In the Star Palace Colony Satellite, intelligence agents from the four major powers of the Earth Sphere had been busy these past few days.
The reason, of course, was Reid's return and his secret overnight discussion with Ange, Noin, and Une, which officially launched the [Bright Sword] plan.
As everyone knows, to conceal a plan, you first need to drop a "bombshell" to keep those prying eyes occupied.
Thus, the New Misurugi Republic officially unveiled its latest mass-produced military Mobile Suit, the Assault GM Dominion.
After this MS made its debut, the other nations in the Earth Sphere reacted as usual—conducting routine investigations—since they had grown accustomed to Reid occasionally rolling out a new Mobile Suit.
But the Atlantic Federation took one look and inwardly screamed, "Oh no! Our Dagger Series has been turned into a knockoff!"
There was no helping it. Both were developed based on the Strike's design philosophy, and the Atlantic Federation's GAT-01A1 Dagger, still in the testing phase, was far too similar in both function and performance.
Moreover, since the Assault GM Dominion had already been deployed to the military, the Atlantic Federation managed to obtain more detailed specifications. They couldn't help but lament:
"Isn't this just a Strike without Phase Shift Armor, a different head, and slightly upgraded electronics? The New Misurugi Republic must be rolling in cash. Our Congress winces at the cost of the Dagger, yet they just casually fielded over 200 of these (they must have kept some for defense, not sending them all)."
Next, the appearance of the Antietam-class Freighter and two other Aries-style warships didn't cause as much of a stir.
However, both the Earth Alliance and PLANT seemed highly interested in the Antietam-class Freighter, which could transport up to 30 Mobile Suits in a single trip while integrating repair and resupply functions onboard.
Additionally, Reid had applied atmospheric entry transport technology from the AC universe, granting the Antietam-class Freighter the ability to independently descend to Earth and operate in its atmosphere.
Though in Earth's environment, the Antietam-class Freighter moved at a snail's pace—slower than a standard helicopter—its massive size and cargo capacity earned praise from both the Earth Alliance and PLANT.
As a result, neither side criticized Reid for building a fleet. Instead, they encouraged further development of such large freighters.
This thing was great—durable, sturdy, and with a high cargo capacity. Best of all, it was a freighter, meaning it could easily enter the civilian market. With a slight reduction in cargo space, a cannon mounted on top, and some added defensive machine guns, it could even pass as a warship—all at a bargain price.
The Earth Alliance even felt that with this ship's introduction, the Agamemnon-class Battleship, primarily used for MS transport, could be phased out entirely. After all, no one in the military expected the Agamemnon-class to provide much fire support—that was the job of the Nelson-class and Drake-class ships.
Thus, the Antietam-class Freighter, capable of carrying over three times as many Mobile Suits as the Agamemnon-class, became the military's new favorite.
Orders from the four Earth Sphere nations soon poured into the New Misurugi Republic like snowflakes, with delivery schedules filling up for the next two years in just a few days.
Une had initially assumed that after the launch of the Bright Sword plan, the New Misurugi Republic would face warning suppression from the four Earth nations, leading to months of hardship. However, the reality was quite the opposite—not only did the four Earth nations refrain from suppression, but they also opened up purchasing channels for the metals required to manufacture Antietam-class Freighters, allowing the New Misurugi Republic to stimulate its domestic industrial chain and revive its economy.
Reid, of course, didn't hold back. Even though G-Coins were no longer in short supply for fleet construction, saving wherever possible was still a priority. The New Misurugi Republic government barely had time to warm the money in its hands before it flowed out like water.
Orders were placed with each of the four major Earth nations, with no special requirements other than demanding all suppliers deliver within a month.
The four Earth nations cooperated seamlessly. Given that basic metals were in abundant supply in the space colonization era, no one batted an eye at Reid's one-month delivery demand.
Seeing that the first step of the Bright Sword plan had gone even smoother than expected, Reid realized just how lenient the four Earth nations were being toward the New Misurugi Republic in the current geopolitical climate.
So, Reid handed the task over to Une and pulled a large group of locals to continue daily production of warship modules in the Factory Module, which were then assembled at a secret port.
Of course, Reid hadn't forgotten about summoning ship captains. Once he had a moment to spare, he went ahead with the summoning.
