A heavy silence permeated the intensive care unit at the heart of the Kimeza Alliance base. The air was cool, almost sterile, yet Maki Kimeza found a fragile warmth in the clasp of her hand. It had been a grueling week since Tasya Lowe was admitted, unconscious and comatose, following their devastating battle, and every day had been an emotional struggle for Maki.
She sat on a chair beside the bed, her head bowed in exhaustion, having finally succumbed to sleep. Her right hand remained firmly clasped around Tasya's, an unspoken vow of friendship she would never break.
Suddenly, a deliberate pressure responded. The grip on her hand tightened, firm and conscious.
Tasya opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze moved deliberately, taking in the unfamiliar white ceiling and the rhythmic blinking of medical equipment. The sharp smell of antiseptic stung her nostrils. The very first thing she registered was the peaceful, sleeping face of Maki, her best friend, slumped beside her.
The bitter, crushing realization hit her instantly. *I did this. I caused all this pain.* The overwhelming surge of guilt was far more agonizing than the residual neurological damage she still felt. She had allowed her righteous anger against the Colonians—and worse, an anger cleverly manipulated by Itsuki—to nearly destroy the most important relationship in her life.
Tears, hot and utterly sincere, began to stream down her temples, wetting the pillow.
"Maki... I'm so sorry," Tasya whispered, her voice rough, hoarse, and thick with profound remorse.
Maki woke with a start. Her eyes snapped open, wide with disbelief. She instantly wiped the sleep and stray tears from her own face, terrified that the sight before her was nothing more than a cruel, fleeting dream.
"Tasya? You... you're awake?" Maki didn't wait for confirmation. With an uncontrollable, ragged sob of sheer relief, she immediately threw herself across the bed and embraced Tasya, burying her face into her friend's neck.
"Oh God, Tasya! You're awake! I was so worried about you! I missed you so much!" Maki's hug was tight, warm, and overflowing with unconditional love. To Tasya, the embrace felt like an instant, undeserved absolution.
"Maki... not so tight. I deserve the pain, but... it hurts," Tasya whispered back, returning Maki's embrace with her free left hand. "I am so sorry, Maki. I betrayed our friendship. I nearly killed you."
Maki pulled back slightly, holding Tasya's face gently between her hands. "Shhh. Don't talk about that right now. You're awake; that's the only miracle that matters. You're back, Tasya," Maki insisted, gently wiping the tears from her friend's cheeks. "I'm going to call the doctor! Don't move!"
Maki ran out, and moments later, a flurry of doctors and nurses rushed in, immediately checking Tasya's vitals. To everyone's surprise, her neural recovery was progressing much faster than anticipated.
Two days later, Tasya was able to walk slowly. She sat in a comfortable lounge area, her best friend never more than an arm's length away.
"Here's ginger tea. It's warm. It's supposed to help calm your nerves," Maki said, offering a steaming mug with a soft, understanding smile.
Tasya accepted it, her hands still trembling slightly. "I shouldn't be here. I should be locked up, punished for trying to murder the White Gundam pilot."
Maki moved closer, settling beside her. "The White Gundam pilot is my brother, Tasya. And I know you didn't mean it. It was Itsuki's malicious Neuro Link that was controlling you. That's what made you believe revenge was the only purpose left in your life."
"It wasn't just the Neuro Link, Maki. It was my weakness," Tasya confessed, looking at Maki with eyes filled with deep, haunting sadness. "I let my past pain define my actions. I let Itsuki exploit my hatred of the Colonians. When I saw you in the White Gundam, all I saw was the symbol of an Alliance that I believed had failed to protect me."
Maki reached out, firmly taking Tasya's hand. "Listen to me. I know your pain is real. Losing your parents in this conflict... it's devastating. But that doesn't change who you are. You are the kind, outgoing girl who always helped me with my homework, the one who always had the craziest ideas for our birthday parties."
Maki looked her straight in the eye, her expression unwavering. "I forgive you, Tasya. I will never let you go. You are my best friend. I don't care who you fought; I care about where you stand. And you're here now, right here, beside me."
