Several days later, Mina sought out Yang Hui. Though she hid it well, traces of sorrow could still be seen on her face.
"Did something happen to Gina?" Yang Hui asked directly. At this point, the only thing that could bring Mina grief was Gina.
"Yes. He's dead—killed by junk dealers and mercenaries."
Yang Hui remained silent, offering no comfort. After all, Gina had brought his death upon himself. There was no one else to blame. Moreover, Yang Hui had long since made it clear to Mina: if Gina spiraled out of control, even if Lowe and Gai Murakumo didn't kill him, Yang Hui would eliminate him himself. Gina was no Cagalli—he wouldn't be given so many chances.
"I remember locking him up on the homeland before Orb fell. He was the only living person left there."
"That's right. So he made a deal with the Atlantic Federation."
After Orb's fall, the imprisoned Gina was released by the Atlantic Federation. Initially, given Muruta Azrael's temperament, he had planned to publicly execute Gina to intimidate the world. First, since most of Orb's leadership had either disappeared or perished in the fires, Gina was the only surviving member of the Five Families Azrael could find—killing him would both satisfy personal grudges and flaunt his authority. Second, Gina was a Coordinator, and slaughtering Coordinators was Azrael's favorite pastime.
A two-for-one deal—he wouldn't have passed it up.
Yet Muruta Azrael spared Gina. That meant Gina had offered terms enticing enough to sway him. And the only condition that could make Azrael spare Gina...
"Me, right?"
"Not just you. All of Orb. Gina promised that if Blue Cosmos helped him seize control of Orb, he would hand over everything Azrael wanted from Orb—along with delivering you to him alive."
"Azrael actually believed that?" Yang Hui asked Mina, surprised.
"He did. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Gina live."
Yang Hui chuckled coldly. "Now I see why that idiot Azrael became the leader of Blue Cosmos."
Gina's offer was clearly an empty promise. Muruta Azrael had gained nothing yet spared Gina's life. Who could say what would happen in the future as long as he lived?
Moreover, based on Yang Hui's understanding of Gina, his plan was undoubtedly to leech off the Atlantic Federation and Blue Cosmos like a parasite, absorbing their resources to strengthen himself. Once he regained power, he would have drained both organizations dry in one go.
There was no way he would ever fulfill his promises.
Anyone with half a brain wouldn't have fallen for it. Yet Muruta Azrael actually believed him? If it weren't for Azrael's simplicity making him easy to manipulate, Yang Hui refused to believe such a fool could lead a massive religious organization like Blue Cosmos.
In the end, Gina's ambitions were grand, but reality was harsh. He died before achieving his goals, ultimately slain by Lowe and Gai Murakumo.
"Do we have details on the battle?" Yang Hui asked.
"We recovered them from the Gold Frame. Do you want to see?"
"Let me guess—he was ordered by Azrael to attack a ZAFT fleet, then Lowe happened to run into him, Gai was also there, and they teamed up to finish him off?"
"Heh." Mina sneered without answering, but seeing her arms crossed, Yang Hui knew he'd guessed right... or not! This was the predetermined plot. He hadn't interfered much, yet somehow Gina still met the same fate for the same reasons.
"Leave the Gold Frame repaired and stored there. You can use the Purple Frame instead," Yang Hui advised. The Astray Gold Frame was Gina's Mobile Suit. No matter how much Mina disliked Gina, they were still twin siblings. Yang Hui didn't want Mina to be constantly affected by Gina's death through the Gold Frame.
"I know."
"Then I'll go prepare."
"Yang Hui..."
"What is it?"
"If you die, I'll happily take over all of Orb's power."
"..." Hearing this, Yang Hui smirked and waved without turning around. He recognized this as Mina's way of showing concern—she was tsundere, a cold and proud queen who couldn't voice normal affection.
...
"How are preparations?" Boarding the White Tiger, Yang Hui went straight to the bridge. To his surprise, the captain was an old acquaintance—Togao, who had arrived at Ame No Minashira ahead of them.
"Supplies loaded, MS secured. Ready to depart at any time," Togao reported.
"Good. Notify the Archangel. Set course for L4."
"Yes!"
"Launch sequence initiated, loading Program A..."
"Main power online, ignition sequence prepared..."
"All personnel cleared from surrounding areas..."
"All systems ready, Captain!"
"Very well. White Tiger, launch!"
"Understood! White Tiger launching!"
As the main engines flared brighter, the White Tiger slowly moved beyond the port into the vast cosmos, gradually extending its presence.
