The defense battle of Orb quickly concluded after Freedom and Justice successfully repelled the three mobile suits—Hyperion, Raider, and Calamity.
Normally, this battle would have been considered merely a prelude, with the war just beginning. But Uzumi had already prepared for self-destruction.
Orb had now concentrated all its defensive forces around Kaguya Island and Dawn Company. For the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet to take this place, they would have to muster a large-scale assault.
After Kira and Athrun retreated, the beach outside Dawn Company had turned into a complete meat grinder, with explosions raging incessantly without pause.
However, inside Dawn Company, the Archangel had already been equipped with large rocket boosters.
Uzumi wasn't foolish enough to screw over Reid one last time before his death.
Reid was right there watching. If he did anything to the Archangel, the New Misurugi Republic would retaliate against Orb with a vengeance. In that case, forget about the "seeds" of Orb's future hopes sprouting—Reid would grind them into dust and scatter them into space.
Moreover, Cagalli had a close relationship with the Archangel's crew. If he truly sabotaged the ship, his foolish daughter would be the first to break.
Thus, just like in the original timeline, the Archangel moved to standby near Dawn Company's mass driver, ready to launch at any moment.
The Kusanagi, as expected, prepared to be launched into space in three stages using the mass driver.
Thanks to Uzumi's advance preparations, Hyperion, Raider, and Calamity had no chance to resupply and launch another assault.
Of course, before the Archangel and Kusanagi departed, Uzumi didn't forget to deliver an impromptu speech to both crews.
The original speech was too long (and not worth copying just to pad the word count), but in summary: both the Earth Alliance and PLANT were under the control of extremist factions, and the world would be dragged into endless war by the conflict between these two diametrically opposed forces.
To prevent such a tragic future, Uzumi proposed to Kira and Athrun the idea of a third force—one capable of influencing the battlefield—with the goal of stopping both sides from dragging the world into ruin and instead forging a path toward peaceful development.
Of course, Uzumi was only responsible for presenting the vision. How to achieve it was no longer the concern of a dead man. His role was to prove to the world, through his death, that tyranny could never force everyone to submit.
As the Archangel fired its positron cannon into the sky, using the antimatter interference to clear the acceleration path, it soared straight into space.
The next second, Orb's mass driver, Kaguya, launched the seeds of Uzumi's hopes into the cosmos.
The moment Reid saw the Archangel ascending, he immediately ordered his fleet to adjust their angles and ascend as well, ensuring all rescued civilians were securely strapped in. Then, all six ships ignited their rockets simultaneously and blasted back into space.
During the ascent, Reid clearly witnessed the self-destruction of Dawn Company below.
By then, the Atlantic Federation had already breached Dawn Company's outermost defenses, with hordes of Strike Daggers flooding the facility.
Under Muruta Azrael's orders, the Atlantic Federation troops dared not recklessly destroy Dawn Company's buildings and equipment, instead relying on sheer numbers to brute-force their way through.
The outcome was that Dawn Company's self-destruction instantly wiped out all invading Mobile Suits, claiming at least one-third of the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet MS forces on the spot. Combined with yesterday's and earlier losses, it was certain that the Atlantic Federation Pacific Fleet had suffered over 50% casualties.
Moreover, both the Atlantic Federation and Muruta Azrael lost the very things they wanted most.
Uzumi's hand was truly ruthless. To prevent the Atlantic Federation from obtaining Dawn Company's technology, he blew up the entire original site, completely destroying the mass driver as well.
Now, apart from a few hidden secret bases beneath other islands, not a single above-ground Dawn Company structure remained in Orb. Most of Dawn Company's elite engineers had already been evacuated—either sent into space aboard the Kusanagi or dispatched abroad earlier.
Once the final tally was made, the Atlantic Federation and Muruta Azrael would likely be seething. Without Dawn Company, Orb's only remaining value was as a stepping stone for attacking Carpentaria Base. After that, the place would be nothing but a useless burden. No matter how you looked at it, this assault on Orb was a loss.
But Reid, watching the scene from high above, only smirked coldly and muttered to himself:
"Uzumi, you old fox. I bet Dawn Company's tech is all archived in those underground bases now. Don't worry, I'll help Orb reclaim its nation—but I'll gladly take the Dawn Gundam you hid on the Isle of Dawn for myself. No matter how many schemes you've laid, in the end, all this technology will fall into my hands.
"Pity about those engineers sent to PLANT for refuge, though. Playing both sides—that's the kind of game an old fox like you excels at. But no matter. It's my time to shine now."
