Unmei Force: Soul

Chapter 8: Confrontation with the UCC


In the Hiryu Custom's hangar...

"We're going to space!?" Tasuku cried, as he complained to one of the crew-members, who was nearby. "I just finished with the land mechs!"

"Tell me about it." The crew-member concurred. "I wish they'd respect us for once."

"At least we got the cutie from Mao Industries to look at." Tasuku stated with a optimistic tone.

"And that's all it took for you to change your mind, Tasuku?" Richard responded back, as he approached, surprising Tasuku.

"What the!? Why are you here, Richter? I mean, Lieutenant Colonel, sir." Tasuku blurted out, before correcting himself in a more composed manner.

"No need to address rank for now." Richard assured Tasuku. "I was just looking for you. What have you made of the salvage that the collection teams managed to retrieve before our take-off?"

"Well, that's a hard thing to say. We've got assorted gear and modifications from what we looted from the wreckage, especially when it came from a higher-up like Tempest and Tenzan. They dropped some sweet stuff, which we could use to our advantage." Tasuku reported back.

"And? What are they?" Richard asked back.

"You might want to read this." Tasuku quickly suggested, pulling out a small leaflet of paper, detailing the scavenged gear into one tidy list.

Richard took the paper, before he then scanned each and every word of the list, before he returned it.

"I see. This should suffice for patching up deficiencies in certain categories for each machine." Richard commented on the list. "Now then, after I have read what was on the list, I have a proposition to make towards you, Tasuku. Mount the Hyper-Beam Rifle and the Thruster Set onto Reisen's Gespenst."

"Sure, I could. But why are you so intent to making this a urgent proposition, Richter?" Tasuku asked back.

"Reisen specialises at long-range fire. If the specifications you have gathered on the weapon are accurate, then this weapon is capable of long-range sniping with trustworthy accuracy and enough stopping power to outright disable a Lion on a direct hit, even destroy it if the targeted area has critical systems." Richard reasoned back. "And she prefers it if she can utilise the speed of her mecha as best as she could. The Thruster Set should be suitable to give her the extra mobility and control in the space-environment for now. After we head back onto stable ground, you may rescind the Thruster Set and give it to another member, whether of the Hiryu Custom Defence Squad, or the ATX Team."

"What about you?" Tasuku asked. "Sure, you need some equipment attached to that super robot of yours. I mean, the better we make it, the easier you'll make our later encounters."

"Unfortunately, EXEC-Hero is incompatible with the equipment stated, because doing so would cause problems to arise with it." Richard declined. "By the way, I'm satisfied by the fact that you have managed to finally find a way to boost EXEC-Hero's performance with some tuning. That's all I need, in terms of updating my mecha to be at optimal state."

"I see... Glad to be of service then." Tasuku smiled, having received some indirect appreciation from Richard.

Radha and Excellen soon came over, as Excellen seemed to be quite sore all over, indicated by her flexing her joints to try and ease the sensation.

"Hello Tasuku. Hello Richter." Radha addressed them both. "I take it that you're discussing pre-sortie preparations?"

"Say, Excellen. What's got you all fidgety all the sudden?" Richard asked back, noticing Excellen's odd behaviour.

"Oh, you noticed, Richie? I was learning yoga beauty poses. Radha sure is quite... enthusiastic when teaching me this." Excellen stated with a warm smile.

"Oh, that's right. Ms Radha's a yoga master. Although I'd recommend trying to become flexible, before you starting taking lessons with her." Tasuku added, as he cringed saying the last statement.

"The results of my teachings speak for themselves." Radha simply stated back.

"I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow." Excellen groaned. "I guess it's time to stop, since we all got work to do, right?"

"I understand. Mr. Tasuku, where is Giganscudo?" Radha asked Tasuku.

"What!? We're going to finally use that thing!?" Tasuku shouted, completely in mind with finally piloting the mecha.

"Dr. Kazahara asked me to convert the cockpit section." Radha continued.

"I'll help you. That thing is big and hard to maintain." Tasuku gladly accepted, as he immediately turned to Richard. "Sorry, got to get this done. I'll see to getting your request for your teammate done."

"That's all I want from you. See you then." Richard nodded back.

