It had been a little over six months since Gabriel Sirghi had last found himself at the Royal Air Force pilots' memorial. He had lost his brother Thomas, and now he had lost Marco Vazquez to the war. Ironically, the sky this time did not shed rain to help him and the others who truly cared to hide their tears. The English spring sun shone with few clouds but was insufficient to hide the shadow in the hearts that were there.
He observed, from the other side of the ceremonial center, his sister Samantha consoling Sofia Vazquez, who did not hide her pain and suffering. Beside him, Henry Enfield also paid tribute to his former squadron mate. Now only the two of them remained from the brave team of pilots who fought in Operation Moonfall.
"Did you manage to talk to Theresa?"
Henry's question pulled Gabriel from his silent melancholy. He observed Sofia once more before answering.
"No, Samantha told me she wouldn't come to the funeral; she was too busy with the project she's currently working on."
"It must be the way she chose to mourn. I find it too unfair, however. When it starts to hurt the people who need you, it's because it's the wrong way.
I know I'm being hard on her, but her mother deserved support. You two need to talk, make sure of that."
"It's not for lack of trying. I'm reaching a point where I'm about to take Arthur and fly to the moon to see her."
Henry smiled faintly, and after a final salute to Marco Vazquez's newly constructed tombstone, he decided to bid farewell.
"I'm going to take advantage of this day before our trip to New York to visit my family. Scenes like today's made me understand the privilege it is to be with them."
They said goodbye with a handshake, and now alone, Gabriel approached Sofia and Samantha. He hugged his sister, and then his future mother-in-law, who reciprocated, trying to appear strong.
"Talk to her, Gabriel. I'm sure she'll listen to you..."
"I will, Sofia, I promise you."
Samantha approached her brother, placing a hand on his face. The two had had little time to talk since the pilot's return, and they certainly wouldn't have it now. Regardless, she tried to play her role as an older sister.
"Are you sleeping better these days?"
"Yes, thanks to your prescription."
"Will you be in London for a while?"
Gabriel closed his eyes, lamenting before answering.
"Unfortunately not. I'll have dinner with you all tonight, but tomorrow I'm off to New York for the Aegis ceremony, then I'll go straight to Kyoto for project work."
Samantha nodded, knowing her brother hated with all his might the mere prospect of the honor awaiting him in the United States. It was one of the parts of his job he hated most—medals and honors for heroic deeds he considered crimes.
<>
Work at the Tsukuyomi research center and base was almost complete, the bulk of the planning, at least. The research center's leader, Wilfried Dreyer, along with members of his team composed of scientists from all over the world, observed the result of Theresa Vazquez's arduous and, according to Dreyer himself, manic work. The young professor of Spanish origin, who had adopted England as her home due to the war, had in a very short time elaborated a plan for the use of a technology that had long been ignored, due to rules that, at this point, the young scientist no longer saw the need to follow.
Merseyside's departure from the project laid bare some facts for Aegis's R&D. The British were far ahead of the other corporations that had been part of Project EX. Despite similar performance in terms of the five M.M.U.s born from the partnership between Aegis and private companies, the Avalon was absolutely superior to all ships born from the project. Furthermore, the Excalibur Rifle, the weapon that, if not single-handedly, was most responsible for the change in the war's direction, was a mystery even to the organization's R&D. And now they no longer had access to the weapon's documentation to unravel such a secret. The council considered freezing the participation of the Avalons and M.M.U. Arthur in subsequent missions, but there wasn't a universe where Aegis could afford to give up its greatest trump card as retaliation, and Merseyside knew this.
Lost in political thoughts that didn't help his team at all, Dreyer forced himself to pay attention again to the presentation Theresa was giving to her colleagues and the military personnel at the base.
"Unmanned Mobile Units. These will be the machines that will win the war for Aegis. With the information from the elite pilots chosen in Project EX, our AI will be able to pilot these units with mastery, without limiting us to human capabilities..."
"...Nor ethical restrictions."
The meeting room fell silent, and seconds later, gave its full attention to the scientist in the front row who had spoken those words. With attention on himself, Rodrigo Ferreira, a Brazilian scientist renowned in the field of energy and sustainability, continued.
