Chapter 276: Encounter 4
Yzak, visibly anxious as Tolle slowly approached, urged Athrun, "Hey, we need to go. Hurry up and head back."
Athrun looked torn. He stole one more reluctant glance at Kira, then turned to leave.
Suddenly, Kira called out to him, "This Torii was given to me by a very good friend… a very, very important friend. It's the most precious thing I have."
Athrun's reluctance grew stronger at those words, and Kira also looked conflicted, clearly not wanting to part from Athrun.
"Yo, we meet again." Tolle walked over at the worst possible moment, greeting Athrun before turning to Kira. "Kira, he's the one I told you I ran into earlier."
Kira looked between Tolle and Athrun in shock, unable to believe it.
Athrun, uneasy, said, "Ah… yeah, hello again. And thanks for pointing us the way earlier. But we still have things to do. We can talk another time."
With that, he turned and continued walking toward Yzak and the others outside the fence.
Kira and Tolle watched Athrun slowly disappear from view.
Tolle explained, "I ran into them in town earlier today while I was buying supplies. They recognized me, so I pointed them this way. Didn't expect you two to be this fated—you met before I even finished explaining."
Kira still stared at Athrun's departing figure with reluctant sorrow, answering in a miserable voice, "Thanks, Tolle."
"Hey, don't be like that, Kira. Maybe one day, you and Athrun will still be together—still really, really close friends."
"Thanks."
"Come on, are we really going to be polite with each other?"
The two of them walked back to the Morgenröte factory, each keeping silent about their encounter with Athrun.
After dinner, Cagalli—despairing over the hopelessness of Tolle's power-transfer training—latched onto Kira again, insisting he make her a custom MS operating system OS.
Kira asked helplessly, "Cagalli, do you want to fight too?"
"Huh?" Cagalli, baffled and annoyed, answered, "I just want this war to end sooner, that's all."
"But… even if you keep fighting, this war won't end so easily."
Seeing Kira reluctant to make an OS for her, Cagalli huffed, "We can't just sit around and wait for destruction, can we?
If you at least have power, then when war comes, you don't have to hide and depend entirely on others."
During his break, Tolle arrived at Kira's office. Seeing Cagalli fuming, he was ready to slip out the door—but she grabbed him before he could escape.
"Hey, Tolle, help me out! Get Kira to make me an MS assist OS. I want to pilot an MS too.
Lately Ashar, Julie, and Mayura have all completely left me behind!"
Tolle answered without thinking, "Why do you even need that? As a commander, just direct the troops—you don't need to personally fight."
"Who says commanders can't pilot MSes? If all the soldiers are wiped out, I'll have to fight anyway!
I fought on the front lines all the time with the Desert Dawn, didn't I? This is nothing!"
When Tolle didn't respond, Cagalli planted her hands on her hips, fuming.
"Well? Are you helping me or not? If not, then give me that power-transfer training. You're choosing one of them no matter what."
Tolle looked at the slowly growing slyness in her expression and scratched his head helplessly. Then he turned to Kira. "Kira… maybe you should just make one for her?"
Kira sighed and spread his hands. "Alright… I'll make one for you when I have time."
"Yes! Awesome!" Cagalli hooked her arms around both their necks, beaming. "Thanks, you two!"
Then she sprinted out of the room in a rush.
After watching her tiger-like departure, Tolle and Kira exchanged helpless looks and sighed at the same time.
A few days later, Kira finished all his MS operating system OS programming.
Tolle's rapid power-transfer work also paused for the moment. ORB couldn't keep having him hide behind the excuse of being an MS instructor instead of appearing before the other Archangel crew members.
And thanks to Uzumi's arrangements, Mu even attended several "MS piloting training sessions."
Over the following weeks, Tolle and Mu trained in MS combat together, easing Mu's doubts.
Another month passed quickly, and the Archangel's repairs were finally completed.
Just before the repair work was fully finished, Kisaka addressed everyone on the Archangel's bridge:
"According to the latest intelligence ORB has received, the greatest current instability within the Earth Alliance comes from the mass driver at the Panama Base.
There are rumors that ZAFT is gathering forces in space to launch a massive drop operation and directly seize the Panama military base.
So we must remain alert to any movements from the Carpentaria Base."
Natarle asked, "Do you know how far ZAFT has progressed with their troop buildup?"
Kisaka shook his head. "Not yet. ORB's position is complicated.
We want more information, but we don't want unnecessary trouble.
But given the current situation, things are actually very favorable for your journey toward the Alaska Base."
Helmsman Neumann agreed. "Right. Even if we're pursued, as long as the Archangel crosses the Tropic of Cancer, we'll be entering Alaska's defensive zone.
ZAFT will only be able to chase us that far. If they pursue past that point, the cost will be enormous."