Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

February CE68, underground command center of the Obu Defense Forces.

Cagalli Yura Ashar stood before the command center's gate, her heart pounding. She wore the Orb Defense Forces cadet uniform—a dark blue jacket over a white shirt, her blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail. The thirteen-year-old girl had already grown to Char's shoulder, her amber eyes filled with both nervousness and anticipation.

"Miss Cagalli, the Commander-in-Chief is waiting for you." An officer opened the door for her.

She took a deep breath and went inside.

The command center was much larger than she had imagined. A massive holographic screen occupied an entire wall, displaying complex tactical maps and data streams. Dozens of technicians sat at their workstations, their fingers flying across keyboards. And in this bustling center, Char stood at the command console, discussing something with several officers.

Upon seeing Cagalli enter, Char said a few words to the officer beside him, then walked towards her.

"Cagali, you're not here today for sightseeing." His tone was calm but serious. "You have a mission to complete."

"A mission?" Cagalli blinked. "What mission?"

"Command a simulated battle." Char led her to the command platform, pointing to the tactical map on the holographic screen. "This is a combat simulation of an MS squad. You are the commander of this squad. Your mission is to destroy the enemy stronghold within the time limit, while preserving as much of your own forces as possible."

Cagalli's eyes widened: "Me? Command? But I've never—"

"That's why you need to learn," Xia interrupted her. "Sit on it."

He gestured to the chair in front of the command console. It was slightly higher than a regular chair, offering a panoramic view of the entire command center. Cagalli hesitated for a moment, then sat down. The leather of the chair was cool, and her fingers trembled slightly as they touched the control panel.

"VEDA, activate scene Alpha-7," Char said.

"Scenario Alpha-7 has been activated." VEDA's voice came through the loudspeaker. "Mission objective: Destroy the enemy stronghold. Friendly forces: Six mobile suits (three Zaku and three GMs). Enemy forces: Eight mobile suits, equipped with fixed defensive turrets. Time limit: Thirty minutes."

On the holographic screen, a tactical map unfolds. The terrain is a simulated mountainous area, with the enemy stronghold located deep in a valley, surrounded by high ground. Our forces enter the battlefield from the south.

"Cagalli," Char said, standing behind her, "remember, this is a simulation, but treat it like reality. The lives of those MS pilots depend on every decision you make."

Cagalli nodded and gripped the joystick on the control panel.

"start."

The simulation begins.

Cagalli's first order was "All troops advance, frontal breakthrough." She didn't consider reconnaissance or flank cover; she simply instinctively believed that "reaching the objective as quickly as possible" was the right thing to do.

Six mobile suits formed a column and advanced rapidly along the valley. Initially, everything went smoothly, but when the troops were five kilometers away from the stronghold, two enemy mobile suits appeared from the ridge on the flank.

"Report! Enemy forces spotted on the left flank!" came the voice of the simulated driver over the communicator.

Cagalli's pupils contracted. Her first thought was, "Have everyone turn to the left and eliminate the enemy."

"The entire team, turn left and prepare to engage the enemy!"

Six mobile suits simultaneously turned left and pounced on the enemy forces on their flank. The two enemy mobile suits did not linger in battle, but retreated while firing, leading Cagalli's forces into the depths of the valley.

"Commander, there might be an ambush on the right flank—" a voice came through the communicator, but Cagalli didn't hear it. She was focused on the enemy forces on the left flank, constantly ordering her troops to accelerate their pursuit.

Then, the trap was activated.

On the right flank ridge, three enemy mobile suits suddenly appeared, launching an attack from the flank and rear. Simultaneously, two enemy mobile suits retreating on the left flank turned and counterattacked. Cagalli's forces were caught in the middle, subjected to crossfire.

"Scatter! Scatter!" Cagalli shouted, "Each aircraft fights independently!"

"Commander, I suggest retreating to the southern highlands and regrouping!" the suggestion came through the communicator again. But Cagalli was already in battle mode; her blood was boiling, and only one thought occupied her mind—she couldn't retreat, she couldn't lose.

"No! Continue the attack! Concentrate fire on the left flank!"

The next fifteen minutes were a chaotic melee. Cagalli's intuition helped her make some correct judgments—she accurately identified the enemy command aircraft's location and ordered two GMs to concentrate their firepower and destroy it. She also successfully ordered her troops to break through the encirclement at a crucial moment and advance towards the stronghold.

But she paid a heavy price.

As the last enemy mobile suit was destroyed and the base was destroyed, VEDA's voice echoed throughout the command center: "Mission complete. Friendly losses: four mobile suits destroyed, one heavily damaged, and one moderately damaged. Loss rate: 60%. Optimal solution loss rate: 30%. Time: 28 minutes. Rating: C-."

The command center was completely silent.

Cagalli sat on the command platform, her hands still trembling. Beads of sweat rolled down her face, and she was breathing rapidly. She had won—but her troops were almost wiped out.

Char walked to the command console and turned off the simulation playback on the holographic screen.

"Cagalli, do you know what your problem is?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

Cagalli bit her lip and did not answer.

Char opened a new interface displaying a replay of the entire simulated battle. He slowed it down and analyzed it frame by frame.

