Flay Boards the Archangel

Jiliang did not answer immediately. She manipulated the Strike Gundam's camera and zoomed in.

It was a white, cylindrical object—the standard escape pod launched from Heliopolis.

However, the escape pod looked very strange. A large section seemed to be missing from its rear, and the damaged edges were irregular, as if it had been caught in some impact or explosion.

"Jiliang?" Xia Ya's voice came again, carrying obvious confusion.

From his perspective, the Strike Gundam had not only stopped, but had even begun to deviate from its planned course, moving toward that strange object.

Jiliang did not hesitate.

Although she knew the situation was urgent and returning to the ship as quickly as possible was the most rational choice, there might be someone inside...

In her values, life was paramount. Especially after witnessing such devastating destruction, she could not turn a blind eye to possible survivors.

"I found a damaged escape pod. I'm going to retrieve it." Jiliang gave a brief explanation, but her tone was exceptionally firm.

She carefully controlled the Strike Gundam's enormous mechanical arm, making every movement as gentle as possible, like a surgeon performing a delicate operation.

She had to make sure the already fragile escape pod would not suffer further damage during retrieval.

This required immense concentration and superb control. For a girl who had only just piloted an MS in real combat for the first time—though most of that time had been spent chasing and evading—it was undoubtedly an enormous challenge. But at this moment, her determination to save someone supported her.

Elsewhere, inside the Blaze Gundam's cockpit, Xia Ya watched the Strike Gundam's clumsy yet utterly earnest movements. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before relaxing again.

He did not stop her.

He understood this kind of "plot inertia," or perhaps "the brilliance of human nature," all too well.

In the original story stored in his mind, the protagonist had also recovered Lacus Clyne's escape pod under similar circumstances.

Although this world's Jiliang was of a different gender and seemed to have subtle differences in personality, her choice at such a crucial moment was exactly the same.

"...Honestly..." Xia Ya muttered under his breath. It was impossible to tell whether he was approving or resigned.

He could already foresee that once they returned to the Archangel, Jiliang would definitely receive a thorough "lesson" from that rigid Lieutenant Badgiruel about battlefield discipline, the dangers of acting on her own, and so on.

Still, since she was saving someone, she probably would not be punished too severely.

At last, the Strike Gundam's mechanical arm firmly grasped the damaged escape pod, its enormous hand gently securing it in front of itself. Jiliang restarted the thrusters and adjusted her direction. This time, she flew resolutely toward the increasingly closer Archangel.

Soon, the Archangel's white silhouette gradually filled their view. Xia Ya's Blaze Gundam had already arrived ahead of them and was guiding her into the landing passage.

Following the instructions, Jiliang controlled the Strike Gundam, drew in its limbs, and landed precisely on the mobile hangar deck. The securing locks engaged with a crisp click.

The hangar was brightly lit. Ground crew in work uniforms hurried busily back and forth, and the air was thick with the smell of machine oil and coolant.

The Strike Gundam's cockpit hatch slowly opened with a soft hiss from the hydraulic rods. Jiliang unfastened her safety belt and stood up somewhat unsteadily, preparing to climb out of the cockpit.

Just then, a clear female voice filled with unmistakable excitement and joy pierced through the hangar's noise and reached her ears precisely.

"Jiliang!"

Jiliang looked toward the voice and saw that the damaged escape pod, which the Strike Gundam had carefully placed on the deck, had also opened. A girl in a Heliopolis Industrial Academy uniform had leaned halfway out, her face overflowing with incredulous delight as her bright eyes locked tightly onto Jiliang.

"Flay!" Jiliang immediately called back. Seeing that her friend was safe, the weight in her heart finally lifted, and a sincere smile appeared on her face.

However, Xia Ya, who stood not far away after just exiting the Blaze Gundam's cockpit, instantly frowned at the sight. His eyes filled with undisguised shock and confusion.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

According to the original plot in the "database" in his mind, at this point in time, Jiliang and Flay Allster could at most be considered acquaintances. They knew each other's names and faces, and perhaps they might nod if they passed each other on campus, but they were absolutely, absolutely not close enough to act like this—

Flay Allster lightly jumped out of the escape pod and nearly ran toward Jiliang, who had just climbed down from the Strike Gundam. A smile as radiant as sunlight bloomed across her face, while genuine joy and lingering fear flickered in her beautiful eyes.

"Jiliang! It really is you! Thank goodness! I thought..."

"Flay! I'm so glad you're okay!" Jiliang went to meet her as well. Seeing Flay safe and sound, the tension and exhaustion in her heart seemed to fade considerably.

The two girls, amid this steel jungle that had just endured a trial of life and death, were like drowning people who had found each other's driftwood. They hugged tightly, patting each other's backs and confirming that the other was truly there.

Xia Ya stood to one side, silently watching this heartwarming yet... abnormal reunion scene as his mind raced.

...What exactly is going on? he repeatedly asked himself.

In the original story, Flay's initial attitude toward Kira Yamato had been cold, even somewhat rejecting—especially after she learned he was a Coordinator. Their involvement and complicated relationship had only begun after they went through more events, particularly after her father died.

But what was with this familiar intimacy, this unhesitating embrace, this obvious best-friend-level interaction between the two of them?

