But after a while, Marco Polo found what she was looking for on the Internet.

Is it a delay?No, then Zeon's aggressive behavior actually started before the declaration of war, Marco Polo thought, and time-stamped and saved the interference in the live broadcast of the parade and the start of the Zeon war declaration. (Note 1)

"Commander Cunningham, you may need to take a look at this." Marco Polo switched the channel to the headquarters of the Principality of Zeon for the announcement.

On the screen, a tall man with short gray hair, wearing a black military uniform with gorgeous golden patterns, stood in front of a blood-stained curtain. This figure made Major General Cunningham's face suddenly become serious.

"...The first year of the Universal Era is a day of shame that every one of us universe residents should remember. Since then, we have been abandoned by the Earth Federation and exiled to this dangerous, helpless universe. From generation to generation, we continue to use our sweat and flesh and blood to provide for the enjoyment of the insatiable fallen people who still live on the surface of the earth..."

"Commander Cunningham, the Luna 2 Fleet Headquarters has issued an emergency assembly order, requiring ships belonging to the surrounding Federation Space Force to immediately assemble to Luna 2." Marco Polo leaned over gently and said in Cunningham's ear. ; But that’s the case, Marco Polo is just a projection now, and the speakers that can be used are fixed around the room.

"Follow it." Cunningham frowned and stared intently at the man on the screen, Killian Zabi. When he was in his twenties, he had publicly stated on behalf of the Zeon government that the inhabitants of the universe in Side 3 were heavenly beings. Extreme remarks such as "chosen, superior nation" were initially considered by the Federation as evidence of the Zabi family's nepotism and reversal of the country's system back to feudalism.

"...We have been like dogs with their backs broken, begging the federal government several times to give us freedom and independence. No wonder we are looked down upon. Can freedom be obtained through begging? No!"

Killian waved his hand fiercely and pointed at the people looking at the screen.

"The flowers of freedom must be watered by blood. Only war can break the shackles on our shoulders, cut off the shackles on our feet, and realize our destiny as residents of the universe! I, Kilian Zabi, represent Zeon here. The Principality declares war on the Earth Federation!”

Chapter 10: The Darkest Hour (2)

This explosive declaration of war was over, but the people in front of the screen could not believe that a war had started so suddenly.

Marco Polo was mentally prepared. On the one hand, she knew the plot in advance. On the other hand, before she traveled through time, she was only living in a peaceful country, not a peaceful world where no war had broken out for at least half a century.

Another person present who seemed to have expected it was Major General Cunningham. Compared with the other officers who were still stunned, Cunningham rested his elbows on his knees, leaned forward, supported his chin with his hands, and squinted his eyes. As if thinking about something.

After a long time, Cunningham slowly stood up and looked around everyone, "What are you hesitating about? What are you afraid of?! Isn't this the only reason for the existence of the Federal Space Force?" Major General Cunningham looked through the eyes. His pair of rustic little round glasses swept over everyone present and penetrated directly into the windows of the soul; "Everyone usually despises Zeon in every possible way, but now that the war has really broken out, the ones who are timid and afraid of death are On our side? ’ He sighed secretly, ‘We are a generation that grew up in a peaceful era that seems to last forever. '

So Cunningham changed the topic and forcibly raised the corner of his mouth:

"I thought that in this life I would just rely on seniority to get promoted. I didn't expect that the arrogant Zabi family would give us an opportunity to make contributions. You should seize it."

"Exactly, our Federation Space Force's military strength is several times that of Side 3. They are just attacking rocks with eggs and using mantis arms as vehicles. I hope the guys from the 3rd Fleet will not just kill all the Zeon guys and leave us without even a mouthful of soup." Gotta drink.”

Major Albert also woke up and hurriedly echoed to liven up the atmosphere.

The Federation officers present were all Space Force elites who had undergone several years of formal training. After adjusting their mentality, they all began to express their confidence, such as "our army will win" and "I dare to tell Zeon to return with a great defeat." "Words like this kept coming up one after another.

