PLANT had descended into complete chaos. The halls of the Defense Committee were filled with hurried footsteps and clamoring voices, leaving Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol—who had just returned to their homeland—utterly bewildered by the commotion.
"Hey, hey, what's with all this disorder?"
"Something major must have happened."
Just then, they spotted Captain Yuuki approaching. The three immediately stepped forward to inquire.
"Captain Yuuki."
"Athrun Zala! Dearka Elsman! Nicol Amalfi! What are you doing here?" Captain Yuuki recognized them—elite soldiers from Creuset Team who should have been stationed on Earth at this time.
"Never mind us. Why is everyone in such a frenzy?" Athrun pressed urgently.
"Operation Break the Situation... appears to have failed." Captain Yuuki's expression darkened, his tone grave.
"Eh?"
"What?"
"How could that be!? That was..."
Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol couldn't believe what they were hearing. Operation Break the Situation was the largest-scale military campaign since the war began, involving unprecedented troop deployment. The plan had been meticulously crafted by Creuset himself—their former captain, whose strategic brilliance they deeply respected. The idea that his operation could fail was nearly inconceivable.
"The details are still unclear, but reports indicate our forces were completely wiped out."
"No way! Total annihilation... That's..."
If merely the failure of the operation was hard to swallow, the news of total annihilation struck like a thunderbolt.
Captain Yuuki leaned in closer, lowering his voice—especially for Athrun's ears. "And there's worse news for you. One of the secretly developed cutting-edge MS units was stolen. The person who facilitated it behind the scenes... was Lacus Clyne."
At this, not only Athrun but also Dearka and Nicol paled.
Who was Lacus Clyne? The daughter of former Chairman Siegel Clyne, the heiress of the Clyne family, PLANT's beloved idol. She had legions of fans not just among civilians but also within the ZAFT Forces themselves. If... if she were a spy, they couldn't begin to imagine the catastrophic damage this revelation would inflict on PLANT.
"The Defense Committee is in an uproar right now."
"This... how could... Lacus... impossible..."
Unable to believe what they'd just heard, the three bid farewell to Captain Yuuki and immediately headed deeper into the Defense Committee headquarters. They needed to see Patrick Zala—to understand what had truly happened. How could such drastic changes have occurred in the mere days since they'd left Earth for PLANT?
"What's the holdup? Dispatch reinforcements from Gibraltar immediately!"
"Drone reconnaissance isn't enough—we need detailed reports now!"
"Since when was this a thing!?"
"Where did this intel even come from?"
...
Everywhere they looked, Defense Committee staff were in disarray, desperate to learn what had transpired on Earth but frustrated by the lack of immediate, concrete information.
Arriving at Patrick Zala's office, they found him equally overwhelmed with work. Chairman Zala was busy interrogating his subordinates about the situation on Earth, so preoccupied that he didn't even notice the three entering and reporting.
"Still no news?"
"They appear to be using the Cyclops System. Large-scale microwave antennas were installed beneath the base..."
"What about Creuset?"
"We still haven't established further contact. The last communication from Captain Creuset indicated he was leading surviving forces back to Gibraltar Base via the Arctic Ocean."
"What? Why take the Arctic Ocean route to Gibraltar? What about Carpentaria Base?"
"Well... intelligence from Carpentaria reports that while we were executing Operation Break the Situation, Orb's fleet occupied Port Moresby and landed substantial forces in Papua New Guinea from the Gulf of Papua. The Torres Strait has also been blockaded, so..."
"Damn Orb!" Patrick Zala slammed his fist heavily on the desk. With ZAFT already in a precarious position, Orb's interference—their second calculated move against ZAFT—made him suspect a secret agreement between Orb and the Earth Alliance. "Establish contact with Creuset immediately and have him submit a detailed report. As for Carpentaria, order them to closely monitor Orb's next moves. We cannot allow Orb's fleet to exit the Torres Strait. Have the Council issue formal inquiries and condemnations to Orb."
"Yes, sir."
"Excuse me, Chairman Zala." The office door opened again as another aide entered. "Led by Eileen Canaver, several councilors have occupied the assembly hall demanding explanations. They may be attempting to convene an emergency Supreme Council meeting."
"Tch, causing trouble at a time like this... I'll deal with them later!" Patrick Zala cursed before issuing further orders. "Priority is contacting Creuset. Maintain Carpentaria at Combat Alert Level Two while consolidating forces around the Oceanian Federation. We mustn't lose composure—what we need now are calm, objective reports."
