Orb Airspace, May 9th, CE 78
"Kaguya Control, this is Silverwind 2, approaching Kaguya Spaceport, requesting for clearance to land, over." The sleek form of the Silverwind circled around Kaguya Spaceport in a holding pattern. Travel to and from the Earth and PLANTs was now a simple affair, with space planes and other spacecraft being designed to exit orbit and land like regular airplanes. Spacecraft from the PLANTs, like the Silverwind 2, were now designed for atmospheric flight. It was how to exit Earth's gravity that was tricky to overcome, even with Mass Drivers.
"Silverwind 2, this is Kaguya Control, clearance to land granted. Proceed to landing pad four. Welcome to Orb, Silverwind. Her Chief Representative sends her regards, and will receive you there," the operator replied, sending landing coordinates to the Silverwind 2.
"Copy that, we're on our way. Beginning landing procedures and will be there shortly," the Silverwind's pilot replied then turned on the intercom. "Miss Lacus, we're approaching Kaguya Spaceport and beginning landing procedures. ETA 15 minutes."
"It's been a while since we've been to Earth, don't you think, Kira?" Lacus asked, her head resting gently on Kira's shoulder as she mused on her schedule. The two were currently seated inside the Silverwind's cabin, a delegate shuttle that Lacus used for her goodwill trips. Being the Supreme Council Chairwoman, Lacus was swamped by multiple meetings, paperwork, and press conferences. On a normal day. With a crisis such as this, it was a complete disaster. Emergency sessions of the Supreme Council, press briefings, interviews, strategy meetings, and teleconference calls every single day since the events. All PLANTs were in an uproar over the claims of Blue Cosmos coming back to life and hunting down Coordinators again. The Atlantic Federation, as chaotic as it was, denied any allegations, while the Eurasian Federation promised its citizens safety. The PLANTs, being the primary targets of all of Blue Cosmos during the entirety of the Valentine Wars, were on fire, with the thought of a resurgent anti-Coordinator terrorist group coming back to life causing concern, to put it mildly. Lacus had to make a few television appearances condemning the attack, reassuring the citizens that Blue Cosmos was gone and that any terrorist attacks would be thwarted quickly. The question on everyone's mind was who were they? Where did Blue Cosmos hide, after all these years?
And more importantly, for many of the public, where would they strike next?
It took a private call from Cagalli, and Kira's gentle prodding, to convince Lacus to go to Orb, in the guise of "an emergency visit to convene with a close ally, and a conference regarding the event's impact on the USCS." Taking it as a sign to go on a sort of vacation on Earth, since it has been almost four years, Kira and Lacus opted to leave for Orb early, ahead of the scheduled conference, to see good friends, family, and enjoy the sights and sounds. Ever since the end of the Second Valentine War, Orb and the PLANTs have had stronger ties than ever, with trade agreements, infrastructure projects, even military cross-training exercises, courtesy of the Orb Mobile Suit Corps and the ZAFT Academy. It did help that the leaders of two of the most influential and powerful nations in the Earth Sphere were the best of friends. Some people, even their own members of their respective cabinets, have found issue with Lacus Clyne and Cagalli Yula Athha's close ties, especially given that one of the leaders was currently rumored to be dating the son of the former leader, but as of the moment, the public adored them both, both their economies were flourishing strong, and their support base held.
"Indeed," Kira replied. "Though we could have gone for a regular vacation without another world crisis. I must feel old already," he added, drawing a chuckle from Lacus.
"You're not old. Just wise, dear," Lacus teased, then frowned. "I just, I… I don't know what to do sometimes. The situation with-" Lacus started to go off on another political tangent when Kira put his finger on Lacus' lips.
"Hup. No stressing about politics while we're on leisure time," Kira gently reminded her, while giving Lacus a quick peck in the cheek. With how stressful both their jobs were, with Lacus in the Supreme Council as Chairwoman and Kira as a ZAFT Academy mobile suit instructor and on-call member of ZAFT's mobile suit corps, and with how little free time both Lacus and Kira had, the two had an agreement to set some time for themselves every now and then. "We can talk about that later. Actually... we did. I know how much things are, but we've done the best we can on our own."
"I guess.. Thank you, Kira." Lacus smiled, then leaned on Kira's shoulder a bit more, relishing Kira's warmth. "Hopefully. I don't want another Valentine War."
"Me too," Kira agreed. "One war like that is enough for one lifetime. Two is too much already."
Kaguya Spaceport, May 9th, CE 78
"Lacus! Kira!" Cagalli, Orb's Chief Representative, came up to the Silverwind's landing site as Lacus and Kira disembarked, with Athrun catching up to her. The four years of being Orb's Chief Representative had been unkind to Cagalli and Athrun. From what Kira could see, Cagalli may have gained a few pounds, and Athrun did as well. Still, the years have never dampened Cagalli's fiery exuberance, as she reached Lacus and Kira, and gave the two a fierce hug.
"Cagalli!" Lacus smiled, returning the hug. Kira returned the hug as well, glad to see his sister and his best friend again. The four years since the end of the Valentine Wars saw the four of them split up, with Lacus and Kira going up to the PLANTs and Athrun and Cagalli staying in Orb.
"It's so good to see you too! Finally!" Cagalli smiled back, as she let go of the two, then her face turned into a frown. "Have you seen Miri's report, and the news?"
Lacus' smile dropped with a nod. "I have. She's just left Mars, and is on her way back to Aprilius 1 with Dearka and the rest of Terminal for now. That could take a few weeks though. Her report… It's unsettling." She shivered. "Mars is on fire right now, with what happened. We need to talk, and figure out what to do before we meet with the other leaders."
Athrun nodded, catching up to the two. "We can go to the Athha Estate. It's secure," Athrun added. "Miriallia also gave us a heads-up that the Martian Congress is going to make a statement soon, we can go there and review what just happened."
Athha Family Estate, May 9th, CE 78
"This day, which will live in infamy in the Martian consciousness, was a cowardly attack by the Earth Sphere against us Martians. Now we know how much the Martian populace is worth to the Earth Sphere. We will not let this transgression go unpunished! This is a declaration of war to us, we who have spent blood, tears, and our own lives taming the Red Planet, and now the Earth and its lackeys want to take our riches, our land, or exploit us? No! We will not stand for it. Their terrorist actions will not be allowed! We all know how Blue Cosmos does things! They wouldn't rest until we all died! Viva le Marte!" The imposing figure of Armin Vesser, with a bandaged arm, an eyepatch, and his coat billowing in the wind, was a sight to see as he gave his address in the ruins of the Phi Colony Congress Hall. The crowd cheered on screen, as the chants of "Viva le Marte" rang across the crowd.
"He sure is charismatic," Lacus noted, as she, Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli were busy watching the coverage of the protests. News sites were now calling it the "Phi Colony Massacre," in line with the old Junius 7 tragedies.
"I have to agree. He can actually give you a run for your money…" Cagalli commented, as she was eating a cracker. The four were busy lounging in the Athha Family Estate's living room, watching the giant viewscreen showing the events unfolding. Piles of reports were scattered around the coffee table in front of the four young adults with a tray of cookies, crackers, and assorted drinks. The four were in the midst of catching up and discussing how the events would impact them, their respective countries, and the future of the Earth.
"No questions there," Athrun agreed, as he sipped his drink.
The speech ended, with the reporter coming back on. "The situation in Phi Colony is still chaotic as of now. An investigation team has already been assigned by the remnants of the Martian Congress, in order to discover the real perpetrators of this incident. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Martian Congress have now convened, denouncing the Earth Sphere, and with Zeta Colony's Armin Vesser promising vengeance, the situation in Mars may deteriorate further."
Athrun sighed then muted the TV as the newscaster began talking about the various statements regarding the event, starting with Lacus Clyne's speech. "So… Now what do we do, from this point forward?"
"As of the moment, the PLANTs are doing damage control and some restrictions," Kira spoke up. "Security has been tightened all over the PLANTs in response, with entry and exit into the PLANTs being checked. But it's not going to stop something like a mobile suit-led assault, or a nuclear strike like on Junius 7. The Neutron Stampeder is good for multiple attacks, but on something on a smaller scale, it won't protect us." He frowned. "But in terms of this threat? I can only see our respective countries applying a 'wait and see approach,' increasing security and the like. This is a single event, and we need more information. Terminal agents are still trying to figure out who caused this, and DaCosta's having a headache finding who."
"Orb's on the same page," Cagalli agreed. "The Parliament's in an uproar after the attacks, and the Sahaku, Kiou, Tokino, and Mashima families are in full support on this matter. We won't negotiate with terrorists, especially these. People still remember how Blue Cosmos and Logos treated the country during the Valentine Wars, and they're in full support of any action against them. Though… we don't know if this was just a splinter group, or something new."
"But what about the other USCS members?" Lacus added. As the brainchild of Lacus Clyne and Cagalli Athha, the USCS was a project she was keen on pushing forward. A governing body similar to the United Nations of old, the USCS was designed as a unifying and regulating body designed to avoid the conflicts of the Bloody Valentine Wars, with nations meeting at the negotiating table instead of on the battlefield.
