The residents of Orb felt like their country had been placed on a roasting spit since June, as if the entire world was pointing fingers at them.
Those with connections and information were doing everything they could to flee first, but these were mostly people with some social status. The vast majority of ordinary citizens had no choice but to endure the unease day after day.
Then, the worst moment arrived in just half a month. When Orb's government officially declared a nationwide state of alert and announced evacuation points in the southeastern part of the country, everyone without combat duties began scrambling to move their families toward the southeastern harbors.
However, Uzumi had only given a formal notice one day in advance. Orb's total population was close to ten million (no exact figures were found, but it was certainly in the high millions). Now that Heliopolis was gone, a significant portion of those who had lived there had returned to Orb's mainland.
Subtracting military personnel and conscripted young adults, there were still at least several million elderly, women, and minors left.
Moving a million people from the northern part of the island to the southeast in a single day was impossible—the moment the evacuation order was issued, transportation collapsed entirely, let alone evacuating millions.
From a practical standpoint, Reid's ships couldn't possibly accommodate millions of people. Realistically, in just one day, Reid could only take away twenty or thirty thousand at most, meaning some selection was inevitable.
In fact, Orb's southeastern ports couldn't even hold that many people. When war broke out, the vast majority of Orb's citizens would have no choice but to take shelter in nearby bomb shelters.
Only Orb's Coordinator citizens, who knew they would face dire consequences if the Atlantic Federation annexed Orb, desperately rushed toward Reid's side.
Then there were those who already lived in the southeastern region—they were close enough that as long as they believed bomb shelters weren't as safe as leaving the country, and they weren't too attached to their homeland, they would drag their families toward Reid's ships.
Faced with the overwhelming crowds at the port, Reid had no choice but to dispatch all ground crew to maintain order and register people one by one. Families with skilled members and ordinary civilian families had to be separated for resettlement.
Of course, Reid, who was flying the banner of humanitarian aid, wasn't planning to abandon those who didn't make the cut. While ZAFT had no time to intervene in Orb's battle, the Oceania Union still had manpower to spare.
The Atlantic Federation had demanded that Reid blockade the waters to prevent interference from other factions—specifically, the Oceania Union. They were too close to Orb and had been keeping a close eye on the situation.
Though the Oceania Union's military was weak, their ships had been retrofitted with ZAFT's assistance. Ever since the East Asian Republic's Mobile Suits appeared, the Oceania Union's forces had even been equipped with GINNs provided by ZAFT, complete with pre-tuned OS.
So while their troops were lackluster, their equipment wasn't half bad. Though unlikely, if the Oceania Union grew bold enough to stab the Atlantic Federation in the back, it would still be a nuisance.
Fortunately, the Oceania Union was used to being under ZAFT's protection—their military, in Reid's eyes, might as well be called a security force. After some negotiation, Reid asked if they would be willing to take in Orb's civilians.
The Oceania Union likely saw this as a prime opportunity to restore their reputation in the Earth sphere (having been branded traitors for supporting PLANT). Known for their vast, sparsely populated territories, their water scarcity issues had been resolved thanks to PLANT's cutting-edge water recycling systems. Their primary role now was serving as PLANT's breadbasket.
Thus, absorbing Orb's entire population posed no strain on the Oceania Union. Moreover, they believed increasing their population was essential for strengthening their nation.
As a result, the Oceania Union and Reid quickly reached an agreement. Reid would load the screened-out evacuees onto transport ships, sending them directly to the Oceania Union fleet stationed in distant waters.
This way, the Orb refugees were given a lifeline, and Reid could consider his duty fulfilled. He treated it as burning a little fuel to do a good deed.
But with more people came more chaos. At this critical juncture, shoving and line-cutting erupted all over the port.
To maintain order and prevent mass stampedes, Reid resorted to lethal measures—executing over a dozen "troublemakers" who tried to force their way ahead—before stability was restored.
No sooner had the port situation been resolved than Reid noticed new trouble brewing on the battlefield.
The sounds of artillery fire between the Atlantic Federation and Orb were drawing closer to his position.
By all logic, both sides had been informed that this was a designated rescue zone. Their fighting shouldn't have encroached here.
Without hesitation, Reid issued orders:
"Alert forces, establish a one-kilometer buffer zone beyond the perimeter. Intercept any incoming missiles. If Mobile Suits or tank units approach—regardless of whether they're engaged in combat—fire a warning shot at the ground first. If they continue advancing, destroy them, whether they're Orb or Atlantic Federation units. If you encounter overwhelming resistance, call for reinforcements immediately."
