Editing KSGU:Volume 3 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 14===

The mega-particle shots flew over at sub-light speed, but they would not be able to hit an object moving at several kilometers every second easily. The scary thing was that when the machine flew at the same level as the enemy—the unexpected snipe would either come from the front or the back.

Thus, he had to zig-zag around. If he moved in the same direction for more than 5 seconds, it would be the same as stopping. This was an actual state in space battles. The snipers knew that when they had allies, one machine would pursue the enemy to try and lure him into the range of the other unit. At this point, Banagher was facing such a situation. He had been focusing on the red enemy unit’s movements and chasing after it, and nearly lost his legs to the beams that came flying in from afar.

“2 vs 1…no, 3 vs 1, huh?”

Banagher mused as he felt a chill from the beam that grazed his head. There were the red enemy suit and the 2 enemy suits supporting from afar, and once he got baited by the red guy, the intersecting beams that crossed the 3 dimensional plane would fly over. He could not let himself get hit.

“Calm down, Banagher. You may not remember, but you should have received training in this. that man trained you…”

Banagher’s temples pulsed. His head that had a band tied on it gathered its concentration on the target. The machine continued to move around, and Banagher pulled out the spare magazine that was mounted on the “Unicorn”s waist to reload it into the empty beam rifle. 1 magazine had 5 shots, and including the spare shots, he had another 10 rounds—Banagher vaguely remembered that there were no limit in the ammo count during training.

''I can’t waste bullets like this.'' Banagher continued to pursue the thruster jets flares of the red enemy suit through the all-view monitor. The killing intent continued to pressure from all directions, coldly stimulating the skin that was drenched in sweat. ''A beam may fly from somewhere now and burn the cockpit. Don’t miss sight of them. Got to hang on. Don’t get forced back, be the one pressuring.''

One hit, two hits. The “Unicorn”s beam rifle let out shots, and the hot magnum rounds were ejected from the cartridge. The thick and large beams merely shone for a while as small debris were evaporated on the path, creating rings of light. This scene of a massacre made the light filter pretty useless as Banagher had his face staring right at the monitor dyed in white. The red enemy suit quickly turned around, and the alarm indicating a lost signal rang through the cockpit.

Neither the object sensor nor the heat sensor showed any response. Banagher felt sweltering sweat as he turned his eyes around. He could receive the radar signal from the Nahel Argama and the remaining machine on their side, but he could not find the enemy’s response. Countless debris floated around, and the object sensor was showing a complete blank. ''Are the heat sources mixed in the enemy or the exploded hot metal bits—''

“Damn it, I can’t touch him like this…!”

The red enemy unit had not fired a single round as it continued to merely lure Banagher into its allies’ range. Both sides had not stepped on the same battleground as Banagher anxiously shot the 3rd round, turn the machine around, and saw a savage light explode at the back.

The entire body of the “Unicorn” was lit by the mega-particle that grazed by, and the horizontal G-force tugged at the unit through the impact. The beam grazed by, and the remaining particles that hit the armor let out knocking sounds that were like small stones hitting it. Banagher felt intense pressure from the legs. The airbag that was installed on the pilot seat expanded, preventing the pilot’s blood from rushing to the legs. At that moment, the enemy could be spotted amongst the just dimmed view, and Banagher frantically held onto the control stick that was nearly let go.

''The next direct hit will come.'' Banagher instinctively realized as he stepped on the pedal, moving the machine around as he fired the beam magnum. The large light ripped through vacuum, and the red enemy that had been evading agilely appeared amongst the debris.

“That was close…!”

The skin let out a clattering sound as goosebumps rose. Banagher unwittingly squeezed the trigger, and he felt the last magnum shot fly out. The red enemy dodged the beam attack and closed in on the “Unicorn” without slowing down. ''He’s coming right at me.'' As Banagher thought about this, another person’s breathing could be heard from the communicator. (As long as I don’t get hit…) The sharp voice said this as it rang in Banagher’s ears.

(This will be nothing!)

The monoeye of the red enemy shone, and the blade of the beam saber swept up from the feet. Banagher screamed out as he pulled the control stick. He was originally unable to make it, but the “Unicorn” was faster by a beat or so, causing the thrusters on the back and legs to flare up and leave the danger area directly. The red machine’s beam saber swung through the space at the last moment, leaving behind a trail of yellow light.

