The following day.
Having finished an early lunch, we gathered in a briefing room near Mendel's docking bays. There were eleven of us in total: from the Archangel came myself, Lemon, Cornelia, Murrue, Mu, and Kira. Representing the Kusanagi were Cagalli, Athrun, and Kisaka. Finally, from the Eternal, we had Lacus and Waltfeld.
"First, our top priority," I began, looking over the assembled faces. "Within a week, the Earth Alliance will launch an assault on Mendel. We have to stop them. Our primary objective is to prevent the data for the N-Jammer Cancellers from falling into their hands. Secondary objective: eliminate Muruta Azrael."
"You said Creuset is going to leak the data on Freedom and Justice, right?" Athrun asked. "But how does he plan to do it?"
"He'll use the pretext of releasing a prisoner captured at Alaska. He'll give that prisoner a disk containing the data and send them out. If history is still following the path I know… that prisoner's name is Flay Allster."
"Flay!?" Kira's voice cracked, his eyes wide with shock.
"Wait a second," Mu interrupted, frowning. "That girl should have escaped Alaska on a submersible."
"After you went missing, Mu, she tried to make it back to the Archangel," I explained. "She ran right into Creuset and was taken prisoner. That's how the sequence goes."
"Damn it… so it happened right after I saw her," Mu muttered, cursing his luck.
"Regardless of how it happened," I said, turning to Kira, "if you intend to save her..."
"I do," Kira said, nodding with fierce resolve. "I will save her. I promise."
"Next is the destruction of Rau Le Creuset—if circumstances allow. However, there's a caveat: when we first engage him, we must let him go. He needs to exchange fire with us, return to his mothership, and then eject Flay in an escape pod along with the N-Jammer Canceller data. If we're going to take him down, it has to be after that."
"Is it absolutely necessary to let him escape initially?" Lacus asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Yes. If we don't stick to the history I know, his method of delivering the data might change. Given the stakes, I want to eliminate as many variables as possible."
I turned back to the map to continue the briefing.
"Once Creuset launches that pod, Kira, you secure it immediately. Everyone else, provide him with maximum cover. Do not forget—if that data reaches the Alliance, their nukes will claim countless lives."
The room grew silent as everyone nodded. Kira's expression was the most intense; the dual weight of saving Flay and preventing a nuclear holocaust sat heavy on his shoulders.
I caught Lacus watching Kira with a look of quiet concern. If we succeeded in rescuing Flay, I had a feeling a complicated love triangle was on the horizon.
"Once we have the escape pod secured, the gloves come off. Prioritize Azrael's death. If the leader of Blue Cosmos falls, the regular Alliance soldiers will likely surrender or retreat. However, keep your guard up—anyone who keeps swinging after Azrael is gone is probably a Blue Cosmos diehard. Don't hesitate to put them down. Also… Mu."
"Yeah?"
"Whether or not Natarle survives is entirely up to you. If you want to save her… well, you know what you have to do."
"Yeah. I know," Mu said, his voice steady. "I'll bring Natarle back with my own hands. Count on it."
It sounded like a knight swearing to rescue a princess—except in this case, the 'princess' was currently commanding the enemy's flagship.
"After Azrael is dealt with, we go for Creuset… or so I'd like to say. But he'll likely retreat the moment he sees the Alliance losing. I'd prefer to finish him here, but I won't risk our people just to chase him down. In any case, if we kill Azrael, the Alliance will be forced to acknowledge the power gap between them and the Orb-Clyne coalition. That should put an end to their movements for the remainder of this war."
"And if they still try something?" Waltfeld asked, his eyes narrowing.
I considered the question. If proving our overwhelming superiority wasn't enough to make them back off…
"Then we'll have no choice but to annihilate whatever force they send. If we show the Alliance mercy now, they'll only take it as a sign of weakness and grow even more arrogant."
A grim silence followed the word 'annihilate,' but I ignored it and pressed on.
"Once the Alliance is crippled next week, only ZAFT remains. Athrun, before you left for the PLANTS, did you find anything out regarding the matter I asked about? Specifically, GENESIS?"
Athrun shook his head regretfully. "No, I'm sorry. As soon as I returned to Jachin Due, I was sent straight to my father in the capital. I couldn't learn anything about GENESIS."
"I see… I was hoping for a lead."
In the original timeline, GENESIS was nearly complete by the time Athrun returned to the PLANTS. But how had my interference changed things? Wait…
"Waltfeld, have you heard anything about ZAFT constructing a massive weapon? The name might be different, but it's essentially a modified propulsion system—a laser designed for deep-space exploration."
"No, nothing. And a weapon that size? There's no way they could keep the construction a secret, especially if it's near Jachin Due."
"You're right," I mused. "Which means..."
Both ZAFT and the Alliance had been researching Mirage Colloid technology. In the original history, ZAFT stole the Blitz and used its data to leapfrog ahead. But here...
"There's a high probability that GENESIS isn't finished yet."
"Oh? Why do you think so?" Lemon asked, looking curious.
I laid out my logic. "First, even with the base structure in place, converting it into a weapon like GENESIS would generate enough chatter to be noticed. We all agree on that, right?"
The group nodded.
"So, they would need a way to build it in total secrecy. Do you remember the machine I used from Heliopolis to Alaska? The X207 Blitz. Its defining feature is the Mirage Colloid—a type of optical camouflage. The Alliance developed it first, and in the original timeline, ZAFT stole that machine. By analyzing the Blitz, they perfected their own cloaking tech. But in this world, I protected the Blitz. ZAFT has been forced to develop the technology from scratch."
"I see," Waltfeld said, catching on. "By forcing them to do their own R&D, you've effectively delayed the completion of GENESIS."
