Upon seeing the Z Gundam raising a white flag, Reid confirmed the timeline, and his first reaction was naturally to check the information provided by the system.
From the current perspective, this battle was not the final three-day conflict Reid had anticipated, but rather calculated from the first Gryps II destruction operation. As a result, the system granted a full 40-day stay period, and the number of capturable Mobile Suits increased to ten.
As for the protagonist Mobile Suits that provided Merit Points, unsurprisingly, they were the Zeta Gundam (MSZ-006), The-O (PMX-003), and the Qubeley (AMX-004). Each was worth a staggering 60 Merit Points.
However, the leader of the Neo Zeon faction recognized by the system this time was Haman Karn, so Reid had no chance of destroying or capturing the Qubeley unless Haman gifted it to him or if the Qubeley was aboard the Aries without Haman present.
The system did not permit carrying unrecruited humans as items. If Haman was aboard the Aries, Reid suspected he might not even be able to return normally.
Once the return process began, any unrecruited individuals left behind—such as Haman—would be stranded in space. The system likely wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole to exploit.
Still, the temptation was real. To avoid making a critical mistake that could ruin the entire operation, Reid decided to consult the system directly: What would happen if there were unrecruited individuals aboard during the return?
The system's answer matched Reid's expectations. After meeting the basic return conditions, if unrecruited individuals remained on the ship, return would be impossible. They would either need to be ejected or eliminated before departure.
This outcome was predictable, so Reid felt no regret. Instead, he turned his attention to the identity the system had assigned him.
Formerly the captain of the Principality of Zeon's secret special forces unit and once the youngest colonel in history—Colonel Reid Isaac.
Now, he was the leader of the Crimson Wings Mercenary Group. After the One Year War, with the fall of the Principality of Zeon, the secret special forces disbanded. Reid and a few old comrades founded the Crimson Wings Mercenary Group, operating underground ever since.
His arrival aboard the Gwadan was in response to Neo Zeon's call for former Zeon soldiers and organizations scattered across space to return.
Reid found this identity acceptable—at least the system had finally promoted him from captain to colonel.
Identity-wise, he had little to worry about. The presence of the Black Tri-Stars naturally boosted his credibility. The trio was legendary within the Zeon military. Though Haman's Axis forces were mostly fresh recruits, there were still veterans among them—especially those from the Zabi family's revivalist faction. Many of them had seen Gaia, Ortega, and Mash in action.
Moreover, the system's identity arrangements were always flawless, so establishing his legitimacy wouldn't be difficult. Gaining Haman's initial trust would be easy.
The real challenge was that Reid didn't want to fully submit to Haman's command. He sought independent operational authority—essentially, answering calls but not orders.
Thus, Reid still hadn't figured out how to approach Haman.
But the battle had already begun, and reality wouldn't grant him much time to deliberate. Suddenly, a communication came through from the bridge—Captain Grudick's voice crackled over the line.
"Commander, the red warship ahead has sent a communication requesting our visitor list. How should we respond?"
Reid didn't immediately answer with the list for the Gwadan. Instead, he asked a question:
"Gruedick, do you know your identity in this world now?"
Gruedick answered instantly:
"Yes, same as when we arrived in the CE universe. The information appeared directly in my mind. But it's very brief—just a few basic identity details without any world background."
Upon hearing this, Reid immediately made a judgment. It would be better to limit outsiders on his ship; a group of people lacking common knowledge would be too suspicious. He synchronized the system-provided data and replied:
"Visitor list: myself, Xia Yufang, Gaia, Ortega, and Mash—five in total. Tell them we'll be piloting Mobile Suits over.
Also, after we leave, have Dr. Tim Ray give everyone a crash course on this world's basics to avoid slip-ups in future interactions."
With that, Reid opened the internal comms and ordered:
"Yufang, pilot the Blitz Gundam and sortie with Gaia, Ortega, and Mash. Remember to activate the biometric locks on all Mobile Suits.
Bridge, open the deck catapults. All five of us are launching now."
Without waiting for a response from the Gwadan, Reid maneuvered the Mystic Lightning to the launch port and was the first to charge into space.
Soon, three Amazing Kampfers and the Blitz Gundam were catapulted out.
Reid had no intention of waiting for the Gwadan's reply before launching. His goal was to leave Haman with the impression that his unit was somewhat unruly.
This way, Haman—currently short on personnel—would likely use a conciliatory approach to recruit them, making it easier to secure independent command rights.
