ASW-G-64 Gundam Flauros (Ryusei-Go)

The ASW-G-64 Gundam Flauros is a mobile suit from the second season of the Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS television series. It is piloted by Norba Shino.

Design & Development
Found in a Half Metal Mine by Tekkadan, the group failed to activate the suit and so it was sent to Saisei. At Saisei, the mechanics found that the suit's two Ahab Reactors are in a sleep state, and successfully activated and overhauled the suit. During the overhaul, the mechanics change the suit's nanolaminate armor color to match its pilot's preference based on orders from Tekkadan. The Gundam Flauros was later dubbed by its pilot, Norba Shino, as the 'Ryusei-Go IV'.

To maximize the power of the back-mounted long range shelling unit, which is where the strength of the Gundam Flauros lies, a transformation mechanism was incorporated into the suit's frame, allowing it to change into a quadruped form known as 'Shelling Mode'. The Shelling Mode's quadruped form improves the suit's accuracy in ground battle, helps absorb the recoils from its weapons, and supports immediate evasion.

Armaments

 * Railgun
 * A pair of back-mounted electromagnetic launchers for super long range shooting, they pivot over the shoulders to fire in mobile suit mode. In shelling mode, the output of the two Ahab Reactors are concentrated on the railguns, allowing them to fire bullets at explosive speed. They can shoot special bullets made from the rare alloy used on mobile suit frames due to the use of superior mechanism, and during the Calamity War, they were heavily used as weapons that could even pierce nanolaminate armor. Such railguns are known as 'Dainsleif', and after the war, they were considered an inhumane weapon by Gjallarhorn and their use was banned. However, Tekkadan uses conventional warheads, so it is in the gray area in terms of the ban. Shino dubbed the weapon as 'Galaxy Cannon'. When the railgun is loaded with the special Dainsleif bullet, which in Gundam Flauro's case is shaped like a lance and front-loaded, Shino dubbed it as the 'Super Galaxy Cannon'.


 * 120mm Machine Gun
 * A pair of 120mm machine guns exclusive to the Flauros, they are mounted on the backpack and can be fired directly from under the arms. They can also be handheld when needed.


 * Short-Barrelled Cannon
 * A pair of short-barelled cannons can be mounted on the back instead of the railguns. They can be used for shelling while moving and is effective in melees.


 * Assault Knife
 * A handy short-range weapon for close combat.

Operational History
The Gundam Flauros is the 64th of the 72 Gundam Frames created by Gjallarhorn near the end of the Calamity War to counter the threat of the powerful mobile armors such as Hashmal. Much of its initial operational history is unknown. However, eventually it came to operate on Mars, where it was later abandoned, alongside Hashmal, in a Half-metal mine where they would remain, hidden and dormant, for over three centuries. During this time, the Flauros's nanolaminate armor bore a white-and-blue color scheme.

The Gundam Flauros was eventually excavated alongside Hashmal by Tekkadan in P.D 325. While the true nature of the much larger mobile armor initially remained unknown, Tekkadan immediately recognized Flauros as a Gundam Frame. It was salvaged and sent to Saisei to be repaired and overhauled, with its original colors replaced by the distinctive magenta color favoured by Shino. Once its repairs were complete, Flauros was sent back to Mars to assist Tekkadan against the awakened Hashmal. Using its railguns, the Flauros was able to separate the Hashmal from its Pluma support units.

When the Turbines was framed for the illegal possession of the Dainsleif-type railguns and came under Gjallarhorn's assault, the Gundam Flauros was deployed alongside STH-16/tc Shiden Custom (Riden-Go) and ASW-G-11 Gundam Gusion Rebake Full City to assist in the escape of non-combatants. This was the first time the Gundam Flauros fought with the short-barrelled cannons and the assault knife.

During Tekkadan's vengeful assault against the JPT Trust, the Gundam Flauros was responsible for destroying numerous enemy machines, as well as shelling the enemy carrier from a distance using the short-barrelled cannon and causing significant damage.

In the battle between Gjallarhorn's Coup d'etat group led by McGillis Fareed and the Arianrhod Fleet led by Rustal Elion, the Gundam Flauros was severely damaged having being caught in the Dainsleif bombardment. However, Norba Shino insisted on taking on the Arianrhod Fleet's flagship using the Super Galaxy Cannon, but the shot with the Dainsleif projectile missed the bridge due to interference from the EB-08jjc Reginlaze Julia. The Gundam was eventually destroyed, with its remains scattered across the battlefield and Shino is killed in action.

Notes & Trivia

 * Flauros is the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.
 * The demon Flauros is depicted as a terrifying leopard that can change into a man with fiery eyes and an awful expression. This is reflected in Gundam Flauros via its fierce looking face and its alternate quadrupedal form.
 * The pilots of the other two Tekkadan Gundam Frames, Mikazuki and Akihiro, both refer to their machines by the original name, sometimes adding in the Teiwaz given naming alterations. Shino however exclusively calls his machine "Ryusei-Go", never once referring to his new Gundam Frame as "Flauros".
 * Flauros has been released in two versions as a High Grade model kit. One has the magenta colors of the "Ryusei-Go IV", while the other is a limited online release in the Calamity War original colors and include parts from the HGIBA mobile suit option set 7.