Editing KSGU:Volume 8 Chapter 2

This man Puerto Rican's face had a unique look, and he certainly was the one Ronan saw on the recent photograph. “Welcome.” Ronan Marcenas spoke up and went to the door to invite him in. Ronan had learned, inherently through his life as a politician, that being straightforward to someone he met for the first time and exerting strength of his grip was a way to take the initiative on someone; however, Kai Shiden did not look intimidated as he held the hand, deliberately showing a slight smile.

“Isn’t as free as what the term indicates. As long as the economic activity forbids such releases, there are some rules we have to abide by.”

Kai remained silent, not denying at all. ''Very good.'' Ronan exhaled and sat opposite Kai.

“That’s a mistake by a reporter affected by Zeon. I’m not that much of a radical.”

He answered almost instinctively, and felt that he could not continue talking; this catastrophic situation suddenly brought about a tremendous fatigue on him as he sighed. Was this a sigh that indicated the wasted precious time, or was this a sigh over how his past was unexpectedly revealed to him? Ronan remained confused as he was unable to tell “I’m not really unhappy about this.” He heard Kai’s response, and sensed that the latter put down his folded legs as he closed the notebook.

“It’s okay to turn rogue, but for someone like you with such a standing, I hope you don’t show how much you have fallen. Did your son not leave the house because he could not take it?”

[[Image:KSGU8_171.jpg|thumb]]

(This is ECOAS 920. We’ve arrived at the target. The RX-0 is headed to the designated coordinates.)

(Just like the time at the Prime Minister Residence, don’t miss out on any minor changes in the sensors. We have no idea what’s coming, whether it’s electric waves, magnetic waves, radiation or whatever.)

Once Captain Otto’s excited voice ended, a sound from the throat reached the man’s ears, and the sense of resistance pressing on his hands immediately vanished.

Zinnerman removed the hand pressing onto the man’s throat from behind, and pushed the body away. He then grabbed the guard that was floating down the corridor, pulled him into the wareroom, and stuffed him into a corridor packed with cardboard boxes. This was the second man—and it was really easy. His heart felt a sense of hesitation, but his body remembered what he had to do. Alec and the rest on the other team were probably thinking of how to carry out this operation so that they could end things. Zinnerman exchanged looked with Flaste, who was tying the first man with the cable, nodded, and took the wireless communicator from the guard. ''There’s nothing to be mindful of when we start.'' He repeated the words in his heart, and brought the communicator to his mouth.

“Everything’s going as planned.”

''Creak creak.'' The noise shook the radio, indicating that the other party understood, and that they were proceeding as planned. Zinnerman turned his back on Flaste, who was tying the second man, and brought the hardened plastic attaché case to his hands. This attaché case he took from the “Garencieres” had the private items used for a Captain’s log. Naturally, the crew on this ship had inspected it, but in the end, they never found out that the buttons and the attaché case’s dial lock could be disassembled to found parts of a mini-handgun, and the handle could become the barrel.

There were 5 of the fire extinguishers they snuck in; they had to deal with these guards before they could take control over the armory of the ship. Zinnerman checked that it was time for the decisive moment, and focused on the assembly of the gun. Flaste, who stuffed the second man into the cardboard boxes, “I didn’t expect such a lack of resistance at all.” And said with a suspiciously forced voice.

“It’ll all depends on what the Princess and the brat do next…”

''Is this really alright?'' the glance that was looking over asked. ''There’s nothing wrong here. We’re Neo Zeon soldiers, this is a Federation ship. We can’t think too much, and there’s no need for us to do so.'' “Don’t worry.” Zinnerman answered, slid the assembled mini-handgun, checked the sights, and blew away the dust on the chamber.

“The Princess’s more mature than we think, unlike that brat.”

The face of the boy, who leapt out from the cockpit and flew over like a puppy, flashed in his mind. ''It can’t be helped. You live in a different world from us.'' He loaded the 6 25mm bullets into the magazine, let the thumb press on the slide lock, and unlocked the safety to chase after the image in his mind. The sound of the first bullet being loaded shook the air of the wareroom, pressing down slightly on the chest that swallowed the seed of guilt.

===Part 11===

The ‘L1 Junction’ was as elegant looking as a piece of jewelry, but had parts that offset the beauty mercilessly. The thick stabilizing cable running through the central core area was 10m in diameter and 7km long, forming a straight line through the two sides of the snowflake crystal.

There was a need to accept two gravity sources in order to stabilize the center of the gravities—the attraction forces from both the Earth and the Moon, and the cable reaching to the sides of each celestial body worked like a pendulum. The “Unicorn”, which was approaching the ‘L1 Junction’ from the Earth, followed the cable, approached the snowflake-shaped core, and reached the designated coordinations.

