                               Gundam Warblade

Disclaimer: Hey I write 'em because I can. 

< >: Thoughts

                                  Chapter 6
                             Way of the Warrior

"I am most displeased with you, Lady Une." Treize said into his
communicator. 

"But sir..." Lady Une began, only to be cut off.

"Your recent handling of the situation was most... disreputable. We are NOT
barbarians and threatening the safety of the colonies will only make them
ever more against our cause, will it not? It is a lucky thing that your
threat was only broadcast to the Gundam Pilots and not to the colonies
themselves. They were unaware that we had aimed missiles at them. Very
fortunate indeed."

Lady Une was taken aback by her superior's words, but nodded. "So what are
we to do now?"

"For now, I believe that our next move is to wait and see what the Gundam
pilots will do now."

"Yes, sir."

When the communicator went blank, Treize Khushrenada then turned his
attention to the monitor which depicted the images of Heero Yuy and Ranma
as they willingly self-detonated their Gundams. He became very interested
in the glow that Ranma produced as he channeled his chi to activate the
Warblade's Seppuku Pledge. He had received various reports about Gundam 06
and wondered if that faint aura that Ranma produced was directly
responsible for the unknown energies that his Gundam produced. He had
initially thought about the pilot of Gundam 01, but now this other Gundam
pilot intrigued him even more. Since the Warblade was nothing more than
useless scrap now, Treize realized that to learn the secret of the Gundam,
he would have to not only question the engineer who created it, but also
the pilot.

Meanwhile, in the desert environment near Africa, The Gundams Sandrock and
Deathscythe were using the sandstorm that had just whipped up to hide
themselves from any scout planes that were searching for them. They were
soon picked up and led by Quatre's special forces, the Magnac Corps. They
were led to their secret underground base. After disembarking from their
Gundams, the pilots introduced themselves to each other.

"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Quatre Raberba Winner."

"Winner?" Duo said in surprise. This gentle-looking guy was the heir to the
vast fortunes of the Winner family? "You mean, you're the heir to the
Winner Foundation of the Arabic Nations?"

Quatre nodded sadly. "Yes, but I'm afraid that I've disinherited myself by
becoming a Gundam pilot. So what's your name?"

"I'm Duo Maxwell, but I'm also known as the God of Death." The long-haired
pilot replied with pride. He then became a bit somber. "Though that didn't
do very much when the colonies..."

Quatre waved it off as he gestured for his new friend to follow him.

Back in Siberia...

"It's no good Zechs. I'm afraid that there's nothing left of the two
Gundams that can be salvaged." Noin stated as she picked up the remnants of
Gundam 01's control stick.

"Hmmm." Zechs nodded as he surveyed the wreckages of the Wing Gundam and
the Warblade. In the back of his mind, he just couldn't get the images of
those two pilots out of his head as they deliberately destroyed their
Mobile Suits without hesitation. The pilot of Gundam 01 had caught his
interest with his battle skills and something in his eyes. The pilot of
Gundam 06 had glowed with an unearthly light that seemed to make him more
than just a mere human. The two pilots were absolutely dedicated and were
the true epitome of warriors, something that he himself had yet to achieve.
He then decided that the battle between himself and that first pilot needed
to be resolved. As for the second pilot, well... he would just have to wait
and see.

The Lightning Count then gave the order to have the remains of the Warblade
and Wing Gundam collected.

At a traveling circus, a month later...

Heero Yuy awoke to a female face. At first he thought that it was Relena,
but as his vision became clearer, he saw that was not Relena, but Catherine
Bloom, Trowa Barton's circus partner. As he got up and faced the girl, his
side winced as he looked down and saw that his torso was wrapped in
bandages. 

"Nice to see that you're finally awake." Catherine said as she went to get
Heero some soup and fetch Trowa. As she left the tent, Heero saw someone
casually leaning on a support pole near the entrance. He had a large
bandage wrapped about his forehead and a small piece of gauze taped to one
cheek.

"Nice to see that you're finally awake. It's been a month."

"A... month?" Heero said in confusion. He had been out for that long?

Ranma nodded. "The name's Ranma. What's yours?"

