Yang Hui returned to the Twelfth Independent Technical Division's base in the East Asia Theater with Athrun and Gai Murakumo, only to find that most of the members had already returned ahead of schedule.
There were still two days left before the end of their vacation, but none of them were the type to indulge in leisure. After relaxing their taut nerves and reuniting with their families, they had returned to the base one after another, cutting their vacation short.
"Hey! Colonel, you're back too?"
As Yang Hui led Athrun and Gai Murakumo into the base, people greeted him warmly before returning to their work. As for the unfamiliar Athrun and Gai Murakumo, they merely nodded, neither too puzzled nor asking any questions.
After all, there was a precedent in the team. People like Jung, Kajima Yuu, South Burning, and Cima had all been personally brought back by Yang Hui. They were probably incredibly skilled, and the team had grown accustomed to it.
"A fine unit," Gai Murakumo praised.
As the backbone of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, as well as the object of every member's admiration and the target they chased, Yang Hui's return was met with simple greetings before everyone refocused on their own work.
"After all, they were personally trained by Yang Hui," Athrun said. In the Gundam SEED world, Yang Hui had never led a direct subordinate unit from scratch or trained new recruits from the ground up, so he hadn't had a chance to show this side of himself.
But after coming to Prometheus Fortress, Athrun, Gai Murakumo, and Asemu had spoken with others and gained some understanding of how Yang Hui trained his subordinates.
"With this expansion, we'll be adding two new squadrons. I won't be making veterans the new captains. Instead, I will select two from the new recruits to lead the two teams," Yang Hui said to Athrun and Gai Murakumo.
"Understood." The two of them nodded in response. Yang Hui's meaning was clear: he hoped the two of them could become the new captains.
"I know what you're capable of, but don't get careless. Don't let someone else surpass you."
"Yes, we won't."
"Go get settled in for now. There are still two days of vacation left. Don't go to the hangar or the tech department, but you can look around elsewhere. Report with all the other new recruits after the vacation ends."
"No problem."
"I'll be going then."
Yang Hui was only responsible for bringing Athrun and Gai Murakumo into the Twelfth Independent Technical Division; he wouldn't interfere in anything else. This included their training, interpersonal relationships, status, and rank... he would let them handle all of that themselves.
"Colonel."
"How has the situation been these past two weeks?"
Yang Hui arrived at the command center and inquired about what had happened during the vacation period.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, just that everyone is a little eager for combat in space," Amuro reported. Although he was only sixteen, he was different from his peers in the throes of adolescence. Rather than waste time on games, he preferred to intensify his training. As the youngest in the unit, he didn't want to hold everyone back.
So, after returning to his home on Earth to spend a few days with his mother, Amuro had come back to the base. As for Tim Ray... he would naturally see him once they went to space.
"Heh, this bunch of rascals. Where are they all?" Yang Hui shook his head with a faint smile.
"The training grounds. Everyone resumed training as soon as they got back."
"Not bad. Let's go, we'll go see them."
"Yes, sir."
Yang Hui brought Amuro to the training grounds. The shouts of cadence from runners filled the air, the roars from those lifting weights echoed as they reached and surpassed their limits again and again, and a constant stream of curses could be heard from the simulation training area.
"Hm?" Yang Hui noticed a small area in the simulation training zone surrounded by a crowd. A playful smile touched his lips as he walked over.
"Major."
Quite a few people were gathered in this area, where four MS simulation training cockpits stood at the center. Upon seeing Yang Hui, they all saluted.
"At ease." Yang Hui waved his hand, telling them to relax. "Who's in the lead?" he asked.
"Fort is one point ahead of Russ. Kowloon and Lide are close behind," Jung answered with a smile, pulling up the data from their four-way battle for Yang Hui to see.
"Heh, that kid Fort. Looks like he's really giving it his all," Yang Hui's playful smile widened as he looked at the data.
"By the way, Colonel, is what they said true?" George asked.
"What did they say?"
"That the winner can become your brother-in-law?"
"Hmm... I suppose so." Seeing the expressions on Giorgio Miguel and many others present, Yang Hui knew what they were thinking.
"Then do we have a chance?" Giorgio Miguel asked expectantly.
"You do, as long as you can successfully win her over," Yang Hui said.
"Whoosh—"
As expected, those who had been eavesdropping scattered in an instant, all rushing off to train. They had heard from the four—Fort Romfite and the others—that Sera Mars had only one condition: be even more amazing than Yang Hui!
Well... that was a tall order, and they didn't have much confidence. But... the goal of becoming Yang Hui's brother-in-law had reignited their passion!
