Editing KSGU:Volume 10 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 3===

It all started before a familiar man made a call.

 
‘You really haven’t improved at all. You’re the commander of Londo Bell, and you still can’t negotiate with the politicians? Any soldier in this situation should be looking for a senator to help and prepare for elections now, are you?”

Kai Shiden was never one to mince his words, and in the same phone call, briefed three issues. First, Senator Ronan Marcenas had summoned him to Dakar, trying to involve him in the political conflict against the Vist Foundation. Second, the senator mentioned Bright by name in an attempt to gain leverage. Finally, this current senator was so desperate to deal with the “Laplace Box”, it seemed the military and the Senate  were planning to end it once and for all, in a certain manner, though half of that last point was conjecture.

As a reporter, all Kai could do was to discern through the state of the world, but he, who had served alongside Bright on “White Base”, would never say such empty conjectures. Bright made a few phone calls to affirm the information provided, and though he was reassigned, they could not cut off his contacts altogether. His deputy Meran was still on the ”Ra Cailum” that was under repair, and through his assistance, he grasped the situation without the assistance of Luio & Co, to whom he owed a huge favor to.

It became widely known that Martha led several of the highest ranking senators into the migration council. Through the defense forces of Dakar, Bright learned that she dragged Ronan out of the senate onto a private flight to Cheyenne Base in North America, but no further clues. What were the leaders of the Vist Foundation and the Settlement Issues Council planning to do, hiding in the Cheyenne Base that was a relic of the old century? Bright had no means of contacting the ”Nahel Argama”, and it seemed there was limited information on what he could convey verbally. Thus, he chose the reckless action of taking the flight prepared by the temporary commander of Londo Bell towards the scene.

Using his reputation as the captain of the ”White Base”, hero of the One Year War, he broke through the security perimeter with various hasty excuses like ‘emergency support’, ‘don’t you know who I am’, and practically barged into the control room, seeing a massive monitor clearly displaying their conspiracy. There were “Industrial 7”, the “Nahel Argama”, and the infamous colony laser of the Gryps Conflict. Behind the communication officers at the controls, Ronan and Martha were scowling away, the base commander in name hastily checking on the battle and their faces. Bright was in no mood to check the tanned face of Commander Aidres, nor did he look at a stunned looking Martha. Instead, he stared intently at the unflinching Ronan, whose back was turned on him

Bright tidied the collar that was messed from tussling with the guards, flattened his hair, and with a calm voice, he spoke once again, “What’s going on?” Ronan continued to face the monitor, unfazed.

“I didn’t know the colony laser was repaired, let alone directing it at a civilian colony—”

“We shall limit its damage to the minimum, only at the “Magallanica”. It is under the colony management committee, but it is still property of the Vist Foundation”

Martha spoke up for the unmoving Ronan. “And so you have the right to destroy it?” Bright retorted, leaving Martha to ruffle her hair with an impatient look, turning away to look at the monitor behind her. Bright then pointed to the high seat of the commander, “This is clearly illegal”, pointingly directing his words at Aibres.

“Cease firing immediately. If you refuse, I shall report.”

“Captain Bright, this is an emergency measure to maintain our security, and approved after much planning. Please leave this room. You are now illegally interfering with classified military information and command. ”

“What excuse are you using to appeal to the public this time!? Are you going to burn down a colony because it contains secrets that threaten the Federation!? This is what Zeon and the Titans did!”

“You are the cause of this situation.”

Aibres’ nonchalant expression was almost at its limit, and Martha turned back, causing Bright to turn back to her as though he was checkmated.
 
“It’s you who allowed the “Unicorn” and Mineva Zabi to escape, and rendezvous with the “Nahel Argama”. The nerve of you to say such words when our options were taken. ”

“The premise of this was that you are not allowed to interfere with the military. I’m just going along with the situation.”

“Yes. You act on emotions; unlike us, who act to maintain the necessary order. ”

Her eyes and voice had Bright momentarily doubting if he was in the wrong. “We are not taking this lightly.” She continued without a pause, now turning towards Bright.

“Correcting things will simply crumble the entire system, and collapse the world order. You have family too, no? How about you be smarter and think for your children’s sake?”

“I just want to be a father who won’t bring shame to my own children.”

Even in the clash of words, Bright had no intention to budge, causing Martha to look increasingly heinous. “Seriously…men are truly unreasonable creatures.” So she muttered, her devious tone causing Bright to shiver.

