The entire world descended into chaos after the second moon appeared.
Something with that much mass would not only devastate the half of the world that could see it.
According to the calculations, even the opposite side of the planet would suffer considerable damage.
Air-raid shelters and other evacuation facilities across the world had already been opened. Nearly every nation had mobilized all available resources to organize the evacuation of its population.
"There aren't nearly enough shelters!"
"They can't hold the entire population of Earth!"
"Then get to higher ground! As high as you can!"
Reaching higher ground was their best hope of surviving the tsunamis.
Meanwhile, the Earth Alliance was being bombarded with furious demands for an explanation. How could they possibly have been blind enough to overlook Junius Seven approaching Earth?
The Earth Alliance appeared to be in chaos as well. Yang Xiangyang had never expected the situation to develop this way.
Their official explanation was that P.L.A.N.T. had been producing intense interference across most of the region. Combined with Junius Seven's invisibility, this had prevented them from detecting it sooner.
As for why Junius Seven possessed a protective shield identical to the one surrounding the Artemis Fortress, the Lightwave Barrier Belt, the Earth Alliance claimed that the technology had been stolen.
According to them, P.L.A.N.T. had secretly infiltrated Artemis not long ago and stolen the relevant technology.
In any case, the Earth Alliance would never admit that Junius Seven's movements had anything to do with them or that this was some kind of Earth Alliance conspiracy.
At most, they would acknowledge a failure of oversight, and even that would only be for appearances.
Besides, almost all Earth Alliance territory was located on Earth. The impact of Junius Seven would inflict catastrophic losses on them as well. Would they really be stupid enough to destroy themselves?
Surely not.
"Then hurry up and destroy Junius Seven!"
"We're already trying, but the Lightwave Barrier Belt isn't something we can break through easily! Damn it, P.L.A.N.T. must have upgraded the technology!"
Several nearby Earth Alliance fleets had already begun attacking Junius Seven, but every strike was blocked by the Lightwave Barrier Belt.
Worse, the detestable ZAFT forces carrying out the operation to drop Junius Seven had emerged and begun attacking the fleets. The Earth Alliance forces were forced to redirect much of their firepower toward defending themselves.
Junius Seven had also been detected far too late. It was already beginning to make contact with Earth's atmosphere.
The Earth Alliance fleets could no longer approach it. If they did, Earth's gravity would drag them down with it and destroy them.
"Damn P.L.A.N.T.!"
"Those accursed Coordinators!"
"They're actually willing to go this far to wipe us out!"
"We'll never forgive them!"
Amid the chaos, intense hatred and rage spread through the population.
Roughly forty percent of the nations on Earth had remained neutral until now. After this deranged act, however, they began choosing sides.
If they survived this disaster with any strength remaining, they would undoubtedly seek revenge by any means available.
At that moment, in Orb's capital...
Orb was a nation where Coordinators and Naturals could live together in harmony, but that was only relative to countries such as the Atlantic Federation, whose members of the Earth Alliance were openly hostile toward P.L.A.N.T.
When an issue this extreme was placed before Naturals and Coordinators, some degree of hostility was still unavoidable.
Any reckoning would have to wait until later. For now, everyone's first priority was evacuation.
"Councilor Ezalia, please board the aircraft immediately."
"No! I'm not leaving!"
Ezalia refused to evacuate. If she left now, it would only place P.L.A.N.T. in an even worse position.
She intended to remain in Orb. Even if she died here, her sacrifice might at least help cleanse some of the stain from P.L.A.N.T.'s reputation.
However, Ezalia understood that dropping Junius Seven onto Earth was not something a small group of P.L.A.N.T. extremists could possibly accomplish on their own.
Someone with considerable influence had to be secretly supporting the operation, and the most likely person was Patrick Zala.
Patrick Zala had truly gone mad.
Ezalia could no longer hide her disappointment in him.
Still, P.L.A.N.T. alone could not have allowed Junius Seven to reach this point without detection.
There had to be an insider within the Earth Alliance, or at least a faction secretly cooperating with the operation.
Both sides shared one objective.
The destruction of Orb!
There was only one thing Ezalia could not understand. Was the Earth Alliance not worried that Junius Seven might change course and destroy them instead?
"What are you still doing there? Get out of Orb immediately!"
A communication window opened, revealing her son, Yzak.
"Whether I leave or stay is no longer the issue."
"Are you planning to die there, Mother?!"
"Perhaps this is the best choice I can make."
Ezalia's bitter smile drove Yzak into a fury. He abruptly terminated the communication, most likely because he was already on his way to drag her out by force.
Looking up, Ezalia watched ten specialized transformable fighters streak across the sky.
The forces supporting Orb from behind the scenes had also begun to move.
"Lord Uzumi, I'm sorry."
It was the only feeble apology Ezalia could offer to the leader standing beside her, who had no intention of taking shelter.
If Orb was truly Junius Seven's target, then its evacuation shelters and underground bunkers were meaningless.
If an object with that much mass struck Orb, no shelter could protect its occupants.
Their only chance of survival was to board a spaceship or aircraft and flee.
Just as Ezalia was about to say something else, a song began to play.
"Lacus?"
It was Lacus's voice.
Her song gradually calmed the panicked crowds struggling to evacuate. Her voice seemed to possess a magical power that soothed the fear in their hearts.
However, Ezalia's attention was soon drawn to another image.
The senior officials gathered around Chief Representative Uzumi were watching a connected live feed. It showed an outdated-looking warship covered in strange patterns of light.
The vessel appeared to be stationed a little over twenty nautical miles off Orb's coast.
What was it planning to do?
Two figures could barely be seen standing atop the exterior of the warship's bridge.
There also appeared to be some kind of Gundam on the deck, but it was covered, making its model impossible to identify.
Without warning, the warship began to transform.
For a moment, it looked as though the vessel was about to explode. Blinding light burst through the widening seams in its hull.
Yet the warship did not explode.
Instead, sections of its hull shifted and released two enormous spherical devices that resembled speakers. They floated weightlessly above the vessel.
The warship continued to transform, expanding the area in contact with the ocean. It seemed to be treating the surface of the sea like solid ground, widening its base to support the massive hull.
Once the transformation stopped, black and crimson light began surging across the two dark spheres.
Black-and-red arcs of electricity danced and radiated outward, engulfing the entire warship.
More importantly, energy was gathering between the two spheres. The electrical arcs seemed to originate from that central mass.
It resembled a sphere of lightning, except its color was an ominous mixture of black and crimson.
The next instant, it erupted in a blinding flash.
A devastating black-and-red beam tore through the night and shot straight toward the upper atmosphere.
The beam's core was pure black, surrounded by an outer layer of crimson.
The red light carved across the night sky like a bleeding wound torn into the heavens. At its center, the darkness was even deeper than the night itself, evoking the sight of the gates of hell being pushed open just wide enough to reveal a narrow crack.
Junius Seven was already falling.
Its vast underside glowed crimson from friction with the atmosphere, staining the entire sky blood-red.
Then that burning surface collided with the ascending beam.
At that moment, it was as though the strongest spear and the strongest shield had finally met to decide which one would prevail!
(End of Chapter)
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