KSGU:Volume 4 Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Part 1
“…What did you just say?”
At that moment, Alberto felt that the entire world around him was distorted, and could not help but ask back. (You should have heard that clearly.) A cold voice rang through the speaker of the headphone.
(I don’t know how they got in contact with each other, but Banagher Links is definitely Cardeas’ son, the son he had with Anna Links after Ellen died.)
Martha Vist Carbine’s steel-like face remained unmoved on the monitor that had static noise on it. Banagher Links, that arrogant boy who boarded the RX-0 without understanding the significance and importance of the machine, who ended up bearing the burden of the Laplace Box…that’s right. It was that Links. I definitely heard of this surname before, so why didn’t I think of this possibility? Is it because I didn’t want to admit it— Alberto asked his dazed mind and got an answer, and was speechless again because of this shock. The sense of realism was lost from Martha on the monitor and the communication room console, and Alberto continued to feel that his body was distorted together with the world around him.
Is this a plan that was thought out? Or was it all completely unreasonable coincidence? Either way, Cardeas Vist did not just hand the Box over to a random boy who was passing by, but the fate of the family to the child of the woman who could not become his succeeding wife—and also left aside the one person who originally had this right, the one who should inherit this.
(Pull yourself through. It doesn’t matter who the “Unicorn” pilot is. The problem is that the machine is already in Neo Zeon’s hands. That’s a failure on your part, Alberto.)
The sharp voice reached the eardrums, dragging the fluttering consciousness back in. Alberto grabbed the mic of the headphone and turned his stare of reliance at Martha on the 15 inch monitor.
“Bu…but, that was the best option in that situation. Without the “Unicorn”, we can protect the Box. I was thinking about letting the “Unicorn” get destroyed there…”
(Results justify everything. I told you before that people will never judge the means, right?)
It looked like it was a casual nudge forward, but in fact, it was a solid leash. Alberto saw that Martha was physiologically wounding him with her usual tone, and all his momentum was killed off. (I’ve already used up all means that could be used.) The Acting Leader of the Vist Foundation then continued, and Alberto could only listen on quietly.
(The Central Government in Dakar received the report about Minerva Zabi being imprisoned, and were panicking over it. Soon after, they’ll be taking action. Just stay over there and see how things develop.)
“Yes…”
(This is a path of no return. You better amend the failure you made. You can definitely do it.)
A path of no return. This line was stuck in Alberto’s heart, causing him to look up, and at this moment, Martha disappeared. He saw his blurry face being reflected on the monitor screen, used the barely numb hand to take down the headphone, and slumped heavily on the hard chair.
There was no one else in the second communication room located on the bridge block. The narrow and long room had a monitor and console for communications, and two chairs were being lit by the reflected light of the power indicator. This facility was meant for unified communication to whichever squadron they belonged to during landing exercises and fleet operations, but the bridge’s communication facilities itself would be enough for the Nahel Argama that would launch alone. This was a place where there would not be much problems for a civilian, who was coincidentally on board, to use this as a public phone.
The line here was isolated from the one on the bridge, so there was no worry of this conversation being tapped. The ECOAS surveillance range had not extended here either as only the vague voices of the bridge broadcast could be heard in the room. (Highline Post, get ready to install) (Linking hull at the expected moment. No changes. At the designated time, the Emergency response group are to…) and more messages could be heard. Despite not knowing what they were about, it was most likely that they were preparing to repair the ship. It had been more than 5 hours since the Nahel Argama left the shoal space region to meet the resupply ship the Senate Council sent over, and they were in a situation where it could be said to be absolutely normal.
It had been a day and a half since Neo Zeon attacked and the RX-0, the key to the Box was taken away. It was unknown what Martha did, but the Senate Council that was hard to budge finally took action. Their mobile suit squad got wrecked, the Nahel Argama frame had took obvious damage, but the order to retreat would never come if they took the resupply. The ship was used to carry out a secret mission—and also a ship that housed the heir to the Zabi family, and it would have to continue its journey where the front could not be seen. He had no privacy, could not shower as he wanted, and could not make a call to the psychologist councilor who he often talked to. His days of being viewed as obstructive and butting heads with Daguza and the ECOAS would still have to continue. “Damn it!” Alberto groaned as he swept aside the headphone on the console.
