Chapter 246 – By Imperial Decree!
"Colonel Eli, if you're reading this letter, it means you've already placed yourself in opposition to the Earth Federation as a whole."
"From what I understand, the Federation will likely only deploy part of its forces against you. But the moment things escalate to that point, it will be inevitable that you're seen as an enemy of the Federation as a whole. I suspect that even if I tried to stop you, you'd categorize me as a hostile party as well."
Eli followed the logic laid out in Revil's letter and silently acknowledged that the future Revil described was indeed a realistic possibility.
It was exactly the kind of thing he would do.
"But this confrontation will never happen under my command. That, I can promise you."
"You're right, General."
Eli gave a wry smile, understanding that General Revil was trying to put his mind at ease in his own way.
"But if I truly can't prevent people on Earth from turning the Federation into their haven of indulgence… if I can't stop conflict from breaking out… Eli, then I want to give you the authority to resist. In the name of General Revil."
That was the final line on the page.
Eli didn't immediately turn it over, but instead took his eyes off the letter for a moment.
In Revil's name, huh…
In other words, General Revil still didn't want this confrontation to escalate into an external war. He wanted to keep it an internal matter within the Federation.
Just like AEUG and Titans in the original story.
Only, in the beginning, AEUG wasn't even recognized by the Earth Federation. The claim that AEUG was a faction within the Federation only came after they had taken control of the Federation.
AEUG did that to legitimize itself, but Revil's intent here was clear—he wanted to contain the scale of the conflict.
Revil, do you love the Federation that much?
"No wonder he reassigned all those generals to distant bases… So that's really what he was planning."
Eli rubbed his forehead, trying to ease some of the pressure weighing on him.
Those generals, after all, were high-ranking officials dispatched from the "central government" to regional bases. It wouldn't be difficult for them to keep their respective bases neutral and stay out of this conflict.
Just like how Arthur had secured control over the Augusta base to support Eli, the other bases might not send troops directly, but they could still offer various forms of assistance.
That said, this force should have been more than enough to quickly suppress the Titans.
"I really could have ended this conflict much faster if I wanted to."
When his gaze returned to the letter, Revil's handwriting seemed to answer him directly.
"But if the confrontation has already begun, that means the internal contradictions of the Federation have intensified—its upper echelons thoroughly corrupted by hedonism. At that point, simply suppressing the conflict is meaningless."
"The Federation I defend should never be like this. Those bastards clearly learned nothing from the Zeon War and continue living in comfort without reflection."
"My concern is for the next thousand years."
"So, Eli, I must admit—I've pinned overly high hopes on you. I hope that you can use force to reverse the Federation's current course."
"If you fail, you'll no doubt be branded a traitor. But if you succeed, you'll be the leader of this revolution."
At this point, even Revil's handwriting became messy and hurried.
Clearly, he understood just how heretical these words were.
"Once you've succeeded, you'll gain the real power to realize your ideals. So, for the sake of the Federation's future, I hereby authorize you to launch an armed rebellion against the Federation Council, which has already violated the Universal Century Charter and betrayed the founding principles of the Federation!"
Following this declaration was a list: the base assignments of various generals, along with names categorized by trustworthiness—those to rely on, those to win over, and those to oppose.
In the current context, this was practically a combination of a secret imperial edict and a formal declaration of war.
And it was addressed to Eli.
What was this, some kind of cosmic version of the Three Kingdoms, predating the Warring States of space?
Eli's expression grew strange.
If AEUG was Shu Han, then the Titans were like Cao Wei, using the Emperor as a puppet to dominate the lords.
In that case… was AEUG supposed to be Eastern Wu?
Eli shook his head, brushing aside such a fanciful thought.
One thing was certain—the Titans didn't yet have the guts to suppress the Federation Council directly.
…Right?
"General Jamitov's shuttle has been targeted by the Titans!"
The moment Eli snapped back to reality, he was greeted by the worst possible news.
"After seizing control of Jaburo Base, the Titans began strictly monitoring all orbital traffic as of yesterday. General Jamitov's shuttle happened to be on the restricted list. It's currently descending over the Atlantic, and the Titans' forces are already waiting for him."
As Eli entered the White Chaser's bridge, the CIC officer was briefing Captain Otto, who had just arrived as well, in clear and concise terms.
"Can the Galbaldy-class launch?"
"It can, but if we launch now, it won't reach the necessary altitude in time."
"Tch."
Captain Otto clicked his tongue in frustration—clearly displeased with the situation.
Without overwhelming firepower, there was no way to guarantee General Jamitov's safety.
Unless someone could intercept and neutralize the Titans' forces in the upper atmosphere before the shuttle emerged from the radio blackout zone.
And that…
"I'll go. I'll take the Gaplant."
Before Otto could even turn his gaze toward him, Eli had already offered the solution.
"Augusta is the development base for the Gaplant—they should have spare booster components. With those, I can reach the shuttle before it enters the atmosphere."
Otto didn't object. He immediately contacted the base and relayed the plan.
The Gaplant that had been stored aboard the White Chaser was quickly piloted by Eli to the Augusta base.
Thanks to its modular design, the booster components were practically plug-and-play.
"On Earth, these types of machines are actually more useful than Gundams."
Eli muttered this to himself.
"In that case, why not just make the Gundam transformable too?"
Christina, overseeing the installation, remarked casually.
Amuro, helping beside her, suddenly lit up at the idea—clearly struck with inspiration.
Looks like the Z will end up in AEUG's hands after all.
With a knowing smile, Eli felt the machine begin to tilt back.
Under the support of the gantry, the Gaplant and its boosters emerged through the open hangar ceiling, aimed directly at the sky.