— — — — — — —
"Captain! I saw a news report earlier saying that Chairman Patrick Zala's future daughter-in-law, Lacus Clyne—the daughter of Siegel Clyne—was here mourning the innocent victims of the Bloody Valentine tragedy at Junius-7! Do you think the battle earlier had something to do with her?"
"And that mysterious Gundam... Could the escape pod it took away have been carrying Lacus?"
Communications officer Miriallia voiced her speculation.
"What?!"
Murrue Ramius and Mu La Flaga were both taken aback. "Are you serious? That was happening here?"
"What should we do?"
Everyone turned to Murrue Ramius, waiting for her decision. As the captain, the final call was hers.
"You're asking me? I don't know what to do either!"
Murrue felt a bit helpless. "Leaving aside how terrifyingly powerful that mysterious Gundam is, even if the person in the escape pod isLacus Clyne, she's still from the enemy side! We have no reason to intervene, do we?"
Risking her entire crew for the daughter of an enemy leader? That wasn't a decision she could make lightly.
"The captain is right! We have no reason or obligation to interfere!"
Second-in-command Natarle Badgiruel spoke with her usual composure. "Besides, that Gundam pilot chose to take the escape pod instead of destroying it. From the battle footage earlier, it's clear that his goal was to rescue Lacus!"
"For all we know, that might be a secret Gundam developed under the Chairman's orders! Why would we pick a fight with them?"
"Don't forget our situation!"
"Saying we're in a 'dangerous position' would be putting it lightly! Right now, securing water is our top priority, or we'll all die of thirst in this damned space battlefield!"
Natarle wasn't one to meddle in things unnecessarily. Unlike Murrue, she was a pure soldier, trained to think and act like one.
"She's right!"
Most of the crew agreed. Given their current circumstances, they couldn't afford any unnecessary risks. Some still had their doubts but chose to remain silent.
---
Meanwhile, Kira Yamato was staring at the rapidly disappearing Gundam on the screen, deep in thought.
"Lacus? Wasn't she supposed to be Athrun Zala's fiancée?"
A part of him wanted to go after her, but he ultimately held back. It was clear that no one else on the ship would support such a reckless move.
All he could do was hope that Lacus would be safe.
— — —
On the other side, Renzo was speeding away from the battlefield, escape pod in tow. Once he was clear of any threats, he activated the optical camouflage and stealth systems of his Gundam.
In an instant, he vanished into the vastness of space, leaving no trace behind.
Half an hour later, he returned to his hidden base along with the escape pod.
"Young Master, you're back?"
As soon as Renzo stepped out of the cockpit, an elderly man rushed over to greet him, his face filled with concern.
"And this is...?"
His eyes landed on the escape pod that had been placed on the ground.
"Just someone interesting I decided to save."
Renzo chuckled, then lightly tapped on the escape pod's outer shell.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Rise and shine, princess! Time to wake up!"
Inside the pod, Lacus' eyes slowly fluttered open. She glanced through the transparent shell and immediately locked eyes with Renzo.
What a handsome young man!
She thought to herself but quickly shook off the distraction. She wasn't some love-struck fool. Her mind quickly began analyzing the situation, formulating her next move. Once she had her thoughts in order, she reached for the pod's hatch and opened it.
Lacus slowly sat up.
"Huh?"
She barely had time to greet Renzo before she noticed something strange.
"Where are we? There's actual gravity here? But this should still be deep space, right?"
She distinctly remembered being rescued not too long ago, and there were no large colonies or space stations nearby. Under normal circumstances, artificial gravity in deep space was practically unheard of.
"Welcome, Miss Lacus! Consider this a little visit to my base. I'm Renzo."
Renzo smiled and extended his hand toward her.
"Your base? Renzo?"
Lacus hesitated for a brief moment before reaching out and shaking his hand, allowing him to help her stand.
"I'm Lacus Clyne. Thank you for saving me. If not for you, I might not be here right now."
She gave him a polite bow of gratitude.
To be honest, she was still confused about the current situation.
This was completely different from her original plan.
However, she had already decided to change her approach.
After all, Renzo seemed to be far more capable than she had initially imagined—perhaps even more helpful to her future plans than Kira Yamato.
So, she decided to observe and learn more about him first.
After all, he did save her life.
Moreover, whether she could leave and how she would do so required careful consideration.
"I know who you are! Even though we haven't met before! And yes, I specifically came to save you. Come with me first."
Renzo said with a meaningful smile.
"Miss Lacus, this way, please."
Beside them, the elderly man named Uncle Fu gestured politely.
"Thank you, sir!"
Lacus snapped out of her thoughts, flashed a gentle smile at Uncle Fu, and quickly followed Renzo.
"Lord Renzo, what did you mean when you said you deliberately came to rescue me? Did you already know something was going to happen to me?"
Lacus cautiously probed.
This was an important detail—she needed to understand Renzo's motives.
It seemed like her rescue was premeditated!
Things were turning out to be much more complicated than she had expected.
"No rush! Let's eat first and talk while we dine."
Renzo smiled and shook his head.
Soon, they arrived at a luxurious dining hall. With a wave of Renzo's hand, the dining table was instantly filled with steaming hot, delicious food.
He gestured toward the feast and said, "Have a seat and dig in! We can talk while we eat."
Lacus was dumbfounded.
One moment, the table was empty, and the next, a full course meal had appeared.
She stared in shock at the food, then at Renzo, and couldn't help but ask, "What just happened? Some kind of advanced teleportation technology?"
"Oh, right!"
Suddenly, Lacus had a realization. "Earlier, when I was inside the rescue pod, I heard your voice inside my head. And the pod is supposed to be soundproof! Was that some kind of advanced communication technology? Or... magic?"
This was shaking her entire understanding of the world.
She couldn't wrap her head around it at all!
In this moment, Renzo seemed even more mysterious to her.
"Call it magic, call it technology, call it superpowers—it doesn't really matter. Just eat! The food is delicious, and I guarantee you've never tasted anything like it before."
Renzo smiled as he urged her to eat.
The dishes were exotic delicacies from different worlds—some from the world of hero, others from the pirate world.
Not only did they taste amazing, but they were also incredibly nutritious.
Regular consumption could even provide long-term health benefits.
"Superpowers?"
Lacus picked up on the keyword instantly.
She hadn't mentioned superpowers, yet Renzo had deliberately brought it up.
So, was this really some kind of supernatural ability?
She felt like things were spiraling beyond her comprehension!
"Alright, Lord Renzo, tell me—why did you specifically come to save me?"
Lacus quickly composed herself and asked.
"Because you're beautiful! I plan to make you one of my wives! And besides that, I want to collaborate with you to put an end to the war between Earth and PLANT, reunite Naturals and Coordinators, and lead humanity towards the stars."
"How does that sound?"
Renzo grinned mischievously as he spoke.
"Are you serious?"
Lacus froze for a moment before frowning slightly and giving Renzo a serious look.
She couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
After all, what he just said was ridiculously ambitious!
And putting aside everything else—
Becoming his wife?!
Was this guy a shameless playboy?!
And he wasn't even trying to hide it!
Lacus was completely speechless.
Just what kind of person was he?
Admittedly, he was handsome, with an air of elegance and mystery about him.
And he clearly held a great deal of power.
But he also seemed... kind of unreliable.
Still, she couldn't deny that he had piqued her curiosity.
.
.
.