Chapter 3

Chapter 3

01/05/2104

09:00

Undisclosed Location, Celestial Being Testing Facility 

(P.O.V.) Reinhard

Opening my eyes, I was greeted by the familiar sight of my room's ceiling. Slowly getting up, I headed to the bathroom to freshen up. After taking a quick shower, I grabbed a protein bar for breakfast. I got dressed and left my room heading towards the elevator.

Today was the day I decided to start the testing of the Alpha Gundam. While some of my colleagues wanted more time—like Bjorn, who was eager to build a shoulder cannon for the Gundam—I was resolute. The Gundam was more than ready, and no additional systems, armaments, or equipment needed to be added at this moment since the Alpha wasn't meant to participate in any combat operation, as that wasn't one of the project's initial objectives. The Alpha Gundam had been created simply to prove the feasibility of mobile suits and to study how a mobile suit equipped with a GN Drive would function.

Aeolia had laid the foundation for the basic theory about GN particles and GN Drives long before he conceived of creating Celestial Being. He presumed that the development of functioning GN Drives would only occur in the future; however, I had managed to shatter his expectations by building a functioning GN Drive. Granted, it wasn't precisely what he had envisioned, but it served as proof that his theory was valid.

As for the Tau, it had been scrapped because it was unusable without a machine capable of charging it—the necessary technology had not yet been developed. The Fafnir, however, was a success in its own right. It wasn't a true GN Drive capable of semi-perpetual energy generation, like the one Aeolia theorized. Still, as long as it functioned properly, I didn't need it to be. Since Celestial Being already had a method for acquiring true GN Drives, we wouldn't need to produce any more GN Drives ver. Fafnir.

I recalled how Aeolia had said that Europa would launch in the year 2188. The thought of not being part of that mission crushed my spirit. Even with advancements in medicine, humanity still hadn't figured out how to extend our natural lifespans.

Arriving at the elevator door, I opened it and stepped inside before pressing the button for the first floor. I hummed along with the elevator music, enjoying a brief moment of peace before the doors opened, and I stepped out into the hallway.

When I exited, I saw a corridor leading toward a single armored door. I walked toward it and opened it, momentarily blinded by the sunlight, as I hadn't seen the sun in what felt like forever. The sudden brightness pierced my senses, prompting me to instinctively raise a hand to shield my eyes. Once my vision adjusted, I found myself staring at a vast forest surrounding the bunker hidden somewhere in the heart of Siberia. Surprisingly, it wasn't as cold as I had expected and only felt s small crisp breeze brushing against my skin, invigorating yet sharp, like icy fingers pulling me gently into the day.

I began walking down a path cut through the forest, a trail lined with dew-kissed grass beneath my feet. Up ahead, I finally spotted the Gundam standing in its full glory.

The towering figure stood 18.2 meters tall, weighing about 70 metric tons. Its head's intricate design, with a V-fin crest gleaming in gold, bore a faceplate marked by sharp, angular lines and piercing blue eyes that glowed with an otherworldly energy. Red and pink accents near the cheeks lent it an almost sentient appearance, as if it were contemplating the world before it. Its chest, a complex amalgamation of blue, white, and red, featured a central red sensor capable of scanning its surroundings, pulsing subtly. The armor plating on its shoulders was broad and angular, adorned with subtle red highlights that added a layer of elegance to its formidable presence. The black segments on its joints revealed the sophisticated Gundam Frame beneath, promising unparalleled agility and strength. On its back, the GN Drive hummed slightly, indicating it was stabilizing the GN particles it had just finished creating. Gold accents shimmered at the waist, seamlessly integrating into the overall color scheme of white, blue, red, and yellow.

(Picture)

Just looking at the Gundam left me awestruck, a lump forming in my throat. For a moment, I stood frozen, caught up in the overwhelming mixture of pride and apprehension that stirred within me. The sheer power and potential of the Alpha Gundam felt almost intoxicating. However, before my thoughts could spiral into uncertainty, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. My first instinct was to draw my pistol from the leg holster I always carried, but I caught myself before acting too rashly.

"You were about to point your gun at me again, weren't you? I thought we went over this—you aren't a mercenary anymore. You don't have to constantly be on edge, expecting an enemy to attack," Aeolia said, his expression a mix of concern and mild exasperation.

I sighed, allowing the tension in my shoulders to dissipate. "Sorry," I replied, a wave of embarrassment washing over me. I usually kept my instincts in check, but years of training had made me reactive when surprised. "I was focusing on the Gundam too much and forgot where I was."

Aeolia shifted his gaze back to the Gundam. "I understand. Originally, I wasn't going to come, but after hearing the recording from your last meeting, I wanted to see for myself and confirm if it looked like what I envisioned."

