Gundam: From Piece to Player

In other words, autonomy can be granted, but security must be controlled by the federal government, and taxes must be paid.

And while the Earth is completely under federal control, they will revitalize the Earth's industrial bases... but dealing with the pressure from environmentalism on Earth is another story.

As for SIDE3 independence, we need to be patient and wear them down slowly. Force is not a bad option—but the military is indeed weak right now, and we can't afford to waste these precious resources any longer.

Thirdly, after achieving certain military and political victories, the corrupt system should be eliminated, and a large number of outstanding talents from the colonies should be recruited into the decision-making level to fundamentally weaken the claim that "only independence can change one's destiny." Under the guarantee of the first point, a core team should be built.

If Tianm previously felt that these later actions were somewhat too mild and weak, essentially an attempt to avoid war.

But now even the heavily invested mobile army can't defeat the "pseudo-pirates," and his ideas are starting to waver... It seems that reclaiming Zeon is no longer the Federation's most pressing issue, is it?

Chapter 257 "Pseudo-Pirates" Everywhere

Continuing to read this report of defeat, Tianm managed to find a sliver of solace in this mess of a defense.

"This enhanced human named Du Murasame performed very well?"

"Yes, during the battle, she still had the upper hand against the Space Alliance's unidentified mobile suits and the three musketeers' siege. She was fighting four against one and was about to win until the enemy's fifth mobile suit appeared. She lost her advantage because of the damage to the I-field generator." The staff officer described it vividly, and the swaying hand tried to amplify the highlights as much as possible. "Even so, she still managed to return to base successfully in her mobile suit."

Where is she from?

"Earth, Tokyo, Japan."

"Oh." Upon hearing that it was Japan from Earth, Tiam was clearly intrigued... It is said that the Bushido spirit of that country can make soldiers fearless in the face of death.

"Why did you join the army and become a superhuman? You weren't an orphan captured by the Murasame Research Institute, were you?" Tianm's tone turned hostile.

"No, General, you have explicitly forbidden such behavior. She joined the army voluntarily. Her parents were both soldiers who died in the first landing operation of Zeon."

It was voluntary, or was it done voluntarily?

However, surviving a battle surrounded by powerful enemies certainly wasn't just about brute courage. Twelve enhanced humans were killed by the Three Musketeers, and she didn't become the thirteenth. Even from the perspective of natural selection, surviving is quite an achievement.

Being born on Earth is synonymous with loyalty... To put it bluntly, while appointing space immigrants to high-ranking positions is an inevitable trend, it certainly doesn't provide the same peace of mind as being a Earthling.

However, it's not that I can't transfer her directly from the Basque region, but it would be too conspicuous and would inevitably provoke Corini.

“We should still commend and encourage the brave soldiers who fought so bravely in battle,” Tianm said. “I’ll award them the Space Force Service Cross in my name and promote them from second lieutenant to first lieutenant.”

By doing this, Tianm was showing that he was "paying attention" to the other party.

The day after the commendation order was issued,

A simple frontline commendation ceremony was held inside the hangar aboard the second ship of the Alexander class.

Miss Du saw the Basque colonel, who usually bossed her around, summon senior officers and award her a cross-shaped medal.

"Lieutenant Du, you did a great job. Keep up the good work."

"Yes."

Du later learned that the medal was awarded to recognize extraordinary heroism in battle, and after receiving the medal, the people at the Murasame Research Institute became more polite to her.

Even when conducting tests, they no longer call him "Hey," "Number Two," or "Enhanced Human Number Two," but instead address him as "Lieutenant Du."

"Dad, why do you think everyone is doing this?"

During the testing of the Gaplan, Du, sitting in the cockpit, couldn't help but ask Dr. Lei, who was floating outside the fuselage making adjustments... Because he was technically superb, the oldest, the most experienced, and also quite kind, everyone in the maintenance team called him that.

Du then joined in the chorus.

“Do you know General Tiam?” Tim Ray typed on the keyboard, adjusting his glasses with his arm. “It was his award that honored you.”

"Is he a very powerful and important person?" Du shook her head; she paid little attention to things she couldn't access.

"In short, the federal high command... you can't just sit down in front of Colonel Basque, can you... and Colonel Basque can't just sit down in front of him either, you have to stand at attention."

"Oh." Upon hearing this analogy, Du understood immediately.

“I have a son. If he were still in the Federation Army, he might have become a colonel... It’s a pity he went to college and works for AE. A few months ago he told me he was going to be a grandfather,” Tim Ray said. “I remember him as a child. It feels like he suddenly became a reliable adult and doesn’t let his father worry about him much anymore.”

Because of his brainwave abilities, Du could sense that Tim Ray's heart was definitely not as calm as his words when he said those words.

Does his son know that his father has this side to him?

If there are words to say, they must be conveyed properly... like her, there was no chance to speak them out again.

The warning lights in the hangar suddenly flashed, and the 3D projection displayed "Level 1 Combat Ready," signifying that the easy time was coming to an end.

The only ones who would dare to actively cause trouble for the Federation Army are probably the [pseudo-pirates]... They're likely to have to go through another tough battle.

"Dad, is the machine ready?"

“It can be done anytime, but the Faber model might be a bit difficult.”

In other words, MA can no longer be used.

The white Gaplan in flight mode was moved to the launch platform by elevator.

"Gapland TR-5, Du Murasame, launch."

After Gaplan's ejection, a manta ray was also moved to the launch platform.

"Hampradie, Gates Capa, attack."

Two mobile suits were ejected one after another. About fifteen minutes later, Basque adjusted the position of his hat. "Haven't we confirmed the type of the Pirate yet?"

