At this stage, no matter how many more attacks the Federation launched against the New York venue, it would be in vain.
On one hand, Char and Amuro had reappeared in the world, and it seemed Amuro had brought along new allies and various new mobile suits.
A portion of the Federation veterans who had participated in the operations to stop Axis's fall were unwilling to fight Amuro, and Bright's 13th Independent Fleet had performed a direct orbital drop onto New York without orders.
Furthermore, because television stations had openly defied Federation bans, the live broadcast of Char's speech had been spread everywhere...
Major event after major event erupted in such a short span of time, nearly tearing the Federation apart.
Although the Federation remained stable on the surface for now, news was already reaching their conference tables that veterans from the former Londo Bell unit and those who took part in the Axis campaign were deserting their posts in droves.
Due to Federation suppression, these veterans did not hold high-ranking positions, but they took with them a small number of new recruits who shared their values.
Moreover, it was said that some true Zeon remnants had begun to stir restlessly following Char's comeback.
In a daze, many high-ranking Federation officials felt a sense of unreality, as if they had been transported back to the days of the conflict between the AEUG and the Titans.
Only this time, they were the "Titans."
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At this moment at the New York venue, both the Federation MS units and the teams belonging to Roz and Char had dispersed, leaving behind only fields of wreckage and rescue teams braving the danger to search for survivors.
Although the high-ranking officials and reporters inside the hall had escaped physical harm, there was no doubt that the maddened Federation would dispatch FBI agents to dig up everything their families had done for the last three generations.
The Nightingale and ν Gundam stood side-by-side on the deck of the Nahel Argama. As the battleship cruised forward, fierce winds whipped against the two mobile suits.
"Static... Should I call you Damien now, or Char?"
Inside the Nightingale's cockpit, as Char watched the scenery outside, Hathaway's voice came through the comms.
"I am Damien, and I am also Char."
Char leaned back in his seat, reaching out to re-tie the necktie he had loosened while running through the corridors. "While I'd love for others to keep calling me Damien, it's clear that right now, people have a greater need for 'Char'—and for the Amuro on the ν Gundam."
Saying this, Char looked up, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he gazed at the Ra Cailum flying alongside the Nahel Argama.
"Especially on Bright's side. They certainly need Amuro more."
Hearing this, Hathaway couldn't help but fall into silence.
To be honest, Hathaway had occasionally heard from Bright that Amuro's private life was a bit of a mess, but thinking about the tangled web of interpersonal relationships involved gave him a sense of suffocation.
"What is your current status?" Char asked Hathaway after checking the time.
"We've managed to evacuate during the chaos," Hathaway snapped back to attention and replied. "We've boarded the rendezvous vessel and are currently sailing across the Atlantic. It will take some time before we return to the Indian Ocean to transfer to the Valiant."
"By the way, I have a question." Hathaway paused for a moment before asking Char. "Why didn't you let me evacuate on that battleship as well? Aren't they allies? It would have been much faster."
"Because I am about to enter negotiations with Bright—your father."
Char took off his sunglasses, his expression unreadable. "It isn't time yet, Hathaway. Be patient."
This was also for Bright's sake; after all, he wasn't young anymore. The reappearance of Char and "Amuro" was a heavy enough shock as it was. If he saw his own son as the target of his own pursuit, what would happen then?
To realize the "future for humans and Newtypes" that Lalah Sune had spoken of, Bright's presence was essential.
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"That battleship... it's huge."
On the Ra Cailum, the helmsman found himself staring involuntarily at the Nahel Argama beside them. "It looks even larger than the original Nahel Argama."
"Yes, and although we only saw them briefly during the descent, their firepower is incredibly dense," Bright said, analyzing the Nahel Argama's design and combat capability. "Those five turrets... they're quadruple-mounted beam cannons. A very rare specification; at the very least, the Federation wouldn't have them in their arsenal."
As he looked at the Nahel Argama, Bright's gaze drifted toward the catapult deck closest to the Ra Cailum, where the ν Gundam stood in silence.
