So far, Xiao Ran had learned of War of Freedom. He had also learned that the Mega-Borgs, which had caused such a huge stir back then before the information was covered up, had Celestial Being backing them as well. Though there was no way to gain a deeper understanding, Celestial Being only knew that much themselves, so there was no way to learn more.
After learning all this, Xiao Ran knew exactly whom he needed to find if he wanted more information. Commander Jill of Yajenar was certainly one of them. The other was Tusk, whom he had forced into serving as an advisor. However, Xiao Ran had no intention of immediately seeking either of them out for answers. He planned to wait until Cruze obtained more information from Lacus on PLANT before having a proper talk with Tusk.
Not long after his conversation with Miss Huang and Tieria ended, Ruri Hoshino informed Xiao Ran through communications that Athrun had returned. When Xiao Ran saw Athrun, he could immediately tell that Athrun was in a rather poor mood.
In the hangar, Xiao Ran first looked over Athrun's Justice Gundam. Its body was blackened, and it had sustained some damage. He could not help but wonder what kind of situation could have damaged Athrun's machine, so he asked, "What happened?"
Athrun, sitting at the edge of the Nadeshiko's hangar, raised his head as soon as he heard Xiao Ran's voice. Upon seeing him, Athrun forced a smile, shook his head, and said dejectedly, "I'm afraid I've disappointed you this time. There was an accident during the battle, and I couldn't bring all of them back."
Xiao Ran sat down beside Athrun and lightly patted his shoulder, smiling. "As someone who has experienced so many battles, you should understand this well. As