Far from the city center, deep into the suburban mountains, Leon Vance walked toward the highest peak of Heliopolis, greeting fellow hikers along the way.
According to the information shared among hiking groups that Vance was familiar with, no teams were heading to that highest peak today; instead, they were engaged in leisure activities near the suburbs.
Thus, as he ventured deeper into the mountains, Vance encountered no other hikers.
The mechanical cat perched on his backpack leaped down, darting and bouncing around like a lively feline from another world.
Vance paid no attention to this system-embodied mechanical cat.
No matter how wildly it played, it would never get lost.
Half an hour later, Vance arrived at a canyon.
In this remote, seldom-visited canyon, someone was already waiting for him.
The person glanced at the mechanical cat that had jumped from a nearby thicket onto Vance’s backpack, then looked at Vance.
“Everything is arranged!”
“Good!”
After exchanging nods, the two walked one after the other into the depths of the canyon.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the rising mist deep within the gorge.
On the surface, the colony satellite Heliopolis was developed and constructed by the neutral nation of Orb.
But in reality, within this ostensibly neutral country, there existed factions with connections to various major international powers.
It was precisely the interests arising from this situation that led to the Earth Alliance’s top-secret “G-Project” being stationed on Heliopolis.
Despite repeated setbacks and defeats in battles such as the Nova Campaign and the Battle of Yggdrasil, making the Earth Alliance appear battered by ZAFT, it remained undeniable that the Earth Alliance still possessed formidable military strength and significant international influence.
Thus, for whatever reasons, the Atlantic Federation, as the leader of the Earth Alliance, and Orb secretly reached an agreement to advance the “G-Project” covertly on the colony satellite Heliopolis.
As the “G-Project” progressed, the day of harvest finally arrived.
Apart from technicians from the Atlantic Federation, many from the Eurasian Federation, the Republic of East Asia, and even Orb itself were excluded under various pretexts, fearing that these non-Atlantic Federation technicians might disrupt this crucial moment of reaping.
However, no number of excuses could hinder Vance’s actions.
As the elevator, hidden deep within the canyon and leading directly to Heliopolis’s underground secret armory, began to decelerate, Vance, led by the man, arrived at his destination.
An underground hangar housing various weapons and armor of all sizes, three heavy transport trucks loaded with all kinds of supplies, and the Iron Titan—already developed, lying dormant, and awaiting awakening.
“ized MS weaponry of various types and three heavy transport trucks fully stocked with drinking water, food, and other supplies are all ready.”
The man pointed toward the Iron Titan parked at the far end of the hangar.
“As for that, you should already be very familiar with it.”
Vance nodded.
“Hmm, very familiar.
After all, I designed it.
Of course, on the surface, it doesn’t belong to me—only to the Atlantic Federation.”
The man showed a faint, disdainful smile.
“Starting today, it belongs to you.
But now, you need to get it back safely.”
“Everything arranged?”
Leon Vance glanced around, noticing no one else was present, and formed a rough understanding in his mind.
“Yes.
Because someone from the Atlantic side is coming to pick up the goods, the people here have been reassigned.
Our people have also withdrawn in advance.
I’m the only one left to bring you here.”
BOOM!!
As they spoke, a dull thud seemed to echo from above.
Both men instinctively scanned their surroundings, then looked up at the ceiling, where dust was shaking loose.
“Tsk!
Are ZAFT’s noses that sharp?
They’re attacking already.”
“You should withdraw first!
I’ll handle things here.”
Leon patted the other man’s shoulder.
“Can you manage?”
“No problem.
After all, I’ve been working here for several months now!”
“Alright!
See you in the capital!”
“See you in the capital!”
The man waved his hand and turned away without hesitation, leaving the hangar.
BOOM!!
The tremors continued, shaking small objects scattered throughout the hangar.
Clearly, the colony satellite Heliopolis was already under attack by ZAFT.
“Bao Bao.
Can you handle those three heavy trucks?”
Leon quickly ran to the side of the slumbering Iron Titan and called out casually.
“Easy!
But I still suggest you exchange for a few simple AI components!”
“Enough talk!
That costs points!”
Leon shot a glance at the mechanical cat Bao Bao, who was squatting motionless on the elevator.
“It’s clearly the most convenient method.
Look, you have to pilot the Mobile Suit and also get those three heavy trucks out of here.
Exchanging for low-level AI components is the best choice, isn’t it?”
As it spoke, the mechanical cat Bao Bao even rubbed its paws together, acting exactly like a shady vendor trying to sell cheap toys to an unsuspecting child, constantly tempting Leon to use the points he had saved for over a decade and rarely touched.
“Are you going to do it or not?”
Leon walked toward the Iron Titan’s cockpit, searching for the external cockpit hatch switch while asking coldly.
Seeing Leon’s gaze gradually turn icy, the mechanical cat Bao Bao shuddered and quickly replied.
“I’ll do it right away!”
Too bad the creature was completely smooth all over—if it had fur, it would probably be standing on end by now.
Watching as the mechanical cat Bao Bao leaped into the first heavy truck in a few quick movements, Leon shook his head, pushed the thought of the mechanical cat that occasionally turned into a little demon tempting him to use his points to the back of his mind, and turned to enter the cockpit.
The familiar cockpit layout, the familiar screens, and the data port Leon pulled out from the right side of the pilot seat all filled him with confidence for the upcoming operation.
Ever since he arrived at Heliopolis, he had been secretly planning, leveraging the resources, manpower, and technical advantages provided by the Atlantic Federation and Orb to adjust this new Mobile Suit—an extension derived from the Strike Gundam, a key member of the Atlantic Federation’s highly anticipated “G-Project.”
From the mobile suit’s frame to its operating system, everything had been gradually improved and advanced under Leon Vance’s subtle influence, finally reaching the moment of true awakening at this very instant.
As he took the USB drive containing the OS program he had poured his heart and soul into developing from his pocket and inserted it into the data port, Leon’s mind involuntarily flashed to the image of the Heliopolis-side supervisor of the G-Project, furious over the repeatedly failed OS program tests, slamming the table and pointing at the developers while hurling wild insults.
“Awaken!
Sky Raider Gundam!
Join me in welcoming the unwelcome guests from ZAFT!”