S2 Finale (Chapter 15 and 16)

Chapter 15: Change

Loreon

Kabroz’s escape shuttle crashed into the forests of Loreon. This was not as close as he would have liked to be, but it was good enough. And while the fools fought the Soul Eaters in the skies, he would be here corrupting Loreon with his own private collection of Soul Eaters.

He grabbed the small capsules and placed them into the pocket of his suit. He smiled as he walked out of the shuttle and towards the Queenadent’s palace.

It did not take him long. The forest was right next to the palace. The security guards were too distracted with guarding the front entrance, that he was able to sneak in to one of the side buildings.

Kabroz took a small device out of his pocket and pressed a button. His genetic makeup began to change as he transformed himself into Zorbak. Kabroz’s intelligence had told him that Zorbak was being kept here under Odessa’s protection. This made his job a lot easier. Disguised as Zorbak he would not be suspected, until everything was too late.

“Queenadent.” he announced as he entered the throne room.

“Zorbak? What do you need? I am incredibly busy.” she said as she typed away on a holographic screen being projected from her throne.

“Oh not much...just control of Loreon.”

Odessa turned to face him as the device wore off and he transformed back into Kabroz. “Kabroz! How did you...”

The yellow moglin took a small device out of his pocket and crushed it in his hand. A blue wisp shot forth and phased into Odessa. “No...you...” she said as she was destroyed.

Odessa could no longer speak. Her thoughts were devoured as she sat motionless in the chair. “How could I have let this happen? How could I have been so foolish? Loreon is in danger because of my stupidity.”

Odessa wanted to cry, but her vision began to falter. She felt small and the life began to drain away from her. From the darkness came a light. A bright light that welcomed Odessa. She walked forward into the light feeling hope. Everything was going to be okay.

“Queenadent Odessa? Have you been destroyed yes?”

“Yes.” said the body. “We are in control now, Lord Kabroz.”

“Good. Mehehe.” he said laughing. “Now contact the others. Send out these other capsules to the leaders of the Galactic Alliance.”

Odessa took the capsules and nodded. “Soon we will have complete control.”

As Kabroz was ready to leave, Warlic and the Admiral entered.

“Kabroz!” Starbuck yelled as he took out his energy sword and prepared to fight.

“It is fine.” Odessa spoke. “Kabroz has given up and transferred control of EbilCorp and Necro Industries to the Alliance.”

“That may be...but he still unleashed an army of Soul Eaters upon the world.” Warlic noted.

“He will be tried for his crimes soon. Right now however, I have a very important mission for you two. There are reports that despite Valoth’s defeat...the Shadowscythe are returning.”

“What?” Starbuck said shocked. “That is impossible.”

“I need you to confirm whether this is true or not. The Carrier of Hope awaits you. This is urgent and I wish we had more time to discuss it...but please, go now.”

Once they had left, Kabroz smiled widely. “That was a very clever diversion.”

“We Soul Eaters absorb the characteristics of our hosts. Apparently Odessa was a very intelligent person.”

“How lucky for me.”

“Now for the finishing touch to this plan.” Odessa said smiling. She turned on the throne’s communication systems.

“Gundams, this is Queenadent Odessa. Can you hear me?”

Loreon Space

“I have a very important mission for you. I regret to inform you Warlic and Starbuck have been infected by the Soul Eaters. They have taken the Carrier of Hope and are trying to escape towards the Arthruian Empire. I need you to stop them.”

“Roger.” Mika said. “This day just keeps getting better and better...” she said angrily.

“If Warlic and Starbuck were lost...then they returned to Lore...” Ryukai thought. “Could an infection be spreading on the planet?”

“You are the only ones who could stop such a thing.” said the pilot of SIN. “Go to Loreon. We Alliance Gundams can take care of one ship.”

The Dragonguard listened and returned to the surface of the planet while the Alliance Gundams headed off towards the Carrier of Hope.

In moments the Dragonguard had arrived at Odessa’s palace and transformed back into human form. Mika and Ryukai stormed inside to speak with the Queenadent.

“Odessa. Excuse our crude intrusion.” Mika said.

