The message that appeared on the box's built-in screen left Fred stunned.
Then, catching the mixed scent of machine oil and lubricant emanating from the box, Fred's mind grew even more active.
But before he could figure out where this Eight that had fallen from the sky came from, whether he had suddenly stumbled upon the same dumb luck as Lowe, or whether this was even the real Eight, a voice arrived before his thoughts could settle.
"Sorry!"
Following the sound, he saw a brown-haired man with spiky hair.
He was looking at Fred with an apologetic expression.
Behind him stood a man and a woman.
Both were quite familiar to Fred.
"So it wasn't my dumb luck after all."
Fred muttered inwardly, though a smile remained on his face.
"...No worries."
Aside from the initial surprise of suddenly seeing Lowe, Fred's expression betrayed little.
After all, he had met so many notable figures by now—Lowe was hardly exceptional.
Besides, characters from side stories always remained on the periphery of the main plot, except for that Genesis Alpha.
He had no intention of getting too deeply involved with them.
Eight, however, piqued his interest.
"Is this an artificial intelligence?"
After glancing at his watch and seeing the green indicator showing everything was normal, Fred asked directly.
He still had some time. While he couldn't immediately take Eight for study, he could at least get acquainted.
"Eh, that's right~"
Lowe paused briefly at the question from this stranger, then answered generously.
"But Eight is also my partner."
"Sorry."
Fred smiled and handed Eight back.
"You folks are Junk Recoverers, aren't you?"
"How did you know?"
The long-haired Coordinator behind Lowe grew more wary.
"Your clothes."
Fred pointed at the shirts bearing the Junk Guild logo on each of them.
"Ah..."
Before the awkwardness could linger, Fred stepped forward and said, "I'm a senior manager at Derrek Airlines. Perhaps we might have opportunities to work together in the future."
As he spoke, Fred had already pulled out his electronic business card and sent it to the three before him.
Derrek Airlines was Fred's cover identity for this visit.
An executive at a mid-sized company.
"Great!"
Hearing Fred's words, Lowe and the others all showed excitement on their faces.
After all, this was a major client.
Who would turn down money?
Especially for Junk Guild members like them who hadn't earned much yet.
With that thought, Lowe quickly sent his own business card to Fred.
Both exchanged contact information.
"Feel free to reach out anytime."
Lowe's smile was warm and eager.
The two behind him had also dropped their earlier wariness.
"Of course."
Fred responded with a broad smile of his own.
Getting his hands on Eight's technology right now would definitely be difficult.
Besides, with a major event happening in just three days, he really couldn't do much.
The seed had been planted, at least. There would be chances to meet again.
With that in mind, Fred continued, "Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah, we are!"
Lowe answered quickly, mindful of the important client.
"Safe travels, then."
"Thanks!"
With only a few more words exchanged, they parted ways.
"Lowe, that guy just now—I feel like he's not simple."
The blue-haired Coordinator walking behind Lowe muttered quietly as they walked.
"Well, he didn't seem like a bad guy, and there's money to be made."
Seeing Lowe's carefree attitude, the young man let out a wry chuckle but didn't argue.
Lowe had a point.
They really didn't have much money, after all.
"Doesn't look like there'll be any trouble, right, Eight?"
[That word 'looks' doesn't sound very reliable.]
"What do you mean?!"
While the group behind was playfully bickering and walking further away, Fred on the other end had a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Copernicus's plan was dangerous, but getting good news right after arriving.
It was certainly a promising start to the whole operation.
"That AI just now was no ordinary thing."
Alec couldn't help but remark.
He had witnessed the whole scene.
As an insider who had spent considerable time with Fred, he was well-versed in such matters and naturally understood the value of the AI Fred had just held in his hands.
An AI that seemed to possess its own emotions and could converse so fluidly—if it could be decrypted and applied to a Mobile Suit, even if it couldn't pilot an MS alone, it could become an excellent assistant for their pilots.
"No rush for now."
Fred shrugged and said, "Besides, we don't need to take what belongs to others."
"I never said anything about taking..."
Alec muttered, and the two continued walking toward the port exit.
.....
The two wasted no time on the way and soon arrived at their hotel.
At the same time, this hotel was also where the Copernicus delegation would be staying, and it was the same hotel where that final celebration banquet had been held.
The opulent hotel looked exactly as it had been before Fred left.
In the ordinary hotel room, gazing at the simulated sunlight outside the window, Fred took a deep breath.
If everything went smoothly, then once this attack concluded, when the moderates realized they had all become targets of Blue Cosmos, most of them would surely choose to fight back with everything they had.
Although it couldn't be ruled out that some might choose to cooperate with Blue Cosmos under the threat of death, as long as there was strength to counterattack and Blue Cosmos's plans were disrupted, that would be enough.
"Deploy the network quickly—let them come but never return!"
Fred said to Alec and the others on the communication channel.
"Yes, sir!"
With the synchronized response, their operation officially began.
...
And while Fred was making his meticulous preparations on his end, a day later, Blue Cosmos's strike team had already quietly arrived outside Copernicus.
"Our mission is simple—blow up those cowardly surrenderists and that clueless Chairman, all of them! Understood?"
The Blue Cosmos captain's voice was as sharp as scraping steel.
It instantly spread throughout this unremarkable transport ship.
What answered him was a roar layered upon itself like a surging torrent.
"As long as Clyne dies along with those surrenderists, they will understand their place—understand the consequences of defying us Naturals!"
With every sentence the captain spoke, he received even more fervent responses. Within this ship, it seemed only the roar of Blue Cosmos echoed.
"Now! We move out! Let's send them all to hell to face God's judgment!"
With those final words, the atmosphere in the hold was pushed to its peak.
A successful pre-battle mobilization had been completed.