The little enchantress Lacus had departed. Indeed, in Reid's mind, this princess had successfully upgraded from a temptress to a full-fledged sorceress. Because of her words, Reid's reputation had been thoroughly tarnished among the crews of the four ships Creuset had brought with him.
However, after Lacus left, these four ships immediately turned away without hesitation. Clearly, they were still intent on pursuing the Archangel.
But with both sides pushing their engines to the limit, the Nazca-class ships had no chance of catching up to the Archangel, which had a two-hour head start, before it rendezvoused with the Eighth Fleet. Reid's current main mission phase was thus completed without incident.
Reid thought to himself, If things still go wrong now, it can only mean the heavens are out to get me. Following the plan he had devised while at Artemis Fortress, he directly ordered the Laurasia-class battleship to set course for the fortress.
Sure enough, roughly three hours after Reid gave the order to head for Artemis Fortress, the system notification arrived:
"Main Mission Phase Two completed. Rewards distributed. Recruitment Module and Skill Plunder Module unlocked. G-Invasion Module campaign refreshed.
Main Mission Phase Three issued: Ensure the Archangel escapes from Alaska Base. Reward: 200 Merit Points, 50,000 G-Coins. Failure: World difficulty significantly increased."
Seeing the mission completion, Reid couldn't wait to return to his quarters and check his current assets.
The most important was his Merit Points. After the assault on Heliopolis, two engagements at Artemis Fortress, and the rendezvous with the advance team—four emergency missions in total—Reid had to admit that Creuset's squad was indeed generous. Just these emergency missions alone had earned him over a hundred Merit Points. Combined with his previous balance, this portion alone amounted to two hundred points.
Then, adding the hundred points from completing this main mission, Reid now had a total of over three hundred Merit Points.
With this, upon his return, he could finally assemble a proper ship crew—three hundred points would cover a helmsman, a mechanic, and a combat commander (deputy captain).
After reviewing his Merit Points, Reid naturally turned his attention to the newly unlocked modules.
To be honest, these two new modules were fairly straightforward, almost self-explanatory.
The Recruitment Module allowed him to directly enlist others as system-recognized subordinates. These recruits could participate in actual campaigns alongside him, and their loyalty would be visible. In terms of rules, they would be treated the same as system-summoned personnel.
However, the Recruitment Module didn't work by Reid simply asking someone to join his organization and them agreeing. The candidate had to explicitly understand that, upon recruitment, their entire life would be bound to Reid—shared glory, shared disgrace—and they had to genuinely consent to this.
Frankly, this single condition alone would disqualify 99% of potential recruits. The recruitment process was stricter than finding a spouse—many people don't even commit to lifelong bonds when getting married.
Moreover, Reid was visibly already taken. To meet this requirement, the candidate would have to be either a fanatical devotee or someone willing to relinquish their freedom and submit their life to his control.
It must be said that this recruitment module could serve as an assessment system for promoting outsiders to key positions and leadership roles within one's organization. Anyone Reid couldn't recruit would prove insufficiently loyal and unfit for critical positions.
That covers the recruitment module. Next was the skill plunder module, which made Reid frown deeply.
Reid had always felt his system seemed to be pushing him toward violence, and now the system's hints were even more blatant.
The so-called skill plunder was explicitly described in the system as follows: when defeating major members of an opposing faction, the system could randomly replicate one of their system-recognized skills. The usage rules for these skills were the same as those for system-extracted skills—meaning they could be assigned to anyone under his command.
Frowning at the description, Reid asked,
"System, what exactly counts as a 'major member of an opposing faction'?"
The system answered instantly:
"Major members include the protagonist of a world's arc, the arc's antagonist, and key supporting characters from both sides. Applicable to any world."
Reid was speechless. This was practically encouraging him to go on a killing spree during G Invasions. If he wanted a complete collection, wouldn't that mean making enemies of the entire world? And that last line was clearly reminding him that plundering was possible even in the CE universe.
At this point, Reid began rationalizing to himself. G Invasions were one thing—after all, he could just leave those worlds behind with no lasting consequences. As long as he didn't massacre civilians on a large scale, he wouldn't feel too burdened.