"Hey, Tasuku, you're acting like a fool in love." Excellen teased. "If he starts acting weird, just put him in one of those back-breaking yoga positions, Ms Radha."

"Ugh!? For real!?" Tasuku exclaimed with a shocked tone.

"Um, well, yoga isn't meant for..." Radha tried to reply back, as shocked as Tasuku, before she immediately grabbed Tasuku and ran off.

"Look what you did, Excellen, you riled them both up." Richard spoke with a falsely disappointed tone. "Still, I doubt Tasuku would go that far, so don't act like he's a utter playboy."

"Alrighty then, Richard. I'm just thinking about our next sortie..." Excellen responded back.


In the briefing room...

Gilliam entered the room, where Kyosuke and Gus were.

"You wanted to talk to me, Kyosuke?" Gilliam asked, before facing Gus. "And what are you doing here, Xander?"

"We just briefly discussed a few matters, regarding cohesion between our teams." Gus answered back. "We're pondering whether the ATX Team and our team should merge as a single combined unit, or stay separate. It does have its benefits for each of those choices, but we still haven't decided yet. I guess that Kyosuke was waiting for you, and he struck up the conversation to kill some time."

"Yes, sir. About Sanger... the former ATX leader." Kyosuke stated. "I don't think he'd defect just because we're facing difficult times. Then again, I don't really know him. But, you do. What do you make of his current actions, Major Gilliam?"

"Sanger is a man of conviction. He will fight for what he believes in. And if that's what he intends to do, we must meet him head on and force the truth out of him." Gilliam briefly explained in response.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Kyosuke stated, before he left the briefing room, leaving Gilliam and Gus alone in the room.

"Gilliam, before I go as well... I just want to ask one thing of you." Gus stated, as Gilliam nodded, willing to listen. "In my own perspective, I believe that Sanger did all this for a justifiable reason, as if he's testing the ATX team to see if they have what it takes to surpass him, without his guidance. I may be off the tracks here, but I have a hunch that this is the case in my view."

Gus then left, as Gilliam pondered about what he heard, before he then heard the ship alarm go off.

"Enemy attack! UCC troops are approaching our sector! All crew, to battle-stations! All pilot, prepare for deployment to intercept them!" Eun barked out from the ship comms.

Gilliam immediately left, closing the room's door behind him.


Above Earth's orbit...

The UCC space fighters approached the alerted Hiryu Custom, as they prepared for engagement.

"ID confirmed! UCC Space fighters!" Eun reported back.

"Strange... their setup is slow..." Kyosuke stated with some suspicion.

"Yeah. Most of our mechs are Gespies, but this atmosphere better suits their AMs. Sort of a disadvantage here." Excellen explained.

"No time to mess around! We gotta get going!" Katina barked to everyone.

"Everyone prepared?" Richard asked his team.

"Additional thrusters are working optimally." Reisen stated. "And the newly-mounted Hyper-Beam Rifle should have no complications. Is this your doing?"

"Yes, I specifically ordered these extra components to be installed on your Gespenst, in respect of your combat style." Richard stated. "Hang back, and make sure to take out all enemies in one shot if possible. Resupply only if you are dry on ammunition, and make sure each shot is not wasted. Understood?"

"Crystal." Reisen responded back.

Everyone sortied out, as their space thrusters activated, allowing them free movement in the vast space.

"As expected, they're not going to let us reach the Moon without a fight." Bullet stated.

"This is their backyard, so beware of guard dogs." Kyosuke added.

"Yes. But I don't see the owner around." Gilliam remarked with a slightly worried tone.

"Then we'll have to keep an eye out as we fight. Make sure that we're prepared for a pincer attack." Richard responded back to Gilliam. "Remember, the UCC forces are also down at Earth, so they could appear from the orbit to ambush us.

"So we don't get sandwiched... Got it." Radha noted.

The pilots advanced wave by wave, as they engaged the fighter groups one-by-one per group, as Reisen used her mobility to pull off seemingly undodgable shots that blew the fighters to pieces when they managed to hit the centre of the vehicles, taking only brief pauses between each shot, to move and position her shot better.

"There is no escape as long as I have you within my sights." Reisen stated, as she locked onto the last survivor of a fighter group, before her Gespenst eased the trigger to fire. "Begone."

