Although it appeared that all four Celestial Being pilots had arrived at the orbital elevator's waiting hall, only Sumeragi's group and Tieria actually returned to space. Tieria, in particular, headed back to the stars alongside the Gundam Virtue, which was disguised as construction materials.
As for the remaining three, they each had their own missions on Earth. They also intended to act as "bait" to see if they could draw out the Agents.
According to VEDA's projections, these Agents might take advantage of the upcoming coalition of the three major powers to infiltrate other nations.
However, the Gundam Meisters were not lambs led to the slaughter; they possessed the power to resist and even counter-kill.
Furthermore, if they truly found themselves outmatched, they could always retreat, stall for time, or request backup from Roz.
After all, Roz's primary objective was the elimination of these Agents. They were all adults here—knowing when to yield to circumstances was a sign of wisdom. Asking for help wasn't shameful.
"Why is the target still Ceylon... didn't we just cause a stir in old Sri Lanka?"
Looking at the intelligence displayed on his screen, Lockon scratched his head.
"The HRL's troop deployment on Ceylon has increased because of our previous intervention. To prevent them from supporting one side and reigniting the conflict, we must prioritize reducing their garrison numbers."
Over the comms, Sumeragi—who had recently returned to the Ptolemaios—explained the situation to the channel. "Additionally, we need to intervene in the mining conflicts in South Africa and destroy the cash-crop flower fields in Taribia. That makes a total of three operations."
"Agh... looks like I'm destined for a life of hard labor," Lockon joked, giving a helpless shrug. "So, how do you plan to split us up?"
"Gundam Dynames will intervene in South Africa. Gundam Kyrios will head to Taribia to destroy the fields..."
Sumeragi paused for a moment. "As for Ceylon, I want to leave that to Gundam Exia."
"Understood. Mission guaranteed," Lockon replied, raising his hand in a sniping gesture.
"Act with caution. Request support from Mr. Roz if necessary."
After thinking it over, Sumeragi decided to give one last piece of advice to the three pilots about to begin their missions. "Those 'criminals' are too mysterious. Moreover, as predicted, the nations have begun forming their own anti-Gundam squads... better safe than sorry."
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In a hangar at a Union base.
A light blue-violet Flag stood quietly in its berth, secured by a scaffolding frame.
"To think... I actually thought I'd run into at least one Gundam. Did I really come up empty-handed?"
Graham Aker, clad in his pilot suit, stood before his machine and let out a sigh. "Even the Raven—it appeared once and then vanished completely."
"You're already obsessed, aren't you?"
Billy Katagiri, now wearing a white lab coat, let out a helpless laugh as he flipped through the data in his hands. "I can't say much about those Gundams that scatter light particles, but if it's the Raven..."
"If it is the Raven, the Flag would be torn to shreds with ease."
At that moment, a voice—slightly aged but full of vigor—rang out. A white-haired old man, leaning on a cane, slowly appeared before the two.
"The AEU's Hellions had no power to resist before the Raven; they were like infants learning to crawl. Furthermore, the Raven's cruise speed has been roughly estimated to reach Mach 2."
The white-haired elder looked up at the Flag. "The Flag is, at the end of the day, merely a high-mobility mass-produced unit. Facing a monster like the Raven, it would be difficult to mount any decent resistance."
"But no matter how despair-inducing the monster, one must have the courage to draw their sword. That is a human trait, and it is my creed of life."
Seeing the approaching elder, Graham straightened up. "And that is exactly why we came to find you, Professor Ralph Eifman."
"You wish to use the Flag to contend with the Raven...?"
Professor Eifman narrowed his eyes, roughly grasping Graham's intentions.
"To be precise, I intend to use the Flag to oppose all Gundams—even to defeat them." Graham made no effort to hide his ambition.
"Quite a bold idea." Professor Eifman hadn't expected this young man to be so radical. Yet, he didn't dislike that youthful drive.
"Because that is where the meaning lies." Graham looked at his personal machine, the Flag. "I will pilot the Flag and defeat the Gundams. I will prove to the world and to Celestial Being that even with their Gundams, they are not invincible."
"Therefore, we require you to perform specialized reinforcements and modifications to the Flag." Billy stood beside Graham, looking at Professor Eifman. "According to the news we've received, the Union will soon form a dedicated anti-Gundam task force. Time is of the essence."
"If possible, please complete it within one week." Graham added a very tight deadline.
"Hmph... you certainly ask for the impossible." Professor Eifman chuckled, but he didn't refuse. After all...
"I also want to prove that even if Aeolia Schenberg created those exceptional Gundams, the mobile suits we build can keep pace with him. So stop your grandstanding."
It had to be said—both men were highly ambitious. But what they didn't realize was that among the current Gundams, it wasn't just Aeolia's work they would face.
There was also the work of a certain "green-skinned" individual who didn't play by the rules.
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At an undisclosed AEU secret facility.
Compared to their previous state of disarray after their first encounter with the Penelope, the Agent squad was now systematically carrying out various preparations.
The GAZuOOT, which had been heavily damaged and stripped of most of its armaments, had been retrofitted with resupplied weaponry. This included four 200mm linear rifles on its arms and 300mm linear cannons on its shoulders to bolster its firepower. For now, it was at least combat-ready again.
As for the Sengoku Astray, which had remained hidden until now, they were treating it as their ultimate trump card after a series of meticulous calculations. Since the Hellions had already proven useless against the Penelope, the remaining Sengoku Astray and the GAZuOOT were their only rays of hope.
As long as we kill that Hunter... as long as we take him out...
"He's a despair-inducing enemy..."
The man known as "Locksmith" among the Agents sighed as he exited a simulation program loaded with profiled combat data of Lane Aim.
"In simulations of the three-nation joint military exercise environment, our success rate is less than 40%. The Penelope's performance is simply too high."
"Then let the AEU forces take the lead. With our current identities, we can request support from certain AEU units."
The leader of this Agent squad sat with a cigarette dangling from his lips, staring at the report on Lane Aim that Locksmith had profiled, lost in thought.
A drowning man will grasp at even a single straw floating on the water, let alone these Agents—desperate outlaws willing to do anything to achieve their objectives.
"If it really comes down to it... we'll sell the Sengoku Astray to the three major powers and let them help us deal with that Hunter."
.................