The debrief chamber at Moore Base was subdued, the officers seated in disciplined silence as Commander Kai Shirogane stood before them. The mission report was projected on the main display, a grim red line across the top declaring: Eight GM Variants lost in action. The numbers alone were enough to sour the atmosphere.
"This was not an ordinary patrol," Shirogane began, his voice even but edged with steel. "Our forward units stumbled upon something in Southeast Asia — something Zeon clearly did not want exposed." His words drew quiet shifts among the officers. The engagement had been unexpected, violent, and costly.
The footage showed the GM units entering dense jungle terrain, their sensors picking up irregular energy readings. At first, it had looked like a minor supply cache or a hidden mobile suit outpost. But the resistance they encountered told another story. Zeon forces had responded instantly and with precision, as if guarding something far more valuable.
Explosions ripped through the trees on-screen, the jungle canopy torn apart by sudden barrages. What unnerved the analysts was not just the scale of the enemy defense, but its coordination. The ambushes fell into place like clockwork, hemming the Federation pilots in, cutting off their retreat lines, and dismantling their formation piece by piece.
"Our pilots weren't outnumbered," Shirogane remarked grimly. "They were outmaneuvered." He gestured toward the tactical breakdown. Red markers — Zeon units — moved in arcs and wedges that flowed around the blue GM icons. It was not the chaotic defense of a unit caught unawares. It was a disciplined counterstrike, precise and calculated.
The analysts quickly identified the formation's core: a strike group labeled GED squad. Their movements were surgical, applying pressure at weak points and withdrawing before Federation fire could trap them. It was a display of coordination rarely seen outside Zeon's elite units. The officers murmured uneasily at the implications.
At the center of the analysis, one name surfaced repeatedly: Tanya von Zehrtfeld. Shirogane highlighted intercepted comms where her orders had been captured, sharp and decisive. "She's not just leading a squad," he said flatly. "She's orchestrating the entire defense. Every ambush, every withdrawal — her hand is in it."
The room fell quiet as they watched footage of Tanya's squad disengaging after crippling the Federation force. They didn't pursue, didn't taunt, didn't overextend. They left the battlefield intact, guarding whatever secret lay deeper within the jungle. The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken thoughts: whatever the Federation had found, it mattered.
Still, Moore Base's intelligence staff could not determine exactly what the patrol had uncovered. The jungle held glimpses of unusual machinery and half-finished structures before the footage cut off, but nothing definitive. "We don't yet know what we stumbled onto," Shirogane admitted. "Only that Zeon considered it important enough to bleed us to protect it."
The recommendations were clear: improved reconnaissance sweeps, tighter patrol coordination, and immediate reporting of anomalous readings. No patrol was to press too far into enemy territory without reinforcement. "We won't repeat the mistake of sending our men blind into whatever fortifications Zeon has hidden," Shirogane warned.
As the officers filed out, the debate followed them into the hallways — was it a hidden factory, a weapons project, or simply a fortified supply depot? The truth was elusive, but the name Tanya von Zehrtfeld had been burned into their records. The jungle skirmish had been more than a chance encounter; it had been a message.
Commander Shirogane remained alone in the chamber, staring at the final frame of the footage: the smoldering wrecks of Federation suits vanishing beneath the jungle canopy. He didn't know what Zeon was hiding in Southeast Asia — but he knew that whatever it was, the Federation had paid dearly for a glimpse of it. And they would likely pay more before it was revealed.
The war room at Jaburo was unusually tense, filled with the low hum of projectors and the clipped voices of staff officers. At the center of the gathering, the map of Earth glowed with shifting markers — Federation units scattered across the globe, Zeon movements tracked in red. One region, Southeast Asia, pulsed with fresh activity. Reports from Moore Base had been filed, and their implications were troubling.
The commander overseeing the briefing gestured sharply, bringing the map into focus. "We've confirmed heavy Zeon resistance in this sector. A patrol stumbled onto a fortified site, and eight of our GM Variants were destroyed before they could withdraw. Whatever Zeon is hiding there, they will defend it with elite assets." His tone carried no theatrics; the losses spoke for themselves.
The decision had already been made at the highest level. Jaburo was deploying its most unconventional asset — the White Base. Recently returned from orbit and only just landed on Earth in North America, the ship and its crew were to be dispatched to Southeast Asia without delay. Their mission: investigate the hidden Zeon stronghold, reinforce Federation units in the area, and counter the threat of enemy aces.
In the hangar of White Base, preparations were already underway. Mechanics rushed between towering Gundam and Guntank units, double-checking systems for atmospheric operations. The crew, still weary from their harrowing descent to Earth, had little time to rest. Orders from Jaburo were clear, and the weight of expectation hung heavily on them.
Amuro Ray stood among the pilots as the briefing began. The young Gundam pilot's expression tightened as the details unfolded: Zeon's ambushes had not been the work of scattered resistance, but the product of disciplined command. The name Tanya von Zehrtfeld surfaced in the intelligence summary, marked as the leader of the squad that had inflicted such losses.
Bright Noa, standing at the front of the assembled crew, relayed the orders with firm resolve. "We'll be heading into hostile terrain. Intelligence is limited. Expect ambushes. Our job is to reinforce, to investigate, and if possible, to neutralize Zeon's elite units operating in the sector. White Base is being trusted because we've already beaten the odds where others haven't." His words steadied the crew, though the tension in the room was palpable.
Kai, Hayato, and Sayla exchanged uneasy glances, while Amuro absorbed every scrap of data displayed on the screen. The images of wrecked GMs in the jungle struck him harder than he expected. For all his victories, he was reminded again that the Gundam was more than a machine — it was a lifeline for the Federation against enemies of terrifying skill.
The crew was given little certainty about what awaited them. Some believed Zeon was developing a new weapon in the jungles; others speculated it was a hidden factory or research complex. All that was known for certain was that the Zeon defenders had fought with the precision of professionals, and that Tanya's name carried the weight of future danger.
As White Base prepared to depart, the ship's engines roared to life, echoing across the North American base. Amuro tightened his fists as he stared at the horizon. Ahead lay Southeast Asia, thick with jungles, secrets, and enemies who would not yield easily. The Gundam had carried him through impossible battles before — but now, for the first time, he wondered if he was being sent not just to fight, but to face an opponent who understood war as keenly as he did.