The coastal road leading out of Neo-Verdia offered a breathtaking view of the sparkling Pacific, a stark contrast to the scorched earth and metal graveyards the pilots had seen recently. Saturday had arrived, and for a brief moment, the war felt like a distant memory. A sleek, high-end transport vehicle—courtesy of the Treyman estate—carried Zaki, Maki, Airis, Aurora, and Tasya toward a weekend that was supposed to be about books, not beam sabers.
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," Maki groaned, clutching a thick physics textbook to her chest like a shield. "I survived a duel with a Saturnian Princess, but I might actually die from differential equations."
"Focus, Maki," Tasya teased, leaning back with her eyes closed. "If you fail, Zaki will have to pilot the White Gundam alone while you're stuck in summer school."
"Don't even joke about that!" Maki shrieked, making Zaki and Aurora laugh.
The vehicle eventually pulled into a private estate hidden behind a lush forest. As the gates opened, the group gasped. The Treyman Villa was a masterpiece of modern architecture—a sprawling glass and white-stone structure overlooking a private cliffside beach.
Gills Treyman was already waiting at the grand entrance. He looked as sharp as ever, even in casual attire, his short light-purple hair perfectly styled. Flanking him were two rows of maids in immaculate uniforms, bowing in unison.
"Welcome to my family's summer home," Gills said with a graceful smile, his purple eyes landing on the group—and lingering for a second longer on Maki. "I hope the trip wasn't too long."
"Gills... you live like a movie star," Tasya remarked, looking up at the high ceilings and the holographic art pieces decorating the foyer.
"It's just a house," Gills replied modestly, though the sheer scale of the place suggested otherwise. "Please, follow me. I've prepared the grand study hall. It has the best natural light and a direct connection to the city's educational database."
The study hall was a massive circular room with floor-to-ceiling windows. As they settled in, the maids arrived with silver trays of refreshments—freshly squeezed juices, artisanal sandwiches, and delicate pastries. For the next three hours, the only sounds were the scratching of pens, the soft tapping of tablets, and the occasional frustrated sigh from Maki.
They pushed through a mountain of subjects: Calculus, Advanced Physics, Computer Science, and Interstellar History. Zaki and Aurora worked in a quiet rhythm, occasionally whispering to each other when one hit a snag in a formula. Airis, on the other hand, was like a biological supercomputer. She finished her practice exams in minutes and spent the rest of the time observing the others, her digital brain recording their focus, their stress, and their small gestures of encouragement.
"I... am... finished..." Maki finally muttered, her head hitting the mahogany table with a soft thud. She looked completely drained, her energy spent from trying to bridge weeks of missed lessons in a single afternoon.
"You did well, Maki," Gills said, placing a fresh glass of iced tea near her hand. "You've caught up on at least 80% of the core curriculum."
"Only 80%?" Maki whimpered into the table.
Gills chuckled and sat down across from her. The atmosphere shifted from intense focus to a relaxed, cozy afternoon. They began to chat about things other than schoolwork.
"Actually," Gills started, his expression becoming a bit more serious. "There's something you should know. My father, Stephen Treyman, is visiting your parents' secret base today. He's there to finalize a formal alliance."
Zaki and Maki both sat bolt upright, their fatigue instantly replaced by shock.
"Wait, what?" Zaki asked, his eyes wide. "Did you tell him where the base is? Gills, that's supposed to be a top-secret location!"
"I only told my father," Gills reassured them, raising his hands. "He's the Minister of Neo-Verdia. He's the only person who can provide the political and financial cover the Alliance needs. He wouldn't betray the people protecting this city."
Maki looked at Gills, her heart racing. "So... our families are meeting right now?"
Airis, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up in her trademark flat, logical tone. "Based on my data analysis of human social structures and media tropes, this event classifies as a 'Formal Introduction of Two Families.' Usually, this occurs when children seek parental blessing for a long-term romantic union."
The room went dead silent.
Maki's face turned a shade of red that rivaled the Saturnian Arancia's armor. She stood up so fast her chair almost flipped. "AIRIS! What are you talking about?! Blessing? Union?! Where did you even get that?!"
Airis blinked her emerald-colored eyes. "I have consumed approximately 4,000 romantic films and 12,000 novels in the last forty-eight hours to better understand human emotion. Your heart rate increases by 15% whenever Gills enters a three-meter radius. Statistically, this indicates—"
"PRIVACY! VIOLATION OF PRIVACY!" Maki screamed, flailing her arms. "You can't just scan my heart rate and watch movies and then say stuff like that!"
