Mutation

Xia Ya gave them a somewhat strained smile. He was fine; he was just... tired.

The mental drain had been far greater than an MS battle.

Why had that woman suddenly come here? Logically, the head of Blue Cosmos should have been better at handling this kind of political negotiation, right?

Why did he have to deal with the head of House Sahak in that guy's place...?

"...You've worked hard, Xia Ya." Lacus's gentle voice rang out as she reached up and lightly wiped away the sweat beading on his forehead.

"Go back to your room and rest for a while, okay? We can bring dinner to your room," Jiliang suggested as well, her hand resting on Xia Ya's shoulder, conveying warmth and support.

Listening to their gentle words and feeling their concern, Xia Ya felt the crushing weight on both his body and mind rapidly fade away.

He raised his head, about to tell them, "Thank you, I'm fine," when, at that very instant—

"----Beep—beep—beep—!"

A sharp, loud electronic sound suddenly rang through the hangar without warning.

It was neither a standard alarm aboard the ship nor any known communications frequency. It was a monotonous, continuous call signal, and its source... seemed very close to them.

Xia Ya, Lacus, and Jiliang all froze, then immediately looked around in alarm.

Lacus was the first to react to the sound and identify its source. Her expression instantly turned grave.

She released the hand supporting Xia Ya and reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a palm-sized, flat device.

It was a simply designed communications device, now flashing red and emitting that urgent call signal.

Xia Ya recognized it—it was the special communicator Lacus's father, former PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne, had given her before she left PLANT.

"This