Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Mobile Suit Gundam Fan Fiction / Gundam 08th MS Team Fan Fiction ❯ Amalgam Gundam ❯ Interludes and Transitions ( Chapter 16 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Narrator: Universal Colony Year 118 was the year of triumphs and defeats. The Thallonian Empire conquered 95% of the area, enslaving the populaces of both planetary and space colonies. This Empire was ruled by the dictator Marianna Delis, whose cruelty was only surpassed by her military knowledge and power. However, five space colonies took it upon themselves to join forces in resistance against the Empire by purchasing five Gundams off of one Clarke Axem and sending them to Thallos to win the war with guerilla tactics. Marianna responded by purchasing the mobile armor Apsalus IV and attempted to destroy all the colonies and Clarke Axem. The battle drew them over the Empire's Headquarters, and when the Apsalus fell, it destroyed not only the headquarters, but the storage point for the whole economy of the Empire. The Empire has now fallen.




"Quickly! Quickly!"

On the planetary colony Halos, two former Empire soldiers desperately tried to start up a transport ship and get it off the planet. They could hear furious pounding and explosions from the outside, and it made them all the more nervous and anxious. Finally finding the right controls, the Soldier in the main pilot seat engaged the transport ship, blasting them off of Halos.

And on the planet's surface, cheering and cries of joy filled the entire colony, watching the final Empire ship escape and attempt to return home to Thallos. After the economic fall of the Empire, the majority of soldiers were returning to Thallos, either by personal choice or by order, and come help their families or the entire population, if necessary. Many colonies took advantage of this, finally moving openly in resistance against the Empire and forcing them out of many colonies.

And now, on Halos, it was a time of fireworks and joy, for their oppressors were leaving.

All thanks to a handful of Gundam pilots.







Kenola bit her fingernails, nervous about having her Gundam around the area. She didn't want to crush Marianna if she was around here with it, but it's sensors were the only thing that could indicate whether or not there was still life in this wasteland that had once been the central point from which the Empire of Thallos had been controlled. She gasped as she finally detected a faint life sign coming from beneath a very large pile of rubble.

From what Kenola could tell, the rubble was supporting itself enough so the full brunt of its weight wasn't coming down on Marianna. Of course, Kenola didn't actually know if it was Marianna or not, but to her, any people saved from this battle would be a miracle. She aimed her primary cannon at the panel and readjusted it so it would create an ever-increasing heat that would disintegrate the debris within seconds. And as the wreckage and twisted metal began to evaporate and disappear, Kenola could make out the small, feminine features of one Marianna Dellis.

Kenola winced as she shut off the primary cannon. Her Gundam, Warpath, knelt down and slowly picked up the fragile body into its hands. Kenola grimaced as she opened up her cockpit and took the still-living body inside, hoping that it wasn't too late to save the former Empress of Thallos.





Aram smiled as he stared up at the video screen that featured the news report. On his home colony of MG-166, he had been greatly tempted to return to his home colony and his resistance friends, but he had decided against it. The only thing he wanted now was a cigarette and a glass of whiskey, both which were available to him.

And so, Aram Hashta smiled up at the video screen featuring images of Arsenal laying waste to an enemy mobile suit, and lit up his cigarette. He let the smoke blow out from of his nose and mouth and get absorbed into the air recycler, disregarding the safety training he had gone through about letting anything other than normal air pass inside of the recyclers.

"Air's overrated, anyway." he laughed.






On a private transport plane back to his own home colony, Edmond Shibumi sat with a blank look on his face examining the newspaper before him. Despite the destruction of the Empire's government, the news services remained open, appealing to some instinct inside of them to actually report on the facts and attempt to help the citizens within the Empire who hadn't been conquered before them. However, for the longest time, the media services had been used as the propaganda machine for the Empire. Since the Empire of Thallos had fallen, who exactly was telling them what to write and report on?

