Technology & Combat Characteristics
Jointly developed by the Eurasian Federation and Actaeon Industries, the Hyperion was the Eurasian Federation's attempt to break the Atlantic Federation's monopoly on mobile suit development technology within the Earth Alliance. To that end, while based on the technologies used by the Atlantic Federation and ZAFT, it also incorporated the Eurasian Federation's own technology. Its model number prefix, "CAT", stood for "Composition Armament Tactical".
The Hyperion's greatest feature is the "Armure Lumiere", an improved version of the Eurasian Federation's Lightwave Barrier. By activating the five generators of the "Armure Lumiere" mounted on the backpack and the backpack's wing binders simultaneously, the Hyperion was able to project a 360 degree barrier around its entire body. Unlike the space fortress Artemis' Lightwave Barrier, the "Armure Lumiere" was mono-phase, allowing the Hyperion to fire at enemies from behind the barrier. This enabled the Hyperion to execute unorthodox tactical maneuvers in conjunction with other units, such as charging into the center of the enemy force by itself using the overwhelming defensive power of the "Armure Lumiere" and then causing havoc with its other weapons, the enemy units damaged by this attack were dealt the finishing blow by allies of the Hyperion that arrived later.
While the 360 degree "Armure Lumiere" barrier made Hyperion theoretically invincible, it could only function for five minutes due to high energy consumption. To save power, the Hyperion was also equipped with a pair of arm-mounted "Armure Lumiere" generators that could be activated independently to serve as shields. Additionally, to conserve as much energy as possible for the "Armure Lumiere", all of the Hyperion's other weapons were equipped with their own power cells. Development of the Hyperion was terminated after three units were built due to changes in the political situation, with the Eurasian Federation deciding to adopt the Atlantic Federation's Dagger series mobile suits. Despite this, the Hyperion Unit 1 was ultimately able to solve its power consumption issue when it was installed with a nuclear generator and a Neutron Jammer Canceller. This variant was referred to as the "Super Hyperion".
History
For the Eurasian Federation, having powerful mobile suits of its own was essential in order to maintain their standing after the war. However, within the Earth Alliance, the Atlantic Federation held a monopoly on mobile suit development. Therefore, the Eurasian Federation initiated its own mobile suit development project with technological assistance from Actaeon Industries. The result was the Hyperion series. A total of three prototype units were rolled out, all of which were identical except their paint jobs. These three units were assigned to Task Force X, a special unit secretly established in the space fortress Artemis, for field testing.
Hyperion Unit 1 was assigned to Canard Pars, a Coordinator born in the same Ultimate Coordinator Project that produced Kira Yamato, but who had been rejected as a failure. Piloting the Hyperion, Canard began seeking out Gundams in order to find and kill Kira. His search eventually brought him to Mendel, where he had hoped to find the Three Ships Alliance resupplying. Instead, he encountered Junk Guild member Lowe Guele in the MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame. He demanded to know if Lowe knew Kira, but before Lowe could answer, he dismissively said that a junker like him could not possibly have known an ace pilot of the OMNI Enforcer like Kira, unaware that Lowe helped save Kira's life. Just as Canard seemed to be leaving, however, he told Lowe that he could not let him live now that he has seen the Hyperion. He then fired his beam submachine gun at the Red Frame, saying that his Hyperion should be the only Gundam there is, before flying back to Artemis. However, Lowe survived, having blocked most of the hits using the Gerbera Straight.
After returning to Artemis, Canard was assigned a new mission by Gerard Garcia, the leader of Task Force X. While en route to the mission destination, he encountered Serpent Tail's MBF-P03secondG Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second G and ZGMF-1017 Elijah's GINN, piloted by Gai Murakumo and Elijah Kiel respectively. Seeing that Gai was also piloting a Gundam, Canard asked Gai if he knew Kira. When he did not answer, Canard attacked the two. Gai fired his sniper rifle at the Hyperion, only for it to be blocked by the "Armure Lumiere" shield. Canard's Hyperion and Gai's Blue Frame Second G engaged in a fierce battle, but with their speed evenly matched, neither was able to gain the upper hand. Elijah attempted to intervene, only to lose his GINN's left arm to the Hyperion's beam submachine gun. Gai asked Elijah to attempt a pincer attack. In response, Canard deployed the Hyperion's 360 degree "Armure Lumiere" barrier, blocking both of their attacks.
