>>1416270
They had amazing power, being the only reliable source of He-3 from the outer system and the only faction whose people had the training. Your old flagship was once an armored helium carrier, two kilometers bristling with point-defense weapons and anti-ship guns, big enough to handle not just several squads of mobile suits but an entire factory and the processing plants for raw materials to feed it. And it was one of seven from its era, long-haul ships meant to carry the lifeblood of the Earth Federation's manufacturing capability.

And then they lost it, because they no longer had a monopoly. Instead of dealing with the Jovians companies and governments could set up their own independent expeditions, or invest in competitive businesses that served the same purpose as the Jovian's petty empire for cheaper.

Any ambitions Jupiter had were ended.

“So you're certain of this?” you ask ALICE, your support and coordination AI who has finally provided a direct albeit tentative link between the more recent terrorist acts and the inhabitants of the Jupiter colonies.

After taking a moment of silence to check her data, ALICE responds. “Absolutely.”

>Then we should contact Luna and Mars, coordinate with them.
>Then we need to go there, now. See what we can find.
>Then we should assemble a full-strength military force.
>Other?

>>1416280
>>Then we should contact Luna and Mars, coordinate with them.

>>1416280
>>Then we should contact Luna and Mars, coordinate with them.
Something from the last encounter with the Luna garrison just rubbed the wrong way, which kinda had to be put on hold to prioritize the Char clone business. And letting Artesia in the know too, I guess.

>>1416280
>>Then we should contact Luna and Mars, coordinate with them.

>writing

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>>1416321
“Then we should set up a conference with Artesia and Lady Mineva before we head back to Luna,” you suggest. “They deserve to know that we've found something. ALICE, get us the most secure connection possible.”

“Roger that, ma'am.”

Several minutes later, Sericea's viewscreens are split with two separate windows: one with a rather tired-looking Artesia, and the other featuring a bedraggled and yawning young Zeon princess... seems you've managed to catch one at the end of her workday on Luna and the other in the middle of the night on Mars.

“Whuzzitabou?” Mineva groans, winking intently at the monitor in her darkened bedchambers.

“Sorry to disturb you, but we have some updates,” you begin. “First we've dealt with the “Char” operating in Sweetwater. He was an impostor. Artesia, we'll tell you more about it when we meet in person tomorrow morning.”

“Thanks,” she nods quietly. “I appreciate you handling that situation. Is Sweetwater going to be stable?”

“In the short term,” you sigh, “but the political situation is a mess. There's a lot of bad blood, and just getting rid of their weapons and their most stubborn leaders isn't going to fix that. I recommend the various governments come together to negotiate a long-term solution.”

“I concur,” Rossweisse adds, making the suggestion official now that both impartial investigators agree. “Threats of G3 dispersal don't happen on impulse.”

“That bad?” Mineva grumbles quietly, finally awake for the most part. “I think I can swing it. Miss Artesia?”

“If it devolved into a civil war Sweetwater could end up another safe haven for piracy,” Artesia nods, carefully tailoring her argument. “I think that perspective should sway enough politicians on my end, though I hate phrasing it that way.”

“Good to hear,” you nod, “and good luck to you both with that... lord knows I wouldn't have the patience.”

“Forget the lord,” Rossweisse chimes in, “we all know you wouldn't have the patience.”

“Point.”
>1/2

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>>1416338
“Now, you said you had more than one update?” Artesia presses. “I'd assume the second has to do with your ongoing investigations?”

“You'd be right,” you nod thoughtfully. “ALICE figured out what language was featured all over the inside of our mystery ship, it was Bulgarian.”

“What's Bulgaria?” Mineva asks wearily.

Artesia sighs. “Haman would be disappointed. Weren't you paying attention when she tutored you on the Third World War? Bulgaria was a country that doesn't exist anymore... but I thought that language was extinct?”

“Apparently it's spoken widely enough somewhere for it to be listed on access panels and warning signs,” you shrug, “and ALICE's only real guess was that place would be Jupiter.”

