Lacus's congratulations were fully accepted by Reid, though from a Newtype's perception, Lacus must be feeling a mix of complex emotions right now.
Reid knew Lacus's mood was undoubtedly due to how the current situation had completely deviated from her expectations—but that was exactly his intention. He replied,
"You're too kind, Lacus. This isn't some triumphant return of a king—just a flex of muscle to the world. After all, in this era, if you can't show others your strength, you'll only get bullied."
Lacus admitted she was just being polite. Though only half a month had passed, the Reid standing before her now was entirely different from the one who had been on the Star Palace Colony Satellite.
Originally, even if she had fled to the New Misurugi Republic seeking political asylum, their relationship had been relatively equal. After all, whether a refugee princess from a major nation or the king of a small country, their statuses were debatable.
But now, though the New Misurugi Kingdom had only been established for a few days, everyone already regarded it as the fifth major power in Earth's sphere. The balance between her and Reid was gone. If she still wanted to play coy or act cute, she would first have to set aside her political stance.
However, Lacus also knew she couldn't afford to rest now. The actions surrounding Genesis Alpha had already alarmed PLANT. Though the true Genesis's construction site remained unknown, one thing was certain—PLANT had already begun building it, and they were undoubtedly working around the clock.
So Lacus skipped past Cagalli's accusations about Reid poaching personnel and cut straight to the point. After all, given Orb's current state compared to the New Misurugi Kingdom, anyone with ambition would choose the latter.
"Reid, we investigated the coordinates you provided earlier, and the results were exactly as you said. The Reborn Gundam and Covenant Gundam are stationed there, guarding a deep-space propulsion assist device called Genesis Alpha. It's designed to simulate solar wind for initial acceleration of future solar sail deep-space exploration ships—not a superweapon."
This was already known to Reid, so he didn't react, simply watching Lacus and signaling for her to continue.
Seeing Reid's expression, Lacus realized he had already guessed everything. Clasping her hands in front of her chest in a prayer-like gesture, she continued with a pained expression,
"However, the solar wind simulation used for space exploration only needs increased power and beam convergence to transform into a terrifying gamma-ray burst, turning the deep-space propulsion assist into a weapon capable of annihilating everything.
And... I've received even more horrifying news. PLANT's top researchers specializing in gamma-ray technology have gone missing for a long time. We can infer that PLANT may be secretly constructing an even larger Genesis Alpha on their home territory—and its destructive potential... is beyond estimation."
After Lacus finished speaking, silence fell over the room. Aside from Reid and the Xia sisters, everyone else wore expressions of deep concern.
Noticing this, Reid walked over to Murrue, smiling as he took her hand to reassure her—there was no need to look so troubled while he was here.
Feeling the warmth of Reid's palm, Murrue's expression softened slightly. The others, meanwhile, felt like they'd been force-fed a mouthful of dog food, and their worried expressions momentarily vanished.
Because everyone had the same thought—the intelligence about Genesis Alpha came from Reid, and if he knew about its existence yet still chose to seize territory on Earth, he must have a solution. Otherwise, he should have fled deeper into space, to Mars, rather than returning to Earth.
So Cagalli, who had just been metaphorically smacked with reality, instinctively moved to Athrun's side and protested to Reid:
"Reid, we're all still here! And how can you still be smiling? From what we've observed, Genesis Alpha could trigger mass extinction with just one shot at Earth. If PLANT is really building something even bigger, a single blast could send Earth back to the Ordovician period."
Facing Cagalli's protest, Reid simply pulled Murrue to a chair, sat down first, and gestured for everyone else to take their seats.
Once everyone had settled, Reid continued with his usual smile:
"Gloomy faces won't solve anything. But before discussing how I plan to deal with PLANT's doomsday weapon, let's hear your thoughts first."
Reid's words plunged the room into silence again. After a series of exchanged glances between Lacus, Athrun, Cagalli, and Kira, Kira finally stood up and spoke:
"Mr. Reid, I believe we should first share our findings with the Earth Alliance and bring the war back to the negotiating table. Because if Earth is destroyed, everyone will lose their future—even PLANT. Without Earth, they'd be burning all bridges. If they can't solve space-based food production in the short term or address third-generation Coordinator fertility issues within twenty years, the human race might face extinction."
