Editing KSGU:Volume 7 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

A sharp painful impact rocked the floor, causing the tremors to rise up to the ceiling above. Mineva grabbed onto the extendable pole of the gondola to support her body that was about to fall, and after a moment, a white light covered her sights, causing her to close her eyes inadvertently. A thunderclap-like boom followed suit, and the wind flowing into the deck paused for a while. She opened her eyes forcefully, turned around, and spotted the mobile suits riding on the DO-DAI SFS.

The mobile suit deck of this “Garuda” was far bigger than the “Ra Cailum” in terms of specifications. It was 60m wide, 200m long, and over 30m in height. The rear cargo deck hatch that functioned as an entrance was as big, but currently, the two thick doors were opened vertically, and the Medea transport carrier could be seen resting at the bottom hatch linking to the deck.

In the end, the large transport carrier that flew in from Torrington Base was being held in by the restrains and the numerous wires on the tail of the “Garuda”, and the machine that had a 70m wingspan was mostly exposed in the sky. The mobile suit riding on the SFS was right beside the Medea, crossing through the sky behind for only a moment, but Mineva could already see the clear image of the “Unicorn” machine in her eyes. The white machine was chased off by the “Banshee” that appeared afterwards, before disappearing diagonally above, and an explosion expanded again, shaking the empty deck.

The Medea machine was starting to lose its shape because of the refracted light, and the external air of 6000m was flowing in from outside the hatch. The air barrier from within was allowing the deck to maintain standard pressure, but the strong winds that were bellowing freezing point still felt chilly. Mineva zipped up the front of her flight jumper, looking for the two Unicorn-type mobile suits in the middle of the void. She was taken in just a little more than 10 minutes ago, and a battle began again, causing everyone to wait on the unsheltered deck for their own doom. The black-clothed subordinates of the Vist Foundation were standing around, looking outside the hatch with pale faces as they watched how the battle developed. The mechanics were all charging over ferociously, and the important personnel of the “Garuda” did not come out to meet them, probably because they intended to let the Foundation people get onto the shuttle directly, or that the unexpected battle caused them to panic. As Mineva wondered about this, a mega-particle beam caused a thunderous boom outside. “Can’t we close the hatch?” Martha asked anxiously. A black-clothed subordinate immediately brought his face to the wireless communicator.

“How long are you going to keep the hatch opened!? Hurry up and move the transport carrier away!”

(Who’s the idiot there? How can we let a transport carrier head to its death in the midst of an aerial battle! If you’re a guest, go straight to the shuttle launch deck and standby!)

The target of this call through the wireless communicator was from the commander of the “Garuda”, most likely stuck in the flight deck. The Medea could not increase in height, and could not launch into space. He was in fact the most anxious as he could not find a way to chase off the troublesome customers. “If the stray shots hit the shuttle, what do we do? We can’t possibly remain alive in the launch deck, right?” The subordinate started to argue back, but an umpteenth boom deafened the ears again as the largest impact up till this point rocked the “Garuda”. A horrifyingly weird sound rang from the empty deck supported by a large number of steel frames, and the wires supporting the Medea were at their limit. “The beam just went by us?” “Did the “Banshee” fire?” Martha glanced aside at her subordinates who in an uproar, “How’s the situation?” and coldly turned her eyes to the man in white clothes.

“There’re irregularities on the specimen’s brainwaves. At the rate this keeps up, the hypnosis will likely weaken. I suppose it’ll be better for her to retreat first…”

The man stood in front of the observation monitor, and turned his balding head at Martha as he made this reply tentatively. Alberto, who boarded the “Garuda” a little later, was standing beside the old man who seemed to be the facility head of the Newtype Research Institute, but he had been staring at the monitor of the observation installation up till this point, and did not seem to care about the surrounding buzz. Martha turned her stare to him and coldly stated, “Alberto, you’re her master, you know.” Alberto’s pudgy shoulders shuddered slightly, and he turned his anxious face at Martha.

“Only the “Banshee” can restrain the “Unicorn”. Think of something. Does it not matter that you’ll lose to your younger brother?”

''Little brother.'' This dissonant yet ever-realistic term was etched within Mineva’s ears, and she looked over at Alberto. He, who was at a loss of words, looked away from Martha, and his face certainly looked similar to Cardeas Vist in some ways. ''Is he''…Mineva thought as she continued to look over at Alberto, who turned his back on her and looked at the monitor on the observation installation. He picked up the wireless communicator and spoke, “Ple Twelve, it’s me, master. Do you hear me?” His calling voice however sounded really weak in the midst of the raging winds.

