Gundam, Gravity Elegy

He didn't know where to look, so he could only watch the major gesticulate wildly.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. General Reiber, the chief examiner, is in charge here in Europe, so everyone above started rushing to fill out the exam papers. After all, they can't just hand in a failing paper, can they?"

He spoke casually, but Gao Ren felt that he had seen a more terrifying truth.

"Half a month..."

Gao Ren knew that some questions might not be asked.

Or rather, these questions are pointless, but he can't care less about that now:

"Two weeks ago, did you really engage in combat with Zeon without authorization...?"

"This question is meaningless now, isn't it?"

'Boom'

A sudden explosion seemed to erupt in his head, and Gao Ren couldn't help but clench his fists.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that he could smell the decay and stench emanating from this abandoned base, like a garbage dump that had been fermenting for a long time. The sudden sensation made his brain tremble.

Perhaps he was simply trying to confirm a certain speculation and attitude, which represented a corrupt reality that had long since decayed, merely catalyzed by the vile thing called war.

"them……"

He really wanted to speak up and make a sound.

"Could it be... settling accounts?"

It could be a question, a conclusion, or even a roar and shout.

But he couldn't do it. At that moment, Gao Ren felt that he could only feel the fact that his jaw was still there by clenching his teeth tightly with his fingers.

My tongue and lips seemed stiff, and I couldn't even make a sound from my throat.

"Damn Zeon, take this!"

"No, Mom, I want to go home!"

"My son is still waiting for me at home!"

He knew perfectly well that he was still sitting in the tent, but his mind kept flashing back to things he shouldn't have been seeing at all.

The battlefield—the Cyclops roam freely, and the flying flames and bloodshed create a cruel symphony.

As the sole listener, he was forcibly placed in the audience, like an outsider being forced to 'appreciate' something by being grabbed by the head.

He wasn't afraid of corpses, nor was he afraid of blood, but the eyes of those people, their expressions...

"Captain, I'm going to die, aren't I?"

I couldn't look away.

"Goo-"

Then, I heard them change the subject:

"So what are your plans now?"

"What else can we do? We only have this many men at hand right now, and we can't deploy tanks in the Salz region. We can only try to get some explosives and individual artillery. Look, I'm building a defensive line, aren't I? We can hold it up by setting up a few cannons over there, and we're also working on the minefield ahead."

"But it looks like we've only just begun. At Zeon's pace, you probably won't have enough time."

"No, actually it's enough. I sent out a group of people as bait the day before yesterday. They will take explosives, landmines and anti-MS missiles and advance 50 kilometers to set up a defensive line at the Mariagge quarry."

"Delaying time?"

“That’s right. If their morale doesn’t collapse, they can buy us about five hours from the start of the firefight until they are completely wiped out. If we take into account the misdirection, that’s enough time for us to set up our defenses before they die.”

How many rounds?

"How many rounds do you think infantry can fight? They'll fight one round and then run away. Those who die are just unlucky, those who survive get promoted and make a fortune. With this kind of resume, I think I could reach the rank of lieutenant colonel..."

'boom'

Suddenly, that relaxed tone came to an abrupt halt.

Just as Michael Colmarta, commander of the 44th Mechanized Composite Battalion, was outlining his strategic plan, a fist landed on his face.

The sudden impact, combined with the force of gravity from the earth, caused the major to fall directly to the ground.

"What do you value life for?"

Clenching his fists, Gao Ren finally managed to coax out a tiny sound from his throat:

"What exactly do you take this war for...?"

Author's message

…………

Young people beating up adults in a fit of rage is an inevitable part of the Universal Century.

Chapter Thirteen: Departure

Silence.

Seemingly unaware of the conflict inside the large tent of the 'command post,' the soldiers outside were still busy unloading supplies from the transport planes.

Amidst that seemingly distant yet distinct 'noise,' Gao Ren clenched his fists.

Violence—this most primal act—seemed to become the outlet for venting emotions, and it was only when the fist was truly imprinted on the major's nose that his reason regained its advantage.

However, it seemed too late, just like a few days ago when, by the time he came to his senses, he had already slammed that idiot Leonard's head onto the floor.

And unlike Leonard, the person he is now beating is a major, whose rank is far higher than his:

"As expected of a young person, they have quite the temper."

Therefore, there is only one thing that can be done:

"I accept all punishment."

