Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny. They belong to their respective copyright owners and publishers. Th story is not for sale or rent.

Phase 15: Repercussions

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Part 1

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Athha Family compound

ORB

It was rare for the leaders of ORB's five Great Clans to gather together in the homes of one of them to discuss business. Such arrangements usually happened on more or less neutral ground outside of various events everyone used as an opportunity to network and push their agenda. These days, it was rarer for a representative of the Sahaku family to join such meetings, for the twins leading the clan retreated from overt politics after the death of their father. However, it was no surprise that Rondo Mina Sahaku was one of the attendees, considering her twin brother was on Ame-no-Mihashira, which was now under ZAFT control.

Needless to say, the atmosphere among ORB's most powerful nobles was tense. Uzumi Athha's famous neutral stance failed to keep their nation out of the war, and even worse, it tarnished their reputation in the process due to his daughter's escapades.

Misspent youth was something many of the gathering nobles were familiar with. Yet, young Cagali Athha's stunts went far beyond what was deemed acceptable eccentricity for a young heir. Her escapades in Africa, combined with the Heliopolis disaster, were the reasons why ORB was now at war, courting yet another disaster. It was clear who was to blame. Yet, making the Athhas' take the blame could be politically tricky for various obvious and not-so-obvious reasons.

"Lady Sahaku," Homura Nara Athha greeted the last member of the Noble Clans, who was to arrive in the secure meeting room of the estate. Metal shutters closed over the windows, and security measures came into effect, ensuring no enterprising reporter or rival would be able to listen to the terse discussion to be had.

Uzumi Athha's younger brother was the informal chairman of the meeting. For the moment, the clan leaders let him maintain the polite fiction that as ORB's Chief Representative, he actually ran their country instead of deferring to his older brother for all decisions that mattered. At least the Lion of Orb had the grace to look disturbed by the recent events in orbit, Tatsuki Mashima mussed. He looked over his peers, ignoring Homura's polite, empty platitudes as he thanked them for attending. The man almost acted like the Athhas were doing the rest of the Clans a favor by allowing them here instead of coming to demand answers and changes.

Heliopolis was a tragedy he couldn't entirely blame on Uzumi and the Athhas. It took some digging, bribes, and flexing economic muscles to get representatives from Morgenorette to admit to the truth with credible enough proof, but now, Tatsuki knew the truth. His family and the Sierans weren't the only ones who had much to lose if the war-ravaged key Earth Alliance members. ORB as a whole, and their clans, in particular, depended on international trade. A ZAFT victory would be bad enough. The longer the war continued before its eventual conclusion, the more it disrupted trade and forced governments to reallocate key resources into their militaries to the exclusion of everything they could get away with. That meant a nearly ruinous hit to international shipping and commerce.

Mashima had to grudgingly admit that Morgenroette and the Sahakus seized an opportunity, deftly sidestepping Uzumi's pacifistic stance to work with the Earth Alliance. If ZAFT had been none the wiser for long enough, they could have changed the course of the war and reaped lucrative contracts for as much military equipment as they could produce for the Alliance.

Instead, ZAFT destroyed Heliopolis, and Morgenroette lost critical data, especially concerning key foreign technologies that made the G-weapons as potent as they were. As a consequence, ORB's Mobile Suits entering limited mass production were inferior models compared to the prototypes, and not just because those were technology demonstrators as much as weapons of war.

The Sahaku's involvement in that debacle could have been overlooked, especially after Uzumi officially took the blame and stepped down, even though he retained all the relevant power through his brother. Just like young Cagali's escapades could have been overlooked if not for the latest disaster they brought to ORB. That was the reality of power – if you had enough of it, you could usually get away with mistakes that would get other people crucified over.

The loss of the Pillar of Heaven was one blow too many. The truth was that right now, ORB was at war with PLANT, and ZAFT had a task force above their heads. Those ships and Mobile Suits neutralized what military assets ORB had in space, putting them in a much worse situation than they were mere hours ago.

Tatsuki met Unato Ema Seiran's eyes, sharing a look of understanding. No matter what Uzumi wanted, his actions and mishandling of the situation led to war. They might be able to blame most of it on ZAFT warmongering, though doing so would be playing with fire. There were many Coordinators in ORB who might be less than happy with such a narrative. Keeping them safe from ORB's natural allies now, the Earth Alliance, and the Atlantic Federation in particular, was going to be another challenging problem they had to face now, all because of Uzumi.

Things might have been different if ORB had entered the conflict at a time and place of its own choosing. Besides, unless ZAFT achieved a fast victory or collapsed early, it was virtually guaranteed that ORB couldn't maintain neutrality forever. They had a Mass Driver. Controlling it or denying it to the enemy was of critical strategic importance for both sides in the war.

