By normal logic, the fewer people who knew the specifics of Reid's secret meeting with Uzumi, the better.
But Reid wasn't particularly keen on listening to Uzumi's brainwashing. Many of his ideas sounded correct at first glance, but couldn't withstand closer scrutiny. Upon deeper thought, one would realize that the initial sense of correctness was actually an insult to one's intelligence.
So when Mina and Cagalli prepared to excuse themselves to wait outside, Reid proactively spoke up:
"Representative Uzumi, this isn't some meeting to decide national policy—just a casual chat. Let Mina and Cagalli stay and listen. To be frank, they're of my generation. I'll likely be interacting with them more in the future."
"Besides," Reid continued with a smile, "my bodyguard is also listening in. It feels rather awkward having more people on my side during talks held in Orb's territory."
There was subtle mockery in Reid's words, implying that Uzumi wouldn't remain Orb Union Emirates' representative for long. Uzumi pretended not to catch the underlying meaning.
From Uzumi's perspective, Reid wanted Mina and Cagalli present to restrict his speech. Certain matters were indeed inappropriate to discuss before them—especially Cagalli, who was still too immature and transparent with her thoughts.
Yet seeing Cagalli's eager expression softened Uzumi's resolve. Mina beside her had also stopped moving, clearly wanting to hear the conversation between Reid and Uzumi.
Uzumi suddenly realized how skillfully Reid manipulated people's emotions. If he forcibly dismissed them today, Cagalli would undoubtedly suspect him of betraying Orb again (in her eyes, Uzumi bore full responsibility for cooperating with the Atlantic Federation). Though Mina wouldn't voice complaints, she'd certainly feel distrusted.
Thus Uzumi could only console himself as he said, "If it's Mr. Reid's suggestion, I have no objections. It's indeed time for Cagalli to witness real political maneuvering."
However, Uzumi immediately adopted a stern expression as he addressed Mina and Cagalli: "But Cagalli, Mina—you're here as observers only. No matter what you hear, no matter how strongly you disagree or how shocked you feel, you may not speak or leave. Can you abide by this?"
At these words, Mina silently moved to stand by the wall, her compliance evident.
Cagalli, however, felt her father was looking down on her and retorted, "Of course I can! Don't underestimate me!" She then stood beside Mina, glaring at Uzumi as if she were part of Reid's faction.
Her childish behavior made Uzumi question whether his parenting had failed. Somewhat embarrassed, he said to Reid, "My apologies, Mr. Reid. My daughter still displays considerable immaturity. I hope you'll be understanding."
Reid had no intention of criticizing Uzumi's parenting—after all, his "exceptional" upbringing of Cagalli only worked to Reid's advantage.
With a smile, Reid simply replied:
"Miss Cagalli dares to speak her mind even in the face of power—that's a virtue. I actually quite admire her for it."
Reid wasn't lying about this. For ordinary people, speaking truth to power is indeed a commendable trait.
But for politicians, especially those from less powerful nations, it's practically a death sentence (just look at the first person who tore up the UN Charter).
However, since Reid had offered a way to gracefully exit the conversation, Uzumi couldn't very well continue debating the point. He made a mental note to find time later to educate Cagalli about the unspoken rules of politics.
Seizing the opportunity Reid provided, Uzumi smoothly changed the subject: "I'm glad you don't mind, Mr. Reid. But let's get back to the main issue. What is your true purpose for coming to Orb? If it was to meet Mina, you've already accomplished that. Surely you didn't come all this way just to abduct someone back to the Star Palace Colony Satellite?"
Reid indicated that the drama of kidnapping people in Orb could be left to their resident prince—he had no intention of stealing the spotlight. With a laugh, he replied: "Of course not. If I were to forcibly take Miss Mina, I'd probably have the entire nation of Orb hunting me down. I'm not some fairy-tale dragon kidnapping princesses."
