Editing KSGU:Volume 3 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 9===

The microphone in the air swayed with the gust blowing from the air conditioner. Daguza had no intent of taking it in his hands. His left hand was held in a cast, and his right hand was holding onto the handgun as he just stood around without doing anything. Something like a handgun here would not be of any use.

Audrey too lowered her head as she remained silent. Banagher looked around this bridge that was not too big, waiting for someone to say something. None of them did, and none of them met Banagher in the eye as they were all focused somewhere else, looking at each other. The only one who met him in the eye was the man sitting on the captain’s seat, but he would not answer Banagher’s stare. Neither Daguza, Alberto, nor any of the passengers—

''Why aren’t you doing anything? Why are you still remaining silent? What’s with this burdensome silence waiting for someone else to speak up?'' As Banagher thought about this, he looked back at Audrey, and the voice from the wireless communicator declared, (I understand.)

(Our side will sink your ship.)

Only these words were said as the line was cut off. After a beat, the man who looked like the captain growled to the entire ship “IT’S COMING!”

“Anti-air artillery! Mobil suit squadron, intercept on your own.”

The hulking female officer grabbed onto the console and started giving instructions to each department. The remaining crew all got to their stations as the bridge got buzzing. Once the unique cogs started to spin, they will unite to cause the large structure to work— however, they would not start or stop on their own. Banagher had his hand on the back of the operator’s seat, taken aback by the buzzing that was completely different from before, and let his listless stare reach the window in front of him. ''Soldiering is a job too.'' Banagher had such a thought in his mind again as he asked himself, ''What should I do?''

Soldiers had different duties like those workers in a factory, and even the captain was one of these cogs. This ship, the Nahel Argama, was a gear of a large organization called the army. If that were the case, what would be the thing moving the cogs? The Generals? The Prime Minister of the Federation government? Or Anaheim Electronics? No, Alberto would be fulfilling the role of a cog, and he gave the vibe that he had no right to make decisions. Even the important person to Neo Zeon, Audrey, could not say what she wanted to say because of her own predicament, so it may be that all the higher-ups were the same. If everyone was an individual cog that feared the Laplace Box, who would be the person who wanted to protect it even if it meant using a hostage? Would that mean that this thing called an organization itself had a will that demanded humans to obey?

The beams continued to fly outside the window, and the explosions of debris lit the bridge. ''This is too stupid.'' Banagher silently stared at Daguza as the captain and everyone were growling and giving commands all over the place, and yelled, “CAN’T YOU JUST GIVE THE BOX AWAY!?”

Audrey lifted her head. If Neo Zeon got hold of the Laplace Box, there would be another great war—that may be the case. But so what? Nobody knew its true identity, and there was no certain proof that Audrey’s worry would become reality. “If you want everyone to die over something you don’t even know what it is—” Banagher emphasized, “Then, can you bear responsibility?” Daguza felt stiff as he opened his mouth, and could not say what he wanted to say.

“If in the end, the power hidden in the Box is something like that, and if it ends up killing more people, how are you going to apologize to the dead and their relatives? How do you intend to compensate them?”

A jolt happened below their feet as Banagher’s soles floated away from the floor. The beams continued to fly outside the window, and the expanding lights of explosions lit half of Daguza’s face. He looked away from the silent Banagher and said to the subordinate beside him “Keep calling the enemy” and wielded his handgun. The subordinate who had the size of a wrestler looked like he recovered and nodded as he grabbed the microphone floating in the air.

“Cease your attacks, or Mineva Zabi will be executed. This isn’t a threat.”

The sound of the impact overwhelmed the stiff voice as sirens and damage reports roared all over the place. The subordinate continued to call the enemy, and Daguza, who had his gun pointed at Aurey, had no expectations of what this would do. The captain and everyone else who were focused on the battle in front of them continued to attacking while ignoring their own hostage, just fulfilling the roles that were decided for them. They all responded with the tasks they were given, the fixed roles, options—other options would appear if they had only changed their perspective a little, but none of them were willing to move there. The weight of the term called responsibility had sealed off their eyes and mouth just like how it was at this point.

''This is why the adults can’t express their true thoughts,'' Banagher suddenly thought. ''The more they obey their duties, the more they will succumb to their responsibilities, and they will gradually lose sight of everything around it. And once they find a situation where nothing can work, they will push the responsibility onto someone else and remain silent. They shunned the responsibilities by making it rather vague, saying that they had no rights or authority, only caring about what’s in front of them and saving themselves. If the world is destroyed before of this, the adults will definitely say that they don’t have the power and rights to save the world.''

''If I want to save her, I must have the realization to bear the weight of the world—is this how it is? So these hurdles that obedient people without malice build up are the weight of the world?'' Banagher was not hoping for anyone to do anything at this point as he stared at his palm.

The palm that had not fully felt the meaning and pain of work was covered with a mere thin layer of skin. Banagher did not feel this hand could bear the weight of the world, but it could touch Audrey, it could touch her stubborn delicate body and give warmth to her. If this was something Banagher had to do, he would be willing—

“…We just need to hang on through this situation, right?”

Banagher muttered and lifted his head.

“If we take down that red mobile suit, there won’t be any need to take Audrey as a hostage, right? I’ll do it!”

Banagher glanced aside at the stunned Daguza and turned away. He felt Audrey’s stare from behnd him, but if he stopped, he would be unable to move due to fear. Banagher dashed out of the bridge without looking back.

The heat on his body was gathered at his temples. Banagher was driven by a pulsating heat as he undid the bandage on his head and took the elevator down. He put his hand on the inside of the cubicle and pressed the button that led to the mobile suit deck. ''What do I intend to do? The moment Banagher closed his eyes and asked himself this, the door that was nearly shut seemed to clamp something.

Alberto, who was in the normal suit, appeared on the other side of the elevator door that was opened. He put his hand on the door, let his stout body slip in, and chuckled at the frowning Banagher.

“Hold on a moment. I remember you’re called Banagher, right kid?”

The face with the helmet on closed in as the door shut. Banagher clenched his sweaty fists.