Sumeragi Lee Noriega was somewhat surprised by Roz Links's initiative to take action against the terrorist organizations. However, to avoid compromising intelligence agents currently operating elsewhere in the world, she declined Roz's offer to deploy his own field teams for intelligence gathering.
Nevertheless, considering that these international terrorist networks likely had numerous strongholds—and that having an extra, or even several extra, combat assets was a good thing—she proposed sharing intelligence on the terrorists' primary bases.
"I didn't expect there to be a stronghold in the Tokyo area..."
Sitting in the Penelope, Roz frowned slightly as his left hand continuously flipped through the information on the touchscreen.
At this moment, the Penelope, under the cover of night, was flying at low altitude over the sea toward Tokyo.
Celestial Being's intelligence network was formidable, at least on par with the intelligence agencies of the three superpowers.
In just about a day, they had shared the locations of the terrorist strongholds with Roz; they had even released information on some smaller cells onto public networks.
The Tokyo cell was not one of the large-scale bases targeted by the Celestial Being Gundams. Based on its size, it was merely a medium-sized stronghold. Its members were very low-profile, hidden across three different floors in three separate buildings—a dispersed arrangement that made them difficult to capture simultaneously.
But this wasn't an issue for Roz. He had no intention of "capturing" these guys.
As for why he chose the Tokyo area, it was simply because Mayu Asuka, Shinn Asuka, and the others had gone there. He wanted to prevent any terrorist actions from affecting them.
According to Celestial Being's intel, this group—who had hidden for so long, secretly carrying out small-scale incidents to cause panic—had stockpiled a significant amount of weapons and explosives. It looked like they were planning to do something big in Tokyo.
Setting aside Mayu's potential latent psychological trauma, and although Stellar Loussier seemed much more normal now, Roz was still worried about something happening to this girl who had already suffered so much. After all, having gone to such lengths to save her, he didn't want her dying like this.
"Roz, make it quick. The UNION bases near Tokyo can sortie very fast. Resolve this as soon as possible and return," Murrue Ramius's voice came through the comms. "The special ops group will also rendezvous with Shinn and the others before returning to the Nahel Argama together."
"Acknowledged," Roz replied, looking at the three markers drawing closer on his panoramic cockpit display.
"You won't be able to use the Beam Magnum this time, will you? Though I feel like you don't really care about such things anyway," AllMind's voice echoed in his ear, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.
AllMind looked at the ReZEL beam rifle the Penelope held in its right hand. To prevent the massive collateral damage a Beam Magnum would cause, Roz had equipped the relatively high-precision ReZEL beam rifle.
"It is precisely because I possess human empathy and moral standards, and the emotions derived from them, that I am human, AllMind," Roz said calmly, his left hand gripping the control stick once more.
"...Roz? Who are you talking to?"
Hearing Roz's sudden self-muttering and a name they had never heard before, both Murrue and Natarle Badgiruel on the bridge of the Nahel Argama frowned.
"Is it a ghost?" Natarle speculated, given that Roz had previously been affected by the ghosts of space warfare in the SEED world.
"No... I'm talking to Penelope."
This somewhat eccentric perspective caused a brief silence on the bridge of the Nahel Argama.
"Is it the Machine Spirit?" Murrue asked after a moment of thought.
Big Haro had previously told Murrue Ramius about how it had managed to pull Roz Links back from the stage of "ascent" following the Unicorn Gundam's crystallization.
Consequently, Murrue knew that at the time, there was a Machine Spirit within the Unicorn vying with Big Haro for Roz's soul.
"Yes, her name is AllMind."
Roz had no intention of hiding the existence of the Machine Spirit from his comrades on the Nahel Argama.
On the contrary, he believed that only through total transparency could they avoid the internal friction of doubt and unleash the team's maximum combat potential.
"I see... Well then, AllMind, I'll leave Roz in your hands."
Although she still harbored a trace of doubt regarding this "AllMind," Murrue could only choose to believe in the "Machine Spirit" Roz spoke of, especially considering the Unicorn's past performance.
