Gundam, Gravity Elegy

'boom'

"It's impossible to catch up—"

'boom'

"Monster is coming—"

'boom'

Before anyone knew it, the desert Zagu squad leader realized that all the team members around him had fallen. The cannon that had come from afar had accurately hit them on the head, blowing off their heads and slamming them to the ground, rendering them unable to move.

"Damn it, that damned Gundam—"

That was what he originally intended to say, but when the dark figure came into view, the feedback from the optical sensors on the cockpit screen was completely different.

That was a number they should have been intimately familiar with—MS-06.

"It's... a Zaku?"

Beneath the scarlet 'mask,' a single eye faintly emerges, proving its lineage.

"It's that Zaku Imitation Machine?!"

'boom'

After the roar subsided, the cockpit of the Zaku fell into darkness, and there was no more sound.

…………

Incidentally, here's a bonus image of Zani's incredible high-mobility build.

It feels like the AI ​​is from Zmmad. You might think it's outrageous, but the design is actually quite reasonable. It even includes a cable that runs straight to the waist-level fusion furnace.

Chapter 61: The Game Between Djamitov and Gao Yun

"You've had a tough hunt!"

Nighttime at the Sphinx Base in Egypt.

It seems that during wartime, the fast-paced life with its frequent unexpected events has distorted people's sense of time.

Even though only about ten days have passed since that devastating attack, the soldiers here seem to have already put that pain behind them.

At this moment, the only proof of that pain exists is those people.

"The Death Squad—returned safely!"

Under the cover of darkness, as the fully loaded transport plane landed on the central airfield of the base, the pilot directly in front of it saluted.

This is a mobile suit unit formed by the survivors of Sphinx Base with the approval of their superiors.

Its name comes from a local Egyptian desert legend—it is said that at dusk, lost souls who linger in the desert will be taken away by the god of death.

Thus, they also pinned their hopes on this legend, hoping to become the Grim Reaper and punish the Zeon invaders roaming this land.

"But no matter how nicely they put it, they're really just a makeshift force cobbled together."

"Tsk, how can you talk like that?"

Glancing at the muttering female logistics officer, the pilot simply stood with his hands on his hips, looking incredibly arrogant.

Bins—although his piloting performance wasn't the best, and his ranking in internal combat was only above average, he was still appointed as the captain of the MS unit within the Sphinx base.

Aside from the significant factor of pilot scarcity, his own character is also a rare and valuable trait in today's world:

"Hehe, Lieutenant Sarah, you know we've really made a name for ourselves this time."

At first glance, it may seem a bit silly, but its overflowing confidence can unconsciously infect those around it.

Even the female officer, who initially disapproved of his arrogant demeanor and wanted to teach him a lesson, couldn't help but show a helpless expression.

"Who knows, we might just become elites soon—"

"Alright, enough nonsense."

Seeing his increasingly smug expression, Lieutenant Sarah could only roll her eyes at him helplessly.

"I have no interest in your boasting; no matter how much you brag, it's not as important as that thing."

Then, the woman extended her hand:

"Hand it over, stop wasting time."

"what?"

"Your list of spoils!"

"Ooh ooh ooh—"

It wasn't until the logistics officer yelled at him that the soldier, lost in his daydreams, snapped out of it and began to scramble around, much to the amusement of his colleagues.

"Hey Yazan, where's the list?"

"Huh? I'm not interested in that kind of thing..."

"Wolf?"

"I don't know..."

"Tsk, Kamui Nai, you should know, right?!"

"...I didn't really pay attention."

No one knows whether it was intentional or unintentional, but after a series of chaotic shouts, the restless 'pilot trainees' were thrown into complete disarray.

Some were tearing at their clothes and roaring, others were shifting blame; the scene, which at first glance resembled a troop of monkeys fighting, really made Lieutenant Sarah's fists harden.

"These guys..."

"After all, they don't have experience in this area."

Just as Miss Sarah felt she was about to lose control of her inner rage, the voice in her ear instantly interrupted her brewing emotions and thoughts.

When he came to his senses, he saw only a young lieutenant standing in front of him:

“Normally, it takes three years of study at a non-commissioned officer school to make these things common sense, but they don’t have that opportunity, so let’s be more lenient with them.”

"Second Lieutenant Gao Ren..."

"The details are all here. You should have someone check them."

When she came to her senses, Lieutenant Sarah found herself already holding the handwritten list of spoils.

Watching that departing figure, the logistics officer couldn't help but glance at the pilots who were still locked in combat:

"Honestly, I don't know who's more mature now."

…………

That's probably what Gao Ren has been doing lately.