"There's a reason AI armaments are prohibited, Professor Vazquez. Using these U.M.U.s in war would be a crime."
"If we win, it won't be."
Dreyer observed the exchange between two of his most brilliant subordinates without showing emotion. Theresa's features, once gentle and beautiful, now emanated an almost irrational hatred; her dark circles and empty gaze indicated the insomnia he had tried several times to help her resolve. The loss of her father had affected the young professor in a way he had seldom seen, and he had certainly seen stories similar to Theresa's in his devastated Germany. He stood up, climbing the stairs to the auditorium stage and interrupting the discussion.
"The idea is interesting, and we can see it's already advanced. We will pass it on to the Aegis council, and then we will make a decision according to theirs."
The auditorium quickly emptied. Rodrigo Ferreira, during his exit, exchanged an irritated look with Dreyer, who simply returned it calmly. Theresa was gathering her things when the head of the R&D department approached to help her.
"You've already disobeyed two of my orders to take time off and visit Earth. At least rest for a few hours in your cabin every day. At the rate you're going, you won't be in condition to handle a project as ambitious as the one you proposed. Grief won't and can't serve as fuel forever, Theresa."
The young woman stopped organizing her things but didn't have the courage to face her superior. He was right; she was destroying herself, but her sense of duty forced her to fulfill her obligations. She had seen the suffering and hard work her father and her fiancé endured as pilots; young Kiyoko, whom she had met a short time ago, deserved a better future than the battlefield. Besides, with her U.M.U.s and Project EX technology, Aegis could end the war and annihilate the U.S.C. once and for all; peace could only be achieved with Earth's enemies destroyed.
Theresa caught herself surprised by her own recent thoughts, but now she understood that for the conflict to end, one side needed to cease to exist. And she would make sure her research brought that future without war closer.
<>
A few hours later, Theresa was in her room after a long bath. She was stubborn, but not stupid; she knew Dreyer was right and decided to follow her boss's advice. Still drying her long blonde hair, her attention was called by her private communicator. On the display on her desk, the name "Biel" appeared.
For a week, she had ignored her fiancé's calls; work was the excuse, but she knew Gabriel deserved more than her lack of attention. She stood up, sitting in the chair in front of the desk; she knew the conversation would be long. With a sigh, she answered the call.
The relief in Gabriel's eyes upon seeing her warmed her, while at the same time, a small regret filled her chest. He also had dark circles, like her, but the color was starting to return to his face. She looked away involuntarily, and after a few more seconds, the pilot finally spoke.
"Is everything alright, Theresa?"
She could say yes, but she was in no condition to deceive anyone in her current state, much less someone who knew her so well.
"...I'm managing."
"Why didn't you come to your father's funeral?"
She quickly raised her head, looking at him somewhat incredulously.
"Why? Because there wasn't even a body to bury! That time was better spent on our research, to end this war."
She still hadn't seen the expression with which Gabriel observed her, even after knowing each other for so long.
"Your father might not have been there, really... But your mother was."
"...I'll talk to her when I'm ready, but right now I'm in the critical phase of my new project; I won't be able to give her the time she deserves."
She hesitated a little; the next question was delicate. Theresa had illegally read the combat report from Beta colony.
"How's Kiyoko?"
"...You know?"
Theresa just nodded in response, and then decided to clarify something.
"I'm not blaming her! Please, don't even think that!"
"...I haven't met her yet; I'll do that tomorrow in New York, but all indications are that she's fine."
"What a relief! At least... At least he didn't lose his life in vain."
The rare and heavy silence between the two stretched on. That didn't feel like the reunion of lovers who hadn't seen each other for months; a dark cloud hung between them, besides the distance of thousands of kilometers. Theresa tried to find words of encouragement in what she believed.
"We're going to end this war, Biel. Whatever it takes. When we finish off the U.S.C., we'll finally have our peace."
"...Finish off the U.S.C.?"
"Yes, that's the only way. It's clear there's no room for Earth and for them. If we want a long and lasting peace, the lives lost in the colonies will be a high price to pay, but if we want to advance into a prosperous future, we'll need this sacrifice."
