"Oh? Could it be... that the atmospheric packs for Aegis and Blitz are already completed?"
Yzak slightly raised his head, a glimmer of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
During their previous sortie, only the relatively modular atmospheric combat packs for Duel and Blitz had completed debugging, while those for Blitz and Aegis hadn't even begun development yet.
Hearing Athrun's words now, it seemed these two units might also have hope?
Athrun nodded, taking a seat near Yzak:
"Correct. After Aegis had half its torso severed previously, we took the opportunity during repairs to install new transformation modules, directly completing compatibility with the new equipment."
"As for Blitz, Dearka is currently conducting corresponding waterproofing tests. If everything goes smoothly, it should be ready for combat deployment within a day or two."
Unlike the reinforcement approach of installing packs on Duel and Blitz, the modifications for Aegis and Blitz each followed new directions.
Aegis underwent comprehensive adjustments through the installation of new transformation modules and equipment.
Meanwhile, Blitz adopted an approach similar to Meteor's external mounting equipment concept, arming itself toward becoming a large Mobile Armor.
Hearing this news, the fighting spirit in Yzak's eyes reignited - with this, perhaps they really stood a chance of victory.
"But speaking of which... why would Archangel head there?"
Athrun expressed confusion, having originally thought Archangel was an Alliance support vessel, but instead... they actually entered ORB?
One must remember that the Alliance currently coveted ORB as well. Entering ORB... basically amounted to declaring a break with the Alliance, didn't it?
"Unclear... What's so special about ORB that would make them choose such an unpopular decision with both sides."
At this point, Yzak also shook his head in puzzlement... Stationing in ORB was almost equivalent to declaring war on both the Alliance and ZAFT simultaneously. How dare they make such a decision?
In his view, there was only one possibility - that ORB could offer Archangel something neither of the other two sides could provide, or possessed some unique quality the others lacked.
"Neutrality? No... in some ways, neutrality is actually a disadvantage now."
Athrun tentatively raised this point, but before Yzak could respond, he waved his hand dismissively, rejecting this possibility.
Nicol looked left and right, seeing both men deep in thought, then timidly raised his hand and tentatively asked:
"Um... I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?"
"Hmm?"
His words immediately drew both Yzak and Athrun's attention, their serious gazes carrying some expectation that made Nicol nervous.
Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he tentatively suggested:
"Neutrality might be part of the reasoning, but perhaps not their direct goal... What they're focusing on might be certain characteristics ORB develops because of its neutrality."
"For example... a unique social structure that accepts both Coordinators and Naturals?"
Hearing this, both Yzak and Athrun's eyes lit up—perhaps this really was the case.
If the people aboard the Archangel were idealists, then ORB might indeed be the social model closest to their benchmark.
Or perhaps... the relationship between Naturals and Coordinators should have been like ORB's from the very beginning?
At this thought, the three of them fell into a simultaneous silence.
Considering the increasingly radical policies of the PLANT council toward Naturals, and the growing anti-war sentiment within ZAFT, when they looked at ORB now...
They couldn't help but feel a sense of... becoming the villains in the end?
"...We can't jump to conclusions yet. Who knows what they're really thinking? Maybe they just accepted ORB's employment."
Yzak waved his hand, signaling everyone not to overthink it... but he couldn't help feeling shaken inside.
Was his repeated failure in battles... because he was standing on the wrong path from the start?
————————————————
On ORB's side, shortly after Lu Tianming's meeting with Uzumi concluded, Uzumi quickly convened the council to discuss matters related to the Archangel.
Although there were a few dissenting voices in the council, the majority believed—if the Archangel could truly support ORB in completing this final critical step of MS deployment, then not only their previous demands, but any additional requests could be fully accepted, as long as they didn't compromise ORB's sovereignty.
The Dawn Organization was even more eager... they practically wished for Lu Tianming to join and start working as soon as possible.
Back on the Archangel, Kira and the others had already returned from visiting their families—after all, this wasn't a vacation, and conflicts could erupt at any moment. Everyone had just briefly reunited with their families for a meal before returning to their posts.
When Kira heard about the plan to work with the Dawn Organization, he was quite supportive... even excited.
Seeing this, Lu Tianming didn't say much... instead, he returned to the Strike Suit, quietly waiting for ORB's notification.
As soon as Lu Tianming settled in, he heard Xia Chuan's lament:
"Damn it, why did you win Lacus's favor? I refuse to accept this!"
Hearing this familiar complaint, Lu Tianming felt somewhat embarrassed... It wasn't that he minded Xia Chuan's grumbling, but—this guy had already been muttering in his ear through the comms countless times.
It felt like listening to a resentful spouse.
But Lu Tianming couldn't really say anything about it... after all, he couldn't even explain it to himself, let alone to Xia Chuan.
"...You didn't complain this much when I was with Flay in the cockpit. Why are you so worked up this time?"
"What do you know? How can Flay even compare to this? Lacus's girlfriend energy was practically overflowing through the screen—how could I not be jealous?"
Xia Chuan was furious that Lu Tianming would even mention Flay in the same breath as Lacus... What kind of person was Flay to dare compete with Lacus?
But he didn't actually hold any grudge against Lu Tianming over this matter. For one thing, it had nothing to do with Lu Tianming to begin with, and secondly... this time Lu Tianming had genuinely earned it through his own capabilities.
If their positions were reversed—with Lu Tianming piloting the Strike Suit while he became the humanoid... he'd probably only manage to become a larger version of Kira, retreading the original storyline. He could never achieve the level of strategic planning Lu Tianming demonstrated, let alone accomplish something like saving Lacus's father from thousands of miles away.
"Alright, no need to be jealous... I'll take you for a premium massage later as compensation, how about that?"
Seeing Xia Chuan's pitiful expression, Lu Tianming smiled and changed the subject.
"That sounds good... but where are you going to find me an MS-style full-body massage?"
Xia Chuan asked with mild skepticism. Though he trusted Lu Tianming... he still had some doubts about where he could arrange such a thing.
Lu Tianming responded with a meaningful smile:
"Where else... but ORB's most famous premium club—the Dawn Organization."