Gundam:Super G Universe System

Ever since Lacus came aboard, Reid had been plagued with headaches.

However, Reid's headache wasn't because Kira had gotten involved with Lacus again. Though he did interact with Lacus afterward, it was only to the extent of exchanging polite greetings when they met.

After learning Lacus's identity, Kira, realizing he had unwittingly dragged Reid into trouble, behaved himself. Not only did he voluntarily help write mission reports, but he even assisted Reid in further refining the Natural OS for the Green Astray.

Reid had to admit that Kira was far superior to him when it came to computer programming—so much so that even with the cheat-like system providing him with resources, Reid still couldn't match Kira's skill. So, Reid was more than happy to let Kira help out, as it saved him a lot of trouble.

What truly gave Reid a headache was that Lacus seemed intent on poaching someone from his corner. At an almost unbelievable speed, she had swiftly become close friends with Ange.

In truth, Reid only had himself to blame for this. Considering that Lacus was still a young woman, he felt it inappropriate to visit her room three times a day (to deliver meals) and spend time alone with her.

Then, he considered sending Miriallia, but worried she might be "charmed" by Lacus. Sending Flay, on the other hand, risked an "explosion." So, Reid ultimately assigned Ange to deliver meals to Lacus. After all, given Ange's capabilities, she shouldn't be easily "charmed" by Lacus.

What Reid hadn't anticipated, however, was that while Ange indeed wasn't "charmed" by Lacus, the two quickly bonded over their shared interest in music.

Reid had forgotten—though Ange often acted like a tomboy, she had undergone formal royal education. Naturally, her hobbies included refined arts like music, dance, and painting. Thus, the two princesses hit it off immediately, happily discussing music together.

Then, when Lacus expressed boredom and asked to walk around, Ange naturally didn't refuse. She only stipulated that Lacus couldn't leave her sight and was restricted to areas accessible to ordinary refugees. As a result, Lacus was freed from her room in less than half a day.

Soon enough, Flay did explode—not out of fear of Coordinators this time, but pure jealousy. She was envious of how close Ange and Lacus had become, resentful that this Coordinator woman could so shamelessly flaunt her status and walk beside Ange when she had been there first.

Thus, Flay treated Lacus with extreme hostility, almost every word laced with provocation. Privately, Ange confided to Reid that it almost felt like being back in Arzenal. But she found the petty squabbles between girls somewhat nostalgic—and, admittedly, a little thrilling, since they were fighting over her.

Reid was speechless. And then it suddenly hit him—Ange's original character setting was bisexual, and by the story's end, she had an entire harem of women...

So, Reid couldn't help but wonder—was he about to get cuckolded by Lacus?

Personally, Reid didn't particularly care about same-sex relationships. But as a man, if his girlfriend was stolen by another woman, his masculine pride would be shattered into pieces.

The most frustrating part was that after Lacus was let out by Ange, she seemed to take great pleasure in flaunting herself in front of Reid. Though Lacus was undeniably cute and pleasant to look at during this period, Reid couldn't shake the feeling that she was deliberately provoking him.

Reid's Newtype intuition told him that Lacus felt genuine joy every time she saw him. It was as if she was saying, "I just love seeing you helpless and unable to contain me." Clearly, this was her revenge for him forcibly confining her earlier.

Watching the still somewhat childish "songstress" now, Reid found himself at a loss. He couldn't outright forbid Ange and Lacus from getting along, because he could tell that Ange wasn't swayed by Lacus's pacifist rhetoric—they had simply bonded over music and become genuine friends.

As for Murrue and Bargiruel, they didn't interfere as long as Lacus didn't wander into sensitive areas. In their eyes, Lacus would eventually be handed over to higher-ups, and her future was unlikely to be pleasant. So they let her have a little freedom for now.

