Editing KSGU:Volume 3 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 9===

The monitor panel seam let out a green light, forming a layer of laser in the air as it scanned the body. The display board showed the mapping data of the capillaries until the <IDENTIFIED> word appeared on it, and the activation sound of the main engine rang throughout the cockpit.

The monitor panel started to run, and the all-view monitor appeared in front of the linear seat. At this moment, it showed the vision of the eyes of the 20m tall giant. It’s the enclosed space surrounded the walls. The mechanic deck that was not even half the size of the mobile suit deck had two sets of mechanic hangars for minor repairs. One of the hangar sets had a Jegan unit with the armor removed, and facing it on the opposite side was the “Unicorn”, surrounded by many people under zero gravity. This mobile suit had unique specs, had the cockpit at the abdomen, and had a lone horn pointing out at the top.

Commander Daguza was standing on the other side of the opened cockpit door, and behind him was the guard with his hand on a pistol at his waist, getting ready and showing no signs of relaxing at all. The sounds of the shutters start to echo, and Banagher just felt that it was unbearable to be inside. He lowered his head and hoped for everything to end here. The reason why he did not want to remain so long in such a place was because this place still had the bloody smell of that person—

“That really shocked me. We couldn’t activate it no matter what we did just now!”

The mechanic who poked his head into the cockpit, watching the inside of the cockpit said. There were many people of different affiliations taking part in the live examination of the “Unicorn”; people dressed in army uniforms and people dressed in suits. Those dressed in uniforms could even be divided into two groups; the members of this ship and the strong men Daguza was leading—seeing how muscular his arms were, this mechanic should be Daguza’s man. Banagher peered at the head of this mechanic who was inspecting the display board, and was about to ask whether he could leave. “Don’t you know that this mobile suit can only be activated through biometric inspection?” On hearing the unfriendly words, Banagher lifted his head.

The one who spoke was the leader of the people in suits, and it seemed that his name was called Alberto. That fat body was floating in the air, looking over Daguza’s shoulder and staring at the machine. The mild colored-styled suit looked very similar to the suit Cardeas used to wear. However, Alberto did not have the mark of the unicorn on it, and he looked to be rather hot as the collar was all messed up while under the blob of flesh on the chin. Banagher thought that it was a special suit designed for the Vist Foundation, but perhaps that might be the latest trend or something?

The mechanic gave an annoyed look. Alberto simply looked away, pretending not to see, “That sort of thing can be removed immediately once we send it back to Anaheim.” he said. “It looks hard.” This line interrupted Alberto’s snort. “What!?” Alberto glared at the subordinate standing on the “Unicorn” head.

“This is already programmed deep into the OS. If we randomly reformat it, we might end up deleting that Laplace Program totally.”

The subordinate answered without even paying attention to the situation, causing a speechless Alberto’s face to look like a compressed meatball. As he stared at that face, Banagher had a feeling that they met before. However, this feeling merely lasted until Daguza entered the cockpit.

“You entered the cockpit to look for a spacesuit. Cardeas Vist then appeared in front of you and registered you as the pilot of the “Unicorn”. That’s how it went, am I right?”

Daguza bent over as he brought his face near the seat, giving a sharp look. “Yes.” Banagher answered him with a stiff voice.

“You’ve never met Cardeas Vist before this, right?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s only the first time you met. How did you know he’s Cardeas?”

“I just said it already. I saw his photo on the AEIC introduction pamphlet, or something like that.”

Banagher lifted his head and answered as he stared right at the other person’s eyes, whose stern stare caused Banagher to look away. ''Pull yourself through.'' He clenched his sweaty hands as he told himself this. ''I can’t say the truth that easily. I still haven’t understood the situation yet. If I say anything random, Audrey will be deemed suspicious as well. He’s a military man, and a man with such sharp knife-like stare, but it’s not like I can’t hide anything from him. Besides, I have something advantageous to me.''

Even Banagher himself could not accept the truth that just felt surreal to him. ''Lying about this should be useful.'' Banagher kept quiet and turned his face to the front. Daguza sighed “Your words are really hard to accept.” He said as he looked away.

“He left everything to a person he met for the first time…and to a boy like you to boot.”

''Will you accept this if I say that Cardeas’ my father?'' Banagher muttered deep inside his heart. ''Will you not admit this even in such a case?'' As he mocked himself for this, Banagher felt a chill from the words he heard next, “That man has always been a weirdo.” Alberto said this as he stood beside the cockpit.

