Escape from Artemis Fortress

The icy chill had not come from the vacuum of space, but had erupted violently from the depths of his soul, like the most primal warning of danger.

Driven almost entirely by instinct, Xia Ya abruptly broke off his impending pursuit of the Blitz Gundam—a pursuit that could have decided the battle.

The Blaze Gundam's thrusters erupted in dazzling light. Its metal foot slammed viciously into the Blitz Gundam's chest armor with a dull boom, kicking the black machine that had been desperately blocking aside like a kite with its string cut.

At the same time, the Blaze Gundam performed an extreme maneuver beyond ordinary imagination, spinning rapidly along its retreating path and violently turning its front toward the source of that danger—the space behind him.

Inside the cockpit, Xia Ya's breathing caught slightly, and fine beads of sweat formed along his brow.

Through the magnified sensor feed on the main screen, two familiar figures came clearly into view.

"Duel Gundam... and Buster Gundam!?" Xia Ya's voice carried stunned disbelief through the internal comms.

He had never imagined that ZAFT reinforcements would arrive so quickly—and that there would be two of them at once!

He had clearly suppressed the Blitz Gundam just moments ago. If he had only been given a few more seconds... But now, everything had changed.

In the distance, the Duel Gundam, with its iconic blue-and-white body, had already raised its Beam Rifle high, its muzzle flickering with the dangerous glow of gathering energy. Farther away, the Buster Gundam—a green heavy artillery MS—had connected its right-shoulder 350mm Super-High Pulse Cannon with its left-shoulder 94mm High-Energy Convergent Fireline Rifle, forming the immensely powerful Ultra-High Pulse Long-Range Sniper Rifle mode. Its barrel was locked tightly onto him!

The next instant, the lethal bombardment arrived as expected! A devastating torrent of beams burst from the Buster Gundam's combined cannon, charging straight at the Blaze Gundam with enough force to tear through everything in its path!

"Damn!" Xia Ya's pupils contracted sharply as he immediately drove the machine into a full evasive maneuver.

Fortunately, the distance between them was still considerable. Though the Buster Gundam's firepower was extraordinary, the beam still needed time to travel.

Relying on the Blaze Gundam's unparalleled mobility, as well as his own era-transcending piloting instincts engraved deep within his soul, the crimson machine carved an almost impossible Z-shaped path through the air, barely skimming past the edge of the destructive beam.

Though he had dodged the fatal blow, Xia Ya's heart sank to the bottom. He swiftly scanned the battlefield. After being kicked away, the Blitz Gundam had already regained its posture. Though its left-arm Gleipnir had been severed, it clearly remained combat-capable. The Duel Gundam was rapidly closing in from another direction, firing precise shots from its Beam Rifle to seal off his escape routes. Meanwhile, the Buster Gundam hovered steadily in the distance like a merciless turret, continuously firing long-range suppressive shots.

Three against one! And inside Artemis Fortress, an environment packed with obstacles and complex terrain!

Xia Ya instantly judged that with the Blaze Gundam alone, fighting three Gundams of the same generation—each with comparable performance and their own specialized strengths—while protecting himself, buying time, and covering the Archangel's retreat was nearly an impossible mission.

The Blaze Gundam's greatest advantages were its extreme speed and explosive power, making it suited for hit-and-run strikes or high-speed close combat in open terrain.

In this narrow environment filled with cover, its mobility advantage was greatly weakened. Instead, the enemy could use the terrain to surround and ambush him. The Buster Gundam in particular hung over him like a thorn in his back, making it impossible for him to focus on close-quarters combat.

He had to retreat! Now!

Just as Xia Ya made his decision and prepared to activate the thrusters at all costs, forcing a breakthrough toward the docks where the Archangel was likely located—

A crisp, pleasant voice, anxious yet exceptionally resolute, suddenly broke into his comm channel. "Xia Ya!"

It was Jiliang's voice!

Almost at the exact instant her voice rang out, several bright pink beams shot down fiercely from high ground behind the battlefield like swords cleaving through the darkness!

Those beams were not aimed directly at him. Instead, they precisely targeted the three ZAFT Gundams that had been closing in around him!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The beams screamed across the battlefield. Though all of them were ultimately dodged by the three experienced ZAFT pilots—Yzak Joule in the Duel Gundam, Dearka Elsman in the Buster Gundam, and Nicol Amalfi in the Blitz Gundam—through skilled maneuvering and their machines' capabilities, the sudden attack successfully forced their attention away from Xia Ya, if only for an instant.

"Jiliang!?" Xia Ya cried in surprise and delight, turning sharply toward where the beams had come from.

Through the sensors, he saw that familiar, agile silhouette, now equipped with the Aile Striker on its back—the Strike Gundam!

