"You... you're not sick, are you?" Natarle Badgiruel asked Yang Hui with a strange expression.
"Of course not. What are you thinking?" Yang Hui replied irritably. "Aren't you planning to pass through the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean to return to Alaska Base? It just so happens that you can drop Cagalli and me off along the way."
"Well..."
The three of them exchanged glances, their expressions growing increasingly odd. They felt Yang Hui had changed somehow, but couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
"Besides... as thanks for your help, I'll throw in some supplies as payment. Any problem with that?" Yang Hui asked with a smile.
"Uh... but isn't Orb a neutral nation? Providing us with supplies... is that really okay?" Murrue asked worriedly. Though she was glad Yang Hui was willing to reboard the ship and travel with them, she didn't want to burden him.
"It's just a normal trade commission. What could go wrong?"
"But ZAFT won't just accept that, will they?" Natarle pressed.
"ZAFT doesn't have the resources to cause trouble for Orb right now."
"What happened?"
If ZAFT couldn't spare the effort to target Orb, then only the Earth Forces could be responsible. As members of the Earth Forces, the three immediately tensed up.
"ZAFT's airborne units have been continuously descending from space, amassing heavy forces at Gibraltar. They must be planning a major military operation," Yang Hui explained.
"What?!"
"Do you know their specific target?" Natarle asked urgently.
"Do you really think Orb's intelligence network is all-powerful?" Yang Hui countered.
"Uh... fair enough."
"Still, considering ZAFT recently captured Victoria Port and earlier took Kaohsiung Port, if we extrapolate..."
"Panama Spaceport!"
Murrue and Mu went back and forth, analyzing ZAFT Forces' likely target.
"Captain! We must head to Panama Spaceport immediately! It's the Earth Forces' last remaining spaceport. If Panama falls, our connection to space will be completely severed! We have to warn them— Wait, why are you all looking at me like that?" Natarle was so agitated she practically wanted the Archangel to change course and rush straight to Panama Spaceport. But before she could finish, she noticed the odd expressions on their faces.
"Uh... Natarle, are you forgetting something?" Yang Hui reminded her.
"What?"
"Do you really think the Earth Forces wouldn't notice such a large-scale move by ZAFT?"
"Uh..."
"If even we can figure this out, don't you think the Earth Forces' command staff would have considered it?"
"Uh... uh..."
"Also, the Archangel is currently in North Africa, and your orders are to proceed to Alaska Base."
"Uh... uh... uh... Sorry, I got carried away."
After Yang Hui's "triple strike," Natarle blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Pfft—"
Murrue and Mu burst out laughing again. The more Natarle interacted with Yang Hui, the less she resembled the iron-willed military officer they knew—she had become softer, more adaptable, or perhaps more accurately, cuter!
"Captain! Lieutenant Flaga!"
"Ahem, my apologies. So, Yang Hui, could you tell us why you're doing this?" Murrue composed herself and asked.
"Doing what?"
"By helping us, aren't you afraid of implicating Orb?"
"Haha, as if the Earth Forces and PLANT aren't already giving Orb a hard time as it is."
"Uh..."
Murrue, Natarle Badgiruel, and Mu all broke into a cold sweat. As members of the Earth Forces themselves, they had no response to that.
"Besides, ZAFT's upcoming major operation isn't baseless. A storm is coming, and whether I help you or not, Orb won't be able to stay out of it. So don't worry too much about it."
"I see... We accept your request," Murrue agreed.
This time, Natarle didn't voice any objections either. Yang Hui had made his stance clear—refusing now would just be pretentious. Moreover, resupplying at Orb during their journey was indeed crucial for them.
"Then it's settled. We'll depart tomorrow as planned and face Tiger."
As Yang Hui turned to leave, Natarle followed him. "I'll join you. I need to inspect the bridge as well."
"Say, has Yang Hui changed somehow?" Mu mused, rubbing his chin.
"He definitely has. More confident, more at ease," Murrue agreed.
"Hmm, seems like something good happened to him. And judging by Natarle's attitude, there might be something between those two." A smirk curled at Mu's lips, sensing the whiff of gossip.
But to his surprise, Murrue didn't scold him. Instead, her expression turned complicated, her eyes dim with sorrow.
Seeing this, Mu felt a pang in his chest, an inexplicable discomfort rising within him. He quickly buried those emotions, though.
"I'll head out first. Need to check on my mobile suit—wouldn't want to find out mid-flight that some parts are missing."
With a forced chuckle, Mu left, leaving Murrue alone with her thoughts. Four people, four different minds, each carrying their own tangled emotions.
...
Yang Hui and Natarle parted ways at the elevator, but throughout their walk, he had noticed her hesitant, bashful demeanor. He was no longer the clueless fool when it came to emotions—he could tell Natarle had feelings for him.
So he cut straight to the point: "I have fiancées. Two of them."
Slap!
...
Yang Hui arrived at the Hangar to find a crowd gathered around an aerial combat simulator. He walked over to see what was going on.
"Hey, not bad! You've got real combat experience in the air?"
