"All personnel, salute General Duan Halberton, Admiral of the Allied Forces' Eighth Fleet!"
The voice that interrupted Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi's conversation was Lieutenant Natarle Badgiruel's full-throated shout, directed at Halberton who was just disembarking from the transport shuttle.
Regardless of what anyone was thinking internally, everyone present maintained a solemn demeanor on the surface, snapping to attention in unison following Natarle's command.
Without his military cap, his neatly trimmed mustache above his lips, and golden hair framing a face that balanced authority with approachability.
The mastermind behind the G Project and the creator of the Archangel, Halberton returned the salute with a warm smile.
"My, my." After the formalities concluded, Halberton—setting aside his rank—let out an admiring exclamation at the conspicuously prominent Zeta Gundam in the hangar.
"East Asian Alliance?" Halberton's gaze swept through the crowd, as if searching for someone.
"Captain Wang Hu and Captain Li Chengzhi?"
It went without saying who he was truly looking for, even seeming to prioritize them over his own brainchild.
"Wang Hu of the Third Battalion, Nova Garrison Training Unit, East Asian Army, reporting!" Wang Hu stepped forward from the ranks and announced loudly.
"Li Chengzhi of the Third Battalion, Nova Garrison Training Unit, East Asian Army, reporting!" Following Wang Hu, Li Chengzhi also stepped out and declared.
"Impressive individuals, truly worthy of being the elite aces of the East Asian Army."
Halberton's eyes scanned the two who had stepped forward.
His previously smiling face suddenly turned stern, under the concerned gazes of Murrue and the others.
Halberton asked with an accusatory tone.
"I've heard about what happened at the Artemis Fortress."
"Captain Wang Hu, do you have any explanation? Conspiring with Eurasia to seize the achievements of our Atlantic Federation?"
"This—" The people standing behind, prepared to listen to the admiral's address, were startled. This matter hadn't been mentioned at all when Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Arsida visited.
Yet now, Admiral Halberton was bringing it up. Was the Eighth Fleet going to punish Wang Hu and the others on behalf of the Atlantic Federation?
Immediately, the kind-hearted Murrue stepped forward to explain.
Even though she had been quite angered by Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi back at the Artemis Fortress.
And it wasn't just Murrue; both Mu and Natarle, as part of the Archangel's current command staff, instinctively opened their mouths to speak.
"Brother Wang Hu." If anyone in the crowd reacted most intensely, it was Kira, clenching his fists. If not for Flay holding him back.
He might have already rushed toward the Strike Gundam. A military remonstrance—it had to be a military remonstrance!
What right did some Atlantic Federation official have to tell Brother Wang Hu what to do?
"Don't speak." Halberton cut off Murrue and the others before they could voice their explanations.
His amused gaze swept over his subordinates before fixing intently on the expressionless, completely unflinching Wang Hu and Li Chengzhi.
"What, no words? Pleading guilty, then?"
With an even more imposing demeanor, Admiral Halberton pressed further.
"Flay, Brother Wang Hu and the others!"
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Kira whispered and tried to free his hand from Flay's grasp, yet feared hurting his nominal girlfriend in the process.
"Don't panic, stay calm. Trust Brother Wang Hu, and my father is over there too."
Unlike the extremely anxious Kira, Flay's composure was almost frightening.
Facing Halberton, who stood with the Eighth Fleet behind him and represented the Atlantic Federation, the admiral's imposing presence did not sway Flay's judgment in the slightest.
Perhaps this girl's confidence came from Wang Hu, or perhaps from her father Arsida standing right beside Halberton.
In any case, Flay didn't believe Halberton truly intended to take action against Wang Hu and the others—otherwise, it wouldn't be the admiral but the military police who came here.
The surrounding battleships wouldn't be positioned to protect the Archangel either; instead, they would have surrounded it with guns aimed.
"Admiral Halberton, I don't understand what you mean?" Shaking his head, Wang Hu finally spoke.
"General Sharu of the Artemis Fortress bravely detonated the entire fortress under the surprise attack of the enemy ZAFT Forces, all to protect the key to the Allied Forces' victory."
"Your words here now risk disrespecting the heroic spirits of our fallen allies, and I must correct something."
"The Archangel and the G Project belong to the entire Allied Forces as collective property, not solely to the Atlantic Federation Army."
His words practically elevated the Eurasian Federation Army of the Artemis Fortress to sainthood, implicitly suggesting that Halberton's previous remarks were politically incorrect.
Incredible. This was what you called speaking blatant falsehoods with eyes wide open.
Mu and the others, who had been explicitly ordered by Halberton not to speak, were utterly impressed. If Halberton continued to press the issue after Wang Hu's statement, the admiral would first be accused of disrespecting allied forces, and then, over the ownership of the Archangel, be labeled as undermining the unity of the Allied Forces.
After all, the dead should be honored—the Eurasian Federation's Artemis Fortress was already gone. What did it mean to team up with others to seize the Archangel?
Tarnishing the heroes' legacy?
The G Project was clearly funded and technologically supported by the entire Allied Forces. The East Asian Alliance and the Eurasian Federation had every right to claim ownership of the Archangel!
"Hahaha." Halberton laughed heartily, pointing repeatedly at Wang Hu.
"No wonder General Sharu holds you in such high regard."
