The following day, Neo-Veridia Metropolitan City was still shrouded in disbelief and fear. The damage to the infrastructure from the attack by Earth rebels, who used old-model Pioneer Mobile Suits, was significant. However, the main focus was not on the destruction, but on the miracle that occurred amidst it.
Colonian media, which for the past 15 years had only broadcast narratives of dominance and prosperity, now aired an emergency global news report.
On the large screens displayed on every corner of the city, the Colonian news anchor's face looked strained.
"...And now, the Colony Forces confirm that a terrorist attack by the remnants of the Earth rebels was thwarted by an unexpected intervention. A mysterious white Mobile Suit, unregistered in any Colonian military records, appeared and disabled all enemy units. Miraculously, despite using high-energy beam weapons, there were no casualties among the rebel pilots, and civilian damage was minimized. Who is this mysterious 'White Bird'? Is it an enemy, or a separate, new faction?"
At the Colony High Command Headquarters, located in the center of old New York, ministers and generals held an emergency meeting. The room was filled with digital maps of Neo-Veridia and blurry video footage of the battle.
"Disabling nine Pioneer Mobile Suit units in just a few minutes, using advanced beam weapons, without destroying the city and without killing the pilots?" The Colony High General, an arrogant woman from the Mars Colony, slammed her fist on the table. "This is a disgrace! Our defense system proved useless against this unit!"
In the midst of the panic, a middle-aged man, neatly dressed in a Colonian lab coat, stood calmly. He was Professor Armen Itsuki, a respected professor of Mobile Suit mechanics.
"Gentlemen, ladies," Professor Armen said, his voice steady. "I believe I know what unit we are facing."
All eyes turned to him.
"This unit you call the 'White Bird' or the 'White Mobile Suit' is not new. Its design is very similar to the prototype developed fifteen years ago, before the War of Occupation." Professor Armen swiped the screen, displaying the initial design sketches of the Pioneer Mobile Suit. "This design is the work of two genius traitors: Professor Klaus Kimeza and his wife, Airi Kimeza."
The room suddenly fell silent. The name Klaus Kimeza was taboo, the name of a traitor who brought their technology to Earth.
"That unit is most likely the prototype they took with them. I believe this is the twin unit of the Grai Gundam—the Mobile Suit directly piloted by Klaus Kimeza on the day of his capture at the Federation Base."
"So, it's a Kimeza creation? Enemy technology that we thought was eradicated?" asked the Logistics Minister incredulously.
Professor Armen nodded seriously. "That's right. We have studied the wreckage of the Grai Gundam that we confiscated from the base ruins 15 years ago. Their unit, which they code-named Gundam (a strange name meaning 'God Unit' in an ancient Earth language), has particle power far exceeding our current Pioneer units. The data from yesterday's battle shows the white unit was capable of hovering and moving with impossible agility. That proves their unit has a vastly superior particle engine power."
The Colony Chief of Security slammed his hand on the table. "But why didn't they kill the terrorist pilots? These Earth terrorists are supposed to be fanatics and cruel!"
Professor Armen shrugged. "That is the mystery. The Mobile Suit has beam weapons capable of vaporizing steel, yet they chose to use the Beam Saber with minimum power and the Vulcan to disable joints and sensors. The purpose of this white unit is unclear: not to kill, but to stop. We do not know the reason."
Their discussion only revolved around the mysterious unit they now dubbed the "White Ghost" and the technology believed to originate from Klaus Kimeza. They had absolutely no data or information about Klaus's twin, Airi Kimeza, who successfully escaped at the time. They also did not know the Mobile Suit's real name, which was the White Gundam, let alone know about the existence of the Kimeza twins who were now piloting the machine.
While the crucial meeting continued, deep inside a secret Colony military facility, Klaus Kimeza—the man they believed was the source of this problem—lived in darkness.
He was held in a high-tech detention cell designed for total isolation. His body looked older than his age, and his eyes, once full of spirit, now seemed empty. For 15 years, the Colonians had repeatedly tried to extract the secrets of Mobile Suit technology from him.
Professor Armen, who was in charge of the Colonian Mobile Suit development, had visited Klaus many times, not only to extract data but also to carry out a secret procedure: brainwashing. The goal was to reverse Klaus's loyalty, turning him back into a Colony asset. They wanted Klaus back, not as a captured enemy, but as an engineer willing to serve the Colony.
"Klaus," a mechanical voice whispered in the room, "The Earth forces you love attacked our city. Your creation is now rampaging out there. You see, they only bring destruction. Return to us. We can stop them, together."
Klaus remained silent. In the darkness of his mind, he only remembered Airi's smile and the pain when he let them go. Information about the White Mobile Suit, about the White Gundam, about his children... all of it was hidden deep behind the mental blockade he himself had created.
Outside his cell, the Colonians were busy searching for answers to the presence of the White Mobile Suit. They thought the unit was piloted by the old rebels. They never suspected that the key to the Mobile Suit and the reason behind its decision not to kill, lay in the hands of the Kimeza twins whom they considered ordinary Colonian school children. And they never knew that the 'White Bird' they were discussing was the last legacy of a wife's love they thought was long gone.
To be continued....