Generation Gundam Unit 1, GNY-001Astraea.”
	Ruido took Chall first to the production plant sector of Krung Thep. He wanted to show her the Gundam before anything else. He thought that she would be inspired and invigorated by seeing the Gundam, like he was when he first came.
	“This is...a Gundam...”
	In the direction Ruido was pointing stood a white-colored mobile suit. It was different from the unrefined units of the Human Reform League, as well as the slender Union and AEU units. Chall got the impression that it was much more like a human. In the center of the unit was a circular part and stowed inside was what made a Gundam what it was, the GN Drive.
	“Astraea...”
	Chall let the name roll off her tongue. Strangely, the name felt too pleasant to belong to a weapon.
	“You like it? That's the name of the goddess of justice. I'm sure you've seen the woman drawn on the “Justice” tarot card before. She's holding a sword in her right hand and scales in her left.”
	Chall nodded silently. She couldn't take her eyes off of Astraea. Noticing this, Ruido muttered “That's good” and continued his explanation.
	“I don't know who chose to name them in this way, but the other second-generation Gundams are also named after Tarot cards.”
	Chall swung her head in Ruido's direction, wide-eyed and mouth agape.
	“Do you really mean to say that there'll be 22 more Gundams?!”
–

36
	“Huh?”
	Ruido didn't understand what Chall was talking about at first.
	“I mean, there are a total of 22 Tarot cards...”
	“Ah, hahaha!”
	Ruido couldn't help but laugh. Chall started to look embarrassed.
	Twenty two Gundams to match each of the Tarot cards. What an imagination. If they really did have that much firepower, achieving their ideals would be that much easier, and it might even be reasonable to assume they will end up with that much. However...
	“Oh no no, it's not like that. But besides this one, there is the completed first-generation unit 0 Gundam. Including that one, there still are only two units. Even the second-generation Gundams that are scheduled to be assembled number less than ten. Moreover, we only have five of the GN Drives anyway.”
	“... I see.”
	This organization was the sole proprietor of the GN Drives, which are engine units for mobile weapons. It can generate the GN particle, a type of light particle, out of nothing. It accomplishes the perpetual motion principle that is impossible in contemporary science and technology. It also not only provides power to the unit, but it also enables the use of beam weaponry.
	For something so powerful, its production numbers are extremely few. Thus, the organization was more worried about an enemy stealing a drive than improving their weaponry. If this technology was leaked, all the conflicts around the world would only become more violent.
	“Sorry to get your hopes up. But “Astraea” is a good name, right? We're working to eradicate all conflicts from the world through force. I know how much of a contradiction that is. So, at the very least, this Gundam was probably named this way to have justice on our side.”
	“That might be.”
	At Ruido's words, Chall cracked a smile. But behind that facial expression, Ruido sensed that she was feeling depressed.
–
37
	(That's natural, I guess... After all, she had just joined a crazy organization that plans to take on the whole world with just a few Gundams. The Gundams really are awesome and powerful, but at the same time, they require a lot of responsibility, and there will be many enemies.)
	Once again, Ruido himself was reminded of this troubling situation. It really is a scary proposition in any case, and dwelling too much on it makes you feel really depressed...
	“Oh right, let me show you to the other Gundam Meister's place.”
	We have friends. No reinforcements of any kind can dispel depressing feelings like friends. Ruido also added that this person was a woman.

* * * *

	That woman was clearly not a normal person. Well, that was putting things lightly. Bluntly put, she was “abnormal.”
	Her outward appearance was attractive. The expression on her comely face showed her to have a strong will and high intelligence. However, the position the woman was in cancelled all of that out. She was in a cell with thick metal bars and was even wearing large handcuffs.
	To top it all off, she was wearing a collar on her neck. No chain was attached to it but there were lights flickering on and off. One could tell this collar was an explosive shackle meant for only the worst of criminals. If she were to attempt to escape, it would detonate and open the carotid artery in her neck. This object very much declares to the world “This person has no rights.”
	Chall had already known there was a female compatriot from the documents she was handed prior, but she hadn't even dreamed she would be in such a position.
	“This is Marlene Vlady. Marlene, this is Chall Acustica. She's a new friend that came today.”
	Ruido was introducing them as if they were high school classmates.
	“.....”
–
38
	Marlene did not respond. She did not even look their way.
	“Woopsy, bad mood today too?”
	Ruido seemed to be ignoring everything that was restraining her and was talking to her as if nothing was the matter. Chall, unable to contain her unease, blurted out what was nagging at her mind.
	“Uhm, Mr. Ruido... Ms. Marlene, why is she like that...”
	Marlene shifted her eyes toward Chall in an icy glare.
	“So you want to know more about me? Little girl?”
	“Er, no...”
	“No need to be modest. As you can see, I'm under restraint. There aren't many reasons why somebody needs to be restrained, now are there?”
	As if to wait for Chall's answer, Marlene said nothing further. But Chall, overwhelmed by everything, could not bring herself to speak.
	A moment later, Marlene spit out an explanation.
	“I'm the worst kind of criminal. I have no rights. You might be a Gundam Meister. But I'm different. I'm no more than a part that moves the Gundam.”
	Chall just stood there frozen. Ruido tried to find the words to mend the situation, but nothing came out. It was because everything Marlene said was the truth.
	Everntually, Chall would figure that out as well. Aside from testing the Gundams, Marlene was not allowed out of the room. In other words, the only time she was active was when she was inside a Gundam. As she had said herself, it was as if she was being kept alive only to function as a part inside a Gundam.
	(Why. Why did I come here...)
	The eradication of war from the planet.
	She cursed herself for foolishly running after a pipe-dream ideal. After all, so-called secret organizations all are hiding something suspicious.
–
39
	(That agent that came after me. Just because he was a little bit good-looking, I let him lead me on... I'm such a fool.)
	Since then, he hasn't shown his face. Maybe he's a specialist pretty-boy scout that's out to trick foolish girls.
	The more she dwelled on such thoughts, the more depressed she got.
	“Whatsamatter, you shy or something?”
	Ruido called out without a hint of tactfulness in his voice. She glared back at him with defiance in her eyes, but Ruido did not seem to get the hint.
	(What will I do from now on... will I be able to get along with these people?)
	The uplifting feeling she got when she saw Astraea was now completely gone.
	Thus the three Gundam Meisters met each other. This encounter of theirs was a cold and heavy one, one that seemed to foreshadow their future destinies.


File no. 02 Gundam Meister 874

	Few knew of the existence of the space colony situated in Lagrange 3. Its named, Krung Thep, meant “City of Angels.” The orbital elevators, humanity's biggest and most ambitious step into space,   are still under construction. Upon their completion, the orbital elevators will not only solve the energy crisis, but remove a big obstacle to space development. But, the time for that has not yet come. Humanity's feet are still firmly planted on Earth. For this very reason, the secretive organization Celestial Being built their research colony in space.
	Krung Thep is equipped with a large factory inside, as well as numerous facilities for developing the mobile weapon “Gundam.”
	Outside, a single mobile suit is flying amid the twinkling of the stars. The thrusters on its back are spewing light many times brighter than the stars. Its model number is GNY-002, Gundam Sadalsuud. Named after the tarot card “Star,” which depicts a goddess drawing water, Sadalsuud is a unique unit equipped with a plethora of sensors.
	Sadalsuud repeatedly stopped and accelerated. It was testing its all-range reconnaissance from a variety of positions. The pilot in charge of this test was Meister 874. All Meisters use pseudonyms, but only this meister is called by a code number.
	It was quiet inside Sadalsuud's cockpit, as if completely void of all life. The only sign of life was a light flickering in a corner of the monitor, signifying the passage of time since the start of the mission.
	Hour 121.
	Five days have passed since the start of the mission. This was unusually long. Usually, mobile suits can operate at most 10 to 20 hours. Also, the human pilot inside won't last longer than a day.
	This unusual mission length was a special case. But even then, more missions will follow and Meister 874 will still carry them out without question and without rest.
Ruido and Chall we're performing maintenance on Astraea in the hangar.

