"Perhaps he was waiting for you to say the word he needed first."
In the same hour that Kisaka's words fell on Cagalli's ears, Lacus finished reading the third analysis of Orb's situation in the living room of Xuanwu Three.
On the independent terminal's screen, the Atlantic Federation fleet deployment map sat alongside photographs of Dawn Society facilities in Orb. In the lower right corner was a cross-sectional diagram of the self-destruct pipelines annotated by Lin Yuan.
She shut off the terminal and stood before the porthole for half a minute.
Earth's curve slowly turned beyond the window, and the outlines of the island chains could faintly be made out against the Pacific Ocean's deep blue.
The call light on the communications terminal lit up.
She returned to the desk and pressed the connect button.
Lin Yuan's voice came through the encrypted channel.
"Miss Clyne, have you finished reviewing the materials?"
"I have."
"Your assessment?"
Lacus rested her fingers on the terminal's edge, her fingertips lightly tracing a circle over the metal surface.
"Mr. Lin Yuan, Orb's civilians should not have to pay the price for anyone's military game."
"Agreed. So?"
"So I would like to ask you, is the Kunlun fleet heading for the waters off Orb to protect civilians, or to seize the Dawn Society before the United Army does?"
Two seconds of silence passed over the channel.
"Both."
Lacus's lips tightened slightly.
"That was how you answered last time as well."
"Because the answer has not changed."
"Mr. Lin Yuan, if East Asia's fleet enters Orb before the United Army, what will the people of Orb think?"
"They will hate me. Then they will stay alive."
Lacus withdrew her hand from the terminal's edge and folded it over her lap.
"Have you considered a third possibility?"
"What