Gundam, Gravity Elegy

The speaker was undoubtedly the team captain, Cuvatro Bagina:

"Ultimately, if this place were entirely composed of Federation troops, it would be easier to handle, but unfortunately, there are also those Zeon people here..."

"Tsk, how was I supposed to know this would happen? I initially gathered these Zeon remnants just to better supervise them."

So I didn't mean to shift the responsibility to you—

Under Shirley's displeased gaze, the captain simply reached up and adjusted his sunglasses:

"But these things are still somewhat sensitive. If they are made public, it will not only shake the morale of the troops on the front line, but may even affect the personal thoughts of these 'prisoners'."

At this point, Cuvatro even looked around.

Although many people expressed their curiosity, the Black Dogs' commotion was quickly suppressed.

Leaving aside those who helped out like the Mudrock Squad, the Zeon people had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"In short, I will stay here to communicate with the commanders of other teams to prevent this matter from escalating further... Of course, this does not mean that this matter will end here."

Meeting Gao Ren's hesitant gaze, Kuvatro quickly added:

“Theoretically speaking, the matter concerning Anatolia also needs to be concluded. I will be responsible for reporting the news about this place to General Gao Yun. In this way, you can also say that you are following my orders to support the main force in the south.”

"But can General Gao Yun really be trusted? Apart from SRT, he is still the head of the Federal Technology Department."

"Do you think he looks like the kind of person who would do this kind of research?"

That... the general who looks so dark.

Although he was eager for quick success and greedy, he exhibited more of a stereotypical political idiot.

"Believe me, that guy has absolutely no political ability to independently manage any project. If something like this falls into his hands, it will inevitably become a tool for his political enemies to attack."

"From what you're saying, it seems that General Gao Yun's role as 'person in charge' has been completely sidelined."

"The federal technology department is like this: not only are there many factions within the military, but there are also partners and spokespeople from various arms companies. Our 'General Goni' probably doesn't even know what his subordinates are researching... For example, that thing is like this."

That white machine, covered with heat dissipation devices.

"According to Ms. Lutz's brief investigation, the machine was equipped with the familiar 'EXAM,' indicating that the Federation's research in this area has been put on the agenda. At the same time, the registration number of this machine was also found in the 'Black Dog Team's' database, confirming that it is a legitimate research project."

"What about the pilot?"

"There is no pilot."

Under Gao Ren's gaze, Kuvatro couldn't help but sigh:

"Technologies like enhanced humans and super soldiers are simply impossible to pass in a formal meeting, not to mention that the pilot's age is obviously problematic."

That thin and frail figure...

"She looks like she's only 10 years old, she's clearly just a child."

"So, this also means that he has no relatives or friends."

Seeing Gao Ren's obvious difficulty breathing, Kuvatro could only sigh:

"There are no extra connections, and no one will cause trouble in the chaos. Those big shots like to target helpless infants or homeless people who have lost their support. Once the war is over, everything can be attributed to—death in the war."

Every word here made him feel breathless, and every phrase seemed to be trampling on his will.

"The world shouldn't be like this..."

"But the world has always been like this, it's an old trick that's nothing new... It's said that back in the old century, pharmaceutical companies in the United States liked to buy babies and the elderly from illegal channels for experiments, and it's similar to this now."

"But this is wrong..."

At this moment, Gao Ren really wanted to say something, but what he saw before him made him think of many things.

War, experiment, children—these words that should not have any connection have been forcibly joined together by an invisible hand, stitched together in the ugliest and cruelst way.

Ultimately, it all came together to form a single sentence.

Or rather, it was a problem he had always faced:

What if you actually witnessed something that you found unbearable but were powerless to change?

He had faced a similar problem just before.

But what was his answer back then?

"Mistakes need to be corrected—"

"That's right, but unfortunately the whole world is like that now, so my suggestion is..."

"Then let's make changes."

"...?"

Kuvatro raised an eyebrow, and his previously nonchalant eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

Then, he saw the child, the boy in front of him, speak:

"If the world is like this, and if no one is willing to work for it, then I will—"

As if to pour out all the filth, he made a declaration:

"I'm here to take the first step, I'm here to...make a change."

Author's message

…………

I saw people discussing EXAM and Newtypes.

To emphasize, EXAM was a legitimate Federation research project. If it hadn't been destroyed by BD later, it could have been considered a significant achievement.

Then, this is divided into two lines, which I may have written in a somewhat obscure way.

The enhanced human itself is unrelated to the EXAM project. The proper EXAM project—which does not include the issue of pilots—is for soldiers to operate.

