The development of the Hermes Zero was finally completed. However, Reid's repeated "crash tests" proved that even he—the strongest psychic in their team—couldn't handle the MA Mode's triple Mach speed in complex terrain.
To be precise, if they were to maneuver through asteroid fields, the speed had to be reduced to around Mach 1.
Of course, given a dozen or so seconds to adapt and with fewer obstacles around, Reid could still manage the triple Mach speed just fine.
As for MS Mode, in space, this form could also reach triple Mach since there was no air resistance to consider. But if Reid couldn't control MA Mode, his performance in MS Mode wouldn't be much better either.
If even asteroid fields with relatively wide gaps were this challenging, forget about low-altitude urban areas packed with skyscrapers.
According to simulations, in such scenarios, Reid would be overperforming if he could push the MS Mode to even one-third of Mach speed.
Ground combat in cities? High-speed Mobile Suits weren't recommended for narrow areas with no room to dodge.
This situation made Reid realize that perhaps maneuvering at speeds above Mach 1.5 in complex terrain was the domain of S-class Mobile Suits (the Strike Freedom's assault speed wasn't even this fast—it took the upgraded Rising Freedom's MA Mode in the movie to reach such velocity. Fun fact: despite seeming underwhelming and not being a nuclear-powered unit, the upgraded Rising Freedom was actually more advanced than Dawn Company's modernized Strike Freedom from the movie).
Thus, his system-rated "Ace" piloting skills were no longer sufficient.
So, Reid called Ange over for a test. Sure enough, after just familiarizing herself with the unit, she effortlessly piloted the Hermes Zero at nearly double Mach speed through the asteroid field.
Afterward, she even asked Reid to modify her Immortal Aegis as well—once she got a taste of something better, Ange started complaining about the Immortal Aegis being too slow.
Reid could only promise to arrange the upgrades for her as soon as possible.
Internally, he confirmed that his piloting skills indeed couldn't keep up with the unit. The Hermes Zero, with its extraordinary mobility, had already half-stepped into S-class territory, meaning he had to impose certain limitations to pilot it properly.
However, the key to transitioning from Ace to Master-level piloting eluded him. During the Gryps II Conflict, Char's skills were likely at Master level, but the performance gap between the Hyaku Shiki (definitely a B-class unit) and the Mystic Lightning (which, after its micro-fusion reactor upgrade, had entered A-class territory) was too vast.
With such a Mobile Suit advantage, Char's technical prowess had limited impact—just like when he first faced the RX-78 in a Zaku.
Even though Amuro's MS proficiency at the time could only be rated as "Skilled" at best, Char, with his Ace-level skills, still couldn't do anything against the RX-78.
As for others, Kamille's pure MS piloting skills definitely hadn't reached Master level—she relied on the Zeta Gundam's performance and her Newtype abilities. After all, she was someone who could still be briefly suppressed by a few High Zacks even close to the final battle.
Only when facing the Qubeley, where her Newtype abilities excelled against Funnels, did Kamille's expertise make Haman seem completely outmatched.
Of course, in the original work, after Kamille provoked Haman, she stopped using her Funnels and charged in with a knife instead, managing to fight evenly with the Zeta Gundam. Keep in mind that the Qubeley loses at least half its combat effectiveness without Funnels, yet Kamille found himself helpless against it at this point.
Paptimus Scirocco should technically have master-level piloting skills, but The-O was both less advanced than the Mystic Lightning and only engaged in a brief duel during their first encounter, where Reid didn't gain much advantage.
Then Paptimus Scirocco was taken over by Ange. His Mobile Suit's performance was inferior, and Ange's skills were slightly better, so he ended up losing an arm. After that, it was just Reid and his wife ganging up on the "disabled" man—Paptimus Scirocco's death was downright humiliating.
So the Hermes Zero could only be set to three modes. The first mode's mobility speed and output were capped at just over Mach 1, roughly on par with the Tallgeese III's mobility speed (official data for the Tallgeese III exists, and experts calculated its theoretical mobility speed at 461.5 m/s—though in complex terrain, Zechs Marquise wouldn't dare push it that fast).
The second mode could reach Mach 3, while the third could accelerate to the first cosmic velocity in a matter of seconds.
Of course, these modes were only relevant in Earth's atmosphere. In space, as long as you weren't afraid of dying, any Mobile Suit in the Cosmic Era capable of sustained acceleration—provided it had enough energy—could gradually reach the second cosmic velocity.
That said, even accelerating to the first cosmic velocity was something few dared to attempt outside of cleared space lanes.
After all, the current density of space debris in Earth's orbit made it impossible for warships or Mobile Suits to speed recklessly. They could only accelerate like this along pre-cleared space routes.
