[SENTINEL] Ch.01 Revolt at Pezun

　Universal Century 0083. Commodore Jamitov Hymen of the Earth Federation Forces established the security force known as the Titans to hunt down the increasingly active remnants from the former Principality of Zeon. These forces gradually became the embodiment of the "elite" under a pennant of Earth supremacy as their actions pivoted from hunting remnants to suppressing Spacenoids, all under the guise of such a hunt. Their campaign of oppression culminated in the so-called "Colony 30 Incident" in July U.C. 0085. Under the pretext of quelling an armed uprising against the Earth Federation government by Spacenoids opposed to such oppressive actions, an active duty unit of Titans injected poison gas into Colony 30, one of the space colonies at Side 2, slaughtering its inhabitants.
　In reality, an organization against the Earth Federation’s political measures of oppression known as the AEUG had formed around this time, taking the first steps towards resistance across the Earth Sphere. Nonetheless, many Federation officers and men believed that the Titans' advocacy for Earth supremacy was a just cause.
　It is now Universal Century 0087.
　The cosmos is once again engulfed in the flames of war.

　The Earth Federation Forces Instructor Corps. These forces are a unit that researches and develops combat techniques for mobile suit combat. Results from their combat research are, in turn, coded and loaded into the Integrated Maneuver Propulsion Control (IMPC) system of all Federation Forces mobile suits, constantly updating their combat capabilities. For this reason, members selected were those with exceptionally superior mobile suit combat skills, which was necessitated to be qualified over those of regular mobile suit instructors.
　The Gryps War, which intensified into a confrontation between the Titans and the AEUG, was, so to speak, a war between the Earth Federation's own, one involving all of the Forces units. The Instructor Corps was no exception to this. Members of the Instructor Corps were the "elite" of the Federation Forces in a different sense from the Titans, so it was easy to conform to the principle of Earth supremacy, the pennant the Titans publicly advocated.
　With the moon to their backs, two blue mobile suits now made their way back to Pezun after completing their combat space patrol.
　"Lieutenant Cray. Is it true what they're saying about that incident? Rumors have been making their rounds on base, and some of the boys are pretty upset about it."
　Ensign Offshore, the baby-faced pilot of one of the blue mobile suits following--an RMS-141 Xeku-Eins--, opens a mid-range laser comms channel as he maintains an eye on their rear. He questioned the validity of the "unfounded rumors" propagating through all the units that followed the Titans.
　"According to word from the envoy the other day, there's probably some truth that His Excellency Jamitov has been lost. AEUG assassins may have even taken him out. And that's why Brave, Drake, and all of us made the decision. Our Federation Forces, and by extension, Mother Earth, cannot be at the mercy of the Spacenoids. Wouldn't you agree?"
　It was roughly two months ago. At the Earth Federation Assembly in Dakar, Africa, Casval Deikun suddenly appeared and issued the Dakar Declaration, denouncing the atrocities of the Titans to the entire world. As a result, this declaration was the first step that would later jeopardize the political position of the Titans, legitimizing the AEUG to take action against them, forcing them to wage an armed struggle against the AEUG with only their own forces and no support from the Earth Federation Forces.
　During the One Year War, the asteroid known as A Baoa Qu by the Principality of Zeon and used as a space fortress was refortified and christened the Gate of Zedan by the Titans during this conflict. Until just recently, Titans Supreme Commander Jamitov died under mysterious circumstances in the battle over this fortress, but this fact was kept under wraps. Despite that, rumors about this incident quickly started making their way to all the officers and men of the Titans and all the units under their control. This was the "rumor" that Offshore asked Cray about.
　Following the loss of their Supreme Commander, the Titans seemed to be on the brink of collapse, though in reality this was not the case. While the Titans were ultimately Jamitov's private army, their banner of "Earth Supremacy" still had the support of many soldiers. Therefore, when the Earth Federation government issued an order for the Instructor Corps stationed at Pezun to return back under the Federation Forces, the discussion among the soldiers was divided over whether to return and watch the struggle between the two sides or to act as Titans. For Earth supremacists, the Earth Federation government's attitude of standing by in the fight against the Titans was seen as pro-AEUG, which meant pro-Spacenoid. Cray's calling the AEUG "aliens" stemmed from this misunderstanding, and this misunderstanding would later lead to a great tragedy.
　It was U.C.0088, January 25th. Dissatisfied with the top-level decision of the Instructors Corps submission to the Earth Federation government, a group of young Earth supremacist officers staged an armed uprising, took control of Pezun, and called for total resistance against the Earth Federation government and the AEUG. This event took place a week after the battle at the "Gate of Zedan" and just three days prior to the current events.

