Gundam Fire Still

Watching the martyred flames of the universe ahead spread out in a bright blur on the heat source monitoring screen, Remiret nodded slightly, it was, indeed, coming to an end.

The return of the ship's heavy assault hit the deck of the Archangel's hangar, and Kira knew he could have landed more gently, but breathing heavily and with beads of sweat on his face, he had no time to worry about that. Probably, it's over, the teen thought with a relieved sigh of relief as the hatch opened and his helmet was thrown to the side, the familiar air with the smell of engine oil entering his nose and some familiar soft singing into his ear drums.

======== Here are the author's dividing lines===================================

Note: As originally set up, the Nelson class is a late model of the 250m class, just like the Drake class and 130m class, but it's mixed up here. Note 2: Regarding the weapon in question, the standard 250m class uses a linear cannon, i.e., an electromagnetic coil cannon, which is also a type of electromagnetic cannon, but is not as good as the electromagnetic rail gun, which is what the improved model uses.

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28.Low Track - Echoes of the Finale

"You know, young man, I really don't recommend that a kid your age stay in the army." Winster yawned as he took a small sip of coffee, the crouching in the gravel belt and the previous battle clearly bringing fatigue to his face.

Sometime after the rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet, the off-duty personnel of the New Technology Verification Fleet began running up to the Archangel and studying the ORB technology-produced ship curiously.

Kira was sitting on a chair in the officer's mess hall with a somewhat heavy face, once upon a time, during the escape, the entire Archangel was quite loose and ate in the general mess hall, but now, with the addition of additional personnel from the 8th Fleet, the sense of military discipline that was originally lacking on this ship was slowly returning, so Kira, as a MS pilot who was at least a captain according to the rules of the combined forces! ---though still temporary--had also been asked to appear in the officers' mess hall. And apparently, the teen didn't much like the system with a hint of bureaucracy, but that didn't stop him from listening to the comments of the officers who showed up, about the battle that had just ended, including himself.

"The purpose of a soldier's battle is to not let it affect civilians, and having a kid your age in battle is too much of a failure for a professional soldier." Winster, who had a ring of beard around his lips, shook his head, "You should go back to a more peaceful life or studies as soon as possible, that's what you should be doing, not bleeding and dying on the battlefield."

"That said, you'll probably get a rare medal as well as a promotion for this rare opportunity," Remiret sat down on the edge as well, holding a can of carbonated energy drink that apparently fit his young face better, "as an emergency recruiter Getting a medal, this kind of thing is probably the first time for the Cosmic Army." Seeing the surprised look on the teenager's face, he added, "Although it's administratively troublesome, since you've already fought on the battlefield, the country and the army must express their gratitude to you, even if you've only been called up on an emergency basis."

"I thought that I had been...." The teenager looked confused.

"Well, hell, apparently you've seen that discharge order?" The young man nodded "So presumably the men sent by Brigadier General Halbarton didn't explain themselves to you, or because they started the war without having time to explain themselves? Anyway, let me try to explain." Remiret's youthful face was easy enough to temporarily overlook his rank of Lieutenant Colonel - which meant that he wouldn't be ignorant of the Combine's bureaucracy, even if he wasn't a seasoned bureaucrat.

"It would be an unquestionably criminal act to allow a civilian to take up arms in a war, and the Archangel's group of officers at the time, who I recall were rotating duty officers, would have been convicted of forcing a civilian into combat," Remiret seemed to be satisfied with the shocked look on Kira's face "But obviously, that doesn't fit the facts of Heliopolis at the time, and it's not fair to you."

"But it's exactly right, if you were still a civilian on the airframe we'd all be *really* annoyed," passing by Fred . Young interjected, who was busy taking a couple of guys who were apparently also technical officers around the unrestricted areas of the Archangel, and it seemed that the military discipline of the new technology verification fleet wasn't the most rigorous.

"So there had to be a solution to this administrative hassle, I believe you were asked some questions when you first came aboard, and Captain Lamias or the guys from the Intelligence Unity would have mentioned that they had to write some reports. Because the personnel that survived on the Archangel at the time, seriously, it was really hard for you to survive," said Remy sincerely, "the personnel at the time, they didn't have the authority to call up volunteers on an emergency basis, but due to the urgency of the situation and the inability to contact your superiors, you had to be called up in some irregular manner, so they had to Conduct the necessary interrogations and submit the appropriate reports to your superiors, the administrative officers of the Eighth Fleet."

