Ultimately, we fell in line with Murrue's instructions. Kira and the other Heliopolis students were reluctant, but Murrue's sheer intensity—backed by the warning shots she'd fired—forced them to acquiesce. For me, however, this was a blessing in disguise; I had intended to tag along with the Archangel from the start.
"Mr. Axel, did you bring this trailer?"
Murrue directed the question at the trailer Sai and the others had hauled over. Currently, only three of us remained in this spot: myself, Murrue, and Miriallia. Kira was in the Strike attempting to contact the Archangel, while Sai's group had gone to retrieve a second trailer containing the Strike's equipment packs.
The reason I, a self-proclaimed mercenary, wasn't entrusted with contacting the ship was simple. I had piloted the Blitz—stolen or not—with passable skill, repelled a GINN without weapons using a defective OS, and secured a trailer full of spare parts and weapons. To Murrue, I was suspicious.
And honestly, if I were in her shoes, I wouldn't trust me either.
"Yeah. The machine I protected had absolutely no weapons equipped, after all. Even that 'Strike' thing had vulcans and knives," I said, offering a dry smile. "Is this some kind of bullying?"
"It is due to the unit's specific characteristics," Murrue replied crisply.
Despite her firm tone, her expression looked strained. It felt like she was forcing herself to act the part of the steely soldier. Was I reading too much into it because I knew the original story?
"I see. So, what are the characteristics of the machine I was riding?"
"That is a military secret. I apologize, but I cannot disclose that information."
"Fair enough. But you realize ZAFT will likely be back soon, right?"
"Eh?"
"Think about it. ZAFT's objective was the Earth Alliance's five new Mobile Suits. They only managed to snatch three. What do you think they plan to do with the remaining two?"
Realization dawned on her face. Murrue's expression turned grave as she processed the tactical reality.
I leaned in, whispering like a devil on her shoulder.
"The machine I piloted has had its OS adjusted by Kira, so it's combat-ready. And naturally, I have no desire to die in a place like this. If ZAFT attacks, I'm going to use that machine."
"Axel-san! You—!?"
Murrue moved to raise her gun again, but I grabbed her right wrist, locking it in place.
"Sorry, Major. Unlike Kira and his friends, I haven't lived a peaceful, sheltered life. I grew up in environments where the smell of gunpowder was more familiar than fresh air. The battlefield is practically my home."
"Wha—!?"
"Now, here's a question. In this situation, what is the most correct course of action for a military officer? Hint: consider my profession."
"Your... profession?" She hesitated. "...Mercenary."
"Exactly. Which means?"
"You... you want me to hire you?"
She understood. I felt the tension drain from the hand gripping the gun.
"Simple, right? As you heard from Kira, I'm a Natural, yet I can pilot a Mobile Suit. And your enemy is ZAFT."
"But... regarding payment..."
Murrue faltered. It was understandable; she was merely the Archangel's executive officer, not the captain. She didn't officially have the budget authority. Though, unbeknownst to her, she was currently the highest-ranking survivor on the ship—a fact she wouldn't learn until she spoke with Natarle.
"...Fine. You're hired. However, I cannot guarantee the reward immediately. Is that acceptable?"
"That works. My top priority is survival. If you let me use that Mobile Suit, I can overlook the details for now. Speaking of which, what about the machine?"
"That unit is the X-207 Blitz. It's a special operations mobile suit designed for lightning-fast incursions. If ZAFT is returning, you should recharge the Blitz's battery. There's a power unit in that trailer. Connect it."
"Understood. But give me a minute."
I left Murrue and climbed into the Blitz's cockpit to boot up the OS. Thanks to Kira's adjustments, the controls were responsive—a difference like night and day compared to earlier.
I walked the Blitz away from the group, testing the movement, heading in a different direction from the trailer.
"Axel-san!?" Murrue called out, alarmed.
"Just wait a second. I'm bringing a souvenir."
