The Skygrasper Unit 1 returned to the Archangel with the joy of victory. Taking out an entire carrier along with all its MS in a chain explosion was quite an achievement. To top it off, they discovered the Archangel's battle had also ended upon their return—a double celebration.
But as the aircraft landed and Mu stepped out of the cockpit, he immediately noticed the grim expressions on everyone's faces.
"What happened?" Mu asked right away.
"Where's Unit 2?"
"The kid didn't make it back?" Mu froze. During the battle, the Skygrasper Unit 2's navigation module had been damaged, so he had ordered Cagalli to return to the ship first. She should have arrived long ago.
"What's going on? Where's Cagalli?" Kisaka, who had been waiting for Cagalli's return, and Lyle, who had just returned to the ship, approached and asked.
"Here's what happened..."
...
Rewind ten minutes earlier. After the two Skygraspers launched, they headed in the direction provided by CIC to search for the ZAFT Forces' carrier. It didn't take long before they located the submarine carrier.
"Finally found you, little kitten!" Seeing the light dots appear on the anti-submarine radar, Mu finally relaxed. The direction from CIC had only been a prediction—there was no guarantee they'd actually find the target.
"Little kitten?"
"Don't worry about it. Let's go!"
"It's Cagalli!"
Though Cagalli complained about Mu not using her name, she didn't hesitate in action. The missile bays on the undersides of both Skygraspers opened, each firing an anti-submarine torpedo.
One missed, but the other struck directly on the carrier's starboard side (port side: "So you get yours too!"). The flooding was severe, forcing the carrier to surface. They also needed to deploy their standby AMF-101 DINN units to shoot down the two Skygraspers.
"Damn it, if only the Captain hadn't ordered us back to base for resupply first... Surface and launch the DINNs! Take them down!"
The shadow on the water's surface grew larger—a clear sign the carrier was about to emerge. Mu had never expected two anti-submarine torpedoes to sink a ZAFT Forces submarine carrier. His goal was to force them out of the depths. The moment they surfaced, he'd hit them hard—which was why his Skygrasper was equipped with an artillery combat pack.
"They're coming. Ready?"
"Yeah!"
This was only Cagalli's second sortie in a Skygrasper, so she was still a bit nervous. Eager to prove herself, she immediately descended, flying low toward the carrier's surfacing position.
"Hey, don't fly too low! You'll get swamped by the waves!"
Thanks to Mu's timely warning, Cagalli yanked the control stick at the last second and climbed sharply. Otherwise, the waves from the surfacing carrier would have swept the Skygrasper away, turning it into a sinking wreck.
"Idiot! Next time, stay calm and don't act recklessly!"
"Who are you calling an idiot?!"
At that moment, Mu felt exactly the same way Yang Hui often did—this girl was seriously lacking in charm.
But Mu didn't argue further. The submarine carrier had fully surfaced, its three MS catapult hatches wide open. If they didn't act now, they'd be the ones in danger.
"You're not getting away with this!"
Descending in altitude, the Flame God's Hyper Impulse Cannon roared, its blue-white-red beam piercing straight through the submarine carrier, leaving behind a ghastly gaping hole. The next second, arcs of electricity danced across the molten edges of the hole, accompanied by continuous sizzling sounds and sparks flying everywhere, culminating in a chain of explosions that sent flames soaring and thick smoke billowing.
"Did we get it?" Cagalli exclaimed excitedly as she watched the submarine carrier explode, but her excitement quickly turned to tension when a single AMF-101 DINN emerged from the flames and smoke, its dark barrel aimed directly at her.
Facing the oncoming DINN, Cagalli's Skygrasper swiftly dodged, only to nearly collide with Mu's follow-up attack.
"Hey kid, stop darting around! What if I hit you by accident?"
"What are you—ugh!"
Before she could retort, Cagalli's Skygrasper took a hit. Fortunately, though trailing thick smoke from its tail, it quickly stabilized.
"You okay?" Mu asked urgently. He had promised Yang Hui to look after Cagalli—he couldn't break that promise now.
"Just some damage to the navigation module. I'm fine."
"Can you make it back? Then get out of here. I'll handle this guy." Mu was genuinely worried. While Cagalli had potential as a Skygrasper pilot, her recklessness, stubbornness, and competitive streak made him reluctant to let her stay in the battlefield any longer.
"I told you, I'm fine! I can still—"
"You're just getting in the way flying around like that! Don't you get it!?" Mu finally lost his temper, shouting in frustration. Now he understood why Yang Hui often scolded Cagalli—it wasn't about picking on her, but because she really asked for it!
"Tch, fine! Got it!"
Grudgingly, Cagalli had no choice but to comply. She steered her Skygrasper away from the battle, heading back toward the Archangel. But...
With Cagalli gone, Mu could finally fight without restraint.
Climbing, flipping, diving—he maneuvered against the sun's glare, blinding the DINN pilot before unleashing another devastating blast from his tri-colored cannon, slicing the DINN clean in half.
"Gotcha!"
Having destroyed the last DINN, Mu's Skygrasper turned back toward the Archangel, victory in his heart.
...
"That's what happened. I sent her back early—she should've returned by now."