Surpassing Yang Hui in every aspect was too difficult, impossible in the short term. So, they could only take it one step at a time. Looks and physique... they considered themselves not too far behind Yang Hui. After those two came MS piloting skills, which was their strongest suit. They would surpass Yang Hui one aspect at a time, and then...
Alright, time to stop dreaming. That wasn't realistic.
But who cares! What if she just wanted to see them working hard? Hadn't someone said it before? A man who is serious and hardworking is the most handsome!
"Colonel, do you think they can succeed?" Travis Kirkland asked Yang Hui with a teasing look. He was one of the few who had no designs on Sera Mars, as he was already married and had a son.
"I doubt it." Yang Hui shrugged. Although he didn't know what Fort Romfellow and the other three had done to pursue Sera Mars after he left, it was obvious that Sera Mars had given them this condition to make things difficult and get them to back off. It was just that they hadn't gotten the message.
"This is a chance to become your brother-in-law. They definitely won't give up so easily," South Burning said with a laugh. He also had a family of his own and wasn't interested in Sera Mars.
"Then let them try." Yang Hui shrugged, unconcerned. "This bunch of rascals isn't usually this diligent."
"Hahaha..."
"By the way, Colonel, some of the new recruits have already reported to the base. Do you want to see them now?" Travis Kirkland asked.
"Let's wait. We'll see them all together when everyone has arrived." This was an attitude of fair treatment. They were all new recruits. If they knew that some recruits had arrived early and Yang Hui had met with them beforehand, might it create ideas like "those who arrive early get preferential treatment"?
Such thoughts were very serious for new recruits. If not handled well, it could lead to vicious competition within the team, which was the last thing Yang Hui wanted to see.
Moreover, not all of this batch of new recruits had been personally selected by Yang Hui. He knew nothing about the ones he didn't recognize, so it was better to treat everyone equally. This included Athrun and Gai Murakumo. Although he had personally brought them, he would leave them to their own devices once they were at the base, letting them develop on their own.
"Understood. However, Colonel, there is one person I think you'd better meet," Travis Kirkland suggested.
"Who?" Yang Hui raised an eyebrow. Travis Kalan had been with him for a long time and should know his style. To make such a suggestion meant this person was very special.
"Rita Bernal."
"Revil has already sent her over?" Yang Hui asked, surprised.
"Yes, she arrived three days ago. She's been staying in her room the whole time. She even has her meals sent over and doesn't speak to anyone," Travis Kirkland reported. He didn't know why Yang Hui had asked Revil for this 7-year-old girl, nor did he know what she had been through. But judging from her condition, she must have been devastated by some tragedy. To open this little girl's heart and let her feel warmth again, it was probably a job only Yang Hui could do.
"...Take me to her."
"Yes, sir."
Led by Travis Kirkland, Yang Hui arrived at Rita Bernal's room. Travis then excused himself, leaving the two of them—one big, one small—alone.
Yang Hui looked at the little girl sitting by the window, her eyes vacant, like a soulless doll. He sighed.
Rita Bernal. Just a few months ago, her home in Australia had been utterly destroyed by a colony attack. Yet she and her companions had miraculously survived. Because she had successfully foreseen the disaster before Zeon's Operation British succeeded, she was called the "Miracle Child" by the survivors.
At the same time, her precognitive abilities had caught the attention of the Federation's high command. The top brass took her and her companions away to a top-secret research facility.
At this point in time, Newtypes were just a legend to many, their existence unconfirmed. But... neither the Federation nor Zeon had ever stopped searching for and researching Newtypes. Whether Rita Bernal was a Newtype was uncertain, but her precognitive ability was of great research value, so...
That wasn't even the most tragic part. In U.C. 0095, Rita Bernal would become the test pilot for the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam Unit 3 [Phenex]. Under the Federation's utterly unscrupulous pressure, the test failed. Both Rita Bernal and the Phenex went berserk. Rita Bernal lost her physical body, her soul merging with the mobile suit, becoming a true "Phoenix."
This was the main reason Yang Hui had requested Rita Bernal. What he detested most was experimenting on children without any moral bottom line.
"Rita Bernal?" Yang Hui called her name gently, afraid of startling her.
"..." Rita Bernal showed no reaction. She continued to stare out the window with vacant eyes. The slowly setting, blood-red sun draped a veil over her, a premonition of her tragedy and numbness.
"Sigh." Yang Hui sighed and walked forward, wanting to pat her head in comfort. Who would have known that the moment Yang Hui's hand touched Rita Bernal, something strange would happen.
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