The group fell silent, unsure how to counter Yang Hui's argument—especially Natarle Badgiruel.
As Yang Hui had pointed out, in their eyes, junk dealers were nothing more than scavenging hyenas, worthless trash-pickers who ranked among the most despised. Yet from Yang Hui's mouth, these same people received an entirely different evaluation.
"But… even so… the Eurasian Federation is our ally, surely they'd be better than—"
"We'll proceed with Yang Hui's suggestion. We'll resupply at the Junk Guild."
In the end, Murrue didn't give Natarle a chance to argue further. She made the decision outright, backing Yang Hui's proposal.
The reason she trusted Yang Hui was simple: he was also aboard the Archangel. He wouldn't gamble with his own life. Moreover, Yang Hui stood at a higher vantage point than they did—what he saw, heard, and experienced far surpassed their own understanding. She was also aware of some of the Earth Federation's internal corruption. Compared to so-called allies whose true intentions were uncertain, a straightforward transactional relationship was far more reliable.
Murrue considered another factor as well: ZAFT's pursuit.
She didn't know whether Creuset's team would continue chasing the Archangel. If they didn't, all would be well. But if they did, heading to the Junk Guild would be an unexpected move—its location was in the complete opposite direction from Artemis.
If Natarle could identify Artemis as the ideal resupply point, wouldn't the enemy think the same? The Naska-class was also a high-speed warship. What if they were ambushed en route? Or worse, trapped inside Artemis?
Artemis's Umbrella was touted as an impenetrable defense, but once activated, nothing could enter or leave. Did they really want to be stuck there indefinitely, praying for reinforcements from the Eurasian Federation or the Atlantic Federation?
And… there was also the matter of the other four Gundams' capabilities.
"Captain!"
"We'll discuss this later. Right now, our priority is leaving this area," Murrue told Natarle.
"...Understood."
"Prepare decoys. Upon deployment, ignite the main engines and adjust course for the Junk Guild. Afterward, switch to inertial navigation to avoid detection. Secondary combat readiness—ensure ship adjustments are completed in the shortest time possible."
"Reaching the coordinates Yang Hui marked will take about four hours. After that… we'll just have to leave it to fate," Mu muttered to himself.
The Archangel set off, deploying decoys before its main engines roared to life, propelling the ship through the gaps in the debris field—the beginning of its legendary journey.
Meanwhile, Creuset had also decided on his next move: to continue pursuing the Archangel.
"I never expected things to turn out like this," Captain Addis said uneasily. He had never intended to destroy Heliopolis—otherwise, they wouldn't have just sent MS units; the warships would have joined the assault. "What should we do? Destroying a neutral colony… the Council will surely—"
"A colony producing new MS for the Earth Forces—how is that neutral?" Creuset retorted.
"But—"
"Most of the residents have already evacuated, so there shouldn't be any major issues." As Creuset spoke, he turned to Captain Addis. His masked face concealed any expression. "...Compared to the tragedy of Bloody Valentine, that is."
"..." Captain Addis remained silent.
The tragedy of [Bloody Valentine] was a wound that would never fully heal in the hearts of all PLANT citizens.
On February 14, C.E. 70, the Earth Federation launched a nuclear missile at the agricultural satellite [Junius Seven] among the P.L.A.N.T. colonies, causing catastrophic destruction and resulting in the deaths of 243,721 people aboard Junius Seven. Since February 14 was Valentine's Day, this event became known historically as [Bloody Valentine].
This also marked the turning point where the war between the Earth Alliance and PLANT escalated into full-scale conflict.
"Can we locate the enemy's new warship?" Creuset asked the radar operator.
"No, given the current situation... it's difficult."
"Should we continue the pursuit?" Captain Addis inquired. "But we don't have any usable MS left."
"Aren't there some? We captured four intact units from the Earth Forces."
"You plan to deploy those? But..."
"Extracting the data is enough. Let me make full use of them. Magnify the sector map and inform the Khamov to expand its reconnaissance range."
"Yes."
The sector map displayed, and Creuset and Captain Addis began analyzing possible directions the Archangel might take.
"They must have left this sector amidst the chaos when Heliopolis collapsed," Captain Addis concluded.
"No, that's impossible. They must be hiding somewhere." Creuset made a completely different judgment, carefully examining the sector map before proposing, "How about we cast a net?"
"You mean... cast a net?"
"Exactly. Have the Vesalius (Creuset's flagship, a Nazca-class battleship) move ahead and wait for the enemy ship here, while the Khamov closely follows along an intersecting course, conducting reconnaissance simultaneously," Creuset arranged.
"This route... are they heading to Artemis? But if they're fleeing to the Moon..."
"Detecting a large heat source. Dimensional analysis predicts the target is using Earth's gravity to alter course toward the Earth Forces' Atlantic Federation headquarters on the lunar surface."
"Captain..." Captain Addis became convinced of his judgment—the Archangel was heading directly for the lunar base.
But Creuset saw through the Archangel's ruse at a glance, identifying it as a decoy: "That's a decoy."
"Still... just to be safe, we should confirm with the Khamov..."
