The day after my negotiations with Uzumi Nara Athha concluded, I found myself at the Morgenroete Mobile Suit factory, having been effectively shooed out the door by a slightly sullen Murrue. The container that had housed the Sealion was already gone—likely moved on Uzumi's orders to a facility where it could be studied in absolute secrecy.
As I stood there pondering the situation, a middle-aged maintenance crewman approached me.
"Excuse me, would you happen to be Axel Almer?"
"I am."
"I was hoping to get your input on the Blitz's calibration. Do you have a moment?"
"I don't mind."
"Excellent. Regarding the items listed on this sheet here... huh?"
He handed me a sheet of paper, but then began patting down his pockets in a sudden panic.
"My apologies, my pen seems to be... Ah, sorry to bother you, but could you lend me a pen?"
He called out to a man passing nearby, who handed over a pen which the mechanic then passed to me.
"Honestly, Asuka-san, you're the Chief here. You need to get it together."
...Wait. Did he say Asuka?
"Easier said than done. Between the M1 Astray project and the Archangel work, I'm barely making it home as it is. I haven't even seen my son or daughter lately."
A son and a daughter... Could it be?
While my mind raced, I took the borrowed pen and began filling in the answers on the clipboard.
"Is this sufficient?"
"Ah, thank you so much! With this, we finally have a clear path for the Blitz's adjustments."
"Glad to help... But more importantly, I couldn't help but overhear. You have two children?"
"Hm? Oh, yes. One boy, one girl. My son is right in the middle of his rebellious phase, though surprisingly, he gets along quite well with his little sister."
...Alright. Time for the final verification.
"By the way, what are their names?"
"The older brother is Shinn, and the younger sister is Mayu."
That clinched it. There was no mistake; this man was the father of Shinn Asuka, the protagonist of Gundam SEED Destiny, the sequel to this world's story.
"I see. Take good care of your family."
"I will."
However, if my calculations held true, the main island of Orb would not be scorched by the Alliance this time around. That meant Shinn wouldn't be forced to migrate to the PLANTs and join ZAFT. Under the current circumstances, there wasn't much I could do. It wasn't as if I could drag them aboard the Archangel. Although, if it came to open war with the Alliance, evacuating them to White Star might be a viable option.
A few days after my encounter with Shinn Asuka's father, I was summoned to the Mobile Suit factory's command center again, this time with Kira.
Through the observation window, we watched an M1 Astray running and jumping with agility that was leagues beyond what I had seen previously. I knew from the Blitz and the Strike what a difference a single Operating System could make, but... seeing it in action was truly impressive.
Come to think of it, the Sealion surely had the TC-OS installed; perhaps some of that data would eventually be adapted for these units as well.
Watching the M1 Astray alongside me were Kira, Mu, Erica, Mayura, and Julie. The room was also filled with numerous other mechanics and technicians.
"Incredible..."
The voice of astonishment belonged to Asagi. Having piloted the M1 previously with its sluggish movements, the difference must have been shocking to her.
"I constructed a new quantum subroutine to improve the synapse fusion metabolic rate by 40% and rewrote the ion pump's molecular structure to better match the neural junctions of a typical Natural."
Kira explained the updates as he rapidly adjusted the settings without even needing to look at the M1's movements. He seemed somewhat low-spirited—likely due to a fight with Flay following the meeting with his parents, just like in the original story.
"To do all that in such a short time... It really is amazing."
Even Erica's voice, filled with genuine admiration, caused Kira to furrow his brows slightly in discomfort.
"Does that mean it'll move like that if I pilot it, too?"
Erica nodded at Mu's question as he watched the machine move.
"Yes. That is correct, Major. Would you like to give it a try?"
Beside the high-spirited Erica, Kira let out a quiet sigh. For a brief moment, my eyes met Mu's. He gave a subtle nod. He was likely telling me to leave Kira to him.
"Mu looks busy. Do you mind if I test it in his place?"
"Oh, Axel. I'd love to say yes, but... even an OS tuned for Coordinators couldn't keep up with your reaction times and processing speed, remember? This version is essentially a minor variant of that, so it might be a bit..."
"Don't worry, I'm not planning to take it into combat. I won't push it too hard."
"Is that so? Then please, go ahead."
"Ah, excuse me. I'm going to head over to the Strike, so I'll take my leave here."
"Understood. See you later, then."
Kira left the command center, and Mu followed after him. Watching them go, Erica smiled with a hint of mischief.
"Being the big brother role is tough work, isn't it?"
"I suppose. I'll leave that side of things to Mu. More importantly, I can test the unit, right?"
"Yes, please do. The more data we have, the better."
With Erica's permission, I swapped places with Asagi, climbed into the M1 Astray, and booted up the OS. First, one step. Then, two.
"I see. It certainly moves much smoother now."
