Chapter 370: 370 Gundam Seed 11
Kira felt relieved upon seeing Andrew Waltfeld. Although he had fought to protect his friends out of necessity, deep down, Kira still carried a sense of guilt.
"You’re alive. I’m relieved. Those wounds... I see... I’m sorry."
At those words, Andrew looked at Kira for a moment, then sighed and spoke.
"Judging by the situation, it seems he (Jin) rescued you. And don’t apologize. I was injured by an enemy."
"But..."
As Kira tried to continue, Andrew raised his hand to cut him off.
"Ah, that’s enough. At the time, neither of us had a choice. We were fighting an enemy. You don’t still consider me an enemy, do you?"
"Of course not."
"Then it’s fine."
Andrew Waltfeld was truly a magnanimous man. Not only had he been disabled from his battle with Kira, but he had also lost his lover, Aisha. An ordinary person would not have been surprised to see him screaming for revenge. But he accepted that both his disability and the loss of Aisha were not Kira’s personal fault, but the result of war itself. That was why he could help Siegel Clyne and Lacus Clyne.
"You two seem to know each other. Well, I suppose that’s good? Since you’ll be living together for at least two days while treating the eye and arm, it’s better that you’re close."
"You heard him. Let’s get along."
"Yes."
I conducted a thorough examination of Andrew.
"Hmm... The arm is fine, but the nerves in the eye are quite atrophied. It’ll be a difficult surgery, but I can restore it."
"Oh~ impressive? I heard even PLANT couldn’t restore the eye. Celestial Being’s technology really is amazing."
"I can also remove the scar. Want me to?"
"No, leave the scar. It’s a wound with precious memories."
He seemed to be honoring his lover, Aisha, through that scar.
"Then we’ll begin surgery tomorrow. So today, take care of any work you need to assign to your subordinates or unfinished business. You’ll need to stay in bed for about two days."
"Understood."
As soon as Andrew heard my words, he busily gave instructions to his subordinates. He also compiled the list of needed supplies I had requested. I immediately took out the necessary supplies from storage, and the hangar was busy for a while.
A day later, Andrew’s surgery began. Unlike Nicol’s, it wasn’t a gender change, so it didn’t take long. I finished the surgery quickly and laid him down next to Kira. Of course, I again modified implants from Cyberpunk to fit the Gundam SEED world.
"Kira, when this man wakes up, tell Nana and she’ll inform me. I need to check if the surgery went well."
"Okay."
I had more work to do. Now that I had pilots, I needed to downgrade the ’Harute Gundam’ and ’Seravee Gundam II’ as well, just like the ’Zabanya Gundam.’ It was a measure to prevent technology leaks, but it was a bit regrettable since I had worked hard to build those machines. Still, it couldn’t be helped. Even a 1% risk was too much to entrust to anyone—these machines had performance that could shake the very foundations of this world.
When I came out around lunchtime, Athrun and Dearka were watching Lacus practice on the simulation equipment.
"This is unbelievable performance... How are Celestial Being’s machines built? The numbers show over five times the output of the machines we used. Is that even possible?"
"You fought them too, so you know. Maybe it is possible..."
"What are they using as an energy source? It doesn’t seem to be nuclear..."
Then Lacus frowned slightly and said,
"I got shot down. I can’t concentrate with you two chattering next to me."
"Hahaha, sorry..."
"Come to think of it, it’s almost mealtime. I should go prepare."
As Lacus finished the simulation and stood up, Athrun and Dearka tried to take a turn.
"Then I’ll go next..."
"What do you mean? I go first..."
Seeing that, Lacus sighed and started heading toward the dining hall. I waved my hand to let her know I was there. Her face brightened, and she walked with me to the dining hall.
"Are all men the same?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Being interested in more powerful machines."
"That’s not just a preference—it’s closer to instinct. Since prehistoric times, men could only survive by protecting themselves and their families. Showing interest in powerful beings or tools is a survival instinct to protect oneself and loved ones from danger. So it’s natural to be drawn to powerful machines."