The range of the coordinates included the space of a 1km diameter with the ‘L1 Junction’ at center. In space, this was an extremely small space. Banagher let the relative velocity of the machine slow down to match the ‘L1 Junction’ speed, and cautiously crossed the coordinate space. It had been 3 minutes since they reached, but the “Unicorn” machine did not change in any way. All systems were normal, and the Laplace Program was silent.

“So the condition is to activate the NT-D first?”

“That may be the case…but it immediately transformed the moment it reached when we were at the Prime Minister residence.”

As Audrey looked around, Banagher answered her, and looked at the time on the display board. It had been 4 minutes, and it was weird for the machine to not transform at all. Perhaps he had missed out on something.

“How’s the inside, Mr Conroy?”

(It’s just an empty wasteland. The solar battery power is still there, but most of the functions are dead. There hasn’t been any change ever since the investigation began.)

The two “Lotos” landed on the ‘L1 Junction Point’ 10 minutes ago; one of them entered the core area through the port, while the other checked the Moon side that was hidden from where they were. The sun was located at the Earth’s side, so the side checking from the Moon side could only rely on moonlight for lighting. The “Loto” was most probably in their mobile suit state, flashing the search lights on its shoulders as it move on the solar panels slowly; however, it was impossible for the “Unicorn” on the Moon side to see it. Banagher glanced aside at the Base Jabber remaining at the empty port and let the machine move towards the base of the stabilizing cable. He could see the ‘L1 Junction’ from up close, and it was not of the same size as a ship. It was not as large as a colony, but it was large enough to be a temporary port, to a point where it could be called a space island.

They were at a loss of what to do. They had no idea how big the “Box” was, let alone what it contained. There were no given instructions, and looking for it here would be a search for a pin in a haystack. Banagher knew that it was useless, but he summoned the ‘L1 Junction’ construct map that was downloaded beforehand, and stared at the 3D model. (It can’t change into the “Gundam”? It released the information just like this in Dakar.) Conroy said. “But I can’t change it that freely.”. As he answered, “Banagher”, Audrey’s anxious voice rang.

“Since it’s a plan your father came up with, I don’t believe it’s so one-sided, but what if the “Box” is an item that brings calamity…?”

The hand touched the helmet to cut the communication line for the time being, and the face could not be described simply as serious. “I understand.” After exchanging looks with the stare that was full of killing intent, Banagher answered,

“At that moment, I’ll destroy it and prevent it from falling into other people’s hands.”

These words the words he uttered in his heart once he wanted to know the true identity of the “Box”—when he wanted to know the ‘answer’. Banagher stared at the sighing Audrey, and looked up at the ‘L1 Junction’ which stood like a wall, blocking his sight. “But I don’t think that is it.” he said as he stepped on the pedal lightly.

“It depends on how we use it; it can be something that brings light to this world…right, it depends on who uses it. He even created a system to distinguish Newtypes for this purpose.”

The “Unicorn” left the core and moved towards the outermost region of the snowflake. The civilian ship light moved by from afar below their feet, becoming part of the stars. From the way it moved forward, it seemed to be a ship headed from the Moon to Earth. All ships moving on this course would have to move by the ‘L1 Junction’.

“The real identity of the “Box”, the path to reach it, it’s definitely simpler…”

He looked above, and could see a glowing object shining brighter than the stars. It was the light of the colony, Side 2 that was revolving around L. The Side 5 that revolved around L1—the shoal space region and the “Industrial 7” within it were no longer in sight.

“Starting from “Industrial 7”, the first place was the debris of the Prime Minister residence “Laplace”…”

“Laplace” was the place where the Universal Century began, blown up with the world leaders within due to a terrorist attack. Banagher recalled the speech he heard back then; the voice of the first Prime Minister of the Earth Federation from a hundred years ago, on the last day of Anno Domini, narrating the ‘past’ together with the remnants that were cruelly blown up—

“And next is Dakar, the capital of the Earth Federation…”

The Universal Century Manhattan stood in the middle of the hot desert, and the strengths and weaknesses of the system called the Federation were shown there. Mahdi Garvey’s madness that became a sandstorm strong enough to cut skin, Loni’s brilliance, race and religion, the karma that could not be held down as it swirled at the bottom, the symbol of the ‘present’ that stood on the scorching land—

''And then, what do I say now? What did father want to tell me by pointing here?'' Banagher let the “Unicorn” drift in space and looked around. The all-view monitor cut off the CG, showing the actual scenery of space, and he looked around together with the machine that was slowly turning around.

