Reid spent five blissful days aboard the Archangel, completely ignoring the chaos unfolding outside.
During this time, Kira sought Reid out for several conversations. After reviewing the Archangel's combat footage, Kira found himself deeply conflicted—his refusal to kill had resulted in consequences worse than outright slaughter. It made no logical sense to him.
But Reid didn't elaborate further in their subsequent talks. He wasn't Kira's father, after all. Some things only needed to be mentioned a few times. If Kira refused to change, so be it. Worst case, Reid could just shove casualty reports in his face later and let him stew in his confusion. A few more rounds of that, and he'd wake up on his own.
Time passed quickly, and soon the Archangel approached Orb's territorial waters.
Reid had no intention of entering Orb personally this time, and the Archangel couldn't openly sail into Orb's ports either. So the ship took the same secret route it had used to leave Orb—a military channel devoid of civilian vessels.
Reid knew Uzumi was well aware of how deeply the four major Earth powers had infiltrated Orb. If they approached openly, Uzumi would undoubtedly refuse the Archangel entry.
Orb couldn't afford to provoke any of the four great powers over non-essential matters—Uzumi wouldn't risk it.
Still, Reid didn't bother notifying Orb in advance. As the Archangel drew closer to Orb's waters, an Orb military vessel soon approached to investigate.
Reid immediately made contact with the ship's captain, demanding to speak with Uzumi.
His last visit to Orb had left a lasting impression on its military. After all, Reid was the only one who had openly threatened to storm Orb to abduct someone, fired warning shots at their homeland, and walked away unscathed.
Recognizing the return of this harbinger of trouble, the captain had no choice but to report the situation up the chain of command.
It was clear that Uzumi, too, felt the shifting tides of global politics. Orb was like a small yacht navigating a stormy sea, one wrong move away from being capsized by the surrounding waves.
Desperate to strengthen Orb's position—or at least secure enough resources for its potential revival after defeat—Uzumi was eager for solutions.
This sentiment wasn't unique to the Athha family. While the heads of Orb's other noble houses maintained a facade of normalcy, nearly all their second-generation heirs had already left the country. The most conspicuous example was the Sahaku Family, with whom Reid had "close ties."
Rondo Mina Sahaku had relocated the Sahaku main family to Amenomihashira.
Meanwhile, Rondo Gina Sahaku was busy stirring up trouble for the Atlantic Federation and remained within its borders.
This left Uzumi utterly confused about where the Sahaku Family's allegiances truly lay. Surely they hadn't placed bets on both the New Misurugi Republic and the Atlantic Federation?
The current head of the Sahaku Family seemed like a mere figurehead. Though he still attended government duties, his entourage had dwindled to a handful of servants and bodyguards.
Yet he appeared entirely unbothered by his children's actions. During a private conversation with Uzumi, he remarked:
"My daughter and son have their own ambitions—that's a good thing. An old man like me can live and die with Orb. The younger generation are seeds—they should be scattered far and wide."
Uzumi found himself unable to refute this, so when Reid arrived with the Archangel requesting a meeting, he immediately saw an opportunity to both secure insurance and plant seeds for the future. Quietly boarding a warship alone, he slipped out of Orb territory and directly boarded the Archangel to negotiate with Reid.
This time, Reid and Uzumi truly met alone—no one else was present. With Murrue personally guarding the door, naturally no one dared eavesdrop.
Though Reid was the one seeking favors this time, he didn't want to make the first request, as that could put him at a disadvantage in subsequent negotiations.
Uzumi shared the same thought. After exchanging brief pleasantries, the two men stared at each other in silence for several minutes, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Ultimately, it was Uzumi who relented first. Knowing that Reid, at his age, couldn't avoid some youthful stubbornness, he realized that being overly assertive might cause the talks to collapse—regardless of Reid's objectives—making future assistance for Cagalli impossible.
Thus, Uzumi broke the silence, saying slowly:
"Mr. Reid, you said you came to discuss matters with me, yet remain silent. This isn't the attitude for conversation."
Seeing Uzumi speak first, Reid naturally didn't remain silent any longer and replied:
"My apologies, Mr. Uzumi. I merely noticed the exhaustion between your brows and wanted to give you more time to consider. After all, you must already know my request and are weighing its pros and cons."
