Chapter 1 "Gigi"

Colonel Kenneth Sleg board shuttle "Haunzen", a flight reserved for the Federation elites. He had just been transferred from his R&D duty to take command of "Kimberly Task

Force". He will be joined with his former Ace test pilot, Lane Aim, who got transferred ten days ago with the new prototype, Penelope. His mission is to chase down the anti-Federation Mafty group. To speed things up, he used the military connections to get a seat on "Haunzen", but he is regretting it. There are too many Federation cabinet member on board, any of them can end his career prematurely if he misstep-ed. He noticed the beautiful blonde sitting beside him, who appears to be in her high teens. Some cabinet members sitting around, resenting that they don't get a chance to talk to her with their wives on the same flight. Kennith had been divorced for two years. He introduced himself. Her name is Gigi Andalusia and she seems supportive of the Mafty group.

Chapter 2 "Lounge"

Earth appears on the observation window. The final meal before landing is being served in the lounge section. Kenneth sits beside a young man in his early twentys. Some cabinet members talk with Gigi while their wives observe them jealously. 1/6 of Federation Central Committee is on board. Gigi debated with them about the wisdom of Mafty's actions. Mafty seems to specialize in surgical strikes to eliminate major federation officials. According to Gigi some media described him as "Mafty Erin the Messiah! The second coming of Newtype!'' Mafty will purify the Federation government and liberate space, the colonies and the moon. The cabinet members asked Gigi, "We are the lackeys and cabinet of the Federation. Do you think we look like villains that deserved to be killed?" She didn't answer that one. Meanwhile, the bartender inquired the young man about his business on Earth. He replied that he is a candidate for the post of biology observer. Bartender said that the position didn't offer any privilege and you have to travel around Earth a lot. The young man thinks that alone is a great privilege.

Chapter 3 "Kenneth"

Everyone returned to cabin section, preparing for re-entry. Kenneth tried to flirt with Gigi again. After being politely turned down, he turned his attention to the stewardess and extracted a promise for a date. Actually, she said she got an apartment on the port-of-landing, Hong Kong, kind of suggestive. Buckled up and ready for re-entry, Kenneth looked around and thought "Looking at those guys, who wouldn't agree with Mafty." His mind began to wander, recalling the ecstasy he experienced piloting MS during Char's Rebellion at the front lines. He began to think that MS is the only thing that won't betray him. And being a sour grape, he proclaimed to himself that women are just trouble.

Chapter 4 "Hijack"

The shuttle is being hijacked by a group of activists claiming to be Mafty. They docked a Base Jabber to the shuttle and busted the airlock. The resistance is minimum. Mace Flower, the stewardess, was a policewoman tried to react but was overwhelmed. It toke less time to take Kenneth down.

Chapter 5 "Hathaway"

Their leader, who claimed to be Mafty, announced that the cabinet members will be used as hostages to extract funds from Federation. Civilians will be liberated once the ransom appropriated for their socioeconomic status is paid. The hijackers obtain the passenger list and began to count the passengers. Every one became very cooperative after one minister was killed. Then a terrorist inquiried Hathaway:

"Hathaway Noah .....? You..?!"

"Yes"

"Hathaway!? That Hathaway Noa?"

"What else did you expect?"

Hathaway volunteered to remove the corpse, since he had seen them during the war. Kenneth is also no stranger, but the hijackers would rather tie him up. The widow of the dead minister began to scream. One hijacker began to hit her with the gun butt. Outraged, Gigi verbally leashed out at them. With the distration, Hathaway disarmed two of the hijackers in one attack. Disoriented another one by throwing a blanket at him. Immobilized the last one by grabbing the machine gun muzzle with his hand. At the same time, handed a gun to Kenneth as he untied him. After they mopped the hijackers up, the pilot informed them that the shuttle was damaged and couldn't land in Hong Kong.