“Did Nagato have anything like that?” Mineva asks, and to be perfectly honest it's actually a solid point. It takes you a moment to think about it.

>3d10, DC 18, Crit 22
>Best of Four

Rolled 5, 8, 10 = 23 (3d10)

>>1416354

Rolled 2, 5, 1 = 8 (3d10)

>>1416354
Or the wreck of Scirocco's old ship as an alternative, even if it's a long shot.

Rolled 1, 5, 5 = 11 (3d10)

>>1416354

>>1416360
kek.

Rolled 3, 2, 2 = 7 (3d10)

>>1416354

>>1416354
You shake your head. “No, there wouldn't be. She was substantially rebuilt and modernized twice before we got hold of her, and the more recent time was conducted in secret within the Earth Sphere. They kept no records, and they would've removed any old signage and replaced it in line with EF standards. On top of that, we modernized her three years ago and ALICE would've recorded any anomalies like that as part of her standard operational protocols.”

“If she had any Bulgarian anywhere aboard her, it's gone now.”

ALICE's avatar pokes her head up into one of the frames. “How did you even know that was part of my protocol? I have never spoken about my proofreading subroutines.”

“Careful observation,” you shrug. “Anyway it was a good idea, if we had access to any identifiable Jovian vessels we could cross-check.”

“The Jovians are notorious for reusing materiel,” Rossweisse points out with a frown. “We would need to be physically present within one of their dockyard facilities to confirm our theory.”

Well, a physical presence would need access... we don't necessarily need to go in person.

“Catrina made a solid point, we have remote weapons,” you reply. “We technically don't need to be anywhere.”

“And an unidentified remote weapon penetrating Jovian space would give them sufficient reason to be unreasonable,” Artesia counters. “Not sure I like that idea so much.”

>The Martian dockyards have this fancy new paint...
>You may be right. There's a chance they'll cooperate.
>Maybe we need another way to confirm our suspicions.
>Other?

>>1416383
we got a crit on the roll and didn't get anything from it?

>>1416383
>>The Martian dockyards have this fancy new paint...

>>1416383
>>The Martian dockyards have this fancy new paint...

>>1416388
You got literally the entire history of Nagato's reconstructions as well as full knowledge of the ways in which you could go about confirming ALICE's conclusions on OTHER Jovian ships.

>>1416383
>The Martian dockyards have this fancy new paint...

>>1416405
Ooh, okay, I misunderstood what the roll was for, my bad.

>writing

>>1416383
>Maybe we need another way to confirm our suspicions.
If no immediate ideas are forthcoming, I'm fine with going for the next option.

>You may be right. There's a chance they'll cooperate.
Unless they're led by some crazy Newtype or visionary wannabe, collective self-interest should prevail on account of the economic benefits that comes with integrating into the CTF.

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>>1416424
“Well, the Martian dockyards have this really neat new paint,” you muse, scratching lightly under the edge of your eyepatch. “And unless I'm remembering it wrong, the Martian government does owe us its very existence.”

“Are you really holding that over my head?” Mineva asks skeptically.

You shake your head. “No, I'm holding it over your ministers' heads. You owe me nothing, I was happy to help and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Everyone else in your government was just lucky their butts got saved in the process.”

“That's not true,” Rossweisse admonishes you. “You'd have done it to protect innocent lives.”

“Yeah,” you agree, “but they don't need to know that.”

“So let's say we get a hold of that paint... what do we put it on?” Artesia asks. “They'll notice a mobile suit, and a funnel can't exactly fit inside a dockyard. The motor'd be too obvious.”

“The stealth ship we found had baffles,” Rossweisse recounts, “specially designed. And half of a funnel is dedicated to the beam gun and the recharging systems, cut those out and a single-use stealth drone powered by an E-cap is definitely plausible.”

“And how big would it have to be?” Mineva muses.

ALICE immediately chimes in with an answer. “Just under one meter in overall length, with an endurance of forty-seven minutes with minimal power consumption.”

