After stepping out of the spotlight and behind the scenes, Ingram could not help undoing the buttons of his suit, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and letting out a breath. He then looked puzzledly at Cruze, who stood before him with a congratulatory smile. "Was I being too hasty with what I said up there?"
"Not at all." Cruze smiled and pointed at the press spokesman who had taken over for Ingram out front. "What he says next will firmly establish what you just said. What I'm more curious about now is whether you've obtained that thing."
"Not yet." Ingram shook his head. "Though I'm far ahead in the vote count, you should understand that this sentiment is only temporary—a burst of emotion brought about by a particular time and environment. If I want to earn more genuine recognition, this alone probably won't be enough. Besides, once the Federation officially merges in, things will become even more troublesome."
Cruze nodded. "That's fine. In any case, you've obtained this position now, and you took it through perfectly legitimate means. One of the prerequisites has been fulfilled. The Federation's merger can remain nominal for now and be delayed for quite some time. It doesn't matter how this country needs to be cleaned up next; as long as this region is stabilized and gains more support, that will be enough. But every action from here on will establish you completely as the true core. There is still much to do."
Ingram nodded without saying anything more. He turned to look at the giant screens around the auditorium outside. On those screens, machines that had never before appeared in this world showed up one after another, along with New Macross Class vessels, Small New Macross Class vessels, and more. The Federation's nominal leaders