Heero paused as he assessed the Gundam pilot before him. There was no doubt
about it. He was a fighter and someone to be respected. "Heero Yuy."

It was then that Trowa entered the tent.

After a lengthy discussion about the recent events and their similar
missions to destroy OZ, Trowa then began filling in the two on the most
current news.

"What? Another Gundam?" Heero exclaimed.

"Yes." Trowa nodded. "It appeared on Earth about a week after Siberia. Oz
is referring to it as Gundam zero seven."

Flashback to a week after the Siberia standoff, at an OZ base in North
America...

"Sir! Radar is picking up an object that's closing in fast!" The Oz radar
tech said.

"What's its position and speed?" The commander inquired.

"According to this..." The tech replied. "It's coming in from the northwest
at a velocity of Mach 2! ETA to contact... three minutes!"

"Alert all of our fighters and ARIES suits!" The commander ordered.
"Scramble and intercept that bogey!"

In less than a minute, flying Mobile Suits and high-performance fighters
were sent out to meet with the incoming threat. However, as they came into
visual range of the invader, the pilots blood ran cold at what they saw.

"Commander!" The squadron leader exclaimed as he got a good look at it. "It
looks like some kind of fighter but..."

"What is it?" The base commander asked.

The squadron leader didn't have a chance to respond as the Gundam
Thunderhawk suddenly accelerated forward and let loose with twin blasters
mounted on its nose. The lead fighter was obliterated and before the
explosion had finished, the Gundam was streaking past the other fighters
and Mobile Suits, breaking up their formations and catching several in its
jetwash.

As it circled around for another pass, the Thunderhawk began to alter in
its shape.

"Look out!" Another pilot screamed. "It's transforming! IT'S... A GUNDAM!"

That was all the pilot could say as a huge energy bolt ripped though his
Mobile Suit and caused it to become a nosediving wreckage.

The Gundam Thunderhawk resembled Heero's Gundam, but the wings mounted on
its back were featherlike and made the entire machine look like some
ancient Native American war god. The talons relocated to the wrists and
became shortened versions of the Warblade's main weapons. The new Gundam
darted back and forth like a dragonfly, easily outmaneuvering the slower
fighters and ARIES suits. As a trio of Mobile Suits tried to catch it from
behind, the wings of the Thunderhawk raised and spread out, revealing
triple missile launchers mounted under the pivot joints. The pilots
screamed out in horror as the Gundam released a flight of missiles that
were small, but packed armor-piercing warheads with highly explosive
charges. The ARIES suits were dropped from the sky.

Inside the Gundam, Celia Whitestar let off a war cry as she systematically
eliminated her aerial opponents. The Thunderhawk was specially designed for
air-superiority and wasn't grounded like most of the other Gundams. After
the last of the fighters and ARIES were taken out, she then dove toward the
OZ base to finish the job. Unfortunately for OZ, Celia also liked
close-quarters combat. 

The base commander immediately ordered all available LEO suits to action,
but he had a feeling that they would as nothing to this incredibly fast
intruder. As Celia saw the emerging enemy units, she smirked and toggled a
switch. The left arm of her Gundam extended and the special plasma bow
mechanisms popped out. The other arm drew back the bowstring as Celia began
focusing her energies, like Ranma's special gift with chi, Celia also
possessed unique abilities. Her family came from a long line of shamans who
used a power her tribe called the Spirit Force. Unknown to them, they had
actually learned to manipulate their own life energies that was similar to
what Ranma had developed. The bowstring glowed and then a beam of energy
formed along the length of the bow arm. The bowstring was then released and
a shaft of energy shot out to pierce through not one, but four LEO suits.
The hapless Mobile Suits fell forward and exploded as the Thunderhawk
swooped down low. The edges of the wings suddenly gleamed as their razor
edges glowed like Sandrock's Heat Shortels. As the Gundam sped forward
through a group of LEOs, the edged cut into the mecha like a hot knife
going through butter. More enemy units exploded, making the entire base
shudder. Celia also engaged her Mobile Suit's Head Vulcans and shot up the
barracks.

