Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

Perhaps to avoid suspicion, He Kui was genuinely surprised when he arrived at the hangar and saw the ship Orb had brought — an Earth Alliance's old Marseille-class transport vessel.

How many years had it been since anyone had seen one of these in service? Bringing a vessel so outdated and unguarded was practically begging for trouble.

No wonder Iron Wall had messaged him for guidance; with a vessel so utterly lacking in defenses, it was tempting to consider keeping it for themselves.

"Let's go. DSSD prohibits combat here. Once we're within comms range, we'll report back to ZAFT," He Kui said, climbing aboard their own Nazca-class ship.

Space pirates were one thing, but blatantly hijacking another sponsor's ship would be crossing the line.

"Understood," Iron Wall replied, his duty solely to protect. While he too was tempted by the easy target, he didn't question He Kui's decision.

The two spoke briefly as their captain initiated the Nazca-class vessel's engines. Meanwhile, Erika, now equipped with new technology, was hastily making her way back to Orb's ship.

"What's the rush, Director Erika?" Serena asked, following Erika with a hint of curiosity.

"You know the complicated relationship between us and ZAFT." Erika quickened her pace, looking flustered. "Serena, why didn't you tell me they were here today?"

"We have strict rules about not disclosing other sponsors' movements," Serena replied, shaking her head. "Besides, it's against our policy to initiate any combat actions within this sector."

He Kui wouldn't be the kind of person to attack unarmed scientists, she reassured herself. That last part, though, she kept to herself.

"They might not do it themselves, but they could just disguise some operatives as pirates," Erika replied with a wry smile. "Well, next time, Serena, let's hope we're not so busy."

"Yes, next time," Serena replied.

With that, Erika's Marseille-class ship followed behind He Kui's Nazca-class vessel, departing DSSD's hangar. DSSD quickly returned to its usual tranquil atmosphere, though the surrounding L4 space was anything but peaceful.

Before either ship had traveled far, they were ambushed by a group of space pirates. Their attackers ignored all hails and launched an immediate assault with three customized Ginn units, each equipped with strike armor.

"Get a signal to any escort ships nearby. We're heading for Ame-no-Mihashira. Deploy all Moebius units," Kisaka commanded, maintaining calm even as he kept a close eye on Cagalli.

"Head to the escape pods!" he ordered her.

"I am!" Cagalli retorted, though her face showed a trace of guilt.

"You're not piloting a Moebius, understand?" Kisaka wasn't fooled. He knew full well that escape pods were the last thing on her mind.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the skirmish, He Kui watched the battle unfold, deep in thought. Originally, he'd intended to leave, but his Round Hound unit, positioned close to Cagalli, had relayed a snippet of conversation between her and Kisaka, making him pause. Now, what he saw confirmed his suspicions.

Was someone trying to frame them?

These supposed space pirates, clad in strike armor and bearing ZAFT emblems, didn't look like typical outlaws. Their precision and coordination seemed too... deliberate.

"Director He, we could take advantage of the chaos," Iron Wall suggested eagerly, his large eyes bright with excitement.

"Yes, but before that, let's help them out," He Kui replied, understanding Iron Wall's reaction. Unaware of Cagalli's presence on the ship, Iron Wall's first thought was of profit.

"Rescuing them could be profitable, and we can make Orb pay a hefty price," He Kui added, knowing the geopolitical implications of leaving her to her fate.

With just three Ginns, the pirates posed little threat to their own forces, which included one high-grade GuAIZ unit and three GuAIZ Rs. Even without deploying his GINN with a Phase Shift Barrier, He Kui was confident they could handle it.

He boarded his GINN and gave orders. "This Nazca-class has no shields, so Captain, keep some distance. I'll stay near the Nazca-class for support."

"Understood," Iron Wall replied. With He Kui's instructions in place, each pilot launched from the catapult in quick succession.

Meanwhile, back at the battlefront, the clash between Orb's six Moebius units and the three strike-armored Ginns raged on. Orb's pilots, all skilled Naturals, showed their mettle as elite bodyguards.

Then, just to add to the chaos, a new alarm sounded on the Orb ship's bridge.

"A Nazca-class ship detected, bearing 13 mark 23 delta at 600 units, blue sector. Four additional MS signatures," the radar operator reported in a hurried voice.

Cagalli's face tensed. "It's the ship from DSSD! They're attacking us!"

"We can't be certain," Kisaka replied, frowning. If they were indeed caught in a pincer attack, surrender might be their only option. For now, Orb was still officially neutral.

"The Nazca-class is requesting communication," the comms officer reported.

"Cagalli, step aside," Kisaka instructed, taking a deep breath.

"No! I need to—"

Before she could finish, Erika had already pulled her out of view.

"Patch them through," Kisaka ordered, shooting Erika a grateful glance.

With his words, the auxiliary screen on the bridge lit up, revealing the face of the Nazca-class's captain.

"This is Captain Keita Hashimoto of ZAFT's Harmanns. We're initiating support to help Orb repel the attackers. Please do not engage us."

Captain Hashimoto spoke with a steady tone, leaving Kisaka momentarily taken aback before cutting the comm.

"Can we trust them?" Cagalli asked, brows knit in doubt.

"We have no other choice," Erika replied with a sigh, gesturing at the screen where the four approaching MS units were becoming clearer.

Even with Orb's nearby Drake-class ships, they'd stand little chance against

ZAFT's advanced units. More Moebius units would simply be throwing lives away in vain.

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