The 8th Fleet's advance squadron had arrived to escort the Archangel, only to immediately fall under attack by the ZAFT forces led by Rau Le Creuset. In a desperate bid to save them, Kira, Mu, and I had sortied, each of us now embroiled in our own chaotic battles.
Kira in the Strike and Mu in the Moebius Zero were engaging the GINNs swarming the advance fleet. Meanwhile, I was in the Blitz, locking horns with the Aegis, which was trying to slip past my guard to get to the Strike.
"Don't sulk just because I'm playing hard to get!"
I fired the beam rifle mounted on the Tri-keros shield. The Aegis blocked the shot with its own shield, surging forward to bring its beam saber crashing down. I backed away to evade, simultaneously equipping the GINN Heavy Blade I had strapped to the Blitz's waist with my left hand.
Athrun must have judged that my newly equipped physical blade wouldn't scratch his Phase Shift armor. He pressed the attack, swinging his beam saber more aggressively—sweeping, thrusting, trying to overwhelm me. I dodged each strike with minimal movements, relying on short thruster bursts, and parried the rest with the Tri-keros. And then...
"Got you!"
Perhaps irritated that his attacks weren't connecting, the Aegis lashed out with increasing recklessness, seemingly abandoning defense in favor of pure offense. The fact that I was only dodging—and that I was wielding a physical sword—must have made him careless.
I side-stepped a massive overhead swing and, with the Heavy Blade in my left hand, delivered a vicious horizontal slash directly to the Aegis's chest, right where the cockpit was housed.
CLANG!
A dull, heavy sound resonated through the void. As expected, the Aegis's armor remained unmarred.
...Yes, the armor was intact. But the shockwave transmitted to the cockpit? That was a different story. Phase Shift armor nullified physical penetration, but it did not cancel out the kinetic impact.
Whether due to the concussion or the pilot's shock, the Aegis froze for a split second.
"HAAH!"
I wasn't about to let that opening slide. I hammered the Heavy Blade against the cockpit of the stationary Aegis. Once. Twice. And a final, crushing third blow.
By concentrating the impacts on the cockpit block, I had brought the Aegis to a complete halt. Athrun might have even been knocked unconscious.
Having battered the PS armor repeatedly, the Heavy Blade's edge was completely ruined; it was less a sword now and more a bludgeon. I swung the mangled steel up and smashed the Aegis backward. In the same motion, I fired two Lancer Darts from the Tri-keros on my right arm. Propelled by rockets, the two armor-piercing spikes bypassed the reeling Aegis and slammed into the torso of a GINN that had just barely evaded my sword swing earlier. They detonated internally, blowing the enemy machine into shrapnel.
Wait. The GINNs were supposed to be down to two units, handled by Mu and Kira. But... six remained? Did they send reinforcements?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mu's Moebius Zero down a GINN with its Gunbarrels, only to take a hit from a fresh enemy unit, black smoke spewing from his fuselage.
"Sorry, Axel, I messed up. Damn it, I'm losing face here."
"Don't worry about it. The Aegis is practically neutralized on this end. The Blitz and Strike can handle the remaining GINNs. You return to the Archangel."
"My bad. Watch yourself out there."
Mu cut the connection and retreated toward the ship. As for Athrun, if events followed the original timeline, he would eventually become an ally, so I couldn't kill him here. I kicked the Aegis away, sending it drifting toward the sector where the Nazca-class ship was waiting.
Enemy count: five. We could manage thi—!?
The moment the thought crossed my mind, a missile slammed into one of the advance fleet's ships. An explosion blossomed in the dark.
"There's too many of them!"
I spotted a GINN aiming a bazooka at the bridge of the Drake-class flagship. I slammed my ruined Heavy Blade into its back. The sword, having lost all cutting power against the Aegis, still functioned admirably as a blunt instrument. The force of the blow sent the GINN, bazooka still in hand, tumbling into an empty sector of space. I fired my last Lancer Dart at it, piercing its torso and causing it to explode.
—!?
The instant the GINN exploded, my telekinesis flared, screaming danger.
"Accelerate!"