But the real world was different. He wasn't some bandit who would deliberately make enemies and scheme to kill people just for their skills.
So Reid decided to ignore this module, treating it as nothing more than a bonus. He absolutely couldn't let it influence his daily decision-making, or he'd end up crazier than Creuset.
Next, Reid checked the new main mission and was relieved to see that it didn't involve him in the Archangel's escape on Earth.
As for the mission, he'd decide how much to commit based on his available resources later. For now, he'd set it aside—after all, the most crucial part, the G Invasion battles, still needed reviewing.
Rubbing his temples to calm himself, Reid turned his attention to the newly refreshed G Invasion module battles.
And the moment he looked, his headache returned. These G Invasion battles were all nasty.
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2002 AD, Deep Pacific – Sons of Danann Seizure Operation (Mithril)
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U.C. 0088, Gryps II Final Battle
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A.C. 195, Earth Sphere Unified Forces – New Edwards Base Raid
The third event: 2002 AD, Deep Pacific – Sons of Danann Seizure Operation (Mithril). Just seeing "Mithril" told him this was the Full Metal Panic! world. The mech technology there was average, but they dabbled in the metaphysical.
The λ-Driver, colloquially known as the "I Think Therefore I Can" system. To put it in simpler terms, it was a device that used mental energy as fuel to physically alter reality. Defensively, it could function as a budget AT Field (slightly stronger, since the original setting didn't have Beam weapons, yet in Super Robot Wars, λ-Driver fields could still mitigate Beam damage—see Leonard Testarossa's unit in Super Robot Wars V).
In terms of offensive capabilities, it was claimed that as long as one's mental power was strong enough, it could penetrate anything no matter how distant or hard, even making bullets curve.
Of course, the actual performance in the anime wasn't that exaggerated. Any device has its power limits, and even if—hypothetically—there were no upper limit to its power, no human could supply that much mental energy. So, relying on this thing to withstand nuclear weapons was out of the question, and there was no such thing as an attack capable of piercing through stars.
However, within a certain range, it could definitely ignore the armor of a Mobile Suit and strike its internal structure—or even the pilot. So even if the Mobile Suits in this series alone might not even rank at C-class, paired with the overpowered λ-Driver, they could one-shot an A-class Mobile Suit if given the chance.
And the most troublesome part was, if Reid remembered correctly, this raid was happening inside a submarine deep underwater. Even if he had an MS, he wouldn't be able to use it. Speaking of which, was this system glitching again? It was called the Super G Universe System, not the Super Commando System—was it really expecting him to go hand-to-hand with the villains inside the submarine?
Then, Reid checked the restrictions for this battle: solo entry, with Mobile Suits limited to a maximum of C-class...
So Reid decided to put Full Metal Panic out of his mind for now. This battle was a must, even if he earned zero Merit Points—he had to get his hands on the λ-Driver. He was extremely curious about how this thing would perform on Mobile Suits in the space era.
Next was U.C. 0088, the decisive battle of Gryps II. No need to say much—just like the previous Solomon Fortress battle, this was the final battle of Zeta Gundam, a three-day-long engagement with an uncountable number of Mobile Suits from three factions. Again, only one ship was allowed, with Mobile Suits capped at B-class.
The third was A.C. 195, the Earth Sphere Unified Forces' assault on New Edwards Base. Seeing this battle confirmed Reid's worst fears—this was the world of Gundam Wing, and Lady Une was present in this battle.
Though it allowed five participants and Mobile Suits up to B-class, the real challenge was figuring out how to placate Noin and Une.
Because there was no way Reid was letting the five Mobile Suits from the Meteor Project slip away—but those were Noin's former comrades. Though at this point in time, they probably hadn't become allies yet...
And as for Une—what would happen if she faced herself? Only heaven knew.
At this point, Reid was even considering hiding this battle from the two of them. But this was their chance to return to their original world, even if just for a look. He feared that if the truth came out later, it would only cause bigger problems.
Just as Reid was agonizing over this, his doorbell suddenly rang. When he checked the intercom, it was none other than Noin—one of the very people he had just been thinking of hiding this from.
