"You... why are you here..." The courage she had mustered vanished the moment she saw Yang Hui. Cagalli trembled as she staggered back.
To her, Yang Hui seemed as terrifying as a demon at that moment. She was convinced he had discovered her plan, which was why he had appeared just as she was about to act.
"Go on, what were you going to say?" Yang Hui didn't answer her question. Instead, he maintained an indifferent expression as he pressed her.
"You... you... you're betraying Orb! You're going to destroy it!" Cagalli mustered the last of her strength to shout at him. As her voice faded, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
Yang Hui gave her an approving glance. Though the girl was rather thoughtless, it took courage to voice her true feelings under the pressure of his presence.
Ignoring Cagalli, he turned his gaze to Kira and the others.
"What about you? Do you think the same?"
"Yang Hui..." Kira looked at him with a conflicted expression. He didn't want to believe Cagalli's accusations were true. He didn't want to be enemies with his friends again. But after seeing Tolle's condition and making his decision, he had no choice but to speak up. "Is what Cagalli said... true?"
"Come with me." Yang Hui didn't answer Kira directly. Instead, he motioned for them to follow. "This is a hospital. Not the place for this conversation."
After exchanging glances, Kira, Cagalli, and Flay silently agreed to follow Yang Hui, while Sai, Miriallia, and Katz stayed behind to watch over Tolle.
The three of them followed Yang Hui to the rooftop of the hospital, where there was no one else around. Even if a fight broke out, it wouldn't disrupt the hospital's operations.
"Ask away. I'll answer what I can." Yang Hui lit a cigarette and leaned against the railing.
"Is what Cagalli said... true?" Kira repeated his question, his expression still troubled.
"Which part?"
"What difference does it make?"
"Of course it does. The attack on Papua New Guinea is real. The waters from the Gulf of Papua to the Torres Strait have been incorporated into Orb's territory. We've already taken Port Moresby, and our landing forces are advancing inland. Within a week, Papua New Guinea will be Orb's."
"You! You really started a war! Why!?"
"For Orb, of course..."
"You're lying! You're nothing but a liar! Orb would never start a war! This is betrayal! You're using Orb for some terrible scheme of yours! I won't allow it! I'll stop you!" Cagalli cut him off, shouting furiously.
"Then tell me, what exactly is my scheme?" Yang Hui didn't deny it. Instead, he smirked and threw the question back at her.
"Th-that... how would I know! But you definitely have one!"
"Heh. So... this is all just your imagination?"
"You—! Hmph! It doesn't matter! I'll stop you no matter what! Your schemes won't succeed!"
Watching Cagalli's desperate outburst, Yang Hui shook his head in disdain, unable to suppress a laugh.
"Let's set aside whether your imagination is correct or not. First, tell me—how exactly do you plan to stop me?"
"I..."
"By dragging Kira into this? And then what?"
"I... there must be others who see through your schemes! We can definitely..."
"I am now the Supreme Commander of the entire military, with Sumeragi as the Chief of Staff. The armed forces are already under our control. Dawn Company was brought under my influence even earlier than the military. Every other department has our people embedded within. Even your father, my father, and all the noble clan leaders have been stripped of real power—they can only exercise authority because I allow it. The moment I withdraw that permission, they can retire immediately.
So, Cagalli, how exactly do you plan to stop me?"
"You—! How could you—!"
Cagalli was horrified. Kira and Flay were equally stunned. None of them had imagined that Yang Hui had already seized complete control over the nation of Orb—even figures like Uzumi and other high-ranking officials were nothing more than his puppets.
"Go on, tell me. How do you intend to stop me? Oh, and here's a little extra for you: Mina is now the head of the Sahaku family's Ame No Minashira. She's been my partner from the very beginning."
"What does that matter!? As long as… as long as I expose your true nature to them, they'll… they'll definitely—"
"Do what? Betray me? Then support you in overthrowing me?" Yang Hui crushed the cigarette underfoot and stepped closer to Cagalli with a mocking smirk, forcing her back against the wall before leaning in.
"Why don't you go ahead and try? I'd love to see the look on your face when it happens."
"You… you… ugh…" Cagalli trembled under his shadow, his expression like a demon's taunt, looking down on her with cold derision.
