With that punch from the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) β, Neo Roanoke was completely smashed into tomato paste.
Killing himself—for the first time since his rookie days on the battlefield, Reid felt sickened by the act of killing.
But when he thought about a corpse that looked just like him being displayed as evidence, using a biological sample of minced meat seemed less unsettling.
However, the battle here was not over.
Because the Gaia Gundam had been knocked down by the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α, Stella had not yet witnessed the scene of Neo Roanoke's death, which would have been enough to cause her a complete mental breakdown.
And after knocking it away, the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α charged toward the now-standing Gaia Gundam, but it still had to face Shinn, who had activated his PX System.
At this moment, Shinn was in full berserker mode. Even though the earlier impact had sent his Long-Beam Multifunctional Anti-Ship Sword flying somewhere, he still had the Beam Sabers at his waist.
So, for the first time since the battle at Armory One, Shinn once again found himself clashing blades with the Gaia Gundam on the battlefield.
Except this time, the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α was equipped for close-quarters specialization, leaving the Gaia Gundam with no advantage in terms of its Mobile Suit characteristics.
Coupled with Shinn being in a dual SEED Burst and PX System mode, the Gaia Gundam's left arm was severed by Shinn in a single strike.
However, Reid had no intention of breaking his promise to Neo Roanoke. He spoke into the squad comms:
"Shinn, leave the Gaia Gundam to me. You continue to deal with the three Galaxy-type Blaze Zaku Phantoms in the sky."
Hearing Reid's command, Shinn was about to obey and engage the three Galaxy-type Blaze Zaku Phantoms that refused to leave.
But just then, Stella saw the Exass Aegis, its cockpit door wide open, with a large amount of blood staining the armor nearby.
This sight plunged Stella into a complete frenzy. She stopped piloting her Mobile Suit and just flailed her limbs wildly, crying out:
"Die, die, die, Stella will die! Neo, Stella will die!!"
However, this frantic flailing happened to activate the Gaia Gundam's external speaker. Shinn, who was about to take off, froze in his tracks the moment he heard Stella's voice.
The GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α's takeoff instantly turned into a leap. Shinn immediately deactivated the PX System, and his SEED state also clearly receded. He returned to the Gaia Gundam's side, using his Mobile Suit to restrain the now-unsteady machine, which was falling over yet still twitching as Stella randomly mashed buttons. He then turned on his own external speaker and asked anxiously:
"Stella, Stella, is that you in there? Calm down, it's me, Shinn. Shinn Asuka. Do you remember me?"
Seeing Shinn instantly turn the battlefield into a soap opera scene with a single line from Stella, Reid suddenly understood why the original story's Athrun had slapped them both after their first sortie together.
To be honest, for an act like disobeying orders and blurting out his real name in public, Reid not only wanted to give Shinn two slaps but also a good kick.
Encountering an acquaintance on the battlefield and ignoring his orders just because she wailed a few times—this kind of behavior could not be allowed to continue. When they got back, he really needed to find someone to properly re-educate the little bird.
Besides, the enemy wasn't going to stand by and watch you act out a soap opera.
The three Galaxy-type Blaze Zaku Phantoms in the sky saw the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α suddenly do something foolish, exposing its back to hold down what should have been an enemy Gaia Gundam. They were completely baffled.
Orphee Lam Tao couldn't understand how he had been chased and hacked at by this guy just moments before.
Without hesitation, Orphee Lam Tao fired his M68 "Gepard" 500mm Recoilless Rifle from the sky at the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α, preparing to finish off this lunatic who was having a breakdown on the battlefield.
Reid couldn't possibly watch the little bird get hit just like that. As the one being protected, he could only take the initiative, moving forward to block the shot with his Quadruple Round Magnetic Defensive Shield. He then fired his two Long VSBR Beam Cannons again to force the three Galaxy-type Blaze Zaku Phantoms back.
However, Orphee Lam Tao and his two comrades had clearly not given up. Just as they were preparing to charge again, Talia's stern voice came through the Minerva's communications:
"How long are you three going to keep this up! The New Misurugi Kingdom's orbital drop troops are coming down! If you continue to act recklessly, I'll have no choice but to declare you traitors!!"
Talia was being very cunning here. One could only say that she was worthy of being Durandal's woman; they were two peas in a pod.
When Orphee Lam Tao and his group of four had taken it upon themselves to attack Reid, Talia had not stopped them, but she had prevented other units from joining them.
At the time, Talia wasn't certain if the pilot of that unknown Mobile Suit was truly Reid. She suspected it might be a ploy by the enemy, who, seeing they couldn't win, had found an excuse to use her as a weapon.
