Rau Le Creuset

Wandering aimlessly through the town allowed Xiao Ran to completely relax. He no longer had to be cautious around the crew of the Archangel, afraid of saying something he shouldn't. The threat of pursuers and the opportunities that arose during their journey also ceased to demand his constant thought about what he should or shouldn't do. This allowed his mood and spirit to completely unwind.

It was during this relaxation that Xiao Ran saw someone who seemingly shouldn't have been there, and even more surprisingly, someone he knew. He called out the person's name before his mind had even caught up. After calling out, he suddenly realized his action was rather abrupt.

Rau Le Creuset, one of the protagonists of the Gundam SEED side story. In the plot of the SEED world, whether it was the main story or the side story, his presence was indispensable. After Kira destroyed Andrew Waltfeld's mobile suit, it was Rau who saved him. When Kira's battle with Athrun was interrupted by the Aegis's self-destruction, it was also Rau who saved them. It could be said that without him, neither of them would have survived.

During their time in Heliopolis, two of the Gundam Astray units that Xiao Ran had his eye on were also obtained by Rau. He gave one to the legendary mercenary Murrue Ramius, known as the strongest Coordinator, and kept the red unit for himself, modifying it multiple times. Although the red unit was inherently inferior to mobile suits like the Strike Gundam, after Rau's numerous modifications and equipment additions, it possessed performance and firepower at least on par with the Freedom Gundam, not to mention subsequent upgrades.

Xiao Ran's opinion of Rau Le Creuset was that he had incredible luck. However, Xiao Ran also had to admit that besides his luck, Rau was extremely skilled, at least the most powerful mechanic known in the SEED world. His passion and talent for machinery were unmatched. As an ordinary person, he could not only pilot mobile suits in combat but even participate in their modification and development of various mobile suit weapons and units. Compared to many Coordinators, he seemed even more like a Coordinator.

However, Rau Le Creuset was naturally optimistic. His cheerful face clearly indicated this. After hearing Xiao Ran call his name, Rau looked around, then pointed to himself with a look of confusion and bewilderment, "You know me?"

Xiao Ran gave an awkward laugh. Although he felt his approach was abrupt, since he had already initiated contact, he wouldn't easily let go of this opportunity. After all, being able to connect with another storyline that could be considered equally central was an extremely rare chance.

"You're from the Scrap Merchant Guild, aren't you? I know you. I've seen you before, but you probably didn't notice me." Xiao Ran's mind raced, and he quickly regained the ability to speak fluently, just like when he was on the Archangel. He deliberately tried to close the distance between them. "I have a friend who used to work in the scrap business. When I saw you that time, my friend told me you were a lucky kid, always picking up things they couldn't find. Thinking about his jealous expression now still makes me chuckle."

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, the naturally simple Rau Le Creuset didn't suspect anything. He just scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "Oh, I don't know when I became so famous. People recognize me even when I'm just buying food somewhere."

Just as Xiao Ran was about to say something, his stomach growled, making him feel a bit embarrassed. Rau, however, was very enthusiastic. Upon hearing Xiao Ran's stomach rumble, he didn't mock him. Instead, he walked forward, bought two portions of food, and handed one to Xiao Ran, "Here, it looks like you haven't eaten in a while."

"Thank you." Xiao Ran took the food somewhat sheepishly and took a bite. The spicy and refreshing sensation made him show a look of satisfaction. "I'm really sorry. It's been a long time since I left Heliopolis, and I've been on the ship the whole time. I haven't used money in ages. I didn't even think about it when I came out. Thanks to meeting you, I really don't know what I would have done."

Rau chewed his food, and hearing Xiao Ran's words, he asked with a surprised, muffled voice, "You're from Heliopolis? How did you get here? Wait, you don't mean you've been on that ship the whole time, do you? Are you with the Earth Force?"

"You know the Archangel?" Xiao Ran feigned surprise, glancing at Rau Le Creuset. Then, in a very helpless tone, he said, "My students and I couldn't get on that ship due to certain circumstances in Heliopolis. We've been chased by ZAFT all the way from Heliopolis to here. Although we eventually became crew members of the Archangel, sigh, it's a long story, one thing after another, and we never had a choice."

