Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

December 5, CE70, Orb Dawn News Agency. An invitation from the Equatorial Union had been sitting on Char's desk for three days. The invitation was warmly worded—it hoped that the Supreme Commander of the Orb Defense Force would attend the "Equatorial Union-Orb Energy Cooperation Forum" and deliver a keynote speech.

On the surface, it's energy cooperation; in reality, it's the Equatorial Union seeking support from neutral countries amidst the two major camps.

Mina pushed open the door and entered, her red eyes glancing at the invitation: "Are you going?"

"Go." Char closed the folder. "The Equatorial Union is our trading partner in Africa. Fifteen percent of the raw materials for the orbital elevator are imported from there. If they completely side with the Earth Union, Orb's supply chain will be severely affected."

"I'll send Kana with you."

"Yes, not too many people. One private jet and four bodyguards are enough."

Mina frowned, but didn't insist. She knew Xia's decisions were rarely wrong, but something still felt off. It was an inexplicable feeling, like a needle pricking her heart.

"Be careful," she finally said, uttering only one word.

The Orb special plane took off from the ground station of the orbital elevator. The aircraft was a civilian airliner modified by the Dawn Corporation. It had an ordinary appearance on the outside but was equipped with VEDA's encrypted communication terminal, Minovsky particle detector, and missile jamming protection system on the inside.

The plane entered the joint equatorial airspace and began to descend. The outline of the ground emerged from gaps in the clouds—yellow deserts, green valleys, and distant, faintly visible city skylines. Everything seemed normal.

Suddenly, a powerful killing intent struck Xia's nerves—not fear, not tension, but a pure, cold, and targeted malice. Someone wanted to kill him, and now, nearby.

The feeling was like someone pointing a finger at your forehead; you didn't pull the trigger, but you could already feel the coldness of the bullet. Xia suddenly opened his eyes.

"There's a sniper about 300 meters southwest of the helipad, on the third floor."

Karnad's book fell to the ground. "What?"

"Sniper," Char's voice was calm. "Notify the cockpit not to land. Notify the local police and provide the precise coordinates."

The bodyguard captain immediately grabbed the communicator and spoke rapidly. Upon hearing the message, the pilot in the cockpit abruptly pulled the nose up, and the special plane began to climb instead of descend, the passengers' bodies pressed against their seats by inertia.

Some people screamed, while others looked around in bewilderment. Xia Ya remained seated, his gaze fixed on the direction outside the window—southwest, a third-floor window where sunlight reflected off the glass, flashing for a fleeting moment.

Five minutes later, news came from the Equatorial Joint Police: the sniper had been arrested; he was a member of the Blue Cosmos gang and was armed with a high-performance sniper rifle. The gun was already loaded, and the scope was aimed at the tarmac where the special plane was scheduled to land.

In the airport lounge, the President of the Equatorial Union arrived in person. His face was ashen, and his fingers trembled slightly as he held Xia's hand.

"General Askha, I am very sorry that you encountered this situation during your visit. The Equatorial Union's security system has serious flaws." Hassan's voice was low and sincere. "I will personally oversee this matter. All those responsible will be dealt with severely."

Xia Ya grasped his hand, his tone calm: "This is not the responsibility of the Equatorial Union. The Blue Cosmos terrorist attacks are an international issue, not the fault of any one country."

"But this happened here, I can't not..." Hassan took a deep breath. "Do you still need to continue your trip? If you feel unsafe, we can reschedule."

Xia looked at him, his deep red eyes calm as still water. "No need to reschedule. The lecture will proceed as scheduled. If the trip is canceled because of terrorist threats, that's exactly what they want."

Hassan bowed deeply, the depth of which exceeded everyone's expectations. "General Askha, the Equatorial Union will always welcome you."

Inside the temporary detention center, the sniper was handcuffed to an interrogation chair. He was a thin, white man in his thirties with a cold gaze. He did not resist arrest, remained silent, like a breathing statue.

Char entered the interrogation room, with Kanard following behind. The local police had completed their initial questioning but hadn't gotten anything out of him; the man remained silent as a stone. Char sat down opposite him, and the two stared at each other.

Char's Newtype abilities began to function. He could sense the other person's emotions—not mind reading, not reading complete thoughts, but emotional fluctuations: anger, fear, hatred, fanaticism. The sniper's emotions were like murky water, calm on the surface but churning beneath.

"My name is Char Langlad Ashar." Char broke the silence.

The sniper's eyes flickered slightly, a confirmation that "I know who you are." Char felt hatred—a deep-seated hatred, almost ingrained in his bones. Not directed at him personally, but at everything he represented: neutrality, peace, racial equality. In Blue Cosmos's eyes, these were all betrayals.