"I've talked with my counterparts at the AtFed, Eurasian Federation, and the rest of the Earth nations, they're of the opinion that the USCS is still the best choice forward," Athrun replied. "Before this… event, Mars was actually pretty split on whether to accept USCS membership or not. Now, it's a clusterfuck."
The three others nodded. Mars getting attacked by something like Blue Cosmos would galvanize the Martian colonies to take a side against the USCS. Having an Earth-based terror movement resurface on Mars was not a good sign for everyone involved. At least it wasn't in control of any superpower, but with how things were, anything was possible.
"Agreed. As of now… we'll all have to wait and see. When's the emergency USCS meeting, again?" Lacus asked Athrun.
"A week from now. We're expecting the delegates from each of the USCS members to arrive soon. Obviously, the Martian delegation we were expecting won't attend." Athrun sighed. "Orb's the host country for the referendum meeting. I don't think Blue Cosmos would show up or try attacking us at the meeting, but we ought to be careful."
Sighing, Kira agreed. "Then it's settled. We'll just have to wait and see how things play out, and Terminal's reports. Unfortunately, they have the initiative, and we don't know where to proceed. We just have to be careful moving on forward."
The Forge Observation Deck, May 10th, CE 78
The observation room was overlooking a large segment of the Forge's shipyards. The Forge was alien in architecture, filled with varying statues, artworks, and other relics. Even with the entire facility mapped by the League, there were still secrets hidden in its walls. In the room was one individual, standing by the giant window, watching mobile suits and ships being produced by the Forge's advanced factories. Jerrick Greene, the enigmatic leader of the League of Hephatat.
"Your men were thorough." Armin Vesser, bandaged and with an eyepatch over his right eye, came up the stairs to the well-lit room. He came into view of Jerrick Greene who was facing away from Armin, too engrossed with the Forge's factory segments. "They wiped out the crowd, killed the entire government faction, and wiped out the initial response team that reported in. It was only the combined efforts of the Phi Colony militia and Zeta Colony forces that stopped the incident, taking them out to a man. And it was spectacular, everyone thinks it's Blue Cosmos, so they're never going to look for the real culprits," Armin continued, grinning from ear to ear. "I almost died though."
"My dear Armin, I did not mean for your death. I just wanted to draw suspicion away from you. You do know how people think of that, sometimes. I wouldn't put it behind Brahe's supporters to put two and two together. Besides, Borander knew the odds, and your odds were good," Jerrick Greene replied, smirking. He turned to Armin, a full wine glass in hand, wearing a business suit with a red tie, with a red domino mask over his face. "You were perfectly fine," he added, taking a drink as he offered Armin a glass of wine. "A drink. Before things start going forward."
Armin gratefully took the glass, and took a drink himself, marvelling at the Forge's complexity. "I don't suppose you have odds of that happening?" He addressed the question to the room.
"The chances of Mr. Vesser surviving in that operation were 371,454.687 to one. Our forces made sure of it." A hologram went up beside Jerrick, showing a sphere with multiple smaller spheres surrounding it, similar to an atomic model. "With the moderate faction now eliminated, and the Martian populace now in a frenzy, there is currently a 57.63% chance of the remnants of the Martian Congress agreeing to go to war against the Earth Sphere." The sphere pulsed further as it talked. "War with the Earth with our technological level would achieve a swift victory, and force capitulation of the Earth Sphere. There is a 35.67% chance of the PLANTs, with Council Chairwoman Lacus Clyne at the helm, conceding defeat and deferring to our superiority, once League forces push out our planned massive shock and awe operation. There is a combined 67.2% chance of the Eurasian Federation, Republic of East Asia, and the African Unity conceding to our demands if we push forward. As for Orb, there's a 25.6% chance of Chief Representative Athha surrendering once we have executed our mission. Rounded down."
"Which the League will deliver. Hundreds, if not thousands, of the Martian populace would flock to our ranks and take up arms." Jerrick smiled. "We do need the manpower, even with the Hibiki cloning process providing us with expendable, easily controllable troops."
"I'm more worried about their notable figures. Kira Yamato, in particular. Didn't you say he was the Ultimate Coordinator? And he's in ZAFT," Armin noted. "Lacus Clyne, Cagalli Yula Athha, and Athrun Zala would say no to your plan. They didn't agree to the Destiny Plan either and look what that brought Gilbert Durandal."
