Chapter 144: Heroic Last Stand

If they surrendered, they'd have to rely on Lacus's reputation, and he could cut off communication with Aegis at any time, costing only five million. But everything would spiral out of control.

They had to escape.

"The enemy has a positron cannon. They'll likely fire it first. Turn left twenty degrees. Avoid overlapping the bow's path with theirs."

He Kui, controlling Aegis, quickly joined the captain on the bridge.

Seeing Aegis's skill, the captain and Lacus watched the girl with mixed emotions.

"Hurry!"

"Ah, yes, okay."

The captain hastily agreed, while Lacus thoughtfully observed Aegis.

Though Lacus was tense, she seemed the calmest among them, aside from He Kui, who was in absolute safety.

Just as they evaded, the Archangel's positron cannon charged and fired directly at the Laurasia-class.

With a deft maneuver by the helmsman, the massive positron cannon narrowly missed, avoiding the attack.

"Enemy MA detected!"

No Strike? Do they think they don't need it?

Though the Archangel's been hounded by Cruzer's team, it's a significant threat against regular ZAFT ships.

Currently, though the Archangel is faster, using the positron cannon slows it down, affecting its speed.

It won't fire frequently, and at this distance, beam cannons can be dodged.

"Give me a GINN. I'll delay them. You try to get away."

He Kui headed for the hangar.

"But..."

The captain hesitated. If he let this masked girl go and she didn't return, who knows how Director He would react.

"It's okay. If it were Director He, he'd do the same to protect Miss Lacus."

Lacus's large eyes widened slightly at the girl's words.

But given the situation, she couldn't object.

She couldn't ask them to surrender, right?

And with the positron cannon fired so quickly, it seemed they were at a dead end.

Surrendering might not guarantee safety.

"He Kui...?"

Ultimately, Lacus said nothing, watching the girl leave.

Something felt off, but she couldn't pinpoint it.

Meanwhile, He Kui wasn't concerned with Lacus's thoughts.

Taking a GINN against the Archangel and Zero.

Even Cruzer might not manage.

He was essentially a sitting duck.

Let's see how long he can delay them.

He had left a Haro on the Laurasia-class as a backup, so he wasn't worried about losing contact with that ship.

Fully focused, He Kui didn't change into a suit but climbed directly into the GINN's cockpit.

"Good luck."

The captain saluted He Kui solemnly through the communication link.

Everyone knew this mission was likely a one-way trip for He Kui.

"For PLANT, for ZAFT."

He Kui's words and his calm resolve stirred the captain and crew deeply.

"For PLANT, for ZAFT!"

They shouted in unison, a sense of heroic desperation in the air.

"Relay the message back as soon as possible."

"No problem!"

After speaking, He Kui quickly connected Aegis to the GINN's control system.

Simultaneously, He Kui pulled out a simple controller used for MS models.

Spending five million to fight the Archangel...

It felt a bit extravagant. He'd have to recoup some from the little rich girl later.

Thinking this, He Kui fired the GINN's beam rifle at Zero.

As expected, Zero dodged effortlessly with its rollers.

"Our reinforcements are coming."

He Kui opened communication with Zero.

"A woman?"

Mu was slightly taken aback by the masked girl on the screen, but his hands didn't falter in controlling the machine.

Linear cannons fired at the GINN from all directions.

However, the auxiliary AI on Aegis had studied Zero's attack patterns,

allowing He Kui to narrowly avoid the shells skimming past his cockpit.

Though he didn't expect mercy, seeing the attacks aimed directly at his cockpit was frustrating.

Thankfully, Strike hadn't deployed; otherwise, Aegis would be scrap metal by now.

Even so, he was merely delaying the inevitable destruction. As the Archangel approached, he engaged in close quarters with Mu, preventing the Archangel's heavy weaponry from firing recklessly.

"What do you mean by reinforcements?"

Mu calmly asked while dodging GINN's targeting and locking onto it with rear cannons.

He Kui's GINN engaged full thrust, rushing at Zero again.

Without considering G-forces, he could perform more maneuvers, despite lacking real feedback.

"Literally, we're just a cargo ship. If you keep pursuing us, you won't have time to leave."

Sacrificing an arm and the broadsword to block the linear cannons, He Kui sneered.

"There's no radar relay station here."

"Is there really none?"

"You're stalling."

Mu, observing the girl's repeated lock-ons without firing, quickly deduced her intention.

She seemed like an elite Red Coat, with higher G-resistance than usual, but this was Zero.

Locked on, Mu dodged again, preemptively blocking GINN's path with cannons. The Archangel fired a beam cannon, striking GINN's lower half.

"Surrender."

"Legs are merely decorative!"

Using the explosion's momentum, He Kui flew toward the Archangel's engine.

"Not good."

"For PLANT!"

Setting the path, He Kui jumped from the cockpit after uttering those confusing words.

Underneath, the Archangel's CIWS fired at the GINN, quickly turning it into a burning fireball, still hurtling toward the engine.

Soon, it touched the blue flames of the Archangel's engine. Under immense energy, the GINN disintegrated into ash, leaving Murrue and the crew bewildered by the ship's vibration.

Were they fighting ZAFT or Blue Cosmos? Why resort to a suicide attack?

They had time to surrender just moments ago, didn't they?

Had Coordinator fighting spirit become so intense?

"Sub-engine damaged, thrust down 4%."

"Radar response, Cruzer's Laurasia-class! Right behind us!"

"Retreat!"

Murrue quickly ordered.

Hoping for water was futile.

Survival was the priority now.

Meanwhile, He Kui, deemed crazy by Murrue, quietly drifted toward Julius 7 using his foot thrusters.

Luckily, the five million was safe.

But Mu was truly terrifying. In a normal fight, he might not last ten moves; without AI assistance, not even five.

Landing on Julius 7, He Kui controlled Aegis to find a hidden house and entered standby mode.

He couldn't return yet, and Lacus was too perceptive; she might notice something.

No one was on Julius 7; he'd come back for it later.

Meanwhile, in the Laurasia-class corridor, Lacus gazed at the stars.

After the reinforcements arrived, they barely spoke before cha

sing the Archangel away.

They were safe, but that strange girl sacrificed herself.

Was she someone important to He Kui?

Would He Kui have made the same choice?

[Lacus Clyne's favorability: 23]

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