Relevant Notes Will Be At The End Of The Chapter
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Over a month has passed since the First Contact War between began.
Despite initial successes, the 314 Expedition were starting to suffer mounting losses. Their offensive momentum was burning out, the strategic initiative slipping from their grasp.
In the Citadel, schemes and sabotage play out behind the scenes. Factions for and against the expedition wage a silent war against each other, distrust and suspicion reigned supreme.
Meanwhile, the most powerful fleet humanity has ever seen gathers just beyond Shanxi's borders, making ready to take the fight back against their alien enemies.
The year is UC 0379.
The course fate of the galaxy is being written on the world called Shanxi.
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Mobile Suit/Mass Effect
Episode 19:
Rebirth
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The sound of a heartbeat monitor echoed across the stark metal room aboard the Salvatem, a hospital ship attached to the 314 Expedition's 6th Force. Despite being bare and small from the perspective of the other races, this particular room was actually considered luxurious by Turian Navy standards. It was a single-bed room, not quite large but comfortable enough for a patient and their visitors. These rooms were reserved for higher ranking officers, while junior officers had to share double-bed rooms and the rank and file got large communal rooms.
Sitting beside the medical bed was a Turian Navy officer, the bars and chevrons on his collar denoting he was a Commodore. His posture was relaxed, though he was leaning forward in his seat.
"Just three of them?" Magarius asked, his browplates furrowing. "You're sure about this?"
The wounded Lieutenant Kuril laid in his medical bed, which was one of the fancier models which had been shaped to accommodate the Turian form and had slightly thicker adding than the ones junior officers and the rank and file got.
"There could've been more..." The Lieutenant said, his voice pained and his breathing slightly labored. "But we only confirmed three of them."
He tried to right himself to a sitting position, but Magarius gently pushed him down.
"Easy, sailor." The Commodore warned. "You're in no condition to be sitting."
Kuril struggled a bit, but after his injuries flared up again he relented.
"Damnit." The injured Lieutenant muttered. "Spirits, I feel so useless... Couldn't save my friend, couldn't die with honor... What a joke I turned out to be."
"Hey, don't think that way." Magarius was quick to say, trying to cheer up the Lieutenant. "The situation was out of control. Even if Avitus did listen, there was not guarantee the enemy machines wouldn't have targeted the Tarsus anyways. Moreover, your survival means we have first hand intel on how the enemy machines work. We'll be better prepared to face them once they do reappear. We can save more lives because you survived."
Kuril seemed unconvinced - and if Magarius was to be honest, he wasn't either.
Regardless of all this, the Commodore had a lot to digest about the situation. In but a few short minutes, those three machines were able to gore a Turian Navy Battlegroup. The whole situation was ridiculous, and yet Magarius found himself convinced by Kuril's testimony.
Magarius had seen something like this happen before. A much smaller force savaging the superior Turians before scampering away... A lot of talented Turians losing their lives... Him being helpless while all of this played out on his doorstep...
This was like first contact all over again.
The Commodore shook off those thoughts for now. He would deal with it later. For now, he needed to learn everything he could from Kuril.
"You said earlier that E-War picked up a spike in enemy transmissions when those three machines appeared." He asked the Lieutenant. "I know you said the Intel Officers weren't able to figure it out what that chatter was about, but do you think it's connected?"
Kuril closed his eyes as he recalled the disastrous events of a few days ago. His browplates scrunched together as he thought long and hard about his answer.
"I think..." The Lieutenant started. "I think it's possible. They might've been referring to those machines by name."
"Were they?" Magarius leaned forward in his seat. "What did the Humans call them?"
"Those Humans... they called those machines... Gundam."
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The smell of earth and trees filled my nose as I woke up from my uncomfortable rest. Orange rays of light had started to peek through the forest canopy we slept under, a sign that the sun had began to rise. Looking around the camp, I saw that Rosen was still curled up in her corner of the camp, while Verns was nowhere to be seen.
Just like the past two mornings then.
It's been a few days since we've been separated from Risima and the rest of the squadron. While trying to grab onto each other in the storm, we were thrown off course, flying further north than we should've. The consequence was that while the rest of Squadron 13 sailed to the south of the Deguan mainland, we crash landed to the north-west. I could only hope that Bullow and the rest made it out in one piece, but until we can regroup we're pretty much on our own.
As it turns out, Verns was something of an outdoorsman. Growing up in Port Tsingtao and taking frequent summer camping trips to the Deguan mountain range tended to do that to a person, it would seem. This was very good, since at least one of us knew the lay of the land.