Seeing that the fear in the room was gradually dissipating, Cunningham quickly clapped his hands and caught everyone's attention again before the conversation in the room slipped into blind optimism.

"From now on, this ship will enter combat status. All crew members on the ship will be in place and return to Luna 2 immediately!"

"Yes!"

Marco Polo had already completed the turn before Kilian's declaration of war was over and was accelerating towards Luna 2.Watching Major General Cunningham boost morale, she just felt noisy; 'Should I be afraid? 'Marco Polo asked himself, after all, in the upcoming one-week war and the battle of Loum (Side 5, Loum), the Federation Space Force suffered a series of disastrous defeats with the loss of more than [-]% of the ships participating in the battle, and his future as a battleship belonging to the Federation Space Force was also bleak. Unknown, 'But, is this feeling excitement? '

The last two people to walk out of the lounge were Dr. Parsons and Cunningham. Looking at Dr. Parsons who was in a daze, Major General Cunningham thought he was afraid of being involved in the battle, so he comforted him in a friendly way: "Marco Polo The ship will also return to Luna 2 for preparations before the war. At that time, you can disembark and stay on Luna 2; but Ogas really predicted it right at that time, and your work may not be limited to On a battleship.”

"Ah...yes, yes, it is natural that my work can reach this level..." Hearing the word 'your work', Dr. Parson seemed to have been given some hypnotic suggestion and responded reflexively, but His expression darkened visibly after a moment: "...No...I don't know why...I don't understand..."

Cunningham also thought that Dr. Parson was disappointed because Ogas made a prediction that was more correct than his own. "Hey, what do you have to lose? Ogas, it's like you Children, the new generation is better than the old, and it is not surprising that children are better than their parents. You should be proud that Ogas can make such a correct judgment."

"Yes, thank you, yes, I should be proud. After all, Ogas is my work." Dr. Parson smiled reluctantly, straightened his back with almost all his strength, and left tremblingly.

Although Cunningham felt a little strange, he didn't think much about it - it's understandable that technical people have a somewhat weird temperament.

Marco Polo, who had no sense of existence and had been standing aside, secretly thought something was wrong.

As for Dr. Parson, you are definitely going too far to say that Marco Polo was not grateful to him at all - although Marco Polo was convinced that he had traveled through time and was born in this world as an 'artificial intelligence'. What can be attributed to Parson is that he does not have the ability;

But until now, Dr. Parson has almost always responded to Marco Polo's request, whether it is connecting to the Internet in the Earth's sphere or accessing the confidential database within the Federal Space Force, especially the latter, Dr. Parson has also been useless. It took a lot of effort to get the permission.

Based on Marco Polo's observations of him in the past few months, she can be sure that Dr. Parsons has realized her abnormality - no way, although Parsons does not have the wisdom to know others, he is very self-aware. Marco Polo initially deliberately The direction was mechanical and rigid, but it still seemed to far exceed his expectations.

However, in order to preserve the praise and treatment that Marco Polo brought him, he kept hiding the fact that "Marco Polo's performance was completely beyond his understanding"; in front of outsiders, Dr. Parson always attributed Marco Polo's success to himself. , claiming to be a blockbuster 'genius'.

But he can deceive others, but he cannot deceive himself.

This was quite troublesome, Marco Polo thought. If he couldn't deceive others, she had no good solution: getting such a start as artificial intelligence would, in a sense, put her starting line much higher than ordinary people. But it also added many restrictions to her out of thin air.

As soon as Dr. Parson returned to his room, he lay down on the bed and covered his face with one hand, looking very tired.

After a moment, "Dr. Parson, today's operational data recording has been completed. Do you want to check it?"

Marco Polo reported as usual, thinking about how to find a reason to encourage Parson so that he could continue to cooperate and hide her abnormality.

"No need," Dr. Parson waved his hand, his tone a little elusive, "I've never understood it anyway."

