As departure drew near, Xiao Ran and several senior Orb officers boarded the Second Archangel, which had been designated the flagship. Not long after, Bargyll returned to the Second Archangel with Mu and Athrun. This time, they had brought back not only a Dawn Gundam, but also another unit almost identical to the Dawn Gundam, differing only in color and backpack.
At first, Xiao Ran did not know about it. He and the officers who had boarded the Second Archangel were discussing the details of the upcoming operation in one of its combat briefing rooms. Since Xiao Ran had acquired the Second Archangel, this briefing room had never been used before. Today was its first time in operation.
When a man in an Orb Army major's uniform ran over and whispered a few words to Xiao Ran, a hint of surprise appeared on Xiao Ran's face. He waved for the others to continue the meeting, then headed for the hangar with the major, who served as his secretary under Bargyll's orders.
Although the Second Archangel's hangar was not filled to capacity, it was nearly packed with the standard bays meant to accommodate mobile suits. After all, a Second Archangel could easily carry three to five MS squads. Chaos, Gaia, Abyss, the black Savior, Justice Gundam, and the four units belonging to Eshe's group—their combat strength could only be described as terrifying.
Now, Bargyll, Mu, and Athrun had brought back two more units, making the hangar feel somewhat crowded.
When Xiao Ran arrived at the hangar, he saw Mu and Athrun, both already wearing Combat Suits, climbing down from their respective units. Xiao Ran looked closely. One of the Gundams, shining with golden light, was extremely familiar—it was the Dawn Gundam from the original story, capable of completely reflecting beam-type attacks.