"What... is that?"
Having safely evacuated the combat sector thanks to Mikazuki's warning, Murrue stood frozen on the bridge of the Archangel. She stared through the viewports and at the main screen, where the ship's sensors projected an enlarged view of the distant battlefield.
Aboard the Kusanagi, Ledonir's voice came through: "Chief Erica is already analyzing that attack."
"I see... By the way, what about Mika? Did he make it back?" Murrue rose from her seat, anxiety etched into her delicate features. From the moment the retreat was called, it was Orga who had communicated with them, leaving Mika out of direct contact with the four ships.
Lacus and Cagalli were equally fraught with worry. Just then, a comm channel crackled to life.
"Are you guys all right?"
Mika's voice echoed through the bridges of the ships. A heavy weight lifted from Murrue's chest, and she let out a long breath of relief.
Patting her chest, she grumbled with exasperation, "Good grief... you scared me half to death."
Having just touched down on the Eternal's catapult deck and moving toward the hangar, Mika blinked, not quite understanding why Murrue sounded so upset. To him, she genuinely seemed angry, though it was hardly the kind of thing he dwelled on.
Lacus harbored no complaints. Turning toward Murrue, Cagalli, and the others, she said, "The Eternal has already signaled the supply ship to proceed to the designated rendezvous coordinates. We need to resupply as quickly as possible once they arrive."
"We owe it to Mika's warning," Murrue added. "Otherwise, we would have been caught in the blast radius."
"The real question is... what on earth is that thing behind the ZAFT lines at Jachin Due? Destructive power like that is more horrifying than a nuclear explosion," Mu cut in over the channel, speaking from inside the Strike.
A chime rang out beside Andrew's armrest on the bridge, signaling an incoming data packet. "What's this...?"
The Archangel received the same transmission, forwarded directly from the Kusanagi.
"Gamma rays?"
Erica's face appeared on the secondary monitor. "Correct. What was fired was a focused beam of gamma rays. More accurately, it channels the explosive energy of a nuclear blast directly outward. In short, it is a colossal gamma-ray cannon.
If a beam of that scale were fired at Earth, the catastrophic radiation would scorch the surface bare, reducing all life to ash. Furthermore... based on its current position and range, multiple calculations confirm that it is entirely capable of reaching Earth."
"Genesis..."
Athrun, who had just stepped onto the bridge of the Eternal alongside Kira, murmured the word the moment he saw the simulation on screen.
"Genesis?" Lacus knit her brow slightly, turning toward him.
"Yes. Yzak warned me just as we were withdrawing. He said Genesis was about to fire."
"Genesis... To create a new world? How poetically grotesque. Chairman Patrick has truly gone all out," Andrew remarked with cutting sarcasm, prompting Athrun to hang his head in quiet anguish.
Over on the Archangel, Murrue spoke up: "Do you think... they will actually aim that thing at Earth?"
"..."
The bridge commanders across all the ships fell into a grim silence. Finally, Andrew broke it.
"Originally, holding a weapon of that magnitude in reserve was meant to serve as a deterrent. But now the Earth Alliance has used nukes, and ZAFT has unleashed that monstrosity. As things stand, neither side has any scruples left.
The ultimate terrors once kept hidden for deterrence are now laid bare on the table. The situation has spun completely out of control. And the one who orchestrated this mutual exchange of doomsday weapons... is that bastard Creuset."
Andrew's expression was dark. He was not alone; even Lacus wore an uncharacteristically grim look.
Mu's voice turned grave. "Rau Le Creuset... everything is playing out right according to his script for the end of the world."
Orga closed one eye and remarked calmly, "Mika didn't spot him anywhere on the battlefield. He never deployed, which means he's probably holed up inside the command bunker for Genesis."
Andrew continued in a somber tone, "The first time I pulled a trigger and killed a man on the battlefield, I was shaking like a leaf. But someone told me I'd get used to it soon enough. And sure enough, you really do get used to it..."
A chill ran down everyone's spine. The implication was painfully clear. Cagalli asked, "Are you saying... the button for Genesis is no different from the button for a nuclear strike?"
Andrew glanced at Cagalli on the screen. "Isn't it? People adapt terrifyingly fast to war, to butchering each other. What's more, Chairman Patrick has a silver-tongued madman whispering in his ear. They'll get used to pressing that firing button in no time."
"..."
Lacus lifted her gaze and spoke with resolve: "In any case, we must stop both the Earth Alliance's nuclear weapons and ZAFT's Genesis. Will all ship captains please come aboard the Eternal? We need to draft our operational plan in detail."
"Understood."
With that settled, Lacus opened a direct channel to Mikazuki. "Mika, can you hear me?"
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Are you coming up to the bridge too?"
"Ah... but I want to get something to eat."
"That is fine. You can eat right here on the bridge."
Hearing this, Andrew nearly jumped out of his seat. "Whoa, whoa, Miss Lacus, this isn't a mess hall..."
Before he could finish his protest, his partner took hold of his arm. Aisha smiled warmly and intervened, "Now, now, Andy, what's the harm? Just let the kid come up and eat."
"Aisha..."
A quiet chuckle escaped from the corner of the bridge.
Half an hour later.
Murrue from the Archangel and Cagalli from the Kusanagi had both arrived in the Eternal's briefing room. Across the holographic display table rested a full data simulation of Genesis.
Over in the corner, Mikazuki sat munching on rice balls prepared for him by the mess hall, chewing away contentedly.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
A vein throbbed on Andrew's temple. He whirled around and barked, "You little brat! Watching you scarf those down is making me hungry!"
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