Around the base, Amuro piloted the Astray Gundam, floating through the air while carefully controlling its speed so as not to harm Rita Bernal, who was standing on its palm.
Although Rita Bernal was wearing a protective pilot suit, she had not put on her helmet. Standing on the Astray Gundam's hand, she gazed out at the vast landscape and spread her arms wide. Facing the setting sun, she let the refreshing wind caress her cheeks, feeling as if she were flying, just like a little bird.
Freedom? Yes, that was the feeling of freedom.
"Rita, is this speed okay?" Amuro was worried about Rita Bernal's safety. The speed wasn't fast for them, but for a person's physical body, it still posed a danger, especially since Rita Bernal had her arms spread out and wasn't holding onto anything for protection.
"Yeah, it's fine!"
"Is that so? Good." Since Rita Bernal said it was fine, Amuro maintained the speed. However, he couldn't let his guard down, because Rita Bernal was slowly standing up straight, and even a slight jolt could cause her to fall.
Back in the crowded command center, everyone had been on edge at first, terrified that Rita Bernal might accidentally fall from the Astray Gundam.
But upon seeing the lively, sunny smile on her face, they all relaxed.
"Rita, are you happy?" Yang Hui asked Rita Bernal over the communicator.
"I'm so happy! I've become a little bird!"
"This is just the beginning," Yang Hui joked. "Right now, you're just a little sparrow. In the future, you'll become a swan, a wild goose, or even a mighty eagle soaring through the sky!"
"Mhm!"
As the sun sank below the horizon, its warm glow gradually faded, and the quiet curtain of night began to fall. Amuro brought Rita Bernal back to the base.
When Rita Bernal saw everyone waiting for her with smiles on their faces, her eyes blurred. She wanted to cry—not from sadness, but not exactly from joy either. How long had it been? How long since she had felt such warmth? Why did she suddenly have so many people who cared about her? Why did they all care so much?
"Because you're everyone's little sister." Perhaps it was the special resonance between Newtypes, but Amuro knew what Rita Bernal was thinking.
"Everyone's... little sister?"
"That's right." Amuro wore a bright smile. "The Colonel said that even though we joined the military and are separated from our families, here, we are all one family."
"One... family..."
"Mhm. My name is Amuro Ray. Like them, I'm also your big brother, Rita."
"Amuro... Okay!"
"Let's go, the welcome party is about to start."
"Welcome party? Huh?" Amuro suddenly patted Rita Bernal on the back, causing her to stumble forward a few steps.
After she regained her footing, a brilliant light suddenly flared up before her, illuminating the entire hangar as if it were daytime. Staring at the scene in front of her, Rita Bernal covered her small mouth, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
"Welcome back, Rita!" (Everyone)
Everyone from the Twelfth Independent Technical Division was present, welcoming Rita Bernal with happy smiles. They had even put up a banner, welcoming Rita Bernal home and into their big family.
"Come on, you're the guest of honor."
"Come over here, Rita."
"Hehe, not a bad welcome party, right?"
...
"Everyone... sob... Thank you... Thank you, everyone... sob sob..."
"Don't cry, Rita! You're the star today. If you cry like this, wasn't the welcome party prepared for nothing?"
"Mhm, mhm..." Rita Bernal wiped away her tears, but they continued to stream down her face. "...I won't cry... I won't... sob sob sob..."
Seeing Rita just standing there crying, Yang Hui took the initiative to walk over. He took Rita Bernal's small hand and led her to the center of the venue, seating her in a small chair. Margareta and Christina Mackenzie even placed a cute little crown on her head.
"Rita, welcome to the Twelfth Independent Technical Division."
"Welcome to the Twelfth Independent Technical Division!" (Everyone)
"Mhm!" Rita Bernal cried tears of joy. The hardships she had suffered and the sorrow she had experienced could not be erased, but they were now squeezed into a tiny corner of her heart by warmth and happiness. Her heart was filled only with wonderful bliss and an unprecedented sense of security. She had lost much, but now she had gained even more.
She recalled what Yang Hui had said to her in that void of nothingness: "If you can't change it, then destroy it!"
Before, she had thought that was the complete sentence. But now she knew there was a second half that Yang Hui hadn't said: "One person's strength may be insignificant and hard to succeed with, but when the strength of many is united, it can be done."
She was no longer alone. With so many older brothers and sisters caring for and looking after her, her hope, her potential—like tiny particles flowing into a great river—joined with her new family to fight against the cold indifference of fate.
"I'm home!"
...