ALARM　　ALARM　　ALARM
DIRECT HIT 　DIRECT HIT　DIR
　KIA　KIA　KIA　KIA　KIA
ALARM　　ALARM　　ALARM

　"Damn it!"
　Ryuu Roots slammed his fist against the simulator's panel.
　"Today marks the seventh time you've been reported dead in battle, Spaceman Roots."
　The cold voice of the training sergeant echoed inside the simulator through the microphone.
　"Shut up! You God damn sadist!"
　In the Nevada-based Earth Federation Forces Nellis Base, intense day and night training was taking place for the experimental mobile suit unit, striving to develop new and practical mobile suits. Although these new mobile suits were rumored to carry the "Gundam" title, their true nature remained a secret even to the unit members. Due to their practical evaluation tests being carried out exclusively through simulators and the alternative Zeta Plus B-type mobile suit, there were whispers among the team that "such mobile suits don't really exist." Roots unlocked the simulator door, kicked it open, and took a deep breath.
　"Hey, bossman. Heard you bit it in combat again, huh?"
　Crypt, with a helmet hanging from his shoulder, grinned as he slapped Roots on the back and slipped into the simulator for his turn.
　"Asshole… thinks he’s so damn cute," grumbled Roots, as he kicked the door of the simulator Crypt entered and left the training room.
　At the same time, a crucial decision was being made in the base's conference room.
　"I can't believe ALICE chose him," Carroll sighed deeply, facing the twelve personnel files.
　"It might be fate after all. Ryuu Roots is..."
　The man in the Earth Federation Forces officer's uniform continued, peering out the window through a gap in the blinds.
　"What about the backup personnel?"
　"Shin Crypt. However, he's the main operating member for different equipment," replied the young experimental unit commander with a background in technology.
　"The experimental ZZ, huh? No offense, but on paper, it's not much more than a decoy."
　"Harsh, aren't you, Mannings? But this operation isn't primarily about combat. It's a demonstration. A decoy is fine. It's to intimidate that lot on Pezun..."
　"This is war! Demonstrations never end just like that. If our adversaries would be easily subdued by deploying a fleet of Gundam-type mobile suits and a mothership, then fine. But I'm talking about people, not equipment. The enemy has a team of elite instructors, and we have a ragtag group with rookies. Exposing the bluff could backfire!" Mannings turned away from the window and raised his voice in reply.
　"With the current uncertainty around Axis, or rather, the Neo Zeon, we have no choice but to use decoys or anything else at our disposal. In fact, the S Gundam, a model whose official adoption was halted, still has soldiers training for its operation. We can't let them sit idle."
　"So, we're talking about the military's budget issues. Fine. But these guys can hardly be called 'soldiers.'"
　"Can't you compensate for the lack of personnel quality with equipment? Isn't it your mission to improve the quality of your personnel? It should be an easy task for you. There's no need to be so serious. Any further objections will be considered insubordination."
　"As you say, but..."
　"The operation begins in one month. No more objections."
　Mannings bit his lip. It was always like this. A superior's orders were absolute. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that this operation wouldn't end as a simple demonstration. On the other side was Tosh Cray. One way or another, everything would begin on February 25th, one month from now.

ALARM　　ALARM　　ALARM
DIRECT HIT 　DIRECT HIT　DIR
　KIA　KIA　KIA　KIA　KIA
ALARM　　ALARM　　ALARM

　In front of Crypt, the warning lights lit up all at once, and ominous text scrolled across the monitor display.

