Deserter?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Noer adamantly denied it, then plopped back down onto the seat.

"You don't admit it?"

Flaga had anticipated Noer's reaction, so he sat down and spoke on his own, saying, "Now let me guess why you're here."

"Heh~~" Noer let out a cold laugh. Guess? It'd be a miracle if you could figure it out! I'm clueless myself, and you...

"You must have stumbled in here by accident, right?" Flaga dropped another bombshell.

Noer froze upon hearing this. Is this guy really that perceptive?

"Do you want me to guess again why you're here?" Flaga kept a close eye on Noer's expression.

Actually, it wasn't strange that he guessed this. Noer was just too close to the situation to see clearly. After all, what other reason could a person with such an obvious military aura have for being here, other than by accident?

Due to Flaga's series of astonishing guesses, Noer was completely at a loss for words at this point.

"You don't think I have mind-reading abilities, do you?" Flaga continued to probe.

Noer's expression faltered upon hearing this.

"Why aren't you refuting me anymore?" Flaga asked again.

Noer simply gave him a dismissive eye-roll, turned around, and lay down facing away from the bed, leaving Flaga with a cool silhouette. In this situation, what else can I say?

Speaking of which, this guy actually guessed my... No!

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Noer, and he realized something was amiss.

Since Flaga had already guessed his identity, why was he still here? Was he just talking to him for so long to verify his identity? That was completely unnecessary. If it were any other time, it might make sense. But under these special circumstances, there was no need for them to verify his identity; any factor that could pose a threat must be eliminated. So, they would either leave him here, ignoring him completely, and make plans after the situation was resolved. Or, they could be more direct and shoot him on the spot. It wouldn't matter if they killed the wrong person; would the Earth Alliance have a problem killing a Coordinator? Not at all! In this world, killing someone would just be killing them, and no one would say anything. So, why was he saying all this to him?

"So, you're admitting you're a soldier from the ZAFT side?" Flaga asked, seeing this.

Noer didn't answer, instead turning his back to Flaga and thinking. First, judging by Flaga's current attitude, my safety isn't an issue even if my identity is exposed. So, the problem is, why would Flaga protect a soldier belonging to the ZAFT side? Moreover, in the current situation, why isn't he shooting me, a ZAFT soldier, on the spot? Instead, he comes here privately to chat and shoot the breeze. What is his objective...

"Beep beep~"

"Swish~"

Just then, the door opened again, and Captain Marlu and Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage entered together.

"Why are you two here?" Flaga asked, startled by their sudden arrival.

"Captain Flaga, I demand an explanation!"

Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage, recalling the information she had just obtained through the surveillance cameras, suppressed her anger and questioned Flaga. This guy actually concealed the facts!

"This, you..." Flaga stammered, his eyes darting uncontrollably towards Marlu. Didn't you say you'd leave this to me?

Marlu silently turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

"Heh, it seems your observation skills aren't that great either," Noer, who had been lying down, suddenly chuckled and sat up. "Can't you even see the surveillance cameras?"

"Slap~!"

Flaga smacked his forehead hard. He had been so focused on how to trick Noer that he had overlooked the issue of the surveillance cameras.

"Damn Coordinators, take him..."

Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage was about to order soldiers to take Noer away when Marlu, standing beside her, suddenly reached out and stopped her. She turned to Noer and asked, "So, you admit you're a soldier for ZAFT?"

"At this point, what else do I have to hide? And there's no need to hide it anymore," Noer said as he stood up from the bed. He tidied his clothes, then extended his hands, saying, "Let's go. You can kill me or torture me as you please."

However, if one looked closely, they would notice that Noer's expression at this moment was much more peaceful than before.

This is a special circumstance; it's precisely because it's a special circumstance that Flaga would come to talk nonsense with him, and that's why he'd say he stumbled in... It really scared the life out of him!

"Damn ZAFT, I..."

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage!"

Marlu's tone deepened slightly, and she frankly told Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage, "Actually, I was aware of this matter."

"Captain? You..." Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage looked at Marlu and Flaga in disbelief. Aware?

The two of them actually knew Noer was a ZAFT soldier?!

"Lieutenant Junior Grade, please wait a moment. Things are not as simple as you imagine," Flaga said, standing up and addressing Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage.

In fact, when he came over, he had already spoken with Captain Marlu and told her his guesses and thoughts.

After all, although his rank was the same as Marlu's, Marlu was currently the captain of the Archangel, and he was just a Captain-rank soldier, so many things required the captain's approval.

"Do you know what you're doing? He's a ZAFT soldier! He's the enemy!"

Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage felt like their worldview was shattering. They stood there, shouting in disbelief.

Under these circumstances, they were actually letting a ZAFT soldier stay on the warship. This...

"He was an enemy."

Flaga said this, then turned to look at Noer, his gaze intense as he asked, "Am I right? Deserter Noer!"

Flaga had lost the mood for idle chat at this point.

"Heh~" Noer tilted his head and smiled. The single "heh" conveyed his inner bitterness and helplessness, mixed with a trace of sorrow.

It had to be said, when people faced the threat of death, there were two possibilities.

One: their minds went blank, and they waited to die on the spot.

Two: their brains overclocked, their thoughts accelerated, and even things they couldn't normally do became easy.

Noer was currently experiencing the latter.

After receiving the persona Flaga had given him, combined with the Archangel's current predicament and the timing of their arrival.

Flaga's objective was obvious: he wanted Noer to help him escape Cruze's pursuit, or rather, he needed Noer's help.

It sounded absurd, but upon closer consideration, it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

The Archangel's current combat strength consisted of only one Strike Gundam and one Mobius, with insufficient supplies.

Meanwhile, Cruze's side had, in addition to those four new mobile suits, over a dozen Ginn units and two space warships.

One of those warships was a high-speed battleship no less capable than the Archangel.

Faced with this situation, if it weren't for the protagonist's halo, the Archangel would have long since been reduced to dust, let alone be able to return to Earth.

But Flaga didn't know that. Therefore, to survive, he would inevitably try every means to provide combat power for the Archangel, as only by surviving could they discuss other matters.

Coincidentally, Noer's identity fit this characteristic perfectly. Although it was just a guess, in the current situation, he had no other choice.

However, even though Noer accepted it, he still couldn't quite understand why Flaga thought he would help him. Wasn't he afraid that Noer would betray him midway and shoot him?

Was it just because he thought he was a deserter?

That reason... was too far-fetched!

"Deserter?" Lieutenant Junior Grade Baggage was stunned, and their gaze towards Noer became even more disgusted.

It was one thing to be a Coordinator, but now he was also a deserter. Whether it was true or not, did it even matter?

"So, what exactly are you trying to say after talking to me for so long?" After hearing the definition Flaga had given him, Noer had a rough idea of Flaga's intentions.

However, he was curious about how Flaga planned to make him help.

And how could he be sure that Noer wouldn't choose to defect midway in this situation?

"So, you admit to being a deserter?" Flaga continued to ask.

"Stop the nonsense and tell me, what exactly do you plan to do."

Noer certainly wouldn't willingly discard the 'protective charm' Flaga had given him. As long as he could survive, he didn't care if he was called a deserter or anything else.

I'll do my best to refine it and see how much I can write!