Two weeks had passed since Cagalli's disappearance. The Archangel had crossed the Indian Ocean and entered the South Pacific.
We had already reached the waters near Orb, but—predictably, or perhaps inevitably—we were intercepted. The Aegis, Duel, Buster, and DINN were upon us.
"Not Kira, but me? You're obsessed!"
Riding atop a Guul sub-flight lifter, the Duel charged the Archangel's deck, firing its railgun and missiles while raising its beam saber for a cleaving strike against the Blitz.
I intercepted the missiles with the anti-air shotgun equipped on my left arm and read the trajectory of the railgun shots to evade them. I caught the descending beam saber with the Trikeros shield, and as the Duel tried to fly past, I aimed my beam rifle at its exposed back...
...A chill ran down my spine.
I dodged instinctively.
In the next instant, a high-energy beam fired from the Buster tore through the space the Blitz had occupied milliseconds ago, slamming into the ocean and sending up a massive geyser of water.
Firing the Trikeros beam rifle at the distant Buster as suppression, I took a split-second glance at the battlefield. The DINN and the Skygrasper were locked in a dizzying aerial dogfight. Meanwhile, the Aegis, mounted on its own Guul, was clashing with the Strike, which was using the Aile Striker pack for sustained atmospheric flight.
Technically, I was dueling Yzak, but with the Buster sniping at the Archangel—and by extension, me—it was effectively a two-on-one situation.
"Axel Almar! Can't you suppress the Buster?!" Natarle's voice crackled over the comms, panic edging into her tone.
"Impossible! The Duel is on me, and—tsk!"
I dodged another slash from the Duel as it swung back around.
"Whoa!"
The Archangel shuddered violently from a direct hit by the Buster, throwing off my balance and ruining my chance to counterattack.
Damn it. This is when I envy the Strike and its high-mobility Aile Striker pack.
The Archangel returned fire with its Valiant linear cannons and Helldart missiles, but the Buster used the high mobility of the Guul to evade effortlessly, firing missiles back at the ship like a counter-puncher.
"Like I'd let you!"
I fired the shotgun at the incoming warheads. I managed to intercept most of them, but a hundred percent interception rate was a fantasy; a few slipped through the Igelstellung and Gottfried fire, detonating against the hull. The shotgun, loot from a previous battle, was surprisingly effective, but my ammo reserves were dangerously low.
The situation with the Strike wasn't much better. Kira was fighting with the Archangel constantly at his back, forcing him to tank hits rather than dodge, lest the ship take the damage. He was fighting with one hand tied behind his back.
The only saving grace was Mu. He seemed to have the upper hand against the DINN, likely piloted by Nicol. Given that Mu could hold his own against Rau Le Creuset, I suppose it wasn't surprising he could handle a rookie, but it was the only bright spot in this mess.
BOOM!
The sickening sound of an impact reverberated through the ship. A railgun round from the Buster had smashed into the portside Valiant—the side opposite me. My monitor showed the wreckage of the cannon tumbling into the sea.
This is bad. If the Orb military doesn't show up soon... Argh!
The Duel was coming around for another pass, undeterred. But fortunately, the Buster was currently positioned on the Archangel's port side. I had a brief window to deal with the Duel while the sniper was out of line of sight!
"Focus."
I triggered the Spirit Command. My concentration narrowed to a razor's edge, locking onto the approaching Duel.
Coming. Coming. Coming... NOW!
As the Duel flashed past, swinging its saber, I fired my thrusters and jumped, evading the slash by a hair's breadth.
"Direct Hit."
Simultaneously, I activated the next Spirit Command and fired the Gleipnir anchor straight at the Duel's thruster pack.
Thanks to the Direct Hit effect bypassing defensive variables, the Gleipnir's claw punched clean through the Phase Shift armor and embedded itself deep into the thruster. The unexpected impact threw the Duel off balance. It tumbled off the Guul and plummeted toward the ocean, leaving the sub-flight lifter floating empty in the air.
"I'll take that!"
I retracted the cable. Since the Duel had fallen into the sea, the claw ripped free from the damaged thruster, allowing me to snag the empty Guul instead. I reeled it in, detached the Gleipnir from my left arm to secure it, and dropped the captured lifter onto the Archangel's deck.
"That leaves the Buster, Aegis, and DINN."
I sighted the Buster, which was still relentlessly pounding the ship, and fired the Trikeros beam rifle.
"Missed?"
Luck was on Dearka's side; he had ascended on his Guul at the exact moment I fired. The beam merely glazed the Buster's armor before flying off into the distance.
"Hm?"
I glanced down. Below us, a fleet of ships and combat helicopters had appeared on the water.
Finally.