"Who sent you?"

"Blue cosmos...will not let you get away with this..."

The sniper's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against metal. Char felt fear. Not fear of death, but fear of something behind him—perhaps an internal purge within Blue Cosmos, perhaps revenge from some powerful figure. Either way, it was so intense that he would rather die than speak.

Char stood up.

"Go back and tell Azrael. His plan will not succeed. Not because his enemies are too strong, but because his hatred will not bring any results."

The sniper's pupils contracted sharply. Xia didn't look at him again, turned, and walked out of the interrogation room. In the corridor, Kanade followed behind, remaining silent for a few seconds before asking, "Brother, do you believe he really will relay the message?"

"No," Char straightened his cuffs, "but he'll embellish the story and tell Azrael, 'Char Langlad Athha is a dangerous man.' That's enough. Fear is the best weapon."

On December 8th, Orb's private jet landed at the orbital elevator ground station. As the gangway lowered, Char stepped out of the cabin and saw two people standing at the edge of the tarmac—Mina Sahak and Erika Simmons, one on the left and one on the right, like two guardian deities.

Mina, dressed in the black uniform of a Space Force commander, had undisguised worry in her red eyes, her hands clenched into fists in her pockets. Erica, in a white research coat from the Dawn Society, had slightly reddened eyes, as if she had been crying or staying up all night.

Char walked up to them.

"I'm back."

"Blue cosmos..." Mina's voice was low, "I won't let them get away with this."

Xia looked into her red eyes. "This is a political issue, not a military one."

"They want to kill you." Erica's voice trembled slightly. "This isn't a political issue; it's a matter of life and death."

Char paused for a moment, then reached out and took Mina's hand in one and Erika's hand in the other.

The two women froze simultaneously—Mina's red eyes widened slightly, and Erica's breath caught in her throat for a moment. This was the first time in public that Char had simultaneously displayed an intimacy with both of them that went beyond a professional relationship.

"I have a lot to say to you," he said in a low voice, only they could hear, "but now is not the time. See you at Dawn Society tonight."

Mina looked down at her hand, which he was holding, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. Erica blushed and tried to pull her hand away, but didn't use force.

That evening, in the underground office of the Dawn Society, Char sat at his desk with two documents in front of him—one was the energy cooperation agreement of the Equatorial Union, and the other was the construction progress report of the White Base.

But he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word; his mind kept replaying Mina's red eyes and Erica's tears.

"Am I a terrible person?" he said to the air.

VEDA's voice rang out: "The definition of 'scum' is..."

"No need to explain." Xia rubbed his temples. "I know what I'm doing, and I know this kind of relationship is hard for people to understand. But I don't want to lie to myself anymore."

There was a knock on the door. It wasn't an electronic doorbell, but the sound of fingers tapping on the wooden door, a steady, cold, and precise rhythm—it was Mina. Char stood up and opened the door. Mina stood outside, dressed casually, holding a bottle of sake.

"I'm here to keep that promise." She walked into the office. "Not as a political ally, but as a friend. A much closer one."

A few minutes later, Erica arrived. She stood in the doorway and saw Mina already sitting on the sofa, half-finished her sake. Her face was slightly flushed, and her red eyes shimmered with a deep red light under the lamplight, appearing much softer than usual.

"Did I... disturb you?" Erica took a step back.

"No." Xia walked over and took her hand. "Come in. I have something to tell you."

The three sat in the office in silence for a long time. Outside the window was the night view of Orb City, with the cables of the rail elevator shimmering silver in the night sky.

"I've thought a lot today," Char began. "When I sensed the killing intent, when the plane began to climb, I wasn't thinking 'What will happen to Orb?' or 'What will happen to the war?' I was thinking—I still have so much to say to you."

Mina paused slightly in her hand holding the wine glass. Erica lowered her head, her fingers twisting together.

"Mina, you asked, 'Will you always be by my side?' and I said, 'Yes.' I didn't say, 'I like you.' Not because I was cold, but because I didn't know how to distinguish this feeling from 'political allies.' But now I know—I don't need to distinguish. You are you, not 'the head of the Sahak family,' not 'the commander of the Space Force.' You are Mina, the woman whose eyes would well up with tears just because I said, 'I don't want you to be too cold.'"

"Erica. You stayed by my bedside for forty-seven days, and I heard you say 'I like him.' But I had just woken up and didn't know how to respond. I kept running away—reducing my time alone, filling my schedule with work, and pretending not to notice your gaze. It was awful, I know."

