Time flew by, and three or four days had passed since Lacus and Kira set off on the cargo ship.
During this time, Roz hadn't been idle. Thanks to the newly designed backpack for the Strike, which shared many common parts with the Moebius Zero, production moved quickly; the frame and some components were already finished.
However, it seemed that after seeing the combat results of Roz using the Beam Magnum—and since the Unicorn temporarily wouldn't be using it due to its new equipment—Mu had come up with an idea.
"You want the Strike to be compatible with the Unicorn's Beam Magnum?"
Hearing Mu's proposal, Erica looked at him. "Setting aside whether you can handle that many weapons at once, the Strike's frame can't withstand that gun's recoil. If you want to use it, the right arm would need to be redesigned and the internal frame reinforced."
As the lead developer adjusting the Strike's "Perfect" configuration, Erica naturally understood the limits of the Strike's armament and armor strength. After a quick mental estimation of the Beam Magnum's recoil, she instinctively shook her head.
"Furthermore, if you use PS Armor to offset the weapon's recoil, while the nuclear battery's endurance wouldn't be an issue, the PS Armor itself would overheat rapidly..."
"Operating the Moebius Zero's wire-guided pods is practically etched into my DNA!" Mu gave a thumbs-up over the comms. "Besides, Roz said the Unicorn is getting new equipment. I've seen the diagrams—he won't be able to carry that gun anymore once it's installed. Why let such a good piece of gear just sit there gathering dust?"
As for the wire-guided pod backpack, besides being able to connect to the Strike's current nuclear battery to significantly improve endurance and output while boosting thrust, its operation was identical to the Moebius Zero. Although it hadn't been physically built yet, Mu had already fully mastered it after running several simulations with the provided data.
"You've already set sail with the Nahel Argama. If you want to reinforce the frame, that will have to wait until you return to Industrial Seven."
Erica sighed and opened a file on her computer.
Inside were the design blueprints for the Strike. Fortunately, Erica had just finished the initial design for Orb's next-generation mass-production MS; otherwise, she truly wouldn't have had the time to make modifications to the Strike's frame.
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On the bridge of the Nahel Argama, Mu La Flaga whistled a tune as he switched off his communicator.
The Nahel Argama had only recently received the new equipment for the Unicorn. They were currently advancing toward the coordinates designated by Lacus and were expected to arrive momentarily. Mu's eyes were practically glowing with envy at the thought of the Beam Magnum—a weapon capable of one-shotting massive MS like the Destroyer—now sitting idle in the hangar.
Unfortunately, while Roz didn't mind Mu using it, the Strike was currently incapable of handling the weapon's requirements. With some time still to go before they could return to Industrial Seven for retrofitting, Mu could only wait.
"By the way, where's Roz? Still in the hangar fine-tuning the equipment?"
Mu scratching his head as he looked around the bridge crew. "Correct. Since the weaponry requires a direct link to the Unicorn's systems, Roz is still making adjustments."
Murrue, sitting in the captain's chair while reviewing intelligence reports, nodded.
In the hangar, Roz Links was seated in the Unicorn's cockpit, his fingers moving rapidly across the touchscreen controls.
A white armament was now mounted on the Unicorn's right arm, making the forearm appear a size bulkier. Two long plates were currently flipped over and stowed along the side of the arm.
This was the Armed Armor BS (Beam-Smartgun)—the Unicorn's brand-new weapon. While Roz kept the general appearance of the original design, he had made significant modifications under the hood.
To allow this weapon to fire beams with irregular trajectories, Roz had specifically integrated Psycho-frame components for precision control. By using two long plates—similar in function to the Nu Gundam's fin funnels—to manipulate Mirage Colloid particles, the weapon's beam could be "bent" during irradiation.
This was a direct application of the technology found on the Forbidden Gundam. After designing the base Armed Armor BS, Roz had been struck by another thought: If Mirage Colloid can be used to twist a beam, why not use it to create an acceleration field to fire Beam Magnum-grade shots?
After a period of development, Roz had designed an improved version of the Armed Armor BS. The originally rectangular beam emitter had been changed to a circular one, and the two long plates were adjusted so they could deploy into a claw-like quadrilateral structure. This allowed the unit to manipulate Mirage Colloid particles to stabilize and accelerate the output, enabling the Armed Armor BS to replicate the firepower of the Beam Magnum.
In this "Magnum Mode," the Armed Armor BS lost its ability to curve beams. Furthermore, because of the complex manipulation of Mirage Colloid particles, the rate of fire was significantly lower than that of the original handheld Beam Magnum rifle. It was a compromise made in exchange for extreme versatility.