The rifle fired off its pink-coloured payload, which caught the unsuspecting fighter off-guard, vaporising it in a single shot.

Meanwhile, the others were doing fine, as Kyosuke and Gus took a more hands-on approach, slicing and penetrating through the fighters with their weapons. Kyosuke with his Revolver Stake, and Gus with his modified Plasma Slicer, a beam-sword that was strong enough to cleave the armour in twain with considerable force. The others fired off their weapons to blast the groups to oblivion, until there was not a single UCC fighter remaining within the nearby sectors.

"That should be all of them. Now then, any signs from Earth-" Richard was about to say, before a batallion of UCC-owned black Lions appeared, with a Guarlion and a familiar Lion Custom among their ranks. "I see... So they've come already."

"It's the Hiryu Custom, just as we expected. What's the status of the shuttle?" Julia said, from the repaired Guarlion.

"It's on its way to Sector L4." Leona reported back from her Lion Custom

"Good. We'll buy it some time until it reaches there." Julia responded back.

"Roger that." Leona addressed in return.

"It's the Troye Unit again... They've come back to finish what they done in Langley Base..." Gus stated.

"You know the Troye Unit already?" Gilliam asked Gus.

"Well, we sort of did, from Richter." Bullet answered back. "It seems that he heard of them through rumours, and he was quite surprised when they were proven true."

"They seem to be intent on stopping us, Gilliam. They may be elites, but we can still prevail, if we make the right moves." Richard responded back to Gilliam.

"Speaking of which, I bet Tasuku would definitely fall head-over-heels for all of the members in it." Excellen joked.

"I'm surprised that you made it through the DC barricade." Julia addressed the allied pilots. "But, your luck will soon run out."

"That is not decided by you, Julia Hainkel. We meet again, on the flames of the battlefield." Richard stated. "This time, there will be no retreat for either of us. Come and face all of us, if you dare."

"Richter Chen of the UF... I swear, on the name of the UCC, I will defeat you to redeem myself for my previous loss." Julia responded with a determined tone.

"Ha! Whatever, Troye Unit! I'll get you all for Langley Base!" Katina roared back.

The mechas from both forces rushed to each other, as they collided with great impact, exchanging fire fervently, as the Troye Unit were putting up a good fight against the small group of elite pilots.

Radha immediately retaliated to one of the attacks which missed her, with her arm-mounted autocannons, which drilled holes into the light armour of the Lion, damaging its system significantly, before it was finished off by a Plasma Slicer from Katina, who was rushing through the battlefield with both gun and blade out, in a bloodthirsty rampage among enemy ranks.

"Come and get some, bastards!" Katina taunted the Troye Unit, who immediately diverted a part of their attention to the wild pilot.

"Ms Katina, you should take a moment to calm-" Radha tried to speak with Katina, before she was hit with the railgun rifle of a Lion, denting her armour hard. "Huh? I didn't notice fast enough to get out of the way in time? I see..."

"Don't worry, I'll cover you." Fox stated, as he swerved around Radha's mech, and used the mecha's shotgun in close-range to blow up the attacking Lion before it could prepared another attack on any other members.

Richard made a bee-line for Julia, shooting down or cutting down anyone in his path, disregarding the culminating damage on his mecha.

"Julia Hainkel! I have come before you, in challenge! Face me, lest you be defeated under my blade!" Richard boldly declared, as EXEC-Hero grabbed its blade and wielded it, before rushed at Julia.

"I won't let you!" Leona cried, as she got in Richard's way, blocking him, and giving her the space she needs to fire off some direct hits on Richard's mech.

"I admire such spirit from you." Richard complimented Leona. "However, you are a fool trying to get in my way, because it means that you are within my range to attack with my blade."

EXEC-Hero then impaled the blade right through the Lion's chest, as it let out a sound of grinding metal that made Julia pale, before he then flung the disabled Lion towards Reisen, who immediately shot out its limbs in four successive rifle bursts.

"No...! This is not within my calculations...!" Leona stated with horror. "We had the advantage in outer space...! So why...? Why did I lose so easily...?"

"That's enough. We've stalled them long enough. Troye Unit, retreat now. That goes double for you, Leona." Julia barked out for retreat.