" Maintenance is my favorite thing to do~"
	Ruido was doing his work with a big smile on his face. He was a mechanic-turned-pilot. Because mechanics need to test the units they work on, they also double as pilots. Ruido's skill in that area was extraordinary, which led Veda to scout him out.
	Actually, Ruido didn't join this organization to be a pilot, but rather, he was more fascinated by the prospects of " developing giant robots called Gundam." Calling mobile suits "giant robots" like this gives a good glimpse into Ruido's character.
	"Well, even if I'm a good pilot, there's no way I'm intervening in any armed conflicts and fighting," Ruido spoke his thoughts to Chall during their idle conversations. Chall was of the same mind. Chall agreed with the idea of "eradicating war from the world." But, when she asked herself if she could pilot and fight in a mobile suit to that end, the answer was no.
	Chall as well answered the call for "developing mobile suits for realizing the ideals," not for actual combat. While possibly a bit irresponsible on her part, she wants to help create a better unit from the sidelines for those that will pilot and fight with the Gundams. Chall believed this was the best she could do for realizing the organization's ideals.
	When she thought about the pilots who will actually fight, she would start feeling very bad. While she might be a bit selfish, fighting was something she just could not bring herself to do.
" By the way, why do you think Marlene was chosen as a Meister?" Chall stopped her work and let Ruido know what was on her mind.
"It's cuz she's an awesome pilot~. She's special because she pilots like there's no tomorrow. Like she doesn't care if the unit gets trashed. That's why she can go past the limit. A pilot that keeps breaking the unit might annoy the mechanics, but when you think about "what the Gundams are for," that's kinda the idea. That said, we were probably chosen more as Gundam Meister than mechanics."
Chall wanted to nod in agreement, but she just didn't feel right and voiced her thoughts.
"But..."
"But what?"
"What about the organization's ideals?" Chall could not get over that detail. Allowing those that don't agree with the ideas into the organization is dangerous.
	Marlene was always confined in a prison-like room and was used as a mere cog in the Gundam. And even Chall knew that she was a death-row prisoner charged with mass murder.
Becoming a meister may have spared her the death penalty, but doesn't the fact that she's under confinement mean she's still dangerous? If she became a Meister just to escape execution, she's very likely to reject the ideals.
" Who knows? Doesn't seem like that girl really wants to talk to me. I think she hates my guts actually. It's good you came, Chall. She'll open up to another girl for sure."
	In reality, Marlene hated Ruido's excessively cheerful way of talking, but Ruido didn't even notice.
(Being the same sex doesn't mean we can't get along with everyone...)
	Chall groaned to herself. Human relations, especially that of women, are not that simple.
	Marlene was exempt from even the maintenance that Ruido and Chall were doing because she was dangerous. She was restrained with bars and handcuffs, as well as an explosive choker. This was clearly an entity they didn't want roaming around freely.
(I was wrong to ask Ruido.)
	Chall thought this to herself and changed the subject.
"Oh, we were going to meet another Meister today, right?"
	The documents Chall received prior spoke of a total of four Gundam meisters, including her. It's been nearly a week since Chall came to Krung Thep, but that last meister has not been introduced to them yet. The only thing they currently knew was the last meister was a female and went by a code number instead of an actual name.
"You mean Gundam Meister 874?"
"Yes."
"You can say that we'll meet her without meeting her."
A vague answer.
"But, I heard she's returning from that mission today."
	According to what Ruido said, Meister 874 was out on a lengthy week-long mission to perform tests on Sadalsuud. With emphasis on sensor ability, it was also intended for long surveillance missions. This was exactly that manner of test. It's unheard of ordinary mobile suits operating close to a week without resupplying, but the Gundam is equipped with the GN Drive, which provides a near-infinite supply of energy. However, the GN Drive cannot provide the pilot with necessities such as food, water, and oxygen. In addition, being confined to a small cockpit for a whole week would put psychological strain on the pilots.
	Chall could not even imagine how they were going about solving these problems.
"Ah, now that you mention it, Sadalsuud is almost back." Ruido said.
	The moment the words left his mouth, a buzzer went off in the hangar. It announced that Sadalsuud had opened the hatch into the colony.
"Punctual to the dot as usual." Ruido remarked.
"So, she'll be coming into this hangar?"
"Yeah, that's why we got to leave."
"Huh?"
"We gotta go."
	Chall didn't understand what Ruido was talking about. She thought it was something to do with the air for a moment, but there was an airtight block between the outer hatch and the hangar. There was no fear of air escaping.
"Why?"
"Meister 874 doesn't want to be seen when she gets out of the Gundam."
"...uuh?"
	Ruido pushed Chall along as she started to ask more questions. Chall had no choice but to exit the hangar.
(That's right, she's been in there for a whole week and probably wants to take a shower... So she's in no mood to see other people...)
	On that thought, Chall let the matter go.

	An hour went by.
	In the meantime, both Ruido and Chall took a shower in their rooms and washed off all the oil from maintenance.
	Chall assumed Meister 874 was also bathing, so she made sure to do the same. She put extra care into washing her body and combing her hair. She had trouble choosing an outfit, but ended up choosing her high school uniform. It had a really cute ribbon, and she really liked this uniform herself. Plus, it speaks very clearly about her origins.
"Hey there, you're a bit late." Ruido had already arrived in the meeting room.
"Sorry. My outfit took longer than I- oh!" Chall exclaimed upon seeing Ruido's outfit. He looked like a completely different person, his choice of clothing was that "good."
(Wow! He actually looks nice now!)
	She stared at Ruido while trying to be discreet. He was wearing a black biker outfit with red trimming as well as a red scarf. Normally, one would be branded a narcissist in such an outfit, but it was very fitting on Ruido. Though it was wildly different from his usual appearance, it didn't feel out of place.
(He's only ever worn his work clothes or pilot suit. I never thought he can be this fashion-conscious. And...)
	Her favorite red ribbon and his red scarf were matching. Though it was a coincidence, it didn't sit well with her.
“Hm? What're you looking at? Do I have something on me?” Even the slow Ruido noticed Chall's gaze.
	She changed the topic in a panic.
“There's no chance of Maerlene coming?”
“She was the first one here, so she already knows about Meister 874. And besides...”
	Even Chall could understand the meaning of Ruido's final words. She realized her question was a bit inappropriate.
“It's almost the appointed time.”
	Chall remembered Ruido saying that Meister 874 was always punctual.
	At that moment, a small girl appeared on the monitor in the front of the meeting room. Her face was much younger than Chall's. She looked like she just turned 10 years old. She was also wearing a school uniform like Chall, albeit a different kind. To top it off, she was wearing a red ribbon. It suited her young and cute face very well.
	Deep inside, Chall felt a hint of some unpleasant feeling, but she didn't want to admit it was jealousy. She pretended she didn't notice.
“Ruido Resonance. This person is Chall Acustica, I presume?” The young girl asked.
“Yeah.” Replied Ruido.
	The young girl's voice sounded even younger than her appearance. However, her town of voice was more mature than Ruido's. At the same time, it sounded void of any emotion. It was as if she wasn't the one talking, like she was reading a prepared script...
“Chall Acustica, I am Gundam Meister 874. Welcome to Krung Thep. We will be working together now, for Celestial Being's ideals.”
“....Yes.” Chall hesitated in her answer.
(Who the heck is this kid!?)
“Now, I shall take my leave.” With that, the monitor flicked off.
“Ah! Wait!” Chall shouted at the monitor but Meister 874's image did not return.
“Why... what is this?” Chall blurted, and threw an icy stare at Ruido, who made no effort to conceal the troubled expression on his face.
“So that weirded you out, all. But hey, Meister 874 never meets with anyone in person.”
“And you don't think it's weird?”
“Well, yeah, it's weird. But, I'm sure there's a reason. Like, what if she's really sick with an incurable disease and doesn't wanna infect us... something like that maybe?”
“You can't be serious!” Chall's anger finally came out.
(What's wrong with all these people! Isn't there a single normal person here?!)
	Chall started to feel more and more that she shouldn't have come to this strange place.
(Somebody get me out of here~~!)
	It took all of Chall's restraint to not shout that at the top of her lungs. She understood that, the moment she screamed, she wouldn't be able to take it any longer.

