February 7, CE71 - Around the time Athrun and the new masked man Nicol had fallen into the Earth Sphere.
When they hurriedly arrived at the base of Desert Tiger Balthfeld.
Having successfully connected with the local underground organization of the East Asian Army, and following Li Chengzhi's suggestion along with Ashman's invitation - who was extremely interested in aligning with a new powerful patron -
Cagalli stood beside the Desert Dawn base, watching with complex emotions as convoy after convoy of transport vehicles drove in.
Is this the foundation of a major power?
Even in occupied territories, even in ZAFT-controlled zones, if a major power wishes,
it can easily mobilize such vast quantities of supplies and deliver them quickly, safely, and accurately.
At this moment, Cagalli - usually naive and impulsive, the girl who had always taken pride in her homeland Orb - truly understood the differences between nations.
Her soul and worldview were experiencing a tremendous shock!
"Cagalli, what's wrong?"
Having searched everywhere in the base for the object of his affection, Ahmed finally found the person he was looking for while weaving through the bustling crowd.
But seeing her complicated expression, Ahmed couldn't understand why she looked that way.
With the support of the East Asian Alliance, one of the world's leading powers, their Desert Dawn organization was about to upgrade from primitive weapons to modern ones.
Their development and expansion were within reach - shouldn't this be a time for celebration?
"No, it's nothing."
Hearing Ahmed's inquiry, Cagalli concealed her expression that didn't match the current atmosphere.
Having passively experienced this cognitive baptism about the foundation of major powers, Cagalli turned to look at the camp filled with noise and joyful atmosphere.
Although she wasn't particularly politically astute, Cagalli instinctively felt that starting from today, perhaps everyone in Desert Dawn and the organization itself
would undergo earth-shaking changes compared to when she first arrived here!
In every aspect.
"Where is Chief Ashman?" Cagalli asked Ahmed with a smile.
"He's in the command center discussing matters with that guy Wang Hu and the instructors sent by the East Asian Alliance."
Since Cagalli had always shown dislike for Wang Hu, Ahmed also expressed similar dislike for him.
"I see. I'm going to find Chief Ashman to discuss some matters."
Having received an expected answer, Cagalli's eyes showed traces of deep contemplation.
Relying not on reason but on intuition to judge, combined with the grand plan she heard Wang Hu mention at the Desert Tiger's residence,
she felt it was time to return home and have a good talk with her father.
Walking forward, Cagalli - preoccupied with her thoughts - neglected Ahmed beside her, who was gazing at her with adoring eyes.
She walked forward alone, pondering whether the decision she was making now was correct.
"Cagalli?" Ahmed, left behind by the girl, suddenly felt that the girl before him was so distant.
Though she was within reach, it felt like there was an immense distance between them, as vast as the ends of the earth.
Lost in her thoughts, Cagalli naturally remained unaware of the inner turmoil of the dark-skinned boy behind her. Along the way, she witnessed the camp members rejoicing as if celebrating a festival, which only strengthened her resolve. Soon, she arrived at a place called the command center—a tent practically indistinguishable from those of the ordinary members around it.
Pushing aside the curtain and stepping inside, Cagalli saw Ashman, his face flushed with enthusiasm, thumping his chest as he made assurances to the instructors sent by the East Asian Army for support. "We will fully cooperate with all of you in training and later tactical strategies," he declared.
Gazing at Ashman, who seemed different from her memories, Cagalli let out a soft sigh.
"Cagalli?" The few people exchanging pleasantries in the tent seemed to notice her presence only because of the girl's sigh.
"Come, come, our Goddess of Victory, let me introduce you to everyone," Ashman said with his usual smile, beckoning Cagalli to meet the East Asian Army instructors.
"No need," Cagalli declined with a smile, then turned her gaze to Wang Hu standing beside the East Asian Army instructors. After a moment's thought, she stated bluntly, "Chief Ashman, I wish to leave with the Archangel."
"What?" Ashman's face instantly stiffened; he hadn't expected the girl to say such a thing at this moment. The East Asian Army's support and instructors had just arrived, and now Cagalli—the girl who had been a godsend during the organization's difficult early days, helping them overcome hardships—wanted to leave? How would this make him, the chief, look to outsiders? How would it reflect on the newly arrived East Asian Army instructors? Would people think that Ashman was ungrateful, turning his back on others once the crisis had passed?
"Cagalli, what's wrong? Is there something making you unhappy?" Whether out of concern for stability or his personal authority, Ashman felt he couldn't let Cagalli leave at this time and thus made every effort to persuade her to stay.
"Not at all. Everyone in the organization has been very kind to me, and I've been happy here," Cagalli shook her head. Once her mind was made up, not even nine oxen could pull her back. Moreover, being straightforward and uncalculating, she was unaware of the potential repercussions of her departure at this juncture.
Unable to discuss certain matters openly in front of the East Asian Army instructors, Ashman grew increasingly anxious. As a result, their conversation devolved into a futile exchange, with neither understanding the other's perspective. Before long, they reached an impasse: one determined to leave, the other refusing to let her go.
