Gundam: A Gundam Enthusiast's Journey with a Mecha Girl

"Alright, Major Lamias, don't be so tense. You are the most famous and decorated unit in our army. It's okay to relax a little. No one will gossip."

He paused, then changed the subject, his eyes scanning the screen as if searching for someone.

"Speaking of which, where is that 'Skyfire Raven' on the bridge? I was hoping to get his autograph for my son."

"Well..."

Remembering Raven's instructions, Maru quickly put on a sorrowful expression.

"Lieutenant Ray... in the battle in the Pacific, in order to cover the Archangel's evacuation, he faced four captured Gs alone and ultimately sacrificed himself heroically. I will attach detailed battle details in the report to be submitted later."

"I see..."

Colonel Sazarand's tone also became very heavy, but Maru, with her uniquely feminine sensitivity, caught a fleeting hint of ease in the other's expression.

'There really is a ghost here.'

"Those despicable Coordinators have killed another promising young man. However, Major Lamias, you don't need to worry about your safety anymore. During your stay at JOSH-A base, the 13th Independent Unit can rest well. Headquarters has made arrangements, and you will receive comprehensive supplies and preparations."

Colonel Shazaland's words surprised Maru somewhat.

"Rest and regroup? The fighting on the front lines is very urgent right now. The Archangel is currently in good condition. Don't you need us to go to the front lines to provide support?"

"Although Major General Halbarton has been trying to transfer you back to space, the generals at headquarters believe that you need some time to rest. Of course, during this period, there will be some propaganda work that requires your cooperation. In a few days, high-ranking government officials will be coming to inspect JOSH-A base. Just cooperate and take a few photos with them."

After Colonel Shazaland finished speaking, he turned off the communication. Bakirulu, who had been silently listening to the entire conversation, frowned and sensed that something was wrong.

It is illogical to deliberately leave the Archangel behind for propaganda purposes when the fighting on the front lines is intense.

"Have we become pawns for headquarters to manipulate Admiral Halbarton?"

"captain?"

Maru, sensing Bakiruru's gaze, realized her slip of the tongue; such words were truly inappropriate to utter in public.

Maru quickly laughed it off and brushed it off, but deep down, her suspicions about the JOSH-A base lingered.

-----------------

At the same moment, Marchio's mentor's shuttle gradually approached PLANT, located in the L5 space region.

Raven and Kira pressed themselves against the shuttle's porthole, gazing into the distance at the space nation comprised of 92 Libra-shaped colonies.

Who would have thought that 6000 million people live in this small world comprised of 92 Libra-shaped satellite colonies?

What's even more unbelievable is that the productivity of these 60 million people is almost on par with that of the Earth, which has a population of over 10 billion.

"It's simply a miracle."

Raven exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

Is this your first time at PLANT?

The voice of the instructor, Marchio, came from behind.

“I’m a true native of Earth. Heliopolis is the farthest place I’ve ever been.”

Raven's gaze never strayed from PLANT in the distance.

"Looking at PLANT, I feel that the war we are currently fighting is meaningless. I've heard that PLANT, with its tens of millions of inhabitants, has the same productivity as the entire Earth. If such technology could be popularized, perhaps humanity would be able to leave the cradle and venture into the stars."

"Let's journey towards the stars and the sea..."

The blind instructor smiled slightly, his voice very gentle.

"What a lofty ideal! It seems Mr. Raven is a man who has the potential."

"seed?"

Raven was somewhat stunned by his mentor Marchio's seemingly random remark.

"In my view, you possess the seed to unleash the inner potential of humanity. Perhaps, the future you desire will be reached under your guidance."

"I'm just an ordinary person who likes to tinker with robots. You're praising me too much. I can't do something as great as leading humanity. All I can do is contribute my share to achieving that future."

Chapter Sixty-Four: Reunion with the Desert Tiger

Professor Marchio came to PLANT at the request of the Earth Alliance to deliver a so-called "Albani Concession" to PLANT's leadership.

However, although the document was titled "Concession Proposal," its contents made Professor Marchio secretly shake his head.

PLANT is only recognized to have "some degree" of autonomy, while its diplomatic, military, and other powers will be jointly managed by the member states of the Earth Union.

Such a demanding proposal is unacceptable even to moderates who advocate for peace. Let alone the radical faction currently in power at PLANT, led by Patrick Sala.

This was a journey destined to be fruitless. The only thing that Marchio found meaningful was helping Halbarton send Raven to PLANT.

Halbarton was one of the few reliable generals in the Combine who hadn't been influenced by Blue Cosmosism, as known to his mentor, Marchio. Raven, representing Halbarton's will, became Marchio's hope.

Hopefully, his contact with the Kleinists will yield positive results.

With that thought in mind, he led Raven and Kira, who were disguised as his entourage, off the shuttle.

As soon as he stepped off the shuttle, Raven was captivated by the futuristic scenery inside the PLANT colony.

Although humanity has entered the CE era, in Raven's view, both the cities on Earth and Heliopolis are much the same as the cities he lived in in his previous life.

But it was only when Raven stepped into PLANT that he truly understood what a future city was like.

Looking up, one sees a sky composed of layers of precisely arranged flexible polarized glass. These glass panes prevent harmful cosmic rays from entering the colony while allowing outside light to pass through.

The sunlight inside the colony is provided by a giant array of reflectors located in the middle of the hourglass-shaped colony.

By combining flexible polarizing glass and a giant array of reflectors, it is possible to simulate the same day and night cycles as on Earth inside a colony satellite.

Although colony satellites are man-made celestial bodies, they have a complete ecosystem built inside, complete with vegetation and water systems.

