After the fight, we figured
that the first thing to do is to find ourselves a haven from our enemies. Even
though fear of being discovered is a factor why we decided to lay low for a couple
of days, Garrod figured that the SRA had thought that they had completely wiped
out Satelicon, and that they will no longer do deploy any search and destroy
units. Besides, the Double X seemed to have suffered some damage in its
thrusters during the battle, and Garrod need to do some repairs on it. We were
hidden in a wreckage of a Colony, one of the silent monuments of the last war,
but miraculously still have enough energy to provide light and oxygen for us.
As Garrod began his work, I salvage some food that was still in my G-Falcon.
The rations will provide both of us for a couple of days, enough for us to
formulate a plan. If we had one…
As soon as Garrod had partially fixed DX's thrusters, he sat beside me and took
his share of the food I offered him. I couldn't eat mine, though, as I am still,
well, brooding. To be honest, it has never been part of my system. But that is
all I could do in that moment.
"So." Garrod began as soon as he finished eating. "Where do we
start?"
"Huh?" I asked, still distracted.
"Are you going to avenge Satelicon?" Garrod asked matter-of-factly.
Sometimes it surprised me how similar we both are, a part of me wanted to carry
on the Commander's last order as well. But I felt so confused. For the first
time, I find myself facing the future in uncertainty, alone and abandoned. In
fact, the guilt of not bening able to be with my family, twice, at the end of
everything was more than I would want to bear. I was beginning to wonder if it
was even worth the effort. "I..I don't know." I whispered. Tears
began falling from my eyes. Which surprised me really, since I thought I've
already cried myself out, but still they came, I was beginning to feel like a
dam. "Even if I could, there's nothing for me to go back to."
"There's the Earth." Garrod said gently. "You can always go
there with Tifa and me."
I smiled despite myself. The guy was trying to cheer me up, but he couldn't
really understand how it feels to lose something important.
"You're probably thinking." Garrod began, looking at the Gundam's
silhouette from the hull. "That I really have no right to say that. But
it's just that..." he sighed. "I remember when Tifa was taken away
from me. How I was helpless I felt to save her as she was forced to go to
space. I thought I lost her forever. That I'll never see her again." The
boy began to chuckle. "She was everything to me. I thought I was about to
go mad. But everyone… everyone from the Freeden told me I have to go after her,
that I shouldn't give up hope. Tifa told me that in the future, we may never
see each other again. I wanted to prove it wrong. I won't let that happen. I wanted to change that future."
"Tifa is very special to you, huh?" I asked him, seeing how unusually
somber he was. His face was so sad, I began to think that this person was
willing to go to space...alone and unaided, simply to do something that was
probably next to impossible.
"She is." Garrod admitted grimly. "I was a moron back then. I
could have told her how I feel about her. At least, this time, even if I die,
she knows this. But..." he looked at me seriously. "I wanted to help
you too. Whatever it takes, the Gundam and I will help you against the
SRA."
I looked at my half-eaten food. Thinking what Garrod just said. A fight against
the future, despite how bleak and hopeless that future is. Garrod knew that
anytime both of us may die in space, but this doesn't stop his goal to see the
girl he loved. For a minute I wonder what kind of person this Tifa girl is and
how she made such a tremendous impact to this boy. I find myself looking at the
Gundam, and as Peter's words echoed in my head how the Satellite Cannon can aid
us against the Colony Laser, an idea began to form in my head. I decided to
give it a shot.
This maybe my only way to honor Satelicon's memory, and avenge for the loss.
"Hey, Garrod." I began, still staring at the Gundam. "What does
the Earth look like? You just picked up my curiousity…"
*****
Garrod and I began a plan to destroy the Colony Laser. As I began showing him
some background on the weapon and how it was used during the war, he whistled
in disbelief and said. "The Colonies created such destructive
weapons."
"Ah, but the Federation's Gundam X was created to destroy Colonies."
I reminded him. "Frankly, I think both sides were terrible during the
war."
"Point taken." My friend nodded. "You still wanted to do
this?"
"Yeah. This will be the chance for us to rescue Tifa. The news of Zaider
taking Tifa with him for the Laser's completion is actually a good break for
both of us. "You just concentrate on firing that huge ugly thing, I'll get Tifa
for you." I stretched out my hand. "Good luck."
He nodded as he took my hand and gave a firm shake. "You too." He
said. "Let's return to Earth. The three of us."
I nodded as I climbed on the G-Falcon and began inputting the demand message to
Zaider in my computer. "You want a code name for this?" I asked him.
"How about 'Blazing Mobile Suit Pilot'?" Garrod said, grinning. I
felt a sweatdrop forming on my head. He looked at me suspiciously, obviously noticed
my unflattering expression. "What?" he asked.
"Oh. Nothing, nothing!" I said hastily as I typed in the name despite
myself.
"What about yours?" Garrod asked, leaning over my shoulder and
reading the letter as well. I have already decided my code name a while ago.
"The Ghost of Satelicon." I replied. Garrod nodded, understanding. As
he vaulted, floating by the zero gravity towards DX's cockpit, I strapped
myself on the seat and concentrated on the operation.
"That's right." I murmured. "The three of us, let's all go to
Earth." As the G-Falcon and the Double X headed to the field of stars, it
was still engraved in my mind.
