With the sudden intrusion of the Sinanju, the units on the perimeter of the assembly hall—who had been just about to launch their attack—fell into a collective, stunned silence.
Seeing the machine that had been featured in countless combat recordings circulating through the Federation military appearing right before their eyes, many pilots instinctively backed their mobile suits up a few paces.
Inside the Joint Command, the three commanders stared at the screens, frozen for a moment as the Sinanju appeared through the primary camera feed of a Gustav Karl.
"Why is he showing up here?!"
George was completely bewildered, seemingly unable to comprehend what the "Zeon Remnants" had to do with Mafty.
"There have been numerous sighting reports placing these Zeon remnants in the vicinity of Mafty."
As Kenneth stared at the Sinanju on the screen, his mind flashed back to Char Aznable's speech, and his eyes suddenly widened. "I see... if the current leader of Mafty is indeed the Char Aznable giving that speech, then everything makes sense as to why the Zeon remnants are assisting them!"
However, one question still lingered in Kenneth's mind: Why would Char suddenly reappear after being silent for so long?
"I don't care if they're Zeon remnants or something else—the Federation has issued a shoot-to-kill order!"
Mike barked at Kenneth and George, who had drifted into thought. "Pass down my orders: Anti-vehicle teams, move to maximum range! Infantry fighting vehicles, maintain mobility and aim for that machine's thrusters and weapon systems!"
"Jegan teams, Gustav Karl teams—use your beam rifles and shields to keep the enemy at bay. Once his mobility drops, move in for the kill!"
Though Mike's tone was abrasive, he was demonstrating his capability as the Commander-in-Chief of the American region.
"Don't rush in blindly! The opponent is an ace pilot!"
Kenneth, who had already clashed with Roz, shouted with a furrowed brow.
"Even an ace pilot can't maintain perfect focus forever under this kind of siege!"
Mike's voice grew low and grim. "Patience, Kenneth. Only with patience do you catch the prey."
-----------------------------------
Meanwhile, on a beach in Europe.
The mature woman with short blonde hair named Sayla Mass—formerly known as Artesia Som Deikun—stared at her communication device, her eyes widening in shock.
A look of complete bewilderment crossed her face as she watched Char standing before the podium, delivering his rhythmic and impassioned speech.
'What is going on? I was just thinking this Mafty seemed like Char, but how did it actually become Char?'
'Wait... calm down. What if this "Char" is a clone? After all, he's been missing ever since the Miracle of Axis in '93...'
"...No, I have to meet him in person to know for sure."
Despite being a mature woman, Sayla felt an inexplicable sensation welling up inside her in the face of such a turn of events. "If I use my Newtype senses..."
Yes, Sayla decided to use her abilities as a Newtype to investigate. After all, everyone's brainwaves and mental strength are unique—just as there are no two identical leaves in the world.
When the time came, she would know with a single probe whether this "Char" was the real deal or not.
With that thought, Sayla minimized the livestream and began checking for plane tickets to New York.
Then, she pulled out a second communication device and dialed a number.
-----------------------------------
On the Moon, Kamille and Fa Yuiry, who had just finished working in their greenhouse, returned to their small villa to watch the livestream projected onto a large screen.
Upon seeing Char's appearance, both Kamille and Fa instinctively widened their eyes in shock.
"What is going on? Captain Quattro is actually Mafty?!"
Kamille cried out subconciously. "And... he looks so young."
Although Kamille had been living in seclusion on the Moon, he still kept in touch with Bright from time to time.
He was well aware that Bright had recently been hunting Mafty and was constantly moving around to follow various leads.
"Could it be because of the Miracle of Axis? Or is this Char just a clone? After all, it's not like that hasn't happened before..."
Fa Yuiry frowned slightly as she watched the screen.
"So... are you really going? Are you going to respond to this Char's call, Kamille?"
Fa knew Kamille's personality well; if anything, even in his thirties, that youthful drive had never truly faded from him.
Fa was certain that if there was a chance to change the decadent Federation and a reason for him to make a difference, he would undoubtedly respond.
After a brief silence, Kamille took a deep breath.
He scanned the living room where he stood; every inch of the decor had been crafted by him and Fa together.
Perhaps it was because he had reached middle age, but facing everything he possessed, he actually felt a moment of hesitation...
"Yeah... I plan to go and see for myself."
After thinking it over, Kamille stated his decision. "Whether he is truly Captain Quattro or not, I'll know the moment I sense his brainwaves."
"But the Zeta Gundam was reclaimed by the Federation and Anaheim! How are you going to fight?"
Fa asked after a moment of reflection. She knew she couldn't stop Kamille, so she could only try her best to help him—for instance, by sorting through the potential problems before he took action.
"There's always a way."
As Kamille spoke, he embraced Fa for a moment. "Don't worry, Fa. I'll come back to you in one piece."
With that, Kamille pulled out his communication device and dialed a familiar number.
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Inside the bridge of the Ra Cailum in the 13th Fleet.
After witnessing Char remove his mask and deliver his speech at the assembly hall, the bridge—which had been buzzing with discussion—fell into an eerie silence. Only the white noise of the operating instruments echoed through the room.
As for Bright, he felt as if he were in a trance. Looking at Char in his blue suit, it was as if he had been transported back to Dakar, back to an era when the AEUG had not yet been corrupted.
