"Hmm? What's going on? Report in detail." Yang Hui paused briefly upon hearing this before continuing his inquiry.
"It's like this..."
The four individuals then proceeded to give Yang Hui a thorough account of their respective situations.
As former ace pilots of the Earth Forces, their defection had caused significant repercussions within the military. After arriving in Orb, spies from the Atlantic Federation had managed to contact them, hoping they would become undercover agents embedded within the Orb Military.
Except for Edward Harrelson, who outright refused, the other three neither declined nor accepted the offer, remaining in a state of hesitation. After all, they had once been part of the Earth Forces—their honors and beliefs still tied to that organization, not entirely faded. Moreover, their families remained within the Earth Forces' sphere of influence, forcing them to consider the proposal carefully.
Yet, they had genuinely come to appreciate life in Orb—a peaceful nation where even its expanding military operated with unity, brimming with vitality and vigor. Having witnessed so much corruption in the Earth Forces, they longed to live in such an environment.
Thus, the three had been locked in an internal struggle, wavering constantly.
It wasn't until the day of the Quasi-GN Drive test that Yang Hui solidified Morgan Chevalier's resolve. Not only was it due to Orb's growing strength and seemingly endless hidden capabilities, but also Yang Hui's attitude toward him. Morgan could sense that Yang Hui, as the highest leader, harbored no discrimination or exclusion toward him—a defector. Unlike the condescending high-ranking officials of the Earth Forces, Yang Hui hadn't even held their tense first meeting against him, which deeply moved Morgan.
So, after leaving Dawn Company the previous night, Morgan had arranged to meet with the others, sharing his thoughts and persuading Rena Imelia and Jane Houston to stay in Orb with him and reject the Atlantic Federation's spies.
The two women had already been wavering, but with Morgan Chevalier and Edward Harrelson's encouragement, they made their decision—though with one condition: their families.
"...To be honest, I didn't expect you to come forward and confess this to me." Yang Hui fell silent for a moment before addressing the four. "I've known about this all along. Your every move has been under surveillance—after all, it hasn't been long since you defected from the Earth Forces to join Orb."
"Understood." The four nodded, unbothered by the surveillance. They were fully aware of their circumstances. Having defected to Orb, they couldn't expect Yang Hui, as the leader of a nation, to blindly trust them completely. Except for Edward Harrelson, their first meeting with Yang Hui hadn't exactly been cordial.
"I didn't approach you earlier for two reasons. First, I've been genuinely busy. Second, you hadn't given a definitive answer. But now that you've voluntarily come forward, I'm truly pleased."
Of course, Yang Hui couldn't grant them absolute trust just like that, but his level of confidence in them had risen from 30-40% to around 80-90%.
"Lord Yang Hui, we... we have one request. Please, you must agree."
"Your families?"
"Yes. The Atlantic Federation has targeted our families. We beg you to save them."
"No problem, I'll arrange for your families to be brought to Orb. At the earliest, you'll be reunited within a week."
"Thank you so much!"
"Now, no need for such formalities. You're all part of Orb, and ace pilots of the Orb Military at that. These matters are simply what we should handle for you. With your worries settled, you can focus on fighting for Orb with peace of mind."
"Lord Yang Hui..." Though Yang Hui's words sounded pragmatic, they were deeply moved. Had this situation occurred in the Earth Forces, their superiors wouldn't have cared at all—whether their families lived or died would be irrelevant. They might even have been detained preemptively out of fear they'd defect.
"Alright, since you're all here—except for Morgan—report on your respective assignments."
"Yes!"
Morgan Chevalier's work was the most dangerous among them, yet also the simplest—daily cooperation with Dawn Company's research and development. Unlike the others, who each had demanding responsibilities at their posts.
"I've been reassigned by the Chief of Staff to the elite training camp, responsible for training special forces," began Rena Imelia, the eldest among them. "We've already achieved some results. I wouldn't dare claim they match the First Special Task Force trained by Colonel Qingyin, Colonel Dylandy, or Colonel Erde, but I'm confident they can hold their own for a while."
