Solomon's steel corridors hummed with endless machinery. Every echo was a reminder of the war tightening around Zeon — the hum of generators, the hiss of coolant lines, and the faint tremor from distant construction bays. Tanya von Zehrtfeld stood in the middle of it, clipboard in hand, her golden eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.
She'd just received orders from Kycilia Zabi herself: recruit two promising pilots transferred from Side 3. Two recruits, Tanya thought darkly. Which means two more potential disasters under my command.
The GED Squad — once fifteen elite soldiers — had been reduced to four: herself, Mila, Zhou Wei, and Ritcher. She'd hoped for time to rebuild quietly. Instead, she was saddled with unknowns straight from a classified project.
Chalia Bull walked beside her, his calm expression unchanging as they passed through the corridor toward the designated hangar. His very presence made other officers step aside; the famed pilot from Jupiter, rumored to be a Newtype, carried an aura that even Tanya found unnerving.
"So," she said flatly, "these two new pilots… anything I should know before I regret accepting them?"
Chalia's faint smile barely moved. "You'll see soon enough. They're not ordinary recruits. Think of them as… irregular assets. You'll understand when you see their machines."
Tanya frowned. "That's not reassuring."
When they entered the auxiliary hangar, two figures stood waiting — both in Zeon-issue pilot suits, though customized with their own flair.
The first girl stepped forward, her short black hair flaring into crimson at the tips. Her eyes were sharp but carried a quiet, easygoing confidence. "You must be Major Tanya von Zehrtfeld. I'm Amate Yuzuriha — but most people call me Machu."
Tanya blinked. She looks like she came straight out of a propaganda poster. "Machu, huh? Fine. As long as you can follow orders, I don't care what nickname you go by."
The second pilot waved lazily from behind her — a girl with dark-violet hair tied in a loose braid, a sly smirk playing at her lips. "And I'm Nyaan. Just Nyaan. I handle things my own way."
Tanya raised an eyebrow. "So I see. Well, Machu and Nyaan… welcome to the GED Squad. You'll each be assigned one of our standard mobile suits — Zaku, Dom, Gouf, or Gelgoog. Pick whichever you—"
Machu interrupted, calm but confident. "No need, ma'am. We already have our own units."
The air in the hangar grew still. Tanya narrowed her eyes. "Your own? Zeon didn't authorize personal units for new transfers."
Chalia Bull, still at her side, chuckled. "Actually, they did — under Kycilia's approval. You might want to see them before judging."
Tanya sighed. "Of course. Another surprise. Fine — show me."
The massive blast doors groaned open. The hangar beyond was dim, illuminated by the glow of inspection lights and the faint shimmer of coolant vapors.
Two silhouettes stood within — tall, gleaming, and unlike any Zeon mobile suit she'd ever seen. One was a sleek, angular machine with crimson highlights tracing its armor plates like veins of fire; the other was heavier, its design sharp yet elegant, its eyes glowing a fierce green.
Machu gestured proudly to the first. "This is the GMS-Ω GQuuuuuX. My partner."
Nyaan leaned casually against the second, a grin flashing beneath the pale hangar light. "And this beauty's mine — the GMS-κ GFreD."
Tanya stared in silence for a long moment, trying to process what she was seeing. These things… they're not from Zeon's R&D. Their frame structure… propulsion layout… everything's alien.
She looked to Chalia. "You're telling me these girls just brought these here? Like a pair of stray cats dragging in trophies?"
Chalia's faint smile didn't fade. "You could say that. Both units were recovered with their pilots after a dimensional anomaly near Side 3's debris belt. Kycilia saw potential — and gave them to you."
Tanya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Dimensional anomaly. Of course." She muttered under her breath, Being X, if this is your idea of comedy, I'm not laughing.
Machu tilted her head. "Something wrong, ma'am?"
"Nothing," Tanya said, stepping closer to inspect the GQuuuuuX. The armor shimmered faintly, adaptive surfaces rippling under her gaze. "Just wondering how long it'll take before these things explode under Federation radar."
Nyaan's grin widened. "If that happens, we'll just make them explode first."
Tanya sighed. "You sound just like Mila did on her first day."
She turned to face both of them, expression finally softening — just slightly. "Fine. You're in. I don't care where you came from, what you pilot, or what weird cosmic hole spat you out. But understand this — in GED, we fight smart. You'll follow my orders, you'll maintain your machines, and you'll keep that smugness on a leash. Got it?"
Machu smiled politely. "Understood, Major."
Nyaan gave a playful salute. "Roger that, boss."
Tanya turned toward Chalia Bull, who was watching the scene with quiet amusement. "Satisfied?"
He nodded. "They'll be useful. Their performance data speaks for itself — and besides, I think you'll find them… enlightening."
Tanya scowled. "Enlightening? The last time someone said that to me, I ended up buried under artillery fire."
Chalia only smiled, already turning to leave. "Then I'll look forward to your report, Major."
As he disappeared through the hangar doors, Tanya stood alone before the two alien Gundams — GQuuuuuX and GFreD gleaming like silent beasts waiting to be unleashed.
She crossed her arms, the faint hum of the hangar filling her ears. More outsiders, she thought bitterly. Jason Arkadi, Lelouch, maybe even me… and now these two. Just how many pieces has this world stolen from others?
Her lips curved into a thin, humorless smile. "Fine. If this universe wants to play god," she murmured, "then I'll just outthink it."
Behind her, Machu and Nyaan exchanged a glance — the kind that hinted at shared secrets, unspoken understanding.
And as the hangar lights dimmed, Tanya von Zehrtfeld — soldier, survivor, cynic — realized the war around her was no longer just Zeon versus Federation.
It was something far stranger.
Something that refused to obey the laws of any single world.