The base commander was shocked to see his troops cut down like lambs in a
slaughterhouse and decided to take the coward's way out. He signaled to his
remaining troops that it was every man for himself and then ran out the
exit to the command tower.

On the battlefield, Celia was engaging the wrist talons and cutting up
enemy Mobile Suits left and right when she saw a something racing away at
high speed. Her Gundam's telescopic scanners engaged and identified the
craft as some kind of escape shuttle. Judging by its markings, Celia saw
that it belonged to the officer in charge of the base.

"Coward!" The Gundam pilot screamed as she finished off the LEO suits and
then took deadly aim at the retreating craft. To die in glorious battle was
one thing, but to abandon one's own troops was inexcusable. She then
focused her energies and let fly with another of her Spirit Force Arrows.

The base commander had enough time for one scream before his shuttle was
shot through the fuselage and exploded.

Celia let off a deep breath as she found herself standing amid the smoking
ruins of the base and its defenders. It seemed that none had survived the
onslaught. It was then that her motion sensors detected slight movement and
she turned her Gundam to see that one LEO suit was still slightly
operational and the pilot was alive. The Gundam reached behind its back and
pulled out a slender cylinder. The weapon telescoped to its full length and
a triangular-shaped beam of energy appeared at its tip. Celia then let off
another war cry and charged at the downed LEO with her Beam Spear.

The OZ pilot cried out as he braced himself for death, but it never came.
At the last instant, the Thunderhawk stopped before the helpless Mobile
Suit and then reversed its weapon so that the butt of the Beam Spear tapped
against the shoulder of the LEO.

Celia smirked and imagined the surprised look on the OZ pilot. She then
engaged the thrusters and the Thunderhawk transformed back into its fighter
mode before rocketing away from the destroyed OZ base.

The pilot was still trying to catch his breath after the Gundam had counted
coup on him.

End of flashback...

"According to OZ, this new Mobile Suit is incredibly fast and
transformable, like the one you used." Ranma said.

"How do you know all this?" Heero asked.

"Oh, I've been keeping busy since you've been snoozing for this past
month." The martial artist shrugged. It had only taken him a week and a
half to recover from self-detonating his Gundam. After healing from his
injuries, Ranma had been making several secret guerilla attacks against a
few nearby OZ facilities, whenever the circus would stop to perform. 

In addition, Ranma had taken a part-time job as an acrobat, due to his
exceptional agility and hand-to-eye coordination. Without the Warblade,
Ranma was forced to sneak into the bases and use his new 'raw chi' powers
to explode their ammunition dumps and manufacturing facilities. Each attack
was done under the cover of night, and he had made certain that there were
no witnesses to his displays of chi. It was best to keep undercover and let
the OZ organization believe that he had perished after the self-detonation
of the Warblade. He had also hacked into the computer files of each base,
seeking out new targets and that was when he found out about the existence
of the Thunderhawk.

Trowa continued to fill Heero in on what had been happening since Siberia
as Ranma walked out of the tent to get some fresh air. He casually leaned
against a tent support line and wondered just what he was going to do.
According to the latest OZ reports, a new type of Mobile Suit was being
developed. A Mobile Suit that specialized in close-quarters combat.
Naturally, it was his duty to make certain that it was never completed. The
circus was traveling toward an area that was near the facility that was
developing the new mecha. That would provide the pilot of the Warblade with
an excellent opportunity. He would sneak inside, steal all the data on this
new Mobile Suit, and then destroy whatever materials or prototypes they had
constructed. He was bit concerned about that last part. Though his chi
powers and martial arts skills had grown to the point that he could now
take down a LEO suit without needing a Gundam, the base that was producing
the new model was certain to be heavily guarded with dozens of enemy Mobile
Suits and hundreds of troops. Without the Warblade to amplify his chi, the
odds weren't very favorable for success. Though Ranma no longer relied on
emotions to channel his chi, it still drained him to continuously use his
chi, though not as much as before.

Beep! Beep!

Ranma looked down as he pulled out the signaling transmitter he always
carried with him. He held up the device and the tiny view screen lit up
with new instructions. Ranma wondered why it took Sensei X so long to
contact him. Surely he knew that Ranma had survived after detonating the
Warblade. He read the message out loud.