"Hehe... Whoa! That was close! Took two hits, but still holding up, huh?"
"But you're really good! When I tried, I got shot down the moment I entered the battlefield."
"Same here."
"You guys are soldiers, yet you're this pathetic?"
"And you think you have the right to laugh at them?" Yang Hui couldn't stand Cagalli's smug, nose-in-the-air attitude. Give her an inch, and she'd take a mile—she needed to be put in her place regularly.
"Yang Hui!"
"She's actually pretty skilled!"
"Hmph! If you're so great, why don't you try it yourself... Wait, what happened to your face?"
Cagalli was already annoyed with him, and since she had the top score in the simulator, she wasn't about to back down. But when she noticed the red handprint on Yang Hui's right cheek, she struggled to hold back her laughter.
"Don't worry about that. Move aside."
"Eh?"
Everyone was stunned. Over the past few days of interaction, they had all noticed that Yang Hui and Cagalli were like fire and water—every time they met, they would argue, with Cagalli always ending up in tears after being scolded by Yang Hui. They had expected another fight, but to their surprise, Yang Hui actually agreed? Since when had their relationship become so harmonious?
"Get up already. You're letting me take over but not giving me the seat—are you scared I'll outperform you?" Yang Hui teased.
"Who... who's scared!? Fine, take it! Let's see how you get shot down!"
Cagalli reluctantly gave up her seat to Yang Hui. Despite her agitation, she couldn't help but notice something different about him.
"What's up with him?" Miriallia whispered to Cagalli.
"I don't know either."
"Did something happen between you two?"
"Not at all."
"Somehow, Yang Hui seems... different."
"Yeah... I guess, but—"
"Quick! Look!"
The hushed conversation at the back of the flight simulator was interrupted by an exclamation. Everyone turned their attention to the screen, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
The screen spun rapidly, making them dizzy, but enemy markers vanished one after another as the score skyrocketed.
In less than two minutes, the simulation ended. Yang Hui's name had pushed Cagalli from first place to second, and his score had hit the simulator's maximum—an unbeatable record.
"That's... incredible."
"Are... are you even human?"
"Is that an insult?" Yang Hui shot Arnold an annoyed glare.
"No, no! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant... even the Earth Forces' ace pilots couldn't pull this off, could they?" Arnold stammered in awe.
"Guess that just shows how low the Earth Forces' standards are," Yang Hui remarked as he stood up, turning to Cagalli. "See that? When you reach this level, then you can mock others."
"You... you didn't cheat, did you?" Cagalli blurted out dramatically.
"I'm not that pathetic—cheating in a game?" Yang Hui scoffed. "Remember, in battle, survival comes first, then eliminating the enemy. Even one hit could be the end of you, let alone two."
"Hmph! I don't need your lectures!"
"Yang Hui, you're amazing! Can you teach me?" Tolle pushed past Cagalli, eyes shining with excitement.
"You want to pilot a fighter in combat?" Yang Hui asked.
"Well... I noticed there are two Skygraspers, right? Lieutenant Flaga can only fly one. If I could pilot the other, wouldn't that boost our combat strength?" Tolle reasoned.
"This isn't a joke, Tolle. Flying a fighter in battle is even more dangerous than piloting an MS. Are you sure you've thought this through?"
"I..."
"Tolle..."
Tolle was about to agree, but Miriallia clung tightly to his arm, her face etched with worry—her silent plea for him to refuse was unmistakable. He hesitated.
"Think it over carefully. Playing around is fine, but real combat requires resolve."
"Sorry, I got carried away."
"Don't apologize to me, Tolle. The one you should be apologizing to is right here." Yang Hui pointed at Miriallia.
"Ahaha, sorry, Miriallia."
"Hmph!"
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Just as Yang Hui was about to check on the Strike Gundam's condition, Cagalli quietly grabbed his sleeve.
"Teach me."
"What?"
"I said teach me! Are you deaf?"
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm prepared to fight."
"...Let's not."
"Why can't I?"
"Because you're Cagalli Yula Athha."
"You bastard, not this again! I just—"
"Cagalli, remember—when you carry the Athha name, you represent more than just yourself. Think about Lord Uzumi. Think about Orb."
Cagalli fell silent, watching Yang Hui's retreating back. She wanted to chase after him, but an invisible hand seemed to hold her in place.
...
Meanwhile, having lost several BuCUEs in the previous battle, Andrew Waltfeld had no choice but to request reinforcements from the Gibraltar base to replenish his forces.
"Why only three BuCUEs? The rest are all LaGOWEs? Did Gibraltar run out of BuCUEs or something?" Andrew Waltfeld tossed aside the report in irritation.
"Well... they said they couldn't spare more. As compensation, they sent three additional LaGOWE squads," Dakosta reported.
"Tch. Must mean HQ's planning a major operation. Damn timing."
"Ha ha, can't be helped, Captain."
"Fine. With these numbers, we'll need careful deployment. Our enemy this time is dangerous."
Despite his words, Andrew Waltfeld's face burned with eager excitement.