Additionally, because the right arm was now occupied by the Armed Armor BS, the Unicorn could no longer carry the handheld Beam Magnum rifle comfortably. Roz had relegated the rifle to the hangar storage, which was exactly why Mu was so eager to get his hands on it.
'I wonder when the Beam Gatling Guns I ordered from Orb will be finished,' Roz thought to himself.
He began his fifth check of the synchronization between the Armed Armor BS and the Unicorn. The Unicorn itself seemed quite satisfied with the new "limb"—the machine's response speed had noticeably improved.
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"Ship has arrived at the designated coordinates. Waiting for Miss Lacus's signal."
Shortly after, seeing the Earth spread out beneath the ship, Arnold Neumann slowed the Nahel Argama into an idling state. The thought of having to lower their altitude further once the operation began—all while fighting Earth's gravity to avoid being pulled down—made Arnold sharpen his focus instinctively.
"Tolle, get ready." Murrue Ramius turned to Tolni Koenig, who was seated at the control console, and nodded.
"It's just launching a grappling hook; this is much easier than piloting a Skygrasper." Tolle chuckled, glancing at Miriallia Haw, who was cheering him on, before placing his hands on the control levers.
After his Skygrasper was destroyed during the battle at the Alaska Base, Tolle had returned to his position as a fire control operator. This was partly because the increasing number of MS on both sides made the survival rate of the Skygrasper plummet, and partly because Natarle Badgiruel's departure had left the Archangel's fire control department shorthanded.
The specialized grappling hook they were about to launch was equipped with its own thrusters for fine directional adjustments, making Tolle the best man for the job. After all, Mu and Roz were already in their mobile suits, standing by for launch.
"Miss Lacus's signal is here!" Sai Argyle turned to look at Tolle.
"Descending to planned altitude!" Murrue commanded, looking toward Arnold.
Arnold narrowed his eyes, his hands dancing across the helm and throttle. The Nahel Argama's ventral hull was coated in a heat-resistant liquid film as the ship began its slow descent. The bridge's external armor slid upward, entering combat mode; the dim bridge was now filled with camera feeds that looked as if they were viewed through a crimson filter.
"We have reached the target altitude!" Arnold was now intensely focused, exerting every effort to maintain the ship's height.
"Watch me nail this in one go!" Tolle pressed a button, and the view on his console shifted, zooming in toward the Earth.
A specialized docking port was ejected from the belly of the Nahel Argama. Behind the port, several attitude-control thrusters spat fire, adjusting its trajectory. A cargo ship appeared in Tolle's sights, steadily climbing and breaking through the cloud layer. At the front of the cargo ship, a matching interface was held aloft by a support frame, waiting for the tether to connect.
"Steady... steady..." As the crosshairs neared the cargo ship's port, Tolle grew cautious. Suddenly, several beam shots fired from below, creating significant interference.
"What's the situation? Are the Freedom and Justice still fighting outside the ship?!" Seeing the tether disturbed, Murrue frowned.
"No problem—docking complete!" Despite the interference, Tolle—who was used to flying the Skygrasper through beam-filled battlefields—quickly adjusted the port's attitude. He bypassed the incoming fire and completed the docking with surgical precision.
With the connection secured, Tolle breathed a sigh of relief.
"Order the Freedom and Justice back to the cargo ship! Arnold, pull them up!" Murrue barked.
"Ready and waiting!" Arnold slammed the Nahel Argama's thrusters to full power. The flames from the ship's rear engines intensified, and the tether snapped taut, beginning the haul.
Though the tether was under extreme tension, it held firm. The Nahel Argama, nearly twice the size of the Archangel, possessed immense propulsion. Under its power, the cargo ship's ascent through the atmosphere accelerated rapidly. The Freedom and Justice, which had been engaged in combat, retreated to the cargo ship, seemingly staying on high alert.
Soon, everyone realized what they were guarding against. An attack struck the upper atmosphere, creating a shimmering green zone of energy.
"Quantum interference channel... is that a Lohengrin?!" Miriallia's mouth hung open as she recognized the signature of a positron cannon.
"All hands, Battle Stations Level 1!" Murrue frowned.
As the cargo ship crossed the Karman line and entered the vacuum of space, the pursuer that had been hounding them finally appeared before everyone's eyes. It was a streamlined warship, somewhat similar in profile to the Nahel Argama but only half its size.
"ZAFT? Here?!"
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