Edmond stared at the headline of the newspaper, not even bothering to read the story within since he had been there, himself, and knew exactly what had transpired. The newspaper story wasn't going to give him any new information. However, the headline itself was what Edmond was reading and the sheer fact behind it was what was so unbelievable: 'Death of the Empire.'

Edmond had never had a childhood. From the day he was born to the moment that he was at, he had fought as a soldier for the freedom of his colony from the iron fist of Marianna and, thanks to the assistance of the Gundam pilots, his goal had been achieved.

And so, for the first time in a long time, Edmond Shibumi's mouth curved into a smile and he closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. He giggled slightly for a moment before letting out a bellowing laugh that demonstrated his sheer ecstasy and happiness that his task was complete, his goal achieved. Mission accomplished.





"I think you'll like my colony, Melanie. It's not a paradise, but it's just as beautiful as any of Thallos' moons." Den Ryuu spoke.

After Melanie had forced the Apsalus IV down, she was left in a near-state of shock from her experience onboard Jubilee Zero. She landed her Gundam safely enough, but then never moved from the spot she had been in in the cockpit. It had been left to Den to defend her motionless Gundam while the remnants of the Empire's forces attempted to get revenge for their fallen headquarters. When the remaining forces were destroyed or dispersed on their own, Den went out to find out what was the matter with her. It took him ten minutes to find a way to force open the cockpit and found Melanie simply staring at her console, not moving except to breathe and blink.

Since Melanie's colony had been destroyed, there was no real place for her to go back to and celebrate victory, so Den volunteered the option of bringing her back to his home colony. The Doctors had been reluctant to let her go in her state of mind, but Den insisted with his handgun that it might be the best for her.

And so, Melanie sat in her chair on the plane, still not speaking a word after her experience within her rebuilt Gundam. Den bit his lower lip as he heard the pilot announce that they were beginning their descent towards the colony's landing strip. He moved next to her and leaned over to talk to her.

"Listen," he said, "Melanie, I have no idea if you can actually still hear me in there, but you've got to snap out of this. I doubt you're the kind to accept a hero's welcome, but this is certainly no way for you to live. The doctors can only pump you full of nutrients and lead you along for so long... And frankly, I've had a puppy before, and it wasn't exactly a life changing experience for me. I certainly don't want a puppy NOW."

Melanie slowly moved her head in his direction, leaning in closer. Indicating that she was going to whisper something, Den leaned over and brought his ear closer to her mouth.

"Why... Why am I still alive?" was all she could whisper.

Den looked into her eyes. They looked tired and sore, indicating that she hadn't been sleeping particularly well. Den frowned and put his arms around her, giving her a light hug as he smiled.

"Because there are still people who need you." he answered.






"...Continuing reports to come in of colonies declaring independence from the now-defunct Empire of Thallos..."

Char Aznable considered asking the barkeep to turn off the television screen, but sighed and decided against it. Even if the sounds were gone, Char believed that every little thing around him would remind him of the alien quality that he sensed. He tried to remember how he had gotten to the point he was at, his memories continually bringing him back to his final confrontation with Amuro. Amuro had been using his Nu Gundam to push back the colony/asteroid that was his instrument of change when everything had gone black, something he thought had happened as a result of the sheer heat of the atmosphere burning his escape pod.

He gripped the glass in his hands tighter. The instant he had woken up on Thallos, his Newtype senses had gone mad. Everything felt wrong, as if everything was as it was, but just... off. He had already consulted computer databanks that told him the history of the colonies and the Empire, but it still gave him little to work with. The colonies were all wrong, the star charts were nothing like he'd seen before, and not one of the history banks mentioned earth.

And yet, there was one thing that remained constant no matter where he was: the mobile suits. Sure, there were many kinds of suits that were similar but quite different, but there were more than enough of the familiar ones that he almost felt at home in this environment.

...Almost.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Char turned around on his barstool. Standing behind him was a tall man in a trench coat, dressed appropriately for the cold weather of the small town that Char had stopped in. The man wasn't smiling and long blonde hair flowed down around his shoulders. Char thought that the individual almost looked like a distant relative of his. There was also a sense of... familiarity, something his Newtype senses were registering. Char offered the stool beside him, calling the barkeep to order another glass for the newcomer.

