G Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ Rise, Crusade Gundam! ❯ Neo-Vatican VS Neo-Israel's Gundam Abaddon ( Chapter 12 )

Some months prior to the Final Battle of the 18th Gundam Fight, Gundam fighter Mark Anderson of Neo-England was seen in Neo-Israel, not for the purposes of challenging the Gundam Abaddon, but to observe. During this period of time, Pope Simon Peter the First of Future Century was also there, but for other purposes. He never saw the rest of Simon Peter's stay in Neo-Israel...

 

Mark Anderson had just met with Simon Peter, and the pair shortly departed company, having exchanged pleasantries. Simon Peter ducked and swerved his way through the crowd, being careful to avoid exposure as the Pope. Despite wearing 'casual' clothing, he could still be picked out by his verbal mannerisms, and his distinctive hair. He was scheduled to meet with the cardinals that comprised his crew in five minutes, and he was making lousy time. This wasn't helped by the swarms of people surrounding him, admirers of the Gundam Abaddon, and people just wanting to say 'hey, aren't you the pope?'

 

Six minutes later, he found himself in the clearing, in the Neo-Vatican embassy. As he calmly entered, he was greeted by an aged man, wearing purple robes.

 

"Your holiness! You've made it, thankfully." This was Cardinal Grazny, possibly Simon Peter's closest friend in the world. He was a man who served the Catholic Church his entire life, and most ardently supported his ascension to the Pontiff. A former resident of Neo-Germany, he too shared the largely conservative beliefs that Simon Peter held, which is why he chose him to lead the church, as a 'return to traditional values'. The two often discussed policies together, and it was Grazny who designed the Pope Gundam for Simon Peter's use.

 

The pair walked down the hallways of the embassy, ready to meet with the rest of the cardinals. As they entered the room, the sounds of muttering were evident, suggesting a mutual impatience.

 

"I apologise for my delay, friends," Simon Peter said, responding to the mutterings, and sat down at the head of the table. He removed his cap and sunglasses, and put on his smaller reading glasses. "Now then, I trust we are all clear about our policy today?" The response consisted of murmurs. "I assume that's a no. Very well. I am to challenge the Gundam Fighter of this nation, and schedule a battle for tomorrow. We shall determine whether or not this fighter has the right to name itself after one of the Lord's heavenly messengers."

 

"Very well, your holiness," replied Grazny. "Any further plans for today?"

 

"Mass at 7pm, as usual. Otherwise, free to do as you please. God be with you." He rose, and exited to his quarters. He planned to meet the fighter in full attire, rather than the shoddy clothes he wore to avoid unnecessary interference from the locals. Hopefully it would make quite the impression on the fighter.

 

Following the defeat of the Gundam Khan, the Neo-Israel crew withdrew the Gundam Abaddon from the arena, while the fighter exited to her own abode. She slowly opened the door, feeling somewhat down. She had hoped to see Mark Anderson today, or even to fight him. Ever since she first saw him at St Peter's Square, she could not help but think about him fondly. She didn't quite understand why. She had been trained in the role of Gundam fighter for Neo-Israel since the age of 17, having the various training regimens drilled into her on a near daily basis. The fight was all she knew, and all she could care about. Save him.

 

Trying to rid such thoughts from her head and she walked in, she was stunned by the appearance of the Pope in her room. Instantly obeying respectful obligation, she dropped to her knees, and genuflected before him.

 

"Rise, child," Simon Peter commanded. It felt weird calling her a 'child', as he was only two or three years older than her. "I have come to see you, Talia Esau." She got up, and motioned for him to sit down. "Thank you. Now then...They had king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon..." He looked up, over his glasses. "I assume you're familiar with that verse from Revelations, hm?" She shook her head. "Interesting...the point of the matter is you are fighting in the name of the Lord's chosen guardian of death. I know not your country's intentions, but I must request an immediate halt to this. God's messengers are His alone, and to use their name in this manner is tantamount of blasphemy. I understand if you think is harsh, but we are humans, not angels. It is not right to use their names to fill ourselves with glory." He rose, and prepared to leave. "I challenge you to a Gundam Fight. Send a message to our embassy here if you are willing to accept. Then we shall see if you are worthy of the name Abaddon."

 

The following day, Simon Peter awoke to find that Neo-Israel had responded to the challenge, and scheduled a fight for that day. He smiled, and proceeded to prepare for the upcoming match.

