What Aubrey asked him made Elon Abelman be bewildered for a second, then he spoke, "Wh-what are you talking about...?"
"This morning before noon, there was a clash between the UEF and the ELC. "UEF discovered that ELC has four new Mega Armors, all of them using fuelled with Rochellium," explained Aubrey in his calm style.
"Fo-four Mega Armors…?" Elon repeated confusedly. He turned to one of his assistants who looked more convincing than the other one. "Are some of our Mega Armors stolen again, Tony?"
'This guy is such an idiot'. Aubrey commented in his head.
Initially, Abelman Corp was the largest Mega Armor factory in the world and their only competitor was Klein Industries which was at Cloudbase Lilibet or Euro-1.
However, approximately 5 years ago, Benedict Engineering, which was previously only known as a weapons factory, expanded its business. So now, Abelman Corp has a new competitor while Klein Industries focuses on being a Mega Armor supplier for colonies and several neutral countries.
Maybe because he knew his boss was nervous, Tony, who was standing behind Elon, stepped forward to respond to what Aubrey said to his boss.
"Sorry, Mr. Wildemann. Only one of our Mega Armors was stolen by the rebels and Crow 01 is the only robot we made that uses Rochellium fuel. Even then, he should have undergone due diligence, not wandering around like it is now."
"Thanks for the answer, Tony," Aubrey said to Tony then he looked at Elon and continued. "Because if the four Mega Armors belonged to Abelman Corp, it's possible that they would all be destroyed by our Mega Armor. Maybe, Crow 01 too."
After finishing his words, Aubrey left his guests. Araia smiled, and then it was her turn to face her guests.
"Okay, gentlemen. Thank you all for visiting. Have a nice day."
In his limousine, Elon smoked with a frown on his face. His two assistants looked at him waiting for what he would say.
"If my father didn't have to make a formal appearance to the UEF today, he should have talked to The Benedicts and... who is that mechanic named Wildemann? What an annoying person he is!" Elon chirped.
"Euh…, i-is… he… from… 'that Wildemann family', Tony?" Chang asked his colleague.
"I don't know, Chang," Tony answered spontaneously.
"Wait, what Wildemann Family? Who, indeed, are the Wildemanns?" Elon asked in surprise.
"The Wildemann Family is one of the most respected families at Cloudbase, Mr. Abelman. Conrad Wildemann is the inventor of beam weapon technology. Aurora, her granddaughter, marries Gunther Elderich," Chang explained.
Still, Elon seemed unaffected. He just stared while enjoying his cigarette. In fact, Chang is presenting the family trees of influential people in outer space.
"I don't understand. I don't want to, and I don't care, Chang. Even though you mean to tell me that the mechanic is a famous person," said Elon.
"Mr. Wildemann is a designer, Mr. Abelman. Not a mechanic," Tony corrected his boss's words.
"Whatever. I told you earlier: 'I don't care', Tony," said Elon indifferently.
***
The carrier-type ship with the code name Heron which was involved in the Edison and Veracruz incidents this afternoon is now in a mountainous area in Cuba.
The crew on the ship was not large. In one part of the plane, a black-haired woman was seen talking to five people standing in a circle.
"We have successfully carried out two missions. It is possible that we will not receive an assignment for the next few days. So, you can relax before I ask you to come back. Where do you think you'll spend your time?" said the woman while smiling at her friends.
It's quiet for a moment. Then a man who from his stature and appearance was probably someone with a military background said.
"I'm not going anywhere. I don't know how the others do."
The one who spoke was Dino, the driver of the ELC's Mega Armor with the code name: Jaegernaut. Then Riker Lynch also spoke.
"I'm going back to New Haven, Shae."
Riker's words made his friends look at him, and then Riker said again, "So that people who know me don't think I'm too mysterious, you know? I was worried they would be suspicious of me."
"Okay. What about the other? By the way, I remind you: you must be around the American continent and not too far from here."
"Can I come with you to New Haven, Riker?" asked the woman with neck-length hair and a tomboyish appearance. She is Laetitia, the Wolvanger pilot.
"Of course, why not?" greeted Riker.
"Then I'll go there too. I'll cover your hotels and meals."