Sieran looked pointedly at Uzumi when he spoke.

"Chief Representative Homura," he stressed the title the man was making a mockery of. "Your family's politics of pacifism and neutrality failed catastrophically. Tell us what course you are charting for ORB now."

The younger Athaa glanced at his brother for guidance, practically dispersing with the charade about who was running ORB and making things simpler. These games were tiresome, and they didn't have time to play them properly anyway.

"We will, of course, condemn ZAFT's unprovoked aggression and do our utmost to get our people and Ame-no-Mihashira back intact," Uzumi spoke. "However, we must be cautious about how we approach those goals. Otherwise, the scope of our conflict with ZAFT might encompass the rest of our nation. We must avoid involvement with the broader war, even if it means temporarily losing control of the orbital complex. If ZAFT continues with its attacks upon us, we will naturally defend ourselves to the best of our ability. Nevertheless, such an eventuality must be avoided at all costs."

This was typical for Uzumi, Tatsuki thought with bitter regret. The man had charisma, and his goals were lofty, making it easy to agree with them. Of equal importance was the little fact that peace was good for business, even if you were Morgenroette and the Sahakus.

The most pressing problem in handling the Athhas' was that the elected government bought what Uzumi sold. Too many people were fine with him "advising" his brother after stepping down like a great statesman who made a regrettable mistake. That made resolving the ongoing crisis more complicated than it should have been.

"Condemn ZAFT?" Rondo Mina asked lightly. For her to butt in was as dangerous as Uzumi's continued adherence to his ideals, considering the Sahaku's involvement. "I don't think that will be enough."

She didn't point out that ZAFT held her brother within their grasp, just like everyone on the Pillar of Heaven.

"Diplomacy is our only option, even though our position is not good," Homura admitted.

"Time for diplomacy has passed, I fear," Tatsuki interjected. "I am afraid that my family can no longer support your commendable pursuit of peace and neutrality, Uzumi," Mashima pointedly ignored the younger brother.

"I concur," Sieran backed him.

"Heliopolis was bad enough. Attacking Ame-no-Mihashira must be a step too far for even you to just ignore!" Rondo Mina pushed.

Tatsuki wondered what game she was playing and if she was doing it in the first place. It was possible that she was rusty in dealing with politics beyond the boardroom after she and her brother distanced the Sahakus from running ORB.

"We are not ignoring the attack on Ame-no-Mihashira," Uzumi calmly countered. "However, we will not give ZAFT an excuse to invade us to deny our Mass Driver to the Earth Alliance. We won't let anyone exploit ORB!"

"That is a commendable sentiment, Uzumi Athha," Umito Mitsu Kiou joined the simmering argument. "Reality seems to disagree with your ideals. We are at war. That is a fact, and we must base our decisions based on facts, not wishful thinking. What you've hoped to avoid is at our doorsteps. We should be discussing how to handle the conflict forced upon us, not how to desperately try to avoid it now that it is too late to do so!"

"I wholeheartedly agree!" Sieran seized the opening that Kiou gave him. "ZAFT made our choice for us. We are at war and have a singular realistic option now." He didn't say out loud that they should join the Earth Alliance now, but everyone knew what he was talking about.

Meanwhile, Uzumi's face hardened. "Many of our citizens are Coordinators. Aligning with a faction led by the Atlantic Federation would condemn them. You all know that Blue Cosmos will be voted into uncontested power over there in a matter of weeks. In less than two months, they will be fully in place to exercise their despicable agendas. Are those the people you want us to join?"

Of course, that was the elephant in the room, which made choosing sides in the ongoing war a tough proposition for a nation like ORB with many Coordinator citizens. Blue Cosmos was poison with too much influence, and it was about to grow exponentially. PLANT might have been a better alternative if economic concerns weren't an issue, at least before they seeded most of Earth with their N-Jammers.

Uzumi's argument was honestly reasonable. Maintaining the well-being of ORB's Coordinator citizens would be an issue after becoming allies with the Earth Alliance.

However, there were ways to mitigate it. Like requesting assistance from the Eurasian Federation instead of the Atlantic Federation. Besides, the AF had to focus on holding Panama, while the EF's Pacific Fleet was moving to support future operations aimed at Victoria. It could be redirected with the troops it could carry to hold ORB's Mass Driver. That would relieve the Eurasians' pressure to fight their way through the African Community and ZAFT forces in Africa.

