Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Chapter 46: Different Worlds Seen Through Our Eyes

"So, you saw the boys from the Sand Lizard Squadron and went over to talk to them?"

…………

Ruhr Industrial Base

At the 603rd Unit's garrison, as the sun had completely set and the moonlight shone through the windows into the rooms, it illuminated the girls' secret rendezvous.

"Girls in their teens always have all sorts of worries," Captain Monica thought.

In fact, when the so-called 'Flanagan bloodline' directly handed this child over, she had done her homework on it and even considered whether to give the child some psychological counseling.

However, her consistent, optimistic, and cheerful personality rendered all her preparations futile.

And now...

"Wait, let me sort out the current situation."

Monica covered her forehead, her expression turning strange:

"So, you met someone you like today?"

"No, no, no, it's not like that... How should I put it? I just suddenly saw him. Even though the two girls in his group seemed very happy, he just stayed on the side. I felt like we were the same kind of people, so I wanted to go up and talk to him."

When Captain Monica's words hit Alma like a ton of bricks, Alma couldn't help but shake her head:

"I should say I felt I could get along well with him, I really thought so at the time... but in the end I still messed it up like before."

Under Captain Monica's increasingly strange gaze, she couldn't help but scratch the back of her head:

"How should I put it? I guess I'm not good at making friends. My parents never liked me when I was little, and even after I transferred to Flanagan, no one wanted to talk to me."

"Flanagan..."

When the girl mentioned that word, which seemed incredibly sensitive to those in the know, even Monica, with her impeccable military discipline, couldn't help but lose her composure.

But given the girl's completely clueless attitude, she finally sighed.

"So, what exactly did you two talk about?"

"...The battlefield, perhaps?"

When the word was mentioned again, a troubled look appeared on Alma's face:

"Captain, you know, my test scores at Flanagan Academy were terrible. My classmates and teachers alike were making fun of me."

"This one……"

"But, as expected, I still wanted them to look at me in a new light."

Meeting Monica's suddenly widened gaze, the girl simply scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"So even if I'm mocked for not being qualified to step onto the battlefield, even if I'm told I can't join Lady Kycilia's team, I still want to step onto the battlefield."

“Even if I was never qualified to participate from the beginning, even if I wasn’t considered part of the fighting force from the beginning, I would still shoot.”

In a daze, the captain felt that phantoms overlapped and appeared before her eyes, as if she heard the voice she had heard before at Rumm's place.

Although they were completely different, the phantom that seemed to surge from the depths of her mind still made her clench her fists:

"This is indeed the normal thought of a soldier."

"Right, I think this kind of thing should be normal, but this statement seems to have made him angry."

"That's... normal, after all, there are indeed some people who don't like this kind of thing."

Monica couldn't help but close her eyes; for her now, those past events were still vivid in her mind:

"How could they just drop something like that onto Earth?! There are twenty million people on that satellite!"

"Let me guess, what he's talking about is..."

"life."

The sounds overlapped and echoed, and the girl nodded:

"He questioned me about what I considered the battlefield and life, and the tone of his voice... I think he must have been very angry."

Upon hearing this, Monica couldn't help but smile wryly:

"I knew it. After truly witnessing the cruelty of the battlefield, it's only natural to feel disgusted by such frivolous thoughts."

"Then...was I wrong?"

"..."

Meeting Almana's seemingly disappointed gaze, Monica suddenly felt a headache coming on.

but……

"If I say that none of you are wrong, can you understand?"

"Huh?"

"But that's precisely why you can't be friends."

…………

"So, as you can see, we are currently located at point C, while the command system is located at point A."

The location is clearly displayed on the electronic screen:

"Thanks to the dispersed nature of Europe's industrial base, the Ruhr base itself is not as large as the California base, so getting from point C to point A is not difficult."

But if there's anything different about the bridge of the Hump now, it's probably the subtle composition of the fleet.

Captain Cuvatro, who should have been the squad commander, was sitting comfortably in the sidelines, while the power to formulate the plan was now held by a boy who hadn't even turned fifteen yet.

Seeing this, Lieutenant Top from the Principality of Zeon felt like his head was about to burn.

Are you really going to put such an important responsibility on a child like this?

No, compared to this, perhaps something else is even crazier:

"Is it alright to call us here specifically for this kind of operational meeting?"

