Chapter 364: 364 Gundam Seed 5
I decided to build a base in the debris belt. At first, I wanted to build it in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but it was too far from Earth, and to get to Earth I would have to pass through PLANT, so I gave up. Therefore, I thought building it in the debris belt between PLANT and Earth would be suitable.
The debris belt was, as the name suggests, a place littered with all kinds of trash from Earth and PLANT, so neither the Earth Forces nor ZAFT entered it unless necessary. Microscopic space debris could get into ships and cause malfunctions, and there were also many large colony fragments, making navigation difficult. It was a good place to hide and build something.
I chose a very large colony fragment, used my [Telekinesis] ability to tear out the interior to secure space, and then began constructing the base by erecting huge rectangular walls using [Matter Creation]. It didn’t take long, because I had already made many things in advance.
For example, for the rooms where people could stay, I simply copied them from the Odyssey using [Matter Copy] and attached them. As a result, an ironic situation occurred where installing and organizing the wiring and piping actually took more time.
’I should make buildings in modular format later. That way, it’ll be easier to build a large base.’
The base’s energy source was, of course, MHD power generation using nuclear engines, in line with the Gundam SEED setting. This technology was known to Nano, so I could implement it easily. But unfortunately, I didn’t have the technology for the ’N-Jammer Canceller,’ so if exposed to an ’N-Jammer,’ there was a risk of immediate shutdown.
The waves generated by the N-Jammer are known to inhibit the movement of free neutrons, thereby suppressing all nuclear fission. However, there was no way to know what kind of waves were generated to suppress neutrons.
In the Gundam SEED world, after the Bloody Valentine incident, ZAFT scattered numerous Neutron Jammers (N-Jammers) indiscriminately across Earth as retaliation. As a result, both Earth and ZAFT became unable to use nuclear fission on Earth.
After that incident, the Earth Alliance and ZAFT agreed through a treaty to prohibit the use of N-Jammer Cancellers. As a result, nuclear engines also became unusable, and all weapon systems began using batteries as their energy source.
But I didn’t need to worry about that. Because I knew that before long, that treaty would become a scrap of paper. So I adopted nuclear engines as the base’s energy source. I would have to check out the N-Jammer technology when I went down to Earth. If I could examine an N-Jammer, I could analyze its waves and also create an N-Jammer Canceller.
With the base completed, I took out the Archangel, Arcadia (production base), and drones from my inventory. It was to heavily modify the Archangel on a large scale. The Odyssey was a human-oriented ship, so even loading three Gundams would fill the hangar with no space left, yet using a ship like the Archangel felt awkward.
The reason I took out Arcadia (production base) and drones was that I planned to leave the ship’s heavy modification to Arcadia. To load more machines, I designed it with an extended MS catapult at the front and added another catapult at the rear. As I worked on it, the exterior became very similar to the ’General Revil’ ship from Mobile Suit Gundam UC. Of course, the bridge was lower than the General Revil’s, and it didn’t have the extra catapult launch ports on each side, so it was a bit sharper.
The engine was, of course, MHD power generation using a nuclear engine, and the only added technologies were active camouflage panels, stealth mode, and an energy shield. Otherwise, I followed the Archangel’s technological level. And with the ship larger and now nuclear-powered, I increased the output, balanced it through Nano, and added weapons, finishing the design.
"Arcadia, how long until completion?"
[If materials are sufficient, it is expected to take about a month.]
"Thank goodness. That’s not very long."
Leaving the battleship construction to Arcadia, I then set out to build Mobile Suits to load onto the ship. Naturally, including mass-production units equipped with AIs. If the battleship was built according to my design, it could carry up to 40 Mobile Suits, so I planned to fill about 30 of them with mass-production units.
