The war between the Earth Federation and Zeon on the Earth front, specifically the Middle Eastern theater, concluded with the Federation's complete victory.
This outcome not only shocked Zeon but also left the Federation's top brass in disbelief. The revelation that a unit of just nine MS had decided the entire battle was particularly staggering—even Zeon, who relied most heavily on MS, found it utterly fantastical.
"What exactly happened?" Gihren Zabi, far away in SIDE-3, summoned the heads of the intelligence and operations departments and berated them harshly, demanding to know why there had been no prior intelligence or countermeasures.
The petroleum resources of the Middle East were crucial to the Principality of Zeon—fossil fuels and funds needed for the later stages of the war had to be sourced from there. Now, the total defeat on the Middle Eastern front dealt a major blow to Gihren Zabi's Earth invasion plan.
Moreover, since the MS's debut—whether in the operation to pursue Dr. Minovsky, the One Week War, or the Battle of Loum—the Zeon Army had been advancing triumphantly, winning every battle with high morale, ready to seize Earth's treasures in one swift push.
Yet... the first major engagement ended in failure. The Middle Eastern front, which they had been certain to capture, collapsed completely, ruining the blitzkrieg strategy and nearly sending morale plummeting to freezing point.
If not for the current instability within Zeon, Gihren Zabi would have unhesitatingly sent the two of them a peanut, sending the two of them to join the fallen soldiers underground with a bullet.
"We previously received intelligence that after the Battle of Loum, the Federation witnessed the power of MS and, despite opposition, General Gopp pushed through an MS development program called the 'V Project'..." the head of intelligence reported with his head bowed.
"Don't waste my time with what I already know! Tell me something new!" Gihren Zabi was aware of this intelligence. Initially, he hadn't paid it much mind, confident that the Federation lagged behind Zeon in MS development. He believed that by the time the Federation could establish its own MS units, he would have already completed his Earth invasion plan, capturing over half of Earth's territory to fill Zeon's critical resource shortages.
Thus, he hadn't strictly ordered intelligence to thoroughly investigate the "V Project," instead assigning the task to Dozle Zabi to handle the investigation and sabotage.
But... reality struck like a hard slap across his face. The Federation's MS, developed later than Zeon's, had decided the outcome of a major frontline with just nine units. If the Federation managed mass production, what chance would Zeon have?
"Yes... After you assigned the investigation to Lieutenant General Dozle, he dispatched a team led by Major Char Aznable, the 'Red Comet.' After multiple investigations, it was confirmed that the 'V Project' had merged with the previously shelved 'SCV-X Project,' renamed the 'V-X Project,' and is being conducted at Luna II..."
"Since it's confirmed, why wasn't it destroyed?"
"That... was because you opposed it..."
"Hmm?"
"Uh..." The intelligence chief wiped cold sweat from his brow, bowing his head even lower.
This matter truly wasn't his fault. When Char transmitted this intelligence back to the Zeon homeland and requested reinforcements, Dozle Zabi personally approached Gihren Zabi, asking for permission to lead the Space Fleet to eliminate the remaining Federation Space Force at Luna II and simultaneously disrupt the progress of the [V-X Project].
However, Gihren Zabi flatly rejected the request because he was more concerned with the imminent Earth invasion plan. Compared to the [V-X Project], which lagged behind their own developments, the first drop operation was undoubtedly far more important.
In fact, Gihren Zabi's decision was correct. No one could predict how much time and how many forces would be required to capture Luna II. If they failed and allowed the Federation to catch their breath, while the [V-X] Project was completed, the Federation would possess their own MS units before Zeon even began the drop operation. Wouldn't that be like voluntarily providing the meat filling for the dumpling wrapper?
Who could have known... that a monster like Yang Hui would emerge? Not only did he successfully develop an entirely new MS in an extremely short time, but it was also remarkably powerful.
Gihren Zabi turned his attention to the head of the General Staff. Since the problem had already occurred, he valued countermeasures more than assigning blame.
"How does the General Staff view this unit?"
"Yes, Supreme Commander." The head of the General Staff had clearly come prepared, presenting numerous analytical materials during his briefing. "First, according to joint analysis by technical advisors from Zeonic Company, Zimmad Company, and MIP Company, the Federation's MS performance comprehensively surpasses that of the Zaku II. This includes the beam rifle with ship cannon-level power mentioned by Major Char in his intelligence report, along with high-output energy weapons. Their mobility, firepower, and defensive capabilities all exceed those of the Zaku II. Additionally, they assess that these MS's armor is entirely made of Gundarium Alloy Alpha, leading to the conclusion that these MS must be extremely expensive to produce and cannot be mass-produced."
