Chapter 171 – The Undead
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Char rubbed his temples.
They were now within visual range of what was known as the Delaz Fleet.
Of course, it wasn't Delaz himself present, but rather the fleet led by his ace pilot, Gato.
Could that guy still be alive…?
Char shook his head, forcing the image of the once-whole Gato out of his mind.
Rather than dwell on that zealot obsessed with the Zabi family, Char preferred to focus on the matter at hand.
Just like how he once made his way to Axis, this time, returning to the Earth Sphere with the fleet served the same purpose.
Lalah.
Three years ago, Lalah had fallen into a coma.
In hopes of finding a way to awaken her, Char brought her to Axis, hoping that the Newtype research there might offer a solution.
But what he found in Axis's Newtype research only left him bitterly disappointed.
They examined Lalah again and again, yet could reach no meaningful conclusion.
If that were the extent of it, Char wouldn't have complained.
In fact, out of gratitude for Axis's assistance, Char took the initiative to help the leadership of the asteroid base in stabilizing and rebuilding.
Having taken in a large number of Zeon remnants, Axis had once been on the brink of collapse.
Char had no desire to claim credit, but it was undeniably his efforts that helped the situation stabilize as quickly as it did.
However, it wasn't long before Char felt disillusioned.
A woman pursued him despite knowing full well that his heart belonged elsewhere; the old guard placed absurd expectations and crushing pressure on Mineva; even in that place, internal power struggles still festered.
And then, Char stumbled across something that shook him to the core: the Newtype research facility was secretly running a cloning project.
The discovery nearly sent Char into a panic.
He dared not imagine what might happen if he kept Lalah there. Would they eventually use her as a test subject?
These people were even willing to perform cyber-enhancement surgeries on children.
So Char fled—from that Axis, mired in the past and blind to the future.
Following the Axis fleet back to the Earth Sphere, the only way for him to leave the fleet and remain in the Earth Sphere was to disembark during Axis's scheduled reinforcement operation with the Delaz Fleet.
And from there, wait for a chance to slip away from the Delaz Fleet entirely.
To make that possible, Char had essentially abandoned everything he had worked for on Axis.
So when he saw the Delaz Fleet arrive, he felt a wave of relief.
All that remained was to ask someone to drop him off on any random colony.
Char stood up and donned his mask.
Soon, this mask would no longer be needed. He no longer needed to hide his identity or conceal the hatred in his eyes.
Because the target of that hatred… was gone.
Char lifted Lalah's body—an effortless task in space.
He gently placed her into a wheelchair, made sure everything was secure, and then pushed it toward the hangar.
"Ah, thank you very much, Captain."
The moment he entered the hangar, Char was greeted by a strange voice.
Following the sound, he saw a face that was unfamiliar, yet somehow evoked a deep sense of déjà vu.
The man had mechanical limbs and wore a mask nearly identical to Char's.
The resemblance alone was enough to annoy him.
He had heard before that Gato idolized him to the point of wearing a mask nearly identical to his own.
What Char didn't expect was that this man wasn't Gato—but rather, Daryl.
And what they were discussing was the gift sent by Axis—
The MA, Neue Ziel.
Char sighed. He couldn't bring himself to like that unit, either.
"Yes, the real gift is stored in the lower half of the unit, but it needs some time before it can be deployed."
The captain gestured toward the lower section of Neue Ziel as he spoke to Daryl.
"The Psycommu system has also been installed—Colonel Gato's request. He wanted it to fight alongside you, a true Newtype. That's why Neue Ziel was refitted as a two-seater."
The captain adjusted his cap.
"Unfortunately, Colonel Gato is no longer with us."
Gato's dead?
Char was momentarily stunned upon hearing their conversation.
But he said nothing and quietly continued toward the transport ship with Lalah.
Gato's death meant nothing to him.
"Ah, Colonel."
Just as the captain was explaining something to the man, that bothersome one noticed Char.
He actually drifted over on his own and landed right in front of Char.
"It's a pleasure to meet you here, Colonel Char."
As soon as Daryl landed, he smiled.
Even though his eyes were obscured, Char could sense his joy simply from the curve of his lips.
"Forgive me, sir. I'm Daryl—Second Lieutenant Daryl Lorenz."
Char frowned slightly as he returned the salute, regarding the masked man in front of him.
Something about the man's mental state felt… off. As if something had taken hold of his mind and twisted it.
Char blinked. For a fleeting moment, he thought he heard Lalah's voice in his head, telling him exactly that.
He turned toward her, only to be met with disappointment—her eyes remained shut, the eyes he had once loved so deeply for their ethereal clarity.
"You're here to support Operation Stardust too, aren't you? Colonel Gato had always hoped to fight at your side."
Daryl spoke with genuine anticipation.
Lalah was right… If Gato and Delaz were haunted by the ghosts of the Zeon Principality,
Then this man before him—he must be possessed by Gato's ghost.
Even if it was just a hallucination, Char chose to believe it.
"Tch."
At that moment, the captain behind Daryl let out a quiet scoff.
Of course. After all, Char had "betrayed" the ideals of Axis. Being scorned by soldiers was to be expected.
Char accepted that much.
But before the captain could expose this "deserter" to Daryl, a piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the hangar!
"Captain! Federation ships inbound—it's the White Base!"
Several veterans from the One Year War were aboard this ship, and the moment they identified the signal source, they triggered the alarm without hesitation.
Their expressions now carried a tinge of fear.
Anyone who had fought at A Baoa Qu had heard the stories—about this or that ace being shot down in just three rounds.
The villain of that tale… was that Gundam.
And the mothership of that Gundam—was the White Base!
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