You Have No Choice but to Join ZAFT

"Captain Le Creuset has been hit! Repair crew, stand by!"

Because they needed to carry D-Equipment, Ino and the others, who had yet to sortie, heard the announcement from the CIC bridge.

"Huh?"

"Captain Le Creuset?"

"How is that possible?"

The soldiers who heard the news couldn't help looking stunned.

As a recipient of the Nebula Medal, Captain Le Creuset's skill was plain for all to see. Yet somehow, someone like him had been hit here.

Athrun instinctively pictured that young, innocent face. Could it be...? No, it couldn't be him.

But as soon as the thought surfaced, he dismissed it himself. There was no way Kira could pilot a Mobile Suit in combat—

All in all, the CGUE hadn't suffered particularly serious damage.

After returning safely to the hangar, Le Creuset opened the cockpit and floated out.

"Captain Le Creuset, are you all right?"

The medical team hurried over as soon as they saw him.

"I'm fine. All combat personnel, report to the bridge immediately!"

After leaving those brief instructions, Le Creuset hurried toward the passage leading to the bridge.

His thoughts were a mess. Had Earth Alliance pilots already learned to handle Mobile Suits that well?

Even if this was an exceptional case, given the Earth Alliance's resources, such exceptions would soon become the norm.

Meanwhile, inside the colony.

Because Kira Yamato was a Coordinator, they had a minor clash with Archangel's Lieutenant Junior Grade Natarle Badgiruel.

But thanks to Mu La Flaga's efforts to mediate, the dispute was quickly smoothed over.

After all, this was hardly the time to argue about Coordinators and Naturals. Without the Strike Gundam's combat strength, Archangel had no choice but to wait for the slaughter.

It was worth mentioning that, because all the senior officers had been killed in action, Lieutenant Murrue Ramius, formerly Archangel's executive officer, had temporarily become its captain.

Ensign Natarle Badgiruel continued in her original position as combat director.

As Archangel held a strategy meeting and made various preparations—

Aboard Vesalius, Le Creuset and the others had gathered as well.

"This is the footage Michel brought back from the battle."

Pointing to the battle footage projected before them, Le Creuset said, "You all know the original performance specs of these units, Athrun. But this one Mobile Suit moved with exceptional agility. I can't understand how that's possible, but one thing is certain."

As he spoke, Le Creuset's gaze swept across the pilots gathered on the bridge. "We must capture this unit. If we can't, destroy it on the spot! Under no circumstances can we let a Mobile Suit with this kind of performance fall into the Earth Alliance's hands!"

Le Creuset truly wanted to destroy the Strike Gundam.

He wanted Earth and PLANT to exhaust each other, so ideally, both sides' combat strength would remain relatively balanced.

But now, ZAFT's advantage in Mobile Suits was gone.

In this situation, if the Earth Alliance began mass-producing these Mobile Suits—

Faced with the Earth Alliance's overwhelming logistical strength, ZAFT would have no choice but to beg for mercy. They wouldn't have any other way out.

Two sides evenly matched would make peace.

At a six-to-four disadvantage, they would fight over their interests.

At a three-to-seven disadvantage, they would fight desperately for their respective interests.

At a one-to-nine disadvantage... they'd get on their knees and call the other guy "Daddy."

"Yes!"

"Understood!"

Ino and the others quickly responded.

Then they turned and left the bridge, running toward their respective Mobile Suits.

"Ino Kamal!"

Just as Ino was about to leave, Le Creuset suddenly called out to him.

"Hm?"

Ino stopped floating away and turned to look back.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do. Minister Patrick is watching you, too," Le Creuset said with a faint smile.

Ino raised an eyebrow at that. This guy...

"May fortune favor you in battle—"

Le Creuset met Ino's gaze and dismissed him.

"Yes, sir!"

Ino answered with spirited enthusiasm, then pushed off the floor with his toes and floated toward the passage to the hangar.

You have no choice but to join ZAFT... I hope you understand that soon.

Thinking about Ino's background and circumstances, Le Creuset couldn't help reflecting to himself.

He just didn't know what choice Ino would make—

Come to think of it, Durandal was very interested in him, too. Le Creuset couldn't imagine what Durandal saw in him.

"D-Equipment. Say, is it really okay for us to just sit here and watch?"

In the pilots' lounge, Nicol asked Yzak and Dearka uncertainly, "Athrun's already gone out. Shouldn't we...?"

"Our job is to preserve the Mobile Suit data. If Athrun wants to show off, let him do it himself," Dearka replied.

Their mission was to protect the data on the new Mobile Suits, so Le Creuset had ordered them to remain aboard the ship.

After all, it would be a huge problem if the newly acquired units were damaged by accident.

Even Le Creuset wouldn't let them sortie recklessly before all the Mobile Suit data had been collected.

After all, what you've got in your mouth is yours.

He wasn't about to throw away the watermelon just to pick up sesame seeds.

"Athrun..."

Nicol said no more. He looked uneasily toward the Aegis Gundam as it moved onto the launch track.

He couldn't think of a reason for Athrun to sortie right now.

Earlier, it had been because of Ino. But now—

Beep beep beep—

"Captain Ramius, Ensign Badgiruel! Please report to the bridge at once!"

"What's going on?"

"Mobile Suit heat signatures detected outside!"

Jackie loudly reported what he had found.

"So they're not giving up after all."

After saying this, Mu La Flaga looked toward the captain's chair.

Seeing Captain Ramius looking hesitant and uneasy, Mu suddenly smiled. "Captain, if you need some comfort, I'd be happy to lend you my shoulder. I'm a gentleman, after all, and my shoulders get rave reviews."

"Hmm?"

Murrue Ramius was taken aback by his frivolous remark, but quickly recovered and replied, "Thank you for the offer, Lieutenant Flaga, but I'll pass. Still, once we're safely out of here, I'm throwing you overboard."

Then Murrue Ramius raised her voice. "Archangel, prepare to launch! All hands to first battle stations!"

"Good grief, what a heartless woman."

Mr. Mu chuckled and shook his head, then sat down in the empty seat at a battle station.

Since the Moebius hadn't been repaired yet, all he could do was help out aboard the ship.

Fortunately, after years of war, he had a general idea of how to operate a warship, even if he'd never actually done it himself.

The alarm ringing throughout the ship naturally reached the non-combat personnel on the bridge.

Because the battle had broken out so suddenly, some of Kira Yamato's classmates hadn't made it to the shelters in time.

Fortunately, Archangel had appeared, sparing them the danger of becoming space dust.

"Kira... do you think he'll be okay?"

Listening to the alarm, Miriallia murmured under her breath.

After hearing her, Miriallia's boyfriend Tolle reached out and held her tightly by the shoulders. "He'll be fine. Kira and the rest of us—we'll all be okay."

As Tolle comforted her, Miriallia silently curled herself up even tighter.

Outside.

The colony shuddered beneath the fierce explosions.

With heavy weapons brought to bear, new holes quickly appeared in the colony's outer wall.

Ino, the only one in the Ginn squad piloting a Mobile Suit, led the unit inside.

"Archangel..."

At a glance, Ino spotted the white warship floating high above.