Gabriel looked at her, mouth agape; for a few seconds, he was speechless. He tried to search his memory for the Theresa he loved so much, because the one in front of him was the total opposite.
"More lives, you say... Are 3 million not enough for you!?"
"No, they're not!"
The unusual rise in tone from both of them made Theresa pay attention to what she had just said to her fiancé. She had also read the report on the destruction of Zeta and Gamma colonies, and regret, once again, completely overwhelmed her.
"Gabriel, forgive me! How could I say that to you?!"
He tried to force a small smile, but neither of them had the energy for it at the moment.
"It's alright, we both need to rest; we look terrible..."
"Biel, I-"
Without an "I love you," without an "I miss you," their conversation ended terribly, and Theresa knew much of it was her fault. Still unchanged, she threw herself onto her bed, covering her eyes with her left arm. The tears she had held back after her father's death now streamed down painfully.
<>
In New York, the building of Aegis's American division loomed large near the megalopolis's skyscrapers. The night brought with it the lights that illuminated the sky of the city, which had suffered few changes during the war period. At the top of the headquarters, a meeting with the four main members of the organization was taking place.
Aegis's power division was continental; each of the leaders had the same powers, and regulation was done by a congress, also elected by each continent and divided equally. The elections had concluded last week, and that was precisely the reason for the meeting held that night.
At the simple table, seated to the right, was Oswald Goodwin, leader of Aegis in America. Beside him, Luo Yi, from the Asian and Oceania division. Opposite Oswald, Hubert Poulin, from Europe, and to his right, Azim Asaad from Africa. The democratic election had brought some problems for the group, and the main one was being broadcast by one of the newspapers displayed on the large floating screen above the table.
The image showed Selen Pritchard and her fellow pacifist colleagues, elected in much larger numbers than expected. Oswald paused the broadcast on a frame showing the congresswoman and her other 12 elected colleagues with similar ideas. Luo Yi was the first to speak.
"I heard they received huge donations for the campaign; in the end, it's not such an unexpected result."
Oswald agreed.
"The real problem isn't just this donation, but the amount of pacifist propaganda that has grown absurdly, and I'm sure this same donor is behind it, making sure these ideas are spread."
Hubert made a quick gesture, changing the image on the display to a graph.
"And they're working. In the last poll, the number of people who want some kind of peace agreement with the U.S.C. grew by almost 20%. Should we find a way to deal with these problems?"
Asaad looked furiously at Hubert before answering.
"That's not who we are. If democracy chooses peace, we must respect that desire... Or at least give that impression."
"I wouldn't worry about that for now; our enemies will do enough to ensure any notion of peace is thrown out the window."
The other three looked at Oswald, who obviously seemed to know something they didn't. The American maintained his composure and, just as Hubert had done shortly before, changed the image on the display. The U.S.C.'s attack plan was on display, and its execution would be soon. With attention back on him, he continued.
"We just need to make sure the damage caused is enough to regain popular support, until we have time to finish this war. Peace now would only favor our enemy, and that we cannot accept."
Oswald Goodwin looked again at Selen Pritchard's image; the woman was just another one with dangerous ideas, but one the Aegis leader believed he could control. His biggest concern, however, was Merseyside's departure from the project, and that would be the next topic of the meeting.
<>
The next morning, the beautiful American spring sun graced New York City. The award ceremony for the success of Operation Heaven's Fall was taking place at the war memorial in the country's largest city. The setting was beautiful, surrounded by trees and simple but elegant decoration. Hundreds of chairs were placed in front of a stage surrounded by cameras that would record and broadcast the ceremony.
A few meters away, Gabriel observed the place's organization through the cracks in the window of the hall where he and his colleagues who would be awarded were waiting. It was just another way to show Aegis's recent success in the war, something the pilot still had difficulty calling such.
"First Lieutenant Sirghi..."
Gabriel knew Kiyoko Ogata's weak, almost inaudible voice. He turned to her; the young woman wore the same ceremonial uniform as he did, but unlike the R.A.F. pilot, she had no medals yet; this would be her first. A bitter and heavy first decoration.
