C.E. 71, February 7th, 4 hours before battle.
The cheerful atmosphere aboard the Archangel, brought by the arrival of the advance team, hadn't lasted long.
In prosperity, the people suffer; in adversity, the people suffer too.
The innocent evacuees on board instinctively sensed a tension rising in the air—more oppressive and unsettling than before.
"Hurry up, complete the final checks as quickly as possible!"
"Are all compartments and critical sections of the ship ready?"
"How is Captain Wang Hu's Qilin maintenance coming along? Prioritize the Captain's mobile suit!"
"Over here, we need a few people to organize and escort non-combatants back to their rooms!"
Soldiers rushed through the ship in an orderly manner, persuading the already anxious evacuees to return to their quarters with stern urgency.
An unprecedented pressure loomed like dark clouds threatening to crush the city!
"Hey, that Wang Hu guy!"
Sitting in the special gift Wang Hu had entrusted to him, Mu had grown so agitated that blisters formed on his lips.
"Damn that bastard! Why didn't he pilot this thing himself? Or at least given it to me earlier!"
"Complaining about something, Mu?"
There's nothing more awkward than being caught badmouthing someone right to their face.
Just as Mu was grumbling and familiarizing himself with the controls in the cockpit, Wang Hu appeared before him with Kira.
"Wang Hu... Ahaha, why didn't you give me a heads-up?"
In an instant, Mu switched expressions, his playboy nature making him as changeable as a chameleon as he smiled brightly.
"Why did you bring Kira along too?"
"For the final adjustments."
Wang Hu didn't hold Mu's complaints against him. After all, with Mu's skills, he couldn't just familiarize himself with a new mobile suit right before battle and dominate the field like Wang Hu could.
"Lieutenant Mu, the reason you're piloting this unit is that although the reconnaissance-type Gene..."
"Compared to the standard Gene, it does have some optimizations in energy reserves and supply systems."
"But installing the Qilin's Beam Cannon pods onto this Gene would require too much time for energy layout and low-level protocol adjustments."
Wang Hu didn't mind, but Kira certainly did. Like a loyal guard dog protecting its master, Kira bluntly countered Mu's minor grievances.
"Moreover, as the main combat force on the battleship, Big Brother Wang Hu's stability needs to be prioritized."
"Additionally, for the purpose of deceiving the enemy, Lieutenant Mu, you are the optimal choice."
"Got it, got it, got it." Seeing Kira's serious expression, Mu raised his hands in surrender.
"Use your upper horse against their middle horse, your middle horse against their lower horse, and your lower horse just needs to avoid being taken out by their upper horse."
"Tian Ji's horse racing—an ancient Eastern military strategy."
Actually, when Mu first saw Wang Hu bring back a well-maintained captured Gene, he had anticipated that Wang Hu had plans for this Mobile Suit.
Given the physical prowess Wang Hu had demonstrated, even as a Natural, he could operate a Coordinator's OS without any issues.
The Strike Gundam's control system, calibrated to Kira's physical data, was undoubtedly something Wang Hu could handle with ease as well!
After such a long period of interaction, few combat personnel on the ship still believed Wang Hu's initial excuse for being unable to pilot the Strike Gundam.
Yet, to his surprise, the reconnaissance-type Gene ultimately ended up in his hands, as Wang Hu entrusted it to him to pilot.
Staring at the X-shaped arrangement of wired-control gunpods on the screen, Mu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Seeing how Kira now followed Wang Hu's lead in everything, Mu felt an even stronger sense of how fortunes could change over time.
Who would have thought that the pilot they had practically forced to come aboard from the Orb satellite not only excelled at coding but also turned out to be an exceptional Gundam pilot?
It seemed like all the good fortune had been snatched up by Wang Hu!
Shaking his head, Mu knew his own limitations, and his frustration faded as quickly as it had arisen.
To be honest, given the Atlantic Federation Army's notorious reputation, even if he and Murrue tried their best—even without someone like Wang Hu around—if the Archangel were to return to the United Forces Lunar Base, they would likely have to find a way to let Kira disembark early.
Reputations could be deadly!
Bringing Kira into the Atlantic Federation Army would be like watching someone jump into a fire pit with open eyes!
"Kira, could you help me adjust these data points?"
Pulling himself together, Mu humbly sought advice from the young Coordinator in front of him to prepare for the potential battles ahead.
"Heh heh heh."
Chuckling cheerfully, Wang Hu watched as Mu and Kira busied themselves inside the Gene's cockpit.
The memories of Kira and Mu from the past had grown hazy, while their current images became increasingly vivid.
Next...
Turning his head, Wang Hu's gaze seemed to pierce through the Archangel's cold armor, stretching endlessly into the depths of space as he leisurely thought about his old rival.
Having suffered repeated defeats at his hands, what form would his next appearance take?
"Captain Creuset, the fleet searching for Miss Lacus has sent a report."
Aboard the Vesalius, which had been replaced with a new Nazca-class battleship but retained its name, Creuset's newly assigned adjutant was giving his report.
