In the Mendel spaceport, although the war had significantly thinned the crowds, there were still people traveling between Orb's various colonies.
Shinn was wearing his civilian clothes for the first time in a long while, waiting for his sister. His thumb swiped restlessly across his communicator screen, sliding the desktop icons back and forth in a constant horizontal blur.
Even though he had once been an Orb citizen, the sensitivity of his current identity made him incredibly uneasy. He could only keep swiping his phone to maintain a facade of calm. A simple family reunion felt more like a clandestine meeting between spies in a thriller.
Suddenly, Shinn's vision went dark. Someone had reached out and covered his eyes.
"Guess who?"
The tone was very familiar, though the timbre of the voice sounded slightly different—a natural consequence of her circumstances.
"It's Mayu."
Shinn shoved his phone back into his pocket and spoke her name calmly. He didn't have any other acquaintances on Mendel; the only person who would play such a prank on him was the sister he was meeting today.
"Ehh... you guessed so fast. That's no fun at all."
The voice shifted back to its familiar pitch as the hands covering his eyes were withdrawn. A figure stood before him. A shirt, short skirt, and long stockings highlighted the girl's youthful aura. Her hairstyle remained unchanged—or rather, since that surgery, she had been unable to grow hair.
"What's wrong with you, big brother? You're acting like a wooden statue..." Seeing Shinn staring blankly, Mayu waved a hand in front of his face. "This is bad. How are you ever going to find me a sister-in-law if you're like this?"
"What sister-in-law... I've told you so many times, Stellar and I aren't like that." Finally snapping out of it, Shinn's eyes widened.
"And yet you were saying all those things about protecting her over the phone..." Mayu narrowed her eyes, observing her brother's reaction.
"Stop talking about it!" Sensing Mayu's "little devil" side emerging and noticing people nearby starting to stare, Shinn instinctively grabbed her hand to pull her away.
However, Shinn seemed to have forgotten one thing: due to her prosthetic body, Mayu's weight was considerably higher than a normal girl's. For a moment, he actually couldn't budge her.
Seeing her older brother looking a bit disheveled and flustered, Mayu decided she had teased him enough. She took a step forward and walked alongside him.
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The Nahel Argama was now hidden in the space sector near Mendel. In the event of an Earth Alliance invasion, the ship could reach the combat zone in about a minute at full speed.
Roz stood in the hangar, looking with a nuanced expression at the flashy gold machine before him. This unit had been transported to the Nahel Argama alongside the Freedom, with a note stating that "Cagalli intended to go to the front lines personally." Honestly, such a flamboyant machine immediately reminded him of the Hyaku Shiki once piloted by Char Aznable.
"This machine... it's called the Akatsuki, right?" Roz finally spoke into his communicator after a long silence.
"Yes, that's right," Cagalli responded. She was already in her pilot suit, performing simulated training inside the Akatsuki's cockpit. Since the Akatsuki project had been initiated so early, it did not feature the spherical cockpits Orb was currently transitioning to. For Cagalli, who had been piloting the Jegan Type-D and the upgraded M1 Astrays with spherical cockpits, this felt a bit disorienting.
While battle had not yet commenced, she was using the simulators to regain her edge, brushing up on piloting skills that had grown rusty from long days of administrative work. She didn't want to be shot down the moment she deployed.
"It's a shame that because of its armor characteristics, its resistance to physical projectiles is mediocre," Roz mused, recalling Erica's briefing when the Akatsuki arrived. He instinctively thought of the Black Knights. "Perhaps its future upgrades should take a page out of the Black Knights' armor?"
The "Yata-no-Kagami" armor essentially sacrificed significant physical resistance to provide the powerful "Beam Reflection" ability. In today's beam-weapon-dominated environment—unless it faced Black Knights or engaged in melee—the Akatsuki could walk through a battlefield of flying beams with impunity.
"Who knows when that will be," Cagalli said as the simulation ended. She stepped out of the cockpit and took off her helmet, panting slightly. "The Yata-no-Kagami armor is the Akatsuki's core equipment; changing one part affects the whole machine. It's not that easy to upgrade. Besides, the current loadout isn't suited for space combat. We have to wait for the new equipment pack to be manufactured."
"A pity. None of your machines' frames can handle the Beam Magnum, otherwise you could put them to use." Roz glanced at the Beam Magnum resting on a rack in the hangar and sighed. If the Strike or Freedom used it, the Phase Shift armor might overload. If the Akatsuki used it... it would probably lose an arm with every shot. Roz would have to consider building an entire equipment pack just to swap out broken arms for the Akatsuki.
"Rather than thinking so far ahead, I'd rather focus on the present." The weight of the upcoming battle pressed down on Cagalli.
"It's just the Orb garrison, the Earth Alliance, and ZAFT all fighting at once," Roz remarked casually. Compared to the tense Cagalli, Roz—well-versed in chaotic brawls—felt nothing special. Ultimately, with the Armed Armor BS, he could easily shoot down even the Black Knights that had caused him so much trouble during the Narrative era.
"...In any case, when facing the Orb forces, please show some mercy." Cagalli's expression was complex, knowing Roz's combat style. "After all, I am still the current Prime Minister of Orb."
"If you're paying, I'll follow your lead," Roz nodded. "Besides, you've recently provided a lot of funding to my shipyard." Thanks to the funding provided under the name of COMPASS, two of Roz's major projects—which had stalled aside from the weaponry—were now proceeding smoothly. They would likely be ready for combat soon.
"The Nahel Argama, the strongest ship right now, came from your hands. When I spoke with Murrue earlier, she mentioned you had two big projects in the works." Cagalli put her helmet back on. "Orb isn't what it used to be, but we can still afford these resources." Without waiting for a response, she climbed back into the Akatsuki's cockpit to continue her training.
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Night gradually descended upon Mendel. After a busy day, people returned to their homes to rest, preparing for the next morning.
In a darkened room, several men in work jumpsuits were monitoring a series of screens, constantly adjusting parameters. Just as they thought it would be another peaceful night, several light blips suddenly appeared on a radar screen.
"Analyze the target signals."
"Reporting: It's an Earth Alliance fleet. Two Archangel-class, three Drake-class, and three Nelson-class—eight ships total."
"Based on the probe's position and the fleet's speed... they are estimated to cross Mendel's boundary tomorrow at noon."
The man who appeared to be the leader of the group frowned at the report.
"Report to Prime Minister Cagalli. The Earth Alliance is coming. Begin monitoring the movements of the Mendel garrison immediately."
At the man's command, a group of people sprang into action within the quiet night.
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