In the Blank Space Sector of the third Lagrange point, nestled between two massive asteroids amidst a field of meteorites, people bustled to and fro. The interior of these asteroids had already been renovated into two fortresses.
"Still no news of them?" Lasse asked, his expression filled with concern.
"Nothing," Neil replied helplessly. "I've checked both official and unofficial channels, but I haven't found a single trace of them."
"They definitely haven't returned yet," Ian Vashti added. "There's such a severe deviation now; as soon as they return, they will surely take the initiative to contact us."
"I'm just worried they'll be targeted the moment they get back. Those damn Innovators!" Neil cursed.
"Uh... did you forget that Myer and Tieria are also Innovators?" Allelujah reminded him.
"Uh... ahaha, I didn't say anything just now."
"Pfft~"
"We should decide what to do next. This place is safe for now, but given A-Laws' movements, it won't be long before they track us down." The speaker had snow-white hair and a large scar across her face. Her rimless glasses added a touch of intellect to her otherwise hardened, iron-blooded aura.
Siel Axedica, the manager of Celestial Being's support team, Angel, was also the Gundam Meister for the second-generation Gundam Judgment. She had survived a major accident during the testing of the GN Cannon thanks to the self-sacrifice of two companions. Because of her exposure to a massive amount of GN Particles, her body's cells were unable to regenerate. She was only saved later when Dr. Moreno implanted Innovator cells into her body.
Incidentally, the two people who sacrificed themselves to save Siel Axedica were the parents of Felt Grace—Ruid Rezenas and Marlene Brady.
"Tch, so much nagging. If they dare come, we'll just kill them all!" a blonde man said arrogantly with a cruel smile.
Fon Spark, the Gundam Meister of Angel, did not subscribe to Celestial Being's ideals, but he enjoyed using his own power to change the world. Curiously, his hands were not handcuffed, and even the explosive collar around his neck had disappeared.
"Then why did you come back? And with that battered Gundam Justice, no less," Siel Axedica said, looking at Fon Spark with disdain.
"Tch." Fon Spark turned his head away in annoyance. Originally, after realizing his own plan, blocking the solar power satellites, and finding VEDA's location, he had left Angel with Hayuna to search for VEDA on his own.
To his surprise, the VEDA he thought was on the moon was merely a decoy. When he arrived, he found himself surrounded by a large number of black second-generation Gundams. After a brutal battle, he narrowly escaped, but his Mobile Suit was in tatters, and Hayuna was unconscious from her injuries. Driven into a corner, Fon Spark had no choice but to return to Celestial Palace City to seek help from Celestial Being.
He still didn't agree with Celestial Being's philosophy, and he didn't care what happened to himself, but he couldn't ignore Hayuna's life.
"Fortunately, Colonel Mannequin and Major General Smirnov are holding onto their military power and haven't handed it over. At least that gives us a hole card," Ian Vashti comforted himself.
"Tch, what's the use? Mannequin and Smirnov's units are regular army; they can't even hold their heads up in front of A-Laws. Besides, because they've been refusing A-Laws' conscription, the higher-ups are very dissatisfied with them. Losing everything they have is only a matter of time," Fon Spark said dismissively.
"The most serious thing isn't that, but Professor Eifman and Old Wang..."
"..." At this, even Fon Spark fell silent. He was a self-centered man, but he held great respect for elders like Professor Eifman and Old Wang. Furthermore, his Gundam Justice had been upgraded and modified based on their suggestions. If it hadn't been for those upgrades, he would have died at the decoy site on the moon, which indirectly saved both his and Hayuna's lives.
"I'll contact Hong Long and Louise to see if they can find out where Professor Eifman and Old Wang are being held. It's too dangerous to let them stay with the Earth Federation; we need to rescue them first..."
Vwoom— Vwoom— Vwoom— Vwoom—
Just then, alarms blared throughout Celestial Palace City, and red lights flashed incessantly.
"Damn! Have we been discovered by A-Laws already?"
"We'll head out in the Gundams first. Ms. Siel, please command everyone to evacuate. We'll hold off the enemy."
"Understood, I'm going now..."
Everyone sprang into frantic action, only for the alarm to stop a second later, leaving them all frozen in place.
"What's going on? Is the alarm malfunctioning?" Siel immediately pulled up the system to check, but she soon stiffened again, staring at her PAD in disbelief.
"Identity code... operation code... Myer Stewart!"
"What!?"
Everyone was shocked. When Siel Axedica turned on the main screen, all eyes focused on it. They saw several green meteors trailing long tails, racing toward Celestial Palace City at high speeds, growing larger and clearer by the second.
"Those are... Gundams?"
"How can there be so many Original Solar Furnaces!?"
