"Tch… didn't catch up. It's moving really fast."
Nicol sat in the Blitz Gundam, watching the Archangel recede at extreme speed, gritting his teeth.
Behind him, Artemis Fortress continued to explode.
Although the Blitz Gundam's mobility slightly lagged behind the Aegis Gundam, catching up to a full-speed Archangel would likely require the triple-speed Jegan used in the raid on Rau Le Creuset's fleet.
"Nicol, if you can't catch it, forget about the long legs. Destroying Artemis Fortress alone is still a great achievement."
Rau Le Creuset's voice came over the comms. Seeing this, Nicol had no choice but to abandon the pursuit and turn toward the exploding Artemis Fortress.
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After returning the Jegan to the hangar, Roz didn't even have time to change out of his pilot suit. He quickly exited the Jegan cockpit and sprinted toward his dormitory.
"Roz? Why are you running so fast?" Kira, having just composed himself, noticed Roz dashing down the corridor as he left the cockpit.
The hallway still held some Artemis marine corps bodies, sprawled across the floor as Archangel crew members began cleaning up.
Roz stepped over the corpses and arrived at his dorm room.
"Christina… are you okay?"
"…Please… come in." After a long pause, Christina's voice came from the room, though her voice system emitted unintelligible static in the process.
When Roz opened the door, the scene inside greeted him.
Christina sat upright on the bed, her torn clothes soaked with blood, a few drops even stuck to her face, already congealed.
The mantis blades on her arms had not retracted, but they showed no aggression. Clearly, Christina had severed most of the brain-to-body control, leaving only prosthetics for observing the outside world and vocalizing.
"Christina, can you hear me?" Roz closed the door and approached, placing one hand on her cheek while carefully avoiding the extended mantis blades with the other hand to hold her trembling hand.
"It's over. Don't worry. I'm here." Roz watched Christina's blue pupils tremble intensely.
Perhaps it was Roz's voice—or the warmth from his hands—but the trembling in Christina's pupils gradually slowed.
"Relax… Christina, relax…" Roz pressed his forehead to hers. The hand on her cheek slid to the back of her head, lifting a small cover panel.
The other hand released her palm and drew a pneumatic injector from a pocket in his pilot suit—a device taken from the Jegan's medical kit. Though he hadn't changed out of the pilot suit, there were still a few pockets to carry small items.
He connected the injector to the interface on the back of Christina's head and pressed the button, slowly injecting the medicine into her system. The drug entered her circulatory system and quickly took effect.
This was Roz's "insurance" for brains returning to human society after being under his control. After all, in the original world, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was a popular anime—Roz had certainly seen it.
Christina's eyes remained unfocused, but after the medicine entered the circulation, her fingers began to twitch slightly. The previously extended mantis blades retracted as she gradually regained control of her body.
Roz laid Christina flat on the bed, watching her every movement carefully.
Finally, after a sudden shudder, Christina's chest instinctively began to rise and fall with breath, and her previously unfocused pupils refocused.
"Ha… Roz?" Christina's voice system still had slight static but was returning to normal.
"I'm here." Roz kept holding her hand, breathing a sigh of relief internally.
"I'm back." Christina turned her head, her blue eyes meeting Roz's, who was sweating and still in his pilot suit.
"You did well. Welcome back." Roz's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he slumped onto the edge of the bed as if he had no strength left.
"You too… Roz, you did well." Christina suddenly leaned forward and quickly pressed her forehead to his in a brief kiss.
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After traveling at high speed for a long time, the Archangel finally began to slow down.
"Radar radius 5000—no sign of ZAFT."
"We're safe for now."
Only now did everyone exhale in relief.
After all, Rau had only been driven off for a short while before he sent two Nazca-class high-speed warships to catch up. Who knew if they might suddenly appear again somewhere?
"Looks like Artemis Fortress lured them away," Murrue said with a sigh, slumping into her chair.
"That's normal, I suppose. After all, it's one of the Earth Forces' core fortresses in space, and ZAFT has never been able to take it down. If they have a chance to destroy it, why would ZAFT pass it up?" Mu said, leaning back in her chair.
"All the bodies on the ship have been cleared. Only some blood remains, but a group of civilians helped clean it up," Natarle said, turning to Murrue. "But we still have a few major issues."
"Water," Murrue said bluntly, identifying the Archangel's problem. "We collected plenty of fuel and ammo at Artemis Fortress and Heliopolis, but water wasn't replenished. The water we got at Heliopolis could sustain the original crew to reach Earth, but after Kira brought back those refugees, our water supply is tight."
"Our water reserves on the ship must be at their limit… where can we resupply?" Mu frowned, considering the situation.
"The nearest resupply point now… is the Lunar Base," Natarle said, bringing up a star map on the Archangel's computer and calculating a few routes. "And the fastest routes to reach the lunar base are these lines."
