Being able to wake up late in the morning is truly a blessing. Though just because it is, if it were always like that, it would probably be more of an affliction. If life were solely about enjoyment, we would have to invent things that would never cease to entertain us. If that were the case, then human sensibility would be focused solely on a singular point, harboring dark sides that could turn murder into pleasure.

However, living isn’t about seeking out such violent phenomena.

Man is slow and stupid, and so long as we have comforts now, it is enough to enjoy the moments in life without wanting anything more than that. So much of our lives end with what we eat, what we wear, when we go to the bathroom, and when we should take a shower. And yet, we can’t do that because we can’t acquire food, water to wash, and a ‘place’ to do so every day without thinking about it.

To do all those things, we have to foster some sense of thriftiness and budget. To that end, we are forced to have the perseverance to work, whether robbing Peter to pay Paul or earning cash daily. It is a lot of work, but because of those troubles, a pint of beer at a pub at night and idle chit-chat is a sense of catharsis, and that fun, that pleasure becomes all the sweeter. What would a vacation be if everything we did in our daily lives were like a vacation?

“Bloodsports… I’ve heard the rumors about them.”

“Mmm…” Beltorchika pouted her thick lips, murmuring and burying them into Amuro’s chest.

“So, is it true what they say?”

“There seem to be games like that on Earth.”

“So, you’re saying that if your whole life had been easy, like a vacation, you wouldn’t be able to survive?”

“That’s exactly what man is like now. Do you think you could make good decisions about what brings pleasure if everything was always easy?”

“Heh heh heh.”

Beltorchika made a rather salacious sound, her throat quivering, “When I’m with you, I always feel good. I don’t care about any of that.”

“Really now… Prove it to me without blushing. And get off me; your chin hurts. It’s way too sharp.”

Amuro grabbed a handful of her blonde hair and tried to pry her off of him.

“Ow, that hurts!” she protested.

Scrunching her nose in disgust, she sat up, pulled the terrycloth towel into place with both hands, and stood up from the bed.

“You can be so rough sometimes, you know that?!”

Her voice ebbed and flowed like a tidal wave as she flounced out of the room, her slender back and plump posterior hidden beneath the towel.

“She’s right… even in times like this, I can be.” Amuro’s subconscious reminded him.

To whom, though? He didn’t know, but he had a strange habit of always saying that. He reached out his right hand and opened the window blinds.

Closer to noon than early morning, the sun’s rays were terribly bright and filled their bedroom. Amuro, half-naked, felt a mix of pride and embarrassment wash over him.

“Ah, the hell with it,” he muttered to himself, another meaningless phrase.

He adjusted the blinds to block out some of the sun’s glare and lay on his back, examining his chest.

“My chest is surprisingly built, even for me,” he thought, amused by the fact that even the tiny, thick patch of chest hair he had matched the reddish tinge of the hair on his head.

“I don’t know who I look like more,” he continued to ponder, feeling like he didn’t resemble either of his parents.

“Don’t tell me I’m the child of a secret lover…” he mused, knowing that his mother, Kamaria Ray, wasn’t that kind of woman in that sense. And, given the way that his father, Tem Ray, had raised him, there was no doubt in his mind that he was, in fact, her biological son.

“Dad sure died at a good time, huh?”

His change of thought was sudden.

He could hear the sound of Beltorchika’s shower in the background, louder than usual, but he paid it no mind. He was relaxed, and the mundane sounds of daily life didn’t bother him. Sometimes, he was on edge, but that was just part of his daily routine.

He finally got out of bed, the thought of facing reality reminding him that he had to leave their shared nest eventually, however obsessive that made him feel. Being with her allowed him to escape reality, and if they let anything come between them, their time together would be miserable. It wasn’t just during sex – if they couldn’t see eye to eye when they were alone together, then there was no point in having a nest.

So, it takes a tiny bit of courage to be able to leave that nest and face the world.

“They can’t see any movement with the fleet at Sweetwater? That’s a lie.”

As the sound of the shower filled the room, Amuro felt bad for Beltorchika as he tapped a key on the computer terminal on his bedside table and called up the Londo Bell data. It was another terrible habit of his.

