Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Of course, Albert didn't take this 'disrespectful' behavior to heart.

Back when they were training together, he was able to hang out with Meng Xia and his gang; his skin was incredibly thick.

And perhaps it is precisely because of this...

"It's a pity, though. Your face hasn't turned into a 'man' yet. Even if you want to be serious, you can't. It'll probably be difficult to get others to listen to you properly."

Seeing that the guy's two fingers were gripping his face like pliers, Gao Ren slapped them away again.

"Alright, I just want to know why you came to a place like this."

And so, the time for joking around ended quietly.

He swiftly switched expressions, the wanton look vanishing from Albert's face, replaced by... a hint of mockery.

"What else could it be? Of course, it's because our General Gao Yun is a 'good man,' and everyone knows that the defenses here are weak."

"Is it really that outrageous?"

"Yes, it's that outrageous."

At this point, Albert chuckled:

"You have no idea, the Sphinx Base incident has caused quite a stir these past few days."

"What's wrong?"

"What else could it be? Colonel Hyman here has reported the whole situation to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Plus, we're at a critical strategic juncture right now, so the military police are back to their usual 'spy-hunting' frenzy."

"So, what did they find out?"

"No...at least not at SRT."

Albert yawned:

"It's more like those guys in the military police are putting on a show of bravado rather than conducting an investigation, just to give their superiors something to report."

"...How could you neglect something so important?"

"That's how it is. After all, it wouldn't be easy to handle if something were actually found out."

Just as Gao Ren was deep in thought, he saw Albert pat him on the shoulder:

"There are some things that are beyond the control of us 'common soldiers,' so we should just follow orders."

This guy seemed to have reverted to his usual carefree, grinning self, and then, in a rather unserious manner, raised his hand in a salute:

"In short, the 3rd Independent Mechanized Unit - Delta Team reporting for duty, will be taking over the Sphinx Base from the Lion Dance Team."

Looking at that cocky, roguish demeanor, Gao Ren couldn't help but sigh:

"...Finally, you shouldn't be saying this to me, right?"

"Here's the process: if I had gone to see that guy Jamitov before, guess what that old geezer Gao Yun would have said?"

"...No, what I mean is, shouldn't you be handing this over to our captain?"

"Well said, so where is your captain?"

"..."

…………

In short, that's roughly how things are.

There was no long-lost chat and emotional connection between "old classmates," no time for reminiscing, and no farewell party.

Everything was rushed, as if the handover was completed in the midst of the takeoff and landing of the Media-class transport aircraft.

SRT's independent organizational advantage seemed to be fully demonstrated at this moment, leaving the African front with absolutely no room for intervention or manipulation.

So, they've already left?

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Facing the overwhelming darkness and shadows, the Basques bowed their heads and responded:

"The Lion Awakening Squad didn't want to inform too many people about this news for the time being, so they left while the Death Squad was out on patrol."

"Is that so? As expected, Gao Yun wouldn't leave his sharpest knife here."

Djamitov remarked:

"With 'Awakening Lion' involved, he must be reaping a lot of military achievements. His promotion speed is truly enviable."

The sigh was steady and powerful, as if it were just an ordinary regret.

However, the Basque, with his background in intelligence, could detect a hint of displeasure in it:

"Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to conceal his sharpness... no, it should be said that he simply doesn't care—by standing in the eye of the storm, he is bound to become the target of everyone's criticism."

Djamitov and Goyun, two generals with drastically different political views, ideologies, and styles of conduct, are destined to engage in an invisible struggle that could very well have a profound and far-reaching impact.

But at least for now, this contradiction, which has not yet been revealed, is not worth paying attention to.

At least in Gao Ren's view, there are things that are far more important than the so-called power struggles at the top, such as the captain of their Lion Dance team.

"Wait, where's that Kuvatro guy?"

Looking around the lounge, Gao Ren's brows furrowed deeply.

"We haven't seen him much since he went on 'vacation,' could he have gone to Cairo and missed his flight?"

Perhaps because of the captain's consistently unreliable style, Gao Ren didn't mind speculating about his captain's whereabouts with the utmost malice.

However, it turns out he may not have gone that far:

"Who are you saying didn't get on the plane? Your respectable captain is currently composing himself."

That familiar voice came through the communication, but it would have been better if it hadn't been mentioned. As soon as it was mentioned, Gao Ren laughed in exasperation:

"Oh, so you just woke up? What did you do yesterday?"

"He went to Cairo to solicit prostitutes."

"..."

In the awkward silence, the man simply straightened his military uniform.

Looking at his scarred face in the mirror, he simply crumpled the photograph in his hand into a piece of waste paper.

"Let's just assume that's what you think."

