Refitting a warship is never a simple matter. Adding or removing components while ensuring the ship's existing functions remain unaffected is a "pull one hair and the whole body moves" kind of challenge.
To this end, while the mobile suits were being built, Roz took the time to completely redraw the blueprints for the Nahel Argama according to the specific requirements of Natarle and Murrue.
The overall hull was widened to provide sufficient clearance for the launch channels beneath the catapult deck.
These lower channels adopted an enclosed design similar to the Archangel's; mobile suits could now be launched in a "feet-to-deck" orientation for space environments or a "head-to-deck" orientation for gravity environments.
Above the deck, a protective hangar was added for the elevators, featuring a dual-opening design at the front and back to support rapid recovery and temporary storage of MS. Natarle even went as far as installing a quad-barreled MEGA Particle Cannon atop the hangars for both launch rails.
To compensate for the lack of ventral firepower and enhance ground-strike capabilities, several reinforced quad MEGA Particle Cannons—using the Gottfried retraction method—were installed: one on the hull near the thermal ram and two on the aft hull, totaling three. Additionally, twelve armored vertical launch missile silos were added to both the fore and aft hull, which could flip open their outer plating to reveal the missiles within.
This marked the first time the Nahel Argama utilized MEGA Particle Cannons as ship-borne armament, necessitating extensive internal structural overhauls by Roz.
However, the most labor-intensive part of the refit was the installation of the GN Drive.
Between the simulated zero-gravity environment it provided and the Trans-Am system—unlocked after Roz used his own OS to bypass the technical black box—the Nahel Argama's mobility and assault capabilities were vastly improved.
The most immediate benefit was the extreme buff to the "Thermal Ram Point-Blank Firepower" tactic.
Trans-Am, the black-box technology hidden within the GN Drive components by Aeolia, allowed the machine or ship to rapidly release high concentrations of compressed particles from the drive and storage tanks, boosting performance to three times its original output.
The exterior would also emit a crimson glow due to the high-density GN Particles.
Red (color change), a horn (the ram), and three times the speed (Trans-Am)... the combination of these three things made Roz instinctively think of a certain someone.
Char, the Courtyard's retired old man, best-selling author, and "loli-mommy" fetish promoter, expressed his utmost approval.
As for the performance drop-off once the GN Particles were depleted, Roz and the others simply ignored it. After all, the GN Drive served only as a secondary power source; once the particles ran out, the ship simply reverted to its standard nuclear-powered electrical propulsion state.
The impact was, for all intents and purposes, negligible.
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While the warship refit and mobile suit customization projects were in full swing, Roz—having completed the construction of his new machine—once again opened the simulation training.
He resumed his daily sparring sessions with "AI Amuro," simultaneously familiarizing himself with his new armaments and fine-tuning the OS data.
Even though he continued to lose, the pressure from the maxed-out "AI Amuro" caused his piloting skills to grow at an excruciatingly slow but steady pace.
This sensation of gradual empowerment was something Roz found himself becoming somewhat addicted to.
Murrue, however, was starting to worry if the stress of fighting "AI Amuro" had caused Roz to awaken some strange new personality traits.
"It's so strange..."
Having long since changed out of her blue-and-white military uniform, Murrue stood by the simulation cockpit wearing a loose white T-shirt, brown trousers, and a flight jacket identical to Roz's. She glanced at the information on her tablet.
"The Penelope is still perfectly functional. Why was it absolutely necessary to build a brand-new machine?"
"Likely because of the visual requirements of the mission. After all, Roz has to play the role of Char this time," Natarle replied. She had also traded her uniform for a crisp white shirt and blue jeans, taking a moment to rest while flipping through UC 0105 data she'd pulled from the Courtyard archives. "The Zeon-style design is distinctly different from our usual aesthetic. Previously, our closest unit to that style was Stellar's Psycho Zaku."
"Still, making someone who looks exactly like Amuro go and impersonate Char... only the Char who writes best-sellers could come up with something like that."
"If that's the case, why not just build a Zeon-style machine? Why make it a 'body suit'? The machine inside is still our signature rugged style—it isn't even a reused unit, but a completely new build."
Murrue set the tablet aside and looked at the mono-eye unit standing nearby, adorned in red, black, and gold. "...The MSN-06S Sinanju."
"On one hand, the Unicorn is still in a dormant state and can't fully exert my strength. It's best not to modify her right now to avoid any unknown issues..."
Pssh—
As the cockpit in the Sinanju's chest hissed open, a figure with naturally curly blonde hair, wearing a rather flamboyant red-and-white outfit, stepped out.
