Phase-25: S.E.E.D. factor
The four elite soldiers of the Le Creuset Team had removed their wetsuits and diving apparatus and dressed into worker uniforms. The inside men gave them forged identity cards and a sort of PDA. That ID would get them into Area 1 but from there a system was in place to check specific data on each individual. Nothing could be done on such short notice. However, before they left, they were given a final warning.
"Well don't overdo it. I don't want any commotion. I'd rather let the lion continue sleeping."
The foursome left the shore and walked through a forest. They arrived at the edge of a cliff overlooking the military harbour of Onogoro. As they looked down, Athrun remembered when he had met Seren in Heliopolis and he had been about to kill her and later on that deserted island when she had aimed at him with a gun, when she had cried, when they had almost kissed... and also...
"My name is Seren Elvira Ledford!" The Ledford, one of the five noble families of Orb and owners of Astria Industries... The boy closed his eyes and walked away with Nicol while Yzak and Dearka headed in the opposite direction.
"Work party number 6, begin working on dock 13." A voice ordered.
"Engine and hull crews, standby in room 7." Another instructed. All the work had been properly divided and from deciders to doers, the efficiency of the people here was simply astounding. Neumann expressed his surprise that the repairs had already begun. Natarle voiced her agreement. That was truly something they should be grateful for. But one could still detect in her voice a note of caution and dissatisfaction about something. They were standing on the causeway in the bridge, right above the pilot's seat, and looking through the large window at the people working below. The captain entered and bade them good morning. The crew saluted and greeted her back.
"Technicians have already arrived from Morgenroete and have already begun the repairs." Badgiruel reported.
"Right. Where are Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ledford?"
"An escort took them to the factory with the Strike and the Blast." The Lieutenant JG answered. Ramius thanked her. But then her vice-captain looked really discontent, as if she wanted to say something. Murrue asked what it was.
"Nothing. I believe this would be an ideal opportunity to do a thorough check of the internal systems as well." Natarle replied and left. Again, her superior thanked her, but this time her tone was a little curter. Both knew the concerns of the Lieutenant about the situation and the opinions of the Commander who had chosen to overlook them. No use saying anything now.
At the Morgenroete main office, senior engineer Erica Simmons, 30, was compiling a vocal report. As Seren had remarked at Artemis, it was clear that the mobile suits' potential was far greater than imagined by those who came up with the concept. She paused the recording and took a call. It was from her beloved son Yuuta. Mommy was still working and wouldn't be back until late at night, after Yuuta had gone to bed so he must have diner with dad. In exchange she promised to be there for her next day off. She rarely broke her promises after all. She told him to listen to his daddy, take a bath and brush his teeth like a good boy. She ended the call. Erica Simmons was very dedicated to her work but also very devoted to her family and had a picture of them stuck to a corner of her computer. She restarted the recording.
According to the report submitted by the Colonel Ledonir Kisaka, the power of the Earth Forces mobile suits was simply overwhelming. However the possibility of bringing out this potential greatly relied on the abilities of the pilot. She commanded the attachement of a file and after Kisaka's picture, Kira's and Seren's image and data appeared on the screen. The conclusions she had drawn were based on a set of battle records acquired on Kira Yamato, pilot of the X105 Strike, and Seren Elvira Ledford, pilot of the X216 Blast and that was from the moment they boarded the machines in Heliopolis, and completely rewrote the OS (after cursing them) before fighting a GINN and the X303 Aegis. It had been pointed out from early on that the operation systems would have to be improved. Fundamentally, it was an unavoidable fact that the abilities of Coordinators are superior to that of Naturals. It was clear that if the performance of the interface was equal, Coordinator were better able to bring out the full potential of the machine. That had been proven in the difference of movements when Murrue Ramius piloted the Strike and when Kira Yamato piloted it. He had destroyed a GINN.
