Chapter 172 – The Two Reunite
"The tendrils of the Federation's will, huh!"
Daryl growled under his breath.
That was exactly the kind of thing Gato would say.
"Captain, have the Axis fleet change course immediately. I'll have our fleet hold off the Federation forces."
Daryl reacted at once, speaking to the captain of the Gwaban-class ship.
This captain had just agreed to take in the remnants of the Delaz Fleet after the operation. Gato had long since foreseen the downfall of Delaz's forces, so he had already reached out to the Axis fleet in advance.
The Axis fleet had arrived in the Earth Sphere under the guise of neutrality to observe the fleet review, and it was one of the few guarantees they had to carry out Operation Stardust.
"In that case, we'll be counting on you."
The captain nodded, no longer paying Char any mind.
As long as the White Base could definitively confirm the ships belonged to Axis, there was still room for maneuver. If they were accused of being other Zeon remnants, they could just deny it.
And so, the Axis fleet had already begun an emergency course correction.
"Well, Colonel, what do you say? Want to join us—fight for Zeon together!"
After discussing their next steps, Daryl extended an invitation to Char.
"Lady Lalah, I'll have my subordinates bring her aboard and settle her in. In the meantime, Colonel, you can protect her—and protect Operation Stardust. That sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"
Facing the impassioned Daryl, whose every third sentence was about Zeon, Char remained silent for a moment before nodding.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had to protect the Delaz Fleet right now.
Otherwise, everything he had planned would collapse into nothing.
When Char left Axis this time, he brought nothing but personal belongings.
After entrusting Lalah to Karius, he boarded a Gundam unit from the Delaz Fleet.
To be honest, his condition was far from ideal.
Aside from having a full tank of propellant, nothing else was in good shape.
If he were only facing ordinary enemies, he'd think this was enough.
But whenever he closed his eyes, an intensely unpleasant presence pressed against his consciousness.
That haunting presence…
Char seemed to forget who had been chasing whom during the One Year War.
"...This feeling?"
Amuro, piloting a standard armor G-line with added shoulder-mounted Gatling shatter cannons, suddenly frowned.
He fired his rocket launcher, taking down a Rick Dom II, and then the shoulder Gatlings began to spin, tearing another Zaku to the point it could no longer move.
Amuro's loadout was simple: a rocket launcher, beam rifle, and shield.
The shoulder-mounted Gatlings were experimental equipment. Truth be told, Amuro didn't really want to use them.
To support the added weight, his backpack had been enlarged to add more thrusters and an auxiliary fuel tank.
This made the suit feel heavy and cumbersome.
He'd thought this was just a reconnaissance mission, so he'd gone out with a loadout he wasn't particularly comfortable with.
But the unease in his heart… felt strange.
It was like encountering a long-lost acquaintance—familiar in a comforting way, yet he couldn't put a name to it.
Amuro furrowed his brow—that was the extent of his reaction.
He was used to this sort of thing by now.
The more mature Amuro wouldn't let a feeling like this interfere with battle.
"All units, fall back to defensive positions. Something's off."
As MS unit commander, Amuro gave the order.
Bright wasn't sure what was going on, but trusting Amuro as always, he immediately had the White Base coordinate with the MS units to form a defensive posture.
This time, the White Base had been spotted too early, so they hadn't been able to clearly identify the retreating ship.
Bright had intended to rely on Amuro's presence to break through the Zeon remnants in one go.
Vmm!
But a beam shot past the bridge, reflected in Bright's eyes.
"An MA? Ready the main cannons—fire a full volley as soon as they're charged!"
As he looked toward the origin of the beam, the system marked the unit's silhouette as "Unknown."
"Amuro, it's all yours."
Bright stayed calm, deploying Amuro to intercept while also ordering two GM Customs back to the hangar for emergency re-equipment.
They were to be outfitted with the "Electromagnetic Needle Launcher," the same gear that had proven so effective in Elai's hands and had now been officially named.
Amuro's G-line surged forward, heading straight for the MA.
On the way, he casually drew his beam rifle with his left hand and picked off a few MS units attempting to charge the White Base, before turning his full attention to the MA.
Or rather—the thing that truly caught Amuro's attention was the Gundam unit flying alongside the MA.
That familiar feeling was coming from there.
"Char, huh."
Amuro closed his eyes briefly and let his mouth speak the first name that came to mind from that sensation.
So that's what it was. No wonder it felt familiar.
For a long time, Amuro had considered this man his rival.
Back in the One Year War, during their final battle, he had once shared a moment of mental resonance with Char and Lalah, who had been piloting the Zeong.
Char's hatred of the Zabi family, his adherence to the ideals of Zeon and Zeon Deikun, and his hope for Newtypes—those beliefs were real.
At the same time, Amuro had been able to understand the man's love for Lalah, so much so that he'd been willing to abandon those ideals just to disappear with her.
For that reason, Amuro had once believed Char had vanished for good, perhaps gone to live in seclusion on some remote colony.
Even though he had chased him for a while after that, Amuro didn't hate him anymore. He no longer saw him as a rival and had never actively sought him out.
But now, seeing him again—Char was piloting a mobile suit.
"Char, you disgraceful bastard. So you really did join the Zeon remnants!"
The words echoed in Char's mind, making him frown.
"...This feeling... Amuro?"
Vmm!
The moment that realization hit, a beam shot toward him!
Char reflexively yanked the control stick to reduce speed and evade.
But Louie Jell interposed herself in front of Char's Gundam. The beam seemed to strike an invisible sphere, outlining its shape without doing any real damage.
"Let's fight side by side again, Colonel!"
Again?
Char was grateful for her help, but those words sent a chill down his spine.
There was no mistaking it—the feeling this woman gave off…
Was like something heavier than gravity pulling at him.
In that sense, Daryl's former comrades probably understood best.
The Daryl who once seemed like a walking corpse had now practically become a second Gato.
And yet, his eyes remained as hollow as ever.
That's why Karius had handed him the mask Gato had left behind—because he was now like a ghost of Gato.
Even Daryl, who had never cared much for Gato's theories, had turned out this way.
Even Karius couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
But right now, the Delaz Fleet needed a Gato.
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