"Crying already? Heh. You haven't changed at all, Cagalli. Still the same crybaby." Yang Hui shook his head and took a few steps back, putting distance between them. He had hoped she might have grown, but… what a disappointment.
"Yang Hui! You bastard! I will never let Orb—"
"Your self-righteous version of Orb, you mean."
"Huh?" Cagalli froze. Kira, too, was taken aback—but something about this felt… off.
"Let me ask you something, Cagalli. Do you know what the soldiers of Orb truly need? What the people of Orb actually want?"
"Of course—peace!"
"Hah. Right, peace…"
"Then why—"
"...But not the kind you imagine—just empty slogans, reckless idealism, and thoughtless chaos."
"What!? I never—"
"Have you ever served in the military? Have you lived and trained alongside the rank-and-file soldiers?"
"I… I…"
"Do you understand the helplessness of being forced to compromise under pressure from the Earth Forces and PLANT? Do you know how humiliated Orb's soldiers felt when ZAFT Forces and the Earth Forces dictated terms to us, treating our nation like their own backyard?"
"I—"
"Of course you don't, Cagalli. Because you're the princess of the Athha family."
"That's not true! I've never thought of myself—"
"That's just what you tell yourself. But in reality, you're still the privileged noblewoman, always demanding others conform to your ideals.
Yes, you genuinely want to help people. You're willing to work hard for them. But do you truly understand what they need?"
"I… I…"
"So Cagalli, the Orb you keep talking about day and night is only your own Orb, not ours, not the people's."
"What about you, Yang Hui?" Kira had been listening quietly. Unlike Cagalli, he maintained an objective perspective as a third-party observer, making him more receptive to Yang Hui's arguments.
Yet he still couldn't accept Yang Hui's methods, which was why he questioned him now. If Yang Hui's explanation proved unsatisfactory, Kira would become his enemy.
"Kira, what do you think Orb needs to maintain its neutrality without being swayed by external forces?" Yang Hui countered with another question.
"...Conviction and power, united as one." Kira recalled Lacus's words—conviction alone wasn't enough, nor was power alone sufficient.
"Orb has never lacked conviction." As he answered, Yang Hui glanced at Cagalli. "So what Orb needs is power—the power to stand against the world."
"Power... to stand against the world?"
"Exactly. Only when Orb stands at the world's summit—stronger than the Earth Forces, stronger than ZAFT, stronger than both combined—will it have the right to uphold its neutrality without being manipulated by anyone!"
"Yang Hui..." At this moment, to Kira, Cagalli, and Flay, Yang Hui seemed almost fanatical.
"However, Orb's scale is too small. Its unique geographical position, limited territory, scarce resources, and advanced yet unrealized technological potential all constrain us. The first stage involved Wang Liu Mei, Sumeragi, and myself constantly navigating between major powers to deepen cooperation and make them wary of pressuring Orb. The second stage leveraged these connections to trade for resources and funding, transforming Orb's technological prowess into tangible power while building an extensive intelligence network under the guise of commerce. The third stage—now—is outward expansion, preparing for imminent rebirth by refining our foundations. The fourth stage will see us deploy elite forces at the war's peak to end the conflict through decisive intervention, claiming vast rewards as victors from both sides. This is Orb's rebirth! This... is the White Dove Plan!"
Cagalli, Kira, and Flay were stunned. Especially Cagalli—having grown up at Orb's heart, she'd never heard of such an elaborate scheme, nor seen any hints of it.
"But why... why was I kept in the dark?" Cagalli asked numbly.
Yang Hui chuckled. "When this plan began, Sumeragi, Liumei, and I were only six years old. At six, we had to negotiate with merchants, politicians, and military leaders abroad—enduring disdain, threats, and rejection. Ten years have passed. Think, Cagalli—how we spent this decade versus what you did. Still don't understand why you weren't told?"
"I... I..." Cagalli's eyes welled with hurt. It wasn't fair—they'd excluded her, never given her a chance. She could have stood with them. Why blame her now?
"Cagalli, let it go." Kira patted Cagalli's shoulder as he persuaded her. He understood why Yang Hui had never revealed the vast, complex and perilous [White Dove Plan] to Cagalli - because she simply couldn't help and might even hold them back.
"So Cagalli, before you call us traitors and curse at us, ask yourself first - what have you actually done for Orb? Do you even have the right to slander us?"
(End of Chapter)