Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

January 20, CE71, Heliopolis.

This satellite colony, which Orb was so proud of, maintained a facade of calm despite the shadow of war. Artificial sunlight streamed onto the lawns of the Industrial Academy, where students strolled by in twos and threes, discussing exams and holidays. No one knew that deep within this colony lay a secret powerful enough to alter the course of the war.

Char and Mina arrive in Heliopolis aboard a civilian spaceship. Ostensibly, they are there to inspect Orb's research facilities in the colony, but in reality, they are there to check on two things: the completion status of the five GAT series mobile suits, and the three Astray Gundams that Orb has secretly built.

Erica Simmons came to pick them up. She had been in Heliopolis for two months, coordinating the technological cooperation between Dawn and the Atlantic Federation. Seeing Char and Mina walk down the gangway side-by-side, she glanced between them before casually walking forward.

"Commander-in-Chief Askha, Commander-in-Chief Sahak. Welcome."

"Thank you for your hard work." Xia Ya nodded.

Erica turned and led the way, her high heels clicking crisply and quickly on the metal floor. Mina walked beside Char, a hint of amusement in her red eyes, and said in a low voice, "She didn't look at you today."

She's angry.

"Because you came to Heliopolis without telling her beforehand?"

Char did not answer.

The secret shipyard, located underground in the Heliopolis Industrial Zone, is smaller than Dawn's factory but equally advanced. Five GAT series MS are arranged on one side of the assembly workshop—Strike, Duel, Storm, Thunder, and Aegis. Their silver-gray armor reflects a cold gleam under the lights, each with distinct features: Strike's backpack interface, Duel's heavy armor, Storm's dual-face design, Thunder's stealth silhouette, and Aegis's variable frame.

The Atlantic Federation's technical lead was Dr. Maurice Green, a balding man in his fifties, dressed in a white lab coat, with shrewd eyes. Seeing Char and Mina enter, he stepped forward and extended his hand: "Commander-in-Chief Asha, it's an honor to meet you. Thank you, Orb, for providing this valuable platform for cooperation."

Xia shook his hand: "Dr. Green, how's it going?"

Dr. Green's smile was smug: "All five units are now complete. Although the OS is still in the final debugging stage, it is already ready for practical operation exercises. The energy consumption problem of the phase-transition armor has been basically solved, and the output of the beam weapon has also reached the design specifications."

He led Char toward the Strike Gundam. The V-shaped antenna on the top of the machine gleamed under the lights, and the cockpit door on its chest was tightly closed.

"This is the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, the core model among the five. Its most distinctive feature is its interchangeable equipment system—it can switch between three different backpacks depending on different combat needs: a sword-fighting suit for close-range combat, a cannon-firing suit for long-range artillery fire, and a wing suit for high-mobility aerial combat. Although only a prototype is currently available, the concept has been proven feasible."

Char stood at the foot of the Strike Gundam, gazing up at the over ten-meter-tall machine. His Newtype abilities allowed him to sense the energy flowing within its body—the faint hum of the phase-shift armor in standby mode, the pulse of the battery power, and the utter silence of the empty cockpit. The Alliance's technological advancements were progressing faster than he remembered in another timeline, perhaps accelerated by cooperation with Orb, or perhaps forced by the pressures of war that compelled everyone to run faster.

His gaze fell on the Strike's backpack interface. Three thick power and data buses fit perfectly into the back armor. The design was ingenious—not a simple attachment, but a deep integration. When changing backpacks, the operating system would automatically identify the equipment type and adjust the machine's parameters. This modular approach also existed in Orb's mobile suit design, but the engineers of the Alliance had gone further.

"A replaceable armor system... that's interesting," Char said to Dr. Grin. "The concept is similar to external armor components, separating different combat needs instead of building an all-around machine."

"That's right. All-around machines compromise in every aspect, while modularity allows each piece of equipment to reach its full potential."

Char nodded, saying nothing more. In his mind, another possibility came to mind—not external armor, but external equipment. The backpack could be replaced with different weapon modules, the armor with different protective modules, and even the thrusters could be changed according to different environments.

Erica stood beside him and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"

"Another possibility."

"What?"

I'll tell you later.

Orb's secret factory lies deeper underground, more concealed than the Union's workshops. Three Gundam Astrays line the assembly line, gold, red, and blue—the three mobile suits have different paint schemes, but identical frames. Their armor isn't PS armor, but Luna Titanium alloy. Their power system isn't Union batteries, but the Minovsky miniature nuclear reactor, with output power far exceeding the GAT series but with a longer operating time—due to the higher conversion efficiency of Minovsky particles. Their weapon systems are Orb's independently developed beam rifle and physical sword, independent of Union technology.

Hiroshi Kato was in charge of the Heresy Project. He spent six months in Heliopolis, lost a lot of weight, but his eyes were still bright.

"Commander-in-Chief, the three Heretics are complete. Gold, red, and blue models—different paint schemes, but identical performance parameters. All test results meet the standards, and they are ready for combat at any time."

Char walked up to the golden mech and gently tapped the armor. It wasn't the fragile feel of the PS armor when activated, but rather the heavy, resonant sound unique to Luna Titanium Alloy.

"How does the performance of the Heretic series compare to the GAT series?" Mina asked.

