After the fierce battle with the Creuset Team, Luther had already spotted some of their mobile suits returning one after another as he made his way back to the Gwameir. Other mobile suits, small craft, and work pods were still busy conducting search-and-rescue operations and moving supplies.
Beyond that, on the Time Observer's extreme observation range, a few unarmed ships that didn't seem hostile had appeared.
By the time Luther piloted the Time Observer back into the Gwameir's mobile suit hangar, he was greeted by an unusually lively scene:
All of their mobile suits had returned intact and were undergoing routine docking and maintenance.
Some mechanics were busy securing the mostly intact red and blue Astray Gundams in their berths.
The gold Astray, with a gaping hole in its cockpit chest and its pilot undoubtedly vaporized, had been temporarily piled in a corner of the hangar with parts from other Astray Gundam units in colors besides red, blue, and gold. They would be dismantled and sent to the spare-parts warehouse or reassembled for use when there was time.
Haman's Newtype-use Bigro Custom, Claw Under, had several rescued Heliopolis evacuation shelter escape pods lined up beside it. Most of the Orb civilians from Heliopolis were leaving the hangar and heading for the residential area under the guidance of soldiers in Principality of Zeon uniforms. A few people were still gathered around Haman's Newtype-use Bigro Custom, watching the commotion.
As part of that commotion, Haman had been leaning out of her cockpit to talk to someone below, looking ready to explode.
But when she noticed Luther piloting into the hangar, she cheerfully abandoned the commotion without hesitation and floated over.
Once he was sure the machine had been hoisted into place and secured, Luther opened the Time Observer's cockpit hatch and caught Haman as she rushed toward him.
Holding the sulking Haman, Luther gently stroked her hair, lightly resonating with her as he soothed her with words.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Haman. You did great. So, what's going on over there?"
Before Haman could complain, Luther had already figured it out for himself. After all, the woman's voice coming from the commotion after Haman left made her meaning crystal clear.
"My father is George Allster, deputy foreign minister of the Atlantic Federation! Bring whoever's in charge here!"
Luther had assigned Haman to the search-and-rescue mission because, in the original timeline, Kira had rescued an evacuation shelter escape pod carrying Flay, which had run into some kind of trouble.
After all, if one pod had gotten into trouble, there were sure to be others. As far as Luther was concerned, saving even one person was worthwhile. There was nothing to lose.
He just hadn't expected Heliopolis to fall apart anyway, while the Archangel hadn't taken the evacuation shelter escape pod carrying Flay.
Still, that helped ease his frustration at not killing Rau Le Creuset. At least he'd witnessed firsthand how the timeline had changed.
As he thought about this and that, holding Haman and stroking her reddish-pink hair, Luther suddenly noticed an amusing detail.
In a way, Flay and Haman shared certain "traits." They were both red-haired heiresses, and their personalities had some similarities, too. So was this spectacle, with everyone gathered to watch, what they called "like poles repelling"?
Luther's thoughts suddenly went off track, and a sharp pain struck his cheek. When he came to, he saw Haman pinching it. Apparently, his wandering thoughts had caught the attention of his lover beside him. He just didn't know how much she'd picked up on. A Newtype girlfriend who could check your brain waves directly—terrifying.
Faced with Luther's lack of remorse, Haman pinched harder, so he hurriedly begged for mercy and soothed and reassured her with his words, hands, and mouth.
"Then I'll go deal with that red-haired heiress, my Lady Haman."
After he'd soothed Haman until her face was flushed and her eyes unfocused, Luther saw that Flay was still making a racket. Since this wasn't the place to take things further with Haman, he decided to go distract himself.
As Luther floated out of the Time Observer's cockpit and toward Flay, Haman's voice sounded in his mind.
I hate that girl. If you add her to your harem too, I absolutely won't let you off!
To be honest, Luther really had no such plans at the moment. He'd probably just been habitually considering Flay's "role"...
Feeling Haman's mood sour again behind him, Luther decided to stop thinking about it and hurry up and resolve the trouble Flay had caused.
Meanwhile, seeing the soldiers maintaining order—men in uniforms she didn't recognize—salute Luther, Flay understood that the person in charge had arrived.
Luther was obviously an important figure, and Flay displayed the good manners befitting her "character."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Flay Allster.
"My father, George Allster, has the president's favor and currently serves as deputy foreign minister of the Atlantic Federation.
"Thank you for rescuing us. May I ask what organization your ship belongs to? Could you escort us to a safe place?
"Once I contact my father, I'll make sure he rewards your ship for its service."
Clearly, Flay had been making a fuss earlier because she wanted to "order" the Gwameir to give her VIP treatment and escort her to safety. But the Gwameir, still officially unregistered, clearly couldn't go to the "safe place" Flay had in mind.
Luther glanced at his people and the onlookers nearby, then made a rather wicked joke that wasn't really a joke.
"No need to reward us, Miss Flay.
"After all, if we're being blunt about it, we're an independent military organization unaffiliated with any government, aren't we?
"I'm sure your father, the deputy foreign minister, will do everything in his power for you. We all need to stay alive, too."
After replying to Flay's request, Luther turned to the officer leading the group and gave an order.
"Take them away. Remember to be gentle!"
"Yes, Lord Luther! Long live Deikun!"
Hearing Luther's already softened description of them as an "independent military organization unaffiliated with any government," Flay—who wasn't foolish enough to miss the implication—had gone pale.
When Luther wickedly spelled it out, the onlookers fell silent.
The soldiers knew Luther was joking, and after they burst into laughter, they joined in, shouting the newly revised slogan and gripping their guns against their chests. The disorder from earlier vanished at once—apart from the many people whose legs had gone weak with fear, and those who screamed or cowered when the soldiers went to help them.
Before you continue