Zoids Official Fan Book 5 "Departure"
Continent of Delpoi, Central Mountain Range ZAC 2105, October
Republican Army Mercenary Irvine |
Republican Army Second Lieutenant Steve Bone |
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The Dark Spiner. It was that demonic electronic warfare Zoid's fault. Ally Zoids were driven completely mad by its Jamming Waves, and were defeated without even being able to fight. However.... If they could hold out until spring, they would complete "it". The last hope left to the Republican Army, that new giant Zoid...
It happened when Steve Bone finished his regular patrol and turned his beloved machine towards the base. The König's movements had suddenly become heavy. There was a dull sensation, as though a foreign object was caught between the control stick and the drive system. This sensation felt familiar to him. From the battle for the Republic's capital. The machine he'd been piloting back then was a different König. The machine's movements had suddenly slowed to a crawl, and it quickly ceased to function. There were Dark Spiners in the enemy force. Steve had no choice but to abandon his beloved machine and flee. An unforgettable humiliation for a Zoid pilot. And it was about to happen again. The enemy was coming. With Dark Spiners in tow.
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Steve was running desperately towards the base. The König couldn't even use the communicator. He had no choice but to communicate the crisis on his own two feet. But he was halfway up a high mountain, and already out of breath. Yet he couldn't stop walking. Just a little further. Once he got over that ridge...
At that moment, the sound of artillery fire roared. The battle had already begun. Then the roar of a Zoid boomed. A roar unique to giant Zoids, with a heavy, high-pitched ring.
— What was that?
Having reached the top of the ridge, Steve saw it.
One after another, swarms of black-armored enemy Zoids were pouring into the base, and a giant beast stood before them.
The giant beast's name was Gojulas the Ogre. The Republican Army's experimental Organoid machine. Its level of perfection was so low that it couldn't compare to the Empire's Organoids. It was a monster so ferocious that it couldn't be controlled by anyone other than a pilot chosen by the Ogre itself (apparently a mercenary named Irvine). However, it was said that its power and regenerative abilities were what set it apart from mass-produced Organoids.
The Ogre moved. It carelessly tore apart the Sack Stingers that'd leapt at it, and attacked a nearby Dark Spiner.
A blow from its gigantic jaws tore off the Dark Spiner's head. The Jamming Waves were powerless against the Ogre, which moved only by its fighting instincts and its mental link with the mercenary.
Without a moment's hesitation, it fired another blow. This time with its tail. The second Spiner collapsed, crushed beyond recognition. Almost at the same time, it aimed the large-calibre cannons on its back at another Spiner and gunned it down. At point blank range. The Spiner was blown away like a tattered cloth.
It was a good move. The Ogre was narrowing its aim to the Dark Spiners only. If the Spiners were gone, the base defense force could send out their Zoids, too. There were only four Dark Spiners left, and the Ogre was attacking its next target. Of course, the damage to the Ogre was also enormous. The Sack Stingers jumped at it one after another, and rained down concentrated gunfire. This was attack power one wouldn't expect from a small-scale Zoid. The armored Zoid, the Ogre, didn't flinch. The hopeless situation, standing 100 against 1 only further inspired this incredibly ferocious Zoid. As if that excitement had boosted its regenerative abilities, the metal cells instantly repaired themselves, preventing it from suffering any fatal wounds.
Four Zoids deafeated on sight. Five, then six. Just one more to go. At that moment, the ground split open and a huge tail appeared. On the tip was a blade. It pierced the Ogre's belly. It was the Stealth Stinger. Genius had been using the final Spiner as a lure, lying in wait underground for the Ogre to charge.
The Stealth Stinger was a modified version of the ferocious Death Stinger, known as the True Organoid. Its output had been reduced to eliminate the risk of it going out of control, and instead of a Charged Particle Cannon it was equipped with High-Output Laser Scissors on its tail. It was a close-range Zoid combining stealth with heavy armor.
The Ogre's movements slowed. Its Zoid Core had been damaged. Beyond just a surface wound. It would no longer be able to regenerate. The Stinger tried to drive its blade deeper, while the Ogre endured. Ignoring the two entangled machines a swarm of Sack Stingers charged into the base. One Dark Spiner was still alive and well. The Republic Zoids were unable to move. Just as the republican soldiers braced for the base's annihilation, the Republican Army's last hope, the Gojulas Giga, was activated.