"I know that you are planning to destroy the base that is creating the new
Gladiator Mobile Suit. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT try to destroy it without
the Warblade. Return to the hanger."

Ranma became confused. <Return to the hanger? What for? Does he expect me
to destroy that base with a pile of scrap? There wasn't anything
salvageable since I used the Seppuku Pledge. >

The transmitter flashed again.

"No, I do not expect you to fight with just a pile of scrap. I had a
contingency plan in case you used the Seppuku Pledge. Now get going."

Ranma was silent as the transmitter went dark. He puzzled about the message
for a few minutes longer, then nodded. If Sensei X had some kind of backup
plan or something along those lines, the he'd better follow it. He then
went back into the tent, just as Trowa and Heero had finished with their
conversation.

"Guys, it looks like we'll be parting company soon."

"Oh? Where are you going?" Heero asked. 

"I... have a little errand."

Meanwhile...

Deep within the military base that carried the codename of Nova, the latest
in OZ weaponry was being assembled. As the technicians and maintenance
crews went about their jobs, in the main observation room, an OZ pilot was
being briefed on the new Mobile Suit as a holographic image of it was being
projected. Beside the pilot, the commanding officer was giving the rundown
on the machine's capabilities.

"As you can see Corporal, the new Gladiator Mobile Suit has 50% more
firepower and a higher armor rating than the standard LEO. However, its
main assets are in maneuverability and close-quarters combat. As you can
see the new, double-bladed Beam Saber gives it a longer reach and is
extremely versatile. We've added controls that are far more responsive and
a new combat system that will cybernetically link your psychomotor nervous
system to the central defense mechanisms of the Gladiator. It will be as if
you ARE the Mobile Suit. This will give you a faster reaction time and
control than any other OZ suit we have and will put you on an equal, if not
superior footing with those Gundams."

"Interesting...." The pilot said as she viewed the holographic image and
then looked out the window at the actual suit being constructed. Corporal
Ludemella Platinov, a girl of exceptional piloting skills was only 16 years
old and of Russian descent. She had established herself early as an ace
pilot as she had shown amazing ability with both the LEO and ARIES suits.
She especially proficient in using Mobile Suit hand-to-hand warfare and
lived for the challenge. She disdained long distance combat and preferred
to be in close and personal. When she had first seen the Gundams in action,
she had been more than eager to mix it up with them, especially after
seeing footage shot of one particular machine. The one that OZ referred to
as Gundam 06, the Gundam Warblade.

The other Gundams were impressive in their own right, even that newcomer,
Gundam 07, but it was the Warblade that impressed Ludemella the most. The
way it moved and fought was sheer poetry in motion and it seemed a perfect
extension of the pilot. The strange and often complex maneuvers that it was
capable of were almost humanlike. It was an excellent combination of speed,
agility and firepower. She had been fantasizing of going against the pilot
of the Warblade and was ecstatic to have been chosen to be the test pilot
of this new OZ suit. The new project had begun a few weeks after the
Warblade first made its appearance and if it the Gladiator was everything
that the technicians promised, then Ludemella would have had the means to
go toe-to-toe with that Gundam in a battle that she would have savored.

However, to her dismay, she had later learned that the pilot of the
Warblade had self-detonated his machine and was now presumed to be dead.
Her disappointment at her chance against Gundam 06 was tempered with the
fact she would still be sent against the remaining five Gundams, if the
tests of the Gladiator went well.

She remembered back to the video clip that had been transmitted from Zech's
Tallgeese. The image of Ranma and Heero as they pushed the self-detonation
switches without hesitation. Now they were true fighters. She could see it
in their eyes. How she would have loved to mix it up with them, especially
with the pilot of Gundam 06. To her, going against the Warblade in close
combat would have been the ultimate challenge.

Ludemella sighed again as her commander continued droning on with the
briefing. Ten minutes later, she was dismissed. As she walked back to the
barracks, she paused to look up at the nearly completed Gladiator
prototype. Though a battle between herself and the Warblade was now just
wishful thinking, she was still anticipating the moment when she would put
the new model of Mobile Suit through its paces and go against the Gundams.

