Save the Day Program, once again. (Gundam IBO/Satisfactory SI): Chapter 38

En route to Earth, Ariadne Network, P.D. 323.

“Damnit! Aki! You really push a girl to the limit!”

Lafter Frankland breathed heavily as her aggressor grinned at her words.

“I haven’t even started properly yet!”

The girl’s eyes widened at those words as the man started moving again, making the girl panic a little as she sweated heavily under the strain.

“Wow! I don’t think a single girl like me can keep up with your stamina. I’ll have to drag Azee into this the next time!”

At her words, Akihiro stopped pushing the girl and gave her a pensive look.

“….Do you think she will mind joining us like this?”

The girl took deep breaths in exhaustion as sweat glistened across her body, just like her companion, as she gave a tired grin.

“You kidding? She will love to be a part of this.”

“Then, I don’t mind. Now, enough distraction, time for another round!”

“What!? Wait! I am not ready yet-AAHHHHH!”

The deep emotions of the two people and their intimate dance was suddenly interrupted when an annoyed voice rang through the speakers.

“I do not know if you two are doing it on purpose, but I would recommend that you pay attention to your words. People are having quite the strange delusions up here based on your words.”

Akihiro Altland gave a confused look at his mother figure through the monitors of his Gundam while Lafter realized what the older woman meant and blushed in embarrassment from within her STH-05R Rouei.

On the other side, within the observation deck of the Hangar, things were not that different as Atra, Kudelia, Azee Gurumin, and even a few older ladies blushed hard as they sneaked a few glances at their male companions.

Said companions, consisting of Mikazuki, Nadi, and other men and women, were either clueless or unbothered by the double meaning behind the words of the pilots.

David, Naze, and Amida simply smirked at the children and people around them while Ada gave an annoyed glare.

“You children have quite the perverse mind at such a young age, I don’t know if it says anything about our parenting, or lack thereof.”

At David’s words, the teenagers blushed even harder while the adults either glared at him or flipped him the bird, much to the older man’s amusement.

David turned to look at Naze and his lover, Amida.

“Aren’t you the least bit uncomfortable? Listening to Lafter’s words? I mean, she is one of your ‘harem’, right?”

Naze gave his boss a lazy grin in response.

“I don’t restrict my girls from loving other men. As long as they are happy, I don’t mind if they stay with me or move on to someone else.”

“…Boring. I was expecting more of a reaction from you.”

“…Is that why you played their words on loudspeakers? To get a reaction out of me?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

This time, Naze did glare lightly while David grinned, causing Amida to look at Ada tiredly while the AI held a similar expression.

With a collective sigh, they shook their head while Ada muttered to herself while keeping an eye on the vitals of the pilots.

“Children, I am surrounded by children. Even my administrator’s IQ is degrading every day. I must take drastic actions to bring him back on the right path.”

‘I heard that.’

‘You were supposed to hear that.’

‘Not cool, ADA. Not cool.’

‘I do not care. I only care that you stop with this childish act of yours.’

‘Spoilsport.’

‘Again, I do not care.’

David gave his closest friend an annoyed glare while the AI refused to meet his eyes while carrying on their private conversation made possible through his implants.

‘Fine. How are things looking?’

‘They are both quite capable pilots. Although Mr. Altland holds a significant advantage thanks to his Alya-Vijnana system and his Gundam. Even in the absence of these two advantages, I predict that he would still have fought Ms. Frankland to a standstill.’

‘That’s good. So, I take it you have managed to get the last bits of live data you needed for my Mobile Suit?’

‘…I did. But I am still unsure about your decision. According to normal combat doctrine, a general should not appear on the battlefield in person lest he or she put the entire command structure in jeopardy. Your decision to participate using a Mobile Suit is nothing short of suicide-“

‘Relax, Ada. My suit is something that I am preparing as a last resort measure, in case all of our backup plans fail and I am forced to engage the enemy personally. It is the reason why I made the design so ridiculously overpowered and crammed every single weapon and defensive technology we have developed so far into it.’

‘And even if I decided to sortie, just for the sake of it, I would still stay at the back and take care of any strays while looking over the battles.’

‘In that case, why bother with all this work? Why not use a Zaku-Frame?’

‘Because Gundams are cool. And I want to cosplay as the Red Comet at least once in my life.’

‘…You are hopeless.’

‘Maybe. But once a Gundam fan, always a Gundam fan.’

Ada directly cut off the communication and turned back to observing the pilots lest she be infected with her administrators stupidity while David simply smirked while relishing in his rare victory over his friend.

However, his smirk soon disappeared as he adopted a serious look and signaled Naze and Amida to follow him and Ada.

Regardless of his amusement and antics, David was not someone who overlooked the situation because he was having fun.

And now that he had his fun, it was time to get back to business.

