> Mobile Suit Gundam Nova <
June 25th/ I.J.C. 196 / EOTT's Central Alliance branch./
Hemston insists on me taking a long bath, which I accept, the bathing in here is quite…Good, The bathtub has an interface pad allowing me to switch the view of the window to anything I like, so I've been very relaxed, I soaked there for almost twenty minutes, and when I got out, I could feel my skin a bit sag due to me being in the water for so long.
Though it feels very refreshing.
I found a set of clothing, from my bag on the side waiting for me, so I changed into those. It was a dress Mama got me last Christmas, a light blue jumper dress, and even my slip shorts were there, along with my footwear and socks…
Somehow this feels very formal…
Putting them on, I walk out of the bathroom and see Hemston waiting for me.
"Now then, please allow me to do your hair." He said as he held out various Hair products, one that even I didn't know existed before…
"Can…I refuse…that a no, huh…" Sighing in despair, I let him do my hair on the makeup chair in the room next door, and true to his words, he only did my hair, instead of the former simple ponytail, my hair which almost my waist was now cut to my shoulder, straighten a bit then put a curl on the end of my hair.
"We finish, now this would suit you much better," Hemston said, satisfied with his work. I look into the mirror from side to side and honestly, it's quite good.
Normally, because I never cut my hair, I often tied it into a ponytail to shorten it a bit, but cutting it is nice on its own too.
"It looks quite nice," I said, complimenting his work, which he smiled, accepting it silently.
"Look at the time, I think we will arrive soon. Allow me to escort you back to your mother." Hemston said as he extended his hand out, waiting for me to take it.
…everything is so formal, I don't really like this, this is hard for me, I'm not used to this kind of formality, shit is this going how it's going to be at the academy? Are children playing pretend for politics?
Ahhh shit… that's how politics work.
"Gotta learn more from Sylvy…" Mumbling under my breath, I take Hemston's hand, and we walk toward the bridge where Mama was waiting with sunglasses on and a leather jacket…
"Why are you trying to look cool?" I just burst out without thinking, and I almost couldn't hold my mouth shut in time as Mama just looked at me with one of her eyebrows raised.
"Oh, this? This is the outfit I often wore back when I was younger. In fact, it was the outfit I took to my first date with your father."
"...dress like a biker?"
"Yeah? How did you know? I often ride them to work, you know? Having to sit in the car isn't really fast enough and there is a separate lane for bikes anyway."
"..." Wow…Mama is a biker, that new, actually, that really new. Mama doesn't seem like the rough type, she's more of a gentle flower than anything in my eyes…time really changes people…
"Ah, Hemston, here catch." She threw out a small key toward Hemston, and just having one look at it, he immediately put it in his pocket. I don't know what they're thinking about so I will just ignore it.
"Anyway, we're about to have a landing soon, chop chop! Get ready, act presentable now, also. Hold this." Mama pushed the doll onto me, I looked at it confusedly, as the doll's dull eye stared at me.
"...Why teddy bear?"
"Because that's what your Grandma wants, cute grandchild, now act cute for her and surprise her later." Mama pushed me onto the hatch, but we still didn't land yet, though?
Within a second of my thought being finished, the hatch opened slowly. "That's…fast."
Alright, Yoha…think of how to act cute…I'm 7 years old this year…what expression do other 7 years old have…hm…shit, my friend is…quite uhh ... ..not childlike. Especially Slyvy, that girl isn't a child, just a pervert in child form.
Ah…well, maybe I will just act like what I've been doing? But cute huh…I do act like that to get pampered by Mama, but most of the time, I never act like that with others, other than Grandpa Kel or Grandma Judy.
Hmm, well. Acting cute is easy, my expression will turn to a smile naturally so long as I think of a pleasant thought, and I can just act a little…hmm…Sylvy is no good, that brat on the cruise is no good too, Anna is…good? I think…ah..Well, I will just act like normal.
Once the hatch was fully open, I saw a couple standing out of their car. They were quite old, probably in their 60s. Early 70s?
They are still looking healthy despite their age.
From my eyes, I could see the woman squeal a bit as she saw me slowly walk down the ladder. Yeah, I do look like a pretty doll, doesn't it? Sylvy makes that point a lot during our playdate.
Once we got down on the ground, I looked toward the two of them, using the teddy bear Mama gave me to hide my lower face so that only my eyes could be observed, I began to gauge them.
His posture was refined, the old man was very muscular, and the scar that slit through his face from his eye to mouth was a bit unnerving. Coupled with his face being mostly grumpy, I think all the children will piss their pants when they meet him.
The older woman meanwhile, was the exact opposite of him, she was petite, her face devoid of the scar and her posture radiated what people would normally call elegance, as she smiled at me naturally to the point that I couldn't look past it, no matter what she thinks the only thing I could come up with was that she seemed happy.
"Hello, little flower, what's your name?" The woman lowered herself to match my gaze, calling me lovingly with a title like a little flower. That… surprisingly weird when I was the one on the receiving end.
