As the Shuttlecraft roared up from the ground and raised its nose along a set trajectory toward space, several Variable Fighters flew close beside it as protection, while even more Variable Fighters bearing the Fleet Defense Force insignia "trailed" behind. Under such circumstances, it swiftly charged into space.
Inside the Shuttlecraft's cockpit, Xiao Ran held a gun to the pilot's temple. Most of the soldiers aboard had been replaced by people from the fleet, but this pilot alone could not be replaced. Xiao Ran did not know how the Shuttlecraft communicated with the Unified Army, nor whether there were identification codes or anything similar, so he had kept the pilot alive.
Though Xiao Ran's gun was pressed against the man's head, the promises he spoke left the pilot torn amid his terror. His hands gripped the controls tightly, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
"As long as we enter the MACROSS-class Battleship safely, I can guarantee you a huge sum of money—enough that you won't be able to spend it in this life, the next, or even the one after that. Aside from money, we can help you change your name and identity, then send you to another fleet or planet to live. Just imagine it: with that much money, you can comfortably live whatever life you want. Women, fine wine, pleasure—none of that will be a problem for you anymore."
"And if you refuse, I think you can guess the consequences. I can find someone else to take over your work—and the happy life that should have been yours."
The pilot was only twenty-five or twenty-six, still young. Earth had not seen war for a very, very long time, and that had left soldiers of his age without the iron-blooded resolve or so-called loyalty they should have