"I see. By the way, Jin, I didn’t know you were also knowledgeable in medicine. I heard about Andrew Waltfeld’s surgery. Even most Coordinators would find it difficult to have expertise in such diverse fields. You’re truly amazing."
I felt a little guilty at those words.
"Hahaha, I just studied hard..."
"I-is that so?"
Lacus, though innocent, was indeed exceptional. Her quick perceptiveness alone proved that. So I had to be a little careful.
We prepared meals and finished eating. Then Nana came, took the patients’ lunch trays, and informed me that Andrew had woken up. I went to the infirmary with her.
"Delicious! I don’t know about anything else, but the food here is amazing! It makes me want to stay here forever."
Even though it hadn’t been long since he woke up from surgery and his appetite should have been poor, this guy ate very well.
"And I was so surprised when I regained feeling in my left arm."
"I’m glad the surgery went well. You’ll see again once your eye recovers too. For now, it’s still healing, so you won’t see until the bandages come off."
"Thanks. I had given up on the eye, honestly."
While I was seeing Andrew, I also checked on Kira briefly.
"Hmm... much better. You can move around now. Walk around the base occasionally, take a stroll. I made a small park too, so check it out. Staying in bed all the time will stiffen your body. Ask Nana, and she’ll guide you."
"Okay."
After checking on them, I was on my way to finish downgrading the Gundams when I heard a commotion and headed toward it.
"Wait a minute! Just let me talk to you..."
"Don’t follow me, you pervert!"
Athrun was chasing Aria (Nicol), trying to talk to her, but Aria, since the dining hall incident, seemed extremely wary of him.
"I’ve been there before. Back when I messed up a confession to someone I liked and kicked my blanket in regret."
"Come to think of it, I have too. Brings back memories."
"The first button is important. It’s unfortunate."
Athrun was clearly trying to learn about Nicol’s whereabouts, but everyone else was watching with amused looks. I found it amusing too, so I decided to leave it be.
Two days passed, and all the downgrades were complete. The moderate council members at the base were struggling to gather information. Kira, perhaps feeling guilty toward Andrew, stayed in the infirmary to keep him company. Because of that, the two had become quite close.
"I’m a bit nervous..."
I was removing Andrew’s eye bandages. He seemed worried that the surgery might have failed and he wouldn’t be able to see. But despite his concerns, I had completed the surgery successfully and carefully checked for any side effects, so there were no problems.
"Oh~ I can see!"
"I’m truly glad, Andrew."
Kira was also very happy about his recovery. I conducted several vision tests using color charts, but there were no abnormalities. There were also no problems with the arm wearing the prosthetic, so I removed the stabilizing sling.
I gave Andrew a pair of sunglasses and said,
"Wear these for a while. The nerves haven’t fully adapted yet, so strong light might be uncomfortable."
"Alright."
"In principle, you should stay in the infirmary for a few more days, but since we’re short on time, it can’t be helped. Avoid strenuous activity for two weeks. Don’t forget you’re still recovering. The nerves I painstakingly connected could come loose again."
"I’ll be careful. Anyway, thank you."
Just then, Siegel Clyne and Lacus suddenly rushed into the infirmary.
"Fortunately, Captain, you’re here. We’ve obtained information that ZAFT is massing forces to attack the Earth Alliance’s Alaska base. Originally, they seemed to be targeting Panama, but that appears to be a feint to hide their true intentions. I believe they intend to annihilate the Earth Forces headquarters in one blow."
Hearing that, Kira listened with a shocked expression. He couldn’t help but worry because the Archangel was at the Alaska base. By now, the Archangel would have gone through a difficult hearing, and some of its crew would have received transfer orders, leaving them in considerable disarray.
"Hmm... We’ll handle this. Captain Andrew, you’ve only recently had surgery. Instead, I’d like you to handle the base’s defense."
"Is it alright to leave the base to us?"
"This is a temporary base. The main base is elsewhere. Even if this base is destroyed, Celestial Being will remain. That doesn’t mean you should treat it carelessly, though."
"A base this size is temporary... Well, I haven’t seen any Mobile Suits being built, and the personnel are few, so..."
Then Kira stood up and made a request.