Chapter 6 "Landing Ground"

The pilot of the shuttle announced that due to the damage(from forced docking with the base jabber), it will land in Davao instead of Hong Kong. Kenneth is amused since that it's his new post. Everybody buckled up and put on safety vests. It landed safely. One minister, Inner Space Monitoring Minister, cheered his peers up by pointing out that Davao is close to Adelaide and they should take advantage of it. The dead guy, Health Minister, is forgotten. Hathaway hasn't been on Earth for several years. He took a deep breath of Earth air. Kenneth was briefed by his new staff. It's reported that Mafty troops are grouped in Oenberi(????), Northern Australia, numbered around 30,000. Commander Kimberly is leading the troops toward there, he is the guy Kenneth is going to replace. Kenneth turned the investigation of the hijacking to the civilian police. The police hold an interview with Hathaway in the VIP lounge. The detective recalled his name as the kid who hijacked a MS to fight during the Char's rebellion. He is "requested" to stay in Davao to help the investigation. Hathaway said it's OK with him. He was on his way to Menado, Minahasa penisula, Indonesia for his plant monitor post training. The detective asked if his professor is a certain Amada Mansun, Hathaway replied yes.

Chapter 7 "With Gigi"

Left alone, Gigi and Hathaway talked about the hijackers being imposters using the Mafty name. She said Hathaway is Mafty, Hathaway denied it saying he is just an ordinary young man. They just stared each other silently. Hathaway hoped she was just joking, but she said that she can tell it's him because of the way he fought. He fought like someone that was outraged by others using his name to commit crimes. Hathaway told her to forget the conversation when some ministers passed by and thanked him. Kenneth's predecessor,

Colonel Kimberly Heyman, wasn't very effective therefore the Mafty group was able to act freely. Hathaway feared that things would change under Kenneth Sleg. Hathaway asked Gigi where she lived in Hong Kong. She said that she wants to live among the mountains of Japan. Hathaway commented that's where his mother's family is from. Then he admited he is Marty to her, and his goal is to establish an ideal dictatorship. Gigi laughed at it. But Hathaway was serious. Gigi commented "You will be a God." Hathway says he wants to make God out of the whole humanity, i.e. Newtype.

Chapter 8 "Hotel"

The detective gave Hathaway and Gigi a membership card at Tasadai Hotel. They can stay as long as they like. It's not like they can get anywhere anytime soon either. Gigi put a move on Hathaway on the way to the hotel. The hotel is reserved for the Federation elites. All the guests check-in anonymously. Many federation officials used it for secret affairs.

Hathaway noticed an agent of Mafty trailing him since the airport. They are placed on the long-term residence suites, on the 36th floor out of 43. Gigi invited Hathaway to stay in her suite, saying it's so large for one people. Hathaway consented. Hathaway took a bath. After that, he took out the microfilm hidden in his fake teeth. He walked out into living room and caught Gigi naked, ready to wrap herself in a towel. Hathaway is the one who get offended, at least he acted it. He went into his own room, after counting down enough time to drink one cup of tea, then walked casually to Gigi's room. She was crying when he knocked on her door. He just told her he is taking a walk around the hotel. As he was waiting for the elevator, he sighed and said "She's just like Quess Paraya"

Chapter 9 "Contact"

Hathaway went down to the lobby and got in contact with the Mafty Agent. She gets Hathaway on a prearranged car and moves away to make sure no one followed them. Hathaway explains the reason of his detour to her. She informed him that there are no Mafty troops in Australia. Hathaway asked her if the Federation General, their secret patron, Kuwaku Saruwa(????) mislead EFF to believe that. It turned out the EFF managed to trick themselves into believing it. The main body of the Kimberly Task Force is away in Australia. He wants to redeem himself before he get replaced. She tells him that they are going to get the new Gundam delivered pretty soon. It will be dropped from orbit, camouflaged as a small falling asteroid. Hathaway warns her that the new commander is very sharp and is also getting a new MS. He heard about it when Xi Gundam underwent final adjustment on Anaheim Electronic's factory on Moon. To alleviate suspicion from him, Hathaway ordered a strike against Tasadai Hotel. He instructed them to attack the top level. Since he stayed on the 36th floor, he should be OK if the 40th floor and above get attacked.

