Near the space orbit of the "Human Reform League" (HRL), one of the three major power blocs, the Ptolemaios was drifting at idle. Green particles drifted around it, masking its silhouette from radar.
On the bridge of the Ptolemaios, everyone was staring at various images displayed on the main screen.
Footage from the AEU base, shots from the Hellions, long-range captures by Lockon, and various surveillance feeds compiled by Veda... though the videos were from a dozen different perspectives, they all shared one undeniable protagonist: the Penelope.
"This is a headache..."
Sumeragi felt a dull throb in her temples as she paused the looping video data.
The frame she stopped on was from the perspective of the Hellion that had clung to the Penelope's left arm, only to have its limbs snapped before falling into the burning forest. It was one of the few rare shots that clearly captured the Penelope's face.
It was a very standard, "proper" Gundam face. Yet, when combined with its monster-like massive frame, it gave off a bizarre sense of absurdity.
"A machine like this... where on earth did this Gundam spring from?"
"It is not a Gundam at all!"
While Sumeragi was still analyzing the mystery, a youth wearing a purple pilot suit and glasses refuted her. "A true Gundam... could never look like that."
Unlike the first "Gundam Nut" Setsuna and his "I am Gundam" philosophy, or the second-generation enthusiast Graham Aker's fascination with the machine's performance, Tieria Erde—as the third "Gundam Nut"—displayed a trait of extreme, pure Gundam fundamentalism.
To him, as someone closely linked to Veda, the fact that Celestial Being's Gundams were equipped with the GN Drive (Solar Furnace) held a significance that was perhaps more important than anything else.
"It is merely an imitation created by some unknown organization. How can it be called a Gundam!"
"That's hard to say."
Looking at Tieria's dead-serious expression and the sheer resistance in his voice toward classifying the Penelope as a Gundam, Sumeragi felt her headache intensify.
"Has Veda analyzed anything?"
"Based on the current video data, this MS—codenamed 'Raven' by the AEU—likely uses a new type of electrical propulsion system and some sort of auxiliary flight device similar to an anti-gravity system." Hearing Sumeragi's question, Christina pulled up several data files. In the videos, the Penelope maneuvered through various attacks as if it had completely cast off the shackles of Earth's gravity.
Another video showed the Penelope in cruise mode, maintaining a speed of Mach 2 as it outpaced the AEU pursuit until it vanished from sight.
"According to comparative analysis of objects in the footage, although we don't know why it doesn't produce a sonic boom, the Raven's maximum cruise speed is Mach 2. Based on its previous performance, we suspect it can maintain high-speed combat at around Mach 1 in its MS form."
Christina looked at Veda's analysis results and felt a chill. "As for performance, besides being able to snap a Hellion's arms using pure acceleration output, the beam rifle it used to target a specific objective is more powerful than the Virtue's."
On the screen, the Penelope had casually fired two shots while surrounded, leaving behind a forest in flames and ground turned to lava. The AEU couldn't even identify the target that the Penelope had actually been aiming at.
Seeing this, despite the indignation in his heart, Tieria fell silent. While he believed the Virtue could achieve similar power, it would require a charge time; it couldn't be done as effortlessly as the Penelope.
"Honestly... with performance like that, it's practically a monster."
Listening to Veda's analysis, Sumeragi felt overwhelmed. "I wonder if they are friend or foe..."
"I think the other party is capable of communication," a youth in an orange pilot suit suddenly spoke up. "From its appearance to its withdrawal, its objectives were very clear. It targeted specific entities hidden in the woods; its intent to attack was quite obvious."
"Even the Hellions that moved in to attack only had their arms or legs destroyed to disable them. The pilot inside wasn't harmed."
Of course, the Hellions that had literally slammed themselves into the Penelope were exceptions. After enduring such massive G-forces and impact, the pilots inside would be lucky to escape with just a concussion and soft tissue contusions.
"In that case... Chris, what is Veda's opinion?"
Sumeragi pondered the analysis for a moment before turning to Christina.
"Similar to Allelujah's judgment, Veda suggests making contact. At the very least, we should ensure they do not become our enemy."
Christina answered while looking at the reports and messages sent by Veda.
"Very well. Then, in addition to our missions, our next priority is to track them down and initiate contact."
Sumeragi let out a sigh of relief. Her mind had been racing through several contingency plans in a short amount of time, but facing such a powerful machine, she didn't have the confidence to ensure everyone's survival. Avoiding a conflict was a welcome relief.
Thinking this, she instinctively reached for a beer to reward her heart, which had just finished a literal emotional rollercoaster.
Beep beep beep... beep beep beep...
At that moment, a communication request sounded.
"Wa—Wait a minute!"
Seeing the request, Christina's eyes widened. "It's a message from Veda... a set of coordinates? The location is right between the HRL and AEU orbital elevators?!"
"What?"
Sumeragi's eyes widened as her hands flew across the controls on her armrest.
The Ptolemaios's cameras swiveled toward the coordinates and began to zoom in.
On the screen, a massive battleship appeared in space, looking like paint being brushed onto a canvas.
It was the Nahel Argama, having just deactivated its Mirage Colloid system.
