Gundam, Gravity Elegy

"no!"

Just as the secretary was quietly making the suggestion, Yuri quickly rejected it:

"At least until the fighting in Western Europe is over, we can't let this kind of news that is detrimental to the unity of our Zeon be put on the table... Let that clown M. Kobe jump around a bit more for now. Once the fighting in Western Europe is over and the European battlefield enters a period of stability, we can find a way to deal with these people then."

As he said this, he gently rubbed his temples:

"Speaking of which, how is Elmer doing? Two days have passed, how is he doing there..."

"Captain Snell called early last night to say that the clearing of the Salz, Bavaria and Hesse regions had been completed."

"So fast? Almost one was taken down every day?"

“That’s right. Captain Snell seems to have used very aggressive methods this time, resulting in serious damage to the machine and... there also seems to be personnel losses.”

At this point, Cynthia placed the tablet in front of the major general:

"Lord Yuri, please take a look. This is their battle report, including the composition of the enemy forces and their subsequent operational plans."

Chapter 42: Factional Differences

"The 44th Battalion stationed in the Salz region is a mechanized mixed battalion reorganized from the remnants of the former 6th Panzer Division. However, after proactive investigation, it was found that the 44th Battalion did not have the tanks recorded in the documents, and it was difficult to inflict effective damage on the mobile warriors at close range."

"The elite mudstone squad of the European Front is stationed in Bavaria. Among them, models such as the Gundam and Guncannon were discovered. It is suspected that the Federation Forces have already deployed artillery-type mobile suits in actual combat. Because the Zaku is unable to cope with medium and long-range artillery fire, two Zakus were lost."

"Also, there's an infantry guerrilla squadron stationed in the Black Forest region. Because the terrain is mostly jungle, they didn't avoid taking risks and didn't send MS deep into the pursuit, but have they already destroyed the jungle stronghold?"

Inside the command post of the Ruhr base, in the bright and spacious office, a man lightly flicked the report in his hand.

Under the sunlight, the classic Zeon shawl reflected a strangely dazzling golden light—like a golden eagle stretching out its three wings, with sharp claws below that seemed to outline the earth.

Compared to the Earth Federation, Zeon's military uniforms are extravagantly ornate, but it is precisely because of this that the rank of the person in front of them can be easily discerned from the insignia on their capes and uniforms.

"Major Saotome."

After shifting his gaze from the other man's shawl, Lieutenant Top spoke:

"At this point, Squadron 441 has completed the cleanup work behind the scenes."

"Hahaha, as expected of the legendary white cannibal, the speed of its cleanup is really fast."

"However, the captain suspects there might be new Federal Army weapons in the area, so he's staying there with his men to investigate. We're currently short of supplies, so if possible, please send some..."

But before she could finish speaking, she saw the man smile and narrow his eyes:

"Of course, supplies will be replenished, but as you should understand, we've only recently occupied the Ruhr base. We still need to modify the factories here, and some supplies haven't been delivered to Odessa yet..."

"So, Major, what would you like to say?"

"How about we take a break? I'm sure everyone who's been in charge of cleaning for the past two weeks must be exhausted."

Looking at the other person's smiling and gentle appearance, Topna's pride as a soldier forced her to clench her fists.

"The Ruhr base has a great geographical location, connecting to many beautiful cities. Why not take this opportunity to relax in the city?"

As the acting captain of the Hump, and as a junior lieutenant, she was able to manage the entire squadron for Elmer, that guy who was always running around. How could she not understand the underlying meaning of the guy in front of her?

But at this moment, she was powerless to argue her point and could only listen to this 'Major Saotome' spouting nonsense that gave her a headache:

"Germany is also a country with a famous history, and there must be many places worth visiting. For people like us who were born on a colony, Earth is indeed a very attractive place."

"But our captain..."

"Of course, we will arrange this as soon as possible."

That smile, the upward curve of her lips—everything about it was stimulating her heart, which had already sunk to the bottom.

"So please wait."

…………

July 1, UC.0079

10: 30 AM

Perhaps because it is located at the gateway to the Nordic region, the temperature at the Ruhr base is more comfortable than in Salz, which is hundreds of kilometers away.

Even after experiencing a major climate change, the temperature has now stabilized, and the sunshine temperature of just over 20 degrees Celsius still brings a relatively pleasant spring breeze.

Unfortunately, Lieutenant Top, who was always active in the sweltering heat, was unable to enjoy the 'warmth' during this time of day.

Putting aside the two mocking gazes that had been looming over her back, which sent chills down her spine, the sight before her alone made her heart sink to the bottom.

The Hump—a land-based warship almost the same color as the desert—stood silently, but the soldiers standing around it added a touch of somber, deep green.

One soldier after another stood guard around the warship, their alert posture with standard assault rifles showing no awareness of being in their own base, yet no one around them seemed strange or uneasy about it.

They didn't get close, thus missing the opportunity to observe.

"It feels like some kind of internal power struggle has become an open secret."

