"She's awake."
After sending Shihe away, He Kui approached Bargirrle with a smile.
"You knew I was awake already."
Bargirrle had clearly deduced something from his earlier words.
"More or less. So, have you made up your mind?"
As the two spoke, the other members of Snake Tail were busy with their own tasks, but their ears were perked up.
It felt like there was more to their story.
The pairing of Pallas, the guardian of peace, and the captain of a frontline elite ship—what a delightful combination. Thinking of this, Loretta's eyes sparkled.
Hearing this, Lide, who had been drinking, set his glass down.
"Hand you over to ZAFT or obediently go with them to Orb."
He Kui spoke like a bandit forcibly abducting a maiden, giving Bargirrle only two choices.
There was no other way. Bargirrle's personality was inherently strong-willed. If he offered more options, she might feel she could resist.
The room fell silent for a moment, but eventually, Bargirrle gritted her teeth and said,
"I'll go to Orb."
There was no other choice. She had killed many, many ZAFT soldiers.
She didn't know that even if she chose ZAFT, she would still end up in Orb, and He Kui would intercede on her behalf.
So, in Bargirrle's view, if she went to ZAFT, it would truly be the end of everything.
Even if she exchanged her intelligence for her life, she would still be imprisoned until old age.
But going to Orb, at least as a neutral nation on the surface, offered a chance to return to the Atlantic Federation.
Although, having been forced to flee from the base, she wasn't sure if the Atlantic Federation would take her back.
But she had nowhere else to go.
And Orb was far away—perhaps she still had a chance to escape.
Though He Kui seemed to offer two choices, in reality, if Bargirrle wanted to survive, she had no choice but to go to Orb.
"Alright."
Hearing Bargirrle's decision, He Kui's voice carried a hint of joy as he continued,
"Do you still want to return to the Atlantic Federation?"
This time, Bargirrle didn't answer. She simply closed her eyes again, lying on the bed like a dead fish, as if to say, "Even if you try to force me, I'll play dead."
"You should know that after escaping from there, you're considered a deserter, and a deserter who fled while under confinement."
"...And whose fault is that?!"
Her cold, piercing eyes finally reopened, glaring daggers at He Kui.
"That's not how it works. They don't know."
"And there are those prisoners."
"You don't really think those prisoners would tell the truth, do you?"
He Kui's expression turned slightly strange.
After all, it was a fact that Bargirrle had disappeared after the Aegis attack.
Even if the other prisoners survived, would they tell the truth?
Given the hostility and resentment they had shown toward Bargirrle during their conversations, they probably wished she had died, even though she had survived by defying orders and was rescued by him.
Of course, this was also one of the reasons he had left those prisoners alive.
He had cut off Bargirrle's escape route, ensuring she could never return.
Having once fled with the enemy, how could they let her continue as a captain?
Bargirrle was not foolish; on the contrary, she was perceptive and could read people's intentions, which was why she often stayed one step ahead in tactics.
But now she had nothing, so she tried to bluff, only to be instantly exposed.
"I..."
Seeing that she couldn't win the argument, Bargirrle closed her eyes again, pretending to be dead.
She couldn't fight, and she couldn't argue.
At this moment, Bargirrle was extremely angry, but she could only seethe in silence.
"Going to Orb isn't so bad, is it? You might even get to see your friends."
"How do you know that?"
She was asking how he knew the Archangel was in Orb, and also why he thought she still couldn't let go of the people on the Archangel.
"Various reasons, perhaps I'm an admirer of Major Bargirrle?"
He Kui laughed.
But it was clear that Bargirrle didn't believe him.
What kind of admirer would electrocute their idol and then take them away? Only a primitive person would do that.
"Don't you want to know what command I disobeyed to be locked up?"
Bargirrle, coming from a military family, should prioritize orders above all else.
What kind of insane order from Muruta could she have refused to follow?
Hearing this, He Kui suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and frowned slightly.
"What was it?"
But this time, Bargirrle didn't answer, nor did she open her eyes.
She just remembered the moment she learned the intelligence, and everything seemed dark.
Even her loyalty to the Atlantic Federation itself began to waver.
If that plan were implemented... thinking of the faces of ordinary people, the innocent children in the Dawn Desert who were naive yet full of childlike innocence, and so many others.
If it were Murrue, she would definitely stop it too.
No mistake, no shot, no content in 69 books, just look!
By the time she knew about Cyclops, it was already too late.
God knows how she felt when she heard that Aegis had stopped Cyclops.
And now... for some reason, the choice had fallen to her.
Since she didn't know what to do, she might as well accept punishment to save them.
"If you promise to let me go, I can tell you."
Hearing Bargirrle's firm words, He Kui was stunned.
Not because of her fanciful words, but because of the seriousness with which she said them.
She truly believed this intelligence could buy her freedom.
"You can't go back."
He Kui shook his head. There was no way he could let Bargirrle go back to her death.
"I won't go back. This intelligence could change the course of the war."
"I can't promise you that."
"Is Aegis, which claims to uphold justice, just like this?"
Now that Bargirrle had the upper hand in the argument, her sharp words came out again.
"Let's go to Orb, but I can guarantee your freedom there—not just on the military island, but throughout all of Orb."
He Kui wasn't hurt by her words. It sounded good to say she wouldn't go back, but Bargirrle probably hadn't overcome her own barriers. She likely still wanted to return, whether to live or die, to face a military court and give an account to the beliefs in her heart. Though it was stubborn, that was who she was. Years of education weren't so easily changed.
Of course, even if she really didn't go back, he couldn't let Bargirrle roam freely outside.
Upon hearing this, Bargirrle's gaze sharpened like a blade, once again directed at He Kui.
However, this time he did not retreat in the slightest.
"I understand."
In the end, Bargirrle relented.
After all, going to Orb would allow them to gather intelligence, and if they weren't confined, leaving wouldn't be too difficult.
"How can you guarantee that you'll keep your promise?"
"If I don't, then let Snake Tail kill me. How about that?"
"Pfft!"
Lide, who had been watching intently and had just taken a sip of his drink, spat it out upon hearing this.
Everyone except Murakumo Gai wore expressions that clearly said, "Are you kidding me?"
They were supposed to take on Aegis? Seriously?
What made them think they could kill this guy? He was the one who had survived a nuclear explosion at the enemy's base and walked away unscathed after taking down two Mobile Suits.
On the other hand, Bargirrle, who had clearly thought of this as well, was rendered speechless by He Kui's shamelessness.
"What if we add the Waste Merchant Guild to the mix?"
Under the incredulous gazes of everyone, He Kui scratched his head with a look of innocence.
Facing their even more dumbfounded stares, He Kui continued.
"I'm being serious. I have no means to guarantee anything. Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you."
"But I've already agreed to let you go to Orb. There's no need for me to deceive you about this."
"...I can tell you."
Driven by her emotions, Bargirrle gritted her teeth and agreed, then gestured for He Kui to lean in closer so she could whisper in his ear.
"I'm not saying this for ZAFT, but for the people."
"They... to be safe, they've already p
lanted nuclear bombs beneath several Canadian cities and military bases near Clinton."
"Aegis, if you truly want to protect peace, at least ensure that innocent civilians are evacuated."
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