But Talia hadn't stopped Orphee Lam Tao's group because she did harbor the thought that if what the man said was true, her side might actually be able to capture Reid.
However, as the battle progressed, Talia was astonished by the combat capabilities of the two suits, but she also became fairly certain that capturing the pilots of these two MS would definitely not be a loss.
Unfortunately, just as she was about to order a full-scale assault, a warning came from military headquarters in the rear. A portion of the New Misurugi Kingdom's forces from the Balki Fortress had suddenly broken off and were heading straight for her position; they were already beginning their descent.
The ZAFT forces in South America clearly did not have the authority to engage a large contingent of the New Misurugi Kingdom's forces on their own initiative.
Because South America was not PLANT territory, even if the New Misurugi Kingdom invaded South America, ZAFT could only engage them if the South American Union requested help.
And this time, the South American Union, for one, couldn't react that quickly, and for another, didn't dare to rashly start a war, risking a second annihilation by being caught between the Atlantic Federation and the New Misurugi Kingdom.
Upon hearing the warning from military headquarters, Talia immediately realized the opportunity was lost. It wouldn't take long for troops to drop from geosynchronous orbit, and trying to capture Reid Isaac in that short amount of time was too risky.
If she failed, she would be the sinner who started a war between PLANT and the New Misurugi Kingdom.
Considering the outcome of the last great war, PLANT definitely did not want to fight another war with the New Misurugi Kingdom before a victor had been decided with the Earth Alliance.
That was why Talia was now stopping Orphee Lam Tao and his two comrades, as it was now basically confirmed that one of the two unknown Mobile Suits that appeared on the battlefield was piloted by Reid Isaac.
However, Talia wasn't actually worried about a fight breaking out with the New Misurugi Kingdom here today.
Reid Isaac was clearly targeting the Atlantic Federation. The New Misurugi Kingdom couldn't possibly go to war with both the Earth Alliance and PLANT at the same time.
As long as the excuse was reasonably plausible, Talia felt that Reid wouldn't be too hung up on the details.
Of course, all of this was predicated on the condition that when the New Misurugi Kingdom's forces landed, they did not see ZAFT Mobile Suits engaged in combat with Reid's Mobile Suit.
The good news was that Orphee Lam Tao wasn't a fool. When he heard that the New Misurugi Kingdom's forces were about to land, he also knew that there was no way to defeat Reid Isaac today.
So, when he saw several crimson "meteors" truly appearing in the sky, he decisively ordered the other two to retrieve Ingrid Tradoll's downed Mobile Suit and retreat back to the main ZAFT contingent.
Seeing the three Coordinators retreat, Reid didn't pursue them.
Just as Talia had judged, now that he had confirmed the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation had really created a clone of him, dealing with that old fox Durandal had dropped to below fifth place on Reid's priority list.
Therefore, Reid would not choose to antagonize PLANT at this time. He had to properly lance the two festering boils on Earth first, and then go deal with Durandal, who had caused the Colony Satellite debris to fall.
At this moment, Reid looked at the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α, which had yet to "subdue" the Gaia Gundam. He decisively kicked the GP-08 (Phantom Rose) α off the Gaia Gundam, then fired three shots, completely turning the Gaia Gundam into a limbless suit.
The force of the explosions clearly knocked Stella unconscious; she was no longer screaming and shouting.
Then, Reid coldly said to Shinn, who had disobeyed his orders:
"Second Lieutenant Shinn Asuka, go pick up that red Mobile Suit. I'll take the Gaia Gundam's torso. Our reinforcements have arrived."
Without even needing to see Reid, Shinn could hear the fury in his voice. He knew his recent actions were another serious breach of military discipline, and his heart instantly filled with dread.
However, Shinn was still very concerned about Stella's safety. After grabbing the Exass Aegis, he braced himself and asked:
"Chairman, the one inside the Gaia Gundam is Stella. She's just a girl who doesn't know anything. Could you please..."
Before Shinn could finish, Reid cut him off sternly.
"Second Lieutenant Shinn Asuka, the matter of the prisoner is not your concern!"
Hearing this, Shinn was too scared to say another word and quickly shut his mouth.
By now, the New Misurugi Kingdom's forces had descended from geosynchronous orbit. It was the Mystic Angel and five Argama-class battleships.
As the six warships neared the ground, they deployed their Mobile Suit forces, led by the Xia sisters in the Blade Angel Gundam and the NT-X2 Gundam.
Seeing this, Reid had Shinn take the Exass Aegis back to the Mystic Angel first. The blood and flesh samples of Neo Roanoke inside needed to be preserved quickly.
As for Reid himself, he glanced at the Abyss Gundam he had previously downed, which seemed to show no more life signs, while the Chaos Gundam had not returned.
