Gundam: Changing the World Even with a Mass-Produced Unit

Chapter 37: Recollections

"Mr. Eli? What happened here?"

Amuro, who had just entered the dining hall, carried his tray and sat next to Eli, asking softly.

When he and Fraw arrived, there were only two people in the dining hall: Eli and Sayla.

The two sat at different tables, eating their meals in silence.

While it was normal for two unrelated people to sit apart during meals, Amuro had a gut feeling that something had happened between them.

The atmosphere in the room was simply too heavy.

"Nothing... I just had some inappropriate thoughts," Eli said with a calm expression.

"Eli, did you harass Sayla or something?"

"Cough, cough, cough—Amuro, where did you even learn that term?"

Eli, who had managed to maintain his composure, instantly faltered, choking on the food he had just put in his mouth.

"Isn't this something they teach in school? They don't teach this in your area? Is Side 2 that old-fashioned?"

"…No, of course not! Do I look like that kind of person?" Eli replied, taking a sip of water.

"I might have changed in some ways, but my actions haven't caught up to those changes. As a result, I asked an inappropriate question. I suppose that's why Miss Sayla is angry with me."

Eli's words were cryptic, but Amuro nodded, seemingly in agreement.

"When I first piloted the Gundam, I had similar feelings," Amuro said, drawing from his own experiences to understand Eli's current state.

"Why don't you go and apologize?"

When he wasn't dealing with Bright, Amuro could be somewhat understanding of social norms. At the very least, he knew that one should apologize when at fault.

"No, the most awkward thing is not knowing how to start an apology," Eli said.

What could Eli say now? "Sorry for bringing up your late father just now"?

If he said that, Sayla might flip the table and storm off the White Base entirely.

Thinking about this, Eli took a sip of water and stole a glance in Sayla's direction.

To his surprise, he found that Sayla was also looking at him.

She immediately threw him an annoyed look, hesitated, and then gave a slight nod before standing up and leaving with her tray.

Seeing Sayla's contradictory behavior, Eli realized she likely shared the same dilemma he did:

How to explain the source of her anger and why the mention of Deikun had elicited such a strong reaction.

"Let's just pretend none of this happened..." Eli muttered.

"Such an irresponsible adult," Amuro remarked as he watched Eli down the rest of his water.

---

"The Trojan Horse is advancing quickly," M'Quve said with a grim expression as he listened to his subordinates' report.

If this were in space, even the newest battleship would be just one vessel. Even if it maneuvered behind him, the fleet could defend against it.

But things were different on Earth.

Zeon's land-based battleships couldn't compare to the White Base in either MS capacity or firepower.

Moreover, the MS onboard the White Base outperformed those deployed by Zeon.

This led to multiple mines under M'Quve's jurisdiction being destroyed by the Trojan Horse, leaving him gnashing his teeth in frustration.

To make matters worse, the European front had launched a large-scale feint operation, preventing M'Quve from dispatching forces to encircle the White Base.

"In that case..."

The only option M'Quve could think of was to rely on Ramba Ral's revenge unit to deal with the White Base.

"If only Lady Kycilia weren't about to inspect us..."

M'Quve glanced at the schedule and gritted his teeth before issuing orders to his subordinates.

These orders were relayed down the chain of command until Ramba Ral finally saw three MS being unloaded from a transport plane.

"M'Quve really is a decent fellow," Ramba Ral remarked, feeling quite lucky.

Wherever he went, the local commanders would try their best to assist him.

Even though the new model MS had supposedly been destroyed by the Federation a few days ago, M'Quve had still managed to procure three more units and send them his way.

Thinking about this, Ramba Ral's gaze dimmed slightly.

He had failed to uphold Ginias' trust. When he left, Ginias was still in the Apsalus development hangar, reportedly in a poor mental state, shouting Aina's name whenever he forgot to take his medication.

The thought of Apsalus and Aina being captured by the Federation filled Ramba Ral with anguish.

"When I rise through the ranks, I'll help revive the Sahalin family," he vowed.

Ramba Ral reached out and touched the MS in front of him.

It was a hulking machine with massive legs and a cross-shaped head monitor rail.

"Such high mobility... It's bound to..."

Behind him, his wife Hamon watched him with a worried look.

Leaving aside other matters, her husband was simply too righteous, which was why he had gone from a powerful figure in the Republic to a sidelined member of the Principality.

Wearing a veil, Hamon walked up to Ramba Ral and took his arm.

"Last night, I dreamt of the past," she said.

"Oh? What about?"

Although he was busy inventorying supplies, Ramba Ral didn't dismiss his wife's musings.

"I dreamt of Zeon under Deikun's leadership... I wondered, if he were leading Zeon now, what would life be like for the space colonists?"

Hearing his wife's words, Ramba Ral gently held her hand.

"I don't know... Honestly, I've nearly forgotten what it felt like when we colonists united under Deikun's leadership, striving toward a common goal..."

Ramba Ral's eyes grew distant.

Back then, it had truly felt like he was fighting for an honorable cause.

Shaking his head, he cast aside such thoughts.

"Who knows? For me, the most important thing is to gain a higher rank so I can protect you in this chaotic war."

He placed a hand on Hamon's head, pulling her into his embrace.

"Other than that, I have no other wishes."

With her face buried in her husband's chest, Hamon couldn't see the nostalgic look in his eyes.

If she had, she might have glimpsed the shadows of two youthful figures in his memories.

"Casval, Artesia..."