"Lacus, wrong ship! Lacus, wrong ship!"
The pink Haro chirped animatedly in Lacus's arms, clearly enjoying the commotion.
Lacus merely responded to the Haro's mischief with a gentle, graceful smile.
"Though we belong to different factions, I still extend my gratitude for your ship's assistance."
Placing the lively Haro in the weightless air where it had nothing to push off from, Lacus politely bowed to the crew of the Archangel, leaving the previously tense and guarded members feeling rather awkward.
You don't strike a smiling face... Since she's expressing thanks so courteously, should I really keep my gun raised?
"Lower your weapons... What's the point of aiming at an unarmed young girl..."
Mu waved his hand, signaling the crew to stand down from their armed alert. Then, scratching his head somewhat awkwardly, he added:
"The one who really saved you wasn't us... but the pilot of that MS."
Mu turned his gaze toward the Strike Suit nearby, but just as he was about to continue, he noticed Lu Tianming had already disembarked from the machine. He fell silent, yielding the conversation to him.
"It was just a small effort, no need for thanks."
Seeing that Lacus was about to express her gratitude again, Lu Tianming anticipated her, speaking with a smile.
"But come to think of it, it just called you... Lacus?"
Murrue suddenly recalled the Haro's earlier address, a possibility flashing in her mind as she tentatively asked.
"Could it be that you are... Lacus Clyne?"
The popular songstress of PLANT, Lacus Clyne... This name was certainly well-known. Even on the Earth Federation side, people had heard of her to some extent.
It wasn't so much that her songs were famous... but because her father was the Chairman of the PLANT Council, Siegel Clyne.
"Yes, that is me."
Lacus replied, her calm answer causing a wave of shock among the crew onboard.
Wasn't this practically like picking up an enemy nation's princess or something? Was it really okay to bring her aboard the ship?
"She's a Coordinator... Is it really safe to bring someone like that onboard?"
"More troublesome than her being a Coordinator is her identity, right? She's the daughter of that Siegel Clyne."
"Could this be a calculated move by ZAFT? After all, they're Coordinators; it's only natural they could pull off something like this."
"But she's just a child... What could she possibly do?"
"Hard to say. The abilities Coordinators possess are beyond what we Naturals can imagine..."
Upon learning Lacus's identity, the crew immediately began whispering among themselves. Many, just as they had initially worried that Lu Tianming might be a Coordinator spy, started questioning whether Lacus's background was clean.
Lu Tianming sighed softly... These people were good in every way, except for their tendency to overly demonize Coordinators, their minds filled with stereotypes from the Federation's brainwashing propaganda.
He gave a light cough, cutting off the idle chatter. When all eyes turned to him, Lu Tianming smiled and spoke:
"Everyone, there's no need to panic so much. She's a Coordinator, not some superhuman who'll snap her fingers and blow us all up. No need to be so tense."
Hearing Lu Tianming's mediation with a somewhat joking tone, those who had been caught up in stereotypes seemed to calm down.
Right, Coordinators are human too—they just learn things a bit faster and have better physical fitness.
Besides, isn't Kira just a Coordinator? After spending so much time with him, we haven't noticed anything special about him except that he's really good at typing. He even seems kind of soft and gentle.
Seeing that everyone's emotions had settled a bit, Lu Tianming cleared his throat again and continued:
"If any problems arise because we've taken her in, I, Lu, am willing to take full responsibility. With that said... are you all reassured now?"
The earlier reassurance, combined with this guarantee, made the previous words of worry and suspicion vanish almost instantly.
Lu Tianming already held considerable prestige on the Archangel, and now that he had personally stepped forward to vouch for her, the concerns in everyone's minds naturally eased significantly.
"...Well, since Mr. Lu has said so, we can't really say much more."
"Right, with Mr. Lu here, even if she could cause any trouble, what does it matter? Mr. Lu can definitely handle it easily."
"I think Mr. Lu must have his reasons for doing this. We probably shouldn't speculate blindly."
Lu Tianming's accurate prediction about Artemis had shifted most people's impression of him from a "genius pilot who surpasses Coordinators in skill" to an "all-around expert who outshines Coordinators in both strategy and piloting."
By now, some might even be guessing whether taking in Lacus is part of some long-term plan of Lu Tianming's. The entire court of public opinion had almost completely reversed with Lu Tianming's intervention.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lacus watched Lu Tianming, who inexplicably held such great influence, with intense curiosity.
"It feels like your words carry more weight than the captain's now... Honestly, do you have some secret plan or not?"
Mu nudged Lu Tianming with his elbow, teasing him before leaning in mysteriously and whispering the question into his ear.
Lu Tianming simply shrugged calmly and replied:
"What plan could I possibly have? The rescue capsule was right there—was I supposed to just ignore it?"
He wasn't a saint... but intentionally refusing to save someone he could help felt somewhat immoral.
Besides, they'd already picked up Flay's rescue capsule... one more wouldn't make much difference.
However, Mu didn't seem to share this perspective. He appeared to think Lu Tianming was keeping the plan confidential, so he made an "I get it" expression and didn't press further.
"Why is he speaking up for that Coordinator? It's completely different from how he reacted when I got out of the rescue capsule..."
In the crowd, Flay watched as Lu Tianming began politely explaining the situation to Lacus and assigning quarters for this special passenger, immediately voicing her jealousy.
After all, when she had exited the rescue capsule... his reaction had been nothing like this.
"Well, your attitudes weren't exactly great back then either."
Sai shrugged... From his perspective, he actually didn't understand how Flay had managed to push Lu Tianming to the brink of anger.
Based on what he'd seen, Lu Tianming hardly ever got angry—he'd always been very easy to get along with.
"But..."
Flay was about to speak again when she noticed Lu Tianming's gaze sweeping over. Startled, she immediately closed her mouth and averted her eyes, pretending nothing had happened.
But after avoiding his gaze for a while, she subconsciously realized...
Had he not actually been looking at her at all, but just casually scanning the room?
Then why had she been so frightened earlier, as if... she'd developed some conditioned reflex?
Realizing she'd frightened herself over nothing, Flay felt both embarrassed and angry. Yet it was her own foolishness, leaving her with no outlet for her frustration.
She could only sit there stiffly, flushing crimson with suppressed rage. Sai beside her wanted to say something... but seeing Flay's rather terrifying expression, he temporarily held his tongue.