For Naturals to match the same effectiveness as Coordinators when piloting mobile suits, they would require software that much more advanced. However, it was ironic that Coordinators had to be relied upon to take on that job although it was an emergency situation. In the end, the Earth Forces had to rely on Coordinators thought to be the enemy in order to develop weaponry to battle Coordinators. And it's the same here at Orb. She commanded the attachement of a hyperlink 'Contributions of Latent Coordinators to the Weapons Industry of our Nation'. The PLANT technicians who first sent mobile suits into the battlefield believed the weapons that took control of outer space would eventually control the direction of the war. Such weapons had to be more mobile than the fighter planes and possess no less than a battleship's firepower. They also had to have armor stronger than that of a tank allowing it to survive under extreme conditions. The main points of this opinion were correct. As a fact, the whole 8th Fleet of the Earth army which only had mobile armors, had been annihilated by the four stolen Xnumbers and GINNS.
But they had overlooked just one point. The superiority of those mobile suits was not limited to outer space. ZAFT persistently chased the Earth Forces space battleship Archangel that had loaded the Strike and Blast and escaped Heliopolis. As a result, the Archangel failed in its descent to Earth and had no choice but to land in ZAFT territory. Perhaps it was superfluous information but there appeared to be limitations in the Archangel's command personel. There were only three commissioned officers, the captain and vice-captain often clashed and the third one generally sided with the captain. Although they had been successful in eluding ZAFT's attacks, much of that was attributed to coincidences and the battle achievements of Kira Yamato, Seren Ledford, the Strike, and the Blast. Eventually, the question of the nature and rationality of the Archangel's top officers shall be addressed. Indeed, the decisions of the Archangel's captain had often been based on emotions, or instinct, notably when it came to those two Coordinators. A good example would be when Seren went missing and Ramius-kanchou wanted to look for her despite them being in ZAFT territory.
In Lybia, where the Archangel had landed, they were attacked by Andrew Waltfeld, known as the Desert Tiger, one of ZAFT's top commanders. Leaving aside whether tigers live in deserts or not, his team composed of BuCUES – mobile suits designed for ground combat – and war helicopters. For the Strike and Blast, which were trial products in the first place, battling in the desert proved extremely difficult. However, Seren Ledford showed remarkable adaptability in using the Blast's capability for flight in the atmosphere. And both she and Kira Yamato pulled off an unbelievable stunt changing the control programm during battle to overcome danger. In the end, they defeated all the BuCUEs, helicopters, and Kira Yamato even defeated the brand new mobile suit LaGOWE, piloted by Waltfeld himself.
The Archangel proceeded to the Red Sea. However, ZAFT had been waiting, having cast a net across the sea. To counter the flying mobile suit DINN, and the underwater models ZnO and GOOhN, the Archangel adds the support fighter plane, Skygrasper, to back up the Strike and Blast, increasing the flexibility in their use. Their underwater combat record also showed surprising adaptability. The sheer efficiency and complementarity of the Kira Yamato/Seren Ledford combination should be noted. When one protected the Archangel the other attacked from within the enemy line. When Kira Yamato fought the enemy commander, Seren Ledford decimated their troops. Their abilities surpassed those of other Coordinators. It was only a supposition as it was not even her field but Erica Simmons still wanted to bring to mind a matter that had once appeared in an academic journal and had given rise to debate. It was the Superior Evolutionary Element Destined factor. And as such, if possible, she'd like to conduct a continuous, precise and thorough research on Kira Yamato and Seren Ledford. But after thinking, she deleted the latest entry about the Superior Evolutionary Element Destined factor and the research on the two Coordinators. And she ended the recording. Chief Simmons saved the file she protected with a password and terminated the session.
Just on cue, a worker rang the bell and entered after she had authorized him to tell he had brought Ensign Kira Yamato and Ensign Seren Ledford. She thanked him, removed her earpiece and left with him.
