Chapter 2 Part 1

In the starry universe, there was a biplane thats flying with a propeller. It was a middle-century classical plane that operates on gasoline.

As he stared at the plane blankly, Riddhe Marcenas imagined himself to be sitting on it. He was wearing a flying visor, a white muffler around his neck, and using fighting flying skills that were like acrobatics to tease the enemys destroyer. A pilot had to be like this. Even if the propeller planes were all replaced by jet planes or even evolved into space fighter jets with g, pilots were all proud riders. A pilot shouldnt be part of minor things like being called out by an older non-commission officer or pointed at by a senior pilot. Thats the bad customs that passed down from the navy. And the pilots after the mid-century occupy a unique atmosphere called the air force, and theyre an unique existence that had to be separated from ordinary soldiers. At least they shouldnt forget about thisthats what he thought.

However, reality was cruel.

Ensign Riddhe, the captains calling you over to his room.

A window opened in the space, and the Mechanical Officer Jona Gibneys mustached face chuckled as he said that. He was the oldest and the most experienced of the maintenance staff, and he was one of those senior soldiers who would not hesitate to scold an officer. Riddhe was sitting on the linear seat and pouted, Why always me?

You have to bring stuff to the captains room. This job is more or less suited for a rich boy!

Im an officer too, you know! This has nothing to do with lineage, right?

Only those who shot down an enemys plane has the right to say that. Now go!

Mechanical Officer Gibneys face disappeared from the screen, and only angry roars echoed throughout the cockpit. Riddhe unhappily turned off the all-view monitor and grabbed the biplane model that was floating above his head.

Once the space simulated image disappeared, the screens that were connected on the inside walls of the ball, and the cockpit suddenly became a cramped and unpleasant cockpit. Riddhe used a plastic bag to wrap the plastic body of the biplane and put it behind the display guard before opening the door. The door that could only be passed through by bending down was right in front of him. The sound of welding, cranes and metals rubbing against each other entered the cockpit.

Also, there was a chatter behind him, and Gibney, who was in that jumpsuit that the mechanical staff would wear was showing blank white eyes. Riddhe kicked the linear seat and easily let his body float out of the cockpit. Gibneys body didnt move as he floated in the air, and he said with a heinous tone, Were you meditating inside that cockpit again?

Im embracing the time when I can be one with my beloved plane. Are you touched?

And you even dare to say that you brought a toy in!

Please dont randomly touch and spoil it. Thats a limited edition. It was hard to get it!

One has to strike the fine balance between being orderly and doing things ones own way. One shouldnt remember the grudges when theres vexing words said, but to forget it after hearing it. Having grasped the secret to ship service, Riddhe took the documents he was to deliver and left. Who cares about you, Mr Mania? after leaving these words behind, Gibney looked like he exchanged places with Riddhe as he slipped into the cockpit. His underlings, 4 new technicians in spacesuits followed him from behind and looked into the cockpit from all directions.

Their job was to pay attention to all of Gibneys actions and quickly hand the important tools to him. This deck was often filled with air, so there was no need to wear the bulky work spacesuit. However, Gibney wanted the rookies to wear them at all time. Whatll happen if were attacked and theres a hole in the wall? Once youre sucked outside, the blood in your body will immediately freeze and youll immediately die. That was Gibneys saying, and he did see this personally on the ship he was on. Those who experienced the One Year War, the ones who fought in war, had the most weight in their words.

When Riddhe was first assigned to this ship, he would also show respect to this, and would wear a pilots spacesuit when he entered the deck. However, he would now be lightly dressed in a jumpsuit and a jetpack. Since hes riding on a spaceship, he will die anyway if they were attacked, no matter where they were, and even Gibney himself wouldnt wear a spacesuit before the siren rang. After seeing the tense profiles of the rookies, Riddhe thought that they were really pitifulbut this made Riddhe remember his own sadness, and he suddenly had an urge to drop the documents that he was told to deliver onto the floor. He took a deep breath, held back this urge, grabbed and messed up his blond hair that was a little longer, and used the steel cable to move alongside the floor.

As he was being dragged by the cable, he could see his personal suit fully as he went near the passage thats located at the wall. It was a blue humanoid body that showed the artistry of straight and curved contours. This was the RGZ-95 that had a variable booster unit behind. As the front part of the booster was extended out from the back of the head, it looked a lot larger than an ordinary mobile suit. Gibney and his subordinates who were gathered at the cockpit right at the abdomen looked like they were the size of the 's fist.

On the large mobile suit deck that was more than 7 levels high, there were 7 similar-typed and the main forces of the Earth Federation RGM-89 were also at their fixed positions and undergoing maintenance. The was a mass-produced frame, and though the was classified as the latest transformable mobile suit, both mobile suits inherited the basic design from the Federation Armys mobile suit, the RGM-79 , which wasnt changed too much. Most notably, the visor protector on the head that blocks the optical sensor was of the exact same design. Riddhes personal suit, the had the identification number NA-R008 on the chest, and the visor that was basically its eyes was being washed.

There was no sign of any streamlined winged mobile suits, only the humanoid mobile suits that looked like they will pop out in old cartoons. This scene just looked like the rows of Buddha statues Riddhe saw with he was young and went on a trip to Asia, which irritated him again. The beauty of aircraft was created from the coordination of air resistance. Thus, it would be natural for machines thats to be used in vacuum to display other characteristics. Also, the reason why space fighter units that resembled planes and replaced by mobile suits called robots was because of the One Year War that happened when Riddhe was 6.

If one hadnt found the new particles that would bring about the revolution to physics, the Minovsky Particles that would jam all electronic devices, there wouldnt be humanoid machines that formed the basis of recent wars. If it wasnt for the creation of mobile suits and the Principality of Zeons creation being such a huge success that caused the Earth Federation which had overwhelming advantages to be on the brink of defeat, this hangar would still have signs of the descendant of the biplane, the space fighter jets.

