The clear childlike voice sounded to Siegfried like a devil's chuckle. Archangel and a girl were two unrelated signs, yet in his mind they slowly formed a picture he never wanted to remember.
"Big brother, look. This is a paper flower I folded. It is for you, and next time I will treat you to a tasty sandwich."
"Do not come near me!" The pale yellow paper lily became the final straw. Losing control, Siegfried swung his arm and knocked the tray away, the noise so loud that the Eurasian soldiers all turned their guns toward the corner.
Not knowing what was happening, Cagalli rushed to stand in front of the little girl. Siegfried looked as if he were staring at something terrifying, and the hands that could perfectly pilot an MS shook uncontrollably.
Her goodwill rejected, the girl returned to her mother with tears held back, comforted by Cagalli. The woman clearly misunderstood Siegfried's action, thinking he had grown nervous under military pressure. She gave a polite smile and quickly pulled the child into her arms.
Seeing that it was only a disturbance caused by a few children, the Eurasian soldiers paid no further attention. The ship's most capable fighter, the Eagle of Endymion, had already been invited to headquarters. The remaining civilians and technical staff were not enough to hold their interest.
"What was that about? Your reaction was way too much. You were just bragging earlier about how well the innkeeper's family treated you," Cagalli said after sitting back down. She could not understand Siegfried's sudden collapse.
"Why, why did it have to be them, why." He bit his lip hard, and a line of blood slid down Siegfried's chin, staining the light blue uniform like a spreading petal.
"What are you talking about? That was the landlady of the place you stayed at, right?" Finally realizing this was more than simple nerves, Cagalli instinctively grabbed his cold, damp hands.
"Sorry. I just saw things, maybe I was too tense," he said. Wiping the blood from his chin, Siegfried tried to lift a smile with two fingers, only to feel his trembling hand wrapped tightly in warmth.
"I heard my father say that many people have mental issues after their first battle. Some even need a doctor to recover. Do not push yourself too hard, and if it hurts inside, you can talk to me."
"There is no point talking to a single-celled idiot," Siegfried said, forcing the topic away. He felt relieved that it was Cagalli beside him and not someone else, because that reaction could not be brushed off with just seeing things.
"Who are you calling single-celled? I was just being nice."
"Shh, someone is coming. Be quiet."
Noise came from the doorway, and seeing Cagalli about to flare up again, Siegfried nearly covered her mouth. Looking toward the sound, a Eurasian officer in uniform entered the cafeteria under guard.
Under the angry stares of almost everyone present, the officer, whose name Siegfried could not recall, arrogantly demanded that two pilots be handed over. Not only the Assault, but the GINN battle had also been observed by Artemis.
"MS pilots, step forward on your own. I will not say it twice."
Over there, Kira was being firmly held down by Marduk. Neumann had wanted to pass it off using Mu, but that might explain the Assault and not the GINN.
Knowing that further delay would lead them to shamelessly grab Miri as leverage, Siegfried prepared to stand up. Cagalli gripped his hand tightly, unable to understand why the one who insisted on keeping a low profile was now the most reckless.
"Do not worry, I am fine," he said. Breaking free and taking a few extra steps forward, Siegfried made sure Cagalli would not be dragged in.
"I am the pilot. Is there a problem?"
"Kid, you are the one who scared that girl into crying earlier, right? A coward like you is not who we are looking for. Stop pretending. Who is the real pilot?"
The officer reached toward Miri, and Siegfried grabbed his arm with one hand. "I said I am the pilot. Do not touch the girls."
"You brat, how dare you."
Siegfried did not want a major conflict, but when a punch came at him, his body reacted from years of training under Hilde. He bent slightly and drove his right fist into the officer's stomach.
As their officer was struck, the other Eurasian soldiers raised their weapons. This caused screams among the civilians, and under the pressure, someone finally voiced what many thought but feared to say.
"Why do you not believe him? He is a Coordinator, of course he can pilot that thing." The voice was familiar, one Siegfried had recently thought sounded nice, and now it turned the blade on him.
He did not resent Flay for this betrayal and even found it a bit ironic that he had taken the hit for Kira. From any angle, her choice was reasonable. Kira was at least someone she knew, while Siegfried was a stranger with no bond at all.
So Siegfried did not feel the same hurt that Kira did. He looked at the Eurasian soldiers pointing guns at him and pulled his lips into a faint smile again.
"So, do you believe me now?"
"Tch, damned monster kid, still acting smug." The hateful look did not escape Siegfried, but knowing he still had value and that the other side was doomed anyway, he chose to let it go.
"I adjusted the OS of the Strike Gundam so Captain Flaga could barely use it. I also piloted the GINN. Any other questions?" Since he had stepped forward, Siegfried did not mind taking it all on himself. The base would be torn apart by Thunder soon, so promises meant nothing.
"Wait, Sai, I am the pilot of the Assault, and I am a Coordinator too," Kira said. True to his nature, he would not let someone familiar take the blame alone and stood up after breaking free of Marduk.
"These two kids," Marduk muttered, at a loss. He could only watch as the most important technical talents on his ship were escorted away, while the captain and first officer taken earlier still had no news.
With supervision relaxed, the cafeteria did not calm down. Freed from restraint, Cagalli slammed her palm on the table in front of Flay, her anger plain to see.
"You woman, you sold out the people who have been protecting us. That is selfish beyond words."
"How is that selling out? This is a ship of the Atlantic Federation Federation, and the Eurasian Federation is on our side anyway. They are just asking Kira and the others to help, not to die. Why are you yelling at me?" Flay shot back. After speaking with forced composure, she quickly hid in Sai's arms as if expecting a punch.
"Shameless," Cagalli snapped. She was no match for Flay in arguments, lacking words, expressions, and any skill at playing weak, and could only tremble with rage.