There were five completely unseen Gundams, but all of them were equipped with Original Solar Furnaces, and each Gundam was equipped with two of them.
"Identity codes... operation codes... Setsuna F Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Tieria Erde! It's them! They're back!" Neil Dylandy, Allelujah, Ian Vashti, and the others were overcome with emotion, their previous gloom swept away in an instant.
"Who is the other one?" Siel Axedica asked. Four Gundam Meisters had disappeared back then, and now all of them were back, plus an extra Gundam. She didn't know who the pilot was.
"Graham Aker."
"The former UNION ace hero?"
"Yes, it's him."
Neither Siel Axedica nor Fon Spark knew about Prometheus Fortress, so they didn't know where everyone who vanished a year ago had gone, or who else had disappeared with them.
"...Stay alert. We can't be certain it's them yet," Siel Axedica said. The identity codes sent by the other party were flawless, and they hadn't attacked Celestial Palace City, but it was best to be cautious. After all, Celestial Palace City was Celestial Being's last refuge; if they lost it, they would truly become wandering ghosts.
"Understood."
Neil Dylandy and the others also calmed down. Although all signs suggested they weren't enemies, it was better to be safe.
The group took up firearms and headed to the Hangar. The moment the four Gundams were secured in their berths and the cockpit doors opened...
"It really is you!"
"Haha, did you guys miss us?"
After confirming that the people stepping out of the cockpits were Yang Hui, Graham, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria, Neil Dylandy, Allelujah, Ian Vashti, and the others excitedly rushed up to embrace them.
It had been a year, and there had been absolutely no news of them. Even though they knew where they had gone, they were bound to be worried. After all, performing various missions in an unknown world was surely more dangerous than staying in this familiar one.
"Where is Ms. Sumeragi? And Wang Liu Mei?" Neil Dylandy asked. After the initial joy, he began to worry again. Yang Hui and the others were back, but not everyone had returned. Could it be...
"Don't worry, they're right behind us." Yang Hui smiled, glancing at Graham, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria, who all wore playful grins. "And there's a surprise."
"Oh? Then we'll look forward to it," Neil Dylandy and the others laughed. Honestly, five brand-new Gundams and ten brand-new Solar Furnaces were already a massive surprise, but Yang Hui didn't even count that. Just how big was this "surprise" he spoke of?
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Myer Stewart?" Siel Axedica stepped forward to ask. She previously had level 2 access to VEDA and a fairly high clearance level. She knew Yang Hui's data and information, but she had never met him.
"That's me, Siel Axedica. No need to use my codename, just call me Yang Hui," Yang Hui said. He was also familiar with the support organization Angel, but to play out the first phase of the plan properly, he had never utilized them or had any contact.
"Call you by your real name?" Siel Axedica frowned. Celestial Being's secrecy protocols were extremely strict; using one's real name was a serious violation.
"That's right. There's no longer any need for secrecy," Yang Hui said confidently.
"But... Mr. Myer, I don't know where you've been, but you might not realize that the current situation is very dire," Siel Axedica said seriously.
"...Let's go." Yang Hui's face darkened. It seemed this world had undergone changes he wasn't aware of. For now, intelligence was the top priority.
"Yeah..."
Vwoom— Vwoom— Vwoom— Vwoom—
Just then, the alarms in Celestial Palace City blared again. Christina Sierra specifically contacted Siel Axedica: "Ms. Siel, the E-Detector is picking up a reaction. Direction GU123—it's a large-scale fleet!"
"Damn A-Laws." Hearing Christina Sierra's report, the faces of Neil Dylandy and the others turned very grim, the joy of Yang Hui and the others' return dampened.
However, they were surprised to find that the smiles on Yang Hui and the others' faces had grown even more playful, as if they didn't care at all.
"Mr. Myer, what are you laughing at?" Siel Axedica took a few steps back warily, her hand going to the gun at her waist.
Yang Hui smiled without saying a word. Instead, before Siel Axedica could react, he took the PAD from her hand and made sure Christina Sierra could see his face.
"Yo, Chris, long time no see."
"Mr. Myer! Long time no see! You're back?" Christina Sierra exclaimed in surprise.
"Mr. Myer?"
"Is it really Mr. Myer?"
"They're back?"
In an instant, Feldt, Lichty, and Linda all crowded into the screen.
"It really is Mr. Myer! You're finally back! That's wonderful!"
"Alright, Chris, cancel the alarm. Are you planning to treat Sumeragi as an enemy?"
"Huh? Oh, right, I understand."
The transmission ended, and Yang Hui tossed the PAD back to Siel Axedica, saying to everyone with a face full of smiles: "Alright everyone, the surprise has arrived. I hope you like this gift."