Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Following the sound, she saw a little girl in light blue smiling at her:

“Marion…”

This is a partner she met when she came back. It seems she didn't go to a specialized 'academy' at all, but went directly to work in the newly established organization. She's an incredibly capable girl.

"It's been a while since you came back, Alma. Could it be that after your trip to Earth, you're not used to life in space?"

Of course, some might be naturally outgoing—just like her.

"It's not that exaggerated, but... I'm a little disappointed. When Dr. Flanagan called me back, I thought I could make some progress in this area."

Looking around at the familiar surroundings, Alma finally sighed.

"In the end, nothing changed."

Alma Stirner underwent a full set of tests again after returning to the facility located in side 6 Balde Bay.

But the result was actually no different from when she left. Not to mention within the academy, even in institutions outside the academy, her ranking was still at the bottom:

"Honestly, it's one thing to be inferior to Lala and Miss Marlene, but I can't even compare to you and Harman, let alone..."

"Let alone what?"

In a daze, that pitch-black giant shadow flashed through my mind.

The crimson light reflected those turbid eyes, filled with rage.

"No, it's nothing..."

"Really? But you seem to be in a bad mood."

That's what Marion said. It seems that she can pick up on even the slightest emotional agitation, a 'talent' that Alma's companions and some of the outstanding students in the academy all possess.

To this, Alma seems to have only one thing to say:

"I still can't give orders to the 'Psycommu Weapon'. Your ability to sense emotions in front of me is quite enviable. You know, I'm just an ordinary test pilot."

Of course, it's a lie.

Miss Monica had told her not to answer any questions anyone asked.

Although she might not fully understand the significance of doing this, even her intuition tells her that she can only make do with these friends she hasn't known for very long.

"Sorry, please forgive me—this is for you!"

Then, a ticket was handed to her:

"What is this?"

"The tickets were given to me by Sister Kusko. It seems that our side 3 powerhouse team, the Oakland Rabbits, is about to play a game."

"Huh? But wasn't the Galactic League canceled because of war?"

"I don't know, but I heard that the clubs on the side 6 side are reorganizing the matches to call for peace. Sister Kusko got some tickets and said she'd take us to see them."

At this point, Marion showed a longing expression:

"Seriously, if only the war could end, the blue universe is so beautiful..."

Isn't the universe black?

"It's blue, just like the ocean described in books, very beautiful, very... gentle."

"But there is a type of disaster on Earth called a tsunami."

And so, Marion's reverie was interrupted.

A look of confusion appeared on her small face:

"……real?"

"Really, and... it's terrifying."

In reality, Alma never actually witnessed what happened on that blue planet.

However, she had dreamed about it.

When that enormous satellite crashed, the towering waves that rose from the ocean made all living things weep.

And all of this should not have happened.

Just one glance, just experiencing those things, and her original idea of ​​treating the battlefield as a test to prove herself vanished.

All that remains are the most basic and simple ideas:

"If only the world could be at peace."

"Yes, we won't be killed anymore, and we won't have to kill anyone anymore."

But is such a thing really possible?

Given the current environment?

"Beep beep beep, beep beep beep"

The monotonous sound made Alma instinctively pull out his phone, and then the news that had appeared on the screen caught his eye:

"The Heavenly Rabbit... has fallen?"

"Huh?"

On the other side, Marion also cried out in surprise:

"The civilian airliner carrying Team Usagi was sunk by the Federation?! Why? They're just a football team!"

But before they could fully process the news, an impatient voice came through the communication channel:

"Marien, Alma, where have you gone?"

“Excuse me, Mr. Nimbas, I was shopping with Alma—”

"Then hurry back. Granada has sent a new mech, and the program has been installed. The doctor wants to conduct a new round of testing. Also, bring Alma Stirner over; she should be more familiar with this mech."

"Yes, I understand!"

There was no time to grieve for the team's passing; new testing tasks were already weighing on their shoulders.

"Alma, let's go back."

"……it is good."

It was like having a dream.

Awakening from their beautiful, peaceful dreams, they are still greeted by the smoke of war.

Here, no one can escape this bitterness; even those in the rear cannot be said to be pure and innocent.

The reason is that these test pilots in the rear constantly collect data to create even more powerful weapons that can take other people's lives.

"MS-08TX, Ifrit, is a mass production test model of Zmad's previous prototype. Although Zmad has abandoned this production line, because the original prototype performed exceptionally well on the front lines, some optimized models were still mass-produced based on some of the MS-07's technology... But in the end, they are just things without a 'future'."