Thus, during the two days after the Archangel completed its water resupply and left the Circum-Terrestrial Debris Belt, Reid was constantly exasperated by Lacus's antics. Flay and Lacus frequently engaged in verbal sparring, and as long as no profanity or personal attacks were involved, Ange didn't intervene. Flay, however, was no match for Lacus in arguments and often ended up making outrageous remarks that accidentally dragged Kira into the fray.

This forced Reid to mediate both sides, while the instigator, Lacus, simply watched him with a smug grin, making him wish he could pull her over and spank her a hundred times to make her stop causing trouble.

Fortunately, aside from enjoying Reid's frustration, Lacus was quite friendly toward everyone else—even Flay, who disliked her intensely.

Upon learning that the ship carried many refugees who had been forced into the battlefield after ZAFT's attack, Lacus teamed up with Ange to hold a small concert to soothe their spirits. This earned her a wave of goodwill and even softened some of the refugees' resentment toward ZAFT.

However, this "peaceful" interlude was soon shattered.

The Archangel's destination after leaving the debris belt was the lunar base. But to avoid detection by ZAFT forces near Earth's orbit, the ship relied solely on inertia and auxiliary thrusters, keeping its speed low. Combined with the need to skirt around defense zones, the journey took several days.

Halfway through, the Archangel's comms suddenly picked up an intermittent encrypted pulse signal—from the Earth Alliance 8th Fleet.

Reid was quickly summoned to the bridge. By now, both Murrue and Bargiruel had grown accustomed to consulting him before finalizing any plans.

By the time Reid arrived, the encrypted signal had been deciphered. It was indeed a search signal from the 8th Fleet.

"This is... 8th Fleet... advance unit... Montgomery... Archangel... respond..."

Murrue's eyes lit up with excitement.

"That's a unit under Brigadier General Halberton's command!"

Her confirmation instantly filled the bridge with jubilation. Since leaving Heliopolis, even with Reid's help, the Archangel had been constantly on the run—even forced to scavenge water from the dead. And though Reid was technically just a hired hand, the military personnel aboard still carried immense pressure.

Now, upon hearing that they could rendezvous with friendly forces and would no longer be fighting alone, everyone naturally celebrated, with many embracing each other.

In truth, Murrue and Bargiruel also wanted to hug each other—after all, the journey had been far from easy.

However, Reid happened to be standing right between them at that moment. Just as they raised their arms to embrace, they noticed Reid in the middle and immediately withdrew. If they hugged now, wouldn't Reid take advantage again... Huh? Why "again"?

Truth be told, Reid was feeling quite awkward himself. His Newtype abilities weren't yet fully under his control, and he couldn't actively block emotions he didn't want to perceive. So, he was acutely aware of Murrue and Bargiruel's mix of embarrassment (50%), shyness (30%), and irritation (20%).

Thus, Reid quickly changed the subject:

"Is it the 8th Fleet's communication? Murrue, Bargiruel, it seems our employment contract is about to end."

At his words, Murrue and Bargiruel instantly realized that reuniting with the 8th Fleet meant Reid had fulfilled his contract, and soon he and Ange would be leaving the Archangel.

A faint sense of reluctance crept into their emotions. After all, given their "overnight" experience in the mood room, even if no one spoke of it, there was already a somewhat ambiguous relationship between them—at the very least, they were close friends now.

Still, Murrue and Bargiruel weren't so sentimental as to be deeply distraught over parting with a friend. Murrue simply sighed and said,

"That's right, Reid. You're almost done with the contract. It's only been a few days, but it feels like so much longer."

Bargiruel nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. You've worked hard, Reid."

Seeing them popping the champagne too early, Reid decided to give them a reality check. After all, their journey was far from over—they hadn't even covered half the distance yet.

His expression instantly turned serious as he raised his voice slightly:

"Alright, everyone, calm down after the excitement. The last part of the journey is the hardest—we haven't officially met up with the 8th Fleet yet. First, respond to the communication and let the advance team guide the Archangel to the rendezvous point.