I instinctively triggered the Spirit Command Accelerate, pushing the thrusters to their limit to vacate the area. A fraction of a second later, a green beam tore through the space where the Blitz had just been.
The beam continued on, piercing straight through the Drake-class flagship—killing Flay's father and everyone else on board.
They tried to shoot me through the Drake? ...Was that Le Creuset?!
I pulled up the feed from the direction of the beam. There it was: the Vesalius, the Nazca-class flagship of the Le Creuset Team.
Seeing the Drake-class sink, the surviving GINNs shifted their vectors, turning their fangs toward the Archangel.
"Kira!"
"I know!"
I signaled Kira, and we both turned our weapons toward the four GINNs closing in on the Archangel. I leveled the beam rifle built into the Tri-keros...
『Attention ZAFT forces. This is the Earth Alliance vessel Archangel. We are currently sheltering Lacus Clyne, daughter of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne.』
Natarle's voice rang out across the entire sector on an open channel.
...I see. So it's playing out just like the original story after all.
『We discovered her life pod by accident and took her in on humanitarian grounds. However, should this ship come under further attack, we will consider it an abandonment of your responsibility toward Lacus Clyne. Be advised that we will then dispose of this matter at our own discretion.』
"A-Axel-san! What is she saying?!"
Kira's voice trembled with panic. I had no answer for him. I could only remain silent.
"—?! Kira!"
The Aegis was moving again. Athrun must have regained consciousness. Terrible timing...
However, with Lacus effectively held hostage, Athrun couldn't possibly launch an attack. He simply opened a comm line to the Strike. Because Kira and I had been connected just moments before, Athrun's transmission bled through to the Blitz as well.
"Taking a rescued civilian hostage... Is fighting alongside cowards like that your idea of justice?! Kira!"
"Athrun..."
"I will save her! I promise you!"
With those parting words, the Aegis turned and retreated toward the Nazca-class.
I silently cut the connection with the Strike. All I could do was pretend I knew nothing of the bond between Kira and Athrun.
"Brother, you're alive."
I had landed the Blitz and returned to the Archangel. The first person to greet me was Murdoch, who was already busy starting repairs on the Moebius Zero.
"Yeah. But the Heavy Blade is toast."
"Well, it was a battlefield pickup anyway. We've already recovered the Agni and started recharging it. ...Still, when you think about everything that's happened since this ship launched, you start to wonder if we've got a plague god on board."
"If we're talking about plague gods, surely that title belongs to Le Creuset?"
Mu, who had been checking the Moebius Zero's diagnostics at a computer console next to Murdoch, chimed in. He had a point. Le Creuset was literally trying to exterminate humanity; he was the definition of a harbinger of doom.
...I'd prefer to kill him sooner rather than later, but failing to finish him off at Heliopolis hurt. The next time he shows up on the battlefield should be during the Cyclops system self-destruct operation in Alaska. But in that chaos, finding him is going to be a gamble.
As I was lost in thought, Kira descended from the Strike and walked over to us.
"What was that all about?!"
"What was what? ...You heard it. It is what it is."
Mu gave a dismissive reply and turned back to his machine. Kira followed him, desperate for an answer.
"Taking that girl hostage, threatening them... Is that how the Earth Forces do things? Is that how this army survives by running away?!"
"The only reason we have to resort to pathetic tricks like that is because we're weak. Neither you nor I have the right to criticize the Captain or the XO."
Listening to their exchange, I quietly left the mobile suit hangar. I changed out of my pilot suit and returned to my assigned quarters.
"...Phew."
I collapsed onto the bed with a heavy thud.
Hostages, huh? As someone who formerly belonged to the Shadow Mirrors and engaged in all manner of dirty work, I couldn't exactly claim the moral high ground.
Fundamentally, this ship wasn't crewed by soldiers. Murrue was a technician; Kira was a civilian. There were very few "true" military personnel on board. That was precisely why soldiers like Natarle and Mu could condone—or at least accept—the tactic of using a rescued civilian as a shield.
"Axel-san, are you there?"
A knock came at the door, followed by a voice. It was Murrue, the ship's captain.