[illustration page 047]

File No.3 - Astraea Weapons

	Celestial Being believed in the ideal of eradicating war from the world, and therefore must possess overwhelming force of arms. Thus, they were developing the weapon Gundam in the factories of Krung Thep.
	Astraea, model number GNY-001, was scheduled to be used in new weapons testing. The items under question were the GN Launcher and the Proto GN Sword. Both were larger than standard weapons and weren't meant for a general-purpose unit such as Astraea. Using the data from these tests, new weapons for specialized units would be developed.
	Ruido, Meister of Gundam Astraea, was in charge of the tests, which were to be conducted inside Krung Thepp's facilities and in a certain sector outside. But these tests weren't limited to just weapons. These mobile suits had great utility and were meant for a variety of environments. Thus, they had to be tested.
	At the same time, at the Gundams' current stage of development, priority was given to testing the units in outer space. This was because Celestial Being’s existence was a secret and conducting tests back on Earth was problematic. To compensate for this, earth-like test areas were built inside Krung Thep and were already being heavily used.
	The Proto GN Sword test inside the earth-like testing grounds had already been finished and a few problems were discovered.
"This thing is damn heavy. The unit itself gets thrown around if I’m not careful," Ruido mumbled in response to the test.
"A unit specialized for melee combat is probably needed to handle this thing. A melee unit might be able to use the weight of the sword to its advantage. Oh well, there's one in the works, so maybe it's not such a big problem after all," the engineer inside Ruido added.
	Regarding this proto GN Sword, there were plans to add a gun function inside the sword to reduce the amount of equipment during sorties. Once this was actually carried out, the prefix "Proto" would be deleted from the weapon's name.

"Alright, let’s get crackin’..."
Ruido was getting ready to board Astraea for the GM Launcher test in outer space. He began to change into his normal suit in the waiting room located near the hangar.
"Hm?" Ruido noticed Chall inside there as well.
"What is it? You need something?" Ruido asked her.
	She's clearly not here to peep at him changing. She must have a special reason. This young girl came here at the risk of being misunderstood, after all.
(Or maybe she's so comfortable around me that she doesn't care that I'm changing?)
	At Ruido's question, she fidgeted as if wanting to say something. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.
"Uhm... Good luck out there."
"Huh? Ah, ok."
	There was no need to come all the way here just to say that. It might make sense before actual combat when one might not return alive.
(So, she must have a different reason.)
	Ruido himself knew very well that he wasn't good at reading between the lines. But just this once, he somehow understood what Chall was trying to say.
(If I were in her position...)
When he considered that, the answer was clear.
"Chall, you wanna pilot the Gundam, don't you?"
"Wha-"
	Surprise washed over Chall's face.
"Bullseye. Well, out of the second-generation Gundams, only the Astraea and Sadalsuud are finished. Your Plutone is not ready for Activation yet. I totally understand. You're itching to get into a Gundam."
"Uhm... That's not it. Of course, I really do want to get into a Gundam, but... There's been nothing for me to do since I came here. I've been feeling lonely, being of no use..."
Ruido was not entirely wrong, but Chall’s reason was fundamentally different.
(This girl, she may be more genuine than I am. I'm nowhere near to being a "champion of world peace," but her...)
	Nevertheless, the moment he thought he understood her feelings, he felt ashamed of himself. One cannot judge another by their own standards, let alone a girl many years his junior. For all intents and purposes, she might as well be from Venus.
	If there was any room for humanity to evolve, communication skills would be the most important thing to improve. With better communication, no wars would ever occur. Everybody would get along with each other, be it high school girls or aliens from Venus.
"Alright. Why don't you do the GM Launcher test in Astraea?" Ruido asked.
"Uh, are you sure?" Chall's expression changed from surprise to something that resembled a smile.
"We gotta get approval from Veda first, but I think it should be fine. At any rate, we need to test the equipment on different arms anyway. I'm left-handed and you're right-handed, right? Let's test it out according to our own specifications. You go first."
"Ok!"
	This was the happiest Ruido had heard Chall sound since they'd met.

	Astraea floated through the sector next to Krung Thep. It was equipped with the GN Launcher on the right shoulder and the proto GN Sword on the left. Mobile suits placed more emphasis on ranged combat rather than close combat. Thus it was common equip the firearms on the right arm and a sword on the left for a "right-handed loadout." This did not apply to specialized melee or personal custom units.
"GN Drive and Launcher link confirmed." Chall briskly made ready inside of Astraea’s cockpit.
	This test was specifically for the GN Launcher, which could only be tested at low output inside of the colony, as it was extremely powerful. Here in space, the launcher would be tested at full power for the first time. Astraea was also equipped with the Proto GN Sword, but this was purely to check the Gundam's balance when firing weapons and there were no plans to actually use it during the test.
"You alright, Chall?" Ruido was monitoring the test from inside of the colony.
"Ev-everything is fine." Chall quickly answered in an effort to hide her nervousness, but fumbled over her words instead.
"Astraea has been adjusted according to your personal data. That means, it's now your unit. Now go all out."
"Ok!"
	Chall was grateful for Ruido's kind words. Astraea was actually Ruido's unit. She had to return it without a single scratch...this thought was heavy on her mind.
"I'm counting on you, goddess Astraea," Chall said to the unit. She only noticed what she did after she did it. Ruido did this very often.
"Machines are your friends. Believe in them and they'll serve you well," Ruido would always say.
	Chall couldn't help but giggle when she remembered Ruido's childish way of thinking. At the same time, her heart skipped a beat.
"Beginning the test now."
	Chall aimed the GN launcher at the target, which was a particular resource-rich asteroid. This one was chosen because it had not been mined yet and was the most solid. This target was stationary and impossible to miss.
"GN Launcher particle charge at... 93%."
	The GN Launcher was designed to be fed GN particles directly from the GN Drive and was capable of unleashing a devastating blast. On the flip side, this weapon could not be "fired at will," as it needed time to charge. They had many improvements and upgrades planned, but reducing charge time to zero was impossible.
"... 3, 2, 1, critical! Firing now!" Chall pulled the trigger.

Bang!

	Suddenly, Chall was drowning in a sea of light.
"Ah, aaah~~~!"

"An explosion!?" Ruido, who was monitoring Astraea's test from inside Krung Thep, shouted in surprise.
	GN particles appeared to be bursting out from all over the launcher, not just the barrel.
"So it was overpowered!?"
	After the GN particles reached critical mass, it's possible they burst out from excess of power.
"Still..."
	Ordinary mobile suits would be in trouble, but so long as the gun didn't flat-out explode, the unit should escape damage. The Meister inside was also in no danger of injury, as the unit was developed with the Meister's safety in mind. But Ruido was still worried about Chall, who took his place in the test. These were his heartfelt feelings.
	From what Ruido could tell from the monitor, Astraea was undamaged. The launcher as well, even after the explosion of GN particles, looked undamaged on the outside. Although, firing it again was out of the question.
"Aaagh~!” Ruido heard Chall screaming through the radio, as well as a loud thumping sound. He immediately figured out the source of the latter.
	The aforementioned asteroid was obliterated by the GM Launcher and showered Astraea with millions of fragments. Of course, this was expected and the Gundam had E-carbon armor. It should remain unscathed.
"They are just fragments, Chall! Calm down!" no matter how much Ruido tried to talk to her, only Chall's unintelligible screaming could be heard through the transmission. She was panicking, no doubt.
"Astraea's GN Drive... No abnormalities detected. Emergency procedures are unnecessary." Meister 874's image cut in on the transmission monitor.
"Oh no, whatever happened to miss Little Red Riding Hood?" Marlene's image also appeared.
	From what Ruido could tell on the transmission monitor, Chall had sent out a distress beacon in her panicked state. This signal was sent out to all Meisters.
	According to regulations, during times of emergency, the GN Drives had to be recovered first, with the Gundam Meisters to be rescued afterward. Both were indispensable assets to the organization.
"An accident? How sad. Ruido, you were the one that let that girl scout into the Gundam, and you lied about all that left-handed stuff. You're not very bright, but you're ambidextrous, aren't you? And now it bit you in the ass. Well, many apologies missy, but seeing as how I'm locked in this cell, you'll have to get this buffoon to help you." Having finished her thoughts, Marlene disappeared from the monitor.
(So, I'm the only one that can help!?)
	Marlene wasn't wrong. The responsibility really was all his.
	Ruido made up his mind.
"Meister 874, lend me Sadalsuud for a bit, I'm going out! Hang on, Chall!"
"Huh? Ah, Ruido." Chall finally uttered an intelligible reply.
	Chall finally calmed down, it seemed. And abruptly, at that.
"Are you okay now?" Ruido asked.
"I'm... What's going on with Astraea? I can't see outside. Is the camera broken?"
	The Gundams' cameras weren't so weak that mere rock fragments could break them. Likely, the discharge of GN particles from the gun was causing problems.
"Anyway, I’m coming after you in the Sadalsuud. Wait there." Ruido said.
"No, I'll come back myself. Not all my sensors are dead. I'll be fine."
"What? No need to push yourself."
"I said I'm fine!" Chall cut her transmission.
Ruido couldn't understand just what was going on in Chall's mind.
"So... She's taking responsibility and wants to bring back Astraea herself?" That was the best excuse he could think of.
	Meanwhile in Astraea's cockpit, Chall was ashamed. She felt shame for not only panicking, but also for not being able to carry out the task assigned to her.
	Most of all, she could not forgive herself for allowing tears to run down her cheeks.
“When I came here, I promised myself… I wouldn’t cry.”
	She could endure tears of pain. But whenever she talked with Ruido, his kindness made her feel happy and warm… She just couldn’t stop the tears from coming.
	She remembered longing for love as a school girl and she may not have matured much past that point. However, the feelings she had for Ruido were different from that innocent school love.
	“What is this… please tell me, Astraea,” Chall asked amidst her tears.
	The goddess replied with silence.

