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

Chapter 8 Set off!

Although there is a week of rest time, for the Red Dragon Team, this week is actually only three days, because it takes three days to inspect the vehicle, and one day to take care of personal affairs. Even in the remaining three days, they cannot leave the training base, nor can they sleep in the base, because they are about to go to the Earth Federation's farthest colonial satellite group between the Earth and the Moon, so various preparations beforehand are indispensable!

Colonial satellites are a massive project undertaken by the Earth after it entered the Federation era in order to address the problems of environmental deterioration and overpopulation. With the strong support of the Earth Federation, which is mainly composed of G8 countries, the colonial communes have built a series of huge artificial space buildings at the Lagrange points of the Earth. These huge cylinder-like celestial bodies are homes for humans to live in space.

Such huge cylindrical colonial satellites are thirty to forty kilometers long and six kilometers in diameter, and can accommodate tens of millions of people. Moreover, these satellites can rotate at a speed of one circle every two minutes to create artificial gravity. In this way, humans living in the satellites can also live like on Earth, and lakes, rivers and other landforms similar to the Earth's environment can be built inside the colonial satellites.

After the establishment of the Earth Federation, a total of seven such space colonies were built, numbered side 1 to side 7. Each colony is composed of dozens of such cylinders. These cylindrical colony satellites are like cities on Earth, with their own different functions. When combined together, they become a self-sufficient space colony.

Of course, these sides also have their own names, and even the individual colonial satellites under the side have their own names. For example, side 3 was called the Republic of Muzo in the past, and now it is called the Principality of Zeon, and its capital is the number one colonial satellite, Zim!
The construction of these colonies floating in space is not easy. It not only costs a lot of money, but also takes decades of time. Due to the iteration of construction technology, colonial satellites in different periods have also brought different impacts to space residents. The side3 colony located on the back of the moon, the farthest from the earth, is like this. Their colonial satellites are not open satellites with half and half transparent outer walls. The outer light-collecting panels collect sunlight and can change the day and night in the colony by changing the mirrors on the light-collecting panels. Instead, they are fully enclosed. Although such satellites can carry more people, everything inside depends on artificial simulation and adjustment, especially the sunlight, which is the most important for humans, which is simulated by light!
Such a living environment is naturally incomparable to that of the Earth, and it cannot even be compared with a semi-open colony satellite, because the latter's day and night switching depends on the sun, so it is extremely natural like the Earth, but a closed satellite is not like that. Instead, it is like the lighting in a room, dark when it is dark, bright when it is bright, and the transition is extremely abrupt, which makes people very uncomfortable.

Over time, the colonial residents naturally became filled with resentment towards the Earth Federation Government, and when this resentment accumulated to a peak, it erupted uncontrollably!
Therefore, in 0058 of the UC era, which was the 58th year after the establishment of the first extraterrestrial colony, the Side 3 colony satellite chose to break away from the direct jurisdiction of the federal government and established an autonomous government, the Muzo Republic. However, under the military threat of the federal army at the time, the Muzo Republic did not become independent, but chose to become a member republic of the Earth Federation. However, Zeon Zim Deiken, the supreme leader of the Muzo Republic at the time, still did not give up his plan to become a truly independent country. He took a series of measures to mediate and tried to make the Muzo Republic a truly independent country.

But in 0068, Zeon Decken suddenly died of unknown causes, and his deputy, Dekin Sodo Zabi, became the country's supreme leader. Afterwards, this close partner of Dekin took advantage of Dekin's death to stir up a bloody storm in the country and purge a large number of opponents. On the other hand, he also took advantage of Dekin's death to direct the people's anger towards the Earth Federation, turning himself and his family faction into protectors of the people of side3. Then, in 0069, Dekin, who had completely mastered all the power of the country, turned the country into the Principality of Zeon in the name of commemorating Dekin, with himself as the prince and his eldest son Gihren Zabi as the head of state.

Macharius and his companions were heading to such a strange, turbulent and ever-changing extraterrestrial world!
"Everyone, do a good job of checking and don't forget anything!"

Armor Director Mann, dressed in a neat military uniform, lifted the curtain of the tent and strode into the collective dormitory of the Seventh Squadron, surrounded by several instructors. At this moment, all the students in the squadron stood in a corner of the tent in an orderly manner, waiting for the other party to inspect them.

"Well, not bad, very good! Let's keep up this level from now on! Let others see that our armored forces are the backbone of the federal army!"

The director looked around at the squadron's housekeeping situation, then nodded with satisfaction. Although they were not yet formal soldiers, the appearance of these students in front of him was no different from the best soldiers, and all of this was his achievement. The director felt a sense of accomplishment!

"Okay, the car is coming soon. Don't stand inside, come out!" Then, all the members of the Red Dragon Team, carrying their own backpacks, combat readiness bags and marching bags, wearing ironed and wrinkle-free student uniforms, and with shiny badges on their military caps, took the lead. The other students of the Seventh Squadron followed closely behind them and walked out in two columns behind the director.

At this moment, the academy's convoy was already waiting on the highway outside. Although this kind of exercise was not large in scale, it was of a high level. All the black high-end official minibuses that the students usually had no chance to ride in were now driven out. After all, a trip to space is not cheap these days, so all the academy leaders who could join in this opportunity of traveling at public expense came over. The students and officers filled up seven vehicles in total, plus the three JLTVs and two Type 74 air cushion trucks responsible for escort work. The momentum was still extremely huge!
However, two-thirds of them could only follow to the airport gate and then watch the rest of the people take the shuttle.

When it was time to say goodbye, the instructors and trainees who could not go to space naturally had to give instructions.

"You little brat, don't embarrass our team!" This is the instructor!
"Remember to bring gifts when you come back!" This is the squadron leader Odela. He and other blue team students are still wearing training uniforms because the civil engineering work at the gate has not been completed yet. After sending people off, they have to go back and continue digging!

"Bring me a Zeon woman." This was a certain unlucky kid who couldn't help but shout out because he was a little drunk. However, after he shouted, everyone realized that there were a group of officers present!

However, the Armor Director was also a cheerful person, and he took over the conversation with a hearty laugh.

"That won't work. You won't be able to pass security. You should wait for the next opportunity to go to Zeon and bring it yourself!"

Before the unfortunate child wanted to say anything, several older students quickly pushed him into the crowd and began to educate him with love!
After a simple farewell, the Red Dragon Team, carrying large and small bags, followed the officers and walked towards the shuttle standing on the earth in the distance. This is an aircraft powered by a thermonuclear rocket engine, which has the ability to travel freely between the earth and the universe and enter and leave the atmosphere.

Of course, it is not realistic to fly directly to Zeon with this thing alone. The shuttle's fuel tank is not that big. In fact, Macharius and his team's destination is the Earth's low-Earth orbit, where there is a space army orbital defense base. There they will board the space army's Columbus-class transport ship and then transfer to the Principality of Zeon.

(End of this chapter)