Axis Base - Hangar A-4
The air in the massive Zeon hangar hung thick with the smell of gas, lubricant. Despite being underground and having powerful filters and ventilation.
Takeru Shirogane, a spy sent deep into Axis by the U.N., moved with a quiet urgency that belied the monumental task ahead: stealing one of the most distinctive and deadly Mobile Suits in the Zeon arsenal—the Gouf Custom piloted by the ace, Norris Packard.
He reached the maintenance elevator and pressed the up-button.
Beep
"Okay, just need to get up to the main hangar floor," Takeru muttered to himself, his gaze locked on the machine below.
The Gouf Custom stood bathed in the orange halogen lights, a majestic blue giant. Even from the elevation, its form was striking.
"Such a weird TSF," he mused, cataloging its features. "No proper sub-arms, and the silhouette makes it a bigger target than a standard TSF." He put his hand up to his chin. "And it's very bulky, and round in some places."
His thoughts were cut short as he saw two figures approaching the TSF, an impeccably dressed Zeon officer and a maintenance worker in grease-stained overalls.
"Sir, your Mobile Suit is ready," the maintenance worker reported, gesturing toward the Gouf. "Though, the 75mm Gatling Gun is still being loaded."
The officer, clearly Norris Packard, nodded dismissively. "It's all right. You can go, move out, soldier."
"Understood, sir!" The worker saluted sharply and scurried away.
Takeru's heart pounded a rhythm against his ribs. Now or never.
Norris stepped up towards the hatch of the Gouf. "Alright, let's get this moving," he said, opening the cockpit hatch.
Takeru, cloaked in a standard-issue Zeon uniform with a cap pulled low to obscure his face, waited for the perfect opening.
Norris was already settling into the seat, his attention diverted to the control panel. He began typing on a secondary computer interface.
"Password… Aina," Norris mumbled, starting the Mobile Suit's boot sequence.
Just then, Takeru made his move. closing the distance to the cockpit.
"Mhm? Soldier, what are you doing?" Norris asked, his voice strained as he wrestled with a difficult boot command.
Takeru was upon him in an instant. The spy didn't hesitate, delivering a sharp sucker-punch to Norris's jaw that snapped the pilot's head back. Before Norris could recover, Takeru grabbed the ace, hauling him out of the cockpit with a grunt and pitching him over the side of the Mobile Suit's gantry.
Thud!
Norris landed hard on the metal catwalk below, but it was enough to save him.
Takeru didn't look down. He vaulted into the pilot's seat and slammed the hatch shut. The Gouf's internal lights flickered to life.
"Why you!" Norris bellowed, scrambling to regain his footing, fury burning in his eyes.
Takeru's fingers smashed buttons on the primary controls, activating the Gouf's main arm. The machine's massive hand shot out and crushed the section of catwalk where Norris had just been. Norris barely managed to roll out of the way.
"What the hell! Sir, what's happening?" A Zeon soldier on patrol rushed over, machine gun raised.
"A spy! He stole my Mobile Suit! Alert command!" Norris roared.
The Zeon soldier didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted for the nearest console, and within seconds, the Axis base was swallowed by the wailing shriek of the general alarm.
Takeru had the Gouf Custom stumble out of the hangar doors and onto the massive paved ramp leading outside. The Mobile Suit immediately pitched violently.
"What the hell! Is this TSF—it's so hard to control!" Takeru gritted out, fighting the heavy-duty control sticks. The Gouf felt less like a machine and more like a barely tamed beast.
A slim, dog-eared technical manual had been dislodged by the jolt and fell onto his lap.
"Best to read it quickly," he muttered, trying to keep the massive machine upright. He forced the Gouf to stand.
Below, multiple Zeon soldiers scattered like ants as the blue behemoth emerged.
"Stop! Exit the Mobile Suit now!" A Zaku I Land Warfare Type rolled forward, aiming its machine gun.
Takeru held the Gouf steady, instinctively raising the shield strapped to its left arm.
"Final warning!" The pilot of the Zaku I yelled, and then a moment later fired away.
RATATATAT!
The machine gun rounds harmlessly sparked and deflected off the hardened steel, Takeru manipulating the controls to extract maximum protection from the shield.
The Zaku I, sensing an easy target, lumbered closer, drawing it's Heat Hawk with its other hand.
Bad move.
