Reid took a step back behind Haman, essentially announcing himself as her subordinate.
Haman was delighted by this, expressing that Reid was becoming more and more to her liking. Who took the lead behind closed doors was still up for discussion, but at least in public, Reid had given her all the face she could ask for.
Seizing the moment, Haman stepped forward and said,
"I didn't want to interrupt your reunion earlier, but now we can get down to business. Captain Bright Noa, we meet again after Colony Satellite 13. It seems the Argama and I share quite the fate."
This deviated from the original plot, where Haman had been obsessively targeting Char. Now, however, she seemed genuinely here to negotiate, directing her words solely at Bright.
Though Bright was curious about what Tem Ray had been through, he couldn't let personal matters interfere with official duties. No matter how much he wanted to ask about Reid, who had suddenly appeared, now wasn't the time.
So Bright simply responded politely,
"Indeed, it's a pleasure to have you aboard the Argama, Miss Haman."
With the pleasantries out of the way, Haman didn't want to waste time and cut straight to the chase.
"Well said. In that case, does this mean the AEUG acknowledges the revival of the Zabi family, who once ruled the Colony Satellites?"
Haman was trying to gain a verbal advantage here. Before any formal alliance was established, she was pushing Bright to recognize the Zabi family's resurgence.
Bright wasn't so easily fooled. However, since the AEUG's leadership had already decided to ally with Axis, he had no choice but to respond clearly:
"If you can provide support to the AEUG, we can accept what you just proposed as a condition."
At this point, Char interjected with a question that wasn't entirely appropriate for the negotiation:
"Haman, what would you do if we refused to acknowledge the Zabi family's revival?"
Haman was genuinely disgusted by Char now. Even Reid, someone who had only just met her, knew to give her face, yet Char was trying to undermine her. Her inner instability flared up, and she snapped viciously:
"If that's the case, I will launch a full-scale nuclear attack on Earth. Axis has long been prepared for this."
The moment these words left her mouth, the expressions of everyone aboard the Argama darkened. Haman's threat wasn't about winning the war—it was purely about further polluting Earth's environment, forcing more people to become Spacenoids.
But those forced into space wouldn't necessarily join Neo Zeon. Just like the PLANT's deployment of Neutron Jammers in the Cosmic Era, destroying someone's home didn't win their allegiance—it only made them more likely to fight back. This was a classic case of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.
Hearing this, Char understood her stance—she had gone off the deep end, beyond redemption.
So he handed her a letter and said,
"This is a personal letter from Melanie Hugh Carbine of Granada—chairman of Anaheim Electronics, husband of Martha Vist Carbine, and the AEUG's largest benefactor."
Haman took the letter, skimmed it, and her mood visibly improved. With a smile, she said,
"I see. Handing Side 3 over to us, is it? Not bad. These terms are acceptable. So, what exactly do you need us to do?"
Here, Haman's youth showed. She was too eager to secure a foothold in Earth's sphere, so she first revealed her willingness to accept the conditions before even asking what exactly needed to be done. Normally, it should have been the other way around.
Fortunately, the AEUG's cooperation this time was quite sincere. After all, Anaheim Electronics knew that after this battle, either the Titans or the AEUG would fall. To continue profiting from the arms race and war, Anaheim genuinely wanted Neo Zeon to enter the fray.
So Char directly stated the AEUG's condition:
"We hope you'll pilot the Gwadan to destroy the Colony Laser Cannon at Gryps II."
This was a condition Haman could actually accept, but Char's earlier undermining had triggered her girlish temper. She decisively turned her face away and said:
"Is that so? But this mission is too dangerous. It's not easy for me to agree. Besides, you don't seem to know how to ask someone properly."
Everyone could tell Haman was deliberately making things difficult for Char.
However, Reid thought Char deserved it this time—he shouldn't have asked that question earlier. So Reid stopped the Black Tri-Stars from intervening.
Meanwhile, Kamille, who wanted to speak up for Char, was also held back by Emma Sheen.
As for Bright Noa, having been physically tempered by the corruption of the Titans and Earth Federation's military, he didn't mind lowering his head to achieve the goal. After all, Haman wasn't demanding anything substantial—she just wanted Char to set aside his pride and humble himself.
Honestly, people's willingness to bow their heads and apologize varies greatly.
Some feel apologizing doesn't cost them anything—if there's benefit and it's not unreasonable, they'll apologize freely.
Others, even when faced with undeniable evidence of wrongdoing, will stubbornly refuse to admit fault unless actually punished—let alone when they've done nothing wrong.
Bright was somewhat uneasy because Char had always carried an air of pride. Though Char understood the bigger picture, Bright wasn't sure if he'd lower his head before Haman.
At the same time, Bright was even less certain about Haman. He knew that when women became unreasonable, there was no reasoning with them. If Char didn't humble himself, today's negotiations might truly collapse.
Fortunately, Char did feel some guilt toward Haman—not romantic, but for having dumped the burden of Axis onto her shoulders when she was just sixteen.
So Char knew he bore some responsibility for how Haman had turned out. After hesitating briefly, he lowered his head and said sincerely:
"I beg of you, Haman Karn. Please destroy the Colony Laser Cannon."
Having achieved her goal, Haman didn't actually press further. With a solemn expression, she told Char:
"Very well, I agree. You'll get to witness our capabilities firsthand."
With that, she turned and led the way out.
Reid glanced at Char's resigned expression but offered no comment, simply following Haman as they left.
With Reid gone, the Black Tri-Stars and Tem Ray naturally had to leave too, though they at least waved farewell to acquaintances before departing.
On the way back from the Argama, Haman and Reid remained silent. Without a word, they boarded their respective Mobile Suits.
However, after boarding the Mobile Suit and waiting for the external station's deck to clear the other Mobile Suits first, Haman proactively initiated a communication link with Reid.
