Gundam, driving a mass-produced machine will change the world

"Would you like to leave Earth? What are you talking about? I have no choice. Wherever I go, I will do my best to live, just like I do now."

"If there were a better life in the universe, I would definitely want to. But right now there's war going on every day in the universe, isn't there? I don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

"If I don't want to, what will happen to my property on Earth? I still have a large farm."

"Who are you? If you ask me that kind of question again, I'll call the police!"

Eli walked alone down a quiet street, recalling the answers he had received from casually asking people around the city over the past few days. Due to the recent riots, there were far fewer pedestrians than usual, and a tense atmosphere still lingered in the air. He held a taco in his hand, chewing slowly, his gaze fixed on the riot police officer Jim standing in an open space on the side of the street.

Following the attack on Speaker Ronan, police in surrounding cities requested assistance from the military, acquiring this type of mobile suit for their use and deploying them throughout the cities to deter criminals. These mobile suits were large, with a dark blue and gray paint scheme, and reinforced shoulder and joint areas, clearly customized for urban suppression missions. They stood motionless at their designated locations, their heads occasionally turning slightly, monitoring their surroundings.

This scene was similar to the time when Axis was controlled by Andre Tek, except that the people on the street had become accustomed to these mobile suits that mostly stayed in place within just a few days. Pedestrians hurried past, hardly glancing at them again, vendors continued to push their carts and hawk their wares, and children would occasionally point at the mobile suits and ask questions out of curiosity, but were quickly pulled away by adults.

After all, their shift changes involve replacing the pilots, not the mobile suits, so there's not much of a commotion—it's like a statue. Even the police station itself, or the borrowed pilots, occasionally buy food and drinks from the surrounding residents. Elidu even witnessed a riot control GM reaching for a large bag of snacks and enjoying the air conditioning inside the mobile suit in the sweltering heat. Federation military discipline has always been like this.

Humans are truly highly adaptable beings. So even if we put humans in space, we could create wonders like space colonies. But adaptation alone isn't enough; humans always strive for a better life. If we really want all of humanity to leave Earth, then we must provide them with a life in space that is even better than on Earth. Only then will humans be willing to break free from the constraints of gravity.

Licking the remaining chili sauce from his hands, Eli turned and walked into a Chinese restaurant. The storefront was unassuming, the lettering on the red signboard faded. He exchanged a glance and a nod with the receptionist before heading straight into the kitchen. The space was filled with the sounds of stir-frying and the strong smell of oil; chefs skillfully flipped woks, flames occasionally leaping. Eli walked past them, reaching what should have been the freezer area. Behind an inconspicuous door was a staircase leading downwards.

"So why did you actually open a restaurant?"

"Originally, this restaurant was supposed to be convenient for monitoring the comings and goings of dignitaries at the hotel across the street. But the person sent to be the chef used to be from the mess hall. It unexpectedly became so popular that we just kept him in charge. Occasionally, people from the hotel across the street will even order food from us."

Kobayashi responded to Eli's grumbling by pulling him to the electronic sand table. A 3D map of the city was projected onto the table, with several dots marking troop deployments and key facilities. Kobayashi, dressed in simple outer clothing, looked somewhat tired, but his gaze remained sharp.

"The forces have been assembled. Although the number of MS is not large, it can at least hinder infantry units. We are considering seizing those riot control GMs and turning them into our own forces."

"We can give it a try, but things won't be as relaxed on the day of the Federal Conference as they are now, so we need to think it over carefully."

Yes, Eli and his group were gathered here because a federal congressional meeting was about to be held in this city, in Washington. This federal meeting wasn't taking place in Dakar, but in Washington, D.C., the home base of Speaker Ronan.

The Mathernas family originated in North America, and their orchestrated attack on Prime Minister Laplace's residence at the beginning of the Universal Century was aided by the support of this land. Ronan's choice to hold the Federal Conference in Washington at this crucial juncture of war signifies his intention to once again leverage the power of his vast political family to extend his term.

If General Rebil had ultimately chosen to enter politics, the position of Speaker might have fallen into his hands, but unfortunately, thanks to Ronan's manipulation using the power of the Mathernas family, General Rebil is currently living a life of retirement.

That was also a political exchange. Rebil offered to retire in exchange for the Federal Council not showing obvious bias in the early stages of the war, attempting to confine the clashes between Andre Tec and the Titans to a small area. However, no one expected that Grin Wyatt would later use his army to turn the tables and control the Federal Council, turning the war into what it is today, sweeping across the Earth Sphere.

From this perspective, Reibir's sacrifices were ultimately ineffective; it was only through Ronan Mathernas's efforts that the Federation maintained its parliamentary system, preventing it from being completely absorbed by the Titans and becoming a military regime. At least, that's what Ronan thought for the time being. Of course, Senator Gop in the parliament was a troublesome fellow, but not yet a threat.

