A violent tremor saved the three of them from the situation. Knowing that ZAFT had returned with heavy equipment and the Archangel was making an emergency launch, Siegfried first steadied the unbalanced Cagalli and then grabbed Miriallia, who nearly fell while holding the tray. Nearby, Kira and the others also came out.
Before Kira could ask anything, Captain Murrue rushed over. After hesitating between Kira and Siegfried, she finally spoke to Kira. "We need you to continue piloting the Assault. Please change into a flight suit."
This situation was already within Siegfried's expectations. By both reason and instinct, the other side would never hand their chance of survival to an outsider like him. And no matter how unwilling Kira was, as long as Miri and the others remained on the Archangel, he did not truly have a choice.
Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do, Siegfried turned to head back to his room. At that moment, after a brief hesitation, Murrue still put forward a request that sounded strange to everyone present.
"Student Sai, would it be possible for you to continue piloting the GINN?"
Before Siegfried could switch into mocking mode, Cagalli exploded from behind him like lit powder. "Are you blind? That GINN is wrecked and you still want Sai to take it out again. Do you soldiers have even a shred of shame?"
Murrue was flushed from being shouted down, yet he still looked at Siegfried with open expectation. With no better option, Siegfried reached out and smoothed down Cagalli's bristling hair. "Enough, Louise. They just want to live. At any time, people who want to live cannot really be accused of being wrong. But you, um, Captain, if I am not mistaken you are the highest authority on this ship. That GINN has completely lost its combat ability. If you can repair it, I can help, but as a ship of the Atlantic Federation, I seriously doubt you even have GINN parts. You cannot seriously expect me to go out there to die."
"I am very sorry. We truly have no other way."
"Yes, yes, 'no other way' is always the most convenient excuse in the world. ZAFT had no other way, so they attacked a neutral satellite. Orb had no other way, so they helped you develop weapons. Now you also have no other way, so you drag two students into piloting mobile suits. Captain, do you really not have a better line than that?"
If his earlier memories had left Siegfried with some goodwill toward the people of the Archangel, it was because they stood on the protagonist's side and had stopped humanity from being wiped out twice. Now he understood that before he was treated as a disposable piece in Alaska, everyone from Murrue down to the maintenance crew were standard Alliance soldiers. Badgiruel might raise the bar of what a soldier could be, but when Murrue forcibly kept Kira and the others from going to proper evacuation, there had been no hesitation at all.
"I am very sorry," Murrue repeated, finding himself with nothing else to say.
"There is no need to apologize to me. Go apologize to the ordinary civilians of Heliopolis."
Before Murrue could respond again, Siegfried turned and pushed the still protesting Cagalli back toward their room. After picking up the wandering Haro from the floor, the boy collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
"Zig Fei," Cagalli said, clearly not yet used to the name. "Why did you lose your temper at that captain just now? You are not from Orb, so logically…"
"What logic is there? You are supposed to be a neutral nation, and you still got beaten the same way." Siegfried glanced at the girl who had stood up for him and paused before continuing in a lighter tone. "People always have emotions. You can think of it as me taking it out on them."
"Taking it out? Because…"
"Huh? What are you thinking? I told you my hotel got blown up, did I not? Am I not allowed to vent a little?" Looking at her expression, Siegfried felt certain that whatever she imagined had nothing to do with his own thoughts.
Explaining only made things worse, and Cagalli swatted Haro away for the third time. She then climbed up to Siegfried's upper bunk and went completely silent.
"Haro, Haro, displaced anger is scary," Haro muttered while flapping its ears, deciding it was best to leave these two frightening carbon based lifeforms.
After waiting a while and confirming that Cagalli truly was not going to speak, Siegfried shifted into a more comfortable position. Knowing the outcome already, he felt little worry, and as the Archangel shook under attack, the tension he had carried since morning slowly eased. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Cagalli had clearly finished recharging and started testing his patience again.
"What do you think will happen to Heliopolis?"
"If this keeps up, breaking apart is the only ending."
"Breaking apart… then what about the people who evacuated?"
"Come on, are you from Orb or am I? You are asking me about your country's disaster response? After the colony breaks up, shelters detach automatically, then your rescue teams collect them one by one. You are the prime minister's daughter and you do not know this?"
"Of course I know. It is just… just…"
"Just that you still hold onto a bit of hope and want me to say what you want to hear. Too bad, that is not happening. ZAFT will not let this ship leave, and the attacks will only get worse. Instead of thinking about this, think about when you can get out of here. Once your identity is exposed, it will put your father in a bad spot."
"After what my father has done, would he still care about my situation?"
Siegfried shook his head and decided not to continue. At a time like this, talking about national conditions or the reality facing Uzumi was pointless, because things not personally experienced could never truly be understood. Besides, whether Orb had a solution or not, he had no intention of spending the effort. Trusting Hilde without question, he believed that once the black machine was repaired, he and Hilde could go home, so the best strategy was to lie low and let the world return to its original course after he left.
"Would you come with me to Orb?"
Cagalli's voice sounded weak amid the distant explosions. After a moment of silence, Siegfried looked toward the upper bunk with mixed feelings. Orb promoted coexistence between Naturals and Coordinators, but for the prime minister's daughter to invite someone who could pilot mobile suits and had an unknown background showed just how simple her instincts were. Their relationship had shifted, but not enough for him to abandon his most important wish, going home.
"Would you come with me to Orb, please?" Just as Siegfried was about to pretend he was asleep to avoid the question, the ship wide broadcast sounded on the Archangel, and for the first time he found it pleasant.
"Sai Crossroad, report immediately to Ganaku. Sai Crossroad, report immediately to Ganaku."