"Hmph, do we need to report to you about what we want to do?" Tolle retorted irritably.
"Tolle, don't be like this. Didn't we already decide?"
"But I'm still pissed."
"Sorry about that, Yang Hui." Sai stepped forward to apologize on Tolle's behalf. Though he also resented Yang Hui for using them, the situation had already progressed to this point. No matter how upset or angry they were, it wouldn't change anything. Moreover, Sai, who had seen more of the world, agreed with Yang Hui's reasoning.
Their positions were different, and so were their ways of thinking, methods of action, and even their ultimate goals. The fact that they hadn't seen through Yang Hui's manipulation earlier was their own fault—nothing more.
That was why they had made their current choice.
"We don't want to just be protected by Kira. We want to do what we can too."
"...You can disembark soon."
"You won't let Kira leave the ship, will you?"
"..."
Yang Hui fell silent. Before, he would have done everything in his power to keep Kira on board, to prevent him from straying from the path he had designed for him. But now... if Kira truly decided to leave and return to Orb to live as an ordinary person, Yang Hui wouldn't stop him.
However, he wouldn't say it out loud. Some masks needed to be removed, but others had to stay on. Yang Hui wouldn't explain himself just to earn Tolle and the others' forgiveness.
"What's the situation?" Yang Hui asked Murrue.
"An unidentified ship is moving parallel to us at high speed. We're not sure if it's a ZAFT vessel."
"Unidentified ship, moving fast?" Yang Hui paused. In this world, the only ship he could think of that was faster than the Archangel was the Eternal. But the Eternal shouldn't be completed yet. "Do we have visuals?"
"Wait a moment... Got it!"
Though there were plenty of large debris near the Junk Guild's vicinity, electromagnetic interference was minimal. After some adjustments, they managed to get a clear image of their surroundings.
Seeing the unidentified ship in the footage, Yang Hui immediately knew who they were.
"Stand down the alert. They're not ZAFT."
"Are you sure?" Murrue pressed.
"Positive." Yang Hui nodded and attempted to establish communications with the other ship.
Honestly, Yang Hui had completely forgotten about them. Among the junk dealers he knew, there were plenty of capable individuals, and the best of them was the team aboard this very ship—no, more accurately, the team itself.
"This is Lowe Guele of the Junk Guild. Which team are you from? Never seen this ship before—where'd you pick it up?"
Sure enough, as soon as the comms connected, a cheerful and excited voice came through, its owner as eccentric as ever.
"Lowe, long time no see."
Yang Hui didn't announce the Archangel's ship ID or affiliation. Instead, he greeted Lowe directly.
There was an unspoken rule among junk dealers: never ask about the origins of someone else's cargo. Any issues that arose would be the responsibility of the individual or team involved.
Only Lowe, who was obsessed with becoming the greatest junk dealer, would be so bold as to ask such a question.
"That voice... It's you!"
"Yeah, it's been a while, Lowe. Found anything good lately?"
Orb's collaboration with the Junk Guild was all facilitated by Yang Hui, so he was very familiar with the guild. In fact... the current guild leader would get a toothache just seeing Yang Hui, because Yang Hui had already poached quite a few talents from his ranks.
Yang Hui also had a great relationship with Lowe. Lowe was cheerful, generous, and optimistic, only a few years older than Yang Hui. After several collaborations, they became quite close.
"Hehe! This time I've found a real treasure—another step closer to becoming the greatest junk dealer!"
"Treasure?" Hearing this, Yang Hui frowned for a moment before suddenly realizing.
It seemed Lowe had still managed to find the secretly developed Astray Gundam Red Frame.
Originally, according to Yang Hui and Old Sahaku's plan, the development of the Astray Gundam would take place at Ame No Minashira, and only after Yang Hui brought back the G Weapon technology. But it seemed Old Sahaku couldn't wait and had already begun secretly researching MS technology in Heliopolis.
Not that it mattered. Starting earlier was even better—completing the MS development sooner would allow for faster mass production and strengthen Orb's military forces.
"If the Red Frame has appeared, has Gai Murakumo gotten his hands on the Blue Frame as well? Hmm, I should contact him when I have time."
Yang Hui guessed what Lowe's "treasure" was but didn't reveal it, especially since Murrue and Natarle Badgiruel were nearby. If they found out Orb had also developed its own MS, who knew how they'd react? Better to keep it under wraps for now.
"Alright, Lowe, we can catch up later. This ship needs supplies—you go ahead and inform Chairman Madok to prepare in advance. Price isn't an issue."
"Got it! I'll be waiting for you back home."
After ending the call, Yang Hui noticed everyone staring at him in stunned silence, especially Natarle, who seemed to want to ask something but hesitated.
