October 22, CE70 – The Star Palace Colony Satellite of the New Misurugi Republic officially opened for immigration and the entry of external commercial enterprises.
Originally, this date would have been a few days earlier, but it was delayed to accommodate the secret talks between Albany and Siegel.
However, in reality, major transnational corporations of the CE had already rented shops and dormitories in Star Palace half a month prior, completing their renovations. Strictly speaking, the employees of these corporations were the first outsiders to settle in.
On this day, to welcome the immigrants, Reid went all out by having the military factory produce nearly 50 tons of gunpowder for fireworks. He even packed them into small artillery shells, planning to set them off around the colony satellite for a full 24 hours.
For this purpose, Reid dispatched two Kampfers, modifying their rocket launchers into firework barrels, and had Ortega and Mash patrol at high speed outside while setting off the fireworks. Miguel Gaia remained stationed at the port.
Of course, in space, one couldn't expect Reid's crudely made fireworks to display any intricate patterns. This was Reid flexing his muscles—gunpowder that could be turned into fireworks could just as easily be turned into missiles.
Reid might as well have spelled it out: even with the Neutron Jammer affecting guidance, sheer numbers would overwhelm any defense. Unless you were a major power like the Earth Alliance or PLANT, don't even think about messing with me.
In any case, the large number of New Misurugi Republic citizens migrating to Star Palace, witnessing the endless barrage of celebratory artillery and the unfamiliar Mobile Suits, genuinely felt the "sense of security" Star Palace offered.
Reid's grand spectacle, coupled with the debut of the new MS models, naturally drew the attention of most of the gathered media and spies. The remaining few were attending Angie's opening speech for Star Palace (script provided by Letty).
Under these circumstances, Albany and Siegel secretly entered the Star Palace Colony Satellite through a special military port, escorted personally by Reid to the meeting location.
At least on the surface, Albany and Siegel's visit was quite friendly. After disembarking, they shook hands and chatted normally, with no signs of tension.
Moreover, Reid encountered an unexpected figure—Reverend Malchio. In the anime, he ran a war orphanage on a remote island. Reid remembered him as Siegel's friend, a pacifist who had mediated this meeting. He was a rare individual who could communicate with both the Earth Alliance and PLANT.
However, Reid didn't engage much with this mysterious blind reverend at the port, treating him merely as a regular foreign guest.
Afterward, Reid personally piloted his Union Flag to escort Albany and Siegel's negotiation team to the secret meeting site.
The entire route Reid took passed through the residential areas of the native inhabitants. Under his orders, the residents would remain indoors, so even though all police forces were deployed to secure the immigration port and nearby streets, Reid wasn't worried about an ambush.
Anyone spotted near the designated route would undoubtedly be suspicious—shoot to kill on sight.
Fortunately, at this point, no outsider could possibly infiltrate this deep into Star Palace, making Reid's escort mission proceed smoothly.
Since this was a negotiation between the Earth Alliance and PLANT, Reid wasn't involved. The New Misurugi Republic only had Angie and Letty participating as witnesses and meeting facilitators.
Originally, Reid thought he just needed to stand guard by the meeting room, periodically patrolling the surrounding areas until the talks concluded.
But during his first patrol round, he was stopped—naturally by Reverend Malchio, who wasn't attending the meeting but was instead drinking tea in the lounge. Seeing Reid's routine inspection, Malchio spoke up first:
"Mr. Reid, you must be tired from patrolling. Would you care to join me for some tea and a brief chat?"
Noting Malchio's initiative, Reid gestured for the attendants in the room to leave. He then sat across from Malchio, refilled the latter's empty teacup, poured one for himself, and said:
"Mr. Malchio, why aren't you attending the meeting? From what I know, this peace talk was both planned and initiated by you."
Malchio was visibly surprised that Reid knew the inside story of the negotiations, though his expression quickly returned to its usual calm demeanor. He replied slowly:
"It seems you have quite the intelligence network, Mr. Reid. However, I'm merely someone who built a bridge to establish the possibility of communication. Now that the bridge is complete and the talks have begun, my role is over. Whether the two sides can reconcile as I hope depends entirely on their discussions.
But Mr. Reid, what are your thoughts on this war between the Earth Alliance and PLANT?"
Reid studied Malchio. Being blind, Malchio's eyes revealed nothing—those windows to the soul were shut, making it difficult to discern his true thoughts.
Deciding to mix truth with lies—since a blend of seventy percent truth and thirty percent fabrication is hardest to expose—Reid answered:
"To be honest, Mr. Malchio, I don't think I'm qualified to speak at length about this war. The grievances between the two sides are tangled up like a ball of yarn after a cat's playtime.
If I must give an evaluation, all I can say is that if this war truly ends with one side annihilating the other, it would be an immense loss for the entire human race. Because the victor would undoubtedly oppress the defeated with relentless cruelty."
Malchio nodded, acknowledging Reid's assessment, then asked again:
"And do you have any personal goals you wish to achieve in this war, Mr. Reid?"
This time, Reid decided to answer truthfully—since few would likely believe him anyway:
"Goals? Protecting the little I have now, marrying a few wives, and raising a bunch of kids—does that count?"
Malchio was momentarily speechless at Reid's domestic aspirations, assuming Reid simply didn't want to share his real intentions. He replied:
"That's a fine goal. Though both the Earth Alliance and PLANT practice monogamy, so marrying multiple wives might prove difficult. Still, given your capabilities, Mr. Reid, you'd naturally attract many women. I suppose that's something everyone could understand."
Reid caught the implication—Malchio was hinting that the New Misurugi Republic would eventually have to choose a side to align with. And for either faction, offering women to win Reid over would be a trivial matter.
Adopting a more serious tone, Reid began:
"Oh? It seems Malchio was deliberately waiting for me here. May I ask which side's messenger you are?"
Malchio shook his head and calmly replied,
"I'm no messenger. I know Mr. Reid would never leave the New Misurugi Republic. After all, someone has already secretly written your story with Princess Ange into a romance novel. A fallen princess meeting an extraordinary knight—such tales will find an audience even centuries later."
Reid was surprised to hear that someone had written about him and Angie in a novel? How come he didn't know about this? Shouldn't he at least get some royalties?
But this was something Reid could only grumble about in his heart—he couldn't actually track down the author. So he said to Malchio,
"Really? Well, I hope this author gives me a good ending then. Don't let it turn into some disgusting finale where the princess remarries someone else for political reasons.
Alright, enough jokes. Mr. Malchio, I'm certain now—someone must have arranged for you to meet me here. Who exactly is that person?"
(End of Chapter)