I'm starting off with an 8000 word prologue mostly to experiment with the narrative but if you have seen the first minute of the first episode of the show, you pretty much know what happens.
Spoiler
For over a hundred years, humankind was ruled under a single super power, the Earth Sphere Federation, a nation formed after the former nations of Earth renounced war and military technology and began a movement for peace by signing “The Silver Chalice Treaty.” The unified Earth movement became known as the “Advanced Generation” and an amalgamated calendar was implemented after the movement. For years, humanity was lead to believe all were unified under the banner of the Federation.
The seeds of what we now call “The Hundred Years War of Earth” were planted in March 3rd of the Gregorian calendar, in the year 101 A.G, when what was then classified by the Federation as the “Unknown Enemy” attacked the large orbiting space colony “Angel.” In only a two short hours, large humanoid weapons, called “Mobile Suits,” destroyed the colony’s core, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians, and the ESF military were no match for the relatively small alien force. That day in history was unceremoniously christened with the title “The Day the Angel Fell” and marked the first of three aggressions that would officially start one of the darkest wars in humanity’s blood stained history.
Seven years later on March 9th, year 108 of the A.G calendar, the second act of aggression against the Earth Federation from the U.E occurred in the largely populated civilian colony of “Ovan.” The story of Ovan wasn’t named something as romantic as the incident 7 years prior, but its tale is equally if not more important. The Battle of Ovan opened when a Federation patrol ship was attacked by the U.E humanoid mobile suits. In the official military report by one of the only high ranking Federation officers to survive Ovan; Rear Admiral Einus, the U.E “…blasted through the colony exterior and began to indiscriminately attack civilians and military personal alike”. Many lives were lost. More specifically, it was the day I lost my mother.
March 9th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Ovan – Asuno Residence
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
My family, specifically the Asuno family, was a well-known family for our history of military development predating the A.G calendar, and our contributions to the Advanced Generation peace movement. Ovan was a beautiful colony, which simulated Earth the best a colony could. The orbiting colonies of Earth varied in shape and design but the most frequent scheme was a cylindrical design. Ovan was one such colony, and my mother, our manservant, and I lived alone in a large mansion, nestled in a synthetic forest in Ovan.
I was seven years old then, and I can remember the leading hours to my mother’s death. I was eating lunch in our manor’s foyer, when my mother came running into the house, still in her lab attire. She seemed to be exhausted from running, and was panicking.
“Mother!” I exclaimed in joy, not noticing my mother’s state. I was simply happy to see her, but whatever joy I felt was diminished when I saw her face. I thought perhaps she was upset with me.
“Mother? Are you okay?” I repeated, leaving my small table and walking towards my mother cautiously.
“Flit dear, we have to leave.” My Mother forced out, still trying to catch her breath.
“We have to leave, mother? Where are we going?” I questioned, grasping my mother’s leg.
“We are going to the colony dock, Flit. We are going to have to leave our home, and soon.” She responded softly, with a clear feeling of remorse, finally regaining her composure. She gently put her hand on my head. It felt like her sadness was passing through to me.
“Here, Flit, take my hand. We’ll go get your things together, but we need to hurry, okay?” She continued, kneeling over to make face to face contact with me. I could only nod, and grab her hand.
“Okay Flit, let’s go.” She smiled at me, but I couldn’t return her smile. Her initial panic left me with a feeling of unease.
We walked up the large central staircase in the Foyer together. We passed by one of our family heirlooms. The painting of the ‘white humanoid savior’ as our manservant once told me. He called it the Gundam. As we hurriedly ascended the staircase, and turned to the west wing where our bedrooms were, I still caught a glimpse of that painting. It always captivated me as a child.
Upon reaching my bedroom door, my mother opened a nearby hallway closet to grab a pair of suitcases. She asked me to pack my things while she ran to the east wing of the house to grab some things of her own. I entered my bedroom door, and gave myself a quick moment to look at my large room. I saw my large bed, my big closet, all my toys scattered around, and my newsboy cap that my father gave to me before he died, resting on a coat rack above my door. I made it a priority to grab that hat, so I moved the chair located at my desk next to the door to raise myself to grab the hat, for it was out of my reach.
The initial boost of height wasn’t enough. I tried to step on the tip of my toes, and grasp for the hat, but I still couldn’t reach it. After a half of minute of trying, I jumped to grab the hat, and while I did grab it, my weight upon landing made the chair fall forward and I hit my knee against the floor. It made an audible thump when it landed, bruising it. I wanted to cry from the pain, but I bit my lower lip and put my cap on my head. I wanted to be strong for my mother. She looked worried, and I didn’t want to cry for her at this point. Though, mistakenly I went for my toys first. I picked out the few that I felt like I had to have. My suitcase was small, but I felt like my clothes would come second to my toys. I didn’t even think of my toothbrush, or possibly pajamas. I must’ve filled at least half of my suitcase with my toys and one of my books from my desk.
I turned my attention to my closet. It seemed daunting to me, because my mother or our manservant always dressed me. I didn’t know what clothes to pick or what clothes I would need. I just reached for some of my shorts and some of the play shirts and shoved them in my bag without the meticulous attention I gave to my toys. My suitcase was stuffed though, and I was struggling to zip it up pass a bulge. All of my attempts failed, and before I could throw my hands up and try to just drag my suitcase out into the hall I was startled by a large siren suddenly roaring through the colony.
It was clearly audible through my house, and frightened me. I sunk my head into my shoulders, and grasped my arms across my chest. This sound was alien to me, and it muted the sounds of my mother running down the hall. When she appeared at my doorway, it alarmed me as well.
“Where is your bag, Flit!?” Mother frantically asked, carrying a still empty suitcase of her own.
“*sniff* My bag is over by the closet.” I whimpered, thinking I was in trouble.
Mother noticed I was wearing the hat that father gave to me and took note of the fallen chair and my bruised knee. It sobered her a bit, and she put down her empty bag, and walked over to my closet. She ruffled around my clothes, and got a matching jacket. She tilted her head up, and had her mouth slightly agape, motioning me to lift my still sunken in arms above my head. Feeling relieved, I lifted my arms, and mother put the jacket on me. It was slightly warm in the colony, but the jacket felt comforting regardless. Mother smiled at me, kneeled over and adjusted the jacket and my hat a bit.
“You look good, Flit.” Mother said warmly forming a smile.
At that point I had forgotten that the siren was still blasting through the colony however once my attention turned back to the siren, mother turned hers to it as well. She stood back up, and grabbed my bag. One of my toys fell out, but she didn’t seem to notice. Grasping the bag with one arm she quickly finished zipping it up with her free hand.
“Come on Flit, let’s go.” Mother commanded, with a calm demeanor. Brushing pass her empty suit case, and with my suitcase in one hand, she held my own hand with her free hand, and we made our way back to the foyer.
When we made it down the central staircase, I looked back at the painting of the Gundam. I didn’t know then but that would be the last time I ever saw that painting. The front door was left open, and our manservant was waiting outside in a car. Despite the loud siren going off, I could still hear my mother’s heavy breathing and the obnoxious sound of the car engine. My mother tucked her hair behind her ear and opened the left-side back seat door to the car, and arched her armed over the open door, waiting for me to get in. I grabbed my own suitcase from her hand and went all the way down the backseat, against the right-side door. My mother followed after me, shut the door behind her, and sat in the middle seat, fastening her seat belt and assisting me with mine.
“Are you ready, Mrs. Marina?” Our manservant asked, with one hand on the wheel, his arm lying over the front seats and head turned facing us.
“Yes, please take us to the dock.” Mother had me locked into her arms, and kept switching her focus to me, and out the left passenger window.
“Mother, why are we leaving here?” I couldn’t help but ask. I was scared of the answer earlier, but now I had to know.
Mother looked distressed by my question. She had expected me to ask it, but still couldn’t think of a good enough answer. She angled her head to look at the artificial sky and began to answer.
“Well, Flit…” she readjusted her head to its normal place. “… This colony, our home; Ovan, will be destroyed, like the colony Angel seven years ago.”
The car began to move down the nature road. Our manservant retained a calm composure while driving. He didn’t flinch at what my mother had said, clearly knowing this beforehand.
“What do you mean, Mother?” I asked frightened.
“A few hours ago, a Federation ship, not too far from Ovan, was attacked and destroyed by a single mobile suit, described as one of the alien designs that destroyed Angel seven years ago.” She reached into her lab coat and pulled out a small electronic device, and showed to it me. “Here, this was the picture taken by the ship before its signal was lost.”
My eyes widened in horror. Despite mother describing the account without bias, all I saw on the small screen was a steel monster that looked like a dragon. The realization that one of those things were coming to Ovan sunk in. Mother wasn’t talking down to me. She knew I was intelligent enough to grasp the concept, but the truth still frightened me. I slowly turned my head out the window, thinking the steel dragon could right there waiting for me. The car was moving so fast that the trees were blurring, but I was still looking at the synthetic forest. That was my home. I didn’t want to lose all that.
My mother put the small electronic device into her lab coat pocket. She saw tears running down my face through the window’s reflection. I was trying not to cry but I didn’t want those monsters to come and get me. Mother, looking distressed, hunched forward in her seat to get a look through the front window before returning her attention to me.
