The aftermath of the explosion at Alaska Base had yet to subside. A vast crater radiated a bone-chilling cold across the frozen wilderness, and billowing smoke and dust obscured half the sky. Even from distant low Earth orbit, the devastation was clearly visible. Inside the Atlantic Federation's high command room, the generals who had coldly ordered the base's self-destruction now wore ashen faces. The holographic screen repeatedly played footage of the various forces withdrawing, along with the recording of Mei Hock exposing their crimes over every channel. Every word struck them like a vicious slap.
"Useless! Every last one of them!" The lead general slammed his fist onto the console, his voice seething with fury and frustration. "We meant to use the Cyclops System to wipe out ZAFT's main force in one stroke and dispose of those troublesome dissenters while we were at it. And what happened? ZAFT withdrew ahead of time without losing a thing! The Archangel even took in those remnants of our Atlantic Federation forces. Not one of them was left behind! Worse still, that bastard Mei Hock exposed our conspiracy to the public. Now the entire Earth Sphere knows that the Atlantic Federation abandoned its allies and treated human lives as worthless!"
A general beside him lowered his head, a trace of fear in his voice. "General, we never expected Mei Hock to react so quickly, much less that his standing within ZAFT would let him order their entire army to withdraw with a single word. And... the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation have already begun making moves."
He had barely finished when an emergency transmission appeared on the holographic screen. It was an official broadcast from the East Asian Republic, delivered firmly and without hesitation. "Effective immediately, the East Asian Republic formally withdraws from the Earth Alliance. We will no longer participate in any war between the Earth Alliance and PLANT and will maintain absolute neutrality. We strongly condemn the Atlantic Federation's despicable betrayal of its allies and disregard for human life. Henceforth, we will cease all military and political cooperation with the Atlantic Federation."
The declaration struck like thunder, reverberating instantly throughout the Earth Sphere and PLANT. The Atlantic Federation's generals looked grimmer still. They had never imagined the East Asian Republic would act so decisively, withdrawing from the Earth Alliance and severing all ties before they could even respond. All of it stemmed from their own scheme backfiring-not only had they failed to achieve their goal, but they had exposed their ambitions and torn the Earth Alliance's fragile coalition apart.
The East Asian Republic's response was swift and resolute. As the declaration went out, East Asian troops took control of every military base within its borders that had formerly belonged to the Earth Alliance. The standard-issue Earth Alliance Mobile Suits had long since been replaced with the Black Tortoise, a domestically developed mass-production Mobile Suit, and every operating system had been replaced with East Asia's own "Kun" and "Great Wall" systems, completely ending its dependence on Atlantic Federation equipment. This was what gave it the confidence to withdraw so decisively. A year earlier, Akira's warning had alerted the East Asian Republic to the Atlantic Federation's ambitions. It had quietly laid the groundwork, established its own Mobile Suit forces, and developed independent weapons systems to prevent the Atlantic Federation from ever holding it hostage.
PLANT responded just as quickly, wasting no time in seizing the opportunity to improve relations with the East Asian Republic. Only an hour after the withdrawal declaration, the PLANT Supreme Council issued an official announcement: Kaohsiung Spaceport, which PLANT had previously captured, would be returned to the East Asian Republic without compensation. A diplomatic delegation was also dispatched urgently to the republic's capital to discuss cooperation.
By then, Mei Hock had successfully led the Silver Wing Special Forces back to Victoria Port, a major ZAFT stronghold on Earth. As ZAFT's principal military port in the planet's south, Victoria Port housed dozens of warships, with large numbers of Ginns, DINNs, and other Mobile Suits deployed on the ground. Security was tight, yet everything remained orderly. The moment Akira arrived, a transmission from the PLANT Supreme Council came through. The chairman's voice carried a note of approval. "Lieutenant Colonel Mei Hock, your performance in Alaska was outstanding. You uncovered the Atlantic Federation's conspiracy, brought ZAFT's forces out unscathed, and exposed their crimes, dealing a heavy blow to the Earth Alliance's coalition. The council has reached an agreement on returning Kaohsiung Spaceport and signing treaties with the East Asian Republic. We hope you will take the lead and assist the diplomatic delegation in completing the negotiations."
Akira nodded slightly, his voice steady. "Rest assured, Chairman. I will give them my full support. The East Asian Republic's decisive withdrawal and commitment to neutrality offer PLANT an important opportunity to ease the pressure of the war. Returning Kaohsiung Spaceport and signing nonaggression and trade treaties will demonstrate our sincerity while securing a more favorable strategic position for PLANT."
