"That's pretty much it. With the Orb Union's help, we made it to PLANT and found Lacus Clyne. While we were getting repairs done, we went ahead and upgraded Barbatos. Then, we just hijacked a warship and came back."
Orga gave a brief summary of the events, but he didn't say a single word about Mikazuki's blindness in his right eye, which had been caused by releasing his limiters.
Even though Mikazuki hadn't told him to hide it, Orga knew it was better not to mention it to Murrue yet.
In any case, the injury to Mikazuki's eye wasn't obvious unless someone looked closely. He would let Mikazuki explain it himself when the time came.
"An upgrade..."
Mu looked up at the Barbatos standing behind them.
Orga replied, "Yeah, an upgrade. It's called Gundam Barbatos Lupus now."
"Barbatos is Barbatos," Mikazuki said indifferently, tossing a Mars Date into his mouth.
"I'm telling you..." Orga sighed helplessly. He truly didn't know what to do with Mikazuki's personality.
Mu blinked, then looked up toward the Sassari. "Wait, who are you exactly?"
"Sorry, sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Orga Itsuka, the former leader of Tekkadan. Now, I'm the assistant to the current leader, Mikazuki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mu La Flaga."
"You know who I am?" Mu looked at the Sassari with a strange expression.
"Of course. I know everyone on the Archangel. Kira Yamato, Miriallia Haw..."
Orga's voice rang out clearly for everyone to hear. It wasn't surprising, as he was using the ship's external communication system, and his voice was quite loud. Fortunately, this was a deserted island, or they certainly would have been disturbing the neighbors.
The crew members of the Archangel looked at the warship in front of them with amazement as their names were called.
"I've actually been acting as an auxiliary system aboard the Barbatos. I've known about all of you since the first time Mikazuki boarded it."
Aside from Murrue, the others were stunned. One crew member shouted involuntarily, "Are you an Artificial Intelligence? I've never heard of any faction successfully developing an AI that's so... human."
"Artificial Intelligence? Well, you could say that. Think of it however you like."
Orga didn't elaborate. In fact, it was probably better if they just understood him as an AI.
After all, who would believe that a dead man had been transported to another world for no reason? Someone might believe it eventually, but it was far too much trouble to explain. It was easier to let them think he was an AI.
"By the way, Kira, why are you flying a plane?"
Mikazuki had noticed this earlier on the battlefield. Kira was piloting a Skygrasper instead of the Strike.
Kira stepped forward with a bitter smile. "Well... on our way to Alaska, the Archangel was intercepted by Athrun and the ZAFT Military forces. The Strike was heavily damaged and fell into the sea. We have no idea where it drifted off to."
"I see... Then this is perfect. I have something to show you. Hey, Orga."
Mikazuki looked up at the warship, and Orga's voice rang out.
"Got it, got it... Alright, the hatch is open. Freedom is perfectly intact. Come take a look."
"Let's go," Mikazuki said, turning around. Murrue and the others followed, though they were confused.
During the battle, they had heard Mikazuki and Orga mention something called "Freedom." They wondered what it could be perhaps another Mobile Suit?
When they arrived at the Sassari's mostly intact hangar, they saw the Freedom standing majestically inside.
"This is..."
"Allow me to explain," Orga said. "This is the ZAFT Military's newest model, the ZGMF-X10A Freedom. It's equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceller."
Orga had already anticipated Mikazuki's thoughts and took the lead in introducing the Freedom.
"A Neutron Jammer Canceller? Is this unit nuclear-powered? Are you serious?" Mu cried out in shock.
A Neutron Jammer Canceller... It was common knowledge that nuclear fission required neutron bombardment to create a chain reaction. However, the Earth was currently blanketed in Neutron Jammer particles that prevented nuclear fission.
It wasn't just the Earth. Since the Bloody Valentine incident, the space surrounding the PLANT colonies had been saturated with Neutron Jammers, rendering nuclear weapons completely useless. That was why the Earth Alliance's nuclear arsenal sat idle at home.
A Neutron Jammer Canceller was a device that rendered Neutron Jammers ineffective. If such a device fell into the hands of the Earth Alliance, the consequences would be unimaginable...
"Lacus told me to take this. Kira, I'm lending this unit to you for now."
"Eh? Is that alright?"
Mikazuki gave a slight nod. "Yeah. After all, we can't just let it sit here. But remember, this is only a temporary loan. You have to give it back to me. Also, you cannot leak the data to anyone. You understand, right?"
"I do. I promise I will return the Freedom to you in perfect condition after the war is over, even if I have to put my life on the line," Kira said, his expression grave as he gave his word.
"Good." Mikazuki lightly punched Kira in the chest, then turned to Murrue. "I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"...."
At that same moment, in the nation of PLANT.
Athrun and Nicol, who had just returned home and received promotions, looked at the panicked people in the Supreme Council building with confusion. They had no idea what had happened.
"Athrun! Nicol!"
"Commander Yuki!"
Athrun and Nicol saw the leader of the ZAFT special task force FAITH, Yuki Li, walking toward them.
Athrun asked, "What happened? Everyone seems so agitated and panicked."
Yuki's expression was grim. "Operation Spitbreak has failed. According to reports from Earth, our forces were almost completely wiped out. Chairman Zala has likely just received the full report.
"And... there is more bad news for you. Your fiancée, Lacus Clyne... has committed treason."
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