Why would I join the army if I can’t drive a Gundam!

Chapter 82 Luna II!

"Control Center, this is the Ocean Ranger, requesting to enter port!"

"Ocean Ranger, please dock at Platform 4, Area D! Welcome to Luna II!"

Under the illumination of the bright guidance laser, the huge Columbus-class ship slowly sailed into the wide channel opened up inside the asteroid.

Luna II, the headquarters of the Earth Federation Space Force, is a huge asteroid with a diameter of 180 kilometers. It was dragged from the asteroid belt to the Earth's orbit specifically for the construction of space facilities. In order to facilitate movement, this huge asteroid was also installed with a nuclear rocket engine.

However, large-scale mining operations came to an abrupt halt in the 60s. Sudden military pressure forced the Federation to interrupt its space construction projects. As a result, Luna II was transformed into an important military fortress of the Federation in the Earth sphere.

The benefits of using asteroids to build military fortresses are obvious. The required building materials can be obtained locally. In addition, the Earth Federation has also built a series of production facilities on Luna II, giving Luna II an almost complete set of equipment production and R&D capabilities.

In addition, many military industrial enterprises have also built production lines here. The YF100 machine gun used by Macharius and his mobile suits was manufactured by Yasuhiko Heavy Industries in the production workshop of Luna II.

Such an important space base has naturally become an important protection area for the Federal Army, where two fully equipped main fleets are stationed all year round.

In addition, the asteroid belt outside Luna II is also filled with various defensive weapons. It and the Gabro Base, which is still under construction on Earth, are like the left and right brains of the federal army.

"Luna Two, I'm back!"

These were the first words Macharius uttered after stepping off the Columbus-class docking pier.

"Have you been here before?"

Yudin, who was walking in front of Macharius, asked curiously.

"Strictly speaking, no!"

"Then why did you say you came back?"

"Because this line is very classic!"

Macharius didn't know that the unlucky guy who uttered this original line was currently mining day and night in a labor camp in the asteroid belt, but even if he knew, it wouldn't matter. At most, he would give the other person a new pickaxe.

As soon as the battle of Side 6 ended, the 130th Armored Training Regiment received an order to urgently withdraw Luna II, along with a secret order requiring the battlefield to be cleaned up thoroughly without leaving a single screw behind.

Therefore, the 130th Armored Training Regiment and the Federal Army Side 6 garrison fleet dispatched tens of thousands of people and spent two days to salvage the safe wreckage. As for the remaining ones, because they carried unexploded ordnance and posed a safety hazard, the garrison fleet also dispatched combat engineers to blast the wreckage.

And now, after leaving Side 6 and traveling halfway around the world, the 130th Armored Training Regiment returned to the Federation Army's strongest fortress. At the time of departure, the entire training regiment had a total of 2300 people, including 30 active mobile suit pilots, 20 reserve pilots, 12 Swordfish fighter pilots, and 2 tank crews.

By the time they returned to Luna II, the number of people had dropped to 2178. In the firefight with Zeon, 14 pilots were killed or wounded, 7 pilots were killed, and there were also losses in tank crews and infantry, not counting the sunken Salamis-class cruiser.

However, after stepping down from the pier, the surviving officers and soldiers received the warm welcome that combat heroes deserved.

Accompanied by the command of salute, the stirring and uplifting Federal Army song was played by the military band. The enthusiastic female officers and soldiers of the Space Army presented flowers and applause to every officer and soldier of the training regiment who came out. Petals with a faint fragrance fell from the sky and landed on the shoulders and collars of the officers and soldiers of the training regiment.

Macharius felt as if he were in another world as he looked at those bright and beautiful faces. After all, his thoughts would drift back to that universe from time to time, and he thought he was still sitting in the cockpit of a mobile suit. But now, his hands holding the flowers felt awkward. The only thing that made him feel comfortable was the slightly cool artificial breeze blowing down from above his head.

“How enthusiastic!”

"Yeah, I really hope that the girlfriend I find in the future will be of this level!"

The reason for recalling the Training Corps to Luna II was not because the Federation Army high-ranking officials were anxious to reward them, but because the conflict in Side 6 was the first time that the new weapon, the Mobile Suit, appeared on the stage. Therefore, the headquarters had to grasp the relevant information as quickly as possible and get first-hand feedback. So, what else could help one understand the situation better than hearing it from the mouths of those who had experienced the battlefield firsthand?
As Macharius followed the crowd and struggled to move forward through the bright spring sunshine on both sides, a bouquet of flowers was suddenly stuffed into his arms. Macharius raised his head and saw an extremely beautiful blonde female sergeant of the Space Army winking at him.

"Welcome back to Luna II, combat hero!"

"Thank you!"

Macharius didn't think much at the moment. He just wanted to find a place to have a big meal as soon as possible and then have a good sleep.

