For a full week, all Colonian news media on Earth were filled with one topic: the presence of their newest Mobile Suit, the Bishop. The heavily publicized promotional videos showed the Bishop deftly dodging fire, soaring quickly through the air, and destroying dummy Pioneer targets with brutal precision.
The official Colonian claim was that the Bishop had twice the agility of any existing unit on Earth, an unmatched feat of engineering.
The Colonians in the metropolitan cities were fascinated, viewing it as the symbol of new strength that would secure their dominance. However, for the Earth inhabitants, this new Mobile Suit was a real and deadly threat. Anxiety spread among the anti-Colonian movement members; if the Bishop were mass-produced, their struggle would become much harder.
At the secret base, the Kimeza family watched the news coverage on a monitor screen with different expressions.
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Maki, her face pouting as the Bishop was shown spinning in the air. "They say he's more agile than our White Bird? A huge lie!"
Airi Kimeza, the systems expert, nodded seriously. "They are exaggerating, but the Bishop's engine generator is indeed powerful. It is a direct derivative of Klaus's design, only they have just managed to perfect it now. If the Bishop is mass-produced, we will have difficulty with hit-and-run operations."
Zaki Kimeza, who was always calm, felt a surge of adrenaline. Annoyance flickered in his brown eyes. This new Mobile Suit was a challenge that had to be overcome, and soon.
"We have to destroy that prototype unit, Mom," Zaki said, his voice firm. "Before they can replicate the design."
Airi looked at her two children. They had grown, not just as twins, but as the best pilot and weapon operator she had. "Alright. We will prepare. Operation tonight."
Immediately, the White Gundam was pulled into the emergency maintenance bay. The remaining Earth Federation mechanics worked quickly. They performed minor upgrades: adjustments to the frame joints for greater flexibility—making the White Gundam's movements even more unpredictable—and recalibration of the Beam Saber power so its strength was increased, enough to withstand the Bishop's Heat Saber without total destruction.
After all the settings were complete, Zaki and Maki put on their pilot suits. The serious Zaki checked every detail, while Maki, although tense, beamed in her pilot suit. They entered the dual cockpit.
"AIRIS, check list complete. White Bird is ready to fly," Zaki commanded.
The White Mobile Suit emerged from the secret base, its thrusters firing, taking them into the Neo-Veridia night air. Target: the main Colonian War Command Base.
It was a quiet Sunday, but at the Colonian War Base, the Bishop was conducting its final Mock Battle. The unit moved perfectly in front of a crowd of generals, commanders, and of course, the proud Professor Armen Itsuki.
Inside the Bishop's cockpit sat the pilot, Annette Lingrave. A Lieutenant from the Saturn Colony, she was the perfect representation of a Colonian soldier: beautiful, decisive, with short light blue hair and bangs covering her left eye, and focused bright yellow eyes. She had just completed her last maneuver and was sipping water from her bottle.
Suddenly, the base alarm blared.
"Warning! Unknown unit detected in air sector 7!"
Annette immediately focused her gaze on the air outside the open hangar. There, under the base lights, a white Mobile Suit appeared, descending slowly, without a deafening roar.
The White Gundam landed softly, right in front of the Bishop.
Annette smirked. "So, you're the one they call the 'White Mobile Suit', huh? You came right into the lion's den."
Inside the White Gundam, Maki pressed the two Beam Saber buttons. Instantly, two bright green energy blades were deployed from the Beam Saber storage in the White Gundam's shoulders, hissing menacingly.
Annette let out a small laugh in her cockpit. She felt challenged and excited. She would be the pilot who defeated this ghost that was tarnishing the Colony's name.
In the base control tower, the generals, commanders, and Professor Armen Itsuki were half-dead from shock. The Mobile Suit they had been discussing for a full week had just appeared before them!
What made the situation even more chaotic was that the Colonian media, which was covering the Bishop's Mock Battle live, immediately shifted their focus.