Of course, the fighter jets didnt disappear completely. The main machine of the Federations air force, the was a fighter plane that resembled an aircraft. The space army still had the fighter planes that were used for long distance support, but they were already out, and the budget for new machines was already interrupted for so long. Also, once the air force finished clearing the remnants of Zeon Forces on Earth, they were treated like they fulfilled their purpose and were abandoned. No matter how much one liked planes, to this person who graduated from the Officer Cadet School with outstanding grades, it wasnt an attractive path.

In the end, Riddhe came here. He was affliated to a top-notch large ship under the Federation, and became a pilot of a mobile suit. He managed to fulfill his dream since childhoodand he even used his links with his family. What he got was completely different from what he expected though. He was living in the world whether that brave pilot was gone and began living his life while being called a young lord by experienced pilots and soldiers as he was told off every day.

Considering that he couldnt get away from the pressure of his family whenever he goes, this was still a surrounding he could compromise with. He continued to hold back the unhappiness within him and reached his hand out to the handle on the deck. Suddenly, he heard voices from under his feet going whats with that ugly and fake tank?. A pilot who was being pulled by the cable was glaring at the two vehicles parked in the corner of the deck.

The dark brown machines that were over 10m in length were large crawlers. They did look like armored cars or tanks. While leaving , about 30 transport carrier personnel suddenly came in with the vehicles. As Riddhe watched these vehicles, other voices could be heard, Did the special forces bring these people in?.

They had been using cover to cover it, and they didnt allow us technicians to touch.

The killer squad of the hunters. Such annoying visitors.

On hearing these bad words that were deliberately said for others to hear, the visitors who were maintaining the vehiclethe special Federation space forces ECOAS glared over, but the pilots themselves didnt seem to reflect on this as they went above while holding the cable. Instead of merely being crude, it was more like small fries acting childish, and Riddhe really felt like sighing.

The ECOAS, also known as the hunter squad, had quite the bad reputation. They would often have a clear divide from the ship crew, and they would cover their equipment with cloth and not allow others to get near. Riddhe really didnt like such secrecy at all. However, it would be immature for him to return nail for nail. Basically, the training and regimentation of the space army were all like the navy, and the group mentality for each ship was too strong. An experienced soldier like Gibney could be so cool was because of the bad habit of experience triumphing over rank. The concept of the term ship in space and bringing the seamans mentality into space was the cause of all this.

If the spaceship could be described as a large plane, learning the elements of the air force may be like becoming an independent organization that had open communication channels. While repeating the meaningless grumbles, Riddhe looked over at the armored car-like thin the ECOAS had. The squad members were getting ready as they started to pull the covers off the vehicles, most likely because they were getting close to their destination, and they gave a tense feeling from their backs, making that place look like a completely different world. They were dressed in impromptu T-shirts and army pants, but they were highly skilled in moving under zero gravity, and they wouldnt shout randomly. They werent extremely muscular, but the abnormally thick upper body and the thick chest muscles made them look like they trained.

Riddhes eyes met one of them. It was the man who shot a glare at his crewmate for saying harsh words. Riddhe gave a smile as he tried to compensate for his crewmates unreasonable action. But the man didnt smile as he looked at Riddhe like he was looking at a thing and then looked away before continuing his work.

He didnt look like he was looking at other people. The cold inorganic-like eyes was definitely of someone nicknamed a hunter. Riddhe felt like he was being held at knifepoint on the throat as he hurriedly left.

The ships name was called . It was an assault landing ship that belonged to the independent unit of the Earth Federation, Londo Bell. Right now, it was in between Earth and the moon, right before the dark wasteland space of L1. In three hours, they would be entering the space debris field, and they will deploy all forces to monitor the region.

The ship that was almost 400m in length had a mobile suit catapult launcher at the deck of the ship. The bridge was right in the middle like a bow, and there were 2 giant wings with hidden solar panels extending out from the back of the bridge and reaching out to both sides. If one were to designate the two engines that are equipped on the rear left and right sides of the ship as the hind legs and the catapult decks on both sides as the fore legs, it would look like a sphinx with wings or a large wooden horse. Based on this point, this ship could be said to have inherited the Pegasusc-class obile assault landing ship that was active during the One Year Warthe Federations first mobile suit carrier .

However, the didnt belong to any class, and neither did it have a similar ship. If theres a need to classify it, it should be classified as , a one and only ship. Thats because it was a ship that wasnt designed through standard National Security planning during the time after the war, in the internal tussle that divided the Federation Army into halfwhat one would call the Gryps War. However, it didnt have interchangeability and was hard to deal with, so it was removed from the armys reorganization plans. Though there was a large scale reconstruction after the Gryps War, Londo Bell, which took it, didnt know what to do with it, and it wasnt set as a cornerstone of a fleet. It was hard to mobilize, so there was no accompanying fleet, causing it to be mobilized as a single ship.

This ship of the external group of the space army Londo Bell was an isolated oneand the isolation caused a twisted group mentality. It couldnt be helped that the old habits of rejecting others happened. Riddhe used this thinking to scatter the anger that he couldnt purge and left the mobile suit deck to move towards the center of the ship.

These werent all bad things, and Riddhe could even say that its better for him to be isolated. Also, he didnt really dislike this atmosphere completely. He was the one who volunteered to be assigned to Londo Bell, and he considered his position and suitability before being assigned to the Nahel Argama. If he was sent to a main fleet, that wouldnt be all the pressure. He would probably end up with his superiors fearing him, his peers hating him, and he couldnt fulfill his duty in such an environment.