Enhanced humans were a product of internal federal research, and initially operated independently; this is similar to the black box of the US medical system in reality.

No project is initiated, the research process is not made public, and only the finished product is provided.

The reason for using children is clearly stated in the original work: the Federation has complete physical enhancement technology (unrelated to Newtype abilities).

The only reason for using children as guinea pigs is because they are cheap and difficult to hold accountable afterwards (refer to the real-world situation in the US).

Furthermore, while the Earth Federation officially denies the existence of Newtypes, the biosensors derived from EXAM have long been in use, and the werewolf system can even drive people insane.

As for the propaganda slogans, well, they're only aimed at the lower classes, but the lower classes have absolutely no idea what the New Humans are.

The attitude of the federal leadership is to know, deny, and secretly study the matter, which is a very orthodox and even stereotypical approach.

Chapter 100: 'Friendly Negotiations' with the Black Dog

"buzz buzz buzz"

At the No. 3 underground airport, the roar of engines echoed across an open space, and the Passenger Bird took off amidst the sound of turbines.

Its massive body, even larger than that of a regular Median-class aircraft, kicked up an even more violent cloud of dust. By the time people could make out its true form, the enormous black shadow had completely disappeared into the still dimly lit sky.

"So... you just left like that."

Looking up at the somewhat murky red night, Ken finally couldn't help but sigh.

He glanced back at his subordinate, and an indescribable embarrassment appeared on his face.

"In the end, we still couldn't get a chance to speak to him."

What to say?

For these 'Zionians', the events before were completely baffling.

It seemed like they vaguely sensed some kind of disturbance, only to find themselves already driven to the outermost edge by the federal soldiers.

They watched as the group, which seemed to be called the Black Dogs, was taken into custody, but they had no idea what had happened.

And that's how it is now.

"They truly deserve to be called an ace team; they look incredibly busy."

They were so busy that they didn't have time to communicate at all, and neither their requests nor their gratitude could be expressed.

"However, I think this is a good thing."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the captain is a soft-hearted person, if the Gundam pilot is really a child, it would be difficult for him to make some demands."

Faced with Kaski's teasing tone, Ken instinctively opened his mouth, but remained speechless.

At this moment, perhaps all he can do is smile bitterly:

"Maybe, but if we miss this opportunity, things won't be so easy for us afterwards."

At this point, the captain of the red team finally turned his gaze straight ahead.

There, a blond man who had changed into a regular military uniform walked over.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be any sense of physical oppression, but you can vaguely see the scars under the coat.

Various stitches, bullet wounds, and even burns can be seen on his forearms and chest, but more importantly, his face—even though black sunglasses cover most of his face, the twists and turns extending from that 'black curtain' writhe like long worms.

"So, you have something to discuss with 'Awakening Lion', right?"

"Ah, that's right, I am Lieutenant Ken Biedstant, the Red Team Captain of the 5th Army Division."

Perhaps because the atmosphere was so solemn, he even saluted as a soldier.

In contrast, this man's movements were more casual:

"Captain of the Lion Dance, Captain Cuvatro Bagina."

"Uh...you're the captain?"

"is there a problem?"

"No, it's nothing."

Meeting that gaze that seemed to be scrutinizing something, Ken immediately shut his mouth.

For them, asking why the 'Gundam pilot' isn't the captain at this time would be obviously a foolish thing to do.

"But in essence, I'm just Lieutenant Gao Ren's representative, and for now, I'm here to do some important work for him."

"what?"

But didn't you say you were the captain?

However, they couldn't fully express this level of complaint, as the man in front of them showed no intention of giving them a response.

"If you have anything important to discuss, we can talk about it later. Right now, I have some important things to do, so please give me some time."

"it is good……"

"Thank you so much."

The conversation was formulaic, and the responses were formulaic. Everything seemed to flow smoothly.

After all, as de facto prisoners of war, these 'Zionians' didn't have much to be picky about.

"But Ken, don't you think he looks familiar?"

"Oh, I don't know."

Meeting Kena's somewhat bewildered gaze, Kaski, who had enlisted earlier, simply fell into inexplicable contemplation.

"That face... no, I feel like I know it very well."

Of course, with sunglasses and scars covering their faces, these Zeon people would never have imagined that the red-eyed blond man had a face exactly like their 'Zeon hero'.

Char Aznabul.

No, perhaps that name is more appropriate.

"Edward—"

Inside the temporary detention tent, Leonard strained to look up:

"Edward Mars!!"

"Shh—that name was already abandoned when I joined the intelligence agency."

Looking at the man bound up like a maggot, the blond man yawned.