The initial introductions for Shadow Mirror had concluded, and a heavy, expectant silence settled over the Eternal's bridge. The newcomers were ready to listen.
I leaned back, scanning the faces of the people who would soon hold the fate of the world in their hands.
"Alright. Let's start with a roadmap of the immediate future," I began. "Within a week, an Earth Alliance task force will arrive at this colony. Their primary objective..."
I shifted my gaze to Kira and Athrun.
"...is the N-Jammer Canceller data currently housed in the Freedom and the Justice. However, given what I know of this timeline's deviations, there is a high probability they will prioritize the capture of Shadow Mirror technology as well."
"And why would they do that?" Waltfeld asked, his brow furrowing.
"Think about it, Tiger. Standard mobile suits run on batteries. Only the Freedom and Justice utilize nuclear reactors thanks to the NJCs. But almost every unit in the Shadow Mirror arsenal is powered by a fusion generator—or in some cases, even more advanced plasma-drive systems."
"Is that... actually true?"
"Yes. Our tech tree is significantly more advanced. From our perspective, the nuclear fission engines you're using are essentially relics from the Jurassic period."
Waltfeld let out a low whistle. "Well, if that's the case, they'll definitely be coming for your toys. A portable power source that isn't suppressed by N-Jammers? Every general on Earth would kill for that."
"Precisely," I nodded. "Now, as for the specifics: the Alliance flagship will be the Dominion, the second ship of the Archangel class. It will be commanded by Major Natarle Badgiruel."
The name hit the Archangel crew like a physical blow. Murrue's breath hitched, and a pained shadow crossed her face. The silence lasted only a moment before Mu found his voice.
"Axel... are you sure about that? Natarle?"
"In the history I know, yes. And she won't be alone. Muruta Azrael, the leader of Blue Cosmos, will be aboard the Dominion personally."
A murmur of disgust rippled through the ZAFT personnel at the mention of the Blue Cosmos chief.
"But it's a three-way dance," I continued. "The Creuset Team has been tracking the Eternal. They'll arrive shortly after the Alliance. In the chaos of the crossfire, Rau Le Creuset will hand the 'Key' to the Alliance—specifically to Azrael."
"The 'Key'?" Mu asked, his voice low. "You've mentioned that before."
"The complete design schematics for the Freedom and Justice... and with them, the blueprints for the N-Jammer Canceller."
"That's impossible!" DaCosta shouted, stepping forward. "Commander Creuset... no, Rau Le Creuset is a hero of ZAFT! Why would he hand our ultimate advantage to the Alliance? It makes no sense!"
I looked at Mu. It was time to pull back the curtain on the family drama that was fueling the end of the world.
"Mu, do you remember what I told you in Orb? That the truth about you and Creuset was buried here in Mendel?"
"Yeah. I haven't forgotten."
"Creuset's actions are driven by what happened in these labs. Do you want the truth? Here, in front of everyone?"
Mu tightened his jaw, then gave a sharp nod. "Yeah. I'm tired of the guessing games. Tell me."
I turned back to the room. "Rau Le Creuset. The elite ace, the hero of ZAFT... is actually a clone of Mu's father, Al Da Flaga."
The revelation was met with a stunned, breathless silence.
"The head researcher here at Mendel's GARM R&D, Dr. Ulen Hibiki, was struggling with funding. Al Da Flaga offered to bankroll his research on one condition: the creation of a perfect clone of himself. Al didn't want his son, Mu, to inherit the Flaga legacy; he wanted himself to do it. The result was Rau Le Creuset. However, the technology was flawed. They couldn't solve the issue of telomere shortening—the biological clock that dictates aging. Creuset is a 'failure' who ages at several times the rate of a normal human. He is a man born of someone else's ego, only to be discarded as a broken toy. Now, I ask you: if you were created as a 'defective' tool for someone else's vanity, and then thrown away, what would you do?"
"I'd want revenge," Mu whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of horror and realization. "I'd want the old man dead."
"And he got his wish," I said. "The fire that killed your father was no accident. But Rau didn't stop there. He realized that the society that allowed his creation to happen—the world itself—is the true enemy. His goal now is to escalate this war until humanity wipes itself off the map. That is why he is handing the NJCs to Blue Cosmos."
"He wants to give them back their nuclear fangs," Murrue said, her face pale.
"Exactly. And I suspect he's also nudging Patrick Zala toward the completion of GENESIS. He's stoking the fires on both sides, waiting for the world to burn."
Mu rubbed his temples, looking physically ill. "So... genetically speaking, the man I've been trying to kill for months is my father?"
"In a sense, yes."
"God... that's twisted." Mu paused, a sudden thought striking him. "But wait. If he's a clone of my father, that means... Creuset is a Natural?"
The bridge went still again. The ZAFT "hero," the man leading the charge for Coordinator supremacy, was one of the very people the Plants considered inferior.
