Today, Yang Hui, Sumeragi, and Wang Liu Mei had no work scheduled. Having delegated all their duties, the three arrived at Izanagi Port accompanied by their secretaries and bodyguards.
Before long, they spotted a fiery meteor streaking across the sky. As it descended, the scorching heat gradually faded, revealing the pristine white hull of the Archangel.
"Finally back," Yang Hui murmured, his eyes filled with longing as the Archangel drew closer. Due to the inadequacy of their space fleet, the Archangel had been forced to remain in space to assist Ame No Minashira. But now, with the launch of the first Qilin-class vessel, the First Fleet had officially been established and taken control of Boaz Fortress. With Orb finally possessing sufficient strength in space, the Archangel's mission had concluded, allowing it to descend to Earth for Yang Hui's reunion with its crew.
"It's been two months, hasn't it?" Wang Liu Mei remarked.
"Yes. The Archangel's return also signifies the success of our plan."
"Indeed. The triple Trinity is nearly complete—only Heliopolis, still under reconstruction, remains."
"It's expected to be finished next month. Once it's ready, we can move in."
"That won't be easy."
Yang Hui shook his head. While Heliopolis would indeed be completed next month, a colony satellite was meaningless without inhabitants. The original Heliopolis had been a haven for those weary of war, but after its destruction, Yang Hui wasn't confident how many would be willing to settle there again.
"If necessary, we can repurpose it for agriculture or industry, using official personnel to encourage civilian migration," Wang Liu Mei suggested.
"Right. We'll tentatively designate it for industrial use. The space fleet's expansion must accelerate."
Dawn Company had been rebuilt, and numerous factories had been established across Papua New Guinea and the former territory of West Indonesia, alongside the Mass Driver and Ame No Minashira. These facilities were operating at full capacity, churning out military equipment to support Orb's rapidly expanding forces.
So far, Orb's maritime fleet had expanded to eight fleets, each fully equipped with MS units. Meanwhile, the ground defense forces retained four aerial strike squadrons and four armored divisions, with the rest consisting entirely of MS units.
The regular MS squadrons had expanded to ten, with two aerial strike units and four underwater infiltration units newly established.
Even the elite special forces had doubled to two units, led by Barry Ho and Jiang Kerry respectively.
But it still wasn't enough. Excluding the space fleet, Orb's terrestrial forces remained insufficient—at least two more maritime fleets and four additional MS squadrons were needed to fully secure Orb's current territory and ensure its defense against any potential threat.
"Let's go."
As the Archangel touched down on the water and entered Dawn Company's dedicated port, Yang Hui and his group made their way there to welcome the returning crew.
"Commander, the Archangel has— Ah~!"
The hatch opened, revealing the long-missed figures. Yang Hui stepped forward, interrupting their salute and report, pulling them both into a tight embrace. The sudden gesture startled Murrue and Natarle Badgiruel, drawing surprised gasps from them. Yet, as they felt Yang Hui's arms around them, their stiff bodies gradually softened, and they reached out to return the hug.
"Welcome home."
"Yes, we're back."
"Woo-hoo~"
"Way to go, Commander!"
"The epitome of manliness!"
"Congratulations, Captain! Vice-Captain!"
...
The tender moment was soon shattered by cheers and laughter. Murrue and Natarle, who had been savoring their lover's warmth, suddenly remembered the presence of onlookers. Blushing furiously, they broke free from Yang Hui's embrace and shot him an indignant glare.
"The Captain and Vice-Captain are blushing!"
"Seeing the Captain like this is one thing, but the Vice-Captain? That's a rare sight!"
"Quick, take a picture!"
"Who dares?!"
"...A storm of furious roars swept through like a typhoon, silencing all the merriment. The crew stood frozen at attention, eyes darting nervously.
"Come now, we just got back. No need for such anger," Sumeragi said soothingly, linking arms with Natarle.
"It's just... they have no military decorum at all..."
"It's peacetime now. No need for strictness. Isn't it nice to relax?"
"Yes, Chief of Staff! You're absolutely right!" XN
"You all!"
Natarle whirled around to scold the rowdy crew, but Sumeragi outranked her both as Chief of Staff and as the head of their household. No matter how she looked at it, Natarle couldn't argue back. How infuriating!
"Oh? Having fun?"
"...No!" XN
Just as they were about to tease the usually stern Vice-Captain further—ahem, help her relax—Yang Hui's voice cut through like a bucket of cold water.
"Having fun teasing my wife, are you?"
"No!" XN
"Good. Remember this: she's my wife. If anyone's going to tease her, it'll be me. Understood?"
"Understood!" XN
"And also... Oww~!"
At first, Natarle felt touched that Yang Hui had stepped in to stop the nonsense. But his next words took a turn for the worse. This wasn't helping her at all—it was just another way to flirt with her, and in front of everyone, no less! As a strict military woman, Natarle couldn't let this slide. Her right hand shot out like lightning, finding its target—Yang Hui's ear—and twisted it 180 degrees.
