Editing KSGU:Volume 8 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 23===

(Frontal knows about it. Hurry. It’ll be bad if he gets the initiative!)

Banagher’s voice rang through the open channel, causing Liam, and even Flaste, who had the gun pointed at him, turn around with shocked looks. Otto held onto the submachine gun with one hand, “Are you serious!?” he yelled back into the communicator. (There’s no mistake.) Mineva’s voice answered.

(I said it. He threatened to release the air on the deck everyone was on to coerce Banagher into talking. We don’t know what this man will do if he gets the “Box”. Please hurry and depart immediately.)

Otto gasped, and looked over at the sensor operator. The profile sat down at the console he just got back. “There’re 4 “Sleeves” units, leaving by SFS. They’re headed for the shoal space region.” He reported. “Are they planning to make contact with the reinforcement fleet…?” Liam interrupted with an anxious expression. He looked at Flaste, who had given up on resisting; their eyes met, and Flaste’s eyes confirmed silently that Frontal was this kind of man. “How’s the takeover of the ship!?” Otto hollered as he looked over at Mihiro in front of the communication console.

“Each department has taken back the initiative. The mobile suit deck is starting with the firefighting and the evacuation of the wounded. Most of the Garencieres team has surrendered, and the Republic soldiers are retreating.”

Mihiro answered without looking back as she listened in on the channels that were buzzing from all departments. Mineva’s broadcast probably caused the enemy to lose their will to fight, but though they seized the bridge back without bloodshed, it was not normal to see all the cadres fully armed. There was Flaste’s subordinate being pointed with a gun at the console in front of him too.

“Ignore the escapees. Our priority is to repair each department.” Otto commanded, sat on the Captain’s seat he did not feel he had seized back completely, and reached his hand for the microphone broadcasting to the entire ship.

“Once our preparations are complete, we’ll launch immediately. Turn our path to “Industrial 7”, set the shortest course—”

A sudden flash outside the window interrupted his words, and a blunt impact shook the bridge. “What’s going on!?” Liam hollered as she jumped up with Flaste. The sound of the explosion interrupted her words and shook the outer wall of the bridge. Otto looked outside, “It’s the Republic army!” and tensed up upon hearing the sensor operator’s voice.

“The “Gultoppr” and the “Dromi” have encircled to the front. Minovsky Particles are at combat density. 8 enemy units launched.”

The white “Hizack” that flew by the bow was definitely a unit from the Republic army. The unique looking Musai Kai-class ships encircled the “Nahel Argama” with the ‘L1 Junction’ behind them. They were actually so reliant on scattering Minovsky Particles under such distance, and coupled with the exact same hit-and-run strategy from before, the overreliance of the tactics in the textbook really confounded Otto. “Those idiots, they haven’t taken in all their comardes…!” Flaste growled. “Anti-air combat! The mobile suit squadron is to launch if they can!” Liam yelled, and Otto looked at her back as he watched her forget to point her gun at Flaste. He was about to agree with her decision, but an unexpected thought caused him to increase the force of the grip on the Captain’s armrest.

He looked at the positioning of the enemies on the sensor monitor, ''can this work? Is this really good?'' He asked himself, and the only answer he got was that he could only do this. “LEAVE THEM!” He shouted with all his strength.

“Use a few machine guns for anti-air combat. Prepare the hyper mega particle cannon for firing.”

He turned his stare to the front and stared at the ‘L1 Junction’ in the path. “REPEAT IT!” Otto ignored the stares from everyone else, and shouted. “Ye-yes.” He heard Mihiro’s stammering, and as she started to give commands to each department, “Captain…” Liam gave him a stare.

''Is this really alright?'' her expression was asking this. it was the same expression as when she said ‘this is fine, just be who you are’ after he hesitated on whether he should shoot the Republic soldier. He looked back at those eyes, and suppressed the piercing pain in his inner heart. “We can’t weaken our forces here.” He looked away as he said.

“And there’s the issue of time. We need to settle this in a hit.”

''It’s different from having to do it. I can brace myself and kill just because I can’t see the enemy’s face.'' Once he realized this was a dullness the Oldtypes had, Otto looked around to see the devastated situation on the ship. He looked back at Liam with the expression of a Captain. “Yes!” Liam answered with a voice a First Officer should have, and they both looked forward.

''This is part of training—''he would not say such defensive things. As a foolish Oldtype, he had to at least bear responsibility for all he had done. He was extremely clear that this act was not something he could handle, but Otto continued to stare at the Republic flee that was starting to get in position. After the shock from the direct hit, the hyper mega particle cannon started to buzz as it loaded, and the light on the bridge became a dark red color.