So, Reid took the Gaia Gundam's cockpit and ordered the descending troops to recover the Abyss Gundam before returning to the Mystic Angel, right in front of ZAFT.
However, upon returning to the ship and disembarking from his Mobile Suit, Reid saw another sight that made his blood pressure spike.
Shinn was currently arguing with the soldiers who were pulling the unconscious Stella from her Mobile Suit, apparently saying something about not putting Stella in a cell.
Reid walked over to Shinn's side with a cold expression. Shinn hadn't completely lost his mind; seeing Reid arrive, he quickly stood at attention and saluted.
Reid glanced at Stella, who was being supported by the soldiers, and after confirming she likely wouldn't wake up anytime soon, he directly ordered:
"Take this Atlantic Federation pilot to the infirmary for treatment first. But inform the medical staff to tie the restraints extra tight. She appears to be an Enhanced Person."
Hearing that Reid didn't say to put Stella in a cell, Shinn's face lit up with joy, but in the next second, he couldn't smile anymore.
Because Reid turned to him and said sternly:
"Second Lieutenant Shinn Asuka, I'm truly starting to wonder if you ever memorized the military code of conduct at the academy, or if you think it's just a piece of scrap paper.
"Men, take Shinn Asuka to the brig. He needs to think long and hard about why he disregarded my orders and acted recklessly on the battlefield."
After Reid finished speaking, the soldiers beside him immediately came forward to restrain Shinn.
Shinn also knew that his actions on the battlefield—disobeying Reid's orders to go comfort the enemy, Stella—were enough to land him in another court-martial. So, he obediently allowed himself to be cuffed and taken to the Mystic Angel's brig.
After temporarily locking Shinn up, Reid immediately had his subordinates notify the nearby Pink Cross to quickly gather the civilians and retreat from South America with him. He himself rushed to the bridge. Bargiruel and the Minerva's Talia were probably both waiting for him.
Sure enough, as soon as Reid entered the bridge, he saw the two captains, Bargiruel and Talia, in communication. Captain Talia was, as a matter of routine, asking for the reason the New Misurugi Kingdom fleet had appeared here.
Reid directly cut into their conversation and said:
"Captain Talia, my country's forces have appeared here naturally to rescue me."
Seeing Reid appear, Talia instantly put on an Oscar-worthy performance, saying with feigned shock:
"My goodness, Chairman Reid, you're really here! So what that Atlantic Federation officer said was true? Thank goodness I didn't order my troops to attack you just because you were piloting an unknown Mobile Suit. Otherwise, the misunderstanding would have been impossible to clear up."
Hearing this, Reid thought to himself that Captain Talia had said everything, leaving him little room to find fault.
Captain Talia had directly classified the two GP-08 (Phantom Rose) units as unknown Mobile Suits, and Reid couldn't easily refute that. No normal person would classify an unknown Mobile Suit based on a single sentence from an enemy they were just fighting to the death.
In that case, with the Mobile Suits being unknown, it was difficult to hold it against ZAFT that a small number of their MS had attacked Reid. After all, if you charge onto a battlefield with your identity unconfirmed, isn't it your own fault if you get shot at?
Finally, Captain Talia had clearly stated that ZAFT had no intention of attacking Reid, and any conflict was a misunderstanding.
However, although Reid also wanted to de-escalate the situation, the Coordinators posed a threat to Lacus's future activities on Earth. So, Reid said:
"I believe your words, Captain Talia, and I also believe that ZAFT has not issued any orders with malicious intent towards me.
"But the three Special Flame Tigers that attacked me earlier clearly had malicious intent. They attacked me even after I made it clear I was only targeting the Atlantic Federation.
"I believe ZAFT needs to give me an explanation for this."
At Reid's words, Captain Talia didn't back down. She retorted directly:
"Chairman Reid, with all due respect, perhaps you should first give me a reason for your infiltration of the battlefield between our forces and the Atlantic Federation."
Hearing this, Reid didn't hesitate and said directly:
"The reason is simple. I discovered that the unit that stole the three Gundams from Armory One was the Atlantic Federation's Phantom Pain Unit. And their leader is a clone, rapidly grown from the genetic material I left behind in the Eurasian Federation army."
The moment Reid said this, Captain Talia instantly knew she could no longer offer any opinion on the matter. It involved a clone, and a clone of Reid Isaac at that. One wrong word would be a major diplomatic incident.
So, Captain Talia took a step back and said:
"I will send those four pilots back to our homeland for a thorough investigation."
Hearing this, Reid decided to quit while he was ahead and agreed.
"I trust that your side will neither wrong a good person nor let a bad one go. Let's do that."
(End of Chapter)