Mafty—an organization founded in UC 0103. While the identity of its leader remained a mystery, the pseudonym "Mafty Navue Erin" had begun circulating across the network.
For a long time, its clandestine operations kept the world largely in the dark. However, starting in UC 0104, the Federation bolstered its military strength and established the specialized "Man Hunter" units.
As these units began the aggressive apprehension and deportation of illegal Earth residents, the organization's activities across the globe intensified.
Many of their operations were high-profile assassinations targeting senior Federation officials, causing the name "Mafty" to gradually cement itself in the public consciousness.
Under these conditions, a multitude of anti-Federation groups flying the "Mafty Branch" banner cropped up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
In reality, the vast majority of these "branches" were little more than localized insurgent groups or terrorists; yet, their actions were almost always pinned on the actual Mafty organization.
Char was currently dressed in clean clothes obtained from a relief center, his hair styled into a mess of intentional disarray.
Holding a notebook and pen, he sat in a library, utilizing a computer terminal encased in a rugged iron housing—resembling an ATM—to search for information. He looked every bit like a university student working on a thesis.
Calling it a library was a stretch; it functioned more like a bookstore where manga and other entertainment media occupied a large portion of the shelves.
From time to time, people would take these books to an elderly clerk at the checkout counter.
Char even noticed a fellow next to him using an identical terminal to play video games. He glanced briefly at the gamer before returning his focus to the historical archives, occasionally scribbling notes in a shorthand only he could decipher.
The people around him paid him little mind. In a place as "vibrant" and eccentric as Florida, the residents were quite thick-skinned.
They simply assumed Char was a young man who happened to bear a resemblance to the long-dead "Red Comet." They left him to his own devices, absorbed in their own worlds.
After all, Char Aznable was dead. This man was far too young to be him. Besides, so many years had passed that the public's memory of the man had begun to fade into legend.
As he scrolled through entry after entry, the notes in Char's book grew denser, but his frustration only mounted.
"Artesia..."
Looking at the data that abruptly cut off, Char's heart sank.
In these public network records, there was no news regarding the death of his sister, Artesia, or her alias, Sayla Mass. However, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the Federation had suppressed any such information.
"As expected, I'll still have to find Mafty..."
Char gritted his teeth and redirected his search toward anything related to the rebel group.
Compared to joining the currently stagnant and corrupt Federation to track his sister's trail, Char was far more inclined to join an anti-Federation organization.
Once he reached a position of high authority, he could leverage their intelligence channels to uncover the truth about her.
Even though it was now UC 105, his own sister might actually be older than him by now.
"…Young man, are you very interested in Mafty?"
At that moment, a slightly aged voice rang out behind Char.
Char turned around calmly and looked at the speaker.
It was an old man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a white shirt under a deep brown knit sweater; one could only say he perfectly fit the image of an "elderly person."
"Looking at you… you must be a college student, preparing to write a thesis?"
The old man glanced at the closed notebook in Char's hand and the pen tucked inside acting as a temporary bookmark. "People who come to bookstores these days are either buying manga or novels. I haven't seen someone as devoted to their studies as you in quite a while…"
The old man rambled on with an air of familiarity. Char's outfit, which made him look like a college student about to write a thesis, had opened the floodgates of conversation.
"Yes, that's right…"
Seeing the old man before him, Char's initially guarded heart relaxed, and he followed along with the old man's words. "The subject of my thesis is researching the reasons behind the birth of the Mafty organization and its impact."
Upon hearing Char's words, the old man stopped his rambling and seemed to fall into thought.
"Mafty, huh…"
The old man reminisced and let out a sigh. "Ever since that organization made its debut, its actions have moved closer and closer to those of a terrorist group. But if they are clearly resisting the Federation, why don't they go deal with those unbearable Man Hunters instead…"
"Man Hunters…"
Hearing this term, Char remained expressionless, but his heart felt heavy.
He had already seen those so-called "Man Hunters" storming into refugee camps and rounding those people up.
Every time they deployed, it was always with a massive commotion, deploying Jegans that had been stripped of all armaments—save for a fixed machine gun at the crotch—just like right now.
