"So, Kira attacked first with Xiao Ran's tacit approval, captured both the mobile suit and its pilot, and brought this thing back too?"
On the Archangel, Mwu looked helplessly at the black Recon Ginn missing an arm and its head, then at the female pilot whose hands were cuffed behind her back, her helmet removed to reveal long silver hair.
The female pilot's flowing hair fell naturally to her waist, smooth and soft as silver satin. Her blue eyes glared fixedly at Kira, filled with defiance. There was a trace of anger on her beautiful face, but even more helplessness.
In front of the black Recon Ginn sat a small green Life Pod. Sergeant Maddox was using the computer in his hands to crack its lock.
Not long ago, when Kira had captured the Recon Ginn and its pilot, a Distress Signal had suddenly appeared on his display. After seeing that it came from a small civilian Life Pod, he had immediately brought both the pod and the Recon Ginn back to the Archangel. Mwu, Mu, and Bargyll had rushed over as soon as they received the news, leading to the scene before them.
After hearing Mwu's words, Kira nodded slightly in acknowledgment, though most of his attention remained on the silver-haired female pilot and the Life Pod.
Mwu rubbed her aching head and turned to Xiao Ran. "Sergeant Xiao Ran, don't you have anything to explain?"
Xiao Ran spread his hands. "First, if Kira hadn't opened fire, then with us already discovered, anyone going to resupply could have died. Especially at the resupply location we chose—it would be considered an intrusion by ZAFT."
"Second, in a place like this, I didn't want to see any more lives lost. I think Kira felt the same way. Since we could disable the enemy while gaining another fighting force for ourselves, I think that was the right choice."
"Third, it's simple. I wanted this MS. And did you expect us to stand by and watch someone die?"
Xiao Ran calmly laid out his reasons one by one, then threw a question back at Mwu. His words sounded reasonable enough that Mwu could not say much. But the real reason was simply that Xiao Ran had taken a liking to this MS, and had been eyeing it for quite some time.
When he recalled Lacus and Kira's first meeting, Xiao Ran had thought of the MS that had come here to investigate Lacus before being shot down by Kira. As a mecha fan, now that he possessed mobile suit piloting skills, how could he not try to get an MS for himself?
It was not that Xiao Ran did not want something better. But after carefully recalling the plot from beginning to end, he had found that this was the only opportunity to acquire an MS quickly. A lone MS that was no match for Kira at all—opportunities like this were rare throughout the entire story. With Kira's skills and the Strike Gundam's performance, capturing it would be effortless. Naturally, Xiao Ran would not let such a chance slip away.
That was why he had remained on Junius 7, waiting for this MS to arrive, rather than simply confirming that Kira had recovered Lacus's Life Pod.
"After saying all that, Teacher basically just wanted an MS of his own, right?" Tolle said enviously, resting both hands behind his head. "I want an MS of my own too."
Miriallia turned to Tolle, her voice rising several notches. "Tolle!"
"Hehe, I was joking." Tolle hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands with a laugh.
Bargyll shot Xiao Ran a sideways glance, but unusually, she did not criticize him. She likely felt that the Archangel's combat strength truly needed reinforcement right now. Mwu looked at the obvious delight in Xiao Ran's eyes, shook her head, and said nothing more. Mu, meanwhile, circled the Recon Ginn at the side, clicking his tongue repeatedly.
Sergeant Maddox fiddled with the computer in his hands, then suddenly looked up at Mwu. "The link is established. We can open it anytime."
Mwu nodded and lightly waved a hand. Several armed guards immediately aimed their weapons at the Life Pod's hatch. With a gentle press from Sergeant Maddox, the hatch opened slowly with a hiss. Before they could see whoever was inside, everyone on the Archangel saw a pink spherical robot float out, making mechanical noises as it went. "Harow, Harow."
The spherical robot that floated out was the Harow Robot, practically the mascot of every Gundam generation. Its appearance stunned everyone aboard the Archangel for a moment, but the person who drifted out of the Life Pod next left them completely dumbfounded. A girl as angelic as could be slowly floated out of the pod, wearing a smile that could make anyone lower their guard.
Her beauty made every woman present feel ashamed of herself, yet the innocence on her face also made them unable to help but feel fond of her. If even the women were affected, there was no need to mention the men. Those who were a little older could still control their expressions and emotions, but the younger ones, such as Kira, had somehow developed an entranced look on his face.
