Asia Region – Zeon Elite Gelgoog Squad Raid
A plume of smoke rose into the sky as an elite Zeon squadron of six Gelgoogs finished wiping out another Federation base in the Asian sector.
Buildings collapsed. Ammunition stores detonated.
The operation was textbook clean—no survivors, no resistance left.
The squad commander scanned the burning facility from his cockpit.
"Another base down. Federation lines in this region are collapsing faster than expected. Prepare to relo—"
His radar operator cut in sharply.
"Commander, we're picking up a new mobile suit signal! Multiple units approaching fast!"
The squad raised their weapons, expecting GMs… maybe even one of the Gundam variants.
What they got was none of those.
Instead, the sky filled with the distinct silhouette of something slender, angular, and unnervingly aerodynamic—
UNION FLAG
—sleek, lightweight mobile suits equipped with massive back-mounted thrusters, heads shaped like aerodynamic visors, and wing-like structures unfolding for high-speed flight.
They didn't walk.
They soared.
The Zeon pilots blinked in confusion.
Gelgoog Pilot A "What… what the hell are those things?"
Gelgoog Pilot B "Is that really Federation tech?! They don't look like GMs!"
The Union Flags accelerated, engines screaming as they broke through the sound barrier—in mobile suit form.
The squad commander's stomach tightened.
"Tch… transformable flight-capable MS. This is going to be irritating."
The Union Flags dove in.
The Gelgoogs opened fire with full-volley machine guns and beam rifles—but the shots hit nothing but air.
The Flags weren't dodging.
They were dancing.
Barrel rolls. Snap-turns. Sharp-angle ascents.
Every maneuver too fast, too responsive for the Gelgoogs to track.
"They're toying with us! Not even attempting to shoot!"
"They're reconnaissance types—testing our capabilities! Damn it!"
One Flag finally fired a burst—not to kill, but to graze, deliberately forcing a Gelgoog off balance.
Another zipped past a second Gelgoog so fast the wind shear nearly toppled the 18-meter machine.
The Zeon squad tried to regroup, but the speed difference made formation impossible.
The commander gritted his teeth.
"All units fall back! We can't hit what we can't track! Retreat to the rendezvous point!"
The Gelgoogs fired suppressive rounds and broke formation, pulling back into the forested mountains.
Above them, the Union Flags hovered calmly, almost mockingly—holding formation with perfect discipline.
"Enemy retreat confirmed. Record all data. HQ will want every second of this."
The Zeon commander, breathing heavily, looked back at the sky.
"Damn Federation… when did they build annoying ms like that?"
And in the sky, the Union Flags rotated in perfect unison and vanished at supersonic speed.
15 Minutes After the Asia Skirmish – Shinomiya Corporation HQ
Kaguya Shinomiya sat at her desk, eyes narrowed as she replayed the combat footage again.
Union Flags dancing around Gelgoogs.
Impressive speed.
Perfect maneuverability.
Zero losses.
But also—zero kills.
Kaguya's eyebrow twitched.
Kaguya "…only harassment? You had them in your sights more than once. Why didn't you finish them?"
She immediately called Iori Sei.
The screen lit up with Iori's slightly disheveled face, goggles still around his neck.
Kaguya with cold voice "Explain why the Union Flag failed to destroy the Gelgoogs."
Iori gulped.
Iori "W-well, President Shinomiya, ma'am—we didn't design the Union Flag for anti–mobile suit beam warfare. It's a high-mobility kinetic weapon platform. Against Zeon's beam-weapon MS, firepower is lacking. Er… significantly."
Kaguya leaned forward, unimpressed.
Kaguya:
"I can see the firepower is lacking. I'm asking why it still exists. Fix it."
Iori wiped his forehead.
Iori "We're working on it! We'll upgrade the Flag series—beam sabers, beam rifles if possible.
And we're trying to boost thrust and frame durability, but technology progression is slow. Minovsky physics don't exactly cooperate."
Kaguya exhaled sharply.
Kaguya "I don't want excuses. I want the Federation to fear anything stamped with Shinomiya's name. Do it faster."
Iori nodded, shoulders tense.
"Honestly, at this rate… we may need to skip incremental upgrades entirely. We could go straight to custom Flag variants. Maybe even try my the Over Flag concept."
Kaguya's eyes lit up with interest.
"Then do it. Push the Flag series beyond prototype limitations. I don't care if the engineers scream."
Iori sighed internally. He knew this tone.
"Understood. I'll mobilize Hiroto and the whole R&D team. We'll begin designing a beam-capable Flag and start drafts for the Over Flag line."
Kaguya smirked faintly—a satisfied predator.
"Good. My fiance come to earth and destroy business? Fine. I will repay that embarrassment with interest."
She closed the call, already dialing her secretary.
"Prepare additional funding for MS R&D. And inform Hiroto he's going to the next battlefield; I need real performance data."
The secretary nearly groaned.
"Yes, President Shinomiya…"
And in the workshop below, Iori stared at the Flag schematics.
"…Boss is going to kill me if this doesn't fly. Literally."
He rolled up his sleeves.
Time to build a ms.
Zeon Forward Command – Lelouch Observing the Asia Skirmish
Inside the dim tactical room of his flagship, Lelouch Von Zehrtfeld watched the combat footage again—Union Flags slicing through the air with agile, unnatural precision for a machine their size.
His bridge officers whispered among themselves.
"T-Those Federation machines… they're not GMs. They don't even use beam rifles…"
Lelouch didn't answer. He simply leaned back, eyes narrowing as he traced frame by frame the way the Union Flag folded its limbs mid-turn, the fluid transformation, the instantaneous acceleration.
So this was the Federation's "new" weapon.
Primitive.
Inefficient.
Laughably under-armed.
And yet—brilliant in concept.
Not like the Gouf Flight Type that struggled with Minovsky interference.
This thing was designed to fly.
"A transforming mobile weapon with fixed-wing aerodynamics… kinetic-based, low profile, minimal reactor output… but fast enough to outrun a Gelgoog."
He tapped the display.
The Union Flag's bullets sparked across Zeon armor—ineffective.
But its movement?
Superb.
"It doesn't need to kill. It only needs to survive. That alone tells me everything."
His adjutant looked confused.
"Sir?"
"The Federation has almost no MS left on Earth.
So they're fielding experimental prototypes—rushed, under-armed, but with radical performance."
The room went silent.
This wasn't power.
This was desperation hidden behind innovation.
"Should we pursue them? Destroy this new MS?"
"No. Let them run. They'll lead us to their manufacturer."
He stood, cloak brushing the floor.
"Send reconnaissance squads. Track sightings of this transforming MS across the Earth sphere. I want factory locations, engineer names, supply chains—everything."
"Is it a threat, my Lord?"
Lelouch allowed a thin smile.
"A threat? Not with that pitiful armament.
But a shift in doctrine… now that interests me."
He turned his gaze back to the monitor.
"Federation technology is changing.
Fast.
Reckless.
Unstable."
He stepped to the map table.
"And whenever technology jumps ahead of strategy… nations crumble."
He gestured sharply.
"Order all Zeon units to continue the offensive. And dispatch intelligence teams.
Find out who built this so-called Union Flag."
A final thought crept across his mind—amused, analytical.
"If the Earth Federation thinks a toy plane counts as progress… they're even weaker than I expected."
He turned away, cloak swaying like a guillotine blade.