"They all need to grow up."
Joule looked at the group not far away and spoke.
"Yes."
Patrick's expression remained stern.
Athrun and the others were already thirteen or fourteen years old. By local standards, they were old enough to attend university and stand on their own.
"If he could have abilities like Fred's, I wouldn't be worried."
Fred, who was the same age, was already making remarkable progress in his research.
"You said 'if' yourself."
Joule gave a bitter smile.
"If there were a few more Freds, it would be us who should be afraid."
Fred's abilities were too formidable, leaving them with mixed feelings.
"Hmm..."
Upon hearing this, Patrick nodded in agreement.
His face still betrayed little emotion.
Regarding Athrun's arrangements, he still needed to discuss them with Lenore.
And then there was Athrun's own decision.
It was useless for him alone to say anything here.
Seeing that their conversation had reached a dead end, Joule fell silent for a moment before turning his gaze toward Siegel. Over there, Siegel was talking with Yuri.
It was similar to their own situation.
"I heard Fred is cooking today."
Joule smoothly changed the topic.
"Hmm."
Seeing Patrick's calm demeanor, Joule found it somewhat amusing.
It seemed Athrun hadn't told his father about Fred's excellent cooking skills.
In contrast, Yzak had mentioned it to him many times.
Thinking of this, Joule felt a mix of anticipation and pride.
His relationship with Yzak was much better than that of the Zala father and son.
As a mother, it made her quite proud.
As the two of them spoke, a meal was soon completed under Fred's skillful hands.
Looking at the feast before them, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, the group wasn't exactly shocked beyond belief—they had eaten many lavish meals before, so the dishes before them were nothing extraordinary.
Still, they couldn't help but feel surprised by Fred's culinary skills.
Fred was even talented at cooking.
Of course, upon closer thought, cooking was also a form of control, which seemed quite reasonable.
And so, everyone accepted this notion. The farewell dinner concluded amidst their astonishment at Fred's cooking.
In the days that followed, Fred continued to make progress while moving.
Meanwhile, friction between PLANT and the Atlantic Federation gradually emerged.
Both sides harassed each other, seemingly testing the waters with minor skirmishes. Of course, for PLANT, which possessed MS, small-scale battles gave them an absolute advantage.
Although these frictions affected trade between the two sides, they hadn't completely severed ties.
It was against this backdrop that, a month later, on the ORB space colony Heliopolis, located on the opposite side of the Earth-Moon coordinates, the five major families secretly gathered.
Their journey was confidential, and they arrived at a secret underground base of the Dawn Organization within Heliopolis.
In the brightly lit conference room sat the highest-ranking officials of ORB. Each of them wore a tense expression, showing no signs of relaxation.
Among them, Sahaku, the leader of the shadow clan known as The Clan, broke the brief silence in the conference room with a furrowed brow and spoke.
"So, the Atlantic Federation wants to commission us to manufacture those mobile suits? Can they even pilot them?"
"That's why they've also commissioned us to develop the operating system simultaneously."
Siegel's words echoed in the empty conference room, accentuating the silence of those present.
"If ZAFT finds out, we could become a target for them, even sparking a war."
The representative from the Kiyo family, responsible for foreign affairs, muttered in a low voice, his thick brows slightly furrowed, giving him a rather honest appearance.
Kiyo's words quickly prompted nods of agreement from the others.
However, it wasn't long before Sahaku interrupted them.
"PLANT's population base simply cannot pose a fundamental threat to the Atlantic Federation's position."
"They might gain an advantage in small-scale battles, but that's about it."
"Even if they find out, they won't dare to do anything to us."
"On the contrary, by acting as a bridge for the Atlantic Federation, we can secure more opportunities for ourselves."
Under Sahaku's words, the room fell into silence once again.
They had all witnessed the advanced capabilities of the mobile suits.
Although their nation was not large in scale, they had a considerable number of Coordinator soldiers.
