Do You Have a Problem with Me?

"Captain Athrun, Mr. Heine, good morning. I'm Ray Za Burrel."

Heine returned Ray's greeting with an easygoing air. "Oh, the 'instant-deployment Zaku Phantom,' right? Nice to meet you. Come to think of it, the Minerva really is packed with talent."

"Had Captain Heine been serving aboard a Nassau-class ship before this?"

Seeing the topic had shifted, Lunamaria continued questioning him.

"Captain Heine?"

Heine looked puzzled as he spoke. "Just call me Heine. Don't be so stiff. 'Captain' is for formal occasions. There's no need to call anyone captain in private. That's the basic spirit of ZAFT combat pilots, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes..."

Lunamaria answered hesitantly, while Shin Asuka also glanced at Athrun in confusion.

Indeed, ZAFT did not have the rank system common to ordinary military organizations, only various units and their leaders.

The size of a unit varied. A team could consist of three to five people, while the entire crew of a ship—or even several warships—could also form a team.

The Minerva had originally been commanded by Talia, who also served as team leader. Only after Athrun and Noel arrived was the MS squadron placed under Athrun's command.

Thus, to Shin Asuka and the others, Athrun was their direct team leader.

At least, that was how Shin Asuka saw it.

But now that Heine had joined them, what would happen in the future?

As for Noel, that guy had always been unreliable. Though he was also called captain, he—

Seeing their expressions, Heine suddenly grinned crookedly and looked at Athrun in surprise. "What? Have they always been calling you captain?"

"Uh... yes."

Athrun answered somewhat awkwardly, and an uncomfortable, embarrassing atmosphere immediately settled over the group.

He had not exactly demanded that anyone call him captain. Shin and the others simply addressed him that way, and Athrun himself