Of course, the actual outcome depended on their face-to-face discussion. If Haman deemed Reid incompetent, she wouldn't be particularly accommodating either.
As Reid expected, the Gwadan soon transmitted landing permission.
Refusing Reid's landing now would mean Haman backing down first, making it harder for her to seize the initiative in later negotiations.
As for directly attacking to repel the five of them—Haman wasn't foolish. Their Mobile Suits were clearly advanced, and no one would casually attack allies.
However, coincidentally, as Reid's group approached the Gwadan, the Zeta Gundam arrived under a white flag.
Reid and Kamille, both powerful Newtypes, sensed each other immediately.
The sensation was peculiar—this was Reid's first encounter with another Newtype, especially one reputed as the strongest NT ability holder, Kamille.
Now, the Zeta Gundam loomed overwhelmingly in Reid's perception, like a thousand-watt searchlight in the darkness—impossible to ignore at close range.
Reid finally understood why two powerful Newtypes in combat often locked onto each other in the storyline. Their presence and threat were so intense that full concentration was mandatory, with neither daring to strike first carelessly.
This is a natural human instinct. Even without professional training, when encountering wild beasts in the wilderness, people's first reaction isn't to fight or flee, but rather to freeze momentarily and observe carefully. Of course, there's a less flattering term for this state—being paralyzed with fear.
Fortunately, neither Reid nor Kamille harbored much hostility at the moment. Reid was primarily curious, while Kamille remained cautious. Thus, neither of them completely froze up.
Moreover, the Gwadan's docking instructions soon arrived. Since Reid's group of five were boarding first, they ignored the Zeta Gundam and proceeded directly into the Gwadan.
After disembarking from their Mobile Suits, a middle-aged officer immediately approached them. Addressing Gaia, Ortega, and Mash with emotion, he said:
"When I saw the roster, I thought there must have been some mistake. Weren't the legendary Black Tri-Stars already killed by the White Devil, Amuro Ray? Yet here you three are, alive and well."
Gaia, Ortega, and Mash exchanged puzzled glances—none of them recognized the man. Gaia responded bluntly:
"Who are you? I don't know you. Don't try to act familiar with me."
At this, the middle-aged officer immediately snapped into a Zeon salute and replied:
"My apologies. I'm Lakan Dahka, currently a captain. Nine years ago, I was just a lowly private, so it's natural you three wouldn't recognize me."
Hearing the name, Reid immediately recalled who this was. This man would formally appear during the ZZ era as a Newtype ace pilot of Neo Zeon, the one who led the team that eliminated Mashymre Cello during Neo Zeon's internal conflict. His character was known for valuing power and authority, so it made sense that he'd idolize the Black Tri-Stars, who had gained fame early in the One Year War.
Understanding dawned on Gaia, who returned a proper salute and said:
"I see. Young man—" (In truth, Gaia was nearly fifty at this point, and even Reid was pushing thirty in Neo Zeon's eyes.) "—It's not easy to remain loyal to Zeon all these years. But it's true that the three of us did 'die' once nine years ago."
Gaia was telling the truth, but Lakan Dahka interpreted it differently—assuming they had been gravely wounded in battle, hovering between life and death, and had spent an unknown amount of time recovering after being rescued. That would explain their complete absence during the latter half of the One Year War.
Straightening up again, Lakan Dahka replied:
"Not at all. The soldiers who know of you are overjoyed to learn you're still alive."
Seeing Lakan Dahka growing increasingly excited—on the verge of asking Gaia, Ortega, and Mash about their experiences over the years—Reid worried the trio might slip up. He cut in sternly:
"Enough, Captain Lakan Dahka. You didn't come here to reminisce, did you? Let's attend to official business first. There will be time to chat after the meeting."
Here, Reid deliberately adopted a displeased expression and exerted the mental pressure innate to Newtypes. Instantly, Lakan Dahka felt the air around him grow heavy, cold sweat breaking out on his back. He inwardly cursed himself—in his excitement over meeting his idols, he'd neglected the higher-ranking officer standing right before him.
Snapping to attention, Lakan Dahka said:
"Understood. I'll escort all five of you inside immediately."
With that, he led Reid's group into the ship.
Before leaving the hangar, Reid also witnessed Kamille disembarking from the Zeta Gundam. However, only a ground crew member received him, shouting:
"The Princess Regent (Haman's official title in Neo Zeon, as she has an elder sister with a significant age gap who was Dozle Zabi's concubine) is hosting an important guest. You'll have to wait here, kid."
