Chapter 14

(P.O.V) Reinhard

C.E. 70 April 28

Orb Union, Onogoro Island, Reinhard Workshop

"Are you sure you don't want a cup of coffee? I made a new blend that's amazing." I asked Neil while preparing my own coffee.

"No thank you. I almost died recently, and I'd rather not go through that again." Neil joked, which was nice to hear since he seemed in a lighter mood. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few things."

I realized he wanted to get serious. "Okay, go ahead." I replied, still focused on my coffee.

"I agreed to join your team, but I won't follow orders that clash with my beliefs—like attacking another nation without a reason or harming civilians." he said, his tone now serious and devoid of humor.

Just as I thought! From the moment I saw him, I felt like I was looking at my younger self. I couldn't help but wonder if his darker side stemmed from losing his family. If so, we might have more in common than I thought. I studied him carefully. "Orb won't attack first. We won't stand by if someone attacks us, and we won't interfere in other nations' conflicts. That's Orb's motto. You don't need to worry about war unless a pro-war party takes over, which is unlikely while Uzumi is in charge. They call him the Lion of Orb for a reason. And you don't need to worry about being ordered to kill civilians; our chain of command is different from the defense force. Only Uzumi can give us orders." I explained, hoping to calm his worries. I grabbed my mug and sat across from him, with Haro bouncing on my makeshift bed. 'I need better furniture or a proper house. Living in my workshop/lab/hangar/house/warehouse can't be good for me… how ridiculous does that sound?'

"I understand, but I still needed to say that. Also, did you suggest I travel to develop an attachment to Orb?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

What was he talking about? I suggested he travel because he'd almost died and woke up in a different timeline. I wanted to give him space to think. "No, I just wanted you to gather your thoughts before you answered me. Besides, you need time to process what you've gone through. If you become attached to Orb, that's up to you. Now, if you have no more questions, we have a mission." I said, crossing my arms.

"Already?" he asked, surprised. "What's the mission?"

"Nothing too dangerous. We need to go to Heliopolis, a space colony that belongs to Orb, and gather intel on the G-project." I said casually but noticed the confused look on his face. I realized he didn't know about the collaboration between the Atlantic Federation and Orb.

So, I explained that Orb was helping the Atlantic Federation develop their prototype mobile suits and a new battleship while secretly stealing technology to create hidden mobile suits for Orb.

After I finished, Neil looked deep in thought. "So, Orb is helping the Atlantic Federation but also stealing their technology. That's clever but risky. If we get caught, not just by the Atlantic Federation but by ZAFT too, there could be serious consequences. Also, why does the name G-project feel familiar?" he asked, scratching his head.

So, it wasn't just me who felt that sense of familiarity.

"You'll be going in as a programmer to help with the OS development. But what about me? I can handle basic mobile suit maintenance, but I don't know how to create an OS from scratch." he said, looking puzzled.

"While I infiltrate the G-project as a programmer, you'll conduct surveillance on Atlantic Federation members involved in the G-project. I want to know if any are linked to Blue Cosmos." I said in a neutral tone.

Since the destruction of Junius Seven, I had tasked HARU with gathering information about the incident by hacking into the Earth Alliance's systems. HARU found very little; most data had been erased, except for one audio file showing high-ranking Earth Alliance members, including Muruta Azrael, leader of Blue Cosmos, discussing nuclear missiles being loaded onto the Agamemnon-class cruiser Roosevelt and Azrael ordering a missile to be fired at Junius Seven.

Even with that evidence, sharing it with the PLANTs wouldn't change anything. After Bloody Valentine, the PLANTs were out for revenge.

"And just out of personal curiosity, if I find any Blue Cosmos members in the G-project team, what should I do?" Neil asked, a hint of aggression in his voice. It seemed he had researched the history of this timeline and learned about Blue Cosmos's crimes.

"Don't kill them… at least not before interrogating them. Once you have what you need, make it look like an accident." I said with a shrug. If they were just soldiers following orders, I'd say to minimize casualties, but since they were terrorists, it was better to eliminate them.

"Understood." he replied, looking reluctant, as if he wanted to ask something more.

"If you have a question, just ask." I urged him.

"I wanted to know your story." he said, looking at me seriously.

My story? Why was he interested in that? "Why are you curious?" I asked, genuinely interested.