Takeru swung the Gouf's right arm, the Triple 35mm Gatling Gun mounted on its wrist zeroing in. He squeezed the trigger. The roar was deafening, and a stream of high-velocity shells hit the Zaku I's torso and cockpit, the extra Radiation Shielding providing more protection and leaving the Machine momentarily stunned.
"Take the Gouf down!" A nearby Zaku II pilot screamed, opening fire with it's MG.
Takeru pushed the thrusters. The Gouf began to move, running toward the open ground leading to the beach.
"Stop it! Don't let it escape!" the Zaku II pilot insisted, maintaining fire.
Takeru blocked the incoming rounds with the shield. "This thing is hard to control," he thought, his body already slick with sweat as he struggled to keep the Gouf on a straight path. "And this thing doesn't even have an AI assist."
Five heavy Magella Tanks appeared from behind the corner of a supply depot and fired their main cannons.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Takeru managed to dodge three of the shells and successfully block the remaining two with his shield, the impact rattling the Gouf's chassis and slightly crumpling the steel.
"Don't let him reach the shore!" The desperate Zaku I pilot shouted, turning and peppering the Gouf with machine gun fire.
"Damn it!" Takeru swerved, using the powerful verniers to strafe to the side. He landed badly, the cockpit rocking heavily.
Clang!
As he steadied the machine, he spotted a Zaku Bazooka resting on a trailer nearby.
"I can use this," he said, the internal targeting system in the cockpit highlighting the weapon.
The Gouf's free hand scooped up the bazooka. He aimed and fired at the closest pursuing Zaku I.
BOOM!
The rocket narrowly missed, the Zaku I dodging and hitting the ground. The shockwave and explosion was enough to make the machine stumble and fall.
"This is my chance," Takeru declared, pushing the thrusters to their limit. The Gouf lifted into the air and landed hard on the main road, continuing its mad dash.
Ahead.
The Gouf finally made it out of the underground complex via ramp. Seeing sunlight.
Looking around, the perimeter wall bristled with defensive turrets. They whirred to life, firing a barrage of high caliber machine gun bullets and low power anti-Mobile Suit beam shots.
"Oh, shit!"
Takeru ducked the Gouf behind a nearby administrative building. A yellow beam sliced through the top floor of his cover, hitting a discarded pile of Zaku Bazooka ammo on the other side.
KABOOM!
The secondary explosion sent a violent wave of force and debris through the thin building, knocking the Gouf back out onto the exposed street.
The pursuing Zaku I and Zaku II team, seeing their chance, immediately opened fire.
"Oh, crap," Takeru said, pushing the damaged Gouf behind a different cluster of buildings, seeking momentary reprieve.
"RED 1, FLANK RIGHT. RED 4, FLANK LEFT. FLY NOW!"
the squad leader's voice crackled over the enemy frequency.
Two Zaku I units ignited their thrusters, jumping through the air to land on either side of Takeru's position. They opened fire simultaneously, surprising the spy. He raised his shield, but the simultaneous impacts stressed the armor. The Zaku I on the left managed to score a hit, striking the Gouf's thrusters, sending sparks flying from the jetpack.
Before Takeru could fully register the damage, a new challenger descended.
A Zaku-like Mobile Suit, painted a deep blue and equipped with distinctly Gouf-like gear. A Zaku I head on a Gouf body, landed directly in front of him, perched atop the building he was using for cover.
"I remember you," a familiar voice boomed from the Mobile Suit's external speakers.
"Wait… You!" Takeru felt a chill. The pilot was the man he had sucker-punched.
"Hahaha! You think you will just get away stealing my Mobile Suit? To think you got this far piloting it you got skill! Hahaha!" Norris Packard cackled, equipping a gleaming Heat Sword from his Mobile Suit's hip.
Takeru didn't back down. He, too, activated the Gouf Custom's signature weapon, the long, intimidating Heat Sword.
"Hahaha! Let this be a duel then! No one to interrupt!" Takeru shouted into the comms, adrenaline wiping away all caution.
The Zaku team, recognizing their ace's intent, instantly lowered their weapons and began to circle, forming a ring around the two Mobile Suits.
"Have at it!" Norris challenged, jumping down from the building, weapon raised, ready to reclaim his honor.
Norris and Takeru circled each other, the pink monoeye's of the machines watching every movement of their respective opponent.
