"It's… already flown away…"
Uzumi stood in the meeting room near the mass driver, calmly looking up at the sky, at the magnificent green aurora.
Although a part of him was curious about the aurora produced by Narrative Gundam, in the end, he decided to cast that curiosity aside.
At the final moment of life, to witness such a breathtaking spectacle on the battlefield, one could consider themselves satisfied.
"This is Uzumi Nara Athha, the current Prime Minister of Orb."
Uzumi pressed a button in front of the microphone, activating Orb's broadcast system. All remaining speakers began transmitting his speech.
"Orb has no intention of joining the fight, nor will we permit others' invasions. This has always been our steadfast principle. Even if we must give up everything we have now, this principle will not change."
"If Morgenroete, Inc.'s factories and the Kaguya mass driver fall into your hands, it will inevitably bring even fiercer wars to the world. This is something we cannot accept or condone."
"Orb, and this world, are not possessions for a few ambitious people to manipulate at will."
Without hesitation, Uzumi pressed the red button before him.
On the mass driver's track, a massive series of explosions erupted, shattering the launch rails into pieces.
Within Morgenroete, Inc.'s factories and the mass driver terminal, intense flashes of light erupted. The heat and shockwaves obliterated everything in the vicinity.
"Da…Daddy!"
Even though Cagalli had long anticipated this scene before Uzumi had boarded the ship, seeing Orb's homeland being destroyed on the screen, captured by satellite cameras, still brought tears to her eyes.
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"Damn it…"
Within the Earth Alliance fleet in Orb's territorial waters, Muruta ground his teeth in anger at the massive explosion in front of him.
"He actually blew it up decisively? That Uzumi… he really tricked us…"
At the meeting, he had confidently claimed he could capture Orb's mass driver. Now, not only could he not get the Kaguya accelerator or Morgenroete's factories, but his side also lost two 'Boosted Man' and new-model G units—not to mention the Earth Alliance had lost a number of Dagger units.
Though the Earth Alliance had fully shifted into wartime mode and the lost Dagger units could be quickly rebuilt, pilot training and the production of "SB" components would still take time. Meanwhile, aboard the Kingdom of Foundation's warship, Orphee's expression was also grim.
The Black Knight, their test unit, had not only failed to return with data alive, but had been brutally crushed by a "half-finished" enemy. Not only had their original objectives failed, but their pride had been deeply humiliated.
However, Muruta should be even more furious than Orphee, considering what had been said at the earlier meeting.
"…First, see how many Black Knight remains are left. Collect all of them, then retreat."
After a moment's thought, Orphee decided to retrieve the Black Knight remains. After all, the unit still contained their technology, and he could not bear to leave it for the Earth Alliance, especially for those in Blue Cosmos.
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In space, the Archangel, Kusanagi, and Ame-no-Murakumo had completed their rendezvous. However, Kusanagi and Ame-no-Murakumo, as modular ships launched separately, were still undergoing docking and assembly.
At this moment, everyone's attention was no longer on Kusanagi or Ame-no-Murakumo. Aside from those maintaining the docking and on watch, all eyes were on the Archangel's hull and the brilliant aurora that had leapt over the Karman line with it.
As Narrative Gundam released its push on the Archangel, the aurora on the ship gradually dissipated, revealing the severely damaged external armor.
"The light… disappeared?"
Miriallia rubbed her eyes as she watched the dazzling aurora vanish before her.
"Narrative has stopped pushing and is approaching the catapult deck!"
Sai reported the radar information. "But… there's no response from Roz's communication!"
"Doesn't matter. Prepare the maintenance crew, open the catapult deck to let Narrative in!"
Seeing Narrative moving toward the catapult deck with flowing light while its thrusters were completely inactive, Murrue decisively chose to open the catapult deck hatch.
"The catapult deck is open! Narrative… so fast! Narrative has entered the hangar!"
Miriallia blinked in surprise as she watched Narrative smoothly return to the hangar, carrying the streak of light.
"…The nearby airspace is safe. Captain, you should head to the hangar first."
The radar observer turned to Murrue, who seemed a bit uneasy, and smiled.
"We'll watch from here. No problem."
"Besides, we're also worried about Roz's condition."
Meanwhile, the people in the hangar, who only knew that Narrative Gundam had entered at incredible speed, stared in disbelief. Narrative, with its thrusters completely inactive and trailing green light, maneuvered around the Strike Gundam which was adjusting its position and drifted precisely into its assigned hangar bay.
As Narrative's mental frame returned to gray, the remaining "aurora" in the hangar rapidly dissipated, visible to the naked eye.
