From the exterior of the Lorasian-class ship, He Kui gazed out at the pale surface of the Moon, pockmarked with craters and impact sites. In the distance, rolling mountains and vast plains stretched out, all in a muted white hue. The only splash of color was in a crater covered by a transparent dome, where vibrant greenery thrived like an oasis in a desert.
Who would even think of planting trees in a military base? It was likely that neither the Tolemy base nor the Lorenz base of the Earth Alliance or ZAFT could find a single tree within their confines.
The only place that might have trees was the famous Copernicus, known for being a neutral city.
"It's amazing that this neutral city can survive," He Kui remarked, astonished by the lack of defenses.
"It must have something to do with Mentor Malchio; the current mayor is one of his students, and the position of Copernicus isn't particularly strategic," Shi He suggested.
"Mentor Malchio, huh?"
These matters felt too distant for He Kui. He had only seen world-class figures like Mentor Malchio on television, never in person.
The warship soon orbited to their destination.
Lorenz Crater, located in the southern highlands of the Moon's near side, sat opposite the Tolemy base. The regular terrain of the crater, with a flat bottom and thick walls, provided natural protection against cosmic radiation and enemy assaults, making it an ideal choice for a ZAFT military base.
As they drew closer, the grandeur of Lorenz Crater unfolded before them. The pale yellow sunlight illuminated the base deep within the crater, casting a harsh cold light over it. The fine lunar dust kicked up by construction efforts swirled around the base, reminiscent of the captivating covers of "Science Fiction World" that He Kui had seen before.
But this was indeed science fiction. Although life was still challenging and the situation was worse than in a peaceful world, where one misstep could lead to death, at least it wasn't the grim reality of Warhammer.
He Kui was mentally cheering himself on when he and Shi He boarded the space shuttle from the Nazca-class ship, smoothly entering the base through the descent platform that led directly to the core area underground.
"Welcome, Director He!"
As the heavy hatch opened, a group of green-clad guards greeted them, along with a familiar girl dressed in a fitted white outfit.
"Director Sule, thank you for your hospitality."
"Cut it out—seeing you in white is more pleasing than before."
For some unknown reason, after giving him a glare, Sule's gaze quickly shifted to Shi He before moving away, leaving He Kui puzzled about her intentions.
"Your units have already been placed in the B24 secret hangar," Sule informed them.
"Got it. And you?"
"I'm heading back to keep an eye on the radar group. Don't worry; I'll have someone with me."
With a wave, Sule left them with only her retreating figure.
"He Kui."
"Yeah? What's up?"
He Kui suddenly felt a bit nervous as he faced Shi He after saying goodbye to Sule.
Would this affect my favorability?
"Let's get started on the debugging!"
As it turned out, He Kui had overthought it. Shi He was simply excitedly urging him on.
"Sure."
He Kui was particularly cautious about favorability, as it directly impacted his efficiency in converting experience points.
In the future, it might be better for him to have less interaction between Sule and Shi He.
Although he hadn't done anything to Sule, he couldn't shake the feeling that her gaze occasionally carried a hint of something unusual.
As he was lost in thought, He Kui quickly found the hangar. With his rapidly approaching A-Level information engineering skills, he began adjusting the data for the beam weapon on the Sig's control panel.
"Even without an atmosphere, there's still interference from lunar dust, so we'll need to adjust the firing rate and output power."
"With a single barrel supporting ten shots, that's twenty shots in total."
"The weight of the unit has increased by two tons, and with its power system weakened, it might be about 15% less powerful than a regular Sig. Shi He, can you handle it?"
"No problem! Shooting is my specialty!"
"Then we can carry an extra machine gun, but let's only bring one melee sword."
Using two swords might not be effective; a single sword paired with a defensive weapon would suffice.
"Alright."
As Shi He confirmed the upcoming tasks on the main console, she exclaimed, "We've received our first mission!"
"What is it?"
"We've detected a fixed patrol point of the Earth Alliance's forces, comprising about six Mobius fighters. Once we activate the neutron jammers, we can take them out silently."
Shi He's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
"Tomorrow, huh?"
It always seemed to come up so suddenly, but thankfully, they still had half a day to adjust the systems.
"If this is a small ambush, we can increase the output limits a bit more. Can we do a squad operation?"
He Kui directed the question at Shi He since she would be the one actually on the battlefield; his role would be similar to what it had been on Earth, except there would be no gravity to worry about Shi He getting dizzy.
"Of course! I've tested it numerous times on the simulator! I even ranked in the top ten!"
"Hmm."
As He Kui considered Shi He's excitement, on the other side of the base, Sule returned to the radar group's array monitoring room and retrieved a secured device to plug into the main computer.
A message was sent through extremely covert channels, making its way to PLANT's April City.
"Lacus, he's begun debugging. It seems he's determined to succeed."
In front of Sule was a screen displaying synchronized monitoring of the hangar and the data streams from the unit He Kui was working on. Every adjustment he made was visible here.
"Good. Although his operational skills are lacking, with Miss Hanifis around, there shouldn't be too many issues. For this Moon mission, please keep a close eye on him. If possible, I'd like to have a personal talk with him when he returns."
"Do you think he will join the Klein faction?"
"I'm not sure, but isn't he a fan of mine? It's worth a try. Plus, after being pressured by the Sara faction to that extent, he probably won't easily cooperate with them again."
"Are you planning to visit April City?"
"It's been a while since the last roadshow. If I don't make a move soon, the topic will fade away."
After discussing business, Lacus's tone turned playful. "By the way, you've met Miss Hanifis, right? How's
your love rival?"
"Not a rival at all!"
Sule's response was typical; she angrily cut off the communication as usual.
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