Gundam UC Hunting Time

Chapter 44 New Tactics and Orbital Ambush Warfare

April 10, UC0079, near the Earth-Moon orbital path—

The screen vividly displayed the vastness of the universe, with the distant sun tirelessly providing light. However, due to the obstruction of the Republic-class assault boat overhead, the light in the cockpit was somewhat dim. The roar and vibration of the propellant-driven engine were transmitted through the restraint frame, making it far from a comfortable experience for the pilot.

Beneath the lead unit, in the newly repaired cockpit of Zani, Lin Xingyuan was refining new tactics on his laptop—since he was considered an expert in MS operations, he needed to have something impressive to offer. After the assassination of Dozle, he had astutely noticed the unique characteristics of the Republic-class and proposed utilizing its high speed and relatively agile stealth to make it a 'mount' for MS, thereby expanding the MS's operational range and protecting the vulnerable Columbus-class.

Because the proposal didn't require major military action and he had already contributed to it, Wakanda gave it considerable support. The first practical test of the new tactic was to intercept Zeon's supply lines—since the landing operation, the Zeon Earth Attack Force had been winning one victory after another, but this came at the cost of excessive supply and replenishment needs. To alleviate the pressure on Earth, Jaburo ordered the Space Force to launch a sabotage operation, attacking Zeon's supply lines. The Space Force, also struggling with logistical shortages and unable to produce more Zani, was eager to capture Zeon's resources.

Therefore, as the only mobile unit of Luna 2, the MS team was dispatched to carry out the attack mission.

"Have you heard? Operation V has officially begun in Chabro."

In the communication channel, Tachibana, who was extremely bored, started spreading rumors again, as Sandas exclaimed in surprise.

"Operation V?"

"Yes, the Federation's MS development program means that we will soon have our own MS to replace these Frankenstein's monsters."

"how do you know?"

"I have my own channels. In short, this is the latest announcement from the General Staff. The experimental unit formed for this purpose has already begun operations, which means that formal production is not far away."

"This is... a military secret, right? Can I just tell you?"

"We're involved, you know. We're the Federation's first MS unit. When the new mobile suits come out, we'll definitely be the first to be equipped with them. Right, Lin?"

"...Perhaps."

Although that's not the case, Lin Xingyuan said he neither confirmed nor denied it.

"I wonder what the new machine will be like. It can't be worse than the Zaku, right?"

Sanders was very excited, and even Jung was listening intently. However, Tachibana only knew the name, but it didn't matter. The father of Gundam was present. In a sense, the technical specifications of the Federation MS were first proposed by Hayashi Hoshihara, which was no secret.

"Lin, you should know what you're saying, right?"

Hearing the question posed, Lin Xingyuan reluctantly closed his notebook.

"If they really adopt my proposal, it will definitely be much better than the Zaku. Even if they rush into mass production and reduce performance, it won't be worse than the Zaku II. At least it will be more modular and versatile. But don't get too excited. Zeon is the source of MS development, and it's definitely brewing new models of MS, or even something else."

That's right, this month, Zeonic publicly showcased the MS-06R, and soon Char and the others will be using the High Mobility Zaku.

MA is also going offline.

"It's alright, our Federation still has numbers! War is all about numbers! Onii-san!"

Actually, the GM Commander has pretty good performance.

In terms of performance, the Warrior is superior, no less so than the Gundam.

So Char couldn't beat Mule because he was weak?

The timing of the One Year War was truly amazing; they managed to produce a whole host of different mechs in just two months.

The comments section became active again, with various criticisms of the original design.

Amidst chatter tinged with anticipation and apprehension, the Republic-class aircraft finally arrived at its designated space zone, dropping four Zani units before heading to the designated rendezvous point. Lin Xingyuan piloted his machine into motion, and soon the squad was positioned behind a patch of drifting wreckage, awaiting the arrival of the Zeon transport force.