It was Steve who'd activated the Gojulas Giga. Having slipped through the battle between the Ogre and the Black Dragoons and returned home, Steve had immediately received an order.
— Destroy the Gojulas Giga.
The Giga was a new type of decisive combat Zoid that was to be the key to the Republic's counter-strategy beginning the next spring. It had unrivaled power and heavy armor made from an ancient titanium alloy, and when completed, it would even block the jamming waves of the Dark Spiner.
That was just it, though. When it was completed. The Giga wasn't yet complete. The Jamming Wave interception circuits that were meant to be installed within its armour were unfinished. Without the circuits, it would just be manipulated by the Spiner and seized by the enemy. That alone, they had to avoid.
But having it self-destruct without even being deployed once was an order Steve couldn't bear. Bitter memories of the battle for the capital crossed his mind. He saw his own pathetic figure, having had no choice but to abandon his beloved machine and run away. As he set the large aount of explosives in the Giga, Steve continued to grind his molars. And then... By the time preparations were completed, Steve had made up his mind. Gripping the detonation switch, he slipped into the Giga's cockpit. The moment the enemy tried to snatch it away, he'd press the switch. That way, he could at least take one or two machines with him. He couldn't think of anything else he could do for the Giga.
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The Spiner was gone. Ripping the detonator cord away, Steve urged the Giga forward. It advanced, breaking away the hangar arms as it went. As it watched this moment the Ogre slowly collapsed, never to move again. There were scratches across the cockpit as well. He wondered if the mercenary inside might still be alive?
— Thank you.
He thanked him with all his heart, then leapt out of the hangar. Black shadows moved in a swarm. There were still 70, 80 of them. The Stealth Stinger was in front. Steve didn't know, of course, that the pilot was Genius Deldaros, but he knew that he was no ordinary man, just based on him having defeated the Ogre. Even so, Steve had no fear. Since ancient times, the Gojulas was a Zoid that changed the fighting spirit and anger of its pilot into power. In that case, there was no way he would lose now.
A group of Sack Stingers brandished their claws and sprang upon him. The Giga intercepted them with its tail. At the same time that its huge tail swung, the built-in rocket boosters ignited. It created incredible weight and speed. The group of Sack Stingers were literally turned to dust. They didn't have the self-repair abilities of an Organoid in the slightest, so they were completely destroyed.
A rain of machine-gun fire came from left and right. It didn't leave a single scratch on the Giga's heavy titanium-alloy armour. It swung its tail in the opposite direction. With that, another five or six Sack Stingers were scattered away together. It was enough destructive power to make Steve himself, the one piloting it, tremble. The Sack Stingers drew back quickly. The enemy was unsettled. Now was his chance to win. The Giga moved to pursue them. Something black appeared at its nose. The tail of the Stealth Stinger. At the tip of it was the Laser Scissors that'd taken down the Ogre. It was by a hair's breadth. The Giga tilted its head head to avoid the fatal blow, but its shoulder armor was sliced away. Steve counterattacked in an instant. The Giga flashed its fangs. Only to cut through air. The Stinger had already moved around behind it. He lashed out with the tail. This was also dodged. What moves. It shocked Steve, making him cautious. The distance between the two machines increased. Suddenly, the Stinger kicked up a huge amount of dust, and dove into the ground.
— Damn.
Steve involuntarily clicked his tongue. This was just like when the Ogre was defeated. He couldn't see anything, but the enemy must've figured out their location above using information from the Sack Stingers.
Indeed. Hiding underground, Genius was once again confident in his victory in this battle. He'd already seen through the Giga's movements. All that remained was to wait for it to get within range and strike with his deadly tail. One minute. Two minutes. In these tense moments, Genius continued to calmly stare at the information panel sent from above ground. And then—
— There it is!
The Stinger's tail thrust out through the surface. Genius could see the scene of the Giga's core shattering. However, the tail that should have been a certain kill cut through the air in vain. The Giga dodged with speed impossible for a giant Zoid.
