As Lockon neared the door to the bridge, its bio-sensor detected an incoming moving signal and thus opened the door for the Meister. As he strolls on in, he hefts his helmet behind him. “Lockon Stratos, reporting back as ordered,” he says as he gave off a crisp two finger salute.
Sumeragi let him know she wasn’t having any of it right off the bat. Arms crossed she exclaims, “Just what the hell were you thinking out there Lockon?!”
Lockon winces at her tone as do most of those on the bridge. “Apparently in such a fashion that you don’t approve of what I’ve done.”
“You brought an outsider onboard the Ptolmaios! As far as we can tell this is not the Earth we know, and we have to be careful, and yet you go and do one of the worst possible things!!”
“What was your reason for doing this Lockon?” Setsuna inquires in a more calm and even tone, but his expression (or at least his eyes) showed he wanted to know the answer as much as Sumeragi did.
Running a hand through his hair Lockon fixes the two with his gaze as he answers, “I was doing recon along the coast and saw explosions and fire so I went to check. I found a teenage girl about to be mowed down by power loader sized machines the girl called Knightmare Frames. So I sniped them all and then I landed to see if she was alright… look I couldn’t just leave her alone like that! I mean God damn they were going to use a couple of mechs to kill a kid for no reason you expected me to fly on and not do something?”
Setsuna’s mind briefly had a flash back to his youth in the KPSA, that reoccurring memory of the day he first saw a Gundam. His comrades all dead, killed regardless they were children simply because they carried guns. “Saving the girl was a good thing Lockon, nobody here is going to contest that.” Setsuna says breaking the tension in the air with his words. “As for bringing her here…” He pauses to contemplate that part. “As someone in those shoes once my opinion is bias so I have to defer to Miss Sumeragi.”
“Thank you for not totally undermining my point.” Sumeragi mutters as she rubs the bridge of her nose and then asks. “Did the girl say why her home was attacked?”
“No clue, it was as sudden as any surprise attack, people just started getting killed and blown up.” Lockon shrugs.
Looking up from her console Feldt asks, “Was she living in a ghetto sector?”
“Ghetto sector?” Lockon scratches the back of his head. “Come to think of it she mentioned the town was mostly full of Japanese people who’d been regulated as numbers, and her own family were considered dishonored Britannian’s." He muses before looking at Feldt. "What does that have to do with the attack?”
“Before his demise the last Viceroy of this conquered area had a very… cruel “Eleven Dissident Culling Campeign”. To put it bluntly he exorcised the no-right status of the conquered Japanese and the actions of some rebels that tried to take over the capital last year as a pretext to arrest, interrogate and even kill any Japanese as “examples” of defying the Empire.”
“In short using A-LAWS methods of control…” Lockon growls in visible anger.
“I wish that was the only example, this Britannian Empire is a living template of social Darwinism, the mighty govern the weak. The weak must be crushed, only the strong have the right to live or have power and prestiage.” Feldts, her tone indicating some of the material she read was making her sick.
“So this girl’s home was a target of a sanctioned culling, probably because they believed dissidents lived there or had connections… or there were no connections except by those who believed they existed.” Setsuna murmurs, recalling how Saji Crossroad had been the victim of such a practice, an innocent drawn into things he shouldn’t because he spoke out and someone pegged him as a supporter of Katharon for it.
“Christ…” Sumeragi’s anger at Lockon seemed to deflate as the new information seemed to now be the center of it. “It’s the A-LAWS all over again.”
Walking over to Feldt’s station Setsuna climbs up onto the side of Feldt’s chair to stare at the data she’d uncovered. ‘This world… is twisted just like ours was when the Innovators and A-LAWS were running about.’
Ptolmaios Mess Hall:
“How’s the meal?”
Alice looks up from a bowl of instant ramen. “Oh it’s good, nice and hot just how I like it Miss Marie.”
“Just Marie will do.” The white haired young woman smiles.
After slurping a few noodles Alice then says. “This ship, that Gundam Mr. Stratos brought me on, all the stuff I saw walking here, just where do you people come from?”
Marie adopted a thoughtful if slightly uncomfortable look at Alice’s innocent question. “Well the best way I can put it is we’re from very, very far away from here.”
“That’s a very vague one.”
“I’m sorry but you’ll have to deal with it.” Marie says in a genuine apologetic tone. “After all for all we know you’re a highly trained midget commando disguised as a typical teenage girl sent to lull us into a false sense of security.”
Alice blinks several dozen times. “A wha-?”
Marie blushes a little. “Ah sorry about that, I guess my sense of humor is still in need of some work.”
“You’ll have to forgive me Marie but that was terrible.”
“Oh! Allelujah!” She turns to face him as he enters the cafeteria back in his everyday clothes as opposed to a uniform. “Was the joke that bad?”
“It could use some work.” He says with a chuckle. Spying Alice now focused on him he turns to face her with his best friendly smile. “Hello there.”
“Uh, um, well-er, ah… Hi?” Alice waves one hand nervously.
“I won’t bite.”
“Now who is making badly timed jokes?” Marie states while she elbows him.
Allelujah just shrugs before readdressing Alice. “I’m Allelujah Haptism, welcome aboard the Ptolmaios, or Ptolamy as we like to call her on occasion.”
“Alice, just Alice.” The girl smiles as much as she could muster. ‘Is he a Meister like Lockon?
“I know you’ve only just seen the hanger, a few corridors and mess hall but how’re you holding up with us Alice?”
“I’m doing well, considering Mr. Haptism.”
“You can call me Allelujah, there’s no need to be formal.” He states.
Attention all crew members, please report to the bridge! Mileina’s voice chirps over the intercoms.
“I guess we’ll continue the small talk later I better go see what’s up.” Allelujah muses as he looks to Marie. “Are you going to stay here with Alice?”
“It would be rude and unsafe for us to leave her be.”
“Very true.” He agrees before leaving the mess hall. ‘She’s just a kid and now she’s onboard for all intents and purposes an alien ship. I doubt even Aeolia Shenburg expected Celestial Being to deal with… another world?’
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(Posted Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:51)
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