Chapter 185: Schemes
"Aren't you going to help them? If you just stand by and watch, they're definitely going to fail."
Char, piloting his red-customized mobile suit, spoke to someone inside the bridge of a Zanzibar II-class ship he was stationed beside.
That someone, naturally, was Cima.
"What a thing to say. Aren't you just watching too, Colonel? Or are you planning to report me to Delaz?"
Cima twirled her folding fan casually, showing no surprise as the Musai-class ship was destroyed before her eyes.
After all, the one attacking was that silver meteor.
As she watched, Cima pondered how to distance herself from Char, hoping to establish communication with Eli.
The intel this man held triggered a sense of crisis in her. If she couldn't prove her worth, would the Federation still accept her?
Or... perhaps she should just hand over the infamous Red Comet to the Federation as a gesture of loyalty.
While Cima mulled this over, Char tapped his control stick inside the cockpit.
His instincts told him—this woman was scheming something.
Even though he sensed it, Char still played along with her, feigning cooperation.
Cima had likely made contact with the Federation. His arrival had been secret—Delaz's fleet hadn't been informed in advance, let alone Cima's.
So Char began considering how to shift the blame—or even stir things up—so that Cima might take care of Delaz herself.
Only then could he safely remain in Earth orbit with Lalah.
Even if he got a new identity, Delaz would eventually find out otherwise.
"Personally, I'm not really interested in Delaz's rhetoric. If possible, I'd rather find a quiet place to settle down and spend the rest of my life."
Char said this half-jokingly, while spreading out his senses, trying to probe Cima's true thoughts.
What surprised him was that Cima's response carried a faint sense of agreement—and hesitation.
Yes, Cima was hesitating. Should she betray this man who shared similar thoughts by delivering him to the Federation?
Or should she recruit him under her command, hide their identities, and surrender to the Federation together?
But then she hardened her heart.
She hadn't even secured her own safety yet—she had no time to care about someone else's fate.
Still, Char had been right—they both had no love for Delaz's grand ideals.
And so, the two, each harboring their own agenda, watched as Lune Gelo continued retreating—
In their direction.
Had it just been an Orchis approaching, Cima might not have minded helping that "limbless brat."
But trailing behind the Orchis were three Gundams charging this way!
"That bastard! All units, battle stations! Colonel, I'll be counting on you."
Cima exaggerated her tone as she rose from her seat, issuing orders to her first officer.
She then turned to Char with a half-apologetic smile.
Char said nothing and launched his mobile suit, darting ahead.
But if one looked closely, they'd notice that he was maneuvering intentionally along the outer wall of the colony satellite.
"Get my unit ready."
As soon as Char left, Cima's face turned cold. She spoke quietly to her staff.
Some things could only be communicated through a direct link.
After donning her pilot suit and arriving at the hangar of the Zanzibar II-class Lili Marleen, Cima looked up at the red mobile suit before her.
This machine, bearing the name Red Gyan, had been provided by Anaheim as support to the Delaz fleet—
But was actually a tribute meant for Eli's side.
Even if the Federation itself wasn't impressed, this former Gundam Contract Zero, now modified by Anaheim and handed over to Zeon remnants, would surely be well-received by the Revil faction, supported by the Eight Continents.
Cima grinned proudly.
She had also collected a wealth of direct evidence regarding Anaheim's aid to the Delaz fleet.
Even if she couldn't feed more intel to the Federation, this should be enough to prevent them from erasing her and her subordinates without hesitation.
With the help of the rear-mounted BST unit, the mobile suit surged forward at incredible speed, intercepting the approaching Gundams.
What annoyed Cima, though, was that Char, who had taken off earlier, was somehow trailing behind her now.
Even accounting for performance differences between the suits, he was laying it on a bit thick.
Unless he planned to die here, or turn tail and run—what was he going to say when Delaz questioned him later?
As she wondered, Cima suddenly saw a sunglasses-shaped visor blocking her field of vision.
"Out of my way, you scrub!"
Cima fired the beam rifle Anaheim had specifically developed for the Red Gyan in rapid bursts, aiming only to drive back the approaching enemy unit.
But the mobile suit in front of her vanished from sight in an instant!
Cima reflexively yanked her controls, spinning her machine.
A fierce impact slammed into her chest armor, forcing her back into her seat!
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the beam saber igniting—yet it didn't strike. Instead, the enemy only kicked her.
"If I'd acted a second later, I might not've been able to hold back... Do you know her, Eli-san?"
Amuro sat in his cockpit, panting.
That was close—he'd almost reflexively destroyed the Zeon MS. If Eli hadn't shouted to stop him...
"More or less. I'll explain later. As long as she doesn't have killing intent, just disable her limbs for now. Got it?"
There was no time to explain everything on the battlefield.
Besides, Eli worried that Amuro, with his straightforward sense of justice, wouldn't understand the idea of negotiating with the enemy.
"Understood."
Amuro didn't quite understand, but he trusted Eli enough to follow his lead for now.
And besides—Amuro had someone else he was far more concerned about.
In the distance, someone was deliberately provoking him, making their presence known.
Char.
The rear thrusters on Amuro's Gundam burst into action as he left the formation.
Eli had a good idea of who Amuro was targeting.
He wasn't worried for Amuro. Instead, he issued the same standing orders to everyone else:
"Why? That guy in front of us is clearly an enemy who deserves to die!"
Predictably, the first to object was Kou Uraki.
"You're right. Kou, focus on the one in front of you and take him down—use everything you've got!"
With Eli's permission, Kou's face, tense from prolonged high-G maneuvers, finally relaxed a little, and he resumed his fierce pursuit of his opponent.
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