“Flit dear-…” She stopped herself, and started reaching into her other lab pocket. “Do you want to do something for your mom?”
A brief feeling of levity saved me from breaking down. I turned my head back to look at my mother. She regained her smile, and it felt contagious, but I was curious. I was extending my neck trying to get a look into her pocket as she grabbed whatever it was she was grabbing.
“Here you go, Flit.” My mother said, giving me a different device, even smaller than her previous one. “Can you hang onto this for me?”
Mother knew I didn’t want to be a burden. I held back my crying so she wouldn’t have to coddle me. To feel useful, she entrusted me with one of the family’s most priceless heirlooms.
“What is this, mother?” I asked holding the small device with both my hands, moving the object around to inspect it. Mother let out a playful giggle seeing me try to solve the mystery of the device right away.
“It’s the AGE Device, Flit. It’s been in the Asuno family for countless generations. I had to make sure run to the east wing of our home to get it.”
“The Gundam is in that device.” Our manservant interjected, making eye contact with me through the rear view mirror.
“You mean that Gundam? It couldn’t fit in here.” I answered looking even more puzzled at the small device.
“All the secrets of our family are in the AGE Device. Please make sure it is safe for me.” Mother said, retaining her smile and brushing my hair with her hand.
An overwhelming sense of determination overcame me. I wiped away my tears, and put the AGE Device into an inner pocket of my jacket. My mother looked relieved to so me like that, but the anxiety of the looming attack was still present. I adjusted my hat to partially hide my eyes, and sat forward on my seat. I grabbed mother’s hand tightly. She flinched a bit, and looked at me with her jaw slightly dropped. I knew I didn’t have any words to tell her, so I just gave her a firm nod of the head with a smile. For the first time that day, my mother appeared to have tears in her eyes. A sincere smile cracked across her face.
“Oh, Flit. Thank you.” Mother had said, leaning over and kissing my cheek.
After a few more minutes our car had arrived in the city section of Ovan. Cars littered the streets and people were running towards the dock entrances. The car had to stop, because there was no way to navigate all the empty scattered vehicles.
“There is no way we will be able to make it to the docks like this.” Mother said under her breath.
“I had figured this would happen, ma’am. In the trunk you will find an adult’s normal space suit, and an adolescent sized one.” Our manservant said, reaching out his hand with the key to the trunk.
“What do you have in mind?” My mother asked, skeptically grabbing the key from our manservant’s hand. Unsure what use the normal suits would do.
“We are near the food storage warehouse. There is an underground shaft that leads to the colony exterior, where a line that connects to the dock entrance can be found.”
“You mean for us to put on those suits and travel alongside the colony walls?”
“Yes. There are also enough air tanks, back there, for the two of you to last two hours each.”
My mother protested but our manservant had assured us he would meet us at the Federation dock. He drove us to the warehouse and dropped us off. I wish I could’ve said goodbye to him.
March 9th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Ovan – Warehouse
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
Our manservant had driven off. My mother was carrying both normal suits and both air tanks. I was carrying my suitcase. We were right outside the food warehouse, which was in the city limits before the synthetic forest, so no one was around. When you hear the word warehouse your first thought is this big building with high windows and a huge door to transport things out of. This warehouse was a long and relatively thin building. It had a huge metal floor that could open so transport ships could fly against the colony wall and directly transport goods to the warehouse. There was a worker door that we entered through, and found ourselves in a lounge looking area.
“Alright, Flit, we need to switch into these space suits. Do you need me to help you undress?”
I shook my head in protest at my mother. I wanted to do this myself, without her help.
“Oh, alright, Flit.” She said giggling, beginning to undress herself.
I had removed my hat, and jacket carefully, and began to unbutton my dress shirt. My mother, in her underwear at this point, began to fit her legs into the pants of the normal suit. Removing all my clothes but my underwear, I attempted to put the normal on suit as well.
“You sure you don’t need help, Flit?” My mother asked again, fastening the helmet to the straps on the neck of the suit.
“No, mother, I can do this.” I insisted, beginning to get my arms through the sleeves of the suit.
Though she was humoring me, we were in a hurry. She moved over to me, and began fitting the normal suit onto me. I felt slightly useless at the time, but as she was fixing my normal suit I remembered that the AGE Device was in my coat pocket.
“There, I think we are ready to go Flit.” My mother chimed, grabbing my clothes and beginning to put them in my suit case.
“The thing you gave me is still in my Jacket, Mother.” I said, pointing to my jacket.
My mother lifted the jacket by both of its sleeves with one hand, and rifled through each of its pockets with the other. She grabbed the AGE Device from my inner pocket, and placed it in the palm of her hand. She turned and faced me and began motioning her hand as if she were about to throw the device underhanded. Alerted, I quickly pressed my wrists together, ready to catch it.
“Alright, Flit…. Catch!” Mother threw the AGE Device to me, and I caught it. Feeling proud of myself, I held the AGE Device above my head and let out a triumphant laugh.
Mother laughed and she finished up packing my suit case. I put the AGE Device in a small pocket that was on the front side of my left leg.
“Okay Flit, I’m locking this building down and releasing the air, so make sure your helmet is on tightly, with the visor shield all the way down.”
“I’m ready, mother!” I raised my right thumb, and grabbed onto a nearby hatch, preparing for the air to be released.
Mother pressed a few buttons at a station and ran over to me. She held me tight and the lights in the warehouse started flashing red. All windows were immediately covered from the inside by metal portions and all doors leading out were immediately sealed by steel dividers.
“Be ready for it, Flit. The escaping air will be pushing you down to the floor.”
“Uh-huh.” I whimpered, squeezing my eyes tight.
Several vents opened and air was noticeably escaping through them. The air pushing me towards one of the floor vents wasn’t as strong as I anticipated, but it was strong enough for me to loosen my grip on the hatch. The air escaping was so loud that it muted the siren that was still ringing through the colony. After a short while I started to feel weightless, and when I finally opened my eyes my feet were hovering above the ground.
I was looking around the warehouse and saw several objects floating in zero gravity. It was clear from the objects scattered around the warehouse that when the sirens blasted, people were still working and not ready for what my mother just did. I had nearly forgotten, but mother had pressed a button on the side of my helmet, which let me hear her words through an incom inside my helmet.
“Okay Flit…” My mother began, grabbing my suitcase that she was securing between her legs. “Let’s go to the worker shaft.”
I offered to take my suitcase from mother, and she handed it over. She told me to keep hanging onto the latch while she grabbed a connecting wire for the both of us. She pressed both of her feet against the wall of the warehouse and propelled herself forward where some wires were located.
“Catch these wires, Flit.” Mother said calmly as she threw thick black wires with hooks on them at me. It was strange. Although she was on the other side of the warehouse, the incom allowed me to hear her like if she was next to me.
I flinched at the thrown wires, but noticed they moved slowly in the gravity-less warehouse. I let go of my suitcase and allowed it to float by me, and grabbed the wires with my free hand.
“Very good, Flit!” Mother commended me as she propelled herself off the wall towards me. “With these we can be connected and never lose each other.”
She cinched tight the hooks onto both our normal suits and began to open a hatch that led to the workers shaft.
“Okay Flit, I’ll go in first and you use the weight of my body to pull you along, alright?”
“That sounds good to me, mother.” I responded nodding, eager to get moving.
March 9th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Ovan – Colony Wall
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
After perhaps 15 minutes, we navigated our way to the colony wall. It wasn’t the first time I saw the deep blackness of space, but it was the first time I saw it in a normal suit. Since we exited by the colony mirrors, the nearby colony lights faded the stars, so what mother and I saw was just inky blackness, almost as if Ovan was surrounded by non-existence.
“Flit, this is really dangerous. Do not, I repeat, do not unhinge your hook.” Mother warned me, with clear worriment.
I nodded, and still held tightly to my suitcase. The gunmetal gray colony walls had a large rail that one could hook themselves to if they needed to some exterior repairs or just had to be outside. Frankly this seemed like the most unconventional way one would use these rails and to escape a colony.
My mother hooked us into the worker rail and started pulling herself and I forward, with the hook grinding behind us. Mother attempted to keep her feet locked onto the colony wall, but I was floating in space, probably a good 12 meters above her.
“Flit, honey, are you all right up there?” Mother asked.
“It’s a little scary, but I’m alright!” I responded, reassuring my mother.
The complete silence of space was peaceful. My mother below me, carrying me to safety only added to the serenity I was feeling. However, in a mere instant, I saw something from the corner of my eye. It was far away, but I knew what it was. I didn’t want to believe it, but my stomach dropped.
“MOTHER!” I cried, hoping to alert her.
A large metal construction came hurling towards the colony wall. It was one of the mobile suits that mother told me about. It was a blue steel dragon, and it crashed into the colony wall, right in front of us. Mother and I screamed, as a large hole was punctured right in front of us.
“FLIT!” My mother shrieked, hurriedly yanking the black wire to bring me to close proximity of her.
“MOTHER!” I cried again, feeling absolutely terrified.
The hole right in front of us started blowing out all of the air in the colony. From the corner of my eye I spotted another two mobile suits, flying towards the hole made by the first suit.
“FLIT, STAY CLOSE TO ME!” My mother shouted, holding me tight in her arms.
