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

Chapter 238 Playing the Art of War with Me?
"Attention, all men, salute!"

As Markarius entered the hangar of the Sparta, he heard the same loud shout again, which startled him.

Seeing the group of maintenance soldiers staring at him, he could only wave his hand and then say something.

"Dismissed! Everyone go about your own business. And who's the duty officer?"

"Report, it's me!"

A tall sergeant with a standard Marine Corps buzz cut stepped forward.

"Keep your voice down next time!"

Marcarius snapped his fingers and walked to the inside of the hangar, where his two mobile suits were parked. Sakaki Kiyoshi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, was looking at the data panel in front of him without looking up from under the mobile suits.

"Chief of Maintenance, it's been a long time!"

"Yeah, looks like school life is pretty good. You've gotten a lot fairer than before!"

Old man Sakaki Kiyoshi glanced at Makarius and said with a smile.

"After all, we spend all our time in air-conditioned rooms, so how about this flying tiger?"

Marcarius looked up at the massive machine standing on the deck. From its appearance alone, he could tell that the machine had undergone many changes compared to before. The iconic 35mm Gatling gun mounted on the shield had been replaced with a slightly larger 60mm Gatling gun, and additional missile launchers had been added to its back and waist. However, the specific modifications still needed to be determined by the experts.

"It far surpasses the past. The electronic systems and operating systems have been replaced, and the cockpit display layout has been reorganized. Although it's not a full-circle layout, the visibility is several times better than before. We've also updated the propellant ratio, making it more efficient in combustion, more powerful, and able to maintain a longer endurance. The weapons have also been replaced. The new 60mm Gatling gun is equipped with the brand-new Luna Titanium armor-piercing rounds, the shield has been replaced with the same style as the Gundam, and the cockpit armor has also been replaced with Luna Titanium. In addition, there's a magnetic coating. Want to try it out?"

"why not?"

Makarius then snapped his fingers.

"I'm going to change my clothes!"

"Did you hear that, guys? Get ready to attack! Hurry up! I need this machine to be fully prepared within five minutes!"

"Sir, the hangar has sent a sortie request. Colonel Makarius wants to deploy the Flying Tiger!"

On the bridge of the Spartan, Captain Vincent Parker looked at the application in his hand and couldn't help but slap his forehead.

"Agreed to deploy. Also, send a squad of mobile suits equipped with flight ramps to provide escort. If anything happens to the colonel, you're all finished!"

"But, sir, the colonel refuses to let us follow. He says we can't keep up with his speed!"

The mobile suit squad leader on the other end of the communication line explained, looking aggrieved.

"He has to come along, he's the deputy commander-in-chief!"

Captain Vincent felt a headache coming on. Captains of his rank had no authority to control Makarius's actions. The only one who could control him was Vice Admiral Jamitov Heyman, who had already gone to his room to rest. If possible, he would prefer that these senior officers stay on the warship obediently until the mission was over. However, that hope had obviously been dashed. After all, the army's top ace had just acquired a new gadget, and he could only call Makarius back to his private contact.

"Sir, regarding your shipboard test, how about I have my people conduct it? You can stay on the bridge and observe the entire process; that would be safer!"

"Captain Vincent, do you think I got those kills from the bridge?"

"Of course not, it's just that your status is different now."

"Nothing's different, Captain. I'm still a mobile suit pilot. If I can't pilot a mobile suit, what's the point of joining the Federation Army!"

"Don't worry, I'll be back in five minutes!"

After saying that, Makarius abruptly hung up the communication and then steered his flying tiger toward the catapult.

"This feels really good!"

The new Flying Tiger is surprisingly light and smooth to operate, just like the Phantom Gundam that Amuro piloted. Although the response speed is still not as good as the NT1, it is enough to satisfy Macarius!
Then, as the catapult moved at high speed, the images on both sides of the cockpit also rushed backward until the blue sky reappeared in front of Markarius. At that moment, he stepped on the pedal and turned the Flying Tiger's propulsion engine to maximum!
"Perfect coordination, is this the strength of the number one ace?"

Watching the Flying Tiger smoothly exit the cockpit, the Federation pilots watching the spectacle couldn't help but compare it to their own daily routines. Many immediately shook their heads because they couldn't perform such a smooth maneuver. Many thought that Gundam had made them pilots, but now it seemed that they were very wrong.

Marcarius paid no attention to the situation on the spaceship. After exiting the cabin, he decisively pulled into an acute-angle maneuver and began to climb rapidly. The enormous G-force made his breathing rapid, but he had no intention of slowing down at all. Until he soared into the sky, the clouds were below him, and the deep blue sky now occupied the entire view of the cockpit.

"That's great!"

After experiencing the immense power, Makarius immediately maneuvered the machine to descend rapidly. The Federation officers and soldiers sitting on the bridge could not even catch a clear view of it, only seeing a fleeting black shadow pass by them.

