During the Odyssey Operation, Xiao Ran not only displayed his strength to Zeon, but also demonstrated his dominance within the Federation. Even after killing more than two hundred military police officers, he received no punishment; others bore the blame, while Xiao Ran and his Astray MS Battalion received nearly all the glory.
Rescuing allied forces, breaking into Zeon strongholds, destroying Zeon Army land battleships, shooting down enormous numbers of Zeon MS, and capturing Karmar Zabi, who held a special status—all of this had effectively made Xiao Ran and his Astray MS Battalion into the Federation's star unit, admired and worshipped by lower-ranking soldiers.
Under such circumstances, many people who had previously been unaware of the situation began to see certain things clearly. After killing so many allied soldiers, and military police at that, Xiao Ran had somehow managed to suppress the matter and shift the blame onto others. That showed that the suddenly emerged Xiao Ran was not without backing. Furthermore, he was the first person to receive a promotion after the war, which was enough to prove that those behind him wielded tremendous influence within the Earth Federation.
Moreover, General Revil seemed intent on turning the Astray MS Battalion into the Federal Army's most elite unit. With cooperation from many sides, after promoting Xiao Ran, he directly expanded the special fleet to the scale of a standard fleet.
A standard Federal Army fleet consisted of six squadrons and thirty warships: twenty-four cruisers and six Magellan-class warships. It also included the establishment of two MS battalions, along with twenty-four replacement units. All of these fell under Xiao Ran's Command Authority, transforming him into one of the influential figures in space with troops and power at his disposal.
Whether it was the Anaheim Company, the Commoner Faction and Moderate Faction that