Because he hadn't had a good rest since the battle. He was first pulled by the maintenance team to replace the arm of the prototype Gundam, and to repair the damage on the armor caused by the close-range use of rockets to kill the Zeon soldiers. Just doing these things took up 80% of the time on the way back.

Afterwards, after a simple welcome ceremony, they were finally able to take the planet's internal dedicated rail transportation to the temporary base to rest.

At the same time, the prototype Gundam and several Guncannons loaded on another Columbus, as well as the captured Zeon Zaku, arrived at another secret military port. Here, these weapons and equipment were escorted by the military police and space army special forces directly under the headquarters.

Afterwards, these weapons were sent to a secret war preparedness warehouse deep inside the base.

"stand at attention!"

At the same time as the equipment was being put into storage, a group of guests arrived outside the warehouse. The high-ranking members of the Space Army, led by Rebil, naturally wanted to visit this new weapon first.

"Is this our army's Gundam?"

"Yes, Commander!"

Of course, Tim Ray, the project leader of the RX project, was also responsible for accompanying them. After seeing Rebil enter the warehouse, the first thing he saw was the prototype Gundam in the corner. He was extremely excited.

After all, this is his work!

"It's our army's latest mobile suit, the RX-77-1 Gundam, piloted by Makarius Scrinyi..."

"I know, Creeney, he's already an ace?"

Rebil glanced at the person beside him and saw that Lieutenant General Jin En, who was taller than him, was standing with his back straight, and his usually serious face was now smiling.

"He's an ace. Twelve confirmed kills in total. He also sank a Papu-class supply ship, a Chibe-class heavy cruiser, and captured a Musai-class light cruiser. Furthermore, we've confirmed that he shot down two of the Zeon mobile suit battalion commanders!"

"Young and promising, young and promising!"

Without waiting for Rebil to speak, Vice Admiral King walked up to the Gundam happily and patted its foot armor.

"If all our Federation soldiers were as good as him, we would have been colonizing Neptune by now!"

The generals around could only roll their eyes. Everyone knew who your grandson was, but the opponent's record was really incredible. Many generals would not dare to do such an exaggerated thing in their dreams. They could only say, how could such damn good luck fall on this old guy Jin Enkrini!

"But it's okay. Our future is being entrusted to such outstanding young people!"

Rebil also walked closer and took a look at the Gundam, then he looked at the mass-produced Guncannon next to it.

"But the cost is a bit high. It would be great if the cost of the Gundam could be reduced to the level of the Guncannon!"

"Commander, I'm afraid this is impossible!"

Timley wiped the sweat from his forehead with a wry smile. The reason why he put down his research work and ran to Luna II was to find a way to get more funds so that he could continue the subsequent development of Unit 3, Unit 4 and even subsequent units. In addition, there would be subsequent upgrades and improvements to Unit 1.

"I know, I'm just saying it, but I heard the reviews of Guncannon aren't very good?"

"Yes, after the test drive, Macharius strongly requested that we recycle all the Guncannons. He said that this thing is a piece of stinky shit, even worse than the Zeon mobile suits!" "So you think so?"

"It's undeniable that Guncannon has accumulated a lot of experience for our subsequent mobile suit development, so we think he's right!"

Timley pointed to the Zaku beside him. He had read the seized Zaku operating manual before coming here. It can be said that in terms of cost-effectiveness, the Zaku completely crushed the early Guncannon. Although its cost was much higher than the Guncannon, its performance in all aspects was better than the Guncannon. Fortunately, they discovered this in time, otherwise, the Iron Cavalry would have suffered even more serious losses on the colonial satellite.

"I see. But I imagine Zeon is also trying to develop more advanced mobile suits right now. After all, they suffered such a loss. Dr. Timley, I think your RX project should also take a longer-term view!"

"Yes, Commander. In fact, our research on new mobile suits has not stopped. We are currently trying every possible way to solve the problem of miniaturizing beam weapons. Once a breakthrough is made, the combat effectiveness of our mobile suits will be rapidly enhanced!"

"That's great. Oh, and the 130th Training Regiment has just returned to Luna II. Tomorrow, let's let our combat heroes show everyone how these mobile suits actually perform."

Rebil suddenly suggested.

Although it seemed that he was soliciting opinions, no one present would object, especially after Lieutenant General King Encriney and Lieutenant General Green Wyatt both agreed, no one objected.

"What does this guy Rebil want to do?"

After the visit, Lieutenant General Green Wyatt whispered to King Klini with a lot of questions in his mind.

"Maybe they want to promote a new round of military reforms in the Federation Army!"

"Reform? He doesn't really think that mobile suits are the future direction of development, does he?"

Vice Admiral Green frowned. If there was anything in common between King Encrini and Green Wyatt in the past, it was that they were both staunch supporters of big ships and big guns. However, with the help of Macharius, the butterfly flapping its wings, King Encrini's insistence on big ships and big guns began to waver a little. He now also recognized that with the assistance of mobile fighters, the combat capability of the space fleet would be greatly enhanced.

