Shin Kidou Senki Gundam W: Frozen Teardrop c12

[translation] Frozen Teardrop, Nocturne of Sorrow IV


black&white


MC File 4 (middle part)

I had to make a decision calmly. There was a need for me to see the battlefield from an overall (lit: overlook) point of view and read the situation of the area appropriately. The two cards we had on the field were two "Jokers"--"Warlock" and "Pierrot." On the opposing side, the "Merciless Fairies" had twelve cards altogether--the Queen of Hearts, the Ace and Jack of Spades, four Eights, and I didn't know what the remaining five were. Currently, the battle between Warlock and Queen of Hearts had entered a deadlock. Two mars suits capable of flight modes were fast approaching our "Chouxhook 2" for "BLACKJACK." Additionally, but still at some distance, four Mars suits capable of submersion were approaching through the water for a "Revolution."

"Duo-kun is the one controlling the scene afterall, huh."

When Professor W had admired [Duo's actions] and said 'Now that's different,' this is apparently what he was talking about.

"That time [i.e. just now], the timing of his communication was intentional. He apportioned "BLACKJACK" and "Revolution" [#1] here; his goal was to alleviate his own burden."

So it was that brat who was dealing the cards. Meaning that once he understood his opponent the Queen of Hearts was a stronger enemy than expected, he commutated half of the enemies to come next. I could have agreed with Professor W's 'Ahh, I see,' but it was actually bothersome for us to have to clean up [after Duo].

"Professor, you don't have any strategic moves, do you?" I knew it was pointless to ask.

"I got nothing. Isn't it you, Doktor, who whould have known this situation would have come about?" [ALT: Wasn't something like this in your list of possibilities (lit: a.s.sumptions), Doktor?]

I had been conversely asked a question which I could not feasibly answer.

"......" I bit my tongue. Honestly, I hadn't made any a.s.sumptions. My whole objective was to 'Recapture Prometheus,' not 'Triumph Over the Merciless Fairies.' But the developments as they currently stood for achieving that purpose meant we couldn't help but acknowledge this battle 418/2/7-9. If that's the case, then it had been overly optimistic of me to estimate that Warlock alone could handle the heavy battle and strategic/tactical burden of taking on twelve Mars suits. That brat Duo pointed out that my judgement was 'dull' and, moreover, my deficieny in judgement came back [to bite me]. It's not like Heero Yuy would ever have done something like this. He'd characteristically take it all on by himself. He'd decide that was his duty and go fight. That is the determination of a n.o.ble soldier 418/3/10 [#2] A determined pilot doesn't falter. However, in Duo's case, he demanded our teamwork and forcibly ordered us to take on half of the six [#3] suits. The guy was oddly fresh with us--people whom he'd pretty much just met. There was an amount of affability, too. But no charm. No, it was better to say he was saucy [#4]. When I thought about him in the c.o.c.kpit smiling a Ches.h.i.+re cat smile, I felt my supposedly empty heart well up with even more 'anger.' But still, I wasn't thinking I'd put up with the weird stop-gap measures in a case like this.

"Roger--" I said quietly, standing up and taking the submersible aircraft carrier's control stick in hand.

"From here on out, battle operations will consider every possibility." I decided to show them just what a "JOKER" could do [#5].

"Attaboy, Doktor T!" Catherine clasped her hands and smiled.

First of all, how to shake off the "BLACKJACK." As for what kind of backup Duo, who was both 'game maker' [#6] and 'dealer' both, was seeking--that answer we could puzzle out for ourselves. That is, he'd wanted to direct the enemy's focus to us. As long as they knew the position of the submersible aircraft carrier, "Chouxhook 2", there was no question about the Ace and Jack fo Spades attacking us with depth charges. If we dove deep and fast, we could eschew the first wave [attack], but we'd lose speed and sooner or later it was self-evident that the four Eights (spreading out) in the water would run us down. The water-adjusted Mars suits, with their easy maneuverability in small places, certainly had cast and ensnaring net from all four directions, and would surely be robbing us of the opportunity to attack. If that was the case--. We could play the 'clown' for a long time by surfacing and attacking the 'BLACKJACK.' And maybe--. This battle will become a "seesaw" game. The current circ.u.mstances are unfavorable, but sooner or later the time will come for us to have the advantage. But all we could do until that opportunity came knocking was to maintain the weird tightrope-walking-like behavior. In this case--it wasn't to my liking, but we could only take pa.s.sive coping measures. However, we couldn't hold a high wire balance bar. It was all that impudent, initiative-taking brat's fault. And there were only a few seconds before our encounter with the approaching "BLACKJACK."

