The mock battle at Morgenroete had done more than just test a machine; it had chilled the blood of Orb's ruling elite. The pride of their domestic military industry, the M1 Astray, had been systematically dismantled by a Megilot—a machine that didn't even possess a human silhouette.
Had it been a close match, the atmosphere in the command center might not have been so suffocating. But the Megilot had emerged without a single scratch. In contrast, the Astray was a wreck: its shield shredded, its legs crippled, and its cockpit nearly crushed between mechanical mandibles. To the observers, it wasn't just a defeat; it was a demonstration of an insurmountable technological gulf.
What made it worse was the restraint we had shown. During the entire engagement, the Megilot had only glided. It hadn't even touched its true potential for high-altitude aerial combat.
"Now then," Uzumi's voice cut through the heavy silence. "I believe the prowess of Shadow Mirror is beyond dispute. Does anyone still hold an objection to this alliance?"
The politicians and military brass remained silent. It's hard to argue when the reality of your obsolescence has been rubbed in your face. Among the stunned crowd, Yuna Roma Seiran stood out—his face was a shade of pale that bordered on translucent. The "bug" he had mocked so relentlessly had just made a fool of him and his nation's finest.
Kira and Mu, however, looked on with professional interest. Having been present at our previous negotiation, they knew the storm was coming for Orb in less than a month. To them, any addition to Orb's defensive strength was a godsend.
"My apologies, Axel-kun," Uzumi said, turning to me. "I'd like to hammer out the specifics of our cooperation. While the formal signing will have to wait, we must share information regarding that matter immediately."
"No problem on my end," I replied. "Just give me a moment."
I turned and walked toward the three ladies and the shivering Yuna. He let out a pathetic little yelp as I approached. It was almost sad; he had completely miscalculated the weight of the man he'd tried to belittle.
"I believe that concludes our wager," I said flatly.
"Y-yes. Fine. I admit my defeat," he stammered.
"And you'll honor the terms?"
"Of course!" he chirped, his voice hitting an octave that shouldn't belong to a grown man.
I turned to Lemon. "Lemon, take Murrue with you and buy every piece of hardware in Orb that looks useful. Don't forget the high-end stuff that will make the tech team drool. If you see any household goods or luxuries you want, grab those too. Put it all on the Seiran family's tab. Murrue, give Lemon your professional opinion on this world's tech. Oh, and I heard there's a ranch in Kibbutz. If it's for sale, look into it. Cornelia, you're on escort duty."
Lemon beamed at me, a genuine smile this time. I looked back at Yuna one last time.
"No second thoughts?"
"I said I'd pay, alright?" he snapped, trying to reclaim some shred of dignity.
The three women headed for the exit, leaving Yuna to contemplate the massive hole about to be punched in his family's treasury. It was his own fault for trying to use my lovers as chips in a game he didn't understand.
"Next time you pick a fight," I said, patting his shoulder lightly, "make sure you know who you're talking to."
I walked over to Uzumi, who had been watching the exchange with a dry, knowing smile. Kisaka was at his side, as usual, and… Cagalli. The usual fire in her eyes was dampened, replaced by a look of sheer shock.
"Cagalli had a great deal of faith in the M1 Astray," Uzumi explained. "Seeing it fall so decisively was… a sobering experience for her. Shall we? We'll use the same briefing room as before."
I followed Uzumi, Kisaka, and Cagalli. To my surprise, Kira and Mu fell in step behind us.
"Why are you two tagging along?" I asked.
"Call it professional curiosity," Mu said, shrugging. "If Orb becomes a war zone, we're going to be in the thick of it anyway. Besides, our Captain is defecting to your side, right? Given the rank structure, I'll likely be the one taking over the Archangel. Though, I'm not sure 'rank' means much to a bunch of deserters like us."
He offered a self-deprecating smirk. He had a point. If Murrue moved to Shadow Mirror, the Archangel would be short a commander. I didn't want to waste Mu's talents in the captain's chair—he was an ace pilot, and if the timeline held, he'd soon have a repaired Strike to jump back into. Perhaps I'd have to "loan" Murrue back to the ship for a while. I had originally thought of putting her in charge of the Gyanland, but plans were always fluid.
We reached the briefing room. Two guards were already stationed outside, likely to ensure no one—noble or otherwise—interrupted us.
"No one enters unless it's an absolute emergency," Uzumi commanded.
Once we were settled inside, Uzumi wasted no time. "I've heard the reports, but seeing the Megilot in action… its performance is undeniable."
"It gets the job done," I said. "But we have bigger problems than a mock battle. Yuna Roma Seiran—is he really the best Orb has for the next generation?"
"I'd ask you to go easy on him, but I suspect that's asking too much," Uzumi sighed.
"If he's the future, Orb's future is short. The Seiran family is in bed with Blue Cosmos. Or more accurately, the people pulling Blue Cosmos's strings."
As economic specialists, it wasn't surprising the Seirans had ties to Logos.
Uzumi's expression darkened. "I see."