At this time, radio silence had to be maintained, but falling asleep was also unacceptable. The only things that could pass the time, besides reading, were passively receiving television signals and broadcasts from the various colonies.

Suddenly, Tachibana broke the silence of the powerless circuit.

"Lin! Quick, turn on channel 252!"

"Tachibana! Receive radio silence!"

Lin Xingyuan cursed irritably. This Tachibana Shinonome is good in every way, except she has a mouth and talks too much. She's not like that in the manga. Are these all mistakes she made because she was young?

"Never mind that! Quick, check channel 252! Something big has happened!"

"252? Isn't that Zeon's channel?"

Sandas was surprised, but out of trust in Tachibana, he turned on the receiver. The next second, he was also stunned and his eyes widened.

On the flickering, distorted screen, Kirian is pumping his fist and giving a passionate speech, with Dozru Zabi standing right next to him!

"...The Federation has run out of options and can only resort to lies to deceive the people! They think they can scare us with such despicable tactics! To that I say: No! We, the people and soldiers of Zeon, will never fall! Look, this is the proof. Despite the Federation's vile assassination attempt, my brother, Commander Dozruzabi of the Space Attack Force, still did not fall. His indomitable vitality is the symbol of our Zeon spirit, an immortal hero..."

"Oh shit...this can't be!"

Sandas exclaimed in surprise, and Jung also found it incredible.

"They're still alive?!"

Lin Xingyuan wasn't surprised, after all, the gorilla survived a car bomb, showing its remarkable resilience.

but……

He examined the footage closely and noticed something amiss—Dozru was wearing a driver's suit and helmet in public, which seemed very incongruous, suggesting he was not entirely unharmed!

"Don't worry about that now, focus on the task at hand."

He gave the order in the tone of a captain, and the communication channel fell silent again. But a few minutes later, his machine received a directional laser communication from Tachibana.

"Lin, there's something I need to tell you—"

“Antares 03, if you utter another word of nonsense, you’re going back to clean toilets for a week!”

Lin Xingyuan replied irritably, and just as Tachibana was about to say something, the alarm suddenly went off.

[Moving target detected! Location ***.***, Distance ***]

"coming!"

Lin Xingyuan immediately looked in the indicated direction and indeed immediately spotted the target, a moving point of light.

"Radio silence lifted. All aircraft, prepare for battle!"

"Roger that!"

Immediately, four Zanis jumped out from the anchor point, activated their thrusters, and rushed toward the target. When they were within clear visual range, Jung, who was in charge of sniping and destroying the communication antenna, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"It's Musai!?"

The target was a typical Trisolaran design, its outline extremely similar to Musai. Lin Xingyuan was somewhat surprised, thinking he had mistaken the target and encountered a Zeon patrol. Just as he was thinking that the ambush had turned into an encounter, the comments section immediately provided verification information.

That was the Arcana-class, the predecessor of Musei.

[Flip it over and it becomes Mse]

[Zeon used this to build up the Musai fleet at the beginning of the war]

The egg-shaped structure under its belly is the HLV, Zeon's Heavy Lift Rocket.

"It's a Zeon Akana-class transport ship. We haven't picked the wrong target."

Lin Xingyuan informed the other aircraft, and soon the four Zanis approached the target. The transport ship opposite them only then noticed them and hurriedly began to turn around.

"It's too late to run now, little kitty!"

Tachibana joked as she circled around and lunged at the engine location, while Jung precisely destroyed the transport ship's communication antenna. However, just as they were about to take down their target, the alarm sounded again, and two Zaku emerged from the HLV carried by the Akana-class and opened fire on the four Zani.

"What?! Zaku?! Escort troops?"

Sandas was somewhat surprised and prepared to dodge the incoming shells, but then he discovered that the enemy's shooting was completely inaccurate. After the mobile suit was separated from the HLV, its posture was even more problematic, and its movements were chaotic and messy, unlike the Zaku they had encountered before.

"what happened?"

"Newbie?"

