Chapter 146

Chapter 146

"Ghis, adopt Formation 4!"

A Zaku's mono-eye sensor lit up, locking onto the silhouette of a GM in the snowy landscape.

At the same time, two other Zakus took position on either side, forming a triangular encirclement around the GM.

The battle erupted in an instant!

The Zakus on both sides immediately leaned out, unleashing a barrage of crossfire from their Zaku machine guns toward the GM.

However, the GM swiftly raised its shield, deflecting all incoming rounds.

Without hesitation, the GM engaged its thrusters, dashing toward the side of a nearby hill to break the enemy's line of sight.

But atop the hill—

The last Zaku had already taken position there, diving straight at the GM!

Its machine gun blazed continuously, aiming to finish the fight in one decisive strike.

Unfortunately, the GM merely activated its main backpack thruster, propelling itself backward and leaping into the air!

Not to be outdone, the Zaku also ignited its thruster, launching itself toward the GM.

Yet, despite the GM jumping first, it continued to ascend even as the Zaku reached its peak and began to fall.

Not only that—

The GM executed a mid-air rotation, reorienting itself to face downward before raining gunfire upon the two Zakus below.

Several rounds struck home, leaving bright red marks on the Zakus' armor—paint rounds.

"Io! Don't bully the rookies too much," Arcadia's voice came through the comms.

Seated in the command vehicle, Arcadia addressed Io, the pilot of the GM.

This was part of a test phase for an experimental machine developed under the Federation Army's Reconstruction Program, aimed at gathering combat data.

As for the three Zakus—

Their true identities were no mystery. They were captured units, repainted in Federation colors and repurposed as mock enemies for field testing.

"Well, how else are they going to improve without a proper trial by fire?"

Over the radio, jazz music blared.

Io, piloting the newly developed High-Powered GM, was thoroughly enjoying himself.

In an actual combat scenario, blasting jazz while operating an MS would probably get him chewed out by his commander.

But right now?

He could sync every movement of his controls with the rhythm of the drumbeats.

A push, a pull—his joystick maneuvers matched the jazz percussion perfectly.

With the High-Powered GM's stronger thrusters and extended operational time, he effortlessly evaded the Zakus' shots mid-air.

Then—

The High-Powered GM began its descent.

It even flipped upside down, accelerating toward the ground with its thrusters before correcting its posture just before impact!

Hiss—

Twin intake and exhaust vents on its chest—designed to support its high-output reactor and thruster system—vented a burst of hot air.

Io performed another quick jump, dodging a final burst of gunfire from the last Zaku.

"Too predictable, Ensign Urumi!"

"Understood, sir!"

While offering guidance to his new teammates, Io repeated his aerial maneuver and took down another target with his machine gun before touching down.

For some reason, he always preferred acrobatic combat tactics in mid-air.

With the final test item—"Leg Strength Evaluation"—checked off the list, today's session was complete.

This enhanced MS, developed by Yashima Heavy Industries, performed exceptionally well.

"Alright, let's head back to base. I heard Anaheim's people are arriving soon," Arcadia stretched in the command vehicle, giving the driver a light pat on the seat to signal their departure.

The four MS regrouped and began following the vehicle toward Augusta Base.

"The next round of tests is for the optional equipment, right?"

Since this was a Yashima-built MS, it naturally integrated their backpack system.

"That's correct. But hey, a Gundam is arriving soon. Io, you interested in giving it a try?"

"Hah? I already told you—I don't want to pilot a Gundam!"

As the chatter continued, snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

It was October, UC 0083—the Federation Army's Reconstruction Program had been underway for a year.

Due to the Federation Council's ongoing budget deficit, corporations had been brought in as project participants.

The two biggest players were Anaheim Electronics and Yashima Group, each inheriting half of the Principality of Zeon's MS development legacy.

In addition to the High-Powered GM developed by Yashima, Anaheim had introduced the Custom GM, a high-performance MS.

Notably, the Custom GM incorporated a significant amount of technology from the NT-1 Alex—a result of Augusta Base's research data being transferred to Anaheim before Eli took over the facility.

Similarly, the GM Cannon II, another Anaheim development, utilized the NT-1's Chobham Armor technology.

This rivalry between the two corporations was anything but subtle—

They fiercely competed on the surface, yet still borrowed from each other's technology.

For instance, Yashima Heavy Industries developed the Alexandria-class cruiser and the Birmingham-class, which rivaled the classic Fork & Wellington shipyards' designs.

Meanwhile, Anaheim took over the construction of the New Pegasus-class warships.

But nowhere was the corporate battle fiercer than in the Gundam Development Project, the centerpiece of the Reconstruction Program.

When the project was first proposed, both sides fought tooth and nail for the contract, leading to the creation of their respective "Unit 0" prototypes.

Yashima Heavy Industries developed the RX-78 GP00 Prototype Gundam "Blossom"—

Built around a Core Fighter II acquired from Hervic Company,

Integrated Yashima's modular system,

Equipped with a long-range beam rifle and a Minovsky particle search radar on the Core Fighter.

Once the A/B components combined into MS form, these weapons became Blossom's backpack equipment, making it a high-power, heavy-firepower, all-rounder unit.

Anaheim, on the other hand, developed the RX-78 MS00Z Gundam Development Experimental Unit 0 "Contract Zero"—

Designed for high-mobility combat,

Featured additional thruster components,

Planned for further expansion via external equipment, demonstrating extreme versatility.

Faced with these two proposals, Vice Admiral Cowen, in charge of the Gundam Development Project, simply stated:

"I'll take them both."

Ultimately, neither unit advanced beyond the prototype stage due to inherent issues.

However, both Yashima and Anaheim won contracts:

Anaheim was assigned Units 1 and 3,

Yashima was assigned Units 2 and 4.

Such was the state of the Federation Army's Reconstruction Program.

When Arcadia and the test team returned to base, a brand-new warship was already stationed nearby—

A New Pegasus-class ship developed by Anaheim Electronics, designed as a dedicated Gundam carrier.

After two years of refinement, this vessel was the culmination of the New Pegasus-class—

The Albion.

On board were two Gundams—

One from Anaheim.

One from Yashima.

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