After the conversation on the Archangel's bridge concluded, everyone except Dalida and Katz, who were assigned to duty shifts, went to rest—including Murrue. After all, they had just endured a major battle, and exhaustion hit them the moment they relaxed.
The journey from the Alaska Base to Orb normally took about a week, but Reid urged the Archangel to accelerate as much as possible.
Currently, ZAFT had no forces patrolling the Pacific. The ZAFT Earth forces were likely trembling in their bases, awaiting orders and reinforcements from PLANT, too afraid to provoke the Earth Alliance again.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Federation was about to face joint condemnation from the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation.
After all, many soldiers from both nations had managed to break through the siege, and they now harbored deep hatred for the Atlantic Federation.
Those assigned to the Alaska Base typically had some political connections back home (the base was considered a safe, well-supplied posting with little combat—perfect for padding resumes). If these survivors and the families of fallen soldiers mobilized, even the militaries of both nations would shudder.
To placate these escapees, neither the East Asian Republic nor the Eurasian Federation could let this matter slide. They would demand substantial compensation from the Atlantic Federation at the very least.
Thus, the Atlantic Federation likely wouldn't have the resources to pursue the Archangel right now—their diplomats were probably being berated worldwide (wherever Atlantic Federation diplomats were stationed, their East Asian and Eurasian counterparts were surely present too).
In short, the Archangel was completely off the radar and could sail straight to Orb without concern—they could even switch to autopilot if they wanted. It wasn't like any cargo ships in the Pacific would dare to rob a Cosmic Battleship like the Archangel.
Still, no matter how fast they went, the trip from the Alaska Base to Orb would take at least four or five days.
Though Reid wasn't tired, he certainly wasn't going to stay on the bridge for duty.
The system's phase mission hadn't marked itself as complete yet—likely because while the Archangel had escaped the Alaska Base, it wasn't truly safe.
So, for both practical and personal reasons, Reid had to ensure the Archangel was properly settled before he could leave.
Still, the hardest part was over, and Reid was relatively relaxed. After returning to his room, he decided to deal with another problem—pulling out Lacus' letter from his clothes.
Honestly, seeing a carefully wax-sealed letter in the Cosmic Era was quite novel. This practice was originally meant to prove the letter hadn't been opened before reaching the recipient.
But even in the Cosmic Era—let alone the 21st century from which Reid had transmigrated—forging such a seal after opening it would be child's play.
So, Lacus was probably just emulating historical customs. After all, she hadn't dared to contact Reid through digital means to avoid leaving traces or records.
Inside the envelope was a single sheet of paper, lightly scented with lily fragrance—nothing suspicious.
The letter wasn't particularly long either. Beyond the initial pleasantries, the main content was a request for Reid's help.
Yes, in principle, this letter was Lacus' way of securing an escape route for herself.
Because both Lacus and Siegel were fully aware of the consequences of handing the Freedom Gundam over to Kira.
After all, Lacus couldn't have handed the Freedom Gundam to Kira without Siegel's permission. Moreover, Lacus didn't even have access to the military factory—it must have been Siegel who arranged everything before she brought Kira there.
Therefore, knowing his actions couldn't escape Patrick's notice, Siegel naturally sought an escape route.
Lacus wisely avoided framing her request around the almost half-joking agreement with Reid. Instead, she straightforwardly asked for assistance.
Of course, Lacus knew that given Siegel's status, Reid wouldn't dare take him in.
Siegel knew too many of PLANT's secrets. If he fled to another nation, PLANT would stop at nothing—assassination, terrorist attacks—to eliminate him.
So, in the letter, Lacus made her plea in her own name. But she didn't ask Reid to use his "connections" to extract her and Siegel from PLANT.
Instead, she expressed her hope that Reid would offer her shelter after she left PLANT. As for her father, he would find his own way out.
Reid could roughly guess where Siegel would go if he successfully escaped PLANT—most likely to his old friend, Reverend Malchio.
In the original timeline, it was Malchio who, cooperating with the restored Orb, found a hiding place for Lacus after she was ostracized by the Clyne faction. Now, with Siegel in the same position, the resourceful Malchio could surely manage it again.
Reid understood why Lacus actively sought his protection. Just like giving the Freedom Gundam to Kira, her coming to Reid was a form of early investment.
After all, in the original timeline, Lacus had nowhere to go and had to rely on Kira—whom she'd already won over—to form the Three Ships Alliance as a third party intervening in the war.
Now, Reid was the perfect third party: he had enough high-end mobile suits and the ambition to break free from the four major powers of Earth's sphere. So Lacus was certain that, even without any formal agreement, Reid would agree to cooperate.
It had to be said—Lacus and Siegel guessed right. Reid indeed wouldn't refuse temporary shelter for Lacus.
First, while Lacus was PLANT's beloved idol, she hadn't actually entered politics. Even though she'd already made contact with the Terminal Organization, to most in PLANT, Lacus Clyne had nothing to do with politics.
Thus, sheltering Lacus would only anger Patrick. Others, out of respect for Siegel, would likely let her go as long as she didn't cause trouble.
