He clapped his hands as if it were nothing important, propped his fingers at the corner of his mouth, and gave Miri a bright, forced smile. It looked practiced, but not entirely sincere.
"Sai… you're not leaving with me?" Kira finally asked.
At that moment, Kira realized that among everyone present, he was the only one seriously holding onto his discharge papers and preparing to board the shuttle. The realization left him unsettled.
"I'm not leaving," Siegfried replied. "There are things I can't let go of. When you can't let go, it eats at you. Besides, didn't Admiral Halberton say it himself? Skill matters, but belief matters more."
"Then Miri, you all too?" Kira asked.
"We're staying as well," Miri said. "Flay wants to stay, so we talked it over and decided to remain together. There will be a place for us here. Kira, you should go."
As she spoke, Tolle gently pushed Kira toward the boarding gate. Even though Siegfried had already expected this outcome, watching it happen still made his eyes sting slightly. He looked away for a moment.
"Then what about Louise?" Kira hesitated again. He still had not found the meaning of fighting, and deep down he wanted nothing more than to take off his uniform immediately. Seeing his friends make choices he could not understand made him doubt himself.
"Louise isn't leaving either," Siegfried said. "If I'm not going, she's not going."
He waved goodbye to Kira. In truth, Siegfried had not even tried to talk to Cagalli, because he knew it would be pointless. That stubborn woman would never board the shuttle alone.
"All hands, Condition One battle readiness. All hands, Condition One battle readiness."
The familiar alarm echoed through Archangel once more. Miri and the others rushed back to the bridge without even having time to say goodbye. Siegfried looked at Kira, who was still hesitating, as most of the civilians had already boarded.
Just as Siegfried turned to leave and give Kira space to think about his own belief, he felt a tug on the corner of his clothes. He turned back to see a small girl looking up at him.
"Sai big brother, this is for you," she said, holding something out.
"Thank you, Ailu," Siegfried replied softly. "Go find your mom now. Getting lost here would be trouble."
"Are you going to fight again?" the girl asked. "Will Sai big brother protect us?"
Siegfried rubbed her head firmly, sniffed, and answered with a heavy nasal tone. His voice shook, but his words did not.
"I will."
He tucked the girl's gift into his collar and said nothing more to Kira. If Assault could not sortie, then he was the only one left to rely on here. There was no time for hesitation.
He rushed back to the GINN cockpit, powered up, and connected to the bridge in one smooth sequence. Looking up, he saw Miri already back at the CIC, with Tolle nearby giving him a quick wave. Everything was moving fast again.
"Sai, weren't you—" someone began.
"Lieutenant, at this point, I can't just walk away," Siegfried replied. "If Assault can't deploy, I'll cover the Eighth Fleet."
"But we're still on standby," Badgiruel said.
"What Admiral Halberton wants to protect is this ship and the Assault aboard it," Siegfried said. "A single GINN isn't worth much protection. If things go bad, I'll retreat. Also, don't send the shuttle to the Menelaos. If fighting starts, the flagship will be too obvious a target."
"The civilians refused to stay on Archangel," Badgiruel replied. "If the situation turns against us, the admiral will prioritize releasing the shuttles."
As they exchanged information, the GINN reached the catapult. After confirming that all systems were in perfect condition, there was no longer any reason to forcibly recall the shuttle. Everything that could be done had been done.
"OK, Captain Ramius," Siegfried said. "In my personal capacity, I request permission to support the Eighth Fleet. I hope—"
"Come back safe," Murrue Ramius said quietly.
"I'll do my best," Siegfried replied.
With the captain's approval, the GINN entered the launch sequence. As the three LAUNCH indicators lit up one by one, Miriallia's voice came through the comms, steady and professional.
"Path is clear. GINN, launch."
As the hatch doors slowly opened before him, Siegfried touched his collar and then gripped the control stick tightly. His breath was shallow, but his hands were steady.
"Let me live for myself just once, Hilde!"
"Siegfried-Gilfeis, GINN, launching!"
"Captain!"
Siegfried launched without using the name Sai, and that made Miri and the others freeze for a moment. As a professional soldier, Badgiruel sensed something wrong in that choice right away.
From her own view, Murrue understood how dangerous this decision was. The harsh reality was that the first priority of the entire Eighth Fleet was to protect the Archangel and the Assault, so if a GINN could sortie, it was indeed the best option from a strategic standpoint. Even so, she could not ignore the risk behind it.
She had just learned from her former teacher that Sai was a false name. Now that the boy suddenly and openly announced his real name to everyone, there was no need for Badgiruel to warn her, because Murrue already felt that something was off.
"Connect me to Captain Furada at once."
While waiting on standby in the Type Zero, Mu was still wondering why the GINN had been cleared to launch. The next second, the bridge communication made him realize the situation was serious.
"So that is the situation. For some reason, that child stopped hiding his identity. I have already notified the little princess from Orb to come to the bridge immediately, but please, Captain."
"I understand. Taking care of children is also one of an adult's duties."
Already inside the combat zone, Siegfried shared the Eighth Fleet battle network while opening a channel to Menelaos. On the ZAFT side, there were dozens of GINNs along with the Storm, Duel, and Aegis. As expected, the crippled Thunder could not make it to this fight, which counted as a small mercy.
"I need command authority over two MA squads."
Talking with Halberton was quick and efficient. Siegfried's request was approved almost immediately, and with the vast command system of Eighth Fleet, the nearest MA units soon moved to join his GINN.
After a quick count of his temporary subordinates, he knew these two squads were the last decent forces Eighth Fleet could deploy. Earlier losses had not yet been replaced, and more units had already been sent down to Earth, so the fleet looked large on the surface but was hollow inside.
"Our targets are ZAFT GINNs. Do not get entangled with the G units, since none of us have weapons that can break PS armor." He had also brought along the Heavy Particle Cannon with only two rounds left, but unless he had no other choice, he did not expect to hit those G units piloted by the Red Uniform. Its only purpose was to leave a sliver of hope for truly desperate moments.