"Hello! My name is Yoha! Are you Mama's Mama?" I replied to her clearly, devoid of any baby talk, but still sounding more cute. By deliberately using these words, I could sound mature, but she didn't seem to like it from her look, so I tried to appeal to her by using these kinds of cute wording.
"My, A natural little charmer, aren't you? And no, I'm not your Mother's Mama. But more like a guardian." The woman swooped me up in her arm in one motion, making me frozen solid for a moment, she was strong. Stronger than Mama even, and definitely stronger than her peers.
Also, did she just call me a natural charmer? Did she see through my facade already?
"Stop teasing Yoha already, Kylie. She's not used to those kinds of things yet." Mama interjects the woman, slowly patting me on the head. What did she mean by those kinds of things?
"The way you raise her is too soft, she isn't even aware of who we are, which means you didn't honor part of your deal. And what with her pathetic attempt at acting? Even a street kid could do better than her." The older man who had stayed silent finally talked, and all he could say about me was nothing more than a dull barbed tongue, most children would be hurt, but well, he probably knows I'm not going to be hurt by such words…but getting called pathetic is quite…hmm…hurt.
You know, with just a little change in attitude, I could bring those kids who've always bad mouthed me to their knees. So while I can see that he wasn't really mean to hurt me, he certainly spoke of something interesting, a deal between them and Mama.
"I honor our deal. That is all I will say regarding this matter. Now, will you introduce yourself to your granddaughter, or do I have to smack your head to make you do that?" Mama said with a smile, making Kylie giggle behind the hand she used to cover her mouth.
"A-ahem. My name is Stephen Lewis Ottoman. From now on, I am going to be taking you into our house."
The moment I heard that name, I could only momentarily freeze as the man coughed awkwardly, Ottoman, That Ottoman.
The one who is in command of Earth Military, is the supreme Commander, Stephan Lewis Ottoman.
So this is his face? I mean, after the war against the Agellus, he never appeared in front of the public again, so the only record of him is during his time in the military when Earth and Agellus came into a peace agreement, he literally disappeared from the media.
The manpower to completely erase any online trace was terrifying.
"So you heard of me huh, Brat." He said, with a deep smirk.
"The one who single-handedly annihilated a third of Agellus's assault during Earth's lowest point." The strategy he came up with could only be described with one word. Suicide. He literally sent soldiers to die, but because of that recklessness, using those soldiers as a lure, he managed to outflank them and completely surround the Aggellus Assault unit, forcing them back to stalemate.
"It's Vicious…very vicious tactic." My voice lowers with each word, I hate it when someone uses human precious life like that… His strategy may have worked, but in doing so, he sacrifices more than half of Earth's unit.
"Hm, So she's not completely useless after all." His smirk deepened. Ah….I hate him…I think I will hate him very much.
"There there, no need to fight like a child." The woman who was still holding me separated the two of us and broke our staring contest gently. "Since you know of Stephan, I assume you will also know me?" The woman asks expectantly.
"...Kylie Azalea Ottoman, you are the head nurse and researcher in Earth Military, during wartime, 40 years ago, you developed a new type of gel, capable of healing small wounds, making way for a new type of medicinal procedure, by using those gel you develop to heal inside the body, reducing the number of casualties that would come from small infection to almost nonexistence…" I recount the research I did during the wartime since they are in the exam for my elementary school.
"My, you certainly did your research. Such a smart kid at such a tender age, you will be successful in any future you want to venture into." Kylie said as she nestled her face on mine affectionately, something which made me very uncomfortable. I know I was being clingy to Mama, but having someone being clingy like this made me feel weird, well not as weird as Sylvy made me feel about her.
That girl is a nut job that no one can compare to. I feel pity for either man or woman who will fall for her. Just hope she won't drag me around in the academy…
Wait…if I, the one who was going to get taken care of by these two, someone who was basically a living legend in the military, going to military school, doesn't that make me…more important than Sylvy? More important than that boy? Ahh….ah….so this is what they mean…
This is what they mean about why I can't get away from politics…shit! Those…urgh….! Those little…!
"I will…murder those two…." Muttering to myself into the doll as I squeezed it tighter, I was taken back from Kylie's hold by Mama who immediately put me down next to her.
"Ahaha, well well, see? She is well-researched about you two, anyway, are we going to talk like this? Or are we going to talk nicely over some tea? Hm?" Mama said as she squeezed my shoulder lightly, making me feel a bit more calm.
Letting out a deep breath, I look up at the four adults around me. Dropping the facade, I just hold the teddy bear normally instead of hugging it to appear cute.
"Heh, looks like she is tired of pretending, this won't do at all, even if you are tired, you need to commit to it down to your last breath," Stephan said.
I didn't say anything back, since there was nothing to retort back to. "Mama, why are we-Ah!"
Suddenly, I found myself looking at Mama at her height, I was looking at Mama's eye on her level, and when I looked behind I saw Stephan holding me up by the back of my dress. "Drop me. Now!" I said with a hiss as I threw the doll in my hand at his face, which he caught easily.
"Heh, I like her enthusiasm. She will do nicely, how much experience does she have with ordering people around?" Stephan held my body closer to his face as he said those words, which immediately resulted in me throwing a punch toward his face, but of course, he managed to dodge it easily.
