The battle between the Xia sisters and the Three Young Aces was actually quite brief, lasting only a few minutes. Reid, who wanted to have a chat with the commander of the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet, naturally had to deliver some "Celestial General's justice."
However, as he ascended with the Mirage Colloid System activated, Reid kept a close eye on the battle below. If the Xia sisters were truly in trouble or struggling, this "Celestial General's justice" would have to be redirected toward the Three Young Aces first.
Well, truth be told, Reid was currently in a bit of a "fatherly" mindset. During simulated battles in the Star Palace, when the Xia sisters activated their Mental Link System, even Ange found herself completely suppressed by them.
This was only because the Immortal Aegis had enough mobility to kite them. If it came down to a direct close-quarters brawl, Ange would have no choice but to admit defeat.
The same went for Reid. While his Newtype precognition wasn't inferior to the Xia sisters' Mental Link, they had the advantage of numbers—two against one. Xia Yulan's Mobile Suit piloting skills were already on par with Reid's, both being elite aces. Unless Reid was piloting the Hermes Zero and leveraging its overwhelming mobility, he couldn't hope to take them both on at once.
So when Reid saw from above that the Three Young Aces were still attacking one by one, just like in the original timeline, he knew the Xia sisters had already secured victory.
The Three Young Aces, equipped with the Raider, Forbidden, and Calamity, weren't weak by any means. In the original timeline, they had managed to hold their own against Kira and Athrun, who were piloting the Freedom and Justice.
If all three had attacked together and coordinated properly, the Xia sisters wouldn't have had such an easy time. Even if they were suppressed, holding out for ten minutes would have been possible.
But attacking one by one? That was just handing out free kills.
Once the Raider crashed into the sea, its fate unknown, and the Forbidden was destroyed, Reid felt at ease heading toward the Atlantic Federation fleet. The Xia sisters had completed their mission—now, as their leader, he couldn't afford to slack off.
Thus, Reid flew invisibly toward the Atlantic Federation fleet, scanning the ships below and analyzing signal transmission frequencies to identify which one was the flagship.
The Atlantic Federation had deployed multiple Spengler-class ships this time, and from high above, they all looked identical.
There was no obvious formation where one ship was encircled by others, either. The eight Spengler-class vessels were already surrounded by a larger ring of escort ships and smaller MS transport vessels. From a glance, it was just a sea of ships. (The flagship's battle group was only part of the encirclement—Orb was surrounded by similar fleets from other directions.)
Deliberately encircling one ship in the middle would be like telling the enemy, "This is the flagship—come attack it!" (Side note: The CE Strike Dagger stands at 18.02 meters. Considering its weight, even a modern aircraft carrier could carry at least twenty of them. Yet this ship only carried fifteen, despite being the Atlantic Federation's largest sea-based carrier at the time.)
Unless there was a tactical reason or the fleet consisted of only one carrier, no one would blatantly position their flagship at the very center.
However, before Reid could locate the flagship, the fleeing Calamity gave him the answer. Muruta Azrael was aboard the same ship as the Calamity—the one it returned to was the flagship of the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet for this operation.
Now that the target was confirmed, Reid didn't hesitate. He simply needed to make a beeline for the flagship.
At this moment, Muruta Azrael was fuming aboard his flagship. Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, he instantly lost his temper and roared:
"What! You're telling me the Raider, Forbidden, and Calamity—three Mobile Suits—were defeated by just two NT-X units from the New Misurugi Republic? With one dead, one MIA, and only the Calamity making it back? Do you think I don't know the performance specs of the NT-X (gleaned from the Archangel's logs)? They had such an overwhelming advantage, outnumbering the enemy, and still lost!! Are all the people in your labs complete trash?!"
Had Reid known Muruta Azrael's current thoughts, he would have pitied him.
The NT-X recorded in the Archangel's logs was the one he piloted in Heliopolis. Did they really think it was the same machine as the current NT-X? This wasn't just old wine in a new bottle—the Mobile Suit had been completely overhauled from the inside out. Only its appearance and model number remained unchanged; everything else was different.
Moreover, Muruta Azrael soon had no time for anger. The radar operator aboard the Powell suddenly announced:
"Rapidly descending heat source detected above the ship! No visual confirmation on cameras! Non-thermal radars show no readings! It's a Mobile Suit using the Mirage Colloid System!!"
Before the operator could finish, Rear Admiral Dreiss instinctively retorted:
"Nonsense! The Mirage Colloid System can't be activated during high-speed movement! Deploy anti-air barrage upward immediately and have other vessels confirm what's above us!"