“However we need to be here to ensure that the Soul Eaters haven’t spread amongst the populace of Soluna.”

“I can assure you it hasn’t.” Odessa spoke calmly. When she said this, Ryukai felt a sharp pain in his head and let out a small cry.

“Ryukai? Are you okay?” Mika asked concerned. Ryukai doubled over in pain.

“It’s her...she’s...one of them...” he said. “I can feel it.”

“Are you sure Ryukai? I don’t feel anything.” she said. “Perhaps you just need to lie down for a moment.”

“No...trust me...she...she’s one of them...it’s a trap...Warlic...Starbuck...aren’t infected...” he said while screaming.

Mika stepped back afraid of what was about to happen. She sensed abnormal fluctuations of light energy coming from Ryukai. Suddenly a tendril of light broke out of Ryukai’s back. He screamed in pain as it leapt forward and reached into Odessa.

The tendril phased into her and then phased out, ripping a small blue orb from her body. The body fell to the ground, dead and the blue orb struggled for a moment before the tendril crushed it.

Ryukai had recovered by that point. The tendril entered his body and he stood up quickly. “Mika! The Alliance Gundams are about to destroy Warlic and Starbuck!”

The two entered Gundam form and shot upwards towards the sky. Using all of their power they rocketed towards the Carrier of Hope only to find it destroyed.

“Noo!!” Mika cried out. “Kabroz you bastard! I’m going to kill you!” she screamed into space.

Ryukai felt the same anger, and the sharp pain returned. “Agh...he’s...in the palace....Kabroz...” he managed to say. Mika immediately turned towards the planet and flew downwards.

Mika plummeted downwards and crashed into the throne room. She returned to human form and dodged the falling debris from the ceiling as she ran through the castle searching for Kabroz.

She quickly found the moglin and extended a blade of light through his back. The blood of Kabroz spilled onto the floor. She turned him around and then pushed him backwards.

“The armageddon you planned for this world...that is what I am about to bring down upon you.” she said to the moglin who was howling in pain.

S2 Finale (Chapter 16)

Chapter 16: Soul

Three Days Later

“We need to go see the Kingadent now.” Ryukai said to Mika calmly.

“I don’t want to go.” Mika replied. “We already know what Warlic will say...and I don’t want to leave just yet. Not after everything we have been through. Not after what Loreon has been through.”

“If we don’t leave...Omicron will be lost. We can’t let him die.”

“We let Starbuck die. Odessa. Mina.” Mika continued on depressed. “And I slaughtered Kabroz. I’m done. What is one more person?”

“Mika! Listen to yourself! You have always helped the innocent and now you are just going to give up? We are the Dragonguard. We don’t have a say in the matter. We are here to protect the world.”

“We have saved it twice. I’m done.” she said closing the door. She went back to her bed and crawled under the covers. Tears swelled up inside of her eyes.

“So you plan on letting the Soul Eaters win?” Ryukai yelled through the closed door.

“We stopped them.” she whispered.

“We stopped the physical Soul Eaters. But it looks like they have completed their work on you. They have eaten your soul. No one with a soul would just give up like this.”

Ryukai heard the slamming of Mika’s feet against the ground as she ran forward and opened the door. “You are going to tell me that I have no soul? I care about Omicron. This isn’t easy for me...but if I return again...then I will be destroyed. Who I am will be gone. I’ve given enough to this world. You go rescue Omicron by yourself.”

The door slammed and Ryukai gave up. He made his way to the palace to meet with Warlic.

“You have decided.” Ryukai said as he looked at Warlic.

“I have. You may go to restore Omicron. The Alliance Gundams will protect the Alliance while you are gone. However, we can not refer to them as such much longer...”

“Ah yes. You decided that we should all just merge as the Arthurian Empire. So, the Arthurian Gundams I guess.”

“Yes. So when will you and Mika be leaving?”

“Mika refuses to go. She has lost herself...”

“Then this seems like the perfect opportunity for her to find herself.” Warlic noted. “Omicron may need both of you to be restored. She must go.”

“How can I convince her?” Ryukai asked. “She says she is done.”

Ryukai then heard a voice from behind him. “I will go.” It was Mika. “However I am still done...we will reach Essence and the dragons, and then I will be done. I will not return to Loreon.”