"The answer is simple, even if it will require deft diplomacy. We turn to the Eurasian Federation for military support while keeping the Atlantic Federation at arms-reach," Tatsuki shared his thoughts on the matter. "We will, of course, make our ports available for them to ship supplies to their base on the Moon and the fleets stationed there, but keep their forces away from our shores."

Murmurs of agreement followed, save from the Athhas. Mashima wondered if Uzumi would cling to his hopes of neutrality like an anchor that would drown him and cripple his family's political power for generations to come.

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Part 2

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Days after ZAFT captured ORB's Pillar of Heaven, diplomats from PLANT, the African Community, and ORB attempted to steer the course of the war in a way diplomacy hasn't been relevant since the conflict began. The sides were set, with everyone relevant for the warfighting as a part of the Earth Alliance or aligned with PLANT. ORB was the sole exception due to a combination of possessing a Mass Driver and an advanced aerospace industry, which allowed them access to technologies and resources needed to build the space station of Heliopolis and Ame-no-Mihashira. The latter was meant to serve as an anchor for a future space elevator and advanced industrial center.

The only real surprise was that under Uzumi Nara Athha's deft leadership, ORB retained neutrality for as long as it did before it was forced to take a side, or so it seemed. Morgenroete developed prototype Mobile Suits at Heliopolis for the Earth Alliance, and the actions of the Chief Representative's daughter in the African Community painted a different picture. One of ORBs using its neutrality as a shield to support the Earth Alliance and cause issues for ZAFT. Despite a large percentage of its population being Coordinators, though not a majority, it made sense that political and economic interests would bind the country closer to its chief trade partners on Earth instead of to PLANT...

Chief Representative Uzumi Nara Athha's true intentions remain a mystery despite his constant public addresses and speeches claiming he wanted peace and for ORB to retain its neutrality at nearly any reasonable cost. Was he a true believer, overtaken by events, or a political mastermind using a public persona to gain advantage?

What we know for sure is that even as Athha condemned ZAFT's attack on the Pillar of Heaven yet requested negotiations to avoid escalating the conflict into a full-scale war, factions within ORB had other ideas. The only question was whether they had the Chief Representative's blessing or acted in spite of his proclaimed intentions.

Shortly after Athha made his infamous speech following the fall of the Pillar of Heaven, ORB diplomats approached their Eurasian Federation counterparts with a set of proposals that would conditionally join the Earth Alliance and the wider war.

From The Lion of ORB: A devoted pacifist or devious political mastermind?

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Our relationship with the Eurasian Federation has been complicated since PLANT's inception. It is no secret that the Eurasians paid for many of the industrial colonies we seized when we proclaimed our independence. That was an economic blow they simply couldn't recover from by the time the war began. Those colonies were Eurasia's future, and losing them set the diplomatic tone between us for years to come. Deft diplomacy could have defused the key issues between our nations. However, painful concessions would have been involved in the long run – something PLAN simply couldn't afford with Blue Cosmos spreading their poison worldwide, notably the Atlantic Federation.

The Eurasian Federation was resistant to that message due to painful examples in their past about where it ultimately led – both from the Second World War, the chaotic years leading to the Reconstruction War, and the formation of the EF itself. That only makes what followed so much more tragic because if things were different, the Eurasians could have been our allies, or at least a neutral party. For all their economic woes, they had the second most powerful military on Earth. Despite the issues it faced, its economy and industry were also powerful and advanced. Most importantly, most of them didn't hate us for being Coordinators.

Then ZAFT launched Operation Uroboros, and for all intents and purposes, diplomacy outside of dealing with our allies died. The N-Jammers were meant to neutralize the EA's nuclear weapons and cripple their economy by shutting down the nuclear power plants. As a bonus, radar, radio, and precision weapons guidance were disabled by the device's side effects. That was meant as a less-lethal means to cripple Earth without going for a full strategic exchange, which was the only other option ZAFT had after Junius Seven. ZAFT couldn't win a long conventional war in space or on the ground without the N-Jammers crippling Earth's military and industry.

Suppose someone had considered the other side-effects of the devices. In that case, PLANT's Supreme Council might have rethought the deployment orders, or they might have changed nothing in the aftermath of the atrocity that sparked the war.

After Operation Uroboros, it didn't really matter. The moment the N-Jammers activated, power across most of the Earth Alliance cut off. Replenishables and batteries could do only so much. Unanticipated effects from the way those devices disrupted radio waves meant that tens of thousands died worldwide due to being at the wrong time and place.

Then, the medical infrastructure of the EA nations collapsed overnight, for despite government efforts, maintaining power in all hospitals was a high task. That led to the second wave of deaths caused by the N-Jammers.