The weight of his family was this great. He was the eldest son of the important senator in the Federation Central Council Ronan Marcenas. It was a political family that once gave birth to a Prime Minister, and he was the heir to the Marcenas glory. This guys here to pilot a mobile suit? Impossible. Hell most likely be decommissioned after a while. Its not rare for a political heir to enter an officer cadet school as one would say that being outstanding in the Federation army would be a shortcut to being a politician. Most of the time, he would be intending to get along with future generals to creating camaraderie with the army

No! But no matter how many times he emphasized this, such words continued to be echoed. I didnt want to be a politician. My dream is a pilot, so I entered the Officer Cadet School even with my family against it. However, having entered officer cadet school for 4 years and the mobile suit learning squad for a year, Riddhe really felt that it was meaningless to argue back, and didnt want to face these words already. In contrast, he started to search his way from the center. It was a place where high ranking officers wouldnt try to latch on to him so that they would be outstanding in the future. Even if they teased him as young lord, this was a place where they wouldnt have any ill intention, but treat him as a pilot

However, it was unexpected that they would call him to be a runner. Grimacing inside, Riddhe let go of the moveable handle and used the momentum to float through the path and stop in front of the lift that would lead to the gravity area. Mihiro Oiwakken, who was his junior that graduated in the next batch, was coincidentally in the lift.

Oh my, are you delivering these documents? Yeah. Both of them continued to talk as the lift carried them. The inside of the had a cylindrical gravity area that was like a space colony. It uses centrifugal force to create gravity on the inside of the cylinder. Of course, as the diameter was smaller, it could only create a weak amount, but even if the objects not fastened to the floor, it could keep it to the floor. When flying for a long time, especially while eating and undergoing military medical treatment, this design would be extremely important.

The lift went through the axis on the side of the gravity area and arrived at the rotary axis of the cylinder. Both of them were exchanging information this time about the emergency departure and the uncertain battle plan before the door opened again. The destination was the Construction Space Colony thats in the Dark Wasteland space. The main operation would be carried out by ECOAS, and the was in charge of sending them.

s Anaheim Electronics Space Colony, right? The Dark Wasteland Region a place where a new Side will be built on in the space colony redevelopment projectI dont think that its a place where the Sleeves will show up.

I dont know about the details, but the atmosphere in the bridge is really bad. Were already unhappy that the hunters are using us as a transport, and we may even end up in a real battle. First Mate Liam was forcing the captain to make the hunters tell the truth

Captain Otto cant hold on for long if that old hags going to continue pressuring him like that, right? Even I cant handle it.

Yeah. Its really hard to imagine him when hes commanding.

Even though she would say this, Mihiro herself looked like she was far from the active battle. Her dark brown eyes and hair showed a heavy Eastern heritage. She was wearing a grey officer uniform and was shorter than Riddhe. Perhaps it was her inferiority complex in her height that she was so hardworking, and she was giving the nickname mini-tank in Officer Cadet School. However, she wouldnt give a vexing feeling, and is a nice female officer who wouldnt lose her cool. The way she rolls her eyes would give people the impression of a small animal like a chipmunk instead of a mini tank.

22 year old Mihiro was only deployed to Londo Bell for half a year, and Riddhe, who graduated a year earlier, went to the mobile suit learning squad, so he was assigned here at the same time as her, and for the two of them, it was their first duty in their first ship. Its been three years since the war with the remnants of Zeon in what people called Chars Counterattack, and right now, even Londo Bell, which was meant to be an immediate response team, had not fought for a long time. Thus, there were quite a lot of people who didnt have actual combat experience. Recently, the renegade organization called Sleeves were starting to move, and had fought against several squads under Londo Bell. However, the , which was on the outside, didnt take part in the assault, thus, new cadres like Riddhe werent the only ones who couldnt imagine the actual scenario.

Real battlesince we have the hunters on board, it wont be an exercise, I guess.

Its troubling to have to fight secretly in a civilian space colony. has the school Anaheim Electronics runs, right?

Mihiro said this as that student-like face of hers became gloomy. As he saw that delicate Eastern skin of hers, Riddhes thoughts became a little uncouth, and the lift reached the gravity area before opening. After saying goodbye to Mihiro who was heading to the bridge, Riddhe let his body float through the passage that looked like the axis of the rotating gravity area.

Once he landed on the gravity, the body that was captured by gravity creaked, and Riddhe felt like he was struck by dizziness. He grabbed the handle on the wall. Riddhe frowned as the blood in his body was being pulled down as he didnt feel well about that. He moved past the weapons personnel who came over from the cafeteria and entered another lift. The captains room was at the lowest level in the inside wall, where the gravity was the strongest. After descending down the axis for another 50m, his body started to become heavier because of the zero gravity during the journey, which caused his body to expand.

In fact, the atmosphere in the captains room was rather heavy too. After reporting and calling out excuse me, Riddhe walked into the captains room, and immediately knew the reason.

The captains room of the had the operation room and the reception room. The reception room itself was a wide space that was more than 60 sq meters large. The ship was being expanded continuously to match the current mobile suit capacity needed. However, the basic amount of facilities needed wouldnt require that much space, which ended up allowing them to use as much space as they wanted to. Inside the reception room right now was captain Otto Midas leading the people in charge of the weapons and the navigation were here. However, they werent the ones who made the presence in the room heavy. In contrast to the tired looking captain, there was a commander sitting on the opposite sofa, and there was an organization where everyone was dressed in suitsthe dangerous guests who were riding on this ship. They were the ones who made the reception area feel so heavy.

Such a heavy feeling made him remember about his family. Once Riddhe entered the room, he immediately saw the mobile suit squadron leader, Norman Basilicok. He avoided the looks of the rest as he handed the documents over to the colonel. He wanted to immediately turn around and leave the room, but Commander Norm said, I need to sign this. Please wait for a moment. Causing him to remain where he was.

