“Boom!!!”
Thanks to Leon Vance’s warning, everyone managed to withdraw from the surface of Junius Seven to a farther, safer location without major incident.
After all had gathered safely aboard the Archangel, their faces still bore expressions of lingering fear.
Why?
Because the scenes they had witnessed had exceeded their imagination.
The previously silent wreckage of Junius Seven had unexpectedly erupted into a terrifying thunderstorm that, within mere minutes, engulfed the entire remnant of the colony.
Even though the Archangel had already moved away from Junius Seven’s orbit, it still faced threats from the raging thunderstorm on the colony’s surface.
The thick, serpentine lightning bolts that swept in all directions, shattering rocks and demolishing ruined structures, were a shocking and chilling sight.
“What on earth happened?!
How could a thunderstorm occur on Junius Seven?
Such a large-scale electrical discharge phenomenon couldn’t possibly be generated by Junius Seven itself.”
Murrue watched in astonishment as the thunderstorm gradually subsided, leaving the wreckage of Junius Seven silent once more.
But even though the storm had calmed, Murrue had no intention of bringing the Archangel closer to Junius Seven again.
If not for Leon Vance’s timely warning, the Archangel might have been caught in that sudden thunderstorm, with consequences too dire to imagine.
“Captain.
Do you remember the astronomical anomaly in CE 51?”
Natarle Badgiruel had, at some point, come to stand beside Murrue.
After reaching out to stroke Mechanical Cat Bao Bao, she gazed solemnly at the shrinking wreckage of Junius Seven.
“CE 51?
I remember there was a comet event that year that caused a global sensation.
I was only six then, and I followed the other children up a hillside to make a wish upon that comet that captivated the world!”
Murrue thought carefully, then chuckled softly.
“Yes.
I did the same back then.”
Natarle Badgiruel’s lips seemed to curve upward briefly, but her expression soon turned serious again.
“However, behind that comet event that stirred all of humanity, there was another face—an anomaly that lasted an extremely long time and continues to occur around the world to this day.”
“An anomaly?”
Murrue was taken aback, immediately realizing what Natarle Badgiruel was implying.
“Are you saying the anomaly on Junius Seven was also triggered by that comet event?”
“I don’t know, but that’s the only answer I can think of at the moment.
After all, these answers appear in classified records that were once heavily concealed by the Earth Alliance’s predecessors, various national militaries, and governments.”
Natarle Badgiruel sighed softly, her eyes reflecting a hint of gravity.
“If I hadn’t accidentally come across those pending files, I probably wouldn’t have been able to connect the CE 51 comet event with the anomaly on Junius Seven.”
Murrue showed a pained yet helpless expression upon hearing this.
But right now, we can’t do anything about it.”
“Yes!
Next, I’ll reassure everyone by explaining it as some…
traces of nuclear reaction-induced discharge phenomena left on the wreckage of Junius Seven.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you, Ensign Badgiruel.”
Although Murrue felt this explanation was somewhat inappropriate, it was all they could do for now.
However, compared to this, there seemed to be something else that would capture the attention of most people.
The Sky Raider Gundam had retrieved an escape pod.
When Natarle Badgiruel heard that everyone had gathered in the hangar because of this news, she visibly relaxed.
After all, searching for people one by one was a hassle, and having most of them gathered in the hangar now saved a lot of effort and trouble.
“That doesn’t look like an escape pod used by the Alliance.”
“Could it be ZAFT’s?”
“Didn’t you hear earlier?
Ensign Vance discovered traces of ZAFT Mobile Suit combat before.
The pilot inside is probably from ZAFT.”
“Does a GINN even have an escape pod like that?
That’s nonsense.”
Everyone chattered away as they looked at the escape pod parked in front of the Sky Raider Gundam.
Beside the Sky Raider Gundam, Kira was also sitting in the cockpit of the Strike Gundam, staring at the escape pod, unsure of what to think.
“Are you wondering if the person inside is a ZAFT Coordinator?”
Mu handed a drink to Kira and asked with a smile.
“Ah, no, thank you, Lieutenant Mu.”
Kira quickly thanked him and took the drink, then shook his head.
“I don’t know what I’m thinking right now.
I’m just curious why Ensign Vance brought this escape pod back.
And, Ensign Vance seemed to be the first to notice the anomaly on Junius Seven.”
“Maybe it’s because Ensign Leon Vance has sharp instincts?
You know, those things called Leaf-Wheel Blades—most people can’t even make them move.
Even in simulation training, I couldn’t get them to fly.”
Mu was much more open-minded.
He didn’t dwell on why Leon Vance had retrieved the escape pod or how he had managed to warn them in advance to avoid that terrifying thunderstorm.
“Is that so?
Maybe I’m overthinking it.
But for some reason, I feel a bit…
disappointed.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Kira scratched his head, looking puzzled.
“Disappointed?
Haha!!
Kira, don’t tell me you had a crush on a girl at school?”
“No!
Lieutenant Mu, please don’t tease me!”
“Young people should be bold and confess their feelings bravely!!
That’s what youth is all about!”
Mu patted Kira on the shoulder and laughed heartily, then noticed Murrue and Natarle Badgiruel walking into the hangar together.
“The Captain’s here!
Let’s talk later.”
“Okay!”
“Leon Vance.
How are things?”
Murrue saw Leon Vance standing with Murdoch from the maintenance team and, after confirming that Leon was unharmed, asked.
“Yeah.
Murdoch is cracking the escape pod’s password right now.
We’ll have results soon.”
Leon replied casually, not thinking much of it.
But Murrue’s eyes flashed with a hint of annoyance as she subtly tugged on the helmet Leon was holding.
“I was asking about you.
Were you hurt by that thunderstorm?”
Leon Vance was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head.
“I gave you an advance warning.
How could I possibly be hurt by that thunderstorm?
Besides, my intuition has always been accurate.”
Upon hearing this, Murrue slightly furrowed her brow and asked pointedly.
“Then tell me, who exactly is inside?
A ZAFT pilot?”
Leon Vance looked at Murrue with confusion.
Why did he feel like Murrue was being a bit petty?
He blinked, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying.
“Well~ Perhaps it’s a little princess trapped on Junius Seven by that thunderstorm?”