Gundam: From Piece to Player

As a Federation captain and a ship's commander, from the perspective of the planner, Brad could also realize the overall impact of White Base's actions... Even if White Base sacrificed itself for this, reducing casualties would still be a worthwhile deal.

But as the captain of the White Base, he instinctively resisted the operation.

—During the drill, the large steel pontoon bridge, spanning over 100 meters and constructed using Luna titanium alloy, took 20 minutes to deploy and 25 minutes to allow passage.

Any officer with a modicum of common sense could understand how perilous the situation at the White Base was, let alone someone like Brad who had fought against Karma Zabi.

In order to save the lives of the crew, and even his own... and to continue climbing the ranks within the Federation Army, the real challenge became how to survive without violating military orders.

Brad believes that abandoning the white base is also an option if necessary.

To put it bluntly, it's just weaponry; he couldn't understand why those naval officers in old movies would like to go down with their ships.

After returning to the ship, Brad gathered all the crew members and announced the upcoming battle plan, at which point the atmosphere on the ship became heavy.

Following this external meeting, Brad quickly convened an internal meeting with Shiko, Miley, the chief engineer, Sera, and other "insiders."

"The Earth Force made our Space Force pull chestnuts out of the fire for them. That Bruce is a guy blinded by greed for military industry, while General Rebil, considering the overall situation, chose to make us the victims of the Odessa Campaign..."

This is the lieutenant's insightful commentary as a resident of space.

Brad couldn't help but sigh that even those in the same camp couldn't escape such infighting.

---------Odessa Defense Line---------

On the morning of July 27, 79, Karl Marx, wearing a winter coat, entered a submarine with Oliver and Heywen. They were there to retrieve modification equipment.

"PhD."

"Your Excellency." Upon seeing Kalma, the man named Kelsto quickly came forward to greet her.

"Is the installation complete?"

Karma looked at the Type 78 Gundam in the hangar, which had a significantly larger head-mounted main monitor.

They still managed to capture something useful from the Earth Federation 5th Army's pallet-class equipment—an e-cap charging station specifically for the ground-type Gundam beam rifle.

After being captured, the data was studied, and the RX-78 was finally able to fire beam weapons... Meanwhile, the data was transmitted back to the 101st Division fleet in space, and the prototype work on the charging equipment and the corresponding beam rifle for the e-cap was underway.

...Although beam melee weapons are not yet widespread in the future, weapons like beam rifles can be used even on older Zaku models, as long as they have a "charging station".

"Yes, it's done. The mass-production version of the EXAM-A system has been installed."

"Once the brainwaves of the new humans are received, especially the waveform that matches the 'killing intent', the system can identify it within 0.1 seconds and immediately operate the machine to take countermeasures. However, at that time, it may involve the issue of the priority of piloting commands."

“The priority is definitely to have the learning computer override the driver’s actions after receiving the brainwaves, otherwise the system would be meaningless,” Oliver interjected.

"This is not a simple code overwrite; it will also affect the normal operation of the machine. We have conducted several simulation tests and found that, under high-speed movement, rough interference can even lead to damage to the machine's structure..."

Kalster's worries were unnecessary; a solution had already been found—Kalmar had long planned to install the EXAM system on the 78 before applying a magnetic coating to the force field motor.

“I can handle this.” Karma smiled. “Doctor, you know that there will only be more and more new humans in the future, and I need to ensure that ordinary pilots have ways to deal with superhumans.”

"Thank you. I'm sure future generations will understand your good intentions."

Karlma's answer was also to please him... Since Karlster was full of theories about the threat of the new humans, he would just go along with it.

Even if one disagrees with another's opinion, one can remain completely silent. This is the foundation of human society today—as long as one can save face and maintain basic decorum.

Karma turned around and looked at Haiwen behind her.

"Girl, you'll be driving the Type 78 from now on."

"Ah."

After saying this, Karma touched her bangs and suddenly felt a little guilty.

