Lu Tianming was startled. This... had he actually guessed it correctly?!
If he hadn't had that sudden flash of inspiration earlier and instead pursued stability by following the original plot... what awaited them would have been an encirclement by four Gundams.
Even if he and Xia Chuan used all their skills, they might not have been able to secure an escape opportunity.
"To be honest, if you hadn't suggested changing the battle line earlier, it's hard to say where we'd be now."
Mu shook his head and sighed... He had also considered what Lu Tianming just realized.
Being able to chat this peacefully now... was entirely thanks to Lu Tianming.
Speaking of which, not only was this guy skilled at piloting an MS, but his mind was also sharp... If he didn't know beforehand that he was a Natural, it would be easy to mistake him for a Coordinator, right?
Thinking of this, Mu seemed to recall Badgiruel's previous suspicion about Lu Tianming's identity and joked with a laugh:
"Didn't Badgiruel suspect you of being a ZAFT spy before? After this, it feels like she might suspect you have a spy contact within ZAFT."
"Hey, don't talk nonsense!"
Hearing Badgiruel's scolding, Lu Tianming noticed... that the communication was actually coming from the Bridge.
Through the expanded video interface, he could see that not only was Mu there, but Murrue, Badgiruel, Kira's group, and the ship's crew... essentially everyone except the maintenance bay staff were present.
Lu Tianming guessed they were conducting new recruit training for Kira's group so they could quickly integrate into their duties later.
"Alright, alright—I won't talk nonsense anymore. It's your turn now. Make sure to properly express gratitude to our hero~"
Seeing that Badgiruel was getting flustered from his teasing, Mu immediately raised his hands in surrender and stepped back, pushing Badgiruel in front of the camera with a mischievous expression.
Badgiruel didn't expect Mu to pull this move. Suddenly pushed in front of the camera, she struggled to find the right words, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly. After hesitating for a long time, she was seen tilting her head slightly, her face flushed red, as if making some great sacrifice while taking a deep breath.
Then she seemed to transform... instantly switching into solemn military mode. After a standard military salute, she spoke in a serious tone:
"In recognition of the fearless courage and outstanding contributions you demonstrated while protecting the lives and property of all Archangel crew members, Vice Captain Natarle Badgiruel of the Archangel, on behalf of all colleagues aboard this ship, extends our highest respect and most sincere gratitude!"
Badgiruel rattled off this string of words like reciting a spell, leaving both Lu Tianming and everyone on the Bridge momentarily stunned before they simultaneously burst into laughter.
"That's... certainly a thank you in your style, Lieutenant."
Lu Tianming responded while suppressing his laughter. If his willpower were any weaker, he would probably be laughing out loud by now—after all, he truly didn't expect Badgiruel to come up with such a performance.
But thinking about it, it actually made sense. She was always so rigid and formal—this kind of official speech seemed to suit her perfectly?
"Is... is there something wrong with it!"
Badgiruel's face flushed almost instantly. As someone naturally unskilled at expressing gratitude, she had put considerable thought into finding this approach.
"Natarle, Tianming means you're being a bit too formal. Just relax and be yourself."
Though Murrue was also struggling to maintain composure, she could only suppress her laughter while patting Badgiruel's shoulder, smiling as she explained.
Badgiruel seemed to finally understand, stammering somewhat at a loss. Murrue smiled wryly and simply took her place before the camera:
"Although Natarle might have overreacted just now... her intentions were good. After all, without your timely reminder back then, we wouldn't have been able to avoid the enemy's ambush so smoothly."
Murrue smiled while explaining on Badgiruel's behalf, simultaneously expressing her own gratitude.
"Speaking of which, it's rather embarrassing to admit that I... we have been relying on you ever since ZAFT's invasion began. Logically speaking, given both age and military rank, you should be relying on us more."
Murrue sighed softly... From the factory until now - almost every crisis faced by her and the Archangel had been met by Lu Tianming stepping forward tirelessly, uncomplainingly, fearlessly time and again.
From Kira and the others' perspective, Lu Tianming was an 'elder' or at least of an older brother's generation. Combined with the difference between civilian and military status, it felt natural for them to receive Lu Tianming's protection. Beyond gratitude, what they felt towards him was more admiration and reverence.
But for Murrue, Mu, Badgiruel, and the Archangel's crew members, it was another matter entirely.
Whether in terms of age, experience, or military rank, Lu Tianming belonged to their 'junior' category. In principle, they should be the ones protecting and caring for Lu Tianming.
Yet with the roles reversed... those receiving protection from their junior couldn't help but feel more guilt and indebtedness.
Hearing this, Lu Tianming smiled slightly and teased:
"Just everyone fulfilling their respective duties. We're all people on the same ship, why talk about guilt? Or does the Captain not consider me one of your own?"
Murrue could tell the latter part was meant in jest, but even just from the first half, she could understand Lu Tianming's meaning:
'We've survived this far by relying on and assisting each other, so no need for excessive thanks or guilt.'
Understanding his meaning, Murrue nodded and returned his smile:
"You're right... after all, we're all companions on the same ship now."
————————————————
Meanwhile, things weren't going well for ZAFT.
When Creuset saw his planned encirclement hadn't materialized, he realized someone might have seen through his strategy.
Having lost their target in the vastness of space, there was little chance of locating them again anytime soon - coupled with the requirement to submit data reports to the council, Creuset decided to take Athrun and bring the data aboard the Nazca to deliver their report.
"Athrun, during the report, you need to particularly emphasize the Strike Suit's performance and the fact that it's being piloted by a Natural."
During their journey to the council, Creuset looked at Athrun beside him and reminded him.
Athrun nodded, fully aware of the parliament's purpose and precisely what rhetoric to employ.
—Only by emphasizing the performance advantages of the mobile suit fallen into enemy hands could he capture the Councilors' attention, enabling his father—Patrick Zala—to gain more supporters. This would lead to increased military funding, expansion of existing forces, and ultimately escalate the already blazing war into an even more 'fight to the death' conflict.
He understood his father's reasons for advocating war. His mother had perished in the Junius Seven tragedy years ago, fueling his father's intense hatred toward the Earth Federation. Under the banner of resisting Natural oppression, Patrick had formed the current hawks faction.
But now, Athrun sometimes wondered: Did his father's motivations stem more from avenging his mother, or had he simply become trapped in a spiral of hatred?
Recalling how his father had grown increasingly extreme and ruthless since his mother's death, Athrun suddenly thought of himself—how he'd fought with growing frenzy out of concern for Kira.
He knew it was war that had transformed both him and his father this way.
But... was this change truly right?
Sitting in the shuttle heading to parliament, Athrun lifted his head slightly, feeling a stirring in his heart.