The Intention Automatic System could allow the “Unicorn”s psycommu installation to pick up the pilot’s thought waves, allowing the machine’s skeleton—the full psycommu body to be able to react at the same time and operate. Banagher remembered the explanation Alberto gave when he was hurrying down, “There’s no need to control it. Is this it…?” Banagher muttered to himself, and widened his eyes at the evil intent that surged up his spine. ''I’m being shot at. I got too careless of that red guy.'' Banagher saw that he was moving in a straight line for several seconds undefended, and unwittedly raised the shield in his left hand to the front. The mega-particle bullet then covered the all-view monitor.

He was already ready for a hit, but the beam was deflected right in front of the shield, and a wind-pressure like impact shook the machine before stopping. Yes, the beam bent. The original beam trajectory would have hit the machine directly, but it was like an invisible pressure bent the path of the shot.

(An I-field…!?) The enemy’s voice could be heard from the wireless communicator. Banagher looked side to side without knowing what was going on. The shield that was equipped on the left hand changed, and the completely different silhouette on the monitor attracted Banagher’s attention. The many layers of heavy armor expanded above and below, and the radial armor had slid aside to show what resembled a flower instead of a shield.

With the round installation that was hidden at the center, the radial-shaped sliding armor opened like blooming petals, forming an invisible field around it. The I-field kept Minovsky Particles compressed and cause the mega-particles to deflect off. This field that was used to control a core reactor deflected the beam trajectory. The shield itself had a device that would create small I-fields and protect it against beam weapons.

The red enemy showed a doubtful action. Banagher checked the machine to see if it took any damage, mused “Is this thing really okay?” and heaved out the breath he held. He reloaded the last magazine before the sweat on his body could even drip down, and aim the reticule at the red unit.

“In that case…!”

Banagher pointed the shield right at the front and fired the beam magnum. He went right at the exploding debris and intended to get right below the enemy unit as he fired two shots. ''If I can defend against a beam flying from afar, there’s no need to worry about moving around wildly. I can definitely hit him if I can calm down and shoot.'' The third flare lit the red enemy armor. ''Once more-this call echoed within Banagher’s agitated mind, and the 4th shot was released when the red enemy stopped.

The exploded ball of light expanded, and the debris appeared on the monitor in black trails. ''Did I get him?'' Banagher bent forward, only to feel a chill to a chill from the siren that rang inside the cockpit. It was the approaching siren—coming from below. It was too late by the time he realized it, and the red mobile suit’s monoeye suddenly appeared on the monitor as the leg kicked the abdomen of the “Unicorn”.

The tough 20 ton block of metal caused the machine to experience a destructive amount of recoil due to the mass and the velocity of the impact. The “Unicorn” was sent flying back as the powerful G-force rocked Banagher from behind. The attachments at the back let out a clattering sound, and the air barrier that shot out of the display board formed an invisible cushion. The helmet that hit the board did not crack apart because this layer of air barrier lessened the impact, but was unable to nullify this bone-crushing impact completely. ''I definitely thought that I got rid of the enemy, so why? Did he predict my fire and let a missile he has explode?'' His mind that was experiencing the pull of the powerful G force was having these thoughts that faded. ''I can’t match this enemy. This conclusion and fear appeared at the same time. ''The capability of the mobile suit isn’t even half the factor determining the win. The pilot’s abilities are based on experience, talent, and—''

Suddenly, a shocking impact could be felt from behind, dispersing all doubt. This G-force struck from the front, and Banagher was pushed back onto the linear seat, only to feel an icy cold liquid flow out of his nose. The “Unicorn” that was sent flying slammed hard into a stone tablet 50m in diameter.

''This is definitely not a coincidence. The enemy definitely predicted the flow of the debris and planned to let me hit this stone block, and it’s obvious from how it continued to close in on me.'' Banagher caught sight of the monoeye amidst his blurry vision, and subconsciously raised his rifle. He saw the last magnum round let out a torrent of bullets, and blankly squeezed the trigger while the enemy unit with considerable mobility continued dodging as the alarm rang. Everything and anything seemed to be covered by a translucent field as the sense of realism gradually faded. Banagher thought, ''Will I die like this?'' as the bones and flesh clattered.

''I couldn’t do anything at all. The Nahel Argama hasn’t left the radar range, I haven’t damaged the red enemy by the slightest. I couldn’t save Audrey, I can’t repay the expectations dad gave me when he handed me this machine ''—the enemy mobile suit in front let out a gust of killing intent, and as the hair rose from the scalp, Banagher realized that it was the ‘heat’ burning within his body.

This ‘heat’ started when he ignored the silent adults and boarded the “Unicorn”…no, it existed even before that, when he met Audrey for the first time, this ‘heat’ that was born when he was walking with her still pulsed within this body. Banagher knew that this ‘heat’ was letting blood flow through his fearful body and soul, gushing out from his pores. ''That’s not all. There’s definitely something else I can do.'' This ‘heat’ continued to say this to him as a small glow exploded through his forehead.

