Chapter 219: Gusion Gundam
Hearing that his spatial capacity had increased to 1,000 meters, Tolle felt he had taken another big step toward building the Macross. After the next world jump, he could finally begin construction.
He then recalled the Iron-Blooded Orphans world he had just entered. The most valuable things here were the seventy-two Gundams and the Mobile Armor Hashmal—or more precisely, their reactors and nano-armor coatings. Compared to those, the Alaya-Vijnana System wasn't worth nearly as much.
The Ahab Reactor, which powered the Mobile Suits in this world, was somewhat like the Minovsky particle reactors from the UC timeline.
The Ahab Particles themselves were mostly harmless to humans, but they caused severe interference with wireless communication and radar systems, with an effective disruption radius of several dozen kilometers.
These Ahab Particles—produced by the reactors—were widely used to power Mobile Suits, bolster their defensive systems, and even serve as artificial gravity generators on warships.
The Ahab Reactor was also extraordinarily durable. Reactors built during the Calamity War had continued operating flawlessly even after three hundred years.
Most importantly, the nano-armor coating of Iron-Blooded Orphans was capable of resisting beam attacks. Combined with PS Armor, it formed a nearly perfect defense.
This nano-armor coating was a special metallic layer that reacted uniquely with Ahab Particles. Under gravitational influence, its molecular structure arranged itself in a complex pattern that dispersed and absorbed incoming energy impacts, as if the armor possessed multiple layers of shock absorbers.
This property made it exceptionally resistant to beam weaponry—standard beam weapons were practically useless against it.
Although it also offered some resistance to physical and explosive attacks, its effectiveness there was far weaker. Moreover, since the coating was extremely thin, it could be broken through by continuous kinetic strikes.
As a result, weapon technology in this world gradually shifted toward solid-projectile and melee weaponry to counteract nano-armor defenses.
Each of the seventy-two Gundam Frames possessed two Ahab Reactors, giving them exceptional power output.
However, synchronizing multiple reactors simultaneously was an immense technical challenge—hence why only seventy-two Gundams were ever built.
The cockpits of these Gundams were located directly in front of the reactors, which helped with inertia control and reduced the gravitational strain on pilots.
Yet as the machines' power output increased, so too did the resulting impact forces, still placing massive strain on their pilots.
To solve this, the Alaya-Vijnana System was created.
The Alaya-Vijnana System was an organic neural interface linking human pilots directly to their Mobile Suits, granting them pseudo-spatial awareness.
Through surgery, connectors were implanted into the pilot's spinal cord, allowing a direct link between their nervous system and the Mobile Suit's cockpit interface.
Using nano-machines as conduits, the system enabled seamless connection between man and machine, generating a heightened sense of spatial awareness in the pilot's brain and feeding real-time mechanical feedback directly into their consciousness—dramatically improving reaction speed and piloting precision.
While Tolle was piloting his VF-1SS Valkyrie toward the armored assault ship, three green, turtle-shell-like Mobile Suits suddenly launched from the vessel and charged straight at him.
Tolle immediately recognized them—one Gusion Gundam, and two Man Rodi units.
"Heh, what luck. I just ran into the pig-nose pirates right off the bat? Perfect, I was looking for somewhere to settle down—your ship will do nicely."
He ordered, "Nami, replace all VF-1SS missiles with neo DG Cells. I'm going to assimilate this entire pirate crew."
"Understood, Master. Nami will assist you in capturing the warship."
At that moment, the Gusion Gundam opened its external communicator. A crazed male voice echoed across the channel:
"Ahahahaha! Hey, little plane in front! Stop right there or we'll blast you to bits!
I'm Kudelia Cadel, second-in-command of the Brewers space pirate group! If you don't want to die, surrender now! Maybe I'll let you live! Ahahahahaha!"
"What an idiot. I was actually planning to spare him and the pig-nose, but forget it." Tolle said to Nami,
"Nami, kill that lunatic Kudelia Cadel and the pig-nose Brooke Kabayan—no need for prisoners.
As for the rest, capture them. I'll decide later who stays and who dies."
"Understood, Master. Your will is absolute."
Tolle immediately maneuvered the VF-1SS and unleashed a barrage of micro-missiles.
The three enemy units were struck head-on, lost power, and drifted helplessly in space as the DG Cells rapidly assimilated them.
The remaining missiles flew straight into the pirate battleship, merging seamlessly with its hull.
Moments later, the Gusion Gundam automatically opened its cockpit and ejected Kudelia—who wasn't wearing a spacesuit—straight into the vacuum. He froze instantly, becoming just another drifting icicle in space.
The assimilated Mobile Suits then followed Tolle's Valkyrie toward the warship.
Within minutes, the entire Brewers Space Pirate Group and all its assets had become Tolle's property.
To spare Tolle the sight of that hideous pig-nosed Brooke, Nami disintegrated him completely, leaving not even dust behind.
The remaining crew members were brainwashed into absolute loyalty, now serving obediently aboard the ship.
Finding the vessel's original name unpleasant, Tolle renamed it the Spark, symbolizing "a spark that can ignite a prairie fire."
As he reviewed the ship's personnel roster, he spotted the name Masahiro Altland—the younger brother of Akihiro Altland, the burly member of Tekkadan. Since he had found him, Tolle decided to keep him as a potential bargaining chip for future negotiations with Tekkadan.
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Man Rodi
C-Class Unit
Terrain Adaptability: Sea – B / Land – B / Air – B / Space – B
Fixed Armaments: Machine Gun; Spinning Flail; Grenades
———
Gusion Gundam
B–Class Unit (B+ with Alaya-Vijnana Activated)
Terrain Adaptability: Sea – C / Land – B / Air – B / Space – B
Fixed Armaments: Giant Hammer; Machine Gun; Grenades
Special Equipment: Dual Ahab Reactors; Ahab Nano-Armor Coating; Alaya-Vijnana System