Chapter 4
Moonreaper666- Are you done now? You got that out of system? Do you want a cookie and soda to help calm you down? Alright, let's be serious now. Look, just because I disagree with you on some things doesn't mean I don't like you. Annoyed, perhaps, but I see no reason to dislike you for simple annoyance. Look I get it, you want things to go the way you want things to. What you think should go. What you believe should go. I get that. I understand it. But, please, knock it off and just enjoy the ride if you can. I'll be frank with you. Nothing you're suggesting is going to be showed here. Nothing. If it is, it's because it's already been planned and had nothing to do with you. Look, I'm sorry if this pisses you off, you have the right to be, but I seriously can't do anything you want because I see things differently and see your ideas as flawed and inferior to mine, just as you see mine. I'm sorry, but I do. So, we've reached an impasse. So, you can continue to post long reviews on what I should be doing and other stuff or just leave, which you likely won't as you seem to enjoy this type of content, and never come back. Which doesn't benefit anyone other than an echo-chamber of mine. Also, you what do you mean by religion? I have not brought up religion in any significant capacity in my stories, at least in the Gundam ones, and yet you claim I brought it up. I don't recall bringing religion up in any sort of way that warranted you mentioning this.
RedRat8- We'll see how many he'll interview.
Kai
"Where should I begin?" Asked the elderly woman as she looked at Kai as she held the baby in her arms. Kai, holding a notepad, spoke up.
"Let's start at what you felt about the One Year War." Said Kai. "Get some context on what you wanted back then. After that, what you felt about the war as it went on, and how you feel about the current situation regarding Side 3. Is this fine for you?" The elderly woman sighed before nodding.
"Yes, I believe it is." Said the woman before speaking up again. "Well, I suppose I could say that I wasn't as fooled as the younger generations were about the war. I knew, from the moment that Degwin and his family spoke about freedom from the tyranny of the Federation and the future of humanity under his rule. The Earth Federation may focus a lot of its efforts on taking care of Earthnoids and not much on the Spacenoids, but life was good for the most part. Even if the Federation was caring more for Earthnoids and Earth, ignoring Spacenoids in the process, life was still good. We had our own governments that took care of our needs. We had good food and water for the most part. And as so long as we continue to follow the rules of the Earth Federation and provide resources through taxes, the Earth-centric government was fine for the most part. It wasn't a perfect system, no, but it was a decent one, nonetheless." Kai put all this in his notepad before asking her to change the subject through a question.
"So, you don't approve of Degwin Zabi and his reforms. Neither Zeon Zum Deikun?" Asked Kai. The old lady just sighed at that.
"Not necessarily." Said the lady before clarifying. "Both men were radical, yes, but in ways, they were better men than those that are leading the Earth Federation, both now and in the past. Deikun was rather radical in his ideas of humanity evolving to better accommodate our new lives in space, yet he did so much for us when he came to power. The Federation didn't like his ideals nor his want for Side 3 to be independent from the Federation, yet they allowed him to remain in power as he wasn't pressing for war against the Federation or calling for the end of the Earth Federation. I don't say I agree with his wants for independence, but I can agree with his methods and respect what he did for Side 3." Kai scribbled that into his notepad before asking her about Degwin Zabi. "Degwin, however, is not the same." She motioned for Hepner, who has so far listened intently to what the woman had to say, to take the baby in her arms, which the young woman did. After taking the baby, Hepner went back to where she was standing before, next to Erika. Upon seeing the baby in Hepner's arms, Erika let her stern face falter for a moment before adopting it again. With the baby gone from her arms, the old lady clenched them hard, telling Kai she didn't have a high opinion of Degwin Zabi. What she said next confirmed it.
"That man." Said the woman, venom in her tone. "From the moment he took power, I knew that he was bad news. Even if he didn't kill Zeon Zum Deikun as some radicals thought he did, I knew that him being in charge was just trouble brewing. And his actions later on proved that. With the war and the deaths of over a third of humanity in the name of independence. And then his son went and got nearly every young men and women in Side 3 killed. Just to satisfy his ego. If that man survived, or even any of his children, I would have gone up to them and strangled them myself for all that they've done. I would have screamed out all my fury and sorrow for all that they've done to humanity and our people. I would have…" The woman then took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as Kai took notes on this.
"I see." Said Kai, seeing the hatred the woman had for the Zabi family. Not that he blamed her for having it. "I assume you didn't approve of the war."
"No, I didn't." Said the woman. "Like I said, life was good. We didn't need independence. We were satisfied with our lives under the Federation, even happy. If it weren't for Deikun bringing the idea of independence into our youth and our government officials, then perhaps so many of our people wouldn't have fought in the war. But then again, Degwin just escalated things with the Federation that lead to the One Year War. And the Federation allowed us to be independent as well. So, I suppose Degwin is to solely be blamed for everything that happened to Side 3 as of late." Kai, hummed at that.
