Chapter 1 (improved)

While reading the first and second chapters, I noticed a few things:

First, the writing style wasn't very friendly to casual readers, at least in my opinion, so I have decided to make some modifications.

They were missing some information that I forgot to include.

I am considering deleting Reinhard's profile that I posted yesterday, as I want to write a few more chapters before creating his profile and his Gundam profile.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy the improved chapter!

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Chapter 1

04/30/2104

Location: Undisclosed Location, Celestial Being Secret Testing Facility

Time: 17:00

Deep beneath the earth, hidden in a long-forgotten missile silo, I was deeply involved in an important project. This facility, which had been inactive since the Cold War, was now being used by a secret organization with goals that few people truly understood.

I was in what used to be a control room, but it had turned into a chaotic lab. At twenty-three, I had short blonde hair and green eyes that showed the tiredness of many sleepless nights. I wore a black suit and tie under a slightly wrinkled lab coat, trying to show my dedication, despite the messy conditions around me. My workspace was filled with empty energy drink cans, half-eaten takeout meals, and scattered papers—all proof of my tireless work.

As I concentrated on my screens, my fingers moved quickly over the keyboard. "Construction finished five days ahead of schedule," I murmured to myself, feeling a brief moment of pride. However, as I scrolled through the report, that pride faded fast. "But the operating system still needs adjustments to improve data processing speed. I could go back to the original OS, but I really want to stick with the experimental version, hoping it will be effective."

A quick look at the clock on my desk brought me back to reality. It read 5:00 PM. A wave of worry hit me. "Three hours left. If everything goes well, I will have gone seventy-two hours without sleep." The thought of breaking a world record crossed my mind before I pushed it aside and focused on my work.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted my concentration. "It's open!" I called out, sounding a bit more impatient than I meant to. The door creaked open, but I was too focused on my screen to notice my companion entering.

If I had looked away, I would have seen Aeolia entering the room. In his forties, he walked with a cane, and his monocle shone under the bright lab lights. Dressed in a stylish purple scarf and a tailored black coat, he seemed out of place in the messy lab.

Aeolia looked around the room, his eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "Reinhard! When did you last clean this place? I've seen cleaner pig pens!" His voice mixed surprise with genuine concern, showing his frustration with the state of my workspace.

I allowed a small smile to form. "Aeolia! Good to see you. What brings you here? I thought you were going to North America?" I tried to keep the conversation light, but I could sense his concern about my messy lab.

"That was last month," he replied, shaking his head, his expression shifting to one of exasperation. "But before we get into that, do you have anything to get rid of this smell? I didn't come here to breathe in failure."

Chuckling softly, I gestured to my mess. "Let me take care of that." I grabbed a remote from my desk and pressed a button. A pleasant scent filled the air, quickly replacing the foul odor. "There! The air is clear. Now, what was your visit to the land of the free and brave about?"

Once the bad smell was gone, Aeolia sank into a chair, looking relieved but still serious. "Do you remember Samuel Jackson, the scientist we recruited last year?" His eyes lit up a little, showing a spark of hope amid his usual skepticism.

"Sammy? The last time we spoke, he was excited about some ship—Europa, or something?" I leaned forward, eager to hear more.

"It's called Europa," Aeolia corrected, his enthusiasm returning. "And it's not just any ship; it's a state-of-the-art space exploration vessel. I managed to get one of our agents inside NASA to help him get a position after I saw the ship's blueprints. Its importance for our future plans is huge."

This caught my interest. "Really? What makes it so important? I'm having trouble connecting the dots here."

"Besides being the first space exploration vessel of its kind, it's the key to getting the last component needed for the solar furnaces!" Aeolia exclaimed. "Originally, it was set for a mission to Mars, but I managed to change its course during my discussions."

"To Jupiter?" I guessed, finally starting to understand.

"Exactly!" Aeolia's mood brightened, determination shining in his eyes. "By sending Europa to Jupiter, we can use its immense gravity well, which is crucial for completing the solar furnaces. The crew will be made up of members from Celestial Being, responsible for transporting the unfinished solar furnaces we manage to put together before launch. More importantly, this mission offers hope for a world in need—a world struggling with greed and conflict that has left many of us disillusioned with humanity."

I nodded slowly, recognizing how strongly he felt about this. Aeolia often voiced his dislike for humanity's flaws, especially its tendency for war and greed. This plan had become his obsession—a way to bring back hope in a world filled with despair. "I understand. Without those solar furnaces, our successors won't be able to move forward with your plan." I stood up and stretched, feeling both a sense of accomplishment and uncertainty. "So, why did you come to see me today?"

Aeolia's excitement returned to seriousness. "I wanted to make sure the project is still on track and to see if any unexpected delays have come up. Let's not forget our last conversation; your failure to keep me informed resulted in something unexpected—potentially disastrous, and we must not open Pandora's box in the future." His tone combined reproach with genuine concern.

A wave of guilt washed over me. "Did you not get the report I sent last week?" I asked, trying to clarify.

"I did," he said, rubbing his temples in mild frustration. "If you mean the document describing the future Gundam designs, the Haru terminal, and the plans for a tactical mothership, then yes, I reviewed it. However, I would like you to explain it in more detail."

Embarrassment rushed through me as I realized I had sent the wrong document. "The designs I proposed were based on my experience as a mercenary. Each Gundam must serve a specific role—whether in close combat or long-range support—to effectively meet challenges." My confidence grew as I explained my vision for the Gundams.

"Haru isn't just a terminal for accessing Veda; it will help in piloting the Gundams, fine-tuning their systems, and managing various tasks. The tactical mothership is designed to be a command hub, coordinating missions and supporting the Gundams. Additionally, I noted: 'The more Gundams onboard the Ptolemy, the greater the available power.' It has a large GN condenser that absorbs excess energy from the GN drives, ensuring they operate efficiently even without them."

Aeolia listened carefully, nodding along before pausing to look at me with a thoughtful expression. "How practical is it to build a system that could disable a Gundam?" he asked, the seriousness of his tone showing his concerns about human nature.

I paused, thinking about the implications of his question. "Are you suggesting that we might need to prepare for internal sabotage? Is there a chance someone may try to steal the GN Drives?"

Aeolia nodded gravely. "Humans often fall victim to greed and self-interest, Reinhard. This is an unfortunate but unavoidable reality that I've become increasingly aware of over the years."

With a sigh, I scratched my head as I considered our next steps and moved to the whiteboard. "To create a system like this, each Gundam would need to connect to the same network. This should be doable since we plan to connect all of them to Veda. However, we face some significant challenges. First, the system must be capable of controlling a rogue Gundam, which is relatively straightforward; we just need to give the system limited authority over the Gundams."

I glanced back at Aeolia, noticing the tension in his posture. "Second, this control mechanism must be installed in a Gundam and operated from nearby, creating a field that disrupts the connection to Veda, effectively neutralizing a traitor's Gundam. Finally, we cannot allow any human oversight of this system; emotions can cloud judgment, and even the most skilled among us can behave irrationally. We must create a solution that works independently of human flaws."

As I finished my explanation and locked eyes with Aeolia, the atmosphere in the room felt charged with anticipation as we thought about the way forward in a world marked by conflict, greed, and uncertainty. Together, we knew that our work could help pave a new path, one that might allow humanity to rise above its darker tendencies.