Just as Murrue's voice trailed off, a light blue window suddenly popped up on one of the bridge monitors. It displayed a triangular logo with the name "AllMind" and a brief message below it: "OK."
"A Machine Spirit... what a truly miraculous existence."
Witnessing this, even Natarle Badgiruel couldn't help but marvel. "I thought it was just something Kojiro Murdoch made up for peace of mind, but it turns out to be real."
"Fortunately, she is on Roz's side, and so are we."
Murrue let out a small sigh of relief.
"Approaching the target coordinates. Minovsky particle scattering reaching combat concentration; communications will be temporarily suspended."
Roz looked at the prompts on his panoramic cockpit display and nodded toward the communicator.
As the connection was severed, Penelope began its climb. A large quantity of compressed Minovsky particles was scattered from the machine, beginning to blanket Tokyo.
Looking at the three target floors locked with triangular markers—partially obscured by skyscrapers on the display—Roz's finger rested calmly upon the trigger.
-----------------------------------
At that moment, on the streets of Tokyo.
Even though the intervention campaign launched by Celestial Being was growing increasingly intense, in this location—which had yet to be affected—commercial activities and nighttime outings remained undisturbed.
Judging by the coffee in Mayu Asuka's hand, people's nightlife was still quite vibrant.
"You actually bought this much stuff... Did we spend too much money?"
Currently, Shinn Asuka was draped in a pile of shopping bags, looking somewhat helplessly at his younger sister. Even Lunamaria Hawke and Stellar Loussier were carrying a few bags each.
Of course, for a Coordinator like Shinn, this weight didn't pose much of a physical burden. However, seeing Mayu buy so many items, Shinn's accounting instincts from his days as a part-time "working warrior" automatically kicked in.
Comparing the cost to the savings he had accumulated from the salary Roz Links punctually paid him every month on the Nahel Argama, he almost felt tempted to buy a crate of noodles and a few bottles of vitamins to enter the legendary "Survival Mode."
"These are all gifts for everyone! It's not like we get to come out often," Mayu turned around, squinting her eyes slightly and extending her free left index finger. "Besides, it's not like I left you out, right?"
That much was true; Stellar and Lunamaria both had cups of coffee in their hands, and even Shinn was holding one.
"Could it be... that Big Brother is going to scold me?"
Mayu suddenly reached up to wipe her eyes, her expression changing in a second. It looked as if her prosthetic eyes might spray tears at any moment.
Shinn had no doubt that his sister—who possessed a bit of a "little devil" personality—was fully capable of following through.
Usually, at times like this, he could only resign himself to his fate. He couldn't bear to hit her and it pained him to scold her; since she was his own flesh and blood, what else could he do? (Shrugs).
Moreover, he couldn't even win a physical fight against his sister. That full-body cybernetic shell of hers, which was only slightly weaker than the military-grade specs used by the Special Ops team, was no joke.
If they actually came to blows, there was a high probability that after a brief resistance, he would be thrown out the door with a shoulder throw.
"Shinn, bad."
Faced with Mayu's "about-to-cry" appearance, the simple-minded Stellar suddenly reached out and pinched the flesh at Shinn's waist, twisting with a force that wasn't too heavy but wasn't light either—just enough for him to feel the pain.
"Hey, Shinn, how could you treat Mayu like that?!"
Lunamaria also stepped forward and hugged the seemingly tearful Mayu, glaring at Shinn with what she considered a fierce expression. Both Stellar and Lunamaria subconsciously felt very protective of Mayu.
It had to be said that Mayu was currently quite popular on the Nahel Argama. Many people liked this optimistic young girl, and several had even shared their "secret techniques" on how to be a Vtuber with her.
Their lives were already broken and fragmented, but seeing this happy young girl filled their own hearts with joy. Even though her condition was only slightly better than theirs, to them, it was enough to be sweet.
"Ah, ow, ow, ow..."
Feeling the pain at his waist, Shinn Asuka was at a loss for words, yet he felt a strange sense of peace deep within.
This is nice... everyone living together happily like this. I wonder if Mom and Dad can see this...