"Uptrim 40! Chouxhook 2, commence surfacing!"

I decided to launch all our anti-aircraft missiles at the same time as our surfacing. I didn't think it would be enough to stop them. I planned on making a preemptive attack and waiting to see what tack the [enemy] would take. However, a few meters from the surface of the water, the "BLACKJACK" had thrown down an enormous number of depth charges. They'd been dropped perfectly. There was a horrendous impact. It seemed as though several had been fired. Through the violent rocking of the s.h.i.+p, I did not release the control stick. My consciousness, however, was on maintaining equilibrium; our speed fell down a notch. That lead our angle of surfacing to lower and raise the probability of direct hits from the depth charges. No regrets. That is my pride. On the operation monitor, the red blinking launch points increased. Everything was my responsibility.

"Was that a mistake just now?" Professor W pointed out the delay in my navigating.

"Happens all the time on the high-wire."

I made no excuses. That was also my pride. It was a happy thing that the propeller and missile hangar and bow torpedo tubes were undamaged. Even as the [depth charge] launches kept increasing, I doggedly continued with the surfacing. I felt my age. I didn't think that there'd be a (place) when I could compensate for my mistakes from here on out. I felt I was (already) different from my former self. Chouxhook 2 finally broke through the water surface. Where we came up was a battle field [filled] with numerous columns of water caused by the explosions. The violently high seas were jolting and large. Even so, I somehow maintained stability and launched all missiles stored below deck. There wasn't time to fix my aim. The two shots in front of me didn't fire on account of the [previous] firing which made the storage hatch unable to open. As for the ten anti-aircraft missiles that hadn't fixed on a target, they flew left, right, and center, drawing various arcs in the red sky. I was holding onto the faint hope that at least one would land a lucky hit. But the Ace and Jack of Spades weren't about to give me the satisfaction. Every [missile] was evaded.

"Oh, pity, that," Professor W said tonelessly. He spoke like he expected them all to miss from the beginning. "That's surely because my a.s.sistance wasn't sufficient."

"......" I stayed quiet, thinking this was surely a time one ought to compliment his partner. The problem, however, was the move that came after "BLACKJACK." I immediately prepared to dive. Just then, Catherine reported from the radar monitor what she was looking at:

"The Ace and Jack of Spades have turned around, they're falling back into airs.p.a.ce."

"Really?" The second wave would be an arial bombardment. The first wave attack had been unexpectedly light 420/1/3-4. No, it might be better to think of it as tactical actions. On the sub-screen of the radar monitor, I confirmed that the two suits from "BLACKJACK" had turned around and flown away. Their goal [was/is?], on a tactical level, not only to keep "Chouxhook 2" under their thumbs 420/2/5, but also they were hoping for battle to conclude in the water.

"Did we [just] get caught?" Professor W came asking. The "BLACKJACK" certainly may have just been meant to lure us above the water.

"No, this suits us just fine."

It was within the realm of expectations. From the outset, I'd been shooting those four Eights. I didn't know if it was "Eight Enders" or "Revolution" but I wanted to get rid of those submarine-capable Mars suits first. "Go full speed ahead." Without switching to rapid submersion, I decided to [plunge] straight into the water at full battle speed.

I confirmed the tiny sun sinking down on the southeast horizon. Ahead of us I could see the nameless volcanic island Duo et al were on, and far behind it, Elysium Island.

