[Hathaway's Flash] Vol.03 Ch.01

　Adelaide, tucked away in the southern reaches of the Australian continent, was one of the few cities untouched by global trends, maintaining the aura of a bygone era as if the white man's colonization had not disrupted its quiet existence.
　Its streets, echoing British colonial charm, contrasted sharply with the sleek, smart buildings of the last Christocentric century end, creating an atmosphere of depth. For those weary of the artificial aesthetics of space colonies, it was a most fitting place to return to Earth.
　Above all, the city's architecture, requiring minimal refurbishment, offered a pleasing sight to the eyes of the Earth Federation government's top brass. Hence, their peculiar attachment to this city.
　For those indifferent to the details of the congress held here, unless they intervened in the form of Mafty, their attention might not be drawn to this location, which had become a sealed-off realm for the ministers.
　On that particular day in Adelaide, all the ministers were able to attend the Central Cabinet meeting.
　Despite certain risks, the Federation government had many ministerial candidates lined up, making it easy to fill any vacant posts.
　As midday approached, final preparations for meetings led by heads of various departments took place, and the security of Adelaide, led by the Circe unit, tightened further.
　Captain Kenneth Slegg was flanked by staff officers dispatched from the headquarters, and he had been promoted to the rank of Commodore.
　Such ranks of responsibility were a common device for the Federation government and military.
　"The objective of the Adelaide Conference is for the federal government itself to take command and carry out the Earth Cleansing Operation."
　As General Chief of Staff of the Space Army, General Medinum Guggenheim met Kenneth at the airport and immediately issued orders, leading him to the conference at the Festival Center.
　Without even having time to catch his breath, Kenneth learned of the complete annihilation of the unit that had accompanied Gigi.
　"Mafty, eh?"
　Gigi's prediction was correct, and the result had tipped in favor of Mafty.
　"Gigi Andalusia has been abducted by Mafty," reported Commander Stagg Mainzer, who had only impressions of Gigi from their time in Davao and was bitter about those left behind at Ayers Rock reporting about Gigi.
　"I see. So the goddess of victory has sided with them..."
　"The goddess?" Mainzer questioned Kenneth's peculiar phrasing.
　"Yes. I just hope this doesn't dampen our pilots' spirits."
　"Do you think that's possible?"
　Listening to Mainzer's vague response, Kenneth realized how childishly romantic his wish to mythologize Gigi's existence had been. It was a sobering thought.
　Yet, he didn't want to be evaluated so easily by others.
　"I wanted to observe human fortunes a bit longer, Gigi..." he mused as he entered the integrated defense headquarters set up within the airport building. Unfortunately, Kenneth's longing for Gigi was far from over.
　Furthermore, the mobile suit that had abducted Gigi was rumored to be a Gundam copy.
　"I'd rather not believe Gigi had any connections with Mafty... but her sudden desire to visit Ayers Rock..."
　With that thought, Kenneth could interpret that Gigi approached him to probe the Circe unit's movements, much like Hathaway.
　"Did she simply come to see me out of sheer delight...?"
　If that was indeed the truth, allowing Gigi to get close would be a stain on Kenneth's record. It gnawed at him.
　"But that's impossible..." he dismissed the thought, yet with a lingering sense of uncertainty.
　From his office, he surveyed the lineup of Base Jabbers, the Kessaria BJ-K232s, and the mobile suits, the Gustav Karl FD-03s, all arranged in formation on the apron.
　The planned number seemed to be in place, at least.
　However, Kenneth had no time to indulge in personal sentiment.
　"Um... Commodore?"
　"Yes?"
　Francine Baxter, his secretary past her prime, already knew about Kenneth's promotion, so she was not puzzled by the insignia on his uniform.
　"I will replace your epaulets later, so please review this... It's the security shift schedule, orders and messages from General Staff Headquarters, and various other matters."
　She spread a mountain of documents on the desk as if proudly showcasing her career, arranging them neatly for Kenneth's convenience.
　"My apologies."
　Kenneth handed his coat to the secretary and skimmed through the top document.
　"So... the 13th Autonomous Fleet is coming."
　Imagining the sight of Captain Bright Noah's fleet floating in the St. Vincent Bay facing Adelaide, Kenneth smirked.
　But his smile was not about receiving reinforcements.
　He had set a goal to annihilate all of Mafty before reinforcements arrived, so he laughed.
　Kenneth had such determination.
　He needed to quickly achieve military success, even considering the possibility of Gigi becoming a stain on his record.
　"What about the barrier setup? How's that progressing?"
　"Commander Mainzer should have reported that directly to you, shouldn't he?"
　"Hmm...! Call him for me."
　While still holding Kenneth's coat, Francine called for the Commander from the next room.
　For a woman of her age, her movements were remarkably spry.
　"Isn't it strange? Can't we see any movement from these Mafty dissidents yet?"
　Even while scanning the documents, Kenneth hadn't forgotten to keep an eye on the reconnaissance unit's computer display.
　Moreover, the large display behind his secretary showed charts of the area around Adelaide, and the movements of the reconnaissance unit were input in real-time.
　The area within a 200-kilometer radius of Adelaide should have been combed through, but to the ten Kessarias, it seemed conspicuously sparse.
　"Is it impossible to deploy aircraft from the European region now?"
　Kenneth questioned the officers dispatched from the staff headquarters, who were huddled under the large display.
　"It's impossible. The dissidents are not only in this area, and more importantly, we should have prepared for this much earlier..."
　"That's ridiculous! I should have made a request in Davao."
　"We didn't hear about that."
　"Even if you don't listen to my orders, you should have arranged it considering your own safety!"
　"Sir..."
　The four officers just wore blank expressions on their faces like dolls.
　"Huh, so you're saying that you haven't even heard that the wannabe Gundam that Mafty has is equipped with a Minovsky Craft system?"
　"What? Really?"
　"Absolutely. Isn't that right, Commander?"
　Upon the arrival of Commander Mainzer and Lieutenant Minecche Kestalgino, Kenneth affirmed.
　"Yes... we reported that to the staff headquarters along with the report of Penelope's defeat."
　While presenting Kenneth with the barrier setup progress chart, the Commander responded to the dispatched officers.
　The four officers began hurriedly making phone calls, clearly, a group accustomed to a comfortable life within their own faction.
　"Unbelievable! Nothing was done by Kimberley, and they were a month late in calling me. And now this, Commander? What's this progress report? The barrier setup should have been completed by this morning, shouldn't it?"
　"We took longer than expected to set up the power lines..."
　Looking every bit the good man, Lieutenant Kestalgino tried his best to smooth things over.
　"That's why I dispatched you here first, Commander! Let's test it before nightfall."
　"Yes, sir!"
　Whether it was the Commander or the officers in the background as Francine started stitching, they were of the same ilk. They couldn't get anything done.

　Lane Aim and his officers, who served under the Penelope, found humor in the report of Gigi's failed rendezvous in Adelaide. They had always bristled at Gigi's and Kenneth's boisterous behavior, so they took a perverse pleasure in this outcome.
　"Even if we were to take over the defense of Adelaide's on our own, it wouldn't just be Kenneth getting all the credit in front of the bigwigs at the central command!"
　They had found their own path to promotion, independent of Kenneth, within this operation.
　This perception quickly spread among the pilots of the Circe unit, and there was no sign of the decline in morale Kenneth had feared.
　However, that afternoon, an incident occurred that left them speechless.
　It was the broadcast of Mafty's declaration of war.
　The only channel that was on air in Adelaide had an audio interference announcing it, and a significant number of people were able to watch the broadcast on a secondary channel.
　The matter of Mafty's radio interference was conveyed to the chairman of the preliminary meeting. High-ranking bureaucrats witnessed it on the large display in the conference room.
　Of course, most of the ministers also watched it in their individual lodgings and conference rooms.
