Brian Eno and Matilda Ajan integrated into the team relatively smoothly.
One was a seasoned diplomat who knew how to read people, while the other had the overwhelming advantage of stunning looks. Naturally, no one in the team harbored immediate hostility toward them.
Gaia, Ortega, and Mash were simple-minded in many ways and had long moved past the old Zeon conflicts. Running into former adversaries just meant sharing a drink to bury the hatchet.
However, they'd heard of Brian Eno's reputation, so they made sure to pour him a few extra rounds. Yet the 66-year-old veteran proved remarkably spry, holding his own against the trio—especially with Ivan Paserov, another former Earth Federation officer, backing him up. After a few drinks, he blended right in.
As for Hoshino Ruri, within minutes she was whisked away by the women to become the group's darling. Even Nami, previously the youngest, found herself playing the role of an elder sister to the petite Ruri.
Moreover, with a rare peer finally around (Kid Salsamille silently wept in the background) and Nami being a textbook extrovert, she was the perfect one to draw the introverted Ruri into conversation.
Of course, Reid had good reason to suspect the older women had already started treating Ruri like a dress-up doll—they were already discussing taking her shopping for clothes and daily necessities tomorrow.
Ange even decided to spare Reid for the night (after his confession about Murrue, which she accepted but still punished him for acting first and explaining later). She felt Ruri needed proper care, so she took charge of the shy (though really just reticent) girl for the next few days.
Just when Reid thought his iron-clad stamina could finally rest, Noin pulled him aside after the gathering. Lesson learned: never assume the second wife's easygoing nature meant no temper. Another busy night was inevitable.
Fortunately, Noin only kept him occupied for two days before easing up. Reid considered himself cleared, and his workload returned to tinkering with the fleet and Automated Mobile Suits.
Meanwhile, Brian Eno and Matilda Ajan familiarized themselves with the new battleship, while Ruri headed to Elvira Hill's lab to assist. She wanted to adapt a Psycho-Responsive Cockpit for capital ships.
According to Elvira's report to Reid, when Ruri learned that Reid's fleet was operated by AI, she chatted with them briefly and declared them friends—but insisted on a more efficient communication method.
Reid suspected Ruri missed Omoikane, the intelligent computer aboard the Nadesico. So he instructed Elvira to support her.
Ruri was a genius, after all. Neil Heavy Industries had groomed her since age four, and her mind was a vault of borderline black-tech knowledge—like the theoretical framework of the Phase Shift System (Phase Shift Armor being a basic application). Given time, she could independently recreate the Phase Shift Engine and Phase Shift Cannon, two game-changing superweapons.
However, Reid wasn't planning to have Hoshino Ruri immediately replicate the technology. She didn't know him well yet, and asking her to build weapons right away might make her think he was some kind of ambitious schemer—potentially causing her loyalty to drop on the spot.
Reid figured he could live without those two technologies for now and decided to take things step by step. Once Hoshino Ruri recognized him and the team, she might voluntarily write out all the relevant technical theories without him even needing to ask.
Of course, Hoshino Ruri, Brian Eno, and Matilda Aja were also unaware of the Factory Module's existence.
But aside from that, Reid genuinely intended to treat Hoshino Ruri like a daughter, giving her pretty much anything she wanted.
This led to Elvira Hill sending Hoshino Ruri to ask Reid for experimental materials whenever she needed them. After all, Reid would always cave after locking eyes with Hoshino Ruri for a dozen seconds, obediently exchanging the requested materials from the system and handing them over.
Fortunately, Elvira Hill knew her limits and didn't actually treat Hoshino Ruri as a universal requisition form. She only asked for materials Reid had previously denied due to G-Coin shortages, and even then, the quantities were less than half of what she had originally requested.
For the time being, Reid focused on mass-producing units in the Star Palace. The G Invasion battles could wait—he had enough G-Coins for now. Once he secured his foothold on Earth, he'd need to reassess his G-Coin allocation before deciding which G Invasion campaign to tackle.
While Reid built up his forces, outside the Star Palace, the wheels of history continued to turn.