It's different from the past, yet it feels exactly the same.
Bright sighed inwardly.
"...By the way, is the recovery of those soldiers complete?"
Thinking of the Jegans they had just taken into the Ra Cailum's hangar, Bright inquired.
"Yes, the recovery is complete. The maintenance crew is already complaining that the hangar is packed to the limit," his adjutant responded.
"I see..."
Bright seemed to come to a decision and rose from the captain's chair. "I'm going to prepare for negotiations. I'm leaving you in command of the Ra Cailum for now."
With that, Bright patted his adjutant on the shoulder.
"If I don't make it back, you will take command of the 13th Independent Fleet and the former Londo Bell members who return later."
Bright looked into his adjutant's eyes with a serious expression. "You've been with me for a long time; you should know what to do."
"...Yes, Captain."
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If there was one thing during this voyage that left a deep impression on the crew of the Ra Cailum, it was the cruising speed of the Nahel Argama.
Even without using the TRANS-AM system to accelerate, the Nahel Argama's inherent power was incredibly formidable.
The helmsman of the Ra Cailum had to push the ship to its absolute limits just to maintain a pace equal to the Nahel Argama.
Thanks to this speed, by the time Char had grown bored enough to start scrolling through various works written by Kai Shiden on his comms, the two battleships had already entered the airspace over the Pacific Ocean. Then, before everyone's eyes, the Nahel Argama suddenly began to decelerate and lose altitude.
Accompanied by a light spray of water, Maho Nishizumi—having studied under the master helmsman Arnold Neumann and successfully practiced water landings countless times in simulations—smoothly brought the Nahel Argama into a seafaring state.
Even in the ship's galley, the meal being stewed by Mayu Asuka didn't so much as tip over during the transition to the water.
"It can enter the water? Is this battleship a triple-environment craft?"
Seeing the Nahel Argama splash down, the radar observer on the Ra Cailum, who had been fixated on the ship, exclaimed in surprise.
"Never mind that. Maintain a cruising speed consistent with that ship. Open the hangar gates; the Captain is departing via Kessaria."
Bright's adjutant frowned slightly as he watched the Nahel Argama's stable landing. "Stay alert... at least until we reach a consensus."
Although the Ra Cailum usually operated in space orbit, considering the possibility of Earth-based missions, Kessaria transports for atmospheric use were also stationed aboard.
"The Captain has departed."
Following the CIC's confirmation, a Kessaria left the Ra Cailum's catapult deck.
"Phew... hope everything goes smoothly."
At that moment, every soul aboard the Ra Cailum shared that same thought.
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Thanks to the Nahel Argama's catapult deck being both large and long enough, the Kessaria docked smoothly near the end of the deck.
Stepping onto the Nahel Argama's catapult deck for the first time, Bright felt a bit out of place. Having spent so much time in space and on the Moon, Earth's gravity and the sensation of solid ground beneath his feet felt like a long-lost memory.
Pshhh...
At that moment, before everyone's eyes, the ν Gundam standing ahead of them opened its cockpit.
A figure wearing a pilot suit identical to the one Amuro wore in UC 0093 slowly descended to the deck via a lift wire.
Fortunately, the Nahel Argama had already entered a slow cruising state; otherwise, the gale-force winds encountered during high-speed navigation would have been enough to turn Roz into a kite and send him flying into the sky.
Seeing the figure before him—familiar yet carrying a trace of something foreign—Bright couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Roz and Bright continued walking toward each other, finally coming to a halt at a short distance.
Roz reached up and removed the helmet from his head, revealing a face identical to Amuro's. Perhaps the only difference was that his hair was black.
"Phew... we meet again, Captain Bright."
Roz breathed in the sea breeze blowing across the deck, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked at Bright.
Unlike Char, who was currently making his way to the deck through the ship's internal corridors, Roz had just enjoyed a long, peaceful sleep under the "massage" of the machine spirit Kara.
Although Kara had no physical form, Roz had truly felt her touch.
"I knew it. My eyes didn't deceive me then."
