Gundam: From Piece to Player

The report states that the Federation's economic and military centers have already shifted to space... and this shift is irreversible.

If the Federation wants to better control its territory, it must move its headquarters from Earth to space.

Building a new military industrial base centered on SIDE2 and SIDE5... Both of these places have a good industrial foundation.

Recruit soldiers in SIDE1 and SIDE4... Use space colonists to fight space colonists, and make use of the strong resentment towards SIDE3...

In terms of propaganda, they recruited by reclaiming Side 3 (Zeon) as the Federation's next target.

—It's not as simple as just a goal; the key is how to rebuild confidence as a [Federal Citizen] through the process of reclaiming Side 3.

要是能把SIDE1、2、4、5四个宇宙都市群……72亿人动员和组织起来，又怎么会怕只有1.5亿人的SIDE3？

It can be described as a military report, but it is more than that; it does present many new viewpoints.

Tianm glanced at Gough thoughtfully, thinking, "So the general is British too."

“I understand why the General thinks so highly of this report,” Tianm said, “but it’s ultimately just theory.”

“I think it’s worth a try,” Gao Pu said.

“Since the general says so,” Tianm said, “let’s conduct a test. We can use this peace talk to see whether the people of each side want war or peace.”

"Tianm?"

What Tianm said next made Gop smile with satisfaction.

"Don't let things get out of hand, it'll be difficult for me to handle."

Gap took a puff of his pipe, looking at the serious-looking Tianm, and couldn't help but think of his good friend John... His ideals could be said to have a successor.

This war was a defeat, but also a lesson.

But extending the timeframe to several decades or even a century might not be a bad thing.

---

Juno asteroid.

Although Karma tried to avoid Diraz, the other man eventually found an opportunity to harass him while he was working.

"Are you still unwilling to avenge Commander-in-Chief Killian?"

“General Diraz, you can’t hold me hostage because of my brother’s last words… I’ve already said you can go and avenge my brother.”

"Your Excellency, we now need you to take charge of the overall situation."

"I'm just an engineer who knows a little about military matters... Rebuilding a national economy that's on the verge of collapse is a complex issue. I don't understand politics, and I don't like doing that kind of thing."

"If Your Excellency could return to the throne of Zeon, with your reputation, you would surely be able to overthrow the rule of the Diack faction."

“If I were to return to Zeon and inherit the throne, our country would essentially continue as a principality… This would be contrary to the ideals of our founding father, Zeon Deikun, and also contrary to the ideals of my successor, our revolutionary comrade-in-arms, Commander-in-Chief Gihren.”

While replying to messages on her laptop, Karma answered Diraz: "Don't forget that the principality system was actually invented and perfected by my father, Dejin, and the traitor Kycilia."

After dozens of rounds of offense and defense, Diraz gained no advantage whatsoever, and was always left speechless by the rebuttals.

Delaz then realized just how difficult it is to persuade someone...

As the person who created the miracles of the two major battles of Odessa and Luna II, Lady Kalmar possesses outstanding talent and would naturally not lose to herself in a debate, let alone be influenced by herself.

—If I had to say, it was Your Excellency who took them in, who were like stray dogs.

Delaz could clearly sense how out of place his Gihren faction was on the Juno... Although he knew that the rumors about the Kalmar Group were true, actually coming into contact with them was still unsettling.

Thanks to the engineers' spirit... it is with this group of people that you have won one miraculous battle after another.

Diraz walked out of the office, and Cardo, who was standing at attention in the corridor waiting for him, quickly followed.

"How is the situation, General?"

"Your Excellency is the greatest figure in Zeon besides Lord Gihren, but you are always too modest. This means we have to find a way ourselves, and we must put forward someone... Who can take on this great responsibility?"

“…That does give me a candidate.” Kado pondered for a moment.

"Who?"

“Cecilia Erin, the chief secretary, is familiar with national affairs and the economy as Lord Killian’s right-hand woman. No one has a deeper understanding of them than her. More importantly, she has a high public profile and is well-liked by the people. Deacon’s son has conducted a nationwide search, but he has not found the chief secretary... I think she has escaped.”

Diraz thought for a moment and realized that it was not just a little suitable, but he quickly became discouraged: "The secretary is still a bit lacking in weight... he can't compare to Deakin's son."

The entire conversation between the two was actually recorded by a recording device in the corridor.

It popped up on Karma's desk in the room, thoughtfully accompanied by a dialogue box and text.

Karma simply turned off that part of the recording.

"Big brother, aren't you interested in their conspiracy?" Alice, dressed in a skirt, appeared as a projection on the screen.

"They don't have enough power to back up their so-called prestige... unless Kirian Zabi comes back to life."

Karma's decision to take in the Delaz fleet wasn't because she was particularly kind; she was simply after the technical team within the fleet.

When Gihren built this Royal Guard, he selected elites from all over the country, including those who were skilled in MS piloting, maintenance, and mechanical engineering.

In the original timeline, they spent three years gradually building the "Bristle Garden," and also created the MS-21C Drage, an assault MS, by hand-molding the MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai's body and the propulsion device of the Cator fighter. This was a whimsical, cobbled-together mobile suit.

