Josh Offshore

is a character from the Gundam Sentinel photo-novel. He is a Xeku Eins pilot in the New Desides First Assault Squadron.

Personality & Character
In contrast to his fellow and senior Tosh Cray, Offshore has a sort of reverence for space. When questioned if he “likes space” by Cray he replies:

"I feel like space can send a man into a thoughtless state. The fact that both Earth and the space colonies can breed life in this vacuum makes one see the true value of existence... I like space in its purity... Once man exists here, it is no longer pure. Man should leave his feet on the ground."

Offshore expresses that he likes space and by the end of the story he realizes that reason for this is that it is not supportive, that it lacks the motherly nature of the Earth.

At first Offshore's attitude towards deaths on the battlefield is neutral and dismissive, however as he continues to fight the death of his allies goes from insignificant to mildly annoying to tragic as he sees more and more and younger and younger pilots dying meaningless deaths.

Offshore also has an inherent dislike of Newtypes, he feels that their natural skill means that the years of training and hard work has has spent are meaningless.

Early Life
A son of the Offshore Dynasty, Josh Offshore experienced the kind of life that only those of noble birth could understand. His parents planned out his life and set him on a strict path from the age of six onwards. In spite of, or very likely even because of his social status he was the subject of bullying at school. While he may have given the outward appearance of fulfilling a duty that was demanded of him, his real reason for learning the art of fencing was to grow strong. While he had affection for those around him, he was afraid to express it and if anything gave off the opposite impression. Despite the difficulties he faced, his mother was still very supportive of him and through this and the driven nature of the Offshore Dynasty, he was able to secure himself a successful path to the future.

New Desides
In UC 0085 Offshore applied to the Instructor's Corps and managed to get in with relative ease. Two years later it was Offshore that came up with the plan known as the Logistic Bomb, one which he implemented by observing the last several leave officers loyal to the Earth Federation. Not long after this he follows Tosh Cray on an assault on a Federation EWAC Nero, he demonstrated as early as this battle that he considered killing to be more of a sport or a game than anything else with his efficient and emotionless dispatching of several GM IIIs.

During Task Force Alpha's first assault on Pezun he for the first time loses allies in combat, in this case at the hands of Ryu Roots and his S Gundam. The loss causes him anger as he feels that he has lost a valuable pawn. Seeing the S Gundam and the Z-Pluses devastate his ranks he becomes concerned.

Offshore's next sortie comes during New Desides flight to the moon. Here he again encounters Roots and the S Gundam, unlike his previous encounter, he recognizes that the suits pilot is unskilled at laughs in spite of himself being very much relieved. He successfully outmaneuvers Roots in his Xeku Eins, he pummels his mech and then begins to withdraw, Roots pursues and Offshore spins around to destroy him, but is disrupted by Tex West and forced to withdraw and proceed to his other mission – the provocation and subsequent elimination of Drake Pashuray.

Operation Eagle Fall occurs and the New Desides forces now entrenched in Aires City prepare to intercept the incoming Federation forces. Offshore commands the Aiers Earth Federation Youth Academy in a mobile suit group known as White Squadron. They are at first somewhat fearful, but knowing that his Logistic Bomb has just taken effect, he assures them that while they are descending fast all they need to do is shoot them and that they are defenseless and unable to respond. As the descent occurs Offshore considers the possibility that members of White Squadron could be Newtypes, however upon seeing them go into hysterics at the appearance of a Gundam he quickly discards the idea. He realizes that results will be difficult enough to achieve with this group and decides that he needs to lie to them about their chances of success in order to have any at all.

As the battle rages on for several days the frightened youths of the Aires City militia, White Squadron, become more aggressive despite their low odds of success. Offshore begins to have to tell them to retreat when they want to throw themselves suicidally against Task Force Alpha. Seeing this he finally begins to feel the weight of having lives weighing upon his shoulders. Seeing Ryu Roots again he manages to ambush his squadron and shoots down Sigman Shade's Z-Plus.

March 24th arrives and New Desides begins evacuating Aires City via its hidden mass driver. Offshore secures it along with fellow pilot Brave Cod. Offshore plunges into battle and while he is not a Newtype the rough training he has endured makes his movements resemble those of a samurai. White Squadron follows him and during the battle one of its members declares his first kill yelling in elation, he is then promptly killed by Roots. He yells at him that he has no right to take their lives and his psyche is further jarred when he see's Cods Gundam Mk V destroyed by the S Gundam. Upon informing Cray of his death Cray quickly assigns him command of the New Desides forces at the mass driver. Offshore then engages in a desperate battle, no longer bothering to confirm kills, but only attempting whatever it takes to disable his opponents using as little effort as necessary. He uses the shadows for cover to allow him quick guerrilla-style strikes. Since Cod's death Offshore decided to force matters with White Squadron, he cut off their machine's legs in order to prevent the from engaging in battle, he then went on alone and managed to score 13 destroyed or disabled suits. His battle finally ends when three hours after the city's surrender when a shot from the S Gundam jars his Xeku and knocks him out.

Offshore awakens some time later on the Neo Zeon battleship Gwarey. He realizes that he has become basically blind, but Cray, who was there with him, assures him that it is a temporary state and will wear off within a month. Offshore bemoans this believing that New Desides will likely not survive for a month. He follows with cray in his meetings with the fleet's Admiral Twannings, but these get nowhere as they are unwilling to join Neo Zeon.

Once the New Desides make their final stand at Penta Offshore stumbles his way into the station's armory, grabs a pellet gun then shoots a Xeku Zwei pilot and steals his MS. After the death of Lieutenant Fast Side, Offshore departs from the Enterprise Transport Shuttle he was within and goes out to aid Cray's Zoan. Cray asks about his eyes, to which he does not reply, instead he charges the Gundam S. The Gundam evades several times and then he fires waves of micro missiles at its rear skirt armor, but ALICE repositions herself and blocks using her arms and upper torso, nullifying most of their effect. Offshore becomes enraged as the Gundam avoids attacking him and concentrates entirely on the Zoan, it evades his fire without seeming to even move. Once Cray and the Gundam are locked in a beam saber clash, he attempts to hit the S Gundam's back against Cray's will, but fails. Cray withdraws from combat with the Gundam when the final signal to return to the shuttle is given, but Offshore instead chooses to suicidally attack the Gundam as it enters the atmosphere. He pursues the Gundam in melee and scores a strong hit on one of its shoulders. The Gundam responds by repeatedly kicking his cockpit, then grabs him. At this point Offshore begins flailing uselessly with his beam sabers and crying, ALICE flings his Xeku Zwei towards the Earth his final words before his mech begins to incinerate are: “Mommy!”

As he falls to his fiery death, Offshore dreams of his troubles. What he did to be strong, and the pain he felt growing up. He realizes that everything he did was an escape and an attempt to distinguish himself from his mother, to prove that he was independent and escape from her support. Offshore witnesses Tosh Cray's shuttle exploded and a mete second later he too is reduced to ash.

ジョッシュ・オフショー