Some of the work crews paused to watch the attractive, shorthaired blonde
girl depart the hanger bay. Ludemella was a striking figure and was
confident in her stride. She also had an air of efficiency about her, yet
had a sensual magnetism that was reflected in her emerald eyes. However,
beneath that cool exterior was a raging desire for battle that would soon
explode like a supernova.

At Colony L6

Sensei X frowned as he read the data that Ranma had transmitted to him
after he had sent the message. His computer monitor displayed the technical
specs to the new OZ Mobile Suit and the creator of the Warblade shook his
head. It was as he had suspected. The OZ organization had been
experimenting with new cybernetic control systems that were very similar to
what was installed in Ranma's Gundam.

Ranma's mentor had been a former member of the research and development
division at OZ before he had transferred to the space colonies,
specifically Colony L6. He and the other Gundam engineers had been working
on one Gundam to be used in Operation Meteor, but the battle system which
they dubbed as the ZERO system was far too unstable, and the Gundam that
was to be called Wing Zero was never completed. The ZERO systems inner
components was based on an old project of Sensei X's in which bioenergy
could be used as a transferal medium and the feedback to the combat
situation would then be integrated into the pilot's responses and battle
tactics. When the engineers all went their separate ways and five of them
had decided to build their own Gundams to take part in Operation Meteor,
Sensei X had decided to work on improving his version of the Bioenergy
Feedback Controls or BFC. His former lab partner, the woman who was known
to Celia Whitestar as Chieftess V, also departed for parts unknown. 

It was around ten months before the start of Operation Meteor that Sensei X
had perfected his BFC and found a suitable test subject. He had found the
boy on the streets and was amazed by his chi output and martial arts
skills. The fact that he had no records or memory of his past made it even
more perfect. When he received word that the other five scientists were
going to alter the original Operation Meteor and instead conduct guerilla
warfare against OZ, the former OZ employee had decided to get into the act
and began construction of his own Gundam. The Warblade would be using his
perfected BFC, which he later renamed as the Chi Power System, and its
pilot would be none other than the talented martial artist Ranma. With some
extra training in espionage and assassination, he would be the perfect tool
to strike back at the Romafellor Foundation and OZ.

However, a couple of new wrinkles had been added to the situation. The
first was the appearance of a seventh Gundam. According to Ranma's
transmission, this new Gundam seemed to be using a similar system as the
Warblade's. Sensei X suspected that Chieftess V was the one responsible for
the Thunderhawk, since she had access to his research during their
employment at OZ. As for the new Gladiator Mobile Suit that was being
created, the engineer was pretty sure that they were using the old data
that he had left back on Earth. However, the plans were flawed and it was
very likely that whoever was selected to be the pilot would suffer the same
sensations as the old ZERO system, including madness and bloodlust, making
the pilot a danger to not only the enemy, but to friendly forces as well.

Now that Ranma had confirmed what the old engineer had suspected, it was
very important for Ranma NOT to try to take on that new Mobile Suit without
his own. Fortunately, Sensei X had already implemented contingency plans a
few weeks after his protg had left to attack OZ on Earth. The new project
should be finished within the week

Several days later, in the secret hanger

Ranma sighed as he unlocked the door that led to the underground facility.
He had bid a fond farewell to both Heero and Trowa after the circus had
dropped him off in the woods that was about ten miles from where the hanger
was located. He had grown close to those two, especially toward Heero. He
liked his dedication to duty and though his hand-to-hand combat skills were
nowhere near Ranma's level, they were still impressive.

Both Trowa and Heero were awed by Ranma's chi powers and had asked him
about them. Ranma had been considering teaching them after Heero had made a
full recovery, but that was when Sensei X had ordered him back to the
hanger. He still wondering what he was doing here. His Gundam was a
worthless pile of junk now, and he only had his own personal skills to rely
on to destroy the new Gladiator prototype. So what was he doing back here?
He didn't have enough spare Gundanium alloys or components to make another
Mobile Suit.