Still uneasy, Reid contacted the Black Tri-Stars aboard the Aries and commanded:
"Gaia, Ortega, Mash—the three of you sortie and oversee the rookies from above the defensive perimeter. I suspect both Orb and the Atlantic Federation are plotting something. If the rookies fail to stop enemies from breaching the perimeter, or if the enemy attacks them directly, intervene.
Also, if you spot a large force approaching, notify me. I'll have a word with the Atlantic Federation's commander."
Reid's suspicions were entirely justified. Shifting focus to the Atlantic Federation's side—
Muruta Azrael, just as in the original timeline, sat aboard the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet flagship, the Spengler-class warship Powell, casually discussing a battlefield he knew little about.
Meanwhile, the fleet's commanding officer, Rear Admiral Dres, was suppressing his fury. Not a member of Blue Cosmos, he had only received informal orders from higher-ups to comply with Muruta Azrael's directives—making him deeply resentful of Muruta's interference.
But for now, Dres could only maintain a neutral expression as he cautioned:
"Director Azrael, I see no strategic value in deliberately directing hostilities toward the New Misurugi Republic's rescue forces.
The New Misurugi Republic operates under Earth Alliance authorization. Attacking them would only put us at a disadvantage."
General Dres's words didn't faze Azrael, though he still made an effort to appear courteous when dealing with capable Naturals.
In response to General Dres's concerns, Azrael replied nonchalantly:
"Rest assured, General Dres. The New Misurugi Republic has only deployed fewer than a hundred Mobile Suits. Would they really declare war over some collateral damage? Besides, aren't you curious about the combat capabilities of those New Misurugi Republic MS? I've sent all the new models I brought with me. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."
At this moment, General Dres very much wanted to say he wasn't curious at all.
The frontline situation was currently at a stalemate. Although his fleet had brought sufficient MS this time, the nation of Orb had proven to be unexpectedly ambitious, quietly stockpiling so many defensive Mobile Suits.
Moreover, Orb had clearly anticipated today's scenario. While the MS appeared to belong to the same series visually, they were distinctly divided into heavy artillery units and light support units.
Utilizing mountainous terrain and fixed artillery positions, Orb's MS firepower momentarily matched the Atlantic Federation's in exchanges.
They had barely managed to create a breach using the three new models Azrael brought, allowing them to commence landing operations.
But then Azrael ordered the three units he brought to drive Orb's defending MS forces toward the New Misurugi Republic territory—clearly trying to stir up trouble.
As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. While General Dres was contemplating what to do if Azrael's foolish actions provoked the New Misurugi Republic into shooting down their units, the Archangel appeared on the battlefield.
Currently, the Archangel wasn't actively defending Orb from the outset because its captain, Murrue, had been subdued by Reid. Kira was also struggling with the moral dilemma Reid had posed about whether to help Orb repel the Atlantic Federation's attack.
Seeing the overwhelming number of Atlantic Federation MS and realizing their defenses wouldn't hold long, Cagalli—who acted faster than she thought—rushed to the Archangel to request assistance.
Though Kira didn't yet know Cagalli was his biological sister (the age difference remained undetermined, so we'll follow the anime's relationship), their blood ties made it impossible for him to refuse her plea.
Murrue also remembered Reid's instructions before he left and knew he was helping evacuate Orb's civilians. Assisting Orb now would buy time for Reid's efforts.
Thus, the Archangel finally sortied to prevent the Atlantic Federation forces from landing.
The Archangel's combat prowess was undeniable, and Kira excelled at clearing mobs. Without the three Gundams—Forbidden, Raider, and Calamity—to restrain Kira as in the original timeline, the Archangel, now lacking Strike and Buster's support but cooperating with Freedom Gundam, successfully eliminated all landing Atlantic Federation MS units.
Kira then officially began his role as a firefighter, rushing to various hotspots. The Atlantic Federation, leveraging their numerical advantage, employed saturation attacks.
Orb's defensive lines would develop issues after holding for some time, leaving Freedom to constantly extinguish fires across the battlefield.
The Orb military also realized that as long as Kira's Freedom Gundam could focus on dealing with the Atlantic Federation's Strike Daggers, the Atlantic Federation would have no easy chance to land on Orb.
Given the Orb military's level, they could naturally identify which Mobile Suits on the battlefield were most likely to hold back the Freedom Gundam.
Thus, the Orb military also turned their attention to Reid's side. After all, in their eyes, Reid wasn't exactly a good guy either—claiming to provide humanitarian aid while actually engaging in talent poaching.