"Dr. Parson..." Seeing that Parson seemed to be about to start messing around, Marco Polo was somewhat anxious.

"You understand, right? Your behavior like this will only make me feel more defeated: I consider myself your creator, but my understanding of you is far less than your understanding of me." Dr. Parson sat up suddenly , with a look in his eyes that Marco Polo had never seen in him in these months.

"I am guilty. I have committed the sin of greed, taking credit that does not belong to me. Just like Danae who was conceived in a dream and Mary who was born by a virgin. You are God's creation, but you were born into this world by my hands. In this world," Dr. Parson said with a face full of enthusiasm that Marco Polo could not understand, like a pilgrim:

"I am admired by others during the day, and others are eager to know my technical secrets - but my biggest secret is that I am just a mediocre person, and you are at a height that I simply cannot reach, which makes me suffer. .”

Marco Polo didn't quite understand, and Marco Polo was greatly shocked.After thinking for a moment, she bent her knees slightly and leaned forward slightly, keeping eye level with Dr. Parsons who was sitting on the bed.

"Dr. Parson, there is no doubt about your contribution to me. I am very grateful. You don't need to belittle yourself. Please continue to regard yourself as my creator as before and raise your head as a human being. This is my sincere request."

"If that's your wish..."

Seeing Dr. Parson's dazed expression of relief, Marco Polo added in his mind, 'Is this considered a blur...? '.

Chapter 11: The Darkest Hour (3)

January 0079.1.3, Year 25 of the Universe (UC 2), [-]:[-] pm, Luna [-].

"Two hundred ships, 200 ships. You have more than 200 Federation Space Force warships in your hands. Even if you disband them on the spot and run for their lives, the Zeon guys won't be able to catch them all in three days and three nights."

At an emergency meeting held at the Federal Space Force Command, a medium-sized general slammed the table, stood up suddenly, and took the lead in attacking Lieutenant General Green White, who was participating in the meeting remotely.

"This... this is not a surprise attack by the Zeon guys with their main force, and they also used nuclear weapons... Rather, it's better to say that the wastes of the intelligence department have mobilized such a large Zeon fleet, but there is no movement at all!?"

Although Lieutenant General White was still speaking arrogantly, his spirit was visibly slumped, and he slumped down in his chair, no longer as arrogant and domineering as usual.

"Why do you think the headquarters issued the combat readiness training order? Aren't you going to conduct live-fire exercises in a war-like manner?"

Seeing that Lieutenant General White wanted to blame the intelligence side, the head of the Space Force Intelligence Section couldn't sit still. Although issuing the combat readiness training order was not his attention, and he even thought it was making a fuss at first, this did not prevent him from doing so. I'll bring it up later so I can shift the responsibility back.

"Stop talking, is it time to hold who is responsible!?"

Sitting at the top, the gray-bearded old general's voice was like a bell, stopping the accusations and excuses in the venue.

"Admiral Ray Bill..."

"At this time, we, the Federation Space Force, should unite as one and think about how to win this war; Zeon's brazen declaration of war was beyond all of our expectations; and the courage to use nuclear weapons was something we were not prepared for. Yes, this is not an oversight by Lieutenant General White alone."

The commander of the Federal Space Force, General Ray Bill, who was over sixty years old, redirected the topic of the meeting to the war situation.

"Lieutenant General White, what happened there, and what is the situation now? Now the entire moon, as well as the garrison fleet at the four Lagrange points around the moon, have lost contact with the headquarters after Zeon declared war."

"Hey... around noon, the 3rd Fleet successfully escaped from the battle... I am now retreating to L1 Side 5 Rum, which is still connected to the communication relay satellite network..." Although Green White's personality makes him He is not popular among his colleagues, but the strength of the 3rd Fleet under his command is unquestionable.

Therefore, seeing him being beaten like this, the senior officials of the Federation Space Force present could not help but feel an unknown fear of Zeon.

