The transport vessel swerved sharply as a huge meteor rock flew directly at it, narrowly missing it by a few metres. A glancing blow from one of these gigantic rocks could utterly crush this small, light ship. Several more rocks rocketed past, having been caught in the overwhelming gravity of the nearest galactic system: the Titan Nebulae. This was the eventual destination of the ship although only time would tell if it would reach there in one piece. The risks associated with such an endeavour far outweighed the benefits, but everything has risks – it makes life more challenging. These very thoughts ran through the mind of the pilot of the ship while he absent mindedly reloaded his handgun. As it navigated it’s way through the hazardous asteroid field, dodging lumbering meteors and avoiding the numerous debris – some of them being the dead bodies of humans – it suddenly came to a complete halt, firing it’s auxiliary thrusters to slowly bring it down onto a uneven, grey asteroid.

 

Upon landing, a steel launch deck unfolded and it’s halogen deck lights turned on, an array of red’s and green’s blinking in the darkness of space. A low rumble resounded from the hold of the cargo ship and out stepped the gleaming Hi-Nu Gundam, painted red and green by the flashing deck lights. One might say it was a marvel of engineering; the speed, power and armour were superb but it was nothing without the ace pilot who handled it. This dark and ominous figure strode across the deck towards the Hi-Nu, which promptly opened the cockpit to receive him. He wore no space suit, even though the lack of pressure in space would cause a man to explode….for he was no mere mortal. Yet, his immortality had come with a price and his hideous gaze struck fear and despair into the hearts of all who opposed him. It was the leader of the dreaded Shadow Slayers Sharpie. He booted up the MS systems, checking all components and weapons were operational – this was no ordinary battle he would be having. Every advantage would count in order to achieve a swift and clear victory. With a final press of the console, the camera came online, filling the cockpit with an all-round panoramic view of the area – and burning like a fire in the distance, the infamous Titan Nebulae. His rival awaited him within it’s hazardous depths, searching for the one weapon that could change the balance of good and evil – he would not allow such a thing to happen. He firmly grasped the control stick and alighted the boosters of the MS. The launch deck released the Hi-Nu Gundam, sending it soaring towards the mysterious Nebulae. Sharpie veneered closer and closer to the far-reaching gases of the Nebulae until the Hi-Nu descended, disappearing from view…going to it’s destiny.

 

Meanwhile, the formidable Nightingale loomed along the highly irradiated straits, zipping in and out of narrow crevices and eluding the dangerous and random plasma blasts, endlessly looking for the tool of mass destruction: the Angel Cannon. It’s menacing red monoeye swivelled around, seeking out the location of the Angel Cannon. Lightening ceaselessly tore the skies apart with continual jabs, striking objects and leaving them as burning piles of ash. Kenshin gently pushed the control stick up so the Nightingale began a leisurely ascent over a set of thick, blue clouds, flapping it’s Angel Wings to gain height. He knew the worst of the Minovsky storms occurred in there…he shuddered slightly as he recalled his first time in there; he had never been more close to death. Suddenly, a low humming resonated in the cockpit, Kenshin had been in the Nebulae long enough to know it was the Chi (life energy) of another person – this one was strong but strangely empty of…life. This worried Kenshin. Other pilots would take the minute sound as a glitch in the system, not him... his training gave him an incredible edge in battle. To him, every sound could reveal a thousand details about his enemy; who they were, their MS and even where they were. In such a place, radar is very unreliable and it is best to rely on your instincts mused Kenshin to himself, readying his Vendetta for action. Peering over the top of a floating boulder, he was amazed to see the Hi-Nu Gundam skimming over the blue clouds he had passed earlier. “So soon though?” murmured Kenshin, his sharp eyes watching for anything escorts. He had not expected Sharpie for a couple of days at least since he had kept this mission top secret…yet he knew there would be information leaks and it would inevitably come to this stage anyway. Besides, a chance to fight his greatest enemy was not something he was going to pass up. A final showdown to decide the fate of the two organisations…steadying the Nightingale, he waited for Sharpie to come by…

 