Reid didn't concern himself with the Archangel and Kusanagi's movements after reaching space. Since he had already arranged with Murrue for them to rendezvous at the Star Palace Colony Satellite, she wouldn't head to Mendel in the L4 Colony Cluster. The Kusanagi had no choice but to follow—Reid doubted Cagalli would order an independent operation.
As for Reid himself, after linking up with the Antietam-class freighter left in orbit, he openly took the official route back to the Star Palace Colony Satellite.
Having just covertly supplied Carpentaria Base, Patrick Zala couldn't bring himself to demand another toll payment for Reid's return.
Thus, Reid traveled unimpeded and arrived at the Star Palace Colony Satellite three days later.
During the journey, news reached him that the Eurasian Federation and East Asian Republic had jointly captured Victoria Port in Africa.
The African operation had unfolded simultaneously with the battle over Orb. After the Alaska campaign, ZAFT's ground forces were inevitably short-handed, and the East Asian Republic was far stronger than in the original timeline.
This time, the Eurasian Federation had also deployed a large number of Strike Daggers, with two GAT-X133 Sword Calamity Gundams leading the charge. The self-destruct mechanism was disabled at the last moment by a special forces unit that breached the defenses.
Thus, the Third Victoria Offensive ended in a decisive victory for the Eurasian Federation and East Asian Republic. Compared to the Atlantic Federation, which had struggled just to take Orb, the difference was stark.
The Eurasian Federation and the East Asian Republic's post-war sarcasm and mockery had the Atlantic Federation's higher-ups grinding their teeth in frustration. This directly led to the forced conscription of Orb's civilians, with nearly all able-bodied young adults remaining on the islands being rounded up.
The Atlantic Federation didn't expect these forcibly conscripted Orb civilians to pilot Mobile Suits as cannon fodder. To be precise, they weren't even planning to issue many firearms to these draftees. Their only task was to deliver supplies to the most dangerous frontline areas. As for how many would return alive, the Atlantic Federation's leadership couldn't care less.
Reid was unaware that his interference had brought upon Orb an undeserved calamity not present in the original timeline. It was already the second day since his return to the Star Palace Colony Satellite, and he was currently nursing a headache while facing three teenagers.
Both the Archangel and the Kusanagi were high-speed battleships. Even after detouring through asteroid fields and space debris, they arrived at the Star Palace Colony Satellite just one day later than Reid's fleet of six ships.
To allow the two vessels to dock secretly, Reid didn't have them enter the crowded Star Palace Colony Satellite. Instead, using the countless cargo containers floating in space as cover, they entered a port originally intended for constructing new colony satellites but now modified for the Colony Laser.
Since the Colony Laser conversion had only just begun, there were no visible signs of Reid building a superweapon yet. Thus, no one found it strange when the Archangel and Kusanagi moved in.
But no sooner had Reid settled the two ships than Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli arrived via shuttle to see him.
It was worth noting that even Murrue was still arranging duty shifts aboard the Archangel—these three were more eager than her.
Upon meeting Reid, Cagalli and Kira immediately handed him a photograph. The picture showed a young woman holding two infants, with "Kira" and "Cagalli" written on the back.
Reid found it odd why Kira and Cagalli would show him this photo. Even if they had questions about their origins, they shouldn't be asking him—he was only nine years older than them and still in elementary school when they were born.
Noticing Reid's confusion, Kira took the initiative: "Mr. Reid, we were actually wondering... through your intelligence network, do you know anything about our true origins? And whether we might have other siblings."
This left Reid even more bewildered. He countered directly: "Kira, why would you think you have other brothers?"
Kira wore a helpless expression as he replied: "I always believed I was my parents' only child. It wasn't until after leaving Orb that I learned I was adopted and that Cagalli is my twin."
"This made me remember what the pilot of that white-gray Mobile Suit said during the Orb battle. He accused me, saying my birth was built upon countless skeletons... and that he was a survivor who crawled out from that pile of bones..."
Hearing this, Reid immediately understood—Canard Pars had given Kira premature spoilers.
After brief consideration, Reid decided there was no harm in telling Kira about his origins. It would be better coming from him than from Creuset's extreme accusations later.
Tapping the table, Reid said: "Alright then, I do actually know about this. Have a seat everyone—this story's going to be quite intense."
When Reid said this, Kira, Cagalli, and Athrun all sat down, and Reid began to recount the information he knew.
"Let me put it this way—since I can't verify the exact process, I'll just state the conclusion directly.
