Yang Hui and the others returned to Orb, instructing Erica Simmons to help Lowe repair the Astray Gundam Red Unit, only to receive a barrage of exasperated glares.
"Listen, Young Master Yang Hui, you might treat yourself like a machine, but don't drag the rest of us down with you!"
The diligent Erica Simmons finally snapped when she saw what could barely be called anything more than a pile of parts that was the Astray Gundam Red Unit. The workload Yang Hui had already assigned them was overwhelming enough, and it kept piling up. Even workhorses weren't pushed this hard, were they?
"Ahaha, it was an accident! Blame Lowe for insisting on standing in our way," Yang Hui explained awkwardly.
"Then at least go easier on it! Do you have any idea how much work it'll take to restore something this badly damaged? With your piloting skills, there were plenty of ways to disable Lowe without wrecking the Mobile Suit!"
"It wasn't me! Seriously! Setsuna did it!"
Setsuna: (﹁_﹁)
"I did it. It was the optimal choice under the circumstances," Setsuna admitted flatly, shooting Yang Hui a sidelong glance.
"Oh, please! As if you'd go that far without Young Master Yang Hui's approval!"
"Hah! See that, Yang Hui? The chickens have come home to roost!"
"Serves you right for screwing me over and wrecking the Red Frame. Karma's a bitch, huh?"
Lyle and Lowe formed a united front, gleefully piling on after Yang Hui's attempt to shift blame failed.
But one icy glare from Yang Hui wiped the smiles off their faces.
"Lyle, you seem pretty free. You can take over MS unit training evaluations. Setsuna and Tieria have been working hard—they deserve a break. And Lowe, I just remembered there's another project you could help with."
"I quit!"
"I refuse!"
"Denied. Either commit treason or get to work. And Lowe, I'll discuss it directly with the Professor. Don't worry—you're not escaping."
"Yang Hui! Are you the devil?!" The two wailed, their eyes painting Yang Hui as a demon—bat wings spread, horns glinting coldly, tail swishing with glee.
"Still here? Hmm... Let me think if there's anything else..."
Lyle and Lowe bolted, genuinely terrified Yang Hui would strip them down to their underwear.
"Tch. Amateurs," Yang Hui smirked, tilting his chin up proudly—only to turn and find everyone around him frozen mid-task, staring at him with dead-fish eyes.
"You all—"
"Scatter!"
The rubbernecking bystanders fled in all directions. Erica Simmons, Setsuna, and Tieria took synchronized steps back.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Back to work."
"I'll check on the Gundam Exia."
"I'll review the Independent Mobile Suit Battalion's status."
No one gave Yang Hui a chance to speak, all scattering instantly. Even passersby detoured in wide arcs, leaving a perfect 50-meter vacuum around him.
"But I... It's not..." Yang Hui's attempts at defense fell on deaf ears as everyone sped up their retreat, leaving him alone in desolate isolation.
"Fine. I'll go find Sumeragi." Yang Hui gave up. His image as a heartless capitalist tyrant clearly wasn't going anywhere for now.
Arriving at the Ministry of Defense, they found Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei and briefed them about the Mass Driver situation.
"Then the operation can commence," Sumeragi immediately announced her revised plan. "Originally, we intended to relocate all of Dawn Company to Ame No Minashira. But now we have a second option—splitting Dawn Company into two divisions. The warship division will proceed to Ame No Minashira as planned to assist Mina in establishing the Space Fleet, while technical personnel from other divisions will be sent to the Mass Driver. Large equipment should be disassembled and transported whenever possible."
"We should inform Uzumi about this," Wang Liu Mei added. "The deployment of management personnel requires his approval." Although Uzumi had delegated authority to them, major decisions still needed his notification. Moreover, since the Mass Driver was designated as secondary sovereign territory, ordinary council members wouldn't suffice—they needed someone with substantial authority, preferably one of the five family heads.
High-ranking political officials at this level were beyond their authority to mobilize, so they needed to coordinate with Uzumi and the five family heads first.
"Defensive forces cannot be redeployed," Sumeragi said while pulling up several intelligence reports assessing Earth Forces and ZAFT Forces' military capabilities over the past decade. "Orb's current military strength is already stretched to its limits. If we further divide our forces, we won't be able to withstand an attack from either the Atlantic Federation or ZAFT Forces."
"We can't hold them off even without dividing our forces," Yang Hui interjected, voicing his perspective—the most accurate assessment.
Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei fell silent. Their plans differed somewhat from Yang Hui's; they still hoped to defend Orb's homeland.
Yang Hui, however, had never intended to hold Orb's territory during the first defense battle because he knew it was utterly impossible.