"After all, the miracle triggered back then—even with the assistance of souls drifting in space—took too great a toll."
"Put the Unicorn issue aside for a moment. Why are you still maintaining this Char-style look, Roz?" Murrue sighed helplessly, her expression nearly crumbling as she looked at Roz, who had been walking around like this everywhere except the dorms for a while now.
"It isn't even time to appear in the mission world with that image yet."
Ever since Roz had visited the "Courtyard's old man Char" again to update his wardrobe and finalize his machine's design, he had basically been appearing in public in this persona.
"Cough, cough... This is a manifestation of my seriousness regarding the next mission!"
Roz coughed twice and began his explanation. "The one I'm playing is Char, after all. To improve my acting, I'll be moving about with this appearance lately to prepare for the task ahead."
"...Actually, you're just enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
At that moment, Natarle unhesitatingly poked a hole through Roz's excuse. "What do they call this behavior—Cosplay? Anyway, I think you're having plenty of fun with it."
"I'm not listening!!"
Roz reached up and covered his ears with both hands. "This is all for the sake of the mission!"
"The whole 'Amuro playing Char' thing... aren't you having the time of your life, you man-child?" Seeing Roz's reaction, Natarle put down her tablet, her own sense of playfulness piqued.
Occasionally tearing down each other's pretenses over these fun little things was just another way they bonded.
It's hard to say who ends up apologizing to whom in the bedroom later—usually, Roz is the one who never loses.
"Ah... yeah, fine! I'm having a blast!"
Ultimately, Roz just leaned into Natarle's teasing and spoke in a tone of self-abandonment. "A man is a boy until the day he dies! What's wrong with being a little childish?!"
Luckily, the immense noise from the warship refit and MS modifications drowned out Roz's voice; otherwise, that declaration would have echoed through the entire hangar.
Still, a few youngsters from the maintenance crew clearly caught it, though they didn't dare breathe a word of it.
'What do we do? We just heard the Boss's moment of shame... though he's usually pretty 'disgraceful' around the sisters-in-law anyway, we definitely can't go spreading this around...'
'Especially since one of those sisters-in-law is the head of the maintenance department!'
"But so what? Christina's having fun too, right?" Roz suddenly shifted the topic to Christina, who was nearby helping him fine-tune the Sinanju.
"...Roz, no matter what you say, I am not cosplaying as Lalah."
Christina saw right through Roz's high-energy antics and flatly refused. "There's no point in me cosplaying as Lalah. After all, you aren't actually that Char."
"Christina, NOOOOO!!"
Roz dropped to his knees, slamming his fists onto the steel catwalk in a perfect Orz pose. "Why?! Wouldn't it be fun... to reject me at a moment like this, on such a great request..."
Watching Roz in this state, Christina let out a long sigh.
'How did it come to this? Where did the mature, steady Roz from Heliopolis go? Who is this man-child in front of me?'
But the thought only lasted a second before she tossed it aside. In truth, Christina enjoyed these rowdy, playful days; she felt like her Cyberpsychosis had stabilized significantly because of them.
"Alright... let's end the jokes there."
Seeing the scene unfold, Murrue couldn't help but smile. She reached out to pull the dejected Roz back to his feet. "Have you mastered this Sinanju yet? According to your design... she carries two completely different sets of armaments."
Roz stood up and gave Murrue a hug. After a few seconds—and only after Christina glanced at her own chest and then squinted at Roz—did he finally let go.
"Cough... actually, I've already mastered it in simulation."
Roz raised a fist to his mouth. "It's just that the larger equipment set might need to be transported via large missiles when the time comes."
"Transport isn't an issue; we have plenty of methods," Murrue said, following Roz's gaze toward the bulkier equipment stacked in the hangar. "Still, coming up with this nesting design... you really have a bit of a wicked sense of humor."
"This is a nesting scheme personally praised by Char himself! He even wanted to include it in his writing material!"
Roz turned toward the Sinanju in standby mode. "The hidden inner machine uses a full-body Psycho-Frame just like the Unicorn, plus a miniaturized Minovsky Flight System and a GN Drive in the backpack. With heat daggers hidden in the elbows and feet, it's definitely going to bring the 'surprise of the elbow strike' to that era!"
Looking at the excited Roz, Murrue sighed with a touch of doting affection and didn't stop him.
'Whatever. He's been suppressed and stressed for so long; letting him be happy for once is a good thing.'
At that moment, Roz narrowed his eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce through the Sinanju's head, seeing the "sleeping" dual-eye monitors within.
He was looking forward to the moment the contents wrapped inside the Sinanju would see the light of day once more.
......................