Murrue's Meeting with the Other Two

"..." Xia Ya truly did not understand at all this time.

Why? Why did his name make these two Earth Alliance female officers, who had never met him before, reveal such exaggerated expressions that bordered on losing composure?

Captain Murrue Ramius had controlled herself fairly well just now, but he had not missed the change in her eyes at that instant. Now, this Ensign Badgiruel was not even trying to hide it.

What exactly did the name "Char La Flaga" mean in this world, among the upper ranks of the Earth Alliance?

His brow furrowed tightly, as though an invisible band had been placed around his head. His thoughts raced as he desperately sorted through everything he knew, trying to find a reasonable explanation.

The surname Flaga was not an ordinary one. It was connected to an influential family in the Atlantic Federation.

After crossing into this world, he had indeed used the surname's "potential influence" to establish contact through unofficial, private channels with certain high-ranking Atlantic Federation officials and major tycoons closely tied to the military-industrial complex. He had gained considerable resources and conveniences, which had helped him carry out his plans.

But... those had all been extremely secretive operations. Forget Murrue and Natarle, two low-ranking officers—even his brother Mu should have known nothing about them.

Using those "private connections" to explain their shock seemed far too forced, and it could not explain that feeling of astonishment, as if some legend had suddenly come true.

What else was there? He searched deep within his memories, through everything he knew about this world's background... Was there anything else special about the name "Char La Flaga" itself?

There was nothing. At least within the limits of his current knowledge, he could find no answer at all.

Sure enough, he still could not make sense of it. A deep sense of helplessness and the feeling of being kept in the dark enveloped him.

It was as if he stood in the middle of a massive mystery centered on his own name, yet even as the person involved, he did not know what the riddle was.

"Ahem." Mu looked at Natarle, who was shocked speechless, then at his younger brother's bewildered expression, and decided to forcibly interrupt the strange atmosphere.

He cleared his throat and brought the conversation back on track. "Though she interrupted our conversation, let's end the personal chat here."

His tone regained a soldier's decisiveness, but when his gaze returned to Xia Ya, he added in an unquestionable voice that carried both helplessness and a promise, "But, Xia Ya, this isn't over. Later, I'll find time to have a good talk with you." He deliberately stressed the words "good talk."

He knew full well that now was not the time to pursue his brother's bizarre actions. The immediate threat to their survival was the priority.

But the mysteries surrounding his brother, and the dangers he had become entangled in, left Mu unable to let it go.

"I understand." Xia Ya slightly raised his head and met his brother's complicated gaze, his own eyes becoming serious as well. "I also have things I want to say to you, Brother."

He understood what his brother meant, and he also knew that there were many things he needed to explain at an appropriate time—or rather, selectively reveal.

After their brief exchange of glances, Mu no longer looked at Xia Ya. Instead, he turned his full attention to Captain Murrue Ramius, the acting commander, his expression instantly becoming grave and solemn. "Captain Ramius, have you two... thought about what to do next?"

His eyes were filled with deep concern for the current dire situation, as well as thoughts about the fate of this new warship, like a candle flickering in the wind.

He needed to understand the ship's current condition and its commanders' intentions as soon as possible.

"Heliopolis has been completely exposed, and ZAFT has made it a primary target." His voice was low and forceful, every word seeming to bear immense weight. "The enemy will probably return very soon, especially... if our opponent is Rau Le Creuset."

He mentioned that name again, the name that seemed to freeze the very air.

"Le Creuset... Y-you mean Rau Le Creuset!?"

Just as Mu had expected, upon hearing that full name, Captain Murrue Ramius's eyes widened instantly. The color drained from her delicate face, leaving only shock and uncontrollable fear.

Even Ensign Natarle Badgiruel, known for her calm composure, could not hide her severe agitation. Her body trembled almost imperceptibly, and her lips pressed tightly together, as though merely hearing that name was enough to awaken her deepest memories of fear.

Just as expected.

Xia Ya silently observed from the side and thought to himself. Within the Earth Alliance, the name Rau Le Creuset was practically synonymous with the Grim Reaper—of course, in the worst possible sense.

Cold-blooded and ruthless, endlessly cunning, an outstanding pilot, with bizarre and unpredictable tactics, and... seemingly harboring some bone-deep hatred toward the Earth Alliance.

In rumors of countless battles and conflicts, he had played the role of a ghost, always appearing at the most unexpected moments to deal devastating blows and inflict enormous casualties upon the Earth Alliance.

"That guy is extremely persistent, and he clearly has his sights set on the G series and this ship, the Archangel." Mu's tone was resolute and urgent. "We must return to the ship immediately and prepare for combat at the highest alert level. We cannot afford the slightest wishful thinking."

Just as Mu said, the orders were swiftly passed down.

The Archangel crew members who had been outside conducting security patrols and preliminary inspections immediately sprang into action upon receiving the order. They returned to the ship in an orderly fashion at top speed, sealed the hatches, and entered combat deployment.

Xia Ya and Jiliang, the two special "civilians," were personally led by Captain Murrue Ramius and temporarily settled in a relatively clean and tidy standard crew room aboard the ship, though its furnishings were simple.

After settling Xia Ya and Jiliang, Murrue Ramius, her heart as heavy as lead, hurried toward the bridge.

That was where the fate of this ship and everyone aboard it would be decided.

When she pushed open the bridge's heavy bulkhead door, an atmosphere so oppressive it nearly suffocated her washed over her.

