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

Chapter 51: Arrival at Jaburo

Even after accompanying the White Base in combat for so long, Eli's military registration still remained under his original unit—Far East Frontline Independent Mechanized Corps, Kojima Battalion. This was under the jurisdiction of the Federation Army.

General Revil's words implied a transfer: Eli was to be reassigned from the Federation Army to the Federation Space Forces, joining the 13th Independent Corps under Vice Admiral Tiem. This unit was directly subordinate to Revil himself.

Although it seemed like a lateral move in terms of rank, this was effectively a promotion. It meant a transfer from a peripheral military district to a central one, which was an obvious career advancement.

Eli had already made up his mind.

Under the watchful eyes of Amuro and Bright, Eli took a deep breath.

"It's an honor!"

Eli stood at attention and saluted General Revil.

"Hahaha, good. However, this means your mobile suit will need some modifications. Hmm, the damage to the White Base isn't too severe, right? In that case, you can head straight to the Jaburo Base. Lieutenant Eli, I'll instruct the staff there to refit your mobile suit."

Why not just give me a new mobile suit instead?

"Yes, sir!" Eli saluted while grumbling internally.

He understood, though. MS units were in short supply across all units, and high-performance production models were even rarer. The Gundam-type units were already assigned to other pilots.

Looking at the currently available production models, the Ground Type Gundam was indeed the most suitable for Eli.

If possible, Eli would prefer to pilot the Pale Rider. That was a truly high-performance machine, surpassing the RX-78-2 in some aspects. It was equipped with the HADES system, an AI capable of temporarily boosting performance—though it came at the cost of the pilot's health. Still, it was undoubtedly an excellent mobile suit.

Unfortunately, the Pale Rider didn't seem to have been successfully produced yet. There was only the RX-80 prototype, and it was uncertain if production had even started.

Alternatively, there was the GM Sniper II. Though labeled a sniper-type unit, it was actually an all-purpose machine. However, it was likely fully assigned already, leaving no chance for Eli to get one.

No matter—it was fine to modify the Ground Type Gundam. After all, it was made of Luna Titanium Alloy.

After returning to the White Base, the crew departed Europe under the Federation's feigned diversion. They crossed the Atlantic to the Jaburo Base in South America. Compared to the original timeline, they arrived a week earlier, reaching Jaburo on November 14.

However, just as they were about to land near the Amazon River's estuary, two Zeon Marine Crabs intercepted them, exposing the White Base's position at the last moment.

"What the hell is the Navy doing?! Didn't they receive Marine-Type GM units? How can they fail to secure the base's vicinity?"

Having already suffered twice due to the Navy, Bright was furious. As Eli entered the room, Bright was complaining vehemently to Jaburo officials.

"Calm down, calm down," a Federation officer on the video call replied nonchalantly, sipping coffee from a mug. "The Navy is under a lot of pressure without dedicated MS-compatible ships. They can barely manage coastal defense."

It was clear the officer had no intention of addressing the issue and was merely trying to smooth things over.

Bright hung up angrily, dissatisfied with the officer's attitude. Only after Mirai gently patted his back did Bright manage to calm down.

"Those people hiding in Jaburo are all like this. Don't get worked up over it, Captain Bright," Eli remarked.

Officers stationed in the safe rear lines had an entirely different attitude from those on the frontlines.

Guided by instructions, the White Base descended into the Amazon River's port area. A section of the ground opened up, revealing a passageway large enough to accommodate the entire ship.

"This place is huge," someone exclaimed.

For many aboard the White Base, it was their first time at Jaburo. They gazed in awe at the sprawling interconnected tunnels.

The White Base's Minovsky particle flight system had been deactivated, and it was now being moved by the base's transport system.

"Where are we headed next?" Bright asked the officer who had come to greet them—Woody Malden.

"To a factory dedicated to Pegasus-class ships for repairs," Woody replied.

"A factory for Pegasus-class ships?" Bright was intrigued.

"Yes. Three sister ships are being completed there. They are expected to head to space for operations like yours."

Eli immediately understood. Woody was referring to the Grey Phantom, Full-Blood Stallion, and White Adversary Stallion.

While the first two ships were infamous for their poor performance, the Full-Blood Stallion had a stellar combat record. Equipped with two Gundams, it was a formidable force, successfully escorting the Federation's final negotiations with Zeon.

Thus, sending the White Base there was an ideal arrangement.

The White Base was soon guided into a dock, where maintenance crews quickly began work with large engineering tools.

Seeing the repairs underway, Bright finally felt relieved about Jaburo's management despite his earlier worries. He followed Woody to meet General Gopp.

Meanwhile, Eli and Amuro were led by another officer to Major General John Kowen's office.

It was obvious that John Kowen, as their direct superior, would be conducting a review of Operation V's results. The data from prototypes to production models was invaluable.

As Eli left the hangar, he saw technical officers collecting data from his Ground Type Gundam. Given his extraordinary battle record, such attention was warranted.

The meeting with John Kowen didn't involve much detail. It mostly consisted of questions about their experience as pilots.

Normally, this wouldn't require a major general's involvement, but Eli suspected there was a more significant issue at hand.

As expected, after exhausting all topics related to piloting, John Kowen fell silent.

Eli opened his mouth, intending to suggest adding air conditioning to ground combat units, but stopped himself. He knew something big was coming.

He waited quietly for John Kowen to continue.

"Amuro, Eli," John Kowen finally said, "I'd like to ask a somewhat intrusive question. There are rumors that you two are 'Newtypes.' Could you confirm whether you are the so-called 'Newtypes' mentioned by Deikun?"

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Note: Due to numerous post-release retcons, the classification of Pegasus-class ships is highly inconsistent. For instance, the Grey Phantom is sometimes categorized under "Small Pegasus-class," and the White Adversary Stallion is occasionally considered the third ship. To avoid confusion, I've unified all similar vessels under the Pegasus-class designation.