He had never expected that at such a critical moment, the one who had saved him would be Jiliang!

Wasn't she supposed to be standing by aboard the Archangel? It turned out that after the fortress came under attack, she had judged the situation as critical just as he had, decisively sortieing in the Strike Gundam!

"Xia Ya, the Archangel is about to depart! Hurry and follow me!" Jiliang's anxious voice came again. The Strike Gundam had already turned around, its powerful back thrusters blasting blue flames as it sped off in one direction.

Xia Ya's heart jolted. The Archangel was about to leave?

Though the situation remained extremely dangerous, his original objective—buying time and covering the Archangel's preparations for departure—seemed to have been achieved!

"Understood!" Xia Ya replied without hesitation. The Blaze Gundam's engines went full throttle, and the crimson machine tightly followed the Strike Gundam leading the way. The two Gundams, developed from the same origins but designed with different priorities, sped through the narrow fortress corridors.

"Don't let them get away!" Inside the Duel Gundam's cockpit, Yzak roared furiously and immediately drove his machine after them. The Blitz Gundam and Buster Gundam followed close behind.

The three black, blue, and green Gundams pursued them relentlessly like bone-deep parasites. Beams periodically shot in from behind, leaving molten craters in the corridor walls.

However, at this crucial moment in the chase, the structural collapse within Artemis Fortress intensified.

Perhaps it was due to the Blitz Gundam's earlier destruction, perhaps it was due to ZAFT's subsequent attacks, or perhaps it was backlash from the Light-Wave Defense Belt or a loss of control in the energy systems... In any case, a series of violent explosions suddenly erupted inside the base!

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

The corridor walls collapsed, the ceilings fell, and enormous metal components and burning wreckage poured down like a waterfall, instantly cutting off the three ZAFT machines' pursuit route.

Flames and thick smoke spread through the passage, completely blocking the view behind them.

"Damn it!" Yzak had no choice but to evade in an emergency, watching helplessly as the Strike Gundam and Blaze Gundam vanished around the corner.

"We've been blocked off!" Dearka reported helplessly.

Nicol piloted the Blitz Gundam through the smoke and rubble in search of them, but could no longer find any trace of the two machines.

Still shaken, Xia Ya and Jiliang piloted their respective Gundams through the final stretch of corridor and finally saw the outline of that massive warship ahead—the Archangel was slowly moving, preparing to leave the dock.

"Whew..." Xia Ya let out a long breath, and his taut nerves relaxed slightly.

At that final critical moment, the Artemis Fortress—an enemy installation that was about to be destroyed—had unexpectedly saved his life.

An indescribably complicated emotion welled up within him, mixed with gratitude, irony, and a trace of relief.

Deep in his heart, he silently thanked the crumbling steel fortress. Then he focused, carefully piloting the Blaze Gundam behind the Strike Gundam and landing precisely on the deck of the moving Archangel.

The machines were firmly locked into place by the securing frames. Once the Blaze Gundam and Strike Gundam were both confirmed to have safely returned to the ship, the Archangel's hatch swiftly closed.

The main thrusters let out a deafening roar. Powerful thrust acted upon the hull as the ship gradually accelerated, leaving the chaotic Artemis docks behind.

Through the cockpit viewport, Xia Ya watched the colony satellite continue to crumble amid explosions and flames as it receded into the distance. Like a burning wreckage mercilessly abandoned in the darkness, it looked especially desolate against the backdrop of space.

He sighed helplessly and muttered, "...In the end, we still couldn't resupply here as planned."

The final outcome still followed the hazy trajectory of the "original story" in his memories. The Archangel had failed to receive supplies and personnel reinforcements from Artemis Fortress, and could only flee in haste amid the threat of ZAFT forces and the fortress's destruction.

The inertia of history—or perhaps the tide of fate—did not seem so easily changed by a butterfly from another world like him.

Xia Ya removed his helmet and rubbed his throbbing temples, his deep gaze fixed on the vast starry sky beyond the viewport.

He thought to himself, If resupplying here failed, then for the Archangel to survive, there is only one place it can go...

The Archangel's remaining fuel and supplies were no longer enough to support long-distance independent travel or a return to a reliable Earth Alliance base.

Under such circumstances, there was indeed only one place nearby along their current route where they could seek supplies and aid. It was a predetermined step long established in the original story, and Xia Ya had naturally expected it long ago.

That meant—Jiliang, his nominal comrade, the girl with a pure heart who had been forced into war, was finally about to have her fateful encounter with Lacus Clyne, the P.L.A.N.T. songstress and symbol of peace among the Coordinators.

At that thought, an imperceptible and complicated curve formed at the corner of Xia Ya's lips.

Was it the amusement of a spectator? Or anticipation for the greater variables to come? Even he could not say.