Second, Reid wanted to keep Lacus under his watch. If this young lady decided to act, she'd make waves.
Rather than risk her actions spiraling unpredictably due to his interference, it was better to keep her where he could see her.
This way, if Lacus made any moves, he could prepare. Even if she tried to reform the Three Ships Alliance, he could send the Archangel to infiltrate it.
Besides, he could assign locals to watch over her. If she could still manage to turn them against him despite the system's rules, then Reid would concede she'd earned that victory.
After reading Lacus's letter, Reid burned it immediately. He had no intention of getting involved in PLANT's affairs for now—the later Lacus escaped, the better.
After Lacus escaped, if he took her in, Patrick would have a perfect excuse to attack him.
The longer this dragged on, the more time Reid's fleet would have to prepare, and the greater the shock would be for the four major powers of Earth.
After all, Reid needed to establish enough prestige before the four powers could fully react, breaking the deadlock—otherwise, he might face their tacit joint suppression.
The preliminary plan was already drafted by Reid and handed to Une for refinement, but giving it more time for polishing couldn't hurt.
After physically destroying Lacus' letter, he pondered how to persuade Uzumi in the coming days, factoring in the possibility of the Archangel joining the Three Ships Alliance in the future.
Reid decided to talk to Murrue and gauge her stance.
After all, he had just promised to integrate the Archangel's crew into the New Misurugi Republic, only to now ask them to pretend they hadn't joined.
Moreover, once negotiations with Uzumi were settled, Murrue and the Archangel would have to stay in Orb for a while.
Reid wanted to create the illusion that the Archangel hadn't outright defected to the New Misurugi Republic—so when Orb's defense battle came, the Archangel could still lend a hand.
Of course, the real purpose of this "help" was to deceive the Atlantic Federation and PLANT.
The Atlantic Federation was easy to understand—Reid mainly wanted to prevent them from finding excuses to harass him after securing dominance on Earth.
The rescue at Alaska Base was something the Atlantic Federation would prefer Reid kept quiet about. A political trade-off would smooth things over, and they wouldn't press the issue regarding Murrue.
But Murrue alone was one thing—bringing the Archangel as a "dowry" was something the Atlantic Federation wouldn't accept.
The Archangel was simply too high-profile, making it a blow to their pride. So, even if everyone knew the truth, Reid needed to give the Atlantic Federation a face-saving excuse to avoid further conflict.
As for PLANT—if Patrick learned that the Archangel, which had been involved with the Freedom Gundam, was now under Reid's command, he'd probably have a heart attack on the spot.
Then there'd be no need to wait for Lacus' excuse—the Anti-Neutron Jammer alone would be enough for Patrick to immediately convene a PLANT emergency council and send forces to crush Reid.
So Reid planned to discuss this with Murrue first, aligning their stories. They'd need to put on an act—letting Uzumi "request" the Archangel's assistance, with Murrue "reluctantly" agreeing—exploiting the information gap between the three parties.
Thus, Reid went to knock on Murrue's door. She had slept in prison for six days—she shouldn't be tired now.
Reid guessed right—Murrue wasn't asleep and quickly answered the door. But when she opened it, Reid's eyes nearly popped out.
Murrue had clearly just finished showering. Her hair was still wet, and she wore only a shirt and boxers, with shower slippers on her feet—hardly presentable attire.
After mentally imprinting Murrue's current appearance, Reid averted his gaze, stealing glances from the corner of his eye as he awkwardly said,
"Sorry, Murrue, I didn't know you were showering. Go ahead, I'll leave now."
With that, fearing he might lose control, Reid quickly turned to flee.
But just as Reid took a step forward, Murrue, her face slightly flushed, grabbed his hand and softly said,
"Come in first. You must have something important to come see me at this hour. I just took a shower—you don't have to be like this."
Reid thought to himself that he should be much stronger than Murrue. So why was his body betraying him, letting her pull him into the room without resistance? Was Murrue's body some kind of black hole that had already captured him?
In any case, no matter how much Reid's mind raced, his body was utterly compliant, obediently letting Murrue drag him inside.
Then, the two of them froze.
Reid had been in Murrue's captain's quarters before, but right now, he wasn't sure where to look.
Because his eyes kept involuntarily drifting toward Murrue. Because, Reid realized, Murrue seemed to be in a state of undress. And the floor tiles were so white... The ceiling was quite round too...
Truthfully, Murrue was also in disarray. The first thing she did upon returning to her room was take a shower. Six days in prison had made her feel like her body and hair were rotting and reeking.
Earlier, when she leaned against Reid, he had probably been disgusted—he had stiffened up completely. (In reality, Reid was afraid of moving and being accused of taking advantage, then getting punched.)
After scrubbing herself inside and out repeatedly, she had spent a long time in the shower. Before she could even dry her hair, Reid knocked on the door.
If it had been anyone else, Murrue definitely wouldn't have opened the door like this—she would have made them wait. But with Reid, she inexplicably felt it was fine.