Sitting at a corner of the L-shaped sofa and signing the nominal roll, Norms face looked rather unhappy, and Captain Otto took off his cap, a rare feat for him. As they had to put on spacesuits in battle, the space army wouldnt use military caps when riding in ships, but Otto would definitely wear the normal cap. This was to hide his reclining hairline, and its an open secret in the ship. Some vicious mechanics would even say, Does he even need to worry about being bald when he looks like that?

Were fine with ECOAS leading this battle.

Otto touched that head of his that was lacking in hair and broke the silence. The voice of a middle-ranked officer bemoaning matched his face that looked like an old uncle in a civilian factory.

But Londo Bell also has what Londo Bell needs to do. At least tell us your objective

Thats classified. I personally have no rights to reveal this.

Sitting opposite Otto was the fierce commander, who answered without an expression. He was the leader of the ECOAS squad, Daguza Mackle. His straightened back and those sturdy thighs of his would make one wonder whether he could still maintain the same position even when someone takes the sofa away. No matter whether its the stone-like expression or the sharp expression that would make anyone freeze, he does look like a man who could lead the hunters.

Commander Norm stopped his hand from flipping through the documents and stared at Daguza. Riddhe found that he was in a situation where he didnt want to face at all, as his straight body froze harder. As the leader of the counter-terrorist Special Forces, Daguza had handled much more covert missions. Compared to his expression, Otto, who was forced onto the Nahel Argama which no one wanted, lost out a lot. Norman and all the crew on the ship saw that the captain was losing out a lot, and were obviously looking outraged. However, Daguza didnt really pay much attention to these stares. Riddhe was right in the middle of the epitome of a messy situation.

But this is to be held in a civilian space colony. At least make some explanation to reduce the causalities to the minimum

Thats why Im allowed to come along.

Otto manned up his pride as a captain and spoke, and the one who interrupted him was one of the men dressed in suits beside Daguza. Amongst the men dressed in traditional suits, there was a man who was wearing a collared Nehru Jacket. He placed the Nahel Argama model he was playing in his hand back onto the table and looked around at everyone.

Ill reveal this then. Theres a deal thats about to take place in . The parties involved are the Sleeves and the leader of the Vist Foundation.

The man said as he smiled and relaxed his plump face. He was a visitor that came along with Daguza and the ECOAS members, and the one with the largest profile. They only knew that he was an important member of Anaheim Electronics, and his name was Alberto. This man had an arrogant smile, and he seemed to be telling everyone that the authority over this entire battle is in him. Otto asked back, Did you say Vist Foundation and at this moment, Norman and Daguza narrowed their eyes in unison as they gave unhappy looks.

Thats right. On the surface, its a philanthropic foundation that transports art pieces into space colonies, but in fact, we control practically all of the Vist Foundations wealth and power. Though theres a difference in the authority wielder, its the major stakeholder of our company here.

With his back facing the Earth Celestial Sphere map on the wall, Alberto ignored the unhappy looks everyone gave.

Of course, is our companys asset. However, even if theres some damage, we have to prevent the deal between the Sleeves and the Vist Foundation. This isnt Anaheims decision only, but also the conclusion the highest authorities of the Federation Army came to.

His eyes with double eyelids made him look like he got a doll like face, but his demeanor and bulky frame really made it hard to tell his age. Though Anaheim Electronics was the largest military enterprise in the world, but for a civilian like Alberto to take part just because he was a crucial figure in this, for what reason did the highest authorities make such a decision? Whats thisdeal that we needed to prevent at all cost? Captain Otto asked with a somewhat trembling voice.

Its the . The Vist Foundation intend to hand that thing over to the Sleeves.

Immediately, the heavy damp air scattered all over, and Riddhe felt cold air blow through the reception room. ? Otto frowned.

No one knows what that thing is, or even whats inside. But one things certain. Once the is opened, it would bring about the end of the Earth Federation government.

Alberto leaned his back on the sofa as he gave a serious look. Captain Otto tried to force a smile, but wasnt successful as his stiff expression started to ache in numbness. Daguzas sharp expression remained on Alberto.

The Vist Foundation hid the and used that to preserve its wealth. Anaheim shares the same fate with it too. No matter what the aim is, we must stop the leader who lost his mind, if the thing that can topple the Federation government lands in the Sleeves handsthings will become serious, captain.

Alberto said as he gave a self-mocking smile. Facing the doubts and fears everyone showed as they remained silent, Riddhe could only curse himself for meeting such an unlucky and unfortunate situation.

No matter how one walked on the side of the corridor, there was the sound of a fist slamming into flesh. Marida Crus let go of the moving handle and saw the back of Flaste Schole.

ITS BECAUSE YOU DIDNT CHECK PROPERLY THAT WE DIDNT EVEN KNOW THAT WE WERE USED AS TRANSPORT!

Right in front of Flaste, who was roaring away, was a young deck crewman whose face was beaten till it was red and swollen. Under zero gravity, both of them had their feet stuck to the ground by magnets, so anyone whos hit would be hurting. Even if Flaste held back, that hard metal-like punch that cant be dodged landed straight on his face. The crewman swayed about and stood still, saying, I wont give any excuses for this. While blood was dripping from his mouth.

THATS JUST YOU TRYING TO ACT COOL! WHY DONT YOU JUST GET ON YOUR KNEES AND APOLOGIZE!?

Flaste grabbed the front of the crewmans hair and looked like he intended to deliver a few more punches. However, he was stopped by a voice Stop fighting. Marida watched the human wall that was gathered on the passageway scatter, and Captain Zinnermans bearded face appeared.

