Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Upon seeing this, Monica's hand, which had been blocking her way, froze, while Alma's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What does this mean? Does it mean I can't stay in 603?"

"To be precise, the 603 number, which belongs to the technical department, is temporarily out of service, Ms. Alma."

"why?"

"Because Unit 603 is suspected of colluding with the federal government, everyone in the unit has been suspended pending investigation."

"how so?!"

…………

"After the defeat on the Western European Plain, the main forces of Zeon gathered in various parts of the world to counterattack. However, due to various reasons such as the chaos in the logistics and command system, the troops in various places not only could not move an inch, but also had to shrink their defensive lines and guard key routes. Thus, the myth of our Zeon's invincibility was completely shattered."

Blue ink danced on the paper as the man, recovering from a serious illness, calmly wrote:

"Perhaps as a technical sergeant I shouldn't have such unscientific thoughts, but I have a premonition—perhaps, our retribution has come."

'boom'

Suddenly, the door was kicked open.

"603, right? The higher-ups are preparing to deal with your situation."

The sudden thud caused the pen to fall quietly to the ground.

'patta'

Blue ink spread out, and the young man looked up at the military policeman in his magnificent eagle uniform, taking a deep breath.

"Please let me finish writing the rest."

Meeting that fierce gaze, he gently picked up the pen and quietly wrote his name:

"May 15, Universal Century 0079 - Lieutenant Technology, Oliver May."

Thanks to technological advancements, a battle can end very quickly.

However, due to its size and other factors, the impact of the Battle of Rouen was like a boulder thrown into a lake, the ripples of which continued to spread even ten days later.

Author's message

…………

Two chapters, 3k words each; that's probably all for tonight.

Montmelly, from "The Flag," may have acted even more outrageously than the Murasame Research Institute, representing the origins of enhanced human research as defined in the spin-off.

Chapter 81: Armament Integration

'patta'

A cold light shone before Oliver's eyes as he was led into a room by the Zeon military police.

As the only, fragile source of light, it wasn't scorching hot, but the technical lieutenant still found it incredibly blinding.

The light made it impossible for him to see the surrounding scenery clearly. He could only vaguely make out a somewhat slender figure sitting on the high platform, and there seemed to be a pot glowing beside him.

"Oliver May, have you handed over Zeon's mobile suit technology to Federation soldiers?"

The voice had a pretentious intonation, and the tone was somewhat like that of actors playing nobles in period dramas that Oliver had watched before.

If we exclude that point, all that remains is an undeniable fact that he can't erase—the fact of betrayal.

“That’s right. In order to protect everyone present, I chose to hand over the technical data about MS that I had to the Federation soldiers.”

"Then did you provide information about the front lines that led to the defeat of our Zeon army?"

"no!"

"Did you provide information that led to the fall of the Vienna base?"

"no!"

"Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, not only the front lines, but even these regions have fallen. Are you involved?"

"no!"

Oliver has a clear conscience about all of this.

Aside from the test data related to MS, he delivered nothing else and had no connection to the front-line battles.

Will these people believe it?

Those military police, those high-ranking officials, and...

'patta'

Finally, when the lights came on completely, Oliver felt a violent flash before his eyes, and when his vision returned to normal, he realized that there was no one around him.

There were no judges, no tribunals, and no recorders. In the spacious courtroom, which could even be described as classical, only a thin man dressed in a magnificent suit sat quietly on the high floor.

However, Oliver dared not underestimate him, or rather, given his status and position, even being able to see him in person was a luxury.

"Lieutenant General Ma Kebbe..."

"Um, is there something you need?"

He casually flipped through the things in his hands, then casually handed a document to the shadows beside him:

"Uragan, delete this part and then send it to headquarters as a formal report."

It was only at this moment that Oliver noticed a person standing in the shadows.

But right now, he had no time to care about the sergeant who had left as his second-in-command; he simply stared blankly at the man high above him.

"Anyway, thank you for your hard work, Technical Lieutenant."

He stood up and touched the clean, white teapot beside him, which looked inexplicably precious.

"The report on the handling of Unit 603 needs to be sent to our country, so the official notification will have to wait for a while. Please rest in Odessa in the meantime."

"...Wasn't what just happened a trial directed at me?"

"Trial? No, I don't have time for something like MS."

After gently closing the book in his hands, Mark Koby stood up:

"But the setbacks at the front need an excuse to reassure the soldiers. They'd rather believe someone is betraying them than that they've been defeated head-on... It's that simple. So you'll have to work hard lately."

Those words sounded easy, but that's precisely what made them unusual.

"Lieutenant General, you don't seem surprised at all?"

Why should I be surprised?

Upon hearing this, Ma Kebei couldn't help but reveal a strange smile:

"Do you really think Zeon can conquer such an ancient land as Earth with its current methods? Does Zeon understand the culture here? Does Zeon understand the history here? Can Zeon distinguish how many ethnic groups and religions are here?"

After being bombarded with a series of questions, even Oliver May seemed a little dizzy.

