(There'll be another chapter later. Yi Zui is currently a full-time dad, and sometimes he doesn't have time to write because of the kids, though that doesn't happen often. Sorry for not updating yesterday; today's two chapters will make up for yesterday's missed one.)
After leaving Mwu's Captain's Room, Xiao Ran appeared calm as he walked toward the hangar, but his heart was pounding uncontrollably. Perhaps seeing Lacus had stirred him up a little too much, because he had blurted out a whole pile of things he should not have said and nearly let the others spot something suspicious. Mwu's doubts were the clearest proof of that.
Fortunately, Xiao Ran had never harbored any ill intent toward the Archangel. His life was now closely tied to the Archangel's, and ever since boarding, he had played the role of someone being forced along. Although Mwu had become somewhat suspicious of his origins, she firmly believed he meant the Archangel no harm.
Xiao Ran kept reminding himself not to talk so much in the future. As he passed the cafeteria, he happened to hear a shrill female voice. "Forget it, stop joking around. Why should I have to shake hands with you? You're obviously a Newtype, so don't try getting friendly with me!"
Frowning, Xiao Ran recalled this scene. He quickened his pace and hurried over. When he saw the people in the cafeteria staring at one another, especially Kira's ugly expression, he shouted angrily, "What did you just say?!"
After saying that, Xiao Ran secretly cheered in his heart. Thanks, Flay, for giving me a chance to raise my favorability.
"Ah, teacher." Kazui and Miriallia hurriedly called out to Xiao Ran, looking a little awkward. Flay also seemed to realize that her words had implicated Kira, but stubborn and proud as she was, she did not think she had done anything wrong. After Xiao Ran shouted at her, she simply turned her head away.
"Teacher?" Lacus tilted her head slightly.
Xiao Ran nodded lightly to the two of them, then walked over to Kira and gently patted his shoulder. "Kira, don't take what she said to heart. Flay is just acting like a little girl. Maybe the recent events have put too much pressure on her and made her behave a little abnormally."
"Mm." Kira forced a smile and nodded.
Xiao Ran glanced sideways at Flay. There was not the slightest hint of apology in either her expression or her eyes. Even so, Xiao Ran could not be bothered to waste more words on her. This girl would never mature unless something happened to her. She was simply a spoiled rich young lady, and talking to her would be pointless while only making her dislike him for no reason.
Xiao Ran thought about it as well. As long as he continued to maintain an irreplaceable position in Kira's heart—the role of an elder, a respected teacher, even a father figure or older brother—then even if Flay really got together with Kira as in the original plot, it would not be a bad thing for him. It would avoid the danger of the plot changing and could even allow Kira to unleash extraordinary potential. All things considered, it was not a bad outcome.
As for Flay, when Xiao Ran had watched the anime back then, her death scene had truly moved him. He also felt that Flay was not really a bad person. It was only her father's death that had dealt her such a huge blow and caused her to do a series of immature things, nearly creating all kinds of trouble.
Besides, Xiao Ran had quite a quirky hobby himself. He wanted to see whether Flay, who looked detestable but was actually just an innocent girl, and Lacus, who looked innocent and pure but whose heart was not so simple, would fight over Kira in jealousy or shake hands and make peace.
Smiling to himself, Xiao Ran apologized to Lacus. "I'm very sorry, Miss Lacus, that you had to witness this. If possible, it would be best for you not to leave your room, so as to avoid any further conflict. Kira will be responsible for bringing your meals to you from now on. As for pilot Moliya Haru, I'll handle her myself. Please don't worry."
Without waiting for Lacus to refuse, Xiao Ran turned to Kira. "Kira, take the food and escort Miss Lacus back to her room, all right?"
"Mm." Kira nodded gently, walked over to the table in front of him, picked up a tray piled with food, and headed out of the cafeteria. After politely bidding everyone present farewell, Lacus followed behind him.
Xiao Ran looked at the remaining three people, shook his head, and picked up a portion of food as well. After asking where the pilot named Moriya was, he left. He spent more than ten minutes delivering the food and calming Moriya's somewhat irritable mood, especially after reminding her that Lacus was still aboard the Archangel. Then he headed straight for the hangar.
Before he even entered the hangar, Xiao Ran could hear all kinds of hurried, chaotic sounds. When he stepped inside, he could not help but reveal a trace of excitement.
The Recon Ginn that had originally been lying on the ground had somehow been stood back up. Its blown-off head had also been reinstalled, presumably retrieved by Sergeant Maddock and his team from some sunken ZAFT warship or scrapped Ginn. The two giant arms, whose shoulders had remained intact while their arms had been destroyed, had been dismantled and laid on the ground. The armor around the chest and back had also been stripped away until only the frame remained.
The once-spacious floor was now piled with all sorts of parts whose purposes Xiao Ran did not understand. More than a dozen people were gathered around the giant arms laid on the ground, modifying and repairing them. Among those components, Xiao Ran even spotted the steel hands and shoulder armor belonging to the Strike Gundam.
Xiao Ran's arrival did not draw much attention, but Sergeant Maddock, who was in charge of overall command, was clearly an exception. The moment he saw Xiao Ran, he stretched out a hand and shouted for him to come over.
The instant Xiao Ran approached, Sergeant Maddock spoke directly. "Good, you're here. There are a few things I need to discuss with you."
Xiao Ran said, "Please, go ahead."
Sergeant Maddock rubbed his head as he turned the computer in his hand toward Xiao Ran so they could both see the display. "Technologically speaking, the Ginn is still inferior to the Strike Gundam. Repairing this big fellow won't be a problem for us, and we've recovered plenty of Ginn parts from the Debris Belt. But I don't think simply fixing it is what you need. A Recon Ginn doesn't have much combat capability either, so we've begun modifying it."