Since an S-rank character had just been summoned recently, Reid approached the process with unusual casualness. To his surprise, the first ten-pull yielded a golden light.
For a moment, Reid entertained the illusion that his luck had finally turned. Back-to-back gold pulls? Even in his past life, after playing so many mobile games, he'd rarely encountered such luck.
Eagerly, Reid tapped on the golden light to see who it was—only to freeze in surprise. The summoned figure was Hoshino Ruri (from Martian Successor Nadesico).
Seeing that she was only sixteen, Reid breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to comb through New Misurugi Republic laws to check how many years he'd get for employing child labor. In the Cosmic Era universe, sixteen-year-olds could already fight on the battlefield—no one would criticize him for recruiting a minor.
Reid remembered that Hoshino Ruri could directly communicate with intelligent AI systems via mental link. And despite her age, she had been piloting warships and battling Jupiter Lizards since she was eleven, making her a seasoned five-year veteran. In terms of battlefield experience, she even surpassed Reid, making her the perfect candidate to oversee his AI fleet.
Human greed being what it is, after scoring a double gold, Reid began fantasizing about a triple gold. But the next two ten-pulls returned to normal—blue skies and white clouds.
However, the summoned individuals this time posed a slight problem. While both were professionally competent, one of them was practically a jackpot.
Matilda Ajan (0079). The original work didn't detail her prowess as a captain, only depicting her as a supply officer, which easily led to the misconception that she was just a minor character who sparked Amuro's first crush.
But in reality, Matilda Ajan was the captain of a Columbus-class transport ship, so summoning her from the captain pool wasn't entirely unexpected.
The only issue was that, in the original work, she died during the Battle of Odessa in a conflict with the Black Tri-Stars—and Ortega was the one who killed her.
It's rather ironic to die and then be reborn in another world, only to become comrades-in-arms with the very person who killed you.
Yet Reid was determined to lay his cards on the table. If this Matilda Ajan couldn't accept the truth, even if the original setting portrayed her as a stunning beauty, Reid would have Xia Yufang show no mercy in cutting her down.
Ortega was already a battle-tested comrade who had faced life and death alongside him. If some newcomer dared to make trouble, Reid would pluck out that thorn without hesitation—his team had no room for irreconcilable disruptors.
Then came the second individual, and he was a force to be reckoned with. Though still bathed in blue light, this was Brian Eno (Gundam Sentinel: Alice's Confession).
To put it bluntly, Brian Eno was the highest-ranking officer Reid had summoned so far. In his original world, he had risen to the rank of Admiral in the Earth Federation Forces.
Moreover, he was one of the rare capable admirals within the corrupt Earth Federation. Not only was he a renowned commander, but he also held the title of Chief Instructor at the Earth Federation's Elite Officer Academy.
In U.C. 0088, when the Pezun Training Corps launched the New Disiz Rebellion, Eno was ordered to lead a fleet in support of the Alpha Task Force to swiftly suppress the uprising. However, Eno had already been swayed by New Disiz and joined the rebels. During the battle at Ayers City, Eno's fleet dealt heavy blows to both the Alpha and Beta Task Forces, and it wasn't until the Federation dispatched its main fleet that Eno's forces were repelled.
Even when the bulk of the Earth Federation's forces arrived, he successfully commanded his ammunition-depleted fleet to break through their encirclement, though only his flagship and a nearly crippled Salamis Kai-class ship managed to escape.
This battle proved beyond doubt that this Earth Federation admiral was no mere figurehead. The problem, however, lay in his ideology—he supported the Titans, believing that humanity would never learn mutual respect and that violence was necessary to enforce one's beliefs.
This made things complicated. While Reid wasn't entirely intolerant of such views—after all, the New Misurugi Republic was his personal domain—he also intended to establish his footing by demonstrating his combat prowess before gradually working to change this world.
But Brian Eno was a double-edged sword for Reid. Reid trusted that, given Eno's experience, he wouldn't outright defy him upon arriving in the Cosmic Era universe—in the short term, he'd be a useful blade.
Over time, however, faced with the even more rigid conflicts of this world compared to the Universal Century, Eno might develop ideologies akin to Blue Cosmos. Genocide against Coordinators was unlikely, but like the Titans, he'd absolutely be willing to crush them until they were barely clinging to life.
After reading their profiles, Reid could only feel a headache coming on.
