The suppression of Artemis Fortress concluded swiftly. With the aid of thermal sensors, even sleepwalkers couldn't hide—especially since Reid launched a surprise attack, leaving the pirates no time to prepare.
Reid incinerated the pirates' corpses and scattered their ashes into space, granting them a cosmic burial. It was better than freezing into zombies and drifting eternally through the void.
After completing these tasks, Reid ordered his subordinates to secure the ships in the port and install the Solar Flare Motors. Once the next solar wind arrived, they would begin towing Artemis Fortress away.
Hauling such a massive fortress back to Star Palace Colony Satellite was no small feat and certainly couldn't be accomplished in a day or two. Reid had no intention of wasting time on the journey. So, once the Artemis Fortress matter was settled, he handed command over to Miguel Gaia. Taking Ange and Noin with him, he boarded a large cargo shuttle seized from the fortress, carrying three mobile suits, and headed back to Star Palace Colony Satellite ahead of the main force.
Upon his return, Reid was immediately met with requests for diplomatic meetings from envoys of the East Asian Republic, Atlantic Federation, Eurasian Federation, and PLANT.
At the moment, Ange had gone to the administrative hall to make a public appearance and reassure the populace, leaving Reid and Une to handle the visitors.
Their demands were straightforward. The Atlantic Federation and PLANT were primarily there to gauge Reid's shifting stance toward them. The Atlantic Federation hoped to deepen cooperation, while PLANT sought confirmation on whether Reid intended to retaliate.
For these two groups, Reid had Une respond with diplomatic formalities throughout the meeting. By the time they left, they remained clueless about Reid's true intentions.
The Eurasian Federation, meanwhile, came to discuss the matter of Artemis Fortress. Reid hadn't bothered to conceal the massive operation of relocating the fortress, so the Eurasian Federation was well aware.
Of course, they didn't lodge an official protest. Years ago, to combat the persistent scourge of space pirates, all Earth nations had signed an agreement declaring that any spoils obtained from anti-piracy operations would belong to the attackers, who could also claim an official bounty. This was meant to incentivize private entities to crack down on piracy and restore safety to space routes.
This agreement remained in effect to this day. Even now, if a Natural organization took down a pirate wanted by PLANT, they could still collect the reward from PLANT. No one dared violate this rule.
Thus, the Eurasian Federation couldn't afford to break it either—otherwise, no one would bother hunting pirates targeting their civilian shipments in the future.
Instead, they approached Reid with an offer to buy back Artemis Fortress, proposing to exchange it for the former territory of the Misurugi Empire. The Eurasian Federation promised to fully rebuild the cities before returning them to the New Misurugi Republic.
Reid couldn't help but laugh. Legally speaking, the former Misurugi Empire was already an enclave belonging to the New Misurugi Republic. While the New Misurugi Republic had no actual jurisdiction there, every nation would still acknowledge it as their territory.
However, Reid had no interest in reclaiming that land for now. Since it was originally deep within the Eurasian Federation's territory and PLANT still controlled the Mediterranean, taking it back would be pointless.
It was worth noting that the former Misurugi Empire was, by the system's setting, purely a tourist nation with virtually no arable land. The country's entire income came only from its ports and tourism.
Thus, Reid decisively rejected the Eurasian Federation's proposal, stating that trading something that was already theirs for a fortress he had already seized was shameless beyond belief—they could go cool off somewhere else.
Reid had good reason to be so bold. Upon returning to the Star Palace Colony Satellite, he learned that Une had already contacted the noble and royal families of the former Russian region through Ikucella. Since Ange was also of European royalty, the two sides already had a foundation for cooperation.
Moreover, the various nobles of the Eurasian Federation had extensive connections within its government. Reid no longer had to worry about any extreme reactions from the Eurasian Federation after seizing the Artemis Fortress.
As for the East Asian Republic, which arrived last, they were ostensibly just there to express concern. They also took the opportunity to inform Reid that the order he had placed with them for the colony satellite's outer walls was now complete.
Reid had already seen this upon his return. Near the area where he had installed the Sunshade, the cylindrical sections of the colony satellite were being assembled, and a large asteroid intended for the foundation's construction had been towed nearby for reshaping.
