"Go attend to your duties," Felix said calmly to Aric, then added under his breath, "I want to be alone for a while."
Understanding immediately dawned on Aric. He gazed calmly at his captain before raising his hand in a salute. Felix gave a slight nod in response.
As his arm fell back to his side, Aric turned and walked toward the captain's seat.
Watching Aric depart, Felix shifted his gaze to the view outside the window. His eyes gradually lowered as he stared at the scenery beyond, his grip on the railing tightening slightly.
"Is the captain alright?" Oakley rose from his seat as Aric returned, approaching him and whispering the question near his ear. Aric glanced at Oakley and shook his head.
"I don't know."
Replying, Aric also cast his eyes toward Felix.
Seeing Felix standing there with his head bowed in quiet contemplation, a trace of concern began to surface in Aric's heart. Worried, he silently reassured himself, 'The captain will be fine.'
"What do we do next?" Oakley withdrew his gaze from Felix and quietly asked Aric.
Hearing this, Aric looked at him and replied directly, "Continue with the previous arrangements."
"Understood."
Oakley nodded slightly in acknowledgment before turning and returning to his seat. Seeing Oakley settled, Aric strode toward his own chair.
Sitting down, Aric still couldn't shake his concern and glanced back at Felix once more.
After this final look, Aric pressed his lips together, withdrew his gaze, and focused ahead.
...
At that moment
Aboard the Eternal in space
Lacus stood before the viewport, her hands pressed against the glass, her eyes filled with worry as she stared ahead.
"Haro! Haro!"
Two cheerful Haro calls sounded beside Lacus.
The Haro flapped its small ears, floating in midair as it moved closer to Lacus.
Turning her head slightly, Lacus looked at the Haro.
She removed one hand from the viewport and gently cradled the Haro in her palm, her soft voice laden with concern as she said, "Haro, how do you think Felix and the others are doing?"
No sooner had she spoken than the Haro blinked its small eyes, its ears twitching as it made sounds.
"Haro! Haro!"
Hearing the cheerful calls, Lacus's mood sank further. Her gentle voice carried a note of apology as she said, "I'm sorry to trouble you."
With that, Lacus returned her gaze to the viewport outside.
As Lacus continued watching the cosmos beyond the window, Aisha approached her lover, wrapping her arms gently around him from behind. With a worried expression, she whispered in his ear, "I wonder how things are on the moon?"
Andrew glanced at his lover but remained silent, simply shaking his head.
After shaking his head, a wave of sorrow rose in Andrew's heart.
"Captain Waltfeld, notify Captain Murrue, Cagalli, and Ro, among others. Prepare for departure!"
Just then, Lacus's voice rang out from the front.
Hearing the command, Andrew looked up at Lacus, noticing how she had suppressed all the worry and sorrow in her eyes, now replaced entirely by determination.
Withdrawing his gaze, Andrew composed his own emotions and replied in a firm, resonant voice.
"Yes, Miss Clyne!"
After speaking, Andrew glanced at his beloved. Aisha gave him a gentle smile, released his hand, and headed toward her station.
He opened the communication channel and relayed the notification to the Archangel, Kusanagi, and other ships.
...
On the Eternal
In Athrun's room
Sitting on the bed, Athrun kept twisting his hands together restlessly.
Ding-dong!
Just then, the doorbell rang.
The chime suppressed the agitation in Athrun's heart. His eyes shifted toward the door, and he stood up to open it.
"Kira?"
Athrun looked at Kira with slight surprise.
Kira gazed at Athrun and smiled gently.
"Athrun."
With that, Kira walked past him into the room on his own. Seeing this, Athrun followed behind and sat back down on the bed.
Sitting beside him, the perceptive Kira asked,
"Athrun, are you okay?"
The question caught Athrun off guard. After a moment, he shook his head.
"I'm fine."
Hearing his reply, Kira's eyes grew even more filled with concern and worry. He then spoke up, calling out Athrun's lie.
"If you were really fine, you wouldn't have emphasized it like that."
Athrun opened his mouth to respond but then pressed his lips together and lowered his head, avoiding Kira's gaze. Seeing Athrun react this way, Kira moved closer and sat beside him. Athrun glanced at Kira and said, feigning calm,
"Kira, I'm really okay."
"Athrun, let's play a game?"
Ignoring Athrun's excuse, Kira extended the invitation. The sudden offer left Athrun momentarily stunned before he processed it.
Just as he was about to refuse, Kira had already stood up and walked over to the computer desk. Sitting down, Kira began typing on the keyboard.
Watching Kira busy himself, Athrun voiced his refusal.
"Kira, I'm not in the mood for games right now."
At that, Kira paused his movements.
After a moment, he lifted his hands from the keyboard and turned to face Athrun.
"Athrun, I understand how you feel…"
Hearing Kira's attempt to comfort him, Athrun cut in.
"Kira, I'm okay."
Kira turned his head and fixed his gaze on Athrun. Athrun stood up then, walked over to Kira, and patted his shoulder gently, his voice soft.
"Kira, I'm not as fragile as you think, so you don't need to comfort me." As he spoke, Athrun gave a gentle smile. "I know what I need to do."
After saying that, he patted Kira's shoulder again.
"You don't have to stay here with me. You should spend more time with your girlfriend. After all, we'll be heading into battle soon."
With that, Athrun pulled Kira up from the chair and, without giving him a chance to speak, escorted him out of the room.
Outside, Kira looked at Athrun, taking in the expression on his face, and finally nodded.
"I understand."
After speaking, Kira turned and walked toward his room.
However, after floating two steps away, Kira stopped by holding onto the wall and looked back at Athrun.
"Athrun, we will end everything!"
"Hmm."
Hearing this, Athrun smiled and nodded.