Zaki burst out laughing, leaning back in his chair. "I told you she's getting too curious for her own good. She really wants to understand what it's like to be a normal girl, but she's doing it like a scientist."
Tasya grinned wickedly, nudging Maki. "Hey, look on the bright side. Gills' dad is rich. You'd get a great wedding venue."
"TASYA, NOT YOU TOO!"
Gills didn't look offended. In fact, a faint blush touched his own cheeks as he looked at Maki's flustered state. "Well," he said softly, "I can't say I'd mind if Airis's theory was true. I've always wanted to be closer to you, Maki."
Maki froze, her mouth hanging open. At the same time, Aurora leaned in closer to Zaki, her shoulder brushing his. She looked at him with a warm, sincere smile. "I feel the same way about Zaki," she whispered, her voice full of a quiet, unshakable hope. "I want us to be like this forever. No wars. Just this."
Zaki looked at Aurora, then at his sister, then at the beautiful view outside. For the first time, the future didn't look like a series of battles. it looked like a life.
Meanwhile, deep within the mountain hangar of the Alliance, the atmosphere was far more professional, yet equally historic.
Stephen Treyman, the Minister of Neo-Verdia, walked through the hangar alongside Mili Anveil. He was a man of immense presence, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw the towering White Gundam and the battered Sunflower and Lavender units.
Airi and Klaus Kimeza met them in the center of the base. It was a meeting of the minds that would change the world.
"Minister Treyman," Klaus said, shaking the man's hand. "I assume Gills told you why we're here."
"He told me you are the only hope this city has," Stephen replied, his voice echoing in the vast space. "And after seeing the footage of the battle against the Arancia, I believe him."
Mili Anveil, Aurora's mother, stepped forward to embrace Airi. "We've got the technical side covered, Airi. HARO Industries is ready to divert all its resources here. But Stephen is the one who will make it legal."
They moved to the command center to discuss terms. Stephen Treyman was clear: he would officially recognize the Alliance as the "Neo-Verdia Defense Force." He would provide the pilots with the best technology, fuel, and medical care the city could offer.
"However," Stephen added, looking at the screens. "The identity of the pilots must remain a total secret. If the public knows that teenagers—including my own son's friends—are the ones fighting this war, it could cause panic. Or worse, the Colonies will target your school. To the world, you are the 'White Bird Squadron.' No names. No faces."
Airi nodded. "We agree. Protection is our only goal."
While the adults talked politics, the engineers were busy in the lower levels. The Project: Rebirth was in full swing. The orange Arancia Gundam was stripped to its inner frame, its "brain-melting" neural links being replaced with the safer, more stable Kimeza-Spec interface. They were reinforcing the joints and preparing a new set of armor. It was no longer a machine of Saturnian ego; it was being reborn as a guardian of the Earth.
In the medical wing, the room was quiet. Agnes Arbequs lay in a specialized pod, her condition stable but her mind still trapped in the dark. A nurse adjusted her IV, unaware that the girl who had once tried to burn the city was now the most protected guest in the facility.
But the peace was a fragile illusion.
Far across the ocean, in a remote, frozen sector of Northern Canada, a hidden Colonial base was buzzing with a different kind of energy. This was a joint operation between the Mars and Mercury Colonies—factions that were tired of watching Saturn and Jupiter fail.
Deep inside a high-security lab, a new nightmare was taking shape.
"Status of the Anti-Ghost Unit?" a commander asked, walking along a catwalk.
"The frame is 30% complete, sir," a lead engineer replied, pointing to a massive, jagged Mobile Suit being assembled by hundreds of robotic arms. Unlike the elegant Gundams, this thing looked like a demon made of black iron. It was designed with one purpose: to hunt and kill the White Ghost. "It's equipped with a Kinetic-Pulse Generator. It won't care about beam sabers or armor plating. It's designed to crush the White Bird's cockpit with raw gravitational pressure."
"Make it 100%," the commander ordered, his eyes reflecting the cold blue light of the laboratory. "The Kings are tired of waiting. We don't just want to win. We want to delete the hope of Neo-Verdia from the map."
The shadow of the new war was growing, even as the students in the villa laughed over tea and textbooks. The "Zero Hour" was approaching, and the White Bird would soon have to face its most terrifying predator yet.
To be continued...