Why would I join the army if I can’t drive a Gundam!

Chapter 182 Sweep Mission
Although there is only one new NT1 Gundam, Timree has not neglected his beloved son and has prepared an enhancement plan for the original Gundam.

Magnetic coating technology is a good thing, so there will definitely be a lot of the original. Replace the power reactor, strengthen the cabin fire control, and replace the reconnaissance signal components. Although the original is still based on the same foundation after the modification, the core has been changed a lot, which is enough for Amuro.

The most important improvement is the full armor kit developed by Timree. By attaching this system, the original Gundam can be upgraded to the full armor Gundam, which has stronger protection, firepower and speed. However, since it is equivalent to putting a layer of armor on the mobile suit, its flexibility will be slightly reduced. However, considering that this is for assault operations on a large-scale battlefield, the loss of flexibility can be ignored.

After all, if you really need to be flexible and maneuverable, this armor system can automatically unlock and detach from the mech, revealing the mech underneath, which is very convenient.

In terms of firepower, Timre did not disappoint. A beam-type particle cannon, independently powered by the generator of the armor kit, although unable to provide continuous beam for a long time due to heat dissipation issues and requiring energy to be charged before firing, was still enough to cause fatal damage to the Zeon warship.

In addition, there is a quadruple cluster missile launcher with a jettisonable design, which can be discarded after firing and can also be replaced with four heavy anti-ship missiles.

In fact, Timree's earliest design also included a large-caliber rocket launcher specifically for launching nuclear missiles, but this design was ultimately not implemented due to the Antarctic Treaty. However, the military industry can produce it immediately should there be a need.

As for the power system, it goes without saying that two dedicated liquid hydrogen propulsion boosters can push this behemoth to its maximum speed. In addition, there are dedicated external shields on both sides of the kit, as well as heavy rocket launchers fixed by the secondary arm. Although the attack range is limited, it allows the pilot to operate the beam rifle while simultaneously launching attacks.

These two sets of components are very expensive, and the Union Army Command would not have even decided to produce them if it weren't for the attack on Fort Solomon.

"Therefore, you must be careful when using it!"

Dr. Timree gave a rather unusual instruction, and even Kinias handed Macarius a user manual, hoping that the guy wouldn't use it roughly.

"Don't worry, Doctor, I definitely will!"

Makarius made the same promise, but my promise doesn't mean I'll carry it out. After all, swords have no eyes on the battlefield, and some damage is normal. But before he could even let his G3 Gundam install this thing and enjoy it, Chief Maintenance Officer Seitaro Sakaki had already carefully packed the delivered components into the box. Then Captain Paul even specially arranged for the marines accompanying the ship to be responsible for protecting the box.

After receiving his new equipment, Markarius had nothing left to do on Luna II. Amuro's original Gundam was still undergoing modifications, so he could only go to Major Jung to kill time.

"You're way too late. What, are the Zeon forces on Earth that hard to defeat?"

Major Jung handed a bottle of iced cola to Makarius and then said with a smile.

"They're not hard to fight, but there are just too many of them; we can't kill them all!"

"So it's such a pity. If you had come a few days earlier, we might have been able to join forces and keep Crimson Lightning here!"

Jung said with some regret.

Crimson Lightning is the top ace pilot of the Zeon Chimera Squadron. Unlike Char, who is always on the move, his main combat area is in space, especially in the Luna II space region. He has clashed with Major Jung many times and is a very troublesome opponent. Jung tried everything he could but failed to defeat him.

Meanwhile, the enemy had also achieved hundreds of victories in the fierce battle with the Federation forces, and even sank several Federation warships. Major Jung originally planned to wait for Markarius to arrive at Luna II and then join forces with him to take down the enemy.

Before the Teum Fleet set sail, the Zeon fleet, which was originally active on the front lines, began to shrink back, and Crimson Lightning himself disappeared without a trace. Now, there is not a single Zeon soldier to be found around Luna II, leaving Jung with nowhere to seek revenge.