“If that wasn’t the case, there wouldn’t be so much controversy, right?” he continued, and glanced into the room. Ever since they first met, Alberto would shoot looks of heinous ill intent at Banagher whenever he had the chance, and this time, it was already on the verge of hatred. That hatred was now all over Banagher, causing him to unwittingly swallow his saliva.

“One-man show. Tyrannical. He said that he was doing it for the sake of the Foundation, yet it was just for his own satisfaction. It’s really nice enough to call him a rogue. Simply put, he’s just a man so lonely that he couldn’t trust others. He probably want to create one more hassle for us by handing the “Unicorn” to this boy, or he lost his sanity on the brink on death…”

“He was still sane at that time! He clearly told me to use this to protect everyone!”

Banagher stared at the side of Alberto’s face, realizing that Alberto had finished speaking and that he was the one who spoke up. Alberto looked stunned while Daguza turned his sharp stare over. Thinking that this was bad, Banagher could not restrain the hot sensation rising from his throat to his nostrils, and he simply said out what was left of what he wanted to say,

“That’s not something that somebody who doesn’t trusts others will say. Were such words only said because he has no one around him whom he could trust, huh?”

''Why am I arguing about this? What am I angry about?'' Just as Banagher himself did not seem to understand what was going on, Alberto, whose expression immediately changed drastically, reached for the cockpit cover and let his hand reach in from outside. He grabbed Banagher’s chest and showed a menacing look, saying, “Saying it like you understand really well, huh!?” even though he was right in his sights, Banagher gritted his teeth and never looked away.

“You’re saying this because you don't know what sort of situation you’re in now, right? In certain situations, even kids will have to go to jail.”

“Of course I don’t know…! But I do know common sense like ‘talking behind other people’s backs when they’re dead isn’t right’. You’re an adult, and you don’t even feel embarrassed by this?”

Alberto gasped, and his nostrils expanded as the hand that was on his chest showed signs of tightening. Banagher grited his teeth, and at this moment, “Stop it.” Daguza roared and quickly reached his hand out to grab Alberto’s wrist, which Banagher saw,

“You’re being too carried away here. You too, Banagher. Those aren’t words a child should be saying.”

Daguza said as he simply twisted the wrists to restrain Alberto completely. Banagher swallowed the retort he was about to say and turned around. “I GOT IT! JUST LET GO OF ME!” Alberto roared at Daguza as he left the cockpit while looking like he was flying forward.

“It’s a waste of time to do this. The “Unicorn” will be sent over to Anaheim on the moon for investigations. Before that, seal it, SEAL IT ALL!”

“This is a Federation’s ship. You don’t have the authority to order…”

“I can get it if there’s a need. I’ll go to the Prime Minister or the Chief Senator to give the order. Oi! Don’t randomly take photos there!”

Alberto rubbed the wrist that was just twisted and lashed out at the mechanic who was about to take photos with his camera. At this moment, his foot that was on the cockpit cover slid off. Alberto frantically tried to reach the cockpit cover with his hands, and missed as his body slipped towards the mechanic deck in a confused manner. Nobody was at the area he was falling to; only a “Jegan” frame with exposed moveable frames. ''If he accidentally crashes into there, he might be electrocuted.'' Realizing this, Banagher immediately grabbed onto the control stick.

With the sound of the actuators being activated, the “Unicorn” slowly raises its right arm. “Oi!?” “It moved!” Banagher ignored the people creating the ruckus as he used the mechanical arm of the “Unicorn” to grab Alberto. He gently gripped onto the control stick that could move with his fingers, and the “Unicorn”s palm easily grabs Alberto who was floating due to the recoil. Everything should be fine as he had checked that there was no one around the arm’s movement range.

Everyone turns their backs on the giant hand holding onto Alberto and diverted their stares into the cockpit. Banagher brought his hand away from the control stick and tried not to look at any of their faces. “Did you do that?” Daguza asked while standing beside him, and Banagher did not look back at him as he said “Yes.”

“That’s not easy. It’s impossible for me to imagine that you piloted a mobile suit for the first time.”

“That’s because piloting mini mobile suits is part of the vocation courses.”

No matter how the opponent tried to probe, even Banagher himself did not know how to explain this. Banagher was regretting that he again provided information that would allow room for Daguza to suspect, but Daguza himself simply gives a wry smile and said “This must be a so-called Newtype” and nothing else. Alberto, who was yelping away, “HURRY UP AND LET ME GO!” as he tried to struggle out of the giant’s hand, was looking at this unnerving silence.

“Don’t crush him.”

“I know.”

“Or else it’ll be hard to clean up later.”

Daguza removed the slight bitter smile on his face and said without a smile. In response, Banagher frowned and answered, “Yeah.”