Autumn, Cosmic Era 69, April City, the capital of PLANT. Inside the dedicated training base of the Silver Wing special operations unit, which answered directly to the PLANT Supreme Council, the atmosphere was tense and grim. Unlike ordinary training grounds filled with the roar of mobile suits, this special area enclosed by high walls simulated urban streets and building interiors. Here, training focused on close protection, rapid response, and precision strikes.
Akira Hawke, the sixteen-year-old White Uniform captain, stood in the control center of the simulated Starlight Theater. On a vast holographic screen, the concert venue's floor plan was broken down layer by layer, with countless points of light representing security personnel, staff, and simulated audience members.
"Team A reporting. Screening of the front entrance security checkpoint is complete. No anomalies found."
"Team B reporting. The backstage dressing rooms and corridors are secure."
"Team C. Audience seating patrol complete."
Calm reports from each team came through the communications channel. Akira's sharp gaze swept over every data stream as his accord ability operated at minimum power, building a three-dimensional model of the entire venue and everyone's movements in his mind. Today's exercise covered the full security operation for a high-profile VIP concert, and their protectee was Lacus Clyne, daughter of Chairman Siegel Clyne.
"Remember, our primary objective is not to eliminate the enemy, but to ensure Beacon's absolute safety." Akira's voice reached every team member clearly over the encrypted channel. "Beacon" was Lacus's code name for this operation. "If an attack occurs, our first priority is to establish a safe zone and cover Beacon's evacuation to the designated safe point, not get bogged down fighting the enemy."
The exercise began. The scenario simulated a sudden explosion and crowd disturbance midway through the concert. The instant the alarm sounded, Akira issued swift, concise orders: "Protection Team One, establish the inner cordon! Team Two, open an evacuation route! Team Three, control the crowd and prevent a stampede! Heine, take your people and clear the route!"
No heavy mobile suits were involved; all combat took place at close quarters. Dressed in black tactical gear, the team members used riot shields, smoke grenades, and less-lethal weapons, such as stun guns and net guns, to bring the situation under control. Their mission was to identify threats quickly, isolate the attackers, and escort the protectee out.
Akira directed the operation from the control center. His accord ability allowed him to command each team with almost predictive precision, blocking potential attack routes and neutralizing dangers before they developed. During the exercise, the Red Team playing the attackers repeatedly attempted to breach their defenses, even simulating suicide attacks and sniper assassinations, but the Silver Wing unit thwarted each one through efficient coordination and precise tactical maneuvers.
During a break in training, the observation room door was gently pushed open. Lacus Clyne arrived quietly, accompanied by Chairman Siegel's secretary. She did not interrupt the exercise, merely sitting quietly at the back. Her azure eyes watched Akira's calmly commanding figure on the screen with rapt attention, then turned to the team members' agile, professional tactical movements on the training grounds.
"Miss Clyne." After the exercise ended, Akira approached, fine beads of sweat on his forehead. The intense mental processing and split-second decisions were a considerable strain even for him.
"Captain Hawke, everyone is very professional." Lacus handed him a bottle of water, her voice gentle. "What I saw was protection, not simply attack. It's a little different from... what Father said."
"Protecting what we wish to safeguard sometimes requires the strength to stop its destruction." Akira accepted the water, his tone calm. "Our duty is to become that strength when it's needed."
As time passed, Lacus began to gain a deeper understanding of protection work. She not only observed training but also walked through Starlight Theater with Akira, familiarizing herself with every passage, every emergency exit, and every possible hiding place.
"If a fire broke out here, which way should we evacuate?" Lacus asked, pointing down a narrow corridor.
"Not that way. This corridor follows the main ventilation route, so flames and thick smoke would spread fastest here. We should go the other way, through the prop room, and leave by the western emergency passage." Akira explained, pointing at the floor plan. "At all times, we need to anticipate how the danger itself will spread rather than follow a fixed route."
During a security sweep of a backstage dressing room, Akira's accord ability sent him a sharp warning. He signaled his team to stop and stepped forward alone, finding a tiny listening device in an extremely well-hidden seam in the dressing mirror's frame. It was not an explosive, but its presence alone posed an enormous risk of information leakage.
