New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Sidestory: Tiel's Impulse

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Sidestory: Tiel’s Impulse (新機動戦記ガンダムW〜ティエルの衝動〜, Tieru no shōdō) is a 1998 one-shot photo-story manga set in the After Colony timeline, taking place in January AC 196. The comic, featuring photo-stories of model kits, was included in the New Mobile Report Gundam W: Endless Waltz Ultimate Playing Book (Shin Kidou Senki Gundam W: Endless Waltz Saikyō Playing Book), a model kit magazine-book released in 1998. The short six-chapter series tells the story of Tiel Noembreux, a 14-year-old girl searching for her brother—an OZ pilot who disappeared during the testing of ZERO System 2.0. She and her friends broke into a Romefeller Foundation manufacturing facility to steal mobile suits and aid their search.

Synopsis

The story begins on Colony X-18722 in January AC 196. Tiel Noembreux, a 14-year-old choir girl, her friend Krung Ponlamaai, and their guardian Trinoi Levinski—a former OZ soldier—arrived on the colony claiming to be part of a choral performance. They secretly moved off to find the Romefeller Foundation’s secret mobile suit manufacturing plant. Trinoi gained them entry and they came across a number of mass-production model Gundams, including six Wing Gundam Seraphims. They were immediately discovered, and members of the group each stole a mobile suit before the soldiers could capture them.

The trio raced away, with Tiel convinced that her missing brother was at the Graveyard of Soldiers. They were pursued by two Romefeller soldiers—Semis and Dobert—using Gundams of their own. Tiel pleaded with them to stand down, explaining that she needed the Gundams to find her brother, who had been one of their test pilots. The Romefeller loyalists ignored her pleas and proceeded with their attack. Trinoi tried to get Tiel to run, but she stayed to help. Krung managed to launch a surprise attack, disabling their machines, and they started off again.

Finally, they arrived at the Graveyard of Soldiers, a shoal zone made up of damaged mobile suit parts. Unfortunately, Krung revealed her true colours, explaining she had accompanied them and stolen a Gundam just so she could bring it back to the Mariemaia Army. Krung activated a pair of Capricorn mobile dolls and attacked Tiel.

Krung tried to kill Tiel, but her panic caused Seraphim’s ZERO System 2.5 to activate. Unable to control her own movements, Tiel fired a blast from her beam rifle, apparently killing Krung and taking out Gundam T’ien-Lung and the Capricorns. At that point, Semis and Dobert returned, their Gundams repaired with parts from the G-Units. Trinoi battled them himself and managed to destroy both before his Gundam Derringer Arms exploded from heavy damage, killing him.

Finally, Tiel’s brother Karl appeared, piloting the Gundam Lucifer. He claimed the ZERO System 2.0 was “telling” him how to bring absolute peace by eliminating all who would perpetrate war, and he wanted his sister to help him with it. She didn’t believe it and realised that the ZERO System had driven him mad. Although hesitant to fight, her brother attacked first, and they both fought. The final scene showed both Gundams locked in combat, slowly incinerating as they fell towards Earth’s atmosphere, with a text balloon explaining that the two were later rescued by a transport shuttle.

Story

Background

Tiel Noembreux was a 14-year-old member of the “Protestant Choir,” a special branch of the Mariemaia Army composed entirely of teenage soldiers. She left the Mariemaia Army to search for her brother Karl, a former OZ pilot who had disappeared during the testing of ZERO System 2.0. Tiel’s childhood friend Krung Ponlamaai accompanied her, ostensibly to help, whilst Trinoi Levinski—a former OZ soldier forced into retirement due to combat injuries—trained them both in mobile suit piloting.

Infiltration and theft

The group infiltrated the Romefeller Foundation’s secret Gundam manufacturing facility on Colony X-18722, discovering mass-production Gundams including six Wing Gundam Seraphims. When discovered, they each stole a mobile suit: Tiel took a Seraphim, Krung took T’ien-Lung Gundam, and Trinoi took Gundam Derringer Arms.

Pursuit and betrayal

Romefeller soldiers Semis and Dobert pursued them in Deathscythe Guilty and Sandleon respectively. After Krung disabled their machines, the group reached the Graveyard of Soldiers. There, Krung revealed she had been working for the Mariemaia Army all along, intending to steal a Gundam to bring back to them. She activated two Capricorn mobile dolls and attacked Tiel.