[illustration page 55]

File No. 4 Gundam Plutone

The two Gundams were facing each other, keeping their distance in the vacuum of space. Their base color was white, which made them stand out against the blackness of space.
One unit was named the Astraea after the goddess of justice and was the first unit in Celestial Being’s line of second-generation Gundams. The second unit was the Plutone, the fourth unit that had just rolled out of the same assembly line. This unit took its name from “Pluto” and was associated with the tarot card image of “Judgement.” This card signified resurrection. Perhaps because the unit was equipped with a system to safely eject the cockpit and GN drive, all team members unanimously thought the unit was appropriately named.
However, the name was actually derived  from a different, hidden feature. This was known only to the one who named the unit, Veda.
The Plutone had one more vital function, the GN particle defense system “GN Field,” the field test for which was just getting started.
The Astraea received a transmission from the Plutone.
“GNY-004 Plutone, standing by at the prescribed location. GNY-001 Astraea, are you ready?”
Marlene Vlady sent the transmission. The Plutone’s Gundam Meister was actually supposed to be Chall Acustica, but Marlene had taken over for the time being.
“I’m all good to go, Marlene,” Ruido replied.
Ruido’s nervousness was palpable inside the Astraea’s cockpit. A cold sweat ran down his body but he couldn’t wipe it away dressed in his pilot suit as he was.
“Damn, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Ugh, even if it’s just a test, I just don’t feel right about shooting at a friendly.”
“Stop worrying and just do it. You might be an idiot, but your skills are second to none. Besides, no real human is actually piloting this thing.”
What Marlene meant by these words was, she was a criminal and was denied of her freedom, always to be locked behind bars. The only thing she was free to do was pilot the Gundam. That was why she refers to herself as “a cog in the Gundam.”
In other words, she wasn’t human.
In a sense, this was true, but this was no  comfort for Ruido, who simply didn’t want to shoot at another human being.
“Alright then, let’s do this! Worrying will only make it worse,” said Ruido, strengthening his resolve.
Calm down Ruido! Being antsy will only mean disaster for the one being shot at.
“Come on, Goddess Astraea!” Trust in the mecha, and it will come through for you. This was something Ruido sincerely believed in.
Ruido deliberately aligned the sights and carefully pulled the trigger.

*****

Chall was watching the Plutone being tested on a monitor inside Krung Thep.
That should be me piloting it...
The Gundam Plutone, her unit, had finally been completed. But instead of her, Marlene had been chosen for the Plutone’s first test in space. This had been decided upon by Veda, the computer that oversaw the whole organization. That same computer had also chosen her as a member of Celestial Being. And Veda made no mistakes when it came to its decisions.
“But why…”
Chall was sad.
I can’t pilot the Plutone… Chall thought.
I can’t make myself useful to the organization...
And, I can’t sortie into space together with Ruido...
Though she surprised herself for thinking so, she had actually been looking forward to performing the Gundam tests in space together with Ruido.
I was really looking forward to showing off my very own Gundam to that robotics nerd. Yeah, that’s it.
She hastily pinned an excuse to her own thoughts. Otherwise, her thoughts might go off in a strange direction. Back in school, her peers had called this a “love spiral.” That is to say, anything and everything leads to romantic feelings. On top of that, once someone fell into that trap, those feelings would only grow deeper and deeper.
“But, this is different! Of course, I don’t feel jealous of Marlene for sortieing in the Plutone. She’s only following orders after all,” Chall told herself loudly.
For a just a split second, she believed that if said it out loud like that, it would  be made true. But it just didn’t work like that.
“.....Listen yourself Chall, you sound crazy when you’re alone...”
Now she was really sad.
The reason why no longer mattered. All Chall really wanted was to pilot her own Gundam, the Plutone.

*****

After the results of Chall’s test the other day, the Astraea’s GN Launcher had undergone some modifications. The biggest problem had been GN particles leaking from all over the cannon upon firing. This had been mostly contained by adjusting the compression ratio. While particle leakage had not been completely fixed yet, the weapon would no longer be in danger of damaging the Gundam. In order to completely plug the leaks, they’d need to redesign the GN Launcher from scratch. The end result would likely result in an even larger weapon. Depending on the designation, it might become a different weapon entirely. Currently, a bombardment model, anti-ship model, and other types as well were planned in the third-generation line of Gundams. The new gun would probably be allotted to one of the third-generation units.
In this test with the Plutone, the Astraea’s GN Launcher output at was capped at fifty percent, but even so, its destructive power greatly exceeded that of any other contemporary weapon. Besides the Gundams, no other mobile suit with beam weapons existed in the first place.
However, given some time, beam weaponry were bound to proliferate. Even now, countries were sparing no expense on its research. It would only be a matter of time until beam-equipped enemies made an appearance and if Celestial Being was to carry out its “elimination of war through force,” the Gundams would have to be able to counter them.
Meanwhile, after preliminary trials at the testing grounds, plans for a system that could deploy a GN Field around a unit were temporarily suspended. The GN Field was unstable. Instead, they decided to adopt the “GN Composite Armor,” which was a hurriedly developed “plan B” that would utilize a GN Field inside the unit’s amor. This system would create a stable GN Field between two layers of armor while still maintaining a high level of defense. The only drawback was that the Composite Armor would not encompass the entire unit. This system couldn’t protect things like the camera eyes and sensors.
The Plutone had a large composite sensor equipped in its chest. In this test, the plan was to fire a beam at the Plutone’s chest area without striking the sensor.

Schwoo!

The Astraea’s aim was perfect. It was as Marlene said, Ruido’s skills were second to none. The beam hit the target dead-on.
Simultaneously, an intense shock ran through the Plutone.
Marlene was thrown out of the pilot seat. There were no seatbelts in the Gundam cockpits. The special pilot suits automatically adhered to the seats. The system was designed to detach with a slight shift of the body but stay rigid during shocks and impacts.
However, the impact during this test was more severe than expected and Marlene nearly lost consciousness after being violently thrown out of her seat. But she willed herself to stay focused. Her pride was on the line. She was not going to be knocked out by a mere test.
This seat needs to be changed, use plugs or something to anchor the pilot suit… Marlene thought.
Marlene took careful note of all the things to be improved. Failure to observe such things would mean failure as a test pilot.
Further, she checked the unit for damage.
There was a large hole in the armor where the beam had hit. The Composite Armor’s outermost layer had been blasted away. But the interior was intact. The GN Field had completely blocked all damage to the interior.
Ruido was also checking out the hole he made in the Plutone’s Composite Armor. The point of impact was twinkling. The GN Field was normally shut away inside the armor but it now looked like a section was exposed.
“That’s amazing,” Ruido whispered.
With just these two words, Ruido was praising the Gundams, Celestial Being’s advanced technology, and Marlene, who had taken the impact headon.