Amuro sat up in bed and looked at the display, momentarily forgetting that he was naked.

“Char’s movements have changed?”

The display showed high-level data from the Ra Cailum, the ship that he was assigned to, and was a version that only Amuro had access to.

“That means he’s close to departing, huh? This means we’ll have to move out tonight.”

Despite these revelations, there were no official orders for his unit because Amuro’s work was mostly done. Yet, they were far from perfect, and there were further contingencies that had to be made. Even if the work to deal with Char’s fleet were to continue day in and day out, there was a limit to what the Londo Bell unit, which wasn’t very well prepared to begin with, could do. Moreover, the Earth Federation government and the Space Forces General Staff Headquarters had yet to issue orders to mobilize.

And yet, right before his very eyes, Char had moved his fleet from Sweetwater the previous night.

So, Amuro and Beltorchika were prepared for the fact that this might be their last vacation.

Before he went into the bathroom to shower, Amuro brought up the news fax index and a few articles to have them printed out. In the meantime, Beltorchia went into the kitchen to start making them something to eat.

This was a normal routine in Amuro’s house, but it felt somewhat more relaxed due to the temporary break in their usual hectic schedule.

“All of last night’s intel leaked. Char’s left Sweetwater, and the Sweetwater government made a unilateral declaration that it recognizes Neo Zeon’s administration.” Amuro said in disgust as he flung the newspaper away from him and finally turned on the television. He had been trying to avoid any outside distractions while they spent time together.

“So, what’s the word?” Beltorchika Irma asked after she started serving their meal.

“I’ll be heading out. It looks like it’ll be tonight,” he replied with a sigh.

“Understood. I’m still heading for Anaheim Electronics as we planned, then?” Beltorchika asked, her professional demeanor returning even though she was still wearing her underwear.

“Yes, make sure the final adjustments to the Nu Gundam are completed as planned. It’s the only reliable weapon Londo Bell has right now.”

“I do a little shopping before I go. Speaking of which, has the Re-GZ been left with Astonaige?”

“Of course. He’s more professional than you are, Bel.”

“Oh, well, pardon me.” She purred with a laugh, holding a glass of milk with both hands.

“Get me some of those frozen strawberries, would you? I always have a craving for something sweet when I come home.” He said in response to her shopping comment.

“Sure thing.”

As they prepared to leave, soldiers often thought about when they might return home and set their houses in order. Many soldiers would buy new model kits only to read the instructions, or they might purchase ingredients for pickling, spreading them out in the living room to dry before bottling them up. Amuro, however, had lost touch with the basic concept of what home meant, so he was prone to neglect these routine tasks.

As he got ready to leave for work, he kissed Beltorchika and left his condominium.

＊　　＊　　＊

The alleyways of the back streets of Kashi, a city in northern India, have remained unchanged for centuries. Since the dawning era of space colonies and the beginning of forced emigration into space, the population has dwindled, leaving the land to deteriorate. Despite this, Kashi remains a bustling hub of activity due to its designation as a “special ward.”

Yet today, however, several black vehicles were screeching through the city, and quite a few policemen were also running about, donned in their protective attire they donned when “manhunting.”

The Earth Federation government has designated certain areas across the planet as “special wards,” similar to nature preserves. In India’s case, the government has designated the land as a “sacred land” for religious purposes. As a result, many people continue to make pilgrimages from the space colonies across the Sides. Thanks to a religious fad, it has morphed into a tourist mecca for the younger generations. However, residency is not allowed in these areas, so it’s less crowded than it used to be in the past. The only reason there are as many people as there are is that they’re allowed to do business with those who make pilgrimages. This situation may seem contradictory, but it is the current reality.

The Earth Federation government’s police organization monitors these people’s access, yet they are unwilling to manage the vast continent completely. Yet, not to arouse suspicion surrounding their slipshod ways, the government periodically conducts “manhunts” to round up any violators.

Today, however, the police presence feels different from the usual manhunts.

“What do they want?”

“It seems like they’re searching for someone?”

There were quizzical whisperings. But Hunters didn’t look for people.