Rena Imelia's modest claim—that her trainees could only last "a while" against the Special Task Force—was actually an impressive accomplishment.
After all, the Special Task Force was personally trained by Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria, composed entirely of war veterans. The First Squadron, in particular, fought alongside Yang Hui in the Second Battle of Jachin Due. Though they suffered losses, every survivor was an elite veteran—unquestionably ace pilots by any other faction's standards.
A unit like this was terrifying in terms of battlefield dominance and threat. To put it bluntly, unless the enemy outnumbered them five to one or consisted entirely of ace pilots like Yzak, Dearka, or Nicol, defeating them head-on would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
Of course, there was one exception: a technological gap. But with Yang Hui around, any such gap would only ever disadvantage their enemies, never themselves.
"Well done, Rena. Have you considered joining the Special Task Force?" Yang Hui asked Rena Imelia. Her custom unit was a fully upgraded Buster Gundam, now nuclear-powered. Its twin cannons were no longer front-and-back connected but arranged side-by-side like the Verde Buster Gundam. In addition to missile launchers on its shoulders, it mounted high-output beam cannons and auxiliary arms with a Rotary Attack Shield System—comprising a sharpened shield and beam vulcans. When necessary, the auxiliary arms could discard the shield and switch to beam daggers for close combat.
"No, Lord Yang Hui. My ambition is to establish a Second Special Task Force."
"Oh? Now that's ambition!"
The title "Special Task Force" wasn't just handed out. Yang Hui and Sumeragi had positioned it as an absolute trump card unit—typically held in reserve, but deployed only for decisive victories.
It was precisely for this reason that the Orb Military had expanded several times over, yet there remained only one Special Battalion without the formation of a second—even though Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria were still training Orb's Mobile Suit pilots.
"Thank you for the praise."
"Keep up the good work, Rena. I look forward to the emergence of a second Special Battalion."
"Yes, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"
With Rena Imelia's report concluded, it was now Jane Houston's turn.
"Four battalions of Submersible Mobile Suit units have been established and are currently executing the Chief of Staff's orders to blockade our territorial waters."
Orb had assembled an aquatic-specialized force entirely composed of M1 Astrays modified for underwater combat. Though only the backpack and specialized modifications had been changed, their performance was in no way inferior.
Yang Hui had drawn inspiration from the Abyss Gundam, which would appear in the future. The Mobile Suit featured auxiliary arms with curved outer shells on both sides, which could close together to encase the unit during deep-sea diving. The curved design granted the Mobile Suit underwater mobility on par with the GOOhN and Acguy. Additionally, the outer shells were equipped with torpedo launchers and balance wings for close-quarters combat when approaching enemy units. The legs of the main body each had triple-mounted torpedo launchers, while the hands could be outfitted with Sonic Cannons or Handheld Torpedo Launchers.
Since this was for underwater combat, Beam Sabers were not equipped. Instead, the units wielded two retractable Solid Tridents. The three blades of the tridents could be ejected as projectiles, while the remaining shaft could function as a Tri-Bladed Beam Spear on land.
For amphibious operations, the inner side of the curved shells stored Beam Rifles or other land-based beam weapons. Upon surfacing, the curved shells could be detached from the Mobile Suit and positioned in front as shields, allowing the use of land-based weaponry to establish defensive positions.
Jane Houston's personal unit, of course, was also newly constructed—the Azure Gundam, a fully upgraded model based on the foundational technology of the G Series. Equipped with a nuclear engine and VPS Armor, its activation color matched the hue of the ocean. Its mobility and defensive capabilities were several times greater than those of the M1 Astray Aquatic Specialization Type.
In addition to all the armaments of the M1 Astray Aquatic Specialization Type, the Azure Gundam featured two twin-mounted Solid Cannons at the front of its curved shells, usable even underwater.
