After over a day of silent travel, the Archangel finally reached the vicinity of the orbital debris belt where Junius Seven was located.
Reid had already recovered without major issues, just as he'd guessed. Whenever he slept, he would relive the final moments preserved in the memories of Junius Seven's inhabitants.
This second experience, however, made the process of touching the Soul Firelight much clearer. All the flames formed a long pathway, as if guiding him toward some destination.
Reid speculated that this might be because the wreckage of Junius Seven, as it was drawn toward Earth, had drifted through space, naturally forming a trail.
Whether due to his unusually strong mental fortitude or the nature of dreams—where a single thought could span millennia—Reid experienced all those moments of death in just six hours. When he awoke again, that inexplicable sense of unease had vanished.
Moreover, Reid felt unusually light, as if his perception of everything around him had sharpened. For instance, when he encountered Bargiruel in the hallway again, though her face remained as expressionless as ever, he was certain he'd caught a fleeting blush before she quickly suppressed it.
Reid wasn't socially inept. He knew that if Ange found out about his embrace with Bargiruel, there would be hell to pay. So he simply smiled, nodded in greeting, and they both went about their business as usual.
After six hours of sleep, Reid was starving and naturally headed straight to the mess hall. Many others had the same idea, including refugees Kira had rescued. Dozens of people crowded the space, creating the illusion that the Archangel was bustling with life.
It wasn't hard to guess why the refugees gathered here. Even those accustomed to life on Colony Satellites often struggled with prolonged weightlessness. Humans were social creatures, and the mess hall was one of the few places on the ship where large groups could gather under gravity.
Ange was also in the mess hall, enjoying a meal. Thanks to Gerard Garcia, the Archangel's food supplies were now excellent—even allowing for custom orders. Though the cooks were just a few housewives recruited from the refugees, with such high-quality ingredients, it took real effort to make the food taste bad.
At the moment, Ange was wrestling with a massive black pepper salt-crusted steak, while Flay sat across from her, savoring a slice of chocolate cake. Beside Flay was Miriallia, who seemed to be eating fried rice with ham. After their time as Ange's attendants at Artemis Fortress, the three seemed to have grown closer.
Kira and his friends, however, couldn't bring themselves to sit with them. Ange's status as a princess still intimidated the others, making them hesitant around her, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Ange made no effort to approach them either, which Kira's friends likely interpreted as European royal aloofness, further discouraging them from joining her.
But to Reid, Ange was simply reserved with strangers—not outright cold. He saw no need to correct the misunderstanding.
For Reid, he wanted something light to eat, so he ordered a vegetarian cream truffle macaroni. He then naturally greeted Flay and Miriallia before sitting down next to Ange.
As soon as Reid took his seat, Flay across from him smiled brightly and said,
"Mr. Reid, you look much better now. Please take care of yourself from now on. You had Princess Angelise terribly worried before."
There was a hint of teasing in Flay's words, suggesting that she and Ange were closer than expected. Indeed, Ange wasn't very good at handling overly friendly women.
So Reid casually draped an arm over Ange's shoulder to show intimacy and replied,
"Thanks. By the way, Flay, Miriallia, how was your day as Ange's temporary attendants? She didn't make things difficult for you, did she?"
Reid's question was just small talk, but to his surprise, Flay immediately launched into an enthusiastic account of how much fun she had with Ange, showering her with praise. Her affection was unmistakable.
If Flay had been a man instead of a girl, Reid would have seriously considered making that person disappear—or at least finding a way to turn him into a woman.
But Flay's behavior now was far better than in the original story, where she had been the Archangel's number one liability.
Now, her relationship with Kira was neutral—she hadn't hurt his feelings or spouted nonsense like "Coordinators are monsters." After all, she knew Ange didn't discriminate against Coordinators, and the New Misurugi Republic welcomed any Coordinators who didn't want to participate in the war.
Plus, with many Coordinators at Heliopolis College, Flay had long learned to at least pretend not to discriminate. Being around Ange gave her a strong sense of security, so now she came across as a polite, well-behaved girl to most people.
Reid hoped Flay would keep this up. Given how close she was with Ange, he'd even try to save George Allster for her sake. That way, she could avoid the tragic fate she'd suffered in the original story.
However, just as Reid was thinking about Flay, the cafeteria's intercom suddenly buzzed. It wasn't a combat alert but a notification from the bridge crew:
"Attention, all Mobile Suit pilots, report to the hangar and board your units immediately. Repeat, all Mobile Suit pilots, report to the hangar and board your units."
Though it wasn't a combat deployment and the reason for boarding their units was unclear, Reid and Ange didn't hesitate. They wolfed down their food in a few bites and hurried to the hangar.
Once back in the NT-X's cockpit, Reid saw Mu arrive slightly later and climb straight into the Green Astray. He connected to the team comms and teased,
"Mu, why are you in my Mobile Suit again? That unit doesn't belong to the Atlantic Federation—go back to your Flag."