The slow, leisurely voice came from behind her, and Lieutenant Top finally couldn't help but turn around, only to see the man wearing sunglasses and with a menacing scar revealing that provocative smile that would infuriate her:

"Internal strife before battle is a very serious taboo, no matter what kind of battlefield it is."

"But this is just right for us."

But when her gaze shifted to another boy who looked incredibly young, the anger in her heart gradually transformed into a helpless sorrow:

“I knew about that kind of struggle, but I never thought it would come to this.”

Looking around, Top didn't even know how to describe his feelings.

"The soldiers didn't know each other, and even identity verification was difficult. Even if they were friendly forces, it was common for them to be fully armed and protecting the mothership, making it impossible to identify their true identities."

This situation was absolutely terrible for her, but it was precisely this situation that provided an unprecedented and excellent opportunity.

"That's why they couldn't even discover these things."

As you ascend the stairs into the warship and walk upwards, the first thing you see is the hangar, which occupies a large amount of space inside the warship.

However, the Zaku that were housed in this Zeon land-based warship were not normal Zaku.

Aside from an old-fashioned Zaku, the other thing standing there was a figure that almost made her heart stop.

It was a seemingly ordinary binoculars unit, but according to records, it completely defeated the ground-type Zaku, including their captain, with a single strike.

"Gundam……"

Now, this mobile suit, a testament to Federation technology, stands proudly in Zeon's forward industrial base, separated from the externally guarded military by only a wall.

"Now, it's time to lay out the basic work."

"...What do you want to do?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the other side gave us a chance to 'rest,' didn't they?"

Meeting Lieutenant Top's gaze, Gao Ren simply spoke calmly:

"So it shouldn't be too much to ask for members of Squadron 441 to stroll around this base, right?"

Author's message

…………

There should be more "contemplation" tonight.

Chapter 43: Telepathy?

"Lieutenant, tea."

'patta'

Sunlight streamed through the glass into the bridge, and the cup of hot tea on the table finally brought Lieutenant Top back to his senses.

"Thank you."

After instinctively responding, Top did not reach out to touch the cup directly.

She simply watched the rising heat, observing the visible plume of steam swirling upwards until it disappeared completely into the ceiling.

"Is it still too hot?"

"No, that's not a big deal."

After gently grasping the handle of the teacup, Lieutenant Top couldn't help but turn his gaze to the window.

As a warship designed to operate in a high-concentration rice-grain environment, the bridge of a Gallup-class warship like the Hump is completely exposed, which is why it can easily take in the scenery outside.

The standing factory and the passing vehicles—if it weren't for the fact that someone was still monitoring them from inside the bridge, she would have had the illusion that everything was peaceful.

But now, this calm is like the calm before the storm, and Top can already smell the unsettling heat:

"Miss Diver..."

"Ok?"

Looking at the communications officer, who was only referred to by a code name, Lieutenant Top asked in a low voice:

"They've been gone for almost three hours now."

"To be precise, it's two hours and 50 minutes. Lieutenant, your sense of time needs some improvement."

Top glanced at Mr. Cuvatro, who was also on the bridge, and simply pursed his lips:

"...How long will it take them to get back?"

"Hmm... I don't know."

After pretending to think for a moment, the female diver simply shrugged:

"To be honest, I haven't been working with them for very long, so I'm not entirely clear on their strategic plans."

Despite being in enemy territory, and having already stepped into an unknown and dangerous area, the divers' carefree attitude was as if they were on vacation.

"This is so strange, little Sofia, come help me take a look!"

"Ok?"

As if there were no factional barriers, Top watched as she hooked her arm around the Zeon communicator's pale neck, and under the girl's bewildered gaze, she pushed her laptop in front of her:

"Little Sophia, you Zeons have never had the habit of having backup plans?"

"Huh? What?"

"I clearly hacked into your local base's server, but apart from the schedule and some factory renovation plans, there was nothing else inside?"

"Huh? There should be a backup..."

Seeing that they seemed to be getting along fairly well, Top simply leaned back instinctively:

"Whatever you're going to do, I just hope it can be... quick."

In the current situation, every passing minute and second is no less than some kind of torture.

"But you can't rush these things."

…………

1: 20 PM

Perhaps because they had just had lunch, the entire base was filled with a lazy atmosphere.

While the defenses weren't exactly lax, they weren't so bad as to make things difficult for an ordinary person whose uniform style was completely similar to theirs.

What's more, they are elites.

Simply paint a lizard symbol on a jeep and wear a matching armband, and you can move freely even inside a military base.

It seems that no one cares if you openly stand in front of such a large warehouse and take pictures, let alone a Jeep.

"The camera is ready."

"Okay, Metz, let me find a spot first—"

Lieutenant Shirley Page

Ms. Metz Lutz

The two women, now belonging to the Earth Federation Forces, were openly operating inside the base occupied by Zeon, but they were not the main force.

The task of observation was entirely handed over to the boy who accompanied them in the corner:

"Aren!"

Just as the boy looked up, he saw his guardian running towards him with a big smile on his face: