[Hathaway's Flash] Vol.03 Ch.05

CHAPTER.05
TOUCH AND GO

　Emerging from a cavern facing Anxious Bay, six Galcezons machines ascend in a syncopated ballet, each trio carrying a pair of Messers, while two are individually loaded with weapons and ammunition for the second wave of assault.
　At the vanguard of this mechanized phalanx, the Xi Gundam commanded a presence.
　Adelaide is four hundred kilometers due east. A slightly circuitous route, it would take them a solid thirty minutes.
　The inability of the Galcezons to reach supersonic speeds due to carrying mobile suits was their fatal flaw, a weakness expected to be offset by the dispersal of Minovsky particles by the Oenbelli ground crew along the projected flight path.
　This morning, cryptic codes echoed over civilian telephone lines, cloaked conversations of Mafty's agents orchestrating the operation as unobtrusively as a call from a freeway telephone booth.
　As Hathaway Noa approached the 4 Galcezon on his far left, the Gundam's manipulator made contact with its shoulder, establishing a direct line of communication with Gawman Nobile.
　"Sorry for the trouble. I owe you one for the fresh Messer and a competent pilot."
　"The supply from Ceelack was seamless. We owe our thanks to those in the rear lines,"
　"You've really driven the newbies hard, haven't you? The Galcezon formation is impressive."
　Hathaway's praise hid a concern. Among the Galcezon convoy on his right was a rookie pilot. Aboard the same Galcezon were Fencer Mayne's Messer and another untested pilot about to enter the fray. Each detail was a potential stress point.
　Yet, what was gnawing at Hathaway had Gawman curious. The visual feed from his cockpit projected the Gundam as a formidable figure, its pilot, however, seemed to be battling an internal war.
　"You're not still hung up on Gigi, are you?"
　"No way... that chapter's closed," Hathaway denied with an unexpected vigor.
　"Planning to shun her?"
　"Can't overlook her possible link to Kenneth. She's suspect."
　"But wouldn't it be wise to apply some pressure before giving her the cold shoulder? Unless... you've fallen for her..."
　Gawman's laughter, teasing and annoying in equal measure, was met with a stern "Gawman!"
　"What's the fuss? Most of the crew already believe you're playing the distrusting part to cover your infatuation. That's even more amusing."
　"Generous interpretation."
　"No. You should cut her off once this operation concludes."
　Hathaway fell into a contemplative silence, and it felt like the Gundam above swayed with his emotions.
　"Move on! Concentrate on what you need to do with Gigi! The rest will fall into place."
　"Copy that! Your team is heading inland, right, Gawman?"
　"Affirmative."
　With the communication line severed, and as the Gundam withdrew, light flooded into Gawman's cockpit.
　"What's up?"
　Kaussaria Geese of the Galcezon below asked.
　"I'm surprised. Hathaway spent the night with Gigi and didn't make a move!"
　"Hehehehe! He probably didn't want to waste his energy. That's so Hathaway."
　"That's an interesting comment coming from a woman."
　"Sorry."
　Observing the Gundam escorting the three Galcezons in a straight line across the sea, Gawman left them with,
　"Leave the ground support to me."
　Gawman, the seasoned veteran, stood ready to lend a hand to the fledglings, remembering the help Hathaway had once extended to him. This reciprocal spirit was his modus operandi. Feeling the bonds of camaraderie tighten, Hathaway took the lead in the formation of their maritime trajectory.
　Despite the operations consuming their last two days, a quick back-and-forth with Gawman now gave Hathaway a moment of comfort. "If I've got a girl like Gigi at my side and I don't make a move, am I the laughing stock?" It was a simplistic line of thought but resonated as raw truth.
　"Should I... become intimate with Gigi?"
　Hathaway tested Gawman's casual adult phraseology. It lacked any semblance of obscenity, making it feel all the more authentic.
　"Kenneth... I'll make sure to win Gigi over, you hear me?"
　This phrase became Hathaway's mantra on his approach to Adelaide, whispered into the airspace scattered with Minovsky particles.
　Until now, the enemy at Ayers Rock was a known quantity. Charging into battle had been straightforward. But from the day before yesterday, when the outline of Adelaide's defenses became clear, it seemed Kenneth was also wrestling with a formidable defensive line.
　The presence of a barrier stirred an undercurrent of apprehension. Even if a beam barrier system was at play, it shouldn't be gargantuan. Its operational status would elude an amateur's scrutiny unless under testing.
　Yet, Hathaway's unease wasn't rooted in such physicalities.
　"I tried to be too righteous..."
　He pushed the Gundam's throttle to full as the critical moment approached.
　The video aired during the radio hijacking was filmed right after they arrived at Stonewall. Looking back, the operation might have been spurred by his inflated self-assurance. Gigi hadn't needed to point out that Mafty's actions were tantamount to terrorism. There was a yearning... to rationalize it somehow, to don a façade of righteousness.
　Even if it wasn't raised as a query by Quack Salver, the worry was about whether it was a self-centered action that forgot its place.
　However, the frontline staff was all on board with this advance notice. Everyone loathed assassinations, and if the tactics smelled of terrorism, even under a lofty cause, the warriors' instinct was to toe the line of justice as closely as possible. Hence, Hathaway had stood before the camera.
　Gigi's reaction to this news was a cold smile. "Good, right? Will you do it?" she had asked.
　Her nonchalance had rankled Hathaway, who sought some form of definitive assurance. She had no other option but to watch, as she wasn't part of Mafty.
　His encounter had marked the commencement of the rift between them, culminating in the tense exchange that morning.
　When Chang Hei, who had interrogated Gigi, said that it was risky to alienate her, Hathaway, considering the overall situation of Mafty, left it to Raymond as a problem to be put on hold.
　However, Gawman's words now injected a renewed vigor in Hathaway.
　"It was good to have Gigi around..." He echoed the sentiment, a spark of happiness flickering within him. The seascape blurred past at a dizzying speed, the formation of Galcezons dwindling in the distance.
　"Everyone's a friend, aren't they?" Checking the flight's progress against the chart, Hathaway pushed the Gundam to greater speeds.
　"Fabio! Be at the designated point on time!"
　Whether Fabio Rivera had readied the second wave of unique Gundam missile ammunition in the mountains east of Adelaide was yet to be verified. But Fabio was a man of his word, so Hathaway dismissed his worry.
　If the Circe Unit intercepted the phone, they would be able to estimate Mafty's forces deployed around Adelaide by comprehensively examining Mafty's communication and the distribution of Minovsky particles.
　To mitigate such concerns, they staged distractions, anything to keep the Circe Unit on its toes.
　They had done all they could do.
　The Xi Gundam broke the sound barrier.

　The regular cabinet meeting of the Central Assembly convened with all ministers in attendance. Yet, a tense air prevailed among the ground security forces under the direct command of the Circe Unit. Ten minutes later, the start of the meeting signaled their most taxing hour.
　If there was a problem with air defense, it was that the barrier Kenneth Sleg had been fretting over was still not fully functional.
　"An all-nighter!? Of course! Despite promises of overtime pay, they still can't even run a test!... By noon!? That's ridiculous! What if Mafty arrives by then? The explosion yesterday was a decoy!"
　Commander Mainzer had not been not slacking off, yet his anger spilling over onto his desk in the form of a riding whip had little effect on the reality of the situation.
　The news that Mafty's mobile suits seemed to have self-destructed caused a wave of demoralization to sweep through the force.
As Kenneth contemplated ending the phone call, the air defense forces reported a widespread scatter of Minovsky particles, and this was input into the display.
　"Invading from all sides?"
　The officers dispatched from the General Staff Headquarters blanched at the suggestion.
　Casting a wide Minovsky particle net around Adelaide to obscure the direction of the invasion was a fundamental tactic. The officers promptly ordered the launch of the Kessaria, armed with mobile suits. The pilots scrambled to their machines.
　"They're here!"
　The shout from the air defense force's monitor made Kenneth realize his miscalculation.
　"It's a new model...!"
　The assumption that it would take about ten minutes post the Minovsky particle scatter for mobile suits to breach the airspace had been grossly miscalculated.
　The Gundam, flying at a speed close to Mach 2, appeared over the York Peninsula, just 80 kilometers west of Adelaide Airport. It defied the common notion that a mobile suit in standard form could not exceed the speed of sound in the atmosphere, even with Minovsky Craft. Anti-aircraft missiles were launched in haste, but the homing feature malfunctioned and failed to create an adequate barrage.
　"Raise the barrier!" Kenneth ordered, his eyes fixated on the approaching threat from the sea.
　"......!?"
　The Gundam, seemingly unbothered by atmospheric interference, soared into the range of Adelaide Airport. It decelerated abruptly, pounded all of its onboard missiles at the airport, re-accelerated, and zipped past.
　"Gaah!"
　The explosion's shockwave, a sonic boom, tore through the air.
　"Ah...! Get down!"
　Kenneth saw a flash of missile fire and the shadow of the object that had caused it.
　Thud! Bagoom! Whadoom!
　The resulting shockwave and tremor forced everyone to the floor.
　"Ahh!"
　Secretary Francine Baxter's scream trailed off.
　Fwoom! Crack!
　With the blast pressure from the area where the Base Jabbers were standing by, the windows of the building shattered one after another, and the fragments flew over Kenneth and scattered in the back of the room.
　Chooom!
　The large display gave off an eerie glow, then the transparent plastic plate cracked and disappeared.
　The warehouse group that had been hit directly was the machine maintenance area, and the warehouse group storing support supplies for mobile suits sparked an instant conflagration. Secondary explosions followed as the ammunition missiles stored there detonated.
　"Commodore!"
　"Secure the communication lines! Prepare to move to the shelter!"
　Chiding the frightened voices of the officers, Kenneth pulled himself upright, watching the destructive spectacle through the broken window.
　Amid the explosions, Gustav Karls began to move, some taking direct hits and toppling over.
　Next to that, a Kessaria was popping off missiles.
　"Evacuate! There might be a nuclear fusion reactor explosion!"
　Kenneth yanked his secretary with her butt sticking out from under the desk, almost not believing that the main engine of the mobile suit hadn't been directly hit.
　"Did Hathaway go easy on us?" He couldn't help but wonder.
　A secondary explosion erupted near the armory, the vibrations causing the building of Kenneth's integrated security headquarters to shudder. Thankfully, the warheads of the missiles were not large.
　Seeing his secretary to safety with the young officers, he tried to pick up several of the desk phones, but all were dead.
　"Damn...!"
　Kenneth was about to leave the room after slamming the receiver down, but he saw several Gustav Karls taking off from the ground to avoid the secondary explosions beyond the broken glass.
　"What about the Penelope?"
　The stench of oil and gunpowder began to permeate the room. Kenneth darted through the chaotic hallway, his mind filled with the image of the unlucky Penelope and Lane. No matter the success achieved here, the initial stroke of bad luck wouldn't easily fade.