Four days after the Neo-Verdia incident that elevated the White Gundam to the status of the 'White Bird,' the atmosphere at the Kimeza Alliance's secret base returned to a rhythm of tense activity. The Lavender Gundam had been successfully repaired by Mili Anveil's technical team, although Mili herself grumbled extensively about Tasya's wasteful use of such an advanced unit.
Mili Anveil, the CEO of Anveil corporation and the Alliance's weapons supplier, did not arrive empty-handed. She brought the latest weapon supplies to increase the Alliance's offensive power. In the spacious hangar, under the neon lights, Zaki and Maki admired the new, massive, powerful ballistic Bazooka for the White Gundam, while Augustina proudly gazed at the high-power Beam Sniper Rifle being fitted to the Sunflower Gundam.
"This Bazooka, Zaki," Mili said, grinning proudly, "is not just a mere projectile. It compresses powerful propulsion and a large, destructive explosive force that can penetrate almost all Colonial Mobile Suit armor. Use it wisely. Only for emergency situations."
Zaki rubbed the large Bazooka. "Thank you, Ms. Mili. We will use it to protect Neo-Verdia."
While Maki and Tasya were busy discussing the configuration of the new Beam Chakrams on the Lavender, Zaki took a deep breath. He was now in the pilot suit room with Aurora, trying on his new pilot suit, which had been slightly modified to be more resistant to the Neuro Link fluctuations between Maki and AIRIS.
"I feel like we're racing against time, Aurora," Zaki whispered, looking towards the thick steel window. "Even though we won, I'm sure the Colonial Kings won't stand idly by. They will attack with much greater force. They are reinforcing defenses on every colonial border and territory. I can feel it."
Aurora, who was adjusting the pilots' gloves, nodded in agreement. She was the only one who could understand the tension Zaki felt. Their bond, although not through Mind Space Communication, was based on a shared trust and a profound sense of responsibility towards Airi and the Alliance's mission.
"They've already been humiliated by Prince Felisio, Zaki," Aurora replied, her voice calm. "Colonial pride is very fragile. They will shift their focus from attacking other rebel forces and make us the main target instead. We must always be one step ahead. We must—"
Suddenly, Aurora let out a small shriek, her voice sharp and filled with pain. She clutched her head, her eyes squeezed shut, and her body slumped to her knees.
"Aurora! What's wrong?!" Zaki frantically knelt beside her.
"Pain! Here... here!" Aurora whispered, her hands gripping her temples. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "I hear a sound! Not a sound, but... a pain. A distant pain, asking for help. They're surrounded! Something is attacking them! Twin units! Signal... SOS!"
It was the Mind Space Communication that suddenly activated, much stronger than before, unlike the gentle telepathy with Zaki and Maki when they first met. This was a wave of desperation spanning a great distance, piercing directly into Aurora's consciousness. Zaki immediately helped Aurora stand, supporting her trembling body.
"We have to get to the monitor room, now!" Zaki exclaimed.
They rushed to the main control room. There, Airi, Augustina, and Feres were analyzing logistical data.
"Mother! Aurora received a signal. A very strong mental SOS signal. She says there's a huge battle involving twin units on the border!" Zaki said, catching his breath.
Airi immediately turned to Aurora. "Where is the location, Aurora? Can you localize it?"
Aurora took a deep breath, calming herself. She closed her eyes and refocused her Mind Space energy.
"On the northeast border, past the desolate rocky zone, near the Viridian River. It's an area often used for Colonial smuggling. The signal... it's like an impact of highly concentrated neural energy. They need help now, Miss Airi!"
Airi looked at the map on the screen, her face turning serious. The area was outside the Alliance's jurisdiction, but an SOS signal could not be ignored.
"We don't know who is fighting there, but we won't allow anyone to die on our borders," Airi said firmly. "Augustina, Feres, you two move to that location for a scoop. Investigate the situation. Zaki, Maki, Tasya, you will be the reserve team. AIRIS will provide full data support."
Feres nodded. "Understood, Miss Airi. Augustina and I will move stealthily."
Suddenly, the control room door opened, and Gills entered with his younger sister, Anette Treyman. They were independent technicians and data analysts who often visited to help.
