Gundam, Gravity Elegy

"A single unit sank five warships and caused the deaths of countless Federation soldiers in that dark universe, thus earning the fearsome name of 'Red Comet'!"

Finally, that heightened emotion seemed to ignite something, and the young man in front of the screen couldn't help but open his mouth wide:

"That red guy, was he really that strong?"

"...Don't you know?"

Seeing Gao Ren's seemingly unclosed mouth, Shirley couldn't help but purse her lips:

"Didn't you record a show with them before?"

"But isn't this completely different? Actually, I had no idea what they were going to do. I just filmed my scene here. My understanding of this guy... well, maybe it's just based on what the captain said?"

Upon reflection, Gao Ren realized that this wasn't the first time he'd heard this name; their beloved captain, Kuvatro Bagina, had mentioned it many times as well.

But Gao Ren never really grasped the concept of these things. They were called "aces" or "elite" forces, but...

"I don't feel anything."

He scratched the back of his head, his completely oblivious expression almost making Shirley lose her composure:

"Don't assume everyone is like you. If you use yourself as a benchmark and dividing line, you'll probably find it hard to see anything as real."

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After slapping herself on the forehead to 'wake herself up,' she sighed.

"In any case, the Red Comet's achievements are indeed real. Although there was an element of using nuclear weapons to cheat, it is said that he himself can make a conventional Zaku perform at more than three times its normal speed."

"Sister Shirley, have you met him in Lum?"

"……No."

The woman rolled her eyes:

"The Red Comet is the ace of the Space Attack Force, while I was badly beaten by the Space Assault Force's flanking and surprise attack force in the Reef Space Region, and I almost didn't escape... So the Steel Cannon is just a lump."

"Aha—"

As the conversation seemed to inexplicably veer back to a certain mecha, Gao Ren simply gave an awkward but polite smile:

"Perhaps that red comet—Char Aznable—has not yet fully adapted to Earth's environment."

After thinking about it carefully, he felt that that might be the only answer.

"That's probably because the inhabitants of the universe haven't fully adapted to Earth's gravity."

"Then, this infamous red comet, after it landed on Earth, directly attacked important facilities of our Federation, but was successfully stopped by the Lion of our Federation - Lieutenant Gao Ren."

The program was still playing on the television screen:

"Our valiant Federation Lions not only single-handedly stopped the Red Comet's forces, but also forced them to flee in a sorry state."

But as for what that loud voice was saying, all I can say is that it's a victory if it doesn't make your head buzz.

"So is this really the right thing to do? Stop it? Flee in a sorry state? Huh?"

"So, that's how it works, taking everything out of context. We only keep the parts that benefit the Federation. Anyway, normal people wouldn't be able to find out about the losses here, right?"

"Now, let's admire Lieutenant Gao Ren's heroic bearing. This program guarantees that all photos are from actual combat records and there is absolutely no fabrication involved."

As one photo after another is presented, the battle from different angles and perspectives is clearly revealed.

Of course, what the production team said was true; at least most of those photos matched Gao Ren's own memory.

"But who took these photos? Some of them are taken from a low angle, right? Could they be taken from a hostile perspective?"

"I don't know, maybe it was provided by the Sphinx base? Didn't they conveniently take over those 'new Zaku' that you destroyed? They can extract data from the black box, right?"

Is that...so?

However, when Sphinx Base was mentioned, Gao Ren inevitably thought of certain guys.

"Djamitov, that guy looked down on me because of my age, is he really that kind?"

Gao Ren clearly held a skeptical attitude towards this.

Whether it was the initial show of force or the subsequent decision to exclude him from the combat system, it all proved that he wanted to completely sideline the Lion Dance Squad.

"He disagreed with General Gao Yun politically, and probably wouldn't want the SRT (Special Response Unit) to continue to achieve merits, which is why he was suddenly crippled..."

Gao Ren suddenly frowned, and that instantaneous change in expression caught Shirley's attention.

"So, what came to mind?"

"It's nothing, just a very subtle feeling."

Gently rubbing his head, Gao Ren frowned deeply.

Although there's no evidence...

"How many days have passed since that incident?"

"...less than a week?"

At this moment, Gao Ren subconsciously turned his gaze to the wall in the hangar lounge, where the electronic calendar faithfully displayed the exact date:

"July 7th..."

Five days...

Even including the cleanup efforts within the Sphinx base, the timeframe might be even tighter.

And it was under these circumstances...

'Knock knock knock'

"Please come in."

Just when Gao Ren felt he was one step away from success, a young soldier walked in.

Clearly, he wasn't a member of the Lion Dance team, but perhaps that's why he seemed a little awkward.

