Lowe Guele opened the file sent by 8 (Hachi), the artificial intelligence installed on the Gundam Astray Red Frame. Since there were quite a few people present, a laptop screen certainly wasn't going to be large enough.
Erica Simmons tapped a few keys, projecting the video onto a massive screen in front of them that rivaled a cinema.
The video unfolded from the perspective of the Astray Red Frame. It skipped the segments of their departure from the Orb Union and cut straight to the footage of Lowe reaching that cluster of islands.
"Mikazuki Augus!"
"If you're going to fight, fight. Stop shouting my name over and over, you're annoying."
…
"Children of sin... Lieutenant Crank Zent clearly didn't want to fight you. He originally wanted to save you. Why can't you understand his compassion?"
"That old guy wanted to die himself."
"...As I thought, you are a defective product! An irredeemable Space Rat! There's no hope for you. You're absolutely beyond saving; you aren't even worth saving."
"Who asked you to save me? You talk way too much."
…
"Aaaah! A mere rat has made me look pathetic time and time again! Unforgivable... unforgivable! You monster!"
"You're the last person who should be calling me that."
…
"How... I... lost to your hands again... I curse you, child of sin! You will definitely die a miserable death... just like... just like how your head was cut off on that final battlefield on Mars... No, it will be even worse than that..."
"Rambling on and on. You really are annoying."
"Lieu... Lieutenant Crank... Lieutenant Colonel Bauduin... forgive me..."
A massive explosion rose into the sky.
The footage showed everything from the moment Gundam Barbatos stood in the curtain of rain against the black unit that suddenly charged out, until the moment Barbatos lunged at Lowe. Even their dialogue was replayed word for word.
Everyone in the command tower was stunned by the battle playing on the screen. Aside from the audio of the recording, not a single person made a sound.
Cagalli Yula Athha stared blankly at the paused image of Barbatos on the screen. It was obvious that the pilot of that black unit and Mikazuki knew each other; there were even deep, complex grudges between them.
"A curse... and having his head cut off? How malicious," the Professor sighed, a rare look of gravity appearing on her face.
Lowe had witnessed it in person, but reviewing it now still made his heart sink. It felt incredibly heavy.
"Yeah. It seems the kid killed someone very important to the pilot of that black unit. Why does it always have to be about killing? Wouldn't it be better to just be happy and tinker with machines like me...?"
Lowe remembered the words Mikazuki had said to him.
"Not everyone sees the world as beautifully as you do. Some people can't survive if they don't fight and get stronger. You asked why I was fighting that black unit? It's simple. I killed someone important to him, so he came for revenge. But I didn't want to die, so... he got killed by me instead. Fighting is just as simple as killing or being killed."
"It's so hard to understand... Just what happened to that boy?"
"Lowe..." Juri Wu Nien saw the expression on Lowe's face and called out to him with concern.
Lowe shook off his depressed look and forced a smile. "Don't worry, I'm just a bit stuck on it, that's all. Besides, my relationship with him ends here. We probably won't ever meet again anyway, so there's no point in thinking about all that messy stuff. Right, Juri?"
Juri Wu Nien showed a happy smile. "Right."
Cagalli clenched her fists. "Mikazuki... just what are you..."
Three days later.
At a port within PLANT's home territory. Although this was PLANT's domain, no one knew that the actual controller was a faction planted there by Orb. Even the members of the Supreme Council were unaware that this commercial port actually belonged to Orb.
Under guidance, Mikazuki drove the transport vehicle carrying Barbatos off the shuttle. He arrived at a villa which housed a small hangar in its basement, capable of holding two standard Mobile Suits.
He took out the PLANT identity documents Lacus Clyne had arranged for him previously.
"Barbatos is settled, and everything is ready. But where should I go to find Lacus now...?"
Orga Itsuka's voice spoke up. "I should have set up a communication method with her back then. Now we're in this spot... Hah, well, let's head to the streets first. PLANT is big, but she seems to be a very famous Songstress. We should be able to find some clues about her."
"True."
Mikazuki raised his left wrist and marked their current location so he could find his way back. He then activated Barbatos's stealth function just in case.
He put two earpieces into his pocket and left the base.
Exiting the hidden villa, he reached the streets of PLANT. The air was thick with the scent of high technology and culture. The lives of the Coordinators here were exceptionally affluent.
One could say there wasn't a single poor person to be found. Because PLANT was a nation entirely composed of Coordinators individuals who were far superior to Naturals in both physical and intellectual capacity poverty simply didn't exist.
However, today, there was one addition to PLANT possibly the only anomaly.
Although Mikazuki and his clothes had been washed on the shuttle, he still looked somewhat dirty in this pristine country. He was like a small black smudge on a pure white towel.
A young couple passing by couldn't help but whisper when they saw him.
"Honey, look at that child. He's so dirty. What's wrong with him?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. He probably couldn't stand the pollution on Earth and came here after gene adjustment. Just don't go near him."
Mikazuki chose to ignore those words.
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