In the spaceport of the Moon Base, warships frequently set sail from the docks.
A man with a mustache, wearing the olive-green Federation military uniform, drifted through a corridor, gazing at the warships undergoing maintenance and inspections in the drydock.
"Colonel Bright."
At that moment, an officer spotted the man. Smiling, he offered a salute. "So diligent. Even though you're nearing retirement, are you still heading out on constant missions?"
Bright's desire to retire was not hidden in the slightest; in fact, the retirement application he had submitted had been delayed multiple times by the review process.
Seeing the officer before him, Bright returned the salute, then turned back to look at his own ship.
The Ra Cailum. This warship had accompanied the Londo Bell unit through such a long period of combat.
Many outstanding young people had grown up aboard the Ra Cailum; even among Newtypes, this ship and he had witnessed many together.
"Yes, it's about setting an example for the children. Even as things approach the end, one must stand their final watch well."
Bright reached out and placed his hand against the glass, as if touching the Ra Cailum from afar.
Scene after scene of the past flickered through his mind—Kamille, Char, Amuro... Bright's pupils dilated slightly and his vision blurred, as if he had returned to his time aboard the "White Base."
"My apologies. As retirement nears, I find myself reminiscing about the past more and more."
Bright shook his head, pulling his thoughts back to the present. He turned toward the officer he had been speaking with. "I'm truly sorry for leaving you standing there."
"No, it wasn't long at all."
The officer didn't think much of it, simply offering Bright a smile before looking toward the Ra Cailum.
"Still, Colonel Bright must be recalling those glorious years. I also like to look at my own ship from these corridors; it always allows me to remember the past."
The soldiers of the Federation all knew the prestigious name of Londo Bell.
Every time the Federation faced a crisis, this unit would gather to execute one brilliant counterattack after another, rescuing the Federation from the brink of disaster.
As for why the Federation kept finding itself in such disasters, the officer didn't dare to dwell on it.
"In any case, even if you are standing your final watch, don't work yourself to exhaustion, Colonel Bright."
There was no hidden agenda—just the simple happiness of seeing a respected senior finally able to escape this "sea of bitterness" and get some proper rest. The officer waved at Bright and drifted toward the passage behind him. "Colonel Bright, I have matters to attend to. I'll take my leave first!"
Watching the retreating figure, Bright instinctively raised his arm and brushed his mustache with his finger.
'Escaping the sea of bitterness, huh... Even they can see my situation clearly.'
But it didn't matter anymore. He was retiring soon; when the time came, he would go open a bakery with his family...
Standing in the corridor, reminiscing about the MS—and even the Gundams—that the Ra Cailum had carried, Bright couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Gundams, those high-performance custom machines, were almost always piloted by a group of people who refused to settle for mediocrity and possessed a rebellious spirit.
Among them, none was more famous than Amuro Ray, whom many pilots still worship to this day.
"I wonder how Hathaway is doing lately..."
Compared to those Gundam pilots, his own son, Hathaway Noa, was much more well-behaved. He was still striving toward his goal of becoming a botanical observer; surely, he could follow his father's advice, stay far away from war, and live out a peaceful life.
Just as Bright Noa was beginning to let his guard down and indulge in these idle thoughts now that he had returned to the Moon Base—
"The Ra Cailum..."
A voice that felt strange yet carried a hint of familiarity caused Bright to snap back to reality instinctively, his eyes widening.
"Is the Federation really this stingy now? This ship has been in service for so long and still hasn't been replaced."
That was it—yes, that was the voice of the young man with the curly brown hair, the man who induced the miracle at Axis. But wasn't he already dead?
Is it a clone? Did someone clone Amuro Ray? ...No, that's not right.
Amuro had already been cloned once, but it ended in failure; that project had been shut down and destroyed. It couldn't be a clone.
Bright clenched his fists so hard his nails nearly dug into his palms, yet he was completely unaware of it.
Was it an auditory hallucination? Did he miss that young man so much? Or... was it a vision heard because his own death was approaching?
Bright, a man of such maturity, found his mind reduced to a chaotic mess at this moment.
But regardless of who was making the sound or what their purpose was, Bright would face them.
Bright instinctively drew his sidearm and slowly turned his head. A figure—familiar, yet with a trace of strangeness—entered his vision.
The muzzle of the gun, which should have been pointed at the figure, drifted off target without him realizing it.
He called it familiar because a photograph of this young man still hung in his office aboard the Ra Cailum; he called it strange because he hadn't seen this figure in a very long time.
Yet, it seemed the youth before him hadn't aged at all, while he himself was already past fifty.
Though he didn't know why the originally brown hair now appeared black... perhaps it was because his emotions were too heightened, causing a lapse in his perception?
At that moment, the youth stood by the glass, still wearing that familiar blue Earth Federation uniform. His palm was pressed against the glass, his gaze fixed on the Ra Cailum undergoing maintenance.
"...Amuro?"
Bright opened his dry mouth and uttered the name etched in his memory.
"Captain Bright..."
Roz Links, who had specifically found a set of clothes identical to Amuro Ray's instead of wearing his "Char Suit," turned to face the shocked Bright. "Amuro Ray told me to give you his regards."
"...It's been a long time."
Even though he didn't know if what was before him was real or a hallucination, hearing that voice and seeing that figure in his line of sight caused Bright to lapse into a daze instinctively.
Even though it had been a long time, seeing a figure that looked even slightly like you made me lose myself for a moment.
Bright instinctively rubbed his eyes, wanting to see Roz more clearly.
But when Bright lowered his hands and looked toward "Amuro's" position again...
There was nothing left but an empty corridor with no one but himself, and Bright standing there with his pistol drawn, "looking around in a daze with sword in hand."