“You've already drafted one?” you ask, raising your visible eyebrow. “How long ago?”

“Six months,” the AI admits in a digital sigh. “I am a being of pure intellect and vast computational power, I need to keep busy somehow.”

“Fair enough,” you shrug. “And Anaheim could be tapped to produce it, along with a small mothership to carry it closer to the target.”

“With recharge facilities,” Rossweisse nods. “I like it. Make sure both of them can be set to vaporize themselves and I would support the idea.”

“Wait, you're proposing we use the E-pac as a warhead?” Artesia asks.

>Well... yeah? No evidence.
>Okay, maybe we can relax on that front.
>Do you have a better plan?
>Other?

>>1416446
>>Do you have a better plan?
An insider, perhaps?

>>1416446
>>Do you have a better plan?
>“I am a being of pure intellect and vast computational power, I need to keep busy somehow.”
She needs more hobbies.

>>1416446
>>Well... yeah? No evidence.

>processing

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>>1416480
“Well, do you have a better plan?” you ask, immediately taking a somewhat softer tone. “No, really. If you have another plan I'd be happy to consider it.”

Artesia takes a few moments to consider the question, then shakes her head. “Well, I guess not. If we're going to send in something with technology on it that shouldn't even exist, a self-destruction mechanism makes sense.”

“So we're in something approaching agreement?” you ask.

“I cannot make any promises, but I'll try,” Mineva nods sternly.

Artesia shrugs. “We can work out the details when we meet face to face, but I don't think it's unworkable.”

“Then we'll see you in the morning,” you nod. “Sericea out.”

“Filing flightplans with Luna approach control,” Rossweisse informs you. “If you have any other business on Sweetwater, now would be the time.”

As it happens there is some other business: a competent mobile suit pilot aboard your vessel with her outdated machine, which is currently undergoing repairs. You head down to the ready deck, where you usually change, shower, and check your flight suit, to find Bianca Carlyle halfway into a fresh pilot suit.

Her back and shoulders are absolutely covered in tattoos, many of which from units you recognize.

“Where would you even find space?” you muse.

She turns to face you, leaving the top half of her pilot suit half pulled-up around her waist. The tattoos are all over her ribs and upper chest as well, seemingly stopping around where “swimsuit lines” would normally be.

“Left cheek maybe,” she shrugs. “What's the news?”

>Have you thought about career advancement in the private sector? I can put in a good word with Anaheim.
>So what do you intend to do when you get back to your base on Sweetwater? Shit seems... messy.
>You want a job? I know some mobile suit wings in the CTF who could use an old hand like you.
>Other?

>>1416521
>>Have you thought about career advancement in the private sector? I can put in a good word with Anaheim.

>>1416521
>>You want a job? I know some mobile suit wings in the CTF who could use an old hand like you.

>>1416521
>>Have you thought about career advancement in the private sector? I can put in a good word with Anaheim.
Does the Grim Guard or CTF have a tattoo compatible emblem for Bianca to mark the occasion? Or will Carya have to pull one from scratch since this was their operation?

>writing

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>>1416593
“We're heading out to Luna pretty soon,” you explain to her as she frowns.

“Well, sorry to see you guys go so soon,” she shrugs. “But hey, places to be, stuff to do. I get it.”

“You ever thought of going into the private sector?” you ask, and Bianca cocks her head at you.

“What, like piracy?”

Hand meets forehead at lightning speed. “I mean working the flight line with Anaheim. I can put in a good word.”

“And work on Luna?” Bianca chuckles, pulling her flight suit up as if to announce her intention to head back to Sweetwater. “No thanks. Too stuffy for my tastes, and I'm not talking about the oxygen filtration systems.”

“I know someone who heads a development branch in the outer Colonies,” you add. Bianca's hand stops moving, hesitant to finish the process of dressing as she considers the new detail. “It'd get you back on solid ground, and I'll let you in on a little inside intel... you're about to be out of business on Sweetwater anyway.”