The Strike and the Blast were on some sort of giant freight elevator (just a platform in fact) that took them down to the deepest level of the factory. And soon, their pilots, dressed in their Earth Forces uniforms, were walking along with Chief Simmons. When the boy asked where they were she told him that complete repairs on the Strike an Blast were possible here since he could say this was the home of the Strike's and Blast's parents.
"Over there. This is what I'd like you to see." Erica said as they entered a hangar. Kira gasped. It was full of mass-produced human-shaped mobile suits. "There's nothing to be that surprised about. Since you did first see the Strike at Heliopolis. Seren-sama is not surprised at all. She just looks very angry." The woman smiled. Seren-sama kept quiet. Indeed, she had been looking extremely sour and if she was to talk to that person it would only be to release her caustic poison. So she held back for now.
"This is the true face of Orb, the so-called 'neutral nation'!" Cagalli said, obviously not in a good mood either. She was back in her red t-shirt and cargo pants. Seren noticed the red mark on her right cheek. Simmons presented the M1 Astrays, made by the Morgenroete and belonging to the Orb military. Kira naively asked what Orb planned to do with them. "They're here to protect Orb. You know, right? Orb will not invade another nation, will not allow another nation to invade, and will not intervene in the conflicts of other nations. This gives us the power to guarantee that. Orb is such a nation. No, it is supposed to be such a nation... until my father betrayed it that is."
"Huh?"
"Oh my, you're still saying that? How many times have I told you that it isn't true? Lord Uzumi had no idea that Heliopolis was helping the Earth Force with mobile suits development-"
"Shut up! Do you seriously think such an excuse is acceptable?! He was the nation's Chief Representative! If he didn't in fact know, that in itself is a crime!" The girl interrupted Chief Simmons.
"That's why he took responsibility."
"You mean handing the duties to uncle and blurting out a bunch of nonsense?! Nothing has changed!"
"It cannot be helped. Uzumi-sama is very important to the present Orb."
"How can you say that about that coward?"
"To think Uzumi-sama lavished so much love and care on you over the years, he will be saddened." Erica sighed. Cagalli sharply and stubbornly turned away but with still a slightly guilty expression. "In addition, I'm not surprised to see you get slapped after how you were during yesterday's commotion." The woman continued. The blonde touched her stinging cheek with the back of her fist like it was nothing before asking Seren how it had gone for her.
"I received an apology. He felt guilty for not having been able to prevent that. And I also received an earful for yesterday's commotion that I should have kept quiet, and I should have known about the act by the military."
"But you knew about it, I heard you had predicted all that." Kira argued.
"I told you I'm not a fortune teller. I deduce the likeliest courses of actions given my knowledge of the factors and my instinct. And yes, I emitted that possibility but I didn't have any guarantee. We should have been shot down by the Orb fleet. That would have been the most rational solution. In doubt, I had to use all my cards."
"But to think you were from the Ledford family... and..." Cagalli began.
"You're talking about that?" Seren asked, showing her stone pendant.
"So you were really..."
"Yes. Even though both our fathers are Orb representatives, we didn't see each other much. And after what happened I practically had no contacts with people from here and started an entirely new life. And it looks like we only truly remembered each other just recently. But you know, I had guessed quite quickly that you were Uzumi-sama's daughter, although I wasn't sure either. Given how you behaved, how the Resistance was with you, how Colonel Kisaka was with you... you're so honest and spontaneous it would be plain impossible for you to succeed an infiltration mission." The dark haired girl explained and smiled teasingly in the end.
"What did you say?!"
"But I want to thank you again for this pendant. It has served me and protected me well." Seren said, suddenly so soft, so kind, so ingenuous.
"I-it wasn't much." Cagalli replied, flustered. Somehow, she would always feel completely helpless and submissive when Seren would have that expression and tone.
"So my safety and well-being aren't much..." The young female Coordinator teased again while looking sad. But she was unable to subdue the mischievous light in her eyes.