One of the two dragons zipped right by us and entered the hole. The other dragon stopped right before the entrance, and started contorting his metal body and transformed into something humanoid. I was scared, and looking over my mother’s shoulder, whose back was turned to the mobile suit, and saw a green visor flash on its face. It turned its head to face us for a brief moment, and although the moment was a brief one, that single moment has been burnt into my mind. I saw the sharp and jagged “armor” that encased that humanoid monster. Its green visor looked like an upside down heart signal. I was whimpering, shaking, and paralyzed. The mobile suit turned its gaze back at the hole and flew into the colony.
“Flit, are you okay?” Mother, frightened herself, asked making sure I was okay.
I couldn’t answer. That thing essentially turned me into a corpse with rigor mortis through sheer fear. My legs and arms were locked into place, and my eyes still fixated at where that things head was looking at me.
“Flit, answer me, are you alright!?”
“Mom-“I started tearing up. “Mommy!” I burst into tears. For the first time that day, I was scared for my life. I hugged mother so tight. I didn’t want to let her go.
“There, there Flit….” She comforted, patting my back. “We’ll be alright.”
“But, but the railway is gone, and all that air is getting blown out, how *sniff* how are we going to get to the dock now?” I whimpered.
“Flit, trust your mom okay? I won’t let anything happen to you.” Mother hugged me tighter. I felt my limbs loosened a bit, and my state of shock dissipating.
I tried to say ‘I trust you, mom’ but I simply mouthed the words. My breathing was getting hard to regulate.
“Alright, Flit, hold onto me, we are going to go around the hole. I will push my weight against the imperfections on the colony wall. You just stay put, okay?”
I nodded, and latched onto my mom. At the time I didn’t realize I had let go of my suitcase and it
was flying in space somewhere. All the things in there be damned, but it’s a shame I lost my father’s hat. My mother did exactly as she said. The colony wall appeared smooth and rounded from a distance but several imperfections scattered around the exterior. It took us about fifteen minutes to get around the blasted open hole, but once we got back on the railway, we re-hooked ourselves and began going back to our normal pace. However we shortly came across another problem.
“The railway ends here.” Mother stated, coming to a stop.
“What can we do about that, Mother?”
“The dock worker entrance is a good 20 meters from here.”
“How are we going to get there?”
Because we were still on a cylindrical wall, we couldn’t just jump from where we were without falling into space.
“Why don’t we do what we did with the blast hole?”
“We only have 12 minutes of air left though. We’d run out by the time we arrive.”
Mother looked stumped. I let go of her to give her breathing and thinking room.
“Hmmm…. I think I have something.”
“What is it mother?”
“If I use my air tank, I can blow out some air to lead us to the dock entrance.”
I didn’t fully comprehend the repercussions of that at the time. To me, all I heard was “I have something.”
“Then let’s do that, Mother!”
“Okay Flit, I want you to hang onto me, and unhook your hook.”
I did as mother said, and she began to loosen her air tank. Mother lifted her thumb looking for confirmation from me. I returned the gesture and gripped her waist with my arms. With a nod of her head, and with lightning speed, she removed her air tank and put it under her arm. Her normal suit immediately sealed up so no air would escape the suit. The air escaping the tank was visible and almost looked like a smaller version of the blast hole. We were going at a fast pace, and were approaching the worker’s entrance to the colony. At that point, we could see a Federation Battle ship approaching from a distance launching fighters towards the large hole in the colony wall.
In two minutes we reached the dock worker entrance, and mother threw her air tank, and quickly punched a few commands into a mounted device next to the metal door. The door opened, and mother pushed herself from the opening of the door forward to enter. She turned around and pressed a few buttons on an identical device inside the room, and the door closed. Vents opened and visible air began filling the room. I let go of mom’s waist.
“*gasp* Flit… that was utter hell…” Mother wheezed, opening the visor to her helmet.
Without an air tank, she was holding in her breath for quite a while.
“Are you alright, Mother?” I asked in assurance, pulling the leg of her space suit.
“I’ll be alright Flit, behind this door are probably more air tanks if we need them, and in the rooms beyond the one behind this door is our way out.” Mother responded, knocking her knuckle against the other door in the airlock. “Shall we enter?” Mother playfully asked, with a smile.
With an enthusiastic nod of my head and the opening of my visor, I walked behind my mother, anxiously waiting for her to open the door. Mother pressed a few more buttons at a control panel. When the door opened, we saw a mess of what looked like a normal suit storage room. The room was lit with standard white lighting but because of the yellow floors, beige walls and gray lockers, there was a yellow glow to the room, contrast to the red glow of the airlock.
“I guess the workers must’ve raided this place when the news broke about the incoming attack.” Mother answered the question in my head before I could ask it.
We carefully floated around scattered clothing, belongings, air tanks, and heavier duty space suits, we found ourselves right by the exit to the dock. With a few more button presses, the door hissed open and we were on a platform, overhanging four large Darwin-Class Federation battleships. Several soldiers wearing Federation pilot normal suits with vernier pack were floating around and carrying guns, while huge disorganized lines of civilians were trying to get packed into the ships.
“Will we be able to get into any of those ships, mother?” I asked uneasily.
“Your mother is a Federation scientist, and an Asuno. They’ll let us on. If not one of these ships, then some of the reinforcement- Tch!” Mother interrupted herself when she grabbed her head in pain. She instinctively curled up into a fetal position while she was grunting from the pain.
“MOM! Are you alright!?” I cried, letting go of the handrail on the platform and pushing myself to mother.
“Fl-Flit… I have a bad feeling. . . .” Mother muttered, still winching in pain from her head.
What followed was one of the most horrifying things I have ever witnessed. Large impacts from deep within the colony were shaking the dock. The shaking became more violent, and audible explosions were coming from behind the dock.
“Mother!” I shouted, attempting to get her attention. “We need to get on one of those ships
soon!”
“FLIT, GET DOWN!” Mother shrieked, yanking me closer, and rapidly attempting to enter the suit locker.
With a few titanic impacts, one of the mobile suits in dragon form busted through the colony and entered the dock. It was comparatively small to the Darwin-Class Federation battleships, but to the people trying in vain to enter the ships, it looked like a monster. People’s cries of terror were audible to me, and the Federation soldiers began fire at the mobile suit in futilely. The suit transformed into its mobile suit mode and extended both of its arms towards to large groups of people. It opened its hands and blinding flashes sporadically appeared from its palms. Looking at the mobile suit, I didn’t notice the red mists forming. It took me a moment, but I realized that the blue steel monster was firing on the innocent people, and killing them. My eyes widened when I saw human bodies float into the air above the ships, their limbs torn asunder, blood trailing them.
“Close your eyes, Flit!” Mother shouted to me, finally throwing her and me into the suit locker and closing it.
I was in a state of naïve disbelief. What I saw could not have been what really happened, I told myself. All those people couldn’t have just died like that, could they?
“Flit?” I couldn’t believe it.
“Flit, dear?” I didn’t want to believe it.
“Flit! Answer me!” What did I just see?
"FLIT!!!" Mother violently shook me out of my corpse like state. My body then started shaking.
“Mom? Wh-what just h-happened?” I stuttered in disbelief.
“Flit…” With tears in her eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to answer my question.
“Are we going to do die?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“Flit, I will not let you die… I won’t.” She embraced me, choking on her words. “Hurry Flit, let’s get new air tanks. We can leave out the airlock and get rescued by a reinforcement ship.”
“*sniff* Okay, Mother.”
Mother prioritized me, grabbed an air tank and replaced my old one that had little less than a minute of air left anyway. I wasn’t at peace though. Though muffled, I could hear the screams of people getting killed behind the door. Mother replaced her tank, and once she started punching numbers into the airlock control panel, a large blast blew open the suit locker door.
Looking outside, another one of the mobile suits was there. Blood and human remains filled the airspace where one of the four Darwin-Class ships was formally resting. It had appeared that the mobile suits had destroyed. They turned their focus to another ship but before they could continue, another mobile suit had appeared. Though also humanoid, this design looked completely different. Instead of blue, with jagged metal and black flesh like joints, this suit was pink and white, and had a more block like parts. It carried a hand held beam cannon, and a shield. It was a Federation Mobile Suit; The RGE-B790 Genoace. The Genoace had fired two beam spray cannon shots at one of the Dragon Suits, but the beams seemed to ineffectually dissipate upon connecting.
“Damn it, the airlock door won’t open! The damage to this room has caused the air ventilation system to malfunction!” Mother cursed turning her attention to the dock.
“Is that a Federation Mobile Suit, mother?” I asked feeling relieved that we have stuff like protecting us.
“Yes, but I don’t know how long it will last. The Genoace is only a slightly outfitted civilian model. The U.E suits are capable of destroying colonies. It’s easily an unfair battle.” Mother said with a grimace.
Because the dock doors were open, air was escaping from both the dock and by extension the suit locker. Our normal suits detected this, and automatically closed their visors.
One of the U.E suits emitted a long thin beam of light that horizontally scanned the Genoace. Once finished, the second U.E suit deployed a large sword of light from the right palm of its hand and lunged at the Genoace. The Genoace ignited its thrusters backwards, barely dodging the beam sword, but instead, the sword cut the beam spray rifle into two pieces, briefly exposing a pink pool of plasma, before igniting. The first U.E suit positioned its arms to fire at the Genoace, but the Federation mobile suit threw its shield at the enemy suit, turned around and flew out the open dock doors, most likely in an attempt to lead the enemy suits out of the dock, so the remaining three Darwin-Class ships could escape. The U.E suits quickly transformed into their dragon modes and gave chase to the Genoace.