Under normal circumstances, Rear Admiral Dreiss's judgment would have been correct.
But no one had taken Orb's earlier attack by an unknown unit seriously. Both the Earth Alliance and PLANT had dismissed it as a joke, since the actual damage had only been a broken antenna and a crater on a training field.
They assumed Orb was simply incompetent—either failing to locate the New Misurugi Republic's Mobile Suit or covering up someone's blunder. Combined with Reid's forceful visit at the time, they thought Orb had fabricated the story.
Thus, Rear Admiral Dreiss had no idea that a Mobile Suit capable of high-altitude stealth had already made its debut.
No sooner had he spoken than reality struck back like a boomerang. With a thunderous clang, two massive footprints appeared on the Powell's deck.
The Mystic Lightning's Mirage Colloid System deactivated upon landing. Reid maneuvered the Mobile Suit to place its hand against the bridge, activating the Lambda Driver to shatter the military-grade glass instantly.
The Mystic Lightning's enormous head then loomed before the bridge, its twin 75mm Vulcan Guns trained on everyone inside as Reid's amplified voice boomed:
"Well, well. You must be the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet commander. Oh? Muruta Azrael, director of the Azrael conglomerate, is here too. This makes things convenient. Hope you don't mind—I removed the glass so we can hear each other better."
Muruta Azrael was too terrified to speak, while Rear Admiral Dreiss barely maintained his composure, forcing out through gritted teeth:
"Reid Isaac. Are you declaring war on the Atlantic Federation?"
Reid responded without hesitation:
"War? That depends on your next answer. Just now, over a dozen of your Atlantic Federation's toys came knocking on my doorstep. They fired first—we've got the footage to prove it."
"So my soldiers reacted instinctively and took them all out.
I'm here to ask you now—wasn't it agreed that I'd conduct humanitarian relief and the battlefield wouldn't come near me? Now this happens. Are you trying to start a war between the New Misurugi Republic and the Atlantic Federation?"
Reid's accusation was heavy-handed, and Rear Admiral Dreiss knew it well. Although the order to provoke the New Misurugi Republic had come from Muruta Azrael, if things escalated, he would be the one held accountable in the aftermath.
If this really pushed the New Misurugi Republic into PLANT's camp, he'd undoubtedly end up in a court-martial—first sentenced to life, then slowly reduced, before finally being released on medical parole. And that would be the end of his life as he knew it.
Rear Admiral Dreiss certainly wasn't going to sacrifice his bright future to cover for Muruta Azrael's idiotic orders. So he said,
"I did just receive a report on the matter, but this was merely a misunderstanding. Our Mobile Suits were pursuing Orb's Mobile Suits when they strayed into your area. Orb is treacherous—instead of thanking the New Misurugi Republic for aiding civilians, they deliberately led us toward you. It's truly unethical."
Seeing that Dreiss was offering an out, Reid didn't push further. His main concern was that without Muruta Azrael's nuclear missile forces attacking PLANT, who would take the first two shots from Genesis for him? Besides, now wasn't the time to go to war with the Atlantic Federation.
Reid was certain that in the battle before Genesis fired, if both sides posed equal threats, Patrick Zala would absolutely aim the first shot at his forces.
Moreover, if not for Star Palace Colony Satellite being at the border between the Fourth and Fifth Space Zones—too far from PLANT's position in the center of the Third Space Zone and beyond Genesis's range—that shot might very well have targeted Star Palace as well.
So even though Reid could end Muruta Azrael with a snap of his fingers right now, he couldn't actually do it. He simply said,
"A misunderstanding, huh? Fine, I'll let it slide this once. But if it happens again, it won't be so simple."
Hearing this, both Rear Admiral Dreiss and Muruta Azrael realized that Reid Isaac didn't actually want a fight either—this was just a show of force. As long as they didn't provoke him further, the conflict could end here.
So Muruta Azrael instantly reverted to his noble persona, staring into the Mystic Lightning's camera lens as he said,
"Mr. Reid, as a representative of the Azrael Conglomerate, I can assure you that I will personally oversee Rear Admiral Dreiss and ensure his soldiers stay in line."
The moment Dreiss heard Muruta Azrael shifting all the blame onto him, he nearly lost it. He wanted nothing more than to stand up and punch this idiot in the face.
