"The collapse of the colony... huh."
From the Mobile Suit hangar of the Archangel, I watched as Heliopolis fell apart. The central shaft that supported the colony had shattered, causing it to break into blocks and drift apart into the void. The Archangel itself had been caught in the structural failure and was thrown out into open space.
When the Blitz's OS crashed mid-battle, I judged it too dangerous to stay out there. I managed to return to the hangar by moving along the Archangel's hull while there was still breathable air. And that was when I witnessed the colony's final moments.
"Brother, you made it!"
Murdoch spotted me and called out, slapping my shoulder hard—his unique way of expressing relief.
"Where's Kira?"
"The kid's not back yet. He probably got swept out into space with the debris, same as the ship... But more importantly, what happened to the Blitz?"
"The OS crashed right in the middle of combat. It was a close call, but somehow the machine is intact. I figured it was safer to come back here than float around in a paralyzed suit, so I scrambled back along the hull before the air ran out."
Murdoch looked at me with an exasperated expression.
"...Don't do reckless stuff like that. Though, I guess sitting in a dead machine out there was probably worse."
"Can you retrieve the Blitz?"
"Not until the kid gets back. If we had the Strike, we could—speak of the devil. The kid's back."
Following Murdoch's gaze to the monitor, I saw the Strike returning, clutching a life pod. If this followed the original story, Flay Allster was inside that pod.
"I'm heading to the bridge. Ask Kira to retrieve the Blitz for me."
"You got it."
"Also, there should be a giant beam rifle—or something like it—floating near the Blitz. It belonged to a GINN. Have him grab that too. And if you could investigate why the OS crashed... I assume that has to wait?"
"Yeah. The kid's gotta be exhausted from the battle. Let him rest a bit."
"I need the cause of that crash found as soon as possible. If it happens again, I'm dead meat."
"Yeah, I'll tell him."
Leaving Murdoch with those instructions, I walked out of the hangar.
"Axel-san, you're safe. Thank goodness."
Murrue greeted me as soon as I entered the bridge.
"The Blitz stopped moving suddenly during the battle. What happened?"
"That's what I'd like to know. The OS crashed completely. I asked Kira to look into the cause when he rewrites the code, so we should know eventually. More importantly, what about the GINN that was near me?"
"Ah, well, about that..."
I followed Murrue's gaze to Mu, who looked rather awkward.
"Uh, sorry about that."
Mu apologized for some reason. I didn't see why; he had saved me when I was in a pinch.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Murrue explained.
"The Blitz was about to be attacked by a GINN. Lieutenant La Flaga provided cover fire using the Gottfried in manual targeting mode, but..."
Wait, don't tell me this is playing out exactly like the anime?
"He destroyed the shaft along with the GINN?"
"...My bad."
Mu bowed his head slightly. I just nodded.
"You saved my life; I'm not going to blame you. Besides, the GINN's missiles and that giant rifle had already shredded the shaft. Heliopolis would have collapsed soon anyway."
In reality, they had been firing wild shots everywhere. My assessment wasn't wrong.
"So, what's the plan now?" I asked, turning to Murrue in the captain's seat.
"Even if you ask... we haven't shaken off the ZAFT ship yet. Can we track their movements?"
She asked the C.I.C. officer, who shook his head.
"Impossible. There are too many heat sources among the debris. Radar and thermal sensors are useless right now."
"Same for them, I'd bet," Mu interjected. The guilty look was gone, replaced by the sharp focus of a veteran soldier looking for a way to survive.
"So you think they'll pursue?"
"We should assume they will. Although, with the Blitz disabled and Lieutenant La Flaga's Moebius Zero under repair, we have no chance of winning a fight right now."
"How about we run at max combat speed? This ship is fast, right?"
"They have a Nazca-class high-speed vessel. There's no guarantee we can outrun them."
"Then should we just surrender? If we hand over the ship and the two G-weapons as a gift, ZAFT probably won't treat us too badly."
I watched silently as Murrue and Mu debated. My position here was strictly as a mercenary and advisor. Speaking out of turn could jeopardize the standing of these officers later—like during the Alaska inquiry. Though, given how many Blue Cosmos sympathizers were in the upper brass, anything the Archangel crew did would likely be viewed negatively regardless.
"What!? Wait a moment. Who authorized that?"
