Chapter 59: Transfer Order

As the Earth Federation Forces' First Fleet withdrew from Zeon, the federation cadets who had overstayed their welcome in the Zeon Guardian territories were conveniently shipped back to Earth. Only this time, the cadets didn't get the luxury of spacious Columbus-class transport ships.

"A Magellan wouldn't be too bad either!"
"Wait, why is it a Salamis?"

Once aboard, Macarius tossed and turned on his bed, unable to find a comfortable position. It wasn't an issue with the bunk itself; they were sleeping in four-person double-decker quarters specially prepared for officer candidates, as the Space Force certainly didn't skimp on its own people.

The reason for Macarius's discomfort was that the moment he closed his eyes, his mind would involuntarily conjure up scenes of various Salamis-class cruisers blowing up from internal detonations. He pictured them being sunk by Zeon's Musai-class cruisers firing mega particle cannons, or shattered by Zaku mobile suits wielding nuclear bazookas. In short, the Salamis always seemed like cannon fodder villains in a tokusatsu show, appearing either to get beaten up or on their way to getting beaten up.

The others didn't have this particular problem, however. Everyone ate their fill, slept soundly, and upon waking up, helped their Space Force peers with whatever manageable tasks they could find. After all, nobody wanted to be a freeloader!

Once the fleet returned to the Luna II base, the Red Dragon Team originally intended to take a ship back to Earth alongside their good infantry academy pals. But the moment they stepped off the Salamis, they received orders jointly signed by the Director of Armored Forces and the Jaburo Headquarters.

"No way, why can't we go home?"

Learning that orders required the Red Dragon Team to report to the Earth Federation Experimental Corps at Side 7, the cadets immediately broke into a chorus of wails. Although space appeared vast, their operational area was restricted to the tiny confines of a space colony. A space colony was only about the size of a town on Earth; driving a runabout could cover the whole thing in under three days, making it incomparable to the scale of Earth.

"Stop whining. I'm actually curious, what does this Experimental Corps even do?"

The driver of Vehicle No. 2 slung his pack over his shoulder and asked with curiosity.

"Since it's called an Experimental Corps, they definitely test new weapons!"
"Does that mean a new tank?"
"Oh, sweet! I hope it's a brand-new hover tank. I used to drive the Type 74, and that thing was a blast to run!"
"A hover tank? I doubt it. It's probably a brand-new Type 61, equipped with Space Force mega particle cannons!"
"Boss, why aren't you saying anything?"
"What is there to say? We'll find out once we get there anyway!"

Macarius could guess what it was with his toes alone. What genuinely piqued his curiosity, however, was what kind of mobile suits the Federation could pull out in this completely altered year of '77. If it turned out to be another piece of garbage experimental prototype, he was definitely going to start cursing!

As luck would have it, Luna II was located right next to Side 7. The Red Dragon Team didn't even need to board a starship; a simple shuttle transfer would take them straight to their destination. Side 7 was still very much under construction, with only a single space colony completed so far, known as Green Noa.

Upon arriving at the Side 7 dock, watching the Federation military police strictly monitor incoming and outgoing pedestrians, Macarius felt as though he had returned to the Guardian territories. In truth, Side 7 was being developed with the goal of serving as the Federation's brand-new industrial base. Naturally, most of the civilians currently residing here were industry-related personnel rather than ordinary citizens, making the tense atmosphere Macarius and his group felt entirely normal.

"Here to report?"

The military police officer at the port looked somewhat surprised after examining the orders presented by the Red Dragon Team. They hadn't been without visitors reporting for duty lately, but those were mostly active-duty officers and scientists; this was his first time seeing a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears federation cadets.

Yet official orders could not be faked, especially with Lieutenant General Gopp's personal signature at the bottom. Consequently, the military police officer immediately notified his superiors.

Shortly thereafter, a bespectacled, rather scholarly-looking Federation military officer appeared at the dock.

"Are you the Red Dragon Team that caused such a huge stir at Side 3?"
"If there isn't another Red Dragon Team, then I suppose that's us, sir!"

Macarius obediently snapped a salute.

"Ha, just kidding. I'm Lieutenant Patrice. I've heard of your exploits for a long time, though I never expected even you lot would be transferred here."

The officer appeared rather excited, promptly leading the cadets onto a military truck and driving out of the dock area.