"I heard the words 'operation' and 'border'!" Gills exclaimed, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Miss Airi, we want to help! I can't just sit here and watch the White Bird move!"
"Me too, Miss Airi!" added Anette, even though she was only in the 7th grade, her intelligence in technology and data analysis far exceeded her age. "I can help with signal diversion and Colonial combat data analysis. I know all about their encryption!"
Airi smiled at their enthusiasm. "Alright. Gills, you will serve as the main communications operator and logistics. Anette, you will be the combat data operator. And Aurora," Airi turned to Aurora, "You will be the White Bird's Special Operator today. Your Mind Space Communication ability is our greatest asset. You must keep Zaki and Maki connected and warn them about unexpected dangers not visible on radar."
Aurora nodded, her pain gone, replaced by a great sense of responsibility. "I will do it, Miss Airi. I will protect them."
Preparations were immediately made. In the hangar, the Alliance Pioneer team—which had become Augustina's combat squadron—ran around, preparing their Pioneer Custom units. These units were now reinforced with smaller bazookas, standard beam rifles, and equipped with protective shields and heat axes for close combat. This was the first time the Alliance had launched an organized combat squadron outside of the Gundam units.
Maki and Tasya, inside the Lavender and White Gundams, exchanged meaningful glances. There was no more tension, only determination.
Tasya (via comm link): "I'll handle the close combat, Maki. You focus on placing that new Bazooka."
Maki nodded: "I know. And don't you dare sacrifice yourself again, Tasya-chan! I need you by my side when we get home!"
Tasya smiled: "Promise, Maki-chan!"
Once everything was ready, Augustina and Feres launched first inside the Sunflower and Ibis Custom. Five minutes later, the White Gundam, Lavender Gundam, and the Pioneer squadron launched, following behind.
The journey to the border of the desolate rocky area was short because the non-high-flight forces now used a specialized aircraft to carry the Pioneer Mobile Suit troops by air. Augustina and Feres arrived at the location indicated by Aurora and immediately landed on top of a large, steep rock formation. From there, they had a clear view of the valley below, where the Viridian River flowed.
Feres immediately activated the scoop (silent reconnaissance) mode on his Ibis Custom.
"I see it, Big Sister Augustina," Feres whispered, his voice tense. "It's chaos. There are Colonial Mobile Suits... and other mysterious forces. They are fighting very brutally. Those Colonials... they are high-class units, not just Bishops or Pioneers."
Augustina zoomed in on her Sunflower Gundam's display. What she saw was a scene of horror. The mysterious force, piloted by the Dark Resistance troops, consisted of gray-black Mobile Suits with beam rifles, and they were surrounded. They fought bravely but were outnumbered.
At the Colonial forces' front line, two Gundam-Type units dominated the battle.
"Look at those two twin units, Feres!" Augustina exclaimed, her eyes narrowed. "They are incredibly fast, their synchronization is almost perfect! Gray-black and white-red colors. A model we've never seen!"
The two twin units—Nova Alpha Gundam (gray-black) and Nova Beta Gundam (white-orange)—moved as one entity. Nova Alpha, piloted by Prince Wiliam Solva, destroyed the Dark Resistance's front line with high-energy Beam rifles. Meanwhile, Nova Beta, piloted by his sister, Princess Olive Solva, used her superior speed to pierce the rear lines with twin Beam Blades.
In the Nova Alpha's cockpit, Wiliam smiled with satisfaction. "The Dark Resistance is just wasting time. Their Mobile Suit units are strong, but our twin units are much faster in movement synchronization. They will never be able to defeat the Neuro-Resonance of the Solva Clan!"
"Brother, don't be arrogant!" Olive retorted in the Nova Beta. "They are getting reinforcements. The radar is picking up strange Mobile Suit signals approaching from the Neo-Verdia direction! That unit... that signal is familiar!"
Wiliam immediately turned toward the border. There, the White Gundam, Lavender Gundam, and the Alliance Pioneers soared into the battlefield.
"The White Ghost! It's here! He showed up!" Wiliam laughed loudly, a joyous laugh full of fighting spirit. "Good! We don't have to search. He came by himself! This is the Nova Gundam's chance to prove itself!"
Augustina and Feres immediately joined in.