"It's alright, where else can that guy run off to? Either Solomon, the moon, or the Zeon homeland, just those three places. When the time comes, brothers, gather a few hundred of us, find him, and gang up on him. We'll make sure he doesn't come back alive!"

"That's true, but you've come at the right time. I heard you gave the Federation's air force pilots in Europe a good lesson?"

"It wasn't really a class, it was just a friendly exchange!"

"That's perfect, let's teach my people a lesson too!"

Jung wouldn't let such a good workforce go to waste. Anyway, Luna II has limited entertainment options, and Markarius can't drink alcohol, so he can only kill time on the training field.

Now, the Federation pilots on Luna II are in trouble. They used to be tortured by Crimson Lightning on the battlefield, and now that Crimson Lightning is gone, Red Dragon has come to the training ground. However, Jung is the big brother who has the final say among the Federation pilots on Luna II. When he speaks, the Federation pilots can only obediently come over and be beaten.

After two days of fighting, Amuro, who was idle due to the modification of his mecha, also joined in. Now, the Federation pilots of Luna II became punching bags being trained by the two aces, making their suffering even more unbearable. Some pilots even secretly approached the technicians in charge of improving the original, offering them their treasured Playboy magazines and various cigarettes and alcohol, just to ask them to speed up the project so that they could get out of their misery as soon as possible.

However, after being promoted every day, many Federation pilots did improve their piloting skills, which even became their magic weapon for defeating the enemy on the battlefield. There were even Federation pilots who, while fighting against enemy mobile armor, shouted things like "I'm not afraid of the Red Dragon and the White Devil, why would I be afraid of you?" which caused heavy damage to the Zeon mobile armor. Of course, these are all stories for later.

Then, on September 15th, the Federation Army pilots' hard days finally came to an end. With the completion of the original Gundam's modification, the 13th Independent Fleet finally had its own new mission.

"Sir!"

"How is the troop condition?"

Seeing Reibille playing chess with old man King, Makarius immediately answered truthfully.

"Very good, morale is soaring, everyone is waiting for the orders to be given!"

"Very good. The only thing I'm truly at ease with is your troops!"

Rebil stopped what he was doing, then pressed two buttons on the table, and a map appeared in front of Makarius.

"Solomon?"

Looking at the clear red dot on the map, Makarius immediately recognized it as the target of the Federation forces' attack: Solomon Fortress and the two nearby space colonies, Side 1 and Side 4.

"It's not Solomon, it's side 4!"

King glanced at Makarius and then spoke.

"Our main force will soon be advancing directly into Solomon, so your mission is to clear out the Zeon forces in Side 4 and the adjacent space!"

"Understood!"

Makarius nodded. The Solomon Fortress was located near the end of the side 1 colony, while the side 1 and side 4 colonies were located in the L5 area of ​​the Lagrange point. The two were relatively close. If the Zeon army hid a fleet in the ruins of the side 4 colony and suddenly attacked when the Federation army attacked Solomon, it would definitely cause the Federation army to suffer a great loss.

Therefore, it's perfectly acceptable for someone to clear out the potential risks in this area before the main force launches its attack, thus removing obstacles for the main force!
"So, are there still any of our personnel in this area?" Makarius wouldn't refuse such a combat mission. He had already acquired the new machine, so he had to give it a try. As for the situation of Side 4, he had a general idea, but he still asked knowingly.

"Yes, there is an independent unit of our army here, the Moorish Compatriots Corps!"

"Survivors from side 4? What kind of equipment do they have?"

The so-called Moorish Brotherhood refers to the independent force formed by the survivors of the Side 4 colony. Although this force is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Federal Army, its actual combat mission is to try every means to recapture the lost Side 4 homeland. Its personnel and management are independent.

Therefore, this unit can act independently without regard to the orders of the Federal Command, because in reality, the Federation is only responsible for selling them equipment and providing military training, while everything else is the responsibility of the Moorish Compatriots. Of course, if there are orders from the highest level, the Moorish Compatriots must also carry them out, but considering the current situation of Side 4, the Federal Command has not interfered too much with their own actions.