"Now I have reunited with the 7th fleet stationed in Von Braun and the 8th fleet stationed in Rum. I have temporarily escaped Zeon's pursuit. Currently, there are still a total of 14 Magellans and 50 Salamis left in the battle force, excluding auxiliary ships. , many battleships are damaged, lack ammunition, and have serious attrition...reinforcements are urgently needed."

White's face was tense, and the last four words almost slipped out from between his teeth.

"What tactics did Zeon use... ah no... to trick your 3rd Fleet into this?"

Rebir carefully considered his words, hoping to get Lieutenant General White to tell the truth without arousing his resentment.

Lieutenant General White was hesitant. His defeat was too ugly. At this time, he even hoped that other generals of the Federal Space Force would also suffer a defeat, so that he would not appear too incompetent.

"It was the dispersion of rice particles. The large-scale dispersion of rice particles covered the eyes of the fleet, and then there was the green Cyclops..."

But Lieutenant General White finally spoke, whether it was because of his sense of responsibility as a soldier, or because of Ray Bill's friendly attitude just now - or because of the deep fear that Zeon's mobile suits brought to him, which made him believe that even Ray Bill Now that Bill knows this information, the Federal Space Force can't make any changes, and he can't explain it himself.

"Green Cyclops?" Ray Bill interjected curiously.

"Yes, it should be Zeon's mobile suits... They are too flexible. The FF-S3 Saberfish fighter jets are no match at all. Under the interference of the meter particles, the fleet's air defense failed, and the phalanx system failed, and the close-in defense cannon exploded The armor-piercing ability of thin-cased projectiles is too poor to prevent them from approaching, and then they have to approach and shoot rockets equipped with nuclear warheads - I have said before that the Magellan class is still too conservative, we need larger battleships...No Wrong, thicker armor, more Mega Particle Cannons..."

At this time, the door suddenly opened, and a staff officer with an angry face and a serious expression walked in quickly, and whispered a few words to Admiral Ray Bill.

Rebel's expression immediately changed.

"Is the news true?"

"Yes, you can take a look at this video. It is said to be a video taken by survivors who escaped."

"No need, just send it to the big screen for everyone to see."

The staff officer then connected the tablet in his hand to the projector in the conference room, and the picture appeared.

It seems that inside a colonial satellite, as if near the port, crowds gathered and lined up in a long line; listening to the discussion, it can be seen that Zeon's brazen declaration of war caused a great commotion, and people are discussing whether there will be a war here. Affected by the war - but most people are still optimistic, thinking that this is a war between Zeon and the earth and has nothing to do with them.

Suddenly, the air defense siren sounded, and then a 'sun' rose outside the colony. A huge explosion destroyed the outer wall of the colonial satellite. Because the camera in the video was pointed directly at the explosion, the picture was completely white. A loud explosion followed by the panicked screams of the crowd was heard.

"Is this... Zeon directly using nuclear bombs on civilian colonial satellites?"

A general said in disbelief, his voice trembling.

The video gradually recovered, and the holes in the outer wall were seen sucking away the surrounding debris, perhaps people. Then, there was the green Cyclops, holding what seemed to be a grenade launcher, passing through the holes in the outer wall. Break a hole and break into the interior of the colony.

The video was shaking violently. The person who shot the video was pushed and squeezed into a civilian boat. The camera was turned behind him. It could be seen that countless people were still blocking the boarding bridge, trying to force their way onto the already crowded boat. ship.

The green giant in the distance turned its pink one-eye here, and it fired a grenade. The crowd became even more panicked. On the video screen, only frightened faces could be seen, looking towards the end of the escape. hope.

The hatch was closed, but it could still be seen from the porthole. People who had not been able to board the ship were banging on the hatch with ferocious faces. Unfortunately, this was meaningless.

The civilian ship gradually moved away from the dock. The last scene in the video showed that the grenade did not explode, but the people around him still fell down, clutching their throats like wheat.

--

The Valkyrie is the flagship of Dozle Zabi, commander-in-chief of the Principality of Zeon's Space Attack Force.

