Undercurrents and Choices

In the cold expanse of space, silence was often the prelude to conflict. The instant an Earth Alliance Forces patrol picked up the Peace Messenger's civilian identification signal and the Silver Wing's ZAFT military signal, the vast distance between them seemed to shrink. As the alert level rose, Akira's ACCORD ability had already locked onto twelve high-speed heat signatures approaching ahead with the precision of the finest radar—a standard squadron of linear cannon-equipped Moebius units.

"Transmit a general distress and identification signal. Emphasize that this is an Orb-registered civilian vessel engaged in a cultural exchange program. Attach Miss Lacus Clyne's identification code and the safe-passage permit issued by the Earth Alliance." Akira stood on the Peace Messenger's bridge, his voice utterly steady, as though stating a fact that had nothing to do with him. His gaze pierced the viewport and settled on the distant specks spreading into attack formation.

Over the encrypted communications channel, the Silver Wing's captain spoke with a trace of tension. "Commander, they haven't responded to our friendly signals and are still approaching. Should we prepare the mobile suit team for launch?"

"Hold off." Akira rejected the suggestion as his ACCORD ability rapidly analyzed their behavior. "Maintain silence and wait for their response. Our first priority is to ensure the 'Lighthouse's' absolute safety, not to provoke them."

Just as the tension seemed about to solidify, a response finally came over the Earth forces' public communications channel. A slightly hoarse but restrained male voice spoke. "This is Lieutenant Jack Morrison of the Earth Alliance Forces' Seventh Patrol Squadron. Civilian vessel Peace Messenger, your identification code has been confirmed. Please state the intentions of your escort warship."

"At the request of the United Republic of Orb, the Silver Wing is providing security for the peaceful cultural exchange activities of Miss Lacus Clyne, daughter of Siegel Clyne, chairman of the PLANT Council. It is operating solely in international space and has no intention of entering the Earth Alliance's defense perimeter." Akira took the communicator and answered in a clear, calm voice. He deliberately stressed "peaceful cultural exchange" and "international space."

A brief silence followed, broken only by static. Clearly, the other side was verifying the information and consulting internally. ACCORD detected an almost imperceptible reduction in the formation's speed, along with a slight loosening of its aggressive deployment.

A few seconds later, Lieutenant Morrison spoke again, a more complicated note entering his voice. Was that... relief? "Understood. The safety of the Peace Messenger and its passengers is confirmed. However, the Silver Wing..." He paused, lowering his voice into something almost cautionary. "Commander Hawke, your 'reputation' is well known on our side, too. You're approaching a sensitive area. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, please keep your warship where it is. Consider this... a friendly reminder."

Those words conveyed a great deal. Akira understood immediately. The no-kill principle he had maintained during border clashes, along with his practice of merely disarming opponents, had evidently spread among some of the Earth Alliance Forces' frontline units and even earned him a measure of respect. Once they recognized the Silver Wing and his identity, their attitude had noticeably softened. Rather than a warning, it was an unspoken understanding grounded in matched strength—as long as he did not cross the line, they had no wish to confront this troublesome "Silver Wing Angel" head-on.

"Thank you for the reminder, Lieutenant Morrison. The Silver Wing will hold position here and maintain watch. May your patrol go smoothly." Akira answered calmly while ordering the Silver Wing behind him to halt its advance and take up a watch position.

Through the encrypted monitoring equipment, Lacus Clyne quietly listened to the brief exchange. Thought flickered in her clear blue eyes. She had heard the Earth forces officer address Akira as "Commander Hawke," as well as the implied "reminder," offered not out of fear but with a certain recognition. This was entirely unlike the general hostility toward Coordinators, especially ZAFT soldiers, that she associated with the Earth forces. Once again, she felt deeply that the young escort commander beside her possessed an influence and image far beyond those of an ordinary soldier. In his own way, he had carved a tiny opening in the cold iron curtain of war-one founded on mutual recognition of strength.

After confirming that the Silver Wing had stopped advancing, the Earth forces' Moebius squadron tacitly adjusted its course as well. Like watchful sheepdogs, they kept their distance, escorting-or rather, monitoring-the Peace Messenger as it headed toward Earth orbit. Only after it entered Orb's airspace did they quietly depart.

A potential clash had dissolved without a trace. But Akira knew that this fragile balance rested on both sides having the sense not to escalate the situation, as well as on his own strength being sufficient to deter them.

After arriving on Earth, Lacus Clyne followed a packed, public itinerary. With its unique neutral standing, the United Republic of Orb offered her a relatively safe stage. Preparations for the peace concert, press conferences, meetings with Orb's senior officials and pacifists... everything proceeded openly and in orderly fashion. Lacus's ethereal singing and her message of peace struck a considerable chord in this unusual nation.