At his reason, I smirked and asked, "So what do you think? Pretty good, right? Especially considering we built something so advanced with today's technology." There was a hint of pride in my tone, mixed with a touch of smugness.

Aeolia looked at me and chuckled. "Yes, it's pretty impressive. I've already started thinking of several uses for it, one of which will be to work alongside the Gundam Meisters when Celestial Being begins performing armed interventions. But it's such a shame that it doesn't have a true GN Drive." He said this with a solemn look that cut through my earlier elation.

Hearing him mention the Gundam Meisters made me think about what would happen to them once the plan was completed. I glanced at Aeolia, who was examining the Gundam from afar, and took on a thoughtful expression. "Aeolia, you never explained to me what would happen to Celestial Being after we manage to unify the world," I stated, hoping I wouldn't hear the answer my mind dreaded.

Aeolia, stopping his examination of the Gundam, gave me a stern look. "Why the sudden curiosity, Reinhard?" he asked, scrutinizing me.

"Because when I joined Celestial Being, you told me that the organization would unify the world and eradicate war while changing humanity along the way. I still don't understand how we will change humanity, but that's beside the point," I began. "The point is that I want to know what will happen to our successors, who will carry on our…your will?" I stood my ground, locking eyes with him.

Aeolia remained silent for a moment before adopting a peaceful expression. "Celestial Being, alongside the Gundams, will perform armed interventions. During this process, we will become a symbol of an unbeatable force, compelling the rest of humanity to unite against our successors instead of fighting amongst themselves. Do you remember when I told you this?"

"Yes, I remember. It was the first time we met," I replied, confused about why he was asking. "But what does that have to do with my question?"

"It has everything to do with your question because, you see, before I met you, I had VEDA run a simulation about how the plan would conclude and what would happen to Celestial Being. The result was that for the plan to succeed, Celestial Being and the Gundams had to be destroyed by the united forces of the rest of the world," Aeolia explained, sadness coloring his voice.

After he finished speaking, I tried to process what he said. For his plan to succeed, Celestial Being would have to be destroyed alongside the Gundams, meaning that we were sentencing the future members of Celestial Being—and our successors, who hadn't even been born yet—to die. What kind of nightmare was that? "Aeolia, please tell me you didn't decide to sacrifice our comrades," I pleaded, the weight of dread settling heavily on my chest. For some reason, my eyes suddenly began to burn, and an intense headache assaulted me.

Aeolia looked at me with wide eyes, taken aback. "Reinhard, calm down and breathe. I will answer once you've calmed down," he said, his expression firm. I nodded, taking a moment to regain my composure. "Yes, I did. At that point, I thought the only way for the plan to succeed was to sacrifice Celestial Being, but you must understand—I was desperate. I had lost hope for humanity before discovering the existence of GN particles. After that, I started building VEDA and created the basic theory for the GN Drive. Even after seeing the first simulation, I asked VEDA to perform, I told him to continue running simulations, looking for an alternative. Eventually, VEDA found one, but he didn't say what it was," Aeolia explained.

"Wait, are you telling me VEDA withheld information from you, its own creator?" I asked, confused. That didn't make sense; VEDA was created to help Aeolia complete his mission and assist Celestial Being. Withholding information from its own creator seemed irrational.

Aeolia looked at me with a calm demeanor. "Yes and no. VEDA did withhold information, but it did so because, according to him, if I knew about it, If I knew about it would become useless and make it impossible to save Celestial Being from its eventual destruction. The only thing he told me was the identity and information of a scientist I had to recruit, which would set off a chain of events leading to the survival of the members of Celestial Being who would otherwise be killed when the united forces attacked."

I struggled to understand. How would recruiting a scientist impact the survival of Celestial Being if this happened in the future when we would all be dead? Would the scientist create something to save Celestial Being? Countless thoughts whirled in my head before I questioned, "So, did you recruit him already or not? Because if not, you have to recruit him immediately. We don't know if recruiting him late could affect VEDA's prediction." I spoke urgently.

Aeolia looked at me with a deadpan expression before rubbing his forehead. "Calm down. I already recruited him, although I was doubtful at first. I read the report VEDA gave me about him, and while he was a genius who would greatly help Celestial Being I couldn't understand how he would be able to save Celestial being, I was still confused as to why VEDA considered him the key to our survival. Nonetheless, I decided to recruit him anyway. But now I think I understand I VEDA wanted me to recruit him he is without a doubt a man capable of creating miracles." Aeolia smiled as he finished speaking while looking at the Alpha Gundam.

I took time to process what I had heard before becoming baffled and pointing my index finger at myself. "Wait, you're talking about me?" I asked in confusion. "Since when have I been able to create miracles?"

