After the high-level meeting concluded, Yang Hui immediately had the results and everyone's individual assignments sent to their PADs. Detailed information regarding Legion Mode and the changes to Prometheus Fortress was also uploaded to the main system's public page for subordinates to review on their own.
"Heh, now this is getting interesting." Graham curled his lips with interest after seeing the message.
"Uncle Graham, is something wrong?"
"Yunoa? Why are you here?" Graham asked in surprise.
"Mom said things might get busy over here, so she sent me to help," Yunoa replied playfully. Although her chronological age was in her forties or fifties, her personality remained lively and sunny.
"Well, we certainly do need help here." Graham looked at the noisy simulation training hall and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.
Everyone was waiting for the notification from the decision-making meeting, but the wait had been too tedious. Consequently, many were sitting in simulation training pods. The newcomers, in particular, had become very interested in the "simulations where you can experience death" that Graham and the others had introduced after their tour. They also wanted to spar with their seniors, so many of them had yet to see the messages sent from the meeting.
"Uncle, the next mission... is it very dangerous?" Yunoa asked Graham with some concern. She had seen Mephis's Mobile Suit notification and the changes in the Central Hall.
"...Yes, it's very dangerous." Graham did not lie and told her plainly.
"I see." Yunoa was sensible. She understood one thing clearly: which mission wasn't dangerous? No matter how strong Yang Hui and the others were, danger always existed. However, she wouldn't voice her worries; everyone was working hard to complete the mission better and more safely, and she wouldn't spread negative emotions.
"Look! The news is out!"
"Ho? A Legion Mission? Looks like there's fun to be had."
"Finally a chance to take the field? I was getting impatient."
"This mission... looks incredibly dangerous. They're actually mobilizing the strength of all the worlds to prepare together."
"Eleven full-strength fleets... that's a massive deployment."
"ELS? Fusion and devouring... hiss—that brings back bad memories."
"Are you talking about the festum?"
"Exactly. I was lucky to survive that. And back then, it was just humans with incomplete assimilation; I still have nightmares about it."
"Anyone who survived that battle is a tough character."
"Who isn't? But this challenge feels even bigger."
"Of course it is! The numbers are in the trillions!"
"Is anyone up for a spar? If not, I'm starting regular training!"
"Me! I'm in!"
...
The training and sparring were already intense, but after seeing the news, everyone's enthusiasm surged even higher.
Among them were those who had participated in the final battle of the Gundam SEED World; they knew full well how terrifying these alien biological entities were. Every bit of strength gained was another chance to survive.
Other veterans were excited because they finally had the chance to go on missions to other worlds. Because squad spots were limited, they had missed out on previous opportunities by a narrow margin. Now that the chance had arrived, they weren't about to let a good opportunity to shine slip away.
As for the newcomers who had just arrived... they were split into two groups.
For example, those from the Twelfth Independent Technical Division and the Phantom Corps simply sought out veterans to spar with or ask for guidance with expressionless faces, constantly improving themselves. Even Ding Yi, Carmen, Wolfgang, and Torey from the Super Soldier Kaineng Universe were the same; though they weren't exactly regular soldiers, they had experienced space warfare and knew what they needed to do.
The other group consisted of the people from Tekkadan and the Turbines. A few had calm expressions, but most looked defeated, unsure of what to do. Seeing such heavy news only caused their moods to sink further.
"Yare yare, I guessed the gap would be large, but I didn't expect it to be this massive," Naze Turbine said self-deprecatingly.
Initially, he felt that even if the people from the Turbines and Tekkadan weren't as good as the others, they shouldn't be too far off. They were also battle-hardened veterans who could pull off brilliant victories against official forces like Gjallarhorn.
But after actually facing them, he realized the difference wasn't just a small gap.
Not even comparing them to the seniors of Prometheus Fortress, just looking at the members of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division and the Phantom Corps who had arrived at the fortress at the same time as them—
In individual combat, Mikazuki's odds of winning were quite high, and Akihiro was doing alright, but Sino, who was also one of their top three, was being completely toyed with, let alone the others.
And that was just individual combat; team battles were a disastrous loss.
The people of Tekkadan and the Turbines followed an unorthodox style. They might have talent and decent individual abilities, and they often came up with eccentric ideas that caught the enemy off guard.
But in terms of team coordination, combat experience, combat awareness, and field adaptability, they were far behind.
For instance, in one team battle, they used a surprise tactic to disrupt the opponent's formation, creating chaos and opportunity. But before they could even capitalize on that opportunity, the opponent had already neutralized it and reorganized their stance.