"Good. I'll leave this matter to you." The chairman's voice conveyed trust. "Take charge of Victoria Port's deployments as well. Make sure our defenses are ready in case the Atlantic Federation lashes out in desperation and launches a retaliatory attack."
"Understood." After ending the transmission, Akira immediately gathered Victoria Port's commanders for an emergency meeting to organize the port's defenses. He also assigned personnel to coordinate with PLANT's diplomatic delegation and prepare for the coming negotiations with the East Asian Republic. Though Victoria Port remained heavily guarded, some of the earlier tension had lifted. ZAFT's forces had escaped the battle of Alaska unscathed and dealt a heavy blow to the Earth Alliance's coalition. A hint of pride showed on the soldiers' faces, and their trust in Mei Hock grew deeper still.
While PLANT and the East Asian Republic actively advanced their negotiations, the Eurasian Federation descended into chaos. Seeing the East Asian Republic emerge unharmed from its withdrawal and even receive overtures from PLANT, Eurasian leaders began considering the same course: leaving the Earth Alliance, maintaining neutrality, and escaping the Atlantic Federation's control. After all, the Atlantic Federation's despicable conduct had utterly disillusioned them. They knew that remaining in the Earth Alliance would only turn them into its next bait.
But the Eurasian Federation was not the East Asian Republic. It had long depended heavily on the Atlantic Federation for weapons and technical support. Its Mobile Suit forces were equipped entirely with Atlantic Federation-produced Daggers, and its warships were Mercury-class frigates built with Atlantic Federation assistance. Even the core access codes for its weapons systems were held by the Atlantic Federation. It had neither planned ahead and developed its own weapons systems nor established independent Mobile Suit forces as the East Asian Republic had. Once cut off from the Atlantic Federation, it would be a tiger without teeth, utterly incapable of resistance.
Just before Eurasian leaders could issue their withdrawal declaration, disaster struck. Every Mobile Suit and warship within their borders suddenly locked down. Engines would not start, weapons systems would not activate, and even communications were cut off. The Eurasian Federation's entire military was paralyzed in an instant. Panicked soldiers tried to restart their equipment, only to discover that nothing they did could release the locks. They could only watch helplessly as their weapons became heaps of scrap metal.
"What's going on? Why has all our equipment been locked down?" the Eurasian Federation's military commander roared into his communicator, his voice filled with panic and despair.
"Commander, our diagnostics show that the Atlantic Federation remotely locked the core systems of all our equipment. They have the activation codes for every weapon we own. We can't release the locks!" The staff officer sounded close to tears. "We have no means of resistance now. If the Atlantic Federation attacks, all we can do is take the beating!"
The Eurasian leadership panicked completely. At last, they understood the gulf between themselves and the East Asian Republic. The East Asian Republic had prepared well in advance and freed itself from dependence on the Atlantic Federation, while they had remained firmly under its control. Only now did they realize how dangerous their position was. They had wanted to withdraw, but before they could even issue a declaration, the Atlantic Federation had brought them completely to heel, leaving them like lambs awaiting slaughter.
The East Asian Republic also experienced a brief period of confusion. Although it had already switched to domestically developed weapons systems, some older logistical equipment still used Earth Alliance standards, and the Atlantic Federation attempted to lock those down remotely as well. Yet within just ten minutes, the disruption had been completely resolved. East Asia's weapons systems used independent encryption protocols that the Atlantic Federation could not crack, while East Asian technicians quickly removed the locks on the older logistical equipment. Its military deployments soon returned to normal.
The Atlantic Federation had originally planned to launch a surprise attack immediately after the East Asian Republic withdrew, annexing part of its territory and seizing its domestically developed weapons technology to make up for the losses at Alaska. But then it saw how quickly the republic restored normal operations, how well its mass-produced Black Tortoise Mobile Suits performed, and how its elite Xingtian Mobile Suits possessed combat capabilities surpassing even the G Series. Combined with the East Asian Republic's enormous population, this meant that any war would inevitably drag the Atlantic Federation into a prolonged conflict at a devastating cost.
What gave the Atlantic Federation and the arms dealers behind it even greater pause was the complete independence of the East Asian Republic's weapons systems from Atlantic Federation technology. They could not restrain East Asia by locking down its equipment. If war broke out, they would have to fight it head-on, and the republic's military strength had already exceeded their expectations. After weighing the costs and benefits, the Atlantic Federation could only suppress its plans for a surprise attack and abandon retaliation against the East Asian Republic. Instead, it turned all its fury on the defenseless Eurasian Federation.