I got up and stretched. The Space Force had been cheaping out on the survival bedrolls, sleeping on them was uncomfortable enough that I couldn't get a proper sleep, but not enough that I couldn't sleep at all. My back was sore, as were my shoulders, and I let out an involuntary grunt as I went about my stretches.
This was around the time Verns returned, carrying with him some... rabbit looking creature. It was dead, of course. An entry wound was visible right in the side of its head.
"Just finished stretching?" He deadpanned. "I can hear you a mile away."
"Har har." I shot back, not really having anything else to say as a retort. "You get that thing skinned and cleaned up. I'll start the fire and wake Rosen up."
I went about our morning labors on that exact order, getting a cooking fire started first. Once it had gotten big enough that I was confident it wouldn't suddenly die out, I headed over to the young pilot and knelt down beside her.
"Rosen, wake up." I gently shook her shoulder. "Daylight's out."
"Mhhh... a few more minutes..." She groaned in response.
I sighed at her antics. Being an only child, I never really had to deal with anything like this. Quietly, I wondered if Verns would've been better at wrangling Rosen. Surely, being one of eight siblings would naturally teach someone child wrangling skills, right?
At any rate, judging by the shade of sunlight peeking through the trees, it was probably getting close to 7 AM.
"Come on Rosen, we have a schedule to keep."
"Rrrh... alright..." The young pilot finally relented, ungracefully getting up to a seated position. Her hair was a mess, half of it stuck standing up straight since she'd slept on her side.
Satisfied with my work, I went back to Verns to help him cook.
Breakfast went... quietly. Quietness was unusual coming from the normally energetic Rosen, who'd normally be engaging in some kind of conversation whenever she visited Risima's mess hall. Whether it was to pester the engineers about how they maintain the Squadron's Gunstrikes, or the armorers and what kind of weapon's they worked on. Seeing Rosen look so... sullen just felt wrong.
Taking a glance at Verns, I could tell that even he was starting to feel bothered by the silence. I tried to signal to him to try and broach the subject - Rosen was still his subordinate, technically speaking. Despite this, he still wouldn't make the first move.
Fine then, I guess I'll just have to do it myself.
"Rosen." I called out to her, which for the moment pulled her out of her stupor.
"Huh, yeah?" She stammered out. "Is anything wrong?"
"Are... you alright?" I asked her. "You've been pretty... uh... down, these past few days."
The young pilot blinked twice as she processed what I said, before looking down at her food again as she nodded.
"Heh... I guess I have, huh?" She said, tapping on the survival cutlery she was using to eat.
"Is anything the matter?" Verns now asked, finally brave enough to chime in.
"You know you can talk to us, right?" I added.
Rosen nodded along, though I could tell the shadow burdening her thoughts was still heavy.
"Yeah... It's just..." She trailed off.
Verns and I patiently waited for the young pilot to gather her thoughts. It wouldn't be until a minute or two until she finally broke her silence.
"W-when Atlas Point self destructed... and all the soldiers still there holding back the enemy from chasing us... di... sacrificed themselves..." Rosen started. "I-it reminded me of... m-my mother."
"Y-your... mother?" Verns said, somewhat taken aback.
"Y-yeah." She sighed, her face becoming even more sullen. "I mentioned this to Lieutenant Kreusgluck a while back... but Mom was a pilot too."
Was a pilot... implying something happened to Rosen's mother. What that was, I could already guess, though I prayed that I was wrong. I glanced again at Verns, and I could tell from the slight discomfort in his features that he and I were on the same book.
"She was... she..." The young pilot's voice cracked. "S-she was on the rearguard, fighting to hold back the enemy from intercepting Father Oswin while he was being evacuated from the Yunnan Sphere a few years ago."
Wait a minute... an engagement in the Yunnan Sphere... the recollection Rosen was telling us... why did it sound so familiar?
"Mom was a great pilot, one of the best out there... but there too many enemies, and only one of her..." Rosen continued, tears now starting to fall. "Even in her Hroeger, she couldn't fight them all off."
I brought up a hand to suppress a gasp, even as I physically recoiled in my seat.
It all came together now, with perfect clarity.
That raid against a Golden Beacon supply cache in the Yunnan Sphere... no wonder there had been so much more forces than reports suggested... Oswin had been there himself!
But even more grave was another grim realization.
That Hroeger I encountered in that operation, the one I had foolishly charged at and very nearly died to... The one that had to be swarmed by three teams of ace pilots before it could be destroyed...
