Chapter 57: Gundam Heist

After Reid and Angie climbed out the window, they could see six GINNs firing toward the factory district along the Colony Satellite's central axis—the source of the explosions and roaring sounds.

By now, the personnel Orb had sent to monitor Reid and Angie had long been swept away by the panicking crowd.

It was no surprise that chaos erupted when ZAFT's GINNs suddenly appeared inside the Colony Satellite and opened fire. The area around the lounge where Reid and Angie had been resting was packed with students, teachers, and reporters who had come to see Angie and the Mobile Suits. At this moment, the frantic crowd had already triggered stampedes.

However, the two MS units the New Misurugi Republic had brought for "display" were still guarded by Star Palace natives Reid had brought along. These guards were armed, so the crowd didn't rush toward them.

Thus, Reid and Angie smoothly boarded their respective Mobile Suits, donned the pilot suits already stored inside, and activated their machines.

Yet, after powering up the MS, Reid didn't immediately charge out of the academy. Instead, he scanned the area to assess how many ZAFT forces had arrived. In the original timeline, only three GINNs had entered the Colony Satellite in the first wave of the heist operation. But now, six were already visible to the naked eye.

While Reid observed the battlefield, Angie looked down at the chaotic crowd below, her heart aching at the sight. The disorder was so severe that once she and Reid moved their machines, the wind from their thrusters alone would knock over swathes of people, worsening the stampede.

So Angie activated her MS's loudspeaker and roared:

"EVERYONE, CALM DOWN!!"

Her thunderous voice, combined with her natural commanding presence, stunned the panicking students and teachers below. Everyone froze in place.

Seeing the crowd halt, Angie continued:

"Right now, everyone must clear space around those who have fallen. Teachers, guide students to evacuate in batches to the shelters. Anyone with medical knowledge, provide first aid to the injured immediately. Rest assured—Reid and I will defend the school. The GINNs won't get through."

Her words instantly gave the students a sense of security. They realized they weren't helpless in the face of danger, and their natural obedience as students reasserted itself. They began following the now-calm teachers, evacuating in orderly groups.

Reid silently approved of Angie's handling of the situation. With so many reporters present, once they reported on these events, even if he destroyed several GINNs in Heliopolis, PLANT wouldn't have much to say—unless they were willing to completely alienate neutral nations.

As for ZAFT adding another mark against him, Reid couldn't care less. Patrick's little black book probably already had his name scribbled all over it. At this point, he had so many grudges against him that one more hardly mattered.

So Reid also activated his loudspeaker and announced:

"Students below me, please move back at least twenty meters. I'm activating my machine to drive ZAFT's MS away from the academy gates. Be careful not to get knocked over by the thruster winds."

The students of Heliopolis Industrial Academy were now highly compliant. With the chaos subsiding and space gradually clearing as people evacuated, they all retreated beyond the twenty-meter mark without issue.

Seeing the crowd disperse, Reid immediately activated his mobile suit and flew straight toward the nearest gate between the academy and the industrial district. He needed to observe where the unnatural explosions were occurring in the industrial area.

However, the moment Reid's machine moved, the GINNs in the sky immediately focused their attention on the NT-X Gundam.

Originally, the pilots of these GINNs had already been keeping a close watch on the NT-X Gundam and the Empress Custom Flag (ZAFT's internal designation for Ange's machine) parked at Heliopolis Industrial University.

But for one, they weren't here to cause trouble for the New Misurugi Republic. Secondly, that was inside the academy grounds, filled with students. Not every ZAFT soldier was a fanatic who hated Naturals, so they naturally wouldn't do anything that might result in a student massacre.

However, Reid's movement changed the situation entirely—especially since he was heading toward one of the primary mission zones: the factory district.

As a result, three of the six GINNs hovering in the low-gravity zone instantly descended, blocking the NT-X Gundam between the academy and the factory area.

Yet, these three GINNs didn't attack outright. Instead, they raised their guns at the NT-X Gundam while a figure who was clearly the squad leader broadcasted a message:

"Member of the Crimson Wings Mercenary Group, halt right there. Beyond this point is ZAFT's operational zone. Turn back to the academy immediately!"

The squad leader's condescending tone irritated Reid. Moreover, pointing guns at someone while making demands?

Not one to tolerate such behavior, Reid manipulated the NT-X Gundam to raise its arm and fire a beam, instantly destroying the GINN squad leader's gun-wielding arm. Simultaneously, the two Bit units on its back lifted into shoulder cannon positions and fired two more beams, melting the weapon arms of the two flanking GINNs.

Seeing their comrades attacked, the remaining GINNs in the sky naturally rushed down to assist.

But these were clearly greencoat pilots—too predictable. The moment they drew their machine guns, Reid unleashed another volley, disabling their weapon arms as well.