Inside the trash can, one can vaguely see the figure of a mobile suit.

Zaku—the red Zaku.

"Anyway, for me, what's coming next will be... a bit stressful."

Author's message

…………

Refresh if you can't see the image. It's really annoying when you can't post images directly when posting chapters on Maoke.

From a design perspective, the container should be enlarged, the front vertical take-off and landing jet structure (initially designed as a propeller) should be removed, and the number of jet engines should be increased.

Here's a little-known fact: the initial design of the Median-class aircraft could only carry one mobile suit (from the initial blue version of Destiny), which was much less efficient than the Gunpla. Starting from version 08, it could carry more than three mobile suits (this is where the Median's carrying capacity was revised).

However, in the original anime, the Media unit alone could handle the entire White Fortress's supply transport. It just shows a lack of communication between the authors of the various spin-offs and their respective settings.

Chapter 63: Zeon's Movements

On the plains, artillery fire raged.

Under the influence of Minovsky particles, steel creations that should symbolize high technology have reverted to the primitive warfare model of the old century.

However, compared to the era when chariots roamed freely, the land of the Universal Century has gained an additional weapon.

"Boom!"

"Mobile Suit!!!"

Amidst roars, two shuttles hurtled along the ground, and amidst the booming of cannons, four Cyclopes appeared on the battlefield.

"Don't panic, we still have a numerical advantage."

Gazing at the crimson eye emerging from the smoke and dust, the commander shouted:

"Mobile suits are ultimately weapons of space; the ground will always belong to tanks!!"

Of course, this statement is not wrong in itself. Just like in the Battle of Loum, even if the shooting accuracy was not good, the large number of enemies could still cause fatal damage after the crossfire improved the coverage.

Theoretically speaking, this tactic is more effective on Earth.

For mobile suits that indiscriminately weld all their creations to the ground and cannot evade attacks 360° as freely as in space, the explosive impact of massive artillery barrages is the greatest enemy.

at all times

"That's how it should have been!!"

Just as the federal officer was subconsciously thinking, the scene that appeared before him shattered his war concepts, which he had cultivated over the years and which even the emergence of new weapons could not shake.

Just like the landing operation months ago, the Cyclops descended from the sky and completely crushed their pride and ideals.

In fact, this time the performance was even more insane!

“We… clearly upgraded our weapons.”

Whether it's the Type 61, modified from the former RTX lineage, or those self-propelled artillery pieces, it's fair to say that several months after the outbreak of war, the equipment of the ground forces today is vastly different from what it was initially.

However, those descending giants seemed to be proving a fact through their actions:

Does this mean all our efforts have been in vain?!

'boom'

Immediately, that resentment and anger were torn apart by the high temperature.

The thermally heated tomahawk easily destroyed the bridge of the land battleship—the Great Tray-class land battleship, the culmination of the Federal Army's budget.

As the central command post, its prized firepower failed to prove effective before collapsing. And when four highly maneuverable Zaku aircraft closed in, their fate was almost always the same:

"Frio, get ready."

"Falbet, keep up with my speed!"

The vibrant red and dark blue light intertwined, and along with its followers, four high-temperature thermal tomahawk-class destroyers pulverized the towering land warship from different angles, as if slicing a cake.

The roar of the fusion furnace explosion echoed in the very center of the battlefield, and the scattered and reverberating Minovsky particles resembled the unwilling blood mist of the Federation soldiers.

Unfortunately, no one cared about that hatred and resentment. To those towering, one-eyed giants, the scattered particles symbolized only one thing:

"If possible, please keep a close eye on the particle concentration, Major Sangrin. If we can't contact the mothership, things will get very complicated."

"Tsk, I'm confident in handling this kind of thing."

Faced with that calm reminder, the blue Zaku, which should have been as deep as the universe, instead emitted a violent aura completely different from its appearance.

They had just had a coordinated attack against land-based warships, but they quickly parted ways again.

As the blue aircraft of the same type hurtled towards the tanks and armored vehicles, the man named Char Aznable simply pressed a launch button.

On a specialized high-propulsion backpack, a signal flare pierced through the still-lingering dust particles and shot straight into the sky.

Then, a colossal object ripped through the clouds with a roar, casting a dark shadow over the earth.

"What...what exactly is that?"

On the battlefield, after the survivors finally managed to crawl out of the tanks that had not yet exploded, they were met with high-energy explosives falling from the sky.

"Could it be... Gawu?"

Amidst the smoke and dust, the soldiers strained to look up, but what they saw was not the wings that blotted out the sky.

It was less of an 'airplane' and more of a...

"Warship?"

…………

"Amphibious mobile cruiser - Zanzibar".