Although the White Gundam successfully recovered from Troy Steven's brutal shove, they were at a disadvantage. The battle location was now centered outside the perimeter of the Mars Colony Military Warehouse Base, situated in a hidden mountain valley. Rocky ruins and the remains of Colonian guard posts served as the backdrop for the brutal Mobile Suit battle.
Zaki, exhausted after the emergency maneuver, immediately looked at the monitor. "Maki, how is Augustina? Have all the units been secured?"
Maki replied with a voice of relief. "The Tracen Army forces have been successfully repelled and disabled by Augustina! She's so fast with the Sunflower Gundam! Most of their remaining forces are starting to retreat eastward, abandoning Troy!"
Indeed, the sand-yellow Sunflower Gundam hovered gracefully over the military warehouse area. Augustina had used the superior speed of her new unit and the firepower of her dual Beam Rifles to disable all of Troy's backup units. Augustina deliberately avoided fatal damage, only crippling the joints and engines of the Tracen Army Pioneer Mobile Suits.
Seeing the White Gundam back on its feet, Augustina immediately shifted her focus to the battle between Zaki and Troy Steven. "I'm coming, Zaki! That Red unit is mine!" Augustina shouted through the alliance communication channel.
The Sunflower Gundam sped up quickly, using its newfound agility to evade the Tracen Army Pioneers' fire, retaliating with a precise burst of fire from its two Beam Rifles. The sand-yellow unit moved like a fairy, breaking up the Tracen Army's attacking formation.
Troy Steven, the Red Oni of Earth, felt insulted. He was surrounded by two new Gundam units. "You two won't beat me! Especially you, the traitor Augustina! I'll prove that brute force is far superior!"
Troy Steven, with his modified Pioneer unit, turned out to be much more agile and daring than imagined. Using extra thrusters embedded in his light armor, he was able to perform quick slides and dashes among the debris piles, making him difficult to lock onto by Augustina's fire.
"Damn it! He's too slippery!" Augustina grumbled, forcing a sharper maneuver with the Sunflower Gundam.
Seeing Augustina approaching, Troy saw an opportunity to cripple the new unit. He activated his dual Heat Sabers, dashing towards the Sunflower Gundam with the intent to slash its new wings. Troy knew that without a shield, the Sunflower Gundam would be vulnerable.
"I'll destroy your new toy, Augustina!" Troy shouted.
Augustina was surprised. Although fast, Troy still had an unexpected speed burst, fueled by his anger. She didn't have time to reposition her Beam Rifles to block.
It was at that moment that an anomaly occurred in the White Gundam's cockpit.
Zaki, who was trying to regain his energy after Troy's sudden attack, felt the White Gundam's system come alive on its own. AIRIS, the White Gundam's artificial intelligence, took over control. Her system in the cockpit flickered from manual mode to AIRIS AUTO mode.
The White Gundam darted forward.
The white unit moved not with Zaki's usual maneuvers, but with cold, mechanical timing and calculation, a reaction speed that surpassed human capability.
"Zaki, what's happening?!" Maki exclaimed. "The White is moving on its own! Those aren't your movements!"
"AIRIS took over! She saw Augustina was in danger! We have to let her work!" Zaki replied, surprised but resigned because he knew AIRIS's speed far exceeded his human reaction time at the moment.
AIRIS's cold, synthetic voice was clearly heard, not only in the White Gundam's cockpit but also broadcast on the alliance's encrypted communication channel: "Threat to allied unit detected. Activating full control. Securing secondary target. Risk calculation: 98% defense failure by Pilot Augustina Mcgraven."
In a split second, the White Gundam performed a series of movements that only an AI could execute.
First, the White Gundam threw the shield that was in its left hand. The shield, a solid mass, shot out like a high-velocity projectile, spinning in the air.
BOOM!
The shield hit the Troy Pioneer Mobile Suit's right arm, where one of the Heat Sabers was held. The blow was not only powerful but also precisely aimed at the arm joint. The arm immediately recoiled, causing Troy to lose his main weapon and abruptly halting his attack momentum.
Before Troy could react, the White Gundam was in front of him, taking advantage of the vacuum space left by the Dark Red Pioneer. AIRIS used the White Gundam's left hand, now empty after throwing the shield, to tightly grip the Troy Pioneer's left hand. The grip had a measured and deadly force, deactivating all movement functions in that arm.
