After successfully sending Lacus and the others away, Reid hurried to the Factory Module with the Xia sisters. Although the battle had seemed effortless, the number of destroyed Mass-Produced GM Astrays was higher than expected.
To prevent others from discovering that the Mass-Produced GM Astrays were unmanned machines, Reid had installed highly sensitive self-destruct mechanisms directly in the fake cockpits. The moment a Mobile Suit lost power—whether due to combat damage or mechanical failure—it would immediately explode.
After the battle, the losses were tallied. Excluding those units that could be repaired despite missing limbs or suffering damage, nearly four hundred Mass-Produced GM Astrays had been destroyed. Dozens of manned Assault GM Dominions had also been lost.
Of course, these losses were negligible compared to ZAFT's. Their casualties this time were comparable to the devastation at Earth's Alaska Base—Patrick Zala would probably need blood pressure medication and heart pills again.
Still, Reid needed to rush to the Factory Module to replenish the four hundred lost units using recycled materials. The next phase of the Show Sword Plan required a massive military force, and his current troops were already stretched thin.
However, just as Reid entered the nearly emptied-out Star Palace Colony Satellite factory—before even reaching the Factory Module—he was stopped.
Only a handful of people in the Star Palace Colony Satellite would dare to intercept him, and this time, it was Flay.
Seeing her panting and drenched in sweat, clearly having searched for him for a long time, Reid had Xia Yulan hand her a bottle of water. After letting her catch her breath, he asked,
"Flay, shouldn't you be in the Barge's lab with Dr. Elvira Hill? Why did you come back to the Colony Satellite?"
Hearing his question, Flay gasped out between breaths,
"Of course I came to find you, Commander. I received my next assignment—Lady Une assigned me to remain on standby aboard the Barge as a reserve member for the upcoming attack on PLANT. I couldn't accept that, so I went to Princess Angelise to request frontline deployment. She told me to come to you."
Reid broke out in a cold sweat. While Flay had performed decently as a test operator for the lab's psychocommunicative equipment, her Mobile Suit and Mobile Armor piloting skills were still only at an intermediate level according to her stats. Though she had improved, sending her to the battlefield would be leaving her survival up to chance.
In truth, Flay's custom unit—the newly modified Psycommu Gundam—had already been completed before the Barge's assembly. After all, large-scale Mobile Suits required testing. The problem was that Flay's piloting skills didn't meet the minimum requirements for the machine. She could activate it, but she wouldn't be able to utilize its full combat potential.
So Reid refused outright.
"No, Flay. Sending you to the battlefield now would be irresponsible. You're not yet capable of surviving out there. Lady Une's arrangement is correct."
Flay immediately protested, tears welling in her eyes.
"You're all looking down on me! Most of the soldiers piloting the Assault GM Dominions can't even beat me in simulations! Why can they go to war, but I can't?!"
Reid was momentarily stumped. His Newtype senses told him that Flay was genuinely heartbroken—as if all her efforts up to this point had been for nothing.
So Reid was wondering if he had been overly protective of Flay. Could her persistently low piloting evaluation scores be because she'd never been on the battlefield?
Flay was quite sensitive to changes in others' attitudes—a talent of hers as a potential Newtype. Sensing Reid's hesitation, she began mixing genuine emotion with performance.
Suddenly, large teardrops started streaming down Flay's face as she sobbed, "Wuwu, you all just keep lying to me. You said this battle would definitely last long, so there was no rush to send me to the front, and I believed you. But... but how long did it actually last before ending?
Then in the next battle, you directly assigned me to the reserve team. Dad, I've failed you... I couldn't avenge you... I even offered my body but no one wanted it, wuwu..."
Reid was utterly speechless at this point. "Flay, stop adding drama where there isn't any," he wanted to say. There weren't even any bystanders around—when did you ever offer your body to me? Wait, Yufang, Yulan, why are you looking at me like that? I definitely didn't sneak around behind your backs with someone your age!
Seeing her act was working, Flay prepared to escalate, but Reid caught on quickly and stopped her. "Enough, stop crying. I can see the corners of your mouth twitching upward. Flay Allster!"
The moment Reid got serious, Flay sensed it immediately. Hearing her full name, her tears vanished instantly as she stood at attention. "Present!"
