The Alliance and ZAFT had never gotten along to begin with, only temporarily joining forces due to ORB being their common target... Now that defeat seemed imminent, they retreated even faster than before.
Some even deliberately shot down each other's units—Duel Daggers taking down GINNs, and GINNs cutting down Duel Daggers—all just to have someone else cover their retreat.
Amid this chaotic defeat, the ORB forces effortlessly drove the remaining Mobile Suits out of their territory.
Meanwhile, Athrun landed the Justice in ORB.
He had been wondering about the "unexpected acquaintance" Lu Tianming mentioned earlier, and his mind immediately went to Kira—after all, in his current understanding, Kira was the only one from the Archangel crew he was familiar with.
But the moment he stepped out of the Justice, he witnessed a scene that shattered his worldview.
Just then, Nicol and Dearka happened to be descending from the Nebula Blitz and Verde Buster, and they too saw Athrun arriving in the Justice. The three of them... froze in an awkward standoff.
The looks they exchanged clearly conveyed the same thought: "What are you doing here?"
Finally, Athrun broke the silence with a light cough:
"So... you've joined the Archangel's side as well?"
To be honest, when he saw the Verde Buster and Nebula Blitz entering the battlefield earlier, he had guessed that these two were probably alive and well... but he never expected the original pilots to be the ones in the cockpits.
But upon second thought... it made sense for them to be recruited. If the Freedom's pilot had tried to persuade him, there was no reason he wouldn't have approached Dearka and the others too.
"That's right. After discussions with Mr. Lu and Mr. Waltfeld, I came to deeply realize... that joining here is the only way to prevent another tragedy like Junius Seven and build a truly peaceful world where Naturals and Coordinators can coexist."
Nicol replied with firm determination. Unlike the more easygoing Dearka, he genuinely agreed with Lu Tianming's philosophy.
During their stay in ORB, Nicol had sought out Lu Tianming and Lacus for "discussions" far more often than Dearka—the latter had only asked a few questions at the beginning before seemingly resigning himself to the situation and staying on the Archangel.
"Wait... are you talking about the 'Desert Tiger'?"
Athrun was momentarily stunned when he heard Andrew's name, then quickly realized—they were referring to the very Desert Tiger who was at the center of the controversial Clyne Faction rebellion case within ZAFT Forces.
"Of course it's him."
Dearka smiled, a meaningful curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"And besides him... there's an even more significant figure here."
"? Who?"
Athrun was bewildered... Who could it be besides the Desert Tiger? It couldn't possibly be Siegel Clyne himself, could it?
"It's Lacus Clyne."
Dearka replied with a laugh.
"Not only is she alive, but she's getting along quite well with the Freedom's pilot... Surprised?"
He watched Athrun with keen interest, hoping to see the shock and inner conflict of a man whose fiancée had been taken away.
However, Athrun merely expressed mild surprise before seeming to breathe a sigh of relief—he said it was good that she was still alive, and even felt that Lacus choosing Lu Tianming made him trust Tianming's ideals more.
After all, Lacus' judgment of people probably wouldn't be wrong.
Dearka found this somewhat unexpected:
"She's your fiancée! That's all the reaction you have when she's so close with another man?"
"...I thought it was something serious."
Athrun waved his hand helplessly and explained.
"The engagement was just a formality. Lacus and I are just friends... Speaking of which, have any of you seen a Coordinator named 'Kira Yamato' here?"
To put it bluntly, he didn't have strong feelings for Lacus... or rather, his feelings stopped at friendship. As for any special romantic affection between opposite sexes, he truly didn't feel he had any, nor did he believe Lacus did either.
In fact, rather than seeing Lacus in person, he currently hoped more to confirm Kira's condition.
After all, this was what had been occupying his thoughts all along.
"If you're looking for Chief Mechanic Kira, you'll need to make an appointment first."
Dearka was momentarily stunned. Though he didn't know how Athrun had learned about Kira's situation, he spoke half-seriously, half-jokingly.
"An appointment...?"
A flicker of confusion passed through Athrun's eyes, but he simultaneously felt somewhat relieved.
Chief Mechanic... this title meant Kira was doing quite well here, right?
Knowing Kira was doing fine eased Athrun's mind, but he remained curious about this so-called appointment.
"Kira is a technician whose skills are second to none even among Coordinators. Many people are waiting to ask him questions or get help adjusting their Mobile Suits. So if you need something from him, it's best to make an appointment in advance."
"But... since you were brought in by that Lu guy, you might be able to pull some strings. They're probably at the Dawn Organization repairing Freedom right now. You might just run into them if you go there."
While explaining, Dearka offered his suggestion. Seeing Athrun still looking confused, he sighed helplessly and continued:
"That Lu guy is Freedom's pilot, Lu Tianming. He and Kira seem to have always been close. As for the Dawn Organization... ah, just follow me."
Seeming to realize that further explanation would only create more confusion, Dearka simply gave up and waved for Athrun to follow him.
Crossing through the complex harbor area, Dearka directly brought Athrun into the Dawn Organization's factory. After winding left and right through a group of M1 Astrays, he pointed toward the Freedom Gundam standing prominently on the maintenance frame at the end of the path.
After showing the way, Dearka casually waved and walked off. Athrun turned to thank him, then walked toward Freedom's location with anticipation in his heart.
Just as Dearka had said earlier—Kira and Lu Tianming were indeed working together to adjust the Mobile Suit, with one standing beside the cockpit and the other sitting inside, exchanging ideas as they made adjustments. Occasionally, a few mechanics carefully handed them tablets, which the two would modify during their discussion before handing them back.
Athrun had intended to approach and greet Kira, but seeing how engrossed Kira and Tianming were in their conversation, it seemed there was no immediate opportunity to interrupt…
Well, there would be plenty of chances to meet in the future. There was no need to rush.
With that thought in mind, Athrun turned to leave.
But just as he turned to go… Kira, as if sensing something, suddenly looked up and spun around in Athrun's direction:
"Athrun? Is that you?!"
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