Azadistan Palace, Marina gazed at the billowing smoke outside the palace, recalling her conversation with Masoud Rachmadi from a few years ago.
Masoud Rachmadi was not merely a conservative leader unwilling to change; he also hoped for a better future for his country.
However, even good changes cannot be achieved overnight. A nation's people have their history, families, and religious beliefs; they are accustomed to their current way of life, and most are resistant to sudden changes.
Thus, he took the initiative to stand against the reformists, maintaining control over the conservatives to prevent riots, while secretly working hard to help Marina pave a smooth path forward.
"Lasha... did I do something wrong..."
Just as Marina was wallowing in self-pity, her good friend and most capable assistant—Celine walked in.
"Celine, has the parliament agreed to adopt my suggestions?"
"Not at the moment; the conservatives are resisting the parliament, and the reformists are discussing accepting the military aid proposed secretly by UNION."
"That will only provoke the extreme conservatives! Besides, why would UNION... protect our country when there's no profit in it?"
"How could there be no profit? Have you forgotten about Celestial Being?"
...
The Azadistan parliament was still debating whether to accept UNION's military aid, but on the UNION side, the Celestial Being forces had already taken the lead, and the regular troops were ready to deploy. They were confident that the Azadistan parliament would certainly accept their proposed military support.
In the sky, the only three members of the Celestial Being forces and Billy Katagiri were engaged in a lively discussion.
"Lieutenant, after such a long time, we can finally see Gundam again."
"Let's hope so."
"But to think we would deploy to Azadistan…"
"The higher-ups in the military have convinced the parliament; after all, we can't let the Human Reform League take all the glory," Billy Katagiri explained.
"I see. By the way, Lieutenant, isn't it a bit too early for your new unit to make its debut?" Howard Mason expressed his concern.
Previously, the Human Reform League had released new MS models, Into the Array and Beiwei, causing a worldwide uproar and initiating a new round of military competition. However, Professor Eifman's Flagbearer was still in the experimental stage, and all the data had yet to be adjusted; the mass-produced Flag Taker hadn't even been built yet.
This would expose them directly; if luck was on their side, it would be good, but if not, they would become a laughingstock.
"There's no other way; if we only adjust it in the testing grounds, it would take too long, and…" Billy Katagiri glanced helplessly at Graham beside him.
"That's true."
"That's the Lieutenant's style."
Understanding what Billy Katagiri meant, Howard Mason and Daryl Dodge chimed in teasingly.
Graham was not angered by their banter; instead, he laughed heartily: "Hahaha, of course! It's not every day I get a new ride; naturally, I want to compete with Gundam. My ambitions are quite fierce."
"How should I put it... Lieutenant, your life is going to be tough."
"If you're too enthusiastic with girls, you might scare them away."
Hearing this, Graham grinned: "Unfortunately, Gundam is not a delicate girl; if I'm not enthusiastic, I'll be the one getting dumped."
"Hopeless." The three of them shook their heads in unison.
...
In the Gobi Desert of Azadistan, a large transport aircraft was hidden among the hills.
"Hey, hey, hey, Myer, is this really okay? Ms. Huang won't beat you up, will she?" The Dylandy Brothers kept glancing back and forth between Yang Hui and Wang Liu Mei, who was leaning on his shoulder, complaining.
Yang Hui's romantic escapades were no secret, but could he at least consider the feelings of us single folks?
It was unbearable; the most painful part was being stuck here and force-fed dog food!
"She won't; Sister Sumeragi specifically told me to keep an eye on him to prevent him from wandering off to flirt," Wang Liu Mei said with a smile.
Yang Hui was generally passive in relationships; both she and Sumeragi didn't believe Yang Hui would actively seek out other women, but... who could blame Yang Hui for being so charming? If he didn't take the initiative, would the other party not? Wasn't Kati Mannequin's success just like that, having one foot in the door?
"Oh~! Damn, the lucky ones," the Dylandy Brothers sighed dramatically.
"If you two really want to find women, are you afraid you won't be able to?" Yang Hui rolled his eyes at the brothers, as if he didn't know their situation.
Speaking of lucky ones, out of the five Gundam Meisters, who wasn't one?
The older brother appeared carefree and reckless, but deep down, he had a unique tenderness that captivated Ptolemaios' only innocent girl. If Neil hadn't died, he would have surely married Feldt.
The younger brother was even bolder, directly causing an enemy to defect, though that was because the director was a beast, forcing a knife into the situation.
Setsuna was also like that; he initially seemed deeply troubled, yet quietly captured the heart of a princess, waiting for his return even in old age.
And Tieria, let's not even mention him; now the darling of the Celestial Being organization, Ian and Linda's daughter Mileina was utterly devoted to Tieria, even if he turned into a piece of data, she wouldn't mind.
Now complaining that I'm lucky? Heh... the crow shouldn't laugh at the pig's blackness; no one should speak ill of anyone.
"Let's talk about the mission instead. Myer, as long as the internal strife in Azadistan doesn't erupt, we can't intervene militarily. Our target is quite significant," Lyle said.
Unlike the original plot, which had only a small spaceship as a temporary base, this time it was a transport aircraft. Although it wasn't as large as a battleship, it was still considerable, and there were four Gundams present, making the target much larger than before.
"Being anxious won't help; we can only wait. If the internal strife doesn't erupt, we have no reason to intervene. Remember, countless eyes around the world are watching us. But there's no need to worry; I predict that armed conflict will break out by tonight at the latest."
"However, to completely quell the internal strife in Azadistan, we must rescue the kidnapped Masoud Rachmadi and ensure the entire nation knows he is safe. Therefore, finding out where he is currently located is the most important task," Wang Liu Mei stated.
"That said, the people here despise foreign cultures. It will be difficult for our people to infiltrate and investigate... it's likely to yield little result," Hong Long added.
"I can help; I'm from Azadistan," Setsuna offered.
"Hmm... that's fine, but don't act recklessly, Setsuna," Yang Hui agreed with Setsuna's suggestion but also cautioned him, though he already knew the outcome.
"Understood."
"Neil, Lyle, stay on standby and be prepared. We don't know where the secret forces of AEU and PMC are hiding, and UNION's troops have arrived with new models. We mustn't mess this up."
"Got it." The Dylandy Brothers nodded seriously. Although they hadn't participated in the battles in space, they understood how tricky the combat capabilities displayed by Into the Array and Beiwei were just from the recordings and data.
Only Setsuna remained silent, not only because he was about to return to a place he deeply loathed yet missed, but also because Myer had mentioned the PMC.
"Will he be coming too?"
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