Gundam: From Piece to Player

A few days after Luna 2 set sail, everyone learned what the "rectification" meant, which involved all sorts of ridiculously intense training.

The No. 3 mobile suit she pilots would occasionally touch the mobile suits of the MS squad members with its "tentacles" during training, especially when the mobile suits made mistakes in their combat posture.

During each space training session, if you get hit by a "tentacle," be prepared to be "taught a lesson." Lieutenant Sugai will hurl very harsh insults, enough to make you question your existence.

Amuro had also observed that tentacle; it was a kind of catapult rope installed on the hand, which acted as a "suction cup" during training. When it hit, the electric current would be transmitted to the body of the person being whipped through the rope.

He asked his father, who said that during battle, they would switch to a small "grappling hook" that could be pinned to the enemy's aircraft. It was said that she herself had requested the maintenance department to install special equipment when she was piloting the Zani.

However, unlike the other drivers, Lieutenant Sugai didn't seem to reprimand him much, and even when he was "whipped," his words afterwards sounded very gentle.

As the white base approaches Earth's skies, the "special training" of their MS squad members will come to an end. Lieutenant Sugai will summarize their performance during this period of special training and have a private conversation with each of them.

At this moment, the members of the MS squad had completely trusted their commander.

It was finally Amuro's turn.

Amro straightened his uniform collar and walked into the ship's operations room.

The screen also displayed a PowerPoint presentation titled "Guidelines for Long-Range Support Shooting Operations," which was presumably the key points the lieutenant was explaining to Sergeant Long.

What lessons will the second lieutenant teach me?

Thinking this, Amuro noticed that Lieutenant Sugai closed the PowerPoint presentation and stepped down from the podium.

"Lieutenant, didn't you explain anything to me?"

"Amuro-kun, please have a seat."

"Oh, okay." Amuro sat down without thinking much of it, unaware that the lieutenant hadn't addressed him by his rank.

The lieutenant walked over to his side and sat down next to him.

"Tell me the truth, were you involuntarily drafted into the military?" Sugai lowered his voice.

"Involuntary?" Amuro didn't quite understand what the other person was saying.

“A soldier’s mission is to go to the battlefield and kill people, but I feel like you are a completely unprepared civilian.”

"Lieutenant, I don't quite understand."

"Alright, then tell me, why did you kill the Zeon soldiers?"

Kill the Zeon army?

"I want to protect..."

Amuro wanted to say that... but he immediately realized that the civilians and his companions on the White Base had already disembarked, and the White Base was now a completely military unit, a war machine entirely operated by soldiers.

Why am I staying here? Is it just to gain my father's approval?

"Your hesitation shows that you haven't thought about this issue at all... This is actually quite terrible. You have no reason to fight, yet you've plunged headlong into this war."

"What are you fighting for, Lieutenant?" Amuro asked, somewhat uncomfortable with what he heard.

“My family was in Side 4 and died in the Zeon nuclear attack on Christmas Eve, December 24. I was lucky to escape because I was on a trip with my college friends.”

Sugai Shiko's expression turned cold. "That's why I joined the Federation Army. I want to kill the Zeon soldiers, the more the better, ideally, I want to wipe them all out..."

Amuro felt a lump in his throat after hearing this, and managed to hold back his tears. He couldn't help but empathize with Lieutenant Sugai's plight.

Lieutenant Sugai's voice softened, and she patted his head.

“Amuro, you’re a gentle child. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Sugai Shiko said. “The Federation Army isn’t the kind of organization you can just join and leave at will, especially now that it’s wartime. The punishment for deserters is very severe. The war will be over in a few months. I hope you can hang in there.”

"Ah."

Lieutenant Sugai's hands were warm, and Amuro recalled that when he was a child on Earth, his mother had touched his head like that...

That afternoon, the white base began to detach from the Luna II escort fleet and enter its descent orbit. The high-temperature plasma sheath generated by friction shielded radio waves, causing a temporary interruption in communication.

"Captain, we are about to land in the Rocky Mountains of western North America, which is a neutral zone. Our forces will proceed south along the west coast of North America to collect ground combat data before heading to the Jabro base in South America."

Brad nodded. It was also General Reibill's request to land in this non-Zeon-controlled area in western North America.

In order to collect important combat data for the development of the OS for subsequent GM series.

This also prevented the White Base from being besieged by the powerful Zeon enemy, and only required it to face the enemy's airborne forces, thus avoiding the embarrassment of having no battle to fight.

The Zeon North American offensive forces would likely send troops to try attacking such conspicuous targets, and all they would need to do is familiarize themselves with the surrounding terrain and prepare for the counterattack.

Chapter 102 Spiral of Hatred

In the Zeon military's concession area on the east coast of North America, Char was assigned to a comfortable seaside mansion.

He savored the natural fish he hadn't eaten in years, used the tap water he could freely access, and reminisced about his childhood days on Earth.

Of course, that's not all.

"Major Xia, are you there?"

Lala's voice came from outside the door, and Xia opened the door a crack.

"I'm here."

"I've made breakfast, let's eat together."

"……it is good"

Char wanted to refuse, but when he saw the bandages on the girl's hands, he couldn't bear to refuse her kindness.