"Cagalli, are you planning to go back and persuade your father?" After listening for a while, Wang Hu couldn't help but step in. If these two continued to argue, things might deadlock completely.
"Yes," Cagalli glanced at Wang Hu and nodded. "I've been away from home for a long time. There are some things I want to discuss with my father."
"I see," Wang Hu nodded slightly, his mind racing. Then, he turned to Ashman and said, "Let me talk with Cagalli. Why don't you all step outside for a moment?"
Hearing this, Ashman looked at Wang Hu. After a moment's consideration, he led the way out.
After everyone had left the tent, Wang Hu finally pointed out to Cagalli the potential misunderstandings that could arise from her leaving Desert Dawn at this moment.
"Huh?" After Wang Hu's explanation, the girl was utterly shocked, having never anticipated that her departure could lead to such consequences.
"Hah, just as I thought."
Seeing the girl's reaction, Wang Hu naturally knew she wasn't putting on an act for him.
But with her being like this, was it really possible to persuade her father, known as the Orb Lion, to join his plan?
"What kind of country is Orb?" Wang Hu abruptly threw this question at Cagalli.
"A beautiful, peaceful... and powerful nation."
The first two adjectives came quickly from Cagalli, but she hesitated slightly when it came to describing it as powerful.
Had she not witnessed the reinforcements from the East Asian Army today, that last adjective would probably have rolled off her tongue effortlessly.
But what she had seen today seemed to have shattered her idealized view of Orb.
"Do you know what kind of country Orb is in my eyes?"
Noticing the hesitation in Cagalli's tone, Wang Hu smiled faintly and continued.
"What kind?" Cagalli was curious about how Wang Hu viewed her country.
"A nation unworthy of its position."
Softly uttering this assessment, Wang Hu got to see the furious young lioness he expected.
"What?" Glaring angrily, Cagalli had anticipated that Wang Hu wouldn't have anything nice to say.
After all, back in Heliopolis, this guy's attitude toward Orb hadn't been great.
But the girl never expected him to dare give such an assessment right to her face.
Clenching her fists, Cagalli badly wanted to punch Wang Hu in the face and make him reconsider how he should evaluate Orb.
"Dawn Company and the Mass Driver for space exploration."
Facing the enraged girl, Wang Hu held up two fingers.
"Small countries should know their place. Trying to meddle in domains only major powers should enter will eventually bring retribution."
"What's wrong with that?"
Any fondness Cagalli had felt for Wang Hu was completely trampled underfoot after his remarks, and she even felt like stomping on it a few more times.
I must have been blind to have any affection for someone like this!
With reddened eyes, Cagalli demanded, "Just because Orb isn't a major power, does that mean even wanting to explore space and protect our country is wrong?"
"So you admit Orb isn't a major power." Wang Hu showed a surprised expression.
"What do you mean!"
Growing increasingly infuriated by Wang Hu's seemingly surprised but actually mocking expression, Cagalli could no longer contain her anger and charged forward.
"What does Orb want to do?"
As Cagalli rushed toward him, Wang Hu revealed an extremely cold expression right in front of the girl.
"What?"
Stunned, Cagalli halted her advance, frozen like an animal encountering its natural predator before Wang Hu's murderous gaze.
"There's nothing wrong with a country wanting to protect itself, and there's nothing wrong with a country seeking substantial development."
"Yet in the current era, within the present historical tide, Dawn Company's productivity has severely exceeded the scale of the Orb nation."
Staring at the petrified Cagalli, Wang Hu pressed his gaze upon her as he asked.
"As the fifth-ranked military production organization in the Earth Sphere aside from the three major nations and PLANT, can Dawn Company truly be said to exist solely for protecting Orb?"
"This—" With a parched throat, Cagalli couldn't answer the question, as she had never been well-versed in Orb's governmental affairs anyway.
"Even the three major nations only possess one Mass Driver each—aside from them, only Orb has one."
Not giving Cagalli's mind any time to recover, Wang Hu fired questions rapidly like a machine gun.
"Do you know how much manpower and resources were invested to barely construct the Mass Drivers with the strength of the three major nations?"
"In comparison, what did Orb use to build its Mass Driver? Space development has always a domain only powerful nations can dare to touch."
"Where did Orb get the resources? Where did it find the confidence to manufacture a Mass Driver and advance into space without hindering its own development?"
"Where did it come from?"
Right. It was only because of Wang Hu's questions that Cagalli began reflecting on the Mass Driver and Dawn Company.
The significance of Orb's proud Dawn Company's existence, and the fact that Orb hadn't slowed its own development while constructing the Mass Driver.
On the contrary, whether in the past or present, Orb had always been thriving.
Previously, Cagalli would have simply attributed this to her father's skillful governance, but Wang Hu made a valid point.
Orb's scale was fixed right there—its internal market environment was only so large. No matter how you calculated the economic accounts, the numbers simply wouldn't add up.
"You should at least know Dawn Company's production capacity, right?" Tapping Cagalli's little head, Wang Hu asked.
"N-not really." Cagalli, her mind in complete disarray, couldn't answer.
"Let's put it this way—if averaged per capita in Orb, every household would become an arsenal."
(End of Chapter)