Zoids Original: Geno Ritter Story
Translated August ~ September 2013
(Originally posted to Phenotype's
Zoids Forum)
Contents: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Bios | Footnotes
PART 1: "The Genes Were Too Strong"
The last days of the Central Continent War, in Empire territory. A Republic force, composed of commando unit support type Cannon Tortoises equipped with shield armour plating, was rushing furiously ahead while they fired their heavy weapons and missile launchers.
They were about to forcefully push back the front line of the Imperial capital defence lines.
In the command room within the Imperial capital palace, the chaos was spurred on by the fact that completion of the Geno Saurer, a tyrannosaur-type Zoid being newly developed in order to break down this situation critical to the survival of the Empire, had been drastically delayed.
One of the commanding officers, Booker Green, let his voice ring out in the command room while stamping furiously on the floor.
"I can't stand this any more, the Geno Saurer still hasn't arrived!? At this rate, our army will be defeated!"
"Don't be so hasty. That machine is still in the experimental stage, it's in no state to be released into actual combat."
"So then, what are you saying we do?"
Loudly scolded by the calm voices of the other commanding officers, the blood ran to Booker's head and he let out a shout.
At that moment, a messenger entered the command room. He brought with him a report from Empire army scientist Daemon that the Geno Saurer test machines would be entering combat practice.
[2]
A few days later, at the Empire army practice grounds. As Booker and everyone from the command department watched attentively from atop the viewing balcony, the Geno Saurer appeared from the central doors and commenced combat practice with a captured Shield Liger machine.
The Geno Saurer easily wrecked the Shield Liger with its high melee abilities.
Possessing a strong will of its own, the Geno Saurer was unsatisfied, so it brushed aside the pilot's control and launched a merciless attack[1] at the Shield Liger, which had already ceased to function.
"Surely this is a genocide dragon that has inherited the genes of the Death Saurer... Are there any pilots who can handle this...?"
While the commanding officers watching this cruelty held their breath, they felt the same thing.
"...Now then, from here on is the real show."
As Daemon murmured this, watching the state of the practice grounds at a distance, the doors of the practice grounds opened again and the Jagd Geno appeared, equipped with two huge swords and high-manoeuvrability verniers.
[3]
This improved model of Geno Saurer, the Jagd Geno, was the greatest machine Daemon had developed, a new Zoid possessing combat abilities more overwhelming than any existing Zoid.
At the appearance of the Jagd Geno, the Geno Saurer that had been persistently attacking[1] the Shield Liger gave a roar of anger, making bare its hostility.
Against the Geno Saurer, which opened its radiator fins and assumed the firing position for the Focused Charged Particle Cannon, the Jagd Geno drew out the 'Dragoon Stahl' swords it wore on its back, and at the same time lowered the blade on top of its head forwards, opened its verniers left and right, and took its "position".
The moment after the resonating roars of both sides became the beacon of battle, the Jagd Geno fired its verniers and nimbly dodged to the side of the Geno Saurer's Focused Charged Particle Cannon.
As it rapidly approached, sliding in with the same low stance, the swords it brandished to the heavens swung down diagonally and sliced the enemy's body in half.
All those who saw the scene fell silent.
Then suddenly, the Jagd Geno bared its fangs at the commanding officers on the viewing balcony, and sliced up the front wall of the balcony with its sharp claws. The front wall crumbled down, and at the point where it was on the verge of collapsing, a Storch flew in from the skies above.
When the jointed arms installed on the legs of the Storch gripped the Jagd Geno's forehead, the Jagd Geno stopped rampaging and suspended its functions.
Appearing from inside the Storch, Daemon calmly informed Booker and the others of the end of combat practice, putting aside the great disaster.
"This was inexcusable. The new system I installed raises combat power by deepening the cooperation between Zoid and pilot, but the mental burden on the pilot is great, and there are problems with using it as a weapon in its current state."
As he returned to the remodelling experiment base in the Storch, Daemon muttered to himself while looking down at the ground from the cockpit.
"Just as planned. I will have the Empire lose while some military power still remains."
[4]
Captivated by the high combat abilities of the Geno Saurer and Jagd Geno, Booker pressed the other commanding officers intensely to release the two machines into actual combat, but because of the danger of them attacking enemy and ally without distinction, and because no pilots could be found who could handle these machines, their release into actual combat was passed over.
After that combat practice, abnormalities were induced in the minds of the pilots of the Geno Saurer and Jagd Geno, and their personalities became so brutal it was as if they were different people.
Eventually, in a state of despair, Booker bowed deeply towards the capital palace where the Emperor would have been, and disappeared from the Empire army.
