Frozen Teardrop Chapter 9 - I
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Gundam Wing Frozen Teardrop
Chapter 9 (July 2011)
raw credit
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Story Guide
MC 22
Heero, who had awakened from the cold capsule, received a message that Professors W's (Quatre) little sister Quatrine ran away taking "Promotheus" with her. He and Father's (Duo) son Duo set out with "Snow White" and "Warlock" in pursuit. However, Quatrine, who was in the verge of completing Relena's total pacifism principle, escaped.
Master Chang (Chang Wufei) who received the report, take off with "Epyon White", which he built based from Treize's blueprint. However, what awaits him there are "Gundam Epyon" and three Virgo IVs. The course of the battle between two "Epyon" is...?!
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Characters
Heero Yuy
He was awakened from the artificial hibernation capsule "Princess Aurora", still looking young as what he was several years ago.
Father Maxwell
Duo Maxwell. He continues to run the Schbeiker Orpanage Church that was once managed by Hilde.
Duo Maxwell
Father Maxwell's son. A cheeky braided boy who had undergone a training as a Gundam pilot.
Doctor T
Trowa Barton. His long bangs is his unique characteristic, a scholarly type of guy who doesn't show facial expressions that much.
Trowa Phobos
Having nowhere to run after assassinating the Leader Milliardo, he was picked up by Doctor T and received training as a pilot.
Professor W
Quatre Raberba Winner. A silver-haired gentleman who still looks youthful with his green eyes. Quatrine is his younger sister.
Quatrine Oud Winner
With her special skills in performing with a violin, she pilots a suit as if playing a music. As she kissed Phobos, she took that chance in her plan to escape.
Master Chang
Chang Wufei. Serving as a leader of the "Preventer" Mars Branch. Kathy's superior.
Kathy Po
Sally's daughter
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(p. 298)
-MC File 3-
----Several seconds later----
The three-headed pterosaur "Nataku" came flying.
It was an image that was projected by the Mars Federation surveillance satellite camera from a different angle.
The white dragon stands out too much on the red land.
But that image immediately changed into a sandstorm.
I was afraid in an instant that we are noticed by the Federal Army.
"Are we being jammed?"
"No, I think it's the effect of the magnetic storm"
Kathy is calm.
"Even if we are noticed, we have piles of traps prepared, so they aren't supposed discover us."
"I see..."
As I muttured with a sigh, I thought of that airframe that Wufei is piloting.
"Shall I prepare a coffee for you?"
Her concern is scrupulous.
"Black, please...a strongly bitter one is better"
"Roger"
For coffee, battles and even life, a bitter one is perfect.
Because I'm a desperado, anything bitter suits me.
With regards to the characteristic form of the flying mobile armor "Epyon White", a third dragon is located in between its double-head.
On the contrary, there's no heat rod that's supposed to be coupled with the shield. Instead, a beam trident fulfills that place.
The so-called 'dragon fangs' that are equipped with machine guns and beam cannon are able in the past to fight against Aries and Taurus in air.
However, during the AC era, though it was possible to for both mobile suits to engage in an air battle, in reality, they never went on recklessly.
There's one reason as to why the hit accuracy of air-to-air missiles is high.
Since the enemy carries the same kind, simultaneously striking each other was the most one can do.
Also, it has to fly once again after firing missiles. In order to maintain that stance, it's a pilot's responsibility to minutely adjust the vernier, among everything else. There's nothing more troublesome than that.
That time, I definitely didn't do that during air battles in places with gravity.
It seems like the other guys also thought that. During that era, there are raids from a high altitude and aggressive air battles, but there were so few cases of defensive air battles that prevent counterattacks.
Not carelessly attacking on air, one is supposedly to shoot the enemy from an advantageous point upon landing.
That way gives us favorable war outcomes, and chances of surviving becomes higher.
Though there is a little exception. Even a soldier who is in discord with "death" in the battlefield is thinking "I want to live" while fighting.
Considerably, this may be the reason for the scarcity of airframes during air battles between mobile armors: pilots basically work with their so-called "survival instinct" and never went.
I remember Heero, who was indifferent about 'surviving' that time, didn't experience a so-called 'dog-fight' air battle with "Wing Gundam"
Its other name is "XXXG-01W" and has a unique flying form in its so-called bird mode. Its basic tactic is to withdraw from attacking, transform once it secures a landing point after firing on air and then fight the mobile suits normally on land.
But, that was on Earth.
There's no sense in using a radar to search for the enemy in this magnetic storm that is sweeping over Mars. It's like the hitting accuracy of air-to-air missiles is nil.