The cockpit that was surrounded by darkness became dim, and the white flare reflected from the ‘L1 Junction’ lit the place. ''No, I still don’t understand. Even if I’m determined to be a Newtype, I’m just a human who can only see what’s in front of me. Tell me!'' Banagher cried out in his heart. ''If the lingering thoughts are real and resting in this “Unicorn”, lead me to my path now.''

''The need to show the power of human gentleness to humanity; you said that this is the responsibility of humans that entered space. The ghost of “Laplace”, the First Prime Minister said the same thing too. That’s kindness, right? It’s the kindness that allows humanity to maintain its sanity, even in this harsh reality, even as we fight against all things unreasonable. As we journey the way to look for the “Box”, we see a side of truth to the Earth. We see the world that is mixed with good and evil, hard to decipher, struggling to search for the ‘light’. What happens next is the most important thing; to live in the possibilities brought about by kindness, to use this to survive, and to know what to take note of next. The body of flesh and blood accepts the ‘past’ and ‘present’, and what we should face next is—''

A heavy heartbeat shook Banagher’s body and rocked the cockpit. His heartbeat became one with the “Unicorn”, and every pulse caused Banagher to feel his senses expanding. He felt that his nerves were linked to the mechanical fingertips, toes, everywhere, to the point where his senses became as large as the mobile suit.

The Moon was at his feet, and Earth was above him. In front of him was an infinite space. The living beings born on the celestial bodies should be headed to the unexplored world next. They were still limited to this small area of the Earth celestial sphere, but this space was opened in front of them, waiting for humanity to use its power of gentleness to shine its light into the darkness in front of them.

Perhaps one day, as they expand on their senses and understand ways to match their thoughts, when they may even have control over time, this space would be left wide open in front of humanity. They would soon use time, space and possibilities that will never be used up easily and open an unknown territory.

''Through the past, the starting point where humanity still stands at this point, space, stars, and humans. The infinite presented by the 3 beings—the future.''

“…I understand, father.”

The words that were let out unwittingly became ‘light’, causing the forehead to let out a weak neural-like flash. That light became a V-shaped blade antenna that spread apart, and the luminous light that showed the luminous light of the psycoframe as the armor split apart, and the body of the “Gundam” appeared in vacuum.

However, all Banagher did was to open his eyes naturally. “Banagher…!?” Audrey’s doubtful voice agitated his hearing in reality, pulling senses back onto the little body resting on the linear seat.

The signal of the NT-D flashed, and the machine that transformed into the “Gundam” was shown in its active state. Banagher wanted to be sure if Audrey was fine, but realized that the attachments protecting his head were holding it down. ''There no need for this.'' The attachments were removed the moment he thought this, and his physical body obtained its freedom again as it nearly float up from the linear seat. As he wanted to turn towards the assistant seat, the numerous stars shown on the all-view monitor increased in brightness, and the beams that reached out started to intertwine like they were drawing a constellation.

It was like an Observatory, like a view of the developing brain from within; the flickering stars were linked by their own beams, drawing what seemed to be either a constellation or a neural system, and each area was showing a different light. There were the Earth, Moon and colonies; and just when he was about to check the time, see the respective locations, and confirm the condition of the mobile suit that was at the place, the “Unicorn Gundam” moved on its own, changed the direction it was facing, and pointed its main camera to a corner in space.

The beams let out by the stars formed arcs around the all-view monitor, pointing at a red dot in the front. Numerous beams vanished, ostensibly absorbed by the red light, leaving behind a light spot that pointed at a place far away, and the logo ‘La+’ appeared beside it.

“Banagher…”

Audrey muttered blankly as she looked at the coordinate data that was beyond her expectant. “Right.” Banagher nodded as his voice came out from his dry throat.

“This is the last coordinate…where the “Laplace Box” is.”

Audrey’s hand that was resting on his shoulder shuddered. Banagher shook his head and moved his eyes that were attracted by the light, and reached his hand to his helmet to check if the wireless communicator was cut off. “Leader Conroy, “Nahel Argama”! The final location of the “Box” is—” but the moment he wanted to say this out, a killing intent rose from below his feet, entering the cockpit, and a light rose, savagely burning a corner of his eyes.

The “Unicorn Gundam” reacted before Banagher could hold onto the control stick, and dodged on its own. The beam of the mega-particles let out a flash, covering the all-view monitor, and the explosions of scattered particles echoed through the cockpit.

Banagher drew the shield from his left hand and put it on the left hand as he let the machine zigzag, keeping his eyes at the source of the shot. The moment the navigation lights of the ships floating afar flashed by his eyes, a second shot was fired from there, and the I-field generator hidden inside the shield scattered the incoming high heat particles.

“At this time…!?”