Reid looked at the earnest Kira and sighed inwardly. This kid was still so naive.
There was no way the Earth Alliance would willingly return to negotiations after learning about Genesis Alpha.
But this aligned with his interests. The harder the Earth Alliance fought, the lower the cost for him to destroy Genesis.
Still, Reid knew he had to maintain his persona. Turning to Lacus and Athrun, he said bluntly:
"First, my thoughts on Kira's proposal: I believe informing the Earth Alliance about Genesis Alpha will only accelerate the war. But Lacus, Athrun—you're true PLANT citizens. I'd like to hear your perspectives."
Even without Reid's prompting, Lacus's political acumen and Athrun's military expertise allowed them to predict the Earth Alliance's reaction to Genesis Alpha.
But concealing Genesis Alpha from the Earth Alliance until PLANT's homegrown Genesis was fired at them would only deepen the irreconcilable rift between Naturals and Coordinators.
They had to prove through action that there were Coordinators who yearned for peace—that PLANT's current path was solely due to its leaders steering the nation toward war.
So this time, Athrun spoke up:
"I support Kira's idea. We must first exhaust all efforts to resolve this at the negotiating table. Force should always be the last resort."
As Athrun finished, Lacus immediately added:
"Yes, I also support Kira's proposal. No matter what, we must first understand the Earth Alliance's stance before deciding our next move."
Reid saw that Kira, Athrun, and Lacus were in agreement, so he turned his gaze to Cagalli. As the only official national leader present, shouldn't she say something?
But at this moment, there was truly no hope of Cagalli offering any constructive opinions. She only needed to follow the crowd, settling everything with a simple "I agree."
So when faced with Reid's questioning look, Cagalli blurted out without thinking:
"Why are you looking at me? I completely agree with Athrun and Kira's opinions."
Mina, witnessing this, covered her face in exasperation. Cagalli really understood nothing. Entrusting Orb's future to her was like stepping into utter chaos, because you could never predict what kind of mess a complete rookie might stir up.
However, since Cagalli had spoken, Reid naturally went along with them. The more cannon fodder to fill the firepower gap at Jachin Due, the better.
Thus, Reid stood up and said:
"Since you're resolved, I can help facilitate a dialogue with the Earth Alliance. I guarantee you'll meet with individuals of sufficient influence from all three nations, but I won't help persuade them. Everything depends on your own efforts. Any objections?"
With Reid's assurance, Lacus and the others naturally had no issues. Relying solely on the Three Ships Alliance's connections, they couldn't possibly meet decision-makers from all three Earth Alliance nations simultaneously. They needed Reid's help.
After speaking, Reid immediately sprang into action.
Since the Eternal and Kusanagi lacked atmospheric adaptability, Reid decided to leave all three ships in space. He took Lacus, Athrun, and Cagalli, along with the collected Genesis Alpha data and the Justice and Freedom Gundams, descending to Earth via Heaven's Base.
At Lacus's request, Reid escorted her as the five mobile suits flew at top speed back to Canberra.
Upon returning to Canberra, Reid immediately held secret talks with the ambassadors of the three Earth Alliance nations. Supersonic jets were dispatched that very day to relay messages back to their respective countries.
By the next afternoon, through an exceptionally cumbersome and unstable multi-point laser communication link, Reid convened a secret meeting. Participants included the leaders of the Earth Alliance's three major powers (since the highest official titles sometimes get censored or even land people in trouble, they'll be referred to as "XX Nation's Head of State" hereafter) and their respective top gamma-ray researchers.
Frankly, the ability to organize this meeting wasn't just due to Reid's high reputation in technology and intelligence. The information he had passed to the three nations was so shocking that none dared delay, immediately gathering their experts for this online conference.
As a closed-door meeting without even a moderator, the Atlantic Federation's leader, seeing everyone present, immediately said:
"Mr. Reid, is the intelligence you transmitted to our nation yesterday true? You mentioned there would be detailed disclosures at today's meeting. Please get straight to the point."