Kira, you're not an ordinary Coordinator. You are a Super Coordinator created by your biological father, Dr. Ulen Hibiki. Simply put, your potential far surpasses even elite Coordinators like Athrun. If not for your tendency to slack off and avoid effort, you should have already been world-famous.
But judging by how quickly you matched Athrun's Mobile Suit piloting skills after boarding the Strike, your Super Coordinator genes are indeed the real deal."
Hearing this, Kira was stunned. Trembling, he asked,
"A Super Coordinator... I've never heard of that... So, Mr. Reid, you knew all along... Then back in Heliopolis..."
Seeing that Kira seemed to be misunderstanding, Reid quickly cut him off before he could dwell on it further—otherwise, the boy might start thinking Reid had some sinister plot against him.
In all honesty, back on the Archangel, Reid had considered recruiting Murrue, Bargiruel, Mu, and Arnold Neumann, but he never intended to recruit Kira. He knew that while Kira was easy to fool, he wouldn't be easy to recruit—the kid's lazy nature meant he wouldn't want to change nationalities.
So Reid hurriedly explained,
"I didn't know back in Heliopolis, but your Mobile Suit piloting talent was just too abnormal. So after we parted ways, I did some digging. Turns out, the kid Murrue picked up, the rookie I trained for over a week, was actually the world's only successful Super Coordinator. Fate really played a cruel joke on us."
At this, Kira relaxed a little. The explanation made sense—after all, everyone said Mr. Reid had a deeply hidden intelligence network.
But Kira soon spotted a flaw and pressed anxiously,
"Wait, Mr. Reid, you said 'only successful Super Coordinator.' That means there were failures before. What happened to them?"
Reid's expression turned grave as he stared at Kira and answered slowly,
"Kira, you already know the answer. Ninety-nine percent of the failures were disposed of. There's an MS pilot named Canard Pars—he's one of the very few confirmed survivors. Whether there are others, I don't know. But he shouldn't be blood-related to you; he just likely shares some of the same adjusted genes.
As for how many lives were lost in the entire experiment... I can only say I don't know. Dr. Ulen Hibiki researched Super Coordinators for over a decade, with investors, assistants, and collaborators coming and going. It's impossible to count how many lives were destroyed at the embryonic or newborn stage."
Kira looked devastated upon hearing this. Covering his face, he muttered to himself,
"So... what that person said was true. I really was created at the cost of countless lives. How could this be... Why..."
Seeing Kira like this, Reid could only walk over and comfort him, patting his shoulder.
"Listen, no one gets to choose how they're born. I won't tell you to ignore the sacrifices that made you. But you don't have to shoulder all the blame yourself."
However, Kira, there's one thing you must remember. You were indeed shaped by countless lives. So you must live on—live a full life in their stead. That is your responsibility."
Reid's words were pure comfort, devoid of logic and full of coaxing, but they worked remarkably well. Hearing this, Kira immediately felt slightly better and looked at Reid with moved eyes, saying:
"Alright, Mr. Reid. I'll do my best to live on. And... I want to make amends to those still alive..."
Seeing Kira's mood improve a little, Reid couldn't resist cracking a joke:
"If you want to make amends, don't look at me. Even though you're a Super Coordinator, in my eyes, you fall short in every aspect. Not only are you soft-hearted, but you're also easily swayed by others' words. On top of that, you tend to slack off and seem to suffer from chronic laziness. What a waste of your talents."
The moment Reid said this, most of Kira's sorrow vanished, replaced by a single thought echoing in his mind:
"Am I really that bad??"
Meanwhile, Athrun, standing to the side, silently agreed that Reid had pegged Kira quite accurately. He gave a thumbs-up before turning away to stifle his laughter.
Only Cagalli rose to fiercely defend her brother. She loudly protested:
"Reid! Kira isn't that bad at all. Don't you dare talk about my brother like that!"
Seeing Cagalli's protective stance, Reid decided to deliver a critical hit:
"Cagalli, even though you and Kira are twins, the elder sibling is determined by the order of leaving the mother's body. Kira was transferred to an artificial womb during the embryonic stage. So technically, he should be the older brother."
Though Reid spoke the truth, Cagalli clearly had no intention of reasoning on this matter. She planted her hands on her hips and glared fiercely:
"I'm definitely the older sister! I must have been fertilized first. Kira, do you have any objections?"
Faced with such an assertive Cagalli, Kira didn't dare voice any disagreement even if he had one. He could only shake his head and wave his hands, signaling, "Whatever you say goes—I won't argue."
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