''Is it Federation or Zeon?'' the enemy chose to hide amongst the passing ships, and Banagher raised the Beam rifle that was loaded with the Beam Magnum. The ‘Unicorn Gundam” psycoframe detected this as it piloted the machine, and moved about to find a place he could shoot from. The impact of the anesthetic jolted through the arm, and the air sacks hidden in the pilot suit pressed down on the lower body, preventing the blood from falling, and making the upper body feel warm and uneasy. However, there was a cry like a wild beast at the next instant, causing Banagher to feel his hairs stand.

“Audrey!?”

He turned his head that was held down by the linear seat. Audrey’s upper body was forced back as she was pressed down by the accelerating G-force that could kill, and it was impossible to see her expression. It was impossible to endure the high mobility of the destroy mode without using the pilot suit and the linear seat. Banagher immediately relaxed his foot on the pedal and tried to focus on the killing intent that was closing in from afar.

The mega-particles grazed past the “Unicorn Gundam” that slowed down, and the heat and shock plummeted on the machine. As the cockpit shook wildly, the ‘La+’ light in a corner of space spun above, and the red light flickered from time to time.

===Part 12===

The white machine on the enlarged window staggered to the right due to the shockwave of the mega-particles. Even if the enemy machine were to move out of his sights, there was no need to worry about missing it. The enemy’s movements were dull, and the mobility could be caught up with through the tracking system.

“That “Gundam” isn’t as amazing as what those rumors say. Keiman’s team is to deal with the “Nahel Argama”. I’ll handle this guy alone!”

Gilligan called into the wireless communicator and aimed the reticule of the beam launcher at the white machine. The low power of the generator caused the “Hizack” to be rather limited in its use of beam weaponary, but this custom unit had enough people to release the power of a sniper rifle. It had been less than 10 minutes since he launched from the mother “Gultoppr”, and he had already met this large prey. He aimed at the Zeon archenemy, the white mobile suit he saw several times on the documentaries, and let an umpteenth beam fly through the L1 space region.

The machine using the shield to block the front and deflect the scattered particles again went out of his sight. “Don’t you dare run away…!” Gilligan’s lips curled up as he said this, and used the AMBAC to balance himself as he stepped on the pedal. The thrusters on the back and legs let out flares, and as the “Hizack Custom” that was pursuing the “Gundam”, the 2 Keiman squadron “Hizacks” passed by below. The mobile suit squadron of the “Dromi” attacked from another direction, and Gilligan could see the “Mock Wooden Horse”—the “Nahel Argama” fire numerous anti-air shots.

It was a ship with its portside catapult deck damaged, but the number of fire trails was more than what he imagined. Keiman’s team could not attack, and scattered away. A series of missiles exploded in a corner, letting out huge fireballs that even the simulation shots could not compare to. The scattered dummy aerolite looked like Gilligan’s allied machines, causing him to feel cold sweat breaking.

''Attack in a large scale and distract the ship’s attention to the outside.'' This was the content of the wireless signal from the “Mock Wooden Horse”, and it was possible to guess the reasoning behind this. However, one could only imagine what the sender’s situation was like. 'What will happen if the other 2 mobile suits launch? Can we hang on until the sender takes action?'' This sudden thought caused Gilligan to tremble all over, but he felt his adrenaline rising, and the blood in his body felt a boiling sensation.

This was different from the mock drills of red team and blue team where he worked together with the people he knew at the Defense College. It was an enemy he had never seen before, and the sense of tension arose as he could not determine the current situation, where a single mistake in the prediction would lead to death. This was--

“War…is it…?”

He muttered and licked his dry lips. He remembered the useless weapon skills, the meaningless research he kept proceeding with were all for this moment. He remembered the days where he kept doing assignments he did not need to hand in and merely locked himself in the vault of self-satisfaction—this would be the day where he clear the vault. He nurtured skills, instincts and a hardy will in an old machine; he had to take down that “Unicorn” to prove that this was not all a waste.

Gilligan continued to let the “Hizack Custom” release its maximum thruster to pursue the “Gundam”, darting around, looking like it was all fluff and no substance as it escaped into the ‘L1 Junction’. He used the two manipulators to wield the beam launcher that was as long as the mobile suit itself, waited for the energy to charge, and squeeze the trigger. The beam flew in a straight line in this space of actual combat, shooting a black hole through the solar panel the “Gundam” was hiding at.

===Part 13===

“The Zeon Republic?”

The beam grazed by near the bridge as Otto repeated these words, and the flash and tremors overwhelmed all his senses. “That’s right!” The sensor operator roared with a voice no softer than the explosions.

“It’s the Musai-Kai class “Gultoppr” and “Dromi”! They requested for an offshore trip in the name of training their fleet!”

