Roz Links and Lowe Guele worked quickly; in just twenty minutes, only the two main connection components remained.
In stark contrast to Lowe Guele, who proceeded methodically with a complete set of tools, Roz Links was much cruder, directly smashing the outer casing of the locking devices on the connection components with his wrench and tearing off the locking devices along with the components. Astonishingly, his speed was comparable to Lowe Guele's.
Roz Links wasn't entirely sure if his method was correct, but he figured since they all had to be removed anyway, smashing the casing would probably work.
Moreover, Roz Links' situation was far less peaceful than Lowe Guele's.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The specialized RE45 handgun, which once shined brightly in the Artemis fortress, roared in Roz Links' hands in three-round burst mode, pinning down the Library guards in the corridor ahead.
Likely due to the Library organization prioritizing the replication of genetic data from excellent MS pilots, their guards were not the so-called "Soldier Kings," but just ordinary security personnel.
This gave Roz Links a slight sense of relief.
Pressing the magazine release button, shaking his wrist, and casually flicking the empty magazine away, Roz Links skillfully pulled a new magazine from his pocket, loaded it, and racked the slide.
"I've reached my target location, Lowe, are you there?"
Roz Links fired a few more rounds, killing a guard who had bravely poked his head out, and reached his goal.
"I'm here too... Roz, are you sure you're okay over there?" Lowe Guele's voice came through the comms.
In contrast to Roz Links' situation, which resembled a chaotic shooting game with bullets flying everywhere, Lowe Guele felt like he was playing a stealth game, using his wrench to induce peaceful sleep in several people, and reaching the target control room without major incident.
"Good, be careful when you go in."
Roz Links casually tossed a smoke grenade, which he had searched off a dead guard, and thick smoke quickly filled the entire corridor.
Then, regardless of any potential danger behind the door, Roz Links opened the door to the adjacent control room, slipped inside, and locked the door.
Both ends of the corridor were now barricaded by guards, and there was no time to search for another way out point by point.
Roz Links quickly found a console for cover, then rapidly swept the control room once, sighing slightly in relief.
Apparently, because Roz Links had shot and killed his way through, the Library personnel responsible for this area had all evacuated, and the control room was empty.
He glanced at the locked control room door, knowing it would take some time for the guards outside to breach it.
"Connection device... connection device... found it."
Roz Links quickly manipulated the console, searching for the option he needed.
"...Requires a key?"
"Roz, 8 has already cracked the key."
Lowe Guele's voice came through the comms, and the communicator beeped, signaling a received message.
"Huge help."
Roz Links pulled out his communicator and entered the key onto the operating console.
The control room door began to make noise, clearly indicating the guards outside were attempting to break in.
"I'm ready, Lowe, how about you?"
Roz Links put the communicator back in his pocket, picked up his RE45, and placed his left hand on a button.
"I'm ready too."
"Three-second countdown. Three, two, one!"
Not strictly adhering to the normal passage of time, Roz Links quickly counted to three and pressed the button.
Accompanied by the sound of machinery operating, the two large connection components fixed to the agricultural colony Brough loosened. A gap appeared between the "Library" and the colony, and it slowly began to detach.
However, the original inertia still maintained the "Library's" rotation, temporarily preserving the internal gravity.
"That was too fast! I almost couldn't keep up!" Lowe Guele's voice carried a hint of shock.
"The situation is urgent; there's no time for a longer countdown." Roz Links frowned, aiming his gun at the door.
"You get out first; I still have to fight my way out."
Roz Links moved to the wall near the door. Whether he opened the door or the guards breached it, he would catch them off guard.
Suddenly, the guards outside seemed to receive an order, causing a significant commotion. The sound of breaching the door gradually disappeared, replaced by confused footsteps fading into the distance.
A retreat instruction began playing over the public address system.
However, after ringing twice in the control room, the broadcast stopped.
A round of applause sounded from the broadcast speaker.
"I didn't expect you to still possess remarkable combat capabilities even after leaving that Unicorn unit."
A voice sounded over the control room's broadcast.
Roz Links frowned, intending to unlock the control room door.
"I have temporarily changed the door password, but don't worry. I just issued a retreat order via the Library's broadcast. Your companion's evacuation route is safe."
The voice on the broadcast, which Roz Links inexplicably found familiar, continued, "I will open this door in a moment. I just wanted to have a chat with you."
