Reid decisively closed the system after reviewing the G Invasion mission. Although completing the phase task had earned him 300 Merit Points—enough for three ten-pulls—and the character pool was nearing its pity counter, his current situation was far too awkward.
There was a risk that the system would instantly designate any summoned individual as a defector from PLANT the moment they appeared. With PLANT's diplomats still present, poaching people right under their noses would only complicate the ongoing negotiations.
Reid planned to finalize the peace talks with PLANT while their warships still had the upper hand in blockading the area. Otherwise, who knew how long the back-and-forth would drag on?
After all, in the original timeline, negotiations had stretched from late September CE 71 to late February CE 72. He had no intention of letting a single issue drag on for that long. Right now, all he wanted was some reparations and an apology from PLANT.
Fortunately, PLANT seemed sincere. After six grueling hours of fruitless talks with the three nations of the Earth Alliance—where even the name of the peace agreement couldn't be settled—their diplomats sought out the New Miserly Kingdom for discussions after barely an hour's rest.
Since Ange and the others were still asleep, Reid received the visibly exhausted diplomat on their behalf.
Even within PLANT, some believed the war with the New Miserly Kingdom had been entirely Patrick Zala's fault—an unnecessary conflict that could have been avoided. Yet he had launched it without hesitation.
Of course, with Patrick Zala now dead, the blame couldn't be pinned on him anymore. Instead, the hardline councilors who had followed him were left holding the bag.
However, PLANT urgently needed to rebuild ZAFT's military, even if only for appearances. So while the hardliners took the blame, few actually faced severe consequences—especially since the moderate faction lacked military expertise.
In return, the hardliners reciprocated the leniency. Only a small minority vehemently opposed peace talks with the Earth Alliance, while most were in favor.
That stance, however, applied only to the Earth Alliance. When it came to negotiations with the New Miserly Kingdom, PLANT's provisional Supreme Council unanimously approved them.
The hardliners knew all too well that their current forces and Mobile Suits stood no chance against the New Miserly Kingdom's still-intact elite troops.
That said, this PLANT diplomat had no authority to agree to the New Miserly Kingdom's terms. His mission was merely to gather demands and persuade their fleet to withdraw further.
When the diplomat suggested—citing wasted supplies due to prolonged deployment—that the New Miserly Kingdom's fleet retreat a bit more, Reid responded with a cold smirk:
"Rest assured, sir, our fleet brought ample supplies. We can last another three days without issue. And if we run out, well—there's always PLANT, isn't there? I doubt PLANT would let friends who yearn for peace go hungry."
The thinly veiled threat was clear: they had three days to negotiate. If no agreement was reached by then, Reid would take the discussion to PLANT's doorstep.
The diplomat was sweating profusely as he listened. Could the ZAFT fleet be rebuilt in three days? That was clearly impossible. Not daring to make any rash promises, the diplomat couldn't endure Reid's "glaring" for even ten minutes before excusing himself.
Early the next morning, Reid was enjoying a warm breakfast with Ange, Noin, and Murrue (who had arrived the previous night).
Then Lacus showed up unannounced, inserting herself as an unwelcome third wheel.
Unable to refuse her excuse for joining breakfast, Reid could only stare speechlessly at the smiling Lacus sitting across from him before finally saying,
"Miss Lacus, you seem to be in a good mood today."
Lacus nodded cheerfully at Reid's expression.
"Yes, because Kira finally left his room. I told Athrun about your suggestion, and after thinking it over, he brought Canard Pars into Kira's room. Before long, Kira came out bruised and needing ointment. But afterward, he seemed to have genuinely realized something—he stopped locking himself away."
Reid nodded. It seemed Athrun had played the tough card. He understood that to untie the bell, one must seek the one who tied it. Seeing Kira in such a pathetic state must have infuriated Canard Pars—he couldn't possibly accept that his own tragic fate had created such a useless person. Of course he'd lash out.
But with Athrun supervising, and given that Canard was the type to talk tough but never go too far against someone who couldn't fight back, the beating was surely just superficial. At least it had snapped Kira out of his funk.
Reid didn't believe Kira stood a chance against Canard in hand-to-hand combat. Canard had endured inhuman experiments and military training since childhood, while Kira had never learned proper combat skills—getting thrashed was inevitable.
Curious, Reid pressed further,
"I see. So what happened to Canard after he beat up Kira?"