Erika's tears finally fell, silently sliding down her cheeks.

"Today on the plane, when that bullet was aimed at me, I understood." Xia looked at them, his deep red eyes showing no hesitation, only a calm that was almost resigned. "Life is too short. War can take everything away at any time. I don't want to wait until I lose it to regret it. I like Mina, and I like Erica. Not the kind of 'friendship' kind of liking, but the kind of 'wanting to spend the rest of my life' kind of liking."

The air froze for a few seconds.

Mina set down her glass, her red eyes flashing with complex emotions—surprise, relief, and a hint of inexplicable joy. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"I know. He's fickle, greedy, and doesn't uphold male virtues."

Erica chuckled, tears still streaming down her face. Mina's lips also curved into a slight smile.

"But this feeling is complicated," Xia continued. "I'm not asking you to accept it; I just want you to know—I won't run away anymore. Whatever the outcome, I will face it honestly. You are important to me, and I don't want to pretend I don't care because I'm 'afraid of getting hurt'."

Mina stood up, walked over to him, cupped his face in her hands, and gazed into his eyes for a moment. Then, she tiptoed and lightly kissed his lips, a very light and brief kiss, like a butterfly pausing briefly before flying away.

"I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time."

Char was stunned. Mina retreated to the sofa, picked up her wine glass again, a sly glint in her red eyes, as if the kiss had been nothing more than a tactical surprise. Erica blushed, her head bowed, her fingers twisting even tighter. Char looked at her; she didn't look up, but her ears betrayed him—they were burning red.

"Erika," Char called softly.

"...That's too cunning. I was the one who met her first." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"What?"

"It's nothing!" Erica suddenly looked up, her face flushed red all the way to her neck. She quickly walked over, sat down next to Mina, and downed the sake on the table in one gulp.

"Anyway...anyway, I won't quit. And I won't lose."

Mina looked at her, her smile deepening. "Competition?"

"Cooperation?" Char asked tentatively.

The two women looked at him at the same time, their eyes surprisingly unanimous, carrying a threatening "don't get your hopes up" vibe.

Char raised his hands and smiled wryly: "Whatever."

Late at night, the three of them sat in the office and talked for a long time. Mina talked about the dark history of the Sahak family, which was the first time she had been honest about it with Erica.

Erica wasn't surprised. She had worked for Dawn for many years and had heard about the Sahak family's past deeds, but no one had ever admitted it to her like Mina had.

"You chose to change," Erica said. "That's enough."

Mina looked at her, a hint of gratitude flashing in her red eyes. "Thank you."

The conversation turned to Char. Mina asked him for details of the assassination attempt on his behalf by the Equatorial Union, and he told her the truth—the premonition of the Newtype's abilities, the emergency takeoff of the special plane, and the silence after the sniper was captured.

"Your abilities are getting stronger and stronger," Erica said worriedly. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

Char thought for a moment. "In my view, this is one possibility for humanity's future; it can be used for protection, or it can be used for destruction. It all depends on how it's used."

"You won't use it for destruction," Mina said. "You're not that kind of person."

Are you sure?

"I'm sure. If you could, Orb would have become a military dictatorship long ago." Char Aznable turned his status as an adopted son into a dictator's throne, technology as his scepter, mobile suits as his army, and no one could stop him. But he didn't; he chose a more difficult path—to protect.

Erica said softly, "And Cagalli wouldn't let you do that. She brings you rice balls every day and expresses her longing for your mother through the photos you keep; all of this shapes you. Some responsibilities aren't given by command, but by emotion."

Char remained silent.

At two in the morning, Erika stood up to leave. As she reached the door, she glanced back at the image of Mina and Char sitting together. Their red and deep red eyes shone similarly in the lamplight, like two planets orbiting in the same orbit.

She didn't feel uncomfortable; on the contrary, she felt at ease—Xia didn't need her to protect him alone, and it was a good thing that someone was sharing the burden.

"Erika," Char called out to her.

She stopped.

Good night. Sweet dreams.

She lowered her head and chuckled softly. "Goodnight."

The door closed. Mina stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the night view of Orb. Char stood beside her.

"What's next?" Mina asked. "Two women, how do you plan to handle them?"

"I don't know," Xia said honestly, "but I will do my best to prevent anyone from getting hurt."

"You have hurt us with your escape."

Char remained silent.

“But you also healed us, with your honesty.” Mina turned to look at his profile. “Feelings aren’t a transaction. It’s not about who gives more and who wins. The choice is theirs—” She paused, “…in ours.”

"Thank you, Mina."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for not giving up on me."

Mina reached out and took his hand. "Never."