Bullying the Logistics Department Because It Has No One?

"Is this Mobile Suit going out to fight?"

"Come on, help me out. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just get it working well enough to hold up."

"Are you kidding? No, absolutely not. We don't have any equipment compatible with this Mobile Suit. You're asking the impossible."

"Modify it. Surely you can make some modifications. With your skills, I'm sure you can handle it."

"Easy for you to say. This thing's practically wrecked, and we don't have the parts for it. How am I supposed to modify it? Build it by hand?"

"Sure, building it by hand sounds fine too."

"Fine, my ass! We're in space, not on the ground. This thing can't move freely in space. What if something happens and it can't make it back?"

"Don't worry. I remember the deck in front of the Archangel's bridge was designed so a Mobile Suit could stand on it and provide long-range support."

"Seriously, if you want to die, why not just jump out there? Why come torment the Logistics Department?"

"It's not like I have a choice. Besides, you've already started repairing it. I'm sure you can do it."

"Thanks for trusting me so much, but sorry, I can't."

"......"

When Kira arrived at the Archangel's hangar, he heard the Earth Forces officer named Mu La Flaga arguing with the hangar's logistics chief from a distance.

It sounded like they were talking about that ZAFT Mobile Suit.

"Hey, kid. You're here."

Mu spotted Kira drifting over from afar and greeted him with a smile.

"Captain Flaga, Sergeant Murdoch, are you planning to repair that Mobile Suit?"

Kira floated up beside the two men and looked at the Mobile Suit on the repair platform nearby.

"Yeah. Right now, there are only two of us on this ship who can go out and fight. Our combat strength is still too low."

Mu La Flaga knew the strength of the Le Creuset Team very well.

Compared to the Le Creuset Team, the Archangel's current fighting force was far too meager.

And the Archangel's crew had very little combat experience. Under the circumstances, he had to do everything he could to increase the ship's combat strength.

Kira's eyes narrowed slightly at that.

"But that's no way to increase our strength. This Mobile Suit is too badly damaged, and we don't have the parts for it. There's no way we can fully repair it in a short time."

Kojiro Murdoch, who was in charge of Mobile Suit repairs and maintenance, spoke up.

Sure, he could get the Mobile Suit moving, and he was already working on it.

The problem was, the machine was missing half a shoulder. It could easily run into trouble once it went out.

As the person responsible for Mobile Suit maintenance in the department that had developed the Ginn, Kojiro Murdoch understood its design very well.

But that was exactly why he knew how serious the damage was.

The huge, feather-shaped sensor array on the Mobile Suit's head was wrecked, which meant it couldn't communicate over long distances.

Besides that.

The Ginn had three engines: a main thruster in the center of its back, and two wing-shaped thrusters on its shoulders.

Since its left shoulder had been cut off, the wing-shaped thruster there was completely destroyed. Without replacement parts, there was no way to repair it anytime soon.

The main thruster in the center of its back was still intact, but the machine's damaged wiring meant it couldn't provide the same powerful thrust as before, even if it was repaired.

As a result, the Mobile Suit wouldn't be agile enough in space. In a battle, it would basically be a moving target.

On top of that, the machine had suffered an electrical fire, so Murdoch couldn't guarantee the cockpit would be safe anytime soon.

Despite all those problems, Mu La Flaga still planned to send it out to fight. Wasn't that just sending someone to their death?

At that, Kira looked at the Mobile Suit Kojiro Murdoch had been talking about.

It really did look pretty miserable.

"That's why I said it could serve as a long-range gun platform. There are parts for a Long-range Beam Rifle in the hangar, aren't there? We can secure the Mobile Suit to the deck and have it provide covering fire."

Mu La Flaga knew the machine had a lot of problems.

But they had no choice. The Archangel had too few combat-ready units.

"People are going to die!"

"When don't people die in a war?"

Mu La Flaga's retort shut him down.

"But you can't do this! This Mobile Suit basically has no way to defend itself. If it runs into trouble out there, it won't even be able to escape."

"Let's leave it at that. Just do what you can. We'll equip the Mobile Suit with a Long-range Beam Sniper Rifle."

Mu La Flaga said, "Besides, we don't have much choice, do we?"

"But..."

"I'm sure you can do it. And we might not run into any danger anyway."

Mu La Flaga patted Kojiro Murdoch on the shoulder with a smile.

"I... All right. I'll do my best to get it moving, but I can't guarantee how well it'll work."

Kojiro Murdoch scratched his head and said, sounding a little dejected.

"Thanks for all your hard work."

Captain Mu La Flaga smiled and gave the other man's shoulder a squeeze.

"It's fine. If you're not afraid to pilot it, then why should I be afraid to work on it?"

Kojiro Murdoch waved a hand. "Still, you'll need to be extra careful when piloting this Mobile Suit. After all—"

"Wait, I'm not piloting this Mobile Suit."

"What?"

Kojiro Murdoch's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're not piloting it?"

"Right. I have the Moebius Zero. Why would I pilot this Ginn?"

Mu La Flaga shot back.

"What the hell? Do you think I'm so free you can come over here and mess with me?"

Kojiro Murdoch cursed. "There isn't anyone to pilot this Mobile Suit, so why the hell are you making me repair it?!"

He was furious. His fists clenched.

If Flaga hadn't been a captain, Kojiro Murdoch would have loved to punch him.

Because this guy had insisted he would pilot the Mobile Suit, Murdoch had told his crew to work themselves to the bone. And now he was being told that nobody would fly it once it was repaired.

Was Flaga treating the Logistics Department like a bunch of fools?

"Who told you nobody would fly it?"

Flaga asked with a smile.

"Is there anyone else on this ship who can pilot besides you and this kid?"

Kojiro Murdoch asked in return.

"There is. Don't worry. Once you've repaired it, someone will definitely pilot it," Flaga replied with a grin.

"There really is?"

Kojiro Murdoch felt like his brain couldn't keep up.

He didn't remember there being any other Mobile Suit pilots on the Archangel.

Maybe one of the refugees who'd just come aboard?

Kojiro Murdoch glanced at Kira Yamato without thinking. There were plenty of Coordinators on the colony. Could there be someone else like this kid?

But that would be too cruel.

Sending someone out to risk their life in a machine like this was practically murder.

"......I'm supposed to keep piloting the Strike Gundam, right?"

Kojiro Murdoch's stare made Kira Yamato uneasy, and he asked uncertainly.

He left the rest of the thought unspoken: If so, then I'm not going out there.

He didn't want to fight in the first place, and he wasn't very good at it. And now they wanted him to pilot a Mobile Suit in this condition? He'd be better off waiting to die inside the ship.

"Don't worry. The pilot's someone else. You just focus on the repairs, Sergeant Murdoch. The pilot will show up when the time comes."

After Mu La Flaga spoke, he turned and patted Kira on the shoulder. "Go run diagnostics on your Mobile Suit. I have something to discuss on the bridge."

He had an idea, but he still needed to talk it over with Captain Murrue and the others.

Watching Mu walk away,

Kira and Murdoch exchanged a glance. They could both see the confusion in the other's eyes.

Was there another pilot on this ship?

"Could it be him?"

Kira suddenly thought of the boy who'd remained calm even with guns trained on him.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

What was he thinking? The other boy was a ZAFT soldier. If they sent him out in a Mobile Suit, he'd probably fire a shot at the Archangel first.