“So who's taking over?” she asks with a frown.

“Nobody. I've convinced the Queen of Mars and a certain influential figure on Luna to advance a plan to negotiate a settlement. Put Sweetwater's citizens on a different path... maybe even offer to resettle them if necessary. Give them a home that's not been cobbled together with postwar refuse.”

“Regardless of how it plays out I'm out a job here,” Bianca muses, before finally zipping herself up. “I'll set my GM adrift, we can scrap it however you'd like.”

“I'll head with you as far as Luna, then... I guess I'll figure it out from there?” she shrugs. “But hey, thanks for doing this for me.”

>Maybe we should return the machine to Sweetwater.
>Space the machine, give Sericea something to shoot at.
>Send it toward Earth. Burn it up without leaving debris.
>Other?

>>1416663
>Send it toward Earth. Burn it up without leaving debris.
Kessler syndrome is bad.

>>1416663
>>Send it toward Earth. Burn it up without leaving debris.

>>1416663
>>Send it toward Earth. Burn it up without leaving debris.

>>1416663
>>Send it toward Earth. Burn it up without leaving debris.
Well, only other alternative I can think of is to gut the components and turn it into a museum piece, but I doubt it has sufficient relevance to warrant it.

>writing

>>1416711
waiting warmly

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>>1416663
“I have a better idea,” you shrug. “We have to loop around Earth anyway to get to Luna in good time, so let's just let gravity and friction do the heavy work. Means less debris floating around to hit stuff too.”

“You know there was a time when I'd have killed a Zeek for dropping stuff on Earth from orbit,” she replies calmly, “but yeah, I like that. Sufficiently lazy.”

“Well then,” you nod curtly. “The guest quarters are on the mizzen deck, forward.”

“Got it,” Bianca salutes. “Any one in particular?”

“Take your pick,” you reply, “but one's occupied, so if someone's already in the one you pick try a different one.”

Once you're settled Rossweisse gives the order to cast off and initiates a hard burn immediately after clearing the vicinity of Sweetwater. It takes six hours to approach Earth and rotate just right, then the Sericea's catapult sends Bianca's GM careening down into the atmosphere. The arms and legs come off one at a time, each lost limb sending the machine spinning a different direction as the broken parts immolate.

You watch it for some time in silence from Sericea's cockpit.

“Oddly pretty,” Rossweisse comments.

“It'd look fantastic from below,” you agree. “Come on. Set the autopilot and let's check out for a while.”

With a few sleep aid tablets to compensate for the fact that you're going to have to cut a few hours of sleep to get on Lunar schedule, the two of you turn in.
>1/2

>>1416793
I hope Rosse still has that bear.

>>1416793
“Morning” comes too quickly, the very term somewhat arbitrary by the very nature of interplanetary travel. Your approach into Von Braun's spacedocks is thankfully uneventful, and you're not harassed on the way in by the Defense Forces. One Gaplant takes a bit of a close look at you, but maintains a respectful distance this time and its pilot eventually decides he has better things to do.

“You both look like hell,” Artesia greets you cheerfully.

“Rossweisse had to stay up for the course corrections around LEO,” you mutter blearily, “and I just stayed up with her.”

“The solidarity was appreciated,” Rossweisse yawns, “but you really didn't have to.”

“I really did,” you insist. “Partners, remember?”

“Partners,” Rossweisse nods sleepily, raising her arms above her head in a wide stretch. “Actually, I'm going back aboard. I need to get some paperwork done.”

>Oh no you're not. Artesia's about to treat us to breakfast.
>Actually, we should probably speak aboard Sericea anyway.
>That's fine. Artesia, we need to not be overheard.
>Other?

>>1416816
>>Actually, we should probably speak aboard Sericea anyway.

>>1416816
>>Actually, we should probably speak aboard Sericea anyway.

>>1416816
>Oh no you're not. Artesia's about to treat us to breakfast.

>>1416816
>>Actually, we should probably speak aboard Sericea anyway.