Once fully clear of Ame No Minashira, the White Tiger's majestic form was fully revealed to all.
"Adjust course. Destination: L4 Colony Cluster."
"Confirmed. Course set for L4 Colony Cluster. Correction complete."
The White Tiger set off alongside the Archangel toward the L4 colonies. None knew how many would return alive or what awaited them. Facing the unknown, all felt tension and fear—yet also resolve, for they had their own goals and convictions.
"Feeling resentful?" In Cagalli's room, Mina unusually kept her company watching the White Tiger and Archangel depart.
"...Aren't you the same?"
"Hmm?" Mina's eyes widened at Cagalli's retort, as if suspecting an imposter.
"W-what's with that look?" Cagalli lowered her head awkwardly.
"Just curious what gave you the courage to speak to me like that." Mina's beautiful face frosted over—the proud tsundere queen wouldn't tolerate having her feelings exposed, nor admit it if they were.
"What... what do you mean?"
"Nothing." With the ships gone, there was no reason to stay babysitting. Ame No Minashira wasn't safe—they had to remain vigilant against Earth Forces or ZAFT attacks.
"Hey!"
Just as Mina was about to leave the room, Cagalli called out to her.
"I can't possibly let you go."
"No! I mean... I wanted to ask... Since you're unwilling, why not go with them?" Cagalli questioned.
"...If I leave, would you take over here?"
With those words, Mina exited the room without looking back, leaving Cagalli deep in thought.
"Kisaka, what she meant... is that everyone has their own responsibilities, right?" After a long contemplation, Cagalli asked Kisaka. After all, confined to this room, Kisaka was the only one she could talk to.
"Yes." Kisaka smiled approvingly. In his eyes, this period of confinement had finally helped Cagalli grow—at least she'd learned to think for herself.
"Then... what exactly is my responsibility?"
Faced with Cagalli's persistent questioning, Kisaka remained silent. Truthfully, he didn't know what Cagalli should—or even could—do. The only notable skill she had was piloting MS, which, while not on par with Yang Hui and the others, still qualified her as an ace-level pilot.
But Kisaka would rather she lacked such talent and simply stayed somewhere safe.
"Ahhh!!! I can't figure it out!" Cagalli tugged at her hair in frustration. She truly couldn't think of anything she excelled at. She couldn't command like Sumeragi, handle politics and diplomacy like Wang Liu Mei, strategize like Yang Hui, or even match Mina's leadership qualities. "Damn it! I just can't sit still! I really want to fight alongside them!"
"..." Kisaka sighed inwardly. This was the Cagalli he was accustomed to—the silent thinker persona didn't suit her at all. Perhaps it was best for her to just remain the princess.
...
Meanwhile, as the White Tiger and Archangel headed toward L4, Patrick Zala in PLANT was overwhelmed with troubles. After painstakingly uncovering Siegel Clyne's missteps, he'd hit another dead end—Lacus Clyne had vanished without a trace, yet the ongoing anti-war broadcasts proved she was still somewhere within PLANT.
Another pressing issue plagued Patrick Zala: the special unit comprising Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka had gone silent. Their last communication had been from the Carpentaria base, and nothing had been heard since.
According to intelligence reports, spies embedded within the Earth Forces relayed sightings of four MS units resembling the Freedom Gundam, Justice Gundam, Rebirth Gundam, and Covenant Gundam assisting the Orb Military during the defense against the Atlantic Federation's assault.
But these were only unconfirmed sightings.
This development tormented Patrick Zala. He felt betrayed—his own son and trusted juniors might have defected? No, it wasn't certain yet. But if they hadn't, why aid Orb? Just because of their friendship with Yang Hui?
Even if that were the case, Patrick Zala feared the worst. He'd always valued Yang Hui highly, and if Athrun and the others had acted impulsively, Yang Hui might very well persuade them to defect.
Putting aside other matters, if Yang Hui knew about the existence of the Neutron Jammer Canceller, would he really not want it?
But it doesn't make sense. If Yang Hui had obtained the Neutron Jammer Canceller, Orb would possess nuclear capabilities. With nuclear weapons at their disposal, why wouldn't they use them even when their nation fell?
Too many questions swirled in Patrick Zala's mind, making it difficult for him to sort through his thoughts.
So, he decided to seek help to analyze the situation.
"Someone!"
"Chairman Zala."
"Where is Creuset now?"
"According to our last communication, Captain Creuset is currently resting at the Carpentaria Base."
"Contact him and have him return with his team."
"Understood!"
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/TLGod
Thanks!