Take the Archangel's escape route, for example—many sections were so treacherous that even Arnold Neumann only dared to drift through slowly, let alone anyone else.
However, thanks to the psychoframe cockpit, Reid could switch modes with just a thought. He could easily engage the second mode for a sprint, then switch back to the first mode and brake for an attack before reaching Mach 3.
This meant his actual mobility speed could be precisely controlled between Mach 1 and Mach 3, already enough to dominate every Mobile Suit of this era in the original work.
To put it bluntly, even flying at Mach 1, the targeting systems of ordinary Mobile Suits couldn't keep up. By the time a pilot aimed and fired, Reid could have already moved two or three hundred meters away—making it impossible to hit.
After all, due to the Neutron Jammer's interference with electromagnetic waves in the Cosmic Era, Mobile Suit shooting relied mostly on manual aiming. Hitting a target under these conditions was about as likely as hitting a supersonic jet with anti-aircraft fire. Unless you went for indiscriminate saturation fire, the chances of landing a hit were practically zero.
The same applied to the Freedom Gundam. As long as Reid didn't charge straight at it, the beams fired by its multi-lock system would only end up hitting the Hermes Zero's exhaust trail. (No exaggeration—the Freedom's multi-lock system could only bully low-mobility grunts. Against the three elite Mobile Suits, it couldn't lock on at all, forcing Kira to fight normally.)
After the mobility tests of the Hermes Zero concluded, Reid realized he rarely needed to utilize its triple Mach speed capability. Considering he couldn't remain inside the Mobile Suit continuously during the Alaska operation, he decided to install an Electronic Camouflage System.
This system was primarily added to prevent exposure after battles when operating alone on Earth, as certain factions within the Earth Alliance might attempt to ambush him during solo missions. Previous Earth operations had proven that current detection equipment couldn't easily spot a Mobile Suit with activated Electronic Camouflage at high altitudes. Combined with triple Mach speed, this would make him virtually untraceable.
Tem Ray pointed out that since they'd already installed the Buster Beam Rifle, adding this lightweight system - which could be concealed beneath armor and deployed by partially ejecting armor plates when needed - was acceptable. The Electronic Camouflage System didn't impose significant cooling requirements either, so it wouldn't affect the Mobile Suit's overall design.
Thus, the Hermes Zero was officially completed and ready for deployment.
Coincidentally, as Reid finished developing the Hermes Zero and was contemplating how to persuade the East Asian Republic to secretly transport him to Alaska before ZAFT's attack, he received a letter from the Earth Alliance.
To his surprise, the letter was from Bargiruel.
The contents were simple: she was pleading with Reid to rescue Murrue.
Truthfully, this revealed Bargiruel's conflicted nature - her strict adherence to rules while still maintaining emotional sensitivity within those boundaries.
According to her account, after returning to Alaska Base on May 2nd, most Archangel crew members were confined to the ship as in the original timeline, but Murrue was arrested immediately.
Worse still, Bargiruel had submitted the Archangel's logs documenting Murrue's numerous rule violations.
This played right into the Atlantic Federation's hands. They'd been searching for justification to charge Murrue, blaming her for the New Misurugi Republic's open use of Project G technology - since everyone knew Patrick Zala despised Reid Isaac, they couldn't possibly have obtained it from ZAFT.
However, the Atlantic Federation military officially charged Murrue with leaking Project G technology to Orb, as they couldn't officially charge her regarding Reid. With Orb's compromised security, the Federation easily obtained evidence showing Dawn Company employees had downloaded data from the Strike Gundam with tacit approval.
Shamelessly, the Federation even claimed the Natural-compatible OS as their proprietary military technology. Murrue was convicted by court-martial for leaking critical military technology the very day she arrived at Alaska Base.
Although convicted and placed in solitary confinement, Murrue's final punishment remained undetermined. No decision had been made regarding whether she'd face execution or centuries of imprisonment. Several high-ranking officers argued she'd made significant contributions and deserved further deliberation, so she was simply detained for the time being.
The next day after arriving at the Alaska Base, both Bargiruel and Mu received military transfer orders removing them from the Archangel, leaving the ship without even an acting captain. With Arnold Neumann's rank of Master Sergeant being the highest remaining on board, he was now barely managing the Archangel's operations.
Bargiruel had actually wanted to save Murrue. She searched throughout the Alaska Base, contacting relatives and comrades in the Atlantic Federation, hoping they could pull some strings and find influential people to help secure Murrue's release. But her efforts proved futile—her relatives even warned Bargiruel not to get involved to avoid jeopardizing their own careers.