"Like I said, the Junk Guild has no shortage of talent," Yang Hui shrugged.
Most of them were probably curious about his relationship with Lowe, as the conversation made it clear they were very close. The idea that a core Orb official was so familiar with a junk dealer was hard to believe.
What Natarle and Murrue really wanted to ask was why a civilian ship—especially one belonging to junk dealers—could outpace the Archangel.
To be fair, no ordinary junk dealer would have a ship like that. How could anyone scrounging for scraps afford a vessel faster than the Atlantic Federation's newest warship?
But Lowe's team was different. Lowe himself was a super mechanic, full of wild ideas. Despite never formally studying mechanics, few in the world could match his skills. Moreover, Lowe's team had a hidden heavyweight—Yang Hui didn't even know her real name, only calling her "Professor." Rumor had it she was once a top researcher at Actaeon, while others claimed she came from Dawn Company and was a senior to Erica Simmons, the current head of R&D.
But none of that mattered. Yang Hui knew he couldn't poach her anyway, so there was no need to dig deeper. As long as they could collaborate, that was enough.
However, none of this was what interested Yang Hui the most. There was one thing in Lowe's team that fascinated Yang Hui above all else—if he could obtain it, he would gladly configure a warship and a full complement of MS for Lowe's team free of charge.
That thing was the AI computer "Little 8," which Lowe had somehow picked up from who-knows-where. It was something Yang Hui couldn't even begin to comprehend, to the point where he often wondered if Little 8 was an advanced extraterrestrial technological artifact.
Its structure was a completely sealed black box, making it impossible to disassemble. To this day, no one knew what was inside Little 8. Its appearance was just an ordinary briefcase, yet it possessed extraordinary computational power and was even remarkably adept at simulating human emotions!
This was beyond anything Yang Hui could understand. If one day, Little 8 were to be opened and tiny alien creatures the size of thumbs were found living inside, Yang Hui wouldn't even be surprised.
But... Little 8 was also Lowe's most prized possession, and there was no way he would hand it over to Yang Hui. So, in the end, the matter was dropped.
After all, compared to Little 8, Yang Hui valued Lowe himself—a true super-genius—far more.
Given all this, while the junk dealers certainly had their share of talent, Lowe's team stood out even among them. Owning a high-speed transport ship wasn't all that strange.
"But... this... fine." The facts were right in front of them, and no matter how unbelievable it seemed, they had to accept it. Natarle was just struggling to adjust her mindset. "What should we do next?"
"Hmm?" Everyone suddenly turned to look at Natarle, their expressions equally incredulous.
"W-what!?" Natarle's face flushed red as she raised her voice to mask her embarrassment.
"N-nothing, it's just..."
"A little unexpected. Weren't you always against this?"
Murrue and Mu chimed in one after another, delivering a perfectly synchronized verbal jab.
"Ugh! I... I still don't approve of this decision! I just want to know his next move—how we're supposed to hide the Archangel and the Strike Gundam!"
"Heh." The others stifled laughs, recognizing Natarle's tsundere behavior but choosing not to call her out on it. Truth be told, seeing the usually iron-willed soldier show this side of herself was oddly endearing.
"The rest isn't your concern. I'll go meet them myself. If you want to keep our intel secure, don't show up in uniform. They don't know this is an Atlantic Federation warship anyway."
"I'm going with you." X2
"Hmm?" Yang Hui raised an eyebrow as Murrue and Natarle spoke in unison.
"I'm the captain of this ship. I have the right to know everything about the Archangel, including your discussions and dealings with the junk dealers."
"And I'm here to monitor you—to make sure you don't make any decisions that could harm the Archangel!"
"..." Yang Hui's expression grew even more peculiar. Murrue's reasoning made sense—she was responsible for everyone on board. But Natarle...
Are you sure that's your real reason? Isn't your "monitoring" just overlapping with what Murrue already said?
"...Lieutenant Junior Grade Badgiruel."
"Yes!"
"You will be responsible for accompanying Yang Hui to the negotiations with the Junk Guild," Murrue said, unable to decipher Natarle Badgiruel's intentions. But since she wanted to go, it was best to let her take the opportunity. As the captain, there were still many matters to handle, and staying aboard the Archangel was naturally preferable.
Though Murrue also found herself wanting to go with Yang Hui for some reason... for now, official duties took priority.
"Understood. I will ensure he is properly supervised."
"...Hold on, did I agree to this?" Yang Hui countered.
"You don't have the right to refuse," Murrue began to respond, but Natarle Badgiruel cut in first, her tone firm—though that firmness lasted only a few seconds, because...
"Do you even have the money?"
"Uh..."
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