"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Hann."
"The pleasure is mine, Colonel Yang Hui. I've heard a great deal about you."
After arranging their respective tasks, Yang Hui went to the development department in Jaburo and met Mosuke Han.
It was clear that Mosuke Han was quite excited. Although it had not been publicly announced, the Federation's top brass and esteemed figures like Mosuke Han knew that the Gundam Astray Series MS were all his designs. This was what had allowed the Federation to so rapidly acquire its own MS units and catch up to Zeon.
"Not at all, Dr. Hann. I've seen the Magnetic Coating Technology you developed. It's truly incredible."
"Colonel Yang Hui, I'm a scientist. There's no need for the pleasantries of officialdom."
"I'm just speaking the truth." Yang Hui was not being complimentary; he was offering genuine praise. "The success of the Magnetic Coating Technology can increase an MS's agility and turning performance by at least twofold. As a researcher, you should know what that means."
"In that case, I'll accept your praise, Colonel Yang Hui."
"As you should."
Afterward, Yang Hui and Mosuke Han discussed the achievements and shortcomings of the Magnetic Coating Technology. Other minor issues were quickly resolved, but the biggest and most urgent problem remained—consumption.
This wasn't about manufacturing costs. The Magnetic Coating Technology was not difficult to produce, nor was it expensive. A single magnetic coating device could meet the needs of an entire unit, making the cost very low.
But... the magnetic coating was like adding lubricant to an MS's joints; it wore down very quickly. Although it could be reapplied, for the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, which often operated behind enemy lines and deep within enemy territory for days at a time, there was simply no opportunity to reapply it mid-mission.
Therefore, for the Magnetic Coating Technology to be useful to the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, the problem of consumption and wear had to be solved.
Mosuke Han had suggested that since the Twelfth Independent Technical Division had the Luna, it could be used as a resupply point to support their long-duration operations behind enemy lines.
But Yang Hui immediately vetoed the idea. The Luna was too large a target; it was impossible for it to follow them on combat missions behind enemy lines.
So, Yang Hui remained in the research and development department, working with Mosuke Han to find a solution to the consumption and wear issues of the Magnetic Coating Technology.
Meanwhile, the training for the Twelfth Independent Technical Division was in full swing.
Jung stood with his arms crossed, watching the new recruits training on the screen. For the most part, he could only shake his head. Their quality was too poor, especially some of the well-connected young masters who had been inserted into the program. Their performance could only be described as abysmal.
But it wasn't without its discoveries of talent, such as Athrun and Gai Murakumo.
"Tsk, tsk, the Colonel's eye for talent is truly terrifying. Where on earth did he find these people?" Jung clicked his tongue as he stared at the screen.
The training for new recruits was, of course, hellishly difficult. He and the others had been pushed to their limits back in the day, nearly reaching their breaking point. Yet, faced with this level of training, Athrun and Gai Murakumo still had the spare energy to put on an act, even subtly helping the others. This was no longer just excellence; it was monstrous talent.
"Aren't you the one who knows the answer to that best?" Ford Romfellow rolled his eyes and retorted irritably, because he and Kajima Yu were the ones Yang Hui had personally brought into the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, and they too had shown a gap between themselves and the others from the very beginning.
"Er..." Jung felt a bead of sweat. He admitted that before Yang Hui brought him into the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, he had already begun various forms of MS-related training, which was why he could perform so well at the start. But... that was only at the start. Later, his and Kajima Yu's growth slowed, and the others quickly caught up.
But this was completely different from Athrun and Gai Murakumo. They had merely had a head start, but Athrun and Gai's performance was truly monstrous, just like the one who had first taught them MS piloting... Kira... Yamato... Kira Yamato!
Perhaps it was because they hadn't been in contact for several months, or perhaps the recent battles had been too intense, but Jung had momentarily forgotten about Kira's existence. He was another bona fide monster.
When they first started simulator training, Jung and the others thought Kira was just ahead of them, which was why he was better.
But that illusion was shattered after failure upon failure. No matter how much they grew, Kira still stood atop a high mountain, looking down on them. The peak of that mountain even seemed to be rising infinitely higher, making it difficult for them to even see how great the distance between them was.
This feeling... that's right! It was just like with Yang Hui!
"They're all monsters," Jung muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Ford Romfellow didn't quite hear what Jung said.
