Chapter 10: Blue Cosmos
"So these are the pilots of the mobile suits?" The Offensive Force General wondered skeptically. He was a tall man dressed in his white uniform. Akiko could tell he was a well-decorated member of the Northern Atlantic United States. After the C.E. 71 Conflict some of old alliances were broken and new ones forged. The main division was between PLANT endorsed areas and non-endorsed areas. The tensions between these areas and the PLANT had become stretched in recent years as resources on Earth shrink to near non-existence. She looked him over and wondered in if NAUS was the only group heading this project or if there were more. She noticed his stately wise face had an air of concern as if he was doubtful of the usefulness of the teens now standing in front of him.
"Indeed." The Professor replied with a smirk. "They came here to enlist and engaged the enemy quite well for their first day." He added.
"NCs?" The general wondered walking around them slowly.
"The boy is the girl is merely an exceptionally smart Natural." He replied smiling.
"We could use more soldiers with their skills to test the new models. So how is the Key search coming along?" The General wondered as he walked back over to the professor.
"I'm glad you asked General Entrada. I'm sorry to hear about your Father by the way... Come right this way and I'll show you the latest data we've obtained." They disappeared behind the door and could no longer be heard. Akiko walked off towards the launch bays without saying a word.
"What are you doing?" Amura wondered as he watched her and followed.
"I have a request to fulfill." She replied indifferently. "Mori doesn't want to go back to her Dad and I think I know why." Amura looked at her as she stopped and looked at their ship through the windows. There was no one in the bay with the ship so she nodded and walked over to the computer. "She wants me to launch the ship and make it self-destruct so her father will think she's dead."
"But why?" He wondered as he watched her access the ship's computer and program it's course.
"If her guess is the same as mine then I think he's a member a Blue Cosmos but what I think that she probably doesn't realize is that there's something going on here beyond what this facility was created for." She replied as the launch bay doors started opening.
"What! Whoa!" Amura shook his head and protested. "I thought her Dad was a BIG supporter of this operation."
"But for what purpose?" Akiko wondered in a serious tone as she looked up at him. He cocked an eyebrow but didn't answer; he couldn't he didn't know.
"Do you think that Blue Cosmos is going to try to use this organization to destroy the prison meteor?" He wondered worried.
"Why stop there?" Akiko wondered getting up and walking away as the doors closed. Amura looked like he was going to be sick as he watched her walk away.
"You can't possibly be suggesting!" He gasped. She spun around and pressed two fingers to his lips and made him stop talking. "But that's..." He protested.
"If they can justify it, they'll do it. Now they have the justification to attack the prison meteor and they will." She said quietly as they walked down to the dormitories.
"New recruits!" A voice boomed from behind them; they spun around and looked to see who was yelling at them. They both gasped when they saw their old friend Shiro standing in front of them. He seemed to look equally as surprised to se them. "This is a joke right? You two were... Out there..."
"Shiro..." Akiko whispered in disbelief. "Only you would call that a vacation." She joked as the shock wore off. He groaned and shook his head.
"That's no way to address a superior officer." He pointed out and the two of them glanced at each other before standing at attention and saluting him.
"Sorry Sir." Amura barked. "It won't happen again Sir."
"Very well I've been assigned to train you two in mobile suit combat. Your training sessions begin tomorrow morning at 0700. Don't be late." He ordered then walked past them and down the hall shaking his head. "Akiko looks... Amazing..." He thought to himself with a slight smile. "Maybe this will be worth it after all."
"What's wrong Shiro? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Diaska wondered concerned as he floated over to him.
"Nothing Diaska I just met some people here I thought I'd never see again. In all the vastness of space. Heh." He flashed the dusty blonde headed boy a smile. Beyond the smile though Diaska could see a sparkle in his blue eyes and knew his friend was truly happy.
"All right Shiro. Sleep well I hear we're going to be training tomorrow." He mused as he floated passed him and into his room.
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The alarm went off at 0600 the following morning and Akiko reached over and turned it off. "Too bad I can't throw it." She griped as she stared at the in wall unit that was part of an electronics station.
"Time to get up already?" Mori wondered looking over at her from the bed on the other side of the room.
"You can go back to sleep Mori you don't have to get up yet." Mori nodded slowly and rolled over. Akiko went over to the in wall dresser and pulled out one of the uniforms she got fitted for last night. She pulled it on and shuffled out to the hallway. All around her she heard painful moans coming from the other rooms. Suddenly she heard a thump down the hall and ran to see what it was. She found the Professor slumped over on the floor. "What's going on?!" She gasped rolling him carefully on to his back.
"Blue Cosmos... Everyone... No one's answering anywhere in the colony..." He gasped slowly before wincing sharply and tensing his body up. A moment later it relaxed and he closed his eyes. Akiko pushed herself off the floor and slammed her hand onto the nearest door button. The door to Amura's room flew open and she let out a painful sob as she found him collapsed on the floor with his powder blue blanket wrapped around him tightly.
"AMURA!" She screamed in terror. He suddenly flew up and looked around wildly then set his glance on her.
"WHAT?!" He gasped confused. Her eyes grew wide and she slowly slipped to the floor crying.
"You're alive..." She muttered. "You're really alive..." He wrapped the blanket around his waist and crawled over to her and hugged her tightly.
"Of course I'm alive why wouldn't I be? What's wrong did you have a nightmare or something?" He wondered looking at her concerned. She pointed out the door and down the hall; he poked his head out then back in and looked at her wide-eyed. She nodded slowly and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
"Before he died he said no one on the colony was responding. He thought it was a Blue Cosmos attack. There's a traitor somewhere and we have to find them." She whispered.
"Let me put some pants on." He said getting up and walking over to the dresser. She blushed and flew up and ran out of the room. She looked down both ends of the empty all and took a deep breath.
"IS THERE ANYONE ALIVE OUT THERE!" She screamed not expecting an answer.
"WHO'S THERE?!" A voice screamed back. She ran towards it then slid to a stop when she saw the voice's owner. Shiro ran out of an adjoining hallway past the boy Akiko now stared at.
"What the Hell is going on here?" He wondered walking over to them. They heard a scream behind them and Akiko's face went pale.
"Mori!" She gasped and took off running. She shoved passed Amura running him into a wall and slid to a stop grabbing Mori in her arms and holding her tight. "It's ok Mori we're going to take care of things."
"What's going on?" She wondered shaking and slipping to the ground.
"I'm not sure but I'll take care of you all right don't worry." She nodded slowly but wouldn't stop crying.
"Diaska. Stay here with that girl and hide in that room. I don't trust her..." Akiko looked at Shiro contemptuously. "Understand Akiko... I know she's really Kaiala Freyann Allster..." He said as Diaska pried Akiko away from her friend.
"I'm not with Blue Cosmos!" Mori screeched frantically.
"Mori. Remember what I told. I'll take care off it just go with Diaska guy until we can get this all figured out." Mori nodded slowly and let Diaska lead her into the room she and Akiko shared. Akiko grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close. "Hurt her and I'll kill you. I don't give a damn if I'm a Natural I'll find a way..." She whispered in his ear then let go.
"Come on let's find out what's wrong with them first." Shiro said grabbing the Professor by the arms. "Give me a hand getting him to the sick bay." Amura grabbed his legs and they carried him off down the hall. "Akiko go lock down all the launch bays so we can trap the culprit if they haven't escaped yet." Akiko nodded and took off in a different direction.