Two days later, all the Custom Machines were completed. After an additional day of debugging, Yzak and the others finally obtained the Custom Machines they had been longing for—machines perfectly suited to them. Upon hearing that a competition would be held to determine mission assignments, they were all eager to prove themselves.
"How's the situation?"
"Morale is high. But the roster is pretty much decided already."
"Mm."
The purpose of the competition wasn't just to determine mission assignments—it was also to establish each member's position and role within Prometheus Fortress. The latter was the primary reason.
As for the former, the members of the three squads had already been largely decided before the competition even began.
The first squad would still be led by Yang Hui, but aside from himself, all other members had been replaced. The nine members were Murrue, Natarle Badgiruel, Creuset, Kira, Athrun, Lowe, Gai Murakumo, Lacus, and Yurin.
The second squad, no longer including Graham, would continue to be led by Flit and Jehart. Asemu, Fram, Woolf, and Dole would serve as combat members, joined by four newcomers: Zechs, Zhang Wufei, Barry Ho, and Jiang Kerry.
The third squad would be led by Sumeragi, with Setsuna, Lyle, Tieria, and Graham as combat members, supplemented by five newcomers: Yzak, Shiho, Dearka, Heine Westenfluss, and Mu.
Each squad was composed of a capable strategist as commander, followed by combat personnel, and then newcomers.
The selection of newcomers was based on strength, as previously mentioned. Without sufficient strength, they wouldn't just be useless on missions—they might even drag the team down, making the effort counterproductive.
Wang Liu Mei had chosen to remain in Prometheus Fortress this time, intending to stay there long-term. Unless there was a special mission, she wouldn't occupy a squad slot anymore.
This was a matter of her role—she was support personnel. Though she excelled at intelligence work, it wouldn't be reasonable to occupy one of the limited mission slots just for that, especially since intelligence wasn't her exclusive domain. Yang Hui, Flit, Jehart, and Creuset were all capable of handling it.
Having already experienced a mission world once, she didn't plan to take up a slot unless there was a surplus of openings and a specific need for her.
Lacus was the same. Her participation this time was merely to experience a mission world—she was also a rear-line figure, handling politics, morale-boosting, and similar tasks.
Of course, Lacus also had another identity—that of a songstress. The role of a songstress shouldn't be underestimated. In a way, their existence could be considered a bug. However, Prometheus Fortress hadn't yet mastered the relevant technology to fully utilize a songstress's power.
Once they visited a specific world and acquired the necessary technology and research, Lacus might become a regular presence on the battlefield.
Before the final day, the competition concluded. The results were as Yang Hui and the others had expected—those who ranked highest were the ones who had already been pre-selected for the squads.
Though the others were disappointed, Yang Hui encouraged them, saying that opportunities would come in time. They shouldn't lose heart or give up—they just needed to keep improving themselves.
Next was the overall framework of the Prometheus Fortress. At the very top, of course, was Commander Yang Hui, who held the highest authority. Below him were Chief of Staff Sumeragi, Intelligence and Logistics Director Wang Liu Mei, Deputy Commander Flit, and "Sanitation Department" head Creuset. Other positions like Fleet Commander remained vacant for now, as Yang Hui already had ideal candidates in mind—for instance, Kati was undoubtedly the perfect choice for Fleet Commander.
Below that, fleet frameworks were established based on the Military Zone and Port. First Fleet Commander Jehart, Second Fleet Commander Murrue, Third Fleet Commander Natarle Badgiruel, Fourth Fleet Commander Mina, Fifth Fleet Commander Mireille… Then, pilots were assigned according to their original affiliations. Apart from Yang Hui, Setsuna, Lyle, Tieria, and Graham, even the pilots from mission teams would have their own designated units.
With the basic framework in place, filling the empty structure or replicating it later wouldn't be as difficult as the initial setup.
"Finally, it's about to begin?" Creuset couldn't suppress his trembling excitement as he counted down the time. Though he had grown accustomed to the Prometheus Fortress, this would be his first journey to another world, and the thrill was impossible to contain.
"Five more hours…" Yang Hui sighed, watching Creuset—no, not just Creuset, but also Murrue, Natarle, Kira, Athrun, and all the other newcomers confirmed for the next mission. They had dragged the veterans to the Central Hall five hours early just to wait together.
"Can't we start ahead of time?" Creuset asked.
"No—"
[Yes.]
Yang Hui: (o__)
Miss Mephis, must you be so honest right now?
"Heh." Creuset smirked, knowing Yang Hui had intended to delay until the last moment before entering the mission world—only to be betrayed by Mephis.
"Fine, I just found out myself." Yang Hui shrugged. He wasn't lying—he'd never asked before. After all, missions in other worlds lasted at least a decade or more. With only a week's rest back at the fortress, who would even think about starting the next mission early?
[Shall we proceed to the next mission?]
"Hold on. Since we're on the topic, let's clarify—Mephis, how early can the next mission begin?"
[Immediately after the conclusion of the previous mission.]
"Got it." So it was flexible enough for those who couldn't sit still.
[Shall we proceed to the next mission?]
"...Let's begin." Yang Hui had wanted to say "wait," but under the weight of countless eager gazes burning into his back, the words died in his throat.
[Selecting mission worlds… Gundam UC (0079), Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Overdrive Kenner.]
