A few days later, Zeon's delegation arrived on Earth as scheduled. They began a peace talk conference that was, in name, a "peace talk," but in reality, was to accept surrender. The leader was Lieutenant Colonel M'Quve of the Mobile Assault Army...
(A quick note here: according to the information I found, in UC 0076, Kycilia established an experimental MS unit, forming the Training Mobile Battalion. M'Quve participated as an Adjutant to assist her with her plans, and a few years later, he also proposed a plan related to MS.
In UC 0078, due to an internal split that divided the Zeon Army in two, M'Quve, knowing he was disliked by Dozle, was assigned to Kycilia's Mobile Assault Army, becoming the second-in-command of this force.
However, in The Origin, Kycilia addresses M'Quve as a Lieutenant General and asks him to return to the Zeon Army to go to Earth for negotiations.
This is a serious point of divergence. I'm writing based on the original canon materials, so please correct me if I'm wrong.
PS: It might seem a bit careless to have a delegation led by a mere Lieutenant Colonel, but let's just go with it. Otherwise, I won't be able to write M'Quve's character later on, since his master, Kycilia, is only a Rear Admiral.)
"Heh, as expected, Zeon isn't willing to just end the war like this," Yang Hui said with a smile as he watched the live broadcast of the peace conference.
The Federal Army had indeed suffered a crushing defeat in space, but its foundation on Earth was unharmed. It would be easy for them to rise again. If it were just peace talks, how much could Zeon really gain right now? Would those gains be enough to give them a stronger foundation than the Federation in a short period?
The answer was no.
Therefore, these peace talks were a joke from the start. It would be more accurate to call it a formal declaration of war conference.
For Zeon to continue the war and unify its internal dissent and divisions as much as possible, it had to place some shackles on itself and then declare war openly and honorably. This was to satisfy the sense of honor among the upright, militant factions within the Zeon Army.
And M'Quve was a bona fide warmonger. He had no desire for this war to end with a bang and a whimper. Without war, how could his talents shine?
Moreover, it wasn't just M'Quve; neither Gihren Zabi nor Kycilia Zabi ever thought these talks would succeed. The fact that Yang Hui was able to rescue Revil safely was partly due to them turning a blind eye. It was a silent understanding, an uncoordinated cooperation.
"The show is about to start." Calculating the time and the progress of the conference, Yang Hui's smile widened as he thought about what was about to happen.
Sure enough, just as the Federation was on the verge of compromising, Revil walked into the conference hall under countless shocked, even horrified, gazes. He stepped onto the podium and began his speech.
"Zeon has no more soldiers left to fight!"
After that most classic line was delivered, many Federation assemblymen who had lost their courage felt the passion in their chests reawakened. Their previous frustration and helplessness were replaced by a firm resolve to resist to the very end.
"Hiss~ This old man, could he be an infectious-type Newtype, like that monk from the parallel world? Even I'm getting pumped up just listening."
Even through the screen, a smile of excitement and passion couldn't help but appear on Yang Hui's face. The difference between memory and personal experience was vast—so vast that even he, who should have faced this kind of soul-stirring speech with calmness, was affected by the speech from thousands of miles away.
Of course, the idea of Newtype abilities was just a joke. The reason Yang Hui also felt a surge of passion was that Revil's conviction and fervor resonated with the ardor hidden deep in his heart, awakening the surging battle spirit unique to a warrior.
The outcome of the peace conference was obvious. The talks failed, and both sides formally declared war. They also signed a series of treaties, the famous Antarctic Treaty, which roughly covered the following three points:
1.
Prohibition of the use of NBC weapons and large-mass weapons (such as Colony Bombs), and limitations on the use of other weapons.
2.
Prohibition of attacks on neutral zones, the Lunar Permanent City, and the Jupiter Fleet.
3.
Confirmation of human rights factors such as the treatment of prisoners of war.
Beep beep beep...
"This is Yang Hui."
"Major Yang Hui, General Revil orders you to proceed immediately to Luna II, establish the 12th Technical Unit, and execute the V-X Project."
"What about the others?"
"The V Project and SCV-X Project development teams have already departed. They will arrive at Luna II in five days."
"What about the people I specifically requested?"
"They are all on the list."
"Good. Tell General Revil I'm leaving immediately."
"Understood. May fortune favor you in battle."
Hanging up the communication, Yang Hui looked at his PAD and smiled. "Revil is really in a hurry. But... there really is no time to waste. Odessa... I hope I can make it in time."
...
A week later, Yang Hui arrived at the Federal Army's last fortress in space—Luna II—and met with Lieutenant General Tianem, who was there to greet him.
"You're a day later than scheduled," Tianem said.
"I took a little detour."
Originally, both the V Project and the SCV-X Project were to be conducted at the Federal Army's headquarters, Jaburo Base, because it was the safest place.