That was Rosen's mother.
And I had a hand in her death.
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The dull humming of the hovervan's grav sled sounded all around the passenger compartment. A half dozen Turians, each wearing civilian clothes over the light combat armor they were issued. The light armor might have seemed insufficient to protect the ISB Enforcement Agents wearing it, but one must always remember that each ISB Enforcer is equipped with top of the line personal shields. The armor was merely the last line of defense for when things went awry.
In the midst of it all was none other than Castis Vakarian, personally overseeing a field operation for the first time in almost 12 years.
"Are you all ready?" Castis asked.
The grunts from all the ISB Enforcers sounded in the affirmative.
"Good." He continued. "Remember, I want the ringleaders alive. Everyone else is fair game."
Not long after, the hovervan came to a gentle stop, settling down on the sidewalk by an industrial warehouse near the docks. The hovervan's sliding doors opened on both sides, and the ISB Enforcers filed out in rapid, practiced fashion. Castis followed behind at a leisurely pace, completely at odds with his subordinates who were rushing into position and putting on their tactical gas masks.
Stepping out, Castis looked around taking in the sights of the metropolitan heart of the Citadel Coalition... the Citadel itself.
From either side of the ISB Chief, more Enforcers streamed in, stacking up and getting ready to breach the warehouse. All the while, plainclothes C-Sec officers took up positions and began to cordon the area.
"Ready to go on your orders." Agent Laiel, one of the Chief's trusted investigators, told him.
"Then begin the operation." Castis simply told her.
With a silent nod, Laiel disengaged the safety on her rifle and put on her gas mask. She took up her own position on the rear of the formation, weapon shouldered and ready for action. She tapped the shoulder of the Enforcer who was in front of her, who then did the same to the one in front of him, who continued the chain until reaching the ISB Enforcer stacked up directly on the door. He quickly opened the door, after which the agent standing across from him tossed a gas grenade inside. With the telltale hiss, the gas kicked into action, rapidly spreading across the warehouse lobby. Quickly, the ISB Enforcers rushed in with a cacophony of footsteps, rustling clothes, and clattering equipment.
Castis observed from outside the warehouse, flanked on either side by Agents Barbus and Gren, both of which were also wearing covert gear. He listened in carefully, the heavy thudding of footsteps growing fainter as the Enforcers marched deeper into the warehouse. On occasion, the ISB Chief would hear the muffled yells of the ISB Enforcers as they ordered a suspect to stand down. So far, the assault on the first floor was going off smoothly, without a single shot being fired.
That all changed come the second floor.
Gunshots rang out as the ISB Enforcer team approached the stairwell leading to the second floor. Castis flinched ever so slightly when he heard the telltale rapport of exchanging fire within the warehouse. To the Enforcer team's credit, Castis didn't hear them panic. Indeed, while the Enforcers were yelling they only did so to be heard over the drowning sounds of gunfire. Otherwise, they appeared to be calm and in control of the situation.
The firefight ended up being as short as it was intense. Not a few minutes after the first gunshots rang out, the warehouse fell silent.
There was no doubt in the ISB Chief's mind as to which party came out on top, but Agent Laiel's mechanically filtered voice speaking through Castis' omnitool was welcome regardless.
"Chief, warehouse is secure." She reported.
"Good work." He simply answered.
With that, the ISB Chief made his way into the warehouse with Gren and Barbus in tow. Stepping through the door and into the cargo holding sections, he saw a few of the Enforcers were watching over a few suspects that were detained. Most of them were Turians, but Castis also saw a few Salarians and Asari as well. Looking over some of the shipping crates, the Chief noted a few of them still had the Turian military's markings on it, while the rest were already removed or hastily blotted out.
However, none of these could ever compare to the real bounty in room.
In the center of the warehouse were rows of large object, covered up by cloth and tied down to a massive metal pallet each. It's silhouette was unmistakable to anyone who's seen the thing in full.
"Secure those, and take note of their shipment and serial numbers. I want to know which shipments these were stolen from." Castis gave the order.
He didn't even bother to give the stolen machines a look for himself, he had more pressing matters to attend to after all, something even more important. The ISB Chief marched on by as a few of his subordinates began releasing the pallet straps and pulling down the cloth covers. Beneath it, were factory new Arma Gigas units, stolen during shipment from a subcontractor which had been chosen to help shore up MoWS production numbers. This was the 6th batch to be stolen since the war started, almost an entire company's worth of bipeds.