"Moving on, can you tell me what life after the war?" Asked Kai, knowing that he needed to get to the main point of his objective here. "Considering the consequences of what Gihren Zabi did to your people during the last days of the war, is it safe to assume that life in Side 3 is awful." The old lady nodded at that.
"It is." Said the old lady before clarifying. "While our factories and productions sectors are fine, the same cannot be said for our people. The young people you see around Side 3 that don't have prosthetics are people that were too young for the draft nearing the end of the war, Federation soldiers, or released from captivity after the war ended. Even if you combine all those young folks together, that isn't even a full tenth of what our work force was near the end of the war. Between those that are serving in the military to help pay for their expenses and support their families and those that aren't able to work as of yet or due to certain medical conditions, very few of our work force have all their natural limbs." Seeing a good topic point, Kai decided to speak about this.
"And how good are these prosthetic limbs?" Asked Kai. "As I recall correctly, not much research was done in the Universal Century for prosthetic limbs. I can't imagine your work force is able to work well with those prosthetics limbs." The old lady nodded at that.
"You're correct on that." Said the elderly woman. "The granddaughter, the mother of that baby, replaced both of her arms and legs in order to fight against the Federation at A Baoa Qu. She survived, thank god, but those prosthetic limbs are preventing her from doing her job as a retail worker in a mall nearby. She tells me how the limbs are cutting into the flesh of her body and how they make her make mistakes that she wouldn't have done had her original limbs be present instead of the plastic and metal ones that our government has given her and everyone else in Side 3. *Sighs* Honestly, if it weren't for so many others that have her situation as well, she would have been fired from her position long ago."
"I can also safely assume her job is barely enough to support you, the baby, and herself." Said Kai. "And that she's your sole source of income."
"Yes." Said the woman. "If it weren't for the landowner being so sympathetic to our plight and those that are suffering similar situation like us, we would be living in far worser conditions right now. She can barely give us enough money to feed ourselves and pay our bills. We have to be very careful with the money we have. Even the slightest mistake can have us living on the streets. And I don't need to tell you that is a death sentence for a baby." Kai nodded in agreement. He had some good points from the women, but he needed just a bit more before he called it with her.
"One more question." Said Kai. "What do you feel about the new bill that the Federation has passed and what you feel should be done in the events of Operation Stardust?"
"I feel that we have suffered enough." Said the woman. "We paid for the war with the blood of our next generations and the crippling of the survivors. Our government is barely able to repay the reparations the Federation has us paying. And while there are people that refuse to lay down their arms and comply with Federation rule, there are also people that wish for our suffering to stop. To have the other Sides to stop hating us and to let the hatred go. But they can't. Who can blame them? Over a third of humanity died because of us. Because we wanted independence that the Federation allowed us to have. Many should be disgusted to us because of that, especially with our atrocious actions in the war. That being said, this new bill of the Federation will only radicalize those that want to continue the fight against the Federation and draw more into their clutches. Sooner or later, if things keep going the way they're going, then the Federation may have to deal with another admiral Delaz or Gihren Zabi, only it's of their own making. So, in order to clarify more, I believe the new bill will only make things worse for the Earth Sphere." Kai placed all that into his notepad before putting it away in a pocket and standing up.
"Thank you for your time, miss." Said Kai. "What you said will help me decide what to write in my article for Side 3 and the new bill." The elder woman nodded at that. Kai was about to motion for everyone to follow him when the elder woman spoke.
"Tell me, Mr. Shiden." Said the elderly woman, causing Kai to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you really believe that whatever you write will make a difference? That it'll stop the hatred and disgust the other Sides and the people of Earth have against the people of Side 3? Do you think it'll magically make them sympathize with our plights and end this bill before it does irreplaceable damage?" Kai sighed at that, taking in a moment to think, before speaking.
"No." Said Kai. "I'm not naïve enough to know that a simple article, no matter how well researched and detailed it is, will stop the hatred people have for Side 3. Even if I write a thousand articles of similar quality, it won't stop the hatred. Not when it's too fresh. And I know that those that gave me this assignment know this as well. We can only hope that, at best, it'll make people open their eyes that Side 3 is as human as the rest of us. Even if it's just one more person." The elderly woman smiled a bit at that while Hepner and Erika looked at Kai, stunned a bit at what he just said.
"I respect your drive, Mr. Shiden." Said the elderly woman before motioning him to leave. "I think I wasted enough of your time, Mr. Shiden. I believe it's time for you to leave and find more people to interview. It wouldn't do for you to just interview one person and call it a day."
"*Scoffs* I'm not that lazy, miss." Said Kai. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me. Have a good day, miss."
