The chaos caused by the unknown underwater Mobile Suit attack—dubbed the 'Sea Ghost' by the Colonian media—had spread throughout the Colonies and the Earth Rebel bases. At the Kimeza Alliance secret base, Augustina Mcgraven, Zaki, and Maki held an emergency meeting.
"We are in deep trouble," said Augustina, pointing at the maritime map. "The ocean is the Colonians' greatest advantage in terms of logistics, and now the sea has become a battlefield as dangerous as the air. Whoever attacked that Colonian fleet was not the Pioneers or the Tracen Army. Their technology is too advanced, too efficient underwater."
Zaki nodded, his expression serious. "The White Gundam and the Sunflower Gundam are not designed for underwater combat. Without the adaptation, the White Gundam's thrusters would be a hindrance rather than help. We must adapt, or we will lose the sea."
Amidst this strategic confusion, Airi Kimeza stepped forward with a solution.
"We had anticipated that this war would spread to all terrains. Klaus's secret project, before he passed away, included adaptation modules for the White Gundam, including a maritime combat formation," Airi explained. "We have the blueprints and some of the materials, but we need specialized, high-density materials for sonic dampening and pressure-resistant armor that only high-end Colonian manufacturers possess."
That's when Aurora Anveil intervened.
"I can get the materials you need," Aurora stated. "Through Anveil Cooperation, my mother's company, we have access to high-grade Colonian material warehouses, especially those related to deep-sea exploration projects. I will funnel it as a 'civilian exploration' order and bring it here."
With the hidden financial support from Anveil Cooperation, Airi Kimeza, accompanied by her entire personal mechanic team and Augustina's expert technicians, began a massive modification project on the White Gundam.
They named this new combat formation: Pelican Form.
New Form for White Gundam: Pelican Form
For a full week, while Zaki, Maki, and Aurora lived their normal school lives, pretending to study amidst the flurry of news about the 'Sea Ghost' in the Colonies, the secret base worked non-stop.
The White Gundam Mobile Suit was radically overhauled into an underwater combat model:
Specialized Armor: The outer armor was replaced with a high-density material alloy brought by Aurora, capable of withstanding deep-sea pressure and featuring an effective passive sonic dampening layer.
Hydro Turbine Backpack: The thrusters on the back were replaced with a powerful Hydro Turbine Backpack. This large turbine provided precise thrust and maneuverability underwater.
Main Weapon: Torpedo Gun: The Beam Sub Machine Gun was replaced with a Torpedo Gun capable of firing a barrage of light torpedoes for medium-range underwater combat.
Dual Turbine Shield: The White Gundam's shield was modified with Dual-Sided Thruster Turbines attached to both sides, allowing it to double as a fast maneuver aid and a solid physical protector.
Heat Knife: For close-quarters combat, a Heat Knife was concealed behind the waist armor.
Stabilizer Wings: Small wings and stabilizer fins were added to the shoulder and leg sections, helping to maintain the White Gundam's stability when moving through strong ocean currents.
"Perfect," said Airi, touching the new armor painted in a dull white and emerald green. "The White Gundam is now ready to face the ocean depths."
Seven days after the Pelican Form modifications were completed, the IBIS Squad received a new order from Professor Itsuki to conduct a second ambush attack. The target was a Colonian missile transport ship in the north Asian sea, this time to trigger a larger military reaction and accelerate the diversion of Project Grai's resources.
In the IBIS Leader cockpit, the trained pilot moved confidently. The IBIS Squad, with their armor now more distinctly visible as deep sea blue and black under the ocean's darkness, glided beneath the target ship.
"IBIS Leader, target locked. We will use the same attack pattern: torpedoes for the hull, claws for the armor. Execute the attack with lightning speed!" he commanded.
Suddenly, just as the IBIS Squad prepared to launch their assault, their sonar sensors shrieked. Three undetected torpedo missiles were heading towards them at high speed!
WHROOSH! BOOM!
Two IBIS units managed to evade, but the third torpedo hit the coral formation where they were hiding.
"What's happening?! Sudden attack! Sonar detected nothing! Who is attacking us?!" shouted IBIS Leader, shocked.
From the darker depths, a large silhouette emerged. The Mobile Suit was white with turbine accents on its shield, shoulders, and backpack. IBIS Leader recognized it—it was the White Gundam, but in a form he had never seen.
The White Gundam Pelican Form was now underwater, moving with impressive speed and agility, completely unhindered by the water pressure.
In the White Gundam's cockpit, Zaki and Maki were in action.
"Maki, the Pelican's torpedo system works perfectly! I can't believe we pulled it off!" Zaki exclaimed, both amazed and tense.
"Of course! This idea was created by Mom and Dad so the White Gundam could fight in all terrains! But Zaki, those Mobile Suits..." Maki pointed to the screen. The IBIS Squad was moving towards them. "...they are the Sea Ghosts that attacked the Colonian ships! They're the ones causing us trouble!"
Zaki tightened his grip on the controls. In the middle of the ocean, the white Mobile Suit faced an unknown sea devil. He knew his mission was now twofold: to protect the vulnerable Colonian fleet from this mysterious attack, and to find out who was piloting the IBIS Squad.
"Get ready, Maki, AIRIS! We're hunting the Sea Ghosts now! We'll force them out of the water!" Zaki commanded.
The White Gundam Pelican Form sped forward, igniting the dual thruster turbines on its shield, initiating the confrontation in the depths of the North Asian Sea. The White Gundam's first underwater battle had just begun.
To be continued....