Chapter 140: The True Tears of the Sky
Deceiver.
The term caught Eli's attention. Throughout past suppression operations, no remnants of Zeon had ever referred to the Federation this way.
This realization struck Eli—something had indeed changed, shifting how these Zeon remnants viewed the Federation.
A deception? Had the Federation done something to deceive the Spacenoids?
"…Could it be—?!"
A sudden thought jolted Eli. His legs moved on instinct as he sprinted toward the White Chaser.
Ignoring the greetings of others, Eli charged straight into his quarters, grabbed his terminal, and accessed the task force's internal information platform, scanning through reports from units across space.
One after another, he scrolled—until he found it.
"Industrial 7 attacked, Vist Foundation estate destroyed."
Eli read the report twice, then abruptly stood up.
The Council, Anaheim… They had played a masterful move.
They must have roped in a high-ranking official from the Revil faction. That was the only explanation for why the Zeon remnants had been so well-informed during Dozle's public trial.
Just what was the Council planning? Was power truly so intoxicating?
"Captain Paolo, recall all personnel! Prepare for immediate launch—we're heading to space!"
—
"Yes, if your side refuses to accept our signal, we will use a mass driver to hurl rocks at you."
After repelling yet another Federation attack, Gato returned to the communications room and sent a transmission to Side 3, demanding that they accept the upcoming live broadcast.
"…Understood. The Republic of Zeon will accept your signal."
A clear, feminine voice responded.
It was none other than Sayla—or rather, Artesia, to be more precise.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Dressed in the standard uniform of Zeon's returning forces, Gato placed a hand over his chest and saluted the young prime minister.
"Major Gato, do you truly understand what you're doing? Your actions are only widening the rift between space-dwellers and Earth-dwellers."
Just as Gato was about to end the transmission, Artesia spoke again.
To be fair, Gato bore no particular ill will toward the young woman.
She was, after all, the daughter of Zeon Deikun—the founding father of Zeon. Her presence had stabilized Zeon at a critical moment, preventing the Federation from swallowing it whole and stripping it of its independence.
In Gato's view, this young woman had simply been deceived by the so-called "Deikun faction" and turned into a mere puppet.
Besides, he was about to use her father's theories to support his own claims.
"My apologies, Your Excellency, but what I'm about to say concerns every space-dweller. It will prove that the Earth Federation is an illegitimate regime—and that the cause of space-dwellers is just."
Maintaining a respectful tone, Gato spoke to the girl on the screen.
"If possible, I hope that after seeing our proof, you will reconsider the stance of the Republic of Zeon."
With that, Gato ended the transmission.
Time was short—this wasn't the moment for debate.
"…Uncle Ramba, if this continues, space-dwellers will find themselves in an even more precarious position."
Artesia turned her head, looking to Ramba Ral from her ornate chair.
"This is inevitable. Though their beliefs are not necessarily correct, they hold them with unwavering conviction."
Ramba Ral, who had spent the past year buried in paperwork as Speaker of the Republic, now carried a scholarly air.
Artesia fell silent, leaning back into her chair.
"…Eli…"
—
The live broadcast signal from Von Braun's mass driver was soon transmitted.
Under normal circumstances, the Federation should have immediately cut the feed.
But this time, they did the opposite—they allowed the broadcast.
This was because Gato had threatened to fire the mass driver if they refused.
The authorities in Von Braun were thrown into a panic, even telling the Federation, "We're broadcasting it whether you do or not. Decide for yourselves!"
As a side note, Von Braun housed Anaheim's headquarters, and its mayor was an Anaheim affiliate.
Soon, Gato's speech was about to begin.
As the screen flickered to life, a man in a black Zeon military uniform, wearing a white mask, appeared before the entire Earth Sphere.
The world held its breath, waiting for his words.
"Probably just the usual talk about 'space-dweller justice' and 'colony independence'—heard it all before."
Aboard the White Chaser, Arkadia scoffed as he dug at his ear. Many of the crew nodded in agreement.
What they didn't know was that Eli was in the captain's quarters, watching with a heavy expression.
"It has been 81 years since humanity entered the Universal Century. In that time, the Federation has spent over 60 years oppressing space-dwellers, turning them into abandoned children of space."
Gato, clad in his Zeon uniform, wore gloves to conceal his prosthetic arms.
"It has been a year since we, the soldiers of the Principality of Zeon, launched our war for independence. Yet our defeat has brought no change. I still see the Federation attempting to pacify space-dwellers with petty handouts, trying to make them forget their dream of self-governance!"
As he spoke, Gato lifted his hands slightly, guiding the audience's gaze to the screen behind him.
It displayed footage from Dozle's public trial—not just the heavily edited version previously shown, but the full recording, including Dozle's final call for space-dwellers to never abandon their fight.
Most dismissed it as irrelevant. But Eli knew—the real bombshell was yet to come.
"I know the Federation cannot comprehend Lord Dozle's words—for they are nothing but power-hungry usurpers! Now, allow me to reveal the original promises made by the Earth Federation to space-dwellers at the dawn of the Universal Century!"
The screen behind Gato flickered again, revealing an enormous stone monument.
It was the Earth Federation's constitution.
But sharp-eyed viewers soon noticed a discrepancy.
Chapter 7 of this constitution contained a nonexistent Article 15—one that did not exist in the Federation's current legal code.
Article 15
1. To prepare for potential extraterrestrial biological emergencies, the Earth Federation government shall expand its research and readiness.
2. Should a new type of human emerge, one adapted to life in space, they shall be given priority participation in government operations.
"The Earth Federation was meant to embrace Newtypes and space-dwellers—not reduce them to overtaxed vassals, feeding the luxuries of the privileged on Earth!"
—
(Author's Note: Two things—first, all settings in this book are as they appear. If it exists, it exists; if not, it doesn't. I try to integrate usable world-building elements while cutting out the nonsense. Second, due to a drop in subscriptions after the Tears of the Sky arc, I had to compress what was originally a long-term storyline, which unfortunately erased the setup for the Vist Foundation attack. I apologize for the abruptness.)