OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate

The OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate was a prototype offensive anti-Gundam mobile suit developed by the five captured Gundam Scientists for OZ in After Colony 195. Designed to operate alongside its sibling unit, the defensive OZ-13MSX2 Mercurius, the Vayeate specialized in overwhelming firepower through its large beam cannon. This weapon’s destructive power exceeded that of the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam’s powerful buster rifle whilst lacking the latter’s three-shot limitation—a back-mounted beam generator provided the cannon with virtually limitless ammunition. The Vayeate was primarily piloted by Trowa Barton whilst he acted as a double agent within OZ.

Overview

The Vayeate and Mercurius were developed using the OZ-12SMS Taurus as a reference, representing OZ’s attempt to create mobile suits capable of defeating the Gundams. The five captured Gundam Scientists designed the pair to operate together—Vayeate providing overwhelming offensive power whilst Mercurius provided defensive cover with its planet defensors.

The Vayeate was armed only with a single large beam cannon, forsaking all other weapons and defensive equipment to maximize offensive capability. This specialized design philosophy made the Vayeate extremely dangerous at range but vulnerable without Mercurius covering it. The beam cannon was connected by retractable power cables to a beam generator mounted on the mobile suit’s back, which opened its cover to dissipate heat during peak energy production.

Both the Vayeate and Mercurius mounted covers to protect their head sensors, though this limited vision—a necessary trade-off for enhanced sensor protection during combat. The mobile suits were constructed from Gundanium alloy, giving them durability comparable to the Gundams they were designed to fight.

Armament

Beam Cannon

The Vayeate’s sole weapon was a powerful beam cannon with destructive power exceeding the Wing Gundam’s buster rifle. Unlike the buster rifle’s three-shot limitation due to energy cartridges, the Vayeate’s beam cannon was powered by a dedicated beam generator mounted on the mobile suit’s back, providing virtually infinite ammunition. The weapon was connected by a pair of retractable power cables that allowed power transmission from the generator.

Due to the weapon’s large size, it required both hands to wield properly. The beam cannon was one of the few weapons powerful enough to melt through Gundanium alloy, making it effective against the Gundams it was designed to combat. The back-mounted beam generator’s cover opened to dissipate heat produced when energy production was at peak, with the power cables housed in the generator when the cannon was not in use.

Special equipment

Beam Generator

Mounted on the Vayeate’s back, this external energy generator served to power the mobile suit’s beam cannon. Unlike conventional beam weapons that used internal capacitors or cartridges, this system enabled sustained high-power beam fire for extended periods. The generator’s cover opened during intense energy production to prevent overheating, making the Vayeate distinctive in appearance when the beam cannon was actively firing.

Operational history

Development and deployment

Whilst the five Gundam pilots fought on Earth to defeat OZ and the Alliance, the scientists who created their mobile suits were captured by OZ and forced to work on next-generation mobile suits capable of ending the Gundam pilots’ activities. The five scientists developed a pair of designs—the offensive OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate and the defensive OZ-13MSX2 Mercurius.

The Vayeate was assigned to Gundam pilot Trowa Barton, who was acting as a double agent within OZ. Paired with captured pilot Heero Yuy in the Mercurius, they were deployed to stop Quatre Raberba Winner’s rampage in the newly built Wing Gundam Zero. Quatre, driven emotionally unstable by the ZERO System, had been destroying OZ satellites and even colonies.

Battle with Wing Gundam Zero

Heero and Trowa fought Quatre to a standstill using the Vayeate and Mercurius’ combined offensive and defensive capabilities. However, when Trowa intercepted a blast from the Wing Zero’s twin buster rifle with the Vayeate to protect Heero, the mobile suit was damaged beyond repair. Quatre surrendered after believing he had killed Trowa (who survived but lost his memory). After the battle, the Wing Gundam Zero, the damaged Mercurius, and the wreckage of the Vayeate were recovered by OZ.

Mobile doll version and final deployment

The Vayeate’s combat data and design were later utilized in developing the OZ-02MD Virgo mobile doll. Subsequently, White Fang built another Vayeate alongside another Mercurius as a pair of mobile dolls, both programmed with recorded data of the originals’ pilots—Trowa’s combat data for the Vayeate and Heero’s for the Mercurius.

Shortly after completion, the two mobile dolls were launched to intercept and destroy Hilde Schbeiker, who had stolen important data from the battleship Libra. The machines would have succeeded if not for the intervention of Duo Maxwell piloting his Gundam Deathscythe Hell, who destroyed both mobile dolls.

Appearances

The OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate appeared in the following works:

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (anime series, episodes 20-45)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers (manga)
Gundam Build Fighters (anime)
Gundam Build Fighters Try (anime)
Gundam Build Divers (anime)
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays (video game)

External links

OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate on the Gundam Wiki