Ribbons Almark stood within the secret base housing VEDA, his fingers slowly tapping the keys of the control console one by one.
English letters appeared steadily on the projected screen, forming words and short phrases as if everything were firmly within his grasp.
He smiled at the events unfolding on the screen, thoroughly satisfied with the current results. Or rather, they were all walking exactly according to his plan—whether it was the pressure Celestial Being and the Ravens exerted on the three superpowers, or the death-throes of the unlucky fool Alejandro Corner had dragged into this mess.
Ribbons knew very well that Alejandro Corner could not defeat the combined forces of Celestial Being and the Ravens.
In terms of both piloting skill and combat experience, he was being utterly crushed; the only reason he had achieved any results at all was due to the sheer performance of the Alvatore.
In his plan, Celestial Being had to be destroyed. To trip them up after gaining access to VEDA, Ribbons had considered using the network to anonymously leak the location of Celestial Being's secret base on Jupiter.
However, he quickly abandoned the idea because VEDA seemed to have a powerful internal resistance against such direct exposure—almost as if it were written into the core code. Several of Ribbons' attempts had ended in failure.
But the greatest strength of humans is their ability to step outside the rules to achieve their goals.
To avoid exposing himself to the public while still sabotaging Celestial Being and inciting the three superpowers to carry out their annihilation, Ribbons chose a more roundabout method: he provided a set of strike coordinates to Four-Eyes, the man he had manipulated into seizing the satellite cannon.
Although the beams from the satellite cannon could never actually reach Jupiter and would gradually dissipate along the flight path, they were enough to draw the attention of the United Nations Forces during their post-battle review.
This would lead them to recover the potentially destroyed satellite cannon, eventually obtain the coordinates he had planted, and discover the fact that "there is something on Jupiter."
Moving forward, whether through surveillance or direct action toward Jupiter, this would create interference and obstacles for Celestial Being. After all, that was where their greatest secret lay.
Thinking it over, he had simply given that unlucky fool a set of coordinates. Now, the three superpowers knew something was on Jupiter, the remnants of Celestial Being would face obstacles in their post-battle movements, and the satellite cannon could wipe out the factions and armed bases that needed to be purged from his plan—all while delivering a backstab to Alejandro Corner. He was truly winning big.
The only unexpected factor was the meteorite that had appeared in the satellite cannon's line of fire. He hadn't noticed it before, but looking at the metallic sheen on the screen and estimating the quantity of objects...
"...Probes?"
After typing the final character, Ribbons frowned slightly, looking at the footage of the meteorite that had appeared out of nowhere and the metal-textured objects within it.
After watching for a moment, Ribbons turned his gaze toward the golden MS that had appeared.
At this moment, this machine was retreating steadily under the combined assault of the Destiny and the Exia, while even Gundam Throne Eins, which had rushed in to provide support, was being completely suppressed by the Penelope.
Ribbons pressed the Enter key. Alejandro Corner's access to VEDA was completely deleted before he even had a chance to get comfortable with it.
"Static... Why is VEDA malfunctioning?!"
Alejandro Corner's voice suddenly erupted over the comms. His exhaustion was obvious, but more prominent was an emotion mixed with shock and terror.
On the video feed, the movements of the golden MS began to grow stiff and awkward, appearing as though it was about to be torn apart by the two high-speed machines.
"...My apologies, Mr. Alejandro Corner, but I don't see your data or permissions on VEDA."
Ribbons wore his trademark formulaic smile, which, for some reason, felt bone-chilling.
"Ribbons?! You bastard! Aaaargh..."
Alejandro Corner's curses flooded the communication channel, but they eventually dissolved into static.
"A bastard, am I...? Mr. Alejandro Corner, you are hardly one to talk right now."
Ribbons smiled and closed the communication channel. "...After all, you are the ambitious madman who launched an attack on Earth and destroyed numerous military bases."
Even Ribbons had to admit sometimes that the dead were more useful than the living.
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Not long ago, on a power transmission track very close to the Corner family's space station, Gundam Throne Eins was hidden and standing by.
At this time, although the configuration of Gundam Throne Eins had not changed, its left hand carried the large sword used by Gundam Throne Zwei.
With two of the Trinity siblings dead, Johann Trinity—the most mentally flexible of the trio—did not obsess over the "purity" of the Throne unit's loadout.
Since he was now performing multiple roles, there was no need to cling to his original combat position; he would use whatever weaponry was available.
To bolster the close-quarters combat capabilities of the Gundam Throne Eins, he had specifically brought along the large sword from the Gundam Throne Zwei.
Unfortunately, the GN Fangs and the radar equipment from Gundam Throne Drei required specific design modifications to be fitted onto the Gundam Throne Eins, so Johann Trinity had to temporarily abandon the idea of an "All-Armor" version.
"Has the battle started...?"