The man sat down beside Char and looked up at the television screen.

"I doubt my name will mean much to you, since so far no one I've told it to has been able to recognize it, either, but it's Miliardo Peacecraft. However, these days I have been more comfortable with the pseudonym Zechs. I believe we met before when we were defending Mr. Axem's space station, albeit not in person." he explained.

"Indeed. What can I do for you?" Char inquired, expecting to be offered a job.

Zechs looked up at the news footage and narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure if this will come to a surprise to you or not, but you and I are in very similar situations. I made some inquiries about you and apparently you were in some sort of great battle when you were suddenly whisked away, without explanation, to the place we're in now."

Char didn't try to confirm or deny the story, wondering where Zechs was going with it.

"Apparently, also in that battle, you were attempting to lay waste to a planet called earth. Now, everyone else in this... place has denied ever hearing of earth, but I do not. You see, you and I are in similar situations because we both were whisked away with no explanation from a solar system that contained a planet called earth. In my case, I was working on a terraforming project for the planet Mars when a sandstorm suddenly picked up. Everything went black and the last I remember I woke up on one of Thallos' moons." Zechs explained further.

"Do you have any more information beyond that?" Char queried.

Zechs shook his head. "No, but I have a feeling we both know who does."

Char nodded and placed some currency on the bar counter, not caring that the coins wouldn't be recognized on Thallos.






Clar Axem whistled a little as he sat down in his favorite chair and watched the continuing coverage of the death of the Empire. He cackled a little, eating soup as he delighted in the end of the Thallosians. He couldn't have been more delighted by the prospect that the people who had stolen his mobile suit designs and produced their own were finally crippled. He recalled the often-played footage of Jubilee Zero ripping out the cockpit of the Apsalus IV and crushing it in her hands, most likely killing Marianna, Empress of the Empire of Thallos.

"Good riddance," Axem said to himself, setting aside his soup bowl, "the spoiled little bitch deserved to finally get visited by the REAL reaper. I wonder... could it be time to retire? I do live in comfortable surroundings, and without the Empire, it will be easy to get bored... Oh well, even the best of games have to end."

All of a sudden, the picture on his video screen began to distort. Axem raised an eyebrow, wondering if there was interference with the signal transmission. However, he realized the truth in a few moments when the image of the female anchorwoman was replaced by the visage of a tall man with a neatly-shaven beard. He wore a military uniform, but its design wasn't like anything Axem had ever seen.

"We apologize for having to override your centers of communication, but the message I have is vital for the future of you all. Over two hundred years ago, the planet earth sent out a series of colony ships to this sector of space, hoping that it would solve problems of overpopulation and the expansion of human knowledge. However, certain events followed. We're not quite sure of the specifics behind it, but all knowledge of your former homeland was erased. As such, the majority of the people landed on the planet you call Thallos and, during that time, used the advanced technology of the transports to develop an empire, with colony worlds expanding ever outwards from all of the places that the other ships landed."

Axem raised an eyebrow and leaned in, wanting to hear more.

"However, things have changed on earth. Many of the problems that have plagued our society are no more and we wanted to find out what happened to our wayward colonists. And so, many exploration vessels came and monitored the situation here for the past six years, gathering information and sending it back to earth for study. We have finally made a decision about the current developments now that the Empire of Thallos has fallen: we are going to welcome our wayward colonials back into their homeland. However, this issue has become something of high importance to the citizens of the earth sphere and they believe that everything here is rightfully theirs and yours to share. As such, we will welcome friendly colonies with open arms, but those who resist our edict... will not be met with such gratitude. Earth has spoken."

And as the video screen returned back to a stunned newscaster, Clarke Axem picked up his soup again and grinned from ear to ear.

"Suddenly, the game began again."





To Be Continued...