Once all six GINNs had been disarmed and forced to land, Reid finally opened a broadcast of his own:

"I am Reid Isaac, a soldier of Misurugi. I don't care what mission you're carrying out. Princess Angelise of the New Misurugi Republic is currently visiting the academy behind me.

"You've already crossed the line by attacking the head of a friendly neutral nation. However, since your objective doesn't seem to involve us, I'll spare your lives—this is Orb's territory, after all, and I have no intention of taking bullets for them.

"But remember this: if any of you dare point a gun at me again, the next thing I'll blow up is your cockpit. Anyone who wants to test me is welcome to try."

Reid's words left the opposition in silence. No matter how unwilling these ZAFT soldiers were to admit it, their survival now depended entirely on his mercy.

After a long pause, the squad leader finally shouldered his responsibility and responded:

"Reid Isaac, our mission has nothing to do with your New Misurugi Republic. But if you interfere, ZAFT will not let you off the hook—and your republic will fall. Mark my words!"

With that, the squad leader led his team to take off, evidently preparing to leave Heliopolis. In their current state, staying would only be a liability. It was better to return to the mothership for repairs—if needed, they could always sortie again later.

Reid couldn't care less about the GINN squad leader's threats—just empty bravado from losers. If he weren't deliberately maintaining a victim stance, those Mobile Suits would've been shot down the moment they dared to aim their guns at him.

But now wasn't the time to get involved. If the Atlantic Federation didn't lose a few Mobile Suits, how could he possibly get a chance to infiltrate the Archangel and retrieve data? Besides, the Archangel was packed with talent.

Take Arnold Neumann, CE's top helmsman—no need to elaborate.

Murrue Ramius—when Reid first watched the anime, he'd only been drawn to her figure and her reactions during the Archangel's turbulence.

But upon digging deeper into her background, he discovered she was actually a top-tier engineer. She had led the team that made Phase Shift Armor practical. Because PS Armor was independently developed by the Atlantic Federation, Orb's Astray Gundam initially lacked it—until the Archangel docked there for repairs and they finally obtained the technology.

Honestly, putting someone like her in the captain's chair was a waste of talent. Natarle Badgiruel was the far better fit for the role.

The problem was, the current Natarle Badgiruel lacked warmth. If she took command of the Archangel, she'd struggle to rally the crew—after all, compared to Murrue Ramius, she was at a disadvantage in more ways than one.

So while Reid had prepared a Plan B in case he couldn't follow the Archangel, his optimal route was still sticking with the ship until it rendezvoused with the Eighth Fleet.

Thus, Reid obediently found a high-rise platform, parked himself there, and observed everything unfolding in the factory district.

First, along the road from the factory to the port, the Duel, Buster, and Blitz Gundams had already stood up—they'd likely be stolen soon.

Meanwhile, heavy gunfire erupted at the end of the same road. However, just like in the original timeline, ZAFT hadn't sent Mobile Suits directly into the warehouses, prioritizing the theft of Mobile Suits above all else.

Reid gave these two areas a brief glance before ignoring them. They could fight all they wanted—he had limited time and needed to locate Orb's secret self-destructing factory.

Fortunately, he didn't have to search long. A previously untouched factory zone suddenly exploded with terrifying intensity, as if an ammo depot had been ignited.

To Atlantic Federation and ZAFT soldiers, this meant nothing.

The Atlantic Federation troops probably assumed other factory zones were under ZAFT attack—explosions were to be expected.

ZAFT, on the other hand, would think Orb had deliberately blown up the facility to destroy evidence of their Mobile Suit production for the Atlantic Federation.

Neither side would suspect the real purpose of the explosion: Orb was covering up a secret factory they'd built behind both their backs. Once the factory was reduced to flaming ruins, neither the Atlantic Federation nor ZAFT would care to investigate further.

But to Reid, this was a classic case of "protesting too much." He immediately contacted the local factory team he'd brought along (including Angie's group), gave them the coordinates, and ordered them to gather nearby with their transport vehicles.

Reid also demanded that the port be evacuated, with everyone on the shuttle disembarking. If Heliopolis were to break apart, staying in such a shuttle would be a death sentence. Even if they escaped the satellite, they'd be riddled with flying debris—better to take refuge in the Colony Satellite's escape pods.

At least aboard the Archangel, Reid was confident they could survive the disintegration. Whether they'd be allowed to stay afterward was another matter.

After coordinating with the locals he'd brought along, Reid contacted Angie, instructing her to meet up with him. They'd located the factory, but figuring out how to access the underground storage where the Astray Gundams were kept would require the two of them to scout ahead.

Angie replied quickly—most of the students in her area had already been safely evacuated, and the rest could be left to the school authorities. She no longer needed to oversee things.

Once they regrouped, Reid and Angie headed straight for the explosion-ridden factory district.