Reid was right. Uzumi certainly understood that Reid's arrival with the Archangel in Orb was undoubtedly to request repairs for the ship.
But this was clearly the surface reason. If it were merely about the Archangel's repairs, Reid wouldn't have needed to come personally—Captain Murrue could have handled the negotiations.
However, with Reid having laid it out so plainly, Uzumi had to respond. He asked:
"Regarding this matter, I must first clarify one point. Is the Archangel you wish to repair currently a ship of the Atlantic Federation or the New Misurugi Republic?"
To this, Reid simply smiled and answered:
"Neither. The Archangel is now a defected vessel from the Atlantic Federation. As for me, I'm here through personal connections to help facilitate matters."
Uzumi nodded. Reid's words were impeccably phrased—far more polished than his own immature child.
In fact, Uzumi now worried that entrusting Cagalli to Reid's care might result in her being completely outmaneuvered.
But that was a concern for the future. For now, Uzumi had to maintain official decorum:
"Mr. Reid, under these circumstances, I regret to say Orb cannot assist with the Archangel's repairs. Though we are a neutral nation, providing maintenance and supplies to defected vessels from other countries would be inappropriate."
Reid wasn't surprised by Uzumi's response and thus reiterated:
"Mr. Uzumi, I believe you may have misunderstood me earlier. I said I came through personal connections to facilitate matters—meaning I'm not speaking with a representative of the Orb Union Emirates now, but making a personal request to Uzumi Nara Athha."
"I hope you'll grant me this favor. Of course, should the Athha family ever face difficulties in the future, I will likewise extend my full assistance."
Reid was essentially making empty promises at this point, and Uzumi didn't believe a single word of his so-called "full support."
Yet Uzumi already felt this trip hadn't been in vain. A private meeting was good—it meant certain matters could be discussed more freely.
So Uzumi smiled and said,
"Oh, so it's a private meeting. Then I must have misunderstood."
"But Mr. Reid, making promises based on events that haven't even happened yet—that doesn't seem very sincere of you."
At Uzumi's remark, Reid tapped the table twice, producing crisp taps, then replied with a hint of slyness,
"Sincerity... Mr. Uzumi, why don't you first hear my predictions for Orb's future?"
Uzumi had long known that Reid was a strategic genius on par with Mina, so he gestured forward with his right hand, inviting him to continue, and said,
"Of course, Mr. Reid. I'm all ears."
Seeing this, Reid didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
"Alright. First, we need to confirm two things. The first is that the current objective of PLANT's Ouroboros Operation is to destroy all Mass Drivers under the Earth Alliance, depriving them of the ability to rapidly deploy supplies into space."
"This would prevent the Earth Alliance from rebuilding their decimated space forces and leave their lunar fleet completely isolated."
After Reid finished his first point, Uzumi nodded in agreement. He had heard of the Ouroboros Operation, but the plan had stalled after the attack on the East Asian Republic's Kaohsiung Port.
ZAFT's Earth forces had been dealt a heavy blow—though they achieved their tactical objective, the casualties were severe, forcing them into a long recovery period.
Seeing Uzumi's nod of approval, Reid moved on to the second point.
"Next is the recent Alaska battle. Before the war, the whole world knew ZAFT's target was the Panama base."
"But in reality, ZAFT pulled a deception and redirected their attack to the Earth Alliance's headquarters at the Alaska base. Unfortunately, the Atlantic Federation had set a trap there. After sacrificing most of the East Asian Republic and Eurasian Federation forces, ZAFT's Earth forces lost half their main strength there—including many of their absolute elites."
"To put it bluntly, regardless of how underhanded the methods were or how unethical it was to betray their own allies, the Alaska battle alone has plunged ZAFT's Earth forces into an absolute disadvantage. Their remaining bases on Earth are now critically undermanned."
"So, Mr. Uzumi, if you were PLANT's leader right now, what would you do?"
Faced with Reid's question, Uzumi thought for a moment before answering.
"Demonstrate strength—prove to the Earth Alliance that ZAFT's Earth forces aren't weak and easy to bully. Deter them from acting rashly."
