Of course, as long as the MS were deployed, there was still a chance.
So he couldn't be bothered to argue with the latter remark, and simply acknowledged it with a grunt before striding quickly toward the exit.
And so, ZAFT's new weapons shocked the nations of the world. Although they caused panic among some countries on Earth, after ZAFT repeatedly assured them that these weapons would only be used against Blue Cosmos, the situation quickly calmed down.
Not long after that brief engagement, Fred, having finished processing the data, had already left the Yggdrasil Space Station orbiting Earth and returned to April City on PLANT.
Thanks to the propaganda celebrating the victory in the war, April City was once again bustling with activity.
Along with that came memorial services for the fallen soldiers and the like.
In a mix of fervor and sorrow, Fred, having disembarked from the shuttle, went straight back to his home in April City.
"You want to make contact with that East Asian commander?"
Lacus, who had just welcomed Fred back and had barely exchanged a few private words, was startled by his statement.
Out of nowhere, why East Asia?
"Was it during your time at the data center? You did it on purpose?"
Lacus asked.
"Yeah."
Fred nodded.
"Yes, I've been looking into intel on that side during this period. They're a viable partner."
He had been here for a long time now.
Whether through hearsay or active investigation, he had gained a basic understanding of East Asia. Although it was no longer the place from his previous life, as a balancing force in the middle, they would pose absolutely no problem.
"We need someone to balance the various parties in the peace talks, and we'll need a neutral intermediary in the future."
"ORB, if they truly intend to help the Atlantic Federation, clearly they cannot serve as the balancing faction."
"Whether in terms of scale or their own mindset."
Fred said seriously.
If ORB had a leaning, then obviously they couldn't act as a neutral party mediating the conflict between both sides.
That was easy to understand.
Even if he didn't have a preconceived aversion to ORB, he would still say the same.
"Hmm..."
Lacus fell silent in thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"I'll speak with Father."
East Asia had indeed been consistently maintaining balance, without deliberately making moves or anything.
The two sides had no blood feud, and the nation's scale was large enough.
If Commander Chen could truly be trusted, having them as a mediating force would indeed be an excellent choice.
The two continued discussing the topic.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Athrun, Yzak, and the others had also seen the victory at Yggdrasil on television.
Though it wasn't a decisive triumph, the confidence it brought to PLANT was real.
But more than that, what Athrun saw was the death toll this time.
"1,351 people dead, and the wounded numbering over ten thousand..."
Athrun's tone was heavy.
"They're all receiving state funerals."
Yzak also let out a soft sigh.
Under Fred's influence, he now empathized deeply with the cruelty of war.
"Precisely because of that, we have a responsibility."
Under Yzak's words, Athrun and Nicol did not refute this time.
"This is our fathers' war, and it is also ours."
The young man's words carried more weight than usual.
"I want to enlist. What about you two?"
Yzak hadn't asked anything of them, but it was precisely this sudden considerateness from the usually obstreperous Yzak that left them even more at a loss for how to respond.
"I..."
Athrun thought of many things—of what Lacus had said about Fred seemingly being in the military, and of the Copernicus terrorist attack that felt like it had happened only yesterday.
These things passed through his mind one by one.
"I'm going too!"
Athrun nodded firmly, having confirmed his resolve, and then his gaze shifted to Nicol.
"But Nicol, you don't have to force yourself. Just make the choice you want."
He was afraid that his own decision to enlist might pressure Nicol into following along.
"Mm..."
Under Athrun's worried gaze and Yzak's look of "we'll be waiting for you," Nicol still nodded firmly.
"I'm enlisting too! I want to help them, and protect my own family!"
"Besides, my brother seems to be in there as well!"
As he spoke, Nicol gave Athrun a reassuring smile, as if to say this was absolutely not a rash decision made on a whim.
"Then it's settled! We'll all go sign up together!"
"This time I'm definitely going to blow you out of the water!"
Before the other two comrades-in-arms could say anything, Yzak, seeing that both had agreed, stood up with an excited look on his face and taunted Athrun.
Clearly, playing the brooding type had been a struggle for the youth to endure, and now that everything was settled, he couldn't help but get fired up again.
"You didn't blow me out of the water the last few times either."
"I was the one who won."
Athrun, finding his words interrupted, shot the white-haired youth a look of exasperation.
"Hmph, it won't be the same at the military academy!"
"Let's have a match right now if you've got the guts!"
Yzak pressed on.
"Is there any connection between those two statements? Are you stupid? You muscle-brained idiot?"
"Screw you!"
Listening to the two of them bicker, Nicol couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle from the sidelines.
These two—they seemed just the same as always, and that steadied Nicol's heart, which had been unsettled by the decision he'd made about his future.
There were still many uncertainties, but with them by his side, and with his brother around, there probably wasn't much to worry about.
They could protect PLANT, and they could protect the people they cared about, shouldering their responsibilities as sons of Councilors.
After all, they were about to come of age—it really was time for them to step up.
As for the future, he still wasn't sure.
But wasn't his brother still there?
They could surely carve out a peaceful future for the generations to come.
...
And so, another three months quietly slipped by, and soon they arrived at the middle of the year CE 70.
Having seized Yggdrasil, they had already launched Operation Ouroboros, hurling Neutron Jammers at the Atlantic Federation.
With energy resources constrained, they had opened new ground fronts against the Atlantic Federation in Oceania and Africa.
The same was true on the Moon.
ZAFT, having established a military base on the Moon, was locked in fierce combat with Ptolemy's Atlantic Federation forces.
The Atlantic Federation, suffering repeated defeats in space, had low morale, and some fleet soldiers had even resorted to burning their own ships to avoid the battlefield—a situation that gradually brought the two sides to a rough parity.
As for Fred, he continued to cycle through research and training as before.
As if nothing around him had affected him in the slightest.
"Your work on the External Armor has been quite demanding."
Fred had barely finished his research when he ran into Lacus, who had come to his home.
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