He sounded calm, but the expression hidden under the captains hat showed utter distress. Its been an hour since they got a signal from the headquarters that she went missing. In the large Earth Celestial Sphere, the itself would be a lone island in the large ocean. If she disappeared, its likely that she would be hiding inside the ships that come in and goes out. After having checked the entire ship thoroughly, they found that one of the storerooms that was used as a storeroom had signs of a stowaway inside, which caused a huge commotion in the Garencieres.

Marida herself joined in the search, but her presence wasnt inside the ship. It seemed that she slipped out during the mess when they docked. It was the crewmans mistake for not noticing that she left, and he should be punched by Flaste, but everyone knew that they couldnt solve the problem by getting angry. Marida ignored the men who were staring at each other and went into the cabin she looked like she was in.

She looked through the window on the wall and out to the central dock, closed her eyes and concentrated. She couldnt grasp the presence of people moving about, and the messy thoughts that was like heat from a crowd caused her head to spin. Though she felt a little hot on the forehead, she couldnt detect her presence. There were too many people. Marida could only be amazed about how the human presences she could focus on in the battlefield could move about messily at will. As expected, an artificial being couldnt detect a specific presence

Shes inside this space colonybut its not good if we take action and get held at ransom by our trade partner.

Zinnerman said outside the entrance. Marida wiped away the sweat on her hands that came out unknowingly and returned back to the corridor.

Is it likely that the girl made contact with the other party already?

Its likely that she was opposed to this right from the beginning. Most likely, she made contact with Vist Foundation

Once Flaste pushed the crewman aside and finished saying that, Gilboa Sant continued on. Zinnerman watched his two henchmen, said Not really and put on his captains hat.

Its impossible to make contact with the outside world from Palau. She most likely intends to make direct contact!

Most likely, she wanted to prevent the deal of the . Zinnerman let air flow through his hair thats linked to his beard and put on the old captains hat. His eyes showed bitterness and pride. During these past years, he put in his heart and soul to protect her, and to this man who viewed himself as her substitute guardian, he may be able to judge that she would do this, and this was somewhat of a self-defeat feeling. Marida was thinking as such, but decided firmly that she didnt understand this, and looked away from her master who looked somewhat old now.

She only knows one thing, and that is, this is a huge crisis that would bring about danger to the entire organization. If they lose her, the Sleeves will lose their focal point, and the organization they were finally able to build will develop cracks. If she even ends up in the Federations hands, the problem wouldnt be only about the organization called the Sleeves. It may even bring everything to an immediate halt, the 16 years of waror even the struggle that originate about half a century ago. All the sacrifice, blood, sweat that were shed for this would lose all meaning. The Sleeves and the members of the will lose their support.

She, who was really smart, couldnt possibly not understand this. This was foolishbut as she thought this, Marida felt that doing this would fit her nature, and thus she stopped thinking. No matter whether it was about her or the Sleeves, all the necessary decisions were to be made by her master, and she only needed to obey. The more she thinks, the more she would hesitate when carrying out the order. Its something an ordinary person would normally do. After using this logical thinking process of hers, Marida gave Zinnerman a look that showed that she was waiting for instructions.

Please, Marida. That child doesnt know about normal life, so she wouldnt be too far off. Shell probably leave clues behind.

Perhaps sensing the stare over at him, Zinnerman looked over at her and said this. This was the minimum transmission of talking and breathing, the familiar voice of her master. After answering understood simply, Marida left the scene. After hearing Flastes voice Dont create any commotion from behind, Marida took the lift and head towards the bridge area.

The , which had a vertical landing function, has the end of the ship as the floor when it lands; which made it look like a building, and the bridge at the front of the ship was at the highest level. While theyre docked with the port now, the floor inside the ship thats parallel to the port is lying horizontally. The lift itself is moving horizontally, but under zero gravity, the scenery around would decide how it looked. Marida ascended by about the equivalent of 10 levels and entered the bridge. She then entered the bottom of the bridgeor ratherthe backwhere the server room was. In this small room thats filled with communication equipment and screens, the crewman continued to stare at the screen all this while, and the sound of the keyboard being typed on never stopped.

Besides the colony news network that anyone could read, they could see the construction progress of , the blueprint and even the movement of the industrial workers. As they could use the network provided by the port while they were docked and connect to the colonys network, a highly skilled hacker could check out a large amount of information. After plucking away the coffee tube from the air, Marida asked How is it? and the crewman didnt look back as he tossed a printed paper over. Whats printed on it was the hottest selling news at the moment.

A mini mobile suit was forced to land in the park. The student who used it insisted that he used it to save someoneis it?

The sound of things piecing together rang in her mind. Marida looked at the time the news was broadcasted, and confirmed that the time was already past 9. She held onto the printed paper and left the server room.

As described above, the One Year War ended at the large scale battle at A Baoa Qu. After that, the Principality of Zeon transferred control over to the new republic and signed a peace treaty, and where is the lunar city where the peace treaty was signed? Banagher Links?

Fidgeting around and passing through the back of the classroom, Banagher was about to sit down at his seat, but was called out by his teacher, Mr Bancroft, and was immediately stunned.

Yes. Un, thatVon Braun?

Its Granada. *BAM*. After slamming the desk and correcting it, Mr Bancroft adjusted his glasses in an unhappy manner. I heard about everything. Sit down.

Whats going on? Banagher muttered inside his heart as he sat at a corner of the fan-shaped table. Takuya and the other students gave him looks as he plugged his laptop into the power port at the table. He opened out the retractable keyboard, entered his log in ID, and the world history definition that he missed out was shown on the screen.

