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

Chapter 321 Next Steps

"It's no longer safe here, we have to move!"

After the doctor pulled out the syringe, Mark Bey, who was slightly better, jumped out of bed and loudly ordered his men.

"Sir, with that small number of Federal troops, surely it's not that serious?"

"No way, who do you think you are? Do you even know who he is?"

Mark Bay immediately wanted to slap his subordinate across the face. Had he forgotten about Earthlings after eating Martian bread for two days?
"That ship is the Red Dragon's flagship. Only that guy would use that hull number!"

"How come that guy is still alive?"

Upon hearing the name Red Dragon, the Zeon officers finally took it seriously, and one of them even muttered something under his breath.

"How did he die? When we met during the One Year War, he wasn't even an adult yet. You're all dead, and that guy is still alive and well. Do you think any of you are confident you can handle him for me?"

"Evacuate immediately!"

"What about the transport fleet?"

"Let them operate with us first, and then separate once the surrounding airspace is safe!"

"Also, send out all the reconnaissance planes!"

"Furthermore, the entire fleet is on Level 1 combat readiness!"

Under Macbeth's serious and unremitting orders, the entire Zeon fleet sprang into action. While the veteran Zeon soldiers from Mars diligently carried out the orders, they remained completely clueless about the enemy's specific situation.

"Is that red dragon really that powerful?"

A Mars pilot sat in the cockpit, curiously asking the veteran maintenance soldier next to him.

Upon hearing this, the latter pointed to the electronic equipment on the machine.

"The highest difficulty level in your simulation battle!"

"That difficulty level isn't that hard. We can easily win as a team!"

"Only those who can beat that level of simulated opponent in a one-on-one fight are qualified to fight them!"

The veteran who had participated in the One Year War looked coldly at his colleagues. It wasn't that he had any regional prejudice against these Martians, but rather that Mars truly was a paradise during the One Year War. Although these Zeon pilots who participated in the Mars expedition were all veterans with complete training, they had absolutely no combat experience and had no concept of the cruelty of the Earth battlefield.

"Is that guy really that good? Don't we have any equally skilled opponents on the battlefield?"

"You'll realize when you're dead that for someone who isn't an elite, even getting close to the battlefield is a pipe dream. Our ace is nothing more than a faster target in front of him!"

Another veteran pilot who had participated in the Battle of Abaoa interrupted the man as he continued to ramble on.

"Don't forget, of the dozens of friendly soldiers who came out of the same training camp as you, you're the only one left alive!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hangar immediately turned cold, and the Martian pilot's face turned bright red. He moved his mouth a few times as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he kept his mouth shut.

After all, what the other side said was true. While they were enjoying a wonderful war holiday on Mars, their allies on Earth were struggling in mud and gunfire. While they were enjoying Martian delicacies, their allies on Earth were swallowing field rations covered in sand. Having never experienced those bloody battles, anything he said at this moment seemed particularly pale and powerless.

So cherish your good times!

The veteran who had fought in Abaoa and even had his mobile suit shot down by Amuro but survived sneered.

"Who knows, at any time, you and I might get killed!"

The entire Macbeth fleet visibly fell into a state of depression; after all, this could be considered a form of fear before the battle even began.

However, the officers of the fleet understood Macbeth. After all, they were now the last hope for all the remaining Zeon forces in the Earth Sphere. If they wanted to rekindle the flames of resistance that were on the verge of being extinguished, they had to preserve themselves first and confront Macarius's fleet head-on. Perhaps a miracle could happen and they could get rid of this nightmare of Zeon mobile suits, but the fleet would definitely be destroyed.

Axis clearly lacks the resources to build a second expeditionary fleet. This is not due to insufficient industrial capacity, but rather a shortage of fleet technicians. The Zeon forces are also unable to recruit Martian laborers on a large scale. They have only been operating in the area for a short time and have no grassroots support whatsoever. If a large-scale mobilization of military forces were to incite a Martian uprising, things would get very messy!

