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

Chapter 257 08ms Squad
As the Federation Army's top priority for external propaganda, the film's preparations have been progressing relatively smoothly. Gop has given the green light to all the necessary manpower, resources, and funding, and even diverted renovation funds from the senior officers' club at the Gabro base for this purpose.

Anyway, not many high-ranking officers usually go to that place. Under Rebil's influence, high-ranking officers of the Federation Army now like to go to the mouth of the Amazon River and cast a few lines whenever they have the chance.

However, it wasn't entirely smooth sailing. At least in terms of movie props, there were some problems. The Federation Forces are still using the same batch of Ground Gundams from back then. The problem is that it's been almost a year since the war ended, and with the military upgrade plan, all of these Ground Gundams, numbered RX-79G, have undergone subsequent upgrades.

Based on the enhanced battlefield modification RX-79 [G] Ez-8 of the Mobile Suit Unit where Shirou Amada was located, they all underwent similar upgrades and modifications. In other words, all of the Federation's Ground Gundams have now become Ez-8s. In addition, the Naval Strategic Research Institute has also carried out a backpack upgrade project for the Ez-8, developing a space combat backpack and a high-mobility backpack for it.

After all, these Gundams are still in relatively good working condition. In addition, with Macarius's intervention during the initial design, there is extra room for modification. It would be too wasteful to retire them directly. According to the Federation Army's plan, these Gundam mobile suits can be used until at least 0085. By then, the Federation Army's new Gundam design will have completed mass production, and they can be replaced.

But here's the problem: the movie needs to use the 79 instead of the EZ8. So Michelle had to revise the script and settings overnight, and complain about how everything changed so quickly after she was discharged from the military.
All the Type 74 air-cushion trucks have been replaced with M353A4 Bloodhounds, the infantry's combat gear has been upgraded, and there are also new logistics trucks, support facilities, and so on.

"So, the Federal Army will have money after we retire?"

Michelle asked the officer in the media center this question, and the officer thought for a moment before answering.

"If that's the case, then it's fine. It just means you were born at the wrong time!"

"Damn it!"

What else could Michelle say? He was also a graduate of military academy, not a volunteer soldier, so if he wanted to stay during the post-war demobilization, that would have been fine. But because the girl he liked sent him a breakup letter during the war, he ultimately chose to leave.

On the other hand, if he hadn't left the army, that novel might never have been published; it just goes to show that different choices lead to different futures.

Soon, most of the old comrades who had received Michel's invitation arrived at the Gabro base to reunite. Most of their old comrades in the Far East Mechanized Brigade had chosen to retire after the war. What made Michel's scalp tingle was that many of these old comrades had already started families, especially his former 08 squad, where he was the only one still single!

"Hey Michelle, aren't you already a famous writer? Why hasn't anyone introduced you to anyone?"

Faced with his comrades' teasing, Michelle blushed, but could only stammer out things like, "Dating will affect my writing," "Only by being detached from worldly desires can I create better literary works," and "True masters are all solitary."

As a result, the entire meeting was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

After completing initial preparations at the Gabro base, the filming crew and lead actors retraced their past battle footsteps and returned to that land.

When the Far East Mechanized Brigade was deployed to the war, the most difficult period had already passed. The Federation Army's production of GMs was sufficient to meet the needs of the troops. Therefore, they did not need to supplement their firepower with Queens and tanks like the original garrison. The movie will not deliberately fabricate anything about this, after all, it emphasizes authenticity.

However, it's difficult to preserve the original battle sites exactly as they were. After the war, the Federation deployed several construction corps to the area, and a series of cities destroyed in the war have been rebuilt. Thanks to the construction corps' own mobile construction units, which are essentially laid-off GMs, most of the other infrastructure has also been completely renovated, with new roads and bridges. Fortunately, because desertification control is still underway, the barren mountains and wilderness have remained largely intact.

"This is it! Our squad fought its first battle right here!"

When he saw that the battlefield of the 08th Squad's first battle was still in its original state, and even the shell casings of the 180mm cannon used by the Ground Gundam were half buried in the ground, Shiro Amada sighed.

After all, their first battle was quite dangerous. If it weren't for the powerful defensive capabilities of the Ground Combat Gundam, the squad might not have been able to take over the enemy's position.

Afterwards, the filming crew re-established their camp at the old site where the mechanized brigade had previously been stationed. Hundreds of people set up camp in a chaotic manner and then began setting up the scene in a lively atmosphere. With Jim from a squadron responsible for providing security, many people were instantly transported back to that day in their memories.

In particular, Shiro Amada's eyes no longer possessed the gentleness expected of a baker; instead, they became sharp as an eagle's, which greatly pleased the Federation's official director from the media center.

"That's it, that's it!"

He immediately took a picture of Shiro Amada, who was standing in the distance, wearing a clean but slightly worn mechanic uniform, looking into the distance as if waiting for something. In the background behind him, there was the silhouette of a patrolling GM.

"I've decided, I'll use this as the movie poster!"

As the team arrived, various props for the filming continued to arrive. The director didn't miss these shots either. After all, if you didn't know it was for a movie, and you just saw the C88 Media transport plane unloading various mobile suits and military equipment, who would know that these were just for filming?
With all the equipment and personnel in place, filming began for the movie titled "08ms Squad".

