Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

A barely perceptible smile flickered in Mina's red eyes: "Within a month, the complete set of technical documents and training personnel will be in place. As long as your advance payment arrives on time."

Stevens extended his hand: "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Mina grasped his hand with just the right amount of pressure, neither humble nor arrogant: "It's been a pleasure working with you."

On September 12th, Mina returned to Orb with the signed contract. The expected revenue of 9 million was enough to alleviate most of Orb's financial pressure. Char listened to the report in his office at Dawn Corporation, his expression calm but a hint of relief in his eyes—this money had come at just the right time to fill the gap in the defense budget.

Erica stood beside him, looking at the scanned contract, her brow furrowed slightly. "Aren't you afraid the technology will be reverse engineered? The Atlantic Federation's research capabilities are not to be underestimated. Give them a year or two, and they might bypass our core components and create something similar themselves."

Char leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window.

"By the time they finish the reverse engineering, the war will be over. Do you know what the world will be like then? Either PLANT will be defeated, and the Earth Alliance will unify the Earth Sphere; or PLANT will win, and the Coordinators will dominate the future of humanity; or both sides will be severely weakened, and the world will enter a long Cold War. No matter which outcome, Orb's monopoly on solar energy technology will no longer matter."

Erica was silent for a moment: "You always think so far ahead."

"If we don't think too far ahead, Orb no longer exists."

On September 15th, Mina returned to the Dawn Society, this time not for negotiations, but to have dinner with Char. Dinner was simple—a set meal from the Dawn Society's cafeteria, beef rice with miso soup. But Mina was dressed casually, in a dark purple knit sweater and black trousers, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Gone was the coldness she displayed at the negotiating table; instead, she exuded a relaxed, homely air.

"Thirty percent of the funds from Equatorial Union have arrived, and the remainder will be paid in installments after the technology is delivered." She picked up a piece of beef. "I'll talk to Hayato Kazama and let him know the specific purpose of this money. That old fox has a keen sense of smell; he can't hide it from us. It's better to tell him proactively."

"Do you think he'll agree?" Xia asked.

"Yes. The Kazama family cares about profit, not stance. As long as this money can generate more money, they won't object."

Xia put down his chopsticks and looked at her. Mina's profile appeared softer under the cafeteria lights, but the light in her red eyes remained sharp. He confirmed in his heart—she was an excellent politician. "You're more shrewd than I thought."

Mina turned her head, a slight smile playing on her lips: "In the business and political world, shrewdness and ruthlessness are virtues."

"But I don't want you to become too rational." Xia's voice was low, carrying a warmth that he wouldn't normally show.

Mina looked into his eyes, and the light in those deep red eyes was no longer sharp at that moment, but something soft, almost "warm." She chuckled softly, a smile different from her usual formulaic one, carrying a genuine, heartfelt gentleness.

"With you here, I won't."

The cafeteria lights cast a warm orange glow on her face. At that moment, she wasn't the head of the Sahak family, nor the commander of the Space Force; she was simply a woman sitting across from someone she liked, feeling a warmth in her heart because of a word of concern.

In late September, the expected income and resources from the 9 million yuan investment were all received.

Char invested all of these funds into military production, without misappropriating a single penny. Part of it was used to expand the MS production line, increasing the monthly output of Zaku from ten to fifteen units and the monthly output of GM from five to eight units; another part was used for ammunition and spare parts inventory, with each consumable such as the E-CAP for beam rifles, charging units for beam sabers, and Luna titanium alloy armor plates stockpiled according to the standard of "three months of continuous combat"; another part was used for the construction of the White Base, shortening the construction period from the expected April CE71 to February CE71, a full two months; and yet another part was used to reward the research and development team. Erica received a substantial bonus, but she immediately donated the money to the Dawn Society's orphanage fund, keeping not a single penny for herself.

Char paused as he signed the funding allocation report. He wrote a note at the bottom of the page: "This funding comes from civilian technology exports and is not part of the defense budget. However, in wartime, every penny should be used wisely."

He put down his pen and looked out the window at the night view, the lights of Orb twinkling in the darkness. The world was burning, but at least here, the lights were still on.

September 30th, the last day of September.

Mina stood on the balcony of the Sahak family mansion, a glass of red wine in her hand. A cool night breeze ruffled her long hair. In the distance, the elevator cable shimmered silver in the moonlight, like a string connecting heaven and earth.

Char stood beside her, holding a glass of sake in his hand—not red wine, but sake produced locally in Orb, low in alcohol but very fragrant. She had prepared it especially for him, because she knew he didn't drink much red wine.

"What are you thinking about?" Mina asked.

"I'm wondering if this deal is worth it."

"Isn't it worth it?"

"It's worth it. But I'm wondering, if one day the Atlantic Federation discovers that we've been secretly expanding our military, developing mobile suits, and building warships—won't they regret buying our solar cells and feel like we've tricked them?"

Mina turned around to face the star map on the holographic screen. The starlight projected soft shadows onto her face, and her red eyes shimmered with a deep crimson light within the starlight.

"By then, whether they regret it or not will be irrelevant. What matters is that Aub still exists. As long as it exists, there is still hope. Politicians don't pursue justice; they pursue the survival of the nation. Justice is the business of philosophers and poets."

Xia looked at her, at her face, so sharply defined in the starlight. "You are an excellent politician."

“You are an excellent commander.” Mina looked up into his eyes. “But none of us want to be politicians or commanders.”

Char remained silent. The night wind carried the salty scent of the sea and the faint sound of fireworks in the distance—he didn't know who was celebrating or what. In times of war, every day that could be celebrated was worth celebrating, because tomorrow might not be the same.

Mina withdrew her gaze and looked up at the brightest star in the artificial starry sky above the dome—Jupiter. She raised her glass and gently touched it to his: "To Oub."

Char raised his glass and lightly clinked it against hers: "To Orb."

Sake and red wine swirled gently in the glasses, starlight refracting through the glass walls into shimmering fragments. The clinking of the two glasses was soft, but in that moment, it was more resolute than any vow.