Chapter 289: Aftermath of the Battle 1
Tolle shook his head and said, "But don't focus only on protecting Lacus. You need to watch your own safety too, otherwise saving you would've been for nothing."
Nicol nodded in agreement. "Mm, I'll be careful."
While waiting for the Archangel to depart, Tolle used the neo DG cells to check Kira and Athrun's life signs again.
Both of them were still alive, though Kira's injuries were more serious. Fortunately, his life wasn't in danger.
By evening, the sky had already grown dark, but the Archangel was still not fully repaired and remained lying motionless on the ground.
Suddenly, the radar operator on the bridge reported nervously, "Captain Murrue, bearing at six o'clock—radar shows ZAFT mobile suits approaching!"
After confirming, Romero immediately added, "MS heat signatures, three units. They're airborne combat-type Din models. At their current speed, they'll reach us in about fifteen minutes!"
Tension immediately filled the bridge once again. Their combat capability was nearly nonexistent. The maintenance crew was entirely focused on repairing the Archangel, leaving no hands free to work on Mu's Skygrasper either.
If those three Dinns attacked head-on, the Archangel would be sunk for sure.
Murrue gave orders in a fluster, "All hands, first battle readiness! Prepare to intercept!"
Natarle quickly tried to dissuade her. "Captain Ramius, this is too reckless. Half of the Archangel's weapons are damaged and unusable. And the only mobile unit left—Commander Flaga's Skygrasper—is still under repair.
Under these conditions, facing three Dinns, we won't even last ten minutes!"
Off to the side, Miriallia—still unable to accept the Archangel's desperate situation—kept calling Tolle and Kira over the comms, but received no answer at all.
Seeing this, Natarle strode forward, shut off her console, and snapped harshly, "Enough already. Ensign Yamato and Warrant Officer Tolle are MIA. Do you understand?"
Hearing "MIA" made Miriallia recall the last time Tolle went missing—how they had used this same word. In battle, someone who went missing was usually already dead.
"No… impossible. Tolle came back safe last time, didn't he? He'll come back again this time. He has to!" Miriallia stared blankly at the monitor, her expression empty and dazed.
Natarle continued her stern reprimand. "Accept reality. If you don't get your head straight, you'll be the next one to die."
"No… Tolle and Kira will be fine… they'll come back…" Miriallia muttered, face pale. Suddenly she stood up and ran out of the bridge.
Natarle moved to stop her, but Romero refocused her attention when he checked the radar again and reported, "Estimated time until the Dinns reach us: eleven minutes!"
At that moment, Neumann looked over his navigation console, saw the systems recover, and announced excitedly, "Captain Murrue, power has been restored to the Archangel!"
Murrue finally issued the order she had been struggling to avoid. "Archangel, launch immediately! Maximum speed—escape the area and head for Alaska!"
"Understood! Archangel lifting off—maximum thrust!" Neumann replied.
But Murrue still couldn't give up completely. She turned to Chandra and asked, "Where were the last confirmed signals from the Strike and Skygrasper Unit Two?"
Chandra checked the logs and answered, "At a small island at the Archangel's seven-o'clock position."
Hearing that Murrue might still consider turning back to rescue Kira and Tolle, Natarle immediately objected again, sharply, "Captain Ramius, we can't return. Not like this. We can't let the Archangel go down here."
What Natarle said was true. Unwilling to abandon hope, Murrue opened the link to the hangar. "Commander Flaga, what's the status of Skygrasper Unit One?"
Mu sounded helpless. "No good. Still not repaired. I can't launch."
Seeing Murrue still wavering, Natarle pressed on, "Captain Ramius, we're out of time. If we don't leave right now, we'll be sunk. We can't delay any longer."
Sai, at least still holding onto some conscience, spoke up firmly, "But—what if Tolle and Kira made it out and are still alive? What then? We can't just abandon them!"
Even Natarle was thrown off by that and had nothing to say for a moment.
Murrue, still unwilling to give up, continued her questions. "Have we managed to establish contact with Alaska HQ yet?"
Chandra replied, "No response so far."
Watching her hesitate yet again, Natarle snapped, unable to contain herself, "Captain Ramius, do you want everyone here to die on the Archangel with you!?"
This time, Murrue could no longer ignore her. Forcing back her emotions, she ordered Chandra, "Continue transmitting to Alaska!
And… send the coordinates of the island where the Strike and Skygrasper Unit Two signals were lost, along with a distress request—to Orb."
Natarle stared in disbelief. "Why Orb? That country is—"
Murrue cut her off sharply. "This is a matter of life and death. Orb will accept."
Natarle argued back, "But that nation is… too dangerous—"
Murrue finally lost her patience and shouted, "If there are consequences, I'll take full responsibility!"
Watching through his screens, Tolle was deeply moved. As expected of the woman he liked.
In contrast, Natarle was really just awful.
Tolle silently made up his mind: once he rescued her from the Dominion, he would give her a complete brainwashing and turn her into XXX.
At that moment, Romero reported in panic, "The three Dinns are approaching at high speed—distance 8,000 meters!"
Murrue knew then that they had no choice. "Engines to full! Depart immediately—evasion takes priority over everything else!"
The Archangel lifted off and sped away from the battlefield at maximum thrust.
In the corridor, Miriallia staggered weakly as the Archangel lurched into motion. The sudden acceleration knocked her off her feet.
Sitting on the floor, she said in a daze, "This isn't real… it's not real. Tolle… you'll come back… you will…"