“I am Lacus Clyne.”
The girl with long pink hair gently cradled the pink electronic pet in her hands.
“And this is my friend, Haro.”
The pink-haired girl’s confession caused everyone present to feel a collective headache.
This was not a good omen.
At a time when they could be overtaken by a ZAFT fleet at any moment, taking in this world-famous pink-haired girl—no, the Pink Princess—who was clearly from PLANT, was a massive problem.
Mu and Natarle Badgiruel both turned their gazes toward Leon Vance, who was sitting on the edge of the bed looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Clearly, both of them wanted the person who had personally rescued this Pink Princess from PLANT to say something.
“Why are you looking at me?
I was in the dark about this too,” Vance sighed, feigning ignorance.
“But you were the one who rescued her with your own hands, Ensign Vance,” Natarle Badgiruel said, pursing her lips.
“Understood.
Fine then.”
Vance shook his head helplessly and looked at Murrue.
To his surprise, Murrue was also signaling for him to handle it himself.
Three to one.
What a wonderful democratic vote!
“Notification!
The Trailblazer has personally rescued Lacus Clyne, causing a massive disruption in the timeline between Lacus Clyne and Kira Yamato.
The Trailblazer’s subsequent actions will cause serious interference and may lead to changes in the original historical trajectory at any time.”
“Please proceed with caution and think twice!”
Mechanical Cat Bao Bao’s formulaic electronic notification sounded right on cue.
“I say, you’re targeting me for even this?” Vance’s expression remained unchanged, but he secretly protested to the mechanical cat in his mind.
“No.
This isn’t my fault.
It’s the system’s own judgment!
I’m just an ordinary notification cat!
Meow~” Mechanical Cat Bao Bao chuckled, acting cute in the process.
“Fine!
I want to exchange for some items!”
Vance had been gnashing his teeth in frustration, but in the next second, he thought of something amusing.
He immediately sent his request to Mechanical Cat Bao Bao through their mental link.
Initially, when Bao Bao heard that Vance wanted to exchange items, it happily wagged its tail, nearly shouting things like “Long live the boss!
The boss is so generous!” to praise him.
“Are you sure?!”
Now it was Bao Bao’s turn to gnash its teeth, wanting nothing more than to take a bite out of Vance to see if this “hoarding rat” was messing with it on purpose.
“Of course!
Didn’t the system say I’m about to interfere with someone’s timeline?
In for a penny, in for a pound.
Let’s get moving!”
Vance visualized a mental eye-roll before adding one more sentence.
“This is part of the plan!”
“Damn your ‘part of the plan’!!”
With a low, frustrated growl, Mechanical Cat Bao Bao could only silently follow Vance’s request.
Though the exchange between Vance and Bao Bao seemed long, it occurred in a mere instant within the virtual world of their mental link.
From the perspective of Murrue, Natarle, and Mu, Vance had simply stood up from the bed and paused for a moment as if deep in thought.
“Miss Lacus Clyne.
First of all, I must express my regrets.
The ship you are currently aboard is the Archangel, a space battleship belonging to the Earth Alliance.
And we are refugees who have been pursued here by your side’s ZAFT fleet ever since we left Heliopolis.”
“Ah?
How could that be?!”
Hearing Vance’s blunt confession, the Pink Princess seemed genuinely shocked.
“It is a fact.
Based on that fact, in order to ensure our survival for the rest of our journey, we were forced to go to the ruins of Junius Seven for a resupply.
It was during that process, when the thunderstorm occurred, that I found you.”
Vance nodded, briefly explaining the sequence of events and asking Lacus Clyne if she knew about the storm.
Hearing this, Lacus Clyne fell into silence, likely weighing the truth of Vance’s words.
However, regardless of her speculation, the fact that she was currently on an Earth Alliance battleship was undeniable.
Slowly, Lacus Clyne spoke again.
“I am very sorry!
I originally went there to participate in a memorial service for our compatriots on Junius Seven, but upon arriving, I encountered some very unfriendly circumstances.”
“After the incident occurred, the people with me pushed me into an escape pod, and I lost contact with them afterward.”
“As for the thunderstorm Ensign Vance mentioned, I was unaware of it.
However, when the escape pod was ejected, it did experience a considerable period of turbulence.”
After listening to Lacus Clyne’s account, the group looked at one another before finally turning their eyes back to Vance.
“You guys…”
Vance’s shoulders slumped for a moment before he turned serious. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
“It seems our conversation ends here for today.
My apologies, Miss Lacus Clyne, but until we can confirm our safety, we must ask you to remain on the Archangel for a while.”
Lacus Clyne’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she knew there was no other choice.
However, being under surveillance on an Alliance ship was perhaps the best outcome she could hope for at the moment.
“Very well.
I shall be in your care, everyone on the Archangel.”
“Ensign Badgiruel, could I trouble you?” Murrue looked toward Natarle as the dialogue concluded.
Natarle Badgiruel was clearly reluctant, but she could only obey.
“Yes, Captain!”
“I’ll go too,” Mu interjected, offering to accompany Natarle in escorting Lacus Clyne to an empty cabin.
“Alright.
Thank you, Lieutenant Mu.”
After the three of them left, only Murrue and Vance remained in the room.
Murrue shifted slightly, making room on the bed and patting the spot beside her.
Vance blinked and sat down.
In the next moment, the scent of her sweet breath drew closer.
Vance’s right shoulder dipped slightly as Murrue leaned against him.
“Do you think we can make it back to the Lunar Headquarters safely?”
“I think it will be very difficult.”
Vance lowered his gaze and gently placed his hand over Murrue’s left hand.
Just as they had during their hikes in the artificial mountains of Heliopolis, the two sat together, leaning against each other while watching the starlight reflected from the transparent sections of the colony.
“Is it because of Lacus Clyne?” Murrue seemed tired.
“No.
I suspect the bigger factor is the Sky Raider Gundam.
The appearance of the Leaf-Wheel Blades has almost overturned current understanding of MS combat.
Moreover, if the world learns how the Leaf-Wheel Blades operate, it will likely further escalate the conflict between Naturals and Coordinators.”
Vance gently patted the back of Murrue’s hand, his gaze turning solemn.
“Therefore, ZAFT will inevitably deploy heavy forces along the route to the Lunar Headquarters, waiting for the Archangel to walk into their trap.”
Murrue pondered for a moment, her expression grave as she voiced her deduction.
“If that’s the case, then the Archangel only has one path left.”
“Yes.
Returning directly to Earth.
And ZAFT’s pursuers will be waiting for the Archangel there as well.”