One tall building after another stands in the center of the colony satellite. In the gaps between the buildings, various unmanned hovercars shuttle back and forth. Of course, there are also many traditional manned vehicles on the ground.

These numerous vehicles are controlled by a massive traffic management system, which keeps the city's traffic running smoothly.

PLANT's reception staff didn't keep Professor Marchio waiting long. A special car for picking up VIPs took Professor Marchio up. Raven and Kira were about to follow when they felt someone tap their shoulder.

"You guys go this way."

Raven thought the voice sounded familiar, but before he could remember who it was, the person pulled him to a secluded corner without saying a word.

"Long time no see, Mr. Raven, and the kid who piloted the Strike. You haven't forgotten me, have you?"

Andrew folded his sunglasses and tucked them into his collar, his voice as deep and steady as ever.

“Andrew!”

Raven was pleasantly surprised, not expecting to run into an acquaintance here.

"Desert Tiger..."

Unlike Raven, Kira was visibly nervous.

"Andrew, why did you give up being a captain and come to PLANT to do airport pickup work?"

Upon hearing this, Andrew let out a muffled groan of displeasure.

"Who do you think it was because of? It was because you and the guerrillas beat us so badly that my Butterfield team was disbanded on the spot, and I, Aisha, and poor Da Costa were all forced to retire."

"Isn't this great? You can enjoy retirement at such a young age. If you ask me, you should be a pension thief."

"Go! Go! Go."

Andrew waved at Raven like he was shooing away a fly, then looked around before asking.

"Why are you the only one here with this kid? Where's El? Didn't you bring her?"

“There’s no way around it, El is too conspicuous in every sense, and I also need her to stay in Orb to help me receive a new type of mobile suit. Besides, during PLANT, I’m not the dead ‘Skyfire Raven’.”

Raven raised his right hand and used his index finger to push the sunglasses on his nose upwards.

“I am Edward Maas now, and no one else.”

"Love... Edward Maas?"

Andrew's eye twitched as he looked at the young man with an Asian face.

At the same time, Raven nudged Kira beside him.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Andrew. My pseudonym is Tomoki Sakurai. Nice to meet you."

Kira sounded like a student being called on by the teacher to answer a question, his voice incredibly earnest.

"Although I don't think your pseudonyms are even necessary... fine, whatever makes you happy."

Andrew sighed as he watched the teacher and student engrossed in their spy game.

-----------------

At the same time, at the Zaft Kapandaria base.

"Tsk, how come you always seem to have all the good things happen to you?"

"Izak said unhappily as he watched Aslan about to board the shuttle back to his home country."

"There's nothing we can do. We were outmaneuvered by that 'Skyfire Raven,' while Aslan managed to force him to self-destruct on his own."

Diego remained as nonchalant as ever.

"It's all because he killed you right away, which threw me into a panic and allowed that guy to succeed."

"Hey, I didn't realize you cared about me so much, Yitzhak."

"So verbose!"

"Alright, you two, Aslan is leaving, so stop arguing."

Nicol's voice was as gentle as ever.

The easily angered Yzak, the cheeky Diego, and the gentle Nicol.

Aslan, who had thought he had lost them forever, couldn't help but smile as he watched them bickering in front of him.

Although his Aegis suffered irreversible damage to its frame due to the short sword's point-blank self-destruction, forcing it to be abandoned, his greatest fortune was that his comrades could reappear before him unharmed.

Aslan himself was awarded the FAITH badge for shooting down one of the Combine's top aces and is about to return to PLANT.

Everything seemed to be going so smoothly, and even Kira, whom he was most concerned about, seemed to have stayed in Orb and did not continue to appear on the battlefield.

But the thought of returning to PLANT instantly dampened Aslan's spirits.

After losing his wife, his father became increasingly paranoid, and the once warm home lost its former atmosphere.

Besides, returning to PLANT also means seeing the girl who is nominally his fiancée, and Aslan is often troubled by how to maintain the right distance in his relationship with her.

Perhaps these problems will be solved someday after the war ends, but for now, Aslan can't help but sigh at the problems he is about to face.

Chapter 65 The Consequences

When Raven opened the car door, he found that there was already a passenger inside.

She sat quietly by the window, her hands folded on her knees. An elegant white dress accentuated her slender figure, and her signature long pink hair cascaded down her shoulders. A pink soldier ant perched quietly on her shoulder. As the girl turned her head, the soldier ant followed her gaze, its red lens fixed on Raven's figure.

Raven was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Lux, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, would come to greet him in person.

"Miss Klein, I didn't expect to meet you here."

However, the pink-haired girl did not respond to Raven. Instead, she pouted playfully, turned her head away, and left Raven with only her long, smooth pink hair.

Raven then remembered the promise they made when they parted last time.

"I'm sorry, it's nice to see you again, Lux."

Hearing Raven's blunt words, Lux turned around and gave him a genuine smile.

"Me too, Mr. Raven. Welcome to PLANT."

Lux's gaze passed over Raven's shoulder and landed on Kira, who looked somewhat reserved outside the car.

"Oh, Mr. Kira is here too. Thank you so much for last time."

Kira instinctively raised his hands and waved them in front of him in response.

"It was just a small favor, please don't mind it. Also, I'm not Kira Yamato, please call me Tomoki Sakurai."

?

Lux blinked, and tilted her head along with the pink soldier ant perched on her shoulder.

"Isn't it common sense for agents to prepare a alias when infiltrating? By the way, my name is Edward..."

"Hey you two! Stop playing spy games and get in the car!"