For this very reason, what they needed to do was quite simple.
Pure bribery wasn't impossible, but the risk of betrayal was too high.
Those swayed by benefits might just as easily be swayed by benefits offered by others.
But those who valued family and held strong convictions were different.
Fred was one such person.
Resolute in will, with clear principles.
Such individuals were the true partners for cooperation.
As for other collaborations formed merely by shared interests, they were nothing more than mutual exploitation.
Reflecting on her teacher's past teachings, Lacus gained a deeper understanding of Fred's character.
"But will Uncle Patrick really allow Fred to lead a team so easily?" Lacus asked.
Even if Uncle Patrick held Fred in high regard, Fred himself still couldn't command widespread respect.
"Of course not."
"He still has to compete with the Main Research Group on progress," Siegel said.
Patrick wasn't the type to generously pave the way for others.
If Fred held no value, Patrick wouldn't even spare him a glance.
That man was simply like that at his core.
"Can he do it?" Lacus widened her eyes curiously, looking utterly adorable.
"This is also a test he set for himself."
"Since he proposed it, he probably has some confidence."
"If he fails, he'll just be merged into the main research group."
Siegel shrugged and offered a faint smile.
"However, we do have a gift we can give him here."
"A gift?"
"Yes."
As he spoke, Siegel picked up a USB drive from the desk.
"This should be quite helpful to him."
"Oh~"
Lacus wasn't surprised by this. On one hand, she was curious about what was inside the USB drive.
On the other hand, hearing her father's words, she began to form some ideas of her own.
"Father, let me deliver it to him."
"What?"
Siegel was startled by Lacus's sudden suggestion, his eyes widening slightly.
His daughter... surely not...
It couldn't be, she's still so young.
While Coordinators mature early, especially Elites, it couldn't be that fast...
"I have some questions I want to ask him, and besides, you'd like to know more about him too, right?"
"If you're present, he might hold back."
"Hmm..."
After listening to his daughter's analysis, Siegel quickly suppressed his shock and nodded.
Indeed, what Lacus said made sense.
Lacus herself was exceptionally capable, naturally able to gauge others' thoughts and put people at ease.
But this ability was more of a subtle influence—it could be called a skill, or perhaps just an intuitive feeling.
If he were near Fred, the other would definitely be tense.
When tense, Lacus's natural abilities would be inhibited.
Not to mention, with his recent preparations to assume the role of Chairman, he truly didn't have much time to seek out Fred privately.
Sending his daughter was a good alternative.
It would also serve as training.
It's just... surely his daughter wouldn't be swayed, right?
After all, although Lacus was still young, her thinking was far more mature than other girls her age.
"Alright."
Comforting himself with these thoughts, Siegel agreed.
"But you'll have to bring bodyguards along."
"Understood~!"
Lacus smiled sweetly upon hearing her father's agreement.
What her father didn't know was that she had been feeling increasingly uncertain about her future path recently.
And Fred was the one to blame for this.
To untie the bell, one must seek the one who tied it - she needed to meet with him again.
Alone.
This was the perfect opportunity.
However, what she told her father wasn't entirely false either - visiting him would indeed allow her to probe many matters.
Unaware of the plans forming in Lacus's mind, Fred was currently testing his new abilities on the other side.
As for how exactly he was testing them? By venturing outside the space colony, of course.
In the familiar expanse of space, surrounded by numerous familiar colonies, Fred was leading his students as usual, piloting PLANT's Work Pod to perform maintenance on Junius Seven's reinforced glass panels.
Though presented with magnificent scenery, everyone remained focused, long accustomed to the view.
While keeping an eye on the others, Fred skillfully manipulated the control nodes with practiced hands.
Although these glass panels were self-repairing, they still required maintenance of energy transmission pipelines and other components.
The maintenance work here was actually more complex than at Copernicus.
As for why they could handle this more complex work with such proficiency, it was because Fred had reviewed the procedures thoroughly.
At the very least, he could outperform Yzak and several others.
But now...
"He's getting faster again."
"Such terrifying talent."
Fred muttered to himself as he glanced at the monitoring displays showing the others' progress.
Just as he had anticipated, Athrun and the others were becoming increasingly proficient with each operation.
When compared directly, their progress rate actually surpassed that of his Golden Finger ability.
After all, his ability came from accumulated effort, while theirs stemmed from pure talent - he simply couldn't outpace natural aptitude.
This didn't mean Fred was weaker than them, however.
He possessed the advantage of prior experience - over a decade of diligent work combined with his continued efforts and unlocked skills still allowed him to maintain an edge over the others.
But this advantage required him to stay focused.
With this thought, Fred tightened his grip on the control stick.
No matter what, there was only one thing he could do - keep moving forward.
His thoughts quickly passed, and Fred's gaze shifted to Junius Seven before him.
[Libra-type Colony: Durability 98/100]
[T1-type Work Pod (Modified): Durability 85/100]
The first reading showed the colony's status, while in the background he could see several other colonies with similar durability values.
The second reading displayed his own Work Pod's condition.
After his modifications adding engines and grapple cables,
It had originally been around 60, but he had repaired it himself.
The maintenance technician had offered to fix it for him, but Fred had declined.
After all, repairs also contributed to skill proficiency.
One never knew when such skills might prove useful - practicing was always worthwhile.
As Fred contemplated this, the numbers before him soon changed.
[Durability 99/100]
"Exactly, this durability refers to the overall durability."
Fred muttered to himself.
In other words, daily wear and tear had been factored in.
As for the remaining 1%, Fred speculated it represented the routine degradation of the entire space colony.
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