“Isn’t the idea of equipping a long-range cannon contradictory to the basic development philosophy of mobile suits in the first place?”Lieutenant Jack Bayard grumbled inside the cramped cockpit of the experimental suit cluttered by additional monitors. He was currently in lunar orbit, accompanied by two GM Command units on a patrol mission in response to the recent incidents making headlines.

Until yesterday, the RX-78GP00 Prototype Gundam Unit 0 “Blossom,” an experimental machine at Anaheim Electronics factory, didn’t even have a Core Fighter or head attached.

This mobile suit, equipped with a large radome and long-range rifle, was expected to make a spectacular debut, carrying the hopes of its engineers. However, the experimental machine, which was hastily deployed with only minimal adjustments due to AE’s quick acceptance of cooperation requests from the Earth Federation Space Forces after being targeted by the resistance operations, was, in fact, quite a challenge to handle.

“It’s because they’re trying to cram everything into a humanoid form that we end up with this!”

High-speed maneuvers while carrying large unstable equipment made it difficult to stabilize the posture. It’s only natural since the adjustments themselves haven’t been made. That’s what makes it an experimental machine.

“This thing’s like a grasshopper!”

While trying to control the rampaging machine, Jack voiced his honest opinion. At this point, it was hardly a patrol mission. It’s not that they simply overlooked it, but there were no signs of the enemy in lunar orbit. They couldn’t even find a trace of the unit firing at the outskirts of Von Braun.

Then, where exactly was the enemy attacking from?

At that moment, the sensor that Jack had quickly decided to ignore picked up something on the lunar surface. Doubtful but curious, Jack contacted the ship.

“This is Jack. My sensors have detected something on the surface. I’m going down to investigate.”

However, the voice of the operator that came back was laughing.

“You better not. Your high-performance sensor has likely detected debris on the moon’s far side.”

Even so, if he ignored it, he would be the one held responsible!

Jack grimaced and signaled the accompanying GM Commands to descend. With a braking motion, he began guiding the Prototype Gundam Unit 0 into a controlled descent. As he did so, an alarm blared through the cockpit.

“Heat source approaching?!”

Before Jack could take evasive action, the cockpit shook violently, reminiscent of the time a Zaku rammed him. The belt from his seat dug into his body.

“Waaah!”

Jack couldn’t help but let out a pathetic scream. The absorbers prevented any pain, but the unidentified collision stoked his fear.

What… just happened!?

Jack tried to check the suit’s condition on a nearby console. But even before he could, the extent of the damage was evident. A hastily installed sub-monitor in the lower left corner of his main monitor was already unresponsive. The wide-area sensor, which was supposed to be a critical piece of equipment, had gone silent.

The radome was completely gone.

On the lunar surface, the wreckage of a Musai-class cruiser lay scattered, believed to have been sunk during the previous war. A colossal cannon barrel was nestled amidst the debris as if camouflaged. Three mobile suits flanked it: a customized MS-06F Zaku II Gunner, an MS-06F-2 Zaku II Rangefinder, and an MS-14Jg Gelgoog Jäger. Having completed their daily bombardment by lunar time, the trio of mobile suits prepared for the next round of fire, moving with an air of ease born from routine.

“Can you even fathom the intricacies of an artificial satellite, eternally plummeting through the void? Such poetry epitomizes the wondrous romance woven by the tapestry of science…”

“But first, let’s just verify the impact, ‘Professor.'”

“Do my calculations warrant skepticism, Chief Petty Officer Francie?”

“It’s not that, it’s just…”

“Yes, it’s truly magnificent. Never before has there been such an extensive live-fire exercise in lunar gravity. Even the obstinate scholars at Von Braun should be thrilled to be the focus of this historic endeavor.”

“Good grief…”

“Something tells me we got involved with the wrong guy, Chief Francie. Our purpose in this operation is not romanticism or anything like that, but to deliver a resounding blow to the Federation government’s hubris.”

“I wouldn’t write him off, Petty Officer Tug. If it weren’t for the Professor, we wouldn’t have been able to hit the target with this Xamel cannon. Dare I say, we wouldn’t have even thought of long-range fire with a mobile suit equipped with a rangefinder.”