Its said that the advance in technology in the old century and the wireless network system werent rare at allan age where even handphones could be carried alongright now, the network and phones were all wired. Thats because as humans are living in human colonies, such intricate technology, theres a strict limit on the electric waves used. However, as theres Minovsyu particles floating everywhere, the limit became meaningless. These Minovsky particles that were of unknown origin causes electric short circuits of all types to happen often. Although there were many protective measures for life support systems, its a habit after the One Year War to print a copy of data out.

In other worlds, this Earth Celestial Sphere still had Minovsky particles floating about after the war. To put it plainly, theres still a need for itwar continues to happen. Banagher suddenly thought about this and felt that his neck was aching a little like it was twisted. Of course, it need not be a real battle. Particles were also scattered for battle training. Recently, its said that even trading ships would scatter the particles to deal with pirates. Some of them would definitely float over from a real battlefield, right? Maybe at this moment, someones betting his life and gets burned by a laser. Just like how he saw a mobile suit this morning amongst them remains.

"A war. Therell be a large-scale war again."

The jade-colored eyes flashed through his mind as those words rang beside his ears. Banagher shook his head that was still swirling and gathered his concentration on the history lecture.

The Principality of Zeon was a military country that was controlled by the Zabi family. The Zeonism that Zeon Deikum promoted described that humans in space shall bring a brand new Newtype thinking, and garnered lots of supports like Gihren Zabi. It wasnt Deikums own intent, but after he died, his name was used by the Zabi family as an excuse for a war of independence. In a certain sense, it was still a dangerous thought.

Someone could actually say such words even though its not knowledge derived from their own experience. How does it feel?Seeing Mr Bancroft continue to talk away, he wondered as a chat window appeared in the corner of his laptop.

This was to be expected. He was the one who caused an uproar in the entire colony by uprooting a cable on the road. How would the other students who werent motivated let this off? Banagher impatiently pressed the button and let the chat window appear on his monitor.

Master Icarus. How does it feel to be investigated by the police?

Most likely, Takuya was asking on behalf of the entire class. Icarus? Banagher asked back, and then, there was a link to a webpage. Banagher clicked on the click to check.

It was the front page of the Daily 7 news that Anaheim Electronics run. Banagher saw the photo of the Torohachi in the lawn and the headline The Icarus that challenged the Artificial sun sadly fell onto the park, and immediately turned off the webpage.

He felt the students around him all holding back their laughter as they looked at him. Am I wrong to save someone? Banagher answered.

I heard that the person you saved disappeared like smoke. What did the police say about you using a mini-mobile suit on your own and wrecking property? What about the College? The students asked, and Banagher used one hand to support his face and he typed with one hand.

The surveillance camera of the maintenance system captured the image of the girl, so it was deemed that I did save someone. I was given a severe verbal warning and acquitted of charges. From the way the counseling teacher came to get me from the police, it seems that I dont have too much problems with the school, but I have to head to the principals office after school.

The male students, who made up about 70% of the class, started to get excited and tap away at their keyboard A girl!? Age, looks? What did you talk about? Where did she come about?On seeing the screen seemingly come to life, Banagher entered, I dont know. The polices still looking for her. At this moment, the sound of the lecture desk rang throughout the classroom.

You people. Dont think that you can slack around just because it seems that history isnt so useful to your work. Anaheim wont hire idiots who cant even pass a high school standard. Dont just stupidly believe that they will hire all you people!

Mr Bancroft used his ultimate technique, and the students immediately closed their chat windows and looked back at the podium. The reason why vocations were quickly switched was because the vocational students know that their future jobs will lie in the teachers hands. Banagher sighed and focused on the lecture screen. The One Year War, the Gryps War, the two Neo Zeon wars. As he looked at the boring timeline, Banagher couldnt get rid of those jade green eyes spinning in his dizzy mind.

The bright eyes he saw several hours ago; the soft touch when he hugged her together with both hands; everything just felt so distant, so vague that it feels like he was seeing another persons memory. Even Banagher himself couldnt dare to believe that he stole a mini mobile suit to save her. He didnt think that he would have such a reckless impulse. Why did he do this? Who was she?

As it was close to noon, there was a bright sunlight outside the classroom window. At the field in front of the vocation building, there were mini mobile suits that were used for training lined up over there, moving equipment thats to be used for training. Opposite there was a stack of trapezoid layers of the school campus that was designed with the Coriolis Effect of the colonys self-rotation in mind. And far over on the other side, theres a large wall that showed the end of a space colonythe materials were still exposed to the airtight wall facing the moon. As it was blocked by the light of the artificial sun, its import to see the entire mortar-like war, but theres a hatch in the center thats connected to the colony builder, and right now, there should be equipment thats to be used for building colonies thats being moved in and out.

The colony builder collects the debris thats floating around in the Dark Wasteland region and start to purify, refine and build . Thats the redevelopment plan of the Dark Wasteland region, often called the experimental phase of the Frontier Project. In other words, this colony was built from the debris of past wars, and the colony builder was a magic funnel that uses this junk to build a worldand because of the shape, this large facility was given the nickname . Banagher couldnt help but concentrate on this seemingly blurry airtight wall.

That was the thing that built the space colony, this world. She said that she had to go there, that theres someone she had to meet. For what? To prevent a war?

After the war, organizations that called themselves the remnants of Zeon created lots of conflict. They called for space migrants to be self-independent, pushed for Ere-ism, and viewed Earthnoids as enemies. However, dont forget the Newtype thinking in the republic that maybe people saw. Thats why colonies and meteors were thrown down to Earth. Its unknown how many people sacrificed their lives because of this, and as citizens of the Federation who follow the idea of democracy, we

Another voice rang through his ears, covering the voice of Mr Bancroft who sounded more and more agitated.How spineless! Who cares about you,Banagher argued back at the girl in his mind.