“Such vanity and expression of ego is the source of all conflicts. Why have you not realized? Humans are conceited, thinking they can do better, to have whatever they want, and walked down the wrong path. Are we do is to develop knowledge to mitigate the fragileness of the flesh, no different from other creatures.  All we need to do is to simply repeat the cycles of life and death. There is no need to do foolish things like murdering each other. We should be content with whatever we can reach …”

Bright saw Martha’s fingertips tense up as they twirled her bangs. She was not directly those words at him, but to a certain person who was not present, and Bright stared at her sidelong face while withholding his trepidation.

“But it is difficult for men who live in such ways…the males of humanity, to do so. While there were some tendencies towards the feminine in the old age, the males have forgotten their lessons once they got to space, and repeated their mistakes again. For the females to be the rulers is—”

“Madam Martha, this isn’t a good place to debate.”
 
Ronan suddenly spoke, and Martha’s seemingly possessed eyes shivered.  She blinked, seemingly oblivious to her whereabouts, and recovered, muttering, “…Yes. My apologies.”  Bright stared at the unexpected response of the leader of the Vist Foundation, realizing that she was not just a woman coveting power. However, he immediately diverted his eyes towards Ronan, whose back was facing him.

He was the only one Bright could have a proper conversation with. “Senator Ronan.” Ronan turned his massive neck slightly in response to Bright’s words.

“I shall contact the”Nahel Argama” and expedite the situation. Please do not be hasty to decide. We should be able to contact them directly through relay satellites given the facilities here. ”

“And what will you do after contacting them? Tell them that the colony laser is aimed at them?”

Ronan turned back, his eyes basically lamenting, I would have done so if it was me. That stare had Bright dumbfounded, before it looked aside, “It appears no advice will work.” He quipped with a blank look.

“One single ship tore its way through the Neo Zeon fleet, reaching its destination. They probably acted without knowing what the contents of the ‘Box’ is…as I said, the choice is theirs, not ours.”

“But…!”

“Nevertheless, they will be dumbfounded to see the true identity of the ’Box’. ”

The slightly lowered sidelong face was filled with the self-deprecation of one who understood the truth. Bright remained speechless, and Ronan looked at him, before looking over at Martha watching with bated breath, before looking over at “Industrial 7” on the monitor.

“By itself, it has no value, and there is nothing impressive about knowing it. But we have to admit that the moment we recognize its existence, the Federation will collapse. We cannot let the ‘Box’ open, not in this reality where the ‘possibility’ of Newtypes exist…”

Bright could not understand what he was saying. No, his instincts were telling that if he knew, there would be no turning back, and that left him speechless, taking a step back as he trembled in fear. Martha’s eyes narrowed, her eyes showing a dim light, seemingly realizing something. “Is it…” the moment she spoke, “target’s showing anomaly!” the operator yelled, causing the mood in the room to freeze.

“Expand the visual.” Aibres said. One of the six monitors showed an expanded live visual of “Industrial 7”. Connected at an end of the long, narrow cylinder was  the colony builder, the “Magallanica” primed as the target of the colony laser by the personnel at this base. Bright stared at the visuals that were constantly being corrected by CG, becoming clearer, looking as though there was magic causing him to blink constantly.

Atop the long and slim main body exceeding 6,500 meters was the residential block shaped like a snail snail. Its ring slowed down greatly, as though snared by something. The ring with diameter exceeding 1,600 meters spun in the opposite direction from the exterior impact belt 50m thick, negating the rotational torque, and causing it to stop. “The gravity block…！”“Is it stopping?” Bright stared at the large monitor in cold sweat. The gravity block no smaller than a massive space colony stopped in its tracks, and to any Spacenoids, it was akin to a planet ceasing to revolve. The centrifugal force was gone, preventing all lifeforms from moving; it was similarly destructive to a hole punctured in a colony’s outer walls.

It was not the only change however, as the inner cylinder that had once stopped began to spin in the opposite direction. The exterior impact belt too spun, half of what the cylinder did, like a safe deposit box code of the past. The double ring structure kept spinning and stopping, the massive snail structure changing massively.

“What’s going on!?”

“The revolving residential block is moving irregularly─”

“I know that! Investigate the reason”

Aibres roared with all his might. Bright did not look over at the perturbed comms operator, but towards Martha standing next to her. He had expected her to have some anticipation of this, that she would unabashedly declare the “Magallanica” to be possession of the Foundation. However, she merely looked up at the monitor skeptically. The white dot of the “Nahel Argama” continued to drift at the docking bay, located in the core as the residential block continued to spin. This strange motion continued to spin and stop, as though unlocking a tip of the colony itself—

“Is the seal broken…?”

Ronan groaned as he stared at the anomaly happening 300,000km away. With a look of trepidation, Bright stared at the monitor intently.