TrafalgarLog

The Earth Unification War. The final conflict between Earthlings came to an abrupt end when an alien race known as the Zentradi intervened. Mankind was unified under the New United Nations Government, and an age of hope and galactic exploration had dawned. There was a terribly long ceasefire, so long that everyone forgot that there had ever been a war. But, the past suddenly awoke from the depths of darkness.

After the qualifiers, the VF-19ACTIVE Nothung was brought to a maintenance hangar on Island Reno. It was rich with the smell of machine oil and burning metal, along with the distinctive scent of a place filled with the hustle and bustle of people.

“You sure put on a show.”

One of Hakuna’s investors, a woman with chocolate-colored skin named Katori Brown Robbins, looked at the Nothung and let out a sigh.

With that as her first remark, Chelsea thought:

Ah, she must be pretty strict.

“Doesn’t look broken to me, Colonel.”

Chelsea had shrunk back, but Hakuna was tilting his head. The Nothung’s chassis was still in pristine condition, there was no sign that it had been damaged in their recent race whatsoever.

“Ah, no… um…”

“What is it, Chelsea?”

“It is broken. You just can’t see it, Hakuna. Any decent mechanic would be able to tell, even if they were twelve years old.”

She looked like she was in her early thirties. A strikingly rugged woman with a rhythmic gait. Her arms were muscular, giving her an appearance like a wild beast.

“You’re right, little lady.”

Katori stared into Chelsea’s eyes with intent.

Her eyes were sharp. They weren’t the eyes of a killer or a soldier. There was a different quality to them, like she had the sternness of an astronaut, but could lose her composure at even the slightest misstep.

“When I evaded Hakuna in the flag zone, there was a small irregularity in the noises the right-side engine was making. Putting it in tempo terms, it was a quarter of a beat off. Just a small staccato.”

“Ohh.”

Katori’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“One of the thermonuclear burst turbines on the right fin is starting to warp from the heat.”

“So it’s this thing?”

Hakuna peered into the engine nozzle on the Valkyrie’s leg.

“I swear on a coyote’s front paws, it just didn’t seem that way.”

“Then you’d better apologize to that coyote. By my estimate, it’s bent by 0.5 degrees. If you went for another reckless maneuver, I wouldn’t be shocked if it’d snapped off. Hakuna, you’re gonna keep being called the Uncrowned Emperor forever if you can’t pick up on things like these.”

Oddly, Hakuna didn’t argue with her. There seemed to be a deep bond of trust between them.

“—But, you’ve got a good eye, little lady.”

“Chelsea. First Lieutenant Chelsea Scarlett.”

“You can drop the rank. This isn’t the military.”

The woman, who had already been addressed as “Colonel,” made a sour face. But her voice was still gentle. In her tone, Chelsea could sense her love for technology and aircraft.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself. I’m Katori Brown Robbins, president and field manager of the civilian maintenance company, Robbins Family.”

“Are you ex-military?”

“Yes. From a survey fleet even more run-down than this one. Been flying since I was thirteen. Though, I was eight the first time I took a Valkyrie’s engine apart.”

“If you went fifty lightyears in any direction, you’d probably struggle to find more than five civilian mechanics better than you, Colonel.”

Saying that, Hakuna looked at the whole line-up of Valkyries in the Robbins Family’s massive hangar. It wasn’t just Hakuna’s VF-1 and Chelsea’s VF-19. There was a mix of older civilian models like the VF-3000 Crusader and the VF-5000 Star Mirage, as well as active-duty models like the VF-14 Vampire and the VF-17 Nightmare.

“I’ve worked on all of these. That VF-3000 over there, for example, has already outlived its usual active service life by over twenty years, but its owner is ready to die with it. Those are the kinds of machines we repair here.”

“...That’s… beautiful.”

That was Chelsea’s honest reaction.

It wasn’t a shiny, state-of-the-art factory by any means.

It was more like a warehouse, little more than an open space with nothing but a roof to shelter it from the elements. A world apart from the high-end, shimmering modules she was used to back at the S.M.S. The mechanics coming and going were much more rustic, to the point that it’d be more fitting to call them technicians than experts.

But even if it wasn't polished to mechanical perfection, there was a different kind of beauty to it. It was warm, like a concert performed by people who brought their own instruments and played together as they pleased.

“It’s stupid, really.”

Katori broke eye-contact with Chelsea and gave a wry smile. A smile that made her seem more embarrassed than uncomfortable.

“Stupid?”

“Yeah. If you just watch TV, you see that the latest and greatest in technology gets updated every week without fail. Complete with new commercial jingles. You can buy basically anything from the Galactic Network. Sure, you need money for it, but maintaining a vintage Valkyrie isn’t about the money. It takes effort, too. This good-for-nothing’s—”

The chief mechanic pointed her tanned finger at Hakuna, who was fiddling with the VF-1’s exposed engine block with a completely oblivious expression.

“—Hakuna’s VF-1 stopped being officially produced by its manufacturer over 40 years ago now. Of course, there are plenty of parts in circulation since they made so many to begin with, but if any parts are missing or don’t fit right, we have to make them by hand. Sometimes it even takes a year or two to find a replacement once it breaks.”

Katori laughed, alluding to an extreme example where they had to hire an explorer to dig up blueprints from pre-war ruins.

“So… they’re important?”

“That’s right. It’s about our passion. Just like art, once a technology becomes lost, it can’t be revived by ordinary means. For example…”

Maybe she’d taken a liking to Chelsea. Katori waved her over to a grease-stained, apparently handmade, titanium bench.

If she insisted. Chelsea was a bit out of her element in such an unfamiliar situation, but the soundscape of the place was soothing.

Glancing at the now-seated Chelsea with a look of slight satisfaction, Katori took a seat next to her and snapped her fingers. Like magic, one of the mechanics appeared to hand her a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

“For example, this knife.”

Katori drew a large knife with a blade over 30 centimeters long from its sheath, still holding her coffee in her other hand.

The blade had a pattern which shimmered and sparkled in different, equally non-uniform ways depending on how the light hit it. One could say it was like a marble pattern, but that wasn’t quite true. The blade’s mysterious beauty alone seemed capable of cutting through you.

“What’s this?”

“A Damascus blade. It’s made of steel forged over three hundred years ago, in an Earth nation called India. To be precise, it’s made of wootz steel.”

As she moved the knife’s blade ever so slightly, ripples of light shimmered from it and then faded away.

“It’s a specially forged steel with a rippled surface that they say doesn’t break, bend or rust. Whether that’s true or not, we don’t know how humans from all those centuries ago managed to create steel like this, with carbon nanotubes lining it at a molecular level. This baby is a rare survivor; it cost me quite a modest sum.”

“Because of Space War I?”

Chelsea’s voice got a little stiff.

Long ago, Chelsea’s ancestors had slaughtered many of Katori and Hakuna’s ancestors, reducing the Earth’s population to somewhere between one-sixtieth or one-hundredth of what it once was. Even now, there were pure-blooded Earthlings who brought the topic forward whenever they met a Zentran.

But Katori wasn’t like that.

“...No.”

“Huh?”

“The method for forging Damascus steel was lost over three hundred years ago. Some say that it was because they stopped producing the raw materials necessary, but others say it’s because the specific techniques were lost in the turmoil. The truth is lost in the shadows of history.”

Chelsea took a sip of her coffee and, somehow seemed to be carrying an extra weight on her shoulders.

Katori took a sip too. It was incredibly rich and stickily sweet, probably because it was the kind of coffee that manual laborers drank.

Just like her.

Chelsea thought.

The flavor seemed to have the weight and depth of life within it.

“That’s just how culture is. Once it’s lost, it can’t be recovered. No—maybe that’s not quite true.”

“—?”

“It’s probably that same inability to recover it that makes people work so hard to get as close to it as they can. Even today, somewhere in the galaxy, there must be people who strive to recreate Damascus steel.”

With a swift, proud motion, the mechanic stood.

“—That’s the kind of place this is. Welcome, Chelsea Scarlett. We’re happy to have you.”

The hand extended toward her was large.

She hurried to shake it.

“Same here! I’m looking forward to working with you!”

“Yeah. Since we’ll be doing your maintenance for the foreseeable future, try not to break your plane too much… though, if you have to, feel free to wreck it in a spectacular fashion.”

“If I have to?”

“A Valkyrie is a tool. People shouldn’t die for tools. Don’t worry. There’s no machine that we can’t repair. Humans can’t come back from the dead, but machines can be made as good as new.”

Baring her white teeth, Katori showed Chelsea a genuine smile for the first time.

It was a nice smile.

A smile that inspired confidence that this mechanic was worth trusting with her life.

So Chelsea decided that she’d put her faith in her.

✥✥✥

The streets of Island Reno were bustling, as if a circus had spilled out onto them.

A clown handing out balloons here, a juggler tossing flaming swords there.

A dancer projected a holographic dragon onto her body, skillfully hiding her true form as she danced. Nearby, a band dressed in star costumes played cheerful tunes.

Every building was lined with dazzling neon signs. Even the trees were illuminated by fiber optics or genetically engineered bioluminescence, casting their light onto the Reno streets like shining stars.

Everyone had smiles on their faces.

They were cheery and joyful. Wholeheartedly so.

The festive atmosphere drew in everyone present and spread outward. No matter where you were, the Reno festivities inevitably engulfed you and kept spreading from there.

And then there was the sky.

The vast desert surrounding the town wasn’t Reno’s only attraction; its sky was another.

There was always something in the sky.

Sometimes there were fireworks. Others, there were airships gliding leisurely through the air. But, most importantly, the heroes of Vanquish performed demonstration flights, even when nobody asked them to do so.

At times, when a Valkyrie flew just above the rooftops, it felt like one could reach out and grab it. Even though the entire city was covered by a repulsive field—a spatial distortion field designed to prevent collisions—the festivities had the power to transform fear into joyous excitement.

“It’s amazing, Hakuna.”

Chelsea was like a country bumpkin. She couldn’t begin to imagine how many times she’d have to push through this crowd, this wave of people larger than the Babylonian exile itself, before reaching the straight line that would take her back to Hakuna’s place from the Robbins Family factory.

So, despite her frustration, Chelsea had to rely on the man named Hakuna Aoba, who swam through the crowd as if he were Moses himself.

“Is it always like this?”

“You could say that—well, I guess you could say otherwise, too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Lemme put it this way. There’s always a festival going on here in Reno. Sometimes it’s a sporting event. Sometimes a rock band comes to do a show. Sometimes a politician comes to hold a fundraising rally. Of course, there are plenty of times where it’s just packed with people here to gamble and see the sights. The reasons for it may vary, but it’s always a festival.”

Hakuna turned around and gave a wry smile.

Again…

Chelsea thought.

She didn’t recognize the smile.

There was no flattery in it. No calculation. No ulterior motive whatsoever. He was just smiling. And yet, it didn’t seem foolish to her either.

It was a kind of smile that didn’t exist in the world she once lived in.

So there’s a world like this out there too—

“Pardon me, are you Miss Chelsea!?”

Her train of thought was interrupted by a voice from behind.

“Wha? Oh, yes. I am.”

Even she thought that the reply sounded pretty dazed.

Either way, she turned around.

Standing there was a decidedly rugged-looking young man who smelled like machine oil. From his flight jacket and the numerous platoon patches sewn into it, she could tell that he had some affiliation with Vanquish.

Judging from his well-proportioned muscles and his stance, she could tell that he was a pilot. His faintly freckled face was flushed, and there was a mix of awe and admiration in his gaze.

“I’m a fan of yours!”

“A fan?”

It was Hakuna who tilted his head in confusion. When he turned around with a lumbering motion a beat later, he looked less like a pilot and more like a bear.

“Yep! I’m the 12,025th member of the Chelsea Scarlett Fan Club, Ricardo Bloomberg!”

“Oh, uh, well…”

A fan… of me!?

She should’ve seen it coming. She’d spent far too long living a life where it was rare to step foot outside of an aircraft carrier, let alone into a crowd. This wasn’t an ordinary lapse in judgment.

R-right… When I was in showbiz, I always had my manager with me when I went out, so… uh… what am I actually supposed to do in a situation like this?

Her brain started to overheat like a burst engine. The roaring of missiles and machine guns echoed through her mind.

“Your hiatus started three years ago! I never thought I’d see you again! And I never could’ve imagined this! That you’d compete in Vanquish!? And your flying was so beautiful! I’m so moved! So touched! It brought a tear to my eye! Please! Could I please get your autograph!?”

“Uhh, well, I…”

She was in trouble.

A real pinch.

She could feel everyone’s gaze turning toward her.

I’m becoming the center of attention.

Her body went stiff.

Her throat was dry. Her voice cracked.

Her heart pounded wildly.

“Ahh, sorry, pal. She’d like her privacy today.”

“Hakuna!”

Hakuna’s broad back slid smoothly between Chelsea and the young man.

“I’m sure she’d like to thank you for the support, but she’s brand new to this whole Vanquish thing—she’s nervous, is all. Surely you realize how mentally grueling racing can be, right, Bloomberg?”

“Hakuna Aoba! The Uncrowned Emperor! Are you her teammate!?”

What laced Bloomberg’s voice wasn’t jealousy, but rather an innocent admiration. A joy in seeing a man he admired standing side-by-side with a woman he admired. The jarring dissonance of that innocent gaze pierced Chelsea’s heart even more.

“Welp, that’s just how it is. You understand, don’tcha? The preliminaries aren’t even over yet, y’know.”

“Yeah! They’re just getting started!”

“Then, if you can make it through the prelims, we can talk again. Does that work for you?”

His tone left no room for argument, but wasn’t overbearing either. Chelsea was only in this situation because she herself had already been swept up by his words, so she knew good and well how powerful they were.

“Right! Um, if that happens… I’d be honored to get your autograph!”

Instinctively, the young man who’d introduced himself as Bloomberg gave a deep, ninety-degree bow.

“You’ll fall over if you stiffen up like that, Bloomberg.”

With a thump, Hakuna patted Chelsea on the shoulder and urged her to keep walking.

When eyes turned toward her, he stood like a shield, protecting her as if it was the most natural course of action.

Chelsea gave a light nod of acknowledgment, then deliberately looked away. She forcefully pushed the sight of Bloomberg, watching her leave with tears in his eyes, out from view.

I… just did something bad…

✥✥✥

Walking aimlessly, they found themselves in a secluded spot. A rooftop garden attached to a hotel.

She didn’t have much memory of staying in hotels, but when the clerk bowed and ushered them both in as soon as he saw Hakuna, she realized that Vanquish had become the main power on the Island.

Leaning against the fence at the edge of the garden, exhaustion washed over her.

It wasn’t the fatigue that flying or fighting gave her.

It was a weariness born from a mixture of fear and regret, the type that makes you feel like your brain is eating away at itself.

“Here.”

“Yeep!”

Something cold touched her cheek, and Chelsea let out a cute yelp as she recoiled in surprise.

“Wh-what…?”

“It’s a sports drink. Do you not like those?”

“No, it’s not that…”

She was scared.

For no discernable reason, she was scared of everything, including Hakuna.

The only reason she was still with Hakuna was that being alone would scare her even more.

“Then drink up. Most of the troubles in this world can be fixed by replenishing your fluids and sugar intake.”

Hakuna flashed his teeth, thrusting the can out in front of him. She realized that the coldness on her cheek was the metal tube of the can, which seemed to appear next to her like magic.

“...Thanks.”

She pulled the tab, letting the slightly sweet, lemony liquid slide down her throat. The coldness of the cheap isotonic beverage seeped into the dried lining of her throat like rain in a drought.

“Was that guy from the S.M.S. or something…? Never seen him before.”

“—”

Hakuna wouldn’t force her to open up to him.

There was no way that he really thought he was from the S.M.S. He was just playing stupid in the hopes that she would talk about it herself.

She didn’t dislike the gentle feeling enveloping her, and the lingering chill on her cheek helped to calm her down a little.

“First, you should look up.”

“...?”

“Up in the sky, Chelsea. Always look at the sky. Lift your head up. If you keep looking down, your mood’ll just get darker and darker. There’s nothing down by your feet. You don’t lower your head because you feel bad. You feel down because that’s where you’re looking. That’s just how it works.”

With that, Hakuna downed his amber-colored can. Chelsea wondered if it was alcoholic, but had no intention of pulling on the threads of that suspicion.

“The sky…”

Her neck felt terribly heavy.

Chelsea thought that looking down from the balcony and watching the people below in their revelry would have suited her better.

“Look at the sky, Chelsea. When a falcon flies, it starts by tilting up its head.”

“...!”

She looked up at the sky.

“Even just yearning for it is okay. Even if you don’t have wings, just look at the sky.”

It felt like the words were pushing her forward.

She’d only spent a short time with him, but she could tell that Hakuna embodied the sensation of flight, just as the sky itself did. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to fly his VF-1 the way he did.

“The sky…”

She looked up.

That was all it took.

All she had to do was shift her line of sight by ten centimeters or so.

But that simple choice transformed the world before her from a dull chaos to a deep blue sky.

A pure white Valkyrie soared across the boundless blue expanse.

Beyond it, a world of shimmering stars came into view.

She took a deep breath.

“A long time ago…”

The fact that she began to speak shocked even her.

But she thought that saying it out loud might make her feel a little better.

Hakuna poured more of the amber-colored liquid down his throat and wordlessly settled into a listening posture.

“I used to be a singer. Until three years ago, when I was on a galactic tour.”

“So it seems.”

“Have you heard of Nekki Basara?”

It had been a while since she’d said his name.

“I looked up to him. To the soul of a man who stared down the Protodeviln, who sought to absorb the spiritia of the entire universe, alone. A man who kept singing with his life on the line.”

Nekki Basara. Fire Bomber. There was no one in the galaxy who could say they’d never heard of them.

He was a legendary rock star.

Hailed as the greatest band of the 21st century, they were a legendary group whose songs used to play everywhere you went.

And Nekki Basara’s way of life, to seek nothing but songs, became a legend in its own right.

“I wanted to be a singer like he was. Someone who believed that the power of song could move mountains, move people’s hearts, and move the galaxy itself.”

It wasn’t actually that long ago, but it felt like a terribly distant past.

Why am I telling him this? I never even told my S.M.S. teammates.

“But then, one day, I just couldn’t sing anymore.”

“...Why?”

Hakuna’s question wasn’t curiosity, nor was it cheap sympathy. It was something much deeper, something that seemed to come from the deepest depths of his heart.

“...I don’t remember.”

“Hm?”

“No, I don’t know. Or, maybe I do.”

Chelsea tried to make sense of words that she just couldn’t get in order.

Deep inside of her, she was struggling to untangle and rearrange the frayed, knotted threads of her memories.

“The more I sang, it was like more and more people’s emotions were flowing into me… that’s how it felt.”

“Being in the spotlight, you mean?”

“I was getting scared of the spotlight, but that wasn’t all of it. It felt like more and more of their emotions were being poured into me every time I sang, and I got scared of what that would do to me. I got further and further away from the reason I started singing. Even though I’m Meltrandi.”

“I don’t think that matters, though. It’s not your genes that make you who you are.”

“...That isn’t what my parents told me. They said that ever since the Zentrans and our culture became a part of the New United Nations Government, we’ve lived for the sake of Earth culture. That’s why they gave me singing lessons, dance lessons, and even the Earth name Chelsea… My mom and dad… said they didn’t need me… that I wasn’t human, just a combat weapon, just one of Satan’s Dolls… and… ever since… whenever I go out in front of an audience, I freeze up and can’t think straight… even though I’m supposed to sing.”

“—”

“Even though I know fans like him are supporting me, I still—”

“You should wipe your tears.”

“!!”

When he handed her a handkerchief, she realized that she’d been crying.

Hot tears had been streaming down her cheeks, soaking her collar, and she just hadn’t noticed.

“...Thanks.”

“Even if you’re looking up, tears can still fall.”

“...In the end, I couldn’t be like Nekki Basara. But I never even went to school; singing was all I could do… I ended up at S.M.S. because I had a Valkyrie pilot’s license for event promotions. And that’s how it happened, how we got here, even though I…”

“Even though you can’t shoot a gun anymore?”

Hakuna crushed the aluminum can in his hand.

“I ran away. From the stage, from the spotlight. And now I’m running away from being a pilot, and I…”

“What’s wrong with running away?”

He said it like it was nothing.

As casually as tossing a crushed can into the trash.

“B-But…”

“This world isn’t about forward or backward. There’s also up and down. You don’t have to fly on some predetermined course. Even if you feel like you’re flying in a totally different direction, you might just end up at the finish line anyway. Doesn’t that work just as fine?”

“...I can’t see it that way.”

“You’ll get it eventually. Eventually.”

He gazed into the distance.

He kept gazing into the distance.

It was the kind of gaze that made you wonder if there was something out there, far out on the horizon.

“Not just forward or backward…”

“Right. Think of a Valkyrie, even. They can take more forms than just an airplane, right? If a morning comes when you can live like Nekki Basara again, then you should just go ahead and live that way.”

“...Right.”

Somehow, the weight she felt in her chest started to feel lighter.

✥✥✥

Every restaurant they tried to get lunch at was packed. By the time they finally found somewhere with an open table, it was already late into the afternoon.

She decided to watch the broadcast of the qualifiers partly because her buffalo chicken wings were taking forever and partly because Bloomberg was taking part in it.

She didn’t dislike her fans.

If anything, she felt a pang of grief that she couldn’t respond to their cheers. That was who she was.

On the screen, Bloomberg’s white VF-11C Thunderbolt charged toward the flag in GERWALK Mode.

Watching the people in the restaurant leap with excitement at the heroic sight, Chelsea realized just how popular Vanquish was.

“It’s him… he’s fast.”

“Yeah, he’s got skill.”

Hakuna laughed with a grin. He’d already begun drinking in broad daylight, arguing that since there was no night or day in outer space, it didn’t matter when he drank.

But, a shadow was cast over the Thunderbolt.

A bird…!?

A craft she’d never seen before.

It was huge.

A deep crimson machine an order of magnitude larger than the Thunderbolt in both length and wingspan.

A Variable Fighter with strange wings like a bird’s.

“They’ve got him!”

Its legs gripped the VF-11’s fuselage like a bird of prey seizing a swan.

By skillfully alternating its aerodynamics and nozzle thrust to apply pressure, the red Valkyrie pinned the VF-11 down, preventing it from either climbing or breaking away.

Bloomberg’s unit raised the gunpod on its right arm.

But the strange Valkyrie was faster.

A torrent of shock rounds pierced the VF-11’s right arm. Sparks flew. The now-disabled arm hung limply.

The battle was over.

But…

“No!”

Chelsea cried out.

She didn’t know why.

But she knew what was about to happen.

The red Valkyrie’s wings shifted to generate downforce.

That was all.

That was enough to disrupt the vector of kinetic energy, sending the VF-11 slamming down into the ground in a spectacular tumble.

No matter how thick its energy-conversion armor was, it wouldn’t matter. The sheer force generated by the combination of kinetic energy and mass shattered it.

The VF-11’s cockpit was crushed, its canopy scattered into the air with a blinding flash. It all played out in slow motion.

A horrible sound rang out.

The sound of a human life being shattered. The sound of a Valkyrie so carefully nurtured by its engineers being torn apart. The screech of metal against metal. The roar of an explosion. And finally, a wail of grief. Each sound brought excruciating sorrow.

“...How awful.”

Chelsea was probably the only one who thought so. Hakuna didn’t bat an eye. The people inside the shop, including the staff, all went wild watching the extravagant crash. Right. That was the kind of show this was. A spectacle.

But, she couldn’t forgive it.

She couldn’t forgive this attitude of trampling over someone just for the sake of some spectacle.

“Hey, Chelsea!”

She stood up.

She was standing.

There was no logic behind it.

Before she knew it, she was running.

Not long ago, she probably wouldn’t have done something like this.

But she ran.

Once she started, she couldn’t stop.

✥✥✥

A deep crimson Valkyrie landed on the tarmac.

Its massive form was unmistakable.

“You!”

When Chelsea spoke, the pilot turned around and removed her helmet.

303 Kościuszko…?

Engraved with these unfamiliar words, an emblem that was presumably a unit insignia adorned her chest. The design, with crossed sickles and a military cap, was so classic that it seemed terribly anachronistic.

Her luxurious hair, the same color as her Valkyrie, fluttered in the hot breeze of evening.

A woman.

Even as a woman herself, Chelsea thought she was a beautiful Earthling woman.

She didn’t worry much about gender or species at this point, but still, she’d imagined someone far rougher from the way she flew, so she couldn’t help being surprised.

“And who are you?”

With an icy gaze and tone, the pilot cut Chelsea down. It was the kind of voice that dismissed everyone but herself as inferior, refusing to even offer a second glance.

“Chelsea Scarlett—”

After a brief pause to shake off her hesitation, Chelsea went on.

“A Vanquish pilot.”

“Never heard that name before. I make it a rule not to remember the names of pilots who place any lower than second.”

“That’s not what matters right now!”

Chelsea thrust her finger into the pilot’s haughty face.

“What was that back there!?”

“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you mean. It was a great performance, wasn’t it? The audience seemed delighted, at least. I don’t remember doing anything that would warrant a complaint from a child like you.”

“That downforce!”

“Downforce… ahh…”

The pilot gave a faint smile. It was an expression like she was being scolded for something as small as a light wrinkle in her collar.

“What is your problem?”

“You didn’t have to do something like that! When you destroyed the VF-11’s right arm, you’d already won!”

“I was curious about what you had to say, and it’s something this trivial? Couldn’t you come up with something a little more clever than that?”

“Trivial!? You seriously think it’s alright to hurt the other pilots that badly!?”

“Of course.”

She puffed out her chest, which was as voluptuous as her hair.

“This is Vanquish, the most extreme race in the galaxy. We all know the risks when we enter a race like this. It’d be unbelievable if we didn’t.”

“There’s still a difference between risks and hurting other people for no reason!”

“There is a reason.”

“What?”

“We’re pilots. We combine our expertise with our people’s traditions to take flight. Demonstrating the meaning of battle is proof of our nobility and a testament to our culture. We aren’t like the Zentradi.”

“You’re calling one-sided violence like that culture!?”

“Earth’s history is a history of war. Conflict is the force that drove mankind to evolve and propelled us out into the sea of stars. Vanquish embodies that chivalrous warrior spirit! It’s only natural for the strong to stomp out the weak.”

“That’s just a phony justification for your sadism!”

“—That’s how you describe my noble fighting style? I won’t let that comment pass, Zentra Girl.”

“What? What does being Zentradi have to do with this!?”

“—!”

They got so close that their noses were almost touching, their shadows overlapped.

Invisible sparks flew from their gazes, a tension akin to bloodlust that left no room for intervention.

And yet, a man with a chicken wing in his hand pulled the two apart.

“Alright. That’s enough, you two.”

““Hakuna!?””

Their voices echoed out in unison, entirely by accident.

✥✥✥

Hakuna was a mysterious man. It was like his very presence made the atmosphere of imminent conflict in a room shift into something more peaceful somehow. It was no different that day on the tarmac.

“Wh-What!? Th-Th-This Zentra Girl is living with you!?”

Her eyes widened in shock, her face turning beet red all the way to her ears. The red-haired girl jumped to her feet.

“Don’t say it like that, Lena. It’s a complicated situation. I’m just letting her stay at my place.”

“Don’t common folk call that ‘living together’!?”

The red-haired pilot, whom Hakuna had called ‘Lena,’ clung to his chest and shouted at him.

“N-No, it’s not like that! I’ve taken her in out of necessity!”

She was still angry at her rough play earlier, but there was another kind of anger toward this woman swirling within Chelsea. She wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but it was anger nonetheless.

It’s bad enough that I have to live with an incomprehensible man like him, but now I have to sit and watch it get treated like some kind of scandal!?

“—Honestly, I can’t believe it.”

Lena stared at Chelsea with the kind of look one might give a stray dog on the side of the road.

“I just can’t accept that a little girl like you who’d never even heard of Vanquish before now gets to stand next to Hakuna, the Uncrowned Emperor, as his teammate!”

“Why is this still about Hakuna!?”

“I’ve been trying to recruit Hakuna as my own teammate and partner for a long time now. For me—no, for every Vanquish Racer—he’s the man we need to surpass. The legendary racer who has skills on par with the fastest man in the galaxy, Nicolas Berthier, but still can’t take his crown because he doesn’t have a team. I simply cannot agree to this. For Hakuna to suddenly welcome some random woman as his teammate out of nowhere! There’s just no way I can accept that!”

“Partner, you say?”

Hakuna scratched his head with a look of confusion.

“Yeah. If you joined up with me, I’d have better maintenance and staff waiting for you. For someone after Berthier’s crown like you—”

“I appreciate the offer, but you’re moving too fast for me, Lena Zielonaska.”

“!? Then how do you explain parading around with Zentra Girl over here!? You know full well how I feel about you, and still…!”

Irritated, Lena took off her glove and threw it right at Chelsea.

“Wha…?”

“Let’s duel, Zentra Girl!”

“Duel!?”

“In the next race, we’ll settle if I’m right or you are! I am Magdalena Zielonaska, noblewoman of the Republic of Poland, and I won’t take no for an answer!”

Proclaiming the name of a country that no longer existed, the girl stood proud against the setting sun.

Chelsea had no national history to claim. So, in her eyes Magdalena seemed like the ghost of Earth-borne mankind.

✥✥✥

The morning of their duel arrived; frenzied enthusiasm engulfed Island Reno.

The two participating Valkyries were gathered on the scorching runway.

Based on her score and time in the qualifier, Chelsea’s starting position was ninth. It wasn’t the worst, but it certainly wasn’t the best.

Her AI system, Brünhilde, was in excellent condition. A wonderful harmony emanated from her. Robbins Family seemed to have done a perfect job.

“I should ask… are you really doing this duel with Lena?”

A transmission from Hakuna, who was in sixth.

“She’s not your only enemy. There’s still Shinsei’s Brauhitsch and the other races to worry about. If you get yourself into trouble for no good reason, you’ll just be her next victim.”

“I know.”

“Lena Zielonaska is a Valkyrie killer. She makes absolutely sure to destroy other Variable Fighters. Some rumors even say that she hates Valkyries. If you’re wondering about her skills, they’re really something else.”

More than that, Lena’s starting position was an impressive first. She had torn that VF-11 to pieces and still managed to rack up the highest score. From where Chelsea sat, her deep crimson machine seemed impossibly far away.

And then there was her plane. The SV-52γ was practically one-of-a-kind, a lost model developed for an old war that she’d restored using her own money. It was a red Valkyrie with unknown performance and techniques.

“But the way she flies brings nothing but dissonance to the sky. I can’t stand the noise of it.”

Chelsea checked her instruments meticulously.

She hadn’t been so focused on a flight since her first.

“I get it. From a teamwork perspective, if you just mark and hold her down in pole position, that’ll make it easier for me to win, so I appreciate that. But, Chelsea…”

“—?”

“Nah… you don’t need my unsolicited advice. It’d be strange for a coyote to tell a wren how to sing its song as it leaves the nest. I’ll just pray that the White Maize Woman grants you the insight you need.”

…He was a strange man.

