Since the Lupus armor tuning wasn't finished yet, it seemed like it would take a bit more time. Mikazuki and Lacus returned to the manor together. He trusted Lacus, so he felt perfectly comfortable leaving the Barbatos at the factory. Furthermore, Orga was still with the machine, so there was no cause for concern.
Back on Earth, the Archangel had successfully reached Alaska. During the journey, they were attacked several times by Athrun's Gundam team. Thanks to the arduous fighting by Kira and Mu, all members of the Archangel arrived safely at their destination.
However, Kira's Strike had been heavily damaged in the final battle with Athrun's team before they reached Alaska. During a moment when the ship tilted, the catapult deck doors had been left open. The unsecured Strike slid directly into the ocean, its final destination unknown.
Despite the loss of the Strike, the results of the battle were significant. Both the Aegis and the Blitz had been disabled by Kira without him having to kill his best friend or his friend's companions. The Buster, along with its pilot Dearka Elsman, had been captured by the Archangel.
Yet, even after arriving in Alaska, Murrue Ramius did not smile. The attitude the Alaska base showed toward the Archangel was simply too bizarre. From the moment they arrived, she had asked if the crew could disembark, but the response was always that they were to remain on standby aboard the ship. This made Murrue and the others feel that something was wrong.
Then, an inquiry hearing was convened. It was a formal review of everything that had happened from the Archangel's departure from Heliopolis until its arrival in Alaska. The most heated topics of discussion were undoubtedly Kira Yamato, a Newtype, piloting the Earth Alliance's Strike, and Mikazuki's Barbatos.
"Major Ramius, setting aside Kira Yamato's induction into the Earth Alliance as a Second Lieutenant, can you explain this machine... exactly what is going on here?"
Several high-ranking officials from the Alaska base sat at the conference table. Behind them, a projection screen displayed a photo of the Barbatos during a sortie from the Archangel.
Murrue's expression darkened. She had thought their internal security had been tight, but it appeared everything had been exposed anyway.
"We encountered this machine at Heliopolis when our forces were suddenly attacked by ZAFT... that was the beginning. I was in the Strike and was saved by this machine. Afterward, the pilot said he wanted to reach Earth.
I agreed to take him with us on the condition that he would protect the Archangel as payment. You could say that the only reason the Archangel was able to reach this base at all was..."
Before Murrue could finish, a monkey-faced officer interrupted her.
"You agreed? Did you even consider military security regulations? You allowed a dangerous individual of unknown origin to step into the military's highest secrets. Did you never wonder why he would save you for no reason?"
"As I said, he wanted to go to Earth."
"That is no excuse to ignore regulations and admit a person with an unknown machine into your ship!"
"Ugh."
Murrue looked grim. She was starting to understand these people weren't here to investigate; they were here to cross-examine her with a different motive in mind. Behind her, Mu and the others looked equally dark. Even a fool could see that these superiors were nitpicking just to find a reason to cause trouble.
Another high official from the Atlantic Federation spoke up. "So, where is this machine now?"
Murrue let out a long sigh. "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
The old foxes of Alaska narrowed their eyes, staring at Murrue with ill intent. Murrue lifted her head without a hint of fear and spoke firmly.
"That's right, I don't know. That machine disembarked at a small island in the Pacific."
The official who had questioned her snapped back, "And you didn't stop him?"
"Stop him? Our deal was that he would protect us and we would bring him to Earth. It was that simple. Furthermore, he continued to protect us for a long distance even after we reached the planet. In terms of both logic and ethics, we had no reason to stop him."
"Tch..."
Now it was the leaders' turn to look frustrated. Murrue wore a faint sneer of mockery. Just as her late teacher, Halberton, had said, it was because the Earth Alliance was filled with parasites like this that their situation had become so passive.
"What is the name of this machine? And who is the pilot? You must at least know that much."
"Yes. The machine is called the Barbatos, and the pilot's name is Mikazuki Augus."
Mu had expected Murrue to lie or make up a few names, but he hadn't expected her to name Mikazuki directly.
"Hey, Captain..."
"Major La Flaga, please be quiet."
"Uh..."
Murrue didn't look back, but she reached behind her and gave Mu a hidden "OK" gesture. Only then did Mu sit back down.
The monkey-faced officer asked urgently, "Is there anything else?"
"Nothing else. Aside from his name, the only thing I know is that he is a mercenary. That's all."
The officer's excited expression collapsed, his mouth twitching as he glared at Murrue. "Damn it..."
A colleague leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Calm down. Our primary goal wasn't that machine anyway. Haven't we already decided? This woman, that ship, and even... this base, they are all just bait. We've already gotten everything we needed."
Hearing this, the monkey-faced officer let out a cold laugh. "True. 'For a blue and pure world,' let's let this woman act arrogant before us one last time before she is sacrificed."
"Then, is the hearing over?"
"Yes, end it."
"Agreed."
"Then let us announce the personnel transfers. After all, the daughter of the Allster family is very important."
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