Mu was clearly in the mood to be stubborn. He replied matter-of-factly,
"Reid, what nonsense are you spouting? Isn't this unit assigned to me? The OS was even customized for me. The captain and executive officer spent a whole night with you, so the Archangel at least has partial ownership. Besides, the Flag's mobility is good, but its defenses are too flimsy, and it doesn't even have beam weapons. This Astray suits me just fine."
Mu's thoughtless remark had stirred up a hornet's nest. After all, the team's internal comms could be heard by both the bridge and CIC. Damn it, the captain and executive officer personally stayed up all night with you—anyone who didn't know better might think Murrue and Bargiruel had sold themselves.
The CIC crew's gazes toward Murrue and Bargiruel instantly turned strange. Even Kira, who had been spectating the whole time, gave Reid a peculiar look through the comm screen.
To save Mu's skin, Reid immediately corrected loudly,
"Mu, don't slur your words. The captain, executive officer, and I stayed up all night writing the OS for you!!"
Mu finally realized his slip-up. The truth was, he and Reid had grown close—both were grown men and comrades-in-arms, so it was normal for their jokes to cross the line. Just like how Reid's old squad would swap stories about their romantic conquests before missions, a favorite topic among men.
Mu hurriedly backtracked. His careless words had just offended the three women on the Archangel you absolutely did not want to cross. Especially Princess Angelise—if she used this as an excuse to "spar" with him, he might end up hospitalized for who knew how long. Or worse, straight to the morgue.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Writing the OS. Princess Angelise, please don't misunderstand!"
Ange was speechless, wondering if Mu had completely lost his sense of propriety. She made a mental note to keep Reid away from him later to avoid bad influences.
For now, though, she responded coldly,
"Captain Flaga, Reid was live-streaming the entire process to me that night. I know exactly how hard they worked. As for Murrue and Bargiruel, you owe them a proper apology."
At least Ange's words normalized the CIC crew's gazes toward the two officers. Everyone knew how terrifying her combat skills were—no way Reid would dare misbehave on a live feed.
Truthfully, Murrue and Bargiruel were fuming. They knew Reid and Mu were just joking around, but right now, both were seriously considering Reid's earlier suggestion to just eliminate Mu—he knew too much.
Fortunately, after Ange's explanation, the two managed to suppress their anger—for now. Bargiruel practically gritted her teeth as she spoke over the squad comms:
"Captain Flaga, though we're not in combat status, refrain from discussing irrelevant matters during duty—especially confidential items like the OS."
Murrue then forced herself to shift the topic, adding sternly,
"Enough. To business. The Archangel is about to enter Earth's debris ring to search for water sources. While the ship can plow through smaller debris, larger fragments must be pushed aside or cut apart by the Mobile Suit team.
Remember: avoid explosive weapons in the debris field. Many wrecked ships still carry live munitions, and some vessels' laser fusion reactors even pose detonation risks."
Finally, Reid understood why the MS pilots had been summoned—they were basically glorified space janitors.
But it made sense. Even ordinary debris fields were littered with metallic junk floating everywhere in space. And this was Earth's largest wreckage zone. For a ship the size of the Archangel, navigating it would be a nightmare under normal circumstances.
It's important to know that the wreckage of Junius Seven is the largest object in this debris field, so its surroundings are naturally filled with various fragments of rock and metal. For Archangel to pass through, someone must clear the way.
Thus, Reid began fulfilling his duties as the MS Squad commander. After Murrue finished explaining the mission, he immediately said:
"Understood. Later, both Strike and Astray (Murrue handled the equipment change codes during OS development) will switch to Striker Packs for departure. The large debris that needs cutting is usually tangled wreckage from various ships. Using the Ship-Slicing Sword in one swing could easily trigger un-exploded bombs inside, causing chain explosions. So everyone, adjust your Beam Saber output and shape the beam into a dagger form for precise cutting.
Also, everyone beware of small metal debris hitting your units. Our Mobile Suits aren't as sturdy as Archangel. Especially you, Mu—Astray's Foam Metal defense is about on par with GINN's armor. What the captain calls 'small debris' isn't small from our perspective. I wouldn't be surprised if you got smashed to pieces."
Mu felt Reid was looking down on him—was he really so weak that small debris could break him apart?
But Mu knew both captains were probably still furious, so he didn't dare argue. He could only reply like Kira: "Copy that."
Fortunately, the debris-clearing process went surprisingly smoothly. Both Strike and Astray, equipped with aerial packs, had decent thrust, and NT-X even had Rocket Propellers. Even though Ange's Flag was only responsible for cutting, the four of them quickly cleared a path wide enough for Archangel to barely pass through.
About an hour later, the wreckage of Junius Seven came into view. At the same time, among the surrounding debris, a large number of human body parts—things that shouldn't be in such a place—appeared.
These were all ordinary people's limbs, now frozen and desiccated, drifting around the wreckage of Junius Seven, silently recounting the catastrophic strike this place had suffered.
Everyone aboard Archangel fell silent. Murrue hadn't expected it to be this horrific and stood up in shock. Kira's friends, who had never seen such a scene before, began feeling nauseous. Miriallia, who had just returned from the mess hall, screamed outright.
