Editing Freedom Gundam (section)

=='''DESCRIPTION'''==

After successfully stealing four of the Earth Alliance's prototype Gundam mobile suits, ZAFT reverse engineers them and incorporates new technologies such as Phase Shift armor and beam sabers into their own mobile suits. With these new technologies, ZAFT also builds several Gundams of their own under the direction of leader Patrick Zala. Unlike previous Gundam designs, these new units feature a dangerous new technology: the N-Jammer Canceler. ZAFT originally develops the N-Jammer to prevent the Alliance from using nuclear weapons, but this also means that mobile suits have to be powered by short life energy batteries. By creating the N-Jammer Canceler, a mobile suit can use a nuclear fission reactor and function for a nearly unlimited amount of time even with Phase Shift armor activated. Unfortunately, the N-Jammer Canceler technology proves to be a Pandora's Box that falls into the wrong hands.

The ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam is one of the new Gundam designs built by ZAFT. The Freedom Gundam is equipped with a wide variety of powerful weapons for use in its HiMAT (High Mobility Aerial Tactics) mode. One of these weapons is the twin "Balaena" plasma beam cannons, which are stored in the wings and mounted over the shoulders during use. The Freedom Gundam's other main armament consists of twin hip-mounted "Xiphias" rail cannons. Other standard armaments include head vulcans, twin beam sabers and a beam rifle. The Freedom Gundam is also capable of using something far more powerful: the METEOR support system. This mobile weapons platform is designed specifically for use by the Freedom Gundam and ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam and is stored aboard the support ship Eternal. By using the METEOR, the Freedom Gundam can deliver a blitzkrieg attack utilizing various cannons, missile launchers and two long beam swords.

The Freedom Gundam is first used in May C.E. 71 when Kira Yamato steals it with the help of Lacus Clyne. Kira uses his new suit to travel to Earth and join the battle between ZAFT and the Alliance at Alaska. Following the battle, Kira rejoins his comrades on the Archangel and travels to Orb after Murrue Ramius decides to defect from the Alliance. There, Kira fights to protect Orb from the Alliance and is later joined by his old friend and former enemy Athrun Zala piloting his new ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam. Following the defeat of Orb, Kira returns to space and is joined by Lacus Clyne and her stolen support ship Eternal, which provides Kira with his METEOR support system. Along with Athrun, Kira uses his METEOR to save the PLANTs from destruction by nuclear missiles. At the war's end on September 27, the Freedom Gundam is heavily damaged in a battle against Rau Le Creuset's ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam. After the war, the Freedom Gundam is secretly repaired and hidden in Orb. In late C.E. 73, the Freedom Gundam is reactivated by Kira to fight off a squad of UMF/SS0-3 ASH mobile suits used by a group of special ops Coordinators sent to assassinate Lacus. In early C.E. 74, PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Gilbert Durandal orders the destruction of the Archangel and Freedom Gundam after their interference in several battles between the Alliance and ZAFT. Soon after, ZAFT then initiates "Operation Angel Down," and during that battle the Freedom Gundam is destroyed by Shinn Asuka's ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam.

==='''COMBAT ABILITIES'''===

The Freedom is primarily designed for ranged combat and thus, features a large number of long range weapons. Its armaments includes plasma beam cannons, railguns, CIWS guns, beam sabers, a beam rifle and a shield.

Due to its nuclear reactor which gives it virtually unlimited combat endurance, it can continue to use all of its weapons and full burst mode long after other mobile suits have run out of power as seen in most of the battles with the Calamity, Raider and Forbidden. Kira Yamato describes the suit as having five times the power of a battery-powered mobile suit. In Gundam Seed Destiny, Shinn Asuka said it is probably "the most powerful mobile suit out there".

==='''ARMAMENTS'''===

*'''Beam Rifle''': The Freedom uses a single MA-M20 "Lupus" high-energy beam rifle, which is the same rifle used by its sister unit, the ZGMF-X09A Justice.
*'''CIWS''': As with most other mobile suits, the Freedom features two head-mounted MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS guns, which are used to shoot down incoming missiles and enemy units at close range.
*'''Beam Sabers''': The only close combat weapons of the Freedom are two MA-M01 "Lacerta" beam sabers, which are usually mounted on the hips of the suit. As with the beam rifle, the same type of beam sabers is used by the Justice.
*'''Railguns''': Specifically for use in HiMAT mode, the Freedom features two hip-mounted MMI-M15 "Xiphias" rail cannons.
*'''Plasma Beam Cannons''': Another weapon specifically designed for use in HiMAT mode are the two M100 "Balaena" plasma beam cannons. These cannons are the most powerful weapons of the suit and mounted over the shoulders when in use.