The only way I'd vote for Artesia treating us to breakfast is if it were Space Waffle House or Denny's.

>>1416816
“Actually, that's not a bad idea,” you nod quietly. “We can talk in private over some coffee and biscuits.”

“I do feel a little peckish,” Artesia admits. “Alright then, lead the way.”

Inside, you lead Artesia towards the guest quarters. These cabins have breakfast tables, so you can scrape together a few chairs so that all three if you will be able to sit around it. Rossweisse shows up a few minutes later with a pot of coffee and some cups, and sits at the table with you.

“Chef's bringing breakfast,” she announces. “Good thing we can take on provisions here, we weren't planning to be deployed this long.”

“Are we running low on anything?”

Rossweisse nods. “A bit low on salt, still good on rations and clean water. More preventative than pressing.”

“I see,” you sigh, sipping at your coffee. “So, Artesia, what we didn't tell you about our mission is that while the Char we were going after was a clone, the man who killed him wasn't.”

“Are you saying you met my brother?” Artesia asks, nearly spilling her own drink in her lap. “I mean I knew he had to still be alive somewhere, but he was on Sweetwater? Where is he now?”

“He was abusing his newtype ability to convince people that he couldn't possibly be Char, because Char was supposedly missing,” you explain. “So the fact that there was a pretender made it harder for him to do that, and he ended up having to deal with it personally.”

“So where is he now?”

You shake your head quietly. “Who knows. But this is how he wanted it.”

“I understand,” Artesia nods, breathing a sigh of relief. “So long as he's alive, and he's not involved in that sort of thing, I guess that's all I can ask for.”

If it weren't for your newtype senses you wouldn't be able to tell she's blinking back tears, she hides it so well. But you don't say anything about it.

>We'll need to speak with Anaheim about our needs.
>Do we have to drum up any support with the Luna government?
>I have a few priorities with the Viola to deal with.
>Other?

>>1416909
>>We'll need to speak with Anaheim about our needs.

>>1416909
>>We'll need to speak with Anaheim about our needs.

>>1416909
>>Do we have to drum up any support with the Luna government?
For the Sweetwater residents, I suppose?

>If it weren't for your newtype senses you wouldn't be able to tell she's blinking back tears, she hides it so well.
Well, I hope that by shedding some light regarding Char's fate, it somewhat alleviated Artesia of any uncertainties.

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“We're going to have to contact Anaheim regarding our exact needs,” you sigh, “ALICE's specifications are pretty exacting, and we also met a pilot on Sweetwater who'd be a good fit for Nina Purpleton's division out in the colonies.”

“Promising people jobs again?” Artesia teases you. “You just can't help yourself, can you?”

“What can I say?” you shrug. “I think skill should be rewarded, and she was perfectly willing to help us every step of the way... more than I could say about anyone else on Sweetwater.”

“How skilled are we talking about?” she asks.

“She's a One Year War veteran, I can basically confirm she's seen a lot of combat,” you reply, not going into any depth on how you know that. “She's intimately familiar with mobile suits and how they work.”

“Sounds like a good fit,” Artesia nods in agreement. “But if the Char you were chasing after was a clone, who was it that cloned him?”

“We think whoever hired him got there first,” you admit, “so that was basically a dead end. Hopefully when we can confirm Jupiter's involvement, we'll be able to tease out their motives.”

“Chaos may just suit them,” Rossweisse suggests. “Petty revenge even.”

“A nuclear coup on Mars, destabilizing Sweetwater, feeding the Cuithe pirates funding, supplies, and technology,” Artesia thinks aloud, coming to a conclusion she doesn't seem to like. “It's possible. But then that raises the question...”

“What are they going to do on Luna?” you complete her sentence. “I don't know. But give us a few days and I'm sure we'll stumble across it by accident at this rate...”

And on that note, we're going to have to stop here. I'm feeling like I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, so hopefully next week will be even better.