"Neesan, I want you to inform me of the sonar response whenever necessary."

"OK! Leave it to me," Catherine replied briskly with an earphone in her left ear. Professor W was calm.

"Are you planning to careen [right into the water] just like this?"

"Yeah....."

Professor W seemed to already have read what I was thinking of doing.

"I think it's kind of risky."

"There's no such thing as a battle without risks."

"You're the same as always."

"While we're waiting, there's been no change to our high wire [act]." Making the large aircraft carrier Chouxhook 2 dive and charge [lead it to] meet resistance from the ocean current and lose remarkable speed. A water-borne battle also bore the risk of being swept away by an unexpected jet current. Another feasible possibility was for the Ace and Jack of Spades to turn around again and come attacking, but I suspected that they wouldn't. Because there was [an element of] danger in getting involved with the four Eights. So, where had they turned around and flown off to? The other "JOKER"--they may have headed towards "Warlock." In which case, [it was up to me] to make a killer pa.s.s. He ought to feel a little sorry about bossing around his older comrade. I prepared for my next move.

"(Fully) load torpedo tubes one and two!" Catherine confirmed the spiral sound via sonar.

"The four Eights are in a state of deployment/spreading out and are charging."

"Professor, what do you think those guys think of this s.h.i.+p's mobility?"

"Hmm. If [they have] the standard power of judgement, then they likely see us as merely a reckless special attack corps that won't evade [an attack]."

"......"

"But if they're calm pilots, I think they wouldn't be afraid and are calculating the torpedo timing."

"If they're the type of guys to decide on a "Revolution," then they're the latter." 421/1/11-12.

"Yes......We are the "JOKER." The weakest. So they're taking us lightly. There's a chance to take advantage of that."

"Somehow dodging the first strike, that's crucial."

"Being somehow unhittable."

"Relax, I'm flying......" When Professor W heard that, he chuckled to himself.

"Well, I have faith in you, Doktor T. But accidents happen."

"......"

He seemed to be talking about my navigating mistake when we surfaced just then. There was a peculiarity in how that man took on the years. If he were the younger [Quatre], he'd probably be a little more respectful of his partner. Ahead of us, the four Eight's were spread out and traveling straight for us in one line.

"Sonar detection! The enmy has fired eight torpedoes!" Catherine reported calmly. The four Eights had launced the eight torpedoes that had been outfitted on both of their arms. Thanks to that, we could specify their distance and location.

"Roger." I dodged the eight torpedoes with [a moved called a] tornado and continued by launching the two bow torpedoes.

"Perfect hit this time......that's our Doktor." The timing of the tornado and torpedo launch was an extremely difficult move. I wasn't waiting for any compliments, but there probably had been a better way to say that. But I didn't have the time to [acknowledge] everything the Professor said.

"Nee-san!" Catherine immediately took the earphone out. The two torpedoes I'd fired blew up in front of the "Revolution." This was called a wired electric sound torpedo, and it could (steal) an enemy pilot's sight and hearing by issuing a vast volume of high frequency supersonic foam/bubbles over a large area. In a basic submersible, [the lieutenant in charge of] the sub-sonar would have to be immediately relieved, but that wasn't possible in the submersible Mars suits. There were no means for situations like these to be handled because of their [upgraded/improved] mobility [#7]. Now, in the area of the sea below, a big panic was supposed to be happening. If they were normal Mars suit pilots, they would surface and try to escape, but as could be expected of the "Revolution," they predicted they'd be sniped at as they ascended and instead appeared to be diving deeper into the ocean. They probably intended to wait for there "ears" and "eyes" to return to normal. There was there for an interval of several seconds.

"The four Eights are also (brilliant), huh......I thought one at least would surface. It was a good bluff to fire all the missiles at first......this is all according to Doktor's calculation, right?"

I'd decided to ignore any more ironic commentary. The results were alright, at any rate. Now, it was possible to break through at once. I purged the wires for the (wired electric sonic torpedoes) and gave Chouxhook 2 more speed. In the water immediately before us, the powerful, high speed jet current lay waiting. That earned us several minutes until the ["Revolution"] could pinpoint our location and track us.