But she didn’t find him unpleasant. It was clear that he was looking out for her. So, at the very least, this did put her a little more at ease.

✥✥✥

The Vanquish racers took off from Island Reno and broke out into space one after the next.

Until they cleared the Reno section, restrictions were placed on their course and transformations, so there weren’t any major changes in their placements. That was what made the starting position so important. The order there directly translated to an advantage in the flag area.

Brauhitsch’s VF-1 took the lead, with “Cannonball” Angeloni’s VF-171 and Hakuna’s VF-1 close behind.

Hm… it’s that one!

Lena’s red plane, the SV-52, had broken away from the leading group and was now gliding gracefully through space.

“...I can hear you, Chelsea.”

“Lena!”

Communication during a race was divided between dedicated channels for each team and an open channel for the wider network as a whole. The open channel existed as a measure to allow pilots to request rescue from other pilots as quickly as possible in case of any emergency. Though, in practice, it was standard for teammates to use their own dedicated channel to coordinate with one another.

In other words, using the open channel to deliberately broadcast your plane’s status to members of the other teams was completely foolish.

And yet, Lena Zielonaska, the Crimson Rose, was enough of a fool to do just that.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Now, our duel can begin! With the rose emblem on my Oryol and the pride of my clan by my side, I’ll send you sinking into the sea of stars!”

“...It’ll be my pleasure!”

Not because she’d been challenged.

Not because she’d been insulted.

Purely because this deep crimson Valkyrie made a sound that disturbed the song within her.

The two Variable Fighters plunged themselves down toward Island Reno. The Vanquish race was a battle that circled this island and the space around it.

✥✥✥

The skies around the Environment Ship were cramped.

At the altitude of two thousand meters—six thousand feet—they’d have nowhere left to go.

“This thing—it’s so fast!!”

Lena Zielonaska’s SV-52. Its crimson wings blocked Chelsea’s VF-19’s path like a phoenix's wingspan covering the sky.

If they kept accelerating this way, a collision was inevitable. The Nothung had a pinpoint barrier, so it might survive, but the worst-case scenario would destroy the SV-52.

She had no choice. She banked, then dipped slightly downward. Above her, she saw the emblem of a rose. The plane was just as gaudy as its pilot.

“I knew you were a coward!”

“What!?”

Lena’s mocking voice echoed over the radio, sending Chelsea into a rage. She was being looked down upon.

“With a plane like that—no, with skills like yours, you still let a chance to take me down pass you by! Do you seriously think you can beat me like this!?”

Taunting her, the SV-52 banked sharply.

It accelerated even further. It was high-risk flying, navigating the tight space just beneath the canopy. Its crimson wings had a glow, trailing streaks of clouds behind them.

“But, I…!”

“I suppose a Zentradi like you just can’t understand sportsmanship! You win by doing everything you can within the rules, a tradition that has been carried on since the tourneys of medieval knights!”

“Even so, I won’t accept that kind of fighting!”

She’d heard that Bloomberg had been seriously wounded by that downburst. Even if his life wasn’t at risk, she couldn’t forgive her for stripping someone of their wings.

“You could’ve won without doing something like that! Is this really something to take pride in!?”

“It’s only natural that I won! It’s in how you win, how spectacularly you do it! That is what makes a knight a knight!”

“Then there’s no way I can forgive a stunt like that!!”

She pressed the point.

The Nothung’s fuselage, blending into Island Reno’s blue sky, left a trail of water vapor as it closed in on Lena’s SV-52.

“Okay, then… what are you going to do about it!?”

The SV-52 moved its nose upward, as if it was standing upright against the ground. It applied all of its air brakes at once.

Pugachev’s Cobra!?

An aerial combat maneuver devised by Viktor Pugachev of the former Soviet Union: a plane’s pitch is raised to ninety degrees in mid-flight. By forcibly bringing the plane to a halt in the stall zone, the enemy plane is forced to overshoot, allowing a pilot to position themselves behind them.

Lena…! Is she trying to shoot me down!?

She shouldn’t have been equipped with any machine guns, but they were all authorized to carry a comms laser. If she aimed it directly at her cockpit at full power, she could take Chelsea down in a single shot. Lena had the skill to pull it off, too.

“Grh…!”

She never expected it, but the chances weren’t zero. It was unforgivable for an S.M.S. pilot to underestimate the possibility of it and let her enemy get behind her.

She raised her nose. Moving the EX Gear’s legs in sync with the two-dimensional vector nozzles, the Nothung did a Cobra maneuver as well, rising up to prevent Lena from getting behind her.

“Heh… following my lead, are you?”

“Of course… I am!”

Trailing water vapor behind them, the two Valkyries stared each other down, both still in the Cobra maneuver.

The time that passed felt like an eternity.

“But the Vanquish is just getting started, Chelsea Scarlett!”

The SV-52 began rotating itself 270 degrees backward to return to its original flight position.

Kulbit!!

The Nothung followed suit.

Their restored flight positions were nearly identical.

Entangled with one another, the azure and crimson Valkyries plunged toward the pinpoint barrier gate.

✥✥✥

“Wowie, they’re really going at it.”

Hakuna narrowed his eyes as he watched Chelsea and Lena hurtling through the void of space on his rear-view monitor.

Of course, he hadn’t given up on the race, either. On the contrary, he was using each of his senses to the fullest, coaxing his finicky engine into behaving, despite the fact that it could explode at any moment. Banking at his plane’s absolute limit, keeping an eye on his remaining fuel.

His ability to perform all of these tasks and keep his awareness spread across his surroundings was like an ancient swordsman feeling every single strand of his sword hilt’s cord while keeping focused on the enemies around him.

In terms of pure aircraft performance, Chelsea had the upper hand.

The latest L.A.I. model built from a brand-new frame would inevitably come out on top against an anachronistic machine restored from fifty years ago.

As for piloting skill, Hakuna estimated that the two women were basically evenly matched. No, he might have even said that Chelsea held a slight advantage, given that she had better reaction times and was more genetically suited to tolerate G-force than her Earthling opponent.

But Vanquish was another story. Lena’s skill and nerve, her ability to fly on the designated course, her mastery of the terrain and the course itself far surpassed Chelsea’s. Above all, her fighting style that never feared going too rough or making contact would put constant pressure on Chelsea and stop her from using her true abilities.

“Alright—it’s about time, Brauhitsch! Thanks to the goddess, victory is within our grasp!”

Hakuna sent his VF-1 accelerating forward, closing in on Brauhitsch’s VF-19.

✥✥✥

That GERWALK… her moves are incredible!

Back in the Reno desert for the third time, Chelsea was breathless.

The VF-19 was designed as a stealth combat attack plane equipped with Fold Boosters, intended to carry out pinpoint strikes against enemy command centers and the cores of fleets in outer space. Consequently, its GERWALK Mode was designed for rapid deceleration and directional changes during aerial combat, and for high-speed movement across the surface of enemy ships. So, the GERWALK’s typical fine maneuverability wasn’t prioritized to the same extent as its Battroid and Fighter Modes.

But the SV-52 was different.

Its massive wings, drawn like a seagull’s, caught the wind with precision. The combination of lift jets mounted on its underside and thermonuclear jets in its legs gave it truly smooth, three-dimensional maneuvering up and down in all directions.

A bird, yet not a bird. A human, yet not a human.

By the time they left the GERWALK area, a gap of at least thirty seconds had opened up between Lena and Chelsea.

And there was only one reason that she didn’t attack in GERWALK Mode.

Here it is!

The moment she entered the flag zone and transformation was authorized, Chelsea transformed the Nothung into Battroid Mode. The sky-blue wings of the GERWALK folded like a sword entering its sheath, and the azure colossus revealed itself. Gunfire from the SV-52 burst out from behind a rock, exploding the exact same instant that she concentrated a pinpoint barrier on her left arm’s shield.

I knew it—she’s not hesitating to shoot right at my cockpit!

Even if they were just riot control stun rounds, a direct hit on the cockpit of a Valkyrie moving at high-speed would almost unavoidably cause a life-threatening accident. Blocking the gunfire with its barrier, the Nothung leaped into the air.

“The Nothung, was it?”

“Yeah—pretty good machine, isn’t she?”

“Yes. Nothung, sword of Siegfried. Its roots are in Norse mythology, the holy sword Gram that Sigurd drew from the stone. The legend shares the same roots as Excalibur, or Caliburn, that was passed down by the people of England, whose bloodline comes from the same Norman source.”

Even in the heat of battle, Lena’s voice was calm, as if reciting a poem. Or maybe, for her, battle itself was the song of her soul. Her voice had an air of ignorance, but it was unclouded.

“So then… Do you understand the meaning of the name?”

More gunfire. Reaching the flag area first and picking up the scattered gunpods was immensely important. At the peak of her ascent, she transformed into Fighter Mode, flipped back in Battroid mode just as it reached the minimum altitude, and then took cover behind the rocks once more.

“...The meaning of it?”

“—You aren’t an Earthling, but were given the name Chelsea Scarlett, a name forced upon you! Now, you stand before someone of noble blood like myself, brandishing a mythical sword which your blood holds no connection to! I cannot forgive such selfishness!”

“Tch! You’re so arrogant!”

“If you really are Zentradi, you should fight like one!”

The SV-52 charged headfirst toward the unarmed Nothung. Of course, even if she wasn’t unarmed, Chelsea likely wouldn’t have fired.

Unable to hold back the gunfire any longer, her pinpoint barrier vanished. Even with the immense energy generated by its thermonuclear burst engine, the Nothung couldn't maintain the barrier indefinitely. Its arm, struck by a shock round, splayed out and then slumped.

Before her eyes, the massive red SV-52 transformed into Battroid Mode, looming closer. It was huge! It was a head or two taller than even the VF-19. Chelsea knew that there was an absolute difference between them in terms of power and weight during close combat.

“So the rumors are true! You’re a Zentran who can’t even fire her gun!”

An open-palmed chop from the SV-52 struck her left side, where she’d dropped her guard.

The intense shock of it was transmitted through the energy-conversion armor and shook her cockpit.

“You can’t wage war! You can’t imitate our culture! Screw letting you stand by Hakuna’s side! I won’t even let a half-baked failure like you pilot a Valkyrie!”

“Who are you to talk!?”

Her plane shook violently.

The SV-52 had seized the VF-19’s shoulder and arm. Chelsea realized that she was trying to slam her entire craft, cockpit and all, into the rocky shore.

If I could… just shoot her…!

Her finger reached for the trigger.

The anti-aircraft laser on its head was reserved for laser communication. If she smashed it into her face to destroy the sensors, or fired it into her wing to damage her transforming mechanism, then maybe…

But, no matter what she tried, her finger simply wouldn’t move that final millimeter.

She just couldn’t play that note.

“This is the end for you, Zentra Girl! Crawl through the Reno desert to repent for stepping foot onto a stage you never belonged on!”

It’s the same.

Just like when she’d lost her voice.

Just like when she’d felt abandoned by culture itself.

She could feel it. The unwavering pride and resolve of the girl standing before her. Even with all of her prejudice, she had a nobility, a love for tradition, and a steadfast soul that believed in the person that she was. That soul, the sound of her heart, was resonating through her armor. Chelsea didn’t have anything of the sort.

I’m… nothing.

An empty shell, clad in hollow armor, could never stand up to a steadfast soul like hers. The thought bound her like chains.

Her shoulder armor had shattered. The linear actuators in her joints wailed from the overload.

That was when it happened.

“Chelsea!”

A voice.

A rough, crude voice without any musical quality whatsoever.

But a beautiful voice nonetheless.

The wings of the VF-1 passed overhead as it engaged in a fierce dogfight with Brauhitsch’s VF-19.

Chelsea surely heard the message that those wings carried.

“Don’t forget! In the sky, there’s not just forward or backward!”

It wasn’t a call for backup. He may not have even spoken at all—they were simply the words she wished for, spoken in the face of defeat.

Even so, the sound was certainly there. It resonated.

And the sky was even more certainly there.

That was why…

“Look up at the sky. Lift your head. Toward this sky!!”

“!?”

Full-throttle thrust. The VF-19ACTIVE’s full thrust propelled it upward.

“Wh-what…! Zentra Girl…!?”

“Hrrryaaahh!”

An emergency full-throttle thrust from the thermonuclear burst engine was capable of propelling a ten-ton craft out of a planet’s gravitational field in under three minutes. Even with the SV-52’s weight added to it, lifting the weight was a breeze. Through the EX Gear, she manipulated the variable winglets on the Nothung’s hips. Manipulating the aerodynamics, cutting through the wind, flipping her plane’s orientation.

She converged the pinpoint barrier onto her shoulders. Using the sweeping motion of transforming into GERWALK Mode, she shattered the SV-52’s fingers and put strain on its joints.

The VF-19 had forcibly broken free from the SV-52’s grip.

“No way! My Oryol was…!?”

“I’m not finished yet!!”

Her fuselage buckled, exposing the VF-19’s cockpit block. The process was simple to describe, but to execute a transformation with several tons of metal crashing into her required a level of boldness that surprised even Chelsea herself.

Her right shoulder was unable to withstand the strain and was blown off along with its armor. But what did it matter? At this range, she could still maneuver without it.

Reverse! She transformed into Fighter Mode and accelerated with all engines at full throttle.

As they passed each other, she reshaped the Nothung’s wings into a form optimized for cutting. It was only possible because of OTM variable materials, support from her control AI Brünhilde, and the godlike speed at which Chelsea could input data. Her intense training at the S.M.S. had made it possible.

“If I have to! I can wreck it in spectacular fashion!”

A sword.

Indeed, it was the single swing of a sword.

It was in the genealogy of holy swords that had shone in the hands of hero kings since time immemorial.

Like a bolt of lightning, like a descendant revelation, the Nothung’s wing sliced through the crimson wing opposing it.

The slash, which channeled the machine’s entire output into the wing’s energy conversion armor and pinpoint barrier, was far too sharp. The SV-52’s energy conversion armor was sliced through like butter.

She watched as the SV-52 spiralled out of control and slammed into the ground.

As Chelsea went into a steep dive, she saw the ground looming beneath her. But, a Valkyrie was not an airplane. It was not bound by a single form. She extended her legs and performed an emergency stop in GERWALK Mode.

Her knees were unable to withstand the impact of the land and shattered.

That was the price for redirecting power to her conversion armor and barriers. No, she was lucky that she landed at all, even if it cost her her knees. One wrong move and she could’ve just as easily been impaled through the cockpit and buried at the bottom of the Environment Ship.

The Nothung spun wildly and came to a halt. It had ended in a draw.

In other words, both had retired.

But as she looked up at the sky, Chelsea saw Hakuna’s VF-1 overtaking Brauhitsch’s VF-19.

That was enough for her.

Oddly enough, the cheers directed at her didn’t make her feel uncomfortable, either.

✥✥✥

“You put on quite the show out there.”

“Huh?”

It came as a surprise to Chelsea that it was Lena who’d extended her white hand toward her as she watched Hakuna at the podium.

“D-don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not saying that I acknowledge you as a worthy teammate for Hakuna. It’s just…”

“It’s just…?”

“It’s just that I’ve acknowledged that you have the qualities necessary to be a worthy rival. Only the strong have the right to uphold their pride. With that belief in mind, it’s irrelevant whether you’re pure or Zentra.”

“...”

Chelsea was taken aback for a moment. Her words were surprisingly straightforward.

“I saw that you have enough pride to be a Vanquish competitor. Earning Hakuna’s acknowledgement by fighting you should be entertaining… Er, wh-what? Rejoice! I’m saying that I recognize you as an equal rival!”

“...Okay.”

After a moment of hesitation, Chelsea took her hand. It was surprisingly soft and warm.

“Okay, okay—But I won’t lose to you, Lena Zielonaska!”

“Go ahead and try, Chelsea Scarlett!”

The two women tightened their grips on each other’s hands.

Indeed, since this wasn’t a fight to the death, there would be a next time. Just as the sky stretches on without end.

Compared to the galaxy as a whole, mankind’s history is no more than a speck of dust. The galaxy knows none of this. But we do. A person’s life and death may be no more than a fleeting moment, but the human soul lives in a way that understands the value of each moment. Thus, the radiance of each soul is no less brilliant than the galaxy itself. That is the nature of this story.

“How the hell did things turn out like this!?”

The girl named Chelsea Scarlett had uttered these words to herself every time she woke up for many years now.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

Not the stark, specially-armored ceiling of the Macross Quarter battle carrier. She rubbed her tired eyes, looking up at the decidedly classic, wood-panelled ceiling.

Sparkling sunlight from an artificial sun streamed in through the window, enveloping her old yet clean sheets.

She was confused, but not quite uncomfortable.

The bedroom assigned to her was small and cluttered, but not dirty at all. Old photographs, models of Variable Fighters and engine blades of unknown origin were scattered throughout, telling the story of its inhabitant's love for planes and childish attachments.

She sat up halfway and brushed her hair back from the linen pillow.

Did I… sweat in my sleep…?

As usual, she wondered if she’d feel the sticky remnants of a nightmare on her, but there was no such thing. All that tickled her senses was the faint, rustic scent of sun-kissed linen.

Not having that dream about sleeping in an icy coffin actually gave her a slight sense of unease, but she forgot all about it as soon as she felt the scent of coffee in her nose.

“Yo, good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

The man’s unfamiliar voice startled her, so she rushed to pull her sheets up to cover her ample breasts, barely concealed by her T-shirt.

“Wh-who’s there!?”

“C’mon. ‘Who’s there’ is a bit much, don’t you think?”

The man, coffee cup in hand, gave a dramatic shrug.

“You, you must be…”

“Hakuna. Hakuna Aoba.”

“Hakuna Aoba…”

Chelsea managed to salvage his face from the murky depths of her hazy memory. He was the man that she’d met at a small repair shop that she was sent to on a temporary assignment from S.M.S. Though, strictly speaking, it wasn’t really a temporary assignment. Her commanding officer, José, had cobbled together some borderline forged documents to shield her and send her out under the guise of a temporary assignment just as she was on the verge of being laid off.

She was grateful for that, and relieved that she hadn’t been sent to a disciplinary hearing, but that didn’t mean that being asked out of the blue to become a Vanquish Racer wasn’t a breach of contract in its own right.

I specifically joined S.M.S. because I didn’t want to be a sideshow anymore!

Regardless, that was the reality in front of her.

Since it was there, she had to deal with it.

She’d already gotten into a long argument with Hakuna over it, but she ended up borrowing a room…

“Sorry for entering a lady’s bedroom without knocking. But, if you could recall that it was my room not long ago, that’d be great.”

Setting his coffee cup down on a plywood sideboard crammed with tools, the man who introduced himself as Hakuna turned his back to her.

“Breakfast should be ready in about half an hour. Once we’ve eaten, let’s continue that discussion from yesterday.”

✥✥✥

“So, about that conversation.”

Chelsea, now wearing an S.M.S. jacket, decided to get right to the point after taking a sip of her brim-full mug of herbal tea.

“Yup.”

Hakuna, on the other hand, sat relaxed in his well-worn overalls.

“I’m not just gonna become a racer! I don’t know what Captain José told you, but I firmly refuse to go along with it!”

“You’re definitely a fighter pilot. I mean, sure, if we made you be some short-haul passenger plane pilot who just does what a computer says, that’s one thing, but the actual work you’ll get here can’t really be that different, can it? D’you think a chicken cares about the difference between ham or bacon with their eggs?”

“But I care!”

“What a coincidence. I’m the kinda guy who spends his life obsessing over the difference between ham and bacon, too.”

—He was an odd man.

He looked as rough as a rock, but no matter how hard she pounded him with her words, he seemed to just brush them off like wind through a willow tree. She’d spent the whole night debating him, only to be outmaneuvered at every turn.

But it wouldn’t be right to call him an unapproachable or cold man, either. There was something about his defiant smile that melted Chelsea’s heart. A heart which, after a long life in the entertainment industry, had grown wary of others and learned not to trust people so easily.

Otherwise, even if she couldn’t return to her room on the Macross Quarter, she certainly wouldn’t have stayed the night in the room of a man she’d only just met.

“Okay, lemme explain it again. Chelsea Scarlett, you couldn’t pull the trigger during combat… is that right?”

“…That’s… true, but…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Did you know? They say that even if you put a gun in the hands of every Earthling and sent ‘em straight to the battlefield, seven out of ten times they won’t be able to fire at another person—even if it means they’ll die. It wouldn’t shock me if the same was true of Zentrans.”

“—”

Chelsea had no words to respond with.

The Zentradi were a warrior race. They were bred that way. That was why people generally believed that they had no qualms about killing. But the fact that the girl named Chelsea differed from that was an exception, nothing more, nothing less.

“When it comes to soldiers, only about three out of ten people actually make it through training. Even with those who don’t make it, that’s just how it is—a swan who can’t keep up with its flock is still a swan, y’know?”

“Next time… next time I’ll definitely…”

Trying to shake off the image of the boy’s face, his frozen expression of terror that was etched into her mind, Chelsea forced out the words. It wasn’t as simple as saying them. There was that much resistance within her.

“It’s no use.”

Hakuna replied immediately, in a matter-of-fact yet resolute tone. It was as sharp and devoid of unnecessary force as the slash of a top-tier swordsman.

“Neither José nor I have ever seen anyone say something like that and actually be able to pull the trigger in their next battle. They eventually die, kill their allies, or end up drowning themselves with drugs. That’s about it.”

“Kill their allies…?”

“Yeah, Chelsea. The fact that you can’t pull the trigger means that the enemy won’t die. It's simple math. There aren’t even numbers to it—you get what I’m saying, right?”

The man of unknown race and creed went on.

“The idea of sending you to race as an S.M.S. operation isn’t half bad. When José thought it up, I didn’t hesitate to accept. I get the partner I’ve always wanted. You get to keep your job. I don’t see the problem here.”

“I didn’t join S.M.S. to race!”

“But still, the nature of your missions is at your employer’s discretion. You could’ve just as easily been fired on the spot, but José covered for you. You should be grateful for that.”

“I… I want to be with them! On the Macross! That’s my family!”

Chelsea slammed her fist on the desk. Her mug bounced slightly. The force of the blow shocked even her.

“Family, huh?”

Hakuna didn’t ask about her real family. She didn’t know if it was indifference or kindness.

“Yeah, I get that. Any pilot who’s flown with a Macross would say the same.”

“...”

“Hmm…”

A silence passed over them. It was objectively brief, but felt like an eternity to Chelsea.

“Alright, how about this? Wanna play a game with me?”

Hakuna grinned, baring his white teeth.

A smile like the sun. The kind of smile that could make anyone who saw it feel at ease. The smile of a true man among men.

“A game?”

“Yeah. Let’s give this a try. You challenge me to a Vanquish Race. If you win, I’ll negotiate with José to get you back into the S.M.S. If they won’t agree, he’ll have to talk it out with me.”

“Can you… really do that?”

“He and I are friends, after all.”

What he said didn’t exactly make logical sense, but it struck a chord within Chelsea more than logic ever could’ve.

The world he comes from isn’t one full of lies and tricks.

“...And if I lose?”

“If you lose, you’ll just have to race with me for a while. Of course, I’ll treat you as a proper racer and take care of you. That’s separate from your S.M.S. salary.”

“Isn’t this bet a little unfair? I’ve never raced before…”

“I’ll give you a handicap. That’s what sportsmanship’s all about. Come with me.”

With that, Hakuna stood up from his chair. He was gentle, but still had an undeniable, commanding presence about him.

✥✥✥

He led her to another hangar, adjacent to the one she was staying in.

With landing gear to serve as evidence that it was brand new, a large Variable Fighter sat inside.

“They’ve entrusted me with it. This hangar’s meant for customers.”

“This… is from S.M.S…?”

“Yep. José gave it to me for you to race with.”

“Gave it away? So soon?”

“You could call it a prototype under testing. We’ll gather extensive data in conditions close to live combat and that should help speed up development on the new model. Putting it simply, they’re letting us borrow it.”

It was an incredibly beautiful machine.

So beautiful that it was hard for her to believe that it was a Valkyrie, a Variable Fighter originally created for killing.

If she had to compare it to something, it’d be a sword.

Shining brilliantly, sharp, without a single flaw, forged solely for its singular purpose. A sword.

Its wings made her feel that the swordsmith who forged it must have offered their soul to the gods, without any hint of doubt or shame, carving out a beautiful thing for the sake of the world.

“A VF-19EF…? No, it’s not. The shape of its wings is…”

It did resemble her beloved plane.

But everything about it was so different.

Its distinctive shape was like a swan gracefully spreading its wings, but it was nonetheless evident that the electronic equipment and navigational support systems integrated throughout it were as up to date as could be.

“The model number within S.M.S. is VF-19ACTIVE. It’s called the Nothung.”

“Nothung? Like from Wagner’s opera?”

“Is that right?”

“Act I, Scene 2. Siegfried, a hero born from forbidden love, takes the sword Nothung as his own to slay Fafnir, a giant that was transformed into a dragon. It’s the sword wielded by the man that the most renowned Valkyrie, Brünhilde, loved. S.M.S. must have a bit of a romantic streak in them.”

Chelsea stroked the Nothung’s wings tenderly, like a lover would.

Even though it bore the name of the sword which slew a detestable giant, its blade was beautiful. Its state-of-the-art energy conversion armor was polished to an almost mirror-like finish, shining so brilliantly that she felt that her soul itself might end up being sucked into it.

This Valkyrie… was waiting for me.

Yes, she understood it.

Not from reason.

Not from logic.

This sword had simply been forged for her hand to hold, an instrument played for her soul’s satisfaction.

The fact that these wings were created for her sake was as self-evident as the fact that a rose has a fragrance. It was so obvious that there was no need to provide any proof of it.

They were a pair of wings forged so that Chelsea Scarlett could take flight.

The wings of Icarus, forged from OTM-reinforced titanium composite material that even the flames of Helios could never hope to scorch.

“Seems like you’re a fan.”

Hakuna smirked.

She couldn’t even pretend that she wasn’t. Her soul as a pilot, her pride, even, would not allow it.

So, she gave a different answer.

“If I fly in this—what about you?”

“You saw it already. My VF-1.”

“A VF-1!? The original Valkyrie!?”

“Yup. Those are my wings.”

“No way! Are you making fun of me!?”

“No way. I’d never lie about a plane.”

“But that’s about as big of a difference as there is between a light aircraft and a jet!”

The VF-1 Valkyrie was the most famous Variable Fighter in the galaxy.

The simple fact that “Valkyrie,” which was just a nickname, had become a generic term for its type of weapon spoke volumes.

No one could doubt the excellence of this humanoid fighter which could transform into three different stages, which once fought the invading Zentradi as the Earth’s main fighter during Space War I.

Though, when compared to modern Variable Fighters, its performance was hardly worth mentioning. Putting it bluntly, it was an outdated model.

After all, Space War I was fifty years ago now. Both Chelsea and Hakuna were from the generation that had no memory of the war itself.

In contrast, even if there was a successor currently in development, the VF-19 remained an unparalleled masterpiece of human civilization in terms of speed, maneuverability and range—not to mention its cost.

Pitting the two against one another would be as reckless as pitting a World War II Me-262 fighter against the MIM-31 Karyovin stealth bombers used by the Anti-UN Forces during the Earth Unification war at the end of the 20th century purely because they were both jets.

Even if it wasn’t an aerial battle, or maybe because it wasn’t, it was like a fight between an adult and a child. Like a race between a top-of-the-line sports car and a used compact. Chelsea had to assume that he wasn’t speaking with full sanity.

But the man looking at her with eyes like a hawk just twisted his lips in defiance and spoke.

“That’s why I called it a handicap. For someone like you who’s used to using an EX Gear, this would be better than something like a VF-11. I couldn’t get my hands on a 25, though…”

“Quit screwing around!”

“I’m not screwing around.”

There was a fierce resolve behind Hakuna’s eyes.

It wasn’t a joke or some casual remark. It was a resolve that said he wouldn’t allow her to say such a thing.

He’s killed someone before.

Chelsea’s instincts sensed it.

Of course, even if Chelsea was part of a private military company, she was still a professional soldier. She had killed people before, without any distinction between Earthlings and Zentras.

But the thing conveyed in Hakuna’s eyes was a darkness deeper than any that Chelsea had ever known.

“I’ve given you a fair presentation of the best possible options. I think this deal should be meaningful for the both of us. If that sounds like a joke to you, then go ahead and propose an alternative, Chelsea Scarlett.”

“—”

“We all live by taking lives in one form or another. It’s the difference between killing them on a farm or hunting ground yourself versus paying someone else to do it for you. That’s why I think I understand your argument, your desire to get sustenance in a way that satisfies you. But it’s a baby chick’s privilege to have its parents bring food whenever it holds its mouth open.”

“You’re calling me selfish now!?”

“If that’s what it sounded like, I’m sorry.”

“—Gh!”

Chelsea clenched her fists.

But that was all she could do.

Because it was true.

Her cheeks flushed; her well-shaped eyebrows twisted in humiliation.

It wasn’t rage. It was shame.

Shame toward who?

Toward herself, of course. For having been so childish.

Toward herself, who was faced with adult logic and could only counter it with childish emotion.

Just because she hadn’t been able to say anything back then, when she stepped off the stage, didn’t mean that she could say anything now. It didn’t mean that doing so had made her into an adult.

Even so—even so, Chelsea Scarlett was no longer a child. She resolved to stop letting her emotion dictate her words.

And, just as she had when she first stepped onto the stage, she planted her feet firmly on the ground and tensed her stomach.

She felt that she had to do it.

“I’ll do it—but don’t cry if you lose, alright?”

“Right.”

With a sly grin, Hakuna gave her a thumbs-up.

“That’s what makes you a pilot.”

✥✥✥

TV news was abuzz with reports of victory over a faction of renegade Zentradi. An excited news anchor announced that President Glass’ approval ratings were through the roof, which served as the driving force to fend off his opposition’s attacks about the delay in tax reforms.

Of course, the news made no mention of S.M.S.’s involvement in the fight.

The only mention of it was a line tucked away in the corner of an official document that read: “We received cooperation from a private military provider.”

Works for me, Ozma Lee thought.

They weren’t ordinary troops who fought for glory. They were professional soldiers who worked for money. If there was ever a time when he would truly stake his life and honor, it’d be when those bugs finally arrived.

“Hey, Ozma.”

Next to him on the living room sofa was his beloved sister, Ranka Lee, with jade-green hair so different from his own. Her big, round eyes peered into her brother’s raptor-like eyes.

“Why do they call them renegade Zentradi?”

“Officially, the galaxy isn’t supposed to have nations aside from the New United Nations Government. From the government’s perspective, all Zentradi not under their rule are rebels.”

“But aren’t there a thousand or so ships in the Zentradi main fleet? I heard that the Boddole Fleet that came to Earth was just one of many.”

“You’re so smart, Ranka.”

The ace pilot’s eyes softened. It was a look that his subordinates would never see. He would do anything to protect his sister.

“That’s right. That’s why the Frontier Fleet is headed toward the galactic center, where there’s minimal activity from the main fleet. They just said it on the news, right? That detachment was only sent for recon, they were wiped out before they could contact the main fleet, so this won’t escalate into a full-scale war.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. The New United Nations Forces are doing just fine.”

