Finding an Anaheim Electronics supervisor was not difficult. In an era where the Earth Federation and Anaheim were so tightly intertwined, almost every military base had technicians and executives stationed on-site.
Initially, this particular Anaheim executive was in his private office, enjoying a cup of specialty black tea and contemplating which bar he should visit tonight to find a beautiful companion for a wonderful evening.
The next second, before he could even react, guards from the Kimberley Unit burst into his office and escorted him—practically carrying him—straight to the combat command center.
"What... what is the meaning of this?"
The executive, barely catching his breath, regained his footing only to look up and see a scene of immense psychological pressure.
Dim lights flickered over the Kimberley Unit's battle flag. Kimberley stood with his back to the light in front of the executive, his eyes as sharp as blades, as if he wanted to slice the man open to see how many more secrets he was hiding.
What made the executive break into a cold sweat was the handgun sitting on the table and Kimberley's hand, which twitched with agitation right beside the weapon.
Kimberley, fuming at the sight of the suit-clad executive, pointed a trembling finger at the main screen and hissed through gritted teeth.
"Look at the 'good work' your people have done!"
The executive turned toward the screen. Since the main body of the forces had already closed in on the sector cleared by the 1st Company, the command center now had a clear feed of the battlefield.
On the massive display, a blue-and-white machine wreathed in azure flames was rampaging through the sky at terrifying speeds.
Trailing green light particles, it transformed seamlessly between Waverider (WR) and MS modes, systematically destroying a Gustav Karl with every pass.
"A... Delta Kai?"
Seeing the machine, the executive's eyes widened instinctively. "That hovering... is it using a Minovsky Drive? And what are those light particles?"
"I was about to ask you!" Kimberley's voice rose in fury. "Where did this Delta Kai come from?! Did you people sell it to those Mafty bastards?!"
Although both the Federation and Anaheim knew that the so-called "Zeon Remnants" and "Mafty" were often funded "pawns" used for profit, handing over a high-spec Gundam-type from the past to Mafty was a bridge too far. It defied all logic and protocol.
"I don't know..." The executive pleaded, feeling helpless. "As far as I am aware, the Delta Kai is currently sitting in an Anaheim warehouse. The n_i_t_r_o System was sealed off per Federation orders!"
"Hmph, I don't believe a word of it!" Kimberley sneered, pointing at the Proto Fin Funnels on the screen, which were currently firing at Gustav Karls from impossible angles. "Then explain this! Funnels being used in a terrestrial environment! You actually gave technology like this to Mafty?!"
Looking at the Funnels operating perfectly in Earth's gravity, the Anaheim executive felt a sense of utter absurdity.
Anaheim Electronics was divided into numerous isolated project teams.
Many projects were top-secret even within the company. This led the executive to wonder—not "We didn't do this," but "Did we actually do this?"
After all, anyone who dealt with Anaheim long enough knew their true nature as the ultimate corporate meddler.
"I truly have no idea. Perhaps some project team I'm unaware of developed it?" The executive felt completely numb. "How about... I contact the head office and ask for you?"
At this point, the supervisor wanted nothing more than to throw this "hot potato" into the laps of the higher-ups.
Let the board of directors deal with this headache; they were the ones making the decisions to play both sides, and they had plenty of experience dealing with situations that spiraled out of control.
But just as he spoke, the scene on the screen shifted, revealing something even more strange.
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A small sedan skidded past the remains of a Gustav Karl destroyed by the Delta Kai, arriving at the designated zone.
Oenbelli had descended into absolute chaos. Armed members of the "Mafty Army" were entrenched in every room of every building.
Having witnessed the "real" Mafty appearing in person with their own Mobile Suits, their morale had reached a fever pitch. In an environment like this, continuing the pursuit of Char on foot was no longer feasible.
"The recipient has arrived. Drop the cargo."
A red light flickered in Takina Inoue's eyes—a sign that she was communicating through her cybernetic enhancements.
High above, a ReZEL carrying the Sinanju on its back descended slowly, finally hovering before the small car. The downwash from its engines caused the vehicle to rock violently; only the sheer weight of the three highly cyberized special ops members—Nagisa, Takina, and Chisato—kept the sedan from being blown away.
"Delivery complete! Remember to give this Raven Express courier a five-star rating!"
Louise's voice crackled over the comms from the ReZEL; she was clearly sucking on a hard candy as she spoke.
"Five stars, definitely," Roz replied, a wave of relief washing over him at the sight of his machine. "I'll see that you're rewarded once we're back on the Nahel Argama."