Banagher visualized this burning sensation piercing through the psycommu that formed the frame and gathered on the “Unicorn”s lone horn. The horn split in halves like lightning-chopped wood, forming a V shape, and the units on both sides of the head turned half a round. The beam sabers handles that were on the back poked out, and the dual eye sensors hidden under the face mask flashed like a human blink, and the gaps that were formed by the armor bits that slid off gave a red glow.

The wrists and the feet felt a heavy impact as the monitor of the circular device installed at the arms of the pilot seat was activated. The display board showed the words ‘NT-D’, and the condition monitor changed gradually while the full psycommu that was like an exoskeleton expanded as several parts of the armor slid aside. It was the “Unicorn” that was larger than before—the white mobile suit that did not fit its name at this point. The ‘transformation’ that happened in milliseconds happened, and the exposed thrusters that were on the back and legs became really hot as the machine automatic activated its mobility to leave the debris field. The red enemy’s beam saber stabbed into the surface of the rock, causing the dust to explode out.

This instantaneous explosiveness, acceleration and maneuverability were different from the controls before. The red enemy immediately turned around and quickly left the scene. The “Unicorn” did not let go of the enemy’s movements as it burned its thrusters and immediately got behind the enemy. Banagher was shaken by the fatal G-force, and despite fulling that his body was being crushed by some heavy fluid, he continued to follow the enemy that zigzagged its way out. The enemy he could nota approach before could be seen easily at this point. Banagher’s consciousness was on the same wavelength as the machine as he knew that his consciousness was all over it.

“This is the Gundam…!?”

His hear pounded wildly like a morning bell, and the body that was forced down the linear seat felt very hot. The attachments on the headrest forced the helmet down, and he could not turn his head around. However, it was not inconvenient to control it as the V-shaped multiblade antenna of the “Unicorn Gundam” let out a golden glow reflecting how Banagher was consciously turning his head to think and predict as it caught sight of the enemy unit right in front of it. The thruster jets of the red enemy flared in intervals as it got between the debris. It was fast—but the trajectories were predictable.

“I can see it…!”

Banagher brushed aside the air that felt somewhat sticky as he held onto the joystick. The beating in his heart was faster, and his body heated up like it was about to explode. ''Too slow.'' Banagher was aware for this, but the “Unicorn Gundam” that predicted this a second earlier let out a burst of Vulcan cannons from the fixed armament without the pilot’s input. The tracer shots that took up 1 out of 5 shots let out trails of light, and the visible-laser like fire charged right at the enemy.

The red enemy turned its body to evade. Once it predicted the where the thruster jets would be from the enemy’s posture, the Gundam fired out a flare that reached that place first. The shockwave of the shot rocked the cockpit (Oh…?) Banagher heard this sigh through the wireless communicator, and felt a chill from the enemy’s voice that had fear and delight, feeling that this was the time he would get serious. The enemy suit that suddenly flipped kicked the debris nearby.

The enemy unit flew right at Banagher by using the recoil from the kick to spin its body. ''He’s below me.'' As Banagher thought this way, the upswinging beam saber appeared in his sights. While the body was unable to move, the acutely aware consciousness deep within took action on its own. The Gundam reacted earlier and drew a beam saber. The beam particles from both sides clashed, and a glow brighter than an explosion expanded through the sea of debris.

(You’re going to be my enemy again, Gundam…!?)

''Die he open the communication channel?'' The enemy’s voice rang clearly in Banagher’s ears. He had no time to think as he shouted, “Please retreat!”

“If you don’t retreat, Audrey will…!”

[[Image:KSGU3 211.jpg|thumb]]

The beam sabers that were clashed with each other bounced off, and the two units pulled their distance while the remaining particles were scattered like fireworks. Banagher immediately regrouped as he saw the red enemy unit on the monitor before aiming at it, only to be shocked by another voice (I’ll flank him. Rise up quickly!) 

Banagher immediately went up, and a beam that felt in from a corner grazed past the enemy unit. The enemy unit managed to dodge the attack at the last minute, only to be stumbled by the huge particle beams that were shot over, leaving the machine undefended right in front of Banagher. ''A good chance!'' His thoughts shouted as he let the Vulcan cannons fire over, letting two trails of fire fly right at the enemy unit.