"Welcome to Side 7. As you can see, this place is still under construction, so it's still looking quite desolate."

The lieutenant drove while pointing toward the distant horizon and the massive, exposed gray shadows looming overhead.

Macarius raised his head and saw enormous decks made of high-tensile steel, resembling unfinished puzzle pieces, being hoisted piece by piece by gigantic engineering machinery.

This was the standard procedure for colony construction. Space colonies were not built in their entirety before letting residents move right in with their bags; instead, the main structure was built, the life-support systems and a portion of the ecological environment were perfected to ensure normal human habitation, and then the final internal outfitting was completed concurrently while people lived inside.

Furthermore, colonies weren't built by just anybody, but by a semi-official, semi-private NGO funded by the federal government known as the Colony Public Corporation.

Beginning in A.D. 2045, they started constructing space colonies. Since then, all related matters concerning colony construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and management had been entrusted to this corporation, which gathered professional engineers and construction experts. The status of the Colony Public Corporation was akin to an assistant bridging the SIDE governments and individual space colonies. Like a car tire supporting a vehicle, it quietly exerted effort to maintain and service the space colonies.

One had to realize that space colonies were colossal structures over forty kilometers long and more than six kilometers in diameter. Constructing and continuously maintaining their normal operation afterwards was by no means an easy task, yet the Colony Public Corporation possessed precisely this technology. Of course, they didn't hold a monopoly on it; companies like Anaheim Electronics and Buhr Corporation possessed similar technology as well. However, when it came to safeguarding the lives and safety of space residents, the Colony Public Corporation held the most authoritative voice.

The truck sped down the highway, passing a constant stream of various construction sites on both sides, alongside numerous slogans reminding workers of construction safety. Nevertheless, Macarius also caught sight of completed structures—a large portion of which were residential homes, alongside shops and the occasional civilian vehicle zipping down the roads.

After driving for over a ten minutes, the military truck veered off the main thoroughfare and entered a branch road. At the end of this branch road stood an immensely huge armored gate.

"We've arrived!"

Lieutenant Patrice slowly decelerated, stopping the vehicle right in front of the gate. Armed military police on guard duty stepped forward to inspect everyone's identification cards and luggage with vigilance, ensuring there were no contraband items inside.

"Security is strict!"
"Strict? This is only the first checkpoint!"

Lieutenant Patrice clearly had grown accustomed to this. After exchanging a familiar greeting with the military police, he informed Macarius:

"There's another one up ahead!"

Subsequently, the vehicle passed through the armored gate and proceeded forward along a deep tunnel. The tunnel was so massive that it was even large enough for fighter jets to fly through. Soon enough, the group encountered the second security checkpoint.

This checkpoint was even stricter; it no longer merely involved checking luggage, but required everyone to take out their belongings piece by piece for inspection. Additionally, all communication devices were ordered to be handed over.

"We won't need to surrender this!"

After setting down his communication terminal and mobile phone, Macarius casually slipped his handheld gaming console into the collection basket provided by the military police. The guard looked at Macarius's face for a moment, then let him keep the console.

After enduring some trouble, the group moved onward once more, finally stopping in front of a heavy door stamped with the Earth Federation Forces emblem.

"Alright, boys. To go any further past this point, you'll need to sign something first!"

Like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat, the lieutenant produced a flexible data pad displaying a lengthy nondisclosure agreement. Anyone wishing to proceed further had to sign their full name, while anyone wanting to back out could turn around and leave right now.

"I imagine nobody wants to leave, right?"

Watching the cadets eagerly sign their names one by one, Patrice offered another joke.

Upon confirming that everyone had finished signing, the heavy door slowly parted to both sides.

Seeing the scenery revealed behind the doors, Macarius suddenly recalled a piece of classical literature: *At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a single person. After walking a few dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a broad and clear vista.*

Beyond the gate was not a deep, dark tunnel, but another vast and expansive realm. Compared to the ubiquitous construction sites the group had seen earlier, this space behind the gate was entirely completed. Looking out into the distance, they could see a massive array of enormous hangars built against the mountain range, with their respective serial numbers stenciled onto the light-gray doors.

Closer to home, there was a continuous stretch of extremely standardized Federation military barracks. It was a sight so painfully familiar that everyone knew how to navigate it with their eyes closed, feeling just like coming home.