He ran anxiously to the spot where "Amuro" had just been standing, looking left and right, searching for that figure.
"So... was it really just my hallucination? Amuro."
Finding nothing, Bright let out a sigh. "Dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs—or maybe a hallucination born from being near death?"
"Should I really start writing my will first?"
Bright holstered his pistol and reached out, placing his hand on the spot where "Amuro's" hand had been. His expression was complicated.
Perhaps he really was getting old; even Bright had become somewhat sentimental.
"Amuro, how wonderful it would be if you were still alive..."
Just as Bright was lamenting, the sensation coming from his palm made him suddenly freeze.
The spot where "Amuro's" hands had rested... was warm.
Though the temperature had dropped significantly, Bright could still feel it.
This made him instinctively want to clench his fist; his fingers slid across the glass as if trying to grasp that fading warmth in his palm to prove a hypothesis that bordered on madness.
On the scene, there was only the contemplative Bright and the white noise of the machinery in operation.
Meanwhile, in a cross-corridor some distance away—because it was a T-junction, Bright could not see the state of the intersecting hallway.
Roz, wearing the blue Federation uniform, leaned against the wall of the side corridor. He kept his voice low as he spoke to the Nahel Argama via a wireless headset, occasionally using the reflection in the glass to observe Bright's reaction.
"Big Haro, are you sure the surveillance won't catch me?"
"Don't worry, I've hacked the surveillance to modify the feed and deleted the logs."
From the headset came Big Haro's somewhat proud voice. "Even if they check the surveillance inside out, the only conclusion they'll reach is that Captain Bright was overcome by longing and suffered a hallucination."
"That's a big help, Big Haro."
Roz peeked his head out slightly. Seeing that Bright was still lost in thought, he quickly left the corridor.
"Though, I suppose this counts as helping Captain Bright retire a bit earlier."
"On the contrary, I don't think the Federation will let him go so easily."
In the comms came Murrue Ramius's analysis. "After all, no matter how you look at it, Bright Noa and his Londo Bell are far too legendary. The Federation needs such iconic figures for military propaganda."
"But I expect any real encounter will be a matter for the future."
Roz spoke in a low voice, casually donning a wig to transform himself into another person. "In any case, Nahel Argama, get ready. Once things are wrapped up here, we're heading to Earth."
"So, have you finally had your fill of playing the 'Cosplay Amuro' game?"
"This isn't play—this is fulfilling a senior's request!"
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In Earth's low orbit, the Federation fleet was conducting its routine patrols.
However, a larger portion of the fleet had concentrated near Australia, intending to suppress and annihilate the "Mafty forces" gathered in Oenbelli, a town in northern Australia. Consequently, patrols on other routes had been weakened due to scheduling shifts.
"Ah... it's the same view back and forth, over and over."
At that moment, a Salamis-class cruiser was carrying out its patrol mission. Looking at the azure water planet before him, the captain of this warship complained.
By now, they felt a sense of numbness toward these patrols, almost wishing a small squad of "Mafty forces" would suddenly pop up so they could have a satisfying battle.
Unfortunately, the majority of the "Mafty forces" were besieged in Australia; only a few "fish that escaped the net" were able to break out and execute various operations.
As for the "Mafty branches" in other regions, they were few and far between—it was difficult for them to even scrape together a single Mobile Suit.
"I actually think this is fine. Getting paid while slacking off is great."
The CIC of this Salamis-class cruiser, however, felt that this kind of peaceful time was perfect—it was essentially his dream job.
"But I still feel like..."
Just as the captain was about to say more, the radar suddenly began to shriek, and the observer sent out a loud report.
"Unknown target detected! Three o'clock direction, distance 6000!"
The radar observer shouted, "Visual contact is possible!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, the Salamis-class captain waved his hand grandly. "Preheat the ship's cannons! Begin warning the unknown target to withdraw!"
There were all sorts of cargo ships traveling between the Sides; it wasn't unusual to see a ship that didn't fit the Federation's typical style.
"...Earth isn't a place you space hicks can just enter whenever you want!"
The Salamis captain slapped the armrest of his chair and yelled, "Scram back to space!"
But as the unknown warship came into clear view, the originally arrogant captain froze instantly.
At that moment, the Nahel Argama, having just deactivated its Mirage Colloid system, completely ignored the demands sent by the Salamis-class cruiser.
Green GN particles formed a spherical shield around the Nahel Argama, which, trailing a wake of light particles, dove straight toward Earth for atmospheric entry.
"Damn it... they're actually ignoring me!"
The Salamis-class captain slammed the armrest. "Fire the Mega Particle Cannons!"
A twin-linked Mega Particle Cannon locked onto the Nahel Argama, and pale purple beams streaked toward the ship.
"Continue the descent. The GN Field shield can withstand Mega Particle Cannons!"
Seeing the warning, Murrue Ramius didn't show the slightest hint of panic; instead, she maintained the ship's descent profile.
The pale purple beams struck the Nahel Argama's GN shield with precision, but aside from the particle beams being scattered, the Nahel Argama's speed and angle didn't falter in the slightest.
"Drat..."
Witnessing this scene, the Salamis-class captain gritted his teeth. "Notify the Earth forces. A warship has forcibly broken through the atmosphere; it's likely the work of Zeon Remnants."
Watching the Nahel Argama as it fully descended into the Earth Sphere, the Salamis-class captain sighed.
It was impossible for his ship to pursue them into the Earth Sphere. Entering was a small matter, but figuring out how to fly back into space was a massive headache.
Therefore, the task of launching an attack on the Nahel Argama "Zeon Remnants" would have to be left to the ground forces.
"I hope they can spare the hands... I heard the forces at Davao are already preparing to use a new model machine against Mafty."
....................