This sent the remaining two GINN pilots in Heliopolis into a panic. One of the GINNs blocked Reid and Angie's path again, though this time, the pilot didn't raise his weapon. Reid allowed him to speak rather than immediately disarming him.

"Reid Isaac, didn't you say you wouldn't interfere with our mission? What are you doing now?"

Without batting an eye, Reid lied smoothly:

"My people lost contact in that exploded factory zone. I'm going to check on them. Are you planning to stop me? Also, since you're addressing me by name, you might as well introduce yourself."

After Reid finished speaking, the GINN pilot seemed to consult with someone over internal comms before responding:

"I'm Miguel Aiman. Reid Isaac, whatever schemes the New Misurugi Republic is plotting, don't get in the way of our plans. You've seen those new Mobile Suits—if you approach them, you're declaring war on ZAFT."

Reid inwardly scoffed at the threat but kept his tone neutral.

"The 'Todesspeer'? A top-tier pilot from Le Creuset Team, huh? So this operation is under Rau Le Creuset's command. But your comrade seems to have bitten off more than he can chew. Are you sure you want to waste time here with me?"

As they spoke, another explosion rocked the factory district at the end of the road. Two gray Mobile Suits emerged from the flames—the Aegis and the Strike. However, they remained locked in a standoff, with the Strike staggering like a drunkard barely able to stay upright.

Miguel Aiman must have received word of his ally's predicament, because he snapped, "Just stay out of our way," before turning and charging toward the Strike Gundam.

Once Miguel left, Reid ignored the situation with the Strike and led Angie straight to the marked factory area. Without hesitation, he fired at the wreckage with his main weapon at its lowest setting.

He didn't have time to search for an underground passage—blasting one open was faster. The explosions would clear away surrounding debris, making it easier to ensure the path was accessible.

Of course, this method relied on luck. Reid had no blueprint for the secret facility and was essentially groping in the dark.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before Angie fired an Electromagnetic Bullet, blasting through the ground and revealing a passage leading underground.

This passage was located at the edge of the factory, clearly a hidden route leading elsewhere. Without hesitation, Reid immediately arranged for Angie to switch Mobile Suits—the NT-X Gundam was far superior to the Union Flag in terms of defensive capabilities, especially since he planned to venture below alone to search for treasures. Someone had to hold the fort above.

Although Angie preferred transformable Mobile Suits, her system-granted master-level MS piloting skills ensured that switching to her NT-X Gundam wouldn't result in any drop in combat effectiveness. Thus, the temporary switch was feasible.

Once everything above was settled, Reid wasted no time. Relying on his flight suit's heat-resistant properties, he forcibly jumped into the underground passage.

After walking a short distance, Reid was pleasantly surprised to discover that this was likely a path leading to some kind of warehouse. The further he went, the fewer signs of explosions there were—clearly, the area had been deliberately avoided. The passage gradually widened, with freight forklifts parked along the sides.

However, the path was rather long, twisting and turning several times before finally reaching its end: a tightly sealed warehouse door.

Reid had no time to figure out how to open it properly. Instead, he exchanged for explosives from the system and blew the door open—only to realize his luck was truly Schrödinger-esque.

This was indeed a warehouse, and one storing weapons and equipment at that. The fact that his explosives hadn't ignited the ammunition and weapons inside was nothing short of a miracle.

But since this was an armory, there wouldn't be any Astray Gundams here—let alone the Gold Frame. Aside from Beam Rifles, Beam Sabers, and MS Gatling Guns, there were only five or six large cargo containers.

Reid sighed in resignation. Time was too tight—he was destined not to find the Astray Gundam now. After all, ZAFT's attack on Heliopolis would only last two or three hours. He couldn't afford to miss his chance to rendezvous with the Archangel just to keep searching for the Astray. His only gains from this legally sanctioned raid on Orb would be these weapons and equipment.

However, when Reid opened the containers out of a "well, since I'm here" mentality, he was thrilled to discover that they contained body modules of the Astray Gundam—and judging by the color scheme, it was the Green Astray.

Talk about stumbling upon a hidden gem! The main reason Reid had wanted to retrieve an Astray Gundam was its Lightweight Frame Technology and Foam Metal Technology (both of which could significantly reduce the machine's weight). The color of the Astray didn't matter much to him—he wasn't interested in its current armaments or the Natural-use OS anyway.

Reid suddenly felt his dignity as a transmigrator was preserved—at least he had managed to seize a Gundam.

As for the fact that this Gundam wasn't fully assembled yet, Reid dismissed it as a non-issue. He hadn't planned to pilot an Astray-series Gundam in the first place.

The flight suit could withstand high temperatures—after all, it was equipment designed to keep pilots alive in the vacuum of space.

When Lowe found Kira, he thought the boy was practically cooked.

Kira's survival wasn't just due to his own luck—his flight suit was undoubtedly the MVP that saved his life.

(End of Chapter)