==='''SYSTEM FEATURES'''===

As with the other four units produced by ZAFT during the first Bloody Valentine War, the Freedom is equipped with advanced beam weaponry and protected by Phase Shift armor. However, an additional technology is incorporated as well: the Neutron Jammer Canceller, which counters the effects of the ubiquitous Neutron Jammers and allows these suits to be powered by nuclear reactors. This gives them almost limitless combat endurance, even with Phase Shift armor activated.

The Freedom features a unique 10-wing HiMAT (High Mobility Aerial Tactics) mode for superior speed and agility. Several weapons are designed to be specifically used in this mode which are the plasma beam cannons and the railguns.

However, the suit's most powerful weapon is the optional METEOR support system, a large mobile weapons platform with powerful thrusters and an even more powerful armament of battleship-calibur beam cannons, large beam swords, and dozens of heavy missile launchers that is designed specifically for the Freedom and its companion unit Justice.

The Freedom uses the operating system "Generation Unsubdued Nuclear Drive Assault Module complex".

==='''HISTORY'''===

In mid CE 71, ZAFT created a series of advanced mobile suits based on technology reverse-engineered from the captured Earth Alliance G Project suits. One of these suits is the Freedom, which is the second suit of the series and can be considered the sister unit of the Justice.

Late in CE 71, the Freedom is stolen by Kira Yamato, with the aid of Lacus Clyne. Kira rushed to Earth with the stolen suit and came to the rescue of the Archangel at the Battle of JOSH-A. Along with the Archangel, he defected to neutral Orb and fought alongside his old friend Athrun Zala. Later, he returned to space along with the Archangel and Orb battleship Kusanagi, and met up with the support vessel Eternal, which had been stolen by Lacus Clyne and her supporters, led by former ZAFT commander Andrew Waltfeld, and which carried both METEOR units. Athrun and Kira used the METEORs' firepower to thwart an Earth Alliance nuclear missile attack on the PLANTs on the final day of the war. Afterward, Kira battled against Rau Le Creuset and his ZGMF-X13A Providence. The Freedom was severely damaged in this battle, but Kira managed to impale Rau's cockpit with a beam saber.

After the war, the Freedom was repaired and hidden in a secret underground base in Orb, where it remaind for more than two years. It returned to action in December CE 73, after an assassination attempt against Lacus Clyne. Kira launched in the Freedom and manages to defeat the assassins' UMF/SSO-3 ASH mobile suits. Later on, the Freedom was used by Kira in two failed attempts to stop the battling between Orb and ZAFT forces. It also destroyed the GFAS-X1 Destroy in Berlin, killing Stellar Loussier. Shortly thereafter, Freedom was destroyed by the ZGMF-X56S Impulse, piloted by Shinn Asuka, during a ZAFT attack against the Archangel. Kira shut down Freedom's nuclear reactor before losing consciousness, and was rescued by the MBF-02 Strike Rouge, piloted by his sister Cagalli Yula Athha.

The independent faction Terminal created an advanced version of the Freedom, called the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom, which is eventually piloted by Kira.

