—"Looks like some worthy opponents have finally shown up."

Yzak was very pleased when the drug-induced trio appeared.

"Since we don’t know the enemy’s capabilities, Justice and Seravee, support Harute. Kämpfer and GN-X units, handle the newly appeared Mobile Suits while also engaging the naval forces. Zabanya Gundam, survey the entire battlefield and provide support where it’s most dangerous."

At that moment, Lacus gave a very rational order.

—"Hey, wait a minute..."

—"Yes, Captain!"

—"We’re on our way!"

—"Understood!"

Yzak tried to say something, but the other pilots quickly interrupted, confirming their orders. Judging by their enthusiasm, they were itching to fight.

—"Yzak, you already had your fun. This time, no way."

—"Damn, fine. The black one is mine!"

—"Then I’ll take the blue one."

With everyone deciding, Yzak had no choice but to concede. Athrun sighed, hearing them, and went to intercept the remaining Forbidden Gundam.

’These guys, completely forgetting how they got beaten by me...’

The black machine Yzak was to face was the Raider Gundam. The Raider was a transformable machine that could change into a bird-like form. What was interesting wasn’t just its transformation ability but its armament. This Gundam fought by swinging a large metal ball, giving it a unique combat style.

But the ball was just raw metal with ’TP armor’ (an improved version of PS armor), essentially a mass weapon. The Raider Gundam seemed designed to use its high mobility to engage enemies, so equipping it with such a mass weapon was ironic.

—"Swinging a ball around like a brute. What era do you think this is?"

Swish!

As expected, the Raider’s metal ball was easily sliced by the Harute Gundam’s GN Sword Rifle. The flustered Raider Gundam quickly retreated and fired wildly, but the Mirage Colloid magnetic field barrier refracted the beams, rendering them useless. The Raider Gundam attempted to escape by transforming, but it couldn’t outrun the Harute, whose output was overwhelmingly superior.

Swish! Swish!

The Harute Gundam pursued the fleeing Raider Gundam, used its GN Sword Rifle to slice off all its thrusters, then cut off one of its wings. The Raider Gundam, trailing smoke, fell into the sea.

—"Tch, I was stupid to expect anything. 2B was right. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have given it up."

Yzak wasn’t the only one; the situation was similar elsewhere.

The Calamity Gundam, armed with beam weapons, also fired wildly, but the Seravee Gundam refracted the beams and took no damage; instead, struck by Seravee’s powerful firepower, it sank into the sea.

—"After such a long-awaited chance to shine... the performance difference is just too big, isn’t it?"

—"That’s what I’m saying! Athrun, are you done yet?"

—"It’s hiding in the sea. This is tricky. Damn, it’s running away?"

The Forbidden Gundam, which Athrun was fighting, had high underwater mobility and was difficult to deal with. Probably seeing what happened to its comrades, it was immediately retreating.

The Kämpfer and GN-X units were engaging a huge number of Mobile Armors and Mobile Suits, but they weren’t losing. It was unthinkable that machines with two pseudo-solar reactors would be overwhelmed by such low-level enemies.

Clang! Bang!! CRASH!!

—"The shotgun weapon is fun. It suits the Kämpfer’s high mobility. I really like it."

"Andrew, I didn’t know you were a man who knows romance."

—"Of course! But are you really sixteen? Talking about romance at that age..."

"Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I don’t know romance."

—"Is that so? Anyway, it’s almost over here."

As Andrew said, the Earth Alliance had taken enormous losses, had abandoned the attack, and was focusing only on rescuing personnel. Most of their Mobile Armors and Mobile Suits were destroyed, and two of their elite trio had been taken down, so it was an unavoidable decision.

The Orb ships, watching this, also assisted in rescue efforts. Lacus ordered the Mobile Suits,

"Cease attack and assist in rescue efforts. Just in case, Justice, Freedom, and Zabanya, monitor the Earth Alliance’s movements and stand by."

—"Got it."

—"Tch, that’s anticlimactic."

—"You still had fun. I just fired some beams and it was over."

Yzak and Dearka seemed disappointed that the battle was over. Giving them too powerful machines was also a problem.

Just then, an urgent call came from Siegel at the Celestial Being base.

—"The Earth Alliance has just captured ZAFT’s Victoria base."

"Damn, it was a diversionary tactic."

—"In my opinion, it was probably an operation targeting the mass driver."

