Chapter 281 - 282: Oh, You’ve Learned to Jump the Gun

Chapter 281: Chapter 282: Oh, You’ve Learned to Jump the Gun

The audience’s world and the world of the "film set" weren’t synchronized in time.

So from the audience’s perspective, Lacus had just finished singing, and the scene shifted right to Inori.

But in reality several hours had already passed.

After ZAFT withdrew, the Archangel began recovering the Strike and the Blue Frame, then started repairs.

The Archangel’s basic structure was still mostly intact, but some parts were riddled with holes.

It wasn’t just Murrue—this time Badgiruel finally couldn’t hold up either.

So the Archangel had to undergo an AI retrofit as well.

Without automation, there’d be no efficiency and no manpower—which meant they were as good as done for.

"It’s incredible. The Archangel is the first MS carrier our Earth Alliance ever built, yet Inori-san was somehow able to provide such a detailed retrofit plan."

Murrue was utterly astonished after seeing the complete plan Inori had drawn up.

The Archangel was a brand-new warship. The novel classification of "mobile assault ship" had been created specifically for her—or rather, the Archangel was the "first" ship of that class.

Precisely because she was the "first," the Archangel’s internal structure was very different from previous ship types, and her design could be called highly innovative.

In particular, the bridge—which controlled the entire ship and could be said to play the role of the "brain"—incorporated many of the latest technologies developed by the Atlantic Federation and Morgenroete.

Yet to Inori, technology like this seemed nothing special at all; she’d even provided several "streamlining" plans.

Precisely because the Archangel was more complex than other warships, she required more hands.

So in its design, the Archangel split ship control, the CIC, and the control room into completely separate structures. Just to maintain basic function took at least five stations, and when the fighting got busy, far more than that—the CIC alone could be packed with five people.

After the "streamlining," Murrue could even control the entire Archangel by herself.

"From the captain’s seat I can control the whole ship’s firepower, and through the sensors I can grasp the situation across the entire vessel..."

Murrue sat in the captain’s chair, observing her surroundings.

The biggest change was to the CIC.

The Archangel’s Combat Information Center handled enemy detection, radar-jamming countermeasures, heat-source proximity sensing, thermal-pattern and IFF identification, sonar detection, damage control, and more.

After the retrofit, one person could handle all of it with ease. The fully automated enemy-detection system could push detection to its limit, and the new algorithms were very useful for damage control too.

"But for the whole ship, the most impressive part is the automation retrofit over in the hangar. Murdoch told me maintenance is a lot easier now." Mu walked over. "But handing the Archangel over to an outsider to control—once we get back to the fleet..."

"This was entirely my decision. I, Murrue Ramius, acted on my own authority." Murrue took all the blame without hesitation.

Compared to standing before a military tribunal herself, keeping everyone else alive mattered more to her.

"That’s not how it is. In this matter, I, Natarle Badgiruel, took part as well." Badgiruel stepped forward too.

"Badgiruel, why go so far..." Murrue murmured.

"Hey hey hey, how could you forget me at a time like this? I’m an accomplice too." Mu smiled as well.

"You all..." Murrue was moved.

The three of them stood on the bridge, each wearing a smile.

But on another part of the Archangel, the mood was a little different.

"Heliopolis... what’s going to happen to us, Tolle..."

Miriallia threw herself into Tolle’s arms.

"ZAFT... I can’t believe they did something like this!" Kuzzey said, incredulous.

"Flay... she probably got away, right?" Sai murmured.

Just yesterday, everyone had been watching a concert, going on dates, chatting away; even this morning they’d been living and studying, laughing and talking.

Yet now the colony they’d depended on for survival had collapsed into ruins—desolate and bleak.

This barren world was so utterly broken.

Miriallia couldn’t help but bury herself in Tolle’s arms, weeping softly.

But at that moment, music softly rose.

"You can call out my name"

"No matter how down or blue you feel"

"Even if you don’t know how to smile"

"Though I know how hard it is"

"I’ll still keep you warm..."

Gentle music drifted through the ship.

Kira, worn out and lying on her bed in her room, drifted off to sleep as the song played.

The weeping Miriallia stopped crying and listened quietly.

Mu brewed a cup of coffee for Badgiruel and Murrue as they talked.

In the hangar, Murdoch led the mechanics through the final adjustments on the Red Frame Unit 2, its arm now swapped for a spare.

And inside the Astray, Cagalli had already started up the simulation program and was running a mock battle.

"I remember the time I sat with you in this corner"

"Alone before you"

"Oh, I don’t know how to put it"

"Home is everywhere you are"

"Your sweet and cozy home"

"Wherever you are"

"That’s home"

"How wondrous it is..."

Finally, the scene shifted to Inori.

Now changed into a goldfish outfit, Inori floated along the corridor, the cold battlefield ruins outside the window while the Archangel within was warm.

(It’s our Inori!)

[Woohoo, two new songs in one episode—totally satisfied!]

[The contrast between the two is so clear—one’s a peaceful day in a peaceful city, the other’s a quiet rest on the battlefield. Contrast maxed out]

[This is that Gundam flavor]

[This feels pretty wondrous]

[This song’s just as good]

[They’re all seven characters long, huh]

[They even turned that into a danmaku chain. Ridiculous]

[The client...]

"Authorization granted!"

Before the Stage’s message even finished, Inori had already jumped in with her answer.

As if she’d say no.

[Official site news one second ago—the single "Home ~in_this_corner~" pre-order has begun]

[There are really people camped on the official site watching for news all day]

[The official site’s reaction is unreal too—the moment the anime hits a scene, the matching announcement drops. Gundam really is here to move merch]

[Models to sell, records to sell, gotta grab both]

[Buy the Gunpla, buy the songs—that’s the healthy way]

—And there are the Popularity Points, right on cue.

The audience got good songs, the client raked in the cash, and she gained Popularity Points and fans. A win-win-win!

"Next up is the so-called ’plot divergence point.’ Everyone aboard the Archangel—what will you choose? And Le Creuse-san, what will you decide?"

Though the "grand direction" wouldn’t change, the plot was now genuinely different from the "original."

Under such circumstances, what choices would these living, breathing people make?

This stage of unknown fate could be quite interesting sometimes...