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KSGU:Volume 5 Chapter 2

2013-03-15T07:58:35Z

220.255.1.33:

==Chapter 2==

===Part 1===

Universal Century 0079, January 10th. On this day, the sky fell. A space colony fell onto Earth through the hands of the Principality of Zeon Army.

This time, the segment in this Operation British was named “Colony Drop” as they planned to compare the fate of the Earth Federation to the hegemonic countries in the old ages. This space colony that fell on Earth was the initial resolution since the declaration of war that occurred on the 3rd day of the same month. After merely 3 seconds since they declared war, the Principalities army, which had already gotten into position beforehand, attacked at the same time and immediately destroyed 3 sides. The Federation army panicked due to this sudden raid, and started gathering their forces quickly; the Principality coolly observed this in their rear sight as it started moving the space colony, its own “bomb”.

The colony that was built on Lagrange Point, located at a gravity balance between Earth and the Moon, and once the orbital speed decreased slightly, it would leave the original gravity equilibrium point. The Principality installed nuclear pulse engines on the Side 2 “Island Iffish”, which they chose as the bomb. After several hours of burst flares, the space colony ended up leaving its original orbit and started freefalling on its own.

The space colony that became a prisoner of gravity took more than 5 days to orbit half a round around the moon and fall onto Earth. Logically, the Federation exerted all its forces to prevent this situation, but they could not defeat the Principality of Zeon army that followed the colony. The Federation did not know of the existence of mobile suits at that time, nor did it know of the tactical usage of Minovsky Particles in combat, and its 3-to-1 superiority in numbers were of no use.

With the one-eyed “Zakus” accompanying, the large mass of the colony approached the atmosphere. It would not be difficult to make a 30km long metal cylinder 6km long break the through atmosphere together with the 3 large mirrors on it. The burning heat of the friction would cause the colony to be so hot that it would become a massive fireball, causing the atmosphere to take a hit it had never experienced before. The peeled outer wall would become a burning meteor shower, and the colony itself followed a black pressurized smokescreen that covered the sky, marking its trail of destruction.

The fortunate thing for the Federation army was that the colony was worn out somewhat due to the skirmishes that occurred for several days. The initial estimates were that the colony would hit the headquarters at Jaburo located in South America, but it split in the air soon after it entered the atmosphere above Africa. The colony broke into 3 blocks, one hit Australia, one hit the Pacific Ocean, and the last one hit North America. In terms of the results, Jaburo managed to avoid a calamity here, and the Federation managed to protect its headquarters that would end up leading the counterattack, but the tragedy of having a colony crash into Earth was not something that could be simply negated.

The colony became a massive bomb, and it was said that the power was around 200 times the power of a nuclear weapon that turned a city in Japan into a sea of fire—the atomic bomb that detonated in the city of Hiroshima. Amongst the 3 broken pieces, the largest piece landed in Australia, and it crashed into Sydney at the speed of 11km per second. The sight of the colony falling down as it covered the sky was taken with cameras from neighboring cities, and the people of the later generations learnt of that ‘sky is falling’ instant of horror. It crashed, causing an impact that caused Sydney to disappear immediately. This impact caused Sydney to disappear immediately, created a crater 10km thick, caused an unprecedentedly large 9.5 magnitude earthquake, and this was just the start. This large earthquake left an observed magnitude of 9.0, rocked the entire continent of Australia, and the magma movement in the orogeny caused the landscape on the eastern coast to change drastically. One-sixteenth of Australia was submerged in the sea, and another one-third of the land took a devastating hit. However, this was just part of the damage caused by the fall of the colony. Besides, right at the moment the colony fell, the Earth’s rotation was affected, and it revolved 0.1, 0.2 seconds faster every hour.

The North American continent did not end up in such a ground-changing situation like the continent of Australia, but one quarter of the land was wrecked. The part that dropped into the Pacific Ocean triggered a large tsunami, and even the shores off the Indian Ocean suffered utter devastation. The colony pieces that fell through the atmosphere caused impacts that resonated with the tsunami, creating a large-scale storm that rocked the entire world for the first time, sending the residents on Earth into chaos. If there were an end of the world, this would be the scene.

The storm and tsunamis covered the lands on Earth for a week, and the abnormal weather did not subside for 6 years after that. The temperature in the colder Southern regions rose up because of this calamity, and not only did it cause sea level to rise, but also, the air pressure changes due to the sea currents caused desertification in humid regions. Disease outbreaks and riots caused by the refugees continued for several years after the war. There was a saying that almost 2 billion people died and were missing, but actually, they could not determine the actual numbers.

A week passed since the start of the war on the 3rd. The One Week Battle got Zeon’s war for independence off to a rumbling start, and despite failing in their intent of bombing Jaburo itself, it allowed the Principalities army to continue the war for one year. After that, the largest fleet battle in human history, the battle of Loum occurred as the Principality launched a large-scale invasion to Earth. They used the Earth military headquarters located in New York City, North America, and gradually expanded its territory.

The smoke rose into the atmosphere, and descended onto the ground in the form of a meteor shower. The ones that landed on the Earth with authority were the giants with one eye, and it was not hard to imagine what sort of impression the residents on Earth had as a result. These demons that had different views and values were invading Earth—and the devastation they brought about was not something the people born on Earth could imagine. In that sense, the people on Earth viewed this army that was attacking their homeland as ‘aliens’.

In terms of national power, the difference between the Principality of Zeon and the Federation was approximately a thousand times, and the options Zeon could choose were limited. The citizen policy was part of the Space Migration plan, the Spacenoids’ plea for Self-governance was crushed by the Federation, and the people who were moved lived tough lives. These were facts, but despite the room for empathy, the fact would remain in history that Zeon was the most brutal killing organization.

After the war, the remnants of Zeon continued to carry out colony drops. 3 years ago, the “5th Luna” that was used as a mining asteroid was dropped onto Lhasa in Tibet, destroying the capital of the Federation as they planned. The tragedy brought about by this atrocity was deeply etched within the people of Earth, and the Spacenoids’ views and stand were all blurred. At this point, as countless debris particles remained in space, the Earth’s sky that was showing the bloody-colored sun setting in the West—

The lush trees covered their heads from above, blocking off the clouds and sky floating above.

The trees that grew down the road had their branches reached out, and the density even caused the green leaves to grow onto the lane. The green corridor that was extended without an end in sight looked so dazzling, and Mineva put her face at the car window, observing the scenery outside. The ones with white and pink flowers were Dogwood, and were the vines growing off the mistletoe Kudzu? Despite the scars of the colony drop in the sky above, this place still had the vegetation exclusive to Southern USA. Due to the warm climate and the creek flowing down the gradual lowlands, the flowers obtained lots of humidity, and looked extremely lively under the sunlight.

It had been one and a half hours since the disease prevention checks were done at the Atlanta Naval Air Station, and Mineva was sitting on this limousine-type electric car. There were still vestiges of war everywhere, the streets of Atlanta still showed scenes of a metropolis, but these were scenes that were seen a long time ago. At this point, what was shown in front of Mineva was a snaking narrow lane within the forest. They passed through the lowlands surrounded by maize fields, and did not see any car moving in the opposite direction. The sparsely scattered farms and houses disappeared. Most likely, this might be the private land space the Marcenas’ owned. Mineva imagined the lush and thick green trees as a wal indicating a boundary, and glanced at Riddhe’s face as he sat right beside him.

Riddhe was looking in front silently, not looking at the greenery passing by outside the window. He was about as silent as the time when he piloted the “Delta Plus” into the atmosphere—no, he might be a lot more tense here. Sitting diagonally in front of him was Ronan, who had his mouth shut, not intending to look away from the notebook terminal. As for what they actually talked about on the limousine, there were only two lines, “Mom?” “She’s in a Nursing Home in Switzerland.” What was left was the heavy and unbearable silence passing between them.

This situation did not allow for anyone to talk easily, and Mineva understood that Riddhe never wanted to face his ‘family’, but this situation she was facing caused her to feel that it would be easier if these two men were unrelated people. ''What is with this weird depressed silence?'' Once they entered society, they noticed each other’s flaws more than strangers did, and could only create a divide between each other. ''Is the relationship between father and son like this? '' To Mineva, who lost her parents before she was mature enough, this was something she could not understand, and she held her sigh as she looked outside the window. The green corridor faded in thickness, everything from the green pastures that grew on the other side of the oak trees onwards could be seen, and the large Tudor-styled mansion entered everyone’s sights.

The entrance, which was decorated with Corinth-styled ornaments, had a Greek temple-like style, and the main house, which had three-storey buildings connected to it on the side, looked rather similar to the Vist Foundation residence seen on the “Magallanica”. Both houses gave off the feel of age, radiating a sense of existence that was basically similar to Zeon’s vintage style, but one had to wonder what was with this cold air surrounding this house. This house did not look like it would waver as it remained rooted amidst this damp land, and it looked like it was giving silent threats without trying to hide or show off the special authority of those living in it, wanting outsiders to lower their heads. Mineva suddenly felt a chill up her body that was still not used to the 1G gravity, and grabbed her hands that were cupped in front of her chest under her blouse tightly.

There was no concern for Spacenoids, whether it was the house that was stubbornly protecting the old century traditions or the people with special authority living inside. There was no place for understanding each other—

“Do you know the story of “Gone with the Wind”?”

Riddhe suddenly spoke up, and Mineva nodded without thinking through properly. Mineva herself had not read that book, but she knew that it was one of the classic books during the Middle Ages, and was even rewritten as a movie. Riddhe looked outside the window and explained to Mineva, “This stretch is the stage for that story. Warm climate, fertile land, a very rich farm owner; this prosperity was supported by the black slaves captured and brought in from Africa.

Ronan lifted his face slightly from the notebook, and turned his eyes that were looking through the reading glasses over, but Riddhe’s face that was facing the window remained unmoved as he said with a self-mocking self, “What an irony, isn’t it?”

“The ones who started the space migration administration, the Chief Senator for the migration issue committee would actually live in Southern USA that relied on slaves.”

The prosperity and revival in this place was created through the resources squeezed out from the Spacenoids—this sarcastic line even children could understand caused the atmosphere in the limousine to become heavier, and Riddhe did not look at Ronan as he shut up. Ronan let out what seemed like a sigh from his nose, and turned his face back to the notebook. Mineva looked back and forth at these two men, and again felt that she had no refuge as she looked at the Western sky that was starting to become red.

The limousine passed through the gate located between the oak trees and drove right into the courtyard of the residence. At the same time, the sound of the rotor could be heard from above, and the helicopters flying in the air reached Mineva’s sights. There was no reason for them to return back to base, and the helicopters were waiting if there were any Neo Zeon strike teams around with the intent to snatch her back, so the likelihood was that they would be patrolling through the night. There were armed helicopters with gun turrets pointing out, and several guards lurking around—''All for the sake of receiving me, an anomaly.'' Mineva felt a killing intent radiating out from the forest as looked up at the Marcenas’ residence that was right in front of her. The triangular roof at the entrance had a bird-ornament, and it took her a little while to realize that it was an authentic black condor.

===Part 2===

The quality of servants would determine what the family was made of. In this case, the fact that a servant would arrive at the carpark to invite them in proved that the Marcenas’ stature was for real.

“Welcome back.” Riddhe saw the old butler who greeted him, and answered, “It’s been a while, Dwiyon.”, and he, whose face had been tense ever since he reached Earth, finally relaxed somewhat at this moment. The butler called Dwiyon here merely lowered his head for a short while, and though it was hard to see his expression, even Mineva could sense a surge of emotions swelling from his trembling shoulders. It was common to see many servants who act tough with power backing them up, but there were not many servants who would weep earnestly for the family members they were serving. He was definitely feeling emotional, but he would not try to inquire about his master’s private life on his own, could maintain some form of distance with the family he was serving while doing so obediently, and the magnetism working between them was one only a high-class family would have with a top-notch butler.

After passing through the arched entrance, there was a large empty hall that could be seen, and the sunlight that shone in diagonally from the second level window was reflected off the clean and polished floor. Like its outer appearance, the inside arrangement of the house and the width was not too different from the Vist’s mansion. Mineva’s official residence was basically no different from a palace despite being raised in a fortress full of defeated warriors, and this current situation did not intimidate her, but the aged pillared, walls, furniture and all sorts of things still produced an aura that would discourage anyone.

Unlike the old yet grimy looking Vist Foundation, everything in this place reeked of its own history, giving a suffocating feeling that was resisting change. Riddhe, who grew up in this family, most probably experienced this feeling. Mineva shook off this air that filled the space, and did not land her sights on anything as she merely followed the back profiles of those heading in. She turned to the hall located on the left side, past a table that could seat 10 people in the dining room, and arrived at the corridor leading to the inside of the house. It was an art gallery with paintings decorating the corridor, and with the varying light intensity lighting the paintings, the fine artworks could be mistaken for photos as they were lined up, awaiting visitors.

Mineva stared at the first portrait, and stopped. The person in this portrait seemed to be of mixed blood, and he had brown eyes that were half-passionate, half-rational. It was a man who looked like he was in his sixties. Mineva did see this face several times in history class, but after looking at it closely again, she found that he resembled Riddhe somewhat, “This person is Ricardo Marcenas, the first Prime Minister of the Federation government.” Ronan explained, and Mineva continued to look up at that painting silently.

[[Image:KSGU5 088.png|thumb]]

“The one over there would be the 3rd Prime Minister, Georges Marcenas, my great-grandfather. He would be called Ricardo Junior in movies or books based on historic themes.”

Ronan smiled slightly as he pointed at the paintings lined down the corridor with his eyes, introducing them one by one, “The first Prime Minister, Ricardo Marcenas, was unfortunately assassinated, but the Marcenas family continued to maintain important positions inside the government. The history within the Earth Federation government is also our family history. Our family’s fate is to become the pillars supporting the country…I suppose you can say that.”

There was no sense of conceit or deliberation in these words as his voice merely described the cold hard facts calmly. There was a chill that arose suddenly in this dim corridor, and Mineva trembled as she saw these paintings that could not talk, understanding where the pressure in this house came from.

The ancestors of the Marcenas’ family were lined up on this empty hall, depicting the history of the Federation. These were the people, the group of guardians for the Federation, becoming tense because of her intrusion as a foreigner. They were glaring at the forgotten remnant of the enemy, pressurizing her with a hatred-like surge—

“They managed to survive till now doing that kind of job.”

Riddhe spoke. Mineva recovered and looked at him.

“The culprit that blew up the first Prime Minister’s residence was said to be a separatist against the Federation’s rule, but nobody knew the truth. Some people said that the mastermind behind this were the conservatives in the government, thinking that the liberal and idealistic Prime Minister will get in the way. This is the same reason why a certain American president in the Middle Ages was assassinated.”

Riddhe looked up at the paintings, showing a look of disgust on the side of his face. As a descendant of this family and a son who deserted his family, he seemed to be exerting his presence in this corridor of time. He ignored Ronan, who went silent, and continued with a stiff voice,

“The terrorist attack that caused the explosion of the official residence…that “Laplace Incident” was a good excuse for the Federation to sweep the separatists. At that time, the call was basically, “remember the tragedy of Laplace. Never ever forgive those despicable terrorists”. The pitiful separatists were immediately eliminated, and the Federation government quelled the conflicts on Earth. During that time, what did our Marcenas family do? We relied on the conservatives who killed the first Prime Minister, preventing our entire family from being wiped out. After the deputy Prime Minister became the second Prime Minister temporarily, Ricardo Junior won an overwhelming support from the people and was elected as the third Prime Minister, and thoroughly eliminated the terrorists, the ones who killed his father. These were all beautiful things that were made up, heroes that were made up. After that, the Marcenas family—…”

“JUST SHUT UP!”

The sharp roar echoed through this corridor of time, stopping Riddhe from continuing what he wanted to say. The paintings held their breaths, staring silently at their descendants. Ronan lowered his cold stare on the silent Riddhe.

“So what you’re saying is that the world is run on conspiracies? You read too many nonsensical books. Politics is not that simple, and there are a lot of things you, who abandoned your family, don’t know about.”

Riddhe did not say anything as he turned his back on the other person, and his face was definitely looking like a stubborn child. ''He’s trying to be like a spoilt child to his father, and got told off as a result; the current situation might seem to be like this. '' “Miss Mineva” As she continued to ponder aimlessly, Ronan looked at her, and she seemed to panic somewhat as she looked back.

“We will be talking about the details later, but I still have to admire you for the courage you showed. I am willing to bet my personal honor and do all I can to make sure that you are not mistreated.”

The sincere yet sharp stare appeared in Ronan’s eyes, and this stare caused Mineva to feel a fluttering in her chest. “I am very glad to hear you say that.” She responded with a voice appropriate for the occasion and gave a polite smile.

“Let the unfortunate past pass by. I hope for a positive development through our talks, and for this, I will go all out in that.”

Mineva wanted to answer back with a smile at that moment, but Ronan suddenly lowered his face and looked away, “However, there is something I hope that you can understand first.” Mineva felt a chill.

“The Federation government is definitely not a sturdy rock that will not be destroyed. We, the people of the Marcenas family, have been protecting the Federation for generations and dedicating ourselves to it. It’s the same as you, the symbol of Zeon.”

''But we couldn’t do it.'' Ronan’s words had such bitterness, and the emptiness that came as he drew the line caused his heart to turn cold. “Dad…” Riddhe let out a doubtful voice, but Ronan did not look at his face as he merely looked far away at the portraits lined up in the shadows.

“The Federation is still young, less than 150 years old, an immature nation. Someone…someone has to protect it.”

===Part 3===

During the war, the Zeon forces that occupied the land gave up on occupying the Marcenas’ residence, so one could tell how much historical value this office had. The office table was used since previous generations, of the same age as the custom made bookcase, and they had been around for at least a century. The chandelier that dropped during the colony drop still remained hanging on the ceiling, glowing as they went all out to find similar parts of similar age.

The office and the linked study seemed like a mysterious space filled with the world’s secrets to children—''is this room this big?'' Riddhe looked around the room that was 7m wide, was shocked by the difference in the room from his previous memories, and recalled and yes, he was definitely unfamiliar with the office to such a degree. Making this conclusion, he gave a wry smile.

He entered the office a few times when he was young, and even sat on his father’s lap, hearing stories about the greatness of their ancestors, but at some point, he did not want to approach his place. One of the reasons was that he grew old enough not to sit on other people’s laps, and another was that his father, who inherited the land from Riddhe’s grandfather, started to get busy as a High-ranking Senator as he rushed about. However, the biggest reason was that his father always took action according to his schedule, and excluded Riddhe and the family from his business.

''He basically spends an entire year at Dakar’s Senate Council, and whenever he returns home, he has to go all over the place, securing a group of people who will support him, process through petitions, attend parties for consecutive days or go on a trip for leisure. To this Senate Council member who invested in several funds and had to take care of several family enterprises, this family is just a guarantee for the world to judge him by. The reason why dad willing to receive Mineva and me is just…'' As he thought about that, Riddhe felt his mind start to agitate again, and he shook it lightly to remove these useless thoughts.

''Calm down.'' Riddhe told himself as he suppressed this urge, sitting down on the sofa that was used to invite visitors in. He finally managed to make it all the way here, only to start butting at his father rudely, causing him to have a worse standing. Instead of letting the scandals about the family rise to the surface, his father would first act calmly and determine whether there was any political value—and this was planned right from the beginning. It was because Riddhe knew that he had such a personality that he planned this as insurance. He knew that he had no right to feel frustrated about the mood in this family, and that he did not have the right to criticize his father. At this point, even Riddhe himself had been relying on his family’s tradition of trying to secure political relations to do this.

It was 4.30pm, and Mineva was resting in the guest room. His father, who told him to wait in this office, was probably talking with the army and the Council, and they would most likely come up with countermeasures against this neutral agreement. At this point, he first had to secure Mineva’s safety and talk about the plans the Senate Council plotted to do with the “Laplace Box”. The Senate would most likely be activated as soon as possible, and complete measures would be taken to ensure the “Nahel Argama”s safety. Riddhe continued to reflect upon this as he pondered about how he should respond. At this moment, an abrupt knock on the door caused him to jerk his shoulders.

''There was no reason for dad to knock on the door first.'' By the time Riddhe thought about this, “Please excuse me” Dwiyon had already opened the door. His thoroughly polished leather shoes moved on the carpet silently, and he put the coffee cup onto the reception table. Riddhe smelled the aroma of the coffee from the pot, and he looked up and this old butler who was a fatherly figure to him. “Thank you.” Riddhe said, and Dwiyon lowered his head that had neatly combed white hair, giving a choking voice as he said, “It is really great that you’re alright…”

“Really, you’re sounding like an old man now.”

“I am old now, I am completely old. Don’t you know how much the master was so worried about you this time…”

“Dad?”

“Of course, since the son is a pilot in the army. Even I would worry whenever I hear any uproars on the news.”

Dwiyon took off his glasses and used his handkerchief to quickly wipe the corners of his glasses. “You’re exaggerating it there!” Despite saying that, Riddhe could not feel calm now that someone talked about these past three years he had not talked about, and sipped his coffee to avoid talking more about this. “Really?” Dwiyon’s wrinkled face was reddening somewhat.

“Young master Riddhe, I’ll just say this to you here. The master isn’t in good health.”

“…Heart issues?”

“Yeah. I think it’s because he was reassigned to Dakar or something that he had not rested well for three years…young master Riddhe, I will not live for much longer, so can you please return to the house?”

These were words Riddhe did not expect. He used his hands to adjust the collar on his uniform and deliberately avoided Dwiyon’s slightly hot eyes.

“I know I’ve crossed the line with this kind of request, but this old me will like to request this from you. Please help the master—”

“So the son who went on the run is back?”

A completely different voice suddenly rang inside the room, causing Riddhe and Dwiyon to turn to the door at the same time. That woman with a nice clean cut of blond hair had her hand on the door that was pushed opened, giving a mischievous smile on her face.

“Sis…! You’re here too?”

“Of course. Unlike a certain person, I do treat this place as my home.”

Cynthia Marcenas answered with a tone that was that was hard to determine if there were any signs of cynicism as she walked into the office. She glanced at Dwiyon, who quickly backed away, and sat on the sofa, causing Riddhe, who stood up as well, to sit back. “Come here. Let me see your face.” She said as she used both hands to grab onto Riddhe’s head. This person who appeared in from of Riddhe, had a nice figure, a natural flair to brighten the mood just by showing up, and it was definitely Riddhe’s sister who was older than him by 6 years. “Oh? You seem a little bonier compared to before!” Cynthia said, and Riddhe answered, “You too, sis, you feel like a madam of the leisure class now.” Half of this was Riddhe honest opinion, and half of it was a reminiscent of the past as he looked away from the face in front of him.

Ever since young, Cynthia had been hailed as a talent of beauty and wits, and was recognized to be a flower in the social class, both internally and externally. On the other hand, she was the owner of a strict and advanced work ethic. Ever since she was a student, she started obtaining all sorts of licenses, and though the people around her kept saying that she was not someone who would stay inside the house quietly, this rich daughter defied all expectations after graduation and simply agreed to the arranged marriage her father made for her. To quote her, “I proved that I can do it, so I’m happy.” But naturally, it was not that easy to think that a woman would willingly give up so many options she could choose in her life and plunge into the world of kinship. It was unknown if the world of politics poisoned Cynthia’s mother as she kept spending her life in her own house or the nursing home for wrong reasons, and Cynthia herself felt repulsed that her mother could not fulfill the role of a wife and a mother. Having experienced a youthful period where she was flattered because of her name and her appearance, this big sister’s melancholy and rebellious nature became even more rooted. However, though this was a result of the above mentioned descriptions, Cynthia was a woman who did not change as she kept her free and vibrant nature within.

The reason why Riddhe could leave the house was because his sister and brother-in-law took up a stronger sense of existence as supporting pillars. Cynthia was wearing a ladies’ suit, had make-up on her face and the aroma of perfume on her. She had completely become a woman of the Marcenas’ family, and to Riddhe, who ran away from home, it was unknown of his sister’s existence was dazzling or lonely. Anyway, Riddhe really could not bring himself to face the other person. Cynthia stared at her brother’s anxious face and said sharply, “Dwiyon begged for you to come back, right? Back home.”

“You heard about it?”

“As I thought. Bullseye.”

As Cynthia snickered, Dwiyon gave a terrified look behind her. ''Does this mean that dad is feeling so weak that Cynthia can randomly guess what Dwiyon said?'' Riddhe felt a chill entering his chest. “But Riddhe, can you consider?” Cynthia followed up, causing him to clench his hands that were resting on the knees.

“Speaking of succession, isn’t brother-in-law Patrick learning? I heard that he’s going to take part in a local election…”

“Yeah, I’m here to prepare for that too. I have to stand on the same side as hubby. However, even if Patrick was married in, he’s still not a Marcenas.”

Cynthia concluded, and one could imagine her father’s impression overlapping with her existence. “It’s unexpected that you would say that…” Riddhe stood up, and Cynthia shrugged, saying, “Once I got into the world of politics, I ended up like that even if I don’t want to!”

“Dad won’t say that because of his personality, but he really wished for this. If we let Patrick take over the family’s tradition, there will be mixed blood in the terrain the Marcenas’ family protected for more than a hundred years. To be honest, Patrick isn’t the type to be a politician. If you’re willing to come back…”

“I’M NOT MADE FOR IT EITHER!”

''The atmosphere inside the house, the shadow of that unpleasant feeling will fall on me.'' Riddhe let out a loud and clear voice as he brought his face to Cynthia.

“If we can let new blood take over, the atmosphere in the house will change. Don’t you hate this gloomy presence too, sis…?”

Of course, Riddhe did not understand what Cynthia was trying to say. His brother-in-law was the second son of a very influential local entrepreneur, and at this point, he was married into the Marcenas’ family, becoming the first secretary of her father. He had very little relation with the term ‘ambition’, and when talking about competition, this brother-in-law would be akin to taking part in a sports competition; no matter good or bad, he would always be a Mr. Nice Guy. Riddhe knew that his brother-in-law’s harmless nature was suitable for marrying, but he understood that he was not suited to be a successor of a politician family, and that Riddhe himself ran away from home even after knowing this without warning. Such unexpected developments probably caused the stress on his father’s heart to increase, but what could Riddhe do? Even his older sister, who used to be a very carefree person, was infected by this atmosphere, and naturally, she would start to talk about tradition and bloodline. Riddhe could not cope with this gloomy atmosphere at all.

Suddenly, Cynthia showed a grin and patted Riddhe on the head, saying, “You haven’t changed at all~” but while Riddhe could hear the warmth of his relative, he could only feel pain in his heart, and he, who was unable to look at his sister, turned to look at the floor.

“May I ask who that girl is?”

“Eh?”

“I’m talking about the girl you brought back. She’s cute, isn’t she? Who is she?”

This second unexpected occurrence caused his heart to beat hard. Neither Cynthia nor Dwiyon knew of the reason why Riddhe returned home this time, and they did not notice what the many stares surrounding the house and the sounds of the helicopters rotors spinning from afar meant. “Ah, she’s…Audrey Burne!” Riddhe immediately answered.

“She’s the daughter of the largest stakeholder in Anaheim. I met her on the ship viewing ceremony…”

“Burne? I never heard of that name before.”

Cynthia tilted her head that should have memorized the hundreds of investors’ names as she frowned for just a moment, only to give a smile immediately afterwards. “Well, I’ll look forward to investigating what relationship you two have later on. Will you be staying here tonight?”

“Yeah…”

“I’ll call in those ladies in for a dinner party. Do attend this party with Miss Audrey too.”

“I don’t have any clothing that can be worn for a party.”

“I will lend Miss Audrey something to wear. As for you, that uniform is okay. It will excite those free madams>”

Cynthia used her finger to poke at the mobile suit emblem on Riddhe’s chest, and turned to Dwiyon, “I’ll leave it to you then, Dwiyon.” who responded with a smile, “Alright, I will tell the cook to work harder than usual today.” and lowered his slightly grimacing face.

“If the lady was around, this family will finally gather at the dining table…”

Such saddening words caused Cynthia to reveal a bitter smile as well. ''No matter how I try to resist, the many years I used to spend here with my family won’t change, right?'' Riddhe’s sights first turned to the window where the sunlight shone in, and then listlessly looked over at the family photo hanging on the wall as a decoration. After that, a voice rang amongst the crowd, “It’s a bliss that she’s not here”, causing Riddhe to freeze up.

“If she knows of the commotion here, the illness that could be healed will never heal.”

That man walked through the door that was ajar, not looking at the other people as he went right to the office table. Riddhe felt his relaxed chest tighten at that moment and readjusted himself to face his father. Cynthia glanced back and forth between the two of them, and asked “What does this mean” as she got up from the sofa. Ronan however looked over her shoulder and stared at his own secretary.

“I’ll explain later…Patrick, I’ll leave it to you.”

Patrick, who was standing at the door, heard Ronan call for him as he answered “Yes” with a sullen expression. It seemed that someone explained what was going on to his brother-in-law Patrick, who in turn turned his head over to Riddhe, raised his hand slightly, showed an awkward smile which was the most he could do at this point, and then turned to Cynthia. “Then..” Cynthia seemed to realize the strangely tense tone in her husband’s prompting voice, and she gave a look back while leaving.

The grimness within the room increased. The sound of the telephone, the footsteps of the secretary, the murmurs from Dakar seeped into this house, and the feeling continued to spread in waves that appeared vaguely. '' It’s because I hate this feeling that I can’t stay in this house.'' Riddhe realized this again, and accepted that he was the source of this tremor here as he continued to stare at his father silently. “Let us be alone for a while. Leave any urgent matters with Patrick.” Ronan instructed Dwiyon and returned to the table. “I understand, Dwiyon answered and retreated from the room. The sound of the door being closed was left behind, and the two of them were inside the office, surrounded by this suffocating silence.

“I never thought I would face you in such a situation.”

Ronan broke this silence and sighed as he spoke. Riddhe hid his shock that the initiative was taken, and answered, “I had been running away all this time.” He clicked his tongue secretly when he realized that he accidentally butted back at his father. ''Calm down, he’s a Senate Council member who can deal with the army that will suck up to him. I have to put aside all personal feelings and tell him.'' Riddhe felt the pressure in his heart as he muttered, and he turned his back at the window to face Ronan.

“Since I entered the army with the family’s objection, I never intended to come back, but just once, I have to do this. You’ve heard of the terrorist attack on “Industrial 7”, right? I was there too. That incident was not like what the news reported –”

“This is not what I want to talk about.”

Ronan forcefully interrupted and stared right at Riddhe. His face showed neither anger nor disdain as he lowered his expression that would depress anyone at this point. “That is not all I want to talk about…” At that moment, Riddhe felt that the floor around him collapsed as his clenched fists were trembling.

“I was shocked when I received your mail. Indeed, you got involved with the “Box”…”

The term “Box” pierced through Riddhe’s heart, and he felt that what he should be saying was dissolved. Ronan leaned back on the leather chair as he looked up, seemingly at the sky, and closed his eyes.

“Even though I tried to arrange for you to withdraw immediately, it ended up like this in the end…I guess this in fact is a curse, and that you are still a Marcenas.”

Riddhe did not understand what his father was talking about, and he was not really certain of who exactly he was talking to. “Dad…” Riddhe muttered with a hoarse voice, and Ronan took a deep breath, straightened his back from the back of the chair, saying,

“Riddhe, you need to know the truth.”

He stared right at Riddhe’s eyes, and said with a voice that did not allow for any words. His expression was covered by the shadows as his back faced the red sunset.

“For generations, this truth is only passed on to a direct son of the Marcenas family. Neither your uncles, aunts, Cynthia nor Patrick knew about this. I thought that I wouldn’t have to tell you this if you took a different path…but since things ended up like this, there is no other way for you to survive.”

Riddhe could not move his body. He wanted to treat these words as a joke, but he, who somewhat expected it, did not allow himself to do so. He realized that this was not just a political stench, and he definitely felt some sort of taboo existing. ''Right, that’s why I ran away from home. The curse inflicted on the family is brewing gradually, and, inside this family that is giving off an ominous vibe, there’s some sort of—''

“Save us.”

Ronan muttered as he clasped his hands together, bringing them to his forehead. He was not saying this to God, and after leading off with these words that were not a sentence, he started to tell the true. That story depicted the confession of a man who lost a god that could have saved him right from the beginning—and the causality of how a family was destined to become god slayers.

===Part 4===

“I HATE IT!”

As the yell echoed through the room, the sound of the teacup and the saucer clashing with each other echoed throughout the captain’s room. While sitting opposite the stunned and blinking Otto, Commander Daguza said calmly, “I am not making a request to you here.”

“Our ship will reach the space coordinates indicated by the Laplace Program. If you activate the “Unicorn” there, there might be a possibility that a new Program will be unsealed. I will be riding with you, and I hope that you will pilot the “Unicorn” to the designated coordinates. This is an order.”

Daguza said without twitching his eyebrows, and beside him, Lieutenant Conroy too gave a stare that did not allow any arguments. It was several minutes since Banagher was taken away from Takuya and Micott and brought to the captain’s room. Banagher did not even have the luxury to taste the red tea the captain prided himself in before he made this request. They indicated that they had to look for the “Box” on their trip back, and Banagher had to pilot the “Unicorn” to assist with the investigations. Banagher looked over at the face of the captain who was pouring the red tea, and then turned to the ECOAS commander who gave a robotic expression, before arguing, “Why must I do such a thing?”

“Looking at the current situation, you’re the only one who can pilot the “Unicorn”.”

“If it’s just about bringing back something, can’t you just let another mobile suit do the job?”

“The system won’t be able to identify if the main generator is not activated. The pilot has to be in it.”

After sealing off one argument after another, Daguza asked back, “Any other questions?” as he gave a probing stare that seemed to read into the other person’s thoughts. Banagher looked away as he answered, “You saw it too right? What that machine did on “Palau”…”

“Whenever I ride on it, I just feel weird. I don’t believe that I can pilot it well, and I don’t want to ride on it.”