A few months afterwards, the Imperial capital palace was on the brink of surrender. At the end of the violent battle for the capital with the Republic army's main forces, the Empire army's Emperor fled from the palace, which was engulfed in blazing hellfire, and escaped from the capital, protected by his guardian knights.
This signified the collapse of the Empire at the same time as the defeat of the Empire army, and the Central Continent War concluded here.
PART 2[2]: "The Azure Dragon and the Aloof Knight"
Not long after the Central Continent War, which ended with the victory of the Republic army, a united federation was established which respected living together with Zoids.
However, on a group of islands to the west of the Central Continent, which should have been maintaining tranquility and informing that the era of conflict was over, the coals of battle were about to start smouldering once again----.
In the sea to the west of the Central Continent, within a remodelling experiment base on a lone island that had been converted into a fortress. In the innermost part of a room teeming with madness in the aristocratic style symbolic of the Empire army, with iron poles assembled in complex truss shapes lining its interior, were the figures of Booker, former Empire army commanding officer, and Ash Labone, former ace pilot of the Empire army guardian knights.
After the fall of the capital, the remnants of the Empire army had escaped from the Central Continent along with the Emperor and received the cooperation of a supporting power, and in order to restore the Empire, they had been storing up military power centred on this remodelling experiment base on the western islands.
"Ash, the time has finally come to use this..."
Before the eyes of Booker and Ash, a remodelled machine of the Jagd Geno was enshrined, equipped with Head Armour on its head and small-winged Magnessers on its legs.
[2]
The Jagd Geno ended up never being released into actual combat in the Central Continent War, but after the war ended, it was recovered in secret and transported to the remodelling experiment base by Daemon.
After many trials, Ash, who possessed superior skill and mental strength, succeeded in handling this raging dragon.
The will of the Jagd Geno recognised Ash alone as its master.
Later, by equipping the Head Armour developed by Daemon, they succeeded in causing the will and senses of the Zoid and pilot to cooperate more accurately, and its combat power rose further.
In addition, this Head Armour took the role of a safety device that would stop it from functioning if an unforeseen event happened to the pilot, he lost control, and it went berserk.
As Ash entered the chest cockpit while watched over by his ally soldiers, giving off the high noise of military shoes, the machine's eyes shone eerily and the sound of it activating rang out.
"My name is Ash. Ash Labone. I am a proud knight of the Empire.
I shall name your reborn self the 'Geno Ritter', and now is when we shall clear away our disgrace on the Central Continent!"
As though responding to the loud self-introduction of Ash, who, within the cockpit where the light of the night-vision device shone through, faced battle determined to restore the Empire army, the Geno Ritter spread the two huge swords equipped on its back as if they were wings, looked up to the heavens, and gave a tremendous roar like thunder rumbling up from the depths of the earth.
Dozens of Pterases[3] assigned to a patrol mission from a Federation Army base in the nearby sea were approaching the skies above the remodelling experiment base on the lone island.
"This is the 12th Pteras platoon. Approaching the strong machine life reaction waves that were confirmed at dawn yesterday! It appears to be a Zoid of an unknown nature."
"This is the Federation front line headquarters, receiving your report. Resume patrolling and be careful."
"Wh-what...!? A tyrannosaur-type Zoid I've never seen before is... uwaah!"
"He took a Particle Cannon shot! Requesting reinforcements immediately!"
A roar that carved through the sky could be heard from the receiver, and finishing with cries of death agony, the transmissions from the flying force cut off one by one. A deep silence hung in the command headquarters.
All those present in the command room could not avoid imagining the worst of situations.
"It-it can't be... the Death Saurer!?"
On the battlefield, the two surviving Pterases performed nose-dives and fired their missiles at the Geno Ritter. An explosion of smoke rose from the direct hits.
The moment the Pterases tried to lift their noses, the Geno Ritter jumped with dreadful speed using its verniers.
The Pterases were sliced up incredibly easily by its huge swords and crashed.
[4]
The lone island at midnight.
In order to rescue the Pteras flying force, a reinforcement force from the Federation Army landed on the island and entered a state of combat with the Empire remnant army led by the Geno Ritter.
The Geno Ritter fired its Focused Charged Particle Cannon, destroyed the landing boats, and chopped up the Federation Army landing force composed of mass-production Shield Liger machines one by one with its huge swords.
Splendidly handling the raging dragon that seemed to remember the pleasant feeling of destructive activity itself, Ash wore an expression full of self-confidence within the cockpit.
"I knew there was no mistake. If we had you, the state of the Central Continent War would have changed. Now will be the time of the Empire's restoration."
And so, accompanied by the Empire remnant army composed of a number of subordinate Helcats, he stepped forward towards the naval port, where a transport ship capable of landing on the Central Continent was moored.
