After the new draft of the Earth Sphere Peace Accord was confirmed, Reid felt much more at ease.
The other four nations still needed to take this draft back and complete their domestic procedures before formally signing it. It would take at least two to three months for the official signing to occur.
In reality, this process mainly involved extensive discussions within the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation. The administrative efficiency of the East Asian Republic and PLANT was not nearly as sluggish.
However, there was no need to worry about the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation opposing the draft again due to domestic factors, leading to further revisions.
Although these two nations often turned trivial matters into international jokes through incessant arguments, their governments maintained absolute authority when it came to sensitive and major events. Otherwise, they would not have developed to their current scale and status.
Just as Reid was about to switch back to his "dad mode," however, tragic news arrived.
Praya Reveley, who had been receiving treatment in Canberra, ultimately did not make it to CE 72. He passed away in mid-December of CE 71.
The assessment by Canberra's top medical team had been accurate: Praya Reveley could last at most two months, and the actual margin of error was less than two days.
Over those two months, Mu had genuinely cared for Praya Reveley as if he were his own son. Not only did he stay with him at the hospital every day, but he also frequently took him out for walks and sightseeing.
Thus, Praya Reveley died peacefully in his sleep, with a smile on his face.
Apart from Murrue, who was unable to attend due to her pregnancy and was represented by Reid, all members of the Three Ships Alliance, including Cagalli, traveled from Orb to attend the funeral.
At the funeral, Mu wept like a child, yet he insisted on handling Praya Reveley's final arrangements as his elder.
As for the burial location, following Praya Reveley's own wishes, he wanted to be buried on the small island where he had grown up.
This island now fell under the sphere of influence of the New Misurugi Kingdom. Nominally, it was under Orb's jurisdiction, but in reality, it was an ungoverned island where Malchio had established an orphanage.
At this point, Mu demonstrated that the Flada Family's financial power remained formidable. He directly applied to the Orb government to purchase the island outright.
Since the New Misurugi Kingdom clearly supported this matter, Cagalli had no reason to make things difficult for Mu over a barren island with no resources. She simply stipulated that the surrounding marine and underwater resources would remain under Orb's ownership before selling the island to Mu.
As for Malchio on the island, he had no say in this matter.
However, Mu certainly had no intention of demanding the orphanage's removal. On the contrary, he planned to invest in expanding it, leaving Malchio with no reason to refuse.
Nevertheless, Mu privately sought out Reid and mentioned that Malchio was extremely tight-lipped. He refused to disclose which laboratory Praya Reveley had been taken from, insisting instead that he had encountered Praya Reveley while rescuing orphans and had no knowledge of his origins.
On this issue, Mu was certain that Praya Reveley must have come from a secret laboratory in the Atlantic Federation.
As to which laboratory, however, he truly had no idea. After all, human cloning was the ultimate taboo. If such a laboratory were discovered, raiding it with armed force would not only be exempt from legal punishment but would also be highly commended by the state.
In truth, Reid also had no idea which laboratory Praya Reveley had come from.
It must be understood that even with Al Da Flaga's status back in the day, he only dared to approach Ulen Hibiki, who was already conducting the Strongest Coordinator experiments, using the Strongest Coordinator project as a cover to secretly clone himself. This matter is far more sensitive than the universally condemned Enhanced Person experiments.
Since Malchio insisted he knew nothing, Reid had no other way to locate this laboratory.
However, Reid came up with a temporary idea and suggested to Mu that they file a lawsuit with the International Court, accusing the Atlantic Federation military of conducting unauthorized cloning experiments. The intention was to deliberately stir the pot and find a way to identify the corresponding research facility.
After all, Praya Reveley's medical reports were extremely detailed, and his genetic samples were clearly documented. Causing a major uproar would be quite simple.
Based on the genetic samples, Praya Reveley must have been cloned over two years ago. At that time, Reid was still in the Eurasian Federation's officer training camp, and the fabricated Misurugi Empire was merely a small Eurasian nation. No one could question whether this was a scheme orchestrated by the New Misurugi Kingdom.
Mu also recognized this as the best approach. Even if it failed, the Atlantic Federation military would have to produce a sufficient number of high-ranking scapegoats, thereby avenging Praya Reveley to some extent.
In truth, Reid could see that Mu was now entirely in the form of a vengeful father who had lost his son. If left unchecked, he might resort to funding terrorists and randomly attacking the Atlantic Federation's genetic research facilities.