“Just listen to everything I say. Every other message is a trick by the enemy to confuse you. Listen, I want you to capture the “Unicorn” and bring it here. That guy’s the “Gundam”, the enemy that robbed the “light” from you. As long as you can bring it over, your “light” won’t be taken away.”

''The “light” that was taken away.'' The significance in that term, that ominous feeling stabbed into Mineva’s chest, causing her to feel goosebumps.

''Is that the restraining bolt on Marida? Is that the driving force that forces her to charge into the battlefield emotionally? If that’s the case, what’s driving Marida now isn’t hatred for the enemy, but self-guilt. This thought will normally lead to destruction at the end, including herself. She’s just focusing her self-destructive thoughts on the keyword “Gundam”, and she’s not even controlled by the master—'' Mineva continued to look at Alberto, who was yelling into the wireless communicator, felt a sense of guilt from that back, and intended to walk forward before she suddenly stopped. Two black clothed subordinates blocked her path, and from past their shoulders, she could see the white slender face of Martha looking back at her.

''It’s useless.'' The grin that showed these words spread to the side. She did not know about the buttons they pressed, and would probably only blame Marida’s abnormality on a system malfunction. Things were unlikely to change even if Mineva were to explain it, and she could only avert her stare to the rear hatch. It seemed that the “Unicorn” and the “Banshee” had already arrived over the head of the “Garuda”, and there were no signs of the two mobile suits outside the hatch. The transformable mobile suit called the “Anksha” or something was moving about in helter-skelter, as its round disc body, unable to interfere in the battle, continued to dodge without any contribution.

''There’s only a hundred meters at most from here to the rear hatch, and there’s no other way out. I might as well…'' Mineva muttered as she was driven by her impulse, and clenched her trembling fist. At this moment, she spotted a black silhouette appear in the sky, and it was quickly solidifying.

The machine that was like a fighter jet instantly got bigger and dashed past the “Anksha” squadron as it charged right at the “Garuda”. It decelerated right at the back of the rear hatch, and an explosive vapor immediately surrounded it as its fighter jet form collapsed. The machine, the “Delta Plus”, charged into the mobile suit deck; before Mineva could understand the situation, the machine that had transformed into a humanoid state ducked down the wings of the Medea transport carrier, and the loud sound of the landing spread apart together with the heat waves on the deck. The crewman with the command baton was shocked by the giant that suddenly appeared, and hurriedly dodged away from the hatch.

“What the!?” “Where did that mobile suit come from…?” The “Delta Plus” did not care about the ramblings of the subordinates as the landing impact caused it to charge forward by several meters before finally stopping. The thick grey armor was dyed in burns, and even though it lost its right hand, Mineva could tell from its unedged “Gundam”-like face that this was the machine that brought her to Earth. As the black clothed subordinates surrounding Martha were retreating, Mineva harbored a certain form of premonition as she looked up at the “Delta Plus”. The cockpit at the abdomen opened, the inner hatch slid open, and just like what she expected, a familiar pilot suit appeared from inside.

“That guy actually chased us all the way here…!”

Alberto muttered seemingly to himself, but Riddhe did not seem to care about the numerous stares right at him as he stood on the lift wire beside the cockpit and landed onto the deck from the knelt “Delta Plus”. He removed his helmet visor and fixated his determined stare at Mineva only, and the latter could only look back at him from behind the black figures that immediately got in their way.

It was an unbearable moment. The way both parties made it all the way here without care for each other caused them to feel a premonition of bitterness. “Ensign Riddhe, I don’t believe that I gave the permit to land here, did I?” at this moment, Alberto stood beside Mineva, but Riddhe did not intend to stop as his continued to approach Mineva, his determined look not wavering in the slightest. Alberto pointed his chin to direct the subordinates, and as the latter intended to suppress the pilot suit, Riddhe turned his hands behind his neck. It was too late by the time the black subordinates reached their hands into their chest pockets, as he quickly pointed a handgun barrel right at Alberto.

Riddhe probably prepared some tape on the nape of his neck, and he quickly turned the handgun around to hold off the surrounding subordinates before standing approximately 2m in front of Mineva. The subordinates still had their hands in their chest pockets as they surrounded Riddhe in steps; and the latter detected their motions as he fixated his stare, in unison with the gun barrel, at Alberto. Mineva sensed that Alberto beside her took a step back as she stared at Riddhe silently. The latter was aiming his handgun with both hands, and his beige eyes merely glanced at Mineva for an instant.

“I came to get you.”

He stated his intent firmly, and turned his gun around to hold off the Foundation people. The pressurized anxiousness in his eyes proved Mineva’s premonition, and she turned her face towards Riddhe, unable to make a sound.