"...Yes, Commander. I won't make the same mistake again." Leona stated, before she ejected from the critically-damaged Lion, as it exploded into debris in space, following the remains of the Troye unit after the decimation that the pilots gave them.

"Stalled? I don't like the sound of that..." Gus commented on Julia's cryptic message.

"Incoming contact from Earth! It's a... shuttle!?" Eun announced new arrivals. "No... It's... It's...!"

The Grungust Type-O soon rose from Earth into space, before stopping right before the gathered team members.

"Th-That's...!" Bullet blurted out.

"No doubt about it..." Katina growled.

"...Boss!" Excellen cried with half-shock and half-relief.

"That Type-O is amazing. It made it to outer space alone without any aid." Gilliam noted. "Tell me why, Sanger. Tell me why you defected.

"We're destined to fight, Gilliam. That's all." Sanger stoically declared back.

"Ha! You never change, Sanger." Gilliam barked with a grim tone.

"Is this for real!? I have to fight my old boss!?" Bullet spoke with a conflicted tone.

"I don't think that he's giving us a choice here." Fox answered back. "We better not hold back against him."

"Major, please tell us why...!" Lefina shouted to Sanger.

"You don't need to k-" Sanger was about to roar back.

"Don't bother, Captain Lefina." Richard interrupted Sanger.

"Huh...!? What are you saying, Lieutenant Colonel?" Lefina asked with a betrayed tone.

"Sanger has decided for this to happen. And I know better to question his desires and intentions." Richard stated. "However..."

EXEC-Hero then turned to face Sanger. "If it's a fight you want, Sanger. Then we'll give you a worthy one." He stated, as his mecha brandished its blade for battle. "Be warned though, because we're going to capture you should you fail to avoid that fate when we eventually defeat you. And when we do, you're going to be imprisoned, until this war with the DC is over."

"Yes, yes... I am a traitor, your enemy...!" Sanger spoke with a increasingly spirited tone. "You are a soldier, Richter, all of you. When you are on the battlefield, waste not your energy and focus it on defeating the enemies that stand before you. Then you will find the answer the Aggressors were once seeking."

"The answers the Aggressors were once seeking...?" Kyosuke questioned.

"Only one way to find out." Richard stated. "Sanger Zonvolt, prepare yourself, for you face your former students, and your former allies. Expect only mercy in capture."

"That's more like it. I am prepared to face you all. Hold nothing back, if you wish to walk out of this battle alive!" Sanger roared.

Everyone immediately engaged Sanger, who used everything in his arsenal to fight back, as the Grungust Type-O spewed chest-beams, rocket-propelled fists all across the battlefield, all while taking moments to use his blade to hack at anyone who is foolish enough to reach his range.

From the long range, Reisen was contributing the most to the battle, thanks to the fact that her range only allows Sanger to target her with the Boost Knuckle, which she evaded thanks to the additional thrusters that enhanced her mobility in space, meaning that she was in little danger compared to the rest of the pilots, who were in range to be struck by the full range of the Grungust Type-O's weaponry.

"The more you fight the UCC, the more ground you lose! Do you understand that, Kyosuke!?" Sanger questioned harshly, as a Boost Knuckle flied towards the Alteisen.

"We'll never stop fighting... Even if it means what you have said, Sanger." Kyosuke answered back, as he dodged the attack swiftly. "Either way, we don't have a choice."

"You may be the only one who knows what this war is leading to." Sanger responded back.

"I don't know, and I don't care...!" Kyosuke growled back, before he then prepared the Revolver Stake and rushed at Sanger. "I won't hold back against you, even if you were once our leader!"

He then smashed the Revolver Stake through the Grungust Type-O's armour, dealing damage to it, although it wasn't quite powerful.

"Is that so? What's wrong, Kyosuke? Restraint only gets in the way!" Sanger shouted. "Now pay the price for your hesitation! Hyper Blaster!"

The golden beam of energy immediately collided with Kyosuke, before he could evade the attack, although all it did was singe the red armour of his mecha slightly.

"Then why did you hesitate just now!? That's not it, right, Sanger!?" Kyosuke stated.

Katina and Russell immediately took the chance to attack in synchronised manner, as they prepared their Jet Magnums.

