Graham floated through the corridors, making his way toward the Nahel Argama's hangar.
Even though he had spent time on the space stations atop the orbital elevators, the sensation of drifting through this particular ship felt strangely novel.
"This is..."
His eyes widened as he looked at his custom Flag. While the general silhouette remained similar to its previous form, many of the details had been drastically overhauled.
"Your machine, the Flag. I've reinforced the structural integrity and added a few modifications," Roz said.
Having just tightened the final screw, Roz tucked his wrench into his pocket and skillfully drifted from the Flag's maintenance rack toward Graham. "Since you've made it clear that you want to participate in the upcoming battle on our side—out of your own free will—I won't stop you. You aren't officially a member of our crew yet, so I can't build or assign you a dedicated MS, but we've made some significant improvements to your personal unit."
"It doesn't matter, as long as it remains a Flag..." Graham shook his head, carefully studying the machine's new form. "The future is uncertain, but piloting a Flag to defeat Gundams—or those who manipulate the world—is the oath I live by now."
"What else did you change about the Flag?"
"I removed the missile pods from the legs and replaced them with battery storage frames. I've added similar frames elsewhere on the chassis, too."
Roz pointed to the rectangular battery packs protruding slightly from the Flag's back. "I've added several components to the Pseudo-Drive, increasing the conversion rate of electricity into GN particles. These batteries will boost your output and endurance. Once a battery is drained, it ejects automatically, reducing weight and increasing mobility."
"The reinforced Pseudo-Drive won't explode anymore. The particles are now compressed into an orange hue. While the toxicity has been significantly reduced, it's still there."
"But the main feature," Roz continued, "is the OverBooster (OB) capability provided by these single-use components. It allows you to momentarily overload the Pseudo-Drive's GN converter, creating an massive burst of particles for extreme acceleration."
Roz patted Graham on the shoulder. "Time didn't permit me to manufacture a TD Blanket like the ones in Celestial Being's True Drives, but these temporary components can produce a brief, one-time burst of green particles during OB mode. Since I don't have a Gundam for you to pilot yet, consider this 'Enhanced Mode' a substitute."
"OverBooster... so this is the power of the new Flag?"
Looking at the machine, which now exuded a completely different aura, Graham grinned. "And what about the armaments...?"
"I've updated your hardpoints. You can now use our Jegan Beam Spray Gun and a Folding Anti-Ship Sword."
Roz pointed to the two weapons laid out beside the Flag. "Since we know the enemy is using GN-type machines, the most effective way to breach a GN Field is with a physical blade."
In truth, it wasn't that Roz didn't want to add more gear; it was simply that the Flag's frame had reached its absolute limit.
This high-mobility modification was the peak of what the chassis could handle. Adding any more weight would compromise the machine's performance, resulting in diminishing returns.
Moreover, for a man like Graham, he spent most of his time in a state of high-speed lunges, closing the distance to engage in frantic melee combat.
Just then, Shinn, clad in his pilot suit, floated out from the Destiny's cockpit. Seeing Roz nearby, he flipped his body over and used the thruster pack on his suit for a brief burst, propelling himself directly toward Roz.
"Big Brother Roz..."
Shinn spoke with a rare, hesitant stutter. "About the upcoming battle... I have an idea..."
"If you've got an idea, spit it out. I'm not going to cover your mouth and stop you from talking."
Seeing the uncharacteristically bashful Shinn, Roz—who had only just snapped out of his "Greenskin Tinkering" trance and hadn't fully shifted gears yet—waved him off.
"Yes! Regarding the next battle, I hope to sortie in the Destiny."
Shinn nodded, finally voicing his thoughts. "The Banshee's performance is incredible, but there are still gaps in my synchronization with the machine. In a battle this critical, I believe it's safer to pilot the Destiny, which I am far more familiar with."
"For something like that, you can just talk to Murrue and Natarle directly."
Not expecting Shinn to be agonizing over such a simple matter, Roz could only shake his head helplessly. "I gave the machine to you, so she's yours. As for how you arrange things—as long as the machine doesn't end up in enemy hands—you just need to report your choice to Murrue or Natarle."
With that, Roz patted Shinn on the shoulder.
"Shinn, we've watched you grow. We trust that you won't betray your comrades, and you won't let your machine down."
"Sir!"
Shinn snapped a crisp, serious salute.
Regardless of whether a machine possessed a "soul" as Roz suggested, Shinn—who had developed his own deep understanding of what it meant to pilot a Gundam—knew he would never do anything to betray that trust.