“But you came back safely. You managed to stop that 4-winged from resisting, capturing both the machine and the pilot. That was quite a lot of military gains.”
“MILITARY GAINS!? YOU CALL THAT MILITARY GAINS!?”
''That silver needle of the syringe was glowing when it poked into Marida’s numb skin.'' Marida felt a pain from that instant as he inadvertently yelled, but Daguza, who was beside him, continued to remain calm as he gave Banagher an unwavering stare, asking properly, “What should I call it?”

“Asking me…anyway, I had enough. I’m not a soldier, so I don’t have a duty to listen to your orders!”

“It’s true that you do not have a duty, but you have a responsibility.”

These unexpected words pierced through Banagher’s heart, causing his body to sway for a while. After Banagher looked up, Otto and Conroy looked like they were blindsided as they stared at Daguza.

“You’ve interfered with battle 3 times already, and you’re the pilot of what they call a powerful weapon, the “Unicorn”. If some are to be saved by it, others will obviously perish. You have already interfered with many people’s fates, so you have to bear this responsibility.”

These were words Banagher had never thought of before. “What must I do…?” Banagher asked, and Daguza gave a straightforward look as he answered, “See things till the end.”

“And when is the end? Are you telling me to fight till death? Or are you going to get me to play this unreasonable treasure hunt?”

“That’s something for you to think about. Right now, you’re just thinking of running away from the trouble in front of you.”

Banagher felt a sharp pain in his chest, perhaps because deep inside him, he too felt that the other person was spot on in some way. This was not something he could admit simply, and he lowered his stare onto the red tea, asking softly without heart, “Mr Daguza…have you never doubted?”

“You’re always calm, not shaken at all…I really can’t be like tyou.”

Banagher did not intend to be sarcastic at the other person. By relying on a knife-sharp moral courage, he had to move even if he was forced to accept the coincidental outcome. Leaving aside whether Banagher wanted to become such a person, he felt that it would be easier for such a person to take action; that Daguza should simply be a pilot, and the “Unicorn Gundam” could display its capabilities to its maximum. ''I’m not confident in anything, I can’t distinguish between ally and enemy, I have no right to wield a weapon.'' He did not feel that he wanted to wield a weapon again—even if it meant disappointing Cardeas, his father.

Daguza raised his eyelids slightly as he showed signs of swallowing words. Banagher, who had expected a determined argument at this point, secretly glanced at his face amidst this unnatural silence. Conroy merely looked at his silent commander’s face, and then turned to look at Banagher, saying, “On the battlefield, doubting will lead to death.”

“That’s why we can only think of executing our missions. The leader has to carry out the responsibility he should bear. This would be the responsibility I am referring to.”

“But will people die because of it? What kind of responsibility is it that I have to start killing!? I can’t be like you in that I can simply sort out such things so clearly…”

Mission, duty, responsibility, both Federation and Neo Zeon had them, and both sides could explain it as justice. Banagher had nobody to rely on emotionally, but he felt that he would probably collapse due to fear if he merely remained silent, and such emotions caused him to roar out what he wanted to say. “Do you think it’s that simple!” Conroy yelled out as he was about to get up, his hulking figure nearly knocking into the table. Before Otto could restrain him, Daguza held back Conroy “Everyone has their own way to take responsibility.” and argued back with a calm voice.

“Right now, your situation is easy to understand. The things you should be responsible for are right in front of you. I am talking about those classmates of yours.”

That moment of hesitation had disappeared completely as Daguza continued with a calm voice. Banagher felt blindsided by the discussion of this weakness as he eked out a voice to confirm, “Are you talking about Takuya and Micott…?”

“Even if they return back to “Luna II” their predicaments are rather delicate. How they will be dealt with will determine on our reports and testimonies. The only thing that will sway this will be your actions.”

“You’re going to use hostages again…?”

“You can interpret it however you want. You are in a position to change their fates, so it’s best that you understand this well and choose what to do next.”

Daguza finished what he wanted to say and got up, while Conroy followed him from behind. Their firm muscles could be seen fleshed out beneath their uniforms, and their back profiles turned to leave the Captain’s room. Banagher let out an accumulated sigh and clasped his hands together. “Well, don’t hate them there.” Otto, who reached for the teacup, concluded.

“They can only say that in their positions anyway. Also, Commander Daguza isn’t an emotionless robot like what you think, you know?”

He brought the red tea to his mouth and continued. Banagher lifted his head slightly to look at the other person’s face.

“When we were commanded to attack “Palau” with a single ship…to be honest, all I saw was darkness in front of him. But Commander Daguza did say that he viewed the operation as a hostage rescue.”

He did not understand what the other man was talking about. Otto smiled at the frowning Banagher and said, “You’re the hostage.”

“We owe you a favor…he said this before. If not for Commander Daguza’s inspiration and idea, we wouldn’t know what would have happened. I won’t tell you to thank you, but at least recognize him for what he did, will you? People have responsibilities they have to bear, and Commander Daguza had been facing this seriously all the time.”

Otto seemed to be saying this to himself as well as he put the teacup back onto the saucer. Banagher could not think of anything to answer at that moment as he lowered his head again.

“How can I not doubt? It’s not like I made this detour because I like it, and I don’t feel that the headquarters’ orders are correct. But if I lump these thoughts together, this so-called responsibility will be another thing altogether…”

===Part 5===

"I got a funny telegram from headquarters. Shall I read it to you?”

Lieutenant Garrett said as he lifted his ace from the monitor, but as he met the people who arrived in the eyes, he immediately hid his smile. Daguza seemed to have revealed his expression on his face, and to hide the awkwardness of having his subordinate read his thoughts, “Please.” he simply muttered and passed through the surveillance room door together with Conroy.

“…Yes. Sender, Space Marine Special Operations Headquarters. Receiver, commander of ECOAS 920 in active service on the “Nahel Argama”. Adding on to message 1430. The chances of the enemy pursuing are very high, ample alertness is recommended. That’s all.”

Conroy inadvertently grinned, and Daguza could not help but curl his lips up as well. “Such a scary and useful advice.” he remarked wryly, and Garrett finally showed a relieved expression.

“To think that they would remind us of something we already knew…what’s their intention?”

“Someone must be trying to prevent us from carrying out our investigations. Some certain people must be thinking of bringing the “Nahel Argama” back and let the key to the “Box” fall under the army’s management. But if we look at the Senate Council’s side, there’s no way they can completely ignore the Vist Foundation’s order.”

“So they sent this meaningless warning and tell us to decide based on the situation?”

“It’s just a failsafe. Also, it’s an indication that they tried to stop us.”

Daguza did feel that it was too much for him to say such things, but Garrett, who shrugged his shoulders, did not seem to mind. Conroy looked at Daguza’s expression and interjected, “A telegram’s a telegram, so tell those guys from 729 as well!”

“As we planned, the operation will begin at 2300. Can both “Lotos” launch?”

“Yeah. We and the pilots from 729 have started to hear out the instructions for this operation. The Nahel Argama squad will launch 2 ReZELs. The machines are equipped with atmospheric-entry equipment just in case.”

“Alright, we don’t have much experience with carrying out operations in low orbit. Go listen to the strategy for this operation too so that the squads can coordinate well, Lieutenant.”

''Eh?'' Daguza was surprised for a moment as he turned to look at Conroy, but Garrett had already answered “roger!” as he got up from his seat. ''Sorry there.'' Conroy gave this expression as Garrett slipped by him and walked out of the room that functioned as ECOAS’ command room. ''Did Conroy detect my mood too?'' Daguza felt somewhat awkward and yet thankful for the concern of his old friend as he sighed out a long breath he accumulated since the moment he was in the captain’s room. ''What kind of responsibility is it that I have to start killing!?''—he recalled the expression and voice that pierced through his chest as he sat on the chair in front of the console.

“The government and the Foundation are duking it out for the “Box”…something definitely stinks here.”

Conroy pretended not to notice Daguza’s sigh as he poured the coffee and sighed. Daguza himself heard the voice from behind.

“I can understand how Cardeas Vist felt when he wanted to hand the Box to Neo Zeon. Seeing the politicians who only cared about their own well-being and luxury, surrounded by Foundation members who were fighting for their own benefits, he probably thought about giving everything away. The reason why he chose the “Sleeves” was simply because he wanted to obtain the results from elimination. Amongst everything in the world that’s trying to create havoc, only Neo Zeon has the discipline of an army and organizational ability—

“Conroy, do you still remember the operation at “Sweetwater”?”

Daguza interrupted the other person’s words and raised another topic. Conroy’s hand that was pouring coffee into the mug shuddered, and he remained silent for a while before squeezing out a deep voice, “How can I possibly forget?”

“I’ve been having nightmares of that even till now, you know. I kept dreaming of the corpses of the kids floating out of the hole in the colony…even though the colony never had a hole blown in it.”

Conroy went silent and continued moving his hand that froze. He tried to shake off the memories that immediately rose up in his mind, and there was an urge of anxiety, trying to look to the future coming out from his shoulders. Daguza, who saw the back of that normal suit during that operation from the driver seat of the “Loto”, had that image overlapped on the other man in the room at this point, and the sinister fragments of memories budded in his mind.

To counter the number of refugees that were drastically increasing during the war and after, the Federation set up “Sweetwater” in L2 space. It was a refugee colony hastily formed by connecting an open-type space colony and a closed-type space colony, both of different in structure and diameter. This hastily built refugee colony had bad living standards, and it could be said to be a slum in space. It would not take too long for this place to become a base for anti-government forces, and during “Char’s Counterattack”. “Sweetwater” became a working base for Neo Zeon. After the conflict ended, the defeated troops formed guerrilla squads, and “Sweetwater” became a breeding ground for terrorist planning, and it was a natural thing for such pus to be tucked away in “Sweetwater”.

The Side Nationalism (Controllism) erupted due to “Char’s Counterattack”, and the Federation naturally hoped that sweeping Neo Zeon would have immediate effects as they tried to seal off the voices calling for Elementalism. These factors caused the Central Intelligence Branch to be unnaturally enthusiastic as they investigated this terrorist activity and sent out ECOAS, which was formed not too long ago as a response. There was an empty building on a land behind a cleaning factory in a certain sector of “Sweetwater”, and the plotters of the terrorist organization were gathered there. ECOAS launched a raid and destroyed them in one shot. Those terrorists ignored human rights and laws, so their crimes that went beyond the law should be punished by means beyond the law—in order to pass this hidden message from the Federation government to the anti-government forces, they chose to use an extremist option of ‘eliminating’ the building together with the terrorists, so Daguza and the ECOAS 920 members rode on the “Loto” and got onto the outer wall of the colony.

They used beam burners to burn apart the outside wall and invaded the underground service roads in the ground block. They installed bombs on the common passage that should be located together with the building, and planned to use the steam that would explode from the water tank to destroy the ground, causing the building to collapse as well. The building in question was a desolate place that was planned to be taken down, located alone behind the newly built cleaning factory, so there was no need to worry about whether anyone would approach there in the day. There were Intelligence Branch agents waiting at the space colony, ready to report everything that happened from their surveillance, ready to carry out any backup just in case. They just needed to wait for the masterminds of this terrorist organization to gather at the scene and let some electricity flow through the detonative device. Everything the “Hunters” set up was perfect, and the target terrorists started to gather at the building one after another, causing the ECOAS members to understand that the information they got was correct—except for one exception. A school bus was parked right in front of the abandoned building, and there were many children visiting the factory alighting in front of the entrance.

Once they checked that the last target entered the building, the events happened after the surveillance team withdrew. If the fact that the parking lot was full that day was a coincidence, the fact that the bus was directed to the targeted building was also a coincidence. If there was a need to press on for whom was responsible, it would be the Intelligence Branch’s fault for failing to report to the army that there would be a factory visit that day, but in the end, Daguza and his men who were hidden underground would have no reason to know these. The explosion caused the targeted facility, the building to collapse immediately, and they were then swallowed under the collapsed land. The target was crushed by several tons of concrete, and the school bus was buried under it as well.

Amongst the 37 children present, 30 of them died at that moment, and another 3 died after they were sent to hospital. The remaining 4 who survived miraculously lost some limbs, and suffered damage that could not be erased in their lifetime. One of them still never regained consciousness at this point even after 3 years, and even though that child was braindead, the parents could not give up on their flesh and bone that was still growing. It was said that they would visit the hospital to take care of their child every single day.

The investigation committee concluded that it was an unfortunate accident caused by a aerolite, and the media created a massive report on the tragedy that befell on the young children. In the end, only the management of the colony communal was to bear responsibility, and there were no reports about the men and women inside the building. But on the other hand, related rumors spread around the special forces of the Federation, and ECOAS was dubbed the “Manhunters” after this incident. The Federation sent a strong message with regards to terrorist activities, and gave them fear and hatred that they had never imagined.

They were a hunting force that specialized in killing; they were an organization that did all sorts of dirty work, from assassination and abduction to killing young children—after that, the members of ECOAS saw many missions that should not be spoken of, and were despised by the other soldiers in the army. None of their members could live their lives peacefully ever since then, “It was a tragedy.” Conroy mused, and Daguza inadvertently looked at his back.

“It was a mistake on the Intelligence Branch’s part. We couldn’t even do anything.”

“Yeah.”

“We were facing a group of people who would throw either colonies or meteors onto Earth. There might be more children killed if we didn’t take them all down in one go.”

“Yeah…we have to allow for a little sacrifice for the sake of many.”

Daguza forcefully clasped his hands together, and felt like he was biting onto sand as he said, “We’re cogs in this large installation called the Federation. Cogs don’t wish for anything. They just follow the decision of what the installation wants and carry out the order, until the day they break down due to a fault…”

Daguza suddenly recalled Nasri’s face, the commander of ECOAS 729 who led the raid on “Palau” and died with his squad. For the sake of that man and the subordinates who died in that battle, Daguza and his men had to quickly secure the “Box”, no matter how much sacrifice they had to make and how much debt they had to bear. Daguza told himself that he never doubted this, and he could not doubt before letting out an exhausted sigh. Conroy handed him a mug of hot coffee and said silently, “When we complete our mission, all guilt and sacrifices will be forgiven…you said so that time, commander.”

“I believe in those words.”

''So please allow me to continue believing in these words.'' Conroy’s expression was saying this. Daguza brought the mug to his chest and he stared at his face being reflected off the pitch-black surface. Suddenly, he felt a bone-chilling uneasiness, and even felt himself trembling.

There was a face of a man there, who fooled his subordinates, himself, and even forgot that he was fooling others. Do I really want to drink this down? ''Whenever my hand stops, the memories would appear, so I still want to continue drinking, so do I want to continue drinking this to escape from this nightmare that will never disappear until my death?—''

“Maybe I’m just trying to run away.”

The urge to slam the mug down was released through his mouth in the form of such words. Conroy’s eyelids cringed somewhat.

“Up till now, we’ve been swallowing reality into our stomachs. If we don’t swallow, we won’t be able to continue on…that guy’s different. He wouldn’t swallow, he continues to struggle.”

He was shaking, but he could still stare right at those eyes that were giving him a doubtful look. Daguza recalled the impression of those eyes in his mind as he said this. At the same time, Conroy seemed to have the mental impression of those same eyes as he softly uttered, “He’s still a kid.”

“He sealed himself in a shell because he doesn’t want to be hurt. That won’t save anyone.”

“That might be the case, but to me, I feel that he’s the one who’s facing reality.”

Daguza sensed that Conroy gasped as he looked back silent. He continued to look at the swaying surface of coffee.

“Justice will change according to the times. An existence like us is required to maintain order. Once we swallowed such a reality, we became reality. However…”

''Let me ask honestly, what is this order we have to protect even if it means killing children? Nobody can clear or repay the guilt of ending lives that never began the anger the parents felt when they came to cut the nails of their children who will never wake up, because humans were not gods. Everything they did would never be rewarded, and no one will receive salvation. Despite understanding that, I still continue to kill myself off, telling myself consistently that it can’t be helped. Won’t I become a real cog gradually?''

''I swallowed reality and sold out myself bit by bit. In this sense, I’m a foolish creature who’s sealed in this shell called an adult.'' Daguza sighed as he looked at his heavy heart, lost in this depressive and silent time. Conroy closed his eyes and uttered, “I can’t say this can’t be helped” as he gradually tried to stir up something amidst this silence.

“There will always be room for the world to change, and there would be geniuses who would rejected reality and want to change the world. But there is a need for people to bear the time called present and carry on so that these geniuses can think for the future. The ones who have to bear this will be us, uninteresting adults who unfortunately became one with reality.”

Conroy smiled, perhaps laughing at himself for saying something that was not his style. If there were people who would bear this reality and support the world, there would be people who would resist reality and put their hopes on the future they could not see. ''Simply put, it’s a question of balance, is it?'' Daguza understood at this point and felt somewhat relieved as he finally lifted his head with intent. “Sorry, I understand.” He smiled as he answered, and Conroy shrugged while pretending not to hear anything.

''I’ve already done a lot of things most commanders shouldn’t be doing. If I continue this, nobody else will be saying such depressing things, but me.'' Daguza did not hope to be laughed at by Nasri as he looked away from Conroy and put his fist on his first to invigorate himself. “Also, there’s a problem with what I said.” this sudden voice shocked him.

“What I believe is not what you said, commander, but you yourself. Please take action according to your own thoughts. We’ll follow you from behind.”

Conroy put the mug of coffee he had not drank beside the pot and merely met Daguza in the eyes before walking out from the room. Daguza could not think of what to say as he looked down at the mug he was holding, and faced his reflection off the swaying fluid.

The ripples gradually eased up, and before the image was formed clearly, he immediately gulped the salted coffee that tasted saltier than usual.

===Part 6===

“A Foundation ship?”

The “Garencieres” bridge seemed more cramped than usual as the large hulking figure of Gael imposed itself, frowning slightly. Zimmerman grabbed onto the backrest of the Captain’s seat, let himself turn to the other person while floating in the air, and answered, “Yeah.”

“It appeared on the low orbit 20 minutes ago. It’s not accelerating, but just exploring around. That “Klimt” is a ship you people used to move art pieces, right?”

Both Flaste and Gilboa were seated on the steering seat and the navigation seat, and in front of them, the “Kilmt” light marker was shown on the radar window. It was moving at a relatively slow speed of 8km per second, and was already about to move a quarter around the Earth. There would be ships moving to and fro every 30 minutes, but not many ships would remain in low orbit like that. The only ones who would do that would be the maintenance repair ships. Zimmerman did not look away from the silent Gael as he operated the console, and showed the other radar images onto the screen.

“Normally, I won’t really care about such things, but this is a different situation itself. If they have a plan to meet someone, this would be that someone.”

The navigation management satellite’s radar images, which any ship could receive, shrank on the screen, and the image that was enlarged was the enemy search image the “Garencieres” radar caught sight of. The marker of the “Nahel Argama” appeared, and Gael’s expression changed. “Hold on”, Zimmerman called out the hulking figure that turned slightly and let the magnetic tape on his soles stick onto the floor.

“Where do you intend to go?”

“I said that I’m acting on my own. It doesn’t matter to me what the Vist Foundation wants to do.”

“In that case, what’s causing you to panic?”

“I’m not panicking—”

At the moment he said those words, Gael suddenly went quiet. Zimmerman tapped the automatic pistol at Gael’s back and instructed him silently to raise his hands, emphasizing, “Sorry, we’re not pursuing the “Nahel Argama” for fun either.”

“Tell me what you know. It’ll be the end if you refuse.”

Zimmerman had no intent of threatening him in the first place. ''This man never left the cabin he was assigned to for the past 10 hours or so when he was kept on the ship, and he never intended to say anything, so I guess it’s about time to force him to tell the truth. It’ll take us less than 2 hours to catch up to the “Mock Trojan Horse”—the “Nahel Argama” as it drifts past the geostationary orbit, and this “Garencieres” will enter low orbit. During this time, this man who used to be a confidante of the Vist Foundation is conspiring with a Foundation ship in front of us. If we can’t prove that both parties did not contact each other, we can’t let Gael remain on this ship.''

Gael raised both hands and slowly turned to Zimmerman, and he seemed to realize that Flaste, who was sitting on the steering seat, was reaching his hand into his clothes. He exhaled to relieve the killing intent on his lower body, and opened his tightly sealed lips, saying, “that Foundation ship is most likely controlled by Martha Carbine.”

“Martha Carbine…you mean that woman who married from the Vist Foundation to the Anaheim Electronics’ chairman’s family?”

“That’s right, she’s Cardeas Vist’s own little sister, and right now, she’s the substitute leader of the Foundation. She’s the first person I should look for revenge.”

Gael’s straightforward voice pierced through Zimmerman’s chest, and made it difficult for him to breath. ''So this is what the family scuffle for the “Laplace Box” was about—to prevent the “Box” from being released, '''the younger sister killed her older brother'''.”''

“…Is that Martha you’re looking for on that ship?”

“No, Martha herself is on the moon. The one on the “Nahel Argama” is the subordinate she raised. The “Klint” was probably chartered to take in those guys.”

Gael’s infuriated expression of killing intent dispelled all doubts in Zimmerman that it was a conceived lie. He kept his automatic pistol and confirmed, “So, that means that “Gundam” is on board as well?” The “Klimt” was a small ship, but it was still large enough to contain a mobile suit. “Not likely.” Gael quickly answered.

“The “Unicorn” is managed under the army. I don’t think even Martha can simply get a military resource so easily.”

“Even if it’s the woman who incited the army to break our deal with Cardeas we’re talking about here?”

“If we consider the objective of preventing the “Box” from being released, the Foundation and Federation government do have a common goal. However, the situation is different now. The existence of the “Box” is in doubt, and there are differences between both sides’ thoughts. The Foundation hopes to maintain thing as they are, while the government wants to cash in on the benefits.”

''These words are easy to understand. The Federation felt that they could get rid of the “Box” that’s threatening the government through this chance, but the Vist Foundation didn’t want to let go of this benefit they had for 100 years. The ones who can get the “Box” first can decide who would get the benefits in the next generation, and in this sense, the “Box” is really a piece of authentic treasure. As Cardeas said, it has the power to change the future. Both sides are chasing after that thing with bloody eyes, one for the sake of political power, and the other for the sake of economic power to manipulate the Federation army, so the “Nahel Argama” could only move back and forth according to the struggle of power between these two. Our Neo Zeon forces is just playing a sideshow to top it off here.'' “I see.” Zimmerman stroked the beard on his chin.

“Now I understand why that brat launched on his own during that battle in the shoal space region. If they can destroy the “Gundam” that functions as a key, they’ll be able to protect the secrets of the “Box”. Martha herself planned it.”

“That’s right. However, that was only a secondary plan. If the “Unicorn” is destroyed, Martha will not be able to know where the “Box” is.”

“What’s going on? Flaste asked. Gael looked at him “The only ones who know where the “Box” is are the leader Syam Vist and every leader of the foundation.”and answered his doubt while reciting like a poem.

“If Martha wants to give a clear signal as to who the real leader is, she must get the “Box”.”

As everyone on the bridge went silent, “Of course, I don’t know where the “Box” is.” Gael quipped. ''Let’s just believe him. If he knows where the “Box” is, he would be able to threaten Martha more directly.'' Zimmerman more or less understood what was going on as he looked up at Gael’s face again.

“So it’s Martha’s instructions for the “Mock Trojan Horse” to move towards the space coordinates?”

“Most likely. She probably intends to obtain information on the “Box” before the “Unicorn” is moved to “Luna II”. Now you understand why I’m panicking?“

Gael’s expression that was looking back was giving off an anxious look. Zimmerman blinked his eyes as he saw this.

“That ship was deployed here to move Martha’s subordinates and the investigation reports here back. If we just wait for the investigations to end leisurely, my chance to take revenge will slip off.”

After saying that, Gael turned again. Before he was about to step off the floor, Zimmerman grabbed him by the shoulder, “What do you plan to do alone?” and called him.

“I’m going to get Martha’s subordinate and force him to reveal everything she did to the world.” Gael shook off the hand grabbing his shoulder and gave Zimmerman a sharp glare. “No matter whether this will be shot down immediately, this impact will be enough to shoot down Martha from the position of the substitute Foundation leader. I want to end things here as I can’t protect my master.”

“How are you going to capture her subordinate? Are you going to use the “Eye-Zack” to fight the “Mock Trojan Horse”? It is damaged somewhat, but it is still a battleship in service.”

“I have a plan.”

Gael said without an expression on his face as he turned away from Zimmerman. “I told you to wait.” Zimmerman emphasized as he let his body float to Gael, and then blocked the door.

“In that case, I’ll tell you our situation. There’s someone else we have to bring back from the “Mock Trojan Horse”.”

“Mineva Zabi? If you want her, she’s moved away already—”

“No, the one we want back is my subordinate. I want to save that person before our reinforcements meet up.”

Zimmerman had already heard the news from the “Rewloola”s telegram that Mineva was brought to Earth. The ship also knew at that moment that Full Frontal, who was onboard the “Rewloola”, was approaching. It was obvious what he was planning when he initiated a raid after hearing that Mineva was not on the “Mock Trojan Horse” broke out. Those eyes under the mask could not see the captive Marida. Zimmerman had to save her before the “Mock Trojan Horse” was sunk.

“…I’m listening.”

Gael answered after several seconds of looking into the thoughts of the other person’s expressions. For a moment, Zimmerman sensed that they were on the same page, and started to focus on the issue at hand as he stared right at Gael’s still eyes, saying, “Before that, I’ll like to confirm something.”

“You said that there is a power amongst the Federation that will try to use this chance to steal the “Box”. Who are they?”

Gael gave a look of surprise, and frowned, “They’re a group of people fighting with the Foundation and intend to keep the army for their own use. If we use the logic that the enemy of our enemy is our friend, we might be able to make use of them.” Zimmerman stared intently as he said, but the other person smirked. “It’s impossible.” This voice rang within Zimmerman’s eardrums.

“Those people have a low opinion of you. Besides, they’re the ones who initiated the UC plan.”

Gilboa turned his frightened face around as he interrupted, “The UC plan, you say? As in those guys who built the “Unicorn Gundam”…?” Zimmerman recalled that mobile suit that was built to destroy Zeon, the demonic face of that Newtype-destroying machine, and calmly asked, “So they’re?” Gael looked at Earth that was shown on the window, and said,

“The Migration Issues Committee, the largest conservative force that determined the Federation Space Migration Plan all this while.”

===Part 7===

“…You’re right. I heard that every elected Prime Minister had taken up the post of the Migration Issues Committee Leader before. Doesn’t that you…you know?”

Mrs Barrows raised the duck confit on the fork as she gave a pondering look while looking over at everyone’s faces that were seated on the table. She was showing off such indecent table etiquette as if she was at a restaurant in town, but the other ladies did not frown so easily. Their faces that were full of make-up showed appropriate cordial smiles as they looked around on the long table, giving either envious or evaluating looks at the couple that organized this party.

“Not all the Prime Ministers were like that.”

Cynthia Marcenas was probably used to such stares as she showed neither an inviting smile nor an annoyed smile, calmly dodging this topic at hand with some words she thought about on the fly. The daughter of the Marcenas family showed a graceful and fearless princess appearance as she kept an observing look, noting where she was in. She, who was almost 30, had the flair of a female host who had experienced all sorts of turbulent moments. “My my, you’re so modest about it.” Cynthia gave a smile that had some invisible hesitance towards this flattery as she quickly glanced through the table, not forgetting to check if everyone’s wine glasses were filled.

“No no no, please just leave it at that! If not, I’ll probably be so pressurized as a son-in-law that I won’t have room to breathe!”

Patrick, who was sitting beside Cynthia, spoke with a voice that boomed throughout the room, putting a stop to this delicate topic. Patrick had a sportsman-like tall and muscular physique, an earnest smile, and had sincere gestures that were welcomed by the old people. These were unique inherent qualities that made him attractive, but the impression had on him was that he studied well. Before he married in, Patrick was working as an underling of Ronan, and until this point, where he was running for a local election, he took the important role of first secretary, and he was trained this way for the future. But on closer inspection, there would be signs of aspects he was not natural in, so it would depend on his qualifications if he could stand out here and make his way to the Dakar Committee proudly. At this point, his first duty would be to act as a cheery host for this party and wrangle for local support. However, he probably did not expect the atmosphere brewed by the powerful local ladies to be so hard to deal with.

After the war, B&D Inc. managed to revive itself, and Mrs Barrows was the wife of the chairman of that enterprise. She was also the president of the women’s support group, and because of her lead, one could see people like the wife of the chairman of the sunbelt area revival association, the wife of a protestant pastor from South America that still had many believers in the South, and the wife of a leading Farmers’ association president. There were less than 10 middle-aged women seated around the long table in the dining room, and they pretended to look courteous and fearful that they were invited to the mansion of a powerful Senator, but there was no doubt that these people thought that they should be invited here. These people approached the high-ranking senator who would most likely be the next Prime Minister, and eyed for a chance to offer their graces while showing their powerful backings without leaving anything behind. They would always show that they could determine the fate of a political whenever they had the time. Their husbands had such shameless thoughts, thinking that they should leave everything in society to the politicians, and if there were a need, they should create politicians with their own hands, and in front of Mineva’s eyes, the ladies were a splitting reflection of their arrogance.

Mineva’s stomach felt heavy as she swallowed her sigh, and it was a difficult thing for her to put the duck into the mouth. ''So is this the truth behind politics of absolute democracy? That how power with the people is determined by buying and selling of votes?'' She memorized everything about ruling, but this was too intense for her body that never had the chance to interact with the real society. She cautiously read the atmosphere as she again realized that she was in a delicate situation.

As Riddhe had been talking to Ronan all this while, Mineva did not have the chance to plan any lines, and she was overwhelmed by Cynthia’s bulldozer-like hospitality, so she could only attend this party as Audrey Burne. It was the complete opposite of what Cynthia said about a relaxed family party as the food that was served was a French full course, the red wine were top-class Eighties bottles that were opened, and there were 6 servants on standby around the dining table. It was obvious to see that as the host, they were planning to use their wealth show their true prosperity to the ladies of the rich and powerful, and it was obvious to see that. Even the gown Mineva was wearing was a customized branded product Cynthia ordered during her life as a student. Cynthia herself said ''“It’s already outdated, but it’s fine if the person wearing it is good looking”'', but Mineva could only think about standard dress uniform when it came to formal dress attire, so she could not tell the differences in that. She found it difficult to adapt to the bare shoulders and arms design, and in the end, she did not know how to adapt as she could only spend time listening to the empty conversations.

“As for the young lord, he’s an elite who graduated from the officer cadet academy. I’m really envious of it.”

Mrs Barrows did not thank the servant who poured red wine for her as she increased her volume, seemingly drank. She, whose fat arms would shudder whenever she raised the knife, seemed more concerned about the private life of a Senate Council member than the future of a local election candidate’s future in front of her. When Ronan popped by to greet them before retreating, she was the one who wanted him to stay, “Another one of my relatives was an officer.” Another lady continued.

“But he’s retired, and he’s now a consultant at Anaheim Group.”

“Oh my. So that means he’s an elite as well?”

“Will you enter politics in the future and help in your father’s work?”

The Cynthia couple’s expression froze, and Dwiyon, who was on standby behind, showed a tense expression on his face as well. As the ladies focused at one point, Mineva could only force herself to look over at the seat beside her, at the face of the person in question.

Ever since the self-introduction from before, Riddhe did not say anything, and even at this point, he looked like he did not care about his surroundings. He looked very distracted as he moved his knife and fork, stuffing the unsliced duck into his mouth. He had been looking like this ever since he talked to Ronan. ''Did they break off on rather bad terms?'' As Mineva wondered, Cynthia spoke up, “My little brother here is bad at it.” and Mineva turned to look at her.

“His mind isn’t sharp except when it comes to piloting mobile suits, right, Miss Audrey?”

''Help me carry on, please?'' Her eyes were telling Mineva this. Mineva could not say anything immediately as she merely gave an awkward smile. “Speaking of which, how you heard of it? There was a terrorist attack again!” Another person’s voice caused her heart to jump.

“Yeah yeah yeah. It happened on Anaheim’s industrial colony, right? It’s said that the Neo Zeon remnants did it.”

“Space really is scary. Will all the people die once there’s a hole pierced through the colony? They’re like fish in a tank. I’m trembling whenever I think about it.”

“And those Zeon mobile suits, are they called “Zakus”? They did come here during the war. Those mobile suits have only one eye, their shoulders have some spike like thing. They really don’t look like things humans will create.”

“They’re people who threw people colonies and meteors onto Earth. They’re different in both common sense and thoughts from us after all.”

“Most of them are people whose parents and brothers were born in space, and they never came down to Earth, I suppose? It’s a little too direct to say that, but they’re still aliens after all. To the Spacenoids, Earth is basically a resource colony. If we granted their self-governance, who knows what will happen? That’s why we have to manage it well.”

Lines after lines continued to jab at Mineva’s bare shoulders like sharp needles, seemingly trying to pierce. Ding, “Excuse me, madams.” Cynthia tapped the glass as her words attracted everyone’s attention.

“Please avoid discriminatory remarks. My husband will be worried if this would be a trap set up by the media.”

Patrick followed up on this joke with some grumbling. ''Well, hohoho'', the ladies let out laughter. Mineva exhaled slightly, and was about to gulp down the glass full of water, but another voice, “Miss Audrey, may I know where you’re from?” causing her to choke on it.

“If you’re related to the Anaheim Group, I suppose you’re from the Moon?”

“The Moon is a nice place. Unlike Spacenoids, moon residents are full of common sense. They have low gravity, and it’s nice for beauty. I’m thinking of going there myself once, but I really can’t decide after hearing that it’ll take more than 3 days to get there on a spaceship…”

Mineva could not and had no reason to go along with what they said as she looked away from the women of Earth lined up in front of her. ''Just smile and act along and everything will be fine—'' she understood, but she could not give this kind of smile to them. This would be belittling her parents, and it would be blasphemy to the soldiers who died. All sorts of words raged in her mind, and as she clenched the fists on her knees, the sound of a chair being moved back rang.