That would be fine. The stench of the ship’s paint and the unique odor of ozone had completely stained his body, and he had to endure that to. What was hard for him to endure was the fact that he was unable to sleep. That man’s voice dragged his thoroughly fatigued body from sleep together with the air-conditioning and the gust from the motor.
A path of no return…when will I forget the feeling of squeezing that trigger? There was no other way. That man was the one who wanted to break the 100-year worth of order after all. That man left me alone when I’ve always done the most appropriate thing, so why did he— Alberto clenched his stiff hands.
“Why…am I not the chosen one?”
He squeezed out the voice from deep within his throat, and his trembling body felt the weak gravity behind it. Alberto did not lift his face from the console until this surge of emotions subsided.
Part 2
The wall was covered with a soft mat used for self-mutilation prevention, and the ceiling had a surveillance camera installed. There were no windows, and the door had a peephole through the doorgrill. The scene for a prisoner detention room was the same for either Federation or Zeon. If there was a difference, it would be that the air-conditioning here would be quieter.
Amidst the silence, the sound of an electronic lock being unlocked was heard. Minerva Zabi sat on the hard mattress of the built-in bed and looked towards the opening door.
It’s not mealtime yet…is it a new interrogator? As Minerva thought this way and got ready to get defensive, a familiar face appeared at the door. Minerva did not know what expression to make at this point as she kept her mouth shut. Riddhe Marcenas had his back facing the light from the corridor as he too stared at Minerva with a tense expression.
“Audrey Burne…no, I should be calling you Minerva Zabi, right?”
Riddhe turned his hand to close the door behind him as he said with a somewhat gloomy voice. His eyes had icy cold anger in them. Minerva did not think that a pilot had a need to meet her, and she did not feel that the higher-ups would agree to this. She realized that this was not an official meeting, and clenched her trembling fists as hard as she could. Riddhe casted an unmoving stare on Minerva and said with a suppressed voice, “I often heard the Zabi family’s speeches when I was young.”
“Gihren Zabi was your uncle, am I right? When his younger brother Garma died on Earth, Zeon carried out a state funeral on its land. It was probably broadcasted throughout the world. About how they should not let Garma’s death be put to waste, that only the citizens of Zeon who were inferior were the elites chosen by heaven, that speech where people kept chanting Sieg Zeon Sieg Zeon.”
It had been the day before…no, it seemed that it was two days before since the time both of them snuck into the “Unicorn” hangar secretly and chatted about meaningless things like how she looked like some actress. Riddhe probably spent this time facing reality as he used a stiff expression to restrain the anger and sorrow he was tasting at this point as he walked towards Minerva in his grey officer uniform. Minerva held back the urge to move back as she looked right at Riddhe’s face.
“Sieg Zeon, Sieg Zeon…thousands of spectators shouted just like that. It was really a vexing scene. I was just a brat back then, but I remembered that I had goosebumps. What’s with everyone from children to old folks doing the same thing with indifference? Are they robots? Can’t they think for their own? Don’t they think about what they feel?”
Closing in at a distance where their fingertips could touch each other, Riddhe clenched his fists hard, “SAY SOMETHING!” the rude voice caused the air in the narrow detention room to tremble slightly.
“Did Neo Zeon do that too? Making everyone shout Sieg Zeon or something that. Say it here then.”
That expression of his was wavering, unlike the words he said. Riddhe took a short breath and looked away from Minerva’s probing eyes, and yelled “SAY IT!” as he looked aside.
“Say SIeg Zeon. Let me know that you’re the princess of Zeon. If not…”
The stuttering voice had a tinge of crying at the end, silently moisturizing the air in the room. What is this person here? Why does he look so hurt Minerva’s chest had this tight feeling as she had this doubt, and she looked up at this young man’s face. Like me—this person may not be able to find a way to express his thoughts into words. He has so many things he wants to say, to confirm, but everything and anything became shallowbefore he could speak up.
“…Never mind. So be it.”
After a long moment of silence, Riddhe ruffled his blond hair and stared at Minerva with a hesitant look. “I heard that you’ve been keeping quiet about this. How someone with the identity of Minerva Zabi could slip into a Federation ship like this…I think it’s not something a pilot like me can ask. I’ll leave the rest to the experts.”
He said this to affirm himself—no, for himself to hear as he turned back. Minerva saw Riddhe back that felt like he was maturing, and heard him say, “But at least remember something.” And lifted her chin.
