"Savior Gundam!?"
Athrun looked at the inactive machine. It was almost identical to the red Savior Gundam he had piloted from PLANT, aside from the fact that his Savior Gundam had no backpack. The main body showed virtually no major differences. Yet a machine that should have been ZAFT's latest development had appeared in Orb, complete with a special backpack that seemed to greatly supplement its combat capabilities. How could he not be shocked?
Mu had become quite familiar with Athrun over the past two years, so when he saw Athrun's stunned expression, he laughed heartily and patted Athrun on the shoulder. "That's right, it's the Savior Gundam. It's exactly the same as the one you were just piloting. I was shocked too when I saw your machine, but both units were originally developed under ZAFT's lead, so it's not strange that they're identical."
"But... how did this machine end up here?" Athrun looked at the clearly more heavily armored Savior Gundam and asked Mu in surprise, "And why are Chaos, Gaia, and Abyss here too?"
"That guy brought this machine back. Didn't he tell you he came back from the Earth Force?" Mu looked at Athrun, then continued only after Athrun nodded. "Those machines were seized by the Earth Force from ZAFT, and they just happened to end up in his hands. He brought them back with him when he returned."
Athrun froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. The presence of Gaia, Abyss, and Chaos here explained even more. The identity of the person who had appeared in PLANT, stolen those three machines, and deployed in a unit resembling the Aegis Gundam—instantly defeating the Impulse Gundam—was obvious. For Athrun, the overwhelming combat power that machine had displayed back then now seemed understandable.
"But this machine isn't quite the