Reid continued, "Return to the Barge first to adjust your physical condition. I'll send someone to fetch you in six hours.
Truth is, your custom Mobile Suit was completed long ago—it's just that your personal abilities never met the requirements.
Since you're so eager for the frontline, I'll give you one chance. If you can activate the suit and pass the test, I'll approve your deployment.
But you only get one attempt. And I'll remind you—operating your suit requires strong mental focus. You'd better get some sleep these next six hours to conserve energy.
Alright, you're dismissed."
Flay was quite satisfied with Reid's compromise. She hadn't expected her custom Mobile Suit to be ready already and immediately assumed Princess Angelise must have helped, thinking "Princess Angelise is the best!" before skipping away cheerfully.
After Flay left, Reid observed Yulan and Yufang—who had actually doubted him moments earlier. He felt both pleased that they'd finally developed some independent thoughts, and exasperated that those thoughts revolved around sharing his bed.
But with these sisters, Reid really didn't know what to say, so he chose to say nothing and proceeded to the Factory Module.
The rest of Reid's journey went smoothly with no further interruptions. Using battlefield-salvaged metal and a small amount of G-Coins as processing fees, he manufactured four hundred mass-produced GM Astrays, then had the suits fly autonomously to the Barge.
Reid then rested for about three hours with the Xia sisters—one serving as his pillow while the other massaged him, knowing rest opportunities would be scarce later.
Approximately five hours after parting with Flay, after tying up loose ends at the Star Palace Colony Satellite, Reid returned to the Barge. By then, Lacus had already departed with the Three Ships Alliance (actually five vessels), heading straight for the space zone containing Genesis Alpha.
For this expedition, Reid left Ange and twenty Star Palace-class battleships behind at the Star Palace Colony Satellite. After all, either Une or Ange had to remain at the colony to keep the diplomats from other nations in check.
Reid took everyone else with him—there would be many tasks ahead requiring manpower, and the current numbers were far from sufficient. External reinforcements would likely be needed later.
Upon returning to the Barge, Reid honored his promise and sent Xia Yufang to fetch Flay. He then led Flay to a massive hangar beneath the Barge.
When she saw the towering 40-meter-tall Mobile Suit standing in the hangar, her jaw dropped wide enough to fit a goose egg.
Reid didn't give Flay time to process her shock and immediately began his introduction:
"Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ—a perfected model of an ultra-large Mobile Suit.
This unit's entire frame is constructed from multi-layered, reinforced special titanium alloy (Lunatitanium—building a unit this large with AC's Gundarium Alloy would be too expensive). It can withstand direct hits from anti-ship missiles, and unless the same spot is struck three or more times, the armor won't breach.
However, the unit itself still has low resistance against beam weaponry, but I've equipped it with specialized armaments—more on that later.
First, let's cover its ranged weaponry: the protruding sections on both sides and the waist mount 125mm high-energy long-range beam cannons. The legs and lower waist are armed with 320mm [Flame God] ultra-high impulse cannons, while the chest features three 580mm [Siren Beast] multiple array phase energy cannons.
And don't let the sheer number and size of its cannons fool you. It utilizes a new particle levitation system (second-generation large-scale Minovsky particle levitator), allowing it to fly even in Earth's atmosphere—though not particularly fast.
Additionally, the devices on its shoulders and crotch are the same lightwave shield generators used in the Artemis Fortress. They can project a cylindrical full-body barrier (modeled after Zetton's design, updated to protect the head in modern times). However, to maintain flight stability when deployed, it cannot shield the feet, so caution is necessary.
Remember—when the lightwave shield is active, beam attacks cannot be fired from inside the barrier. If you must engage while shielded, close in on the target and use the giant beam blades built into the forearm armor for melee combat."
As Reid explained, Flay kept nodding while staring at the colossal Mobile Suit, clearly impressed.
But everything he had mentioned so far were its strengths. Now came the drawbacks.
"However! Every weapon I just described requires psycommu control to activate and deactivate. The large-scale Psycommu System installed in this unit demands extremely high mental strength, multitasking coordination, and even physical stamina.
Flay, based on your current condition, only your mental strength meets the standard. So once you board the unit, I'll transfer it to the simulation testing zone.