Mikazuki's performance was indeed stunning, but in a team battle, coordination was the most important factor. It didn't matter if Mikazuki was strong or if Akihiro was capable; without unspoken cooperation and tactics, they were pinned down tightly, unable to find any chance for a turnaround.
"What should we do, Orga?" Mikazuki Augus asked Orga. He didn't care about winning or losing; he only cared about Orga Itsuka's instructions, waiting for him to say what the next move was.
Biscuit Griffon stood behind Orga Itsuka with a worried expression. The sense of defeat was so strong it made him feel as if Tekkadan and the others weren't even from the same world as the rest.
Orga Itsuka bit his lip and walked up to Graham.
"Orga, what is it?"
"Please, teach us." Orga Itsuka bowed his head, making a sincere request. The rest of Tekkadan followed suit, bowing to Graham just as their leader had.
"Sure," Graham agreed readily.
"I know this request is abrupt... Eh?" The members of Tekkadan froze, looking up at Graham in a daze.
Graham had indeed fought alongside them in the Iron-Blooded Orphans World, but their actual interactions had been minimal. They were merely acquaintances. Logically, he had no reason to teach them. They had intended to stubbornly ask everyone until someone finally agreed.
They hadn't expected Graham to agree without a moment's hesitation.
"Didn't Yang Hui tell you?" Graham teased. "Everyone who comes here is a comrade. Learning from each other and growing together—that is the style of this fortress."
"This... I am very sorry." Orga Itsuka apologized. Yang Hui had indeed told him that, but he didn't know Yang Hui well and had assumed it was just formal political talk. He hadn't taken it seriously.
"It's fine. But you must remember, there is competition here too, though it's healthy competition. Dissatisfied? Unconvinced? Settle it with your hands. If you lose, don't make excuses; just keep working hard to win it back next time. Understand?"
"Understood."
"Good. In a moment, Yang Hui might arrange other tasks for me. Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria should be the same. After all, the next Mission World is our world; we might not have time."
"Eh? The next mission is in your world?" Orga Itsuka and the others asked in surprise.
"Yeah, for various reasons. So I'll arrange for others to be responsible for you."
"Thank you very much."
"No problem. Hmm... Mu, Heine!" Graham looked around and happened to see Mu and Heine Westenfluss leaving their simulation pods to rest, so he called them over.
"What's up?" the two asked as they approached.
"You know their situation—unorthodox, no systematic training. Take them under your wing." Graham said to Mu and Heine.
"No problem." The two nodded in agreement. They also knew Tekkadan, having fought alongside them as newcomers in the Iron-Blooded Orphans World, so they understood their situation well.
"What about you? Planning to slack off?" Mu joked.
"I should be..."
Beep beep beep... Just as Graham started to speak, his PAD rang.
"See? Yang Hui is looking for me."
"Fine. That guy doesn't treat himself as human, and he doesn't plan on letting us be human either," Mu teased.
"Can't be helped. Who told us to believe in him and get on his black ship? We're bound to have our labor squeezed by him for a lifetime," Graham shrugged.
"Hahaha..."
After chatting for a bit, Graham went to find Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria to go see Yang Hui. Mu and Heine Westenfluss stayed behind to teach Tekkadan, along with the Turbines' three MS pilots—Amida Arca, Azee Gurumin, and Lafter Frankland—starting from zero.
"We know your situation. To be honest... you're falling behind quite a bit," Mu scratched his hair and said helplessly.
"Mr. Mu, Mr. Westenfluss, what do we need to do?" Orga Itsuka asked, his gaze firm, showing no signs of dejection or retreat.
"Let's start with basic training," Heine Westenfluss suggested. "You all started from an unorthodox background, including Ms. Amida and the others. You haven't had systematic training. So we'll start from the basics. Among you, except for Mikazuki and Ms. Amida, everyone's fundamentals are completely substandard."
"No problem."
"Of course, these are only suggestions for MS pilots. We can only teach you MS piloting skills. We're powerless regarding anything else," Heine Westenfluss said.
Both he and Mu were MS pilots. Although they had led teams before, it was only in terms of squad tactics. They really weren't qualified to be teachers in the higher strategic realms. The same went for the knowledge Eugene Sevenstark needed as a captain, Biscuit Griffon's logistics management, and Azee's mechanical maintenance.
"Can you give us some recommendations?" Naze Turbine asked. Since his sworn brothers were being so proactive, it would be improper for him to remain idle.
"For example?"
"I want to learn warship command," Eugene Sevenstark spoke up voluntarily.
"As for me, it's knowledge regarding various mechanical maintenance," Azee also stepped forward.
"Hmm... I understand. Mu, I'll leave things here to you," Heine Westenfluss said to Mu.
"Sure, go ahead. I can handle the basic training on my own."
"Alright. Everyone, follow me."
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