Ozma was actually troubled about this, and wondered if a hint of sarcasm crept into his words. The part of him that cursed at his subordinates and enemies, seething with rage at the New United Nations Forces’ cowardice and corruption, tended to clash with his desire to raise his sister to be a refined and gentle lady.

“Hey, Ozma?”

“What’s up?”

“You’re not going to do anything dangerous, are you?”

“C’mon.”

Ozma gave a wry smile. One with a double meaning.

“I’m just a human resources guy at a security firm. I couldn’t get myself into trouble even if I tried. They don’t transfer office guys like me into anything that’d make me wear a uniform.”

“—You’re right. Sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

With the same hands that gripped control sticks every day, the same fingers that pulled the triggers of missile launchers and machine guns, Ozma ruffled Ranka’s hair.

Soon, Ranka lost interest in the topic when the entertainment section of the news drew her eye toward the radiant superstar, Sheryl Nome. Then, leaning her weight on her brother, she drifted to sleep.

As he carried his sister’s light body to her bed, Ozma looked up at the galaxy through the window.

—I wish this could last just a little while longer—

✥✥✥

“Phew.”

After assigning Chelsea a spare room, Hakuna was finally able to lay in his own bed. He could feel the scent of a young, beautiful woman lingering somewhere in his room, which did make him a bit shy.

“Still, who would’ve thought.”

He picked up a photograph. A nostalgic image.

“That’s what makes life so interesting. It’s like that saying about the hedgehog who sleeps under a cactus, never knowing about the bird incubating its eggs just beneath him.”

Cracking his shoulder blades, Hakuna spread his fingers out from pinky to thumb, then folded them into each other one by one several times.

“Well, things’ll work out somehow. I swear by the summit of Kilimanjaro."

✥✥✥

The Macross Frontier Fleet was classified as an Island Cluster-type Long-Range Emigration Fleet.

An Island Cluster was, in essence, a collection of self-propelled space colonies.

At their core was Island One, which was 15 kilometers in diameter. On the surface of the nearly circular, salad-bowl-like spacecraft with thin walls, urban areas modeled after various Earth cities were recreated, with a layered city extending beneath them as well.

Extending out behind it like a flock of birds were Environment Ships. Glass tubes each 8 kilometers in length.

Each Environment Ship was a spacecraft capable of self-propulsion, each with its own semi-independent natural environment. Along with Island One, they formed a greater ecosystem, allowing them to circulate waste and atmosphere among them.

Island One had a population of approximately 5 million, and the twenty-or-so Environment Ships behind it housed another 5 million. A total of 10 million people were on an endless pilgrimage, in search of a new home, with this vast, glass-walled world serving as both their land and sky.

✥✥✥

Island Reno was unique, even among the Environment Ships.

Typically, the artificial recreation of Earth’s natural environment served one of two purposes: to support key industries like agriculture and fishing, or to create a warm, habitable environment that could allow humans to survive in the harsh, inhospitable conditions of outer space.

However, what made this ship unique was that it recreated a desert, specifically, the deserts of Nevada in North America.

Naturally, there were residential areas underground, but the surface was nothing but a barren wasteland. Newspapers on the Macross Galaxy, which generally valued practicality above aesthetics, sarcastically referred to this Island as a “flying test tube full of sand” and “an archaic form of adoration toward pebbles.”

Nevertheless, Island Reno generated wealth for itself primarily through its unimaginable peculiarity among Environment Ships. Tourists from all over the galaxy travelled through its recreated desert in covered wagons, reflecting on the hardships of pioneers from the faraway past. In Western Land, they dressed up as heroes and villains and carried out four-act plays as a kind of survival game.

Come nightfall, the red lights of the casino district built in the center of the island drew people in. The crowd appeared in the desert just as the stars appeared in the night sky.

Amid that town’s hustle and bustle, Chelsea Scarlett had just arrived.

✥✥✥

“All these people are here to watch the Vanquish!?”

It had only been three days, but Chelsea was once again struck by the realization that a powerful current of fate had swept her up.

There were so, so, so many people.

It was like they had gathered from every corner of the galaxy. The streets were packed not only with what seemed like every ethnic group that once existed on Earth, but also with Zentradi, intelligent species of even more obscure varieties, and mixed-race people descended from all of the above. It was a mosaic of color and culture.

“Yep, that’s right. After all, the Vanquish is the only place you get to see Valkyries fight up close outside of combat. There are plenty of fools who wanna fly in the sky.”

Indeed, the vast desert was one of the best environments for flying aircrafts. No rain, and even if they were to crash, the thick sand would prevent them from piercing through and dealing any damage to the residential district below. The exposed hotels and casinos were protected by pinpoint barriers, too. It was a perfect place for Valkyries to fly.

A plane with forward-swept wings and flash coloring flew above Chelsea’s head, trailing rainbow smoke as it sped away.

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.

“A VF-19!? Not an EF-type though… is it a domestic model?”

“You got it.”

Hakuna provided commentary, his tonea mix of rivalry and admiration.

“That’s Oscar Brauhitsch’s VF-19A. It’s won three consecutive Vanquish races in the Frontier Fleet.”

“Wh—Why is a machine like that taking part in some ordinary race!?”

“Hey now, races have been a showcase for a sponsor’s technological prowess since the days of horse racing. A racer of Brauhitsch’s caliber was able to get the company itself—Shinsei Industries—to back him. He’s their personal pilot now. I don’t see much of an issue with it. I’m in cahoots with S.M.S. myself.”

“That thing’s in today’s race too?”

“Yep. He’s on his way back from the qualifiers. If you let the fact that he’s got a new model bug you this much, he’ll trip you up before you even get to facing me.”

“Right… that’s actually… kind of exciting.”

Her true feelings slipped out before she could stop them. As a fellow VF-19 pilot, she got an itch to go head-to-head with him. She was honest enough with herself to not deny the feeling. 

Fireworks went off. It seemed like the real battle was finally about to begin.

“Here we go—showtime!”

✥✥✥

She settled into the cockpit of the VF-19ACTIVE, revealing a prototype EX Gear pilot suit built into its seat, which doubled as a power assist unit.

The flight support AI, Brünhilde, activated, sending a message confirming that there were no abnormalities. It was a military-grade AI, cold and impersonal, lacking the gentle, pseudo-human interface common in civilian systems. But that fact was what made its matter-of-fact message feel reassuring to her.

It was Chelsea who’d named it Brünhilde. She also drew the emblem on the nose of the plane, which was inspired by Brünhilde, queen of the ancient Norse Valkyries.

The anthropomorphism may have been childish, but any pilot worth their salt knew that personal attachments like these could sometimes be the final thing keeping them going.

Besides, she also wanted to try out having a personal emblem, since the amount of covert operations they carried out meant that she never got to try it back with the S.M.S.’s Apollo Platoon.

“I have control! OK, OK, here I go!”

The battle between Chelsea and Hakuna would take the form of a Vanquish qualifier.

Put in the simplest terms, thirty-something Valkyries would take off and fly in a predetermined circle. Strict restrictions were placed on flight altitude and transformation in certain areas, so there were some parts of the course where a Fighter Mode’s performance was crucial, and other parts where the GERWALK and Battroid Modes were the key to victory.

The winner, the first to capture a specific flag, would earn the right to compete. That said, this particular event had nothing to do with Chelsea. Her only objective was to cross the finish line before Hakuna did.

But if I’m doing this, I should want to win, right Brünhilde?

The thought did cross her mind.

More than any of this, the first beat of the Nothung’s heart was a magnificent rhythm that lifted Chelsea’s spirits.

She checked its instruments. The sound of its reactor idling was crystal clear, as beautiful as resonant quartz. The vibrations that shook her seat and the hot hair being sucked into the engine rang out like a symphony.

Beautiful—yeah, almost too beautiful.

It was a question.

She understood that José wanted her to collect data for this experimental craft in near-combat conditions.

She understood, but it was still far too extravagant for her. She couldn’t fathom why even the flight assistant AI had to be a new LAI design. No matter how she looked at it, it just cost far too much money.

After all, all of the other planes, from Hakuna’s VF-1 to Brauhitsch’s VF-19, were civilian units, restored and modified from former military aircraft. The Nothung was a state-of-the-art plane that shone from tip to tail. It was just too beautiful.

The S.M.S. is still hiding something from me—

Chelsea couldn’t tell what it was, or if it was separate from her existing paranoia about her situation.

✥✥✥

Chelsea wasn’t the only one with these doubts.

Oscar Brauhitsch, a macho man with blond hair cut so short he was almost a skinhead, asked the chief mechanic about the exact same subject.

“Hey, what’s with that VF-19? I haven’t heard of any other company sending in a VF-19 series model.”

“Rumors say they’re from the S.M.S.”

“I see. Must be LAI or something, then.”

LAI was an Italian conglomerate that maintained friendly relations with the Japanese military conglomerate, Shinsei Industries. However, there was an irreconcilable difference in the corporate cultures of LAI, a space-based enterprise that had completely shifted its management to the Frontier, and Shinsei, which remained strictly an Earthling-based company. Their relationship was extremely efficient, but they each kept a knife hidden behind their backs, just in case.

Shinsei was a rising star that completed the VF-19 and propelled it to become the de facto standard, so the fact that LAI, which co-developed the Frontier Model “Caliburn,” would introduce another VF-19 into the Vanquish race felt to them like someone they’d lended their roof to was trying to take over the entire building.

Brauhitsch, racing under their banner, felt the same way.

“And what’s with that pilot? Is she just some chick with nothing going for her but her big chest?”

“You’ve got a good eye.”

“Of course. A pilot’s eyes are his life—well, she is good on the eyes. I’ll give her that, but…”

With a grand gesture Brauhitsch waved his hand.

“If they wanna use her as a poster girl to make a name for themselves in Vanquish, those Italian bastards at LAI must have a screw loose. I mean, c’mon. If you’re gonna do it, at least do it properly. Handing a machine like that over to some privateer, not even a works team—it just doesn’t add up.”

“She’s an S.M.S. pilot, they say her skills are solid.”

“Sure, maybe in a fight. But this is Vanquish. It’s the most extreme race in the galaxy. If they think they can bring in some fancy new model, stick a pretty girl in the cockpit and make it to the podium, they have another thing coming.”

Brauhitsch laughed defiantly.

A trained eye could see that his left arm, encased in his pilot suit, was a chrome cyber-arm. He hadn’t augmented his brain through implants, but he’d lost his original arm in a Vanquish accident five years prior.

He spoke with the pride of a man who lived and breathed Vanquish, not envy.

✥✥✥

With cheers roaring out, colorful Variable Fighters took off from the desert runway.

Of course, Chelsea’s Nothung was no exception.

Taking full advantage of its variable wings, she adopted a configuration optimized for low speeds to start riding the wind in one swift motion, soaring into the skies above Island Reno.

Hakuna really did come in a VF-1. I admire his pride, but that’s not everything. Relying on my machine’s power alone isn’t exactly my—!?

Her convenient train of thought was cut short.

Like a bolt of silver lightning splitting the sky, a Valkyrie streaked right past the Nothung.

“The VF-1…!? No way, this acceleration is…”

“Hey, what’s the matter, latest model!?”

Hakuna’s voice came over the radio.

She opened her throttles wide and transformed her wings into high-speed flight mode. If she didn’t, she would’ve been left completely in the dust.

She couldn’t believe it.

This thing—it doesn’t just have tweaked aerodynamics.

Powered by Super Pack boosters that were sourced from somewhere she couldn’t say and forcibly mounted on its legs, along with a main engine with clearly extraordinary thrust capabilities, the VF-1 entered supersonic flight at almost the exact same moment the VF-19 did.

The two planes closed in at a distance so close that they might have been able to touch their hands together if they reached out, slicing through the sky, intertwining like a spiral, tearing through the air as they closed in on the gate to outer space.

No.

Enduring the G-forces, Chelsea listened to the sound of the VF-1.

There wasn’t the slightest disturbance in it.

Using gentle, sometimes strict commands, its pilot took the wail of a machine that should have been crying out in agony from being pushed beyond its limits and transformed it into a flawless melody.

What is it—why would someone like this be racing in a place like—!?

That question was cut short.

Because Brauhitsch’s plane accelerated from behind, taking a straight trajectory toward the gate.

She activated the high-mobility units at her wingtips and tried to fly while responding and blocking Hakuna’s course at the same time. Naturally, Hakuna wouldn’t allow it. Since she also had to fly the designated course, her trajectory became even more complex, tracing a smooth curve.

With each pass over the neon lights of the Reno cityscape, once, twice, three times, they could hear the cheers of the crowd.

The three Valkyries, tangled together, passed through the pinpoint barrier gate that served as the boundary between them and outer space.

✥✥✥

The pinpoint barrier gate was a technology that utilized the pinpoint barrier—originally designed to protect ships from asteroids and enemy attacks—to create a special field that allowed Valkyries and people to pass through into space without allowing the atmosphere to escape.

Strictly speaking, crafts didn’t actually pass through. Rather, at the exact moment they pass, the barrier vanishes quantum-mechanically for a fraction of a second, too brief for human eyes to perceive. If she were honest, Chelsea didn’t understand how it worked even after it was explained to her.

In any case, when she broke through the auroral gate at the absolute limit of her speed, she found herself in the void that surrounded the fleet. Outer space.

There was a three-dimensional course the shape of several ovals, passing through a number of gates installed on the surface of Island Reno and then returning to its interior.

“Out of my way! Rookies who bet on the power of fancy machines alone should just stay off of the path!”

Brauhitsch’s VF-19 cut between Hakuna and Chelsea, executing a maneuver that bordered on ramming them. Chelsea’s course was thrown off because she instinctively dodged it. Her ears picked up the sound of Hakuna’s engine, which she never should’ve been able to hear, as he flew away.

Dammit—

Indeed, this was a race. Not air combat. Moves that would work in air combat wouldn’t necessarily be correct in a race.

In a Valkyrie race where they were flying at super high speeds, even the slightest deviation in trajectory could create a gap that was impossible to close with only a few seconds left. Falling slightly behind those in the lead, Chelsea’s Nothung accelerated once more.

Once in space, the Valkyries changed their path into a race course by passing through gates set near the Island or on non-environmental ships.

“You little—! Don’t underestimate me!”

No missiles were coming at her, at least. She stopped treating it as a game, but slipping from gate to gate at top speed was hardly a challenge for someone like Chelsea.

Superior maneuverability that could transcend human limits was the true strength of the VF-19 Series. Even in space, the trio of EX Gear, support AI and high-mobility nozzles fully demonstrated this fact. Overtaking two or three of her more hesitant opponents, Chelsea managed to take a position to chase the leading group consisting of Hakuna, Brauhitsch and about five others.

But that was where the two men’s cunning came into play. Their movements were precise and had no waste, born of intimate knowledge of the course. They gave her no opportunity to overtake them.

With the leads firmly established, the race went on.

✥✥✥

Again, she passed through the pinpoint barrier gate and returned to Island Reno. 

The GERWALK Mode slalom was brutal.

She wasn’t averse to flying through dense, rocky terrain by any means, even if she was restricted to a certain altitude. The problem was the VF-19’s structural limitations. Because it used forward-swept wings, the arms and wings get in each other’s way in GERWALK Mode, limiting its ability to use a swing of the arms to shift its center of gravity, as is necessary in slalom. The same applied to Brauhitsch, so, incredibly, Hakuna’s VF-1 managed to pull ahead.

This thing—it’s tuned specifically for low altitude aerodynamics—

It lived up to its reputation. But that wasn’t all.

The VF-1 was a bit smaller than current models. That made it well-suited to Vanquish, navigating narrow passageways in GERWALK Mode where one’s width can normally become a hindrance. Several times, Chelsea was forced to lose time because she couldn’t squeeze through gaps that Hakuna could pass through easily.

I won’t lose—!

✥✥✥

They navigated the slalom course and charged into the flag area. Like the slalom course, the flag area was a rocky desert, but transformation was now unrestricted. Whoever captured the few flags placed in the area would advance to the main Vanquish tournament.

They were permitted to use gunpods loaded with mock battle shock rounds (projectiles that use an electromagnetic pulse to disable a machine temporarily) that were placed haphazardly throughout the area. Vanquish Valkyries carried no weapons aside from defensive pinpoint barriers, so this was a bit of a breakthrough for them.

But still—!

With the freedom to transform, there was no way that Chelsea and her Nothung, which excelled at high-mobility combat at low altitudes, could lose. She quickly grabbed a gunpod and used a combination of GERWALK and Battroid Modes to race forward.

She slalomed past a punch thrown by a VA-3 Invader, then performed a half-turn and transformed into Battroid Mode. She outmaneuvered the enemy and tried to break away. Even with close combat and shock-round fire now unrestricted, she didn’t have time to be dragged into some chaotic brawl.

In fact, behind her, that same VA-3 had already been knocked out of the race after a spectacular kick from a VF-14 Vampire perched on a rocky outcrop crushed its head.

It was no exaggeration when they called it the most extreme race in the galaxy. Chelsea knew all too well why they raced in planes with limbs and fought over flags.

What about him—where’s Hakuna!?

In GERWALK Mode, the composite sensors in her head, which were normally sealed behind her armor, activated. It didn’t take long to find him.

“Got him!”

Words. Transformation. They came simultaneously.

Hakuna hadn’t secured a flag yet. Brauhitsch had sped up to snatch it from him. Hakuna banked, searching for another one. Chelsea knew the sound in her ears.

That engine sound—!

She used her Battroid feet to kick off the ground. She transformed into Fighter Mode. The Nothung soared just above the surface. It moved at a speed that would make even a decent pilot flinch. The ground was right below the lower cockpit monitor.

A Battroid, pelted by a hail of shock rounds, was spinning and hurtling toward her at a terrifying speed. Even if their unit survived the crash, the pilot inside wouldn’t have it easy.

But Chelsea wasn’t afraid. The wind’s grace, the sound of her wings; they told her all she needed to know about the world around her more eloquently than a sensor ever could. Her ears didn’t miss even the slightest rustle in the air.

Her engine beat out a rhythm. The flag flapped in the wind. The intricate pillars of rock played a symphony called “The World.”

Chelsea was part of that song. So, she thought that as long as she could hear it, she wouldn’t lose. She thought that she could fly.

She gave chase.

Hakuna’s white VF-1 charged toward the flag. If she let him take it, she faced certain defeat.

As if the towers of rock didn’t even exist, her ears read every nuance of the complex air currents and sent the Nothung soaring along the optimal course as simply as if it were a straight line. It was a silver sword slicing through the world. The audience stared in awe, cheered, and showered her with thunderous applause. Even the other competitors were forced to admit that she was no longer relying on her plane alone. Even Brauhitsch was staring with wide eyes. With the EX Gear linking them, Chelsea and the Nothung had undoubtedly become one.

If I go at top speed…!

No matter how many boosters it had or how its engine had been upgraded, the VF-1’s fundamental aerodynamic characteristics hadn’t changed. With transformable wings, a sturdy frame capable of withstanding the massive thrust of its engine, and Chelsea at its controls, the Nothung could catch up and overtake it.

Like pulling up roots.

That was the only way to describe it.

In one swift motion, she overtook two VF-11 Thunderbolts.

Locked on.

Before her eyes.

One plane—

Transformed into Battroid Mode.

But Hakuna was still too fast.

I’m not gonna make it—

The white back of the VF-1, reaching out to the flag.

Its wings, so defenseless. Too defenseless.

There’s no way he doesn’t see me closing in—

In the VF-19’s right hand was a massive gatling gunpod.

She wouldn’t miss. She couldn’t miss. No. Even if she did, she could use a pinpoint barrier punch…

If they’re just practice rounds—then—!

Her finger reached for the trigger.

Her finger reached for the trigger.

Her finger reached…

“No!”

Instead, Chelsea transformed.

Quickly nullifying its perfect opportunity to shoot and performing a spectacular somersault, the VF-19 left everyone blinking in disbelief. Her flying itself was still magnificent, so there were still those who cheered.

✥✥✥

“…You knew… that I wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger?”

After the qualifiers, Chelsea muttered to Hakuna as he climbed out of his cockpit.

“...I guess.”

Hakuna seemed a bit troubled. He hadn’t been able to beat Brauhitsch either. But so it goes.

“No, that’s not exactly it. If you could shoot, then you should’ve won and went back to S.M.S. anyways. If you couldn’t, then you shouldn’t go back. That was the idea.”

“So it wasn’t a serious fight?”

“No, that’s not it.”

His voice dropped slightly.

“Back there, even if I banked to evade or moved to counterattack, your shot would’ve been spot-on. In a VF-1, I could evade, but I wouldn’t have been able to get the flag afterward. My bet that you wouldn’t be able to shoot me was just the best strategy. There’s one thing I can say without reservation, though. You’re a great pilot, Chelsea!”

“...”

“More importantly, you’d better go answer their cheers.”

“...Huh?”

She hadn’t noticed.

Before her eyes, she saw people cheering for her, Hakuna, and the other pilots. Cameras were flashing nonstop. Even if it was only the qualifier, it had been quite a race.

—Oddly, she wasn’t afraid.

It wasn’t like it was back when she couldn’t get on stage.

There was a sense of satisfaction. A sense that she’d given it her all, soared through the air, and was now being celebrated for it.

So, quietly, Chelsea murmured.

“I’ll give it a shot.”

“Hm?”

“Vanquish—But only until I can pull the trigger again. How’s that?”

“Ahh—Works for me. I’ll let José know.”

“Okay, okay.”

She felt a little lighter.

On the vast horizon, contrails from someone’s Valkyrie in flight stretched until they faded away.

Chelsea didn’t know what lay at the end of it.

In the sea of stars, there is no forward nor backward. It is a world governed by inertia alone, where all one can do is float. It is a hollow world where one neither flies nor advances, merely drifting along the course of another’s vector. Even so, she thought that she wanted to fly.

The cockpit of a VF-19EF Variable Fighter is cramped.

Chelsea Scarlett had a slender frame, but even she had little room to move when tucked inside of it.

It made sense that their name was synonymous with “chicken coops.”

After all, Chelsea was no chicken—she was a young woman, and, if we were to speak impartially, a beautiful one at that. She had recently emerged from girlhood into womanhood, but was still too pure to be called a fully-fledged woman. She was a radiant maiden reminiscent of a drawn saber. Her appearance reminded one of a Valkyrie, the beautiful, white-winged maidens who guided people to the afterlife in Norse mythology, who also happened to be the namesake of her Variable Fighter.

“Is another war coming?”

Muttering this, the maiden with the face of a silver goddess soared through the cosmos in her Valkyrie, alone.

There would be a war.

Her mindset was wrong.

Totally wrong.

She knew full well. It was only that, just like those around her, she chose to call the period without attacks, the time spent preparing for the next battle, “peacetime.”

Even so, people were still being deployed. The thought of it made her anxious. Though, that was a natural thing for a living being to feel.

Trying to distract herself from the fear and tension, she took a small, melodious breath, but pressed her hand to her mouth before it could escape.

✥✥✥

In the upper right corner of the heads-up display in front of her, a warning began to flash.

As Chelsea blinked, the VF-19EF Caliburn’s support AI magnified the image ten-thousandfold.

It was a massive, almost impossibly large spaceship, likely several kilometers long, which glowed with a dull, deep green in the light of the nearest sun-like star.

There weren't just one or two of them, either. There were enough to call them a fleet.

The beam guides and missile bays equipped throughout them, not to mention the swarms of combat pods circling like small fish around a giant whale, left no doubt that they were the creations of a people born for combat.

“...Zentradi.”

The word slipped out from her throat, full of tension and something beyond it.

She sent her control stick moving in a complex sequence, activating the sensor pods mounted on the VF-19EF’s wings. With layers of decoy signals camouflaging it, optical scanning cautiously locked onto the Zentradi fleet.

“No response from New United Nations Forces-type identification. Response to Zentradi Axis IFF. It’s the Zentradi Koperl Main Fleet’s 201581976 Reconnaissance Squad…?”

Hidden in the shadow of a small celestial body they called a meteorite and concealing all trace of herself with Fold Active Stealth, Chelsea sighed from the cockpit of her VF-19EF. No matter what it was or how obvious of a prediction it was, it never felt pleasant when a bad prediction ended up coming true.

“It’s black… pitch black.”

With her toes and the fingers on her right hand, she unconsciously tapped out a rhythm as she stroked her well-defined chin with her left. She had a habit of doing so when she spoke.

“The fleet’s roughly fifteen light-years away. For a short-range Fold, that’s just a short hop away. They could be space pirates or smugglers pretending to be Zentradi, but I guess they’re all cut from the same cloth at the end of the day. Hmm, okay, okay.”

Confirming that she’d gathered 100% of the data she needed, the maiden’s lovely fingers tapped at the console in front of her. Sitting in inertial flight, she redirected her craft’s power to the Fold Booster mounted on the upper surface of its hull.

The Fold Booster was a specialized device which made the hyperspace navigation often referred to as “warping” in the science fiction of centuries past into a real possibility even for single-seater spacecrafts. Looking like a translucent crystal less than ten meters in length, the device remained extremely expensive even a decade after it had entered practical application. Virtually no one had access to it outside of certain military forces and criminal organizations.

In the blink of an eye, her VF-19EF was enveloped in the rainbow-colored bubble of Fold Space. The false signals emitted by it prevented even that light from reaching the Zentradi fleet.

Probably.

Yes, probably.

Unfortunately, Chelsea didn’t actually have any way of confirming whether the camouflage actually worked. She could only assume that it did because the enemy had yet to react to her.

She was the Emperor with beautiful new clothes, but unlike that old fairy tale, she was the only one who could see them. To figure out if she was naked, she’d have to go and see how others reacted.

Just like the entertainment industry.

She thought.

✥✥✥

About fifty years ago, there was a war.

Compared to the vast interstellar war that had been raging on for tens of thousands of years, one could describe it as no more than a minor skirmish.

The conflict between the Zentradi and the Supervision Army, two warring races created by the ancient interstellar civilization known as the Protoculture, ended up engulfing the remote planet Earth and leaving it in ruins.

Nevertheless, the people of Earth managed to escape alive thanks to a single ship called the Macross and the power of a lone singer who lived on it, allowing them to make peace with the much larger Zentradi race.

However, none could say whether mankind and its culture would survive the next war.

Having made peace with the people of Earth, the Zentradi cooperated to ensure the survival of a culture which they themselves once lacked, a culture that had captivated them so deeply that they willingly abandoned war.

This effort would be called the Humanity Seeding Project.

Most of the surviving members of mankind left Earth and set off for the far reaches of space aboard Super-Long-Range Emigration Ships.

Even if some or even most of them would be destroyed, they planned to scatter as many seeds of their culture, as many memories of the Earth as they could, throughout the cosmos. It was a plan that could be classified neither as tragic resolve nor extreme optimism.

Nearly fifty years had passed since the first Super-Long-Range Emigration Ship, the Megaroad-01 departed.

The journey of the Zentradi and mankind continued.

✥✥✥

She heard a song.

She always heard a song.

When one entered the subspace known as Fold Space, they dreamed.

It’s said that the silver thread which connects a sentient being’s physical and ethereal bodies unravels, carrying the ethereal self away to a higher astral plane or subspace.

None of this was certain, none of this was scientific.

And yet, the phenomena’s existence was undeniable, so people resorted to outdated occult terminology to put it into words.

Reality comes first, then scientists assign it a name, not the other way around. Faced with the vast field of the cosmos, the superdimensional Fold that transcended the world of Newtonian physics, mankind had no choice but to become far more humble than they were when they still clung to the Earth.

Chelsea had no doubt that it was her ethereal self unraveling into Fold Space that caused her to dream.

This was fine.

What she hated was the fact that those dreams were always nightmares.

The terror of her soul being sucked away.

That long sleep, trapped in a coffin of ice.

No one was there.

No sound.

Just endless silence.

She hated remembering it.

That sense of anxiety she felt in dreams, knowing it was a dream but still being unable to move her body.

Her body told her that she was frozen, that she was inside of that cold coffin.

Even though that was over ten years ago.

Somewhere deep down, Chelsea’s rational mind raced. But she was still stuck, unable to move.

Maybe I really am still in that coffin.

Flying through space, leaving home, becoming a pilot. Was all of that just a dream she saw in that coffin of ice?

Was this reality? Was the life she thought was reality just moments ago actually no more than a dream?

Chelsea couldn’t say.

Uncertain, she emerged from the Fold.

✥✥✥

Emerging from the Fold, the first thing that greeted her was the shimmering green and blue of the town she called home.

The land that filled her vision did not belong to a planet.

It was a massive, circular spaceship with a circumference nearing 30 kilometers.

One could think of it as a sort of glass canopy—though, strictly speaking, it was a different kind of reinforced material, not glass—covering a diorama of land and sea arranged on a plate.

It was far smaller than Earth, but a biosphere teeming with life nonetheless.

A city built within a former Macross space battleship.

Island One was a flagship which carried on the tradition of the Super-Long-Range Emigration Ships.

The fleet led by this ship was known as the 25th Super-Long-Range Fleet, Macross Frontier.

Behind Island One there was a string of small cylindrical spacecraft called islands stretching out like a peacock’s tail. Connected as a single entity, they formed an ecosystem that some described as being like an archipelago.

Heading toward the Macross, the VF-19EF slowly banked its beautiful, crane-like frame and entered a landing approach course.

✥✥✥

“A joint operation?”

A man with scars that made him look like a pirate, Jeffrey Wilder flashed a defiant grin at the sponsor on the other end of the monitor.

He was a man of the sea.

A man with such brazen audacity that he almost resembled those heroes from the times when men fought on sailing ships with muskets and sabers in hand, making it rain with the blood of those who stood against them.

He was a pirate, a sailor, or perhaps both wrapped up into one. If he wasn’t wearing a military uniform, it’d be impossible to believe from his appearance that he came from an age of space travel.

He was not a soldier belonging to the New United Nations Forces or the national military of any fleet nation.

The private military contractor S.M.S. That was his affiliation.

As mankind expanded its reach across the galaxy, they began to seek out their own self-defense forces rather than being reliant on armies swayed by national egos. This was particularly true of those involved in trade. Eventually, these forces came to be leased to nations as a form of commercial enterprise.

It was like the merchant fleets from the Age of Discovery were reborn.

He was the Captain of the flagship of that armed merchant fleet, which bore the Macross name, the Variable Space Carrier Macross Quarter, and the Commander-in-Chief of the S.M.S.'s combat force. That was the man’s true identity.

“Yes, a joint operation. Even if it’s a reconnaissance sub-fleet, it’s still division-class. Well, let’s just say that the new President would love to get the credit for repelling it.”

On the other end of the monitor, the sponsor laughed heartily.

He was an alien.

With pale green skin and a massive implanted mask covering half of his face, it was clear from a single glance that he was a Zentradi giant.

The giant’s name was Richard Vhirler.

One of the giants who naturalized to the Earth’s side during Space War I. Though he was old enough to be described as elderly, his gaze still felt like a young boy’s, radiating with an odd, friendly warmth.

“Then we’ll proceed with the standard response under Code Z. Does that work for you?”

“Please do. Having the government reaffirm our usefulness should allow us to seize the initiative if we should eventually have a Code V.”

