Unicorn Sorties

The world seemed to be sliding inexorably toward the same abyss, in a way he knew all too well and was powerless to stop.

Just like the world he had once known. History kept repeating the same tragedies under different guises.

When ZAFT tore up the agreement and deployed the Freedom Gundam and Justice Gundam, both equipped with Neutron Jammer Cancellers (NJCs), the fragile military balance the two sides had maintained for so long was broken beyond repair.

Against them, battery-powered mobile suits were outclassed in endurance, firepower, and mobility. They stood no more chance than tribesmen with spears facing a column of modern tanks.

Now that the other side had drawn a sword capable of destroying the world, his side had no choice but to wield the only power that could stand against it—or surpass it—if they wanted to survive.

Nuclear power against nuclear power. Monsters against monsters. Perhaps it was the only choice, and the saddest one.

"Final system confirmation... Enter unit identification code."

The cold system prompt pulled Xia Ya from his heavy memories. He watched the cursor blink in the empty code field. His fingers paused, then typed the name he had turned over in his mind countless times.

[U・N・I・C・O・R・N]

"Identification code 'Unicorn' confirmed. Activating Phase Shift Armor."

A faint but piercing hum sounded. Nuclear energy surged from the core reactor like floodwater through an opened gate, racing along conduits throughout the machine and into every armor module.

The change began.

The armor's cold metallic gray surface seemed to fill with hot lifeblood, glowing softly from within.

A pure white radiance spread outward at a visible pace until every inch of the machine's exterior was spotless white.

The wing-shaped backpack was bathed in the same sacred white. Beneath the hangar's dim lights, the machine