This was actually due to Murrue's loss of security. The Atlantic Federation could no longer shelter her. If Reid didn't protect her now, she could imagine how difficult her future would be.
So, for the person who gave her a sense of safety, Murrue opened the door without a second thought. And when Reid tried to leave, she impulsively pulled him into her room.
As for Reid's current reaction, Murrue wasn't sure what to say.
She knew exactly what he was looking at. Part of her was smug about her feminine charm, while another part worried—what if Reid thought she was a loose woman? There was also a hint of shyness.
Fortunately, Reid eventually found a topic to break the silence—he spotted the pocket watch Murrue always carried, placed on the table.
If he remembered correctly, that watch used to hold a photo of Murrue's pilot ex-boyfriend. She had carried it with her until she got together with Mu, at which point she replaced it with his photo.
But after Mu "died" in front of her, and after she personally fired the Positron Cannon at Bargiruel (Murrue hadn't known at the time that Bargiruel had already turned against Azrael—she had given the order with genuine vengeance in her heart), out of regret and longing, the watch had held a photo of her, Mu, and Bargiruel together in the days before Mu's return.
Reid instantly sobered up and found his opening. He figured asking directly about the photo in the watch would dispel the awkward tension, allowing them to get down to business.
So he asked Murrue outright,
"Murrue, you always carry this pocket watch. What's inside?"
Murrue looked at the watch, cradled it in both hands, and opened it—only to find it completely empty.
Seeing Reid's surprised expression, Murrue seemed hesitant and sad for a moment before speaking slowly:
"This isn't the one I originally wore. The original had a photo of my ex-boyfriend inside. He... passed away in a flight accident the day after successfully confessing his feelings to me."
"After we became a couple, all we managed was one meal together and one movie before it ended. (Don't question it, this is just how I've set the backstory)"
"Perhaps I'm the kind of woman who brings misfortune to her partners. I never found another boyfriend after that, so I kept his photo in my pocket watch to remember him."
"But when I was arrested, metal items like pocket watches were naturally confiscated. We didn't retrieve it during our escape, so it's probably turned to ashes by now."
"Since I worked in engineering development, my watch often got bumped, so I kept spares in my room. This one is just a spare - there's nothing inside now."
Reid suddenly felt like he'd stepped on a landmine, making the situation even more awkward. He could only reply softly:
"I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories."
Murrue closed the pocket watch with a snap, placed it back on the table, and said with some pain:
"It's alright. I've grown somewhat accustomed to being alone."
As she spoke, Murrue hugged her own shoulders in a self-comforting gesture.
On impulse, Reid grabbed Murrue's arms and looked into her eyes earnestly:
"Murrue, believe me, you're not that kind of woman. You're beautiful and deserve happiness."
Reid had intended to comfort her, but as their eyes met, both their gazes gradually grew hazy.
With hormones rising, Reid finally leaned in and kissed her...
Reid left Murrue's room three hours later. Everything had happened naturally, and Murrue had been... very receptive.
Of course, Reid had originally come to discuss business, but not a single word about that had been spoken.
Considering Reid had previously been opposing Ange, and now Murrue had been exhausted to the point of falling asleep, there was no chance of discussing serious matters now.
Reid left intending to exchange some supplements from the system and make some congee in the kitchen.
Fortunately, Reid's private cooking went unnoticed since everyone was resting. Sleeping six or seven hours was normal, and it wasn't mealtime anyway.
By the next day, though still slightly uncomfortable, Murrue could work normally. The single men aboard the Archangel all noticed she seemed more charming than before, but didn't think much of it beyond observing that Reid and Murrue appeared together more frequently.
Naturally, Reid hadn't completely forgotten their original business. The next day, he clearly explained his ideas to Murrue.
Murrue now accepted all of Reid's suggestions without question. After their... deep communication, Murrue's loyalty had skyrocketed to 92.
She'd begun self-conditioning, convincing herself she needed to be useful to Reid beyond just physical intimacy if she wanted to maintain his attention.
Of course, Murrue understood perfectly that Princess Angelise would always be the primary woman in Reid's life. She kept asking Reid about Ange's preferences, hoping the princess might tolerate her presence.
Fortunately, Reid had no intention of keeping Murrue as a secret mistress - he planned to tell Ange eventually. As for punishment... Reid accepted that he'd have to face the consequences of his own actions.
If Ange could accept Noin, she should be able to accept Murrue as well...
After all, among the women Reid had been involved with, Ange had only ever shown dislike toward Haman. As for others like Une and the Xia sisters, Ange had even privately remarked that if Reid ever truly couldn't hold back anymore, he might as well take them in.
But Reid certainly didn't have the courage to nod in agreement at the time—he could only overexert himself physically to muddle through the situation.
So when Murrue learned that Reid actually had two women already and she was the third, she didn't give him a look of disgust reserved for scumbags. Instead, she sighed in relief.
For Murrue, she had never planned to demand too much in the first place. Being the "other woman" would have been troublesome, but being the fourth meant it wasn't a leap from zero to one. Blending into Reid's family would actually be much simpler.
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