CE 71, January 28, around 10:30 standard time
Amid slight vibrations and rocking, Mu waited in the Archangel's starboard hangar bay for Kira, who arrived wearing an Earth Alliance pilot suit.
"Hey, kid. I'm counting on you again this time!"
"What happened? Didn't we dock safely at Artemis Fortress?"
Clearly, Kira hadn't grasped the situation—or, perhaps, he simply didn't want to accept it.
"You read the 'Celestial Being Formation Declaration' yesterday, didn't you? Well, Celestial Being has come knocking, ready to arrest us and bring us to justice."
Mu had only meant it as a joke, but Kira's response was entirely unexpected.
"Then why don't we just let them arrest us? We were partly responsible for Heliopolis's destruction..."
"Whoa, whoa, we're regular soldiers in the Earth Alliance military. How could we accept being governed and judged by some organization that just appeared out of nowhere? If we did that, we'd really end up in a court-martial!
"And as for what happened when Heliopolis fell, aren't you the one who knows best, kid?
"Were we supposed to just let Rau and the others kill us?"
Mu's argument made sense from where he stood, but Kira still didn't seem convinced.
"But..."
Mu was about to try again when he heard a reminder from Murdoch, the newly promoted sergeant major.
"Major La Flaga, there's a communication from the bridge."
"Come listen, too, Kira."
At Mu's call, Kira didn't object. He quickly followed him to the communications station.
"Major La Flaga, the Celestial Being flagship has launched another large mobile armor. It's broken through the front line and is heading for the Archangel.
"Based on the similar equipment visible in the images we've captured, we believe it may be a 'Newtype'-type mobile armor, like the purple mobile suit.
"Can you launch? What about the Strike Gundam?"
Along with Murrue's briefing and questions came the sound of Badgiruel issuing orders in the background.
"Gottfried, aim immediately!
"Valiant, target the enemy white mobile armor. Fire at full power!
"Set the Igelstellung to fire automatically. Max out the tracking speed and rate of fire. This is no time to worry about overheating!
"Load high-explosive rounds into stern missile tubes 1 through 8, anti-air cluster rounds into 9 through 16, and anti-beam reflective rounds into 17 through 24. Fire!"
Murrue's rapid-fire report alone made Mu realize how dire the situation was; Badgiruel's near-desperate tactics only confirmed it.
Even so, Mu couldn't force Kira to go into battle—and forcing him would have no tactical value anyway.
"Understood. I'm launching now. What about you, Kira?"
"I don't want to get any more involved in this war! If Celestial Being says they want to stop the war and create a new future, why can't we trust them?"
Murrue hadn't yet responded to Kira's vehement protest when Badgiruel, who had heard him too, lost her patience.
"You! Is that any way for a soldier to talk?
"We're proud members of the Earth Alliance military. How could we submit to some organization of unknown origins?
"Stop spouting nonsense and get in the Strike Gundam!"
Kira was about to retort when a high-explosive round from Haman's four-barreled missile launcher slipped past their defenses. It struck the Laminated Armor and shouldn't have caused any real damage, but the entire ship rocked.
"How bad is it?"
"The port aft stabilizer was hit. Automatic damage control is underway. Damage is minor."
After overhearing Captain Murrue and Sai, his friend who was serving as combat information controller, Kira seemed to waver. Mu quickly took the opportunity to cut in.
"Anyway, I'll launch in the Type Zero first. There's only one enemy machine; I might be able to handle it on my own.
"Go wait in the Strike Gundam, just in case. All right?"
"Understood."
Faced with the situation and the opening Mu had given him, Kira finally nodded, though with some difficulty.
Seeing this, Murrue held back Badgiruel, who was about to speak again, effectively approving Mu's proposal.
"Then I'm counting on you, Major La Flaga. Kira Yamato, stand by in the Strike Gundam."
With the situation urgent, neither side wasted any more time. Mu and Murrue saluted each other, then ended the call.
Mu glanced at Kira once more but said nothing. He simply ran straight to his machine;
after a moment's hesitation, Kira headed for the Strike Gundam.
Soon after Mu launched in the Moebius Zero, Sergeant Major Murdoch turned to Kira in the Strike Gundam's cockpit.
"Kid, which pack do you want?"
"Please equip it with the Aile Pack!"
Kira still hadn't decided whether he would launch, but after a brief hesitation, he answered Murdoch, who had always looked out for him. Against an unknown enemy, the Aile Pack—with its better balance and agility—was clearly the best choice.
After powering up the Strike Gundam, Kira helped Murdoch and the others install the Aile Pack while skillfully monitoring the combat data link. He hoped Mu would defeat Celestial Being's mobile armor—or at least hold it off. Then, if the Archangel could escape, he wouldn't have to get pulled any further into the war.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as he hoped. Mu's Moebius Zero seemed completely outmatched by Celestial Being's mobile armor, and was beaten as soon as they engaged;
the Strike Gundam had only just finished installing the Aile Pack.
"Kira!"
Miriallia, who was temporarily serving as flight controller, had naturally overheard their earlier argument. So although she opened the communication channel at Badgiruel's order, all she did was call Kira's name.
Kira was torn and confused. Seeing the anguish on his face, Miriallia, his friend, waited quietly for him to decide, even as Badgiruel urged her from behind.
But Miriallia could wait. The battlefield couldn't.
Through the view outside the ship, visible as the flight deck opened again, Kira saw Mu's Moebius Zero barely make it back, stripped down to its bare frame;
at the same time, he saw that flash of white wreaking havoc not far from the Archangel. He could even sense something from her.
Then Mu's incoming communication confirmed it.
"Kid, it seems she's after you.
"And although I didn't open a public channel, her voice seemed to speak directly into my mind.
"'I'm not interested in the old man. Hurry up and send Kira Yamato out to play with me!'
"That's what she said, anyway.
"Honestly, is this what Celestial Being means by a Newtype? Does that make Rau and me Newtypes, too?"
Faced with Mu's feeble attempt at a joke, Kira was furious.
"So this is all Celestial Being's lofty talk amounts to!"
As if to prove Kira right, the Celestial Being mobile armor seemed to grow impatient waiting. It fired a shot that blasted a huge hole through the hangar deck, which had just been sealed shut again.
Watching Sergeant Major Murdoch, who had always looked out for him, work desperately to organize repairs, Kira finally made up his mind.
"Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam with the Aile Pack, launching!"
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