After the arrival of the Delaz fleet, Karma secretly made contact with them several times.

After showcasing their team's capabilities and the Juno's comprehensive development facilities.

The technical team aboard the Delaz fleet expressed their desire to visit Kalmar's docks.

However, they still had reservations about the unethical behavior of abandoning their original boss and jumping ship to another company (mainly because they were afraid of retaliation from Delaz).

So when Karma saw Delaz foolishly still trying to persuade her to take revenge, she remained quite patient... Various intelligence indicated that Kycilia wouldn't be able to cause trouble for long, so she didn't need to take action herself. At that time, Delaz's fleet would have the best reason to take action.

Because the Cycilia faction entrenched in Granada is currently the weakest among all these "players"... and possibly the most internally divided.

Chapter 165 Fishing in Troubled Waters

The federal government and the Zeon side finally agreed on the date and location for the peace talks.

The negotiations were held in Von Braun, a city located on the near side of the moon.

This is a compromise solution after taking into account various factors.

On January 15, 0080, the Federation and Zeon fleets faced off over von Braun, with both sides ultimately restraining their urge to fire on each other.

In the arena where AE Company acts as mediator, both sides are prohibited from carrying weapons.

When Char arrived, he brought with him many Deckards, Ramba Ral, and even his father's old comrade-in-arms, Kimba Ral.

This was somewhat unexpected for Karma... the old man was actually still alive.

On the Federation side, Karma met with the Federation Space Force Commander-in-Chief, Tiam, once again.

"Long time no see, General Tiam. I've tested your newly developed warships, and they're quite impressive."

Karma starts with a taunt.

"Hmph... Piloting a mobile suit on the battlefield is a very dangerous move and can easily result in being beheaded. I advise General Karma to be more cautious."

Thinking back to three years ago, there was still some politeness and respect between her and Tianm... but now all that's left in his eyes is hostility.

That's just how war is.

Despite the tense atmosphere, progress was quickly made at the negotiating table, which was led by civilian officials from both sides.

This is also because several rounds of private negotiations have already taken place...

Regarding post-war spheres of influence, Zeon returned all leased territories on Earth and withdrew its ground troops in exchange for the Federation returning the Abaoa Sky Fortress.

At the same time, the Federation recognized the established fact of Zeon's independence.

The moon will be designated as a neutral demilitarized zone, and neither side may station troops there.

As for the Federation's demand to return Luna II... Zeon demands that the Federation exchange it for Side 5.

Since the negotiations have failed, the only option left is to maintain the status quo.

Halfway through the negotiations, the intelligence officer informed Kalma of a breaking news item.

"Your Excellency, the Federal Army is attacking Granada."

"How is the battle going?"

"It's only a matter of time before it falls."

Although the moon is designated as a neutral zone according to the negotiation requirements, firstly, the peace agreement has not yet been signed, and secondly, Kycilia's mobile assault force is not within the scope of the negotiations.

Therefore, it does not constitute a breach of the "Temporary Ceasefire Agreement" signed for peace talks... but doing so is actually a provocation.

The federal official on the other side, who was in charge of the negotiations, also became visibly nervous.

They were afraid that the Zeon forces would react negatively... It can also be said that this is inseparable from the Federation's long-standing demonization propaganda.

The officers of the Federation Army under Tiam were all calm... clearly not a loss of control from the lower ranks, but a premeditated test.

Right at this critical juncture.

This wasn't the first time they'd done this; they had a history of it. At the beginning of the war, when both sides were negotiating the Antarctic Treaty, Reibald delivered that incendiary speech… to influence the outcome of the peace talks.

But Karma wasn't actually that concerned about Kycilia being attacked.

While the loss of the assault troops would be a pity, if the Federation forces could help eliminate Kycilia, it would save considerable political costs.

But this raises a question... Is Sister Sima currently on Reach?

Karma sent Char a message.

"Did Sima, whom you sent to deal with Kycilia, completely fail?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know more than you do." Xia's reply was tinged with resentment, clearly showing his extreme dissatisfaction with his subordinate's work.

Granada, the second largest lunar city after von Braun, is currently experiencing a flurry of beams of light from warships and mobile suits flying overhead. The Purple Widow, along with several other warships, is engaging the incoming Federation fleet.

The Zeon, equipped with a 5-barrel wire-controlled MEGA particle cannon on both arms for all-around attack, easily destroyed a Federation warship in front of it.

Facing a GM charging from behind with its sword drawn, the Zeon seemed to have eyes in the back of its head. It rotated 180 degrees, fired its MEGA particle cannon, and the beam pierced through its body, turning it into a flashing nuclear fireball.

The next second, his finger pointed in different directions in the air... destroying another 6 GMs, and then continued to rush towards the Federation fleet. The Mega Particle Cannon was fired again, sinking another Federation warship.

In just three minutes, a total of 21 mobile suits and 8 warships were destroyed. The Federation fleet, which originally had a numerical advantage, was blocked by the Zeon alone... and so far, not a single Federation mobile suit has been able to scratch the Zeon.