“Right. Consider this a good opportunity to demonstrate the power of our new Quarter-class ship and the VF-25 series.”

“Mm-hm! That’s precisely what I meant.”

Vhirler nodded several times, like a child staring at a new toy in a store window.

It was an oddly innocent expression, he seemed entirely unconcerned with the fact that they were about to use the latest in human weaponry to vaporize his own people in space.

“By the way…”

“—What?”

“According to our reports, it looks like it was First Lieutenant Chelsea Scarlett who sent this tip.”

“Sure. Is there a problem with that?”

“No, no—well, I suppose if this were the ordinary military, they might nitpick and ask ‘should we send a Zentra to scout these Zentra and see if they surrender?’ Though I certainly wouldn’t make a fuss about that.”

“I don’t plan to either. It could be a demon from hell and I wouldn’t care as long as the mission got done.”

“Yes, yes, well—”

Vhirler scratched his thinning head, looking a bit shy.

“You see, I was the one who recommended her for recruitment. It makes me a little happy to see that the girl who joined because of one of my whims is doing a great job.”

“She’s a good pilot. When it comes to aerial recon, she stands out even among our best pilots.”

“I’m so glad to hear it. Well now, I’ll leave the rest to you. As for me, I’ll do my best to sell your work to the government’s top brass.”

✥✥✥

“The core of this operation is to let the New United Nations Forces young’uns earn their stripes.”

It’s serious business, Commander Ozma Lee addressed everyone while standing in front of a screen, to which a burst of laughter devoid of any formality erupted forth.

“All you gotta do is seize victory. So we’ll have the New United Nations Forces’ Ghosts break through and open a hole in their air defense network for us. Then, we just rush in and rack up a kill count. Once we’ve taken out the long-ranged artillery and their barriers, the New United Nation Forces fleet will follow up to destroy the enemy flagship. We’ll get that part on video.”

Ozma shrugged and the laughter erupted again.

After all, for the government big-wigs, the war was something that happened far away. They never even consider the possibility that they might lose. To them, the idea of victory came as naturally as having a hamburger served to you when you order one at a hamburger shop. All they were concerned about was how to report on each victory and use it to their advantage in the next election.

“Welp, it’s all just capitalism in the end. Our generous sponsor says they’ll pay us a hazard fee along with a bonus based on our score.”

He was fearless.

Chelsea felt that there wasn’t anyone in the world who looked better in the S.M.S. flight jacket than he did.

Though, there were those rumors that he was a creep who was into young girls.

It was one thing that he bragged about his middle-school-aged sister all the time, but there were also the rumors that he’d dated a young lady from a well-off family while she was still a preteen, even if they eventually broke up. That said, she thought that this whole story would be best taken with a grain of salt when it went as far as to say that the young lady in question was the President’s daughter.

Still, speaking of him purely as her superior officer, rough edges aside, he was an excellent pilot who’d served as a frontline commander once, so she decided not to dwell on those things too much.  Besides, she’d seen plenty of eccentrics back at her old base.

“The enemy entered the Fold and made contact with the Frontier. We’ll strike them right under their noses by having our ship enter an emergency Fold. We launch in four hours. Formation: Pattern Delta. Keep your formation tight!”

✥✥✥

“You got a moment, Chelsea?”

As she moved down the corridor leading to the zero-gravity gun room, a voice called out from behind her.

A man with the air of a nobleman was standing there, his chestnut-colored hair flowing like a horse’s tail. Her direct superior officer, Apollo Platoon Commander José Schreier, who came from a noble house. His full name was Don José Javier Rojo Schreier, but that took so long to say that everyone started calling him José for short. Of course, Chelsea did the same.

He was an anachronistic, ever-flamboyant presence, but he had the undeniable skill to back it up. The story went that he’d joined S.M.S after being expelled from his old unit after nearly killing a superior officer who’d tried to let civilians get caught in the crossfire when blowing up a group of terrorists.

“Commander José, what is it?”

“Don’t give me that, ‘what is it’ stuff.”

The Commander gave a dramatic shrug. A theatrical, ridiculously exaggerated gesture.

“It’s about that. The scouting offer from the Queadluun Squad, please make sure to reply to them.”

“Oh… uhh…”

“There aren’t many pure-blooded Zentradi like you. Even then, they say you being an amazing pilot is all the more reason.”

“—”

Even within S.M.S, there weren’t many Zentradi soldiers. Much less those with the genetic disposition to switch between Macron and Miclone forms at will. The number of people who could use a Queadluun Suit, a Protoculture remnant superweapon which could control inertia, was extremely limited.

“...I appreciate the offer, but I can’t do it.”

“Can’t?”

“Because I’m not a Zentradi, I’m an Earthling.”

“...I see.”

For a single fleeting moment, Commander José looked apologetic, but he broke back into his usual wide smile as soon as the moment passed.

“Forget it, then. I’ll let recruitment know myself—and hey, don’t make that face. An Española hates to see a beauty’s face cloud over like that.”

“Your wife’s gonna be pissed if you keep saying stuff like that.”

“Haha, it’s just an ordinary greeting, Señorita!”

Politely brushing his hand aside as it moved toward her waist, Chelsea got back on course toward the gun room.

“Besides, I love my Valkyrie. And Apollo Platoon, too. Flying here, being here, this place is everything to me.”

Saying so, she gave a bright smile.

Or rather, forced a smile.

✥✥✥

“Hm—? Is that ship entering the Fold Course?”

Wearing an EX-Gear, a Powered Suit designed for personal flight, a rookie student in the pilot training course named Alto Saotome looked up at the cosmos through the canopy.

“News from the Navigation Bureau says there shouldn’t be any ships entering  Fold at this time, though…?”

The boy had no way of knowing that his fate would soon become deeply intertwined with the ship he saw, the Macross Quarter.

For now, looking at the azure sky that stretched out above was good enough for him.

✥✥✥

After emerging from the Fold and feeling her ethereal self return to her body, the first thing Chelsea saw was Commander José’s face, peering at her sleeping visage with a look of pure amusement. He was a fierce man who looked like some sort of leopard, but his eyes alone were more like an adorable little bear cub.

“That’s unlike you, Lieutenant.”

“Unlike me?”

She sat up a bit from the custom-built Fold travel sofa in the gun room. She felt sweat on her brow. Grabbing the bottle she kept within reach, she gulped down some mineral water and felt her body grow cold.

“Yeah, you were singing. It was unlike you.”

“I was singing… Me, Commander?”

“Yeah. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was some old Fire Bomber number.”

“Oh—”

She took another sip of mineral water and looked up at the ceiling.

It felt like her mind had fogged over.

Right, back then—I heard Basara’s song—and then—

She felt like she was forgetting something important.

How was it that she’d gotten out of her coffin back then?

And then—

Someone’s voice—

“Chelsea, you used to be a singer, right?”

It was their young Frontline Air Traffic Controller, Catarina Verde’s voice that snapped her out of her thoughts. She let out a soft hum as she woke from her Fold Trip and stretched herself out like a puppy, an adorable sight fitting of someone her age.

“Just for a little while. I wasn’t cut out for it though, so I quit.”

“No way! You won the Platinum Award at the Galaxy Gold Disc Awards…!”

“It was a fluke, a total fluke. Things like that happen in showbiz.”

“Hey, Catarina.”

José whispered, tugging at Catarina’s sleeve.

“Oh, sorry…”

Realizing she’d stepped on a touchy subject, she bowed her head in apology.

She wasn’t a bad kid. She didn’t know any better, so Chelsea couldn’t blame her.

“It’s okay. Right now, flying with everyone in my Valkyrie is enough to keep me fulfilled. Singing? I’m done with all of that.”

Saying so, she forced a smile and made up her mind to head to the hangar.

Realizing she was in a bad mood, she felt fed up with herself.

She tried to sing a bit in the empty hallway, but the melody wouldn’t flow from her throat anymore.

✥✥✥

The terribly flat, inorganic wings of the AIF-7S Ghost unmanned fighters were launching from the flat hulls of the Guantanamo-class carriers Muroran, Maizuru and Belleauwood, which looked like rectangular apple pies.

By combining stealth carriers that could hide far beyond enemy range and AI with combat capabilities that surpassed human soldiers, an ideal war with zero casualties could be carried out. If a war in which people die is evil, then a war that spreads destruction and death but on a scale where no human dies must be just—that was the grotesque ideology that had been born. Of course, this also operated under the presumption that renegade Zentradi who defied the United Nations Government should not be considered human.

“Alright, Apollo Platoon! We’re taking off! Let’s tear open this wound that the Ghosts left for us with style!”

At José’s command, the Macross Quarter’s three-dimensional electromagnetic catapult gently lifted the crafts off of the deck and fired them like bullets with hyper-acceleration exceeding 10Gs.

A plasma beam fired from the enemy fleet grazed the VF-19EFs. Of course, none of them, including Chelsea, panicked enough to attempt evasive maneuvers.

“Sorry, Chelsea!”

A mass of plasma large enough to obliterate a cruiser shot past them just a few meters away. All that separated José from it was a canopy, and yet his voice didn’t waver at all as he led the charge.

“What?”

“The change in machines! It’s my fault we couldn’t get all the VF-25s we needed!”

The platoon leading the vanguard, Skull Platoon, along with several other platoons were issued the latest model Variable Fighters, the VF-25 Messiah. The members of Apollo Platoon were still using the previous generation VF-19EFs.

“No worries. I like the Caliburn the best anyway.”

“Glad to hear it. Apparently the tech guys want data on operations with both the 25s and 19s. From a field perspective, it just means there’s a real purpose for you guys to charge in yourselves.”

Advances in unmanned combat aircraft technology had accelerated the specialization of manned fighter pilots.

Superhuman skill that machines couldn’t match up with, flexible thinking that an AI couldn’t fully process. They didn’t need standard products, but super aces that could handle any mission. Ironically, whenever such personnel were required, aside from a few special forces units, they were usually sourced from a variety of defense contractors like private military providers or security firms that could poach as many people as they wanted by offering generous compensation.

“There are always accidents on stage, right?”

“Right. Besides, this isn’t the real thing. Once this sortie’s over, we’ll give them a full overhaul and get some training on the new model.”

“Looking forward to it, Commander.”

“Oh—looks like the curtain’s about to rise. All units, draw your weapons!”

As soon as José shouted the usual command, the figure of a diva was projected ahead of them.

A massive hologram projected by the Ghosts that flew out ahead.

A singer with chestnut hair, dark skin and a bondage-style suit.

Among the Sheryl Nome followers who sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, she was one of the most successful. Sonnet Desmont, if she remembered right.

Pretty sure I met her a few times backstage during TV programs.

She was timid, despite the flashy, revealing outfits she wore on stage. Chelsea remembered comforting her when she was frozen stiff waiting for fans to approach her. Well, none of that mattered now.

Of course, the military wasn’t playing her songs as some joke or whim.

It was something they called a Minmay Attack.

During Space War I, the Zentradi were a race without a culture. This left them so captivated by the songs of a single idol, the legendary Lynn Minmay, that they panicked and lost all will to fight. Because of this, they were crushed by the Earth’s forces and forced to sign a peace treaty. Since then, playing an idol’s songs during combat had basically become standard practice against Zentran forces who hadn’t made contact with Earth.

Of course, the amount of impact it would have was a gamble.

In movies and TV shows, Zentrans who hear music immediately lose their will to fight, shouting “Deculture, Deculture!” in a panic. That wasn’t how it really was, though. Every single Zentran losing their will to fight didn’t happen either during Space War I nor afterward.

In any case, the Minmay Attack continued based on the reasoning that even if it were only 1% effective, it was better to do it than not as long as it might disrupt the military’s chain of command.

She saw it as nothing more than a desecration of culture, but Chelsea shook off the thought.

After all, she was just a pilot now. Her days as a singer were behind her.

✥✥✥

José’s VF-19EF, flying ahead of the rest, unleashed a barrage from its FAST Pack and the over 200 micro-missiles and rocket launchers mounted under its wings.

A burst of explosions lit up the sky.

“Apollo 2 to Apollo 3, enemy crafts bearing 2-5-7, 30!”

Catarina’s RVF-19EF gave crisp and decisive commands. The strength of a well-funded private military company lay in its ability to make sophisticated tactical decisions even under electronic jamming by having their air traffic control be handled by an RVF escorted by unmanned fighters on the field.

With the enemy “Regult” combat pods falling out of formation, Chelsea’s eyes locked onto them one after another.

“Apollo 2, Fox Three!”

The missile bays in the VF-19EF’s leg engine nacelles opened, spewing out multi-shell cluster missiles as it charged forward in fighter mode.

Like blooming Housenkas, the tips of these missiles, which were about as thick as a Battroid’s upper arm, launched countless micro-missiles which turned the enemy combat pods into balls of fire.

But even if the Regults were essentially just spherical armored pods with verniers, beam cannons and legs, they were still weapons of space warfare that had been used for tens of thousands of years. A poorly maintained “run-of-the-mill” unit may have been another story, but a “top-of-the-line” one that retained at least fifty percent of its original performance would certainly be capable of using its  combination of defensive lasers and thrusters that could fire in any direction to evade the micro-missiles.

“Is it gonna hit!?”

Of course, Chelsea wasn’t dumb enough to dismiss a Regult as some kind of small fry. Even if the Regult platoon’s retaliatory lasers struck her projected position, her VF-19EF would not be there. She wasn’t some idiot who flew on trajectories a computer could predict, nor did she have such flimsy stealth capabilities that any ordinary auto-targeting system could lock onto her.

The Regults kicked off into the vacuum with their long legs, using the recoil to turn and pursue the VF-19EFs. But then, their thick armor was pierced by one incoming shell after another, halting their movements and making them no more than shooting stars. It was super-long-ranged supporting fire from the Destroid unit clinging to the deck of the Macross Quarter, trailing behind them.

In the blink of an eye, the enemy Regults had lost control.

Chelsea’s VF-19EF, now shifted into GERWALK ｍode, raced across the battlefield with its gatling gunpod, systematically destroying the isolated combat pods scattered across it.

That is not to say that it was an easy battle.

Even if the official catalog specs showed them to be superior to an overwhelming degree, the true power of a “run-of-the-mill” Zentradi weapon cannot be gauged by mere numbers.

Even if they were “top-of-the-line” ones, the difference in number was overwhelming. No matter how well their state-of-the-art stealth technology, energy conversion armor and pinpoint barriers could protect them, the fact remained that Variable Fighters were small, less than 20 meters in length.

A direct hit meant death.

That was what made the battle of these four Variable Fighters, led by José and soaring against the backdrop of pop songs flowing through space, so beautiful and tense.

✥✥✥

When she was a child, people told her she was a sensible kid.

She was happy to please her parents and never thought that there was any problem with that.

She was told that living in Miclone form was just the way things were and accepted it as such. She had fun in her singing and dancing lessons, properly learned the Earth’s culture and became a fine Earthling. She thought it was entirely natural that she went by an Earthling name.

She remembered the day that she met Nekki Basara, decided to become a singer, passed the audition and was praised by her parents.

“This means we’re not Zentradi anymore,” they said.

That wasn’t the case, though.

In the end, no matter how far she went, she couldn’t escape being labelled a “Zentradi singer.”

So, she chose to abandon singing and run away.

She would never forget her parents’ cold stares of disappointment.

She was lucky to secure a position at S.M.S. thanks to the Valkyrie piloting skills she’d gained during her time as a singer and through her connections to Richard Vhirler, who was a friend of her parents. When all someone knows is singing and dancing, what more is there for her to do when that gets taken away from her?

And so, ironically enough…

“Sorry, you won’t hit me.”

Her eyes were fixed on the lock-on marker, her left hand on her anti-air intercept laser’s panel and her right on the gunpod’s trigger. Missiles to pierce their cannons and lasers to intercept missiles coming toward her. Her gunpod blew the Regults to pieces and her wings and thrusters dodged the anti-aircraft fire as she flew.

Handling several completely different tasks at once, Chelsea closed in on the enemy battleship. Her flying was like a disciplined orchestra, each of its instruments playing its own melody but flowing as a single harmony.

Her flying, beautiful to the point of being musical, was the most eloquent proof of all that her blood was Zentradi, a race genetically engineered for battle.

And so, while fighting at least, Chelsea could forget her parents’ scolding.

“Good-for-nothing daughter who doesn’t understand culture!”

“It’s because of people like you that the Zentradi aren’t accepted by Earthlings.”

“We don’t need you!”

I…

On the surface of the battleship’s armor plating, her VF-19EF extended its legs in GERWALK Mode and went into a reverse thrust. She did a half-turn like a figure skater to evade the missiles pursuing her. After intercepting them with her gunpod, she thrust the fist of her pinpoint barrier into the guided beam turret with one fluid motion.

I’m here! I’m not unwanted!

✥✥✥

The ship’s side hatches swung open and Nousjadeul-Ger Powered Suits poured out. Using the sturdy battleship’s bulges and the wrecked gun turrets as cover, the men fired laser machine pistols at them. In the vacuum of space where there was no sense of depth, they looked just like ordinary humans.

Of course, there was no way that they were “ordinary humans.”

Nousjadeul-Ger Powered Suits covered a giant’s entire physique, which were as large as a Battroid, with over 30 tons of armor, propelling them with massive thrusters. It was a fearsome weapon that had been in use since the final stages of the Stellar Republic’s Schism War. On top of being a power-enhancing suit that multiplied the strength of giants who could already exchange blows with Battroids, it gave the Zentradi agility and heavy armor along with firepower that could even rival a Destroid.

Leaving aside the question of if they had no qualms about letting their own ship get damaged or if they simply had faith in its armor, the explosions from their anti-armor hand grenades were driving the VF-19EF into a corner. There was no hope for backup. Not just José, either, even Catarina was caught up in close combat. Until the carrier-based attack platoon broke through with large missiles, they had no choice but to hold their positions on their own.

“Okay, then!”

She dodged the explosion and broke away in fighter mode.

Or so it seemed.

Her VF-19 was experimentally equipped with the anti-G power assist armor “EX-Gear” developed by the Frontier Fleet, giving her exceptional maneuverability. In a dogfight, she could even rival the VF-25. The powered suit gave a pilot the ability to withstand random G-forces that humans normally couldn’t.

Once on the escape course, her vulnerable underside would be left exposed. The Zentradi soldiers who hoped to hit that spot were left staring in amazement at the way her craft moved. It looked less like a weapon and more like an alien creature.

A steep climb followed by a roll.

Enduring the intense G-forces that threatened to make her black out, Chelsea flew in a backward maneuver against the artificial gravity field on the ship’s surface. She would’ve crashed into the battleship if she lost control for even an instant. Just below her, or perhaps just above, she could see the “ground.” Close enough that she could touch it if she reached out. If she lost her composure, even a Variable Fighter with energy-conversion armor would be doomed.

With the dual onslaught of weak gravity and the barrage of fire pressing down on her, Chelsea was unflappable. Like a hunting dog baring its fangs at its prey. She felt the rain, the wind, the mud, but none of it got to her.

“One down!”

Circling behind the two Nousjadeuls that were firing particle assault rifles at her from the shadow of a large, semicircular anti-aircraft gun, she did a somersault and transformed into Battroid mode.

“Two!”

As she took out the first with her gunpod, she blew the second away with micro-missiles from the missile pod on her right leg.

Another Nousjadel raised a shoulder-fire anti-air missile launcher. She got a lock-on alert.

“I can’t waste time worrying about every little thing!”

Chelsea didn’t even glance at the missile.

A sound.

She could predict the missiles’ positions based on the sounds of her craft’s sensors. Combined with the Valkyrie that had become an extension of her body, it was nothing. Trusting in her stealth, trusting in her maneuverability, trusting in her own skills, she dodged one missile after another, tracking different targets with her eyes as she went.

She transformed into GERWALK mode. While being pursued by missiles, the laser cannons on each of her hips blasted another Nousjadeul-Ger to bits. She transformed into Fighter Mode, accelerated and redirected power to her pinpoint barrier. With her forward wings transformed into shining blades, she sliced through the Nousjadeuls in her path. She transformed. Dancing gracefully like a ballerina, she deflected incoming missiles with her pinpoint barrier and destroyed pursuing missiles with her head-mounted laser cannons.

“If you’d just surrender already, I wouldn’t have to do all of this!”

Multi-lock. She fired all of the micro-missiles left in her FAST Pack straight into the anti-air turret in front of her.

Her VF-19EF charged forward through crimson flames.

The usual mission, the usual job.

Like living in a dream, like flying through a dream.

Flying?

Is that what it was?

Could this, repeating hit-and-run barrages in a designated operation airspace, really be called flying?

She wondered if it was any different from floating. Like a lesson where she had to keep singing the same verse again and again. Just as the lesson dictated, her fingers and legs kept playing their deadly song.

Hollow pop music drifted in from the distance.

A song.

A song that had lost all meaning echoed across a battlefield that had lost all meaning.

A love song meant to confuse and kill giants who kept fighting an eternal war, as commanded by creators from over a hundred thousand years ago.

“There!”

She locked onto a Nousjadeul-Ger that was firing a volley at her from its particle rifle to protect the gun emplacement.

She knew they were terrified. She could tell by the tremor in their aim.

She may have lacked culture, but she had a heart. Watching ally after ally turn into humanoid balls of fire, it was no wonder they were scared.

Still in Battroid form, she focused a pinpoint barrier on her left arm’s shield and flicked it upward in an uppercut.

They dodged!?

Her lunge was just a fraction too short.

Whether it was because of some unconscious hesitation or because her unit’s variable frame had developed a flaw somewhere in the transition from long-ranged Fold reconnaissance to combat, she couldn’t say.

But the fact remained. The fist of the pinpoint barrier that she’d thrust upward had blown away the armor on the Nousjadel’s face and stopped.

And so, she saw it.

A child’s face.

The horrified face of a young boy. The face of a child soldier, someone who had only recently been “produced.”

A face that was looking right at Chelsea.

On reflex, she tried to pull the trigger.

I can’t pull it—?

Cold sweat trickled down her cheek.

Despite her will, her finger refused to move. Her throat refused to create her voice.

She thought that she was used to killing people. She should have understood that she was killing her own people. And yet, the boy’s terrified gaze betrayed all of that.

The world flowed in slow motion, turning sepiatone—

The cheerfully bright idol song still flooded her ears—

And then—

“What the hell are you doing, Chelsea!?”

Like snow hitting the earth, a direct hit from an anti-ship beam gunpod vaporized the boy before he could unleash his barrage of laser machine pistol fire into Chelsea’s cockpit.

José’s voice.

Seeing that Chelsea was frozen stiff, he had sniped from another sector of the battlefield to protect her. It was no more than an act of God.

“Mechanical trouble!? If you don’t figure it out, you’ll die!”

“N-no, that’s not—”

“What!?”

“I can’t… fire. My fingers… won’t move.”

“—Tch—Got it. Break away! Bearing 3-5-1, can you fly!?”

“B-but, the anti-air cannon is still—”

“We’ll figure it out somehow! Just get outta here!”

✥✥✥

Three more Nousjadeul-Gers, or rather, three pilots, closed in on Chelsea as she broke away from the battleship. Judging by their ability to keep up with the VF-19EF, their Flemenmik thermonuclear converters must have been performing at their specifications from five hundred thousand years prior. In our earlier terms, they were “run-of-the-mill.”

“Check Six! Check Six! Get out of there!”

“I know, Catarina.”

Why…? Why is this happening to me!?

She could shatter the incoming missiles with anti-missile weaponry or shoot down the Impact Cannon’s projectiles with lasers. But her body simply wouldn’t move to shoot down enemies.

Her craft shook violently.

It’d taken a direct hit from a large-caliber plasma cannon. Her energy-conversion armor had just barely deflected it, but it wouldn’t happen again. The energy remaining in her capacitors was practically zero.

“Why!? I’m a Meltrandi, so why can’t I kill people!?”

The thrust of her main thrusters dropped sharply, throwing her already unstable VF-19EF totally off-balance. Her energy conversion armor had used up too much power, her main propulsion system was malfunctioning somehow. Of course, it was a small enough amount of damage that it could be repaired in under a minute, but every second in a dogfight felt like an eternity.

Am I gonna die!?

The icy coffin flashed through her mind.

The image of the boy who died in the coffin of an armored spacesuit overlapped with the image of herself in that coffin of ice.

And then—

Chelsea realized that José’s VF-19EF had arrived like a savior, shooting down the Nousjadeul formation and leaving her alive.

✥✥✥

Looking from the S.M.S. building, the setting sun looked blood-red.

“It’s a psychological thing. The military doctor says that the stress you’ve built up over time can stop you from pulling the trigger—It’s common, and has nothing to do with your skills as a soldier.”

“C-Commander, I—”

“I don’t doubt your loyalty or your piloting skills. These things happen, y’know. Until you can find the cause of it and resolve it, I can’t assign you any piloting tasks. There were no casualties this time, but the anti-aircraft fire caused considerable damage. You’re going to have to take responsibility.”

“—But, for me, I—”

“This is the only place for you, right? But we’re not like the regular military, we’re a for-profit company. If you aren’t useful to us anymore, you’ll be fired on the spot.”

José’s logic was sound. She understood where her salary, which was several times larger than a regular soldier's, came from and why someone like her had been allowed to stay.

“That said, we’d be in trouble without you. How about this? Why don’t we try a temporary transfer?”

“Transfer?”

“Yeah. A way for you to keep on flying your Valkyrie without killing or shooting anything.”

“—I want to stay here!”

“I know. So if you prove yourself at your new job, you can come back.”

She couldn’t refuse.

This transfer system didn’t even exist in the first place. If she resisted any further, he wouldn’t be able to cover for her anymore.

That’s what José’s eyes told her.

Even if S.M.S. trusted her, there was no room to get complacent. That was the reality of the situation.

“...Understood. First Lieutenant Chelsea Scarlett, accepting the assignment.”

✥✥✥

He gave her an address that led her to an old warehouse on Island 15. It stood in a vast, open field where all she could feel was the blowing of the wind. What caught her eye most was the makeshift runway.

“Uh… Is this the home of a Mr. Hakuna Aoba?”

The first thing she saw upon entering was an incredibly white wing.

It was much smaller than a VF-19 or VF-25.

An old, old craft she’d seen a few times in archival footage.

The VF-1 Valkyrie. The name of a Variable Fighter from over fifty years ago.

“Oh, there you are!”

The man, who she could clearly tell was an Earthling, but wasn’t sure if he was Asian, Caucasian, African or Indigenous, slapped Chelsea on the shoulder.

He wore overalls caked in machinery oil, with messy hair and bags under his eyes like they were lost in thought.

His eyes reflected the sky.

She knew he was a pilot. Not like José’s bird-of-prey-like aura, he was more like a giant condor, flying alone to heights far beyond anyone else’s reach like it was easy.

She could smell the wind; hear its sound.

As if his presence alone made the wind itself rejoice.

“José told me about you. You’re the girl who’s here to team up with me for the race, right?”

“Race—?”

“Vanquish! The world’s most extreme Valkyrie race! You can count on me for the long haul, buddy!”

“I-I can’t do that! I’m a military pilot! There’s no way I can get myself involved in something like this…!”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it quick! I’ll be counting on you!”

—She didn’t get what was going on.

But she knew that the door of fate had closed behind her and a new page had been turned.

The wind roared and, from somewhere, she heard another song.

“Welcome! Vanquish welcomes you with open arms!”

“This is bad! This is very bad!”

Valerio Valeri, AKA VV, was in a panic. He had just been summoned by the top brass of Actaeon Industries.

There were many reasons for this, but the foremost among them was his overspending of their budget.

Development costs for Mobile Suits he’d developed on a whim, the Blau Calamity, Gelb Raider and Rot Forbidden.

On top of that, receipts for personal convenience store purchases had been discovered in the ledger.

“Your submitted receipts include three packs of pudding. How exactly do you believe that falls under your development budget?”

So asked one executive, sarcastically, at the inquiry meeting.

VV answered “Sweets are necessary to keep one’s brain active!” but they were not convinced.

Recalling the executive’s face still enraged him.

“Honestly, can these moronic Naturals not even grasp something as simple as that!?”

It was all everyone else’s fault. He could not have been at fault. He had no reason for it, but it was the truth. That was how VV thought of things.

“I will pass on this sort of society. I will change jobs. To somewhere where my high-level skills can be put to real use!”

He thought for a moment.

The Earth Alliance was out of the question. It was full of Naturals.

ZAFT, a Coordinator military, had the advantage of not having stupid Naturals, but it was also full of overly competent people, so he wouldn’t stand out. That was why he had joined the Natural-run Actaeon Industries in the first place. To choose ZAFT would be putting the cart before the horse.

Also, he’d heard that Actaeon had dealt with ZAFT before, but their reputation had taken a significant hit when they presented the NMS-X07P Gel Finieto as their next flagship model. VV wasn’t (very) involved with the Gel Finieto, but as someone who belonged to the same company, being viewed with glasses still tinted by that failure felt unpleasant to him.

“Very well… the Junk Guild, then.”

Saying it aloud made him feel like it was a brilliant idea.

“The Junk Guild has Coordinators as well, so I would no longer be surrounded by nothing but idiotic Naturals. And yet, there is probably no Coordinator there who is more competent than I am. I should not just get a job there, I should aim to become their next chairman!”

The face of a junk dealer flashed through his mind.

Lowe Guele, a man that he shared a deep, troubled history with.

“As the chairman, I would be his boss. I could put him to work in all kinds of ways. It is killing two birds with one stone! Great idea! As expected of someone such as myself!”

VV wasted no time putting his plan into action.

✥✥✥

“So, from now on, I will be the one to guide the Junk Guild!”

Meeting with Liam, the Junk Guild’s chairman, VV made a declaration.

They were at the Gigafloat, floating atop the Earth’s oceans. It served as the Junk Guild’s headquarters on Earth.

“Huh?”

Liam didn’t understand.

“Former Chairman Liam. You have done your part. Leave the rest to me. You are a Coordinator, so you ought to understand what I mean without me having to spell it out, yes?”

“Well, I suppose.”

What Liam couldn’t grasp was why he would have to hand over his position to this man.

He did understand that a troublesome person had appeared, though.

Fortunately, Liam had become accustomed to dealing with people like that. He had lots of experience managing his guild of eccentric junk dealers.

“For now, I do understand your desire to become the chairman. But for that to happen, our members have to recognize you as worthy of the position. Can you do that?”

“How logical. As expected of a Coordinator. But, you should be able to discern that from my appearance alone. My highly fashionable outfit, even my expression radiates intelligence.”

Liam stared at VV’s distinctive outfit.

Sighing inside, he continued trying to persuade him without provoking him.

“The Junk Guild attracts all kinds of people. Some of them may not be able to judge your character just by looking at you.”

“I see, I see. There must be plenty of foolish Naturals among you. Then, let us compete with our technology as a clear demonstration of our abilities. Which will show that I am superior!”

“No. I have all sorts of responsibilities to take care of. Can I send a proxy?”

“Is the proxy a Coordinator?”

“A Natural.”

“Foolish. There is no way that I could lose to a Natural. You will regret appointing such a proxy. I warn you of this out of generosity.”