In keeping with the concept, I began designing and producing the final machines from Gundam Double O: ’Zabanya Gundam,’ ’Harute Gundam,’ ’Raphael Gundam,’ and ’Seravee Gundam II.’ The solar reactors and technology were already secured, so I just needed to build them. Of course, all these machines were made of vibranium, and each was equipped with two solar reactors. Furthermore, the ’Reborns Gundam,’ a final boss-level machine before the ELS appeared, was also being produced in the same manner.
For the mass-production model, I adopted the ’Advanced GN-X (Jinx).’ These were equipped with two pseudo-solar reactors, and by using the Twin Drive system to square the particle output, they overcame the low combat endurance of conventional pseudo-solar reactor-equipped units. They were also armed with ’PS armor’ like the Strike Gundam.
The reason I put so much effort into this was that while it didn’t matter if the technology for the mass-production units (pseudo-solar reactors) leaked, the original solar reactors absolutely must never leak, so I had no choice but to be meticulous.
While I was busy building for a while, a contact came from the Odyssey AI, which I had kept docked nearby.
[Master, the Archangel and ZAFT ships are again engaged in battle.]
"Yzak will get a nice scar. Leave that be."
[Understood, Master.]
While Athrun Zala and Rau Le Creuset were returning Lacus, the remaining Gundam pilots sortied to capture the Archangel. This would put the Archangel in crisis, but spurred on by Frey’s encouragement, Kira would awaken SEED at that moment and perform brilliantly. In the process, the cockpit of Yzak’s Duel Gundam would be heavily damaged, leaving a deep scar on his face, and this incident would cause him to develop a strong obsession with the Strike Gundam for a while.
SEED is a special ability that appears in the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED universe. It manifests in extreme situations, greatly enhancing the pilot’s spatial awareness and concentration, and dramatically increasing the processing speed of their neural transmission system. This ability appears in both Naturals and Coordinators, and is depicted as a symbol of humanity’s potential to evolve to the next level. It is a homage to the ’Newtype’ concept from the Gundam universe, but it is a distinct ability.
I didn’t pay attention to the Archangel’s situation, but I personally participated in battlefields occurring elsewhere in space. As Lacus said, to minimize casualties, I fought while issuing warnings. As I continued doing this, I gradually got the hang of it, and the number of Mobile Suits I disabled without completely destroying them steadily increased. But despite this, they never stopped fighting.
And now, perhaps because it was no longer possible to hide, news reports about Celestial Being were appearing.
—"We have just received news. It has been reported that Celestial Being’s Mobile Suit, known as the ’Shinigami of the battlefield,’ has again single-handedly intruded into a battle zone with Earth Forces and inflicted serious damage on ZAFT forces. In response, the PLANT Council has convened an emergency meeting regarding Celestial Being’s continued interference and plans to discuss future countermeasures."
The situation was the same on the Earth side.
—"Experts have assessed the local battles in which the Shinigami of the battlefield participated as having mobility and firepower that are impossible to keep up with. It is to the point where one questions how a Mobile Suit with such performance could be built."
—"Are you suggesting the possibility that there is some supporting faction?"
—"I can’t say for sure about that, but I would like to say that the possibility is very real."
—"Then which faction do you lean toward?"
—"It’s difficult to say as nothing specific has been revealed yet, but we cannot rule out the possibility that it is one of the PLANT factions."
—"Isn’t ZAFT also experiencing great difficulties because of Celestial Being?"
—"That is hard to determine. They, like us, have multiple factions."
—"I see..."
Watching the news, I was relieved they weren’t suspecting Orb. In the current situation, if war broke out on Orb’s side, the original story would become severely tangled and I would be in a difficult position. Rather, it seemed that because the machine’s performance and the pilot’s skill were too high, they couldn’t suspect Orb and instead guessed it was one of the Coordinator factions.
During this time, the Mobile Suits were finally being completed one by one. The [Matter Creation] ability was certainly very helpful. It was incomparably faster than the old method of using [Matter Manipulation] to transform existing materials.