Takeru moved first. Raising the gun arm and firing a burst of bullets.
Norris sidestepped, the shots landing on an abandoned building.
Click
The mag went empty, and Norris leaned his machine forward with the Heat Sword readying a devastating swing.
Takeru reacted, raising the shield arm to block the blow.
Momentarily, the two machines struggled against each other, then the damaged shield gave way, the heat melting and weakening the metal until it was cut in half.
Takeru ducked and crouched the machine, narrowly evading the attack. The Commander antenna getting singed, while Norris was recovering from the swing, Takeru tackled Norris into a nearby building, dust and chunks of concrete falling until both Machines broke through the building onto the other street.
Norris grunted as the Zaku-Gouf's back hit the pavement, the weight crushing the backpack and damaging the thrusters.
Takeru didn't waste time, he ran through the screens surrounding him, looking for anything.
When he saw the magnetic grapple, Takeru immediately used it, the Machine outstretching it's hand to fire the grappling hook, it flew until it landed to the end of the street, and the powerful winches began working.
Just as Norris was about to swing the Heat Sword once again, the Gouf was suddenly dragged away, sparks and a loud screeching noise was made as the Gouf was dragged across the pavement by the grapple, it's blue paint peeling off showing the gray of steel.
"What the?" Norris said, manipulating the controls and making his lightly damaged machine stand, dust and rubble falling off its body.
When Takeru's Machine hit the building on the end of the street, his hands pulled on the heavy control sticks, standing up the Gouf.
The massive Machine jumped, vaulting over the building and hopping from roof to roof to compensate for the destroyed thrusters.
"Damn, that kid got some skills." Norris smirked, his Machine giving chase. "Impressive. But not enough."
Norris activated the leg thrusters embedded at the feet of his machine, giving him a jump boost to land on top of the buildings and give chase.
Takeru's Machine looked behind. "Tch, he's persistent." He looked at the screens again, trying to find anything useful.
When his eyes landed on the undamaged feet thrusters, he quickly moved to activate them.
"Interesting Thruster layout." Takeru thought as he prepared himself for a maneuver.
Meanwhile, Norris was setting up a shot using the triple barrel forearm cannon on the left hand of his Machine. "Gotcha now kid."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The guns fired, the shells hitting the back of the Gouf and denting the armor. But luckily, none penetrated due to their lower velocity, but it was enough to stagger the spy.
Takeru felt the chassis of the Machine groan from the impacts, but his focus now was on escape. With a heave he pulled on the heavy controls and the leg thrusters activated, initiating a rocket assisted jump towards the shore.
"This TSF is so sluggish!" Takeru thought as the AMBAC kicked in to steady the Machine for a landing on the sandy shores.
Norris was not far behind. He also made a rocket assisted jump, following the Gouf and firing the forearm guns again as he was coming down on him.
"Slippery little bastard." Norris smirked, he stopped firing and instead his Zaku-Gouf fired its leg verniers and threw the Heat Sword towards the Gouf. But as the plot armor Gods had it, the superheated blade only took off the left spiked shoulder pad of the Gouf.
The impact made the Gouf stumble into the sand, it crawled for a few meters before getting up into a sprint once again.
Norris landed behind, picking up the Heat Sword buried in the sand as he passed it. "Get back here with my baby you bastard!" Norris cursed as he fired the last barrage of shells from the forearm gun.
The shells flew, aiming at the exposed left shoulder, tearing through the thinner armor and joints effectively making the arm useless.
Despite the damage, Takeru pushed the damaged Gouf to keep running, as salvation was right there.
In the distance, a modified LCAC amphibious hovercraft approached, this one wider and with more powerful engines designed for this mission specifically.
Norris saw this and immediately called for artillery, or any ranged firepower for that matter…
"We'll send a Zaku Tank your way. Sorry, it's the only thing we can spare right now." The lady in the comms said, but Norris nodded. He'll just have to work with this.
The Gouf finally reached sea, it's legs going deeper and deeper with every step it took on the shallow beach.
Norris made another rocket assisted jump, landing just behind the Gouf. The force was enough to make a big enough splash to shower both machines of seawater.
They were waist deep in water, and Norris acted first. Swinging his Heat Sword with Takeru turning around and barely avoiding it with a step back.
Norris set up another swing, This time, Takeru pivoted the torso of his Machine, using the damaged arm as a shield.