"What on earth is this thing…"
Dearka, wearing his pilot suit, stared wide-eyed at Narrative parked in the hangar, completely still. "That color-changing thing up there… it's definitely not PS armor!"
"Don't know, but my advice is—don't ask. Control your curiosity."
Mu, having just completed securing his unit, floated to Dearka's side and patted his shoulder. "Everyone has their own secrets. The less you know, the safer you are."
"Besides, he just saved all our lives."
"Ah… you think I'm some rigid fool? Don't underestimate my emotional intelligence!"
Dearka scratched his head.
"I know what to do."
The long-awaiting maintenance crew began resupplying Narrative Gundam. But soon, a problem blocked them—several crew members stood at the hatch, frowning.
"What's going on? Why are you standing there?"
Murrue arrived in the hangar with the ship doctor and immediately saw the maintenance crew looking troubled.
"The hatch won't open!"
A crew member, holding a tablet and swiping repeatedly, had beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"We tried starting the program, initiating external mechanical override, even the emergency opening method—but Narrative's hatch still won't open!"
"Let me see!"
Murrue, formerly a technical sergeant, took the tablet and anxiously scrolled through the various code data.
"No issues… how can this be?"
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"Still not satisfied?"
In the dim cockpit, the pilot's seat remained in NTD mode, allowing the already unconscious Roz to lie comfortably.
On the fixed stand, the large Haro's eyes blinked, as if it were communicating with someone.
"But it's almost enough. If you don't open the hatch soon, something bad will really happen."
Not enough… still not enough… I want a little longer…
In the dazzling space, a female figure reached out, as if to touch Roz's face.
"But right now, Roz's condition is very poor. He must receive treatment."
The large Haro pointed out the truth the machine spirit was unwilling to face.
"If Roz doesn't get treatment, you won't be able to accept the consequences either."
"If Roz dies, he'll become something like a space ghost, in a state similar to yours. Then you won't be able to maintain a connection with him."
The final few minutes…
"No, not a single minute can be wasted."
The large Haro's attitude was resolute.
"Besides… Roz already knows about your existence, right?"
At this, Haro flapped the wings on its head. "That idiot is not like those irresponsible people. He will absolutely not give up on you."
So happy…
"If you're happy, then open the hatch already!"
Haro's tone grew a little impatient. "There's plenty of time in the future. The first priority now is to save his life!"
Alright… I'll listen to you…
The simple female figure seemed to accept Haro's suggestion. Though her "heart" was full of reluctance, she still controlled the machine to open the hatch.
"The hatch is open!"
With the hatch opening, the maintenance crew gathered outside let out a shout of surprise.
"Opened?!"
Murrue, who had only flipped through half of the codes, paused in shock, then looked at Narrative Gundam's cockpit.
Through her gaze, she saw Roz in his pilot suit, unconscious in the seat, unaffected by the noise outside.
"Roz!"
Murrue tossed the tablet in her hands to a maintenance crew member and floated into Narrative's cockpit.
She reached out, removed Roz's helmet, and checked his breathing. Her tense heart relaxed a little.
"Doctor! Hurry and help!"
Amid the noisy commotion, Roz was finally lifted from the cockpit and carried to the medical room. The large Haro, who had jumped from the fixed stand at some point, now bounced along behind the group.
"…That person is your captain, right?"
Dearka, having observed for a while, pointed at Murrue by the stretcher and asked Mu, "What's her relationship with that pilot?"
"They're a couple. Don't go thinking about gossip."
Mu patted Dearka on the head.
"But we don't have much to do now, right? Judging by your captain, it seems we'll have to wait for that pilot to wake up before we can set sail."
Dearka rubbed the spot Mu had patted earlier and muttered.
"And that person is the head of the Archangel's maintenance crew, right? What's he doing?"
Mu followed Dearka's gaze to see Murdoch standing before Narrative Gundam, mumbling something devoutly.
"Yeah, probably some kind of religious belief? I don't know when he started doing this."
Mu thought for a moment—perhaps during the time the Archangel returned to Orb from Alaska?
Meanwhile, Murdoch had no time to pay attention to Mu and Dearka's small talk. He was sincerely reciting his prayer text.
As the maintenance team leader, he could see the maintenance briefings while servicing the mobile suit! According to the data just now, Narrative Gundam had run out of propellant during the recent mass driver battle. That means Narrative had been operating with no propellant, still using the jetpack for high mobility, even able to push the Archangel into space!
This unit must have a machine spirit! Murdoch was certain of it.
"Praise Omnissiah…"
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