"Cap... Captain."
Bright's adjutant stared at the screen, feeling as though his brain had short-circuited. "That man is..."
The adjutant's shock-filled voice snapped Bright out of his daze.
"Yes... Char Aznable. At least, that is who he is claiming to be right now."
Bright took a deep breath as he replied to his adjutant, his gaze fixed firmly on Char, who was still speaking at the podium.
"However... we cannot rule out the possibility of it being a clone. In any case, we'll need to verify it."
"But regardless, Char's appearance right now is certainly not a good thing for the Federation."
Just as Bright was sighing in contemplation, the Federation units in the exterior footage raised their beam rifles.
But in the next second, several beams suddenly appeared from the sky above the perimeter force, precisely striking the head monitors of those Jegans and Gustav Karls.
As he watched the crimson, ornately decorated machine in the video, Bright couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"That's..."
Looking at this machine, which had already been the subject of various combat recordings circulating within the Federation military, Bright felt a sense of bewilderment.
It felt as though the pilot inside was someone very familiar.
While Bright was still deep in thought, a series of communications began to chime one after another on his channel.
He carefully checked the labels: Kamille, Beltorchika, Sayla, Kai Shiden...
Seeing the screen, Bright fell into silence once more.
He could already guess what they were planning to ask, but unfortunately, he didn't have the answer himself.
-----------------------------------
The standoff did not last long, and the forces surrounding the assembly hall sprang into action once more.
As the remaining Jegans and Gustav Karls raised their beam rifles again, and the infantry fighting vehicles—which looked like mere background props—began to move, Roz instinctively stepped on the pedal.
The thrusters erupted with blue flames, accompanied by a trail of green particles, propelling the machine into the air.
Simultaneously, a barrage of beams followed the Sinanju as it ascended. Many of these beams struck the assembly building itself, leaving behind rows of hideous scars on its surface.
Roz pulled the trigger; the Sinanju's head-mounted vulcan cannons fired continuously, cutting off the advance of the infantry squads and forcing them to retreat.
Under the gaze of the crowd, the newly mobilized infantry fighting vehicles were struck by the rain of shells from above. They were either flipped over or had their tracks blown apart.
A few unlucky units had their armor pierced, causing internal ammunition cook-offs that sent their turrets spinning high into the sky before crashing back to earth.
Despite the carnage, the surviving fighting vehicles managed to weave a sparse curtain of anti-aircraft fire that peppered the Sinanju.
However, the red PS Armor covering the Sinanju's entire frame—even protecting fragile components like the thruster units—remained completely unscathed, shrugging off the upward-firing assault.
At that moment, Roz's finger pressed the trigger again, switching to a three-round burst mode as the beam rifle continuously discharged yellow bolts.
The three rapid-fire beams fired by Roz accurately struck the head monitor and both arms of a Jegan, sending it crashing to the ground.
Immediately following this, Roz maneuvered the Sinanju to drop rapidly back to the surface, evading the web of beams forming in the sky.
Upon landing, he kicked an actively firing infantry fighting vehicle, sending it flying until it smashed into a perimeter wall.
The instant the Sinanju touched down, a massive volley of anti-MS rockets launched by the anti-MS squads struck the machine with precision, erupting into a series of thick smoke clouds and fire across the Sinanju's body.
"Is... is it over?"
One member of an anti-MS squad stared blankly at the area shrouded in thick smoke.
"No... wait! Not yet?!"
Roz maneuvered the Sinanju out of the smoke. He casually raised his beam rifle and pulled the trigger, accurately hitting a Jegan in the waist and splitting the machine in two.
In that split second, Roz spotted an anti-MS rocket that had likely been misaimed. It zoomed past the Sinanju, heading straight toward the crowd of civilians who were currently evacuating nearby.
Roz instinctively slammed the pedal, positioning the machine directly in the path of the anti-MS missile.
A violent explosion rocked the Sinanju's shield. However, under the protection of the PS Armor, the blast produced nothing more than a cloud of smoke and forced the Sinanju back a mere half-step.
The scene once again fell into an eerie silence.
At this point, the Sinanju's position was subtle; directly behind her were the civilians in the middle of a continuous evacuation.
If she moved, the Federation forces would continue their pursuit of the Sinanju, and the civilians she was protecting might very well perish from "stray bullets."
"Continue firing!"
Inside the Federation units' comms, Mike's voice rang out.
"Reporting to the Commander, there are civilians behind the target. We cannot find an optimal line of fire!" an anti-MS squad leader reported.
"Forget the civilians! The Federation has issued a shoot-to-kill order—tear this assembly hall down!"
Mike's voice crackled over the comms again, sounding increasingly irritable.
Staring at the Sinanju and the civilians behind it, many of the Federation soldiers paused for a moment in silence before pulling their triggers.
Seeing the enemy disregard the civilians behind him, Roz's eyes widened slightly. He raised the shield to protect the Sinanju's cockpit area.
A beam struck the Sinanju's head monitor with extreme precision, melting the outer armor of the monitor and triggering an explosion.
Following that, a barrage of beams and anti-MS rockets slammed into the Sinanju, erupting into a series of dazzling flares and thick smoke across its frame.
As the smoke gradually thinned, a single green eye ignited within the hazy mist.
..................