With the loss of the Panama base, the Earth Alliance had lost its mass driver. As a result, their supply line to the moon base was completely severed. Cornered, they had no choice but to launch a diversionary operation. Without a mass driver, it was only a matter of time before the moon base fell to the enemy. Their choice was unavoidable.

"This one we can’t do anything about. If the situation is already over..."

—"We’re trying, but getting information quickly isn’t easy. How is Orb?"

"We defended Orb successfully."

—"That’s some good news, at least. Tell my daughter she did well."

"Got it."

Lacus had heard the conversation as well, so no need to relay it separately. As the transmission ended, a call came from the Earth Alliance side.

—"Celestial Being!!! You’re Naturals!!! Are you planning to betray your fellow Naturals!!???"

Judging by the voice, it seemed to be Muruta Azrael, the leader of Blue Cosmos. He was obviously displeased with the situation, speaking in an agitated voice.

"What nonsense are you spouting? You’re the ones attacking Orb, a nation founded by Naturals!"

—"Those people accept Coordinators!!! For a blue and pure world, Coordinators must disappear!!!"

"I’ve never seen such a madman. Hey, don’t forget that it was Naturals who created Coordinators and used nuclear weapons to cause the Bloody Valentine. The ones truly threatening a blue and pure world aren’t Coordinators. It’s extremists like you, Blue Cosmos, who paint the world with hatred and prejudice!"

—"Damn it! You’re impossible to reason with!"

"I think that’s my line. Just focus on rescuing your people and get lost!"

After ending the transmission, Lacus, who had been listening, looked at me with a satisfied expression and said,

"Phew~ that feels refreshing. You’re very well-spoken. Ultimately, the cause of all problems isn’t Naturals or Coordinators, it’s extremists."

"Yeah. Oh, speaking of which, after this is over, I’d like to give the crew and pilots some time off. If we go back to space, we’ll be stuck in the base again. Here in Orb, they can rest comfortably."

"Now that you mention it, you’re right. Let’s do that."

The faces of the bridge crew, hearing our conversation, brightened considerably.

After watching the Earth Alliance withdraw, we also withdrew to Orb. Orb hadn’t taken significant damage. The missiles that fell on the city seemed to have been mostly intercepted by the GN-X units and Orb’s defense forces. However, a few had landed in the nearby mountains, causing fires.

We arrived in Orb, checking the damage. The Orb representatives came to thank us, bowing their heads.

"I am Uzumi Nara Athha, Chief Representative of Orb. Thank you for protecting Orb."

Lacus stepped forward as our representative and said,

"Not at all. We merely prevented a conflict."

"No, without Celestial Being’s intervention... well, anyway, while you’re here, we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Rest well before you leave."

"Thank you."

While the representatives were talking, couples nearby were whispering affectionately. Among them were Kira and Cagalli. Seeing that, Uzumi Nara Athha broke out in a cold sweat, thought for a moment, and then called Cagalli over. It seemed he was finally going to tell her about her birth.

"Father, you called me?"

"Well, um... what is your relationship with Kira?"

At those words, Cagalli became very embarrassed and began to stammer.

"W-well... good... no... ugh... how do I say this..."

Uzumi sighed deeply and said,

"I’m sorry to say this, but that kind of relationship isn’t possible."

"What?? Why not??!!"

As Cagalli asked in surprise, Uzumi grabbed her shoulders and spoke quietly.

"Because you are twin siblings."

"Huh??? What do you mean..."

"I don’t know where to start, but I’ll explain it step by step. So..."

Uzumi told Cagalli about her and Kira’s parents. Cagalli listened with a shocked expression.

"Th-that can’t be... This doesn’t make sense!"

"You may not want to believe it, but it’s the truth."

Cagalli then ran to Kira, looking like she was about to cry.

"Things seem complicated."

"I wanted to keep it hidden, but I had no choice."

"We plan to stay for eight days for maintenance and repairs. Could you exchange some gold for cash for us?"

"Of course. Rest well."

This had been prearranged with Lacus. We couldn’t empty the ships all at once, so we planned to give them leave in rotating shifts over four days.

After the Orb representatives left and we finished our tasks, early the next morning we exchanged the gold. Orb, as a gesture of gratitude, gave us a little extra. We didn’t refuse. It was money that would all be spent in Orb anyway.

After exchanging the cash, Lacus gathered all the crew. The Archangel’s crew as well.

"As you all know, we must return to the base in space. So, while we’re on Earth, I’d like to give you all some time off to rest properly. It’s short, but go enjoy yourselves, see Orb."

Wow~ Wow~

Best Captain~!!

Everyone cheered.