Staring at the crimson blood flowing from the major's nostrils, he took a deep breath.

Then, he went out of the tent.

Facing the still-hot night, he felt his mind was in a mess.

He had argued with Io about those things before setting off, but when he actually crashed into the front lines, the lingering pressure made him feel breathless.

Perhaps it's a bit late to talk about this now, but it wasn't until this moment that Gao Ren truly understood why this man named Michael made him feel uncomfortable.

He had no reverence for life—whether in his words and actions or in his strategic planning, he seemed to treat the most precious things as consumables and then regard them as capital for promotion.

"It shouldn't be like this."

"Ah Ren, how's it going inside? Ms. Lutz from the maintenance team sent me to ask if you need the maintenance team to unload the aircraft from the transport plane..."

"Sister Shirley, the world shouldn't be like this, right?"

"??"

The woman, who was holding a stack of documents, froze after hearing Gao Ren's sudden question.

Shirley Page, who had just stepped out of the hangar of the Migratory Bird, was completely bewildered.

Upon seeing her seemingly bewildered expression, Gao Ren simply rubbed his burning head.

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say."

"what happens?"

"I beat up the major."

After saying this, he closed his eyes, but some of the things he had expected did not come to pass.

"……I see."

There was no storm, no lamentation, but instead a warm touch.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the woman who claimed to be his sister holding his hand:

"Let's go back to the conference room on the Migratory Bird and calm down first."

…………

And so, time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Gao Ren didn't know how to describe his feelings. When he was a child, he read an old-fashioned superpowered gangster comic that seemed to have a similar scene.

This happens when attacked by the boss who looks like a red octopus. He can't remember what happened at all, but when he looks around again, he finds himself sitting back in the conference room chair.

"Sister Shirley, why don't you go to the command post? There should be... a war meeting or something."

"No need. You should know that I didn't interfere between you and that guy Bagina before. This kind of thing doesn't matter to me."

"It doesn't matter..."

"I'm not good at tactics and strategy, so just following orders is pretty much all I need to do."

After the soft, airy sound, the sound of hot water being poured could be heard.

Holding a tray in one hand, Shirley Page flipped over using the fixed chair as support with the other.

"Hey yo".

'patta'

The drink, along with the tray, was placed perfectly intact on the table.

"cocoa?"

Come to think of it, we had this thing in the command post before, but unlike the crude iron cups we had before, it was now being served in a nice glass cup.

"Drink it while it's hot. Drinking something sweet will make you feel better when you're in a bad mood."

"..."

Meeting that smiling gaze, Gao Ren simply pursed his lips.

He picked up the hot cocoa, but then put it down. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a sound.

and so……

"What's wrong? I didn't make this myself, it was made with instant dissolving agent. If you think it tastes bad, you can't blame me."

No, that's not it.

After hearing what Shirley said, Gao Ren simply picked up the perfectly warmed cocoa and took a sip.

Although I didn't drink much, as the sweetness spread across my taste buds, the chaotic thoughts that had been tangled up in my mind gradually eased and calmed down.

Then, relax. Even the stiff tongue is straightened out:

"Well, how should I put it? The way things are unfolding now might not be what I expected. I thought you would criticize me."

"Accusing you? Why?"

"Because assaulting a superior in the military is a very serious disciplinary violation. Even if theoretically I shouldn't receive any severe punishment, I should at least receive some warning."

Seeing Gao Ren's calm demeanor as he recounted the story, Shirley's beautiful eyebrows finally furrowed together:

"I would like to say that you are too impulsive, but your clear thinking right now leaves me speechless."

"...It's just a simple analysis of the current situation."

Meeting Shirley's increasingly strange gaze, Gao Ren picked up his glass and took two more sips:

"With pilots in short supply right now, given my situation, even if those people wanted to punish me, they wouldn't do it in a big way, and it wouldn't affect the battle on the front lines."

"So you mean you attacked Major Kormata after knowing all the details?"

"Not really, it's just..."

"You only realized what was happening when the fist had already been thrown, right? I heard you say that yesterday... no, the day before yesterday."

Shirley couldn't help but roll her eyes:

"So what's the reason this time?"

“I heard Major Michael send a team out to their deaths, and then he was talking about getting promoted and making money.”

After hearing what Gao Ren said, Shirley couldn't help but sigh:

"...This kind of thing is actually quite normal. You've seen people like this in Gabro's area too."