Rau Le Creuset

On the holographic screen, the face of the Atlantic Federation council representative had been magnified to enormous proportions, every muscle fiber twitching with anger plainly visible.

Behind him stood the Stars and Stripes and the Earth Alliance's new azure flag, while the background audio consisted of carefully edited recordings of survivors being interviewed through tears.

"—With heavy hearts, we hereby announce to the entire world.

"The terrorist attack on the lunar city of Copernicus, targeting the peace conference, was planned and carried out by extremist elements from P.L.A.N.T.!

"This is an open provocation against every Earth citizen who seeks peace! This is a shameless trampling of the bottom line of human civilization! This is naked aggression!"

The man's voice poured into every pair of ears through the worldwide broadcast network. "Therefore, we hereby announce the establishment of the Earth Alliance to safeguard the survival and dignity of all Naturals!

"Hereby, in the name of the Earth Alliance Provisional Security Council, I issue the Alaska Declaration. We will employ every means necessary to deliver righteous punishment upon P.L.A.N.T.'s puppet regime!"

As the final syllable of the declaration fell, the screen was swallowed by static.

On P.L.A.N.T. itself, utter silence filled the citizens' square before the enormous public screen.

No one spoke. No one shouted. Even the children stopped chasing each other.

A cold wind swept through the square, sending several leaflets on the ground fluttering.

They bore Chairman Siegel Clyne's gentle smile and the slogan "Peaceful Coexistence." Now, that smiling face had been stamped over by a mud-caked boot, making it seem absurd and pitiful.

Everyone realized it. War was about to begin.

ZAFT's spaceport entered an unprecedented state of martial lockdown.

Gray-green Laurasia-class Frigates and Nazca-class High-Speed Destroyers underwent their final resupply one after another.

Farther away, in the space