"Leave that ZAFT warship alone for now; let them go."
Seeing that the Minerva had already reached the boundary of the space colony Mendel and was carrying out its retreat, Cagalli—piloting the Akatsuki while holding Kira's cockpit—breathed a small sigh of relief. She spoke to Roz, who was preparing to continue firing: "We'll destroy the Earth Alliance forces first."
"Even if Kira is fine, they destroyed the Freedom and snatched the wreckage away, you know?" Roz was slightly stunned by Cagalli's decision.
"Kira's new machine can be finished soon anyway. Although Orb has already had a falling out with the Earth Alliance, it hasn't happened with PLANT yet," Cagalli explained her reasoning. "Besides, the commission is being paid by Orb. As the Representative of Orb, my thoughts should carry some weight, right?"
"Fine... since you're the boss."
With that, Roz turned the machine around and leveled the Armed Armor BS toward the two Nelson-class ships that were struggling to survive under the Nahel Argama's assault.
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On the Minerva, which had only recently been repaired, a section of the top hangar deck and several turrets were now destroyed, and the hull was riddled with breaches opened by the Earth Alliance. With no time for emergency repairs, the crew could only drop the shutters near the damaged areas to prevent personnel and equipment from being sucked into space.
Seeing that the warship had left the Mendel airspace and that the Unicorn and the Orb forces had abandoned the pursuit, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The blue Core Splendor returned to the hangar directly from the MS catapult track, slamming into the MS interception net like it was hitting some US aircraft carrier before finally coming to a halt.
Not far away in the hangar, the one-armed Zaku Warrior stood silently, with the remains of the Freedom placed on the deck beside it.
But what caught Shinn's attention most was Rey, still in his pilot suit, and several Marines standing before them in bulletproof vests and carrying rifles.
Obviously, his action of sending Stellar away had been discovered. Even Rey, who had provided cover for him, was under investigation. Was it because Lunamaria went to the infirmary and found the ship's doctor he had knocked unconscious?
Shinn turned his head and saw three Marines in standard gear walking toward the Core Splendor.
"Shinn Asuka, there are some matters requiring your cooperation for investigation. Please disembark," the leading Marine said, looking at the helmeted Shinn inside the cockpit.
He didn't resist, nor did he erupt in a guilty rage. Shinn nodded calmly, opened the canopy, and stepped down. Under the confused gazes of the maintenance crew, the Marines followed behind Shinn and Rey, "escorting" them out of the hangar.
"...Sorry for dragging you into this," Shinn said, looking at Rey beside him after taking off his helmet, his heart filled with guilt.
"Doing that was also of my own will," Rey shook his head. "In any case, you brought back the wreckage of the Freedom; there should still be room for negotiation."
"I don't know... maybe I'll be sent straight to a court-martial once we get back?" Shinn sighed, his mind feeling somewhat numb.
Would it have been better to just leave ZAFT after sending Stellar away? Shinn wasn't sure. He could only instinctively follow Rey into a room.
The four Marines stayed outside the door, while two followed Shinn and Rey inside, standing guard near the entrance. Looking at the setup, it seemed as if they would open fire immediately if either of them made any suspicious move.
As the environment shifted, Shinn noted the room's layout. This was the Captain's office. Talia and Durandal were sitting in chairs, flipping through documents in their hands. Although only a few people were present, the atmosphere was extremely solemn; it had clearly become a temporary military tribunal.
"Quite a bold move..." Closing the file, Durandal rubbed his forehead and looked at the young man who overflowed with a sharp, blade-like intensity—the youth he held high hopes for in his plans. "Perhaps I should have noticed sooner. Shinn, you were indeed too focused on that Earth Alliance girl."
"That girl named Stellar—her physical data and samples are of great significance to our research on the Earth Alliance's Extended humans!" Talia spoke with her usual calm expression, sounding like a robot running a program as she read out the judgment against Shinn.
"But given Stellar's physical condition, she would have died halfway even if we returned to the homeland," Shinn plucked up his courage and looked at the two of them. Under the surprised eyes of everyone, he spoke his mind. "Rather than letting her die like that, I'd rather entrust my friend to try and save her."
"But regardless... you sent away a high-value target." Talia gazed at Shinn, and after a moment of silence, continued, "According to ZAFT military discipline, Shinn, you will face..."
"I don't think such a heavy sentence is necessary." Durandal had just glanced through the records and naturally understood the punishment Shinn would face.
However, he obviously wouldn't leave Shinn to his fate. After all, having Shinn send Stellar away was part of his own plan; he couldn't let Talia punish Shinn strictly according to ZAFT regulations.
"We just escaped a life-and-death situation. Furthermore, Shinn single-handedly held back the Orb forces, brought back the wreckage of the Freedom, and finally blocked the Unicorn's pursuit..." Durandal counted the achievements one by one, glancing at Rey beside Shinn. "Strictly speaking, that Gaia unit was also brought back by him. If we severely punish Shinn now, I don't know how far our morale will plummet."
"...What do you have in mind?" Only then did Talia recover from her "automated" state, looking at Durandal.
"Since a mistake was made... there must be a punishment. But since he also performed so many military exploits, he should be rewarded..." Durandal made a show of thinking for a moment before offering a suggestion. "How about this: Shinn's punishment will be five days in the brig. He must remain ready to sortie at all times; after any battle ends, he returns to the brig until the five days are up. Additionally, his related military merits will be halved."
"Although the girl named Stellar might indeed have died halfway as Shinn said, it was still you who took her out, Shinn." With that, Durandal looked at Talia as if testing her. "What do you think of this punishment?"
"...I have no objections." After a long silence following Durandal's verdict, Talia finally spoke those words.
On one hand, the relationship between Durandal and Talia was deep; furthermore, Talia was the type who would simply "go with the flow" and do the bare minimum if not under immense pressure. After hearing Durandal's proposal and considering its feasibility, she agreed to the judgment.
"Well then, guards, take Shinn to the brig and begin the sentence."
Seeing everything moving in the direction he expected, Durandal smiled slightly and waved to the two guards near the room's entrance.
Shinn offered no resistance. In fact, spending just five days in the Minerva's brig was a remarkably favorable outcome for him.
"Rey... as an accomplice, you understand what must follow, don't you?"
Durandal looked at Rey, who had remained silent since entering the room, and nodded. "In a moment, you will join Shinn in the brig. Five days for you as well."
"Yes... I understand."
Rey calmly accepted Durandal's verdict without any rebuttal. Although Durandal could have easily secured an acquittal for Rey, having Rey and Shinn share a cell was a new, spontaneous plan he had devised on the spot.
"However, before you enter the cell, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you."
Durandal looked at Rey with a smile. "I assume those two minutes won't be a problem."
.....................