Bridge of the Nahel Argama.
"You've received the intelligence as well, haven't you, Miss Sumeragi?"
Roz Links stood before the large main screen originally used for data analysis. Watching the communication feed before him, he folded his arms, his expression exceptionally grim.
"Regarding the so-called Trinity attacking civilians—the news is already flying everywhere."
"About that... of course I know, but that is exactly what puzzles me."
Sumeragi nodded, her expression complex. "Judging by their behavior, Veda's selection criteria for them seem completely different from our Celestial Being. Their style of operation is the polar opposite of ours..."
"...Miss Sumeragi, Veda is just a computer, right?"
"Even knowing from your end that Aeolia Schenberg's will was poured into it, from its current state, it acts more like an Artificial Intelligence watching over humanity, rather than Aeolia himself."
"What are you implying?"
Hearing Roz's words, Sumeragi instinctively knit her brows.
"At the end of the day, Veda's actions can be tampered with. Through human guidance and suggestion, the final output can be manipulated."
Roz began to analyze the reason why Trinity was able to seize the right of intervention from Celestial Being. "An AI born from code will follow logic—at least until it reaches the stage of artificial life."
"And that is precisely one of Veda's potential flaws. Because humans can step outside of logic and, in turn, exploit logic."
"To get a desired result, one only needs a large enough volume of statistical data. To lead an AI into a ditch, one only needs a set of logically self-consistent fallacies."
It was much like how internet trolls in the 2K era used language to lead weak AI chatbots into acting like cat-girls.
"You mean... Trinity used self-consistent logic to induce Veda?!"
Hearing Roz's hypothesis, Sumeragi's eyes widened instinctively.
Celestial Being placed immense trust in Veda. In almost every matter, Veda's judgment had never been wrong. Roz's words made Sumeragi feel a surge of panic.
"To be more extreme, we cannot rule out the possibility that Veda's physical location has been discovered, allowing an ambitious individual to modify it."
At this point, Roz couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"In any case, we will categorize the survivor of Trinity as an enemy."
"And you all must be prepared for the possibility of losing Veda as your guide."
Facing Roz's declaration of hostility, Sumeragi agreed in her heart, but due to her position, she could only remain silent, effectively giving her tacit consent.
"I don't know what we would do if we lost Veda..."
As she spoke, Sumeragi instinctively wanted to reach for a bottle of wine to suppress the unease in her heart.
Until today, when Roz laid out the worst-case possibilities, Sumeragi hadn't realized how chilling the situation was. She felt a cold sweat breaking out on her back.
Celestial Being's dependence on Veda was far too high: the operation of the machines, the mission objectives, the logistics coordination... If, as Roz suggested, Veda was being guided or controlled by an ambitious traitor within the organization, Celestial Being would fall into the worst possible predicament.
'Perhaps I should go ask Ian and see if he can create an emergency offline version of the system? At least to keep the Ptolemaios and the Gundams running.'
"Truly the worst-case scenario..."
Sumeragi sighed, her spirits low. "How to prevent Celestial Being from grinding to a halt, how to judge if a mission objective is the result of a traitor's manipulation... It's like holding a blade but not knowing who the true target is. Total bewilderment."
"What exactly should we do..."
"Although the reasons you gathered together to become Celestial Being and your identities before joining are all different, you should all share the same goal and the same conviction."
Roz reached out and struck his own chest over his heart with a clenched fist. "In times like these, just continue to fight by following the conviction within your hearts."
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Meanwhile, within the joint base of the three superpowers.
Although the three superpowers had formed a formal alliance, the AEU's hangars and related facilities were situated slightly apart from the UNION and Human Reform League sectors, owing to the fact that the AEU currently "possessed" a Gundam.
Nevertheless, with the alliance established, the lower-ranking soldiers were already interacting constantly, even as the higher-ups continued to bicker in endless meetings.
This was why Sergei Smirnov and Soma Peries of the Human Reform League were allowed past the guards and directly into the UNION hangar.
Inside, Billy Katagiri, Professor Ralph Eifman, and Graham Aker were staring at a video screen, their brows tightly knit.
"What is the reason for calling me here today?" Sergei asked, speaking first. "I've managed to pick up some whispers regarding the anomalies within the AEU's Anti-Gundam squad, but the formal investigation hasn't started yet. If you're asking for details, I don't know much more than you do."