Instead, they preferred to use underhanded methods to abduct people from any location, cramming a predetermined amount of them into a convoy before disappearing as quickly as they came. It would be easier to deal with if this were all there was to it, but the Hunters seemed to take pleasure in the hunt, using their guns almost as if it was all just a game. Unfortunately, this often resulted in numerous casualties.

Then there were the salacious rumors about them, the ones that said some people shelled out cash to Hunters to “hunt” for specific individuals, earning the slang term “hunting” for their activities in India.

“Are they looking for someone specific?”

The alleyways were barely three meters wide, sometimes doubling as the city’s main thoroughfares. In the shadowy corners of dingy rooms hidden behind these streets, where Hindus used to reside, people huddled together and whispered nervously, waiting for the Hunters to pass by.

“Tch! I told you we never should’ve let Quess join us!”

The man at the back of the pack grumbled as he ran. A girl who looked to be in her early teens was running with a group of other men and women in front of him.

“Then don’t follow us!” the woman leading the group snapped over her shoulder as she rounded another narrow bend.

“Whoa!” she cried out, vaulting over the skeleton of a cow. The young boy and girl following suit over the corpse.

“Oh shit!”

The man who had been complaining stumbled and fell face-first onto the cobblestone road, landing in a mess of sludge and dung as he tripped over the bones.

“There should be a boat at the ghat to get us out, right?!” asked another man with a scholarly appearance as he passed the woman at the front. The group was dressed in a way that might be expected of wanderers – their jeans were torn, and their leather vests were tattered.

“Christina!” the fallen man cried out.

“Don’t look back!”

Now leading the group, the young man slid down a slope facing the Ganges river.

Bang! As the sound of a gun echoed through the gaps between the houses, the woman known as Christina slid down the embankment, her long, tattered skirt billowing. The teenage girl in shorts followed suit, sliding down the muddy slope mixed with cow dung. Two more young men followed behind them.

The flow of the Ganges was less than half of what it had been a hundred years ago. The group ran along the flat riverbed for a dozen or so meters from where the ghats marked the old riverbed. The ghats were places for Hindus to bathe in the olden days. They saw a few Hunters running down the steps as they reached the lower end of the river. Just then, an old gas-powered patrol car started to drive down the embankment through the narrow alleyway where the group had fled.

There was a boat made of thick planks along the bank of the stream in the middle of the riverbed, but it sunk with a sploosh when the young man in front jumped into it.

“What the–?!”

The murky waters of the Ganges filled half the boat freely and easily.

“Swim for it!”

Christina, her long skirt still billowing, padded the back of the young girl following close behind her, her feet pounding the powdery dirt. The girl wearing a jean vest was startled and stepped out onto the slimy riverbed.

“Guwah!” The young man standing at the edge of the boat let out a cry before collapsing into the water.

“Wha?!”

“That’s far enough, wouldn’t you say?!”

A voice boomed out, echoing off the roof of a heavily armored wagon that had slid its way down the steps of the ghat toward the river and was speeding down the riverbed. Even the machine guns poised on top were aimed directly at the group.

The Hunters’ patrol cars were closing in from downstream while the armored vehicles approached from upstream, encircling the group and kicking up a cloud of dust. The Hunters were clad in black masks and thick protective armor, both shielding their bodies from the heat and concealing their faces.

“You sure this is the one?”

“That runt there is Quess Paraya!”

The Hunter in command on the roof of the armored vehicle confirmed their target.

“Enough! You’re all under arrest for kidnapping a minor and evading arrest!”

The girl the group was shielding didn’t understand what he meant, only that she knew she was the youngest.

“What’re you talking about?”

“You’re Quess Paraya, aren’t you? We’re taking you into protective custody. Please, come with us.”

His words suddenly became more polite.

“Screw these damn Hunters!”

A man beside Christina suddenly put his arm around Quess’s neck and tried tightening it.

“Try me, and she’s a goner! So unless you want that, we’re not handing her over unless you guarantee our safety!”

“Milton!”

Christina had tried to pull off the man’s arm, but Quess had already bitten it.

“Quess?!”