Away on the distant horizon, the small sun was setting. Professor W spoke, his eyes narrowed against the golden light.

"Yeah.....this time, it's our turn to make the first move."

"Well, {Snow White} and "seven dwarves" [#8], right?"

"Of course they're there, but......" I returned. "Do you mean to pilot {Snow White}, Professor?"

"I can release Heero's bio-lock [#9]......couldn't even someone like me be allowed to make a hit if I hit the deck on my stomach and fired? 422/1/8-9"

Aside from the two "JOKER" cards in a deck, there were cases where a "white card" [#10] without any markings was included--that would be {Snow White}. We has one more different card ready, that [card] might be the "jackpot," but I couldn't deny that it could also [make us] "fold." I had no intention of playing Maurice Ravel's "Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte" [#11].

"Nee-san, how's Duo?"

"About that......"

I followed her eyes and when I saw the monitor, I was amazed. Warlock and the Queen of Hearts were not fighting. Duo and Naina had left their c.o.c.kpits and were contentedly stuffing their faced with sandwiches at the foot of their suits on a picnic sheet [#12].

"Maybe [the sandwiches] were about to go off." Professor W was smiling.

"That's one trick I can't do."

"That must be the height of Duo's concentration."

"No wonder his stamina (distribution) is so good."

I wanted to say he could knock it off with the [jabs at my expense].

Catherine was also dissatisfied, "Unbelievable! Those two are enemies, aren't they?"

I agreed with her sentiment, but I spoke the truth without blanching [#13], "But they're apparently [still] friends who grew up at the same orphanage."

"Their faces are smiling as they eat, but not their eyes. Perhaps Duo-kun is waiting for [the right] time?"

"Time?"

"The sun will be setting shortly......" That was the only (aim) that made sense.

Professor explained in easily understood terms to Catherine, "Warlock is at his best at night."

"But can't Naina Peacecraft predict as much?"

"That looks like Duo's special ability. He puts 'the connection of person to person' above all else. Everybody and anybody ends up following his pace, one after the other."

"Tell me, Professor......" The word connection alone couldn't explain that happy face. "How should we interpret the direction of that relations.h.i.+p?"

"I don't quite understand it myself." After thinking a bit, Professor W spoke, "Surely it could be a 'bond' couldn't it?"

Is that what it was? [That] something he had and we didn't. Even though they're enemies, even though they're in the battlefield, [he/they] couldn't imagine losing that essential relations.h.i.+p 422/3/8-9. We had endeavored to lose such relations.h.i.+ps in the past.

Duo and Naina were discussing something. I enlarged the image of them to the greatest possible extent and put them on the monitor side by side.

"What are they saying?"

"Uh......Duo-kun said, 'Whew, I'm stuffed. That was great.' He's giving his opinion on the sandwiches." The Professor was good at lip-reading.

"'Mayonnaise and mustard are awesome.' 'Good.' 'But the chicken and ham were the best. Thanks.' 'Well, shall we get back to the battle?'" Professor's monotone continued dispa.s.sionately, "'Wait a sec. Me, I'm not going to be indebted to you.' 'Debt?' 'I'll show you something good, Naina-nee-san.'"

The Duo displayed on the monitor pulled out a ten gallon hat from out of nowhere and turned it all around to have Naina confirm that it was empty.

"'Okay, there's no tricks to [that hat],' she said......" And then, the number of ten gallon hats increased one after the other. There were six altogether, no seven. They were all lined up just as if they were to be sold in a roadside stall.

"'Hey, that Christmas......Naina-chan, you put a rabbit sticker on the wrapping, didn't you? You know I still got that.'"

Duo spread out the wrapping sheet that had been on top of the [one of the] hats until just now and gently, as if by magic, spread it out [over all the hats].

"'Boopidee bahpidoo buu' uh, I can't read [his lips] well." It was probably some sort of incantation or spell. By that beamingly triumphant face, he was planning on showing us some sleight of hand.

