Gundam, Gravity Elegy

The second direct hit left no time even for last words.

With only the engine running, the out-of-control tiger plunged headfirst into the nearby ammunition depot.

then……

'Boom'

Chapter 57: Gundam!!

"Damn it, I knew there was something wrong with the command post, Major, Major!"

'boom'

Just as a squad of fully armed Zeon soldiers stormed into the building, the sound of an explosion echoed directly at the entrance.

The tremors caused by even the simplest trip mine traveled deep inside, clearly audible even in offices deep within the building.

Then came another burst of gunfire, the sounds of gunfire like a rousing drumbeat that unsettled Lieutenant Top.

"They have already realized that there is a problem with the command post."

"Hmm, that's a pretty quick reaction."

"Don't you understand? Order is gradually being restored in this base."

"Yeah, that's why I said they reacted pretty quickly... Do you expect me to spend more time praising them?"

"That's not the issue. We're surrounded now. The Southern Cross is besieging your men. That woman named Shirley is in dire straits, and that guy named Gao Ren is completely cornered. Don't you understand what this means?!"

In response to Top's furious shouts, Cuvatro merely raised an eyebrow.

Behind the sunglasses, those red eyes looked incredibly strange.

For a moment, all that remained was the incessant clattering of the keyboard.

Why don't you speak?

"Because I was thinking about where to start complaining."

Kuvatro gently pressed the Enter key, glancing only at the large communicator placed beside him:

"Lieutenant Page, how many have you taken down?"

"Three... ugh, leave me alone!"

Because of the interference from the Minovsky particles, the internal communication was still noisy and unclear, but the voice was clearly transmitted.

"Three machines... are they Zaku?"

"Of course it's a tiger. There's no Zaku left on the field now."

"But shouldn't that be Zeon's new machine?"

Looking at Kuvatrona's seemingly matter-of-fact and calm profile, Top felt his head start to burn:

"What's more, they couldn't even take down a single Tiger before, but now they can..."

"Pfft."

Glancing at the lieutenant's expression, which seemed to say the world had gone mad, Kuvatro simply chuckled softly:

"Lieutenant Top, do you know how mobile suits should fight?"

The captain received no response the moment the question was uttered, but that was exactly the answer he had expected:

"I don't know... right? After all, although you Zeon have always spent a lot of energy on mobile suits, your essence is just to use humanoid weapons to make up for the disadvantage in population. The hypothetical enemies have always been fighter jets, warships and tanks. Mobile suit warfare is a blind spot for you."

Kuvatro yawned:

"Just like you don't understand Earth's skies and can't come up with excellent aerial tactics in a short time, you also lack excellent MS combat countermeasures. In this situation, there's no difference between multiple against one and one against one."

"Then your Federation..."

"From the very beginning, the Federation intended to use Zeon's mobile suits as a hypothetical enemy. In other words, the first lesson Federation pilots learned was how to deal with 'mobile suits'."

what does this mean?

Top thought she had considered the worst-case scenario, but reality at this moment exceeded her imagination.

"The Federation may know MS's weaknesses better than you do."

"But even in fights between ordinary people, the advantage lies in numbers..."

"But isn't the pilot's skill level even more important?"

At this moment, Kuvatro's expression became strange:

"Did you know that Lieutenant Page was known as one of the 'fighting nations' in the old century? And before she joined the army, she was called—the strongest woman on Earth."

"But this title belongs to gymnast Olga Tymoshenko..."

Top didn't continue, but certain facts made her shudder.

Shirley Page?

Olga Tymoshenko?

Why change the name in the end?

"In the end, if it weren't for Lieutenant Gao Ren, she would have been the intended pilot for the Mobile Suit Development Project (RX Project), from the very beginning of the project."

Kuvatro spoke calmly, which could be considered as giving a partial answer:

"This woman is an expert in MS warfare, handpicked from among a hundred geniuses worldwide. And if you were to equip her with a real 'Mobile Suit'..."

