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Following the guidance of the Orb warships, the battered Archangel entered a hidden port.
Mikazuki parked the Barbatos securely and donned his coat before jumping onto the gantry, where Cojiro stood waiting for him.
"Hey, kid, you'd better watch your back."
"Hmm?"
Mikazuki looked at Cojiro with confusion, not quite catching his meaning. Cojiro scanned their surroundings and lowered his voice.
"This is Orb. Your Barbatos's performance on the battlefield just now probably attracted a lot of eyes. I bet quite a few people are starting to get ideas."
"Don't worry," Mikazuki replied without looking back. "If anyone like that shows up, I'll just finish them off."
Mikazuki continued on his way, leaving Cojiro to rub his temples in frustration.
"Good grief, you really say the most terrifying things. I'm begging you, please don't just go around killing people. This is their headquarters, after all."
"Alright. I'm heading back for now."
"Yeah, I'll keep an eye on the Barbatos for you. I won't let anyone touch it."
"Thanks."
Mikazuki flashed a small smile and waved to Cojiro as he left the deck. Walking through the corridors, he intended to return to his room. As for the negotiations with Orb, he figured that was Murrue's responsibility.
However, when he reached the elevator, he ran into Murrue, Natarle, and Mu, all dressed in their formal military uniforms, accompanied by Cagalli's confidant, Ledonir.
Ledonir was actually a Colonel in the Orb Ground Forces 21st Special Airborne Unit and served as Cagalli's bodyguard, protecting her safety during her time abroad.
"Are you off to negotiate?" Mikazuki asked.
Murrue smiled. "Yes. We're going to see the highest representative of Orb. Mika, would you like to come with us? Would that be alright, Colonel Kisaka?"
Murrue didn't have any ulterior motive; she simply wanted to bring Mikazuki along. Ledonir offered a slight smile and a nod, showing no sign of refusal.
"Of course."
"What about you, Mika?" Murrue asked. "Do you want to come? It's fine if you don't."
"I'll go," Mikazuki replied nonchalantly. "I'm pretty free anyway."
With that decided, the group left the Archangel and took a vehicle toward the island's defense headquarters. On the way, Murrue explained the situation to Mikazuki.
"Orb has publicly declared that they've driven us away. Now, we are going to meet the highest representative of the United Emirates of Orb, Representative Uzumi Nara Athha, also known as the Lion of Orb."
"First a tiger, now a lion?" Mikazuki muttered.
His comment prompted a round of laughter from everyone in the car. Ledonir added with a smile, "The Desert Tiger and the Lion of Orb can't be measured on the same scale. One leads a team... the other leads a nation."
"I see..." Mikazuki mused. To him, who understood little about the concept of a 'nation,' there didn't seem to be much difference between a tiger and a lion.
Mu crossed his arms and said, "Mikazuki is quite impressive himself. I heard from Kira and the Princess that ZAFT has given Mikazuki and the Barbatos a code name."
Natarle, rarely showing curiosity, asked, "What is it?"
"The Wolf."
Half an hour later, inside a conference room at the defense headquarters, Murrue, Natarle, and Mu sat upright and formal. Opposite them sat a middle-aged man with a thick beard who looked kind yet carried a certain weight of authority. Mikazuki, as usual, was the only one who didn't seem particularly tense.
"We are very grateful to Orb for allowing our ship to enter your waters and providing cover," Murrue began.
Uzumi raised a hand. "There is no need for formalities. As you likely know, the official statement claims your ship has already left our territorial waters after being driven out by our forces."
Murrue nodded slightly. "Yes."
Mu then spoke up. "You didn't save us just because your daughter was on board, did you?"
Uzumi's serious expression didn't flicker. He looked at Mu and spoke slowly. "The fate of a nation and a spoiled, silly daughter do you think they can even be compared?"
Natarle gave Mu a subtle nudge, and Mu realized his question had been out of line.
"My apologies. That was disrespectful."
"However," Uzumi continued, "if it really were as simple as you said, I wouldn't have to trouble myself so much... Between the incident at Heliopolis and the children of our country who were caught up in it and became volunteers, we have heard that the X-Series is very active on the battlefield."
Uzumi sighed. "To be honest, we once considered simply rescuing the survivors and letting that ship be sunk. It wouldn't have mattered to us."
His words made Murrue and the others stiffen. They realized Orb had truly considered that path, and it was only under the decision of the 'Lion' before them that the Archangel had ultimately been accepted into Orb.
"I am deeply sorry about Heliopolis and the children... Though my words may not carry much weight, I still offer my sincerest apologies," Murrue said.
Uzumi shook his head and sighed. "No. Having said that, we aren't entirely innocent either. There are internal issues within our country... We maintain our neutrality because we do not wish to make an enemy of either the Naturals or the Coordinators.
Of course, without power, one cannot manifest their own will. Yet, once you have power, others begin to covet it... Apologies, as soldiers, I'm sure this must be difficult for you to hear."
Murrue spoke up. "No, I can very much understand your perspective. But... we cannot let things end like this just yet."
Mikazuki tilted his head slightly, watching Murrue's determined profile, a faint smirk playing on his lips before he turned his gaze back to Uzumi.
Uzumi seemed to notice Mikazuki's look and offered him a small smile before continuing.
"In any case, I must explain the primary reason we escorted your ship here instead of letting it be sunk. Our country wishes to obtain all combat data from the Strike Gundam collected so far, and we require its pilot,
the Coordinator Kira Yamato, to provide technical support at Morgenroete. If you agree, our country will provide supplies for your ship and offer many conveniences. What do you say?"
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