“Very well.” Ryukai said. “We should leave now.”

Mika nodded and Warlic agreed. The two went down into the palace basement where the Omicron shards had been locked up.

“I just hope that when we get there...there is still an Omicron to be saved.” Ryukai said as he took the shards.

S2, Chapter 14: Escape

“Get me a status update!” Odessa commanded. She was having difficulty communicating with the SDF who were fighting above to stop the Soul Eaters from reaching Loreon’s surface.

“I still can’t establish a connection.” the soldier reported.

“Well keep trying. Lieutenant Starbuck, do you have any idea why this is happening?” Odessa said addressing Lisa.

“Warlic and the others reported that EbilCorp was working with the Soul Eaters. I suspect Kabroz is having our communications jammed.”

“Speaking of Warlic and Admiral Starbuck...where have they gone?”

“I have no idea. They appeared here briefly and left just as quickly. They took Zorbak with them for some reason too...”

GEARS University

“It is just as we feared isn’t it, Dean Denara?” Warlic asked.

“I am afraid so. The signs of the end of our times are here.”

“The apocalypse?” Starbuck asked.

“Not the apocalypse.” Warlic responded. “It is the end of our times. A beginning of a new age. It doesn’t necessarily evolve our destruction...but rather, a transformation.”

“Into what?” Starbuck asked.

Zorbak laughed. “Mehehe. It doesn’t really matter. The Soul Eaters are going to reach us and then destroy us.”

“The Soul Eaters...they act as a sign according to this research.” Maria reported. “They aren’t the end, but a sign of it.”

“I suggest you speak to each individual House leader to gather the information firsthand. I am afraid my reports aren’t truly accurate.” Denara apologized.

Warlic nodded and the group left.

House WolfBlade

“After the destruction of the shadows, the warrior will be scattered. When the warrior returns, they will face the threat of the soul destroyers. When the shadows rise again, the warrior will have returned to the light. From the light, the warrior will fight the soul destroyers. Upon their destruction, they will seek to restore the thief. Through this the warrior will ascend to the level of a god and lead the world into the new era.”

House RuneHawk

“When the shadows are delayed, the mage will return into its element. After the mage’s resurrection, the shadows will rise again. The mage will oppose the shadows until they are destroyed and will then seek to restore the thief. The mage will learn its true purpose in this world and prepare the world for the new era.”

House MystRaven

“The thief will fight the shadows along with the others, but he will receive his punishment. He will be stolen by the shadows again. When he is freed by his companions, the thief will then steal what is left of the world. A new era will begin.”

Soluna City, Plaza

“What does it all mean?” Maria asked. “These prophecies refer to the Shadowscythe clearly as well as the Soul Eaters, but the last portions are odd. They both involve restoring a thief.”

“They couldn’t possibly mean restoring Omicron.” Starbuck said. “He wasn’t a thief. However...his life was stolen by Valoth.”

“Mehehe.” Zorbak laughed. “The warrior becomes a god for the new age, the mage learns its purpose, and the thief is the very one to actually bring the new age in. That means our true enemy would be Omicron.”

“Unless he is our savior.” Warlic said smiling. “The new age may be bad or good. We will not know.”

“Warlic, there is something that is bothering me...” Maria said.

“Yes?”

“Why have we only just heard of these prophecies? They seem to be rather important.”

“Ah. Well you see...they have been locked away until now.”

“Locked away?”

“Yes. The WolfBlade sealed in the stone? Today it was lifted into the air by an unknown force and a letter was found. The RuneHawk’s Drakylon Cube exploded and revealed its letter. And the MystRaven door opened to reveal a stone wall...with its text written upon it.”

“Where did these artifacts come from?” Starbuck asked. “This is all sounding very suspicious. How would someone know the exact moment to activate the artifacts. And how would they know all of this would happen?”

“Mehehe.” Zorbak laughed. “EbilCorp has predicted the future before. We were able to create prophets...however they did not survive long. I wouldn’t say it is impossible for an event like this to occur.”

“That only explains one portion though.” Warlic noted. “How did the artifacts activate?”