All television stations broadcasted live the sudden confrontation between the new Colony Mobile Suit, the Bishop, and the mysterious White Mobile Suit.
In an apartment in Neo-Veridia, Aurora Anveil, who was relaxing on Sunday, was startled to see the live broadcast. That White Mobile Suit! Her innocent face immediately turned serious. She leaned forward, her hands clenched. Somehow, she felt compelled to support the existence of the white machine that had captured her attention.
The fight began.
Annette wasted no time. The Bishop raised both its hands. The grenade missiles in the Bishop's hands were fired.
WHOOOSH!
Zaki reacted. "Maki, Vulcan!"
"Ready!"
The White Gundam unleashed the Vulcan Cannon fire from its head. The shots hit the Bishop's grenade missiles, blowing them up in the air into thick smoke and sparks.
However, Annette had anticipated this. From behind the explosion smoke, the Bishop darted at full speed, its dual generators roaring on its back. Annette swung the Bishop's two Heat Sabers, intending to slash the White Gundam in half.
Zaki moved with reflexes enhanced by AIRIS. Just a split second before the slash hit him, Zaki moved both the White Gundam's arms, parrying the attack with his two Beam Sabers.
CLANG! CLANG!
The collision generated an incredible flash of energy. The two Mobile Suits were locked in a sword fight. Thanks to the joint upgrades and real-time calculations from AIRIS—which could now predict the Bishop's pattern based on its engine superiority data—Zaki was able to withstand and follow every one of Annette's aggressive attack patterns.
Annette started to get annoyed. This White Mobile Suit pilot was as nimble as she was, even slicker!
"Enough playing around!" Annette shouted in the cockpit. She pushed the Bishop's engine, trying to break Zaki's defense.
Zaki knew it was time to end it. He activated a sudden reverse thrust and performed a quick left maneuver that the Bishop did not anticipate.
As the Bishop momentarily lost its balance, Zaki swung his right Beam Saber.
ZZWIIIING!
The energy blade swiftly cut the Bishop's knee joint. The Bishop lost its footing, dropping both its Heat Sabers. The Colonian unit crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
The battle was over. The White Gundam stood tall.
In the base control tower, the atmosphere turned from enthusiastic to angry chaos. The Colony High General pounded the control table until the monitor shook.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" he roared. "Our flagship unit, the newest Mobile Suit we boasted about, lost in just a few maneuvers! The Bishop only lasted a few seconds against that ghost!"
Professor Armen Itsuki, who had been filled with pride, now turned pale. He pointed at the monitor showing the disabled Bishop.
"Damn it! That speed... it's not just the dual engine! The pilot... The pilot is insane! He's able to utilize every advantage of that Kimeza engine design to its maximum limit! Those Earth trash pretending to be heroes!" cursed Professor Itsuki. He suspected the mysterious pilot was a horrifying combat genius.
The Colonian military commander standing next to the General slammed his hat to the floor. "Lost! We lost live, in our own base! This Bishop unit is just an expensive toy that is useless in front of that Ghost! Quick, deploy other units to pursue! Don't let that white thing escape!"
The White Gundam then spun around, facing the Colonian base control tower. Zaki moved the White Gundam's right hand, waving its index finger right and left—a gesture of 'no' or a warning—directed at the disabled Bishop, and then at the control tower. After that, Zaki retracted both Beam Sabers into the shoulder storage. The White Gundam immediately activated the Particle Scammer—a trace-erasing technology—across its body, temporarily damaging the base radar.
The White Mobile Suit flew slowly, continuously glaring at the base as if giving a warning, before finally accelerating into the air, disappearing without a trace.
At her apartment, Aurora Anveil watched the final scene. The White Gundam's pointing finger, the clean victory. She leaned back on the sofa, her pink flower-like eyes now radiating a new obsession.
"White Mobile Suit..." she whispered, her heart pounding. She knew, whoever was inside that Mobile Suit, they were the mysterious savior who had now become a hero to her.
To be continued....