With a nimble flick of his divine Angel wings, the Hi-Nu pulled away from the threatening blue clouds. Peals of thunder and lightening could be heard from it’s depths, roaring and smashing in anger. Sharpe intended to close the distance between him and Kenshin, wherever he was. He had to remember that Kenshin, if he was still alive would now have a far better knowledge of this area and….his thinking process was stopped by the sound of a beam against metal. “What!!!!” yelled Sharpie as his MS gyrated crazily and with a powerful whack flew back from the force into a hard rock, damaging several external sub-systems. Sharpie, dazed from the impact was not even sure what had just happened, even less sure why he didn’t know…Kenshin smiled smugly at his fallen rival, deftly twirling his Vendetta with the skill of his ancestors and brought it up in a traditional attack stance. “Nice ambush Kenshin, care to try again? I think you’ll find me a different proposition this time...” boomed a heavy voice through the Nightingale’s comlink. Laughing, Kenshin said “Sharpie, you really are the same old person, lick your wounds and return straight into the battle,” he paused and his voice became resolute and fierce, “However, I’m not the same person, at one time I would have spared your pitiful life although now times have changed”. In the blink of an eye, the Nightingale boosted to the Hi-Nu Gundam, pushing it further into the rock with it’s hand. Sharpie grunted and said quietly, “Times are not changing…we are, history is an endless waltz of war, peace and revolution, it has never been changed – only we have adapted them, made them what we believe them to be…I know we both want our organisations to be the most powerful – is this not true?”. Kenshin stopped. Was this really the same Sharpie? Usually he would have killed first and asked questions later. He faltered and said cautiously, “Perhaps this is true…nevertheless even if we have changed, our ideals have not, my aim to rid the world of the Shadow Slayers has not – I see no reason why I should not destroy you here and now”. Now it was Sharpie’s turn to laugh. “You are no match for me my friend, not now, not ever,” he smirked, goading Kenshin with his laughter. Kenshin growled, and seeing only red, stabbed down onto the cockpit. “Ha, how do you like that old friend!!!” crowed Kenshin triumphantly until without warning, a buster shield with a hole through it smashed into the Nightingale’s head sending pieces of it flying everywhere. “He blocked it that fast??” cried Kenshin in disbelief thrusting the Nightingale back, and then drawing out his beam sabre, “Well, two can play at this game”, he snarled and launched himself at the Hi-Nu Gundam, spinning his sabre. “YAAAAAA!!!!” hollered Sharpie, holding the Excalibur in both hands and flew at the Nightingale. With a huge crash the two swords locked, their wielders in dire mortal combat.

They broke off as Kenshin fired his Chest Vulcans at the Hi-Nu Gundam, forcing it to take cover in the dense asteroid field. “Fool, there is nowhere to hide from me as I know this place better than you” murmured Kenshin and withdrawing his awesome twin buster rifle, smiled and softly said “I’m going to smoke you out like a rat”. Yet Kenshin did not see Sharpie sneak up behind him using his hyper jammers and in one blow, launched his twin dragon fang, knocking the rifle away from him. He then proceeded to lay waste to everything around by setting it alight. Sharpie cackled malevolently as the merry dance of flames caused nearby methane gases to explode, creating a huge blast that rocked both MS. The Nightingale flew over the burst of flames, in between the spinning dragon fang and rammed the Hi-Nu Gundam hard, unbalancing it. Kenshin then quickly slashed the leg of the Hi-Nu using his Vendetta and let off a barrage of rounds from his head vulcans. Sharpie’s damage screen showed holes appearing as well as a long gash on the surface of the Hi-Nu Gundam and he grimaced angrily while he fought for control against the Nightingale, who was not letting up. “Get back you filth!!!” shouted Sharpie grabbing the Nightingale and throwing it over his shoulder. As the Nightingale tried to turn for a shot with its Vulcans, Sharpie fired three shadow missiles, filling the area with a heavy, black smoke. Concealing himself in the smoke, he entered one word into his console: “ZERO” and the world changed o a radiant yellow. Kenshin’s cockpit screen was clouded over and he entered search parameters for his twin buster rifle, the only weapon he had that could destroy Sharpie. His flapping angel wings swept some smoke away as he zoomed up and out through the smoke, breaking out into the glittering spacelight and he saw it…and he saw the Hi-Nu Gundam next to it, eyes bloody red with power.

