In the austere quiet of his command office, Patrick Zala stood before the floor to ceiling viewport, the distant curve of the PLANTs reflecting in his eyes.
Behind him, the voice that broke the silence was smooth and utterly confident.
"Chairman Patrick Zala, I offer my congratulations. You have finally fulfilled your wish."
Patrick turned to face the speaker, an orange tabby cat of unassuming girth who sat upon the polished conference table as if it were a throne.
This was Garfield.
Just as Lacus Clyne had deduced from the shadows of her family estate, it was this very creature who had secretly channeled the staggering wealth and material resources that made the birth of ZAFT possible, routing them past every intelligence net that Siegel Clyne had cast.
"Thanks are owed in return, Your Majesty King Garfield."
Patrick replied with a respectful incline of his head.
"Under Siegel's oppressive political maneuvering, I would never have been able to build a military force of this scale."
Patrick Zala was nothing if not a pragmatic man.
When Garfield had first materialized before him and offered a demonstration of his casual, reality bending power, the Chairman's deliberation had lasted less than a minute.
He had agreed to the partnership.
Garfield, in turn, had laid out his design with feline directness.
Meer Campbell would be elevated, her fame and prestige meticulously cultivated until her image was synonymous with PLANT pride.
This cultural foundation would support PLANT's final push for absolute independence and, ultimately, a unified relationship with Earth on their own terms.
In this new order, Meer would be crowned Queen, while Patrick would retain his executive authority under the revised title of Marshal.
Garfield did not waste a single thought on the possibility of betrayal.
For a being of his stature, managing a mortal's ambition was a trivial matter.
"Meer's performance at the rally was flawless."
Garfield continued, his tail giving a single, satisfied flick.
"The next phase involves a colonial tour to deepen her hold on the public consciousness and prepare the ground for what comes after. Concurrently, I recommend you begin laying personal groundwork for your son, Athrun. It is time to find him a suitable bride."
Patrick's eyes narrowed with immediate understanding.
"You are speaking of Lacus Clyne."
Garfield nodded, the motion slow and deliberate.
"The Clyne faction's doves have been dealt a significant setback today. They now face only two viable paths. The first is continued, open opposition to you. As Blue Cosmos escalates its machinations behind the scenes, the conflict between Naturals and Coordinators will inevitably worsen. In such a climate, the Clynes' current political advantage will steadily erode into irrelevance."
He paused, letting the weight of the alternative settle in the room.
"If they are clever, and Siegel Clyne is nothing if not clever, they will pivot. They will divert resources into secretly supporting ZAFT's growth, all the while embedding their own people deep within your new command structure."
"They will treat ZAFT as a host organism, quietly parasitizing its strength to fuel their own transformation and, given the opportunity, seize its controls. This is the strategic imperative that will guide the Clyne faction from this day forward."
Patrick's expression hardened into something dark and unyielding.
The thought of his painstakingly constructed ZAFT being reduced to a feeding ground for Siegel Clyne's ambition was intolerable.
"I will not permit them to succeed in this."
Garfield let out a soft, almost amused chuff.
"Patrick, such rigid thinking will not serve you. Once you understand an enemy's design, the proper response is not to blindly refuse their overtures. You accept their sugar coated offerings, consume the sweet exterior, and return the bitter core with interest. They wish to parasitize you. Ask yourself, can you not do the same to them. Embed your influence within their ranks while they are busy embedding theirs in yours."
A new light flickered in Patrick Zala's eyes, the grim set of his jaw relaxing as the strategic symmetry of the idea took root.
"I understand. Thank you for the correction, King Garfield. And what of my son in all this."
Garfield's whiskers twitched with a hint of paternal indulgence.
"You Coordinators possess laws regarding genetic compatibility and marriage, do you not. For the health and potential of the next generation, surely you can appreciate that Lacus Clyne's genetic profile is exceptionally outstanding."