Lacus flashed a mischievous smile.
"He stormed back to his cell in a huff, saying he couldn't stand the sight of Kira and never wanted to see him like that again. But honestly, he seemed in good spirits—he even demanded extra rations that night."
"Reid, I don't think Canard Pars is a bad person. He just needs guidance. What are your plans for him?"
Reid immediately understood Lacus wanted to recruit Canard to their side and deliberately countered,
"Oh? Lacus, are you impressed by his skills? Trying to pull him into Terminal? By the way, your factory is in the largest asteroid belt of the Third Space Zone, right? When do you plan to transport Freedom, Justice, and Brave Gundam there?"
Reid asked this intentionally. At this stage, the Terminal Organization was still composed of Clyne Faction intelligence personnel purged from PLANT by Patrick Zala—not yet the future neutral coalition (though the original Clyne members retained significant influence).
So, asking whether Lacus wanted Canard in Terminal was essentially asking if she intended to bring him into the Clyne Faction.
Lacus immediately stopped smiling when she heard this. She hadn't expected Reid to know about Terminal Organization - after all, it was an intelligence organization secretly established by her father, composed entirely of thoroughly vetted insiders.
Even Patrick Zala hadn't managed to uncover any leads about Terminal Organization, which was why Lacus had been able to remain active in PLANT as a wanted fugitive for two whole months.
What's more crucial was that the location of Terminal's arms factory in the asteroid belt of the Third Space Zone was classified as top secret even within the Clyne Faction and Terminal Organization itself. She hadn't known about it before taking over the Clyne Faction, yet Reid had pinpointed its location in one breath.
Actually, Reid didn't know the factory's exact coordinates either - he only knew it was hidden within the largest asteroid belt in the Third Space Zone. His current claim was purely to bluff Lacus, hoping to make her think the factory's location had been exposed so that any relocation attempt might reveal it to him.
Terminal's factory had formidable research and development capabilities, using the organization's intelligence network to steal technology from various nations (primarily PLANT). Given the chance, Reid wanted to seize control of the factory, or at the very least infiltrate it with his own agents for surveillance.
Faced with Reid's seemingly omniscient knowledge, Lacus remained silent for a moment before sighing helplessly:
"Mr. Reid really knows everything, doesn't he? I feel like I have no secrets before you - completely exposed as if standing naked."
Reid, sensing his intimidation had worked and that continuing might reveal his lack of precise knowledge, deliberately changed the subject:
"Please, I have no interest in little girls. Don't make me sound like some pervert - what's this about standing naked before me? If someone overheard half of that and spread rumors, no river could wash me clean of suspicion."
"And it's not like I know everything. For example, I still don't know why you came to see me today."
Hearing Reid twist her words into something suggestive, Lacus puffed up her cheeks in anger. Ange and Noin each grabbed a pinch of flesh at Reid's waist and twisted 180 degrees.
Seeing Reid's pained expression, Lacus decided not to press the matter, merely murmuring softly:
"Mr. Reid... you pervert."
Then her expression turned serious as she continued:
"But Mr. Reid guessed correctly - I did come to see you about another matter. Some friends from PLANT insisted I ask: what are your requirements for the peace agreement?"
Hearing this, Reid immediately switched to work mode and asked with a smile:
"Before answering that, Lacus, you need to clarify your capacity in this matter. Are you asking as PLANT's diplomat? Or just delivering a message for someone?"
Understanding Reid was probing her role and stance, Lacus replied straightforwardly:
"Just delivering a message. You were so intimidating yesterday that you frightened their diplomat - he absolutely refused to come speak with you. So they used old connections to reach me, apparently thinking you'd be more approachable with me."
"But Mr. Reid, I know you've already made many concessions regarding PLANT, so I won't say more - I'm just passing along their message."
Reid looked at Lacus's "unperturbed" expression and could only think that she truly was Siegel Clyne's daughter—she had a way of spinning everything to her advantage, whether good or bad.
However, Reid didn't really care who delivered the message. Lacus's influence was useful, but only to a limited extent. He could reluctantly settle for slightly less in cash compensation—originally, he had wanted 2.5 billion, but now, 2.23 billion would suffice. But in return, PLANT would have to supply the New Miserly Kingdom with various precision components and advanced industrial products at cost price, with priority access.