"Before deciding, I talked to a blind reverend." he said. A blind reverend? Why would he discuss things with a blind man? I thought, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that; I met him in a park. We talked for a while, and I shared a version of my story without revealing I was from a parallel timeline. He advised me that the man who wanted to recruit me probably had a similar story. That's why I'm curious."

So, a blind reverend told him his past might be similar to mine? I felt like I'd seen a movie with a similar theme.

"Alright." I had no reason to hide it, so I shared my life story: my childhood before the crash, being found and trained by Mad Dog, discovering the truth about the crash that killed my parents, killing the mercenaries and Mad Dog who trained me, seeking revenge against anyone involved, meeting Aeolia who recruited me into Celestial Being, creating the Tau and the variant GN drive with the Dragon Heart, which led to the Alpha project and the construction of the Gundam Fafnir, and how during the lite trans-am test, I had an uncontrollable quantum teleportation that landed me in this timeline.

After telling my story, silence filled the room. I saw Neil deep in thought before he sighed and then shared his own story. He explained how he lost most of his family to a terrorist attack by the KPSA and couldn't move on due to hatred for terrorists and a desire to change the world. He distanced himself from his brother and eventually joined the army but was kicked out for disobeying orders. Later, he joined Celestial Being, and in his last battle, he fought the man responsible for the attack on his family.

When I heard his story, I was surprised at how similar our experiences were. "I guess the reverend was right; our stories are alike, except I got my revenge and then some, while you are still chasing after yours." I said, still surprised.

"Was it worth it?" he asked me. "Was your revenge worth all the blood you spilled? How many did you kill?"

Honestly, I didn't know. I could still remember the first man I killed after starting my revenge. His name was Gustave. He was the medic of the group, he always treated me well, but he was also the one who fired the missile that hit the plane. Perhaps he treated me well out of guilt or maybe he found pleasure in caring for the boy he orphaned. After Gustave, I could barely remember the faces of about ten others; the rest, which probably numbered in the thousands, were lost to me.

"I can't remember how many, honestly. It became so easy to kill after I started that it practically became second nature. As for whether it was worth it… no, it wasn't, because in the end it didn't change anything." I said with an apathetic expression. "But let me ask you, after hearing my story, will you give up on your revenge?" I asked, curious if he would make a different choice.

Neil looked at his hand before squeezing it tightly. "I can't give up. Not only because of what Ali al Saachez did to my family but also because of what he is. He isn't human; he's a beast, a monster who feeds on the misfortune of others. He needs to be put down."

Hearing his answer made me smile. Here I am someone who surrendered himself to his thirst for vengeance, yet he didn't while he wouldn't give up pursuing his revenge, he also aimed to help the world by eliminating a dangerous monster who would hurt countless others if left alive.

"Well, enough about the past. Fafnir's container is already on board the ship that will take us to Heliopolis, and we need to get ready." I said, getting up.

(Timeskip)

70 C.E May 5

Despite the ongoing war, we arrived at Heliopolis on schedule. I half-expected something to go wrong, even though I knew about Orb's neutrality. Part of me hoped the ship would be ambushed so I could finally fight. Ever since my first battle with the Fafnir, my craving for combat had only intensified.

Once we arrived at Heliopolis, we waited to disembark.

"Why did they build the colony into an asteroid?" Neil asked, standing opposite me.

Still skimming the last report I'd received, I replied, "Heliopolis was built to send resources back to Orb. Since Orb lacks resources as an island nation, they decided to construct a colony for this purpose. I mean, outer space is practically free real estate." I couldn't help but smirk at that.

Neil chuckled. "Pretty smart. Back home, we haven't even managed to build half the number of colonies that exist here." he said, careful not to let slip that we were from another timeline.

From what Neil shared during the trip, it seemed that when Celestial Being carried out armed interventions, the world was mainly ruled by three superpowers—except for Africa and the Middle East, which were trapped in constant civil wars due to the lack of assistance in building orbital elevators.

This reminded me that Orb used to manufacture parts for an orbital elevator. However, because of the war, the space station Ame No Mihashira—once intended to create those parts from resources from the moon and asteroids—had been remodelled into a weapons factory. Now, the station was under the control of the Sahaku family due to their close ties to the military.