After this lighthearted remark, Reid's expression turned serious as he delivered the prepared statement he'd brought for Uzumi: "As for my real purpose... Representative Uzumi, I've heard from friends that Orb harbors exceptional hostility toward the New Misurugi Republic, even going so far as to plan operations comparable to terrorist attacks. In fact, I've personally intercepted one such attempted sabotage.
But hearing is not as convincing as seeing. That's why I took this opportunity during my Earth visit to come see for myself."
Reid's explanation was thoroughly diplomatic. Uzumi knew exactly who had been badmouthing Orb, though the accusations weren't entirely unfounded. Had they not been under pressure, Orb would have already sabotaged the Star Palace Colony Satellite's military factories.
But in politics, what matters is evidence—without proof, nothing happened. Especially since Orb hadn't actually carried out the actions Reid mentioned.
Feigning righteous indignation, Uzumi raised his voice in rebuttal: "Slander! This is nothing but slander against our nation! Both Orb and the New Misurugi Republic are neutral states—one on Earth, one in space. What possible reason would we have for hostility? These are malicious rumors spread by major powers to undermine the friendship between neutral nations!"
Reid observed Uzumi's passionate performance with complete emotional detachment, thinking this rhetoric might fool naive youngsters like Cagalli, but no experienced adult would buy it.
In response, Reid calmly delivered a piercing remark: "Representative Uzumi, Dawn Company suffered significant losses last year, didn't it?"
This single sentence cut short Uzumi's act. Anything more would risk breaking the diplomatic facade.
Uzumi promptly abandoned the slander discussion and answered directly: "Naturally. Our declaration of absolute neutrality meant losing military technical support from the Earth Alliance. We anticipated these losses."
After speaking, Uzumi also began to counterattack. Up until now in this meeting, Reid had been dominating the conversation. If he didn't push back now, Uzumi felt his title as the "Lion of Orb" might as well be changed to "Sick Cat."
"Mr. Reid, as far as I know, the New Misurugi Republic has been raking in profits over the past year and has even begun constructing a second Colony Satellite. You've now firmly established yourselves in the arms trade—congratulations on that."
Reid knew that no matter how he answered this question, Uzumi's next move would be to earnestly argue that supplying weapons to both the Earth Alliance and PLANT was tantamount to encouraging the expansion of war, effectively pinning the blame for undermining peace on him.
So Reid simply crossed his hands and rested his chin on them, then fell silent, his expression clearly saying, Go on, I'm watching.
The silence lasted for over a minute. Seeing that Uzumi seemed prepared to stare him down until the end of time, Reid—who had no interest in a prolonged staring contest with an old man—finally spoke up.
"Representative Uzumi, please continue. I'm listening."
Uzumi realized he had encountered a seasoned player today. Reid Isaac was young, but he knew all the tricks. Compared to him, the three officers from the Archangel earlier had seemed almost naively innocent.
Still, Uzumi had already set the stage. Even if this turned into a one-man show, he had to see it through. So he cut straight to the point.
"Mr. Reid, don't you think the New Misurugi Republic's arms sales to both sides are fueling the spread of war? You've even helped the East Asian Republic develop new Mobile Suits."
Seeing that Uzumi had now drawn his blade, Reid remained unruffled—this was exactly what he had anticipated. He replied coolly,
"It seems Representative Uzumi enjoys listening to rumors. But you should be careful with your words. The East Asian Republic's Mobile Suits were independently developed by them, with full intellectual property rights. These units have no connection whatsoever to the New Misurugi Republic."
"As for your claim that we're selling arms to both sides, at present, the New Misurugi Republic has only supplied some armor to each party. The accusation that we're responsible for the spread of war is far too heavy a burden for our nation to bear."
"Moreover, if selling arms equates to fueling war, then for decades, Dawn Company has been providing weapons and military support to nations across Earth's sphere. Could I then argue that the current state of all-out warfare is a direct result of Orb continuously adding fuel to the fire, ultimately leading to the outbreak of war?"
