An Encounter

(Today's chapter is done. I need to rest.)

The first meeting between the Archangel's crew and the Dawn Desert people concluded in a rather peculiar manner, without even time for proper introductions. The entire process was filled with an inexplicable joy, which completely eased the mutual wariness between the two sides.

Under the guidance of the Dawn Desert members, the Archangel entered a large canyon in the desert. The canyon was long and wide, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a natural harbor for ships. Even a large warship like the Archangel could enter without any restrictions.

As they advanced, Xiao Ran looked at the cliffs on both sides and found it a bit strange. For such a natural hiding place, even if ZAFT didn't value its geographical location, given that the Dawn Desert's whereabouts were unknown, they should have thought to investigate here, or at least deduce the general location of the Dawn Desert.

But the strange thing was precisely this: the Dawn Desert had not only established a base here but had also developed and expanded it. Furthermore, they had constructed quite a few fortifications along the way. They had lived freely in this base without ever being attacked by ZAFT forces, which was almost unbelievable. The only explanation was that Andrew Waltfeld didn't take the Dawn Desert seriously, didn't consider them enemies, and perhaps never intended to annihilate these militia members.

It was ironic that the Dawn Desert people considered Andrew Waltfeld a necessary enemy. Turns out, he didn't even consider them a threat, while they themselves were acting like the main course. Xiao Ran thought he was going crazy.

After the Archangel was docked, Xiao Ran, along with Mwu and Bargyll, went to the base's command center. As they walked into the deep fortifications, they saw military supplies belonging to both ZAFT and the Earth Force lined up on both sides. The abundance of these supplies surprised Mwu and the others. They couldn't understand how a small resistance force in the heart of the desert managed to acquire so many military supplies.

Among the four, only Xiao Ran guessed that these supplies might have been provided by Orb. After all, Cagalli, the princess of Orb, was still here. Uzummi, the Mighty Lion of Orb and Cagalli's father, wouldn't just send Kisaka alone for protection without providing any support.

In the command center, Seibu, the leader of the Dawn Desert, was speaking to Mwu and the others. Mwu kept glancing at Cagalli, who was standing off to the side, and suddenly asked a question completely unrelated to their conversation: "Can you introduce me to this girl?"

Seibu took a sip of coffee, frowned, and shot Mwu a displeased look. However, out of politeness, he still answered Mwu's question: "She is our goddess of victory."

"Goddess of victory?" Mwu was a little surprised. After glancing at Cagalli's back as she stood with her face turned away from everyone, he continued to ask, "Can you tell me her name?"

"What do you want?" Seibu put down his cup and stared directly at Mwu with a frown.

Seeing his clear displeasure, Mwu let out a dry laugh: "Nothing, I just feel it's a bit inappropriate not to know a goddess's name."

"Hmm," Seibu spread out a map, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Cagalli Yula."

"Oh," Mwu thought the name didn't seem particularly special. He glanced at Cagalli again before turning his head back, focusing his attention on the map Seibu had spread out.

Xiao Ran watched as they focused on the map, discussing how to leave the area. He couldn't get as invested as they were. Instead, he carefully observed Cagalli, comparing her similarities with Kira.

After observing for a few minutes, Xiao Ran realized that apart from their hair color, Cagalli and Kira had too many similarities. Their eye colors were almost exactly the same, and their face shapes were incredibly similar. The only difference was that Cagalli's features, from her mouth to her chin, were softer because she was female. Their noses were also different; Xiao Ran didn't know if Cagalli inherited her father's or mother's genes, but hers were slightly higher than Kira's. Cagalli's eyes were also a little smaller than Kira's.

If one didn't know their true relationship, it would indeed be difficult to connect these similarities, especially given the significant differences between males and females. However, knowing they were siblings, Xiao Ran could find too many similarities. Just like himself, he could point out many identical features on their faces at any time.

Watching Cagalli leave after listening to most of the conversation between Mwu, the others, and Seibu, Xiao Ran couldn't help but softly say, "They really look alike."

"Look alike?" Mwu, standing beside Xiao Ran, heard his words clearly and turned to look at him in confusion.

"Huh?" Xiao Ran snapped back to attention, realizing that the people who were discussing matters had all turned their attention to him. He rubbed his nose and smiled, "It's nothing. I just realized that Kira and Cagalli really look alike."

"Now that you mention it, they do look very much alike," Mwu said, rubbing his head in realization. "I mean, I always felt like I'd seen that girl somewhere before. So it was Kira. No wonder I felt so familiar and couldn't stop thinking about it, wanting to figure it out."

Mwu thought about Kira's appearance and then compared it to Cagalli's, nodding in surprise. "It's true. I didn't notice it before."

Bargyll rested one hand on her chin, supporting it with her other hand, and nodded in agreement. "I think they look very similar too."

Seibu was taken aback by the three people who had completely forgotten about their business due to Xiao Ran's comment. However, he had to admit that Cagalli and the pilot of the Strike Gundam did seem very, very alike.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, half-jokingly, "Maybe they really are brother and sister, or brother and younger sister. What do you think?"

Xiao Ran's remark made everyone think he was just joking, and no one believed he was actually telling the truth. However, seeing the disbelieving or amused expressions on their faces, Xiao Ran didn't explain anything. He also lost interest in listening to their back-and-forth discussion. Shaking his head, he borrowed a car from Seibu, asked for the nearest town, and then left the Dawn Desert, after changing into civilian clothes, of course.

Having stayed on the Archangel for so long, Xiao Ran had already felt bored and stifled. Now that he was on Earth, he naturally wanted to explore. In his previous world, Xiao Ran had never traveled abroad, nor had he ever visited a desert. Knowing that nothing would happen during this time and that it would be safe, Xiao Ran couldn't help but want to relax. He eagerly rushed out while he had the chance, considering it an opportunity to both experience the desert and travel abroad.

Upon arriving in the town, the desert-style architecture and distinctive clothing dazzled Xiao Ran. His mood was exceptionally cheerful, and he was completely immersed in the relaxed atmosphere where he didn't have to worry, fret, or think about anything. He wandered, stopped, looked around, and time unknowingly passed until evening. It wasn't until his stomach rumbled twice that he reluctantly came back to his senses.

Just as he was about to buy something to eat and return to the Archangel, Xiao Ran reached into his pocket and froze. He had completely forgotten that he didn't have a single cent on him. Ever since that day in Heliopolis, he hadn't used any money. Even when he took a ride in Heliopolis, he shared a taxi with students to get to school, and that driverless taxi was free.

Suddenly, Xiao Ran seemed to understand why those bald men had gone to take hostages and demand a spaceship. Perhaps it was for this very reason – they couldn't afford the fare.

"Is this what they mean by poverty defeating a hero?" Xiao Ran touched his very hungry stomach, feeling a bit helpless. He sighed for those pathetic guys and turned away from the fragrant food stalls. But when he looked up, someone he found incredibly familiar appeared before him, causing him to exclaim in surprise, "Rau Le Creuset? What are you doing here?"