"'Naina-chan, which one does {Alice} want to meet?' 'Who is {Alice}?' 'Don't play dumb. Young Lady Winner, who else?' he said, but what if--" Katrine's name coming up so unexpected had me honestly surprised, too. The Ches.h.i.+re Cat was playing the "hatter." The Queen of Hearts and then, Alice? An unfinished uneasiness flitted across the back of my mind.

"'This is a pain so how about putting both out,' she says." When Duo removed the sheet, a stuffed rabbit with a pair of long ears came hopping out of each hat. They were white and brown rabbits. Altogether, there were fourteen, no fifteen? Huh? Sixteen......no, they were increasing in number. There were already over twenty brown rabbits. Professor W put words to Duo's lips:

"'Does Alice want {the rabbit with the broken watch}? Or the {March Hare}?'"

"What's a March Hare?" As expected, I was fl.u.s.tered.

"Professor, hurry and start up {Snow White}! That guy's going to get right into it without [giving us] a signal!"

"Got it," so saying, the Professor ran off to the hangar. Now, I decided to believe my unmalicious, spiteful-speaking colleague 424/2/6-7<. we="" were="" supposed="" to="" make="" the="" first="" move,="" but="" once="" again,="" we="" were="" on="" coping="" [detail].="" and="" we="" had="" to="" hurry="" to="" take="" control="" of="" the="" tide="" of="">

"Nee-san! What about the five remaining mars suits that are heading for us?"

"I can't distinguish the suits yet, but...... What? They're not headed this way!"

I had been my [modus operandi] to accept anything as being within the realm of possibilities from here on out, but everything and anything that brat did was far too wild. That guy had commenced the "Recover Prometheus Battle" at his stage. He was a naughty boy who utterly ate people [#14].

The "March Hares" were a metaphor for the maddeningly noisy mating season 424/3/8 [#15]. Sure enough, the number of brown rabbits that were loose in the field had doubled, tripled, infinitely multiplying. The seven white rabbits-their numbers didn't increase, but they did run towards the ocean from the Eastern horizon and disappeared. [I] was completely befuddled. Not just Naina. I was enchanted by Duo's magic. On the Western horizon, the evening sun had already set. Night befell the volcanic island. Catherine spoke in a voice close to a shriek.

"Trowa! Look East!"

Well that was quite a jolt, to have my old handle screamed.

"The moon......the moon......the full moon......" On Mars' Eastern horizon, just where the white rabbits had disappeared, was not Phobos or Deimos but the pale satellite of earth--the Moon, a huge [image], slowly rose. The full moon sparkled brightly in the Mars night sky--it made for an image that deviated from what was otherwise utterly innocuous.

"Calm down, Nee-san......that's an illusion that Warlock is showing us."

"B-but......"

Now, the wind sent clouds across the moon, making it dark for a moment. It was a hyper real celestial body. However, it was only we who had been born on Earth who admired that image. It wasn't a meaningless bluff. A feeling that was beyond anger and [more like] loathing sprang bubbling up [inside me].

"This is Doktor T!" I sent a message to Duo in the c.o.c.kpit of Warlock. "You'd better not be betraying us, a.s.shole!" However, it seemed even our [Chouxhook 2] camera eye had been scrupulously cracked by the {nanomachines}. 425/1/9-11. Looking back, I had several ideas [about who'd done that]. "What the h.e.l.l are you planning?"

"Yo......did you like that?"

In the darkness, [his] spiteful Ches.h.i.+re Cat-like face came to mind. For a moment, it looked to me like he was sneering with his own wicked design.

"Don't answer a question with a question......I'll ask you again, what are you doing?"

"The full moon is a good match for my partner......that's what Father c.r.a.pswell said!"

Like father, like son 425/2/4. They're pa.s.sing on really (boring) genes. I could stand that that was the reason for ruining the camera eye. While it wasn't like me, I wanted to tell him to quit s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around. But standing on top of that volcanic island--the full moon as a background and that black cape streaming--made the Warlock's silhouette ominous and beautiful. The two beam scythes crossed over his head made me think of a wily vampire's eyes lit with demonic light.

