It had been about a week since our escape from Artemis. The Archangel had been moving stealthily, holding its breath to shake off the pursuit of the Laurasia-class ship. And finally...
"No enemy ship signatures within a radius of five thousand. It appears they have completely lost track of us."
Relief washed over the bridge at the C.I.C. operator's report. I watched the scene unfold from a spare seat at the back of the bridge.
Naturally, I was glad we had managed to slip the noose. However, the issue of our dwindling supplies remained entirely unresolved.
"Do you think Artemis managed to blind them effectively?" Mu asked, sitting in the spare chair next to mine.
"They served their purpose, I suppose. Though a chaotic mess like that is really only good for use as a meat shield."
"Hey now, that's harsh," Mu chided, though a wry smile played on his lips. Internally, he seemed to agree with me.
"That's enough, you two," Murrue interjected with a heavy sigh. "It is good that the Laurasia has lost us, but our supply situation hasn't changed."
"We're seeing problems in maintenance as well," Natarle added, exhaling a sigh of her own. As the officer in charge of the Combat Information Center, this was a headache she couldn't ignore. "I've ordered the use of the parts cleaning machines to be minimized, but that's not a complete solution. The Strike, the Blitz, and the Mobius Zero are the linchpins of this ship's defense. If we conserve the maintenance equipment so much that the machines fail in actual combat, we're putting the cart before the horse."
"In that case," Mu said, "don't we have to go with Axel's previous suggestion? Scavenging in the Debris Belt?"
"I suppose so. I understand your point, Lieutenant... Desperate times call for desperate measures. Let's head for the Debris Belt. We should have just listened to Axel-san from the start."
"Understood. Setting course for the Debris Belt. Though, there's no point crying over spilt milk now. None of us imagined ZAFT had a method to breach the Umbrella of Artemis," Neumann said, adjusting the Archangel's heading at Murrue's command.
"Handling supplies with our current crew numbers is going to be tight," Murrue noted. "Maybe we should ask the students from Heliopolis for help?"
"Agreed. I'll go ask them personally," Murrue said, standing up. "And... Axel-san, would you come with me? You've known those kids the longest, and it might be better if someone who isn't a military officer is present."
"Me? Sure, I don't mind."
I nodded. Though, saying I've known them "the longest" was a stretch; compared to Mu or Natarle, it was only a difference of a few hours. I assumed the real reason was my status as a mercenary rather than a soldier.
"We can get supplies? Where?"
In one of the Archangel's crew quarters, Murrue and I sat facing Kira and the student group. Sai was the first to speak up after Murrue asked for their assistance.
"Well, simply put, we're going to reuse what we can find in the Debris Belt," I explained.
"As Axel-san says, we are currently heading toward the belt."
"Reuse things from the Debris Belt... wait a second. Does that mean...?"
"Yes. It is as you suspect, Sai-kun," Murrue confirmed gently. "The Debris Belt is a graveyard of things drifting in space. That includes, of course, battleships, Mobile Armors, and Mobile Suits destroyed in battle... We should be able to salvage some ammunition and resources from them."
"You mean... supplies from the dead?" Tolle asked, his face paling.
Murrue and I nodded silently.
"We left Heliopolis without fully stocking up, and you know what happened at Artemis. If we fight without resupplying, the best-case scenario is surrender; the worst is the destruction of the Archangel. Surviving is better than that, isn't it?" I said.
"We want you to help with extravehicular activity to transport the supplies," Murrue added.
The students looked at one another nervously. It was understandable; no one wants to go grave robbing in space.
"We aren't asking you to loot the dead for profit," Murrue said softly. "We just need them to share a little of what we need... so that we can survive."
In the end, the students agreed to help. Looking at their faces, I spoke up again.
"Also, wreckage from Junius Seven has drifted into that belt. Why don't we offer some flowers for the repose of their souls?"
"Junius Seven!?"
"Yeah. It's part of the debris, so it's not strange for it to end up here. Besides, rather than taking supplies from the sleeping dead in silence, offering flowers first might make the work a little easier on your conscience."
"But... we don't have fresh flowers..." Murrue murmured.
I recalled the original scene. I was pretty sure they used origami.
"They don't have to be real. Origami or artificial flowers will do. It's the thought that counts."
"You're... right. Let's ask the refugees to help with that, too."
We arrived at the Debris Belt. Kira and the students launched in the Strike and the Mistral work pods to begin the salvage operation. On the deck of the Archangel, Flay, dressed in a spacesuit, released the paper flowers toward the direction of the Junius Seven wreckage.
In the original story, this was Miriallia's role. But since she was coordinating the supply efforts, the task fell to Flay, whose hands were free. ...Initially, she seemed reluctant given that Junius Seven was a Coordinator colony, but it seemed she had accepted Sai's persuasion.