ZERO System 2.5 activation

When Krung attempted to kill Tiel, the Seraphim’s ZERO System 2.5 activated due to Tiel’s panic. Unable to control her own movements, Tiel fired her beam rifle, apparently killing Krung and destroying T’ien-Lung and the Capricorns. Trinoi then battled the returning Semis and Dobert, destroying them both at the cost of his own life when Derringer Arms exploded.

Brother’s madness

Karl Noembreux appeared in Gundam Lucifer, claiming the ZERO System 2.0 was telling him how to achieve absolute peace by eliminating all warmongers. He wanted Tiel to join him, but she recognised the ZERO System had driven him mad. They fought as they fell towards Earth’s atmosphere, both eventually rescued by a transport shuttle.

Development

Conception

Tiel’s Impulse was conceived as a photo-story manga featuring model kits, exploring the concept of mass-production Gundams and advanced ZERO System variants (2.0 and 2.5). The story examined the ZERO System’s psychological effects on pilots, expanding on themes introduced in the main Gundam Wing series.

The “Protestant Choir” concept—teenage soldiers in the Mariemaia Army—suggested Dekim Barton had been recruiting and training child soldiers, paralleling the main series’ theme of young pilots manipulated by adults.

Production

The manga was included in the New Mobile Report Gundam W: Endless Waltz Ultimate Playing Book (Saikyō Playing Book), a special model kit magazine-book published by Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha in 1998. As a photo-story manga, it used photographs of model kits rather than traditional manga artwork, with text and dialogue added.

The story featured numerous original Gundams, many of which were variations on existing designs: Wing Gundam Seraphim (Wing variant), Gundam Lucifer (also Wing-based), T’ien-Lung Gundam (likely Shenlong variant), Deathscythe Guilty and Sandleon (Deathscythe and Sandrock variants respectively), and Derringer Arms (Heavyarms variant).

Characters

Civilians

Tiel Noembreux: A 14-year-old former member of the “Protestant Choir” searching for her missing brother Karl.
Krung Ponlamaai: Tiel’s childhood friend who secretly remained loyal to the Mariemaia Army.
Trinoi Levinski: Former OZ soldier forced into retirement due to combat injuries, trained Tiel and Krung in mobile suit piloting. Died destroying Semis and Dobert.

Romefeller Foundation/OZ

Karl Noembreux: Former OZ Space Force soldier who became a mobile suit test pilot, assigned to pilot Gundam Lucifer during its ZERO System 2.0 test run. Driven mad by the system.
Semis: Romefeller loyalist who pursued the thieves, piloted Deathscythe Guilty.
Dobert: Romefeller loyalist who pursued the thieves, piloted Sandleon.

Mobile suits

Tiel’s Impulse featured numerous original mass-production Gundams:

Civilian-stolen units:

XXXG-00W0S Wing Gundam Seraphim (piloted by Tiel)
XXXG-01HD Gundam Derringer Arms (piloted by Trinoi)
XXXG-01ST T’ien-Lung Gundam (piloted by Krung)

Romefeller Foundation units:

XXXG-00W0L Gundam Lucifer (piloted by Karl, ZERO System 2.0)
XXXG-01DG Gundam Deathscythe Guilty (piloted by Semis)
XXXG-01DG2 Gundam Deathscythe Guilty Custom
XXXG-01SRL Gundam Sandleon (piloted by Dobert)
XXXG-01SRL2 Gundam Sandleon Custom

Mariemaia Army units:

OZ-11MS Capricorn (mobile dolls)

Chapters

The manga comprises six photo-story chapters:

COMIC STORY01: 飛び立つ機影時の流れに刃向かう少女たち (Rising shadows: Girls defying the flow of time)
COMIC STORY02: 迫りくる彼らは歴史の暗部を隠そうとして (Closing in: They try to hide history’s dark side)
COMIC STORY03: 新たなる障壁それはやがて来る戦乱の予兆 (New barriers: Portents of coming conflict)
COMIC STORY04: 復讐の業火命を捨てて少女を守る騎士 (Fires of vengeance: Knight protecting girl with his life)
COMIC STORY05: 歪んだ平和の叫びに織天使が洗礼の矢を放つ (To twisted cries of peace: Seraphim releases baptismal arrows)
COMIC STORY06: 二人きりの帰還哀しみの幕は閉じられる (Two alone return: Curtain of sorrow closes) [Fin]

Appearances

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Sidestory: Tiel’s Impulse appeared in:

New Mobile Report Gundam W: Endless Waltz Ultimate Playing Book (1998, Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha)

External links

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Sidestory: Tiel’s Impulse at About Gundam Wing
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Sidestory: Tiel’s Impulse on the Gundam Wiki