Chapter 10 "Hunter"

Their talk is interrupted when they see several vehicles of "Hunter" ahead. The agent is in fear, she had already been deported once. If she gets caught again, she will be sent to far-

off mining colony. They were shot at when they tried to get away. Hathaway jumped out of the car and managed to get on a taxi. He saw a shootout between Hunter and some illegal aliens after they fought back against the beating. The talk with taxi driver convinced Hathaway that his cause has popular support. His mind began to wander:

''Currently, to stay on Earth, it's necessary to carry a permit issued by the Federation government. That's the result of the migration to the space colonies. To prevent the the marginalization of the immigrants, forced migration is implemented. That's necessary evil. The formation of the Earth Federation, is based on the understanding that Earth and humanity would be destroyed together. That's the start of Space Colony construction. At the beginning of the exodus, the federation policy is all ethnic groups will migrate equally. No arguments about it. But, there are always the special cases. The Federation established rules to allow "essential" personal to stay on Earth. The preservers who monitor and manage wild life. People who are necessary to preserve and maintain the tradition of the diverse ethnic groups. Laws are not always implemented in the original way they were meant to. From the viewpoint of ordinary people, the possible destruction of Earth is not absolute. The exploitation of the loophole is inevitable. The people who are born on Earth, can't forget the feeling of gravity. As result, people disregard the law without regard to consequence. The desire is understandable. But the sin of humankind, over breeding to the point of bringing Earth to a crisis level, is not well understood. The space exodus is the penalty humanity has to pay for it. The Space Colony era, is not an era of frontiers or new development. Along with that realization, comes the frustration. The spacenoids naturally want to return to Earth. The double sin of humanity, the over breeding and unsatisfiable demand to return to Earth. The Earth won't be able to restore itself for at least couple millenniums.''

[Hathaway began to recall the tragic event of 0093]

''For that desire, Char Aznable waged war against Federation. He was defeated by the overwhelming force of the Federation. That's the truth of Char's rebellion. At that time, Hathaway was aboard his father's warship. He saw the battlefield. He encountered Quess Paraya. She observed that war with a child's naive eyes. Her sense was overwhelmed, causing her death. Hathaway heard the death cry of his first love, along with the voices from the souls of the many other causalities. Based on that, Hathaway learned from Char's personal experience. He agreed with Char that Earth was to be preserved and should be allowed to die with humanity. To prolong the life on Earth, humanity has to remove itself to the space colonies. If the law is applied in a just manner, the hunters serve justice by deporting the illegal residents.''

Hathaway picked up a message from hotel's lobby. The detective was asking him to sign the typed transcript of the interview. 10 am next morning on the base. Hathaway returned to his and Gigi's suite. He found Kenneth Sleg in the living room. While he was away, Kenneth invited Gigi to a dinner. Since she already had a dinner engagement with Hathaway, he will tag along. Kenneth will officially assume command in 3 more days. Kenneth was curious why Hathaway didn't join military with his record (1 MA without any prior training). Gigi came out, asking Kenneth to help with a button.

Chapter 11 "Minovsky Flight"

Two Base Jabbers flying towards Davao, 4 Messers aboard them. The pilot of Messer 2, Gauman Nobil, thinks that Kimberly force is still an easy target. Since the new commander had just assumed command. Their target, the 7 cabinet members currently in Davao. While Gauman and co. carried out their attack, Hathaway gets up to wake Gigi up. Gigi answered in her night gown. Hathaway pretended he didn't know anything beforehand, explaining that Mafty is an organization, not a single person. Gigi is still skeptical. They get into the elevator. There was another couple in a similar undressed state, and those two smelled funny. Gigi sticks her cheek to Hathaway's shoulder, bites it, than begins to lick it. Hathaway began to get goosebumps. Not that he disliked it physically, they belong to same specie after all. Hathaway is just wearing his jean and he used his jacket to cover Gigi.

