setting up the main conflicts and A cool, sterile quiet filled the office. A Commander, a man of refined taste judging by the exquisite suit he wore, was buried under a mountain of paperwork. The only sound was the rhythmic scratch of his pen against the crisp white pages. The quiet, however, was a luxury that was not meant to last.
The door burst open, and a junior officer stumbled in, his face pale with urgency. "Sir! All of our bases on Earth have been attacked!" he gasped, barely catching his breath.
Solomon's pen froze mid-stroke. His calm demeanor was instantly replaced by a sharp alertness. "Is it Zeon?" he demanded, his voice dangerously low.
"Yes, sir! We've received reports of Zakus attacking every base. Earth forces requested backup, but they're being pushed back hard," the officer said, his report interrupted as a second person rushed into the room.
"Sir, we have reports of a large fleet headed straight for Side 3!" the new arrival announced.
Solomon's mind raced, processing the converging threats. "Send reinforcements to Earth immediately. How many ships are combat-ready?"
"We have nearly 1,000 combat-ready ships, sir," the first officer replied.
"Send them to Side 3," Solomon commanded, his voice now a steely edge of authority. "Declare DEFCON 1. I want every troop combat-effective, now!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" they chorused, saluting before rushing out of the office to relay the orders.
Solomon leaned back in his chair, a silent curse on his lips. This wasn't supposed to happen. Zeon wasn't supposed to make a move this bold... unless me being here changed things. No matter. I will win, no matter what Zeon throws at me.
A soft voice broke his train of thought. "Honey?" A woman with a warm, gentle smile entered the room. "You look stressed. Tell me about it so I can make it disappear."
He turned to her, a genuine smile replacing the grim line of his mouth. "Love, just you being here has already gotten rid of it."
"The girls are ready. Just say the word," she said, her expression serious.
"I want you and the girls to join the fleet headed to Side 3," he said, the request a stark contrast to his earlier flirtatious tone. "Crash the Zeon fleet."
She didn't hesitate. "Of course, honey. I'll be off now." She gave him a quick, affectionate kiss before turning and leaving.
He sighed, the weight of the situation settling back onto his shoulders. "This will be hard."
As if in response, a system window shimmered into existence before him.
[ Eliminate Neo Zeon ]
0%/100%
Rewards: Seed Mobile Suits
On Earth
Meanwhile, a different kind of progress was being made.
A crackle of static filled the command room before a voice came through the radio. "Sir! We've captured Alaska and are now continuing to take North America."
"Continue, soldier," a woman's voice replied, her tone calm and assured before she ended the transmission.
She turned to one of the radio operators. "What's the status of the Zeon remnants?"
"The Zeon remnant at South America has successfully destroyed multiple Federation outposts and bases," the operator reported.
"How's the attack force on Jaburo?" she asked.
"Successful, ma'am. They have destroyed Jaburo and captured Federation intelligence," the operator confirmed.
"Good. Tell Cyclops Team to begin Phase 2," she said, a slow grin spreading across her face.
"Yes, ma'am." The operator contacted the team.
"This is Cyclops Unit 2," a girl's voice responded over the comms.
"Cyclops Unit 2, tell the rest of the Cyclops Division to begin Phase 2. Over."
"Orders received," she said, her voice turning off the connection.
Back in Space Inside a captured Pegasus-class ship, Vertin stood before a large monitor. "Is it ready?" she asked.
"Of course, Commander," a proud scientist said. "The colony laser is ready. We have five shots before needing to recharge."
"Good work," Vertin said, her eyes scanning through channels until she stopped on one showing the face of a man. The infamous Delaz.
"Now then," she began, her voice a low rumble.
"I want the 57th Neo Delaz F Division to head to Solomon and the 59th Neo Delaz H Division to Side 1. I want the Gundam Mk II in our hands. Tell the damned Feds to begin their theft of the Gundam Mk II."
Delaz gave a single nod, and the connection was cut. Vertin switched to a new channel. Two more people appeared on the screen.
"Now then," Vertin said, a radiant, almost predatory smile on her face. "Let's begin negotiations, Mars Zeon and ReZeon."
Location: side 1 titan base
"So, you want the Titans to side with Zeon?" The officer voice was low, a rumbling growl that usually got compliance.
The spy a man with cold, calculating eyes allowed a thin, unsettling smile to touch his lips. "Side is a strong word, Captain. Let's call it a symbiotic cooperation. Think of the benefits. We offer a surge in off-the-books funding, unrestricted access to next-generation mobile suit technology, and political cover. You need that for your mobile suit projects, don't you? This cooperation gives both our groups what we truly desire."
The officer hand rested near the grip of the laser pistol holstered to his hip. "Give me one good reason not to have my security detail space you right now," he said, his gaze as hard.
The spy didn't flinch. He reached into his coat and tapped a sleek data pad without taking his eyes off the Captain. "That would be a monumental error, Captain," he said, the smile finally vanishing. "Because we have a full-spectrum, high-definition video log, along with signed deployment orders, detailing your unit's involvement in the G3 gas attack on the 30th Colony of Side 1."
The officer's face went from stone to a mask of white-hot fury. The classified word hung in the air—G3, the forbidden nerve agent used to crush dissent and exterminate population blocks.
"You dare!" the officer roared, his hand slamming down on the steel desk with such force the meager stack of reports jumped. The metallic clang echoed through the room.
The spy simply shrugged, the picture of composure. "We are offering an alternative. A lucrative, mutually beneficial arrangement. Comply, and we purely by accident, of course will have a catastrophic hard drive failure. All video evidence of the Titans' gassing of the 30th Colony will be erased. Poof. Gone."
The sheer audacity of the threat, coupled with the political disaster it averted, forced a knot of reluctant consideration into Vance's gut. The destruction of the Titans was not worth the satisfaction of killing this worm.
"Fine," the officer ground out, leaning back and running a hand over his close-cropped hair. "Tell your commander that we will proceed with your…arrangement." Merrick rose, a triumphant gleam in his eye. He was already halfway to the door when he turned back and dropped the final, cruel demand.
"One more thing, Captain. We want the Gundam Mk-II."
The officer shot out of his chair. "WHAT!?"
"The Gundam Mk-II," the spy repeated, calmly. "A small Zeon task force is inbound. A transport will be docking soon. We want the Mk-II prepped and waiting in the main hangar docks, ready for immediate transfer."
The officer teeth were gritted so tightly his jaw ached. "Why in the hell would we give our most advanced prototype to you?"
The spy only smiled that cold, awful smile again. "Just remember, Captain. It would be a catastrophic shame if the independent press were to suddenly uncover the truth about the Titans gassing the 30th Colony."
With that, the spy turned and slipped out of the office, the door hissing shut behind him. The officer stood alone, his fists clenched, the power of his entire paramilitary organization checked by one small, hidden data pad.
In the dimly lit corridor, Merrick raised a secure comm unit to his ear. "Gundam Mk-II confirmed for transport," he whispered into the device.
"Copy that. We are arriving at the coordinates for Side 1 now. See you in the docks," a crackling voice replied from the other end.
"Copy," the spy affirmed, cutting the channel. The hardest part of the mission was complete.