"Wow, that looks amazing."

As if selectively ignoring the dissatisfaction that followed, Marion, sitting in the cockpit, was filled with curiosity.

This appearance made Alma uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was because he had served in Unit 603 before and knew what a real soldier like Lieutenant Mei should be like when facing a 'test', or perhaps it was because Marion's current performance was completely different from what was expected.

However, she had a premonition and a thought in her heart:

"It shouldn't be like this."

"Hey Alma, you're the test pilot for Ifrit, right? Teach me, this is completely different from how you operate a Zaku."

"How can one simultaneously yearn for peace and yet so happily wield a weapon of death?"

"Because she's a monster."

A sigh lingered, and Alma couldn't help but glance into the corner, where she saw only the man—an old man named Kelser Mordros—calmly operating the machine in front of him.

“Miss Alma, please begin the test… as a slightly 'perceptive' normal human being.”

…………

July 27, UC.0079

With the approval of Commander-in-Chief Kycilia Zabi, the research group led by Dr. Flanagan established a large-scale research facility in the public area of ​​Side 6—the Flanagan Institute—to study human characteristics.

Sergeant Alma Stirner was transferred to his EXAM project team to be in charge of combat training.

As a test pilot, he produces deadly weapons for the front lines.

"Ren, what exactly is war?"

Author's message

…………

The photo shows Marion Wilche, the originator of the exam project.

PS2: Haman is 12 years old at this time and has just awakened her Newtype potential. According to the comet's reference, she has a very high talent.

PS3: Marlene is Haman's older sister, and her performance in Rainbow Neon is extremely... strong, although a bit neurotic.

Epilogue: Guinea Pig

"Without a doubt, war is cruel, and that is why the Principality of Zeon and the Zabi family, who started this war, are unforgivable."

“I, Gao Ren, hereby swear that I will never betray the will of those who died unjustly, and I will make the Principality of Zeon pay the price for their cruel acts.”

Before the tombstone, the boy gently offered a bouquet of flowers and then solemnly paid his respects.

No matter how you look at it, it seems like a scene where the protagonist makes a vow to avenge someone, but it is full of pretentious stupidity.

"CUT! Thank you for your hard work, Lieutenant Gao Ren. Once this 'Memorial to the Innocents of the Battle of Rouen' video is finished, we will send it to you for review!"

The director's respectful yet noisy voice lingered in my ears, sounding rather irritating.

Of course, such words should not be said.

No matter how many thoughts and emotions one has, in front of the public, one can only say one thing:

"Thank you all for your hard work."

That's incredibly stupid. What's the point of all that hard work?

Looking at the people packing up their belongings on set, Gao Ren couldn't help but close his eyes.

Although the military gave him a long leave of almost a month, apart from the initial period when he was essentially confined and unable to leave his home, his mobile phone and other contact methods were bombarded with calls from various media outlets.

It was only because he was in Gabrone that, out of consideration for the Federation's reputation, the media didn't dare to just randomly find a soldier's residence in that Federation military headquarters.

Even so, even after asking the propaganda department to change his contact information, he still inevitably participated in some activities with official backing or simply for the needs of the propaganda department itself, under the guidance of the Federation.

Interviews, Federation Melody events, recruitment campaigns, and finally this: a biographical sketch—"EFF—Fragments of the Stars and Moon":

It claims to approach the image of Earth Federation soldiers who are usually inaccessible from the perspective of daily life, and to let people know the stories of Federation soldiers, but in essence it is still something that advocates a positive image of the Earth Federation.

Without involving any remaining conflicts, it merely uses the military as a vehicle to publicize its own achievements and merits, supplemented by certain snippets of daily life, to convey the message that 'all is well' to the public.

Under this premise, all the shots must be carefully selected fakes.

Even if Gao Ren genuinely wanted to do something, the influence of the surrounding cameras would gradually distort the truth.

Ultimately, what should have been a solemn ceremony turned into a large-scale personal show.

Even if the director had assured everyone that he had everything arranged perfectly, the person involved would still feel uncomfortable about it.

"Lieutenant, there's a wrap party after the show's recording. You'll probably be attending, right?"

Seeing the director's mercenary, fly-like hand-rubbing expression, Gao Ren couldn't help but frown.

He vaguely remembered that the person in charge of the program was also surnamed Gop, and that he was a relative of the current Chief of Staff, General Gop.

What can I say? No wonder they're related to the legendary 'Mole General'; they're definitely family...

"You guys go ahead, I want to stay here for a while."

"……I see."