"Newtype" was a term that felt both familiar and alien to Murrue and Natarle.
Aside from hearing Roz mention the word "Newtype" once or twice in passing, they had never heard of this concept—this "new form of humanity."
As they sat on the bed, they listened to Roz recount his story, starting from his days as a researcher for Blue Cosmos.
It was a new form of human evolution triggered by the space environment, possessing sensory perception, intuition, and spatial awareness that rivaled or even surpassed that of Coordinators. They could sense the emotions of others with extreme sensitivity, predict battlefield developments, and even achieve mental resonance with others—an effect similar to telepathy.
And unlike Coordinators, they suffered none of the biological flaws caused by genetic manipulation. They were almost impossibly perfect.
However, what truly sent a shiver down the spines of Murrue and Natarle was the trigger for that "aurora" that had once pushed the Archangel out of Earth's atmosphere.
Extremely intense brainwaves, carrying specific emotions, would channel through the Psycho-Frame, resonating with the machine via psychommu to trigger what Roz called the "Miracle of Axis."
Though they didn't understand why the aurora was named after "Axis," they finally understood the general principle behind it. At this moment, they realized why Roz had remained silent about the Psycho-Frame. It was a power so immense that it could act as the final spark to burn down both the Earth Alliance and PLANT.
As the "hollows" now holding this secret, neither of them intended to let a single word about the Psycho-Frame leak out.
"So... what Christina said before, about ghosts drifting in space—was that real?"
Suddenly remembering Christina's explanation back on the Archangel, Murrue's grip on Roz's hand tightened instinctively.
"Junius Seven... that's why you collapsed there!" Natarle, who had personally witnessed Roz fall unconscious in his Jegan D Type, immediately connected the dots.
"Yeah, it's true. There are a massive number of souls, dead from war or various other reasons, drifting in the cosmos."
After unburdening himself of the secret buried in his heart, Roz felt as if he had finally worked something out. He curled his lips into a smile at Murrue and Natarle, lifting his free left hand to point at his own head.
"I can still hear their voices in space even now..."
Roz had once nearly been driven mad by these cosmic phantoms. But after reconciling with the souls at Junius Seven, he had practiced ways to mitigate the influx of their voices, ensuring they wouldn't disrupt his daily life.
Now, under the guidance of Murrue and Natarle, having truly found his emotional support pillars, he could turn that past agony into a topic of conversation and speak of it with a smile.
"So... what are they saying?" Murrue and Natarle were genuinely curious about these "space ghosts"—something that sounded like a plot point from a novel but was confirmed by Roz to be real.
"Mostly it's just static about loneliness, hatred... Since I'm probably the only one who can clearly sense them, they tend to cling to me."
Roz sharpened his focus slightly, listening to the echoes of the cosmic phantoms in his mind. "But lately, it's more like... singing. Especially from the direction of Junius Seven. The sound is very clear, as if someone has calmed their hearts."
In truth, Roz had been prepared to be haunted by the spirits of Junius Seven for a long time. But for some reason, the ghosts that had intended to cling to him had departed.
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When the night passed and the second day arrived, the alarm rang at 8:00 AM Orb Standard Time. The lights flickered on automatically, illuminating the otherwise dim dormitory.
Roz reached out from under the covers to silence the alarm fixed to the bedside table. His mind felt a bit surreal, almost frozen. He wasn't quite sure how things ended up the way they did last night, but the result was simple: three people were now sharing this double bed.
Beep, beep, beep... Beep, beep, beep...
The communicator chimed.
Murrue, who had fallen into a deep sleep after the intense "exertion" of the previous night, woke up the moment she heard the chime. Without leaving the warmth of the blankets, she reached out and answered it.
"This is Murrue, go ahead."
Cagalli's voice came through the speaker. After listening to just a few sentences, Murrue sat bolt upright in bed. The sudden shift in temperature as the covers were pulled away caused Natarle, whose consciousness was still in a hazy state, to wake up as well.
"What is it?"
Nursing the dull aches brought on by last night's activity, Natarle sat up as well.
"Information just came in from Cagalli."
Murrue scrambled out of bed and began searching for her clothes. "Both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT have mobilized."
As Murrue's words hung in the air, everyone in the room was instantly wide awake.
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Meanwhile, on GENESIS as it made its way to the front lines.
In the spaceport, several uniquely shaped battleships waited quietly for the order to sortie.
"I must say, I didn't expect you to be able to withdraw from Earth so easily."
Durandal looked at Orphee standing before him. Though his words suggested surprise, his expression remained perfectly calm.
"I thought you'd be hunted down and attacked, much like Orb was."
"That is because we didn't use a Mass Driver. We only used outdated cargo rockets coupled with high-capacity aerospace planes."
Orphee looked back at Durandal with a forced, thin smile. "Besides, they probably don't have the time to keep snapping at our heels. The 'meat' that is the physical territory of the Kingdom of Foundation is still sitting right there; that's enough to give them a headache for quite a while."
At that moment, back on Earth within the Kingdom of Foundation:
A heavily armored, elite unit stormed into the Foundation's administrative center, only to find the government long gone and the building empty. Even the majority of the Kingdom's military forces had vanished, leaving behind only small pockets of troops that had already surrendered.
By the time they had received intelligence of the sudden mass rocket launches from Foundation territory, even a rapid mobilization of forces hadn't been enough to prevent Orphee and the others from escaping.
The scene shifted back to GENESIS.
"Enough small talk. Let us proceed with the handover."
Durandal smiled and nodded at Orphee.
"I imagine you have been waiting a long time for this."
Hearing Durandal's words, Orphee fell into a heavy silence.
"Let the handover begin. We never had a choice from the very beginning."
Finally, Orphee let out a sigh, accepting the inevitable outcome.
"In this era, no one has a choice."
Seeing Orphee's current state, Durandal chuckled. "Both you and I were pushed into these positions by the tides of the era."
"But since you support my plan, I must naturally do my utmost for my ally, mustn't I?"
......................