Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Late autumn of CE66, intelligence room of the Ministry of Defense of Ob.

VEDA's voice rang out in the encrypted channel, calm yet carrying an undeniable sense of urgency: "Lord Char, there is a piece of intelligence from within PLANT, with the highest priority."

Char put down the documents in his hand and walked to the terminal. The screen displayed a set of satellite photos and data analysis reports. The resolution of the photos was not high, but it was enough to make out the outline—in a closed shipyard of a colony somewhere in PLANT, a humanoid machine he had never seen before was being tested.

"This is the YMF-01B Proto GINN," VEDA continued, "the first military mobile suit prototype secretly developed by PLANT. According to intelligence, it has completed ground testing and is preparing for combat evaluation in a space environment."

Char stared at the screen, his pupils slightly contracting.

GINN—ZAFT's first mass-produced mobile suit—was originally slated for a formal debut in CE70. However, in CE66, its prototype has already appeared. This suggests that PLANT's militarization process is faster and more clandestine than previously thought.

"What about the performance parameters?"

"Data is limited. Based on existing intelligence, it is estimated that Proto GINN is approximately 18 meters tall, equipped with live-fire machine guns and thermal axes, and its power system is a traditional combination of batteries and propellants. The armor material is a new type of titanium alloy composite armor, and its overall performance is expected to be superior to any weapon currently in use by the Earth Alliance."

Char remained silent for a moment. In his opinion, the Proto GINN's performance wasn't particularly advanced—compared to the Zaku of the Universal Century, it lagged significantly behind in both the range of its power system and the power of its weapon systems. But at this point in the SEED world, its appearance signified a turning point in an era.

"The pace of war," Char said softly, "is faster than I imagined."

"Should we report this information to Lord Uzumi?" VEDA asked.

"Of course." Xia stood up. "Also, inform Mina Sahak and the top brass of the National Defense Forces. I need to call an emergency meeting."

In November CE66, the Ministry of Defense of Aubo held a closed-door expanded meeting.

The number of attendees was small, but each one was a key figure in Orb's military forces. Uzumi sat in the chairman's seat, while Char stood before the strategic map. Mina Sahak, Kazuma Makabe, and the highest-ranking commanders of all branches of the National Defense Forces were also present.

Char gave a brief report on PLANT's mobile suit intelligence. A heavy silence fell over the conference room.

"PLANT is already manufacturing mobile suits," Char's voice was calm and clear. "While our Zaku and GM are still at least a year away from mass production. This is not a negligible gap."

"What's your suggestion?" Uzmi asked.

Char took a deep breath.

"I need to take full control of Orb's military buildup. Not as an 'advisor,' but as the 'commander-in-chief.' From now on, all research, training, and deployment of the National Defense Forces will be under unified command and planning. The era of each going its own way is over."

A low murmur rippled through the meeting room. Kazuma Makabe's brow furrowed deeply, but he didn't immediately object. The high-ranking officers of the National Defense Force exchanged glances—a twenty-one-year-old becoming their commander was unprecedented in their decades of military service.

Mina was the first to speak: "The Sahak family supports Char's proposal."

Her statement played a crucial role. Kazuma Makabe remained silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded: "If he can prove his abilities, the Makabe family has no objections."

Uzmi looked around and, after confirming that there were no further objections, slowly said, "Then, from today onwards, Char Langlad Asha officially assumes the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Orb Defense Forces, and will be fully responsible for military construction and strategic planning."

Xia bowed slightly and accepted the appointment.

He turned around to face the strategic map on the wall.

"Gentlemen," he said, "from this moment on, we are no longer a defensive army of a small nation. We will become a shield—a shield that can protect every citizen of Orb. This shield does not need to be sharp, but it must be strong; it does not need to attack others, but it must deter others from attacking us."

In December of CE66, Char Aznable personally boarded the "Ame no Mihachi" space station to inspect the installation progress of the space production base.

This was his second time in space. Through the porthole of the space station, Earth appeared like a blue gem suspended in the darkness of space. And beneath his feet, a small but complete MS production line was quietly taking shape.

"The main equipment has been installed." The accompanying engineer reported, "The E-carbon fiber molding machine, the Minovsky particle reactor assembly line, the weapon system testing chamber—all the core equipment has passed the test in a vacuum environment."

"What about production capacity?" Xia asked.

"With the current equipment capacity, if operating at full capacity, we can produce about fifty MS units per year. If we expand the production line, we can increase that to more than one hundred units."