PART 3: "The Tip of an Evil Sword"
[1]
In front of the naval port gate criss-crossed with searchlights, the advancing Empire remnant army encountered a single unknown Zoid.
Bathed in the searchlights, the machine was clearly different from mass-production Shield Ligers - it was a newly-produced machine with two Thruster Guns on its back.
The one piloting this machine was Wall Spector, a former Republic army ace pilot and a master sergeant in the Federation Army.
As the Helcats' beam guns fired, the newly-produced Shield Liger turned on its heels and concealed itself in the port facilities for a moment.
Facing a battle against a great number of opponents, he repositioned his grip on the control levers so as to regain his cool.
"This is ideal for battling monsters like you. Prepare yourselves!"
After turning his eyes to the photo of his son stuck to the windscreen, Wall opened the Thruster Guns to either side, and quietly advanced.
While the newly-produced Shield Liger piloted by Wall moved around behind the enemies, concealing itself among the containers, cranes, heavy machinery and the like within the naval port, it destroyed the Helcats one by one with the Thruster Guns on its back.
Watching the state of this battle from the rear, Ash made the Helcats fall back, fired his Focused Charged Particle Cannon, and accurately destroyed the cover where the newly-produced Shield Liger was hiding.
However, although Wall seemed at first glance to be at a disadvantage, he closed the distance to the Geno Ritter while moving bit by bit.
And then, Ash and Wall finally confronted each other.
"I see, the Charged Particle Cannon is a weapon that requires charging for a few seconds to fire... If I can close the distance this much, he can't use it."
Within the cockpit, Ash felt admiration for Wall's tactics, and closed the cover on the Focused Charged Particle Cannon firing button.
Feeling joy at fighting someone strong, Ash quietly appeared from within the darkness and faced Wall openly.
In place of both machines giving their names, the Geno Ritter positioned its huge swords, and the newly-produced Shield Liger its Thruster Guns.
[3]
The first one to move was Wall's newly-produced Shield Liger.
After taking a forward-slouching position for a moment, it kicked off from the ground with all its strength, relying on the power of its legs, and at the same time sprung upon the Geno Ritter. Dodging the Geno Ritter's swords by a hair's breadth, the newly-produced Shield Liger sliced through the armour on its left shoulder with its Strike Laser Claws.
"Nice abilities, it would be a shame to defeat you like this."
"Like that's gonna happen, my kid back home is waiting for a souvenir of my achievements. Sorry, but I'm taking you down."
While the two exchanged conversation over their comms, the Geno Ritter took all of the newly-produced Shield Liger's repeated gunshots head-on with its Electromagnetic Shield.
"Not bad! In that case, how about this!"
Wall narrowly dodged the Geno Ritter's swords, moved around and in from the side, then fired ballistic shots from its Thruster Guns!
They impacted on the Geno Ritter's Head Armour, and caused a huge explosion.
Then suddenly, the Geno Ritter began to show signs of going berserk.
The Geno Ritter's anger flowed into Ash as well, but Ash suppressed it with his mental strength.
"Calm down, Ritter!"
Within the cockpit, even while Ash endured the impact caused by the damage to the Head Armour, he tested his control with the verniers, which greatly deployed the machine that was about to go berserk,[4] and tried to get the enemy in sight in front of his monitor.
"I see you have quite some skill... However, I'm going to take you out."
Pouring Zoidonium energy into the verniers all at once, he turned them to maximum power.
Scarlet flames spouted out of the opened verniers on its back like a cloak, tearing through the atmosphere, and cracks ran along the ground - and the next moment, the newly-produced Shield Liger's body was pierced by the Geno Ritter's swords, and it collapsed to the ground.
Intending to ascertain the face of his opponent, who had been a capable man despite being his enemy, Ash walked over to the cockpit of the newly-produced Liger.
What met his eyes were Wall's corpse and a single photograph. Shown on it was the figure of a young man wearing the uniform of an elementary-level soldier, who he knew was Wall's son.
"I'm sorry, but I have a mission. There's no way I'm getting beaten yet."
Ash saluted quietly, and left that place behind him. A report reached the instructors' office at the Federation Military Academy on the western islands
that the newly-produced Shield Liger had been destroyed. Zappa, of the Trap Commandos, murmured.
"Wall, how could you lose... Did he survive after all...?"
Ash and Zappa - due to the thoughts of these two, the gears of fate were about to start moving majorly----.