"I didn't say that!" the impulsive tomboy fell for it.
"Yes you did."
"You know what I meant!"
"Now, now, come with me you two." Erica said, amused, as she touched Kira's and Seren's shoulders.
The four entered a control room. Beyond the glass, three Astrays were on standby.
"Asagi, Juri, Mayura!"
"Yes!" The three women replied in the same time. They recognized Cagalli-sama and made a remark about her return. They sounded like older sisters who were coolly humoring a capricious child who had ran away on a whim while they had patiently waited for her fancy to pass without caring much. Cagalli stubbornly excused herself. Kira looked at her like he was a bit concerned about her feelings but Seren had turned away and was stifling her giggles. The test began on Erica's order. The mobile suits moved but were far too slow, too stiff and lacked range.
"Nothing's changed." The Orb princess lamented.
"But they're almost twice as fast now." Chief Simmons noted. Kira looked at her with a shocked and worried expression. With such limited mobility there was nothing they could do! Of course, Seren was of the same opinion. And so was Cagalli.
"But at this rate, they'd be defeated instantly. They'd be of no use out there except as targets for the enemy." Athha continued bluntly.
"You're so cruel!" Asagi Caldwell whined. She had chin-length wavy blonde hair and blue eyes and could be considered the effective leader of the test pilots trio. She was sixteen-year-old, just like her two friends.
"But it's the truth!" Cagalli retorted.
"Even though you don't know anything of others' hardships!" Mayura Labatt complained too. She had short ear-length dark red hair, purple eyes, and a tomboyish demeanor.
"The enemy won't know or care about that either!" The combative princess shot back.
"You can't even pilot this thing!" Juri Wu Nien argued. She could be identified by her straight shoulder-length dark blue hair and amber eyes behind her large pink glasses.
"You've said it now! Then let me switch with you!" Cagalli snapped. Erica stopped the conflict but entirely agreed with Cagalli.
"That's why you want to make them stronger, like our Strike and Blast. You want our technical cooperation in order to develop a support Operation System allowing Naturals to use mobile suits on the same level as Coordinators." Ledford concluded.
"That's right." The woman confirmed.
"You know, I heard a few things. Uzumi-sama and my father didn't know about the G project, but you did. You helped in their creation. You knew from your old friend Professor Kato. You also used Heliopolis to develop the prototypes of the Astrays. Unlike me and Kira who didn't have much of a choice in our do or die situation, you knowingly worked for the Earth Forces despite being a Coordinator yourself. Surely you thought that not much could be done with the OS from that time especially since the pilots were to be Naturals and the risks were minimal but things didn't go as planned. And instead of reporting and protecting Heliopolis, you used us and the Earth Alliance to gain as much data as possible for your Astrays." Seren spat, her voice dripping with venom and her fierce and seething glare boring into the senior engineer's. Kira looked shocked before his surprise turned into a frown full of resentment
"Oh my, it seems I've really made myself hated. Where did you hear that?" Erica questioned. Seren kept silent. "I see. Your family really loves talking... and knowing everything, and you're also very devoted to your members. But surely you've only heard half and deduced the other half. That's a Ledford for you. Indeed, you're right. But if you know that much, then surely you also understand why I did it..."
"Because there are things that can't be protected without fighting. And to fight, and to win, you need machines that are stronger and more efficient. If Orb is seriously attacked by ZAFT or the Earth Alliance now, it won't hold out for long." The girl looked down.
"And that's why you will still cooperate no matter how disgusted you are with my way of doing things." Simmons smiled. The two young Coordinators frowned before looking at the Astrays with mitigated expressions.
For the sake of peace, we use the power of destruction, because we don't know any better. To kill or be killed, are there no other alternatives? When each of our battles has only brought more battles, is it really alright for us to hope? Will this hope lead us to peace? We have no choice but to look for a way within the increasing heat of the spreading flames of war.