Aeolia looked at me with a tired expression and raised his hand in front of my face, listing what I had created while raising his fingers. "The Tau GN Drive, the GN Drive ver. Fafnir, the Gundam Frame, which you helped Vashti complete, and the modified OS—the creation of the VI—and finally that." He suddenly pointed at the Alpha Gundam. "Reinhard, you know that the rest of the world has even started theorizing on how to create mobile suits! I only theorized their concept when I released the theory for the orbital elevator, but somehow you managed to lead your team into creating one from scratch with no prior experience in mobile suit design. Despite our current technological limitations, you created something so advanced that it should be on par with, if not surpassing, the future prototype Gundam, which will be built with a true GN Drive. The only aspect in which the future prototype surpasses the Alpha is its power plant; in every other category, the Alpha is the superior machine. So, in conclusion, you are a man who can create miracles."

Aeolia finished his passionate explanation, leaving me speechless as I finally realized the scope of my work. I had never noticed that what I was creating was so advanced, but the idea that I could build a Gundam or even a mobile suit—something that should have been impossible—was a startling realization. "So, what do I do now?" I asked, feeling lost as I pondered what VEDA had predicted that led to the conclusion that my joining Celestial Being would ultimately save it from destruction. I was certain I would be dead by the time Celestial Being began its armed interventions. Maybe I would create something extraordinary, but what could it possibly be? Thoughts raced, and I unknowingly began biting my finger.

"REINHARD!" I jolted from my train of thought as Aeolia called out, a worried expression crossing his face. "Stop thinking about how you could save Celestial Being; that will only lead you to constantly second-guess your future decisions. All you have to do is keep doing what you've been doing until now," Aeolia explained calmly. "I am confident that VEDA didn't tell me about the solution and only mentioned you to recruit for a similar reason. My point is to stop fixating on the future and focus on the present. Do you understand?"

Taking a long breath, I nodded, allowing the tension to leave my body. Aeolia was right; I should focus on the present and continue my work. "Thank you, Aeolia," I said sincerely.

Aeolia waved his hand dismissively, signaling that I didn't need to thank him. But then his mood shifted back to somber. "No need to thank me; I understand why you probably just had a panic attack. Although I am about to give you some bad news. After the test is completed, I'm going to sleep." he said, looking thoughtfully toward the sky.

Hearing him, I took a moment to realize what he meant and felt a pang of sadness at the thought. I respected Aeolia's decision. "So you've finally decided to become Sleeping Beauty? Is your plan still the same?" I still couldn't believe he wanted to enter cryosleep to witness the world's reformation.

Aeolia chuckled, dispelling the somber mood. It was a rare show of humor for him since he typically didn't appreciate my jokes. "Yes, my plan hasn't changed. I still intend to go into cryosleep after setting up a couple more things although I did accept your suggestion of creating a body double in case someone tries any foul play. You know, I'd say it's not too late to build a another cryo pod for you, but I'm pretty sure you would decline the offer, especially after I told you about the reason I recruited you, right?" he said, a hint of melancholy creeping in at the end.

Hearing his question made me freeze. Did I want to see how humanity had changed? Part of me longed to witness it, to see a world free of conflict. But deeper down, guilt twisted in my gut, insisting that I didn't deserve such a second chance—not after all the blood I'd spilled. A world where humans no longer waged war had no place for someone like me. And discovering what would happen to Celestial being if I didn't manage to do something to save them made the decision even easier. I needed to remain awake and keep working towards saving Celestial Being from its inevitable destruction. "Yes, I would, but don't feel bad about telling me I was the one who asked the first question, you only answered my question," I said, giving him a small smile.

Aeolia, looking at me, remained silent before responding, "Alright, I understand." It was all he said, but I knew he grasped the reasons behind my refusal since he was aware of my past but chose not to press further. "Now, moving on—who's going to be the test pilot?"

Hearing his question, excitement started to build in my chest. "Me!" I exclaimed, pointing my index finger at myself with a smile.

Aeolia froze, tapping the side of his head where his ear was located. "I'm sorry; I don't think I heard you correctly."

Seeing his reaction, I smirked and said, "No, you heard me right. I always intended to the test pilot. I even built a simulator when I began working on the Alpha." Which was the truth I did build a simulator capable of reproducing how a mobile suit would operate based on the then plans of the Alpha Gundam. Then I froze as a sudden thought struck me. "Wait, am I the first member of Celestial Being to pilot a Gundam? Doesn't that make me the first-ever Gundam Meister?" I asked, uncertain if the Alpha could be counted as a true Gundam since it didn't have a true GN Drive.

Aeolia laughed at my revelation. "I guess it does. 'Gundam Meister Reinhard Durandal' doesn't sound bad at all," he said, patting my back.