Chapter 365: Toward the Dawn Universe 3
Murrue looked solemnly at Tolle, and after seeing him nod in agreement, she replied to Uzumi, "We firmly believe that those tiny, shining sparks will never be extinguished. Even the smallest flame will one day spread into a raging fire."
Uzumi nodded in agreement. "Yes. Then hurry and begin preparations for evacuation."
"Yes, Representative Uzumi." After saying that, Murrue immediately led the Archangel's crew back to the ship and began making all the necessary preparations to evacuate Orb.
Tolle followed along as well. After all, what came next would be a time of family reunion for Uzumi, and he didn't want to intrude.
Uzumi gently stroked Cagalli's hair with an indulgent expression, carefully studying her face. Then he fell silent as he looked at Kira's face as well, as if trying to engrave their appearances permanently into his memory.
After returning to the outer perimeter of the dock where the Archangel was berthed,
they saw Erica supervising the hoisting and installation of Kusanagi's components onto the Archangel, her expression full of surprise.
Erica immediately stepped forward and explained to the puzzled Murrue and the others. "These are auxiliary thrusters being installed for the Archangel. They'll help it accelerate and break through the atmosphere on its own."
She then handed a tablet displaying the modification plan to Murrue, letting her review the detailed implementation scheme.
Murrue said in shock, "Is this really okay? Breaking through the atmosphere without using a mass driver—relying solely on the Archangel?"
Tolle knew very well that with these Kusanagi components installed, even firing a positron cannon to break through the atmosphere would be no problem at all. He gave her a confident look and said, "Don't worry. It'll definitely be fine."
However, Erica sighed and said, "But the real problem is that we can't take all the MS with us. Even if we cram the Archangel's hangar to the absolute limit,
stacking the machines practically chest-to-back, it can hold at most ten units—and that's only if their booster packs are removed.
I did the calculations. The Izumo can carry twelve, and the Kusanagi can carry ten as well. That still leaves thirty-five MS with nowhere to go. We can only destroy them on-site. It's such a waste."
Tolle thought about it. This really was a problem. Originally, Orb had been beaten down to only a dozen or so M1 Astrays, in which case two ships would have been more than enough.
But now, with forty or fifty MS all at once, it was indeed a bit excessive. Should he use his storage space? As long as no pilots went inside, it probably wouldn't be exposed.
But then, Tolle suddenly thought of a way to transport MS without exposing his storage space—by copying the Ptolemaios I's detachable MS container system.
With a faint smile, he said to the worried Erica, "I actually have a solution, as long as you can help find some sturdy materials. On the Izumo in high-speed configuration, install six container modules on the six external deck surfaces outside the two hangars.
Each container can hold three MS laid flat. With two layers, that's six MS per container. Six containers make thirty-six units—just right, with one extra slot to spare."
"But how sturdy would that be? Can it really guarantee the ship's safety?" Erica asked, completely baffled. It sounded unbelievable to her. This wasn't a toy you could just snap parts onto. The ship would still have to break through the atmosphere on its own.
Murrue, standing to the side, said nervously, "If we do that, can the mass driver still be used? If the balance is off, we might not even be able to take off."
Tolle immediately began confidently selling his idea. "Relax. All of the Izumo's weapons are internally mounted, and those positions on the outer decks just happen to be open weapon bay hatches.
Using those weapon bay hatches as mounting points will make everything secure.
And besides, the Izumo's thrusters have enormous output and are fully capable of independent atmospheric ascent. Adding this little bit of extra load won't be a problem at all."
After saying that, Tolle frantically winked at Erica, signaling her to help back him up.
Erica immediately caught on and said, "Yes, this plan might actually work. With the Izumo's thruster output, there shouldn't be any issues at all."
With her explanation, everyone finally relaxed a bit. They each returned to their posts and began preparing for the evacuation of Orb.
At this point, Erica sought Tolle out privately and asked, "Dear, is this really okay?"
Tolle nodded seriously and replied, "Don't worry. It'll definitely be fine. During takeoff, the ship's outer layer will deploy an energy defensive field, so there's no need to worry about the hull breaking apart due to excessive acceleration.
As for propulsion, the core of an alien Tree Thunder Imperial warship is no joke. Even though the ship's outer hull is just its limiter armor, breaking through the atmosphere independently is still no problem.
So load all the MS and equipment you want onto the Izumo. If there's not enough room, there's still the ship core's internal space. Absolutely no problem."
After Tolle's explanation, Erica finally let go of the anxiety that had been weighing on her. She headed off to oversee the installation of the Kusanagi's main body onto the mass driver.
She also ordered others to load large quantities of MS parts and relatively intact MS wreckage onto the Izumo.
Meanwhile, back in the hangar, Asagi, Juri, and Mayura—who were waiting to board the Kusanagi—sat idly in their M1 Astrays with their backpacks removed, chatting to pass the time.
Mayura said in amazement, "I never thought that at a time like this, we'd actually be heading into space."
Juri said calmly, with a hint of relief, "This is the best possible outcome. We finally won't have to fight anymore."
Asagi said angrily, "Those damn Atlantic Federation bastards. They actually forced us to flee into space like refugees. It's infuriating."
Mayura followed up, "Yeah. In the end, we're just too weak. If we were stronger, maybe we wouldn't have ended up like this."
Those heavy words plunged them all into silence.
Before long, however, they followed instructions and boarded the Kusanagi's hangar.
At the same time, the Earth Alliance received news that Orb's forces were gathering around Kaguya Island.
Azrael asked in surprise, "They're all assembling around Kaguya Island? Isn't that where the Dawn Society and the mass driver are located? That makes things a bit tricky. It'd be such a shame to damage those facilities."
The Atlantic Federation commander replied dismissively, "After all, they're making a last stand. Using those places as shields is understandable. Maybe they're trying to use those facilities to force us back into negotiations with them."
"Oh? So that Athha guy is still struggling desperately even now?" Azrael sneered. "But that's fine. It just proves even more that they no longer have the strength to confront us head-on."
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