Gundam: From Piece to Player

Mayor Joseph knew almost without a doubt what the federal agents wanted to do; his daughter had had many suitors since she was a child.

"No, Iserina has no experience with that kind of thing..."

“A beautiful and innocent girl?” Kate interrupted him. “Think about it, Kalma Zabi chose Princess Cruises as the venue for the banquet simply because of its neutrality.”

"The security at Anaheim and the Zeon forces will be on high alert, making it difficult for our agents to get close with weapons. But if—there is a young lady at the banquet who happens to be a relative of the mayor, and she is curious about the 'Napoleon reincarnated' who is invincible on the battlefield, and takes the initiative to approach him… wouldn't that be a matter of course?"

Iserina's eyes lit up: "You mean, you want me to go near him?"

Kate was speechless. This was an assassination attempt. Why were you so excited, Mayor?

“This is no child’s play.” Kate walked up to Iserina, her voice turning serious. “Miss, that man is Karma Zabi. Get him to notice you, that’s all. Leave the rest to us.”

Iserina was taken aback by Kate's seriousness, but she still straightened her back and said with a hint of stubbornness, "Okay, I understand."

“Iserina—” Joseph’s voice was full of anxiety.

“Father.” Iserina turned around, her eyes unusually firm. “That Karma Zabi, he orchestrated the Great Britain campaign.”

"If his life could end here, the world would surely be a more peaceful place."

Joseph's expression was somewhat distorted; he felt guilty for using his daughter to lure the devil.

However, judging from Iselina's expression, Kate felt that this young lady might have different ideas from her father.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Kate took a delicate brooch from her pocket and handed it to Iserina.

"Take this with you. Our federal technicians have installed a miniature communicator and positioning device inside. On the day of the banquet, you just need to follow our instructions."

"Remember, don't be too proactive. Be natural. You are the mayor's daughter. You just happened to meet him at the banquet, were curious about him, and naturally started a conversation."

Iserina took the brooch, held it in her palm, and nodded.

“There’s one more thing.” Kate’s voice suddenly softened, almost a whisper, “If… I mean if, something unusual happens, you must prioritize protecting yourself. You are an important part of our plan, but that’s all.”

Joseph, who was standing to the side, sighed deeply and slumped back into his chair: "Iserina, you must be careful. You are my only daughter."

“Father,” Iselina went over and took her father’s hand to comfort him, “It’s alright.”

"There are still three days until the banquet. In these three days, I need all the preparations to be flawless, and I also need to ensure that the Zeon army will not immediately associate the assassination with you."

“Mr. Mayor, your task is to ensure that the official procedures for the reception banquet proceed smoothly and that Kalma Zabi does not arouse suspicion. Miss Iserina, you need to familiarize yourself with how to use the brooch… and also know some escape methods.”

Thus, many social elites, business leaders, and political families from cities on the East Coast of the United States received invitations from Mayor Joseph to attend the "Immigrant Heritage Day" dinner hosted by New York City on the Princess Cruises ship.

Anaheim Entertainment only charged a token fee for the banquet, which they considered an excellent form of tourism advertising.

They also invited American pop singers and stand-up comedians to warm up the atmosphere before the banquet.

This also marks the first time that Kalma Zabi has represented Zeon at such a large-scale international event on Earth.

The scene of singing and dancing makes one wonder if war is actually taking place...

Meanwhile, in space, Federation and Zeon forces are battling amidst a dense fog of Minovsky particles, with beams and missiles relentlessly reaping lives.

Anaheim even considered broadcasting the banquet globally to increase its economic revenue, but ultimately abandoned the idea after strong protests from the Union Army, especially General Reibill.

Chapter 91 Cruise Ship

In a country villa in Brest, France.

The Basques and their mastermind… Jamitov Heyman are watching the images being transmitted back to them on television.

Although Anaheim did not obtain the rights to broadcast globally, it still secretly broadcast VIP content... a type of television channel exclusively for privileged viewers. Many of the programs broadcast on these channels are privately commissioned by the wealthy and are far more explicit than ordinary people can imagine.

This is a membership system; it's not simply a matter of having money.

"So, this means it's impossible for an Aegis destroyer to launch a missile attack on the cruise ship?"

“A stupid question, Basque. No destroyer captain would be foolish enough to take the responsibility of firing.” Jamitov glanced at Basque. “Aren’t you going to take command on the spot?”

“I have handed over full authority to Captain Kate,” Basque said.

“I am an officer in the intelligence department. I will not interfere too much with the performance of the front line. Soldiers have the duties of soldiers, and generals have the duties of generals. People like Karma Zabi who lead troops on the front line can only be called pioneers if they are lucky enough to survive. If they die, they will only be ridiculed for being reckless and incompetent.”

"Sometimes a commander should be a little timid and cautious."

Djamitov stroked his chin. "What are the chances of success this time?"

