Honestly, Marcus felt like an astronaut. Getting launched by a mass drive is a similar experience to 'riding' a rocket into space.
It was such an old-school thing that made him smile as if he were riding roller coasters for the first time in many years.
"Is there something funny?" Lacus asked him as she saw him smile.
"I feel like I am visiting an amusement park for the first time in decades. Imagine getting launched into space like this." He looked through the window and saw… air resistance.
"...I guess you are right, it's such…primitive method." The pinkette slowly nodded when he pointed it out.
"I don't remember ever doing it before." She commented with a clueless tone.
"That's because we have orbital elevators for mass use: even then, our ships effortlessly leave and enter the atmosphere." He pointed out the obvious.
"True, still, this is fun in its own way." The woman smiled at her husband.
"...I don't know if I should feel mocked or embarrassed for this world," Cagalli commented from the side.
"It's not related to you, so don't bother. This is what they call cultural exchange." Jeanne commented with a smile.
"No need to explain, I understand. It's what I saw, the difference that happens when a world births a great inventor. This world had George Glenn, the first innovator, who spearheaded space innovation. But then he was assassinated." Cagalli tried to have a small chat… but…
"I know, I saw it on TV," Jeanne commented.
"Oh, right…"
The four of them talked about random things as the shuttle rushed towards the moon. While the launching method was crude in Marcus's eyes, the shuttle flew quite fast once they left orbit.
On the moon, Marcus met with several generals who showed them strained smiles when they saw him. It was when Cagalli realised practically everyone was afraid of her father.
"Sir, we received your message." One of the Generals rubbed his hands nerviously.
"Yes. Well, the retards on Earth don't think much about Archangel and its crew, but it just turns out that the warship and the mobile suits aboard are the key to turning the war in our favour.
And it just turns out that the pilot of the Strike is my son." Marcus's last words caused them to pale.
"Oh." The pair looked at each other. They got even more nervous.
"Indeed, well, idiots will be idiots, I don't expect much from people who launch nuclear warheads into agricultural colonies."
"..."
Cagalli listened to Marcus, who was basically ranting and calling them losers, idiots, and fools in quick and smooth succession.
"Regardless, I will be taking an escort to meet up with Archangel."
"Father, can we use some form of mobile suit or armour? I do want to fight." Cagalli chipped in as she wanted to save some face for these men, who had to take a verbal beating even if they were not related to the nuclear warheads.
Well, sort of… the original attack got launched from the moon base, and it was these guys' base.
"Hmm, I doubt there is anything decent." Marcus turned his head and looked at his daughter. But then he looked back at them. "Do you have any decent mobile armour or something that could allow us to fight?"
"...Ummm… we do have some Moebius Zeros." One of them suggested the best stuff they have in the inventory.
"Oh!? I think those are decent! We can take them!" Cagalli floated over to her father's side. She had sparkling eyes like a child who had just entered a toy store and decided that she wanted the most expensive toy in the place by far.
"Do you even know how to pilot a plane?"
"Hmph! What is with the silly question!" The black-haired girl puffed at him.
Marcus sighed. He realised he was asking stupid questions; the girl would most likely get bored with it, as it couldn't keep up with her performance.
"I suppose we will take four if you have them."
"...Four? We need to check; many of them got stored away after the battle of Endymion."
"Then do it. All of us might as well use them." Marcus looked at his group. All of them can use these primitive machines to their full potential.
"...As you wish."
With that said, the four of them waited for the transfer of ships and the mobile armour.
"I do hope that you practise a bit before deciding to launch in one of these Moebius Zero," Marcus said to his daughter.
"...I plan to. I do have experience in flying one of the planes before, I assume it's similar since their shape looks like planes." Cagalli commented as she watched several ships that were preparing to launch.
It would seem her father makes them work faster just by being in the facility…
"Well, that will do for now."
"...What about…Lacus or your knight? Do they know how to pilot these?"
"Don't worry about us. Just focus on your performance." Lacus smiled at… her step-daughter… wait, daughter. As far as she remembers, in the Imperial family, there is no 'step'; it's to keep synergy high.
So in a sense, Cagalli should call her 'mom' or 'mommy'. Just thinking about the expression she could make makes Lacus giggle.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking how you should call me mom or mommy."
"!!!"
"D-Don't be ridiculous! That's embarrassing! M-Mother is probably the best you can get from me!" Cagalli stuttered and flustered as she tried to play it down.
"Well, that's what I call progress." Lacus winked at her husband, who watched them in turn. He shook his head.
It would seem his pinkette wife wants to tease Cagalli, who is as prideful as he is.
"Hey!" Cagalli immediately complained as she realised that the woman was messing with her!
As the pair were playing around, Marcus noticed the mobile armours.
"Well, look at that." The disguised Emperor got everyone's attention.
"Ugh!" His daughter grimaced at what she saw.
"Who in their right mind paints their machines orange!?" She complained to her father.
"Don't ask me, I am not the one who is doing it. But you are right. I won't pilot something like that." Marcus shrugged. It's not his nation; he ain't the one designing these mobile armours.
"Yes! I want them painted in a different colour!"
