Beneath Armory One's metal dome, the lingering smell of gun smoke mingled with machine oil. The cold hum of machinery echoed through the empty harbor, intertwining with the faint aftershocks of naval gunfire from distant space, capturing the oppressive restlessness of a battle only just ended. Mei Hock stood beside the Zaku's temporary berth, fine traces of cosmic dust still clinging to his dark green Armory One guard Mobile Suit pilot's uniform. He had deliberately smoothed the guard insignia on his collar. A trace of exhaustion lingered between his brows, but it could not conceal the resolve and urgency in his eyes. At this moment, he was merely one of Armory One's many ordinary green-uniformed Mobile Suit guard pilots. No one knew he had once been the core commander of the Silver Wing special operations unit, much less that he harbored weighty plans concerning his family and peace.
His brief clash with Phantom Pain had caused no major casualties, but it had brought the chaos and danger of the current situation into sharper focus. Chairman Durandal's ambitions were becoming increasingly apparent, LOGOS's schemes were stirring, and relations between PLANT and the Earth Alliance had once again been pushed to the brink. Meanwhile, his greatest concern-his children, Minghui and Mingyue-remained in Orb, their futures uncertain. Staying at Armory One to continue pursuing Phantom Pain was not his most urgent priority. Protecting his family and joining Lacus to prevent a greater tragedy were missions that could not wait.
"Hawke, preliminary maintenance on all units is complete, and we've received deployment orders for the pursuit." The adjutant hurried over to Akira, speaking as casually as he would to any ordinary guard. Yet as he handed over an encrypted terminal, he could not hide the confusion in his eyes. "But... are you really applying