 

Hours later, the arena was prepared for this battle. The Gundam Abaddon, and Talia inside, stood proudly, awaiting its opponent. Then, as per usual, the sound of chorale music flooded the arena, signifying the Pope Gundam's arrival. It splendidly entered, rays of sunlight bursting through, illuminating the massive Gundams perfectly.

 

"I see you have made no change to your Gundam's name. So be it. Gundam Fight!" He received no response from Talia, but instead the Neo-Israel crew made the reply.

 

"Ready!"

 

"Gooo!" The two mecha charged towards each other. However, the Gundam Abaddon retreated just as quickly, firing the vulcans at the Pope Gundam to slow it down. However, they were too weak to do any significant damage, or to halt the Pope Gundam's charge. Instead, Simon Peter swirled the staff above his head, and deflected any bullets back towards the Gundam Abaddon. This tactic was quickly countered by Talia willing the Gundam to fly, hence gaining a range and manoeuvrability advantage over the slower and bulkier Pope Gundam. Simon Peter knew this too, and prepared his Holy Stigmata attack to clip the angel's wings, so to speak. She dived in to attack, expertly dodging the spiked projectiles that Simon Peter hurled with deadly accuracy. He saw her prepare the Sword of Death, easily the Gundam Abaddon's most powerful attack, and began to quickly plan a counter strategy. The black energy swirling around the Gundam's sword would have caused any lesser fighter to freeze in fear, but Simon Peter was empowered by his faith in God.

 

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil…for you are with me. Your rod and your staff…they shall comfort me,” he softly whispered to himself as he saw the sword bear down upon him. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He figured that the Gundam Abaddon couldn't dodge his Holy Stigmata at point blank range, and that would be the perfect time to strike, and thus send the opponent crashing back down to the ground. However, this was an exceptionally risky tactic, as the chances of getting sliced were high.

 

The Sword of Death flashed different colours as it hurtled towards the Pope Gundam, which stood firm as a rock, unyielding in the face of defeat. Here was Simon Peter living up to his papal duties as none could ever have believed. The Pope Gundam's hands began to glow red, and Simon Peter tensed his muscles, ready to make a last minute dodge and bring in a victory. Talia had gotten into striking distance, after the longest two seconds in history, and swung the sword at the Pope Gundam. Simon Peter dodged the slash, and prepared to hurl the Stigmata, only to find the Gundam Abaddon had swiftly circled him, and before he knew it, his Gundam's legs had been sheared off.

 

The Pope Gundam's torso rolled about on the sands of the arena, and Simon Peter, struck with shock at this unexpected development, couldn't speak. The sword now hung above the Gundam's neck, ready to deal the finishing blow.

 

“I…yield, Talia. This match is yours,” Simon Peter choked. The sword rose in response, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “I may not agree with your decision to use the name Abaddon, but I see now your worthiness to such a name.” Talia smiled in response, and picked up the torso, in a gesture of friendship.

 

Simon Peter exited his Gundam, feeling slightly irritated by his swift defeat. He wondered just how his fellow men of the church would take this failing, after all his bluster the day before. These thoughts troubled him as he stripped from his MTS, and into the papal robes. As he left the changing room, however, a sudden blow from behind knocked him out. When he came to, he was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Each and every one was a high-ranking member of the Neo-Israel government.

 

“Pope Simon Peter the First of Future Century,” a commanding male voice stated, “Do you know why you are here?”

 

“I do not even know where I am! Who are you? Why am I here?”

 

“Quiet! You are here because you have had the audacity to dictate what our proud nation can or cannot do!”

 

“And since when was your nation above God's moral laws?”

 

“You are in no position to argue with us!” Simon Peter felt a pistol's barrel against the side of his head. “You have to understand, you are from a lesser nation. We do not have to take the kind of insult you gave us. Hence, you are to be eliminated.”

 

“Merely for questioning your Gundam's name? What kind of nation would kill a man for that?”

 

“Your influence as the head of the Catholic church means soon many people could be drawn to your thinking. It may well be that our nation could suffer the backlash of protest. That would be deadly, considering the great chances our Gundam has of winning the tournament.” A man stepped out of the shadows, dressed in the typical businessman's attire, and carrying a pistol. “We are going to rule the world, Simon Peter. Nobody can stop us.”