The Queen of Hearts wasn't moving. Naina Peacecraft may have been (half-drunk) by Duo's magic show. No, [she was half-drunk] on him. She must have managed to take shelter somewhere safe.

The naughty boy with the flas.h.i.+ng eyes spoke, "So, fighting in (humanoid weapons) is a game of wearing down the other? When night comes, I'll own it!" Captain Obvious reporting. Even I had a phrase when I was all about that sense of values. A pilot's reasoning [power] goes flying out the window in order to learn how to pilot a mad machine. Circ.u.mstances aside, anyone who is calmly able to continue murdering people is most definitely mad himself. To put it anohter way, it was more than sufficiently crazy to empty one's heart.

"And yet." I contacted him on the commlink. Just what did I want to say? Five mobile suits drew closer to Warlock. [They were t]he five unaccounted-for cards.

"See ya! Looks like the Worst Night Dance is about to start! Over and out!"

Before I could say anything, the link was cut [from his side]. Catherine checked the (machine shadows) from the data [collected from] the hacked weather satellite and reported.

"Denomenation of five Mars suits! Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs." We'd been dealt another pair of aces. "And the Six of Spades, Six of Diamonds, and Six of Clubs! [#17]" Those Sixes. That meant a full house, but--no, "6, 6, 6" had a different meaning. It might be a composite number [#18] or the "sign of the devil" [#19] from the Book of Revelation. I could imagine it could be taken as a clue. Catherine continued her reporting.

"Ace and Jack of Spades are coming flying in from over head! That 'BLACKJACK' has returned!"

That Worst Night Dance the Ches.h.i.+re Cat Hatter spoke of had [arrived] beyond any doubt. No, it might be a night feast/banquet with the one-eyed jack and the Devil. Either way, the Warlock's odds were definitely bad. In any case, there was no way we could make Duo fight alone.

"Professor! Isn't Snow White online yet?" There was no response to my call. He probably hadn't released the "body response" Heero had locked on. [Heero] had likely locked it with a special code not even the Professor could release. [I] had absentmindedly forgotten, but that style was all Heero Yuy.

The triple Aces and Jack came attacking from the sky. The pair of Aces were joined by the four machines in the "BLACKJACK." I remembered that the Ace of Diamonds and Clubs both had either strengthened speed or strengthened heavy artillery. But that Duo seemed to be okay with either.

"Sooo, let's get this party started!" [#20]

That voice actually had gusto. That second--. From beneath the Warlock's cloak, a countless number of bats came out flapping. Thousands, tens of thousands of bats. Their ominousness matched the (night feast) [#21.5]. And that enormous black shadow--big enough to swallow the light form the mismatched full moon hanging bright over Mars--beat its wings and moved further up. The flock of bats went after the flying triple Aces and Jack of Spades. By the way, there are no bats in the wilds of Mars. Neither were they bats made by cloning. Those were incorporeal bats composed of nanomachines. They couldn't be hit or crushed. It was fantastic magic. I was surprised at such a handling technique. Looks like the brat's decided to prove his mettle. Under the light of the moon, it almost looked as if the four Mars suits were being covered by a (sentient) velvet cloth. Once they were coiled with the infinite number of bats, ultimately, flight would be impossible [for the suits; their machines] would stall and they would crash. And then the pilots could only emergency eject. In an instant, the four suits bowed out from the party.

"Hokay! Who's next!"

Without waiting for that invitation, the three heavy-equipment land-form Mars suits, the Sixes, came in for a surprise attack. Beam fire came from three directions. Flashes of light punched through the black cloak. Just then, Warlock fell down. He'd been done in disappointingly quickly. The cloak, crackling and sparking, covered the mountain top rock. It whipped in the wind. Only the cloak......The mobile suit frame wasn't there. The three Sixes searched for the lost Warlock. There was no way we could have lost it with such bright moonlight, is probably what the pilots were thinking. But actually, this luminosity was fake. Really, it was darker, no stars in the sky and a profound darkness dominated. And "Warlock Darkness" continued to "Wonderland."