The film's plot doesn't deviate much from Michel's novel. The main villain, Zeon, is Yuri Kelen, who has been reincarnated and might be a year old now. As for Kinias Sakhalin, he becomes a background character, since they couldn't actually film his story of betraying Yuri. However, Aina's role wasn't cut; she remains a pitiful figure caught in the crossfire of fate, struggling between family, country, morality, and right and wrong. Ultimately, with the help of Shirou Amada, she bravely overcomes her difficulties and achieves a transformation and comeback.

The entire filming process went quite smoothly. In addition to the team's own efforts, the nearby construction corps also helped a lot. Some Federation veterans even made cameo appearances as Zeon soldiers. When selecting Zeon actors, the officers at the Federation military media center were careful to choose the least attractive and least likely to be good-looking people.

This can be seen as a stereotype that the Federation Army intends to create, since the movie is ultimately meant to promote the Federation Army!
Of course, creating too many stereotypes is not good either, so it's fine to add a little bit of personal interpretation. In the big picture, the director tries to be fairly impartial. For example, Zeon does all the bad things, and the Federation does all the good things.

This was not intentional; rather, it was simply the state of affairs for both sides during the war. The discipline of the Zeon army had been completely eroded by repeated defeats. Even when they were trapped, there were internal conflicts within the Zeon army over the distribution of supplies. The daily rations of ordinary soldiers were not even enough to make up for their own calorie deficit, while mid- to high-ranking officers were indulging in debauchery with female soldiers in the command post.

Of course, it's not entirely true that there are no good people on Zeon's side. Norris, the old father who was tricked by Aina, also plays himself in the film. His identity remains unchanged; he is still Aina's retainer, and he even has a scene with Shirou Amada.

To this end, the filming team even specially arranged for Norris to drive a Tiger B3, which he was very familiar with, so that he could show off his skills.

As for Apsaras, it did not make another appearance. Kinias was not satisfied with the work, so he simply reworked it after the war. Therefore, the media center could only use AI technology to re-synthesize it in the later stages, which is a small regret.

Of course, the flying tiger also made its appearance, and it was the same red mecha that Macarius had piloted. Because Macarius had achieved an extremely impressive feat while piloting this mecha, the filming team didn't dare to restore the red paint to its original state and had to rely on post-production to fix it.

Of course, when Macarius found out about this later, he criticized Amada Shirou quite a bit, saying, "You have the guts to sleep with a female Zeon officer, but not the guts to change the color of your mobile suit. You should let Norris train with you some more!"

However, he was unaware of this at the time, although he was also keeping an eye on the filming progress and even had the idea of ​​appearing on screen as a faceless Zeon pilot to beat up the Federation forces.

But in the end, this idea was abandoned. After all, making movies is about human relationships and social interactions. He might have enjoyed fighting and killing in the past, but what about the director? His reputation in the film industry would be ruined, and it would be difficult to make a movie like The Red Baron that focuses on the Red Dragon in the future!
However, he still used his negligible power to forcibly assign music to the film!

The media center had no objections to this, since the score they sent clearly showed Makarius's full name, code name, and rank. If anyone objected, it would be the media center being unreasonable.

As for the piece of music sent by Makarius, everyone was quite surprised after listening to it. They had thought that Makarius would send some kind of grand march or something, but unexpectedly it was a female solo with a slightly cheerful feel, and the song title was even a bit romantic, called "Glory in the Storm".

This song, which seems to have nothing to do with military, war, or mobile suits, actually adds a unique romantic flavor to the movie.

In fact, when Shirou Amada heard this song, he felt that the lyrics expressed all his feelings for Aina.

After filming was completed, the movie was quickly released throughout the Earth Sphere. As the first movie about the One Year War, the 08ms team had enough hype without much promotion. After all, the entire Earth Sphere had actually experienced it, and no one could remain uninvolved.

Therefore, after the film was released, a large number of curious viewers flocked to the theaters, and the feedback was exactly as everyone expected, with the film receiving rave reviews.

Even the most prejudiced cosmic inhabitants have to admit that this movie is indeed very good. It portrays the helplessness and struggle of ordinary people in the face of this war. As for those veterans who have retired and settled down in various industries, it goes without saying that the movie is about other people, but it is about me!
Amidst the hail of bullets, they remained leisurely squatting in foxholes, sharing their field rations covered in mud and water with their comrades. They were sound asleep when suddenly friendly artillery fire erupted from the rear. There were also cigarettes that were circulated as hard currency and letters from home that everyone treasured and read over and over again.

And the families of these veterans finally gained a more direct understanding of the environment in which their husbands/sons, wives/mothers/daughters survived during that war.

The film even received considerable praise in Zeon, as its details stood up to scrutiny. In particular, many Zeon veterans knew firsthand just how harsh their living conditions on the front lines were, and seeing their former enemy bring them some solace by filming it.
As for the Zeon soldiers who were considered villains, they didn't say a word, especially Commander Yuri, who was a tough guy and didn't utter a sound.

Of course, there are positive reviews, and there are also criticisms, but in the wave of positive reviews, these few criticisms can't make a ripple at all. Even if someone really wanted to do that, the FBI agents would have to call them in for a chat.

After the movie was released, the Federation Army received more positive feedback. Although it didn't completely reverse the situation, at least the Federation Army soldiers no longer encountered situations where people spat in their glasses or overcharged for their drinks at the space colony bars.

Even when some soldiers walked into the tavern wanting a beer, the bartender would pour them extra.

"Drink up! Our ice-cold beer is way better than the potato wine you guys concocted in the trenches!"

At this point, the federal soldiers would be full of questions.

"But the Space Force never drinks that stuff, that's the Army!"

(End of this chapter)