Also, remind the advance team to scout the surroundings thoroughly. While the 8th Fleet is searching for the Archangel, ZAFT is doing the same. If the advance team is spotted, ZAFT might trace their way back to us. So, make sure to warn them."

Hearing this, Murrue and Bargiruel realized they had celebrated too soon and inwardly admired Reid's combat experience. This was what professionalism looked like—indeed, having a veteran was like having a treasure. The practical value of an experienced soldier far outweighed most theoretical training. Though, in reality, Reid was only 25, the same age as Bargiruel and a year younger than Murrue.

Murrue immediately resumed her captain's demeanor and ordered,

"Everyone, as Reid said, we must stand our final watch. Return to your posts. Jackie, respond to the advance team in cipher and make sure to relay Reid's warning."

After Murrue gave her orders, Reid remembered one more thing and interjected,

"Oh, when sending the refugee and conscription lists to the advance team, please specify that Lacus Clyne is under the protection of the New Misurugi Republic and has no affiliation with the Archangel."

When Reid said this, Bargiruel stared at him and asked sternly,

"Reid, are you planning to take away the daughter of the PLANT chairman?"

Reid admitted directly, nodding as he replied,

"Of course, I intend to take her with me to avoid being intercepted by ZAFT when returning to the New Misurugi Republic. Besides, once she arrives in the New Misurugi Republic, she'll be extradited back to PLANT. That's still better than being handed over to the Earth Alliance as a political pawn."

Hearing this, Bargiruel understood Reid's intention—he planned to use Lacus as a shield to ensure his and Princess Angelise's safe return. The reasoning was acceptable.

Murrue also felt this was the best course of action after listening to Reid. She couldn't bear the thought of someone as "innocent" as Lacus becoming a political sacrifice. So she agreed,

"Fine. Jackie, transmit the message as Reid suggested. Miss Lacus was picked up by Reid in the first place, and Princess Angelise has been the one primarily looking after her since then."

Once the captain made the decision, the crew naturally had no objections. Besides, everyone knew they owed their survival to Reid's efforts. Turning a blind eye to certain things was only fair.

Just as the Archangel was excitedly contacting the Earth Alliance's Eighth Fleet advance team, Creuset's squad—tasked with searching for Lacus—spotted the Nelson-class Montgomery and the Drake-class Bernard and L'Ouverture, just like in the original timeline.

However, unlike the original events, after his presentation before the PLANT Supreme Council, Creuset had not only exaggerated the performance of the Atlantic Federation's new Mobile Suits but also dramatically overstated the combat capabilities of the NT-X and the Empress Custom Flag.

Yet the Council had long since decided on their approach toward the New Misurugi Republic. Upon learning that Creuset was indeed the one who had dragged them into this mess, the outcome fell short of his expectations.

The Council's discussions about the New Misurugi Republic focused more on how to assert their authority as a major power while also showing enough leniency to placate them.

Fortunately, Creuset managed to offset his mistakes by successfully seizing four of the Atlantic Federation's new Mobile Suits and retrieving their data, thus avoiding severe punishment.

Later, after the ship carrying Lacus went missing, Creuset's squad was dispatched once again to search for her.

Before setting out, Patrick had a private conversation with Creuset—what was said remained unknown to outsiders.

The result was that Creuset departed not only with his flagship, the Vesalius, but also two fully equipped Nazca-class high-speed battleships carrying GINN units. After rendezvousing with the Gamov and another Laurasia-class ship—both of which had already lost track of the Archangel—the five vessels formed a new fleet to search for Lacus.

However, Creuset never allowed the fleet to venture deep into the Circum-Terrestrial Debris Belt, only sending Mobile Suits to patrol the wreckage of Junius Seven. Naturally, they found nothing—after so much time, the civilian ship Lacus had been on could have drifted anywhere, making it impossible to locate near Junius Seven's remains.