Reid's demand for cash compensation was already symbolic. After all, PLANT had been bled dry by Patrick Zala's militaristic policies and the construction of Genesis, leaving them genuinely strapped for funds. If he demanded tens of billions, it would take them ages to recover, and then there'd be no one left to keep the Atlantic Federation distracted for him.
As for the subsequent purchase of precision parts and industrial goods, the so-called "cost price" was based on Earth's industrial standards—PLANT would still make a small profit.
Of course, since Reid was giving up some tangible benefits, he had to make up for it in prestige. PLANT would have to publicly admit its mistake and defeat in the war against the New Miserly Kingdom, issue a formal apology, and recognize the Kingdom's sovereignty over Australia.
Moreover, Reid made it clear that he wouldn't entertain any haggling. If they refused, he would personally go to PLANT in three days to collect the reparations—though how much he'd take would depend entirely on his mood at the time.
When Lacus received the terms, her eyes crinkled with amusement. She probably assumed Reid had softened the conditions out of respect for her.
As for Reid's final threat, Lacus didn't pay it much mind. If the current interim PLANT Supreme Council couldn't even accept these terms, then no amount of persuasion would save them. She wasn't about to throw away all the goodwill she'd painstakingly built with Reid just for some stubborn new hardliners.
Sure enough, after Lacus relayed her opinion and Reid's terms back to PLANT, the interim Supreme Council quickly approved them.
For the current interim council, the sooner the New Miserly Kingdom's fleet left the border, the better. Otherwise, they had no sense of security at all. If the fleet didn't withdraw, the council members wouldn't even be able to sleep at night, terrified they'd wake up as prisoners—just like the Oceania Union, with PLANT declared a defunct nation.
Thus, on the fourth day after the Second Battle of Yakin Due, interim Supreme Council Chairwoman Eileen Canaver personally boarded the Granshaow to sign the Gransheau Treaty with Ange.
The treaty was straightforward:
1.
The New Miserly Kingdom and PLANT would cease hostilities and restore peace upon the treaty's signing.
2.
PLANT would publicly acknowledge its defeat in the war against the New Miserly Kingdom and issue an official apology for instigating the conflict.
3.
PLANT would pay the New Miserly Kingdom 2.23 billion federal dollars in reparations for military expenses and compensation.
4.
PLANT would unconditionally open all its industrial product supply channels to the New Miserly Kingdom, selling them at cost price.
5.
PLANT would recognize the New Miserly Kingdom's current territorial claims as legitimate and renounce all rights to pursue accountability for issues arising from the war.
6.
The New Miserly Kingdom fleet must withdraw from PLANT's territorial borders within two days of the treaty's signing and support PLANT in maintaining its territorial sovereignty.
The moment the Gransheau Treaty was signed, the three nations of the Earth Alliance were thrown into an uproar. They had never expected the New Miserly Kingdom, which held overwhelming advantage, to let PLANT off so lightly.
After all, even with the East Asian Republic's temperament, if they had been in the New Miserly Kingdom's position, they wouldn't have considered themselves competent politicians unless they had squeezed PLANT dry to the marrow.
Moreover, the Earth Alliance had originally intended to borrow the New Miserly Kingdom's might to force PLANT into concessions. Yet, the New Miserly Kingdom's fleet turned around and withdrew straight back to Earth without hesitation after the treaty was signed. They even announced that they would prepare dedicated hotels and conference venues in Canberra for negotiations between the three Earth Alliance nations and PLANT.
Once the New Miserly Kingdom's fleet left, the remnants of the Earth Alliance fleet naturally didn't dare linger near PLANT's Space Zone. Over those four days, PLANT had already repaired a considerable number of warships and began parading them daily in front of the Earth Alliance fleet. To an outsider, it might have seemed as though PLANT were the victorious side in the war.
Thus, PLANT's territorial crisis was effectively resolved. While publicly admitting defeat in the war against the New Miserly Kingdom and paying reparations was a blow to their pride, they had at least preserved their core interests.
Furthermore, PLANT's citizens did not voice strong opposition to the peace agreement with the New Miserly Kingdom—because, truth be told, they had been thoroughly beaten into submission.
Among PLANT's populace, there was now a widely accepted view: the New Miserly Kingdom's entry into the war had been the turning point in PLANT's conflict with the Earth Alliance. Their intervention had been the final straw that broke the camel's back. This time, PLANT had truly kicked an iron plate.
(End of Chapter)