Char nodded. This number wasn't large—the combined production capacity of the Earth Alliance and PLANT was several times, even dozens of times, greater. But Orb didn't need to compete with major powers in terms of quantity. What Orb needed was quality, technological superiority, and elite troops capable of taking on ten enemies at once.

"What is the manufacturing progress of the Sword prototype?"

"CE67 is expected to roll off the production line in the first quarter. Final assembly is currently underway, and commissioning of the Minovsky nuclear reactor is also proceeding simultaneously."

Char walked to the production line and looked at the machine skeletons being assembled by robotic arms. The silver-white E-carbon fiber skeletons gleamed coldly under the lights, and every joint was impeccably precise.

"This is the future of Orb," he said to Erica beside him.

Erica pushed up her glasses, looking at the skeletons with a mixture of pride and worry in her eyes.

"What if we get discovered?" she asked in a low voice. "The Earth Federation won't tolerate Orb having an MS production line. They'll call it 'military expansion' and 'a threat to regional stability.'"

"So we need to hide well," Char said. "The Heavenly Pillar is Orb's airspace, and no one has the right to inspect it. As long as we don't expose ourselves, no one can prove what's here."

"But what if war breaks out?"

"Then let the enemy verify it themselves." Char's tone was calm and firm. "When they come, they will find that the lion of Orb has awakened."

After returning to Earth from the space station, Char threw himself into another important project—applying Minovsky technology to ships.

In the Universal Century (UC) era, Minovsky particles were used not only for the power and weapons of mobile suits (MS), but also for the propulsion systems, protective fields, and stealth systems of ships. A warship equipped with a Minovsky nuclear reactor could theoretically have near-infinite endurance and could achieve "radar stealth" by utilizing the special properties of Minovsky particles.

Char's mind conjured up the "White Base" class assault landing ship from the UC era—the Federation's first warship equipped with a Minovsky nuclear reactor, a classic design with balanced performance, and the progenitor of all subsequent Federation warships.

He drew a sketch of the ship on the whiteboard.

The ship is approximately 250 meters long and 80 meters wide, with a moderate size, enabling it to operate independently in space as well as enter the atmosphere for ground support. Its propulsion system consists of two Minovsky nuclear reactors, and its propulsion system is a Minovsky particle thruster. Its weapon systems include beam cannons, missile launchers, and MS carrying capacity.

"This is..." Erica stared at the sketch, her eyes wide.

"Orb's future flagship," Char said. "Codename 'Izumo-class'."

"Izumo..." Erica murmured repeatedly, "The land of Takamagahara in mythology. A good name."

"Design work begins now," Xia said. "The goal is to complete the construction of the first Izumo-class battleship before CE70."

Erica quickly did the math: "Three years to build a completely new warship from scratch? That's almost impossible."

"So we'll use unconventional methods," Char said. "The ground-based shipyard will only be responsible for building the hull frame. The critical equipment—the Minovsky nuclear reactor, particle thrusters, and beam weapon systems—will be manufactured in the Ame no Mihachi's space production facility and then transported to the ground via orbital elevators for final assembly. This will greatly shorten the construction period."

"Simultaneous production on the ground and in space?" Erica thought for a moment. "Theoretically possible, but coordination would be extremely difficult."

"That's why we need VEDA," Char said. "VEDA will oversee the entire construction process, from raw material procurement to equipment production, from component transportation to final assembly. Human energy should be focused on problem-solving, not processing information."

Erica nodded: "I'll assemble the team right away."

In mid-December of CE66, VEDA reported an unusual message to Char.

"Lord Char, while analyzing the Earth Alliance's medical research database, I discovered a suspicious record. A test subject codenamed 'CP-001' is undergoing some kind of enhanced human experimentation. The test subject is approximately ten years old, and his genetic characteristics are highly similar to those of a Coordinator, but there are numerous traces of artificial modifications."

Char frowned. Enhanced humans—this is a dark area in the SEED world. In order to counter the inherent advantages of the Coordinators, the Earth Alliance attempts to create "artificial elites" through drugs and surgery. These experiments are often cruel and inhumane, with an extremely low survival rate for the test subjects, and most of those who survive are mentally unstable.

"Where is the experiment located?"

"An underground facility in the Nevada desert of the Atlantic Federation. Codenamed 'Phoenix'."

Is there any possibility of a rescue?

VEDA was silent for three seconds.

"The possibility exists, but the risk is extremely high. The facility is heavily guarded, with its own security system and rapid response forces. A frontal assault would be virtually impossible to succeed."

"Then don't launch a direct attack," Xia said. "Use your brain."