Theresa Vazquez walked through the Tsukuyomi research center after the attack carried out by U.S.C. forces on the base. The simultaneous offensive against Earth had several different targets, and obviously, Aegis's new base would be one of them. The young scientist, along with her colleagues, was compiling a report of the damages sustained.
Unlike the attack on the planet, the U.S.C. did not use its powerful gravitational bombs, in a clear attempt to seize control of the new base. It was thanks to the powerful M.M.U.s of Project EX, piloted by Ortiz and Qiqiang, allied with the first appearance of Theresa's own creation, the U.M.U.s, or Unmanned Mobile Units, that the battle damage was so reduced, ensuring an almost absolute victory for Aegis forces against the enemy.
She arrived at one of the meeting rooms. She had already collected enough information for the maintenance team, which would begin tasks immediately. What she didn't expect was a heated discussion among Aegis members in the room she had just entered.
"He disobeyed a CLEAR order! We lost our main base and one of our EX units because of it!"
Theresa had never seen Sabrina M. Ortiz as angry as she demonstrated at that moment. On the other side of the conversation, on one of the room's screens, Major-General Pellegrini's face, whom she knew from her Royal Academy days, observed his subordinate's fury with a certain disappointment.
"We lost the base and lamentably over a hundred more lives of brave comrades, like Jerome Gagnier, but we saved 50 million lives. Besides, he hasn't even woken up yet. They're asking me for an inquiry, and the poor lad hasn't even regained consciousness."
The chill in Theresa's stomach was strong enough for her to let her shock escape, drawing Ortiz's attention.
"Let's wrap this up here, Captain. We will await orders from the council, nothing more."
After the transmission was unceremoniously terminated, Ortiz sighed heavily, trying to regain her composure. When she did, she turned her attention to Theresa.
"How can I help you, Professor?"
The young woman hesitated, placing her left hand over her chest, but asked anyway.
"You're talking about Gabriel Sirghi, aren't you?"
Sabrina observed her once more and quickly connected the facts.
"You are the First Lieutenant's fiancée, correct? Unfortunately, he is still recovering, but reports do not indicate any life-threatening risk."
Theresa collapsed, completely ignoring the fact she was in front of a stranger; the relief was too great. She had already lost her father; if she lost her love, she wouldn't have the strength to continue. Sabrina approached, helping her Aegis colleague to her feet.
"Kiyoko Ogata rescued him after his re-entry into the atmosphere, and now he's with the Avalon heading to London. If you wish, perhaps I can arrange a leave for you, Doctor."
"No, that won't be necessary."
Theresa replied, already composed. She had a mission to accomplish. The first intervention of her U.M.U.s had been a success, but she wouldn't rest on those laurels. She would perfect them even more, so that Gabriel, Kiyoko, and so many others would no longer need to get inside those damned machines.
Sabrina knew how to value hard work, and in front of her, she saw a woman who wouldn't stop until she achieved her goals.
"I hate to admit it, but if it weren't for your AIs, Professor, we wouldn't have been able to defend the base with so few casualties and damages. Continue your excellent work."
"I will. By the way, the modifications to the 808 are ready, Captain Ortiz, as are those for Chengdu's M.M.U. Ferreira will carry them out before you return to Earth."
Theresa said goodbye, leaving the room, while Sabrina observed the lunar horizon through the room's window. The base provided advantages that Aegis and the terrestrial forces had never had, and despite the terrible losses from the U.S.C.'s counter-attack, the American captain believed that victory was finally within reach; those were sacrifices she would make without issue.
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The destruction of New York took terrestrial society by storm. Aegis's seat of power, and the planet's most advanced metropolis, was passed over in favor of protecting Aegis bases scattered across North America. The human losses, however, were not being well received by the media and the population.
If, on one hand, the objective of igniting the fire of war in a population that was beginning to flirt with the desire for peace had some result due to immediate revanchism, the speculation that Aegis knew about the attacks and did little to prevent them had the opposite effect. Protests spread worldwide demanding the truth they deserved: Did Aegis choose to sacrifice those lives?
The fact that forces in Europe and Asia had chosen to protect their cities instead of their bases caused an even greater schism in public opinion. In this hostile climate, Selen Prichard, who by sheer chance was out of New York at the time of the attack, walked with hard, angry steps towards the temporary office of Aegis's directors-general in Pasadena.
She forced open the slow automatic doors, and her furious entrance drew the attention of the high-ranking members who were meeting emergently. Oswald Goodwin, who was the only one of the organization's four leaders to survive the attack and would now be Aegis's supreme leader worldwide, calmly observed Selen's entry into the room.
"How can I help you, Congresswoman Prichard?"
She had feelings in her throat she wanted to scream to the four winds; her anger was visible, her hatred explosive. She had lost some colleagues in the attack; the Aegis congress seats were now reduced to 20 survivors. Selen composed herself as best she could, then asked the question that a good part of the planet was asking.
"Did you know? Is it true you knew about the attacks for weeks and did nothing about it!?"
One of the generals in the room stood up, clearly nervous.
"These are military and secret matters, Congresswoman! Besides, a serious accusation like this will only serve to further destabilize the situation."
Selen's sarcastic laugh escaped, startling part of the room. She just shook her head in clear disappointment; the men and women in that room truly didn't understand the people they proposed to govern.
"If you're worried about that now, then we've already lost. The tragedy that has befallen us in these last few days will have the opposite effect of what you believed it would. And if you really knew about the attack and let it happen... I have no words for this organization's incompetence."
She didn't say goodbye. As rudely as possible, Selen left the meeting room as tempestuously as she had entered. Some members protested angrily at the congresswoman's petulance, but Goodwin just observed the door, still in silence. Perhaps he would have to take more drastic measures against the woman.
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The space cruiser Aldebaran was making the return journey to Alpha colony on Europa moon. The festive mood over the destruction of Amaterasu base was quickly replaced by concern. Of The Cathedral's forces that carried out the offensive, only 60% were returning to their colonies.
Helena Kjestein finished sending her report in her cabin and then stood up, going towards the window with the infinity of stars as a backdrop. The view, impressive to many, but commonplace for the U.S.C. population, made her think about the combat and the mission they had carried out.
On her monitor, a photo of a young man was prominent in the report she had just concluded. Gabriel Sirghi was certainly one of the best pilots she had ever faced, but it wasn't his skill that had caught her attention.
The moment before he left the atmosphere to destroy the last of the U.S.C. missiles, that instant when they crossed paths, and she ordered her subordinates not to attack him, was what came to her memory.
He chose the people over the military installation; he chose lives over a better chance of victory in the war. Helena wondered if, when the moment came, she would be capable of making the same choice. She didn't know Gabriel Sirghi's fate after the battle; when the M.M.U. was thrown back into the atmosphere by the other Aegis unit, they couldn't detect him anymore. Perhaps they had rescued him, perhaps not.
But for some reason, she believed that the chances of peace—however ironic the survival of a pilot and a machine capable of causing so much destruction might be—would come from more people with the same objective as the enemy she now learned to respect. When lives began to become the most important asset, perhaps war could finally be put aside.