Thinking back to my first meeting with each member of that family left me annoyed. Koto was an insufferable man-child, while his son Gina mirrored him but with an ego the size of the moon. For some reason, Gina seemed to dislike me. His sister, Mina, also had a huge ego, but she was at least more bearable; she didn't look at me like she wanted to stab me.

My biggest complaint about the Sahaku family was their ambition to rule Orb. Even without solid proof, I sensed it in our conversations. I reported my suspicions to Uzumi, who assured me he had a plan in place if they ever acted on those intentions.

After a while, we were finally allowed to leave the ship, and I spotted the container with the Fafnir being transported to a military warehouse for emergencies.

Stepping into the colony for the first time felt surreal. I noticed that Neil appeared unfazed, probably because he'd previously visited Krung Thep, a colony in our timeline that secretly housed Celestial Being's mobile suit development lab and factory.

We went our separate ways; while Neil began his assignment, I headed to the factory district where the G-project was being developed in secret to start my part.

When I reached the factory district, I made my way to the Morgenröte Facility to meet the worker's leader and lead designer of the Astray project.

Checking in at reception, I took the elevator down to the lowest floor. Stepping out of the elevator, I walked to the edge of a catwalk and leaned over. Below me was a large hangar bustling with engineers moving like ants. Scattered throughout were Orb's prototypes for the Astray series. However, seeing that they were only about 30% complete somewhat dampened my excitement.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted an engineer in an orange jumpsuit approaching, so I assumed he was the leader. He introduced himself as Mark Spencer, the person responsible for constructing the prototypes and gave me a tour of the current state of the Astray prototypes. He wasn't aware of my mission and only knew that I had been sent to help with the OS and the astray project.

After that, I reviewed the limited information they had gathered about phase shift armor from the Atlantic Federation. However, I wasn't surprised to see that I had already read through everything in the reports I'd received. If I had brought HARU with me, I could have asked him to hack into the Atlantic Federation's servers to find out how to create phase shift armor. But I left him on Orb to continue building the Gundam and the Ptolemaios. While I wanted to learn how to create phase shift armor, completing the new Gundam and Ptolemaios took precedence.

For the next week, I focused on improving the basic OS created for the G-project. While it couldn't compare to the OS for the mass-produced mobile suit I had developed back on Orb, it didn't need to; I wasn't there to assist the Atlantic Federation, and the Astray series prototypes would receive an improved version of the OS I had created once they arrived at Orb. I didn't want to risk the current OS leaking to the Atlantic Federation.

But I hadn't only been concentrated on the OS; I also visited the facility where the G-project was being held, examined the prototype mobile suits, and reviewed their plans. After mentioning that I required their specifications to adjust the OS, I reluctantly gained access to a basic description of the mobile suits. When I saw the designations for each mobile suit, I felt my whole body freeze and had to double-check to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

I finally realized why the name G-project sounded so familiar. It had been one of the names I considered while still deciding on a codename for constructing the Gundam Fafnir. The G-project—or Gundam project—wasn't just building prototype mobile suits; they were developing Gundams. A Gundam wasn't just a regular mobile suit, at least not to me. Each Gundam Celestial Being built is practically a one-man army, with their only limitation being the pilot, thanks to the GN Drive allowing for limitless operating time. While the Gundams the Atlantic Federation were building only had ultracompact energy batteries—limiting their operational time—they could still change the tide of battle if utilized correctly.

Though I was surprised by the existence of Gundams in this timeline, I quickly remembered the multiverse theory, which could explain why this world also had Gundams.

There were five Gundams in total, but only four of them had unique traits. The Duel was the exception, meant to serve as the development base for the other four. The Buster was designed as a long-range combat unit. The Blitz utilized the mirage colloid stealth system that envelops the mobile suit, rendering it completely invisible to visual and electronic detection; this system was something I decided to add to my shopping list alongside phase shift armor. The Aegis could switch between mobile suit and mobile armor modes, and finally, the Strike was designed to adapt to any combat situation or role using newly invented striker packs, which were basically different loadouts adapted for various scenarios—from maneuverability to focused firepower.

While the concept of striker packs was fascinating, it wasn't something I would implement for the Fafnir. It was created as an all-rounder; meaning I didn't require the option to switch roles for each battle since the Fafnir could handle everything. Need to destroy an enemy ship in one shot? Fire the GN Rifle at max output. Need to incapacitate an enemy instead of killing them? Use the GN Beam Sabers.

