After returning to the quiet sanctity of my bunker, maybe I did get a bit carried away. I was flush with success, buzzing from the thrill of survival. But then a chilling thought pierced the euphoria: there was no way I'd let anything take my Zudah away from me.
I leaned back against the cool concrete wall of the hangar, the battle-worn bulk of my Mobile Suit looming like a silent guardian. "What to do?" I mused, the words echoing slightly in the vast space. "I mean, I could upgrade my Zudah, or kill more Betas."
The choice was simple, yet pivotal. "Okay, upgrade first and kill later," I decided, the plan solidifying in my mind. I took a steadying breath and opened up the system interface with a mental command.
"Alright, let's check my points," I muttered. A familiar, slightly opaque window shimmered into existence before my eyes, displaying the fruits of my recent labor.
[Total: 1,422,000]
"Okay, that will do nicely."
Without hesitation, I began selecting upgrades, the options scrolling past like a wish list. I wasn't going to hold back. My Zudah was going to be an unholy terror.
[Upgrade Modules:
( Magnetic Coating) (Extra Ammo) (Extra Propellant) ( Emergency Power) (Extra Armor Plating) ( Improved Sensors) (Stronger Frame) (Improved Ammunition) (Improved Fire Control) (Damage Control)( Improved Thruster) (Improved Power Source) (Stealth Systems) ( Life Support Systems)]
"Good," I sighed, feeling a powerful, proprietary warmth as the Mobile Suit's vitals on the screen glowed green with confirmation. I checked the balance.
"Though I still have some money left."
[522,000 points]
"Hmm, with this, I could maybe get a new Mobile Suit or… an ally." I rubbed my chin, the second option sparking a mischievous glint in my eye. "Maybe an ally will help, especially since I may or may not have become… a terrorist in the eyes of the established military."
I pulled up the shop, scrolling through the available Mobile Suits. With the points I have, I could get another Zudah, a Zaku II, or a Zaku I.
"A Zaku II would be good, with its versatility. I mean, the Zudah can do it better with its blistering speed, but the Zaku has more upgrade paths—it can be converted into a Zaku Cannon or a Zaku FZ. But then again… Zudah." The appeal of having a pair of lightning-fast Mobile Suits was too strong. I was betting on speed and raw thrust.
"Zudah it is."
I confirmed the purchase. A blinding flash of bright light momentarily forced me to shield my eyes, a heatless, silent burst of energy that lasted only an instant. When my vision cleared, a girl stood before me—no older than twenty, with a fiercely determined look and short-cropped brown hair.
"Commander!" she exclaimed, snapping a perfect, textbook salute.
"At ease," I responded, a slight shock still running through me. This was… unexpected. "What's your name?"
"My name is Jean, Commander!"
"Well then, Jean. Get in your Mobile Suit and prepare to head out."
She didn't hesitate. In a blur of focused motion, she sprinted toward her newly materialized Zudah, climbing into the cockpit. I followed suit, settling into my familiar seat. We entered the elevator bay, the massive platform groaning slightly as it carried our combined weight toward the surface.
"Okay, I am sending the coordinates to you. Follow me, understood?" I asked over the internal channel.
"Yes, Commander!" her voice crackled back, sharp and eager.
We burst from the bunker, twin missiles of steel tearing through the morning air, flying toward the Beta's established territory.
"I guess it's time we destroy a Hive," I said, calculating the distance. "I think two Mobile Suits are enough to crack one. If not, we'll just get more soldiers."
In the distance, the tell-tale discoloration of the land confirmed the Hive's location, but as we drew closer, I spotted movement I didn't like—ships, patrolling the area.
"Dammit. Jean, change of plans! Climb up and activate the Minovsky Particle scrambling. We're going in cold." I boosted the Zudah, rocketing skyward. Jean mirrored my ascent, our Mobile Suits vanishing in the dense electromagnetic fog.
"Jean, ready your Zaku Bazooka," I instructed.
"Copy," she replied.
"The Laser-class hasn't seen us yet. Good. The Hive is located below us. Ready, Jean? We are going in hot. Laser fire will light up the sky. Are you up for this?"
A single, unwavering thumbs-up appeared on her radar screen.
"Alright. Dive! Dive! Dive!"
We plummeted, a controlled freefall that instantly met with a hellish response. Beams of crimson light stitched across the air, a deadly curtain of energy that tracked our descent.
"Emergency Evasion now!" I shouted, putting my new upgrades to the test. The improved thrusters screamed, and I dodged the laser fire with a grace that bordered on arrogance. The money was well-spent.
"Commander, the fire is getting heavy!" Jean's voice was strained as her Zudah narrowly missed a shot.
"Get behind me!" I commanded, using my own machine as a momentary shield.
"Okay, ready to fire on my mark." The ground was rushing up now, the swarm of Betas below resembling an angry, writhing carpet. The constant laser barrage kept up, a near-impenetrable wall of light.
"Fire!"
Jean unleashed her Bazooka. The high-explosive rounds slammed into the Beta Hive's outer shell, tearing a small, dark aperture in the biomass.
"This is our chance!" I plunged into the gaping wound, Jean right on my heels.
"Reload your Bazooka," I ordered as we landed in the dark, organic tunnels. I flicked on a spotlight mounted on my Zudah's head. "Where are you, core?"
"Commander, there!" Jean pointed deeper into the cavern. The Hive's pulsing, sickly green heart lay exposed.
"Light it up!" I opened fire with my Zaku Machine Gun, the heavy-caliber rounds tearing into the Beta core. Jean joined in, firing the freshly loaded Bazooka.
Then, the Betas began to pour in from every tunnel, a flood of chitin and muscle desperate to protect their queen.
"Jean, finish it!" I roared, interposing my Zudah between her and the incoming horde.
"Sieg Zeon!" she cried out, and fired the final, crucial shot.
The core exploded in a grotesque fountain of fluid and smoke. Instantly, the surrounding Betas froze, then began to retreat, their predatory focus lost.
"Quick, kill them! Switch to your Zaku Machine Gun!" I pumped rounds into the panicked, fleeing horde, but a new, more terrifying sound reached my ears—the structural integrity of the Hive failing.
"Jean, retreat now!"
We boosted out of the collapsing tunnels, rocketing upward through the smoke and crumbling wreckage.
"Fly up!" I instructed, not slowing until we had punched through the atmospheric haze.
On the ground, the TSF (Tactical Surface Fighters) crews and their superiors were in stunned silence as the Betas retreated en masse and the Hive's wreckage settled.
In the command center, a tense voice reported, "Miss Kouzuki Yuuko, we have spotted two TSF-type units that arrived and destroyed the Hive in a matter of minutes."
Miss Kouzuki, a renowned scientist and strategist, reviewed the report. "So these TSFs did this in such a short time?" She found herself digging for more information on the mysterious new fighters.
"Understood," the officer said before leaving.
High above the chaos, I listened in on the encrypted communications of the TSF command center, the signals neatly plucked out of the air by my improved sensors.
"They really think I did this to give you hope?" I scoffed into my cockpit. "No. I did this… Hahaha. I don't want to set the world on fire. I only want to tear it apart."
"Miss! There's someone connected on the channel!" an alarmed operator's voice suddenly cut into the conversation.
"Damn, they're good," I muttered, impressed but annoyed. I immediately cut the connection and, with Jean in tow, vanished into the sky.