Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

August 15, CE68, the main conference room of the Ministry of Defense of Aubu.

This was Char's most important report since he took office as Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Forces. The conference room was located on the top floor of the Ministry of Defense building, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows facing Orb Port. The sea was sparkling, and the cables of the "Heavenly Pillar" were faintly visible on the distant horizon.

The long table was filled with people on both sides. Uzumi Nara Askha sat at the head of the table, his expression calm and focused. Char sat to his right, a thick report spread out before him. Mina Sahak sat opposite Char, her deep purple kimono complementing her red eyes. Erika Simmons sat at the technical advisor's table, her bloodshot but still sharp eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses.

The top generals of the National Defense Forces sat on both sides—the Army Commander, the Navy Commander, the Air Force Commander, and the representative of the newly established Space Force (Mina himself held this position). Kanard Pars, Char's adjutant, was also present; the fifteen-year-old boy stood at attention with a straight military posture and a steady gaze.

"Everyone's here." Uzumi looked around. "Char, let's begin."

Char stood up and walked to the holographic screen at the front of the conference room. He pressed a button on the remote control, and the screen lit up, displaying an overall organizational chart of the Orb Defense Forces.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is August 15, CE68. Five years have passed since I took over the defense construction." His voice was calm yet powerful. "Today, I will report to you on the achievements of the past five years, as well as the plans for the next two years."

MS Unit

The screen switched to the MS (Mobile Suit) unit page. Thirty MS models were arranged in three dimensions, with the Zaku's bulkiness contrasting sharply with the GM's sharpness.

"The MS unit, codenamed 'Griffin,' has been fully formed." Char pointed to the screen. "It currently has fifteen Zaku and fifteen GM units, with thirty pilots. Training progress—basic subjects are all completed, and tactical subjects are 80% complete. It is expected to achieve full combat capability by the end of CE68."

"How is the quality of the drivers?" the Army Commander asked.

Char pulled up a data sheet: "Of the thirty pilots, seventeen are pilots, thirteen are civilians. Twelve are former Air Force pilots, eight are Army veterans, and ten are technicians. The average age is twenty-two, with an average of three hundred hours of simulator training and eighty hours of live-fire training."

"Is such a short time enough?" The naval commander frowned.

Char looked at him: "It's not enough. But we don't have any more time. PLANT's GINN has begun mass production, and the Earth Alliance's anti-MS weapons are accelerating. If we wait until 'enough' before taking action, we'll never have a chance."

Uzmi nodded, signaling him to continue.

"The core power source of the MS—the Minovsky miniature nuclear reactor—has achieved stable mass production. The Zaku's output power is 986 kilowatts, and the GM's is 1250 kilowatts, far exceeding any existing battery-powered system. Theoretically, the endurance is unlimited, but in actual combat, it is limited by weapons and ammunition and the pilot's physical condition, approximately one week."

Erica added, "The nuclear reactor consumes very little fuel; each mobile suit only needs a fuel change once a year. Orb's uranium reserves are enough to support fifty mobile suits for ten years."

Mina spoke up, a hint of amusement in her red eyes: "So, our MS is not only stronger than PLANT's, but it can also travel farther?"

"That's one way to put it," Char replied, "but we're at a significant disadvantage in terms of numbers. According to the intelligence I've received, PLANT's GINN plan will equip 200 units by the end of CE68, which is more than six times our number."

Can a quality advantage compensate for a quantity gap?

"At the tactical level, it's possible. At the strategic level—it's not," Char said honestly. "So we can't rely solely on mobile suits. We need a complete defense system."

Izumo-class and Space Force

The screen switched to the ship page. A 3D model of a silver-white warship slowly rotated, its lines smooth and its armor thick.

"The Izumo-class assault landing ship, the first ship 'Izumo,' is currently 70% complete," Char said, pointing to the model. "It is 250 meters long and 80 meters wide, equipped with two Minovsky nuclear reactors with a total output power exceeding 100,000 kilowatts. It can carry six mobile suits and a crew of 120. Its weapon systems include two twin-mounted beam cannons, twelve anti-aircraft beam cannons, and eight missile launchers."

"When can we go into the water?" Uzmi asked.

"The hull construction of CE68 will be completed by the end of 2018, and the weapon system installation and sea trials will be completed in the first half of 2019. CE69 will officially enter service in the middle of 2019."

"Where's the second ship?"

"The second ship, 'Takaten,' has had its keel laid and is expected to be launched by the end of CE69." Xia paused, "but funding is already tight. With the orbital elevator, MS production line, and Izumo-class destroyers all progressing simultaneously, Orb is under immense financial pressure."

Uzumi glanced at Mina. Mina nodded slightly.

"The Sahak family will invest more," Mina said. "The Space Force is the future of Orb, and we can't abandon it halfway."

"Thank you," Char continued. "The Space Force's organizational structure is now largely complete. Mina Sahak will serve as commander, with a Mobile Suit Battalion (comprising three squadrons), a battleship squadron, and a logistics support squadron. The total strength is projected to reach 500 personnel by CE69."