Meanwhile, in the distant and tranquil depths of space, far from the Artemis battlefield.

More than a hundred enormous space colonies, shaped like exquisite hourglasses—P.L.A.N.T.—floated quietly and orderly amid the dark sea of stars.

They were the sacred homeland the Coordinators regarded as their nation, crystallizations of technology and wisdom. Each radiated a unique presence and light, like brilliant pearls scattered across the deep cosmic backdrop, silently witnessing the changes of the era and the pulse of civilization.

Near one colony called Aprilius One, the seat of the P.L.A.N.T. Supreme Council, a Nazca-class High-Speed Battleship belonging to the Creuset Team, the Vesalius, slowly docked.

Rau Le Creuset, dressed in ZAFT's white senior officer uniform, and the two young aces under his command—Athrun Zala and Michel Aiman—slowly descended the gangway. Under P.L.A.N.T.'s soft artificial lighting, they appeared upright and resolute, though traces of fatigue showed between their brows.

Afterward, without lingering, they quickly boarded a short-range shuttle that was about to depart the military space station for the capital.

The shuttle had sleek lines and gleamed with the cold luster unique to metal. Its interior was simple and solemn.

Yet when they entered the cabin, they were surprised to discover that an earlier guest was already inside.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in the dark uniform of ZAFT's Defense Committee Chairman. He sat upright by the window, straight as a pine. His sharply chiseled features and keen, profound gaze gave off the powerful aura of someone long accustomed to high office, someone imposing even without anger.

He sat there silently like a mute statue, yet somehow made the air in the entire cabin feel heavier.

When Athrun and Michel's eyes fell upon the man's face, both unconsciously held their breath slightly, their movements becoming somewhat restrained. They recognized that face—the expression of resolve and hardline conviction that often appeared in official P.L.A.N.T. news and military reports.

Only Creuset still wore that trademark smile, as though he could see through everything while remaining impossible to read.

He seemed to have anticipated this man's presence long ago—or rather, it had been within his calculations from the beginning.

He stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said in a perfectly respectful tone, "Please allow me to accompany you, Chairman Zala." His voice was gentle and modest, echoing clearly through the quiet cabin.

The man addressed as Chairman Zala—Patrick Zala—slowly turned his head. His cold eyes, without the slightest emotional ripple, swept over Creuset before falling on Athrun behind him.

His expression remained stern and severe, like ice that had never thawed for ten thousand years.

"There is no need for formalities, Captain Creuset." Patrick's voice was deep and imposing, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "Besides, I will not be taking this shuttle. I am merely waiting here for someone."

His words were brief and direct. They flatly denied Creuset's request to travel together while explaining why he was there.

Immediately afterward, his hawk-like gaze turned once more toward his own son—Athrun Zala.

That gaze seemed to contain countless complicated emotions: a father's scrutiny, the authority of the highest military commander, and perhaps, beneath that icy exterior, a faint and nearly imperceptible concern from father to son, buried deeply beneath a stronger will and political stance.

Under that authoritative stare, Athrun unconsciously straightened his back, but his expression became somewhat tense and stiff.

He lowered his head slightly, avoiding his father's overly sharp gaze, and said softly in an almost formulaic tone, "Yes... It has been a long time, Father."

His words carried obvious restraint and unease.

Though they were father and son bound by blood and reunited after a long separation, they acted so unfamiliar and distant, as though an invisible chasm stood between them.

This caused an indescribable loneliness and disappointment to rise deep within Athrun's heart.

Patrick Zala was a name known throughout all of P.L.A.N.T., one that thundered in everyone's ears.

He was not only one of the twelve members of the P.L.A.N.T. Supreme Council, but also the Defense Committee Chairman, commanding immense military power and bearing responsibility for the nation's entire security.

Among the pro-war faction, he was an absolute central figure, renowned for his hardline stance and iron-fisted methods.

And from that distinctive surname, Zala, everyone knew that he and the young elite red-uniformed pilot before him, Athrun, shared a close father-son relationship.

It was both a legacy of honor and a heavy responsibility, along with expectations that could not be escaped.

Patrick did not respond to Athrun's somewhat unfamiliar greeting. He merely lightly shook the printed electronic report in his hand.

The paper rustled softly in his grasp, as though silently recounting the important information it bore—the preliminary report the Creuset Team had just submitted concerning the attack on Heliopolis and the Gundam theft incident.

"As for the opinion you attached to the report," Patrick said, his voice still cold as he cut straight to the point. His gaze briefly swept over Athrun once more. "Naturally, I agree. The Earth Alliance developing MS with such high performance is indeed a serious problem that must be taken seriously."

His gaze remained on the report as he continued, "But the issue lies with the machines themselves. As for the pilots... they are entirely irrelevant. I have removed the descriptions concerning that part from the official report."