Could it be that simply because this world's "protagonist," Jiliang, was female, the entire web of relationships had changed so dramatically?

Had she and Flay already been extremely close friends at the academy?

This deviation was a little too large.

"Jiliang," Xia Ya finally could not help walking over and asking. His voice was calm, but his eyes held a probing look. "You two... know each other?"

Only then did Jiliang notice Xia Ya beside her. She released Flay, a trace of excited redness still on her cheeks, then turned and smiled as she introduced her. "Xia Ya! Yes, Flay and I are friends from the same academy. This is Flay Allster."

"Hello." Xia Ya nodded, his gaze sweeping over Flay's face.

Of course, he knew who she was. Flay Allster, George Allster's daughter—the girl whose fate had been so tragic in the original story, ultimately ending in disaster. But he could not reveal that now.

Jiliang then turned to Flay and pointed at Xia Ya as she introduced him. "Flay, this is Xia Ya. Xia Ya La Flaga. We met while we were taking shelter."

"Xia Ya... La Flaga?" Flay tilted her head slightly as she examined the blond youth before her. Although he wore casual clothes, he carried himself with a distinctive, upright bearing. A trace of curiosity flashed through her eyes.

Then, as if she had thought of something, a sly smile appeared on her face. Her gaze moved between Jiliang and Xia Ya, and she deliberately drew out her words. "...Hmm? Jiliang, you're actually calling a boy by his first name. That's really unusual. And someone you only met recently, too... Could it be—"

"N-No, it's not that!?" Jiliang's face instantly turned red. She hurriedly waved her hands, trying to explain in a flustered rush. "It's not what you think, Flay! We're just..."

"Hm?" Flay blinked her beautiful eyes innocently, though a teasing smile lingered at the corner of her lips. "But Jiliang, I didn't say anything. What do you think I was thinking?"

"I-I..." Flay had left Jiliang speechless. Her cheeks turned even redder, like ripe apples.

Xia Ya quietly listened to the light teasing and playful banter between the two young women, yet his heart was filled with complicated feelings.

The Flay before him was lively and cheerful, carrying the innocence and slight mischievousness unique to a girl her age as she joked carefreely with her friend.

This was how she should have been: like a flower carefully tended in a greenhouse.

He knew that in that predetermined "future," the brutality of war and the pain of losing her father would utterly twist and blacken that flower.

...He gently shook his head, forcing himself to pull his thoughts away from Flay.

Now was not the time for sentiment. The change in Flay and Jiliang's relationship was unexpected, but it was not the issue that required the most attention right now.

Whatever was between them, Jiliang could handle it herself.

That critical turning point in Flay's fate—her father's death—probably had not happened yet.

What mattered more now was the course ahead for the battleship called the Archangel, and everyone aboard it.

According to the original trajectory, after escaping Heliopolis, the Archangel would head to Artemis Fortress, a space fortress controlled by the Eurasian Federation, in order to seek supplies and official instructions from the Earth Alliance.

However, it was a journey full of humiliation and danger.

Garcia, the commander of Artemis Fortress, was deeply suspicious and hostile toward this warship from Orb, carrying civilians and irregular soldiers—student soldiers—and the Earth Alliance's most highly classified secrets. Not only would he refuse to provide any substantial assistance, he would even attempt to seize the Strike Gundam and its related technology.

In the end, it had been Creuset Team, who also knew of Artemis Fortress's defensive weaknesses, that sent Nicol in the Blitz Gundam to infiltrate the fortress and cause destruction using its Mirage Particles stealth system. Only then had the Archangel managed to escape amid the chaos. But it had failed completely in its purpose of securing supplies.

Xia Ya rubbed his chin as he began rapidly calculating in his mind.

The current situation was that they did not have the Blitz Gundam.

The bad news was that Creuset Team would most likely still act according to their original plan.

As long as they still had the Blitz Gundam, using Mirage Particles to infiltrate and sabotage Artemis Fortress in order to create an opportunity to pursue the Archangel remained a viable tactical option.

Therefore, even if they went to Artemis, they might not be safe. Instead, they could once again be caught between ZAFT's pursuit and the chaos within the fortress itself.

He even quickly considered another possibility: what if he had been greedy enough at the time to take the Blitz Gundam too? How would things have turned out then?

Perhaps... a sharp glint flashed through Xia Ya's eyes.

He possessed information and a grasp of historical developments far beyond what ordinary people of this era could know.

If he had the Blitz Gundam in hand, he could even consider turning Artemis to his advantage.

For example, he could find some way to "persuade," or simply threaten, that old man Garcia into obediently supplying the Archangel, perhaps even offering a certain degree of protection or a safe route.

But those were only hypotheticals. Right now, they did not have the Blitz Gundam.

That meant the route to Artemis still held both risk and uncertainty.

Yet in the short term, there seemed to be no better option. The Archangel needed supplies and clear direction for its next move, and Artemis was the nearest friendly stronghold.

It seemed that the first stop on this escape journey would most likely still lead them into that trap known as the "Umbrella of the Goddess."

Xia Ya gazed out at the deep space beyond the hangar, silently raising his guard. The road ahead was destined to be anything but smooth.