(Surprised? Wasn't that unexpected?)
As soon as he returned to the base, Yang Hui saw a group of people surrounding several newcomers. Two of them had already been beaten beyond recognition and were lying on the ground, their slight convulsions indicating they were still alive.
"What happened?" Yang Hui asked Jung.
"It was like this..."
...
Fifteen minutes earlier, a group of newcomers disembarked from a Midia transport plane. Several of them had extremely sour expressions. The Midia had no living quarters, and it was also loaded with a large amount of equipment and parts, making the journey exceptionally unpleasant.
Just as a few of the more hot-tempered individuals were looking for an outlet for their frustration, Rita Bernal appeared before them with a sunny smile.
The sight of her immediately irked them. The little girl had run over from the direction of the Luna, which meant she had come to Jaburo aboard the Luna, unlike them, who had been crammed into a cramped Midia transport.
Why is my treatment as an Ace Pilot worse than that of a little girl?
Instantly, one of them called out to Rita Bernal, his face ferocious as he prepared to do something. And then...
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Seeing the frightened look on Rita Bernal's face, the veterans of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division surrounded them, their faces like ice. They all knew Rita could sense the goodwill and malice of others. For her to be this scared, it was obvious the other party had ill intentions.
"Sir, I object! Why does she get to enjoy a comfortable bed and space on the Luna while we have to squeeze onto a Midia?"
"You are not qualified to question this, soldier. Get back to what you're supposed to be doing."
"I object! I'm an Ace Pilot, why is my treatment worse than some little brat's!?"
"You have no right to object. The Colonel said that you, all of you, are not Ace Pilots, not elites, just a bunch of new recruits. Didn't you understand the Colonel's words?"
"I... I understand," one of the self-proclaimed elite Ace Pilots replied, his body trembling as he stepped back, intimidated by the veterans' fierce aura.
"Hmph, coward," a veteran cursed contemptuously. Then, with a smile, he patted Rita Bernal on the head and told her to go find Margareta. Since Margareta was part of the logistics unit, her daily work wasn't busy, and she had no heavy training or combat missions, so she was the one who usually took care of Rita.
However, this time Margareta was acting as the commander of the logistics transport unit and had to travel with the Midia transport's aircrew. Worried that Rita wouldn't be able to handle the environment on the Midia, they had temporarily separated, letting Rita travel with the Luna.
Everything should have ended there. Who would have thought that just as the veterans were about to disperse, one of the troublemaking newcomers muttered, "Hmph, a bunch of people playing house, what's there to be so arrogant about? I don't think this unit is anything special..."
If it were just them being looked down upon, the veterans wouldn't have cared; they would have simply taught them what a true ace was on the battlefield. But insulting the Twelfth Independent Technical Division was a completely different matter.
"Hey, what did you just say?" The veterans, who were about to leave, all stopped in their tracks. A murderous aura emanated from them as they stared coldly at the newcomers. To prevent the ensuing scene from frightening Rita Bernal, they had a female soldier take her to find Margareta first.
"I... I..."
Thwack!
Ruthless men don't waste words, and the people of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division were truly ruthless. Whether they were from the combat forces, the research department, the Maintenance Squad, or the logistics department, male or female, they were all wolves led by a wolf king.
A fist slammed viciously into the head of the one who had spoken, knocking him to the ground in a single blow.
The other newcomers behind him didn't even have time to react before they were surrounded and brutally beaten to the ground.
"Let me tell you something. If you're not convinced, come and challenge us. If you can't win, don't make excuses. Just take it."
"What's going on?" Just then, Jung noticed the commotion and came over to understand the situation.
"Major Jung, it's like this..."
As the veterans recounted the events, Jung's expression grew increasingly grim and cold. He felt no pity for the newcomers lying on the ground. He even walked over and stomped hard on the wrist of the one who had spoken. A crisp cracking sound mingled with a piercing scream.
Far from lifting his foot to spare him, Jung pressed down harder, grinding his foot back and forth a few times. Then he walked over to the others, lifted his foot, brought it down, and crushed. Every single newcomer who had been beaten to the ground had one of their hands disabled.
This could be considered a tradition passed down by Yang Hui. He wasn't afraid of troublemakers, only that they couldn't bear the consequences. Rita Bernal was the little sister of the entire Twelfth Independent Technical Division. Scaring her was one thing, but daring to slander the Twelfth Independent Technical Division? They were simply courting death!
...
"And that's what happened."
Returning to fifteen minutes later, Jung finished reporting the entire incident to Yang Hui. Yang Hui's face was expressionless. He merely glanced at the newcomers on the ground as if looking at trash.
