Elsewhere on Orb's main island, Asaha held the receiver and listened to the report coming through it. After a long while, he let out a faint sigh. "Is that so? That's what he said?"
"It doesn't matter. Do as he said. He's right—ideals without strength are like duckweed without roots. We have already begun to suffer the consequences of having no strength. Since he has decided to show the world our strength before then, do as he says. Tell him that before the war begins tomorrow, we will head to the Command Center. We look forward to his performance."
After hanging up, Asaha gently closed his eyes. With another quiet sigh, he opened them again and nodded lightly to the old friends who were working alongside him to preserve Orb's last spark.
Time passed second by second. Soon, it was six in the morning, with only three hours left before the Earth Force's final deadline. Although the Orb government had issued evacuation orders immediately forty hours earlier, the shortage of ships and the dense population had made the evacuation painfully slow.
But a few hours earlier, under Xiao Ran's orders, the military had moved directly into every city. Using warships to transport evacuees significantly accelerated the withdrawal, though many civilians still remained in the cities.
At seven, Xiao Ran, who had not slept all night, had just finished breakfast when Representative Asaha and a group of Orb's high-ranking officials and nobles arrived at the Command Center.
Thirty minutes later, Xiao Ran left the Ministry of Defense and headed for Akatsuki Works.
At eight, the Archangel departed harbor. Rage Gundam, Buster Gundam, Freedom Gundam, and Strike Gundam stood by aboard the Archangel. Orb's entire MS Unit deployed.
At eight twenty, four machines rose directly into the sky from Akatsuki Works on