Tasya's tears streamed down her face once more, but this time, they were tears of profound relief and sweet redemption. She pulled Maki into a tight embrace. "Thank you, Maki. I promise you, I will make all of this right."
***
In the secure depths of the hidden hangar, Airi, Augustina, and Feres were putting the finishing touches on the **Lavender Gundam**. Unit QUEEN had been completely salvaged and meticulously re-engineered, evolving into a new, defensive unit.
"Theoretically, with this Limiter system, the pilot will only utilize their neural energy for basic control commands—never for offensive overload like Itsuki's system was designed for," Feres explained, her fingers flying across the interface systems, fine-tuning the newly installed safety protocols.
The Mobile Suit was now significantly sleeker and faster. Its new color scheme was a striking, clean white accented by a soft, calming lavender purple. Its missing right arm had been replaced with a longer, highly articulated limb that ended in five sharp, flexible nano-alloy claws, capable of firing a focused Beam Cannon blast from the palm.
"We've relocated the Rose Funnels to the backpack and completely converted them into purely disposable, defensive Missile Funnels," Augustina added, stepping back to admire the unit's new lines. "They will no longer contain any traces of the malicious Neuro Link. This is a secure, auxiliary combat unit, focused entirely on speed, defense, and base protection."
"Good," Airi affirmed, her gaze lingering on the elegant machine. "We will use this unit for base defense, or perhaps as an AI support unit for the White Gundam, until we are absolutely certain about its ultimate pilot."
As they were assembling the final pieces of the unit's chest armor, the hangar door slid open, and Tasya, supported by Maki, walked in.
Tasya saw the Lavender Gundam, and her body instantly froze. Despite the elegant, new design and color, the core silhouette of the machine triggered a traumatic, visceral memory. She clutched Maki's arm tightly, gasping.
"Tasya? What's wrong?" Maki asked, her face paling with worry.
"I... that unit. I can feel it. The sheer power, the terrible pain," Tasya whispered, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps.
Maki quickly helped her sit down on a nearby crate. Just then, AIRIS, who had been processing data inside the White Gundam's cockpit, registered Tasya's rapidly escalating distress signals via internal base sensors.
AIRIS gracefully jumped out of the White Gundam. She approached them with the near-perfect, measured steps she was diligently learning.
"Tasya Lowe," AIRIS said, her voice calm and now infused with the genuine empathy she had recently acquired. "I am processing your data. The need for immediate physical comfort to counteract the activation of trauma memory is extremely high."
AIRIS knelt down, carefully pulling Tasya into a gentle, yet firm embrace. "I am AIRIS, and I am here to guarantee your security. This unit is ours now. No one will control you ever again. You are safe."
The android's touch, cool yet emanating an almost palpable, synthetic warmth, had a profoundly calming effect on Tasya. She buried her face into AIRIS's shoulder, letting herself be supported, finally feeling a sense of unshakeable stability she hadn't experienced since her last battle.
***
The next afternoon, on the school rooftop. The winter sky over Neo-Verdia was vast and deceptively peaceful. Zaki and Aurora sat together, stealing a brief, quiet moment of normalcy.
"I feel exhausted, Rora," Zaki admitted, letting out a heavy sigh. "Every time we win one small battle, a larger Colonial threat emerges. I just want this to end. I want to live a normal life with Maki."
"We all understand, Zaki. But the White Gundam is a symbol of hope. You are the pillar supporting Neo-Verdia right now," Aurora countered, gently tightening her grasp on Zaki's hand, offering silent encouragement.
Suddenly, a massive, piercing city siren broke the rooftop silence. It was the emergency air raid siren, a jarring, chilling sound, and clearly not a drill.
"What is that?! Neo-Verdia is supposed to be a Colonial zone!" Aurora exclaimed, leaping to her feet and running to the rooftop railing.
In the sky, Colonial Mobile Suits bearing the unmistakable emblem of Mars began a ruthless bombardment of the city's outskirts. They were deliberately striking civilian infrastructure, targeting key, non-military areas in a cold, calculated move to flush out the Alliance.
