Chapter 225: AEUG Secret
"Today, a large-scale protest broke out on the Side 5 colony satellite. The Titans were ordered to suppress the unrest. Unfortunately, after the rebels were subdued, they detonated a bomb that damaged the satellite's outer wall—"
Beep—
The sound of the television turning off cut off Beltorchika's voice mid-broadcast.
"I know it's not fair to Beltorchika, but it still pisses me off seeing her so casually reporting this fake news."
Arms crossed, Apolly voiced his displeasure.
"Don't be like that. We can't make light of Beltorchika's efforts. To say something like that under the Titans' scrutiny… she must've gone through a lot."
Roberto patted Apolly's shoulder as he said this.
"I get it... That's why we've got to make the Titans pay. They treat the land the people of space depend on like it's nothing."
Say something long enough, and it starts to become your own belief.
Apolly joining Char in AEUG was already a sign of his alignment—he sympathized with the spacenoids.
In fact, many remnants of Zeon had joined AEUG in the original story, showing that this ideological foundation was widespread.
What made things complicated, though, was that these same people could be outraged by the Titans' actions now, yet back then had fought fervently for Zeon, which dropped colonies.
Of course, he had been one of them too...
Ah, the foolish mistakes of youth.
Char entered the briefing room, still wearing his signature sunglasses, dressed exactly as usual.
"Captain… Colonel."
"Finally switched back, and you're still getting it wrong?"
Seeing Apolly fumble again, Char chuckled as he responded.
"Well, just like I can't wrap my head around why you suddenly went back to being a Colonel, I never understood why you became a Captain in the first place."
Apolly shrugged as he answered Char.
"What is this, a tongue twister?"
Roberto joked from the side.
"Exactly. Char has always been Char. Becoming Captain Quattro was just a cover for mobility's sake."
As the two pilots were about to continue their banter, a slightly authoritative female voice called out from behind Char.
They didn't even have to look to know—it was Haman, who had joined AEUG in recent months and now held a status nearly equal to Char's.
"Lady Haman."
Apolly and Roberto both lowered their heads in salute to Haman.
It was a habit carried over from Axis.
Though Char had also held a high position on Axis, after so many years, his relationship with the two men had long since evolved beyond superior and subordinate.
"Alright, no need for all that in here."
Haman wrinkled her nose—though clearly, she still somewhat enjoyed the gesture.
Still, she followed Char's prior instructions and restrained her temperament.
"Char, are we still not going to take the initiative this time?"
After telling the others to relax, Haman turned toward Char.
"Let's wait for Beltorchika's message first. Haman, we cannot be the side that strikes first."
"Why not? We have the stone tablet now. If we use it properly, we'll hold the moral high ground, won't we?"
The stone tablet…
Of course, she was referring to Laplace's Box, the original charter.
That stone tablet was supposed to have been in the hands of the Delaz Fleet.
Char had thought the Federation had destroyed it after the Delaz Incident—just kept quiet because of the political scandal it entailed.
Recalling that day, Char still felt a wave of unease.
"Are you saying you're willing to act under the name of Char in AEUG?"
That day, when Char met with Haman and Blex, he still vividly remembered Blex's surprised yet delighted expression after hearing his intentions.
"This might be prying, but… why?"
After his initial surprise, Blex quickly followed up with a question.
"...This girl risked her life to escape Axis, hoping to join me."
Char tilted slightly to the side, motioning for Haman to step forward.
"It's an honor to finally meet you, General Blex. I admire the cause you fight for."
The first thing Haman said revealed, without a doubt, the aura of someone groomed to be the next leader of Axis.
"Not at all. I'm afraid I haven't done enough. Many things have only been possible through compromise."
Char keenly noticed that Blex wasn't just being polite here—he meant what he said.
"That's why I want to join AEUG's cause."
"You're more than welcome."
"But I refuse to work under someone else."
There was more to their conversation, of course, but that summed up the heart of it.
"Miss Haman, you don't need to say that. Whether or not you did, I've always intended for Char to lead AEUG What I've done is simply build a better environment for AEUG before it fully develops."
At the end, Blex said this to Haman.
"Seeing the Red Comet rise again—it's the best thing I could ask for."
Smiling at Char, Blex handed over AEUG's leadership in that small room.
That said, Blex still held considerable influence within AEUG—most of its connections and more than 60% of its military had remained thanks to his personal charisma or negotiations of interest.
Even so, Blex assured them that he would gradually transfer these responsibilities to Char.
"But before that, I have something to give you—one of AEUG's most vital assets."
Once Blex agreed to the leadership handover, he led Char and Haman to a warehouse.
This warehouse was located at the very center of Blex's base, and its external defenses were so tight that even Char was a little surprised.
And yet, inside—there wasn't a single guard.
"You could say, the future of AEUG lies within this warehouse."
As Blex said this, he personally walked over to the circuit breaker by the wall.
Click!
As the switch flipped, the warehouse lights blazed to life.
What first greeted them was a stone tablet, taller than two people.
"The original charter? Wasn't this in Delaz's hands? I thought the Federation had already destroyed it."
"Sadly, no. Much as I dislike Delaz, he passed the charter on to us."
Seeing both of them shocked, Blex decided to show them even more.
Bang, bang, bang…
The warehouse lit up further, high-output lights powering on one by one, revealing its vast interior.
"Th-These are…"
Seeing the rows of storage tanks before him, Char felt a storm surge within.
"Yes, just as you're thinking—they're helium-3."
Watching the concern flicker across Char's face, alongside the joy—no, elation—on Haman's, Blex smiled like a contented old man.