Naturally, Reid couldn't just ignore Noin's knock. But the moment the door opened, Noin noticed Reid's evasive gaze—like a kid caught watching TV after curfew, hastily turning it off when a parent walked in.
At the same time, through his Newtype abilities, Reid sensed Noin's suspicion. He quickly adjusted his expression, stepped aside, and smiled.
"Noin, what brings you here? If there's something, come in first."
Noin saw that Reid had actively invited her in, and there didn't seem to be anything inappropriate in the room. The timing of his opening the door was also normal, so she thought she might have misread the situation earlier. She figured Reid had been resting and suddenly gotten up, still somewhat tired with that dazed look in his eyes.
So after entering, Noin placed a document on the room's desk and said:
"I came to deliver the report on refugees from the Heliopolis rescue mission who are joining the New Misurugi Republic. The plan went smoothly—over 80% of those rescued are planning to bring their families and join. Only a small number who still own property on Earth declined, and Une has already arranged their return."
"Also, regarding the remnants of the Eurasian Federation's Artemis Fortress forces, Une was still negotiating with Ms. Romanova before I left Star Palace. You're planning to directly absorb some of those remnants, aren't you?"
Reid nodded in response, gesturing for Noin to sit while he remained on the bed. "Good, I'll review the document later. I do intend to absorb some of the junior officers from Artemis Fortress. After all, our domestic military is still in its early stages—only two batches have completed basic training. Our official forces are all greenhorns, so we need veterans to help train them. The New Misurugi Republic won't remain peaceful forever. We must prepare in advance."
Noin nodded. The nation's major directions had always been decided by Reid, and so far, his decisions had proven correct, so she naturally didn't object.
However, recalling Reid's tired appearance when he opened the door, Noin's cheeks flushed slightly. She suddenly moved from the desk to sit beside Reid, patting her lap. "Reid, you seemed exhausted earlier. We still have about three or four hours until we reach Artemis Fortress (the Archangel is coasting on inertia, so it's naturally slower than warships with active engines). Let me give you a massage, and then you can rest some more."
Reid could sense Noin's shyness, but since she had taken the initiative, he wasn't about to refuse. Based on his experience, Ange's jealousy toward Noin was relatively mild—he probably wouldn't suffer any serious consequences for this.
So Reid comfortably enjoyed Noin's lap pillow service. Under her skillful massage, the headache-inducing system battles faded from his mind, and he gradually fell asleep.
About two hours later, Reid woke up again. A glance at the bedside confirmed there was no bonus scene of Noin sleeping beside him. Only his jacket and shoes had been removed—she must have settled him in and left after he fell asleep.
However, there was a glass of water on his desk with a note underneath, saying she had gone to check on the new recruits they'd brought along. When Reid woke up, he was to take over bridge duty so Ange could come down.
Seeing this, Reid just smiled. This girl was still too shy—he'd been so relaxed he'd fallen asleep. She could have taken advantage of the situation, and even Ange would have been powerless to protest.
Though Reid was just putting on a tough front. Back on the Archangel, when he'd carried Ange to her room, she had been pretending to sleep (though he didn't know that at the time). In the end, all he'd done was kiss her forehead—nothing more.
Fortunately, after finishing his laughter, Reid went straight to the bridge to take over his shift. He estimated that the ship would arrive at Artemis Fortress during his watch.
As for why Reid was making another trip to Artemis Fortress, it was obviously because he planned to screw over his former employer, the Eurasian Federation, once again.
According to the plot, after Artemis Fortress was breached, ZAFT abandoned it, and it was subsequently occupied by opportunistic space pirates. Later, Gerard Garcia, who had miraculously survived the explosion in the command room and escaped, hired Murakumo Gai to reclaim the fortress.
Now, Gerard Garcia should already be dead. If he wasn't, Reid's sudden return would ensure they crossed paths. This time, Reid would finish him off for good—hammering a few extra nails into the coffin to eliminate any chance of a comeback.
Of course, Reid's trip to Artemis Fortress wasn't solely to confirm Gerard Garcia's death. The fortress itself was his real target.
After all, Reid's reputation for cracking down on pirates was well-known in the Third Cosmic Region. If a group of space pirates had taken over a fortress and he didn't act, it would be out of character.