“Around 20%,” Basque said. “Kalma Zabi is willing to play this game, but North America is his home turf. He can overturn the table at any time if he senses danger.”

"An assassination can be carried out for 1000 million helium, which is much cheaper than the assassin organization we found on the moon."

Basque laughed, "And if he succeeds, the benefits will be even greater. He has already caused huge losses to the Federation at such a young age. In time, no one in the Earth Sphere will be able to rival him."

“If it succeeds, I’ll feel it’s a pity,” Jamitov said.

"grown ups?"

"The more I learn about this man, the more I admire his talent. It's a pity he was born in Zeon and into the Zabi family."

Jamitov swirled the wine in his glass. “It’s puzzling. Why can’t the Federation, with its enormous size, select outstanding elites and produce a ‘Kalma Zabi’?”

-----

At 8:6 a.m. on June 19, the Princess Cruises was sailing along the east coast of North America at a speed of 18 knots, and the pre-show performance was coming to an end.

Wearing a black dress that exposes her northern hemisphere, federal agent Kate, disguised as a socialite, takes a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray.

The rotors of a helicopter with the AE logo in the distance were making a loud noise.

As the helicopter slowly landed on the stern of the cruise ship, the target—Kalma Zabi—appeared, his figure revealed by the searchlights, waving towards the upper deck.

The cheers of girls around me rang out, chanting things like "Karma-sama".

During his time on Earth, Garma Zabi fully adhered to the Antarctic Treaty in battle, strictly enforced discipline within the Zeon military, concluded peace treaties with the member states of the Federation, effectively controlled the spread of the war, and also possessed the status of a Zeon prince.

Most importantly... he has a handsome face, fulfilling young women's perfect fantasies about the opposite sex.

After observing her target for a while, Kate took a sip of champagne to calm herself down, as if she understood the reason for the mayor's daughter's excitement.

He looks even more handsome in person than on TV.

However, she wasn't afraid of the mayor's daughter "betraying" her.

She didn't tell Iserina the assassination method; she was just a cog in the assassination plan, a cog that didn't need to think... but success certainly required a bit of luck.

Kate has done a lot of assassinations; a successful assassination requires the right timing, location, and people.

Unless it's a more brutal assassination method... that's not available in this mission.

Sniping?

A group of bodyguards dressed in black were looking around warily.

The high points on the cruise ship have been occupied by snipers hired at great expense.

bomb?

Before setting sail, AE had already searched the entire ship with a large metal detector.

Under these harsh conditions, Kate racked her brains to come up with a feasible assassination plan.

She spoke into the microphone: "Miss Iserina, you can almost come out of the VIP cabin."

“Yes, Miss Kate,” came Iserina’s somewhat timid voice through the earpiece. “Are you sure there’s nothing I should do?”

"Just enjoy the banquet and show off your charm."

Kate spoke as if she were coaxing a child.

"receive……"

. . .

"Lady Kalma, welcome to America!"

"Thank you, the American people are truly hospitable."

"Lord Karma, please give me your autograph!"

A young woman handed over a signed note, which her gloved bodyguard carefully accepted... to prevent the possibility of poisoning the note.

“Okay… Remember this beautiful lady, I’ll return it to her after I sign it.” Karma instructed the receptionist arranged by AE, who nodded quickly.

AE's bodyguards pushed aside the somewhat surging crowd, and Karma was also accompanied by two Zeon soldiers carrying rifles as guards, which reminded him of a celebrity meet-and-greet.

I felt like I was being treated like some rare and precious animal, so today was just an ordinary celebration banquet?

She did not use a stand-in, nor did Karma use a flashy method like piloting a Gundam to directly parachute onto the helipad.

This also expresses trust in AE's services; before coming, the chairman of Kabain even called him specifically.

Tell him not to worry about security; he has already spent a lot of money to hire a professional security team and has repeatedly checked the security routes for tonight, so the banquet tonight is absolutely safe.

Kalma was escorted to the banquet hall, where Mayor Joseph was already waiting for her with a big smile at the door.

Maintaining this expression must have taken a lot of energy for someone who despises Zeon.

“Mr. Mayor, it’s been more than a month since we last met.”

"Your Excellency, it is my fault for not being hospitable enough."

The two clasped hands, and the reporters' spotlights kept flashing; it would probably be on tomorrow's front page.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kalmar took the stage and delivered a speech entitled "America and Zeon: Great Immigrant Nations."

The content further elaborates on the similarities between the development of the New World (America) and the new living space (Zeon) from a historical perspective, and how both experienced a difficult War of Independence.

It immediately garnered thunderous applause from the audience.

Joseph also gave a speech.

...Kalmar didn't really listen, because he had already seen a beautiful girl in the audience wearing a blue dress, silk gloves, and with golden curly hair.

She was gazing at him with tender affection through her large, blue eyes.

Even though it was the first time we'd met, I had a strange feeling of déjà vu...

Chapter 92 Who do you think I resemble?