After the ten minute repressurization process, I entered the Gidoru's observation deck and looked around at the people gathered there. Warrant Officer Yoshida and Lieutenant Wei were floating near the airlock, and they saluted as I entered. I returned the salute before I spoke.
"So when are we leaving for Loum?" I asked Wei.
"We'll depart in four hours, but everybody needs to be aboard the ship," he checked his watch, "in three hours and six minutes."
"That's enough time," I muttered before continuing at a louder volume. "Lt. Wei, I want you to check something for me. I'm looking for a woman named Lt. Commander Shima Garahau. Is she on Solomon Base?"
"Yes, sir. I'll know in a few seconds," Wei said as he began consulting the tablet in his hands. After about half a minute, he said, "She has been stationed at Solomon Base for about a week, sir. Commander Garahau's room assignment is Area C Officer Deck Room 1314."
It was concerning how quickly Lt. Wei figured that out. Could anyone find a Zeon officer's personal room in seconds, or was Wei able to do that because he worked for Kycilia Zabi? The more I thought about it, the more it concerned me. I would have to look into that in the future.
"Thank you, Lt. Wei," I said, checking my watch. It was 1721 hours at that moment, so I would need to be back on the ship by 2030 hours. "I'll be back aboard the Gidoru in an hour or two."
Ensign Ramos gave me a look, and I glowered at him in response. Smirking, he said, "Do you know Shima Garahau, Commander? Or do you just want to know her?"
"That's none of your business," I said to him.
As I started to move toward the door, Lt. Wei said, "There's one last thing. Have you decided on Oracle Squad's livery yet, Commander Dogwood?"
"Is there a deadline on deciding the color?" I asked.
"No," Wei said, frowning, "but your Zakus will remain unpainted until you make a decision."
I paused for a second before speaking.
"Keep my mobile suit unpainted. My colors shall be unblemished steel and naked iron. May all who see my Zaku know that it is nothing more or less than a machine of war."
That was the kind of over-dramatic soliloquy that was expected of an ace pilot choosing his livery. With that short speech, I went from a guy who was too lazy to choose a color to an ace pilot who was making a statement. Wei was typing something on his tablet, and Yoshida was speaking frantically to the other mechanics. As I spoke, I knew that those three sentences would go on my gravestone.
I returned to my private room and quickly unfastened my cloak, leaving it floating in one corner of the room. I was going to keep my time wearing that supervillain cape to an absolute minimum. According to Wei, wearing the cloak was only required during formal events, so I didn't have to wear it out in the field. Unfortunately, the front of my uniform still proudly proclaimed my rank, so I couldn't completely get away from Zeon's strange design philosophy.
My standard-issue helmet was stored in a box, and I quickly fastened it to my head. I looked at myself in the mirror and was happy to see that my most recognizable features were covered. At a distance, I looked like any other Zeon soldier with a bit of stubble. Someone would need to get within two or three meters to recognize me as the Hero of Operation British. I hated that title the moment Admiral Schneider gave it to me, and I hated it more every day.
It was 1745 hours by the time I left the Gidoru. I spent another thirty minutes walking to Area C and asking people where the Officer Deck was. Someone recognized me at one point, and I had to waste five minutes answering questions about Operation British.
At 1822 hours, I stood in front of the door to Shima Garahau's private room. As I removed my helmet and untied my hair, I began to wonder why I was even standing there.
Shima Garahau was the antagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (there seemed to be a pattern there). If my memory was correct, she gassed a colony on January 3rd thinking that G3 Gas was just a tranquilizer. In the original timeline, this event haunted her until her death.
The question remained. Why was I standing outside her door? Maybe I wanted to talk to one of the few people in the universe who could understand how I felt. Maybe I wanted to gain another ally.
In my core, I knew that I was there due to my own frustration with the way things were going. Every day, the task of ending the war was looking more and more insurmountable. I just wanted to do something good for once. By speaking to Shima Garahau, I could at least alleviate her suffering somewhat even if I couldn't stop her downward spiral.
With my helmet under one arm, I knocked on Lt. Commander Shima Garahau's door. After more than a minute of silence, I was about to turn around and start looking for Garahau somewhere else. A moment before I gave up, however, the door opened just wide enough for the door chain to go taut.
Garahau stood on the other side of the door. Heavy bags had formed under her eyes, and it was clear that she had not eaten in days.
"What is it?" Garahau asked quietly.
"My name is Sebastian Dogwood. I want to talk," I said.
"Is anyone ordering me to talk?"
"No, it's just a friendly suggestion from a colleague," I said, forcing a smile.
She began closing the door, and I put my boot in the door, arresting its momentum.
Her sadness quickly transforming into anger, Garahau said, "It's not a suggestion if I can't leave."
"I just want to have a short conversation. Don't you want to get out of that room?" I asked.
"Why would I talk to you, poster boy?" Garahau said as the weight on my foot increased to a painful level.
"Because I released the gas at Island Iffish," I said, and the force suddenly stopped.
"You did what?"
"Three squads gassed the colony, and I was one of the squad leaders. One probably would have been enough, but they didn't want to leave it to chance. You and I are weighed down by the same sin."
There was a long beat of silence. I couldn't see Garahau's face, so I couldn't tell whether that was a good or bad thing. Suddenly, I felt it as my foot was pushed out of the door frame, and the door closed.
I sighed. That was a no, then. A moment before I left, I heard it as the door chain was unlatched, and Shima Garahau opened the door.
"If you want to talk, then let's talk. Come in."