At the port of Colony Asteroid Star Palace in the newly established Misurugi Empire, Reid stood with Angie and Noin, leading a hastily assembled welcoming party to greet their distinguished guests.
Through the windows of the port lounge, Reid could already see a large aerospacecraft approaching the colony satellite in the distance.
This massive aerospacecraft carried Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala. As for the five Nazca-class battleships, they were undoubtedly lurking in the space surrounding Star Palace—ready to prevent any surprise attacks from the Earth Alliance, especially since the Earth Alliance's Fifth Fleet was also nearby.
However, due to the sheer number of personnel on Earth and initial issues with the visiting delegation, their arrival would be delayed by a day compared to PLANT's representatives.
Of course, these warships had another purpose: to ensure that neither the Misurugi Empire nor PLANT would act recklessly if negotiations broke down. At the very least, they could swiftly intervene to rescue their own Chairman and Military Commissioner. Failing that, they could destroy the colony satellite before the Earth Alliance Forces arrived.
Reid even suspected that several Recon ZINNs had already scanned the area around the aerospacecraft repeatedly. The slightest suspicious movement from the colony would prompt them to open fire.
Honestly, Reid found PLANT's delegation this time excessively extravagant—both the Chairman and the Military Commissioner arriving together. If he had any ill intentions, PLANT would immediately be left leaderless, potentially turning the tide of their war with Earth toward defeat.
Of course, Reid had no intention of trading his life for those two middle-aged men. As long as they remained on his turf without causing trouble, they would be treated with the utmost hospitality. The power imbalance was undeniable—compared to PLANT, his current strength was that of an ant. If PLANT truly wished it, they could crush him with a single finger.
Soon, the large aerospacecraft entered Star Palace's defensive airspace. Noin, piloting her Union Flag in full Mobile Suit mode with her Electromagnetic Linear Rifle holstered at her waist, flew out to escort and guide it in.
After smoothly docking the aerospacecraft at the port, Reid finally came face-to-face with Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala—the two men who had played pivotal roles in establishing PLANT.
Angie, dressed in a specially tailored military uniform produced by the newly established military garment factory Reid had set up just days prior, stepped forward first to shake hands with PLANT's top leaders. Native reporters from the local television station captured this historic moment.
Angie's demeanor was flawless—after all, she was a genuine princess, and her upbringing in formal etiquette was no act. Neither Siegel Clyne nor Patrick Zala detected anything amiss.
However, the current government structure of the Misurugi Empire was highly irregular. Apart from Angie as the nominal head of state and a handful of office staff, there was virtually no functioning administration. Military affairs had been outsourced to Reid's Crimson Wings Mercenary Group, effectively making him the de facto Minister of Defense.
When Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala heard that Angie had entrusted national defense to a mercenary group, their lips twitched in barely concealed disbelief—they might as well have outright called it absurd.
It wasn't until Angie mentioned that the Union Flag's design was completed independently by Reid that they began scrutinizing him with unusual seriousness.
Truth be told, Reid had no choice. When it came to Mobile Suit manufacturing, Angie and Noin weren't just clueless—they were utterly clueless.
The natives would expose their ignorance with a single question, leaving Reid to step in as the MS designer. At least with the system, he could access relevant parameters and technical information anytime to answer more specialized queries.
After the simple welcoming ceremony at the port, Angie and Reid escorted Siegel Clyne, Patrick Zala, along with their respective bodyguard and secretary, aboard a sightseeing tram into the Colony Satellite's interior.
Thanks to Reid's emergency construction efforts, the Star Palace's interior was now presentable. Though the outer areas remained barren, the central district was small but fully functional—complete with luxury hotels, parks, shopping centers, and even schools.
Naturally, the most crucial industrial zone had also been planned, though only one or two factory buildings designated for tours were equipped; the rest were empty shells.
So when Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala entered the Colony Satellite, their first sight was vast stretches of open land, a modern urban district in the distance, and beyond that, a sprawling industrial zone.
Seizing the moment, Angie began her introduction:
"Chairman Clyne, Chairman Zala, I assume you're somewhat familiar with the New Misurugi Empire's circumstances. Before my arrival, this Colony Satellite was semi-abandoned and incomplete. Previously, we barred visitors from other colonies—it was simply too embarrassing. But you two are different, so please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
Neither Siegel nor Patrick lacked tact. They were well aware of the New Misurugi Empire's situation—and the worse it was, the better. The poorer this Colony Satellite appeared, the more likely Princess Angelise would agree to their alliance proposal.
To put it bluntly, PLANT's top two leaders visiting together was meant to demonstrate their sincerity, ensuring Princess Angelise wouldn't side with the Earth Alliance due to her Natural origins—thereby granting the Earth Alliance direct access to MS production technology.
So Siegel replied warmly,
"Princess Angelise, rest assured. Patrick and I are veterans who endured the Colony Satellites' harshest days. PLANT in its early years was no different from the New Misurugi Empire now. This visit is a chance for us to revisit our roots. Why, back then, we even slept on steel-plate beds—ha!"
Patrick, seeing Siegel reminisce, added with equal warmth,
"True. During the worst times, I could sleep on a bare wooden plank. You had it easy."
Standing nearby, Reid listened as these two old foxes bantered, skillfully guiding Angie down memory lane while probing for the New Misurugi Empire's current state. He remained silent throughout, playing the part of Angie's bodyguard.
However, Angie was no pushover either. The time she was summoned coincided with the period when she was ostracized by most at Arzenal. In that female-only environment, the intricate power struggles between women were something men could hardly imagine.
So after chatting with Angie all the way, Sieg and Patrick barely managed to extract any useful information. Angie kept insisting how poor her family was—extremely poor—but poor with dignity.
This made Sieg and Patrick suspect the princess might be playing them. The new Misurugi Empire didn't look like it was going bankrupt tomorrow at all.
Especially when they entered the urban area—the civilians below showed no signs of tension in their daily lives. Though there weren't many shops, these people's faces lacked the desperation of those living hand-to-mouth. This proved the new Misurugi Empire at least had no shortage of basic supplies. The country indeed had some secret supply channel.
And this channel was most likely controlled by the Crimson Wings Mercenary Group, which handled their national defense outsourcing. As for Reid Isaac, PLANT could find little information about him—he seemed to have been completely unknown before. He might well be a frontman thrown out by some hidden organization. They'd need to carefully probe for more information later.
(End of Chapter)