The Atlantic Federation immediately mobilized its main fleet and launched surprise attacks against military bases inside the Eurasian Federation. With their weapons and equipment disabled, Eurasian troops had no means of resistance and could only endure the assault. Atlantic Federation warships bombarded targets at will, while Mobile Suits rampaged across Eurasian territory. Military bases were destroyed one after another, and cities were engulfed in war. In an instant, the Eurasian Federation was plunged into misery. The entire Earth Sphere and PLANT witnessed it, yet no one intervened. The East Asian Republic maintained its neutrality, unwilling to become embroiled in the conflict, while PLANT focused on its negotiations with the republic and kept watch on the Atlantic Federation's movements.
Meanwhile, Kira Yamato was speeding toward Orb in the Freedom Gundam. The despair and confusion he had felt on the Alaskan battlefield had given way to hope the moment he received the covert message: "The Archangel is in Orb." He pushed the Freedom Gundam through the resistance of the atmosphere at full power, its frame tracing a brilliant streak across the sky. Only one thought occupied his mind-reach Orb as quickly as possible, find Mu and Captain Murrue, and make sure they were safe.
The Freedom Gundam's performance far surpassed that of ordinary Mobile Suits. Its tremendous speed brought it into Orb's airspace before long. As a neutral nation that took no part in any war, Orb prohibited foreign military forces from entering its territory without authorization. But once its air defense units detected the Freedom Gundam's signal and received Kira's identification verification, personally vouched for by Cagalli, they immediately cleared a passage and permitted it to land.
The Archangel was docked at Orb's secret military port. Mu La Flaga stood on its deck, gazing up at the sky with a grave expression. He had already learned of the Atlantic Federation's surprise attack on the Eurasian Federation. He felt bitter and furious, yet powerless. The Archangel had only just taken in the remnants of the Atlantic Federation forces and had not finished recovering. It had no capacity to intervene.
"Mu!" A familiar voice rang out. Mu looked up sharply and saw the Freedom Gundam descend slowly onto the deck. Its cockpit opened, and Kira Yamato jumped out, his face filled with anxiety and joy.
"Kira? What are you doing here?" Surprise crossed Mu's face before giving way to a relieved smile. He strode over and patted Kira's shoulder. "I'm glad you're all right. I thought you'd been trapped in Alaska."
"I received a message saying you were in Orb, so I came right away." Kira looked around, searching for Captain Murrue. "Where's Captain Murrue? Is she all right? And what about the Atlantic Federation troops you took in?"
"Captain Murrue is on the bridge, reassuring their officers. They're all fine." Mu's voice grew somber. "But something's happened in the Eurasian Federation. The Atlantic Federation couldn't touch the East Asian Republic, so it turned all its anger on Eurasia. The Eurasian Federation is engulfed in war now, with no way to fight back."
Kira's expression immediately darkened, his eyes filling with confusion and pain. "War again... Why can't it stop? How much more suffering do those soldiers and innocent people have to endure?"
"I don't know either." Mu sighed softly and patted Kira's shoulder. "But what we can do is protect the people around us and keep more people from getting hurt. Come on. I'll take you to Captain Murrue. She'll be delighted to see you."
Kira nodded and followed Mu toward the Archangel's bridge. Sunlight spilled across the deck, but it could not dispel the gloom in their hearts. Both knew that the explosion in Alaska, East Asia's withdrawal, and Eurasia's suffering were only a small reflection of this long war. More challenges still awaited them.
At Victoria Port, Mei Hock stood in the command tower, looking out over the distant sea with the draft for PLANT's negotiations with the East Asian Republic in his hand. The holographic screen showed preparations for the ceremony returning Kaohsiung Spaceport, along with footage of the East Asian Republic's domestically developed Black Tortoise Mobile Suit. He knew that cooperation between PLANT and the East Asian Republic would fundamentally reshape the war, while the Atlantic Federation's frenzied retaliation would inevitably bring greater upheaval to the entire Earth Sphere.
"Lieutenant Colonel, PLANT's diplomatic delegation has reached the East Asian Republic's border. Negotiations can begin at any time." The special operations unit captain's voice interrupted Akira's thoughts.
Akira returned to the present, determination flashing in his eyes. "Tell the delegation to proceed according to the draft. They must reach an agreement and sign the nonaggression and trade treaties. Also, strengthen security at Victoria Port and monitor the Atlantic Federation's movements closely. Report any unusual activity immediately."
"Understood!"
The sea wind howled through Victoria Port, carrying the briny tang of seawater. Warships stood in orderly rows, and Mobile Suits waited at full readiness. Cooperation between PLANT and the East Asian Republic was about to begin, the Atlantic Federation's fury burned across the Eurasian Federation, and Kira had reunited with the Archangel in Orb. Amid the fractures left by war, a new order was slowly taking shape. The war between Earth and PLANT was entering an entirely new phase, filled with uncertainty and challenges.
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