 

Kenshin immediately noticed something different about Sharpie and his throat went dry…“Oh nuts, he activated his Zero system”. Moving almost impeccably slowly, the Hi-Nu began to drift towards the Nightingale with machine gun in hand, like it was savouring the moment. The Nightingale separated the twin buster rifle into two and took aim at Sharpie, hoping for one clear shot. But, Sharpie’s mind was racing with information, he could see everything…all the secrets of the universe were unlocked to him, he just needed to kill Kenshin and it was over. He felt no emotion now, no pain, no anguish – just a sense of solid, rational knowledge, Kenshin would die – he would win, ZERO told him so. He pushed the throttle hard and boosted right beside the Nightingale, startling it’s pilot and loosened a burst of machine gun fire straight at it’s massive torso. Kenshin braced himself as the tremendous sound and impact came, with the force of a ten tonne weight. Jamming the throttle into reverse, he sped away from the Hi-Nu Gundam firing his rifle occasionally to lure Sharpie. He had a plan and in order for it to work, he would need Sharpie to follow him. With another enormous blast, he released a buster rifle shot and zoomed into the centre of the asteroid field. Sharpie idly darted away from the rifle shot and trailed after Kenshin. Let him hurry thought Sharpie, I can follow him for as long as need be. ZERO believed that pursuit was the best option in this case and so the Hi-Nu initiated it’s thrusters and dashed after Kenshin. Like bait on a hook thought Kenshin wirily as he saw the Hi-Nu appear in the buster rifle’s viewfinder. He was crouched on a large meteor with the rifle in full twin buster mode and aiming not at Sharpie, but at a cluster of rocks close by. "See how this works for you Sharpie” and from the gun issued an incredibly powerful wave of energy struck the big, hulking rocks orbiting the centre, shattering them into tiny but lethal fragments. Millions of shards of iron ore and dense metals cascaded upon the Hi-Nu Gundam, shredding external armour and sensors and leaving long gouge marks across it’s Gundanium alloy shell. Sharpie felt slightly puzzled as to why he did not foresee this incident in his mind but pushed it to the side as he surveyed the damage to his mobile suit. ZERO calculated a 51% probability that he would attain victory after this recent attack although he privately felt it was lower than that. Kenshin punched the air with a wide grin on his face and circled warily around the stationary Hi-Nu Gundam, not taking any chances. A crackle of static followed by the words “Now I’m angry…” sounded out from his comlink and the Nightingale shuddered as Kenshin sensed the unstoppable energy that was forming in the Hi-Nu. Raising his twin buster rifle he took aim at the Hi-Nu, but it had already gone…to reappear next to him. It then executed a perfect 360 spin cut with it’s Lionheart that took off the Nightingale’s left external propellant and attempted to sever off the Nightingale’s arm. Yet Kenshin was not a master swordsman for nothing and he deflected with his beam sabre just in time, counterattacking with a low thrust to the leg. The Hi-Nu barely had time to dodge the attack although it just grazed it’s skirt armour. The Nightingale pressed home it’s advantage, striking again and again at Sharpie who weaved in and out and parried and blocked most of them. Drawing back his control stick, Kenshin deliberately left his flank vulnerable for Sharpie to assail which he did. “Gotcha!!!” yelled Kenshin in glee and parrying Sharpie’s Lionheart, backhanded the Hi-Nu Gundam straight into the blue clouds… “I’m coming in to get you,” he called through the comlink and rushed after the falling Hi-Nu Gundam, deep into the eerie mists.

 

The ZERO system’s lights dimmed and abruptly, it’s dazzling yellow faded into nothingness – “d**n,” cursed Sharpie. The system should have lasted a whole hour more, what gives? he pondered angrily. Bringing up the topography map, he checked his location and found it to be in an unknown sector. Hitting the console in frustration he thought, great, an area most likely to be full of potential hazards and my worst enemy hunting me like a dog. A sudden flash of purple light blinded him and after rubbing his eyes, he saw afar, lightening storms slicing down onto rocks and…as his eyes watched, completely obliterating them. He had heard of these so-called Minovsky storms that were three times more powerful than any regular storm on earth – they delivered charge at a rate of 250 million volts a second and were known to cause mass disturbances on outer world colonies. One simple lightening storm could destroy a fleet of battleships; imagine what it could do to a mobile suit.

