Logos's Response

January 26, CE 71, late at night, Eastern Standard Time

Logos's current chairman and the driving force behind Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael, was holding a video conference with Logos's key members to discuss how to handle the trouble caused by the Celestial Being Formation Declaration and reach a consensus.

"So, as I've been saying, given the current situation, we have no room to back down.

The fighting is still happening on the ground, and last year's profits have shown that there's still money to be made from this war.

If we let go now, not only will we take an immediate loss, but this year's expected profits will also plummet. Can you accept that?"

Faced with Muruta Azrael's question, which struck right at the heart of the matter, the Logos members who had been arguing against him fell silent.

A moment later, an elderly voice raised a very practical concern.

"Staying behind the scenes has always been our core principle. It's how we've survived to this day while maintaining control over the situation.

But since the Celestial Being Formation Declaration, people have been identifying certain members through the internet and other means.

Nothing has happened yet, but if Celestial Being pulls another stunt, there's no telling what those mobs might do.

We can't afford to ignore that risk."

Muruta Azrael couldn't help but look down on those old men, who grew more timid with age.

But he still needed their support, so he had no choice but to respond.

"That's easy enough to handle. All we have to do is change our name. Now that Logos has been exposed, from today on, we'll be the Titans.

As for Logos and Blue Cosmos in the public eye, I'll take responsibility for them myself.

In exchange, I hope you'll leave your people in place and cooperate with my work. How does that sound?"

The communications channel filled with debate, but they soon reached a consensus.

After all, Muruta Azrael was already Logos's current chairman and the head of Blue Cosmos. This was simply a matter of giving up a little more to ensure their own safety.

Since Muruta Azrael was willing to take responsibility and stay in the spotlight as a "target," a trade-off of this scale was perfectly acceptable.

Once they had settled this crucial matter, a middle-aged man's voice came through the communications channel.

"Then how should we deal with the 'G' Halberton has developed, Chairman Azrael?"

Muruta Azrael seemed to have the answer ready.

"I didn't expect Halberton to be good for more than just talk.

Now that its performance has been confirmed and they've even produced a prototype, we'll gladly take it off their hands.

If it's Halberton, all we have to do is promise to start mass production at once and equip the frontline troops as soon as possible. He'll happily hand it over.

Have the 8th Fleet send an advance team to receive it. We'll get moving on our end, too, and send the fleet from the Lunar Base to meet them.

Also, Celestial Being said the Archangel was heading to Artemis, didn't they? We should put pressure on the Eurasian Federation as well, to keep them from making trouble again.

Once production is underway, we'll drive ZAFT off Earth first, then we can take our time dealing with those ominous Hourglasses.

That'll give us a new source of profits and the business of re-equipping the follow-up forces.

Oh, and we mustn't forget Orb. Send someone to contact the Sahakus and make them hand over the technology they stole. That should keep the cost of further research under control.

If we also hint that we'll support the Sahaku family's own development efforts to counter the Athhas, they'll be happy to share their new technology with us later."

Logos's members—or the Titans, as they were now to be called—were deeply impressed and quite pleased with Muruta Azrael's well-practiced habit of profiting from both sides. One of them even joked about Muruta Azrael himself.

"As expected of you, Chairman! Ha ha! Luther Deikun called you a 'Coordinator hiding in the guise of a Natural.' Maybe he wasn't entirely wrong."

Muruta Azrael, who was obsessed with Coordinators, couldn't lash out at his "ally." He could only grit his teeth and force out a reply.

"You're too kind."

Seeing that his offhand joke had apparently hit a sore spot, the speaker immediately apologized.

With the main decisions settled, the video conference ended amid a cacophony of farewells.

Alone in his room, Muruta Azrael turned on the lights, took out his frustration on the room's decorations, and then pressed the call button on his desk.

The moment he pressed it, the door swung open. Two lines of maids, heads bowed, filed in silently to clean up the room, having heard the sound of porcelain breaking from outside.

Three or five suited subordinates entered after them, heads lowered as they waited for Muruta Azrael's orders.

"How's the media crackdown going?"

Muruta Azrael picked up the tea the maid had served him and casually asked his first question.

"We've more or less brought things under control in the Atlantic Federation.

The Eurasian Federation and the Republic of East Asia are also cooperating with the crackdown under pressure from us through the Atlantic Federation.

Most of the other neutral countries have either agreed to cooperate or simply said they're powerless to do anything.

Only the United Emirates of Orb, the Oceania Union, and the Kingdom of Scandinavia have openly refused."

After hearing the man's report, Muruta Azrael hurled his cup of steaming tea at the man's head. Tea mixed with blood ran down his face, but he didn't dare move.

"What kind of job do you call that? Huh?

Even a border collie could do better!

Get back to work! If you can't get public opinion under control today, you can go to the front lines as an anti-mobile-suit commando!"

After a maid brought him another cup of tea, Muruta Azrael turned to his second subordinate.

"Any progress contacting Rau Le Creuset?"

"Our Plant informant has confirmed that the Creuset Team is returning to Plant and will be questioned by the Supreme Council.

We've also looked into Rau Le Creuset's background. It basically matches what Celestial Being said.

As soon as he returns to Plant, we'll make contact with him."

Muruta Azrael seemed satisfied with this subordinate's response. After taking a sip of tea, he gave him his instructions.

"Move quickly, and don't let those monsters find out! Damn Celestial Being—where did they get all that information?"

None of the subordinates had an answer to Muruta Azrael's "question," but fortunately, he hadn't really been asking them.

Setting down his teacup, Muruta Azrael headed for the door, and several subordinates immediately followed him.

"How are things with the military?"

"The General Staff has already sent an inquiry to the 8th Fleet, and Colonel Sutherland has begun organizing the troops on the Moon."

Muruta Azrael was quite satisfied with this response as well. Though Celestial Being had been an unexpected complication, as long as he could still control the Atlantic Federation's armed forces and, through them, the entire Earth Alliance, it was merely another reason to make money, in addition to those "Hourglasses."

With that thought in mind, Muruta Azrael could finally fall asleep. A perfect world awaited him in his dreams, one where he controlled the entire world and none of those monsters were anywhere to be seen.