The document Reid saw was brought by Une, who had specifically called Ange, Reid, and Noin together.
The reason was simple. It was now early October, and the Star Palace Colony Satellite was about to open, with the first batch of new citizens preparing to move in.
However, before this, Une received two secret applications with impressive letterheads from Earth Alliance Secretary-General Albany and PLANT Chairman Siegel.
The content of the applications was straightforward. The Earth Alliance and PLANT wanted to take advantage of the New Misurugi Republic's open immigration policy to conduct secret peace talks.
Considering that both sides' military were in a state of intense conflict, it was impossible for the governments to engage in peace talks openly. The government officials on both sides were likely keeping this from their militaries, hence the need for absolute secrecy.
Due to safety concerns and fears of potential traps, the Earth Alliance and PLANT, through an intermediary, hoped to hold secret meetings on the Star Palace Colony Satellite.
Firstly, with the Star Palace Colony Satellite open to the public, there would be a large influx of immigrants and tourists, including ships from both Earth and PLANT, making it easy to blend in.
Secondly, as the Star Palace Colony Satellite had just opened, intelligence networks from various factions had not yet been established, ensuring security.
Thirdly, with the opening of Star Palace, both Albany and Siegel had the excuse to visit for congratulations and to foster friendly relations, which could fool their respective militaries back home.
Siegel didn't believe that the Blue Cosmos fanatics would attack the New Misurugi Republic without reason.
Albany also thought that given Reid's situation, he wouldn't allow ZAFT members in the New Misurugi Republic.
So the two sides agreed and submitted their secret applications.
Reid found these two applications quite troublesome, as given the current state of war between the Earth Alliance and PLANT, it was impossible to reach a peace agreement.
Although PLANT had a certain advantage on the battlefield, this advantage had been slowly diminishing over time.
As Reid had predicted earlier, after several large-scale battles, ZAFT clearly felt that the number of veterans in their army was decreasing, while the proportion of new recruits with varying skill levels was rapidly increasing.
As a result, PLANT's offensive on Earth had come to a halt, shifting to defense and reorganization, at least until the latest batch of recruits gained some battlefield experience in small-scale conflicts before engaging in large-scale operations. The situation in space was similar.
The Earth Alliance was well aware of these developments, so they didn't feel they had lost on the battlefield. At most, they no longer viewed PLANT with the same superiority as before, wanting to treat them as an equal power, but the current situation wasn't enough for that.
Reid sometimes understood the thinking of non-Blue Cosmos high-ranking officials in the Earth Alliance. Simply put, these space colonies were all funded by Earth countries, with the three major council nations contributing the most.
The three major council nations viewed the colonies as their own space factories. Now, these Coordinators who had fled to space for various reasons not only occupied their factories but also demanded independence. They thought, "Do you think we're pushovers if we don't show our strength?"
Of course, Reid never denied the exploitation of space colonies by the Earth Alliance's three major council nations, especially the Atlantic Federation. It was a messy situation, with both sides having their own justifications. Without a war to hurt both sides, there would be no fair treaty.
Reid knew about this meeting but didn't expect his presence would lead to both sides wanting to meet on his territory.
So Reid expressed his predictions about the outcome of this meeting, indicating that he wasn't optimistic about the peace talks.
Une looked puzzled and asked, "Reid, what does it matter to us if the Earth Alliance and PLANT fail to negotiate? Let them fail.
I suggest we accept the role of host for this meeting. Although it's a secret meeting that can't be publicized, it won't remain secret for long among high-ranking officials on both sides. This will greatly enhance our international standing. When needed, more people will be willing to come to us for negotiations.
While this will increase our security pressure, we'll gain many high-quality connections. As long as we maintain neutrality, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."
Reid thought this made sense. The peace talks were bound to fail, but that wasn't their concern. They only needed to ensure the safety of people on their territory.
It was perfect timing for Reid to showcase the modified Kampfer, which might even bring in some foreign trade orders.
Additionally, after two months of intense escort missions, Reid had accumulated enough Merit Points for ten more draws from the character pool. Although it was still mostly common results, he got three blue-rarity characters: reliable pilots Miguel Gaia, Ortega, and Mash. They were known by the famous title "Black Tri-Stars."
Reid was surprised by the three blue lights, but understood when he saw who they were. When asked, he learned that these three were sent over after being defeated by Amuro. Their backstory was that they were veterans expelled from ZAFT for violating military discipline and had joined Reid's mercenary group because only Reid offered genuinely high compensation to outsiders.
These three were quite roguish but easy to get along with. They called Reid "Boss," Ange "Big Sis," Noin "Second Sis," and Lenore "Chief Manager."
After a few drinks and several missions together, their loyalty exceeded 70, making Reid think it might be better to summon only males in the future. It seemed easier to communicate with the same gender.
Now these three were the main force of his Crimson Wings Mercenary Group. They also freed up Reid, allowing him to take on two transport escort missions at once. The three of them could complete one mission as a team, while Reid led Ange and Noin on another.
Even when Reid was modifying mobile suits in Star Palace, these three could continue generating income for the Crimson Wings Mercenary Group. Reid could also passively accumulate Merit Points and G-Coins.
Of course, these three had their drawbacks. When Reid wasn't present, attacks on the Black Tri-Stars wouldn't trigger emergency missions. Fortunately, they were all experienced veterans with considerable skills. Piloting the GINNs Reid had assigned them, they hadn't encountered any major problems so far.
Another issue was that these three straightforward guys tended to talk carelessly when drunk. The system-related matters were fine, as they themselves didn't understand how it worked. Outsiders would probably dismiss it as drunken talk about "divine guidance" and "resurrection," as the information fabricated by the system was flawless.
But intelligence about the New Misurugi Republic was different. Reid hadn't even told them about the Factory Module. After evaluation, Reid found that although these three were loyal, they could only be used as soldiers. Being MS squad leaders was their limit; any higher position would cause problems.
Of course, Reid didn't skimp on their treatment. The disposable income of these three might even exceed Reid's. They received formal salaries from Une, while Reid didn't have a salary concept. His expenses were mostly charged to the mercenary group's public account, with only some cash looted from space pirates during raids and retirement benefits from the Eurasian Federation as personal funds.
However, Reid had already planned to have them showcase the Kampfer during this meeting period. This type of high-speed mobile suit better suited their fighting style.
After thinking it through, Reid had no objections to hosting this meeting. Ange and Noin had no objections either, so the matter was settled.
(End of Chapter)