Chapter 144: Epilogue (Part 1)
Ten months have passed since the incident known as the "Laplace Incident," yet the Federation remains unchanged.
The burdensome taxes on space inhabitants persist, while Earth's elites still control the Federation's power.
Nothing has changed.
At least, that is true for the Federation.
In the aftermath of that event, the Federation further expanded the Titans, elevating them from a battalion to an independent regiment, with their forces continuing to grow beyond their designated size. They have now established their own foothold in space.
Or rather, as most remnants of Zeon on Earth have gone silent—abandoning their unrealistic guerrilla warfare strategies and integrating into local activities—the Titans have consciously shifted their influence toward space.
The commander of the former Solomon Base—now called "Konpei Island"—is Major General Stephen Hepburn, a member of the Jamitov faction. Using Konpei Island as their base of operations, the Titans have been steadily expanding their presence in space.
Their justification? The suppression of "AEUG," an anti-Federation group that has been growing increasingly aggressive in recent months.
AEUG (Anti-Earth Union Group) was formed in the wake of the Laplace Uprising by individuals who genuinely believed that the current Federation was an illegitimate government. Their goal is to secure greater political rights for space inhabitants, even to the point of overthrowing the Earth Federation and establishing a new regime.
Although AEUG is not yet a formidable force, they have gained far more support from space inhabitants compared to the remnants of Zeon.
It wasn't long before the Titans, during their operations to track down Zeon remnants, clashed with AEUG.
As one Titan soldier put it at the time, "Isn't it only natural for the Titans and AEUG to be in conflict?"
Eli, who was still operating on Earth, couldn't help but find that statement ridiculous when he heard it.
Currently, Undertaker operates from Augusta Base as their main headquarters on Earth.
Incidentally, Augusta Base is now under the command of Arthur Fersen.
Augusta has completely taken on Revil's form.
The Augusta Research Institute, however, was preserved. After a thorough review confirmed that certain researchers had not participated in human experimentation, they were allowed to continue their research on Newtypes.
With proper experimental regulations in place, these researchers soon found themselves with an ideal research subject right before them—none other than the famous Newtype pilot, Eli Lee!
Although human experimentation was prohibited, procedures such as blood tests and medical examinations were still permitted. The MS development team was particularly thrilled—Eli was the perfect test pilot.
Meanwhile, the war orphans originally taken in by the research institute were now under the care of the "Undertaker Relief Foundation," jointly established by the members of White Chaser. A school was set up within Augusta Base for these children.
Many of these orphans had nowhere else to go, and quite a few had already undergone a certain degree of enhancement procedures, requiring regular medical checkups.
This led to an interesting situation.
"You're here again, Rita?"
Eli looked up from yet another report detailing the conflict between the Titans and AEUG, with Revil's independent battalion observing from the sidelines. In the doorway, peeking through a gap left open specifically for her, was a small golden-haired figure.
Rita's Newtype abilities were strong enough that even an unamplified Eli could easily sense her presence.
"Today's lessons are over. I came to find Chris, but she's at the Gundam."
Eli immediately understood. Setting the document aside, he walked over and took Rita's hand.
Due to her exceptionally strong Newtype abilities, Rita had been assigned as a test pilot for the NT-1.
However, her role wasn't to test the NT-1's basic performance but to evaluate a newly installed system—the Psycommu System.
As a result, Rita had grown reluctant to be associated with Gundams any further. Even if her guardian, Christina, was there, she refused to enter the hangar. Instead, she had come to find Eli.
It was now October, the peak of North America's great bird migration season. Eli took Rita out in a jeep to Clark Lake near Augusta Base, using military binoculars to observe the birds on the water.
"Bzzzt, can you hear me, Captain? I see you!"
Arcadia's voice came through the earpiece, making Eli chuckle as he looked up at the sky.
White Chaser was flying through the airspace above them, its twin hulls faintly visible amidst the migrating bird flocks. The birds on the lake took flight, soaring toward the ship.
Now that Undertaker had a permanent base, they had expanded to the size of a full squadron. Eli had assigned Arcadia and Io to each lead a team while he operated independently.
Beside him, Rita stood up, lowered her binoculars, and waved in the direction of White Chaser.
Watching this scene, Eli couldn't shake the feeling that the world was finally heading toward a better future.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, his tablet vibrated inside the jeep, displaying a new message—
"Parliament has officially approved the Federation Army's reconstruction plan."
—
Ugh, so annoying!
Artesia had just finished dealing with a business negotiation in the Zeon Republic.
The company in question was a major player in the food trade, controlling 30% of Zeon's grain market. They were hoping Artesia would grant them exclusive rights to handle food trade with Yashima.
However, Artesia knew all too well—if they monopolized the trade, domestic grain prices would skyrocket once more.
During the One Year War, civilians had been forced to survive on nutritional supplements. It wasn't until June of U.C. 0081 that the vast majority of people were finally able to transition back to real food. Another price surge would be disastrous.
Space inhabitants often criticized Earth for its corruption and extravagance, but the elites among them were no different—if anything, they were worse, indulging in an aristocratic nostalgia.
The very hall where this negotiation took place, built during the Zeon Principality era, was a testament to that fact.
In truth, Artesia's claim to leadership had met little resistance solely because of her bloodline—her descent from Zeon Deikun made her the most legitimate successor in all of Zeon.
"I really want to see Eli…"
Sighing, Sayla pulled out a photo of Eli from her coat pocket.
In the picture, Eli was at the base, playing with a small girl in his arms.
Revil had given this to her.
Sayla and Eli still kept in touch, but only through recorded video messages stored on hard drives, which Revil would deliver by hand.
The truth was, Sayla was still just a young woman barely past adulthood. What did she know about running a country? If not for Ramba Ral guiding her step by step, she would have been completely lost.
The Zeon Republic was not a strong nation. For now, it focused primarily on civilian welfare, with only minimal military forces retained.
However, as stability gradually returned, it was time to enact some real changes.
Artesia returned to her desk and picked up a document.
"New Agricultural Production Satellite Initiative."
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