Jim inhaled some oxygen before beginning his explanation. "Yes, I admit there are a number of similarities between the Obsidian Abyss and Blue Cosmos. However, there is no real logic that supports the concept of getting rid of all Coordinators. Where Blue Cosmos falters in that area, the Obsidian Abyss has good reasoning to phase out Naturals in this time. You're probably aware that as long as Naturals and Coordinators exist, there will always be discrimination, tension and conflict. Often, the Naturals are the ones who fuel this cycle which reached a climax when the war broke out. The only way to properly break this cycle is to phase out the existence of Naturals."
"Haven't you ever given any thought of both kinds of people living together side by side without any resentment towards the other based on genetics? The Junk Guild and the Orb Union are examples of this!" exclaimed Lowe.
"I honestly would like to believe that it could be possible but the harsh reality is that it is a mere fantasy. The majority of Naturals are driven by self-ambition. They can't see beyond their own points of view and do not truly work together to accomplish worthwhile goals. Their souls are bound by the Earth's gravity and they can't welcome the infinite possibilities that us Coordinators can bring forth. Look at Blue Cosmos as an example. Before their whole anti-Coordinator stance, they were an environmental pressure group and they never got results back then even though the goal was noble. The reason they never got anywhere is because of internal power struggles and politics. They couldn't stop the flow of waste that tainted the Earth's soil, air and water. They weren't able to do a thing as the people began to depend heavily on nuclear power for their needs." He paused to briefly check on the ETA of his comrades.
"You still haven't shown me any clear cut evidence that what you're doing is worthwhile. Also your methods are more or less the same. I saw some of you guys back when I was in Orb and the one image that I can't erase from my mind... is when one of your troops fired a bazooka round and murdered innocent children!!!" The joysticks inside the cockpit were smeared from the sweat being emitted from Lowe's palms.
A heavy sigh was heard on the other end. "A horrible tragedy no doubt. The sad truth is that there are only so many Coordinators such as myself who see the big picture and who are willing to fight for that future. Although there is a strict recruiting process, sometimes the recruiters turn their backs on trigger happy Coordinators so that our numbers can grow and we can have enough members to carry the immense work to be done to achieve the goal. I know this will be of little comfort but the trigger happy members are merely tools of the organization while people such as myself represent the future."
"You're damn right that wasn't comforting," replied the mechanic in a bitter tone. "Maybe you should tell that to the faces of the parents who have lost sons and daughters when that school bus blew up. Not to mention friends and family who have suffered from this loss. And how do you justify using young kids to do your dirty work?" His thoughts drifted back to some insights that had been shared with him, Jane and Edward by Kou during their journey back to Orb after the mobile suit theft operation.
Now this caught Jim off guard. "W-what?"
Lowe wasn't sure how much he should disclose to Jim since it seemed that he was unaware of the Abyss child recruitment. He decided to play it safe for now. "There's more to your organization than what you're aware of. I suggest you do some digging when you get some time. Perhaps you can start with the legitimate businesses that are owned or being run by anyone affiliated with the Abyss."
Before Jim could think things through, five black mobile suits (same model type) arrived behind him. After noticing that there were only a few Junk Techs with Jim, they split up to locate the other Junk Techs. Jim pushed aside the strange comments made by Lowe and focused on the mission. "Since there are 54 Techs, we'll have six groups of nine, each having one escort. My commander has already given instructions to the other units to redirect skirmishes to other areas so that we have multiple routes to get to your rendez-vous point."
"That's good to hear..." Lowe paused when he noticed a familiar mobile suit come up from behind Jim's unit. The red pack on the unit's back changed from Sword Mode back to its original state. The mechanic switched channels to greet his colleague. "The Professor sent you here to help?"
"That's right. Now can you explain to me what the hell is a guy like him doing here?" asked an irritated Canard as he had Dreadnought's right hand point at Jim's black mobile suit.
Red Frame itself seemed to briefly shrug as it sheathed the Gerbera Straight. "Believe it or not, they want to help get our people to safety. Might as well take advantage of their generous offer."
"I see. Well, don't expect me to go out my way to save their bacon from a stray missile or a shot from a beam rifle or something," muttered the pilot of Dreadnought H.
Lowe silently agreed with Canard's statement. "I'm sure they can handle themselves. Their suits are stronger than the average GuAIZ unit."
**********
Ten minutes had elapsed since the initial meeting of all the Abyss escorts. At this time, all the Junk Techs except for Liam, Kisato, Lowe and Canard have boarded the six shuttles that had been used to travel to the military base. Lowe broadcast a general message to everyone in his group. "Okay... everyone has laid in their course to get back to the rendez-vous point. Now we won't have another shot to get out safely again since the Abyss units can only redirect combat for so long. Let's stay alive folks!!"
"Inspirational speech," commented Canard dryly when Lowe finished the broadcast. Since the two of them were capable of defending themselves, Red Frame and Dreadnought would act as additional security for the group. Dreadnought's pack had changed to Buster mode and two large cannons rested on the mobile suit's shoulders.
Red Frame's pilot briefly glanced at the other Coordinator. "Hey, Canard. Don't be reckless out there."
An amused snort was heard on the other end. "Funny... I thought that was your department." Canard cut the transmission and blasted off into space.
Lowe couldn't help but smirk at his colleague's last words. "Hmph... arrogant bastard..."
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(Posted Tue, 21 Mar 2006 02:26)
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