“Thanks. But I’m okay. It’s settled, then. You and my proxy will bring your most prized machines and compete based on technical skills, agreed?”

“Hmm. Very well.”

VV gave an emphatic nod.

He felt like he’d been thoroughly outmaneuvered by the chairman.

Meanwhile, Liam was clearly relieved. He was confident that his proxy would settle everything.

Because he had already chosen his proxy. It was Lowe.

He was even more accustomed to dealing with troublesome people than Liam was.

✥✥✥

And so, the day of their technical contest arrived.

They came to a barren wasteland chosen by VV.

It was also the place where he had once fought to settle the score with Lowe Guele.

“A fitting location for my new beginning. The place where I suffered the only defeat of my life. From here, I will rise again. Though, to call it a defeat is rather generous, seeing as I lost by the most cowardly means possible. That junk dealer deliberately had his minion, 8, build the 80 system into my machine. It was that 80 that chose to make me surrender.”

Whether it was actually his only defeat was questionable, but his interpretation for why he had lost was even more so.

VV had forced 8 to create 80, and 80 had stopped fighting because it judged that VV was in real danger.

“Yo, sorry to keep you waiting.”

A gigantic machine appeared before VV.

A support machine for Mobile Suits called a Power Loader. Equipped with Power Cylinders, it had a strength far beyond that of standard Mobile Suits.

“Wh-what in the world!?”

VV was stunned by its size.

“Liam told me you challenged him. I figured that using something you’ve never seen before would make things more interesting!”

Only then did VV recognize the voice.

Looking closely at the machine, he saw a Mobile Suit with white armor and a red frame mounted at its center. A Mobile Suit he could never forget.

The ASTRAY Red Frame!!

Its pilot’s name was…

“Lowe Guele!!?”

“Yup! Been a while, VV!”

VV never could have expected it. He never imagined that the Junk Guild’s chairman would select this man as his proxy… However, looking at it another way, this was actually lucky. VV had never lost to Lowe (in his own opinion). As long as he watched out for dirty tricks, he was certain that he could win.

Furthermore, his Turn Red, which had lost to dirty tricks the last time they’d fought, had undergone new modifications.

An Ultra Super Safety Cockpit.

It could withstand any impact and resist being destroyed by any energy weapon. Also, the cockpit hatch incorporated a Super Safety Shutter Grate.

It could block attacks that would normally be fatal.

In terms of keeping its pilot alive, the Turn Red had become the most reliable machine in the universe.

Beyond that, it had significantly enhanced 80’s offensive capabilities. By integrating his self-evolving AI research into the system, it became even more intelligent.

Its name was 800. Its capabilities weren’t actually ten times greater, but he boldly chose to multiply its name by ten for the marketing flair.

A cunning yet weak enemy against his clever and powerful self.

“I heard we’re having a tech showdown today. Can’t wait. Oh, right. When I mentioned that I’d be seeing you, 8 told me he had something to do.”

The junk dealer was casually chatting with him. VV felt even more confident that he would crush him.

Victory never went to those who let their guards down on the battlefield.

“Let’s settle this, junk dealer!”

VV shouted. In an instant, the Turn Red had transformed the Tactical Arms on its back into a sword and assumed a fighting stance.

VV wasn’t piloting. 800 had read his words and expression and moved the Turn Red accordingly.

“Huh? A battle? I thought we were just comparing our tech. That’s why I brought non-combatant gear. Damn… I should’ve brought the 150 Gerbera, then.”

The 150 Gerbera Straight. Normally mounted on the ReHOME, it could be sent down from space to be used on the ground if needed. He’d actually just recently done so, though, so it was undergoing maintenance. It wasn’t in working condition.

“It appears that luck is on my side. You could not bring that ridiculous oversized sword.”

VV had seen the 150 Gerbera before. In fact, cleaning up after one of his mistakes was the reason it was out for maintenance in the first place.

“I do have the Red Frame’s Gerbera, but it’s too small for the Power Loader to use…”

VV wouldn’t sit around while Lowe hesitated. He slashed at him with the Tactical Arms.

“Take this! Turn Tactical Slash!”

“Uwoah!”

The Power Loader’s bulk made it impossible to evade. Instead, Lowe used its massive hand to deflect the blade, changing its trajectory.

Among Mobile Suit-sized swords, the Tactical Arms was among the largest and heaviest. The centrifugal force threw him off balance.

“Woah woah woah!”

VV’s Turn Red, caught in the massive blade’s swing, was staggered.

But it regained its balance in an instant. 800’s control systems were still at full functionality.

“Woah, pretty quick recovery. Your control system’s been tuned up since last time, hasn’t it!?”

“Of course. Coordinators constantly evolve. Do not lump us in with you stagnant, hairy apes.”

Lowe wasn’t that bothered about this kind of discrimination, but hearing the remark still would have made him a bit uncomfortable.

VV’s words didn’t reach Lowe, though.

Turn Red’s 800 system blocked them. 800 understood the reason for Lowe and VV’s battle. It was a contest of technology. In that case, he would have to block trash talk that would prevent the opponent from unleashing their true power. That was his judgment. It also aligned with VV’s demand to not use any dirty tricks.

“I’ll be coming for you this time, VV!”

Lowe’s Power Loader grabbed the Turn Red. 800 could have dodged and prevented being captured, but deliberately allowed it to assess their opponent’s technique.

The Power Loader’s massive hand lifted them up, shaking them violently.

In their previous battle, the Red Frame defeated the Turn Red by delivering blows that shook its cockpit. If this worked, he would probably win the same way.

But that hope was tamped out.

“Hehehe. I don’t feel a single shake.”

VV cackled from within the cockpit. He ostentatiously poured tea from a pot into an expensive-looking cup and drank it. Not a single drop seemed to spill.

All thanks to the safety cockpit he’d designed.

“Now, let us show him your next amazing ability, Turn Red.”

In response to VV’s words, the Turn Red shook itself out of the Power Loader’s hand.

The Turn Red swung its Tactical Arms down toward a rock in front of it.

“Huh? What is it doing?”

VV couldn’t comprehend what 800 was doing.

Meanwhile, Lowe figured it out straight away.

“He split that misshapen stone perfectly in two! So precise, too! I can’t let him beat me!”

Detaching the Red Frame from the Power Loader, he drew the Gerbera Straight and, like the Turn Red had, cleaved a rock lying in the ground in two.

“Alright!!”

They were even now.

800 measured it, and it was even.

After that, the Red Frame and Turn Red began to compete in one precision task after another.

Only VV, still not comprehending any of it, was left in the dark.

“What the hell is this? Is he using dirty tricks again? Hey, 800. Your code was originally part of this junk dealer’s crew. Did they rig you with some nasty trap!?”

The words shocked 800. He was claiming that VV didn’t create him.

He inspected his own development history, along with the Turn Red’s.

This revealed to him that he was almost certainly not created by VV. Beyond that, the Turn Red was based on an Orb Mobile Suit and its equipment was all copies of things Lowe had developed.

The only thing made by VV was the safety device on the cockpit.

Then, 800 stopped. He sent a transmission to Lowe admitting defeat. In terms of technological prowess, they had completely lost.

“Wh-what!?”

VV had been defeated by Lowe once again and didn’t even understand how.

“Hey, VV! You’re a pretty good sport now. It’s nice of you to admit defeat like that!”

The junk dealer’s voice was cheerful.

“Damn it… I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve used some dirty trick…!”

Only after saying that did he realize something. The fact that he couldn’t tell what sort of trap he’d used meant that he was technically inferior to Lowe.

“Gh… Damn it all!!”

VV honestly admitted defeat.

He still had that much integrity left, at least.

“But if I cannot become the Junk Guild’s chairman… what am I supposed to do for work from now on…?”

VV had tears welling in his eyes.

✥✥✥

A few days later.

An unexpected visitor arrived at Lowe’s place.

It was VV, his face beaming with a huge grin.

It was actually kind of creepy.

“What’s up?”

“I found someplace that recognizes my abilities. I got rehired, so I came to report that to you.”

“That’s great. So, where is it?”

“Hehehe. Actaeon Industries.”

“Huh? Didn’t they just fire you, though?”

“The world is far better organized than a Natural like you could ever imagine. Talented individuals like myself are always rewarded.”

According to VV, he’d actually gone to the Earth Alliance forces to ask for a job.

But 800, which he hoped would be the deciding factor in getting him hired, was deemed unsuitable for combat and rejected.

He even offered the wreckage of the Destiny Impulse R that he’d recovered with Lowe, but not even that sparked any interest.

VV was about to concede when something unexpected caught the Earth Alliance technician’s eye.

It was the Ultra Super Safety Cockpit installed in the Turn Red.

Having lost many skilled pilots on the battlefield, the Earth Alliance considered ensuring cockpit safety an urgent priority. It was actually a perfect fit.

After being recruited by the military, he was immediately sent to be a technical officer at Actaeon Industries, one of the Alliance’s weapons development companies.

“And the terms are far better than before. The executives’ eyes went wide with shock.”

VV gave a hearty laugh.

It seemed that his luck may have actually been able to rival Lowe’s.

“Well, good for you, bud.”

“Yes, I just thought I should report to you first.”

“Well, I guess…”

“This means that I can develop a new machine! A wonderful machine that can defeat you!”

It seemed that the battle between Lowe and VV was far from over.

To be continued?

BACK TO READING ORDER

Translated by TrafalgarLog

Afterword

Here is the second volume of D ASTRAY B.

It is a project developed to go along with the HD Remaster of the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY.

Gundam is inextricably linked to the Gunpla kits made by the Bandai Hobby Division.

This work also features a number of those kits. If you enjoy this novel, please pick some up for yourself.

Also, the original manga works in this series, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ASTRAY and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY ASTRAY have remastered tankoubon editions out now. These editions have additional content, including newly written stories where Dante and Elza from this work act as if they have been here all along. Please check them out.

In addition to the remaster edition, the ASTRAY novels originally serialized in The Sneaker are now available as e-books. Please check these out too.

Regarding this work, it was originally imagined as a six-month serialization.

In the original plot outline, Dante was defeated and killed by Gai very early on.

Elza, transformed into a vengeful demon, would then face Gai in a final battle.

That was the sort of story it would’ve been.

Those who have already read this work may be surprised to hear it, but the story underwent significant changes.

Thanks to the tremendous support of our readers from the very first chapter, the serialization was extended to a year. Without that extension, the story would not have turned out the way it did.

I extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who supported us.

As the author, I’m glad we didn’t have to kill Dante. For real.

That fact alone shows that a story isn’t created solely by its author. The readers also have a significant part to play.

I feel this especially strongly with the ASTRAY series.

Now are comments for each chapter.

Please note that there will be spoilers. I recommend reading the whole story before proceeding.

Battle 01: The Man Who Erased His Past

This marked the start of a new ASTRAY story, introducing the new factors that are Dante and Elza.

For Elza’s name, we initially considered the name “Orca,” but abandoned that idea because there’s a similar name in the main story (for a male character).

As you can probably tell from the names, I drew inspiration from Orca (the killer whale movie) and Elza (from the movie Born Free).

Writing Dante and Elza’s conversations in the first chapter was pure joy for me. It’s no good if only the author is having fun, though. I was worried that readers might not feel the same way, but they ended up being hugely popular, so that was a relief.

The story of Barry Ho, who appears as a guest character in this chapter, was written in FRAME ASTRAYS.

Battle 02: Uninvited Assassin

When Battle 01 was received so well, I got carried away and wrote Battle 02 to be twice as long (haha).

I was trying to set the Dante and Gai flashback scenes around the time that Gai was in his early teens, but he ended up seeming like a young boy in the published version.

It seemed to have been a big hit with lots of fans. Tokita-sensei even drew an illustration for it in the first volume. That made me really happy~.

Personally, I love writing scenes about characters’ pasts. I’ve done it in other series too.

I’m sure I’ll do it again in the future.

There are still lots of mysteries surrounding Gai, so I’ll probably explore those eventually if the opportunity arises.

Elijah losing his ZAKU’s custom Wizard wasn’t actually part of the original plan.

In the magazine serialization, there were example models shown alongside the text.

For Elijah’s ZAKU, I was going to use one made during the original series, but it had been so long since then that we couldn’t find it anywhere. There wasn’t enough time to remake it, so the editorial department suggested that a Gunner Wizard could be made a lot quicker and this was the solution we landed on.

In other words, what lurked behind Elijah’s misfortune was neither The Clan nor Reed, but rather the Dengeki Hobby Magazine editorial department.

I was worried that people would criticize us for going too far with Elza’s nudity, but I was relieved when everyone accepted it instead. By the way, something extra was added to the illustration between the serialized version and the tankoubon. Those who are curious should compare them.

Battle 03: 12 Mysteries and A Dream

During serialization, it was called Black and Red (Part 1).

The title referred to the ASTRAY Noir and Fake Red Frame, but I couldn’t fully develop that part of it at the time, so we revised the title.

Battle 04: Secret Talks at a Dance

Like the last one, this was titled Black and Red (Part 2) during serialization.

I didn’t end up writing much of the battle with the Noir and the Red. Since the story featured Dante in black and Laura in red, I considered keeping the original title. But it was often mistaken for the title of the classic song Le Rouge et le Noir, so I decided against it.

Incidentally, the title “Secret Talks at a Dance” was taken from Der Kongreß tanzt.

There’s also a burlesque show in the chapter, and there’s a movie with that title as well. It’s one of my absolute favorites, so definitely check it out if you’re interested.

The story of Ed and Jane that was adapted into the burlesque was part of the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY ASTRAY manga.

The woman from The Clan, Laura Lotte. This name is an alias. Her real name is Matisse. Her shadowy deeds are also shown in the manga. The Laura Lotte alias originates in the Sneaker novel.

Battle 05: Warrior Vs. Heretic

At least, black and red clash.

As the writer, I wanted to mislead readers into thinking that the Red Frame in question was Lowe Guele’s, but it was kinda obvious, wasn’t it?

The young Un No is a character from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED VS ASTRAY.

He was designed by Toda Yasunari-sensei.

Elza’s singing is first mentioned in this chapter.

Song appears as an important keyword in the main SEED series, and there are quite a few characters connected to songs in the side stories, as well. Elijah’s friend, Vair, for example.

However, none of these characters directly consider song to be a combat skill.

Elza is a character who ties every ability to combat.

Yet, when Dante tries to tier her beauty to combat, she denies it (haha).

Battle 06: Gathering in the Twilight of the Sky

During serialization, this was titled “Ame-no-Mihashira.”

When rethinking titles for the tankoubon, I changed it because just using the facility’s name felt too generic.

Lily appears in this chapter.

Like the young Un No, she is a character from VS ASTRAY. Her original design was by Mr. Ueda Youichi, the character designer for the original series. In this version, Mr. HIRONOX designed a new costume for her.

Special Battle 01: Elza, As She Was

An original story written for the tankoubon.

I wrote it based on a prompt that Mr. HIRONOX gave me.

Actually, I began building up to the finale starting from around here. I was careful to make Dante and Elza seem like a parent and child rather than lovers. That was why I wanted to write a story set in an era where they could genuinely appear like a father and daughter.

Battle 07: Death As Reward for Praise

Elijah and Elza fight in person. Well, they don’t actually fight that much (haha).

It’s stated for the first time in this work that Elijah practices capoeira, but he actually used it in the original series, too. If that makes you go “huh?” then please reread Tokita’s manga.

Starting from here, Elza’s Mobile Suit is upgraded to the GOUF Crusher Custom. The GOUF series originally had interchangeable limbs as part of its design. But no variants with specialized legs had appeared yet, so I really wanted to include a new design that did that. Unfortunately, we don’t see it in action outside of a mock battle, so I didn’t get to showcase it until the bonus chapter.

Battle 08: Once More, They Dance

The restoration of Gai’s Mobile Suit to its standard Blue Frame form serves as foreshadowing for the later appearance of the Blue Frame D, but it also reflects influence from the Bandai Hobby Division, who had just released the Perfect Grade Blue Frame kit. Not that I was actually asked to advertise it or anything (haha). Now that I got one for myself, the standard Blue is actually pretty cool.

Lily joining Dante’s crew helped depict the relationship between Dante and Elza from a new perspective.

Actually, the possibility of Dante dying as originally planned still remained at this point. In that case, I wanted a character who could be a friend to Elza and prevent her from being isolated, so I had Lily join the team. Dante didn’t end up dying, so her role shifted to being the voice of reason for the odd pair (haha).

Battle 09: These Exceptions, Mercenary and Irregular

Scout 0984 (Ash) and his Testament Gundam appear.

I’m sure that lots of you were surprised by the arrival of such an unexpected character.

The reason for his appearance, needless to say, was the release of the ROBOT TAMASHII Testament Gundam. Even so, why did this Mobile Suit appear in the manga in the first place when there were no plans for any commercial release back then? Anyway, it made me so happy! Later, the protagonist’s Out Frame D was also released.

Battle 10: Destined Confrontation

The story of Gai’s past.

And then, the battle between Dante and Gai begins.

The secret of the Blue Frame D is revealed.

The fact that Gai could use DRAGOONs was something that I had planned from the very beginning of the project, but I took great care to make sure that readers didn’t figure that out.

Gai will probably continue to hide this ability going forward.

Battle 11: In Nocturne’s Embrace

A story focusing on Elza. The battle between Dante and Gai, only briefly shown in the previous chapter, ended with its outcome still unknown.

Readers following the serialization may have wondered if they’d skipped a chapter.

This was intentional. We left Dante’s fate ambiguous to keep everyone in suspense.

Incidentally, the scene where Gai and Elza each take one of Dante’s swords and clash in the snow was HIRONOX’s idea. The finished illustration turned out beautifully, creating a truly splendid scene.

Battle 12: For Whom Their Swords Dance

The final chapter.

Elza’s ASTRAY Noir D piloted by Elza, which appeared in the previous chapter, can be easily recreated by combining the ASTRAY Noir and Destiny Impulse R kits released by Bandai Hobby Division.

I’m truly grateful that we were able to end the story this way.

Special: ASTRAY Noir

A short story published in Gundam Hobby Life.

Chronologically, it fits between chapter 7 and 8.

Considering its role as Gunpla promotion, I structured the story so that the ASTRAY Noir could play a major role.

The character Prayer as he appears here is from VS ASTRAY.

Special Battle 02: To Assassinate Elijah

A new story for the tankoubon.

This story features Elza’s GOUF Crusher Custom, which appeared but didn’t see very much action, as well as Lily’s original-color Blitz.

It takes place around the same time as Battle 10 chronologically.

Canard, who helps Elijah this time, is a character from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED X ASTRAY. Elijah doesn’t like him, but in the final chapter of the DESTINY ASTRAY manga, they undertake a joint mission at Matias’ mansion.

There’s no direct connection, but I hope you can see how this incident made that scene possible.

Bonus Manga: Those Who Bear The Secret

This manga is by Toda Yasunari-sensei. For tankoubons of stories released in Dengeki Hobby Magazine, we often commission bonus manga from Toda-sensei, and he contributed one for this volume as well.

This story takes place after the finale. Many ASTRAY characters made guest appearances in the main story, so we had the informant Luchini from Toda-sensei’s ASTRAY R appear in this one.

As I was scripting it, I aimed for a level of coolness that was laughably over-the-top.

Toda-sensei understood that intent perfectly and we ended up with a super energetic story. The Blue Frame D posing in the background after Gai introduces himself is an homage to the legendary “Cool Cool Spin!”

T/LN: The “Cool Cool Spin” is a fan nickname for the cool spin pose Gai does in Toda’s original ASTRAY B bonus chapter.

That concludes the chapter commentary.

If ASTRAY is ever revived again, let’s reunite. I believe that the day will come.

-Chiba Tomohiro

BACK TO READING ORDER

Translated by TrafalgarLog

Part of Elza’s story was left untold.

She tried and failed to eliminate Elijah.

This was planned out by Dante to prevent Elza from interfering in his fight with Gai.

“Sorry, Elza. Gai and I need some time to settle things between us as men. You go have some fun with that pretty boy while we’re at it. Watch out, though. Who knows if it’ll actually be all fun and games.”

Dante and Gai would soon fight in the Debris Belt and Elza went down to Earth with Lily, unaware of any of it.

Her stated reason was to meet with The Clan.

But her true goal was to eliminate Elijah Kiel.

Also, she wanted to eliminate Kazahana, who knew her deepest secret…

✥✥✥

Meanwhile, Serpent Tail was fully aware that Elza was targeting Elijah. Dante had informed Gai beforehand.

Preparations were made to intercept her.

The chosen battlefield was one of the abandoned military bases surrounded by the jungles of the Amazon.

It was a South American military facility destroyed by the Earth Alliance during the War for Independence.

Use of this location had been arranged through backdoor negotiations with the relevant parties, ensuring that on official records, ‘nothing ever happened’ if they were to do anything there. The South American government was also an unofficial collaborator in this.

The base’s distinctive feature was immediately apparent.

Originally used as an air relay base, it had a large runway.

The runway was also destroyed during the War for Independence, but Serpent Tail had restored it to perfect condition.

The giant humanoid weapons known as Mobile Suits could achieve stable bipedal locomotion over most terrains. But even so, they still moved most easily on flat, level ground.

Naturally, this condition applied to enemies as well as allies.

Worse yet, preliminary intelligence indicated that Elza’s Mobile Suit was a high-speed type equipped with treads on its legs.

Its compatibility with the runway would be exceptionally high.

“That’s the beauty of it.”

Reed, who had chosen the location, grinned as he exhaled words that reeked with the smell of alcohol.

He had deliberately chosen a location where the enemy would have the advantage.

To make the enemy think that it was where they chose to fight.

In lieu of that, he had prepared an ample amount of traps. Devices powerful enough to blow her advantage to smithereens.

The intel that Elijah was at the most perfect position for her had already been leaked to various parties.

Elza believed that eliminating Elijah would be her secret mission. Because of that, she would never suspect the trap that awaited her.

The man at the heart of the matter, Elijah, did not seem pleased about it at all, though.

To fight Elza fairly and settle things once and for all.

That was Elijah’s wish.

He did believe that it was only natural to prepare an advantageous position for himself before fighting. It was a mercenary’s most basic principle.

Even so, if he was going to fight, he didn’t want to settle it with traps.

He wanted to win through combat alone and was determined to stick to that.

The battle meant something to Elijah.

Elza, like Gai, was a Combat Coordinator created by Dante.

Defeating her meant something close to defeating Gai. Gai was Elijah’s goal as a mercenary. The battle was a good opportunity to test his own abilities in that regard without harming Gai.

Elijah and Elza never reached a clear conclusion in their past battles.

This time, Elijah saw a chance for him to win.

Of course, if Elijah showed even the slightest sign of losing, one of Reed’s traps would activate and brutally shatter his hope for a fair fight.

He could only hope that such a situation wouldn’t arise…

“I have to try!”

He resolved himself.

His Mobile Suit was ready to go. His ZAKU Phantom with its custom Wizard.

Its interchangeable shoulder parts that once had shields and pike armor were removed and now replaced with beam cannons.

It also carried a beam assault rifle.

A style focused on offense.

“I’m counting on you, buddy. Let’s win this with our own strengths.”

Elijah looked up at the ZAKU positioned at the center of the runway, finding its presence reassuring.

“Um…”

At that moment, a voice called out from behind him.

His heart skipped a beat.

Elijah should have been the only one at the base. Reed and the others were watching from a distance.

Whipping his head back, he saw a young girl standing there.

For a moment he thought it was Kazahana, but it was someone else.

“Who are you?”

“Hello. Sir Matias sent me here.”

The girl beamed at him.

It was as if the word ‘smile’ had been written across her face.

Suspicious. His gut instinct told him so.

Had Matias’ name not been mentioned, he would have dismissed her immediately.

Matias was an enemy of The Clan, and among the most skilled in the world when it came to handling intel. He was fully cooperating with Serpent Tail at Gai’s request.”

“Then you…”

“Yes. I’m here to be Kazahana Azure’s decoy.”

For reasons unknown, Elza was also after Kazahana’s life.

Elijah had already witnessed this. There was no doubting it.

To counter this, they had prepared a decoy this time around.

Incidentally, Elza tried to kill Kazahana on an isolated Orb island, but they didn’t actually see each other’s faces.

It was hard to believe that Elza didn’t know what Kazahana looked like, but they could at least be certain that they had yet to meet directly.

If they prepared a decoy who resembled her closely enough, they may be able to deceive her for a moment.

Especially if Elijah was seen working alongside her, it was highly likely that she would assume the girl was Kazahana.

If these two were attacked, then Kazahana would still be safely hidden elsewhere.

Also, the girl Matias had arranged was said to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

If Elza initiated a fight outside of their Mobile Suits, the girl could protect herself and serve as Elijah’s escort.

“I see, so you…”

Elijah stared at the girl.

She seemed older than Kazahana.

Her height was about the same, though. Having grown up in space, Kazahana was a bit taller than most girls her age.

She was wearing the same outfit Kazahana usually wore.

Her hair and eyes were brown, just like hers.

“Actually, my real hair is orange and my eyes are green.”

She was in a disguise, apparently.

Her appearance wasn’t a perfect match, but it would work.

“What’s your name?”

“Kazahana Azure.”

“What the? No, I’m asking for your real name.”

“My real name is a secret. Right now, I’m Kazahana Azure. Is that not okay with you?”

“No, it’s whatever.”

Elijah relented. It was true that her real name didn’t matter much.

“Alright then, I’ll be counting on you. The attackers should show up within the next few days at the latest.”

“Yes. But I’m sure that it won’t take that long. I think it’ll all be settled today.”

The girl was confident.

“What? Did Matias say that?”

If he did, it must have been true.

His ability to gather information was abnormally high. Through data analysis he was able to predict the future with shocking accuracy. There was even a sarcastic rumor that God himself comes down to ask him about tomorrow’s schedule.

“Well, something like that.”

The girl’s words got vague.

Elijah felt a sense of unease, but let the feeling slip away before it could bother him. It quickly vanished into unconsciousness.

“Still, you’re as handsome as the rumors say, Mr. Elijah.”

“That’s pretty random. Who even cares about that? Also, go ahead and just call me Elijah. That’s what Kazahana does.”

Elijah didn’t particularly enjoy it when people commented on his appearance, even though it was mostly compliments that came his way. He felt that his beauty was a trade-off for his lack of the physical advantages that Coordinators normally possessed. To him, being praised for his looks was tantamount to being called incompetent.

“Pretty rare to see someone frown when complimented. You seem like a pretty troublesome person.”

“Troublesome? Sure. That’s just who I am.”

Elijah brushed her off.

ZWRWRWRWRT

The conversation was cut short by a sudden tremor.

Elijah knew the type of vibration well.

It was the sound of a weapon equipped with rollers on its legs.

Loretta’s Powered Suit, the Guti, made a similar sound. But this one resonated much more heavily. The entity causing the sound had to be massive. It was Mobile Suit sized.

“Elijah, we have one Mobile Suit approaching.”

“No, wait. Listen closely. There’s a jet sound, too. There’s another one in the air. Two in total.”

Elijah corrected her. He was certain that two Mobile Suits were approaching.

Based on prior data, the one advancing on the ground was Elza’s and the one coming from the air was Lily’s.

Lily’s Mobile Suit was equipped with Mirage Colloid stealth that could make it invisible.

Instead of approaching silently, Elza was making a louder noise to mask the approach of the other Mobile Suit.

The suddenness of the sound was proof of that.

Up to a certain point, they must have approached as quietly as possible.

But Elijah had spent years on the battlefield as a mercenary as well. He wouldn’t fall for a trick like this so easily.

“If only we could use radar, we would’ve detected them so much sooner. What an annoying world we live in.”

Since the N-Jammers were scattered across Earth, radar had ceased to function. Enemies could only be spotted visually.

If radar still worked, they could’ve detected the enemy’s approach before they even reached South America.

The fact that they were surrounded by jungle also made noticing their approach more difficult.

They had chosen it deliberately to lure them in…

“Aren’t you going to sound an alarm in the base?”

“It’s just you and me here. There’s no need.”

“But there is something we can do.”

Elijah pulled a small device from the pocket of his uniform.

It was simple, with a single switch in its center. Elijah calmly flipped the switch and small explosions erupted across the runway.

BWBWBWBWMM!!

The neatly maintained runway was in ruins.

“What a waste!”

“This is a signal flare for the battle. Hurry into the building.”

The girl was bait to make Elza think that Kazahana was there. With the Mobile Suit attack coming so quickly, she had lost that purpose.

She would have to protect herself.

Especially in the Mobile Suit battle that Elijah had planned, the girl would only get in the way.

It would become a brutal battlefield unfit for unarmored human beings.

“Hurry!”

Giving the order, Elijah leapt into the cockpit of his custom ZAKU Phantom.

As the ZAKU’s startup finished, a massive crimson shadow materialized on the destroyed runway.

It was a Mobile Suit called the GOUF, developed by ZAFT.

“So it really is Elza’s Mobile Suit.”

Elza’s GOUF Crusher.

Upon entering the ruined runway, it slowed down.

Not because it couldn’t run anymore, but because it was wary of traps.

“Elijah Keel.”

A voice boomed from the GOUF’s external speakers. A familiar voice.

“Elza, huh? Your GOUF has evolved.”

Just as the intel had said.

Elijah had once fought Elza’s GOUF Crusher on an isolated Orb island.

Back then, Loretta had set traps and blown off its lower body.

It had been modified to repair that damage and enhanced in the process.

The new leg sections had several wheels enabling high-speed movement.

Also, a sinister-looking lance protruded from the left knee.

“Seems like you knew I was coming.”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

She didn’t ask how he knew. Asking wouldn’t change anything. He already knew. Her asking how wouldn’t make him forget.

Besides, she knew full well that there were intel professionals on his side.

“Mobile Suit combat or fighting in person? Which would you prefer?”

“You’re letting me pick?”

“Yes.”

Elza had no real grudge against Elijah, though she had come to kill him. She thought that he at least deserved to choose how he would die.

“...Mobile Suit combat, then. I’m not up to fight someone naked.”

“Right.”

Elza had clothes on, but she didn’t bother mentioning that.

“Then should we get started?”

“Whatthe? You’re being kinda nice. Do you always ask for your opponent’s preferences before you fight?”

“I don’t.”

“You just did.”

“...Hm. I wonder why.”

Elza didn’t know either.

She didn’t know, but it was definitely because it was Elijah Keel. He was an odd man.

“How the hell should I know!?”

Elijah shouted and his ZAKU Phantom, equipped with its custom Wizard, went flying into the air.

A simulation of the battle was already playing out in his mind.

If he couldn’t see victory at this stage, he may as well turn tail and run. Mercenaries only fight battles that they can win.

But he could win. Elijah was certain of it.

BSHWM!

Elza’s GOUF unleashed its massive Slayer Whip.

Its target wasn’t Elijah.

It was the Kazahana body double.

She narrowly evaded it and fled into the building Elijah had pointed her to.

“You’re still out here!? I told you to hurry!”

Even inside the building, there would be no safety for her.

If the GOUF Crusher used its Spherical Breaker, the building would be destroyed in a single blow.

“Elza, I’m your opponent.”

