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

Chapter 262 The Helpless Reality

The first Monday of October 0082 was a wonderful day, with clear skies and crisp autumn air. However, the cool autumn breeze could not dispel the heat inside the space dock. After all, no matter what season it was on Earth, space was always the same!
However, at this moment, the tens of thousands of guests sitting in the Luna II Federation shipyard clearly had no time to think about the meaning of space, because they had more important things to do.

After the plan was approved at the beginning of the year, the Federation's new warship, after nearly ten months of construction, is finally about to unveil its mystery and greet the world!
"How impressive! I wonder which fleet this ship will be assigned to first?"

Standing behind the huge windows of the observation deck, rows of federal military, political and business figures dressed in military uniforms and suits were having a heated discussion on related topics.

Some people were whispering with their companions about the ship's features, and while they were talking, they also kept checking the time. Soon, when the hour hand pointed to the hour, the sounds from the observation deck disappeared without a trace.

Those who were still moving around quickly returned to their seats, then held their breath and waited for the unveiling moment.

Vice Admiral Tiam, the commander of the Federation Space Force fleet, was already standing on the platform on one side of the observation deck. He delivered a passionate speech according to procedure, and then pressed the button next to him.

Immediately afterwards, in the huge dock next to the observation deck, several robotic arms descended from high rails and untied the massive canvas covering the warship.

As the motor whirred rapidly, the canvas was quickly retracted, revealing the enormous figure hidden beneath. When the full view of that behemoth appeared before everyone, a continuous round of applause followed.

At this moment, whether they were federal soldiers, politicians, businessmen, or even ordinary federal civilians who were lucky enough to participate in the event through a lottery, everyone clapped their hands with all their might. The reason was simply that the warship gave people an extremely strong sense of impact. Some elderly people even wiped away tears while clapping.

"To see such a powerful warship enter service, even dying for it would be worth it!"

Amidst thunderous applause, the massive warship began to move slowly, and then the huge inscriptions on its hull were revealed to everyone.

Below the massive EFSF, its hull number and name, Aswan, are clearly written.

As the ship flew completely out of the dock, the hangar doors of the mobile suits on the hull slowly opened, and then two squads of standard armored Gilai ejected, flanking the Alexander-class.

Once the warships and mobile suits were assembled, the ship began a roundabout cruise around the dock to showcase its full capabilities.

"What a wonderful ship!"

"It's a pity it's from the Federation!"

Schlesell and Ramball, both dressed in brand-new Zeon Republic lieutenant general uniforms, were also present. However, everyone else was chatting away, and even the representatives from the Zeon Republic government, dressed in suits, successfully mingled with passersby.

The two of them stood awkwardly in the corner, watching the warship set sail with envious and jealous eyes.

"This is the USS Aswan, the lead ship of the Alexander-class, right?"

"Yes, the second Alexander-class battleship, the Cairo, will be launched next week. Next month, Anaheim will launch two brand-new Pegasus-class battleships. In addition, Fockwellington is building a brand-new battleship for the Federation Forces, whose performance completely surpasses that of the Gwagkin-class. It is said that the first ship will also be launched by the end of the year!"

Lanbarar meticulously reviewed all the information he knew.

"This is the foundation of the Federation! Even if Zeon wins, it won't have this kind of courage!"

Schlesell, who had already entered retirement, sighed.

Back in the Principality of Zeon, Dozle and Kycilia even engaged in a full-blown brawl at the Imperial Council just to build a couple more ships. Now, the Federation can start construction on just as many ships at once, and this hasn't even reached the terrifying speed of one ship per day seen in the later stages of the One Year War.

Ramball glanced out the window at the view that the cruise was now complete and it was time for the mobile suits to perform various tactical maneuvers for the audience, and then shook his head.

Falkwellington, being a long-established mainstay of the Federation's shipbuilding industry, started construction on five Alexander-class and two Birmingham-class battleships in one go. Moreover, the five Alexander-class and one Birmingham-class battleships could be completed before 83. And next year, that number could become ten and two respectively. Just imagine the scale of that force. By then, if the Federation wanted, the autonomous regime of the Republic of Zeon would seem to have no reason to exist!

"Honestly, I wonder when the Federation will hold a naval review. We should let those guys back home come and see. Those guys still think they can negotiate with the Federation to maintain Zeon's independence. Sigh, I'm afraid it'll be tough on you then!"

The lieutenant general sighed. He was already quite old and had planned to step down as commander of the Zeon Republic Self-Defense Forces this year. He would be free of official duties, but the burden of responsibility would fall entirely on Rambalar. Perhaps in a few years, the latter's uniform would be changed to the Federation style!
"I'm already prepared, and besides, there's no turning back for us now!"

As the two were talking, another fleet of Salamis cruisers flew past the dock while releasing dazzling fireworks. Ramball immediately spotted these Salamis-class cruisers, which had undergone many changes. Compared to the One Year War era, these cruisers had many more turrets, including three twin main guns and more than twenty small-caliber close-in weapon systems. This was also part of the Federation Army's equipment upgrade project. There was no reason to ignore the old ships after building new ones.

In fact, if we include the improvements made to the regular Magellans and Salamis since the postwar period, it can be said that the Federation has been producing more and more since the war. To date, more than two-thirds of the Federation Salamis have been upgraded and modified, and half of the Magellans have been transformed into new Magellans. Of course, none of these modifications are related to mobile suits.

This is not surprising. The improvements to Salamis and Magellan mainly focused on enhancing firepower. Whether it was adding main guns or anti-aircraft guns, no major modifications to the hull were required. These tasks could be completed in the Federation Navy's shipyards, so it is normal that the outside world knows very little about them.

