He knew Lacus was familiar with them—she had even brought them over before.
However, he wasn't sure what Lacus thought of Fred.
His visit this time was partly due to this consideration, but also simply because he wanted to understand Fred better.
Information on paper always remained just that—on paper.
So, as he looked at Heather and the others now, a rare sense of curiosity welled up inside him.
Under Siegel's intense gaze, Heather's smile brightened even further, though a growing sense of worry stirred within her.
Though she didn't know why he had come as well, it certainly proved that Fred was being heavily relied upon.
But such reliance was both a good thing and a bad thing.
An opportunity, yet also a risk.
If possible, Heather didn't want such an opportunity at all.
Fred wouldn't actively seek such a conspicuous opportunity either.
So, was this part of the plan?
Heather's thoughts were complicated, but her face still wore a smile as she invited everyone into the living room.
The living room had now become a place for the important figures to chat.
Perhaps sensing that the younger ones would feel constrained around the adults, under Siegel's suggestion, Fred led Athrun and the others to the courtyard.
The scent of flowers and plants, mingled with just the right amount of damp earth, filled their nostrils, evoking a simple, rustic feeling reminiscent of camping.
Yet, despite the beautiful scenery and pleasant scents, the atmosphere among them remained subdued.
"Brother, won't we be able to attend classes together anymore?"
Nicol was the first to break the silence, his voice tinged with reluctance.
"Yes."
"You've all grown up."
Fred looked at the three before him, who had matured in height, personality, and ability, his eyes reflecting a sense of nostalgia.
What he could teach them was almost complete.
They had mastered all the skills, and his guidance on their conduct, as well as his efforts to correct the personalities of Yzak and the others, had been perfectly accomplished.
It was indeed time for them to graduate.
There was no longer any reason for him to stay here.
"Will you stay here in the future, Brother?"
Athrun asked, his voice filled with reluctance.
"No, probably not."
Fred answered this way but didn't specify where he would go.
Hearing this, the three exchanged glances.
They all had the same guess in their hearts.
They weren't unfamiliar with Fred.
Given the abilities of their teacher and brother, it was highly likely he would either engage in secret research or become the commander of covert operations.
After all, when it came to undisclosed secrets, there were only two possibilities for someone like Fred.
Thinking of this, their thoughts diverged.
For a moment, silence fell.
Lacus watched the scene before her and blinked.
She didn't know what choices the three would make.
Or rather, she knew what choice Yzak would make and could guess Nicol's to some extent, but she wasn't sure about Athrun.
What were the thoughts of this young man, who had a father leading the Radical Faction yet inherited his mother's gentleness?
His mindset was too hesitant.
But someone would have to shoulder the responsibilities of the future.
She couldn't do it alone, so she had to bring Fred along, and Fred would bring them along.
Given their parents' positions, from the perspective of the Atlantic Federation, they would be considered descendants of rebels and traitors.
With PLANT gone, they certainly wouldn't fare well either.
Not to mention their inherently upright characters.
In that case, the only path left was to take the initiative.
However, she couldn't voice this aloud—their parents understood such matters far better than she did.
As Lacus murmured to herself, the scene shifted back to the group.
At that moment, Yzak took a step forward toward Fred.
"Fred! I plan to enlist in the military!"
Hearing Yzak's voluntary request, the other two fell silent.
In Yzak's view, Fred was either engaged in research or headed for the military.
He wasn't cut out for research; on the contrary, he had always wanted to enlist.
So what he should do was obvious.
He would graduate as an Elite and join the military, then enter Fred's unit!
After all, he believed the chances were quite high.
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Fred's face.
Although he had roughly guessed Yzak would say this, actually hearing his response still filled him with a sense of emotion.
He hadn't cared for the boy in vain.
As for Athrun and Nicol, they exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
"What about the two of you? What do you want to do in the future?"
Faced with Fred's question, the two were momentarily stunned again.
What did they want to do?
If it were peaceful times, Nicol would probably pursue music, while Athrun would engage in research or something similar.
