Watching the scene before them—or rather, watching Dearka being unilaterally spun into a daze by Roz—Athrun and Cagalli subconsciously glanced at each other.
"You two... stop messing around here for a moment."
Ultimately, it was Cagalli who spoke up to stop the pair's antics.
"There are more important matters at hand."
"What is it? Go ahead."
Seeing Cagalli's solemn expression, Roz dropped his relaxed demeanor and looked at her.
"Roz, you need to head back to Industrial 7 first. Erica Simmons is working tirelessly on the new mobile suits and weapons; she needs your help."
Cagalli spoke earnestly. "As for Dearka, you'll go back to Industrial 7 with Roz for a unit upgrade. The Buster Gundam's performance is starting to fall behind."
"Are you serious? I'm leaving?!"
Hearing Cagalli's decision, Dearka grew anxious. "You're going to rely on Athrun and a Justice whose left arm has been turned into a temporary part to hold down the fort?"
Clearly, Cagalli's decision dissatisfied Dearka. Although he didn't say it out loud, in his heart, he had already come to view Orb as "his own side."
At the very least, Athrun and Lacus were definitely "on his side"... probably.
"Athrun's new machine will likely take a bit more time. Right now, whether it's Orb's industrial series satellites or Mendel, the operation speed of our industrial facilities has reached its limit."
At this point, Cagalli couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache. "Besides, ZAFT and the Earth Alliance probably won't have time to worry about us anyway."
"What do you mean?"
Hearing this, Athrun, who had been silent until now, frowned and looked at Cagalli.
"That's also the reason I came to find you all now."
Cagalli took a deep breath and explained the situation. "The Earth Alliance and ZAFT are continuously dispatching forces to gather near Gryps."
"The preparations for the final battle are about to begin. All it takes is a single spark to ignite this powder keg."
-----------------------------------
In the PLANT homeland, inside a ZAFT hangar.
Five cockpit-like simulation training machines were in operation; from within, the sounds of intense maneuvering could be heard from time to time. The training pod carrying the young girl named Agnes, in particular, emitted sounds of operation no less frantic than those of Shinn, acting as the vanguard, or Rey, acting as the long-range fire support.
Not far from these pods, the masked Rau Le Creuset stood before a massive screen, watching the simulated combat scenarios of the five units with great interest. These few days of mock battles had forced Le Creuset to admire Gilbert Durandal's eye for talent.
Yzak, as one of ZAFT's most elite Red Coats, had been defeated by only two people in his combat career: one was Athrun, and the other was Roz Links during the period he piloted the Jegan and Jesta. Such a brilliant record had not only established Yzak's status in the military but also shaped his character; it was a confidence that gave him the nerve to challenge even Kira Yamato. He was like the "Wall of Sighs" standing before other pilots; to even participate in a battle between Aces, one had to defeat him first.
Yet now, after several days of training, Shinn was already able to pilot the Destiny Gundam and fight Yzak's Duel Gundam Assault Shroud to a standstill. Although there was a generational gap in equipment, and the simulator could never perfectly replicate the sensation of a real cockpit, for Le Creuset, war didn't care about such things. A win was a win; once you lost, there was no chance for regret. At least up until now, no sense of "regret" had ever surfaced in Le Creuset's heart.
Beep, beep, beep...
An alarm sounded from the watch on his left wrist. Le Creuset glanced at the time, pulled a pillbox from his pocket, took out a few tablets, and stuffed them into his mouth. A bitter taste flooded his oral cavity, but to him, the bitterness of the medicine could not compare to the cruelty of his own fate.
On the display screen, the perspective of Agnes's Saviour showed her being shot down by Nicol in the Blitz Gundam, as per usual.
"How much time do you have left?"
A familiar voice sounded behind Le Creuset. Still wearing his councilman's uniform that resembled a white lab coat, Durandal walked into the warehouse and came to Le Creuset's side. He looked up at the video feed where the three pilots he favored were being suppressed by two "obsolete" machines. To any discerning eye, the gap in skill between the pilots was obvious.
Hearing Durandal's voice, Le Creuset smiled and replied without turning his head.
"At least enough to finish the final battle. No problem."
"I see... just look after yourself."
Durandal, who had long understood just how terminally ill his friend's body was, did not choose to offer any comforting words; he simply accepted the fact calmly.
"Has the time for the operation been set?"
"The time is fixed. Additionally, you may have to head to the front lines along with that 'thing' that was just completed." Durandal turned his head. "After all, strictly speaking, that thing is your personal unit."
"Ho. Then I thank you for the gift." Recalling that "big fellow," Le Creuset couldn't help but let out a smile. "What kind of power will it exert... I truly look forward to it."
"Don't be careless. This battlefield has been chosen near Gryps on Earth... at the very least, Gryps must be taken out." Recalling the Council's decision, Durandal felt a headache coming on. "Regardless of the final outcome, this is the final battle. At that time, GENESIS will also be present."
"I imagine you must be very happy right now." Durandal knew his friend's wicked personality well and mentioned it casually.
"Mm... after all, the scene is getting more and more spectacular. It's quite exciting." Hearing this news, Le Creuset was first surprised, but then felt a rush so intense it was as if he wanted to drill a hole in his temple.