“Flit, let’s hurry to the Federation ships.” Mother saw the opening the Genoace made, and had placed a vernier pack on herself, grabbing me and began to move us towards the now blood stained dock.
Looking around the dock, we were the only living souls left. Bodies of women, children, pets, and soldiers scattered the airspace of the dock. I heeded my mother’s advice and kept my eyes closed tight for a time. Though, when I finally opening them, I looked at the impact hole the U.E suits had made, and floating there was the third and final U.E suit. It was in its mobile suit mode and had its arm cannons focused on the ship closest to us.
“Mother, one of them is behind us!” I shrieked.
Mother kept flying towards the ship, and with a glow of the suit’s visor, it fired relentlessly on the Federation ship’s engines. Because we were almost directly above the engines, the blast propelled us to the ceiling of the dock. Mother was still holding onto me regardless, in fact the sudden push towards the ceiling made her hold onto me even tighter.
“AAAAAHHH!!!” Mother screamed. The force pushed her back into ship debris, impaling the right
side of her stomach, as well; the huge impact against the ceiling fractured her spine.
“Mom, are you alright!?” I cried out. She was holding onto me, pressing me to the front side of her body which acted as a cushion for the impact, and the debris barely missed me. I saw her blood appear in red pools float pass us.
“*Cough* Th-this hurts, Flit…” Mother mumbled out, barely able to keep conscious from the blood loss and pain.
The ship below was letting out electrical discharges. It was about to explode. Personal could be seen frantically trying to escape before that happened, but I didn’t notice that. My mom was in pain.
“Mom, please, let’s go to the ship now! I’ll carry you!”
Mother feebly pushed her hands against the ceiling to let herself float downwards a bit. She inspected the vernier pack and like she feared it was busted, but her air tank, although dented, was still intact. With a heavy hearted sigh, she looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“Flit dear, keep the AGE Device safe. That will be what saves us.” Sh muttered while patting the thigh pocket where I had put the AGE Device prior.
“Mom, what are you saying!?”
“That’s the legacy of the Asuno family. To prevent more tragedies like what happened here…” Blood began to fill her helmet, and she coughed out even more. “Save us Flit… Please, become the savior of mankind.”
“Mom…?” I started to understand what she was about to do.
“Flit…” She began, unstrapping her air tank. “I love you.” Her tender words were lost on me. Her eyes began to close, with tears filling the helmet alongside the blood.
She unstrapped her air tank and popped open the valve. She threw it into my chest and I was being propelled to the other side of the dock.
“MOTHER! MOTHER!!! MOOOOOTHER!!!” I cried, stretching out my hand as she became a smaller and smaller figure in my vision.
The strain of the engine-less ship became too much, and it finally exploded, immolating the unfortunate escaping crew members, the debris from the dock and the last ship, and the body of my mother. I could hear the words: “Good bye, Flit, be strong” in my mother’s voice.
I cried. I cried so much. I was screaming for my mother. I wanted her to protect me. I wanted her by my side. It wasn’t fair. The U.E Mobile Suit, locked its armed onto the next ship, but hesitated and transformed itself into its dragon mode and flew pass the remaining ships. The two Darwin ships began to take off, but I didn’t notice. My eyes were still looking at the spot where my mother was just at. She was gone, and I couldn’t believe it….
March 10th, A.G 108 – Darwin-Class Ship: The Belafonte - Medical Room
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
I awoke on a bed, in the medical room of a Federation Battleship. There was a male doctor who was standing by dealing with another patient. The patient was a younger looking man, appearing in his early twenties.
“What you did was brave, but stupid Chief Petty Officer Drace. Your body is only mildly bruised, so you can get out of here and report to Admiral Einus once I write up my report.” The Doctor said in an annoyed voice.
“Well, how’s the kid?” The man asked.
“Well, he’s still-…” The doctor began but to his surprise he turned around and saw that I was awake and watching their exchange he. “Oh, he’s awake.” The doctor sighed; annoyed that he would have to deal with me next.
“Hey there buddy! How- YEOUCH!” The other patient began to greet me but got up from his bed too soon, and his sore body bit back at him.
“Easy there Largan.” The doctor hissed at him, fearful that more work would befall him. “What’s your name, kid?” The doctor asked, grabbing a clipboard from a tray by my bed.
“Where am I?” Ignoring the question, I looked at my surroundings.
“You are onboard the A.F.S Belafonte; medical room.” The doctor answered in a matter of fact tone. “Now, what’s your name kid?”
“So I’m on a Federation ship, then?” I asked, sitting up on my bed, and inspecting the room further.
Smashing his hand on the tray, the doctor asked again in an agitated voice. “What. Is. Your. Name?”
“AAHH... Flit! I’m Flit Asuno!” I squeaked out, cowering from the doctor.
“Okay….” The doctor said relieved and began to write my name on th clipboard. “Asuno…. Flit. Okay, you were the only civilian we picked up at the dock. If it’s not too much trouble, do you know where your parents are located?”
“Wait, doc, that name ‘Asuno.’ Are you related to Marina Asuno, kid?” The patient chimed in enthusiastically.
“Who is Marina Asuno, Largan?” The doctor asked.
“She is a scientist for the Federation. Her husband came from the long lasting Asuno family, who was at the forefront of the Advanced Generation movement. She also was-“
“My mother.” I interrupted, looking down into my lap. “She… *sob*… she… *sob… WUAH WUAAAHHH!” I was crying again. The image of her body being immolated by the explosion came rushing back to me. I was alone on that ship. She wasn’t there with me. The feeling cut my heart like a knife.
I found out that the other patient was Chief Petty Officer Largan Drace. He was piloting the Genoace that led the two U.E suits away from the dock. After the second Darwin¬-Class ship exploded, the three U.E suits retreated. Largan had flown back to the docks in his damaged mobile suit to rescue any surviving civilians. Apparently, I was the only one he could find who was still alive. Though I don’t remember it, he said I was thrashing. He understands why I was now.
I never left the medical room of the Belafonte on its four day voyage back to its stationed base: The Federation Colony of Nora.
March 14th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Nora – Arinston Base
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
I had barely said a word in four days. Largan Drace was driving a car down a military base road where apparently I was to meet my new guardian. I was given a pair of child’s clothes, and the only possession I owned was the AGE Device, which I was fixated on during the entire car ride. Nora looked a lot more industrial than Ovan, but not in a bad way. It seemed like a giant city with lots to do. The military base was comparatively bigger than the one at Ovan as well.
“Alight, we’re here, Flit.” Largan said, bringing the car to a slow stop, and killing the engine.
I looked out his window and saw a huge military complex, and an elderly looking man wearing a magenta Federation uniform, drastically different looking from Largan’s brown one.
“Well, c’mon Flit! Let’s go meet him.” Largan pressed a button by the steering wheel and undid the seatbelts, and unlocked the car doors.
“I’m nervous, Mr. Drace…” I admitted looking down at the car floorboard.
“You’ll love Commander Bruzar. He knew your- uhm… he knows your family, Flit. You can trust him!”
“Okay…” I reluctantly put the AGE Device in my pocket and opened the car door. Largan, looking relieved, followed my lead.
“CPO Largan Drace, reporting sir!” Largan raised a lazy salute and cracked a joyous smile. ‘It was good to be home’, he must’ve thought.
The elderly man smiled and gave a comparatively more stern salute, but was still casual enough to be recognized as such.
“Good to have you back, Largan.” The elderly man greeted, intercepting Largan as he walked over to him, and shook his hand.
“This is the kid I was telling you about, sir. Sir Flit Asuno.” Largan, extending his arm, introduced me.
I was trying to somewhat hide myself behind Largan. I wasn’t a very shy kid, but it was nerve wrecking meeting someone who was supposed to be my new parent.
“Hello there, son. I’m Hendrick Bruzar.” The elderly man said, kneeling over to make eye to eye contact with me. “We have met once before but you were still a baby.”
“Huh?” I tilted my head in confusion.
“Did Largan not tell you?”
“He said you knew of my family.” I responded, still confused
“Well, that’s true but I was also a friend of your mom.”
“Y-You were!?” I asked in shock. Some of my shyness dissipated a bit upon hearing this revelation.
“Oh yes. Your mother was a brilliant scientist, and a very beautiful woman. I was saddened to hear of her lost.” The man’s expression turned from happiness to a brief moment of remorse, though his smile returned. “Well Flit, you don’t have to say yes right away, but would you mind living with me?”
I looked up at Largan for confirmation. He simply nodded his head, and I looked towards Bruzar and shyly nodded my own head.
“That’s great news, Flit! Oh-ho-ho-ho!” Bruzar let out a booming chuckle. It was a little contagious, because it made me crack a smile.
“Oh, by the way Flit. What’s thing you were holding?” Largan interjected.
I had nearly forgotten about the AGE Device. My smile turned into a face of determination. I lifted the AGE Device into the air with my hand, and looked at it.
“This...” I focused my eyes. My palms sweating. “This will be what saves mankind!”