Ronan, confident in his abilities, did not want to see Eli seize control of the last Federation meeting, which ultimately led to an unprecedented surge in anti-Federation sentiment across space. This time, security at the meeting venue would be extremely tight. Multiple checkpoints were set up around the venue, patrol helicopters frequently flew overhead, and mobile suit units were on standby at key intersections.

Eli had no intention of going in to give another speech. One speech was enough; the senators willing to support him had already been gathered with the help of Gop and Martha, and he didn't need to do anything more. After the meeting, once the Federal Congress revoked the Earth defense rights granted to the Titans by Gop and Martha, any proactive attacks by the Titans based on this legal basis against so-called potential threats would no longer be legally justified. At the same time, they would launch an impeachment proceedings against Ronan…

Eli knew that political maneuvering could mostly only dampen the opponent's arrogance; a true solution required force. The other side was naturally aware of this as well. Therefore, Eli's use of Qaraba's power wasn't to storm the Federal Parliament as before, but rather to guard against potential attacks after the meeting!
Eli wouldn't forget that it's less about the Federal Congress granting legitimacy to the Titans, and more about the Titans providing support to the Federal Congress on Earth. Without the half of the colonies controlled by the Titans, the Federal Congress's political influence would be confined to Earth. Therefore, even if he achieved political success in this parliamentary session, Glenn Wyatt would most likely retaliate militarily. The simplest way would be to declare martial law and then launch an airstrike. At that point, Glenn Wyatt wouldn't care about the political system anymore; parliamentary and presidential systems wouldn't make a difference in allowing the Federation to continue exploiting Earth, would they?
The conference on Earth is in full swing. In space, the white vanguard, which has been away from the front lines for a long time, did not return to the front lines after receiving the new machine. Instead, it remained in orbit on the sunlit side of Earth, drifting along with some debris.

This is the former official residence of the Federal Prime Minister, the site of Laplace. From the outset, this prime minister's residence was designed to be situated in an area exposed only to sunlight. Established in space according to the Federal Prime Minister's own desire to "understand the universe in order to explore it," the residence represented the Federation's ambitious aspirations for cosmic exploration.

Laplace, the physicist who proposed that "if we can completely analyze the actions of everything in the past, including the actions of a single atom, we can completely predict the future," had his theory ultimately shattered by quantum mechanics. The Prime Minister's official residence chose this name in reverse, intending to demonstrate that humanity's future holds many possibilities.

Because of the unique nature of this area, the wreckage was not removed but preserved by the federal government under the guise of "remembering the Laplace tragedy." Those in the know see this as a way to deter leftists.

"Our commander really knows how to order people around... making us wait in a place like this for so long."

Captain Otto sat in the captain's seat, his fingers occasionally tapping the armrest. Dressed in standard uniform but without a helmet, he gazed at the azure planet before him.

"I'd actually like to live on Earth for a while. Real gravity is definitely more comfortable than artificial gravity."

"It's just an illusion; there's no difference between artificial gravity and real gravity."

The adjutant listened to Captain Otto's speech with a look of utter exasperation; similar remarks had been made frequently these past few days. However, the adjutant still remembered the decisiveness Captain Otto had displayed during his last visit to Earth, and it was precisely that decisiveness that ultimately won everyone's approval as the new captain and successor to Captain Paul.

The adjutant glanced at Amuro, who was also standing on the bridge with his arms crossed, looking up at Earth, and noticed that the latter was intently focused on the upcoming Federation meeting.

"The Federal Conference is about to begin."

"Ok, I know."

Meetings of this level will take a long time, but it's nothing compared to the days we've spent waiting here in the past.

At 11:45 p.m. GMT, the current Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Mathernas, was addressing the people of the entire globe at the opening ceremony.

"We are about to...enter the universe...and are fortunate to serve as the...first Prime Minister of the Earth Federation..."

"Well……"

As everyone listened to Ronan Mathernas's speech, Amuro frowned, feeling as if Mathernas was speaking in a different voice. But soon, Amuro realized where the extra voice in his ear was coming from.

Even in its damaged state, Laplace's mansion seems to still bear witness to the passion of that time for venturing into space. Back then, humanity seemed truly ready to unite, transcending the concepts of race, religion, and nation, and embarking on the journey to space as a single human being.

Those who ventured into space back then carried the noble mission of pioneering a new life and alleviating the burden on Earth. However, all of this was shattered by the sunlight gathered by the partially modified concave mirrors of the Seyam Bist team, dispatched by Earth-centric members of the Mathernas family.

"The Earth Federation will continue to uphold its name and expand human civilization on Earth!" (End of Chapter)