*****

With the test concluded, the two Gundam units returned to Krung Thep.
The light emanating from the hole in the Plutone’s armor disappeared. It wasn’t because the GN drive stopped. Normally, once a GN drive was activated, it never ceased functioning. It was only because the unit had cut off the flow of energy. The Plutone was equipped with large GN Condensers on its waist and was designed to store GN particles produced by the GN Drive when the unit was not in operation. Thus, additional power was attained when the unit was in operation.
	As the two Meisters were getting out of their units, the Plutone’s leg joints slumped and the unit decreased in height. The unit had entered sleep mode and active power to the joints was cut. This trait was unique to the Plutone, as its special joints weren’t used in any of the other Gundams.
	“Welcome back!”
	Chall was the first to greet Ruido and Marlene when they returned to Krung Thep.
	“Thanks!” Ruido replied with a smile.
	But Marlene’s response was most unusual.
	“I’m sorry.”
	For a second, Chall thought Marlene was apologizing for sortieing together with Ruido.
	No, there’s no way that’s the real reason. Ahh, here comes the love spiral again, Chall thought.
	She couldn’t stand all the girly thoughts going through her mind.
	“Why are you apologizing?” Chall asked frankly.
	“Your unit got damaged because of me.”
	That fact really did leave her astonished. The Plutone was to be her unit and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t shocked to see it damaged. But, however one looked at it, the unit wasn’t likely to escape testing unscathed, and she knew it. That wouldn’t have changed even if she’d been the one piloting it.
	“There’s…no need to apologize.”
	“I know. But, still…”
	In that moment, Chall had taken a great liking to Marlene. She knew nothing about Marlene’s past, but she could not imagine such a kind person being a criminal.
	So she’s a really kind person at heart…? Chall wondered.
	“Ah, don’t sweat it. I’ll fix it up until it looks brand-spanking-new. I’m better at fixing stuff than fighting, anyway,” Ruido chimed in.
	“Right, please do. The unit is safe to an extent, as we’ve found in this test. Chall, you’ll be the next one taking a seat inside the Plutone, so prepare yourself.”
	This was the first time Marlene had called Chall by her name and Chall picked up on this right away. At the same time though, she was conscious of the fact that Marlene had been forced to carry out this dangerous test in her place.
	And meanwhile, I’m getting wishy-washy over dumb things. I’m so pathetic! Chall thought.
	Chall got a hold of herself. Marlene had just completed a dangerous test. For her sake, Chall had to pull herself together for when her turn came around.
	“Ruido, I’ll do my best not to drag you down in the next test,” Chall said.
	“Alright,” Ruido cheerfully replied with a big nod.
	What Ruido’s said next though was in very poor taste.
	“But, I wonder if I can really force myself to shoot at you, Chall. I hesitated even with Marlene. It won’t be a very good test if I go easy on you.”
	Chall felt her blood boil at those words.
	“What do you mean? I’m a Meister too, you know.”
	“Well, I mean, you’re a young girl and all that.”
	“Are you saying I’m less skilled because I’m so young? Or that I’m more likely to cause an accident?”
	“No. I mean, Veda did choose you after all. That counts for something.”
	“So, you’re really only looking down on me because I’m a girl!” Chall’s hand struck Ruido as sharp as her tongue.
	A loud slap reverberated in the hangar and then faded into silence.
	The chill in the hangar was soon thawed by a shrill siren, followed by Meister 874’s voice.
	“We have an emergency. An unidentified ship is approaching Krung Thep.”
	This signaled the start of a crisis for the Gundam Meisters, one that would leave a lasting mark in the hearts of these three young individuals.

[illustration pg 063]

File No. 05 Crisis of Krung Thep

Krung Thep. This name meant “City of Angels” and referred to the colony used by Celestial Being for the purposes of developing the Gundams. It was located at Lagrange 3, the furthest Lagrange point from the moon, which was the pivotal point for expansion into space. Ostensibly, this colony was for civilian industry and was financed by a number of enterprises. This outward appearance was not just for show, as production of space-made products, new materials research and the like were actually conducted there.
However, behind the facade, they were actually building Celestial Being’s primary weapon, the mobile weapon Gundam. The many businesses that invested in Krung Thep didn’t know about this and were content to simply reap the rewards of their investments.. The colony was managed by a Chinese conglomerate with economic ties to the Human Reform League.
The head of this conglomerate was very much an agent of Celestial Being.
At the time, space expansion had not quite taken off yet and not very many were allowed near Krung Thep. Ships that came to collect the industrial products or to deliver raw materials were the only two kinds of visitors the colony entertained. Until now, no military-affiliated ship had ever come by.
Be that as it may, in order to conceal the existence of the organization, Celestial Being handled the space test conducted outside of the colony walls with utmost care.
Detailed planning and careful execution. The colony’s secret had remained concealed thanks to these two precautions. But now, all that effort was about to go to waste.
“We have an emergency. An unidentified ship is approaching Krung Thep.”
Gundam Meister 874’s emergency transmission was broadcast throughout the colony. The other Meisters had just concluded a test with the Plutone.
“I will sortie in the GNY-002 Sadalsuud and gather intel. Please ready the GNY-001 Astraea to intercept.”
Meister 874 didn’t directly show herself to others. She had probably already finished launch prep by herself and was standing by in the Sadalsuud. Her unit, the Sadalsuud, had upgraded sensory equipment and would play the most important role in the outset of this crisis.
As soon as Meister 874 finished speaking, Ruido, Chall, and Marlene all sprang into action.
“Of all times, it had to be right after a field test,” Ruido complained, which was unusual for him. He had just sortied in the Astraea to test the special armor on the Plutone. Frankly, performing multiple sorties consecutively was exhausting.
“I’ll launch in the Astraea,” Chall declared emphatically. Ruido and Marlene had only just returned from a sortie so she had no other choice but to do it herself. Her own Plutone’s armor was damaged during the “defense test” and couldn’t be launched in its current state, but the  Astraea was still available. The Astraea was Ruido’s unit, but she had piloted it before.
“No can do,” Ruido said, immediately shooting her down.
He’s trying to baby me, Chall thought to herself.
Chall was about to argue back, but Ruido cut her off with a calm and calculated question.
“You heard Meister 874, ‘Ready the Astraea to intercept.’ Do you understand what those words mean?”
A chill ran through Chall’s body. “Intercept” in other words, meant “combat.” It implied actions that bring about death. Chall had never, ever wanted to take the life of another. She was only acting from a purely personal desire to be of use to those standing in front of her. But she never thought she’d have to kill someone to do that…
“Do you get it now? Even I don’t know if I could bring myself to kill someone… But, I knew this day would come sooner or later. I’ll launch.”
“....Ok.” Chall could only nod in reply. She was ashamed at how naive she was.
Chall watched as Ruido left to sortie again in the Astraea. And there was nothing else she could do.
Marlene gently put her hand on Chall’s shoulder.
“Chall. No one is questioning your resolve. It’s just, he wants to test his own resolve. ...Still, even someone like him can think like that. I was actually gonna launch in the Astraea myself… but, seeing him so determined like that… well, he can go ahead and take this one.”
“....”
Marlene meant these words for herself just as much as Chall. Marlene felt herself falling for Ruido. She was trying to lie to herself.
Chall caught onto Marlene’s feelings. She was in the same position the other day.
“Anyway, don’t worry about it. Let’s just believe in him.”
“Ok” Chall thought while nodding.
Both Marlene and Ruido are so kind, Chall thought to herself
However, Gundam Meisters still had to face death. This paradox was saddening. It was scary. But they had to face this truth. Someday, she too would have to put herself in such a position.