"Natarle... easy, easy! It's going to fall off! My ear's going to fall off!"
"Hmph! Twenty more seconds."
"You're timing this?!"
"Hmm?" How dare he talk back? Clearly, she wasn't twisting hard enough!
"Wait! Twenty seconds it is!"
"Hmph!"
To save his ear, Yang Hui endured the pain for the full twenty seconds. Otherwise, whether it was extra time or extra force, his ear wouldn't survive.
The others wisely decided that quietly enjoying the show was far more entertaining—and safer—than causing more trouble.
True to her exemplary military discipline, Natarle released him exactly after twenty seconds. With a proud huff and flushed cheeks, she strode toward the conference room. Playful as the moment had been, duty called—reports had to be filed after their mission.
Sumeragi, Wang Liu Mei, and Murrue chuckled lightly as they followed Natarle Badgiruel, leaving Yang Hui behind to rub his reddened ear.
"She nearly tore it off. Natarle really doesn't hold back."
"Heh heh." XN
"Hmm?" A series of lewd snickers caught Yang Hui's attention. He turned his head to see Arnold and the others grinning at him, their expressions as shameless as could be.
"You deserved it." At that moment, Mu stepped forward to tease him. In private, Mu never treated Yang Hui as a superior—he joked around as he pleased. "You should be grateful the Vice-Captain didn't shoot you. Consider it mercy."
"Nonsense! Shoot me? And then live as a widow?"
"Vice-Captain!"
"Natarle! Let me explain!"
Mu suddenly snapped to attention and saluted behind Yang Hui, startling him into an immediate apology without even thinking. But when he turned around, there was no sign of Natarle Badgiruel.
"Mu, you old man—!!"
"Heh, just a joke."
"Ah, very good. This is an excellent tradition..."
"Right...?"
"Major Flaga, effective immediately, you are hereby reassigned from the Archangel. You will report to the new recruit camp as an MS pilot instructor, responsible for forming the 11th and 12th MS Squadrons. Upon completion of this task, you will continue overseeing daily training for subsequent units—"
"Wait a minute! I was just—"
"Joking, right? Good. Then take it seriously."
Yang Hui patted Mu's shoulder, his face lit with a sunny smile.
"I'll retire—"
"Denied."
"I... sob sob..."
Rank had its privileges. In private, Mu could banter and joke with Yang Hui all he wanted, but he'd clearly forgotten one thing—if Yang Hui wanted to mess with him, he could simply pull rank and issue formal orders. Even if it meant sending him to scrub toilets, Mu would have no choice. So...
Young man, you fight dirty!
Stepping past the ashen-faced Mu, Yang Hui approached Kira and Athrun.
"Long time no see. You've worked hard."
"Long time no see, Yang Hui."
"No battles, so it wasn't hard."
The three exchanged smiles and shared a brief embrace.
"Let's go, everyone. Don't keep them waiting. After the debrief, you'll all get two weeks off."
"Yahoo~!"
"Hooray!"
"Commander, I love you!"
"Whoa—no! Male, straight, normal preferences."
"What about me?" Mu weakly pointed at himself.
"You?"
"Mhm."
"Report to the new recruit camp!"
"Nooo—!!!!"
Of course, it was all in jest. The recruit camp already had enough instructors, and Mu was now an ace pilot. With personnel shortages as they were, there was no way they'd waste an ace on training duty—not like the desperate early days.
In the conference room, Murrue and Natarle took turns summarizing their experiences in space. Truthfully, there wasn't much to report. It was a ceasefire period—no battles, and no one would dare provoke the Archangel, now affiliated with Orb and accompanied by Kira and Athrun, during such a sensitive time.
However, Duan Halbaton had contacted them repeatedly, urging them to return the Archangel to the Earth Forces. After all, it was their most advanced warship, and its crew were all elites.
But both Murrue and Natarle refused. Not only had the Atlantic Federation's higher-ups completely disillusioned them, but their man was the Supreme Commander of Orb's entire military. Having already shed their uniforms, they had no intention of putting them back on. Rather than return to the utterly corrupt Atlantic Federation, they preferred to stay by their man's side.
"Oh? So Halberton dares to poach from me? That takes some nerve."
"Let it go, Yang Hui. General Halberton had no choice," Murrue said, noticing the dangerous edge to Yang Hui's smile. Though she'd left the Earth Forces, she still respected her former mentor.
"Indeed. General Halberton has been appointed Commander of the Moon's Crater Base, but he still hasn't fully secured control over it. They've even sent officers from Earth to restrict and monitor him. His situation isn't good," Natarle added.
"Tch, that's just because he's incompetent! After all this time, he still can't fully secure the Crater Base? Might as well have lived all those years for nothing," Yang Hui scoffed dismissively.
"Let's drop this subject. We've already refused General Halberton and explained our reasons. Now that we're back on Earth, I doubt he'll approach us again," Murrue continued placatingly.
"Fine. For your sake, I'll let him off this time."
(End of Chapter)