I returned to the spot where I had downed the GINN earlier. Since I had crushed the pilot along with the cockpit, the machine hadn't self-destructed. Aside from the ruined chest and head sensor, the GINN was largely intact, lying on the pavement.
More importantly, its heavy assault machine gun and heavy sword were lying right there. I would need to adjust the Blitz's Fire Control System (FCS) to use them, so they wouldn't be ready for the upcoming fight with Creuset, but they would be invaluable later.
The Blitz relied too heavily on the Trikeros—the offensive shield system on its right arm. If that was damaged or lost, the machine had shockingly few options. Even if solid rounds were useless against Gundams, they worked fine on everything else. There was no downside to having backups.
I lifted the disabled GINN, supporting it with the Blitz's body, and dragged it back to Murrue.
"Axel-san, that is..."
"The unit I took down. Since I crushed the cockpit cleanly, there should be plenty of usable parts."
I dropped the GINN near the trailer and proceeded to connect the Blitz to the charging unit.
"Axel-san..."
When I descended to the ground, I was greeted by Miriallia and Kira. They looked at me with expressions bordering on fear.
Ah, right.
I was used to death on the battlefield. But to these two, who were ordinary civilians just hours ago, dragging a corpse-filled metal coffin around was horrifying. I couldn't blame them.
I offered a wry smile and sat down a short distance away to avoid frightening them further. Murrue, observing this, walked over and sat beside me.
"Please don't take offense. Those children..."
"Yeah, I know. Just a few hours ago, they were just students. If you ask who's the normal human here, it's definitely them, not you or me."
"I suppose. ...Hey, can I ask you something? You moved the Blitz in that state and destroyed a GINN with your bare hands. A pilot capable of that is elite class. ...If they are a Natural, that is. Axel-san, are you a Coordinator?"
"I see. So that's why you were wary of me."
"Yes, I won't deny it. So, which is it?"
"At the very least, I wasn't born with any genetic modifications. You can call me a Natural."
"..."
Murrue stared into my eyes, searching for deceit. Eventually, she sighed and nodded slightly.
"Alright. I'll believe you for now. But once we board the Archangel, I'll have you undergo a check just in case. You don't mind?"
"Not at all. Though, as expected of a warship. You can test for Coordinator markers?"
"We are fighting a war against Coordinators. It's standard procedure."
As we spoke, the other trailer approached, Sai visible in the driver's seat.
"Trailer number five. This is the right one, yeah?"
Sai spoke bluntly as he hopped out. He was clearly still resentful about being forced into this.
"Yes, that's it. Thank you."
"So? What do we do now?"
"Get the Striker Pack ready. Then... Kira-kun! Can you try the communication line one more time?"
While Murrue directed the students, Tolle and Kuzzey were looking at the GINN I brought back with morbid curiosity.
"Also, Axel-san. In the trailer charging the Blitz, there's an equipment package called the 'Trikeros' Offensive Shield System and the 'Gleipnir.' Once charging is complete, please equip the Trikeros."
"What about this Gleipnir thing?"
"That requires installation onto the arm itself. It takes specific knowledge and manpower. Just the two of us can't do it right now."
"Understood."
While I moved to the Blitz's trailer, Kira moved the Strike in front of the new trailer to equip the Launcher Striker pack. I felt a twinge of envy. Unlike the Blitz, which needed to plug in to recharge, the Strike simply swapped packs that included built-in batteries.
I climbed back into the cockpit and checked the status.
"Battery at 60%, huh? Well, it's enough to handle Creuset."
Since I hadn't used much power fighting the GINN, the charge time had pushed the levels to a respectable amount.
Suddenly, amidst the woo-woo of the evacuation sirens, a massive explosion rocked one of the colony shafts. The shockwave and roar echoed through the area.
They're here!
I looked toward the explosion. From the smoke, a CiGue and a Moebius Zero burst forth. The CiGue looked pristine, but the Moebius Zero—piloted by Mu La Flaga—had lost all four of its signature Gunbarrels. It was down to just its linear gun.