"Indeed, I want mine one pink." Lacus chipped in, making Cagalli frown. She wanted her pink!
"...I want my one red." The Princess said her request as she crossed her arms.
"Don't you want to rescue your brother? Do we even have time?" Jeanne was baffled, sure, orange is… well, Jeremiah would love it, but it's not that bad.
"Hmph! Kira can wait! He has Imperial blood flowing in his veins! I doubt he will get easily destroyed!" Cagalli snorted. From the looks of it, she finds the colour of her mobile armour far more important than her brother's life.
"...Is that so…" Jeanne was a bit speechless; the girl sounded just like Marcus.
"You heard my daughter! We need paint jobs!" Marcus snapped his fingers a couple of times. Getting the attention of mechanics.
"...Umm, what kind of colour you want?" One of the lead mechanics asked, looking resigned to doing more work.
"I want black and purple, for my wife pink, then for my daughter a red one and for Jeanne…" He looked at his knight." Which one do you want?"
"...*Sigh* just paint it white and blue." The knight lady sighed in resignation. Red was her colour, but there is an Imperial Princess who wants it.
"Alright, just give us a bit of time."
"No worries, take your time, we have other things to do."
"...We do?" Cagalli looked confused.
Lacus flew close to the girl as she placed her finger on her lips.
"It's part of decorum, always sound like you have something to do even when you don't."
"Isn't it just lying?"
"Not lying, you are doing something." Lacus smiled and then whispered to her. "We can put you in a simulation cockpit to practise a bit more. There are things to do all the time, just don't try to sound like a complete novice."
"...I-I see…"
The pinkette winked a bit.
"Don't worry, we are going to make a Princess out of you."
"Hmph… Like I need that." Cagalli snorted as she looked away.
"Need or don't those gifts are not free~"
As the pair were talking, Marcus went to one of the offices and accessed the central computer; by this point, Earth Alliance was literally an extension of his company.
Of course, it's not a permanent hold, as he is keeping some elements in place out of pure fear.
So, he went to do some power moves. There was an obvious power vacuum, so even if he doesn't care, his pride won't allow him to leave it just like that.
And since he was waiting for mechanics to paint his and the girls' machines, he might as well do some work.
~~~
As Marcus' group and his escort were getting ready to leave to meet up with Archangel, the spaceship in question was being harassed by ZAFT pursuers.
However, it was not that bad. Kira's piloting has significantly reduced the time the ship spent fighting them.
Simply because ZAFT were running out of weapons to engage them.
The brown-haired teen was blowing them up. By this point, the ZAFT fleet was simply taking some distance and gathering its strength.
Eventually, the fleet got ordered to destroy the 8th fleet that was in orbit and taking defensive positions around the Northern Hemisphere.
Because of that, for a while, Archangel was left alone, but they were running low on essentials, so they went to the ruins of Junius Seven to collect some water as it was in their path.
It's where they saved a single escape pod that had a pink-haired girl and her pink robot pet.
'Something is different about her… she is not like me, or other coordinators that I have met.'
Kira was confused about this girl. His Innovator instincts told him she was not a Coordinator.
Yet, not Natural either.
"You are quite a unique one. You have my thanks for showing me around." The pinkette smiled at him.
"You do realise that you are constantly sneaking out of your room. I have no choice but to show you around." Kira sighed. The whole thing is such a drag. He just wants to rest. Being on standby duty and now having to help her is just tiresome.
"I do apologise, but Mr Pink doesn't like confined spaces." She looked at her robot pet.
"I don't like, don't like it!" The pink ball commented as it was floating around.
"Is that so? I could improve the OS to make it more… amiable?" Kira immediately stroked his chin as he was thinking of solutions.
The girl grabbed her robot and had a couple of beads of sweat on her forehead when she heard that.
"T-That won't be necessary, mister Kira." She nerviously laughed as she brought her robot closer to her chest.
"I see. Well, do come to me when you find that you can't control him. I am quite good with robots." Kira seriously nodded. For him, it was a solution to a problem—something he wanted.
"No worries, it's fine~~" She brushed aside as she continued to move forward.
The brown-haired teen shook his head. He was wondering whether she was a natural airhead or just pretending.
After a couple more days, there was a bit of tension between his friends and the pink-haired girl. It was natural, since she was from the nation waging war against them.
Their ship finally made contact with the Earth Alliance.
"Kira, can you come to the bridge?"
"What now…"
The teen complained to himself as he left the Strike's cockpit and went to the bridge.
Once there, some of his friends manning the consoles commented in surprise.
"Damn, Kira, why did you never say that your old man was literally the CEO of the world's richest company!"
"...What?" Kira looked at Sai, who was talking in an excited tone.
That guy was the CEO of…
"Yeah! He is the CEO of Anaheim Enterprise!"
'Oh… is that so? Makes sense, didn't they work on genetics years ago?'
"...I see…"
Kira's response confused Sai; it was not what he was expecting to hear. He expected a bit more enthusiasm.
~~~
500 powers stones = 1 Extra Chapter
1000 Power Stones = 2 Extra Chapters
And so on, You know what to do.
~~~
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