But now, with war seemingly on the horizon, their futures felt abruptly interrupted.
What should they do?
Neither of them had a clear answer at that moment.
No, Athrun actually knew.
He recalled his experiences back in Copernicus, when his older brother had protected their family.
He, too, wanted that kind of strength to protect his own family.
That was why he had worked so hard, why he had come to follow Fred.
But his mother would most likely never allow him to go.
And how could he protect his family? Would enlisting in the military achieve that?
He couldn't figure this part out.
Lost in confusion, Athrun gazed at the distant red sun, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Well, even if you don't know what to do, you mustn't slack off in your training."
Fred casually brushed aside Athrun's inner turmoil.
When it came to pondering their futures, Fred had no intention of interfering.
He wasn't one for brainwashing tactics.
It all depended on their own resolve.
Watching the two struggle, Yzak snorted coldly from the side.
Though his expression remained aloof and proud, he surprisingly refrained from saying anything.
After all, he understood what enlisting truly meant.
Forcing them onto the battlefield to kill?
Though Yzak was arrogant, he still considered them friends and couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.
At the very least, his brother wouldn't want to see him act that way.
The battlefield was no game.
Fred, observing the scene before him, also remained silent.
He truly had no desire to force anyone.
Besides, forcing things never yielded sweet results.
He simply moved past the topic with a light touch.
Meanwhile, the adults were engaged in lively conversation.
Joule sought out Patrick, whispering a few confidential words.
"Yzak will most likely enlist in the military."
Joule said.
"What about yours?"
Faced with Joule's question, Patrick offered no reply.
Though his tense face betrayed little emotion, Joule, who knew Patrick well, could sense his inner turmoil.
In truth, if Yzak hadn't insisted on joining the military himself, and if Fred's guidance hadn't tempered some of his recklessness, she wouldn't have wanted him to enlist either.
After all, they were both her children.
Who would willingly let them suffer?
"They must all grow up."
Joule said, looking at the group not far away.
"Yes."
Patrick's expression remained stern.
Athrun and the others were already thirteen or fourteen years old—old enough by local standards to attend university and stand on their own.
"If he could have abilities like Fred's, I wouldn't be worried."
Fred, their peer, was already making waves in his research.
"You said 'if,' after all."
Joule gave a bitter smile.
"If there were a few more Freds, we'd be the ones afraid."
Fred's abilities were so formidable that it left them with mixed feelings.
"Hmm..."
Patrick nodded in agreement.
His face still gave away little emotion.
Regarding Athrun's future, he still needed to discuss it with Lenore.
And then there was Athrun's own decision to consider.
Nothing would be settled by him alone.
Seeing their conversation stall, Joule fell silent for a moment before turning her gaze toward Siegel. Over there, Siegel was deep in conversation with Yuri.
Much like their own situation.
"I heard Fred is cooking today."
Joule smoothly changed the subject.
"Yes."
Seeing Patrick's calm demeanor, Joule found it somewhat amusing.
It seemed Athrun hadn't mentioned to his father how good Fred's cooking was.
In contrast, Yzak had praised it to her many times.
The thought filled Joule with a mix of anticipation and pride.
Her relationship with Yzak was far better than the one between the Zala father and son.
As a mother, it was a point of pride for her.
As they spoke, Fred soon completed the meal with his skillful hands.
Before them lay a feast that delighted the senses in every way.
Though no one was truly astonished—they were accustomed to lavish meals, and the dishes before them were impressive but not overwhelming—they couldn't help but marvel at Fred's culinary talent.
Fred, it seemed, had a gift for cooking too.
Of course, upon reflection, cooking was also a form of precise control, which made it seem perfectly reasonable.
And so, everyone accepted this new facet of Fred, and the farewell dinner concluded amidst their admiration for his culinary skills.
In the days that followed, Fred continued to make progress even as he settled into his new home.
Meanwhile, friction between PLANT and the Atlantic Federation gradually emerged.
Both sides engaged in minor skirmishes, seemingly testing each other's limits. For PLANT, with its MS, these small-scale conflicts gave them a clear advantage.