　Terrifying. Utterly terrifying. Whenever Cray saw the raw images of space projected onto the cockpit of his mobile suit, he couldn't help but feel this way, and he was ashamed of it. Then, without meaning to, his feelings spilled into words.
　"Offshore, do you like space?"
　"Uh, well, its existence, I suppose... I think of space as a place that embodies the state of 'nothingness' in a serious duel. Amidst this vast 'nothingness,' there are places like Earth and colonies where 'life' breathes. When I'm drifting in the 'nothingness' of space, I feel like I can directly sense that 'life' and re-appreciate the importance of it."
　Offshore stammered in response to the sudden question from his superior officer.
　"Huh, 'nothingness,' you say? That's an awfully old-fashioned notion. Do you like space or not?"
　"I said I appreciate its existence, Lieutenant Cray."
　"Then what is it?"
　"I think there's no place as unnatural as space for humans to live. I believe that humans are meant to stand on solid ground with two legs."
　"Indeed. By your logic, the extraterrestrial beings who do not stand on the ground are not human. We, who have made enemies of these beings for the sake of Earth's future, are at least human. When we die, we want to do so on the very ground of our mother Earth."
　"Yes, Lieutenant."
　Cray would never admit that his logic was mere sophistry against his own incomprehensible fear of the unknown—the universe.
　The two blue mobile suits captured the guide lasers from Pezun, and as they entered the approach course, they began to decelerate using intermittent bursts from their vernier rockets and AMBAC. As they entered the forest of seemingly irregularly protruding mooring angles from Pezun, two other blue Xeku-Eins, which were heading out for their shifts at the CSP, brushed past Lieutenant Cray's suit with a faint trail of white light.
　Ever since they had taken control of Pezun, the CSP had been strengthened to guard against the approach of AEUG and Earth Federation fleets. Not only that but various defense mechanisms were being steadily prepared around Pezun.
　"CSP First Team, prepare for return."
　The laser communication from Pezun rang in Cray's normal suit helmet speaker.
　"We'll leave the deceleration timing to you. We've set the IMPC autopilot."
　"Understood. We'll guide you from here."
　The Xeku-Eins slowly began their entrance into Pezun's port, grabbing the ceiling brake grips and sliding to a stop about thirty meters in.
　With no time to waste, Cray headed straight for the Pezun base commander's office. Brave Cod was waiting for him there.
　"Good work. Now, take a look at this."
　Cod pointed to the monitor on his desk. The high-res video seemed to be a hidden recording of someone. It showed an officer operating a computer terminal. Cray immediately understood the significance.
　"He's one of the technical officers scheduled for return to Earth. Right now, he's desperately trying to download our latest combat data."
　"Caught a rat, huh? Pitiful. Those who rely on machines for combat must really need our combat data."
　"Don't act like it's someone else's business. Weren't you the one who came up with this plan?"
　"Heh, by the way, Brave. When is the scheduled transfer of the ones we rounded up back to Earth?"
　"At 1600 Earth Standard Time today. We've only managed to load just over a hundred onto the transport ship so far."
　"Busy times ahead. What about the statement?"
　"I released it under the name New Desides. A declaration of relentless resistance."
　"Shouldn't it be 'Decision' if it means a new determination?"
　"It's a neologism. 'Dis-side' also implies opposition, you see."
　"I see. Well, you're the leader.