“Right.”

Though she replied so, Elza’s GOUF Crusher didn’t pursue him.

Likely because Lily’s Mobile Suit was still concealed.

A pincer attack. That was probably their goal.

But Elijah knew it all too well.

He had a secret plan to surprise them.

“It’s about time you got here. I’m counting on you, Canard!!”

✥✥✥

Outer space.

A Mobile Suit hovered above South America.

By matching its relative velocity to the Earth’s rotation, it managed to remain stationary above a fixed point on the ground.

The Mobile Suit had confirmed Elijah’s destruction of the runway moments prior and launched from its mothership nearby. The runway explosion was meant to both halt the enemy’s advance but also act as a signal to this Mobile Suit.

The YMF-X000A/H Dreadnought H. The mercenary named Canard Pars.

“240 seconds since the signal. Initiating mission. I’ll give you the intense fight you asked for, Elijah. Just don’t whine if you get hit!”

The Dreadnought H had a massive piece of equipment shaped like the letter H on its back.

It transformed into two massive cannons.

BYWM!

They fired beams.

Pillars of light descending straight toward the ground.

Not just one shot, they fired continuously.

The Dreadnought had an N-Jammer Canceller and a nuclear engine.

Its power could be described as nearly infinite.

Using that power, it unleashed a relentless assault.

DGWWRRRRM!

The ground was engulfed in crimson flames.

Beams rained down one after another, gouging the earth.

Elza’s Mobile Suit used its leg rollers to evade the beams. Though the runway was destroyed, the built-in rollers on its legs still gave it a faster movement speed than walking on two feet could.

Normally, one must watch the muzzle of a gun to predict its firing angle and evade its beams.

But that method was useless against beam attacks from such high altitudes.

Elza kept evading them by sensing changes in the air, shifts in the airflow as the beams sliced through the atmosphere. It was something an ordinary pilot could never hope to achieve.

“She’s dodging them. That’s fine.

Elijah declared.

He never intended for Canard’s attacks to defeat her anyway.

He would be the one to defeat her. He needed her to keep dodging.

Canard’s beams were fired at predetermined times and locations.

Elijah knew this, but they must have seemed random to Elza.

Elijah held a significant advantage.

Before Elijah even conceived of the strategy, Matias had already secured Canard’s cooperation. Canard had apparently been taking on a lot of jobs from Matias lately.

“Why Canard, of all people?” Elijah thought.

Elijah had a hard time dealing with Canard, even if he could obviously acknowledge his formidable skill.

When he learned that Canard’s participation was secured, this strategy immediately came to mind.

Elijah could fight without facing Canard directly. Two birds, one stone.

Of course, if Elijah made a mistake, he would end up swallowed by the beams himself. He couldn’t let his guard down. Even now, a beam had just barely missed the front of his Mobile Suit.

“That was close.”

Had he moved too far ahead of the planned target or was Canard’s aim off…?

“Gotta stay sharp.”

For the time being, he wouldn’t blame Canard. He was the one asking him for help, after all.

And then, there was another factor. The barrage of beams put the enemy at another disadvantage.

“Come on out, Lily!”

As if answering his call, a Mobile Suit appeared overhead.

It was the Blitz, Lily’s Mobile Suit. Its hull had a unique pattern.

“Colloids…”

The Blitz’s stealth functions worked by anchoring Mirage Colloids to its surface.

But particles from the beams were swirling all over the battlefield now. The air had been charged, disrupting the magnetic fields.

Mirage Colloid stealth couldn’t function properly.

“Stay back, Lily.”

Elza’s orders.

A sound judgment, in Elijah’s opinion.

Canard’s aerial bombardment was confined to the base. Moving Lily outside of it to carry out supportive attacks would be the most effective tactic. So far, this aligned with Elijah’s assessment. For Elijah, it would be good enough for the time being to just limit what Lily could do.

Elijah would be maneuvering anyway. The beam could act as a wall. He wouldn’t be hit by supportive fire so easily.

The Blitz exited the base and landed.

Then, it fell silent.

Elza and Elijah both found it suspicious, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Elijah in particular had a time limit to worry about. The Dreadnought H’s weapons were powered by nuclear energy and wouldn’t run out of power, but their barrels couldn’t withstand continuous firing. Eventually, their firepower would weaken and he would stop firing altogether. And it wouldn’t be that long, either. He had to settle things quickly.

The runway had already been completely obliterated.

The area around the base was ionized, crackling with repeated discharges.

“But this was just us setting the stage. It’ll all be depending on me in the real fight.”

Even on favorable terrain, victory wouldn’t come by just waiting passively. He needed to take the initiative.

Elza’s GOUF skillfully dodged the beams that rained down from above.

Elijah sometimes used the beams as shields to block attacks, striking when they created openings.

But he couldn’t deal a fatal blow.

The Dreadnought had already fired a considerable number of beams. It had to be nearing its limit.

Another beam flew between Elza and Elijah’s Mobile Suits.

BKYWM!

Then, from behind the beam, a whip-like projectile arced through the air.

By the time he realized it was the GOUF’s Slayer Whip, it was already wrapped around him.

As the beam vanished, Elza’s GOUF coiled the Slayer Whip around itself and launched into the air.

Contact was made right away. The Impact Vice mounted on the GOUF’s arm seized the ZAKU’s arm while the Impact Vice mounted on its leg grabbed the ZAKU’s leg.

To launch an attack from behind the beam at a target that couldn’t be seen through it. Elza’s skills were far beyond his expectations.

“The beam won’t come where you are.”

Elza stated calmly.

Then, the lance mounted on her leg swung back in dramatic fashion. Knowing the attack was coming, he couldn’t dodge it.

She kicked.

Her target was the cockpit.

She struck without hesitation.

Elijah’s ZAKU was covered in Phase Shift armor on its heavily impacted areas. It was strong against physical attacks.

It withstood the first hit.

Then the second came. It withstood that one, too.

But the shock of the attack shook him violently.

Even if his Mobile Suit wasn’t destroyed, he felt his consciousness being blown away.

Beams continued to rain down from the sky.

“Not… finished yet…”

Elijah rallied his consciousness, which threatened to vanish completely.

The next beam would strike…

That spot…

“Uwoaahh!”

Elijah shouted.

He slammed his control stick forward, pushing both his and Elza’s Mobile Suits forward.

The beam struck right in front of them. He drove them toward it, trying to ram both of them into the beam.

“As if!”

Elza understood that Elijah was trying to destroy them both.

She released the Impact Vices on her limbs and kicked Elijah’s Mobile Suit upward to separate from it.

Elza accelerated and pulled away while Elijah slowed down from being kicked.

If things went on like this, only Elijah would be left in the beam’s trajectory.

“Farewell, Elijah.”

The beam came down from the heavens and struck Elijah’s Mobile Suit before her eyes.

It made her feel a little sad.

A feeling she had never felt when facing an enemy before.

A song threatened to spill from her lips.

But there were no ears for it to reach.

“Elzaaaaa!!”

An unbelievable sight.

After the pillar of light vanished, Elijah’s Mobile Suit still stood. Its surface was charred and mangled by the beam and several parts were missing, but he was alive.

Light poured out from both shoulders and the beam rifle in its hand.

“Shit!”

Elza tilted her Mobile Suit backward, presenting its soles to him. It was a way to minimize the surface area exposed to the attack and further protect the cockpit.

An intense shock unlike any she had ever felt pierced through her. Her Mobile Suit crashed to the ground.

“I… won?”

Elijah had seized victory by the skin of his teeth.

The beam that had struck him from above was not at full power.

Even if Canard’s Dreadnought had infinite power, its barrels couldn’t withstand continuous firing. Eventually, the potency of the beams would diminish drastically.

Elijah observed the beam that struck just before it.

He knew that the time had come.

“Mission complete…”

He felt a sense of accomplishment, but thinking about how heavily damaged his personalized Mobile Suit was gave him a headache.

✥✥✥

Silence enveloped the battlefield.

Elza was alive. When she regained consciousness, the base had already been deserted.

“I failed…?”

Dante had told Elza that there would be a week before he fought Gai. It was unlikely that she would be able to find Elijah again and kill him in that time. She had no choice but to give up.

After confirming that she was uninjured, Elza headed for the Blitz.

Its cockpit hatch was wide open. Inside, Lily lay unconscious.

The Blitz was Lily’s Mobile Suit, registered with her biometric signature.

Only she could open it. Who could have opened the hatch and knocked Lily unconscious?

But this explained why Lily wasn’t providing support fire during the fight.

She had probably been ambushed and knocked unconscious early on.

“Kazahana…”

She thought. She was at the base. Even if she managed to open the hatch somehow, she couldn’t imagine Kazahana defeating Lily in a physical fight.

Elza was stumped because she didn’t know the secret of Lily’s birth yet…

Lily was one of many children created by Librarian through the splitting of a single fertilized egg. In other words, there were others who shared her exact genetic makeup.

One of the Librarians who created her, Prayer, was trying to prevent Serpent Tail from being killed for the sake of a certain plan.

Yes, Prayer protected Serpent Tail as the one who would bring down his own organization.

To that end, he sent one of the Lilies that remained within the organization.

“Wake up, Lily.”

Elza shook her shoulder to rouse her.

“Elza…”

“We failed. Let’s head back.”

At that point, it would be more effective to act alongside Dante to corner Gai than it would be to kill Elijah. Even if Dante refused, she would join the fight. Elza had made up her mind to do so.

Dante and Gai’s battle was already over by that point, but Elza could not have known this.

THE END (Extras)

BACK TO READING ORDER

Translated by TrafalgarLog

Lowe and VV worked together to defeat a common enemy.

It was a Destiny Impulse R.

A whole platoon of them, at that.

They were prototypes, but they were still Mobile Suits that ZAFT was developing for full deployment. Normally, civilian engineers could never hope to defeat something like them in combat.

The defiance of that common sense could be attributed, above all, to the high skill level of these two individuals.

But, that alone would not explain it.

Another major factor was that they both simply had great luck.

It’s not a scientific thing to say, but facts are facts. It can’t be helped.

Lowe’s Red Dragon and VV’s Mobile Suit squadron returned safely, though with some battle damage. The two shared in the joy of victory over a tough enemy.

“We have seized total victory!”

The moment he stepped out of the Turn Red, VV gave Lowe a hug. This caught Lowe off guard for a second, but he quickly hugged him back.

After the hug came a firm handshake.

“The number of ‘em had me spooked, but we still managed to beat ‘em!”

“Hmm. Well, with my supreme army of machines, I can wipe out any enemy in an instant!”

“That’s some crazy confidence you’ve got there.”

“It is an objective fact!”

“Oh, sure. That’s awesome.”

Lowe was genuinely impressed.

“And it was I who landed the final blow.”

“Wha? It seemed like we did it at the same time to me…”

Lowe started to argue, but thought it would be bad to spoil the mood and stopped himself.

Besides, Lowe didn’t really care which of them struck the final blow.

He’d made a satisfying move and delivered an ultimate attack.

That was enough for him.

“You aren’t half bad, for a Natural.”

It was hard to tell if he was complimenting or criticizing him, but Lowe chose to take it as the former.

“Thanks.”

“Well, I don’t compliment people often. You ought to be grateful.”

“Gotcha. You ain’t as bad as I thought, either. Kinda friendly, actually. Never thought you’d hug me, though.”

“Hug you? Did I do that?”

“Yep.”

Apparently, VV was acting on impulse and didn’t even remember it.

“What!? Me!? Hugging a Natural!? Don’t be ridiculous! Disgusting!”

VV vehemently denied it.

8 had captured the moment on camera, though, so he couldn’t deny it when they ran the footage back.

“Ah, yes, I remember now. Indeed. I hugged you. But I had no choice. After the fight, my throat was too sore to speak. So to encourage you, a Natural, I had to rely on non-verbal communication. Ah, for your benefit, stupid Natural, non-verbal communication is talking without words.”

VV gave a whole screed. The longer he went on, the more it sounded like an excuse.

“You sure are talking a lot for a guy with a sore throat.”

“Wh-what!? I am simply forcing myself to speak so as to explain this to you! Koff-koff! And even then, you cannot understand my heartfelt emotions!? This is why Naturals are so stupid! Koff-koff!”

“Huh…”

Even Lowe was starting to lose his patience.

“Enough. I challenge you to a duel, you rude fool. Come to think of it, that was my intent from the very beginning. That strange enemy just got in the way. Regardless, I will give you a week’s grace period. Use that time to prepare a Mobile Suit with your heart and soul poured into it! Understood!?”

VV arbitrarily decided on a challenge.

Lowe, who had no reason to fight him, tried to refuse, but changed his mind.

“Sounds interesting. Okay! I accept!”

And so, the two would fight.

✥✥✥

One week later. Earth.

Lowe had prepared his Red Dragon.

Just in case, he also brought containers with various other kinds of equipment.

He had no idea what kind of battle it would be.

Even if it was a competition between machines, the possibilities were endless. A speed race, swimming, anything could happen.

“As long as it’s not a bread-eating contest or somethin’. That’d be weird.”

Machines didn’t need to feed themselves.

Saying it out loud did make it sound plausible, though, which was unsettling to him.

“COME  TO  THINK  OF  IT,  HE  DID  SAY  HE  WAS  A  GOOD  COOK.”

A mini report from 8.

“Coulda told me that a little sooner!”

As Lowe snapped back at 8, VV’s voice began to boom across the rendezvous point.

“So you did not run away, Natural junk dealer!?”

Three of VV’s Mobile Suits appeared. The Blau Calamity, the Gelb Raider and the Rot Forbidden.

“First, you will fight these three. If you win, I will face you myself.”

“It’s three against one now!?”

Not exactly a fair fight, but still among the more reasonable options among the challenges he’d anticipated.

Lowe got ready to fight. He was just as curious to see how well his Red Dragon could hold its own against the three Mobile Suits.

“The Red Dragon’s a Mobile Suit that I poured all I’ve got into!”

True to his words, the Red Dragon had three Caletvwlches on its back, excelling not only in firepower but also in aerial maneuverability. Furthermore, its head had been swapped out for a specialized Ddraig Head, which could deploy a beam antenna that enhanced its sensor capabilities. Plus, it looked cool as hell.

“Let’s do this!”

He gathered up his resolve.

In the cockpit, 8 urged him to stay calm.

“THE  ENEMY  PILOT  IS  80.  HE  IS  EXCEPTIONALLY  GOOD.  YOU  WON’T  BEAT  HIM  WITH  RESOLVE  ALONE.”

The combat AI 80 was based on 8. VV had forced 8 to create it.

“Just trust me! I’ll figure something out!”

Lowe declared. Seeing his own clone get taken down was a complicated feeling for 8, but his desire for Lowe to win didn’t waver.

“THEIR  COORDINATION  SHOULD  HAVE  WEAK  POINTS.  IT’S  VV’S  TRIO  SYSTEM.”

“Gotcha!”

8’s advice wasn’t some attempt to imply that the weakness came from the parts he wasn’t responsible for. When multiple engineers work on a single system, flaws inevitably arise. That was all that 8 was pointing out.

The three Mobile Suits coordinated, surrounding the Red Dragon. By entering a triangular formation with the Red Dragon at its center, they prevented friendly fire. It was textbook coordination.

Now Lowe was really in a pinch.

But his expression didn’t show any hint of panic.

“I figured you’d try that!”

Lowe gripped a Caletvwlch in each hand. In tandem with the one on his back, he unleashed simultaneous attacks in all three directions.

“Caletvwlch! Full Limiter Release Attack!”

Power surged from the three Caletvwlches, destroying all three of the Mobile Suits in one fell swoop.

Originally built as tools, the Caletvwlches needed their limiters to be released in order to be used as weapons.

“I’ll repair you guys as soon as the battle’s over, okay!?”

Saying so, he placed the three Caletvwlches on the ground. There was no point having them equipped anymore anyway.

“Well done!”

VV cried out. Along with the voice came the ASTRAY with crimson armor and a white frame. The Turn Red. The two Tactical Arms on its back unfolded like wings as it came down.

“Here we go, Actaeon dude!”

“Not ‘dude!’ Double V!!”

As he declared his name, the Turn Red hurled its two Tactical Arms in a V shape.

They flew like boomerangs.

“What!? You can use ‘em like that!?”

Lowe had originally developed the Tactical Arms as upgrade parts for the Red Frame. They ended up being equipped on the Blue Frame, but this way of using them was still far from anticipated.

“You failed to discern the capabilities of the very weapon you yourself created!? How utterly foolish!”

The Turn Red hurled two boomerang Tactical Arms in quick succession.

The Red Frame dodged them swiftly, but the relentless barrage left him unable to evade the last strike!

He parried it with the Gerbera Straight.

Kwing! The metallic sound rang out as it took the hit.

Just as he began to think he had withstood it, one of the boomerangs spun on its central axis, smashing straight through the Ddraig Head’s neck.

“Gh! Shit!”

“Yes!”

Within the cockpit, VV struck a victory pose. Normally, he wouldn’t have the luxury to do such a thing mid-battle, but 80 was the one piloting the Mobile Suit, so he didn’t actually need to hold the controls.

The Tactical Arms that severed the Red Frame’s neck returned to the Turn Red’s hand.

Kchnk, caught. But a moment later, one of the Tactical Arms was cleaved in two.

“What!?”

VV understood immediately. When the blade parried his strike, the boomerang itself had been cut.

He’d managed to blow off the Red Frame’s head, but the fight itself was still close to a stalemate.

Still, the Turn Red had one Tactical Arms left. Against a headless Red, he still held an overwhelming advantage.

“But no, I must discard this!”

VV hurled the remaining Tactical Arms aside.

“What!?”

Even Lowe was taken aback.

“I know that you designed this. Winning with it would not be a true victory for me. Natural. I will allow you to repair that head.”

“You sure?”

“My victory cannot be shaken.”

VV declared.

Even without the Tactical Arms, the fact that he was using the 80 program that 8 developed complicated things, but they put that point aside.

Lowe, thinking ‘I figured somethin’ like this would happen,’ took the normal head he had prepared out from its container and swapped it out.

And so, the battle resumed.

The Turn Red had discarded its weapon. Just as Lowe was wondering what he should do, the Turn Red swung its first at him.

“Fist to fist! Now this is a true competition of machine performance!”

“Sounds fun! Alright, I’m down!”

Lowe struck back with his Red Frame.

Even in a simple fistfight, where should one strike when attacking? When defending, how should one deflect the force of an opponent’s fist? So on and so forth.

It would demand truly advanced operation of their machines.

Striking, dodging, being struck, striking again.

Soon, the Turn Red’s movements visibly began to slow.

“What’s wrong?”

“OH.  THE  PILOT’S  TAKING  DAMAGE.

8 figured it out. The brawl didn’t cause much damage to the Mobile Suits themselves, but the impacts were powerful. The pilots inside were shaken violently, To a nearly concussive degree.

“80  WAS  PROGRAMMED  BY  VV  TO  PROTECT  THE  PILOT’S  LIFE  ABOVE  ALL  ELSE.  THAT’S  WHY  HE’S  SLOWING  DOWN.”

“Alrighty then, I’ll deal out the final blow!”

Lowe swung the Red Frame’s right arm back with a mighty backswing.

“Red Flame!!”

He shouted as he struck him.

The Turn Red took the blow squarely in the face, shook violently, then slowly raised both hands in surrender.

“Sweet! I win!!”

Lowe raised a fist and declared his victory.

VV did not hear the words, the shaking alone had knocked him unconscious. 80 was the one who had raised both hands in surrender, to protect him.

“Well, we can’t just leave him, should we go pull him outta the cockpit…?”

When VV finally awoke, he struggled to accept the fact that he’d lost.

Perhaps to save face, he deliberately made the Turn Red stand before descending and declared:

“This is only the beginning, I’ll defeat you for sure!”

And so, Lowe replied with a grin:

“Sure thing. I’ll be ready whenever!”

Before long, the light of the setting sun dyed both Reds crimson.

The End (Bonus)

BACK TO READING ORDER

Translated by TrafalgarLog

There were three engineers.

First was a male engineer from a private company that developed the Destiny Impulse R with ZAFT’s support.

His name will remain undisclosed. It is not important.

His name would not be etched into the history books and he did not perform any deed that would significantly impact the world.

However, that was merely the outcome.

Even if his name did not remain in history, the system that he created was not one without value.

The main philosophy behind ZAFT’s weapons development was centered around equipping a single ace pilot with a multifunctional Mobile Suit, prioritizing specialized units capable of dominating the battlefield singlehandedly.

The ZGMF-X42S Destiny was developed for this purpose. It had the capability to achieve results in combat when piloted by someone who could make full use of its performance.

In contrast, the man’s ZGMF-X56S/ι Destiny Impulse R developments embodied an entirely different design philosophy.

It was the other side of the coin of the Destiny’s development.

The number of ace pilots capable of handling the Destiny was quite low.

To compensate for this, the Destiny Impulse R was conceived as a Mobile Suit tailored for pilots who weren’t quite aces.

Operation of the Destiny Impulse R had to be done in pairs. Two units, linked by the OS-integrated buddy system, achieved overwhelming feats in combat through coordinated action.

Tests using two near-aces almost yielded satisfactory results.

However, there was a greater plan at play.

The goal was to replace pilots with artificial intelligence. If one of the two pilots could be replaced by AI, that could further alleviate the pilot shortage.

Fully automation was theoretically possible, but many situations still required the judgment of a human, so there were no plans to fully automate both units.

It was still undergoing testing, but the system had almost reached a point where replacing one of the two pilots with an AI was feasible.

Gathering more combat data was expected to bring dramatic enhancements.

“We need more data!”

The man cried out from the depths of his heart.

To push his system into the mainstream, combat data collection would be indispensable.

Logically, combat wasn’t so convenient to arrange, but the man had just recently had a chance encounter with a junk dealer who had high combat abilities and privately developed weapons.

Provoke him into further combat and acquire more valuable data. That was the only way his Destiny Impulse R would gain recognition.

✥✥✥

That leaves two engineers.

Lowe Guele and Double V.

The two were formally meeting for the first time.

They were at one of the Actaeon space factories managed by VV.

“I’m Lowe Guele.”

Lowe extended a hand toward VV for a handshake. You’d touch me with your filthy, germ-ridden, Natural hands? As if! Blech!

VV swatted Lowe’s hand away, not hiding his grimace.

An attitude like this in a first meeting would normally cause a fatal rift in any chance at a future relationship, but Lowe didn’t seem to care.

“My bad, haven’t exactly kept my hands too clean~!”

Despite being an engineer, Lowe was the type who worked on the front lines. His hands were covered in marks, stains from his sleeves, cuts from tools.

It made sense that people would see them as dirty.

But to a junk dealer, they were like medals of honor. Lowe had no shame.

“Right, now hand over 8.”

“Hm. Very well.”

VV nodded and 8 wheeled in on an unmanned cargo lift.

A sticker that said ‘disinfected’ was affixed to his surface.

“Yo, 8. How’ve you been?”

Lowe greeted him casually.

8’s reply almost spilled out of the monitor.

“TOOK  YOU  LONG  ENOUGH!!”

“I’m sorry.”

Lowe’s apology was sincere.

VV watched 8 and Lowe’s reunion with disinterest before speaking.

“I kept my promise, 8.”

In exchange for returning 8 to Lowe, VV had made him promise to create a copy of himself.

And the artificial intelligence designed by 8 had been combined with the combat AI VV had been researching, culminating in a new creation called 80.

“Right. I will show the junk dealer as well. My supreme army!”

VV’s confident declaration piqued Lowe’s interest.

“Woah, what is it!? Lemme see!”

VV smirked at Lowe’s reaction and then snapped his fingers as a signal.

Then, the hangar doors shuttered open, revealing several Mobile Suits.

“Allow me to introduce my army!”

First to be introduced were the three main units, the Blau Calamity, Gelb Raider and Rot Forbidden.

Lowe had seen the three upgraded Alliance Mobile Suits before.

However, they now had their pilots replaced with the AI called 80. Their performance seemed to have been dramatically enhanced. The three units were also equipped with a trio system for enhanced coordination.

In truth, the system was ripped off from the Destiny Impulse R’s buddy system, but Lowe didn’t know that.

Next, VV introduced two Hyperions. Each had one monophase lightwave shield with Armure Lumiere on opposite sides.

When Lowe asked about that, VV gave an eager answer, as if he had been waiting for any opportunity to do so.

“These two were made to work in tandem, protecting another Mobile Suit from both sides. Naturally, as Mobile Suits piloted by 80, their defense is flawless. And the Mobile Suit they protect is…”

He trailed off to build tension.

And it truly was tense.

“Wh-what is it!?””

Lowe couldn’t hold back.

VV grinned at the reaction, then shouted.

“My Mobile Suit! The ASTRAY Turn Red!!”

The floor of the hangar opened, a Mobile Suit rose up from it.

Fanfare blared, a spotlight illuminated it.

“Wha… this thing’s a…!?”

His eyes widened in shock.

It made sense. What stood before him was a crimson ASTRAY. But it wasn’t red in the way his beloved Red Frame was. Its armor was red and its frame was white. One could call it a White Frame, the exact opposite color scheme of Lowe’s Mobile Suit.

“I call it the Turn Red!”

“Sick!!”

“Hahaha, so even a Natural can understand its glory. With two Tactical Arms on its back, that makes it twice as powerful as the Blue Frame!”

He made a V-sign with his fingers when he said ‘two.’ He was proud.

“Just doubling the number of weapons doesn’t make it twice as strong.”

A sharp retort.

“Of course. I know that. I’m well aware. I just used the expression so that a Natural like you would be able to grasp its power. Goodness, you ignore my kindness…”

A ridiculous thing to say, but Lowe didn’t care.

“It must be pretty tough to use two Tactical Arms at once.”

“Not a problem. 80 will handle the controls for this one as well. I could win even if I was napping in the cockpit.”

So it was essentially unmanned.

“I can’t wait to duke it out with this thing!”

“Yes! I would like to see it as well!”

Lowe and VVs wishes would both come true.

Suddenly, an alarm blared through the facility.

✥✥✥

VV’s army and Lowe’s Red Dragon launched right away.

A ZAFT Destiny Impulse R was approaching, the same enemy they had encountered several times over the past few days.

This time was different, though.

There was one Destiny Impulse R and countless DI Adaga buddies.

Unbeknownst to Lowe and VV, the engineer who developed them had made a last-ditch gamble. He deployed every operational drone unit to gather combat data, hoping to dramatically increase the AI’s performance in one go.

“Those’re modified Destiny Impulses… and so many of ‘em… yeesh… you’ve got some serious grudges against you, dude.”

No matter who was at fault, they were definitely in a crisis.

Facing this many enemies would be reckless.

“What do we do?”

Lowe asked VV, who was piloting the Turn Red beside him.

“That’s obvious. We fight them, destroy them, and prove that our technology is superior!”

“...Oh, there’s one with two eyes. If we take that one out, the rest’ll probably be easy to pick off, right?”

“Wh- I was just about to point that out myself! The Blau Calamity, Gelb Raider and Rot Forbidden will handle the first wave of grunts. We target the one with two eyes!”

“You got it!”

Pinches drove people to act in unexpected ways. Lowe and VV began coordinating as if they were old friends.

Suddenly, the second Destiny Impulse fired a powerful beam. The Hyperion GR and GL deployed their monophase lightwave shields with Almure Lumiere to block the beam.

But Lowe didn’t see it. He almost cursed under his breath, but held himself back. A victor must be generous.

As their beam approached, Lowe shot down the enemy with his Caletvwlch, while VV had the two Hyperions block the beam with their Almure Lumiere shields.

The two pressed forward relentlessly.

The enemy was clearly aiming to protect the unit with two eyes, but that only served to confirm that it was their weak point.

“Looks like I was right on the money!”

“Just as I’d deduced!”

Before anyone knew it, the two ASTRAYs were standing before the twin-eyed Destiny Impulse R.

By that point, the DI Adagas’ attacks had weakened. They were worried about friendly fire.

“So, what now?”

VV had a clear and simple answer.

“We settle this with our blades. That is the cool way to do it. Whoever deals the final blow is the winner!”

“Sounds like a good challenge to me!”

The Red Dragon reconfigured its Caletvwlch into a sword. At the same time, the Turn Red grasped its massive Tactical Arms in sword mode.

“Aren’t you gonna dual wield the Tactical Arms? You’ve got two, after all.”

“Foolish Natural. If I used both, I would win too easily. This is a handicap. For your sake!”

“Yeah, alright then.”

Lowe and VV gauged the right timing to strike the Destiny Impulse R. The enemy kept attacking as they did. They were certainly formidable.

They had to seize any fleeting opportunity.

“Let’s do it!!”

The moment the enemy barrage halted, Lowe was ready. But just then, one of the DI Adagas lunged toward the Red Dragon.

“Shit!”

It wasn’t exactly a crisis, he cut it down easily.

But VV’s Turn Red seized the opening to charge at the Destiny Impulse R.

“I’ve done it!”

“As if I’d let you win!”

Lowe set the Caletvwlches mounted on the Red Dragon’s back to activate at full functionality. His Mobile Suit was lighter. The Turn Red would have been much slower with two Tactical Arms equipped to it. 80 judged that the Turn Red should drop one of its Tactical Arms and accelerate.

“It is mine!”

The Destiny Impulse R’s body was sliced open in a large X shape.

The two ASTRAYs slashed it with perfect, simultaneous precision.

NEXT TURN RED

BACK TO READING ORDER

Translated by TrafalgarLog

Snow fell.

Within it, a man and woman clashed swords.

Gai and Elza.

They each held a sword that Dante had once cherished.

One each.

Their clash of blades was like a dance.

A battle and a mourning in one.

With each swing of their blades, they remembered Dante.

After a while, they both sheathed their swords without a word.

“Gai. I want to settle this in our Mobile Suits.”

Elza declared.

“Very well.”

Gai replied, tossing Dante’s sword back to Elza.

“Why?”

“I’m done mourning. I don’t need it anymore.”

“...I see.”

She made no attempt to force the sword back onto him.

Until then, she had thought it best for one to go to each of them, who were both born because of Dante.

But, now that they were both in her hands, they felt all the more precious.

She gently embraced the two swords.

They still smelled like Dante.

She forced the memories flooding out of her back down into her heart.

She couldn’t cry in front of this man.

“Should we leave them with Lily until the battle is over?”

“Yes.”

Lily was waiting back in the bar where Elza was singing earlier.

She didn’t show herself when Gai was inside, but he knew she was there.

“I’ll be right back.”

Elza went into the bar.

Inside, Lily looked worried.

Lily was forced to promise not to intervene in their battle.

And so, her Blitz wasn’t there.

“I’m gonna fight Gai in my Mobile Suit. You take these. Return them to me when the battle is over. After that, you have your own purpose. Leave this place.”

Lily took the swords. She opened her mouth to say something, but swallowed the words.

Elza understood what she was trying to say.

Can’t this fight be avoided?

That was her question.

The answer was all too clear, though.

That was why she had swallowed the words.

“Don’t worry, Lily. More than anything else, I just wanna fight Gai. That’s it.”

“...”

Elza didn’t feel any resentment toward Gai.