"Gilbert Durandal was a fool. The genetic destiny of individuals would always be trumped by people's free will. We have to shatter their own will, to show our will, for them to submit to our terms," Jerrick replied sharply. "We have the Commander. We have the Forge, and with it, Borander. We have the Doctor. And we have you and I. Rest assured, the Commander is more than enough to handle threats to our plan, and will take the so-called Ultimate Coordinator out," Jerrick reassured him. "She's already en route to our first target on the moon, Archimedes Base. Just 400 miles from Copernicus. Once we eliminate that base, the nascent USCS would lose their cohesion, and they'll be split into squabbling factions again. And in a timeframe that they wouldn't suspect. Then we'll strike at their leadership, and then proceed with assaults on their bases and population centers. A shock and awe campaign to make them submit to us."
"If you would have suggested that only a few years ago, I would have called you mad. But... the miracles of mass effect technology…" Armin mused, taking a swig of the wine. "This will be our trump card. You'd think they would figure it out that we basically cut the travel time from Mars to Earth to a few days instead of months. We've changed the game."
"It will. And when our forces become bigger, we'll be ready to change the world. For the better," Jerrick agreed. "And for the future."
"Indeed. I'll see to the remaining members of congress that they decide on our side. It ought to be easy enough, we've placed radicals and allies as their replacements." Armin turned to leave, before he had a thought. "I never asked you about this, but it's as good a time as any. Why the mask? Why hide your face?" he asked, genuinely curious. "The mask is unsettling. I mean, I have known you since the Martian colonization efforts started, and you've done so much for everyone here, and in the world. Why hide it? Why not lay it all bare?"
"No, my identity is not important. Not anymore. I... left for Mars to start anew. It's what I do that is more important," Jerrick replied after a few seconds, frowning underneath his mask. "Naturals, Coordinators, the entire state of the Earth Sphere was a mistake that has to be rectified. Even if it needs Martian will to enforce it. I… have to rectify that mistake." Jerrick Greene frowned, hand curling into a fist, then turned back to the window. "We shall not speak of this matter anymore. Whoever I was is dead, and we do not need him for the future."
"I see. I will go on then. For the League." Armin left, leaving Jerrick in the room with his drink and Borander, the hologram dimming.
"For the League." Jerrick waited until Armin was out of the room. "Borander." Jerrick asked, addressing the hologram.
"Yes, Master Jerrick?" Borander's hologram glowed back to life, the atomic cores rotating in response.
"What are the odds of First Contact with an advanced species once we've unlocked further the secrets of the Forge, at this rate?"
A pause. "33.625 to one," Borander replied.
Frowning at the answer, Jerrick pressed on. "What are the chances of First Contact being violent, and the human race eradicated, given our current technological and societal level?"
Another pause, the atomic structures circling the core. "As of now, 99.999%, rounded down. Humans would be destroyed completely."
The answer was one Jerrick dreaded hearing, but it was not unexpected. "With the League at the helm, at our current state?" Jerrick asked once more, hopeful.
"The chances improve: 97.653%."
Jerrick noted the change in the odds. A small chance, but who was he to judge? He had fought larger odds before. "Accelerate our timetable. Expand the Forge. Begin the mobilization of the next batch of Hibiki clones and the recruits of Zeta Colony. Once we have the rest of the Martian colonies under our banner, begin integration. Synch up with the Commander once she's in the vicinity of the Archimedes base. We must prepare."
Codex: The United Solar Confederacy of States
Patterned after the United Nations, the United Solar Confederacy of States (USCS) is a multinational organization pushed forward by Lacus Clyne three years after the end of the Valentine Wars to unite the world and prevent events such as the Valentine Wars from ever being repeated. The USCS was planned to encompass the different nations of the Earth Sphere, as well as the Martian Colonies, all into one governing body that regulated any disputes amongst its members, and prepared them as a unified front. With its own multinational military, its own laws, in agreement with all member-states, the USCS could be counted on as the "World Government '' unifying the entirety of the human race, and serving as its representative for its interests within, and without, both as the representative of the human race to any future alien species, and both as an equalizing factor, making sure every single member of the USCS was sure to benefit from the increased cooperation.
However, some members of the Martian Congress decry the involvement of the Martian colonies in the USCS, citing threats of an "Earth-Centric" government that may impede on their rights and activities, and that the USCS may not have its best interests at heart. These concerns were fermented by different separatist groups, such as the Ares party, and what its successor group would be, the League of Hephatat. The opening shots of what is now known to be the "League Crisis'' would form the nascent USCS's first test, and as historians note, it would not be the last.