While they didn't know the exact number of Coordinator troops in the Atlantic Federation, if they acquired mobile suits, simply engaging in military exports in the future would ensure their nation's stability for decades to come.
Their neighboring countries would not dare to invade either.
"What if ZAFT insists on retaliating against us?"
"Even though ZAFT wouldn't fare well on the main battlefield, the capabilities they've demonstrated in previous battles show they already have the ability to contest control of space sectors with the Atlantic Federation."
"Moreover, if we then side with the Atlantic Federation, it would create ideological conflicts among our citizens."
Kiyo countered with a frown.
Kiyo's meaning was clear—he feared that ZAFT might retaliate recklessly, risking mutual destruction.
Even if they managed to survive by relying on the Atlantic Federation, they would only become its vassal.
What if the Atlantic Federation's military refused to leave afterward?
In short, there were many issues.
"We don't necessarily have to submit to the Atlantic Federation. We can deepen our cooperation with them, but on Earth, the Atlantic Federation will always hold the reins."
Under Sahaku's words, everyone present found themselves in a difficult dilemma.
They wanted to reap the benefits, playing both sides, but in this situation, it seemed highly challenging.
A single misstep could bring disaster upon themselves.
Sahaku's analysis was rational: even if ZAFT discovered they were aiding the Atlantic Federation, as long as ZAFT was preoccupied with its own struggles, they wouldn't be foolish enough to open another front.
Perhaps they could even become a mediator for peace talks between the two sides.
This way, ORB's ideology could continue to spread outward.
But according to Kiyo's thinking, ZAFT might retaliate recklessly, driven purely by emotion.
In that case, Heliopolis, or even ORB itself, could become the center of the battlefield.
The collective unease of those present made the atmosphere in the conference room even more stifling.
Seeing that the discussion had gone on long enough, Athha spoke up to interrupt the others.
"Strength is the key to protecting oneself."
Though Athha did not say much, his meaning was clear.
The representatives of the other four families nodded in agreement.
Of course, this was merely a verbal understanding reached in private discussions. The specific details still needed to be finalized by their subordinates.
However, once the intent was established, it would not change.
Watching the heads of the other families leave one after another, Athha gazed at the dimly lit conference hall before him.
His bright, torch-like eyes slowly closed, and the heart that had been racing due to the decision he had just made gradually calmed down.
To expand ORB's influence and ideals, remaining an ordinary neutral nation would not suffice.
And ORB, fortunately, possessed proud technological achievements and abundant undersea resources.
Now, as the tides of the new era gradually emerged, seizing this opportunity could allow ORB to become one of the world's most powerful nations, and its ideals could spread across the globe.
Thinking this, Athha clenched his fists tightly.
Kira had recently applied to study robot operating systems.
Perhaps he could take advantage of this situation.
Just as Athha was deep in thought, a small side door in the conference hall opened, and a young man in a suit walked directly toward him.
"Representative Athha, the young lady is insisting on seeing you."
"Cagalli? What's wrong?"
Athha snapped back to attention, his expression serious as he asked.
"She drove her teacher away."
"I understand."
With just that one sentence, Athha roughly grasped the situation. He let out a bitter laugh and waved his hand.
"Let's head back."
The discussions were concluded, and the official inspection here was complete. It was indeed time to return.
Besides, this place was gradually becoming dangerous.
Fortunately, Kiyo and Sahaku were relatively reliable.
"Before we begin the plan, have Kiyo and Sahaku quickly clean up the spy organizations here."
"Yes!"
Hearing this, the young man's expression turned serious, and he responded swiftly.
As their conversation ended, the two of them strode out of the conference hall one after the other, leaving behind only the bright lights that gradually dimmed, as if bidding them farewell.
Amidst this increasingly chaotic situation, Fred, who had just moved to April City and was living a peaceful life far removed from the dangers outside, successfully completed his research on the High Mobility GINN.
"Thanks to my brother's efforts and the data collected from recent GINN combat feedback, all experiments for the High Mobility GINN have been completed. The prototype unit is now ready for deployment at any time."
