“Heliopolis,” a neutral Orb colony.
The colony, which was unique in that it was built into an asteroid so that it could function as both a housing colony and a mining colony, was greeting the morning just like any other day.
Down on Earth, ZAFT continued their assault. Orb, the home country of Heliopolis, was no longer safe. But for the people of Heliopolis, who were floating out in space, the war was just a thing they saw on the news, it didn’t feel real. The residents of Heliopolis felt secure in the fact that they lived in a neutral colony and didn’t feel any tension as a result.
In a few hours, that moment of peace would be lost, and the people would be forced to face the realities of war. For now, the many residents of Heliopolis were still unaware of their fate. All except for a few people…
✥✥✥
“Hurry! We don’t have much time!”
Deep within the mining section of Heliopolis, at a factory owned by a company called Morgenröte, an incident was taking place.
Many people were hurriedly moving about.
They knew the fate that was about to befall them and were trying to resist.
Three Mobile Suits were lying in front of them, a Gold Frame, a Blue Frame, and a Red Frame.
“We’ll start with Prototype 01 and work our way out!”
A man pointed toward the gold machine and shouted instructions at the workers. This man was the only one with a particularly unique appearance, the workers were all wearing regular Morgenröte work attire, whereas he was wearing a normal suit, the entire body dyed black. His helmet was also black, his face hidden and difficult to discern.
“Copy the data onto the machine’s computer and take it out of here!” The man barked further instructions.
“The size of the data on here is too large for us to copy!” A man who seemed to be a subordinate replied, looking down at the data.
“Copy the data of the optional equipment onto the P-03 and the Natural OS data onto the P-02. Is the P-01 ready to use yet?” The man spoke without anger or impatience, but there was a watery coldness to his voice that sent a chill down the spine of his subordinate.
“We can start it up, but we haven’t secured an escape route yet.”
“If it can move, it’ll work out somehow. We have the GAT-X102’s bazooka, don’t we? Get that ready.”
“Duel’s bazooka?”
“The ASTRAY’s beam rifle is too much of a drain on the machine’s main power. And, to secure an escape route, a weapon like a bazooka that can destroy a wide area would be more suitable.”
“Y… Yes, sir.”
Without waiting for his subordinate’s reply, the man headed toward the Gold machine called the P-01 and climbed aboard.
The blue and red machines were lined up beside the gold one. The man was in the cockpit, getting ready to launch.
“They haven’t even adjusted the operating system yet…?”
As soon as the OS was up and running, the man took out the keyboard provided next to the seat and began to optimize it.
He almost moved faster than the eye could see.
“Alright.” After completing the optimization in just a few minutes, the man shut the cockpit hatch on his golden machine.
VWRRRM.
The machine stood with a low humming sound.
“Hmm, this machine will do nicely.” The man nodded in satisfaction.
The golden machine was equipped with a bazooka, which it held at its side. A plug in the palm of its hand reacted automatically, making the weapon ready to use.
Weapons used by Mobile Suits tended to simply be scaled up versions of weapons used by humans, but some of the Earth Alliance’s weapons were made to be used by their Mobile Suits alone. The man wasn’t using an Alliance Mobile Suit, but it was equipped with a special plug that allowed him to use the weapon.
Weapons used by Mobile Suits tended to simply be scaled up versions of weapons used by humans, but some of the Earth Alliance’s weapons were made to be used by their Mobile Suits alone. The man wasn’t using an Alliance Mobile Suit, but it was equipped with a special plug that allowed him to use the weapon.
The ASTRAYs were mobile suits developed in secret by the Morgenröte Company based on stolen data from their time working with the Earth Alliance, and were developed to defend Orb.
“I’m punching through the ceiling! Everyone take shelter for a moment!”
The man gave instructions over the microphone from within his golden Mobile Suit and fired his bazooka at the ceiling. Although he had ordered his men to evacuate, he had no idea how long it’d take them to escape. After the impact, a large amount of debris descended on the area.
“Then, I’ll go on ahead. As soon as they’re ready, launch P02 and P03 as well!” The man gave simple instructions and jumped through the hole he had just made in the ceiling.