The sensor screen showed the CG of the Musai-Kai class ships and the data of the “Hizacks” that were attacking. If they were to believe the identification data on the records, both were weapons that were currently in active service for the Zeon Republic. To the “Nahel Argama”, who had been wary of the pursuit from the Federation and Neo Zeon, the real identity of this enemy was completely beyond their expectations— “What’s going on…” Otto muttered, but nobody was in the mood to answer him, and he turned his sights to the main screen. There were 8 “Hizacks”, including the enemy that was attacking the “Unicorn Gundam”. In contrast, the only mobile suits they could send out to intercept immediately were the “ReZEL” and the “Stark Jegan”. Even if they were facing old mobile suits that were produced more than 10 years ago, it would be tough for them against such overwhelming numbers. And if the Musai-Kai ships on standby were to start firing their cannons…

He regretted not deploying mobile suits to defend the ship just because they did not detect any enemies. The radar had already caught sight of the Republic’s ships, but who was to expect that this unrelated party would suddenly launch an attack? Otto slammed the Captain’s seat armrest hard, “Hasn’t the mobile suit squad launched yet!!!?” he roared, but Mihiro replied. “Negative! The enemy’s attacks are too intense—” her words were interrupted by an explosion from below their feet. (First generator room is on fire!) (Emergency response team! Your reaction is too slow! What are you doing!?) The furious calls through the ship communicator echoed in the bridge.

The engine was not hit directly, but the enemy’s attacks could be said to be indiscriminate. They had no intent of breaking through the anti-air fire, just doing hit and runs over and over again. If this were to keep up, who knew how long it would take before the bridge took a direct hit. Otto realized that nobody on the bridge was dressed in a normal suit, including himself, “Anyone can go. Just get the normal suits!” he yelled, “We sent someone here!” Liam replied loudly, her face showing some shadows lit by the flashes of the cannons.

“What is the “Gundam” doing!? Can’t we call him back!?”

“The line’s dead. He hid behind the ‘L1 Junction’, and it looks like he’s in a tough battle.”

“Tell the ECOAS “Lotos” to support him. The enemy’s using old mobile suits, so it shouldn’t be an opponent that’s tough to deal with—”

“That boy can’t fight properly.”

Upon hearing Liam’s murmuring, Otto swallowed the words he was about to say. “Princess Mineva is on board too, so…” he felt a chill as he saw how she was having difficulty expressing herself, and looked at the lights of explosions that occurred near the ‘L1 Junction’ outside the window. There was no need to imagine how it was like on the assistance seat lacking in G-force resistance, exposed to the monstrous mobility. He clicked his tongue upon realizing that he neglected to think about this, “But if this keeps up…” the moment he muttered, the door behind opened as the explosion rang.

''Are the normal suits here now?'' “Too slow! Hurry…!” Otto turned his stare behind his chair, but lost his voice as his body froze on the Captain’s seat. It was not the crew member who went to get the normal suit. The fatal anomaly that brought about this sudden scenario—the anomaly betrayed the little developments that happened for the past few days as it stood at the door of the Captain’s seat.

Liam too gasped as she remained rooted to the floor, but Mihiro and the sensor operator stopped what they were doing in shock. Otto had been feeling that the movements of each department had been remarkably slow ever since the battle began, and as he digested the overly perfect timing of the Republic’s attack, he realized the reality he was facing as he exchanged looks with the anomaly standing at the door. They exchanged stares for a while, and the submachine gun in this anomaly’s hand broke this standoff as the dark flash suppressor was looking over at him.

The one standing with the gun showed the expression of someone who understood how important this role was. Resistance is futile. As a commander, there is only one thing I can do—''the moment he grabbed onto the armrest tightly, “DO YOU HAVE NO SHAME…!” Liam hollered as she took a step forward. Otto wanted to stop her, but it was too late as the muzzle of the submachine gun let out a flash, creating a light that was more dazzling than the explosions outside the window.

===Part 14===

The enemy drew the beam saber from the shield on its shoulder, and charged right in with a bright glow that sliced through the darkness; however, this enemy made a fatal mistake. The blade hit the warning light of the solar panel before it swung down, and missed the chance to slash.

Banagher had a rough grasp of the overly straight and direct movement. It was easy to dodge it, and he could counterattack with the beam saber beside him, but he knew that Audrey would not be alright. He used the shield to block the slash, gave up on moving to the back of the enemy unit, and let the “Unicorn Gundam” retreat to the Moon side. ''I can’t use the thrusters.'' This thinking caused his reaction to dull, and he could not control the machine well as it spun in an awkward manner. His efforts to adjust his balance with the AMBAC were in vain as the machine let out a shock as it crashed into the stabilizing cable. “Leave me alone for now, Banagher!” Audrey’s loud voice echoed in this cockpit that was shaking tremendously.