As the two chatted idly, the simulation training finally ended with Shinn and Yzak, and Rey and Nicol, both pairs taking each other down simultaneously. In the end, as elite Red Coats with maximized training time and combat experience, Yzak and Nicol had managed to force a draw against the "fast-tracked" new generation of Red Coats like Shinn, despite the generational gap in their machines.
The hatches of the five training pods opened. Several youths in red uniforms stepped out and walked behind Durandal and Le Creuset.
"Well... this simulation training camp ends here." Le Creuset smiled and turned to nod at the five Red Coats. "Now, Yzak and Nicol, return to your units and prepare to head to the front with me. Shinn, Rey, and Agnes, your command is transferred to Councilman Durandal."
"The final battle is approaching. Get ready, everyone." At this, Le Creuset's smile became even more brilliant. "You must survive, everyone."
"Dismissed."
Despite Le Creuset giving the order to disperse, the five Red Coats remained stationary. Agnes actually wanted to leave, but seeing her "seniors" and her peers who could fight those seniors to a draw staying put, she instinctively stood there with them. Le Creuset, however, didn't care. He turned and left the hangar, humming an unknown little tune along the way.
"...Do you have something to ask me, Captain Joule?" Seeing the way Yzak looked like he wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut, Durandal smiled and took the lead to start the conversation.
"Councilman Durandal... do you believe this battle has any meaning?" Yzak hesitated for a moment before asking. "Whether it's our clone troops or the Earth Alliance's 'wetware' units... after fighting for so long, besides instinctive, meaningless slaughter, does this battle have any other meaning?"
Having experienced such a long conflict, Yzak was feeling weary. Every time it was a meat-grinder battle between clone units and Earth Alliance wetware; the feeling of life being continuously snatched away was beginning to make him numb. This caused him to break into a cold sweat. The question of "what am I fighting for" paced through his mind, unanswered.
"I don't know."
Durandal's answer exceeded everyone's expectations. After all, many of ZAFT's research achievements came from Durandal's hand; would such a wise man use the word "don't know"?
"What the meaning of this long battle is, neither you nor I can say clearly." Durandal had clearly guessed the general thoughts behind the surprised expressions of the Red Coats, and spoke somewhat helplessly. "So, if you want to know the meaning of it all, then survive. Let this battle be judged by our descendants."
"...Do you think this war will ever end?" Yzak remained silent for a long time before speaking. "Will an era where the younger generation can live peacefully under a blue sky truly arrive?"
As a front-line soldier, Yzak had always held a pessimistic attitude toward the "end" of this battle.
"I don't know. I hope it ends..." When Durandal said this, he couldn't help but think of that pure white silhouette fighting near the agricultural satellites. In a daze, Durandal regained his focus and looked at Shinn among the five.
"But it's not just me; many people are working toward that goal. Working to end the war, working so that the next generation can see the blue sky." Durandal sighed, reached out, and patted Yzak's shoulder. "But regardless, Yzak, think more. You must think more."
"There will always be a way."
-----------------------------------
Compared to ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, who had already begun mobilization, the Kingdom of Foundation on Earth was currently mired in its own troubles.
"How much longer until the calibration of the units is complete?"
Walking through an underground hangar, Orphee Lam Tro, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Foundation, looked up at the machines before him. In addition to the Black Knight units which were clearly mass-produced models, there were two specific machines—one black and one white—that had obviously undergone specialized adjustments.
"The units will be ready for use within the week," a researcher in a white lab coat explained as he walked behind Orphee.
"Not enough. Speed it up further."
Orphee frowned at the researcher's words. "The hyenas of Blue Cosmos won't just sit around leisurely and wait for us."
For some unknown reason—perhaps due to the delivery schedule of the Kingdom of Foundation's space battleships—those hounds of Blue Cosmos had caught a scent of the relationship between the Kingdom of Foundation and PLANT and were now relentlessly investigating them.
Naturally, as the Prime Minister and Queen Aura Maha Khyber, Orphee and Aura had already prepared for an evacuation from Earth. However, rather than leaving "with their tails between their legs," Aura believed it was better to deal a crushing blow to those annoying "hyenas" who kept harassing them before they left—at the very least, they needed to break their legs.
Since they were already planning a "Foundation Great Retreat" similar to Orb's, there was no longer any need to maintain a facade.
"But... unlike the Orb evacuation, our retreat plan cannot take the citizens with us..."
A female voice rang out. Orphee turned his head toward the figure speaking. It was a woman with blue-violet hair, looking at Orphee with a face full of worry.
"Furthermore, given the current situation between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, if we head into space..."
"We have no choice, Ingrid."
Orphee cut off the woman named Ingrid, stating the cruel reality: "Stay on Earth and we die besieged by the Earth Alliance; go to space and we die caught in the war. We don't have a third option."
"But if we go to space... at least the Earth United Government won't make things difficult for the civilians who know nothing." Orphee turned to look at the white machine decorated with gold accents. "And only in space can we possibly find a slim chance of survival."
"But once we're in space... if it's Durandal, he will surely make us deal with the Orb military," Ingrid analyzed. "There is nothing more suitable for attacking a third-party force than another third-party force."
"That is the downside, and it's why I said that slim chance of survival is only a possibility." Orphee sighed.
He looked up at the steel-covered ceiling, but his gaze seemed to pierce through the roof, staring directly into the infinite cosmos.
"After all, Foundation is a puppet on a string. We must perform the most magnificent dance amidst these tangled threads if we hope to avoid being dismantled."
...................