The heated edge of the blade bit deep into the metal, but it melted slowly as it was cooled by the splashing seawater.
Takeru took advantage while the blade was stuck, throwing a powerful jab with the right hand. "Take this!"
Norris's machine leaned to the side, barely avoiding the punch to the head.
Takeru swept the leg of the Norris's knockoff Gouf, already being off balanced by the lean, his Machine fell into the water and submerged with a large splash.
Norris still held onto the embedded sword, causing the damaged arm of the Gouf to violently separate with a guttural groan of metal and fell with him.
With a grunt, Takeru manipulated the Gouf to turn around just as the LCAC arrived. He fired the leg thrusters, climbing onto the hovercraft and taking a prone position.
Takeru let go of the controls, panting and heaving from the exertion. "Huff, Huff. Even fly-by-wire is lighter than this." He complained as he tuned the radio to JSDF frequency.
Eventually, a garbled voice from the hovercraft came through. It seems there was still interference even at this short of range.
"Oi! Pilot! Get up there's a TSF about to shoot us!" The captain of the LCAC yelled through the radio in panic.
Takeru gasped slightly, his hands were back on the controls before he knew it.
The Gouf rose slowly, using it's only working right arm for support. It turned its head, the monoeye running across rails and zooming in.
On the beach,there was a Zaku Tank with dual 180mm cannons on it's shoulders. The dozer blade lowered, biting into the sand as it prepared to fire.
"Quick! There's a weapon case right in front of you. The doctor packed it just in case." The captain said through the radio.
And true to his word, there was a small (compared to MS) metal box already opened holding a Type 87 Assault Cannon.
Takeru didn't hesitate, he sat the Gouf upright and grabbed the gun, the more chubby fingers of the MS barely fitting inside the trigger guard.
RATATATAT!
The gun fired its 36mm chaingun, hitting and pinging off the chest armor of the Zaku Tank. The puny rounds weren't enough to penetrate, but they just needed to throw off it's aim.
BOOM!
It fired both cannons, two shells barely missing and landing on the water as the hovercraft was mid-turn.
MS have a damn good targeting system, he'll give them that.
He squeezed the trigger again, intending to dump all 2000 rounds towards the Zaku Tank, which had already raised its arms to protect its more fragile head from the barrage.
Just then, the Zaku-Gouf jumped out of the water! It's leg boosters at full burn and it's Heat Sword flaring up as Norris aimed for a devastating downwards swing towards the Gouf. "Gotcha now kid! You think you can outrun me!?"
Takeru reacted quickly, aiming the gun towards Norris and firing the 120mm overslung cannon.
Norris's facial expression changed into annoyance and gritted teeth in that split second. He raised the shield and tanked the HESH shells. One even scoring a direct hit on the shoulder of his machine.
The force pushed Norris back, enough to fall back into the water with a huge splash.
With that they made their escape, the engines of the hovercraft going full throttle and racing away.
The Zaku Tank lowered it's arms, preparing to fire again.
BOOM! BOOM!
Shells whistled in the air as the Hovercraft swerved to dodge the incoming shells. Just barely missing.
BOOM! BOOM!
"Hold your fire." The calm voice of Norris pierced through the deafening explosions.
The Zaku Tank stopped as it watched Norris's Machine to slowly and menacing arise from the water with each step.
"You're wasting your ammunition." He said, finally stepping into the beach, a few bits of seaweed clinging onto the legs and waist of his MS.
"Tch. And I was excited to get to the frontlines. Damn kid." Norris grumbled to himself as he gestured to the Zaku Tank to follow him.
Meanwhile
Veriline stood at the command room, having watched the entire encounter. Yet she stared at the screen with a faint smile of interest.
"Shall I send someone after them Commander?" Jean asked, holding a pump shotgun and menacingly pumping it once.
Veriline shook her head slowly. "No need… save our soldiers for the frontlines." Veriline turned, and seated herself on a chair, crossing her legs and resting her chin on one hand. "Besides~ Let's say it's a gift to our Allies. And i got Mister Mark working on a machine for Norris."
Jean bowed slightly, the shotgun slung over her shoulders. "Understood Commander." She then stood rigidly besides Veriline, hands clasped behind her back and hitting a serious pose.
As everything faded to black. Veriline's voice whispered one last time.
"This is getting very interesting~"