The third was due to climate change over the past centuries. In too many places, habitation was possible due to heating during the winter and air conditioning during heat waves. Seasons changed as well. Late spring and early summer saw cold fronts in the Northern Hemisphere, followed by heat waves that killed hundreds of thousands each, with people freezing or dying from heat strokes. The death toll due to the compromised medical systems skyrocketed, leading to millions dying worldwide.

After that, it was no wonder Blue Cosmos won the next election in the Atlantic Federation in a landslide unseen in its whole history. The only surprise is that the Eurasians didn't follow suit.

Too many of them still hated our guts now, just not for what we were, but for what we did. And wonder of wonders, after they started winning unlikely victories, PLANT's Council requested that I go over there to negotiate a cease-fire and potentially the Eurasians ending the war and letting the rest of the Earth Alliance hang.

Why not also ask to bring back everyone who died at Junius Seven?

From the diary of Clark Tybolt, PLANT Ambassador to the African Community

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Geneva, Switzerland
Eurasian Federation

Foreign Minister Alpizar and Director Vanko Borodin rarely came to visit President Mariah Duboa together. It usually happened when they came to attend meetings requiring their presence. Today, that was not the case. Luis requested and arranged the meeting with the EF's chief spy in tow. That was enough to pique Mariah's interest, especially when it happened shortly after ZAFT attacked ORB. In the following days, diplomats from the African Community and ORB extended diplomatic feelers. Still, until now, there was nothing concrete the President's people could give her.

"Madam President," Borodin nodded politely and shuffled to a nearby chair.

The Director of the Federal Informational Service was beginning to show his age, and it was becoming increasingly clear he would be retiring soon after the war ended. Despite recent positive developments, the stress of the job and his advanced age were increasingly taking their toll on the old man.

"We finally have something tangible from both ORB and PLANT, more the former than the latter," the Foreign Minister offered Duboa a sealed folder before taking a seat as well. "These are copies of the official missives we got. To summarize, ORB is ready to join the war as a part of the Earth Alliance, conditional on our military assistance. Due to political concerns," Louis made air quotes at that, "they don't want Atlantic Federation forces to set up shop on their shores."

"Blue Cosmos," Borodin interjected. "Smart that. They've got too many Coordinators over there to let those goons run rampant, and it's not like they've had the best part of two continents to hide them."

Mariah nodded grimly. It would be a bland-faced lie to say that racism was dead across Eurasia. However, when Coordinators, in particular, were concerned, issues were relatively few and far between. Blue Cosmos rhetoric and actions harkened back to the blackest days of the Federation's member states, and no one sane wanted to flirt with such ideologies again. The first time fascists of all stripes raized the continent, killing dozens of millions. The second time threatened a repeat, which came perilously close to succeeding right before the Eurasian Federation formed in the crucible that led to the Reconstruction War.

Even these days, Eurasia has its radical fringe, and one of the FIS's jobs is to keep a close eye on it. For decades, consecutive governments have painted Blue Cosmos with the same brush and worked to curb their influence. That policy paid massive dividends after ZAFT began dropping their N-Jammers, so most people in Europe blamed them and PLANT in general instead of Coordinators in particular.

In contrast, that stunt guaranteed Blue Cosmos was about to take over the Atlantic Federation and had a strong showing in most other EA member countries. Needless to say, that led to many sleepless nights among the members of the Eurasian government and military. They were all aware of what kind of madness such ideologies could easily lead to.

"In exchange, ORB offers us unrestricted access to their Mass Driver for the duration of the conflict. After the war ends, we'll have access to it at maintenance fees for up to ten years until we can recover or rebuild our own. They also offer us a working prototype of their mass-produced Mobile Suit, the Astray, and full technical documentation," Louis continued, ignoring the Blue Cosmos tangent. "I'm sure you'll need to consult with the military and economists on this, but gaining access to ORB's Mass Driver means we aren't pressured into retaking Victoria. We can properly support our remaining space forces and colony cluster."

"I will be having such discussions later today," Mariah promised.

Her mind spun with possibilities. She didn't need to be involved with the trivia of running the military's day-to-day affairs and regular operations. Her purview was the Federation's grand strategy, ideally giving the military both realistic goals and the tools to achieve them. Duboah was painfully aware of the pressure they were under to retake Victoria while they still had space assets worthy of the name left. A deal with ORB could change that paradigm for the better and buy time for the military, allowing them to deal with the African Community and ZAFT's forces in Africa at leisure, so to speak. Besides, reinforcing ORB would be far easier than launching an invasion of Africa in the teeth of strong defenses. While badly hurt, the Community's military was not broken yet. However, its ability to recover paled compared to the EF's ability to overhaul its military with Mobile Suits and armor now that they had working designs and prototypes.