I went from a walk to a brisk pace, then into a run to check the machine's condition. True to its reputation of being built using data from the five G-Weapons, the control feedback wasn't all that different from the Blitz. However, compared to the Blitz, this was a mass-production model with simplified parts and mechanisms, making the controls feel somewhat... light. It felt almost too light, making subtle adjustments difficult. Though, that might just be because I was used to the Blitz, or simply a matter of pilot preference.
I pulled the beam saber from the backpack. One flash. A downward swing, then an upward slash.
"Well, I suppose this is about right."
Satisfied with the M1 Astray's handling, I disembarked and returned to Erica and the others.
"How was it?"
"Let's see... Maybe it's because I'm used to the Blitz, but the controls felt incredibly light."
"Light, you say? Is that a bad thing?"
"No, that's just pilot preference. I only felt that way because I'm accustomed to the Blitz. For the Orb pilots who will be starting with the M1 Astray, I doubt it will be an issue. Right?"
I directed the question to Asagi, who had been listening to our conversation with interest. Caught off guard, she flustered for a few seconds before answering.
"Yes. Like Axel said, I've only ever flown the M1 Astray, so I didn't feel anything strange about the controls being 'light'."
"...I see."
Erica nodded at Asagi's response. Seeing an opening, I asked about something that had been on my mind.
"What's the status on the Guuls?"
The plan had been to focus on the amphibious Mobile Suits after the base M1 Astray was completed, and then there was the matter of the Sealion. Actual deployment was likely still a ways off. However, the Guul—a sub-flight system—was purely for flight and didn't depend on the completion of the base Mobile Suit.
Considering the likelihood of a defensive war on this island nation, Guuls capable of making ground-based Mobile Suits airborne would be incredibly useful.
"Ah, regarding that... we're currently analyzing the unit you captured, on loan from the Archangel. It's not my department so I don't know the fine details, but apparently, mass production isn't that difficult. In fact, I hear they've already started."
"That was fast."
"The wonders of Orb's technology... or so they say."
"Um, Erica-san."
Mayura interrupted our conversation.
"What is it?"
"If it's that easy to fly, won't the Alliance just build these Guuls too?"
"I understand your point, Mayura, but for the Earth Alliance, Mobile Suits are strictly weapons for ground combat. ...Well, and space. Their stance is that air superiority should be left to Mobile Armors. Or perhaps they might build a few similar units for data collection, but I doubt they'll mass-produce them. If they have the resources to build Guuls, they'd likely prioritize building more Mobile Suits instead."
Of course, that logic only applied until the end of this war. By the time the Destiny era rolled around, they would be producing the flight-capable Windam, and even the Dagger series would be capable of flight via backpack exchange.
"But Orb intends to mass-produce the Guul, correct?"
"Yes. But think about it. There is an overwhelming difference in the number of pilots between Orb and the Alliance. For example, if you only have 20 pilots, building 100 Mobile Suits leaves you with 80 surplus machines. In that case, wouldn't you agree it's more efficient to build 20 Guuls for those existing units?"
"That makes sense."
The three Astray girls nodded in admiration. ...Are they really going to be okay as test pilots?
Well, they played their part reasonably well in the original story, so I assume they'll be fine.
"More importantly, if you're planning to use Guuls, does that mean the units riding them will be deployed to the front lines?"
"Yes, that is the likely scenario."
Erica nodded at my question. If that was the case, it might be possible to adopt different tactics than the Orb of the original timeline.
"In that case, why not create additional equipment for long-range support fire? You could split the forces: aerial combat using Guuls on the front lines, and long-range sniping from the rear."
At that moment, the image in my mind was the Agni from the Launcher Striker pack. However, Erica shook her head at my suggestion.
"The M1 Astray isn't equipped with a chaotic exchange system like the Strike, so that would be difficult."
"I suppose since it was designed as a simplified version of the Strike, cutting costs meant losing features... No, wait. Then why not build a dedicated sniper variant of the M1 Astray from scratch?"
"Hmm, there might be room for consideration there. I'll try proposing it to the higher-ups."
"Please do."
This was good. Orb's military might not match the Alliance in quantity, but in terms of quality, they were certainly not losing. The key to victory lay in suppressing Orb's attrition rates.
Personally, I'd prefer to leave the front lines to the Megilots and have the M1 Astrays focus on long-range fire from the rear. Since amphibious MS units are less likely to face counterattacks, having Orb's military personnel focus on those might also be a sound strategy.
Status Window
Name: Axel Almer
LV: 36
PP: 115
Stats:
Melee: 254
Shooting: 274
Skill: 264
Defense: 264
Evasion: 294
Accuracy: 314
SP: 446
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to increase Slime performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
Terrain Ratings:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: S
Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate: 4 SP
Gain: 8 SP
Focus: 16 SP
Direct Hit: 30 SP
Zeal: 32 SP
Love: 48 SP
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recover & Concentration)
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Limit Break (Willpower)
Geass (Gray)
???
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???
???
???
Shot Down Count: 278
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