Next, Castis marched up the stairwell leading to the warehouse's second floor, where all the rest of the ISB Enforcers were waiting. Several of them stood at attention in the various catwalks, gantry platforms, and balconies overlooking the main chamber. Here and there were subdued suspects... as well as a few dead ones.
Seeing as Castis couldn't recognize any of the bodies, he's still safe in the assumption that Laiel had managed to apprehend the ringleader without killing him. His assumption proved to be correct when he entered the warehouse's main office, seeing the room stacked with ISB Enforcers. A few suspects were handcuffed to a pipe by the left side wall, while those who had been injured were laid down on the floor while medics tended to them. The dead were politely laid out to the far right of the room, away from everyone else.
None of them mattered so much as the sole Turian handcuffed to an office chair in the middle of the room. Laiel and a few other ISB Enforcers surrounded him, making sure he didn't do anything funny. Looking over the suspect, he was roughed up pretty bad. A few of his fringes were snapped, and a streak of blue smudging stained the left sleeve of the suspect's yellow dress shirt. A white bandage and a patch of medigel wrapped around the left shoulder, no doubt the spot where he had been shot. Besides that, and the fact that his head was hanging since he was unconscious... the ringleader appeared to be in adequate condition.
"Alive, just like you ordered, Sir." Laiel gave an awkward smile.
Having looked over the ringleader in front of him, Castis had to agree.
"I suppose he is." The ISB Chief grimly mused. "Wake him up."
Laiel nodded, before holding her rifle by the receiver and slamming the butt into the suspect's stomach.
The ringleader awoke with a cry of pain, but before he could say anything, Laiel stepped back and let Castis take the lead.
Grabbing the suspect's face by the jaw, Castis tilted the bound Turian's head up so that he could see who exactly he was talking to.
"Good evening. It's been a while since we last talked..." Castis said, his voice grim with a hint of venom on it.
The ringleader's eyes went wide with panic as his grogginess faded away and he realized who he was talking to.
"Now then, you're going to tell me everything, and General Pullo won't be around to save your skin... I hope you understand that, Lieutenant Sionus."
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"Attention, Admiral on deck!" A Space Force Marine, one of said Admiral's bodyguards announced as the man in question set foot in Crocea Mors' bridge.
The bridge crew of the battleship that served as the center of gravity of the Arcturus Fleet stood up to greet the arriving guest. In front of the crew was the Arcturus Fleet's own flag officer stood at attention. Drescher had to set a good example after all. Even if she was well acquainted with their guest, as as her equal in rank, it was still good to give him a proper, formal greeting.
Drescher's guest walked up to her and saluted, the gesture then returned by her. They then shook hands while everyone else -be it the Mors' bridge crew or the escorts- remained at attention.
"Fleet Admiral Bardford, welcome aboard the Mors." Drescher delivered her formal greetings.
"Thank you for having me." Bardford replied, a ghost of a smile forming in his otherwise tired looking face.
The man that stood before Drescher was as close one could get to someone who was her complete opposite... at least in appearances.
Unlike Drescher -who's youthful and charming appearance wouldn't have looked out of place in a fashion show catwalk or in the big screen of a theater- Bardford's appearance appeared... unimpressive. With short black hair barely kept within grooming regulations and unimpressive features that made him blend in among a crowd, the Flag Officer of the Sol Fleet most definitely did not look like someone who was in charge of one of the most powerful fleets in the Congressional Space Forces. No, he looked like he'd be better suited as a middle manager salaryman in New Hong Kong or Tember City.
Drescher supposed that was one thing Bardford and her had in common - that they didn't look like they belonged in the Admiralty, despite being one of the best at their jobs.
Once the formalities were all settled, Drescher had her subordinates return to their duties while Bardford had his stand down. The two Admirals then approached the holographic projector in the middle of the CIC as they began conversing.
"Feels like it's been ages since we've met face to face." Bardford mused as he followed behind Drescher.
"Yes, if I'm remembering correctly, it was the Naval Review back in '72, was it?" She said. "Speaking of... how is the wife doing these days?"
"Angie's doing very well." Bardford beamed. "We're expecting our 5th child soon."
"5th already?" Drescher laughed. "You work fast, Bardford."
The Admiral of the Sol Fleet gave a shrug and a laugh.
"Well, you know how Angie is. She wants a big family, so she's getting a big family."
The two admirals shared a laugh, before they both somehow turned heel and wiped their smiles off their faces in an instant. Now, standing on either side of the projector with grim looks each, they went to work.