Thanks for stopping by, archive is right where it always is, and hope you enjoyed. Feel free to shoot me any questions you might have while I'm asleep, and I'll get back to you later this morning.

>>1417019
>What are they going to do on Luna?
If you take into consideration the Newtype kidnapping ring, psychoframe tech might be a plausible target.

>>1417029
Well done, mate.
Glad to see you running again, missed this.

>>1417019
>>1417031
Oh yeah, and an attempt to smuggle MS parts in Luna too, I think? IIRC, at least that was averted or it was a false alarm.

Anyway, nice to see this back. Hope the breather got you some fresh directions to take this.

>>1417029
Here's a few idle thoughts, btw.
>Were Quess and Bianca able to encounter one another onboard? What's their take on one another?
>Was Quess able to take the Rubric test, and if so, where does she place at in the Newtype scale? If not, will we see how it's conducted at some point?
>Would the other colonies/Sides also be able to pitch in on the situation with Sweetwater's residents?

And some not-so-serious questions:
>If it's ever brought up offscreen, what is Carya and Bianca's impression of one another for playing a musical instrument as a hobby, albeit with different genres? Just recalling CC previously playing the piano (I think) while at a bar. And canon has Bianca being really enthusiastic with jazz.
>In a hypothetical scenario where Cima, Rosse, and ALICE judge a musical face-off between Carya and Bianca, what would the score cards be?

>>1417195
>Quess and Bianca
They encountered each other briefly around mealtime, while Rossweisse and Carya were still trying to force themselves to sleep. Bianca was surprised to find someone so young aboard Sericea, but realized she wasn't in uniform. Working backwards she also reasoned that Rossweisse must've been in her teens when she "joined" the military, so it becomes more a question of what can be considered "normal" for a newtype. Quess wasn't sure at first why Bianca was there, since she obviously wasn't a newtype or a member of the crew, but after talking with her for a little bit figured out what Carya was up to.
>Quess taking the Rubric
OMAKE!!!!
>Other Colonies
The Republic of Zeon will have a hand in the process, but most of the sides are too politically decentralized to render coherent aid much beyond their respective Lagrange points.
>Music questions
Maybe an omake in the future, but the Rubric is a higher priority.

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Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>1420260
>OMAKE!!!!
Nice. I didn't realize the idea is ripe for omake material. Just assumed it might happen once she's safely dropped off.

Now it got me wondering if it'll involve a trippy Newtype dream sequence. Almost a standard fare, perhaps.

>>1420306
I wanted to flesh out the concept a bit more anyway.

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>>1420321
Quess Takes the Test
“So, what is the point of this exactly?” Quess asks, staring at what to her doesn't look like anything in particular. Just a device of some kind, like a joystick with several buttons on its top and sides with a trigger in the front.

Carya places the device in front of the girl with a grin. “This is part of a standard examination. Just watch the screen at the station in front of you for instructions and follow them as quickly as possible.”

“Okay...” she frowns as Carya switches on a screen.

Quess pulls the trigger, then presses the button on the top. Each time the screen gives her an instruction she follows it swiftly, and the pace only increases. Faster, and faster, eventually maintaining a constant speed for about three minutes until the series is complete.

“ALICE, how'd she do?” Carya asks.

“Well,” the AI responds. “Particularly for an untrained newtype. Her response to visual cues places her in the eighty-fifth percentile.”

“And what percentile are you in, Captain?”

Carya raises an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I have nothing to compare my score to,” Quess explains carefully, watching closely to take a measure of Carya's response.

“Ninety-fifth percentile,” Carya replies stoically. “Testing parameters don't include a higher level of resolution above that point.”

Quess frowns, clearly questioning the reasoning. “Why not?”

“Because it's not supposed to be a competition... and the differences between those of us in the ninety-fifth percentile are trivial compared to the difference between us and even the lower nineties.”

“So is that all there is to the test?” she asks. “I don't understand.”