"Here! Over here!"

He purposely called out before the attack. That was the same as [when he'd fought] the Queen of Hearts. I didn't think it was plausible, maybe he'd prefaced that attack 427/3/1<.>

"Where are you looking? I'm here!"

Duo's voice sounded like it had multiplied. All at once, the three Sixes turned to face the direction of the voice. There were about fifty hooded Warlocks waiting at the ready.

"Hey, don't say you're outnumbered! Cause it was you who outnumbered me first!"

[The fifty Warlocks] were, of course, [magic]. The split up and diffused March Hares took on the Warlock's shape and stood beside it. There was just the true [Warlock] within, but there was no way he'd have removed the cloak. There's no way that Duo would pull such an easy trick. What's more, in a battlefield saturated with nano particles, it was unthinkable to go without the cloak. Aside from the special stealth capabilities of the hooded cloak, it would s.h.i.+elded against nanodefensors and other super-ultrafine particles. In other words, Warlock had had a cloak beneath the cloak. No, looking closer, the cloak on the mountain top rock had disappeared. Perhaps he had never actually even been up there. There were no limits to how much that clown would poke fun at others. That was also a (skilled) technique of a first-rate con-man.

"Let's go!"

Close to fifty Duos' voices sounded as one. The three Sixes (desperately) returned to fighting with their beam canons. Upon receiving a direct hit from the beams, the nanomachine Warlock blew up. That blast mimicked the exaggerated flash of light just like a real blast; and then it disappeared. After it dispersed, however, it would reform in some hidden place. Hence, the number hadn't gone down in the least. Of course, it was merely an illusion. While there were very few, it was a huge corps that could attack 428/2/16-17. The three Sixes couldn't stop that attack. After all, our hand was the [almighty] "JOKER" card. Any "role" was possible. The beam canons also ran out of energy. The Devil Mars suits standing rooted at the mountain summit had already lost their will to fight by then. Then, the (whole of) Warlock suddenly appeared from a nearby crater.

"I'll take care of this!" [#21]

The three Sixes (cards) were slashed from chest to armpit and ripped apart. The duel beamscythes were swinging in beautiful arcs. Missing the (power parts) and c.o.c.kpit was a minute technical amputation 428/3/3-4. However, that (amputation) couldn't have been done if the three Mars suits hadn't been rooted to the spot. Had that brat been waiting for that chance? He knew battlefield tactics throughly. In other words--the real Warlock had been hiding in the shadows of the volcano the whole time. It looked like beam canons shot through him from three directions, but really he was there waiting for their energy to run out and then to lose the will to fight. If that's so, that meant he was a pilot who had the appropriate tactical eye and [dirty] techniques and crazy tactics. He was, for these intents and purposes, a perfect pilot. But-- There was one (premonition) I just could not wipe away. The three Sixes--the Devil machines slowly collapses right there.

"Sorry! You aren't what I'm after!"

When I heard that chattering, it seemed like something in the depths of my heart proved true (lit: hit home). So, that was it after all. That's when--. A standard line of communication contacted me.

"This is Milu Peacecraft......could you pick up?"

A large hover transport belonging to the Mars Federal Government approached. It was the vessel I'd been chasing all this time. I didn't have any intentions of picking up.

"Hey...you're finally intervening?"

It was Warlock's Duo that said that. Switching the main monitor [channel], the face of Miliardo and Noin's son filled the screen. The quiet youth was sitting in the c.o.c.kpit of the transport hovercraft.

"I'm going to perform the "Clair du Lune" from Claude-Achille Debussy's Suite bergamasque [#22]. Please listen--no, please experience......"

Milu suddenly had a virtual keyboard before him and slowly, quietly began playing the piano song.

