Chapitre 200: Chapter 200: Parachuting onto the Remote Island
As Aegis, controlled by He Kui, descended the narrow stone steps, dim oil lamps cast a faint glow on the rugged rock walls of the passage, barely illuminating the surroundings. The damp, earthy smell filled the air—a stark contrast to the dry desert environment above.
Of course, these details were lost on Aegis, who was merely a mechanical body.
Who would have thought that beneath such an unassuming row of low, yellow-brown civilian houses lay an entire underground world? Though not particularly large, it was remarkably well-equipped, complete with a meeting room, warehouse area, and all the basic facilities necessary. ZAFT probably knew about this place but had yet to shut it down—perhaps they had struck some kind of deal.
But none of this concerned He Kui's current mission.
Navigating Aegis through the corridor, He Kui heard a mix of catcalls and strange comments. Unbothered, he maneuvered toward the center of this underground base, where his contact waited.
"Ahem… Miss?" The middle-aged man greeted him with a polite bow. "How should I address you?"
"Aegis," He Kui responded in an icy tone, revealing no trace of warmth.
"Aegis… Miss Aegis, is there anything I can assist you with?"
Despite the clearly alias-like name, the man showed no surprise and simply continued with his calm inquiry.
"I want to go to Orb. Drop me on this island nearby," Aegis replied, pointing to a remote island near Orb's borders on the map, a location not far from the home of Uzumi Nara Athha's mentor, Malchio.
"Our ship doesn't go that far."
"No problem. Use a plane, and drop me nearby."
The merchant stroked his thick beard before holding up his hand. "That'll be 100,000."
"Alliance currency?"
"Correct."
"How soon can you arrange it?"
"Let's see… Three days from now."
"That's too slow."
"For immediate departure, add 50,000."
Seeing the man's scheming expression, He Kui's face twitched. If he didn't know that haggling was out of the question in the black market, he'd have given him a piece of his mind.
"Deal."
Ultimately, there was little to be said. He Kui had prepared Alliance currency in advance, knowing he'd be using the black market. His cover story involved purchasing 200,000 worth of goods for his company through the Waste Merchants Guild, thus providing a legitimate explanation. The goods had even been delivered to his private asteroid station, so the transactions were well-documented. The asteroid was secure, so he wasn't worried about leaks.
"Pleasure doing business," the merchant said, grinning with a seemingly innocent expression.
He Kui suppressed a smirk and avoided any further conversation with the swindler. After paying through an untraceable Waste Merchants account, he boarded a civilian cargo vessel.
The ship was no different from other freighters, with towering stacks of large shipping containers. As per the merchant's instructions, He Kui would travel on this cargo ship until it neared Orb's waters, where he would transfer to a small helicopter. Then, to add a "thrilling experience," he'd skydive onto the island.
What if he couldn't skydive? No problem—as long as you paid, they'd get you any aerial support you needed.
But He Kui wasn't one to waste money. Skydiving was fine; Aegis could handle the impact without any issues. With all necessary precautions taken, He Kui logged out of the control interface once he confirmed the estimated time of arrival in Orb's nearby waters.
While He Kui attended to his plans, Lacus in PLANT reviewed the latest reports from Andrew.
"So, there truly is danger surrounding him…" Lacus muttered, frowning as she mulled over the situation.
Her delicate brows knitted in contemplation, making her look even more like a captivating damsel.
He Kui clearly had access to intelligence channels she wasn't privy to, but what were they? Even Su Lei didn't seem to know. She wasn't in a position to pry, nor could she push Su Lei to do so.
"If only I could place someone close to him…" she mused. However, it wasn't like she could pull a girl out of thin air from the Clyne Faction to infiltrate his side.
Lacus thought long and hard before arriving at a single candidate. "Or do I really need to get involved personally…?"
At dawn the next day, He Kui logged Aegis back into the radar station.
Barely minutes into the session, there was a knock at the rusty metal door. "Miss, we're almost there."
"Understood."
He Kui opened the door, directing Aegis to follow the crewmember who seemed curious about the cloaked figure that hadn't left the cabin since boarding.
True to professional conduct, however, the man asked no questions, merely escorting Aegis to the helicopter. "We've temporarily shut off the ship's AIS tracking, but it won't stay off for long."
AIS, the Automatic Identification System, allowed global tracking by connecting with satellites to pinpoint a vessel's position, aiding in preventing smuggling and ensuring safety. Due to the N-Jammer, however, the crew could only report their location to local maritime authorities after the fact, hoping to avoid detection by turning off the system altogether.
"Understood."
Taking the offered parachute, Aegis deftly boarded the helicopter.
"Orb's territorial waters aren't under strict lockdown, but there will likely be patrols. Jump as soon as we're in range."
Without another word, Aegis simply nodded.
Shortly after, under cover of darkness, Aegis leapt from the helicopter over the isolated island, deploying the parachute with practiced ease.
Watching her graceful descent, the crew exchanged wary glances.
"Think we just smuggled in a Coordinator?" one crew member asked.
"Very likely, but she can't be from ZAFT, right?"
"They wouldn't need our channels," another replied, shaking his head.
"Who cares? We made more from this one passenger than we would from an entire cargo load."
"True that."
It was just one person on a deserted island—how much trouble could she cause?
Meanwhile, Aegis made a safe landing in a grassy clearing on the island and immediately tested the communications. Although there was a slight delay, it was operational. Satisfied, He Kui logged out temporarily.
The objective here was to observe if the Archangel would clash with the Zala Team. If they did, could he prevent an all-out battle? He also wanted to gather intelligence on Orb.
Both sides were key players in the future of the world—alive, they were much more valuable than dead. Should Athrun be killed, it might radicalize Patrick Zala, which would only complicate matters. As for Kira, his death would likely have unpredictable ripple effects.
He Kui preferred to keep the general outline of the story intact. However, whether a confrontation would actually occur within his limited time on the island remained uncertain. If necessary, he'd leave Aegis hidden on this remote island and retrieve it later.
With no pressing issues for the night, He Kui shut down the radar and returned to his room.
"Finished with the radar?" Shihe asked, already lying in bed.
"All done."
"Then let's get some rest. I heard they'll be serving wraps for breakfast tomorrow!" she said excitedly.
"Before sleep, though, there's something else to do, right?" He Kui replied, joining her on the bed with a smile.
"Go take a shower first!"
The two enjoyed a peaceful moment, savoring their time together. Compared to Gibraltar, this place felt freer and safer.
But soon, it would be time to move on.
With the delivery of materials for the Light Shield system from Lacus, installation work was scheduled to start. They needed to conceal it, making the shield deployable only when necessary. Covering only the governor's residence and a small hangar, it would be set up in about three days, thanks to the Clyne Faction's personnel in the area.
After completing the installation, He Kui would head to Victoria Port for preliminary setup before returning to PLANT. By then, the materials for the Magnetic Pulse Defense Shield would be ready, and he could finally get to work on his ambitious designs.
Perhaps he'd build a full set of experimental equipment and upgrade the GAT-X units to rival Freedom's performance.
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