“Still, entrusting our ace in the hole to someone expelled from academia due to a confidentiality breach seems dubious. We can’t afford to pander to the whims of the supporting organization.”

“I recognize the Petty Officer’s concerns, having procured the supplies. Yet, the results speak volumes. We can justify any means.”

“However…”

“Hahaha! What’s the matter, you two? Haven’t you finished loading the next round yet?”

“Still, I gotta admit that after six months of collaboration, the professor’s character can be truly exasperating.”

“His motives may be twisted, but they align with his objectives… As we lurk among the tombstones of our fallen brethren, discussing vengeance, we may appear similar to outsiders.”

“Loading complete.”

“Understood. Professor, what’s the next target?”

“Ughhyaa!?”

“What!? Huh? An attack… Where?!”

“Above us! It’s a mega particle cannon!”

Jack witnessed the Musai wreckage, struck directly by the mega particle cannon, crumble beneath him.

“Bingo!”

Unit 0 disengaged from its firing stance with the long rifle and descended toward the lunar surface.

After a thorough check of the suit, it was determined that the radome had been obliterated by a direct hit from a colossal projectile launched from the lunar surface—a massive lead bullet. By an astronomical fluke, Jack had been struck by the projectile, which was likely targeting the Livermore Factory.

However, this enabled Jack to roughly pinpoint the projectile’s launch site, and he attempted a medium-range sniping attack with the long rifle. This crucial wide-area, sensorless shot, which seemed like a gamble, precisely penetrated the enemy’s hideout.

The destruction of the Musai wreckage, struck directly, proved more extensive than anticipated. The slowly rising dust advanced in slow motion, veiling the enemy’s position below like a smokescreen.

Jack continued to descend Unit 0 alongside the two accompanying GM Command units, waiting for the rifle’s energy to recharge while closing in on the enemy.

Meanwhile, Chief Francie and the rest of the rebel operative squad were also in disarray.

Though he hadn’t sustained any critical damage, the Professor’s F-2 Zaku II was caught in the collapsing debris, causing him to drop the rangefinder on the ground, rendering a second shot impossible. However, the more pressing concern was the origin of the mega particle cannon that had struck them.

But still…

“My… my divine eye…!”

The Professor’s Zaku scoured for the lost rangefinder on all fours amidst the dust, an act more comical than pathetic. Left with no alternative, both Chief Francie, the gunner of the other F-type, and Tug, the Petty Officer in charge of loading the warhead with the Gelgoog Jäger, could only sigh. However, as both were originally Zeon soldiers, they quickly pivoted to intercept.

Francie’s F-type, lacking in weaponry, forcibly seized the now-useless gatling shield from the Professor’s machine and trailed Tug’s Gelgoog Jäger as it charged forward.

And then…

Amid the dust, Francie and Tug’s mobile suits materialized, confronting Jack’s mobile suit, which was on the verge of plunging into the dust.

“A Gelgoog?! It must be Zeon remnants!”

Close-quarters combat erupted almost inadvertently.

Jack had to dodge the advancing Gelgoog Jäger’s spiked shield. However, the uncontrolled Unit 0 collided with a nearby GM Command. The two mobile suits tangled and tumbled into the dust together.

Amidst the dust, Unit 0 struggled to stand, its position still unstable. At its feet lay the GM Command, caught in the chaos. Jack opened a channel to communicate, but the GM Command’s pilot did not respond, possibly unconscious from the impact.

Regardless, Jack needed to reengage in the battle. He gazed straight ahead.

Right before him, a colossal gun barrel loomed.

It appeared as if a battleship’s main cannon had been crudely affixed to the ground. It wasn’t a beam weapon but rather one designed for solid projectile firing.

But how was it aimed?

Seizing the brief respite, the Zaku in front of Jack rose and reached for the cannon’s trigger.

Was this… the weapon that had attacked Von Braun?

The Zaku crouched at the base of the barrel. Its rigid posture, while seemingly absurd, appeared to recoil from the sudden emergence of Unit 0.

In that split second, Jack aimed his long rifle, its energy freshly recharged.