"They... can infiltrate even here?" Lacus's face paled slightly.
"It means your concert is important enough that someone will spare no expense to track your every move." Akira carefully removed the device and handed it to a technical specialist. "But it also means we got ahead of them."
Watching Akira's composed profile, Lacus felt the undercurrents behind this concert with such clarity for the first time. She no longer saw him as merely a bodyguard, but began to understand the complex situation he faced.
The real test came on Christmas Eve in December. Starlight Theater was packed, and Lacus Clyne's first solo concert went ahead as scheduled. The house lights dimmed, the spotlight came on, and her ethereal voice echoed through the theater.
Akira did not remain in the control center. Instead, he stood in the shadows of the stage wings. This was the "focal point" of his accord perception, giving him the clearest coverage of the stage and the crucial front-row area. His team dispersed throughout the audience seating, passage entrances, and even elevated positions on the roof.
The concert proceeded smoothly to its midpoint. During the pause between songs, thunderous applause filled the theater. Under cover of that noise, Akira's accord picked up a discordant trace of "malice." It came from a man in the middle rows who stood up, pretending to head for the restroom. His hand remained inside his coat pocket. His path appeared aimless, but he was actually moving slowly and steadily toward the railing near the stage.
"All teams, be advised. Section B, row thirteen, subject in a gray coat. Potential threat. Maintain surveillance. Do not alert him." Akira spoke in an extremely low voice, issuing orders through his bone-conduction headset. At the same time, he gave Lacus an almost imperceptible, prearranged hand signal, telling her to move to the other side of the stage.
Lacus saw the signal. Her singing continued without pause, but she naturally changed her position, putting more distance between herself and the direction of the potential threat.
Sure enough, when Lacus reached the other side of the stage and sang with her back to him, the man suddenly quickened his pace, trying to climb over the railing and rush the stage! But the moment he climbed onto the railing, two "audience members" who "happened" to be passing bumped into him as though by accident, simultaneously pinning his arms from either side.
"Sir, the restroom is that way," one team member said quietly. He applied discreet pressure with his hand, and the man's hand inside his pocket immediately went numb. A small syringe disguised as a pen fell to the floor. The other team member swiftly picked it up. Everything happened in a flash; to the surrounding audience, it looked like nothing more than a few enthusiastic fans accidentally jostling one another.
"Subject secured. Threat neutralized," came the report over the communications channel.
"Remove him from the venue and hand him over to intelligence," Akira ordered calmly.
Onstage, Lacus seemed completely immersed in her singing, unaware of the brief incident below. But when she finished a song and bowed slightly toward where Akira stood, he caught a glimmer of understanding in her eyes. She knew, and she trusted how he had handled it.
The performance ended in complete success. Backstage, Lacus met Akira in her private dressing room.
"Thank you for tonight, Captain Hawke," Lacus said softly. With her stage makeup removed, her face showed a trace of fatigue, but her eyes were bright.
"It's our duty," Akira replied.
"No, it's more than duty." Lacus shook her head. "I saw your... 'sense.' You always seem to know in advance what will happen. Is that why Chairman Siegel trusts you so much?"
Akira did not answer directly. He merely said, "Keeping you safe rests on detailed contingency plans, rigorous training, and the team's professionalism. All I do is bring those things together."
Lacus looked at him thoughtfully. "Father says true peace cannot rely on songs and ideals alone. It also needs people capable of protecting those ideals. Captain Hawke, you're one of those people, aren't you?"
"I'm simply doing what I believe is right," Akira answered calmly. "And ensuring that more people can hear your songs safely is one of the most worthwhile things I can do right now."
Lacus smiled, a smile filled with understanding and resonance. "Then, on the road toward peace, I hope my songs and your protection can move forward together."
When Akira left the theater and looked up at PLANT's artificial stars, he received an encrypted message from Chairman Siegel: We have traced today's threat to a radical faction. Akira, you did very well.
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