'Boom'

Almost the instant he finished speaking, a violent explosion in the distance made Top turn his gaze to the window.

"The fusion furnace exploded?"

"ZizzZZZZ"

The particle concentration rose so high that even the "big brother" (referring to a mobile phone) could not maintain its position, and even with the land-based warship as the command center, it experienced a brief "loss of contact".

But at this moment, such things seem to have become unimportant.

To the west of the Ruhr base, Top could clearly see the pale figure, standing silently amidst the spreading flames, like a terrifying one-eyed giant that appears in movies.

"Don't be afraid, this is something that you Zeon made yourselves."

Top instinctively turned around, only to find that the man named Cuvatro had been staring at the computer in front of him the whole time.

He was so focused on his work that it seemed as if everything had already been settled.

"Don't forget that the boy is in a very dangerous situation, and there's no one who can save him!"

but……

Is that really the case?

This is not just a problem for Cuvatro, but also a reflection of the self-doubt that has surfaced within Top.

Ultimately, have these Federation forces' true trump cards yet to be revealed?

That guy...

Top scrambled to the bedside, only to see a dark figure emerge from the bright yellow warship in the distance.

"Gundam……"

…………

So, surrender.

In a warehouse in a corner of the base, Monica's voice, urging surrender, still echoed.

“We would never hurt you, I swear on my honor…”

The special agent captain looked very serious, as if she considered this to be something truly important.

only……

"reputation……"

At this moment, Gao Ren couldn't help but want to laugh out loud.

But perhaps because he is still young, his lack of intimidation might even be interpreted as a sign that he is open to negotiation.

"That's right!"

"Then do you think you Zeon people—especially the Zabi's lackeys—have any credibility with me at all?"

"But given the current situation, you are already..."

"We won't lose."

"what?"

Monica was taken aback, but what she met was that dark gaze:

"The battles in MS are not determined by numbers. Teams with more than three people will only be a serious hindrance in the melee of gravity zones."

Although his gaze contained anger, it didn't seem like he was acting impulsively.

"Besides, we also have that thing."

That posture made it seem as if they were waiting for something.

It's like hoping for that final, decisive moment that could turn the tide...

'boom'

Suddenly, a strong tremor came from the ground.

Amidst the roar of engines, the already dilapidated roof of the warehouse was completely torn apart by another falling object.

When they came to their senses, the pitch-black giant was already standing in front of them.

A fierce radiance clearly outlined the contours of the eyes, as if they were ruthlessly surveying all living beings:

"Gundam!"

Author's message

…………

I feel like I've burned out for today, so I'll stop here for now.

Chapter 58: Tiger's Eye

Gundam.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Principality of Zeon were not yet clear on what a mobile suit called that meant to them, but when it actually appeared, Monica felt as if her breath had completely stopped.

It doesn't have the now-iconic single-eye structure, nor does it have a power pipe that requires heat dissipation. With just a glance, as a technical evaluator, she could clearly recognize its identity:

Just like the steel cannon that once appeared on the intelligence department's desk, that pitch-black giant was undoubtedly of 'Federal blood'.

"Earth Federation MS—"

what does this mean?

If it appears here, does it mean that the Federation has the ability to confront the Principality head-on?

No, ultimately, its very presence here is a threat!

'Bang'

Her gaze gradually shifted from the viewfinder of that pair of eyes, and she stared intently at the dark 'cannon barrel'.

By human standards, anything with a caliber greater than 20mm can be classified as a 'cannon', and judging from her visual estimation alone, the caliber on both sides of the head is at least 50mm.

In other words...

"Captain, we can't escape now."

"You don't need to emphasize this!"

Clenching her fists, Monica simply stared at the boy opposite her. Reason told her she should keep her eyes on the federal soldier, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the girl who seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

In fact, she fell silent from the moment the confrontation began.