Riddhe stood up as he did not look at anyone, but straight forward as he left the scene wordlessly. The footsteps of the boots were filled with anger, shocking the cold atmosphere. The grey officer uniform disappeared behind the door, and the ones left in the dining room were the stunned stupefied looks of the women.

“Did we say something to dampen his mood?”

Mrs Barrows asked, and in response to her puzzled and curious face, Cynthia immediately rounded off, “Sorry.”

“It seemed that he saw something devastating during the terrorist attack from before. He’s been like this ever since he got home. Please don’t mind.”

Cynthia said as she gave a quiet look to Mineva, asking her what was going on. Patrick too inadvertently met Mineva in the eyes, and Mineva scanned the expressions all the ladies gave. She lost the chance to chase Riddhe and could only move the fork to stuff the duck into her mouth that had already lost appetite. As she wanted to stuff it in, “Speaking of which, isn’t the son of Mr. Barrows…” Cynthia’s voice filled up this emptiness.

===Part 8===

The atmosphere at the seats cooled off, and it took about 10 minutes before Mineva could leave her seat naturally. She left the party with a stomach full of undigested food, and walked around the mansion, trying to look for Riddhe.

It was unknown if most of the servants went to help out with the party as the mansion was completely quiet. Ronan should be working inside the house, but there was no way to detect his presence in this large mansion. Mineva went from the hall to the stairs, passed through the empty wide corridor, and went forward. She saw Riddhe’s back as he stood on the terrace facing the courtyard.

At this moment, the wall clock let out a sound, and it was 18.30. If the time was taken at Greenwich Meridian standard, it would be 23.30 in space. She looked up at the digital clock that showed both timings, and again understood that she was in a place that was very distant. She passed through the door that was opened and stepped onto the terrace. The wind blowing by the courtyard caused the curtains to flutter, flipping some pages of a book that was being read.

Riddhe continued to stare at the trails of the setting red Western sky as his back did not move. The sounds of the helicopters flying from afar were mixed in amongst the winds, causing the trees surrounding the courtyard to buzz unsteadily.

Mineva looked up at the sky that was turning from orange to blue and to a deep indigo color, and smelled the flavor of the evening wind that had the presence of night hidden in it. “I’m sorry” the voice entered her ears, and she looked forward, staring right at Riddhe’s back as he still looked forward. She lowered her face and said, “There’s no need for you to apologize…”

“I feel that this is reality too. If I continue to remain in Neo Zeon, I wouldn’t know all of these things.”

''This might be a good chance to learn.'' Mineva muttered in her depressed heart, but she could not find any words to overcome these words that were full of such prejudice. She thought that mutual understanding was just a dream, and she remained unable to breathe in this helplessness of hers. “That’s not it.” Riddhe said as his shoulders trembled, and he clenched his hands that were on the handrails tightly.

“That’s not what I want to talk about…”

The sunset showed the figure of the shoulders, and the shoulders were trembled, probably because he was crying. That was not an emotion that could be caused by a breakdown in talks between him and Ronan, and Mineva sensed that there was a greater despair and sense of loss here, “Riddhe…” she called him, and approached his trembling figure.

Suddenly, that back profile left the handrails, and Riddhe turned to Mineva, his chest filling her sights. Mineva was hugged around the shoulders as she was pulled to him, and he embraced her in his clutches.

[[Image:KSGU5 133.png|thumb]]

“I’m sorry, I…I actually brought you to such a unthinkable place…!”

Riddhe’s arms that were hugging Mineva exerted more force as he uttered out such unperceivable words, sounding like he was trying to squeeze out all the fluids in his body. Mineva wanted to push her aside, but notice that she had no place to exert strength, and was shocked as she felt Riddhe’s body warmth.

“No matter what, I’ll protect you well no matter what, so please stay here, stay by me…don’t leave me alone…”

Water droplets that had warmth dripped on her hair, wetting her forehead. ''Why is he crying? What’s causing him so much pain? At that moment, Mineva had no sense of uneasiness or disgust as she felt Riddhe’s trembling body with her own. She hesitated over whether she should put her arms around him, and she looked at the sky that was entering the night from past the shoulders wearing the military uniform.

Mineva saw the stars flicker on the other end of the thick atmosphere. That star looked much more gentler than what she saw in space, but it was so blurry and hard to grasp sight of.

===Part 9===

It may be most appropriate to describe this as a donut that was bitten off. The ring-shaped construct that was 500m in diameter did revolve in the past and created enough centrifuge gravity within its inner walls to match the gravity of the moon, but what was supposed to be a Stanford Torus-type space station was left with a part of a ring, and it became a debris that was less than 150m long, floating amidst the vacuum. The warning lights flickered on the gradually curved cylinder, and the way it floated above Earth either looked like a bitten donut or a carcass of a whale—and the dismal look of it was such that it was reminiscent of a rotten corpse with its bones baring halfways.

““Laplace”, huh?”

“This is the first place we’ll think about when we talk about “Laplace Box’ alright…”

Otto mused to himself, and Liam followed up with a slow voice. Both of them were staring at the main screen of the bridge in front of them, and the image displayed on it was the debris of “Laplace”. 96 years ago, this place collapsed with the start of the Universal Century, and this Prime Minister official residence, together with the first Prime Minister, became scraps, and the scene in front of their eyes was weathered for a long time. The force from the explosion caused “Laplace” to accelerate, and it once moved along the long and wide oval orbit. Then, after many years of gravity, it finally returned back to its original orbit as it overlooked Earth.

“Laplace” was a large piece of space debris that was very likely to become an orbital obstacle, but because of its historical value, the government decided to carry out methods of preservation on it. Thus, this historical site was left at a height of 200km, along with the artificial satellites that totaled to less than 500. Its orbital path was through the north and south poles, and it needed only 90 minutes to orbit around. With this orbital motion and the Earth revolving around, the “Laplace” could basically navigate through the entire territory of Earth in 24 hours. It really seemed to fit the impression of a Prime Minister residence as it was not rooted at a specific area or country, but “Laplace” continued to slow down even till this day, and some predicted that it would soon fall onto Earth in a few years. Of course, by that time, “Laplace” would probably be broken down before that happened, and the large number of fragments would burn out once it reached the atmosphere.

There would definitely be photos of “Laplace” in history textbooks, but they would not look too much into it unless they were researchers and scholars in this discipline. This might be the first time since the terrorist attack 100 years ago that the army carried out an investigation. “This feels like it’s nothing much, you know.” Liam said this, and Otto shrugged, saying,

“I feel the same, but it’s a fact that this is the place the coordinates from the Laplace Program indicated. Latitude 0, Longitude 0, 200km in height. The debris of “Laplace” will definitely pass by here every day.”

The object would never remain at a single point on the low orbit formed by the powerful force of Earth’s gravity. Since the “Box” floating at a specific point was not a joke, they could not ignore the possibility of the “Laplace” debris being linked with the “Box” as it would float past the place regularly, or rather, there was no other possibility to investigate. “You’re right, but…” Liam showed a bitter expression on her face as she turned to the debris of “Laplace”.

“If the “Laplace Box” is really there, this really isn’t something that can be described as a lamp on a ten-foot pole, lighting everything from afar but not in close anymore. It’s like a bad joke.”

“Seriously, ever since the social studies visit in primary school, I’ve never been as close to this place. That’s the starting point of the Universal Century, the extremely infamous “Laplace Incident” history…for example.”

At this point, the battleship was approximately 400km in height, 8,000km away from “Laplace”. Otto confirmed that the “Nahel Argama” was about to pass by the border between space and sky as it gradually closed in on the intersection point with “Laplace”, but was shocked by a line, “At my time, it was removed from the learning course.”

Otto and Liam both turned around at the same time, and saw Alberto in a white heavy normal suit, using one hand to hold a briefcase.

“You took care of me, Captain. You too, First Officer.”

He did not even show a courteous smile as he suddenly reached his hand out. There was a spaceship approaching the “Nahel Argama”, ready to receive the people from Anaheim. Alberto’s unexpected orderly attitude caused Otto to hold back a wry smile as he and Liam glanced at each other. He held Alberto’s hand and said, “We too…but I really can’t pretend to say this.”

“We suffered a lot because of you. I probably won’t forget your face in such a short time.”

He was not trying to be sarcastic. Having once stood on the boundary of life and death for more than a week, Otto would feel some attachment to such a face as well. Alberto’s face twitched and pulled back his hand, saying, “It’s really a pity that I can’t see through the investigations…” He looked away, not hiding the ashamed feeling within him. Otto seemed to realize that the other man was hiding something under his thick facial skin as he frowned.

“I’ll pray for the long-lasting military luck of this battleship. Now then.”

Alberto lifted his face, said that, and did not even have the time to look right back at them as he stepped off the floor. He immediately pasted through the bridge door and went to the elevator together with his subordinates that were waiting outside the room. ''During this journey, he was probably touched in some way.'' Otto forgot the uneasiness that crept slightly in him as he watched that back profile he most likely would not see a second time, only to hear Liam say, “How strange.”

“That guy’s been so insistent on getting the “Box”, and now he’s leaving the ship without seeing the outcome.”

“He’s been making mistakes all this time anyway. Most likely, he’s being relieved of his duties. The investigation results will likely reach Anaheim’s ears through the Senate Council’s anyway, and he’s just an underling who’s supposed to serve authority.”

“Is that all?”

Liam continued softly as she did not look away from Alberto, who left through the door. Otto looked at the side of her face.

“I’m wondering about why the Senate Council would allow the prisoner to follow them. Even though Anaheim intends to use this trip to Earth to drop the prisoner in a North American detention center, it’s normally impossible to let a civilian ship move the prisoner. How does headquarters intend to deal with her?”

“The given reason is that there are no Newtype facilities on “Luna II”.”

“What kind of facilities is needed? She’s a patient, you know? Don’t tell me they intend to send her to a Newtype-research…”

Newtype-research, or a Newtype-research facility. Otto felt a chill in his heart because of this place that was called a notorious human experiment plant, but answered, “You’re thinking too much. The NT-research should be closed a long time ago.” But Liam looked like she could not accept this as she said “That’s good if that were the case.”

“Besides, we can’t provide ample treatment for her here. We can only leave it—”

A slight tremor occurred inside the ship, causing Otto to swallow the words he was about to say. A blueish-white thruster flare glided past the bridge window at this time as it gradually merged into the silhouette of Earth that was showing night. The second squad of mobile suits started to launch. “Romeo 010 left ship.” Mihiro reported, and her voice came from the communication console on the starboard.

“Then, ECOAS 920, please get into launch sequence. RX-0, to the first catapult. Please leave the ship after ECOAS 920.”

During this week, Mihiro became rather poised as a communicator operator, and with her voice giving command, the mobile suits on the multi-monitor moved according to their designated action. The brown colored “Loto” with the serial number 920 on it stood on the 3rd catapult deck on the starboard in mobile suit form. The white frame of the RX-0, “Unicorn” stood on the elevator in the meantime, and was about to be moved from the mobile suit deck to the first catapult deck in the middle.

The “Unicorn” was preparing to launch with standard armaments, a customized beam rifle on its right hand, and a shield on its left hand, but at this moment, there was a cylindrical equipment latched on its backpack. it was probably a hyper bazooka. The maintenance team did contact the bridge, and they hoped to use this customized equipment for the “Unicorn” they reclaimed from the “Magallanica” for data collection as the machine prepared to launch.

It was an unknown situation with an unknown mobile suit. In this sense, the pilot would be a lab rat. Otto felt that even adults would try to avoid this situation as he looked at the communication monitor from past Mihiro’s shoulders. He could not see the expression of the pilot in the cockpit as it was blocked by the helmet visor.

“So he’s finally willing to ride on it…?”

''Eh?'' Otto did not look at Liam’s doubtful expression that was shot right back at him, and he put his spine back in place on the Captain’s seat as he looked right in front. He saw that the current time was 22.30 on the screen’s digital clock, and Mihiro started communicating with the “Unicorn” at this point.

“Do you hear me, Banagher? The “Nahel Argama” is currently under low orbit on Earth. The movement and operation basics in space are still the same, but you have to be concerned about how gravity affects you. If you do not maintain a steady speed, you’ll be dragged down by the gravity…”

===Part 10===

(…We haven’t confirmed that the “Unicorn” has atmospheric re-entry capabilities. In the case you do fall in, calm down and ask an assisting mobile suit for help. The “ReZELs” are equipped with atmospheric entry equipment, so it can feel the “Unicorn” onto Earth when necessary but this is to be the final emergency means. Do not look away from the speedometer and check where your allies are when piloting, understand?)

''This is just a repeat of the briefing beforehand. What’s there I don’t know?'' Banagher suppressed this grumbling as he answered, “yes”, checking the machine status through the 3 display boards. The right arm and left leg that were damaged during the last battle were repaired, the airflow, mobility and controls were all fine, and the energy gain was higher than usual. After checking these, Banagher let his machine move forward and head towards the vacuum that opened on the other side of the shutter. He saw Earth, surrounded by the darkness of night, and let the stars that was in its profile enter his eyes. (ECOAS 920 left the ship.) Mihiro announced, and her voice echoed throughout.

The “Loto” floated slightly from the 3rd catapult on the starboard. This ECOAS transformable mobile suit, which was smaller than an ordinary mobile suit by 2 sizes, could not launch from the catapult as it was of a different specifications. This smaller machine let out vernier flares as it moved towards the outside of the ship step by step, and the “ReZEL” that transformed into Waverider form matched its velocity. The “Loto” then shot out its magic arm from its sleeve and grabbed onto the grip on the “ReZEL” from behind.

The thruster flares shot out, bringing the “ReZEL” ferrying the “Loto” on its back away. At this moment, (RX-0, equip catapult.) Mihiro notified, and Banagher let the machine’s feet step onto the slipper-shaped catapult. This was the fourth time he activated the “Unicorn”, but it was the first time he was launching on the catapult. His tense hands gripped onto the control sticks, and a certain thought that gathered in his mind beforehand suddenly popped up. He said out something he had not thought about a second ago.

“Erm, Ensign Mihiro, sorry about just now.”

(Understood. RX-0. Path is clear. Please proceed.)

The cold voice caused Banagher’s heart to feel like he was abandoned. He looked through the communication window, and saw Mihiro’s stiff expression as she communicated with the other machines. “Don’t talk privately.” The voice from behind felt like a beating on the heat.

“The launching window is in seconds. The operator has no time to worry about such unnecessary things.”

Daguza was seated on the assistance seat located on the right side of the linear seat, looking like he was a robot ready to launch. He was piloting a mobile suit that would lose control without warning, and the one sitting beside him was a robot that was unemotional. Banagher asked himself for a moment, wondering why he was doing such a thing. “You know how to report when you leave the ship?” Daguza repeated, and Banagher responded “understood” as he exerted strength on his abdomen with reckless abandon.

“Banagher Links, “Unicorn”, launching!”

The countdown timer indicated 0, and the deck crew standing beside the catapult immediately pulled down the conductance bar. The linear activated catapult unit started to advance as it shot out, and the “Unicorn”, which was bending forward, immediately glided down the runway deck.

Banagher immediately felt that he was unable to breathe as his bones and flesh was rattling, pressed down on the linear seat. The G-force felt like it was about to force the eyeballs out relaxed, and the “Nahel Argama” that was shown on the rear surveillance window became really small and distant. Banagher pulled the control stick down somewhat. The backpack had a hyper bazooka that was more than 15m, and the rear skirt on the waist had Magnum catridges and bazooka magazines, so the machine felt heavier than usual. Considering that the machine would be affected by the gravity, it would be appropriate to set the AMBAC control 2 times more than usual. Banagher used the manual controls to reconfigure the settings, checked that the radar signal functions were normal, and moved at a relative velocity with the allied machine that went beforehand before Daguza could instruct him.

''I’m getting used to it.'' Hassan’s words appeared in his mind, and then disappeared. The Earth that was covered by night appeared below Banagher, and the continents he did not know appeared amidst the bottom of the shadows.

===Part 11===

The marker that left the “Mock Trojan Horse” started to close in on the marker that left first. Both of them went by the wire frame that indicated the 3 dimensional Earth, and looked like they were headed to the given coordinates.”

“Confirming that the 5th machine launched. It’s gradually meeting u with the 4th machine that launched first, and it’s moving towards the rendezvous.”

The crew member sitting on the navigation seat said. Zimmerman looked over Flaste, who swapped seats with Gilboa and was on the steering seat, and stared at the sensor screen that had multiple markers moving on it. “Is that the Gundam?” he asked, and the crew answered, “Unable to confirm. The psyco monitor has no response.” as his voice echoed through the bridge of the “Garencieres” that got into battle mode.

“Besides, I heard that the psyco monitor is activated together with the NT-D. So we can’t trace the signal when it’s in the lone horn phase…what about the Foundation’s ship?”

“It’s approaching the “Mock Trojan Horse”. If the “Mock Trojan Horse” slows down till the revolving speed in this situation, both sides will probably meet each other 10 minutes later. The location is 360km directly above the equator, 15 degrees longitude, 28 minutes.”

Zimmerman did not bother to finish listening to the crew member as he took up the communication mic. “Gael Chan, it’s just like what you heard.” He spoke as he opened a window on the captain seat’s console.

“The connecting will take about 15 minutes, but this is still tight on the time schedule. We’ll look for them once the two ships connect. Is that fine with you?”

(Couldn’t ask for any better.) Gael, who was seated inside the cockpit of the “Eye-Zack”, stared through the visor at Zimmerman. “If they’re trying to attach each other, it’ll be easier to determine each other’s movements. I’ll be able to catch the target in the shortest time possible.”

It was reckless, but Gael’s judgement was correct. If the Foundation’s ship was meant to ferry their own members, Martha’s subordinates would definitely be gathered at the airlock of the attachment. It would be easier to capture the target than to search aimlessly inside the ship. “Roger that. Good luck.” Zimmerman said, (Same to your side. It was a short while, but you took care of me) Gael answered with a rare courteous voice.

(If both of us survive, let me treat you to a toast.)

“I’m not going to bear responsibility if there’s a stench of Zeon in the wine, you know?”

(There’ll always be exceptions…Gael Chan, launching.)

ROOM. There was a slight shock, and the fact that the “Eye-Zack” moved from the hangar at the rear reached everyone. The machine with a large radome-like hat on the head lit its vernier jets and attained relative velocity from the “Garencieres”, lighting it monoeye. The vacuum floated past it, and it let out flares from its main thrusters. At this point, it was sucked in towards the Earth that was large enough to fill his sights.

The “Mock Trojan Horse” was hidden amongst the night that dyed the hemisphere, intending to meet the Foundation’s ship. They probably would not expect a sudden raid within the absolute defense zone of Earth at a height close to the atmosphere. This would be the chance when the transport ship heads off to investigate the “Box”—Zimmerman switched the communication channel and spoke into the mic in his hands, saying, “Over to you, Gilboa.”

“Once that guy approaches the “Mock Trojan Horse”, start the distractions. Make things as chaotic as possible and try to buy him time. Marida should be located in the center of the ship, so some tremors should be okay.”

(I understand…but can we trust him?)

There were 3 “Geara Zulus” being dragged outside with the hangar, and Gilboa was seated in one of them with a blade antenna on the head, using a cautious voice that was befitting of his nature. To him, who had a family waiting for him back home, it was questionable why Gael would show such an expression that was devoid of tactics and self-preservation. Zimmerman did not think too much about the slight divide felt between him and his subordinate as he chimed in, “In terms of stupidity, that man can be said to be on an equal standing as us.”

“He’s like us in terms of stupidity too. I feel that he’s someone who can be trusted.”

Gilboa too felt that he was not a bad man (I understand) he repeated, and Zimmerman continued, “The Captain and his group will reach immediately. There’s also Tikva and the rest waiting. Don’t mess around.” He then cut the communication feed and looked forward. As they were in the stage of battle, the bridge was tilted 90 degrees forward, and the window that would normally be seen in front disappeared. The bowl-shaped main screen was on the front end of the bridge, showing multiple windows, including the sensors screens, and Earth, which could be seen on the display, was half buried by these information.

During this operation, Gael would board the enemy ship alone and secure Martha’s subordinate and Marida. ''How exactly will that guy who has nowhere to return to like me fare?'' There was less than an hour before Frontal’s forces reached, and Zimmerman could only feel anxious while he waited for the outcome, and he looked at Earth that showed both areas of day and night clearly.

''Is the princess safe?'' This doubt Zimmerman wanted to really avoid appeared from the blue planet, and it pressed down on his heavy heart even further.

===Part 12===

When looking down 200km from above, Earth looked more like a landscape than a planet. Anyone who kept looking down would have an impression that they could jump straight down.

''Speaking of which, what kind of people are there? What kind of lives do they live?'' Banagher did not know the answer. From the message on the navigation system, he could tell that it was the Atlantic Ocean right below him, and the land lying in front was the African continent. He could also tell that there were small lights gathered at the coastline. They were the lights of the Federation government capital, Dakar, but that was all. Banagher could not imagine the flavor of the sea breeze from the shore or the heat of the desert or real gravity. He, who was born and grew up in the cylinder of a space colony, could not understand how the planet, a life-maintaining installation, worked, how that sphere could create its own gravity just by being there.

The grey clouds appeared beneath the darkness of night, and Earth showed its face towards the vacuum silently. ''Audrey’s there somewhere on this monstrously large sphere''—Banagher stared at the surface of the ocean that was floating below his feet, and saw the emerald-colored eyes on it. He said stiffly, “Currently moving to the designated coordinates” and turned his face to the front.

“3, 2, 1…we’ll reach the designated coordinates. Latitude 0, Longitude 0, height 200km. No responses from the sensors. There is no reaction from the NT-D and the Laplace Program.”

Daguza worked on the computer located in front of the assistance seat as he calmly made this report. Is this the coordinates given by the Laplace Program? It merely showed a zero for an instant, and Banagher checked that the monitor image switched back to latitude and longitude values, feeling frustrated as he looked around.(Understood. The trajectory and velocity of the “Relic” have not changed. There is still T-minus 1238 till it reaches the designated location. Currently on course with the machine.) Banagher heard Mihiro answer as he opened all sorts of sensor windows on the all-view monitor and re-inspected the CG-corrected visual. The movement sensor picked up the communication satellite within the range, and he could not see even a single piece of debris within his eyes. “We’ll now start to make contact with the relic” Banagher ignored Daguza’s words as he tried to look up at the “Nahel Argama” that was above him.

The ship that was at a height 400km above looked like one of the many stars. As for the ship that was attached, there was no presence to be felt, and it was impossible to confirm if it really existed. A spaceship made contact with the “Nahel Argama” to receive Alberto and the Anaheim people back. It was said that Marida would be riding on it and sent back to Earth as well. Banagher could not detect her psycowaves as he felt only uneasiness.

''During the battle at “Palau”, I could sense the surroundings more acutely. The acute awareness that time, and that moment of “resonance”, was it all just a hallucination I saw in the midst of euphoria—''

“What did you sense?”

Daguza asked. In the face of this esper-like instinct from him, Banagher could only answer “Nothing…” as he frantically looked forward.

“The machine’s system can take effect on your body through the psycommu. Tell me if there’re any slight changes.”

Banagher felt really uneasy by Daguza’s usual monotonous robotic-like tone, and he felt like he was treated as a cog. Before he was instructed, he held onto the control stick and let the machine turn to the course that was coming his way, and mused to himself in an audible voice, “We’re like idiots for doing this.” and Daguza’s stare shot onto the back of Banagher’s head, sharp enough to make a sound.

“What exactly is the “Box”? What kind of shape is it? How big is it? Is that something that’ll float around in such a place?”

“It’s because we don’t know that we’re currently investigating. Just concentrate on piloting. There’ll only be a chance for us to make contact with the relic.”

This would be what it meant by going straight to the point. Banagher endured the urge the let the thruster flares keep burning as he piloted the machine with the help of the navigation program. The “Unicorn” left the space above the Equator and arrived at the orbit hovering over the North and South poles. The “Unicorn” drew an arc over the Northern hemisphere, and the two “ReZELs”, each carrying a “Loto” followed the “Unicorn” as it drew an arc on the Earth’s surface.

The speedometer continued to accelerate, and the distance that was maintained at 200km continued to increase from time to time. If he used up too much flares, the machine would end up at a speed where it would leave orbit, and the machine would move away from the trajectory. He had to maintain a speed of 7.78km per second in low orbit, and the relic, the debris of “Laplace” was moving at the same speed as it orbited above the two poles. If they wanted to make contact with it, he would have to leave the space above the Equator and first try to negate the inertial speed it had gathered up till now, reduce the relative velocity and height of the machine and let the machine get back on the orbit above the two poles. They could not wait at the designated coordinates for the debris to reach. Once the machine stopped, the relative velocity with the Earth’s rotational speed would become zero, the machine would become a prisoner of gravity, and it would be dragged down to the atmosphere.

There was a need for the machine to keep fighting against the powerful gravity on Earth. This was the troublesome part about a mission in low orbit. If he did not follow the interacting course and activate the machine according to the time schedule, he would not be able to make contact with “Laplace” at the given coordinates. “Laplace” would only meet that place once every day, which meant that there was only one chance to make contact. ''There’s only one chance,'' Daguza was not kidding when he said these words, and Banagher cautiously piloted the “Unicorn” and let the machine head to the orbit above the two poles as it cut the equator. The relic in question was not at a distance where the human eye could spot, and the radar monitor was the only thing with a marker flickering as it was connected to a communication satellite.

“The Laplace Program will provide the information once it confirmed the machine’s location. One proof is how it did not show new information when the NT-D was activated.”

The intersecting course was half finished, and as Banagher slowed the machine down to let the autopilot take over, Daguza finally spoke up. Banagher did not look away from the values of all the meters as he merely listened to the man.

“Putting the “Laplace Box” at “Laplace”…it sure sounds stupid. Also, if the existence of the “Box” was viewed as something significant, someone would have investigated beforehand. However, this Laplace Program indicates that something is on this coordinate, and the debris of “Laplace” would pass by here every day at midnight. Latitude 0, longitude 0, midnight…there’s a hint to this coincidence. There’s some worth in investigating this.”

The time at this point was 23.44, and there was still 16 minutes until the three zeros intersect—Banagher felt a chilling presence approaching from the relic marker that was gradually closing in, and said, “It was originally meant to be on this orbit in the first place, so I suppose that’s how it should be.”

“It’s said that the debris that was gradually moving further away because of the explosion is starting to get pulled back by the gravity bit by bit onto its original orbit.”

“That’s true, but the hint of this coincidence isn’t just as such. The coordinates indicated by the program is at the exact same spot as the location where the “Laplace Incident” happened. At midnight, Universal Century 001, the Prime Minister residence “Laplace” was blown up at this place. The first prime minister of the Federation government and the representatives from each country were blown up here.

Banagher recalled the documentary he saw when this incident was introduced in history class, and had an overlapping vision of this space in front of him. As he did that, he felt his body cool immediately. As the whole world watched, that shape of “Laplace” collapsed without warning, and the donut-shaped living area exploded from inside. This happened approximately 100 years ago—

“After this Laplace Incident, the Federation government used the reason of security to not set up base in space. The Ereism and anti-government movements were being eradicated after that, and the One Year War happened in the end…now, everything in this world can be traced back to that “Laplace Incident”. If it had not happened—”

“Perhaps we might have a different world from now.”

Banagher seized the initiative to talk first as he turned around to ask, “…Is that how is it?”, and Daguza replied, “it’s pointless to think much about it.” not giving a denying or affirming look.

“The Federation government was an organization meant to conduct the Space Migration Plan. Countries, religions, races…in order to overcome all these shackles and send half of humanity to space, they’ll have to create an absolute authority that will exert its strength. Humans create their own gods to save this planet that was reaching its limits due to population explosion and global warming.”

Daguza glanced aside to look at the African continent that could be seen through the clouds as he said this. As technology advanced, humanity managed to prolong its lifespans, and as the theory of feeding an exploding population would eat into resources came about, Earth in the old ages stared to accelerate towards its destruction. There were only two options to choose from, whether to reduce their civilization, or to look at other means of survival, and humanity chose the latter and lived on. However, it was not easy to fulfill this option. If there were ten people, there would be a need to convince 10 different thought processes. To ensure that everyone was on the same page, it was imperative to have a certain organization with absolute authority and power. it had to be an dictator, one that did not know mercy, one that was arrogant, and one that would not listen to what other people said.

''Only humans have Gods…is this how it is?'' Banagher felt a pulsating in a part of his brain he did not feel before as he felt hot there, and muttered, “They tried to turn the Federation government…into a god.” The lights of Dakar were so far they could not be seen, and the Gulf of Guinea that was right below the coordinates they were on was asleep in deep darkness.

“There aren’t a lot of things that can be solved through negotiations. A stop-gap organization that does not have any power will only lead to tragedy. The United Nations of the old centuries proved this. In order to allow Earth and humanity to live on, the god that doesn’t know mercy will force all those who defy to submit…to the Federation government that had such an absolute nature, the “Laplace Incident” was an accident that happened at the right time. It not only gave the Federation government an excuse to sweep all opposition, but could also allow its power to continue running under the name of relief aid in emergency situation. Thus, this failsafe of arrogance ended up in their hands.”

“But how…you mean that the “Laplace Incident” was something the Federation government enacted themselves?”

This was a point that would definitely appear when talking about conspiracies. Banagher too saw similar kinds of movies, but it had a completely different weight when an adult like Daguza was talking about this. In response, Daguza answered, “The truth is still shrouded in darkness.”

“However, such things do happen in the adult world from time to time. Once a fetter is set up, the task of protecting the fetter itself would become something the adults had to deal with, and this would cause them to lose their ability to view things from an objective standpoint. It is the same with the “Laplace Box”, I believe. Currently, none of the Central Cabinet members and the officials know what is it about. They had to remain fearful of the “Box”, and they continued to protect this “Box”, creating a symbolic relationship with the Vist Foundation that lasted for 100 years.”

“Fetter…”

“This can’t be changed with individual strength, and they have no intention of changing. The organization itself is swallowed by their instincts to protect themselves, and unknowingly, that group of people became cogs that only cared about protecting themselves. This can happen to any organization, not just the Federation.”

But as he said this, Daguza looked like he had not changed into a cog completely as he showed a determined look on his face. Banagher felt that he finally managed to connect with this robot that had a nerve as he glanced at that person’s eyes, saying cautiously, “It’s said that the “Box” has the power to topple the Federation.”

“Like, what if that “Box” contains information relating to the truth of the “Laplace Incident”…”

“That’s not very possible. It happened 100 years ago, so all the people involved should be dead. I don’t think a scandal of that level will be able to uproot the Federation like that. If it’s not something that involves something more basic, the basis behind the “Box” will not be established till now.”

''What is it then?'' Banagher swallowed this doubt that was about to rise out from his throat and stared at the display board. ''It’s because we don’t know that we’re investigating.'' Daguza would probably answer something like this. No matter what the content of the “Box” was, he, who stood on the side protecting the Federation, would not have any other theories. If Banagher criticized Daguza, he would just be doing so to the wrong person. He understood that if he could be so self-aware in this world he was protected in, that he was born and raised in the grace of civilization, all careless critiques would end up returning back to him. The “fetter” Daguza talked about would refer to social order.

Cardeas ignored the will of the Federation and wanted to release the “Box”, and Marida and the other Neo Zeon people were trying to get the “Box”; from this viewpoint, both parties would be viewed as people breaking the order, while the Federation government Daguza and the rest represented would be the people hunting these resisting forces and protecting the order in this distorted environment…ever since they were born, they were chose to bear an arrogant fate, and they were a group of gods who did not understand mercy. The Federation lost a lot of its power during the One Year War, but it still intended to recover and regain that power. They built the “Unicorn” mobile suit, wanted to use it to eradicate all remaining forces of Zeon, and even get the “Box” back—a sigh leaked out from Banagher’s hot head as he turned his tired stare at Earth that was still sleeping in the night.

''It was the starting place of the Universal Century, and this might be the historical point of disagreement the Federation government committed to remain intact. If we really find the “Box” here, what’ll happen? Do we hand it over to the Federation? This misery that had lasted for 100 years would vanish, and there would be nothing that could threaten the Federation. The full-scale war Audrey was worried about would not happen, and the current social order can be protected, but what next?''

''They have the power to fight the government, and intended to use this hope that was woven out since 100 years ago, but unknowingly, they themselves became monsters—this Vist Foundation Cardeas spoke of was like this. That was why he installed the Laplace Program inside the “Unicorn” and used it as the marker leading to the “Box”. Whether I’m blood related or not, I received this machine through mere coincidence. Even if he tells me do what I should do, I don’t know what to think. I just want to save Audrey. I don’t have the strength to bear this world…''

“Don’t think too much.”

Daguza said, seemingly throwing a stone at the surface of the lake, and Banagher recovered as he turned his eyes to the other man.

“Just concentrate on piloting this thing and help us with our investigations. No matter what the “Box” really is, it’s not worth exchanging the future of a child like you.”

Amongst all the words Banagher heard up till now, this line was definitely the most shocking. Banagher suspected whether the other man’s mouth really moved this way as he stared at Daguza’s face seriously. Daguza awkwardly looked away and said gruffly, “Focus on looking in front.”

“Our target’s a debris that’s not as large as a battleship. It’ll soon come close once we detect it. Watch out.”

After saying that, Daguza never looked at Banagher, and did not intend to talk. “I understand.” Banagher said as his lips curled up, and he felt relaxed as he looked forward. ''As the Captain said, Daguza was not a thorough robot. If such a person exists, there won’t be any problems if we hand the “Box” over to the Federation.'' Banagher mindlessly thought about this as he felt the heavy pressure striking him fade somewhat, but felt really puzzled by the lack of constancy the man showed.

If the Daguza who said this line was real, the Daguza who would use hostages without regret for a mission would be real as well. He had a nature hidden under his oppositely opposite iron mask, and used his own sense of responsibility to restrain the resentfulness he could not show to others. Banagher felt repulsed by this kind of adult, but he felt that somewhere in his heart, there existed a recognition for Daguza.