With that, Roz turned to the special ops team still inside the car.
"We will follow the plan—regroup with you all once we've broken through the Kimberley Unit's encirclement."
Nagisa Shiota gave Roz a thumbs-up. "Trust in our capabilities, sir."
"Right. Make sure you all come back safe."
Roz nodded, then turned and sprinted toward the Sinanju mounted on the ReZEL's back.
The cockpit of the Sinanju was identical to that of the Unicorn—or rather, Roz had become so accustomed to the Unicorn's interface that he had it standardized across all his personal machines.
Inside the cockpit, Roz changed into a crimson pilot suit that felt a bit "flamboyant" compared to his usual gear. He donned a blonde wig and a specially modified mask designed to conceal his identity without obstructing his vision.
Outside, Nagisa steered the small sedan away from the ReZEL, beginning their stealthy breakout from the hot zone.
"Captain, right now, you really do have that Char flair," Louise's voice chimed in as Roz pulled on his red helmet and the Sinanju's systems hummed to life. "The Federation is going to be scared out of their wits."
"A little shock therapy for this decaying Federation won't hurt," Roz replied. He tapped the touchscreens, his hands gripping the control sticks with practiced authority.
The Sinanju's green mono-eye flared to life. Despite its massive, imposing frame, its detachment from the ReZEL was exceptionally fluid and graceful.
"Well then, we'll be standing by in the air," Louise said, waving a hand on the video comms before her ReZEL Type-C roared back into the sky, leaving a faint trail of green particles behind. "Don't forget to call if you need sniper support!"
"Whew... Alright, it's our turn now, Sinanju..."
Roz lightly depressed the foot pedals. The thrusters began spitting blue flames laced with green particles, causing the Sinanju to hover just inches above the ground.
"Here and now, the Red Comet returns..."
"Let's go, Sinanju!"
Roz slammed the pedals down. The Sinanju's wing-like thruster binders on its back flared open, extending outward to fully release its propulsion limiters.
The backpack erupted with massive pillars of fire, accompanied by a dense cloud of light particles.
The sudden surge of acceleration sent the Sinanju screaming toward the heart of the battlefield at a velocity that defied belief.
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"Damn it! Damn it all!"
The pilot of a Gustav Karl was frantically pulling the trigger of his beam rifle, trying to swat the Delta Gundam Kai out of the sky.
But in the next heartbeat, the Delta Kai slammed into the ground. Its right-hand shield, used like a massive broadsword, crashed into the Federation suit, crushing its internal frame.
By now, the Kimberley 2nd and 3rd Companies—who had just joined the fray—were struggling to gain any ground. Caught in a pincer between the high-spec Delta Gundam and the Messers, and further harassed by the chaotic guerrilla fire of the local "Mafty Army," they were barely holding the line. Only the thick armor of the Gustav Karls saved them from immediate destruction, but advancing was out of the question.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
A rapid alarm blared through the cockpits—a warning of something approaching at extreme velocity.
"Is it a missile?"
One Gustav Karl pilot turned toward the source of the alarm and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
It was a crimson meteor, trailing blue exhaust and leaving a wake of shimmering green particles in its path.
As it closed in, the golden crest on the Sinanju's black chest piece glittered brilliantly under the Australian sun.
"Is that... a Zeon Remnant?!" the pilot screamed, his voice thick with a terror encoded into the very DNA of Federation soldiers.
The Sinanju raised its Beam Sniper Rifle. It fired at a Gustav Karl that had its back turned while grappling with a Messer.
The yellow beam pierced the suit's backpack, punching clean through its fusion reactor.
Sensing the sudden spike in thermal energy and seeing the glowing chest of the enemy, the Messer pilot instinctively raised their shield and boosted backward.
A second later, a violent explosion rocked the street, the shockwave knocking the Messer flat onto its back.
Riding the very wave of that explosion, Roz steered the Sinanju past the debris. He toggled the lock on his left-arm shield, ejecting the underslung rocket launcher into the air.
With a fluid motion, he raised the sniper rifle toward the sky, catching and docking the launcher in one seamless, high-speed maneuver.
Another Gustav Karl, having recovered from the blast, spun around to engage the Sinanju at point-blank range. But before it could raise its rifle, the Sinanju's elbow snapped forward, deploying a thermal short blade. With a brutal elbow strike, the blade plunged directly into the Gustav Karl's cockpit.
"You're a bit late to the party, Captain..."