"I'll make you spill whatever reason you had for betraying us!" Katina roared.

"Lieutenant Colonel Richter is right... And you are too... We can't hold back, as you're our enemy, just like anyone else." Russell stated.

They both then managed to pin the Grungust Type-O between them, as the combined attack seemed to do more damage than any of them expected.

"Direct hits...!? I have lowered my guard with my focus on Kyosuke!" Sanger exclaimed. "But it is still not enough! There is no point in your attack if they are not fatal! Take this!"

He then launched the Boost Knuckles right into the centre of their Gespensts' torsos, knocking them back and damaging them greatly.

"Guh! He's seriously trying to kill us here!" Katina cried.

When Sanger looked around, he soon found that there were several Rippers coming his way, as the blue Slash Rippers, and Bullet's silver T-Link Rippers were both there. Sanger immediately brought out the Colossal Blade, to deflect one of them, while the others hit their mark and shredded through the Grungust's armour with ghastly screeches of metal.

"That's it... Without that spirit, you cannot defeat me..." Sanger stated, as the Grungust was taking considerable damage from the relentless assault of the pilots, as he made it back away, before he was shot by Excellen's Weissritter and Reisen's Gespenst from afar, as beam and energy rounds smashed through more of the Gespenst's armour. "Kuh...! I have truly underestimated you all...!"

Richard then charged in with the EXEC-Hero, with the mecha's large blade, the Sunpoha, as he and Sanger clashed blades.

"Tell me, Sanger... Should I spare you, after what you have told me back in the Manhattan Crater...?" Richard asked seriously.

Sanger couldn't respond to that question. "...I truly do not know." Sanger answered back. "But I can tell that you are determined to end all of this."

"This civil war among our race is a utterly pointless conflict. Neither side is truly right, and yet they are determined to annihilate one other to proclaim their supremacy." Richard stated. "Compared to the DC, the EFA hold a higher moral ground, albeit only slightly."

"So that's what troubles you, Richter..." Sanger stated. "You are looking for answers as well. Very well, fight me, and you'll come closer to getting them."

They then both clashed with their blades, as neither of them were letting the other land direct hits on them, as they exchanged glancing blows that scratched through their armour.

"Whoa... Richie is really fighting Boss at a even footing for so long..." Excellen remarked. "He must really be good with that handsome mecha of his..."

After a few moments, they broke off, as the long duel between them ended with a stalemate.

"It seems that we are at an impasse, Sanger." Richard stoically stated.

"Not quite. You may have improved, but you all are still far from good enough to meet my expectations!" Sanger stated, as Sanger immediately boosted right at the Hiryu Custom at full speed.

"What!? Damn!" Kyosuke cursed.

"He's aiming..." Katina stated.

"For the Hiryu Custom!" Bullet finished off. "This isn't good!"

"I won't be able to pull a accurate shot in time, not while the Hiryu Custom is at risk!" Reisen exclaimed.

"Evasive action, now!" Lefina ordered.

"We're not going to make it, Captain!" Eun yelled back.

"This isn't good! If we are hit by that Colossal Blade, we're done for!" Sean stated with a fearful tone. "The Colossal Blade will deal significant damage through targeted sectors, at the minimum!"

"Turn the ship to reduce damage!" Lefina frantically ordered.

"C-Captain! The bottom hatch of the hangar is opening!" Eun reported.

"What!?" Lefina squawked hearing that news.

"You don't mean..." Sean muttered.

"G-Giganscudo is being prepped for deployment...!" Eun stated. "But who... who is in it!?"

"Good...! Everything's set... Releasing lock bolts." Tasuku muttered to himself through the ship comms.

"T-Tasuku!?" Lefina blurted out in realisation.

"Electrodes set! Charging the Tesla Drive! Boost on! OK, time to test my luck!" Tasuku shouted, as the sound of thrusters coming to life was heard, as from the Hiryu Custom's hangar, an enormous robot, with a red color scheme, emblazed with white at its joints and splashed with gold highlights on its shoulders, chest and knees, and mounted on both of its arms are a pair of large shields.

"Giganscudo!?" Radha exclaimed. "Tasuku, stop! Gigan isn't ready!"