*****

“I’m sending you the data on the approaching ship.”
The Astraea received a transmission from Meister 874 upon entering the vacuum of space. Communication between the Gundams was done primarily through visual signals. So long as the other party was “in sight,” information could be sent through minute vibrations along the surface of the armor. Encrypted messages were sent through variations in the pattern of the vibration. Modern militaries also had a similar mode of visual signaling using flashing lights (This could be done without any special preparation, so long as one had something that emitted light. Following this logic, it was unthinkable for a space machine to not have any lights.).
Moreover, the Gundams’ visual signaling system could transmit an extremely high volume of information. This system was originally conceived because GN particle interference in communications was anticipated, and was based on technology that already existed hundreds of years prior.
“Data transfer complete,” Ruido said, out loud, following regulations to a T. It was their first battle, one couldn’t be too careful at a time like this.
“...decrypting, complete.”
Ruido looked at the data he received and a chill ran through his body.
“It’s a Human Reform League…warship?!”
He was mentally prepared for this. Even so, he couldn’t keep his composure at the thought of what he must do now.
With the military as his opponent, he could not escape a fight. But at the very least, he was happy Chall didn’t have to do this.
“Whoops, probably shouldn’t think that. Otherwise Chall is gonna think I’m treating her like a girl again.” The slight sting in his cheek reminded him of how Chall just slapped him with all her might.
“Alright, let’s do it!”
At the time, no space-use mobile suit were in service in the Human Reform League. Their main mobile suit, the MSJ-04 Fanton, was only a ground-use unit. The only thing they had available was the MAJ-S08 Xiaoshou. As shown by the model name, it was a mobile armor with a pair of large arms. However, those arms were specialized for utility purposes, not fighting. For combat, it was equipped with a smooth-bore gun.
The ship was likely armed as well, but with superior mobility, the Gundam was very unlikely to lose in an anti-ship battle.
Currently, the Astraea was equipped with GN launchers on both shoulders instead of the Clavicle Antennas. The GN launchers were not originally planned for dual-use and the unit’s mobility would partially decrease with two large guns equipped. However, though the warship could not outperform the Gundam, its large scale might have meant that its armor was thicker.
It was expected that firepower will double with two GN launchers. At the same time, the enemy had to be be silenced without allowing for a counterattack. Having considered everything, Ruido decided upon dual launchers.
“GN particle compression ratio, threshold clear.” He could now fire at will.
“I have data from Veda. Sending to the Astraea now,” came another transmission from Meister 874.
According to Veda’s data, the target vessel had deserted the military. They were likely planning on occupying Krung Thep and demanding a ransom, thereby securing a route to a third-world country. Veda had known about them the moment they had deserted, but there were very few surveillance facilities in space, and even Veda could not have predicted their approach to Krung Thep so quickly.
Or maybe, Veda knew and wanted to force the Gundam into actual combat…
Ruido shut the thought out of his mind. Now was not the time for that.
In the transmission, Veda also included its recommended course of action.
“Eliminate target.”

*****

The battle ended as quickly as it began.
Spread GN Particles, approach the target, pull the trigger. Death overtook the ship when the crew were likely just responding to the sudden loss of their radar.They didn’t even have time to think about what was going on.
“Confirming target status,” came a transmission from Meister 874. In a voice all but devoid of emotion, she announced that she was moving in to analyze the debris and erase all traces of the battle. She also suggested that the Astraea shouldd return to base.
The GN Drive produced unlimited energy but had a limit to the volume of particles it could put out at once. For that reason, GN Condensers which stored particles were installed throughout the unit.
The Astraea had already used up its particle reserves firing the GN Launchers. Also, the consecutive sorties had put a further strain on both the unit and pilot.
“Roger. Astraea, returning to base.”
Ruido decided to simply leave and let the Sadalsuud do its business. He began to feel unusually dizzy as he made his way back to the colony hatch.
“I’m…. really weak.”
I wonder how many people were on that ship?
Did they have families?
Did they have lovers?
What did they dream of doing?
Ruido was overwhelmed with many thoughts.
“Dammit, think happy things!”
He couldn’t show himself to Chall and Marlene like this. If he revealed just how psychologically damaged he was, it would greatly affect their piloting. Chall told him “not to treat her like a girl,” but could not ignore his “pride as a man.” No matter how mad she got at him, Ruido had no intention of throwing away his pride.
“Never thought it’d be this hard to fake a smile.”
“Stop messing around,” Marlene would always tell him. And now, he didn’t think he could mess around, even if he wanted to.
“Now what do I do?” It was all he could do to not be overwhelmed by agony.

*****

“Hey, it’s all done and over with.”
Ruido looked cheerful as always.
“Welcome back.” Only Chall was there to greet him. Marlene was put back in her cell after her mission was over.
“Uhm…”
“Sorry, Chall....” Ruido interrupted Chall “I’m, kinda tired now. Two sorties in a row really gets you. Sorry but, I wanna get some rest now.”
“Oh, that’s right. Please take it easy.”
“Thanks, I’ll try,” Ruido replied and headed to his quarters.
That was all he could do. He couldn’t keep up the act forever.
Ruido returned to his quarters and took a seat, head hung downward. He stayed like that for a while.
Somebody was watching him. That somebody was simultaneously watching a great many others. Watching Chall, who worried about him, but couldn’t do anything. Watching Marlene, who was gazing into space.
“This is how fighting affects them…”
Meister 874 monitored the three Meisters through Veda, who saw everything with cameras all over the colony.
“So this is a human’s limit… or is this psychological wavering what makes humans superior?” She thought to herself.
Veda did not understand the nature of humans. That was why Veda needed a living computer to join human society and live together with them. To analyze humans and provide Veda with data. Veda had placed such a living computer even among the Gundam Meisters.
“More observation of the humans is necessary,” So Gundam Meister 874 judged, out of necessity and obligation.

[illustration pg 71]

File No. 6 Ground Battle

	A lone shuttle re-entered the atmosphere.This shuttle belonged to a venture enterprise and had returned to Earth after completing a new materials experiment in space.
	However, this was all a facade. The shuttle’s bay actually contained two of Celestial Being’s Gundams. The Gundam Meisters were onboard as well.
	The shuttle, as per its prescribed itinerary and course, descended towards the location of a particular venture enterprise situated in the south of the Eurasian continent.
	“Back… to Earth…” Chall muttered to herself as the shuttle was being transferred to the hangar. A lot was hidden behind these words.
	Nostalgia… was absent. High hopes… weren’t entirely absent. But… there was fear present.
	Development of the Gundams in space had passed its first stage and was to move on to Earth per Veda’s orders.
	Chall was very surprised to hear the news. For some reason, she had always assumed that research and development would be confined to Krung Thep.
	This was a given though. Being multi-role units, the Gundams were expected to perform on Earth as well. Now that they had seen actual combat, there was no telling what unexpected trouble they would run into back on Earth.
	“Feels good to be back~. Gotta love good ol’ gravity” Ruido said light-heartedly.
	How can he be so carefree when I’m feeling so down? Chall thought in the back of her mind.
	Chall wondered what the other Meister Marlene was feeling, but Marlene was in a separate, isolated room (Marlene was behind bars as usual).
	“Why in the world would they need such a room in a shuttle of all places!?” Chall said, angrily raising a fuss. But Marlene simply replied “I don’t really mind.” Chall had nothing to say in response.
	Marlene had to have been feeling something about the coming test on Earth. After all, her personal Gundam, model number GNY-003 Abulhool, was finally about to be tested. The Abulhool was designed to transform into a plane and was therefore being built on Earth. With promises of a good time, one could endure a few inconveniences.
	“I wonder what’s going though her mind right now?”
	Chall was talking about the other Meister, Gundam Meister 874, who was in the cockpit of the shuttle. She alone was ordered by Veda to pilot the shuttle.
	“Feels good to be back on terra firma, doesn’t it Chall?” said Ruido with a smile on his face.
	Can’t he tell I’m conflicted about all this?
	“I don’t know.” Chall responded with an unintentionally cold tone.
	Why am I like this? He can’t help it if he doesn’t sense what I’m feeling.
	At any rate, she herself didn’t know what she was feeling exactly. She just couldn’t get all her thoughts straight.
	It did feel good to be back home on Earth. That much she could agree upon. After all, she’d been living on Earth before entering Celestial Being, and she wasn’t the only one. These days, the number of space colonies was limited and so was the amount of people residing in space.
	Of course, once the space elevators under construction were completed, space would start to feel much more like humanity’s backyard.
	It’s true that Earth is my home. But Earth is also very big. Don’t ever forget that! Chall screamed inside her head. Actually, the place where the shuttle had arrived didn’t bear the slightest resemblance to her real home. In such a place, it was impossible to “feel good to be back home.”
	However, her feelings were much more complicated than just that.
	“What the heck’s going on!” Chall screamed out loud by accident.
	“Ah, my bad. Was it something I did?” Ruido apologized at once.
	“No, it’s not that.”
	“Hm? So, what then?”
	Chall couldn’t answer. She was stuck in an inexplicable and perpetual “state of gloominess.”

