33 Face-to-face
Mio stands with a tense expression.
Jin hesitates, about to speak to his daughter, then closes his mouth.
Anything he says might only make things worse.
They move toward the summit—specifically, the airborne palace where Queen Terminus sits—passing through the residential sectors, reminiscent of a space elevator.
The cargo bay is far too vast for human scale. Even assault frame-sized units could be transported in dozens at once.
Jin even wonders if this would be more efficient than landing shuttles for supplying materials to space.
He focuses on such thoughts, otherwise he fears he will freeze up completely, overwhelmed by what lies ahead.
Meeting with Sharon is not the first time.
Despite being the king of Terminus, she—Jin considers the people of Terminus as human—has always struck him as approachable.
Yet this time, Mio is here—their daughter, for both of them.
She doesn’t know what kind of conversation this will be—her heart is racing already.
For Mio, this is undeniably the first meeting with her biological parent.
It’s impossible not to be nervous.
“Ah. You’ve come. Brave warrior. And—”
Sevens hesitated, just slightly.
Eight years—too long for a human. Yet not long at all for the people of Terminus.
A sound escaped, one beyond human understanding.
Mio’s expression shifted—curious, puzzled.
Sevens shook her head, a faint trace of melancholy lingering.
“No. Higashi Mio. This is your first time meeting me… at last, we’ve met.”
The earlier tension vanished. Her voice carried a barely suppressed joy as she looked at Mio.
“Um, hello… Your Majesty…? Or should I say Sevens…? Um—”
Was she about to call him mother? But hesitating, Mio stammered. Sevens gently spoke to her.
‘Call me as you wish. I’ll let you call me Mio, if you’d like. Is that alright?’
‘Y-yes! Sevens-san!’
Jin smiled wryly, watching the scene. He didn’t think he’d be part of this view anymore. Today, he was nothing more than an afterthought.
He couldn’t leave Mio alone like this.
Mentally, he wasn’t particularly concerned. If anything, he thought she was more composed than he was.
The issue was her significance.
Mio had become, quite literally, a symbol connecting the Terminans and humanity.
A welcome presence for those who wished for unity—yet a threat to those who desired the opposite.
No one among the Terminans would harm Mio to disrupt the current course.
The danger came from the human side.
Impulsive actions—acting without considering the consequences, as if launching a full-scale war with Terminus were a foregone conclusion.
Assassination.
The words remain within Jin.
Thus, Mio cannot return to the Third Fleet for a time.
Terminus's home planet serves as an effectively isolated zone, cut off from all but authorized personnel.
Due to their history of cooperation, most are favorably inclined toward the people of Terminus.
The fact remains that many are adrift emotionally, now that the common enemy, the Harold Fleet, has been lost.
Guardians are typically assigned to prevent impulsive actions.
The concern is whether the guards will remain loyal—but they are all from the era when Mio attended the training academy.
Mio’s image as a person eating meals remains strong; when idle, she engages in casual conversation, and Jin finds reassurance in that.
Even now, speaking with Seven about something.
What did you eat today, for instance.
Something like how the hairstyle Shirley gave me last time was cute, for instance.
Whether Seven can come to the convoy or not, for instance.
Such common, everyday parent-child talk.
Jin thinks nothing has changed.
The structure of the mind itself is not so far removed from that of humans.
The power structure is one where the strong dominate all—but that is no different from what humanity once followed.
Indeed, they possess iron bodies and can operate independently even in the vacuum of space.
But so what?
Modern humans do the same.
The ongoing replacement of flesh across the various convoys.
Cybernetics, nanomachines, neural integration.
Jin wonders whether their own essence, like that of the Terminans, is no longer a body with blood and pulse.
Even so, Jin believes humans remain human.
Thus, paradoxically,
if they share the same heart, does it matter what form the body takes? Jin wonders.
In the end, it comes down to nothing more than a difference in vessel.
‘Ah… sorry. I left you alone for a while.’
Sevenths speaks, as if just noticing Jin, who has been silently observing the exchange.