In this awkward moment, the elevator cable snapped. But the emergancy brake stopped the slide. Hathaway used the override to open the door. They walked down from the 3rd floor.

Chapter 12 "Be Frightened"

Hathaway saw Penelope on the sky and was shocked. Gauman of Messer 2 picked on 4 Gustav Carls to help the others escape. He intend to pick them up one-by-one in close combat. Beam Rifle gets reduced range inside atmosphere. Gustav Carl can't use their missiles inside the city. Beam saber is the most effective weapon. Gauman saw Penelope, too. But he didn't realize its implication. He landed in a park. More or less right in front of Hathaway and Gigi. Hathaway got in contact with another Mafty agent, Emeralda Zubin. A explosion occurred nearby. Hathaway shielded Gigi with his body. Emeralda wasn't too happy about it. Messer 2 fought with the Gustav Carls. Gigi freaked out. Holding Hathaway tightly. Her fear was contagious. Hathaway cried out to Quess for help. Messer 2 cut down one of the Gustav Carls. He was hit by another. Penelope flied down. Kicking Messer 2 in the head before it landed. Hathaway was avoiding the sparks generated when Beam Sabers clashed. It's said to be more dangerous than a direct hit by a vulcan cannon. The heat caused a fire in a nearby tree.

Chapter 13 "Commander"

Messer 2 hold it's arms up, signaling the end of fighting. Kenneth arrived in a Base Jabber. He invited Gigi to get into the cabin, since it would be warmer for her in her night gown. Kenneth is rather satisfied with himself. The first capture of a Mafty MS, and the pilot, on his first day no less. He took it as a good omen. Gauman was escorted aboard. Kenneth was busy issuing orders. After he is done, Gigi fell asleep on Hathaway's lap. Kenneth "invited" them to take shelter on the base.

Chapter 14 "Young Pilot"

The Base Jabber returned to the base. Hathaway noticed hangers that didn't show up in a surveillance photo taken a month ago. The Federation had vastly reinforced it's anti-Mafty operation. Kenneth asked Hathaway how he feels about the view of the base. Hathaway said that even in Space Colony it's hard to see landscape so organized. The base was an artificial object that pollutes Earth. Kenneth dismissed it as bias (or tunnel vision) of a biology specialist. They disembarked from the Base Jabber. Handcuffed, Gauman struggled to retain his balance on the way out. Hathaway rushed to offer support. He was yelled at by a NCO. Kenneth stopped him, but warned Hathaway not to interfere with military affairs. He also began to label hims as "tree hugger", and questioned whether he is invloved with Mafty. Hathaway says that the hotel he resided in was also attacked by Mafty. Kenneth call Mafty the modern Jean d'Arc. And his mission is to burn this "idol" of political struggle. Lane Aim joined them on Kenneth's transport car. He was rather cocky. Boasting that after his Gundam showed up and gave it a kick, the enemy lost the will to fight. After he left, Hathaway commented to Kenneth: "That's how I was like in the past ....."

Chapter 15 "Circe Unit"

Hathaway was woken up by a WAVE(Women Army Volunteer Enlistee?)in the base. He was informed it was breakfast time. Gigi stopped by the room assigned to him. Her arms were full with bags, she had just raided the base's exchange on federation's expense. Hathaway changed into the clothes the WAVE brought. He went to the Mess hall and was joined by Gigi and Kenneth. Kenneth mentioedn that he was going to change the task force's name. He is too modest to name it after himself. He settled on Circe, from Greek Myth. Massive flirting goes own between Gigi and Kenneth. After she left their company, Kenneth compared Gigi to Marylin Monroe. Hathaway got a flashback on the view he got back in hotel. Hathaway protested when he was informed that his belongings in the hotel would be searched. Kenneth said he was just doing his job. The chat goes on. Kenneth mentioned that with the 4 ministers killed in last night's attack, Mafty had eliminated 18 federation cabinet members, in addition to 300 civilian casualities. They moved on to Kenneth's room and were joined by the investigator. Hathaway spend two to three years on colony Argi(????) Block after college. Bright Noa less famous than his son. Gigi's apartment in H.K. is uninhibited. Kenneth will investigate into that, using his mission to fight Mafty. Hathaway received permission for a shopping trip in Menado.