"...Who are you?" Roz Links didn't turn to look around; he continued to watch the doorway.
"I see, so I must introduce myself?"
The person speaking on the broadcast clearly didn't mind this formality and began to introduce himself. "My name is Durandal. I am the PLANT Councilman and the one cooperating with the Library. You must have encountered many of my projects."
Onboard the Minerva, Durandal looked at the figure in the red and white pilot suit through the surveillance video on his tablet with interest.
The Library's block, which was attached to the agricultural colony, had been constructed under Durandal's purview; of course, he would have installed backdoors.
The advantage of the Library organization was merely their collection of extensive MS technical data and their large number of "replicants." They were no match for Durandal, who was the development director for multiple ZAFT projects, in terms of programming and design.
One only had to look at the mobile suits they designed. They all had center-of-gravity issues, and most could only operate smoothly in space. Their mobile suit operating systems were also modified versions of the Strike's OS.
"Well, I've told you my identity. Now, by way of courtesy, it's your turn to introduce yourself?"
Durandal narrowed his eyes, looking at the figure on the screen.
To be honest, he only recognized Roz Links because of the red Unicorn emblem on the left side of his chest.
After all, that emblem had become famous within ZAFT.
"...Amuro Ray, scrap dealer."
Roz Links was silent for a moment, still deciding not to reveal his real name. "How do you know the Unicorn's name?"
Roz Links had originally intended to use Char Aznable's name, but as the word reached his mouth, he realized the voice on the broadcast sounded very similar to Char's, so he instinctively blurted out Amuro Ray's name instead.
"I see, so that beautiful mobile suit really is called the Unicorn..."
Durandal casually opened a photo of the Unicorn on his tablet and examined it closely. "However, your true name shouldn't be Amuro, either. That name was just an alias used on the Earth Alliance's lunar base."
"But it doesn't matter, Amuro. I shall call you that." Durandal wasn't concerned with such minor details, because what followed was what he truly intended to do.
"I hereby extend an invitation to you, Mr. Amuro." Durandal's voice grew serious. "Please join me."
"...Why? What's your reasoning?" Roz Links narrowed his eyes, silently activating the recording function on his helmet.
"From the Common Era to the Cosmic Era, people have constantly struggled—over race, over ideology, and more often than not, because some people desire profit. War permeates the history of mankind."
Durandal naturally noticed Roz Links operating his helmet, but he didn't care. Instead, he began articulating his vision.
"But no one, past or present, is born craving battle. Anger, sadness, anxiety, and dissatisfaction—these are the things that drive people toward war. Whether it's the Earth Alliance or PLANT, there are people exploiting this, lining their own pockets through conflict. So, if we eliminate them and transform the world into one where everyone can live as they desire, surely war will vanish."
"...How do you plan to do that?" Roz Links narrowed his eyes, wanting to hear Durandal's idea.
"I once heard your hopes for the future from Yzak Joule. If my plan succeeds, I believe humanity will enter a new Golden Age. Everyone would only need to fulfill their role. Wouldn't it be a happy world where everyone shines in the position best suited to them? A world this happy would surely not ignite war again." Durandal continued to elaborate on his goal.
"So, how will you determine this? How will you determine people's jobs and positions?" Roz Links frowned, listening to Durandal's idealized goal.
"It's simple: genes."
Durandal finally revealed his method. "The world is so chaotic precisely because too many shortsighted people occupy high positions. This is wrong. We should allow the capable and the far-sighted to sit in those positions, and the way to filter these individuals is through their genes."
"You can filter out people with genetic defects, but your method cannot filter out scumbags."
"That's just a matter of minor adjustment later on, but the data clearly shows this: superior genes are more likely to produce capable individuals."
Durandal was unfazed by Roz Links' rebuttal. On the contrary, he highly encouraged Roz Links to continue challenging him, hoping to gain new ideas for optimizing his plan. "You may find my idea too extreme, but this battered world requires a potent medicine."
"So, you'll use genes to classify people?" Roz Links frowned. "You are stifling human potential."
"I don't deny the potential for growth in humanity, but this is a method for maintaining world stability."
Durandal looked at the monitor on his tablet and narrowed his eyes. "Furthermore, Mr. Amuro, regardless of anything else, your genes have always stood at the pinnacle of my Destiny Plan."
