Badgiruel did not notice that her tone had already drawn Mu's attention. After watching for a moment, the specialist offered his opinion.
"That's basically it, Ensign."
"Then why didn't he explain himself? This could have been cleared up just by checking the data. Why did he simply admit it?"
"That is the real question, Natarle. With these operation records, even sealing the GINN would have worked. So why did he admit it like that? That kid is hiding something from us."
Murrue might not have been an outstanding military commander, but she had a natural grasp of people's hearts. Drawing such a conclusion from a single report was something neither Badgiruel nor Mu could match, even together.
"Alright, let's not speculate too much," Mu said as he closed the report. "Neither Sai nor Kira is the type to talk much. As adults, our job is to make sure their character is sound and guide them away from bad paths. If they want to talk, they will."
Understanding that Siegfried had not acted out of spite, Mu felt more at ease. From a senior pilot's standpoint and as the temporary commander of the mobile suit unit, he felt responsible for guiding the two young pilots.
"But Ensign, that was the first time I've ever seen you look that anxious."
Relaxing, Mu returned to his usual teasing manner. Badgiruel's earlier concern had been written all over her face, so he did not mind lightening the mood.
"Captain Flaga, please don't joke about that. In a way, that boy made me understand that soldiers are not just machines that follow orders. I cannot accept someone like that committing such a disgraceful act. For me, that would be an insult."
Before Badgiruel could continue, the sudden blare of alarms cut off the rare moment of calm. Just before linking up with the Eighth Fleet, the pursuing Gamow ship chose to seize this last chance. Duel, Storm, and Thunder launched one after another, and when Murrue rushed back to the bridge, she was faced with a grim situation.
"They won't even give us time to breathe."
Already numb to alarms, Murrue declared full combat readiness. At the same time, Badgiruel began deploying weapons based on the characteristics of the three Gundam.
"Anti beam depth charges ready. Stern missiles loaded. Assault and Zero, deploy and lay down suppressive fire immediately."
Once again, the restriction on Siegfried might as well not have existed. After receiving the order, he hurried toward Ganaku. In the corridor, he ran into the small girl who had been knocked over by Kira again.
"Ah, Sai big brother."
For some reason, Flay was not with Kira this time. Siegfried helped the girl up and rubbed her head. "Where's your mother? How can she let you wander around when it's this dangerous?"
"Mom says Sai big brother is bad to us, but I like you. Mom is wrong. Also, my name is Elu. You can call me little Elu, but don't say you you you."
"Go back quickly. They're going to fight again," Siegfried said gently. "Your mom is right this time. Don't run around again, little Elu."
Watching her leave, Siegfried clenched his fist without thinking, then hurried to Ganaku together with Kira. After Assault launched, Siegfried found himself back in the cockpit for the second time in a short span, once again stuck in long standby. Because of the maintenance report, Murrue had decided to avoid deploying the GINN unless the situation became critical.
"Kid, why didn't you say the machine had a problem?"
As the head of the maintenance crew, Marduk had submitted that report. He was the only one aboard Archangel besides the trio who knew the full details.
"I have nothing to say."
Siegfried could not answer. He could hardly explain that he had been remotely manipulated by his unknown 'sister' somewhere in space, then rush out shouting Hilde's name.
"Is it that little robot's fault?"
Despite the refusal, Marduk knew the pilots well. The biggest difference with Siegfried was the absence of the usually inseparable Haro.
"I have nothing to say."
That question made Siegfried feel the reality of the world again. These people, who barely appeared in the original story, were sharp once met in person. With no words left, he simply cut the communication.
The silence did not last long before a call from the bridge forced him to reconnect. Miriallia's anxious face appeared on the GINN's screen.
"Sai. Thunder is closing on Archangel. Assault and Zero can't get back, you…"
"I know. Same as before. No catapult. Route the ship's display to me, open the hangar door, and I'll take control."
He thought about how, since arriving on Archangel, he had only enjoyed a proper catapult launch once. Most of the time, it was these unconventional exits. As he sighed at his strange treatment, the ship's cameras switched to the GINN.
Taking advantage of a firing gap from Thunder, the GINN opened the hangar door. As soon as the opening was wide enough, Siegfried slammed the pedal and burst out of Ganaku.
"Miri, close the hangar door now!"
He had no time to check on Zero and Assault. Sensing something wrong, Thunder moved straight in front of him. With the defenseless Ganaku behind him, he shouted for Miri to hurry while using his assault machine gun to disrupt Thunder's aim.
"Why is it you again?"
Siegfried did not understand how stealing a GINN had earned him Nicol's obsession. Ever since Heliopolis, Thunder had clung to him like a shadow, but as a former defeated foe, Nicol did not worry him much.
After several exchanges, Thunder still could not hit the GINN that Nicol hated so deeply. Without Haro's support, however, Siegfried could no longer dominate the fight as before.
Even so, his presence freed Archangel from being pinned down at close range. The gifted helmsman Neumann finally showed his skill, spinning the ship 180 degrees and firing Valient backward to strike Gamow's secondary turret.
Blocking an Thunder armor piercing round with his blade, Nicol showed how much he had improved. After forcing evasive maneuvers with two shots, Thunder immediately activated Mirage Colloid.
"It vanished? No, that's not it. Miri, have the CIWS sweep around me now."
Against a standard MS like the GINN, the most lethal threat was always a cloaked Thunder or Gundam. Once the particles were active, it became a deadly hunter amid the chaos.
The GINN kept pulling high G maneuvers as Siegfried refused to stop for even a moment. Otherwise, a beam saber could appear from nowhere and pierce his cockpit.
"Badgiruel! Increase the fire density! Did you skip your meal?"
Under extreme pressure, Siegfried shouted Badgiruel's name without rank. As a result, auto locking was canceled and all of Archangel's CIWS concentrated their fire around the GINN.
Under such saturation fire, Siegfried narrowly dodged friendly rounds more than once. Thunder finally could not withstand it and had to activate PS armor.
Perhaps seeing Siegfried in danger, or perhaps driven by Miri's cries, Strike Gundam suddenly changed its tempo. In close combat, its beam saber cut across Duel's chest armor, forcing the aggressive Yzak Joule back.