　"I am Mafty Navue Erin. Until today, the organization centered around me has been purging the ministers of the Federation government who have come to Earth. Each time, I have explained why we had to resort to actions akin to an assassination squad. The considerable public support we have received for this should be known to the members of the Federation government. Despite this, the Federation government, showing no signs of remorse, is even plotting to enact a law in Adelaide to further contaminate the Earth."
　The young man speaking amidst the backlighting of the television camera would be unrecognizable as Hathaway to those unfamiliar with him.
　However, Kenneth, who had been watching the broadcast at the integrated defense headquarters of the Adelaide airport, recognized him as Hathaway Noa.
　"Trace the location of that radio transmission!"
　Before Kenneth's order was even issued, a Kessaria and several mobile suits had taken off.
　"Listen up! Even if you triangulate the source of the radio transmission, don't just blindly bomb it. Secure it as evidence. If there's an explosive device set up, defuse it!"
　Kenneth did not forget to issue these orders to the unit heading to trace the source of the transmission.
　"The formal cabinet meeting will begin tomorrow, and it will be agreed upon that any support will be provided to eliminate Mafty. However, this is only a matter of the Federation government's attention being directed at us, and I will not condemn it. Terrorism is never acceptable, regardless of the circumstances."
　Kenneth felt that Hathaway, who spoke so calmly, had prepared himself for death.
　But,
　"Hey! Is what Mafty just said true?"
　"Huh?"
　Commander Mainzer, who had been watching the TV behind Kenneth, widened his eyes.
　"Depends on how the meeting proceeds! Verify whether what Mafty said is true or not!"
　"Y-Yes, sir!"
　The commander hurriedly picked up the receiver.
　"We fight under the name of Mafty and alongside the Ξ Gundam against the Federation government to correct those who have drowned in corruption within the organization. We know this may not be an ideal battle, but according to the space immigration law, the Earth will never truly be purified unless everyone leaves for space. Currently, humanity can live equally in space. In Oenbelli, there were those who tried to illegally reside on Earth and organized an army, but is their forceful removal not the same as the methods of the old-century people who caused the extinction of countless species? The problem is that new discrimination arises, and only those who follow the Federation government are considered just, according to a one-sided intelligence."
　"Commodore,  it seems the agenda of the discussion Mafty spoke of was only finalized last night."
　"So, there must be someone selling information to Mafty at the top of some agency."
　Kenneth growled at the television.
　"Shall we investigate?"
　"Yes... Arrange a meeting with Chief Yeoksan."
　"Sir!"
　The commander returned to the phone.
　"How many of you are aware that this Adelaide conference aims to legalize the discriminatory mindset of the Federation government? Among the topics on the second day of the Adelaide conference, there's an agenda item for the revision of the Federation government's investigation rights regarding Earth preservation zones, which is nothing short of an atrocious law."
　Hathaway's silhouette held up a piece of paper to the light behind him.
　The faint light illuminated the silhouette's face, and Kenneth recognized without a doubt that it was Hathaway.
　"Loosely translating this bureaucratic text from the added Article 23, if requested by a Federation government minister, landowners in the Australian continent will be required to provide their land at will. Of course, even those with proper residence permits can have their land taken away. The compensation is that they can claim an area of land in a space colony of the owner's choice equal to the land taken away."
　"Is that true?"
　Kenneth, taken aback, asked the secretary and officers from the General Staff who were watching the TV by the door.
　"I'm not privy to such detailed content."
　"That does sound like something a bureaucrat would come up with..."
　"Why?"
　"Hasn't there been talk of building a new continent in the Universal Century here for quite some time?"
　One of the lieutenants explained.
　"I didn't know that..."
　As Kenneth turned his face to the TV, the commander's phone in front of him rang.
　"Yes... Commodore, it's from the Kessaria that went out for reconnaissance."
　"And?"
　While watching Hathaway explain other bills to be decided at the Adelaide conference with another sheet of paper, Kenneth took the call from the reconnaissance team.