Even if he killed Dante, they were both people who lived for battle. Neither of them should hold grudges over the outcome. Elza felt the same way.

Right now, she just wanted to fight the man named Gai.

She sang, danced with her sword in tribute, and this was the state of mind that the exercise had brought her.

“Alright. I get it, Elza.”

Lily finally managed to string these words together.

Elza and Gai were created by Dante.

They were two sides of the same coin.

There was something between them that only they could understand.

With that in play, Elza did not fear death.

Lily understood that they had a special bond.

Even if she didn’t understand exactly what it was…

“Good luck.”

“I can’t promise that I’ll win.”

Elza remembered meeting Lily and the days since.

Their meeting was a sudden one.

Librarian had entrusted Lily to Dante in exchange for crafting his Sword Pistols.

Though Dante had taken her in, he vanished soon after, so Lily spent more time alone with Elza than with Dante or as a whole group.

Elza thought about it.

All of that time spent with this girl, in that time, she never turned toward Lily. Her eyes were always fixed upon the search for Dante. It was awful of her. She’d forced Lily to sit and endure her selfish behavior. Not once did she consider Lily’s feelings on any of it.

Suddenly, she began to wonder what sort of trouble she had caused for Dante back when they were together. Even when it was just the two of them, she felt she had probably been inconsiderate.

“If I beat Gai… maybe the two of us could live together. If you want to, anyway.”

Even Elza was struck by what she said.

It was something she had never considered before that moment. And something that she was certain Lily would refuse.

“Yeah. Go win. Of course I do.”

Contrary to her expectations, Lily was beaming at her.

When Elza stepped out of the bar, Gai was gone.

He must have already boarded the Blue Frame D.

Her gaze fell to the ground leading up to it.

Soft, freshly fallen snow covered everything, erasing any footprints Gai may have left behind.

There were no traces of their mourning dance either.

She felt that this was for the best.

She could face the coming battle with fresh resolve.

The snow had created a brand-new stage for them.

A stage worth reaffirming her identity as a warrior on.

Elza boarded the ASTRAY Noir D.

It was the Mobile Suit that Dante had left behind for her.

The Clan found it, saying that there was no trace of damage from the battle with Gai and the Mobile Suit itself.

The only thing missing was the Noir Striker that was meant to be on its back.

The Clan urged Elza to fight Gai and take revenge on Dante.

Essentially, they just wanted her to dispose of the nuisance that was Gai.

But Elza still silently agreed.

The Clan gave her new equipment, adjusting the Mobile Suit to suit Elza.

The new equipment was the Destiny R Silhouette, a combined weapon system developed by ZAFT.

Sometime after they developed this Mobile Suit, The Clan collapsed and vanished with the flow of time.

When it was complete, Elza had added a large E over the part of the shoulder where Dante’s logo was.

She didn’t erase Dante’s logo, she added her own initial over top to signify that it belonged to both of them.

“Phoo.”

Elza let out a deep exhale in the ASTRAY Noir D’s cockpit.

She was about to fight Gai. She felt no tension about this, but the sensation was different from usual.

It wasn’t fear. It was something she couldn’t quite name.

She just wanted to fight with all that she had. That was all.

She remembered Dante saying he wanted to fight Gai at his best.

“Yeah, you were right…”

Gai hadn’t just made preparations to be at his best for the fight against Dante, he’d done it for the fight against Elza too.

The Blue Frame D was probably the same loadout he’d designed for the fight with Dante.

She was glad that he’d chosen it for this fight too.

What she didn’t know was that the Blue Frame D had even more new equipment now.

Either way, Gai was giving his absolute best in response to her challenge.

“Then I’ll answer in kind.”

Elza slowly shed all of her clothes.

Doing so transformed her entire body into a sensor, allowing her to catch even the slightest hint of information during the fight.

However, she usually didn’t remove all of her clothes. The shocks inside the cockpit could cause injuries and clothing would serve as important protection in those cases.

But this time, she stripped everything.

It was a desperate move.

It also meant cutting off her own retreat.

She felt that the fight would have no rematch.

If she didn’t do it now, there would never be another chance to fight. After all, Gai had no reason to accept the battle. Mercenaries didn’t fight battles that didn’t pay. It was a personal battle. More than that, it was a one-sided, personal battle that Elza herself had initiated.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yeah.”

A response came from the Blue Frame D’s cockpit.

Elza thought his voice felt like a sharpened blade. But it wasn’t cold. It had the warmth of heated metal. She could feel it.

It reminded her of Dante.

She was surprised that she didn’t find it unpleasant.

If it were right after Dante disappeared, she surely wouldn’t have forgiven herself for hearing him in the voice.

The Blue Frame D took the first move.

The swords mounted all over its body gathered onto the gun attached to its arm.

The swords on its head, shoulders, waist and Aile Striker all converged into one weapon on its arms.

Soon, the Blue Frame D was equipped with a large combination of sword and gun on both arms.

“A gun and a sword… like Sword Pistols?”

“Yeah.”

Elza’s Mobile Suit had Sword Pistols too, allowing it to fight effectively at both long and short distances.

“Is this the loadout you fought Dante with?”

“An improved version.”

“Is it okay for you to use it out here? People might see.”

Elza couldn’t find any information about the battle between Dante and Gai.

Not even from The Clan.

Gai had definitely concealed it intentionally.

To hide the secret ability he had most likely used in the battle.

“They won’t find out.”

The short reply held multiple meanings.

First, The Clan was already gone. No organization remained which possessed information-gathering capabilities comparable to theirs.

Then, there was their current situation. Relentlessly falling snow obscured close-range visibility.

“Alright, then. That’s just like you, Gai.”

Elza was genuinely pleased.

Choosing the same loadout as his battle with Dante meant that Gai was planning to fight her at full strength.

Against her, Gai would have to be strong.

After all, he was the one who had fought Dante.

“Hrah!”

Elza drove her jet-black Mobile Suit toward him.

The next instant, an eerie scene played out.

Where the ASTRAY Noir D once was, multiple afterimages appeared.

Clones.

Like a special technique used by ninjas in old stories.

The Blue Frame D’s sensors became confused.

Its pilot was calm, though.

He aimed the composite weapons on his arms at the clones.

One of the swords, one originally attached to the head, reacted, spitting out data.

Mirage Colloidal afterimages?

An interesting technique.

In the Blue Frame D’s cockpit, the pilot’s cheeks relaxed.

“How about this!?”

Elza increased her Mobile Suit’s movement speed even further.

The clones closed in on the Blue Frame D one after another.

Then, when entering strike range, each launched an attack.

GWRRM! GWRRM! GWRRM!

Slashing strikes, fired guns.

Every attack held tangible substance.

Like being assaulted by several enemies.

And yet, the Blue Frame D absorbed the entire onslaught with the swords mounted on its left and right arms.

When one attack was parried and deflected by their blades, another would be repelled by their bullets.

In the span of a few seconds, the two exchanged countless blows.

The ASTRAY Noir D drew swiftly back.

The remaining clones retreated as if drawn to the one that moved first, vanishing as their bodies began to overlap.

The Blue Frame D stood as it was.

It had withstood the fierce assault without retreating a single step.

The snow beneath its feet had vanished.

It had either melted from the heat emitted by Elza’s Mobile Suit during movement or been blown away by the violent air currents generated by the terrifying speed they had both swung their weapons with.

“Nice.”

She had made him believe that the duplicates were all illusions created by optical camouflage, but some were actually the result of her moving at incredibly high speeds to launch several attacks at once.

Normally, attacks at such a speed would render optical camouflage useless.

Yet, Elza chose to reveal the camouflage first so that the illusions would act as decoys.

The belief that they were all illusions would normally cause an enemy to let their guard down against them.

“You took them all on…”

The Blue Frame D minimized its moves, dispatching several incoming attacks with each strike.

It was backed by his immense amount of skill.

Elza felt the blood in her veins begin to boil.

It wasn’t rage. If anything, it was exhilaration.

She was up against a foe unlike any she’d ever faced before.

The excitement within her was like the kind she’d felt watching Dante’s sword fights as a child.

“This time, I’ll strike first…”

The Blue Frame D stepped forward.

As it did, beams coiled around the central and largest of the swords on each of its arms.

The swords that were originally attached to its waist.

Elza’s heightened senses detected a massive flow of particles.

Mirage Colloids, deployed from the swords that were on its shoulders and positioned on both sides of the beam-wrapped sword, seemed to be controlling the formation of the beam.

Her senses matched what she could see with her eyes.

The beam was plain to see for anyone.

Mirage Colloids were commonly recognized as stealth technology, but their primary use was actually in the formation of beams. For example, the now widely used beam sabers were blades of energy formed by that same substance.

“Let’s do it.”

With these words, the Blue Frame D slid in with a slash.

Fast.

With a heavy blow.

Elza swung her Sword Pistols into a cross, barely catching the attack.

She felt her Mobile Suit sink.

Then, the gun embedded in the base of the sword erupted.

BRATATATAT!!

She was rocked by a fierce barrage of gunfire.

Unable to withstand it, Elza dodged to the right.

She used clones for this, too.

She held off the Blue Frame D’s attack until the last possible moment.

Simultaneously deflecting the force of the attack to the left, she created a clone on the left so that the main body could escape to the right.

The opening created by the clone lasted less than a moment, but that was just enough time for Elza to escape.

Their combat styles were vastly different.

Even though they were both created by Dante, the results differed to an impressive degree.

The Blue Frame D’s attacks were powerful and heavy, each of its strikes carried immense amounts of force.

In contrast, Elza’s ASTRAY Noir D relied on speed and volume.

The Blue Frame D’s attacks were closer to Dante’s.

Dante and Gai were both men.

That may have explained why their attacks felt similar, but Elza was a woman, so she couldn’t be certain that that was it.

“Still, they’re too similar… could it be?”

A suspicion began to stir within her.

It felt ridiculous at first.

Impossible, even.

The voice from the Blue Frame D’s cockpit troubled her too.

It was Gai’s voice, but that could be altered with technology.

But, the feeling of the words couldn’t be changed.

Elza sensed something within them…

She couldn’t suppress the urge to confirm it.

It would be easy to verify.

She only needed to utter a single word.

One that she had tested the waters on once before.

If her suspicions were true, it would definitely work.

She made her decision.

She would say it.

“Father…”

When the word left her mouth, a subtle flicker of disturbance emerged in the Blue Frame D’s movements.

At a level that only Elza’s heightened senses could detect.

She knew it now.

There was no mistake.

The pilot of this Mobile Suit was not Gai.

It was Dante Gordigiani himself.

The man she was searching for was standing right before her.

She was overjoyed.

But more than that, she was enraged.

Why was he piloting the Blue Frame D? Why was he fighting her?

Hadn’t he fought Gai and then disappeared?

She had to uncover the truth of their battle, the truth known only to Dante and Gai.

✥✥✥

Long before scientific advancement, people knew from observation that Saturn had beautiful rings.

These rings, which Earth did not possess, stirred people’s imagination.

They sparked scientific curiosity, becoming a driving force behind the advancement of astronomy and physics.

This single phenomena propelled human civilization forward.

The Cosmic Era began. Earth became encircled by a ring of its own.

The ring was a very recent development when viewed in the context of mankind’s long history.

It wasn't something that mankind gained because they desired it.

It was born from a foolish war.

The conflict between Naturals and Coordinators. In the early stages of the conflict, the space station Yggdrasil was destroyed and became a vast amount of space debris. When captured by the Earth’s gravity, it formed into a ring.

The Earth gave itself a ring made of trash.

It was ironic.

And yet, gazing up at the night sky almost daily, averting their eyes from the enormous ring they had created, people still could not escape the fighting.

Even now, a new battle was raging within the debris belt.

Hidden by countless pieces of drifting debris, their struggle unfolded unseen. The fighters themselves had desired as much.

A fight to the death. One that rejected outside interference.

In that sense, it was a world apart from mankind’s foolish war.

War was an undeniably foolish thing.

No matter how important it may be to those involved in it…

The combatants were two ASTRAY pilots.

Dante Gordigiani and Murakumo Gai.

Dante’s ASTRAY Noir was jet-black.

Facing it was Gai’s Blue Frame D, with its azure frame and white armor.

It had been completely overhauled for the fight with Dante. Swords had been equipped throughout its body and its propulsion system had been enhanced with an Aile Striker.

From its appearance, one would assume that it would use its powerful propulsion to close the distance and enter into close combat.

Dante read it the same way.

But when the battle began, Gai’s Mobile Suit did something entirely unexpected.

Swords flew from the Blue Frame D’s waist. They had been thrown.

But something happened when the ASTRAY Noir tried to slash at the sword with its Sword Pistol.

The sword moved on an impossible course, evading Dante’s attack.

Part of the ASTRAY Noir’s left wing was sliced away as it went.

“DRAGOONs!?”

Dante recognized its function right away. And yet, even as he did so, he couldn’t hope to hide his astonishment.

Wielding such a weapon required a special talent.

Spatial awareness.

Dante had designed Gai’s genes. He hadn’t given Gai any such ability.

Even if Gai had been born with such a gift from the gods, Dante, who had raised, trained and lived with him, couldn’t have simply failed to notice it.

Gai had masterfully kept it hidden.

More astonishing than Gai having the ability was the fact that he’d managed to hide it for so long.

At the same time, it did feel like something he would do.

“I taught him to hide his strongest moves, but I never imagined he’d be hiding something this important…”

A smile creeped onto Dante’s face. He was delighted.

It wasn’t the feeling of facing an adversary. It was the emotional response of the man who created and raised Gai.

Considering him as an enemy, having to fight someone with this ability would’ve been a real pain.

Systems that could use thoughts to remotely control autonomous weapons existed even before Mobile Suits were invented. Early weapons of this type were called Gunbarrels and were usually connected to a primary unit via wires.

There were limitations to these machines. If the wire was cut, it would be over, and there was also the issue of wires becoming tangled if multiple were mismanaged.

Later on, ZAFT would invent quantum communication, solving these issues.

It evolved into the DRAGOON System.

Disconnected Rapid Armament Group Overlook Operation Network System.

Or the DRAGOON System for short.

ZAFT would refine this system even further, developing a second-generation DRAGOON System that even pilots without spatial awareness skills could operate.

However, since the weapon fundamentally depended on a pilot’s skills, it was the consensus among pilots that the mechanically controlled second-generation version was vastly inferior in its capabilities.

In reality, even with the advancements of the technology, there was still a natural aptitude for handling it, and spatial awareness provided an undeniable advantage.

Even if Gai was using a second-generation DRAGOON, it was clear that he had spatial awareness abilities.

“So this is the special ability you saved just for this…”

In that case, he must have had total confidence in it.

On the other hand, Dante also had confidence that he could counter it.

He had fought Mobile Suits equipped with DRAGOONs before.

In fact, he had done so just the other day.

When he received his completed Sword Pistol, he fought a boy from Librarian who called himself Prayer.

He piloted a Mobile Suit called the LN-ZGMF-X13A Nix Providence. With over ten DRAGOONs, it was designed specifically for DRAGOON combat.

Naturally, that meant it carried out its attacks with DRAGOONs.

During the battle to test his Sword Pistols’ effectiveness, the ASTRAY Noir was surrounded by DRAGOONs that fired beams.

Dante simply parried all of the beams with the blades of his Sword Pistols.

It was only possible because it was Dante and his Sword Pistols.

If either element were missing, it would’ve been impossible.

“If you think of it as fighting several enemies, it’s nothing special.”

An attack from all directions could be handled the same way that attacks from multiple enemies were. The only difference was that DRAGOONs had perfect coordination because they were controlled by a single person.

Even so, Dante didn’t waver.

“Gai, show me more!”

He intentionally provoked him.

“As you wish.”

Sword-shaped DRAGOONs flowed naturally from various parts of the Blue Frame D, then flew away.

Head, shoulders, Aile Striker.

Only the sword from its waist remained. Presumably, he kept it so that he could use it as a handheld weapon. Its shape and size were well-suited for a sword.

Lights from multiple DRAGOON thrusters traced paths through space.

A whirlwind of light spiraling around him.

“Beautiful…”

Dante thought so.

Beautiful weapons were good.

Dante was convinced of this as well.

Suddenly, memories of Elza drifted into his mind.

She was beautiful too, and strong.

He felt a slight pang of guilt for the trick he had played to keep her out of this fight.

But he didn’t have a choice. Elza could not have been allowed to intervene.

Besides, it wasn’t like he had time to dwell on the subject now.

He had to focus on his fight with Gai.

The DRAGOONs, with trails of light behind them, had already vanished.

They were hiding in the shadows of debris.

“So that’s why he chose a place like this for our big showdown…”

Having many bits of debris favored Dante, who could anchor to them.

But now, the battlefield also favored DRAGOONs.

DRAGOONs were smaller than Mobile Suits, making them easier to conceal within the field of debris.

There was nothing more troublesome than beam weaponry fired from an unseen place.

Normally, pilots watch the direction of a gun’s muzzle to predict a beam’s trajectory. This way, beams that traveled at the speed of light could still be evaded.

If you can’t see the muzzle, this becomes difficult.

However, the muzzle would inevitably have to be out and facing him before it could fire.

Detecting several at once would be extremely difficult, but his survival depended on it.

“First, I gotta change my position.”

Dante fired an anchor from the Noir’s back.

Using the anchor embedded in a piece of debris, he rapidly pulled his Mobile Suit away from its original course.

A maneuver that most pilots wouldn’t be able to manage.

He moved into the Blue Frame D’s, and by extension Gai’s, blind spot.

“I can hide in the debris too. What now, Gai?”

BSHWM!

A beam.

It was an answer from Gai: “I can still attack.”

He parried the beam with a Sword Pistol in an instant, just barely blocking it.

The attack was aimed right for the center of his Mobile Suit. Attacks closer to the center were easier to defend against.

Still, it was a close call.

“How did you…”

Even though he had blocked it, Dante was flustered by the attack that should never have come in the first place.

He voiced the question knowing full well that it wouldn’t be answered.

Dante thought to himself.

His opponent was Gai.

Even now that he could use DRAGOONs, he wouldn’t resort to a simple, indiscriminate bombardment from all sides.

He was likely devising a strategy to maximize the DRAGOON System’s potential.

The DRAGOONs themselves must have been modified in some way. That was the logical conclusion.

The DRAGOON units on the Blue Frame D: two on the head, four on the shoulders, two on the Aile Striker, two on the waist. Each had a different shape.

They must have had different functions, too.

“Is that it…?”

Dante figured it out. The answer was simple.

If he could shoot enemies in his blind spots, then that meant that Gai could see his blind spots.

“The two smaller DRAGOONs that split off from the head, right?”

“Good work. I knew you’d figure it out, Dante.”

Gai answered his question.

As he thought, the DRAGOON that separated from the head was equipped with a high-powered camera eye and composite sensors at the tip of its hilt.

It served as the eyes that would support the attack-type DRAGOONs.

It didn’t have beam weapons to protect its sensor unit, but it could still attack as a sword.

Naturally, when attached to the head, it could also enhance regular sensor functionality.

“The DRAGOON was such a powerful weapon that its evolution was halted. But weapons can be reborn if new strategies are introduced.”

“I see. So I’m seeing your argument firsthand?”

“Exactly.”

“Then the remaining DRAGOONs must be…”

They had to have some other functions.

The moment the thought crossed Dante’s mind, two DRAGOONs appeared.

Their movements had been invisible. They simply appeared out of thin air.

“Mirage Colloid?”

He’d never heard of anyone equipping DRAGOONs with stealth-capable particles before.

And yet, these DRAGOONs definitely had them.

BSHWM!

Dante just barely deflected the beams.

Two of them, and they attacked him suddenly to boot, but he scraped by.

After firing, he confirmed the DRAGOONs’ shapes. They were the ones that were mounted on the shoulder.

Since there were two on each shoulder, there had to be more hidden.

“Nice dodge.”

“It’s nothing special if I can see them. Too easy. Of course, I could still block if they stayed invisible.”

Dante put on a brave face.

During the attack, the Mirage Colloid DRAGOONs showed themselves.

Otherwise, it would’ve been a lot more difficult.

“You’re pretty confident.”

“Just telling the truth.”

“Want to try some invisible ones?”

“Sure, go right ahead.”

Dante taunted him again.

If such a thing were possible, he would have kept them invisible the first time. There was a reason that he hadn’t. Dante had deduced that much.

Gai deliberately avoided explaining it, but the Mirage Colloid DRAGOONs didn’t need to leave stealth mode when firing. It was the thruster movement that had caused it. High-speed movement caused the colloids to peel off, robbing it of its stealth capabilities.

When moving with inertia or firing as an ambush, they could fire while remaining stealthy.

During this attack, after determining the direction of Dante’s movement and briefly firing their thrusters, they moved with inertia and deployed Mirage Colloids. At the last moment, they were spotted because they had to deactivate stealth to adjust the firing angle.

In other words, firing while maintaining stealth was possible, but the conditions to do so were quite severe.

Also, when mounted on the shoulders, these DRAGOONs could function like the Second L’s fin thrusters. They used the DRAGOONs’ thrusters to move the entire Mobile Suit laterally.

“Sensor types and Mirage Colloid types. That leaves two, right?”

Dante spoke to Gai while thinking up his next countermeasure.

As things stood, he wouldn’t be able to dodge forever.

Gai had grown into a much stronger foe than Dante had imagined.

In a face-to-face brawl like their first reunion, Dante had the edge.

But, in a battle where the opponent had been analyzed and the conditions were optimized, Gai was several levels beyond him.

The battles Gia had experienced, the techniques he had witnessed, the allies who supported him.

All of these contributed to Gai’s strength.

He had to admit it. That was the truth.

“You’ve gotten stronger, Gai.”

“Yeah.”

“You just admitted it? Don’t you have any modesty?”

“You don’t either, Dante.”

Come to think of it, that was true. Gai understood Dante well.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“You’re the one who taught me. Never overestimate your enemy nor underestimate them. The same can be said of you, right?”

“That’s exactly right.”

Dante nodded quietly.

An answer crystallized within him.

He could not defeat Gai.

It was a conclusion reached after a fair evaluation of both himself and Gai.

Normally, he would offer a surrender.

If he kept going, he would surely die.

But Dante had a reason that he couldn’t end the fight.

Even if he died in the end…

He didn’t intend to die, but in death his purpose would be fulfilled.

“I wanna see it all first. It’s tugging at me.”

This man, Gai. His abilities. He couldn’t die until he saw all that he was capable of.

Dante wanted to know everything about the man he had created.

He didn’t know why.

Maybe it was a warrior’s instinct, or maybe it was because he created and raised him.

If Elza were here, she might have said that it was because he was his father.

Elza loved making jokes like that.

Probably because she found Dante’s intense reactions to them funny.

“Pretty troublesome kid…”

He muttered under his breath, just quiet enough that Gai wouldn’t hear, and gave a wry smile.

“As you wish, Dante. I’ll show you the full power of my DRAGOONs!”

Summoned by his words, a slightly larger DRAGOON appeared.

The one mounted on the Aile Striker.

A beam cannon was at the center of its three blades. Among the Blue Frame D’s DRAGOONs, it was probably the one most specialized for artillery. Dante sorted it away as the beam cannon type.

“Too slow, Gai!”

He could see the muzzle. Dante would slice through the beam with ease.

Cutting beams with a Sword Pistol had nothing to do with a beam’s power.

It severed the flow of the charged particles themselves. Similar to how water flows along a channel. The quantity of it didn’t matter. All that mattered was controlling the flow of it.

Of course, Dante understood that this DRAGOON couldn’t just be a large beam.

It couldn’t be that simple.

And then, just as anticipated, a new technique came.

More DRAGOONs had moved in front of the beam cannon type DRAGOON.

Two Mirage Colloid types.

Neither in stealth mode.

“What the…”

An alarm within Dante began to blare.

His warrior’s instinct.

A chill ran through his entire body.

The problem wasn’t that there were three DRAGOONs.

He could handle three beams.

BSHWM!

The large DRAGOON fired its beam.

The beam slinked through the gap between the two Mirage Colloid types in front of it.

Dante swung a Sword Pistol, following the trajectory of the muzzle just before it fired.

But, the beam didn’t hit the Sword Pistol.

Its flow warped before his very eyes.

“It bent…!?”

The beam began to bend the instant it slipped between the two units in front of it.

Dante didn’t know this, but applying a Mirage Colloidal magnetic field made it possible to deflect beams. Gai had already deployed a similar technique using a sniper rifle pack.

The Earth Alliance had a unit that used this ability for both offense and defense. It was the GAT-X252 Forbidden Gundam.

The Mirage Colloid type DRAGOONs didn’t just have stealth, they could also deflect beams.

The bent beam struck the ASTRAY Noir’s back.

Its Striker took significant damage.

Dante rushed to check it. The weapons and anchors remained functional, but the fuel system had been severely damaged. It would no longer give him any thrust.

“Gai, are you pulling some magic trick?”

“The Alliance developed the technology. The version in my DRAGOONs is a miniaturized version, so it can’t bend the beams very far, but it serves its purpose.”

“Yeah, I can see that. But this probably wouldn’t be super useful in real combat, right?”

“Right.”

DRAGOONs were powerful weapons.

They could win most battles without any need for beam bending technology.

In other words, unless he was facing an enemy like Dante, the weapon had no place to shine.

“You’re just showing off your whole hand. Alright, then… it’s my turn.”

Dante fired his Sword Pistols and the twin-barreled linear guns mounted on his wings.

BRATATATAT!

His target was the hunk of debris right in front of him.

A massive cloud of dust billowed up from it, struck by the energy particles.

In the airless, weightless void, the swirling dust stubbornly lingered.

The ASTRAY Noir was shrouded in an instant.

The dust rapidly spread out to the left.

The ASTRAY Noir was moving, destroying debris to its left.

Dante’s aim wasn’t to conceal his position, it was to prevent attacks on the Mobile Suit’s vital points. That was how it seemed.

To only avoid fatal blows. That meant that he had a desperate attack coming.

Gai moved right away.

He moved several DRAGOONs with quantum communication.

He thrust the sensor types into the dust cloud.

The sensors had multiple functions aside from being cameras, such as thermal scanning. By approaching, they could easily identify a Mobile Suit’s components based on heat signature. In other words, they could pinpoint its weak points even within the dust.

“Hmph.”

Receiving the data from the sensors, Gai realized that he had fallen for Dante’s scheme.

The ASTRAY Noir was nowhere to be found within the dust.

Only the Striker Pack remained.

Striker Packs normally couldn’t move independently, but Dante had fired an anchor before separation. He set it to reel itself in just as he detached it.

Naturally, the two linear guns still fired continuously.

The decoy diverted Gai’s attention for less than a few seconds.

But that brief moment could have been enough to decide a battle’s outcome.

“Gaaaii!!”

Emerging from the initial cloud of dust, the ASTRAY Noir kicked debris aside and lunged toward the Blue Frame D.

Sacrificing the Striker Pack lost him some thrust, but its lighter frame was enough to compensate for that.

Dante’s skill as a pilot allowed him to use the debris as footholds to charge forward.

Fast.

In that regard, Gai’s reading was correct. Dante had a desperate attack.

He intended to force them into close combat for a decisive brawl, leaving Gai no time to recall his DRAGOONs.

The distance between them closed rapidly.

Faster than Dante had calculated.

“Gai, you…!!”

That was when Dante realized.

The Blue Frame D had been accelerating too, closing in on the ASTRAY Noir.

In its hand was the DRAGOON once mounted on its waist.

The largest DRAGOON, which could be wielded as a sword.

The Blue Frame D was fast too.

Faster than the ASTRAY Noir.

Gai hadn’t used his Aile Striker at all until then.

Actually, it had been modified for charging acceleration specifically.

It could only be used once.

That was why he’d saved it.

“Amazing!”

Dante shouted.

He readied his Sword Pistols.

For a fraction of a second, he would be able to strike the Blue Frame D down.

It was all about timing.

Swinging too early or too late would fail.

“Now.”

He thought that it was time.

The Blue Frame D kept charging forward even faster.

“Wh-”

Dante immediately realized what had happened.

The Blue Frame D had detached its Aile Striker, reducing its weight while maintaining acceleration.

“I’ve seen this before…”

Even in the tension of the battle, Dante was overcome by the feeling.

He remembered it.

It was in a dream.

Dante had a dream where he fought Gai. This was the same technique that he had used in that dream.

Accelerating with the Striker, then detaching to reduce weight and accelerate further.

It was a dream, but he remembered it clearly.

“Heh, hahaha.”

Dante found himself laughing.

He was the one who had taught Gai to fight, but to have a technique that he used on Gai in a dream be returned to him in reality…

The acceleration forced Dante to retime his Sword Pistol’s swing.

The first strike was blocked by the DRAGOON in the Blue Frame D’s left hand.

He tried to block Gai’s counterattack with his remaining Sword Pistol.

But a violent impact rocked his Mobile Suit and Dante’s consciousness had already begun to fade.

The sword type DRAGOON in the Blue Frame D’s hand had struck him.

It wasn’t the shock of being cut in two.

It was an impact that rocked his entire Mobile Suit.

Attacks like these inflicted very little damage to Mobile Suits themselves, but they rocked the pilots’ brains, easily knocking them unconscious.

As his consciousness faded away, all that Dante understood was that he had been defeated.

✥✥✥

Less than a minute later, Dante had regained consciousness.

He wasn’t dead.

The first thing he felt was surprise at that fact.

The central monitor in his cockpit still showed the Blue Frame D.

Somehow, all of its DRAGOONs had returned to their respective homes.

“I lost…?”

Saying it aloud made it true.

But, he felt no regret.

No remorse, either.

Gai’s skill had been overwhelming. Beyond that, everything he hoped to impart lived on within the battle itself.

“You won’t kill me, Gai?”

“No need.”

“I fought with the intent to kill.”

“I know.”

“So kill me.”

“No. When I considered the true reason for this battle, killing you became unnecessary.”

“...The true reason?”

He trailed off.

Then, Gai said something that got right to the core of the issue.

“This was for Elza, wasn’t it?”

Dante knew that Gai had read his thoughts.

That was right. Gai knew Dante well. That had always been the case.

“Impressive as ever.”

There was nothing left to hide. He could feel it.

The reason Dante wanted to fight Gai.

It was for Elza.

“Her thoughts have stopped in place.”

Dante spoke slowly.

Elza was a Combat Coordinator created by Dante. Born to fight, she had no doubts about her way of life.

And yet, she had never truly considered what sort of purpose her power should serve.

Everything she did was done as Dante commanded her to do it.

“I should’ve realized it sooner, but I enjoyed living with her too… the time just kept slipping by me.”

They couldn’t stay together like that. Dante had resolved as much. Because Dante would undoubtedly die before she did. It was an inevitable fact, given their age difference.

What would happen to Elza if she lost Dante?

He foresaw a terrible outcome.

To avoid it, Dante decided to challenge Gai.

“You’d kill me. Then, even if you become the target of Elza’s vengeance, I know that you could evade it and survive.”

If Elza targeted Gai and became involved with him, she would naturally be influenced by his way of life.

Then, even after losing Dante, Elza would be able to find a path forward for herself.