"Exactly. We've bought ourselves more time than the original history allowed. That said, Coordinators are brilliant. We shouldn't get complacent."
If GENESIS wasn't ready yet...
"We need to move on ZAFT immediately after we break the Alliance fleet. We can't give them a window to finish it."
In the original record, GENESIS fired in late September. If we struck now, we'd be nearly two months ahead of schedule.
"May I ask something?" Lacus raised her hand.
"Go ahead."
"Based on what you told us yesterday, the Alliance only reached Jachin Due because they destroyed Boaz. If we follow your plan, does that mean we will have to break through Boas by ourselves?"
"Ah, right. I forgot to explain that part. We of Shadow Mirror possess a special unit called Trinity Gain. To put it simply… think of it as a 'Super Robot.' It's about two-and-a-half times the size of a standard Mobile Suit. More importantly, it's equipped with Shadow Mirror's most guarded secret."
I glanced at Lemon; she gave me a small, approving nod. I turned back to the group to reveal the technology that defined my origins.
"System XN, Aguiyeus. It is a spatial distortion system—a warp drive. Most of you know the Lykeios on the White Star; that was built using the research from this system."
While the Glowsaver units had mass-produced System XN drives, their range was too short for a strategic jump. For a surgical strike on GENESIS, we needed the real thing.
"You mean we're going to..." Kira began, his eyes lighting up as he realized the implication.
"That's right. Using the spatial warp, we'll jump directly from Mendel to Jachin Due. A total surprise attack."
If we warped directly into their backyard, even a completed GENESIS wouldn't be able to fire on us. We'd be too close.
"But remember, our goal is to end this senseless war. Athrun, I'd ask you to contact Eileen Canaver, but you're likely a marked man. Lacus, what about you?"
"Me?"
"Can you reach Eileen Canaver and the Clyne faction? If we time our strike on GENESIS and Jachin Due correctly, we need your people to stage a coup and detain the hardliners."
"I... yes, it should be possible. But those people are under even stricter surveillance than we were. Without a clear path to victory, they will likely choose to remain in hiding."
"That's fair. But as I said yesterday, to end this, we have to cut off the head—Patrick Zara and his hardliners. Eileen is the only one who can step into that vacuum. If they don't move now, this war will drag on until we're forced to dismantle the entire ZAFT military bit by bit."
Lacus went quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. I will send word. But to give Lady Canaver the confidence she needs, I must ask: how exactly do you plan to neutralize GENESIS?"
"Right, let me explain the mechanics. The GENESIS gamma-ray laser consists of two parts: the main firing unit and a primary reflection mirror. The mirrors are disposable, so they likely have spares, but setting them up is a massive undertaking—especially now, since their Mirage Colloid lag means they probably haven't produced many. If we take out that primary mirror, the immediate threat vanishes."
I waited for the room to acknowledge this before dropping the final detail.
"As some of you know, one of my abilities involves a 'Spatial Vault'—a pocket dimension capable of storing objects as large as a colony. It only works on inorganic matter, but that's all we need."
"You mean... you're going to 'steal' the reflection mirror?" Murrue asked, sounding half-impressed and half-aghast.
"Exactly. The only risk is if the station is still under construction; there might be workers on the mirror. In that case, I'll use my Slime ability to clear them out before I bag the hardware."
"Slime?" someone muttered, but I waved it off.
"I'll explain that later. Once the mirror is in the Vault, I'm moving on the GENESIS main body."
"Whoa, hold on," Mu cut in. "You want us to hold off the entire Jachin Due garrison without you? That's a hell of a tall order."
"I know, Mu. But the mirrors are replaceable. If I don't neutralize the main firing unit, we're just waiting for them to mount a spare and shoot us in the back. I can't let that happen."
I visualized the plan. "The main body of GENESIS will definitely have personnel aboard. I'll use the Slime to neutralize them—and by 'neutralize,' I mean shove them into shuttles and drift them safely into space. No unnecessary killing. Once the station is clear, I'll put the entire GENESIS main body into the Spatial Vault. By then, ZAFT will have scrambled every suit they have. While we hold their attention and keep them busy, Eileen Canaver moves in to secure Patrick Zara. That's the broad strokes. Questions?"
"What happens to GENESIS once you've 'stolen' it?" Cagalli asked, all eyes turning to me.
"I'll keep it. If ZAFT keeps it, the Alliance won't stop fighting. If the Alliance gets it, ZAFT is doomed. And if Orb takes it, you'll just become the next target for both sides. As long as it's in my Vault, no one can touch it but me."
I didn't mention that the White Star lacked a primary weapon, and fitting it with GENESIS might be an interesting experiment. Think of it as my commission for ending the war, I thought.
"Anything else?"
For the next twenty minutes, I fielded technical questions and fine-tuned the logistics. When the meeting finally broke, the path was clear.
Now, we just had to wait for Azrael to show his face.
Status Report: Axel Almar
Level: 37 (PP: 205)
Stats:
Melee: 258 | Ranged: 278 | Skill: 268
Defense: 268 | Evasion: 298 | Accuracy: 318
SP: 454
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consume SP to enhance Slime performance)
Terrain Mastery: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (4) | Effort (8) | Focus (16)
Bullseye (30) | Awaken (32) | Love (48)
Skills: EXP Up, SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration), Telekinesis Lv.10, Attacker, Gunfight Lv.9, Infight Lv.9, Morale Limit Break, Geass (Grayed Out), [REDACTED]...
Total Kills: 294
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it and want to read ahead, feel free to check them out here:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thanks a lot for your support, it really helps me keep going.
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"