Chapter 7


Holding cells

Kai


It had taken a while, but Merc eventually got permission from Lombard to allow Kai Shiden to interview his attackers earlier this day. The reason being that Lombard believed that it'll help give more ideas on how to write his articles as well as give him insight on how bad the situation is at Side 3 for it's people. With that permission, Kai and Merc were walking towards the interrogation room where one of the assaulters were being transferred to under heavy guard.

Upon arriving, they spotted Erika Yugo at the door to the interrogation room, where the selected prisoner was located in, a stern look on her face.

"I heard what you're planning on doing with the people that attacked us a few hours ago and I want to let you know that this is a terrible idea that will do nothing but be a waste of time." Said Erika as she looked at Kai with annoyance. "What do you hope to accomplish with this act, Mr. Shiden? All you're doing is wasting your time. Time that is better spent on more practical and less violent individual than those that stuck in the past and can't let things go because of stupid patriotism." Kai sighed before explaining.

"Because it'll help me understand why they're like this." Said Kai as he explained his thoughts behind this action to Erika. "With that understanding, I can better write a section in my article about what happened to the veterans of the One Year War for Side 3. If I'm going to make this article as accurate and source-filled as it possibly can be, I need sources from all corners of Side 3, including those that hate me and those I support. It's what differentiates a good reporter from a bad one. And also the cowards from the brave. Or crazies, depending on who you ask." Erika still looked disapproving, causing Kai to sigh. "Look, like it or not, I'm going into that room and speak with that man. It's out of your hands on what I do, so please don't make this unnecessarily difficult for me. Besides, if he tries anything, I got you, Merc, and a bunch of other guards nearby in case he tries anything." Erika still didn't looked pleased with this, but sighed and motioned for Kai to enter the room, to which he did so with a nod.

Once he entered the room, Merc looked at Erika and spoke up.

"You don't need to such a tight ass, you know." Said Merc. "Kai has gotten himself out of far trickier situations than this. Plus, he's got all these guards around the room. There's no need to be worried." Erika just glared at Merc for his carelessness, to which the AI just shrugged. "Like I said, stop being such a downer and be confident in Kai's ability to take care of himself and knowing what he's doing. You got to have faith." Upon hearing that last word, Erika glare intensified to almost smoldering levels, causing a bit of surprise from the AI. Before he could speak again, Erika just walked away from the robot so that she could enter the room that contained a one-way mirror that enabled her to see what was going in on the interrogation room that Kai was in, leaving Merc alone, wondering what got her panties in a twist.


Meanwhile

Kai


Upon entering the interrogation room, Kai was immediately beset with some insults.

"Just my luck." Spat out the man that Kai wanted to see when he saw that Kai entered the room. A brown haired man with bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, whose eyes were currently looking at him with hate. "The one man that me any of my pals wanted to kill decides to grace me with his presence. Just great." Kai just smirked at that as he sat in front of the man, who was chained to the ground along with the standard handcuffs.

"Well, I guess my popularity is that good, huh?" Asked Kai as he made a quip at the man, enjoying slightly at how red he got from the quip. That would be the last one Kai will make today for this guy.

"It should be with how many people you made orphans and widows, you sick fuck!" Yelled the man as he tried to strangle Kai, but the chains prevented him from doing so. Sighing out loud, Kai waited until the man tired himself out before continuing.

"Okay, that quip was rather poor in taste." Said Kai. "I'm sorry. Old habits tend to die hard, okay. Let's restart. As you know, I'm Kai Shiden. Federation hero of the One Year War turned freelance reporter. I was sent here by General Revil himself to write about Side 3 after the One Year War and how living conditions are. The reason because of a new bill that has been approved by the Earth Federation high council. One that severely impacts Side 3 more when it's combined with the first reparations bill. You know all this, right?" Upon hearing that question, the man just nodded, causing Kai to sight.