Among the variation of Mars suits, there are several light weight air combat types that can make use of Mars gravity as an advantage, but a heavy armor type with flight function, like what was in the past, was not produced.
But for Chang Wufei...
That guy's "Epyon White" -- as I look at Nataku, it is able to maintain its flight at a high altitude as it wait for its enemy.
Several seconds passed from his expected encounter with his enemy, but they haven't made a contact yet.
That reason is because the three-headed pterosaur, which had fixed its target, intends to have an air battle; a 'next battle' (Epyon Ares) of identical mobile armors that no one had experienced yet.
Senior specialist Zechs Merquise advances as its double-headed crimson flying dragon came flying in great speed at a low altitude just before the main monitor changed into an image of the sandstorm.
That "Epyon no. 1" is designed to specialize in hand-to-hand combat.
Because the basic concept is to use it mainly for chivalric shoot-outs.
That can only be expected of Treize Kushrenada's so-called 'rare eccentricity' to complete that airframe.
If you deduct it with common sense, like thinking that it isn't necessary to add an aviation ability in this airframe, exposing the heat rod that is coupled with its shield is extremely effective with its extensive power during this mobile armor times.
It creates a cutting power with its scorching heat rod.
That is what its first pilot, Heero, explained to me.
I don't have any image record of it in the past to confirm it, but if I'm not mistaken, I think that was during a battle in Luxembourg.
Epyon cut, bombed and crushed dozens of mobile suits above the ground.
Every swing of the heat rod is destructive.
I can guess that is perhaps accordingly to the most extreme tactical attack method, which is processed by the "Zero System", rather than Heero's own choice.
This may be unnecessary but, that time, though it is accurately called as the "Epyon System", it's all right to call it as "Zero" since they are almost identical to each other.
The problem is that even if its basic layout is for 'shoot-outs', the system made 'mass murder' possible.
While the goal of 'shoot-outs' is to cease the fighting as one scrambles for his life, in cases he is seen by a large force of the enemy, it allows extreme "annihilation" in order to counter them
As expected, I can't help thinking that it is contradicting.
And that is a fairly placid contradiction.
I can feel that the words "war" for "peace" sounded just the same.
"Goals" and "means" are self-contradicting, at the same that they are being mixed.
Such thing should be obvious yet for some reason Treize equipped the mobile suit with "Zero system" and aviation abilities.
I do not know the meaning behind that.
Though I have no idea, I do know that Treize said that this Epyon is a so-called "guide".
Perhaps, one is to choose his own path.
It is in the pilot's will to choose between "shoot-out" or "mass murder".
That may be true but there's no doubt that making a choice causes an extreme mental burden.
In the end, its first pilot, Heero, went overboard.
Not losing the enemy, it became unclear which enemy he was supposed to defeat. The action he chose was to massacre all those who carry weapons, and all humans.
There's no mistaking that Heero was consumed by madness during that time.
The next one who appeared in Epyon was Zechs as Milliardo Peacecraft.
It was unclear if that man was in a state of madness. But it is a fact recorded in history that Milliardo who became the White Fang leader wanted to annihilate the mankind on Earth in his political purge.
Kathy came holding coffee.
It's blended perfectly; even the temperature is just right. Its bitterness and acidity are balanced.
"This is delicious...did you learn this from your mother?"
Sally Po is a skilled woman who can do anything from being a doctor to being a commander of a battleship.
"No, my mother is poor when it comes to this."
I agreed, though it was unusual of her.
"So it means Wufei always drink this kind of stuff?"
"Master Chang doesn't put anything in his mouth unless he made it himself."
While staring at the brown liquid, I murmured:
"I see, that's just like him"
That guy hasn't trust anyone yet.
Wufei perhaps hasn't started up "Zero System" in Nataku while he pilots it.
He believes in his own intuition rather than a machine's auto-analysis of the battle.
He is such a guy.
If I'm going to refresh my understanding of Wufei, he single-handedly obtained Treize's blueprint and laborously built Epyon White. It seems he repeatedly alters and maintains it, and makes it his own.
Today's sortie became his test drive, but he suddenly engage in an actual battle even before familiarizing himself with it. Indeed, that speaks of "Chang Wufei the warrior"
More than that, I cannot understand why Wufei chose "white" and "blue" as that three-headed pterosaur's main colors.
I thought Treize's influence on him is still strong but since he used "Nataku" as its codename, I can guess that he has a different sentiments regarding that.
If you look at it from a different angle, I have questions as to why Treize did not colored "Epyon no. 1", which is an airframe for shoot-outs, as white.