"Please, let me help too. My friends are on the Archangel at Alaska."
"I understand your feelings. But there’s something you need to understand clearly. We are not a group that moves to defeat someone. We are people who act to stop war itself."
"I know. I’ve done a lot of thinking here. Now I understand clearly. The reason I and those around me have suffered is ultimately because of war. So I will fight war itself, to stop that war."
Kira looked at me with a determined expression. Andrew chuckled and lightly patted Kira on the back. There were no words, but the meaning of encouragement was clearly there.
"Alright. Then let’s go together."
We quickly began preparations. Suddenly, a loud shout made me look over.
"Kira!? What is this..."
"Athrun!?"
Athrun, who had been watching the Aznable prepare, spotted Kira and stared at him in shock. Kira was equally surprised, but we needed to hurry, so there was no time to talk.
"Athrun, let’s talk later. I’m a bit busy right now..."
As Kira said that and boarded the Aznable, Athrun rushed over to me.
"Take me too! I’ll be useful, please."
Having been at the base for quite some time, he finally noticed Kira was here and urgently asked me. As I hesitated, Lacus approached and said,
"It seems the two of them have a lot to resolve. I’m asking you too."
"Alright. Let’s do that."
Just as boarding was complete and we were about to depart, Lacus was firmly seated in the captain’s chair.
"Huh? When did you get on?"
"When Athrun boarded, I boarded too. I want to be of help to you, Jin."
I chuckled at those words. No man would be unhappy that the woman he was seeing wanted to support him.
"Alright. Then I’ll leave this ship to you. What you need to know is that this ship is operated by an AI, so as long as you give general orders, it will handle almost everything. However, it prioritizes the ship’s survival, so if attacked, it won’t be too concerned about the enemy’s fate. So unless the situation is dangerous, it’s best to leave most combat to the Mobile Suits."
"I see. Understood."
Lacus was given the position of captain. But not all authority was granted. The primary commander was, of course, me, and she had no access to various confidential information about Celestial Being.
"Then, Mr. Aznable, nice to work with you."
[Nice to work with you too, Captain Lacus Clyne.]
"Then let’s depart. Destination is the Earth Alliance’s Alaska base."
[Understood, Captain.]
As the ship departed, Lacus began talking with the Aznable AI, getting a grasp on engine output, weapons, and various functions.
While Lacus was doing that, I needed to prepare Kira and Athrun. I went down to find them sitting in the living room, talking. They were both in tears, seemingly resolving the emotions they had built up over time.
"Looks like you’ve sorted things out?"
"Y-yeah."
When I asked, Kira hurriedly wiped his tears and answered. I asked Athrun as well.
"You?"
"I want to stop my father. What he’s doing is wrong."
"Really? Good. Both of you, follow me."
I took them to the ship’s hangar. There, the Freedom Gundam and Justice Gundam stood magnificently side by side.
"Kira, you use the blue Freedom Gundam. And you, Athrun, is it? You use the purple Justice Gundam."
At that, Athrun said in surprise,
"We can use these machines? They use nuclear engines equipped with N-Jammer Cancellers!"
"That’s exactly why you should use them. We need to show them that the weapons they built by crossing the line can become boomerangs that come back to hurt them. Besides, isn’t the only Mobile Suit the Eternal can currently operate the Buster Gundam?"
"That’s true, but..."
While Athrun hesitated, Kira silently climbed into the Freedom, customizing the OS to his preferences.
"Ha... I don’t know anymore."
Seeing that, Athrun sighed and climbed into the Justice Gundam, beginning to modify its OS.
"Amazing! It has over four times the output of the Strike. So this is a nuclear engine..."
Athrun had roughly expected it, but Kira seemed surprised by the far superior output compared to his old Strike Gundam. While they were doing that, I also prepared Aria (Nicol).
"How is it? Your first real battle. Nervous?"
"No, I think I’m fine. I’m a little nervous, but it feels like something I’ve always done."
"Th-that’s good."
I felt a bit guilty at those words. It seemed that regardless of the memories in her head, the habits ingrained in her body were impossible to erase.