==='''GAME NOTES'''===
*'''Targeting System''': On a roll of Heroic Difficulty +1 pip for every target past 1, the pilot can open fire upon the entire front fire arc. The weapons used are the plasma beam cannons, railguns and beam rifle, with one target per individual weapon (2 for each single beam cannon, 2 for each single railgun, 1 for the beam rifle). In this case, none of the weapons are fire-linked and engage separate targets individually. The targets must roll against the pilot's attack roll to dodge.  The weapons fire as many shots as there are targets or as high as the pilot rolls above Heroic Difficulty, which ever number is less.
*'''HiMAT Mode''': This is 'High Mobility Aerial Tactics' mode.  Simply put, this is the Justice moving in combat at its highest speed and maneuverability, often while the backpack is attached to have the highest capabilities possible.  The Justice and Freedom Gundams were designed to be the most mobile MS at the time, and with a skilled Coordinator at the controls they can outmaneuver any other mobile weapon more efficiently than any other design up to that time (until the Providence Gundam was produced).  To watch these MS in action at high speeds is akin to seeing a starfighter scale human-shaped flying machine perform a battle ballet in the air, dodging and weaving all incoming attacks and aquiring the bets positions for counterattack against its enemies, an awsome scene to behold, made even more so when the Justice and Freedom work together against a common foe.<br />When in HiMAT mode, these Gundams have sophisticated flight equipment, such as wings or highly built-up backpacks, decked out with powerful thrusters and engines that flare brightly, propelling the mobile suit all about in almost every direction when needed, wildly dodging in combat to avoid being hit.  When not in HiMAT mode, the Justice and Freedom simply move at slower non-combat speeds (reduce to Space Speed 8 with its atmosphere equivilant, and having only 2D Maneuverability), and much of their flight equipment (wings or backpack) simply folds in and isn't producing as much thrust.  If these flight systems are ever damaged or destroyed, then they lost the ability of HiMAT mode and cannot achieve these until the systems are repaired.
*'''Anti-Beam Combat Shield''': Combat Shields workike normal energy shields in Star Wars RPG, in that they give bonus dice to block attack damage. Unlike Star Wars, the shield is a physical object and must be put in place by the Mecha Combat/Parry skill. They can be placed in front of the front, right or left fire arcs, but not the rear, and to catch multiple attacks from different fire arcs, the pilot must make separate rolls against each attack, taking a -1D penalty for every extra block performed with the combat shield. Also, any damage taken affects the shield first, destroying it before the mobile suit takes damage.
*'''Phase Shift Armor''': This is the same defensive system used on most Gundams in Gundam SEED. It makes the mobile suit impenetrable to ballistic and explosive weaponry, but not against energy weapons. Unlike most of the othe mobile suits equipped with PS armor, the Freedom, Justice and Providence had nuclear power and therefor had no time limit in combat, letting them be used indefinitely.
*'''Neutron Jammer Canceler''': This device allowed the use of nuclear reactors in mobile suits after the wide spread use of neutron jammers. The Freedom is one of the prototypes first equipped with them, allowing it nearly unlimited power in combat and no time limit. The mobile suit's weapons and systems have no limit while equipped with the canceler.
*'''Beam Sabers''': These are high-energy close combat weapons. Since most mobile suits function similarly to the human form, close combat weapons like swords, axes and knives have become an important part of an MS' arsenal, and the beam saber is the next step up from these. Having a blade of energy, it can deal more damage than most physical weapons, and also doesn't rely on the brute force of the MS' strength, bit it's own energy output. Also, it's 'blade' can't really be parried except by another beam weapon (since they use magnetic fields to contain their energy), and any normal weapon that tries to parry a beam saber will automatically take damage unless it has an anti-beam costing like most combat shields.<br />Before, I tried making beam sabers have less damage while negating the armor on a mobile suit. Since then I've thought differently. For simplicity, this rule is no longer in my write-ups. It sounds cool at first, but makes it difficult when translated into other types like standard Star Wars. So just up the damage by +1D if using an older write-up.

==='''OTHER SPECS'''===
*'''Model number''': ZGMF-X10A
*'''Code name''': Freedom Gundam
*'''Unit type''': prototype assault mobile suit
*'''Manufacturer''': Integrated Design Bureau.
*'''Operator(s)''': ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty); Three Ships Alliance.
*'''First deployment''': 5 May C.E. 71
*'''Accommodation''': pilot only (in standard cockpit in torso).
*'''Dimensions''': head height 18.03 meters
*'''Weight''': max gross weight 71.5 metric tons
*'''Armor materials''': unknown.
*'''Powerplant''': ultracompact nuclear fission reactor (power output rated at 8826 kW).
*'''Equipment and design features''': sensors (range unknown); Phase Shift (PS) armor; Neutron Jammer Canceler.
*'''Fixed armaments''': 2 x MA-M01 "Lacerta" beam saber, (tored on hips, hand-carried in use); 2 x MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS (fire-linked, mounted on head); 2 x M100 "Balaena" plasma beam cannon (stored in wings, mounted over shoulders in use in HiMAT mode); 2 x MMI-M15 "Xiphias" rail cannon (folded underneath hips, spread out in use in HiMAT [High Mobility Aerial Tactics] mode); shield (mounted on left arm).
*'''Optional fixed armaments '''(docked with METEOR): 2 x 120cm high-energy beam cannon, 2 x 93.7cm high-energy beam cannon, 2 x MA-X200 beam sword , 77 x 60cm "Erinaceus" anti-ship missile launchers (22 per pod, 12 per arm unit, 9 on tail fin).
*'''Optional hand armaments''': MA-M20 "Lupus" beam rifle (power rating unknown).
*'''Appearances''': Mobile Suit Gundam SEED; Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY; Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY ASTRAY; Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ASTRAY R; Battle Assault 3 featuring Gundam SEED; Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Never-Ending Tomorrow; Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (game); Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73 DELTA ASTRAY; Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam Vs. Gundam; Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam Vs. Gundam Next.

'''Source''': http://www.rpggamer.org