Having been piloted by so many people... is the Type 78 still a good machine?

Shaking the strange thought out of her head, Karma handed a briefcase to Haiwen.

"This is also for you. Have the generals sign it."

According to the federal logistics intelligence gathered by the intelligence department, the enemy should launch an attack within a few days, at most three days. Although the decisive battle strategy has been made public to Yuri... it was emphasized again that he should be a good "Pétain", while he himself should do the work of Napoleon.

"Big brother, are you really going?"

Karma paused for a moment, then smiled gently.

"That's why I'm going to modify the Type 78 and hand it over to you. The Federation will definitely launch a full-scale attack from the White Base. The only one who can stop that Newtype on the ship besides me is you. You need to do your analysis and preparation."

Haiwen nodded quickly.

“This is the first time the other side has seen you. Your intelligence wasn’t uploaded to the White Base because of the capture of 78-2.” Karma patted Haiwen’s head. “But you’ve already fought her (in the combat logs of VEDA/Mobile Zaku), which is an advantage for you.”

Chapter 127 White Base - Landing Operation

Haiwen entered the central command headquarters in Odessa carrying a briefcase and placed it on the table. Sitting opposite him were only Yuri and Mark Bay, who had been summoned by Kalmar's private information channels.

"Captain Haiwen, has the general already departed?"

"Yes, this is the mission statement for the final operation. Please review it, General Yuri and General Mark Bay."

Haiwen opened his briefcase and took out a piece of stiff paper that couldn't be folded. The paper already had the signatures of Kalmar and the submarine force commander-in-chief Hartmann.

"We already know the mission, is this still necessary?"

"The general said this is a historical document, and asked the two of you to sign it... If we win the war, this will become your seal; if we do lose... it will leave behind a valuable historical record for future generations, so that this history will not be arbitrarily altered by later generations."

Upon hearing this, Yuri's expression turned solemn. He took the pen from Haywin, signed his name, and then handed it to Mark Bay. Mark Bay took the paper but did not sign it immediately... instead, he read it word by word.

"As a key executor of the final operational plan, Major General Song Ren did not sign it?"

"Major General Song Ren is already carrying out the final battle plan... Even the general didn't know the major general's location before he set off."

After hearing Haiwen's explanation, Mark Bay's doubts were dispelled, and he readily signed his name on the document...

On December 1st, the temperature at the Odessa base dropped to 4 degrees Celsius, with cold sleet falling from the sky. Compared to the cities to the north that often have thick snow accumulation, this place is relatively livable.

In previous years, there were only five days in December with single-digit low temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. Although the Black Sea would freeze, the ice layer would not be too thick.

As evening fell, under the cover of clouds, the white base slowly descended from an altitude of 2 meters. Above it, a massive cloud of aircraft followed. After the white base landed, they would use tens of thousands of tons of aerial bombs to clear a landing zone for it.

At 18:01, Zeon soldiers on patrol in a section of the second line of defense witnessed an unforgettable scene: a colossal object, larger than two football fields, burst out of the clouds, resembling the giant floating island described in Gulliver's Travels.

As they sounded the alarm and reported to their superiors, the soil and trenches within a radius of several kilometers centered on the White Base were violently overturned by the bombing.

Because the Minovsky particles interfered with the radar, the Federation forces decided to use the most thorough, and also the most "clumsy," method for air support. Each crew was assigned a task, and a safe zone was established with a radius of 200 meters centered on the White Base landing site.

They carried out carpet bombing of the outside world.

White phosphorus bombs, napalm bombs, and thermobaric bombs turned the surrounding area into a death zone.

He looked around at the fiery tornadoes and flying dirt.

Brad tried to keep his mind calm amidst the adrenaline rush. He glanced at his watch and set a 25-minute countdown.

Meanwhile, the engineering units of the Eastern Army Group began urgently laying a steel pontoon bridge large enough to span the trench in front of the second line of defense.

