Returning

(Today, my baby was scratched by a dog's teeth. Although there was no bleeding, I rushed him to get a shot. I was so scared. Speaking of which, the votes haven't been very strong these past two days! Please vote, please vote!)

"I really didn't expect the Strike Gundam to be just a C-class unit. I wonder what A-class and S-class units would be like." Xiao Ran mused inwardly, then glanced at the extra 1500 reward points from completing the mission and gave a helpless smile. "Completing the mission only gave 500 reward points. If it weren't for the 1000 points awarded for destroying two Ginn units, this mission would have been quite unprofitable. Oh well, as long as I didn't lose anything, I should be content with getting so much for free."

Shaking his head, Xiao Ran closed his eyes to rest and recover from the exhaustion and fatigue of battle. He woke up more than two hours later, took a shower, and then headed to the bridge, grabbing some water bottles from the mess hall along the way.

On the bridge, Xiao Ran greeted everyone, who looked exhausted, distributed the water bottles he was holding, and then stood beside Mwu. He asked, "How's the situation?"

"Not good." Mwu shook her head with a heavy expression and whispered, "The losses of the vanguard fleet were too great. So far, the search and rescue teams have found less than ten people."

Xiao Ran scratched his head. "A Drake-class battleship has a crew of at least dozens of people, right?"

Mwu immediately looked up in astonishment and retorted incredulously, "I really don't know how you can be so sharp sometimes, yet you don't know such common knowledge questions?"

"Did I say something wrong?" Xiao Ran spread his hands and pouted. "The Archangel only has less than 100 people on its roster right now, and those battleships aren't as big as the Archangel."

"Now I truly believe you were just an ordinary teacher before," Mwu said, giving Xiao Ran a speechless look. The heaviness in her heart, caused by the sacrifice of allies, had unknowingly lessened. She began to enlighten Xiao Ran with common knowledge. "A Drake-class has a basic crew of about 130 to 150 people. If it's equipped with an MA squadron, that number could double. The Nelson-class battleship, being designed specifically to carry MAs, has a basic crew of around 500 people, though it's not impossible for that number to be higher."

Mwu sighed slightly as she saw Xiao Ran's surprised expression. "Although the Archangel has exceeded 300 meters in length, its internal space, excluding the hangar, is not much different from a Nelson-class. Because it's a new type of ship, it employs new technologies and concepts, and its overall control system can operate with fewer people. That's why it can sail normally with less than 100 personnel. However, the Archangel's standard configuration actually exceeds 300 people, but this isn't the Archangel's maximum capacity. I can't tell you the specifics."

Xiao Ran listened to Mwu's words and turned to look out of the bridge in silence, seeing debris scattered everywhere and warships torn to pieces. "So, in just half an hour of combat, over a thousand people were lost?"

"Yes," Mwu nodded gently.

Xiao Ran looked at the endless expanse of space for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, took a deep breath, and turned to Mwu with a smile. "I'd rather die fighting outside in an MS than be stuck in a battleship, not knowing how I died. This feeling is terrible."

"Heh heh," Mwu chuckled. What Xiao Ran said was also a kind of sorrow in fighting in space. If a battleship had problems, even if you had time to run, you wouldn't know where to go, and you might even become a piece of space junk along with the battleship before you could react.

Not long after, the silent Mwu suddenly looked up, as if she had just remembered something. She said to Xiao Ran, "Oh, right. ZAFT contacted us about an hour ago, but I temporarily refused their negotiation request, citing the need to search for personnel."

Xiao Ran spread his hands. "You're the captain, so you decide."

"I'll arrange the timing," Mwu said, looking at the two Drake-class battleships docked on either side of the Archangel. "Let these two battleships leave first. I'll set the time for 2100. A few hours should be enough for these two battleships to escape the enemy. However, you'll have to handle the contact with ZAFT and the handover of personnel. After all, we are still soldiers. Whether we can do it is one thing, but whether we can achieve it is another."

"Like the trade with ZAFT," Xiao Ran laughed heartily, not objecting to Mwu's arrangement. "No problem, but what about Lieutenant Bargyll?"

Mwu smiled brightly. "No problem, Mu and I have already persuaded her."

Xiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Bargyll wouldn't be involved and agreed to Mwu's arrangement.

Not long after, Mwu began broadcasting to the entire ship. Although the civilians initially didn't understand why they were being handed over to ZAFT, they even sent a representative to talk with Mwu. With Mwu's explanation and assurances, most of them agreed to the Archangel's plan to send them to ZAFT. After all, ZAFT ships were much safer than those on the Archangel, and they could even send specialized ships to escort them away, unlike the dangerous situation on the Archangel, which still had missions to complete.

Xiao Ran smiled when he saw that the civilians had agreed. Although he didn't know if rescuing these insignificant people would trigger a side mission, he was glad to prevent their deaths.