Finally, Mu couldn't stand by any longer. He suggested that Bargiruel seek Reid's help and used his own channels to deliver the letter now in Reid's hands, sending it at top speed to the Star Palace Colony Satellite.
After reading the letter, Reid immediately noticed the timeline discrepancy. In the original events, the Archangel had been left idle for several days after arriving in Alaska before Murrue faced trial.
But now, Murrue had been arrested the same day, followed by Bargiruel's desperate search for help and the letter's delivery. Today, May 5th, was supposed to be Murrue's trial date, yet the letter had already reached him via high-speed shuttle routes.
Moreover, Reid had originally planned to intercept Bargiruel before her departure on May 8th by leveraging unpaid debts to delay her leaving the Alaska Base. But she had already been transferred on May 3rd and was likely en route to the Moon by now.
As for why the Atlantic Federation hadn't sentenced Murrue yet, Reid guessed they had already achieved their goal of making an example of her.
Unbeknownst to most, the Atlantic Federation had learned through undisclosed channels that ZAFT's target was the Alaska Base, not Panama—even before ZAFT officers themselves knew.
Thus, the Atlantic Federation military was certain Murrue would perish under the Cyclops System beneath the Alaska Base, making further punishment unnecessary. This also allowed higher-ups to feign advocacy for Murrue, earning them goodwill.
Without hesitation, Reid secretly sought out Ambassador Zhao Zhongjian, who was stationed at the Star Palace Colony Satellite, and handed him Bargiruel's letter. While Zhao read it, Reid quickly explained:
"Ambassador Zhao, time is critical, so I'll be direct. Murrue Ramius has connections to me. I want to rescue her, but dealing directly with the Atlantic Federation is undesirable. I'd like the East Asian Republic to arrange my covert infiltration into the Alaska Base for the extraction.
Of course, I won't ask this favor without compensation. I can offer a technical solution to reduce Phase Shift Armor's energy consumption as payment.
Ambassador Zhao, this is urgent. Give me a straight answer—yes or no."
After finishing the letter, Zhao found the situation somewhat amusing. He had been urgently summoned for a secret meeting, expecting major developments, only to find Reid trying to save a lover.
Yes, Zhao had already concluded Murrue must be Reid's lover. Why else would Reid go to such lengths, even offering technology in exchange for her rescue?
Still, Reid's request wasn't particularly troublesome. Extracting a junior officer from prison was something the East Asian Republic could handle effortlessly—and without leaving any evidence for the Atlantic Federation to trace.
So Zhao Zhongjian was prepared to agree directly, because judging by Reid's demeanor, if he refused or tried to bargain, Reid would definitely turn around and leave immediately. After all, the Eurasian Federation could also help with this. Given the Eurasian Federation's current state, they would surely owe Reid a favor, and it wasn't like Reid was asking for a free ride.
With that in mind, Zhao Zhongjian smiled and said:
"Since Mr. Reid is so sincere, it's only natural that our East Asian Republic would help a friend. However, there's no need for you to personally go to the Alaska Base—I can just send a message back and get it sorted."
Hearing this, Reid was momentarily speechless—his true intentions lay elsewhere. Shaking his head, he smoothly deflected:
"No, Ambassador Zhao, you don't understand the situation between Murrue and me. If the East Asian Republic directly goes to rescue her, she'll assume you're after her technology.
You have to understand—she's the lead engineer who developed the Phase Shift Armor. If that happens, she definitely won't cooperate. After all, her sentencing hasn't been finalized yet, and she probably hasn't given up on the Atlantic Federation.
Besides, Murrue wasn't too willing to return to the Star Palace with me before. If I personally go to rescue her this time, she'll surely relent."
Zhao Zhongjian found Reid's reasoning somewhat persuasive. The only thing he hadn't expected was that the Atlantic Federation would even dare to convict someone as valuable as the lead engineer behind the Phase Shift Armor.
As for why Murrue had refused to return to the Star Palace with Reid before—it wasn't hard to guess. Given Reid's current status, he couldn't offer her any official recognition; she'd only be a secret lover, which naturally wouldn't satisfy her.
So Reid's plan to personally rescue her to win her over made sense. It's just that Reid seemed a bit too sentimental. Looks like there's still a chance to recruit him—might have to resort to a honey trap.
After some thought, Zhao Zhongjian asked again:
"Alright, if Mr. Reid insists, how many people do you plan to take? Just so we're clear—if we're sneaking into the Atlantic Federation covertly, too many people won't work."
Seeing Zhao Zhongjian agree, Reid grinned decisively and said:
"I'll go down alone. The Aries will drop me off at Earth's outer orbit, and then I'll descend solo in my Mobile Suit. Oh, right—my cockpit can fit one more person. To make communication easier, why don't you send someone down with me?"
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