Pushing into Enemy Territory

The next day, Eli led the 08th Team as they pushed toward the front lines.

Along the way, they used the serrated edges of their Gundam Ground Type shields to help an infantry company dig trenches, shared some of their carried ammunition with the 03rd Team who had just finished a skirmish at the front, and finally launched long-range artillery fire to drive off a Zaku squad that had crossed the defensive line.

And just like that, the day passed.

As the sun dipped behind the treetops, the six of them lit a campfire in the enemy-occupied territory to prepare food and treat themselves.

They had finally arrived near Area 376, situated on the edge of the Principality of Zeon-occupied zone.

In a conventional war, they would have been heavily surrounded by now.

Unfortunately for the enemy, the current strength of Zeon was far from what it used to be, and their defensive perimeter was spread quite thin.

Under Eli's leadership, they had already cleared out the majority of the surrounding enemies.

Furthermore, in an environment saturated with high-concentration Minovsky Particles, Eli's experience suggested that Zeon would be unable to organize a counterattack for the time being.

That was why they could afford to act with such audacity.

"Why do you keep looking at the sky? Are you stargazing?"

Shiro Amada walked over to Eli with a tin cup of hot water, handing it to him as he sat beside his mobile suit.

"Something like that. Although I'm used to these stars while in space, they have a different charm when viewed from Earth."

Eli didn't mention that he was actually watching for the potential arrival of the Apsalus; instead, he followed Shiro Amada's lead and truly began to admire the starry sky.

Relying on the celestial navigation training he received during his MS pilot course—taught to prevent issues in case of navigation system failure—Eli was able to identify the North Star.

Using that as a base, he located the Big Dipper and proceeded to identify the other constellations one by one.

During this process, Shiro Amada followed the direction of Eli's finger, trying to pick them out himself.

"It's strange. When I was surrounded by the stars in space, I never had the urge to look at them closely, yet here on Earth, I find myself drawn to them involuntarily."

After identifying all the constellations he could recognize, Shiro Amada couldn't help but sigh.

Eli lowered his hand and braced himself, widening his field of vision to take in as much of the starry sky as he could.

"Before the Universal Century, humanity was doing everything in its power to head into space, wanting to expand civilization into the cosmos. That is the origin of the Spacenoids."

Hearing Eli say this, Shiro Amada turned his head in surprise.

He could see the starry sky reflected in Eli's eyes.

"Ensign Eli, you really are knowledgeable about history."

"Just call me Eli. We've been fighting together for so long now... I just feel that this kind of history should be remembered."

When Eli said this, Shiro Amada felt a fleeting sense that he was a person from a different world entirely.

However, when Eli turned to look at him, Shiro Amada pushed that absurd thought to the back of his mind.

He was right there in front of him, real and tangible.

"It's precisely because people on Earth yearned for the stars that they eventually reached out toward them, right?"

In Eli's mind, images of those architectural miracles—capable of housing thirty million residents each—emerged.

For colonies like these, a single Side contained thirty to forty such satellites.

And there were already seven such Sides fully constructed.

They were supposed to be humanity's stepping stone into the cosmos, and humanity had indeed been exploring toward Mars and Jupiter.

Yet now, the flames of war were burning across the entire Earth sphere, ignited by the Principality of Zeon under the leadership of the Zabi Family.

And all of this was merely for the sake of the Zabi Family's own selfish desires.

Or, to be more precise, the selfish delusion of Gihren Zabi, who dreamt of becoming the master of the world.

Of course, one could not ignore the sins of others, such as Garma.

"So, there is no doubt: Zeon is on the wrong side."

Eli muttered to himself once more.

This wasn't a judgment made as a soldier of the Federation Forces, but a conclusion drawn by a person from the 21st century, educated in the perspectives of people-centered and historical materialism.

"Yeah, you're right. That's why we have to defeat Zeon."

Shiro Amada didn't know what was going through Eli's mind, but that point was undeniably correct.

A shooting star streaked across the sky.

Yet, no one could tell if it was a meteorite from beyond the heavens or debris falling from a battle in low Earth orbit.

Here on Earth, the shooting star had lost its original romantic meaning, becoming a synonym for the terror of space.

Eli finished the now-lukewarm water in his cup in one gulp.

"I'll take the first watch. You all get some rest."

Eli filled his tin cup with field rations heated over the fire, stepped onto the boarding rope, and climbed into the cockpit.

The Gundam Ground Type, marked with the number 06, slowly rose from its semi-crouched position and moved toward a lush tree, using its leaves to obscure the view from above.

"I get the feeling that Second Lieutenant Eli... that Eli is a bit anxious today."

Shiro Amada approached the campfire, a spoon held between his teeth, and muttered to his teammates.

"Indeed, it is quite rare to see Eli act like this."

Karen, who was heating up food, agreed with the sentiment.

Having fought alongside Eli for quite some time, it had been a long while since she had seen him look so troubled.

Ever since that battle, Eli had matured significantly, often making Karen forget that he was only twenty years old—younger than she was.

"Perhaps Second Lieutenant Eli has met a girl he likes?"

Michel, who acted more like a child compared to the others, finally looked up from the letter he had been writing upon hearing the topic, offering a laughable suggestion.

"Baka, how could that be? That's Eli; he wouldn't be bothered by such trivial matters."

Eledore rapped Michel on the head, causing the latter to pull a dissatisfied face.

"Love is not a trivial matter!"

"You'll understand when you're older; long-distance relationships never work out."

Eledore waved his hand, completely indifferent to Michel's gritted-teeth expression.

Watching the two of them bicker and play, Sanders simply ate his meal with a blank expression.

"Is something wrong, Sergeant Sanders?"

Karen handed him a cup of water and asked.

Despite her bold and tough exterior, Karen was actually a woman of delicate sensibilities, and she had noticed that something was off with Sanders as well.

"Is he worried about the curse of the Shinigami?"

Sanders looked at the steaming cup of water Karen had handed him and voiced his own concerns.

"Don't talk nonsense; he wouldn't care about your superstitions."

Sanders looked up at Karen.

"I wasn't talking about mine."

Deep within this Zeon-occupied territory, Karen looked at Sanders in a daze, suddenly realizing what he was implying.

The scenes from the night they received the distress signal from the 06th Team flashed before Karen's eyes once again.