"According to their assessment, Miss Lacus is highly likely to have been captured by the Archangel."
"Additionally, observations indicate that the Allied Forces have dispatched a small fleet led by the Nelson-class battleship Montgomery, attempting to rendezvous with the enemy Archangel."
"At the same time, the Allied Forces' main Eighth Fleet is positioned in low Earth orbit and may also move in this direction."
"Oh?" Creuset, who had just been reprimanded on Plant, was quite pleased with his new adjutant.
"What do you think about engaging the Archangel here?"
Surprisingly, the usually autocratic Creuset pointed at the vanguard unit on the tactical platform and posed the question to his adjutant in a consultative manner.
Lowering his head to examine the target indicated by his captain on the tactical platform, the adjutant fell into deep thought.
After a long while, he looked up at the masked Creuset and said, "I agree with your decision in principle."
"But I have a small suggestion."
"Suggestion?" A smile appeared on Creuset's face. After being toyed with by Wang Hu for so long, wasn't it time for him to retaliate?
"Yes. Rather than simply attacking the enemy vanguard, I think we could proceed like this..."
"Hmm, then let's do it this way. You pilot the CGUE and lead Athrun and the others into battle."
With a serene, faraway expression, Creuset temporarily pushed aside the unpleasant memories of his return to the PLANT homeland.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never bully a young man for his poverty!
Wang Hu, just you wait!
I will repay the humiliation you brought me tenfold, a hundredfold!
Just as Creuset and the newly arrived Adjutant finalized their combat strategy on the bridge of the Vesalius.
In the pilot lounge of the Vesalius, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Far more suffocating than it had ever been aboard the Archangel!
Watching from a corner of the lounge was Yzak, who usually came across as loud and boisterous—and indeed was loud and boisterous by nature.
He didn't even dare utter a single outburst, his eyes drifting to a certain corner before snapping away as if electrocuted.
Moments later, uncontrollably, his gaze would drift back to that corner and then shift away again, repeating this cycle without any sense of incongruity!
"Yzak, have I frightened you? I'm very sorry. Then I'll return to the Gundam for now."
Finally noticed by Yzak's persistent attention, a gentle boy's voice came from the corner.
Along with this voice came the faint sound of mechanical movement.
"No, not at all!"
Yzak jumped up as if a needle had pricked him beneath his seat, springing up like a coiled wire.
Never before had he felt so awkward and remorseful. If slapping himself twice could make the other feel even slightly better,
he would not hesitate to slap his own face with all his might.
"It's not your fault. It's because of me."
The gentle boy's voice continued, accompanied by the ongoing soft sounds of mechanical movement.
Clearly, the boy speaking still wanted to maintain his stance; he no longer wished to stay in this pilot lounge.
Perhaps the Gundam's cockpit was the most suitable place for him from now on?
"Don't!" Flustered, Yzak blocked the boy's path, his face flushed red like a monkey's rear.
"I would never look down on you because of how you are now!"
If the boy before him weren't male, this statement might have carried suggestive undertones.
Or if the boy were still his original self, those with more complex orientations might have had certain thoughts.
But directed at the boy as he was now, no one would misunderstand.
In fact, if encountered alone on the streets, ninety-nine percent of people would immediately turn and walk away.
"Thank you, Yzak."
The boy remained as gentle as ever, but his actions were resolute.
Seeing this, Yzak grew truly anxious—so anxious that his emotions erupted violently.
Usually prone to shouting at Athrun, now he was practically roaring at him.
"Athrun, what are you doing? Are you dead? Even in this situation, you won't say anything?"
"..."
Silence fell. As Yzak's roar faded, the lounge became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Only the sound of Yzak's angry panting continued to rise and fall.
"It's alright."
A while later, the young man who had stopped due to Yzak's roar spoke with a hint of disappointment. Seeing that the person showed no reaction, he addressed Yzak who was blocking his path.
"It's not his fault. It's my own problem. If only I had noticed the enemy's scheme earlier back then..."
"Neither I nor everyone else would have ended up like this."
"Nicol!" Yzak's voice was hoarse, his eyes growing misty.
Placing both hands on his comrade's shoulders, he felt an unbearable tightness in his heart and mind.
He wanted to curse but couldn't form the words, wanted to strike out but didn't know who to hit - the enemy? Or Athrun?
"Alright, thank you." Gently moving Yzak's arm aside, the young man walked out through the door accompanied by the sound of mechanical whirring.
"Athrun!"
Dearka, who had been notoriously slacking off within the team and desperately trying to act as the lubricant between the two factions within their four-person group, was now uncharacteristically enraged. Normally, you would never see him actually initiate a physical confrontation with anyone.
But now, with his dark skin and golden hair, every pore of Dearka's body seemed to radiate fury.
After Nicol left the lounge, Dearka immediately leaped in front of the bowing Athrun.
Grabbing the blue-haired noble youth - whom the old man called Patrick - by the collar of his shirt, he lifted him up.
"Ath...run?"
Dearka raised his fist to strike, but the blow wouldn't fall.
(End of Chapter)