The man staggered, and before she knew it, his body went rigid, and he toppled over, kicking up a cloud of powdered dirt.

Quess spat, cursing them.

“These people are friendly!”

The Hunters slowly drew closer, ignoring what she was saying.

“What is it? What’re we accused of anyway?!”

Christina snapped at them, her metal necklace clinking around her neck.

“That’s something lowlifes fooling around here on Earth would ask!”

The Hunter stood in front of Christina, twisted slightly, and slammed his baton into her midsection.

“Uuungh!!”

Christina collapsed onto the dry riverbed, her body writhing in pain.

“You’ve gone too far!”

“Quess Paraya, come along, please.”

The Hunter standing in front of the girl said politely, still not removing his black visor. They all exuded arrogance.

“I don’t want to!”

“Your father is waiting for you.”

Two Hunters approached and firmly took hold of Quess’s arms, lifting her off the ground. Despite her wriggling and thrashing, she was unable to escape their grasp.

Bang! Bang!

A series of gunshots echoed from behind them.

“You guys!”

Quess let out a scream, her mouth wide open as the sunlight shone in.

This was the current situation in India.

＊　　＊　　＊

“So, where are we at?”

“Well, you’re not gonna like this, but we’re headed for Fifth Luna. Char is following through with his op, just like you predicted.”

“He’s not going to do something stupid like drop it on Earth, right?”

“It won’t come to that. The Earth Federation government’s General Staff finally gave us the go-ahead to mobilize. I swear they were only planning on making a move after the battle was over!”

Bright Noa, captain of the Ra Cailum, was relieved he was finally back with Amuro Ray.

It wasn’t that they hated the idea of having to wait for orders from Lhasa to mobilize their fleet; they had the freedom to do so on their own. The downside, though, was that they’d end up serving life sentences in doing so. But more than that, they felt it was foolish to end up wounded in a war that the government wasn’t even monitoring.

Despite that, the enemy they were about to face was Char Aznable. The fleet he commanded was the Neo Zeon. For the two men, he was someone special. Someone they couldn’t ignore on a personal level.

“We’ll be finished resupplying in about three hours, Captain. Everything is going smoothly down below.”

Amuro checked the bridge’s display for the loading operations of his mobile suit squadron, reporting like the Lieutenant he was.

“Understood, Lieutenant. We’ll wring that little traitor’s neck, won’t we?!” Bright growled as if finally finding the words.

“Don’t be so fired up, Captain.”

It was classic Amuro, but he felt the same as Bright. Thinking back, as someone who had also been kept in limbo, controlled by the Federation Forces, this operation was their opportunity to vent their pent-up frustrations. Of course, they were fully aware they shouldn’t think of war that way, but neither of them couldn’t help it. Char was a man beyond reproach, a man who should not have returned to the Earth Sphere after all this time.

“Right, I’ll dial it down. Beltorchika is still heading to the moon as planned, right?”

“Yeah. Work on the Nu Gundam is running a little behind schedule.”

“Are we going to need it tomorrow? We do have a modified Re-GZ for you until then. What do you think? Will that suffice?”

“You want me to use that? You sure about that, Bright?”

“It’s fine. With the annual pension given by the military, my wife and kids should be able to get by. That’s the only good thing about the Federation government.”

“Mirai is a strong woman. She’ll survive, even in the colonies.”

“Can you believe it? I haven’t been out into space until today. Ever since the White Base, I’ve been captain of the Argama and the Nahal Argama, and even though you all thought of me like I was some Japanese father figure, for some reason, even that lot in Lhasa thought of me as a Newtype. So, you know, they shackled me to the Earth, keeping me under observation because they were so afraid that I’d cause a rebellion once I went out into space?”

Bright Noa had suddenly found himself transferred to Londo Bell a month prior, partly due to his extensive combat experience. If Char hadn’t stationed himself on one of the colonies, namely Sweetwater, he probably would have spent the remainder of his life as a soldier on Earth.

“Prepare to launch! Start the countdown!”

“Aye, sir!”

As the call went out on the bridge and their executive officer Meran got to work checking their ship for departure, Amuro made his way down to the mobile suit deck.