Just as the group was fooling around, Mayu Asuka and Stellar Loussier subconsciously stopped their movements and looked up at the sky, which was obscured by the brilliant neon lights.
"...It's coming."
Looking at the "Error" symbol appearing on her communication signal, Mayu's tone carried a hint of anticipation.
"Now?"
Shinn, having just recovered from the pain, also looked up instinctively upon hearing Mayu's voice.
The communication signals were being violently interfered with—a phenomenon caused by the high-intensity scattering of Minovsky particles.
"Eh? What's going on? Why is there suddenly no signal?"
Nearby, Louise Halevy, who had just finished taking a selfie against the bridge railing and was preparing to post it to her social media account, stared at her signal-less device. Confused, she gave the communicator a couple of taps.
"Ah, maybe there's a malfunction with the signal tower. Look, it's the same for everyone else..."
Saji Crossroad smiled helplessly, trying to soothe Louise's frustration. "Look over there..."
Just as Saji was about to point out other passersby to prove his point, he noticed Shinn and the others nearby, who were staring at the sky as if searching for something.
While everyone else was frantically tapping their devices, restarting their communicators, or rushing away to find a signal, this group looking at the stars stood out to Saji.
As Saji stood there dazed, a strange sound suddenly grew clearer in his ears.
It was a roar, like some sort of monster flying through the heavens. This "shriek" caused Saji and Louise to instinctively look up.
A massive silhouette emerged from the darkness. Accompanied by the unique hum of a Minovsky Flight System, it wove between the skyscrapers carrying a long "spear."
A stunned Saji watched with his own eyes as the machine flew near a building and pulled the trigger on a brightly lit mid-level section.
A purple beam pierced through the floor, triggering an explosion. However, the dissipated beam did not affect the surrounding structures or the building's main support pillars.
It was a strike executed with the precision of a surgical scalpel. Even Saji Crossroad only managed to snap back to his senses after the building's emergency evacuation alarms began to blare.
"A Gundam... but why?"
Saji had never imagined that Celestial Being's intervention would occur so close to him. He took an instinctive step back.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a scream pierced through the air nearby. Saji whipped his head around.
Louise Halevy, who had been leaning against the railing just moments ago, had recoiled in shock at the sight of Penelope's attack. The sudden movement caused her to lose her balance and flip backward over the railing.
Seeing Louise about to fall toward the river below the bridge, Saji instinctively reached out his hand.
But a figure was already faster than him.
Shinn Asuka, hearing the scream, shifted his focus away from Penelope. He spotted the terrified Louise tumbling over the edge and Saji reaching out in desperation.
Before his brain could even process the situation, his physical instincts took over. Dropping the shopping bags in his left hand and flinging his coffee aside, his Coordinator reflexes were unleashed for the first time in this world.
His black hair flashed like a bolt of lightning across the short distance. Before Saji could even react, Shinn had lunged to the spot where Louise had fallen.
A young, powerful hand—calloused in the way of a pilot—gripped Louise's helpless hand, forcefully halting her descent.
"Louise!"
Only then did Saji reach Shinn's position, extending his own hand toward her.
Splat...
The coffee Shinn had thrown only just hit the ground. The acceleration from Earth's gravity caused the seal to burst, and the creamy liquid bloomed like a pale flower across the pavement.
"Hey! Give us your other hand, we're pulling you up!"
Shinn shouted at the dazed girl, snapping Louise out of her shock. Although Shinn could have pulled her up single-handedly, seeing Saji—who was presumably her boyfriend—beside him, he decided to let the other guy help.
Louise instinctively reached for Saji, and with a coordinated heave, Shinn and Saji pulled her back over the railing.
"That was pretty cool, Big Brother."
Watching Shinn leap out to save someone, Mayu Asuka dropped her mischievous act and smiled at him.
"...That's so typical of you."
As his sister, she had seen all the changes Shinn had gone through; or rather, these transformations were exactly where Shinn's personal charm lay.
Then, she looked up, watching as Penelope vanished among the skyscrapers, and sighed.
"Penelope... it's truly magnificent..."
..................