Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Astray

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Astray (機動戦士ガンダムSEED DESTINY ASTRAY) is a collection of gaiden (side-stories) set in the Cosmic Era timeline of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. The story was told in three different mediums, as a manga in Gundam ACE, a photo novel in Dengeki Hobby and two novels published by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd. The series started in November 2004 and ended in April 2006 after 21 chapters. It was followed up by Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73 Δ Astray, which also tied in to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer.

Overview
Destiny Astray focuses on war photo-journalist Jess Rabble and his ZGMF-X12 Astray Out Frame. The Astray Out Frame was built by Lowe (using the incomplete frame of a ZAFT ZGMF-X12A Testament), and later given to Jess. Jess is often accompanied by Kaite Madigan, a mercenary and former ZAFT mobile suit pilot who serves as his bodyguard, and owns several customized mobile suits of his own. Both are currently employees of a mysterious industrialist named Matias, who claims to have "no grasp of history" and therefore wishes for Jess to record history as it unfolds. Lowe is effectively removed from the story in the first chapter of Destiny Astray, when he begins a long journey to Mars, but returns in later chapters that are set two years later. Many other Astray characters, including Gai, Canard, and Rondo Mina, also continue to appear in supporting roles. The story provides the reader with background information not shown in the TV series.

Photo-novels
The photo-novels were published in the Japanese Dengeki Hobby Magazine by Mediaworks. Each chapter called a "Shot" was released up to "Shot 026", where each chapter compromised about 8-11 pages. It usually followed a layout of having one or two two-page spreads with a scene enactment with models of the "Mobile Suits" the chapter was about. It were followed by the story with exclusive artworks and line-arts of various "Mobile Suits" and Characters. As a final, the chapter included a custom made "Mobile Suit" that usually the chapter was about. The end of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Astray was not concluded in the manga itself but in the final "Shot: 026" of the photo-novels. All "shots" were collected and published into two volumes on June 26, 2006 & July, 2006 respectively.

Gold-Frame
To promote the release of the 1/100 Scale "Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu", a small manga chapter was produced with the "Gundam SEED Destiny Astray" label. It is a small story about Rondo Mina Sahaku, and a mission to liberate a town from enemy forces. There's also a hint to where it got the Okitsu-no-Kagami equipment. As a side note, the "Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu" was the only model produced from the "Gundam SEED Destiny Astray" brand.

Acquiring of the Out Frame (Scoop 1)
Freelance photojournalist Jess Rabble is hired by the mysterious Matias to take pictures of ZAFT's secret weapon Genesis Alpha. When he makes the pictures in a mobile suit he is captured by Gai Murakumo of the Serpent Tail and brought inside Genesis Alpha. There he meets Lowe Guele of the Junk Guild, who reveals to him his plan to use Genesis Alpha to go to Mars. While they talk, several ZAFT suits appear to destroy Genesis Alpha but they are fended off by the Serpent Tail and Canard Pars. Afterwards Lowe gives Jess the Astray Out Frame which he built and his computer 8 and then Lowe, Kisato and the George Glenn hologram depart for Mars. Jess then warns the ZAFT suits that he already made photos of Genesis Alpha and when a pilot wants to kill him, the soldier is stopped by Kaite Madigan, who was hired by Matias to protect Jess. In the end Jess brings Matias the photos and then gets his next job: to report about Edward Harrelson, who fights in the South American War of Independence.

South American War of Independence (Scoop 2 – 7)
In his mobile suit, Jess travels through the Amazon rainforest until he finds a South American military base. There he meets Bernadette Leroux, a PLANT reporter and together with her Jess gets to meet Edward Harrelson alias "Ed the Ripper". After an interview the Earth Alliance forces attack with three GAT-333 Raider Full Specs but they are quickly defeated by Ed in his Sword Calamity. Later the Earth Alliance orders three of its best pilots to defeat Ed. The first to attack is Jane "White Whale" Houston in her Forbidden Blue but after a short but hard battle she switches sides after she hears why Ed became a traitor. The next to attack is Morgan "Moonlight Mad Dog" Chevalier, whom Ed has to fight in space with his own Raider Full Spec, since he was lured there with a trap. Morgan uses his Gunbarrel Dagger to defeat Ed, but allows Ed to escape back to Earth. The last to attack is Rena "Sakura Burst" Imelia in her own Sword Calamity. Despite Rena's strength Ed is able to defeat her but the badly wounded Rena shoots Ed after he opens her cockpit and thus also critically wounds him. Jess then decides to take both of them to a hospital but he is attacked by Alliance suits and thus is forced to leave for a ZAFT base. Afterwards he is informed that the Alliance still wants to conquer the USSA although the approved Junius Treaty would give them back their autonomy. However ZAFT forces then intervene and cause the Alliance forces to retreat thus ending the South American War of Independence. After the war Jess and Kaite meet Setona Winters, a strange girl who disappears as quick as she appeared.

Presentation of new weapons (Scoop 8 – 12)
This storyline takes place in October CE 73. Jess and Kaite visit the PLANT colony Armory One, where they again meet Bernadette and are then shown ZAFT's New Millennium series of mobile suits. They also meet the test pilots for the new Gundam-type mobile suits, Courtney Hieronimus, Riika Sheder and Mare Strode. Afterwards they are informed about the new inventions regarding the Impulse. Later Jess and Kaite witness a test flight of the prototype suits but they run into a trap which includes a positron cannon and from which Jess barely escapes. During another test flight, a spy is detected who stole some data from Armory One but before they can catch him he is killed by an N Dagger N, who uses Mirage Colloid. Later the Armory One raid happens (see Gundam SEED Destiny) and during this time Jess is confronted by an unknown mobile suit, who isn't detected by his mobile suit's sensors.

Battles at GENESIS Alpha
Afterward, the story moves to the time of the Junius Seven colony drop, when an alliance of the Junk Guild, the Serpent Tail, and Rondo Mina Sahaku tries to use GENESIS Alpha to push the remains of Junius Seven away from Earth. However, they are stopped by the brainwashed Ash Grey, who now works for the EA and pilots the ZGMF-X12A Testament. During this time, Lowe returns from Mars, and Jess and Kaite are able to defeat Ash, who then commits suicide by jumping out of his suit without a helmet.