Even Jung spoke up unexpectedly, and Lin Xingyuan took a closer look and immediately understood the reason.

"No, that's a land-based Zaku!"

In preparation for an invasion of Earth, Zeon engineers used the MS-06F Zaku II as a base, removing unnecessary equipment (primarily the fact that MS can utilize air-cooling systems within the atmosphere, thus greatly reducing coolant requirements, and some attitude control rockets), and adding dust filters, radiators, and other devices. This transformed the F-type Zaku II into the MS-06J Ground Type Zaku II, specifically designed for Earth combat. Since there were likely additional pilots on the transport ship, they hastily deployed a mobile suit unsuitable for space warfare.

Are they idiots?

Tachibana clicked her tongue in amazement, and Lin Xingyuan said irritably.

"Is that the main point? Look at their morale!"

"Well, that's true..."

Tachibana had to admit that the Zeon army was indeed in high spirits at this stage, especially since they must have just watched Gihren's speech, otherwise they wouldn't have reached this level.

"Jung, Sandas, go and stop the ship. Tachibana, come with me."

While the Zeon pilots' courage and bravery were commendable, it couldn't change the outcome—after several perilous battles, the Luna 2's mobile suit squadron had matured. Before long, the transport ship was destroyed, and the two ground-based Zaku that barely managed to fight were worn down by Hayashi Hoshihara and Tachibana until their coolant ran out, causing them to overheat and shut down. Together with the HLV on the transport ship, they became spoils of war in this operation.

"By the way, what were you going to say just now?"

As Lin Xingyuan boarded the Republic-class ship for the return voyage, he suddenly remembered that Tachibana had sent him a private message before the battle began, asking him about it with some concern.

As a result, Tachibana Kamina gave an unexpected answer.

"...I'm being transferred back to Earth."

Chapter Forty-Five: Youth is Wonderful

April 11, UC 0079, Luna 2 hangar—

After handing over the prisoners and spoils and finishing his report, Lin Xingyuan looked up at Zani, who was preparing for battle, took a big gulp of cola through the straw, and exhaled a long breath of tired air.

"Forest……"

Tachibana Kamina walked over awkwardly, looking like a deserter. Incidentally, he was the only one in the entire MS team who would call Lin Xingyuan by his full name.

What a pushover!

"I know, you don't need to explain."

Lin Xingyuan was speechless at his expression. So what if his son did something great? Was the major general afraid that his son would die in the Zeon army's revenge? It's human nature, and I can understand it.

Speaking of which, there are quite a few characters like him in the Gundam universe.

[For example, Lieutenant Liddy, who unfortunately suffers from Torrington Syndrome?]

[Turlington Syndrome - LOL]

What do you know?

Tachibana Kamina was taken aback, looked at Lin Xingyuan's face, suddenly realized, and loudly denied it.

"No! It's not what you think!"

"What is it?"

Tachibana Kamina looked around, then leaned closer to Lin Xingyuan and whispered.

“It’s not just me, Baninger and the others might also have to go down.”

"Ok?"

Lin Xingyuan was taken aback, but immediately understood the reason behind it—it was related to Project V, and the Space Force was also going to participate in the testing, training, and adaptation training of combat equipment.

"I see. Then why do you look like you're constipated?"

"Isn't that obvious? The Zeon army could retaliate at any time. Leaving under these circumstances would make it seem like we're running away."

Tachibana scratched her head helplessly and sighed in frustration.

"We are soldiers, this is an order, there's no way around it."

Lin Xingyuan comforted him, and Tachibana's expression suddenly became anxious.

"That's not what I meant, it's your problem—"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Baninger and Kajima Isamu float over, seemingly having come specifically to find him, and land directly in front of the two of them.

"Captain!"

The two men saluted Lin Xingyuan, who waved them off.

"Don't do that, it's not a formal occasion."

"What's up, sir?"

Tachibana asked curiously.

Barninger: "Major Warken summoned us and ordered everyone to his office."