Editing KSGU:Volume 9 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 10===

The unit had many cannons protruding from its back, and distanced itself rapidly as it was pushed by the large thruster flare. This scene awakened the memory that was implanted in her before she was born, the words that had become familiar with her; Marida let out a voice that was ostensibly a sigh,

“”Gundam”…”

This word unconditionally awakened the hostility within her, and her sisters, who were nurtured in the icy capsules, had viewed this as an enemy they had to defeat—however, she could no longer feel anything at this point. The only understanding she had of it was that it carried the familiar soul of Banagher, a vessel with his own thoughts, nothing more, nothing less. Marida found it intriguing, and let the “Kshatriya” move forward from the elevator that had arrived at the top. The moss-green machine closed the binders on its shoulders, trying to get through to the catapult exit. Its massive body, which had excessive specifications, stood on the catapult dangling in vacuum.

''Perhaps it’s the ‘light’ I’ve been pursuing.'' The machine’s large size meant that it was unable to enter the catapult, and as she waited in the machine for the permit to launch, Marida started to dwelve into her thoughts. ''The light was born in the artificially-made body, the light had been robbed from the belly; this light has been changing its form all the time, for it has to shine into the unknown tomorrow and future. No matter how much I try to pursue it, I can’t catch up to it no matter how I pursue after it. I understood it for a long time, and because I understood, I looked away, and stopped in the darkness together with those who had lost their light. I keep looking for a flicker of light in others, but I never thought that I can be the light for others.''

''It’s different now. I can be the ‘light’. I have a life supporting this body of mine that has nowhere to go, the person who gave me the unique name Marida Cruz, the one who pointed me to the only thing I can follow.''

“Follow my heart…is it…?”

She muttered as she put her hands on the ball-shaped control sticks. Had that man, who always hated to be called ‘master’, yet to find where his ‘light’ is? As she thought about this and looked behind, (We have a large number of incoming heat sources!) A tense voice rang through the wireless, causing Marida and the machine to look down in unison.

(20, 30…we’ve many of them approaching fast!)

(Evasive maneuver! Release the dummy meteorites! Don’t hit the launching mobile suits!)

Captain Otto’s voice rang, and the hull of the “Nahel Argama” experienced inertial gravity. Marida felt the hull move vastly to the right, and gathered her thoughts at the approaching killing intent, which had become a wall in front of her. The ones approach in an overly straight line however were not mobile suits, but long ranged missiles or something similar. Once she affirmed this, her body reacted faster than her thoughts, (Launch process aborted.) and she took initiative, saying,

“Marida Cruz, “Kshatriya”, launching!”

The main thrusters hidden in the 4 binders let out thruster flares, and the “Kshatriya” left the catapult deck as it rose in a straight trajectory. It was impossible to have 100% output, but the balance was not too bad, and the damaged parts had lightened the machine, so she could offset the imbalance if she could control it well. As she flew in the G-force pressing down from above, Marida finished her affirmations within 3 seconds, and immediately turned the machine, which had risen by several kilometers, forward. The 4 binders flapped, and once the “Kshatriya” raised the twin barreled Beam Gatling guns on the right arm forward, it turned into a block of thruster flare as it advanced briskly.

There were 32 incoming missiles, and though they were suppressing shots fired with the help of the optical sensors, but several of them were on course to the “Nahel Argama” path. The “Unicorn Gundam” preceding her seemed to have sensed the same killing intent, “Leave them, Banagher!” and Marida, who had realized this, shouted out as she accelerated the “Kshatriya”.

“I’ll handle this! Move forward!”

The mobile suit squadron swarming from behind the missiles was pressuring her field of senses, and it seemed Tennyson’s fleet intended to crush them with its full strength. (Got it! I’ll leave it to you!) Once she actually heard Banagher’s voice, she gathered her consciousness on her field of senses that was synchronizing with the psycommu. 5, 6…she caught the vibration of the missiles flying in a straight line, read their paths, and released her sudden will to fight in the form of a voice.

“Funnels, go!”

The wing-like binders expanded throughout, and the several funnels hidden within flew out. The mini automatic cannons were controlled by the psycommu as they glided out in a zig-zag, and Marida’s consciousness followed them into the void. The incoming missiles loomed, and she could clearly sense the structures of the warheads that had abandoned their propulsion rockets. In an instant, which felt like an eternity, the funnels that were synchronized with the consciousness fired mega particle cannons, and the scorching light exploded within her senses.

This scene immediately became reality as it appeared in Marida’s eyes, agitating her senses. There were more than 10 exploded fireballs expanding in the “Nahel Argama” way, gradually covering the silhouette of the “Unicorn Gundam” that was moving away. The lights signifying the beginning of the battle exploded between the two armies, lighting the long road to “Industrial 7” like a torch.