Chapter 36: Defense-type NT
Siegel Clyne stood in front of the fossilized alien creature, his mind racing with thoughts. As the Speaker of ZAFT, he had to come up with a practical and convincing plan. One of the most critical is to convince Patrick and Aznable, and these two are not easy to deal with.
He suddenly remembered the look on Dr. Adrien's face as he stood here, as if he was really worried that aliens would come at any moment. This is the common problem of scholarly people - impracticality. Human civilization has been developing for so many years, how could there be any aliens coming all of a sudden? Adrien thought a little too much.
Among the several candidates he chose for his daughter, he himself likes Athrun the most. This boy was weak and unassertive, good for Lacus to control. But since he has promised his daughter, he will not interfere again.
Even if Lacus really chose Dr. Adrien, it is also perfectly acceptable. As long as Adrien is willing to join the Clyne family, he would hand the MS Design Bureau to him personally, and even sponsor Adrien the trip to Jupiter. It all depends on how Lacus will give him feedback when she returns.
"Your Excellency, you have arrived? Let's go in."
Behind him came Aznable's voice. Clyne turned around and looked, only to see Aznable and Patrick walking side by side. Is it really that coincidental that these two people ran into each other on the road? He had an unsettling feeling and gave a wink to his men, then calmly greeted the two and entered the Supreme Council Chamber together.
The three of them and their bodyguards were the only ones in the meeting room. The situation was serious and the three of them needed to have a meeting before the formal twelve-member council. Usually, when something big happens, the leaders of each party will hold a small meeting before the general assembly to get a consensus.
The three of them sat down individually, and Clyne, as the Speaker, was the first to speak, "Luckily this time, the MS that was taken away was successfully destroyed with the help of Dr. Lingus, and the Federation didn't really get Neutron Jammer Canceller. We now owe him a favor. Now, all we have to do is to hurry up and start talks with the Federation government to show our good faith and avoid a bloody conflict."
"Siegel, you're still thinking about how to show goodwill to the Earth Federation after things have come to this point?" Zala sneered, "Since they have known about our Neutron Jammer Canceller, it is imminent that the mad dogs of the Earth Federation will start a war. At this time of PLANT's life and death, are you still thinking about how to wag your tail and beg for mercy? Isn't this the time for all Coordinators to unite and defend against foreign enemies?"
"We must not start a war!" Clyne slapped the table hard and raised his voice, "PLANT has no more available soldiers!"
"No, don't use your old thinking to judge today's situation!" Zala projected a data onto the big screen, "Open your eyes and see how many battleships, new MSs, and soldiers we have in ZAFT today. Five years, for five years we have been enduring humiliation, isn't this the right time to revenge?"
"Do you want to fight against the whole Earth Federation with such a small number of troops? Don't forget how the One Year War was lost!"
"Where is the whole Earth Federation? You don't know anything about the military." Zala said as a world map appeared on the screen, "Now the Eternal is in the South Pacific. With the newest nuclear-powered MS to support, we can take down Orb Union in one fell swoop if we attack them first. With Mass Driver, we can determine when and where to attack and defend, and we will be invincible."
"Orb Union is surrounded by the sea on all sides, so even if we occupied Orb Union, we won't be able to hold and defend it."
"Defend? Why should we defend?" Zala stood up excitedly, went to the big screen and pointed at the map and said loudly, "The energy crisis in Africa and South Asia has just eased up. As long as we take Australia before European reinforcements arrive, we will have an arsenal! We have the uranium mines! When the time comes to kill all the way from Africa to Europe, a nuclear bomb will explode in the Earth Federation headquarters! I want to see them bleed! Pain! Die! Blood!"
"Do you think Britannia is blind?"
"Britannia is busy solving the Japanese independence movement. I bet Britannia and the Earth Federation are unwilling to go to war on two fronts! If the bet is won, PLANT will be qualified to redraw the map!"
"A bet?" Clyne looked at his old friend's twisted face with a pain in his heart, "You are pulling the whole PLANT with you to gamble for your own revenge? Even if you win the bet, the probability of success is very slim, have you thought about it?"
"Of course we have to gamble! The Earth's population and resources are nearly endless, how to win without gambling? Only now, everyone does not have nuclear bombs. As long as we have the Neutron Jammer Cancellers, we have the only chance to win!"
"Patrick, you've gone crazy …" Clyne looked to the other person present, "Senator Aznable, are you going to go crazy along with this man ?"
"Senator Zala, don't get so worked up yet, we still have an important issue to resolve." Aznable gestured to Zala and watched as he slowly sat back down in his seat before speaking, "Is there anything you want to explain about how the enemy knew Neutron Jammer Canceller existed, Speaker Clyne?"
"What do you mean? I'm sorry, I don't understand." Clyne sensed some great conspiracy enveloping the chamber.
"The enemy learned of the existence and whereabouts of the Neutron Jammer Canceller and the two MSs beforehand, and even managed to infiltrate the Eternal, and finally drove away one of the Gundams with ease, most likely because they knew the code beforehand. " Aznable looked at Clyne playfully, "Without someone in a high position providing information, they can't do this."
"Please watch your words!" Clyne sounded stern, "Can I understand that you are suspecting the Speaker of the Supreme Council betraying the country?!"
"Don't be in a hurry to deny it yet, it's not too late to see the evidence before you speak." Aznable waved to Haman behind him and took a document and threw it in front of Clyne, "The one above is the evidence that you traded Neutron Jammer Canceller with Dr. Lingus. Well, you traded PLANT's top secrets with others, what a good Speaker! Since you returned from the moon last year, there have been encrypted data packets sent from the Clyne residence, and finally sent to Earth after several transits. Is there anything you would like to explain?"