"Eris." Revealed the elderly woman. Kai nodded at that before leaving, followed by his security team and crew. After Hepner gave back the baby, she walked quickly to catch up to Kai, who already was moving down the stairs towards the APC. As she walked, she couldn't help but admire Kai. The man knew what he was doing won't amount to much in the grand scheme of things, yet he still continued to fight for his beliefs and convictions. It reminded her so much of her old team in the Midnight Fenrir, now all scattered all across the stars, or dead. It reminded her so much of Roher and Schmitzer. Oh, how she missed them. Smiling at Kai, she wondered what else she'll find out about him during this mission. Erika, meanwhile, couldn't help but admire the young man that was Kai as well. He reminded her so much of her father that she missed terribly as well as her two elder sisters. The conviction. The will to do things, even if they amount to nothing. Even the want to do things that will receive mostly negative things, as Erika doubted most Federation people will appreciate him speaking positively about Side 3 once his articles come out, reminded her so much of her dead family it hurt, especially her father due to his disagreements with Degwin over the course of the war. For a brief moment, she thought she saw her dead father in Kai's place before it soon dissipated once Kai spoke to one of his AI crewmembers while eyeing the people around him, both Side 3 citizens and Earth Federation military personal, noting the postures of both. One was a bit dejected and held an aura of sadness and regret around them while the other was stoic and tried their best to ignore the people around them. Sighing, Erika got onboard the APC as Kai made himself comfortable in the military seat. Looking at the man as he closed his eyes, Erika wondered what else she'll find about the young man as the weeks go by.
Meanwhile
Kowen
"This is unnecessary, Jamitov." Said Kowen as he tried his best to keep a straight face to the supreme commander of the newly formed Titans, Jamitov Hymen. The elderly man stayed calm as Kowen protested at what he just told him. "Your task force, on principal, is ill-suited for the situation in Side 3. While there are terrorists' movements within Side 3 that are growing due to the new bill passed, they haven't grown to the point of the regular military can't handle them. Even then, there are ECOAS personal stationed to help deal them. There's no need for Titans personal to arrive and assist in dealing with Side 3." Jamitov was unmoved at what Kowen said before speaking.
"Even so, I believe that we should have Titan personal to assist in dealing with the growing terrorist movements that are permeating in Side 3 now." Said Jamitov. "In order to eliminate them from growing out of control and attacking the other sides or even Earth. Kill the larva before they have a chance to grow into wasps and expand their hive, thus becoming an even greater annoyance. Perhaps even a threat."
"If that is the case, then ECOAS can deal with them." Said Kowen. "Over fifty teams are stationed here to deal with the terrorist movements in Side 3. Not to mention an entire fleet of personal to help them and the Side 3 militia in eradicating any of the more aggressive movements. Even if that isn't enough to stem the tide, Londo Bell is ready to help deal with them along with the other fleets." Jamitov scoffed at that.
"Londo Bell." Said Jamitov, spouting the name off in disgust. "They lack the spine or the conviction necessary in order to do what must be done to preserve the rule of the Earth Federation. They rather let a terrorist group grow enough to potentially do damage to Federation property or even conduct an attack on a loyal colony, rather than act immediately. All because they have strict orders and regulations that they must abide to follow. They lack the initiative and will to do what must be done that my Titans have. That is why Operation Stardust managed to get as far as it did."
"More like someone prevented them from doing anything in the first place." Thought Kowen as Jamitov continued to speak, knowing what actually happened that prevented ECOAS and Londo Bell from stopping the Delaz fleet from attacking the naval review a few weeks ago. Eventually, Jamitov stopped and addressed Kowen.
"If you can't see the need of my Titans to help in dealing with Side 3, very well." Said Jamitov. "But don't say I didn't tell you so when Federation personal die because you refused my offer of assistance."
"Duly noted." Said Kowen. Jamitov then ended the call, allowing Kowen to sigh. No doubt that Jamitov will speak to the Federation high council about this and attempt to convince them to allow Titan personal into Side 3. And that was something that Kowen didn't want. Despite the organization being relatively new, Kowen had a bad feeling about it on account of it's ability to act without fear of repercussions for it's actions as well ability to act with no regards to the rule of engagements caused Kowen to be worried about them. That and the fact that Jamitov was a known Earthnoid supremacist and that several other officers were supremacists as well, like captain Bask Om. There are also rumors of them having their AIs be programmed to be absolutely loyal to the preservation of the Earth Federation and to be devoid the emotions that most military AIs are allowed to experience, claiming that, because of their duty, the AIs must not be allowed to form attachments with those that they must eliminate or might have to eliminate for the good of the Federation. All this made Kowen worried about the possible consequences for having Titan personal in Side 3 at the moment. The situation was already delicate enough, they didn't need to put more wood into the pyre. Because of this, he ordered his aide to both inform Kai Shiden and commodore Lombard about this so they can know how important Kai's assignment is. They need to show the people of the Earth Sphere, even if it's a miniscule portion of the Earth Sphere, the situation of Side 3 and how they needed to stop throwing more reparations and hate towards them than they already have. Otherwise, they might experience the second coming of a Principality of Zeon. And Kowen would rather avoid that. Yes, he would.
