Peaceful times were always fleeting. As the repair progress of the Gryps II Colony Laser steadily advanced, the Titans' provocations in the surrounding space zones also intensified.
Having suffered two consecutive defeats, the Titans now regarded Neo Zeon as their greatest enemy. According to Haman's intelligence, the Titans had mobilized their entire force to annihilate Neo Zeon. The fleets originally stationed across various space zones were gathering continuously, forming a massive armada of over two hundred battleships poised to crush Neo Zeon in one decisive strike.
Even Reid was taken aback when he saw the scale of the Titans' newly assembled fleet. The Titans during this period were truly formidable.
Around the Gryps II Colony Laser, excluding Paptimus Scirocco's fleet and Bask Om's nearly hundred-ship strong force, the Titans still managed to deploy an additional fleet of over two hundred battleships from their reserves.
Even with Paptimus Scirocco returning more than twenty Musai-class battleships, Neo Zeon was like a child facing a giant when confronting Bask Om's fleet. If not for Bask Om's fear of Paptimus Scirocco launching a surprise attack from behind while he was busy with Neo Zeon, he would have already struck.
It could be said that if the Titans' reinforcement fleet arrived, the combined forces of Neo Zeon and the AEUG wouldn't even match the Titans in terms of ship numbers. (This isn't an exaggeration—during the 0083 era, the fleet assembled for the Solomon Review Ceremony numbered between 500 to 1,000 ships [the minimum and maximum figures from reasonably verifiable sources]. Given the Titans' authority, their total military assets wouldn't be less than 60% of the Federation fleet's strength at that time.)
Faced with such overwhelming numbers, even the AEUG panicked. After resolving the Axis issue and arriving in the space zones near Gryps II, their first move wasn't to settle scores with Haman but to send envoys for negotiations. The AEUG feared that once the Titans crushed Neo Zeon, they would be next.
The AEUG understood clearly that the only way to turn the tables against the Titans was the Colony Laser. Although the Titans' massive fleet assembly was intimidating, it also presented an opportunity. A single shot to eliminate both the local forces and the reinforcement fleet would cost the Titans the majority of their strength, instantly reversing the balance of power and stripping them of any chance to recover.
However, what surprised Reid was that the AEUG wasn't just reaching out to Haman—an old friend had secretly approached the Aries.
To be honest, when Reid detected a Reams escorting the AEUG delegation drifting near the Aries, he initially thought it was a suicide bombing attack and nearly ordered the Mobile Suit to be shot down.
Fortunately, upon entering sensitive airspace, the pilot immediately initiated communications with Reid. And to his astonishment, the pilot of that Reams was none other than Char, who wanted to speak with Reid.
Reid knew at once that Char was up to no good. He understood Haman well—if she found out he had privately met with Char, she would undoubtedly grow suspicious.
So Reid decided to play along. He prepared to communicate with Char directly from the bridge while simultaneously establishing a private comm link between the Aries and Haman. After all, she had planned to keep the AEUG delegation waiting before meeting them anyway.
Once everything was set up on the bridge, Reid arrived and theatrically addressed Char over the comms:
"Char Aznable, why have you sought me out privately at a time like this?"
Char now genuinely appeared to be here for negotiations as he directly asked:
"Reid Isaac, I just want to ask—why are you helping Haman when you've already completely withdrawn and hidden in the shadows?"
Reid found this question utterly baffling. Given his system-assigned identity, wasn't it perfectly normal for him to assist the returning Neo Zeon?
Worried Char might be setting a trap with this question, Reid furrowed his brows and replied:
"What a pointless question. Do I need to explain my choices to someone who joined the Earth Federation?"
Seeing Reid's lack of cooperation and knowing his patience was limited, Char cut straight to the point:
"Reid Isaac, there's only one thing I want to confirm—are you truly helping Lady Mineva or Haman Karn?"
Hearing this, Reid immediately understood Char's intention. He was here to seek cooperation, just like in the original story—to take Mineva away before the war and place her somewhere safe.
Instead of answering, Reid countered with a question of his own:
"I see. You believe Lady Mineva won't receive proper education under Haman's care and want to take her away, is that it?"
