Chapter 162: Golden Transaction
Before heading to the La Vie en Rose, two Pegasus-class ships arrived ahead of schedule at Von Braun, the lunar metropolis.
The GP01 was to be equipped with components for space deployment, while the GP04 would have the Gale Booster installed to further enhance its effectiveness in space combat.
Since preparations had already been made, outfitting the GP01 with an omnidirectional thruster system and adjusting the nozzles was expected to take only a single day.
Taking this opportunity, Paolo organized a small gathering for the crew of the White Chaser at the port's guest house, using a half-crew shore leave arrangement.
Of course, repeated warnings were issued: no one was to get drunk, and no one was allowed to leave the port.
After all, with that nuclear warhead still onboard the White Chaser, no one could truly let their guard down.
As for the MS teams, the two units accompanying the ship this time were Arcadia's and Io's teams, while Sanders and Ryan remained on Earth to ensure Undertech's operations ran smoothly.
However, Eli didn't attend the gathering at the port. Instead, he entrusted the stowaway Rita to Dr. Lenore and Istha to look after.
Then, he drove away from the port—because, after all, officers always enjoy certain privileges.
Eli didn't wander around the upper levels of the lunar city. Instead, he headed straight for the lower districts of Von Braun.
He arrived at the fourth level of Von Braun, the oldest residential zone, originally constructed for mining development.
Having already contacted the local police and confirmed his target, Eli made his way toward a remote recycling center within the fourth level.
After getting out of the car, he made sure the pistol at his waist was securely in place before heading toward a small shack at the center of the junkyard.
When he pushed the door open, the wooden structure let out a long, creaking groan.
Eli was silent.
Looking around, he saw that a layer of dust had settled on the utensils on the table.
The whole house was filled with the musty scent of mildew—evidence of long-term abandonment.
Running his finger across the dining table and rubbing the dust between his fingers, he confirmed that this wasn't a setup—it was genuine.
He turned and walked outside.
He headed straight to the adjacent warehouse and pushed its heavy doors open with both hands.
Eli looked inside, walking over to the wall and flipping on the lights.
Inside the warehouse was a massive pit, seemingly large enough to house some kind of heavy machinery—
For example, a Mobile Armor.
Eli walked a full circle around the pit, occasionally picking up mechanical parts to inspect them.
From the look of things, the target he was after had likely already been moved.
"Kelly! Is that you?!"
Just as Eli had descended into the pit to search for more clues, a panicked voice echoed from the warehouse entrance.
The voice drew closer, until Eli looked up and saw the person calling out freeze in shock.
Upon spotting Eli's Federation uniform, the woman even looked like she might bolt.
But in the end, she didn't run—she stopped herself.
"Hm. At least she's not entirely foolish."
Eli calmly climbed out of the pit and looked at the woman before him.
"Now then, I'd like you to tell me everything you know about this 'Kelly.'"
Eli's tone wasn't threatening—it was strictly business.
Yet the girl bit her lower lip, visibly conflicted.
Eli brought her back to the house, wiped down two chairs, and motioned for her to sit.
Her name was Latuera Chapra, a resident of the fourth level of Von Braun.
She sat with her eyes lowered and poured out everything—how she met Kelly, a former Zeon soldier, how they came to know each other, and eventually, how they fell in love.
"Originally, Kelly shouldn't have been able to repair that Mobile Armor…"
Latuera sat with her knees together, her hands resting gently over her lower abdomen.
"But then, one day, this guy with silver hair came to see Kelly. After that, he threw himself into the repair work."
That day, Latuera had hidden inside her house and watched Gato pay a visit to Kelly.
"And Kelly suddenly had a new prosthetic limb. He'd always refused to get one before that."
Clearly, Latuera had already guessed that Kelly's sudden progress on repairing the MA was thanks to that silver-haired man.
She had tried so hard—nearly convinced Kelly to abandon his life as a pilot and live a quiet life here in the lunar city.
But because of that man, all her efforts had come to nothing.
"A prosthetic… Don't tell me—was it the Regeneration P-System?"
During the Tears of the Sky incident, after the wreckage of that Psycommu Zaku was recovered, they had discovered a system that directly connected a person's nerves to the mobile suit.
But it lacked an input terminal—no data for the prosthetic limbs themselves.
Although they had reverse-engineered the system to create civilian prosthetics, they couldn't be linked to mobile suits.
"I don't know… but ever since then, Kelly would sit in his room alone, drinking in front of his pilot helmet."
"I see. Then can you tell me when the MA disappeared from this warehouse?"
"He vanished without a word about a month ago…"
A month ago—that coincided with the disappearance of those pirates.
Yet neither the police nor the local Federation garrison had filed any reports.
For someone to move a Mobile Armor out of here without anyone noticing, the only possible culprit Eli could think of was Anaheim, which dominated Von Braun.
Latuera reached behind herself and pulled out a briefcase, making Eli's eyelid twitch slightly.
Where had she even hidden that?
She placed the briefcase on the table and opened it, revealing rows of gold bars inside.
"This is what Kelly left for me—he said it was for my future."
Latuera said this quietly.
"Please… take it. And on the battlefield, spare his life—spare Kelly's life."
Tears welled at the corners of Latuera's eyes. She looked at Eli with a sorrowful and desperate gaze.
"I don't want this child to grow up without a father!"
Latuera, who had always shrunk away in fear of Eli's Federation uniform, finally poured out her true emotions.
Eli's eyes fell to her abdomen. There was no visible baby bump—yet.
So that's how it is… If that's the reason, perhaps he does deserve to be spared.
"I'm sorry. I refuse."
Eli stood up.
There was nothing more for him to learn here. It was time to leave.
"Why?! Is it not enough? If it's about the money, I'll give you everything I have—!"
"It's not about the money."
Eli cut her off.
"Regardless of whether his ideals are right or wrong, the fact remains—he made a firm decision to return to the battlefield. And my duty is to face him there as his enemy."
His words were cold, indifferent.
"The only thing I can promise you is this: he'll be given the chance to surrender—once he knows he has a child."
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