Clyne finally saw that this was a premeditated coup, and now he has no choice but to die, "I don't deny the first thing. There was a deal with Dr. Lingus, but it was to strengthen the relationship with Anaheim. But the second thing is a complete slur."
"Your Excellency Clyne, we are all wise men, what is the point of playing such a trick?" Char got up and strode over to Clyne, his left hand on the back of Clyne's chair, "Dr. Lingus asked for Amuro Ray from Brigadier Hymem, the head of the Federation's Intransigent Faction, so the two have a great relationship. And you've hooked up with Dr. Lingus, I'm afraid you're relying on your daughter, right? The three of you have formed a tight-knit clique, selling PLANT secrets for profit, and the document in front of you is the proof!"
Aznable said and slapped his right hand heavily on the document in front of Clyne.
The story was so good, the evidence was so well prepared, the absurdity and anger made Clyne couldn't help but cursing, "Char Aznable! You set me up!"
"Siegel, there have been rumors that in the One Year War, you get so many favorable treaties by selling out your homeland, and I would not have believed it." Zala looked at Clyne with a sad look, "We have been friends for many years, I never thought that you would be such a person. Have you forgotten what Deikun-sensei taught you back then?"
Clyne looked at Zala's serious expression, he didn't get angry but laugh. The first-class script, first-class props, and first-class actors. How much they have done before today?
"Okay, you want me to die, I admit it." Clyne looked at Aznable's clam face, "But what's with that battle plan? Is it necessary to bury the entire PLANT with you? Do I deserve it?!"
"Sir Clyne, perhaps you don't notice it yourself, but you're actually rotten." Aznable gently patted Clyne's shoulder, "Not just you, but the leaders of the entire Earth Federation are corrupted. Don't you have any ideas every time you pass the fossil at the entrance of the conference hall? How many opportunities and challenges await us in the universe? In order to meet them, we must completely revolutionize away from the antiquated status quo. PLANT and the Earth must be broken and reborn by fire."
"… So it's you." Clyne looked to Zala and let out a roar, "Patrick, don't you get it? You've been tricked by this man!"
Aznable simply ignored Clyne's provocations. There was no point, Zala had become a slave of hatred five years ago, and he would be satisfied if only he could get his revenge.
"I wasted five years in the Convocation. Except for getting some achievements in New Type research, I did nothing and simply wasted my time. But fortunately, there is at least one gain, that is, I finally changed from an idealist to a down-to-earth idealist. There are so few things that reform can do, and the bigger the battleship, the harder it is to turn around. I hated the war, but I understood better that some things had to be completely shattered to start over."
Aznable clapped his hands twice as a pair of soldiers in ZAFT uniforms fishtailed in and raised their guns on Clyne and his entourage.
"Siegel, you are so wrong. The only thing that cannot be betrayed is the interests of the motherland, that is the bottom line of a politician." Zala sighed, "For the sake of our long acquaintance, at least I will let Lacus--"
"-Lacus must be killed." Aznable's voice was unmistakably cold, "Senator Zala, no, Speaker Zala, not to mention whether Lacus Clyne is involved in selling out the country or not, the political resources she holds alone will be a serious interference to your grand plan. Now is not the time to be merciful."
Zala gazed at Clyne, and finally nodded wordlessly at Aznable.
"And Dr. Lingus, he's the one who's really worrying about the universe, the one who really understands the direction of technology. Speaker Zala, we must hold him firmly in our own hands." Char walked up to Zala and raised his hand, "Please leave him to me, I had a pleasant conversation with Dr. Lingus and have full confidence in reaching an understanding with him."
"Lingus is from Anaheim! He's Diana's man!" Clyne stood up, ignoring the guns pointing to his chest, "Do you want to make enemies of the moon? Do you understand what you're doing or not?!"
"It's you, Clyne the former Speaker, who doesn't understand." Aznable laughed out disdainfully, "Although I don't know the reason for it, the Moon is following a policy of absolute neutrality. Even if we have Dr. Lingus under house arrest, the Moon will only protest, apply pressure, and at most break off diplomatic relations, never declaring war on its own initiative. And after having Lingus, does Anaheim still matter? Is it even necessary to care about breaking off diplomatic relations?"
Clyne looked at the laughing Aznable and the puppet-like Patrick, and didn't even have the strength to struggle. His daughter and Adrien are now on the Eternal, and the ship is full of these two people's people. Is this also planned? The man in front of me… from when has he been preparing all this?
Aznable is ruthless and he is not likely to survive. He wondered how much the emergency measures he made before the meeting will work, and now all he can do is pray. Only Lacus, only Lacus! He hopes she can live well.
…
"Doctor, what's wrong with you?" Uraki looked at Ade worriedly. It had been almost a minute since he started staring at the sea after shouting something inexplicable just now. Is it true that he had some kind of bad reaction when descending, or should he go see a doctor?
"Uraki!" Ade suddenly turned around, looking grim. He came up to Uraki and whispered in a voice that only Uraki could hear, "Now let's go back to the room with a natural expression and pack our bags as fast as we can, taking only the most important things with us. Then we enter the hangar as calmly as we can and take the opportunity to run away in the V2 Gundam."
"What happened?" Ade's expression and tone made Uraki feel the gravity of the situation, "Is there some danger?"
"Malice, omens, intuition, psychic senses, anyway, it's just my NT radar alarming like crazy." Ade took Uraki by the arm and headed for the ship, "There's no time to explain, get in!"