However, it cannot be denied that the fleet's deliberate retreat dealt a blow to morale.

What Mark Bay didn't expect was Makarius's attack on the remnant strongholds. These strongholds were established after the advance team arrived in the Earth Sphere. Now that they were destroyed, it meant that Mark Bay's fleet had completely lost those spies. Not only could they no longer recruit personnel and procure supplies steadily, but they could not even regularly collect intelligence on the Federation forces.

But the more serious consequences didn't stop there. The transport ships that had resupplyed the Macbeth fleet were captured by surveillance satellites deployed by the Federation forces during their evacuation. As a result, when the transport fleet left the Reef space area and returned to the colony satellite dock in what they thought was a foolproof operation, they were caught red-handed by special forces from the Federation Military Intelligence Bureau who were lying in wait at the port.

These cunning gray wolves didn't even resort to a direct raid; instead, they disguised themselves as dockworkers and lay in wait at the bar.

Regardless of the era, the most popular place for sailors who went ashore was the entertainment venues along the docks, and even the transport ships of the Zeon remnants were no exception.

So the intelligence agency simply set up a trap. While drinking at a bar, an agent approached a remnant sailor who glanced at him and said, "What are you looking at?" The latter naturally got angry, and that's how a fight broke out.

The federal special forces came prepared, and the remnant sailors were no match for them. After being thoroughly beaten, they were thrown out of the bar.

The special forces didn't forget to throw out a tough line.

"If I ever see you here again, I'll break your legs!"

Things at bars are naturally very straightforward; if you've been wronged, you have to get your revenge, otherwise you won't have that same exhilarating feeling when drinking in the future.

So the defeated sailors immediately called for reinforcements, and the Federation special forces also pretended to be fighting a brawl and started calling for backup.

A chaotic brawl ensued on the docks. Then, as the fighting raged, a second team of federal soldiers disguised as police appeared and arrested both sides involved in the fight.

If the remaining Zeon crew and leadership had realized their mistake by this point, they would still have had a chance to escape. However, since such brawls were so common at the docks, even if they were caught, they would only have to pay a fine and be released. Therefore, the surviving Zeon crew did not take it seriously.

Captain Zeon, grumbling and cursing, prepared the money to ransom the crew. As mentioned before, fights were common among sailors; some ships even had instances where a fight, not satisfied with the first, would resume on the return voyage. So, the captain nonchalantly took the money and went to the police station, where he was immediately tackled to the ground.

Even when he was pinned to the ground, Captain Zeon didn't react and was still shouting.

"I'm here to collect the ransom. What do you want?"

Then, he was taken to a cell and only realized what was happening when he saw his subordinates being interrogated by agents of the Federal Military Intelligence Agency.

"You are shameless!"

"You haven't seen anyone more shameless yet!"

The intelligence agency doesn't talk about human rights and the law, especially when dealing with remnants of the party. Newcomers might be approached with kindness and reason, but the seasoned veterans are already rolling up their sleeves and looking for a bucket.

The Macbeth fleet was initially unaware of the destruction of the transport ship and the communication base. They only learned of the loss when the scheduled communication time had passed and no one was present. They were forced to send remnants of the Earth Sphere who had previously joined the fleet back to civilized society in small boats to gather information.

Meanwhile, these captured remnants of the party had already been sent to the quarry, where they were mining on the asteroid while chanting slogans about reforming themselves and starting anew.

"That's ruthless! That bastard!"

Mark Bay could only sigh, "As expected of the Red Dragon, it attacked the fleet's vitals right from the start. Without those strongholds, the fleet lost its external communication channels, and without the transport fleet, the fleet lost stable logistical support. Mark Bay's fleet didn't carry any ecological agricultural vessels. The food produced by the small ecological warehouses on the ships was only enough for the entire fleet to have a Japanese-style drinking party!"
So, once the supplies from Mars run out, everyone will have to consider whether a belt or a waist belt is tastier!
"We need to find some reliable friends!"