That was precisely why Reid decided to help Mu vent his anger—to prevent him from descending into darkness out of rage. Besides, it would also serve as a nuisance to the Atlantic Federation. Why not do it?
Moreover, Reid needed to lay the groundwork for himself.
He had long suspected that he, too, had been cloned. After all, the Eurasian Federation possessed his complete genetic samples. He had undergone numerous medical examinations in the past, and before joining the military, genetic testing was mandatory to ensure he wasn't a Coordinator.
The fact that he had never been identified as a special Coordinator was largely due to the role his genetic sample played.
However, the misconceptions he had fostered over the past year would likely drive the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation to attempt cloning him in hopes of mass-producing geniuses.
Unfortunately, Reid knew his own limitations. Without the system and without foreknowledge of the future, he was merely of average talent.
The system had digitized his physical attributes, revealing two initial skills: Spatial Awareness, which was likely innate, and Super Rookie, which was undoubtedly granted by the system.
Therefore, cloning him would, at most, produce a clone with Spatial Awareness—nothing more. The Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation were bound to be disappointed.
That said, the cloning process could have started at most a year ago. Even with accelerated growth, his clone would not be mature enough to be of any use.
For Reid, however, cloning him was an act of unforgivable hostility. He needed to use Mu's situation to send a message to the world.
Opposition to cloning is overwhelmingly supported by mainstream opinion—even the Blue Cosmos faction is a staunch anti-cloning group.
By declaring to the world, "Whoever clones me, I will strike back," Reid ensured that no one would dare oppose him.
Thus, the next day, news of Mu La Flaga accusing the Atlantic Federation military of violating international cloning agreements and creating his clone without consent spread worldwide, thanks to Reid's deliberate efforts.
Since it involved the major taboo of human cloning, and Praya Reveley served as undeniable evidence of Mu's clone, media outlets worldwide began competing to report on the story.
The Atlantic Federation couldn't suppress the coverage domestically, because voices demanding thorough investigations emerged not only from Blue Cosmos members among the public but throughout the military hierarchy.
After all, if even Mu—a major in the Atlantic Federation (promoted when he left the Archangel)—could be treated this way, who knew if the government might create clone armies in the future due to soldier shortages?
The Atlantic Federation Space Force, to which Mu originally belonged, nearly revolted on the spot, with several brigadier generals and major generals storming into military headquarters and slamming tables in protest.
This time, the Atlantic Federation was hit by the boomerang effect of Blue Cosmos' ideology. The highest leadership immediately stepped forward, demanding a full investigation with zero tolerance.
Moreover, the military officials in charge and several deans of genetics-related research institutes were arrested that same day (actually placed under protection), temporarily quelling protests from both the military and the public.
Simultaneously, due to this incident, leaders across Earth issued statements condemning human cloning as an anti-humanitarian crime that must be severely punished upon discovery.
Reid, following the plan, also delivered a public speech.
Speaking not only as the Military Commissioner of the New Misurugi Kingdom but also as a researcher, he vehemently condemned cloning, explicitly stating that such acts conducted without the subject's consent were utterly unacceptable.
He particularly emphasized in his speech:
"If I ever encountered such a thing, I would retaliate immediately. Regardless of who they are or their status, anyone attempting to clone a copy of me is my mortal enemy. I will do everything in my power to destroy them and their organization! No one can stop me!"
To ordinary listeners, Reid's words sounded like an analogy expressing outrage.
But certain attentive individuals detected a clear warning.
They understood that, given Reid's intelligence, he had likely begun suspecting whether someone in the world had cloned him, hence the cautionary statement.
Moreover, this warning held the moral high ground, leaving no room for rebuttal.
However, the most pressing issue remained Praya Reveley's case. The largely defunct United Nations surprisingly played a positive role, swiftly forming an investigation team with members from the five major nations of the Earth Sphere to enter the Atlantic Federation.
The Atlantic Federation couldn't possibly conduct a self-investigation and had to ensure the team's safety from attacks.
Because any assault would essentially confirm the existence of a human cloning organization within the Atlantic Federation, with government complicity in protection.
To avoid being labeled anti-humanitarian, the Atlantic Federation would absolutely safeguard the investigation team.
Of course, the investigation results could still be manipulated.
With the situation escalating to this point, the Atlantic Federation had to sacrifice significant scapegoats.
The third-in-command of the Atlantic Federation military, a high-ranking senior legislator, a top genetics research lab, and its backing corporation were offered up. The entire chain from military medical teams to the genetics lab had fall guys.