Xiao Ran, however, had been prepared and had no feelings for Lacus, so he remained clear-headed from start to finish, unaffected by her beauty. Even so, he thought to himself, She has an innate charm and presence that makes it impossible for people to feel any hostility toward her at first sight. No wonder she became one of PLANT's jewels at such a young age.
"Thank you so much for your trouble." Lacus floated out into the nearly weightless hangar and immediately thanked everyone in a pleasant voice. Xiao Ran did not know whether Lacus truly had not grasped the situation or whether it was all an act, but he had to admit that she radiated an innocent, pure air that made it impossible to think badly of her.
Lacus seemed unable to maintain her balance in midair for a moment. Before Xiao Ran could give Kira a push, Kira kicked off the ground and hurriedly reached out to catch her. The instant their eyes met, Xiao Ran clearly saw Kira's cheeks turn red, followed by Lacus's bright smile.
"Miss Lacus!" Before Lacus could introduce herself, the captured female Ginn pilot cried out in panic and seemed to try to break free from the guards and rush toward Lacus.
The guards were startled by the pilot's sudden movement and reflexively raised their guns to fire, but Xiao Ran's shout abruptly froze them in place. "Stop!"
The Ginn pilot successfully broke past the guards and flew toward Lacus with her hands still cuffed behind her back. When Lacus caught her, especially after seeing the handcuffs on her wrists, she tilted her head slightly, then lightly covered her mouth in surprise. "Ah, isn't this a ZAFT ship?"
Upon hearing Lacus's words, Mwu helplessly lowered her head. Even Bargyll, who always faced others with a cold expression, wordlessly covered her forehead. Mu froze for a moment, then spread her hands with a bitter smile. "Kid, you really brought back something incredible."
Mwu sighed softly, then raised her head to look at Lacus. "Miss, could we have a talk?"
"Of course." Lacus clasped her hands before her chest, nodded, and gave Mwu a slight smile. "Could you release her? I believe she is here because of me. I guarantee that she will not pose any threat to you. She looks rather uncomfortable like this."
Before Mwu could speak, Bargyll cut in. "No! Enemy personnel are absolutely not allowed to move freely aboard the Archangel."
"That's a bit much." Xiao Ran stopped Kira, who was about to argue, and stepped forward to address Bargyll. "Lieutenant Bargyll, removing her handcuffs does not mean she can move freely. Besides, I believe that with this young lady here, the female pilot will not do anything threatening."
Xiao Ran glanced at Mwu, pulled Kira to his side, and smiled. "Captain Mwu, Kira and I will guarantee it. If anything happens, the two of us will take responsibility. Is that acceptable?"
Mwu truly could not be bothered to say anything more, nor did she want Bargyll to continue arguing with Xiao Ran. She had seen Xiao Ran's eloquence before; even if they kept arguing, Bargyll would not win. She waved a hand. "Remove her handcuffs."
Bargyll's eyes widened. "Captain!"
Mwu answered with a single sentence, leaving Bargyll no choice but to glare resentfully at Xiao Ran. "That is an order!"
Once the female pilot's cuffs were removed, she rubbed her aching wrists and immediately stood in front of Lacus. Lacus merely smiled and shook her head slightly. "Thank you, but there is no need for that now. Everyone in the Earth Force will not hurt us."
"Yes, Miss Lacus." The female pilot hesitated, but under the circumstances, she could only obey Lacus and step back slightly.
"Then please accompany your bodyguard to the Captain's Room, Miss." After speaking to Lacus, Mwu turned to Xiao Ran. "You will pilot that unit from now on. Under wartime regulations, you could be promoted directly to lieutenant, but considering your other duties, you will temporarily be promoted to first lieutenant instead. You will come with us as well."
"First lieutenant... That's quite a jump in rank. It really feels a little strange when I think about it." Xiao Ran smiled, but inside, he was overjoyed. Obtaining an MS had been one of his plans, and being promoted to lieutenant after acquiring it had also been part of the plan. It was even connected to the evaluation of the Main Mission. How could Xiao Ran not be happy?
Mwu looked at the others and called out loudly, "Everyone else, continue resupplying. Do not waste time here."
"Yes!" At Mwu's command, the people in the hangar dispersed once more. Xiao Ran hurried to Sergeant Maddox's side. "Sergeant Maddox, I'm counting on you for that unit's parts. Don't forget the weapons either. Just use Kira's spare parts."
"Oh, come on. You've really handed me a huge headache." Maddock rubbed his head in frustration, looked helplessly at the Ginn lying on the ground beside him, and nodded. "We'll do our best."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Xiao Ran smiled at Sergeant Maddox, then turned and followed Mwu and the others, who had already left.