Freed from Storm's pressure, Siegfried could finally deal with the persistent Thunder. He used short bursts to break its charge, and knowing the gap between the Heavy Slash Blade and a beam saber, he avoided closing in. In blind rage, Nicol threw out the clawed anchor he had not used once until now.
"Trying to capture me? Are you crazy, Haro?"
The flying anchor latched onto the GINN's left arm, and Nicol raised his gun in triumph. At the same time, the GINN surged forward, and the slight backward tug meant to prevent escape instead gave it extra acceleration.
In panic, Thunder fired its beam rifle, but the beam grazed past the shoulder armor. On the monitor, the familiar ZAFT standard MS from his academy days rapidly filled his view.
Nicol braced for impact, but the shock never came. The GINN adjusted its thrusters, slipped past on the right, and forced Thunder's tethered left arm down onto its own right shoulder.
The GINN did not stop there. With another sidestep, it bound not only the left arm but the entire right-side tri-horn shield system together. When the GINN planted a foot on Thunder's shoulder while pulling the line, the enemy MS was completely neutralized.
Looking down at the struggling but bound Thunder, Siegfried aimed the heavy assault machine gun at the cockpit and fired without hesitation. Sparks burst from the PS armor under solid rounds, reflected in the GINN's mono-eye, and after emptying the magazine he confirmed it was disabled. He then dragged the unconscious pilot back toward Archangel.
"Enemy unit approaching, enemy unit approaching, model X303." In emergencies, Haro skipped the subject as usual, a design that let Siegfried judge the danger instantly.
"Aslan? You cannot bear to shoot your old partner, so you think I am easy prey?" With Thunder disabled, Siegfried had already plotted his return route. Storm had been shaken by Archangel and was too far to help, Duel and Assault were locked together, and only the Aegis, hanging back with its transformation system, could reach him in time.
He did not expect Aegis to abandon its chance at Assault and come for him first. Rechecking the speed and distance, the GINN's energy was nearly depleted due to the OS tweaks that boosted thrust at the cost of endurance. On the other side, Assault had turned gray under Duel's pressure, and Archangel was closing in.
"Trouble." He adjusted his position, turned Thunder toward Aegis to prevent a reckless shot, and when the signals nearly overlapped, released the cable. He kicked Thunder straight toward Aegis.
Facing the powerless Thunder, Aegis could only deploy its claws. After confirming Nicol's vital signs, Aslan could not start a fight under these conditions. The red MA streaked past the GINN, and news of the Vesalius being attacked followed soon after.
No matter how furious Yzak might be, the hurried ambush ended with a tactical victory for Archangel's side.
As the first MS to return, Siegfried landed smoothly at Ganaku and was surprised to see Murrue waiting. During first combat alert, a captain leaving the bridge was unusual, and he wondered if Badgiruel had been too overwhelmed to stop her.
"Captain, may I ask what you need?"
"I wanted to express the gratitude of the Earth Alliance forces. Without you."
"Captain Ramius, there is really nothing to thank me for. Many people died. Many people."
Siegfried could see the kindness in Murrue's words, but the fear of being unable to contact Hilde weighed on him. The anger of giving everything and still failing to bring down a single G unit made him feel detached from what was happening in front of him. All of it together pushed him away from the moment.
"Sorry, Captain. My tone was off. I'm probably too tired, so I'll excuse myself first." As he spoke, Gray Strike and Mobius landed one after another. Mu floated over while calmly rehydrating, looking as if nothing was wrong, but Kira was clearly not in such good shape.
Because of the GINN situation, Assault had no chance to swap to artillery equipment and returned to Archangel with its energy fully drained. That outcome was even harder for Kira to accept, especially after the mental pressure from Athrun earlier. This messy sortie shook his confidence in whether he could protect the ship and protect Sai and Miri, which had been his main reason to keep fighting.
Siegfried signaled Mu with his eyes toward Assault next door, then nodded to Murrue and chose to leave Ganaku at once. At this point, Mu's role was that of a pre-battle motivator and post-battle counselor, and Kira's issues did not need Siegfried's involvement. He slipped away without hesitation.
After returning to the combat room, Siegfried did nothing and simply floated there. Aside from his encounter with Rau, the battle just now had been his first real sortie, and he had achieved nothing and changed nothing. Even though he attacked Nicol with killing intent, the gap in machine performance made all his effort feel useless.
Exhaustion filled every part of the boy, not only physically. After everything that had happened that day, all he wanted was for Hilde to find him soon so they could go home together. A few days ago he had still been an ordinary person isolated in Mendel, and now the scenes that once felt like animation had turned into real fire, screams, and the dark red color that would not fade.
The cold touch on his forehead made Siegfried open his eyes. At some point Cagalli had entered the combat room, and the metal shell of her water bottle reflected the overhead lights. It matched the unclear look in his eyes.
"I went to Ganaku and didn't find you, so I guessed you'd be here."
"Hand."
"Huh, what?"
"Give me your hand."
With a puzzled look, Cagalli reached out, and Siegfried took her hand firmly. Sweat could not evaporate inside the sealed suit, and tension slowed his circulation, leaving his hand far colder than expected. There was no warmth to it.
"I'm borrowing it for a bit. Just a few minutes."
There was nothing suggestive about it as they floated quietly together. Then a voice broke the silence.
"Oh, kid, this is a bit cruel to single people." Mu walked in while still advising Kira and smiled at the sight. He had thought Siegfried's problem was more serious, since Kira showed his emotions openly while Siegfried almost never did.
Seeing this, Mu relaxed, realizing the boy had his own way to release pressure. His unannounced entrance startled them, and they separated instantly.
"Lieutenant, Louise and I are just classmates."
"Do classmates usually hold hands? Kira, do you hold hands with your classmates?"
The casual question seemed to make Kira think of Flay. The now calmer boy suddenly flushed red, clearly lost in thought.
"I can't be bothered with you! It's just comfort between friends. Your thinking is way too adult, Captain Flaga!"