Thus, Creuset began patrolling the space between the debris belt and Earth, eventually catching the trail of the Eighth Fleet's advance team.

When the Eighth Fleet's advance team was discovered, Creuset glanced at the star map and immediately laughed. He said to Frederick Adès, captain of the Vesalius:

"Let's pause the search for Miss Lacus. We've found bigger prey. These ships are likely supply vessels for the Archangel. Given how frequently they're deploying Moebius units for patrols, I'm ninety percent certain of this conclusion."

Frederick clearly wanted to say something at this point, but Creuset anticipated his words and cut in:

"Frederick, we are soldiers. Even with a search mission underway, military objectives take priority."

With that, Creuset issued another order:

"Convene a combat briefing. CIC, project the predicted trajectories of those three ships onto the star map. This is our chance to redeem ourselves."

"Also, deploy high-speed Recon ZINNs. If our warships follow too closely, the Moebius patrols might spot us. We need to maintain some distance. We can't afford to be detected prematurely."

Leaving aside Creuset's team's combat briefing, the scene shifts back to the Archangel.

After establishing contact with the advance team, the Archangel immediately changed course and announced to the refugees aboard that their ordeal was nearing its end.

Meanwhile, aboard the Montgomery, though they had heeded Reid's advice and continuously deployed Moebius units to scout the surrounding area, the Moebius was never designed for reconnaissance. Its operational and detection ranges were severely limited. Against the specialized, high-mobility Recon ZINNs, they were completely outmatched.

Moreover, the Nelson-class and Drake-class were hardly fast warships, allowing Creuset's five vessels to shadow them undetected.

Five hours later, when the Montgomery, Bernard, and Raul entered the Archangel's radar range, the Archangel itself was also detected by Creuset's team.

At this point, seeing no enemy ships trailing the Eighth Fleet's advance team, the Archangel lowered its guard slightly, assuming they had successfully evaded ZAFT's search.

However, this respite was short-lived. Just as the Montgomery, Bernard, and Raul came into visual range of the Archangel, severe radar interference suddenly erupted. Two large heat signatures appeared instantly behind the Eighth Fleet's advance team.

The Archangel's CIC immediately reported:

"Large heat signatures detected behind the Montgomery! Thermal pattern matches Laurasia-class vessels—two in total. They're deploying Mobile Suits—seven units confirmed. Thermal patterns match the Duel, Buster, Blitz, and four GINNs!"

Thanks to Reid's earlier warning, the Archangel had remained at Condition Two. All MS pilots were already in the ready room, awaiting deployment orders.

Thus, Murrue didn't panic. She merely sighed in exasperation:

"The same Laurasia-class ships from Artemis Fortress? Seriously, they chased us all the way here?"

In truth, Murrue had another thought she didn't voice—she was utterly exasperated with the Montgomery, Bernard, and Raul. Despite being warned about possible ZAFT pursuit, they'd still led the enemy straight to them. They were practically deadweight allies.

Moreover, according to the intel received, this advance team was accompanied by George Allster, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Atlantic Federation. It seemed he had followed after hearing that Reid and Princess Angelise were also aboard the ship. (In the original work, he likely came upon receiving intel that Flay was on board—it's improbable that he happened to be aboard the Montgomery during its external search mission.)

However, after everything they had been through, Murrue had gained confidence. Two measly Laurasia-class ships? They were already defeated opponents. Previously, she would have had to worry about ammunition, but now the 8th Fleet was right in front of them—was there any fear of not having a place to resupply?

Thus, this time, Murrue didn't even consider retreating. She immediately commanded:

"All hands, first battle stations! MS Squad, launch! Engines start up! Positron Cannon, prepare to fire! Gottfried and Valiant, activate! After passing the three Montgomery ships, engage the enemy vessels directly. Second Lieutenant Natarle, you'll still control the timing and angle of fire. Our objective is to shoot down the enemy ships and completely eliminate any possibility of them pursuing us further."