Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 92 Return to Orb

L4 outer perimeter, Izumo.

Mina Sahak stood at the porthole on the bridge, her red eyes fixed on the still-flaming expanse of space in the distance. The battle between the Eighth Fleet and the Kreuzer squadron was over; the Archangel had successfully landed on Earth, and the golden machine was returning. In her hand, she held the encrypted terminal, the screen displaying the last message from Char—"Mission accomplished. Return."

"Commander, the signal from the gold-plated machine has entered the recovery range," the adjutant's voice came from behind.

"Bring it into port." Mina turned around, a hint of relief flashing in her red eyes. "Medical team, prepare. Notify the maintenance crew that the gold-plated aircraft will undergo a full overhaul immediately upon its return."

"Yes."

Mina stepped off the bridge, crossed the corridor, and entered the hangar. The moment the hatch opened, she saw the golden machine standing silently on the maintenance rack, its golden armor riddled with bullet holes and burn marks from beams, the quantum communication module in its head still flashing. But she didn't care about the scars. What she cared about was—the cockpit door opened, and that person stepped out.

Char's pilot suit was stained with sweat and blood. His face was pale, and his steps were unsteady, but his eyes were still those deep red, unfathomable eyes.

Mina looked at him, her red eyes filled with a complex and burning light. She didn't speak, but simply walked over, reached out, and gently took his hand.

"I'm back." Her voice was very soft, so soft that only he could hear it.

"I'm back." Xia's voice was equally soft.

There was a moment of silence between them. Then, Mina released her grip, turned, and walked toward the hangar exit. Her voice regained the calm and restraint of a commander: "The medical bay is ready. Your injuries need treatment."

Xia gave a wry smile and followed behind her.

That evening, in the captain's conference room of the Izumo, Char and Mina sat facing each other. On the table lay the combat data records of the Golden Machine—its performance in this battle far exceeded design expectations; the Minovsky nuclear reactor's output power reached 150% after the limiter was released, and the thrusters' thrust reached 180%. While the machine's structure did not suffer fatal damage, multiple fatigue cracks appeared—if the battle had continued for another ten minutes, the Golden Machine might have disintegrated in the vacuum.

"You're committing suicide." Mina stared at the data, her red eyes filled with complex emotions. "Remove all limiters, push the Minovsky nuclear reactor to 120%, and the thrusters to 151%. Do you know what that means? If even one component malfunctions, you won't be coming back."

"But I'm back," Char said calmly.

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Mina stared at him for a long time, then sighed. "You're always like this. You always say I'll come back," and then you always complete your missions in the most dangerous way. Someday—

'

"No, I won't," Xia interrupted her. "I said I'd come back alive. I didn't lie to you."

Mina lowered her head, her fingers gently tracing the numbers on the data panel. Her eyes reddened, but she didn't cry. She simply sat quietly, like a child waiting for an answer.

"Mina," Char's voice was soft, "the combat data brought back by the Golden Machine is very valuable. We need to analyze this data and develop the next generation of mobile suits. The potential of the Minovsky Nuclear Furnace has not yet been fully realized, and the technology of the PS Armor also needs to be digested and absorbed. If we can integrate these technologies together—"

"Can't you take a break?" Mina looked up, tears glistening in her red eyes. "You just came back from the battlefield, your shoulder is still bleeding, and you're already thinking about the next generation of mobile suits?"

Char remained silent.

"Erika's right. You're a workaholic. So much so that you don't even feel when you're hurt." Mina stood up, walked over to him, and gently placed her hand on his left shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

"A little."

"Just a little?"

"—It hurts a lot."

Mina's lips curled into a slight smile. "Then get some rest. Think about those things after you've recovered. The data from the Golden Machine won't be lost, and the next generation of mobile suits won't be unable to be built just because you rest for a couple of days. But if you collapse from exhaustion, Orb will be without a chief engineer."

Xia looked at her, and there was a light in her red eyes that he couldn't refuse—not an order, not a request, but something deeper, more essential: concern.

"----good."

The Izumo traveled through the debris field for three days before returning to the Orb Orbital Elevator Space Station. Erica Simmons was already waiting when the Golden Machine was transferred from the Izumo's hangar to the Dawn Corporation's space production base.

She was wearing a white lab coat, and her eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses were bloodshot—she hadn't slept well for three days.

But her eyes lit up when she saw the golden machine slowly float out of the Izumo's hangar.

"The extent of the damage to the body?" she asked the data panel, her voice hoarse.

