After Reid raised design logic issues regarding Orb's M1 Astray, he didn't offer further comments. The engineers from Dawn Company clearly took his questions seriously, with Erika Simmons immediately gathering the team to discuss modification plans.
Naturally, Reid had no interest in attending Dawn Company's design workshop. Having accomplished most of what he came to Orb for, it would be best to leave tonight. Otherwise, with the Black Tri-Stars and Xia Yulan working alternating shifts in the skies and seas around the Aries, they wouldn't last another two days.
So Reid decisively took his leave. Erika Simmons didn't press him to stay, merely expressing that Reid was welcome to visit again anytime.
Reid then went to meet up with Mina, only to find Cagalli there as well—she had actually come looking for them again today.
The princess of Orb seemed to have been lectured by Uzumi last night. Though her eyes still showed clear dissatisfaction toward him, at least she didn't immediately charge forward to argue.
Reid greeted Cagalli amiably as usual:
"Cagalli, good morn—well, it's almost noon now. Anyway, hello. Did Representative Uzumi send you to follow us again today?"
When addressed, Cagalli didn't sulk like a petulant child but answered honestly:
"Hmph, Father didn't send me today. He talked to me at length yesterday and told me to learn from you. So I came on my own, figuring you'd probably be with Mina.
"Let me be clear—I'm still very unhappy with your assessment of Orb yesterday. But considering you've only analyzed Orb based on collected intelligence without firsthand experience, I've decided to change your perspective. That's why I'm here."
Reid looked at Cagalli, genuinely unsure where her confidence in changing his mind came from. Pure rhetoric? Did she think her persuasion skills were that strong? In any case, she seemed oddly self-assured.
However, Reid had to dampen her enthusiasm—she was out of time.
"Alright, Cagalli. While I appreciate your initiative, I should tell you I'm planning to leave Orb this afternoon. Though I've only been here for two days and one night, it's been an enjoyable trip overall.
"If you want to change my mind, why not start by doing practical work in the government? Surely you don't think a few hours over lunch will be enough to sway me."
At this, Cagalli visibly showed surprise—she'd probably spent all night crafting her "persuasion" plan, only for it to end before it began.
Mina, however, wasn't surprised at all. Someone like Reid wouldn't have time to idle around. Clearly, he'd accomplished whatever sudden purpose brought him to Orb and was now leaving.
Mina had no intention of forcing Reid to stay. With yesterday's beam attack still unresolved and no Mobile Suit identified as the culprit, the looming Sword of Damocles overhead was unsettling. Likely, many among the Five Families were eager to see Reid gone.
So Mina smoothly added:
"Oh? Leaving already? At least stay for lunch, Reid. Orb doesn't send guests away on an empty stomach."
Reid didn't refuse. He wasn't in such a hurry that a few hours would make a difference, so he nodded and said,
"Sure, let's grab another meal then. Mina, I'll trouble you to arrange it again."
Mina nodded, made a quick phone call to book a restaurant, then drove the four of them away from Dawn Company.
However, the moment they left Dawn Company, Reid felt like someone was watching him.
Looking up, with his unaided 1.2 vision, he could vaguely make out a Jeep parked at a bend on the distant hillside—the source of the surveillance.
At this time, in this location, with such an unprofessional position—Reid didn't need to guess who it was. Pretending to just glance around casually, as if unaware of the surveillance, he said,
"Mina, let's change our destination for now. Head to the only road down from that hillside. Seems we might have a new friend joining us for lunch."
Then, he added a reminder,
"Cagalli, don't look up. Stay calm and act like you don't notice anything."
Reid's warning made Cagalli freeze mid-motion, her neck stiffening as she forced herself to look away, turning her gaze toward another direction as if to say, "I wasn't looking up—I was just admiring the scenery."
If Cagalli didn't give herself away, Mina certainly wouldn't. She didn't even change her speed, driving straight into a tunnel. The moment they exited, she executed a sharp 180-degree drift, parking the car against the inner side of the mountain.
From where Reid had spotted the surveillance, their current position was completely hidden—unless the watchers had X-ray vision, they wouldn't see them. And if the trailing vehicle followed them out of the tunnel, they'd be caught immediately.
Reid then pretended to rummage through his clothes before "pulling out" (actually exchanging via the system) a pistol, handing it to Xia Yufang as he instructed,
"Yufang, shoot the tires the moment their car comes out."
The sudden appearance of the gun startled Cagalli. She grabbed Reid's arm and exclaimed,
"Reid! You're carrying a gun? Did Dawn Company's metal detectors break? How did they miss this?!"
She paused, then corrected herself,
"No—you had this yesterday, didn't you? You brought a gun to a confidential meeting! What exactly are you doing in Orb?"
Seeing how worked up she was, Reid could only sigh and explain,
"Cagalli, Representative Uzumi told you to learn from me, so here's a real lesson. Remember this—whether you become a national leader or remain an ordinary citizen, in this era, you must always keep a weapon for self-defense."