One was a potential source of internal strife, the other a latent Blue Cosmos sympathizer. The system had truly sent him two individuals to test his leadership.
But no matter how much it pained him, Reid still had to meet them.
Soon, Reid received word that Brian Eno—a veteran military instructor of the Eurasian Federation, a former admiral within its ranks, and later the headmaster of Reid's own military academy—had arrived at the Star Palace Colony Satellite to see him.
The system had set Brian Eno as an early retiree because he had always been at odds with the corrupt upper echelons of the Eurasian Federation's military. The military didn't dare touch him, so after his son died in battle, the grieving Brian Eno chose to step down and became the head of a military academy—though now he's retired from that position as well.
In principle, although Brian Eno had mentored countless students across the Eurasian Federation, he was now just a 66-year-old retired old man who could go wherever he pleased.
But Reid was speechless when he saw the visitation list. The system had conveniently set up Brian Eno, Matilda Ajan, and Hoshino Ruri as grandfather, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, respectively.
As to why a European man had a granddaughter with an East Asian name, the system explained that Hoshino Ruri had been rescued from an enhanced human laboratory and later adopted by Brian Eno.
No matter how absurd it seemed, Reid still went to meet this "family of three."
Whether it was the system's adjustments or Brian Eno and Matilda Ajan genuinely adored Hoshino Ruri, Reid couldn't tell.
When he met them, Matilda Ajan was standing gently behind Hoshino Ruri, braiding her hair, while Brian Eno sat nearby, watching them with a kind expression.
As for Hoshino Ruri, she remained her usual emotionless self.
However, her psychic abilities were indeed unique. The moment Reid arrived at the door, he had a brief mental exchange with her.
But this wasn't intentional—Reid's Newtype senses were still active, and Hoshino Ruri was also perceiving everything in this new world. Their minds naturally connected for an instant.
Fortunately, this mental encounter didn't trigger any memory resonance. Hoshino Ruri was quite skilled in using her psychic powers. Though her overall strength was inferior to Reid's, she severed the connection instantly, like a white rabbit vanishing into the snow.
But while her mind could escape, her body couldn't. Reid soon knocked and entered.
True to her reputation as a contender for the title of "Queen of Stoicism," Hoshino Ruri remained expressionless as she looked at Reid, even though she had just fled in mental panic moments ago.
Brian Eno and Matilda Ajan quickly greeted Reid with excessive politeness.
Both were adults who understood that Reid was now the "divine envoy" holding their lives in his hands. Not wanting to die again, they immediately adopted an attitude of complete obedience.
Seeing that both had a standard loyalty level of 60, Reid didn't press them with sharp questions right away.
Strangely, though Reid hadn't interacted with Hoshino Ruri, her loyalty was at 62. Had she finally realized he wasn't a bad person?
Still, certain questions had to be asked. When Brian Eno and Matilda Ajan learned that Reid's team included the Black Tri-Stars from the former Principality of Zeon, they fell silent.
Reid closely monitored their loyalty levels. If either of them dropped even a single point, he'd have to find a way to arrange their "accidental" deaths later.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't happen. Perhaps after dying once, a person's mindset and beliefs truly do change.
Matilda Ajan could probably tell that Reid clearly had the upper hand with the Black Tri-Stars, and was now staring at her with sharp eyes. After a brief silence, she clearly stated that her grudges with the Black Tri-Stars were all from past lives, and since they had died before coming here, all debts were settled—no one owed anyone anything anymore.
Through his Newtype senses, Reid could feel Matilda Ajan's resignation. She definitely wasn't as indifferent as her words suggested. But surprisingly, her loyalty had actually increased slightly, indicating she had accepted her fate.
As for Brian Eno, he displayed the composure of an elderly man, naturally claiming that past grievances wouldn't carry over to the present. Yet his emotions remained almost entirely unmoved, and his loyalty showed no change. Unable to discern his true thoughts, Reid decided he'd have to observe him for a while longer.
With these two major issues settled, Reid turned to Hoshino Ruri. She simply said expressionlessly, "Don't seem like a bad person. I'll follow your lead," before falling silent again.
Looking at this trio—one old, one young, and one in between—Reid could only sigh and decide to introduce them to the team first. After all, their loyalty hadn't dropped, and he couldn't afford to waste two hundred Merit Points over mere suspicions.