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(This is the second chapter. Come on, readers—throw all your recommendation votes at Mecha Wars Infinite! Also, thanks to several readers for their tips. Forgive my laziness; after I rest, I'll thank every reader who tipped me in the pinned post. The third chapter will be updated tonight.)
After Xiao Ran left the bridge as if nothing had happened, he clenched his fist and gave it a hard swing the moment the elevator doors closed. "YES! The Archangel might not have landed in exactly the same place as in the original plot, but such a huge commotion would definitely attract the attention of ZAFT and Desert Dawn. That meant it wouldn't be much different from the original plot."
Feeling immensely relieved, Xiao Ran no longer felt muddled, and even his steps had become much lighter. He had the Archangel's simulated gravity system to thank for that. Without it, not just Xiao Ran, but everyone aboard the Archangel would probably have staggered about while walking.
Just as Xiao Ran arrived at the hangar and met up with the maintenance crew, the Archangel slowly settled onto the ground amid a faint tremor. Given Xiao Ran's level of knowledge, it was truly difficult for him to imagine how such a massive ship could float in the air in reality without any obvious anti-gravity equipment.
Once the Archangel had come to a complete stop, Xiao Ran and several people from the hangar climbed onto its roof. Looking at the Strike Gundam's completely ruined shield, the maintenance crew all drew sharp breaths. It wasn't just the shield—the Strike Gundam's body had also melted in places from the extreme heat. The most obvious damage was to the two antennae on its head, which had melted away by more than half. It was already night, and they were in the middle of the desert. They should have felt cold, yet all they could feel were waves of scorching heat rushing toward them.
"This is going to be a pain to repair." First Sergeant Maddock, who had already been promoted, made his usual gesture of scratching his head helplessly. After a half-hearted complaint, he immediately had someone open the Strike Gundam's cockpit. Just as Xiao Ran had said, Kira had indeed passed out. If he hadn't been strapped into his seat by the safety harness, he would have long since collapsed into a heap.
After the maintenance crew carefully brought Kira down, they hurriedly sent him to the ship's infirmary. A new military doctor transferred from the Eighth Fleet was there, brought in because the Archangel was short on personnel. It wasn't just the doctor. After rendezvousing with the Eighth Fleet, the Archangel had not only received supplies, but also a major influx of personnel. For the first time, the ship's crew had exceeded one hundred, instead of operating with its usual bare-minimum staffing.
Watching Kira being taken away, Xiao Ran climbed into the Strike Gundam as well. The instant he sat down, the heat nearly made him pass out. He hurriedly activated the cockpit's air circulation system, which made him feel somewhat better, but even after he piloted the Strike Gundam back into the hangar, he never closed the cockpit hatch.
After parking the Gundam, Xiao Ran specifically sought out Sergeant Maddox. "This place is enemy territory. There's no way ZAFT didn't see something as big as the Archangel coming down. Hurry up with the Strike Gundam's maintenance and repairs. The enemy could come at any time."
"I know." Sergeant Maddox looked at the somewhat damaged Strike Gundam and said, "It looks pretty serious, but the internal structure hasn't suffered any damage, so repairs will be quick. But your machine..."
Xiao Ran nodded. "I know. This Ginn wasn't specially configured for ground combat, and no one besides Kira understands the OS. On top of that, its first sortie caused structural damage to its lower body. It would be fine in space, but in ground combat, it probably wouldn't last long before falling apart. By then, not only would it be unable to contribute, it would become a burden."
"Good that you understand." Sergeant Maddox picked up a tablet beside him and pulled up the Ginn's data. Pointing at the information on it, he said to Xiao Ran, "That's not all. Aside from the lower body, this Ginn has undergone major modifications. The backpack in particular far exceeds the maximum weight a Ginn can bear on Earth. You refused to reinforce the frame before. Now, if it moves too violently, either the backpack will fall apart and you'll lose power, leaving you unable to fight, or the frame will break and turn you into a target. In short, your Ginn is completely useless now."
Xiao Ran smiled. "It doesn't matter. I was prepared for the Ginn being unusable on Earth. When you have time, remove the original parts from the Strike Gundam. Kira was able to capture a Ginn, so I don't think capturing a DEEN on Earth will be much of a problem. When the time comes, I'll have to trouble you to modify it. I have a feeling that the road ahead may be even more dangerous than the journey we took through space."
"Listening to you really does make it sound troublesome." Sergeant Maddox sighed repeatedly and said helplessly, "Forget it, let's not talk about that. We need to hurry and repair the Strike Gundam, and we also need to test the Skygrasper. Though speaking of the Skygrasper, I think you could pilot it in combat."
"The Skygrasper is a fighter aircraft. Its controls are completely different from an MS. I've never learned how to fly one of those, so forget it." Xiao Ran quickly waved his hand, refusing Sergeant Maddox's suggestion.
After leaving the hangar, Xiao Ran headed straight for the Captain's Room where Mwu was staying. When he entered, he saw that three people had already been waiting inside.
Before Xiao Ran could even sit down, Bargyll bluntly asked, "Major Xiao Ran, what did you mean by what you said on the bridge just now?"
"Exactly what it sounded like." Xiao Ran shrugged, greeted Mwu and Mu, then plopped down in the only place left to sit—on Mwu's bed. Mwu froze for a moment at his action. She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, then acted as if nothing had happened and looked at Xiao Ran, hoping he would explain his earlier words.
"I don't understand," Bargyll said.
Xiao Ran shook his head and pointed at the display screen on the wall in front of him. "The red area is where we are, North Africa. The blue area is our destination, Alaska. As you can see, they're nearly half a world apart. Even without enemy interference, it would take us quite a while to get there. The Archangel isn't as fast as an airplane, after all."
"And if we want to reach Alaska through enemy territory, we won't just have to deal with enemies on the ground, but enemies at sea as well. We'll have to fight battle after battle, perhaps even detour along other routes to avoid fighting. Either way, we'll still have to break through the enemy blockade. How much time will that cost us?"
"It's almost laughable. The place where the Archangel landed is just too perfect. Who knows how many people will be able to sleep soundly for a long time because of it? A warship ZAFT is determined to sink is now charging around inside their territory. How much of ZAFT's military strength do you think we'll draw?" Xiao Ran spoke, then looked at the three of them with interest. "If General Harborton sent the Strike Gundam's data to the Moon, then let me ask you this: what does the Earth Force lack the most right now? And without General Harborton, do you think anyone else would send troops to rescue us regardless of the cost?"
After hearing Xiao Ran's words, Mwu and the other two fell silent. The meaning behind his words was crystal clear. They had become discarded pawns the Earth Force had thrown to ZAFT in order to buy time. They could not deny what Xiao Ran had said, because there was a strong possibility that it would become reality.
"What you're saying can't be confirmed. It's all speculation." Bargyll suddenly raised her head and said skeptically, "And this is already within ZAFT's sphere of influence. The Earth Force doesn't have the strength to come all the way here to rescue us! Even if they wanted to, they couldn't contact us because of the N-Jammers. What exactly is your purpose in saying things like this and undermining morale?"
Of course, it's to make you hate the Earth Force more, deepen your dependence on me and your favorable impression of me. It's also to save you, Bargyll. Xiao Ran shook his head and said to himself. Then he spread his hands at Bargyll. "Then assume I'm talking nonsense and you're right. In any case, getting out of here is the most important thing. As long as the Archangel holds on, there will come a day when everything becomes clear."