These trainees, who call themselves 'Grim Reapers,' are trained to master mobile suit piloting skills through combat. Once they have mastered the basics, they are taken out for actual combat.

While accumulating combat experience, they can also bring back the supplies that Zeon was unable to take with them to the Federation Army to make up for the deficiencies.

"Leaving aside the abstract design of the Majera tank, the Zaku parts in those supply depots are directly interchangeable with the Zani. These parts not only ensure the basic operation of the MS, but more importantly, they can reduce the pressure on the local maintenance crew... The wear and tear from live-fire training must have given them a lot of headaches."

"But unfortunately, all your good intentions will probably end up benefiting someone else."

Seeing Gao Ren's incessant muttering, Shirley couldn't help but speak up:

"You understand, right? We and the African Army are not even in the same combat order."

"Yes, and Colonel Hyman and General Gao Yun are likely to have disagreements. No matter what we do, we'll just end up being swallowed up by the people here."

Gao Ren was very clear about this.

That's why he took on this mess.

after all……

"The lower-ranking federal soldiers are innocent."

Gao Ren said in a low voice:

“Every idea and every order from above requires them to give their all, even to risk their lives to make up for their mistakes and shortcomings, but I just can’t help them make a second choice, so I can only try to do something for them in this way.”

Perhaps they wanted to steal some extra supplies from Zeon, or perhaps they wanted to find a way to help them improve their combat capabilities as much as possible, so that the base wouldn't become a weakness in Zeon's eyes.

"However, from a certain perspective, you are aiding the enemy—at least from General Gao Yun's point of view. He is probably the one who most wants Jamitov to be held back and then withdraw his troops."

"What does that have to do with me? Old black guy doesn't have a good reputation with me."

Gao Ren yawned like that:

“From the moment we were inexplicably sent to this place to ‘dilute’ the African Army’s achievements, he was hardly a selfless general in my eyes.”

Perhaps General Gao Yun is a staunch advocate of war, but that doesn't prevent him from being a 'politician' who can't see the grassroots.

While it won't come to the point of sitting at the same table with some idiots who betray the interests of the Federation Army and harm frontline soldiers, well...

“I have no obligation to pay for their struggles, so let them play their own games.”

Lying quietly on the table, Gao Ren couldn't help but squint his eyes:

"Anyway, some time has passed, and it's time for General Gao Yun to make his move, after all..."

…………

"After all, the 'Awakening Lion' is the strongest blade in our 'Guinea Pig Squad.' No matter what kind of battlefield they are on, they have the ability to make a difference. How could I let them stay in the hands of that guy, Jamitov?"

"So, General, what do you intend to do?"

Meeting the gaze of his trusted lieutenant, the old general simply kept his eyes tightly closed.

then……

"Now, issue orders to the Delta team to proceed immediately to the Sphinx base to relieve the Lion Awakening squad."

Author's message

…………

Gao Yun was not selfless. The entire 0083 was caused by the conflict between Gao Yun's faction and the Djamitov faction. Gao Yun's biggest problem was that he thought he had all the intelligence, which led to the complete defeat.

PS2: Binns comes from Legacy and is Wolf's captain. He protected Wolf before Wolf grew up.

PS3: I was out all day today, so the update is late. I'm very sorry.

PS4: The African front was extremely poor; in historical records, the first Midia wasn't assigned until the African mopping-up operations in December.

Chapter 62: Handover and Departure (Includes some images of transport planes)

July 12, UC.0079

Personnel changes have occurred in the Earth Federation Wide Area Special Response Force—commonly known as the Guinea Pig Force.

The 3rd Independent Mechanized Unit—commonly known as Delta Force—which was originally preparing for the Middle East theater with the main force, moved to Africa to hand over its work and mission to the Lions Club stationed there.

"So, that's the basic situation. General Gao Yun sent us here directly, hoping to exchange you for us."

And so, for these reasons, the man stood in front of him.

Albert—a sunny and cheerful strong man. At first glance, the Earth Federation Army uniform looks perfectly fitting on him, like an ordinary piece of clothing.

At the same time, his every move exuded a slippery aura, as if he was born to diligently serve as a parasite in the Earth Federation's army.

In Gao Ren's view, it is a good thing to be able to maintain such an optimistic attitude during wartime.

"Come to think of it, it seems like we haven't seen each other since we parted ways at school. You've been making quite a splash lately, haven't you!"

Of course, it would have been even better if he hadn't been rubbing his head and talking to himself.

"Tsk, you've messed up your hair."

Taking a slight step back, Gao Ren couldn't help but slap away the guy's rough hand:

"Haha, I almost forgot, back when we were studying together, you acted like a little adult..."