In the factory module of the base at the Star Palace Colony Satellite in the New Misurugi Republic, Reid was conducting final checks on his Union Flag.
Today was the day Reid had decided to use the G-Invasion Module. To prevent any mishaps, he meticulously inspected the Union Flag's ammunition, energy reserves, and every functional detail of the mobile suit.
Electromagnetic Rifle self-test: passed; weapon magazines: full; two spare magazines mounted at the waist: secure; Anti-ship Missiles in the legs: fully loaded; energy levels: maximum; thruster self-test: normal; propulsion system test: normal; full-system diagnostics: all green.
Inside the cockpit, Reid watched as the system diagnostics confirmed everything was in order, and the factory module displayed all status indicators in green. Satisfied, he nodded.
Though Reid believed the risk of failure in this "pocket war" was low—after all, the mobile suits of UC 0079 were relatively primitive, and even the GINN would be considered high-performance there. The Cigu, aside from its weaker defense and lack of beam weapons, could rank among the top mass-produced units. (This assessment was based on the standards of Gundam G Generation Genesis, where even the RX-78's stats in Zeta Gundam would pale next to grunt suits.)
A few outdated RX-78-series Gundams likely wouldn't even rate a B-tier evaluation. The NT-1 might scrape a B-tier thanks to its panoramic cockpit and magnetic coating, but its pilot was just a Natural without even spatial awareness—someone who could be taken down by a Zaku II Kai with a few tricks. Their combat effectiveness was practically negligible.
Still, despite his confidence, Reid couldn't shake the thought of what might happen to Angie and Noin if he did fail. Before leaving, he wanted to share some hints about the future, giving them a head start—just in case it turned into his last words.
So, from the cockpit, Reid called Angie and Noin.
The moment the call connected, Angie's voice came through.
"What's up, Reid? Weren't you about to test that new ability from the 'god'? Why call us now?"
Reid looked at the two women and spoke softly.
"I just wanted to say something before heading into the unknown..."
Before he could finish, Angie cut him off, her tone exasperated.
"Stop right there. I don't want to hear your last words. That 'god' dumped you on us and left. If you die so casually, I swear—as long as I'm alive—I'll spend the rest of my life sticking your name on a voodoo doll and stabbing it every day."
Without giving Reid a chance to respond, Noin chimed in.
"Same. I don't want to hear your last words either. Unless you have new orders, I'm hanging up."
Seeing Reid had nothing else to say, Noin promptly ended the call. Angie, following suit, did the same, leaving Reid both amused and exasperated.
In truth, unbeknownst to Reid, Angie and Noin were both praying for his safe return. Their harsh words weren't out of indifference—they just didn't want him jinxing himself.
Their reactions, however, dispelled Reid's lingering doubts about failure. With a resigned chuckle, he opened the system, selected UC 0080, Side 6 Colony Satellite—the Zeon Cyclops Team's Gundam destruction operation—and clicked "Confirm Invasion."
The moment he did, the system's prompt echoed in his mind.
"The host has selected the G-Invasion Campaign. Beginning explanation of the campaign rules.
For this campaign, you may choose between the Earth Federation faction, the Zeon faction, or no faction.
Both the Earth Federation and Zeon factions will provide reasonable identities, while selecting no faction will double the final rewards.
The rewards for downing enemy Mobile Suits in this invasion follow standard rules, with an additional 15 Merit Points awarded for downing protagonist units. (Protagonist units are: RX-78NT-1 Gundam Alex; MS-18E Kämpfer)
If the host downs a Mobile Suit with over 70% integrity remaining, the system provides temporary recovery services. Units downed by others cannot be recovered. Recovered Mobile Suits will result in reduced G-Coin rewards based on the unit's condition, though Merit Points remain unaffected.
Currently, the maximum number of Mobile Suits that can be temporarily recovered in this invasion is 2. Please choose carefully.
The invasion objective is to defeat one protagonist unit to initiate return, which is instantaneous.
If return is not chosen, you may remain in the invasion world for up to 24 hours before being forcibly returned.
Upon return, all items that can be independently carried by the person or Mobile Suit without external assistance will return with them. Biological entities cannot be brought back.
During G-Invasion, real-world time is frozen and resumes immediately upon return.
Reminder: Death of the host or summoner in invasion mode equates to real death, though all injuries will be healed upon return. Please value your life."
Reid read the rules and thought, damn, this G-Invasion seems to encourage going on a rampage while also playing scrap collector. Though with the Union Flag's spindly arms and legs, he couldn't expect it to carry much weight. The system practically wanted him to be a vulture, taking everything not nailed down.
It felt like farming materials in a game. The system's creator must have modeled this after some predatory mobile game.
As Reid was lost in thought, the next selection screen appeared—the three faction choices mentioned earlier, with a 60-second countdown above it. A note below stated that failure to choose would default to no faction, but without the double reward benefit.
But Reid still had one question. Seizing the remaining time, he quickly asked:
"System, answer me—if I invade these events now, then encounter later timelines of the same world, will this invasion affect those timelines?"
The system apparently had this answer pre-programmed, responding instantly:
"No effect. Invasion campaigns take place in independent parallel worlds. They cannot influence the main timeline of that universe. Subsequent encounters with that universe's campaigns will also remain unaffected."
Hearing this, Reid breathed a sigh of relief. If there were consequences for later timelines, he wouldn't dare recklessly down Mobile Suits in G-Invasion mode—like during the Solomon campaign. If he shot down Amuro there, the entire UC timeline would go haywire.
Knowing these were just parallel worlds also eased his guilt somewhat. Though his hands were already stained beyond cleansing, Reid didn't want the weight of destroying an entire world on his conscience.
Thus, in the final seconds of the countdown, Reid decisively chose the no-faction option. With the meager selection of Mobile Suits available in the "War in the Pocket" scenario, skipping this double reward would be a huge loss. After all, the system had clearly stated this was the Zeon Cyclops Team's operation to destroy the Gundam—meaning the three Motherships in outer space were likely just side missions he wouldn't encounter directly.
After selecting his faction, Reid noticed his Mobile Suit was enveloped in a green-hued light screen covered entirely in binary digits of 0s and 1s, as if he had entered a digital space.
Then, the green abruptly shifted to a glaring red, and the rapidly refreshing 0s and 1s began distorting and warping.
About a second or two later, Reid suddenly felt a jolt inside the cockpit. The display showed that he had been transported to an unfamiliar Colony Satellite—currently in its nighttime cycle, with the artificial night simulation system active.
But what left Reid most speechless was the sight before him: a distinctly marked UC Pegasus-class Battleship continuously launching Mobile Suits into the Colony Satellite city below. And to make matters worse, he was currently in free fall.