Reid had no idea why Haman was contacting him privately now. Upon connecting the call, he directly asked:
"Miss Haman, is there follow-up arrangement you wish to discuss by contacting me now?"
Reid assumed Haman had official business, but in truth, she simply wanted to talk with him about recent events. Having calmed down, she felt her earlier actions might have lost her points in Reid's eyes—forcing Char to beg had been completely unnecessary. Had Char refused to back down, both sides would have been left in an awkward stalemate.
So when Reid asked this, she quickly improvised:
"Yes, I'd like to visit your ship for inspection. I also need to verify your combat capabilities."
Reid found this request reasonable—knowing both yourself and the enemy ensures victory. As commander, it was normal for Haman to demand assessment of his forces.
Of course, revealing all his combat strength was impossible. He'd naturally conceal the special systems, but even the baseline performance of his eight Mobile Suits could rank within the top ten among all units in this war.
Thus Reid nodded decisively:
"No problem at all, as long as Miss Haman doesn't mind my ship's modest size."
Seeing Reid's agreement, Haman prepared to broach her real agenda—probing his attitude toward her earlier behavior:
"The value of troops lies in quality over quantity—I'd never disdain your ship's size. But what did you think of the terms offered by AEUG earlier? Also, you've been quite secretive—recruiting Dr. Tem Ray, developer of the RX-78 series that shone during the One Year War. Why not recruit the Federation's White Devil too while you're at it?"
Genuinely believing Haman was soliciting his opinion on AEUG's terms, Reid answered honestly:
"Fairly sincere—directly offering Side 3 as base proves Anaheim Electronics genuinely wants us in the game. As for destroying the solar laser cannon, they want us to demonstrate whether we deserve a seat at the table. Honestly, it's a moderate test—at least they didn't demand we annihilate the Titans garrison defending it."
Regarding Tem Ray, Reid glossed over with deliberate vagueness:
"As for Dr. Tem Ray... many details I can't disclose. Just know he's now aligned with our faction—he developed most of my Mobile Suits. As for recruiting Amuro Ray? Don't even consider it—he holds deep grudges against Zeon, and Dr. Ray doesn't want his son joining my team to live perpetually in the shadows."
Haman was pleased by Reid's use of "our faction," so she didn't press about Tem Ray. Given Reid's origins in Zeon's covert units, many secrets would die with him—without absolute discretion, he'd never have reached his position.
Thus she changed topics, asking with slight apprehension:
"So you've no objections about my nuclear threat against Earth when negotiations failed? Or my attitude toward Char? Your subordinate seemed quite friendly with him."
Reid understood Haman's concerns by this point and directly reassured her, saying:
"You mentioned threats, but it's not like you actually launched nukes at Earth. There's no problem exaggerating negotiation tactics—the bigger the bluff, the better. Even if you threatened to crash Axis into Earth today, I wouldn't object.
As for your attitude toward Char, I can tell your relationship is complicated. Without knowing the specifics, I won't make assumptions.
You don't need to worry about Gaia, Ortega, or Mash either. Those three are thick-skinned, and you didn't actually humiliate Char. They won't hold it against you—especially since Char's practically sided with the Earth Federation now."
Hearing Reid's words, Haman realized he hadn't formed a negative opinion of her over the earlier incident. The weight in her chest lifted. Though she'd only known this man for a little over an hour, he was undeniably a reassuring presence.
So she followed his lead and replied:
"Hah, I didn't expect you to be even bolder than me, Reid. Threatening to crash Axis into Earth? But you're right—when it comes to negotiations, the bigger the threat, the better. I hope you'll have more surprises for me later."
Reid hinted that she'd be in for plenty more surprises and answered:
"Miss Haman, you can look forward to it. Once we're aboard my ship, I'll introduce you to a few more of my comrades—my wife included. You two can have a proper chat then."
Reid had mentioned this casually, since Ange and Noin were both his wives.
But Haman's heart suddenly sank. She nearly blurted out a question about his marriage before reason clamped her mouth shut.
After all, Reid looked young but was actually nearing thirty (as per the system's settings). It was perfectly normal for a man his age to be married. So she could only reply with a hint of disappointment:
"Oh, your wife is here too? You brought her onto the battlefield?"
Reid hadn't noticed the shift in Haman's mood yet—their Mobile Suits were positioned at Argama's left and right catapults, and he wasn't about to strain himself reading her emotions right now.
So he answered plainly:
"Don't underestimate my two wives, Miss Haman. They're my comrades and seasoned warriors in their own right. In a real fight, I might not even win against them."
Haman immediately formed a mental profile: Reid's wives were likely former teammates from his covert ops days. After the war, their shared experiences and deep bonds led to marriage despite their unusual circumstances.
Then she realized something was off—did Reid just say two? She quickly pressed:
"Wait, you have two wives?"
Seeing her reaction, Reid openly confirmed it. Becoming a "scumbag" in Haman's eyes wasn't a big deal—he had no intention of getting involved with her anyway.
"Yep, two. When feelings are involved, I didn't want to give up either of them, so I married both."
Here, Reid misjudged Haman's mindset again. She was well aware that her own sister had become Dozle Zabi's concubine, which was how she'd secured her status as a Zabi family relative. Her legitimacy as a noble within the Zabi revivalist faction also stemmed from this very connection.
So Haman's tolerance for men having multiple wives was higher than Reid had imagined.
At this point, Haman didn't dwell too much on why Reid had married two wives. After all, in the UC universe, powerful men had always taken more than their share when it came to women. Char had also kept a lover at Axis before (though this might not be official canon—the author had only heard it from others and couldn't find any evidence).
Haman now had just one thought: to meet Reid's two wives and see what kind of women could captivate a man like him.