"There's still a chance," Wang Liu Mei insisted. "Although our operatives in the Atlantic Federation suffered heavy losses, agents in other factions remain intact. When the time comes, I can order them to escalate tensions between Earth Forces and ZAFT Forces, diverting their attention toward each other—"
"Won't work," Yang Hui shook his head, dismissing Wang Liu Mei's plan. "The key issue is Kaguya (Orb's Mass Driver). As long as Kaguya remains, neither side will leave Orb alone."
"Panama..." Sumeragi solemnly pulled up a map, her gaze fixed on Panama.
"Exactly," Yang Hui marked the locations of Panama Base, Alaska Base, Gibraltar Base, and Carpentaria Base on the map, overlaying the currently known military deployments—not just terrestrial forces but also ZAFT's fleet in Earth's orbit. "ZAFT Forces' target this time isn't just Joshua Base. Panama Base is also on their list—ground forces will strike Joshua Base while the Space Fleet descends upon Panama Base."
"Right now, Earth Forces' main fleet is about to reach Panama Base. ZAFT will seize the opportunity to attack the poorly defended Joshua Base. Once the main fleet turns back, the Space Fleet will immediately launch a descent operation. By then, it'll be too late for the main fleet to reinforce either front."
At the same time, if both Alaska Base and Panama Base fall, the enemy forces from both sides will launch a pincer attack on the main fleet." Yang Hui drew several arrows on the map, all pointing toward the Earth Forces' main fleet. "If the main fleet is annihilated, Earth will become ZAFT Forces' backyard."
He then switched the map to space, highlighting the Earth Forces' lunar crater base. "Without support from Earth, the crater base will be like a turtle in a jar—they'll be trapped and worn down to death."
"The problem lies here," Sumeragi tapped the map a few times, bringing the view back to Joshua Base in Alaska. "The Atlantic Federation has already learned of ZAFT Forces' plans in advance and even prepared a trap. So the scenario you described absolutely won't happen."
"Have you considered what ZAFT Forces would do if the Atlantic Federation's scheme succeeds?" Yang Hui asked Sumeragi.
"They'll consolidate their forces, fortify their defenses, regroup, and fight again."
"No. They'll channel their grief into strength and launch a full-scale assault on Panama Base," Yang Hui countered.
Yang Hui had previously shared the likely course of events with them, but since the real world wasn't an anime, it was only treated as a reference. It was natural for Sumeragi to reach a different conclusion—her judgment was the most objective and prudent, the kind most commanders would make under normal circumstances.
But she overlooked something crucial: human nature.
The war between ZAFT Forces and the Earth Forces was no longer just an extension of politics—it had escalated into racial hatred.
The Atlantic Federation constantly portrayed Coordinators as monsters that needed to be eradicated for the sake of a pure, blue sky. Meanwhile, on the PLANT side, the radicals had achieved total victory, with moderate councilors either placed under house arrest or relegated to insignificant positions.
The radicals were also racists, advocating that Coordinators should dominate Naturals as the superior, more perfect race.
Yang Hui couldn't help but feel regret. Even though he had saved Lenore Zala in advance, Patrick Zala still walked the same path. He might not be as fanatical, but his extremist ideology remained unchanged.
"..." Hearing Yang Hui's answer, Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei fell silent.
"Mastery of the battlefield also means mastery of human nature, Sumeragi. That can't be ignored."
"I understand. I'll leave enough troops to withstand the initial waves of attacks while secretly relocating the remaining fleet to the Mass Driver."
"Good. Then I hereby announce that the [White Dove Plan] has entered its fourth phase."
...
After a long and arduous journey, they finally arrived at Joshua Base in Alaska. The voyage had been grueling—short on manpower, fraught with tension, and marked by the loss of comrades.
But contrary to their expectations, their arrival wasn't met with the welcome and relief they had imagined. Instead, they faced skepticism and interrogation from high command.
The Atlantic Federation's leadership judged that Murrue, during her tenure as captain, had not only allowed civilians aboard, exposing military secrets, but also let foreign officials interfere—an utter humiliation for the Atlantic Federation.
What angered them most was the loss of the Strike, which meant the complete failure of the G Project. Despite investing tremendous manpower and resources, they had only obtained data without any tangible results.
This infuriated everyone, including Natarle Badgiruel, because the G Project had been established solely through Duan Halbaton's stubborn insistence. They hadn't contributed at all—in fact, they had been hindering progress all along. How dare they make such comments!
Another point of contention was the insults hurled at Kira simply because he was a Coordinator.
No one present could accept this. Though Kira was indeed a Coordinator, during their long voyage, they had formed deep bonds with him. Without Kira's protection, they would never have survived to reach Alaska.
But there was nothing they could do. They could only swallow their anger in silence, for they were soldiers, and the others were their superiors.
After the inquiry concluded, Natarle Badgiruel, Mu, and Flay received transfer orders. This left Murrue and Natarle in somber silence, as they recalled Yang Hui's request to them before parting ways.
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