Reid understood why the Atlantic Federation's leader was so tense. He knew better than anyone which Earth nation PLANT hated most. If such a superweapon existed, PLANT would undoubtedly strike the Atlantic Federation first.
However, Reid couldn't just present the data immediately. He first needed to make introductions.
"Don't rush. First, let me introduce a few individuals to everyone. The acquisition of this information was made possible through their efforts, and their identities further validate the authenticity of these materials."
With that, Reid proceeded to introduce Lacus, Athrun, Cagalli, and Kira (identified as the Strike Gundam pilot) to the assembled leaders.
For the leaders of the three Earth nations, Lacus was the only one they were truly familiar with. Cagalli was merely someone they'd heard about in passing—after all, the former was PLANT's national idol, renowned for her beautiful singing voice, while the latter occasionally appeared in reports concerning Orb.
But today, the three stood before them as the former PLANT Chairman's successor, the current Chairman's successor, and Orb's Prime Minister. As for Kira, a mere Mobile Suit pilot—no matter how elite—the leaders merely offered polite acknowledgments, not taking him seriously.
After presenting the identities of Lacus and the others to the assembly, Reid then displayed the Genesis Alpha data in a PowerPoint presentation. Naturally, the full technical specifications couldn't be shared with the three Earth Alliance nations—otherwise, the Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation would likely rush to build a smaller version to exchange fire with PLANT.
However, the materials Reid had already provided were sufficient for each nation's gamma-ray researchers to confirm the authenticity of Genesis Alpha.
Once the data received unanimous validation from the researchers, the expressions of the three Earth Alliance leaders instantly turned blank.
Even from thousands of miles away, Reid could guess the storm of emotions raging within them. But as leaders, they had to maintain composure—unshaken by mountains collapsing before them, unruffled by tsunamis at their backs.
After a prolonged silence, the leader of the East Asian Republic was the first to speak, addressing Athrun and Lacus directly:
"Mr. Athrun, Miss Lacus, as the current and former successors to PLANT's Chairmanship, what is your intent in providing us with this information?"
Lacus showed no hesitation. Her potential as a politician was on full display as she calmly stated to the three leaders:
"Sir, we simply do not wish for PLANT to ultimately walk the path of mutual destruction. Like everyone here, I do not want to see any harm come to Earth, the cradle of humanity. Therefore, I hope that this war between the Earth Alliance and PLANT can return to the negotiating table. After all, mutual annihilation benefits no one."
Her words were flawless—but poorly timed. The moment she finished, the Atlantic Federation leader erupted in a mix of genuine and performative fury, slamming the table through the screen:
"Nonsense! Negotiations?! After you Coordinators built something like this, you still want to negotiate?! Do you expect us to come to the table with a gun to our heads?! Let me make this clear—unless PLANT disarms completely right now, there is no possibility of negotiations!!"
The Atlantic Federation leader's outburst nearly derailed the meeting, but this was all part of the script. Reid smoothly stepped in to mediate:
"Sir, please calm down. Mr. Athrun and Miss Lacus have come in good faith. Without them, consider this—what losses would your nation suffer if, in a future battle, PLANT suddenly deployed such a weapon?"
As soon as Reid finished speaking, the next person to muddy the waters chimed in. The leader of the Eurasian Federation immediately said:
"Mr. Reid, admittedly, at this point, we do not doubt the sincerity of Mr. Athrun and Ms. Lacus. However, they currently hold no real authority in PLANT, nor do they command any military forces. In fact, they are even wanted fugitives at the moment."
"I believe any negotiations must wait until they return to their country and assume power. Given the crucial intelligence they've provided, our Eurasian Federation is willing to deploy troops to help them regain control of the situation back home."
The Eurasian Federation leader was completely ill-intentioned—truly a master of stirring the pot after centuries of experience, having developed quite the knack for it.
Right from the start, he sought to exploit Athrun and Lacus's identities to incite internal conflict within PLANT.
If successful, the Eurasian Federation would naturally gain significant influence within PLANT. If it failed, they stood to lose nothing anyway, since PLANT was already a target for attack.
(End of Chapter)