The new Gundam would focus on long-range capabilities, and while originally I indented to only draw inspiration from the Dynames for the armaments, I changed my mind after seeing the schematics for the Buster.

But the mirage colloid system could also be applied to the Ptolemaios. While I initially wanted to use the optical camouflage system created by Celestial Being, I could combine both systems to create a superior stealth approach. However for me to do that, I need to gain unrestricted access to the Atlantic Federation's servers, meaning I would have to hack my way in the old-fashioned way without blowing my cover.

As I made my way out of the facility, I passed a random terminal, looked around to ensure no one was nearby and noting the lack of cameras, quickly connected my PDA to the terminal. I installed a trojan horse program with an inbuilt AI designed to gain access to security and copy all of the information related to the G-project over time—without being discovered. Once it finished, the AI would send the files through a private network connected to my PDA and reroute the files to the Fafnir before self-deleting to remove any evidence.

While I was busy with my side of the mission, Neil hadn't been slacking off either. He had already uncovered some interesting details about the Atlantic Federation personnel. While he hadn't found anyone connected to Blue Cosmos yet, he discovered that a sizable portion of the personnel didn't like Coordinators due to the war. Since there were Coordinators among the Morgenröte personnel, tensions had risen but hadn't escalated into outright conflict. On a less serious note, he found out that fifteen members of the Atlantic Federation were cheating on their partners. Though that information was useless, it was still somewhat amusing.

For now, I would continue to pretend to build the OS while the program copied the information on the G-project. If all went according to plan, we should be able to return to Orb by the mid of June.

(Timeskip)

C.E. 70 June 7

I never expected to find a replica of a traditional Japanese pub complete with a long wooden bar counter, red leather stools, soft warm lighting, chalkboard menus, and classic décor. Looking around, I was reminded of the time I visited Japan as a mercenary. That trip ended with me fighting off fifty yakuza, but overall, it had still been a good experience.

Apparently, the owner's family used to run a bar like this before the Reconstruction War. His grandfather wanted to rebuild it in Orb when they immigrated, and a couple of decades later, the owner—his grandson—decided to open another one here in Heliopolis.

Sitting down in a corner booth, I had a glass of whiskey and some peanuts on the table, which I ordered while waiting for Neil. I hadn't spoken to him face-to-face since we arrived on Heliopolis; we'd both been focused on our respective missions. While Neil had sent occasional reports about his discoveries, I felt it was time to meet, so I sent him the meeting location.

I left the apartment I was renting, using my old alias of Nathaniel Evans; one of the basic rules of espionage is to never use your real name. After leaving the apartment, I pretended to walk around aimlessly. During the first week, I noticed someone following me, and Neil had informed me that several members of the Atlantic Federation's intelligence agency were operating undercover in Heliopolis. So, I decided to ignore them and wait until they performed their due diligence.

After wandering for a while, I pretended to look for a bar, mentally retracing the directions to my meeting location. This led me to the very bar I had been eager to visit since discovering it. What I didn't realize was that this place was popular among members of the Atlantic Federation.

A few minutes later, I spotted Neil entering. I signaled for him to come over. He nodded, made his way to the counter to place his order, and then joined me at the table.

"You really know how to pick a meeting spot." he whispered, glancing around at the patrons in the bar.

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "How was I supposed to know they frequented this bar?" I sipped my whiskey. "And besides, this situation might not be so bad. After all, who would suspect that two spies would meet here?"

Neil smirked. "Well, I guess you're right." Then he sighed as the waiter brought his scotch. "But honestly, I had forgotten how boring espionage actually is. It's times like this that I really miss having Fereshte's support."

I hummed in agreement. I hadn't asked much about Celestial Being, but I wasn't surprised that VEDA had approved the creation of a support organization to work in the shadows for Celestial Being. What did surprise me was that they had only managed to produce five true GN Drives. I had expected at least eight, but that was probably for the best—especially since a traitor could have potentially stolen one.

"While the idea of having a support organization would be a godsend, we don't have the resources to build one." I said, scanning the bar as it grew crowded. "And I have a feeling our next mission will be more interesting."