 

“There is one…” Simon Peter spat out. “When you reach the final battle, you will know defeat at the hands of one man…”

 

“Let me guess…Neo-England? The only one to beat you so far? Don't make me laugh. That whelp could barely handle Neo-France, and that Gundam is barely second tier. When he meets our Gundam…he shall suffer.”

 

Suddenly, a door behind Simon Peter burst open. His captors were audibly shocked, and had to alter their priorities.

 

“Talia! What do you think you are doing?” His response was a fist in the jaw. The rest of this man's entourage quickly surrendered themselves, knowing full well the extent of her power. She quickly untied Simon Peter, who was clearly shocked by the entire matter.

 

“Thank you. Not to seem ungrateful, but why are you doing this? Surely you will receive a severe backlash from your nation's government for this?” She shook her head. One of the assailants began to laugh.

 

“Well…it looks like the brainwave scans were right, friends…” He coughed, and crawled to his feet. “She does care for someone. Anybody else notice how angrily she reacted upon hearing how she's going to make Neo-England pay?” He received a kick in the chest for such remarks. She was about to give him another strike, when Simon Peter grabbed her wrist.

 

“Don't. He'll receive retribution soon enough. We should concentrate solely on getting out of here.” Talia looked to him, and nodded. Her eyes were filled with sadness, and Simon Peter noted this. “What about you? You're going against your government here…they won't take this lying down.”

 

“You're correct, Your Holiness. However, they would know better than to punish their greatest Gundam Fight since the early years.” A man, wearing the same government robes as the officials now lying unconscious walked in, and put his arms around Talia. “I am Caleb Esau, Talia's father. I currently hold the position of Minister of Defence in our government…at least, I should.”

 

“I'm afraid I do not understand…but we must be going.” Simon Peter looked to the floor. “These would-be assailants are starting to recover.”

 

“Come with me.” Caleb beckoned to him, and they entered a small room a few short moments away from the interrogation chamber. As they sat down at a table, Caleb put his head into his hands. “That was too close.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Our country…has been executing Gundam Fights that fall in battle. It was decided, after Talia had begun training as a Gundam Fighter, as a safety measure…”

 

Simon Peter stroked his chin. That would explain the disappearance of the Neo-Mongolian Fighter, at least.

 

“I have been against this since the start, but our Prime Minister, a man named Abdul Alzhared, has become drunk with power…he knows his position is based entirely upon the results of this Gundam Fight.”

 

“And I assume that the rest of the ministry is comprised of sycophants, all wishing to gain power for themselves?”

 

“You are correct, Your Holiness.” He shuddered as a loud noise came from the door, a heavy thudding. Talia got to the door, and held it back. “Damn! Quickly, through here,” Caleb shouted, struggling to make himself heard over the noise. “This basement will lead you outside. You'll be free.”

 

“What about yourselves? I won't leave you here to die!”

 

“If I give my life to save the one man who can help our troubled country, then it won't have been in vain. Now go! Hurry!” He pushed Simon Peter into the passageway, and then turned to see his daughter being held by some old friends.

 

“Not a smart move, minister. It looks like your career is going to end with a bang, now.” The Prime Minister, a man of small stature and unimposing physique, grimaced. “You dare threaten our country? You're a traitor! A traitor!” His voice rose, and began to alter in tone, a twinge of insanity starting to set in. “Your daughter will live until she has won the fight for us. As for you…” Caleb's face grew pale.

 

Simon Peter was glad to finally see daylight, but he remained perturbed. He had managed to contact his cardinals, but he knew it would be impossible to stop the entire government with just them. It was something the entire Catholic Church could do, however. He quickly ran over in his mind every opponent he had fought, and planned to focus his cyclicals upon condemning the government. Meanwhile, he could travel the world, and recruit fighters to help him against the corruption.

 

That was the plan. With few exceptions, nobody wished to involve themselves in another government's affairs. There were no regulations against executing other Gundam Fighters, bizarrely, and there was little chance of anybody risking their own neck for somebody they didn't know.

Simon Peter sighed, as he passed over countless vales and hills, heading towards a certain destination. He was surprised he'd left this country until last, especially considering what he'd learned in Neo-Israel. All those months of searching, and he'd completely forgotten.

 

“Just wait, Talia. Mark Anderson will help, I know it…”