As the Nahel Argama returned to Industrial 7, Athrun happened to be leading his team out toward the colony Mendel.
Standing on the spaceport dock, Athrun watched the Nahel Argama complete its mooring. He sighed as he looked at the cockpit of the Freedom, which was currently being transported out of the ship.
"You ran into a very troublesome enemy, didn't you?"
Looking at his friend standing before him, Athrun remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I suppose it makes sense. Given your fighting style, unless you maintain absolute superiority in machine performance and piloting technique, you'll always be at a disadvantage against those who harbor genuine intent to kill."
"Yeah... that's how the Freedom was destroyed and taken away."
At this point, Kira couldn't help but sigh.
"Don't stand around sighing here, Kira."
Athrun patted Kira on the shoulder. "I'm about to head out. You should go find Director Erica Simmons first."
"I expect your new unit will be ready to roll out soon."
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Since Orb's evacuation to Industrial 7, their development focus had shifted toward prioritizing industrial production.
Following a massive surge in production capacity—and relying on the nearby asteroid mines—Industrial 7 had begun manufacturing and assembling various products at an extremely high speed.
For instance, there were the custom-ordered engines and thrusters based on blueprints provided by Roz Links, as well as several Beam Gatlings.
These new armaments, transported from the "Shipyard," along with the engines and thrusters, were hauled back to the hangar for assembly.
"Aside from these custom Beam Gatling Guns, no matter how I look at it, this equipment of yours doesn't seem like 'standard' weaponry."
Taking advantage of a quiet moment before Kira arrived, Erica watched Roz and Christina as they continuously operated the hangar's hoisting equipment to organize these "new armaments."
"And what are these things... gauntlets?"
After thinking it over while looking at the "gauntlet" Roz called "Armed Armor VN," Erica truly could not imagine how a Mobile Suit was supposed to defeat another MS using a gauntlet.
"This is no simple gauntlet."
Roz operated the crane, installing the Armed Armor VN onto the Unicorn's left hand.
As for the removed shield, Christina was busy mounting Beam Gatlings onto it, preparing to attach it to the specialized sub-arms installed on the Unicorn's backpack.
Although that position was intended for the Armed Armor DE, since the DE components were not yet finished, they would settle for mounting the "Shield Funnels" for now. Including the newly delivered spare shield, they had exactly one for each side.
As piece after piece of equipment was installed onto the Unicorn, Erica's expression became increasingly conflicted.
The finished product of the Unicorn with this armament configuration truly challenged her knowledge as the Director of an MS Research and Development Center.
She could still somewhat understand the Armed Armor BS and Armed Armor VN, but what was the point of mounting shields equipped with twin Beam Gatlings onto the backpack's sub-arms? One look at those sub-arms told her they couldn't function like a normal arm's shield-bearing mount.
"Director Erica..."
Just as she began to doubt the utility of the Unicorn's equipment configuration, Kira's voice interrupted her train of thought.
"Phew... you're here, Kira."
Erica breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Kira as he walked toward them.
Kira stood beside Erica, looking up at the Unicorn, which had just finished its equipment installation and was undergoing calibration.
"The new unit needs a few days to have its outer armor installed, but we should be able to start the data coding. Come with me in a bit."
As Erica spoke, she reached out and patted Kira on the shoulder. "When it comes time for the machine synchronization tests, you might even be able to have a match against Roz."
"A... a match?!"
Recalling the strength the Unicorn had displayed on the battlefield using only the Armed Armor BS, Kira momentarily froze subconsciously.
"Of course. The new units Orb is preparing for mass production also need testing, so we might as well do it all together."
Erica nodded calmly, seemingly entirely unaware of what Kira was currently thinking.
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The hangar where Kira's new unit was located wasn't far from Roz's Unicorn; it was just a short walk through a single connecting door.
There stood a machine with its inner frame and various components exposed, sporting a pair of wings that looked both familiar and yet somewhat strange.
"The wings look a bit odd, don't they?"
As if sensing Kira's confusion, Erica spoke up. "The reason for this design is related to the new weapons we intend to mount on it."
"Voiture Lumiere and Dragoons."
A familiar voice rang out, causing Kira to look over instinctively.
Lacus stood amidst a pile of small components, offering Kira a smile.
"These are the new technologies we are using on this Strike Freedom."
As if recalling the origins of the Dragoons surrounding her, Lacus let out a somewhat helpless sigh.
"When Roz gave us the blueprints for the Dragoons, it was quite a blow to our engineers' confidence."
"After all, to be able to extrapolate and draw reference diagrams and blueprints for Dragoons after just a single battle..."
Erica stepped forward, reaching out to touch the exposed frames and instruments of the Dragoon units.
"These Dragoons are all improved versions based on the design diagrams Roz provided."
"Alright, that's enough small talk and catching up."
With that, both Erica and Lacus looked toward Kira.
"The adjustment of the MS OS and various parameters can only be done by you."
"You wouldn't want to be left without a machine to pilot, would you?"
-----------------------------------
Aboard the Minerva, Durandal had already left the brig and returned to his personal quarters, where he placed a communication call.
"This is Prime Minister Orphee of Foundation. You had better have something urgent, Durandal."
Orphee's voice rang through the communication channel. Orphee Lam Tro had only recently cleared a screening by the Earth Alliance; a call from Durandal now might just bring those inspection teams back for a second look.
"I heard you are developing your own new mobile suits?"
Durandal finally revealed his intent to Orphee.
"I have something good here. Are you interested?"
"What is it?" Orphee asked after a moment of silence.
"Flight data from the wreckage of the Freedom, along with some combat footage of the Unicorn in action."
At this, Durandal let out a sigh. "A pity the cockpit containing the bulk of the data was taken away."
"...What do you want?"
After a long silence, Orphee spoke. Since Foundation was currently in the midst of developing its own MS, the Freedom's data and the Unicorn's footage would be vital components of that process.
"Nothing much. I simply hope that you can deal with Orb."
Durandal stated his goal with total composure.
After the evacuation from Orb's colony, Mendel, Durandal had realized that "Amuro," the pilot of the Unicorn, was very close to Orb. He suspected Orb and "Amuro" had signed some kind of long-term contract, or perhaps "Amuro" had joined Orb outright. One thing Durandal was certain of: if Orb were attacked, the Unicorn would appear.
Therefore, if one wished to engage in a major operation without interference from the Unicorn, sending the Kingdom of Foundation to act as a "white glove" to fight them was the optimal solution. If the "white glove" was ruined, he could simply cultivate a new one later.
"...Besides, I've heard you have a pilot over there who is obsessed with defeating the Unicorn."
As he spoke, a smile curled at the corner of Durandal's mouth.
"...A dangerous and tempting proposal indeed."
Orphee was no naive fool; having heard Durandal's words, he understood exactly what the man was implying.
"But as you know, I cannot refuse."
Over the comms, Orphee let out a sigh.
.................