"Hm...!? They're playing their trump card! But, if you stand in my way, I'll slash you in half regardless!" Sanger yelled, surprised for a moment by the mecha's sudden appearance. "I am Sanger Zonvolt, the sword that smites evil!"

The Grungust Type-O immediately dashed at the Giganscudo, who was protecting the Hiryu Custom, as it slashed right through the mecha, leaving a wide cut through its thick armour. "Final Technique! Zankantou! Shippu Dotou!" Sanger chanted.

"Argh!" Tasuku cried, as the Giganscudo was damaged severely, as it powered down.

"Tasuku!" Radha screamed with horror.

"Ugh... my ribs..." Tasuku groaned in pain.

"Tasuku! Are you OK? Hang in there!" Bulllet exclaimed.

"I was right. If I focus on defence... I can do this." Tasuku muttered back.

"The Hiryu is safe, but Tasuku's in trouble." Excellen noted.

"What's Gigan's status!?" Lefina demanded.

"Its primary armour and drive system is down! It can't move at all!" Eun reported back.

"No...!" Kyosuke exclaimed.

"All units, protect the Giganscudo!" Lefina ordered.

"You're brave, but that will mean nothing when-" Sanger was about to say to Tasuku.

"Heh... Do you realise the paradox here, Major...?" Tasuku chuckled weakly. "When the strongest sword and the toughest shield in the world collide..."

Sanger then noticed that the Colossal Blade in his hand was cracking slowly, right where the blade struck the Giganscudo at.

"Well, as you can see... The results are finally known." Tasuku stated with a confident tone, as the Colossal Blade snapped in two.

"The Colossal Blade is broken... Ha! I see now." Sanger stated, before the Grungust took the hilted half of the blade, and then turned to retreat. "Very well, this will serve as my souvenir of our battle."

"Wh-What...?" Tasuku groaned.

"Yes. A tough but cursed shield. To wipe the slate clean, you must continue to win. Remember that, Tasuku." Sanger told Tasuku.

"Wipe the slate clean...?" Tasuku repeated to himself.

"We will cross swords again. I'll let you live until then." Sanger spoke in a bold tone. "Farewell!"

He then boosted away, leaving the battlefield.

"Bastard! I won't let you get away-" Katina screamed.

"He's not our priority now, Lieutenant Katina. Right now, we need to rescue the downed Giganscudo." Richard firmly told her, to which she responded with a unsatisfied grunt.

"Richter is right in this situation. We must retrieve the Gigan and leave the area, to make for the Moon." Sean noted.

"So... He really..." Bullet stated with a despairing tone. "What is he trying to accomplish?"

"Our fight has meaning, doesn't it, Kyosuke?" Excellen asked her team member.

"I don't know. Only we can decide whether or not it has meaning." Kyosuke answered her back.

"I'll retrieve. Fox, could you help me?" Gus asked.

"Sure." Fox simply agreed, as they both used their Gespensts to move and heave the Giganscudo back into the Hiryu Custom's hangar, as the others entered as soon as Tasuku and the mecha were safely returned.


In the medical room...

"Ow...! OW!" Tasuku cried in pain, as he wriggled around in agony, while Eun was treating his chest wound with bandages and ice-packs to reduce the swelling.

"Can't you hold still?" Eun asked Tasuku gently.

"No! My ribs are broken, as you can tell!" Tasuku gritted back.

"They're just bruised, thanks to the air-bag installed in the cock-pit." Eun stated.

"Whatever. Just be gentle." Tasuku requested, having calmed down a little.

"Don't be such a baby. It's not like I'm punching you." Katina told Tasuku.

"That's true..." Tasuku muttered, before Eun tightened the bandages a bit more, causing him more pain. "Ow! Eun, what do you have against men? Were you dumped?"

"W-Why would you ask that!?" Eun asked back, in a flustered tone.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" Tasuku smiled, before Radha and Richard came in.

"How's Tasuku?" Radha asked Katina and Eun.

"Oh, he's fine. Just a few bruises. Nothing to worry about." Katina assured Radha.

"That's good." Radha answered back, visibly relieved about Tasuku's safety.

"Tch! I wish Ms. Radha was treating me. She's gentle." Tasuku scoffed.