To this, Char also responded with a question:
"Isn't that the case? Reid Isaac, do you truly think it's suitable for Lady Mineva to remain with Haman? Her ambitions keep growing, and when they reach a certain point, Lady Mineva's safety might no longer be guaranteed. If she grows up unwilling to remain a puppet, her fate would either be death at Haman's hands or permanent house arrest."
Without even needing to look at Haman's expression on the split screen, Reid knew she must be furious upon hearing this. She did have genuine affection for Mineva—otherwise, in the original story, she wouldn't have allowed Char to take Mineva to Sweetwater Colony for protection.
So Reid directly replied:
"Char, you're wrong about Haman. She doesn't see Lady Mineva as a puppet—their relationship is much closer than you imagine.
Of course, I won't deny that if Lady Mineva ever tries to oppose Haman, she might place her under house arrest.
But Char, you came to me because you want my help in taking Lady Mineva away, right? What proof do you have that she'll be better off with you? How do I know you won't use her as a puppet too?"
Reid's words left Char speechless, as he truly couldn't share his plans with Reid.
In Char's eyes, Reid wasn't trustworthy either. This man's sudden appearance surely meant he had his own ambitions. If Mineva's location were carelessly revealed to Reid, Char feared he might someday sneak in and steal her away, then accuse Char of harming her.
Seeing Char's silence, Reid realized he was merely trying to use him without any real sincerity, so he mocked:
"Char, it seems you don't have a proper plan. And you're just using Lady Mineva for your own ends too. I'm disappointed—I thought you at least genuinely cared for her.
Never mind. In that case, our conversation ends here. I suggest you leave quickly, or I'll inform Haman and you might get shot down immediately."
With that, Reid terminated the communication with Char, then turned to the fuming Haman on the split screen and said:
"Char, don't be angry just yet. Char's words reminded me. Princess Mineva really shouldn't stay here any longer—this place is about to become a three-way battlefield.
Though we're all confident of victory, we should find a way to send Princess Mineva to the rear. If anything happens to us, at least we won't drag an innocent girl into it."
Reid's words slightly cooled Haman's anger—after all, she wouldn't lash out at him without reason. After a moment of silence, she replied,
"Understood. I'll arrange a decoy to pose as Princess Mineva and send the real one to safety. Speaking of which, Reid, do you have any suggestions for a safe location?"
Reid simply shook his head. "No. The places I've hidden in before aren't suitable for a child. To avoid detection, I had to constantly switch between three factions for communication—and none of them are trustworthy.
However, I suggest you discuss this with Char. Since he wants to take Princess Mineva away, he must have already prepared a safe haven. We might as well make use of it for now."
He paused, then added, "Oh, and Haman—don't actually shoot Char down in a fit of anger. Right now, we still need the AEUG and the Titans to keep each other in check. We can't afford to antagonize both at once."
Haman was well aware that the current situation couldn't afford pushing the AEUG into joining forces with the Titans against her, so she suppressed her fury and answered,
"Fine. I'll spare Char's life today. But I will find a chance to kill him later."
Seeing the murderous intent in Haman's eyes, Reid didn't bother trying to dissuade her. If Char were that easy to kill, he wouldn't have lasted this long. Besides, Haman was likely just venting.
So Reid simply replied, "Alright, you handle the negotiations with the AEUG as you see fit. The Colony Laser's main structure is already repaired—only the outer plating remains. The battle will likely break out in the next couple of days. That's all for now—I'm ending the call."
With that, he cut the communication after seeing Haman nod.
Reid didn't participate in the second round of negotiations between Haman and the AEUG, which unsurprisingly fell through. However, since the delegation didn't include any key figures, Haman still let them return unharmed.
As for Char, after failing to reach an agreement with Reid, he had no choice but to approach Haman again. Eventually, Haman sent Princess Mineva away via transport ship through the AEUG's blockade, leaving a decoy aboard the ship to maintain the illusion.
But this was likely the last time Haman and Char would cooperate. After the failed negotiations between Neo Zeon and the AEUG, the latter could no longer tolerate Neo Zeon retaining control of the Colony Laser. The very next day after the delegation's return, the AEUG mobilized their main forces, preparing for an all-out assault.
Bask Om naturally wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by.
Paptimus Scirocco, calculating that the timing was right, stopped obstructing Bask Om and withdrew his forces far away, feigning a retreat.