In reality, the behind-the-scenes events at the Artemis Fortress were confined to a very small circle within the Allied Forces high command.
The public narrative and the characterization of the Artemis defenders were draped in utmost honor, with the Allied Forces hailing the battle as a model of unity among the three major powers!
Halberton's mention of it here was merely a stepping stone for his next move.
Politics was about mutual compromise—first exposing a bit of your opponent's dirt, then negotiating an exchange of interests.
"May I see the Zeta Gundam?"
As if the previous storm of accusations had never happened, Halberton replaced it with a warm, breezy smile, politely seeking Wang Hu's consent.
"Of course, it would be an honor for our forces." Wang Hu also smiled, raising his hand in a gesture of invitation.
The entire scene appeared harmonious, with no trace of the earlier tension.
Leading Halberton, who wished to inspect the Zeta Gundam, Wang Hu took the lead, offering explanations along the way.
Halberton nodded repeatedly, expressing constant agreement, until they arrived at the cockpit hatch of the Zeta Gundam via the elevator.
This strategic commander of the Allied Forces, who had appeared only briefly in the original timeline yet was depicted with considerable emphasis, both overtly and subtly, gazed with a complex expression at the interior of the Zeta Gundam's cockpit. He was the one pushing the G Project forward and knew its outcomes in great detail.
To begin with, when the five Gundams, including the Strike Gundam, made their debut, not even a proper operating system had been completed.
The cockpit configuration alone spoke volumes. While a panoramic cockpit didn't necessarily guarantee superiority over the Strike Gundam's cockpit, its sheer appearance was already leagues ahead!
The fact that the East Asian Army dared to implement a panoramic cockpit in a combat-ready Mobile Suit indicated that they had far surpassed the Atlantic Federation Army in radar and sensory technology.
"Impressive, the East Asian Army—their piloting systems, the design and manufacturing of the Mobile Suits," Halberton couldn't help but exclaim once more. Their own piloting systems still required the assistance of a Coordinator named Kira Yamato.
The East Asian Army, with its national capacity for undertaking grand endeavors, had accomplished everything on their own.
"Captain Wang Hu, can the success of the Zeta Gundam be extended across the entire Allied Forces? My Eighth Fleet would be more than willing to adopt the East Asian Army's standard-issue Mobile Suits."
With this earth-shattering proposal for those present, Halberton, during this visit, repeatedly challenged everyone's sense of reason.
"General Halberton!" Murrue, disregarding the earlier prohibition from the admiral, hurried to the foot of the Zeta Gundam and called out.
"What about the G Project? After all the effort and sacrifices made for the G Project, what will become of it?"
Murrue and Natarle Badgiruel understood all too well what it meant for the Eighth Fleet to use the East Asian Army's standard-issue Mobile Suits.
It signified that Halberton was abandoning his original convictions. One must recall how skeptical the high command of the Allied Forces—or rather, the Atlantic Federation Army—had been when the G Project was first proposed.
In its early stages, the G Project faced countless cold shoulders and scorn. It was only thanks to the admiral before them that the project had come this far.
To Halberton and all those who supported and participated in the project, the G Project was like their own child.
But now, Halberton was actually saying he would abandon his own child?
What mother would ever abandon her child?
"Murrue!" Halberton, with his back turned to the nearly tearful Murrue, did not look back, his tone filled with resolve.
"This is for the unity of the Allied Forces. This is for the Allied Forces to achieve victory over the Coordinators."
"For this cause, even if the G Project has cost us dearly, since the East Asian Alliance has provided a better solution, I—"
"We should gladly accept it and greet it with joy."
Upon hearing this, everyone, including Wang Hu, regarded him with deep respect. Whether Halberton's words were sincere or mere diplomatic rhetoric, the fact that he could utter them demonstrated that Duan Halberton was a remarkable figure, truly deserving of his reputation as the strategic commander of the Allied Forces.
Adopting such standardized equipment was no simple matter—it involved numerous complexities and implications.
In the original timeline, Halberton died prematurely. Had he lived, the entire Allied Forces would have benefited from the Mobile Suits developed under the G Project he championed.
He would undoubtedly secure a prominent position within the highest echelons of the Allied Forces. By then, the Atlantic Federation Army from the Second War would not have been reduced to mere puppets of Blue Cosmos.
But now, by abandoning the G Project, he had effectively abandoned his own future.
It also meant that the Eighth Fleet, which had been the first to adopt equipment from the East Asian Army, would face even greater difficulties and even hostility in the days to come.
The Eighth Fleet, already marginalized by the Atlantic Federation Army and untainted by Blue Cosmos, would find its situation increasingly dire.
Halberton would also be branded a traitor by the Atlantic Federation Army.
Wang Hu glanced back at Li Chengzhi standing below and exchanged a meaningful look with his friend.
"Of course, Admiral Halberton, you are a man worthy of admiration."
"As for your request, I will report it to the higher-ups in the East Asian Army. I will not let you down."
"Hmm." Halberton turned around, his gaze lingering reluctantly on the Strike Gundam, and responded faintly.
Then, descending from the Zeta Gundam, he motioned for Murrue and his other close associates to walk leisurely toward the bridge, clearly intending to share some private words.
Wang Hu and the other, understanding the situation, tactfully did not follow.
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