On that day, March 14th A.G, I realized my purpose in life at the tart age of 7. I wanted to become the savior of that painting. I wanted to become the savior that would rescue mankind from the aliens. I wanted to be the savior that mother wanted. . . .
The seeds of what we now call “The Hundred Years War of Earth” were planted in March 3rd of the Gregorian calendar, in the year 101 A.G, when what was then classified by the Federation as the “Unknown Enemy” attacked the large orbiting space colony “Angel.” In only a two short hours, large humanoid weapons, called “Mobile Suits,” destroyed the colony’s core, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians, and the ESF military were no match for the relatively small alien force. That day in history was unceremoniously christened with the title “The Day the Angel Fell” and marked the first of three aggressions that would officially start one of the darkest wars in humanity’s blood stained history.
Seven years later on March 9th, year 108 of the A.G calendar, the second act of aggression against the Earth Federation from the U.E occurred in the largely populated civilian colony of “Ovan.” The story of Ovan wasn’t named something as romantic as the incident 7 years prior, but its tale is equally if not more important. The Battle of Ovan opened when a Federation patrol ship was attacked by the U.E humanoid mobile suits. In the official military report by one of the only high ranking Federation officers to survive Ovan; Rear Admiral Einus, the U.E “…blasted through the colony exterior and began to indiscriminately attack civilians and military personal alike”. Many lives were lost. More specifically, it was the day I lost my mother.
March 9th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Ovan – Asuno Residence
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
My family, specifically the Asuno family, was a well-known family for our history of military development predating the A.G calendar, and our contributions to the Advanced Generation peace movement. Ovan was a beautiful colony, which simulated Earth the best a colony could. The orbiting colonies of Earth varied in shape and design but the most frequent scheme was a cylindrical design. Ovan was one such colony, and my mother, our manservant, and I lived alone in a large mansion, nestled in a synthetic forest in Ovan.
I was seven years old then, and I can remember the leading hours to my mother’s death. I was eating lunch in our manor’s foyer, when my mother came running into the house, still in her lab attire. She seemed to be exhausted from running, and was panicking.
“Mother!” I exclaimed in joy, not noticing my mother’s state. I was simply happy to see her, but whatever joy I felt was diminished when I saw her face. I thought perhaps she was upset with me.
“Mother? Are you okay?” I repeated, leaving my small table and walking towards my mother cautiously.
“Flit dear, we have to leave.” My Mother forced out, still trying to catch her breath.
“We have to leave, mother? Where are we going?” I questioned, grasping my mother’s leg.
“We are going to the colony dock, Flit. We are going to have to leave our home, and soon.” She responded softly, with a clear feeling of remorse, finally regaining her composure. She gently put her hand on my head. It felt like her sadness was passing through to me.
“Here, Flit, take my hand. We’ll go get your things together, but we need to hurry, okay?” She continued, kneeling over to make face to face contact with me. I could only nod, and grab her hand.
“Okay Flit, let’s go.” She smiled at me, but I couldn’t return her smile. Her initial panic left me with a feeling of unease.
We walked up the large central staircase in the Foyer together. We passed by one of our family heirlooms. The painting of the ‘white humanoid savior’ as our manservant once told me. He called it the Gundam. As we hurriedly ascended the staircase, and turned to the west wing where our bedrooms were, I still caught a glimpse of that painting. It always captivated me as a child.
Upon reaching my bedroom door, my mother opened a nearby hallway closet to grab a pair of suitcases. She asked me to pack my things while she ran to the east wing of the house to grab some things of her own. I entered my bedroom door, and gave myself a quick moment to look at my large room. I saw my large bed, my big closet, all my toys scattered around, and my newsboy cap that my father gave to me before he died, resting on a coat rack above my door. I made it a priority to grab that hat, so I moved the chair located at my desk next to the door to raise myself to grab the hat, for it was out of my reach.
The initial boost of height wasn’t enough. I tried to step on the tip of my toes, and grasp for the hat, but I still couldn’t reach it. After a half of minute of trying, I jumped to grab the hat, and while I did grab it, my weight upon landing made the chair fall forward and I hit my knee against the floor. It made an audible thump when it landed, bruising it. I wanted to cry from the pain, but I bit my lower lip and put my cap on my head. I wanted to be strong for my mother. She looked worried, and I didn’t want to cry for her at this point. Though, mistakenly I went for my toys first. I picked out the few that I felt like I had to have. My suitcase was small, but I felt like my clothes would come second to my toys. I didn’t even think of my toothbrush, or possibly pajamas. I must’ve filled at least half of my suitcase with my toys and one of my books from my desk.
I turned my attention to my closet. It seemed daunting to me, because my mother or our manservant always dressed me. I didn’t know what clothes to pick or what clothes I would need. I just reached for some of my shorts and some of the play shirts and shoved them in my bag without the meticulous attention I gave to my toys. My suitcase was stuffed though, and I was struggling to zip it up pass a bulge. All of my attempts failed, and before I could throw my hands up and try to just drag my suitcase out into the hall I was startled by a large siren suddenly roaring through the colony.
It was clearly audible through my house, and frightened me. I sunk my head into my shoulders, and grasped my arms across my chest. This sound was alien to me, and it muted the sounds of my mother running down the hall. When she appeared at my doorway, it alarmed me as well.
“Where is your bag, Flit!?” Mother frantically asked, carrying a still empty suitcase of her own.
“*sniff* My bag is over by the closet.” I whimpered, thinking I was in trouble.
Mother noticed I was wearing the hat that father gave to me and took note of the fallen chair and my bruised knee. It sobered her a bit, and she put down her empty bag, and walked over to my closet. She ruffled around my clothes, and got a matching jacket. She tilted her head up, and had her mouth slightly agape, motioning me to lift my still sunken in arms above my head. Feeling relieved, I lifted my arms, and mother put the jacket on me. It was slightly warm in the colony, but the jacket felt comforting regardless. Mother smiled at me, kneeled over and adjusted the jacket and my hat a bit.
“You look good, Flit.” Mother said warmly forming a smile.
At that point I had forgotten that the siren was still blasting through the colony however once my attention turned back to the siren, mother turned hers to it as well. She stood back up, and grabbed my bag. One of my toys fell out, but she didn’t seem to notice. Grasping the bag with one arm she quickly finished zipping it up with her free hand.
“Come on Flit, let’s go.” Mother commanded, with a calm demeanor. Brushing pass her empty suit case, and with my suitcase in one hand, she held my own hand with her free hand, and we made our way back to the foyer.
When we made it down the central staircase, I looked back at the painting of the Gundam. I didn’t know then but that would be the last time I ever saw that painting. The front door was left open, and our manservant was waiting outside in a car. Despite the loud siren going off, I could still hear my mother’s heavy breathing and the obnoxious sound of the car engine. My mother tucked her hair behind her ear and opened the left-side back seat door to the car, and arched her armed over the open door, waiting for me to get in. I grabbed my own suitcase from her hand and went all the way down the backseat, against the right-side door. My mother followed after me, shut the door behind her, and sat in the middle seat, fastening her seat belt and assisting me with mine.
“Are you ready, Mrs. Marina?” Our manservant asked, with one hand on the wheel, his arm lying over the front seats and head turned facing us.
“Yes, please take us to the dock.” Mother had me locked into her arms, and kept switching her focus to me, and out the left passenger window.
“Mother, why are we leaving here?” I couldn’t help but ask. I was scared of the answer earlier, but now I had to know.
Mother looked distressed by my question. She had expected me to ask it, but still couldn’t think of a good enough answer. She angled her head to look at the artificial sky and began to answer.
“Well, Flit…” she readjusted her head to its normal place. “… This colony, our home; Ovan, will be destroyed, like the colony Angel seven years ago.”
The car began to move down the nature road. Our manservant retained a calm composure while driving. He didn’t flinch at what my mother had said, clearly knowing this beforehand.
“What do you mean, Mother?” I asked frightened.
“A few hours ago, a Federation ship, not too far from Ovan, was attacked and destroyed by a single mobile suit, described as one of the alien designs that destroyed Angel seven years ago.” She reached into her lab coat and pulled out a small electronic device, and showed to it me. “Here, this was the picture taken by the ship before its signal was lost.”
My eyes widened in horror. Despite mother describing the account without bias, all I saw on the small screen was a steel monster that looked like a dragon. The realization that one of those things were coming to Ovan sunk in. Mother wasn’t talking down to me. She knew I was intelligent enough to grasp the concept, but the truth still frightened me. I slowly turned my head out the window, thinking the steel dragon could right there waiting for me. The car was moving so fast that the trees were blurring, but I was still looking at the synthetic forest. That was my home. I didn’t want to lose all that.
My mother put the small electronic device into her lab coat pocket. She saw tears running down my face through the window’s reflection. I was trying not to cry but I didn’t want those monsters to come and get me. Mother, looking distressed, hunched forward in her seat to get a look through the front window before returning her attention to me.
“Flit dear-…” She stopped herself, and started reaching into her other lab pocket. “Do you want to do something for your mom?”
A brief feeling of levity saved me from breaking down. I turned my head back to look at my mother. She regained her smile, and it felt contagious, but I was curious. I was extending my neck trying to get a look into her pocket as she grabbed whatever it was she was grabbing.