A slightly flustered tone.
Mio, too, wears a faintly awkward expression.
She had been engrossed in conversation with her biological parent, having neglected her adoptive one.
‘It’s fine. We’ve got plenty to talk about.’
She says it with composure, though her heart races beneath.
She worries—what if she’s told she’s now one of ours? It’s unlikely, she thinks, but still…
‘Hmm… still, you must have questions of your own?’
‘Yeah… Edelweiss. Is it okay?’
She hasn’t seen it since returning to Terminus’s home planet.
Only Seven seemed to know, after all the others gave answers of ignorance.
‘Ah. That child’s fine. She was undergoing bodily repair at my side just a few days ago.’
‘Repair? I see. That makes sense.’
Jin nodded, the explanation settling into place.
Edelweiss had been in a state of near-total destruction—functioning only through sheer force of will at that time.
Recovery from such damage was to be expected.
According to Seven, the Terminus people all possessed self-repair capabilities.
But for significant damage, using the Queen’s Mother Factory was the most efficient method.
‘She seemed to have gained some thoughts from that battle. Was intensely focused on her own modifications.’
‘Huh…’
Half surprise at the idea of modification being possible.
Half thought: if she’s doing that, why not just equip long-range weaponry instead.
It did not matter much to Jin either way.
The moment she had ridden him—unparalleled joy.
Never before had he felt such stress while piloting.
Sharon punched him in the side, just like that. Still does not understand why.
Regardless of Sharon’s inexplicable emotions, Edelweiss’s specifications were undeniably among the finest in the cosmos.
Few opponents existed that could only be countered by Jin piloting such a frame.
Moreover, even if piloting skill were set aside, Jin’s body could not endure the current inertial controls.
Nanomachine reinforcement, repeated too often, would inevitably poison the body.
Under normal circumstances, separate operations would be more efficient. Jin would not ride Edelweiss again.
Jin rides Raven once more, thoroughly tuned by Shirley.
Griffin was a good frame, but required nanomachine reinforcement—inevitably, one that cannot be borne.
Perhaps, someday, when inertial control advances further, even non-cyborgs may withstand the G-load. Then, one day, he might ride again.
"Anyway, as long as she's healthy."
'She's nearby. You should go.'
"No, not really..."
'If you came this far and left without seeing her, she'd surely sulk.'
Jin tilts his head, wondering if she truly would, yet moves toward the door Seventh indicated.
Likely, Mio's conversation with Seventh will continue.
He intends only a greeting, at most.
He opens the door.
A question lingers: why is it not a self-opening one?
Beyond the threshold, as Seventh said, Edelweiss stands upright, head bowed.
As he steps toward Raven, moving forward to approach it.
"Planning to step on it? Be careful."
"Ah? Oh... sorry...?"
A young woman standing at his feet rebuked him.
He had been about to proceed without regard, and had not noticed that he would have been kicked aside by Raven.
A near disaster, yet Jin cannot be blamed entirely.
At this hour, only Jin and Mio are permitted to meet with Seventh.
The presence of another person had not been considered.
Jin looks at the one who has just voiced a legitimate complaint. The face is unfamiliar.
Silver hair—rare enough to be unforgettable.
A woman with a pale expression, eyes devoid of emotion.
All present on Therminus’s homeworld are military personnel. Jin glances at the rank insignia, then lowers his gaze further.
Immediately, he looks away.
Not even a uniform. Her hair, barely long enough, is the only thing concealing her body.
"...Who are you?"
"Shared the battlefield. Have you forgotten already?"
Jin’s mind races—seriously, who is this?
Shared the battlefield—she must be a soldier. But no such woman with such flamboyant hair comes to mind.
Sharon is the closest match—but that’s just a misreading of a list.
A sudden recollection: he’s heard that tone somewhere before.
Staring at Edelweiss, who still offers no response.
"You... aren’t seriously Edelweiss, are you?"
"What? You didn’t recognize me?"
Edelweiss, now indistinguishable from a human, shrugged with a look of mild disbelief.