"Captain Griffith, rest assured, I will closely monitor any information regarding Freedom."
Benny saluted Felix with a loud response. Nodding in acknowledgment, Felix waved his hand dismissively when he saw there was nothing else to discuss.
"Report any intelligence promptly."
"Yes!"
Benny responded, lowered his arm, and turned to leave. As the soft sound of the door closing echoed, Felix's gaze shifted away from the entrance. His chair swiveled, and he looked out the window.
Beep! Beep!...
The sudden ringing of the communicator interrupted Felix's thoughts. Swiveling his chair back toward the desk, he reached out and pressed the answer key.
The dark screen lit up, revealing Patrick's face.
"Chairman, greetings!"
Felix saluted, his expression solemn and respectful. Patrick nodded calmly before speaking in a deep voice.
"What are you doing?"
"Following your orders, I am currently stationed at Carpentaria Base!"
Felix replied calmly, his eyes fixed on the screen. After a brief pause, Patrick spoke again.
"The Earth Alliance Forces are planning to attack Orb. If Freedom, which is hiding within Orb's borders, participates in the battle, the personnel I've assigned may not be sufficient to retrieve it on the battlefield.
Therefore, I need you to join the retrieval operation when the time comes."
"Chairman, wouldn't it be better if I went to Orb directly for the retrieval now?"
Felix voiced his thoughts upon hearing the arrangement. Patrick shook his head and firmly rejected the idea.
"No!" After the refusal, Patrick explained. "Taking action against Orb now could allow the Earth Alliance Forces to lie in wait and ultimately benefit from the conflict between us and Orb."
Hearing the explanation, Felix did not inquire further.
He saluted and accepted the task assigned by Patrick.
"I understand, Chairman."
"Good!"
Nodding in response, Patrick ended the communication. Watching the screen go dark, Felix summoned Benny.
Shortly after, Benny arrived at Felix's office.
"Captain Griffith, you called for me?"
"Arrange an ordinary submersible carrier for me!"
Felix ordered, looking at him.
A flicker of confusion crossed Benny's face before he asked.
"Captain Griffith, what are you planning to do?"
"The Chairman has assigned me an additional mission."
Felix gave a brief explanation in response to the question.
With the explanation, Benny no longer questioned the order. He saluted and replied to Felix.
"Understood!"
After those two words, Benny left Felix's office with the order in hand.
A few hours later,
An ordinary submersible carrier carrying Genesis departed from the military port of Carpentaria Base.
Deep Ocean
Inside the Submersible Carrier's Command Room
"Captain Griffith, where are we heading next?"
Captain Jerold turned to Felix beside him and respectfully inquired. Felix looked back at Jerold with a calm expression.
"To the waters near Orb!"
"Waters near Orb?" Muttering in confusion, Jerold shifted his gaze forward, observing the information displayed on the screen, and gave the order to the helmsman. "Proceed to the waters near Orb!"
"Aye, sir!"
The helmsman responded promptly.
...
Meanwhile, within Orb's territory
"Cagalli, how are things now?"
Seeing Cagalli's worried expression, Kira approached and asked with concern. Hearing this, Cagalli turned her head toward Kira, her voice filled with anxiety as she replied.
"The Earth Alliance refuses to negotiate."
"Is there no room for compromise at all?"
Frowning, Kira asked with a hint of hope. Cagalli shook her head firmly in response.
"None!"
"I will do everything in my power to help Orb from now on."
Upon learning the outcome, Kira reached out and patted Cagalli's shoulder, offering reassuring words of commitment.
Touched by his comfort, Cagalli's eyes shimmered with emotion, but she ultimately shook her head at Kira.
"Kira, this matter is between Orb and the Earth Alliance. We can't selfishly drag you into this."
"Don't say that!" Kira shook his head, speaking gently. "Orb took us in when we had nowhere else to go, and that alone is a kindness we owe you. Helping Orb now is our way of repaying that debt."
After speaking, Kira gave a gentle smile and patted Cagalli's shoulder again. Just as he was about to continue, Flay's voice sounded from behind.
"Kira!"
The call drew both Kira and Cagalli's attention to Flay. Observing Flay, Cagalli sensed her jealousy through a woman's intuition, while Kira, with a man's perception, felt that Flay was somewhat displeased.
"Kira, what were you two talking about?"
Wearing an unfriendly, jealous smile, Flay approached Kira and Cagalli and asked the pair.
Seeing Flay's demeanor, Cagalli was the first to explain.
"We were discussing the Earth Alliance Forces. During the conversation, Kira was comforting me about my situation, hoping I wouldn't worry too much."
Upon hearing this, the jealousy and unfriendliness on Flay's face faded, replaced by a look of concern. With a worried expression, Flay addressed Kira.
"Kira, are you going to fight again?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, Kira's gentle eyes revealed a firm resolve as he nodded decisively and affirmed.
Learning this outcome, the worry in Flay's eyes deepened. She pressed her lips together, about to persuade Kira not to fight, when his gentle voice spoke up.
"Flay, please don't worry! I will return safely to your side."
As he spoke, Kira opened his arms and embraced Flay, gently patting her back to give her a sense of security.
Clinging to Kira, Flay tightly grasped his clothes with her slender hands, afraid that he might follow the same path as before.
Standing nearby, Cagalli watched the intimate interaction between Kira and Flay, smiled lightly, and then walked away with light steps.
After leaving the area and walking for a while, Cagalli ran into Mu. Mu looked at her with a smile and greeted her.
"Cagalli!"
"Mr. Mu!"
Nodding slightly, Cagalli responded with a gentle, approachable smile and a soft voice.
Nodding in return, Mu looked at Cagalli and asked, "Is the current situation not looking good?"
"Yes."
Giving a light nod and a quiet reply, the worry in Cagalli's eyes surged forth once more.