"What's the latest from Shanxi?" Bardford now asked. "Secretary Jobst already gave me the gist of it, but he told me to get the details from you."
"Tch, typical." Drescher spat. "I've sent some recon ships through the relay. They've gotten into contact with the Outer Sphere Fleet, but nothing from the Inner Sphere. Here's the gist of what they've found."
For the next half an hour, the Arcturus Fleet's Admiral gave a rundown of every bit of intel she had to her counterpart in the Sol Fleet. Known enemy convoy routes, allied fleet deployment zones, transcripts of the few correspondences between Drescher and Commodore Fall, the siege of Shanxi. Bardford absorbed all this knowledge and committed them to memory. Already, Drescher could tell that her friend was already formulating plans and strategies to dismantle the enemy's operation and send them home packing.
Eventually the subject of the... other Admiral that's reinforcing Shanxi came up.
"As you can see here, Cassafaronga Station reports that reinforcements from Valhalla are pulling back from their current missions and are regrouping for a major offensive." Drescher explained. "Lohengrinn's plan-"
"The Boy-Admiral?"
"Yes, the Boy-Admiral. Anyways, Lohengrinn's plan is to weaken the enemy forces operating in the Inner Sphere through a sustained convoy raiding campaign, before moving in and crushing them with a combined attack alongside the Shanxi Fleet."
Bardford scratched his chin as he contemplated the plan as it was relayed to him.
"It's ambitious, as expected of that man." He nodded. "But your scouts reported that the enemy's massing more ships by that... asteroid fortress of theirs, no?"
"That's correct." Drescher confirmed. "I'm... reasonably sure that Lohengrinn's already taken account for it, but the fact remains that if nothing's done, the Odin Fleet will be under attack on two fronts. I don't care how talented the Boy-Admiral is, he's not coming out of that encounter in good shape."
"Do we have any estimates on the enemy's fleet strength and composition?"
"Only vague ones." The Arcturus Admiral sighed. "Fleet Intelligence have identified 53 ships permanently stationed there. Two of them being of that one-kilometer long Dreadnought type. All their other ships seem to be on some kind of rotation. They come and go at irregular intervals, estimates place between sixty to a hundred more ships of varying types... mostly of cruiser tonnage. I wish we could do better than that, but FI still haven't fully figured out the enemy's marking patterns, so this is the best we've got."
"It's plenty good, Drescher." The Sol Admiral reassured his friend. "At any rate, we should move to support his operation."
"Support the Boy-Admiral?! Are you serious?"
"Unfortunately." Bardford now sighed. "I'm not a fan of his attitude either, but the fact remains that we can't afford to let his operation fail."
Drescher muttered some harsh words under her breath, but ultimately agreed with her friend.
"Then we're going to have to move the Sol and Arcturus Fleets through the relay." She began planning. "We shouldn't have any issues breaking the enemy forces blockading the Valhalla-Shanxi Relay, but I fear that the bulk of the enemy force around their asteroid base will have sortied the moment Admiral Lohengrinn begins his operation. Even if we synchronized our own offensive with Lohengrinn's, there's every chance the enemy will reach the Odin Fleet before we could break through the blockade. There's also the other possibility that they'd sortie to hold us in place instead."
"So it'll be us, or Lohengrinn."
"That's right." Drescher grimly nodded. "Well, maybe Cassafaronga Station as well, but my scouts say the enemy hasn't gotten a fix on its location."
"Once they sortie, how long do you think it would take for them to reach their chosen target?"
"At our most liberal estimates and given the current locations of stellar objects at this time of year... seven hours to reach us, half that to reach the Odin Fleet at Chenxing's Pass."
"Hmm..." Bardford started thinking again.
Drescher was right that even if the Combined Sol-Arcturus Fleet could dispatch the blockading force -which according to the most recent intel reports were quite significant- the enemy could have either attacked Lohengrinn's force from behind, or will have moved to intercept the Combined Fleet before it could reinforce the Odin Fleet. It was a difficult situation.
The two of them thought long and hard about the situation, formulating plans and contingencies, trying to find the optimal solution to the problem at hand. It took a while, but eventually Bardford came up with an idea.
"Even just one of our fleets should be enough to destroy the blockade force... or bar that, force them to withdraw." He pointed out.
"That's true," Drescher nodded. "But only using one of our fleets to break the blockade force would take more time, and significantly increases the risk of failure. There's a high chance the enemy's asteroid base fleet would've reached Lohengrinn by the time a breakthrough is achieved."