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"I see. The Raven's ship has rendezvoused with the target vessel..."
Looking at the report in his hand, Sergei Smirnov couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
The subjects of his investigation had all fallen during the suppression battle, and the sole remaining target had vanished without a trace.
Even Graham, who had been investigating alongside him, was now marked as MIA by the UNION.
Now, the two most troublesome entities in the theater had joined forces and hadn't immediately started shooting at each other—clearly indicating a defensive alliance.
"Regardless, with fifty-nine GN-X units and the MA known as the Alvatore, we have to clash with them at least once. Who's to say we won't achieve results?"
With that, Sergei switched off the tablet in his hand.
"Has the vanguard squad reached their designated coordinates?"
This time, they were still relying on their old methods: scattering micro-communication relay stations to lock onto a specific sector based on the signature characteristics of GN particles.
"Reporting, Lieutenant Colonel! The vanguard squad, totaling nine GN-X units, has arrived at the target coordinates. They are ready to launch the first wave of attacks on the target vessel's sector at any moment!"
"Good. Have the vanguard initiate the attack and try to drive them toward us. Once they engage, all other GN-X units are to launch their assault as well!"
Sergei paused to deliberate before making his final decision. "Additionally, detach ten GN-X units to serve as an escort for that Alvatore MA."
Following Sergei's orders, a swarm of GN-X units poured out of the military base at the orbital elevator—acting as a relay hub—and streaked toward their target: the Ptolemaios.
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"Busy, busy! I'm going to work myself to death!"
On the Ptolemaios, even though the four Gundam Meisters were all present and their combat power was at its peak, Ian Vashti—the man responsible for mechanical maintenance—was letting out a series of wails.
There was no other reason than the sheer weight of the task. Currently, he was not only responsible for docking the enhancement equipment for the Virtue, Dynames, and Kyrios, but he also had to adapt the Exia to a specialized external mount that effectively transformed the MS into an MA.
With the battle drawing closer by the second and so many machines still not fully calibrated, Ian was becoming instinctively anxious.
Meanwhile, the Gundam Meisters were in the briefing room, reviewing various intelligence reports.
"This capability called Trans-Am rapidly consumes stored GN particles to boost the machine's performance to three times its normal output. However, once it ends, the machine enters a weakened state for a period of time."
Sumeragi Lee Noriega sighed as she looked at the Solar Furnace data displayed on the floor. She opened another screen on the wall. "Especially when facing a total of fifty-nine MS from the Joint Alliance—all using the same type of Pseudo-Drives as the Trinity siblings—the timing for using Trans-Am must be chosen with extreme caution."
"Still, I didn't expect the three major powers to roll out so many units so quickly. Fifty machines in the first batch alone..."
Looking at the enemy numbers in the report, even Lockon Stratos couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise.
"According to my calculations regarding the three powers, they will continue to mass-produce and equip the GN-X on a grand scale until they simply drown us in numbers..."
At this point, Tieria Erde could only let out a heavy sigh.
But before the discussion could continue:
Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep!
A sharp, urgent alarm echoed through the briefing room.
"Miss Sumeragi! Enemy units detected! It's the GN-X! Count: nine!"
Christina Sierra's voice came through the comms, sounding hurried. "The targets are very close to us!"
"...Understood. Gundam Meisters, sortie immediately!"
Upon hearing the report, Sumeragi made her decision instantly.
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Meanwhile, inside the space station terminal, the freight orbital elevator delivered a long-awaited guest.
It was a machine clearly designed for long-range bombardment, housed within a colossal "shipping container."
Seated in the cockpit, Johann Trinity was intently studying the bounty order sent by Alejandro, specifically the photograph of "Four-Eyes" that had been attached to it.
Evidently, his target was the very man Alejandro had identified. If the intelligence was correct, Four-Eyes was currently located within a small residential sector of the Corner family's private space station.
As their new benefactor, Alejandro's payment had been prompt and his terms relatively loose. For this mission, he had gone as far as telling Johann that "destroying a portion of the residential sector to ensure the target's elimination is acceptable."
To that end, Johann intended to simply blow the target's living quarters apart. No matter how lucky this man might be, he couldn't survive being exposed to the vacuum of space in his bare skin.
Watching his cockpit display as the Joint Alliance forces began their coordinated move, Johann ignited the engines of Throne Eins. He breached the container housing and streaked toward the target space station.
....................