The welcome party went smoothly, ending in a cheerful atmosphere and mood for everyone. The sun rose again, a new day began, and everyone quickly returned to their normal routines—working if they had work, training if they had training.
The only difference was that everyone was more enthusiastic, and a small figure was running around the base with even greater passion.
"That kid, Rita." Watching Rita Bernal trying to help everywhere while also studying hard, Yang Hui shook his head with a wry smile. "Just like you, adorably silly."
"Mmm..." Cima, who had just finished getting ready, blushed at his words and sealed herself under the covers again.
Cima couldn't be like Natarle Badgiruel, Lacus, Murrue, and the others, who interacted with Yang Hui as equals, or even held sway over him in private. She always placed herself behind Yang Hui, not as someone who stood by his side.
Cima also knew that Yang Hui had other women. With a sense of inferiority, she denied that she was Yang Hui's woman, seeing herself merely as his possession. Therefore, when faced with Yang Hui's teasing and dominance, she wouldn't resist; she would only accept.
Yang Hui didn't say anything about this. Even though he didn't treat Cima as an object but as one of his women, just like Sumeragi, Natarle Badgiruel, and the others, he wouldn't say it out loud.
Such matters varied from person to person. If Yang Hui were to say those things to Cima, it would only hurt her, not move her or lead to her acceptance. The thorn in her heart could only be removed by herself; he could only wait for her to slowly emerge from her shell.
Checking the time, Yang Hui stopped teasing Cima. The two left the room together and went to their respective duties.
"Colonel, a call from General Revil."
"Put him through."
"Yes, sir."
Today was the last day of their leave. Tomorrow, they would return to the combat roster, and the new recruits should all have arrived by now. Before the leave ended, Revil and Yang Hui needed to have one final communication.
"General Revil, this is Yang Hui."
"How was the leave?"
"They seem to have enjoyed it."
"And you?"
"The same, of course."
"It seems you've gained quite a lot."
"Mhm, I've obtained the final missing piece."
"...I understand."
"Tomorrow, we will depart for Jaburo Base, then take the Luna to space."
"Yes, the plan remains unchanged for now. Tianem will arrange a fleet to cover you and break through Zeon's encirclement. Your future operational focus will shift to space, providing support for the Federation to rebuild its Space Fleet."
"No problem, but... I've received intelligence that Zeon is about to make a big move. The balance on Earth will be broken, and we must be on guard."
"The Intelligence Department has received the same intel, but the specifics are still under investigation. However, we have located Kycilia Zabi."
"Where?"
"Odessa. She has retaken military command from Mark Be and is now in charge of the Earth Attack Force. The pressure is back on us."
"You've got to be kidding me." Yang Hui chuckled, not taking it seriously. "You're afraid of Kycilia Zabi? Don't think I don't know that all the major war zones have already been equipped with MS units."
"Well... that's why I have two pieces of good news and one piece of bad news for you."
"Let's hear the bad news first."
"Zeon has also deployed new MS models, and more than one type."
"New MS?"
"Yes, these are photos from the Intelligence Department and reconnaissance units. Besides the photos, we know nothing else." As he finished speaking, several photos were sent to Yang Hui's APD. He opened them and raised an eyebrow.
"Z'Gok, Gouf, Dom, Tiger. Gihren Zabi is really going all out, he's produced all of them."
"Is it only MS?" Yang Hui asked.
"A large MA has also appeared in space. Koneman's fleet was attacked by a massive Mega Particle Cannon and suffered heavy losses."
"MA... a massive Mega Particle Cannon... any data?"
"Only photos, same as before."
Seeing the new photos, Yang Hui confirmed the identities of these new weapons. "Zakrello, Bigro. Have they already gone down the wrong path?"
Yang Hui sneered. In the original historical timeline, the reason Zeon was swiftly defeated after the Federation deployed its MS units was related to Zeon's late-war development plan, which focused on anti-ship MAs for space combat.
Not long after this sub-plan began, it went down the divergent path of one-upmanship in performance and firepower. Often, after a design was drafted and a few prototype units were built, they would see someone else's MA that was better than their own. They would then simply scrap their prototypes or seal them away in a warehouse and start developing a new MA.
Such wastefulness, on top of their already insufficient resources, made a bad situation for the Zeon Army even worse. Post-war commentators said, "If the funds and resources used to develop MAs had been used to produce more MS like the Zaku and Dom series, the outcome of the war might have been the opposite."
So... because of his appearance, Zeon had already started down the path of self-destruction ahead of schedule.
"We just need to be careful. I'm still very confident in my creations."
"Mhm, neither Gopp nor I would ever doubt that."
"So, what's the good news?"
(End of Chapter)