"Well then you know that, if it does comes into effect, then your people will be living even worse lives than they are now and the Earth Sphere won't know peace for a long time to come. And that's not good for anyone. That's why I'm here. To make people see that this new bill is a bad idea. To make them let go of their hatred and move on from the war. Because if they don't, then we're just continuing the cycle of war and hatred. You get me? That's also why I'm here. What you did to me earlier this day would be used by other media outlets to justify the new bill as well as justify the general opinion of Side 3 by the other people of the Earth Sphere." The man just grunted, already knowing just how corrupt the other media outlets of the Earth Sphere were. They were all under the thumb of the Earth elite. All of them. Including the ones that were from the other sides. Including this so-called freelance reporter. Even if he says some things that are very critical of the Earth Federation. "But not me." That caused the man to look at Kai in shock, wondering if he heard correctly. Upon seeing that Kai was serious, the man spoke up.

"Why the fuck would you do that?" Demanded the man as he looked at Kai incredulously. "We did a lot of things to you and your friends. Probably killed some family members and friends of yours during the war as well as try to hunt you down during your time on Earth. We made your life hell during the One Year War. So why the heck are you helping us?" Kai just sighed at that before speaking up.

"Well, for starters, I don't carry grudges." Said Kai as he looked at the man with a glare. "At least ones that can impair my ability to do my job as well as help a people when they clearly need it. I'll be honest, I hate Side 3. I hate it with a burning passion. You guys killed billions of human lives for your dreams of independence when you already had it. Then you guys continued to pull war crimes after war crimes, all in the name of independence. If I was any other person, I would have scoffed at the idea of helping you people and take the easy way out and just do what the Federation high council wants me to do and just paint you as despicable monsters that deserve no sympathy." Kai then sighed before looking at the man with a neutral look. "But that's not who I am, nor someone I want to be. There's already too many sycophants and gold-diggers in media outlets right now that would rather take the easy route in reporting and just do what the government and populace wants them to say. I'm not one of those people. Unlike those people who want an easy paycheck, I actually do my job with the competence and respect that it deserves. I also respect those that my articles and reports affect and reach to. All of them deserve to have the truth known and all of them don't deserve to be demonized just because of a lie or misinformation because of me. No matter what acts they did in the past. And that's why general Revil sent me to help you all out. I may hate your Side for what you did in the war, but I'm not going to let that affect how I write what needs to be said. Of how we all need to let go of past grudges and grievances between one another if we want to move completely past the war. So, I'll ask you this." Kai then leaned towards the man. "Are you going to help me in achieving my goals in making people stop hating on Side 3 and just treat it was another citizenry of the Federation?"

The man, upon hearing all of this from Kai, a legend amongst the Earth Federation people, stayed quiet, stunned to hear all this. Never did it occur to the man that this reporter, this former Federation mobile suit pilot, would do so much for his people. Risking everything for them, after all that they tried to do to him and his shipmates during the One Year War. He was risking everything, from his reputations with the entire Earth Sphere to his own life, just to help out his people. It was a far cry to what he and his friends thought the man was when they first heard about him and upon seeing him on Side 3. They thought he was here as a means of the Federation to justify their awful bills and laws against Side 3 for the war as well as converting their own young into the Federation ways, the two young girls wearing Side 3 militia uniforms gave credence to that. But no. He was here to help them. To make the other regions of humanity realize that enough was enough and that they were now citizens of the Earth Federation again. And the man was being completely honest with him. He looked directly into the eyes of Kai Shiden and knew that he was being completely honest with him. He truly wanted to help out his people, despite the grudge he held against them. A far better man than he had given him credit for. And a far better man than him, who let his emotions get the better of him during the last few days of the One Year War.

Looking at his prosthetic limbs, then at Kai, then back at his own prosthetic limbs. Suddenly he got a flashback of a little boy with brown hair and of a promise that was given to him by the man in a more peaceful time. A promise that he made that he failed to keep before his untimely death. A promise that he now had a chance to fulfill with the reporter right in front of him.

Swallowing his pride, the man then asked Kai what questions he wanted to ask to him, causing Kai to smile a bit before beginning the interview.