“Here you go, Flit.” My mother said, giving me a different device, even smaller than her previous one. “Can you hang onto this for me?”
Mother knew I didn’t want to be a burden. I held back my crying so she wouldn’t have to coddle me. To feel useful, she entrusted me with one of the family’s most priceless heirlooms.
“What is this, mother?” I asked holding the small device with both my hands, moving the object around to inspect it. Mother let out a playful giggle seeing me try to solve the mystery of the device right away.
“It’s the AGE Device, Flit. It’s been in the Asuno family for countless generations. I had to make sure run to the east wing of our home to get it.”
“The Gundam is in that device.” Our manservant interjected, making eye contact with me through the rear view mirror.
“You mean that Gundam? It couldn’t fit in here.” I answered looking even more puzzled at the small device.
“All the secrets of our family are in the AGE Device. Please make sure it is safe for me.” Mother said, retaining her smile and brushing my hair with her hand.
An overwhelming sense of determination overcame me. I wiped away my tears, and put the AGE Device into an inner pocket of my jacket. My mother looked relieved to so me like that, but the anxiety of the looming attack was still present. I adjusted my hat to partially hide my eyes, and sat forward on my seat. I grabbed mother’s hand tightly. She flinched a bit, and looked at me with her jaw slightly dropped. I knew I didn’t have any words to tell her, so I just gave her a firm nod of the head with a smile. For the first time that day, my mother appeared to have tears in her eyes. A sincere smile cracked across her face.
“Oh, Flit. Thank you.” Mother had said, leaning over and kissing my cheek.
After a few more minutes our car had arrived in the city section of Ovan. Cars littered the streets and people were running towards the dock entrances. The car had to stop, because there was no way to navigate all the empty scattered vehicles.
“There is no way we will be able to make it to the docks like this.” Mother said under her breath.
“I had figured this would happen, ma’am. In the trunk you will find an adult’s normal space suit, and an adolescent sized one.” Our manservant said, reaching out his hand with the key to the trunk.
“What do you have in mind?” My mother asked, skeptically grabbing the key from our manservant’s hand. Unsure what use the normal suits would do.
“We are near the food storage warehouse. There is an underground shaft that leads to the colony exterior, where a line that connects to the dock entrance can be found.”
“You mean for us to put on those suits and travel alongside the colony walls?”
“Yes. There are also enough air tanks, back there, for the two of you to last two hours each.”
My mother protested but our manservant had assured us he would meet us at the Federation dock. He drove us to the warehouse and dropped us off. I wish I could’ve said goodbye to him.
March 9th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Ovan – Warehouse
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
Our manservant had driven off. My mother was carrying both normal suits and both air tanks. I was carrying my suitcase. We were right outside the food warehouse, which was in the city limits before the synthetic forest, so no one was around. When you hear the word warehouse your first thought is this big building with high windows and a huge door to transport things out of. This warehouse was a long and relatively thin building. It had a huge metal floor that could open so transport ships could fly against the colony wall and directly transport goods to the warehouse. There was a worker door that we entered through, and found ourselves in a lounge looking area.
“Alright, Flit, we need to switch into these space suits. Do you need me to help you undress?”
I shook my head in protest at my mother. I wanted to do this myself, without her help.
“Oh, alright, Flit.” She said giggling, beginning to undress herself.
I had removed my hat, and jacket carefully, and began to unbutton my dress shirt. My mother, in her underwear at this point, began to fit her legs into the pants of the normal suit. Removing all my clothes but my underwear, I attempted to put the normal on suit as well.
“You sure you don’t need help, Flit?” My mother asked again, fastening the helmet to the straps on the neck of the suit.
“No, mother, I can do this.” I insisted, beginning to get my arms through the sleeves of the suit.
Though she was humoring me, we were in a hurry. She moved over to me, and began fitting the normal suit onto me. I felt slightly useless at the time, but as she was fixing my normal suit I remembered that the AGE Device was in my coat pocket.
“There, I think we are ready to go Flit.” My mother chimed, grabbing my clothes and beginning to put them in my suit case.
“The thing you gave me is still in my Jacket, Mother.” I said, pointing to my jacket.
My mother lifted the jacket by both of its sleeves with one hand, and rifled through each of its pockets with the other. She grabbed the AGE Device from my inner pocket, and placed it in the palm of her hand. She turned and faced me and began motioning her hand as if she were about to throw the device underhanded. Alerted, I quickly pressed my wrists together, ready to catch it.
“Alright, Flit…. Catch!” Mother threw the AGE Device to me, and I caught it. Feeling proud of myself, I held the AGE Device above my head and let out a triumphant laugh.
Mother laughed and she finished up packing my suit case. I put the AGE Device in a small pocket that was on the front side of my left leg.
“Okay Flit, I’m locking this building down and releasing the air, so make sure your helmet is on tightly, with the visor shield all the way down.”
“I’m ready, mother!” I raised my right thumb, and grabbed onto a nearby hatch, preparing for the air to be released.
Mother pressed a few buttons at a station and ran over to me. She held me tight and the lights in the warehouse started flashing red. All windows were immediately covered from the inside by metal portions and all doors leading out were immediately sealed by steel dividers.
“Be ready for it, Flit. The escaping air will be pushing you down to the floor.”
“Uh-huh.” I whimpered, squeezing my eyes tight.
Several vents opened and air was noticeably escaping through them. The air pushing me towards one of the floor vents wasn’t as strong as I anticipated, but it was strong enough for me to loosen my grip on the hatch. The air escaping was so loud that it muted the siren that was still ringing through the colony. After a short while I started to feel weightless, and when I finally opened my eyes my feet were hovering above the ground.
I was looking around the warehouse and saw several objects floating in zero gravity. It was clear from the objects scattered around the warehouse that when the sirens blasted, people were still working and not ready for what my mother just did. I had nearly forgotten, but mother had pressed a button on the side of my helmet, which let me hear her words through an incom inside my helmet.
“Okay Flit…” My mother began, grabbing my suitcase that she was securing between her legs. “Let’s go to the worker shaft.”
I offered to take my suitcase from mother, and she handed it over. She told me to keep hanging onto the latch while she grabbed a connecting wire for the both of us. She pressed both of her feet against the wall of the warehouse and propelled herself forward where some wires were located.
“Catch these wires, Flit.” Mother said calmly as she threw thick black wires with hooks on them at me. It was strange. Although she was on the other side of the warehouse, the incom allowed me to hear her like if she was next to me.
I flinched at the thrown wires, but noticed they moved slowly in the gravity-less warehouse. I let go of my suitcase and allowed it to float by me, and grabbed the wires with my free hand.
“Very good, Flit!” Mother commended me as she propelled herself off the wall towards me. “With these we can be connected and never lose each other.”
She cinched tight the hooks onto both our normal suits and began to open a hatch that led to the workers shaft.
“Okay Flit, I’ll go in first and you use the weight of my body to pull you along, alright?”
“That sounds good to me, mother.” I responded nodding, eager to get moving.
March 9th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Ovan – Colony Wall
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
After perhaps 15 minutes, we navigated our way to the colony wall. It wasn’t the first time I saw the deep blackness of space, but it was the first time I saw it in a normal suit. Since we exited by the colony mirrors, the nearby colony lights faded the stars, so what mother and I saw was just inky blackness, almost as if Ovan was surrounded by non-existence.
“Flit, this is really dangerous. Do not, I repeat, do not unhinge your hook.” Mother warned me, with clear worriment.
I nodded, and still held tightly to my suitcase. The gunmetal gray colony walls had a large rail that one could hook themselves to if they needed to some exterior repairs or just had to be outside. Frankly this seemed like the most unconventional way one would use these rails and to escape a colony.
My mother hooked us into the worker rail and started pulling herself and I forward, with the hook grinding behind us. Mother attempted to keep her feet locked onto the colony wall, but I was floating in space, probably a good 12 meters above her.
“Flit, honey, are you all right up there?” Mother asked.
“It’s a little scary, but I’m alright!” I responded, reassuring my mother.
The complete silence of space was peaceful. My mother below me, carrying me to safety only added to the serenity I was feeling. However, in a mere instant, I saw something from the corner of my eye. It was far away, but I knew what it was. I didn’t want to believe it, but my stomach dropped.
“MOTHER!” I cried, hoping to alert her.
A large metal construction came hurling towards the colony wall. It was one of the mobile suits that mother told me about. It was a blue steel dragon, and it crashed into the colony wall, right in front of us. Mother and I screamed, as a large hole was punctured right in front of us.
“FLIT!” My mother shrieked, hurriedly yanking the black wire to bring me to close proximity of her.
“MOTHER!” I cried again, feeling absolutely terrified.
The hole right in front of us started blowing out all of the air in the colony. From the corner of my eye I spotted another two mobile suits, flying towards the hole made by the first suit.
“FLIT, STAY CLOSE TO ME!” My mother shouted, holding me tight in her arms.
One of the two dragons zipped right by us and entered the hole. The other dragon stopped right before the entrance, and started contorting his metal body and transformed into something humanoid. I was scared, and looking over my mother’s shoulder, whose back was turned to the mobile suit, and saw a green visor flash on its face. It turned its head to face us for a brief moment, and although the moment was a brief one, that single moment has been burnt into my mind. I saw the sharp and jagged “armor” that encased that humanoid monster. Its green visor looked like an upside down heart signal. I was whimpering, shaking, and paralyzed. The mobile suit turned its gaze back at the hole and flew into the colony.