This was one of the ‘fetters’—it was difficult to identity who were true to their hearts, but if he could not trust this kind of thing, what could he use to judge something in the future? He had to believe in the bonds between people and get ready to trust others. He could not trust like how he did so when facing Riddhe, and perhaps it was a hallucination created due to the euphoria during the battle, just like how it was from that ‘resonance’ with Marida. ''If I were a real Newtype, I should be able to see through the true nature of others and understand them perfectly.''

The Earth merely showed its face in the night, and Banagher held onto the control sticks again as he shut off all meaningless thoughts.

===Part 13===

23.55. The debris of “Laplace” could be detected from a point in the vacuum, and in an instant, it became a huge block that filled the sights of the all-view monitor. Banagher continued to take note of the height meter and the speedometer as he gradually reduced the relative velocity of the “Unicorn” with “Laplace” and let it approach the let debris.

The ring-shaped construct fragment in front of him used to be a living area, and it was 40m long in diameter and approximately 130m in length. It was large, and the word “Laplace’ could be seen on the remaining outer wall. The pillars that poked out like whale ribs and the shattered glass that was used to retain light were the only visible things left of its past glory. It was thorough devastation, and there was no other way to describe this relied. This cosmic dust that filled the space gathered like sand in the wind, and the word “Laplace” became hard to determine, and this image was very consistent with the aged ruins.

The inside was hollow, and it was not too difficult for a machine to slip in. Banagher took note not to touch the metal frames and pillars that were extended out as he let the “Unicorn” dive inside the ring. If the “Unicorn” carelessly knocked into a construct, the debris ferrying it would slow down, and may cause the balance between “Laplace” and Earth’s gravity to collapse. It had become old and weak, but there was no guarantee that the debris could burn completely if it entered the atmosphere, and there was no need to imagine what would happen if a thing of such mass fell onto the surface. “Don’t touch anything.” Daguza said with a suppressed voice, and Banagher cautiously moved the machine. Soon, the relative velocity with the machine and the debris became zero, and the “Unicorn” moved into this hollow that was reminiscent of a whale’s stomach before ceasing all movements.

In the past, the ring would be lit by the sunlight through the reflective mirrors, and there was a centrifuge gravity at the same level as that of the Moon created within, but the scene inside at this point was at such a state where it would be an understatement to call it dilapidated. It was a large scrap of metal formed by twisted and deformed materials, ripped walls, and beams that were exposed to vacuum for almost 100 years. ''To think that it would be abandoned in such a place—no, it’s because it’s this place that they can put it here, is it? '' The all-view monitor image that switched to the actual footage was optically corrected, and Banagher tried to look around the debris. The shattered remains of lighting glass showed a reflection of the “Unicorn”s white body, and it looked so mysterious it was like a ghost looking back at him.

“Even if we compare with the past camera records, there aren’t any obvious differences we can see. It’s really hard to imagine that someone would do something to it…”

Daguza said slowly as he compared the current image with the data from the computer at his hands. It seemed that the debris was not touched by anyone ever since it was treated as a relic and had warning lights set around it. “Then, are the coordinates the most important thing?” Banagher asked.

“I don’t know. Even though we let the machine pass through the given coordinates, nothing happened. If the Laplace Program can identify the shape of this debris, we might hae to let the machine reach the given coordinates together with it…”

Daguza’s unspecified words caused Banagher’s stomach to hurt. He could imagine what was not mentioned. The Laplace Program would show the information about the “Box” through the activation of the NT-D. if that were the case, arriving at this given space coordinates would not trigger anything. Banagher could also predict that if he did not activate the NT-D, he would not be able to progress onto the next step.

He gathered the depressed feeling deep within his mind as fuel, and it felt his body and mind would become like a reactor core that would explode continuously—no matter what happened, Banagher did not want to ride on this gadget that would transform into a “Gundam”. He looked down and held onto the control sticks, “I said that you shouldn’t think too much.” but a voice caused him to look up.

“The answer will come. We just have to wait inside this debris and float to the given coordinates.”

Daguza said, and in front of his sights, the clock on the display board showed 23.58. There were less than 2 minutes until the debris of “Laplace” moved to its given coordinates, but either way, the NT-D would not activate at will. Banagher wiped away the sweat on his forehead, and held his breath as he waited for that moment.

The two “ReZELs” that were on standby outside the debris looked like they gulped too, waiting for events to develop. The two “Lotos” that got away from its back circled around the debris, taking footages of the exterior of “Laplace”, and the floodlights installed on the shoulders would shine inside the debris from time to time. “Make it as detailed as possible, carry out observations from the outside. If there are any changes, report to me.” Daguza notified the allied unit, and Conroy answered, (Roger that. Nothing abnormal for now.) There was still 30 seconds until it reached the target point.

20 seconds, 15 seconds, Daguza started to count down when there was less than 10 seconds left, “8, 7, 6…” the voice caused the atmosphere inside the cockpit to tense up. Latitude 0, longitude 0, midnight; the time left before this moment was—

“3, 2, 1…target reached point zero.”

The clock and the display board both showed zero, and the date was changed to 15th April. The machine’s functions were normal, and there was no anomaly confirmed on the outside. The debris of “Laplace” remained dead silent just like a second ago.

The latitude, longitude and time numbers were indicated on the digital display, and the moment the three zeros crossed each other ended. 5 seconds after the time was shown, Banagher tried to look behind. The space of the given coordinates did not show any change even after it floated behind. Earth continued to remain in the slumber of night, and there was only an endless vacuum on the low orbit.

So nothing happened in the end. “So, what happened…?” In response to Daguza’s question, Banagher continued to look around with a calmed expression as he answered, “Even if you ask, there’s still nothing…” Daguza continued to show an emotionless expression as he asked with a calm expression, “Any changes on the outside?” (Negative, there’s no change with the “Unicorn” and the relic.) Conroy answered. During this time, Daguza checked all the sensors and compared the current situation with past footage, but once the relic was 200km away from the designated location, he exhaled.

“Did Cardeas Vist pull a fast one on us…?”

Daguza rubbed his eyes and rubbed his shoulders with his hands. Banagher saw him give that slightly wry look as his tense emotions relaxed. He seemed relaxed by it, and felt strangely emotional that this was more puzzling than before, and looked up at the space from past the pillar that was uprooted. The actual sight of space was near total darkness, and without the various information indicated on the monitor, it would be easy to forget that this was space.

The bright starry lights entered his eyes, but even though they were bright, they could not overcome the abyss of darkness. ''How memorable,'' this term suddenly appeared in Banagher’s mind, and just as he was wondering why he would have some a random thought from nowhere, he noticed that noise was coming from the speakers inside his helmet, and he could hear a soft speaking voice mixed in it.

(…Greetings…citizens of Earth and Space…I’m the Prime Minister of the Earth Federation, Ricardo Marcenas.)

This voice that came through the noise increased in clarity. Banagher widened his eyes in surprise as he looked around aimlessly. He, together with Daguza who was looking around the cockpit, met each other in the eyes. Both of them showed frozen looks for just a moment, “Where’s that voice coming from?” Daguza questioned with a sharp tone, and Banagher hurriedly reached for the display board.

(The end of A.D. is nigh, and we shall enter an unknown territory called Universal Century. During this momentous time…)

As Banagher operated on the wireless electronic panel to check where the message came from, Conroy’s voice interrupted, (Where’s this voice coming from?). It seemed that the other machines were hearing this ‘voice’ as well. “I don’t know. You guys can’t detect the source of this signal?” as Daguza asked behind him, Banagher summoned out all the communication channels onto the display, and he scanned all the communication channels, ranging from short frequency to long frequency, including optical signals, but after scanning through them, he still could not find any information that matched this ‘voice’.

(And right now, for us, who have achieved the longstanding desire to unify the world, we have defined the errors in Nationalism. Just as humans can’t exist on their own, we know that countries can’t operate alone.)

(RX-0, the relic’s giving off a broadcast. Can you detect the source ?)

The broadcast Mihiro made overlapped with the voice of an unknown man at this point. “It’s coming from the relic?” Daguza wondered, and Banagher again looked at the all-view monitor showing the inner walls of the relic. The system had already done all sorts of scans with its sensors. The “Nahel Argama” could detect this voice even from 200km away, and it was really hard to imagine that such a powerful electronic signal could be hidden amongst this thoroughly dilapidated ruin. In fact, even the sensors on the “Unicorn” were not showing the existence of this wireless signal.

''It’s like the voice of a dead person—'' Banagher felt goosebumps all over his body as he gulped. (This situation…there’s no doubt.) Conroy’s gruff voice caused the speakers to tremor unsteadily.

(We can detect from here that the source is the “Unicorn”. The “Unicorn” used up all the channels to let out this voice…!)

The “Loto” floating at the other end of the beam showed how shaken its passengers were as its stout body trembled. Daguza could not say anything, and Banagher suddenly felt that his presence was distant as his hands that let go of the control sticks were frozen, unable to move. He could not catch up to this situation in front of him, and he could not bring himself to carry out the rational action of checking on the system as he continued to hear the voice of the ghost ringing in his helmet.

(The migration shall begin officially, and many people living in space colonies will be the norm in future generations. This glorious result of humanity uniting together, is to save the Earth from us crushing it.)

(I heard of this in a history program. This was the speech the assassinated Prime Minister Ricardo made.)

(I’ve checked. This dialogue is exactly the same as the one in the library. What we’re hearing now is the Prime Minister speech before the “Laplace Incident” happened…”

Conroy and Mihiro’s excited voices overlapped this ‘voice’. Almost 100 years ago, the first Prime Minister of the Federation government made this speech from “Laplace”—but it was blown up because of a terrorist attack, and this voice would be the ghost that was still floating between space and Earth. “Is this the doing of the Laplace Program…?” Banagher could no longer hear Daguza mutter as he understood that this ‘voice’ that was ringing inside his helmet and drilling through his cranium was seeping deep into his consciousness. It was opening a door that he could not open on his own, one he never opened, and this ‘voice’ that was overflowing with discourse gradually filled his consciousness.

(If Anno Domini was really the infancy of humanity, then the Universal Century shall be the next state. We’re not lowering the population through birth control, but chose to open more space for the population to move.)

''That’s right, the Earth Federation government was set up for this.'' Banagher confirmed. It was an emergency aid organization in charge of ceasing all conventions and eliminating those who defy it. The Federation was given the largest authority in history, and in that sense, it could be said that it was a god created by humanity, the symbolism of absolute…but what exactly would a God be? Was He a concept created by humanity, an existence that resided in people’s hearts? A certain person said before that He was possibility, the source of power that separated humanity from the many species of animals, the source of power that allowed humanity to step into space. This was a great power that was used to create their ideals, and to approach their ideals. Humanity created lots of sacrifices and fulfilled the possibility of an absolute government—

(A baby that climbs out of the cradle must continue to grow. In the process of fulfilling the plan to migrate to space, we’re proving to the entire world that we can co-exist for one goal. Then, what’s next?)

The ‘voice’ continued to ask, but there was no answer. ''We still remain in the possibility that we created 100 years ago. Even until now, we still can’t get out of the cradle, and we can’t face this God called possibility.'' The overflowing words gathered on Banagher’s forehead, and radiated out as a thin flash, and he felt his consciousness ''fly''. Everything around him, from Daguza who was seated beside him, to his body that was seated on the linear chair, became hard to identify. At the other end of the radiating light, Banagher saw a hallucination of the ‘voice’s owner smiling back at him.

''Then, what’s next—?'' The ghost of Laplace showed a mocking smile at Banagher who was unable to answer. The lone horn of the “Unicorn” rose up slightly, and a red glow started to seep out from the gaps between the white armor.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[KSGU:Volume_5_Chapter_1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Gundam Unicorn|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[KSGU:Volume_5_Chapter_3|Chapter 3]]
|-
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</noinclude>

KSGU:Volume 5 Chapter 1

2013-03-15T07:57:29Z

220.255.1.33:

==Chapter 1==

===Part 1===

The confetti continued to dance in the air like snow. The fragments that covered the sky were scattered over, mixing together with the cheers of the people, forming a vortex. This vortex rose up due to the wind currents of the artificial airflow, and the multi-colored powder of light swayed as it rose up the colony’s sky.

Right, left, right, left. Suberoa Zimmerman recited as he marched at the same pace as his breathing, darting his eyes as he tried to look at the crowd that was moving by. There were young children holding military flags and old people with their backs arched, looking like soldiers who returned to their hometown. A woman poked her head out from amidst the human wall, waving a handkerchief, and she was probably looking for her lover amongst the squad that came back. Zimmerman immediately looked around to check that there were no stupid soldiers who would wave back at the woman.

There were no radicals that could be seen messing up the formations’ proceedings. All the soldiers wore metal helmets that covered their ears and necks and their secondary combat uniform. They were equipped with rifles that worked under gravity, slung on their shoulders, and they turned their tense expressions before. Right, left, right left. Zimmerman saw that they did not mess up in their marching, and secretly felt relieved that the special training was taking effect. The newly gathered recruits formed more than half their ranks, and old experienced officers like Zimmerman had always been guiding the actions of these rookies, training them until they could attend a parade, whether it was in the past, or at this point. He finally managed to train them to a decent level, including the newly-appointed squad leaders who had brand new officer-use mantles on them. Feeling satisfied, Zimmerman looked over at the other end where the formation was, the large building located at the end of the avenue.

The Chancellor Government Building, which thoroughly displayed the splendor of capital of the Principality of Zeon “Zum City”, was a large building that had 3 sharp towers on the tip of the chalice-like structure, built in a complicated planar structure, and it looked like an angry man’s face when seen from the front. ''To think that I would be marveling at this Zeonism cultural promotion at its finest, the government office where Chancellor Degwin Zabi lives in.'' Zimmerman never thought that this day would calm, and as he secretly tried to suppress the agitation as he was about to laugh out, he continued to divert his eyes onto both sides of the avenue. The confetti continued to fall like snow, and the brick houses that were built in the style of European streets were lined side by side with each other, and the banners that were dropped down from the windows had large handwritten words on them. There were words like “Beat the Earth Federation Government!” “Let the Principality of Zeon gain real independence!”. There was a satirical image of a Federation soldier hanging onto Earth on a banner with the words “Save our national patriots!”, and on it, there was an illustration of a mobile suit that looked like a “Zack” point its machine gun at them.

''Save our national patriots, huh? That doesn’t sound bad.'' Zimmerman thought. It had been more than 20 years since he, a gruff person of no education and charisma, joined the Principality of Zeon Defense force. For a man like him, who would have ended up as a mob member if he did not do this, those overbearing words would be tough to live up to. This place was changed into a Principality after Zeon Deikun died, and as drastic things happened, including the growth of the national army, they had to withstand the financial sanctions from the Federation government. Even though the hopes of colony self-government they betted on were trampled on, even though they endured oppression after oppression, even though the days of hibernation would continue—this day would be a glorious day for these people who were already prepared to live their lives like this.

It was January 3rd, Universal Century 0079. The fuse signaling Zeon’s war for independence was lit when Operation British started at a lightning-quick speed. The Sides that were allied with the Federation were crushed, and Earth took a severe hit due to the colony drops. ''It will be our turn next; the mission entrusted to us will be to bear the fate of the Principality and fight into enemy ranks. What other stage allows old-timers like us to perform when we offer no advantage besides our determination?''

''“It has been a month since the war started. With every soldier’s rigorous pro-activeness, our Zeon Principality had finally suppressed the Earth Federation government as we hoped. But we still have to win this tough battle if we want the Federation to succumb, and for us to fulfill the ideals of our founding father Zeon Deikun.”''

Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi said as he faced the thousands of soldiers located at the plaza in front of the Government Building. Zimmerman could not even see the live broadcast on the large television screens, let alone see him talk on the stage. He pricked his ears to listen to the loud baritone, stared at the wall of spectators waving their right hands, and looked for the petite figure of his wife, who should be here to send him off.

With the help of the squadron leader, a close friend, all officers’ families would have special treatment, so there was no reason for her to be behind the human wall. His wife, Fee, who had been supporting him for many years through, and his lone daughter, Marie, who he finally got the chance to meet after a long time, were supposed to be there. ''Where are they—?''

''“There was a saying that this one month war caused half the human population to die off. Because of this, many theories have slandered us, the Principality of Zeon, as mass murderers that humanity had never seen before. But is that really true? About 100 years ago, humanity, which had worn out Earth to its limits, found a new lease of lease by sending the overflowing populace into space. This itself is a good thing, and it is worth mentioning as an accomplishment for human civilization. But in the long history natural ecosystem, only humanity continued to grow in size. Is this not a blasphemy against naturalism? Humanity followed its own desires without reflecting, and the results of pushing our living sphere into space is that we created a group of privileged people that controls Earth. They created an inapt government that created the laws that would protect the Federation, and believed that they could control space from Earth. They even carried out used the term ‘absolute democracy’ to cover the fact that they’re a bureaucracy, and even used the resources obtained from space to develop Earth. This act itself is foolishness even as compared to a reversal of priorities!''

''Now is the time for humanity to look at itself again. As part of the natural ecosystem, we should remain humble to nature, to Earth. If we consider this viewpoint, can’t we view 5 billion people’s deaths as atonement that humanity should do to nature? If that’s the case, the responsibility given to us is a huge one. With countless sacrifices as our basis, we have been given the responsibility to create a new management system that allows humanity to live on forever.”''

''Found them.'' Zimmerman saw the familiar faces from amidst the faces in the human wall that were the size of beans, and swallowed his voice that was about to come out from his throat. Fee, who was wearing a new coat she bought for this day, had put in effort to doll herself up as she smiled. Perhaps she noticed him here? Marie, who just passed her fifth birthday, was held in her mother’s hands, and it seemed like she was waving a military flag at him. ''Those plump and soft arms…!''

''“To all officers and soldiers gathered here, you have the honor of leading the invasion on Earth. Basically everyone has no experience of standing on Earth, and we have never seen the light of Earth for ourselves. I suppose that everyone will not be at peace, as we’re about to enter an unknown world, enemy territory.''

''But I hope that you do not forget about the founding ambition of Zeon. Do not forget what Zeon Deikun said, that the humans who come to space will revolutionized. This Side 3 on the back of the Moon is furthest from Earth, and amongst the people that were released into space, we’re the lowest level of '''Spacenoids'''. But because of that, we can become an outstanding race that can manage the next generation of Earth. We’re the chosen people who can view humanity objectively through the depths of space.”''

The baritone increased in intensity, and the air that was concealed within “Zum City” rumbled. ''Is that the usual most outstanding humanity survival he’s good at again? No need to go about with those extra reasons, just tell us to win the battle for our country and for our families, right?'' Zimmerman grumbled somewhat unhappily in his heart as he continued to glance aside at his wife, and as expected, they noticed him. He could see that Marie was throwing a tantrum, wanting to get to her father. ''It’ll be great if I can go over there to carry her—''

''“Everyone, we are not invaders. We are descending on Earth to educate people and liberate them from the weak and corrupted hands of the Federation. As long as we, the superior ones, are the ones managing, humanity can approach a real utopia. Sieg Zeon!”''

The cheers rained down at this moment, and several hundred thousand people’s passionate cheers rocked the entire colony. Sieg Zeon, Sieg Zeon. Zimmerman, who got caught in the passionate cheers as he raised his hands, suddenly felt uneasy as he felt concerned about his wife. He could not see the faces of Fee’s group as they were covered by the numerous fists. The crowd that was riled up emotionally by Gihren were only concerned about getting engrossed in his words, creating a riot that gradually swallowed his wife and daughter.

''CALM DOWN, YOU PEOPLE! THERE’S A KID HERE!'' Zimmerman felt a chill from the rumbling and howling crowd as he only cared about looking for Fee and Marie’s faces. Confetti continued to fall like snow, and the shouts of ‘Sieg Zeon’ continued to rumble. Fee was pushed by the crowd that wanted to head to the front, and her unsteady body appeared at the edge before disappearing from amongst the coats of the crowd.

Zimmerman resisted the urge to break ranks and get to them as he reached his neck out to look for them. He could vaguely see Marie crying from amidst the human wall, and the military flag she was holding was dropped onto the avenue, trampled by some unknown person—

===Part 2===

The noise of the emergency call easily broke through the membrane of his sleep. As his fingers automatically pressed on the panel button, Zimmerman let out a hoarse “What is it?” as he undid the fastener of his sleeping bag completely.

''“We’ve caught sight of an allied unit’s identification signal. The guess is that it’s the guest you mentioned.”''

“I’ll go over right away.”

Zimmerman did not look at Gilboa Sant on the monitor as he cut the ship’s communication. He rubbed his oily face, rose up from the sleeping bag and let his body float towards the door. He grabbed the leather jumper that was floating in the air and glanced at the mirror at the side of the door.

During these ten years, his hairline had receded back completely, and his face became loose and limp. The current image of this tired man in his fifties was of complete contrast with the old him as Zimmerman looked back at the back in doubt, wondering in his heart who in the world this person was.

The cheers of the people became a pipe dream, and a body that was like a remnant was looking at the mirror in this utterly cold captain’s room. Zimmerman heard the sounds of his dream dissipating, and estimated the time that passed ever since that day. ''17 years—well, I’m already so old, and yet this is enough time for someone to change what’s happening in the world, is it not?'' Zimmerman gave a bitter smile as he thought about how he could still live on to this time. This man’s country and family was broken, and he, who had nothing else to continue living for, may had viewed the revival of Zeon as a wish he was banking on, but he never believed anything deep within, and he never felt that he could get back anything like this. This man was glancing at the world where everything to him was erased, and was just living aimlessly.

No—even if it were a hundred years, there were some things that could not be erased. The faces of his wife and daughter Zimmerman saw in his dreams blew aside the bitter smile in his chest. Zimmerman heard of the end of the war in a detention barrack, and on that day, when he returned to his homeland that was called Principality of Zeon, when he saw that his homeland became a ‘public toilet’ of hungry soldiers who offered themselves to the Federation, Zimmerman decided that he would continue fighting until he died. The end point called victory never existed, and he continued to fight in order not to lose his mind, in order to stuff the deep valley that was opened within his heart, the crack leading to an endless hell—he knew that he was already crazy psychologically, and he knew that he could not fill that crack no matter what he did.

“Sieg Zeon, huh…”

The aftereffects of the dream caused the utterly cold air to waver slightly before fading away. ''To heck with your Sieg Zeon!'' Zimmerman stamped on the floor and left the captain room that was a dreary sight to him.

===Part 3===

At this point, they were 150,000km away from the shoal space region of L1, and the light of the Earth shining through the bridge window looked as large as a basketball. That mobile suit left the disposable booster board it used and slowly closed in on the “Garencieres”.

As its name suggested, the board-shaped booster board with laser rocket engines installed on both left and right sides was abandoned behind, and the giant with a flat head on the back. It was the RMS-119 “Eye-Zack”. The machine that had its own sleeve features lit the balance burners, negating the inertia from the booster board as it gradually matched the relative velocity of the “Garencieres”. The hatch at the back of the ship was opened, and the sliding-type cargo hangar was opened for about 30 seconds. The “Eye-Zack” drew a direct trajectory as it interacted with the hangar, and the extended restraints of the supporting frame held the machine.

Once the hangar took the machine in, air immediately flowed into the mechanical deck. Zimmerman waited for the alert light ‘Air’ to change from red to green before entering the mechanical deck. Due the long and narrow triangular shaped ship frame of the “Garencieres”, there was a long and narrow hollow on the front and back side of the mechanical hangar—or rather, above and below. There were 3 “Geara Zulus” docked with their backs facing each other at the tail end of the ship, the base of the triangular prism. Normally, there would be a “Kshatriya” occupying the upper level deck at the front of the ship, but at this point, there was no sight of the larger than average machine. The one replacing the “Kshatriya” at that place was the grey-colored “Eye-Zack” that did not seem to have any place to stand properly as it took up three mobile suits’ worth of space.

“Is it the old-fashioned EWAC?”

“This is a machine of little significance that’s here just to make up the numbers after we evacuated from “Palau”. They probably won’t feel any pity even if it were sent here.”

Flaste Schole, who was accompanying, said with a tone of disagreement. Zimmerman passed through the wide upper deck as he glanced aside at the “Eye-Zack” that had been used for a long time. The deck crew and the mechanics were already on it, and the normal suits with the logo mark Rivacona Cargo” on them were floating around the deck. They did prepare a set of book data for a cargo ship as disguise, like route certificates and cargo catalogs, but they could not guarantee that they could pass through the absolute defense line leading easily by sending data information to the patrol later. If a patrol ship met them on their way, the plan would be for this group of people to line up on the upper deck and give smiling faces at the mobile suits that would arrive on the ship for inspection.

Normally, they could sneak through about 8-9 times out of 10, but the recent commotion forced security measures to be tightened, and it would not be easy to slip by the Federation army with their tense eyes. Zimmerman landed on the deck on both feet, reached his hands at his neck and looked up at the giant body of the “Eye-Zack”. ''What exactly is the ‘guest’ that approached us at this time planning?'' Zimmerman was not given much time to think as the cockpit cover located at the machine’s abdomen was opened. Looking from afar, he could see a tall figure in the pilot suit appearing from behind the hatch.

That person pushed aside the mechanic that was intending to approach him and descended towards Zimmerman. His face could not be seen as it was covered by the helmet visor, but he remembered that demeanor that showed no openings. The man did not look away from Zimmerman at all as he stopped on the deck 3m about away before reaching for his helmet.

“I’m Gael Chan. I’ll be in your care for a while.”

The bald man took off his helmet as he showed a fearless look. There was no mistake about it; he was the follower who accompanied Cardeas Vist when Zimmerman met them on “Industrial 7”, and also the watchdog of the Vist Foundation. Both of them, who once pointed guns at each other, exchanged looks, and at this point, Zimmerman could still identify blazing antagonistic intent from the other party. He cautiously asked back, “I suppose I won’t have to introduce myself, do I?”

“Why would a confidante of the Vist Foundation like you be at such a place?’

The “Rewloola” only notified them about the guest’s name and history, but did not tell them about why Gael visited them. Gael’s sharp stare glanced at Flaste, who put his hand on the pistol on his waist, and then turned right back at Zimmerman “This has nothing to do with the Foundation” and said with an emotionless expression.

“On a side note, there is nothing about my arrival here that is related to anyone here. There is a debt I have to deal with some people on the “Nahel Argama”. If I want to approach that place, I will have to borrow the power of the “Sleeves”.”

The eyes that showed no signs of wavering looked like there were black burns on the white eyeballs. ''This guy is the same as me—he’s unable to release his emotions and lost all other choices in life.'' Zimmerman felt his hardened chest shuddering as he asked, “So you’re trying to take revenge for your master?”, and Gael’s eyes remained unmoved as he answered with silence.

“So you’ll even use your enemies to achieve your goals…it’s not a trendy thing to do this nowadays.”

“Whatever you say. To me, Cardeas Vist isn’t just someone I’m indebted to, its because he’s my master. if that were the case, who would want to ride on this mobile suit that’s filled with the stench of Zeon?”

Gael’s words probably were not just directed at the “Eye-Zack” that was similar to the Principality’s “Zack” exterior. ''To this man who survived the One Year War as a Federation soldier, people like us may be descendants of the demon that forced half the human race to die to him.'' Zimmerman used his hand to suppress the rising killing intent, and Flaste, who wanted to step forward unceremoniously, “You’re not going to build friendships with us? Fine by us.” relaxed his lips as he said.

“But since you’re on this ship, you’ll have to listen to me. Everything that happened in “Industrial 7” will not be mentioned until both of us achieve our aims. Is that fine with you?”

“I understand that it was an accident.” Gael continued without breaking his stiff expression, “I’m intending to settle this debt with someone else, and besides, I haven’t snapped your necks here, so please trust me.”

As this person stood while not caring about the antagonistic intent around him, there was bleak and gloom on the back of this person who had no place to return to. ''He might be a god of death that may bring disaster to this ship—but that’s fine. If we’re going to raise trouble against the largest army in history, why don’t we call in a death god too?'' Zimmerman lowered his face that was letting out a chortle, and ordered a deck crew member nearby, “Bring him to the room. I’ll listen to any words he wants to say later.”

Gael let the crew member accompany him as he stepped on the floor and left the scene gradually. “What’s with that bastard…” Flaste would not turn his heinous stare away from the back of the other party as he said this, but Zimmerman said, “Don’t mind.”

“Since he introduced himself to be from Anaheim, even Frontal can’t just leave him alone. Besides, that man will be useful at a certain moment, since he’s someone who understands the workings within Anaheim.”

The Federation army intruded at the venue of the dealing, and Cardeas Vist died amidst the chaos. Now that they recalled it, it was not hard to imagine that it was a family dispute that happened over the “Laplace Box”. There was definitely something going on between Cardeas, who wanted to break the deadlock in the world through the opening of the “Box”, and someone else, who used his assassination to protect the Vist Foundation and gain the benefits—Zimmerman turned his back on Flaste, who finally understood as he frowned, and looked back at the “Eye-Zack” that was standing there.

“That machine is way too pitiful to be left here as a replacement for the “Kshatriya”. We have to bring the “Kshatriya” and the princess back together soon…”

''Our aim isn’t just this after all.'' Zimmerman did not exchange looks with Flaste, who nodded his head silently, and nudged his stiff beard on his jaw. He suddenly felt an emotion that made it hard for him to breathe and stepped on the floor.

He rejected all human things he could get in order not to lose, but this body of his was trembling because he realized how important the people he lost were. The empty container deck overlapped the hole in his heart, and he could not move due to an overwhelming chill. ''I’m a lost cause here,'' Zimmerman mocked himself in his heart as he left the deck that did not have Marida’s machine.

===Part 4===

The light that rose up from beside the feet was so bright that even the anti-glare filter could not negate it completely. The pink incandescence light continued to swirl in a vortex, and a halation appeared on the all-view monitor as the plasma surrounding the machine continued to let out terrifying cracking sounds.

The speed of descent was more devastating than expected. The worry that the machine would burn up at any moment and the fear of being devoured by the heat wave struck her. Mineva Lao Zabi continued to be rattled by the shockwaves striking the cockpit as she stared at the monitor that was heating up as her tense body continued to be pressed down on the assistance seat. The incandescence light was formed by the thin air that was converted into plasma, and not the burning of the machine itself; however, the surface temperature was already past 1,500 degrees Celsius and rising. The frictional heat from the atmosphere and the aerodynamic heating caused by adiabatic compression caused the “Delta Plus” to be burned by the unavoidable heat as it descended into the atmosphere. As the name Waverider implied, the aerial fighting machine that was burned red as it rode on the plasma wave was gradually gliding down this large and thick atmosphere.

It was approximately 2 hours ago from the moment the machine broke through the absolute defense line and got detected by the patrolling Federation warships. The “Delta Plus”, which was deemed to be a ‘ghost’ that died off in battle, appeared, stopped, went through endless questioning that was repeated, and ended up choosing to shake off the pursuers and move forward. The machine made use the rebounding effect of the atmosphere to enter low orbit as it entered the atmosphere through the polar track covering the axis of the north and south poles. It was unknown whether the ‘family’ Riddhe mentioned about used its power as the intercepting satellites did not take action, but it did not matter to the “Delta Plus” that entered the atmosphere from the south pole.

One would know that this layer that surrounded the blue planet like soap bubbles was a scorching hot endless wilderness the moment they ended. Once they rushed into the atmosphere, they could only leave the machine’s controls to the electronic navigation system and wait for the moment they leave the burning hell. The “Delta Plus” frame that was pulled by gravity was heating up as it broke through the atmospheric wall at a speed of Mach 20. If one believed in the inertial navigation device capabilities to calculate the current location through speed, time and machine movement, the current height at this point would be 70km. it had been more than 10 minutes since they entered the atmosphere. They were entering safely at a more gradual angle to reduce the resistance, but did this really take that much time? The incandescence light became red hot light without warning, and the machine that went from the thermosphere into the mesosphere started to be covered by heat as Mineva glanced at the face of the man sitting on the linear seat beside her.

Riddhe Marcenas, who was holding onto the control stick tightly, had his tense face covered by red hot light here. It was probably the first time that he entered the atmosphere in a unit alone without hoping for any data link from the mothership or ground control. Mineva recalled how she used to observe the burning atmosphere from the small window when she rode on a shuttle into the atmosphere in the past. She would also imagine herself riding on the shuttle as she glided through the atmosphere through the visuals obtained from the observation satellites that could still receive visual feed as she descended. ''Leaving a white scratch in the transparent atmosphere and creating a shockwave trajectory that’s 1/3 the circumference of the planet—that was really beautiful. '' Mineva felt that she, who was born in space and could logically view planets and colonies equally, was instantly absorbed by the established Nature at that moment. ''I wonder if this “Delta Plus” is carving out a similar trajectory?'' She turned her neck that was originally frozen in fear and looked at the roof through the normal suit visor.

The machine that was protected by anti-heat functions was feeling the frictional heat from below, and the rear top side of the all-view monitor was not covered by the red hot light. The thin atmosphere that looked distorted by the shockwaves went from pitch black into thick indigo, and after that, the vacuum that turned navy blue swayed as the sharp starry light continued to flicker as they faded fast.

''Space became sky—''The moment Mineva inadvertently said that, the red hot light at her feet decreased drastically, and what replaced it was a strong light that shone in from the right side on her.

Riddhe pulled the control stick, and the activation sounds of the rear wings was mixed together with the tremors. The main wings endured the thick atmosphere, and the G-force that struck back leaped on the machine that decelerated out of a sudden. The “Delta Plus” moved through the stratosphere as it switched into manual mode. Mineva felt the force pushing her forward hard, but she continued to look at the source of the light that was shining into the cockpit.

The light of the sun was there. It was not an extremely hot celestial body that was seen in space, but a friendly light that was apt for a day. ''It’s the bright warm light that passes through the atmosphere and graces all living things below it…!''