Seeing Roz abandon his usual cold efficiency for this "dashing," dance-like combat style, Graham let out a wide grin.
"The best things are worth the wait," Roz replied, glancing at the Delta Kai soaring above. "Besides, I'd say my entrance was timed perfectly!"
The Sinanju pivoted sharply, swinging the impaled Gustav Karl along with it as a human shield before pulling the trigger on the final Federation unit in the immediate sector.
The high-explosive rocket surged from the underslung launcher, striking the Gustav Karl with terminal velocity.
A violent explosion shattered the machine's right arm, the very limb holding its rifle.
The subsequent secondary blast found this newly opened weak point in the armor, tearing through the cockpit and shredding internal components into a mess of scrap and sparks.
Showers of white-hot embers rained down upon the purple Messer standing nearby. Though the sparks washed over its heavy plating, the Messer's armor remained unscathed.
Inside the cockpit, Hathaway's eyes were wide, fixed on the Sinanju that had so abruptly seized control of the battlefield.
That crimson hue... that ornate detailing... it looked more "Zeon" than even the Messer itself.
The Sinanju raised its right arm, retracting the thermal short blade from its elbow. The lifeless Gustav Karl, no longer held aloft by the blade, slumped toward the Sinanju's right side.
Suddenly, the yellow beam blades of a Beam Axe flared to life from the Sinanju's shield. With a fluid spin of the torso, the Sinanju sliced the Gustav Karl's wreckage clean in half at the waist—surgical enough to avoid detonating the fusion reactor.
As the two halves of the Federation suit collapsed, spewing geysers of sparks, the silhouette of the Sinanju looked increasingly demonic amidst the inferno.
Seeing their heavy hitters systematically dismantled, the remaining Federation ground forces began a strategic withdrawal, scrambling to regroup for a second wave. Roz, spotting the command convoy attempting to retreat in the distance, squeezed the trigger once more.
The final few rockets streaked from the launcher, exploding around the convoy and flipping armored vehicles like toys.
Taking advantage of the brief lull before the Federation could commit a fresh wave of MS, Roz swept the Sinanju's mono-eye across the battlefield.
He pushed his Psycho-Frame sensitivity to the limit, projecting his consciousness outward like a radar ping, desperate to find the specific "resonance" that belonged to Char.
Suddenly, as if sensing a distinct pressure, the Sinanju—which had been walking slowly through the debris—came to a dead halt.
The mono-eye shifted to the far right of the head sensor's track. There, in the center of the display, stood the purple Messer.
Its own glowing mono-eye was fixed squarely on the Sinanju, as if the two machines were locked in a silent, cross-generational gaze.
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While the streets of Oenbelli had fallen into a momentary, eerie silence, the command center at the Kimberley Unit's base was host to a scene of absolute, chaotic farce.
Up until a few minutes ago, the battle had looked like an internal Federation brawl—aside from the fact that Mafty's machines bore a passing resemblance to Zeon aesthetics. But the Sinanju changed everything.
Its appearance was the very definition of "Orthodox Zeon." Combined with such overwhelming performance, the finger of suspicion pointed toward the only entity on Earth capable of manufacturing such a high-spec Mobile Suit.
"You actually went to the ruins of Axis to salvage the Sazabi?! You Anaheim bastards have finally gone too far!"
Staring at the Sinanju's silhouette—so hauntingly similar to the legendary Sazabi—Kimberley felt the last thread of his sanity snap.
Evidence no longer mattered. He snatched his handgun from the desk and aimed it squarely at the Anaheim executive's forehead.
"Get on your knees! Repent before the Federation and the flag of the Kimberley Unit!"
"Sir, listen to me! Please!"
The Anaheim executive threw his hands into the air, trembling. "Anaheim has no active salvage projects at the Axis ruins! You have to believe me!"
Desperately clutching at any straw he could find, the executive screamed, "This is the Zeon Remnants! It has to be! It's a resurgence of the Sleeves or some other ghost faction! This is a Zeon conspiracy to frame us! You must believe me!"
Kimberley's finger twitched on the trigger. In his mind, it didn't matter if it was a conspiracy or a corporate double-cross; his career was going up in flames alongside his Gustav Karls. "A conspiracy? If it's a conspiracy, then explain why your 'sealed' n_i_t_r_o System is currently lighting up my radar like a damn Christmas tree!"
The executive opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He looked back at the screen, watching the Sinanju and the Delta Kai stand side-by-side like twin harbingers of the apocalypse.
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