Thinking about his operation plan that had not yet been launched, Mark Bay could only sigh helplessly. After all, the enemy did not give them any chance to breathe, so the execution could only be carried out in a rather hasty manner.

"But who in the Earth Sphere would dare to be our friend now?"

"There are quite a few candidates, but they're all afraid of the Federal Army!"

Mark Bay is full of confidence.

"But coincidentally, I still had some friends from the Lunar Merchant Guild when I was in Grenada!"

This is not Mark Bay bragging. He was present when Kycilia suppressed the lunar city, and he was in charge when Kycilia was running Grenada. Now, in the entire fleet, no one knows Grenada better than him!

"But, sir, will the Lunar Merchant Guild agree to help us? The Federation Army isn't to be trifled with either!"

“Those greedy businessmen may be afraid of death, but they are terrified of not being able to make any money. So, as long as we can give them enough profit, you could make that bastard Kabain do the can-can dance for him!”

So, will the Mark Bay fleet have enough to gain?

The answer is yes. When the Mark Bay fleet set sail, it took a large amount of gold from Axis, as well as tributes from Mars. To put it bluntly, if Mark Bay disbanded the fleet and went to the moon to buy an identity, he could immediately become one of the top single millionaires on Earth.

In addition, he had something even better in his hands: the formula for Gundanium alloy. Mark Bay was quite certain that Anaheim would be interested if he used this as a stepping stone!
“That guy is definitely in a hurry to find allies now. We can put the remaining remnants aside for now. With the intelligence agency's special forces watching them, they won't dare to show their faces. So, Mark Bay can only count on those brokers and merchants, especially Side 6 and the Lunar Merchant Guild!”

"Ha, those bastards from the Lunar Merchant Guild, they still dare to mess with Zeon? What, they think they haven't been ripped off enough?"

Amuro was dumbfounded. "Is the Lunar Merchant Guild involved in BDSM? They really like this kind of thing."
"Making money? Not at all shameful. Besides, Anaheim is having a tough time right now because of the Naval Strategic Research Institute. Your dad has blocked most of their path into the arms market!"

"So they're going to collude with the remnants of the regime?"

"Why not? I have two banknotes now, one in Zeon's possession and one in the Federation's. Tell me, which one is good and which one is bad?"

Marcarius pulled out two banknotes from his wallet and waved them in front of everyone.

"It's all mine!"

Char, standing nearby, snatched the bills without hesitation, only to discover that they were all five-dollar bills, enough to buy just two fast-food hamburgers and three bottles of cola from the vending machine.

"Look, that's how Anaheim is. They'll take any money they can get, not to mention that funding the remnants of the party can make the Federation spend even more money. Look at those Pegasus-class destroyers and those high-ranking riot police. Once they're deployed, each one costs a fortune. All that money will go to Anaheim!"

"And Side 6, those guys are just as greedy for money. Just think how much they made during the One Year War, and now, how much they've made from those shady businesses!"

"Damn it, those death merchants!"

"Therefore, I have requested that the lunar garrison strengthen surveillance, and the special forces of the Zeon Public Security Investigation Agency will also undertake some surveillance tasks!"

"Ha, the Zeons are spying on the Zeons! How strange!"

"An officer said with a smile."

"What's so surprising about that? They've done it all before. Gihren's Führer's guards have done far worse!"

"What if they actually make a move?"

"Annihilate them all, show no mercy!"

Makarius looked at the officer who had spoken.

"Annihilate them all? Sir, isn't that a bit... After all, Anaheim is a major federal enterprise!"

"Yes, that's exactly why. So what does our fight against the remnants have to do with Anaheim? Could it be that they're secretly making some kind of deal with the remnants?"

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

Yes, Makarius is right. A federal corporation would never collude with the Federation's enemies, so those people are probably not connected to Anaheim either!
Since there is no connection, the Federal Army will treat them according to battlefield regulations!
"Actually, I also thought about painting the Gauzaku in the Zeon style before I started!"

Marcarius whispered to Char.

"But that would be too fake!"

(End of this chapter)