Kira nodded thoughtfully, he remembered the guy from the Intelligence Unity saying something about this, he would have a mountain of reports to write, as if things in the military weren't just about combat?

"So, when you rendezvoused with the Eighth Fleet, the civilians in the Eighth Fleet gave you an emergency call-up release, and a discharge order, and a bunch of other paperwork you'd need. I know, lad, I hate administrative work too, that pile of stuff is a pain in the ass, but it's also quite necessary, after all, the military is not a place where people are allowed to do what they want. Theoretically you were discharged after that."

"So, I then went on to...." A certain apprehension came back to the young man's face, as if facing this sort of thing he couldn't figure out was more of a problem for him than facing the line of fire of a machine gun on the battlefield.

"Yes, the one in the shuttle who gave you your discharge orders, I talked to him in the hangar, and he told me that you're all very smart boys, and he knew enough to say to him, 'Please open another one for us after the battle'."

A slight smile appeared on the teenager's face, "So?"

"Things are a little more complicated than you might think, whether it's ruling that the previous one was invalid and then reopening one; or whether it's initiating an emergency call-up again after the discharge goes into effect, procedurally it takes time. And right now, as we know, it's not called an emergency anymore, so those administrators have to take their time as they're supposed to, which is why we're still crouched in orbit, waiting, instead of just letting the shuttle come down to Earth to send you home with the rest of us." Remy shrugged his shoulders, expressing his frustration, "Of course, if you'd like to stay in the military as professionals, I'm sure the Combined Forces would welcome that as well, there's always a demand for guys with combat experience." A surprising suggestion was suddenly made.

"What? Military? Me?" As a reflex, Kira tried to shake her head.

"I say, Colonel, the Combine isn't at the point where it needs teenage soldiers, is it? But you've always been against the recruitment of teenage soldiers Zaft." Winster little sang against his superior, "He should go and continue his studies instead of spending his youth in the battlefield, and become a soldier before he finishes his studies, he will be in trouble after the war is over."---. --whether he would live to see the end of the war was uncertain, and Winster tried hard not to say the last half of that sentence.

"But he's really quite a rare talent, isn't he? Just a few minutes to maneuver the new weapon...."

As the two strange - but at the same time starting to become a bit more friendly - officers began to bicker, Kira, somewhat confused, began to glance around the officers' mess hall as if trying to find someone he knew, and he did.

Rick. Eisenhorn, the old man who had once also stood in the crowd of civilians, was now wearing the Union Jack, or rather, again, Kira knew he had been part of the army, but it looked as if the uniform had been made just for the old man, and looked, not at all, awkward or out of place. He smiled and walked over to the two officers and greeted them, then in a voice that wasn't too high, but loud enough for him to hear, he said to the young man who appeared to be at a loss for words, "Ensign Yamato, perhaps I should inform you that salutes are not required in the officers' mess."

"Yes, I must admit that Remy is absolutely correct, you are still in the position of Kira ... under emergency call-up by the Combined Forces ... Yamato and Ensign, and unfortunately, issues regarding your status are not the highest priority being discussed right now." Rick sat down as well and sighed in frustration, "With the help of your laser communications and communications relay satellites, the Eighth Fleet contacted Ptolemy's headquarters, I was reinstated from the Reserves, and the rest is Halbarton and Lamias and their report."

"Looks like our equipment is working fine," Remy smiled and returned to the subject of the previous argument "Seriously, lad, the Combined Forces are in great need of good MS pilots, you're a beautiful operator, aren't you? You can certainly make a name for yourself in the army, and you've certainly picked up your first medal in this fight, and that's a good start."

"If those Blue Perestroika elements hadn't bothered him," Winster still shook his head, "you know how those adjuster-hating extremists who blend into the army can pick on a teenager like that, and those punks who dare to set fire to a man's yard can do the same to a fellow adjuster. Same thing, do you think a kid raised in an ORB equal atmosphere could stand all that? Besides, he's still ORB in origin, he'll run into trouble."

"But I don't think he'll be much better when he returns to the U.S. You should remember the famous case (note 1) where the little girl shot the gunman and ended up getting the cold shoulder from the other ORBs, not getting any normal treatment, and ended up having to go to Los Angeles to see a psychiatrist. Kids like that who are good enough to be called heroes in our country meet this end in that hellish island country. Do you think such an ORB can accommodate a teenager who can pilot an MS in a broken satellite and fight to protect his friends and people?"

