Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

October 20, CE70, Athha's mansion. At 10 p.m., Char finished processing the last document and was preparing to leave Dawn Corporation when his phone vibrated.

It wasn't VEDA's encrypted communication, but Uzumi's private number: "Come back tonight. I have something to say." Short, without explanation, but Char sensed an unusual weight in those five words. He put on his coat and drove through the empty streets back to the Athha mansion. The living room lights were off, with only a warm yellow light seeping from under the study door.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in." Uzumi's voice was calm, tinged with weariness but mostly composed. He pushed open the door and entered. There were no documents on the desk, only a pot of tea and two teacups. In the night outside the window, the cables of the rail elevator shimmered silver-white in the moonlight.

Uzumi sat behind his desk, dressed in casual clothes, his hair completely white. Two years ago, he still had some black hair, but now it was all white. The tragedy of Junius VII, the expansion of the war, the pressure from the Atlantic Federation—all of these had left their mark on him. Char sat down opposite him, and Uzumi poured two cups of tea, pushing one towards him. There were no opening remarks; a long silence followed.

"If one day Orb falls," Uzumi finally spoke, his voice low, "you must live on with Cagalli and the people of Orb."

Char's grip on the teacup tightened slightly. Uzumi's expression was calm, almost resigned, but there was a resolute glint in his deep brown eyes. He wasn't making assumptions; he was preparing for the worst.

"Father--"

"Let me finish," Uzumi raised his hand to stop him. "I've ruled for nearly twenty years and have witnessed the fall of too many nations. Not because the enemies were too strong, but because they equated the survival of the nation with the survival of the land. Land can be occupied, but the people cannot be wiped out. As long as the people of Orb remain, Orb remains. Conversely—if the people die, Orb ceases to exist."

Char fell silent. Of course, he understood this. But Orb had fallen? That word had never appeared in his vocabulary. For over seven years, all his efforts, all his plans, all his sacrifices, had been to prevent that day from coming.

Uzumi looked at his profile, those eyes still sharp in the moonlight. "Langrad, you've done so much for Orb." He rarely called Char by his surname. "The orbital elevator, the MS forces, VEDA, the defense system—all of these are your achievements. Without you, Orb might have been swallowed up by the Atlantic Federation long ago. But I must tell you one thing—if war really breaks out in full force, Orb may not be spared. Not because you're not strong enough, but because this world doesn't allow neutral nations to exist. In the end, everyone will be forced to choose sides. Orb is too small; it can't hold on."

Char raised his head: "Father, everything I am doing now is to protect my country and my people. I will protect her and will never let what you are worried about happen. This is my duty as the Supreme Commander of Orb."

Uzumi looked at him, the light burning in his deep red eyes exactly the same as when he was young, even more intense. He remained silent for a long time, so long that Char thought his father would never speak again.

"I know." Uzumi's voice lowered. "That's why I said—if. It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that this world is too crazy. So crazy that no one can predict tomorrow."

Char lowered his head. He didn't refute, because he knew his father was telling the truth. He could say, "I will win," but he couldn't guarantee, "Orb will never fall."

"I accept it," he said. "If that day ever comes—I will live on with Cagalli and the people of Orb. But I will do everything in my power to prevent that day from coming."

Uzumi took an old photograph from a drawer and pushed it in front of Char. The photograph was yellowed and creased at the edges, but the image was still clear—a young man and a young woman standing on a beach. The man's face was exactly like Uzumi's, young and handsome; the woman's smile was gentle, her golden hair shimmering in the sunlight, and those amber eyes—Char had seen the same eyes before, on Cagalli's face.

"Her name is Yulia, and she's my best friend." Uzumi's voice sounded like he was telling a story from long ago. "Cagalli's mother. And Kira Yamato's mother too."

Char's pupils contracted slightly. In the original timeline, Cagalli and Kira were twins, but the timeline of this world was different, and he had never confirmed this. Uzumi, seeing his shocked expression, slowly nodded: "You're right. Kira Yamato—that boy from Heliopolis—is Cagalli's twin brother."

Outside the window, the elevator cable swayed gently in the night breeze.

Uzumi continued, "Before she died, she asked me to take good care of Cagalli. Not 'our daughter,' but 'Cagali.' In her last moments, she was thinking of her child."

"You haven't told her."