“The test is calibrated to determine precisely how long before you get the cue you respond,” Carya replies, taking away the joystick. “It adjusts its speed and randomizes the prompt order following a pseudo-RNG algorithm, so unless you know the seed and the algorithm it's impossible to anticipate without being a newtype.”

“And so that determines my potential?” Quess asks. "Just like that?"
>1/2

>>1421469
“No,” Carya shakes her head sternly, “and if that's what you think this is about get the thought out of your head. All it does is tell me how you're doing at this moment, not what your limits are. No test can do that.”

“And so what can I do right now?” she asks. “You said this is part of the examination?”

Carya nods. “The other half is a brain scan to record brainwave intensity... which honestly I think we can skip for now. That and your response times are averaged and weighted to come up with a single figure: your score, Alpha to Delta.”

“What's the difference?”

“Alphas have unusually developed control and unusually high brainwave output,” Carya explains. “I'm considered an Alpha, and there are only ten of us right now.”

“Only ten?” Quess practically gasps, taken aback by such a low figure. Considering how many billions of humans are alive, the fact that two 'Alphas' are aboard the Sericea at this very moment is nothing less than incredible. “How strong are all of you?”

“Able to move a properly outfitted capital ship across the local cluster on our own. If two of us cooperate we can move an entire space colony.”

Carya can't help but laugh when she sees the look on Quess' face. “It's actually not that hard you know. The psychoframe vastly amplifies our natural abilities.”

“Then... what can Betas do?”

“Betas are a little more common. They tend to have either very good control or high brainwave output. Sometimes they can move big ships on their own... there are only about three dozen newtypes on that level.”

“Gammas are far more common, and make up the backbone of the interstellar transit business. They usually have to work together to get anything done much beyond moving a single freighter, and Deltas are about as basic as you can get and still call yourself a newtype.”

“And where do I fall on that list?” Quess asks, still a little stunned at the thought of Carya moving an entire warship on her own.

“I'd say solidly Gamma,” Carya shrugs. “If you work hard you could probably be classified as a Beta by the time you're old enough to fly solo.”
>2/3

>>1421541
“So that's what a newtype is...” Quess mutters. “It's insane to think there are people out there who can actually do that sort of thing.”

“It's a combination of the right evolutionary developments with technology designed to take advantage of it,” Carya admits with a smile. “Either one of those is absent, none of this is possible. Even our interstellar communications run through psychoframes as a relay system. If you've ever been watching a channel from the outer colonies and it cut off abruptly, it was probably because too many of us were asleep at the same time.”

“So what happens if newtypes suddenly... well, aren't a thing anymore?”

Carya raises her eyebrow. “Like if there was a war and too many of us were killed in it?”

“I guess... kind of a morbid scenario.”

“But not an unrealistic one,” Carya sighs, rubbing the back of her neck idly. “We've been dragged into nonsense ever since people were just starting to figure out we existed, because precognition is pretty useful in a fight even if it's limited. That's part of the reason I pushed so hard to keep the CTF politically independent right from the beginning. But if we disappeared, poof. The human interstellar empire fractures, and suddenly it's just a couple of planets with the same species living on them.”

“Without newtypes and the technology developed around them, each system we've settled goes back to the way Earth was just ten years ago.”

“This means a lot to you, doesn't it?” Quess asks, suddenly showing a keen insight into what her 'mentor' of sorts is thinking at the moment. For her part, Carya smiles and nods.

“Yeah. I've seen us come a long way, so I'll be damned if we slide back to the old Zeon days on my watch.”

"Now time to turn in, Quess. Sericea's going to be on high alert for the next few days, so get some rest while you can."

Makes me wonder how many SoZ omake I've missed.

>>1421581
>Either one of those is absent, none of this is possible. Even our interstellar communications run through psychoframes as a relay system
>But if we disappeared, poof. The human interstellar empire fractures, and suddenly it's just a couple of planets with the same species living on them

Sometimes, even for omake material, I feel like foreshadowing is being sprinkled here and there through these lines.

>>1421628
This might be the first instance AFAIK.