And I thought a bit about pilots. I thought it would be better to have trustworthy individuals on board, so I took out A2 and 2B from my inventory and explained the current situation to them.
"So, we need to operate the Mobile Suits while minimizing casualties?"
"Yes. But if it’s too dangerous or unavoidable, you can give up. Your safety comes first."
"I’m touched that you would say that."
"And from now on, call me Jin."
"Yes, Jin."
I showed them the Mobile Suits. But a problem arose. After carefully examining the machines, both of them wanted the ’Reborns Gundam.’
"This machine suits me. Step aside!"
"What do you mean? It suits me better!"
Certainly, the Reborns Gundam was an all-purpose machine capable of both close combat and long-range combat, and its performance was extremely high, worthy of being called final boss-class. But I felt a bit bad that the other machines weren’t chosen.
’The Double O pilots would be sad to see this.’
"Then let’s decide by swordsmanship skills!"
"That’s a great idea!"
They suddenly drew their swords and took fighting stances. I stopped them and spoke. If I didn’t stop them, my hard-built base would not survive.
"I’ll just give both of you the same machine, so stop it. And when you two have a disagreement from now on, settle it with rock-paper-scissors."
"Understood, Jin."
"Understood, Jin."
I ended up using [Matter Copy] to duplicate the Reborns Gundam, making two units. But the colors were different. 2B’s was white with sky blue accents, and A2’s was white with red accents. Then I assigned A2 and 2B their quarters and had them practice piloting using the simulation I had set up in the base. As expected of androids, it didn’t take them long to learn.
’Then what should I do with the remaining Gundams? No pilots, and I worked hard building them... If I had known this would happen, I should have brought more androids.’
I considered producing more androids but gave up. I decided to think about this problem slowly.
For a while, I spent my time conducting mock battles with A2 and 2B, supplementing their weak points, and helping with the ship’s construction. Currently, the local battles occurring in space were too small-scale to sortie into.
Then the Odyssey AI brought me news.
[Earth Alliance fleets are gathering at a location slightly higher than Earth’s satellite orbit. Correspondingly, ZAFT fleets are also moving, making it highly likely that a large-scale battle will occur.]
"I see. Understood."
I planned to sortie this time. However, the battleship was still under construction and couldn’t be used. Moreover, without the ’N-Jammer Canceller’ technology, even if completed, it couldn’t be operated near Earth. So I decided to load the Double O Quanta Full Saber Gundam and two Reborns Gundams onto the Odyssey and sortie. I also wanted to test the mass-production units, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough space to load any more. In the end, I decided to be satisfied with this sortie being an opportunity for A2 and 2B to gain real combat experience.
We traveled for a long time and arrived at the predicted battle point. This time we arrived early, so battle hadn’t started yet, but seeing ZAFT ships preparing nearby, it seemed like it wouldn’t be long. On the Earth Alliance side, I could also see the Archangel. Probably, the Archangel was receiving supplies and preparing to head to the Alaska base.
—"Jin, will we sortie immediately?"
"No, we wait for a while."
We waited inside the Odyssey, which had entered stealth mode, each seated in our respective machines. A2 and 2B looked a bit excited, perhaps because it was their first real battle. I was curious too. The Reborns Gundam used pseudo-solar reactors in the original, but now it was equipped with two original solar reactors, so I was looking forward to seeing what performance it would show.
After waiting a while, a battle began immediately with a ZAFT surprise attack. The Earth Alliance ships launched Mobile Armors to defend, but they were rapidly collapsing under the powerful surprise attack led by Creuset’s Gundams.
—"Jin, not yet?"
"Yes, wait a little longer."
I had no intention of touching them until the Archangel descended to Earth. Otherwise, the Archangel might head straight to the Alaska base, diverging from the original.
Waiting a bit longer, the Archangel finally began descending to Earth, and the Strike Gundam came out to escort it.
"Now. Let’s sortie."