****

	A few days later, Chall and the others boarded a large transport plane to get to the test site. The Astraea was loaded on the transport, but unfortunately, Chall’s Plutone was absent. Judging by that, one could infer that Astraea was needed in this test.
	Shortly before departure, Meister 874 appeared on the monitor and said “We will head to the test site by passing near the Human Reform League space elevator.”
	Chall was originally from the Union and felt a twang of fear about passing by a HRL elevator but quickly dismissed this feeling as irrational. These were nothing more than memories of her past holding her back. And technically, since Chall was a Celestial Being Meister, the whole world was enemy territory for her.
	After a while, when the slightly nerve-wracking flight was nearing its end, Chall looked out the window and noticed an enormous structure. It was the Human Reform League’s space elevator, “Heaven’s Pillar.” While it was supposedly not finished yet, its appearance lived up to its title of “pillar.” This long slender pillar extended from the ocean all the way into space.
	“Humans can build something like this, but still fight amongst each other. Wonder why?” Ruido, who also set his gaze on the elevator, had a grim look on his face.
	“Didn’t Aeolia also call for the construction of space elevators? I wonder if he expected the world to unite when building this thing? We wouldn’t even need weapons like the Gundams.”
	However, despite the construction of the elevators, the world remained divided. But to build something of this magnitude, the order of the planet really did shift and the world converged into the Union, UAE, the Human Reform League, and other countries unaffiliated with the three.
	“Isn’t it enough that a few hundred countries combined into three?” Only after uttering these words did Chall realize she was trying to comfort Ruido.
	And I had just lashed out at him for being so carefree in the shuttle… was that because I was in my gloomy mode?
	Chall didn’t know herself and would only fall back into her state of gloom.
	“What if, the old man Aeolia called for the construction of the space elevators to create a foundation for world unification?”
	“I think… you’re overthinking it.” Even as she shot down Ruido’s thoughts, she ignored the misgivings she herself had about the organization and its plans. It was an issue she would have to tackle, but she wasn’t in any emotional state to do so. This young girl was overall emotionally unstable at any rate.
	The shuttle they were on flew further and further away from the elevator to the displeasure of Chall, who would’ve liked to gaze at it a bit more.

*****

	The shuttle landed at the site of a battle.
	The seemingly large-scale battle had already ended. As a result, the town was destroyed and reduced to rubble. A few HRL mobile suits remained on patrol amidst the rubble. It appeared that there was a anti-elevator terrorist group situated in this town, which was fairly close to the space elevator.
	It was unknown how many citizens uninvolved with the terrorists resided in this town. But it was apparent that there were no survivors left there.
	“Gundam Meisters, please stand by inside the shuttle” Meister 874’s voice informed them immediately upon landing. “I will sortie in the GNY-001 Astraea.”
	Astraea was officially Ruido’s unit and up until now, no other Meister had ever taken his place as the pilot.
	“Wait, what’re you doing with my Astraea!?” Ruido raised his voice. Because Meister 874 was not actually physically present, he was looking up at the sky, betraying his anger.
	“The mission assigned to me is a simple one. Destroy all Human Reform League mobile suits remaining in the area. There is currently a platoon of four MSJ-04 Fantons here.”
	“Wha-”  Ruido fumbled over his words. He had only just experienced combat for the first time in space the other day. He experienced firsthand that “in battle, people die.” With the ordeal still fresh on his mind, he couldn’t help but feel disconcerted by Meister 874’s placid attitude towards combat.
	“Wait! I get it, you’re going out to fight. But it should be me going out!”
	“That was decided by Veda. Ruido, you are currently not in any condition for ground combat.” Meister 874 cut the conversation short and launched in the Astraea.
	The battle was overwhelmingly in Meister 874 and the Astraea’s favor. The HRL’s main mobile suit, the Fanton, boasted heavy armor. But such armor was only meant for defense against traditional weaponry. No matter the thickness, this armor was nothing more than paper against the Astraea’s particle beams. And thanks to the GN Particles spread by the Astraea, communications were cut off and the Fantons couldn’t even call for reinforcements.
	“Mission accomplished” Meister 874 reported in a voice void of emotion. This was in stark contrast to Ruido after his sortie the other day.
	The four Fanton units in the town were silenced in a mere 36 seconds.

*****

	The three Gundam Meisters, Ruido, Chall, and Marlene, inspected the town ruins after Astraea’s battle had ended. By Veda’s orders, even Marlene had come along.
	The stench of smoke overwhelmed them the moment they stepped outside. The town before them was wiped from existence. This landscape instilled feelings of regret rather than sorrow. The Gundams existed in order to prevent a world like this. Or so they thought.
	At the same time, they were faced with the reality that even if they used the Gundams like so, the nature of war didn’t change, and the opponent would most certainly die.
	War was still war.
	Violence was still violence.
	That was not something Chall wished for.
	“...Let’s get outta here” Ruido broke the silence.
	Since communications from the mobile suits deployed in the town were lost, it was only a matter of time until a reconnaissance party arrived at the scene. They’d need to leave before that. The wreckage of the destroyed Fantons was already disposed of with explosives. This was done to remove any traces of beam weapon damage. Once the Meisters leave, no evidence of the Gundam’s presence would be left.
	“It’s time.”
	At Ruido’s suggestion, Chall started trudging back to the transport plane.
	“Marlene, we’re leaving!” Ruido called over to Marlene, who was standing a stone’s throw away.
	Marlene didn’t budge. Ruido left Chall and approached her.
	“Hey, what’s wrong…?”
	Marlene silently turned towards Ruido. She was holding something, a child’s stuffed toy. It was singed all over.
	Chall grew a little bit worried when she noticed the other two weren’t coming and turned back from the transport. She approached the two and heard Marelene say something.
	“War… it never changes, no matter where you are. The weak always get dragged in… and just die in the end.”
	For an instant, Marlene struggled for words. Chall thought she might shed a tear, but her cheeks remained dry.
	“.... Eradicate warfare with the Gundams. Fine with me… I’ll do just that. I don’t care what happens anymore, as long as we succeed in getting rid of war!”
	Chall didn’t know much about Marlene’s past. The Gundam Meisters were sworn to secrecy and their backgrounds were hidden from each other. All she knew was that Marlene was a criminal that took the lives of many people. Or so she was told. At this point, she she could no longer believe that the woman that stood before her had such a past.
	Chall wondered if she could be like Marlene. She wondered if she could overcome the tragedy before her and fight on, if she could surmount death with the Gundams.
	Chall did not yet have an answer to this question.

[illustration pg 97]

File No. 07 Ian Vashti

	“Everything is for the Innovators…” Meister 874 contemplated to herself.
	Innovators. Unlike their imitations, the Innovades, and young humanity, everything existed for them. She herself and and her mission existed for their sake.
	She contemplated further. “Humans are not Innovators… what are they?”
	This fateful assignment was given to her when she was created.
	Much time had passed since she was activated and gained sentience. Meister 874 was not human and thus had a much longer lifespan. For all intents and purposes, she was immortal. She also processed information much faster than humans.
	The speed at which an organism processed its thoughts was dependent on its lifespan. Generally, long lifespans meant slower brains and shorter lifespans meant faster brains.
	Meister 874 was an exception to this rule, as she had a longer lifespan than humans, as well as processed thoughts faster.
	“I am not human…. Therefore, I can’t understand humans?”
	In actuality, she was created for the purpose of understanding humans.
	Of course, she wasn’t the same. Being an “imitation” meant that she was “not identical.” In other words, a “different being.” Even the being that created her, Veda, understood that perfectly.
	The assignment given to her was taken over by others, her siblings, who were much closer to humans. These were the Innovades. They had the same bodies as humans and could more easily blend into human society.
	Among them were individuals who didn’t know they weren’t human. They weren’t even aware that everything they saw and experienced in human society, Veda was collecting it all as data…
	Grave Valentine was one such individual. Possessing a high comprehension of humans, he obeyed Veda’s directive and scouted Ruido, Chall, and Marelene.
	“My current objective is to observe this seed, humanity, and ascertain its suitability as Gundam Meisters.” Over time, Veda had changed its assignment to her. However, “understanding humans” was still crucial for the current task.
	Development of the Gundams was proceeding smoothly. But if there was no one to appropriately use them, Aeolia’s plan could not be carried out. The Meisters had a considerable task before them.
	There were currently two plans for the Gundams. The first was that humans would take the role of Meisters. The other proposal was that the non-human Innovades would take that role. Veda had not yet given a final answer as to who the task would fall to.
	“Humans will not likely be selected” Meister 874 thought to herself. This was not a belief, hunch, or inference. This was the uncompromising result of many calculations. At any rate, the final decision was not up to her.
	But, whoever was chosen as Meisters in the end, humans or Innovades, her actions and observations as a current Gundam Meister would greatly influence future decisions. More data was needed. Making contact with and observing other humans besides the current Meisters was necessary.
	“Considering this, even regarding the recent incident, the parameters for selection are…” She understood one thing in her mind. Meister 874 reflected back on the incident the other day in order to substantiate the conclusion she had just arrived at.

