Kimberly's forces began a full-scale retreat, leaving behind only the burning ruins of Oenbelli and a landscape scattered with mobile suit wreckage and corpses.
There were those from the "Mafty Army," those from the Kimberly Force, and even ordinary residents who had been caught in the crossfire.
Hospital ambulances raced through the ruins of the city. With such a massive number of casualties, the medical system in a place like Oenbelli was on the verge of collapse.
Furthermore, the area of Oenbelli affected by the strikes was so vast that relying solely on local firefighters for rescue efforts was clearly insufficient.
The survivors of the "Mafty Army" scrambled through the debris, digging through piles of collapsed buildings to reach survivors buried beneath the rubble.
"You over there, move faster! Every second counts!"
Koren, the commander-in-chief of the "Mafty Army," had no time to mourn the young men who had perished in the recent battle; he had to throw himself immediately into the search and rescue operations for the victims.
However, while directing the rescue efforts, Koren's gaze would subconsciously drift toward the other side of the field.
There, three mobile suits stood with their respective squads, facing each other in a triangular formation. Their teams were near an abandoned warehouse, vaguely cordoning off a temporary meeting area where they wouldn't be disturbed by others.
Admittedly, the sight was a bit surreal—especially since he, the commander of the "Mafty Army," wasn't over there, and the units backing that Jegan Type D were a bunch of "relics" like the GM II and GM Sniper II.
"Char" had earned their respect through his piloting skills, and they were willing to let him handle this matter. But once the rescue work was mostly stabilized, Koren knew he would still have to go over, show his face, and take a look.
After all, even the real Mafty couldn't be allowed to push around his boys.
Koren steeled his resolve and quickened the pace of the rescue operations.
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"Hey, Mafty, is your voice changer on?"
Gawman's voice crackled over the comms.
Hathaway sat in the cockpit of the Messer Commander Type, adjusting the pumpkin mask on his head and the voice changer hidden beneath it. After all, he wasn't ready to discard his identity within the Federation just yet.
This internal conflict—hoping his involvement with Mafty would change the Federation, while simultaneously not wanting to lose the human connections that served as his anchors within it—was the very reason for Hathaway's constant self-struggle.
"Yeah, it's on. The voice changer is working normally."
After making a few minor adjustments, Hathaway performed a sound test. The device worked perfectly; he could speak fluently using Gawman's voice without revealing a hint of his true self.
"Good. We'll have your back."
No matter how reckless Gawman usually was, in this moment—faced with a meeting between the "Zeon Remnants" and the "Mafty Army"—he had no choice but to be serious.
"But still, those Zeon Remnants are something else... to be able to get their hands on active Federation MS, and even a Gundam."
Gawman looked at the Delta Gundam Kai behind the Sinanju and the ReZELs still soaring in the sky.
"I'm sorry, Gawman..."
Hearing Gawman's words, Hathaway's expression beneath the mask became complicated. "Because of my impulsive actions, I've put everyone in this kind of danger..."
He knew all too well that four Messers would struggle to survive against that "Zeon Remnant" unit. Their performance in battle clearly marked them as an ace squad.
"What are you saying, Mafty?"
Gawman laughed at Hathaway's remark. "As expected, you're still that young master..."
"Don't forget, we represent the true Mafty now. Our every word and action reflects on everyone. Buckle up; everyone will support you unconditionally, Mafty."
Gawman clicked his tongue, trying to ease Hathaway's mind. "Besides, it's been a long time since I've seen Zeon Remnants. Fighting alongside them feels pretty strange; I want to see what they're actually up to."
"Right... I'm heading out."
Gathering his thoughts, Hathaway left the Messer's cockpit.
"Be careful. I can't see what's happening inside the warehouse."
As if sharing a telepathic bond, the cockpit hatches of the Sinanju and the Jegan Type D opened at the same time.
The three individuals stepped onto their winch cables, slowly descending toward the ground.
In Earth-based operations, a winch cable is a necessity; even if you don't always need it, you definitely have to have one.
But the moment he saw the pilots of the Sinanju and the Jegan Type D, Hathaway's eyes widened instinctively.
-----------------------------------
"...What kind of performance art is he doing now?"
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Char still felt a strong urge to cover his face when he saw "Amuro" emerge from the Sinanju.
The man was dressed in a striking Zeon-style red military dress uniform, white trousers, and—to top it off—a long, wavy blonde wig.
While the true Mafty and Roz both had headgear and masks, Char had nothing. Although his eyes behind the sunglasses were squinting in sheer disbelief, he had to do his best to keep his expression taut and maintain his composure.
He was already starting to miss the mask he had personally burned before joining "Mafty."
Roz was also struggling to maintain his composure. To be honest, he hadn't quite prepared for such a sudden meeting either, but thanks to his mask, he only had to worry about keeping his lips from twitching.
He had integrated a voice changer into the mask, which also featured a suite of functions like night vision, scanning, and target highlighting.
Even the Char who had assigned him this mission hadn't expected Roz to take the role of playing "himself" so seriously.