"Five hundred men..." the Air Force Commander said in a low voice, "not even as many as one of my air regiments."

"But the combat power of five hundred men surpasses that of your entire air regiment." Char's tone was calm but firm. "Space warfare is different from ground and air warfare. One Izumo-class battleship plus six mobile suits can control a space airspace with a radius of one thousand kilometers."

Rail elevators and energy

The screen switched to the orbital elevator page. A panoramic photo of Amanohira appeared on the screen, with cables soaring from the sea into the sky and the space station gleaming in its high orbit.

"Project Ame no Mihachi is 90% complete in its main structure," Char said. "It is expected to be officially operational by early CE69. The equipment installation at the space production base is complete, and we can begin space manufacturing of MS components at any time."

"In addition, eight solar power platforms have been built, providing 25 percent of Orb's electricity. A new vanadium redox flow battery energy storage system has been deployed, which can support the operation of the entire Orb in the event of a nuclear power outage."

Uzumi's expression changed slightly. He knew what Char meant by "nuclear power interruption".

"You are preparing for the worst," Uzmi said.

"Yes." Char looked directly into his father's eyes. "If one day PLANT deploys a neutron disruptor to Earth, all nuclear power plants will shut down. On that day, Orb will have to have its own energy security."

A few seconds of silence fell over the meeting room. Neutron jammers—a topic everyone knew might exist, but no one wanted to discuss.

Mina broke the silence: "How long will your energy plan take?"

"Solar energy plus energy storage is already in place," Xia said. "But to completely replace nuclear energy, more solar energy platforms and energy storage facilities are needed. It is expected that this can be achieved by CE70."

"Then let's move forward," Uzmi said. "I'll coordinate the budget."

After the meeting, Char returned to the underground office of the Dawn Society.

It was already 11 p.m. He took off his military jacket, loosened his collar, and sat down at his desk. The desk was piled high with documents—MS training reports, Izumo-class construction progress reports, orbital elevator financial statements, and daily intelligence summaries from VEDA.

He rubbed his temples, just as he was about to start processing the documents, when VEDA's voice rang out.

"Lord Char, there is an urgent message from the Jupiter base. Priority: highest."

Char's hand stopped.

"Take it."

The holographic screen lit up, but not with video—communication between Jupiter and Earth is delayed by more than thirty minutes, making real-time communication impossible. The screen displayed a data packet sent back by the Haro "Builders," along with a text message.

"TD Blanket prototype successfully manufactured. First GN Solar Furnace, started up."

Xia stared at the line of text, his pupils slightly contracting.

The Jupiter base operated silently in the extremely harsh environment. Day after day, the Haros collected materials, built equipment, and adjusted parameters. Failure after failure—the topology of the TD Blanket was extremely difficult to stabilize in a high-gravity environment, and the first six attempts all ended in failure.

On the seventh attempt, it succeeded.

"VEDA, where's the data?"

"The data packet is being decoded. The TD Blanket topology is intact, and the GN particle production rate is in line with theoretical expectations. The solar furnace output power is stable, with fluctuations within 0.3 percent. All indicators are green."

Char stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the city of Orb stretched out at night, its myriad lights twinkling in the darkness. Hundreds of millions of kilometers away, in the Jupiter sphere, a tiny spherical robot stood before a newly activated solar furnace, uttering a "Hello" in its electronic voice.

"Only one?" he asked.

"There's only one currently. With the resources at the Jupiter base, we can build a maximum of three more. A total of four."

Four platforms.

Char quickly calculated in his mind. One GN Drive could power one mobile suit. Four GN Drives meant four mobile suits equipped with GN propulsion systems. This wasn't an army, but a spearhead—a spearhead capable of changing the course of the battlefield.

"Notify Erica," Char said. "Have her come to the office immediately."

"Dr. Erica is on her way. She also received the message."

Fifteen minutes later, Erika Simmons burst into Char's office. Her hair was disheveled, and she was holding a data terminal.

"You saw it?" Her voice trembled with excitement.

"I saw it."

"GN Drive—you've never shown me the complete design. The theoretical basis of that thing is completely different from Minovsky particles. It's...it's a technology on another level."

Xia looked at her.

Erica didn't press the issue. She had already passed the stage of pressing for answers.

"Four units." She sat down. "What can you do with four units?"

"Four of them can change a battle," Char said. "If we use them in combination, we can gain an absolute advantage on a local battlefield. The capabilities granted by GN particles—optical stealth, high mobility, and overwhelming power output—are unmatched by any existing mobile suit."

"But four units are not enough to fight a war."

"The war wasn't won with just four mobile suits," Char said. "It was won through strategy, logistics, diplomacy, and the sacrifice of countless ordinary soldiers. The GN Drive was an ace, not the main force."

Erica took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"So, which four mobile suits do you plan to install these four solar furnaces on?"

Char remained silent for a moment.

"Four Gundams."