Story Reader / Main Story / 27 Aeon Reforged / Story
So Nigel failed too...
Hearing the footsteps at his door, Ballard does not even turn around.
...
Watanabe walks out from the shadow in silence.
You could've sneaked in. Why confront me openly?
Because I still have questions.
Hah. You must have some understanding of the current situation, having reached this far.
At this point, do you genuinely seek to learn the truth more than to stop me?
I will stop you, but I also don't want to remain in the dark.
What exactly are you trying to achieve, Ballard?
...
Before I start, I'm more curious about how you survived.
He looks at Watanabe's patched-up frame, his gaze eventually landing on Watanabe's translucent chest armor.
You should have died on the spot. You showing up here is beyond my wildest imagination.
?
Hah. It seems that you have no idea what unimaginable things have happened to you either.
Forget it. Those questions are meaningless to me now.
Take a seat. A few more minutes won't make much of a difference if you're planning to stop me, right?
Watanabe sits on a chair on his side, facing Ballard across the long conference table.
Let me start from the beginning. After the disruption at the Hetero Tower, I realized it was the change I'd been waiting for.
The disruption plunged the once-stable Babylonia into chaos, and Kurono had never been so vulnerable.
Do you know that they have yet to replace all the junior officers they lost?
The emergence of the Clean Zone afterward was unexpected, obviously, but it didn't matter. It just meant that the engineering chips we collected years ago could be put to use.
Compared to the trigger-happy Babylonia, we have an advantage in restarting those production and gathering lines.
The resources and connections I've secretly gathered over decades would be converted into a military power that could stand against Babylonia at a breakneck pace.
The only variable that could hinder my plan...
He looks at the person on the other end of the table.
...Was you, Watanabe.
I didn't expect you to do so well after taking over Oasis and merging it with the Forsaken.
Too well, in fact.
I can feel the cracks in those soldiers' hearts gradually healing.
Rather than seeking closure for the past, they are increasingly inclined to let go.
If this continues, they might actually choose to reconcile with Babylonia.
I won't allow it!
I won't stand by and watch our soldiers become Babylonia's lackeys again. I won't give Babylonia another chance to exploit and betray us.
His clenched fists creak at the joints.
So, you've become my biggest obstacle.
But your death also proved to be the perfect spark to stir up their hatred.
...
I've already come to terms with my situation, and I don't care anymore.
Watanabe almost grits his teeth as he speaks, confronting a Ballard he no longer recognizes.
Why... why would you drag all of them into war and put them under threat of the Longinus Arsenal?
Didn't you say leaders are responsible for the lives of their people, so they must do their best to unite everyone?
Why would you do this then...?
Is it for revenge?
Revenge... Hah. I'll admit that's part of it.
But that's not all... As long as Babylonia exists, the forces on the surface can never achieve true unity while fearing them.
And if we are to unite under those deserters, hmph...
He scoffs.
It will only lead to another betrayal.
Babylonia is changing.
Don't speak on what you don't understand!
Ballard suddenly shouts, slamming his fist onto the metal table and denting it.
Just because you've interacted with their soldiers and commandants doesn't give you the insight to assess their organization.
Grow up, Watanabe! The people who decide the future of their organization are not their foot soldiers! It's the people in power who make all the decisions!
Babylonia's brain is a nest of deserters, cowards, and traitors.
It is as if a raging fire is about to burst from Ballard's eyes.
I also wondered if they have changed, but...
Play heroes all they want, but they still abandon their own heroes!
Hang in there... We'll reach the medical station soon.
Are you... an ally...? I'm sorry, but I'm already...
Stop talking. There's still time.
How long have I been unconscious?
...
Three days.
Three days... I guess I can't go back now, can I?
You're not from Babylonia, are you?
...
Thank you for saving me, but I won't be of use anymore. Saving me might just bring you trouble...
The next Lloyd must have already appeared...
Hey, don't give up!
Can you pass my tag and this notebook to the next Lloyd if you can?
Stripped of his name and past, the Construct shoves the two items into Ballard's hands, gripping them tightly even in death.
They silence those who want to tell the truth!
Soren! Howard!
Shoot them!
They abandon those who are still fighting!
Due to strategic resource allocation considerations, we'll be unable to allocate backup for troops with no likelihood of survival. Babylonia adjusted its orbital altitude fifteen minutes ago to avoid contact with the space station.
If any survivors receive this message, know this. Eden thanks you for your efforts. You have been brave warriors and humanity will always remember your glory.
Disconnected.
They hide their lust for power with lies!
Become a Construct and fight for your family and friends.
They justify their cowardice with selfish goals!
We can reinstall the Zero-point Engine on Babylonia, using its nearly infinite energy to restore Babylonia into a colony ship to take us away from Earth to the stars.
Their soldiers are dying while those cowards are enjoying their lives.
Tell me how I can possibly forgive them!
Decades of pent-up rage surges from Ballard, making him look like a hellish demon.
And in a way, he is.
...
That's still no reason to drag a whole generation into war!
What you're doing isn't just destroying the home of the next generation!
You're destroying the spark those who sacrificed themselves died protecting!
Their legacy will be destroyed by this war, and they will truly be erased like ashes drifting in the void.
How can humanity rise again if the proof of unity is lost?
You've been blinded by your past hatred, so much so that you can't see the future!
Hah... Why do you think both sides will suffer losses?
Do you know why I chose this place?
Ballard leans back in his chair.
This is one of the few places where Longinus Arsenal can target without using nodes.
Ballard, you...
Remember the erroneous command Nithart stopped?
Those commands were only stopped, not erased.
Although the original files on the data disk she carried were gone, the erroneous commands were faithfully preserved.
One of them...
...Is the launch command for all 7295 unloaded ballistic missiles from the entire space fleet.
And their target is Babylonia!
If my brain activity stops, that command will be transmitted through the antenna matrix scattered across the Forsaken territory.
Babylonia is definitely going to use the Longinus Arsenal to kill me. It is the easiest and safest method for them.
They think their Longinus Arsenal will bury their dark secrets, but it will actually bury them!
When the flames of the old era consume those cowards who should have died long ago...
Humanity will reunite again out of hatred and fear, a bond stronger than mutual benefits. And this time, the sword of Damocles will not be hanging over their heads.
...
D-did I succeed?
Tell me... I can't see...
Go now. The command officer made these choices to save more lives.
Now it's your turn to do more.
Godspeed.
Ballard!
You're too late, Watanabe! The time has come!