Reid nodded. It was only natural that Uzumi could guess this answer—anyone with a grasp of politics or military strategy would.
So Reid continued,
"Exactly, Mr. Uzumi. Just watch—within ten to fifteen days from now, ZAFT's Earth forces will absolutely launch another large-scale offensive. This time, they might openly attack the Panama base."
"And I predict... this time, ZAFT has a very high chance of victory."
You must understand, while ZAFT's Earth forces are crippled, their space forces remain intact. Combined with their expertise in orbital drop operations, I can't say for certain whether the Panama Base will fall, but the Mass Drivers will definitely be lost. And this will undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to the Atlantic Federation.
This means the Earth Alliance will lose all the Mass Drivers currently in their possession."
At this point, Uzumi already grasped Reid's implication. The Earth Alliance losing their Mass Drivers doesn't mean there are no Mass Drivers left on Earth.
Excluding those controlled by ZAFT, the only remaining Mass Drivers on Earth are in Orb and the giant floating island Mass Driver built by the Junk Guild in the Pacific.
The giant floating island Mass Driver is actually a small-scale one, unsuitable for large Cosmic Battleships. The Junk Guild primarily uses it for civilian transport ships to move cargo into space.
Therefore, neither the Earth Alliance nor PLANT would have much interest in the floating island Mass Driver. Moreover, the Junk Guild is adept at maintaining neutrality, avoiding offense to either side. Naturally, neither would target the floating island Mass Driver first.
That leaves only Orb as an option.
Considering national strength and geographical location, Orb is clearly more suitable for occupation by the Earth Alliance.
Orb is close to ZAFT's Carpentaria Base, and occupying it could serve as a springboard for attacking Carpentaria.
Sweat nearly broke out on Uzumi's forehead. It was foreseeable that if Orb cooperated with the Earth Alliance, ZAFT would immediately strike at the nearby Carpentaria Base.
But refusing the Earth Alliance wasn't an option either, as the currently dominant Atlantic Federation wasn't known for reasonableness—they would attack regardless.
In other words, no matter what choice Orb made, the nation would become a battlefield.
Now, Uzumi began to understand why the New Misurugi Republic chose to leave Earth and establish their nation among the Colony Satellites in the L3 Space Zone—and in a relatively remote area at that.
Because their neighbors there weren't wolves. PLANT's homeland in the L5 Space Zone and the Star Palace Colony Satellite were separated by Earth itself. The surrounding Colony Satellites were no match for the Star Palace Colony Satellite, allowing the New Misurugi Republic to remain unaffected by the conflict and leverage their technology to negotiate with Earth's four major powers.
Uzumi could almost visualize the three nations of the Earth Alliance holding knives and forks, ready to carve up and devour Orb.
Suppressing his fear, Uzumi said to Reid,
"I think I understand your meaning, Mr. Reid. Am I correct in assuming you're offering to protect Orb in the future in exchange for my temporary sheltering of the Archangel?"
Reid thought to himself that while names might be mistaken, nicknames never were. The "Lion of Orb" truly lived up to his name, daring to ask for the protection of all of Orb in return for briefly sheltering the Archangel.
Shaking his head decisively, Reid replied,
"Of course not. I can't afford to provoke either the Earth Alliance or PLANT. What I can promise is that when war comes to Orb, even amidst the fighting, I will do everything in my power to rescue Orb's citizens. Additionally, I can offer some degree of assistance and protection to Orb's future seeds."
Reid's words were actually quite sincere. After further consideration, Uzumi proposed another condition—Reid must promise to assist Orb in restoring its sovereignty after the war, provided the New Misurugi Republic still existed.
Reid carefully weighed his plans and ultimately agreed to this term, as Orb's existence could help divert attention from his own forces. Moreover, the timing of the restoration and the political system afterward would be entirely up to Reid. After all, when making empty promises, there was no harm in making them grander.
With both sides satisfied, Reid and Uzumi signed a private, secret agreement.
Though such an agreement held no legal weight, if either party reneged and the other exposed it, the betrayer's reputation would suffer a severe blow. After all, secret pacts were an unspoken rule among those in power. Anyone who broke this code and was exposed would inevitably face universal condemnation.