*****

	The AEU. This was one of the three superstates born following the construction of the three space elevators. It consisted of mostly European nations. The AEU was lagging the most in terms of space elevator construction, for which a couple of explanations were offered. One was that the construction site was was in Africa on other nations’ soil, despite it being under indirect control. Another theory was that Europe did not have a core nation and it required the support of other participating countries to take any sort of action (Even today in the AEU, the tendency for each nation to prioritize their own gains above the wellbeing of the group was still ingrained).
	Celestial Being, with their proclaimed goal of eradicating warfare, were adamant in seeing the AEU complete the construction of the space elevator without incident. If the elevator were to be left unfinished and another schism divided the European nations, Celestial Being’s plans would be greatly impeded.
	“I will go gather data on the AEU space elevator.”
	Nobody questioned Gundam Meister 874 when she announced this because they all understood the reason why. And one simply did not have the courage to talk back to the emotionless Meister 874 on the monitor.
	“I will go gather data on the underwater power cables, which we had not been able to confirm with observation from space.”
	The AEU’s space elevator was being erected on the African continent. Because of this, power cables extending all the way to Europe had been laid on land as well as underwater.
	Meister 874 further explained the details of the mission.
	“I will sortie in the GNY-002 Sadalsuud and collect intel. Ruido, please offer me support in the GNY-001 Astraea.”
	“You got it” Ruido answered in an unusually loud voice.
	Meister 874 understood from his tone that he was slightly excited. Humans might have called this state of mind “full of energy.”
	“This is nothing to be giddy about” Marlene retorted without skipping a beat.
	Marlene’s response came 1.23 seconds after Ruido’s utterance. Recently, Marlene’s replies to Ruido had been getting much faster. Meanwhile, Meister 874 did not overlook the fact that the other Meister Chall also made movements to react to Ruido. Though it seemed that she reconsidered in the end after Marlene’s rebuke…
	Why was Marlene replying to Ruido faster now? Also, why did Chall not say anything after Marlene uttered her words? Meister 874 could not surmise an answer to either question but she took note of these occurrences nonetheless.
	“But, Astraea doesn’t have any aquatic equipment. Wouldn’t Sadalsuud be better for underwater combat?” Ruido was speaking as a mechanic. Such a question was natural for him.
	“New model AEU mobile suits have confirmed in the mission area.”
	Meister 874 noted that Ruido’s heart rate shot up in that instant. She deduced that he was in a state of confusion from the conflicting feelings of curiosity towards the new model MS and his fear of combat.
“The unit is called the AEU-05 Hellion. It is identical to the AEU-04 in that it’s an aerial combat unit but perfected to a higher degree. If we are caught in a fight with these units, your Astraea will engage them, not my Sadalsuud.”
“Aerial combat… it’s doable with the GN Particle stabilizer system, but…”
“My Gundam Abulhool… can it be launched?” Marlene asked.
Her own Gundam, the GNY-003 Abulhool, was a special unit with a transformation mechanism for aerial combat. This unit was indeed the most appropriate for this mission. But…
“Unfortunately, it is currently undergoing its final adjustments.”
Something in Marlene’s facial expression changed. It appeared as if she was disappointed. But, Meister 874 wondered why she was disappointed. Marlene wanted to sortie in Ruido’s place, no doubt.
But why would she want to do so? To get combat experience? Did she doubt Ruido’s skills in combat?
Or maybe…
	“It’s fine, the Astraea is more than capable of aerial combat. Besides, we don’t even know if there will be any fighting. Well, either way, the Astraea and I can handle it” Ruido said as he smiled at Marlene.
	“You’re really stupid for a man. How can you be so confident…?”
	“But, we don’t have any choice but to leave it to Ruido.” Chall’s enthusiasm could be felt through her reply.
	“Well, alright then, let’s believe in Ruido for now.” In the end, both Marlene and Chall consented.
	Why did they consent? Were they not just saying things to the contrary?
	Meister 874 had already witnessed such moments multiple times. But she could not understand the reason for it all.

*****

	“Why the hell does it have to end up like this!?”
	The Astraea showed a dazzling display of GN Particles as it resurfaced from the ocean and flew straight up at full speed.
	A squadron of four units awaited him in the sky. It was the AEU new model units Meister 874 told him about. At a glance, they looked like ordinary fighter planes, but were actually full-fledged mobile suits.
	As per their appearance, the enemy moved about with the agility of fighter planes. On the other hand, while Astraea could effectively “stand” in mid-air thanks to its GN Particle stabilizer system, it did not have the mobility of a fighter plane.
	Against a nimble opponent, close combat was impossible. Ruido readied to shoot them down with the beam rifle.
	“Eat this!”
	The enemy could not outrun a beam, but they were clearly fast enough to outrun Ruido’s aim. Several of his beams sliced through empty air.
	“I’m not done yet!”
	Several minutes later.
	Ruido had succeeded in shooting all the enemies down, but expended three times as much ammo as needed. He also took too long. With the radio interference of GN Particles, the Hellion squadron should not have had the chance to transmit anything about the Gundam…
	“Still…”
	Ruido felt terrible. And it wasn’t because his fighting was sloppy. He was upset about something else entirely.
	He had killed people in combat again. But this was only the second reason.
	What upset Ruido more than anything was…. Despite having killed someone, he didn’t feel as troubled about it as before.
	“I’ve become quite the murderer, haven’t I…”
	A murderer who preached the eradication of war.
	This fact was no laughing matter.
	Just then, he received an emergency transmission from the Sadalsuud and Meister 874.
	“A vessel is approaching. Now engaging in the Sadalsuud.”
	“Wait a damn minute!!!!” Ruido immediately shouted back. He didn’t want any more people to die.
	“Please, wait.”

*****

Meister 874 halted her attack.
	Attacking was the natural course of action to take. However, this has a reaction she had not yet seen from Ruido. This strongly stimulated her desire to “understand humans,” forcing her to stop her attack.
 The vessel in question was a small AEU boat. There were two people on it. AEU engineer Ian Vashti and Joyce Moreno of Doctors Without Borders.
Ruido and the others escorted them to a small port town in South Africa.
Normally, they would’ve have no choice but to kill the two men since they had seen the Gundams. But Ruido refused to carry this out and Marlene and Chall sided with him. Veda had directed them to do so in order to protect organization secrets, but being informed of the party’s refusal to obey, sent a second option.
This option was….
“Would you like to join Celestial Being and eradicate warfare from the world?”
Ruido never thought he’d find himself saying such a thing with his own mouth. If a complete stranger had asked him the same thing, he would’ve laughed in their face. He was reminded of the one who had scouted him. That individual had worded it much more skillfully.
“Just who the hell are you guys?” Moreno’s reaction was only natural.
But the other man’s reaction was different.
“I busted my ass to make a unit that could fly, but you swatted them out of the sky without breakin’ a sweat…. That mobile suit, just what is it?”
Ruido hesitated. That was classified as top secret. However, they had already been seen and concealing the name was pointless. Ruido decided to answer him.
“Gundam.”
“Gun...dam?”
Just then, Ian’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

[illustration pg 87]