Chapter 16 "Runaway"

Hathaway left the base, to the local mall. During his shopping, he heard a broadcast by Mafty using a highjacked airwave. It was recorded with someone else's voice:

"We regret wholeheartedly civilians casualities. But we want to remove humanity from Earth. At this day and age, living on Earth is a sin. We wish the residents of Earth can realize that." We, in attempt to force Earth Federation government, who had forgotten the purpose of Space immigration, to reflect on their behavior, started those attacks. This declaration of war, so far, hasn't be recognized by the federation government. ..."

Hathaway went on the the port and hired a canoe with a local teenage boy as guide. He was attempting to join the others in the delivery of Xi Gundam. Mafty has a base on a nearby island. A shuttle disguised as meteor will be dropped. A group of Gustav Karls flied overhead. Hathaway's guide commented on it. Surprisingly, he was sympathetic towards Mafty's cause. The way he sees it, most of those "lucky" residents of Earth, have to work like slaves for VIP to stay on. A large cruiser appeared in front of them. Hathaway boarded it.

Chapter 17 "On the Ocean"

Hathaway was greeted by 3 of his associates. The Emeralda Zubin we encountered earlier, Iram Masam and Raymond Cain. Emeralda asked Hathaway if Gigi was his new girlfriend. Hathaway denied it. Saying that Kenneth suspected her to be an agent of Mafty and won't let her go. He also added: "The problem is, she is an extremely sensitive girl. She guessed that I am Mafty." Emeralda didn't take much faith in Hathaway's assurance that Gigi won't reveal it. Iram says that Gauman is a bigger concern. He can be tortured or chemically-interrogated to reveal critical information. Hathaway handed over the microfilms. They bemoaned Gauman's lack of self-control and cockiness. It's revealed that Mafty is supported by a top-federation general, using the code-name Kuwaaku Saruva.

Chapter 18 "Dinning Room"

Kenneth joined Gigi in the mess hall. After some chat, he began to ask some questions. Gigi ordered her shuttle ticket from the terminal of a major insurance company. Gigi said that while she is not a family member, she is intimate with the founder of the company. Kenneth commented that he is already in his 80's. Gigi replied that he is still very healthy but lonely. Her apartment in Hong Kong is uninhibited because the Count just bought it for her. And she was going to see it for the first time. Kenneth called her the Goddess of Victory, citing all the good omen happened with her around(The hijacking, the capture of Messer 2, etc.).

Chapter 19 "Lodoicea"

"Lodoicea" is the academic name of the "Coco de Mer", also the codename for the Mafty base. It used to be a Federation supply depot. But thanks to Mafty's mysterious patron, "disappeared" from all computerized record. Just as they were planing for the future a Navy submarine was detected. They couldn't release enough Minovsky particles in time to jam transmissions. Now they had to race against time to recover Xi Gundam before the Circe Force arrived. Before he began his sortie, Hathaway kissed Mihesher Hence(the Mafty agent from chapter 9) on the cheek.

Chapter 20 "Pathway"

Kenneth's men lost track of Hathaway after he boarded the cruiser. He obtained the assistance from the Navy and Port authority. The Davao police, on the other hand, refused to help. Kenneth ordered a bomb to be dropped in front of Police HQ. When asked if he was going to use a real bomb, Kenneth said something like: "Soldiers don't play with toys." The Navy forwarded the transmission to Circe Force. Due to the Minovsky concentration, the detail were rather sparse. An unidentified force had been sighted in the east coast of Halmahera island. Kenneth went to the captured Gauman. He tried unsuccessfully to beat information out of him. Gauman did tell Saruva is the real power behind Mafty, but Kenneth didn't believe him. Gauman was beat even more when he tried to kick Kenneth. They tied his leg up, too. Later, Lane Aim pays him a visit. Informing Gauman that he will take a ride with him on Penelope, he will be used as human shield.