The CiGue spotted the Blitz and Strike. It corrected its attitude in mid-air and banked toward us. The Moebius Zero cut into its path, forcing the CiGue to break off, and a dogfight ensued overhead.
"Kira! The equipment!"
I shouted over the comms while yanking the charging cable free. I equipped the Trikeros on the right arm and activated the Phase Shift Armor.
Snapped back to reality by my voice, Kira hurried to equip the Launcher Striker sitting on the trailer.
Almost simultaneously, the Moebius Zero lost its last weapon. The CiGue's heavy sword sliced the linear gun barrel clean off. Capitalizing on the momentum, the CiGue left the Moebius Zero behind and dove straight for us, sword raised high.
But just as it seemed the CiGue would crash into us, another explosion erupted from the colony dock. From within the fireball, a ship with graceful lines of white and red emerged—the Archangel.
Creuset, piloting the CiGue, immediately strafed the ship with his machine gun. The Archangel rolled, banking its hull to evade. Judging that he couldn't sink the ship alone in this chaos, Creuset switched targets again, diving toward the Blitz and Strike on the ground.
He sprayed us with machine-gun fire, but against Phase Shift Armor, physical bullets were meaningless. He made a pass and pulled up. The Archangel fired missiles in retaliation, but between Creuset's skill and the crew's incompetence, they were either shot down or missed, slamming into the shafts supporting the colony.
"Amateurs!"
I muttered the curse, but then remembered the reality. Most of the Archangel's crew was dead; the ship was being run by a skeleton crew of essentially untrained personnel.
Kira, likely realizing the colony couldn't take much more damage, aimed the Launcher Strike's 350mm 'Agni' impulse cannon at the CiGue.
Normally, firing such a high-output weapon inside a colony was madness. But right now, the gap in skill between Kira and Creuset was too wide. And with my lack of familiarity with the Blitz, our odds of taking him down in a conventional dogfight were fifty-fifty at best. We had to compensate for our lack of skill with raw firepower.
The Strike fired. A beam of red energy erupted from the Agni. It completely vaporized the CiGue's right arm and machine gun, continuing on to punch a clean hole through the colony's outer wall.
Smoke poured from the CiGue's severed shoulder. Creuset immediately banked toward the hole in the wall to escape.
Oh no, you don't!
"[Love]."
I invoked the Spirit Command.
A mysterious power surged through my body. Guided by that sensation, I raised the Trikeros and fired the built-in 50mm high-energy beam rifle. The beam flew true, a straight line of death aimed directly at the CiGue's cockpit.
Suddenly, the CiGue twisted.
The beam missed the cockpit and pierced the left shoulder instead.
...He dodged it? A rifle shot with 'Sure Hit' active?
No, it hit the machine, so the 'Sure Hit' effect didn't fail. The only explanation was Creuset's spatial awareness—that pseudo-Newtype ability. He must have sensed the intent and moved just enough to avoid a fatal blow.
"...He got away."
Having lost its left shoulder—and with it, the shield and vulcan system attached to the arm—the armless CiGue vanished through the hole into the vacuum of space.
If I could have killed Creuset here, I could have prevented so many future tragedies. But... the one that got away was big.
I looked at the CiGue's severed left arm lying on the ground, the shield system still attached. I sighed, thinking of the long road ahead, and went to pick it up.
STATUS SCREEN
Name: Axel Almer
Level: 35
PP: 490
STATS:
Melee: 246
Shooting: 264
Skill: 256
Defense: 253
Evade: 281
Hit: 303
SP: 422
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
TERRAIN ADAPTATION:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: S
SPIRIT COMMANDS:
Accel (SP 4)
Gain (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Zeal (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
SKILLS:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recover & Focus)
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Will Limit Break
Geass (Gray)
???
???
???
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???
Kill Count: 255