Project PHAETON 9 (Patreon)

Commissioned by RoyalTwinFangs

Project PHAETON

Chapter 9

-VB-

The news reached the Principality of Zeon.

What news? 

The news that the Phaeton League had indeed salvaged their Zaku I mobile suits, reverse-engineered as much of it as they could in that short amount of time, and shared it with the Earth Federation. 

In the eyes of the Zeonites, this proved that the federation was after them. Why else would they seek their technology? Why else would they try to copy what Zeon had if they weren’t trying to take them down? 

And so, the Zabi Family instructed their scientists and engineers to improve upon the Zakus. Because they were now on a time limit. 

They knew just as the League and the Federation did that they lacked the resources and manpower to wage war upon the federation in any long term capacity, and with the federation now attempting to copy Zeon’s own mobile suit technology, they were at risk of losing their technological edge that they had over the federation. 

So even as the Zaku II’s were being brought to life inside engineering bays and labs, the Principality of Zeon finished their preparations for lightning war against the federation. 

“The essence of the plan,” Gihren Zabi spoke up as he looked around his family members and the higher-ups of the principality's military. “Is both straightforward and difficult. The Earth Federation’s democracy has weakened to the point that its people are nothing more than pawns used by the corrupt politicians and corporations against each other. To that end, we, the pure and unfettered people, will find and capture the leaders of the federation and lock down their corporations,” he said as a holographic map of the Earth showed up. “Our spies on the federation are constantly tracking these individuals of interest as well as the corporate headquarters that are too busy fighting each other to notice anything beyond their spheres of influence.”

He paused and looked around. Dressed immaculately in Zeonite military uniform as he was, he knew that he cut a stunning figure. Unfortunately for him, a few of the military figures weren’t capable of matching up to him, bloated and weak as the very federation they all hated. They reached their position through politicking and bribery, and as much as Ghiren wanted them removed immediately for daring to soil the principality’s pure nature, they were needed for now. He would simply had to arrange accidents for them once the war began. 

“The most important individuals to capture would be the political leaders of the federation. Unfortunately for us and the people of the federation, their politicians have been in a five way deadlock for the past two years. None of the parties involved want to concede the seat of the prime minister to any other party because any who holds the seat can suppress the rest. This makes our job more difficult because we will have to strike and capture multiple heads of the political parties, which is not without its own risks.”

Then he changed the map of the federation to a number of charts currently displaying the internal mechanisms and structure of the five main political parties. 

“Of these five, three are at risk of being couped internally if we remove their heads. Yes, the federation’s political parties, their leaders, are so volatile and fickle that removing their leaders would result in them abandoning the very people that once led them. It is a despicable tendency of democracy, one that I find disgusting with how common it is in the federation. There is no loyalty to one’s brother, not even those of political ideologies.”

“If they have no loyalty to one another, then what use are political hostages?” Dozle asked with a grunt. 

Gihren was quick to respond. “Because, in an ironic twist of fate, the people of the federation are more loyal than their leaders are. They are sheep but they are still sheep with teeth, as disturbing as that image is. If they see their leaders so openly abandon each other, then they will rightfully see that their leaders and governments are not worth their attention and leadership. The federation leadership cannot afford that. But the corporate leaders paying bribes to the politicians can.”

“What about the regular civilians?” one of the generals asked. “They are, as you say, loyal sheep.”

“Then deal with them like the sheep they are,” Gihren grunted. “Show them that we are not there to play games like their politicians are, and there are real consequences to intervening in the actions of the principality. And if enough of their minds have been corrupted by the bread and circus propaganda of the federation, then we will simply have to wipe the slate clean in those areas.”

Finally, his father spoke up. Degwin Zabi leaned forward from his throne, drawing everyone’s attention, including that of Gihren. “How thoroughly must the people of the federation be cleansed so that they no longer become a threat to the principality?” he asked slowly. 

“... That is not an answer I can easily give you, father,” Gihren replied. 

“Then give me a ball park estimate.”

Gihren closed his eyes. 

For what he wanted to achieve, for what was coming in the future not just for the principality but all of humanity…

He opened his eyes. 

“We are already planning one colony drop,” he whispered. “But if we want the people of the federation to truly fear us enough that they will not act? Then we must drop at least two more. One on the Chinese and the other on the Indians.”

“And the basis for this answer?”

“If we do not fear the two most populous and powerful members of the federation, then who else would we fear among their numbers?” Gihren drawled. “And this would also deprive the federation of their two largest pools of recruits. The devastation from the dropped colonies will also cause damage to neighboring nations, ensuring that they too will be too busy with internal matters to throw their lot in with the federation.”

“Why can’t we do the same with asteroids?” Garma asked with a frown. “We can still use a colony for our own needs.”

The youngest of the Zabis and the youngest person, period, in the room, the boy still had some… ideas. Feeble ideas about what should and should not be. 