Yet the one who reacted most strongly was Reid. Before this, the worst scene he'd witnessed was from an Earth Alliance documentary about widespread starvation—the death toll far exceeded the 240,000 here, with corpses piled into mountains. A city of millions had turned into hell.
But that had been seen through a screen, and facing it in reality was entirely different. Moreover, though Reid couldn't remember the details clearly, he had genuinely experienced the final moments of these corpses' owners.
Suddenly, Reid felt surrounded by wails of anguish. Almost instinctively, he maxed out his Rocket Propellers and charged straight toward the upper part of Junius Seven's wreckage.
To everyone else, Reid's actions were abrupt. All they saw was NT-X Gundam, trailing flames from its thrusters, plunging into the wreckage of Junius Seven.
Ange, terrified, shouted over the team comms:
"Reid! What are you doing? Get back here now!!"
But this time, Reid didn't respond. The overwhelming cries and wails were turning his brain to mush.
Reid couldn't even tell whether these wails were his own hallucinations or if this place truly harbored countless vengeful spirits.
However, when the NT-X flew directly above the continental plate of Junius Seven, the wails in Reid's mind suddenly ceased.
Then Reid seemed to see countless green figures staring up at him from the ruins below, now completely reduced to wreckage.
Gazing at these figures, Reid inexplicably calmed down. Facing their silent plea, he slowly said:
"Even if given another chance, I would still stand by and do nothing. I will mourn for the departed, but I won't make any promises—at most, I'll remember you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the figures staring at Reid dissipated into nothingness.
From an external perspective, something strange was happening to the wreckage of Junius Seven.
Shortly after Reid entered the debris, a light phenomenon resembling Earth's aurora became visible to the naked eye. But this was space—how could there be auroras here?
Just as everyone thought they had encountered some unknown particle storm beyond human understanding, they realized the aurora seemed like an illusion. The Archangel's equipment showed no reaction, and the external environment remained unchanged—no particle storm had occurred at all.
Moreover, the aurora quickly merged with the wreckage of Junius Seven before transforming into reverse-falling raindrops and shooting off into the unknown depths of space.
Such an eerie phenomenon made everyone present feel as though they had encountered ghosts. They shouldn't have disturbed this resting place of the dead—those must have been the vengeful spirits of the wronged, warning them.
After snapping out of her daze, Murrue gritted her teeth, steadied herself, and issued an order:
"MS Squad, retrieve Reid. This place is too bizarre. Until we understand what's happening, we're withdrawing. Let's not disturb the dead here."
However, just as the order was given, Reid's voice came through the comms:
"Captain, no need to retreat. It's safe here. Let's proceed with the water extraction as planned."
Reid was completely calm now because he understood what the green aurora had been.
Looking at his system interface, where the "Spatial Awareness" ability had been completely replaced by the "Newtype" designation, Reid felt utterly speechless.
Turns out, what had been tormenting him these past two days was his own Newtype ability—something he only realized after fully awakening to it.
Newtypes, also known as Newtypes, are a frequently appearing phenomenon across various Gundam universes.
Newtypes possess perception and psychic abilities beyond those of ordinary humans. Spatial awareness in space is a basic ability, along with enhanced cognition and telepathy. Some can even manipulate matter to a certain degree or exhibit what might be called supernatural powers (for example, Paptimus Scirocco from Zeta Gundam could charm women and launch psychic attacks).
Reid's awakening came with its own unique ability—though it wasn't so much an awakening as it was the passive effect of something that had always been active. He just hadn't recognized it as a special ability before.
That ability was the peculiar sense of danger that had saved his life countless times. It stemmed from his gradually awakening Newtype powers, and its effect was simple: an exceptionally powerful, wide-range psychic perception.
In practical terms, Reid passively receives all surrounding psychic fluctuations. When someone intends to shoot at him, their hostility toward him would be at its peak, triggering what could be called a lethal sense alert, allowing him to evade in advance.
As for Junius Seven, the final psychic fragments of numerous deceased individuals had merged into these wreckages. Combined with his earlier active contemplation about Junius Seven, his growing psychic ability was unintentionally activated, spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers to connect with the lingering spirits on the wreckage—resulting in that dream where he experienced death firsthand.
However, the dream wasn't entirely without positive effects. It greatly accelerated the awakening of his Newtype abilities.
Now, upon arriving at these wreckages, those psychic fragments once again stimulated his Newtype potential, pressing the accelerator toward its final awakening—hence the auditory hallucinations of screams.
Subsequently, after his Newtype abilities fully awakened, Reid's capabilities underwent a qualitative leap. Reflected in the system's character panel, his previously stagnant awakening value, which had stubbornly remained around 200 despite training, suddenly skyrocketed to over 400. Moreover, his long-stalled Mobile Suit piloting skill rating finally advanced from Elite to Ace.
Additionally, after being activated once by Reid, the lingering spirits that had resided within the Junius Seven wreckage had completely dissipated. The aurora earlier was the materialized manifestation of these psychic fragments and his Newtype abilities—something beyond the comprehension of CE-era technology.
That's why Reid told Murrue to proceed normally with collecting water. There were no more ghosts here—any that existed had already been "dispelled" by him.
(End of Chapter)