Seeing the appearance that gradually overlapped with the figure in his memories, Bright seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief. "The person I saw on the Moon back then really was you, Amuro."
One should know that after being given such a fright by Roz not long ago, Bright had even gone so far as to write his will.
"Where did you go back then?" Bright asked. "Beltorchika, Sayla, Kamille... everyone has missed you dearly."
"...Actually... I..."
Roz fell silent for a moment, carefully weighing his words.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Roz look as if he were about to say something significant, Bright frowned slightly.
Roz was well aware that while he looked exactly like Amuro, he was still different. He had never owned the name "Amuro," his life experiences were entirely separate, and his personality and thoughts differed greatly from the hero of legend.
However, even though Char had firmly pinned the title of "Amuro" onto him, Roz was unwilling to go against his conscience and deceive a man like Bright, who had endured so many battles alongside the real Amuro.
"Actually, I am not Amuro."
Roz's sudden words made Bright's eyes widen in disbelief. Roz understood that no matter how hard it was for Bright to accept, he had to clarify his identity.
"My name is Roz Links."
Roz's expression was solemn and earnest. "Although I look almost exactly like the legendary Amuro Ray, we are, in fact, entirely different beings."
Bright, having snapped out of his initial shock, now wore an expression like an old man staring confusedly at a smartphone—his face practically screamed, Are you kidding me?
Amuro... or rather, this "Amuro" now calling himself Roz—his motives were like Amuro's, his fighting style was like Amuro's, his appearance and voice were like Amuro's, and even his views on the current Federation were exactly like Amuro's.
And now, you're telling me you aren't Amuro?
Do you think I'm an idiot?
"...Fine. Amuro... Roz, that's the name for now, right?"
Bright took a deep breath to calm himself. "What happened after the miracle of Axis in UC 0093?"
"I don't know," Roz replied directly. "I only arrived here a short while ago."
Indeed, a miracle like that was beyond scientific explanation; it was a reasonable justification that Amuro wouldn't know what had transpired.
"I see..."
Bright nodded, then looked toward the bridge of the Nahel Argama.
"I must say, I didn't expect you to get your hands on a battleship with such incredible performance."
"The name of this ship is the Nahel Argama," a female voice suddenly rang out across the deck. "And the design of this vessel also came from Roz's hand."
Murrue Ramius, dressed in a Nahel Argama uniform, had arrived on the deck at some unknown point and walked up to Roz's side.
"I am Murrue Ramius, the Captain of this ship."
Looking at Bright, Murrue offered a salute to show her respect. "I have long heard of your fame—one of the Federation's legends, Captain Bright. I figured since you had come aboard this ship, I should come to meet you."
Bright was startled by Murrue's appearance, but he still raised his hand and returned the salute.
Although he couldn't quite put his finger on why Murrue's salute felt a bit unusual to him, Bright assumed she was simply a woman who had experienced a different military culture.
"Captain Murrue, is it?" Bright said. "Thank you for taking care of... Roz."
Nahel Argama... As expected, Amuro hadn't forgotten the days of the Gryps Conflict.
Furthermore, after scrutinizing Murrue's appearance as she stood beside Roz—and noting their obviously intimate proximity—Bright turned his gaze toward Roz.
"I think I understand the situation now."
Bright sighed. "A messy private life is one thing, but you shouldn't let it go this far. Don't forget that your child is already in school. I'll be telling Beltorchika about this."
"I've already told you, Captain Bright, I am not Amuro. I am Roz Links!"
Hearing those words, Roz knew exactly how badly Bright had misread the situation and hurriedly tried to explain.
But at that moment, a hearty voice rang out from behind Roz and Murrue.
"And yet, every action you take only proves that you are Amuro."
Char smiled, adjusting the sunglasses on his face as he walked briskly toward Roz and Bright. The three of them formed a triangle on the deck. "In fact, you think so too, don't you, Captain Bright?"
Then, Roz watched as Bright nodded with a look of absolute conviction.
"Char! You bastard, you set me up!"
......................