When Roz Links arrived at the Nahel Argama's bridge, Murrue and the others had already established contact with Halberton, who was stationed on the Moon.
"...What a magnificent bridge. This must be Roz Links' handiwork, right?" Halberton, sitting in his quarters, exclaimed as he examined the glimpse of the bridge visible on the tablet.
Recently, the Earth Forces' searches at the Moon base had become somewhat relaxed, allowing the base to begin resuming full operational functions. Halberton's Eighth Fleet also eased up slightly, making irregular contact with Roz Links and Murrue's group possible.
Although he didn't know why there was a huge Haro on the bridge, perhaps it was Roz Links' aesthetic taste? Since it was a ship entirely belonging to Roz Links, Halberton didn't feel it was his place to comment.
"Yes, General. This warship is called the Nahel Argama." Murrue nodded to Halberton. "We have just crossed the ZAFT border and are preparing to return to Industrial Seven as planned."
"When I heard that the Archangel had sunk, I prepared myself for the possibility that all of you had been killed, but seeing that you are alive is a great relief." Halberton smiled reassuringly. "Now, what is the reason for contacting me this time?"
"General Halberton, we just received intelligence that the three mobile suits Blue Cosmos recently stole from ZAFT contain technology called the Neutron Jammer Canceller. This technology can negate the effects of the N-Jammer, allowing the use of nuclear energy." Natarle Badgiruel stepped forward and spoke. "I want to know if the Moon base has received any related news."
"Neutron Jammer Canceller? Nuclear energy?!" Halberton paused to think after hearing Badgiruel's words.
Seemingly recalling something, Halberton took out another tablet and began operating it, apparently searching for a file.
"Found it. 'Moon Base and Fleet Tactical Nuclear Weapon Deployment Manifest'..." Halberton frowned deeply, looking at the manifest that had puzzled him not long ago.
"But in terms of the timeline... this manifest was already in our hands about three days after the mobile suits were seized."
The reason the document had initially confused Halberton was that, under the effects of the N-Jammer, the Earth Forces had habitually modified their weapons to conventional missiles and beam weapons, rendering nuclear weapons useless for a long time.
"This means that Blue Cosmos obtaining the Neutron Jammer Canceller is a foregone conclusion." Roz Links' expression also looked grim upon hearing about the weapons manifest. "Which means that besides nuclear weapons, we'll soon see nuclear-powered mobile suits. If a nuclear-powered MS self-destructs..."
"It becomes a small nuclear bomb." Mu, who had been silent, interjected.
Since the intelligence leak came from Rau Le Creuset, Mu was now certain of one thing.
"That guy, Rau Le Creuset... must have indeed put that technology into the mobile suits, or rather, deliberately put it in and then leaked the information to Blue Cosmos."
"It's a trap!" Halberton understood the problem instantly.
"It's too late. A specially formed fleet has already departed."
"The Earth Forces will instinctively use nuclear weapons. ZAFT couldn't possibly not have anticipated that, so they must have weapons to counter nuclear attacks." Halberton sighed at the thought.
"Furthermore, they're probably planning a blitzkrieg. The delivery speed of the newly built MS and warships is extremely fast. The headquarters must have spent a fortune, and those arms dealers are surely making a killing again."
"In short, my advice is for you to prepare to switch to nuclear power. The Earth Forces and ZAFT will likely switch to nuclear power soon, too."
Roz Links felt a headache coming on, thinking about the possibility of nuclear-powered mobile suits like the Freedom and Justice appearing later.
"...Murrue, contact Orb and prepare the materials immediately." After a long silence, Roz Links looked at Murrue. "Mu, you need to prepare, too."
"Huh? Prepare for what?" Mu was surprised that he was involved, pointing a finger at himself. "What do manufacturing matters have to do with me?"
"I'm preparing to install a nuclear battery on the Strike. You need to prepare for the subsequent calibration." Roz Links turned his head to look at the wide-eyed Mu. "The Strike doesn't have a pre-installed port for a nuclear battery. A lot of the subsequent data will have to be set by the pilot manually."
"However, if it has a nuclear battery installed... the Strike's weapons shouldn't need to have their output reduced anymore, right?" Mu raised an eyebrow, ignoring the complexity of the calibration Roz Links mentioned. "Looks like the Strike will be useful for a long time yet..."
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On the other side of the conflict, the Minerva, chasing the Archangel-class ship that had stolen the three MS units, had traveled all the way to Earth. It was now speeding across the ocean toward the Kingdom of Foundation.
"So this is... the ocean on Earth?"
Standing on the deck, the young men and women who grew up in the colonies curiously observed their surroundings, noticing creatures called "dolphins" leaping out of the water from time to time.
Shinn, being a native-born and raised resident of Orb, was observing the unchanging sea surface with boredom, only perceiving the noise made by his companions who were excitedly exclaiming.
"Shinn, look over there through the binoculars."
Durandal, seemingly having spotted something on the nautical chart, narrowed his eyes and pointed a direction for Shinn.
"What..."
Hearing Durandal's voice, Shinn instinctively raised his binoculars and turned his head.
