Sudden Change 4

Andy continued his analysis. "Starting with the failure of the Alaska campaign—no, perhaps even earlier, from the moment the Freedom Gundam was captured—the gears had already begun to spin out of control. Patrick Zala, that man who fancied himself absolutely right, could not tolerate the words 'failure' and 'accident' in his personal dictionary. But look at what had happened recently. Alaska—he thought he could wipe out the Earth Alliance's main force in one stroke, only to fall into their trap and nearly lose the entire army. The Freedom Gundam, the trump card we poured our hearts into developing, became the sharpest blade in the enemy's hand. Then came the fall of Victoria. Though it was a strategic withdrawal, in the public's eyes, it was a complete and utter defeat. And then there was the rout in the recent battle of Orb... That string of blows had already thrown him into disarray."

He paused, as though gathering his thoughts.

"The effects of these failures might not show up in military data or battle reports, and PLANT's media certainly would not report them. But Patrick Zala's resolve had indeed been shaken by these unforeseen factors. He had become increasingly impatient, increasingly paranoid, increasingly unable to listen to any dissenting opinion. A dictator blinded by rage was the most likely to make mistakes. He was now desperate for a sweeping victory to prove himself and silence those opponents in the PLANT Council. That desperation was his greatest weakness."

Yet on the other hand, developments equally unexpected to the man had also occurred. They had significantly hindered his plans.

Aisha seemed to know what he wanted to say. She straightened up, the smile on her face fading somewhat as her tone turned serious.

"...Andy, I just received word. Safe House Number Seven in December