Around 18:00, the two Drake-class battleships docked on either side of the Archangel simultaneously ignited their thrusters, reaching maximum combat speed in a short time and leaving the star system. Mwu watched the two battleships get farther and farther away on the radar, and finally contacted ZAFT, requesting their shuttle to arrive at the Archangel at 21:00.

Afterward, Xiao Ran found Kira and told him about the arrangement to return Lacus and the green-clad pilot named Moriya. With Kira's face full of gratitude, he sent Kira to Lacus, telling him to spend this last time together well.

Kira's gratitude was naturally due to Xiao Ran's proposal to return Lacus. After spending a few days together, Kira and Lacus had become close friends. As for whether Kira had fallen for Lacus, Xiao Ran wasn't sure, but in any case, whether it was Lacus or Kira, they had likely left an impression on each other's hearts, laying the deepest foundation for the future Freedom Gundam incident.

More than two hours later, the agreed-upon time finally arrived. A white shuttle appeared in front of the Archangel. Alongside the shuttle, the Aegis Gundam and a Ginn unit were escorting it closely.

Kira, piloting the Strike Gundam, flew over from the side and stopped directly in front of the Aegis Gundam, blocking its path. "We will send personnel to inspect the shuttle to ensure there are no dangerous items on board."

After a few seconds of silence, a voice suppressed with anger came through. "We agree to your inspection of the shuttle."

"Athrun..." Kira, inside the Strike Gundam's cockpit, shook his head sadly and forcefully. Just as he was about to say something, an arm encased in a spacesuit reached out from behind him and turned off the communication.

Kira turned his head and saw Lacus's gentle smile, which stunned him, and he lowered his head.

Perhaps sensing Kira's hesitation and sadness, Lacus reached through the chair and gently hugged Kira, letting him lean against her body, and comforted him softly. "The battle is over. You don't want to fight, and I heard the same sentiment in Athrun's voice. Why are you still sad? I believe you will reconcile one day."

A hint of longing appeared on Kira's face, and he murmured, "Thank you."

Two work ships slowly flew out from the Archangel and stopped after connecting to the small white shuttle. After half an hour of extremely meticulous inspection, the white shuttle, guided by the Archangel, slowly entered the second hangar, which had been unused until then.

After the hangar door closed and was re-pressurized, Xiao Ran, who had been waiting there, gently waved for the soldiers to open the isolation door in front of him and slowly walked forward. Behind him, more than a dozen soldiers in Earth Alliance uniforms stood guard with their weapons aimed at the shuttle's hatch.

"Hiss!" A hissing sound echoed in the empty second hangar as the shuttle's door slowly opened. A staircase extended from the shuttle and touched the floor with a soft sound, like a Level 1 alarm on the Archangel, immediately making all the soldiers tense.

"Is this how the Earth Alliance treats its guests?" The voice, full of magnetism, came before the person appeared, making the soldiers exchange glances. However, without orders, they still kept their weapons aimed at the shuttle's open hatch.

Xiao Ran laughed upon hearing the voice. He was certain the speaker was Cruze. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Cruze, dressed in white and wearing a mask, appeared before Xiao Ran. Judging by his calm demeanor, he seemed completely unfazed by the fact that he was being targeted by more than a dozen weapons capable of taking his life.

"Lower your weapons," Xiao Ran said, waving his hand gently. With a slight smile, he took a few steps forward and extended his right hand towards Cruze, who hadn't yet disembarked from the shuttle.

Cruze's eyes behind the mask appraised Xiao Ran with considerable interest. He lightly pushed off the ground and floated down, then clasped Xiao Ran's outstretched hand. "Are you the pilot of that Ginn?"

"Yes," Xiao Ran replied with a smile. He looked at the man before him, who had become a pervert due to his tragic past, with equal interest. After they released each other's hands, Xiao Ran shrugged and said, "But I'm just a civilian. I only fought to protect my students and the other civilians on the ship. And the one who caused all this, Captain Rau, isn't it you?"

"Heh heh, then I can only express my apologies for your misfortune," Cruze said, his lips curling into a smile. His eyes swept over the waiting civilians, and when he saw a woman in a green ZAFT combat uniform, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Where is Lacus Clyne?"

"Calling her by her name? As far as I know, most ZAFT or PLANT people would at least respectfully call her 'Miss'," Xiao Ran said with a smirk. "It seems you don't have much respect for her or her father."

Xiao Ran's words made Cruze turn his head instantly. Although both his eyes were hidden by the mask, Xiao Ran could feel a sharp, sword-like sensation.

Perhaps sensing that his actions were somewhat strange, Cruze let out a soft snort and said, "Lacus Clyne, while she is the daughter of the PLANT Speaker, is still ultimately a civilian. Although important, she is not worthy of my respect."

"Heh heh, sorry," Xiao Ran nodded understandingly. "Don't worry, you'll see her after we've finished accommodating the civilians."

Cruze smiled slightly and raised his hand. "Please."