“Because you were able to find it back when you were with me…”

He wanted to become a mercenary and make use of his strength. That was what the young Gai had told Dante.

It was a way of life that even Dante couldn’t manage.

He wanted Elza to learn it too.

“Dante, if I win, that works. But what were you planning to do if you won?”

There were no absolutes in battle.

There was a very real possibility that Gai could’ve lost.

“Then, I planned to fight Elza and push her away. Even if that’d make it a helluva lot harder for her to find her own path. I figured my chances of beating you were slim, though.”

Dante had done a lot of research on Gai both before and after their reunion.

He concluded that Gai had a kind of strength that he himself lacked, making him the most suitable candidate for this plan.

At the same time, he had also begun to look forward to fighting Gai at full strength.

“I’m glad I did it. This was the most fun battle I’ve ever had.”

Dante’s expression wasn’t the kind a loser made.

Gai thought that in the end, even his own defeat may have been a victory for Dante, if you traced the circumstances back.

Dante created Gai and helped him find his way.

In the end, it all came back to Dante.

“Dante, remember the day I escaped?”

“How could I not?”

Dante let Gai escape so that he could live his own life.

All of this had been an attempt to do the same for Elza, just in another way.

“Ever since I left you, I’ve been waiting for a chance to use my power for your sake. To show my gratitude to you for bringing me into this world.”

“...Is that right?”

“But there’s still one thing I can’t do. And that’s killing you.”

“...?”

Dante was at a loss for words.

He had been trying to make Gai do something that he couldn’t.

“I’m… sorry.”

Those words were the only ones he could squeeze out.

In his eagerness to save Elza, he had ignored Gai’s feelings…

“It’s fine. More importantly, we need to help Elza. I have an idea for that. Let me be clear first. I can kill you. You’re wrong, you’ve been underestimating her.”

“What?”

“Elza is much stronger. Probably strong enough to survive even if she lost you.”

“But I-”

“Maybe not right now, but she will become strong. I can guarantee that.”

“...I see.”

His words felt truer than any other.

Gai explained his plan to Dante.

Dante would go into hiding.

Elza would probably pursue Gai, just as Dante had originally planned.

However, Gai would hide too.

Elza would lose everything she had ever cherished.

But that same loss would force her to confront her way of life.

For this plan, two crucial things were needed.

First was to abandon the ASTRAY Noir. Second, to abandon Dante’s swords.

If Dante vanished, leaving these two things behind, it would be just as effective as his death.

To achieve this, Gai deliberately concentrated the damage he dealt during their battle onto the ASTRAY Noir’s Striker Pack.

If left behind, The Clan would surely find it. Damage to the Mobile Suit itself could potentially expose the abilities that Gai had been hiding. That risk would have been too much.

However, if the body itself went undamaged, no data could be gained from it.

“They’ll take the parts from the wrecked Noir.”

“You planned that far ahead…?”

Gai wasn’t like him, who was just good at fighting.

Dante caught himself feeling moved by this man who had become far more than he had created him to be.

“To support this plan, we’ve secured the cooperation of someone who left The Clan. With that in place, we’ll confirm Elza’s transformation.”

“When would that be?”

“At just the right time. You’ll see it with your own eyes.”

A few months later, that time would arrive.

✥✥✥

When the Blue Frame D’s hatch swung open, the figure that emerged was the exact one that Elza had imagined.

Dante.

“Hey there, Elza. Long time no see.”

Elza opened her own cockpit hatch wide, and Dante greeted her as if nothing had even happened.

“...”

She, on the other hand, had a mountain of things she wanted to say.

She couldn’t quite put any of them into words, though.

“Seriously, though. You’re naked again, even in this snow? You gotta relax a little. And your hair! You cut it short again!?”

Dante was more talkative than normal.

“...”

He stepped out of his Mobile Suit and stood on the snow-covered ground.

“Woah, damn. It’s freezing out here.”

Elza leapt out of her cockpit.

Before her feet could sink into the snow, she had broken into a run.

Dante was standing before her.

She threw herself at him and into a hug.

“Woah, woah. What’s this about? It’s not like you to give such a warm welcome.”

“...Dante.”

Just saying his name was as much as she could manage.

She couldn’t control her emotions.

Her anger was gone.

“You’re ice-cold!”

Dante hugged her back.

She felt it with her entire body.

She was enveloped in a warmth that felt somehow distinct from body heat.

She should’ve asked him what happened, what was going on.

But at the same time, none of it mattered to her anymore.

Before she knew it, Lily had poked her head out from the bar, and even Gai had snuck out from wherever he had been hiding.

“Hey now, Gai and Lily are watching too. I’m getting embarrassed for you. How about we head into that warm-looking bar? They’ve got good coffee, don’t they?”

“...I don’t like coffee.”

“Wha!? That’s news to me!”

“I do think we should go inside, though. I’ll make you the best coffee we have. I have the beans you like ready for you.”

“Sounds good, let’s do that.”

Dante and Elza disappeared into the bar as Lily beckoned them to come in.

Gai watched them go in silence.

Gai had a thought. Dante must have seen Elza’s change during the fight.

Even when Dante eventually left her, Elza would continue on her own path.

So, until then, it should be fine for them to rely on each other and live on together.

Gai had comrades waiting for him to come back too.

“Mission complete.”

He murmured to himself.

The quiet sound of singing came from the bar.

A song brimming with joy.

Listening to it, Gai left.

THE END (Battle Special 02)

BACK TO READING ORDER

Translated by TrafalgarLog

Shortly before Dante and Gai’s battle began.

Elza was about to split off from Dante.

To fight Elijah.

She held no grudge against him. Her true target was Gai.

Killing Elijah would cause Gai to lose his composure, preventing him from utilizing his full power.

She didn’t believe that Dante would lose to Gai, but Elza wanted to do whatever she could to increase his odds.

That was the reasoning behind her actions.

If possible, she wanted to eliminate Kazahana too, since she had gotten too close to her greatest secret. It wasn’t unlikely that the two were acting together.

Until not long ago, Dante Elza and Lily had pursued Gai to Rondo Mina’s castle Ame-no-Mihashira. They had moved on from there, borrowing a civilian orbital facility for lodging.

They planned to prepare there until their confrontation with Gai, managing their physical conditions, maintaining their Mobile Suits and so on.

They had just finished eating and Dante was enjoying a cup of coffee. Elza had taken a cup too, at Dante’s urging. Lily, however, had declined, saying that she hated coffee, then excusing herself to prepare the ASTRAY Noir’s equipment.

“Lily, you’re just as childish as you look. You just can’t appreciate the flavor.”

As if to prove his adulthood, Dante savored the aroma and swallowed the hot, jet-black liquid.

“Mm-mm~, I just can’t resist it.”

“Indeed. The coffee beans today have a particularly strong aroma.”

With Elza’s sense of smell, she could even discern the origin of the beans.

“Because they’re top-of-the-line.”

Alone with Dante for the first time in a while.

It was the perfect chance to raise the idea of splitting up.

“The Clan has called me for a job. I’ll be going.”

She lied. It couldn’t be helped. She couldn’t tell Dante the truth.

Dante wanted to fight Gai at his best, and had opposed the idea of killing Elijah on those grounds.

“The Clan? First they sneak one of their spies in, now they’re sending you away… Should I come with? I can complain on your behalf.”

“I can handle it myself.”

“I see. Well, no need for me to stick my neck out then. Even if I’m a little worried about it.”

“Parental concern?”

Elza’s words clearly troubled him.

“Stop it. I’ve told you over and over that I’m not your parent.”

“Right. Why, then?”

“Because you’re lacking in crucial areas.”

“You created me. If my performance isn’t good enough, that would be your responsibility.”

“No, no, that’s not what I mean. It’s not about performance. It’s just a lack of experience. You have almost no experience with interpersonal relationships.”

“I don’t need that.”

“Don’t be so sure. You need interpersonal skills.”

“If they get in the way, I’ll just eliminate them”

She was saying that she’d kill any nuisance in her path.

Though he had dealt in life and death as an occupation, even Dante couldn’t help but object to that idea.

“Hey now, killing to solve your problems just invites new ones.”

“Is that right?”

“It is.”

“I can just eliminate those new problems too.”

“That’d go on forever, right!?”

“Human connections aren’t infinite.”

“Sure, but…”

“Even if you were killed, only I would seek revenge.”

“You promised to become a vengeful demon.”

“Oh, we did talk about that.”

Not long ago, Elza said that she wouldn’t care if Dante was killed.

Dante had told her to say that she’d become a vengeful demon, even if she was just saying it for his sake.

“Anyway, I’m the unwilling exception. In this world, chains of murder can become unstoppable. Solving things by killing is the height of foolishness.”

As a mercenary who’d killed many people, he felt like his words lacked much persuasiveness, even to himself.

But, the truth was the truth. No matter who said them, the words held truth.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Engrave it deep within your memory.”

Dante felt relieved.

Looking at him, Elza felt that his reaction was a bit different from usual.

A faint smile crossed his face.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“You realized? So you do at least have enough interpersonal skill to read my expression.”

His words were laced with sarcasm, but Elza seemed oblivious to that fact. Her interpersonal skills were truly lacking. Though, he couldn’t rule out the idea that she understood but was simply ignoring it…

“So, what’s with the smile?”

“We always have these pointless conversations about parenthood or the abilities I gave you, right? Talking to you is utterly exhausting, Elza. But, there might come a time when even these conversations feel precious. If I think of it that way, even a conversation like this can be amusing.”

“I don’t get it.”

“For example, if one of us dies first… then the one left behind would probably see it that way.”

“I’m younger, so I’m more likely to live longer. I probably won’t feel that way, though.”

“...Maybe.”

“Besides, as long as you’re alive, I’ll be with you. You won’t be left alone to feel that way in the first place.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Sorry to say this right after calling it amusing, but I’m getting a little sick of this. Let’s cut this pointless conversation off here.”

Elza thought that this reaction was much more like Dante.

“Got it.”

“Whew.”

“I’ll go deal with The Clan alone. You prepare for your fight with Gai.”

“I can do that. Oh, take Lily with you. That way I can focus on preparing on my own.”

“Fine.”

“That settles it. Don’t take too long or you won’t be back in time for the fight with Gai. Be careful out there.”

“Yes. It’s in a week, right?”

“Yeah. We’ll decide the location when Gai contacts us. Ideally, you should be back a day before then. I’ll go fight alone if you don’t make it back in time.”

“I know.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Dante poured more coffee into his now-empty cup.

“I’ll be back before the fight…”

Elza answered, downing the now cold coffee in her cup.

The bitterness spread across her tongue.

She disliked the sensation. Her taste buds were genetically enhanced as well. That was the root of her issue.

Suddenly, Elza had a thought.

If Dante could recall conversations he disliked with nostalgia, maybe she would be able to drink coffee that she didn’t like and nostalgically remember Dante. Precisely because she never reached for such things herself, they were etched even more strongly in her memory.

Even so, there was still a long time before that would happen.

Thinking about it now was pointless.

Elza went down to Earth with Lily.

She had no idea that it was all orchestrated…

She thought that she had deceived Dante, but in truth, Dante had seen through every part of it.

He told her that the battle with Gai would be in a week, but it would actually take place the very next day.

He had set it all up to prevent her from intervening in his battle with Gai.

Elza, trusting Dante without question, went to carry out her own mission. In that time, Dante had already left to fight Gai.

Returning to the orbital facility from Earth, Elza was stunned to learn the truth.

She had arrived right on time, but Dante was nowhere to be found within the facility and neither was the ASTRAY Noir.

All that remained was a letter for Elza.

Though, its content hardly qualified as a letter.

“Live however you’d like from now on.”

At first, she didn’t understand what it meant.

She could only grasp that she hadn’t made it back in time for the battle.

Days passed, and Dante did not return.

It took her a considerable amount of time to realize that ‘live however you’d like from now on’ was a farewell.

No, she understood from the moment she read it, she just didn’t want to admit it.

“Did he write this knowing that he was going to lose…?”

Lily murmured to herself. She knew Gai’s strength all too well.

“No.”

Elza denied her straight away.

Though she was speaking emotionally, she could still have said that she was wrong upon calm reflection.

Dante must have left for battle as soon as he’d parted with Elza.

And, anticipating defeat, he left the letter.

At that point, he was only considering the possibility of losing.

In other words, if he could defeat Gai, he would have returned before Elza got back and destroyed the letter.

“I see…”

Lily accepted Elza’s explanation.

At the same time, her calm analysis forced them both to face a truth they’d rather avoid.

The reason that the latter hadn’t been disposed of before Elza got back.

“We don’t know if he lost. He might have won but just been too injured to return. Or even if he lost, there’s still a good chance that he’s alive, right?”

Lily was more talkative than usual.

Elza understood that she was showing concern for her.

“Instead of waiting here, let’s do something.”

“Right.”

Elza nodded.

It was obvious. She was surprised at herself for not realizing it sooner.

This flustered version of herself wasn’t her true self.

And she was certainly far from the Combat Coordinator Dante had designed.

“Where should we start…?”

“If we knew where they fought, we might still have a chance to find him.”

All they knew was the approximate date and time of the battle.

And that he had used the ASTRAY Noir to fight Gai.

That was all.

It simply wasn’t enough information.

“Maybe The Clan knows something.”

They were professionals in handling information.

And, formally speaking, they were also the clients who had commissioned Dante to defeat Gai.

“Then we need to make contact with Serpent Tail on Earth again…”

“Elza, that’s it. If Gai came back, he was part of the fight. We could get more detailed information from him, and maybe Dante is even there with him.”

“Right.”

It seemed plausible.

Even if Gai won the fight, he had no reason to kill Dante.

He could’ve been treating the injured Dante at his place.

It was possible.

Or, the opposite could have been true. Dante won and Gai was injured. Dante would be staying with him out of concern.

Dante was ruthless in battle, but he also had a deep kindness within him.

Elza knew that.

“Where do we go first?”

Lily asked, and Elza answered right away.

“The Clan. They might already be hiding to avoid my pursuit. The Clan should be tracking them.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

Elza and Lily took matters into their own hands.

✥✥✥

Their attempt to gather intel quickly hit a dead end.

In the end, even The Clan hadn’t grasped much about their battle.

Meanwhile, Gai and the other members of Serpent Tail really had seemed to vanish.

However, it was certain that they were alive, appearing and disappearing in unpredictable ways while completing missions.

“Gai is alive.”

That fact alone hinted toward Dante being dead, but Elza vowed that she wouldn’t jump to conclusions until she had enough proof.

In the end, the information they gathered was scarce.

The location of their battle was unknown.

The new Blue Frame load-out Gai had prepared for the battle was unknown.

Dante’s status was unknown.

How the battle unfolded was unknown.

The outcome of the battle was unknown.

Of course, their search had borne some amount of fruit.

The Clan had found something.

It was there, where Elza was summoned by Laura of The Clan.

“This is… the ASTRAY Noir?”

A jet-black Mobile Suit was stored in a civilian hangar.

It was the Mobile Suit that Dante had forced into the Actaeon Project and developed to fight Gai with.

However, its appearance had changed from the one Elza knew.

The Noir Striker on its back was missing.

“Destroyed in battle…?”

Destroying equipment that would enhance mobility was a basic strategy.

Of course, Dante may have detached it himself. She’d heard that he had done so when he fought Gai in a dream once.

“Apart from the Striker, there is no more visible damage. No signs of repair either. Surprisingly, both Sword Pistols are intact. From that, we can infer what sort of battle this was to some extent.”

Laura analyzed the data she had gathered while reviewing it.

Whether Dante had won or lost, the likelihood that he had died in the battle was low. The cockpit had no major damage.

However, it was still possible that they had engaged in physical combat when the Mobile Suit battle was over.

According to The Clan’s surveillance data on Dante, when he contacted Librarian to have his Sword Pistols created, he had fought in direct combat after a Mobile Suit battle.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the same sequence had occurred in this case.

“That would be where Dante lost his life at Gai’s hand. It’s possible.”

“...”

Elza remembered her first encounter with Gai.

Back then, Dante had overwhelmed Gai in hand-to-hand combat. But that didn’t mean he would always win. After fighting him once, Gai surely would have prepared countermeasures.

“Another piece of physical evidence. We found these in the cockpit.”

Laura presented two swords.

From a glance, they were clearly Dante’s.

Elza took them from Laura’s hands.

“Oh dear, be careful. No need to get so worked up.”

“Dante…”

Dante carried these swords with him at all times. He even kept them in the cockpit when piloting his Mobile Suit.

The idea that Dante would part with them before going into action was inconceivable to her.

“It is settled, Elza. Dante failed to fulfill The Clan’s request. That is the situation. To put it bluntly, he lost to Gai. And died. It truly is unfortunate, but that is the truth of the matter.”

“...”

Elza didn’t answer.

She just gripped Dante’s sword tightly.

“So, what are you going to do? If you’d like to avenge Dante, we will cooperate. We will handle the ASTRAY’s modifications as well. A give and take situation. It would benefit The Clan. After all, Gai remains an undeniable obstacle.”

Laura had no sympathy for Elza.

She simply wanted to make full use of every pawn at her disposal.

“...”

Elza still didn’t answer.

“Well, do take your time thinking about it. We will begin modifications on the Mobile Suit in the meantime. Oh, and that new unit ZAFT is developing? We will mount its equipment onto this one’s lost back section. It will become a fine machine. The rest will be up to your skill, but you will be just fine, right? You are the Combat Coordinator that Dante poured his heart and soul into creating. You can certainly defeat Gai. I have faith in you.”

To Elza, Laura of The Clan’s voice was nothing but noise.

✥✥✥

Several months had passed since Dante and Gai’s battle.

The world had begun to shift dramatically.

The Earth Alliance stole the new Mobile Suits that the PLANT government was developing at Armory One…

Fragments of Junius Seven were deliberately sent falling onto the Earth…

Rondo Mina Sahaku made her Declaration of the Sky…

Conflict between the Earth Alliance and PLANT broke out once more…

The Clan that once prospered and shaped history from the underworld was gone…

Northern America.

A small bar.

It stood alone, built outside of town.

It had originally been built in the city’s center, but the flames of war consumed all of the surrounding buildings, leaving the bar standing miraculously alone.

In the darkness of night, there was a single light.

A man approached it.

His name was Murakumo Gai.

A mercenary.

Outside, rain was falling.

It was cold enough that snow could begin to fall at any moment.

Gai’s Mobile Suit was parked in the rain.

A blue frame clad in white armor.

The ASTRAY Blue Frame D.

A visibly ferocious machine equipped with blades throughout its body.

Just looking at it would give one the illusion of their eyes being sliced open.

Sharp.

It was the embodiment of that word.

Raindrops fell from the sword mounted on its head.

The exposed blade glinted with a cold, stark light.

Gai’s gaze shifted sideways.

There stood another Mobile Suit.

One very similar to the Blue Frame. Yet with a jet-black form that lurked in the darkness.

Large wings billowed out from its back.

Painted entirely in black and red, it was perfectly suited to flying through the darkness.

“Destiny…”

Gai had seen it before.

A variant of ZAFT’s Destiny Silhouette.

Gai had once accompanied a test operation for it at PLANT’s request.

Developed as a versatile piece of equipment for a Mobile Suit called the Impulse, it never entered into mass production. Development was passed on to the unit that would eventually bear the name Destiny.

The one before him was an ASTRAY Noir equipped with a Destiny Silhouette.

Its previous Noir Striker was made by the Earth Alliance, but this Silhouette was developed by PLANT.

It was the sort of improvement one would normally deem to be unthinkable.

This Mobile Suit was drenched in rain as well.

Sword Pistols, drawn and mounted on each side, sliced through the rain that fell from the sky.

“...”

As he stared at that unit, the feelings in his eyes hidden behind sunglasses were impossible to read.

Gai stared at the jet-black Mobile Suit for a moment before stepping into the bar.

The interior was filled with the same cold air as the exterior, but it at least offered some shelter from the rain.

The inside was larger than one would imagine from the outside.

A counter seating about five people and four tables. No customers.

Further back, there was even a small stage.

It was bathed in an especially bright spotlight.

Within that dazzling light stood a woman.

Green hair cut short.

A supple, slender physique.

Her lips were painted a bright rouge red, and her mermaid dress was just as crimson.

It was Elza.

She parted her scarlet lips.

It seemed almost as if a deep wound was opening.

It felt almost strange that blood didn’t spurt forth.

“...Aaaahhh.”

What spilled forth was not blood, but song.

It began so faintly that it was almost inaudible.

When Gai focused enough to grasp the lyrics, an image formed within him.

A young girl was shivering.

The girl had lost sight of the man who had been with her since birth.

She was a lost child.

An anxiety like the ground beneath her feet had rumbled and caved in.

She could no longer stand straight.

She could no longer remember how she had lived until then.

Breathing. Even something so ordinary required conscious effort.

The girl was born with a purpose, and so had never worried about life.

Yet, losing a single man had left her bewildered and confused.

The girl searched for the man.

As she did, she searched for those who hid him from her.

After so much time, the man had not been found.

Her anxiety faded in time, but she could not return to who she once was.

Time flowed on, battle raged, stars fell and at last, she found those who were hiding him.

There was no joy in it.

Only a quiet sorrow…

A cold, quiet sorrow.

Elza fell silent.

The song was over and the image faded away.

But Gai’s heart had been violently shaken.

His pulse raced.

There was no doubt that the song expressed Elza’s feelings.

And the one who took the man away from the girl… was him.

Yet, Gai was created by Dante just as she was.

There was something between them that only the two of them could ever understand.

The victim and the perpetrator. Gai was in a position to understand both.

“...Even so.”

Elza’s singing voice held an extraordinary power.

Gai had never had his emotions stirred so strongly.

It was difficult to believe that a song could have such power.

He had heard that PLANT’s idol Lacus Clyne had a similar ability. He didn’t quite believe it before, but now it suddenly felt all too real.

After finishing her song and stepping off of the stage, Elza went behind the counter and quietly began to work.

Soon, a pleasant aroma began to waft through the air, pleasantly tickling his nostrils.

“Here you go.”

Elza handed Gai the cup of coffee she had just poured.

She prepared the same drink for herself and took a sip.

She was showing Gai that it wasn’t poisoned.

Gai followed suit and took a sip from his cup.

He felt the warm liquid fill not just his body, but his heart as well.

“Dante would like this blend.”

The aroma was strong. The sweet beans were roasted intensely.

Putting it crudely, it was the kind with suppressed aldehydes and high levels of β-damascenone.

Gai remembered describing it that way when he was a child, prompting Dante to indulgently reply: “There’s no better way to describe this amazing flavor than that.”

“How do you feel about coffee?”

“I never liked it as much as Dante.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

Gai and Elza had never spent time together. The only connecting tissue between them was Dante.

“Thank you for responding when I called you here.”

Elza had been searching for Gai for a long time. But she could never find him.

So, she changed her approach.

Instead of searching, she called out and waited for him to appear.

She waited several months, and then there he was.

“I really kept you waiting.”

“How did you hide for so long? It shouldn’t be possible with the mercenary work you do.”

“The Clan knew, didn’t they?”

“Yes.”

“There was a man who left them. As a single entity, he had intel manipulation abilities that rivalled The Clan’s.”

“That single person handled the intel manipulation…?”

“He died along with The Clan. Reed took over the job from there, but he has his limits.”

Reed was one of Serpent Tail’s members, another person skilled at intel manipulation, though he was more skilled at gathering it.

“That’s why you decided to answer my call?”

“That’s right.”

“If you could have hidden, did you intend to stay that way forever?”

“Yes. At least for a while longer.”

“...I see.”

She didn’t blame him.

Gai avoided her. Elza sensed something like kindness in that evasion.

If she didn’t make contact with Gai, she would never learn what happened to Dante…

“I’d like to ask a question.”

“Sure.”

“Would you have pursued me forever?”

“...I don’t know.”

That was honestly how she felt.

Dante’s letter told her to live as she’d like.

Of course, continuing to pursue Gai would be part of that freedom.

But she couldn’t imagine that being the life Dante would have wanted for her.

“A long time ago, I made a promise to Dante that if he died I would become a vengeful demon.”

“I see. But he must have told you to say that, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“That’s Dante for you.”

These two people knew Dante better than anyone else in the world.

Sharing memories of him brought them joy.

“One more thing. That song earlier, what was it?”

“My ability. The one Dante didn’t include in his genetic manipulation. A hidden power that I acquired for myself.”

“Ahh.”

“Does that question mean that Kazahana didn’t tell you?”

“Oh. Did Kazahana know?”

“I didn’t tell her. We spoke and she guessed it.”

“I see.”

She was a keen observer. If Kazahana had a special ability, that was it.

“Why sing before our fight?”

The power of her song to stir the heart of its listener could have been used during their battle.

Elza had actually killed opponents with it before. She had sung to the very first person she ever killed.

“Well, I’m wondering the same.”

She wasn’t feigning ignorance, she genuinely wasn’t sure of it herself.

She had even tried to kill Kazahana to protect that secret. And yet…

Just as Dante said, she simply acted as she wanted to.

This was the result.

“Right. Do we take this outside?”

“Yeah.”

Elza began to change clothes.

The dress looked cold enough, and yet she had taken it off.

Aside from her shorts, she wrapped a single piece of cloth around her upper body.

That was all.

Gai didn’t know this, but Elza exposing her bare skin to the air of the battlefield was perfectly natural for her.

Her skin was a kind of sensor.

Outside, the rain had turned to snow.

It was cold.

Elza and Gai’s Mobile Suits stood, but neither had any intention of boarding them.

There was something they had to do first.

“Take this.”

Elza tossed a sword to Gai.

Gai caught it in silence.

“Not exactly a parting gift…”

Saying so, Elza held an identical sword in front of her.

They were Dante’s beloved swords.

Elza drew it silently and took a stance across from Gai.

In response, Gai drew his own and took a stance across from Elza.

No further words were exchanged.

As warriors, they now held weapons that could speak more eloquently than words ever could.

In silence, they closed the distance and clashed blades.

Snow continued to fall.

The metallic clang of their blades was absorbed by the quiet snow.

Silence.

Painful silence.

All that asserted itself within a world nearly completely hidden by snow were the flashes of steel.

Gai utilized his physical prowess to launch mighty strikes.

Elza parried with reflexes like lightning.

Then, she countered with a swift slash. A technique she learned from Dante.

Gai intercepted Elza’s blade with his own.

The flow of power shifted, diminishing its force.

They were evenly matched.

Both were created by Dante.

His influence was present in every inch of them.

With each swing of their blades, it was as if Dante himself was present.

In that, there was both joy and sorrow.

Even together, they could not become Dante.

He was not there.

Most likely, he did not exist in the world at all…

“Dante… Dante… Dante!”

Through the swinging of swords, Elza and Gai mourned Dante.

NEXT BATTLE

BACK TO READING ORDER

Translated by TrafalgarLog

A few days ago.

While working in space, Lowe encountered a Mobile Suit remarkably similar to the Destiny Impulse.

Probably undergoing testing, the new unit suddenly attacked the Red Frame. Lowe attempted to avoid combat but was knocked out into space.

After drifting for a while, Lowe managed to return to the Red Frame.

But 8, who should have been acting as its pilot, was nowhere to be found.

“What the hell…?”

When he got back to the Junk Guild facility, Lowe rushed to analyze the Red Frame’s coder.

It had footage of the Blau Calamity fighting the Destiny Impulse alongside a modified version of the Raider.

“This is… that VV guy’s Mobile Suit…!”

VV was an individual that the journalist Jess had encountered, who then sent Lowe a challenge boasting about his Mobile Suit developments.

“Does he know where 8 is?”

He rewatched the video of VV that Jess had given him. That footage only had the Blau Calamity. No image of him, just his voice.

“That voice sounds familiar… oh! It’s the Actaeon researcher!”

The first time he heard it, he’d been so distracted by the Blau Calamity that he didn’t recognize it.

But now he was certain.

Lowe was once invited to the unveiling of a new Actaeon weapon. When he did, an incident occurred.

The same voice had spoken to him over comms during it.

“Huh. I think I’ve heard this voice too.”

Kisato, standing nearby, moved closer to the speaker.

She listened to it again.

“Yeah, no doubt.”

“You know this guy?”

“We met before.”

“Where? When?”

“After we got back from Mars. Remember when you went to pitch the Caletvwlch to DSSD? And ZAFT attacked us, right? He was watching you and Gai fight next to me at the station!”

“What!?”

“I remember ‘cause he was wearing a pretty crazy outfit.”

Kisato pulled out her tablet and sketched a picture of VV.

“Like this!”

Pointy boots, a suit with machines attached to it.

Certainly unusual.

Kisato’s sketch wasn’t great, but it captured several key points.

Lowe was stunned. He recognized the outfit in the sketch. There was no mistaking a design like that.

“Isn’t that the Pirate Emperor’s treasure!?”

Lowe had once obtained a treasure map and went on a search. The treasure was that same eccentric outfit.

“What’s going on here?”

“I’m starting to get it now.”

VV had been secretly involved behind the scenes for many of Lowe’s incidents since he got back from Mars.

The N-Dagger N attack during the Caletvwlch’s unveiling

The attack at DSSD.

The Pirate Emperor’s treasure.

The fight with the Wild Dogs of the Wilderness.

The Scarlet Festival.

The mock battle with the Gold Frame Amatsu Mina.

The runaway Actaeon prototypes.

Jess’ encounter with the Blau Calamity.

His encounter with the Destiny Impulse.

And 8’s disappearance.

VV seemed to have had a hand in all of it, at least from Lowe’s perspective.

In reality, many of the moving parts in these incidents weren’t connected to VV at all, but he had hit the nail on the head in him being involved in most.

“This guy might have 8…”

Lowe made his decision. To get 8 back, he’d start by contacting VV.

✥✥✥

“It is finally in my hands!”

Just as Lowe had guessed, VV had 8.

He had recovered it after the battle with the Destiny Impulse R. If he were honest, VV’s entire pursuit of Lowe was a plot to acquire 8.

VV had a variety of themes in his research, but the most crucial of them all was the practical application of combat-focused AI.

The pseudo-personality computer that the Natural named Lowe had acquired through sheer luck utilized unknown technology. If mass-produced, it could become an invincible army.

“Hmph… what is going on here?”

However, analysing 8’s contents proved to be no easy task, even for a genius like VV. Only Mikhail Coast, a man known as The Doctor, had ever gotten access to 8’s internal systems. No one else, not even Lowe or The Professor had ever managed it.

“In that case, I will just have to get it to tell me itself!”

VV began to negotiate with 8.

He offered every possible incentive, including a daily waxing.

But 8 remained stubborn.

Ultimately, 8 agreed to an unexpected proposal.

“If mass production is a success, I will return you to Lowe.”

That was the plan.

VV couldn’t fathom its desire to return to that foolish Natural, but if it made for an easy negotiation, that was acceptable.

And so, production began on a combat AI based on 8’s design.

“Once this is complete, it will surpass even you, 8! I will call it 80! A multiplication of 10!”

VV’s style was as troublesome as ever. 8 wanted to retort, but couldn’t muster the energy.

This wasn’t the first time he’d parted ways with Lowe.

During construction on the Giga-Float, he was dropped into the sea and drifted to some nameless southern island.