Canard then fired the "Forfanterie" beam cannons at the Blue Frame Second G, but Gai was able to avoid the brunt of the attack, with his mobile suit taking only minor damage. Angered, Canard began wildly firing at Gai, who was able to avoid the shots, even deflecting one with his anti-beam coated "Armor Schneider" knife. Meanwhile, Elijah used up his machine gun's ammo firing on the barrier and used it to bludgeon the barrier, only to be thrown back. At this point, Gai realized that "Armure Lumiere" was based on the Lightwave Barrier and came up with a plan. Closing the distance, he detached his backpack and shot it, causing an explosion that briefly blinded Canard. He then stabbed his "Armor Schneider" into the barrier, which was able to pierce it due to its anti-beam coating, but unable to reach the Hyperion due to its short length. He then told Elijah to withdraw. Canard was about to give pursuit, but the barrier's five minute time limit was up. Frustrated, he promised he would finish the "blue Gundam" next time.
Just then, he received a communication from Task Force X officer Meriol Pistis, telling him to abandon his current mission and rendezvous with the Agamemnon-class Ortygia for an emergency. He complained that he was searching for Kira's Gundam, but Pistis informed him that there was a top priority order from high command and that it was also related to the Gundam. Reluctantly, Canard returned to the Ortygia, where the Hyperion was resupplied. He was informed by Garcia through video call that the Eurasian Federation deciphered encrypted ZAFT communications ordering the "retrieval of the nuclear engine-equipped mobile suit". Garcia believed that this transmission meant ZAFT had developed the means to nullify the Neutron Jammer and ordered Task Force X to recover said mobile suit. Canard cut off the communication before he could finish, elated at the possibility of equipping the Hyperion with a nuclear engine and granting it unlimited use of the "Armure Lumiere".
Meanwhile, the Junk Guild ship Re.H.O.M.E. came under attack by ZAFT forces for recovering the YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam – the nuclear engine mobile suit mentioned in the transmission. Prayer Reverie deployed in the Dreadnought to assist the Junk Guild. However, he soon proved to be no match for the elite ZAFT pilots, and was saved by the sudden arrival of Canard in the Hyperion. Canard was surprised to see the Red Frame still intact, while Lowe warned Prayer that the Hyperion was no ordinary enemy. Their confrontation was interrupted by Mikhail Coast in the ZGMF-1017M GINN High Maneuver Type, the leader of the ZAFT elite unit, who proceeded to lead an attack on the Hyperion, saying that he would get rid of it first. Canard remarked that while Mikhail's movement was decent for a GINN, it takes more than numbers to win a battle. He then launched a signal flare, causing the Ortygia to deploy six TS-MA2 Moebius.
The ZAFT GINN pilots dismissed the mobile armors, saying that no matter how many there were, they would be no match for mobile suits. Canard replied that it was not the performance of weapons, but how they were used, that decides the outcome of a battle. He then deployed the 360 degree barrier of the "Armure Lumiere" and charged into the middle of the GINNs, firing wildly at them. The beam SMG's shots damaged the GINNs, but destroyed none of them. However, the Moebius soon moved in and finished off all of the GINNs while the Ortygia destroyed their Laurasia-class mothership. Mikhail, the only survivor of the unit, retreated from battle, chastising his elite unit for being useless and vowing revenge.
After the battle, the Ortygia docked with the Re.H.O.M.E. and Task Force X subdued its crew. On Canard's order, they disassembled the Red Frame to examine it, only to find that it was not the mobile suit they were looking for. Since the ship contained a massive number of mobile suit parts and the computer was protected, they were unable to find the nuclear engine mobile suit quickly. Canard ordered the use of the quantum computer virus (apparently the same one used by the NMS-X07PO Gel Finieto) to take control of the ship's systems. However, George Glenn, who was unaffected by the quantum virus, rescued the crew using a secret compartment and cut off Canard and the Alliance soldiers from the Red Frame's hangar.
As the crew made their way to the hangar, Gai suddenly broke into the ship in the MBF-P03secondL Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second L. Gai explained that he was here to return the stolen head of the Dreadnought, which contained its N-Jammer Canceller, because the OMNI Enforcer had already acquired its blueprint. The Junk Guild quickly installed the head onto the Dreadnought, finishing just as Canard and the Alliance soldiers cut their way into the hangar. Canard was shocked to see yet another Gundam.
