Moon Base, inside the captain's office of the Ra Cailum, which was still undergoing maintenance.
Bright Noa sat looking at his computer screen. The figure on the display was a man in a gray suit and a light blue shirt, sporting a pale purple side-parted hairstyle. He was sitting on a street bench, adjusting his deep blue necktie.
"Kai Shiden, why are you contacting me?" Bright asked, looking at the image on the screen.
"Can't a guy just think of his old superior and want to catch up?"
In the video, Kai finally seemed to settle on a comfortable tightness for his tie before picking up a nearby water bottle.
Although his tone carried its usual touch of cynicism, Bright could sense Kai's underlying urgency from the sweat on his brow.
"Alright, jokes aside, Captain Bright. I'm contacting you because some things were discovered in the Oenbelli region."
Having spent years navigating society as a journalist, Kai's ability to read people was top-tier. Sensing a slight shift in the atmosphere of the conversation, he stated his purpose.
"Is this about the failed suppression of Mafty? Word of that has already started spreading within the Federation military," Bright said. He had already heard rumors about what had transpired at Oenbelli.
However, hearing Bright's words, Kai shook his head.
"No, it's more than just that. I found something else. Take a look at this footage."
With that, Kai sent a video file to Bright via his private line.
It was the recording of Roz chasing Char through the shopping mall.
As Bright watched the two figures, even a man who had experienced as much as he had couldn't help but widen his eyes.
That Amuro chasing after Char... there was no mistake. Bright had seen him once before at the Moon Base, wearing that familiar blue uniform.
But... why was there no trace of him to be found afterward?
"Is it possible it's just some kind of 'cosplay'? I hear that's quite popular among the youth these days."
While Bright's heart desperately hoped the two in the video were indeed Amuro and Char, he knew that the more critical the situation, the more he had to remain calm and examine this "Amuro" from multiple angles.
"After all... he's too young."
"But the demeanor and appearance are identical. I've consulted my friends, and they said they saw no signs of makeup or special effects. That means there's a high probability the two in the video are real, and their appearances are natural," Kai shook his head.
On his way out of Oenbelli—which was being subjected to constant Federation scrutiny—he had used his personal network to verify the authenticity of the video.
To be honest, in recent years, Kai had thought "if only Amuro were still here" more than once.
He watched the Federation gradually rot and wanted to change something, but found himself with nowhere to start.
For some reason, even though he knew the person in the video wasn't him, his subconscious made his fifty-year-old body burn with a long-lost passion.
"I'm currently planning to go ask Ms. Beltorchika Irma to see if Amuro had any illegitimate children out there or something..." Kai rambled on, sounding very much like an old man chatting. "Though, I haven't ruled out the possibility that these two are clones. I'll go check with Sayla Mass later; she should be more familiar with how things work on the Zeon side."
Bright, for some reason, found his gaze lingering on Kai's pale purple hair—the side-part that never seemed to change—noticing the flecks of white scattered through it.
He propped his chin on his hand, intending to say something, but his fingers brushed against his mustache. Suddenly, Bright realized that whether it was Kai Shiden, himself, or the members of Londo Bell who had long since been scattered, they had all grown old.
Yet, even for this group of "old-timers," hearing news of someone who might be "Amuro" caused a long-lost surge of passion to flare up within them.
"In any case, I'll need you to put your heart into finding these leads, Kai."
After less than two seconds of reflection, Bright realized that he absolutely could not search for information on this "Amuro" with any degree of fanfare.
"When it comes to this Amuro, you are the only intelligence channel I can truly rely on."
The reason he needed Kai Shiden to handle the search for Roz's information was partly because Bright, as a pillar of the Federation military, had every move monitored.
If Bright were to use Federation military channels for the search, the Federation would quickly learn from his orders that a "suspected illegitimate child or clone of Amuro" existed. The Federation would then have countless ways to exploit that.
Furthermore, although the child of Beltorchika and Amuro had been protected by Bright and the dispersed members of Londo Bell, they remained under Federation surveillance to this day.
It wasn't out of the question that the Federation, upon learning of "Amuro's" existence, might move against them to use as leverage to control him.
"Yeah, don't worry about it, Captain Bright."
Hearing Bright's words, Kai Shiden twisted open his water bottle and took a sip. "You can rest easy when Kai Shiden is on the case."
Looking at Bright on the communication screen—who had a few more wrinkles than in his memories—Kai felt a bit dazed, but then he began to laugh.
Yes, Bright, himself, and everyone from Londo Bell had grown old. But to reignite the charcoal in the hearts of these old men, worn smooth by the passage of time, it only took a single spark.
"I will find Amuro."
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Meanwhile, in Anaheim's Department of Works 1 on the Moon, Kenneth Sleg was reviewing Lane Aim's training logs for the Penelope.
To be honest, as a veteran of Londo Bell, Kenneth had seen truly exceptional Gundam pilots like Amuro Ray and Kamille Bidan.
Compared to them, Lane Aim's data was merely a passing grade. Kenneth could see exactly where Lane's ceiling was just by glancing at the combat logs.
But there was no helping it. He knew Lane Aim was the Federation military's best option at the moment; after all, not every pilot could be an Amuro or a Kamille.
'Indeed, you shouldn't meet such breathtaking pilots when you're young,' Kenneth thought, shaking his head to clear his mind as he set the tablet aside.
Today's testing needed to wrap up. Without further mechanical adjustments to the Penelope, no amount of training or testing from Lane would result in anything but treading water.
'Yes, that's enough for today. Better to head to a bar and relax; it would be even better if I could have a romantic encounter with a beautiful girl.' With those thoughts, Kenneth halted the tests.
"Alright, tests are over. Lane, you can head back for now."
Kenneth walked over to the resting Lane and patted the young man's shoulder. "The Penelope still needs further tuning. Leave the mechanical adjustments to the Anaheim staff."
"Lane, you need to get yourself into top condition as well. You'll be deploying with this MS very soon."
"I understand, Colonel Kenneth."
Despite the exhaustion from the long, concentrated simulation training, Lane Aim snapped to attention to listen to Kenneth's orders.
"Get some rest. Be back here at the same time tomorrow."
With a final pat on Lane's shoulder, Kenneth hummed a nameless tune and strode out of Anaheim.
Kenneth drove all the way back, pulling into the parking lot of the Moon Base.
It was then that he spotted a very distinctive silhouette in the distance—the Ra Cailum, currently undergoing maintenance and resupply.
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"I didn't expect Captain Bright to return so recently."
Inside the Federation military guesthouse, Kenneth Sleg looked at the somewhat weary Bright Noa sitting across from him and smiled.
"It's just for maintenance and resupply. We'll be heading out again soon to continue the suppression of Mafty," Bright replied. Looking at Kenneth, his former subordinate, Bright allowed himself to relax slightly. "As for you, I heard you're about to take a post in the Pacific theater. Mafty is quite rampant there; you should be careful."
"Don't worry about me, Captain Bright."
Recalling the machine back in Anaheim's Department 1, a surge of confidence filled Kenneth. "Mafty is indeed bold, but my secret weapon will be deployed very soon."
As he spoke, Kenneth picked up the menu and handed it to Bright. "Today is on me, Captain. Please, order whatever you like."
"Haha, then I won't stand on ceremony."
Listening to Kenneth's slightly exaggerated tone, Bright gave a small smile. He didn't actually order much, opting instead for a simple single-person steak set. Seeing Bright's choice, Kenneth ordered a similar meal for himself.
After a brief silence, Kenneth inquired further.
"By the way, before I came over, I heard rumors that you were experiencing some 'hallucinations' a few days ago, Captain. Has your condition fully recovered?" Kenneth felt it was necessary to know the physical and mental state of his old superior.
"Yes, I've completely recovered. Thank you for your concern."
Faced with Kenneth's question—especially having just spoken with Kai Shiden—Bright could only answer vaguely to gloss over the topic. "I suppose seeing the Ra Cailum brought back too many memories of the past; I found myself missing Amuro dearly. My mental state is perfectly fine now."
Hearing Bright's words, Kenneth suddenly remembered that when he first spotted his old captain, Bright had indeed been standing in the corridor, staring blankly at the Ra Cailum.
"But when I saw you just now, you were dazing off at the ship again. Are you truly alright?"
"Yes, there's absolutely no problem."
Bright shook his head, taking a moment to choose his words carefully before speaking.
"It might sound a bit ridiculous... but at that moment, I was wondering: if Amuro were still alive and saw the Federation as it is now, what would he do?"
Kenneth was caught off guard, not expecting such a question from Bright. He soon let out a small laugh, clearly not taking Bright's hypothetical musing about "Amuro" too seriously.
However, almost every former member of Londo Bell already knew the answer to that question in the depths of their hearts.
"Well then, I'll go and round up everyone from Londo Bell," Kenneth said, shaking his head and looking at Bright with a tone that mixed a joke with a trace of sincerity.
"When that time comes, we'll have Amuro and Captain Bright lead us old-timers on one last charge."
........................