He approached the young woman and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm glad you're well, First Lieutenant. That's all that matters."
"But the captain..."
Gabriel observed the young woman more attentively; the scars from the attack she suffered were still on parts of her neck. But before he could console her, the rest of his team approached, with Sabrina M. Ortiz taking the lead.
"I'm happy to welcome you to my country; today's honors are nothing less than fair."
At the hall door, an Aegis employee came to call the group; the time had come. Everyone left the room heading for the stage, but Kiyoko remained motionless. Gabriel waited beside her until he was noticed. Upon realizing her colleague's presence, Kiyoko just lowered her head.
"Come on, the sooner this is over, the sooner we can take off these uncomfortable clothes. And there's something I'd like to show you."
She just nodded, and they followed where the others were.
The ceremony was quick; brief speeches after each medal was presented fanned the sense of justice that, at this point, Gabriel no longer knew if it was just a delusion or if it was still valid. Besides Ortiz's squadron pilots, the Avalon crew members were also decorated. Major General Gianluca Pellegrini did the honors for his subordinates, placing the medal on each of them and giving them a firm handshake.
Gabriel observed his friend Henry, who had a very similar opinion to his regarding the ceremony, and probably the same uncomfortable expression. For some reason, Kiyoko and Gabriel were left for last. They looked at each other confusedly when a woman stood up from one of the chairs on the stage. With her short black hair and a determined look, Selen Pritchard went to the two with medals in hand. The congresswoman approached Kiyoko and delicately placed the medal on the young woman. What she said next took both pilots by surprise.
"Forgive us..."
Gabriel and Kiyoko again exchanged a look of doubt, and then she continued.
"Thanks to our political incompetence, you have to sacrifice yourselves in this useless war. If our diplomacy worked, young people like you wouldn't be on the battlefield, but in classrooms, or working to create a better future."
She bowed her head formally after placing the medal on Gabriel, and then, instead of returning to her chair, she went to the microphone on the stage. The other Aegis members exchanged frightened looks; Selen's action was certainly not in the script, and then, the Welshwoman began the speech that would help change Earth's destiny.
"I ask you, why are we fighting this war? I don't ask this question only for humanity on Earth, but also for those who have embraced space as their home... Why do we fight this war? Do the reasons from a century ago still exist? If they do, was a conflict that took billions of lives the only way we found in a hundred years to deal with our differences?
I ask humanity, because there is only one, regardless of whether it is safe in the comfort of gravity or free from it in the infinity of space, why do we fight this war? This is the question we must ask from now on, and when we find the answer, I am sure that all those lives that will cease to be sacrificed in it will help us create a prosperous and just future."
The microphone was cut off, and Selen realized it before continuing. She bowed to the ceremony's audience, who still observed her in shock. The silence was broken by Samantha Moncrief's applause, who was watching the ceremony from the front row. As she stood up, more people followed. Soon, to the horror of the Aegis members present, applause and whistles filled the place. Gabriel looked back to observe the scene.
Tired people, who had lost everything, for whom grief, instead of revenge, brought the hope that peace and the end of the conflict were the only solution. People who made him once again believe in humanity.
<>
In his simple country house in the English countryside, Allen George Merseyside couldn't hide his smile as he watched Selen Pritchard's speech on television. The fortune he spent on the congresswoman's and her colleagues' campaigns, and on pacifist advertisements around the world, was beginning to yield results.
When a soldier's face appeared on the screen, he paused the video. The tired-looking man, though still very young, observed the audience's reaction with surprise. Allen wished he could meet Gabriel Sirghi personally, the pilot of the M.M.U. that was Merseyside's last creation, which held the secrets of the abyss.
Allen George Merseyside had one more mission, unfair it was true, for the Royal Air Force pilot. One last request, for the good of humanity, which, as Selen rightly said, was only one.
April 09, 2239 A.D. The pacifist movement began to gain strength worldwide, at the same time that the U.S.C.'s largest offensive against Earth in decades was only a few days away from happening. The theater of war was becoming increasingly unpredictable, and its hitherto unknown main actor was beginning to reveal himself.