"First, you didn't conduct reconnaissance. Valley terrain is the easiest place to set up an ambush. You should have sent two mobile suits to scout from a high vantage point to confirm the enemy's position before advancing. But you chose to advance the entire army head-on."

The scene pauses at the moment Cagalli's troops enter the valley.

"Secondly, when the enemy appeared on the left flank, you failed to recognize it as a trap. Your entire unit turned to pursue, completely exposing your flank and rear. This is a classic case of being 'led by the nose'."

The scene shifts to the moment the enemy forces on the right flank appear.

"Third, when surrounded, you chose to continue the attack instead of regrouping. Your intuition led you to make several correct judgments—such as destroying the enemy command aircraft—but intuition cannot replace tactical discipline. After losing forty percent of your troops, you should have retreated to preserve your strength, rather than continuing to fight."

Cagalli's face turned bright red.

"But mission accomplished!" she shouted. "I destroyed the outpost! I won!"

Xia looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.

"You won the battle, but you lost the war." His voice was calm yet firm. "A true commander not only wins, but also ensures that as many of his men as possible return home alive."

Cagalli's lips were trembling.

"If you lose 60% every time, your troops will be wiped out in three battles. And the enemy will wear you down with a war of attrition. In the first battle, you lose 60%, leaving you with 40%. In the second battle, you lose another 60% of your 40%, leaving you with only 16%. In the third battle, your entire army will be wiped out."

Xia walked up to her, squatted down, and looked her in the eye.

"And the enemy? They have more people, more resources. They can withstand 60% losses because they have a constant supply of replacements. Orb can't. Every soldier, every mobile suit is precious. We can't afford such losses."

Cagalli lowered her head.

"So... I was wrong."

Char said, "You don't understand. You don't understand that war isn't a game, that behind every number is a living, breathing person. It's not your fault, because you've never learned that."

He stood up and put his hand on Cagalli's shoulder.

"But I can teach you."

Cagalli looked up, her amber eyes glistening with tears, but even more so with a stubborn light.

Teach me.

Char's lips curled up slightly.

"it is good."

The conference room next to the command center was temporarily converted into a classroom.

Char stood in front of the whiteboard, while Cagalli sat in the front row. The meeting room had no windows, only bright lights and a map of Orb hanging on the wall.

"The first principle of command," Char wrote on the whiteboard, "is not 'how to win,' but 'how not to lose.'"

"What's the difference?" Cagalli asked.

"Winning is the result. Not losing is the process." Xia turned around. "In war, you can never guarantee victory. But you can minimize the risk of defeat through sound decision-making. A good commander is first and foremost a commander who doesn't let his troops die in vain."

He drew a simple diagram on the whiteboard—an arrow representing his own troops and several circles representing the enemy troops.

"Information on the battlefield is never complete. You can't see the whole enemy, only fragments. A good commander will obtain the most information at the lowest cost. Reconnaissance, probing, feints—these are all ways to fill in the information gaps."

Cagalli diligently took notes in her notebook.

"The second principle: Preserve yourself in order to eliminate the enemy," Char continued. "This isn't cowardice, it's wisdom. If you wipe out your entire army, even if you win this battle, what will you use for the next one?"

"So retreat is also an option?"

"Retreat is one of the best options," Xia said. "When the situation is unfavorable, retreat decisively, preserve your strength, and wait for a better opportunity. Fighting to the death is the act of a reckless fool."

Cagalli bit her lip: "But... what if retreating means abandoning the mission?"

"Missions can be restarted, but the dead cannot be brought back to life." Char's voice turned somber. "Cagalli, remember—the commander's primary responsibility is not to complete the mission, but to protect the lives of his subordinates. A mission can be tried again if it fails, but every life sacrificed is irretrievable."

Cagalli fell silent.

"I see."

After the first lesson, Char had Cagalli challenge the same simulated scenario again.

This time, she was much more cautious.

She first sent two mobile suits to scout from a high vantage point to confirm the enemy's position and defenses. Then, instead of a frontal assault, she used two Zaku to feign an attack on the front, drawing the enemy's attention, while four GMs flanked from the sides, bypassing the enemy's ambush and heading straight for the stronghold.

The battle lasted for twenty minutes.

As the last enemy mobile suit was destroyed, VEDA's voice rang out: "Mission complete. Friendly losses: one Zaku heavily damaged, one GM moderately damaged. Loss rate: 33%. Rating: B."

Cagalli breathed a sigh of relief, but Char's expression remained serious.

"Better than last time," he said, "but it could be even better."

"Why B? I clearly—"

"You lost thirty-three percent, while the optimal solution is thirty percent." Char pointed to the replay. "Look here—when your Zaku were surrounded during your feint attack, you didn't order them to retreat in time, but instead let them continue to draw fire. As a result, one was destroyed. If you had ordered the retreat thirty seconds earlier, both Zaku could have come back alive."

Cagalli watched the playback carefully, then lowered her head.

"I... focused too much on the main attack and neglected the feint attack force."

"Yes," Char said. "A commander's attention is limited. You need to learn to focus on multiple directions simultaneously, instead of just focusing on the most important one. Every unit needs your attention, even if they are just 'feinting'."

"One more time." Cagalli clenched her fist.