"Hey now—this is our mothership, right? Why do you talk about it like it's your own property?"
Ro found Andrew's familiarity both amusing and exasperating.
How come after not seeing him for a while... this guy already treats the Home as his own home?
"Ah, why bother with such details—just come take a look."
Andrew waved his hand dismissively with a laugh, then turned and beckoned to the others before leading the way toward the Home's cargo bay.
Ro glanced at Lu Tianming, his eyes conveying clear helplessness—was this guy always this thick-skinned?
To this, Lu Tianming could only nod helplessly in response.
Sorry, but yes.
Under Andrew's guidance, everyone entered the Home's cargo bay... where a Mobile Suit stood silently in the center, secured within its frame.
The entire Mobile Suit appeared in plain gray since it wasn't activated.
Strictly speaking, its armor wasn't complete either... nearly half of its frame was exposed, along with internal components like energy transfer pipes.
Even the propulsion backpack on its back appeared unfinished, with only part of the framework constructed—far from complete. The overall appearance was clearly that of an unfinished product.
But despite its ragged state, Lu Tianming could recognize the unfinished Mobile Suit at a glance.
ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam.
One of Bandai's famous cash cows.
"Damn, this unfinished Freedom looks so lewd."
Just as Lu Tianming was carefully examining it, Xia Chuan's voice suddenly rang in his ear through the sunglasses... almost making him lose his composure.
Seriously, dude? Has your taste changed after getting used to being a Machine Spirit?
Incomplete armor equals damaged clothing, being fixed in the frame roughly equals bondage... so in Xia Chuan's eyes, wasn't Freedom currently a bound, heavily damaged mecha girl?
Hiss... now that I think about it, it kinda does?
"This Mobile Suit... it seems to be unfinished?"
Kira asked with some confusion from the side. He could understand if they were transporting a completed unit—it might enhance combat capabilities when piloted.
But... what's the point of bringing an unfinished version here? To complete it on the spot?
"That's true... however, what's important about this Mobile Suit isn't the unit itself, but the technology it carries."
Andrew explained with a smile. It was normal for Kira to be confused since he wasn't familiar with the situation.
His expression gradually turned serious as he looked at Freedom and explained in a solemn tone:
"This is... a Nuclear Powered Machine that employs anti-neutron interference technology."
"Anti-neutron interference technology... has ZAFT finally stopped pretending to be humane?"
Hearing this, Ro was also shocked... although he had taken on this job earlier, he only knew they were transporting ZAFT's latest Mobile Suit.
But as for the details of this Mobile Suit, he knew absolutely nothing—after all, that was the client's private information, and he had no reason to pry.
Now, hearing Andrew mention this, Ro clearly realized the significance of this Mobile Suit.
Neutron Interference—a conservative application of this technology would be to use it for nuclear reactors like this Mobile Suit, enhancing its endurance and output.
As for a more radical approach—
Ro instinctively thought of Junius Seven.
If the war continued, the deeply resentful PLANT might very well use this technology for retaliation.
"...To entrust something like this to us for transport, they really do trust us."
Ro sighed deeply. Something so dangerous was actually handed over to them... If it were lost, it could affect the entire course of the war.
"Well, scrap dealers don't attract much attention. After all, who would expect a state-of-the-art technological marvel to be hidden inside a garbage-collecting Battleship?"
Andrew chuckled as he explained. At first, he hadn't understood why Lu Tianming had told him to seek out Ro, but looking back now, it made more and more sense.
In a way, scrap dealers were the most cost-effective form of logistical support.
"Moreover... as a final safeguard, I came along too, didn't I?"
Andrew proudly pointed at himself. Of course, he wouldn't hand over something so important to them just because Ro had a good reputation.
After all, while these people were trustworthy... from what he understood, they were also prone to getting dragged into all sorts of trouble.
If, due to some unforeseen incident, Freedom were to fall into the wrong hands, the consequences would be catastrophic.
So, after careful consideration—he decided to take matters into his own hands and act as the supervisor.
"By the way, since you came here yourself, what about the Eternal?"
Lu Tianming asked. Aside from Freedom, this was his biggest concern at the moment.
After all, aside from this half-finished Freedom... there was also a fully operational one floating around in space.
"First, a correction—I didn't come alone. My wife came with me."
Andrew grinned proudly, correcting the mistake in Lu Tianming's words.
Lu Tianming nodded helplessly, then stared at him with a resigned expression—as if to say: What about the Eternal, then?
Of course, Andrew knew what Lu Tianming was waiting for. After clearing his throat, he replied seriously:
"The Eternal is being managed by my former subordinates. Besides, with someone like Siegel Clyne—a heavyweight in the political arena—even if we left them to their own devices in space, they'd be fine for a while."
"In fact... they might even achieve some favorable outcomes. You know what I mean, right?"
Lu Tianming nodded. He understood exactly what Andrew meant.
It was nothing more than using the Eternal's high-speed mobility and Siegel's political influence to travel around, spread their message, and seek allies... If they couldn't find support in one place, they'd quickly move on to the next. With the allure of peace and Siegel's political mobilization, they were bound to find some assistance.
Even if all else failed, the Eternal was currently the most agile Battleship. As long as they weren't ambushed beforehand, they could always escape.
Worrying about them... was truly unnecessary anxiety.
"Rather than worrying about the Eternal, we should think about how to use this thing."
Andrew shifted his gaze back to the unfinished Freedom before him, then looked at Lu Tianming with a meaningful glance.
"Should we remove the reactor and install it in your Strike Suit, or have ORB's technicians try to complete this thing? Either way, I went through great trouble to bring it here - you should at least put it to good use."
Lu Tianming gently pinched his chin as he stared at the Freedom before him... truth be told, he was somewhat hesitant.
Given the current situation, there was an eighty percent chance the original Freedom would never make its appearance.
So... could it be that he needed to create his own, a modified new version of Freedom?