Lacus stood in the familiar courtyard, looking at the young man before her with a faint smile.
Hearing her words, Fred's expression beneath his mask remained largely unchanged. He simply nodded calmly.
"I understand."
According to the terms of their agreement, he provided the technology, but the first prototype unit produced would belong to him.
Otherwise, he lacked the financial resources to support the development from research to the Mobile Suit's completion.
Even Dr. Hibiki needed investors, and he was no exception.
However, regarding the completion of this Mobile Suit, Fred felt excitement, but even more so, urgency.
The war had already begun, and he needed more knowledge and related technologies.
Relying solely on himself to work behind closed doors was not feasible; even with Clyne's researchers and Albert Heinlein, it was still highly unlikely.
At the very least, he still needed the technology of the Dawn Organization.
It wasn't that he couldn't build an MS like the Strike Suit on his own.
Given time and a clear direction, he was confident he could produce the main body of the Strike Suit even before the Dawn Organization.
But having just the main body wasn't enough.
For things like the Vibration Knife, small Beam guns, and Mirage Particles, he only had a basic understanding.
He was counting on obtaining these technologies to accelerate his learning progress.
Although his research on power and Engines was likely already at the forefront globally,
his skills in other areas were still insufficient.
To speed up his progress, he needed the research ideas of others.
Unlike the well-established fields of Engines and power, technologies like miniaturized Beam weapons and Mirage Particles were not extensively researched even in PLANT.
Without experience, he was essentially groping in the dark, making his learning process slower.
Drawing inferences from one example required a solid foundation to begin with.
He could continue researching slowly, but that would waste more time.
And time was now the most precious thing to him.
If he could seize opportunities, why should he toil away on his own?
With this time, he could make further breakthroughs in the fields he excelled in and where he was already leading the world.
Once he obtained those research materials and fully mastered them, his own research progress would accelerate. In the future, most MS could fall under his control.
"When will you go and take it for a drive?"
Lacus said, her cherry lips slightly pursed as she elegantly took a sip of black tea.
Every smile and gesture radiated the unique gentle charm of a young girl.
As she grew older, Lacus, as an idol, was increasingly evolving into the highly popular goddess Fred envisioned in his heart.
"Leave it there for now."
"That's true, but Peide and the others will probably be disappointed."
"They've been saying they wanted to meet you."
Lacus wasn't surprised by this, as Fred certainly wouldn't go over at this time.
The Peide she mentioned was the person in charge of the Secret Factory.
According to Peide, young genius researchers like this were usually eager to come and try out their completed research.
In his view, it was probably because Fred seemed quite young and showed great enthusiasm during research.
After all, it was their own work; for researchers like them, it was like their own child.
They also wanted to take this opportunity to meet Fred, the genius they had only communicated with online.
However, it was clear they didn't understand Fred as well as she did.
Thinking of this, Lacus felt a subtle sense of superiority.
Of course, she didn't voice these thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Fred simply nodded, speaking with a hint of regret.
"There will be opportunities later."
For now, there was no need to use this Mobile Suit for operations in Copernicus.
He was just testing out ideas; this Mobile Suit didn't really serve any practical purpose, but it could be kept as a backup unit.
However, if nothing major happened, there was no need to bring it out.
It could just be kept as a collectible.
Hearing this, Lacus smiled and added, "Athrun and Nicol haven't decided whether to join the military yet, but Yzak has already enrolled in the military academy."
"Do you think they'll enter the military academy, brother?"
All three were children of Supreme Councilors and were rare Aces. If they joined the military, they would be of great help to Fred.
After a moment of thought, Fred shook his head.
"It's not certain."
With Julius's situation before, everything fell into place naturally, but now it all depends on their own resolve.
Nicol truly was uncertain, while Athrun had the determination to protect.
It all depended on how things would take root and grow.
Thinking this, Fred sighed again.
"But all I can do is this much.
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