The helmsman sat upright, both hands gripping the cold control stick, eyes fixed without blinking on the constantly shifting space coordinates and environmental parameters on the main screen. The CIC personnel worked like precise gears at their respective consoles, tense yet orderly. Their fingers flew across touchscreens and physical keys as they rapidly exchanged key information in low voices—detection data, weapon system status, energy reserves, and more—making final preparations for the battle that could erupt again at any moment. The air was filled with the low hum of machinery and the restrained, tense breathing of humans.

Ensign Natarle Badgiruel stood before Captain Mu La Flaga, who had just arrived on the bridge, and in her usual concise, precise, yet completely unreserved manner, gave the experienced ace pilot a detailed account of the Archangel's nearly hopeless situation: the captain and most senior officers were dead, the communications system was severely damaged and unable to contact the outside world, energy and ammunition reserves had been heavily depleted in the previous battle, most crew members were young cadets and technical personnel without combat experience, and she and Captain Murrue had only been appointed in the midst of crisis, lacking sufficient command experience...

"...I see. Nearly all senior officers are gone, supplies are cut off, no reinforcements... and Le Creuset himself is leading the enemy."

After hearing Natarle's clear yet heavy report, Mu La Flaga slightly raised an arm clad in a white glove, his long fingers lightly resting against his lips in a characteristic thoughtful gesture.

His brow creased slightly, his gaze deep, as though he were rapidly assessing this hopeless situation.

Murrue stood quietly to the side, watching Mu's profile.

She keenly sensed that Mu's "thinking" at this moment was less about searching for a way out—because she believed that, with his experience, he probably understood just how terrible this situation was—and more like an intense internal struggle and hesitation.

The uncertainty that occasionally flickered in his eyes and the tight line of his lips both revealed that his heart was far less calm than he appeared. He seemed to be weighing something, or perhaps resisting a conclusion that was about to surface but was difficult to accept.

Finally, amid the suffocating silence, Murrue Ramius gathered all her courage and broke the deadlock in an almost resolute tone:

"...We should borrow those two's strength."

The words were like a boulder thrown into a still lake!

Mu and Natarle whipped their heads around almost simultaneously, their sharp gazes turning toward Murrue. Their eyes were filled with undisguised surprise, confusion, and a trace of disbelief.

Murrue's heart pounded violently in her chest. She knew perfectly well how bold, how unorthodox—

Even how contrary to military regulations—the choice she had just proposed was.

To have civilians, especially two underage children, pilot top-secret military weapons whose use would determine the fate of the entire warship?

Under any normal military code, that would be absolutely forbidden.

But she had no other choice! No matter how she ran the situation through her mind again and again, no matter how desperately she tried to sort through this utter chaos, she could only reach one conclusion, one that left her immensely frustrated and powerless: relying only on the little strength remaining aboard the Archangel, relying on her and Natarle's inexperienced temporary command structure, they could never break through this predicament. They could never escape alive from the ghostlike Rau Le Creuset!

The images of the boy and girl—Char La Flaga and Jiliang Yamato—flashed vividly through her mind of their own accord.

The scenes of them piloting the Blaze Gundam and Strike Gundam, their unbelievably fluid movements, their precise evasions and counterattacks amid the barrage of gunfire, replayed over and over in her memory like film.

...If that uniquely composed boy with deep eyes and extraordinary abilities truly was a member of that La Flaga Family—Char La Flaga—then his astonishing performance in the Blaze Gundam, so far beyond common sense, seemed... while still shocking, not entirely impossible to understand.

After all, the name La Flaga itself was linked with "possibility."

Then there was the Strike Gundam's performance. No matter what, Murrue could not convince herself that the "girl" named Jiliang Yamato was merely an ordinary Coordinator student with nothing special about her, who had simply happened to sit in the cockpit.

To display piloting skill that could almost be called "masterful" the first time she piloted an MS?

To remain calm in such fierce and complex combat, rewriting and optimizing the MS operating system in real time?

That was absolutely not something an ordinary student could do! What kind of talent and understanding of machines would that require?

That "girl"... was probably—

No. Murrue abruptly halted her thoughts.

Now was not the time to investigate Jiliang Yamato's identity or potential.

What mattered was the fact before them: to survive, to allow this ship and everyone aboard it to escape ZAFT's pursuit, they urgently, no matter what, needed those two's strength!

They needed them to sit in the Gundam cockpits again!

After recovering from her initial shock, Natarle Badgiruel immediately snapped back to attention. Her tone was firm and she rebuked Murrue sharply without hesitation. "Absolutely not! Captain Ramius! We cannot let them come into contact with the military's highest secrets again!"

Her voice rose with emotion, her eyes filled with steadfast adherence to military regulations and extreme concern over the risk of classified information leaking.

It was her duty, and it was also a principle etched into her bones as a soldier.

Murrue met Natarle's nearly blazing gaze. Her own eyes were equally firm, carrying even a trace of desperate stubbornness. "But, Natarle! They're the only two who can pilot those machines right now!"

She stressed that cruel reality word by word, each seeming to be forced out through clenched teeth, full of helplessness and crushing pressure.

No one wanted to reach this point less than she did, but reality had forced them into a dead end.

Natarle's brow furrowed tightly. She seemed to realize that this was an unavoidable problem as well. She fell silent for a moment, seemingly rapidly considering alternatives, before her gaze suddenly shifted to Mu La Flaga beside them. A trace of hope—and perhaps an expectation she considered only natural—rekindled in her eyes. "...No, there's still Captain Flaga! Captain Mu, if it's you..."

Her implication was obvious: You are also an experienced ace pilot. Could you not pilot one of the Gundams? That would at least prevent a civilian from continuing to pilot one, while also adding a reliable combat asset.