Pain from her right shoulder jolted Murrue Ramius awake.
The moment she opened her eyes, the lingering mental shock from the previous battle made her bolt upright, only to immediately gasp in pain as the sudden movement strained her wound.
“Look at you, not even sleeping properly.
Have you forgotten you’re injured, Captain Ramius?”
Hearing that familiar voice, Murrue Ramius, who had been wincing in pain, miraculously relaxed.
“I thought you had run off, Ensign Leon Vance.”
Murrue Ramius slowly lay back on the bench, gazing up at the awning overhead.
The next second, Leon Vance’s face appeared in her field of view.
“Here, let me help you sit up.”
“Mm.”
Murrue Ramius allowed herself to be helped up by Leon Vance, then felt a warm touch press against her forehead.
“You…
what are you doing?”
Murrue Ramius widened her eyes in surprise, then immediately sighed in resignation.
“I don’t have a fever!”
“Who can say for sure?
After all, going through so much, it’s normal for the body to struggle.”
Leon Vance lowered his right hand and pulled a thermometer from the medical kit beside him.
“Here, open your mouth and hold this.
Conditions are limited, so bear with it.”
Murrue Ramius rolled her eyes, clearly having no intention of opening her mouth for the thermometer.
Just then, Kira’s friends, guided by Bao Bao, finally drove back the three heavy-duty trucks Leon Vance had prepared earlier, loaded with various supplies and weapons for the Sky Raider Gundam.
At the same time, they seemed to have brought back a surprise—another truck carrying the Cannon Striker equipment for the Strike Gundam.
“Is that…
the Strike Gundam’s equipment?
Huh?
Wait, why are there so many more trucks?”
Seeing Murrue Ramius being stubborn and changing the subject, Leon Vance shrugged and casually put the thermometer back into the medical kit.
“Those are things I found in that warehouse.
Packed full of supplies.”
Leon Vance stroked his chin, hinting at something.
“Even if this place is lost, the supplies on those trucks should be enough to sustain us for a while.”
Murrue Ramius’s expression changed as she immediately grasped Leon Vance’s meaning.
“Just speculation.
But it’s a very likely possibility.”
Leon Vance crossed his arms, deep in thought.
“During our earlier encounter, though it was only for a brief moment, I could sense that the pilot of the GINN that blocked the Sky Raider’s beam ring was likely ZAFT’s ace, Rau Le Creuset.”
“Rau Le Creuset?
It was him?”
Murrue Ramius’s expression visibly hardened.
This was only natural.
Since the war between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance began, aside from the performance advantage of Mobile Suits, it was the terrifying combat loss ratio achieved by ZAFT pilots led by Rau Le Creuset, with their exceptional MS piloting skills, that created such an intimidating reputation.
Therefore, upon hearing that the commander leading the ZAFT forces to Heliopolis might be Rau Le Creuset, it would be a lie to say Murrue Ramius wasn’t flustered.
“Don’t worry!
There’s a way to handle this.”
As Murrue Ramius anxiously pondered what to do next, Leon Vance’s warm hand landed on her left shoulder, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
This scene reminded Murrue Ramius of the time she first went hiking with Leon Vance.
“Like that time I accidentally lost my backpack, and we had to scramble out of the mountains looking disheveled, surviving on wild berries and water?”
Murrue Ramius blinked and playfully brought up the embarrassing incident from her first hiking trip with Leon Vance.
Even though they were inside a colony satellite where they could have easily called for help via radio communication at any time, the two of them had developed some stubborn determination, turning a leisurely hike into a wilderness survival ordeal.
If word got out, the residents of Heliopolis probably wouldn’t believe it.
“I suppose so!”
Leon Vance rolled his eyes helplessly, clearly not wanting to dwell on that embarrassing memory.
That had been a slip-up on his part!
After sharing a smile, Leon Vance glanced at the young men and women who were parking the trucks and, following the instructions issued in his name by Mechanical Cat Bao Bao, beginning to distribute drinking water and food from the first truck.
“When ZAFT launches another attack, we must find a way to leave this place.
Otherwise, this colony satellite will only meet the fate of being destroyed by ZAFT.”
“But the outside should be surrounded by ZAFT’s fleet.
How do we evacuate from here?”
As soon as Murrue Ramius spoke, she immediately understood what Leon Vance meant.
“The Archangel?!”
“Yes!
Unfortunately, we don’t have enough personnel to send someone to contact the Archangel.”
As he spoke, Leon Vance felt Murrue Ramius take his right hand.
“I’ll go!
Leon Vance looked at Murrue Ramius with displeasure.
“You do realize you’re injured, right?
The dock where the Archangel is located is likely one of ZAFT’s targets as well.
We have no idea what the situation inside is like.”
“It’s fine!
I’ve been to the Archangel’s dock before, so I know a bit about the situation there.
Hmm, why not let a few of them accompany me?
At the very least, no one here will hinder your upcoming battles.”
A certain resolve flickered in Murrue Ramius’s eyes.
Clearly, this woman, gentle on the outside but strong-willed inside, was unwilling to lie idle and watch from the sidelines.
She wanted to do something, at the very least.
“Fine then.
Bao Bao, come here.”
Seeing Murrue’s insistence, Leon Vance beckoned to Mechanical Cat Bao Bao.
The other glanced back at Leon Vance and Murrue and immediately understood what was going on.
“You really treat me like a beast of burden, don’t you?”
A very displeased complaint from Mechanical Cat Bao Bao echoed in Leon Vance’s mind.
“This is also part of the mission!”
After over a decade of companionship, Leon Vance knew exactly how to handle this system-embodied Mechanical Cat Bao Bao.
With just one phrase—”This is part of the plan (mission)”—the mechanical cat would usually choose to comply.
“Tsk!
This isn’t about completing the mission at all!
You just want me to protect your old flame!”
Mechanical Cat Bao Bao complained frantically to Leon Vance through their mental link while shaking its head and wagging its tail, adorably meowing at Murrue Ramius.
“This…
Leon Vance.
Your mechanical pet?”
Although Mechanical Cat Bao Bao tried its best to deploy its cuteness ultimate move, Murrue Ramius clearly wasn’t buying it, instead looking at Leon Vance with confusion.
The latter nodded.
“Bring it along.
It might come in handy.”