Ino's Kind Reminder

"You just said you belong to the Eurasian Federation, so is there any way for the Umbrella of Artemis to verify your identity?"

Mu suddenly thought of their next destination.

"I'm not sure if the Umbrella of Artemis has the clearance to access my information."

Ino truly didn't know if the Umbrella of Artemis possessed such authorization.

After all, in a sense, he was a special type of spy; ordinary bases might not necessarily hold his intelligence or relevant records.

However, the Umbrella of Artemis was a very unique military colony base.

Artemis was a frontline space fortress located at Lagrange 3.

Construction began by the Eurasian Federation in C.E. 35.

Although considered strategically worthless, its perimeter was protected by an omnidirectional light-wave defense system known as the "Umbrella of Artemis."

As long as the energy supply remained constant, the Umbrella of Artemis could provide an impenetrable, ultra-high level of defense against external attacks.

So—he really couldn't be sure.

"Then what is your purpose in revealing your identity?"

Mu continued to ask, "Normally, there would be no need for you to tell us your identity, or at least no need to tell us at this time, considering we don't belong to the same faction."

Although the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation were both military allies under the Earth Alliance, that was the extent of it.

Because a military alliance is just that—a military alliance.

It refers to a military cooperative relationship established through a treaty between two or more countries or political blocs to deal with a common enemy.

Therefore, Mu found it difficult to understand Ino's motive for exposing his identity.

"Do you want us to send you back to the Umbrella of Artemis?"

Murrue, however, thought of Ino's initial words.

This was not an unfounded guess, as their next destination was indeed the Umbrella of Artemis, which belonged to the Eurasian Federation.

"Yes."

Ino nodded honestly.

Because this was the most appropriate excuse and reason for the moment.

In truth, it wasn't that he hadn't considered waiting until they reached Artemis to reveal his identity.

But the problem was, setting aside whether the Umbrella of Artemis could even verify his identity, the Artemis Fortress wouldn't be able to protect him anyway.

Because if nothing went wrong, something was about to go wrong very soon.

In his memories, after the Archangel arrived at the Umbrella of Artemis, the ship would be placed under house arrest by that commander.

And the Umbrella of Artemis would be directly raided by the pursuing Blitz Gundam, leading to an immediate game over.

Furthermore, there was absolutely no way to stop it.

Because of what the Blitz Gundam was equipped with... he had forgotten the specifics, but that system was definitely appearing for the first time.

With no concrete countermeasures currently available, the destruction of the Umbrella of Artemis was fated; he certainly couldn't just die along with it.

So, for the sake of his own life, it was better to reveal his identity early. This way, he could build some goodwill and hitch a ride out of there with the Archangel.

The group fell into silence once more upon hearing this.

They had lost count of how many times they had fallen into such silence, but there was no helping it; anyone would be silenced by a situation like this.

"I have noted your situation. Regardless of whether you are from the Eurasian Federation or not, once we arrive safely at Artemis, we will hand you over to the Eurasian Federation for processing."

Captain Murrue ultimately chose a friendly approach.

Because she couldn't think of any other solution besides this one.

As for whether what the other party said was true, it no longer mattered.

After all, they had never intended to take prisoners from the start. If the other party was indeed a spy sent by the Eurasian Federation into ZAFT, then delivering him back could be considered building a bit of goodwill.

"I am truly grateful; I will remember your kindness."

Ino nodded with a smile upon hearing this.

"However, during the time it takes to reach Artemis, please remain here to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings. After all, we have not yet officially confirmed your identity."

Captain Murrue would not simply trust Ino based on his word alone.

Moreover, even if Ino really was from the Eurasian Federation, the Archangel was a highly classified warship that could not be toured at will.

"I understand. I will not leave this room before we reach Artemis, but I ask that the three of you keep my identity confidential for the time being."

Ino nodded. In truth, even if Captain Murrue hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have left the room.

"We understand. Thank you for your cooperation. We will take our leave now, as we are still in a state of combat readiness."

As she spoke, Murrue picked up her hat and stood up from the edge of the bed.

She truly had no mood to linger any longer.

"Understood. I wish you all the best."

Eno Kamal stood up in a hurry to see them off upon hearing this.

"Oh, right, there is one more thing I forgot to mention."

Just as he escorted the three to the door, Eno suddenly called out to them.

"What is it?"

Captain Murrue stopped in her tracks and looked back.

"This might be unpleasant to hear, but please prepare for combat. You will likely have another encounter with the Le Creuset Team."

Eno thought for a moment before adding, "After all, if I can guess this, I imagine Le Creuset and his people can as well."

In truth, Eno wasn't entirely certain if the Archangel had been caught up to midway; his memory of the original story wasn't that clear.

However, Eno would not underestimate anyone, especially that guy Le Creuset.

You could doubt Le Creuset's character, but you could never doubt his ability or his intellect.

Therefore, it was better to be prepared in advance.

"Thank you for the warning. We will be ready."

Murrue nodded, acknowledging the advice.

"That's good. I wish you a smooth journey."

With a smile, Eno closed the door.

He then walked to the edge of the bed and lay down. He had done everything he could; now, it was just a matter of when the Archangel would reach Artemis Fortress.

"Now, what was I thinking about earlier..."

Filled with confusion, and feeling inexplicably tired, Eno slowly closed his eyes.

Outside the door.

"You two head back to the bridge first. I have something to take care of."

Just as Captain Murrue was about to leave, Mu suddenly stood still and spoke.

"What are you planning to do?"

Captain Murrue looked puzzled, unsure of what this usually unserious man was up to.

"Naturally... I'm going to do my best to improve this ship's combat capabilities."

After saying this, Mu turned and drifted toward the residential area.

Yet, the smile on his face carried a hint of guilt and helplessness.

Eno was right; that guy Le Creuset was truly formidable, and some things had to be guarded against.

As a rival who felt like a fated nemesis, Mu understood Le Creuset's style and capabilities all too well.

Since Eno Kamal could guess that this warship's destination was Artemis, there was no reason Le Creuset wouldn't be able to figure it out as well.

"This guy..."

Murrue caught the complex emotion in Mu's tone with surprise.

However, after watching the direction Mu headed, she seemed to guess something and called out to his retreating back, "Wait, I'm coming too."

"Hm?"

Seeing the beauty suddenly appear beside him, Mu couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

"What's with that look? I am the captain, after all. How could I let you handle the dirty work alone?"

Murrue finished speaking and drifted past Mu, taking the lead.

Watching the silhouette of Murrue wrapped in her captain's uniform, Mu couldn't help but mutter to himself, "You really are too understanding for a captain—"