Reid didn't ask the NT-1 Gundam's pilot to surrender out of sudden kindness, nor was it because he knew the pilot was a red-haired beauty and treated her differently. Reid knew that the NT-1 Gundam's cockpit contained the complete developnt data and pilot simulation records for the unit.
Although the system could fully analyze all the technology by retrieving the Mobile Suit itself, the weapon compatibility data in the developnt files would be lost.
To put it bluntly, obtaining the NT-1 Gundam's developnt data ant acquiring all the accompanying weapon specifications in one go—paraters for the Beam Rifle, Bazooka, Shield, and more would all be secured. This would make adapting CE universe weapons much easier later on.
Of course, Reid wasn't planning to waste too much ti on these files. Every second on the battlefield was precious. With the Gray Phantom already sunk by his hand, the MS units defending the Colony Satellite would surely redeploy so of their forces back.
By then, Reid wouldn't just be facing one or two MS units. Even if they were low-quality Jim Is, a dozen or two of them spamming Beam Spray Guns would overwhelm him. And that wasn't even counting the unknown number of Iron Balls supporting the Jims. Under that kind of firepower, Reid would have no choice but to retreat.
So Reid genuinely only planned to give three seconds. Once the countdown ended, he would pull the trigger. At this close range and in charged mode, even Luna Titanium Alloy couldn't withstand a direct hit from a 120MM Electromagnetic Linear Rifle.
Without waiting for the pilot's response, Reid began counting down over comms:
"3... 2..."
By the ti he reached "2," Reid was already charging the Electromagnetic Linear Rifle, its barrel glowing blue with electromagnetic buildup.
Fortunately, the NT-1's pilot wasn't eager to die. Instead of gambling with the head-mounted 60mm Vulcan Guns, she obediently opened the chest hatch.
Seeing a woman in a red-and-white pilot suit climb out of the cockpit, Reid didn't press the firing button.
However, this lady didn't seem fully committed to surrendering. Instead of moving away from the hatch, she used the unit's comms to shout:
"Who the hell are you? You can't be from Zeon—you wouldn't kill your own allies just to steal credit, right?! And you won't get away with this! The Federation forces outside will be back any second!"
Reid knew this was Christina Mackenzie, the NT-1 Gundam's test pilot. But her threats were not only ill-tid—they were instantly proven wrong.
The mont she finished speaking, the Zeon Cyclops Team's preparations for retreat took effect. A series of massive explosions (multi-layered detonations) erupted in several unmanned rooms near the factory, blasting straight through the Colony Satellite's floor (multi-layered outer bulkheads) and creating a gaping hole leading directly to space.
At the sa ti, the Colony Satellite's atmosphere was violently sucked out into the vacuum of space. Christina lost her footing and was yanked away by the rushing air.
Luckily, she wasn't flung straight into the void—instead, she got snagged on a decorative tree near the factory.
Christina realized her mistake too late. She should've self-destructed the unit—at least that would've prevented its capture.
Though the Colony Satellite's breach would soon be sealed by Fluid Quick-Hardening Agent, that brief window was more than enough for the enemy to grab the Mobile Suit and escape into space.
However, Christina never expected that her judgnt would be wrong again. The enemy, who should have grabbed the NT-1 Gundam and fled, completely ignored the massive hole blown open in the wall. Instead, they simply turned away.
Then, both the NT-1 Gundam and Zeon's new MS vanished into thin air, disappearing from the spot in an instant.
For a mont, Christina wondered if she was dreaming—perhaps the entire incident of the Gundam being stolen was just a fignt of her imagination.
Otherwise, how could one explain two mobile suits, each weighing over forty tons, disappearing without a trace? If not for the crater in the ground and the scattered fragnts of Chobham Armor, even Christina wouldn't believe that the NT-1 Gundam had been lying there just monts ago.
Inside the cockpit, Reid finally let out a sigh of relief. Forcing the pilot to abandon their machine counted as a kill, which ant it could be captured. Otherwise, he would have had to damage the NT-1 further. With both its arms already destroyed, any additional damage to the cockpit would have risked dropping the unit's integrity below the 70% threshold.
But Reid wasn't ready to return just yet. The GM units outside hadn't returned, so he still had ti to scavenge a few more things.
First, he maneuvered his mobile suit to retrieve the Plasma Sonic Vibration Blade that had fallen to the ground after the NT-1 vanished. Then, he turned and picked up a large piece of discarded Chobham Armor plating.
Finally, he took off and flew over to the wreckage of the Sniper GM II, retrieving a relatively intact BR-M79L-3 Beam Sniper Rifle. This thing had managed to snipe him from such a distance—its particle acceleration technology was sothing he absolutely had to take back for developing his own beam sniper rifle.
Indeed, Reid wasn't planning to use this sniper rifle as-is. The weapon relied on Minovsky Particles, just like the NT-1's Beam Saber and accompanying Beam Rifle. Reid intended to reverse-engineer them based on technical data after returning.
It wasn't that Minovsky Particles couldn't be used in the Cosmic Era universe—Reid simply believed that the New Misurugi Republic, in its current state, couldn't possibly safeguard the technology.
If he recklessly deployed weapons utilizing Minovsky Particles, the Earth Alliance and ZAFT would catch on after just a couple of engagents. Once they discovered this new type of particle, his life would beco a never-ending nightmare.
Reid had no intention of handing over Minovsky Particle research like the Union Flag developnt data. This technology could serve as a foundation for his future—or at the very least, be used as a trump card at a critical mont.
After collecting these two items, Reid prepared to return. The Union Flag didn't have large mounting points, nor was it designed for heavy lifting—its arm strength was pitifully weak. With both hands full, he couldn't carry anything else.
As for the three Zeon motherships outside, Reid decided not to provoke them. Venturing out there would only invite a joint beating from both the Earth Federation and Zeon forces.
Besides, he was running low on ammunition. He had expended too much earlier while suppressing the Gray Phantom's flanking machine guns, leaving him no choice but to withdraw.
So Reid summoned the system interface and silently commanded, "Return."
The system responded almost instantly:
"Host return request confird. Primary target units destroyed: 2/1. Return conditions t. Comncing teleportation. Rewards issued. Details available in the mission summary panel."
After the system finished speaking, a red light curtain once again enveloped my mobile suit. This ti, however, it transitioned from red to green. When the light dissipated, my Union Flag had returned to its original engineering module.
The system then displayed the mission summary panel:
UC 0080, Colony Satellite SIDE6 - Zeon Cyclops Team's Gundam Destruction Operation (No Faction Mode).
Destroyed:
-
Pegasus-class Battleship ×1 (Reward: 9,000 G-Coins ×2)
-
Sniper GM II ×1 (Reward: 300 G-Coins ×2)
Captured:
-
RX-78NT-1 Gundam Alex
-
MS-18E K??mpfer
Additional Rewards:
-
30 rit Points ×2
(End of Chapter)
Reviews
All reviews (0)