"The Archangel, of course I know it," Rau Le Creuset finished his food in a few bites and looked at Xiao Ran expectantly. "That ship that leaves a pile of wreckage wherever it goes, of course I know it. I was nearby when you landed. I was planning to salvage some things after the battle ended, but I didn't expect the Earth Force to surrender. Although there was nothing to salvage, I was glad the fighting was over. Later, we encountered a small accident and landed. I never expected to land in this place. Doesn't your ship have MS too? They've become quite famous now, can you tell me about them?"

"Are you interested in MS?" Xiao Ran asked deliberately.

Rau Le Creuset rubbed his head, his gaze drifting, "Not really, it's just that I happen to have an MS too, and I wanted to see the differences between the two MS. If you can't say, then just pretend I didn't ask."

"Heh." Xiao Ran shook his head and smiled, suppressing the urge to hand over the data he had in his hand to Rau Le Creuset. He waved his hand gently, "It's fine. Due to some special reasons, I'm now a Major in the Archangel, and you can see that unit yourself. How about it, are you interested?"

Rau's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really," Xiao Ran nodded affirmatively, then changed the subject, "However, I'm still very hungry. It would be even better if you could buy me another portion of food."

Rau Le Creuset's eyes brightened, and he jumped up. "No problem, you wait!"

On the road, Rau Le Creuset, who had been somewhat excited, became a little worried. He looked at Xiao Ran, who was driving, and asked, "That should be classified information of the Earth Force, right? Is it okay to let me see it like this?"

"That thing isn't exactly classified anymore," Xiao Ran shook his head and said deliberately, "In my opinion, not only does ZAFT have the unit parameters for that thing, but I suspect Orb has quite a bit as well. There's no reason why Orb wouldn't develop their own units while developing others' units on their own territory. I believe Orb must have also stolen a lot of Earth Force development data, and even before Heliopolis collapsed, they had already manufactured complete units."

Rau Le Creuset stared blankly at Xiao Ran. Xiao Ran continued, "In my opinion, the current Archangel is practically a target the Earth Force is using to attract ZAFT's firepower. They don't care what happens to the Archangel in the end. When they landed here, the higher-ups probably wished the Archangel would cause more of a stir here, to buy them time to mass-produce MS."

"If it weren't for the fact that I'm worried about my students, and... hehe, sorry, I've said too much." Xiao Ran gave Rau Le Creuset an apologetic smile. "The main thing is that I told those people on the Archangel, but none of them believed me. After all, I'm just a temporary Major, and I can't understand their feelings towards the military, so I couldn't help but want to complain a little. Don't worry, it's okay to let you get up close and personal with a Gundam, or even pilot one. One of my students is a Gundam pilot."

"Gundam? Students, pilots?" Rau Le Creuset looked somewhat stunned and asked, "Can you tell me about your experiences along the way? It seems very unusual."

"Of course," Xiao Ran nodded, and then slowly recounted his experiences from the moment he opened his eyes in Heliopolis until he met Rau Le Creuset. He described the commotion in the academy, the bald man in Heliopolis, boarding the Archangel, heading to Julius 7 for resources, the battles with ZAFT, and other events. He particularly emphasized his speculations about Enhanced Humans, meaning the participants, and pointed out that the Eighth Fleet's surrender was entirely due to the rebellion of the Enhanced Humans on the flagship.

Rau Le Creuset listened quietly, occasionally exclaiming in surprise, then sighing with emotion and helplessness. When he heard that Kira had no choice but to fight for his friends and teachers on the ship, he also felt sorry for Kira. When he heard that Xiao Ran had also chosen to pilot a captured MS for them, he patted Xiao Ran's shoulder with emotion.

When he had finished speaking, Xiao Ran stopped the car in front of the Archangel.

"This is the Archangel... it's really huge," Rau stood on the car, gripping the windshield in front of him, gazing at the massive warship with admiration.

"Isn't the sword you made even bigger?" Xiao Ran rolled his eyes internally at Rau's admiration. Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly erupted beside them.

"Halt, don't move!"