Wait, right now?
The faint sound of Mobile Suit movement echoed in his ears, and Char's eyes widened instinctively.
"Man Hunters"? Conducting a search at a time like this?
Just as Char was calculating how to avoid the Man Hunter units.
"They come by to check every few days; it's exactly like hyenas spotting carrion."
Seemingly accustomed to the presence of the Man Hunter units, the old man sighed and walked to the door to take a look. "Doing things this way, how is the economy here supposed to develop?"
At a nearby intersection, a Man Hunter-type Jegan belonging to the Man Hunter units stood there.
The machine gunner at the unit's crotch was operating the fixed machine gun, scanning the crowd. Meanwhile, the group of "Man Hunter" troops, dressed in combat fatigues with batons in hand and pistols at their waists, began intercepting passersby on the street to check their residency permits.
From time to time, some unlucky soul was hauled onto a Man Hunter unit van for various reasons. The people watched this group with faces full of loathing, yet none dared to resist.
Even though gun control wasn't enforced in America on Earth, the opposition had deployed MS. In the face of a Mobile Suit, any firearm a civilian could purchase was utterly meaningless.
"Is there a problem with your residency permit, young man?"
The old man glanced at Char, who was gripping his notebook tightly, and let out a sigh. "Go further into the bookstore; there's a back door used for deliveries."
The old man put on his coat and picked up his briefcase.
"My papers are all in order; I can stall them for a while."
"Whatever happens, keep up with your studies, young man."
The old man gave Char a small smile, walked out of the bookstore, and locked the door behind him.
Perhaps seeing Char diligently taking notes had reminded him of his own days spent buried in books, prompting the old man to do something for this unlucky youth.
Watching the old man exit the shop, Char remained silent for a moment. He cleared the browsing history of the information he had searched for and shut down the computer.
Stepping out from the back of the bookstore, Char narrowed his eyes as he watched the Man Hunter unit still interrogating the crowd in the distance, as well as that Man Hunter-type Jegan.
"Despite not being the military, they carry themselves as if they were... Man Hunters."
Perhaps the greatest interference to his operations on Earth would not be the Federation Army, but this so-called "Man Hunter" unit.
As expected, he would have to join Mafty to support his next move.
-----------------------------------
In a certain asteroid belt within the Solar System.
A wormhole expanded, and the Nahel Argama surged out, trailing green light particles.
"Positional deviation is 3; a very successful warp."
Watching the wormhole vanish, Big Haro hummed a little tune in the bridge while scanning the jump data.
"Good. Next, we head for the Earth Sphere."
Seeing that familiar, azure water planet, Roz Links breathed a slight sigh of relief. "According to the last message Char sent me, the target was last seen on Earth."
"According to the records, the Char of 0079... this man is not one to settle for mediocrity. To achieve his goals, he will utilize anything and everything available to him."
Roz Links recalled the data he had gathered and remained silent for a moment. "Undoubtedly, the Mafty organization is the most useful tool for him."
To be honest, Roz Links had already mentally prepared himself for the possibility of being schemed against by this Char, but he wasn't overly worried.
Scheming has its limits, after all. As long as one "discards their humanity" and possesses sufficient power, such plots can be smashed. Roz Links was quite confident in his own "Green-Skin" power.
"According to data projections, the Char who came to this world would indeed do such a thing."
Big Haro's eyes flickered, clearly using its processing power to perform a short-term prediction similar to Veda's functions.
"Currently, there is no force in space capable of threatening the Federation fleet. If the Nahel Argama stays in space and is discovered, we might find ourselves besieged by the Federation fleet."
Murrue Ramius looked at the synchronized star chart and plotted a course toward Earth. "There is good news, however. The Federation's control over the Earth's environment isn't as comprehensive as it was in the 00 world. We won't need to keep the Mirage Colloid system active at all times; there's plenty of room to maneuver."
"But before heading to Earth, I want to make a stop at the Moon... Big Haro, get me a fake identity."
Roz Links pondered for a moment. "I need to go see Captain Bright Noa of Londo Bell first."
"After all, it was Senior Amuro Ray's request."
..................