Part 4:  Gundam Beholder

	The two pilots left their shuttle behind and approached the debris in their 
gundams.  Scraps of broken and twisted metal floated aimlessly about.  Some of the drifting 
hulks were once buildings where people lived and worked.  Others were pieces of the defense 
laser system.  Still others were part of the structure of the space colony itself, blown to 
fragments in a single blast from the Wing Zero's twin buster rifle.  The area appeared to 
be deserted.
	"We got here seven hours early, maybe he hasn't arrived yet," Trowa commented.
	"In that case, let's check out the area so we know what kind of conditions we'll be 
fighting in," Heero said as he began to accelerate.
	Without warning, there was a red flash which knocked the twin buster rifle out of 
Wing Zero's grasp.  They heard a quiet laugh over their comm systems.  "Good idea, but not 
this time," stated the new voice, "considering how long I've waited for this moment, I 
really would like to get started."
	At that, a mobile suit emerged from behind a ruined building.  It had the 
appearance of a gundam, with various things setting it apart from the current five.  For 
one thing, it had several high output external vernier thrusters:  two on it's back, two in 
front, and two on each leg.  In it's left hand it held a large gun which seemed to have two 
outputs, one of which was apparently responsible for the recent disarming of Heero.  The 
most intriguing aspect of this new adversary, however, was the additional glowing eye set 
upon the thing's forehead.
	"Cover me," shouted Heero as he drew his beam saber and rushed forward.  Trowa then 
fired a volley of ammunition at the mysterious foe.  In one fluid motion, the gundam stowed 
it's gun on it's back, dodged the incoming fire, and hid behind a particularly large chunk 
of metal.  When Heero maneuvered over to follow it, however, the enemy was nowhere to be 
found.
	He informed Trowa of this.  "I don't see him either, but I doubt he's through with 
us," came Trowa's response, "he seemed pretty eager to fi--Watch out, Heero!"
	Heero was suddenly struck from behind.  "Such fools," the voice stated mockingly, 
"falling for such a simple trick.  You don't even know how to use the terrain to your 
advantage."
	Heero turned around and made a downward slash with his beam saber.  The strike was 
deflected, though, as the unarmed gundam caught Wing Zero at the elbow, and the two began 
to grapple.
	Zero, being the stronger of the two, was beginning to have the advantage when Trowa 
locked on with Heavyarms' seeking missiles and fired into the melee.  Heero's trinocular 
adversary sensed this and, using a quick blast from it's verniers, rotated the fight so 
that Wing Zero was between him and the explosives.
	In the confusion of the blast, the unnamed pilot drew his gun and fired another 
crimson blast, this time at Heavyarms.  Having done that, he pushed off from Wing Zero and 
addressed his two opponents, "See how easily a fool's strength can become his weakness!"
	"Trowa, are you all right?" Heero asked over the comm system.
	"All sys.....mal....ing....can't.......ve.......some kin........tromagne.....
pulse...." Trowa's response faded in a burst of static.
	Heero demanded of his antagonist, "Who are you?"
	Instead of answering, the enemy responded in a singsong voice, "I know something 
you don't know..."
	Heero, guessing that this something was probably not pleasant, shifted his gundam 
to a defensive stance.  His fears were confirmed when, for the first time, his opponent 
deployed it's beam weapon.  Three outputs, evenly spaced about the gundam's right wrist, 
produced three neon-green blades, which came to a point to form a weapon about as long as 
Wing Zero's beam saber.  The gundam burst forward, delivering a flurry of blows with the 
weapon and leaving Heero no time to counterattack.  The pilot then executed a spinning move 
with the controls which left him facing Wing Zero's back.
	Siezing this opportunity, he struck one of the "wings" which gave the most recent 
incarnation of 01 it's name.  The glowing blades completely destroyed the thruster and the 
gundam flew past Wing Zero, turning to face both of the crippled suits.
	"Remember this, warrior of destruction, for whom death is not enough:  mercy is a 
warrior's greatest strength, while humiliation is his greatest victory."  Upon saying this, 
the mysterious foe fired a large, glowing yellow projectile from the previously unused 
barrel of the gun.  Heero recognized the shot with horror, and strained against the 
controls, using the one remaining thruster to crash into Heavyarms, knocking both gundams 
out of the way just as the many simultaneous explosions of the Noventa Cannon blast ripped 
through the area they had just occupied.
	The pilot left with one final message:  "My name is Jarek Irdra.  Beholder and I 
will be seeing you again soon."