“Perhaps they detected the presence of the Soul Eaters.” Zorbak suggested.

“Whatever it is...it doesn’t matter. We need to know what to do with this information.” Warlic said. “Unfortunately...I can’t think of a thing.”

Everyone agreed. There was nothing they could do. At least, not until the battle in the skies above had finished. Until then, they needed to wait. If everything went as planned then the Dragonguard and Alliance Gundams would defeat the Soul Eaters once and for all.

Coming Next: The End of Gundam: Shadow Season 2! The Holiday Chapter, as well as Soul and Change go live on December 25th, 2009!

S2 Chapter 13: Shattered

The dragonoid rocketed forward. In seconds his army was no longer visible, and he was catching up to the beam of Soul Eaters. He flew faster and faster until he was ahead of the beam which was now nearing Loreon.

The dragonoid made a sharp turn and stopped directly in the path of the beam. The Soul Eaters collided with the dragonoid. In the explosion, the Soul Eaters were scattered. A large blue mist of glowing orbs was outside of Loreon. The orbs floated towards the planet at an incredibly slow pace.

At this point the Gundams and the draconic fleet had arrived outside of Loreon. Right outside of this world would the final battle take place. Mika and Ryukai were in Gundam form and were paired with Archon 117 and 234.

“Synchronizing Gundams and Archons.” announced Vero.

“Synchronizing Twin Gundams.” announced Vera.

“Ready to combine the power of four Gundams?” Vero asked the Dragonguard.

“As ready as we will ever be.” Mika stated. The two Archons aimed at the wall of Soul Eaters. The light energy gathered in front of the Archons and combined. A gigantic sphere of light shook in front of them. The energy was unstable and the Archons clearly couldn’t control it.

In one large explosion, the Dragonguard were thrown into hyperspace. “What just happened?” Ryukai asked astonished.

“The blast...took us into hyperspace?” she guessed.

“Where are the others? And...grah!” he cried out. “Why can’t we leave? I can’t open a portal back to normal space...”

“I can’t either.” Mika said.

In front of them particles of light gathered to form an object. Mika and Ryukai flew forward and saw Omicron’s head.

“Omicron!” Mika said surprised.

The eyes of the head opened. And the head spoke. “Shattered...is what he did...to me..”

“Valoth?” Ryukai asked.

“Yes. I...can...not exist...much..longer...” the head said. The eyes closed and they felt the energy draining.

“What can we do to help him?” Mika asked. “He said he was shattered...among hyperspace? It will be impossible to restore him..”

Omicron’s eyes opened again. “Not...impossible...the shadows...they hurt me...here I am...safe...but....Valoth....must....”

“Valoth is causing this!’ Mika said anger gathering. “All evil is connected to him and EbilCorp...”

Mika screamed in rage. The two Dragonguard were then pulled back to normal space. There they saw the draconic fleet battling the Soul Eaters intensely.

“The Dragonguard!” exclaimed one of the dragonoids. “You are safe?”

“Yes.” Ryukai responded. “The blast sent us into hyperspace...” he began. Upon thinking this a though appeared in his mind. “The Alliance Gundams! What happened to them?”

“They have been fighting with us for an hour now. The Soul Eaters were both destroyed and scattered. We are hunting them down now.”

The Alliance Gundams were fighting fiercely to make sure no Soul Eaters escaped to Earth. The orbs were small and difficult to hit which made their jobs even more difficult. They were nearly powerless, but the dragonoids were not.

The dragonoids had amazing precision and they could simply snap their jaws and swallow a Soul Eater to destroy one. However there were still only five dragonoids, and thousands of Soul Eaters left.

“Valoth!” Valkyrie cried.

The Shadow Gundam turned around, angered. Mika had brought dragons here, which meant he was now surrounded by enemies. They could turn on him at any time.

“Ah, Dragonguard. You have returned with the...dragons.” he said.

“Let go of him.” Valkyrie said ready to strike.

“Let go of who?”

“Omicron.” Mika growled as Ragnarok approached.

“Omicron is gone. There is nothing to let go of.”