"Send this garbage back where they came from."
Only Yang Hui had the authority to send new recruits back to their original units. Otherwise, Jung wouldn't have left the four eyesores on the ground.
"Yes, sir."
Several guards stepped forward and dragged the newcomers away like dead dogs, without a shred of sympathy. Instead, their eyes were filled with contempt and disdain.
No one cared about the future of those being dragged away. At Yang Hui's signal, the veterans resumed their own business, leaving a group of newcomers standing there, at a loss.
"What are you all standing around for? Get to your posts!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The newcomers, who had expected to be brutalized, found a new surge of strength after receiving Yang Hui's permission. They took off at a run, heading for their designated assembly point.
As they passed by Yang Hui, the others couldn't help but quicken their pace. Only Athrun and Gai Murakumo walked past without any change in their demeanor, but Yang Hui caught the complex look in Athrun's eyes.
"Sigh, that guy..." Yang Hui shook his head with a wry smile. Athrun must be blaming him for being so cruel, but... that was very much in character for him.
Shaking his head, he walked towards the combat briefing room. There were no combat missions for now, but he still needed to arrange the training schedule for the new recruits. This time, he would only check on their progress from time to time and wait for the final results. He wouldn't interfere, as he needed to discuss Magnetic Coating Technology with Dr. Mosuke Han. The emergence of this technology could replace some of the functions of the GN Drive.
The development of Quasi-GN Drives was on the development plan, but the preceding research projects had not yet been completed. The Federation's current manpower, resources, and finances were already allocated to other things, such as the large-scale production and deployment of Mass-Production Mobile Suits and the reorganization of the Space Fleet. It was impossible to immediately approve a large batch of resources for the development of Quasi-GN Drives.
...
"Why did you stop me just now?" Back in their assigned room, Athrun questioned Gai Murakumo. If Gai hadn't held him back, he would have stepped in the moment those men approached Rita Bernal, and none of the subsequent events would have happened.
"If not this time, then the next. Can you stop it every time?" Gai Murakumo saw things clearly. It was just Athrun's personality acting up, but in truth, Athrun himself knew that people like that couldn't stay in Yang Hui's unit. If they didn't cause trouble this time, they would be kicked out for something else later.
"But... it still shouldn't have..."
"In what capacity would you have stopped them?"
"That..."
That's right. Athrun and Gai Murakumo were not important figures right now; they were just new recruits in the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, and ones personally brought in by Yang Hui at that.
First, if they had intervened, how would they have done it? A direct challenge? Or the two of them against dozens of people? Whatever the outcome, it would have caused trouble for Yang Hui and made people question his judgment and decisions.
Second, in the process of intervening, they would have exposed a large part of their abilities. Exposing too much would make people suspicious of their identities and would also create distance and a rift between them and the other newcomers.
"Focus on the bigger picture. Don't let a small matter ruin our important mission."
"A small matter? You call this a small matter?" Athrun looked at Gai Murakumo, bewildered. Several people had been crippled and would have to live the rest of their lives with only one hand. How was that a small matter?
"In the face of our mission, everything else is a small matter. Factors that hinder the completion of the mission should be eliminated."
Gai Murakumo's way of thinking was different from Athrun's, or rather... more mature. In his eyes, there was only the mission. Once he accepted a commission, as long as the client didn't breach the contract, he would complete all tasks perfectly. Anything that stood in his way was an obstacle, and obstacles must be eliminated.
Moreover, Gai Murakumo had a hidden trait: he valued his comrades.
Although he always wore a stern, unsmiling expression, he was actually cold on the outside and warm on the inside. When on a mission, he constantly talked about eliminating obstacles, operational efficiency, and completion rates, but he was also always protecting his comrades. He would always take on the most dangerous parts of a mission himself, letting his comrades support him from a safe location. If they encountered danger, he would be the first to tell his comrades to retreat while he stayed behind alone to face the powerful enemy.
Of course, this only applied to comrades that Gai Murakumo recognized as such.
He recognized Yang Hui as his employer and as a comrade, which was why he followed Yang Hui's orders and put the mission first.
"..." Athrun understood all the principles Gai Murakumo was talking about, but due to his personality, he found it difficult to turn a blind eye.
"Control yourself, Athrun Zala. Don't forget where we came from, where we are going, and what we have to do."
"..." Watching Gai Murakumo's departing back, Athrun clenched his teeth tightly. Although he didn't want to admit it, compared to the burden they carried, watching a few people who couldn't be accepted get crippled in front of them was indeed a small matter.
"Hoo~" Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Athrun also walked out of the room to assemble with all the other newcomers. In just ten days, they would be stepping onto a new battlefield.
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