"If you don't want Orb to burn, keep a short leash on the Seirans," I warned. "Yuna is a fool, but his father, Unato, has actual competence. If used correctly, he's an asset. If left unchecked, he's a traitor."
"That's impossible!" Cagalli slammed her fist onto the table. Having survived Blue Cosmos's terrors in Africa, the mere suggestion of their influence in her home was an insult.
Uzumi silenced her with a weary glance. "I will take the information under advisement. However, without proof, the best I can do is increase surveillance."
"That's enough for now. Just don't let them throw a wrench in our gears. Though, I guarantee the data from today's battle is already being leaked."
"At least," Mu added, "there isn't much time left until the date you warned us about. Small mercies, I suppose."
"True," I agreed. "Even if the Alliance gets the data, they don't have time to build a counter for the Megilot. The best they can do is warn their pilots about the Circle Laser and the mandibles."
I turned to Uzumi. "Representative, has there been any word on the Panama Base?"
"Nothing. They're still reeling from the disaster at Alaska. To be honest, if you hadn't told me, I never would have imagined ZAFT striking Panama."
I did the math. "Panama will fall in about a week. Once the Alliance loses its mass drivers, they'll turn to Orb with impossible demands. When you refuse, they'll invade—and they'll be bringing their new 'G-Series' units with them."
"New units?" Mu leaned forward. "Successors to the Strike and Blitz?"
"Exactly. But it's an opportunity. Muruta Azrael, the leader of Blue Cosmos, will be leading from the front. If we can take him out then and there, we might prevent the use of nuclear weapons later in the war."
"Wait!" Cagalli interrupted. "How can the Alliance use nukes? As long as the N-Jammers are active, your cold fusion tech is the only way—wait, are you saying the Alliance has it too?"
I stared at her for a beat. Sometimes I wondered if she actually listened during our meetings, or if her memory just reset every twenty-four hours.
"Think about Kira's Freedom," I said. "ZAFT has already perfected the N-Jammer Canceller."
"But that's ZAFT tech…"
"ZAFT isn't a monolith, Cagalli. I told you before: the Alliance is going to get their hands on it."
I chose not to mention Rau Le Creuset or the clones yet. Mu had enough on his plate without a personal existential crisis.
"So," Kira spoke up softly, "if we kill Azrael, we can stop the meaningless fighting with ZAFT?"
"Not quite," I corrected. "It's a step. But even if we win at Orb, the war doesn't end. Victoria Base will fall to the Alliance eventually. In the original flow of history… well, it gets messy. Ideally, we'd trap the Alliance on Earth, but that depends entirely on Azrael's fate."
"Why does his survival matter?" Uzumi asked.
"Because if he lives, we know exactly how and where he gets the N-Jammer Canceller. If we kill him, someone like Lord Djibril might take over sooner, and the variables become unpredictable."
I looked at the group, my tone turning grim. "The one thing you must understand is that regardless of Azrael, we will eventually have to fight ZAFT. Or rather, Patrick Zara."
"Because of Genesis?" Mu asked.
"Yes. A gamma-ray laser capable of mass extinction. In the hands of a radical like Zara, it's a gun pointed at the head of every living thing on Earth."
In the history I knew, Zara was stopped by a coup from his own men. In this timeline, I couldn't bet on that kind of luck.
"In that case," Uzumi said, "should we send reinforcements to Victoria Base to keep the Alliance grounded?"
"I've considered it. But if we do, the war in space will only escalate, and the body count will skyrocket. Representative, I'll leave that decision to you."
"Why me?"
"I'm an outsider. I'll interfere with Genesis because that's a threat to existence itself. But the political fate of this world? That should be decided by the people who have to live in it."
Uzumi nodded slowly. "I understand. I will consider it."
"One last thing," I added. "Once we pass the battle for Orb, my knowledge of 'history' becomes a suggestion rather than a map. My presence has already changed too much. If I rely too heavily on what I think should happen, I might miss what is happening. Should I continue to share what I know, even if it might be wrong?"
Uzumi shook his head. "Bias is a dangerous thing, Axel-kun. Keep your long-term secrets for now. Just promise me you'll provide the vital information when the moment demands it."
"Agreed."
With the intelligence shared, we turned our attention to the one thing that never changed regardless of the timeline: the cold, hard logistics of the coming battle.
Status Report
Name: Axel Almar
Level: 36 | PP: 165
Melee: 254 | Ranged: 274 | Skill: 264 | Defense: 264 | Evade: 294 | Hit: 314
SP: 446
Ace Bonus: SP Boost
Terrain Rating: Air: S | Ground: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (4) | Effort (8) | Focus (16) | Direct Hit (30) | Awaken (32) | Love (48)
Skills:
EXP Up | SP Boost (Lv.9/Regen/Focus) | Telekinesis Lv.10 | Attacker | Gunfight Lv.9 | Infight Lv.9 | Morale Limit Break | Geass (Grey)
Kill Count: 288
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