On May 25, CE 71, ZAFT—just as in the original timeline—made no attempt to conceal their movements, mustering a main force from their remaining Earth-based troops and launching a direct assault on the Panama Base.
For this battle, ZAFT deliberately scaled back their African front, transferring a large number of troops from the Gibraltar Base to coordinate with orbital drop forces. Using a massive EMP generator—Odin's Wrath—they completely fried all electronic equipment in the Panama Base.
The overloaded electronics triggered massive explosions, utterly destroying the Mass Driver known as the Panama Gate.
Though the Atlantic Federation, as in the original timeline, deployed mass-produced Strike Daggers in combat, with Union Flags providing air cover and even Celestial Soldiers from the East Asian Republic offering fire support, none of it mattered under Odin's Wrath's EMP blast.
ZAFT's Mobile Suits were fully EMP-shielded and remained operational, while every Earth Alliance MS turned into scrap metal.
Moreover, still reeling from their crushing defeat in Alaska, ZAFT took no prisoners and carried out a massacre. Many MS pilots never even had a chance to open their cockpit hatches before GINNs riddled them with gunfire to finish them off.
Only a handful of lucky survivors, buried under rubble but still alive, were rescued by the Atlantic Federation forces that arrived later to clean up the aftermath.
The Battle of Panama served as a brutal wake-up call for the Atlantic Federation, which had been basking in the glory of their Alaska victory and the successful mass production of their own MS.
Just like that, the slight internal advantage they had gained by exploiting the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation was wiped out by PLANT.
Moreover, since the incident at the Alaska base, both the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation have been gradually distancing themselves from the Atlantic Federation.
They didn't even send personnel to the newly established Earth Alliance bases set up by the Atlantic Federation, essentially adopting an attitude of, "Go play by yourself, Atlantic Federation. We don't want anything to do with you for the time being."
At the same time, the two nations' private mockery and sarcasm toward the Atlantic Federation have greatly irritated them, a sentiment that became even more pronounced after the destruction of the Panama base.
However, the Atlantic Federation couldn't vent this frustration on the East Asian Republic or the Eurasian Federation.
Thus, during the Earth Alliance leadership meeting following the Battle of Panama on May 29th, Muruta Azrael, the leader of Blue Cosmos and a representative of the military-industrial consortium, proposed a "with-us-or-against-us policy" and urged the Earth Alliance to attack Orb.
(There's a common misconception here. The anime portrays Muruta Azrael as if he had already taken control of the Earth Alliance.
In reality, Muruta Azrael's influence extended at most to the Atlantic Federation's military and some officers in the Eurasian Federation—achieved only through his position as a member of the military-industrial conglomerate LOGOS under the Azrael Zaibatsu.
While many in the Atlantic Federation's military supported Blue Cosmos, the fact remained that Azrael's status as Blue Cosmos' leader did not grant him direct authority over the military. It's similar to how, in certain countries, soldiers may support a political party, but the party leader has no right to issue direct orders to them.
Muruta Azrael's influence over the military stemmed from his role as a representative of the Azrael Zaibatsu. In reality, he held no official command authority over the Atlantic Federation's forces. However, the military personnel knew that his words might carry more weight than those of their own commanders.
But soldiers could still choose to ignore him if they wished. This was evident in how the crew of the Dominion often alternated between following Muruta Azrael's orders and Bargiruel's, torn over whose authority to prioritize.
Thus, it's inaccurate to claim that Muruta Azrael had truly taken control of the Atlantic Federation's military. At best, he had a deep collaborative relationship and wielded influence.
If he hadn't even fully secured the Atlantic Federation's military, there was no way he could have controlled the entire Earth Alliance.)
Muruta Azrael's push for the Earth Alliance to attack Orb was driven by personal motives—the Azrael Zaibatsu had long coveted Dawn Company but lacked a pretext to act. Moreover, if they had forced the issue earlier, the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation would have demanded a share of the spoils.