Ryukai responded. “Your game is over. We just talked with Omicron...we know he still exists. You are preventing him from doing so though. So either you let go of this world, or we will sever you from it.”

“Very well then.” Valoth said quietly. Mephisto rushed forward and unleashed a saber made of pure doom energy from his arm. He slashed at Valkyrie, and split the Dragonguard in half.

Mika screamed as she dissolved and reformed behind Valoth. Valkyrie unleashed the feathers of its wings of light which swarmed around Mephisto and cut into it. While Valoth was being torn apart, Ryukai moved in front of him.

He grabbed the DG Buster Rifles stored in his legs and fired at Mephisto from point blank range. The shadows were ripped apart, and Valoth screamed in pain.

“You fools...” Valoth managed to say as his body exploded in a blast of red doom energy. The Dragonguard were thrown back as the doom energy reformed. Mephisto was now different. He was barely made of shadow anymore...the shadows only held the pieces of his crystallized doom body together.

“It looks like our plan is working.” Ryukai said.

“But it isn’t enough. We need help.” Mika said. “Alliance Gundams!” she cried out.

The Archons and SIN made their way to the Dragonguard, who were dodging attacks from Mephisto. They arrived quickly and swiftly. Mephisto immediately attacked them, but they skillfully dodged.

“Valoth turned on this?” the pilot SIN asked.

“Yes. We need to defeat him.” she said quickly, whilst dodging his repeated doom energy attacks. “So we need your help. All Alliance Gundams sync with your suits.”

“How?” SIN asked. “I am paired with Sentinel...Omicron...and he is gone.”

“Valoth is Omicron. Do as I say.” Mika yelled.

The Archons attached to Valkyrie and Ragnarok, while SIN activated his system and manually targeted Valoth.

“Now!” Ryukai yelled. As SIN’s cables went to attach to Valoth, the Archons fired a controlled beam of light. Mephisto screamed as he was ripped apart, and SIN began to drain his energies. A light emerged which then merged with SIN. Mephisto was now gone, and SIN had absorbed Omicron. Or...what was left of him.

The pilot turned around and saw fragments of crystallized light floating behind him. “Shattered...” said an odd voice as the crystals fell and their glow dimmed.

S2, Chapter 12: Alliance Gundams

Chapter 12: Alliance Gundams

“Archon 117 active.” reported the pilot of the Gundam.

“Archon 234 active.” reported the pilot of the second Gundam. “Beginning synchronization of the Twin Gundams.”

The Twin Gundams were the first man made Gundams. Manufactured in Arthuria, and piloted by Arthurian twins. Today was the day of their first mission: to aid Ragnarok in the battle against the Soul Eaters.

“Synchronization complete.” reported the pilot of 117. “Ready to go, Vera?”

“Ready.” responded Vera, the pilot of 234. The Twin Gundams took off from the Arthurian military outpost and flew towards Necryptos. Just outside of this planet, on the opposite side, was a battle that would decide the fate of the universe.

Vero, pilot of 117 was excited both to test out the Gundam and for the battle. After the Shadowscythe War ended, he didn’t think an opportunity like this would come around again. Fortunately for him, it had.

Vera on the other hand was not so excited. The Soul Eaters were like any other enemy inside a ship or a mech, but if a single one of them escaped the battle, it could be the end of the world. She did not buckle under pressure, but this was more than pressure. This was such an insane task, it almost felt like a decision. Do I fail or do I succeed?

“We should establish communications with SIN.” Vera suggested.

“No need.” said a voice. The SIN Gundam, developed on Basis (a planet of humans and zargonians) was the last of the Alliance Gundams. “Ready for war?” asked the pilot.

The Gundams had now reached Necryptos and the scene of the fight. There they saw an entire army being fought by beams of light and shadow. They all knew the situation was dire, but this was insane. Five Gundams against an entire army.

“Glad to see help has arrived.” Ragnarok said.

“Its an honor to be your support unit.” Vera said, hardly believing she was about to fight alongside one of the Dragonguard.

“Support unit?” Ragnarok asked.

“Don’t get me wrong..I’m more than that, but each AG was designed to pair with a Dragonguard Gundam.”