He didn't understand what M. Kobe was saying, but he knew that the lieutenant general didn't have any expectations for it, an atmosphere completely different from the mainstream thinking within Zeon.

He seemed calmer and had a longer-term vision.

That is why:

"If we want to conquer this place, then we Zeon must prepare for a long war and also solve our internal problems."

Then, a file was placed directly in front of him.

"This is..."

"Regarding the summary report on the battle in Western Europe, no matter what you saw, I hope you can treat what is recorded in it as the truth. Otherwise, even if Albert scratches his head bald, he still can't save you."

Albert Schacht, a Geon technical major general and minister of the technical department, was also Oliver May's mentor.

"minister……"

Never having imagined his name would appear here, Oliver subconsciously flipped through the file, and the words that appeared on it were stimulating his eyes.

"Armaments, logistics..."

"As a technical sergeant, what can you glean from the Federation's propaganda and news?"

"I……"

"Don't tell me you didn't watch. Actually, even I was watching. After all, we can't stay blind and deaf forever."

Upon hearing what Mark Kobe said, Oliver couldn't help but purse his lips:

"Their mobile suit—that machine called Gundam—has outstanding performance, and I think they should put it into production soon."

"That's right. Just like when we used the MS-04 Buuk as a template to produce the old Zaku, the Federation Forces will soon put the mass-produced models called Gundam, Guncannon, and Guntank into actual combat. Do you know what that means?"

"This means that our former advantages will be gone."

"That's right, and to put it bluntly, we Zeon will be at a disadvantage."

Even though the discussion was about Zeon's disadvantages, the Commander-in-Chief of the Earth Attack Force revealed a smile:

"After a while, when all the Federation's factories are up and running, we Zeon will be facing the vast resources and wealth that the Federation has accumulated since the beginning of the Universal Century. They will have universal parts and logistical efficiency that we Zeon cannot match even at full speed. To compete with them, we must come up with corresponding reforms."

"So, this is the plan and proposal you've put forward?"

"Yes, I will submit a contingency plan on my own initiative, but I need to discuss it with that old man Albert. At the same time, I also need to avoid any appearance of impropriety."

For some reason, the Zeon is actually quite divided.

The Space Attack Force can hardly openly extend its reach into the Assault Mobile Force, and the Commander-in-Chief's Guard cannot interfere with the Assault Mobile Force's internal intelligence departments.

Given their interconnectedness, the Zabi family clearly cares a lot about things like 'forming cliques for personal gain'.

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Earth Attack Force cannot openly contact the technical department, so I can only wait for you to return to space to help convey this message. How about it? Can you do me this favor?"

"……no problem."

"Very good, this should teach those 'hyenas' a big lesson. Hmph, how dare they play tricks on a J-type Zaku extension like the 'Guf'..."

…………

On May 18, UC.0079, Earth Attack Force Commander-in-Chief M. Kobe, citing logistical difficulties at the front, launched a scathing attack on the efficiency of the production line, attributing the frontline failures to inadequate logistics.

His views were endorsed by both Commander Kycilia Zabi of the Assault Mobile Force and Commander Dozru Zabi of the Space Attack Force, and approved by the supreme leader of the Principality of Zeon, Prince Dejin, and Commander-in-Chief Giren Zabi: the corporations would no longer enjoy intellectual property protection within the military.

Once purchased, control will be uniformly transferred to the Principality's technology development department, and frontline maintenance personnel will have the authority to modify and upgrade various types of military equipment based on their own experience and the scale of the battlefield.

At the same time, the principality will centrally procure parts, and all companies will standardize part specifications when launching mass production plans to ensure consistency with the front lines.

The MS-07: Goof, which was already on the production line, was the first to be impacted by the plan.

The mobile suit derived from the Zaku, known as the 'Tiger,' suffers from extremely low frontline maintenance efficiency due to various incompatible parts. Furthermore, Zimad released a video, of unknown origin, showing the YMS-08A outmaneuvering the MS-07A.

Therefore, the Gouf, which originally had the potential to become the next generation of land combat aircraft, was sent back for redesign. Zeonic, which had already received a large number of orders, not only fell to the level of competing with Zmmad again, but also had to share and disclose many of its proprietary structural designs.

When the bidding for the new round of mass-produced machines was launched, many experimental models that had been shelved needed to be re-evaluated.

This logistics improvement plan, proposed by Lieutenant General Ma Kebbe, is known domestically as follows:

"Integrated Armaments and Equipment Plan"!

Author's message

…………

In the original story, the integration and preparations progressed slowly because the front lines advanced rapidly. Now, because of the defeat, the integration process is actually progressing faster.

Chapter 82: Project EXAM

War, this seemingly cruel word, seems to be nothing more than a game on a chessboard for the big shots.

Whether you call it playing chess or simply clicking the mouse, it seems that with just a tiny movement or a thought in your mind, you can turn into a storm that shakes the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the lower-ranking soldiers simply couldn't see this.

One reason is that the soldiers couldn't see the entire battlefield, and the other reason is...

"You can't see clouds on a colony."

Just as Alma was lost in thought, a lively and melodious voice reached her ears.