"I'll take UC. The other two are yours." Yang Hui didn't hesitate. Compared to the orphans of Mars or Overdrive Kenner, the UC era was far more treacherous—Zeon's fleeting rise, the Federation's deep-rooted corruption, and the tangled web of factions within the Federation were things Flit and the others, unfamiliar with the plot, wouldn't be able to navigate.
Moreover, the Universal Century (UC) era is undoubtedly the most chaotic and expansive world within the Real Type genre. Setting aside the 200-year-old Federation government plagued by corruption and endless waves of ambitious schemers, the political landscape is incredibly intricate. The Federation Council alone is divided into four factions: the Moderates, the Populists, the Radicals, and the Aristocrats. Within the military, there are also the Conservatives and the Reformists.
Then there's Zeon. While it may appear united on the surface, internal conflicts run deep. Aside from Dozle, the simple-minded gorilla (relatively speaking), and the hot-blooded teenager Garma, Degwin Zabi, Gihren Zabi, and Kycilia Zabi each represent their own factions. Yang Hui once wondered—if the eldest son, Sasro Zabi, hadn't died, would the Zabi family alone have split into four factions?
And that's just the ruling Zabi family. Beneath them, the Zeon military is covertly divided into two factions: one consists of die-hard loyalists to the Zabi family, while the other, represented by figures like Ramba Ral and Shin Matsunaga, yearns for the leadership of the Deikun family and remains steadfast in upholding the warrior's code.
But even among the Zabi loyalists, there are further subdivisions. For instance, M'Quve, who is loyal to Kycilia, and Erich Mansfield, a staunch follower of Gihren, are absolutely not on the same side.
Compared to the worlds of Martian Orphans and Overlimit Kenner, the UC era truly lives up to the word "dangerous"—largely because Gihren Zabi is a complete psychopath! The term "madman" doesn't even begin to describe his insanity. He has no moral limits in pursuit of victory—poisoning entire Colony populations, turning Colonies into giant bombs to drop on Earth, and when one wasn't enough, planning a second. He even murdered his own father without hesitation...
In summary, what else can you call this but sheer madness? Even Patrick Zala, who in the original timeline planned to destroy Earth, was driven to insanity by his wife's death. Gihren Zabi, on the other hand, showed no such trigger!
And let's not forget—Zeon's year-long war not only reduced the global population by billions but also shattered the Federation's last vestiges of backbone.
So, given the complexity of the UC era, especially during the One Year War, Yang Hui decided to handle this world personally. He holds great interest in its technological advancements—the Minovsky Reactor, the Psychoframe, and the Psycommu System—but beyond that, the UC era is the richest talent pool among all Real Type worlds. The number of elite figures in the main storyline alone is staggering, not to mention the countless spin-off novels, manga, and games, each packed with aces. Just tally them up.
Even in the rankings of top aces from the Federation and Zeon compiled in his past life, the protagonist of the main story, Amuro, only placed second, while Char didn't even make the list! (Of course, this was partly because Char was constantly targeted by Amuro and later left the main battlefield to stir up trouble elsewhere.)
"This world's situation seems far from simple," mused Creuset, Flit, and Jehart as they watched Yang Hui make his choice without hesitation.
"Large in scale, grand in spectacle—naturally, it's complicated."
"So, no restrictions then?"
"No, even so, the mass-produced units in this world are only D-grade at best. The custom machines used by elite aces barely reach C-grade, and even the Gundams themselves don't qualify as B-grade."
Yang Hui dared to make such claims because he had solid evidence. The original Gundam's armaments were limited to beam rifles or hyper bazookas, with beam sabers or hammer weapons as alternatives—quite simplistic. While it could combine with units like the G-Fighter or G-Bull, the mobile suit itself had little to boast about beyond its Gundarium Alloy Alpha (the miniaturization of Minovsky Reactors had already become widespread).
The real threats came from large Mobile Armors like the Big Zam and Elmeth developed by Zeon, but even those weren't particularly impressive.
Thus, the true challenges in the UC timeline weren't on the battlefield, allowing them to impose certain restrictions on themselves.
"Is that so? What about the other worlds?" Flit asked. As the person most familiar with the three worlds, Yang Hui's advice was crucial.
"Restricted Quests can be chosen for both. In Iron-Blooded Orphans, the tech tree is skewed—beam weapons aren't very effective, but we must retrieve their armor technology. The dangers in Over Limit Kenner are minimal, and its tech level is below average. However, both worlds involve factions from Mars."
"Understood," Sumeragi and Flit nodded.
"Then we'll head to Iron-Blooded Orphans," Sumeragi said.
"We'll take Over Limit Kenner," Flit decided.
"For Iron-Blooded Orphans, watch out for Tekkadan on Mars. The dominant force is Gjallarhorn—be mindful of the Gundam Frames and the sealed kinetic weapons. In Over Limit Kenner, be cautious of the three official factions. The starting point is Handan on the Moon, where three Kenners are hidden. Consider acquiring the Over Limit System."
"Roger that," they both replied.
"Alright then... Mephis, activate all restriction conditions."
[Restriction conditions enabled. Random selection... complete... Gundam UC (0079) restrictions: Mobile Suits and Warships cannot be carried; Iron-Blooded Orphans restrictions: Mobile Suits cannot be carried; Over Limit Kenner restrictions: Mobile Suits cannot be carried, attributes suppressed to C-grade...]
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