But Green Wyatt is the most stubborn old guy. In fact, it doesn’t mean that he opposes reform. If the reform is to develop new artillery battleships, then he will be very happy and strongly support it. However, if you don’t plan to build new battleships, don’t expect him to support you.

"It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but reform is always a good thing. The current federal army is completely different from the previous federal army!"

"That's true, but you're also right. The Space Army does need some innovation. In this battle, the Zeon were able to sink a battleship. I think it's necessary to strengthen training for all fleets!"

Green Wyatt is not just talking big, he was able to be promoted to lieutenant general, his own strength is naturally not to be underestimated. Cold, arrogant, but wise, this is how Rebil evaluates Green. If one day he no longer serves as the commander of the Space Army, then Green Wyatt will definitely be among the candidates!
As for the innovative reforms that Rebil mentioned, they are naturally not just about the so-called mobile suits. What he wants is to make some changes to the entire concept of war, military construction ideas, and enemy strategies. For example, considering the threat of mobile suits, a new type of fleet area air defense warship should be developed. In addition, considering the combat cooperation with mobile suits, a new type of composite warship should also be developed, which can participate in artillery battles and use mobile suits for assistance.

However, these are naturally not decided by him alone. A consensus is needed within the entire space army or the Federation Army. However, the factions within the Federation Army are even more complicated than those of Zeon, so reaching a consensus is naturally much more difficult.

After all, he couldn't slap other generals in the face like Killian did, nor could he undermine the federal government.

After arriving at the base, Macharius and others were finally able to have a hot meal.

You have to know that since he boarded the ship, he has only eaten field rations and drank functional drinks. The Columbus-class transport ship looks big, but the living area is even smaller than the Salamis-class. The restaurant cannot meet the needs of so many people for hot food supply. The only thing that can be guaranteed to be uninterrupted for 24 hours is hot coffee, and the majority of this stuff is consumed by the maintenance team.

So, when he walked into the cafeteria and smelled the hot food, his tears were about to fall!
It was similar for the others. They were fine when they got off the boat, but once they arrived at the cafeteria, almost everyone's eyes turned green.

"What are you still standing there for? Eat, and then go rest. You'll have a day off tomorrow, so you can all go to the living area and have a good day!"

Following Colonel Carter's order, the queue was disbanded, and the officers and soldiers of the training regiment rushed to the dining table and lined up again.

This is a discipline issue that has been emphasized in the boot camp and cannot be ignored.

However, there was no limit to the amount of food, so Macharius simply carried two plates, one on the left and one on the right, and filled each plate like a small mountain. At the end, he did not forget to get himself a glass of ice-cold Coke.

After working hard to get revenge, he touched his stomach and burped with satisfaction.

"As expected, the food in the cafeteria still smells the best!"

"Yeah, it reminds me of our previous exercises in Siberia. Back then, even a bowl of hot instant noodle soup was a blessing!"

"I remember you ate two more mouthfuls of noodles that time!"

"I was out on reconnaissance at the time, so it was normal for me to eat a few more bites to regain my strength!"

While listening to a few people talking and rehashing each other, Macharius discovered something wrong with the flowers in his arms. The female officer had stuffed a small card with a phone number on it into the flowers. And it wasn't just hers, other people's flowers had that card in them too!
"Is this the treatment for a war hero?"

The other members of the Red Dragon team also saw the card and started to make a fuss.

"How did that guy know my identity?"

Macharius was curious.

"Most of those female soldiers were transferred from communications or other support departments. When they don't have much to do on weekdays, they naturally gossip. If there's any inside information, they'll even be the first to get it! So, it's no surprise that they know you're a combat hero!"

Andre knocked on the table.

"How about it, have you decided which one? The brothers will help you tonight?"

Then, Macharius tore the notes into pieces and threw them into the trash can.

"Ah, boss, what's wrong with you? Don't waste time. If you don't want to chat, have some pity on our brothers!"

Several people immediately began to wail.

It’s not that Macharius is not interested, it’s mainly because there are too many bad women in this world, and those female soldiers are older than him. In his impression, there are few good women who like younger women in Gundam, they are all bad women!
"Boss, don't you like girls?"

"I like it, but I don't like that type!"

Macharius answered while slurping his drink.

"The boss likes Mobile Suit Girl!"

"Or Tank Girl!"

A few of them reminisced for a while, then seemed to remember something private, and began to speak in a sarcastic tone, pinching their noses and choking their throats.

"Well, boss, why don't you just marry Gundam in the future? I see you've even been sleeping in the cockpit these days!"

"Yeah, then I'll give you a little Gundam or something!"

Macharius rolled his eyes. These guys totally missed the point.

"Well, although I like Gundam, this kind of like is not that kind of like. My lover, in fact, is this country!"

"So you joined the army for your lover?"

"No, I joined the army to fly a Gundam. If I can't fly a Gundam, then why did I join the army? Wouldn't it be better to go back to the countryside and be a rich young master?"

(End of this chapter)