Unreasonable Demands part 2
「Kou, can I share the combat records?」
「Alright. Go ahead and share them. But understand this: this might become a personal vendetta between me, the Mercenary Association, and the Roche Phalanx. That’s why I don’t want to involve Metal Iris in this.」
Aimer transferred the combat records to Jenny and Barry, who reviewed them carefully. At last, they understood. It was no wonder Kou was enraged.
The images and logs revealed the brutal targeting and destruction of the MCSs of the armored vehicle group, reduced to shambles. The pilot of the Archangel had made remarks that, once heard, made everything clear. Their claim of ‘not killing anyone’ only added salt to the wound.
「…Idiots. Even I’d pick a fight after this.」
Barry muttered, his voice heavy with shared anger.
「Seriously. Don’t think even for an instant that all the people born in Asia share this kind of thinking.」
Jenny said with a sigh of exasperation.
Both she and Barry were incredulous. This mindset was fundamentally incompatible with Metal Iris, which operated with the Familias at its core. If Rick were to learn of the situation, he would likely leave Metal Iris immediately and join the Astraea in their confrontation.
「I’ve got a feeling something even more troublesome is going to happen. Not just this. And when it does, I don’t want to drag anyone else into it.」
「Troublesome? Like what?」
「…Just a hunch. I feel a strong sense of unease when I’m piloting Unit 5—something I didn’t feel at all when we faced off against the Argoforce. I only feel it when I’m aboard Unit 5 though, it’s vague, so I don’t want to involve Metal Iris based on something so uncertain.」
「True, the MCS is said to enhance all six—no, seven senses. If you’re saying this, there must be something to it.」
「I’m not a psychic.」
「Oh, come on. You’re an EX-Rank Development Engineer who is feeling a strong sense of dread when you are piloting an MCS. Are you seriously telling us to ignore your intuition? That’s the most ridiculous thing I heard today.」
Neither of them dismissed Kou’s instincts. On the contrary, they took them seriously.
「We’ll go with Kou. Separating from Metal Iris and acting independently is the logical choice. The Mercenary Association Headquarters also serves as this planet’s administrator. Like Kou, I believe it’s best not to involve everyone else.」
「And I’m telling you not to rush into this! Administrator or not, if the situation doesn’t sit right, we’ll accept the fight that’s been picked with us!」
「Exactly. For now, we’ll see how tomorrow’s negotiations go, alright? Aimer-chan, don’t get ahead of yourself.」
「Understood.」
「And Kou—you too!」
「…Got it, understood. Sorry for worrying you.」
As the communication line went silent, Barry and Jenny exchanged weary glances and let out a deep sigh. They immediately decided to convene an emergency meeting of all the corporations composing Ulysses. There was a lingering fear—if handled poorly, the Astraea crew might act recklessly.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
「Aimer, thank you.」
「Don’t mention it. That money was originally entrusted to me by you.」
「I have no objections to how you used it. I’m just glad you used it for the negotiations. Though… I might’ve ruffled your hair too much earlier. Sorry about that.」
「It’s fine.」
Inside, she felt happy. Acting in alignment with Kou’s wishes was the most important thing to her, more than anything else.
「Truthfully, I don’t want to drag everyone into this. But at this point, there’s no turning back. Fight alongside me.」
Kou said, addressing everyone in the combat command center.
「Of course! If you left us out, we’d hold a grudge forever. Especially this crew.」
Voy chuckled, lightening the mood with a grin.
「That’s right, nya. If you ignore a cat, it’ll hold a grudge forever, nya.」
「Same goes for dogs.」
「And me.」
「I get it, I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but… this feeling, this unease, it’s real. Is it Prometheus? Hephaestus? I don’t know who, but when I’m in Unit 5, it’s as if someone whispers to me from the depths of my mind.」
Kou struggled to articulate the sensation, fumbling for words that wouldn’t fully come.
「‘Don’t yield’…? Something like that. That’s the feeling I get. I’m not sure what I’m not supposed to yield to, but when I fought those Antique Silhouettes, it all became clear. It’s them.」
He wrestled with his own mental image, trying to convey it to the others.
「Where does such a strong sense of intent even come from? Is it being transmitted to you, almost like intuition?」
Aimer believed in Kou’s instincts, but she also wanted to understand the source of this inexplicable sensation.
「It’s definitely not coming from me or the Astraea.」
「If there’s anything strange, I’ll address it directly.」
「You’re right, I know I shouldn’t move an entire unit based on nothing but a gut feeling, but… tomorrow, we’ll see.」
Kou wished he had a little more time.
The time is ripe.
The voiceless voice echoed once more.
Who is it? Are you saying that tomorrow is the moment?
He asked silently in his mind, but there was no reply.
「Do you have any insight into the movements of the Mercenary Association, Asia?」
「Come to think of it, I haven’t told you anything about the Mercenary Association Headquarters. Sorry, but I didn’t want to get too involved with them.」
「You don’t need to.」
「Naturally. They’ve done nothing for you, Asia, there’s no value in talking to them.」
Astraea was unforgiving. The Mercenary Association’s neglect of Asia had reached a tipping point, prompting Astraea to act in secret, setting the stage for her alliance with Kou.
「They’ve demanded Kurose-san’s handover. We’ll shelter him here before Kinukawa-san joins us. Make arrangements immediately. Eira, I’m counting on you.」
「Understood!」
As someone entrusted with leading the Trooper Unit, Eira wasted no time in establishing communication with Kurose, initiating preparations for his transfer.
「Tomorrow, huh? I wish we had more time to prepare.」
「It’s the Mercenary Association Headquarters, after all. You’re right—there’s no way we can involve Metal Iris in this. Both we and they are part of the Mercenary Association.」
「Exactly. That’s why, if this were just about me, someone outside their system, I’d feel much more at ease.」
「It’s too late for that, nya. This isn’t a matter that doesn’t concern us anymore, nya.」
「That’s true.」
The clear hostility in Nyanta and Aki’s eyes wasn’t just born of the current situation. It also stemmed from their memories of the Interplanetary War and the unshakable fact that Kou’s enemies were their enemies as well.
「There’s no way we will leave you alone to charge in solo with Unit 5. Though, knowing you, you might end up defeating them alone.」
「I’d just end up surrounded and shot to pieces.」
「Hey, don’t you dare seriously consider it!」
Laughter rippled through the group, but even as Kou shared in their levity, he continued to search for answers. What exactly did ‘The time is ripe’ mean?
AN: Damage Report:
- Initial engagement involved Unit 5 and Aramasa against Angel and Archangel units. Both Angel and Archangel were destroyed.
- Unit 5 subsequently destroyed Aratron, while Heino pursued and heavily damaged another Archangel. The finishing blow to the Archangel was delivered by Unit 5.
- All pilots of the destroyed Antique Silhouettes were killed in action.
- The only surviving enemy was an Angel unit that successfully recovered the Aratron remains along with its pilot.
Aratron’s estimated value exceeds 500 billion yen, though its actual worth is nearly impossible to quantify, given the arbitrary nature of such assessments. The limit of negotiation will likely hinge on this figure.
Aimer’s payment of approximately 1.1 trillion yen was a calculated move to gauge the enemy’s response.
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