"The Moorish Fellowship paid a hefty price to purchase a fleet and mobile suits from the Federation, and even a Gundam!"

"That sounds great. How's their progress?"

"I don't know. Don't have too high hopes for them. Kliny, the losses suffered by Side 4 are extremely severe. The Compatriots are even using child soldiers!"

"It's alright, I'll head over there and lend them a hand!"

After receiving orders from Reibir, Makarius immediately convened a mobilization meeting and read out the orders for the 13th Independent Fleet. Upon hearing that their side was to advance to point L5, many people were already excited.

"Does this mean we're going to be among the first Union troops to fire on Fort Solomon?"

"Assuming you can hit it, our current task is just to clear side 4, but a larger area is fine too!"

Macharius said so.

"Wuhu!"

"Brothers, we're going to kick that stinky gorilla Dozru's ass!"

During their time aboard Luna II, the pilots of the combat group had long been bored. After all, Luna II was a military asteroid, and its internal environment was mostly designed for practical use. Therefore, everyone was excited when they received the order to deploy.

Then, the entire fleet immediately sprang into action. Pilots and maintenance crews inspected the aircraft, while fleet logistics personnel checked the warships and began refueling and replenishing ammunition. After all preparations were completed, the 13th Independent Fleet, with the White Base as its vanguard, formed a search formation and slowly departed from Luna II.

The journey from Luna II to Side 4 was relatively peaceful. The Zeon forces had abandoned their plan to continue hunting each other's fleets in space, as it would cause severe damage to the fleets. Prolonged space battles would not only pose a huge challenge to the reliability of equipment, but would also have a significant impact on the morale of the personnel.

Therefore, the 13th Independent Fleet arrived in the side 4 space region in a fully equipped and manned manner.

"Release the guard troops and contact the Moorish community. I need to get firsthand intelligence as quickly as possible!"

Marcarius had already begun putting on his pilot's uniform in his seat, while Captain Paul thoughtfully helped him adjust his helmet.

"Sir, the maintenance department is asking which machine you intend to pilot?"

"Get me NT$1 ready!"

The full armor kit for the G3 Gundam was a surprise for Dozle, and it was obviously a bit too early to serve it now, so Macarius chose the NT1. Right now, he should be the busiest pilot in the entire Federation, because there are four mobile suits in the hangar that are exclusively for his use, including two Gundams, one GM SP2, and one GM GS.

After donning his attack gear, Markarius finally had the time to slowly survey the massive, shattered cosmic domain before him. Although he had grown accustomed to it, he could still see countless souls wandering above the cosmic domain as he gazed upon the deathly graveyard composed of countless ruins.

Side 4 and Side 1 were the first areas attacked by the Zeon forces. The Zeon forces used almost all their weapons to attack indiscriminately. There wasn't a single satellite with a relatively intact main structure that could be seen in the entire space; all of them were broken debris.

The countless wreckages of these destroyed colonies and sunken warships drifted in the Reef Space Domain. Unbeknownst to many, the wreckage began to generate electrical discharges as it collided with each other. Therefore, from a distance, one could see flashes of lightning appearing intermittently throughout the entire space domain.

"This is the Thunderous Universe!"

Makarius looked at the ruins and then slowly spoke.

"Thunderous Universe, huh? That's quite fitting. Even with such a harsh environment, will the Moorish people fight here?"

"I asked Nagase Hotaru curiously."

"They had no choice; this was their only home!"

Marcarius tapped on the porthole in front of him, and as if in response, Thunder Sphere erupted with another extremely dazzling bolt of lightning in the next second.

"Sir, we've made contact with the Moorish community!"

The communications soldier standing nearby immediately reported loudly.

"The other side is on their way to meet me!"

"Tell them not to rush, there's plenty of time! Take your time!"

Makarius then said.

"Oh, right, and also, have their Gundam pilots come and report for duty!"

"Also, it would be best to have the logistics department prepare a batch of fresh food and send it to them later!"

Captain Paul then offered his suggestion.

(End of this chapter)