Behind the glittering stage, however, Akira's Silver Wing special operations team worked at full capacity, like a leopard concealed in the shadows. Taking advantage of Orb's relatively relaxed entry inspections and cover provided by ZAFT's clandestine intelligence network, Akira began his true mission while ensuring that Lacus's daily security remained airtight.

Late at night, only the faint glow of running equipment illuminated the temporary command center on the Island of Dawn, Orb's capital. Akira stood before an enormous global strategic map with his ACCORD ability fully engaged. Like an invisible black hole of information, he consumed and analyzed vast quantities of fragmented data flowing in through covert channels-public reports of military movements, encrypted commercial shipping logs, and even scattered, vague discussions of unusual cargo shipments on obscure hacker forums.

"Commander, the monitoring post outside Morgenroete reports unusual heavy-equipment shipments at Pier Three recently. Security has been noticeably increased, and they're using powerful signal jamming."

"At Victoria Base in the African Community, periods of radio silence have recently become unusually long. There are records of brief leaks from high-priority communications. Analysis of the signal characteristics... suggests a connection to large-scale energy weapon testing," another intelligence operative added.

Akira's fingertips passed over several key locations on the map: Morgenroete in Orb, which had secret cooperation with the Earth Alliance; Victoria Base in the African Community, a major Earth Alliance spaceport; Alaska Base in the Atlantic Federation, its headquarters; and the Eurasian Federation's headquarters in Vienna... each was a potential target.

Yet ACCORD's central warning ultimately focused on a single location, as though drawn by an invisible magnet-JOSH-A, a base under Atlantic Federation control. It had an unusually heavy military presence, and several recent shipments labeled "high-density inert materials" had been brought in under the highest level of secrecy. Their transport routes and protective measures closely matched the information on nuclear material handling in Akira's memory.

"Target confirmed: JOSH-A. I need to verify it personally. You will stay here and protect Miss Lacus." Akira issued his final orders. This was an extremely dangerous operation. If exposed, it would not only threaten his life but could also trigger a serious diplomatic dispute, or even become the spark that brought the war forward. But he had to go. He needed indisputable evidence, not conjecture.

On a moonless night, Akira donned a specially made optical camouflage suit and traveled aboard a submarine belonging to a pro-PLANT nation, slipping like a ghost into the rugged mountains surrounding JOSH-A. His ACCORD ability reduced his presence to a minimum while turning every detail of his surroundings-patrol routes, gaps between searchlight sweeps, sensor blind spots-into a clear path forward. He climbed a sheer rock face like a gecko, avoided every electronic security device, and finally concealed himself at an ideal sniper position overlooking the base's central area.

High-precision telephoto reconnaissance equipment pierced the darkness, bringing the base's interior into close view. His breathing almost stopped, and his pupils narrowed slightly. Beneath layers of guards and camouflage netting, he clearly saw several cylindrical containers secured in special frames and bearing ominous warning signs. The yellow-and-black radiation symbols and the English abbreviation "N-MAT" for nuclear material, clearly printed on the containers, stood out glaringly through his low-light night-vision equipment.

What made his heart sink further was another area, where several technicians wearing chemical protective suits were performing final inspections on a conical warhead component beneath an open-sided shed. The warhead's shape and dimensions were strikingly similar to the design drawings of a particular Tactical Nuclear Missile warhead in his memory!

The evidence is conclusive... Akira silently repeated the words. Like the most dispassionate photographer, his ACCORD ability recorded everything clearly, encrypted it, and stamped it with the time and location. Without a moment's hesitation, he withdrew swiftly and silently, as though he had never been there.

Back at the safe house in Orb, Akira locked himself inside a secure room. Before him stood a satellite communications terminal protected by multiple layers of encryption. In his hands was irrefutable evidence capable of setting all of PLANT-and perhaps the entire world-ablaze. How to use it became a crucial choice.

Make it public directly? Blue Cosmos would control the narrative, denounce it as a ZAFT fabrication and provocation, and perhaps even use it to justify their extremist actions as a "forced counterattack." Send it only to Chairman Siegel Clyne? Given Chairman Clyne's commitment to peaceful dialogue, he would most likely choose diplomatic protests and pressure. But with radicals already gaining the upper hand within the Earth Alliance, that would probably accomplish little and might even alert the enemy.

In an instant, Akira's ACCORD ability projected dozens of possible outcomes. Finally, a plan so cool-headed it bordered on cold-blooded took shape in his mind. He needed this intelligence to have the greatest possible effect-not merely to prevent tragedy, but to lay the groundwork for the future.