“Flit, are you okay?” Mother, frightened herself, asked making sure I was okay.
I couldn’t answer. That thing essentially turned me into a corpse with rigor mortis through sheer fear. My legs and arms were locked into place, and my eyes still fixated at where that things head was looking at me.
“Flit, answer me, are you alright!?”
“Mom-“I started tearing up. “Mommy!” I burst into tears. For the first time that day, I was scared for my life. I hugged mother so tight. I didn’t want to let her go.
“There, there Flit….” She comforted, patting my back. “We’ll be alright.”
“But, but the railway is gone, and all that air is getting blown out, how *sniff* how are we going to get to the dock now?” I whimpered.
“Flit, trust your mom okay? I won’t let anything happen to you.” Mother hugged me tighter. I felt my limbs loosened a bit, and my state of shock dissipating.
I tried to say ‘I trust you, mom’ but I simply mouthed the words. My breathing was getting hard to regulate.
“Alright, Flit, hold onto me, we are going to go around the hole. I will push my weight against the imperfections on the colony wall. You just stay put, okay?”
I nodded, and latched onto my mom. At the time I didn’t realize I had let go of my suitcase and it
was flying in space somewhere. All the things in there be damned, but it’s a shame I lost my father’s hat. My mother did exactly as she said. The colony wall appeared smooth and rounded from a distance but several imperfections scattered around the exterior. It took us about fifteen minutes to get around the blasted open hole, but once we got back on the railway, we re-hooked ourselves and began going back to our normal pace. However we shortly came across another problem.
“The railway ends here.” Mother stated, coming to a stop.
“What can we do about that, Mother?”
“The dock worker entrance is a good 20 meters from here.”
“How are we going to get there?”
Because we were still on a cylindrical wall, we couldn’t just jump from where we were without falling into space.
“Why don’t we do what we did with the blast hole?”
“We only have 12 minutes of air left though. We’d run out by the time we arrive.”
Mother looked stumped. I let go of her to give her breathing and thinking room.
“Hmmm…. I think I have something.”
“What is it mother?”
“If I use my air tank, I can blow out some air to lead us to the dock entrance.”
I didn’t fully comprehend the repercussions of that at the time. To me, all I heard was “I have something.”
“Then let’s do that, Mother!”
“Okay Flit, I want you to hang onto me, and unhook your hook.”
I did as mother said, and she began to loosen her air tank. Mother lifted her thumb looking for confirmation from me. I returned the gesture and gripped her waist with my arms. With a nod of her head, and with lightning speed, she removed her air tank and put it under her arm. Her normal suit immediately sealed up so no air would escape the suit. The air escaping the tank was visible and almost looked like a smaller version of the blast hole. We were going at a fast pace, and were approaching the worker’s entrance to the colony. At that point, we could see a Federation Battle ship approaching from a distance launching fighters towards the large hole in the colony wall.
In two minutes we reached the dock worker entrance, and mother threw her air tank, and quickly punched a few commands into a mounted device next to the metal door. The door opened, and mother pushed herself from the opening of the door forward to enter. She turned around and pressed a few buttons on an identical device inside the room, and the door closed. Vents opened and visible air began filling the room. I let go of mom’s waist.
“*gasp* Flit… that was utter hell…” Mother wheezed, opening the visor to her helmet.
Without an air tank, she was holding in her breath for quite a while.
“Are you alright, Mother?” I asked in assurance, pulling the leg of her space suit.
“I’ll be alright Flit, behind this door are probably more air tanks if we need them, and in the rooms beyond the one behind this door is our way out.” Mother responded, knocking her knuckle against the other door in the airlock. “Shall we enter?” Mother playfully asked, with a smile.
With an enthusiastic nod of my head and the opening of my visor, I walked behind my mother, anxiously waiting for her to open the door. Mother pressed a few more buttons at a control panel. When the door opened, we saw a mess of what looked like a normal suit storage room. The room was lit with standard white lighting but because of the yellow floors, beige walls and gray lockers, there was a yellow glow to the room, contrast to the red glow of the airlock.
“I guess the workers must’ve raided this place when the news broke about the incoming attack.” Mother answered the question in my head before I could ask it.
We carefully floated around scattered clothing, belongings, air tanks, and heavier duty space suits, we found ourselves right by the exit to the dock. With a few more button presses, the door hissed open and we were on a platform, overhanging four large Darwin-Class Federation battleships. Several soldiers wearing Federation pilot normal suits with vernier pack were floating around and carrying guns, while huge disorganized lines of civilians were trying to get packed into the ships.
“Will we be able to get into any of those ships, mother?” I asked uneasily.
“Your mother is a Federation scientist, and an Asuno. They’ll let us on. If not one of these ships, then some of the reinforcement- Tch!” Mother interrupted herself when she grabbed her head in pain. She instinctively curled up into a fetal position while she was grunting from the pain.
“MOM! Are you alright!?” I cried, letting go of the handrail on the platform and pushing myself to mother.
“Fl-Flit… I have a bad feeling. . . .” Mother muttered, still winching in pain from her head.
What followed was one of the most horrifying things I have ever witnessed. Large impacts from deep within the colony were shaking the dock. The shaking became more violent, and audible explosions were coming from behind the dock.
“Mother!” I shouted, attempting to get her attention. “We need to get on one of those ships
soon!”
“FLIT, GET DOWN!” Mother shrieked, yanking me closer, and rapidly attempting to enter the suit locker.
With a few titanic impacts, one of the mobile suits in dragon form busted through the colony and entered the dock. It was comparatively small to the Darwin-Class Federation battleships, but to the people trying in vain to enter the ships, it looked like a monster. People’s cries of terror were audible to me, and the Federation soldiers began fire at the mobile suit in futilely. The suit transformed into its mobile suit mode and extended both of its arms towards to large groups of people. It opened its hands and blinding flashes sporadically appeared from its palms. Looking at the mobile suit, I didn’t notice the red mists forming. It took me a moment, but I realized that the blue steel monster was firing on the innocent people, and killing them. My eyes widened when I saw human bodies float into the air above the ships, their limbs torn asunder, blood trailing them.
“Close your eyes, Flit!” Mother shouted to me, finally throwing her and me into the suit locker and closing it.
I was in a state of naïve disbelief. What I saw could not have been what really happened, I told myself. All those people couldn’t have just died like that, could they?
“Flit?” I couldn’t believe it.
“Flit, dear?” I didn’t want to believe it.
“Flit! Answer me!” What did I just see?
"FLIT!!!" Mother violently shook me out of my corpse like state. My body then started shaking.
“Mom? Wh-what just h-happened?” I stuttered in disbelief.
“Flit…” With tears in her eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to answer my question.
“Are we going to do die?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“Flit, I will not let you die… I won’t.” She embraced me, choking on her words. “Hurry Flit, let’s get new air tanks. We can leave out the airlock and get rescued by a reinforcement ship.”
“*sniff* Okay, Mother.”
Mother prioritized me, grabbed an air tank and replaced my old one that had little less than a minute of air left anyway. I wasn’t at peace though. Though muffled, I could hear the screams of people getting killed behind the door. Mother replaced her tank, and once she started punching numbers into the airlock control panel, a large blast blew open the suit locker door.
Looking outside, another one of the mobile suits was there. Blood and human remains filled the airspace where one of the four Darwin-Class ships was formally resting. It had appeared that the mobile suits had destroyed. They turned their focus to another ship but before they could continue, another mobile suit had appeared. Though also humanoid, this design looked completely different. Instead of blue, with jagged metal and black flesh like joints, this suit was pink and white, and had a more block like parts. It carried a hand held beam cannon, and a shield. It was a Federation Mobile Suit; The RGE-B790 Genoace. The Genoace had fired two beam spray cannon shots at one of the Dragon Suits, but the beams seemed to ineffectually dissipate upon connecting.
“Damn it, the airlock door won’t open! The damage to this room has caused the air ventilation system to malfunction!” Mother cursed turning her attention to the dock.
“Is that a Federation Mobile Suit, mother?” I asked feeling relieved that we have stuff like protecting us.
“Yes, but I don’t know how long it will last. The Genoace is only a slightly outfitted civilian model. The U.E suits are capable of destroying colonies. It’s easily an unfair battle.” Mother said with a grimace.
Because the dock doors were open, air was escaping from both the dock and by extension the suit locker. Our normal suits detected this, and automatically closed their visors.
One of the U.E suits emitted a long thin beam of light that horizontally scanned the Genoace. Once finished, the second U.E suit deployed a large sword of light from the right palm of its hand and lunged at the Genoace. The Genoace ignited its thrusters backwards, barely dodging the beam sword, but instead, the sword cut the beam spray rifle into two pieces, briefly exposing a pink pool of plasma, before igniting. The first U.E suit positioned its arms to fire at the Genoace, but the Federation mobile suit threw its shield at the enemy suit, turned around and flew out the open dock doors, most likely in an attempt to lead the enemy suits out of the dock, so the remaining three Darwin-Class ships could escape. The U.E suits quickly transformed into their dragon modes and gave chase to the Genoace.