“Asteroids would be useful, yes,” he replied. “If the federation wasn’t prepared for such. Asteroid deflection and eradication program has been something long active in the federation. They have long considered the use of asteroids against the colonies and the planet itself; they are corrupt, not stupid or unprepared,” he taught the boy. “It is, in fact, the reason why there are so few asteroids near Earth and the side colonies and why we are even resorting to using the colony.” Then he turned back to his father. “But there is a problem with this plan. To secure three different colonies for three separate drops, the navy and the military will be spread too thin. Should the League involve itself…”

“Then we would be doomed from the start,” his father grunted as he leaned back, disappointment plain on his face. “Then scrap the plan and go with just one colony. I believe it was … Hatte that is the closest to Earth?”

“It is.”

“Good. Never liked those guys, professing their loyalty to the federation every time we spoke earnestly about the corruption eating at all of the colonies.” Then he paused. “But would the colony strike our target? Jaburo?”

Gihren frowned. “It will be close. If our navy holds the required perimeter, then the colony will remain intact throughout the atmospheric entry. If the perimeter fails, however, then we have no idea what kind of damage the colony will suffer. In that case, we also won’t know whether or not the colony will hold its shape throughout its journey to Jaburo.”

The reason why they even considered using one of their fellow spacenoids’ homes for this was simple. 

It was common knowledge that Jaburo, the military headquarter of the federation, was in South America, but no one knew where it was or how to access it. Those were the real secrets that not even the best spies of Zeon could ferret out from the federation.

And so the colony drop.

If they couldn’t find where it was, then they would just have to hit a large enough of an area at once to hit the target anyway. 

“Then how are our forces doing?” his father asked not at him but to his brother.

Dozle straightened in his seat. “We are progressing as expected, father. The Zaku I base models have reached the pre-determined two thousand units, and we are waiting on the upgrades from the science bureau to start the production of Zaku II’s.”

“And how soon would that take?” 

Their only sister, Kycilia Zabi, spoke up. As the one in charge of the mobile suit development (and the newly discovered ‘psychics’), it was her department that oversaw much of the mobile suit upgrades and experiments. 

“We are taking into consideration the results of the border skirmish -.”

Gihren noticed Garma flinching. 

“- but we will have our solution to the League problem.”

“... Good,” their father said before letting out a sigh. “This war must cripple the federation if not outright dissolve them. Our Principality of Zeon cannot survive and the ideals and philosophies of my friend, Zeon, cannot blossom while the federation lives…”

Gihren nodded. 

Because if there was something that he truly believed in, then it was the fact that humanity needed to evolve. To become more. 

And before his loyalty to his family and loyalty to the principality, he remained loyal to the future of humanity. 

And if he needed to force humanity to evolve? Even if that meant destroying Earth? 

So be it. 

-VB-

Clan Novma was not one of the founding clans and houses of the Phaeton League. They used to be the Novma Corporation, a family-found shipping business that ran between Side 4 colonies and Earth. But as the years got on, they began to feel the pressure from the larger logistics megacorporations. Despite their attempts to expand, they found themselves surely and steadily losing market shares before it was impossible for them to even keep their headquarter lights on.

And so, Novma Corporation pulled up their roots and moved to the Phaeton League, which had been advertising their need for more logistics companies. But not all of the corporation wanted to move. In fact, the board of directors had tried to sell the company to their competitor against the wishes of the founder (the majority shareholder), but somehow the federation regulators allowed it to happen. 

And so, the four families - Novma, Zhurin, Eastfield, and Kempt - took what ships they could and fled the federation. The League didn’t hesitate to help them and took them in, even going so far as to challenge the Kawasaki-Thu Shipping, the company that illegally bought them out, in court over the illegal purchase. 

Now, they led prosperous lives here in the League, shipping goods back and forth between the League and the Side colonies. 

Never to Earth itself, though.

They were still a small clan, though, and fresh by the standards of the League’s clans and houses. It was why Gregory Novma, the son of Eric Novma who fled the federation, had to operate his own ship to fulfill shipping contracts despite being the head of the clan. 

“Um, dad?” 

Gregory blinked as he woke up. He yawned and sat up in his seat. 

Space being so big meant that there was a lot of time for him to sleep in on the job. 

“What is it?” he asked his son as he looked around. 

His son was looking down at the sensors. 

“There’s … a lot more ships than usual around Hatte.”

Frowning, he turned on his console and looked. 

His eyes widened. 

They were far from any colony but both he and the fucking armada at the edge of his sensors were heading towards the same direction. 

“Oh shit.”

He quickly activated all of the reverse thrusters. 

“Dad?!” his son stuttered out. 

“Those are Zeonites!” he hissed out. “And you don’t send an armada that big to a colony like Hatte unless you specifically want them gone or under their thumbs!” 

If he landed on Hatte right now, then his ship might be conscripted by the colony. Hell no was he losing a ship here! 

Thankfully, his son managed to wake him up right when he spotted the ships at the edge of their sensors, which was much better than anything else currently on the federation market. If he was lucky, then no one else saw his ship before he fired the reverse thrusters.

“Have to get this news to Ceres,” he mumbled to himself. 

And once the reverse thrusters killed all of his momentum, he spun Chunky Messenger around and cranked the engines to the max. 

The Zeonites were finally about to do something stupid!