"Damn Orb... sigh."
The ZAFT Forces members watched with complex emotions as Orb effortlessly escorted back the Garu-De Class ship that had inflicted heavy losses on them. On one hand, the emergence of two new aces—Mu and Morgan Chevalier—once again demonstrated Orb's formidable strength, making them sigh at how Orb seemed like an unfathomable abyss where you could never guess what hidden cards they still held. On the other hand, they were relieved that Orb was PLANT's ally—otherwise, they would be the ones facing this overwhelming power and mystery, a thought that sent shivers down their spines. And third... they secretly resented their own inadequacy, as in joint operations with Orb, ZAFT always ended up playing second fiddle.
This third point wasn't just self-blame for their lack of ability—it also made them curse their intelligence and research departments half to death. Why didn't they possess such advanced technology? Were the researchers just eating free meals? And as for the intelligence department, even if they couldn't steal the tech, couldn't they at least provide detailed intel?
All these grievances ultimately dissolved into sighs. Deep down, they knew that half of Orb's strength could be credited to Yang Hui alone—be it personal combat prowess, tactical command, scientific research, or governance, was there any field he wasn't exceptional in? The fact that Orb had produced such a monster could only make one lament the whims of fate.
"This is the Orb MS unit, Strike, Mu La Flaga. Per the agreement between our Supreme Commander and your Chairman, the Garu-De Class battleship and all prisoners aboard will be handed over to you. Please dispatch personnel for retrieval."
"Understood. We will immediately send personnel to receive the prisoners. Thank you for your efforts."
"Just doing our duty."
After the communication ended, the commander of Armory One ordered three Nazca-class battleships to retrieve the Garu-De Class while deploying other units to clean up the battlefield and search for survivors.
"Phew, this might be the easiest battle I've ever been in," Mu remarked as the Strike Gundam and Strike Gundam - Night Walker returned to Orb's fleet formation after handing over the Garu-De Class.
"Oh?" Morgan Chevalier asked curiously. After confessing to Yang Hui and safely relocating his family to Orb, he had fully embraced his new identity and opened up to Mu and the others. Though he was calm and meticulous in battle, he was quite the amiable uncle in daily life.
"Yeah. From the moment I enlisted, I was piloting the Zero Type against MS. Even on the Archangel, I was still using a Mobile Armor to fight MS. Then when I finally got an MS, my first battle was the Orb Defense War..."
"Did you wet your pants?" Morgan teased.
"Of course not! No matter how bad it got, I was still a veteran!"
"Heh, and then?"
"And then... the Second Battle of Jachin Due. That was the real deal—after every fight, I was just grateful to still be alive." Mu sighed. Unlike freaks like Yang Hui, Setsuna, Lyle, Tieria, Kira, or Athrun, every battle for him had been a life-or-death gamble.
"I didn't participate in that battle, but Edward did. He told me about it—that was a real meat grinder. People were dying every second without anyone knowing how many."
"Yeah, but luckily we made it through. After that, things got much easier. There weren't many battles—just the one where we crushed Julius 7, right? Though even that was less exhausting than now."
"Haha, Lieutenant Colonel, you've finally tasted the fruits of your labor. Orb has grown stronger, and no one dares to provoke us anymore," Morgan Chevalier laughed, genuinely happy and relieved. He was thankful that Creuset had brought him back to Orb, allowing him and his family to live comfortably now.
"Don't be so sure. Have you forgotten?"
"..." Morgan Chevalier fell silent. As an ace pilot, though not part of the core leadership, he was still high-ranking enough to remember the secret operation Yang Hui and Sumeragi had jointly planned a month ago. Another major battle was coming.
...
"Alright, I understand. Good work."
After ending the call, Yang Hui turned to Durandal and said, "It's done. The ship is mostly intact, and everyone's alive."
"With Orb stepping in, I never doubted the outcome. I must thank you, Mr. Yang Hui, and Orb for saving ZAFT's soldiers." Durandal had already received the report. Though the tone was defiant and reluctant, he could still sense the gratitude from the port's military personnel toward the Orb Military.
If it hadn't been for Mu and Morgan Chevalier arriving in time, the entire port would have been paralyzed by the enemy's surprise attack, with countless casualties.
"Still, Orb's strength is truly impressive. Two more ace pilots have emerged," Durandal remarked.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere. It's the result of their own hard work."
Durandal remained silent. Yang Hui might have sounded boastful, but he was simply stating facts. Durandal understood—Orb's unity was unprecedented, with everyone pushing forward relentlessly. With aces like Yang Hui as their goal, who wouldn't strive to reach it?
This was the power of the environment. When everyone around you was working hard, even the laziest would feel ashamed to slack off.
"So, about the fleet review..."
"Forget it." Seeing Durandal still intent on holding the fleet review—a vanity project—Yang Hui waved his hand dismissively. "Rather than wasting time on appearances, let's focus on cleaning up the damage from this attack."
"You're right. Though I'm ashamed to have made you come all this way for nothing."
"Not at all. I still gained something."
"Those three kids? Their physical conditions are... unusual."
"Bio-CPUs. Enhanced humans created by LOGOS."
"...Hmph. A bunch of hypocrites. They call Coordinators monsters, yet they secretly produce things like Bio-CPUs," Durandal sneered.
"That's just their style, isn't it? And to them, Bio-CPUs aren't even human—just disposable parts," Yang Hui shrugged. Though he despised such practices, over time, he'd grown accustomed to them. Anger and disgust were inevitable, but he no longer showed it openly.
"...Are you ready?"
"We've been waiting for you. All the hideouts have been located, and every target is under surveillance—none will escape!" As Yang Hui spoke these words, an intense aura of ruthlessness and dominance radiated from him.
"How much more time do you need on your end?"
"Three days. In three days, the Minerva will depart, and the other selected elite forces will arrive at their designated positions."
"The Minerva? With all due respect, the Minerva currently can't even be considered combat-ready."
"That bad?"
"Just a bunch of unruly kids—no skill, no experience, nothing but untapped potential."
"That's more than enough, isn't it? I believe they'll push their potential to the limit in the heat of battle."
"To ensure no high-value targets escape, have the Minerva accompany our operation."
"No problem." Durandal nodded. He wasn't afraid of Yang Hui sending people to monitor them—in fact, he welcomed it. After all, free babysitters were always useful. Shinn and the others were still too green and needed time to grow.
"In three days, Sumeragi will send you the complete battle plan. The operation will officially begin—it's time to clean out those rats hiding in the sewers."
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