MACHINE INTRODUCTION
Model name / Geno Ritter
The tyrannosaur-type Zoid Geno Saurer was developed in the last days of the Central Continent War by Dr. Daemon, a scientist and commanding officer of the Imperial remodelling experiment base, in order to recover from a state of battle where they were numerically inferior due to the battle for the capital. Among them, an individual with particularly high combat power was selected and customised as Jagd Geno, but the Central Continent War ended with the victory of the Republic army while it still had no pilot, so it slept in a storage dock within the Empire army remodelling experiment base on a group of islands west of the Central Continent.
At last, the Jagd Geno gained an excellent pilot called Ash, and was revived as the Geno Ritter.
The two huge variable swords additionally equipped, the Dragoon Stahl, are the Geno Ritter's greatest weapon. Moreover, it is equipped with Magnesser Wing Verniers, which bring it pre-eminent manoeuvrability and movement ability.[5] when in combat, and its head is equipped with the Head Armour, a device which further heightens the transmission of the will and senses of the Geno Ritter and its pilot.
With the new system installed in the Geno series, beginning with the Geno Saurer, in exchange for heightening combat power by deepening the cooperation between Zoid and pilot, the will of the Zoid causes effects on the pilot's mind and makes them more brutal, and with large problems such as this and going berserk, it has become a machine that chooses its pilot.
Model name / Shield Liger TG
*TG: ThrusterGun
A newly produced Shield Liger machine. It is equipped with Thruster Guns on its back, developed with the goal of improving its movement abilities and firepower when in melee battle.
It is able to control its posture and change direction in midair, and its strong point is a battle style that unifies offence and defence, launching its own attacks while dodging attacks from enemy machines using tricky movements not seen in Shield Ligers until now.
Also, in shooting attacks, due to the width of its shooting range and the speed of its sighting, its accuracy and precision against fast-moving enemies have become exceptionally high, and in addition, it can use a number of types of beam bullets depending on the situation, so in combat from medium range to short range, it can also take the tactic of attacking multiple enemies whilst moving at high speed.
The output of its E-Shield and Laser Sabres has been increased by 20%, and its equipment has been changed from the traditional Strike Claws to the latest Strike Laser Claws.
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
Name / Ash Labone
An ace pilot from the former Empire army who drove many kinds of machines and acted in an aloof commando unit during the Central Continent War. He brought about many military gains, and was finally assigned to the Empire army guardian knights under the Emperor's direct control. His rank is Colonel. He is a solitary man seeking his own way, who excels in swordsmanship, is calm and collected, and is constantly aiming for the heights of piloting skill; he splendidly handles the Jagd Geno, which as a raging dragon had been unable to find a pilot, and makes it his favourite machine as the Geno Ritter.
He confronted Zappa as an enemy in the Central Continent War, and they are rivals who recognise each other's strength.
Name / Wall Spector
An ace pilot of the old Republic army who brought about military gains in many battles and has many admirers among Liger pilots, he is currently a master sergeant in the Federation Army.
He has absolutely no interest in fame or fortune, but he dotes over his only son.
Piloting a newly-produced Shield Liger machine with increased abilities and additionally equipped Thruster Guns, he challenges Ash to a battle, but is defeated before the Geno Ritter.
He is sharp-tongued, but possesses strong beliefs. He wears his long, slicked-back hair tied back.
Name / Dr. Daemon
During the Central Continent War, he served as a commanding officer and designed major machines at the Empire army's remodelling experiment base. However, winning or losing the battle was not important to him, and he took the lead in various schemes in order to realise his ambition of controlling the Zoid Zone; he performed mass production of the Geno Saurer, which was born in the process of the Death Saurer revival project and possessed a potentially brutal will, and developed custom machines of it.
Name / Booker Green
A rare character possessing wide-ranging connections in the military, and one of the soldiers who has served the Empire army across a long period. His strong point is dispersing political opponents using schemes, and he showed his activity in the Central Continent War, but with the deterioration of the state of battle, he gradually lost his influence and was forestalled by small matters.
He shows absolute obedience to the Emperor, and fearing demotion, he planned[6] to release the incomplete Geno Saurer into actual combat. He has quite aristocratic tastes and a plump figure.
FOOTNOTES
[1]: The word used here ("追い討ち") means to attack an enemy that is already defeated.
[2]: Literally "middle part" ("中編"), so there will most likely be three parts this time.
[3]: I've never quite been sure what to use as the plural of "Pteras" (or "Gojulas", for that matter). "Pteras"? "Pterases"? "Pteras machines"?
[4]: This phrase ("暴走しようとする機体を大きく展開させたバーニアで制御を試み") is... kind of odd. It's possible they meant "転回" ("turn" or "rotate") rather than "展開" ("deploy" or "expand"), since both are read as "tenkai".
[5]: The unnecessary . is a typo in the original text.
[6]: The word used for "planned" is "計った", which may be a typo for "謀った".
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