As panic spread through the streets below, a large, menacing air battleship drifted ominously over the city center. From the warship, a magnificent, imposing Mobile Suit descended. Its armor was a striking, arrogant blend of black and gold. Its eyes glowed with a piercing red light.
The **Royalty Gundam**.
Inside the cockpit, Prince Felisio Nova of Mars sat with a cruel, arrogant smile. Beside him, his loyal servant, Yukina Asfort, piloted the accompanying support unit.
An open radio message blared across all public and military frequencies, booming throughout the city: "Hear me, White Ghost! I, Prince Felisio Nova of Mars, will not allow that humiliating defeat to be repeated! I know you are hiding here, White Ghost. Come out and face the honor of Royal warfare! Face your inevitable destruction!"
Zaki clenched his fists, his jaw tight with surging rage. "They would dare attack their own people just to draw me out?! Barbarians!"
"Zaki, wait!" Aurora pulled on his arm, her eyes wide with fear. "It's clearly a trap! Don't rush in!"
Zaki knew Aurora was right. It was a vile, heartless baiting maneuver.
Meanwhile, back at the secret base, the alarms screamed. The **Lavender Gundam** suddenly activated and launched at maximum velocity. Unknown to anyone, inside that cockpit, Tasya had made her greatest decision yet.
On the school rooftop, Maki, AIRIS, and Gills rushed to the edge, watching the terrifying spectacle unfold in the sky.
"The Royalty Gundam! Zaki! Hurry! Call the White Gundam!" Maki urged, desperate.
Just before AIRIS could send the remote pilot authorization to the Mobile Suit, a sleek, white-and-lavender silhouette appeared, intercepting the Royalty Gundam.
The **Lavender Gundam**. Graceful, swift, and armed with its wicked-looking claws on the right arm.
Prince Felisio Nova in the Royalty Gundam cockpit was stunned. "What in the cosmos is that unit?! Our black and gold, our red eyes, our Beam Rifle Golden Sword, Long Shield, and Knife Funnels—we will not be challenged by some outdated, purple reject!"
Inside the Lavender Gundam's cockpit, Tasya coolly activated the Missile Funnels in her backpack. The small missiles launched in a rapid cluster, forcing the Royalty Gundam into frantic evasive maneuvers.
"I will be your shield, Maki," Tasya whispered, her resolve burning with fierce determination. She would not allow Maki or Zaki to risk their lives again. Her redemption began here.
***
In Armen Itsuki's separate, secret command post, located in a dark, concealed room, Armen Itsuki sat before a massive holographic map panel, watching the live feed of the battle with detached interest.
Beside him, Dr. Lena, already in her pilot suit, was trembling with blind fury.
"That unit! They repurposed Unit QUEEN! They've turned it into a weapon of the rebels! I must destroy it! I must reclaim what is ours!" Dr. Lena roared, her finger hovering frantically over the launch button for the Tortoise Gundam.
"Hold, Lena," Armen commanded, his cold eyes fixed on the Lavender Gundam. "We do not yet know who is piloting it, and more crucially, *how* they stabilized the Neuro Link. That unit is a valuable asset—a rogue test case. Let it fight. We will study the capabilities of this 'rebel' version. We must find its new weaknesses."
Armen smiled thinly, a cruel, calculating expression. "Emotions are a luxury, Lena. We need data. Let them expend their energy fighting each other. We will collect the remnants of this battle."
Dr. Lena froze, the terrible logic of Armen's words piercing through her rage. She knew he was right, no matter how profoundly inhumane it felt. She was forced to suppress her overwhelming desire to destroy the re-engineered unit, even as her maternal heart screamed with thwarted vengeance.
On the school rooftop, Maki stared up at the white-and-lavender Mobile Suit battling the formidable Royalty Gundam. She did not know, could not possibly know, that her best friend, Tasya, had risen from her sickbed and entered the arena of war once more, proving a redemption and a friendship that was truly inseparable.
"Who is she?" Zaki whispered, his eyes narrowed, poised to call the White Gundam if the mysterious unit faltered.
"She... she's protecting us," Maki whispered back, her tears mixing with the smoke swirling in the air.
To be continued....