"Exactly," I said. "Creuset is a pure-blooded Natural."
"Hold on," Waltfeld interjected. "Creuset handles a mobile suit better than almost any Coordinator I've ever seen. You're telling me he's doing all that without any genetic enhancement?"
"Waltfeld, you fought the Archangel in Africa, didn't you?" I asked.
"Yeah. What of it?"
"Kira was in the Strike—he's a Coordinator. But the pilot of the Blitz... the one who gave you a run for your money? That was me. And I am a Natural."
Waltfeld blinked, staring at me as if seeing me for the first time. "You... you were in the Blitz?"
"I was. I got caught up in the Heliopolis raid and ended up working as a mercenary. The point is, while my physical capabilities might be... let's say 'outliers' for this world... the gap isn't as insurmountable as Patrick Zala wants you to believe. Take Cornelia, for instance. She's as Natural as they come, yet she'd make most ZAFT aces look like amateurs."
I caught Murrue's eye. In the original future of SEED Destiny, she would eventually lead a crew that could go toe-to-toe with elite Coordinator special forces. The idea that Coordinators were gods among men was a lie—one that was currently drowning the world in blood.
"Anyway," I said, shaking off the tangent. "Let's look at the 'Original History'—the path this world takes if we don't interfere. In two months, the Alliance launches a saturation nuclear strike using NJCs. The Boaz base is vaporized. Days later, they fire nukes at the Plants. The Archangel, Kusanagi, and Eternal intervene to stop the genocide. In response, Patrick Zala fires GENESIS. The Alliance fleet is decimated. The second shot wipes out the reinforcements and the Moon's Ptolemaeus Base. The war ends in a three-way slaughter at the Jachin Due fortress. Patrick Zala is murdered by his own subordinates when he tries to aim GENESIS at Earth. Azrael is incinerated when the Archangel sinks the Dominion. Only then, after millions are dead, does Eileen Canaaba seize power and sign a ceasefire. That is the future we are here to prevent."
The weight of the words hung in the air like lead. The scale of the carnage I described was beyond anything they had imagined.
"But I have no intention of letting history repeat itself," I said firmly. "That's why we're here. That's why we're changing the script. But for today... I think that's enough. You all need time to process this. We have about a week before the Alliance finds us."
"Axel," Mu said, his voice strained. "If we have to sink the Dominion... that means Natarle..."
"I know, Mu. I know."
I dismissed the meeting, allowing the various crews to retreat and digest the revelations. As the bridge cleared, I signaled to Kira, Cagalli, Athrun, and Lacus to stay behind.
We moved to a secluded observation lounge overlooking the interior of the colony.
"What is it, Axel?" Lacus asked, sensing the shift in my tone.
"I talked about Mu and Creuset because their secret is a matter of global security," I said. "But what I have to tell the four of you is private. I'm telling Lacus and Athrun because you're involved in this legacy whether you like it or not. Do you want to know?"
They all nodded, though Kira and Cagalli looked particularly apprehensive.
"I mentioned Dr. Ulen Hibiki earlier," I began. "The reason he needed Al Da Flaga's money was to fund his ultimate project: the creation of a 'Super Coordinator.' A being whose genetic potential was fully realized without the flaws of standard gestation. That being... is you, Kira."
Kira's eyes widened, his hands trembling slightly.
"And Cagalli... you were the twin sister. The 'by-product' who was allowed to grow naturally. The woman in the photo you have, Cagalli? That's Via Hibiki. She was Ulen's wife. She was your mother."
Cagalli stared at me, her mouth agape, her hand instinctively moving to the pocket where she kept the photograph.
I turned to Athrun and Lacus. "The 'Super Coordinator' project has another side to it. A dormant factor that emerges in those who have reached a certain evolutionary threshold. We call it the SEED factor."
"SEED?" Athrun repeated.
"Superior Evolutionary Element Destined-factor. Kira, Athrun—you've both felt it. That moment in combat when the world goes silent, when your mind becomes perfectly clear, and your reactions outpace the speed of thought. That is the SEED state."
"Wait a minute," Cagalli interrupted, her voice shaking. "If SEED is an evolutionary factor for Coordinators... how did I use it? I'm a Natural!"
I offered a small, sympathetic smile. "To be honest, I don't fully understand the mechanics. Perhaps being Kira's twin meant you shared enough of the genetic echo from Ulen's experiments. But the fact remains: you have the spark, Cagalli. You are just as much a part of this new era as they are."
I stood up, leaving them with the weight of their own identities. "That's all the 'prophecy' I have for you. The rest of your lives... that's for you to decide."
I walked away, leaving the four of them alone in the quiet of the dying colony.
Axel Almar - Status
Level: 37
Knowledge: Original Timeline (Revealed to Allies)
Current Location: Mendel Colony, L4
Kills: 294
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