"To the approaching Earth Alliance vessel and ZAFT forces: You are entering the territorial waters of the Orb Union. Alter your course immediately. Our nation does not permit the entry of armed vessels, aircraft, or mobile suits without prior agreement. Turn back immediately! I repeat, alter your course immediately! This is a final warning. If you do not comply, this fleet is authorized to open fire."
The open-channel broadcast from the Orb fleet rang through the Blitz's cockpit. I couldn't help but smirk at the double standard—Orb, the nation that helped develop the very Gundams and ship I was protecting, now feigning neutrality.
I waited. The ball was in Cagalli's court.
"How can you say that while watching this?! The Archangel is entering Orb territorial waters now. But hold your fire!"
"W-Who is this?!" the Orb operator stammered.
"Who are you?! If you cannot make the decision, then connect me to the government! Call my father... Call Uzumi Nara Athha! I am... I am Cagalli Yula Athha!"
And just like that, Cagalli's identity was revealed to both the Archangel crew and ZAFT.
Naturally, the Orb fleet hesitated. It was absurd to think the daughter of the former Representative would be riding on an Alliance warship with a resistance group. Any rational officer would assume it was a desperate bluff.
The transmission cut out shortly after an argument about whether she was a fake or the real deal.
ZAFT, realizing the confusion, resumed their attack. The Buster fired. The Archangel's laminated armor deflected the beam, but the follow-up railgun round struck near the Gottfried. Missiles trailed right behind it.
"Don't think you can do whatever you want!"
I pulled the trigger on the shotgun, spending my last shell to intercept the missiles. Using the explosion as a smokescreen, I fired the Trikeros beam rifle through the cloud. The beam pierced the smoke and punched through the Guul the Buster was riding.
However, as the Buster bailed out, Dearka fired a desperate scattershot that slammed directly into the Archangel's engines.
Smoke billowing, the Archangel lost altitude, unable to maintain lift. It crashed into the water, listing heavily, exposing its flank to the Orb fleet.
"Since you have refused to comply with our warnings, our nation will now exercise its right of self-defense."
As the transmission played, a rain of missiles and artillery shells poured from the Orb fleet. They slammed into the water around the Archangel—protective fire. Simultaneously, an equally intense barrage targeted the Aegis and DINN, preventing them from pursuing us.
It seemed that during the comms blackout, they had contacted the government and confirmed that Cagalli was indeed on board. Plus, Orb needed our combat data and the Natural-use OS development.
Columns of water hid us from ZAFT's view. Under the cover of the "attack" and guided by the Orb fleet, the battered Archangel limped toward Morgenroete, located on the island of Onogoro.
"…You okay?"
After disembarking from the Blitz, I saw Mu sitting on the deck near the Skygrasper, eyes closed.
"Yeah... Just tired. Honestly, I really thought that was the end for us," Mu replied without opening his eyes. His usual flippant demeanor was gone, replaced by genuine exhaustion.
"No kidding. ...But, I'm just a mercenary. You're a Major. You'll have to attend the negotiation table, won't you?"
"Yeah. Not exactly my idea of a good time."
"Well, you're a proper soldier, not a hired gun like me. Can't be helped, right, Major?"
As I teased him to lighten the mood, Murdoch approached us.
"Hey kid, we got the Guul secured. Hardly any damage on it. Tweaking the OS settings should make it usable pretty quick. I'll reattach the Gleipnir to the Blitz later."
"Thanks. If we get into another fight at sea, using the Archangel as a stepping stone isn't going to cut it. Having the Guul will make things a hell of a lot easier."
"Yeah. Speaking of OS... Where's the kid? The Strike is right there."
Murdoch pointed at the Strike. Kira was nowhere to be seen.
Mu answered the question.
"The kid's out on the rear deck. This is Orb, his hometown. He probably just wants to get a look at it."
"Huh. Is that so?"
"…Right then. I better get ready," Mu said, slapping his knees and standing up with a burst of energy that hid his fatigue perfectly. "Like Axel said, as a Major, I have to represent the ship alongside the Captain and XO."
He headed toward the pilot changing room.
"Guess I'll go change too. Murdoch, I'm leaving the Guul and the Gleipnir to you."
"You got it. We're stuck here until we fix the Archangel anyway. Plenty of time."
...Now then. I'll leave the official negotiations to Murrue and the others. They'll likely be approached for technical cooperation regarding the Natural-use OS. I'd like to tag along for that if possible, but... things are fluid. If I can't join the official talks, I might need to negotiate independently through Kisaka or Cagalli.
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 36
PP: 115
Stats:
Melee: 254
Shooting: 274
Skill: 264
Defense: 264
Evasion: 294
Accuracy: 314
SP: 446
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to increase slime performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
Terrain Adaptation:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: S
Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate (SP 4)
Gain (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recover & Focus [Skill])
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Limit Break (Morale)
Geass (Gray)
???
???
???
???
???
Kill Count: 278
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