"It's a work of genius, Olivier," Rem said. All three of the researchers were so focused on the computer screen that none of them noticed my entrance into the office.
Uncertainly, May Kauwin pointed at the screen and said, "You used the F-type as the basis for the standardized cockpit, right? Why didn't you base it off the C-type?"
"The F-type is the future, Miss Kauwin," Olivier said quietly. Strangely, Olivier spoke to May with more respect than me. I suspected that Olivier respected those who were knowledgeable within his field, and May was a genius when it came to Zaku design. "They wouldn't have based Project J off of the F-type if they didn't think we would transition fully away from the C-type in the future."
"Ahem," I cleared my throat, and the three researchers turned toward me. May saluted me, Rem nodded in recognition, and Olivier glanced at me for a fraction of a second.
"Hey, Boss," Olivier said in the same deadpan tone he always used. "We just finished the first draft of your 'United Maintenance Plan.' It was really easy to make. I don't like sleeping anyway." He gestured over to a thick stack of papers sitting on his desk.
"Gihren will see this," I said, grabbing the UMP from the table. "I can assure you of that, at least."
"I appreciate it, Dogwood," Olivier said, "but I view this as little more than an interesting thought experiment. This would represent a fundamental shift in our design philosophy, and, well, you know how the Zabis are."
"Who knows? I was able to convince Kycilia to throw her support behind this," I said, gesturing with the UMP.
Olivier made eye contact with me before saying, "Huh. What did you have to give her in return for that?"
"Just my immortal soul," I said with a smile.
"Yeah, that tracks," Olivier said as his eyes darted back to his computer.
"Captain Dogwood, please let me escort you to your car," Commander Rem said with a smile. "There's something we need to talk about."
"Lead the way, Commander," I said, following Rem out of the office.
Once we were out of Olivier's earshot, Rem said, "You know, I really would like to work on the UMP. It's a shame that it's not going to work out. I feel the need to tell you that you should consider not bringing this to Gihren. He will never accept it, and you might risk offending him in a time when he's at his most…" Rem looked over his shoulder, "paranoid. Look, adopting the UMP would tie up 20% of our researchers for six months. Even if we are going to invade the Earth, there's no way the war will last that long. At most, we would gain a minor technological advantage against an enemy which we already hold a major technological advantage against."
"Yes, but we need to maintain that technological advantage," I said to Rem. "Either way, I've already offended Gihren. Another insult won't do much to increase his anger."
"Zeon needs you alive, Captain," Rem said with a frown.
"In that case, Zeon should stop trying to kill me," I said with a dry smile.
We walked in silence for a few more steps. Just before we reached the entrance to Building C, I spoke. "I have to ask, why is May Kauwin working here?"
"Oh, uh, she was born in Side 5, and her father continued to support Deikun long after the Zabis took power. I'm sure you remember those days, Dogwood. Those of us with any survival instinct at all stopped talking about Deikun the moment Degwin Zabi became the sovereign. Her father unfortunately had poor political instincts, and he paid the ultimate price for it. I've tried to protect her from being sent to the front lines, but I'm afraid she'll be sent to the foreign legion once the Earth invasion starts. It's a real shame."
Elliot Rem spoke with the muted sorrow of someone who had become accustomed to injustice. He knew that what the Zabis were doing to May Kauwin was wrong, but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it.
"Yeah, it's a real shame," I said, and the image of May Kauwin's corpse being eaten by maggots flashed in my mind.
I got back in my car and started driving to Deikun Hall. By the time I got there, it was just 1030 hours, and there were more than three hours before my meeting with Gihren. I sat in my car reading through the United Maintenance Plan for two hours, marveling at the technical diagrams and design specifications written therein.
As stated in the documents, the advantage of the UMP would be to let any Zeon mobile suit use any weapon or modification designed for a different type of mobile suit. Even a basic Zaku could wield a shotgun made for a Dom or a minigun made for a Gouf. The ability to modify my mobile suit for different missions would be a major advantage. Unfortunately, I was afraid that advantage would be less obvious to Gihren.
My attention was drawn away from the UMP when I saw a man in a black military uniform depart Deikun Hall. When I looked up, I saw that one of his arms was in a sling, and he walked with the tension of a man who was about to punch something.
I stepped out of my car and walked toward the only surviving member of the Black Tri-Stars: Miguel Gaia.
"Is that you, Dogwood?" Gaia asked gruffly as he saw me approach.
"That's right," I said. "What happened to you, Gaia?"
"Didn't you hear?" Gaia asked rhetorically. "All three of us were attacked last night."
"All three?"
"You, the Red Comet, and me," Gaia answered impatiently. "Three gunmen with valkyrie patches on their chests tried to kill me in a bar last night. Heh." He laughed for a moment. "I thought they were going to carry me off to Valhalla for a moment, but my knife helped me finish off the last assassin. Ortega and Mash will have to wait for me a little longer."
"I'm really sorry for your loss. They were great men," I said.
"They were idiots," Gaia said, loudly correcting me. He inhaled through his nose in an attempt to conceal his emotions. "But I'll miss 'em."
"Right," I said. "I should get to my meeting with the Supreme Commander."
The annoyance in Gaia's expression intensified as he said, "My meeting just ended, and ol' Gihren really pissed me off. To make things worse, I can't even talk about how he pissed me off! I need to take a walk to cool down. See ya, Gray Demon."
"See you," I said as Gaia began walking in the opposite direction.
With the UMP held under one arm, I entered Deikun Hall. The only piece of information stopping me from freaking out was the knowledge that Gaia had survived his own meeting with Gihren.