Xiao Ran listened to the alarm that now blared throughout the entire base. Its piercing, urgent wail seemed to warn that something important had happened, making it equally clear just how pressing the matter Richard had mentioned was.
Roused by the alarm, Tessa looked at Richard with slight confusion. "What happened?"
Richard said gravely, "The Federal Army's Far East Army has issued a special alert: CODE: ANGEL."
Hearing this completely unfamiliar term, everyone exchanged baffled looks. Miss Huang asked, "Does that mean it's an angel signal?"
"More precisely, it means an Apostle is on the move." Tessa's expression had turned serious as well. Looking at Richard, she asked, "What's the situation?"
Richard shook his head. "The Far East Army has been completely wiped out and routed. We can no longer count on them to deploy any more combat strength."
"We have to leave immediately." Bright rose sharply from his seat and addressed everyone. "This is an extremely urgent situation, one that concerns Earth's safety."
"Let's go." Xiao Ran stood as well. The moment he heard Far East and ANGEL, he had realized what was happening. Raising a hand slightly, he said, "Since it's such a dangerous situation, we can discuss anything we don't understand on the way."
Everyone rose and immediately followed Bright and Tessa out. On the way, Miss Huang asked with some confusion, "What exactly is going on? And isn't Londo Bell currently opposed to the Federation? The trouble they've run into shouldn't require our help, should it?"
"This isn't merely an incident concerning the Federation. It's a crisis concerning the entire Earth." As Tessa hurried along, she explained to Miss Huang, "Moreover, the Federation Far East Army is special. That force is not truly under Federation command; it merely bears the Federation's name. Even New Zeon, which