Chapter 213: A Very Busy Man
"Captain, that took quite a bit of time this time."
"It did. I underestimated the Titans' defenses—barely made it back alive."
Having returned to his fellow warriors, he began conversing with Roberto.
They needed to head back as soon as possible, to avoid any further complications.
"But you still made it back, didn't you, Captain?"
"Only thanks to someone's help. By the way, didn't AEUG plant a spy inside the Titans? Get in touch with her—have her look after a boy named Kamille Bidan."
As he maneuvered his mobile suit alongside Roberto's, he issued this order.
"Also, look into that boy's parents. I've heard they might be connected to the Titans' Gundam project."
"Gundam, huh..."
Roberto made a small sigh as he jotted this down.
As a former Zeon soldier himself, the name "Gundam" naturally stirred complex emotions in him.
"Speaking of which, AEUG's own Gundam is still in the design phase, isn't it?"
As Roberto said this, the two mobile suits exited the perimeter of the Argama.
A Musai-class ship, painted in deep blue Federation-style colors, was docked at the edge. However, its IFF system listed it as "unknown" with no specific affiliation marked.
Clearly, this was the vessel belonging to Quattro and Roberto—a captured Musai now repurposed by the Federation. Federation emblems were even painted on its prow and sides.
Why would a registered warship like this be assisting Quattro and Roberto?
Naturally, it was because most of General Blex's Federation fleet had become AEUG supporters.
Though Blex was only a major general, he still commanded a fleet—larger than that of Undertaker and smaller than the Titans'.
However, per Blex's orders, this fleet hadn't directly joined AEUG's operations yet.
Inferior military equipment was one reason; more importantly, Blex didn't believe the timing was right for military action.
"Gundam for AEUG... it just feels strange somehow."
Roberto commented.
"I mean, we're supposed to be rebelling against the Federation, yet our first mobile suit is modeled after their symbol. I get that feeling too."
Char instantly understood what Apolly meant.
"Still, it's ultimately just a symbol. If using it can reduce the obstacles AEUG faces, then it's not such a bad thing."
"True enough. But I've heard the Gundam's development has hit a bottleneck. They say the cost of Gundarium alloy is too high—if we tried to mass-produce it, it'd drain AEUG's entire budget dry."
Roberto relayed this to Quattro.
That bottleneck… Quattro vaguely remembered hearing something similar recently…
Ah, right—Kamille's mother had mentioned something about it when they met.
Could it be that Kamille's mother had a way to resolve the issue?
The thought lingered in Quattro's mind.
He also felt a twinge of regret. Axis had been working on new material development, and he had intended to bring the formula with him when he left. But things had moved too quickly, and he hadn't had time.
Back then, he hadn't expected to find himself in such a predicament.
Just like how he'd originally only come back to Earth's sphere to spend the rest of his life with Lalah.
"Welcome back, Captain Quattro."
A communication from the hangar came through—Lieutenant Colonel Henken Bekkener, captain of the Musai, had made contact.
"Congrats on completing the reconnaissance mission. Unfortunately, I have some bad news. Lieutenant Apolly was captured by Undertaker during a protest operation at Side 1. No further updates have come in so far."
Quattro had just handed his camera over to the intelligence team when he heard the news, and his expression immediately tensed.
"Apolly... is he still alive?"
"He should be. Undertaker isn't like the Titans—they follow procedures and don't resort to torture. But considering Apolly's identity… he's likely to be transferred soon for trial."
Quattro silently listened to Henken's report.
Had this happened back during the One Year War, he might have abandoned Apolly without hesitation.
But now, thinking of this comrade who had followed him from Axis back to Earth's sphere, he found himself incapable of such callousness.
"Has General Blex issued any new orders?"
Out of habit, Quattro reached inside his coat pocket, intending to put on his sunglasses—
—but in the end, he held himself back.
"No, nothing new."
Henken's expression didn't change much, but his eyes clearly showed he understood.
"In that case, how about we launch a rescue mission for Apolly, Captain?"
"But of course. Lieutenant Apolly is one of my men too."
Once the communication ended, Henken waved for the crew to adjust the ship's heading and set course for the Side 1 sector.
The Musai re-entered an unofficial route and began gradually accelerating.
A slight conflict stirred within Henken.
He was a Federation officer—granted, only the captain of a repurposed Salamis-class transport—but still, fundamentally an enemy of Zeon.
And now he was leading his crew on a mission to rescue a former Zeon soldier.
There were other Zeon people onboard, too.
AEUG claimed to raise its banner in support of space colonists' rights against the Federation…
But lately, the Federation seemed to be changing. General Gopp had been pushing through legislation benefiting space colonists, and General Revil had announced plans for a military restructuring. These developments made Henken wonder if there was still hope for the Federation.
Those who had joined AEUG under General Blex believed the Federation was beyond saving.
But maybe, just maybe… there was still a chance?
Of course, Henken would never voice these thoughts to anyone else. It was nothing more than a quiet fantasy he clung to.
——
"So it's confirmed? An unidentified warship just entered outside our jurisdiction?"
"Yes, it came in via the debris belt."
Eli raised his brows as he read the report handed to him.
The so-called debris belt wasn't anything unusual—just an accumulation of destroyed colonies, asteroid fragments, and warship wreckage from the One Year War.
Since it lay outside standard navigation routes, no one usually bothered exploring it.
But Eli wasn't just anyone—he was a transmigrator. He knew full well how ridiculous the trope of "you'll never be found if you hide in the debris belt" was, and he had never forgotten it.
That's why, back when Undertaker had first moved into Side 1, he had ordered the installation of laser surveillance systems and unmanned sentry units within the debris belt—the kind of security you'd usually only see around fortified bases.
This time, though, he'd ordered the sentries deactivated, leaving only the early warning system active.
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