 

The Hi-Nu boosted erratically, as if trying to outwit the lightening strikes and then, from a bank of cloud, a giant gold energy blast shot out, almost touching the Hi-Nu Gundam. Into the cloud, Sharpie discharged 7 shadow missiles, a continuous chain of bullets from his machine gun and all of his rounds from his Vulcan’s; all to no avail. A lightening bolt struck in the clouds, causing a shockwave that drove the Nightingale out of the cloud and straight into Sharpie’s path. But another bolt separated the two and kept on driving them away from one another. Dancing around one another for fear of being reduced to nothing by the bolts and their efforts to attack were in vain as whenever the got close to each other, another lightening jab would blow them away. Hundreds of lightening bolts arced hither and thither, giving the appearance of an electric light show. It would be a marvel to watch, so long as you were very far away from it. The two MS’s dodged another strike and twisting around, began to grapple with one another showing the true test of strength. The Nightingale’s superior strength and size gave it an unprecendented edge in this area and it simply picked up the Hi-Nu Gundam and tossed him into a bed of sharp rocks. Then it fired six lancing shots from it’s twin buster rifle, that rained down upon the Hi-Nu Gundam’s legs – eliminating the both in a split second. Sharpie grunted with pain and saw blood on his fingers…bastard…in 10,000 years noone had made him bleed – especially not Kenshin. Kenshin hovered above Sharpie, Vendetta reflecting beams of light onto the legless Hi-Nu Gundam. This was the end sensed Kenshin, but for who? With the Vendetta outstretched in front of him, he dived onto the Hi-Nu Gundam, to make the final kill... Sharpie could feel it as well, a great life was about to be extinguished, but whose? Glancing upwards, he saw Kenshin coming down onto him like the wrath of God and a dark fire lit in his soul. He fingered the special weapon attack on his console and with a huge thrust, tore towards the racing Nightingale, crying out loudly “END OF HEART!!!” The two ploughed towards each other, heaven and hell, light and dark…good and evil.

Yet, with such a magnitude of power, Kenshin could only watch helplessly as Sharpie easily crushed the Vendetta and slashed and hacked fifty times at the Nightingale, each blow enough to devastate a battleship. Looking at the console, Kenshin smiled serenely and prayed for a safe passage to the after-life. It was him who was to die this time. Opening the comlink on the wrecked Nightingale, he uttered: “I was not ready for this battle Sharpie, I commend you for you skills…more than once I have in such a battle, I learn each time-next time, you will not be so lucky”. The Hi-Nu Gundam was also in very bad shape, wires hanging off his armour and many dents and cuts in it’s frame; it’s Gundam head nodded and faced the Nightingale square in the eye. “As I do you Kenshin, no life is more sacred than those whom wish to preserve them…I hope you find peace in the stars” came the almost tearful reply. Sharpie knew this was the way of things; the dead did not come back to life so it as best to make amends now. Kenshin tilted his head towards the darkness of space and drew his ninja sword. The console spluttered and threw sparks everywhere while damage reports whizzed unnoticed across the broken screen. Taking a deep breath, Kenshin opened the cockpit and tossed out the ornate sword. It slowly drifted through the vicious onslaught of lightening strikes and disappeared into the opaque mists. He sat down heavily and watched as the MS Minovsky core reached critical meltdown. He spoke again through the comlink, folding his arms as he did "Now the world will know that the swordsman Kenshin has fallen in battle when they see his lone blade". Sharpie shook his head and answered in defiance, “No, they will look upon it and say the mighty Kenshin has fought bravely for humanity once again and..”, He was cut short as a brilliant white light shone out of the black Nightingale, running like blood through it’s armour lines and then in a huge sphere of white energy, completely enveloped him – igniting an incredible explosion that was felt by distant galaxies. The Hi-Nu itself was spun around and hurled away, like a leaf in a storm, until it settled on the outskirts of the Nebulae…floating aimlessly – Sharpie initiated his emergency beacon and waited…he now had time to think, all the time in the world…