"What is PLANT up to?" the President asked.

"Their Ambassador to the African Community and Community diplomats contacted us seeking to open negotiations to discuss a cease-fire, exchange of prisoners, and most importantly, to open talks for potential diplomatic settlement of our issues given recent developments," Louis smiled at that. "Isn't it curious that there were no such overtures while they were still winning all battles?"

Mariah valiantly fought to contain a snort of derision. The Eurasian Federation's government had to learn the hard way that diplomacy in the post-Reconstruction War world only worked when you carried a big stick and talked softly and politely to people. Without the strength to back it, all the good intentions and high-minded ideals were worthless. This was why they had to spend money and resources on one of the best militaries in the world. More importantly, when push came to shove, the Federation was ready to use it.

"Director, are they trying to buy time, or is this a genuine overture for peace?" Duboah asked.

"As you know, we have very few sources left in PLANT, and they have the devil's own time trying to send us any information without being caught. The N-Jammers made it that much harder. We know that last night, PLATN's Council conducted the latest in a series of daily meetings pertaining to ZAFT's overall strategy – that was public knowledge across the African Community. They've greatly increased the material support for all their allies on Earth. They are busy shipping up food and workers to maintain, if not expand, their industry as the war consumes more people and hardware," Borodin explained. "Officially, PLANT and ZAFT have had to re-evaluate their war strategy and end goals. What precisely that entails is something we aren't aware of yet. They've told their allies in the Community that diplomacy might be the best way to ensure their integrity against further aggression on our part. If that means a genuine desire to end the war on their terms while they still have the upper hand in space or an attempt to buy time while reorganizing their strategy and planning, I can't tell you for sure."

"ORB?" Mariah asked while still processing Borodin's words. What he said was no surprise, though she still wanted and needed more to make a properly informed decision. Then again, more often than not, she had to make choices that governed the fate of hundreds of millions with what she had at the moment, not the information the President wished she had access to.

"Their actions continue to be confusing," Borodin admitted. "Uzumi still appears to be what he presents himself as to the world at large. However, the offer we received, ORB's cooperation with the Alliance to develop the G-Weapons, and his daughter's stunts in Africa paint a different picture. The offer we got is genuine, but we are not sure if it is from a faction within ORB or the official stance of their government. Due to the platform he was elected on as Chief Representative, Athha will have to strive for peace and neutrality for as long as feasible, even under the current circumstances. His public actions can be viewed in such a light. Also, it is of particular importance that the offer we received has been backed by four of ORB's Noble Clans. Even if Athha is against it, they have the political power to see it through in the long run. More importantly, between them, they de-facto control Morgenroete, and legal or not, they can offer us a prototype Mobile Suit and its technical information needed to mass produce it."

This changed things, Mariah thought. She wasn't a particularly religious woman, yet she was ready to send a prayer or ten to whoever was listening to everyone who participated in the recent EF victories. Without them, her space to maneuver politically and military would have been greatly curtailed. In fact, it would have been nearly non-existent. She would have had to authorize the operation to liberate Spain sooner rather than later, without all the advantages stacked in favor of the military, which saw a great victory. The projected casualties of attacking into the teeth of the enemy's defenses without such boons were enough to give her nightmares. Mariah would be forever grateful that she didn't have to order that operation executed.

"Speak with ORB's people. I want a signed agreement as soon as possible. With it in place, we can afford to negotiate with the African Community and PLANT while building up for the invasion of Africa at a time and place of our choosing. I'll discuss the kind of military support we can send ORB this afternoon and send it to you as soon as possible, Louis. At the very least, we'll be dispatching elements of our Pacific Fleet that returned from Alaska," Duboa decided.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed and Gundam 'Seed Destiny, They belong to their respective copyright 'owners and publishers. Th story is not for sale or rent. Phase 1! 5: Repercussions =Gsi= Part 1 =GsI= 'Athha Family compound ORB Iwas rare for the leaders of ORB's five Great Clans to gather together in the homes of one of them to discuss business, Such arrangements usually happened on more or less neutral ground outside of various events everyone used 'as an opportunity to network and push their agenda. These days, it was rarer for a representative of the Sahaku family to join such meetings, for the twins leading the cian retreated from overt poles after the death oftheir father, However, it was no surprise that Rondo Mina Sahaku was 'one ofthe attendees, considering her twin brother was on 'Ame-no-Mihashira, which was now under ZAFT control