Watching the combat footage on his screen, Johann Trinity placed his hands on the control sticks. "Then it's time for me to move, too."
He intended to complete the employer's mission first and then take out the Ravens. Although the "Unicorn" had not appeared in this battle, he reasoned that since the "Unicorn" was a member of the Ravens, attacking the Ravens directly would suffice.
As for whether he could actually win, Johann Trinity no longer had the luxury to ponder that question. The fire of revenge burned within him, melting the ice of his "rationality."
Gundam Throne Eins rolled off the power transmission track, red GN particles erupting from its rear as it flew toward the nearby Corner family space station.
At this moment, Four-Eyes was not in his guest room. Instead, he had gone to a corner of the main hall, connecting a data cable to an interface. Inside a black box on the screen, several coordinates were displayed.
"As long as you input these coordinates into the satellite cannon, you will effectively hold their weakness..."
The voice of Ribbons Almark, sounding like a demon tempting someone into depravity, echoed in his ears. "As long as your finger stays on the Enter key, they won't dare touch you."
Although he didn't know if this was true or not, a drowning man will clutch at even a floating piece of straw. He placed his hand on the keyboard's Enter key; if any danger approached him, he would press it immediately.
"Residential area... yes, right here."
Inside the Gundam Throne Eins, Johann Trinity knew nothing of the schemes between Ribbons Almark and Four-Eyes. He piloted his machine to the location marked as the "residential area" in the intelligence provided by Ribbons Almark.
The large beam cannon on his right shoulder began to aim. In the next second, a crimson beam burst from the barrel, striking various components of the residential sector.
The outer armor and internal components were melted, triggering massive explosions as the entire residential area was transformed into a death zone.
Debris, ranging from shattered remains to intact household items, drifted out of the mangled, steaming ruins of the living quarters.
"Mission compl—"
Johann Trinity let out a sigh of relief. Just as he planned to join the battle according to schedule, a voice rang out over the communication channel.
"My apologies, but the mission is not yet complete, Mr. Johann Trinity."
The voice of Ribbons Almark echoed through the comms. "The target escaped to the main hall a short while ago. I have already marked it for you."
"Who are you...?"
Hearing this unfamiliar voice, Johann Trinity frowned slightly.
"I am Alejandro Corner's associate, Ribbons Almark."
In the transmission, Ribbons Almark's voice sounded remarkably sincere. "Mr. Alejandro Corner is currently in a critical situation and needs you to come to his rescue as soon as possible. Please complete your mission quickly, Mr. Johann Trinity."
Johann Trinity did not argue with Ribbons Almark's words. After all, it was just one more shot, and he didn't even need to reposition his machine.
"MS pilot launching the attack! I command you to cease your assault immediately!"
Suddenly, a somewhat frantic voice erupted over the public communication channel. "Four-Eyes here. I have control of the satellite cannons. If you don't want Earth to be attacked indiscriminately..."
Without even waiting for Four-Eyes to finish his sentence, Johann Trinity pulled the trigger.
Earth? What did that have to do with him now? He only wanted to finish the mission and then fight the Ravens.
A crimson beam erupted from the barrel once more, hurtling toward the main hall of the Corner family space station that Ribbons Almark had highlighted.
"You bastard!"
Seeing the crimson beam flying toward him, Four-Eyes's eyes widened in terror. He slammed the Enter key on his laptop, and the coordinate data was transmitted to each of the satellite cannons.
The satellite cannons began to shift their orientation, ceasing their power supply to the solar orbital elevators. Their internal instruments hummed into high gear, and the barrels gradually began to glow.
In the next instant, Four-Eyes and his laptop were washed away by the crimson beam, dissolving into nothingness.
Six beams were discharged from the redirected satellite cannons—and one of them accurately struck the Alvatore just as it was activating its GN Field.
The remaining satellite cannons began to fire continuously according to the preset coordinates, destroying the targets provided by Ribbons Almark.
"This is..."
Seeing the scene before him, even Johann Trinity was instinctively startled.
"Static... It appears to be the target's final struggle before death."
Ribbons Almark's voice sounded over the comms, seemingly tinged with confusion. "You should head off to support Mr. Alejandro Corner first; I will handle things here."
"Can you handle it?"
Hearing Ribbons Almark make such a bold claim, Johann Trinity subconsciously frowned. He felt that something was off about this "associate of Alejandro Corner" on the transmission, yet he could find no evidence to support his suspicion.
"Of course, you can trust me completely."
Inside the secret VEDA base, Ribbons Almark was typing the code to delete Alejandro Corner's permissions. His tone was calm, and he wore a formulaic smile.
Unable to pinpoint the flaw in Ribbons Almark's words, Johann Trinity could only pilot the remaining Gundam Throne Eins and fly toward the Alvatore, which was currently being battered by the two mobile suits.
..................