The Nahel Argama cruised smoothly across the sea's surface.
Accompanied by the lowering of the elevator, the Penelope returned once more to the Nahel Argama's hangar.
The leg support braces retracted, and the machine's fixing mounts completed their lockdown of the Penelope, moving it into its designated position.
As the PS Armor deactivated, the Penelope—which had previously looked somewhat surreal and overly saturated due to the underlying armor colors—regained a sense of "reality" as the phase-shift effect faded away.
"Good work, Brother Roz."
Watching Roz step out onto the gantry, Cindy, who had been waiting there for some time, handed him a water bottle.
The maintenance crew, leading their remote-controlled robots, began performing a post-flight inspection of the Penelope.
"You've all worked hard as well," Roz said, taking the water from Cindy and taking a sip.
"Any movement from the Unicorn Gundam?"
"You know how it is, Brother Roz. You're the only one who can get the Unicorn to move; when we try to start her up, she doesn't budge an inch."
Cindy waved her hand dismissively, clearly at her wit's end regarding the Unicorn's current state.
It seemed that waiting for the Unicorn's slumber to end was the only solution.
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"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, these Agents have assumed cover identities that are deeply intertwined with the AEU."
In the Nahel Argama's briefing room, Roz Links—who hadn't even had time to change out of his pilot suit—pointed to the key points on the screen behind him while addressing those seated.
"Their identities likely place them as some sort of independent special ops team, yet they possess the authority to command certain AEU units."
"Currently, one sniper-type unit has been destroyed, and one GAZuOOT is known to have escaped... we cannot rule out the possibility that they might sell their mobile suits to the AEU to gain further support in order to deal with us."
At this point, Roz projected several images showing Hellions providing cover for the GAZuOOT.
The GAZuOOT was one of the primary models deployed on Earth by ZAFT; it was a machine they were all too familiar with.
"So, what you're saying is we have to face the AEU, is that it?"
Murrue rubbed her forehead and let out a sigh.
"Last time we were fighting a private organization like Blue Cosmos. This time, are we jumping straight into a confrontation with the state apparatus of a superpower?"
"Actually, it's more likely we'll be facing the entire world."
Natarle Badgiruel spoke up then, her words acting like a bucket of cold water over everyone's heads.
"I assume everyone saw that broadcast from Aeolia Schenberg just now."
"It's quite clear that they are aiming to become the 'Enemy of the World.' Given that their mobile suit performance is exceptionally high and their appearance is so similar to our own Gundams, there is a high probability that we will be lumped into their designated attack parameters."
"Meaning, we either operate in total secrecy for a swift resolution, or we prepare for a head-on confrontation with them."
Murrue clearly understood Natarle's implication and began to sink into thought.
"Right now, both sides are hidden within a fog of war."
Roz continued to manipulate the screen, displaying various images. "We know they have a deep connection with the AEU. If they have some way of gathering intelligence, they will likely start with the Penelope and the Beam Magnum, potentially identifying me as Lane Aim or Banagher Links."
"Or, at the very least, if they've seen my face, they might mistake me for Amuro Ray."
On the screen, photos of the Penelope, the Beam Magnum, and Roz were placed on one side, with arrows pointing to the right indicating the directions in which they could lead the enemy with misinformation.
"In short, it's confirmed that their primary target is 'Gundams.' Therefore, our next step is to investigate the anti-Gundam forces of the various nations—specifically the AEU."
Roz paused for a moment before concluding his thoughts.
"For now, that's all. Meeting adjourned."
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The Nahel Argama set sail once more, activating its Mirage Colloid system and vanishing into the sea.
Only the ripples pushed aside by the battleship's hull remained, a lingering sign that something was still present.
Not long after the Nahel Argama left the uninhabited island, several AEU and Human Reform League warships appeared in the vicinity and began a search.
Unfortunately for them, despite searching for a long time, they found nothing and were forced to head toward the next projected landing site. Their path happened to be the exact opposite direction of the Nahel Argama.
"They're moving fast... I thought they'd need at least a bit more time than that."
Sitting in the captain's seat, Murrue Ramius watched the two fleets displayed on the radar and deactivated a countdown she had set.
"It is a world leaning toward peace, after all. Despite the various schemes and power struggles, it hasn't reached the level of the Naturals versus Coordinators yet."
Roz Links stood by the armrest of the captain's chair, overlooking the spacious bridge and the busy crew members.
"Superpowers are still quite efficient when it comes to mobilizing troops. Besides, both the Penelope and the Nahel Argama hold a fatal attraction for them."
"Knowing that everyone has their eyes on us all at once is a complicated feeling."
Despite her words, the confidence in Murrue's expression and tone never wavered. That confidence came from her faith in the ship, and her recognition of Roz's immense strength.
"Based on our calculations, the performance of the mainstream models used by various nations is inferior to Celestial Being's Gundams, let alone the Penelope."
At this moment, Christina—who appeared quite petite compared to Murrue and Natarle—leaned against Roz, much to the envy of some of the bridge crew. Roz reached out his left arm to hold her.
"Unless they develop new models, they won't pose a significant threat to us, no matter how much they try to overwhelm us with numbers," she continued.
After suffering a "mental breakdown" for a day or two when her sensor data was corrupted and the only readable files were gibberish, Christina had returned to her role as Roz's assistant. Now, her first task was a rough analysis of the various nations' primary mobile suits.
"I see... It looks like we can slow down our pace a little."
Hearing Christina's report, Murrue let out a small sigh of relief.
"Slow down?"
Roz froze for a second, clearly not expecting Murrue to use that phrase.
"Yes."
Murrue nodded and shared her thoughts.
"Since the end of the Gryps Conflict, everyone has been working non-stop on various mop-up operations. Even after arriving at the Courtyard, there wasn't much time to rest. I can feel that everyone is very tired."
"Even if they have bodies of steel, they are still human at the end of the day. And humans get weary."
Murrue looked at Christina nestled in Roz's arms, then looked up into Roz's eyes.
"Moving forward blindly can sometimes make you lose your way. Occasionally, you need to stop to help yourself find the right direction."
"...You have a point."
Roz fell silent. It really was as she said. Since the SEED era, he had been sprinting at the front while his teammates struggled to keep up. If it continued like this, eventually, people would start dropping out. Slowing down slightly would give them time to buffer and catch up.
"In that case... maybe we can find an uninhabited island to regroup?"
Roz began to think it through.
The Nahel Argama could not be exposed, and since he had to stay vigilant against the Agents, he needed to be ready to sortie at any moment. This ruled out any man-made islands or urban docks.
That basically left uninhabited islands. Maybe they could host a barbecue party or something similar?
....................