Flaga's God-Tier Performance, Noer's Bewilderment

Cruze didn't react to Addis's response, instead staring at the strategy panel and continuing, "Perhaps we can cast a net..."

"A net, you say? What kind of net?"

"Let the 'Vesalius' go first, then wait for the enemy ships here. The 'Gamous' will take this route, conducting a thorough search while following behind."

Looking at the area Cruze indicated, Addis frowned and said, "This is the 'Artemis' route? But if we only lock onto that direction, what if they head towards the Moon..."

"Chirp chirp~"

Before Addis could finish speaking, an alarm and the voice of a communications officer interrupted his rebuttal. "Large-scale heat signature detected! It could be a warship! Based on comprehensive analysis and predicted trajectory, after accelerating with Earth's gravity, it's heading towards the Earth Alliance's Atlantic Federation headquarters on the Moon!"

Addis looked at Cruze upon hearing this, but Cruze merely shook his head, asserting, "It's just a feint. This situation only strengthens my suspicions."

"They are advancing towards 'Artemis'. 'Vesalius' sets sail, call 'Gamous'."

At the same time, inside the Archangel.

Because of the Archangel's movement, Noer, who had been drowsy, floated up from his bed due to inertia.

"This... we're deploying?"

Noer quickly got up and walked to the window, looking out at the dark expanse of space in the distance and spacing out.

The Archangel had definitely set sail. Where was it planning to go?

The lunar base? Or...

"I remember there's an Earth Alliance base not too far from here... Wait a minute! If they go to the Earth Alliance base, what happens to me?"

Suddenly, Noer's mind buzzed as he realized the crucial point.

One warship was already difficult to handle. If they went to the Earth Alliance base...

That would truly be like lighting a lamp in a toilet – you'd be screwed no matter what!

As for whether the Archangel would be destroyed mid-route... Don't be ridiculous. The Archangel wouldn't explode even if I died!

"Kira Yamato!"

After the fleet set sail, Marlu and Flaga appeared at the door of Kira Yamato and the others' room.

Toll, standing nearby, quickly nudged Kira awake.

Soon, with Kira still groggy, the two explained their purpose, essentially asking him to continue piloting the Strike Gundam.

"I refuse!"

Kira, still half-asleep, snapped awake upon hearing their intention. He got out of bed and said angrily, "Maybe you're right, my surroundings are indeed filled with war, but we chose to come to neutral Heliopolis to escape precisely because we hate war!"

Marlu's expression turned apologetic, and she remained silent.

Flaga, seeing this, had to step forward and say, "You're right, but only you can pilot that thing right now. What can we do?"

"What do you mean 'what can we do'? I'm not a soldier, nor am I anyone special! Why should I continue piloting it!"

"Don't you understand? Combat is inevitable. When that time comes, will you still cling to this theory and wait for death?"

Flaga's words were blunt, and this time it was Kira's turn to be speechless.

"Right now, only you and I can protect this ship. Do you want to watch your friends die in the crossfire?"

"But... I..."

"I know my words might be harsh, but since you have that power, why not use it? You're so much better off than those who can only cry when faced with adversity."

"Besides, taking up arms to protect is an honorable and noble act. No one will blame you! Remember, weapons can protect as well as kill."

Looking down at Kira, whose voice was trembling, Flaga's expression softened. Although he was a Coordinator, he was ultimately just a teenager.

Suddenly thrust into the world of war, it was natural for him to feel apprehensive and unwilling to join.

Kira looked at Flaga's face in astonishment after hearing this, then lowered his head with immense bitterness.

Seeing this, Flaga silently patted Kira's shoulder and turned to leave the room.

He had made everything clear. A wise person would know how to choose.

"Alright, now let's go see the other guy. I hope he won't disappoint me..."

Soon, Flaga, who had left the room, arrived at a room guarded by soldiers.

That's right, it was Noer's room.

"Captain!" The two soldiers snapped to attention and saluted upon seeing Flaga's sudden arrival.

"What's the situation?" Flaga asked.

"Everything is normal," Soldier A replied.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Flaga nodded and continued, "Please open the door for me."

"This?" The two soldiers were stunned and exchanged glances.

"What? You don't even trust me?" Flaga asked with a smile.

"Of course not!" The soldiers quickly replied.

"Then open it. Don't worry, Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage knows about this," Flaga said with a smile.

"Yes!"

The soldiers exchanged glances, then turned to input the password to open the door. Flaga was the highest-ranking officer on this battleship.

Beep beep~

Swish~

Soon, the door opened, revealing a bewildered Noer.

"Can I speak with him alone?" Flaga asked, looking at the bewildered Noer, then turning to the two soldiers.

"Yes!" The soldiers exchanged glances and quietly pushed the door closed behind them.

They also sent a message to the bridge.

"Your name is Noer, correct?" Flaga asked, sitting down on a nearby chair after the soldiers left.

"Right."

Noer was truly bewildered, completely unable to understand why Flaga was looking for him.

"Belonging to the ZAFT military?" Flaga dropped the bombshell.

"Hm?"

Noer's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Flaga in disbelief. Where did this guy guess that from?

"Don't be so surprised," Flaga said, very pleased with Noer's reaction. He chuckled, grabbed a stool, and sat down opposite Noer.

"How did you connect me to the ZAFT military? What I said earlier wasn't enough..."

"Alright, alright. It's just the two of us here, so you don't need to hide anything."

Flaga interrupted Noer directly.

"When did I say..."

"Do you really want me to say it?" Flaga interrupted Noer again.

"What do you mean?" Noer frowned, calmly suppressing the tremor in his heart and maintaining an expression and tone appropriate to the situation.

However, the effect was mediocre. If he hadn't trained for a while at the military academy, his legs would have gone weak.

"I've been fighting in wars for so long, do you think I can't even tell if you're a soldier?" Flaga retorted.

"I don't understand what you're saying," Noer replied, shaking his head, but his heart was pounding.

"The calluses on your fingers, the marks on your palms, your gaze, the way you walk, and..."

With each thing Flaga said, Noer's heart grew colder, truly chilling him to the bone!

"And what?" Noer couldn't help but ask.

"And the way your heels unconsciously come together when you stand," Flaga said with a chuckle, pointing at Noer's heels.

"You're saying I'm a ZAFT soldier based on these things!?" Noer heard this and quickly moved his heels apart, trying his best to refute it.

Although his expression showed no change, his mood had essentially plummeted to the bottom.

Actually, this couldn't be blamed entirely on Noer, because everything Flaga mentioned had become second nature to him.

Furthermore, Noer wasn't actually a spy. He had never been trained as one from the beginning. Therefore, these habits, which were very normal in the ZAFT forces, appeared extremely fatal in this situation.

"Do you think these are not enough?" Flaga asked with a smile.

If it were just one of these things, Flaga wouldn't have found it suspicious or had any doubts.

But when all of the above circumstances converged on one person, it became a problem!