“Fight properly! If this keeps up—”

The enemy “Hizack Custom” kicked itself off the warning lights pillar and approached quickly from near the feet, raising the beam saber in its hands. This however was the same pattern; Banagher knew that he would miss, but shot the Beam Magnum at the enemy unit. The mega particles compressed in the Magnum magazine were released, and a large beam exploded, grazing by the monoeyed giant. The solar panels in its path were scorched completely, and there were visible scars on this ‘L1 Junction’ that could be seen from afar. However, the distance was not close enough to take down an enemy through impact. Banagher let the machine approach the outermost area of the core and hid in the shadows of the panel joints; the “Hizack Custom” did not react as he expected, and did not fire back. Banagher was already in the enemy’s firing path, but the machine wielding the beam launcher seemed to panic as it retreated, and flew in a straight line to hide in a blind spot of the ‘L1 Junction’.

At this moment, another “Hizack” flew by from the other side of the Moon, frantically firing its machine gun. It did not try to suppress the “Loto” hiding in the core, looking for a chance to interfere in the battle as it stood on the same path as the other machine. Banagher aimed the barrel of the beam rifle to suppress it without even using his Beam Magnum, guessed that the enemy would dodge it, and fired the Vulcan cannons on its head. The 60mm physical bullets flew out in a fan, and the “Hizack” dodged just as Banagher expected, letting out a flash of a direct hit on the feet. The machine immediately dodged, but its thruster output was too much, and turned back to leave the battle space region immediately. The enemy unit had no intention to fire suppressing shots, forgot to work together with their allies, and only intended to come in with guts. ''Are they terrified after seeing the power of the Beam Magnum?''

“These guys are complete amateurs…”

He let out these words from his deflated body. It was not a question of machine functions, as the Zeon remnants on Earth had used machines older than the current enemies, and managed to fight the newest machines of the Federation to a standstill. It escaped from the shadows of the structure and flew above the solar panels. “That’s a Republic’s machine.” Audrey spoke at this instant, and Banagher again looked at the CG corrected image caught on the enlarged window.

Prompted by her words, Banagher realized that he had seen those shiny grey machines that were not suitable for combat on the news before. The news footage of the Federation space army exercise would occasionally have Zeon Republic mobile suits shown on it. ''Is it working with the Federation’s safety clause to attack a ship that defied orders?'' He looked at the machine that had the design of the “Sleeves”, but was vastly inferior in technology. “The Republic…” Just when he was about to ask back, the wireless communicator, hindered by Minovsky particles, let out a person’s voice that rang clearly amidst the noise.

(…Banagher, “Unicorn Gundam”, do you hear me?)

Banagher left the blind side of the ‘L1 Junction’, and it seemed that the laser communication had reverted back to normal. The signal position was automatically parsed through, and once the window caught sight of the enlarged visual of the “Nahel Argama”, the gruff voice he was used to hearing continued.

(This is Lieutenant Zinnerman. Cease battle immediately and abide by the Republic’s instructions. The “Nahel Argama” is currently under our occupation, and if you don’t follow our instructions, we will not guarantee the safety of the Captain and the crew.)

Banagher could not understand what he just heard as a blunt impact passed through his forehead. His body and mind were relaxed in an instant, and he was unable to move, “…What?” as he let out this question as he placed his hand on the helmet.

“I don’t understand, Captain. What are you saying? You occupied the “Nahel Argama”…”

(It’s exactly what I mean. As long as you follow my instructions, I won’t hurt you. Disengage immediately.)

The approaching alarm suddenly rang, and a part of his consciousness that nearly left returned to his physical body. The “Hizacks” which retreated for a moment drew a large arc as it closed in gradually. These two machines separated from each other, closing in in an encircling manner, obviously showing that they were in sync with this wireless feed. “Wa-wait a moment…” Banagher groaned as he let his back rest on the linear seat. His pulse was beating fast, and cold sweat was trickling down him.

“What’s going on, Captain!? Please explain, explain what you mean clearly!”

There was no response. The “Nahel Argama” was behind the approaching “Hizacks”, about 100km away from the ‘L1 Junction’, being extremely quiet. It did not launch any anti-air fire, and the Republic’s mobile suits were gradually gathered around the silent ship. ''What? What’s going on here?'' Banagher’s thoughts and stare kept wavering, and he turned his head to look at Audrey beside him. “Say something too, Audrey.” The lowered head however shook a little, and the emerald eyes looked back at him.