Chapter 21 "Take off"

Hathaway and co. sank the EFF submarine without too much effort (It was 250 years old). They went on to wait for the arrival of Xi Gundam. Hathaway was hitching a ride with Emeralda in Messer 1. While it has never been field tested on Earth, Hathaway felt his experience and skill would enable him to beat Lane in Penelope. Circe force showed up. Hathaway scratched the orignal plan, to recover Xi Gundam after the Shuttle landed in water. Instead, Messer 1 torn off part of the shuttle and unloaded Hathaway into it. Hathaway entered the cockpit of Xi Gundam, and activated it. He destroyed the cargo hatch and was ready to escape from the shuttle.

Chapter 22 "Showdown"

The shuttle was being attacked by the Circe force. Hathaway was disoriented for a while. Xi Gundam was hit, but the Earth's atmosphere difused the beam enough that it didn't produce a hole on the armor. Hathaway escaped the shuttle just in time before it exploded. It's Lane's turn to be surprised by Xi Gundam's Minovsky Craft ability. It's time for Gauman to leer Leen, but he was surprised, too. After giving them a warning, Hathaway opened fire on the Gustav Karls. Interestingly enough, his beam rifle is said to have the muzzle velocity twice of past beam rifles(VSBR vibes?). Two Gustav Karls were destroyed. 3 more fell after their supporting platform got destroyed. Even inside shock absorbing Linear Seat cockpit, a 8 Km fall is not an enjoyable experience. The rest of them fleed, leaving the fighting to Penelope. Some Beam Saber fight ensured. Lane denounced that Xi Gundam is an imitation copy of Penelope. Hathaway, in turn, criticized Lane for using Gauman as a shield. After a while, Lane was goaded into dropping Gauman out of Penelope's cockpit. Hathaway took the risk and picked him up. The fighting continued as Hathaway lea the fight closer to the sea surface. Lane, relying on the reflection of the bright exhaust on the sea, was tricked. Hathaway somehow set up the Beam Rifle to shoot independently of the MS and Lane took the bait. Just as he went in and shot it up, he was hit by missiles, crashing on the ocean. Luckily for Lane, Penelope was equipped with a inflatable flotation device. Hathaway joined his associates on their support ship, Valiant. The mechanic was not too thrilled about losing the Beam Rifle, especially considering that they only recovered half of the supply, spare parts, accessories, etc from the shuttle. Emeralda just praised him on his brilliant play. A new character, Kerria Dace, is introduced. She is the same age as Hathaway, short hair, cute smile. Mafty is expecting to reform the Federation government by causing attrition in the cabinet ranks. Then the subject turned to Gigi. Both agrede that she is an interesting girl. Hathaway agreed that she reminded him of Quess Paraya. She whispered something while biting Hathaway's ear. On the base, Kenneth contributed the miraculous survival of Lane to the good luck Gigi brought with her. He promised to sent her to Hong Kong pretty soon. Gigi was rather concerned about the fate of Hathaway.

[End of Volume 1]

Tidbits from the last volume:

Bright,finally promoted to Rear Admiral(1 star) was inspecting the wreckage of Xi Gundam. One aide mentioned that it's unseemly for a rebel MS to be named Gundam, the main MS line of Federation. Bright Noa said it's perfectly fine, because Gundam had always symbolized the rebellious spirit within the Federation.

Bright was appointed to be the commander of the South Pacific Military district. He handled the execution of Mafty without knowing his true identity. The Federation didn't dare to trial Hathaway openly, a secret trial was hold instead, using a faked confession. Bright retired after learning the truth and moved to Side 1. Kenneth is retiring, together with Gigi. In order to stay on Earth, he went to the Chief of Federation military to get permit.