I interpret "crimson" and "black" as colors of the losers.
The era changed, and the losers are created by the next era.
I can feel its splended strength, rather than its grace.
As Treize said so, "white" and "blue" are opposite colors.
At that moment, the sandstorm disappeared and the main monitor returned to its previous image.
"It seems the sandstorm is gone"
"...Yeah"
With this, Zechs will sense the enemy up in the sky.
The battle isn't starting yet.
Wufei's Nataku is revolving around Zech's Epyon at the center in a round gimlet.
This is a basic technology called "Pylon flight", a pursuing method that if you swoop down, you can switchover even if it's a "hit & way" or even a "dogfight"
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(p. 301 - Image of Kathy serving coffee to Father Maxwell)
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It may be possible for Zechs to escape in full throttle, but he must be aware that he'll further widen the distance with the "Virgo IVs" that are following him.
And, "ZERO" must have concluded that "prolonging a battle to increase their potentials in a war is advantageous".
As I look at the airframe data on the sub monitor, Nataku excels Epyon when it comes to cruising range and straight line speed.
But when it comes to mobility and agility, Epyon has more edge. It means that it will be advantageous for Epyon if this becomes a hand-to-hand close combat.
But Wufei dares a close combat on air -- I can see that he'll challenge it to a dog fight.
Challenging his opponent's strong points, holding it down in a feat of strength and trying to outdo it is that guy's way of fighting since before.
If he's familiarizing himself in piloting it, then it should be more that enough to warm himself up. He had his chance.
"What is he waiting for?"
It was at that moment.
The two-headed flying dragon moved first.
It suddenly raises its nose, and ascends vertically.
Zechs shoots first.
It should be the most accurate choice in this sky battlefield as per ZERO's judgment.
The two-headed dragon bares its fangs. It fired its double-beam rifle.
It fires as it predicts Nataku's movements.
"You cannot evade that..."
If that guy start up "ZERO", Nataku should've predicted the attack and descend rapidly to avoid it.
But, Nataku's speed wasn't able to catch up.
Nataku dodged easily in a speed of light, as if weaving its way, and speeds up.
"Impossible..."
I was astonished.
ZERO, which predicts accurately, cannot make a mistake.
All of Nataku's operational analysis are complete, including its high speed, abilities, atmospheric pressure and wind direction peripheral data,
"Isn't that airframe's data wrong?"
I asked about the data on the sub monitor.
"The data are not wrong"
Kathy said flatly.
This girl extremely holds pride in her work.
"The data analyzed by the monitor at present completely conforms with the data that were left in the Artic base."
"He did say it's the first time for him to pilot that suit, right?"
"Yes."
"....."
I crossed my arms and pondered.
If it's really as what the data say, Wufei had exceeded 'something' far off my and ZERO's expectations.
That 'something' cannot come into my mind.
I think it's not only Nataku's skills.
At that moment, Nataku's right wing lurched, rapidly turned to the left as if making a great detour, and counterattacked.
It's an image of raising the gear one step up.
"Does he intend to thrust head-on?!"
He'll be a prey of that double-headed dragon's beam rifle.
But the three-headed pterosaur fired the beam cannon from its dragon fangs first.
The double-beam rifle lightly touched it with its counterattack.
The next moment had the crimson wing and white wing getting mixed.
Zechs received a direct hit from Nataku's dragon fang beam cannon.
Crossing paths, Epyon's heat rod striked, but Nataku thinly dodged it.
The frame's damage are not much but, overturning ZERO's prediction becomes a serious blow.
No doubt, Zechs' Epyon has keenness beyond expectations.
But, with Wufe's piloting skills, Nataku's deceleration and acceleration exceeds that of Epyon.
About this time, I think ZERO is taking its time modifying its data.
Mere seconds...but it doesn't mean that Wufei will overlook that timing.
Continuing, the rising Nataku swooped down and fired ceaselessly.
Wufei's target is as close to being too accurate.
Smoke was coming out from one of Epyon's left wing propulsion vernier.
Wufei, since before, attacks repeatedly as if pressing (his enemy) for answers.
He rapidly fires three to four shots to the double-headed dragon's rear.
With this attack, Epyon avoided
"I didn't imagine Master Chang can do this much as an ally"
"Yeah, I'm surprised, too"
His opponent is Epyon with built-in ZERO system, how come he was able to surpass it?
"Hn?"
I noticed the difference between the two suits' main wings.
Epyon's crimson wings is being camouflaged by Mars' peculiar clouds of dust.
On the other hand, Wufei's Nataku hasn't lost the shine of its silver wings.