Reid was genuinely preparing to build a new colony satellite. After all, the satellite cannon was still a distant prospect—as long as they didn't touch the solar reflector panels, it was fine. And by constructing the shell and foundation first, any future modifications to revert to a satellite cannon would be much easier.
But after delivering their formal remarks, the East Asian Republic's diplomat suddenly shifted gears, repeatedly mentioning that their new dual-purpose space-atmospheric warship was nearing completion and inviting Reid to take a look. This was clearly a not-so-subtle nudge for him to hurry up with his own work.
Faced with a client's pressure, Reid had no choice but to placate them. He explained that this trip had yielded many insights, which he needed time to digest before starting on a new design—so they'd have to give him at least another half-month.
Fortunately, the East Asian Republic wasn't unreasonable. They knew Reid wouldn't have returned empty-handed this time—it was highly likely that the data on the mobile suits jointly developed by the Atlantic Federation and Orb had already fallen into his hands. Giving him half a month to absorb the information was fair, so they smiled warmly and turned to genuinely inquiring about Reid and Ange's health. They even gifted him a small but extremely fibrous wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain as a token of goodwill.
Reid accepted the gift with a wry smile. This was the East Asian Republic's way of reminding him to work overtime. They'd even prepared the supplements for him.
In truth, Reid had already sent the server hidden in the NT-X Gundam's cockpit to the Factory Module as soon as he returned to the Star Palace Colony Satellite. The data analysis was already underway, and by tomorrow, the relevant G Weapon project data would be ready.
So Reid had already planned to go into seclusion tomorrow—meaning this ginseng might actually come in handy.
Of course, before retreating, Reid first summoned the people he needed. His time in seclusion would give them a chance to familiarize themselves with their new teammates and environment. After concluding his meetings with the major nations, he returned to his office, accessed the system, and initiated the summoning.
His choices had been decided long ago: a helmsman, a mechanic, and a combat commander (vice-captain).
Not knowing his current luck, Reid followed his usual routine—taking a bath, changing clothes, and washing his hands—before starting the summoning.
First, he chose the least important category: mechanics. As usual, the result was a sea of blue and white, summoning Kid Salsamille (Gundam X).
It took Reid a while to recall who Kid Salsamille was—the chief mechanic aboard the Freeden. Despite his young age, he was a mechanical genius, definitely worth nurturing.
Of course, the guy's skills were the real deal. After all, anyone called a genius couldn't be simple. In the original work, he single-handedly modified the Gundam X Divider. Given the right conditions, he could probably earn a doctorate and develop new Gundams.
Since the first 10-pull wasn't unlucky, the second one should be even better, right? He had already done four 10-pulls on the character banner, and this was the fifth. Statistically, he should get something good now. So, Reid selected the combat commander category for the next summon.
But while ideals are plump, reality is plumper. A golden light representing an A-rank descended from the sky, trailed by a blue light for B-rank.
Eagerly, Reid tapped the golden light to see who he'd pulled—only to feel like he'd been slapped in the face.
There was no character card inside the golden light, but a skill: Super-Soldier. Its effect was to transform a person into a Super-Soldier with 100% success and no side effects—usable only once. At the same time, the system's G-Coin shop updated with a document on Super-Soldier modification tech. If Reid bought it, he could master the technique—though the success rate would be, well, subjective.
Honestly, Reid had some reservations about Super-Soldier tech, which was similar to human enhancement. The process was painful enough, but worse, it wasn't guaranteed to work. And if word got out, he'd face backlash.
Still, Reid pragmatically exchanged for the Super-Soldier tech. It might come in handy later. Studying it in advance couldn't hurt.
Then, he tapped the blue orb—the actual summoned character: Grodek Ainoa (Gundam AGE).
Truth be told, Grodek Ainoa couldn't even be considered a combat commander. In the original work, he was the captain of the Diva, the protagonist's ship. But Reid remembered that Grodek had seized the captain's position from the deputy commander, so pulling him from the combat commander pool made sense.
What worried Reid most was whether the golden skill had consumed his pity counter. He quickly asked the system:
"System, do golden skills count toward the character banner pity?"