"None, but she has a very similar skill set as me, maybe superior to me. Well, give it 5 years or more. Also…" Mama whispered something into the man's ear, making his eyes widen up and smile deeply.
"Ah, this is it, this one will do nicely, though she needs more refinement before she could work," Stephan said with a sinister smile before Hemston opened up the car door behind them, which Kylie moved in on the backseat, and before I could think, Stephan suddenly throw me inside the car next to Kylie.
"Oi! Be gentler!" I yelled out in frustration as I suddenly felt the seatbelt put on me by Kylie. Mama, come sit next to me, making me in the middle of the car.
When Hemston and Stephan got in the car, with Hemston on the wheel, I felt an unbelievable urge to continuously kick the back of Stephan's seat, but my heart was beating wildly like it was trying to calm down a child's tantrum.
Clicking my tongue, I decided to ignore him for the rest of the day. During the ride, Kylie tried various things to probe me to talk. I think she mostly knows everything about me from Mama, seeing as the first and second topics she brought out are about sweets and Mobile Suits.
"What do you think? Do you want to try to pilot a real Mobile Suit? We have many models rented to us by the Military so we could have one out to the test side as soon as this evening."
"Don't you think that's too much for her? She is still just a child."
"Aw, Don't worry! She's your child after all, of course, she could handle these little things easily."
As Mama and Kylie continued their talk, I was thinking about her offer, Piloting a real mobile suit, while I may be young, my body is quite developed for my age, the problem would be the seating and the arrangement in the cockpit after all, even in the simulation pod, I can't quite fit and need to arranging few things before I could enjoy it, what more those were made for children to use so it easy to adjust.
Now if it was a full-fledged military Mobile suit, of course, the cockpit would be a standard issue, making a custom cockpit would be costly, and it would be a mechanical nightmare even from my perspective as a non-mechanic.
Of course, most ACEs would have personalized cockpits, including things to their liking but I am no ACE, much less a pilot. So hoping for that would be quite…wait…Don't I have a connection now? Not mine but Mama, and since I am going to be under their care, couldn't I also have a personalized cockpit? Or even a Machine?
"Can I ask…how that would work?" I turned to ask the older woman, who was smiling at me as if she knew this was going to be my answer.
"Since you know of us, I assume you know how our position is with the government and the military, right?"
"Mhh…I don't know much, only of your achievement, and position, for example, he is the supreme general who is going to be forced to retire in about a…few years…"
Stephen turned toward me as realization struck my head. Stephen, due to his age, is going to be forced to retire in a few years, 5 years if he is lucky, but if not, then it would have been around 2 or 3 years from now on.
I don't know any of his Party members but thinking logically, having an old man who managed to survive the deadliest war on command may be a good thing, but what if he is too powerful? Just his status alone makes him a public figure no one could argue about, moreover, there is also his achievement that no one can deny.
Overall, he has too much command over the military side, too much that most elite wouldn't be comfortable with, so the only logical choice is to retire him as quickly as possible, but without a good enough excuse, they couldn't do it, so they go by age, but due to his physical ability, even those would take a long time, but it was a time they willing to put into it.
Just having this guy retire would bring the status quo back to equal…no, not equal, but put the government in a much more superior position than that of the military.
The Earth's Politics has two sides, the Military and the Company side of things. Earth has transformed, since the start of the Interstellar Period, Earth was left essentially in ruin after they abandoned it, leaving only a few poor who couldn't afford to reach for the sky.
But they somehow manage to revive the planet, no one expects it, and no one actually expects the dying planet to be revived. But they somehow managed to do it, making Earth a habitable planet again, and since there is no other habitable planet, it made Earth too valuable to pass on so they united to protect themselves, calling the newly formed group, Earth's Conglomerate.
Most of the top brass are the descendants of those who save the planet, but well, there is no genius left, leaving only the ones looking for profit.
That is why politics became a two-sided war between the Military and the Conglomerate. On one hand, the military protects the planet and the conglomerate, but the conglomerate makes money and acquires resources.
The two wouldn't let each other have anything for free, even though they live on the same planet, eat the same food, and breathe the same air, these sides never stop fighting among themselves. Honestly, if war broke out, of course, it would be the conglomerate side that lost, but the Military side didn't have the connection of the conglomerate, even if they somehow have all the knowledge to run the business, they can't form a trust with other ground out there in space for trading ore and such.
That is why the long-awaited bloodbath never happened.
"Idiot…bunch of them." Muttering under my breath, I caught the gaze of Stephen who was smiling from ear to ear.
"She is no idiot after all. So you know my situation and what your role would be." He said, smirking.
"A figurehead. Mostly like a doll for you to string, isn't it? There are no records of you having children, and having an heir that could potentially control, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Faking my smile, I look straight into his eyes.
"A figurehead could only work for so long. If I'm gone, then a figurehead is useless. What I want from you isn't to become a figurehead." He paused, and a creepy smile—one that shook me to my very core—appeared on his face.
"What I want is for you to become a new me." Ahh…I really hate him…