Captain Bradnoa remained calm as he watched the coffee sloshing around in his cup, completely ignoring the shouts and commotion around him. He was used to the Gundams flying around, so what was a mere Flying Tiger? Compared to that brat Macarius, Amuro was much more well-behaved!

As he spoke, Brad couldn't help but reminisce about the days when Amuro was around. He was also very curious: Makarius had come, so why hadn't Amuro come?
Meanwhile, after fully experiencing the maneuverability of the Flying Tiger, Markarius quickly returned to the Sparta. After all, Captain Vincent's grim expression spoke volumes, and he figured it was best to be understanding of these officers!
"Excellent, excellent, the Naval Strategic Research Institute has done a great job! I bet all those new technologies used on this thing are in preparation for our future aircraft?"

Marcarius, who had just dismounted from the tiger, handed his helmet to Yudin, who was standing to the side, and then said with lingering interest.

"Yes, we should thank Mr. Kinnias, he also participated in the improvement of the mobile suit! Combining Federation and Zeon technologies doesn't seem like a bad thing!"

Departing from Gabro base, the fleet had already traversed the Australian continent in just over ten hours. When passing through Sydney, the entire fleet even held a small mourning ceremony. The reconstruction of the city was no longer possible, as the colony satellite had directly created a huge inland sea. However, right on the edge of the Sydney Inland Sea, a new Sydney city was gradually taking shape. The reconstruction of the city was being carried out by one of the construction corps established by Reibill, and they would become the new generation of Sydneysiders, continuing to live on this land.

After crossing the Australian continent, the relaxed atmosphere within the strike fleet vanished, replaced by a level two alert, as they were not far from the border of the Nanyang Alliance. After crossing Sulawesi Island, the strike fleet officially entered the core area of ​​the Nanyang Alliance.

"Keep the air defense radar on alert. I don't want to see those bald monks dancing on my deck!"

Captain Vincent shouted the order.

At this moment, the four Pegasus-class ships have already entered combat mode, their particle cannons are deployed, their core fighters have taken off, and they have established a surveillance network around the fleet that has formed a search formation. Even the decks of the warships have been deployed with mobile suits!
This was also the first time Macarius had seen those prototype Gilai. The machines were currently being piloted by familiar faces from the White Base. As for the design of the machines, they were no different from the standard armored Gilai that Macarius remembered. The only difference was that these Gilai were equipped with an additional secondary arm skeleton developed by the Naval Strategic Research Institute. The mechanical arm extending from the back held a large shield, enough to protect most of the machine. As for weapons, the Gilai did not carry the MG79 machine gun that ordinary GMs carried, but rather a newly designed short beam rifle. There were even two Gilai with a super rocket launcher hanging on their right shoulder to enhance their firepower.

However, to everyone's surprise, despite the Federation fleet's high-profile entry into the core area of ​​the Nanyang Alliance, the Nanyang Alliance's garrison remained inactive. They did not send out any attack troops to harass or strike the fleet, nor did they even send out any reconnaissance troops. Instead, large numbers of civilians gathered in many port cities and fishing villages along the way, clashing with the warships flying overhead. Although the sound-capturing equipment could not detect their voices, it was still clear from their lip movements and actions that these Nanyang Alliance civilians were very unhappy about the arrival of the Federation army.

However, the strike fleet paid no heed. While the public opinion incited by religion was indeed terrifying, it required an extremely large organization to persistently conduct long-term propaganda and mobilization. But now, the Nanyang Alliance Order was retreating towards its core areas, and most of its lower-level members had abandoned their posts. Therefore, the incited public opinion would subside soon. As for the matter of faith, the Federal Parliament had already withdrawn legitimate Buddhist personnel from other regions, preparing to send them to Nanyang Alliance territory to rehabilitate the brainwashed populace.

The strike fleet's primary target was the Nanyang Alliance training base located in its core area, near the Malay Archipelago. This was where Major Wallace had infiltrated. The massive training base was conservatively estimated to be able to train tens of thousands of combat personnel for the Order of Order, including no fewer than several hundred mobile suit pilots.

Destroying this place would severely damage the Order's ability to generate its own manpower, depriving it of a stable supply of soldiers and mobile suit pilots.

Soon, the lush green island appeared before everyone's eyes, along with a massive cluster of bases on it.

"Sir, we have received a public warning from the Nanyang Alliance!"

"Release it!"

"I am already seated in my command seat," Djamitov said expressionlessly.

"This is the Nanyang Alliance garrison. The actions of the Federal Fleet have seriously infringed upon our country's sovereignty and violated the Federal Constitution. We demand that the Federal Fleet immediately withdraw from our airspace. Otherwise, we will not rule out the use of force!"

"It's ridiculous!"

Subsequently, the federal fleet broadcast at a higher frequency to suppress the voice of the Nanyang Alliance.

