After a brief wait and several days of travel, Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka finally descended to Earth, piloting the brand-new Justice Gundam, Covenant Gundam, and Rebirth Gundam.
"Athrun, what do we do next?" Nicol asked. Though the three of them harbored doubts, Athrun remained their captain, and the mission had to be carried out—at the very least, they needed to locate the Freedom Gundam and investigate who had come into contact with it before making any decisions.
"...Let's head to the Marshall Islands first," Athrun decided. With no leads on the Freedom Gundam, it was better to do something meaningful while waiting for intelligence rather than waste time searching blindly.
"The Marshall Islands..."
Though Nicol hadn't been present, he had heard from Athrun and Dearka about the final battle between the Strike and Aegis Gundams. He knew the Strike's pilot had been Athrun's close friend. Even though the pilot was still alive, Athrun likely wanted to pay his respects.
"Let's go." Dearka had no objections either. The Marshall Islands were where he had suffered a crushing defeat, but after everything that had happened, he no longer felt humiliation—just a complicated mix of emotions he didn't know how to face. Perhaps revisiting the place would offer some clarity.
Once decided, the three set off immediately without arranging for transport. All three Mobile Suits were nuclear-powered, with the Justice Gundam equipped with the auxiliary flight system [Destiny-00]. Though the Covenant and Rebirth Gundams lacked atmospheric flight capabilities, they could achieve indefinite operation by connecting to flight units via energy transfer cables.
Departing from the Carpentaria Base, the trio took a detour around Ceylon to avoid conflict with Orb.
Upon arriving at the Marshall Islands, Athrun saw the scattered wreckage of the Aegis Gundam but found no traces of the Strike or Buster Gundams.
"Probably recovered by Orb, right? There's still a chance they could be repaired," Dearka remarked. The Aegis had been left behind because its self-destruction had reduced it to fragments, making recovery pointless.
After circling the island, they spotted a small cabin and prepared to land and visit. To their surprise, the owner turned out to be someone they knew—Mentor Malchio, accompanied by a few frightened children.
Recognizing him, the three bowed respectfully.
After learning who they were, Mentor Malchio led them into his cabin.
Inside, the television was broadcasting news from Orb. The Atlantic Federation's Third and Fourth Naval Fleets had moved south, stationing themselves just outside Orb's territorial waters. They had issued demands: the resignation of Representative Athha, the immediate dissolution of the Orb Parliament, the stripping of Yang Hui's official positions, his extradition to the Atlantic Federation, and the complete disbandment of Orb's military.
These demands were impossible for any nation to accept—let alone Orb. This wasn't just coercion; it was an outright declaration of war.
Anyone with half a brain could see that the Atlantic Federation had never given Orb a chance. They were clearly determined to attack!
"It seems war is unavoidable between Orb and the Earth Forces," Mentor Malchio sighed helplessly after listening to the news. "People so easily become enemies with one another."
"But why would Orb and the Earth Forces..."
The three of them could already guess the reason. They were aware of the intelligence about Panama's fall—the Earth Forces had lost all their Mass Drivers, making Orb's remaining facility the prime target.
Yet not long ago, Orb had opposed ZAFT and even seized Papua New Guinea from them. They had assumed that if Orb were to join the war, it would be on the Earth Forces' side against ZAFT. But now...
"Hah, so this is neutrality?" Dearka chuckled bitterly. He had genuinely despised Orb's opportunistic yet sanctimonious behavior before. But seeing them stand firm against overwhelming military pressure without compromise... he couldn't help but feel respect.
Just then, a young boy ran up to them and shouted, "You evil ZAFT bastards! When I grow up, I'll take you all down!"
After delivering his outburst, he kicked Dearka before storming off angrily.
"Enough!" Mentor Malchio scolded before apologizing to Athrun and the others. "My deepest apologies. During your assault on Carpentaria, he lost both his parents."
"..." The three fell silent, the words striking another blow to their already wavering hearts.
"The flames of war spread easily, but extinguishing them is far more difficult."
"...Thank you for your guidance." The three bowed to Mentor Malchio. Feeling the children's fearful, hateful gazes, they no longer wished to stay. And besides...
"What now?" Dearka asked Athrun.
"War... has always been this cruel." The gentle Nicol couldn't bear it—such a young child losing both parents to war. He understood its brutality, knew that as enemies, killing was inevitable. Yet... that shout and those hate-filled eyes still pierced his heart.
