Terms of Exchange

"If she wants to make it to Alaska alive, bring Strike's non-core combat data in exchange."

Three hours later, at the midpoint coordinates.

A cluster of rocks eroded by the wind until only skeletal frames remained, six kilometers from Archangel's landing site and 3.2 kilometers from East Asia's communications vehicle.

Ye Qingluan arrived first with two security officers.

She chose a gap between two standing rocks, sheltered on both sides and open overhead, allowing support units from both sides to maintain visual contact from afar.

Three people came from Archangel.

Murrue Ramius walked in front, her military cap pulled low and her jaw set tight.

Behind her followed a female officer wearing lieutenant insignia, carrying a portable data terminal in her arms.

The third person was not on the expected list.

Kira Yamato wore a standard United Army flight suit without a helmet, his brown hair tousled by the desert wind.

Ye Qingluan's gaze lingered on Kira for half a second before Sheng Lan's voice came through her comms earpiece.

"Why is Kira Yamato here?"

Ye Qingluan did not answer. She pressed the comms key.

"Director, Archangel's representatives have arrived. Three people, including Strike pilot Kira Yamato."

Lin Yuan's voice came back through the encrypted channel. The communications delay had been reduced to less than a second; he had already linked into the live audio from Ye Qingluan's personal terminal.

"Let him stay."

Murrue stopped before Ye Qingluan, her gaze sweeping over Ye Qingluan's face before settling on the absence of rank insignia at her uniform collar.

"You're East Asia's representative?"

"I'm the field liaison officer. The decision-maker is on the communications line."

Ye Qingluan took a palm-sized terminal from the pocket at her waist and switched Lin Yuan's encrypted frequency to speaker mode.

Lin Yuan's voice emerged from the terminal, carrying a faint echo through the rock crevice.

"Captain Murrue, I'm from East Asia's Special Equipment Bureau. Three hours ago, our forces helped you hold off Andrew Waltfeld. I don't intend to let that favor go unpaid."

Murrue's lips tightened.

"Your appearance in the desert is itself unusual. I need confirmation first: does East Asia intend to detain Archangel?"

"I have no interest in a fugitive warship on the United Army's roster. If I detained you, I'd have to carry a political debt for the Atlantic Federation."

Murrue's shoulders loosened by half an inch, but her hand remained on the strap of the holster at her waist.

"Then what do you want?"

"Strike Gundam's energy consumption curves in desert combat, thrust degradation data for the Aile Striker configuration, and field test records of Phase Shift Armor's heat dissipation efficiency in sandy conditions."

The female lieutenant behind Murrue changed expression. Her lips moved, but she made no sound.

Murrue's speech did not quicken.

"That is classified United Army technology."

"Captain Murrue, you are now a deserter from the United Army. Alaska has not sent a rendezvous order in half a month, your supplies have been cut off for three weeks, and your ammunition reserves are below forty percent of nominal capacity. You're running through the desert with classified technology. When you return, the Atlantic Federation's first move won't be to pin a medal on you. It will be to send you before a court-martial."

The rock crevice fell silent for three seconds.

Kira stepped forward.

"You're threatening Captain Murrue."

Lin Yuan's voice did not fluctuate in the slightest.

"Kira Yamato, I am stating facts. A threat would be saying that if she doesn't give it to me, I'll attack her. I have no such intention. Attacking your ship brings me no benefit."

Kira's fist clenched, then loosened.

"You treat battle like business? Andrew Waltfeld's Baku killed so many people. Civilians from those resistance groups were forced from their homes, and all you care about is data and trade?"

A faint sound of fingers tapping a desk came from the terminal.

"Kira Yamato, three days ago, you piloted Strike against a Baku squadron. You crippled one Baku's front leg joint. After it dropped to its knees, it did not stop firing. It aimed at Archangel and fired two more rounds."

Kira's Adam's apple moved.

"My question is this: when you face an enemy with a broken leg that is still shooting, do you choose to keep attacking its other leg, or protect the ship behind you?"

"I... did both."

"You did both, and by the end of that battle, your Aile Striker's energy consumption curve had fallen twelve percent below the safety threshold. If Andrew Waltfeld had two more Baku, your Aile Striker would have lost power in the middle of the fight."

Kira said nothing.

"Your kindness made you choose not to kill. That choice cost you twice the ammunition and energy. Double the expenditure means half the time you can protect Archangel."

Lin Yuan's voice paused for a beat.

"I'm not mocking you. I'm asking you a question: without a stronger system to support them, the next people forced into cockpits will still be students and civilians like you. Do you think having sixteen-year-olds use their lives to fill gaps on the battlefield is more noble than trading data for a safe route?"

Kira's lips parted and closed twice before his voice finally squeezed out of his throat.

"I just... I can't stand by and do nothing."

"Neither can I. So I'm using another method to ensure more people won't be forced onto the battlefield like you were. That method needs data, technology, and intelligence. It does not need a teenager burning himself out in the desert."

Murrue removed her hand from the holster strap.

She glanced at Kira, then turned to Ye Qingluan.

"The energy consumption curves and thrust degradation data can be provided. The raw Phase Shift Armor heat dissipation records cannot, but I can provide sanitized trend charts."

Ye Qingluan glanced at the terminal.

Lin Yuan's reply arrived a second later.

"Deal. In exchange, you'll receive a complete deployment map of Andrew Waltfeld's forces and a safe passage route. There will also be three truckloads of supplies, including food and basic ammunition."

Murrue tucked her chin slightly.

"East Asia's terms are more reasonable than I expected."

"Captain Murrue, I'm not your enemy. Nor am I your friend. I'm simply someone doing his own work in the same desert. Our interests happen to overlap along this short stretch of road."

The data exchange was completed within twenty minutes.

When Archangel's group of three left the rock formation, Kira walked last and looked back once at the terminal in Ye Qingluan's hand.

He did not speak again.

Three hours later, Archangel took off and accelerated north-northwest along the route provided by East Asia.

Inside the communications vehicle, Sheng Lan closed her terminal while Ye Qingluan packaged, encrypted, and transmitted the confidential data back to the 811 Institute.

"Director, the exchange is complete. Archangel has departed."

"Good. How is Han Zheng's dismantling of the Baku wreckage going?"

"The left front leg transmission assembly has been removed intact. They're still cutting out the optical sensor head. Packing should be complete in four hours."

"Withdraw once it's packed. We have enough data from the desert. After we return home, Xu Yanqiu should address the joint heat dissipation issue first. The Candle Core Project cannot be delayed any longer."

Just as Sheng Lan was about to close the comms, Lin Yuan spoke again.

"Also, the space reconnaissance station has sent an orbital anomaly report."

"What report? An escape pod from the PLANT direction has deviated from its standard recovery orbit and is drifting toward territory controlled by the Earth Alliance. The life signs inside are stable, and the pod's serial number belongs to a PLANT civilian transport system."

Sheng Lan pulled up the orbital monitoring queue and found the record.

"Director, there are more than a dozen drifting escape pods every month. Why single out this one?"

Lin Yuan's voice lowered by half a beat over the channel.

"Because that escape pod's ejection time exactly matches the time of the Zala Faction's raid on a Clyne Faction political gathering."

Sheng Lan's fingers froze over the terminal screen.

"You mean the person inside might be..."

"Notify Chen Linhai. Have the reconnaissance ship Xuanwu Three alter its orbit. I'll send him the interception coordinates."

"Director, if it really is that person, the political consequences will be enormous."

"I know. That's why we have to get her first."