It has nothing to do with me. No, I cant possibly be involved in this. Whether its this One Year War or the second Neo Zeon War 3 years agothe so-called Chars Counterattack, all these has nothing to do with me. Thats just something I only saw through the television screen, what happened in a far away world. Its the same for all the students here and Mr Bancroft here too!

If there were countless billions of people who were sacrificed in the war, then including those that survived, its our job to rebuild Earth and develop.The commotion during the One Year War brought about the unification, and babies who were born after the war like Banagher grew up listening to these adults. Thus, even if theres people trying to start a space migrant independence or even start a large scale war because of this, it basically has nothing to do with them. Its only that they would feel uneasy about hearing that some colony got wrecked because of war, but one could think that the chances of it was like being hit by a huge meteor. They were too unlucky, and could just treat it as other peoples business and forget about this. Movements of independence were just what people who to vent their depression as they werent able to get used to society. The stand that lucky children who dont know about war will never change, and its undoubted that tomorrow would be the same as today.

That girl was about the same age as he was, but the war she said war had a different force from what the teacher said. Its like a membrane covering a greenhouse breaking apart, and a strong gust of wind blew in. its also like a black spot that appears in an overly bright space, and then the shadow of the entire world appeared

Our company allows every factory to be independent financially. Thus, a group of uncouth people accepted the orders from Neo Zeon, causing both ally and enemy to have machines made from Anaheim. Thus, people would view Anaheim as death merchants. However, do not forget that the people in charge will be punished too

Then, I, whos attending Anaheim Electronics Industrial College, am already part of war. Thinking about this thing that he had never thought about before, Banaghers brain suddenly remembered the pure white color of the mobile suit he saw this morning outside the subway train window, and felt bothered by his far-fetched thinking.

The unicorn that cut through the vacuum dragged its white afterimage of its mobile suit like it was soaring in space. It flew towards the , the creator of this world, the place where the colony builder was at, where normal people were forbidden from entering. If that girl was correct, that place would be the most critical place where the war will be associated with.

Something was about to happen. No, maybe it had already happen, its just that he only saw part of it. its like a curtain was drawn right in front of his eyes. Banagher again looked outside the window, saw the airtight wall that was filled with an unknown thing, and felt something in his heart throbbing. Mr Bancrofts voice that was becoming more excited moved the air.

4 years late, in Universal Century year 100, the Republic of Zeon shall give up on its self-independence and will be drafted back into the Federation as Side 3. When the country in the name of Zeon is destroyed, Zeonism shall fall, and humanity will be united again. Just like how our grandfathers or fathers continued to exist for Earth and humanity to create this united government called this Earth Federation after so many tribulations. To inherit such a great legacy and let the Earth Celestial Sphere continue to develop, you young ones

Idiot, treating such words as well. That girl must be someone whos enthusiastic about activity, thinking that the capitalist Earth is all evil and sort. Thats why she must be going over to Chairman Cardeas Vist.

Puffing her slightly brown face, Micott Bartsch simply said. Banagher kicked aside Haro lightly while it was shouting idiot, idiot, and uneasily drank up his remaining coffee.

Studying in the private high school beside Anaheim Electronics, Micotts dress code and verbal mannerisms were all a lot more free than the vocational school, and she wouldnt even hesitate about entering other peoples schools. She came over to the vocation school to discuss about the nights party during lunch break, and while Banagher tried to explain what happened in the morning, that was the answer she got.

The reality the girl said was the best weapon to deal with a boy who wanted to do something and was being all pumped up. Dressed in a hooded coat and shorts, Micott raised her leg as she sat on the bench, and Banagher avoided her gaze and said, The chairman, as in, our vocation school? he tried to avoid the thought that this may be true, and anyway, even if there was nothing he could say, he had to find something to say.

Thats right. Theres a photo when you entered the school, right? Cardeas Vist, the largest stakeholder of Anaheim Electronics, also known as the second generation leader of the Vist Foundation that was the secret owner.

That person lives inside the ?

That girl said that there was someone she had to meet no matter what. On hearing the term secret owner, Banaghers heart started to pulsate. However

Idiot, how could such a big hotshot stay in such a rural space colony? The chairmans just a title to him. He never even appeared in the graduation ceremonies before.

Sitting beside Micott, Takuya put down the magazine he read halfway through and interrupted. That was the robot related monthly magazine he would regularly buy, and there was a photo of a mini mobile suit tournament on the cross-pages picture.

But it seemed that he really has a house here! Its said that the house was directly moved over from Earth. Even the was said to be Vist Foundations property.

Micotts father was the factory owner of the 3rd Industrial area, so she would often hear about such underground news. The factory owner over here in could be said to be like a mayor in the States, and even though Micott was a rich princess whos studying in a private school, she would continue to come over to this vocation school where the smell of grease was thick. Maybe its because this space colony was supported by the industry. She herself even said that the boys in our school are boring, all spineless princes.

But isnt the colony builder managed by the colony builder management? Why is it that theres rumors of it being the Foundations personal property?

Thats because the colony builder management had some members of the Vist Foundation, right?

The rich ones are really different. Launching an entire house into space, thats crazy.

Takuya looked like he didnt have any other thoughts as he said what he wanted and continued to read his magazine. An open secrets really scary, so scary that it can numb a persons sense for the strange, Banagher thought. However, he himself never heard of the name of Vist Foundation. Was it because he was transferred in midway through, or was it that he was too dazed for a long time? Banagher really couldnt tell which was the reason, and he looked through the trees in the school as he wondered what happened to the girl.

Anaheim Electronics wasnt just the largest military producer in the Earth Celestial sphere, but theres a house for the sponsor in the . Its no wonder that the crazy radicals will rush in to kill just to oppose war. In fact, theres a lot of terror attacks on Anaheim every way, and its said that theres a lot of expenses on safety. Even if the chairman of the Institute was just an open title, even Micott knew about the relationship between the Vist Foundation and Anaheim. Its likely that this leader may be attacked.