The ally transformable mobile suit continued to fire the beam rifle docked on the shield at the bottom of the machine as it closed in. The silhouette that was in fighter jet form went below Banagher, immediately transformed into a mobile suit, and the unit that lost a leg got right below the enemy. He might look rather anxious at this point, but that mobility was something to behold. “That’s Ensign Riddhe, right?” Banagher muttered for a short moment as he changed the direction the “Unicorn” was heading based on the ally machine’s movements. Both machines fire intersected each other, forming a large and long beam cross in the vacuum.

Their consciousnesses were connected with each other as Banagher felt that he was forcing back the red enemy unit. The red enemy fell back, and the intersection point of the beam was moving onto the unit, looking like it was sucking in the unit. The debris that got involved in the beam exploded, and as the enemy unit intended to dodge the flying debris, Banagher saw the red armor take a direct hit with a glow as it exploded.

“Did I get him?”

This time, he did not make a mistake. The enemy unit took a hit on the hell, and looked like it was turning around. The thruster jet that stopped glowed, and the machine tried to escape while abandoning the thruster unit on the back/ Banagher was numbed by the excited heart and controlled by the burning sensation of blood rushing up his brain as he chased after the enemy unit showing its back.

The “Unicorn” charged forward recklessly while dragging a trail of red luminous light. It used its shields to block the enemies’ long-ranged attacks, got past the relatively large debris, and could see the silhouette of the red enemy. (Don’t go too far in!) Ensign Riddhe’s voice rang from the wireless communicator, but it did not matter. Banagher let the left mechanical hand wield the trembling beam saber, and stepped on the pedal as much as possible.

The hand movements were synchronized with the psycommu, and the Gundam immediately accelerated as it charged right at the red enemy. The airbag equipped inside the cockpit expanded, surrounding the entire body tightly like it was about to explode. ''My heart’s going to break, I can’t breathe.'' The circular device at the wrist flickered, and the warning sign appeared on the display board. The enemy unit was right in front of it. Everything was dyed red, and the vision that was narrowed quickly was dyed in the color of blood. Banagher did not bother with thinking about why this would be the case as he moved the aiming reticule of the beam saber over the sight of the enemy unit he capture. The red enemy suddenly turned around with its monoeye staring at Banagher, and at this moment—

(How naïve.)

The enemy’s voice rang from the wireless communicator, cooling the nerves that were excited. Numerous beams then came flying in from a completely different direction, and the exploding sparks appeared between the Gundam and the enemy.

These were not beams that were support fire from afar, but attacks that came from an extremely close range. Banagher instinctively raised his shield to let the machine retreat, and Riddhe called out (Behind you!), causing his numb fingertips to tremble.

The “Unicorn”s psycommu read that Banagher intended to look back as its head unit quickly turned around. The weirdly-shaped mobile expanded its 4 pods like wings as it appeared right in front of him. Banagher felt his mind turn blank.

''The 4-winged that attacked “Industrial 7”—where did it come from?'' The consciousness that was attracted by the red enemy suit returned back to its body, and it was too late by the time he grabbed onto the joystick. The large unit with 4 wings covered the all-view monitor as its support arms that were like insects grabbed the “Unicorn”s body.

The left arm, right shoulder and head were pinched, and the impact reached the cockpit that had the warning lights flickering. One of the pods was still damaged, and the hidden arm was melted off with the front part. He saw that it was that 4-winged machine, which then clenched its right mechanical hand as a fist and slammed it into the Gundam’s abdomen.

This punch splendidly hit the body as if it was swung by a person himself. The impact that was several tons heavy erupted through a layer of armor. The monitor suddenly flickered abruptly, but the Unicorn could not be blown behind since it was grabbed by the 3 hidden arms. The impact that could not be reduced rocked the machine, and the force of the hit charged right at the cockpit, causing the weakest point of the unit—Banagher’s body to short-circuit.

The loud sound of metal clashing with each other rang, and the abruptly expanding air struck Banagher. The linear seat let out a creaking sound together with its support, the heart that felt like it pounded suddenly gradually calmed down as the white sparks appeared right in front of him. The vomit that came out from the mouth dirtied the visor, and all Banagher could see was the monoeye of the 4-winged becoming rather blurry as his vision gradually faded.

The body that was extremely tense collapsed together with the mind, and the machine’s nerves were the only thing supporting the frame of the Gundam. The ‘heat’ was swallowed by the icy cold darkness. ''I’m sorry, Audrey.'' As the giant gradually transformed into the “Unicorn”, Banagher’s battered body let out this musing in the middle of the giant’s abdomen, and the final part of this ‘heat’ seeped out in the form of water from the eyes. He could not even look at the red enemy right above him as he lost consciousness.