Chapter 193: Attack on the Colony III
The radar operator on the Barge Fortress urgently reported to Nichol:
"Report, Second Lieutenant Nichol — the signals from Lieutenant Colonel Lady and Lieutenant Colonel Darks Shaw's mobile suits have overlapped and are leaving the United Earth Federation's colony satellite perimeter.
Also, the enemy colony satellite has now entered the range of the Barge Fortress's beam cannon."
"Excellent, we finally caught up," Nichol said, his anxious heart finally easing. He turned back to the radar operator. "Are Lieutenant Colonel Lady and Lieutenant Colonel Darks Shaw within the cannon's firing range?"
"Report, sir — they're not within the beam cannon's attack range."
"Good. Target the Federation's colony satellite. Prepare the beam cannon for firing."
The gunner hesitated, looking uneasy as he replied, "But, Second Lieutenant Nichol, Lieutenant Colonel Lady and Lieutenant Colonel Darks Shaw are still on the battlefield. And Colonel Darks Shaw said earlier—"
Nichol cut him off sharply. "That doesn't matter! A soldier's duty is to follow orders. The Colonels will understand that."
He turned back to the gunner and barked, "Fire the cannon!"
At his command, the fortress's main cannon ports flared with energy, the beam cannon charging rapidly as the countdown began.
But at the final second before firing, in the Barge Fortress's secondary control room, Trowa pressed the emergency control for the fortress's thrusters.
One side of the fortress suddenly roared with full thrust, forcing the entire structure to shift direction.
Once they reached a safe zone, Tolle opened his comms and called out, "Are you all right, Lady Une?"
"I'm fine, thank—" Before she could finish, a massive beam cannon shot came straight at them.
Although the blast narrowly missed the Federation's colony satellite, it was heading directly toward Tolle and Lady Une.
Before Tolle could even react, Nami, sensing danger, immediately maxed out Mercurius's thrusters and deployed all the reflective magnetic drums around the suit, forming a massive electromagnetic barrier. The shield absorbed part of the blast.
Mercurius then darted out of the cannon's firing path — the enormous beam grazed right past them, almost close enough to scorch.
In the fortress's secondary control room, Trowa looked down at several unconscious soldiers on the floor and murmured to himself, "That Lady Une should be able to stop OZ's attack on the colony satellite… after all, she's learned firsthand just how fragile those colonies are."
On the battlefield, Milliardo watched through his cockpit display as the beam narrowly missed the colony. He muttered, "It missed? Or did someone divert it? …Well, at least the colony wasn't destroyed. That's something."
Inside Mercurius's cockpit, Tolle was still shaken, glaring furiously at the Barge Fortress.
"Nichol, you bastard! Just wait — I'll find a way to deal with you when we get back! I told you specifically not to fire the beam cannon until we returned!
And Trowa, you expressionless idiot — you almost got us killed too! How the hell did you even control the fortress's thrusters? You actually ended up aiming the main gun right at us!"
Tolle exhaled deeply, then turned to Nami. "Thanks, Nami. If it weren't for you, I'd be done for this time."
"Heeheehee, Master, no need to thank me! This is what Nami should do. After all, everything I am belongs to you, and I have to do the work a successful man's woman should do~."
Tolle thought about it — and she was right. Nami really was the one closest to him, even more so than the system. After all, the system always called him "host," while Nami called him "Master." The difference between those two was like heaven and earth.
In her Taurus cockpit, Lady Une was also seething as she stared at the fortress's firing point. She turned to Tolle and said, "Lord Tolle, please take me back to the Barge Fortress."
Tolle nodded. "All right, Lady Une. Let's go back together."
Just then, Milliardo arrived in the Tallgeese, opened his comms, and said, "Colonel Lady Une, this is Milliardo."
Lady Une calmly replied, "Milliardo, I need to return to the Barge Fortress. Whatever you want to discuss, let's talk there."
Milliardo nodded and followed Tolle's Mercurius back toward the fortress.
Upon arrival, Lady Une opened her cockpit — but before she could even step out, Nichol, that eager little sycophant, came running over.
"Colonel Lady Une! I'm so glad you returned safely!" he gushed.
Lady Une stood up inside her cockpit, hair loose, glasses on, her face dark and cold. "Second Lieutenant Nichol," she said icily, "you've given me a valuable lesson today — as a soldier."
She raised her pistol and aimed it straight at Nichol's head. "And this is the result of that lesson. As a commanding officer, I can't just let you off easily."
Nichol's face went pale as he stumbled back. He never imagined things would turn out this way. "C-Colonel Lady Une—"
"Your actions were technically correct," Lady Une said coldly, "but so are mine."
She glanced at the nearby soldiers. "Take this traitor away and keep him under strict watch."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Several soldiers raised their submachine guns and surrounded Nichol, marching him off to the brig to await Lady Une's judgment.
Tolle climbed out of his cockpit and looked at Lady Une — her hair loose, her glasses on — and realized that her two personalities were finally merging. At last, he wouldn't have to worry about that ticking time bomb anymore.
He smiled at her. "Lady Une, I'm so glad you're okay."
Lady Une smiled softly back. "I'm fine. Thank you for your support, Darks."
"Haha, don't mention it. It's only right," Tolle replied, suddenly blushing from the unexpected thanks.
Lady Une covered her mouth and laughed. "Hahaha, so even the always-strategic Darks can get shy like this, huh?"
Tolle rolled his eyes. "That 'strategic' look you see — that's just your illusion. I'm more like a dumb husky, you know? When it's still, it might look a bit like a wolf, but deep down, it's just a silly dog.
Like they say — the proud wolf struts with poise, the husky stares in confusion; side by side they walk the same path, but who can tell which is which? Whoever flinches first is the real dog."