Reid had been enjoying a comfortable life these past three days. Thanks to the escort missions for grain trade between the new Misurugi Empire and surrounding satellites, the Crimson Wings mercenary group had gained some reputation in the L3 Colony Cluster area.
More importantly, thanks to those colony satellites with their own agendas, he had finally gathered enough G-Coins to produce the E Carbon Steel needed for a Union Flag—even with enough left over to build a brand-new Moebius.
His personal savings had also grown significantly. Although he kept less than ten percent for himself and transferred the rest to Angie for the national treasury, it was still an amount he could never have dreamed of during his days as a grunt.
The only downside was how difficult it had become to transport Earth's supplies into space. Smugglers had driven prices up a hundredfold, and only a fool would buy ordinary goods at such sky-high prices during this period.
But good times never last. With the Eurasian Federation's defeat in the waters off Casablanca, ZAFT's Gibraltar base was officially completed, and the Mediterranean was fully invaded by ZAFT. The Eurasian Federation could only rely on massive coastal defenses to hold off the combined assaults of ZAFT's aquatic MS, the Guerrilla, and their aerial MS, the Dinn.
Meanwhile, ZAFT's high command had already decided on a strategy to advance south from northern Africa.
Africa had always been one of Earth's more underdeveloped regions, but it was rich in resources, making it highly valuable to occupy.
In the eyes of ZAFT's top brass, once Africa was fully secured and developed into an industrial stronghold, PLANT could even consider conquering the entire planet.
This already showed that some in ZAFT's command were getting overconfident. Aside from the initial setback in the Victoria offensive and defensive battle before deploying the Neutron Jammer, the war against Earth had been a cakewalk.
Under the influence of the Neutron Jammer, the Earth Alliance Forces had become as soft as dough, easily manipulated, only capable of limited counterattacks through sheer numbers.
Especially in the beginning, when the Earth Alliance hadn't yet adapted to warfare without radar or wireless support, their stockpile of high-precision guided weapons became useless, forcing them to drag out outdated tanks, helicopters, and fighters from storage. The casualty ratio had once reached as high as 1:10.
This led ZAFT's command to look down on the Earth Alliance Forces with utter disdain. Some even remarked, "If we'd known the Earth Alliance was this weak, we should've started the war sooner."
But no matter how confident ZAFT was, reality remained unchanged—until North Africa was captured, they would still face food shortages.
Food couldn't just materialize out of thin air. The Oceania Union had provided a massive shipment over a month ago, and ZAFT's forces on Earth had been surviving on those supplies ever since.
However, taking Gibraltar alone wasn't enough to replenish their future needs. The nations around the Mediterranean under the Eurasian Federation were all heavily fortified, making a direct assault unwise.
As for the African side of the Mediterranean, those were all impoverished allies—squeezing them dry wouldn't yield much food anyway.
So ZAFT was already preparing to attack the Suez Canal, aiming to completely blockade the Mediterranean economic zone while cutting off the Earth Alliance Forces' land route to the African continent.
At the same time, on the lunar front, ZAFT forces stationed at the Lorentz Crater were preparing to launch a decisive battle against the Earth Alliance Forces' Third Fleet at their Ptolemy Base.
Fighting on two fronts while expanding their strategic operations had forced ZAFT to mobilize more troops, further reducing their production workforce and exacerbating food shortages.
Thus, ZAFT truly set its sights on the neutral Colony Satellites in space. However, orders from PLANT strictly emphasized purchasing food supplies from these colonies—no looting, coercion, or similar actions were permitted.
But in practice, ZAFT officers were well-versed in "flexible execution" and the age-old adage that "a general in the field is not bound by orders."
Of course, ZAFT didn't dare forcibly buy up all the food and starve entire colonies—at most, their purchasing methods were just a bit heavy-handed. Tactics like battleships blockading ports, test-firing weapons near colony walls, or conducting "military exercises" inside the satellites were common.
As a result, the newly established Misurugi Empire—currently the most defiant among the colonies—landed squarely on the desk of the ZAFT military base commander overseeing the Fifth Cosmic Region, which included the L3 Colony Cluster.
Truth be told, compared to other regions where the Earth Alliance and ZAFT were locked in fierce combat, the Fifth Cosmic Region was relatively peaceful. Likely due to its abundance of low-priority mining colonies with easily replaceable infrastructure, its strategic value was minimal.
ZAFT's military presence here consisted of just five Laurasia-class battleships—less a proper base and more an oversized outpost.
But when the food procurement mission arrived, the local commander saw a golden opportunity for promotion. Everyone in the L3 Colony Cluster knew the Misurugi Empire had food.
Adopting a "courtesy before force" approach, the commander first dispatched a five-member diplomatic team via shuttle to negotiate the purchase.
And so, Reid found himself facing these so-called diplomats in the colony satellite's spaceport conference room.
The moment he entered, Reid sensed their true nature—these were no diplomats, but fellow soldiers. All appeared to be senior officers in their forties.
By the time Reid arrived, Angie had already spoken with them briefly. Judging by her expression, the conversation hadn't gone well. The genetically enhanced princess with violent tendencies was clearly itching to throw punches.
Reid quickly understood why. Before he could even sit down or introduce himself, their leader bluntly stated:
"Mr. Reid, I'm Stefano Greco. Princess Angelise claims she merely provided a seller for this colony's food supply and that you handled the rest—details she's unaware of. Is this accurate?"
Reid nearly sighed. These men weren't even pretending—their military straightforwardness was on full display. But this mutual deflection was precisely the script he and Angie had prepared. Playing along, he replied:
"I must keep that confidential. Such information is more valuable than gold in these times."
Stefano Greco didn't press further—Reid's reluctance to reveal supply channels was expected. Instead, he cut straight to the point:
"I understand, but I'd like to commission your organization to provide a batch of food supplies to our ZAFT forces. Of course, we'll pay according to PLANT market prices."
Reid frowned upon hearing this—these people really had no sincerity at all. PLANT market prices? The amount of rice that could be bought for their price per pound on the black market would have to be counted grain by grain. After all, PLANT had to ensure the normal livelihood of its residents; they'd rather take losses than let food prices skyrocket too drastically.
But to Reid, this price was practically saying, "I'm going to rob you openly."
So Reid didn't hold back either. Since either the Earth Alliance or ZAFT would eventually come after him, he might as well choose ZAFT first. He refused outright:
"Mr. Greco, I'm afraid I can't sell you the food. Previously, the supplies we sold were only to Colony Satellites that haven't taken a definitive side. After all, we're a neutral nation. If I sell to you today, the Earth Alliance will immediately come after us. My food procurement channels on Earth would be cut off entirely. So, my apologies."
Reid's words left no room for negotiation, and the other party's expression darkened instantly. Stefano Greco responded with a hint of threat:
"Heh, so you fear the Earth Alliance but not our ZAFT? Or do you think that just because you wave that neutral nation flag, we can't do anything to you? Young man, let me give you some advice—in this world, you can only say 'no' to others when you have real power yourself."
(End of Chapter)