At this distance…? Could I hit it?

He hesitated, like a rookie with an unfamiliar experimental machine.

The enemy intended to fire as well.

Acting on impulse, Jack pulled the trigger.

The recoil struck. The unbalanced shot caused Unit 0 to topple in an unnatural direction.

The front monitor turned completely white.

Was it the flash of the mega particles he had discharged? Or had the shell detonated right before his eyes?

Amidst the tremendous shock, Jack could only pray that the developers of the experimental machine hadn’t neglected the armor’s development.

But that moment was fleeting. The Professor’s Zaku II hurriedly reached for the nearby ammunition rack to load the next round. However, doing so with just one mobile suit was an extremely difficult task. Usually, the machine gun attached to the mobile suit’s waist would be automatically equipped by the manipulator, but that function had been rendered inoperative due to the impact of the collapsing debris. So the only weapon left was the cumbersome Xamel cannon.

Meanwhile, Jack cursed at the countdown displayed on the monitor for the rifle’s energy recharge. He couldn’t afford to wait around any longer.

There had to be something…

“What other weapons do we have?!”

Jack looks around, desperate.

The enemy wasn’t returning fire. He didn’t know why but was grateful for those precious seconds.

He strained his eyes and scanned his surroundings further, and noticed the arm of the GM Command crushed beneath Unit 0’s foot. He sees the beam spray gun the manipulator had been clutching.

The Gundam reached out and grabbed the weapon, typically mocked as a “spray and pray.” At that very moment, the Professor’s Zaku finally managed to get into a firing position.

“Hyahahaha! Sorry to keep you waiting. This time, I won’t miss!”

Inside the cockpit, the Professor’s voice quivered, a combination of joy, fear, and impatience driving him to the brink, his eyes distorted with insanity. However, his gaze widened as he saw what was happening in front of him. The Gundam-type mobile suit had already discarded its long rifle and was now wielding another weapon.

“It’s… not… fair…!”

Unit 0 fired the spray gun at point-blank range.

The shots pierced the head of the F-2 Zaku II, dead center. Its body pitched backward, collapsed, and rolled dramatically across the ground, ultimately colliding with the Musai’s remaining debris and coming to a halt.

The impact shook the entire wreckage.

It started to collapse again.

“Everyone, retreat! We’re getting out of here!”

Jack dragged the pinned GM Command and attempted to escape. Along the way, the pilot of the GM Command regained consciousness, and Jack let him go ahead. But Jack himself became trapped in the path of the crumbling debris, unable to escape.

“Lieutenant Bayard!”

“Forget about me! I’ll abandon the mobile suit and escape with the Core Fighter… Ugh, aaaah!?”

Jack attempted to escape by separating the mobile suit and using the Core Fighter. However, even that was swallowed by the constantly falling debris.

Jack emerged from the rubble of the completely collapsed Musai in his normal suit. Stretching, he looked down at his feet and sighed heavily.

“I wonder if I can at least salvage the data…”

The experimental machine lay buried in the debris. He doubted a simple report would suffice.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Jack noticed a large marking on the debris he stood on.

What is this? The wrecked Musai’s ship name, perhaps?

“Camel? A camel on the moon?”

With a wry smile, Jack took in the lunar landscape again.

“It’s true. It looks like a desert; a camel would fit right in,” he muttered to himself.

“What is that…?”

Distance was hard to gauge without air, but Jack spotted three figures in Zeon-colored normal suits bounding away like rabbits. They might have been the enemies from moments ago.

However, Jack strangely found himself smiling as he watched them. There was no air of desperation in their retreat; their leisurely movement seemed oddly amusing.

Eventually, two mobile suits approached the figures. The GM Commands that had accompanied Jack earlier descended and appeared to obstruct their path. The mobile suits struggled to capture the elusive figures, who darted around like fleas.

This time, Jack laughed. The GM Commands flew off, having caught their quarry. Jack thought it was quite a catch.

Now, it’s time for me to go home.

Jack turned around.

Wait a second. How am I supposed to get back?

That’s right, those GMs. Capturing criminals is all well and good, but what about me? What about retrieving me?

Am I… just being left behind!?