—"I’ve been waiting for that, Jin."
We sortied from the Odyssey and, as always, sent out a warning on open broadcast.
"This is Celestial Being. Cease all hostile actions immediately and return to your respective formations."
But again, they didn’t listen. In my estimation, Rau Le Creuset, the leader of the Creuset unit, had the intention of capturing the Archangel before it descended to Earth, and also the reason of eliminating the moderate Earth Alliance commander, Duane Halberton. Because that would escalate the war further.
"Just as expected, these guys don’t listen. Let’s go!"
—"Yes, sir!"
We moved quickly, destroying the gun batteries mounted on both Earth Alliance and ZAFT ships, and engaging Mobile Armors and Mobile Suits. Having allies certainly made things easier. Because the barrage wasn’t concentrated on one side, I could evade with plenty of room.
The Reborns Gundams piloted by A2 and 2B were also performing remarkably. Since they were androids built with all my latest technology, their reaction speeds far exceeded those of humans, and having also learned martial arts, they moved their machines very efficiently, crushing the enemies.
Zing—! Swish!
—"Jin, are there no enemies worth fighting?"
2B seemed disappointed, perhaps because the battle was too easy.
"This is your first real battle, so think of it as gaining experience."
Come to think of it, I didn’t see the other Gundams, so I looked around. Those guys, whatever orders they had received, were chasing the Archangel like madmen. Even though it was already descending into the atmosphere. In particular, Yzak, with his anger management issues, was at the forefront, fiercely engaging the Strike Gundam.
—"Should we also descend into the atmosphere?"
A2 asked me, seeing the Archangel’s situation.
"No, let’s clean up the ones up here first."
—"Understood."
We ignored the Archangel and engaged the Earth Alliance and ZAFT.
KABOOM!!! Zing—! Swish! Bang!
Before long, almost all means of attack—ships’ guns, Mobile Armors, Mobile Suits—were destroyed, reaching a state where even if they wanted to fight, they couldn’t. With three machines operating Twin Drives with two solar reactors each performing brilliantly, and the ZAFT Gundams having left to chase the Archangel, cleaning up was done in an instant.
The Earth Alliance then focused more on rescuing personnel than fighting, and ZAFT did the same. But then, someone contacted us over the comm in an enraged voice.
—"You Celestial Being bastards!!! Why do you interfere with everything???"
Recognizing the voice, it was the same one I had heard from the ZAFT side when I contacted them to return Lacus.
"Who are you to be so irritable?"
—"I am Rau Le Creuset of ZAFT! We need to end this war quickly so that tragedies like the ’Bloody Valentine’ never happen again!!!"
So this guy was Rau Le Creuset. But he was spouting words he didn’t mean. In my opinion, because of our intervention, he had failed to capture the Archangel, had also failed to completely overpower the 8th Fleet, and had even lost Duane Halberton, the moderate leader, throwing his plans into disarray. He was just venting his anger.
Rau Le Creuset is the final boss and mastermind of Gundam SEED, a villain and madman who seeks the mutual destruction of Naturals and Coordinators, aiming to massacre humanity. But someone like Creuset, although he holds the position of mastermind, is not in a position to actually execute it himself. So he creates situations where he can put guns into the hands of two malicious factions, with a strong "from here on, you figure it out yourselves" vibe.
But unlike the original, with my intervention, things were not going his way, and he even sent a transmission saying such things—he seemed unexpectedly furious. Masterminds in other creative works don’t act like this. But to some extent, it was understandable. Rau Le Creuset didn’t have much time. Because he was born as a clone, he couldn’t live long.
"If it’s not an equal peace but a situation where one side dominates, the outcome is obvious. Eventually, another war will break out. Wasn’t that why ZAFT started fighting in the first place?"
I repeated what I had said to Athrun last time.
—"Damn it! You’re impossible to reason with!"
"That’s my line. Just clean up quickly and go back."