Uzumi shook his head. "Some truths are better left unsaid. Kira is doing well in Heliopolis; he has foster parents, friends, and the research he loves. If I tell him the truth, he'll lose all of that. Cagalli is still young. I'll tell her when she's older and can handle it."

He handed the photo to Xia. "Keep it safe for me. If I'm gone someday—tell her that her mother was a very good person. Better than she can imagine."

Char took the photo and carefully placed it into his inner bag.

"I will."

Tea was refilled cup after cup. The conversation shifted from Cagalli's mother to Char's childhood—Uzumi first discovered him in the South Pacific, an infant floating on a wooden plank, not crying, just quietly looking at the sky, with an unusual light in his deep red eyes—now Uzumi could finally confirm that light was called "a loneliness that does not belong to this world".

Uzumi spoke of his idea for a rail elevator. He had the idea before Char proposed it, but without Char's technical support, it would have remained just an idea. Uzumi then recounted his last meeting with Mina's father.

Before his death, old Sahak held Uzumi's hand and said, "I'm entrusting Orb to you." Uzumi thought it was just a polite remark at the time, but now he realizes that he was truly entrusting it to him.

Xia listened quietly, rarely interrupting. This was the first time his father had talked to him about so many past events, so many purely "family matters" unrelated to politics. Every word seemed to be a final statement for some uncertain future.

It was three in the morning, and the tea had gone weak. Xia stood up: "You should rest."

Uzumi didn't try to stop him and stood up as well. "Langrad."

Char turned around.

"You are my pride."

It's not "You make me proud," not "I'm proud of your achievements," but "You are my pride"—treating a complete person as the glory of one's own life.

Xia's eyes welled up slightly. He walked back and bowed deeply—not a military salute, but a traditional bow from a child to their parents. "Father, I will not let you down."

"You have never let me down."

Char straightened up, turned, and walked out of the study. In the hallway, Cagalli's door was tightly shut; she was fast asleep, unaware of what her father and brother had discussed that night. Char paused in front of her door for a moment, then went upstairs to his own room. He took the old photograph from his inner pocket, placed it on the table, and looked at it for a long time.

He thought to himself, "I will protect Cagalli, I will protect everything."

Early in the morning, Char did not sleep.

He sat at his desk, an old photograph before him, a cup of coffee now cold in his hand. Outside the window, the sky changed from deep blue to light blue, and the first rays of sunlight appeared on the sea. The cables of the escalator turned golden in the morning light.

Char stood up and walked to the window. Sunlight rose from the sea, bathing every corner of Orb City. One by one, the lights went out in the morning light; a new day had begun. He still had much work to do—the MS production line needed expansion, the construction of the White Base needed to be accelerated, and the GAT series at Heliopolis needed monitoring.

But at this moment, all he wanted to do was stand here and watch the sun rise.

At seven in the morning, Cagalli got up. Wearing her school uniform, she walked to the cafeteria and saw Char sitting at a table reading documents, a half-finished cup of coffee beside him. He had noticeable dark circles under his eyes, but looked to be in good spirits.

"Brother, didn't you sleep last night?"

"Slept for a few hours."

"Liar." Cagalli sat down opposite him, picked up a slice of toast, and asked, "Where's Daddy?"

"Still sleeping. I went to bed late last night."

Cagalli didn't press the matter, took a bite of her toast, and her gaze fell on Char's breast pocket. There, a corner of a photograph was visible—a yellowed piece of paper with creases along the edges.

"Brother, what's that?"

Char glanced down at his pocket, hesitated for a moment, then took out the photo and handed it to her. Cagalli took the photo and looked at the young woman—golden hair, amber eyes, and a warm smile.

"This is……"

"Your mother," Xia said, "this photo was taken with your mother at the beach when your father was young."

Cagalli stared at the photograph, her fingers gently tracing the yellowish face. "She...is very beautiful."

"You will too in the future."

Cagalli blinked, then carefully handed the photo back to Char. "Brother, please keep it safe for me. I'm afraid I'll lose it."

"it is good."

Cagalli lowered her head and continued eating her toast. Her eyes were red, but she didn't cry.

October CE70. The war continues, with new casualty figures every day and new hatred ignited every day. But on this night, in this study, a father entrusts the most important person in his life to his adopted son.

It wasn't a grand political declaration, nor a tragic oath of martyrdom. It was simply a father saying to his son in the dead of night—"You are my pride."