The overly bright light caused Mineva to reach her hand out to block it as she turned her stare to the front. As the blue sky showed absolutely no traces of clouds, the white patterns of the altostratus clouds could be seen floating at her feet. The sea should be further below at where the plains of light below the intertwining clouds floating around were. ''Our estimated course is that we’ll be above the Caribbean Sea, so is this the place? '' Mineva inadvertently opened her helmet visor and stared at the sea that was dazzling as it reflected sunlight.

She could not see the waves rising and falling from the stratospheric height they were at, and the sea was like a transparent blue glass panel that covered the surface of the planet. The long and wide arc that marked the horizon was lying further down, and the two layers, the sky and seas showed the contours of the Earth. ''What a color, what a magnificent expanse!'' Mineva could not tell what sort of situation she was in as she faced the world that expanded in front of her on the all-view monitor. She felt the blood in her body moving to her buttocks, but she did not feel uneasy about it. She knew that her body cells were being active, reclaiming the sense of balance humans originally had. She understood and recognized real gravity, and her body was radiating heat because she was shuddering in delight rising from deep within.

''The place where all life was born, and the place where all life returns to; this is—''

“Welcome to Earth.”

[[Image:KSGU5 026.png|thumb]]

Riddhe said as he smiled slightly, the same scenery was being reflected off his brown eyes. The voice that was not heard for a long time was half negated by the roaring of the fusion core jet rocket engines, and the rumbling air flow covered the cockpit. Everything and anything was rich, noisy, and unlike space, where time stood still, everything here was bustling. Light, wind, sounds, everything was changing at the moment. She could not hear her own breathing as she got engrossed in the breath of the Earth, and stared at the horizon that was on the other end.

The Shock Cone surrounding the machine expanded gradually as it merged itself within the blue sky. The “Delta Plus” that had decelerated to Mach 2 slowed down further and let the worn out scorching hot machine descend to the troposphere. The North American continent did not care too much about the invaders that came barging in from space as it expanded in front of their eyes, basked in the gentle light of morning.

===Part 5===

The phone rang. The crisp and clear bell sound of the antique phone echoed off the tall living room ceiling, caused the decorations on the chandelier to tremble slightly, and landed on the Alanveil-styled hard wood floor.

A pair of thoroughly polished leather shoes walked past that floor silently. Douglas Dwiyon remained unhurried, elegant but quick as he crossed the living room in a gliding-like manner, just as how he instructed the servants strictly usually, as he went right at the corridor where the telephone table was. He used his fingertips to wipe away the dust lying on the Bergère chair, glanced aside at the Monet scenery painting, and walked towards the corridor. This butler clad in black clothes basked under the morning sunlight that shone in through the glass panel of the terrace as he crossed the middle-aged styled solemn-looking furniture. Dwiyon himself could be seen as one of the antiques too, and in fact, his overemphasis attitude and his old age had earned him the nickname of an Antique amongst the maids and the cooks, but he himself was not overly concerned by it.

Every family member had a phone in this room, but Dwiyon would be in charge of picking up this call that was made with the help of a namecard. No matter who that person was, he must not be complacent as he would be giving the first impression of this family. Dwiyon tidied his bow tie with his hands and cleared his voice, “Yes?” and let out let out an attentive yet sophisticated-sounding voice that was hard to catch up with into the phone.

The old butler had been serving this household for more than 30 years, and he had already mixed in the flair of the family into his voice, but it was still not that overwhelming to the other party. The sound that came from the phone was a commotion that was of a completely different dimension from this famed family that was based in Southern USA.

(Hello, this is the Cheyenne Anti-air Command branch of the Federation Air Force. I’m the Duty Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Dickson Meyer, and based on emergency protocols, I’m contacting with regards to relevant issues. May I know if Senator Ronan Marcenas is here?”

The wall clock indicated 9am at this moment. DONG. DONG, and the bell chimed at this moment, resonating together with the voice on the phone. Dwiyon’s hand that was taking notes shuddered.

===Part 6===

The polished leather shoes let out hurried footstep sounds as they rushed up the stairs. Dwiyon did not finish his timekeeping as he arrived at the roundabout at the middle of the stairs, leaving behind the maids who were shocked as they moved aside, climbed up the second level, and carried his forward momentum into the office within.

Dwiyon did not have time to even breath at the door like usual as he knocked on the wooden door. “Excuse me!” he did not wait for the reply as he opened the door. The office was linked to the study, and inside this office, the first secretary, who was facing the master of the household turned around with a doubtful look on his face.

“What is it, Dwiyon? Why are you panicking?”

The first secretary was the son-in-law of the master in this household. Normally, Dwiyon would not forget to greet him, but this was not the time to do this. he took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his sweat, and spoke,

“Sir, the military gave us an emergency call saying that young master Riddhe…”

Dwiyon could not explain this earth-shattering situation with only a single line. The first secretary widened his mouth and blinked as he face this old butler, who swallowed the words he was about to continue with as his shoulders went up and down together with his panting. With his back facing the window, the owner of this house was sitting at the office table, his hands on the table tensing up as he looked back at Dwiyon’s face.

“What is it about Riddhe?”

Ronan Marcenas merely said this. The tea-colored eyes bore backlight as his face naturally overlapped with the master’s son who had not returned home for many years—Riddhe Marcenas. This time, Dwiyon really could not say anything.

===Part 7===

“A new mission…?”

''After all that?'' Alberto swallowed the voice that was about rise out from his throat as he gave a doubtful look back at the monitor in front of him again. Martha Vist Carbine’s eyes suddenly narrowed (Any questions?) as her icy cold voice echoed through the second communication room of the “Nahel Argama”.

“No, it’s not that there’re any problems…but the “Nahel Argama” is rather worn out after some battles. I’m wondering if we can get some other squads here as well—”

(I just want them to investigate the space region coordinates indicated by the Laplace Program’s information. You will be heading through that place when you return to “Luna II” anyway, so there would not be much additional work for you, am I right?)

Martha said nonchalantly as she used her long fingers to pick up the fluff on her shoulders. Alberto looked like he was rendered silent by that finger as he went silent.

(We owe the Senate Council a favor for what happened at “Palau”. The “Unicorn” can’t be delivered to the Moon in that case, so we should at least let them help out in some ways. And according to the feedback from the technicians here, it seems that it’s very difficult to remove the pilot’s biological identification register.)

The “Unicorn” was reclaimed after maintenance, and they found data from the machine that seemed to indicate the coordinates of the “Box”. It was just yesterday that Martha heard of how things developed in this communication room. Because of this, Martha’s plan was to make use of the “Unicorn” when it was still useful, let the military investigate the coordinated space and keep all findings to themselves, so she most probably left some avenues out there. Of course, if she could find the “Box” there, she would have most likely planned a way for the Foundation to strike first.

In terms of political sense, this thinking was definitely valid since the Vist Foundation could not keep the “Unicorn Gundam” itself. The indicated coordinates was definitely on the return path to “Luna II”, and when considering the uniqueness of the location, there was very little chance of Neo Zeon attacking them. This definitely was a mission the “Nahel Argama” could still do as it struggled to survive, but the premise was that this plan was to be viewed this way by outsiders. As someone directly involved in this, Alberto could not agree with this, and his stare landed on the floor of the dim communication room.

After nearly dying a few times, the crew was finally on the path back to the docks, so how much would they be looking forward to landing? The tough battle of “Palau” ended 2 days ago, and Alberto and the crew passed through moments of pain and exhilaration. It would be really cruel to push the mission to them and delay their arrival back at the docks…

(You look like you went through life and death with them and developed emotions with them.)

He looked away for several seconds, and Martha read his thoughts as she spoke up. Alberto felt his heart being grabbed as he looked at the face on the monitor.

(This isn’t like you at all. You’re probably tired. When you arrive back on Earth, rest well for a while.)

“Me, to Earth…?”

To Alberto, who was mentally prepared that he would be observed to investigate the situation, these were unexpected words. Martha curled her lips that were covered with lipstick to the side slightly and continued, “I got a launcher shuttle from the Foundation.)

(I want you to take that Cyber-Newtype to Augusta on North America.)

“Augusta? Don’t tell me—”

(Right, it’s that Augusta. The Newtype research facilities are already sealed off, but I heard that the facilities for ''readjustments'' are still there.)

Alberto felt a chill up his spine. The Augusta Research Institute was one of the largest Newtype research facilities together with the Murasame Research Lab. However, this Newtype Research was only in name, as they once worked together with the military to develop human weapons. He would be bringing the female pilot of the “Sleeves” to the human research plant which would dissect war orphans—

“What are you planning to do?”

(If the commotion continues like this, our options of dealing with the media will be extremely limited. The Senate Council seems like it wants to keep its distance from the Foundaiton, so we have to hurry up and reassemble the UC plan Cardeas wrecked to appease the army. We’ll also use this chance to calm those guys trying to get the “Box”, so we definitely must make good of this.)

“Complete the UC project…the second unit?”

Alberto could not make any other guesses. There was another RX-0 being moved to Earth, being experimented on under gravity conditions. They had to hurry up, complete it, and use this to show the military superiority of the Vist Foundation and Anaheim Electronics. The fact was that there was a collusion between the UC plan contractors and the inner government council trying to take back the “Box”, so the proceeding of the plan would allow them to hold this collusion off. If they could control the situation well, they could probably return the “Box” back to its original owner.

(This UC plan views the reassembly of the space forces as a cover up to eradicate Zeon completely…it sounds like a fantasy the conservatives’ brains would think of at a moment of inspiration, but there is a high chance that it might be affected greatly due to the dissolvement of the Principality of Zeon. The Foundation and Anaheim must have the “Box” in order to weather this storm, and I can’t stand someone opening the “Box” due to a man’s romance like what Cardeas did.)

It was rare to see Martha show her emotions when she talked as she put her hand on her wavy hair. She obviously looked anxious, and Alberto cringed as he looked away from the monitor, but Martha was right to say this, and he said this to convince himself. ''Cardeas is the culprit behind everything who plotted with the overload and reached his hand on a 100 year taboo. He left his real successor aside and left the “Box”s key to the kid he had from his mistress. There’s no reason that this kind of person is to bear the Foundation’s future, so I—''

(I wouldn’t have to use this move if grandfather could simply tell me where the “Box” is. Well, we can be considered lucky to get a Cyber-Newtype. Make sure all preparations are done when transporting her.)

At that moment, Martha erased all her emotions as she put on the usual iron-mask face. Alberto could not digest anything as he looked up and answered, “Yes.”

“But I don’t know if the Captain and the rest will believe me or not…”

(Most of those were killed in action by that Cyber-Newtype’s mobile suit, right? Just say that you considered the crew’s feelings and that there are unspeakable things. Besides, the Senate Council will be sending them a message to.)

''It’s not that kind of problem, but that some people who can only carry out top down orders can’t take back the “Unicorn”.'' The feelings Alberto once hid showed themselves on the face again, and he turned his eyes towards the monitor again. (I’ll meet up with you too.) Martha remained unmoved as her lips formed a smile.

“You’re coming too…?”

(The Moon’s gravity is good for beauty, but it’s bad for the body and mind. I’ll head over to the Caribbean once I’m done with work. The weather’s fine now anyway.)

It was a radiant smile. It never changed at all, just like how it was when his childish eyes looked up at her many years ago—no, it was a ‘woman’s smile, one more beautiful than before over time. This woman understood everything, from the feelings of the “Nahel Argama” crew to the psychology required to talk to them at the right moments, and she was manipulating others like chess pieces on a board. Even though she understood, she did not pull forcefully, but set a direction for people to follow, and this was an attribute of a leader…''is that so?'' a sudden chill suddenly blew by Alberto’s heart as he lowered his silent face.

''Where do I intend to go after this? Do I have no way back?'' Alberto looked at the hand that could not shake off the feeling when he squeezed the trigger as he thought, (Oh yes.) Martha seemed to recall something she forgot as she called out.

(That man who used to be Cardeas’ secretary, he’s called Gael, right? It seems that he’s missing.)

Alberto was prompted by the beating in his heart as he looked up.

(There are signs that he used some trade routes Anaheim has to interact with the “Sleeves”. Perhaps he’s trying to take revenge for his dead master.)

Martha’s lips showed a smirk, and she looked like a demon that was looking down at the soul in her hand.

(It is true that the kind of master would determine the kind of subordinate…be careful. Both you and I are on a path of no return.)

Martha used these words to lay a curse. The soul was restrained in the hand, and Martha stared at Alberto while giving him a look not to be complacent. Alberto felt the detesting feeling that was budding in him collapse completely as he softly answered, “Yes…” and cut the communication link with “Von Braun” on the moon.

The satisfied look Martha gave as she narrowed her eyes disappeared, and the thicker darkness that filled the communication room surrounded him. Alberto felt a chill as he suspected that someone was hiding within. ''Is it that man who bore Cardeas’ grudge? Is he someone who intend to bare his fangs on my neck in this darkness—'' Alberto left the console, unlocked the door and arrived on the corridor outside. He ignored the stares of his subordinates standing outside the door as he grabbed the lift grip leading to the bridge.

Alberto tidied his tie and took in the air filled with paint fumes into his cold lungs. He was slowly getting used to the air in the bridge, but it could not be helped. No one here would speak up for him, and no one would help him. The only place of solace he had was the clutches of the demon that was looking at the world from the Moon, the only moment where he could relax. Alberto became an associate of Anaheim Electronics everyone hated as he went to the bridge. The darkness that followed him showed no signs of fading, and he felt the temperature rising up his body that was moving in zero gravity.

===Part 8===

The thick green machine looked like it was scrapped as it sat on the floor, unable to be stored on the hangars that were available, and to those who were already used to seeing the eyes of the Federation units, this scene caused pure surprise. The 4 moveable binders were hanging from the shoulders, and if any one of them was taken away, the volume would be equivalent to that of an ordinary mobile suit. The only term that could describe this humanoid-shaped machine that could move the binders on its own freely and display exceeding mobility would be ‘Heavyweight’.

“The NZ-666 “Kshatriya”. From the model number itself, we can determine that this is an original mobile suit created by Neo Zeon. They did install a Psycoframe around the cockpit, but it’s an old model. They probably used the test materials provided from Anaheim during “Char’s Counterattack”.”

Aaron Terzieff put his hands on the twisted cockpit hatch as he looked inside the cockpit, saying this. He was someone related to the UC plan detained from “Industrial 7”, and he was an important witness under ECOAS’ management at this point, but there was no better choice than him to analyze the unknown Psycommu machine that was detained on the ship. Otto Midas used his Captain’s authority to borrow Aaron for the time being as he stood on the catwalk built at the side of the mechanic deck, staring at the “Kshatriya”—the 4-winged that belonged to the “Sleeves” and took down lots of ships and units—and observing it.

There was also the Romeo 010 “ReZEL” on this mechanic deck that could be considered a ship’s factory, and the other crew members were exchanging its missing arm. In contrast , the “Kshatriya” did have its limbs intact, but the total damage was worse than the Romeo 010. The sub-arms that were hidden inside the binders were melted from the back, and the conducting fluids continued to leak out from several parts of the machine at this point. The front end of the sleeve that melted and solidified lost the right hand it should have. The armor that had many curves was dented severely because of the heat and the impact, reminiscent of a thoroughly abused human. ''That “Gundam” did all that?'' Otto swallowed as he recalled the white mobile suit that was undergoing repairs on the mobile suit deck and asked the person beside him, “You once said that only “Granada” on the Moon has Psycommu production facilities, right?” Aaron lifted his head that was originally poking inside the cockpit hatch, and answered,

“Yes. The “Unicorn”s Psycoframe was also developed by the Anaheim factory on “Granada”. As it was announced that this technology was terminated, we did everything there considering the secrecy of the work.”

“Why was it suddenly stopped?”

“I heard that it was because it ventured into too many unknown territories. Besides, it is made by man, and the electronics system can be explained through system reasoning. However, let’s take for example the moment the “Unicorn” activates its NT-D system. It looks like the psycoframe revealed from under is glowing, right? Even we, the manufacturers, have no idea why it’s glowing either.”

The ECOAS member who was supervising Aaron from behind showed a surprised expression too. “You don’t know either?”

“The psycommu receives the psycowaves from the pilot and amplifies it—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say, resonate. What we can be certain is that the psyco chips, each the size of a metal particle and molded into the frame, would react to it, but we just have no idea why it’s glowing. The glow pattern would also vary according to the person riding on it. Anyway, this seems like it’s a phenomenon that happens when the psycowaves overloads the system, but the electric voltage of the psycommu would not increase because of this, and we have no idea what’s the relationship between the psycowave level and the glow patterns. The key itself is still human thought waves, and this thing called consciousness itself can’t be analyzed through data alone.

“If that psyco chip is the size of a particle, won’t it glow when it reacts with the psycowaves and vibrate?”

“Stop joking here. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have used it on the movable frame at all. It’s nonsense to have a weapon that’s glowing and tells the enemy your location here.”

Aaron said with a rather angry tone, and Otto could only shut his mouth of an amateur.

“The overloaded electricity would cause the electric cords to become red, right? It seems that the theory behind it is the same, but it’s not just giving off heat. It looks like it’s giving off light, and its light properties can be recorded, but this light isn’t just emitted through electric output. I hate to say this as a technician, but this is an unknown light. And also, it can be become a source of physical energy…”

At that moment, Aaron’s words stopped unnaturally as he looked away to an unspecified area. “Source of energy?” Otto, who glanced over to ask back, looked at the expression the supervising ECOAS member was giving, “Have you seen the “Unicorn”s battle records?” and rounded off.

“Yeah…”

“I didn’t see it myself, but I can roughly guess how it went from the damage this thing suffered. It was probably an overwhelmingly one-sided battle, right? Even if the assistance of the NT-D, the power it showed was abnormal. This is far different from the specifications we originally envisioned. It’s making us scared for no reason.”

Aaron looked at the half-trashed “Kshatriya” and frowned at it in a psychotic manner. His expression erased any plans Otto had of trying to change the topic. It was really an abnormal battle. ''What kind of expression will Aaron show if he learns that the pilot of the “Unicorn” is a student who’s still a novice at this?'' Otto could not give a wry smile at this even though he wanted to, and his lowered stare turned around because of another voice that called him from behind “Captain.”

“There’s contact from the infirmary. The prisoner’s awake now.”

Liam Borrinea grabbed onto the handrail to negate the inertia, let her feet land on the floor, and handed the clinical records to Otto. Otto looked back at the meaningful stare his vice-officer was giving, turned his back on Aaron, who continued to inspect the machine, and looked down at the clinical records.

“Leaving aside her external wounds, it seems that she’s rather frail now. I don’t think she’s in a state to last through an interrogation.”

“…What’s with all the scalds and scars written on this?”

There were records of numerous scars and burns on the human diagnostics outline drawn on the clinical records. The attached photos graphically showed old scars on the thighs and the cleavage. It was impossible to imagine those as injuries incurred from riding a mobile suit. Liam looked aside, “Many perverts probably used her so some toy.” and said with disgust.

“According to doctor Hassan, her female functions are already wrecked.”

This really caused Otto to be silent. Liam did not look at Otto, who inadvertently looked up, as she glared at the floor with a furious expression.

“I heard that a Newtype squad full of clones was sent into battle at the end of the First Neo Zeon war. They should have been wiped out already—”

“So there was someone who survived, but ended up like this, huh…”

“Maybe she got picked up by some savage human trader. It’s said that when Cyber-Newtypes lose the people giving them instructions, they will become puppets with broken strings. Most likely, she didn’t even know anything when…”

Liam grabbed onto the handrail and swallowed the words she was about to say next. She showed the pain and unhappiness only a woman would understand, and her wide shoulders looked rather bewitching to Otto at this point. He did not know how old Marida Cruz, the pilot of this “Kshatriya” was at this point, but from her looks, it was impossible that she would be above 20. In that case, she would be around 10 when she took part in the First Neo Zeon war—it would be too serious to describe her as simply a war casualty, a term that could be thrown randomly. He closed the clinical records and sighed out from within.

“This technology has no responsibility over the outcome, but it’s like it was born to destroy humanity according to demands and interests. I really can’t deny that this is a vice of humanity. There’s no saving us here.”

Liam muttered, and Aaron could be seen investigating the “Kshatriya” right in front of her. The technician forgot about the terrifying words he said a minute ago that came out of nowhere, and only cared about tinkering with the toy he got. His engrossed expression caused Otto to sigh just when he thought he went out of breath. “Leave the questioning of the prisoner to the Senate Council”, he said as he returned the clinical records to Liam.

“We do want information on the “Sleeves”, but we won’t be able to think of anything in our tired states. Let’s just return back to the port at “Luna II” first.”

It had been 40 hours since they left the shoal space region in L1. On estimate, the “Nahel Argama” seemed like it was already halfway through the return path back to “Luna II” as it gradually approached the Earth’s geostationary orbit. At this point, the Neo Zeon fleet would have no reason to pursue them. “I understand.” Liam’s voice in her reply indicated that she felt a little better.

“No matter what, they can’t possibly ask us to detour off to another place…”

Otto was half-joking, but suddenly noticed Liam’s face tensing up, and he turned over to where his eyes at where she was looking at.

Looking far away, he could tell that it was Alberto’s round pudgy body kicking off the handrail from the other side, floating over to this mechanic deck. His face was pale for some reason, and he looked timid when he met Otto and the rest in the eyes, but changed his expression as he made a mysterious smile.

“I hope not…”

''I have a bad feeling about this.'' Otto and Liam could not help but hold onto the handrail in unison, bracing themselves for the God of Plague that was about to arrive.

===Part 9===

“…I don’t feel that there’s a need for that.”

“We can’t be certain here, right? She’s a Cyber-Newtype!”

It was unknown who was talking. Banagher opened his eyes and looked up at the fluorescent plate on the ceiling, the one with a metal net to prevent breaking inside the infirmary, just like the moment when he first woke up on the “Nahel Argama” for the first time—

“Besides, her muscles were enhanced too. Won’t she try to resist with all she has once the drugs wear off? We should restrain her before that happens.”

“Only those who were modified later on would be like that. She’s of the congenital genetic design type, so there’s no need to administer drugs that would suppress such reactions.

It was the voices of Ensign Mihiro Oiwakken and Doctor Hassan—and Banagher could tell who they were talking about. His mind that just awoke from sleep started working, and he continued to lie on the bed as he turned around. “But…!” Mihiro’s insecure voice rang in Banagher’s ears, through the accordion curtain that was draped down from the ceiling.

“She looks stable emotionally, and more importantly, her wounds aren’t healed. I can’t allow such a patient wear a straitjacket in this condition.”

“She’s a Cyber-Newtype from Neo Zeon! She might suddenly attack when you aren’t noticing, doctor—”

“Miss Marida definitely won’t do that.”

Before he realized it, Banagher spoke up. He supported his limp upper body as he pulled the curtain aside.

Hassan, who was seated in front of the treatment table, and Mihiro, who was standing beside him, both looked over at Banagher, “Banagher…!” Mihiro spoke up as she widened her eyes, and those eyes were immediately covered with a tint of malice. “He’s here too?” the sharp questioning voice caused an awkward mood to spread through the infirmary.

“He’s considered to be recovering from an illness. I gave him a drip to let him rest after treatment…how do you feel?”

Hassan’s voice had a intent to calm the atmosphere, but Banagher did not listen properly. He continued to stare at Mihiro’s stiff expression and muttered, “You want to make an injured person wear a straitjacket…” but Mihiro responded with a highly agitated voice, “This isn’t something you should be interrupting at all?”

“Why is this? Miss Marida is an officer here. Don’t you have a specific set of rules for dealing with prisoners?”

“The “Sleeves” are terrorists. No matter whether she’s an officer or not, she’s still a criminal.”

“But Miss Marida…”

“Were you brainwashed on “Palau” too? She’s the pilot of that 4-winged, and the culprit that destroyed your colony. Who knows how many of our comrades were killed by her—”

“Even if that’s true…! But there’s nothing to talk about when you keep stereotypes like this, right? This isn’t like you at all, Miss Mihiro.”

Mihiro turned aside her face as she was at a loss of words, and went silent, “…I’ll send a guard to stand by her. Tell me first if you want to move her from the infirmary. She told Hassan and hurriedly left the infirmary. “Understood.” Hassan answered lazily as he waited for her to disappear behind the door before looking over at Banagher . “Do forgive her here.” He said as he immediately turned his chair to the treatment table. Banagher’s mystified stare was right at his white back.

“Ensign Riddhe did not return. She does have her emotions after all.”

''Ah.'' Banagher felt that the voice released from his chest was stuck in his throat, and he felt difficulty in breathing. ''None of the crew on this ship, whether it was Mihiro or Hassan, knew the truth here—'' the uneasy feeling suddenly rose up in him as he reached for the bottle on the side-table. He took a warm sip of water, swallowed it together with his guilty thoughts, and used his hands to touch head that fell asleep from who knew when.

Marida was in the Intensive Care Unit, while the other patients were inside the sick bay, so he and Hassan were the only ones here. Banagher saw the CT scan installation on the wall, and did not understand as he felt a chill, saying in an inquiring manner, “Is this the scan you mentioned about before?” Hassan turned his head slightly, “Huh?”

“You checked whether I was a Cyber-Newtype too, didn’t you?”

''“Looking at the facilities here, the results are clear.”'' Hassan’s words when he first woke up in this infirmary became a source of anxiety, and it continued to ring in Banagher’s ears. Hassan scratched his head in an awkward manner as he turned his head to the table and answered, “Well, I really felt like investigating when you suddenly came out of the “Gundam” like that.”

“Is Miss Marida really just like what she said? What is a Cyber-Newtype?”

“That’s a fantasy those crazy scientists have. They want to use artificial means to create Newtypes, but in fact, they only created human weapons for war.”

Banagher’s mind recalled the face of the blue-eyed girl on the glass window of the capsule. There was no clear sense of realism, and he tried to dig deeper into this other person’s memory that would fade off like an echo—his clenched fists trembled slightly, and he let out a voice, “How can they do such things?”

“What exactly are Newtypes?”

Hassan turned his table and looked at Banagher, “You do understand the theory behind it, right?” and spoke with a heavy voice. “Of course…” Banagher felt his momentum wear out somewhat as he answered.

“It’s mainly talking about how humans who come to space will evolve, about how the perception will become stronger, and that humans can talk to each other without misunderstandings.”

“That’s right. Using your body as example, the damage you sustained from the G-force this time has become less compared to the time when I checked on you before. Even with the protection of the pilot suit, this kind of recovery speed is still shocking. Do you know what it means?”

“No…”

“Your body is starting to get used to the “Gundam”. You only rode on it 2, 3 times however.”

These were unexpected words. Banagher’s mouth was wide open in shock, but Hassan left it aside as he continued, “Humans have an ability to adapt to its surroundings.”

“The data showed that when the Plague started spreading through the Old Ages, the death rates declined just 50 years later. There was no need for the replacement of generations to take place, so this would probably be the results of the human body acquiring immunity under tough environments. In other words, Life would often find the most suitable way to live and adapt. Humans came to space, and expanded its understanding to make up for their knowledge of the vast space. Theoretically, this is possible, and I personally feel that this isn’t impossible.”

Hassan leaned on the back of his chair and said with an expression that looked like it had seen the space behind the wall. ''The senses or understanding abilities will expand to make up for the recognition of the wide living space. If that’s the case, it makes sense'' Banagher felt thought, and hoped that it was the case. ''Misunderstandings and differing views will disappear, and hearts that can connect to each other can embrace each other and understand each other well. If that moment was a connection between Newtypes—''

“…If all of humanity became like that, there probably won’t be any wars anymore.”

“That may be the case. Or the mass-killings may end up worse than now.”

“Why?”

“Think about it. Everything you’re thinking will reach the other parties. Those adults who treat lies as lubricants over things will definitely be running away in fear. Besides, there will be a new divide between Newtypes and Oldtypes.”

“Divide…”

“Also, Newtypes are said to be born in shape. How can the Earth residents who have steady lives endure this after having sent the remaining population over to space? It’s like the master role’s reversed here.”

“In that case, let’s just send everyone into space and make them evolve in one go.”

Banagher knew that he was saying childish things, but he still said it out. He could not express the feelings he had at that moment in words to Hassan and Mihiro. This anxiety caused his emotions to be twisted, and could possibly cause uneasiness in others. If the end result was that the war no one hoped for would occur, humanity would be a lost cause. As long as Newtypes definitely existed, they should try for a possibility where the whole of humanity could evolve even if many forceful means were required.

Hassan put the pen he was playing with in his hand onto the table, and silently continued, “In the past, a man once said this.”

“The reason why humans won’t stop fighting is because humans are stepping onto the entrance to evolution. If there were really a possibility to turn into Newtypes, we should let the scientists experiment on the Cyber-Newtypes. If we left human evolution to nature, humanity will kill itself off in the end.”

Banagher felt like he was told what his suggestion would bring, and the hot air within his stomach cool off as he lowered his head.

“He does have his own reasons for saying that, but…”

“I feel that the way he looks at things is too sad. That kind of possibility…”

''Possibility—the god that is created within people’s hearts by believing.'' Banagher did not wish that it was something that could be obtained by ripping people’s heads or mindsets. This would only end up putting possibilities within a mold and suffocate as a result. “I feel the same”. Hassan said as he smiled.

“So even if it’s inconvenient, we should use this current power we have to try our best to understand each other. It’s not about fighting over which side is to succumb to another, but to find a point of compromise both sides can agree on. However…the road sure is tough.”

Hassan said with a sigh as he looked over at the door Mihiro walked out. Even someone of his age could not solve any conflict beside him. Banagher stared at the side of Hassan’s face, and though he felt that Hassan was someone who could have the same thoughts as him, he could not tell the truth about Riddhe and the rest. Banagher felt a dangerous feeling seep inside his bones as he looked down at the icy cold floor.

===Part 10===

The plaster that was stuck on the face hurt. The fragments of the broken helmet visor did not pierce the face, but it still left multiple scraps on the white skin. This was the result of the body being forced out from the linear seat and the normal suit and bouncing around inside the cockpit.

Also, there were signs of bleeding all over the body, and it was said that there were a few broken ribs. Banagher saw that the body that was covered by the blanket was not moving as he looked over at the person with her left hand under a drip in low gravity, noticed the injuries from the collisions, and looked behind.

Banagher heard the sound from the electrocardiogram and turned around. ''As expected, I shouldn’t be here. She may have recovered, but honestly, what do I intend to say? It’s completely ridiculous that the person who caused her to be injured comes over to be concerned about her wounds. I don’t even have the power to save her—'' Banagher turned behind to look, saw the long eyebrows that were sealed up, and immediately looked down as he stood in front of the ICU door. “The roles have reversed.” At that moment, the voice came from behind, and Banagher, who was about to reach for the door, had his hand frozen.

Marida Cruz was lying on the bed, and her blue eyes were staring at Banagher. “Miss Marida…” the voice that wanted to say this was stuck in the throat as he could only look back at her eyes.

''Is she laughing at herself for being so injured and how she got captured…no, those are eyes that had already made their realizations, relaxed and serene.'' Banagher felt his chest tightening and his vision become wet as he approached her at the bed. The vital signs indicator awaited, and under it, Marida gave a light smile as she said, “Don’t just look at me.” as she turned her bloodshot eyes to the ceiling.

“…I have no idea why it ended up like that either.”

These words naturally popped out, and Banagher’s lips were trembling. Marida turned her neck slightly, and her chestnut-color hair that was tied in a knot on the right shoulder shook slightly.

“I felt like I wasn’t myself at that time…no, it’s like something that was suppressed was lit up, exploding all the time. I know the person in front of me is you, Miss Marida, but…”

“You were swallowed by the machine.”

Marida said calmly as she interrupted the words that were to no avail. Banagher looked up and looked at her.

“It’s the result of the reverse flow in the Psycommu. You thought you were piloting it, but unknowingly, you we being controlled by it. The system forced you to do this.”

“The system…?”

“I felt a strong denying consciousness within. Most likely, it’s the capabilities that were hidden insidethat “Gundam”s system. That system will search out Newtypes and destroy them, even if it finds that they’re Cyber-Newtypes…”

At this point, Marida’s face winced suddenly, and the pain that she suppressed was seeping out through the gaps between her teeth. Banagher saw her raise her right arm slightly, and took the jug on the side table to her face. Marida took the bottle to her lips, took a small sip, and took a slight breath. She then spoke with a hoarse voice, “A machine can’t determine the difference between a real one and a created one.”

“But humans are different. Humans can sense after all.”

The pale fingers covered Banagher’s hand together with the bottle, and Marida’s gentle smile spread on her dry lips. ''Just like this.'' Banagher felt her blue eyes saying this to him as he put his other hand on Marida’s right hand. Banagher put his fingers on the cold and saddening fingertips and looked at the eyes that seemed that they would lose focus if he relaxed for just a moment. He was trying to keep an irreplaceable life here.

[[Image:KSGU5 052.png|thumb]]

“Miss Marida, did you…?”

“I saw your inner heart.”

His heart pumped wildly for no reason, and the strength disappeared from his trembling hand. Marida pulled her right hand slightly, and her face that was not smiling anymore looked away from Banagher.

“Perhaps you’re the same kind as me.”

“…What does that mean?”

Marida turned her stare that only exchanged glances with him for an instant back to the ceiling and said, “If that’s not the case, I won’t have any position to say this.” Banagher could not accept the meaning of these words as what she wanted, and glanced down at the pair of blue eyes that were averting unnaturally.

“But…the “Gundam” stopped at the last moment. Your will caused the system to succumb. I think it’s the core inside your heart that allowed you to do that.”

“Core…?”

“As for us, we don’t have that.”

Marida continued silently as she let her clear eyes look up at the ceiling. “That’s why my sisters and I could become one with the machine. We’re not related to natural birth, just existences floating around randomly…”

The hands that were extended outside the blanket weakly suddenly tugged at it. This was the silence someone who saw her end had, and a hollow presence that seemed to pass through space came from within her body. “Miss Marida…” Banagher’s musing voice was trembling.

