Ignoring the site where the Providence Gundam had self-destructed, Felix turned his attention to the Vesalius Battleship.
Pressing the forward pedals firmly with both feet, the Genesis Gundam surged ahead.
Moments later, the Genesis Gundam arrived at the Vesalius's location, revealing the heavily damaged battleship.
Bridge of the Vesalius
The captain, seeing the Genesis Gundam on screen and unable to contact the squad leader, understood the situation.
Clenching his fists tightly, a look of despair rose in his eyes, only to be quickly replaced by the same madness seen in Creuset.
"Full speed ahead, target the Genesis Gundam!" he declared with resolute determination.
The helmsman, without hesitation, swiftly maneuvered the Vesalius to charge at the Genesis Gundam.
Cockpit of the Genesis Gundam
Observing the Vesalius's actions, Felix felt a flicker of admiration, yet sighed aloud.
"What loyal subordinates! Pity they've been brainwashed by Creuset."
As he spoke, a sharp intensity filled his eyes, and his fingers danced rapidly across the command keys.
The Dragoon Wireless Guided Weapons swiftly repositioned, continuing to fire upon the already battered Vesalius.
The two Fortissimo Beam Cannons mounted on the Destiny Support Fighter unleashed beams of light.
One minute later,
The Dragoon Wireless Guided Weapons returned to the Destiny Support Fighter.
The Destiny Support Fighter reattached to the back of the Genesis Gundam.
Felix took one last look at the wreckage of the Vesalius, then pressed one foot on the forward pedal and the other on the reverse, causing the Genesis Gundam to pivot.
Both feet then pressed down on the forward pedals simultaneously!
The stationary Genesis Gundam accelerated at high speed, departing the area.
One hour later
Jachin Due Fortress
GENESIS Control Room
"Chairman, GENESIS is fully charged and ready to fire at any time!" reported a soldier monitoring the charging status to Patrick.
Hearing the report, Patrick gave a slight nod.
Pressing a button on the communicator, he sent a transmission to the Moon.
As the connection established, Aric's voice came through the speaker.
"Chairman!"
Patrick acknowledged the respectful greeting with a nod and asked, "What is the current status of the battlefield?"
"The enemy has failed to breach our defenses; the situation is favorable to us!" came the report through the speaker.
Patrick did not respond directly but issued an order. "Command all units to withdraw from the area that will be covered by GENESIS!"
As he gave the command, Patrick added, "I will send you the coverage coordinates for GENESIS."
With that, he ended the communication.
Bridge of the Athena
Aric, looking at the terminated communication, quickly adjusted the comm channel and placed a call to the Eternal.
"What is it?" Andrew's face appeared on the comm screen, his voice emanating from the speaker.
Aric looked at Andrew, his expression grave as he began to speak.
"GENESIS is about to fire. The Eternal and its group must evacuate from the GENESIS coverage area according to the document I will send you!"
With that, Aric ended the communication.
At that moment, the document from Jachin Due Fortress was transmitted over. Aric reviewed its contents and briefed the ZAFT Forces on the evacuation details.
After completing this, Aric sent the document to the Eternal.
On the Bridge of the Eternal
Andrew looked over the received document and turned to ask Lacus.
"Miss Clyne, should we quickly evacuate from the GENESIS coverage area as well?"
"Evacuate!"
The two words left Lacus's lips without a moment's hesitation.
Then, shifting her tone, she continued.
"Notify the Earth Alliance Forces of this matter!"
Hearing this, Andrew did not carry out the order immediately. Instead, he gazed deeply at Lacus. Sensing his look, Lacus's eyes revealed reluctance, and she spoke with compassion.
"They have families too. There are people waiting for them to return."
A calm yet sorrowful, kind response reached Andrew's ears.
Without a word in reply, Andrew followed Lacus's request and transmitted the message using the Earth Alliance Forces' internal communication channel accessible through the Archangel.
On the Bridge of the Earth Alliance Forces Combined Fleet Flagship
"Commander, we've received an external communication!"
Landon reported the communication status as he turned to Thurman.
Thurman lowered his gaze slightly at Landon and replied steadily.
"Can we confirm its origin?"
"Our personnel attempted to trace the signal, but unfortunately, they couldn't pinpoint it precisely." Landon shook his head and added, "However, based on the current battlefield situation, this communication is likely from the side where that Lacus Clyne is located!"
After hearing the additional information, Thurman nodded and asked.
"What is the content of the communication?"
"ZAFT will deploy a weapon of mass destruction, along with an attached area coordinate!"
Landon reviewed the contents and reported back to Thurman. Thurman frowned slightly upon hearing this, his eyes fixed on the battlefield display on the screen.
After a brief moment of thought, he asked Landon.
"What are the movements of the ZAFT Forces?"
In response to the inquiry, Landon provided a report based on the current battlefield intelligence.
"The ZAFT Forces appear to be withdrawing from the current engagement zone!"
"Withdrawing from the engagement zone?"
Thurman's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest as his frown deepened. After careful consideration, he issued an order.
"Pursue with caution. If there is any unusual situation, cease pursuit immediately and retreat!"
Nodding in acknowledgment of the order, Landon then asked.
"Commander, how should we handle this warning communication?"
"We can neither fully trust it nor dismiss it entirely!" Thurman replied with a slight smile, then added, "That's why I ordered a cautious pursuit, not an all-out chase."
Seeing that the Earth Alliance Forces continued their pursuit, Lacus understood clearly that her warning had not been heeded.
Because of this, a look of disappointment and sorrow appeared on Lacus's face.
"Miss Clyne, you've done what you needed to do. The rest is beyond your control."
Aisha looked at the disappointment and sorrow on Lacus's face, speaking softly to comfort her.
Hearing the comforting words, Lacus lifted her head to look at Aisha, adjusted her emotions, and nodded to her.
"Thank you, Sister Aisha."
After expressing her gratitude, Lacus raised her head again to continue watching the battlefield situation.
"Captain, the Earth Alliance Forces have become much more cautious in their movements!"
Oakley observed the actions of the Earth Alliance Forces and turned to report to Aric. Aric watched the screen and nodded.
"I understand."