“A guy once offered his life for a girl called Audrey Burne…that guy kept calling your name until the end. Not Minerva Zabi, Audrey.”
Minerva’s heart pumped for a moment as the face of the boy who ran alongside her in the alleys of the colony appeared in her mind. Riddhe glanced at her silent face as he quietly walked towards the door. This man’s thinking is too one-sided. Minerva instinctively thought this way, but this was not enough to wipe away that inexplicable sense of guilt. Thus, she spoke up, “You really don’t know anything at all.”
Riddhe stopped his hand that was reaching for the door handle. His face that showed shock and some anger turned around, causing Minerva to feel that he was an upright person. She suppressed the rumbling feelings under her chest as she continued, “Who are the experts you’re referring to?”
“The inquisitors or anyone related to the judicatory…”
“Nobody from the judicatory will be involved in this. The mission itself won’t be exposed, and news of my detainment won’t be reported.”
It’s pointless to talk more, and even if I do, nothing will change, and nothing can be redeemed. Despite this thought, Minerva continued to move her mouth that had been stiff silent for the entire day. Riddhe’s expression changed as he turned to Minerva and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Just like what I said. Do you think this operation can be reported?”
“But this incidence and the detainment of Minerva Zabi…”
“If news of my detainment were exposed, Neo Zeon will have to take action. Why is it that Full Frontal was not willing to admit that I’m Minerva ZabI?”
“That’s because he doesn’t want our side to fight using a hostage…”
Riddhe swallowed back the words he wanted to say next as he shut up. “You’ll understand if you think about it carefully.” Minerva said as she looked down at the floor.
“The reason why I had not been captured for the past 4 years. The reason why Neo Zeon could built up its arms…”
The passionate Spacenoids’ tragic wish for independence, the sacrifice of countless nameless warriors all by risking their lives for the sake of Neo Zeon’s revival—these were the reasons but ideals alone would not do anything. Even anti-government movements would not be able to have power if the political environment and economy were not working. “You’re saying that this is a planned thing? That the Federation and Neo Zeon set this up?” Riddhe asked, and Minerva took the doubt with a shameful feeling.
“The incident at “Industrial 7” will probably still have some mass coverage, but continuous reporting will disappear within 2 days. This will become an unforgivable phenomenon for those who lost their relatives or friends…but the Spacenoids are already used to the unreasonable acts by the Federation. The Federation had always allowed our existence silently, obviously to use us as a shield for dissentment.”
It was a similar reason as to why police organizations would not hunt down triads seriously. It was similar to preventing the lawbreakers from scattering by uniting them in one trashbag. The Federation and Neo Zeon had been keeping this line, letting this gear of economy—the force called tension spin. In this sense, it would be more appropriate to call them birds of a feather instead of this being just a clever ploy. “This is the case up till now.” Minerva added these words and kept quiet. “…Did the Laplace Box break the balance between both sides?” Riddhe mused as he showed an expression that an unknown circuit was connected inside him.
“Yes. But that is probably not all of it. The Federation probably wanted to establish its relationship with Neo Zeon if we consider the fact that a mobile suit like the “Unicorn” was developed. It’s possible to think that because of this, the Vist Foundation moved the Box that had remained sealed up till now.”
Cardeas once said that peace and stability were fragile. In this era, where ideals turned to nothingness, where even the resistance movements had to be ‘managed’, it was a lot easier to slip into the loopholes of the ‘management’. Full Frontal, who had been raising arms under the ‘management’, only to vaguely show his deep intentions to break the current state, was like that. The same goes for the head of the Federation army carrying out the reorganization plan to cut military forces and wipe out Neo Zeon entirely. Cardeas probably wanted to introduce this catalyst, the Laplace Box, in order to turn this distorted world into something that could be seen by the naked eye. The memories of the War were long gone, and people believed that they could ‘manage’ war as well. Their senses showed indifference…and they ignored the signs of a great crisis.
Either way, it’s useless to think about this again. Minerva looked at how she was being imprisoned and restricted on a Federation ship, and sighed slightly. If it could be as what Riddhe said, if she could be handed over to a public judicatory for a fair trial, she would be able to explain her current situation to more people. However, the chances of this would be bleak here. Once news of her detainment were revealed, Neo Zeon and even the Zeon supporters hidden in the Federation government would follow up and fight against the conservatives for their own political agendas that would continue. As both sides continued to plot, the weary clashes that would be brought about would not be what they wanted. It would still be meaningful to consider Minerva Zabi as missing. Will I be listed as an anonymous prisoner and get hidden by something? Will I have to change my name and get ‘managed’? Or will it be the worst situation where my disappearance will have to be for real…this isn’t impossible.