Your task is simple: control this Mobile Suit, sprint a full lap around the testing area without colliding with rocks, tripping over rough terrain, or accidentally firing its weapons. If you can manage that, I'll consider you qualified and allow you on the frontlines."
Flay immediately felt indignant upon hearing this, but she held back her retort, determined to prove herself in the simulation.
Eager to begin, she wasted no time climbing into the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ's cockpit.
Reid didn't delay, directly maneuvering the transport rail to deliver the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ to the testing grounds.
The initial activation test posed no problem for Flay—her psychic strength was indeed qualified. She could activate the Mobile Suit without the system's driving evaluation needing to cheat for her.
Next was walking, which Flay also handled without issue. Even if there were flaws, the system would cheat to correct them for her. After all, even with an entry-level evaluation, the system could let you pilot the Strike Freedom to take a few slow steps before falling over.
However, when Flay attempted to accelerate into a run, the difficulty suddenly spiked. Reid had preemptively activated all safety locks on the weapon ports and Beam Weapons, but the Mobile Suit's system would still display alerts when Beam Weapons were triggered.
Just as Flay tried to speed up, she accidentally triggered the [Flame God] Ultra-High Impulse Cannon on the leg she had stepped forward with. The red misfire alarm startled her, causing her coordination to instantly falter. The Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ lurched forward and crashed face-first into the ground.
Flay, now seething with frustration, roared inside the cockpit,
"Commander Reid! Give me one more chance!"
With that, she regained control of the Mobile Suit, forcing the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ back onto its feet.
From the high observation deck, Reid could sense Flay's psychic energy boiling over. The "Unyielding" trait he had installed in her earlier seemed to have activated, helping her break through some kind of barrier.
So Reid didn't halt the test. Instead, he gave Flay another opportunity.
Not daring to waste time—knowing Reid could call off the test at any moment—Flay steeled herself. If that happened, per their agreement, she would be stuck in the lab, waiting for the nearly nonexistent chance to deploy as a substitute.
Driven by sheer stubbornness, Flay proceeded much more carefully the second time. She didn't immediately break into a run but instead moved her limbs slowly, acclimating to the sensation of controlling the Mobile Suit in motion.
Once she had adjusted, Flay began walking again.
Yes, walking—she realized that to avoid misfiring the Beam Weapons, she had to move with painstaking focus. But this wouldn't be enough to pass the test, because Reid demanded a run!
Yet Flay could feel her spirit surging, a defiant tenacity burning inside her.
To Reid's senses, Flay's psyche now resembled that of a hot-blooded anime protagonist on the verge of a breakthrough. Despite extreme instability, her psychic energy was somehow still controlling the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ.
Sure enough, as Reid almost hallucinated Flay's furious roar—"Move, you oversensitive machine!!"—the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ's agility instantly ascended to another level.
Checking Flay's status screen, Reid saw her MS and MA piloting skills abruptly jump to Elite. She had even gained a new ability: Limit Break (Unleashes latent potential, boosting all stats by 1.5x. Duration determined by the user's stamina and psychic energy. Causes unconsciousness upon expiration).
Looking down, Reid watched as Flay suddenly began darting the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ around the testing field at full speed.
After two laps, Reid declared her qualified.
However, the moment the verdict was announced—just as Flay cheered—the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ abruptly powered down and crouched motionless.
Reacting quickly, Reid rushed down with the Xia sisters to pull Flay from the cockpit and sent her to the infirmary for a checkup.
Fortunately, Flay had only fainted due to physical exhaustion (and mental exhaustion), and would recover after some rest.
At this moment, Reid also saw the new skills Flay had awakened on her own and her upgraded pilot evaluation.
Looking at the Limit Break skill, Reid could roughly guess how Flay had passed the test. But since the words had already been spoken, declaring her unqualified now would definitely be inappropriate.
So Reid silently equipped the unconscious Flay with the Super-Soldier skill and the Enhanced Person (no side effects) skill that had dropped when Xia Yufang killed Shani Andras.
Super-Soldier enhanced the mind, while Enhanced Person strengthened the body. Combined, they should allow Flay to properly pilot the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ. Consider it a reward for her efforts during this period.
After enhancing Flay, Reid left her alone to continue resting.
Half an hour later, Reid announced from the Barge's command room that the fleet would set sail! Their destination: the Third Space Zone, PLANT's homeland!
(End of chapter)