Chapter 67: SEED – Hostage? Rescue
But what if he became a hostage to the Eighth Fleet, and Rau Le Creuset refused to negotiate and simply sacrificed Nicol?
Or maybe… take a bigger risk and go to ZAFT himself as a hostage—he might even get a mobile suit out of it.
Yeah, that definitely had potential.
Try it and die! Who's afraid of who! Worst case, he'd just take the whole warship with him.
In the end, he still decided to let Nicol Amalfi take him hostage, ensuring Nicol's safe escape.
He would be taken aboard Nicol's Laurasia-class ship, and then Nicol would help him steal a mobile suit to get away.
That way, the losses of the Eighth Fleet could be reduced while forcing the Archangel to descend into the desert.
As for his powers, Tolle Koenig brushed it off, saying that he once bought a necklace pendant, supposedly a meteorite that had fallen from space.
When he died the first time, the pendant fused with his body.
After being reborn, he learned that it was actually alien technology from a parallel world. Somehow it had ended up here and finally fused with him.
All his abilities came from this pendant. Then Nami demonstrated the nano-suit transformation and weapon-shifting abilities.
Seeing Nicol Amalfi utterly convinced, he couldn't help but think Nicol was just another youth poisoned by too many transmigration novels.
He then explained the revised plan to Nicol. After listening to Tolle Koenig's elaborate scheme, Nicol asked doubtfully:
"Tolle, is it really necessary to go this far?"
"Ah, I don't have a choice. If I want even a slightly better ending, this is the only way.
This nano-bracelet—I've already given you permission. You can turn it into whatever you want.
Even a micro-beam gun, and don't worry, the energy supply is more than enough.
Come on, let's get to work!"
Nicol Amalfi nodded. The surveillance feed switched seamlessly to a live feed.
Suddenly, Nicol sprang into action, forming a compact submachine gun, and fired at the cell door.
The door burst open and he dashed out.
Tolle Koenig, pretending to be in a panic, tumbled and crawled after him, but was quickly "caught."
Now with a gun pointed at him, he became a hostage, leading Nicol Amalfi toward the hangar.
Murrue Ramius and the others never expected such a development. They immediately sent soldiers to rescue Tolle Koenig, and she herself rushed out of the bridge toward the hangar.
Nicol Amalfi quickly reached the Archangel's hangar, where a large number of soldiers were already waiting, fully armed.
According to their prearranged plan, Nicol held Tolle in front of him as a shield and moved to a safe corner, threatening to return to Blitz Gundam and escape.
"Get out of the way, let me return to Blitz Gundam, or I'll take him down with me!"
Then he revealed two heartbeat-triggered bombs—one bound to himself, the other to Tolle—and continued:
"These are two heartbeat-controlled bombs. If I die, they'll both detonate instantly.
Tolle Koenig will die with me, and the explosion's power is enormous.
And in zero gravity, the blast will cause serious damage to all of you as well."
Murrue Ramius spoke tensely:
"Nicol, right? Calm down, calm down. We can talk this through. Don't do anything rash."
Tolle Koenig put on a near-crying act and shouted:
"Captain Ramius, save me, I don't want to die!"
Nicol Amalfi shouted:
"Move aside, now! I promise he won't be harmed. I just want to leave the Archangel and return to my team.
There's nothing else to discuss. Either move, or we all die together!"
Faced with the threat of the bombs, Murrue Ramius reluctantly ordered the soldiers to stand down and clear a path.
Natarle Badgiruel, furious, protested:
"Captain Ramius, how can you let him leave so easily?
Blitz Gundam is a top-secret Earth Alliance asset—we can't just let it go.
If necessary, we should sacrifice Volunteer Tolle Koenig."
The soldiers hesitated, torn after spending time with Tolle—they couldn't bring themselves to pull the trigger.
So Natarle seized a soldier's pistol and aimed it at Tolle herself:
"Volunteer Tolle Koenig, don't worry. You'll be posthumously honored as a martyr, and your family will receive a hefty compensation—"
Before she could finish, Murrue Ramius stepped in front of her gun and said firmly:
"Lieutenant Badgiruel, how could you say that? Tolle Koenig is one of our own. How can we sacrifice him?"
Beside them, Mu La Flaga murmured quietly:
"Uh, actually… Blitz Gundam was already captured by ZAFT. It's not that much of a secret anymore.
And we've already backed up the data. Even if we lose it again, it's not a big deal. Preserving Volunteer Tolle Koenig should be the priority."
Tolle Koenig added with feigned innocence:
"Exactly, Lieutenant Badgiruel. Worst case, I'll just pick it up again next time…"
Nicol Amalfi kneed Tolle in the waist and snarled at Natarle:
"Hurry up and let us through, or I'll kill him first and then take you or the captain down with me. That'd still count as a major victory for me!"
Natarle Badgiruel fell silent. At last, Murrue Ramius gave the order to clear the way, allowing Nicol Amalfi to return to Blitz Gundam.
Tolle Koenig was forced aboard the still-unrepaired Blitz Gundam, where Nicol opened a comm channel:
"I don't trust you not to attack me mid-flight. I'm taking him with me. Once I'm safe, I'll release him.
Now open the catapult and let me launch."
On the comm screen, Miriallia Haw watched in tears, crying out repeatedly:
"Tolle, you must be okay!"
Helplessly, Murrue Ramius ordered the Archangel's catapult to open, allowing Blitz Gundam to launch.
And so Nicol Amalfi and Tolle Koenig left the Archangel in broad daylight.
Nicol immediately sent a signal to summon a Nazca-class ship for pickup.
Inside Blitz Gundam's cockpit, Nicol Amalfi asked:
"Are you sure this will really work? You're coming with me to ZAFT—you're not afraid of something going wrong?"
Tolle Koenig shook his head.
"No. If anything happens, I'll just seize control of that Laurasia-class ship.
You know what I can do—this kind of thing is nothing.
My main goal is to steal a Ginn and disable the propulsion systems of a few of your ships, to ease the pressure on the Eighth Fleet.
You saw my memories, right? Your Laurasia-class ship was destined to go down with Rear Admiral Duane Halberton's ship from the Eighth Fleet.
This way, we can prevent that tragedy and save many lives."
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)