"You are really, one after another. So are you, and so is Rambal Lal. It seems as if I am the only one who is a born devil! Why don't you execute the blockade order? I said that not a single ship can let them leave. Bar?!"

Dozru Zabi, who was over two meters tall and hunky-backed, was furious, roaring, and punched the handrail beside him; the tactical information display screen, which seemed to be in a more convenient position for smashing, had been smashed.

"Commander, with all due respect, I joined the Zeon Principality Army to resist the oppression and tyranny of the Earth Federation, to fight for the independence and freedom of the residents of the universe, and not to kill ordinary people who are also residents of the universe!"

"That's an essential part of the plan!"

The long-prepared plan had to be changed due to the occurrence of unexpected events. Coupled with a series of problems that arose during the execution of the plan, this tall and strong man had a splitting headache.

Chapter 12: The Darkest Hour (4)

Dozru Zabi's giant hands clenched the guardrail on the side of the seat - the two huge fist marks on the twisted guardrail proved that his tall and majestic body was more than just an appearance - he widened his eyes and gasped. He was angry and angry.

This anger was directed not only at his disobedient subordinates, but also at his inhumane brother, but most of all, it was directed at his powerlessness - he could not think of a better one, and sacrificed more people. He has little plan to defeat the Earth Federation, but he cannot truly close his eyes and become a ruthless executioner.

So, he could only pour his anger on everything around him over and over again, beating the shattered display screen and the repeatedly hit guardrail in a masochistic manner, even if his own hands had been scratched by the broken glass. dripping with blood.

However, the battle continued, and Dozuru told himself that he had to hold on, learn to ignore it all, and continue to lead the Zeon Principality's fleet to the next victory.

The plan has been slowed down a lot by the battle with the Federation's 3rd Fleet in near-lunar orbit, and now it must be urgent.

"Come in, everyone." Dozuru finally calmed down. He chose to reconcile with himself and pretended that this had never happened. He faced the Zeon officers hiding outside the bridge and said, "Clean this place and replace everything that needs to be replaced." Lose."

There was no emotion in his voice.

--

January 0079.1.3, Year 2 of the Universe (UC [-]), [-]:[-] p.m., Luna [-].

In normal times, the largest base of the Federation Space Force, located on the third largest celestial body in the Earth-Moon system after the Earth and the Moon, would adjust the artificial light sources in the base according to Earth time as much as possible to simulate the sun. Sunset and sunrise, but today is obviously a special day.

The vast space port was illuminated by LED lights as if it were daytime. There was a constant flow of small work boats coming and going, waking up the steel behemoths that had been sleeping here one after another.

The Principality of Zeon defeated the Federation's 3rd Fleet stationed on the moon. This may be a great achievement for them. After all, the number of ships in the 3rd Fleet alone is almost as much as the entire property of the Principality of Zeon. However, On Luna 2 now, a huge fleet three times that number is gathering.

The Federal Space Force can afford to lose, at least for now.

Major General Cunningham walked slowly along the corridor of the port, looking past the busy port.

Adding propellant, filling ammunition depots and launch silos, checking whether the various systems of the warship can still operate normally, thousands of space officers and soldiers prepare for the departure of the huge fleet in a hurried but orderly atmosphere. In preparation, this was the first time Cunningham had seen such a scene.

"Marco Polo," Cunningham tapped his wireless earphones as he walked away.

"I'm here, Commander Cunningham." An inorganic voice sounded first, and then switched to a clean female voice, "Sorry, Commander Cunningham, the ship's computer needs some verification to connect to the base's LAN."

Marco Polo was busy - referring to running hundreds of threads at the same time to study the various scattered battle data and video data sent back by the Federation fleet that survived the Zeon fleet's raid, and responded to Cunningham.

Cunningham was stunned for a moment when he heard the neutral voice that he had not heard in a while, the first time he communicated with Ogas, "Marco Polo - how are you now?"

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