Gundam Fire Still

"Not our ororb's format, but it must have been sent to some recipient for a purpose yes."

22. bad news, and more bad news

When Aslan. Sara realized too late that something was wrong with his own machine, some sort of code he didn't understand or belong to any sort of zaft format was being sent from his own machine's communication antenna, then the machine's thrusters began to accelerate in another direction not under his control the moment he pressed the pedal. He quickly tapped away at the keypad, calling up data that unmistakably showed the fact that the airframe was no longer under his, the man sitting in the cockpit's, control.

This was ZAFT's top-secret new machine, with the classified nuclear engine of the classified it was correspondingly equipped with the best encryption system, and as a senior pilot he remembered that he hadn't forgotten to lock his airframe before he left.

Then the only remaining truth was that the only person who could break the encryption lock on this airframe during the time he left it was the one who had direct access to and detailed knowledge of the same encryption system of the same type of machine, and a chill crept up his spine with a hint of fear he hadn't felt in a long time. After all, as the zaft red captain, he was also just a teenager at the same time. What was that mysterious captain who didn't show his true face doing?

He opened the star map that didn't require permission, and then found that the man had pre-set the plane's course, presumably while he was away from the plane to rendezvous with the raiders. The teen stared in confusion at the end of the course, which was still in a corner of the L4 satellite cluster, where there seemed to be nothing.

But there was something there, no doubt.

Similar questions appeared on the bridges of the three ships within the satellite cluster, and the radar crew stared alertly and confusedly at the target of the colonial satellite that was slowly leaving its damaged shell and sending out its radio waves unbothered.

"It's ms? gundamtype!" the large screen on the bridge of the Combine switched to an enlarged optical image, and the captain, who had been involved in the design of the X-series, recognized the representative head faster than anyone else.

"zaft's new machine?"

"Yes, that's it, the speculation on Earth that it carries a neutron jamming cancellation system and can use nuclear energy is probably correct." Carl was sitting sweating in a blank battle station on the side of the bridge, his plane had been out of action for a short time, but as part of the command sequence he was still keeping a close eye on the battlefield.

"But it's clearly very wrong right now, very wrong." The Lieutenant's brow furrowed as he remembered the opponent's harsh pirouettes and sword-drawing bursts, accurate and slightly impatient fire, he would never have moved and steered clumsily like that while sending out inexplicable waves, there was no way this opponent was going to send any code to the Combine or ORB.

"Captain, can the marines going inside the satellite get on? Did they find out anything?"

"No, the signal is bad," one of the comms guys replied back, "The word before that was that they were chasing an enemy pilot into the interior of a research facility, probably some sort of communications jamming inside the research facility."

"Who was that enemy pilot?"

"I don't know."

"No, I know who it is, it's Crusher." It was the captain who spoke, a softness on the face of the lady who had been hardened by the war, "He's the only one who has this inexplicable feeling with Mu."

"So it's him, so that's the young man in this red machine, but he's also definitely not the pilot of this machine right now, it wouldn't be him, the machine could just be set on autopilot and signal for some one to come..."

Carl thought as he navigated his terminal, as an officer with a top secret level of secrecy he also saw the analysis report from Earth, then he opened his eyes.

"Damn, it's for the Perestroika, those bastards!"

"What?" There were confused expressions on the bridge, not everyone had seen the classified report, and it seemed to them that the encounter had little to do with the military forces to which Blue Perestroika belonged, long since history.

But the captain reacted, and the lady's pupils narrowed sharply.

"Intensify airborne surveillance, all ships, first combat status, prepare for ship-to-ms combat."

"Broadsword 2, approach that target, Broadsword 3, cover him, stay alert according to shield position." Carl also connected to his crew, "Tell the two obo pilots that are watching each other with you to be careful as well, I know you were just talking on the public channel."

"Yes, Captain, we didn't give away classified content in the chat."

"I know, but, stay alert, this is not a drill! Be prepared for an enemy to snipe you from behind any meteorite!"

He then busied himself with the hangar communications, "Chief Integral, what is the status of those two long blades now?"

"Fuel and ammo are replenished and ready to go."

"Put me through to the two in socius, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put them in the cockpit."

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I didn't want to send you back into battle, but we're not in a good place right now."

"Our mission includes protecting the Naturals, including you." The unusually young and slender looking battle adjuster still replied in a wavering and different voice.

"But what if the opponent is a naturalist? No, don't think about this, I'm sorry, but please board and be ready for battle."

"Orders received, no problem." There was even a smile on the other side's face, "It is our duty to protect you." .

"Well, Lieutenant, you have the right to decide, but I have to state that it is risky for you to let them strike." The Fleet's intelligence staff officer spoke cautiously after the communication ended, "They are still mentally unstable."

"I know." Carl replied through gritted teeth, "but we don't have the time."

"I don't think I can do any better with their airframe if I strike, after all, the procedures and parameters are different; with any luck, they'll just sit in the cockpit and not have to strike. And I'm more worried about Mu than that, and the squad that goes deep into the satellite."

======

At the same time, Mu was listening to the final speech of the adversary who shared his inexplicable senses.

The walls of the metal corridor had been covered with bullet holes from behind the half-open security door in front of him; and the door, and presumably the wall behind it, must have left traces of the suppressing fire returned from this side, and a few seconds ago a grunt had come from behind the door, as if it had been hit by a ricochet.

After a few gestures to each other, the joint and PLANT commanders signaled for some of their soldiers to begin a quick evacuation of this facility, the possibility of self-destructing had been the longsword hanging over their heads, and they couldn't put all their eggs in the same basket.

But Mu intended to stay, as did the young man from Orb, who still had a firm grip, though his steps were still a little wobbly, but that couldn't be helped, it was indeed hard for one to accept the fact that he had been born from an incubation chamber in a short time.

Behind the half-open door, the man was still chanting as he continued his monologue.

"Hatred, jealousy, killing each other, this inferior nature of mankind."

"This is the nature of mankind, this is the sin that mankind has carried for so long!"

Seemingly realizing that the other side was about to make a final statement, the suppression fire from the outside ceased for the moment, making it easier to hear what the other side was saying?

"And what gives you the right to spout off about it?" As if it was an instinctive reaction, Mu answered loudly, as if he should and must argue with this person.

---Like when he had left the family mansion resolutely and headed to the recruiting station of the Atlantic Federation, he suddenly recalled this scene that had been hidden in the depths of his memory.

"Because in this whole universe, I alone have--" the other replied with a crazed smile, "--this right to sanction all mankind!"

Borgman looked stricken, realizing he was about to hear the truth he was seeking.

"No kidding, this guy." Mu's reply still came out of his mouth, as if this conversation had ever taken place.

"Mu, I think you're forgetting. I've met you in the distant past - long before we met on the battlefield..."

"Your father who was so foolish as to think that his own death could be replaced by money, Yar . Da. Frada has a useless clone - and that's me!"

"-What...?" Mu couldn't help but stare, then startled, his subconscious mind already knowing where he got that familiarity from, though his conscious mind didn't like that fact.

"I don't want to believe it either...but unfortunately, it's true."

Borgman knew that one of his questions had been answered, the funding, the mysterious mission, and the madman in front of him, across the wall, who knew the Institute like his own home but was not on the list.

"The final door will open soon! -- by me!"

"-and then this world will be destroyed; this world full of a** and greed..."

"-and the people who think they have it all together - will get what they want!"

The man in the mask slammed open the door and held it up like a bolt of lightning to pounce forward, and it was Mu who was directly in front of him.

The co-pilot was holding both hands, pointing steadily at the half-opened door, and then in the next instant reflexively pulled the trigger.