"Let's go to Orb," Athrun decided.
"You plan to join the fight?" Dearka asked.
"I don't know. But... I think we should see for ourselves. Maybe... we'll find answers there."
"..." Nicol and Dearka remained silent but eventually nodded. They still hadn't made their final choice, but they wanted to witness Orb's resolve, its convictions—to see just how far this nation they loved and hated would go, what kind of spirit it would display.
Perhaps... they truly could find the answers they sought.
...
As the Atlantic Federation's fleet drew near, Orb couldn't possibly remain unaware. Upon receiving the ultimatum from the Atlantic Federation, even the usually composed Uzumi and Yang Hongyu couldn't suppress their fury.
"An ultimatum!?"
"The Orb Union has willfully ignored the current state of the world, abandoned its responsibilities and duties as an Earth nation, and obstinately chosen self-preservation. Despite repeated demands from our side, you continue to refuse cooperation. Therefore, the Earth Alliance, representing its member states, hereby presents the following demands to the Orb Union:
1.
The current government of the Orb Union must resign immediately.
2.
Disarm the nation and disband its military forces.
3.
Remove Yang Hui from all positions and transfer him to the Atlantic Federation's Third Fleet.
If these demands are not met within 48 hours, the Earth Alliance will regard Orb as a nation supporting ZAFT and respond with military force."
After reading the formal declaration issued by the Atlantic Federation, Homura's representative threw the document onto the table, his anger mixed with helplessness.
"What kind of demands are these!? They're practically demanding Orb's annihilation! With the fall of Panama, they're not even bothering with pretense anymore!? Those bastards from the Atlantic Federation!"
"The Atlantic Federation's fleet has already moved south into the Pacific."
"What they want are the Mass Drivers, Dawn Company... and Yang Hui."
"We can't agree to this!" Yang Hongyu roared, slamming the table as he stood up when he noticed hesitation in some of the attendees' eyes. Neither as a high-ranking official of Orb nor as a father could he accept these terms.
"But... even if we lodge strong protests against these unreasonable demands, no nation dares to oppose the Atlantic Federation now. The Eurasian Federation has always been their lackey, the East Asia Federation is exhausted, and neutral nations like the Equatorial Union and the Kingdom of Scandinavia have joined the Earth Alliance. It seems we have no choice but to make a decision."
"ZAFT, having learned of the situation, has proposed talks from their Carpentaria base. Their statement says they'll provide assistance if we withdraw our forces from Papua New Guinea and return the Torres Strait and the Gulf of Papua."
"Is the Atlantic Federation determined to split the world in two!?" Uzumi cursed, his words both an outburst and a challenge to everyone present. "Either friend or foe—must Orb abandon its principles and laws to dance to their tune, fighting enemies they force upon us?"
"Joining the Alliance means war with PLANT; joining PLANT means war with the Alliance. Even if we join the Alliance now to avoid immediate conflict, Orb as we know it would cease to exist—we'd just become another Panama overnight!" Yang Hongyu continued. "Haven't we already made our choice!?"
His pointed question left the resolute still firm, while those who had wavered hung their heads in shame.
Yes, hadn't they already made their choice? For Orb's rebirth, for the ember they carried forward, they'd long since decided their fate.
"Representative Yang Hongyu, how goes the evacuation of our citizens?" Uzumi asked.
"The last group wishing to retain Orb citizenship has been relocated."
"...And those unwilling to leave?"
"Evacuation notices went out three days ago—they've all departed. Only 3% of citizens remain, refusing to leave..."
Here, Yang Hongyu spoke with pride, as did Uzumi, as did everyone present. These remaining 3% had resolved to stand with Orb to the end. Though small in number, their commitment was the highest affirmation—proof that Orb's ideals were right.
"Let them leave after all," Uzumi finally decided. Though he was glad citizens were willing to stand with the nation through life and death, they were precious embers of hope. For Orb's rebirth, they should evacuate to safety and wait for the right opportunity to return.
"We've sent people to persuade them multiple times, but they simply refuse to leave. Sigh." Yang Hongyu rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Has Yang Hui been notified?"
"Yes, he has."
"What did he say?"
"He said... tie them up and ship them out."
"Uh..." The group froze for a moment before breaking into bitter smiles. There was no denying it—that solution was so very Yang Hui.
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