"I am just a Natural. I don't possess the special and exceptional genes you speak of." Roz Links refuted Durandal.
"No, you are mistaken. You have consistently fought against Blue Cosmos, and you have defended Orb and the Archangel multiple times..."
Looking at the data he had collected, Durandal couldn't help but sigh.
From the sheer text alone, Durandal could feel Roz Links' outstanding capability. Undoubtedly, he was the person who should occupy the highest position in his "Destiny Plan."
"You possess courage, talent, purpose, loyalty, and compassion... more importantly, you have triggered several miracles through your mobile suit. Please allow me to use the word 'miracle' to describe those lights."
Although he was a materialist, Durandal still wanted to use "miracle" to describe the brilliant light emissions. "Whether it's your character or your strength, you perfectly validate my theory."
"Therefore, I invite you once again: please join my Destiny Plan and let your talents be fully realized."
A silence descended upon the scene, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
"...Alright, I can understand that such an important matter requires careful consideration." Seemingly grasping Roz Links' current stance, Durandal paused and then provided an exit. "But it's fine. I believe you will change your mind."
"After all, the more you learn about this world, and the more you understand the inherent maliciousness of humanity, the more you will come to agree with my viewpoint."
Durandal smiled at this. "See, isn't the Library, which is built upon greed, a perfect validation of my point?"
With that, Durandal unlocked the control room door.
Perhaps believing there was no need for further subterfuge, there were indeed no Library guards outside, only the residual corpses on the floor.
"Speaking of the Library, I've killed quite a few people. Aren't you going to react?" Roz Links gripped his gun, narrowing his eyes.
"The value of having this conversation with you, recognizing you, and acquiring the possibility of your joining my Destiny Plan, already surpasses the existence of the Library." Durandal seemed extremely pleased to have encountered Roz Links.
"Whether you destroy the Library or leave it intact, I have no intention of interfering."
"However... please leave quickly. It seems my former collaborator is rather angry."
-----------------------------------
Roz Links moved quickly. After leaving the area where he exchanged words with Durandal, he hurried toward the rendezvous point under Lowe Guele's urging.
He was well aware that Durandal was likely still observing him; the Library's surveillance network was Durandal's eyes. However, Roz Links' footsteps soon stopped.
He saw a massive, green MS with four curved "wings" burst out of a hangar. In this relatively spacious area, it smashed the evacuation path right in front of Roz Links with a single blow.
"I found you!"
An enraged voice came from inside the green MS.
"The one who dared to attack the Library staff!"
"...A Kshatriya?!"
Roz Links was momentarily stunned, looking at the mobile suit that differed slightly from his memory.
"Die!"
The Kshatriya extended its fist and swung it toward Roz Links.
At such close range, there was no time to dodge. Roz Links' eyes widened, watching the incoming attack, his body instinctively attempting to evade.
His highly concentrated focus made Roz Links sense a faintly familiar fluctuation in the distance.
"Name, name, call my name..."
This fluctuation echoed continuously, conveying this message.
"UNICORN!"
-----------------------------------
In the container still attached to the agricultural colony far away, the Unicorn, which had been powered off, suddenly had its eyes under the mask light up.
Two beam sabers extended from its forearms, cutting the container carrying the mobile suit along an X-shaped trajectory.
The white phantom unit shattered its container, breaking free as if emerging from an eggshell, under the shocked gaze of Gai Murakumo and Lowe Guele, who had just met up with him.
Thick flames erupted from its thrusters, trailing a blue streak of light. Slight red 'flames' began to wreathe the Unicorn's body as it slammed into the "Library" section, which hadn't drifted far from the colony.
In an instant, the Unicorn locked onto Roz Links' location.
And the Kshatriya, which had its arm raised, preparing to strike Roz Links.
Raising its free right arm, the Unicorn's thrusters increased power. Slight red 'flames' coiled around its right arm.
In an instant, the Unicorn arrived beside the Kshatriya.
Roz Links watched the suddenly appearing Unicorn, clad in red 'flames' and moving with unparalleled speed, like a sudden intervening bystander, punch the Kshatriya's upper chest.
The Kshatriya's massive size failed to resist the Unicorn's punch. It was sent flying away by the blow, scattering sparks and debris everywhere.
.....................