"Yeah, it's unlocked."
I sat up to welcome her. Murrue peeked in, holding a container of what looked like water or tea.
"I was hoping you'd listen to me for a moment... Were you sleeping?"
"No, just resting. Come in."
"Thank you. ...Here. It's tea, if you don't mind."
"Thanks."
I took the container, put the straw to my lips, and took a sip. The distinct, light bitterness of green tea spread through my mouth.
"..."
"Oh? Is something wrong?"
"No. I just didn't expect to be served green tea instead of black tea on an Atlantic Federation ship."
"Really? It's actually quite popular."
I sat on the edge of the bed, while Murrue took the chair near the desk.
"So, does this talk have to do with Lacus Clyne?"
"...Yes. What did you think of Ensign Badgiruel's actions, Axel-san?"
"Well, as you know, I'm not a regular soldier. My trade is being a mercenary, so I've done my fair share of dirty jobs."
Technically, I was special forces, not a mercenary, but the distinction didn't matter right now.
"I'm not saying it just to be contrarian, but if it meant surviving, I wouldn't hesitate to use a civilian as a hostage."
"..."
"However... just because I would do it, doesn't mean you have to become like me, Murrue."
"Eh?"
"I think I told you this before. Your compassion might be considered a flaw for a soldier, but as a human being, it is a virtue. Besides, the Archangel isn't exactly a normal ship, is it?"
"Not normal?"
"Right. Half the bridge crew are civilians. As for the pilots, Mu is one thing, but I'm a mercenary, and Kira is a student. On top of that, we're carrying refugees from Heliopolis. ...If the captain of a ship like this was a stereotypical, hard-nosed soldier, what do you think would happen?"
Murrue took a sip from her own container, thinking for a moment before speaking.
"We might be able to operate more efficiently, perhaps?"
"Sure, that's one possibility. But the result would be immense stress on Sai and the others who haven't had military training. In that regard, you have a deep sense of empathy—for better or worse. I think that's exactly why the student group has remained mentally stable."
"But if the captain were a real soldier... someone like Ensign Badgiruel... maybe we wouldn't be cornered like this in the first place."
Murrue slumped, her words laced with self-deprecation. She clearly understood that Natarle possessed a higher aptitude for military command than she did.
"That might be true. But it's okay to rely on people when you need to, isn't it? Even now, you're leaving the CIC to Natarle. Don't you think that's the same thing?"
"Is it really okay... to rely on others?"
"Of course. If anything happens, I'll lend a hand. You can rely on me anytime."
"...Really?"
"Yeah."
Murrue, who was supposed to be older than me, looked at me with an expression that seemed terribly fragile.
"Though, I suppose you and I haven't known each other that long... have we?"
"Fufu, that's true. It's only been about half a month since we met... yet it feels like we've been together for a very long time."
"That just means the days have been dense. ...By the way, why do you still call me with '-san'? Just 'Axel' is fine."
"I've been calling you Axel-san since we met, so it's just become a habit, I suppose. ...Axel?"
Perhaps embarrassed by addressing me without an honorific, her face flushed slightly as she said my name. Seeing her like that, I smiled and raised my tea container in a toast.
"Well then, let's make today the anniversary of Murrue finally calling me by my name."
"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"
She smiled at my joke, the gloomy expression she had worn when entering the room now completely gone.
"...Thank you, Axel."
"Hm? For what?"
"Nothing in particular. Anyway, do you mind if we talk a little longer?"
I nodded at her request. For the first time in this turbulent half-month, I was able to spend a truly peaceful moment.
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 35
PP: 510
Stats:
Melee: 246
Shooting: 264
Skill: 256
Defense: 253
Evasion: 281
Accuracy: 303
SP: 422
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consuming SP increases unit performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
Terrain Ratings:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate (SP 4)
Gain (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Attack (SP 30)
Zeal (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up L9 + SP Recover + Focus)
Telekinesis L10
Attacker
Gunfight L9
In-fight L9
Limit Break (Morale)
Geass (Gray)
???
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Shot Down Count: 259
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