"Damn it! This isn't fun at all!"
Desil, who had been watching the battle from the shadows, smashed the remote control in his hand into pieces.
Genoace had shown signs of fatigue in the previous battle against the Dawn Gundam, and it couldn't fully keep up with Desil's speed. Therefore, Ark Dorell entrusted Genoace to the renowned Madona workshop for modifications. The scene where Bartholomew's upgraded Samurai Gundam and the Dawn Gundam easily defeated Genoace during the attack on Fardin further convinced him that his decision was correct.
Ark Dorell had anticipated Madona's investigative actions, but he did not expect that Madona would actually be able to contact the Federation, specifically Woolf on the Diva. He also did not foresee that Yang Hui and Graham would be traveling together, even bringing the Samurai Gundam along.
This was something Desil was unaware of; he merely wanted to tease Yang Hui and the others, seeking a bit of fun while avenging the bullying he had previously endured. The result was...
The Samurai Gundam cleanly defeated the modified Genoace, even severing both the cockpit and the engine in a single second, preventing Genoace from self-destructing and allowing it to fall into Yang Hui's hands.
"You acted on your own again, Desil," Ark Dorell scolded. Although Desil was his beloved child whom he cared for deeply and was indeed a genius, he always liked to mess around like a child, disrupting many of his plans. For instance, if Genoace had self-destructed directly, not only could it have concealed its intelligence, but it could have also destroyed the Madona workshop and even killed Yang Hui and the others, eliminating several major enemies.
Now, however, Desil's specialized machine was gone, and it had even been captured, leaking a lot of intelligence.
"I didn't know!" Realizing that Ark Dorell was genuinely angry, Desil pouted and acted cute to seek forgiveness.
"Fortunately, Genoace has a backup machine. You go prepare it; we can't let the intelligence leak out," Ark Dorell said helplessly. It was not yet time for them to be exposed, so they could only mobilize a large force to eliminate the evidence and, if possible, destroy Fardin as well.
"Okay, okay, I got it," Desil jumped off the sofa, looking indifferent as he went to prepare for the attack. He didn't care about plans; he just wanted to have fun.
"Desil."
"What now?"
"Stay near Fa·Boser during the battle."
"What? No way! I disagree!"
"If you don't listen, you won't be allowed to engage," Ark Dorell said, firmly holding Desil's shoulder, "The backup machine cannot compete with the Federation's new type of MS, you should know that. For the grand vision of Lord Ezelcant, we cannot afford to lose you."
"Tch." Desil looked displeased, but since Ark Dorell mentioned Ezelcant, he had no choice, "Fine, I got it."
"You must listen, Desil. If you sneak off to the front lines, I will send you back to the homeland."
"I will definitely listen!"
Desil's greatest fear was being sent back to the homeland, which meant he couldn't play happily anymore. Moreover, there were always many boring adults following him back home, which was not fun at all.
"Alright, go."
After Desil left, Ark Dorell immediately contacted his people, preparing for a full-scale attack.
...
On the other side, after discussing matters related to the Madona workshop with Lalapari, Yang Hui and the others returned to the Diva with the captured Genoace.
"This is incredible; we actually captured a UE MS," Vargas exclaimed.
"Yeah, it was just luck. This MS was remotely controlled and its movements were too stiff; otherwise, it would have been hard to preserve," Graham said.
"Let's set this MS aside for now and find an opportunity to send it to my research lab."
"Huh? Aren't we going to analyze it immediately? This is a great opportunity to gather intelligence," Vargas questioned.
"We don't have that much time, and the equipment here is insufficient. Just send it back," Yang Hui said, looking at Flit, "Flit, think carefully about what I said before, finalize your piloting style as soon as possible, and then work with Vargas to modify the Gundam AGE-1."
"Yes, I understand."
"Let's go, Graham, we need to find Captain Grodek."
"Understood."
Upon arriving at the bridge, Yang Hui and Graham were met with thunderous applause.
"Clap clap clap..."
"Well done! Graham!"
"Damn UE, we finally waited for this day!"
"This has really helped us vent our frustrations!"
"This is the first time we've captured a UE MS; this is a major achievement!"
"Now we can gather more intelligence about UE!"
"Not only that, if we can reverse-engineer UE's technology, the Federation's military strength will increase significantly, and the timing for a counterattack will be just around the corner!"
...
Everyone wore smiles, even Grudick, who usually had a stern face, was quite happy. This achievement had exceeded his original plans.
"Heh, it was just a piece of cake. If I can't catch a remotely controlled puppet, where would I put my face?" Graham said, teasingly.
"Damn, this guy!"
"So infuriating! But I can't beat him..."
"Not even in Mortal Kombat?"
"Um..."
"Quiet!" Although it was a day worth celebrating, there were still more important matters to attend to. Grudick's low shout silenced the bridge, "Is there any important intelligence?"
"This MS is the one Ark Dorell sent over. We can now confirm that Ark Dorell is directly associated with UE. As long as we find him, we can determine UE's true identity.
However, the equipment on this ship is too rudimentary to extract anything useful. I will copy the data and have someone send it away."
"Mm." At this point, Grudick also planned to come clean. From now on, the plan would enter its final stage. He had kept everything hidden from everyone before because there was not much danger, but every step of the upcoming actions would be like walking on the edge of a cliff; he could no longer keep it hidden.
"Everyone, listen to me. Three days from now, we will depart from Fardin, and the destination is..."
"...Tordia Colony Satellite." The intelligence officer naturally followed up, but...