Now, however, with everyone preoccupied over the Mass Driver issue, the decision was made to strike both Victoria Base and Orb simultaneously.
This ensured that the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation would not participate in the division of Orb's resources.
In truth, the Azrael Zaibatsu also had its eyes on Reid's New Misurugi Republic. However, with space still under PLANT's control and their own Mass Driver yet to be reclaimed, even if they urged the Earth Alliance to attack the New Misurugi Republic, no one would take action.
Furthermore, the New Misurugi Republic maintained strong ties with the East Asian Republic and had deep-rooted connections with the Eurasian Federation. Both nations would undoubtedly oppose any such move with concrete actions.
However, Orb didn't face this issue. The East Asian Republic's dislike for Orb was common knowledge, while the Eurasian Federation had no interest in a place so far away with no conflicting interests. Attacking Orb would at most draw verbal opposition from both, with no actual action taken.
Reality unfolded exactly as Muruta Azrael predicted. When it came to attacking Orb, the East Asian Republic and Eurasian Federation merely voiced their opposition before clearly stating that the Atlantic Federation would have to handle the operation themselves.
On June 1st, the Earth Alliance then issued an ultimatum to neutral nations like the Equatorial Union, New Misurugi Republic, Scandinavian Kingdom, and Orb Union Emirates, advocating an "either with us or against us" policy.
Unlike in the original timeline, this time the East Asian Republic and Eurasian Federation didn't oppose the call—one abstained while the other supported it.
Both powers had now realized that as long as Patrick Zala remained in PLANT's leadership, Reid wouldn't truly defect to PLANT unless absolutely forced. Thus, this was a good opportunity to guide the New Misurugi Republic. It would also give the New Misurugi Republic proper justification to later join the Earth Alliance camp.
The Earth Alliance then launched a massive propaganda campaign through media channels while privately pressuring various governments to join the alliance, often using near-intimidating tactics.
Of course, no intimidation was used against the New Misurugi Republic. Given its current state, Reid wasn't foolish enough to provoke PLANT's wrath at this juncture.
With the Earth Alliance Space Forces still tightly contained at the Moon and a few key fortresses, they couldn't even offer empty promises about defending the New Misurugi Republic's territory.
Thus, three nations' diplomats simply relayed the message that the Earth Alliance had made this call, and the New Misurugi Republic should take note.
The East Asian Republic even privately advised Reid that once the Earth Alliance retook space, the New Misurugi Republic could openly support them. For now, no one would force them to take sides—they could even verbally oppose the policy to prevent PLANT from forcing their hand.
Both Reid and Une agreed with the East Asian Republic's suggestion. The next day, they publicly declared the Earth Alliance's "either with us or against us" policy as unreasonable, emphasizing that the New Misurugi Republic was a peace-loving neutral nation that wouldn't join any war unless attacked.
Just as the East Asian Republic predicted, the Earth Alliance completely ignored the New Misurugi Republic's statement. None of their controlled media outlets reported it.
Only the Oceania Union briefly mentioned it, but without causing any ripple.
Meanwhile, Orb faced unprecedented pressure. Its previous comfortable neutrality had relied heavily on Atlantic Federation support.
After all, the East Asian Republic had always disliked Orb, and the pre-Earth Alliance Atlantic Federation naturally supported anything that annoyed them.
Even after the Earth Alliance's formation, when Orb still claimed neutrality, the Atlantic Federation hadn't objected.
But now circumstances had changed. The Atlantic Federation felt it needed to use Orb. They expected Uzumi to hold out for a couple days, make a symbolic stance, then gracefully yield.
To the Atlantic Federation's surprise, Uzumi Nara Athha proved utterly unyielding. Not only did he refuse to back down, but he also publicly denounced the Atlantic Federation daily for coercing Orb—a nation that wished to remain neutral—into joining the war. In stark contrast, the New Misurugi Republic had merely voiced its opinion once before falling silent.
The "dog" they had nurtured for so long was now daring to bare its teeth. What began as instigated attacks against Orb now became a genuine desire by the Atlantic Federation to teach the nation a lesson.