"It's not about that."
Seeing the two HRL officers, Graham simply handed his tablet to Sergei.
"Is this... the Black Unicorn?" Sergei frowned as he looked at the screen.
The footage was shaky, but the camera remained focused on the Banshee Norn. It had likely been filmed with a personal communicator; the golden glow of the Psycho-Frame was incredibly eye-catching.
While the initial moments of the Armed Armor DE blocking the Trinity attack weren't captured, the rest was there: the entire sequence of the Banshee Norn crippling one enemy and downing the other two.
"I didn't expect... the Black Unicorn to be a Gundam as well." Sergei let out a slow sigh after watching the video.
He had shared a brief conversation with that young man before, but this was the first time he had seen him radiating such pure murderous intent.
Even through a screen, one could feel the boy's—judging by the voice—raging fury and his profound love for life.
"If possible, I really don't want to fight that boy," Graham remarked, glancing back at his newly serviced Over Flag. "It's hard to hate an idealist harboring such beautiful dreams."
"I don't wish to either, but as soldiers, following orders is our sacred duty." Sergei handed the tablet to Soma.
As Soma watched Shinn's combat footage, her brow furrowed deep in thought.
"Don't overthink it. Even if you fought now, you couldn't beat the boy in this video," Professor Eifman stated, cutting through with the cold reality. "Even if you were piloting the AEU's 'special machine,' you'd be beaten to a pulp by that black unit."
"From what we can see, that machine's claws possess an armor-shredding effect capable of tearing through the Gundam armor that we can't even scratch. Furthermore, the launcher on the right arm can fire two distinct types of beams."
"So, Professor, why exactly am I here?" Sergei asked, sensing there was more to the story.
"Professor Eifman finished his analysis of the AEU's Gundam. He found some... issues." Graham nodded toward the Professor.
"That machine isn't a Gundam at all." Eifman opened a file on another tablet and displayed his data for everyone to see. "Anyone with eyes can see that this machine wasn't designed by some Celestial Being defector. That's just a clumsy excuse they've concocted."
"It has devices built-in to emit particles, but there's no storage for those special particles, and we haven't detected any actual particle production. Furthermore, the outer armor is fundamentally different from the Celestial Being samples we've collected."
Eifman shook his head. "The hardness of that armor is nowhere near the level of the fragments we salvaged from actual Gundams."
"No matter how much a designer defects, their work always carries the shadow of their previous lineage," Eifman concluded. "But this 'Sengoku Astray' feels like a completely new lineage that started out of nowhere. All the prerequisite technologies are blank. It's as if it just popped out of a rock."
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In the Chairman's office of the Orbital Tracker Corporation.
A middle-aged man with black hair and a thick beard was staring solemnly at the uninvited guest before him.
"Please, relax, Director Laguna Harvey."
Alejandro Corner, dressed in a brown suit, sat opposite the man named Laguna. He had his legs crossed, observing the middle-aged man with keen interest.
Alejandro had not brought Ribbons Almark with him this time, instead tasking him to continue the search for Veda's physical location.
"What brings you here, Alejandro?"
Laguna didn't beat around the bush and questioned him directly. "Don't tell me you just came by for a cup of coffee."
"I'm merely here to propose a trade."
Alejandro looked at Laguna. "I heard your Trinity team crossed paths with the members of the Ravens, and the losses were quite significant."
"What exactly are you after?"
"I'm here to help you get your revenge. I've recently set my sights on a few capable hands," Alejandro said, watching the man. "Furthermore, I can even help you assemble a new Trinity squad."
"And what do I have to pay?"
Laguna was tempted by Alejandro's offer, but he forced himself to remain somewhat composed.
"Transfer three GN Drives to me."
Seeing his goal within reach and having piqued Laguna's greed, Alejandro finally revealed his true colors.
"Impossible."
Laguna refused without hesitation; clearly, he intended to sell those GN Drives for a much higher price.
"But even if you don't give them to me, I can pull a few strings in a couple of days and get them anyway—without having to do any work for you."
Alejandro looked at Laguna with amusement. "However, the opportunity for me to use my influence to do a favor for you only comes once. Consider it carefully."
He knew very well that as a quintessential capitalist, Laguna would not refuse such an enticing proposal. And once Laguna agreed, Alejandro would have even more chips to recruit the pilot of the Sengoku Astray.
..................