But now wasn't the time to argue with Muruta Azrael. Swallowing his anger, Dreiss forced a stiff expression and said,
"That's right. I guarantee Atlantic Federation soldiers won't enter the relief zone again."
Seeing his goal achieved, Reid saw no need to drag things out. He said plainly,
"Good. Then I'll also promise this—if Orb's Mobile Suits treat my area as a safe zone, I'll shoot down any intruders on sight.
Oh, and about those dozen or so toys my soldiers wrecked—should we discuss compensation?"
Even a fool could tell Reid was being sarcastic here. If they actually demanded compensation now, he'd probably say, "Since you want compensation, I might as well break a few more things to make it worth your while."
To avoid being scapegoated again, Rear Admiral Dreiss preemptively stated:
"If this was all a misunderstanding, then naturally there's no need for your side to compensate for those Mobile Suits that violated regulations by trespassing into your territory. You were merely exercising your rightful authority. However, two of those units didn't actually belong to the Pacific Fleet. We'll have to see what Director Azrael has to say about those."
Seeing the ball tossed into his court, Muruta Azrael forced a smile despite his bleeding heart as he faced the dark muzzles of the cannons:
"Just two toys. The Azrael conglomerate would never demand compensation from friends. Mr. Reid, as an outstanding figure among Naturals, I'd love the opportunity to dine with you. Perhaps after we've taken Orb?"
Reid studied Muruta Azrael, sensing he might just be fishing for an answer, and decided to bluff directly:
"Heh, how about we dine together on PLANT when the opportunity arises? Your war isn't over yet, so I won't disturb you further. Oh, and tell your gunners to steady their hands. While I don't mind all these cannons pointed at me, it would be unfortunate if they accidentally hit the bridge."
At these words, Muruta Azrael's eyes lit up. So Reid Isaac was a comrade-in-arms! Dining on PLANT would only be possible after PLANT had been conquered.
Come to think of it, this made sense—Reid had blood debts with many in PLANT. Without PLANT's destruction, he'd never find peace.
Thus Muruta Azrael's impression of Reid improved instantly, and he smiled genuinely:
"Deal! Rear Admiral Dreiss, what are you standing around for? It's rude to point weapons at friends."
Rear Admiral Dreiss nodded and ordered:
"Notify all surrounding vessels to redirect their weapons!"
With this command, all cannons locked onto the Mystic Lightning swung away.
Seeing this, Reid smiled:
"Deal then. I'll take my leave now. Perhaps we'll meet again in space."
With that, Reid piloted the Mystic Lightning to take off, vanishing into the sky before everyone's eyes after reactivating its stealth system.
Rear Admiral Dreiss stood up and walked to the bridge window, craning his neck to watch the disappearing Mystic Lightning as he marveled:
"Reid Isaac's research capabilities are truly extraordinary. He actually solved the Mirage Colloid System's high-speed movement issues."
Muruta Azrael joined him by the window, breathing in the smoke-laden sea breeze from Orb's direction:
"At least for now, we share common goals. The enemy of my enemy is my friend—he understands that too."
Rear Admiral Dreiss scoffed at this. Reid Isaac didn't discriminate against Coordinators; his conflict with PLANT was simply irreconcilable.
Still smarting from being unfairly scapegoated earlier, the Rear Admiral mocked:
"Pity your little test cost us two of our newest Mobile Suits, Director Azrael. What do we do now?"
Though furious at the taunt, Muruta Azrael restrained himself—he still needed this Rear Admiral—and replied:
"Don't underestimate me. I still have a backup plan. Rear Admiral Dreiss, first have someone salvage and repair the Raider that fell into the sea. Whether the pilot lives or dies doesn't matter."
"I'll transfer more personnel from the rear. Support will arrive by tomorrow at the latest. As for today's remaining battles, handle them as you see fit."
After speaking, Muruta Azrael took out a communicator, dialed a number, and walked off the bridge while talking to himself.
"Hey! Have the lab send over that crazy kid who escaped from the European lab. Bring along the Mobile Suit he took from the Eurasian Federation too. Just tell him if he helps me, I'll help him find that so-called Kira Yamato..."
"What do you mean he won't obey orders? If necessary, just tell him Kira Yamato is in Orb! Didn't you already confirm the MIA pilot of the Strike Gundam was named Kira Yamato? He's from Orb..."
"Who cares if he's really dead or not? Just get him here first. Also, the people you've been sending me are useless. Send another one. If the new recruit still doesn't work out, you can all pack your bags and get lost!!"