Powerless against the Dreadnought, Canard threatened to destroy the Re.H.O.M.E. by overloading its engine. However, at Lowe's suggestion, Prayer fired the Dreanought's beam rifle at the hangar wall, piercing both hangars and hitting the Ortygia. Prayer threatened to destroy the Ortygia with the next shot unless the Eurasian Alliance forces stop interfering with the ship and retreat, forcing them to withdraw. Soon after the Ortygia left, Canard deployed in the Hyperion, trying to capture the Dreadnought, with the Dreadnought deploying in response.
The Dreadnought attacked the Hyperion using its "Pristis" beam reamers. Canard was able to sever their wires using the beam knife on his beam SMG. To his surprise, the detached beam reamers continued to attack him, being controlled via quantum communication using the DRAGOON system. Caught off guard, the Hyperion lost its right arm and its right wing binder, making it unable to deploy the 360 degree barrier. Its computer system also suffered an error. As Prayer demanded Canard to surrender, Canard despaired that he would never be able to surpass Kira. Just then, the Hyperion's system suddenly rebooted. Vowing to never lose as long as he lives, Canard drew a beam knife and activated the left arm "Armure Lumiere" before charging toward the Dreadnought. However, the Hyperion was once again defeated by the beam reamers, this time losing its left arm and right leg.
Canard and the heavily damaged Hyperion (including its detached left arm) were eventually recovered by the Ortygia. Despite his wounds, Canard demanded that they continue to pursue the Junk Guild. However, Pistis informed Canard that the Hyperion was no longer operable and that he was in no condition to fight, but Canard insisted that in order to become a true Ultimate Coordinator, he must never lose until he fights Kira. Therefore, he must defeat Prayer before facing Kira. Pistis replied that since retrieving the Dreadnought was their mission, they would not stop pursuing the Junk Guild. However, she told Canard not to strain himself.
Later, Canard attacked Junk Guild space station 15 B in a Moebius in order to draw out the Dreadnought. In response, Prayer surrendered in the Dreadnought, asking Canard to stop the attack. Delighted with the capture of the Dreadnought, Garcia reported the news to his superior. However, his superior was displeased that he acted without order to obtain the N-Jammer Canceller and, much to his shock, ordered the disbandment of Task Force X. His superior explained that since the Atlantic Federation had already obtained the N-Jammer Canceller, the Eurasian Federation allied with it and adopted the Atlantic Federation-developed Dagger series as their mobile suit. He also ordered the development of the Hyperion series frozen and Canard to be returned to the laboratory.
Angered that his golden opportunity was ruined, Garcia blamed Canard for failing to recover the N-Jammer Canceller in time and ordered his arrest. However, Pistis launched the Ortygia and escaped from the Artemis. In response, Garcia ordered Balsam Arend, a self-proclaimed ace pilot who only had experience in simulator, to pursue in the CAT1-X2/3 Hyperion Gundam Unit 2. Though the repair on the Hyperion Unit 1 was incomplete due to missing parts, Canard still chose to deploy in it.
Balsam deployed the 360 degree "Armure Lumiere" barrier, thinking it made him invincible. Meanwhile, the heavily damaged Unit 1 only had its left arm and left wing binder's "Armure Lumiere" generators left. However, Canard readjusted its left wing binder generator, causing it to project a lance instead of a shield. Using this beam lance, Canard pierced the "Armure Lumiere" barrier and destroyed Unit 2's head, causing the barrier to deactivate. Canard then immediately destroyed Unit 2's cockpit using a beam knife, killing Balsam.
Using Unit 2 for spare parts, the Hyperion Unit 1 was fully repaired. Canard then decided to attack the Ptolemaeus Lunar Base to capture a N-Jammer Canceller. Prayer asked Canard to use the Dreadnought's N-Jammer Canceller to stop him from hurting more people, but Canard stated that he would not touch the Dreadnought, since he would eventually defeat it in a fight. Pistis explained that while the nuclear generator technology was common since before the war and can easily be fitted onto the Hyperion, analysis of the Dreadnought's NJC revealed that it was impossible to replicate with Eurasian Federation's technology. Therefore, they would have to capture one of the Atlantic Federation's mass produced NJCs.
Soon, Canard attacked the 7th supply port of the lunar base, meeting no resistance until he began attacking due to the Hyperion's Eurasian Federation IFF code. Many GAT-01 Strike Daggers deployed to stop the Hyperion, but Canard dispatched all of them and successfully found a N-Jammer Canceller, mounting it onto Hyperion's left waist. As he left, he was confronted by a team of Strike Daggers and GAT-01A1 Daggers led by Morgan Chevalier in the GAT-01A1+AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Dagger.
