"Yeah, that ability of Thunder is a real pain. The GINN doesn't have weapons that can threaten PS armor, so it could be pretty reckless with me."
"No, Sai, I wanted to ask. Did you ever feel something special during the fight?"
"Like what?"
"Like suddenly you could control the machine perfectly, every small movement and the next step felt like they were already carved into your mind. Even before you acted, you knew the result."
"That sounds a bit mystical. I didn't feel that."
"But I saw your fighting style suddenly change. I thought you might be like me."
"Maybe I just got pushed too far. Even a cornered rabbit bites. Come on, after all that work, let me rest a bit. I'm more tired than you."
As they talked, they reached Siegfried's door. He clearly did not want to continue the topic, so he found an excuse and prepared to slip away.
After closing the door and leaning against it for a while, he shook his head at Cagalli, who looked at him in confusion, signaling that he was tired and wanted to take a shower. Out of basic decency, it would be better if someone stepped out for the moment.
"We're about to link up with Eighth Fleet. Then there won't be any fighting, right?"
Cagalli did not know how to comfort the exhausted boy. No one had ever taught her how, and while she hesitated, Siegfried reached out first and rubbed her head. He spoke lightly, hoping everything would go smoothly, then told her to go eat or find something to do, even cleaning toilets if needed, since Miri and Sai had been punished with a week of toilet duty.
"What do you mean I didn't help? I went to clean yesterday too!"
Amid her indignant protest, Siegfried pushed her out of the room and leaned against the door again. The Haro by the bed watched him quietly, as if silently mocking him.
"Is this my SEED ability? Hilde, just how many secrets are you hiding from me?"
It was not that Siegfried did not want to answer Kira's question. Back in Dawn Society, he and Hilde had gone straight for the battery pack right in front of Kira. Even if Kira had not realized it yet, sooner or later he would notice that Siegfried was not really a student from Orb. In what little he remembered of this world, only a handful of people had SEED ability, namely Kira, Lacus, Athrun, Shin Asuka, and the person he had just pushed out, who barely counted.
Logically speaking, Kira and Cagalli were siblings by blood, while Athrun, Lacus, and Shin Asuka were self-evolved Coordinator. The classification was rough, but at least it had some basis. If he himself had this ability, the first troubling question was whether Hilde, who had been with him on Mendel and even arrived earlier, might also have it.
The second question was where this body came from. From what he saw after waking up, it had likely been kept in an artificial womb. Did Hilde activate it because of his arrival, or did she activate it first and then arrive herself? If it was the former, why create this body at all, surely not just to use it for reproduction.
Siegfried had no answers to any of it. The only thing that might know the truth was the traitorous Haro, but there was no way to take it apart right now. Otherwise, he would really like to see if something strange was stuffed inside, like in some comic.
While the three pilots rested with different thoughts, Archangel finally ended its short and oppressive flight. Although many ships had descended to Earth, the scale of the fleet that appeared before everyone on the bridge still made even the temporary officers, including Murrue, let out a deep sigh of relief.
After notifying Siegfried and Kira to wait, Murrue boarded a shuttle with Badgiruel and Mu and headed to the flagship of Eighth Fleet, the Menelaos.
"Teacher!"
The moment Ba appeared before her, Murrue could no longer control her emotions and tears nearly fell. Remembering her position, she hid it with a bow and managed to hold them back.
"Captain Murrue-Ramius, Captain Mu-La Flaga, and…"
Ba paused slightly, then still spoke the name he did not particularly like. "Ensign Natarle-Badgiruel, you've all worked hard. If you don't mind, tell me in detail about this dangerous experience."
After a brief exchange of courtesies, Hoffman, acting as the adjutant, was the first to raise the most sensitive issue. Now that Archangel and the G units had returned, the question of what to do with the pilots who could actually bring out the G units' combat power had to be settled here. The room grew quiet as everyone understood this was the core of the meeting.
"For Kira-Yamato Kira and Sai-Klaus Laud, they are originally students of Orb Industrial University and only piloted mobile suits because the situation forced them to," Murrue said calmly. "Without them, we could not have held out until linking up with the Eighth Fleet. I believe we should fully consider their wishes and respect whatever decision they make."
As the captain, Murrue had to state her position, and she knew that facing her own teacher, her view would not be dismissed lightly. Her tone was steady, but firm enough to leave little doubt about where she stood. She had already made up her mind before coming here.
"Kira-Yamato Kira aside for the moment, but the other GINN pilot," Hoffman pressed on. "At Artemis, wasn't he the one who struck first? And there are also suspicions that he deliberately sold out allied forces to vent his anger."
Hoffman clearly had no intention of letting go of two talents so valuable to the Earth Alliance. He followed up with pointed questions about Siegfried and the controversial actions attributed to him. Each question landed sharper than the last.
"I believe Sai handled the situation at Artemis correctly," Murrue replied without hesitation. "As for the incident involving the Vanguard Fleet, we have already checked the GINN's operation logs and confirmed the fault lay with the machine itself, not the pilot. I just need a bit more time."
"So in other words, you still can't prove Sai is innocent?" Hoffman shot back.
"Teacher, please trust my professional judgment as a technician," Murrue said, her voice tightening.
As Hoffman continued to press, Murrue had no choice but to look to Halberton for help. She had expected her teacher to firmly support her, but Halberton only tapped the table in a steady rhythm and did not respond right away. The pause stretched, making the air in the room feel heavy.
"Natarle Badgiruel, I'd like to hear your opinion," Halberton said at last.
The name caught everyone off guard. Within the Earth Alliance, factions were deeply divided, and Badgiruel's family stood firmly in the camp opposing Halberton. She had not expected to be given a chance to speak, and even she froze for a moment when called on.