The Giga was equipped with several features that set it apart from conventional Zoids. One of these was the pursuit mode. By transforming into a high-speed, forward-leaning form, the Giga could demonstrate the mobility of a medium-scale Zoid.
The Giga struck the Stinger with its foot. There wasn't any avoiding it this time. The super-heavy armor was easily crushed. Just before the unit exploded, Genius rolled out of the cockpit. At the same time, the Sack Stingers fired their smoke chargers all at once. A violent smokescreen rose up. When it cleared, the Black Dragoon had completely disappeared. It was a brilliant withdrawal.
As he was being shaken around on the back of a Sack Stinger, Genius Deldaros smiled. His first defeat as a Zoid pilot. He was smiling like it was some sort of unbearable joy. A single flake of snow brushed his cheek. Winter had now arrived in the Central Mountain Range.
The snow gradually covered the deep wounds that the Republican Army base had borne.
In the tumultuous hangar, Steve Bone was looking up at the Giga he had just come down from. For the time being, they had overcome today's crisis. But the Republic's "tomorrow" depended upon whether or not they could mass-produce the Giga by spring. — We have to hurry.
Steve stepped into the base, where the shouts of soldiers and maintenance personnel never ceased.
- Current Navigation
Notable Differences
- Changed FBEX1's 7000 ~ 9000 metre measurement of the Central Mountain Range's highest mountains to 7000+, and also added additional clarification that Steve was currently half way up the southern peak (vs 5000 ish up.)
- Removed mentions of the battle for the Republic capital being 3 years ago, maybe for redunancy?
- The following text from Steve's flashback of the battle was removed.
At that time, he had been piloting another König. The strategy had been to pierce the flank of the enemy Armoured Division's main force, as a member of the High-Speed Force. However, with the enemy force before his eyes, the König's movements had suddenly slowed. There were Dark Spiners in the enemy force. Just as it entered their jamming area, the König started to totter like a drunk man.
The high-speed Zoids that had lost their manoeuvrability amounted to less than practice targets. After that, Diloforce and Demantis units gushed forth in terrible amounts and showered them with blows. The force was annihilated in an instant. There were also a considerable number of his comrades who were attacked by allies controlled by Jamming Waves.
"I did well to survive," he thought. In exchange, Steve had tasted the deepest disgrace for a Zoid pilot, that of abandoning his beloved machine and escaping.
It was a bitter memory. But he didn't have time to be flooded with sentimentality. The enemy was drawing near. With Dark Spiners in tow." - The following text was also cut, shortening the introductions to this story's main battle. Some details were paraphrased in different ways (presented as non-italics) but a number of lore details were axed, such as the Organoid System being perfected.
What's more, it was the worst kind, a mopping-up force containing Dark Spiners. He had to notify the base immediately.
Steve cut the power to his beloved machine and jumped down from the cockpit. He couldn't even use the communicator. All he could rely on were his own feet. He ran as though crawling along the rugged footholds. However, he was 5000 metres above ground level. His breathing rose immediately. From behind Steve approached footsteps that sounded like earth tremors. He instantly hid himself in a rocky area. The enemy force calmly advanced right beside him. As he gazed at its majestic appearance, Steve's sense of despair deepened further.
It wasn't just Dark Spiners. There was even a Death Stinger. It was a monster loaded with the Organoid System, the legacy of Planet Zi's ancient super-civilisation. The Empire Army had now succeeded in completely analysing and mass-producing this system, which gave combat Zoids terrifying life energy, agility and fighting instincts. The one before his eyes was a Stealth Stinger, a mass-produced machine with its stealth abilities and armour strengthened in exchange for its Charged Particle Cannon being removed. There were also Sack Stingers, mass production-type small-scale machines with the incubation of their Zoid Cores eliminated. They numbered around 100. All of them were united with a jet black colouring. It was the "Black Dragoon".A tiny smile floated on Steve's lips. Apparently when poor conditions piled up this much, people instead laughed.
Once again, Steve began to run as if crawling. Towards the base where his comrades awaited. Towards a battlefield where certain death lay in store....... - The following line was cut.