The system responded mechanically:
"Only golden characters count toward pity. Currently at 49 pulls. Fifty-one more pulls until guaranteed pity."
Reid sighed in relief. The extra pull was Ange's—apparently, she was one of the system's safety nets, helping him survive the early game. That's why she appeared on the first pull, just like most gacha games give a guaranteed low-tier character at the start.
Since he'd already gotten gold, Reid didn't hold out hope for the next 10-pull. He selected helmsman and, predictably, got a sea of blue and white. Still, the summoned character wasn't bad: Ivan Paserov (UC 0083), helmsman of the MSC-07 Albion. At 35, his base stats were decent, but everything else was blank.
These three were the fruits of this summoning session. Reid remarked that the system was clearly modeled after those shady online games—it must have secretly tweaked the drop rates. Unless he hit the pity system, he probably wouldn't get an A-rank golden character. As for the red S-rank? Might as well not even dream about it.
Still, Reid hoped for more golden skills in the future. Super-Soldiers were out of the question, but something like an Innovator or Super Coordinator would suffice. Heck, even a SEED would be acceptable.
As usual, Reid soon received word of the trio's arrival. Kid Salsamille was set up as a new immigrant to the Colony Satellite. Due to his young age, he had been working under the table for junk dealers, repairing machines before coming to Star Palace. Now, he was hoping to try his luck at the Star Palace Colony Satellite and see if he could join an MS manufacturing factory.
As for the whole "crossing worlds" thing? Kid thought it was awesome. This place was so much better than the rundown Earth he'd come from—he didn't miss it at all.
Grodek Ainoa was one of the instructors at Reid's military academy. His backstory was that he had lost his wife and daughter in Earth's wars, driving him to despair over the government. That was why he had come to seek refuge under his former student, Reid. Though according to him, he had actually died in a black prison of the Earth Federation Forces in the AG era before ending up here.
As for Ivan Paserov, he was a retired veteran introduced by Ikucella. She probably had no idea that the person she recommended originally didn't even exist.
How did he get here? After the original story's events, he had a little too much to drink, drove, and got intimately acquainted with a tree.
Reid planned to handle these three the same way as the Black Tri-Stars—keeping the Factory Module's existence hidden and letting them serve as ordinary crew members.
Surprisingly, all three adjusted to reality pretty well. Reid gave them a tour, and none of them batted an eye at the fact that his group was mostly women. Their manners remained impeccable.
That said, Ivan Paserov's true colors came out when he drank. Despite being a helmsman, his name and cause of death made it clear he was a drunk. During the welcome banquet, Reid didn't last long drinking with him before getting completely wasted.
Now, Reid wasn't exactly a model drinker. Once drunk, he had a habit of getting handsy with nearby women—sober, he was a saint; drunk, he was a menace. And who was around him right now? Ange and Noin.
At first, the two women didn't resist much when Reid pulled them close, at most rolling their eyes. After all, he was someone they liked.
But as the alcohol took hold, Reid's hands started wandering. Eventually, Ange had enough. If it were just the two of them, she wouldn't have minded letting things escalate. With no telling how many more girls Reid might summon in the future, she couldn't afford to fall behind.
But this was a public setting. So when Reid's hand began exploring her heartbeat a little too enthusiastically, Ange decisively knocked him out with a single strike. Exchanging a glance with Noin, the two hoisted him up, one on each side, and cheerfully announced:
"Ah, Reid's done for—he's out cold. We'll take him back to his room. Everyone, keep enjoying yourselves, don't mind him!"
With that, Ange and Noin carried Reid away, leaving the rest of the group exchanging bewildered looks.
The next morning, Reid woke up in his own bed with a splitting headache. Assuming it was just a hangover, he didn't think much of it. After downing some porridge, he headed straight to the Factory Module to hole himself up.
At this point, the factory module had completed analyzing the Archangel's hull data. However, unlike Mobile Suits, warships couldn't be produced as complete units—only their parts could be manufactured before being assembled externally. Fortunately, the factory module could deliver components anywhere within the Colony Satellite, so this wasn't too troublesome.
