Even Badgiruel, who disagreed most strongly with "Celestial Being," had to admit that Mu's argument made some sense.
But just as everyone was about to continue discussing the subject, an Archangel crew member in charge of the cafeteria called out to them.
"Captain! The bridge is asking when you'll be back!
And Major La Flaga, Sergeant Murdoch wants you in the hangar. He wants Mr. Kira Yamato to come too!"
"Thank you for letting us know. Please tell the bridge we'll be right back."
"Same here. Tell Murdoch I'll bring the boy over right away."
With Murrue and Mu responding in turn, their conversation, which had gradually grown more congenial, had to come to an end.
"Natarle and I will return to the bridge first.
If you're willing, please come relieve the next shift after you've had a little rest, so the crew currently on duty can have a chance to eat too."
In response to Captain Murrue's gentle yet persuasive words, Kira's friends, who had just finished their own meal, naturally nodded to show they understood, with Sai leading the way.
Then Mu clapped Kira on the shoulder and stood up.
"Come on, kid. We'd better get moving too.
After all, you and I are the only ones who can protect this ship right now.
If 'Celestial Being' shows up, that's one thing. But if it's the Creuset Team or some ZAFT soldiers we don't know, we can only surrender if we're able to ensure the crew's safety."
Mu had put it so plainly that Kira felt he was right.
Besides, now that he knew some of his feelings came from his Newtype abilities, Kira could sense that Mu, Murrue, and Badgiruel meant him no harm. He was more willing to offer whatever help he could.
After the two groups had left, only Kira's friends remained at the table, which had been full moments before.
Now that everyone else had gone, Miriallia finally had a chance to ask Sai how he was doing.
Even though everything had changed so drastically, Sai had still done a good job fulfilling his duty as the leader of their little group.
But Sai had taken quite a blow himself, especially after the rather complicated news about Flay.
"Sai, about Flay... are you okay?"
"Thanks for asking, Miriallia. I'm fine.
After all, Flay's father is the Atlantic Federation's Deputy Foreign Minister. I'm sure 'Celestial Being' will treat him with respect."
Sai knew that wasn't what Miriallia was asking, but he chose to answer that way anyway.
It wasn't that Sai had no feelings for Flay. In fact, he had been quite happy about their "political marriage."
From Flay's behavior, at least back in Heliopolis, she hadn't been opposed to it either. The two of them had made a well-matched couple.
But now, everything had changed dramatically. Heliopolis itself was gone.
Over the past few nights, Sai had spent a lot of time alone with his thoughts. He still hoped he and Flay could stay together, but he no longer felt sure they could make it all the way.
After silently repeating Flay's name in his heart, Sai forced a smile and raised his head, making an effort to sound upbeat.
"All right, we should get going too. Sergeant Neumann and the others must be waiting."
Miriallia still seemed to want to say something, but Tolle tugged at her and gave a slight shake of his head.
Kuzzey, on the other hand, looked full of energy after his meal.
"Great, let's get going. We can't put all the responsibility on Kira, after all!"
The others nodded, and they headed for the bridge.
By now, they were getting familiar with the Archangel's interior, so it didn't take long to reach the bridge.
"Reporting in! We're here to relieve the next shift."
"Right on time. Please take your stations."
Murrue responded warmly as captain. Once everyone had exchanged greetings with the familiar crew members and taken their stations with practiced ease, the Archangel finally had enough hands to make a major move.
"Communications officer, transmit to the 8th Fleet at maximum power.
'The Archangel has safely left Artemis Fortress and will return via the L5-side Debris Belt under inertia-masking procedures!'
Transmit that three times, then put this ship into electromagnetic silence!
Sergeant Neumann, set a course for the L5-side Debris Belt. After turning, switch to inertial navigation.
We'll make another adjustment during the second half of the journey, once we reach the Debris Belt and can use it for cover.
All departments, keep a close eye on the ship's readings, especially for any effects from this morning's battle!
I know you're all exhausted, but once we've completed the turn, you can take turns resting."
"Yes, ma'am!" the crew replied in unison.
--In the hangar--
As Kira felt the drift caused by the Archangel turning, he was helping Sergeant Murdoch figure out how to use the remains of Haman's Funnels to repair and modify Mu's Moebius Zero.
"Oh, looks like the bridge has finished their part too.
So, kid, think you can handle it?"
"Major La Flaga, you can just call me Kira. That's what my friends call me too.
I can't say it's completely impossible, but thoroughly understanding it in a short time is basically out of the question.
The underlying technology isn't all that different, but the principles behind how it's controlled are completely different.
And we only have the salvaged remains here, along with the receiving equipment, so there's only so much we can do with reverse engineering."
Mu had been prepared for this, but hearing Kira say it still made him scratch his head in disappointment.
"If even you say that, then I guess it really can't be done.
Also, just call me Mu.
We've fought side by side now, and we're the only pilots on this ship. There's no need to worry about rank."
Kira simply nodded at Mu's words and continued typing on the keyboard.
Beside them, Sergeant Murdoch scratched his head, voicing his frustration with the situation.
"This is a real mess.
The Aile Pack for the Strike Gundam is completely shot. There's no way to repair it with the spare parts we have on hand.
Major La Flaga's Zero is even worse. Artemis Fortress gave us some Moebius parts, but what are we supposed to do about the parts unique to the Zero?"
Mu was just as frustrated by the situation Murdoch described. The Strike Gundam and Moebius Zero were both custom machines, and the Archangel, constantly on the run, couldn't handle their maintenance problems on its own.
"If nothing else works, we could try refitting it in the direction of a regular Moebius. We can't just rely on Kira to sortie alone."
Sergeant Murdoch was about to agree, but Kira answered while continuing to type.
"I don't think it'll come to that. It might make the machine even harder to use, but maybe we can find a solution using both these remains and the spare parts. Please give me a little more time."
Mu and Murdoch were naturally delighted by Kira's words. The three of them worked until Kira's friends came to bring him dinner, and by then they had come up with a workable plan for heavily modifying the Moebius Zero.
When Kira, exhausted from a busy day, finally lay alone in bed that night, he was so tired that his body ached, yet he couldn't fall asleep.
"Father, Mother, Cagalli, and Athrun... I wonder what everyone's doing..."
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