"…Is this the optimal solution?" Murrue looked at the routes and felt helpless. Almost every route would keep the Archangel in a long state of water shortage. If ZAFT caught up, the outcome would be unpredictable.
"…I'm wondering, why don't we ask the amazing Roz?" Mu suddenly said, seeming to remember something as she looked at the map. "Don't you remember? Roz is a space scavenger. He might have some connections."
"I was actually thinking of asking just now," Natarle added, looking at Mu with a questioning glance. "Inside Artemis Fortress, Murrue and I were anxious, but you seemed unusually confident, like you had a plan."
"Eh, you're wrong," Mu said in a slightly teasing tone to lighten the mood. "It's not that I have a plan; I just trust Roz has a plan."
"Almost everything he prepares always works out. At one point, I even suspected he had some mysterious power to see the future," Mu said seriously. "But after observing him for some time, I've discarded that idea."
"Rather than seeing the future, it seems he just has a strong sense of danger. I've seen him dodge enemy beam attacks in advance from combat footage. And he seems able to sense part of our emotions or thoughts. When I was reminding Kira to lock his mobile suit, he pulled me aside to ask my stance…"
"Enough, Mu," Murrue interrupted with a sigh. "For now, he's protecting this ship and our companions."
"Besides, everyone has secrets. I'm sure he'll tell us eventually."
"Right… never mind. Let's just say I'm being sensitive," Mu said with a laugh, moving on. "Later, we'll have Murrue call Roz to the bridge. He's probably asleep now. After all, he fought from the Archangel all the way to the detention room, then back with us, and even piloted a mobile suit into battle… he really is a busy guy."
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In the Archangel's corridors, bloodstains remained on the floor and walls. Some civilians with cleaning tools were using the limited water to scrub them away.
Murrue walked down the corridor, passing the cleaners, lost in thought.
Murrue had been sent back to her quarters by Mu, and even the stubborn Natarle had been sent to rest in the dining room. Murrue had no choice but to agree to Mu's request for her to rest.
"Really… he's exhausted too, yet he's so driven…"
"Pft…"
As she headed toward her quarters, she passed a dorm door that suddenly opened.
Roz emerged, wearing fresh clothes: a shirt with jeans, and a pilot jacket with a unicorn emblem, holding his just-removed pilot suit and helmet.
"Roz? You're up so early?"
Murrue paused, surprised to see him. "Shouldn't you be sleeping a few more hours?"
"No, I've rested enough," Roz said instinctively, adjusting his sunglasses. If anyone saw the dark circles and bloodshot eyes beneath them, they might think Roz would collapse on the spot.
"What's our current course? Where's Kira?"
"We're heading toward the lunar base. Kira… is resting in the dining room," Murrue said, carefully studying Roz and smiling. "This outfit suits you—really handsome."
"Ah? Me?" Roz froze, glancing around in panic, trying to find someone else Murrue could mean. But the corridor was empty except for them. Realizing she meant him, he awkwardly pointed to himself.
Roz's reaction made sense—he'd never heard such praise in either his original world or the years in this one, so he instinctively denied that Murrue was complimenting him.
"Is there anyone else in this corridor?" Murrue asked, seeing his flustered state, slightly relaxing.
"Ah… I see, thank you. You look great too," Roz said, scratching the back of his head, slightly embarrassed, yet his smile was hard to suppress.
"Sometime in two hours, please come to the bridge, okay?" Murrue sighed slightly, still in her Earth Forces uniform. She knew Roz understood her praise was a subconscious reply.
She had wanted to go to the bridge immediately with Roz, but likely Mu would send them back to the quarters again, claiming, "I'm a mature man," and stay on the bridge himself.
"Two hours? No problem. See you on the bridge," Roz nodded, as if wanting to say more.
"Are you just going to stand here and chat?" Christina's voice came from behind Roz. A chill ran down his spine, making him shiver.
Christina had changed into fresh clothes too, still her classic white coat and inner wear, expressionless as she looked at the two blocking the doorway.
She could barely tell which was which anymore.
"Oh… you go first?" Roz instinctively stepped aside.
"You're coming with me; the mobile suits haven't been checked yet!" Christina reached out, grabbing Roz's free arm, and headed for the hangar.
"Murrue, see you on the bridge in two hours," Christina said, squinting at Murrue like a protective cat.
"Okay… see you then?" Murrue waved instinctively as Roz was pulled away by Christina.
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Two hours later, Roz and Christina arrived at the bridge.
"Yo… you're here," Mu greeted Roz from his seat, holding a bag of mint-flavored nutrition fluid.
This nutrition fluid was a survival supply stored in mobile suits for pilots to use after ejecting. While it provided plenty of energy and balanced nutrition, it tasted horrendous. Many pilots preferred to let it expire or hunt for food themselves rather than drink it.