“Don’t mind me, Banagher. No matter what realities you have to face directly in the future, don’t lose yourself. You have to keep saying ‘even so’.”

Banagher felt like he was just given a slap on the face as he retreated slightly. Marida’s eyes gave a strong glow that allowed neither pity nor respect to approach her as she looked right at him.

“That’s your core…there’s another system sleeping inside that “Gundam”, and your core will become the power to awaken it. The one who left the “Laplace Box” to it…”

The voice and stare that came from deep within her said this, only to be interrupted by a painful moan. The vital signs alarm went off, and Marida got up and winced in pain. “Miss Marida…!” he tried to hold her hand as he called out, but was pushed onto the floor by her. The drip stand was knocked down, CLANG, and a noise echoed through the room loudly.

''That’s enough.'' It felt like someone said this. ''Don’t waver because of me—'' Banagher did not have time to think of the words resonating in Marida’s expression as Hassan came rushing in from the infirmary next down. He held down Marida’s body that got up and roared at the door “GET THE CARDIOTONI! THE DIGOXIN WILL DO!”, and the nursing soldier frantically rushed in as he got ready to inject. Banagher retreated from the wall, and through Hassan’s back, he saw Marida’s limp limbs. As Hassan held her down, pulled aside the blanket and opened the pajamas, the nursing soldier’s needle approached the bare cleavage. “Her muscles are enhanced. Injecting the needle in normally won’t work. You have to raise it and stab it in.” Hassan said, and the pale nursing soldier nodded before raising the syringe over his head with both hands.

A tiny silver light could be seen reflected from the needle due to the headlamp. Banagher closed his eyes right before the needle was stabbed in, turned his face, closed his ears, and left the ICU just like that. ''You can’t do anything. You’ll just hurt her.'' Banagher was pressured by the surging voice within his heart, and despite tumbling a few times, he still managed to move from the infirmary to the corridor.

“Oi, what’s with you?” Banagher pretended not to hear the pursuing guard’s voice as he ran in the gravity block, the path becoming a gradual one. ''What system, what core? I’m just standing right where I am. The fact that I tried to kill Marida before will never change. I was manipulated by the “Unicorn Gundam” system—what the heck is that? The “Laplace Box”, Vist Foundation, dad’s voice hidden inside my memories…I don’t want to care about them anymore.''

''I don’t want to ride on the “Unicorn Gundam” again.'' This thought came out from countless words in his mind, and he stopped in his tracks. He put his hand on the wall, calmed his frantic breathing, and clenched the hand that once sucked up Cardeas’ blood. ''Aren’t these all things that couldn’t be helped? I could only do that at that time.'' As Banagher suppressed the bitterness in his heart and answer the face in his memory, a certain familiar round object appeared from the ends of his sight.

That object which was the size of a basketball rolled on the low-gravity wall and circled around Banagher’s legs. (You don’t look well, Banagher.) Haro let out this synthesized voice, and Banagher looked around the corridor. ''There’s no reason why Haro would appear on its own,'' and as expected, familiar faces appeared from behind the cross-junction, waving at him.

''Come along with us.'' Takuya Irei looked around, and mouthed; Micott Bartsch could be seen fthere as well. Banagher did meet them a few times after arriving back from “Palau”, but he never had the chance to talk with them properly. He too looked around his surroundings, and then turned his stare back at his friends’ faces that felt abnormally far away. He kicked the floor to make up for this distance.

Takuya prompted Micott, who would not look at Banagher in the eyes, and went off to the lift. At this moment, a crew with a Nautical Branch emblem passed by the trio, but it seemed that he was already used to seeing civilians move around the ship. Banagher turned his back on the crew member who did not look back at him as he followed behind Takuya. In his arms, Haro flapped its ears, and this familiar voice caused Banagher to feel really happy.

===Part 11===

“…It’s tough to see Ensign Mihiro so depressed like that, isn’t it? She’ll definitely recover if you just tell her that Mr Riddhe’s still alive.”

The extremely hard and large plastic window reflected Takuya’s face as he sighed. The numerous lights of the stars scattered outside the window were blocked by the reflected light within the room, and the stars could not be seen clearly. Banagher recalled Mihiro’s stiff face as she walked out of the infirmary, and muttered, “So that’s the kind of relationship they have…” and his muttering face was reflected on the window as well, resulting in a depressed expression appearing in the eternal darkness of space.

There was no one in the observation room located on the boardside of the battleship. There were three windows on both sides of the room, 5m long and probably 3m wide, creating a wide space that was hard to imagine that it was inside a battleship. The security on Takuya and the rest inside the ship had become a lot more lenient, and Takuya used this time to understand the structure of the ship during these past few days. Before he called Banagher over, it seemed that he had other places to think of as well. Also, as Takuya grasped the positions of the surveillance cameras, he said that they had to look at the windows when talking, and not look back inside the room. If the cameras caught them, someone could tell what they were talking about by the movements of their lips.

Banagher heard all about how Takuya and Micott followed Riddhe’s plan, endured a nerve-wrecking escape process and got here. However, he himself had nothing he could briefly tell them about as he could only stare listlessly at Haro floating in the zero gravity. Takuya used his foot to hook onto the handrail, remained in a floating position upside-down, and said, “I don’t know why especially…”

“It seems that the people on this ship don’t know that Audrey disappeared. Only the 3 of us know about this, so we have to be careful. Right Micott?”

“Yeah…” Micott said on the bench and answered. She met Banagher in the eyes, and immediately lowered her head again. Banagher frowned, and Takuya stood beside him, scratching his hair hard, ''geez'', and showed an anxious expression.

“I’ll get something to drink. Do you two want anything?”

Takuya kicked off the handrail and floated towards the automatic door located at the wall behind. “I’ll go too, Banagher was about to kick the floor too, only to be pushed back by Takuya sternly, “No need.” ''Just stay where you are.'' Takuya moved his hand that was placed on his mouth and gave hand signals, telling Banagher to talk to Micott before moving out of the observation room.

''What was that?'' Banagher grumbled and turned to Micott as he was at a loss of options. Micott sat on the bench facing the window, still unwilling to meet Banagher in the eyes. The daughter of a factory supervisor, studying at a private school, the active confident person who was too dazzling for the students at the Institute, was at this point a stark contrast as she looked utterly depressed.

Suddenly, Banagher recalled the soft feeling he felt resting on the back. It caused him to feel awkward, and he felt a suffocating tightness gnawing at his chest, making it hard for him to stay at this place. He rubbed his nose that was not itchy and looked outside. “It’s amazing that you guys managed to escape from a military ship.” He tried to fill this emptiness with his voice, only for her to answer, “You’re the amazing one, Banagher…”. He thought that her stare was meeting his of the reflected window panel, but she immediately lowered her head again and held onto her hands cupping her knees.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Eh?”

“I’m talking about Mineva…Audrey. If I didn’t tip off…”

Banagher had already half-forgotten about this, and his chest was stabbed by Micott’s lost expression as he turned to her, letting out a mumbling voice as he said, “That’s…”

“I’m the one who has to apologize here. I let you and Takuya get involved in this.”

“We’re the ones who wanted to follow along. You don’t have to apologize for that.”

“But…”

“Besides, I might be the one who egged you on.”

It was unknown if Micott felt a little better as she showed a smile on her lips. Banagher blinked in a puzzled manner.

“If you’re that concerned about her, go get her back…I did say that on the rooftop of the mansion, don’t you remember?”

Banagher started to recall the incident that happened a week ago as it felt as distant as a year ago, and felt his tense chest tightening somewhat. “Yeah…” As he muttered, his lips naturally smiled as he turned his bitterly smiling face to the window. “I’m so stupid for saying such things.” Micott said as she stood up and leaned her body towards the window.

“But since you helped her out once, you have to bear responsibility and help her until the end. That girl’s feeling rather down inside despite making a strong look.”

Micott spoke in her usual tone as she finally turned her stare over at him. Despite sounding rather forced, these words of hers did have her flair. “I understand.” Banagher answered and looked at the space outside the window. He felt the concerns in his chest being undone, and the clear lights of the many stars caused his body to feel comfortable and relaxed.

“I wonder if they reached Earth safely.”

“Ensign Riddhe’s accompanying her, so it should be fine.”

He answered Micott, who asked this question softly, and stared at the darkness that was gathered at the window. They were about to enter the geostationary orbit, but Earth, which was located on the bowside, could not be seen. The moon could not be seen, and the lights of the space colonies could not be seen either as only the endless darkness permeated outside.

The distance from Earth to the Moon could not be measured in lightspeed, and even the term ‘wide’ would be considered too small. At this point, the living area for humanity was limited between Earth and the Moon, and even so, that would be very large. If they broke up both Earth and space, it would be difficult view both living environments as the same world, and there would be a divide. Humans were creatures who were originally supposed to be based on land, recognising their distances and spaces. It had been a mere 100 years since humanity started using space as a place to live in.

''If people don’t become Newtypes, we won’t be able to make up for this divide. However, can humanity really evolve after only 100 years? Doctor Hassan said that a sudden mutation is possible. If I’m one such case, I can sense Audrey’s existence as she heads to Earth—''

“You have an adult expression there.”

Micott, who glanced at Banagher secretly, said this in a muttering-like manner. Banagher did not understand her meaning completely as he looked back at her silently.

“You’re so open-minded now. It feels like it’s not the Banagher I know anymore.”

“Is that so…”

After being told this, Banagher realized that he did not know anything about this person called Riddhe, but unbelievably, he had no sense of insecurity. Through the impression he had when they passed by each other on the ship and when they had their backs facing each other—''it seems like he’s someone I can get along with instinctively.'' If Banagher could believe such a vague feeling, he would feel that he could leave Audrey to him. Basically, she, who had the taboo name of Mineva, was never suited to stay on a Federation army ship in the first place. If Riddhe had a way to break this deadlock, Banagher felt that that it would cause the situation to change.

''If I want to believe in people, I have to be prepared. No matter whether I look like an adult now, I never had this thought 10 days ago. Is it because other people’s thoughts resting within me have covered my thoughts?'' Banagher thought in vain, and with a sharp pain in his body, he recalled Marida’s face. “Banagher…” Micott tapped him on the shoulder, and her voice caused him to recover.

She turned to the door. Takuya was there, holding 3 coffee tubes. There were two tall and husky people behind Takuya, giving stiff looks as they approached Banagher. Banagher met one of them in the eye, and his chest that was feeling relaxed a while ago tensed up again. He got mentally prepared and waited for him to talk.

“Banagher Links, we hope that you’ll come along with us.”

Commander Daguza Mackle said with a knife-sharp unmoving stare. “…What is it?” Banagher responded, but Daguza did not respond to this question as he floated his large body over to him.

Those eyes that looked more artificial than Marida’s showed a cold glow right in front of Banagher’s eyes. Banagher exerted strength on his body that was about to falter in face of the Daguza’s pressure, and took his stare silently.

===Part 12===

At that moment, the bright afternoon sun on the South side was starting to darken. “That’s the one.” Ronan Marcenas was prompted by the voice of Vice-admiral Mauri as he looked at the Eastern sky through the window glass.

With their backs facing the messy clouds, three black shadows gradually appeared. They started to get bigger in front of their eyes, showing their plane silhouettes as they started to descend onto the runway below.

Out of the trio, Ronan saw the two machines that were surrounding the centre one. '' Those are Federation fighter jets called TIN COD 2, I believe. '' As he thought about that, the machine in the middle suddenly slowed down, and Ronan could not help but put his face close to the window. He saw the machine that was slowing down disintegrate its parts at the next moment, and formed a silhouette that was completely different from before.

The steam that was released in an explosive manner became a thin layer that covered the machine that became a humanoid. ''That’s the “Delta Plus”—is that the mobile suit my own son ‘deserted’ in?'' Ronan tidied his tie and stared at the smart-looking unit that had a thick grey color. Ronan was already used to seeing such 20m tall giants before the One Year Year, when the Principality of Zeon army launched the “Zakus” onto Earth, and though it did not make this man who was in his fifties speechless, the instant transformation of the plane into a humanoid was still amazing. The “Delta Plus” burst out the main thrusters on the back as the two TIN Cods IIs passed by from above. It did not descend onto the normal runway, but onto the landing spot for mobile suit training. The flames from jets supporting the large body caused the light to be refracted, and the glass of this command post more than 200m away rattled slightly.

A car ramp, fire trucks, and electric cars with armed guards were mobilized at that time as they rushed to the spot where the mobile suit landed. The “Delta Plus” landed splendidly onto the middle of the circle, the carbon lined spot that was burnt from the thruster flares. The deep rumbling reached the reception room where Ronan was, and the coffee laid out on the table rattled slightly. The humanoid machine put the beam rifle into the back rack before kneeling down. After that, it seemed to cease all actions.

''So that boy can pilot such a thing.'' Ronan imagined his son’s face on the rugged-looking machine, and felt a sense of pride and also a sense of abandonment. “What he does really troubles me.” Ronan looked back the moment he saw that, and noticed Vice-Admiral Mauri, who had all sorts of medals lined on his chest, give a concentrated frown as he looked outside the window.

“He left the battlefield on his own and broke through the Earth defense line on his own…because of the commotion beforehand, the defense line is already prepared to strike back anytime. I really wonder what will happen if we were a step late in our response.”

The Lieutenant Colonel, who was still waiting together just now, had left the room in order to supervise the retrieval. The attending officer who was acting as an aide went out with the commander too, so only Ronan and Vice-Admiral Mauri were left inside this reception room as they faced the runaway. “I understand. Thank you for your grace.” Ronan said with his back facing the other man. It had been 5 hours since Douglas came barging into the office this morning, having spent half a day contacting all related personnel and deployments to cancel all his scheduled appointments; and he could not bring himself to face the Vice-Admiral was giving a look that he did his best like this.

Even so, Mauri’s words were not an exaggeration. The Marcenas’ family name did reach within the army, but there was no reason that it would be so familiar that they would let anyone randomly pilot a suspicious machine and invade Earth like that as and when they wished. It was luck at work that Duty Officer of the Anti-Air forces made the call for confirmation, and it was luck at work when Ronan just so happened to be there, awaiting his slightly late breakfast. If the situation happened during a Parliamentary Session, the contact would definitely bounce around amongst the secretaries, and the “Delta Plus” would most likely be shot down without any confirmation of its identity.

If one had to mention it further, this Vice-Admiral Mauri would definitely be considered lucky too for being in North America at the right time. The “Delta Plus” was once detained in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the reason why it was brought to this Atlanta Naval Air Station was mostly due to the power of Vice-Admiral Mauri, who used his authority as the highest ranked Aide. Mauri was getting ready to enter politics, and he had been spending half the year on Earth, working to expand his relations with people all over the world. In this sense, he would be the lucky one.

In the Senate Council of the Earth Federation, the largest council—the Migration Issues Committee had the initiative in deciding the Space Administration Plan. There were not many chances that he could make the Council Chairperson owe him a favour. I’ll hear out what happened later on.” Mauri, who spoke on, smartly emphasized his authority, and on the other hand, his face was showing surprise about this luck that befell on him.

“But is this really not what you ordered, Chief Senator?”

“Don’t joke around, whether it was the mail before this or this incident, they’re both shocking revelations to me. Of all bad things to get involved in, that incompetent son of mine actually got involved with the “Box”.”

Ronan immediately let out these words to observe the expression on Mauri’s face that was tanned from golfing. Mauri immediately looked and vaguely met Ronan in the eyes through the reflection on the window before answering timidly, “Regarding that, the Senate Council would have mistakes too.” Ronan noticed that expression which relaxed at that moment, determined that he was not suitable for politics, and looked outside the window.

“There aren’t just one or two pets reared by the Vist Foundation and Anaheim within our circle. I suppose since it’s not an actual battle, not all guns will be pointed out…I didn’t know anything until I saw the mail sent to you, Chief Senator, about your son being a crew member of the “Nahel Argama”.”

“It will be easy to deal with if the military can understand the importance of the “Box”. They actually let the Foundation instigate them into letting the “Nahel Argama” attack “Palau” on its own…logically, it is possible to kill off the “Sleeves” if Londo Bell were fully mobilized.”

“What you say may be reasonable, but we have no idea what exactly the “Box” contains. It’s really hard to use more military force than that when we’re not even certain of what it is…”

Mauri lost the smug expression he had before as he spoke with the look of a public official, a general. ''This man is lucky,'' Ronan thought. ''It’s better for him to view this urban legend of how the existence of this “Box” can topple the world as something with very questionable validity here.'' Ronan reached his hand to stroke his chin that dropped noticeably, tidied the tie that was loose, and argued back without looking, “It seems the “Sleeves” have abandoned “Palau”.”

“Have the Senate Council understood the meaning behind this?”

“Of course. Since Neo Zeon gave up on their base, it seems like they’ll launch an all-out attack while destroying everything. We should thus strengthen our defences—”

“Nope. Full Frontal is a very shrewd man. He won’t give up a base easily if he estimates that he won’t be able to match the Federation in strength.”

“No way. But Neo Zeon’s current fighting strength is less…”

“There’s still the “Box”.”

Ronan concluded and looked right at Mauri. Mauri gulped and gave a doubting look to the other man.

“The mobile suit in this UC plan has the key to opening the “Box”…I did hear that the “Nahel Argama” reclaimed it, but there’s definitely a transmitter installed by the “Sleeves” there. Don’t take random action on that mobile suit; it’ll be better if we can hurry up and send it to “Luna II” fast.”

“Yes, but…”

“The Federation took the initiative, right?” Ronan pursued on while staring at the mumbling Mauri. “The “Sleeves” will also give pursuit. If we let them make contact with the “Box” first…”

“I’ll send the message to headquarters.”

Mauri said quickly and hurriedly scampered out of the reception room. It was already late, but in a certain sense, he would still work hard, and would have the excuse that he did all he could. His instincts in regards to his job were not sharp, but people like him would show terrific reflexes to protect themselves. “That’s good.” Ronan muttered to himself and looked out of the window again. The “Delta Plus” lowered its head right in front of him, and was surrounded by numerous a large number of vehicles, giving off red signal lights as they surrounded the scene furiously.

The car ramp was moved to the side of the giant, and the roof reached the cockpit cover at the abdomen. It seemed that the lights were still refracted due to the leftover heat from the machine, and for safety sake, the guards who were the size of beans raised their rifles and aimed it at the cockpit. The wireless communicator should have connected, but the “Delta Plus” showed no signs of opening. He probably understood that he has no right to grumble even if he was shot to death—no, he probably considered the safety of his passenger.

Ronan could not help but sigh. Most likely, his son was requested by his superior officer to send a mail for aid from the isolated “Nahel Argama”. After he helped carry out procedures to withdraw him, he escaped back onto the battleship, causing chaos, took a fighter unit on his own, went right back at Ronan, and even had a ridiculous passenger with him, the Princess of Zeon.

Even if they manage to block the media, the Dakar residents with sharp eagle-like eyes were not that that easy to deal with. In a few days, the developments would spread amongst the Senators, and it will affect the countermeasures the Congress would make regarding the “Laplace Box”. While he wanted to reveal the intentions of the plotters and deliberately keep himself away from this incident, he still ended up being involved at the core of this incident. ''Is this the magic of the “Box”?'' Ronan mused, and his chest started to ache as he clasped the hands behind his back.

''Riddhe, you came to the last place you should be at—'' Ronan felt his chest suffocating as he murmured, and he silently noticed the cockpit cover on the “Delta Plus” abdomen opening. He saw the pilot raise his hands and walk out from the cockpit. It had been 3 years, but he could tell from first glance that the person in the pilot suit was his own son as the son walked down the car ramp before removing his helmet in front of the guards. Ronan felt that his son was looking right at him, and his chest started to ache again.

===Part 13===

Riddhe walked down the car ramp as the guards surrounded him with stares of killing intent around him, and walked towards the military electric car. The atmosphere that blew right in his face was thick and hot, and this was the air of the hometown his skin was familiar. He supported Mineva, who had her back straight, but seemed to have difficulty walking onto the electric car, and they were about to be taken to the command post behind the “Delta Plus”.

The body that had forgotten about gravity became lazy and weak, and sweat filled the armpits of the pilot suit. It seemed that Mineva was in the same situation as her body that was wearing the heavy normal suit slumped into the seat of the car deeply. He heard that she once stopped by Earth for a moment, but to the Spacenoids who were born in space, the gravity on Earth was really a struggle to deal with. Due to the restrains of the structure, the centrifuge gravity in the space colonies would be less than 1G by a few digits on the decimals, but it was this slight difference that the bodies felt heavier even though theythought they got used to it.

To Riddhe, this was the first time he experienced real gravity in three years—but he could tell that his body was quickly getting used to it. the wind blew by the wind runway, and the air that had the smell of the surrounding fauna and dirt awoke his cells, gradually washing away the tightrope-like fatigue he had for the past two days. And there was the soothing humidity that covered his skin. The ground and sun of Southern USA created this damp air the space colonies would definitely be unable to recreate. ''I’m back.'' This thought suddenly rushed up Riddhe’s mind, and he looked up at the blue sky above his head. The sky that was not blocked by anything and was expanded out endlessly appeared in front of him. At the same time, the helmet on the attachment hanging at the back let out a click.

Riddhe reached his neck and turned behind. He met the guard sitting behind in the eyes, and immediately looked away once he realized the source of the sound. The rifle that twitched slightly hit the helmet, and the guard kept his silent face looking in front. An air of awkwardness was blown by the wind, and the rubber tires’ smell that wore down on the runway irritated Riddhe’s nose.

Perhaps it was because Riddhe brazenly used the name of the Marcenas family that he and Mineva were able to make their way all the way here safely, but they still could not relax at this point. The guards were still pretending to be attentive at this point, but on one look, anyone could tell that they were wary of suspicious people. ''What reaction will they show if they realized that the one sitting beside them was the descendant of the Zabi family? Well, better wait for the orders and act around it than to think about it mindlessly.'' Riddhe answered himself, and he held back the urge to turn his head so casually as before. It was pointless to treat others as people on their side. This rigid organization, the army, would show no mercy after parting ways, and since he was already at odds with them, he would have to find a way to settle this. Riddhe felt the heaviness of this realization he just picked up, and silently stared at the command post he was gradually approaching.

It was a plain 4-storeyed building, and connected beside it was a control tower. At the hangar that was connected to the runway, there were mechanic soldiers wearing military uniforms, surrounding the opened machine, and the TIN Cod IIs that were parked were glowing because of the sunlight reflected off the windscreen. None of these scenes or the noises of the engines echoing around were unusual scenes in an Air Base. However, the command post right in front at this point showed an obviously abnormal presence, and it vaguely spread a tense atmosphere through the entire base.

Riddhe exchanged looks with that abnormal presence. The presence had his back facing the limousine parked on the runway, and his blond hair that was started to become thin swayed with the wind as he was looking over here with the anxious base commanders. Riddhe did predict that he would order for him to be moved to Atlanta, but he never expected the presence to welcome him personally. The electric car ferried Riddhe, whose body went stiff inadvertently, and stopped in front of the command post. Riddhe followed the guard who quickly got off, and stepped on the earth he had not stepped on for 3 years.

He controlled his feet that felt like they were about to sink into the ground, and stared at the Vice-Admiral amidst the row of uniforms. He closed his heels together, and the Vice-admiral gave a silent expression as he saluted back. The base commanders too gave empty salutes, not hiding their expressions that showed that they got into trouble as they looked behind Riddhe. Riddhe reached his hand out to stop Mineva from getting off the car, partly intending to block these stares.

The abnormal presence—Ronan Marcenas silently watched Riddhe’s expression. He had already taken a step back from the line of officers, but the fact remained undoubted that he was at the center of a heavy atmosphere. “It’s been a while.” Riddhe walked right at him and as he spoke with a tone like he was talking to his superior. Ronan looked somewhat doubtful as he looked away and stared right behind Riddhe, “Is she the one?” Mineva walked to Riddhe stealthily before he could even nod, and said,

“I’m Mineva Lao Zabi. I’m able to land because of your son’s goodwill.”

The emerald eyes stared right at Ronan without fear, and the surrounding officers too looked like they were overwhelmed by this pressure as they checked themselves again. Riddhe felt a little delight as he saw the Vice-admiral and company close their heels together, and stared at Mineva’s face that was shining under the sunlight. “I’m Ronan Marcenas.” Ronan might had recognized this person as the real one as he reached his right hand out, showing a dull glint in his eyes.

[[Image:KSGU5 072.png|thumb]]

“You must be tired after such a long journey, I suppose? Once the disease prevention checks are done, I’ll immediately invite you to my house. Please proceed here.”

After shaking hands, Ronan looked over at the Vice-Admiral, who looked at the base commanders, who in turn looked at their aides, and stares continued to pass down until the leader of the guards’ squadron. With the leader’s prompting, Mineva started to head towards the command post. Riddhe exchanged looks with her, suppressed his urge to accompany her, and faced Ronan.

''I’m not guilty of anything, and I haven’t done anything that stained the family’s name. I’m just fulfilling my duty and responsibility as someone involved—''Riddhe repeated the thoughts he had for the past two days as he looked over at the same-colored eyes as his. Riddhe ignored the Vice-Admiral and company, who seemed to detect that this was an awkward mood as they returned back to the command post, and said, “I won’t try to find excuses.”

“No matter what happened, I never intended to ask the family for help. But just this once…”

“You’re just saying excuses all the time. Say anything you want to say later. Hurry up and change your clothes.”

Ronan left behind this voice Riddhe was used to hearing and turned around. Ronan was strict and by the book, and would remained unmoved even when facing his relatives. He would always tell people to explain the conclusions and the responses, and would separate himself from any personal reasons that were involved in the process without mercy. Riddhe faced the back of this father of this, and had some form of sadness melted within him. “Yes!” Riddhe saluted this annoying figure before Ronan could stop and turn his head, and turned away.

''What exactly am I hoping for? I still have to argue against this troublesome person after this and ensure Mineva’s safety.'' Riddhe could not help but feel incensed as he felt like he was betrayed and developed such doubts. He walked towards the entrance of the command post, and the sharp stares on his back immediately disappeared as the sound of the limousine door closed right behind him. At this moment, the “Delta Plus”, which knelt motionless at the runway, looked helpless as it remained alone under the damp atmosphere.

===Part 14===

“You’re saying Her Highness Mineva arrived on Earth?”

Angelo Sauper could not help but parrot as he turned his stare onto the paper that recorded the emergency report. “This is a telegram from the Republic”. The attending official from the intelligence department answered as such.

“There was a Federation unit that passed through the Earth defense line with the authority of a Senator. It’s likely that Her Highness was on it at that time.”

“It wasn’t a misdirection? They wanted to move her secretly, but deliberately caused this large commotion…”

If the information came from the Zeon Republic, the source of this transmission should be a Neo Zeon supporter hidden amongst the Federation Senate Council or a lobbyist from the military industry who hoped for ‘tension amidst peace’. It was reliable information, but one would get the feeling that they arranged it deliberately while trying to overblow things. ''What do they intend to do by choosing to send out this message that has so many holes in it?'' Angelo stared at the emergency telegram that merely recorded this message as he floated around the bridge of the “Rewloola”. “Why would it?” He turned around on hearing this voice.

“This isn’t fake information released just to lure us out. The Federation does have its privacy as well.”

The tall and large body clad in crimson red uniform said this as he stepped off the floating and sat onto the commander seat that oversaw the bridge, saying, “Captain, where’s the “Nahel Argama” at now?” Captain Hill, who was seated on the Captain’s seat beside him, immediately reached his hand onto the control panel on the armrest the moment he heard that.

“Soon, they’ll enter the satellite geostationary orbit. It’s strange to take this path if they want to head to “Luna II”. They’ll end up moving into the Earth geostationary orbit if they keep this up.

The predicted trajectory of the “Mock Trojan Horse”—“Nahel Argama” was drawn on the navigation monitor located on the hologram screen, and the locations of the “Garencieres”, pursuing it from behind, and the “Rewloola”, hidden amongst the shoal space region, were shown at this point. It had been 2 days since they abandoned “Palau”, and the “Garencieres” had invaded the absolute defense line of Earth as it tried to track down the “Mock Trojan Horse”. This indicated that the enemy was not headed to “Luna II”, but to the geostationary orbit revolving around Earth. “So they’re headed to the designated coordinates?” Frontal mused as the lips under the mask showed a smirk. He then turned towards Angelo, who was still holding onto the emergency telegraph.

“Are you going to launch, Angelo?”

In response to the sudden topic that was raised, an electric jolt passed through Angelo’s body as he let out a reply, “Yes!” Angelo kicked the wall nearby, floated to the communication operator seat, chased away the person on duty and started operating on the control panel. The distance the enemy ship had, the ship’s fighting capabilities, equipment; all these data were summoned onto one monitor, and the simulation to determine whether they could carry out the plan began.

“If we have the SHACKLES boosters on, we’ll reach within 10 hours at this distance. However, the mobile suits will have to move on their own.”

It would take too many resources to direct the fleet scattered within the shoal space region to take action, and there would also be the risk that they would end up fighting the Federation army on a full front scale. it would be simply enough to deem the “Mock Trojan Horse” as a target and let the mobile suit squadron attack it. The problem would be the transportation, but the journey there would be possible if they could install the large capacity SHACKLES propeller Tanks onto the Sub Flight System. Once the operation was over, the reclamation would be left to the “Garencieres”.

The simulation ended in less than 30 seconds, and Angelo concluded, “Alright, launch preparations complete!” He looked over his shoulder and said this to Frontal. ''Our hearts are linked,'' as this feeling definitely rose in his heart, “Captain!” Hill interrupted with a chiding tone.

“Since there’s a transmission from the “Garencieres”, we can see the visuals from the psyco marker here. I’m wondering if there’s a need for you to launch.”

“It’s not in my nature to standby. Also, we need an enemy to make the “Unicorn” activate its NT-D.”

''The only one that can complete this mission is the “Sinanju” that is equipped with the Psycommu”. There was this meaning behind these words, and Frontal stepped off the commander seat as Hill watched him leave from behind with a half-forsaken look. “Because you’re the one in the position of supreme commander here…” Frontal did not mind this musing and let out a voice that echoed through the bridge.

“If Her Highness Mineva is not on the ship, it doesn’t matter if we sink the “Mock Trojan Horse”. Once we unlock the seal to the Laplace Program, our side will reclaim the “Unicorn Gundam” again.”

This was the voice of his declaration. At that moment, Angelo’s mind immediately thought of the face of prisoner on the “Mock Trojan Horse”, Marida Cruz, but this was not enough to put a dampener to the excitement rising in his chest. “Yes!” He answered and closed his feet before anyone else could.

“We won’t miss this time. The coordinates indicated by that Program is the most appropriate place to unlock the Laplace seal.”

Frontal said as he stared at the coordinates data indicated on the navigation screen, and no one present disagreed. The coordinates indicated by the Laplace Program—200km away from earth, was in a low-orbit area that could not even be considered space, and it was a location a certain historical relic would pass by every day. There was still a portion of remnants of the Prime Minister’s residence “Laplace” that was crushed 100 year ago floating in low-orbit, become some sort of tourist attraction.

The “Laplace Box” was said to be able to topple the Federation government, and the ghost of “Laplace” continued to float in absolute zero space. Angelo felt that it was stupid to try and link these two together as he thought that it was some bad joke, but gulped his saliva when he felt the chill developing in him. The “La+” coordinates indicated on the screen did not say anything as it let the blood-like crimson red sign continue to flicker.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[KSGU:Volume_5_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
| Return to [[Gundam Unicorn|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[KSGU:Volume_5_Chapter_2|Chapter 2]]
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</noinclude>

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai:Volume 4 Chapter 4

2012-10-04T08:24:19Z

220.255.1.33:

After the party, the relationship between my sister and me seems to have changed.

She sincerely apologized to me. Not only that, she gave me a present.

If this were a game, then after this event, my normally aggressive little sister would become shy and start to show me her feelings, especially if it were an imouto game.

In fact, in the eroge Atelier Kakuya, we should have started the hentai part. Now would be the best time to prepare to watch some CG…

I cannot believe I am thinking that...

The only difference is this is real life, and things are not that simple, like in eroge. Humans are not that simple. Moreover, unlike in eroge, just because I finished some event do not mean that my affection points will go up or my relationship will suddenly change….

After the party, of course, Kirino knocked the hand on her head off. On the way home, she does not say a single word. She still calls me “you” instead of “Onni-chan”…But to be honest, if she called me “Onni-chan”, I might have a heart attack.

Well…

At the party, after I accepted my sister’s gratitude, I thought we could have a better understanding of each other. In fact, our relationship has not changed much.

Of course, there are some changes, but the basics remain the same.

That is because although she honestly thanked me, I still hate Kirino. The reason is still the same, so I will not repeat it again.

No matter what I do, her affection points toward me will not go up. Because of that, I used to hate her for ignoring me. However, I am also the same, so I cannot blame her.

Her affection points are negative infinity now, so it does not matter if it increased one or two.

That is all that happened

Normally, we have a huge negative impression about each other, so this little change does not matter.

This is a matter of fact, is it not? Because of her, I have endured so many hardships, and considering how she treated me… Well, I think everyone gets the picture, right. …What? You said it is not just that.

Well….ah...maybe….Damn, of course, I knew that already.

Well…of course… my sister is a little cute….

Occasionally, when I help her with something…well…she indeed seems pleased…

…Hey! That is all! Is there any problems?

Hmp, for our current relationship to change, something big has to happen.

At least it should be like what happened 9 months ago….

A very big accident….

However, it is not as if such a thing will happen soon….

At the time, that is what I thought…

It is March now, and my second year in high school is ending in the next month.

It’s Sunday morning.

“Whew…ah….”

When I yawned while walking downstairs, I accidentally knocked Kirino’s shoulder.

“Ah….”

Although I tried to sidestep, I cannot avoid a slight touch at her shoulder. Normally, after that would be a series of sinister shouting. I clenched my teeth, prepared for the inevitable, but….

“Ah, good morning…”

I am very shocked when she calmly says hello to me.

