Gundam, Gravity Elegy

“Really, many people will lose their lives because of this.”

"So, Lieutenant Gao Ren, do you have any thoughts or suggestions?"

Kuvatro crossed his arms, and under his gaze, the boy couldn't help but close his eyes.

After some thought...

"Lieutenant Top."

He suddenly turned his attention to the woman from Zeon:

"Actually, what I've always found strange is that, even though you're only a second lieutenant, you seem to be very...familiar with your commander?"

Upon hearing this, the woman who had previously remained silent pursed her lips:

What are you trying to say?

"I don't want to say anything, but it suddenly occurred to me that the army of your Principality of Zeon is very different from the Federation army. It is harder for me to get to know a general than to climb to heaven, but you can easily overcome this barrier. Your generals are even so... young. I want to know why."

Meeting that clearly questioning gaze, Lieutenant Top clenched his fist involuntarily:

"Our commander is named Yuri Keller. He entered the Higher Military Academy when he was young and was among the first graduates of the Republic."

"The Republic refers to...the Zeon Republic at that time?"

“That’s right. Eleven years ago, Mr. Deiken passed away from overwork, and his friend, Mr. Zabi… the current Prince Dejin renamed the country, which was originally named after the universe, in his honor.”

That was the earliest name of the colonial satellite dictatorship in Side 3—the Republic of Zeon.

"The commander graduated around that time and was one of the first to join the reorganized Zeon Defense Forces. His classmate was General Dozru."

"Pfft..."

But before Top could finish speaking, Cuvatro couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This not only interrupted Top's thoughts, but even Gao Ren couldn't help but look at him with a puzzled expression:

"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect you to be so honest."

Under Lieutenant Top's ashen face, Kuvatro shrugged dramatically:

"Since we've come this far, let me add something extra. There are actually serious factional struggles within the Principality of Zeon. The army of the Principality is seemingly unified under the leadership of the old man, Desmond, but in reality, each faction has its own power. As for Yuri Keller, before he came to Earth, he was a capable subordinate of Dozle, the commander-in-chief of the Zeon Space Attack Force."

…………

"Haha, looks like you're making good progress on Earth. Are you about to conquer all of Europe so quickly?"

Rouen Industrial Base Command Center.

Yuri Keller, the commander of the First Division now stationed here, simply stared helplessly at the menacing yet cheerful face on the screen.

Dozru Zabi, in terms of the military profession, this man is almost an idol and role model for all Zeon soldiers.

Using talent regardless of background is only the most basic principle. More importantly, he never showed the same clear humility towards his subordinates as he did towards his brothers and sisters.

But it was precisely because of this that Yuri felt an unspeakable pressure:

"No, it's not actually that simple."

"No, no, no, I think this should be a very simple matter for you. After all, you have never been defeated since you came to Earth, and now you have advanced all the way to the Ruhr—that is a good place, the industrial center of Europe!"

When the world officially entered the Universal Century, the industrial center had been divided equally between Asia and the Americas, and the political center had remained in Africa for the sake of some adults. Europe actually gained nothing.

Even so, several old industrial bases have been preserved, and Rouen is one of them.

"It was already famous when humans were still mining coal resources, and in the old century it even supported the country called 'Germany' in fighting two world wars. Isn't that amazing!"

Until the Universal Century, and even now, it has been one of Europe's most important industrial centers...

"It is actually completely different from California and Asia. For some complicated reasons, Europe's industrial base is very dispersed, and the Ruhr is just one of them."

Meeting Lieutenant General Dozru's expectant gaze, Major General Kelleren merely offered an awkward yet polite smile:

"If we want to take them all under our control, we must completely crush the Federation's European Front."

"So, aren't you very close to this goal? I've already seen your roadmap. As long as we press on in Western Europe, the Federal Army will have no foothold left."

On one side of the screen, a powerful and majestic voice echoed on the other, ultimately coalescing into those weighty words:

"Yuri, don't let others beat us to it, don't let others look down on us, the Space Attack Force."

He finally closed his eyes:

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. Remember to assign those newly delivered mechs to pilots you trust. When you return to space, we'll have another drink!"

"……it is good."

Author's message

…………

PS1: During the One Year War, it was impossible for a Deacon to hold a high position, so Yuri must have been a close confidant of Zabi.

PS2: Due to issues with military ranks and official positions in the original work, GTO's version was adopted, setting Mark Bay as the commander of the Earth Forces, with Garma as his subordinate.

PS3: This chapter was actually posted this morning; the middle chapter is missing.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Dirty Struggle

If one had to use a single word to describe the current state of the Zeon army, it would be 'unstoppable momentum'.

Although a significant population disparity still exists, and casualties have indeed occurred, the thought of the great duchy's continuous expansion of its territory and borders makes even the wounded soldiers, whose disability compensation is still pending and who have been forcibly conscripted, unable to help but stand tall and shout out the word that makes them proud:

Long live Zeon!

In the newly occupied areas, the voices of the soldiers patrolling during the day were incredibly loud.

