Gundam Sentinel

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Logotype for Sentinel

Gundam Sentinel's novel, Alice's Confession, by Masaya Takahashi (1990)

Gundam Wars III, the photo-novel of Gundam Sentinel (1989)

In the fall of 1987 the Japanese modeling magazine Model Graphix began to serialize an original monthly Gundam novel named Gundam Sentinel (ガンダム・センチネル). The series ran from 1987 until its conclusion in the month of August in 1988. Gundam Sentinel became a cult hit due to the super-detailed mechanical designs of the series and the intricate story by veteran writer and Gundam fan Masaya Takahashi. Gundam Sentinel took a much more realistic look at the Gundam world, where mobile suits were seen more as fighter jets or military weapons, rather than as cartoonish robots. It was also the debut of Hajime Katoki, who has come to be one of Gundam's most prolific mechanical designers.

It is now perhaps the most well-known of Gundam side stories. Set during the same timeline as Gundam Double Zeta (which is the sequel to Zeta Gundam), after the fall of the Titans the Federation sends an expeditionary force called Task Force Alpha to deal with a group of elite Federation officers who've formed their own Earth-supremacist faction called the New Desides. The series introduced a more realistic technical style of thinking that created some of the most impressive designs from the Gundam Universe. Mobile Suits were larger, their weapons more powerful then their predecessors, the characters were older and the plot was on a less grand scale than what is usually found in Gundam. It can be said that Gundam Sentinel was made for the mature Gundam fan.

The series was never animated (although a short animated TV commercial for an S Gundam model kit was made) or released as manga. However, the model kits continue to be popular with Gundam fans and new Sentinel designs crop up every now and then.

After Gundam Sentinel completed its run, all of the individual articles were compiled by Model Graphix, some new material and artwork was added, and it was published as a 320-page photo-novel under the title Gundam Wars III. It was released in September of 1989, is highly regarded as one of the best Gundam books ever written.

In July of 1990 the story was again republished as a novel titled Gundam Sentinel: Alice's Confession.

1 Story
2 Characters
3 Mobile Weapons and Support Units

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Story

It is UC 0088, in the last weeks of the struggle between the AEUG and the Titans, when a small group of elite Federal Forces officers stationed at the asteroid fortress Pezun revolt against the pro-AEUG Federation leadership. The rebels, led by Brave Cod, declare themselves the "New Desides" (a hybrid of "decision" and "dissident"). They swear to fight on for the Titans' ideology of Earthnoid supremacy. A quick battle erupts between the Federation Barzams and the newer New Desides Xeku Eins, and New Desides is successful in gaining control of the asteroid. Although Axis is the major threat on the horizon, the Federation decides that this rebellion must be put down.

Taskforce Alpha, a small force of Federal Forces, AEUG and Karaba veterans, is dispatched to Pezun to suppress the New Desides rebellion before it gets out of hand. In order to intimidate the rebels, Taskforce Alpha is equipped with the very latest advanced mobile suit hardware, including a handful of Gundams - the most powerful of which is the Superior Gundam, piloted by young hotshot Ryuu Roots. The Task Force Alpha fleet is made up of an Ahgama Class Carrier called the Pegasus III, and four Salamis Class Cruisers.

The Superior Gundam is equipped with an artificial intelligence system called ALICE, which will intervene many times to save Ryuu and, over time, develop true self-awareness...

Pezun Taskforce Alpha arrives at Pezun and sends out an Ewac Nero which is quickly destroyed by the New Decide's forces. Shortly thereafter, Taskforce Alpha launches two FAZZ units ahead of the fleet and immediately enters combat with New Decide's Xeku Eins. After a few skirmishes, New Desides launches parts of Pezun that have been torn from the main asteroid and given thrusters. Completely surprising Task Force Alpha, two of Taskforce Alpha's Salamis ships are destroyed. Skirmishes between the taskforce and New Decides continue as the S Gundam is launched for the first time with two Z Pluses as escorts.

It becomes obvious to New Desides that they won't be able to defend Pezun. When New Desides troops arrive in Aires City they find they are also being pursued by another large supporting Federation fleet led by Admiral Brian Eno. Instead of crushing New Desides, Admiral Eno, a sympathizer with the New Desides, throws his lot in with them. Now Taskforce Alpha faces not only the New Desides but its own main force.