“Oh, good morning…”

My eyes widen in shock, Kirino gave me a slight nod, and then she entered the living room.

---Hey, what just happened? She said ‘good morning’ to me….

Not only that, she nodded to me. Is some kind of calamity going to happen?

Maybe North Korea is going to launch another nuclear missile again.

My sister’s sudden change made me feel uncomfortable.

Because until yesterday, she still acted like normal! At the very least, she should leave right after saying hello …

Therefore, my doubt regarding my sister’s action grows stronger.

When we were going to have breakfast -----

“Come on! Mom, Dad.”

Kirino gave everyone his or her share. Mom and Dad took them, smiled and said:

“Thank you, Kirino”

“………”

Faced with that suddenly changed in behavior, I cannot help but wonder what is going on.

If this was Tamura’s house, then it is understandable. However, this is the first time this happened in my family.

My Dad, who usually has a stony face is now smiling, that made me feel uncomfortable.

While I am still shaking, suddenly a bowl of rice appears in front of me.

“What is wrong? This is your share.”

“What…? Ah…..”

With a shaking hand, I took the bowl.

…You did not put poison in that …did you.

First Kirino gave everyone his or her share; now, from the kitchen; I can smell a seductive fragrance.

“Thank you for yesterday, Mom, Dad.”

“Ah, this is nothing. We are happy too, right Dad?”

“Ah…right… It is worth my day off”

I do not understand what they are talking about, so I tried to ask.

My Mom gave me the answer:

“Ah, yesterday we visited Kirino’s job.”

“….What….Mom and Dad….Visited Kirino’s job?”

Wait, how could that be?

Because Dad is not, (at least it is he shows) interested in Kirino’s work as a model….so even if Mom asked, normally he will not agree.

However, my father – with his usual smile that made people uncomfortable – replied:

“Ah...Um...this is not bad Kyousuke…She looks very cute.”

“What are you saying, Dad! You sound like an old pervert!”

Being scolded by his own daughter, my father hastily replied:

“No…no, I don’t mean that….Well…in short, even I don’t fully understand, now I feel at ease, knowing that Kirino is trying her best at work”.

Even he tried to regain his dignity, my Mom smiled mischievously and said:

“Ha, did you know Kirino; your father was mistaken as a pervert when he tried to take your picture”.

“Oh? Really?”

“What are you saying…? Ah, if you helped me explain back then, things would be much easier…”

“Oh? It is really embarrassing….’ No, no….this is my daughter…Hey…Honey… Where are you! Come here!’ “

“Don’t mimic me!”

--- What is going on? ---

Strange…everything is so strange….What happened in this house?

Am I still dreaming?

Is that why everyone is so….strange?

“What is wrong, Kyousuke?”

“Something wrong Kyousuke?”

Mom and Dad asked me at the same time. I swallowed, asked:

“Are you…really my Dad?”

My father raised his hand….

Paw! A star appeared in my head!

“It hurt….”

“What did you just said?”

With upset eyes, my father told me that.

Well, this is my normal father after all.

“No...I’m not dreaming…This is really my father…”

“Ah, are you okay Kyousuke? Do you need to go to hospital?”

“Oh…Mom, you mean something entirely different, aren’t you?”

Hearing our normal useless conversation….

“Phpp! Idiot!”

Kirino looks like she is having fun. However, unlike normal, her eyes don’t show any sign of contempt.

The only difference today is my sister and how my family treats her.

After breakfast, I came back to my room.

Knock!

I opened the door, only to see Kirino standing here. Her hands are holding her skirt, and she looks hesitant.

“…What’s up?”

“I have something to tell you… can you come to my room?”

Even the way she talks to me is different, much more gentle than usual.

To go into my sister’s room….how many times I have done that until now.

The first time …. The first life counseling …. This is June last year…

9 months have passed…

--- Is that her last life counseling?

Looking at Kirino’s back, I got a strange, mixed feeling.

There really was so much change…. Even we still live under the same roof, but….

9 months ago, at the same place…. I stood …but with different feeling, different reason…

I am now standing in front of Kirino’s room.

“Enter.”

“Okay.”

The same dialog, repeatedly. My sister’s room always had a nice smell, made me feel comfortable. In addition, maybe the pink furniture made the room much more enjoyable.

“Your room looks more beautiful than before.”

“Really?”

Kirino replied coldly, then point to a small cushion, said:

“Sit down.”

“Okay.”

I sat down at that cushion. Before, my sister would get mad if I did that, but maybe she is used to that now.

“So…what did you want to talk about? Is that your last “life counseling”?”

Kirino kept silent for a while, and then answered me.

“Yes, that’s one way to put that….”

“….?”

Okay, it is the same as “yes”

“Fine. Ask anyway.”

“Hmp….”

Maybe my uninterested voice made her angry, Kirino looked like she was about to say something, but changed her mind:

“This is nothing…this…”

Again, she stopped. What is wrong? Is that so hard to say?

Well, although she seems strange, at least it was acceptable. If this is something, I could do for her ….

“I want you to buy me an eroge!”

“Don’t make such ridiculous demand!”

I thought your last life counseling would be something big or special….but this? You are still the same Kirino!

Of course, this is much easier than she asked me for advices, but I refuse anyway.

“Is that really your ‘last life counseling’? “

“Yeah, you can say that….”

What did that mean?

“What is with you? You look so wimpy”

“Nothing… I just thought that compare to other life counseling, this one is too easy….”

“Isn’t it a good thing?”

“I said ‘too easy’”

While we were arguing, my awkward feeling slowly disappears.

“By the way, do you realize that I’m only 17?”

“So what?”

“So…..that means I can’t buy eroge. All of them are 18+ only.”

At that time, I suddenly remember something…

“By the way…..Kirino….how did you normally buy eroge?”

There is no way you can buy it at a game shop. Even if you bought it by the Internet, there are many limitations.

Kirino quickly replied:

“That’s a secret. Of course, I've got a lot of ways to get one, but you don’t need to know.”

“Well…it’s true that I’m not interested ….but why can’t you bought this game the same way as before?”

“There is a little circumstance…Here, take a look.”

Kirino pointed toward her laptop, which is showing the main site of a game company.

There is an announcement said that this game will be released at 12:00pm, 6 days later in Akihabara.

“I’d never steal something like Onni-chan’s pantsu!”

“3D custom imouto”

Both are the main products of this company.

Of course, there are other games from other companies, too. Like from M-Soft: ‘The machocist devil’, ‘Lesbian’s story’…

‘All of this will be released in 12:00pm! If you want to play it quick, be sure to go there! ‘

“…That’s why I want you to go help me buy ‘Onni-chan’s pantsu’ and ‘Custom Imouto’”

What with those abbreviations?

I can guess that ‘3D custom imouto’ is about how you create an imouto, and then use her to play in game. However ‘I’d never steal something like Onni-chan’s pantsu ‘? I cannot imagine what kind of game is that.

Maybe you control the sister, and try to steal your brother’s pantsu without getting caught?

“Hey? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…nothing at all….”

I do not even want to imagine about it anymore….

“So?”

“Err…wait…. You said it will be released at 12:00 pm?”

“Yes. At exactly 12:00pm, they will start selling it.”

“---And you want me to wait in line? I won’t be able to buy it without orders beforehand, will I?”

“No, that’s fine. You can just make up an excuse”

“Then why do you need me to buy it? Can’t you wait for the next day and buy it yourself?”

“Because I want to play that game as soon as possible.”

The answer comes back almost instantly. Kirino continued:

“My plan is to sleep in the afternoon until you get it, and then play until morning, finishing at least one route.”

“You really are an otaku…..do you want to play that badly?”

“Of course I would! Naturally!”

Is that what they call ‘iron will’?

“But even if I agree to buy eroge for you… there are some problems…”

“Problems? Like what?”

“First is how to come back home.”

In my home, curfew started at 6:30pm, dinner at 7:00pm. If you do not show up at that time, then there will not be any food for you tonight. However, as a high school student, I can come home later than that time without any trouble as long as I call home beforehand. Therefore, that means getting out of the home is easy. The problem is….

“It will be released at 12:00am at Akihabara right? That means that when I get back, Dad will be very angry. And if he found out that I bought an eroge….”

I do not even want to imagine what will happen….

“I will take care of that. Before you come home, give me a call. Then I will check if Dad is sleeping. If he is not, I will find some way to get his attention.”

So that means we have to exchange phone number, huh?

…I have never imagined that someday, I will exchange phone number with my sister.

A year ago, I had never thought about it.

“So, I will sneak in when you got Dad’s attention? Can it be that easy?”

“That’d be fine….so, any other problems?”

I waved at her, sigh:

“You should know that I have never bought an eroge before. I can't just walk in and buy it, right?! I’m only 17!”

“I’m not sure about it…but….you should go there earlier”

Why must I risk myself like that?

That is why I cannot understand otakus.

“Please? This is the last time….”

Sigh…..at least compared to the other life counseling sessions, this one is indeed easier.

“Fine! I just need to go buy it, right?”

“Really? All right!”

"Real men don't go back on their words."

Sigh….I am so weak minded….

However, the sight of my sister clapping her hand, saying ‘please’ ….I think there is no brother in the world can refuse her…

Kirino’s eyes flashes, then she said confidently:

“I've got an important mission for you!”

Like a commanding officer, with one hand at her hip, she pointed towards me:

“Bring the package back from the enemy’s territories!”

“The package means eroge, right?”

I do not even want to know where she had that line.

Therefore, I nodded.

“All right all right. I got it”

However, I am still unable to shake the strange feeling…a last life counseling ….seems too easy.

Of course, easier is better, but….

Is that really the last life counseling?

Therefore, in the end, I told my parents that I would stay at my friend Akagi’s home in order to sneak to Akihabara

By the way, that Akagi Kouhei is a member of the football team, who is also a friend of mine.

When he is not busy with training, we often go to some game together. He is quite friendly with everyone.

“Sorry Akagi, can you testify that I'm staying at your house tonight?”

He agreed easily, and said “No problem, enjoy your time with Tamura “– which means he somehow got the wrong impression.

Although sometimes he is noisy and troublesome, he is a good man.

This is my first time in Akihabara at midnight, so I was totally surprised.

“So…so cold….”

When I turned at the corner, the cold wind blew at my face. I put my hands in the coat pocket, trying to get some warmth. All stores were already closed, which made me feel even colder.

This is too cold. In the dark sky, I can imagine the fog is slowly eating the heat.

In addition, I did not bring an umbrella.

“Well, as long as it doesn’t rain too hard, it would be fine.”

Following the road, I came to where they sold the game.

In fact, this place is pretty close to the station.

When I came to the right place, there were already many people here.

At least about 50.

To my surprise, there was a lot of girls in there.

What game are they going to buy?

Were they the same as Kirino? This is so unbelievable.

Still thinking, I took a place in line and waited.

The entire nearby store was closed, and in front of me was a small sign that said the game would be sold starting from 12:00am.

“….”

By the way, some of the people in front of me were wearing some weird clothes.

One of them was wearing a cloth with a big picture of a girl from eroge.

Were you staying on the train with that cloth? If that is true, then he really is a true man.

Of course, there is no way I could do the same things.

Maybe he could do that here, because everyone nearby is just like him?

However, I wondered if this is necessary. After all, tomorrow you can go to any game store and grab a disk. In addition, if you are too busy, then you can just order one online.

In other words, everyone here is the same as Kirino.

That is why despite the cold weather, they all came to Akihabara.

They cannot wait to play this game even if it is just one second later

Are all otakus like that? I cannot understand them.

If the game company knows about that, they must be very happy.

Because that means so many players, have such high expectations for their product.

This is impressive.

Maybe that is because not long ago, I myself saw how a publisher company works.

I have waited for a while, but there is still quite some time until 12:00am.

If I knew about it, I would bring a manga or something to read. Because I did not, I looked around, and discovered an amazing bicycle.

On the first look, this is quite a good bicycle, but ….

There is a picture of an eroge character on the wheel!

The wheel is a disk-type wheel, with the picture of a smiling girl.

The impact almost made me close my eyes. To make such a wheel, the owner must be a weirdo.

“…Too much for me!”

I swallowed hard. The owner must be in the line now, isn’t it?

Do not think about it. Just do not think about it anymore.

I shook my head and tried to concentrate on something else. Suddenly, a wind blew at me, making me put both of my hands into the pocket hastily.

“So cold….”

This is really so cold….

All the people in line must agree to that.

Not only the cold affected us, there were some people on the street looking at us with hard, cold eyes. Some office woman pointed directly at us said “What are they doing in that weather…!” “Midnight selling!” “So this is the legendary midnight selling”

And there were some foreigners with frightened expressions, whispering to each other.

I did not hear it very clearly, but it sounded like…

“W...W...WHAT?”

“Midnight selling….Eroge...”

"OOH... HOHOHO... OH... Crazy..."

Please. We are all from Akihabara. At least be nice to us.

Damn. Why did even some Akihabara’s people look at us with weird eyes?

"Ah ah..."

Can't you start selling sooner…? I want to go home already.

A quick look at my cell phone told me that it is now 11:30 pm.

“Phew…”

I lazily lean against the iron gate and exhaled.

At this time, I got an unexpected meeting.

“Pardon me…. Is the place for midnight selling here?”

“Yes, that’s right…..”

I turned towards the questioner….

“Wahl!”

Both he and I let out a surprised cry.

“How could that be…?”

My body is frozen, my eyes stared at him. He is about my height, with a little droopy eyes, double eyelids plus chestnut short hair. He is wearing a quite eye-catching orange color down jacket.

In front of me, is the one I just asked to help me on the phone.

“A...Akagi?”

In front of me is Akagi Kouhei.

“Ky...Kyousuke?”

I think both of us are having the same expression now.

Because we are now queuing….. Can’t you people guess what?

In other words, it is as if you meet a classmate in a DVD rental store, porn area.
Ohhhhh…. What now?

By the way, this person is not supposed to be here!

“You….why…are you here?”

“That’s my line…”

Both Akagi and I already understood what happened, but we still refused to acknowledge it.

“Ahahaha….today is cold, Kyousuke.”

“..Yeah...that’s right, Akagi, ahahaha”

We tried to have a normal conversation.

“…….”

“……..”

A dead silence followed.

I swallowed hard...what is going on here…

I think I understood why this person is here, but…

Then suddenly, I remembered something, so I asked him:

“Hey Akagi! Didn’t I tell you to tell my parents that I was staying at your house? You agreed to it, and yet why are you here buying eroge?”

“Err…well ...Kyousuke, you know, I got my priorities list, so…”

“You….are you saying that an eroge is more important than your friend?”

“I… I've got my reasons! You… do not have to worry. If your parents call my home, my sister will help protect you! I have asked her to, so there is no need to worry! Anyway, Kyousuke, you are not in the position to blame me! I thought you lied to your parents so you could spend time with Tamura that is why I agreed to help you! But, here you are, at Akihabara and queuing to buy eroge! I’m so stupid!”

“I…I've got my reasons too!”

Because of our argument, many people turned and looked at us.

Yeah, it was awkward.

“Reason? What reason, Kyousuke?

“Ah…”

How could I say it? How could I say my sister told me to come here and buy “I’d never steal something like Onni-chan’s pantsu”…And it is an eroge… there is no way he will buy it.

But I still have to answer him.

“I...my reason is unimportant. What about you? Tell me then”

“Ah….”

With a sad expression, Akagi stayed silent, wiping the sweat on his forehead…

I think my face is the same.

“…….”

We both stared at each other, no one speaking a word.

“…Looks like we both have our reasons…”

“..Yeah…it certainly seems that way…”

“Hey, Kyousuke…I've got an idea…we've never met each other here, right?”

“That’s my friend, Akagi. Nice idea. We both didn’t go to Akihabara, and we didn’t come here buying anything.”

“Of course we didn’t buy eroges too!”

“Our friendship…”

“..Doesn't require any reason!”

We shook hands.

At that time, clack clack…. The iron door opened, and one employee stepped out.

“Now is the time, my friends!”

“Indeed it is!”

We shook hands again, listening to the clerk’s speech.

“I know that you all have waited long enough. Customers with pre-orders, please come line up here!”

Look like you can buy sooner if you have a pre-order, but neither I (nor Kirino) have it.

“I've got a pre-order, what about you Kyousuke?”

“Nope, I don’t”

You've got a pre-order. I thought I understand Akagi pretty well, but seems like there is a lot to him that I do not know of.

Besides, what eroge is he going to buy?

Another little sister-themed eroge?

However, he has a real little sister…if he still is going to buy little sister-themed eroge…I feel sorry for this girl, having such a perverted brother.

Because we've got an unspoken understanding, I did not ask him “what eroge are you going to buy”. Instead, I kept silence.

At that time, one staff member shouts out:

“Customer with pre-order for Homoge club, please line up here!”

“Ah, here I come” (Akagi)

“…Ohhhhhhh!”

A cold wind blew up in my snipe, I immediately let go of my “dear” friend.

Because the game’s poster included two muscle men hugging each other.

….My body was trembling in fear.

“A...Akagi… you you…. Are you…isn’t that a homoge?”

“K...Kousaka! You are definitely misunderstanding!”

“..No...No... I didn’t know that …you've got such a hobby…”

“Hey…wait… listen to me! We are friends, aren’t we? Look, Kyousuke. Just look into my eyes”

“Stay away from me!”

Gross! Disgusting! Now I understand Kirino’s feeling too well!

“Isn’t it a full on homoge? Do not come any closer! Sorry…I have never had such hobby like you…”

“Hey, Kyousuke, where did our friendship just now go to?

“I didn’t remember have a gay friend”

“I’m not a homo!”

“Then what’s about pre order for Homoge club? What is with that poster? I can’t believe you are a homo!”

“It is true that I’m going to buy a homoge! I acknowledge that! But I've got my reasons for that!”

Looking like he's backed into a corner, Akagi finally spit it out.

“The truth is…”

“Hmp?”

“That homoge… My sister asked me to get it!”

“Your...your sister asked you to buy it? ------”

Then it is hopeless.

“----- How could that be! If you want to make up an excuse, then you need to find something better!”

I pointed toward Akagi:

“Your sister is still a middle school girl! No matter how you look at it, a middle school girl asking her brother to go buy an eroge is totally ----“

“--- possible, isn’t it?”

“Hey…. Why did you suddenly accept it?”

“No… I did not doubt you…. You are right…the world is full of things that defy all common sense…”

It is all I can say. Simply because it is the same for me, I am here buying eroge because my sister asked me to do it, too. Even if Akagi is lying, I cannot blame him.

I also do not want to believe that my friend is a homo. I definitely do not want to.

“Hey Akagi… Does your sister…. like to play homoge?”

“Yes, she loves it very much.”

Loves it very much….

Well, if there is a little sister loves play little sister eroge, then a little sister that loves to play homoge is very understandable.
I turned around and took a look at all those girls in line at the homoge club.

Therefore, that is why even during midnight; there were so many girls here.

“Is...Is that what they call BL <ref>Boys Love</ref>?”

“No…how could I say it...there are many different types…”

“Okay, you don’t have to say it!”

I do not want to hear about it anymore. I already knew that it has many types that are more than enough! Stop talking!

“– In other words, my sister is what they call a fujoshi <ref>can be translate as “rotten girl”, but pronouce the same as “wife”</ref>”

“Wife?”

“No, you take it wrong. Not “fu” in “wife” but “fu” in “rotten”. She is what they call “rotten girl”. In fact, I am not very sure about her mental state – I only knew that she has a strange loves for forbidden loves. You understand?”

With serious expression, Akagi explain it to me.

I think what he just said is important, but I am still unable to warp my mind around it.

Is there a person like him, who explains his little sister’s strange hobby to another?

Of course, his situation is a little different from me ---- but I understand his feeling, want to complain about his little sister’s crazy behavior. Therefore, I tried to listen.

“Sorry, I still don’t get it. By the way, why did they call her “rotten girl”?

“Because it is rotten”

Akagi immediately answer. His word has a strange convincing tone, make me believe it. Although it also has an attitude of someone, who has already gives up.

Therefore, I cannot just ask him “you mean her brain is rotten?”

I can only say:

“So that’s why…”

“Yes, you understand?”

“Nope, I don’t “

Akagi almost tripped. After stood straight up again, he moved closer to me:

“In short, she loves homo! Home is awesome! Home is the best! Just like that!”

“Don’t say those things out loud!”

“Hey…Kousaka…Why do those entire girl is clapping? Am I that handsome?”

“Who knows?”

You idiot!

“Anyway, back to the topic…So because your sister loves homo, she asked you to come here and buy her a homo eroge?”

“Please don’t press this topic Kousaka….”

Akagi slowly shook his head.

I slowly nodded.

“So that is it…”

I understand your situation very well. In fact, I am in the same boat.

“The truth is very simple, but even if I told you, you still won’t believe me.”

“Hmp...Why?”

I am still process this revelation.

I cannot believe that there is another brother who is in the same situation with me. In addition, he is with me the whole time.

“Hey Kousaka. Everything I just said is what my sister taught me. I’m definitely not a homo”

“I know I know… the more you explain, the more I feel suspicious. Anyway, don’t mind me – go take a place in line, your store is already selling.”

Maybe someday I will tell this person the truth.

“Okay, see you”

“Okay”

I raised one hand at him. Akagi smiled, and then turned around. He walked toward the homo group.
All of the people gather here are girl, so he is a rare expectation.

I think all of them must be thinking that Akagi is a gay.

Poor guy…

When he gets to the last place in line, he turned at me, raised one hand and said:

“Kousaka! See you tomorrow at school!”

“Oh shit!”

Shit! They must be thinking that I am his boyfriend.

I can heard them whispered “Boy loves”

Before I could explain, they already move away.

A quick glance told me that now is 11:50. There were many people behind me now, make the total count exceed 100.

I already believed this country is weird. This night make me more certain about that. No matter “3D Custom Imouto” or “Homoge club”, why did they have such a big gamer community?

A distance away, I saw a camera operator took picture.

--- Why did he want to take a picture of a group of otakus?

At this time, a small doubt appeared in my mind

By the way, later I found out that – after they censored my face, they posted that picture on some website under the title “Younger lined up at night” or “Weird bicycle”

At this time, the shop manager started to broadcast:

“We will start selling right away, so please wait just a moment. And please remember that the last train from Akihabara departs at 12:30.”

They continued give notice about train schedule.

There are going to be many people unable to catch train this night, so they want to remind their customer about it.

“So customer who go by train, please pay attention –“

At this time, I still did not consider this.

“Hmp?”

Turned to the front, I can saw the door was being opened.

Unlike the outside, inside the shop is quite bright.

That is why then the door fully opened, the sight gave a warm feeling

I can almost heard otakus “Wow” somewhere.

After my eyes was used to the light, I can see eroges packed up like a small mountain.

For otakus, this place could be called heaven.

After I gone inside, I noticed that there was a mountain of eroge near the entrance, and the other products was lined up in clockwise.

The manager makes sure that customer can buy everything they need in one round.

The staff said:

“We will start selling now! Now then, first 10 people in line ---“

Therefore, that is how they avoid too many customers rush in and make things uncontrollable.

It is true that by only allowed 10 customers inside at once, for them this is the most effective method. However,

“I have a bad feeling…”

The problem is that method is very time consuming

Can you guy hurry up please? I need to catch the last train.

If I knew about it, I had come sooner.

I remembered at the Summer Comicket, there were huge lines made by otakus. Next time I definitely will come sooner.

After a while, it finally my turn.

I looked at my cell phone.

--- They said the last train is going to depart at 12:30 didn’t they?

“….Damn...I’m not sure if I can make it”

I need to hurry! Bought this game as soon as possible and run back to the station!

“Let’s see… Underwear…underwear… here!”

I pushed forward, tried to get to “3D custom imouto” and “Onii-san’s underwear’s stand. Both of them are already sold a lot.

“Well…. At least I got this…”

However, my fear quickly was proven true. Although I run as fast as I could, I still miss the last train.

“Ah…Damn!”

I dropped on the ground in front of Akihabara’s subway station.

“….What now?”

There was no way I could walk home. Took a taxi is also out of the question.

However, I also cannot just wait here for the first train in the next morning. I would definitely freeze to death

However, I have no idea what to do now!

Took a break near a light, I look at my cell phone.

Because I needed to tell my sister that, I cannot come home tonight.

I glanced at the paper box.

---- Regret filled my heart.

“Kirino…She was looking forward to this…”

However, there is nothing I can do now. I am so useless.

With mixed feelings, I pressed the call button.

“---Did you get it? Where are you now? Are you nearby?”

She picked up almost immediately.

Her voice told me how happy she was.

…This girl….

She was waiting for me…

This must be what parents feel when they break their promises with their child.

“…I’m sorry. I still at Akihabra’s subway station”

“…and…”
Took a deep breath, I said:

“--- The last train was already gone”

“Huh? What? What does that mean? When will you be back?”

“I already got the games you wanted, but when I got here, the last train has already left. Sorry, now I can only wait for the first train in the morning”

“..No way…this mean… you can’t get home tonight?”

“Yes...sorry...but I got your games”

“…Ah…what…now...”

Kirino’s voice was filled with depressed.

I could not believe this is the same girl who sounded so happy just now.

My heart hurt so much just from hearing that.

This girl always takes things seriously, even with a game.

No matter it is when he happy, angry, sad – she always gives it everything she got.

I cannot understand why, but I know how sad she is right now.

“…Is there...anyway...? Can you come home before morning?”

What a stubborn girl. Didn’t I just say the last train has already left?

Just wait a couple of hours. If you want to play it that much, why don’t you go get it yourself? Please do not ask me ----

---- There were no such ideas in my head.

Why? Normally, I would have said so.

This is only an eroge. Only a couple of hours.

However, no matter what, I could not say it.

I felt like I should – no, must not say it.

This is what I figure out later, when I recall this time.

However, at this moment, I can felt my sister’s uneasy voice. I can also understand why there was a reason for she to want me come home before morning.

I did not fully understand my actions or my feelings anymore.

If she did not want to give up, then I should not give up either.

“I will think of something ---“

“Huh? You mean - ?”

“Just stay awake! I will definitely come back before morning”

Then I hung up immediately.

“Next ----“

Now what? The truth is, I had no idea what to do. The only thing in my mind is come home as fast as possible.

All I had to do is come home, gave my sister her favorite eroge before morning ---

Just like that.

Ha ha…. I cannot understand myself….

I stood up, tried to stay focus.

First, check the current situation. Now is 12:48pm. I have no cast on me right now, no ATM card either. I also got no friend with a car.

All right, .first, I was going to ask all my classmates to find out if anyone lives near my home. If he can call me a taxi, then everything is okay.

Alternatively, I could ask Akagi for help. He is on the same situation anyway. Now, time is the most important matter.

I left the subway station, returned to the main road.

There, I found out what I needed.

--- Bicycle.

I saw this same bicycle near the eroge shop.

My first thought is ‘as long as I got this, I can go home’

However, there was a big problem.

Compare to take a taxi, asking for help from a stranger may be better. However, in my case, it is opposite.

However, I got no other choice. In order to bring that eroge back for my sister, I was willing to swallow my pride.

Just as Kuroneko said, I could do some crazy things for my sister.

I tried to calm down and then run toward the owner, asked:

“Sorry! Please let me borrow your bicycle!”

“What?”

His reaction is understandable

If some random stranger suddenly asked me to lend them my bicycle, I would react like that too. Not to mention that if he agreed to my request, then he would not able to get home. Therefore, my chance was slim

However – I did not give up!

Bowed down, I asked again:

“Please! I got an emergency! I will definitely return this to you!”

“Are…are you kidding me?”

A normal answer again. How could someone lend his bicycle for someone he never meets before?

“I need to quickly come home and play game, how could I lend you my bicycle!”

That is your reason, huh?

I looked up. The one I was talking to is a male. Short black hair, tall, thin, wearing a glasses, around 20 years old. I knew this is impolite, but his image fit perfectly with how I normally imagine otaku.

His jacket was also printed with a girl from eroge.

Wasn’t he the one in front of me when I was in line?

“Wait…You… You are the one behind me who causes the ruckus about homo.”

Seem like he noticed me too. Well, this is expected after lined up together for so long.

However, the situation still did not get any better.

To show my sincerity, I kneel down; my head almost touch the ground.

“Hey hey…what are you doing?”

“Please help me! My sister is waiting for me at home! Please, let me borrow your bicycle! I will definitely return it! I will do anything you asked! So please ---“

“All right all right, please stand up. “

Before I could finish, he pulled me back up. I could not imagine that he got such strength. His expression was ‘here come trouble....’

“Well…I’m not fully understood what is going on, but this is important right? And this is related to your sister?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“Then take it.”

“Ha?”

What did he just said?

“I told you, take it!”

He gently stroked his bicycle, and then said:

“I will let you borrowed it. Go, take it”

“Can...Can I?”

I still unable to believe what was just happened

Why did he trust a completely stranger like me?

Noticed my unspoken question, he said:

“Err…. Well…. I saw what you bought earlier.”

He said with a deep and sincere voice:

“To be honest, I also bought the same game. This is my favorite series; I have bought it from vol.1. Today, when I asked to have a day off, I have fully expected to be fired. I want to buy this game as soon as possible, then immediately enjoy it. That is why… I believe whoever enjoy this game cannot be a bad person. I don’t understand your situation, but we are partner, right?”

“Go, partner! Didn’t you have something very important to do?”

“..What about you?”

“Don’t worry. I got plan B”

He sat down at the nearby wall and then took out his laptop.

“I can play it here”

“Didn’t I say I’m going to play this game as soon as possible? Hey, this is my first time playing eroge outside, too”

Therefore, that is your plan B.

This person…really is an otaku among otakus. A true man among men.

I said with respect:

“Thank you very much! I will definitely return this kindness”

“Hmp, just go!”

He did not glance at me. His mind was already focusing on his laptop.

I bowed again, and then get on the bicycle.

I took a final look behind me. He was already playing, his eyes locked on the screen, his hand pressed Enter key nonstop.

“All right…”

Took a deep breath, I began step on the pedal.

Just 32km more until I got home.

“Phew…phew…phew…phew….”

After two hours, I finally got home.

My body was covered in sweat. I rested for a few seconds

“Phew…all right!”

I called my sister.

If my father is still awake, then I am finished.

“Why did you turn off your phone? How were you going to get home anyway?”

“I’m already at home”

“Ha?”

“I borrowed a bicycle from a friend to get home. Dad – is he still awake?”

“Wait a second.”

I could hear the sound of footsteps. Looked like she goes check on my parent:
“..They are asleep. Wait for me to open the door”

The door in front of me was opened; my sister appeared in her pajamas.

“Hmp…”

“A…”

Kirino slightly nodded and then let me get in.

“You are sweating too much. Here, clean it”

“Ah, thanks”

I used the towel she handed me to wipe myself.

“I will get you some clothes. Go take a bath.”

“Ah, yeah, right…”

My parent believed that I am still at Akagi’s house this night, so I had to take a bath as quiet as possible, and quickly changed into a new set of clothes.

Because my parent’s sleeping room is in the first floor, so after I finish changing, we sneaked back to the second floor in silent.

After she got to her room, Kirino placed one finger on her lip, and waved her hand.

Seems like she wanted me to get inside before give her the game.

I nodded then enter her room. Kirino immediately closed the door behind me.

We let out a relieve sigh.

On the nearby table, her laptop was already on. However, I paid it no attention; instead, I took out two eroges that she required.

“Here this is what you asked me to buy”

“Ah...Thank you. I’m sorry for making you do it”

“Ahaha, no problem – wait what about you? Is there something wrong?”

--- Thank you – I am sorry ----

I hardly believed that my sister could actually say it.

For nine months, although we have numerous conversations, but the times that she sounds so sincerely is less than five. Include what happen today, I wondered what happen to my sister today? Alternatively, this girl is actually a fake.

My little sister cannot be ---

“What are you saying? Are you an idiot?”

She scolded me again.

“What is with you today…? You are very different from usual …. Is there something wrong?”

“I said…”

Hands on her waist, Kirino is clearly angry now.

“What is with that attitude? Is...Is it that strange for me to thank you and sorry?”

“Of course it is strange!”

It is like heaven and earth swap position! Look at your usual attitude!

After I said it, Kirino got even angrier.

“Right….”
She turned to the side:
“Right…you mean like this huh…”

She sat down, clearly upset.

Yes. This is my normal little sister.

“…..”

Kirino began to tear up the paper box. After she finished, the eroge disk appeared in front of us.

Upon seeing the game, she immediately revealed an innocent smile.

She is still a child after all. Took the CD game and game manual out, she smiled happily:

“Oh…wonderful...I must instal this right now.”

While humming a song, Kirino placed the game CD inside her laptop’s CD drive.

Install an eroge right now is a bit risky, but whatever. As long as she happy then it is ok. She looked like a child just get a new toy.

I could not help but smile. All my efforts: going to Akihabara at midnight, line up to buy eroge, then ride the bicycle 32km back home – all of them are worthwhile.

A quick glance at the clock told me that now is 3:00Am

I stood up, turned toward the door.

“I’m going to get some sleep. Don’t say up too late, you still have school tomorrow.”

“….”

She did not seem to hear me.

“Hey, Kirino? Are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Ah…Ah, yes, I’m listening”

You obliviously did not. You only focused on that eroge and pay no attention to your surroundings.

However, I understand your feeling. I understand your excitement when your tear that paper box to get the game you longed for.

“Ok, then ---“

“Ah, please wait…”

“What?”

I turned around; my hand was already on the doorknob

Look like she just finished install the eroge “Onii-Chan’s underwear”

“---Do you want to --- play together? We haven’t able to play together for a while”

“…….”

How many times must I repeat myself? I could not play little sister eroge with my real little sister!

Besides, I was very tired. I just wanted to sleep.

In addition, I needed to get up early and get out of the house before my parents wake up in the next morning too. I should tell her that ---

“…Can we?”

“…Just a little, okay?”

Why did I say it?

Strange! So strange!

Not only Kirino, but also myself is also strange…

Therefore, I played eroge together with my sister again.