"Nothing." Some things were best not publicized. Although he was now wondering why Kira hadn't joined the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, thinking of Yang Hui's various arrangements, he figured there must be another plan. In any case, Kira's strength wasn't something he needed to worry about.
"Major Jung, Number 19 has fainted."
"Have someone take him to the infirmary."
"Understood."
Five minutes after the official training began, someone couldn't hold on and passed out, which directly confirmed Jung and the others' assessment of this batch of new recruits. Fainting was normal. Among the current members of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, aside from the tech geeks in the R&D department, who hadn't fainted during training?
But for someone to go down just five minutes in, that certainly broke the record for the fastest collapse.
Where there was one, there was a second. Fainting seemed to be contagious, as the new recruits collapsed one after another on the training ground, losing consciousness. No matter how much Athrun and Gai Murakumo tried to help, they couldn't help them hold on any longer.
Jung had everyone who passed out sent to the infirmary for treatment. This was training, not murder. If they fainted, they naturally had to stop and could only resume after they had recovered.
However... there were a few among them trying to get by, faking a faint to muddle through. What they received was, naturally, a lesson they would never forget.
"Should we increase the level?" Looking at the only two people left on the training field, Ford Romfellow asked Jung. The start of the training was naturally a baseline assessment. Only by understanding the recruits' foundations could they arrange the most suitable training plan. Thus, he was very eager to see where Athrun and Gai Murakumo's limits were.
"No need." Jung objected. He had already determined that Athrun and Gai Murakumo were monsters of the same caliber as Kira. This level of training intensity certainly wouldn't probe their depths. A much higher intensity could indeed test their limits, but right now, they were still trying to act and hide their abilities. Ruling out the possibility of them being spies, this must be by Yang Hui's design.
"Then what about their training plan? If we don't arrange it properly, we won't be able to complete the mission the Colonel assigned us." Ford Romfellow was now a man who feared nothing and no one, except for one person: Yang Hui.
"The same as the others. The Colonel has his own arrangements."
"Alright."
...
Up in space, just after obtaining the original text of the Universal Century Charter, Dozle Zabi happened to order Char to return to his unit. It was at this time that Char received Dozle Zabi's authorization to establish his own elite unit. Dozle, considering the threat and strategic importance of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, intended to learn from their tactics and form an Ace Unit of his own. This was also to ensure he had a hand to play against the Twelfth Independent Technical Division in the future.
Dozle Zabi, who looked like he had muscles for brains, was in fact a very shrewd man. His manner was boisterous, but that didn't mean he was a fool.
Especially in terms of military command ability, Dozle Zabi's capacity to lead Zeon's Space Fleet to suppress the Federation fleet spoke for itself.
From the moment he received the first battle report on the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, he had placed this unit in high regard and had been constantly thinking about how to deal with it.
When news came some time ago that Kycilia Zabi had been captured by the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, Dozle Zabi was only shocked at first, but he quickly came to terms with it. Although he had never fought them, he had been studying the Twelfth Independent Technical Division continuously. He would repeatedly analyze every battle report and piece of intelligence, treating the unit as a hypothetical enemy and simulating encounters in his mind.
The conclusion he reached was that he had to form an Ace Unit of the same caliber to be able to contend with them.
Based on his research, Dozle Zabi discovered that apart from Yang Hui, who was a complete and utter monster, the other members could only be called aces. Their MS piloting skills were not unbeatable.
The two biggest reasons they were able to achieve such terrifying results on the terrestrial battlefield were, one, the superior performance of their MS, and two, Yang Hui's tactical command.
On the first point, the Zeonic Company, MIP Company, and Zimmad Company, which served the Zeon Army, had already developed a new generation of MS based on observational data of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. Both the Tiger and the Dom had excellent performance and could replace the Zaku II as the new mainstay MS of the Zeon Army.
But... it wasn't enough!
The Tiger and the Dom were excellent, on par with the mass-produced Gundam Astray Series MS, but there was still a gap compared to the Gundam Astray units of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. Therefore, he submitted a request to his superiors to equip this ace unit with MS made entirely of Gundarium Alloy Alpha. However, the request was rejected by Gihren Zabi as soon as it was submitted, the reason being that Zeon did not have enough resources to spend on a single unit.
Dozle Zabi was quite helpless about this, but...
While Dozle Zabi was helpless, Char was overjoyed. He could now form his own independent unit, which meant he had the ability to gather the people he had already won over and hold them in his own hands, possessing his own faction within the Zeon Army instead of having them scattered in various places.