That was not Grudick's destination.
"No, the destination has changed. The new destination is... Minslie Colony Satellite!"
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"
"Captain, please explain."
Except for Yang Hui and Graham, everyone else was confused and demanded Grudick to explain.
"We humans have endured the brutal destruction by UE until now, but we cannot let the atrocities continue. After analyzing the data up to this point, I have finally concluded that UE is hiding in the abandoned Space Fortress Ambat. We cannot miss this opportunity," Grudick said.
"Captain... what exactly do you intend to do?"
The atmosphere grew tense, and everyone unconsciously swallowed hard.
"This ship will form a joint fleet with the fleets of Zalam and Auba to launch an attack on UE's stronghold!"
"Huh?"
"That's too reckless! Moreover, the private military organizations outside the Federation, the Supreme Commander would never approve!"
"The Federation military is irrelevant."
"Huh?"
"I am not the captain of this ship."
"Huh!?"
The continuous revelations were hard for everyone to accept. From Nora to Fardin, everyone had trusted Grudick immensely and had been acting according to his instructions. Now, to tell them that everything was a lie was difficult for them to accept.
At that moment, the only one who knew the truth, Emily, mustered her courage to stand up and defend Grudick: "Um... actually, there is a reason for all of this!"
"A reason? What kind of reason?"
"Calm down, Adams!" Mireille stopped the agitated Adams and looked at Emily, "If you know, please tell us, Emily."
Then, Emily shared everything she had overheard before secretly boarding the Diva, including the original captain Diane Fonnroit's plan to abandon Nora and escape alone, and how Grudick subdued them to take over the Diva. She revealed it all.
"So... if it was the original captain, then the people of Nora are now..."
Everyone understood the seriousness of the situation. If Grudick had not taken the Diva, not only would the people of Nora be unable to evacuate safely, but they would also die in Nora.
"But what you did is a serious violation of military discipline; as a soldier, it is unforgivable!" Adams said.
"I have long been pursued by the Federation military as a defector," Grudick's tone was calm, as if he were not speaking about himself. He had long been prepared for this; not only was he being pursued as a defector, but he was also ready to face death.
"But..." Suddenly, Grudick's expression hardened, "...but all of this is to defeat UE!"
"Then Mr. Yang Hui, Mr. Graham, you both knew the truth beforehand, right?" Mireille asked Yang Hui and Graham, as she noticed they had been too calm throughout.
"That's right," Yang Hui nodded, "This is our deal with Captain Grodek, to join Captain Grodek's plan as combat power, while also striving for the maximum reduction of punishment and preferential treatment for Captain Grodek afterward."
"But... what benefits do you gain from this?" Mireille did not understand why the heir of such a top-tier Federation conglomerate would participate in such a dangerous operation.
"Of course, there are benefits, and they are significant. For example, the MS captured by Graham; I am quite envious of the technology on it. Also... please imagine, Colonel Mireille, if Graham and I participate in the operation to defeat UE and expose UE's true nature, what would happen to Yang Corporation?" Yang Hui spread his hands and said.
"You two would become heroes in the hearts of the people, and then... Yang Corporation!" Mireille covered her mouth. Not just her, everyone present realized what the outcome would be.
The heir would become a national hero, and the company would rise to become a heroic enterprise, even... a colossal entity that the Federation could not control!
"That's right."
"Everyone," Grudick brought everyone's thoughts back, continuing, "I will not force anyone. If you act with me, you will also be deemed defectors by the Federation military, right? If anyone wants to disembark now, it is fine. I will publicly claim that you were all coerced by me, and I will bear all the blame alone. Even if I am the only one, I will defeat UE!"
Listening to Grudick's powerful declaration, everyone fell silent. From their own feelings, what Grudick said was correct. For years, UE had been suffocating everyone, especially those in the space colonies, who lived in fear of an attack from UE at any moment. All of humanity needed a victory to boost morale.
But as soldiers, such a serious violation of military discipline was something they found hard to accept. No matter the reason, it was not an excuse.
"Don't be a hero; we have a deal," Yang Hui was the first to speak. If at first, he had followed the Diva with the mindset of completing the Prometheus Fortress mission and creating deviations, now there were more reasons, such as everyone on the ship being friends, all on his list of allies, and he wanted to help them if he could.
And Desil... he was on Yang Hui's kill list. He didn't know if Yurin could escape this calamity, so he had to participate in the final battle, save Yurin, and eliminate Desil.
"I want to go too! I want to defeat UE! Otherwise, how can I be a savior? What is the point of Gundam's existence?"
"Count me in; there is no second fool in the Federation who dares to mess with UE."
"I'll go too; without a communicator, the Diva can't move an inch."
"And me..."
"Me too..."
In the end, everyone was willing to go together, whether out of reluctance to leave their friends on the ship or with a sense of luck wanting to earn merit. Regardless of their motives, no one wanted to disembark.
"Everyone..." Grudick was very touched. This mission was incredibly dangerous, but everyone was willing to support him in completing the plan. This made the fire of hatred in his heart diminish somewhat, and he began to truly see everyone as companions.
But reality would not give them much time to feel moved.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
"The enemy detection system has reacted! Numerous UE-like moving bodies detected!" Mireille reported.
"The exterminators are here; it's time to strike."
"I hope my machine is repaired."
"Let's go, Flit, get ready for a big fight!"
"Of course!"
"All personnel! Level one battle readiness!"
"Understood!"
(End of Chapter)