Mikazuki wore a red ZAFT uniform. Lacus smiled as she straightened his collar for him.
"There, it's a perfect fit."
"When did you even have time to get this ready?" Mikazuki looked at himself in the mirror. He felt a bit awkward in the clothes, but they were indeed well-tailored.
"I asked the factory to make one a few days ago. Oh, that's right I also prepared a special Alaya-Vijnana Normal Suit for you. It's waiting at the plant. I know all about you, you know? You usually don't wear a Normal Suit when you fight in space, do you? That simply won't do. You can't be careless in space combat. If the cockpit gets breached, how will you survive?"
Lacus complained like a nagging wife fussing over her husband.
"Thanks," Mikazuki said with a smile.
Lacus shook her head slightly and smoothed out the wrinkles on his jacket. "It's the least I could do. Now, let's head out. It's time for you to see what I'm asking you to take away."
Mikazuki nodded and put on his headset. He got into Lacus's private car, and they headed toward a classified facility located at the satellite wall of the ZAFT military station.
Along the way, Lacus taught Mikazuki the ZAFT military salute. Although Mikazuki disliked such formalities, he learned them anyway, as Lacus insisted they were necessary to enter the facility.
Upon entering, they were in a state of weightlessness since the facility was built against the satellite wall. Mikazuki followed Lacus, drifting deeper into the complex. After saluting more times than he could count, Lacus finally paused.
"We're here."
Mikazuki sharpened his focus. Two ordinary soldiers stood guard in front of a hatch. Lacus gave them a signal, and the soldiers produced a key card to decrypt the lock. The hatch hissed open.
"Let's go."
They continued forward. Passing through the hatch, Mikazuki arrived in a massive area resembling a hangar. He gripped a handrail to steady himself as the floodlights suddenly flared to life.
Mikazuki's eyebrows shot up when he saw what was illuminated. "Is that a Mobile Suit?"
Standing before them was a gargantuan gray machine.
"Yes," Lacus began. "After ZAFT obtained the Gundam data from the Earth Alliance, the New PLANT Supreme Council Chairman ordered the development of this latest Mobile Suit model. It is the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam."
Mikazuki glanced at the Freedom, then turned his head slightly toward Lacus. "Is this what you want me to take?"
Lacus gave a heavy nod. "Yes. I want to entrust it to you. Even though you might not strictly need it, leaving this machine here will cause the situation to spiral completely out of control. It is equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceler, allowing it to ignore the interference of dispersed seeds.
It is powered by a Nuclear Fusion Reactor, meaning it could provide a continuous energy supply for ten years, even if it fought every single day. Whether it's the Earth Alliance or ZAFT, this machine is far too dangerous to fall into either side's hands."
Orga's voice crackled through the headset. "This is getting a bit tricky. You can't exactly just carry a Mobile Suit out of here in your pocket. What's the plan, Mika? Are we really taking it?"
Mikazuki answered firmly, "Of course we're taking it. As for how to move it... Lacus, is there a fast ship here? Ideally, something that can reach Earth in one go."
Lacus blinked, then quickly replied, "There is. Over at the port, I remember a Nazca-class high-speed battleship currently undergoing maintenance. It's scheduled to depart in about three days. If it pushes at full speed, it should arrive at Earth in less than two days."
"That'll work. Orga, it's about time you moved house."
A glint of a smile appeared in Mikazuki's heterochromatic eyes.
"Huh?" Orga's voice sounded surprised for a moment before realization dawned. "Haha, I see. Indeed... staying inside Barbatos doesn't leave me with much to do besides talking. Still, how did you know I could 'move'?"
"Just a guess."
Lacus couldn't hear Orga's voice at all. She looked at Mikazuki's face, her beautiful features clouded with confusion, completely unaware of what he was talking about.
The next morning.
Mikazuki put on the Normal Suit Lacus had custom-made for him. It was far superior to the one he used to wear not only was it comfortable, but it was also exceptionally lightweight. Since it was tailor-made for him, there was no question about whether it fit or not.
"Alright, mission start. Orga, Lacus should be in position by now."
"Yeah, she's there. You should head out too."
"Got it. Mikazuki Augus, Barbatos, launching!"
The upper hatch of the hangar opened. The thrusters on Barbatos's waist and back roared to life, and with a thunderous boom, the machine shot out of the factory and into the open.
Barbatos had been flying through P.L.A.N.T.'s airspace for less than three minutes when alarms began screaming throughout the entire satellite.
"Unknown Mobile Suit detected within the satellite! All civilians, please proceed to the nearest shelter immediately! Repeating..."
Barbatos streaked across the cityscapes. The gale produced by its thrusters caused people on the streets to cover their ears and grab onto whatever was nearby to steady themselves.
"Is that a Mobile Suit?"
"Why is there a Mobile Suit in Aprilius?"
"What on earth is the Council doing?"
It wasn't just the civilians who were panicked. The various officials of P.L.A.N.T. who had just started their workday were thrown into utter chaos.
Patrick Zala had just arrived at his office when he saw Barbatos fly past his window. The blaring sirens only fueled his rising rage.
"What is going on? Why has an unknown Mobile Suit appeared in P.L.A.N.T., and inside the satellite no less! Have we identified the signal? Is it friend or foe? Have they attacked us?"
The barrage of questions left his subordinate stunned and fumbling. Patrick roared, "Answer me!"
"Yes, sir! We are still identifying the signal, but we have never seen that model before. As for attacks... none have been recorded so far. Do we engage?"
The subordinate's voice faltered at the end. Patrick cursed him without mercy.
"Idiot! Our citizens haven't even finished evacuating! If we engage now, what if we hit them by mistake?"
"My deepest apologies, sir!"
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