The pianissimo nocturne Clair de Lune flowed across the battlefield. It seemed that we'd been hacked into, the internal/bridge speakers of our s.h.i.+p could not be turned off.

"What he h.e.l.l is he up to?" Catherine asked naively. There was no way I could know. However, Milu Peacecraft's performance permeated the heart. But me--my supposedly empty heart was roused by some kind of power. The echoing keys abounded with loquacity and color. It agreed/called to the circle of the full moon glowing with rainbow light. The upper register of the sad melody was perfectly clear. In it was a clear silence. It was probably a slight disorder of a chord not in the (sheet) music and the warped/distorted tempo and the lag in the gentle rhythm that conversely made it pleasant [to listen to] and changed the fantastic moonlit night an even more fascinating scene. It was like the tone filled the moon that wasn't even supposed to exist on this planet with its clear tone. Then, someone else contacted me on a different line.

"This is Katrine......everyone, it's been quite a while......not really thought. It was yesterday that I took off."

Katrine's innocent smiling face avec goggles appeared on the monitor.

"I've been thinking about you nonstop since last night......I truly do not want to fight. But I want you to understand."

Even now, "Clair de Lune" played beauteously on. The party was taking place in a scenic spot 429/2/5<.>

"Isn't it okay for me to hope for peace, too?"

I wasn't sure. That [little] worry in the bottom of my heart was growing ever bigger and more real. However much it was within the realm of possibilities. However self-evident it maybe be.

"Doktor T......I shall use the machine you built." One mobile suit descended from the large hover transport. It sliced [right down the middle of the] full moon as it came down to stand on the ground. The swarm of fifty two warlocks surrounded the suit.

"I was waiting for you, Daughter of the House of Winner!"

"--So was I."

Make no mistake. My premonition was dead on.

"But don't get close, okay--"

It was my as-yet incomplete work-in-progress machine--{Prometheus}. It was covered with a hooded cloak of deep green. Deep within the hood, a pair of eyes sparkled seductively. On it's back was a giant cross. The long arm of the cross was a gatling gun, the short arm was a machine gun. I immediately opened a commlink and questioned the girl.

"Katrine! I hadn't prepared a cloak for that machine! Just where the h.e.l.l did you get that?!"

"I got it from everyone, of course."

"Wha?!" That was patently hard to believe.

"You've already noticed, right......among everyone, there is another traitor hiding."

I could think of someone. But I didn't have a shred of proof. Standing with such arrogance towards/directed to Prometheus 431/1/8.

"Aren't you just talking story?!"

The fifty-two warlocks attacked.

"I told you not to get close, didn't I?"

Prometheus' gatling gun blew fire. The horrendous (physical) sh.e.l.ls smashed the fifty-two piece black cloak into pieces. Slightly faster than a second hand on a clock, the deep green cloak turned three hundred sixty degrees.

"I have no interest in small fry [like you]."

Faster than the blink of an eye, the nanomachine Warlocks vanished.

"You aren't interested in small fry......"

Warlock planted himself firmly in front of Prometheus.

"Welp, then you gotta face me!"

"That's a waste, Duo......Nanomachine magic tricks won't work against me. Also, Prometheus has superior fire power."

"Well, won't know unless we try!"

Warlock attacked. The duel scythes split the air. Quick as a flash, Prometheus (seceded) to the rear and fired the gatling gun nonstop. Warlock swung the two beam scythes, drawing a double figure eight and kept evading the (actual) bullets.

"Looky here! What kind of fire power did you say you had, cuz I--"

Prometheus flipped the cross around (backward). In that long bazooka barrel, there was a loaded super-sized homing missile.

"--sorry, let me show you how it works."

Warlock was lured closer. There could be no escape. When I thought that--

The same time the violent explosion noise died, the performance of "Claire de Lune" ended.

"Thank you, Milu......that fake moon looked like the real one."

Alice in Wonderland expressed her grat.i.tude. The moon vanished from the night sky. Warlock left the party and true darkness ruled over the place. But the Worst Night Dance had only just begun--.

...To Be Continued...