Morgan quickly deployed his Gunbarrels, launching an all-range attack on the Hyperion. However, Canard was able to evade the initial attack and deploy the 360 degree "Armure Lumiere" barrier. Even the concentrated fire from Morgan's entire team was unable to break through the barrier. Seeing his team slaughtered by Canard's return fire, Morgan ordered them to pull back and attempted to concentrate fire from all of his Gunbarrels on a single "Armure Lumiere" generator. However, Canard was barely able to shift the Hyperion away, causing the barrier to take the hit instead. He remarked that the attack might have worked had it connected, before firing a beam cannon at Morgan's Gunbarrel Dagger. At this moment, Morgan received a telepathic message from Prayer, telling him to detach his backpack. Morgan complied, causing him to barely avoid the beam, losing only the backpack. He then immediately retreated.
With the N-Jammer Canceller and nuclear engine installed, Canard began calling the Hyperion Unit 1 "Super Hyperion". Piloting the Super Hyperion, Canard brutally destroyed a ZAFT mobile suit team that had come to attack the Ortygia, even shooting a GINN that had already been crippled and whose pilot was begging for help. Soon after, Gai caught up to the Ortygia in the Blue Frame Second L and delivered Lowe's message to Prayer, asking him to return to Ame-no-Mihashira to receive an upgrade for the Dreadnought. Canard was delighted at the idea of the Dreadnought receiving an upgrade to match the Super Hyperion and allowed Prayer to leave as long as he agreed to return and fight him.
After the Dreadnought was fitted with a DRAGOON backpack and earned the nickname of "X Astray" from Lowe, Prayer and Canard met in the abandoned colony cluster in Lagrange 4. Prayer once again asked Canard to stop fighting, but Canard simply replied that he was tired of hearing it and fired at the X Astray. Prayer relented, saying that he would stop Canard with all his power. Canard deployed the Super Hyperion's 360 degree "Armure Lumiere" barrier, which could now operate indefinitely. Prayer attacked using the beam reamers, but they were unable to penetrate the barrier and were easily destroyed by Canard using a beam saber formed from the Super Hyperion's arm-mounted "Armure Lumiere" generator.
Prayer eventually deployed the X Astray's DRAGOONs, but they were still not able to penetrate the Super Hyperion's barrier. During the battle, Canard exclaimed that his existence can only be allowed if he fights and wins. Prayer replied that Canard did not require battle or victory, and that as a Ultimate Coordinator, he was endowed with great hopes and dreams by others. Canard retorted that he was only a failed attempt and that his abilities were only useful for fighting, something that Prayer, who was born with special powers, would not understand. However, Prayer explained that he was a clone of a Moebius Zero pilot created by the military for his high spatial awareness, which was why he does not want to live as a weapon.
Hearing this, Canard was ecstatic, declaring that they were both created for battle and that there was nothing for them to do but fight. However, Prayer retorted that neither of them were created for fighting, and that it was up to him to decide what his goal was and how to use his abilities. Canard dismissed him, saying that he was simply a child who was too used to peace, but Prayer replied that it was the peaceful life that he lived and the love from his friends that supported him. Canard denied that feelings amounted to anything, but Prayer stated that even he lived within the love of other, including Prayer's.
Prayer then used the DRAGOONs to generate a tetrahedral barrier around the Super Hyperion, saying that it represented his love for Canard. Canard angrily fired once more, but Prayer's barrier somehow disrupted the monophase shield, causing the Super Hyperion's attacks to disperse inside it. Canard violently tried to break free from the barrier, eventually crashing into a colony, before firing the "Forfanterie" beam cannons at it at full power. The impact finally shattered the barrier, but the backlash heavily damaged the Super Hyperion and caused its nuclear engine to overload. The resulting explosion destroyed the Super Hyperion, but Prayer shielded Canard from the blast using the X Astray.
Surviving parts of the Hyperion Unit 1 was subsequently incorporated into the Dreadnought, creating the YMF-X000A/H Dreadnought H, which was piloted by Canard. Later, in C.E. 75, the Hyperion Unit 1 was rebuilt using spare parts found in Artemis and was piloted once again by Canard, whose Dreadnought H was reverted to its original X Astray form.