Taskforce Alpha begins a full-scale assault on the asteroid and Many of the rebels leave Pezun for the friendly lunar metropolis Aires City, but leave a force on Pezun to hold off Task Force Alpha. As Pezun falls the remaining rebels retreat hastly leaving a nuclear booby-trap for the invaders. Taskforce Alpha pilot Tex West realizes they've been tricked, and the attacking force withdraws just in time.

Aires City The New Desides are now holed up in Aires City, making it politically unfeasible for the Federal Forces to stage a full-scale attack. Skirmishes continue as Task Force Alpha probes the area around Aires City with units of Neros and are quickly defeated by Brave Cod in the Gundam Mk. V. Taskforce Alpha then attempts to land mobile suits on the moon and root out the rebels but the descending pilots are caught in a two-pronged counterattack. New Desides spies have cracked the software of Taskforce Alpha's mobile suits and fashioned a "logistic bomb" that renders their computer systems useless. Cod's Gundam Mark V and other New Desides mobile suits ravage the helpless Taskforce Alpha mobile suits. The Federation's forces are able to counter the Logistic bomb but high casualties forces them to retreat.

The Federation sends reinforcements to join Taskforce Alpha in lunar orbit, and the combined "Eagle Force" stages an all-out assault on Aires City. The Federation reinforcements include the Novel GM III and begin the surface attack on the moon. The New Desides had relied on the other lunar cities to oppose the Federation’s act of aggression, but the political support they expected never materializes. A ferocious battle continues for eleven days. At a critical moment of the battle the Gundam Mk. V defeats the three FAZZs in Taskforce Alpha’s arsenal and kills Robert Aldrin and Jon Grissom (Shin Crypt ejects and is picked up by the Pegasus III). Brave Cod is only stopped when he is killed in combat by Ryuu Roots in the EX-S Gundam. With the New Deside’s leader dead, Aires City mayor Kaiser Pinefield decides to surrender.

Just as all seems lost for the New Desides, an Axis fleet arrives on the scene with their massive Gwa-Ley heavy battleship and over a hundred Gaza-C's and Gaza-E's. Honoring their pact with the Titans, the Axis forces cover the escape of the remaining 28 New Desides rebels from Aires City.

Penta The new leader of the New Desides, master strategist Tosh Cray, devises a desperate plan. The handful of survivors will seize the relay station Penta, in low Earth orbit, and from there launch an attack on the Federation senate at Dakkar. Their Axis rescuers loan the New Desides a powerful weapon, the re-entry-capable mobile armor called the Zodiac. The Zodiac is so large that it requires a crew and must be towed by a specially modified Musai Cruiser when not in operation.

Meanwhile, Taskforce Alpha’s flagship, the Pegasus III, has been assigned to pursue and observe the remaining rebels while the remainder of the Eagle Force fleet secures the moon. Arriving at Penta, the Pegasus III and its remaining mobile suits confront Tosh Cray and the Zodiac as he puts his plan into action. A running battle begins in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere as the Federal Forces figure out what New Desides is up to. Tosh Cray and his crew pound the Federal Forces with the mighty Zodiac as a New Deside’s shuttle carrying the remaining rebels follows. Ryu, Shin Crypt and Tex West climb into the S Gundam while Sigman Shade and Chung Yung pilot Z Pluses. The S Gundam is damaged and cannot fully transform into the G-Cruiser mode and is forced to separate into the G-Attacker, G-Bomber, and Core Fighter and fly as separate units, while Chung and Sigman fly ahead in the faster Z Pluses to hold off the Zodiac. The three components of the S Gundam arrive and Chung sacrifices himself to block a shot from the Zodiac so that Ryu and the others can merge again into the S Gundam. Sigman’s Z Plus is destroyed (although Sigman survives) and the last hope for the Federal Forces rests with Ryu.

To Ryu’s shock, the Zodiac separates into two halves while Tosh Cray launches from the rear of the the Zodiac’s hull in the Xeku Zwei. Ryu is able to destroy one half of the Zodiac and is about to destroy the other when Tosh engages him in close combat. An intense struggle ensues and the Zodiac begins it's decent into Earth's atmosphere along with the shuttle. Tosh is able to break away from the fight and follows the Zodiac to reboard it before he falls into the atmosphere.

During this critical battle, ALICE manifests her full potential - the Superior Gundam cannot follow them down without being destroyed. At this point, ALICE takes matters into her own hands. Ejecting the re-entry-proof core block containing Ryu, Alice follows New Desides down through the atmosphere, managing to wipe them out before the Superior Gundam itself burns up. Sacrificing herself for the sake of her human comrade, ALICE at last becomes fully human.