Mobile Suit Wars: Starting with Gundam OO

The Moralian and AEU joint military exercise officially had only one command center—PMC Trust's headquarters. However, in reality, AEU had secretly established a second command center. This covert base had control over a classified special forces unit, composed of elite MS pilots discreetly gathered from across AEU.

Their mission was singular: capture a Gundam. The rest of AEU's military forces were merely a smokescreen to conceal their true objective.

Neither Moralia nor PMC Trust was aware of this special unit's existence. Even AEU's other military divisions remained uninformed, which was why Celestial Being's temporary CIC hadn't detected them at the beginning.

"Colonel, Second Lieutenant Patrick's signal has vanished. The support squadron has been completely wiped out."

"Understood. The special forces unit will proceed as planned. MS units will launch in five minutes and initiate the capture operation on the 'Sword Gundam.'" Kati Mannequin gave her orders without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

She held no particular sentiment for Patrick. At this point, she hadn't even met him—only heard his name in passing. He was recommended by the research department as a test pilot who had completed 2,000 simulation battles. If not for their insistence, she wouldn't have considered assigning him to the special forces.

Even then, rather than integrating him directly, she first placed him in the support unit to assess his actual combat ability. In her view, a pilot who had survived even a single real battle was far superior to someone who had completed 2,000 flawless simulations.

As expected, he perished almost immediately. To Kati, this only reaffirmed that simulation training could never compare to actual warfare. Luck may have brought him this far, but the battlefield offered no such favoritism.

"So this was his limit after all…"

"Colonel, it's time!"

"Commence the operation!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Let's begin, Myer. This will be our first real confrontation, and I won't be holding back." Kati Mannequin watched the real-time battlefield display with unwavering focus.

…

Exia had reached its designated point and was effortlessly cutting through the ranks of Hellion units. The enemy pilots, observing its predominantly melee-based weaponry and lackluster initial marksmanship, grew bolder.

With covering fire from their teammates, they charged Exia head-on, confident that their numerical advantage would allow them to capture the Gundam.

The bounties on Gundams were immense—bringing back even a single part would secure their wealth for a lifetime.

However, their confidence shattered in an instant.

Recognizing his poor shooting skills, Setsuna had holstered his rifle and drawn six GN Short Blades from his waist, hurling them toward the Hellions providing covering fire from a distance.

The Hellion pilots were unimpressed—until the knives struck. The GN-enhanced weaponry sliced through the cockpits as if the armor were mere paper. The pilots were dead before they even realized what had happened.

The retractable wires pulled the weapons back as the enemy units faltered, momentarily stunned.

On the battlefield, even a single second of hesitation was fatal.

Exia, now dual-wielding GN swords, surged forward at full output. It weaved effortlessly through the formation, slicing apart each enemy MS it passed. The clean cuts on their hulls were so precise that their surfaces reflected the surrounding battlefield like mirrors.

In mere moments, the enemy formation crumbled.

Just as Setsuna prepared to proceed to the next phase of his mission, his sensors blared with multiple warnings.

Without hesitation, he pulled back on the controls, forcing Exia to retreat just as a hail of bullets tore through the space where he had stood. More warning beeps sounded as additional enemy signals flooded his radar.

"Reinforcements? Was Miss Huang's prediction wrong?" Setsuna frowned as he saw the incoming forces tighten their encirclement.

"Setsuna, can you hear me?" Huang voice came through the comms.

"Miss Huang."

"Switch to contingency plan G1. Skip all steps up to Phase Five. Proceed directly to Phase Six. From this point forward, Myer is in command of your mission."

"Understood."

Setsuna never questioned Huang's orders. He immediately set course for the rendezvous point, attempting to break through the enemy blockade.

However, the moment Exia turned, the units behind him opened fire, forcing him to spin back around in defense.

Exia was not designed as a heavily armored MS, and its exposed GN Drive was particularly vulnerable. If struck directly, the battle would be over instantly.

The moment he faced his attackers again, the enemy ahead ceased fire while the Enact units behind him resumed their assault.

It was a coordinated strategy, targeting Exia's weak points from alternating angles. The encirclement tightened gradually.

"I can't let myself get trapped… No, I won't be defeated… I am… Gundam!"

Pushed into a corner, Setsuna roared defiantly. Exia darted forward in a sweeping S-curve, closing in on two Enact units. With a rapid flourish of his GN Sword, he bisected them cleanly.

Then, in one fluid motion, he sheathed his sword and launched all six GN Short Blades again, skewering two more Enacts.

As he retracted the blades, Setsuna prepared to expand the breach in the formation and complete his mission.

But then he realized—the gap he had just created was already closing. The surrounding units were swiftly repositioning, sealing off his escape route.

It was a perfect hunting strategy. The Enacts weren't rushing in recklessly. Instead, they were methodically draining Exia's stamina, waiting for the moment when Setsuna would be too exhausted to fight back.

"Damn it…" Setsuna clenched his teeth, but he had no immediate solution.

At that moment, a barrage of high-powered beams rained down from above.

Each beam found its mark, obliterating an enemy unit with pinpoint precision.

The encirclement collapsed in an instant.

"Setsuna, proceed with your mission. Leave the rest to me."

"…Understood."

Glancing at the descending Gundam Nadleeh, Setsuna turned and resumed his course toward the rendezvous point.

…

"Colonel! It's the 'Feathered Gundam'! The 'Sword Gundam' has successfully broken through!"

"Tch, so he really was here…" Kati Mannequin gritted her teeth.

She had anticipated the possibility of Myer appearing but lacked the forces necessary to suppress Secret Angel effectively. A preemptive operation with overwhelming ranged firepower might have worked—but now it was too late.

And more than that… She had watched the battle in Taribia countless times. She was now certain.

The pilot of Secret Angel was Myer.

As she stared at the Gundam on her screen, her emotions were conflicted.

On the one hand, she didn't want to fight him.

On the other hand, she was a newly appointed observer for Celestial Being. If she were to truly test whether they had the resolve and capability to enact change, she had to fight with everything she had.

"Colonel, what are your orders?"

Her moment of hesitation ended. Kati gave the order.

"Withdraw all forces."

"Yes, ma'am!"

AEU's pilots breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been any other Gundam, they might have had a fighting chance under Kati's command.

But against Secret Angel?

They had no desire to face that monster.

"They're retreating? So it really is you, Kati… Steady strategy, precise tactical adjustments—predicting every shift in battle and making the right calls." Myer watched as the enemy forces pulled back. He made no move to pursue.

Instead, he turned to another sector of the battlefield.

"Alright, time to clean up this mess… and take care of those rats. I'll leave Ali Al-Saachez alone for now, but his subordinates? They need to be dealt with."

(End of Chapter)