It's a proof that he considerably polish it.
Suppose that they are fighting with the same pilots' skills and airframes' functions, the one who often maintains (his frame) wins.
Wufei eagerly wipes up to the corners and maintains Nataku so it can fly farther even just for some kilometers.
Moreover, he maintains his flight at a dirt-resistant altitude.
Of course, with Zechs' airframe's "auto-maintenance plant", he must be cleaning it with wax and dust-proof coating.
But Wufei sentiments in maintaining it is incomparable.
It keeps off Mars' dust to that extent, and strikes as it overcomes the frames' performance.
No matter how much ZERO calculates every environment, Wufei's "love for his suit" perhaps cannot be converted into digits.
Being the same Gundam pilots, I salute to him. Although I retired, well anyway, everything Wufei does surprises me ever since.
"That guy works hard"
The three-headed pterosaur -- Nataku continues its fierce attack.
Meanwhile, the crimson double-headed flying dragon -- Epyon-- continues to escape using the most of its keenness.
The vernier tank, where smoke is coming out, was detached, and in order to maintain its balance, the unscratched right wing was rid off.
Good decision.
Normally, it will be hard to get rid of that unscratched part.
If it's an ordinary pilot, he will hesitate no matter what.
That bravery works.
Epyon, which has become lighter, sped up at once.
And swing its wings up and down quickly.
With that acrobatic move, Wufei cannot lock on to his target.
Nataku also speeds up in pursuit.
In full throttle, and seems like he raises its top gear.
"Is he going to speed up more?!"
Kathy's voice rise in wonder.
"Yeah! Because this is where he attacks!"
Nataku continues to accelerate, trying to capture Epyon's tail vernier.
And, its heat rod closes in just in time.
"That's good!"
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p. 304 - image of Nataku in pursuit of Epyon
It's not the time to care about your limits
"Now's the only chance!"
I shout forgetting myself.
"If you're going to bring it down, do it before it becomes troublesome! Give him a final blow anyhow!"
It is at that time.
Epyon suddenly decelerates, did an astonishing somersault and caught Nataku's rear.
No doubt this is called a "dog fight" wherein dogs bite at their enemies' tails.
There should be gravity involved but, it wasn't difficult to do that.
"DAMN!"
I tutted.
Knowing that it won't end that way is a self-evident truth.
ZERO is rewriting the data one by one and is working out tactics that can deal with the enemy.
Not giving the "final blow" in their close combat a while ago is regrettable.
But Wufei's Nataku didn't withdraw.
The vernier starts up its jet propulsion further.
Surprisingly, he accelerated greatly and separated from Epyon at once.
In a moment, I thought he will disappear.
"No way..."
"Seriously...?"
We couldn't help getting amazed.
The top gear reaches up further.
How much will that airframe speed up?
As if the speed until now was a mere try out.
"With this, ZERO have to reorganize its tactics"
"It's overwhelming, isn't it?"
"I cannot say that yet"
Nataku once again dived directly opposite of Epyon and fired at it ceaselessly with the machine guns and beam cannon from its dragon fang.
At one's wits end, it's clear that Epyon, which is being bombed, is losing.
Wufei's attacks are overwhelming.
Suddenly, Richard Wagner echoes from the speaker inside the base.
"What's that?"
"It's the Ride of the Valkyrie"
"I'm not asking the title of the tune...
I'm asking what in the world are they trying to do"
"This is also part of the Operation Mythos. If they're going to watch a battle, they thought something that will raise their spirits is better"
I don't quite get it.
"Master Chang also needs that to fight hard"
Even so, I think there's no sense for us to be on high spirits.
"Does that guy also hear this by any chance?"
"No way"
Kathy remains calm and drinks up her coffee.
"But I think it leads to our feelings"
If it's a winning battle, Wagner's piece increases one's fighting spirit, but in case it becomes a losing battle, this magnificent tune will become something deplorable.
I wonder if she guessed it with the color of my face as she silently said:
"It's all right, Master Chang's Nataku will win"
Come to think of it, I just remembered now that her mother, Sally, had something like a divine object that can sense the supernatural.
"And, we can only trust ourselves now"
Kathy looks full of confidence.
I see, that must be it.
Even if that's a wishful thinking, a person who has many 'things he/she believes in' makes his life abundant.
Wufei's Nataku sharply sticks itself behind Epyon and keeps its combat position.
The rate of the beam cannon's strikes comes out.
It presently becomes a desirable outcome.
As if wasn't able to stand the attack, Epyon stalled downwards.
Nataku began to descend as if chasing after it.
But that was a trap.
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tbc on next post
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