Natarle's sharp voice cut through my thoughts.
"Ensign Badgiruel, what is it?"
"The Strike has returned. It is holding a life pod."
"...Ah, right. It had one."
I remembered the pod with Flay inside.
"Axel Almer, if you knew..."
Natarle's tone was accusatory, but Murrue cut her off.
"It's fine. I authorize it."
"Captain?"
"We don't have time to argue about this. Besides, knowing Kira-kun's personality, he wouldn't back down on this. ...Hurry up and bring them in."
"Understood, Captain."
Natarle nodded reluctantly. Mu patted her shoulder lightly, perhaps to encourage her or calm her down.
"I know the situation is dire," Murrue said firmly, addressing Mu's earlier suggestion. "But I have no intention of surrendering. We cannot hand this ship, the Strike, or the Blitz over to ZAFT. We must return them to the Atlantic Federation headquarters at all costs. Especially the Blitz's Mirage Colloid technology—if that falls into ZAFT hands, we don't know what kind of weapons they might create."
That was a definitive 'no' to surrender. She had a point; the Mirage Colloid was the reason Genesis was kept hidden until the last moment.
"Captain, I propose we head for Artemis," Natarle stated.
"Artemis? The Eurasian military fortress?"
"Artemis of the Umbrella, huh?"
Hearing their words, I pulled up a star chart on the monitor.
"Currently, they are the closest friendly forces to our position," Natarle explained.
"Sorry, can I say something?" I interrupted.
This might be overstepping, but I had to speak up. In the original story, the Archangel was detained at Artemis, and they nearly had the Strike's data stolen. They were saved only by a ZAFT surprise attack—specifically, by Nicol in the Blitz. But the Blitz was currently here on the Archangel. This meant that if the Archangel and the Gundams were captured at Artemis, we wouldn't have the original 'deus ex machina' to save us.
"You have an opinion?" Natarle asked.
I nodded.
"According to my information, the commander of Artemis is a man named Major General Gerard Garcia. He's reportedly a typical self-serving, arrogant officer. If this ship, carrying the Atlantic Federation's new weapons—the Strike and the Blitz—enters a port commanded by such a man without proper identification codes... he'll seize the ship and the Mobile Suits faster than you can blink."
"Ridiculous! Do you really think such insubordination would be allowed?"
"I think there's a near 100% chance it will happen."
"Axel Almer, that is merely your conjecture. Furthermore, if we don't resupply at Artemis, we will run out of consumables like weapons and ammo. If that happens, we'll eventually be captured by ZAFT anyway. It is better to head for Artemis where there is hope. ...Unless you have some other source for supplies?"
...I can't exactly say "I watched the anime so I know Artemis is a trap." But wait... the original story. Right.
"Well, it's not like there isn't another option."
"Oh? Sounds interesting," Mu said.
"What is it?" Natarle demanded.
"Axel-san?"
Under their gazes—Mu impressed, Natarle skeptical, Murrue hopeful—I proposed the exact idea Mu came up with in the original series. Sorry, Mu. I'm stealing your thunder.
"There's a debris belt near Earth. The ruins of Junius Seven should be drifting there. Which means..."
"You want us to be grave robbers? I mean, if we have absolutely no other choice, sure, but I'm not exactly thrilled about it," Mu said, grimacing.
"Axel-san, that is indeed a bit..." Murrue hesitated.
"Out of the question," Natarle said flatly.
...Lots of rejection. In the original story... right, they only accepted the debris belt plan after Artemis fell and they had no other options.
"Unfortunately, you are only an advisor," Natarle said coldly. "We will decide our next destination."
"Right... And while Artemis definitely has supplies, we don't know if the debris belt does. Considering that, we should head to Artemis," Murrue concluded.
In the end, my suggestion was rejected, and the Archangel set a course for Artemis.
STATUS SCREEN
Name: Axel Almer
Level: 35
PP: 495
STATS:
Melee: 246
Shooting: 264
Skill: 256
Defense: 253
Evade: 281
Hit: 303
SP: 422
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
TERRAIN ADAPTATION:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: S
SPIRIT COMMANDS:
Accel (SP 4)
Gain (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Zeal (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
SKILLS:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recover & Focus)
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Will Limit Break
Geass (Gray)
???
???
???
???
???
Kill Count: 256
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