Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 10: The Seeds of Trust

"These things," Mina looked up and stared at Xia, "were you the only one who wrote them?"

"It was a joint effort between me and the Dawn Society team," Xia said, "but the core idea was mine."

Mina remained silent for a long time.

"Do you know what you're doing?" she finally said. "If this document gets leaked, both the Earth Federation and PLANT will see Orb as a threat."

"So it has to be kept secret," Xia said. "Only the heads of the five major families and a few core members can see it."

Mina closed the file and placed it on the table.

"I have one condition," she said.

"Speaking."

"Sahak wants to be deeply involved in the construction of the rail elevators," Mina said. "Not just a supplier, but a partner. We need to have decision-making power."

"Okay," Xia said, "but on the condition that the interests of the Sahak family cannot supersede the national interests of Orb."

Mina stared at him, a slow smile appearing on her lips.

"You're a tough person to deal with, Xia-kun," she said. "But I like that."

After that meeting, Char and Mina's contact became more frequent.

It started as a formal meeting—discussing financing plans, technical routes, and timelines for the rail elevator. Gradually, the atmosphere of the meeting became more relaxed, and the topics became broader.

Mina invited Char to a private tea party at the Sahak family home. The tea party consisted of only the two of them; there were no waiters, no recorders, just tea and conversation.

They talked about politics, history, philosophy, and the future of Orb. Mina discovered that Char's thoughts were far beyond his years, and his dedication to peace and love for Orb resonated deeply with her.

"Why did you choose Orb?" Mina once asked him. "You have the ability to go anywhere. PLANT would welcome you, and the Earth Alliance would treasure you. Why Orb of all places?"

"Because this is my home, and I really like Orb's ideals," Char said. "Equal coexistence regardless of race, non-aggression, non-intervention, and not allowing other countries to invade. These ideals cannot be found anywhere else."

"But Orb is weak," Mina said. "No matter how noble our ideals are, without the power to protect them, they will be crushed by reality."

"So we need power," Char said. "But power is not for conquest, but for protection. This is the shared mission of the Asuka and Sahak families—to protect Orb with sword and shield."

Mina remained silent for a long time.

"You know," she said softly, "my father once said something—'Ob needs a new direction, but I can't see where that direction is.'"

"Do you see it now?"

Mina looked up and gazed into Char's red eyes.

"I saw it," she said. "On you."

In that instant, a certain boundary between the two was broken.

Mina Sahak no longer saw Char as merely a political ally or partner. She began to see him as—she couldn't quite articulate what—but one thing was certain: she was willing to offer him the full resources of the Sahak family.

In the summer of CE62, Mina officially signed a secret agreement, promising that the Sahak family would fully support the Asha family's policies, especially in the areas of rail elevators and defense modernization.

In exchange, Char promised that the Sahak family would receive 20 percent of the operating revenue from the rail elevator once it was completed.

But Mina knew that she signed the agreement not for the 20% profit.

She signed it because she believed in Char.

In the autumn of CE62, Char was sixteen years old.

The secret team made great progress in the study of Minovsky particles, but what Char really wanted was a nuclear fusion reactor that could avoid neutron interference—a miniaturized, highly efficient thermonuclear reactor like those in the UC era.

He had a complete design of the nuclear fusion reactor in his mind, but the data was "locked." He found that he could not access the full contents of the data, but could only see some scattered fragments.

The reason soon became clear—his understanding of nuclear fusion engineering was not deep enough.

The rules for accessing the mental database are clear: relevant information will only be unlocked once he truly understands the fundamentals of a particular field. He has no problem with theoretical physics, but nuclear fusion reactors are not only theoretical but also engineering-related.

He needs to understand materials science, thermodynamics, plasma control, magnetic confinement technology... all of these fields are indispensable.

"I need to learn," Char said to Erica. "I need to study all aspects of nuclear fusion engineering in depth."

"You already have Dawn Society's top-notch library," Erica said. "What more do you need?"

"I need practical experience," Xia said. "I need to participate in actual nuclear fusion research projects, operate equipment by hand, and personally experience every detail of the engineering process."

Erica thought for a moment: "Dawn Corporation has a small thermonuclear reactor experimental facility, mainly used for plasma physics research. I can arrange for you to participate as an intern."

"it is good."

In the latter half of CE62, Char Aznable joined the thermonuclear reactor research project as an "intern of the Dawn Society".

His colleagues were unaware that the boy was the adopted son of the leader, nor that he possessed technologically advanced information in his mind. In their eyes, Char was simply an exceptionally bright intern—his learning speed was astonishing, and his comprehension ability was extraordinary.

Xia spent three months mastering all the key technical aspects of thermonuclear reactors. He personally operated the plasma confinement device, adjusted the parameters of the magnetic field coils, and processed the data from countless failed experiments.

With each new piece of knowledge you master, a portion of the corresponding technical information in your mind will be unlocked.

By CE62, he had unlocked about 60% of the information about the UC fusion reactor in his mind. He had seen the complete reactor structure diagram, cooling system design, energy extraction scheme... but the most crucial part was still missing—how to apply Minovsky particles to control the nuclear fusion reaction.

"We need more time," Char thought to himself. "The nuclear fusion reactor is the foundation of all future technologies. Without it, mobile suits can only be powered by batteries, with limited endurance; without it, the space fleet cannot operate independently for extended periods; without it, Orb can never truly break free from its dependence on Earth's resources."

"But I'm almost there. Give me another year, two years at most."

December 31, CE62, was another Lunar New Year's Eve.

Char stood alone on the observation deck of the Dawn Society, overlooking the myriad lights of Orb City.

In the distance, the construction site of the offshore solar power platform is brightly lit, with workers and technicians working day and night.

"You're here." A voice came from behind.

Char turned around and saw Mina Sahak standing at the entrance to the observation deck. She was wearing a dark trench coat and holding a bottle of sake.

"Why are you here?" Xia asked, somewhat surprised.

"I've come to spend the New Year with you." Mina walked to his side. "Aren't you cold standing here all by yourself?"

"I'm used to it," Xia said.

Mina opened the sake, poured two cups, and handed one to him.

"Respect to Aub," she said.

"A toast to Orb." Char accepted the glass.

The two clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

Fireworks burst in the night sky, illuminating the figures of the two.

"Char," Mina said softly, "what do you think the future of Orb will be like?"

Char remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know," he said honestly, "but I believe that as long as we work hard, the future will be better than the present."

Mina turned her head and looked at his profile.