His expression grew increasingly solemn as he spoke, his Newtype emotional resonance unconsciously activating in his agitation. Cagalli felt as if she could see a raging fire in Reid's eyes—a child who looked just like him, clutching a piece of driftwood, tears streaming down his face as he floated helplessly down a river.
The vision shocked Cagalli into letting go instantly. Mina, equally stunned, asked,
"Reid, what was that just now? An illusion? A trick?"
Reid didn't explain. Instead, he whispered,
"Quiet. Our friends are here."
After speaking, Cagalli and Mina heard the sound of a vehicle engine coming from the tunnel.
Soon, a jeep burst out of the tunnel.
Without hesitation, Xia Yufang immediately opened fire. Although the vehicle was moving fast, at such close range and with Yufang having prepared for so long by tracking the sound, there was no chance of missing.
The left rear tire of the jeep was instantly blown out, and the gunshot startled the driver, causing him to slam on the brakes and skid wildly. The vehicle only came to a stop after crashing into the guardrail along the mountain road.
Fortunately, all four passengers were wearing seatbelts, or someone might have been thrown from the vehicle. Even with a Coordinator's physical resilience, surviving unscathed would have been impossible—broken bones would have been inevitable.
Reid was relieved to see that the four people in the car were exactly who he had expected, meaning no one had been accidentally harmed.
However, Cagalli was even more agitated than Reid at that moment. When she recognized the passengers, she immediately shouted,
"Athrun Zala! Why are you in Orb?!"
Athrun was still dizzy. Yzak's driving had already been reckless, and now with the sudden braking and collision with the guardrail, the impact was brutal. The fact that none of them vomited their breakfast was a testament to their physical endurance.
Before Athrun could even clear his head, he was met with Cagalli's furious interrogation, her hands gripping his collar so tightly their faces were almost touching.
Athrun was utterly bewildered. He had no idea about Cagalli's identity and could only respond in confusion,
"Cagalli?!"
Reid could only facepalm behind Cagalli. If these had been enemies, she would have practically handed herself over as a hostage.
In fact, Yzak and Dearka, who had already regained their senses, were reaching for their guns—though doing so in front of Xia Yufang was no easy feat.
The moment they made a move, two warning shots landed right in front of them, forcing them to quickly raise their hands to avoid taking a real bullet.
If they were killed while sneaking into a neutral nation, it wouldn't even count as a military death—just a disgrace to their families.
Fortunately, Reid stepped in to defuse the situation. He had no intention of helping Orb capture these four high-profile figures. Even if they were handed over to Orb's authorities, Uzumi would undoubtedly release them immediately. Any delay, and the nearby ZAFT forces at Carpentaria Base would launch a full-scale attack.
So Reid decided to play the good guy himself, denying Uzumi the chance to curry favor with PLANT.
He spoke up directly,
"Yufang, just confiscate their guns. These four young masters probably snuck into Orb for some fun, right? Athrun, Yzak, Dearka, Nicol."
With Reid saying this, the four had no choice but to comply. After all, while Reid recognized them, the cold-faced girl holding the gun might not.
Once Xia Yufang had disarmed them, Reid signaled for her to lower her weapon. Standing between the two groups, he introduced them,
"Alright, let me make introductions. These two ladies—the one with black hair is Miss Rondo Mina Sahaku of the Sahaku Family in Orb, and the blonde is Miss Cagalli Yula Athha of the Athha Family in Orb."
On this side, the four gentlemen were: the blue-haired son of the current PLANT Military Chairman, Athrun Zala; the white-haired son of another military committee member, Yzak Joule; the dark-skinned one, also the same, named Dearka Elsman; and finally, the green-haired one, again similarly, called Nicol Amalfi."
As soon as Reid finished the introductions, Mina understood—these four weren't infiltrators but rather four hot potatoes. The sons of four high-ranking PLANT military officials—if all of them were lost in Orb, Orb might as well disband immediately. The five great families would each have to fend for themselves, because this nation would undoubtedly be razed to the ground by the furious ZAFT leadership.
However, the only two who had prior acquaintance clearly weren't thinking that far ahead. Cagalli stared at Athrun with an exasperated expression and asked bluntly,
"You're Chairman Zala's son? You don't look like it."
Athrun felt the same way. Given that the two had seen each other's bodies and spent a night together, Athrun was unusually relaxed, responding as if bantering with a friend,
"Likewise. I never imagined you'd turn out to be a princess, Cagalli."
The words made Cagalli's fists clench, itching to land a couple of solid punches on Athrun.
By now, both sides could tell there was something unusual about their relationship. Mina simply wore a knowing smile while lost in thought—likely considering how Cagalli and Athrun were actually well-matched in status, and how their union might benefit Orb.
Yzak, too, realized the implications and promptly stepped in to disrupt things. He hooked an arm around Athrun's shoulders, forcibly pulling him away from Cagalli, and said bluntly,
"Athrun, when did you get involved with Orb's princess? No wonder you volunteered for the infiltration mission and weren't worried about getting caught in Orb. Spill it—how did you even have time to flirt in this situation?"