What followed was a long silence. Shinn stood like a statue, staring intently in the direction Durandal had indicated.
It was a severely ravaged island. The wreckage of a city was still scattered there, and Shinn could vaguely make out the slightly familiar debris of red-and-white MS units, as well as a large amount of steel skeletal structures.
That ruin, not long ago, was called Orb, the place where Shinn had lived and grown up... and the place where his parents died.
Shinn tightened his grip on the binoculars, as if trying to crush them, searching his memory for the location of that hill from the past. Unfortunately, due to the angle, Shinn couldn't see the side of the hill that faced the mass driver.
"Huh... that area, isn't that just a ruined city on an island? What's wrong, Shinn?"
Lunamaria, seeing that Shinn looked distressed, also raised her binoculars to observe the wreckage.
"That ruin used to have a name: Orb."
Durandal walked up beside Shinn. He didn't use binoculars but simply looked in the direction of the Orb ruins. "Although the Orb mass evacuation was quite successful, many people still died on Orb's mainland during the Earth Forces' offensive."
"Among them were Shinn's parents."
Hearing Durandal's words, the other young men and women looked at Shinn with changed eyes.
Compared to them, who were on their first real battlefield sortie, Shinn had already rolled through one, and even lost the most important people in his life. Such an experience was comparable to the opening of a reversal-style novel protagonist.
"There's no need to keep bringing up things like that, Councilman Durandal."
Silently watching the unforgettable hill disappear from view, Shinn took a deep breath to calm himself, lowering the binoculars.
"I haven't forgotten the past, and I don't need to be reminded of it."
"All I want to do now is work hard to earn money and protect my sister, nothing more."
Shinn didn't pay attention to the gazes of his companions. Instead, he looked at Durandal. "Besides, we are still in enemy territory. We are not safe until we reach the Kingdom of Foundation."
"Even the toughest battle won't begrudge a few minutes of rest."
Durandal smiled. "Chasing that warship all the way here, even into the enemy's home base, everyone must be at their limit."
Shinn sighed, about to say something, but the Minerva's alarm sounded first.
"Enemy surface fleet and MS detected at the ten o'clock position! All hands, enter Level One Battle Stations!" Natarle's voice rang out over the broadcast.
"Well, it seems the Earth Forces don't intend to let us rest."
Durandal shrugged, watching the young men and women rush past him to their assigned stations, and quickly left the deck, heading toward the bridge.
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By the time Shinn Asuka put on his pilot suit and boarded the Core Splendor, the hangar door, which had been waiting for some time, closed, and the elevator carried the components to the launch deck.
"Impulse Gundam, Force Silhouette ready, available for launch at any time."
"Shinn Asuka, Impulse Gundam, launching!"
Perhaps due to seeing the wreckage of the Orb mainland, Shinn's expression had become serious.
When the blue Core Splendor flew out of the catapult and soared into the sky, Shinn immediately spotted ten Mobile Suits speeding across the surface of the sea.
"MS count is ten, closing in!" Meyrin's voice came over the communication.
"No time to combine... Meyrin, launch the remaining components according to the original plan!"
Looking at the approaching Daggers, Shinn jerked the control stick, and the Core Splendor quickly performed a barrel roll, approaching the Daggers from the side.
The moment a Dagger was framed in the aiming reticle, Shinn pressed the trigger without hesitation.
The Core Splendor's cannons roared, sweeping dense barrages across the Daggers. The missiles on the wings, which hadn't been used much, detached from the wingtips and rushed towards the Daggers.
Perhaps because they hadn't paid attention to the Core Splendor, the Daggers were thrown into momentary confusion when the Core Splendor's cannons opened fire. The armor on the Daggers was pitted by the cannons, with several holes punched through in some places.
The two missiles mixed in with the cannon fire accurately struck one Dagger's cockpit, blowing it into pieces that fell into the sea, splashing water high into the air.
Apparently sensing the impending battle, the dolphins that had been near the Minerva had long since withdrawn, leaving only the splashes caused by the ship's anti-air cannon shells on the sea surface.
Having scored a hit, Shinn did not linger. Instead, he piloted the Core Splendor to gain altitude.
All the remaining components had been catapulted. Shinn skillfully maneuvered the Core Splendor to transform and dock with the components. As the Force Silhouette connected with the back interface of the unit, the classic red, white, and blue colors spread over the Impulse. The shield in its hand, which looked miniature, suddenly unfolded, approximately doubling its volume.
Shinn skillfully maneuvered the Impulse. Glancing at the Daggers that were still approaching the Minerva and opening fire, he instinctively fired two shots without aiming.
The beam bursts from the muzzle of the Impulse's beam rifle: the first shot severed one Dagger's left leg, and the second hit the rear waist of the crippled Dagger, triggering an explosion.
"Although I couldn't stop those three MS before... dealing with you guys is more than enough!"
Looking at the steady operation of the combat recorder, Shinn gritted his teeth and raised the beam rifle in his hands again.
Although he preferred to use close combat to deal with enemies, when it came to earning money, firing guns was indeed more efficient.
......................