But Kamille didn't have time to be angry at the moment. Just as Reid couldn't ignore Kamille at close range, Kamille couldn't ignore Reid's presence either. The two locked eyes for the first time in the Gwadan's hangar.
However, while Kamille's face was full of wariness, Reid merely gave a friendly nod before turning to leave the hangar.
Following Lakan Dahka, Reid and his four companions soon entered a spacious, lavishly decorated corridor lined with red carpet.
It was worth noting that this was a warship. Although the Gwadan was a super-large battleship over 600 meters long—making ships like the Aries look like little brothers beside it—such an extravagant corridor was both a waste of space and a laborious undertaking.
This vanity project, purely meant to showcase the Zabi family's authority, revealed Neo Zeon's current predicament in some ways. They had nothing else to boast about except the lingering prestige of the Zabi family.
Soon, Reid's group saw Haman Karn waiting for them before a large door, flanked by two rifle-bearing soldiers.
Given that Reid's group might be the only somewhat notable figures among the few Zeon remnants willing to support Neo Zeon (the original work showed almost no Zeon remnants coming to aid, as most in Earth's sphere had already been wiped out by the Titans), Reid could sense Haman was in good spirits.
Then came the Newtype-specific moment of mutual attraction. The instant Reid and Haman met, their eyes locked.
Reid could feel that Haman's "pull" wasn't as strong as Kamille's, but it was still considerable.
At this time, Haman was in her early twenties (21 years old). Unlike the anime, where her hair was styled like a fan, making her look ten years older, she had straight, pink, shoulder-length hair without any elaborate dyeing (as described in the official novel). Her figure was also outstanding, making her a genuine beauty.
Of course, Reid knew this was a classic case of "pink on the outside, black on the inside"—a somewhat yandere personality. Though attractive, Reid wasn't keen on provoking her.
So Reid snapped out of it first, stepping forward formally and extending his hand:
"I'm Reid Isaac. Miss Haman Karn, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Haman, displaying the grace of a Princess Regent, approached calmly and shook his hand:
"I didn't expect Colonel Reid to know me. Meeting four heroes of the One Year War today brings me great joy."
Reid withdrew his hand after a brief, polite handshake and said:
"During my time in covert operations, I naturally had access to photos of most Zabi family members. In the files I saw back then, you were just a little girl with twin tails. Who would have thought that nine years later, you'd rise to the position of Princess Regent."
However, I lost my rank as colonel nearly nine years ago. Now, I'm just the leader of a mercenary group. While many in my forces are former Zeon personnel, we've also recruited quite a few outsiders over the years, including some who previously worked for the Federation. I thought it best to mention this upfront."
Reid was essentially laying his cards on the table, but to Haman, this showed his sincerity in cooperating. After all, he wouldn't have brought up potentially sensitive matters otherwise. She nodded in acknowledgment.
"That's understandable. Given your status, maintaining some disguise was necessary to operate in Earth's sphere without drawing Titans' attention. But now you've come home. Welcome back to Zeon."
Haman clearly wanted to quickly establish Reid and his group's allegiance, not wanting to let this unexpected reinforcement slip away.
However, Reid had different thoughts. He believed it better to keep some flexibility when dealing with Haman, so he corrected her directly.
"Miss Haman, there seems to be some misunderstanding. While we are indeed here to assist you, our primary goal is to oppose the Titans who oppress space colonists. The Zeon Principality we once served has already fallen.
Now, whether you and Miss Mineva Lao Zabi truly have the capability to inherit Zeon's legacy—we'll need to assess that for ourselves.
Of course, I understand you'll also need to evaluate us. So let's be perfectly frank: my forces can follow your command in upcoming operations, but I'll retain final decision-making authority. If you fail to demonstrate convincing capability or strength, then consider this visit simply to pay respects to Lady Mineva. We'll withdraw once the battle concludes."
Reid's words visibly displeased Haman. Yet through her Newtype senses, she could perceive that Reid was an exceptionally powerful Newtype. Such individuals naturally possessed pride and reluctance to submit easily.
Suppressing her anger, Haman recognized Neo Zeon's desperate need for personnel. That Reid spoke so candidly already showed considerable sincerity, and his background was relatively reassuring.
With a composed expression, she decided to observe Reid's group's reaction upon meeting Mineva before determining how to proceed. Gesturing to the guards behind her to open the doors, she stepped aside and said:
"Understood, Commander Reid. In any case, let us first pay our respects to Lady Mineva."
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