“Lieutenant! Please, don’t go out to the front with the Re-GZ! I don’t want to see your wife saddened if something were to happen to you.”

“Cut it out. I don’t have a wife, remember?”

“Really? Well, who’s that lady who also shares the name bell, like our forces?”

“She’s just my partner.”

“What do you mean? You don’t share a last name?”

“Beltorchika didn’t like the idea, so I didn’t push it. If there’s a need to someday, well, then we’ll go through with it.”

“Meaning?”

“Well, if a child comes along, then I guess I’d have to settle down somewhere nice and raise it with her, wouldn’t I?”

“You sure you’d be okay with that?”

“It’s not like I’d have a choice.”

Been! Boon!

Throughout the ship, the siren went up, its tone signaling the vessel was fully vacuum-armored.

“Keira, what’s the problem? With Re-GZ, I mean?”

“Well, the suit isn’t very mobile equipped with the backpack.”

“Gotcha. I won’t overdo it.”

“Whatever you say…”

The Re-GZ is based on the earlier Z Gundam-type frame and is just a modified version of that armor. As it could not achieve the outstanding performance initially sought after, a backpack sporting a mega particle cannon, typically used on cruisers, was added to have it serve as a support mobile suit.

It was a suit Amuro had strong-armed into being built, compensating for the ineffectiveness of the Jegan, the mainstay mobile suit of Londo Bell. But, his efforts were about to be half-wasted thanks to Bright’s appointment.

The Earth Federation Forces had long had a new mobile suit under development by Anaheim Electronics near the city of Von Braun on Luna. Bright arranged for it to be sent over to Londo Bell as a token of his new posting.

So, Amuro tried having it equipped with a psycommu of his own design and then having it officially adopted by Londo Bell. This was the νGundam.

With their already limited military strength, the Earth Federation Forces were averse to letting Newtype pilot Gundam-type mobile suits, so they treated these suits of yesteryear as if they were nuclear weapons, keeping them hidden away.

This narrow-minded approach affected many aspects of their affairs.

Three other Ra-type ships accompanied the Ra Cailum, setting a direct course to Fifth Luna.

En route, they had to get to the bottom of Char’s motives for mobilizing his fleet toward Fifth Luna’s airspace and be prepared to receive any orders from Lhasa. To do this, they constantly monitored the Tibetan region on Earth, particularly Lhasa, through celestial and optical observations.

It was downright primitive work.

The development of computers allowed fleets to navigate without radar, which was ineffective under the anti-electronic weapon known as the Minovsky particle. But the advent of this same particle killed radio, forcing them to resort to communication methods that captured laser oscillations directly. And yet even then, high-altitude pulse signals would be distorted by the Minovsky particles, so they relied on Morse code.

If the primary mission of the fleets had not been this nerve-wracking surveillance work, space wars would have ended in a flash through an exchange of missiles.

However, since this was impossible, close combat in space became a reality, and wars were fought using mobile suits, the humanoid machines that looked like something straight out of old comic books, wreaking havoc through the cosmos.

On the mobile suit deck where Amuro was now standing stood nine of these humanoid machines, Jegans.

It was difficult to say whether it was their height or length, but the suits of roughly eighteen meters were worthy of being called titanic robots nonetheless. A narrow hatch on the chest allowed access into a spherical cockpit. Inside was a seat surrounded by a spherical 360-degree display, with scenes projected on it the same as what a pilot would see. The footage from several cameras captured a full 360 degrees and was controlled by a computer, which was then relayed back into 360-degree video.

This footage was known as a “panoramic monitor,” “all view,” or “real display” on account of it reproducing the angle of view as actually seen.

The reproduced footage was arranged like a computer game. Although it was easy to convert the scenes to match what was seen, the full 360-degree display could sometimes cause anxiety for the pilot. To counteract this, the panoramic display had a toy-like appearance, like a computer game.

On the other hand, computer games tended to have more realistic scenery and were more in style, at least according to the public.

It was crucial to keep this in mind to prevent pilots from feeling excessively fearful when unexpectedly thrust into combat situations.