"Let's go. Drop off your luggage first!"

Following that, Patrice led the group to the side of the base near the mountain range, where several rows of barracks stood—clearly prepared specifically for them.

"Two to a room. You don't need me to assign roommates for you, do you?"
"No need, sir. We've already sorted that out!"
"Good. You lot still have it easy, unlike the bunch that arrived earlier—the ones flying Swordfish fighters. Acting all high and mighty, being picky about their quarters and arguing until my head hurt!"

With that, Patrice gestured toward the building adjacent to theirs.

"Those guys are staying right over there now. Keep to yourselves normally, don't go looking for trouble, but don't be afraid of it either. I'm considered your direct superior, so if anything comes up, just come find me!"

"Um, sir!"

Andrei had clearly been holding back a question the entire journey, and seeing that Macarius remained indifferent, he had no choice but to step forward and ask.

"May I ask what exactly we are here to do?"
"That's classified for now. You'll find out tomorrow!"

Patrice teased them with a mystery before proceeding to brief the group on the general layout of the base, including facility layouts and daily logistics.

"What about our daily routine, then?"
"After assembly at 0800 hours tomorrow morning, I'll make a unified announcement. Today is essentially a day off for you. Familiarize yourselves with the environment around the base, and my office is right over there—if you need anything, come straight to me!"

After pointing out the location of his office, Lieutenant Patrice departed from the barracks area, leaving the Red Dragon Team standing at attention to salute him off.

"This place is way too mysterious!"
"Seriously. But the more it's like this, the more excited I get! Let's see what kind of secret weapon the Federation bigwigs have cooked up!"
"Alright, hurry up and unpack your beds!"

Although Patrice told the Red Dragon Team to familiarize themselves with the base environment, they didn't dare wander around too recklessly. It wasn't because they were worried about getting into trouble, but rather because those barracks buildings housed some formidable characters. Andrei, unable to sit still, had taken the others out for a stroll, only to discover that every single resident here besides themselves was a commissioned officer. Consequently, Andrei and his crew had to spend their time constantly snapping smart salutes.

There was no helping it; as cadets, they naturally outranked lower than active-duty officers. Furthermore, those old-timers hailing from the ground, naval, air, and space forces acted as if they had coordinated it in advance. Whenever they were normally invisible, the moment Andrei and his friends showed up, these characters popped out of nowhere. For the sake of saving their own shoulders from saluting until they fell off, everyone wisely chose to stay put in the barracks.

The next morning at 6:00 AM, long before the wake-up bugle sounded, the Red Dragon Team had already finished tidying their quarters, donned their physical training gear, and charged out of the barracks building.

This was their unyielding daily physical training routine, which had driven everyone half-mad back at the academy. After all, in the words of a certain upperclassman, he had joined the armored forces precisely to avoid running—so why on earth did he still have to run after becoming a tank crewman?

Yet, as habits formed, everyone gradually adapted to it.

"Who are those?"

While the Red Dragon Team was lined up running along the base road, base commander Colonel Carter had also changed into his PT gear. Seeing a group of young lads running with such enthusiasm, he felt as though his own youth was returning.

"Report, they're the army armored corps cadets who reported for duty yesterday!"

The staff officer beside him quickly identified the Red Dragon Team.

"Armored troops. Not bad, not bad!"

Colonel Carter nodded, then turned to the staff officer behind him.

"It seems our daily schedule still has a few flaws. Everyone else is already an officer and should lead by example. Why are we only making the cadets run? Make a note of it: starting tomorrow, the entire base will do morning roll call at 0600!"

The colonel declared without a second thought.

Consequently, in the days that followed, the Red Dragon Team frequently earned dirty looks from others because of this incident. Of course, that was a story for another day!

After all, under Macarius's leadership, the offenses committed by the Red Dragon Team that managed to alienate the entire base were by no means limited to just this one instance.

"Oh right, I recall that the individuals specifically named by Lieutenant General Gopp were also from the armored forces academy, weren't they?"

Jogging for a few more paces, Colonel Carter suddenly turned and asked his staff officer.

"Yes, sir. It's their squad leader, Macarius Clini!"
"Clini, eh? No wonder Lieutenant General Gopp specifically called out for this fellow!"