Gundam, the Gundam journey of a certain glue guy and his mecha girl.

"It's wonderful that Aslan has found someone who appreciates him."

On Raven's other side, Lux watched the two drift away, clasped her hands together in front of her, and sincerely wished them well.

"You're quite carefree. Although the engagement has been dissolved, that marriage certificate lasted for several years, didn't it?"

Raven asked casually.

"Well, this..."

Lux tilted her head slightly, seriously considering the question.

"To be honest, I feel that even though Aslan and I are together because of our engagement, I can't give him all my feelings like Cagalli did. I guess Aslan feels the same way. We'll probably fulfill our responsibilities as marriage partners and then focus on doing what we want to do."

"Lacus, is this your attitude towards marriage? That's a bit unexpected."

"It's not necessarily like that. My thoughts might change depending on who my marriage partner is."

"For example?"

"for example……"

Lux's gaze swept subtly over Raven's profile beside her, and the curve of her lips deepened slightly.

"Please allow me to leave this topic for another time. Also, Mr. Raven, please study the heart of a young girl more in the future."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Raven frowned, but Lux had already taken a step forward, giving Raven no chance to ask further questions, leaving him only with her pink ponytail swaying from side to side with each step.

Kira and Andrew behind them exchanged a glance, and the corners of their mouths simultaneously curved into a smile.

Chapter 90 The Approaching Doomsday

The heads of the three ships, Archangel, Kusanagi, and Eternity, were gathered in the conference room of the Archangel, where Halbarton's face was being displayed on a screen on the wall.

Even with the latest signal enhancement technology, the image from Halbarton was still quite blurry, but achieving this level of detail in a neutron jammer environment is already quite remarkable.

"I never expected you would take the risk of going to PLANT itself."

Halbarton's voice carried a hint of reproach, but more than anything, it was filled with worry.

"What if something goes wrong in such a dangerous operation?"

"But we can't abandon our partners. We should try as much as possible as long as there is a glimmer of hope."

Raven replied.

"Moreover, Your Excellency should be more aware than I am of the political weight of the fact that Aslan Sara, as Patrick Sara's son, agrees with our ideals and has chosen to fight alongside us."

The forces currently gathered here include the reformists within the Earth Federation, the moderates of PLANT, and representatives from Orb, a neutral nation on Earth.

In order to integrate these forces, the third force envisioned by Raven and Halbarton cannot easily abandon its comrades.

Halbarton naturally understood this.

"Well, Raven, you're always right. But never forget that your talents shouldn't only be displayed in war; the post-war world is your main battlefield."

Raven nodded, sensing Halbarton's high expectations for him.

"I know that stopping this war is just the beginning; the real work is yet to come."

Halbarton nodded, a hint of relief appearing on his face, but his expression turned serious as he thought about what he was about to say.

"Blue cosmos has acquired the technology to manufacture anti-neutron jammers."

Halbarton's words caused the atmosphere in the meeting room to freeze instantly.

"This technology didn't originate from me. A few days ago, a ZAFT officer named Rau Rukruze, piloting a ZAFT-made nuclear-powered mobile suit, defected to Blue Cosmos."

"Rau Crozier? That ace from ZAFT?"

Upon hearing the name, Mu was instantly startled and sat bolt upright.

Halbarton nodded slightly.

"PLANT's intelligence network has not received any news of Kruze's defection. However, my father revealed in a public speech that Kruze had leaked information about Operation Breakthrough. This probably led Patrick to investigate Kruze as well, ultimately forcing him to join Blue Cosmos."

Based on the available information, Lux reconstructs the truth.

"Regardless of the truth, the fleet that obeys Blue Cosmos has now begun its operations."

Halbarton steered the conversation back on track.

"A batch of nuclear weapons at the lunar base have been deactivated, and PLANT may face a new round of nuclear strikes."

The word "nuclear bomb" silenced everyone present.

Just a year ago, a nuclear bomb that hit Junius 7 set off this bloody war. Now, what will the reactivated nuclear bomb bring?

No one dared to think any further.

Halbarton logged off in the silence, but Lux suddenly raised her finger and pressed it against her earpiece.

“I just received an urgent intelligence from PLANT. Mr. Raven’s earlier premonition has been confirmed. We have confirmed that ZAFT has built a nuclear-powered superweapon, but we have not been able to obtain its specific data or location.”

"So, both the coalition forces and ZAFT now possess superweapons capable of destroying the other? This is no joke."

Andrew's voice was more bitter than his favorite coffee.

The meeting room fell silent once again.

If the coalition's nuclear bombs and ZAFT's superweapons were to attack each other, the only outcome would be the destruction of the world.

Halbarton's fleet has just departed from the moon and will need some time to reach the front lines where Blue Cosmos and ZAFT are engaged. Currently, only the Three-Ship Alliance is capable of providing an effective response.

But what can the Three-ship alliance do?

"So, Raven, what's our next move?"

Lux's voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention to Raven.

"We'll go to the Poyaz Fortress first. If Blue Cosmos wants to attack PLANT, they must attack there first. If we can make it into battle, we'll destroy Blue Cosmos' nuclear bombs. If we can't make it..."

Raven paused, glanced at the star map in the center of the conference table, and pointed his finger between PLANT and Jakin Dover Fortress.

"We can only take advantage of the battle between Blue Cosmos and ZAFT to destroy both sides' superweapons at the same time. I know it's difficult, but we have no other choice. We are the only ones who can stop the world from being destroyed."

-----------------

After leaving the meeting room, Raven received news that El had completed the final testing of the new form of the S Gundam.

Raven hurried to the maintenance area, where he found a mobile suit that was more like an armor unit than a mobile suit.

This is the Gundam Deep Strike Form, designed by Raven himself and featuring technology from the world of D.Ed.

The original form of the S Gundam has disappeared, and the position of its legs has been replaced by a pair of giant thrusters. The thruster backpack on its back has also been replaced with the same high-thrust model. Although the upper body of the Deep Strike Gundam still retains a humanoid shape, it is completely different from the S Gundam.

The Deep Strike's right shoulder houses a super-large beam cannon with the output of a battleship's main gun, its barrel length almost equivalent to that of a mobile suit. In order to allow this beam cannon to exert its proper range and power, the Deep Strike's left shoulder and left hand have been replaced with multi-purpose sensors, greatly increasing the Deep Strike's target acquisition range.

The S Gundam's right-hand beam cannon remains unchanged. The firepower of the four beam cannons that were originally on its shoulders and waist has been moved to the large thrusters on its legs, while the wire-controlled cannon on its head remains unchanged.

Since the Seed world does not have technology similar to i's position, Raven can only use existing technology as a substitute.

He referenced the Eurasian Federation's light wave defense system, miniaturized it, and installed it in a device on his chest.

Its defenses are so strong that it can withstand attacks from shipborne positron cannons before it overheats, but the cost is extremely high energy consumption. Once activated, a deep strike mission must allocate most of the nuclear engine's output to this defense system.

"Raven, the battle that's about to begin is indeed very dangerous?"

El looked at the monstrous Deep Attack with some worry.

"Okay, next we're going to be the heroes who save the world, and intervene when the two major forces are launching destructive weapons at each other, to stop them from ruining the whole world."

El listened quietly as Raven finished speaking, then lowered her head thoughtfully. Suddenly, she blurted out a sentence.

"Raven, do you like Miss Lux?"

"Huh? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

Raven was completely baffled by what El had said.

"This is a very important matter, please inform Raven!"

"If I had to say, I would say I like her. But she's only 16, and I'm not so desperate as to want to develop a relationship with a high school girl."

“I see. Raven likes Miss Lux. I’ll remember that.”

El's eyes flickered a few times.

"So, why are you asking this?"

"Secretly, this is one of my methods for studying a young girl's heart."

"Girlish heart?"

Raven never expected that the words he had just heard from Lux would be heard again from Al.

'But how exactly does one cultivate an AI's girlish heart?'

Chapter 91 El and Lacus

Following Raven's plan, the three-ship alliance set sail from L4 space, following the trajectory of the Blue Cosmos Fleet towards the Poyaz Fortress.

Everyone knew that the decisive battle was approaching, and the atmosphere on the three warships was quite somber. Lux sat in the command seat on the bridge as usual, but found that she couldn't calm down as usual.

The fate of the world is decided by chance, and the chips they hold that can influence the situation seem insignificant.

The battles to come will require countless sacrifices. Perhaps it would be better to say some things before the battles begin.

Lux's right hand unconsciously gripped the ring hanging around her neck.

Just as she was still immersed in this conflicted feeling, the bridge door suddenly opened, and Lux ​​looked in the direction of the sound and saw a familiar figure standing at the door.

The silver-haired girl with the delicate, doll-like face extended an invitation to her.

"Miss Lux, may I borrow your time?"

-----------------

In the lounge next to the bridge, the wall lamps cast a soft glow. Lux turned around and gave Al a gentle smile, just like always.

"Miss El, is there something you need?"

Al didn't answer immediately. Her red eyes scrutinized Lux ​​as if confirming something, and then, in her characteristically calm tone, she asked a question that caught Lux off guard.

"Miss Lux, do you like Raven?"

"...Huh?"

Lux blinked first, then realized the question El had asked.

"I... well... uh..."

Lux frantically waved her hands, the crimson stain spreading from her neck all the way down to her ears before stopping.

Lacus knew Al's personality, but she didn't expect him to ask so directly.

"I'm not……"

The girl's shame made her instinctively want to deny it, but the words stopped before she could finish speaking.

Raven's image flashed in her mind, and she suddenly had a premonition.

If she denies it now, it might become a lifelong regret for her.

She then used a soft voice to overcome her shame and express her thoughts.

“I… like Mr. Raven.”

When she finally voiced her thoughts, she was surprisingly at ease.

Lux slowly raised her head and revealed her feelings to Al.

"When I was first brought to the Archangel, although I appeared indifferent on the surface, I was still somewhat afraid inside. Although everyone on the Archangel was a very gentle person, only Raven did not treat me as an outsider. If it weren't for him, my situation on the Archangel would have been much more difficult."

“Raven acknowledges my talents, whether I am a singer, a politician, or simply as ‘Lacus’, he is tolerant of them all. In his presence, I no longer need to play the role of ‘Lacus Clyne’ in people’s minds, but can simply be an ordinary girl.”

"So I want to be his support, to stand behind him and help him achieve his dream."

Lacus felt much more relaxed after venting her thoughts in one breath. She looked at Al in front of her, staring directly into his red eyes, and asked in the same serious tone.

"But El, don't you like Raven just like me? Then why did you specifically come to ask me this question?"

El fell silent, her eyes gleaming, and then the words she finally uttered froze Lux's expression on her face.

"Although Miss Lux may see me as someone who is close to human, I am not human in the end."