Simply put, Orb's geographical position was too strategically awkward. Even if Uzumi had someone sabotage the Mass Driver and pinned the blame on ZAFT, the Atlantic Federation would still insist on Orb joining the Earth Alliance for the sake of appearances. After all, Orb would serve as the perfect staging ground for future assaults on Carpentaria Base.
But Uzumi refused to give them that face, leading to the current deadlock.
Other neutral nations, witnessing Orb's defiance against the Earth Alliance, began rallying behind it—offering everything except actual military support.
The Atlantic Federation realized that unless they crushed Orb's resistance, their forcibly implemented "with-us-or-against-us" policy would become a laughingstock—like a naked man grinding grain, spinning in circles while humiliating himself.
Thus, the Atlantic Federation abandoned further negotiations and began mobilizing its forces. Coordinating with the Eurasian Federation and East Asian Republic's operation to retake Victoria Base, they aimed to seize Orb while ZAFT was too preoccupied to intervene.
Uzumi's actions infuriated Mina at Heaven's Base to the point of tears. Her younger brother, Rondo Gina Sahaku, had even piloted the Astray Gold Frame Amatsu to join the Eurasian Federation's forces in the Victoria campaign, all to secure a sliver of hope for Orb. Yet here was Uzumi, still provoking the Atlantic Federation on the ground, posturing about Orb's moral righteousness.
Mina longed to grab Uzumi by the collar and demand: Does righteousness put food on the table? Is it worth dragging all of Orb's citizens into war just to make a statement to the world?
Seeing Reid's earlier predictions unfold exactly as foretold, Mina sent a letter to the New Misurugi Republic—ostensibly to reconnect and invite Reid for a nostalgic meeting at Heaven's Base, while also requesting food supplies. The letter never mentioned a plea for help, yet to Reid, it screamed nothing but desperation between the lines.
Reid surmised Mina sought to negotiate, probing whether he had alternative means to save Orb. His response was simple: as previously planned, he would dispatch a small fleet—100 Mobile Suits, three warships, and five cargo vessels—to Earth. Saving Orb outright was impossible, but humanitarian aid could be provided.
For this mission, Reid left Ange and Noin behind, bringing only the Xia sisters and the Black Tri-Stars. Since the Hermes Zero had been spotted by ZAFT during the Alaska campaign, Reid would pilot the Mystic Lightning this time, keeping the Hermes Zero as a backup.
The Black Tri-Stars retained their usual Mobile Suits, while the Xia sisters were assigned NT-X Gundams equipped with Elvira Hill's newly developed psycho-synchronized cockpits. Though test results showed these cockpits weren't as overpowered as their original counterparts, they still significantly enhanced pilot performance.
Among the three warships, only the Aries was a standard combat vessel. The other two warships and the cargo ship were all commanded by newly promoted officers assisted by intelligent AI systems.
Reid treated this humanitarian mission to Orb as a training exercise.
While the Atlantic Federation might have had the potential to attack them, an actual assault was unlikely—unless both Muruta Azrael and the fleet commander had collectively lost their minds.
However, Reid's movements this time startled PLANT. They initially feared that Reid was abandoning the New Misurugi Republic to join the Earth Alliance.
Fortunately, Reid had prepared for this concern in advance. He produced a letter from Mina, clearly stating that his trip to Earth was solely to deliver supplies to Heaven's Base.
As for why he was bringing troops—well, Earth was in chaos right now. More soldiers meant greater safety.
Patrick Zala, who had studied Reid more than anyone else, immediately concluded that Reid's real purpose was to stir up trouble on Earth.
So, he sent word to Reid: if he agreed to deliver a free shipment of supplies to Carpentaria Base along the way, he would be allowed passage.
Reid didn't hesitate for a second—he agreed instantly. After all, whatever Patrick Zala schemed against him today would be repaid twofold in the future.
Thus, with no interference from ZAFT, Reid's fleet proceeded smoothly all the way to Earth.
It was only June 10th—five days before the Atlantic Federation's attack on Orb in the original timeline.