However, the Federation's frantic increase in anti-aircraft firepower is naturally due to Zeon. In the past, the close-in defenses of Zeon were completely insufficient to deal with close-range mobile suits in order to cope with artillery battles and space fighters. In addition, the Matrix system was subject to errors due to the interference of the grains. Therefore, the Federation forces could only turn their ships into anti-aircraft hedgehogs and win by sheer numbers.

Furthermore, considering the impact of increased anti-aircraft firepower on ammunition consumption, the Federation Forces have requested several military factories that manufacture beam weapons to redesign entirely new laser close-in weapon systems. This would maximize firepower density and sustainability, because the power provided by the ship's reactor is virtually unlimited compared to the ammunition in the ammunition depot. As long as the engine doesn't break down, the anti-aircraft firepower can continue to operate indefinitely.

"By the way, Federation, any news on the new mobile suits?" "According to the information we've gathered, only Anaheim is currently working on them!"

"No movement from the Naval Strategic Research Institute? That can't be right."

"Yes, so I reckon they're doing it too, after all, the Naval Strategic Research Institute has that person's connections!"

"That guy, he should be promoted to general by now, shouldn't he?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Six more months until graduation, and then I'll be a general! Damn! This promotion speed is like a rocket!"

Ramball couldn't help but roll his eyes. Right now, besides being wary of Makarius, he felt nothing but envy, jealousy, and hatred. He thought about how Makarius had spent most of his life wandering around, and it wasn't until he was middle-aged that he took advantage of the country's collapse to rise to the rank of major general. But that kid, when they first met, was just a cadet, and now, only a few years later, he's about to become a general. Ramball had no doubt that in a few more years, he might have to salute him first when they met!
"This is a case of the times creating heroes, isn't it? During our One Year War, didn't we also have heroes like Char? It's just a pity that he couldn't defeat the Red Dragon!"

Schlesell didn't mention another one, Karmazabi, who also rose through the ranks rapidly, going directly from captain to army commander. After all, this man had already been eliminated, and while others were promoted because of their own abilities, this man was promoted because he had a powerful father.

"Actually, from another perspective, a strong Federation is also a good thing for us!"

As Schlesell spoke, he suddenly nodded, as if greeting someone. Ramball turned his head and saw a smiling Tianm surrounded by a group of people on the other side.

"You mean national defense and security?"

Lanbarar saluted the other man and then spoke.

"Yes, now, the Federation is no longer a possibility for us to wage war. Our real enemy has become the Zabi faction! Guess who they'll settle scores with first if they come back?"

"Who else could it be? It's us!"

Ramball didn't care, since everyone had already broken off relations. In fact, the Zeon Republic was now openly attributing Zeon Deikun's death to a Zabi conspiracy in order to undermine the Zabi family's legitimacy. Although it wasn't explicitly stated that Deikun's death was caused by Dekin, it was practically the same.

The remnants of the Zabi faction naturally refused to admit it. They even carried out terrorist attacks and assassinations of political figures within Zeon, but because these were all lone wolf attacks, the police and self-defense forces easily apprehended the attackers.

However, the remaining Zeon forces outside are beyond the capabilities of the current Zeon Self-Defense Forces. Under the Federation's arms control treaty, Zeon has no usable space battleships, and the number of mobile suit units is limited to a brigade, or ninety mobile suits.

This number seems like a lot, but compared to the vast space domain and colony of Zeon, it's clear that it's far from enough. Although the Federation has approved the GM for the Self-Defense Forces to replace the old mobile suits, it will still take some time for these pilots who are used to operating Zaku-type mobile suits to master the GM.

Relying on such forces to fight against the remnants of Zeon is simply not enough!

Moreover, considering the current level of control the Federation forces have over the controlled areas, Side 3, which is still located on the far side of the moon, has become a better target for attack than the Federation mainland!

The Zabi faction abandoned its territory and people and fled, shedding a heavy burden. If the Republic of Zeon wants to continue to win the hearts and minds of the people, it must protect the security of the colony. But the remnants are different; they can use heavy firepower to attack the colony without any scruples, destroying the space homes on which the residents depend for survival.

At that time, only the Federal Army could save them!

"The Federation's move is ruthless!"

After the war, the Federation relaxed its control over the livelihood and economy of Side 3. After all, the bureaucrats knew that if you push people to the brink of poverty, they will really dare to fight back.

After the restrictions were lifted, the Republic of Zeon not only saw economic growth, but its previously declining population growth rate also began to decrease. At this rate, Zeon's population growth would be reversed and begin to grow again in less than two years. However, the price would be military constraints. Compared to the Republic of Zeon at this time, Side 6 was considered to have a strong and well-equipped military.

"Now I understand why the Federation Army wasn't in a hurry to eliminate those remnants!"

"This knife is so useful!"

The Federation is now essentially using the Republic of Zeon to provoke hatred from the remnants of the Zeon faction. After all, heresy is more despicable than heresy. If Zeon Deikun becomes legitimate again, then these Zabi factions will become clowns. Therefore, the remnants must target the Deikun faction. There is absolutely no possibility of peace talks between the two sides.

To put it bluntly, the remnants might even join forces with the federal government, but they would never join forces with them.

Conversely, the remnants are also a tool to restrain them, just like the big bad wolf in the stories adults tell children. If the Republic dares to cause trouble, then the Federation will definitely let that big bad wolf teach this disobedient child a lesson!

"Playing political games has always been a favorite pastime of the Federation. However, they should be careful not to overdo it. After all, just because we can obey doesn't mean others can!"

Schlesell checked the time. The launching ceremony was nearing its end, and the Alexander-class ship had withdrawn its mobile suits for the performance and was now returning to port. Naturally, it was time for the guests to board the ship for a tour.

"Let's go, let's take a look at what this ship is like, and then have a Federation lunch. I'm getting a little hungry after talking for so long!"

(End of this chapter)