“Flit, let’s hurry to the Federation ships.” Mother saw the opening the Genoace made, and had placed a vernier pack on herself, grabbing me and began to move us towards the now blood stained dock.
Looking around the dock, we were the only living souls left. Bodies of women, children, pets, and soldiers scattered the airspace of the dock. I heeded my mother’s advice and kept my eyes closed tight for a time. Though, when I finally opening them, I looked at the impact hole the U.E suits had made, and floating there was the third and final U.E suit. It was in its mobile suit mode and had its arm cannons focused on the ship closest to us.
“Mother, one of them is behind us!” I shrieked.
Mother kept flying towards the ship, and with a glow of the suit’s visor, it fired relentlessly on the Federation ship’s engines. Because we were almost directly above the engines, the blast propelled us to the ceiling of the dock. Mother was still holding onto me regardless, in fact the sudden push towards the ceiling made her hold onto me even tighter.
“AAAAAHHH!!!” Mother screamed. The force pushed her back into ship debris, impaling the right
side of her stomach, as well; the huge impact against the ceiling fractured her spine.
“Mom, are you alright!?” I cried out. She was holding onto me, pressing me to the front side of her body which acted as a cushion for the impact, and the debris barely missed me. I saw her blood appear in red pools float pass us.
“*Cough* Th-this hurts, Flit…” Mother mumbled out, barely able to keep conscious from the blood loss and pain.
The ship below was letting out electrical discharges. It was about to explode. Personal could be seen frantically trying to escape before that happened, but I didn’t notice that. My mom was in pain.
“Mom, please, let’s go to the ship now! I’ll carry you!”
Mother feebly pushed her hands against the ceiling to let herself float downwards a bit. She inspected the vernier pack and like she feared it was busted, but her air tank, although dented, was still intact. With a heavy hearted sigh, she looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“Flit dear, keep the AGE Device safe. That will be what saves us.” Sh muttered while patting the thigh pocket where I had put the AGE Device prior.
“Mom, what are you saying!?”
“That’s the legacy of the Asuno family. To prevent more tragedies like what happened here…” Blood began to fill her helmet, and she coughed out even more. “Save us Flit… Please, become the savior of mankind.”
“Mom…?” I started to understand what she was about to do.
“Flit…” She began, unstrapping her air tank. “I love you.” Her tender words were lost on me. Her eyes began to close, with tears filling the helmet alongside the blood.
She unstrapped her air tank and popped open the valve. She threw it into my chest and I was being propelled to the other side of the dock.
“MOTHER! MOTHER!!! MOOOOOTHER!!!” I cried, stretching out my hand as she became a smaller and smaller figure in my vision.
The strain of the engine-less ship became too much, and it finally exploded, immolating the unfortunate escaping crew members, the debris from the dock and the last ship, and the body of my mother. I could hear the words: “Good bye, Flit, be strong” in my mother’s voice.
I cried. I cried so much. I was screaming for my mother. I wanted her to protect me. I wanted her by my side. It wasn’t fair. The U.E Mobile Suit, locked its armed onto the next ship, but hesitated and transformed itself into its dragon mode and flew pass the remaining ships. The two Darwin ships began to take off, but I didn’t notice. My eyes were still looking at the spot where my mother was just at. She was gone, and I couldn’t believe it….
March 10th, A.G 108 – Darwin-Class Ship: The Belafonte - Medical Room
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
I awoke on a bed, in the medical room of a Federation Battleship. There was a male doctor who was standing by dealing with another patient. The patient was a younger looking man, appearing in his early twenties.
“What you did was brave, but stupid Chief Petty Officer Drace. Your body is only mildly bruised, so you can get out of here and report to Admiral Einus once I write up my report.” The Doctor said in an annoyed voice.
“Well, how’s the kid?” The man asked.
“Well, he’s still-…” The doctor began but to his surprise he turned around and saw that I was awake and watching their exchange he. “Oh, he’s awake.” The doctor sighed; annoyed that he would have to deal with me next.
“Hey there buddy! How- YEOUCH!” The other patient began to greet me but got up from his bed too soon, and his sore body bit back at him.
“Easy there Largan.” The doctor hissed at him, fearful that more work would befall him. “What’s your name, kid?” The doctor asked, grabbing a clipboard from a tray by my bed.
“Where am I?” Ignoring the question, I looked at my surroundings.
“You are onboard the A.F.S Belafonte; medical room.” The doctor answered in a matter of fact tone. “Now, what’s your name kid?”
“So I’m on a Federation ship, then?” I asked, sitting up on my bed, and inspecting the room further.
Smashing his hand on the tray, the doctor asked again in an agitated voice. “What. Is. Your. Name?”
“AAHH... Flit! I’m Flit Asuno!” I squeaked out, cowering from the doctor.
“Okay….” The doctor said relieved and began to write my name on th clipboard. “Asuno…. Flit. Okay, you were the only civilian we picked up at the dock. If it’s not too much trouble, do you know where your parents are located?”
“Wait, doc, that name ‘Asuno.’ Are you related to Marina Asuno, kid?” The patient chimed in enthusiastically.
“Who is Marina Asuno, Largan?” The doctor asked.
“She is a scientist for the Federation. Her husband came from the long lasting Asuno family, who was at the forefront of the Advanced Generation movement. She also was-“
“My mother.” I interrupted, looking down into my lap. “She… *sob*… she… *sob… WUAH WUAAAHHH!” I was crying again. The image of her body being immolated by the explosion came rushing back to me. I was alone on that ship. She wasn’t there with me. The feeling cut my heart like a knife.
I found out that the other patient was Chief Petty Officer Largan Drace. He was piloting the Genoace that led the two U.E suits away from the dock. After the second Darwin¬-Class ship exploded, the three U.E suits retreated. Largan had flown back to the docks in his damaged mobile suit to rescue any surviving civilians. Apparently, I was the only one he could find who was still alive. Though I don’t remember it, he said I was thrashing. He understands why I was now.
I never left the medical room of the Belafonte on its four day voyage back to its stationed base: The Federation Colony of Nora.
March 14th, A.G 108 – Federation Colony: Nora – Arinston Base
Personal Account: Flit Asuno
I had barely said a word in four days. Largan Drace was driving a car down a military base road where apparently I was to meet my new guardian. I was given a pair of child’s clothes, and the only possession I owned was the AGE Device, which I was fixated on during the entire car ride. Nora looked a lot more industrial than Ovan, but not in a bad way. It seemed like a giant city with lots to do. The military base was comparatively bigger than the one at Ovan as well.
“Alight, we’re here, Flit.” Largan said, bringing the car to a slow stop, and killing the engine.
I looked out his window and saw a huge military complex, and an elderly looking man wearing a magenta Federation uniform, drastically different looking from Largan’s brown one.
“Well, c’mon Flit! Let’s go meet him.” Largan pressed a button by the steering wheel and undid the seatbelts, and unlocked the car doors.
“I’m nervous, Mr. Drace…” I admitted looking down at the car floorboard.
“You’ll love Commander Bruzar. He knew your- uhm… he knows your family, Flit. You can trust him!”
“Okay…” I reluctantly put the AGE Device in my pocket and opened the car door. Largan, looking relieved, followed my lead.
“CPO Largan Drace, reporting sir!” Largan raised a lazy salute and cracked a joyous smile. ‘It was good to be home’, he must’ve thought.
The elderly man smiled and gave a comparatively more stern salute, but was still casual enough to be recognized as such.
“Good to have you back, Largan.” The elderly man greeted, intercepting Largan as he walked over to him, and shook his hand.
“This is the kid I was telling you about, sir. Sir Flit Asuno.” Largan, extending his arm, introduced me.
I was trying to somewhat hide myself behind Largan. I wasn’t a very shy kid, but it was nerve wrecking meeting someone who was supposed to be my new parent.
“Hello there, son. I’m Hendrick Bruzar.” The elderly man said, kneeling over to make eye to eye contact with me. “We have met once before but you were still a baby.”
“Huh?” I tilted my head in confusion.
“Did Largan not tell you?”
“He said you knew of my family.” I responded, still confused
“Well, that’s true but I was also a friend of your mom.”
“Y-You were!?” I asked in shock. Some of my shyness dissipated a bit upon hearing this revelation.
“Oh yes. Your mother was a brilliant scientist, and a very beautiful woman. I was saddened to hear of her lost.” The man’s expression turned from happiness to a brief moment of remorse, though his smile returned. “Well Flit, you don’t have to say yes right away, but would you mind living with me?”
I looked up at Largan for confirmation. He simply nodded his head, and I looked towards Bruzar and shyly nodded my own head.
“That’s great news, Flit! Oh-ho-ho-ho!” Bruzar let out a booming chuckle. It was a little contagious, because it made me crack a smile.
“Oh, by the way Flit. What’s thing you were holding?” Largan interjected.
I had nearly forgotten about the AGE Device. My smile turned into a face of determination. I lifted the AGE Device into the air with my hand, and looked at it.
“This...” I focused my eyes. My palms sweating. “This will be what saves mankind!”
On that day, March 14th A.G, I realized my purpose in life at the tart age of 7. I wanted to become the savior of that painting. I wanted to become the savior that would rescue mankind from the aliens. I wanted to be the savior that mother wanted. . . .
