Rau Le Creuset, sitting inside his CGUE, broke into a delighted laugh as he watched the images appearing on his sensors.
"So, they've finally arrived? Excellent. Vesalius, do you read me?"
As soon as Creuset finished the transmission, Frederick's voice crackled through the comms.
"Commander, we've detected Earth Alliance warships."
"Yes, I see them as well. Given the current situation... Frederick, proceed as we discussed. Open a public frequency."
"Understood."
On the Archangel, Murrue Ramius's face darkened the moment she saw the Dominion appear on her screen. They had arrived earlier than expected.
"Cover the Kusanagi! Aim main cannon number two at the Dominion! Load the aft missile tubes one through four with interference smoke rounds. Load tubes five through eight with Corinth M114 missiles. Wait for the smoke to spread before firing the main cannon and the Corinths! We're breaking away now!"
"Understood! Main cannon number two locked. Smoke rounds loaded into tubes one through four. Bearing left 30, Orange 7, distance 150. Smoke rounds away!"
Romero, who was in charge of fire control, operated the Archangel's weapon systems with cold, rapid precision.
The smoke rounds detonated directly in front of the Dominion, shrouding it in a thick white mist that obscured the ship's sensors. Natarle Badgiruel's brow furrowed in frustration.
"Keep a lock on the Archangel's heat signature! Circle around the left side, do not fly blindly into the smoke!"
"Captain! The ZAFT forces are broadcasting on a public frequency!" a crew member reported, turning back toward her.
"What?"
Muruta Azrael and Natarle were both stunned.
"A public broadcast? Now?"
It wasn't just the Dominion; the Archangel, the Kusanagi, and the Eternal all received the transmission.
"What's going on?" Andrew Waltfeld asked, looking toward Aisha.
Aisha responded immediately. "It's a signal from the Vesalius."
"The Vesalius?"
Before Andrew could even react, a voice he despised echoed over the speakers.
"Notice to the Earth Alliance Archangel-class warships. Before you engage the Archangel in combat, this ship will release all prisoners currently in our custody."
"We Coordinators are not like you Naturals; we possess a great deal of humanity. Whether or not you choose to recover your fellow countrymen is entirely up to you."
With that, the public frequency from the Vesalius cut out. Andrew's expression turned grim.
"Damn it... What kind of game is that bastard playing, releasing prisoners at a time like this? Lacus, what do we do?"
Lacus Clyne shook her head slowly.
"Ignore him for now. The Archangel and the Kusanagi haven't broken away yet. We have to cover them."
"Understood! Lock the main guns onto the Earth Alliance ships!"
On the Vesalius, Flay Allster sat inside the escape pod, her face pale with anxiety and her heart pounding with fear. Through the images sent to the pod's monitor, she could see the war raging outside. She knew that going out there meant facing extreme danger.
But she had no choice. She could only follow Creuset's instructions and wait inside the pod.
Creuset, having just returned to the warship, pressed the button to open the hatch without a moment's hesitation. The rear bay doors slid open, and the deep green escape pod drifted out into the fire-filled vacuum of space.
Flay felt the pod vibrate violently, and she gripped the handrails beside her with all her might.
Several warships detected the escape pod's signal. Visuals even appeared on their monitors. Murrue Ramius's brow knit together.
"He makes a one-sided announcement and then just dumps an escape pod into this sector... Rau Le Creuset, what on earth are you thinking?"
In the Archangel's medical bay, Mu La Flaga lay on a bed, connected to an IV drip. He stared at the screen displaying the external combat data, his face tight with concern.
"Creuset... you bastard. What are you planning?"
Meanwhile, Mikazuki Augus was speaking with Orga Itsuka from the cockpit of the Barbatos.
"Mika, the situation is too chaotic right now. Focus on covering the Archangel and the Kusanagi so they can punch through."
"I know."
Mikazuki fired a shot, blowing apart a Strike Dagger that had drifted too close. He had intended to charge straight into the Earth Alliance fleet, but the Raider Gundam, one of the units from the Three Little Giants, was shadowing him relentlessly, refusing to let him pass.
Being harassed by such a persistent fly was starting to irritate Mikazuki.
"So annoying."
Clotho Buer sat in his cockpit, his face twisted into a snarl as he violently manipulated his machine's controls.
"Hmph! If I hadn't been ordered to fight a war of attrition with you, I would have slaughtered you long ago, you bastard!"
"Archangel, Archangel, do you hear me? Archangel..."
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the headsets.
"Hmm? Whose voice is that?"
Mikazuki paused for a moment, the voice sounding strangely familiar. He glanced at the communication list displayed on his side monitor.
"A public broadcast? Coming from an escape pod?"
At that moment, Kira Yamato's expression froze inside the Freedom Gundam. Already out of sorts, he now drifted motionlessly in space. Seizing the opening, Orga Sabnak fired a shot directly at the Freedom's rear.
One of the wings maintaining the Freedom's HiMAT Mode was blown off. Inside the cockpit, Kira was violently jerked out of his 867 items of simultaneous tasks state. Reeling from the impact, he stared blankly ahead, whispering to himself.
"Flay..."
Mikazuki kicked the annoying Raider away and opened a channel to Orga Itsuka.
"Orga, I'm going to recover that escape pod."
"Huh? Didn't they say the Earth Alliance was supposed to pick it up?"
"I have a feeling we can't let the Alliance have it."
"What? Why?"
Mikazuki tapped several keys on his screen as he replied.
"I don't know, it's just a feeling. Besides... that person is Flay Allster."
"Flay?" Orga remembered the name, a look of realization crossing his face. "Oh, you mean that spoiled rich girl from the Archangel? I heard Kira say she was transferred back at the Alaska Base. How did she end up with ZAFT?"
"Who knows. All I know is that if Kira stays like that, he's going to get killed. I'm going."
"Understood. The Archangel and the Kusanagi have already broken through. we'll cover you."
"No need..."
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).