　UC 0088, February 22nd. The AEUG's Operation Maelstrom, followed by the Colony Laser defense battle, resulted in the Titans' defeat, ending the first phase of the Gryps War. However, the Earth Federation government still faced a significant threat in the form of Axis and the Neo Zeon, even though their forces had been somewhat depleted. Although an early war was unlikely, unifying the intentions within the Earth Federation Forces, which still had remnants of AEUG and Titans, was the top priority. If the Federation Forces were attacked by Axis during a period of internal chaos, they would be helpless, regardless of their superior strength. The most significant obstacle in this regard was the existence of Titans remnants and the lunar autonomous city sympathetic to the Titans. To be precise, they were Earth supremacists who misunderstood the Earth Federation government's attitude towards the AEUG.
　Among them, the group that staged a rebellion and holed up in the asteroid Pezun, with an elite Instructor Corps as its core and equipped with production facilities and a certain level of military power, was considered the most dangerous, and plans for their early elimination were made. This decision was made within the Federation Forces at the same time as the execution of Operation Maelstrom.
　The Earth Federation Forces had to quickly organize a task force to suppress the rebels, now calling themselves the New Desides. However, they could not afford to allocate a large force in anticipation of the battle against Axis. Therefore, the Federation Forces' High Command had no choice but to organize the task force as a small elite unit. The newly built Argama-class assault space cruiser Pegasus III was assigned as the flagship of the mobile fleet for this mission, and four available Salamis-class (modified) space cruisers were also organized into a vanguard fleet. This vanguard fleet was called Task Force Alpha and was under the command of the Earth's home fleet, which was on standby at the low-orbit station for the cleanup in the aftermath of the colony laser defense battle. Depending on the progress of Task Force Alpha's operations, the home fleet might join the suppression operation.
　Task Force Alpha appeared to be an elite unit from the outside. However, in reality, it was a paper tiger made up of an inexperienced ship commanded by a newly appointed captain and a collection of mobile suits deemed unsuitable for adoption. At the Earth Federation Forces Baikonur launch base in the Russian region, on February 25th, UC 0088, under a sky dyed red by the setting sun, five spaceships, including the Pegasus III, were waiting for launch time with enormous booster rockets attached. Each spaceship was also equipped with a huge conical fairing, making them appear like five pyramids.
　Eventually, the sky changed from red to blue, then to pitch black, and the countdown was transmitted from the launch control center. The emotionless voice monotonously counted down the numbers.

COUNTDOWN　COUNTDOWN　COUNTDOWN
　　　 　　…60 59 58 57 56 55 54 53…
COUNTDOWN　COUNTDOWN　COUNTDOWN

　On the bridge of Pegasus III, newly appointed captain Commander Eaton Heathrow stared blankly at the rapidly changing digital counter on the LCD display. His body was already secured to a seat that had become like a bed. The rest of the bridge crew was in a similar position. There was little to do during the launch, as most of it was automated. The majority of the crew would join at the low-orbit station. The five pyramids began to prepare for the moment of launch, releasing billows of white steam.

OUNTDOWN　COUNTDOWNN　 COUNTDOWN
　　　…10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01…
COUNTDOWN　COUNTDOWN　COUNTDOWN

　As the metallic voice announced the countdown reaching zero, the LCD display in front of Heathrow flashed to zero. For a moment, the world was dominated by dazzling light and earth-shattering noise. The five conical pyramids slowly and heavily defied gravity, gradually increasing their force. The massive group of pyramids reached Earth's satellite orbit. Eventually, the booster rockets detached, and the conical fairings were discarded, revealing the original forms of the Pegasus III and the Salamis (modified)-class cruisers, their pale gray hulls against the dark blue of outer space, illuminated by Earth's light.
　Unaware of the difficult mission awaiting them, the "paper tiger" fleet took their first step into the vast sea of space.

BONUS MATERIAL:

Part of the reason I was taking so long to post more Sentinel (sorry!) is because I have been working overtime on trying to give everyone the "complete" picture of the serialization. You'll notice two magazine scans above. Those are from the original run of Gundam Sentinel from Model Graphix back in 1987! You'll notice that while the story is essentially the same, it was almost entirely rewritten before it came out in mook (and eventually novel) formats after the run was complete. Then we have the staff comments and fan corner! Since I already broke the formatting rules for the story above (having four columns really doesn't lend itself well for telling a story in English), I opted for a slight change. At any rate, I'll be assembling the photostory from the GUNDAM WARS III book in parts to correspond to each break in the story as we come to it. However, in the meantime, I've also provided bonus mecha content for stuff that appears! Now then, onto the background stuff! Begrudgingly I've left in a few honorifics for the moment:

FAN CORNER

Well, this month marks the beginning of the Gundam Sentinel series and our reader submission corner! We're looking forward to receiving your thoughts, opinions, questions, and illustrations (whatever they may be). So, send them over to the "Gundam Sentinel Fan Corner"!