However, considering the situation in the space battlefield and the fact that testing MS and new types of warships required a space environment, Yang Hui decided it was better to develop and test them directly in space rather than completing them at Jaburo and then slowly sending them up. So, he had summoned the personnel from both research teams to Luna II.
After hanging up the phone, Yang Hui had set off immediately. However, he didn't go directly to Luna II. Instead, he took a detour to Granada, gave some instructions at his own base, and then brought Natarle Badgiruel, Jung, and Kajima Yuu with him to Luna II.
The construction of the Qilin-class was not the highest priority; the priority was to disseminate the new technology to the existing fleet. But Revil's order was to first build five Qilin-class ships in preparation for the five new space fleets to be re-established.
And besides Yang Hui, Natarle Badgiruel was the person who understood the Qilin-class warship best. Data was just data; having someone familiar with it involved in the testing would make things twice as effective.
The same went for Jung and Kajima Yuu. At the secret research base in Granada, two prototype M1 Astray units had already been produced, and they had both participated in the M1 Astray's real-world tests.
As for the other test pilots he had handpicked from the army... when it came to poaching talent, didn't one use any means necessary?
"What's the deal with these three?"
"They're my people."
"...General Revil has given you a great deal of autonomy and has instructed me to satisfy all your needs, but..."
"You also have your own judgment, General Tianem. Don't worry, I won't make any requests that are beyond your capabilities."
"Hmph, that would be for the best."
Tianem trusted Revil, not Yang Hui. Although they had some contact, he, like Revil, couldn't see through Yang Hui. As a veteran of the battlefield, he wouldn't completely trust a young man who was parachuted in with high authority just based on others' evaluations. He had his own standards for judging Yang Hui.
"I've read the documents General Revil sent me. Two months is too long. I want to see results within one month," Tianem demanded.
"You're asking for the impossible, General Tianem. Although Luna II has its own production factories, it's impossible to completely refit the entire fleet in one month. And don't forget, the MS development plan is proceeding simultaneously."
"I know, but we don't have time."
Time was tight. He had already received intelligence that the Zeon Army was massing its forces and approaching Earth. This action led Tianem to conclude that the Zeon Army had long been prepared to invade Earth.
"So the development of MS should be the top priority." As he spoke, Yang Hui showed Tianem the complete M1 Astray blueprints he had brought. "This M1 Astray I designed is an all-weather MS. Due to its modular design, it only needs to be equipped with different Armed Backpacks according to the environment to meet the needs of all battlefields."
"...You want to let the Zeon Army land on the surface?" Tianem understood Yang Hui's meaning. Instead of intercepting Zeon's main force in space, it was better to let them land and fight them in a terrestrial environment.
Comparing the troop strength and combat power of their respective space fleets, and adding the time constraints, this was indeed the optimal choice. After all, Earth was the Federal Army's home turf. Knowing that the enemy was on their way, they might even be able to pre-deploy forces on Earth to ambush Zeon's drop troops.
But... this would be telling all Federation citizens that the Space Force was incompetent, which was the one thing Tianem could not accept.
"There isn't enough time, General Tianem." Yang Hui also knew what Tianem was thinking. Did he not wish to stop Zeon right in space?
But there really wasn't enough time. With the complete blueprints, both the M1 Astray and the Qilin-class could be built directly, but...
Because the technology was from a different world, they needed to test whether all the units could function properly. And even after successful development, they still needed mass production. Just establishing organized MS units and refitting the Salamis-class and Magellan-class ships would take a considerable amount of time.
And Yang Hui's idea of ambushing Zeon's drop troops on the terrestrial battlefield was merely a delaying tactic. After all, the Federation currently relied on war chariots and fighter jets. It would be difficult to defeat Zeon's MS units head-on unless they threw several times the numbers and lives at them.
"...Alright, I understand. As quickly as possible."
"I will."
Looking at Tianem's weary face, Yang Hui gave him a serious promise. The situation of the Federation Space Force was too frustrating and helpless. Of the vast Space Fleet, only the force at Luna II remained. Forget about launching an offensive; even defending against a large-scale Zeon assault would be extremely difficult.
However... all of this was about to change because of his arrival.
After bidding farewell to Tianem, Yang Hui went to meet his team members. The success of the V-X Project was a certainty. The purpose of assembling such a large team was to figure out how to complete it faster. At the same time, the Federal Assembly believed that the costs of both the M1 Astray and the Qilin-class were too high, and they needed them to cut costs—in other words, to create a qualified, stripped-down version for easy mass production.
Yang Hui led his people into a large, separate conference room. Natarle Badgiruel, Jung, and Kajima Yuu found empty seats and sat down, while Yang Hui walked to the podium, facing a multitude of questioning and resentful gazes.
"Alright, everyone. I imagine many of you have heard of me, but I'll introduce myself anyway. My name is Yang Hui, and I am the supreme commander of the 12th Independent Technical Unit. Welcome to my unit."
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