"Would you like to try some therapeutic yoga then? It might help your recovery?" Radha offered sweetly.

"N-No thanks. I think I'll just stay and rest here for a moment." Tasuku quickly rejected.

"Hey, have you finished converting Gigan's cockpit? We don't want another person smashing themselves in that hazardous space." Katina asked Radha.

"Not yet. It's going to take a little longer to finish." Radha responded back.

"Then I'll be able to pilot it, right?" Katina asked with a grin on her lips.

"Yes. But you can't be afraid to use it against the UCC." Radha frowned slightly.

"I knew the story behind it, but we have no choice. We must use whatever it takes to survive." Katina responded back.

"What's the story behind it?" Tasuku asked curiously.

"You never heard of the Hope Incident?" Eun responded back.

"N-No..." Tasuku answered back, a little disappointed at himself for not knowing.

"Ask Excellen about it, then." Katina suggested, before she got up. "Anyway, I'm going to see how Russell is doing."

"And I will need to check the cockpit. Tasuku, will you be fine with just Eun?" Radha asked.

"Yeah... I guess." Tasuku responded back softly, before both of them left, and he turned to Richard. "Say, you have been silent the entire time. Did you just come to see me?"

"Sort of. I didn't want to interrupt their conversations with you. And I actually have a few personal things to say myself to you." Richard stated.

"What are they?" Tasuku asked, before Richard immediately walked over and knelt in front of Tasuku.

"Tasuku Shinguji... If it wasn't for you, then we would have been in a disastrous situation." Richard spoke with a grateful situation. "Your own courage and skill managed to help us force Sanger into retreat. I believe that it's not Katina who deserves the Giganscudo. But you instead."

"Aw... It's nothing much. I was just taking one for the team, as people would say." Tasuku chuckled back, before he groaned in pain after from the laughter hurting his chest more. "Say, you were pretty good yourself. Going toe to toe with Sanger with that blade of yours. I wonder if we were to let you two fight for the end of time, who exactly would win? Sanger... Or you?"

"I don't know myself." Richard stated. "Anyway, I'll try to convince the Captain and everyone else to instate you as the official pilot of the Giganscudo. After all, a lucky person like you is best fitting to be the guard of the Earth, no?"

"Yeah, I guess." Tasuku stated.

"See you when you're better." Richard told Tasuku, before he left the medical room.


In the briefing room...

Bullet was sitting on one of the chair, as he had his head clutched between his arms, completely in depression from Sanger's official betrayal.

"You seem depressed. Want me to cheer you up, Bullet?" Excellen asked with a adorable tone.

"Lieutenant! Please Stop!" Bullet begged.

"Wow! Going through a moody period, are we?" Excellen questioned again, with slight surprise from Bullet's reaction.

"Major Sanger has betrayed us all! He's not with us anymore! Aren't you upset?" Bullet shouted.

"That's because betrayal is not the worst of things that could happen in the war." Gus stated, as Bullet turned to see him. "There are far worse things than that. At least Sanger cared for us, even when he defected. He told all of us to get stronger, so that we can emerge victorious. And he did not prolong the fight more than he could. He was a respectful soldier, so his betrayal is not as heart-crushing as it would normally seem."

"Major..." Bullet stated, as he felt guilty for trying to exaggerate the situation. "I..."

"There is no need to apologise. I know why you feel like this, because he was your leader, and you felt so close to him. But Sanger hasn't truly lost all of his kinship with you." Gus continued. "You need to believe that in truth, he wanted to see you overcome adversity when he is not by your side. Even if it's a slim possibility. We have to fight him, if we are to bring him back to us."

"I... I just can't believe it." Bullet stated.

Gus closed his eyes, as he thought back to a moment in the past.

'Minerva... So it was really you after all...'

'You should have known better than to provoke the people. What you did was nothing short of foolish.'

'I understand... But that's not the only reason you fought me, did you...?'

'...No, it wasn't...'

'Haha... I guess I still am too green to be considered truly independent from you, Minerva... Of all the things... I lost to my mentor, well and truly... It seems that I was the one at fault here.'

He then slowly sighed, as he left the briefing room, while Kyosuke entered, to speak with Excellen and Bullet.