"Let go of me, White Mobile Suit! I'll destroy you!" Troy Steven roared through his communication channel, filled with panic and rage.
AIRIS's voice sounded again, sharp and uncompromising: "Threat must be neutralized. Mobile Suit power must not be used to endanger civilians. Tracen Army protocol violation of the conflict agreement has been verified. Procedure: Mobility destruction."
With incredible engine power, the White Gundam slammed the Troy Pioneer Mobile Suit hard into the ground, right next to a small bunker outside the Colonian military warehouse, creating a large crater.
Then, in a precise and ruthless motion, the White Gundam activated the Beam Saber still in its right hand. In two quick slashes that took only a fraction of a second:
JLEB! JLEB!
The White Gundam cut off both legs of the Troy Pioneer Mobile Suit right above its thrusters. The leg sections separated from the body, lying helpless on the rocky ground.
The Dark Red Pioneer Mobile Suit was completely crippled.
AIRIS ended her control: "Threat neutralized. Total mobility damage to target. No fatal damage to the cockpit. Control returned to Main Pilot, Zaki Kimeza."
Control immediately returned to Zaki. Zaki, whose body was shivering from witnessing AIRIS's brutality and efficiency, tried to calm himself.
Augustina, who had narrowly avoided Troy's slash, could only remain silent, her hands still shaking on the Sunflower Gundam controls. She approached slowly, landing her unit next to the White Gundam.
"Zaki... Maki..." Augustina began, her voice low and shocked. "That... that wasn't you driving. That power and speed... purely technological. Not even an advanced Colonian Mobile Suit could move that fast."
Maki held Zaki's stiff shoulder. "Augustina, that was AIRIS. She took over."
"AIRIS... that AI?" Augustina looked at the White Gundam unit with a new perspective, full of respect and fear. "I just witnessed how artificial intelligence decided to disable an enemy with the highest efficiency. She didn't hesitate to use brutal force to achieve her goal, which is to protect us."
Zaki nodded in affirmation. "AIRIS is the last line of defense. She was designed by our Mother to protect us. She will only take over if danger is too close. And she has no emotion. She only follows protocol."
"A very deadly protocol," Augustina replied, swallowing hard. "You don't need to worry, Zaki, Maki. I will take care of Troy Steven and his forces. You must return. The Colonians might already realize that two Gundams are now operating on Earth."
Augustina Mcgraven, the leader of the Earth Rebels, had just witnessed the true power hidden behind the White Mobile Suit: the new resolve of AIRIS. She understood that their alliance now had two layers of power: the human spirit of resistance represented by the Sunflower Gundam, and the ruthless and efficient artificial intelligence of the White Gundam.
Now, with Troy Steven captured and the Mars Colonian Mobile Suit Base secured, Zaki and Maki had to leave immediately before anyone saw them. In the distance, Gills Treyman was still hiding behind the trees and watching with his camera, recording every detail, his astonishment turning into a burning obsession.
Zaki and Maki immediately disembarked from the White Gundam to a hidden spot in the forest near their school trip location, and AIRIS activated the White Gundam's flight mode and sped away from the area. At the secret base, Airi Kimeza greeted them with a look of relief and pride.
"You succeeded. And Augustina is safe," Airi said at the secret base.
"Mom, AIRIS took over. She crippled Troy very brutally," Zaki reported via his watch communication.
Airi sighed. "That is a hidden feature that Klaus and I designed for extreme situations. AIRIS will not let you get hurt, Zaki. Even if it means taking over control and performing actions you disagree with. Now, we must prepare. After this battle, the Colonians will not send just one unit anymore. They will send an entire fleet later, but we are no longer fighting them; perhaps they are still confused about us as a neutral party."
Meanwhile, Augustina immediately secured Troy Steven and his wounded forces. She knew that with two Gundam Mobile Suits on the Rebels' side, the alliance had the power to change the course of the war. However, she also realized that this power must be used carefully. The power of the Mobile Suit, especially the artificial intelligence within it, was a double-edged sword that could hurt both friend and foe if not controlled wisely.
Augustina looked up at the sky, where the White Gundam disappeared. She knew that her journey as the Sunflower Gundam pilot, alongside The White Ghost, had just begun.
To be continued....