After Veda decided to make contact with Roz, it had begun frantically searching for the Penelope. Whether it was Earth-based or space-based resources, it had used them all. However, since the Penelope was currently on a deserted island, Veda's search had yielded nothing.
But the moment the Nahel Argama deactivated its Mirage Colloid, Veda instinctively assumed this mysterious ship was the entity disrupting its plans—until it saw the emblem on the Nahel Argama, which matched the one on the Penelope's atmospheric entry pod.
"That ship... it's huge!"
Lichtendahl Tsery, the helmsman of the Ptolemaios, couldn't help but exclaim.
"That emblem... the Raven?"
Looking at the mark on the screen, Sumeragi frowned. "What are they trying to do? With a commotion this big, both the AEU and the HRL have scrambled!"
Reality was exactly as Sumeragi predicted. An action this blatant was something even Veda couldn't hide. Upon seeing the Nahel Argama, both the HRL and the AEU began to focus their attention on it.
After all, a battleship this massive and clearly formidable was a tempting prize in the current climate of secret competition between the three power blocs.
Under the gaze of everyone, the Nahel Argama began its move.
-----------------------------------
On the bridge of the Nahel Argama, everyone was busy working in an orderly fashion.
"Mirage Colloid system deactivated. Ship entering the scheduled trajectory."
Murrue Ramius glanced at the AEU and Human Reform League orbital space stations, completely unconcerned by their surveillance.
Since the Nahel Argama was descending to Earth, it was inevitable that the Mirage Colloid system would remain shut down for a significant period. Given the sheer number of cameras installed along the orbital and solar power tracks, being discovered was only natural.
Besides, the Nahel Argama possessed the capability to breach the atmosphere as a single ship. Even if they encountered an unfavorable situation on Earth, they could simply return to space to regroup.
Rather than worrying about the prying eyes of the AEU and HRL, Murrue was currently more focused on a different matter.
"Ablative gel, stand by."
After issuing her command, Murrue looked toward the helmsman's station.
"Maho, this is your first time piloting the Nahel Argama for a descent to Earth. Are you ready?"
A young girl with short brown hair sat at the helm. She wore a uniform based on the black-and-white Nahel Argama colors with red accents. One hand gripped the steering yoke while the other rested on the throttle lever. A data cable ran from her right ear to the console, and a massive stream of data flashed before her eyes.
The uniform was a direct modification of the Orb military uniform. Roz Links didn't know the first thing about clothing design—if he were to draw a uniform, it would likely end up featuring exoskeletons or nuclear bomb backpacks. Since no one else was a designer either, they had simply changed the colors to distinguish themselves from the Orb military and called it a day.
"Whether it's the data from Mr. Arnold Neumann and the lessons I've learned from him personally, the combat maneuvers I've observed in the Courtyard, or the standardized flight manual—I have mastered them all."
The girl looked calmly at the view projected onto the bridge armor. A pre-planned flight path appeared in her field of vision.
"Anything Mr. Arnold can do, I can do as well."
Maho Nishizumi was now the primary helmsman of the Nahel Argama, while her sister, Miho Nishizumi, served as the deputy helmsman, ensuring the ship had a pilot on duty 24 hours a day.
If they hadn't been rescued from the Blue Cosmos research institute, these two sisters would likely have been piloting an Archangel-class ship for the Earth Forces during the Gryps Conflict, serving as cannon fodder on the battlefield.
"Very well. Release ablative gel! Nahel Argama, begin descent!"
At Murrue's command and under the watchful gaze of the world, a massive amount of viscous gel surged from the belly of the Nahel Argama, forming a protective film.
The Nahel Argama began to lose altitude. With the friction of the atmosphere, the temperature on the ship's underside continued to rise, and the ablative gel was steadily consumed.
Watching the Nahel Argama turn into a shooting star as it plummeted toward Earth, the crew of the Ptolemaios were stunned.
"They're actually... sending the battleship directly into Earth?"
Lichtendahl, the helmsman of the Ptolemaios, swallowed hard as he watched the ship turn into a fireball. "How are they going to get back to space? They don't have GN Drives. Are they going to use the orbital elevator?"
"That's not our concern right now," Sumeragi said, rubbing her forehead. "But I think the difficulty of finding the Raven just went up."
"Don't forget, that ship seems to possess a technology similar to optical camouflage."
-----------------------------------
In Maho Nishizumi's line of sight, the numbers on the battleship's altimeter were constantly dropping.
Finally, as they reached the designated zone, Maho pushed the throttle lever forward. The Nahel Argama began to decelerate its descent; the flames caused by atmospheric friction flickered out, and the battleship began to cruise through the cloud layers.
"Descent Phase One complete. Ship navigation stable."
Everything before them matched the predictions to the letter, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
Following the flight path, the Nahel Argama continued forward while steadily losing altitude. The battleship broke through the clouds, and what came into view was the deep blue sea—familiar, yet carrying a hint of the unknown.
The Nahel Argama approached the water's surface, kicking up a massive spray of white foam. This drew pods of dolphins to the ship's side, leaping through the waves as they followed the vessel's wake.
Not far away, on the designated uninhabited island...
The Penelope stood there silently, waiting for the Nahel Argama's arrival.
..................