Just as Mikazuki was marching towards the rest area, Murrue and the others arrived at the commander's office of Artemis Fortress.
Gerard Garcia, the Commander of Artemis Fortress, belonging to the Earth Alliance's Eurasian Federation, with the rank of Rear Admiral, had a supremely fake smile on his face as he looked at the three people in front of him.
"The identities of the three of you have been verified. You are indeed part of the Earth Alliance Atlantic Federation."
"Then..."
Gerard clasped his hands, propping up his chin, and said with a chuckle,
"Then, the three of you should stay at Artemis for a while.
There's a Laurasia-class ZAFT warship patrolling outside. You'll be attacked the moment you leave."
As he spoke, he opened the composite screen behind him, showing a ZAFT battleship hovering outside Artemis.
Murrue's expression darkened. She said,
"Then we must leave as soon as possible. We need to race against time to report to our superiors at Lunar Headquarters."
Murrue's words were very direct, but how could Gerard let them leave so easily? His fake smile had already vanished.
"Alright, the three of you should rest first. We will let you leave when the ZAFT warship retreats.
But not now, it's too dangerous for you to go out like this. Rest assured, you are absolutely safe here at Artemis."
Gerard pressed a button on his desk, and soldiers from outside entered.
"Take the three of them to the lounge. Protect them well."
"Yes."
The faces of Murrue and the other two were as dark as the bottom of a pot.
At this point, even a fool could tell what was going on—they were being forcibly kept here.
No, it might not just be forced retention. If they cared about more than just data, but also the battleship and the Mobile Suits themselves, then...
Artemis indeed had plans to eliminate Murrue, Natarle, and Mwu, the highest-ranking officers on the battleship, and claim the Gundam and the Archangel for themselves.
If necessary, they would even "cleanse" everyone on the Archangel, including civilians, as long as they could obtain the battleship and the Gundam.
As for the consequences? Not many, even within the Earth Alliance, knew much about the Archangel and the Gundam.
Furthermore, the Archangel couldn't contact the Atlantic Federation at all, and the Atlantic Federation didn't know whether the Archangel had sunk or not.
Even if Artemis seized the battleship, as long as they kept it strictly secret and denied everything, what could the Atlantic Federation say even if they found a shred of evidence?
They could only swallow their bitterness. The Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation wouldn't fall out over this. This was the plan the highest-ranking official of Artemis was currently executing.
Therefore, Mikazuki was not exaggerating in the slightest to consider this place a necessary enemy to destroy.
Murrue and the other two had no choice but to follow the soldier to the so-called lounge. Although it was impossible for them to be killed immediately, there were still things about the Archangel and the Gundam that required the knowledge of those involved in the plan.
After Murrue and the other two were put under guard, Gerard left the command office and, with two direct subordinates, went to the Archangel.
The battleship was fine; data extraction went smoothly. But the Strike Gundam was different; its system had long been locked by Mwu, a lock that only Kira could activate.
So now, Gerard couldn't get any data on the Gundam. That's why he came to the Archangel himself to find the Strike's pilot.
Arriving at the rest area where everyone was concentrated and guarded, his adjutant spoke in a condescending tone,
"Where are the Mobile Suit pilot and technical personnel of this battleship?"
Kira, now dressed in a military uniform in the rest area, tried to stand up but was pushed down by Kojiro behind him.
"I'll ask again, where are the Mobile Suit pilot and technical personnel of this battleship?"
Seeing no one answering, the adjutant asked again impatiently.
The helmsman, Arnold, came forward and asked,
"Why are you asking us?"
"What?"
Hearing Arnold's questioning tone, the adjutant couldn't help but grab Arnold's collar. Arnold, however, didn't change his expression, a mocking smile on his face.
"Didn't the Captain tell you? Or are you too afraid to ask?"
Gerard smiled, raised his hand to signal the adjutant to back off, and stepped forward, saying,
"You are all excellent soldiers specially selected from the Atlantic Federation to participate in a secret plan."
Anyone could tell that these were hollow compliments. Arnold asked unceremoniously,
"What do you want to do with the Strike?"
Gerard chuckled,
"Nothing, just that we finally have the opportunity to get a preview of the newest model's magnificent appearance before its public release.
So, who is the pilot?"
Kojiro replied,
"It's Lieutenant Commander Mwu La Fllaga. If you have any questions, please go to Lieutenant Commander Fllaga.
We cannot reveal any classified information without the consent of our direct superior, Rear Admiral. As a military officer, you should understand that, right?"
Gerard's expression froze. He was rendered speechless by a mere maintenance squad sergeant, which made him lose face.
His mouth twitched, no longer needing any pretense; a cold sneer appeared on his face.
"Yes, I understand. But Captain Ramius and the other two are resting in the lounge I prepared, so they might not be able to give you orders immediately."
"Ugh..."
The atmosphere immediately became tense. Gerard's words couldn't be clearer: if they didn't reveal who the pilot was, their captain would be in danger.
Seeing that he had successfully bluffed the crew, Gerard grinned, stepped forward, and yanked Miriallia's arm. Miriallia cried out in pain.
"Ow!"
"Miriallia!"
Miriallia's boyfriend, Tolle, tried to step forward but was restrained by an Earth Alliance soldier behind him.
"Although I don't think the pilot would be a woman, considering the captain is also a woman, hehehe, it's not impossible..."
Just as he continued to squeeze Miriallia's arm, gunshots and the sound of bodies falling echoed outside the rest area, followed by a cold, somewhat hoarse voice like that of a teenager.
"Found... the rest area..."
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