In his mind, Garfield saw the image of a certain young boar he had watched over since it was a squealing piglet, its snout always pointed longingly toward the Clyne family's prized cabbage patch.
As a figure who had assumed a kind of guardianship over that little boar, Garfield found the prospect of watching it finally uproot that particular cabbage deeply satisfying.
His reminder was all Patrick needed.
"I will have the preparations set in motion at once."
Garfield observed the sudden eagerness in the Chairman's posture and decided it was time to deliver a more sobering piece of intelligence.
"There is something else. The Atlantic Federation, operating in utmost secrecy within the Earth Alliance, is constructing a new line of mobile suits on the Orb Union's resource satellite, Heliopolis. They call them Gundams. The projected combat capabilities of these units will vastly exceed anything your current GINN models can field."
Patrick shot to his feet, his composure shattered.
"Impossible. My intelligence network would have detected such a project. They lack the technological base for that kind of leap."
Garfield regarded him with a flat, unimpressed stare.
"You know nothing. Both your intelligence apparatus and Siegel Clyne's have been thoroughly compromised by my own High Claw Group. Information flows only where I permit it to flow. The Heliopolis project is a closely guarded secret, funded by the Atlantic Federation and developed in collaboration with Orb's Morgenroete corporation and my own High Claw Group. As you are now aware, the High Claw Group answers to me."
The implication was clear and left Patrick with no ground to demand answers.
He could only manage a strained request.
"What is the status of the project. When will these weapons be operational. What are their true capabilities."
Garfield gestured for him to retake his seat, his tone turning soothing, almost bored.
"Calm yourself. With my personal oversight, the project has naturally encountered and overcome its technical hurdles with remarkable speed."
He paused, letting Patrick's brief hope curdle.
"After which I discreetly extracted the key engineering personnel and their core research data, leaving the entire endeavor to stagnate in their absence."
A long breath of relief escaped Patrick's lips.
But Garfield was not finished.
"This delay is temporary."
He added, pouring a fresh dose of cold reality over the Chairman's relief.
"Now that ZAFT is a formal military entity, Blue Cosmos will intensify its efforts. They will find a way to contact the High Claw Group to restart construction. Your course of action is simple. Train an elite strike force. When the Gundams are complete, you will send that force to steal them."
Patrick blinked, his previous plan of simple sabotage suddenly seeming crude and shortsighted.
He looked at the orange cat with a renewed sense of awe and a touch of wariness.
"You are truly a wise king."
Garfield's ears flattened against his skull, a flicker of pure irritation crossing his feline features.
He loathed that particular epithet.
It followed him across every universe, a tiresome refrain he could not escape.
He muttered something foul under his breath.
Perplexed by the sudden shift in mood but wise enough not to inquire, Patrick Zala simply closed his mouth and waited.
Silence, he had learned, was often the best salve for inexplicable royal displeasure.
His judgment proved sound.
After a moment of grumbling, Garfield's composure returned.
"Blue Cosmos is actively seeking a pretext for open conflict with the PLANTs. If they fail to manufacture one, they will resort to an atrocity so severe that the Earth Federation and the majority of natural citizens on Earth will be forced to bear the consequences. Ensure your intelligence network is on high alert for any such operation. Do you understand."
Patrick, his thoughts already racing ahead to the formation of an elite Gundam retrieval team, processed the warning with only half his attention.
"Yes, yes. I will keep it in mind."
Garfield's gaze lingered on him for a long, unblinking moment.
Then, without another word, he traced a claw through the air.
A shimmering portal yawned open beside the conference table.
He stepped through, and the tear in reality sealed shut behind him, leaving Patrick Zala alone with his ambitions.
The orange cat had done what he could.
He was not a creature of cold indifference, content to watch hundreds of thousands perish without intervention.
He would act where he chose to act.
But some events were fixed points, and what was destined to unfold would unfold regardless of warnings half heard.
If Patrick Zala suffered losses in the days to come, he would have no one to blame but his own distracted ambition.