● If the Gundam movie is going to have model kits, would they be part of the Gundam Sentinel series? Also, like during the "ZZ" era, is there no chance at all that mobile suits created by the MG team will appear in the movie? (I'd love to see Xeku-Eins or Nero make an appearance.) Lastly, will Akitaka-sensei be designing mobile suits for "Superior Gundam" in the future? Hakodate - Satoshi Watanabe

Eh?! What's that? Ah, well, you could say that... Hmm... something like that. (Akitaka)

Unfortunately, they won't appear in the movie. (Asano)

● I saw the August Newtype issue. Asano-kun, so you can write serious articles, huh? Will the S Gundam kit still end up being scrapped? Aichi Prefecture, Ichinomiya - Takeo Takayanagi

What the heck are you implying, huh? About the S Gundam kit, please see P.52 (detailed below). Moving on, the concept of "Gundam Sentinel" is "authentic Gundam." We wanted to create a series that would remind people how difficult and essential it is to do ordinary things in an ordinary way. "Anything goes" doesn't apply to this series! Hmm, there, I said it! (Asano)

APPENDIX

● We were supposed to have a perfect setup for the first issue, but in the end, we had consecutive overnighters to finish it. Especially the cut of Xeku flying through the construction equipment on P.23, which gave us a feeling of pure joy(!) in the setting. (laughs)

● Speaking of that Xeku-Eins, during the shoot, parts kept falling off. Each part was just temporarily fixed with a 0.6mm brass wire, making it quite a challenge. "Eh, it's fine, right?" (Pokichi Hasegawa's words) As a result, the Xeku became a victim of glue guns (adhesives used for fixing poses in special effects), and it hardly looks like the original prototype anymore. What will we do next month?

● So, about the "Xeku," those in the know are aware that the name has finally made a comeback♪ It's already on TV, too (and the "III" is almost over).

● You will find out in the last episode of Sentinel why the Zaku replaces the Xeku in this new series. A design by the man himself, the ultimate Zaku (or something like that), is being prepared. Next month, Neji will try working on the S Gundam. This guy keeps complaining, though. Before you complain, get your hands moving! See you next month.

(Details about the S Gundam)

AH, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!
STARTLING LATEST GUNDAM SERIES INFO COLUMN

[1] HUH?! THE GUNDAM SENTINEL SERIES IS STOPPING AT No.1?!

First, an unbelievable announcement. Unfortunately, it has been decided that the Gundam Sentinel series, which has the Full Armor ZZ Gundam as a popular No.1 release, will stop for now at No.1. The staff who were fully prepared for the series are quite shocked. We tried to find out more about this...

――― Could you please tell us in detail the reasons behind the Gundam Sentinel series stopping with the Full Armor ZZ?

(Mr. Komiyama from Bandai's Development Team)

Komiyama: Yes, as we mentioned in the previous issue, we strongly pushed for the S (Superior) Gundam in the development department. However, considering the development period, there were problems with the release timing...

――― What do you mean?

Komiyama: The decision to release the theatrical Gundam kits was already made, you see. We want to launch the theatrical mobile suit series as early as the end of the year, or at the latest, around the beginning of the following year. In that case, if we were to release the S Gundam, it would be around October at the earliest. Even if we include the No.2 S Gundam in October and the No.3 Xeku-Eins in November, the theatrical mobile suits would be on the market in December, which would be very confusing for younger users. Two types of Gundams would be on store shelves. Even if we call it a "plamo-only original," it's still hard to understand. So, we thought that if we stop at No.3, it would be better to focus on the development of the theatrical version so that we can release a considerable number of mobile suits when the movie is released.

――― But you knew beforehand that the theatrical series would be incorporated, right? The announcement of the new series (Sentinel) was made in April, and the S Gundam design was channeled up in April as well. I would think that you would have some idea of the release timing and such.

Komiyama: Well, that's a tough point to concede. We announced it to make it in time for the May Hobby Show, but we couldn't finalize the annual development plan for the latter half of the year. In the end, the final decision was delayed until today (July 10th). We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused on our part.

――― So, is there any plan for the Sentinel series to be revived after the theatrical series next year?

Komiyama: Well, after the theatrical series, it is entirely undecided. However, there is a desire to continue with Gundam, and since we have created the Sentinel series, we would like to move towards its revival around March. We would like to announce it at the Hobby Show.

――― Understood. Please do your best to work towards the revival.

● So, while it has been postponed until after next March, we would like to look forward to the revival. sniff

So, there you have it! Yes, that little "sniff" was included at the end. Anywho, hopefully, this little piece of history is interesting to people and I'm not just wasting my time on trivial stuff.