"This is the Federal Army's Special Strike Fleet. In accordance with the orders of the Federal Parliament and the Federal Army Command, we are hereby ordered to legally suppress the cult that disrupts order within the territory of the Nanyang Alliance. In accordance with federal law, we hereby order your unit to lay down your weapons and accept trial under federal law!"

The Federation warships directly seized control of all channels in the vicinity with strong jamming, and then began to broadcast this message on a loop.

Perhaps angered by being labeled a cult, the training base commander was furious. Almost immediately, a large number of haphazardly arranged flight platforms carrying a huge number of Zanis took off from the ground.

"Sir, enemy surface-to-air missiles have locked on!"

Along with Zani, there were also some rudimentary heavy equipment deployed on the island by the Nanyang Alliance, including several aging surface-to-air missile launchers and a number of lightweight towed surface-to-air anti-aircraft guns. However, at this moment, outside of most of the enemy's defensive firepower, the only thing that could threaten the warships of the Federation fleet was the pitifully small number of surface-to-air missiles.

The Nanyang Alliance's garrison was clearly aware of this, so most of the takeoff ramps circled within their own air defense network, seemingly trying to pull the Federation fleet closer.

However, Djamitov was not in such a hurry. The old man took a leisurely sip of tea and then ordered the fleet to lower its altitude.

Seeing the Federal fleet take action, the Nanyang Alliance's garrison clenched their fists, waiting for the order to fire. But just as the enemy was about to enter firing range, and the commander was about to give the order, the Federal fleet suddenly and decisively turned and began to climb again, forcing the cult commander to slam his fist on the table.

"That damn bastard, is he playing us?"

Where is the Tiger Force?

The cult commander looked at the massive warship on the screen and then asked his subordinates a question.

"They are still climbing in a roundabout way!"

"Make them speed up!"

The cult commander was no novice; in fact, he had received professional military training. Ground defense and the Zani troops were only one part of his tactics. The other part was the Tiger troops currently maneuvering behind the Federation fleet. Those modified Tigers and Zanis were equipped with additional flight components that allowed the aircraft to hover, but due to insufficient power, the aircraft could not fly freely and therefore required flight pedals for assistance.

These tigers were the surprise troops arranged by the cult commander. If the federal army launched an offensive, while Zani drew fire from the front, these tigers would swiftly swoop down from the sky and attack the federal army's warships.

But now that the federal troops aren't falling for it, the commander has no choice but to let the Tigers take the lead in the attack and drive the federal troops down from the sky.

Just as the cult commander on the ground was anxiously awaiting his surprise attack, the Federation fleet began to descend once again, and this time it directly adopted an offensive posture, which made the cult commander's eyes light up!
"Come on, you bastard, prepare to launch the missile!"

What infuriated the monks was that the Federation fleet had once again tricked them, flying back halfway down the descent. This time, they even started circling the island like a carousel, forcing Zani to join in as well.

Inside the underground bunker, the missile soldier responsible for air defense had numb fingers. He almost fired the missile, but the Federal Army was still slowly circling around, so he could only keep his fingers suspended in the air.

"These guys are really good at holding back!"

Inside the Sparta, Makarius leaned against his seat, carefully examining the red dots on the tactical map. It was clear that these monk soldiers were resembling a regular army. Despite being provoked like this, they were still able to hold their positions steadily. Revanhu had obviously put in a lot of effort. If they trained for a few more years, they might become an opponent like the Principality of Zeon.

Unfortunately, he chose the wrong target!

"We've been circling around like this, and these guys are still standing still. Do they really think those guys who flank us from behind can scare us?"

"Is not it?"

Jamitov scoffed dismissively. The pincer movement tactic was taught in the first year of military academy, how could they not be on guard? These monk soldiers from the Nanyang Alliance were actually playing military strategy with him!
"Sir, radar has detected a mobile suit unit approaching from the rear!"

"Prepare for air combat. Let them get close and attack. I want the first wave of fire to cripple them!"

"Then please grant me permission to join the attack, sir!"

Makarius had also been waiting for a long time. He then stood up and looked at Jamitov, who seemed somewhat hesitant.

"Shouldn't you be our ace up, the grand finale, Colonel?"

"If I only had one royal flush in my hand, then I should definitely save it for the final round. But we have more than one royal flush in our hand, so it doesn't matter when I play. It's been a long time since I've played, so I should get back into the swing of things!"

"Yes, that's true. We have plenty of bombs in our hand. Go ahead, Colonel, have a good hunt!"

Makarius nodded and then quickly headed to the hangar. Since it was an air battle, he didn't plan to pilot the NT1, but instead prepared to fly the Tiger. He had the Tiger, and the Nanyang Alliance also had the Tiger. This could be considered a unique battle for the king of beasts!
"Clearney, take it easy, don't kill them all. Give those young guys a chance to prove themselves!"

Seeing the enthusiastic Makarius, old man Sakaki Kiyoshi couldn't help but offer some advice.

"I try my best!"

That was the only answer Makarius could give!
(End of this chapter)