But now, the double effect of bad taste and minty refreshment was exactly what Mu needed. Although Mu could've used his rank to brew extra-strong coffee to stay alert, given the current water shortage, the nutrition fluid was more practical. Besides, he wasn't capable of brewing coffee like that.
"Where's Captain Murrue and Vice-Captain Natarle? Why is it just you?" Roz floated casually toward an empty chair, sitting down and tossing something to Mu.
"I sent them back to rest. This… water? Your own?" Mu took it, feeling the soft texture in his hand and noticed it was a bag of water with a unicorn emblem.
"Yes, kept in the Jegan. I have a little left," Roz leaned back, adjusting his sunglasses. "I saw only half a cup of water in the mess hall, so I figured the situation."
"You… might actually have some future-predicting ability," Mu sighed, shaking his head. "Feels like nothing on this ship escapes you."
"If I could predict the future, I wouldn't have settled in a factory at Heliopolis, but far from you all," Roz said, pulling Christina to stand beside him, letting her hold the chair's backrest.
"True… but why are you suddenly on the bridge? I was going to wait until the captain and Natarle rested before calling you," Mu said, taking a big sip of the nutrition fluid. The mint combined with its weird taste twisted his expression slightly. If he hadn't swallowed quickly, he might've made a face that would shatter his 'reliable adult' image.
If a narrator were here, Roz, now in a pilot jacket and sunglasses, would surely have something to say.
"Of course, I ran into him on the way," Murrue's voice came.
The bridge doors opened, and Murrue and Natarle floated in together.
"…Thanks, Roz. We'll need your help next," Murrue greeted, unsure why Christina always squinted at her but addressing Roz first.
Roz didn't speak, just gave them a thumbs-up.
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"Hmm… I understand the situation now," Roz said after Natarle's lengthy explanation.
"Honestly, the Archangel's situation is worse than I imagined." Roz zoomed in on the course map for a closer look.
"Water is critically low, food barely enough, and only partial weapon/ammo resupply… Was Artemis Fortress's mobility really this poor?"
"Or maybe they weren't sure which camouflage orders were real," Mu said, waving his hand. "But anyway, we at least temporarily shook off ZAFT. And we escaped."
"Our biggest problem now is supplies, especially water. Roz, do you have any connections?"
"…Water supplies… I don't know any nearby scavengers. If we contact them directly, by the time they arrive, we'll likely already be at the Moon," Roz recalled, shaking his head. "Our current route is along the border of ZAFT and Earth Forces territory. As far as I know, no scavenger operates there."
"I see…" Murrue sighed, leaning back in her chair, pressing her fingers to her temples. "In that case, we'll have to fly the shortest route to the lunar base. Hopefully our water lasts."
"Then I'll need to start planning resources," Natarle said, sighing as she prepared to tally supplies.
"…No, there's a way. But I need to ask you guys first," Roz said, dragging the course map, narrowing his eyes at something interesting. "Do you mind temporarily working as scavengers?"
"What do you mean?" Mu blinked. "Go pick up trash? There's no trash nearby."
"You're not wrong," Roz said, pointing to an asteroid belt area. "But there's what we need there."
At that moment, Roz felt Christina grip his hand tighter.
Roz turned to see her worried face and smiled.
"I'm fine with it."
"The asteroid belt? That place isn't—" Mu's eyes widened as he followed Roz's gesture.
"…The remains of Junius 7," Murrue said, seeing the marked area, her expression grim.
-----------------------------------
"What? The asteroid belt?" Kira and his companions were all a little surprised.
"Yes, that's where we need to resupply," Murrue said after considering her words carefully. "Although it's difficult for us…"
"This is the only way," Roz suddenly cut in, continuing Murrue's words. "And it's my idea."
Up until now, Roz had been observing everyone's reactions—both the original crew of the Archangel and Kira and his companions who were helping on board. When Murrue mentioned resupplying near the remains of Junius 7, the Archangel's crew, though displeased, accepted the decision. Kira and his companions, however, felt some resistance.
If Roz didn't step up, there might have been friction among the Archangel's crew—but the ship still had to keep flying, at least until Orb.
So at this moment, Roz had to take the lead, drawing both fire and blame onto himself.
"But… taking supplies from the dead…" Sai, Kira's bespectacled companion, began to question Roz's method.
"Do you want to become part of the debris in the asteroid belt?" Roz said expressionlessly, nothing like his usual cheerful self. "Don't forget, ZAFT is still chasing us. Their target is to destroy this warship—the guarantee of our survival."
"You're free to insult me all you want, but I don't think my method is wrong," Roz said, scanning the people in front of him before locking eyes with Kira. "Though it may seem disrespectful to the dead, those supplies are there. If you don't take them, scavengers like us will recover them anyway."
"Before you can express respect for the dead, you must first ensure you survive," Roz glanced at Murrue, who seemed about to speak, and pressed her shoulder to stop her.
"Only those who survive have the right to mourn the dead."
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