Parting

The next day, Eli was getting his mobile suit ready at the frontline field base.

The 86 Squad had completed its mission, and its designation would soon be retired.

And with Shiro Amada deciding to leave the front, Eli might end up leading Sanders, Karen, and the others.

"Do you think we could mount the Beam Saber on the forearm, or put it in the shield? Having to crouch down and draw it every time makes it way too obvious."

Eli was sharing his thoughts with the maintenance crew.

The Gundam Ground Type didn't carry its Beam Sabers on either side of its backpack like a Gundam did. That was to make it better suited to jungle combat and reduce the chance of snagging on branches.

But it also meant that drawing the saber during a fight required a big, obvious movement, giving the enemy plenty of time to prepare for close combat.

"Give us a break. We'd have to add a power conduit to the weapon mount on the left arm. And aren't you worried the shield might get shattered and set off an explosion? It's not exactly a large shield."

The maintenance crew rubbed their heads and replied to Eli with exasperation.

"Besides, with the conditions we've got, do you expect me to make the modifications with a welding torch?"

He gestured around them, and Eli followed the direction of his finger.

All he saw was a jumble of wrenches and other tools.

The warehouse had somehow ended up this empty.

"All right, then. Guess there's nothing we can do..."

Eli could only sigh helplessly.

"I was wondering if we could modify the Ground Type to look more like a Gundam..."

"A Gundam? What Gundam?"

A third voice came from inside the warehouse.

Eli turned around and saw Amuro.

"I want to make some modifications to my mobile suit. It'd be a waste to leave all those parts lying around unused."

Eli pointed to the two Ground Types belonging to the 06th Team.

Amuro looked at the two machines, his eyes lighting up.

"Mr. Eli, if you don't mind, let me—"

"Amuro, this isn't the time for that."

A woman's unfamiliar voice interrupted Amuro, who had clearly gotten excited.

"Oh, Ms. Matilda. What brings you here?"

The newcomer was a woman with orange-red hair, standing at the warehouse entrance with a confident air.

Eli immediately greeted her.

Her rank might not have been particularly high, but as the de facto commander of the Medea squadron, she had considerable support throughout the Federation Forces.

She was one of the most popular people at Federation bases around the world.

"An urgent message from Jaburo. The White Base is to depart immediately and take part in the Odessa operation!"

At the mention of Jaburo's urgent message, Eli immediately stood at attention.

But in the end, he heard that the order was for the White Base, not him.

"Additionally, the former 86 Squad commander is to accompany the White Base to Jaburo and report on the Apsalus."

"Yes... Huh?"

There was so much information packed into that one sentence.

First of all, there was the word "former" in front of 86 Squad.

That much made sense. The 86 Squad had been formed specifically for the Apsalus mission, and now that the mission was complete, they wouldn't keep deploying it and risk putting too much pressure on the Southeast Asia Front.

Then there was the order for Eli to accompany the White Base.

And since she'd just said the White Base was to take part in the Odessa operation, that meant Eli was also being ordered to join it.

Finally, he was to report on the Apsalus.

There was no need to make a special trip to Jaburo just to report something like that.

For a moment, Eli couldn't figure out what the higher-ups were thinking.

"Understood... What about my mobile suit?"

"Of course it'll go with you. We'll also bring one as a spare. The people at Jaburo seem very interested in the Ground Type's actual combat performance and are considering further development."

Matilda nodded toward the maintenance crew, signaling them to start transporting Eli's mobile suit and one of the 06th Team's Gundam Ground Types.

Eli rubbed his head, clearly at a loss over how to deal with the situation.

He'd thought that after dealing with the Apsalus, they'd send off the White Fortress and continue fighting on the Southeast Asia Front. After the Odessa operation, they could deal with the Zeon Eurasian Front, which was trying to return to space. Then, as a member of the Federation Army, he could start making plans to retire after the One Year War.

But now he was being summoned to Jaburo.

Eli took a deep breath.

"Understood. Please let me go say goodbye to my teammates first."

With that, Eli turned and left the warehouse.

His plans had been completely thrown into disarray...

"I think you have the power to change this war—and even this world."

Shiro Amada's words echoed in his ears again.

Eli shook his head and went outside.

There he saw Sanders, Karen, Eledore, and Michel lined up at the entrance.

They saluted him, their eyes fixed on him.

Eli fell silent for a moment, then returned their salute.

"Hey, kid. When you get to Jaburo, can you help promote my songs there?"

Eledore was the one to break the silence. He dropped his solemn act at once and threw an arm around Eli's shoulders with a cheeky grin.

Just like that, Eledore shattered the "tragically thick wall" before it even had a chance to rise.

"You, I remember your song already won an award, didn't it? So keep writing good songs from now on. I expect to hear yours on the radio."

Eli jabbed Eledore in the side with his elbow so he wouldn't get squeezed to death by his rough embrace.

"Karen, Sanders, I won't say much to you. You're both excellent pilots, so I'm sure you'll make it through this war. If you do make it..."

Eli blinked. Suddenly, he realized that talking like that was practically tempting fate.

"Then we'll talk about it when the time comes, Captain—after only one mission."

Karen immediately understood what Eli was getting at and gave him a hearty smile.

Even Sanders, who was usually quiet, smiled with a touch of tenderness beneath his gruff exterior.

"Make sure you take good care of the new recruits."

"I'll make sure I get the new guys through this alive."

Sanders, who had once been the Grim Reaper, could now make that promise with his chest held high.

"Waaah!"

Just as they'd all made their promises to one another and there was no sadness at their parting, a burst of sobbing rang out.

It was Michel. He was wiping away his tears with his shirt.

"Michel..."

Eli was deeply moved.

He and Michel hadn't even talked much, yet Michel felt so strongly about him.

It really was...

"Captain, Captain, he just got dumped by his girlfriend, BB."

At that moment, Eledore pulled them close together with a mischievous grin and shared the news in a voice loud enough for Michel to hear perfectly well.

"Hey, could I get a picture of you guys?"

Against the backdrop of Michel sobbing even louder, a person dressed like a reporter pressed the shutter.

"Click."