The next day, Siegel Clyne held a press conference as promised, publicly issuing an apology statement regarding the collapse of Heliopolis. He simultaneously announced that a reconciliation agreement had been reached with Orb and disclosed the compensation terms.
However, Siegel Clyne still played a small trick. After completing these actions, he also revealed to the public that the Earth Forces had been using Orb's neutral territory as cover to develop MS. He declared this as the primary cause of Heliopolis' destruction and called upon the Earth Forces—as one of the parties responsible—to apologize to Orb and provide compensation.
"That old fox." Wang Liu Mei rubbed her temples in frustration. She had thought she had achieved a complete victory, only to be outmaneuvered by these seasoned foxes at the last moment.
Now, Orb was about to face overwhelming pressure from the Earth Alliance, particularly the Atlantic Federation. Compared to PLANT, the Atlantic Federation could truly be described as "insane."
Armed with formidable military power, they approached diplomatic matters with the attitude of "submit or be beaten into submission." Moreover, the upper echelons of the Atlantic Federation's military were largely composed of Blue Cosmos members, harboring extreme hostility toward Coordinators. They consistently oppressed nations that did not share their hatred for Coordinators—especially Orb, where Naturals and Coordinators coexisted.
With Siegel Clyne now publicizing Orb's reconciliation with PLANT and even turning the tables on the Earth Forces, PLANT was too distant, and ZAFT remained locked in stalemate. Unable to retaliate against them, the Earth Forces would inevitably target Orb as the easier prey.
Realizing this, Wang Liu Mei immediately sent a message to Orb on Earth, specifically contacting her father in this world and Yang Hui's father. She urged them to quickly reach out to other neutral nations, as well as Earth Alliance members like the East Asian Union and the South African Union, who maintained good relations with Orb, to support them in resisting pressure from the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation.
She herself also needed to return to Orb as soon as possible—otherwise, her father and Yang Hongyu might not be able to hold out alone.
"You're leaving already? Can't you stay a few more days?" Lenore Zala asked reluctantly. Though she had seen the news and the apology statement and understood the deeper implications, Wang Liu Mei was still just a girl. Shouldn't such matters be left to the adults? It was already demanding enough for her to travel alone to PLANT for diplomatic negotiations.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Zala, but I must return to Orb."
"Very well. If you get the chance, please visit PLANT again—next time, bring Sumeragi along."
"Of course, Mrs. Zala. I'll take my leave now."
After bidding farewell to Lenore Zala, Wang Liu Mei headed straight for the spaceport, where she coincidentally ran into Athrun, who was on his way back to his unit.
"Wang Liu Mei? Are you leaving?"
"Yes, there are matters at home that need handling. The purpose of this trip has been accomplished, so it's time to return."
"Who knows when we'll meet again next time."
"There will be opportunities. Are you returning to your unit?"
"Yeah." Athrun nodded, then lowered his voice. "Lacus' ship has gone missing."
"What? How?"
"I don't know. My unit will depart immediately for rescue operations."
"I hope you find Lacus."
"Thank you."
"Then we'll part ways here."
"Agreed."
Wang Liu Mei separated from Athrun and boarded the shuttle back to Orb.
"Aren't you worried about potential accidents during the return trip?"
"Isn't that precisely why you're accompanying me as my escort, Tieria?"
The person waiting inside the shuttle for Wang Liu Mei's return was indeed Tieria. This trip would inevitably affect relations between Orb and PLANT, so Tieria had been assigned as escort to prevent desperate measures from the other side.
Of course, Tieria wasn't traveling alone. This shuttle was much larger than ordinary ones, with an MS container behind the passenger cabin housing Tieria's Mobile Suit.
Meanwhile, Sumeragi was on standby with Setsuna and Lyle not far from the PLANT Colony cluster. In case of emergency, Tieria could rendezvous with them for a safe retreat with Wang Liu Mei.
But for now... the ones to guard against weren't ZAFT but the Earth Alliance forces.
"By the way, Yang Hui sent a message instructing us to proceed immediately to the debris field."
"At this moment...?" Wang Liu Mei frowned slightly. It wasn't that she thought the timing was bad—she would willingly put herself in danger if Yang Hui needed it, even staying longer in PLANT if necessary. What worried her was whether Yang Hui might be in danger himself.
Sumeragi, Setsuna, Lyle and Tieria were Yang Hui's trump cards, not meant to be revealed at this stage according to their original plan. If Yang Hui had actively summoned them, it meant circumstances had forced his hand...
"After rendezvous, we'll proceed immediately to the designated coordinates."
"What about your safety?"
"I can travel with the ship. Orb's affairs can be handled by its people for a while."
"...Would this affect Yang Hui's plans?"
"When you received that communication, the plan had already changed. I trust Sumeragi has made the necessary adjustments."
"...Understood."
Without further delay, the shuttle departed, leaving PLANT territory to rendezvous with a silent transport ship.
"You're back."
"Yes. Sumeragi, have the plan adjustments been completed?"
"They're done. We'll likely be exposed earlier than planned, but Yang Hui instructed us to operate as mercenaries for now. You need to return to Orb immediately—the Atlantic Federation will surely put pressure..."
"Don't worry. I've already messaged him and Yang Hongyu. They can hold out for a while."
"Good. We'll depart immediately."
"Right."
...
Elsewhere, the Archangel had entered the debris field and...
As anticipated, they had recovered the escape pod carrying Lacus. But unlike the original events, the long-range reconnaissance GINN that came searching for Lacus wasn't destroyed—it had been disabled and captured by the Archangel instead.
Two ZAFT pilots were temporarily detained, while Lacus was questioned by Murrue, Natarle Badgiruel, and Mu. However... Yang Hui also participated in this interrogation, as Lacus had immediately greeted him upon exiting the escape pod—clearly, they were already acquainted.
"Thank you for retrieving my escape pod. I am Lacus Clyne." The beautiful, gentle girl sat composedly before the four of them, showing no fear. Instead, she remained calm and serene, unshaken despite facing members of the Earth Forces. Her white, sleeveless dress accentuated her pure demeanor, while the golden hairpin adorning her pink locks added a touch of charm.
"Haro, Lacus, Haro." During her introduction, the Haro cradled in Lacus's hands flapped its ears with a "puchi puchi" sound, ensuring it wasn't overlooked.
"This is my friend, Haro." Of course, Lacus hadn't forgotten Haro and eagerly introduced it to Murrue and the others.
"Haro Haro, you too."
"Sigh..."
"Really, enough already..."
Murrue and Mu both felt a headache coming on, while Natarle Badgiruel was lost in thought.
They didn't recognize Lacus, but they knew the surname Clyne—the name of PLANT's current chairman. If their guess was correct...
"Clyne... The current chairman of PLANT's Supreme Council, if I recall correctly, is Siegel Clyne."
"Ara! Siegel Clyne is indeed my father. Do you know him?"
"Uh... Sigh..."
Lacus's innocent, adorable expression as she asked this made Murrue and the others feel their brains throbbing in pain. They silently lamented that Lacus truly was a sheltered young lady, completely unaware of the gravity of her situation.
"Sigh, why would a young lady like her come here?" Murrue asked.
"I came to prepare for the memorial ceremony for Julius 7. Later, our ship encountered an Earth Forces vessel..."
Hearing this, the three of them could roughly guess what happened next.
As expected, the Earth Forces demanded an inspection. Lacus's side agreed, but tensions arose upon learning their purpose, escalating into conflict. Under the protection of her entourage, the young lady boarded an escape pod and survived—only to be picked up by them.
At this, the three of them glanced at Yang Hui with complicated expressions.
Yang Hui could only shrug in response. The Earth Forces' actions were entirely predictable—even toward civilian vessels, their attitude toward Coordinators wouldn't change, regardless of status or identity.
The questioning concluded, and after instructing Lacus to stay in her room and not wander the ship, Yang Hui was once again dragged into the captain's office to discuss how to handle her.
"Honestly, we should find a way to send her away as soon as possible. Her identity is far too sensitive..." Mu suggested.
"Sigh, is this the so-called 'surprise' mentioned in the intel? This is just..." Murrue truly regretted her decision now. Had she known they'd end up with such a hot potato, she would never have agreed to pass through the debris field.
"I personally recommend detaining her and handing her over to the military high command upon reaching the lunar base. As Siegel Clyne's daughter, she possesses unimaginable strategic value..." Natarle Badgiruel's suggestion aligned perfectly with Atlantic Federation's methods. From an Earth Forces soldier's perspective, it was indeed the correct course of action, but...
"Sorry, but if possible, could you let me handle her?" Yang Hui requested.
"You? What do you intend to do?"
"Nothing in particular. She's my friend. I don't want to see her fall into Earth Forces' hands, especially the Atlantic Federation's."
"That's unacceptable—"
"I approve it."
"Captain!"
"Lieutenant Junior Grade Badgiruel, I simply can't stand by while a young girl like this gets exploited by military higher-ups. You can imagine what she'd endure." Murrue persuaded. As an Earth Forces officer, she knew Badgiruel's approach was technically correct, but... she couldn't accept subjecting this lovely girl to inhumane treatment, no matter how important her identity was.
"She's an extremely valuable asset to Earth Forces. Don't you realize how much leverage she could give us if handed to command?"
"Precisely because I do realize that I'm asking you to let me handle her."
Yang Hui didn't appeal to grand principles to convince Badgiruel—he simply requested it as Lacus's friend.
"Lieutenant Junior Grade Badgiruel, I've made my decision. This matter is settled." Seeing Badgiruel still wanting to argue, Murrue firmly concluded.
"..." No matter how unwilling Badgiruel was, she couldn't change the outcome. Rank had its privileges, and Murrue was the captain after all—not to mention this was partially her accomplishment too. Still, she couldn't resist her habitual parting shot: "I'll report this matter truthfully to command."
"I'll take full responsibility."
The discussion ended with Badgiruel shooting Yang Hui a resentful glare before storming off alone.
Yang Hui felt somewhat perplexed—that glare had carried an inexplicable sense of grievance he couldn't quite place.
But with Lacus's disposition settled, Yang Hui returned to her room.
"Ara, Yang Hui, you're back? Does this mean everything's alright? I'm feeling rather hungry—may we go eat now?"
"...Could you drop the act around me, Lacus?"
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