"No record in the database... We can't find a match in the laser communications transmitted from the destroyed patrol aircraft." CIC's words made the atmosphere on the bridge tense again.

"Now." Basque glanced at his watch and issued the order without warning. "Immediately deploy an all-around beam disruption screen!"

"—Yes!" Due to his usual authority, the officers, who were afraid of their commander, immediately released the launchers of beam disruption shields into the air. With the activation of the Alexander-class beam disruption shield, something like a soap bubble appeared around the warship.

The surrounding space remained quiet, and the pseudo-pirates did not launch an attack.

Could it be that the commander misjudged the situation?

Just as the bridge began to question things, something fell down from directly in front of the bridge.

"Anti-aircraft artillery fire to commence—"

The Basques' orders have not yet been issued.

Everyone then saw that the thing on the foredeck had already made intimate contact with the foredeck.

The object that was falling was only now being recognized by everyone; it was none other than the Hambrabi, piloted by Lieutenant Gates, which had been launched not long ago.

To be precise, this is the remains of Hambrabi.

The fuselage was beyond recognition after the high-speed impact... Lieutenant Gates was probably killed in the impact, or perhaps even earlier, and was already a corpse when it crashed.

Who is it?

They committed such heinous acts... and soon they saw the answer.

The unidentified aircraft was positioned directly above the warship, looking down at them. It seemed that the enemy had been planning this a long time ago and was ambushing them from this spot.

It bears a resemblance to the Zeon Warrior Type, but lacks the typical high-voltage pulse tubes of Zeon. The two "wings" on its back resemble those of a dragon from a medieval fantasy novel, making it look like a demon.

"What are you standing there for? Anti-aircraft gun crew, shoot that guy down!" The fear of death made Basque immediately urge the anti-aircraft gun crew to fire.

Chapter 258 [Iron Wall]

Amidst the anti-aircraft guns, the demonic mechs dodged the attack with minimal propulsion, seemingly having completely anticipated it; the anti-aircraft guns only struck afterimages.

"Lieutenant Du, do you have a strategy for dealing with the enemy?"

Upon seeing that demonic machine, Basque began calling out again.

Although Colonel Basque Om was ruthless, he was only tough on his own people and civilians.

The vicious "pseudo-pirate" in front of him was not afraid of him.

Humans are prone to path dependence, and since Du was able to resolve the previous predicament, the Basques couldn't help but continue to seek help, just like a football coach hoping that the key player on the field can become his "godfather" before being sacked.

"Colonel, the opponents are two very strong Newtypes. Besides the one you see, there's another one fighting me."

Two new humans?

In places that were out of sight, one-on-one battles broke out between the two sides, but Gates was simply outmatched and was killed in the duel in less than a minute.

"Set your anti-aircraft guns to automatic mode and retreat to the second bridge for temporary shelter."

"All personnel proceed to the bridge," Basque ordered.

Then he saw the demonic mech in front of him turn dark red and rush directly towards the bridge. The Mega Particle Cannon beam anti-aircraft gun hit the mech, just like water splashing on hard rock, only causing water droplets to rise.

The Basques, meanwhile, had no time to worry about anything else.

He dashed straight into the safety passage at the back.

In an instant, the main bridge of the Alexander-class destroyer was smashed to pieces by the mobile suit's fist, and the fate of the bridge crew was unknown...

Basque, on the other hand, managed to escape in time... or perhaps it was the power of the theory that evil lives on forever, that allowed him to escape by sheer luck.

"That's a really good move. Those few seconds of 'invincibility' can be incredibly effective in crucial battles." The pilot of one of the demon mechs couldn't help but snort and offer his assessment after seeing this. "Is this the Federation's newly established Emergency Mobile Force? The Federation is really getting worse every day."

The man snorted coldly, revealing a beast-like, piercing face in the reflection of his helmet.

And he wasn't exaggerating; he was indeed Yazan Gabor, a former Federation pilot who had awakened his Newtype abilities, making his already ferocious fighting power even stronger.

For Lieutenant Gates, his death was not unjust; the enemy was simply beyond his capabilities to handle.

This is a new machine test conducted by the new Federation.

This mobile suit is another MS derived from the prototype of Rick Diaz by AE Corporation, commissioned by the Al Group. Since it is designed for Newtype pilots, it is still a high-performance mobile suit without considering cost and production. With the addition of attitude adjustment nozzles, it has been modified accordingly for space use.

The original designation was MSK-008 Dije. The demon wings on its back were not for aesthetics or any other purpose. In fact, they were due to the immature heat dissipation handling caused by the forced installation of a high-performance rice cooker, which necessitated the use of a large-scale heat dissipation system.

(MSK-008 Dijie)

If that's all there is to it, then it's stronger than Rick Diaz, which puts it in the category of next-generation (second-generation mobile suits).

The key point is that, considering the needs of the new humans to pilot, the Al Group proposed that the machine should have reserved equipment and system interfaces, and at the same time open source code to install the second-generation PsychoMule system developed by the group... Thus, the PsychoMule MSK-008SE (space use)-S (PsychoMule) type, which can be called a hybrid machine, was born.

Compared to the first-generation Psomum system, which could only use the floating cannons in a rudimentary way, the second-generation Psomum system truly allows the new humans to utilize various forms of "skills".

What Yazan just used was a type of field that could restrain the scattered Minovsky particles of the Psycommu system around the body, forming an I-field covering the body surface, which could achieve an almost invincible effect for a few seconds.

The skill called "Iron Wall" can be quite effective when used properly in battle.

Compared to the I-field generator, the [Iron Wall] can defend against all types of attacks, including the Mega Particle Cannon and the Beam Saber... Of course, it consumes a certain amount of mental energy (MP), and once too much MP is consumed, it will cause irreversible damage to the Newtypes.