Of course, it’s another thing altogether with the Box. The Federation army will most likely carry out some operation to get back the “Unicorn Gundam” from “Palau”. This Nahel Argama will be taking part in that battlefront too, I suppose. In the end, this is just an extended internal battle over the Box, and political muscle alone will not be able to settle things down. Even if the pilot of the “Unicorn” is alive, no one will care about whether he’s dead or alive—
“…It’s really hard to understand.”
Minerva heard his musing and stopped her pessimistic thoughts as she lifted her face. She saw the extremely depressing looking Riddhe giving a tired look to the floor.
“I always deemed myself as a pilot. My job is to pilot a mobile suit, to actually finish the task I’m given, and not to think about any other unnecessary things. Even if there may be cons, I believed that the Federation government still has the power to correct it…no, this is just a lie. I just pretended not to look, not to think. It has been the same ever since I remained at ‘‘family…”
It was a reasonable confession, but the term ‘‘family lingered in Minerva’s ears abnormally for some reason. “Finally, please tell me something.” Riddhe continued as he looked back at Minerva’s eyes.
“Since you already understand this, why did you still act on your own?”
This was a sincere question, and Minerva was somewhat shocked by Riddhe’s upright stare as she answered with a wary and fearful look, “I too had a ‘‘family ever since I was born.”
“It was a ‘‘family that bored the crime of the One Year War. Some viewed me as a source of danger, and some would try to promote me as a sign of the revival of Zeon. No matter what, I could not break away from political ties. If the same mistake happened again, I have a duty to stop it even if it means giving up my life.”
“Even if another danger will happen because of your disappearance?”
“I said it already, did I not? The fact that I’m not around will not be revealed. To the people who treat politics as a way of life, I’m just a piece on a chessboard. However, this is not what politics should be about.”
As she talked with Riddhe, Minerva realized that the vague thing she felt was forming into shape. “What the person at the scene should carry out…responsibility and duty, is that it?” Riddhe muttered to himself, and suddenly gave a determined stare to a corner of the wall. Minerva saw that he was looking for something, and inadvertently followed the stare, thinking about what the family Riddhe Marcenas was about. If it were the name Marcenas, the first thing she thought about was be the Prime Minister of the violent Federation Government…
“Oi, Riddhe. You should restrain yourself there.”
The voice suddenly butted in, interrupting Minerva’s thoughts. A guard with a helmet on appeared on the other side of the door grill’s peephole.
“It’s almost time for a swap. Even you can’t get away easily if you’re caught.”
Got it. I’ll go out now.”
Riddhe nodded slightly at him, and turned to Minerva again. At this moment, Minerva noticed that the power indicator of the surveillance camera above Riddhe’s head was not lit.
“I understand very well that you should be the one standing amongst the crowd to speak up. At the same time, I realize that I may not know anything at all.”
The stare that was much calmer than how it was when Riddhe entered the room showed his outstanding learning ability. “But you’re a person of Zeon.” He wordlessly looked back at Minerva, who heard his stiff voice and clenched the fists on her knees tightly.
“We were once close privately, but you’re still our enemy, the one who caused Squad Leader Norm to die. I can’t forgive you like this.”
It’s to be expected for someone who has such emotions. Minerva understood that this feeling would cause people to make mistakes or save them, and took the show of determination of the youth in front of her with all she got. Riddhe turned around, and this time, really held onto the door handle.
“…I really hoped that we met somewhere else.”
Minerva could not speak up, and she had no time to answer. Riddhe quickly stepped out of the door and closed it to cover his back. The sound of the electronic lock activating reverbed. It remained in the one-person detention room for a while before disappearing.
Minerva sighed and leaned on the wall with the mat. She, who felt emotional, was so tired that she felt shocked. There was no one who could learn anything or be saved through words. She felt that she was the one who really did not know anything as she looked around the dim detention room.
If he can survive, Banagher will probably be detained like this. Minerva blankly thought of this in her mind, which became heavy as she closed her eyes. She, who had never taken a single nap ever since she was detained, did not take much more time to fall into a deep sleep.