He divided the intelligence into three parts and sent them through separate, top-secret channels:

The first part, the conclusive evidence, went directly to Councilor Patrick Zala, chairman of the PLANT Supreme Council's Security Committee. Akira included no subjective comments in his accompanying message, merely an objective account of the reconnaissance process, the sources of the evidence, and an assessment of their reliability. He particularly noted that the agricultural Space Colony satellite Junius Seven might be a high-risk target because of its symbolic significance and relatively weak defenses. He knew that, given Chairman Zala's hard-line approach and profound concern for the Coordinators' fate—his wife, Lenore Zala, was on Junius Seven—he would never stand idly by. He would inevitably take the strongest possible countermeasures, potentially including civilian evacuation and military preparations. This would offer civilians the greatest protection possible while inevitably stripping the Clyne Faction's "weak" diplomatic policy of all standing within the council.

The second part, the warning, was "leaked" through a seemingly neutral third-party intelligence broker to a moderate councilor close to Chairman Siegel Clyne. Its details had been obscured, but its implications remained clear, mentioning a possible connection between "large-scale strategic weapons" and "agricultural Space Colonies." This would give the Clyne Faction one final warning and a chance to take corrective action, however slim that hope might be. It would also demonstrate afterward that Akira had not sided entirely with the Zala Faction, preserving room for maneuver.

The third part, the operational record, was a highly encrypted brief containing only a concise account of the operation's successful acquisition of intelligence. He sent it to the ZAFT Military Intelligence Bureau at ZAFT headquarters for archival storage. It was not intended as a basis for decisions, but as proof of his own achievements and those of the Silver Wing special operations team, laying the foundation for securing resources and support later.

Once the messages were sent, Akira sat alone in the darkness, waiting for the gears of fate to begin turning. He knew he had cast a massive stone into the water, one certain to send up towering waves. He was making a dangerous gamble-on his foreknowledge of history's course, on Chairman Zala's decisiveness, and on his own ability to hold his ground in the coming storm.

A few days later, feedback from PLANT began arriving through various covert channels. Debate over security policy within the council suddenly intensified. The Zala Faction spoke out repeatedly, accusing the Clyne Faction's appeasement policy of endangering PLANT. Demands for an immediate increase in military readiness and preemptive strikes against suspicious targets grew louder and louder. Although Chairman Siegel still fought to preserve the peace process, he was clearly struggling.

At the same time, Akira received a brief message from ZAFT headquarters, transmitted under the highest encryption level and signed directly "P.S.": "Intelligence received. Outstanding service. Remain on standby. Further orders will follow shortly. -P.S."

Patrick Zala had taken direct notice of him! This was precisely the result Akira wanted. He needed to come to Chairman Zala's attention, and even that of his inner circle, to gain greater autonomy and resources. Only then could he have a voice and the ability to act in the greater crises ahead. Like Rau Le Creuset-but the path Akira intended to take was different.

The peace concert on Earth took place as scheduled. Lacus Clyne's voice was like a clear spring, briefly washing away the anxiety in people's hearts. But Akira and the few others who knew the truth could all sense the enormous storm gathering strength beneath the appearance of peace.

Backstage at the concert, Lacus approached Akira, an almost imperceptible trace of worry in her eyes. "Commander Hawke, lately... my father has been under a lot of pressure. The atmosphere in the council has become very tense. Do you... do you think the peace we're striving for can still become a reality?"

As Akira looked at the girl before him, who was trying to mend divisions with her voice, a complicated emotion passed through his heart. He could not tell her the cruel truth. He could only choose an answer that was vague yet firm. "Peace requires strength to defend it, Miss Clyne. Some choose to create peace through dialogue, while others choose to use weapons to protect the possibility of peace. Perhaps only when the time is right can those two forces find common ground. Until then, we must ensure... that the things we cherish do not disappear in the darkness before dawn."

Lacus nodded thoughtfully and asked no more questions. She seemed to sense in Akira's words a deeper resolve that reached beyond their present circumstances.

In early February of Cosmic Era 70, Akira's Silver Wing special operations team escorted Lacus Clyne as she set out for performances in the East Asian Republic. They carried a faint hope for peace, along with the oppressive sense of a gathering storm. The stars above the harbor still shone brilliantly, but Akira knew that before long, this starry sky might be torn apart by the glare of nuclear explosions and the flames of war.

"All units, raise alert status to maximum." Akira's voice sounded over the communications channel. Beneath its calm lay a weight and resolve only he understood, as he prepared to face the onrushing tide of history.

He had already placed his crucial piece on the board. All that remained was to wait for the bloody day destined to arrive-and consider how, amid the ruins, he could protect the people he had sworn to defend and keep the flame of hope alive.