In the Southeast Asian rainforest of UC 0079, three Mobile Suits clearly not belonging to this era appeared amidst the dense foliage.
These three units were naturally Reid's NT-1 Gundam, along with two Union Flag Customs piloted by Angie and Noin.
Before this campaign invasion, Reid had made thorough preparations, spending a large amount of G-Coins to acquire anti-beam coating and applying it fully to all three Luna Titanium Alloy units. Now he reminded them:
"Angie, Noin, radar shows combat traces in a mountain town ten kilometers away. We'll proceed with our prearranged strategy.
I'll reveal myself first to attack the Earth Federation. You two track the fighter movements to locate their command vehicle, then launch a direct assault to eliminate it. Our ammunition is limited—don't use the Electromagnetic Rifle against fragile units like fighters; the 20mm machine guns are enough to take them down.
After destroying the Earth Federation command post, regroup with me in town immediately. We'll clean up the Earth Federation forces before turning to attack Zeon.
Remember, once I enter the battlefield, the Minovsky Particles dispersed by both Earth Federation and Zeon forces will jam our communications. Angie, you follow Noin's orders when I'm not around."
This was the tactic Reid had discussed with the two women before departure. Before the appearance of Apsalus III, this battle would be severely unbalanced in terms of combat power. If Reid wanted to farm G-Coins, he'd have to start with the Earth Alliance.
The mission prompt options for this campaign were basically the same as last time, with the key differences being that the only protagonist unit offering Merit Points was Apsalus III (though shooting it down would yield a whopping 50 Merit Points), and the number of capturable units had increased to three.
Reid still chose the no-faction invasion option to double both G-Coins and Merit Points. After all, both sides had deployed significant numbers of MS in this battle—if you counted the Earth Federation's Jet Core Boosters and Ting-cod (both fighters), the total number of participating MS approached two hundred.
The two women naturally responded with "Understood." While Angie's combat skills surpassed both Reid and Noin's, her battlefield awareness wasn't as developed, having always fought as a soldier rather than a commander.
Seeing their acknowledgment, Reid wasted no more words. Piloting his NT-1 Gundam—equipped only with a Beam Rifle, Beam Saber, Shield, and a Bazooka mounted on its back—he leaped forward toward the battlefield. Between the rainforest and the town lay open fields, which he needed to cross at maximum speed.
Since Reid had only acquired the Wired Guided Pod technology yesterday, and considering it was practically unusable in atmospheric conditions, his modifications to the NT-1 were limited to removing the 90mm Gatling Guns from both arms and applying full anti-beam coating. All other equipment came from the cockpit's database.
For extended operation, Reid had also temporarily converted the NT-1 from battery power back to a Minovsky Fusion Reactor. With the Factory Module available, such minor adjustments took mere minutes.
However, the NT-1 piloted by Reid was an unfamiliar Mobile Suit to both sides on the battlefield, and the RX-78 series Gundam units were far too recognizable. As Reid approached the combat zone, the Earth Federation didn't fire a single shot in his direction.
The rear command system was equally baffled. The moment Reid charged toward the battlefield with such bravado, he was spotted by the Ground Combat Type Early Production GMs (RGM-79[G]) that the Earth Federation had ambushed near the mining town just outside the dense forest.
But the GM pilots didn't dare open fire recklessly—this Gundam was moving too fast, unnaturally fast for a machine of this era. All they could do was report it.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the rear base's command vehicles.
Ethan Riel, the Earth Federation commander in charge of the operation, slammed his palm onto the console and roared,
"Hurry, contact headquarters! Ask them which experimental unit is conducting battlefield tests at a time like this without notifying the frontlines! Who the hell gave that order?!"
Yet Commander Ethan was destined to get no answers. Even if headquarters saw the NT-1 Gundam now, they'd be just as stunned—at this point in time, the NT-1 might still be in the blueprint phase, not even under construction yet.
So, after a fruitless inquiry, the commander could only relay to the frontline forces: an unidentified RX-78 series Gundam had entered the battlefield. Avoid letting it disrupt their formation and assault rhythm.
Naturally, the 08th MS Team, responsible for frontline reconnaissance, also received this notice. Their leader, Shiro Amada, instinctively sensed something was off. But since Gundams were the Earth Federation's signature machines, their appearance on the battlefield shouldn't have anything to do with Zeon.
So Shiro could only relay over the team comms to his comrades in the support vehicle:
"Eleanor, Michel, keep a close eye on that unidentified Gundam. I have a bad feeling about it—let's steer clear for now."
It had to be said, Shiro's intuition and judgment were spot-on. The reason Reid rushed to the mining town at top speed instead of fighting his way in was simple: he was just one machine. If he revealed himself as an enemy too soon, he'd be left exposed in the open fields, facing the Earth Federation's bombardment.
And right now, the Federation's GMs were all equipped with beam weapons. His anti-beam coating didn't make him invincible—it just meant that instead of being destroyed in one hit, it'd take three or four shots to take him down.
So Reid needed the town's buildings for cover. When it came to urban combat, with the NT-1's unparalleled mobility for its era, he feared no MS in this battle.
Thus, the moment Reid stormed into the town, he casually blew up the first Guntank he saw. Then, with his 60mm Vulcan Gun, he shredded the support vehicle assisting its bombardment of the Zeon mining base.
With Reid now openly attacking, the Earth Federation erupted into chaos once more. Eleanor, the 08th Team's communications officer, immediately reported to Shiro:
"Captain! That Gundam just attacked the Guntank—it's an enemy! A Zeon Gundam!"
Though Shiro had suspected as much, the confirmation still left him stunned. "That's impossible..." he muttered.
"What! A Zeon Gundam! Did they steal our experimental unit? Never mind that. Mark the unknown Gundam as hostile and commence counterattack immediately."
Shiro Amada held considerable authority within the squad. The other two pilots of the 08th MS Team, Karen Joshua and Terry Sanders Jr., didn't question his order at all, immediately responding with "Yes." They then swiftly moved to flank Reid from both sides.
At the same time, Reid's Mobile Suit's lock-on alarm sounded. However, the one preparing to attack him wasn't the Earth Federation, but a Ground Combat Type Zaku II (MS-06JC) that had sneaked up intending to destroy the Guntank.
Though the Zaku pilot couldn't understand why an Earth Federation Gundam would attack its own allies, he knew one thing for certain—Gundams were the enemy.
So he charged out from cover on the flank, firing a burst from his 90mm machine gun at the NT-1 Gundam.
Unfortunately for him, Reid's reflexes were far quicker than the Zaku pilot's. Moreover, the NT-1 Gundam with its Magnetic Coating boasted mobility far surpassing any Mobile Suit of this era.
Adding to that, Reid was no Christina Mackenzie. His system-granted elite-level MS piloting rating—defying all logic—ensured he could utilize 100% of a C-class Mobile Suit's performance.
This was an advantage unique to system holders and their summoned characters. Even if you put Amuro from 0093 in the cockpit, he couldn't guarantee he'd perform at 100% efficiency in any low-tier Mobile Suit.
Thus, after the Ground Combat Type Zaku II pilot roared and emptied an entire magazine, he found no trace of the NT-1 Gundam in the smoke and dust. Reid had already retreated behind a building the moment the lock-on alarm sounded.
Then, as soon as the Zaku exhausted its ammunition, Reid charged out with his shield, ramming and toppling the enemy suit. In one fluid motion, he drew his Beam Saber and pierced through the cockpit.
(End of Chapter)