Fifty harpoons, launched by the cannon mechanism, pierced the concrete hundreds of meters away, while the flexible Luna titanium alloy steel cables slowly unfurled.

Then the chains, hydraulic system, and gear mechanism on it began to operate. With a steel frame as the skeleton, the interlocking structure covered with muscles, and then covered with the same Luna Titanium alloy as 78, it looked like a Transformers animation from the old century.

After the plan was finalized, the federal government spent a lot of money hiring hundreds of teams to design the pontoon bridge and mobilized hundreds of companies to participate in its production. It can even withstand a certain degree of damage from artillery shells.

--------

They won't even let us eat!

Yuri wiped his mouth; he had just been about to eat dinner when he received news of the surprise attack.

"Commander, according to feedback from the B2-B6 defense line, the White Trojan Horse has descended from the sky. The enemy's [Air Force] is clearing a landing zone for it. We have already launched an artillery attack according to the previous plan, but the effect is not very ideal. The [Air Force] is dropping bombs like madmen."

Major Darrow looked somewhat nervous.

"What about the other sections of the defense line?" Yuri did not make a decision immediately after hearing this.

"The enemy has launched artillery fire on the other two sections of the western and northern defense lines, but it is basically confirmed to be a feint. The Eastern Army Group has been seen planning to build a bridge near the White Horse."

“We certainly can’t underestimate their determination to attack.” Yuri looked at Mark Bay, who was sitting beside him. “Lieutenant General, can you hold off the Federal Air Force overhead?”

"I will send out all the Dopp fighters at my disposal to intercept them, but the force may not be enough... The enemy's long-planned landing is not so easy to repel."

Yuri thought for a moment, "Are they building a pontoon bridge now?"

"We have tried to interfere and stop them... but due to the enemy's air strikes, several artillery positions have been heavily attacked by the Federal Air Force. In addition, the pontoon bridge is too small a target to be hit directly. We did hit it just now, but the effect was not good."

"Order the artillery to concentrate their firepower on the other side of the bridge—plow up the Federal troops who are just watching the show."

"That white wooden horse and the floating bridge?"

"Ignore them, it's just a smokescreen. The real threat is the Eastern Army Group behind them. Let them build the bridge. Their heavy equipment will eventually have to cross the bridge. Aim at the front and rear and bombard them hard. Let's see if they have the courage to cross under artillery fire."

Yuri's composure also calmed the previously agitated Darrow.

"Yes!"

Mark Bay, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but think that this carefree kid was finally starting to look like a general.

The second line of defense—the White Base.

The enemy did not bombard the white base.

As Brad sat in the captain's seat, watching the Zeon shells arc across the bridge above and crash into the bridgehead behind, his emotions were like a rollercoaster.

It's a mixed bag... The good thing is that the White Base didn't become a major target, but the bad thing is that Karma Zabi's judgment was indeed shrewd.

But he's about to do something conspicuous.

"MS battalion, proceed immediately and prepare to establish artillery positions."

After landing, the white base hovered 20 meters above the ground, in the shadows under the moonlight.

A large number of GMs jumped to the nearby ground, all equipped with enhanced firepower and night-fighting suits to ensure they carried sufficient firepower.

This batch of GMs was also specially equipped with beam rifles (E-CAPs can be replenished at the white base) and beam sabers. To compensate for the lack of experience among MS pilots, a significant investment was made in their equipment.

Also ejected from the white base were several steel cannons, which lay prone on the ground, their shoulder-mounted 240mm cannons beginning to suppress the Zeon artillery positions.

Jim, on the other hand, protected them with a shield covered in the same design as the Type 78.

Although there are some stray bullets, the Steelcannon's robust Luna titanium alloy armor makes it immune to most indirect fire, making it an indestructible turret.

The fact that the White Base sent out mobile suits seems to have finally drawn the enemy's attention.