Another week passed, and the people aboard the Apocalypse had become more familiar with and accustomed to the ship. Athrun, Katia, Heine, and Ed, the captains of the four MS squads, had also begun to get acquainted with the captains of their respective escort ships and were continuously familiarizing themselves with the machines assigned to them.
When making the assignments, Xiao Ran had deliberately paired PLANT personnel with Orb personnel so that the crew members from the two different nations could integrate more quickly. Hu Luo, the captain of the Warship assigned to Athrun, came from Orb. He was in his thirties and seemed rather steady, someone capable of keeping Yzak and Dearka in line.
Ashley, the escort captain assigned to Katia's squad, came from PLANT. She was a twenty-seven-year-old female Coordinator. Her abilities were not particularly outstanding, but according to her records, she was well-rounded. Her personality was comparatively gentle, allowing her to take good care of the six girls in the entire MS squad.
David, the captain assigned to Heine's squad, also came from Orb, though he too was a Coordinator. He was thirty years old and conservative by nature. Furthermore, Heine was currently the oldest member of the MS teams and had spent some time in the military, so he should be able to follow David's orders and coordinate with him well.
Miki, the captain assigned to Ed's squad, came from PLANT. At thirty-five, he was a veteran captain who had experienced numerous ZAFT battles. His abilities and experience were outstanding in every respect. With Ed's team piloting the versatile, customizable Astrays under him, they might produce unexpected results.
After more than half a year of preparations, Xiao Ran finally had a force that could temporarily act under his command. Today was also the day the Apocalypse