Seeing this, Kira continued forward. After watching Kira leave, Athrun's suppressed worry and sorrow resurfaced.
In such a state of mind, Athrun turned and returned to his room.
...
6:00 AM the next day
"How is the situation?"
Felix entered the Bridge with his usual expression and inquired.
On duty, Oakley heard the question, turned to look at Felix, stood up, and saluted.
"All normal!"
As he replied, Oakley observed the expression on Felix's face. Seeing Felix's calm demeanor, Oakley breathed a sigh of relief internally.
Sitting down in his seat, Felix looked at Oakley and continued asking.
"Has the Earth Alliance Forces attempted any surprise attacks or similar actions?"
"No!" Oakley snapped back to attention, shook his head at Felix, and added, "Since we ceased hostilities with them yesterday, they haven't taken any action."
"No action?"
Upon hearing this, Felix looked slightly puzzled and muttered to himself.
After muttering, Felix pondered internally.
At that moment, Oakley spoke up to ask.
"Captain, do you have any new orders?"
"If everything is peaceful, then proceed as usual."
Looking up at Oakley, Felix said calmly.
As he spoke, a beeping communication sound rang out. Felix looked down at the communicator, extended his finger, and answered the call.
The small communication screen lit up, revealing Patrick's face.
"Felix, how are you doing?"
Upon seeing Felix's face, Patrick first inquired about his condition. Hearing Patrick's concern, Felix expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you for your concern, Chairman. I'm in excellent condition and ready for battle at any time."
"I'm glad you're alright."
Nodding gently, Patrick relaxed somewhat from his worried state, then changed the subject.
"What is the situation on the Moon?"
"So far, everything is normal. After launching one attack against us, the Earth Alliance Forces have not continued their assault."
Hearing this, Felix reported.
Learning the outcome, Patrick's expression eased, and he then said.
"The support troops for Lorentz Military Base departed at 8:30 PM yesterday. Based on their travel speed, they should arrive at Lorentz Military Base in approximately one to two days."
"Chairman, what is the scale of this reinforcement force?"
Upon learning that the support troops had already been dispatched some time ago, Felix set aside other questions he wanted to ask and inquired about the number of reinforcements.
After his inquiry, Patrick's reply came through the communication.
"This reinforcement force consists of fifteen squads, totaling 230 MS."
After stating this, Patrick showed a troubled expression, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"Felix, this is the maximum number of troops we can spare at the moment. We cannot allocate any more."
"Chairman, this will suffice."
Hearing the helplessness in Patrick's voice, Felix comforted him.
Hearing this, Patrick glanced at Felix, his troubled expression fading as he calmly nodded.
Seeing this, Felix voiced the thoughts he had been pondering.
"Speaker, there's something I need to inform you about."
At these words, Patrick's expression turned serious, and he spoke tersely.
"Speak."
Felix then began, "Speaker, I've carefully considered the current situation!" He paused briefly before growing even more solemn. "I feel there's something abnormal about the present circumstances!"
Patrick pondered for a moment before responding.
"Continue!"
Felix went on, "The Earth Alliance Forces launched an extremely fierce offensive yesterday, inflicting significant losses on us! Logically, they should continue attacking to expand their advantage, yet they haven't launched a second assault. This strikes me as very strange!"
"You suspect the Earth Alliance is plotting a larger scheme?" Patrick said uncertainly, looking at Felix.
Felix nodded in agreement.
Witnessing this, Patrick fell into deep thought.
Felix, recognizing Patrick's contemplative state, wisely refrained from disturbing him and quietly waited for him to finish.
The silence lingered for a while before Patrick, emerging from his thoughts, looked up at Felix.
"This matter is indeed serious!" he said with a grave expression, then issued an order. "You continue to hold the Lorentz Military Base and dispatch units for reconnaissance to uncover the truth as much as possible. I will also discuss and analyze this matter on my end."
"Yes, Speaker."
Nodding, Felix raised his hand in a salute.
The next moment, Felix saw that the communication had ended. Lowering his arm, he turned to Oakley.
Sensing Felix's gaze, Oakley also turned to look at him.
As their eyes met, Felix instructed, "Notify the reconnaissance squads to gather as much information as possible on the Earth Alliance Forces' movements. Also, arrange personnel to do their utmost to decipher the Earth Alliance Forces' communications."
"Yes!"
Oakley replied in a loud, clear voice.
...
Meanwhile
At the Ptolemy Military Base of the Earth Alliance Forces
"Commander, are we just going to keep the frontline troops on standby like this?"
Richard looked at Commander Williams on the communication screen, his expression tinged with confusion. Williams, observing Richard's bewilderment, spoke calmly.
"This is a decision made jointly by the three leaders. If you disagree, you can bypass me and contact them directly."
"No!" Richard shook his head and stated firmly, "I fully comply with the command's decision."
Hearing Richard's response, Williams nodded slightly and said, "Maintain the standoff on your end. I will notify you when it's time for the next offensive."
"Yes, Commander."
Nodding, Richard gave his reply. The next moment, he saw the communication cut off. Staring at the ended transmission, Richard muttered to himself, "What exactly are they planning up there?"
As he murmured, a communication alert sounded.
Snapping back to reality, Richard answered the communication.
"Commander, when do we launch the second assault?"
The voice of the frontline forces' supreme commander came through the comms.
Hearing his inquiry, Richard repeated his earlier words with slight modifications.
Upon hearing this, the frontline forces' supreme commander immediately changed his attitude.
"Please rest assured, Commander! I firmly obey your orders!"
"Since you obey orders, continue the standoff at the frontline. I'll inform you when it's time to attack."
Nodding slightly, Richard spoke into the comms.
Having said this, he reached out and terminated the communication.
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