The investigation team "uncovered" a complete genetic trafficking ring, a sophisticated cloning organization, and its protective umbrella.
The lab even revealed partially completed clones and records of Mu's cloning.
Of course, within days of their arrest, several key perpetrators either committed suicide in their cells or died from sudden illnesses. The remaining individuals were mostly those who had genuinely participated in the related processes but had limited understanding of the entire operation.
These individuals were ultimately tried in international courts, with many receiving death sentences directly, while the lightest punishment was a twenty-year prison term.
Naturally, a massive reshuffle within the Atlantic Federation's military was unavoidable. The top two officials managed to save their lives but were forced to resign and retire immediately, with all related benefits stripped entirely.
At this point, the Mu La Flaga cloning incident was considered "concluded satisfactorily."
Although Mu knew that most of those eliminated were scapegoats, it still served as some form of vengeance for Praya Reveley.
Moreover, he successfully extricated himself from the Atlantic Federation, as he requested to renounce his Atlantic Federation citizenship, and the Federation had no pretext to stop him.
After all, other nations had eagerly extended olive branches to Mu, given his proven prowess as an ace Mobile Suit pilot—just provide him with a Mobile Suit, and he could become a combat asset.
Ultimately, Mu chose to join the New Misurugi Kingdom, primarily because he was unfamiliar with the leaders of other countries.
For Reid, the most regrettable aspect of this incident was the failure to uncover Malchio's network.
Laboratory reports retrieved clearly indicated that Praya Reveley had indeed escaped on his own abilities.
While it seemed unbelievable that a child of just a few years could escape a sealed laboratory alone, the fact remained that he had managed to do so.
There was no evidence suggesting that after Praya Reveley was discarded, someone had taken pity and transferred him to Malchio's orphanage.
Instead, Malchio's orphanage benefited unexpectedly from the incident. Many people discovered that there was a welfare institution dedicated to rescuing war orphans, funded entirely by a blind man who had persisted in his efforts for years, not just one or two.
Suddenly, Malchio's welfare organizations were flooded with private donations.
However, as Reid knew, Malchio did not misuse these funds. A significant portion was distributed to the various orphanages and rescue organizations he had established.
Even the orphanage Reid had promised Malchio to build in the Star Palace Colony Satellite (which had since been relocated to Australia) received enough funds to sustain it for two to three years.
As for the remaining portion, Malchio entrusted it to Lacus.
Lacus was now in the process of establishing the international rescue organization she had mentioned. After all, getting Reid's approval was one thing; preparing and recruiting personnel was another.
Although it seemed odd for a former famous PLANT idol (in the eyes of Earth's populace, Lacus was more renowned as a songstress) to organize an international rescue organization, Lacus's affinity was undeniable.
Virtually anyone who came for an interview and caught her eye would be persuaded by her silver tongue (and charm) to join this newly formed organization.
Among them were renowned doctors without borders and war correspondents already active worldwide, which helped establish the organization's reputation.
At this stage, after Lacus presented detailed plans, Reid had no choice but to offer his support.
However, his concrete support was limited to providing Lacus with an Antietam-class Freighter for transporting civilians (originally a ship for the Three Ships Alliance, returned after the war ended). Beyond that, his backing remained merely verbal.
Of course, with Reid supporting the ship, the Mobile Suits naturally went to Orb to seek supplies.
Cagalli was quite generous, saying Lacus could simply take three to five Mobile Suits directly.
On the other hand, Erika Simmons showed sharp business acumen, viewing this as a prime opportunity to advertise Dawn Company.
After all, since Dawn Company's reconstruction, military orders had been pitifully scarce. Relying on old reserves likely wouldn't sustain them for more than a few years.
Thus, Erika Simmons planned to develop a new Gundam specifically for Kira, aiming to prove to the world that Dawn Company's technological prowess remained top-tier globally.
However, that would come later. Lacus's organization still had several nations left to persuade, and Kira's new Gundam couldn't be built in just a day or two.
Meanwhile, following the clone incident, the Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation expedited their domestic review processes for the Earth Sphere Peace Accord.
By January CE72, the relevant procedures were completed.
The signing date for the accord was set for February 14, CE72, to take place atop the wreckage of Junius 7.
Two agreements were to be signed that day: first, the ceasefire between the Earth Alliance and PLANT, and second, the crucial Earth Sphere Peace Accord.
(End of Chapter)