Soon, the four adults walked into a private room where they sat down on the couches.

“So, how are things going on your end?”

“…Pretty good, all things considered. The Falk family no longer has an heir, and their Gundam is in your hands as planned.”

David nodded and watched as Ada set up the screens to display the data that would be the central piece of today’s discussion.

“With Iok Kujan killed due to his stupidity, that makes two of the seven families that no longer have heirs. How are things going on your next assignment?”

“Swimmingly, we managed to leak the data that we had dirt on you and that we ‘stole’ one of your prototype Zaku-Frame modules. I predict that the Baklazan family would no doubt contact me soon to take the prototypes. Not to mention the temptation of a Gundam frame that I also leaked the information about being in my possession.”

“Hmm, in that case, they will definitely take the bait. Especially since they secretly lost their Gundam-Frame over a few decades ago when it was sold by their previous head to fulfill his debauchery lifestyle.”

David sneered as he remembered what he read about the Baklazan family and its former head from a few decades ago.

That fool had been nothing less than a disaster for the Baklazan family, reducing its prominent wealth and deep roots into something that is barely held together in these times, reducing it to a paper tiger.

Most damningly, the fool had sold his family’s Gundam frame, Gundam Seere, for the sake of money that he could use to enhance his indulgent life style, a grave mistake that cost him his life after a covert coup took place in the family and he was assassinated by one of his sons, who became the new head of the family.

As for the Gundam, it was occasionally seen across the Solar System, attacking civilian ships, stealing cargo, performing assassinations, and other such tasks, making it clear that it had made its way into the hands of either a mercenary or a pirate group.

The last sighting of the unfortunate Gundam was when it was put up for sale on the black market and was then scrapped for parts.

For all intents and purposes, the only thing still left of Gundam Seere now is its Twin Ahab reactors that Ada bought from the Black Market of the Jupiter Sphere at a pathetically low price due to its uselessness to most factions.

All of this meant that the Baklazan family was now desperately looking for any Gundam frame that they could get their hands on so that they could place the spare armor pieces of Gundam Seere on it and hide the fact that they had lost their Gundam frame because of a fool’s greed.

A very convenient attack vector for David and Ada.

“When they meet, make sure to ask the current head to come as well, along with the heir. That man is far too cunning, and his survival instincts are far too strong. We can't have such a man still alive and become a variable when we execute Project: Outsider.”

“…Understood.”

Finally, Ada completed the diagnostics and encryption of the data on the screen and started showing the information for the four people.

“With this, the first few phases of Project: Outsider have been executed perfectly. Even though there were a few variables that we could not account for.”

“You are understating the issue, Administrator. McGillis Fareed and his masquerading as Mr. Montag has become quite the thorn in our plans. His actions across the solar system have contributed to no less than 20% of our plan’s failure rate. He is introducing unstable variables that we can neither control nor will expose our hand if we try to control.”

Naze nodded at Ada’s words.

“True. That man has been moving a lot these days. Even McMurdo is starting to get antsy with how he is manipulating the various factions of the system. While the end goal of his actions seems similar to what you want to do, the method he is using is far more volatile and could easily ignite into another War.”

“I predict that a war is precisely what he has in mind.”

At Ada’s words, the others looked at the screen as various video surveillance footage started playing.

“Secretly supplying prototype beam weapons to rebellious factions, helping unsavory individuals fulfill their desire for violence, stealing our technologies, mass producing them, and distributing them to various factions and companies. Most importantly, his silent support to various violent and extremist political parties across the solar system, including the Economic Blocs of Earth. It is clear that he is silently fanning the flames of war and waiting for something to truly set everything off.”

“If it were not for the fact that all the technology he ‘stole’ from us was all bait and rigged from the very beginning to help us keep track of everything he was doing, I fear things would have escalated into a far worse state.”

David nodded at his companion's words.

“A cleansing through bloodshed. That is what he is going for. Based on his history and the disgusting side of humanity that he had seen since his childhood, it is clear that he wishes to cleanse Gjallarhorn and the rest of the solar system of its filth. However, the way he is going about it is being influenced by his emotions. If he were to succeed, the blood that flows because of his actions would be enough to fill an ocean or two at least.”

“That is a less-than-optimal outcome for our plan. I recommend we begin tightening the leash until we can end his threat once and for all.”

David shook his head at her words.

“No. At least, not right now. For now, while he is still a volatile and uncontrollable variable, his actions are still playing a role in our end goal. So, let him be for now. The moment when he starts becoming a detriment rather than a resource, that is when we remove him from the board.”

“.....Very well. Now, onto the next agenda.”

The four adults continued discussing the details of their plan as their ships slowly traveled towards Earth.

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Lafter Frankland:

Azee Gurumin:

Amida Arca: