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

Chapter 207 Ship from Outer Space

"One, two, three, eggplant!"

As the shutter clicked, dozens of Union soldiers excitedly made their respective victory gestures. Behind them, serving as the backdrop for their photos, was the throne of Commander Tarri of Abaoa Fortress and a large half-length portrait of him hanging on the wall.

After Colonel Tovanin, the Zeon commander, issued the surrender order, the noisy gunfire on the battlefield that had been going on just a second ago suddenly stopped. The Zeon troops still in the fortress simply laid down their weapons and surrendered. After all, in their view, the fact that those fleeing warships had left before they could even board meant that they had become expendable pawns, so there was no need for them to hold out until the very last moment.

After the Zeon garrison surrendered, Abaoakong Fortress instantly transformed into a popular tourist attraction, given its long-standing reputation within the Federation Army.

Therefore, those areas that were still intact and not important became places for Federation soldiers to take photos, while other important areas, such as ammunition depots, hospitals, and ports, were handed over to the military police for control.

The tower atop Abaoa Fortress was outside the control area, since there was nothing of importance in that command tower, and much of what was inside was destroyed during the Red Dragon battle group's attack.

Then, wave after wave of Federation troops who had entered the fortress to rest began to take the elevators in small groups and rush towards the command tower, forcing the Red Dragon battle group to change their roles on the spot and become staff members of the scenic area.

Under Amuro's command, Jim's shields were stacked vertically by the mobile suits in front of the broken gate of the command tower, thus creating two temporary passages, one for entry and one for exit.

Behind them were passageways divided by cordon tape taken from the maintenance team's inventory. Although the command tower was large, it couldn't accommodate so many federal troops, plus military officers at all levels. Therefore, it was necessary to create passageways for both entry and exit.

There were many clever soldiers in the Federation Army, and some even set up stalls in the passageways on both sides of the command tower gate, taking out all sorts of spoils of war to sell. Naturally, there were many things they had forcibly taken from prisoners. However, the military police turned a blind eye to such things, as long as they did not cross the line of killing or abusing prisoners, they would not interfere.

These spoils of war were quite attractive to the space force sailors who were unable to enter the fortress immediately and could only operate instruments on the warships. They had no chance to engage the enemy in close combat, so they naturally didn't have any spoils to show for themselves. Now that they had the opportunity to obtain spoils such as sabers, pistols, and medals to prove that they had participated in this great war, they naturally wouldn't be stingy with the HITs they had.

Throughout the war, the Federation Army's salaries were always paid in full. Although Earth was attacked by Zeon, most areas were spared from the ravages of war, so the Federation Army's economy was relatively stable and healthy. As a result, the currency was also strong, and the soldiers were able to earn a little money to accumulate wealth for their post-war life.

This put Amuro in a difficult position. He not only had to maintain order during the visit to Gihren's throne, but also keep an eye on the flea market outside to prevent any incidents. After much thought, feeling that he was short-handed, he could only have the maintenance crew stand there with their large wrenches. Unexpectedly, some people wanted to buy wrenches from them, and their reasons were quite valid.

"This is a wrench that's been used to repair Gundams, right? Please sell it to me as a family heirloom!"

Fortunately, Amuro's mobile suit was sent back to the Enterprise early on, otherwise it would have been a target for photo ops.

Besides visiting Gihren's throne, the First Combined Assault Fleet's kitchen was also moved into the fortress, and it unceremoniously occupied Gihren's lecture hall. Then, greasy pots and various cooking machines were roughly placed on the carefully maintained carpet, and power outlets were haphazardly plugged in. Afterward, delicious steaks and various food and drinks were delivered to the tables in front of the soldiers like an assembly line.

Although everyone had a hearty meal before the battle, the Federal soldiers were already starving after nearly a day and a half of fierce fighting, and they didn't even have time to finish a field ration. Many of them wrapped themselves in their marching blankets and fell asleep right after finishing their meals.

At this moment, the joy on the faces of the Federation soldiers disappeared, and many of them began to mutter in terror in their sleep. Although those who survived on such a brutal battlefield were very lucky, the horrific scenes were enough to make them never forget the past.

But the price was worth it. Even though the Federation lost nearly four thousand aircraft of various types, dozens of warships, hundreds of fighter jets, and countless officers and soldiers during the attack on Abaoa Fortress, the Federation was victorious at least.

Regardless of what those far-sighted people think, for most ordinary people, the nightmare has ended, the light has arrived, the shadow of war that once surrounded them is gone, and mothers and wives no longer have to worry about sending their sons and husbands to the battlefield.

For Ramball and his Zeon troops, the end of the battle was also good news, as they could finally return to their long-lost homeland, and appear before their loved ones in good health and spirits.

However, before embracing his family, Rambaar still had work to do. The Zeon Republic forces under his command entered Zeon as part of the Federation's advance force to take over Zeon. This was done to minimize the resistance of the local Zeon population and to demonstrate the Federation's conciliatory approach.

The other part of the advance force represents the iron will of the Federation. The 13th Independent Fleet is very suitable to represent this force. The name of the Red Dragon has become a nightmare that Zeon mobile suits can never shake off. With these two combined, Reibill thinks that the smart people in Zeon should be able to understand his meaning.

It's okay if they don't understand; they'll definitely understand beam sabers!

When he saw Makarius again, Ramball had mixed feelings, but overall he was still a little happy. Of course, he would have been even happier if Makarius hadn't received another dozen medals in front of him, since these medals were all contributed by the Zeon people, and at this moment he would have had to applaud vigorously.

"Don't look at me like that, yours is in my bag!"

After leaving Rebil's front-line command post, Makarius noticed that Ramball was still staring at his medals and then said something.

When Lanbarar heard this, he was taken aback at first, and then realized that the other party was referring to the military merits he had contributed, so his expression became even more distressed.

"So, what are your thoughts on going home?"

"Not at the moment, let's take it one step at a time!"

"Don't be so pessimistic. Think about it, a country in ruins is waiting for you to show your skills. The revitalization of the Lar family starts with you. Isn't that exciting at all?"

"I can't get excited!"

Ramball sighed. Although he was completely clueless about the current situation within Zeon, he could imagine how bad it was. All he could do now was pray silently, which made him feel a little ironic, since he would never have believed in such things in the past!
"Don't worry, I'll support you!"

"It's because of you that I'm sighing!"

"You wouldn't go too far, would you?"

Ramball looked at Makarius, who simply smiled.

This made Lanbarar increasingly uncertain, but soon, the spaceship allocated to them was ready, and now, no matter what lay ahead, they had to set off!

Soon, the Federation advance fleet completed its reorganization outside the Abaoa Sky Fortress, and then the entire fleet flew ostentatiously towards the Zeon mainland. Having already received the notification, Zeon had dispatched ships to wait at the edge of space. However, somewhat ironically, Zeon couldn't even muster a single intact cruiser at this time; the ships responsible for welcoming the Federation fleet and guiding them were Zeon's long-obsolete space patrol vessels.

These old ships, used for patrolling routes and fighting pirates, had almost no armor and very few weapons; compared to the Federal Army's Lepanto-class frigates, they were like small boats.

But what could Darcia do? To prevent his homeland from being attacked, he could only watch as the retreating Principality of Zeon looted all available supplies.

Then, led by three patrol boats, the Federation fleet swaggered into the airspace of the Principality of Zeon. When Prime Minister Darcia saw the Trafalgar-class laser buoy crossing the border, he felt a pang of inexplicable heartache.

It wasn't just Darcia; any official who had served in the Zeon government for a while felt terrible. In their prime, they had watched the Federation fleet sail away from Zeon with high spirits, but now, in their twilight years, they had to stand here to welcome the arrival of the Federation fleet.

And the interval between these two events was less than twenty years!
A low sob suddenly broke out in the crowd, clearly indicating that someone was unable to accept such a stark contrast.

Amidst sobs, the Federation fleet slowly entered the starport of Zum City. Only then did people notice that the Federation warships entering the starport were all equipped with fully armed mobile suits. In particular, on the Trafalgar-class flagship, a bright red mobile suit stood out on its foredeck.

"That's... the Red Comet?"

The sobbing in the crowd stopped abruptly, replaced by bursts of curious discussion.

"What Red Comet? That guy ran off to Axis a long time ago. He's the Federation's top ace, codenamed Red Dragon!"

"Is he great?"

"It is said that his mech was originally white, just like the other Federation mechs, but every time he destroyed one of our mechs, a red mark would be added to it. Over time, his mech turned red!"

Then, Darcia heard a chorus of gasps, and some even said skeptically that it must be federal propaganda, and that the guy was definitely not as scary as they were saying!

"it is true!"

Also present with Darcia was Henry Schlesell, the commander of the defense of the capital of Zeon. He coughed and then raised his voice.

"That claim is true; the enemy's kill count may even be approaching four hundred!"

After saying this, he looked at Darcia beside him, who gave a wry smile.

"The Federation really thinks highly of us, sending over such a bastard!"

"I'm more curious about how the Federation managed to discover such a ruthless person?"

"Didn't you know? He led the team during the last joint military exercise between the Federation and Zeon. He also led the suppression of the Dawn Uprising in Kalmazabi. That was the first time he captured Kalma and Dozru!"

"In the Battle of Britain, he piloted the Gundam and forced Dozru to retreat his flagship. In the Battle of Loum, he sank one of our ships, the Gwajin, Baikonur, and California. He participated in every counter-offensive against our forces. His Excellency Karmazabi was also killed by his subordinates. In the Solomon Islands, it was he who defeated His Excellency Dozru's Great Zam and captured him twice!"

Darcia's expression immediately turned increasingly grim, but he quickly composed himself.

"So, this one, you're in charge of dealing with him?"

Schlesell shook his head upon hearing this.

"Don't even think about it. If there's a real problem, none of us can escape. That guy doesn't care who's who. If anyone gets in the way, just kill them all!"

Although he and Darcia were acquaintances in the past, with no connection and no animosity, now they are in the same boat. While they may not share the same fate, they are in the same boat in life and death!

While the two were talking, the Federation fleet began its docking process, and the mobile suits took off and landed in the open area of ​​the port.

"get ready!"

As the ship's hatches opened, a large number of fully armed Federation Army soldiers and Zeon Republic soldiers poured out, and at the same time, the military band on the dock played the Earth Federation's national anthem.

As the music played, the Federation troops quickly lined up, and then the red Gundam slowly landed in front of Darcia.

Then, the hatch opened, and a young figure in military uniform stepped onto the elevator and landed on the ground.

When Makarius landed, all the officers of the advance team also came down from the cabin and followed behind him.

Let's take action too!

Darcia glanced at the general beside him, then gave an extremely formulaic smile as the Federation army drew closer.

Then he stepped forward and bowed to Makarius.

(End of this chapter)