✥✥✥
ZAFT was approaching Heliopolis. PLANT had become aware of the Mobile Suits they were developing at the Alliance’s request. Intel told them that the ZAFT unit heading toward them was the Creuset Team, and if that were the case, they wouldn’t hesitate to attack.
For the man in the golden machine, ZAFT was not the only enemy. There were enemies within Orb as well. The Alliance’s Mobile Suit development inside Heliopolis and the ASTRAY Series being developed from their stolen data. There are people who would oppose both of these things and those people would certainly be pleased by this incident.
They’d say this was right.
He couldn’t afford to have those people grow in number. In this time of war, their own force was absolutely necessary to maintain neutrality.
Despite that necessity, as the ASTRAYs developed, it was decided that they would destroy them. This decision was made so that they could erase everything before this incident brought the development of these machines into the public eye. If the existence of the ASTRAY Series was revealed, Orb would be put in a precarious position. There is a high possibility that they would become the enemy of not only PLANT, but the Earth Alliance as well.
Even then, a last-minute decision to erase the ASTRAYs altogether? This man, who had overseen the entire ASTRAY project, couldn’t stand it. There was only one path he could take. To ignore the orders to erase the ASTRAY Series and take them in secret.
✥✥✥
The whole of Heliopolis began to shake violently. It seemed ZAFT’s attack had already begun.
The man they call Creuset, eh? With such precise judgment and the swiftness of his actions, he may be my enemy, but I can’t help but admire him!
If the attack had begun, the possibility of the other two ASTRAY getting out was low, so the P-01 absolutely must get away!
KCHK!
“What was that!?”
Suddenly, as if to mock the man’s feelings, the right arm of his golden machine short circuited. By checking the system, he found that the right arm was being overloaded, and, if left unchecked, it could even start to affect the main body.
“Is it because I used the Alliance’s weapon…?”
They had programmed it so that it could use Alliance weapons, but they had never actually tried to use them. There was no time to test it. It was no surprise that it couldn’t handle the unexpected load that was put on it.
“This was unavoidable.” The man quickly went to the keyboard and began to type, in the same instant, the golden right arm was detached from the main body. Leaving the arm behind, the man hurried ahead to leave Heliopolis.
✥✥✥
Someone was waiting for him outside.
The Mobile Armor, “Moebius.”
A combat machine widely used by the Earth Alliance. A small number of them were also deployed within Heliopolis.
“P-01, do you copy?” A transmission blipped in his cockpit, from the Moebius in front of him.
The fact that they knew the codename of his machine developed in total secrecy meant that this person was sent by Orb, and came to witness the erasure of the ASTRAY…
The man replied quietly, “I hear you.”
“Good, as you likely already know, we have orders to erase the ASTRAY Series. Turn that machine over to us or we will open fire.”
“….” The man made no attempt to answer the communication.
He was appalled by what they said.
What an idiot! To think that just because you’re righteous, I would simply obey your commands…!? So this is the state of the Orb motherland today. In reality, this world isn’t a place where such naive logic would be accepted. Just because you’re righteous doesn’t mean you’ll be able to survive.
Is this not why Orb needs their own armed force!?
“I’m taking charge of my own future!”
“What are you talking a-!?” The man cut off his comms, as the pilot’s shouting was annoying to him.
The man pulled out a beam saber with his left arm, which remained attached to the machine. He didn’t want to drain his power, but there was no helping it now. With the next swing of his saber, he sliced the Moebius in front of him in two.
“No one can stop it, not even me! Only the version of justice that I believe in is true justice! Yes, I, Rondo Gina Sahaku, am justice itself!!” The man, perhaps excited by his victory in battle, declared so in a voice much hotter than his usual tone.
✥✥✥
Just as the man… as Rondo was finishing his battle, other people were approaching Heliopolis from another direction. Lowe’s team of Junk Dealers and Gai and Elijah’s mercenary team, Serpent Tail.
The golden machine managed to escape Heliopolis without encountering them, merely by chance. A practical joke from the goddess of fate, but that practical joke would end up drastically changing the fates of all those involved with the ASTRAYs.
NEXT OPERATION
Translated by TrafalgarLog
Edited by WattSynchron
TrafalgarScans 