Kato thought for a moment: "The overall performance is slightly lower than the GAT series. The PS armor's defensive capabilities are indeed stronger than the Luna Titanium Alloy, but it consumes a lot of energy. If the battery runs out, the PS armor will become ineffective. Our Luna Titanium Alloy doesn't require energy, but it's heavier and sacrifices some mobility. Each has its advantages and disadvantages."

Char circled the golden mobile suit, quickly comparing the two sets of data in his mind. "The Heretics have their own roles. The Alliance's mobile suits, in order to fight against PLANT, need to compete on the front lines in terms of firepower, armor, and numbers. Orb is different. Orb needs the ability to survive, retreat, and counterattack in complex environments."

Mina's red eyes flickered: "Is this why you painted the heretics gold, red, and blue? Not just for looks?"

"That's part of the idea. On the battlefield, soldiers need to quickly identify friendly forces. Gold, red, and blue—these colors are more visible than gray in space, reducing the chance of friendly fire."

Kato smiled wryly: "But it will also attract more enemy fire."

"Therefore, they need greater mobility to evade."

After the inspection, Char and Mina discussed the matter in the factory's break room. Erika sat to the side, holding a data terminal and compiling detailed parameters for the GAT and Heretic series.

Char Aznable spoke up: "The Union now possesses the technology and experience to build these mobile suits. With Earth's industrial capacity and resources, mass production of Earth Union-type mobile suits will soon begin. The balance of war will gradually shift back from PLANT's side."

Mina held a cup of coffee, her red eyes reflecting the starlight outside the window. "Yes, the world is starting to become even more chaotic. PLANT, which previously held the advantage, will be completely wiped out in a year or two. Then it will be a long war of attrition."

Who benefits from a war of attrition?

"It's advantageous for Orb. Because neither side in this war of attrition has the energy to deal with us."

Char hesitated for a moment. In the original timeline, the GAT series was stolen by ZAFT at Heliopolis, with four units falling into ZAFT's hands. Only the Strike was taken away by Kira in his Archangel. The combat data of those mobile suits was analyzed, digested, and absorbed by both sides, accelerating the development of the next-generation mobile suits. He knew the value of this data, but he didn't intend to stop the theft—it was already impossible to stop, and there was no need to. He only needed the "result" of the data.

"I need a plan." Char turned to Erika. "How much longer until the GAT series' OS is completed?"

Kira Yamato is writing OS code in the Industrial Academy's lab. He's currently unaware that the operating system he's helping to develop is used by MS. Then comes the ZAFT raid, the theft of five GAT series machines, and the escape of the Archangel. Everything is proceeding according to plan, but he can set up "spinning points" on those tracks.

"If possible, I'd like to retrieve the follow-up data from the Strike Mobile Suit," Char said. "Not the mobile suit itself, just the combat data and OS optimization records. That data will be invaluable for Orb's development of next-generation mobile suits."

Erica looked up: "How do we recover it? The Archangel will be under the control of the Allied Forces; we can't send anyone up there."

"I'll find a way. I'll accompany the Archangel for a while, as a 'technician' or 'observer.' There will be opportunities later."

Mina frowned. "That's too risky. You're the Commander-in-Chief of the Orb Defense Forces."

"That's why I won't get into trouble."

Mina was silent for a moment, then sighed: "You're always like this."

"I'm used to it."

In order to be able to intervene and deal with changes in the world, Char decided to make preparations in advance. He told Kato to transport the Astray Gundam Gold Frame—MBF-P01—to the Archangel under the name of "Orb Assets" when he was notified.

"The Golden Machine's OS was entirely written by Orb, and the Alliance's technicians couldn't crack it. Besides, they were too busy dealing with their own problems afterward. But I might need it later on—" Char paused.

Erica looked at him in surprise: "What premonition do you have now?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, ZAFT's Kruse has discovered the GAT series plan, and now we can organize the evacuation of personnel and equipment."

Mina stared at Xia with her red eyes: "What do you know?"

Char did not answer. He stood by the window, gazing at the colony's "starry sky," where artificial starlight twinkled on the artificial dome.

"The world is about to go completely out of control."

Char did not return to Orb, but instead reported directly to Uzumi about the situation at Heliopolis. He did not conceal anything—the progress of the Alliance's mobile suits, the completion of the Orb Heresy, and his plan—to retrieve the Strike Force's data, board the ship if necessary, and deploy the Gold Strike in advance.

Uzmi remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

"You always put yourself in the most dangerous place."

"Because only I can do it. It's not arrogance, it's a matter of matching ability."

Uzumi looked into his adopted son's eyes, those deep red irises burning with a resolute flame. "Be careful. Not just for Orb—but also for those who care about you."

"I know."

As Char was about to end the communication, he saw Cagalli in the corridor. The girl was holding a stack of refugee registration forms, her face tired but her eyes bright.

"Brother, how is Heliopolis?"

"Great. How about your end?"

"The refugee camp has received an additional two hundred people, mostly children. I'm trying to contact the International Red Cross to see if we can get more educational supplies."

Char smiled gently. "Well done."

Cagalli smiled, a smile that reminded Char of the woman in the old photograph in Uzumi's study—her mother. A girl's growth can sometimes happen in an instant.