At that very moment on Earth, in a pitch-black conference room within the Earth Alliance headquarters, three holographic figures sat around a circular table.
"Moonenidy, what do you need?" Bragano turned to Moonenidy, his expression calm as he inquired.
Hearing this, Moonenidy turned to Bragano, a smile playing on his lips. "I have some good news to share with both of you!"
Frowning slightly, Bragano's expression grew serious. "Good news?" he said, his tone shifting to one of sarcasm. "You're not planning to screw us over again, are you?"
Moonenidy responded by turning to Bragano with a meaningful smile, projecting a document onto the central display screen.
Bragano and Zhou Zhenguo simultaneously looked up at the screen.
After a moment, they both spoke in confusion. "What are these documents?"
"They're the technical data for ZAFT Forces' latest cutting-edge MS!" Moonenidy declared with a proud smile, his voice brimming with satisfaction. He continued, "Those special MS are equipped with nuclear reactors and devices capable of neutralizing the effects of neutron jammers!"
At the mention of countering neutron jammers, Bragano and Zhou Zhenguo jolted, their eyes wide with shock as they stared at Moonenidy.
The room fell into a prolonged silence before Zhou Zhenguo broke it. "How did you obtain these things?"
Moonenidy smiled faintly and replied, "That's not something you need to concern yourselves with."
"What do you want?" Zhou Zhenguo asked, his expression grave.
Following Zhou Zhenguo, Bragano also pressed, "What do you want?"
"Nothing much," Moonenidy said casually. "I just hope both of you will fully cooperate with our Atlantic Federation and simultaneously retrieve the nuclear warheads stored in your countries."
"You want to reactivate nuclear weapons?" Zhou Zhenguo frowned, his voice heavy with concern.
Moonenidy responded with a silent smile.
Seeing the expression on Moonenidy's face, the two men understood his stance without further words.
They sat in their chairs, silently contemplating the matter.
Breaking the silence, Moonenidy reminded them, "Gentlemen! PLANT has already mastered this technology."
Hearing this, Bragano looked up at Moonenidy and firmly replied, "We agree, but you must provide us with the technical data for neutralizing neutron jammers."
Zhou Zhenguo, after glancing at Bragano and then at the documents before him, added, "We also agree, but our condition is the same as the Eurasian Federation's—we must receive this technology as well!"
Moonenidy nodded with a smile and readily agreed. "No problem!"
Relieved by his agreement, the two men said to Moonenidy, "Once we receive this technology, we will hand over the nuclear weapons to you. We will also oversee the production module to ensure the nuclear weapons can be deployed effectively."
"OK!" Moonenidy replied cheerfully before continuing.
"Once the agreements and other documents are signed, this technology will be handed over to you."
"Understood."
Zhou Zhenguo nodded, glanced at Moonenidy and Bragano, then logged off first. After seeing Zhou Zhenguo go offline, Bragano followed suit.
Moonenidy watched them both log off before initiating his own logout procedure.
...
On the Moon
Felix abruptly woke from his slumber in the ready room. As he tried to sit up, he felt a restraining force around his waist. Looking down to identify the source, he unfastened the safety belt.
"Captain, won't you rest a bit longer?"
Heine, noticing Felix waking and unfastening the belt, inquired with concern.
Turning to look at Heine, Felix rubbed his face with his hands to refresh himself before speaking.
"How long was I asleep?"
"You rested for just over an hour."
Heine checked the time as he responded.
Felix nodded at this information and began walking toward the exit of the ready room. At the doorway, he turned back to Heine and the others.
"Continue resting here. You'll be notified when combat is imminent."
"Yes, Captain!"
Heine and the others stood and saluted in response.
Felix gave them a slight nod before turning to leave the ready room.
Athena Bridge
"Captain, are you sure you won't rest a bit more?Aric's eyes showed both concern and pity as he watched Felix approach, offering his persuasion.
Felix waved off the concern.
"No need."
After this response, Felix gazed out the viewport and asked,
"Anything significant happen while I was asleep?"
Aric rose from the captain's chair and approached Felix to explain.
"The Chancellor called."
Turning to face Aric, Felix considered this briefly before asking,
"What did the Chancellor want?"
"The Chancellor ordered us to continue holding our position and mentioned they're sending reinforcements our way."
Aric looked at Felix as he delivered this information.
Processing this, Felix moved to the rear viewport. He stared out at the scenery beyond before checking the date and time.
Seeing the display, Felix spoke in a grave tone.
"Tell Rogers to intensify evacuation drills for all personnel at Lorentz Military Base. Ensure everyone is fully prepared!
Upon receiving notification, all personnel must board the Escape Ships at Lorentz Military Base with maximum speed."
"Yes, Captain."
Aric, standing beside Felix, saluted as he responded.
Felix gave a slight nod before asking Aric another question.
"What are our casualty figures from this engagement?"
Aric's expression immediately darkened, his voice heavy with grief as he reported.
"We've lost approximately one-third of our forces, with personnel casualties around one-quarter."
Hearing these losses, Felix gripped the railing tightly, his eyes concealing turbulent emotions as he spoke solemnly.
"We've lost a third of our forces on just the first day. At this rate, we may not be able to hold out for many more days."
With this grave expression, Felix turned to question Aric once more.
"What are the casualty figures for the Earth Alliance Forces?"
Hearing the inquiry, Aric began his report.
"We don't have access to precise statistics in this regard, but based on available intelligence, the Earth Alliance Forces' losses are at least comparable to ours, if not greater."
Felix glanced at Aric and nodded. After standing in silence for a moment, he instructed, "Inform all personnel to remain vigilant at all times and be prepared for any sudden movements by the Earth Alliance Forces. Ensure frontline reconnaissance is thoroughly conducted to prevent any unexpected incidents."
"Rest assured, Captain. I've already made all necessary arrangements."