After landing smoothly, Roz, Char, and Hathaway walked into the warehouse at an unhurried pace. They met in the center, ultimately forming a triangular standoff.
A bizarre silence fell over the warehouse.
Roz was waiting for the other two to speak; Hathaway was waiting for Char to open his mouth; and Char wanted to hear what kind of nonsense Roz was about to pull. For a moment, the scene was deadlocked.
"Are you not going to say anything in front of me, this ghost of Char?"
Finally, seeing the atmosphere grow stiff, Char was the first to speak. "Mr. Vessel of Will."
Char did not expose Roz's disguise. Based on his understanding of "Amuro," whatever "Amuro" did surely had a reason, so he decided to play along with Roz's title.
"I was just reflecting on how this is a scene I never could have imagined..."
Roz sighed, lamenting, "It makes me think of a very interesting question."
"I am the designated vessel of his will..."
As he spoke, Roz raised both hands, pointing at Char and Hathaway. "You are the ghost of Char, and he is the second coming of Char."
"So, in the eyes of the world, who exactly is the true Char?"
"I think it should be this Mafty, known as the second coming of Char."
Hearing Roz's words, Char smiled and raised a hand toward the masked Hathaway.
"I object."
As Hathaway spoke, he raised his hand to point at Char. "If judged by appearance, in the eyes of the world, you are Char."
The scene devolved into a strange "triangular pointing" formation, looking inexplicably comical.
Immediately afterward, the three of them withdrew their pointing hands in unison.
"Appearance is but a skin; anyone who wishes can have surgery to become Char, anyone can become me."
Char shook his head, dismissing Hathaway's notion. "But that will, those thoughts—that is the most vital aspect of Char."
"On that subject, shouldn't you have a wealth of insight? Mr. Vessel."
"You may call me Full Frontal."
Roz mentioned his persona briefly before speaking. "As the vessel of will designated by him, I have indeed been infused with his thoughts. But the extensions derived from those ideas are what I wish to show the world... no, they are the possibilities for changing the world for that very purpose."
"Is that so... possibilities."
Char adjusted the sunglasses on his face. "I truly wonder what you have extended from those thoughts."
"However... you should both be very familiar with Char's ideology."
Hathaway watched the exchange, his eyes narrowing beneath his mask as he stared intently at the sunglass-wearing Char. "If I'm not mistaken... are you both clones of Char created by the Zeon Remnants? How could they not have infused those things into you?"
'Clones of himself... is the current Zeon already doing such things? Is it for the sake of so-called 'past prosperity'?'
'How did Zeon turn into this?'
Char's eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses, but his facial expression remained unchanged. Instead, he raised his index finger and placed it in front of his lips.
"That is my little secret..."
Char spoke while looking toward Roz. "After all, everyone has a past they would rather not mention, don't they?"
"On that point, I agree."
Roz nodded, offering nothing more.
'So, of these two clones of Char, one ran away while the other accepted his fate?'
In the wake of Roz and Char's vague responses, Hathaway subconsciously filled in the blanks with the most likely scenario; though absurd, the logical chain held together perfectly.
He instinctively clenched his fists as a strange emotion welled up from the depths of his heart.
Was it sympathy, or a sense of helplessness? He couldn't quite tell.
Sensing the turbulent shift in Hathaway's brainwaves and the low mood radiating from him, Roz spoke up.
"So... Ghost of Char, what is your purpose in coming here?"
"My name right now is Damien," Char said with a small smile, crossing his arms. "Though I may be drifting with the tide, joining the Mafty Army naturally serves a purpose of my own."
While his goal had always been to join Mafty and use their intelligence network to find Artesia, he knew better than to reveal his hand immediately to the Mafty standing before him.
"And what about you... A—Frontal?"
Char nearly let the name "Amuro" slip out, but he managed a last-second correction.
"I am naturally here for you, Damien."
Roz's words were prone to misunderstanding, but Char understood his meaning perfectly; his eyes widened slightly behind his sunglasses.
"This is also his will."
Both Roz and Char fell silent for a moment, then turned their gaze toward Hathaway.
"...I am here to recruit Mr. Damien," Hathaway said after a moment of thought, deciding to lay out his plan. "While the Mafty organization has been consistently targeting Federation officials, we are still spread thin when it comes to manpower."
"That is why I wish to recruit Mr. Damien."
Hathaway could clearly sense that the "Full Frontal" and "Damien" before him shared a connection in a place beyond his knowledge.
'Could they be clones from the same batch?'
Just as Hathaway was lost in thought—
"I don't agree!"
A booming voice suddenly echoed through the warehouse.
"With a reason like that, I couldn't possibly feel at ease handing him over to you, even if you are Mafty!"
Koren, his olive-drab short sleeves dirty and disheveled from digging through the ruins during the rescue operation, strode in through the door behind Char.
But as his eyes finally adjusted to the dim light of the warehouse and saw the three figures standing in their triangular formation, his eyes bulged instinctively.
He rubbed his eyes to confirm he wasn't hallucinating, and then, he let his inner thoughts slip out.
"Why are there so many Chars?!"
.......................