　"Don't stop the broadcast! Let it continue!"
　"Why!? The two trailers are unmanned. The signal from Mafty's broadcast hijack can be stopped immediately."
　The voice of the excited pilot who had the spoils of war in front of him came through.
　"Listen... We can learn something from this too. Even Mafty has suggestions that might make the Earth Federation a little better. Besides, that tape might reveal Mafty's next target, or a self-destruct mechanism could be activated once the broadcast ends. Be careful!"
　"Y-yes, sir!"
　"Instead of that, investigate where that trailer came in from."
　"Understood...!"
　Kenneth, although he could not hear everything Hathaway had said, still had a sense that he talked about quite a few things and felt somewhat irritated.
　"If these measures pass in Adelaide, it will snuff out any hope of Earth's nature returning. Then, the purpose of humanity overcoming hardships and moving to the space colonies will be lost. Think about it. If a bill for tens of thousands of privileged classes who want to return to Earth is passed, it's simply that the number of people returning to Earth will increase tenfold. Remember once more, humanity, which rapidly increased only in the last century of the old century, inflicted near-fatal wounds to Earth itself. Moreover, currently, not even a century after the start of space colonization, Earth's seas are still contaminated with residual chemicals. Even the rain is still mixed with chemical substances. Not to mention, the lives of plants and small creatures are far from fully recovered... What does that mean? That's right. Humanity must not return to Earth yet. Yet, the Federation government is beginning preparations for humanity to return to Earth, and before that, they are trying to secure their vested interests. That is the true nature of the conference being held in Adelaide."
　Hathaway's eloquence was entirely understood by Kenneth.
　"If what you say is true, then you are right."
　"So, I declare that we will carry out the purge of the ministers here unless the Central Cabinet abandons these bills. It is possible that after hearing this broadcast, those involved will flee Adelaide. However, after this, anyone trying to escape from the area around Adelaide will be indiscriminately targeted for purge. However, we don't intend to involve the general public, so anyone unrelated has two hours to evacuate from Adelaide. After that, any vehicle or person trying to leave Adelaide will be considered our target."
　"An announced attack..."
　The four officers of the General Staff Headquarters all groaned in unison while standing.
　"Really... If we do this, the ministers will run away, and Mafty won't be able to do anything, right?"
　Kenneth glanced over at the staff officers, standing stiff as rods, and chuckled.
　"There's no sign of an attack, and anyway, what's the point of using long-range missiles on an empty Adelaide?"
　"That's true, but..."
　A hiss of static signaled the end of Mafty's broadcast.
　"I don't know. Does Mafty have a plan with this?"
　"Isn't Mafty aiming to delay the Cabinet meeting?"
　"Isn't that naive?"
　The lieutenant of the General Staff retorted to the lieutenant junior grade.
　"Commodore, the chairman of the Central Assembly is on the line."
　While switching the receiver, the secretary informed him.
　"Mmm... This is Commodore Kenneth Sleg."
　The call came directly from the chairman in the preparatory meeting room. He wanted Kenneth to come to the meeting room immediately and explain Adelate's defense system.
　"Depending on your opinion, we may have to consider suspending the conference..."
　"I understand, but I doubt Mafty has the force to purge the cabinet ministers after the broadcast, do they?"
　"What they're trying to do isn't purging. It's assassination!"
　"Ahh... My apologies."
　"Of course, we have no intention of canceling the Central Assembly over this child's trick. It's a matter of the Federal government's prestige. However, there is a need to convince the relevant parties."
　"As the military, we don't have the capacity to prevent the general public from fleeing, do we?"
　"Well, we can't help it, but if we don't show panic, the citizens won't up and vanish, would they?"
　"That's true."
　"Even if it's a preparatory meeting, it's still an official place, so no slip-ups in your answers, got it?"
　"Yes, sir."
　Kenneth, donning his jacket with the new epaulets, headed towards the Festival Center.