"No, they're heading to Artemis. The earlier incident only reinforces my certainty. Dispatch the Vesalius and connect me to Selman."
However, while Creuset accurately identified the decoy, he fell into a cognitive blind spot and misjudged the Archangel's true destination. His pincer strategy was doomed to fail.
...
Having successfully misled the Creuset Team, the Archangel entered a brief period of stability. With only the duty crew needed on the bridge, Yang Hui left to find Kira. Though the circumstances that led Kira to pilot the Strike were different now, he was likely still in a state of confusion and struggle. Since Yang Hui had set him on this path, he felt responsible.
"Hey, Kira, good work in the last battle."
Yang Hui arrived inside the ship where they were verifying the identities of all refugees. Kira and the others were resting there, though one additional person had joined them—a pitiful girl who had been scorned and cursed by countless fans but was merely another victim of war.
Her bright red hair was tied in a ponytail, her delicate features accentuated by a cute pink sundress. Clinging tightly to Sai, her face wore an uneasy expression, embodying the demeanor of a distressed young noblewoman.
"Yang Hui..."
"Yang Hui, what... what should we do now? Where is this ship even headed?"
Unlike Kira's complicated expression, Tolle asked directly. They had been forced onto this ship and already guessed the ZAFT Forces would keep pursuing it. Staying aboard meant greater danger, and they wanted to disembark as soon as possible to escape the war's vortex.
"This ship is heading to the Junk Guild for resupply. If you want to disembark, it should be possible. Though those junk dealers are money-grubbing, I'll cover your expenses to return to Earth," Yang Hui replied.
"The Junk Guild? What's that?" Miriallia asked.
"I've heard of them," Sai said, more knowledgeable than the others due to his privileged background. "They're space nomads who survive by scavenging space debris."
"What? So they're just a bunch of trash collectors? Why would we go to them for supplies?" Flay, the spoiled rich girl, knew little and was quick to judge before understanding.
"Don't speak if you don't know, Miss Astral. Though they make a living collecting space debris, many among them are highly skilled. Otherwise, they wouldn't survive in space alone, much less form an organization connected to major factions," Yang Hui admonished coolly.
In some ways, Flay deserved sympathy—but in the midst of war, who was truly spared? That didn't justify her behavior, and besides...
At least read the room. You're relying on others' hospitality right now. Who are you putting on airs for? This isn't just affectation—it's outright foolishness.
"You! How dare you talk to me like that? They're still trash collectors, no matter how skilled they are!"
"Enough, Flay." Sai quickly tried to calm her down and apologized to Yang Hui. "Sorry, Yang Hui. Flay just doesn't understand..."
"It's fine. But you should rein in her noble temper. Just because we've shaken off ZAFT for now doesn't mean we're completely safe."
"Understood..."
If it had been anyone else, Sai would have defended Flay even if she was in the wrong. But Yang Hui's status made it impossible for Sai to muster any anger. For one, Yang Hui was in the right. For another, he had essentially saved their lives—had they disembarked back then, they would now be floating as space debris amidst the wreckage of Heliopolis. And lastly... Yang Hui was a top figure in Orb. As Orb citizens, they couldn't afford to offend him.
"Speaking of which, Kira..."
"Yang Hui, I..."
"Come, let's talk."
"...Alright."
"Wait! Are you really going to make Kira fight again? He's not a soldier—why are you doing this?" Tolle blocked Kira's path, preventing him from leaving with Yang Hui, and confronted Yang Hui directly.
"...I'm not forcing him to do anything. This is his own choice," Yang Hui replied, his gaze steady as he looked at Tolle and the others.
"But..."
After returning to the ship, Tolle and the others had asked Kira why he kept fighting. Kira had told them about his conversation with Yang Hui, and they all felt Yang Hui was despicable—pretending to give Kira a choice when there really wasn't one, just pressuring him to fight in his place.
"Tolle, stop."
"But you don't want to fight either, do you?"
"No, but..."
"You're a bastard! And here I thought you were a decent guy!" Unable to find the words to persuade Kira, Tolle lost his temper and grabbed Yang Hui by the collar, raising a fist to strike him.
"Tolle! Stop!"
"Don't be rash! He's—"
"So what? Just because he's a Yang Family heir, he gets to use us ordinary people however he wants?"
"Tolle..."
"If you want to hit me, go ahead. I won't fight back." Yang Hui met Tolle's furious glare calmly, along with the hostile stares from Sai and the others. If they had been holding back before, Tolle's words had now unleashed all their pent-up resentment.
"You bastard..."
"That's right. I forced Kira to fight. I deliberately manipulated all of you into boarding the Archangel. I am using you, and I won't deny it."
"Yang Hui! You—"
"But everything I've done is for Orb." Yang Hui's voice was firm, his conviction so intense it momentarily stole their breath. "If it means making Orb stronger, breaking free from its shackles, and escaping the control of both Earth and PLANT—I'll use whatever I can. Including myself."
"..."
Seeing their silence, Yang Hui turned to Kira one last time. "I'm heading to the hangar. Whether you come or not is your choice."
With that, he walked away, leaving behind a group of conflicted expressions.