This was the first Ryukai had heard of this, and even in the intense battle he managed to laugh at it. How could they even design a support unit for a Gundam made of pure light?

“We have no time for talking.” Valoth said to all of them. “The EbilCorp army is pushing forward.”

As Valoth said this, almost on cue, an Ebil Paladin ship headed directly for Archon 117. The Gundam however was not caught off guard, and it “side-stepped” and then cut the ship in half with its AG Short Sword.

As more ships approached, it aimed its AG Fangs at them and within moments, the specially designed Fangs latched onto the ships and exploded. Archon 117 then moved forward.

Archon 234 took a similar approach to its Twin, and panels on its forearms flipped to reveal missiles that shot forward and destroyed more Ebil Paladins. “Want to test out the synchronization system, Ryukai?” Vera asked.

“I’m not quite sure how it works...” he responded.

“Don’t worry. You won’t need to do a thing!” Vera said smiling. She initiated the system and a beacon appeared on its visor. Ragnarok emitted tendrils of light which then attached to Archon 234.

“Initiating Dragonguard Overdrive!” Vera announced as she diverted power to the AG Cross Guns. The guns emitted beams of light so strong and powerful, everyone was blinded. The light reached the center of the fleet and then exploded in a wave-like form. The waves came into contact with every ship and then dissipated. All the ships stopped moving. The fleet was now motionless. They had been rendered immobile.

“Sorry Ryukai...I didn’t charge properly. I wasted a use of the system...”

“Wasted?.” Ryukai asked shocked. “The ships won’t be able to advance now. I’d say that was a success.” he said wondering about the true power of this “system.” It was capable of rendering an entire fleet immobile, and yet that was not its true function?

“This certainly makes our job easier.” the pilot of SIN said with a smirk. “Now it is time for me to display the true power of SIN!”

Two Extendable Swords emerged and SIN moved forward slicing the ships while burning others with its Eye Beams. SIN’s pilot continued to show off as it switched to its Beam Whips. Shortly afterwards it latched onto a larger ship and extended its other arms. They clawed at the ship while he smashed it with SIN’s Great Axe.

Vero took this as a challenge. Archon 117 activated its Knuckle Dusters and solid blades emerged from them. The Gundam diverted power to its thrusters and rocketed forward at full speed slicing the sides of a thousand ships within seconds.

Valoth was impressed by the Alliance Gundams, but did not think of them as true Gundams. They were mobile suits. They hardly possessed enough power to be considered a Gundam. Even if they did run on CDB.

Together SIN, Archons 117 and 234, Mephisto II, and Ragnarok destroyed the entire army within an hour. Where before there had been a gigantic force, there was nothing but scrap parts floating in space. As they patrolled the area they noticed a small capsule.

“How idiotic of you.” spoke a voice. Kabroz appeared on the monitors of all the Gundams. “While you battled the army, I gathered all the Soul Eaters here...”

Before they could respond the capsule exploded and a beam of blue light shot forth, past Necryptos and toward Alliance Territory.

“My Soul Eaters shall devour you all!” Kabroz said laughing as he emerged from the capsule. In a flicker he disappeared from their monitors and from their view.

“Kabroz escaped?” Ragnarok said stunned. “But that is impossible...”

“It doesn’t matter. If we don’t leave now, the Soul Eaters will destroy us all.” said SIN’s pilot in a calm voice.

Everyone looked at the beam of “blue light”. The Soul Eaters were nearly out of view. From behind them a massive amount of energy began to gather.

“Help has arrived.” Ragnarok said sensing it.

A large orb of light appeared behind them. The orb grew in intensity and lit up the region. It continued to grow, past the size of a Gundam, then to the size of a moon. The light imploded and the resulting explosion opened a portal.

Beyond the portal was an army of draconic ships. “Help has arrived.” announced a female voice.

“Mika?” Ragnarok said shocked.

“Yes. I went and got some help.” she said smiling. “Even more help than it first appears...”

Before Ryukai could ask a question, five large metallic beings emerged. Five dragonoids.

“It is time to finish this.” one of the dragonoids announced. “Now is our chance to defeat the Soul Eaters once and for all.

Next Week...Shattered. The fight continues and a lost friend calls out for help.