Chapter 150: She's So Beautiful
Eli stood on the bridge, also gazing in the direction of Albion.
Of course, he couldn't see Kou Uraki on the ground. He was simply admiring this brand-new sister ship of the Pegasus-class.
"She's truly beautiful."
A sigh of admiration came from behind Eli.
Turning around, he saw Captain Paolo, resting his chin in his hand with an appreciative expression, also admiring Albion.
"Next time you say something like that, please step down from the captain's seat of the White Chaser first, or she might start crying."
Eli couldn't help but tease.
"Hahaha! You know, pilots aren't the only ones who can be fickle. Just kidding, I treasure this battleship dearly."
He wasn't lying.
Although the White Chaser's last fleet engagement was during the mass accelerator incident, it had emerged nearly unscathed. In that battle, it had cooperated with White Base for a crossfire maneuver to conclude the fight.
The biggest damage the White Chaser had sustained in that engagement was losing an anti-air gun to a Dom's attack.
Paolo laughed and continued joking with the other bridge crew members about the event.
The bridge crew was eagerly discussing things like, "I really want to see if Albion handles any differently."
Mainly, the two folded wings on Albion's rear half looked quite impressive.
However, Albion's MS deck was separated from its core fighter hangar. The signature "forelegs" of the Pegasus-class had been repurposed into a core fighter hangar, while the slightly elevated main body housed the MS hangar.
To accommodate this, Albion was equipped with a folding-type electromagnetic catapult.
The White Chaser slowly descended into the space reserved beside Albion. Under Paolo's command, it was carefully aligned to match Albion's position.
The bridges of both ships faced each other, allowing crew members to see their counterparts directly.
Eli and Captain Paolo immediately stood up and saluted, and Albion's captain, Colonel Eyphar Sinapus, returned the gesture in perfect sync.
The two captains quickly engaged in conversation, while Eli, as a squadron leader, remained present to welcome Sinapus.
General Revil had assigned Albion and two Gundams to Augusta Base, signifying that its testing and operations would be overseen by Undertaker.
From another perspective, Eli was also a shareholder of Yashima Heavy Industries, making it his responsibility to ensure the proper testing of Yashima's MS units.
Ironically, Eli wasn't even sure which two Gundams had been transported. That information was still classified.
Of course, once they had arrived at this base, the confidentiality restrictions were lifted. Eli just hadn't been present to witness the transfer, so he couldn't determine which units they were.
But considering the nuclear warheads onboard the White Chaser, Eli suspected that the units delivered were Unit 1 and Unit 2.
Watching the two captains exchange pleasantries, Eli blinked and decided to excuse himself.
He contacted the base's commanding officer, Arthur.
"No one is allowed to leave alone, and all entry and exit must be monitored? Isn't that standard procedure?"
Arthur was puzzled by Eli's request.
"Alright, let me clarify. I'm talking specifically about the personnel from Albion, whether they're from Anaheim or Yashima. I want them all carefully monitored."
Eli made his point clear.
"You mean…?"
Arthur immediately understood Eli's real concern.
Both Anaheim and Yashima had acquired Zeon's MS development companies and had integrated large portions of the lunar industrial sector without making significant personnel changes.
This meant no one could be sure whether some of the personnel here might still sympathize with Zeon.
While Eli could identify spies by checking their profiles, the sheer number of people arriving made it impossible to verify each one individually.
"Understood. I'll issue the orders."
Arthur nodded and ended the call.
Eli then left the White Chaser, where a jeep was already waiting beside it.
Inside the vehicle were Arcadia and Io, who had been waiting for him.
"Where are Ryan and Sanders?"
"On guard duty. The warheads won't be leaving the ship."
Eli leaned on the jeep and replied.
"Wow, that's intense."
Arcadia rubbed her arms and gripped the steering wheel.
"Alright, let's move out!"
The jeep's engine roared to life as it sped towards the hangar located to the right of the Pegasus-class docking bay.
Inside, two Gundams were already stationed.
"Hey, stop listening to music. What's going on with that guy, Uraki?"
Eli yanked Io's headphones off and asked.
"Huh? Since when do you care about him, Captain? Well, he's not bad. He'll be an ace someday. Just now, he even got into an argument with that Titan gambler pervert."
"Oh? And how did that end?"
"I punched the Titan guy."
Io gave Eli a thumbs-up.
Eli nodded, choosing not to disturb Io's enjoyment of his music.
Eli was already aware of the relationship between Uraki and Amuro. Otherwise, this rookie pilot wouldn't have been assigned to a cutting-edge MS test mission so soon—Augusta Base had plenty of pilots available.
Speaking of which, Amuro had gone to White Base instead of coming to the White Chaser. That made Eli wonder—had he lost his touch with kids?
"Screech—!"
The jeep's sudden braking jolted Eli from his thoughts.
The vehicle had stopped in front of the hangar doors.
To Eli's surprise, Kou Uraki and his teammate and close friend Keith were already standing there, but they were being blocked by the guards at the entrance.
"We just want to take a look!"
"Orders are orders, Ensign Uraki. Don't put me in a tough spot."
The guard, a mere sergeant, was clearly uneasy about denying Uraki's request.
"You, you did well."
Eli walked up and addressed them.
"Uh, thank you, sir."
Uraki immediately saluted, leaving the guard looking rather awkward.
"Smack!"
"I was talking to you, soldier. Next time suspicious personnel try to enter, detain them at gunpoint first."
Eli smacked Uraki on the head and addressed the guard.
"Suspicious personnel!"
Keith gasped, only to receive a kick in the rear from Arcadia.
Eli ignored them and turned towards the hangar, with Io following behind him.
"Alright, you guys can come along."
Uraki, who had resigned himself to leaving, suddenly heard Arcadia calling him.
"Huh? But—"
"Relax. If the Captain really wanted to send you away, he would have said so outright. Besides, he just asked about you. You're pretty lucky."
Arcadia urged them on.
"Or do you not want to see the new Gundams?"
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