Chapter 174
Just as the battle erupted at the White Base, La Vie en Rose was thrown into chaos as well.
Almost simultaneously with the war breaking out between the White Base and Gato, Arcadia received a confirmation on his terminal—there had indeed been a betrayal.
Nick Orville was immediately arrested, but even so, someone had managed to sneak in.
That should have been impossible.
Yet the infiltrators had arrived on a supply transport from Anaheim, emerging from what should've been a container of daily necessities aboard the La Vie en Rose.
Only then did Arcadia understand what Eli had meant when he'd previously said that while Zeon sympathizers remained in Hachizhou, the problem specifically lay with those from "the corporation."
Because neither side was clean!
Remembering what Eli had said before leaving, Arcadia rushed toward the hangar where the GP02 was kept.
The intel Nick Orville had tried to leak was the exact location of this hangar.
Fortunately, he'd been intercepted by Arthur's man—Ivan Paserov, the tall and silent Slav who worked as Albion's helmsman.
When Orville tried to make his move, Ivan instantly brought him down with a judo throw, neutralizing him on the spot.
This startled Albion's radar operator Jacqueline Simone and Nina, who were nearby and thought a fight had broken out between the two men.
By the time Arcadia ran into the hangar, his attention was immediately drawn to the GP02.
RX-78 GP02A Gundam Prototype Unit 2 (Physalis)
Visually, this Gundam didn't quite follow the conventional Gundam aesthetic.
Both its face and armor design clearly bore the hallmarks of Zeon style.
From appearance alone, the suit resembled a heavy assault MS—a type Zeon excelled at building.
But in truth, this MS wasn't designed to fight other mobile suits with its beam rifle.
Mounted on its back was a massive cannon—armed with a nuclear warhead, the kind forbidden by the Antarctic Treaty.
Arcadia knew all of this, and understood exactly why Eli had even authorized him to destroy the suit if necessary.
With the fleet review just around the corner, this kind of weapon—capable of devastating an entire fleet—absolutely could not fall into the hands of Zeon remnants.
Thankfully, it looked like he had arrived first.
Clad in his pilot suit, Arcadia activated the lift and moved toward the GP02.
Both the GP02 and GP03 were stationed in this hangar.
The GP03 had already undergone a test run with Kou Uraki's assistance.
But just then—footsteps echoed behind him.
Arcadia's brow furrowed instantly as he lunged toward the control panel for the lift.
In the next moment, a spark flickered across the GP02's frontal armor!
Peeking out, Arcadia caught sight of a shadowy figure in the corridor.
He slipped a pistol from the side of his flight suit and cautiously reached for the control panel, trying to open the GP02's cockpit.
Bang!
The enemy had anticipated his move and fired at the control console, shutting it down.
"Captain!"
Just then, Kou Uraki's voice rang out from another direction.
He'd barely poked his head out from the corridor when a bullet whizzed toward him.
Arcadia immediately stood up and fired several suppressing rounds toward the corridor, retreating as he laid a hand on the GP02's exterior panel.
"Close your eyes!"
A young girl's voice suddenly shouted from within the hangar.
Rita!
Arcadia didn't dismiss her warning just because she was a child. He immediately shut his eyes and ducked down.
The next instant—even with his eyes closed and a hand shielding his face—he could still sense the burst of blinding light.
A flashbang.
Knowing the enemy would likely follow up with an assault, Arcadia quickly reloaded his gun and, relying on his memory, fired toward the corridor.
He actually heard a cry of pain from the other side.
Sounded like he'd scored a hit.
Without hesitation, Arcadia slapped the panel, opening the GP02's cockpit, then pushed off hard with both legs and launched himself inside!
"Ugh!"
Arcadia winced—he'd taken a bullet to the leg during that dive.
But he didn't stop to treat the wound, instead immediately starting up the MS.
Due to the GP02's unique nature, it hadn't been tested during Albion's docking period.
Still, as an experienced pilot, Arcadia quickly adapted to the cockpit layout.
In fact, the layout had a distinct Zeon MS feel to it—something Arcadia, having once piloted the Gyan in combat, was very familiar with.
The cockpit screen soon lit up, giving Arcadia a clear view of the situation outside.
He didn't launch an attack on the Zeon remnants charging in. Instead, he turned toward Rita, who stood on the boarding platform at roughly head height with the GP02.
She was shielded by Christina, and it looked like she hadn't been affected by the flashbang.
Christina had arrived at La Vie en Rose just yesterday, bringing a cargo ship with the refitted NT-1. The plan was to test it here, then escort Rita back to Earth.
The fact that Rita—who hated Gundams—had rushed over here likely meant she understood how important the GP02 was to Eli.
Arcadia had originally planned to use the vulcan cannon to take out the Zeon remnants…
"Chris! Cover Rita's eyes!"
Shouting as he spoke, Arcadia disengaged the GP02 from its maintenance rig and raised the MS's right arm.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
The GP02's mechanical arm came crashing down!
It felt… like squashing a tomato.
That was Arcadia's first reaction, frowning.
Still, seeing the Zeon remnants retreating back into the corridor, he didn't pursue them.
Christina was already carrying Rita away.
That child already disliked Gundams—if she were to witness something that gruesome, it could traumatize her.
"Urgh…"
On the other side, Kou Uraki—who nobody ever seemed to baby—had just watched the entire tomato-squashing event unfold. He now pulled off his helmet and gagged uncontrollably.
Arcadia sighed as he watched the blood float through the zero-gravity air.
No matter what, he'd probably get chewed out after this.
But for now, he needed to focus on the fight.
"Ensign Uraki, get into the GP03 immediately. Zeon forces are definitely outside—we're moving out!"
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