The man with long hair tied at the back of his head spoke. His name was Heracles, Angelicore pilot.
"Don't spend your money on me, Heracles," Riker refused with a smile. "Because I will be staying at my apartment."
"If Dino is the only one who wants to stay here and the others go to New Haven, I'll just go with the majority."
Riker, Laetitia, and Heracles looked at Brenn, their friend who was riding Crimsonite. While Brenn stared back with one eyebrow raised.
"Okay. Please have fun in New Haven while we don't have a mission to carry out," said Shae, the woman who had been giving commands to her friends so far. "You are all dismissed."
After talking with the pilots, Shae walked followed by Dino until the female ship captain arrived in a room with a door that slid open. Dino followed him in.
"Our client brought something from somewhere to Columbia?" Dino asked Shae who sank down her body to the bed in her room.
With her body lying on her stomach, Shae answered, "I think so. Maybe Mega Armor… or just the frame, could also be spare parts."
Slowly, Dino approached Shae's bed and then sat at the edge of it. "A full-scale invasion just to cover up smuggling?"
Dino said like he was musing. Meanwhile, Shae got up from his position and then approached one of his subordinates.
"They say what we are doing is a way for the world to break the dominance of United Earth," Shae got up, then embraced the man in front of him.
"Hopefully so," said Dino. He looked at Shae who was lying on his right shoulder.
"Remember the Eden," said the two of them in unison.
***
Previously, Benedict Engineering was the factory where Abelman Corp made weapons and Mega Armor frame designs. But everything changed once Arthur Benedict got a huge capital injection.
Abelman Corp has a stigma in the Space Era that is related to the incident at Eden, the first Cloudbase in space which is now just rubble.
As a result, UEF, which was previously their customer, switched to Klein Industries and has now fully utilized the services of Benedict Engineering. That's why there seems to be fierce competition between Benedict Engineering and Abelman Corp.
"Your workspace here is very pleasant, Aubrey. Can we stay here sometime?" asked Marie-Ellen.
Aubrey, who was busy in front of her computer, answered, "Of course we can. That's why your seat can transform into a bed."
After answering Marrie-Ellen, Aubrey muttered. "The shape of the sword has to be like this… then the size has to be just right. The current Skyburner is just a prototype. That means later…"
What Marrie-Ellen said was true. Aubrey's workspace is like a room with a spacious, minimalist interior.
The room even has a bathroom like a hotel, the floor is covered with carpet. Also, there is a television and refrigerator there. The only thing missing there was a kitchen.
"How about we just stay here today?" Marrie-Allen who enjoyed the place he was sitting lying down proposed.
"Ummm..., this room has CCTV, Baby," Aubrey answered then mumbled again. "Zerachiel must also be ready… his weapons… the enemy has four Mega Armors… Lieutenant Colonel Saunders' complaint is… well, it must be fixed immediately…"
That evening Aubrey picked Marrie-Ellen at Mode magazine, where Marrie-Ellen works. So now, his girlfriend joined him in his office.
While lying down on her very comfortable sofa, occasionally the beautiful girl looked Aubrey up with admiration as if she was proud of her boyfriend.
"So, what if it has CCTV?" asked Marie-Ellen. He smiled because he knew what Aubrey meant when he mentioned CCTV.
"I don't want to be talked about because we were caught making out here," Aubrey answered. He was just joking. But his demeanor is too cold to be funny.
"You are an expert in technology. "You can definitely do something with that camera," Marrie-Ellen said as she looked at the surveillance camera in one corner of the ceiling of the room where she and Aubrey were.
Marrie-Ellen's words made Aubrey turn around. Then the young man with glasses said, "That's a good idea, Mel..., but not now."
Marrie-Ellen chuckled at Aubrey's words. Then Aubrey's cell phone rang. Looking at his cell phone for a moment, he answered the incoming call.
"Yes, Papa?"
"Boy, you must be busy now because of the Edison incident, right?" a man's voice was heard talking to Aubrey.
"Exactly as you said," replied Aubrey. A low, heavy laugh was heard. Aubrey's father said again.
"Tomorrow Victor von Rochelle will come to The Chamber. It seems he will have a private talk with you, Young Elderich…"