“The Captain’s acting weird. He seems to be mistaken about something. Come talk to him…”

The eyes that should be doubtful over the exact same situation remained full of gloom and doubt in the chilling silence. She, who had been preaching about the possibility of the Federation and Neo Zeon working together—no, the more she preached, the more doubtful she got. She was saying wordless that she knew this would happen, she was afraid of this, and she had gloomily accepted this situation that could not be reversed…

The hand grabbing her shoulder lost strength as it floated in space without a target. “How can that…” the words that were leaked out remained in the helmet, and Banagher opened it as he felt difficulty in breathing. Audrey too looked down, her expression not moving as the “Nahel Argama” too remained silent. ''What are you doing there?'' Banagher’s wavering stare looked on at the white ship as he muttered in his mouth. ''You can’t save anyone even if you do that. You understand this more than anyone else, who what are you doing there?''

“It’s the usual Captain, saying that he won’t forgive me if you get hurt, laughing like usual…this is too weird. Why is it like this? The Cap…Captain…”

“Zinnerman.”

Audrey interrupted Banagher’s never ending uttering as she lifted her head to say this. The latter was shocked by her, who was not Audrey, but had the expression and voice of Mineva, and stared at her sidelong silently.

“I command you, in the name of Mineva Zabi…you won’t listen even if I say this, right?”

(That’s right.)

“Is that so…how unfortunate.”

A tint of gloomy flashed by Audrey’s lowered face in an instant, and she opened the visor of the helmet to give an adamant look back at Banagher. She cut the communication line immediately and spoke quickly, “Banagher, destroy the “Unicorn”.” For a moment, Banagher could not understand what she just said.

“Zinnerman made contacts with the “Sleeves”, and the reinforcements will be here immediately. Before the “Box” lands in their hands—”

(Banagher, take Mineva Zabi as hostage.)

Another voice immediately rang in the helmet again, and Banagher widened his half-opened eyes.

“Mr Conroy…”

(It’s a critical situation now. This concerns the lives of the crew.)

Banagher looked at the source coordinates of the signal, and turned his stare to the ‘L1 Junction’ behind him. He could not identify the “Lotos” hidden inside the core area, and he could only see the vivid image of Conroy’s stern expression as the latter handed the handgun over. Banagher looked over and saw the automatic handgun strapped in the leather holster on his right ankle. There was a glossy black handle revealed from the gaps of the buckle—''use this to point at Audrey? Why?''

(Stop it Banagher, you can’t do it.)

Zinnerman’s voice interrupted, and his familiar voice echoed in Banagher’s mind as the latter pressed onto his helmet with both hands.

(Think about it, you can’t change anything if you hand the “Box” over to the Federation. Once they rebuild their coexisting relationship with the Vist Foundation, the Princess and the rest of us will be buried in the darkness. Think about Marida; you should know the methods they use here.)

“But the people on the “Nahel Argama”…Captain Bright won’t do this—”

(What can a mere soldier do? We can only do this to save them. If we aren’t divided between Federation and Neo Zeon, we should be thinking about the same thing.)

''This isn’t it.'' Banagher thought, but while he thought about why this was not the case, he could not think of an answer, and looked at Audrey. The emerald eyes were wordless, (Don’t be fooled) Conroy’s voice rang,

(They’re experts at lying. Don’t listen to them; you have the trump card here.)

(Are you going to believe those men who intend to use the Princess as a hostage? Come with us, Banagher. This is for the good of the Princess too.)

The “Hizack Custom” was already at a distance the human eye could see, aiming its beam launcher at Banagher’s unit, ready to fire anytime too, causing the latter to feel revolted. (This is Lieutenant Gilligan Eustace of the Zeon Republic army. Lower your weapon immediately and open the hatch…) Upon hearing the voice of the pilot, Banagher clenched his fist that was drenched in sweat. ''Destroy the machine, surrender to Neo Zeon, take Audrey as a hostage; everyone only cares about themselves, think about their own side. Is it right for me to destroy the “Unicorn” like this? Do I destroy this machine that is the only path to the “Box”, the one that sent me on a journey from the past, present and future, the path leading to Father’s ideals of wanting to present the possibilities of humanity—

(Do you hear me? Lower your beam rifle…)

The pilot’s hysterical voice continued. “SHUT UP!” Banagher however interrupted him as he used the momentum to step on the pedal.

The “Unicorn Gundam” suddenly accelerating and crashed into the “Hizack Custom” in front of it. The impact shook the cockpit, “Banagher…!” and Audrey shouted as she shook about, but he ignored her. He did not look at the “Hizack Custom” that was sent flying, and stared right at the white hull of the “Nahel Argama”.