"Of course, no problem, because we'll need you, a real Zeon soldier, to do a lot of things later."

Under Topna's questioning gaze, Gao Ren calmly replied:

"Moreover, if we start the mission now, we can skip the 'prisoner' status. I think this exchange is pretty good."

However, the real problem lies elsewhere.

What truly stood between these 'prisoners' and the federal soldiers was an unbridgeable chasm called doubt.

What can bridge this gap is a plan that is acceptable to both parties:

"At that time, the Hump will be commanded by divers, with Miss Sophia Anders in charge of communications. Meanwhile, the original Zeon personnel who are still on board, including you, will be temporarily reassigned to the special operations team led by Lieutenant Ben Barberly."

"So, what do you need us to do?"

"First of all, considering that you are the representative of these 'prisoners', I will assign you to Captain Cuvatro's team. He will lead a special task force to launch a direct attack on the command post. As for the others, they will be assigned to the MS warehouse in batches to carry out demolition and disruption."

"...Is that so?"

Of course, Top was no fool. When she heard this, she felt she could already imagine the other party's general strategy.

"However, unlike simple exploration, large-scale operations will inevitably cause commotion."

"So a reason is needed."

Meeting Lieutenant Najion's gaze, Gao Ren couldn't help but close his eyes.

After quickly reviewing the events of the day in his mind, he took a deep breath:

"And now, I think it's about time."

"What……"

Before Top could finish her question, a monotonous sound completely drowned out her voice.

"Drip drip"

"Drip drip"

Amidst the astonished gazes, the bewildered voice of Corporal Sofia echoed:

"Um, there seems to be a communication. The identification code is—Byson, it's Commander Keller."

"...How were you able to guess?"

Top glanced at the boy instinctively, only to see him slowly extend his hand, seemingly very politely.

"Now, please take your seat in the 'captain's seat,' Lieutenant. Remember to deliver your speech according to our plan."

'patta'

Chapter 47: Contradictions and Information Gap

In fact, Top felt he was no longer able to think.

When she came to her senses, she found herself sitting in the captain's seat, just as the boy named Gao Ren had said.

In the short time she had, she could only rely on instinct to adjust her state.

then……

'patta'

When Gao Ren pressed the button himself, a somewhat frivolous face quickly appeared on the screen:

"commander……"

“Oh, little Sofia… no, Top?”

Seemingly having figured out who was communicating with her, a distinct, almost exaggerated, disappointment appeared on that enthusiastic face:

"Honestly, if I could, I'd still prefer to chat with a cute kid like Sophia."

"Commander, I don't think this is the time for jokes."

"You're too serious, Top. Back when you were under Elisa's command, didn't she tell you that if you don't relax a bit on the battlefield, you'll drive yourself crazy?"

"commander……"

Looking at that face that never seemed to have a straight face, Top felt numb.

She really didn't know how to face this seemingly frivolous but loyal superior, but fortunately he didn't continue that pointless conversation.

"In short, you lost two Zaku?"

"Yes, Elmer wanted to end the battle as quickly as possible, so he rashly led his team into the enemy's mountain base..."

"So that's how the damage happened?"

"Yes."

"Is that so?"

On the screen, a thoughtful expression appeared on the major general's clear face, but it ultimately turned into a sigh:

"I'm sorry, maybe this is all my fault. Actually, I wanted to protect you."

"……Protect?"

“That’s right. In fact, as the battle lines advance, the Federation’s advantages in population and military equipment have gradually come into play. If we still put you in the vanguard as before, it would be a very dangerous thing. In the end, there were actually casualties.”

Seeing that troubled expression, Top simply lowered his head:

"I'm very sorry to have disappointed you."

"No, we'll discuss the specifics after this battle. For now, Sand Lizard Squadron, just proceed according to your original plan."

Just as the Major General was sighing, Top clearly saw out of the corner of his eye that the boy named Gao Ren made a hand gesture.

Then, the woman named Shirley Page quietly left the bridge.

At last……

"The whereabouts of the Federation's new weaponry are also very important, so you will stay there and track it down..."

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant!"

Suddenly, a series of short but intense footsteps echoed outside the bridge.

A moment later, a young 'Zeon soldier' ​​she didn't recognize rushed in: