After several days of travel, the White Tiger and Archangel safely arrived at the L4 Colony cluster. Here, Murrue and the others once again witnessed just how thoroughly prepared Yang Hui had been.
Several colonies in the supposedly abandoned L4 cluster were still operational. Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka had long known these colonies were occupied by unidentified individuals and remained functional, but they had no idea who these people were. Despite multiple investigations, ZAFT Forces had failed to uncover this mysterious organization.
Today, they finally learned its true identity.
"[Terminal], a secret organization founded by like-minded individuals from PLANT, dedicated to peaceful coexistence between Coordinators and Naturals."
"Lacus!"
"Correct."
[Terminal] was a non-governmental organization established by members of the Clyne faction and other like-minded individuals. In its early days, the founding members were few and had no intention of forming their own armed forces, relying solely on lobbying, political influence, and media campaigns to achieve their goals.
After Yang Hui made contact with Siegel Clyne, he expressed dissatisfaction with their approach and offered suggestions. However, the pacifist-leaning Clyne faction dismissed his ideas, believing that preparing armed forces would contradict their founding principles of peace.
It wasn't until Yang Hui met Lacus and engaged in discussions with her—combined with the escalating war between ZAFT and Earth Forces—that they reluctantly accepted Yang Hui's advice and began building their own military capabilities.
Yang Hui then initiated comprehensive cooperation with [Terminal], including technology exchange, intelligence sharing, and even expanding their intelligence network worldwide through his pre-established connections.
Now, with the Clyne faction's complete political defeat in PLANT and near-total loss of influence, it was only Yang Hui's prior arrangements that ensured Siegel Clyne's evacuation from PLANT. Otherwise, he would have met the same fate as in the original timeline—executed by Zala faction members.
When Yang Hui led the group to meet [Terminal]'s local representative, Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka were stunned by who they saw.
"Former Chairman Clyne!?"
"Oh, it's been a while, Athrun, Nicol, Dearka. I never imagined our reunion would be under such circumstances."
Indeed, it was Siegel Clyne himself. Originally, like Lacus, Siegel had been unwilling to leave PLANT, still hoping to leverage his accumulated connections for a last-ditch effort to resist the Zala faction covertly.
But after Lacus entrusted the Freedom Gundam to Kira, she had Siegel forcibly evacuated—a move prompted by Yang Hui's warning that ultimately spared him from death.
"It's... it's been too long, Former Chairman Clyne."
"Surprised to see me here?" Siegel asked the trio.
"N-not at all..."
"There's nothing to hide. To be honest, if possible, I'd rather not be here but return to PLANT to continue opposing Patrick." Siegel Clyne said dejectedly. Shortly after leaving PLANT, he received intelligence that members of the Clyne faction had been successively purged by the Zala faction—some dismissed from office, others arrested, and many even secretly executed in the shadows. His once-proud network of connections lay in ruins.
Siegel Clyne felt relief—grateful that Lacus had sent him away in time, or his fate would have been tragic. At the same time, he was furious. He had never believed Patrick Zala could act so swiftly and ruthlessly, leaving no room for the Clyne faction, nor could he accept that his longtime friend would turn murderous toward him. There was also resignation—his confidence had been shattered. While he had still arrogantly believed he could secretly contend with the Zala faction, his daughter and Yang Hui had already foreseen his grim fate.
"Former Chairman... does this mean you've betrayed PLANT?" Though aware they had no standing to question Siegel Clyne, Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka still asked. Despite aiding Orb, they still considered themselves members of the ZAFT Forces.
"I have not betrayed PLANT, nor will I ever. It is my nation. I simply refuse to watch PLANT walk down the wrong path. What I oppose is only the Zala faction's grip on national policy." Siegel Clyne calmly replied before turning the question back on them. "And you? Why are you helping Orb?"
"I..." The three hesitated, struggling to answer.
"I see." As an old fox, Siegel Clyne saw their inner turmoil and didn't press further. Instead, he reassured them, "You're still young—it's normal to feel lost. What matters isn't which side you're on, but that you use your own eyes to determine what's right and wrong for you, and what you should fight for."
"...Thank you, Former Chairman."
"Ah, don't dwell on it. You're all outstanding young people—PLANT's future still depends on you. And Athrun... my condolences."
"It's... it's fine." Athrun felt awkward, given his former engagement to Lacus made Siegel Clyne his ex-future father-in-law.
"And as for you—the crew of the Archangel." Having spoken to the three, Siegel Clyne turned to Murrue, Mu, and Natarle Badgiruel. "I've long heard of you. Few have managed to repeatedly outmaneuver that man Creuset."
"You flatter us, Former Chairman. In truth, we owe much to Yang Hui's assistance along the way."
"Naturally. Which is why I'm not at all surprised to see you all here now."
"Huh?" Murrue, Natarle, and Mu were taken aback, following Siegel Clyne's gaze toward Yang Hui.
"That brat has an inexplicable charm about him. The more you interact with him, the more you're drawn to his side. He doesn't do anything special, yet people can't help but be influenced by him," Siegel Clyne explained with a smile.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Yang Hui replied without denying it. After all, this wasn't the first time someone had said this about him.
"Hahaha, of course it's a compliment!" Siegel Clyne laughed heartily, feeling a sense of relief. "We should really be grateful you're not part of Blue Cosmos or Zala's faction. Otherwise, this world would truly be in danger."
"So-called racists fall into just two categories," Yang Hui shrugged, sharing his perspective with everyone. "Either they're arrogant yet insecure, or simply envious."
The group was momentarily stunned by his straightforward yet accurate assessment.
Arrogant people look down on others, but their arrogance stems from deep-seated insecurity—fearing they aren't good enough and that others might surpass them. So they seek to eliminate all competition to remain on top. The other type is pure envy—resenting those who are better, unwilling to put in the effort to improve themselves, believing that eliminating others will make them the best.
Thus, Zala's faction was born. Thus, Blue Cosmos was born.
"A piercingly accurate evaluation. So... what should we do now?" Siegel Clyne asked Yang Hui. Though he was currently the leader of Terminal, he was willing to hand over command to Yang Hui.
"We wait."
"Wait? For Lacus to return?"
"Not just that. We wait for ZAFT Forces and Earth Forces to make their next move. When they shift the battlefield to space—that's when we intervene."
Currently, ZAFT Forces and Earth Forces were locked in deadly combat on Earth, far beyond their reach. Moreover, the conflict hadn't yet reached its peak. Intervening now wouldn't achieve the desired effect.
"I understand."
"By the way, Siegel, does your intelligence network still have operatives within ZAFT Forces?"
"No. They were likely exposed long ago. Zala's faction severed all intelligence lines as soon as they took action."
"Liumei, what about our people?"
"We have some, but contacting them now would risk exposure."
"...Select the one with the highest chance of successful extraction. Have them deliver a message to ZAFT under the condition of ensuring their own safety, then evacuate immediately." Yang Hui hesitated. Every undercover agent embedded in enemy high command was an elite operative who had sacrificed much to reach their current position. Losing even one was painful.
But considering the importance of the intel and one of his own objectives, Yang Hui decided to take the risk.
"What message?"
"That Earth Forces may have obtained the Neutron Jammer Canceller."
"What!?" Not only was Wang Liu Mei shocked, everyone present looked horrified.
"How is that possible!?" Athrun exclaimed. The Neutron Jammer Canceller technology was ZAFT Forces' highest classified secret. Aside from their homeland, everyone who possessed this technology was right here in this room. How could it have leaked?
"There are no walls without cracks, and don't underestimate the Earth Forces' technicians. Do you really think they couldn't discern anything from our Mobile Suits' performance during the Orb defense battle?"
"Well... but even if they noticed something, they couldn't possibly obtain it..."
"Don't treat Earth Forces spies as incompetent either. As long as it exists, there's a chance they could get their hands on it."
"You mean... Yang Hui, are you suggesting... there are their people within ZAFT?"
"It's certain they have infiltrators. I just can't confirm whether they could actually obtain it, which is why I said 'suspected acquisition'—better safe than sorry."
Yang Hui knew the Earth Forces would inevitably acquire this technology. After all, Creuset—that sly old fox—would never stand by and watch ZAFT use nuclear power to suppress or even defeat the Earth Forces again. He would definitely find a way to deliver the Neutron Jammer Canceller technology into Muruta Azrael's hands.
But the truth couldn't be spoken aloud. Otherwise, he couldn't explain why he knew but didn't report it. Without nuclear weapons, the Earth Forces would be marching to their deaths by challenging ZAFT—with its Genesis and relatively intact space forces—using just three warships.