After Mu's explanation, everyone fell into thought, puzzling over Cagalli's disappearance.
"Could her damaged navigation module have made her lose her way back to the Archangel?" Murrue speculated.
"No way?" The others froze, looking as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Actually… if it's Cagalli, it's entirely possible," Yang Hui groaned, covering his face in exasperation.
This wasn't an act. While anime was just anime, and Yang Hui didn't know if Cagalli would still coincidentally encounter the Aegis transport and crash-land with Athrun on a deserted island, one thing he did know from growing up with her—she was directionally challenged. Hopelessly so.
How bad was it? She once nearly got lost inside her own mansion.
"...Well, what do we do now?" The group collectively sighed. So there really were people who couldn't find their way home without navigation.
"We have no choice but to launch a search and rescue operation," Murrue decided.
Normally, Natarle Badgiruel would have sternly opposed this decision. After all, they were still in territory occupied by ZAFT Forces—every additional second spent here increased their danger, and no one knew whether ZAFT would send reinforcements to pursue them.
But now the situation was entirely different. Setting aside the gradual changes in Natarle's personality, they had accepted Yang Hui's request to safely escort him and Cagalli back to Orb. They also desperately needed Orb's supplies. Now, with one of their escort targets missing—and that target being none other than the princess of the Athha family—wouldn't that mean the mission had failed?
Moreover, if Orb were to learn of this news, they might as well scuttle the ship right here instead of heading to Alaska.
Given the urgency of the war situation, the Atlantic Federation was placing increasing importance on Orb. If their actions deepened the rift between Orb and the Atlantic Federation, the Federation's higher-ups wouldn't let them off the hook—even before Orb could take action.
"Let's search. At the very least... we need to find the wreckage of Skygrasper Unit 2," Yang Hui said.
"..."
Silence fell over the group. Though everyone still clung to hope, it was just that—hope. Cagalli's current status could already be classified as MIA (Missing In Action).
After resupplying, the Strike Gundam and Skygrasper Unit 1 launched again for an emergency search of the surrounding waters. Meanwhile, the Archangel moved toward the nearest uninhabited island chain, where they would deploy Lyle's GINN to begin searching for Cagalli on land.
"The distress signal should have been sent, but with the current poor signal quality, it's practically useless. After Skygrasper and Strike finish searching the nearby waters, they'll rendezvous with Lyle's unit to begin searching the uninhabited islands."
"Understood." x3
"Remember, the search and rescue operation must conclude by 0800 tomorrow morning," Natarle reminded them.
Stopping to conduct a search was already going above and beyond. With Cagalli's fate unknown and Yang Hui still aboard the Archangel, they couldn't afford to lose another escort target. They had to take responsibility for the remaining escortee and for the entire crew of the Archangel. Of course, this deadline had been agreed upon by Yang Hui as well.
"Young Master Yang Hui..."
"What is it, Kisaka?"
"If... we don't find Cagalli, I request to disembark here."
"To continue searching for her?"
"Yes. Lord Uzumi entrusted Cagalli to my care. If we can't find her within the allotted time, I can't simply return like this."
"...You've spent too much time with Cagalli. It's made you foolish too," Yang Hui said with a wry smile.
"As Cagalli would say, it's all the guidance of Haumea," Kisaka replied with an equally bitter smile.
"The guidance of Haumea, huh... Permission granted. If we don't find her, you will. And bring her back—by any means necessary."
"Understood."
...
The Archangel initiated a search and rescue operation, while at the ZAFT Forces' Carpentaria Base, personnel had also gone missing. The newly formed Athha Team hadn't even completed a single mission before their Captain disappeared.
"Yzak, any news about Athrun?" Nicol asked anxiously as Yzak returned from inquiring about updates.
Originally, all four of them were supposed to depart together. However, the transport aircraft responsible for delivering the Aegis Gundam experienced a last-minute malfunction before takeoff, causing Athrun and the Aegis to depart later. Then... as the sun set, they still hadn't arrived at Carpentaria Base.
"Members of the Athha Team, I now announce our glorious squad's first mission," Yzak declared with exaggerated seriousness, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "This mission is of utmost importance—its objective is... rescuing our Captain!"
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!" Dearka burst into laughter immediately.
Nicol wanted to get angry but found himself powerless. Compared to arguing with Yzak and Dearka, he was far more concerned about Athrun's safety.
"He can't be blamed for the transport being shot down this time, but HQ is too busy with other matters. They told us to find our own Captain."
"Tsk tsk, what a splendid beginning."
"But it's almost nightfall now. Let's search tomorrow."
"How can you say that?!"
"He's piloting the Aegis, after all. Even if he crashed into the ocean, there's no need to worry too much."
"Exactly. Let's rest at the dormitory today. The mothership will be fully prepped by tomorrow, and we can set out then."
Miguel had no choice but to accept. If this were in space, he would've immediately launched a solo rescue operation in the Blitz Gundam. But on Earth, especially over the ocean, without mothership support, Nicol acting alone would only turn the rescue target from one person to two.
"Athrun, please stay safe," Nicol prayed silently, gazing at the setting sun outside the window.