Chapter 27 – SEED: Recovered Supplies
Miriallia Haw was startled by the corpses drifting through the house and clung tightly to Tolle Koenig.
Tolle held her just as tightly, constantly comforting her, telling her it was all right and that there was nothing to fear.
Bracing herself, Miriallia Haw stepped forward and joined the others in continuing their search for supplies and inspecting the situation.
Once the inspection was complete, everyone returned to the Archangel to report the supplies they had found.
Natarle Badgiruel suggested recovery. Earlier, they had discovered a huge floating chunk of ice; it could be broken apart and brought back to the Archangel to solve their water shortage.
Kira Yamato objected, saying that was the site where hundreds of thousands had died, and that taking from it would be disrespectful to the dead.
Murrue Ramius, however, argued that it was the only source of water they had found, and they could not afford to give it up.
In the end, Mu La Flaga spoke gravely.
"I know not everyone will be happy to hear, 'We've found water.'
We'd rather not set foot in that place, but we have no choice—we want to stay alive.
The fact is, we need water to survive."
His words ended the debate. They unanimously decided to recover the water.
Then someone suggested they make paper flowers together to serve as memorial offerings for Junius Seven.
Before retrieving the supplies, they all sat together and made a large number of paper flowers, scattering them over Junius Seven and silently praying in their hearts.
When that was done, they began the supply recovery mission.
Tolle Koenig piloted the Moebius Kai, using it like an industrial ship.
"Nami, spread the neo DG cells around the area. When you spot the recon-type GINN later, make sure these neo DG cells attach to it so I can capture it.
Also, keep an eye out for nearby lifeboats. After I've caught it, deliberately let Kira Yamato spot one."
"Understood, Master. Should I also collect some materials for building Satellite Zea while I'm at it?"
Tolle Koenig had been so focused on seeing Lacus Clyne that he'd almost forgotten his own business. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said,
"Ha, it's a good thing I have you, Nami. If you hadn't reminded me, I'd have missed another chance to resupply.
You're amazing, Nami—my perfect, thoughtful secretary."
"Heeheehee, Master, is the next line supposed to be, 'If there's work, the secretary does it; if there's no work…'?"
Tolle Koenig broke into a cold sweat, coughed awkwardly, and replied,
"Cough cough Nami, you know far too much. From now on, watch less of that kind of stuff. Do more work, talk less.
Don't say what shouldn't be said, don't look at what shouldn't be seen. Do what needs to be done, understand?"
Nami's voice sounded in his mind, slightly aggrieved.
"Oh… understood, Master. Nami will get back to her work now."
Tolle Koenig felt like he wanted to shove the Kamen Rider deluxe pack he'd drawn right back into the system.
How did his nice, quiet, expressionless female robot turn into such a talkative, innuendo-making chatterbox?
Truly a misfortune for the household!
…
After working for over an hour, Nami reported an update.
"Master, the recon-type GINN has been fully assimilated, including the female pilot. She's waiting for your… attention."
Tolle Koenig nearly sprayed saliva all over the inside of his helmet. Nami was getting cheekier by the day—he didn't even want to know where she learned such lines.
Maybe it was time to consider cutting her off from the network.
"Nami, you need to study language more carefully—you've misunderstood the word 'attention.' This isn't the time to use it. Sigh… never mind that for now, let me think."
Still, he hadn't expected the recon-type GINN's pilot to be a woman. He'd originally planned to make the pilot vanish without a trace.
Now, forget it—he'd have her serve as Lacus Clyne's bodyguard instead.
"Nami, brainwash the female pilot. Make her our spy. Once she and Lacus Clyne return to the PLANTs, she'll be Lacus's personal bodyguard. Oh, and record her daily life. Make sure her personal safety is guaranteed. Have my Nazca-class warship serve as her backup force. She must protect Lacus Clyne without fail—she's a key part of my plan, and nothing can go wrong. Understand?"
"Heeheehee, Master, Nami understands completely.
Nami will make sure to record all her daily activities."
"Good. As long as you understand. Now I'm going to retrieve my recon-type GINN. Gundam, here I come—hahaha!"
Tolle Koenig piloted the Moebius Kai toward the recon-type GINN, and before long he laid eyes on the machine he had long been yearning for.
Opening his communicator, he feigned nervousness as he called the Strike Gundam.
"Kira, Kira, I've spotted a ZAFT recon-type GINN. It looks like it's searching for something. I want to capture it. Kira, help me out—draw its attention so I can hit it from behind, just like when we caught the Blitz Gundam."
"Tolle, isn't that a bit too risky?"
"Kira, it's fine. I've checked—there's only one recon-type GINN nearby, no other ZAFT MS.
I'll have everyone take shelter first.
Also, my Moebius Kai's new claw anchor has been upgraded with high-voltage electricity.
I can stun the pilot and capture the GINN."
Hearing how determined Tolle was, Kira Yamato replied helplessly,
"All right, Tolle… just be careful."
Soon, everyone stopped their work and began heading back to the Archangel.
The Strike Gundam and Moebius Kai quietly moved in from front and back to encircle the recon-type GINN.
Under Nami's control, the recon-type GINN acted as if it noticed nothing, allowing the Strike Gundam and Moebius Kai to close in.
Suddenly, the Strike Gundam rushed out. The recon-type GINN spotted it and immediately backed away while facing it.
Just as it raised its weapon to fire, the Moebius Kai, lying in wait, struck with its claw anchor.
The claw anchor gripped the GINN tightly, and a surge of electricity coursed through the cable.
Before long, the recon-type GINN was immobilized.
Recon-Type GINN
D-rank Unit
HP: 1100
Energy: 200
Mobility: 55
Armor: 300
Terrain Adaptability: Sea–Land B, Air–Space B
Fixed Armament: Sniper Beam Rifle (1600/10)
Satisfied, Tolle Koenig piloted the Moebius Kai back to the Archangel, carrying the recon-type GINN with its four mechanical arms.
As the Strike Gundam was also returning, a lifeboat appeared before Kira Yamato.
Without a second thought, Kira brought the lifeboat back to the Archangel's hangar as well.