''I haven’t thought of anything yet; I just want to see the Captain’s face. I can’t continue on with this conversation without us facing each other, and we won’t be able to understand each other like this. That profile took care of me when we crossed the desert; you held back in our fight above Dakar. You hated the meaningless massacre below you and allowed me to charge out silently—''

A narrow flash crossed by in front of his eyes, and his burning head was cooled by this dampener. He instinctively stopped and let the “Unicorn Gundam” turn at practically 90 degrees, but upon hearing a collapsed lung-like gasping, he felt the blood drain off from his body.

He forgot that Audrey was present too, and he turned his head back to see her limp there. “Audrey!” Banagher exclaimed as he shook her shoulder.

''Idiot, I’m an idiot. She’s the only one left I have to protect no matter what.'' He was driven by his fear and patted her face in the helmet several times; her trembling eyes opened slightly, and her unfocused eyes were looking back at him. The moment he was about to heave a sigh of relief, (Calm down, Banagher.) a new voice came in through the wireless communicator, causing Banagher to feel the numbness on his hand that was touching Audrey.

(Your actions will implicate many people’s lives. It is better for you not to mess around)

Some objects fired a trail of threatening shots—and the cabled operation pods retracted back upon the arms of an abnormally shaped mobile suit near Banagher. Behind the purple machine that resembled a rose was a machine with bright red armor, appearing behind the “Nahel Argama”, causing Banagher to stare intently at it.

“Full Frontal…”

Audrey, who seemed to have regained consciousness, said blankly. The “Sinanju” passed by the purple machine and matched its speed with the “Nahel Argama” as it stood in front, not raising the beam rifle in its hand as it looked down at the “Unicorn Gundam”. Two “Geara Zulus” raised the beam launchers in its place, and their monoeyes were giving off intimidating lights, just like the purple machine. Banagher saw that these were veterans that were used to fighting, different from the “Hizacks” of the Republic, and imagined the masked face he saw on “Palau” with the red machine.

[[Image:KSGU8 200.jpg|thumb]]

(Surrender. This is the best option now.)

The voice rang beside his ears, corroding his mind as it continued. The hands holding the control sticks lost strength, and Banagher’s unfocused expression was fluttering in space. ''The best path, the path leading to the future, what Father left to me.'' These completely unrelated words spun in his mind, festered, collapsed, and lost all meanings; he did not have the ability to think of what was the best option any more, and was left in a moment of ridiculous rambling as his empty mind had no where to go to.

Perhaps it was for this reason that he could not react immediately when Audrey got up from her assistant seat and reached her hand for his legs. When he realized that the handgun was drawn out, it was already pointed at his abdomen, and he finally looked at her face.

''Audrey.'' He wanted to call her, but he could not, and the hard block pressing on his abdomen was the only thing he could feel. Audrey continued to exchange stares with Banagher, “It’s been tough on you, Captain Full Frontal.” She said quietly,

“The pilot of the “Unicorn” can’t make a decision coolly in this situation. I’ve taken over the cockpit.”

(Is this fine…Your Highness Mineva?)

“It can’t be helped since things have already developed till this point. Where do I go next?”

(Just land on the “Nahel Argama”. Can you disarm it?)

Frontal’s voice was rather calm. “Audrey…” Banagher eked out the voice from his throat, and saw that she was showing much restrain on her expression. ''Was it an act?'' He wanted to find out from it, but the emerald eyes did not answer. The gun was pressed at his abdomen with more force, and a stare pierced through his body and mind, ostensibly testing the hardness of something. Banagher’s heart was shaken deep down, and he realized this was an important situation. He closed his eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath before looking in front.

He unlocked the control stick and dropped the beam rifle from the right manipulator. The NT-D flashed at this moment, and the psycoframe light that could be seen from even within the cockpit vanished. The expanded frame shrank, the sliding armor returned back to its fixed position, the bladed antenna closed to form the lone horn again, and the dual-eye sensors under it lost all glow. Banagher checked that the red light of “La+” vanished and that the machine was back to its “Unicorn” state, and lit its thrusters to close its distance with the “Nahel Argama”.

The “Geara Zulu” grabbed the beam rifle floating in space, and Banagher followed it to the white ship that was in Neo Zeon’s grasps. Hostility, suspicions, conscience; Banagher felt the numerous stares and emotions around him, and he focused on letting the “Unicorn” move forward. Trusting others—as he personally experienced how difficult it was to do this, he put his thoughts on the life that was connected to this gun. As Audrey continued to point the gun at him, Frontal’s “SInanju” stood above him, staring down at them, and the machine that was the embodiment of the Red Comet continued to float in the darkness.

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| Forward to [[KSGU:Volume_8_Chapter_3|Chapter 3]]

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