Meanwhile

Erika


Erika had two thoughts about Kai Shiden. One was that he was a completely reckless fool and the other was that he was the bravest and principled man that she ever met.

He was a reckless fool because he was alone in a room with a man that tried to kill him and his security team just hours ago, thinking he can use the man to help him in achieving his goals and those of general Revil through this. Sure, he was most likely trained in defending himself somewhat competently given his line of work and how he goes to places that aren't exactly safe for him and those that are aligned with the Earth Federation, but that wasn't an excuse for him to go and do stuff like this where it was possible for him to die, thus dooming any chance of them garnering sympathy for Side 3, her people as they'll be unable to find another reporter that had his competency and morals in time before something worse happens to her people and the entire Earth Sphere as a result.

And yet, she couldn't help but admire him for his convictions and moral stance on his job. He absolutely refused to take the easy way of doing things in his line of work, even if it would give him more popularity and money from the government as a result, claiming it would be a disservice to the people or things that he was reporting about as well as the people that he was supposed to tell the truth to in the first place. Such morals were rare in the media outlet and Erika should know. Her people had done it many times throughout the course of the One Year War. Something that caused no small amount of disapproval from her father when he was still alive. Just thinking of her father churned her heart and made her close her eyes in pain upon remembering his death along with the rest of her family in the One Year War, caused by the Zabi family.

Speaking of her father, she couldn't help but notice that Kai had some of the traits that her father had. He had his stubbornness, his bravery, and his morals. Her father refused to believe in the lies that the Zabi family permeated throughout the war. He refused to believe that Spacenoids were superior to Earthnoids and refused to believe that they can't coexist with one another. And Kai, perhaps most of all, had a sense of duty and matureness that reminded her much of her father. So much so that it hurt her. Even more so when she looked at him, all confident and in control of his emotions.

Just seeing him, reminded her of her father and all the things he's done for her and her siblings. The good, the bad. All of it. And it hurt her. It hurt her because seeing such a resemblance, not in looks, but in personality traits and morals, to her deceased family made her realize what she lost in the war and what she can never get back. Closing her eyes, she turned away from Kai as he interviewed the attacker her before him, refusing to see him anymore for the night. This, however, caused Merc to look at her in concern. He detected her heart rate and body temperature rising rapidly as he placed his optics upon her. Even if he couldn't detect those things, he had to be a complete idiot to not see she was hurting. From what, he couldn't tell, but he was going to report this to both colonel Lombard as well as Kai himself in order to get her the help that he suspected she needed in order to overcome what was troubling her.

With that, Merc went back to observing Kai's interview, ready to pounce in case the man that Kai was with tried to do anything stupid against his friend.


Meanwhile


"Are you certain of this?" Asked Jamitov as he frowned over what he had just heard over a long-distance call.

"Yes sir." Said the person on the other side of the call. "If we do this, we can both show the entire Earth Sphere that the Sides need strict governance in order to prevent massive losses in personal and money as well as remove a potential thorn in our side with Side 3. And I assure you sir, this will have no linkages to us." Jamitov just stayed silent as he contemplated the plan that he had just been told. It was quite risky. If they were discovered, then everything that he tried to achieve with the Titans will be forfeit, potentially forever, but if it succeeded. Then it'll provide a strong argument for what he was trying to advocate as well as eliminate a hive of trouble for the Earth Federation. Thinking it over a long while, Jamitov then gave his answer.

"Very well." Said Jamitov. "Do it. But know this. If this goes bad for us, you will regret the day you were created as I hunt you down for your failures. Is that understood?"

"Naturally, sir." Said the person on the other end. "I will contact you again when everything is ready." With that the call ended, allowing Jamitov to sat in his office silently. Clasping his hands together, Jamitov began thinking up of ways to expand the Titans as well as acquiring the support of Anaheim Electronics for the construction of more powerful mobile suits for his special forces group beyond what is given to Londo Bell and even ECOAS. It was needed if his men were going to become the defenders of the Earth Federation that it required.