"Hmm, continue."
"This is the technical department's analysis regarding the MS themselves. While these MS are indeed superior to the Zaku II, their inability to be mass-produced means they cannot pose a significant threat to us. The real threat lies with their pilots."
"Pilots?"
"Yes, pilots. As you know, Supreme Commander, the more advanced the Mobile Suit's performance, the more it tests the pilot's capabilities. An ace pilot can utilize 100%, or even 200%, of their machine's potential. And then..." During his report, he brought up several surviving video records from the Middle Eastern front. "...These are the only remaining video records. Supreme Commander, please take a look."
"Hmm..."
These videos included footage of the second squad led by Travis demonstrating guerrilla tactics while supporting allied forces on the battlefield, along with records of the first squad. Most featured Yang Hui's Unit 01, though other pilots also appeared.
While the others merely surprised Gihren Zabi with the Federation's possession of such excellent Mobile Suit pilots, Yang Hui's performance could only be described as shocking to him.
"Who is the pilot of this machine?" Gihren Zabi asked, pointing at Yang Hui's Unit 01.
"I don't know. We only know this Mobile Suit Squad belongs to the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, directly under General Revil's command. We have the list of researchers from the original V Project and SCV-X Project, but we haven't obtained the pilots' roster yet," the intelligence department head promptly replied.
"Investigate! This person's identity must be uncovered!"
"As you command."
"Then what?" Gihren Zabi turned his gaze to the head of the operations department.
"So our assessment of this unit is twofold: extremely dangerous, but not fatal."
"Hmm... Continue."
"The extreme danger lies in two aspects. First is the combat capability they've demonstrated - with just nine MS units, they were able to reverse the outcome of the Middle East front. This means other fronts face similar threats. Moreover, if they have the opportunity to expand, they could become fatal to us.
As for why they're not fatal... after all, they only have nine units. Even though we don't have air superiority on Earth currently, transporting MS on Earth remains a major problem. If they rely on Midia transport aircraft, we just need to stretch the battle lines and delay their reinforcement speed. If we can conclude battles before they reach the combat zone, they'll be rendered useless."
"Tap... tap... tap..." After hearing the operations department's analysis, Gihren Zabi's fingers tapped rhythmically on his chair's armrest as he contemplated his next strategy.
"Tell Kycilia I want to hear news of Odessa's fall within three days."
"Yes."
"And to Zeonic, Zimmad, and MIP - since the Zaku II can no longer meet battlefield requirements, we can begin the next round of MS development competition."
"Yes."
"And you," Gihren Zabi said, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the intelligence department head, "investigate every member of this unit thoroughly, and then..."
"Yes!" No explicit order was needed - he knew what to do. War was inherently dirty, and often, dirty methods were more direct and effective.
"Hmm..." After further contemplation, he asked his secretary, "How are preparations for the second airborne deployment force?"
"All ready, can commence at any time."
"Order Dozle to immediately launch the second drop operation, target North American continent."
"Yes."
...
Meanwhile, on the Federation side, following the complete victory on the Middle East front, General Revil personally traveled to the Middle East front to attend the victory celebration. Yang Hui and his team's achievements were so significant that some higher-ups were already considering underhanded moves.
Case in point: the moment Revil stepped off the plane, he heard that Yang Hui had nearly wiped out an entire military police battalion.
"You damn brat, can't you just behave?" Revil scolded irritably.
"This isn't my fault, General Revil. Was I supposed to not fight back?"
"But you went too far." The military police who came this time actually hadn't intended to do anything serious to Yang Hui and his team - just temporarily detain them until higher authorities could claim their achievements, then release them afterward.
These parasites could have been easily driven away by invoking Revil's name, but surprisingly, Yang Hui didn't use Revil's authority. Instead, he took matters into his own hands. Several Astray Gundams activated directly, aiming Vulcan Cannons, Beam Rifles, Gatling Vulcan Cannons, and Rocket Launchers down at them from an elevated position. The sight nearly made them wet their pants, and they fled in panic before Yang Hui could even lower his raised hand.
This was no empty threat—if these people had been foolish enough to resist, Yang Hui would have truly taken lethal action. The notoriety of the Federation's Political Department and Military Police Corps was already well-known and didn't need further explanation.
So, instead of being frightened, allied forces applauded Yang Hui's actions.
"This should have been a matter for you and General Gopp to handle, General Revil. Since it wasn't dealt with properly, I had no choice but to step in," Yang Hui said with a shrug.
"Alright, I've already identified the people behind this. This incident provides a good opportunity to clean out a batch of them."
"Good. Otherwise, if any more blind fools come to bother me, I might really have to take care of it myself."
(End of Chapter)