Though the tensions affected trade between the two sides, they hadn't yet severed ties completely.
It was against this backdrop that, a month later, on the ORB space colony Heliopolis, located on the opposite side of the Earth-Moon coordinates...
The five major families had all arrived here in secret.
Their travel itineraries were confidential, and they had now reached the secret underground base of the Dawn Organization within Heliopolis.
In this brightly lit conference room sat the highest echelons of ORB, each face tense and not the least bit relaxed.
Among them, Sahaku, the head of the shadow clan known as The Clan, broke the brief silence in the room with a furrowed brow, saying:
"So, the Atlantic Federation wants to commission us to build those mobile suits? Can they even pilot them?"
"That's why they're also commissioning us to develop the operating system simultaneously."
Siegel's words echoed in the empty conference room, accentuating the silence of the others.
"If ZAFT finds out, we could become a target for them, even sparking a war."
The representative from the Kiyo family, responsible for foreign affairs, spoke in a muffled voice, his thick eyebrows slightly furrowed, giving him a rather honest appearance.
Kiyo's words quickly prompted nods of agreement from the others.
However, Sahaku soon interrupted them.
"PLANT's population base simply cannot pose a fundamental threat to the Atlantic Federation's position."
"They might gain an advantage in small-scale battles, but that's about it."
"Even if they find out, they wouldn't dare do anything to us."
"On the contrary, by acting as a bridge for the Atlantic Federation, we could gain more initiative."
Under Sahaku's words, the room fell silent once again.
They had all seen the advanced nature of the MS.
Though their nation was not large in scale, they had a considerable number of Coordinator soldiers.
While they didn't know the exact number of Coordinator troops in the Atlantic Federation, if they acquired MS, simply engaging in military exports in the future would secure their nation's stability for decades to come.
Their neighboring countries would not dare to invade either.
"What if ZAFT insists on retaliating against us?"
"Even though ZAFT certainly wouldn't fare well on the main battlefield, the capabilities they've demonstrated in previous battles show they already have the ability to contest control of space sectors with the Atlantic Federation."
"Moreover, if we then side with the Atlantic Federation, it would create ideological conflict among our citizens."
Kiyo countered with a frown.
Kiyo's meaning was clear: he feared that ZAFT might disregard everything and seek revenge against them, leading to mutual destruction.
Even if they managed to survive by relying on the Atlantic Federation, they would merely become its vassal.
What if the Atlantic Federation's military didn't leave afterward?
In short, there were many problems.
"We don't necessarily have to submit to the Atlantic Federation. We can continue deepening our cooperation with them. After all, the Atlantic Federation still holds sway on Earth."
Under Sahaku's words, everyone found themselves in a rather difficult dilemma.
They wanted to reap benefits, playing both sides, but in this situation, it seemed quite challenging.
One misstep could bring disaster upon themselves.
Sahaku's analysis was rational: even if ZAFT discovered they were aiding the Atlantic Federation, as long as ZAFT was preoccupied with its own troubles, they wouldn't be foolish enough to open another front unless they were insane.
Perhaps they could even become a bridge for negotiations between the two sides.
This way, ORB's ideology could continue to expand its influence outward.
However, according to Kiyo's thinking, ZAFT would retaliate against them recklessly, driven purely by emotional venting.
By then, Heliopolis and even ORB's homeland would become the center of the battlefield.
The collective unease further deepened the silence in the conference room.
Seeing that enough had been said, Athha spoke up to interrupt the others.
"Strength is the key to protecting oneself."
Though Athha spoke little, the meaning was clear.
The representatives of the other four families nodded in agreement.
Of course, this was merely a verbal consensus reached in private discussions. The specific details still needed to be finalized by their subordinates.
Still, once the intention was set, it would not change.
Watching the heads of the other families leave one after another, Athha gazed at the dimly lit conference hall before him.
His bright, torch-like eyes slowly closed, and the heart that had raced due to the earlier decision gradually calmed.