Lacus and I gave everyone enough cash so they could enjoy themselves freely. The Archangel’s crew as well. It was amusing to see Ramias and Mwu accept the money without hesitation.

"Don’t cause trouble, and have fun. Who knows when we’ll come back down to Earth again."

Andrew saw off those leaving on vacation, telling them not to cause trouble.

Orb, being near the equator, had many places to enjoy. Wherever you went, there were beaches with palm trees, and the city was vibrant.

The officers and pilots spent their vacation on the coast next to Morgenröte, Inc., grilling meat. Ramias, Mwu, and Morgenröte’s pilots also came and joined the fun.

"How do I look in my swimsuit? I didn’t have one, so I went with the other women and bought it in Orb."

"Oh~ pretty! You have a great figure, Lacus, so any swimsuit looks good on you."

At my words, Lacus became very embarrassed.

"Jin, you’re terrible~"

The amusing couple was Yzak and Miriallia. They were the most active, running and playing on the beach. In contrast, Kira and Cagalli were together, but the atmosphere wasn’t good.

Dearka was hitting on Morgenröte’s female pilots and hanging out with them. Athrun and Nicol, Ramias and Mwu walked along the coast and talked. The relationship between Athrun and Nicol was ambiguous; they didn’t seem to be more than friends. When Athrun talked about something, Nicol listened attentively. She was probably doing her best to recover her memories.

Then Andrew called us over.

"Hey! The skewers are all grilled, come and eat!"

We gathered and began eating the skewers Andrew had grilled. They were quite delicious. I was a bit surprised at how well he’d cooked them.

"Wow~ delicious!"

"Really. It’s good."

At our praise, Andrew said proudly,

"I’m glad. I grilled them with care. Come on, everyone, enjoy."

We spent our vacation leisurely, then prepared to return to the space base. Everyone returned without any issues.

"Since it’s a peaceful country, the clubs had a great atmosphere, didn’t they?"

"Right. Being near the equator, the women were hot too."

"After retirement, I should consider living in Orb."

From their conversations, it seemed giving them time off was a good decision.

Before leaving, we held several discussions with Morgenröte, Inc., about future plans. Uzumi, Orb’s chief representative, as well as Ramias and Mwu from the Archangel, attended.

"Having experienced this ourselves, we can’t just stand idly by. The country is still a bit disorganized and struggling, but later, we’d like to lend you our strength."

Uzumi promised to support us. Officially it would be difficult, but it seemed he would provide quiet support behind the scenes.

"We are grateful even for just your words."

Then Ramias said,

"We’ve also decided to go into space. The crew agreed. With Victoria base captured, the war will probably continue in space."

"But if the Archangel leaves, won Orb’s defense be at risk?"

When Lacus asked, Uzumi shook his head.

"Don’t worry about that. Orb suffered almost no damage from this war, and the Earth Alliance, to protect their tenuous supply line to the moon base, has to stop ZAFT, so they’ll be hard-pressed to pull out forces."

"I see. Understood. Then, Captain Ramias, nice working with you."

"Likewise, Captain Lacus."

After the meeting, we established a secure communication link so we could exchange messages with Orb. Then, together with the Archangel, we used the mass driver to return to space. Afterwards, the Eternal led the Archangel to Celestial Being’s base.

"A base like this in the debris belt... so that’s why neither the Earth Alliance nor ZAFT could find it."

The Archangel’s crew, like the Eternal’s crew before them, were astonished by the base.

First, we handed out supplies and assigned quarters so the Archangel’s crew could rest comfortably. A woman wearing a hat pulled low caught my eye. When she came to receive her supplies, I pulled off her hat, revealing her identity. It was Cagalli.

"Oh, really! Give me back my hat!"

Startled that I had recognized her, Cagalli demanded her hat back. It seemed she had snuck aboard the Archangel and come all the way here.

"Did your father give you permission?"

"There’s no way he would!"

"Tsk..."

Kira and Athrun also seemed surprised to see Cagalli here.

"Cagalli! Why are you here...?"

"I want to help too! We owe Celestial Being a great debt."

Now that she was caught, she seemed to have decided to just be bold about it. What was even more amusing was that there was one more person who had snuck aboard the Archangel with Cagalli. She was none other than Erica Simmons, Morgenröte’s technical director.

"Why are you here?"

"Hahaha, I couldn’t let the princess go alone..."

"Nothing to do with coveting Celestial Being’s Mobile Suit technology?"

"Of course... I can’t say no. Haha."

This woman was utterly brazen.