Perhaps because I had informed them about Junius Seven beforehand, the supply run for water and ammo began without the friction seen in the anime. Though, they still looked uncomfortable hauling ice from the wreckage... but since that massive quantity of frozen water was essential for the Archangel, there was no helping it.
"How much longer will it take?"
Murrue contacted me while I was on guard duty. I watched the pods carving out ice and transporting usable ammunition, making a rough calculation.
"Let's see... I'd say about four to five hours. The ammo is almost done, but the water is taking a bit of time. Kira, any abnormalities on your end?"
I sent a transmission to the Strike, which was guarding the opposite sector against potential ZAFT raids.
...No response.
Had he encountered the GINN searching for Lacus, just like in the canon? But it was too quiet...
As if to answer my thought—or perhaps trigger the flag—flashes of beam rifle fire illuminated the sector the Strike was patrolling. Moments later, beams streaked through the dark, followed by the distinct light of a Mobile Suit exploding.
"Kira-kun? What happened?"
Murrue's voice rang out from the Archangel, sensing the explosion just as I did. But Kira's signal abruptly cut off.
"Axel-san, could you go check on Kira-kun?"
"On it. That light was definitely a Mobile Suit going up. That means a ZAFT machine was in this sector..."
"You think the Laurasia was lying in ambush?"
"Unlikely, but we should consider the worst-case scenario. Keep your guard up. I'll contact you as soon as I know something."
"Yes, please."
I accepted the request and boosted toward Kira's patrol zone.
I found the Strike almost immediately. It was drifting in space, appearing undamaged. I reached out with the Blitz's hand to establish a direct contact link.
"Kira, are you alright?"
"Axel... san?"
"Yeah. You cut the comms suddenly. Murrue was worried."
"I-I'm sorry. But... wait, huh?"
"What is it?"
"Um, there's something ahead... a lifepod?"
I pulled up the feed from the Strike's forward camera on my monitor. Sure enough, a green object resembling a civilian lifepod was floating there.
Lacus Clyne was undoubtedly inside.
"That's definitely a lifepod. ...Kira, just to confirm: the Mobile Suit you destroyed wasn't from the Laurasia that chased us to Artemis, was it?"
"Eh? No. It wasn't a Duel or Buster. It was a Recon Type GINN."
"I see. So the worst-case scenario didn't happen."
"Eh? ...Ah!? I'm sorry. I didn't even think about that possibility."
"Well, as long as it wasn't them, it's fine. So, what are you going to do with that pod?"
"Um, what do you think we should do?"
"If we leave it here, whoever is inside has zero chance of rescue. This is a debris belt, after all."
"Then we have to save them!"
"The problem is our machines. They're top-secret Alliance weapons."
Technically, the "secret" was barely a secret anymore, considering ZAFT had stolen half of them, extracted the data, and was already applying the tech to new models like the GuAIZ.
"But we can't just leave them to die!"
"...Fine by me. I'll put in a good word for you, but remember, I'm just an outsider mercenary. Be prepared for a lecture from Natarle."
"Thank you very much!"
Kira thanked me and began his return to the Archangel, clutching the lifepod in the Strike's hand.
The Archangel's Mobile Suit hangar.
Murrue, Natarle, Mu, and the mechanics were gathered. Kira and I were there too, along with several armed security personnel, just in case the occupant turned out to be a ZAFT soldier.
As Murdoch examined the lifepod, Natarle addressed Kira.
"You really do love picking up lost items, don't you?"
There it was. But her tone wasn't as harsh as I expected. Unlike at Heliopolis, Natarle understood that abandoning the pod here meant certain death for the occupant.
"Opening it up."
At Murdoch's signal, the security team trained their rifles on the hatch. Murdoch typed a few commands into the keypad connected to the pod. With an electronic beep, the door hissed open...
"Haro! Haro! ...Haro! Lacus! Haro..."
Accompanied by the electronic chirping, a round pink object bounced out. It was Haro, the Gundam mascot character. Everyone froze at the unexpected sight.
Then, a human voice followed.
"Thank you. You have done well."
Emerging with those words was a girl with pink hair. Lacus Clyne—the key figure who would eventually bring an end to this war.
And thus, Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne had their fateful encounter.
Name: Axel Almer
LV: 35
PP: 495
Melee: 246
Shooting: 264
Skill: 256
Defense: 253
Evade: 281
Hit: 303
SP: 422
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to boost unit performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
Terrain Ratings:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4)
Gain (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Awaken (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
Limit Break (Morale)
Geass (Gray)
???
???
???
???
???
Shot Down Count: 256
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