Uzumi, realizing how slippery Reid was—turning his own accusations into a boomerang and slapping him with an even bigger label—hurriedly sidestepped the heavier implications.
"You exaggerate, Mr. Reid. Orb is a nation that loves peace, which is why Dawn Company halted all external arms trade and military support once the war began—precisely to prevent further escalation."
To this, Reid could only think that Uzumi had some thick skin. Did Orb want to stop selling arms? Their neutrality declaration only applied to the Earth Alliance and PLANT—a grand total of four nations, none of which even needed Orb's weapons in the first place.
As for military technical support—if Orb hadn't been involved, where did the five G Weapon units come from? Had Heliopolis rebelled? Or had the Orb government secretly been reduced to a puppet of the Atlantic Federation?
The reason for Orb's low income last year was simple: the Neutron Jammer had impoverished all countries except for a few major powers.
Dawn Company's former major clients had either been absorbed or defected—the South American Union was annexed by the Atlantic Federation, while the Oceania Union sided with PLANT.
As for the rest, the Misurugi Republic had long since fallen from riches to rags during the energy crisis at the end of the last century—now, that place was a true wasteland. The two African nations were even worse off; they had never been wealthy since humanity entered the modern era. As for the Equatorial Union, their current state could only be described as comparable to the poverty of those two African nations.
The last remaining client was the Kingdom of Navia, another neutral state with a landmass far larger than Orb's. However, this country was separated from Orb by half the globe, requiring shipments to cross either the Eurasian or American continents.
With the Earth Alliance and ZAFT forces locked in a chaotic war, trying to transport weapons there was impossible—ZAFT would never allow it. Who could guarantee that Orb wasn't just using this as an excuse to supply the Earth Alliance?
Now, Dawn Company's only income came from underground arms smugglers, but these people mostly dealt in light and small arms, selling to groups like African guerrillas—hardly a lucrative business.
Reid understood perfectly: Orb's current prosperity was due to its small size and solid foundation. Decades of exorbitant profits from the arms trade had left Orb exceptionally wealthy, capable of enduring even a year-long supply cut without issue.
However, Orb clearly realized this wasn't sustainable. Their desperate push to develop Mobile Suits was precisely so they could storm back into the arms market if national finances ever reached a breaking point.
This was also why the New Misurugi Republic was so despised by Orb—if Orb entered the MS market, the New Misurugi Republic would be their biggest competitor, and currently, it was far ahead.
Thus, Reid simply shook his head in response to Uzumi's lofty rhetoric.
"Representative Uzumi, don't lie to others so much that you start believing it yourself. Dawn Company never stopped providing external technical support—otherwise, after Heliopolis collapsed, you wouldn't have just lodged a verbal protest without taking any real action.
And Orb representing peace? Don't make me laugh. A country where the arms industry accounts for over 90% of its GDP loves peace? Well, I at least have the decency not to claim the New Misurugi Republic loves peace."
At this, Uzumi's expression darkened. He replied coldly,
"So, Mr. Reid, are you saying you wish for this war to continue indefinitely?"
Reid immediately shook his head.
"Of course not. In peacetime, the New Misurugi Republic's main industry would be space-based engineering machinery. For example, my first product, the [Iron Ball], is far more practical than the Mistral. In the future, I'd continue developing other equipment beneficial to interstellar development.
Unfortunately, war isn't something my personal will can change. In this era, I've simply chosen the path that ensures survival.
Also, Representative Uzumi, praying for peace is a good thing—it's commendable. But if you ignore reality, stubbornly flaunting your desire for peace without any compromise… well, to borrow a term I learned from the East Asian Republic, that's called being 'hard-headed.' And it's a great way to get yourself shattered into pieces."
Reid's words were not lost on Uzumi, but he had long brainwashed himself with his own ideals. In response to Reid's reminder, he replied:
"If my principles demand that I be crushed to pieces, then so be it."