Moreover, by any nation's standards, a third-hand fortress seized from pirates was fair game for his own use.
Before Noin departed, she had brought along two squads of foreign militia pilots, who were equipped with the Jet Core Boosters Reid had prepared for training. Reid intended to assign them the peripheral tasks of this pirate-clearing operation—a perfect opportunity to blood them in combat.
The Jet Core Boosters were more than capable of handling Moebius units. With the Black Tri-Stars and himself overseeing the operation, there was no way things could go wrong.
Once they returned to the Star Palace Colony Satellite, Reid planned to begin mass-producing military Mobile Suits, as Kira's Natural OS had already been acquired. As long as these soldiers mastered the Jet Core Boosters, they could quickly transition into MS pilots.
Additionally, Reid had instructed Noin to bring a large number of Solar Flare Motors (originally used to move the wreckage of Junius Seven). These were typically employed to relocate Colony Satellites (when large asteroids couldn't be destroyed, the satellite itself would be moved). But with enough of them, even a massive fortress could be shifted. Then, with Laurasia-class ships towing and steering, it could be repositioned near the Star Palace Colony Satellite as a defensive barrier.
He also recalled that the pirates occupying Artemis Fortress were quite wealthy, possessing seven or eight warships, including Nelson-class, Agamemnon-class, and Laurasia-class vessels.
As for what the Coordinators of the future would use if he took Artemis Fortress for himself? Reid couldn't care less. Those self-important types (Adjusters who thought they were superior, and Coordinators who believed they were above Adjusters) could just find another fortress to use as their base.
Two hours passed quickly. The war-torn Artemis Fortress, its Photon Wave Generator completely destroyed and its docks only partially cleared of debris, came into Reid's view.
Radar showed no heat signatures around the fortress except for those inside. It seemed Reid wouldn't have to worry about Gerard Garcia cheating death yet again by surviving temperatures in the thousands of degrees, forcing him to deliver a second funeral.
Without hesitation, Reid issued his orders:
"Dispatch the Core Fighter (Jet Core Booster) squad. Miguel, Ortega, and Mash will pilot their units and patrol the battlefield's periphery."
"If any ships come out, Miguel, Ortega, Mash, you three just take out the turrets. We're going to repurpose these ships, so don't outright destroy them."
With Reid's order, the Laurasia-class immediately launched jamming waves to disrupt the pirates' communications. Then, Core Fighters poured out, charging straight toward Artemis Fortress.
The current pirate commander of Artemis Fortress was stunned. He hadn't expected that barely a day after seizing this Eurasian Federation fortress, the New Misurugi Republic—this harbinger of doom—would come sniffing around.
Every pirate nowadays had heard the rumors about the Crimson Wings trio's penchant for anti-piracy operations. Seeing three Kampfers and twelve obviously high-tech fighters made their blood run cold.
What kind of fight was this? Sure, they had MS piloted by Coordinator pirates, but only two. Sending them against Kampfers was just feeding them to the grinder. As for those Moebius units, they wouldn't even qualify as appetizers.
So, the pirate leader made what Reid considered the dumbest decision possible: hunkering down and engaging the New Misurugi Republic in urban warfare. There was no way MS could navigate the corridors, right? And dismantling this fortress from the outside would take forever.
But this pirate leader clearly hadn't considered that Reid was from this very fortress. He knew its layout and systems far better than pirates who'd only occupied it for a little over a day.
After bloodlessly securing the port and clearing all pirates from the docked ships, Reid didn't order a direct assault.
Instead, he found an intake vent for the air circulation system and pumped in a massive quantity of isoflurane (something from the medical emergency supplies) obtained through the system.
Reid didn't care about the effects of excessive inhalation—he'd already chosen the mildest chemical available. In any case, space pirates were mostly scum who deserved no mercy.
An hour later, Reid finally stopped adding isoflurane to the air circulation system. After waiting another half-hour, his men entered Artemis Fortress in hazmat suits.
Reid gave the order: any pirates they encountered were to be shot on sight. Their ship couldn't hold an entire fortress's worth of prisoners. Only women who'd been abducted by the pirates and children under 1.2 meters tall would be spared—their fates to be decided later.