To avoid copyright issues with the Atlantic Federation, Reid decided to only utilize the technology while redesigning the exterior. Since this wasn't urgent, he set the warship aside for now.
As for the G Weapon data, both the Duel and Aegis had been fully analyzed. Now it was time for Reid to work his magic.
The Aegis' X-300 transformable frame ensured that the new model could incorporate a transformation mechanism. It was about time to upgrade Ange's unit.
First, the new machine's transformation didn't need to adopt the Aegis' claw-like form, which was practically useless within the atmosphere. This also rendered the immensely powerful [Siren Beast] Multiple Phase Energy Cannon nearly unusable.
In Earth's gravity, if the Aegis attempted to transform, it would immediately crash to the ground unless suspended by external support.
Thus, the transformation logic had to follow the Union Flag's design. Despite being a relatively low-tier unit, its aerodynamics were exceptionally well-engineered.
Next, Reid outright removed the chest-mounted [Siren Beast] Multiple Phase Energy Cannon. With the Union Flag's transformation style, the cannon's barrel couldn't be exposed effectively, making it better to discard entirely.
Ditching the [Siren Beast] cannon freed up significant space and weight in the Aegis' frame, allowing Reid to equip the new unit directly with the Two-Phase Shift (TPS) System.
The TPS System involved fitting an outer shell over the Phase Shift Armor, activating the internal PS Armor only when the shell was breached. This drastically reduced energy consumption.
Against Luna Titanium Alloy, the GINN's small-caliber guns were negligible. However, larger rockets and shoulder-mounted bazookas couldn't be ignored. ZAFT likely mistook Luna Titanium for PS Armor, as they later switched entirely to Beam Weapons—aside from warship missiles that couldn't hit targets—and never attempted solid ammunition attacks again.
To counter future weapons like the Freedom's railguns, Reid concluded that PS Armor remained essential.
Without the devastating [Siren Beast] cannon, Reid compensated by giving Ange a telescopic Beam Sniper Rifle with both range and firepower. Beneath the barrel, a retractable Beam Spear was integrated for close-quarters combat, functioning as a lance when extended.
Additionally, Reid designed a massive composite assault shield for the new unit. It housed twin 30mm Beam Gatling Guns (based on equipment data from the Green Astray's armory—the same model used by the Blue Astray). The shield's front featured a triple-bladed physical ram, with internal Beam Generators that could deploy the tips as a Beam Ram when needed (reverting to physical form required returning to the ship).
This large assault shield could also cover the unit's head during transformation, forming an aerodynamically optimized fuselage.
Of course, to prevent accidents, Reid still reserved a spot at his waist for a Beam Saber, though using it now would require abandoning the Beam Sniper Rifle. Normally, however, close combat could be handled with the transformed beam spear and assault shield. Moreover, Reid didn't discard the classic foot blade design.
Finally, he added reasonable wing structures to the frame, making efficient use of the space by installing two Beam Boomerangs inside them. The mobile suit's general appearance was as follows (mentally picture it in blue and white, with the electromagnetic cannons on both sides removed in MA mode).
After Reid finalized the design plans, the Factory Module quickly approved the modification proposal. However, the simulation parameters showed that this unit's energy consumption was comparable to the NT-X.
Thus, Reid decided to adopt the weapon logic from the Universal Century—having weapons powered independently by magazines or their own batteries rather than drawing from the mobile suit's energy supply.
The energy consumption of the new Aegis's assault shield system wasn't too high, and since it was large enough, there was space to fit a dedicated battery.
The Sniper Rifle, however, had to rely on magazine power. At maximum output (comparable to a heavy particle beam), it could fire about five shots per magazine, while at minimum output (equivalent to a Beam Rifle), it could manage twenty. In beam spear mode, the magazine lasted much longer.
Fortunately, there was enough space in this Aegis to carry additional magazines—bringing three extra wouldn't be an issue.
The mobile suit itself would be powered by a single dedicated battery. Thus, the unit Reid named the Immortal Aegis (originally intended to be called the Aegis Gundam Atmospheric Equipment—let's not mention the Crimson Aegis, which was a poorly designed universal transformation backpack) was born.
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