Rondo Mina Sahaku

"So your request is for me to confirm whether the data has been thoroughly destroyed?"

Gai Murakumo quickly figured out what he could do.

"Yes."

The old man nodded, not seeming to think there was anything wrong with distrusting his colleagues.

"How thoroughly?"

Gai asked with a frown.

"Everything. I want you to destroy all related records and information."

"Everything you say..."

"The Mobile Suit, the documents, the witnesses... everything!"

The old man spoke with conviction.

Hearing the conviction in his voice, Gai fell silent for a moment before saying, "I have a question."

"What is it?" The old man looked puzzled.

"Who gave you this information?" Gai asked, voicing his concern.

"Are you trying to verify whether it's accurate?"

The old man seemed to understand his doubts and explained, "I got this information from an informant I've worked with before. He's absolutely reliable."

"Can you tell me exactly when you got it?"

Gai continued asking questions.

"Three days ago."

Though puzzled, the old man told him when he had received the information.

"Three days ago..."

At that, Gai couldn't help thinking back to the battle three days earlier, the pilot named Michel, and what he had said. "The Le Creuset Team..."

"What's wrong?"

The old man was confused by Gai's reaction.

"Nothing. Just try to be careful around that informant from now on."

Considering the generous payment for the job, Gai offered the old man a well-intentioned warning.

"Why? Is there something wrong with the information?"

The old man looked bewildered, unsure why Gai would say that.

"The information itself is definitely true." Gai shook his head. It had to be.

"Then—"

"But if I'm not mistaken, the person who passed ZAFT the information about Orb's Mobile Suit development was that informant. And after passing it on, he sold you the news that ZAFT had discovered Heliopolis."

Having spent years among mercenaries, Gai knew exactly how informants operated.

A well-handled piece of information could be turned into several more.

Playing both sides was practically a required skill for any informant.

"..."

The old man opened his mouth, clearly not expecting that.

"You people are so sheltered it's almost pitiful."

Gai couldn't help feeling sorry for him when he saw his reaction.

Maybe he wasn't cut out for politics... No, with a brain like that, he probably wouldn't get anywhere in politics either. Most likely, he was relying on his family's influence.

Still, an informant who could get his hands on information like this and pass it directly to ZAFT was probably no nobody.

At the same time.

At Ame no Mihashira, the space station located 36,000 kilometers above the Earth.

"Achoo!"

Kenaf Luchini had just stepped off the battleship when he sneezed.

He rubbed his slightly sore nose, then quipped, "Looks like another woman's secretly pining for me. Damn, it's hard to keep all this irresistible charm under control."

"Aw, get lost. With that goddamn haircut, who'd be blind enough to fall for you?"

The Coordinator girl beside him, dressed rather provocatively, scoffed at his remark.

"Elisa, have you noticed you've been getting a little sharp-tongued lately?"

Kenaf couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.

"I'm just stating the facts," Elisa replied calmly. "Your haircut is ugly."

"Hey, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't go around saying whatever you want. You can call me ugly, but don't you dare insult my haircut!"

Kenaf snapped, clearly displeased. "This signature hairstyle of mine has charmed plenty of girls!"

"Ha. Ugly people always try too hard. And that haircut is even more fucked up."

The girl replied calmly.

"!!!???"

Kenaf stared at her, eyes wide, unable to believe what he'd just heard.

"Come on. ZAFT's almost here. If you don't hurry up, you won't even get the chance to eat it while it's still hot."

The girl said without looking back as she walked ahead.

"!!!???..."

Kenaf...

In C.E. 58, when Uzumi Nara Athha became Orb's representative chief, he drew up a construction plan for a project called the Orbital Elevator.

Unfortunately, this era wouldn't allow the project to succeed.

By the time Ame no Mihashira, the space station at the very top of the elevator, had been completed, relations between Earth and PLANT had fallen to a freezing point, and war had broken out.

The Orbital Elevator project was consequently abandoned.

Ame no Mihashira, the space station for the Orbital Elevator, was handed over to Orb's Sahaku Family and placed under the management of Rondo Mina Sahaku, the elder of the Sahaku twins, known as Orb's Shadow War Goddess.

Kenaf and the others had come to see this woman, the so-called Shadow War Goddess.

Her long, jet-black hair gleamed with the smooth softness of silk.

Her curvaceous figure was wrapped in a similarly black military uniform. The outfit should have diminished a woman's allure, but it couldn't hide her regal bearing or aristocratic elegance.

Even Kenaf Luchini, a man who had seen his share of storms, could only sit quietly to one side and await her "judgment."

Even the foul-mouthed Elisa had grown serious, her expression subdued.

"What reason have you prepared for me not to kill you?"

After a moment, Mina Sahaku set down the documents in her hands and looked at Kenaf Luchini and his companion with calm eyes.

"Kill me? Why?"

Kenaf Luchini looked incredulous.

Mina Sahaku didn't answer. She simply pressed the call button beside her. "There are a few people here who need to be dealt with."

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Kenaf Luchini hurriedly stood up and raised his hands.

"Have you thought of one?"

Mina Sahaku's gaze remained unnervingly calm.

"Um... Just because a deal falls through doesn't mean we can't part on good terms. Why do you have to kill me at the drop of a hat?"

Kenaf Luchini said hesitantly.

Mina Sahaku said nothing, merely sitting in the seat of honor and watching Kenaf's performance in silence.

"You... I... Come on, I'll give it to you for free, all right? That should do it!"

Kenaf Luchini looked pained.

"Are those your last words? I've heard them."

As Mina Sahaku spoke, she tapped the table lightly with a finger.

The tightly shut door suddenly swung open, and fully armed soldiers poured in, aiming their guns at Kenaf and his companion.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

Just as Mina Sahaku was about to lower her hand, Kenaf Luchini hurriedly shouted to stop her.

Mina Sahaku waggled a finger. "My patience is limited. Don't waste too much of my time."

"OK."

Kenaf Luchini tossed a piece of candy into his mouth. Savoring its sweetness, he grinned and said, "Actually, I'm here to propose a partnership."