As soon as he walked into the main hanger bay, the lights automatically
turned on as the sensors identified him and the main computer switched on.
The area where the Warblade once stood was barren, as Ranma expected.
However, the floor began to rumble as huge gears began rotating underneath.
A large section of the floor panels slid away to reveal a hidden elevator
platform. Then something was raised up from an underground chamber and
Ranma's eyes widened as he saw it.

It was the Warblade, or rather a Mobile Suit that was similar to it. Its
lines were much smoother and it was colored black with red trim. Ranma's
mouth went from a straight, firm line to a small grin.

<Why, that sly old fox! He had a SECOND Warblade made in secret! >

Ranma went over to the main computer and began reading the data that was
now appearing on the monitor. 

The new model was actually the second prototype that Sensei X had been
working on during Ranma's training. The first version was the completed one
that Ranma had been sent to Earth with, while second was only 65% finished.
The unfinished Gundam was secretly moved to the hidden chamber underneath
the main hanger deck. During the time that Ranma had been attacking OZ, the
robotic repair and upgrade systems were carrying out their preprogrammed
directives to finish Warblade II. Ranma noted that the improvements that he
had done to Warblade I had been incorporated into the new version. This new
mecha also sported missile launchers in the chest, two Beam Sabers and more
armor plating. The standard Head Vulcan guns were also there. However, the
biggest difference between the old version and the new one, was in the Chi
Cannon Blades. They no longer folded out on a pivot joint, but instead slid
out of housings in the arms, thereby eliminating that potential weak point.
The Chi Power System had been upgraded to handle Ranma's increased chi
output and the response times had been enhanced.

Ranma smiled fondly as walked up to Warblade II. It was like saying hello
to a returned friend.

Exactly one week later, at OZ base Nova

Ludemella was ecstatic as she put the Gladiator through its paces. The new
machine was everything that the engineers promised, and much more. The
controls reacted so smoothly and the cybernetic link was so perfect, she
felt as if she WAS the Mobile Suit, and not just controlling it. She
gleefully slashed though her targets, which were remote-controlled LEO and
ARIES suits. The technicians had considered using this unmanned system in
another kind of Mobile Suit called Mobile Dolls.

The double-bladed Beam Saber was slicing through them like butter and
Ludemella was now craving to pit this fearsomely fast and lethal machine
against real opponents. She was unaware that the BFC of the Gladiator was
making her usual bloodlust for battle even more intense and it would be
long before her hold on sanity would break.

"Is there no one that can stand up to me?" Ludemella said with a bit of
disgust as the last of more than two dozen LEO and ARIES suits were turned
in recyclable junk. "Damn it all, I want a REAL CHALLENGE!"

It was then that the radar operator in the control tower became agitated as
he caught a blip on his screen.

"Sir! Radar is picking up an unidentified object closing in fast from the
northwest!"
Ludmella's commanding officer leaned forward and asked. "Hmmm, speed and
ETA?"

"Speed is measured at Mach 2.4 and whatever it is, it will be here in less
than ninety seconds!" The radar officer than gasped as he saw a second blip
on the radar. "Sir! Another object is closing in as well! This one is
coming in from the south and it looks like it'll be here in about two
minutes after the first one!"

The base went into red alert as the troops mobilized to repel the
intruders. Ludemella smiled fondly as she was informed through her
communicator that they were under attack and that it was imperative that
she get the only working Gladiator prototype to safety. She snorted as she
blatantly turned off her communications systems and waited for the invaders
to arrive. What better way to put the Gladiator through its paces than by
actual combat? Furthermore, there were only one group of people that would
dare attack a fully alerted OZ base head on the Gundam Pilots.

From the northwest, the Gundam Thunderhawk sped toward its goal with Celia
letting off a Sioux war cry. From the south, Ranma readied Warblade II for
combat. Neither one knew what awaited them at Oz base Nova

To be continued

Author's Notes

Well, the heat is on as Ranma and Celia will meet with one of OZ's most
promising pilots. And for all you Ranma fans out there, you know that when
girls are involved, Ranma's life is about to explode into a lot more chaos.
Stay tuned!