However, the girls eyes made Banagher feel that things werent that simple. She had a strong will, but those eyes werent the eyes of a fanatic. Its different from all the people he met till now. Those jade-green eyes had a strong allure to them

The polices looking for her? You better not get involved with this. If the army gets hold on this, you might not even have a job.

Perhaps reading through his own thoughts, Micott said the absolute truth and ended the current conversation before looking over at Takuya. Speaking of which, tonights party Banagher wasnt interested in this topic and took Haro away before leaving.

Do you think I dont know about all of this?On one hand, he felt really angry, but on the other hand, his rationale side had to admit that Micott was right. His emotions that were being built up inside was forming a vortex inside him. Its better not to get involved with her, and I know that. At the polices side, he may be questioned hard by the police, and also by those executives in suits. Most likely, they would be public security personnel.If theyre eyeing me, my path to Anaheim will always be closed, and I may even be expelled from school and return back to the old colony of Side 1.

The old city Banagher grew up in was the first of the space colonies that were built, and was at a corner where it was past its durability use. Other than old residents, there were refugees from war, people with unemployment and frustrated activists who were practically useless and had to rely on others. It was a small town where the circumstances were really bad, where the public drainage were often so bad that stench would always come out from it. Both mother and son seemed like they were fleeing from the sights of the world as they moved to his hometown, and it was the best place to live in for someone with no place to go. He also had the money his mother left behind, and he should be able to continue living on. However, theres no future in that town.

Then, what about here? He intended to continue relying on this father of his who he had never met before and join the bottom rungs of the enterprise, but there wasnt anything really different, nothing that he hasnt seen. He didnt have a goal, had no interests, and just felt disjointed as the days pass. Does this mean that he had no futurehe continued to be pressured by the swirling thoughts, and just when he quickly moved past the door, he heard a clear and refreshing voice Are you Banagher Links?. Banagher stopped.

There was an electric car parked on the road in front of the school gate, and a woman was standing right in front of it. The woman was wearing a fitting coat and tight skirt, and her long hair was tied behind her. She lifted her head and straightened her back, and one could tell from afar that she had a good figure that resembled a secretary of a large company. However, her face that didnt have any make up made her look younger. Even though one could feel that she would fit into the school with just her appearance, the impression would change when they look into her eyes.

The emotionless blue eyes made it hard to tell whether she was focusing on him. The dark blue eyes that would remind one of the deep seas on earth made it look like there were two holes in front of her eyes. Banagher started to have goosebumps and picked Haro up from beside his feet. At this moment, the woman passed through the gate and said thats good. I have a question I want to ask you as she approached. She was wearing a business suit, but Banagher realized that she was wearing sports shoes underneath.

Can you please tell me what did the person you saved this morning say?

The woman merely showed a smile, and behind her, two men got off the electric car. Both of them were dressed really casually, but their expressions and looks didnt look friendly at all. Banagher felt that his hands which were holding onto Haro were sweating and asked back, Are you the police? The media didnt reveal his name, and these people didnt look like reporters. That robotic smile the woman gave didnt change as she answered with silence.

Banagher felt that the air around him went cold as his knees were trembling. Somethings not right with these people. They had the same stench as of those frustrated activists in his hometownthose who were already used to violence. He looked away and backed off, I told all I should say to the police. He quickly said that and wanted to get back into the school. Immediately, his shoulder was grabbed from behind, and the foot that was about to step out missed the ground.

Just say the same thing you said to them. We wont do anything else then.

The hand that was grabbing onto the shoulder didnt let go as her blue eyes closed in while she continued on. The force wasnt great, but his body still couldnt move. It felt like he would be taken down if he tried to struggle. Banagher just felt that this action was of someone who was extremely skilled and forced out a hoarse voice, What do you mean by that and the woman whispered to him, You dont want to be involved in trouble, right? and exerted even more strength in her grip.

There was a sharp pain in his neck, and he let out a cry before he could endure it. His upper body couldnt help but twist, and Haro dropped off his numbed fingertips. Banagher couldnt breathe normally as he moved the only free eye. There werent any students nearby, and there werent any signs of the old guard beside the gate. These two men were standing behind the woman and creating a blind spot. He wanted to cry out, but his abdomen couldnt exert force, and he could only let his sights move about before seeing those blue eyes again.

It was killing intent. The term that matched her blue hole-like eyes accompanied this chilling fact as it went down Banaghers body. Unlike those activists who lost their way, these men were professional. They knew how to wreck a human body, they were soldierspeople who would use violence without hesitation if necessary. Just when he thought about this, he heard the woman say Where did she go? Banagher inadvertently said out carelessly The

The ? the woman asked back as she exerted even more force. The pain that was added on struck Banagher as he answered, The, the colony builder!

She said that she had someone she wanted to meet and talk with

He spoke too much. Just when Banagher felt that despair the moment he let out his voice, the pain suddenly vanished, and his body that regained its freedom took a few steps back. Banagher finally managed to support his knees and turned over to look at the woman who had already turned around. The two men who followed her from behind quickly left the school gate as if they werent looking at Banagher at all.

You cant possibly get over to the ! Its forbidden there. Theres also construction areas all around. You cant even get over there!

Banagher held his aching shoulder and shouted out unhappily. The woman stopped, and the beige hair that had a bit of orange was moved by the wind as she used those emotionless blue eyes to stare at Banagher.

Ill remember that. Thank you, Banagher-kun.

It was a tone that was without compassion nor arrogance, which made Banagher feel all the more humiliated. The woman just took the electric car and left with the men. Banagher used his last ounce of courage to run out of the school gate and glared at the electric car that was gradually moving away. The electric car took a turn at the r