So the military commander (Cagalli had gone to the Archangel to request reinforcements, differing from the original plot where she stayed in the command room) directly ordered the two pilots of the lightweight M1 Astrays, who were being chased like dogs by the Forbidden, Calamity, and over a dozen Strike Daggers:
"Lead the Atlantic Federation forces toward the New Misurugi Republic's warships! Avoid the port, and be careful not to harm civilians!"
Upon receiving this order, the two M1 Astray pilots could only curse their superiors for being inhumane—ordering them to lead the enemy toward the civilian evacuation zone.
They had long realized that the Atlantic Federation forces were deliberately herding them toward the evacuation point, but they still held onto a sliver of hope that the Orb military would send someone to stop the pursuing forces from reaching it.
This command shattered that hope. Thinking of the evacuees—mostly the elderly, children, and women—these two pilots, whose consciences weren't entirely dead, made a desperate decision. Without even communicating with each other, they turned their Mobile Suits around and opened fire on the pursuing Strike Daggers, refusing to dodge or retreat.
However, miracles are rare in this world. Their hasty counterattack was effortlessly dodged by the Strike Daggers.
In an instant, the two M1 Astrays were pierced by seven or eight beams from the reactive Strike Dagger pursuit squad. Their Mobile Suits exploded instantly, killing the pilots beyond any hope of survival.
At this moment, the three Enhanced Humans piloting the Strike Daggers, who had been herding the M1 Astrays, were left dumbfounded.
Cloth Buer, pilot of the Forbidden Gundam, asked over the team comms:
"Hey! The rabbits we were herding just killed themselves. What do we do now?"
Shani Andras, pilot of the Calamity Gundam, replied gloomily:
"This won't do. If we fail the mission, we'll be punished when we get back."
The mere mention of punishment sent Olga Sabnak, pilot of the Extinction Gundam, into a frenzy. With fierce expression, he snarled:
"If we complete the objective, we won't be punished! Command just told us to attack those blue-and-white Mobile Suits—let's just go for it! Watch this—Extinction!!"
As he spoke, the two 125mm "Ram Horn" high-energy long-range beam cannons on the Extinction Gundam's back fired at the defending Assault GM Dominions.
The New Misurugi Republic's Mobile Suit pilots had naturally already spotted this Atlantic Federation unit.
However, since the Atlantic Federation forces were still far from the warning line, the squad only reported that a dozen or so Atlantic Federation Mobile Suits were approaching, without detailing their configuration. They remained on alert.
Fortunately, Noin's training had been thorough. Though these pilots were rookies, they remembered their drills well—during alert defense, their Shields had to remain ready to deploy at any moment. Moreover, the patrol team naturally wouldn't use slow, artillery-equipped Mobile Suits. Every Assault GM Dominion in the alert squad was equipped with standard armaments.
When the lock-on alarm blared in their Mobile Suits, the two Assault GM Dominion pilots reflexively raised their shields as the Calamity Gundam targeted them.
Since anti-beam coating wasn't particularly expensive on Reid's side—the most difficult processes were handled by the Factory Module—it was standard to equip every human-piloted Mobile Suit with at least one basic anti-beam shield.
Unlike the Earth Alliance, where the Strike Dagger's shield was essentially just a high-tensile steel plate shaped like a shield—adequate against the GINN's physical machine gun rounds but utterly useless against beam weapons.
Thus, the Calamity Gundam's high-energy, long-range beam cannon struck the anti-beam shields directly, barely deflecting the attack.
However, the anti-beam shields were instantly rendered useless by the high-energy beam and subsequently exploded, knocking over the Assault GM Dominions that had hastily raised their shields without properly adjusting their stance.
The pilots inside were unharmed, but they were too stunned to immediately maneuver their Mobile Suits back up.
This highlighted the inexperience of the rookies. Had there been veterans with several MS battles under their command, they would have directed the remaining operational units to raise their shields and cover the two fallen unlucky souls first.
But even the leader of this defense squad was frozen in shock by the sudden attack, leaving the entire squad's comms in dead silence.
Fortunately, the Black Tri-Stars in the sky had observed the situation the moment the Calamity fired. As they descended from high altitude, Gaia roared over the squad's comms:
"What the hell are you all staring at?! Was all that training for nothing?! Fight back, damn it!"
Gaia's shout snapped the rookies out of their daze. They quickly raised their shields and retaliated with super bazookas, which had greater range on Earth.
Meanwhile, the two unlucky souls lying on the ground hurriedly got their Mobile Suits back up. With no shields left, they simply wielded beam rifles in their right hands and super bazookas in their left, venting the terror of their near-death experience.
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