Heliopolis was a traditional cylindrical colony. This enormous cylinder used centrifugal force generated by rotation to create gravity along its inner walls.
It had originally been an asteroid used for resource extraction, measuring thirty-two kilometers long and three kilometers in diameter.
At its base, three large solar panels surrounded the outer shell like petals.
When approaching the colony from a distance, you might have thought it looked like something bizarre that had suddenly emerged from a gigantic boulder.
But its strange appearance didn't frighten people. Instead, it became a place countless people longed to visit.
Since March of last year, ZAFT's Earth invasion operation, "Operation Ouroboros," had primarily targeted spaceports.
This war, waged by the Earth Alliance against PLANT, had also drawn the nations of Earth into the conflict, and there were signs it would drag on.
The roar of artillery fire filled every corner of the world.
But here, that war-torn world seemed like an illusion. The streets were so peaceful.
The shops lining both sides of the street were packed with all kinds of goods, and customers came and went without end.
Peaceful, bustling, noisy—
Hiss—
But beneath that peaceful surface...
Three small troop transport shuttles silently reached a ventilation shaft in the rocky outer wall of Heliopolis.
Under Athrun's lead, dozens of figures in various pressure suits followed the intelligence map provided by Team Captain Le Creuset and successfully climbed up to the exhaust vent leading into the colony.
After confirming that everyone was present, Athrun and the others glanced at their wristwatches.
In the deathly stillness, even the sound of breathing seemed unusually clear.
When their watches showed the scheduled time, the monitoring devices at the vent shut down.
The group followed the plan and slipped inside in orderly silence.
There were no orders or questions, and not a trace of hesitation as they felt their way through unfamiliar surroundings. Athrun and the others followed the plan to the letter.
Throughout the main areas of the factory district, they planted small black boxes, each with a countdown already underway.
"Don't look so glum, Adis."
At the wry remark, the Vesalius's captain, Adis, furrowed his brow even more deeply. "But Captain, Athrun has a point. We could have waited for the Council's reply before acting."
A solidly built man with a square face, he still voiced the concern on his mind.
Being the cautious type, he was more inclined to follow Athrun's approach.
"That would take too long, Addis."
Responding to the captain's suggestion, Le Creuset explained, "My instincts tell me that if we miss this opportunity, sooner or later we'll pay for it with our lives. So we have to seize it before the Earth Forces can ship their new weapon away from here!"
As far as Le Creuset was concerned, the current situation was very grim, and it worked against his ideals.
So he desperately needed an opportunity to turn things around.
And the thing right in front of him might be just the opening he needed.
Addis, seated in the command chair, opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.
In truth, he needn't have said anything in the first place. Athrun and the others had already set out.
Inside the colony.
A ground facility belonging to Morgenroete.
The men working busily all around were full of energy as they moved supplies back and forth, creating a noisy bustle.
Among them was a woman wearing the same work clothes as the men.
She was one of the Earth Alliance Army's officers, twenty-five years old, and held the rank of captain.
Although she held the highest rank among them, her striking looks still inspired some of her subordinates to entertain inappropriate thoughts.
"Captain! Captain Ramius!"
A deep, rough voice called out to her from a transport truck.
Murrue Ramius looked over. A stubbly face appeared at the window and shouted, "We're heading to the battleship. We'll leave things here to you!"
He was Sergeant Kojiro Murdoch, an MS maintenance technician.
"Sorry for the trouble!"
It was noisy all around, so Murrue naturally raised her voice, too.
Sergeant Kojiro Murdoch gestured, then drove off with the supplies in tow.
"Captain, once things are wrapped up here, how about coming for a drink with us? It's our last night in Heliopolis, after all."
Just then, someone whose identity was unclear called out from nearby.
"Do you want to spend your last night in the brig for insulting a superior officer?"
Captain Murrue gave him a very direct answer.
"Haha! You losers think you can woo this lady? Come back in ten years!"
Lieutenant Hamana beside them burst out laughing heartily.
"You're more than ten years older than us, and you still haven't won Captain Murrue over!"
"What did you just say, you little punk?"
"Hahaha! Looks like you're no good either, Lieutenant Hamana!"
"Damn it, you lot just wait until tonight!"
"..."
Watching her noisy subordinates, Murrue felt a swell of emotion.
The top-secret G Project was finally coming to an end.
The transport of the units codenamed G was almost finished. All that remained was to complete the final adjustments on these new weapons and deliver them to the Archangel, where she would soon serve as first officer.
Then she could finally set down the burden she had been carrying.
At the thought, a relaxed smile appeared on Captain Murrue's face. For a moment, the soldiers around her couldn't help staring.
Ino had no idea what was happening outside.
At that moment, he was waiting for the launch order in the MS hangar of the Vesalius.
He had grown used to launching into combat over the past few months, but now his heart was racing, and even his palms were damp with sweat.
He knew this was where it all began.
After the MS seizure, Kira Yamato, hailed as the strongest Coordinator in history, would become a top ace at a speed that left countless people dumbfounded.
In the days that followed, he would join Lacus, Athrun, and the others in stopping the war between Naturals and Coordinators.
So this was where Kira Yamato's destiny began.
At the same time, it was where Ino would have to make his own choice.
Would he throw in his lot with ZAFT for good and cleave the Strike Gundam in two, or... No, wait. Wasn't the Strike Gundam bulletproof?
Or should he betray ZAFT as soon as they landed and help the Strike Gundam hold them off—
To be honest, Ino personally leaned toward the latter.
It wasn't that he wasn't grateful. After all, ZAFT hadn't treated him badly.
The main problem was that, even now, Ino couldn't be sure what ZAFT really thought of him.
If it had been someone else—Lacus or Siegel, say—Ino would have joined them without a second thought.
But his direct superior was Rau Le Creuset.
He was genuinely afraid Le Creuset might sell him out one day without warning.
His identity was awkward, too. What if his spy cover was exposed one day...
Besides, if he chose ZAFT,
he'd definitely have to stick with Le Creuset later on. That meant constantly fighting Kira Yamato head-on, a guy who could go superhuman at any moment.
But that so-called SEED mode was completely unreasonable.
It had turned Kira Yamato from someone who'd barely piloted an MS into an ace who could pin Yzak down.
What if his opponent lost his temper and shot Ino dead?
Of course, he could also slack off like Athrun and let Yzak and the others risk their necks, but slacking off while carrying a spy's identity...
"Still, betraying them outright might not be all that safe..."
Ino thought of Yzak and Dearka, and especially that guy Athrun.
Athrun might always go easy on Kira Yamato.
But if Ino defected...
Damn it, he didn't have Kira's cheat-code SEED mode.
If they forgot their old friendship and beat the hell out of him, while he was stuck in an inferior mobile suit, he might really end up dead before he got far.
Before you continue