The dim-witted Bask Om might have genuinely believed Paptimus Scirocco was afraid, so he didn't pursue to deliver a finishing blow. Instead, he ordered his entire fleet to attack both the AEUG and Neo Zeon simultaneously—intent on securing his future dominance within the Titans.
Thus, the original "Battle of the Vortex" began in earnest, escalating into a chaotic three-way melee.
Reid, as one of Neo Zeon's main combat forces, naturally chose to directly face the numerically superior Titans fleet. This absolutely wasn't because Reid considered the Titans to be the easier target while finding the Gundam Team led by Zeta Gundam too tough to crack, deciding to crush the soft ones first.
However, this time Reid truly witnessed the Titans' hidden strength. Knowing that Neo Zeon had an invisible enemy specializing in attacking warships, the Titans didn't dare engage in fleet battles at close range.
Instead, they deployed massive numbers of Mobile Suits to push forward relentlessly, sending out fifty to sixty units in just the first wave - even more than what they'd deployed against the Argama's Gundam Team.
So when Reid led his squad with thirty-two newly produced High Zacks from Neo Zeon (though these were essentially just Zaku shells, Neo Zeon still chose this more visually familiar model as temporary mainstay units) against the Titans' main force, they found themselves immediately suppressed.
Reid clearly felt these opponents were much stronger than those encountered during the A Baoa Qu Fortress defensive battle. Many Mobile Suits couldn't be picked off casually now - it took several shots to hit one target, and the enemy squad coordination was exceptionally synchronized, making Reid's team feel constrained at every turn.
As for his own support, despite being equipped with High Zacks, these Zeon soldiers remained rookies, with no hope for any coordinated teamwork.
At this point, Reid finally understood why UC world protagonists preferred close combat in large-scale Mobile Suit battles - melee fighting best showcased the performance gap between machines.
Seeing how ineffective long-range exchanges were, Reid realized his Neo Zeon High Zacks would be wiped out quickly if this continued.
Thus both Reid and Ange simultaneously decided to charge in for close combat and break through enemy formations.
Reid pushed the Mystic Lightning's thrusters to maximum, concentrating intensely as he weaved through waves of beam fire, continuously slicing apart unavoidable beams to clear his path.
It must be said that Reid believed if he were still piloting the NT-X, breaking through this beam barrage would have been nearly impossible. Even the Freedom Gundam's mobility had required beam saber deflection for survival in legion battles (the Strike Freedom faced similar limitations - without shield defense, it could only dodge and exchange fire against large forces).
Therefore, the Amazing Kampfer and NT-X, being relatively weaker units, could only provide artillery support from the rear, waiting for Reid and Ange to create openings before attacking.
But this was sufficient. Once in close quarters, the Titans couldn't deploy their barrage advantage unless they employed "Russian rescue" tactics - firing on their own units to prevent enemies from claiming kills.
Fortunately, the Titans weren't that insane. After closing in, Reid only needed to face all-angle assaults from four or five units simultaneously - far less pressure than the overwhelming beam fire.
With Reid's current reaction speed and the significant performance gap between machines, such encirclement posed little threat. Enemy units often lost limbs before they could react.
Any clever opponents attempting suicide tackles from the Mystic Lightning's blind spots would experience what Zeon soldiers felt when fighting Amuro during the One Year War.
With his Newtype senses, Reid had no fear of ambushes. The High-Heat Twin Blades, amplified by the Lambda Driver, burned with each strike as he effortlessly bisected any would-be attackers.
Ange's situation was similar. Though she couldn't literally grow eyes on her back, the gap between their Mobile Suits and piloting skills was too vast. Wherever she went, limbs and heads of Titans' MS went flying, followed by Neo Zeon's Mobile Suits raining fire from behind - explosions seemed to chase after the Immortal Aegis like a shadow.
Thus, under the combined assault of Reid and Ange, the Titans' frontline was breached.
In large-scale MS battles, a breached frontline was catastrophic. Especially when the rest of Reid's squad began demonstrating their prowess.
The Black Tri-Stars' three Amazing Kampfers immediately seized the opportunity to reunite their trio formation, widening the gap torn open by Reid and Ange. Then, with the Aries and four escort ships coordinating fire from the Wing Gundam and NT-X, they sliced through the Titans' MS forces. Neo Zeon's High Zacks swarmed in afterward - it became clear that the Titans' first wave would soon be annihilated by Reid's forces.