Despite the absence of any amplification equipment, the deafening shouts traveled straight into the sky and echoed throughout every corner of the industrial base.

Then, they stopped in front of the command post.

Perhaps because of the completely closed door, the entire office specially set up for him was almost completely dark.

Only after the secretary named Cynthia knocked on the door did a faint light shine in:

"Lord Yuri, there is some information that I must present to you."

The deathly silence before her left her momentarily stunned, but before she could think further, the tall figure had already stepped out of the darkness and into the sunlight.

Similarly, even a smile appeared on that resolute face:

"What's wrong?"

Is it... just my imagination?

Cynthia subconsciously thought this, but when she came to her senses, she found that the man had already started walking towards the front.

The general's overcoat billowed in the wind created by his powerful strides, like the ceaseless winds of battle:

"It's rather stuffy here, let's talk as we walk."

"Yes--"

Clutching her small portable computer tightly, she quickly caught up with the Major General:

"The supply troops from Odessa have arrived, bringing Zaku and spare parts for the division, as well as a unit specifically assigned to the Sand Lizard Squadron."

"Hmm, it seems Lord Dozle's support has arrived."

Unconsciously, Major General Keller quickened his pace, and the secretary was somewhat unaccustomed to the faster pace than usual.

But Cynthia quickly recovered:

"In addition to supplies, Major Abis also sent a report that he has completed the bombing of the Federation Army's Salz base."

“Hmm, very good. Tell Bona to continue along the original route. If I remember correctly, his next destination is—”

"Switzerland, that place is now also under our control."

"Yes, our army hasn't had time to establish a large supply depot there yet, so we'll have him bomb the targets there according to the strategic map and then return here so he can resupply directly in the Ruhr. If we're lucky, he might be able to go to the Hessian region to support the Sand Lizard Squadron before the official start of operations."

Upon hearing this, Cynthia was stunned:

"If we follow your plan, how will the propaganda materials describe the reclamation of the federal troops' achievements?"

"Of course, it's all for our ogre Mr.

"But if that happens, Major Abyss will definitely be very unhappy."

"No, he and I are old friends, he certainly understands the difficulties the First Division is facing now."

So what kind of talk is that?

Although a secretary shouldn't question her superiors, Miss Cynthia still had a strong urge to complain.

But considering that this has always been his style, she didn't want to ruin his reputation.

So... that's it?

'Boom'

A heavy roar echoed, and Major General Kelleren had stopped in his tracks.

"Cynthia, can you hear me?"

"Ok?"

"That beautiful music."

He paused there, Major General Keller simply listening quietly to the echoing roar:

"Isn't it a beautiful melody?"

But faced with this seemingly romantic statement, the secretary couldn't help but sigh.

Seeing the young general's rapturous expression, she finally spoke:

"Although I don't mean to spoil your fun, Lord Yuri, this is the sound of the MS engine."

"Haha, I know, I just love this kind of sound."

Meeting the helpless gaze of his secretary, Major General Keller simply laughed heartily:

"This sound really sounds just like an angry tiger... Yes, just like the angry tigers of our First Division. The so-called 'Gouf' must be something like that."

"But if I may be so bold, the word 'gouf' doesn't seem to have any meaning equivalent to 'tiger'..."

“Pronounce it, pronounce it. Back when the Luo family business was still doing business in side 3, I secretly learned some Cantonese. The so-called ‘jiu hu’ was a word used to describe bravery in history.”

Lieutenant General Keller couldn't help but rub his hands together:

"Sigh, I can't wait to talk about all this,"

Without waiting for his secretary to say anything more, he strode into the factory.

"Let me see for myself what this 'elite aircraft' I finally managed to get looks like!"

"...If you're really looking forward to what it will look like, you'll probably be very disappointed."

Seeing her major general so excited, like a child, Miss Cynthia felt even more helpless:

"According to the information, although the Gouf is a new type of land mobile suit provided by Zeonic, its specific design is not much different from that of the Zaku."

Looking down at the tablet in her hands, Cynthia simply scrolled rapidly across the text displayed on it:

"As for weaponry, according to the information coming back from Granada, a new weapon called the Electric Heat Whip is being tested, and at the same time they are considering equipping it with machine guns—oh dear!"

Without a sound, that strong, powerful body blocked her way, making her head spin a little.

"Lord Yuri?"

But before she could react, the deafening roar that seemed to be right next to her ears made her look up.

On the dusty training ground, a white-painted monocular machine was moving rapidly, its two new electrothermal knives constantly cutting through the metal targets.

"If I remember correctly, that was a new type of thermal knife developed together. Because of improvements to the generator and metal structure, the wear rate was not as high as that of the thermal axe commonly used today."

Cynthia compared the documents in her hand with the information, puzzled:

"However, the tiger's special shield doesn't seem to be that small."

"Because that's not a 'tiger' at all. It's just something that was sent over after losing the competition and they just swapped in some generic parts. It doesn't even have a name yet."