A bitterness welled up in the young man's heart as he listened to others talk up the faults of his homeland, but that was again a reality that actually existed and could affect his future. As the party in question, he could only remain silent.

"Besides, in the current ORB, today the pro-Earth faction goes to march, tomorrow the pro-Zaft faction takes to the streets, one is in the United Army, and even if it's just a temporary fight back home, then both sides won't give up on taking advantage of this opportunity." The old man who was back in uniform said heavily "I doubt the ORB officials can guarantee you won't be used."

"If you are discussing the future of Kira-kun," a new voice joined the conversation, "then I can offer a new option."

"Alistair Foreign Affairs Undersecretary?"

"His Excellency the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs? I thought you were on the shuttle...."

"I'm sorry, lad, but the shuttle to ORB got the go ahead to drop orders, until your identities are resolved. But rest assured that the Combine will get you and your friends back. I also went to the comm room just now to make contact with Moonface because of that PLANT civilian thing that's at stake, but since this is the officers' mess, I can talk a little more about it, and you, Kira. Yamato, can accompany the civilian we're protecting as a salvager of the lifeboat, Laksh. Miss Klein, as well as diplomatic personnel, to Washington to testify. Either as a civilian or as a soldier, and in fact the child herself would like you to accompany her, presumably because you are the one who saved her life."

"Testify?" The teenager frowned

"Go tell those in charge on Earth what's going on in the gravel belt. We've got the intelligence unity's, and the duty officer's report, but it lacks one from the salvagers themselves, and of course we can record testimony here or in Ptolemy and have you sign the report, and so on and so forth." The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs appeared to smile rather amiably "But as you know, your ship's situation is so unique, it's literally all the coincidences that come together, so perhaps it would be clearer if you went? Anyway, we can't force you into anything at this point."

"Wait, this ship is going to Ptolemy next?"

"That's what Base Command thinks, but Halbarton wants to send Archangel to Alaska, they're discussing it on laser comms and I think they'll discuss the battle next."

"Then I'd better prepare myself a little," Remiret stood up, knowing full well that the flawed Plan G and poor command in low orbit were bound to be the main points of providing persuasion if this department hoped to convince Halbarton, and if he was going to talk about low orbit, he'd have to be ready to go and talk.

"Whether you plan to go back to ORB or join the military or do something else, at least I can tell you that the Combined Forces do not intend to exterminate the Adjusters, as Blue Perestroika claims, and if you want to do that, it won't just be the nukes that encounter the

Junius7 up; but all the same, Plant doesn't intend to exterminate the humans or naturalists on Earth, or else Earth is at the bottom of a well of gravity traps and they could easily drop something more deadly down to Earth, though neutron interference is bad enough." Winster stood up as well, leaving these words.

"Unfortunately it's only temporary, the Combine doesn't have the resolve to do that, and Zaft just doesn't have the resolve to do that yet." Roy. Gale, the lieutenant of the Intelligence Unity, added so as he passed by with a gloomy face. (Note 1: This case is from the SAO, Sword and Sworcery, but the book and it will have little to do with anything other than this borrowed case.)

------- Here are the author's separations------.

Thanks again to Remirette Big Frog, and Sgt. Winster, who have created two characters that happen to express two different attitudes very distinctly. Also, permission to borrow these two characters has been obtained from the author.

29. epilogue - choice

Moonface, Ptolemy Base, Fleet Command, conference room.

"Let's put Halbadon aside for a moment and discuss the next issue, the request for support from the Eurasian Union in their next move against us."

Projected onto the big screen was a satellite map containing the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea, and a portion of the Mediterranean Sea, with arrows from Turkey and the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula pointing directly at the Suez Canal, which was painted with the Zaft Defense Line marker. But it was clear that the senior officers of the Cosmic Army, who had long been on the moon's surface, were not about to comment on this map, with which they were not familiar.

"The operation, code-named 'Lawrence of Arabia' on the Eurasian side, will take place at the scheduled time, whether we agree to support it or not."

"So what do they want us to do about this Operation Lawrence?" Someone asked a question.

"Colonel Patton's Marines, General Hartman, they want this long-suffering ground force to come down from the sky and stab them in the back like Zaft did in the same place in the first place."

The word nurse sounds a bit ironic here, but no one is laughing.

"The Washington side?"

"It means we have discretion, after all, Colonel Patton's Marines are assigned to this base,"

"And if things go wrong the blame can be ours," the noise and light laughter began to rise in a controlled manner

"The Intelligence Community, for its part, obviously, supports these types of cooperative operations."