Build Gundams Ch 33

Two days after the Albion and its escorts departed Colony Satellite 12 of the Philipp Republic, they returned to the Skywing Armaments Manufacturing Company headquarters and Antares Mercenary Group main base, now often referred to as Mother Base.

Ryuuichi was in his personal quarters, contemplating the future direction of Mobile Suit development within Skywing Armaments. His current focus had been largely on adapting and improving designs from the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam franchise, but he recognized the potential for diversification.

With the technological base we've built, he mused, it should be feasible to branch out into other Gundam series. The Gundam SEED designs, for instance, seem like a logical next step. We should be able to produce the Strike, Duel, and Aegis Gundams without too much trouble. The Phase Shift Armor is definitely within our capabilities.

His thoughts drifted to the Gundam Wing series. The designs from the original TV series aren't really my cup of tea. I much prefer Master Katoki's revisions; they're far more aesthetically pleasing. Manufacturing the five Gundams piloted by the main characters should be straightforward enough, and adapting them for space combat wouldn't be an issue. The real question is whether the close-combat focused designs like the Sandrock and Shenlong are a good fit for our current pilot pool. Not many of our MS pilots are particularly skilled in melee combat.

He continued his internal assessment. The Heavyarms and Wing Zero, on the other hand, present no major hurdles. The Wing Zero's Twin Buster Rifle can be easily modified to draw power directly from a Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor. As for the 00 Gundam series… that'll have to wait. We simply don't have the means to produce GN Drives, and there aren't any viable substitutes at the moment. And the Iron-Blooded Orphans designs are also off the table for now. The Alaya-Vijnana System is something to consider down the line, but the nano-laminate armor is beyond our current capabilities. The rest we'll consider another day. The development of Zeta Gundam, Hyaku Shiki, and Gundam Mk-II from the UC timeline will proceed normally.

Ryuuichi's mind then turned to more esoteric considerations. Among these Gundam series, there are abilities unique to certain individuals—Newtype psychic powers, Coordinator's Seed Mode… I wonder if those exist in this world? Could I, as someone who's been transmigrated, potentially possess abilities like that myself?

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. No point in getting distracted by that now. Focus on developing the Gundams first.

For the past few days, Ryuuichi had remained largely sequestered in his quarters, emerging only when absolutely necessary. After making the decision to research the Gundam, he spent his time re-examining technical data and considering potential modifications.

One of his initial ideas was to replace the battery power sources of Mobile Suits like the Strike and Astray from Gundam SEED with Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactors. However, he recalled a key element of that setting: Neutron Jammers, devices capable of disrupting nuclear fission reactions.

If I install a Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor, will it get shut down by a Neutron Jammer? he wondered. There are countermeasures—Anti-Neutron Jammers—but we can't develop those yet. This is too risky. I'm not sure if anyone in this world is working on similar technology. If the reactors get neutralized, all those Mobile Suits will be rendered useless.

He then considered the armor used on the Astray series. The foam armor is too fragile. Phase Shift Armor would provide adequate defense, but the power drain is too high. Gundanium Alloy is the best option. As for the Strike and Duel, the batteries need to be upgraded. As they stand, they'll run out of power too quickly when using high-output weaponry.

The photon batteries from G-Reco are too advanced for us right now, he thought. But wait… there was a high-performance battery design described in one of those old sci-fi novels from my previous life. According to my calculations, it would be three times more effective than the standard batteries used in the Gundam SEED series, which would allow for much longer operational times and higher energy output.

Alright, decision made, Ryuuichi concluded. The Astray series will use Gundanium Alloy armor and high-energy superbatteries. The Strike and Duel will keep their standard armor, but they'll get the new batteries too.

Now then, time to move on to the next series, he thought, already formulating new ideas.

The Wing Gundam, Aegis Gundam, and Zeta Gundam are all capable of transformation. No one in this world has even thought of a transforming MS. If we release these, it'll blow everyone's minds. That is high-end tech.

The G-UNIT Gundams from the Wing series are equipped with different armaments to adapt to various combat scenarios. This is similar to the Strike Gundam's Striker Packs. The Twin Star Gundam can be produced as well.

The Zero System… that's a tricky one. It enhances the pilot's abilities and has incredible processing power, allowing it to predict the enemy's movements. That would be an incredible advantage on the battlefield. Unfortunately, neither I nor any of my pilots would be able to handle the system. It'll have to be shelved for now.

If I remember correctly, the PX System from the Gundam Wing G-Unit spinoff was based on Zero System technology. It boosts the pilot's skills, and lets the pilot and MS go past their limits for about two minutes. Once exceeded, it will cause both the pilot and the MS to face collapse. Though there is some risk, it is still safer than the Zero System, and should be simple enough to produce, he thought.

Thinking about this, Ryuuichi began his research. He researched many Gundams and made some improvements based on existing data. If it went well, the Gundams would perform even better than expected.

After some time, a communication request from Kenji came through on his tablet.

"Kenji, what's the situation?" Ryuuichi asked.

"Boss, those guys have made their move," Kenji reported.

"Tell them they don't need to pretend anymore. We know what they're up to," Ryuuichi replied.

"Understood," Kenji confirmed.

Ryuuichi rose from his chair and began to change into his Mobile Suit pilot suit.

Unbeknownst to him, several fleets were approaching Mother Base from different directions, each monitoring Ryuuichi's fleet.

These fleets were sizable, but composed of older, modified spacecraft. While their flags varied slightly, they all featured a skull motif, clearly identifying them as pirate groups.

Inside the command room of one of these pirate fleets, a communications officer spoke to the captain.

"Captain, our communications have been intercepted. We've received a message from the other party," the officer said.

"Let's hear it," the captain ordered.

The communications officer activated the speaker. A voice, cold and professional, filled the command room.

"To our esteemed colleagues in the Storm Mercenary Group: there's no need to masquerade as pirates. Our intelligence network has been monitoring your every move, as well as those of your associates. Please relay the following message to your employer, Mr. Guder: if you have a grievance with Ryuuichi Kaneshiro, or if you've been hired to target him, you are welcome to address it directly. These underhanded tactics are unnecessary."

The communications officer looked up, his expression a mix of shock and apprehension. The captain and the other officers in the command room exchanged grim glances. They had been exposed.