Lacus Clyne smiled softly as she watched Mikazuki's eyes light up at the sight of the auxiliary booster powering on.
"Just as Orga said, you really do get happy about these things. However, this booster is a bit different from the one Mr. Itsuka provided; we've made some improvements."
As she spoke, she picked up the Haro floating beside her. She was about to head toward the computer in the lounge when Mikazuki called out to her.
"You don't need that. Just say '537' out loud. I'm not really one for reading characters, after all."
Lacus's body stiffened for a moment before she let out a gentle, knowing smile.
"Alright."
She began to explain the differences between this auxiliary booster and the ones Mikazuki had used before.
"The original manual operation of the thrusters has been redesigned to be fully controlled by an onboard AI. When Barbatos is docked, you only need to input simple commands, and the computer will automatically handle the reaction.
It's not just the control system; we've also improved the materials and internal design. While the dimensions match the data provided by Mr. Itsuka, the exterior is made of battleship grade armorthe same tier as the Eternal's plating. Standard beam fire won't even leave a scratch.
It also houses two MA-7B Beam Cannons, four quadruple missile launchers, and two MA-X200 Beam Swords. Its maximum flight speed reaches eight thousand kilometers per hour."
That speed was by no means slow. To put it in perspective, the First Cosmic Velocity required to break free from Earth's gravity is approximately 7.9 kilometers per second. While this booster couldn't match the speed of the propulsion armor Orb had prepared for him, it was still far beyond what any standard mobile suit or battleship in this world could endure.
"You could say this auxiliary booster is practically a Mobile Armor itself, very similar to the METEOR units equipped by the Eternal."
Mikazuki nodded, his gaze fixed on the machinery below. The booster was exquisitely crafted, and just like the equipment from Orb, it featured a red Tekkadan emblem carefully emblazoned on its surface.
"Mi…"
Lacus started to speak several times but hesitated, her face a mask of conflict and helplessness. Mikazuki caught her expression in the reflection of the glass and narrowed his eyes.
"What's wrong? You've had that look for a while now. Your smile... it looks a little forced. Did something happen?"
From the moment they had left the bridge, the girl's pure, untroubled smile had changed. It had become... bitter.
Lacus's beautiful face twitched as if she were desperately suppressing something, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Mika."
Finally unable to hold it back any longer, Lacus threw herself into Mikazuki's arms and wept. Her tears floated silently in the zero-gravity air.
"My father... Papa is dead."
Mikazuki's gaze went cold and rigid. After a moment, he looked out at the hangar and reached out to pull Lacus into a firm embrace.
He had actually liked Siegel Clyne. The man had truly worked for the peaceful coexistence of Coordinators and Naturals, sincerely wishing for the war to end.
Mikazuki didn't know how to comfort people. He had seen too much death, but the girl in his arms had just lost her father.
While he didn't fully understand the weight of the word 'father,' he knew it must be something speciallike Biscuit's sisters or Akihiro's brother, Masahiro...
In a situation like this... he couldn't just say that she would see him again after she died.
For a time, Mikazuki found himself at a loss for words. He simply stood there, letting Lacus's tears wet his pilot suit.
After a long while, Lacus finally stopped crying, though her eyes remained rimmed with red.
"I'm sorry, Mika. I must have troubled you."
"No. Are you okay?"
Lacus wiped away the remaining traces of tears from the corners of her eyes and forced a small smile.
"I'm fine. I feel much better after letting it out."
Mikazuki nodded slightly.
"I see. Sorry, I'm not very smart and I don't know how to talk well. I didn't know how to comfort you."
Lacus shook her head vigorously.
"That's not true. Mika... you are very gentle. You're not slow at all. And... just you being here is the greatest comfort I could have. Thank you, Mika."
Having said that, Lacus's face flushed slightly. she leaned down and pressed her lips softly against Mikazuki's dry mouth.
Mikazuki felt a cool, moist sensation against his lips, and then... nothing else. He didn't have much of a reaction to it. He was an emotional idiot, after all; even his "crystallization" with Atra Mixta had happened in a total blur of confusion.
However, he was certain of one thing: the feeling he had for Lacus and Murrue was the same as what he felt for Kudelia and Atra.
Suddenly, Mikazuki's stomach let out a loud rumble. The shy Lacus couldn't help but burst into a giggle.
"Let's go eat. The food on the Eternal should be quite good; after all, we have the chefs from Captain Waltfeld's side."
"Okay."
By the following day, the Eternal had successfully rendezvoused with the Archangel, the Kusanagi, and the Sastri.
They gathered at Mendel, a colony within the L4 cluster that the Archangel was using as a base of operations.
Inside a spacious room at the satellite's port, Andrew Waltfeld looked at Murrue and the others with a smile.
"Nice to meet you... though that sounds strange to say. I am Andrew Waltfeld."
"Murrue Ramius."
Murrue reached out and shook Andrew's hand, returning the smile.
"You certainly gave us quite a surprise."
Andrew shrugged with a chuckle.
"We all did. But it's thanks to that boy letting me off the hook that we're able to meet here at all. Otherwise, whether we'd be seeing each other now would be anyone's guess."
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