He wouldn't want to be late, and then end up being the only survivor.
- A roar unique to tyrannosaurus Zoids was changed to unique to giant Zoids in OFB5. The following descriptive segment was also cut.
A roar unique to Tyrannosaurus-type giant Zoids, with gravity and shrillness overlapped. There shouldn't have been any Tyranno-type Zoids in the Black Dragoon.
- The following line was added to OFB5.
One after another, swarms of black-colored enemy Zoids were pouring into the base, and a giant beast stood before them.
- OFB5 specifically names Irvine as the pilot of the Ogre, while FBEX left this a little more ambiguos as a shoutout to fans who'd read the earlier stories. They also changed the mention of Ogre being 10x stronger than a normal Gojulas to saying that it had power and regenerative abilities that set it apart from mass-produced Organoids.
- OFB5 added the following line.
The Ogre moved. It carelessly tore apart the Sack Stingers that'd leapt at it, and attacked a nearby Dark Spiner.
- OFB5 added the following line.
Without a moment's hesitation, it fired another blow. This time with its tail. The second Spiner collapsed, crushed beyond recognition.
- OFB5 infers that the Ogre's regenerative abilities are tied to its excitement in battle.
- OFB5 adds the detail that the Stealth Stinger had its output reduced to eliminate the risk of it going out of control. It also labels its tail blade as High-Output Laser Scissors.
- OFB5 adds the following paragraph, with some paraphrasing of FBEX.
Its Zoid Core had been damaged. Beyond just a surface wound. It would no longer be able to regenerate. The Stinger tried to drive its blade deeper, while the Ogre endured. Ignoring the two entangled machines a swarm of Sack Stingers charged into the base. One Dark Spiner was still alive and well. The Republic Zoids were unable to move. Just as the republican soldiers braced for the base's annihilation, the Republican Army's last hope, the Gojulas Giga, was activated.
This replaces the original interaction from FBEX:As the Stealth Stinger tried to crawl underground again, the Ogre tried to tear off its blade with both arms. But its power was falling. Stopping the Stinger was all that it could do. - OFB5 removes the following line. The rest of the paragraph is written differently, but more or less paraphrases the same thing.
At this point, Steve had returned to the base and was staring up at the giant Zoid that stood towering in the hangar.
- OFB5 added the following interaction.
With a loud bang, the bulkhead of the hangar was breached. In came the surviving Dark Spiner. The jamming waves came immediately, making the Giga's behavior grow unstable. The distance between them wasn't so great, but it was now or never if he wanted to self-destruct. He pressed all his strength to his fingertips. That's when it happened. Something beyond even Steve's predictions had transpired. The Ogre invaded the hangar. With its Zoid Core pierced through, it bit into the Spiner's throat with ingredible speed, and twisted its head off.
The Spiner was gone. Ripping the detonator cord away, Steve urged the Giga forward. - OFB5 updated the following paragraph to the second version. Just including it because I liked both takes.
As though it had seen things through, the Ogre collapsed. It had defeated the final Spiner for them by turning its back on the Stealth Stinger, fully prepared to bear fatal wounds to its core.
There was little damage to the cockpit. There was a possibility the pilot was alive. That alone was a relief.As it watched this moment the Ogre slowly collapsed, never to move again. There were scratches across the cockpit as well. He wondered if the mercenary inside was still alive? - OFB5 added the following text.
— Thank you.
He thanked him with all his heart, then leapt out of the hangar. Black shadows moved in a swarm. There were still 70, 80 of them. The Stealth Stinger was in front. Steve didn't know, of course, that the pilot was Genius Deldaros, but he knew that he was no ordinary man, just based on him having defeated the Ogre. - FBEX mentions Genius watching a Surface Radar, while OFB5 says that the Stealth Stinger receives data from the Sack Stingers.
- OFB5 adds the following lines for Steve.
- Damn.
Steve involuntarily clicked his tongue. This was just like when the Ogre was defeated. - And removed the following lines from Genius.
"!?"
For the first time, Genius was perturbed. - And that's it for the FBEX1 story! Sorry for the huge walls of text!
- Current Navigation