"The first thing is the weapon system. This Ginn originally used long-range Ballistic Weapons, but our pursuers are Gundams, so Ballistic Weapons are useless. We've come up with two ideas. The first is to directly modify the Ginn's shoulders and energy connectors so it can equip the Strike Gundam's spare packs. But if it gets damaged in battle, repairs will become very troublesome. Aside from weapon components, the Strike Gundam's Mecha Parts are also somewhat scarce. That means you'll need to be extremely careful in combat, and you'll have to equip a pack whenever you sortie."
"The second is to dismantle the Strike Gundam's spare packs and reassemble them into something new. But that would take some time, and it might even result in something that needs to charge for a long time before it can be used once, or consumes too much energy. Repairs and replenishment would still be a headache if it was damaged in battle, but it would be better than the first option."
Xiao Ran nodded slightly as he listened, considering the shortcomings of both options. After thinking for a while, he raised his head and looked at the black Ginn. An idea formed in his mind, and he turned to Sergeant Maddock. "I think it would be better to combine both methods. Modify both of the Ginn's shoulders to match the Strike Gundam's design, so it can directly use the Strike Gundam's packs. Remove the original small rear gliding components and modify that section, along with the energy system."
"Since the Ginn doesn't have PS Armor and doesn't consume energy like the Strike Gundam, even in battle I won't need to worry too much about excessive energy consumption preventing me from changing packs. So I only need to choose one fixed pack. Of course, an extra battery would be even better."
"However, the Ginn's armor is far too fragile compared to a Gundam's, and I don't think that problem can be solved. So its mobility must be improved. I want the fixed pack to be based mainly on a Flight Pack. Adding some small thrusters would be fine as well. Don't worry about whether my body can withstand it; you can treat my physical capabilities as two to three times those of an ordinary human. If necessary, I can also use the Strike Gundam's Ship-cutting Sword and Hyper Impulse Cannon."
"For standard weapons, two Beam Sabers, one Beam Rifle, and an Anti-beam Shield should be enough. If a small Mechanical Arm can be added, the shield can be fixed to the left shoulder. It would be fine even if the shield has to be made a little smaller."
Xiao Ran spoke while thinking, while Sergeant Maddock wrote and sketched on the computer, wiping sweat from his forehead. Only after Xiao Ran finished did he shrug helplessly. "Not having to worry about changing packs does make the connector issue much easier. We just need to remove the original pack, replace it with one that has modified connectors, and secure it. As for the Beam Rifle and Beam Sword, luckily we prepared for that before you arrived. The Ginn's hands don't have weapon connectors, so I had people prepare spare hands from the Strike Gundam. That part is easy enough to handle."
"But modifying the pack and adding a small Mechanical Arm will be harder to deal with. In that case, we won't be able to alter the left shoulder armor to match the Strike Gundam's. On the other hand, if we use this Ginn's original right shoulder armor, there won't be any problem at all."
Xiao Ran turned to look at the Ginn's original shoulder armor. Since it had been removed intact, its original appearance was still clearly visible. The Ginn's right shoulder had originally housed reconnaissance equipment, and that equipment could rotate left and right. With just a little reinforcement, the shield could be modified onto it.
Closing his eyes, Xiao Ran imagined how the shield would operate in his mind, then smiled and nodded. "Then we'll do it your way."
"Then it's decided. I'll do my best to modify it according to your requirements." Maddock patted the computer in his hands. He had already compiled all of Xiao Ran's requests into it. As long as they made the proper adjustments, it would be quite easy without making major changes to the Ginn's main body. They would not even need to modify the Ginn's original energy system; only the pack and energy connectors needed minor adjustments.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Xiao Ran wore an expectant smile as he prepared to leave, but then he heard Sergeant Maddock mutter helplessly to himself, "Sigh, when are these days ever going to end?"
Upon hearing those words, several scenes flashed through Xiao Ran's mind. They were the rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet's advance fleet. At the time of that rendezvous, there would apparently be a sudden battle, and Flay's father would die in it.
"It should be around this time." Xiao Ran frowned and turned back toward Sergeant Maddock. "Brother Maddock, there's something I want to ask of you regarding the mech's modification."
"More requirements?" Maddock felt his head beginning to ache again and unconsciously rubbed it with his hand.
"No, not that." Xiao Ran could not help laughing at Maddock's reaction. Only after seeing the other man visibly relax did he shake his head and say seriously, "No matter what happens, you must finish modifying this mech."
Realizing that was all Xiao Ran wanted, Maddock laughed heartily and patted Xiao Ran's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll work overtime and get it done for you as soon as possible."
Xiao Ran opened his mouth, wanting to warn Maddock that the coming battle would be extremely brutal, but in the end he only nodded and emphasized again, "Then I'm counting on you. Remember, no matter what happens, don't stop modifying the mech. Under any circumstances."
"Don't worry, don't worry." Maddock patted Xiao Ran's shoulder and left. Xiao Ran's string of requests mainly concerned the pack. Though it sounded simple, it would be exhausting work. Many aspects needed to be recalculated and adjusted, so Maddock had no time to keep chatting with Xiao Ran.
Watching Maddock's departing back, Xiao Ran shook his head helplessly and left the hangar. But Xiao Ran did not see that Maddock raised his head after he left.
Watching Xiao Ran go, Maddock smiled as well. "That kid, honestly. Even if it was just to thank you and that brat, we'd still get this mech modified. Boys, put your backs into it! Don't let anyone look down on us!"
"Right, boss!"