Here, Yzak's shrewdness showed. With just one sentence, he both sowed discord (implying the infiltration plan was Athrun's idea) and reminded Athrun of his mistake (given that he still had a nationally adored fiancée).
Sure enough, Yzak's words made both Athrun and Cagalli awkward, effectively preventing them from sticking together to catch up.
But Reid, thoroughly satisfied with the ship, finally spoke up, saying,
"Alright, enough about infiltration. I've never seen spies as terrible as you—standing by the roadside using binoculars. At least climb a tree if you're trying.
Anyway, forget about sneaking into Dawn Company. I'm leaving Orb this afternoon. You can tag along with me, mooch a meal off Miss Cagalli and Miss Mina, and then cross the border together.
Unless you'd rather be officially detained and deported by Orb? How about we all save face?"
Reid's meaning was clear: Cagalli and Mina wouldn't simply let the four of them roam freely in Orb now.
It wasn't that they feared the four would uncover any secrets—given their infiltration skills—but rather that they might be mistaken for spies by soldiers and shot on sight, which would be disastrous.
Likewise, Athrun and his group had their pride. Getting caught and escorted out would be humiliating no matter how you spun it. It was better for both sides to compromise and at least preserve appearances.
So even Yzak, who disliked Reid the most, didn't oppose his proposal. In fact, he was the first to support it, saying bluntly:
"Tch, caught red-handed. I've got nothing to say. Just arrange it however you want."
With Yzak, the biggest troublemaker, backing down, the other three had no reason to stubbornly resist.
Mina made a call and arranged for another jeep, which Cagalli personally drove, taking the four top military brats of PLANT's Supreme Council to the restaurant.
After lunch, Reid's exit permit was quickly approved. While the eight of them were eating, Orb's higher-ups had already figured out the situation. Everyone unanimously agreed that it would be best to pretend Athrun and the other three didn't exist and simply send them out of the country along with Reid.
However, when Athrun and Cagalli said their goodbyes on Orb's warship, their lingering gazes were practically tangible, nearly sending Yzak into another outburst. This time, though, Reid held him back—because he wasn't done enjoying the moment between his favorite pairing.
Their playful farewell continued until the Aries arrived. At that point, Reid directly addressed the four from PLANT:
"Alright, board my ship first. It wouldn't be right for you to play spy and go back empty-handed. I'll let you take a look inside. That way, you'll at least have something to report."
Reid wasn't doing this out of kindness, of course. In truth, he just wanted to use these four to play a bit of psychological warfare on ZAFT.
When dealing with Patrick, retreating endlessly was useless. He had to be constantly reminded that Reid had fangs—that he had to weigh whether attacking Reid now was worth the cost.
As long as Patrick hadn't completely lost his mind, he would still consider PLANT's overall interests and ZAFT's strategic plans, carefully calculating the best time and cost to strike Reid.
Because Patrick knew PLANT's true enemy wasn't Reid. Reid was just a thorn in his side—a personal grudge.
PLANT's enemy had always been the Earth Alliance. If attacking Reid caused too much damage and affected the war against the Earth Alliance, Patrick would think twice.
For example, right now, when Athrun and the others had only been waiting on the ship for a few minutes, they were stunned to see a small Mobile Suit emerge directly from the water. Then, a transforming MS resembling a fighter jet suddenly deactivated its stealth, transformed, and landed on the outer deck, nearly making their eyes pop out of their sockets.
Especially Nicol, who covered his mouth and asked Reid:
"Mr. Reid... you actually solved the issue of Mirage Colloid shedding on high-speed units? This..."
Halfway through, Nicol realized his question was too sensitive and didn't continue.
However, at that moment, three Voskhod-class submarine motherships surfaced on the sea. The Aries' radar also detected two squads of twelve DINNs each rapidly approaching, while numerous Guerrilla units moved underwater—clearly preparing for a fight.
But Reid simply dispatched the Black Tri-Stars to stand guard, knowing ZAFT was just trying to intimidate him. If they really wanted to fight, the three Voskhod-class ships wouldn't have surfaced at all.
Sure enough, Reid soon received a communication from the other side. But the moment the call connected, the captain on the other end nearly lost his composure when he saw Athrun and the others standing behind Reid, exclaiming in shock:
"Reid Isaac, why is Athrun's team on your ship? Weren't they..."
Halfway through his sentence, the captain clearly remembered that Reid had just departed from Orb, so encountering Athrun and bringing them along wasn't entirely unexpected. He cleared his throat and got down to business.
"Ahem, Mr. Reid, apologies for intercepting you. Chairman Patrick Zala wishes to have a remote conversation with you."
This caught Reid off guard. For Patrick to communicate with Reid now, he'd have to travel to the outer atmosphere of Earth and use staged laser communication transmissions. Today was March 26th—only six days remained until the PLANT Supreme Council election. Would he really take such a risk to come to Earth at this time?
Reid agreed to the call. He was genuinely curious now—what exactly did Patrick Zala want to say to him?
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