"Then... what's your suggestion?"
After a moment of silence, Murrue looked up and asked.
Lu Tianming didn't speak, but instead took over the Bridge's Holographic map and began operating it... Under his planning and searching, a completely new route was charted.
And that route... led to—the debris field of Junius 7?
"Avoid Artemis and head directly here. After Junius 7 was destroyed by nuclear weapons back then, there must still be plenty of usable resources in its debris."
"Although it will pass through an asteroid belt, with the Archangel's capabilities, it shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as we're careful."
Lu Tianming showed no concern about the risks... The feasibility of this route had been tested under the original world's conditions. He remembered that the route departing from Artemis back then was even more dangerous than the current one.
Both Murrue and Mu were simultaneously shocked by Lu Tianming's unconventional idea... He actually thought of going to such a place to search for resources?!
But it had to be said... this was indeed a good location. Though there were certain risks, ZAFT would never expect it.
If handled properly, they might even shake off their pursuers entirely.
However... this place was somewhat...
Both Mu and Murrue still had some reservations... Going to the debris of Junius 7 to scavenge resources felt somewhat like digging up graves.
"I disagree with this plan! The risks are too great! Besides, how can we go to such a place..."
Badgiruel directly expressed her opposition, her face showing clear disapproval. Seeming to realize she was being overly emotional, she coughed awkwardly and calmly explained:
"Moreover, even if ZAFT does predict our movements, Artemis might not necessarily fall. Their Lightwave defense system isn't so easily breached."
Lu Tianming shook his head and briefly added:
"But the Blitz has the Mirage Colloid System."
This single statement left Badgiruel speechless. She seemed to have just realized... the Blitz's Mirage Colloid System was indeed the perfect counter to the lightwave defense system.
Due to the high energy consumption of the lightwave defense system, Artemis wouldn't keep it activated around the clock... It would only be activated when enemy presence was detected.
But the Blitz's Mirage Colloid System allowed it to infiltrate without Artemis even knowing whether there was a threat.
By the time it launched an attack and revealed itself—the lightwave defense system would already have been breached by the Blitz, unable to block external assaults any longer.
At that point, Artemis, equipped only with standard Mobius units, would almost certainly fall to the combined forces of Creuset's CGUE and that Blitz, with defeat being merely a matter of time.
Badgiruel was momentarily speechless, wanting to argue back—her military pride made it difficult for her to accept what felt like scavenging from the dead.
But after some thought... from a rational perspective, this was indeed the optimal plan.
Seeing Badgiruel's hesitation, Murrue and Mu exchanged glances and sighed softly.
"If there are no objections... shall we proceed with Lu Tianming's plan for now? After all, that's the Eurasian Federation... they might not even acknowledge us undocumented vessels anyway."
Mu shrugged as he spoke.
The Earth Federation wasn't a monolithic entity... there were some troublesome factional divisions within.
Strictly speaking, they belonged to the Atlantic Federation, while Artemis was under the Eurasian Federation. Although they were allied nations, there remained a sense of distance between them.
Moreover, neither the Strike Suit nor the Archangel were registered in the Earth Federation's military system, essentially making them unregistered entities. It was uncertain whether they would be recognized.
"...What are your thoughts on this, Lieutenant Badgiruel?"
Murrue looked up at Badgiruel. Mu's words had already laid out a stepping stone for her, hoping she would understand.
Badgiruel remained silent for a long moment before finally nodding.
After all... there was no better alternative at the moment.
————————
After the discussion concluded, Lu Tianming took his leave from the bridge... The previous battle had drained much of his energy, and he now planned to head to the mess hall for a meal and grab a drink to rest.
Come to think of it, apart from briefly retreating to his room earlier, Lu Tianming had spent most of his time shuttling between the bridge and the hangar. He hadn't really explored the ship and was unfamiliar with its layout... It took him several wrong turns before he finally found the mess hall.
He had just settled into a seat with his meal when he noticed Kira and his group occupying a table, each holding a set of uniforms. They, too, had gone to get their food.
"Oh? Mr. Lu, you're here too?"
Kira was the first to return with his meal. Surprised to see Lu Tianming already seated, he spoke with a hint of delight.
"Just here for a bite... What's with the uniforms?"
Lu Tianming greeted them with a smile. Kira happily set his tray down and sat across from him.
The rest of the group, noticing this, eagerly joined them... except for Flay, who reluctantly took the seat farthest from Lu Tianming and turned her head away.
Lu Tianming noticed but didn't pay it much mind... He wasn't about to let Flay's attitude ruin his relationship with Kira and the others.
He wasn't that narrow-minded.
"Earlier, Kira mentioned that it didn't feel right to always accept protection without contributing... So we went to the bridge and volunteered to join as auxiliary forces."
The one speaking was Tolle from their group. As he explained, he held up the military uniform to show Lu Tianming.
It seemed they had just received the uniforms and hadn't changed into them yet... Lu Tianming guessed the original crew must have issued them while he was in the bridge meeting.
"That's a good initiative."
Lu Tianming was pleased to see them willing to help. Human assistance was still superior to the battleship's automated systems. With their support, the Archangel's combat capabilities would see significant improvement in the future.
"By the way—Mr. Lu, is it true that the Archangel's supplies are running low?"
Tolle hesitated for a moment before asking. He had overheard this from crew member Tseng Yuan but wasn't sure if it was accurate.
"It's not critically tight for now... but we still can't afford to be wasteful. Taking in refugees has stretched our per capita resources thinner."
Lu Tianming explained. Since they were heading straight to Junius 7 instead of detouring to Artemis, the Archangel's supplies weren't as strained as in the original scenario, where rationing had been necessary.
Even so, with refugees on board, resources couldn't be used too liberally.
"...If they don't have supplies, they shouldn't stubbornly take in refugees and make us suffer along with them..."
Flay averted her gaze and muttered under her breath... But the group was close enough that even this quiet complaint was heard clearly by everyone.
"Flay..."
Tolle sighed lightly, looking at Flay with an expression that seemed at a loss for words... Her saying such things now was simply too affected and insensitive.
The others were looking at her with similar expressions. Finding herself suddenly the target of collective disapproval, Flay felt flustered but still argued:
"W-what's wrong! That's just how things are..."
Rey, who had just lifted his spoon, was immediately rendered speechless by Flay's antics.
"If you wish to take a rescue capsule back to the wreckage of Heliopolis and wait for rescue, just say so. If not... then don't speak such foolish words in front of me again."
He cast a cold, disappointed glance at Flay, then shook his head and sighed. Getting up with his meal tray, he left.
Staying here any longer... would likely ruin what should have been a pleasant mealtime.
He didn't want his limited rest time to be disrupted like this.