"While I wouldn't mind a more interesting mission, I'd prefer it to be a calm one." he said, taking a sip of his drink with a melancholy expression. "The last time I had an interesting mission, I ended up fighting for sixteen hours straight because we fell into a trap."

He was referring to the ambush set by Earth forces in the Taklamakan Desert, aimed at capturing the Gundams. The plan was clever: they revealed the existence of an uranium storage facility to a terrorist group, prompting Celestial Being to intervene. "The sad part about that trap was that Earth forces almost succeeded—if it hadn't been for the interference of the Gundam Thrones." I saw Neil look puzzled. "Oh, right, I didn't tell you. The VEDA terminal inside the Ptolemaios had the records of all the operations the Gundams participated in, along with reports written by the captain. I must say, the captain was a tactical genius." I praised her honestly. Captain Sumeragi Lee Noriega was a brilliant tactician. "So, let's begin the meeting. Did you discover anything interesting?" I asked.

Neil set his drink aside and grew serious. "Well, first of all, we can rule out the possibility that any member of Blue Cosmos is part of the G-project. After going through countless incoming and outgoing messages sent by members and military personnel of the Atlantic Federation, I didn't find anything that indicated their presence. Also, I'm pretty sure I already mentioned this, but many in the Atlantic Federation personnel are uncomfortable working alongside Coordinators from Orb. It hasn't reached the point of a fight yet, but I recommend you warn the leader of the engineers about the situation. Additionally, the project leader, Rear Admiral Duane Halberton, has made Lieutenant Murrue Ramius the onsite development lead since he was ordered back due to the Earth Alliance's losses from the Battle of Endymion Crater."

He referred to the debacle at Endymion Crater, where the Earth Alliance had activated a Cyclops system—a tool originally designed to melt lunar ice for rare metals. During the battle, the Earth Alliance, also known as OMNI, was forced to retreat. To deny the base to ZAFT, they overloaded the Cyclops system beneath the base. This not only obliterated the base but also decimated many of their forces and forced ZAFT to pull back. I wanted to be surprised, but humans have always found creative ways to misuse tools that weren't intended for war. I mean, during World War I, soldiers were given shovels to dig trenches, which they had to use as melee weapons. I was pretty sure I'd seen a documentary that mentioned soldiers using them to deflect bullets.

The rest of Neil's information was significant. The fact that Blue Cosmos wasn't part of the G-project was a relief, reinforcing my need to talk to the leader of the Morgenröte engineers about the current situation before it spiraled out of control. But the fact that Rear Admiral Halberton had given a lieutenant complete control over the development of the G-project did surprise me.

"Well, I guess it's my turn. First off, I managed to acquire all the information on the G-project. While I couldn't witness the process of creating phase shift armor in person, I did manage to copy all the files related to the G-project, which I've already stored inside the Fafnir. So, the mission is a success." I said, raising my glass and smirking as Neil did the same. "Also, I discovered the full name of the G-project." I paused for dramatic effect. "They named the project after the operating system they intend to develop: General Unilateral Neuro-Link Dispersive Automatic Maneuver, or…"

"Gundam!" Neil whispered, his face frozen in shock. Seeing his reaction, I nodded and gulped the rest of my drink in one go.

"Yup, Gundams! Although compared to the ones Celestial Being created, these will be significantly weaker—better to say they are Proto-Gundams. Since Gundams are each designed to be one-man armies, the ones the Atlantic Federation are creating aren't at that level… at least not yet. But do you remember the old saying that war breeds innovation?" I asked, noticing Neil relaxing after hearing that the Proto-Gundams weren't on the same level as ours.

"So, you mean that sooner or later they might develop something that can compete with Celestial Being's Gundams?" he asked, to which I nodded in response.

The longer this war dragged on, the more effort each side would put into developing weapons that could give them an advantage.

"Yup! But do you want some advice?" I smiled. "Currently, we can't do anything. Orb won't ever join a side or attack, so all we can do is wait. If things reach a point of no return, we'll do what Celestial Being does best—even if it doesn't exist in this world." I paused to see him smiling. "Any country, organization, or corporation that promotes war is a legitimate target for our intervention." We both whispered that statement in unison.

I signaled the waiter to bring a bottle of alcohol. "Until then, we watch and judge. But for today, let's celebrate the completion of our mission." I said as several bottles were placed on the table.