After taking a deep breath, he stood at attention and saluted.

"We beg the members of the Lion Dance Team to guide us!"

"……what?"

Just as Gao Ren was in a daze, another commotion came from outside the door.

"Please, hero, stay!"

Please don't leave!

"Please stay and mentor us; we want to become as strong as you!"

When Gao Ren walked out of the rest room, he saw a group of soldiers standing in the open space, some of them still bearing wounds that had not fully healed.

"Currently, our base is severely lacking pilots capable of operating mobile suits, so... so we hope you can provide us with guidance!"

Meeting those earnest gazes, Gao Ren narrowed his eyes.

He slowly looked up and discovered that a thick fog had enveloped the Sphinx base and lingered for a long time.

…………

July 5, UC.0079

Rumors circulated within Sphinx Base that the Lion Dance Squad was about to embark on a special mission, prompting the soldiers to spontaneously organize a petition.

Although the person involved was completely unaware of this.

Chapter 59: Gao Ren's Weakness

Location: Sphinx Base

Amidst the ruins, signs of construction were everywhere. Meanwhile, with various transport planes constantly traveling back and forth and stopping day and night, the military equipment damaged or lost due to the attack of the red comet had been replenished.

"This time, the addition includes about 20 Zanis, as well as 5 GMs specially modified for the desert terrain."

Inside the command center, a man named Basque Om reported on the specifics, while the frontline commander, Djamitov, opened his eyes:

"Is Jim made of Luna Titanium alloy?"

"No, the 'defective products' produced by the Gibraltar base factory this time have external armor made of ordinary titanium alloy, and..."

After glancing at the documents in his hand, a hint of embarrassment appeared on the face of this burly man who had been active on the front lines:

"Furthermore, according to the report, although it can be equipped with the same 240mm caliber artillery backpack as Gundam and become a 'GM Cannon', its fragile structure makes it prone to leg structure collapse under gravity."

"Tsk, so they just sent these things here?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of displeasure appeared on Djamitov's face:

"There was a batch of regular GMs at Gabro's place at the beginning of this month, where did those Luna Titanium Alloy mobile suits go?"

"This……"

At this point, a hint of hesitation appeared on the Basque's face:

"It's said there's some urgent mission. Apart from the main battlefields in North America and Europe, where the attrition rate is the highest, three newly produced aircraft have been transferred to Canada, apparently to test some new weaponry and systems..."

"...Never mind."

The distance spanning an ocean ultimately made Djamitov give up on thinking about these trivial matters.

He is currently just a commander, lacking both rank and power.

"More importantly than these mechanical issues... how are the pilots doing?"

"The progress is certainly very smooth."

At this point, the Basque's lips curled into a smile:

"As I expected, Bagina doesn't have the brains for this, Page won't disobey clear orders, and the only one who really makes decisions in that squad is Lieutenant Gao Ren."

In other words...

"As long as we can persuade him, the entire squad will stay in our camp as you expect, and won't go back to Gao Yun's side."

"But your methods are too crude."

Meeting Basque's confident expression, Djamitov reached out and tapped the desk in front of him:

"No orders have been issued from above, so the source of such rumors can be easily found with a little investigation."

"But Your Excellency, I did not spread these remarks. I merely told those soldiers when they were at their lowest and most anxious that the Lion Dance Squad does not belong to our African Army's combat order."

Basque Om, this man simply brought up a fact that had always been out in the open at the right time.

then……

"What happened later was indeed all spontaneous actions by the soldiers."

“But your wordplay is meaningless here, Basque.”

Undeterred by the so-called perfect logic, Djamitov interrupted Basque's smug debriefing:

"You should know very well that simple thinking doesn't require evidence..."

Gradually, the colonel's gaze turned to the distance.

Gazing at the dark migratory bird, a glint of light flashed in the man's eyes:

“North America, Europe… even if we remove the universe, a deeper thought will reveal that Africa is a very low priority.”

And that's precisely why...

"Your behavior will inevitably arouse his suspicion."

"But Your Excellency, you should also know very well that this kind of thing is not important."

…………

'boom'

'boom'

Some heavy, muffled sounds echoed across the specially designated training ground, where two Zanis were holding shields in one hand and clubs in the other.

Without using precious propellant, it relied solely on the most basic AMBAC system to maintain a fundamental balance while attempting to bring down the opponent with its blunt weapon.

Meanwhile, a circle of soldiers stood watching the spectacle from the edge of the field.

Of course, you could also call it cheering or shouting encouragement:

"Take down that guy—Kamiwinai! Kill that Wolf guy and show these people what we 'transfer students' are made of!"

This is the first lesson in Earth's mobile suit training—balance.