"How is their combat capability? Can they stand against ZAFT's underwater MS units?"
Yang Hui was confident in the Mobile Suits' performance, but since Orb's underwater MS units had yet to see actual combat, their true effectiveness remained unknown.
"Based on simulation training, when compared to ZAFT's underwater MS data, they achieved total victory. They even breached the blockades of the First and Second Battalions in amphibious landing simulations."
"Hmm, not bad. Actual combat isn't an option for you right now, but I'll consider contacting ZAFT in the near future to arrange a joint military exercise."
"That won't be necessary, Lord Yang Hui. It would be best if we never had to engage in actual combat at all."
"A valid perspective, but as soldiers, you should understand well that peace is built upon formidable military strength. I don't want our people to perish on the battlefield because they grew complacent in the comfort of peace."
"...Understood."
"And what about you, Edward? If I recall correctly, you were sent back to your homeland by... Vidar, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Lord Yang Hui." Edward Harrelson's Mobile Suit remained the Sword Battle Calamity Gundam, though it had undergone comprehensive upgrades. In terms of armaments, aside from Edward's fondness for the Gundam Exia's Throwing Beam Dagger, no additional weapons had been added. Like Setsuna, he was a pilot specialized in close combat, sharing the same attitude toward long-range attacks—they could be useful, but a blade was far more reliable. "Don't expect too much from my shooting," he added with a grin.
"Yes, Lord Yang Hui. But as you know, the Atlantic Federation recently reached a peace agreement with the South American Union, returning all occupied territories except the Panama Spaceport—including those mines you had your eye on. So I returned to report for duty." Edward shrugged.
"Wouldn't staying in your homeland be better? If you requested it, I'm sure Sumeragi and Vidar would agree."
"Of course, staying home would be nice. But I'm a man of my word. Orb helped my country reclaim its lost lands and end the war. It's only right that I return to repay the debt." Edward answered honestly.
"...Which unit would you like to join?" After a brief pause, Yang Hui asked.
"I'll follow my superiors' arrangements." Edward had no strong preferences. He had returned to Orb solely to repay his debt, but his only skill was piloting an MS in combat—unlike Rena, Setsuna, Lyle, or Tieria, he lacked teaching ability. With peace prevailing and little fighting to be done, he could only accept Yang Hui's assignment, wherever that might be.
"Hmm... You'll go under Rena's command," Yang Hui decided.
"Eh? Really?" Both Edward Harrelson and Rena Imelia exclaimed in surprise.
For Edward, it was because Rena had been his instructor. Having just returned to Orb, he didn't know many people in the military, so being assigned to a unit with someone familiar was comforting.
For Rena, it was a shock that Yang Hui would casually assign an ace pilot like Edward to her. Normally, such elite pilots were sent to the Special Task Forces or even given their own units.
"Of course. While the Special Task Forces don't rely solely on aces, they're not lacking in them either. The First Special Task Force already has Barry and Jiang, and the future Second Special Task Force will need its own aces, won't it?"
This response stunned all four of them. Rena, in particular, was deeply moved—Yang Hui's words implicitly acknowledged the potential existence of the Second Special Task Force, validating her resolve.
"Thank you so much, Lord Yang Hui! I won't let you down!"
"Don't thank me yet. I said 'future.' Whether the Second Special Task Force materializes depends entirely on your efforts."
"Yes, sir! We'll complete the mission without fail!"
After hearing their reports, Yang Hui chatted with the four of them for half an hour, occasionally mentioning words like "spies" and "intelligence" while carefully observing their expressions and demeanor. Finding nothing unusual, he tentatively concluded they could be trusted.
Thus, as they were about to leave, he issued them a top-secret mission.
"I'm assigning you a classified operation. This must not be disclosed to anyone—you'll report directly to me. After returning to your respective posts..."
(End of Chapter)