"The left shoulder armor is moderately damaged, 40% of the heat sink on the back thruster is damaged, and the output power of the Minovsky nuclear reactor has dropped to 60%. There are multiple structural fatigue cracks, requiring a comprehensive overhaul." The technician's voice came from behind.

"What about the weapon systems?"

"Beam rifle depleted of energy, shield moderately damaged, beam saber intact."

Erica's fingers flew across the data panel as she rapidly recorded information. Her gaze occasionally drifted away from the panel, landing on the direction of the golden aircraft's cockpit. Was he still inside? Or had he already moved to the medical bay?

"Erika".

A voice came from behind her. She turned around and saw Xia standing at the entrance of the hangar. He was dressed in civilian clothes, and his deep red eyes almost turned black in the red light of the emergency lights.

Erica looked at him, nearly dropping the data tablet in her hand. She wanted to say something, but her lips only moved, without uttering a sound.

Xia walked up to her, reached out, and gently took the data tablet from her hand. "Haven't slept for three days?"

Erica lowered her head. "I can't sleep."

Why?

"—Because of worry."

Char paused for a moment. "I'm back."

"I know," Erica's voice was hoarse, "but what about later? What about next time? And the time after that? You always fight in the most dangerous way, you always get hurt, and you always make people worry—"

'

"Erika," Char's voice was soft, "the war won't last forever. One day, I won't need to pilot a mobile suit anymore. Then, I'll rest properly. But right now—I must fight."

Erica looked up into his eyes. There was no fear, no hesitation, only a calm, resolute light in those deep red eyes. She knew she couldn't change his decision, but she could wait. Wait for the war to end, wait for peace to come, wait for that "someday."

"I will analyze the data from the gold-plated machine." She took a deep breath, her voice regaining the professionalism and composure of a technical lead. "The development of the next-generation MS will also begin as soon as possible. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Tell me before you launch your next attack."

Char's lips curled into a slight smile. "Okay."

In the underground command center of the Dawn Corporation, Char stood before a VEDA terminal, the holographic screen displaying the combat data of the gold mobile suit. Each set of data was automatically labeled, categorized, and analyzed by VEDA, then compared with all previous mobile suit combat data. His crimson eyes were fixed on the data, his brain working at high speed.

"What are some noteworthy points in the combat data of the VEDA Gold Frame?"

"First, the Minovsky nuclear reactor achieved 150% of its design power after the limiter was removed, but the machine's structure could not withstand this level of load. To achieve this output power in the next generation of mobile suits, the frame materials and structure need to be redesigned."

"Secondly, the defensive effectiveness of the PS armor has been proven in actual combat. The PS armor of the Duel Gundam and the Blitz Gundam successfully withstood the live-fire attacks from the Eighth Fleet's naval guns, only sustaining damage when facing high-output beam weapons. If Orb's next-generation mobile suits can integrate PS armor technology, their defensive capabilities will be greatly enhanced."

"Third, the quantum communication module performs reliably in combat. The synchronization rate of the neural link increases to 95% in the later stages of battle, and the communication latency between your brainwaves and VEDA is reduced to zero. If this technology can be retained in the next generation of mobile suits, Orb will maintain an absolute advantage in intelligence warfare."

Char nodded. "Based on this data, what is the design direction for the next generation of mass-produced mobile suits?"

VEDA remained silent for three seconds—almost an eternity in the reaction speed of an AI. "It is recommended to develop a next-generation MS with 'integration' as its core concept. Integrate the high output of the Minovsky nuclear reactor, the high defense of the PS armor, and the high intelligence processing capabilities of quantum communication into a single unit. Simultaneously, referencing the interchangeable equipment system of the GAT series, develop multiple mission backpacks for the next-generation MS to adapt to different battlefield environments."

A silhouette appeared in Char's mind. It was a brand new machine that combined the essence of three technological paths: the UC era, the 00 era, and the SEED world.

"Project codename," Char said softly, "Let's call it 'Spark.' A single spark can start a prairie fire."

"Instruction recorded."

He turned and looked out the window at the starry sky. In some corner of that sky, the Archangel was struggling through the North African desert. Kira, Murrue, Natal, Mu, Lacus—each of them was fighting to survive. And he, in Orb, in the Dawn Order, before the VEDA terminal, was also fighting for the same thing.

"Wait for me," he whispered. "I will find a way to end this war. For those who have lost everything in it."

Outside the window, the elevator cable shimmered with a silvery-white light under the moonlight, like a string connecting heaven and earth.