"Indeed, but what if the goal isn't to destroy the enemy?" Bardford continued his line of thought. "What if..."
He began to draw on the holographic map, lines leading from fleets to one another, charting which courses he thought the enemy would use, putting his thoughts into picture.
"One fleet initiates the attack and pins the enemy blockade force." Bardford explained. "The other will bypass the battle entirely and engages the fleet before it can reach Chenxing's Pass."
Bardford's counterpart looked over the plan that was presented to her. She carefully evaluated the feasibility of what the Sol Fleet's Admiral proposed, looked it over, considered all possible ways it could go wrong... and then gave her feedback to Bardford.
"The margin for error is going to be small, and a lot of things could go wrong if we don't time it right." She pointed out. "If the first fleet plays its cards wrong, there's a good possibility it takes heavy losses. If the intercepting fleet isn't fast enough, then enemy reinforcements will have hit the Odin Fleet first and then it'll have left the first fleet for nothing."
"That's all true... but if it does work, it'll turn this entire war to our favor." Bardford pointed out. "If you've got better ideas on how to break through the blockade and stop the enemy from attacking the Odin Fleet from behind, then I'm all ears."
The conversation paused once more as the gears in Drescher's mind once again went spinning. She tried to formulate safer plans that could potentially get the same results as Bardford's plan... but after a few minutes of silence...
"No, we're going with your plan." She said. "If anyone can pull it off, it's us."
Bardford let out a light chuckle.
"Now, now, I know we're good, but there's no need to be conceited." He joked, earning an annoyed look from Drescher.
"You don't get command of the Sol or Arcturus Fleets without being the best of the best." Drescher scoffed. "No point in pretending you're something you're not."
A raucous laugh left Bardford's mouth as he heard his friend's words.
"True enough, true enough." He shrugged. "Well, if that's all settled, I suggest you prepare your Flag Officers for that mad dash to intercept the enemy."
Drescher raised a brow at Bardford's statement.
"I'm surprised you'd want to deal with the blockade." She pointed out. "That kind of lightning quick assault fits your MO better."
At that, the Sol Fleet Admiral let a complicated expression form in his face. It looked like he wanted to say something, if only because it would've been nice to share, but held back for whatever reason. A typical sign that he had something up his sleeve that he wasn't ready... or wasn't able to show.
"I've got... special orders from Congress." Bardford said, cryptically. "Hands are tied, can't exactly move around like I normally do while the Sol Fleet is stuck lugging around that... uh... asset. It's the whole reason it took me so long to mobilize."
"Let me guess, Class 5 Confidentiality?"
"Even better. Presidential seal." Bardford stated matter-of-factly, his expression apologetic. "My lips are sealed until further notice."
With that, Drescher felt a bit more comfortable - though she wouldn't say she was entirely at ease. Bardford wasn't keeping her in the dark because he wanted to. Things were simply out of his control, and he was doing the best he could given the situation.
"Alright, Bardford." She sighed. "If that is all, let's get ready for our grand entrance."
A sly smile formed on her friend's face.
"Oh yes." Bardford said, a grin forming on his face. "It's high time we showed Lohengrinn what it means to be playing in the big leagues."
-000-
A/N: Aaaand we're back. Got transferred to a new position at work which involves a lot of sitting around and waiting for things to happen, so I've taken the initiative to redouble my writing efforts. Can't guarantee it'll always come fast like this, my work schedule is very flexible, but I try my best.
At any rate, new arc, new plot threads to follow up. How joyful. Revisited Castis and the ISB since they haven't showed up in a while. Also Drescher and Bardford planning is a neat way to slip in the strategic picture of the war... as well as setup some new toys to play with later down the line. What was Bardford being so cryptic about? I'll let you figure it out. First one to make a correct guess gets a character named after them.
Also finally treading lightly into Rosen's backstory. Feels like a long time coming, and I'm sure most of you who's well acquainted with the character she's referencing have a rough idea of what I may or may not do with her as a character. Who knows? I might throw in a fun twist or two.
Next chapter, we'll finally get to see the Specter Gundam cut loose. Kinda excited for this one, since I've actually been planning it since even before I even started working on the general plot outline. Hopefully I can put my ideas into words properly since I don't feel very satisfied with how the Reentry Battle and the Specter Gundam's reveal went.
Update Jan 5 2025: Fixed a minor continuity error which incorrectly listed how many siblings Verns had.
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THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND AO3