Lala Singh, a beautiful Indian girl, was originally assigned by Kalmar to assist him as an MS sniper in combat.

And this woman named Lala actually started taking care of his daily life, being nosy and meddling in his affairs.

Char initially suspected that this was a female agent sent by Karma to monitor him.

But after getting to know her, Char dismissed the idea... Although the girl was not highly educated, she was very intelligent and kind-hearted. Her only drawback was that she was a little clumsy in dealing with people. Char couldn't bear to drive her away, so he tacitly allowed her to stay.

After having breakfast with Lala, Char drove her to the Zeon North American Army base.

Compared to the daily skirmishes on the space front, the ground front is in a semi-rest state.

For routine operations such as clearing out guerrilla groups or battles at the company level or below, the decision is usually made by the divisional staff under the Strategic Intelligence Bureau, which dispatches KU (Kings of the Kyushu) with sufficient combat power to carry out the clearing operations as needed... There is a task bar in the combat system.

Char also received a combat squad primarily equipped with a Kau transport aircraft from Garma.

It was equipped with two Doppler fighter jets for reconnaissance.

There are also two mobile suits—actually his mobile Zaku and Lala's Ifrit.

He opened the intelligence panel as he usually did on Earth, then selected some tasks to handle, and incidentally wiped out the guerrillas.

Unexpectedly, they discovered the intelligence mission of the White Trojan Horse.

Although I wanted to act immediately, I thought of the three red, black, and white Federation MS that I had encountered.

He hesitated and decided to contact Karma first.

After asking several guards, none of them knew Kalma's whereabouts. Finally, they learned about it from President Oliver, who came to the new weapons hangar where the Mobile Zaku was located to guide the equipment work.

“The general is in the base lobby; there’s a funeral ceremony to preside over,” Oliver, dressed in a suit, said.

"A funeral?" Xia asked. "Aren't you going?"

"Major, will you help me finish these tasks?" Oliver showed Xia a densely packed electronic board. "I've already asked for leave for some reason, but someone like you can't ask for leave."

At this moment, the final chapter of the Ring of the Nibelung, "Ragnarok," is playing in the base's main hall, and thousands of soldiers dressed in Zeon uniforms stand in solemn silence.

The dozens of coffins and countless black-and-white photographs displayed in the auditorium were being broadcast live via camera and radio to Zeon's European and African military districts and even to Zeon itself.

The large heads of three important figures, Deakin, Kiran, and Deakin, were hung on a deep red curtain, appearing like statues under the lighting.

Karma was reading a eulogy, but she spoke with such fervor and passion that it sounded like a pre-battle mobilization speech.

"Fellow warriors, it has been six months since we ventured deep into the bottom of the gravity well. The Federation forces are still relentless, constantly seeking to attack and send us to hell."

"I'd like to ask you, do you remember why you're here?"

"For the independence of our motherland!" the soldiers below the stage responded.

“Very good. Ever since the founding of our Zeon nation, the Federation has been constantly propagating that our founding father, Deikun, was a separatist, but how have they treated us?”

"The economic sanctions and embargoes that lasted for twenty years were intended to cripple our economy, trigger food and political crises through economic crises, and bring down our government. But we survived. A year ago, we launched this war of independence against an enemy thirty times our size."

"This is not an easy battle, and I understand that some of you hate war. Just as the Founding Father said in 'To the New Generation,' true strength lies in surviving. I dare to predict that the war will end within six months, and we will eventually win this just war of independence. May victory be with you."

Karma swung her fist.

"Gentlemen, follow His Excellency to win this war and survive until victory!" An officer below led the way by raising his right hand, and the crowd on the stage responded in kind.

"ZICK ZEON!"

Some of the soldiers in the audience shouted this.

The scene was ignited by a frenzied atmosphere, and the funeral turned into a mobilization meeting. Even Char, who often incites others, couldn't help but feel a little dazed by the scene.

However, Karma simply saluted the cheers from below and did not respond further.

The funeral concluded after flowers were laid in honor of the fallen warriors.

As Kalmar stepped down from the podium, his fiancée, Iserina, rushed forward to hand him water.

Seeing that many officers were heading towards Karma, asking him to "make a decision," Char quickly went over first.

"What's wrong, Char?"

“General Karma, I have an important intelligence report.” In public, Char adjusted his form of address. “The White Trojan Horse is currently on the west coast of North America. The satellites we launched earlier have reported detecting it.”

"...I know, a few days ago when they just flew out of Luna II and headed towards Earth."

"Then why haven't you sent troops over yet?"

Karma looked at him calmly. "Char, you need to think things through. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."

"Think about it, why did the white wooden horse deliberately land near the Rocky Mountains on the west coast of North America instead of landing directly in Jabro? No one stopped them, so it might be a trap."

"Then what should we do?" Xia asked rhetorically. "Even if it's a trap, if we don't deal with the White Base now that it's isolated, we won't have another chance like this. When can I avenge my fallen men?"

As the war progresses, hatred will only deepen and deepen. Today you kill my men, tomorrow you kill my men, until one side is completely wiped out.

reconciliation?

It's not that easy.

This is the spiral of hatred born from war.