To this, Reid could only think: Orb is truly cursed for eight lifetimes to have a leader like you.
You may be willing to shatter yourself and die a heroic martyr, but what about Orb's citizens? Leave them to fend for themselves under artillery fire? Let them become refugees? Or have them die alongside you? Have you ever asked for their consent?
On this point, Reid's assessment was that Uzumi wasn't even as good as Cagalli during SEED Destiny—at least she knew she was sacrificing herself for Orb's people, not for some so-called ideals. Otherwise, she would never have agreed to the Seiran family's pro-Atlantic Federation policies, nor would she have consented to marry Yuna Roma Seiran.
But Uzumi's stubbornness was well-documented in the original work, and Reid had no intention of trying to change his mind. Instead, he skipped past the topic entirely and said:
"Representative Uzumi, your nobility is admirable, but personally, I hope such a day never comes.
However, as I've said before, war is not something my will alone can alter—at least not with the power I currently possess. As for how the New Misurugi Republic will survive in this era, Princess Angelise and I have our own considerations.
Still, I personally hope there will be no conflict between the New Misurugi Republic and Orb. But right now, the initiative for such a conflict lies in Orb's hands.
Representative Uzumi, I need you to clearly state to me the stance of Orb under your leadership toward the New Misurugi Republic."
Reid's meaning was unmistakable—he was forcing Uzumi to declare his position. Even if such a declaration was ultimately meaningless and Orb would still scheme against them later, at the very least, Uzumi had to make his stance clear now.
This was precisely why Reid had insisted on keeping Mina and Cagalli present. Once Uzumi made his statement, if Cagalli ever came to power and lost control of her subordinates, Reid could throw Uzumi's words back at her. She would have no rebuttal and would have no choice but to follow his lead.
Uzumi now regretted allowing Mina and Cagalli to stay. He hadn't expected Reid to dig such a trap for him.
Had they not been present, Uzumi would have declared his stance without hesitation—after all, nothing would be put in writing. Any recording could be dismissed as fabricated, and once he left this room, he could deny every word.
But now, with Mina and Cagalli watching—especially Cagalli—any statement he made would be taken as absolute truth. Worse, he couldn't later claim it was mere rhetoric, because doing so would instantly shatter the ideals of peace he had instilled in Cagalli.
Yet Reid had left Uzumi no room to maneuver. If he refused to declare his stance now, it would be tantamount to admitting that Orb was hostile toward the New Misurugi Republic—rendering his earlier words mere empty courtesy.
This would prove that Orb was willing to antagonize a nation thousands of miles away, with whom they had almost no interaction—an admission that would also collapse Cagalli's belief in peace.
Thus, Uzumi had no choice but to take the lesser of two evils. Gritting his teeth, he replied:
"I can certainly affirm that under my leadership, as long as no nation provokes Orb first, Orb will never seek to infringe upon the interests of others."
Reid got the answer he wanted and nodded in satisfaction, replying with a smile,
"Representative Uzumi, I share the same stance on this matter. The New Misurugi Republic will not actively antagonize Orb. Moreover, should Orb face difficulties in the future, we can provide assistance within our means."
Here, Reid was careful with his wording—mentioning only "assistance" and not "support." After all, there was a significant difference between the two. To put it bluntly, Reid only wanted to take advantage of the situation, not make any real sacrifices.
Uzumi no longer had the energy to dwell on Reid's little word games. He responded with diplomatic courtesy for now—after all, he couldn't just slam the table and accuse Reid of cursing Orb's future.
Seeing Uzumi so cooperative, Reid pressed on with his request.
"By the way, since I'm currently in Orb, Representative Uzumi, why not let me meet the crew of the Archangel? Don't worry, I just want to greet an old friend. And while I'm at it, I'd like to visit Dawn Company to see Director Erika Simmons. I've long admired her from afar."