"Understood!"
"Any trace of the Clyne faction?"
"Not yet. Their escape route appears meticulously planned—it may take longer than anticipated."
"Damn it! Have the Justice Bureau arrest Canaver and all councilors with close ties to Clyne!"
"But—"
"Lacus Clyne facilitated spy communications before escaping with her father. The leak of Operation Break the Situation's targets speaks for itself—even a child could see the connection. The Clynes are traitors, yet Canaver's faction dares hold me accountable? Preposterous! Those people must be... no, they're definitely harboring fugitives. That's the only explanation!"
"Affirmative!"
Patrick Zala's final decisions left no room for debate. Though some subordinates harbored doubts, they had to comply—hesitation in this volatile situation might lead to their own arrests.
Only after the staff departed did Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol step forward to report.
"Chairman Zala."
"Hmm... You're aware of the situation?"
The three exchanged glances, their expressions complex and conflicted. Athrun still found it hard to believe that Lacus could betray them, and the news that Orb had actively attacked ZAFT Forces seemed like something out of a fantasy.
Nicol and Dearka, meanwhile, were worried about their fathers. Nicol's father was already a member of the moderate faction, while Dearka's, though neutral, leaned toward the moderates. They feared their fathers might be arrested alongside Eileen Canaver by Patrick Zala.
"Yes! But... this is unbelievable. How could Lacus collude with spies? And Orb... with Yang Hui there, they shouldn't have done this..."
"It seems you've never truly understood Yang Hui, Athrun," Patrick Zala said wearily, rubbing his temples as he addressed the three of them. "In Orb today, no one but Yang Hui would dare to do this. Only he has the ambition—and the audacity—for such a move."
"But Orb insists on neutrality, doesn't it? Why would they—"
"Precisely because they insist on neutrality, they would do this," Patrick Zala replied with a bitter laugh. The failure of Operation Break the Situation had enraged him, but he had never anticipated Orb making its move at this moment.
He understood Yang Hui's methods—and had always known his goal.
Yes, it was to uphold Orb's principle of neutrality. But to achieve that, Orb needed absolute strength—the military power to stand against the entire world.
Orb's neutrality wasn't the weak, compromising kind it had now. It was neutrality from the pinnacle of power, untouchable by anyone. Orb wouldn't be a nation to be bullied, but an Overseer—a judge.
That was Yang Hui's ultimate objective!
To accomplish it, Orb had to expand its influence, and Papua New Guinea was the perfect target—close to Orb while also serving as a check on the Carpentaria Base. Two birds with one stone.
"But, Chairman—"
"Enough! This is already a fact, whether you believe it or not. What matters now is how we respond!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Dearka Elsman, Nicol Amalfi, you needn't worry about your fathers. They weren't involved."
"Thank you, Chairman Zala!"
"As for Lacus... see for yourselves." Patrick Zala pulled up footage from the Freedom Gundam's hangar, showing Lacus handing the Gundam over to a stranger. "This is surveillance footage from the military factory. Shortly after, the Freedom was stolen. Without this evidence, no one would have suspected her. Do you understand now?"
"Yes..." The answer came with difficulty, but the evidence was undeniable. No matter how much they wanted to deny it, from the moment that footage was captured, Lacus Clyne was no longer Athrun Zala's fiancée—she was a wanted traitor, an enemy.
"From now on, you will be my direct subordinates. No one except me can give you orders. Your first mission is to retrieve the stolen X10A Freedom, eliminate its pilot, and all personnel or facilities that may have come into contact with it."
"Eh?" The mission was too ruthless, leaving the three momentarily unable to accept it.
"The three of you will proceed to the military factory to receive your new Mobile Suits. X09A Justice, Athrun Zala..."
"...Understood."
"X11A Rebirth, Dearka Elsman."
"Yes!"
"X12A Covenant, Nicol Amalfi."
"Yes!"
"Depart immediately once preparations are complete. If Freedom cannot be retrieved, destroy it completely!"
"But Chairman... eliminating all personnel and facilities that may have come into contact with it... isn't that going too far?" Nicol asked, genuinely struggling with such ruthlessness.
"...All Mobile Suits in the X Series are equipped with Neutron Jammer Cancellers. You understand the significance of this."
"Neutron Jammer Cancellers!? This..." The three looked horrified.