By the way, we sit side by side in front of the laptop.

I was wondering why she chose her laptop before. Now I knew.

Because we can only play together with her laptop.

In short, she wanted to play eroge with me from the beginning. However, there was a problem…

“Hey….move aside …”

“No way! I couldn’t see the screen if I moved anymore!”

Oooooo….

Why was I have to play little sister eroge in the night with my little sister?

…Can someone help me out of this?

This is no joking matter. Not only we got embarrassed at some eroges scene, but also the real problem was what if some important part of me showed a reaction while I was playing….then what should I do?

You idiot. Do you want me to say, “My jean got a fold “?

In addition, you too. Why are you laughing? This is a serious matter!

Ah…Damn….I can smell my little sister’s pleasant scent.

Did she use a perfume?

“Why is your face so red?”

“Because I just have a bath”

Take a breath…Breath out…Ok...Calm down….

Now I knew what a protagonist feel when he has to hide his super power.

Then…I think I will explain a bit about the R18 eroge - “I’d never steal something like Onii-Chan’s pantsu!”

In short, this is the sequel of another eroge that Kirino likes - “Make love with your little sister”.

However, unlike other eroge from the same company, in this game there is only one little sister for you to choose.

“Does…that mean…there is only one route?”

As usual, Kirino explained for me with an innocent smile:

“No. There is only one hero, but there are many routes! At first, you cannot get to all of them. After you beat the game a few times, you gain access to more option, leading to different endings. Beside, although each route is short, they are all well made. Each times, you started a new game; you can carry something from the previous time you play. Like in the “Metal gear solid” game, you only knew about each route after you get to them….”

Blah blah….

I understand one thing very clearly now:

This girl likes this kind of games very much and she likes to explain it.

Although all of this is unimportant to me, I still listened.

Maybe…maybe that is because only when Kirino talking about otaku stuff, we could be a normal brother and sister. It is like a cease-fire, or a special time for both Kirino and me.

However, I still didn’t understand: why me?

If this was nine months ago, then it was understandable. At that time, she had no one to talk to about her hobby. Even her brother is no expectation.

Now is different. She has Kuroneko – and Saori too.

In addition, even with some difficult… Ayase accepted her bobby too.

Kirino no longer needed to hide herself, she already got precious friends.

So naturally, if she wanted to talk about eroges, she could just go meet any of them.

I am no longer needed.

However, she still asked me for life consulting.

She asked me to buy her eroge.

Could this be …?

This is just a guess, but ----

Thank you, amici [1-Vol 1, chap 4]

I… a-also love you, amici… maybe [2 – Vol 2, chap 4]

---What do you expect me to say? Damn you siscon!

…Thank you very much.

Maybe my little sister did not hate me as much as I thought.

Maybe I am the only one thought that we both hated each other.

Maybe our cold war is already over.

Time flied. By the time we finished the first route, the sky was already light up. By the way, those H-scenes really made me embarrassed, but I noticed that Kirino still focus on playing. Just as she said, she never paid any attention to them.

“Aw…..”

I am so sleepy…at this rate; I am not going to get any sleep tonight.

I took a glance at my sister. She was now crying because of the story development.

“Hic…hic…what a tragic ending…”

“It is not like this is your first time with a tragic ending, is it?”

“I can’t believe it…Why are you not crying?”

With teary eyes, Kirino started lecture me.

What? Was the story truly that great?

Well…I am not really into this kind of game, so my view was probably incorrect.

“Hey, it is not like one of them is dead or anything. They can always just call each other, can’t they?”

“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You don’t understand anything!”

“…What...are you doing? Don’t get angry…”

Because she kept yelling at me, so I could only endure it.

Kirino “Oooo…”and then said in a small voice:

“Three days ago, you still looked like a dead man. You even come asked me ‘what do you want me to do’ “

“Ugh….”

I could not say anything back! What she said is the truth after all.

However, this did not change this game’s ending. A phone call can still solve any problem.

“All right, I got it. This is indeed a tragic ending. I take back everything I said, is that okay?”

“…Fine…”

Kirino said, clearly upset.

Now the situation is embarrassing again.

--- A few minutes later….

As a light was slowly entering the room through the window, I stood up:

“I’m gonna get some sleep now. At least I need some rest before Dad wake up.”

“Wait…waits a second!”

Kirino’s panic voice called me back:

“Is there anything you need?”

“I … Life consulting! I need a life consulting…!”

She said that after I just done her last life consulting.

It was the same as nine months ago, but…

I wanted to ask for a life consulting ---
I sighed:

“Didn’t you say your last life consulting is about buying eroge?”

“But this is not over yet!”

“Okay…”

Inside my mind, I wanted to ask how many ‘last life consulting’ you have.

After that, will you asked for another ‘this is really that last life consulting’ too?

All right…. It is not as if I did not expect that.

We are siblings, after all. We lived under the same root. There is no way I can escape my little sister’s grab that easily.

I gave her a wry smile:

“So, what do you need?”

“Ah…”

Kirino slightly nodded then walked to her bookshelf.

There are only a handful of items in there. Maybe that makes it easier for her to get to her secret storage.

It has been a long time since the last time I saw this ---

Kirino moved the bookshelf to a side, revealed a paper door. Behind this is her secret otaku storage.

Looked like there are even more than before.

When I looked at her anime DVD and eroge disks, I noticed one thing:

“Is…is that…”

“Ah, yes. This is my present”

The present we were talking about is the special Meruru figure.

“I heard Ayase said that you helped her choose that present.”

“Yeah…”

“To be honest, I’m very happy”

Kirino smiled.

Why are you talking about them now?

I could only say:
“That’s good to hear”

“Can you thank them for me?”

“You’d better do it yourself. Those two probably feel happy, too.”

“Yes...you are right”

Returned the figure to its position, Kirino placed her hands on her chest, took a deep breath.

I have seen her doing that before. This was right before she showed me her hobby. This was this exactly what she did to prepare herself.

“It has been a long time since our first time…”

Suddenly, Kirino turned to me, her face showed a radiant smile.

“Did you remember that time?”

“Yes, I remembered it clearly. You asked me ‘Are you really not gonna look down on me’ and I replied ‘I will definitely not looking down on you’”

“Yes…then did you remember the next line … I mean what I said later…”

“Hmp?”

What else did she said?
Kirino noticed that I did not remember, she clenched her hand, said:

“That time I said ‘Today, I can only let you see that much’”

“Ah, right. You said ‘there are some embarrassed things inside’”

You also said ‘because I’m not fully trust you yet’

When I remembered that, I suddenly have a thought: what she said that time means there is something even worse. That thought terrified me, because I can’t even imagine what else could be more embarrassed that ‘let’s make love with your little sister’”

“About that…you protected my secret…you didn’t look down on me…and you helped me a lot…”

Hey hey…what were you saying…Were you going to say….

“Even it is embarrassed…but I’ll let you see it”

Whatever it is, I did not want to see it [[User:Chaos|Chaos]] ([[User talk:Chaos|talk]]) 05:51, 1 October 2012 (CDT)

---At least I stopped myself in time.

My little sister was going to show me some of her embarrassed things.

I did not know what those are, but the feeling of something unknown is going to happened…Can you imagine that.

However, I could not just turn around and leave. I could tell that this is the focus of her ‘life consulting’

“Does that mean you trust me now?”

Kirino slightly nodded.

“Yes…I think”

“Ah…”

Why did this look as if I want to know her secret?

I never wanted so know it in the first place.

“So...ah...I’m gonna open it now”

Kirino quickly said, then opened the box.

Clank…

“Hmp? What is…?”

I picked up the game box just dropped out.

“Ah, that’s ….”

Kirino said in a panic voice. However, that is too late; I already saw the picture in the game box.

This picture showed an adult little sister completed naked from below the waist….

The game was named “Scatolo Sister” <ref>poop</ref>
WH…WH...What?

I blinked. Then I rubbed my eyes, and looked at the game box. Finally, I asked:

“Did you….eat…poop?”

“What?”

Splash!

She slapped me. Then Kirino yelled:

“You...you…you…What the heck are you talking about! Gross!”

“But…but…”

So why does this game here? “Scatolo Sister” is definitely a hard eroge! How could you still refuse to admit it is yours?

It really is a super embarrassed thing. I have never imagined she hides such thing among her eroge disks.

“This is a misunderstanding!”

Kirino hastily explained:

“This…this…waits, listen to me! This is important! Just listen to me!”

She was trying her best to explain. She was blushing madly, even her ears were reddened.

“I didn’t know about this while I bought this game! Because …because I like the author, so I bought his game! I only found out about this after I opened the game box at home!”

“Okay…Okay! Stop right now, all right?”

“No! You do not understand anything! Hey, this is related to my dignity and image, so listen carefully!”

Your image could not possibly get any worse.

When you became a hardcore fan of imouto-eroge, your model image was already destroyed!

“I…I got it! You did not interest in that, did you? Okay, got it!”

“Did you really mean it? Or you just said it to comfort me?”

You are so hypochondriac – but I understand. If it were I, I would say the same thing.

“I got it! You bought it because you liked the illustration. But when you opened it, you found out that this game is totally different from what you imagined, so you just left it there and didn’t play it, right?”

“I… I already finished this game…”

“So you played it?”

Why could not you just lie and said “Yes”! Everything would be over if you said so!

Why couldn’t you lie?

“Because I already spent money on that, leaving this alone is such a waste! Besides, the only reason I still kept it is that I am a fan of this artist. I did not want to throw it away or gave it back to the game store. That’s why I kept it here…”

“Okay...Got it, I understand…”

“Really?”

“Yes. I completely understand now. But…you are amazing.”

Even if it were my hobby, I would not ever dream of playing a poop-eroge, much less cleared it. My sister really is something else.

“So…um…Should I continue?”

“Ah...right…yes, please”

I replied automatically, trying to get out of this dangerous situation as quick as possible.

“Continue…huh?”That mean she is going to show me her next secret embarrassed thing….

“Ah…I originally indented to show you that…”

What does that mean? Are you saying “Scatolo Sister” is just a normal item among them?

…Which mean…?

I swallowed hard, noticed that Kirino had pulled out another paper box – a very BIG paper box, in fact.

“..Let me asked this beforehand, what is inside?”

“Ah…many things….”

Kirino did not realize my terror; she began to open her box. I can felt my heart beats faster and faster with every passing seconds.

The result – the truth is, at the first glance, there was nothing worth mention. There were a pack of doujins, some anime illustrations, paper bags and eroge boxes….But a particular notebook and an IPod caught my attention.

“This is normal than I thought…”

Could this be?

No, of course this is not. My little sister could not possibly keep such normal things.

All right, listen up Kyousuke. You had better mentally prepare yourself. Imagined that Kirino is about to show you something very unbelievable. Done? Good.

Here is my prediction:

Kirino will bring out something even more terrified.

I have been her brother for 14 years – I would probably right about this.

So…for example, is that game’s illustration showed two people – naked?
I do not have the courage to confirm it ….

In addition, that pack of photo over there…what could there be? I have seen homosexual and poop – what else could await me?

For a normal high school student, I cannot think of any good idea.

Because of that, all I can do is make some observation:

“Hey, about that…”

“Hmp…What?”

“Kirino, can I ask what is stored inside that IPod?”

I secretly hoped that her answer is ‘music’.

“Oh? Ah, this?”

However, Kirino froze, unable to say anything.

You brought this out, but judging from your reaction….

Something dangerous must be hidden inside!

“Do...do you want to know?”

“No…no…There is no need to tell me.”

“Oh…I see…”

…She sigh in relieve? Therefore, this really is….

I am even more terrified. Does this mean everything inside is much worse than “Scatolo Sister?”

I cannot handle them. Definitely not! This is beyond my ability!

Kirino started reach deep inside the paper box ----

“Ah, wait….First I want to show you this notebook…”

Wawa….

“Wait a second!”

Isn’t it the most dangerous item here? Please spare me!

“I understand everything perfectly clear! There is no need for you to explain anymore! Can we please stop here tonight? Yes, we can just look at this together later! I really want to go sleep now!”

I desperately begged Kirino. I got a feeling that if I saw that notebook; something will forever remain in my mind.

“….Ah…ok…”

Kirino nodded weakly, but she quickly regained her normal cheerful attitude.

Then she pulled out another eroge box and handles it to me:

“At least take a look at this!”

“What is …this?”

“Lovely Sister Angel”? What do you want to do?

My face must have shown a puzzle expression.

“All right…”

Although I don’t know why she wanted me to look at this, but since she asked me, there is no reason for me to not do that.

After Kirino heard that…

“Okay…”

She slightly nodded, but somehow she looked sad.

I opened the “Lovely D Sister Angel” box.

There is no eroge disk or manual inside. Instead, inside are just some illustrations.

“Hmm? Isn’t it an eroge box?”

“Nope, I used this as a collector box. I kept every decoration I got inside here. Didn’t you just see the EX Meruru figure nearby?

Did I? I am not so sure myself.

“So? What do you wanted to show me?”

“Yes…this…here I go”

Clank! Kirino’s sudden opened the box, so I immediately back off.

However, inside is not like what I expected.

There are only a handful of items inside, and the first things she picked up are…

“…Is that…family contact note?”

“Yes, this is from when I was in elementary school”

Why this? I send her an ‘I don’t understand’ glance, but she just urged me to look inside, so I can only follow.

“There is the reason I started practicing track and field”

“…………”

I listened to my sister’s story while look through her contact note.

However, I soon noticed something is off. Because from her first grade to her third grade, Kirino’s gymnastics score was just “need more practice “and her others scores were at average. Because I expected every of her scores were “excellent”, so I am very surprise.

“The truth is I’m not very good at track and field. But…something made me very unhappy happened, so I started practice track and field.”

Kirino glanced at me.

It is possible that when she was slow back then and someone make fun of her, or because this gave her some unpleasant memories….

I turned to her fourth grade.

It is still “need more practice”

However, from this point, her fifth grade is “good” and her sixth grade is “excellent”. Her result started climbing up.

This must be the result of her training.

Not only that, her other scores also slowly rises.

“Here are some medals I won from some tournament.”

Kirino showed me six medals.

Sixth placed, sixth placed, fifth placed, fourth placed, third placed, and second placed – sure enough, it slowly increased.

“This is not match with my current image, beside it is so embarrassed – that’s why I have never mentioned it with anyone. When I feel tired or depressed, I often look at this and feel ‘do not look down on me, idiots’ – then I regain my spirit….”

Therefore, not only she did not forget her fundamentals, she also used her first failure as a lesson.

---- Do not look down on me, idiots ----

I knew that practicing track and field is not an easy task. In addition, for Kousaka Kirino – who started later than other members did, it must be even harder for her.

“You are really great”

“Oh?”

Hearing me murmur, Kirino suddenly look up.

Both she and I look directly at each other’s.

I do not know what to say. I honestly feel that she is great, but I cannot bring myself to praise her. After a few seconds, I said…

“If we both enter a race now, I probably won’t be able to win”

Even I felt that line is so boring.

Hearing that, Kirino’s eyes widen and then she stared laughing happily:

“Of course! Who do you think I am?”

She puffed out her chest in confident.

No matter what her first motivation was, now after six years of training, she gained confidence with her own effort.

Because I’m just a normal guy, I feel this is so amazing. Ah, just as she said, she really did have the right to said ‘who do you think I am’.

For me, I only wanted to enjoy a normal life.

I have never even considered give up on this lifestyle.

However, right now, I knew that a part of this is a lie. That part is also taking my gentle, plain childhood friend as a reason for laziness.

Kirino is the one showed me that. Indeed, I should thank her for this.

Of course, as for ‘how should I thank her’ is a future immediately problem.

I am still do not know why did my sister show me all this.

Kirino carefully put her medals and notes in the box again, and then sealed it.

“Well…you see…”

She opened her arms across her secret collection; spoke in a very sincere voice:

“This…and that…everything …all of them are very important to me.”

“I know”

There is no need to repeat it again.

Why do you think I argue with Dad to save them?

Because I cared for your feeling, I was able to have showdown with Ayase!

Kirino seems trouble, as if she does not know what to say.

“You said …you will help me protect my important collections, right?”

“Yes”

“Please keep doing that in the future.”

“Of course I will, idiot”

Didn’t I already say that long ago? I also have endured so much for this, how could I just give up on them?

I felt a little annoy! Now her last life consulting is over, she still wanted me to provide after services.

I fully expected there would be some more ‘last life consulting ‘from her.

“This can’t be help. I’m your brother, after all.”

“Yeah… you are right.”

“Of course, why are you seems so trouble?”

I smiled:

“Hey, about that ‘last life consulting’ – is that over?”

“Yes.”

Something is off. First, she asked me to go buy eroges for her, then she wanted me to play it with her, then she showed me some of her embarrassed things ---

Our last life consulting is similar to our first life consulting, but there is no development.

The first time Kirino asked me for life consulting, from her attitude I can tell that this is about ‘I have no one to share my hobby’ and ‘I want to have friends with the same hobby’. However, today, I cannot figure out why she wanted that life consulting.

That is why I got an uneasy feeling.

It is as if…I choose the wrong choice…

….I should have agreed to look at her photo album earlier; there is probably nothing too strange there anyway.

“But I haven’t done anything to you, is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine”

However, she looks very satisfied.

She only has that look when I success in protect her hobby from Dad, or when Ayase made up with her again. However, today I have not done anything.

I do not get it. Is this possible for me to help her without realize it?

Still nodding, my sister smiled:
“I feel like I can finally put down a boulder on my chest”

That smile – it brought back memories.

Yes…when she was small, she used to smile like that.

“Really?”

I turned around, raised one hand and stepped out of her room.

“Good night, Kirino”

“Right---“

Before the door closed, behind me, I can hear she said:

“Good night, Aniki <ref>The most respect way to address a male older than you. Normally refer to a older brother </ref>”

The next morning, my little sisters disappear.

The next morning, right after I came back from school, I went straight to my room to prepare for exam ----

“Phew…..”

All right, I admitted that I did not study.

Recently I did not get much sleep, so I ended up fell asleep in my table.

Of course, I only sleep for a few minutes at best.

I woke up with an “Ah!”, then “Ah...Ah…” Even I do not know why I said that.

“Ah…ha…ha…”

It is as I was in a dream --- a dream from so long ago….

When I woke up, only a few string of that dream remains, so I cannot remember about it.

“Right…”

However, I remember one thing…

A warm feeling in my chest.

I felt thirsty, so I went downstairs. Here, I meet my mother who just came back from shopping.

“I’m home...? Kyousuke? Are you here to greet me?”

“I just coincident pass by. Let me help you”

I took the bag from her and brought them to the kitchen.

Here, I casually asked:

“By the way, where is Kirino? She hasn’t come home yet, did she get club activities or work?"

However, my mother replied…

“What? What are you talking about?”

Yes, she said that.

I wanted to asked “what are you talking about”, but managed to hold back. This is just a trivial matter, after all.

However, later at night, Kirino still has not come home.

She always follows the rule to the letter, so she should has contact our parent.

She is not the kind of girl who hangs out and causes problems, so it must be she is late due to club activities. Of course, I am not worry about her.

At dinner, I asked again:

“Where is Kirino?”

“You…what are you saying?”

My father’s face showed a surprise expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Ah…so that’s it…Kirino said she will tell you personally.”

“What do you mean, anyway?”

“Kirino is gone”

“What?”

“She went to American today. In order to receive professional’s training, she will remain there until she finish high school”

“What…what is going on?”

My father ‘Hmp’ continued:

“In a cross-training session not long ago, a foreign coach interested in her. He said she has potential. I remembered that he also said that if she has experience in foreign competition that would be huge help in her future. However, I still couldn’t accept it…Don’t you think this is too exaggerated?”

“……….”

“In my opinion, I think that she should wait until she finishes high school. I also spoke with the current track team coach about scholarship. However, they said that even if we wait a single year, this could be a big different. They said now is the best time for Kirino.”

My father said that with an upset voice.

I still tried to suppress my anger, so I remained silence.

“Kirino said that she want to test her limit. Of course, because she had no scholarship now, it cost a lot. I told her that I would not give her that much money, which is the truth. No matter what she said, I cannot allow 14 years old girl go alone to a foreign country. If something happened, we wouldn’t be able to come to her immediately….And not to mention that her language….”

Dad…you are depressed too…

“But…In the end, didn’t you still allow her to do that?”

“Hmp, she is very stubborn. I told her that I will not give her money, and then she showed me the necessary money. She told me that am her saving from her model work and book royalties. What else could I say?”

Right. If she decided something, she will never listen to other’s opinions.

“So…”

Kirino is gone.

I felt like I already have a premonition…

“Yes, that is right”

My father started eating dinner in silence. His daughter is gone, he should feel very lonely.

I did not say anything more.

Besides, she is gone. No matter whom I asked, I will not be able to understand her reasoning.

Everything happened right in front of me, but I did not notice.

That is why Kirino started writing – to get royalties.

Her recent changed attitude and ---- her last life counseling’s purpose.

At that time, I already got an indigestion feeling, but why did she give me such a satisfied smile?

Why did she leave without telling me a word?

She made a wayward decision then follows it on her own.

That has happened a few times before. I knew her personality very well, but….

I am neither angry nor surprised. Perhaps somewhere deep down in my heart, I had expected this day.

After dinner ended, I returned to my room.

For some reason, I stopped midway and opened my sister’s room.

The door is not locked. Without light, the room is quite dark.

There is no change from the last time I was there. Everything still clean.

There are only a few books in the bookshelf.

No one in the bed.

The PC still in the table.

There will not be anyone suddenly call me to their room and force me to play eroge.

“Well, maybe this is better”

I said that to the empty room.

I returned to my room and dropped in my bed.

Instead of lie face up, I turned around.

My eyes look at the wall. This wall is thin, so normally I can hear every sound above average from the other side.

However, this will not happen again. There will not be any strange music or loud conversation in the other side. No one will come to my room at mid night then sit on top of me. No one will bring his or her trouble friends to this house anymore.

I should feel happy. Because now, my normal lifestyle could continue again.

The last life counseling was a success.

However – what should I do next?

This time, I truly have been released from my little sister. However, can I just return to my lifestyle nine months ago?

I felt that is impossible. I do not want to go back on my own words, but this is what I honestly feel.

Because my sister entrusted me not only her secret hidden behind the bookshelf, but also something else – something that cannot be seen.

Like the otaku’s knowledge that she told me.

Like many our memories together.

Like some new friends that I meet thank to her.

Even if Kirino is gone, those things will not.

They are still here with me.

All of them have fused together with my life, became a part of mine – an inseparable part of mine. That is why Kirino could happily nod.

She said “Ah…yes”

In short ---

That is how our last life counseling ends.

Everything next just happened.

Really…in the end, this girl is not a cute little sister at all.

Take care of yourself, idiot.

My name is Kousaka Kyousuke, second years in high school. I am 18 years old.

It is a bit embarrassed, but I am a normal high school student. I do not participate in any club. I do not have any special talent. Of course, I know about current eroge, or what my friends normally talk about, but I have no interested in them.

After school, I usually spend time with my friends, go home with my childhood friend, or go straight home.

Sometimes….I participates in some activities.

Is that how a high school student supposed to act? Sorry, but the truth is we all feel very ‘normal’, and we reject everything ‘abnormal’

In addition, about ‘normal’, that means we acts like others, follows their way of life.

As long as we can do that, no matter how much we changed, we still can be called ‘normal’.

It is spring now, on the road to school, two rows of cherry-blossom is now in full bloom.

I am a third year student now.

In front of me, girls in new uniform continue to our school, their face full of hopes. I remember when I was like that too.

Maybe Kirino is the same too.

“What’s wrong, Kyou-chan?”

“Ah, nothing”

Answered my childhood friend, I pulled my bag to the side.

“I hope we can continue in the same class this year”

“Yes, I hope so too”

Manami nod slightly, but then she “oh”

“What’s up?”

“Hey, Kyou-chan, recently you have changed, did you?”

“Where?”

“Ah… I mean… you are gentler now.”

“Ha….”

I poke her forehead.

“What do you think?”

“Oh….Oh…Do you want me to call you Onni-chan?”

“Please. Please do not! “

---- At that time, I saw her back.

In front of me, wearing new uniform.

Her back seems so familiar.

I hurried to catch up with the new student, completely ignored what should I do if this is the wrong person and look at her face…

Standing there ----

"Good morning, senpai."
==Translator’s notes & references==
<references/>
Special thanks for Selfish Writer for helping me with beta. Best wishes for you.
PS: @ Delirium: Can you add the button below so it is easier to move between pages? Or anyone else can please?
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| Back to [[Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai:Volume 4 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai:Volume 5 Chapter1|Vol 5 Chapter 1]]
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</noinclude>

Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter1

2011-05-26T17:53:20Z

220.255.1.33:

==1st Ammo: Case E8==

Reki.

Always expressionless, unfeeling and taciturn Reki.

Protecting me on orders from the “wind”, the Reki who, armed with only a single sniper rifle, bravely took on the Ten Thousand Skill Warrior Koko.

Under the starlight, that Reki was sprawled on the roadway.

“This wound…..It’s not a gunshot wound.”

Said Shirayuki’s younger sister, Kazayuki, who was kneeling on one knee at Reki’s side.

The astonishment at her previously abrupt and hard to believe exclamation about Reki’s bloodline still remained. However, now is not the time to be speaking about family lineages.

Medical aid for Reki has to be quickly administered.

“Reki was wounded by some sort of light that I don’t really understand; some kind of invisible bomb. She bled considerably before you arrived. Shirayuki, your….healing art or something; can’t you use it?!”

Clinging onto my words, I shook Shirayuki by the neck, trying to get rescue to come.

“Ordinarily, I would be up to the task…...but right now, my powers are unstable.”

“Unstable….?”

Kazayuki explained to me with my furrowed eyebrows,

“Lately, in Japan…no, throughout the whole world, there has been a weakening of supernatural abilities. The reason for this drop in success rate is unknown. Among the Hotogi, the ability to heal wounds has been especially limited. In the event of failure, it could kill the person.”

I weakened at her words….

Somehow or the other, simply having Shirayuki’s magic turn the game for the better would not be the case.

Then how can I…..

As I agitatedly paced around, Shirayuki took Reki’s temperature.

“Terrible. Her body temperature has plummeted to extremely low levels. If we don’t get her to a hospital fast….”

From behind, Shirayuki and her sisters boarded a convertible, a Himiko, a solid sedan of Mitsuoka Automobile and a Kushinada that came along with it.

Shirayuki and her sisters used this bulletproof car for retreat in accordance with the battle situation.

Just perfect. These guys can transport Reki.

However….

“Don’t go to a hospital. Our enemy from just now, Koko, was using a sniper rifle.”

Right now, there is no sniper here.

If the hospital in the city came under attack from a sniper rifle, we won’t be able to do anything.

Urban areas with plenty of buildings are where a sniper holds the most advantage.

“In that case, we’ll take Reki-sama to a branch shrine of the Hotogi. We’ll call a doctor there.”

Kazayuki grudgingly soaked her miko garb in blood carrying Reki.

Carrying Reki in the back seat of the Kushinada, I supported her, together with my neighboring passenger. With our cell phones destroyed, Shirayuki got into the co-driver’s seat and called Butei High.

With the engine primed forward, Kazayuki settled down on a passenger seat with a sharp expression. Right now, her wakyuu was in her hands in preparation for a pursuit with Koko.

The driver opposite and the driver here; both of them dazzling beauties started their vehicles to maintain a lookout over the river bank, heading down the mountain road.

“Kin-chan, it’s connected. The Masters’ night duty room. It’s Nangou sensei.”

I accepted the white cell phone from Shirayuki, and explained the situation to Nangou-sensei of Snipe; how during Caravan 1, we came under sniper attack on the outskirts of Kyouto, the battle near Mt Hiei, Reki’s wounding and the assailant being a Hong Kong exchange student named Koko. The silent Nangou listened to my words, all the while not saying anything.

“That’s Case E8, Tohyama. The Masters cannot act.”

A low voice at the end was the reply.

Case E8.

That was cipher code for “possibility of perpetrators within being high and as such, this common knowledge cannot be leaked out. Make contact with trusted individuals as active partners; resolve issue by the hand of concerned parties.”

Nangou’s decision was….right. The perpetrator infiltrated under the disguise of an exchange student from Hong Kong.

If the situation became common knowledge amongst the entirety of the student body, the enemy could obtain information.

Thus, Butei Article Chapter 4:

Butei must be independent.

Upon reaching their 2nd or 3rd year in Butei High, it is a general rule that they defeat their enemies on their own.

Those who receive aid from the Masters are interns or inexperienced first years. As it was not like I joined only recently, I somewhat understood Butei High’s education policy. I understood….Nangou’s callousness. Although, the one who’s been attacked is your student, can’t you be more worried?

“If unarmed civilians get involved, contact me again Tohyama.”

…..It would be too late if that happens. Muttering in the depths of my heart, I made my salutations and cut the connection with Nangou.

Two vehicles sped down the mountain from the national highway 367 towards highways 105 and 106. During a stop at an intersection, Kazayuki knocked an arrow and briefly raising her bow, surveyed the bank. Casting a sidelong glance, I called Riko from Shirayuki’s phone.

(Koko’s modus operandi resembles Riko’s in some parts.)

Vocaloid warnings, submachine gun mounted radio controlled devices. Conversely, Riko’s close combat technique in the confrontation with Haimaki at Butei High had the feeling of Kungfu.

Perhaps she may have some kind of connection with Koko. However, my call could not connect. Riko was out of range. Yesterday at Osaka where I encountered by chance Riko and Aria who were speaking of working together. When I tried to make a call, Aria was out of range.

In the midst of such a serious affair where are those two? They aren’t near at all.

(……Koko….)

Unable to do anything, I again considered from where our enemy may target us.

Just who is she?

A superhuman capable of combining hand to hand combat skills rivaling mine in Hysteria Mode, handgun skills that can evenly match Aria’s and sniper skills equal to that of Reki……The face of E.U? I wouldn’t happen to know.

With that being the case, I called Jeanne who just like Riko, had her roots in E.U. It took 6 calls to get a response from Jeanne, who was sleeping in the middle of the night.

“Hotogi? What’s the matter?”

A clear voice emitted from the phone.

“No, it’s me. Tohyama Kinji. I’m calling from Shirayuki’s phone.”

“……? It....It’s the middle of the night. Why are you using Shirayuki’s phone?”

Ignoring the suspicion in her voice, I urgently explained the situation.

“Jeanne, is there a sniper of Reki’s skill within E.U? A monster with hand to hand combat and handgun skills. Her name is Koko,” I asked.

“Sniper…..Koko? Non. Except for Sherlock, a sniper with the skill to exchange shots evenly with Reki does not exist in E.U. There are people like Patra who use sniper rifles but they are of modest skill.”

Then Koko….is not a remnant of E.U.

With my face sheer white, I recounted the words Reki had spoken.

“The enemies from here onwards cannot be beaten through a simple contest of force.”

The enemies from here on.

(Reki…)

Losing my desire to sleep, I held Reki and clenched my teeth in frustration.

You, we….. How can fighting be even possible now?

Reki……!

Within the powerful Hotogi shrine, the organization is divided into the main shrine and branch offices.

The branch office also doubles as a branch shrine. There was a large branch shrine of the Hotogi shrine in Kyoto. Around the time we arrived there, a warm rain had begun to fall from the lightening sky. On the wet asphalt scented road, megumi miko stood on alert. These were young miko who served full Hotogi miko like Shirayuki and Kazayuki. The megumi miko carried Reki away on a stretcher and led me, Shirayuki and Jeanne who had rushed over in a taxi to the shrine. Ascending a flight of meticulously swept stone steps…..

“Tohyama, this place is just like a city. Reki will be safely protected here,” Jeanne said as she calmly surveyed the surroundings.

“Ah. Upon arrival I felt that the Hotogi’s head and branch shrines were slightly different from normal shrines. It looks like a shrine yet its construction also resembles a fortress.”

Below was a garage. We saw the two vehicles being used some moments ago entering there. Not only cars but Kawasaki Heavy Industries OH-1 Ninja reconnaissance helicopters were housed there. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honden honden]of the Kyoto branch of the Hotogi shrine was situated at the top of a hill overgrown with Japanese cedar. Where snipers are concerned, they would be unable to take up position beneath the slope and fire into the interior of the shrine. Additionally, with the exception of the entrance [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii torii], samurai estates ringed with walls of mortar guarded the entire approach. Beneath the torii, Kazayuki, who had arrived earlier, stood sentinel in formal red armor and her [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%92%8C%E5%BC%93 wakyuu] in hand. Koko won’t succeed if she were to blindly pursue us here.
“This way Kin-chan,”Shirayuki said as she led us under the torii to a first-aid mansion resembling Kazayuki’s clinic. Summoned nurses and a female doctor immediately crowded one of the rooms where Reki was brought into. Medical equipment and medicines filled the area around them.

“Oh…oh…..you took a hit there…..”

The young female doctor fixing her rimless glasses who greeted Reki was brandishing a handgun. It seems like Hotogi summoned a professional from the Medic DA. Medic Butei are like medic troopers in the army; key personnel who give emergency treatment to wounded Butei. In Butei High, it’s the Medica who train these Butei.

“Blood cell count, blood type determination - cross match, biochemistry check – ASAP, begin blood transfusion.”

Immediately, the nurses monitoring Reki’s condition hurried to carry out the doctor’s instructions.

“Boy, while we work here, you go take a rest. Your face looks like a corpse,” the doctor said as she cast a sidelong glance at me.

“I can’t help at all? Reki; she…” With that, I, who could not take my eyes off Reki calmly walked towards Shirayuki.

“It’s okay, Kin-chan. This is a doctor under contract with Hotogi. She’s the number 1 doctor in Kyouto. Wait. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Listen Shirayuki…”

Certainly, it was frightening getting used to the methods of the doctor currently treating Reki. Almost assuredly, under normal conditions wounded Butei would have been first examined.

(Reki….)

Last night, I had been able to perform first aid on Reki.