"White Bird! Over there!" Augustina shouted, pointing to the cornered Dark Resistance forces. "Let's help them! Don't let those twin units take control! Pioneers, use your Bazookas to provide suppressing fire!"
The White Gundam, piloted by Zaki, AIRIS, and Maki, immediately launched its new powerful Projectile Bazooka. **BOOM!** The projectile struck the ordinary Colonial ranks, creating a powerful shockwave and forcing them to retreat. The Lavender Gundam, with Tasya as the pilot, darted to the flank, using its Beam Chakram to cut off the Nova Alpha's attack path.
"You dare to interrupt our fight, White Ghost?!" Wiliam Solva shouted in the Nova Alpha, his eyes blazing.
"We don't care who you are! We are here to stop this violence!" Maki countered through the public comm link, her voice firm.
Zaki and Maki immediately confronted Nova Alpha and Beta. The twin units moved with incredible synchronization, attacking the White Gundam from two sides simultaneously.
"They're fast!" Zaki exclaimed, trying to fend off the Nova Alpha's attack.
"Not only fast, they can read our movements! I'll take care of Nova Beta!" Maki took over the synchronization control in the White Gundam, pushing Zaki to focus on defense.
On the other side, Tasya in the Lavender Gundam managed to save a Dark Resistance unit that was nearly destroyed.
"Who are you? Why are you helping us?" asked the surprised Dark Resistance pilot.
"We are from the Alliance of Neo-Verdia. We are not here to fight, but to protect. Now retreat! Let us handle these twin units!" Tasya ordered.
While the battle heated up, suddenly, from the Dark Resistance flagship hidden behind the canyon, a Mobile Suit signal with a terrifying energy output power appeared.
**CRASH!**
A dark-colored Mobile Suit unit with complex armor and a chilling energy aura launched with incredible speed. The unit had an unfamiliar and menacing design, as if it were the antithesis of the White Gundam.
Nova Alpha (Wiliam) was shocked. "What the hell is that?! That Mobile Suit signal is so strong! It surpasses existing Grai unit data!"
Nova Beta (Olive) analyzed. "That's it! That's the Dark Resistance's main unit! Ans Silvet! Don't let him get close to us!"
The black unit, the Grai Gundam, landed between the White Gundam and the Nova Twins, creating a dust explosion that obscured vision. From the dust, the Grai Gundam stood up, emitting a terrifying Neuro Link aura, much colder and denser than the White Gundam's.
Ans Silvet (Grai Gundam Pilot): (Through a calm and menacing comm link) "Nova Solva. I will take care of you. But... White Ghost. Do not interfere with my business. I have more important matters to attend to."
In the White Gundam's cockpit, Zaki and Maki were shocked. However, the biggest shock was in the Alliance's control room.
On the monitor screen, Airi Kimeza, who was monitoring the battle, saw the shape of the Grai Gundam.
That unit. That design. The technological foundation perfected and studied by her husband. It couldn't be wrong.
Airi dropped her coffee cup, her eyes widening with horror and relief battling at the same time.
"No... it can't be..." Airi whispered, her hands trembling. "That unit... the Grai Gundam... The unit I gave the foundation for with him! It's... it's Klaus's design! That's my husband! Klaus is there!"
Anette and Gills, who were next to her, could only stare in confusion at the suddenly hysterical Airi. AIRIS, in her android form, analyzed inside the White Gundam's cockpit.
AIRIS analyzed: "Airi! The Grai Gundam I see is the same unit as 16 years ago. The data shows it has a 100% resemblance."
"That's impossible, right, AIRIS! It's not a dream, is it!" Airi cried out, tears starting to stream down. "That unit is the Grai Gundam, the first Mobile Suit we designed together! I know every component! Klaus... he's still alive! He's there! He came for us!"
Now, the entire battlefield on the Neo-Verdia border became the stage for the most dramatic reunion. White Gundam (Zaki and Maki) and Lavender Gundam (Tasya) stood on one side. Nova Alpha and Beta (William and Olive Solva) on the other. And in the middle, the Grai Gundam (Ans Silvet/Klaus Kimeza), stood as a mystery, a reunion that would change the entire course of the war.
Klaus Kimeza has returned. And he faces the Mobile Suit he helped design for his wife, now piloted by his children. The battle, and the reunion, have just begun.
To be continued….