Transfer to the Garrison Force

Satisfied, Revil soon ushered Xu De into his officers' office with great enthusiasm.

As the lights came on, Xu De's gaze quickly swept around the room.

Everything was neatly arranged. On the desk sat some memorabilia from Atlantic baseball teams, along with a few trophies and certificates.

All in all, it had a distinctly Atlantic military-officer feel.

Xu De was still a corporal, while the lieutenant colonel before him held a rank far beyond his reach.

"Have a seat."

"Don't be nervous."

Though Revil said that, he couldn't see any sign that Xu De was nervous.

Apart from being pleased with Xu De, he also felt a little conflicted.

"Thank you."

Xu De nodded and sat down.

He understood Revil's intention and politely thanked him.

More important, though, was to remain composed. Revil seemed taciturn, and people like him preferred those who spoke little and got things done.

In other words, he was a practical man. A superior like that was far better than the useless fools outside.

That suited Xu De just fine. He couldn't bring himself to flatter anyone.

As Revil studied him, Xu De looked back across the massive desk at his superior's superior, his expression still utterly composed.

After sizing Xu De up, Revil concealed his satisfaction and placed both hands on the desk. With interest, he tapped the heavy tabletop and said,

"That tactic—did you come up with it yourself?"

"How did you think of it?"

As he spoke, his smile faded and his expression grew serious.

With nothing more than a change in posture, the lieutenant colonel now radiated authority.

It was almost like an interrogation.

Revil was asking about the maneuver Xu De had just used to shield himself behind the wreckage.

It had been executed with great agility.

Only someone who had thoroughly studied the enemy's movements could pull it off.

"I came up with what I thought was the best maneuver by studying how the enemy machines had moved before, considering the radar's range, and factoring in the Moebius's characteristics and performance."

Xu De remained calm in the face of Revil's demeanor. Only the slight lift at the corners of his mouth betrayed his confidence.

As he'd said before, he had transmigrated, and it seemed that his own intelligence and mental strength had merged with those of the original Xu De in a crude, straightforward one-plus-one combination.

Even so, the result was still tremendously powerful.

He could make many calculations far faster than he had in his previous life.

"Is that so?"

Revil gave nothing away, but inwardly he was even more pleased.

Coming up with the tactic himself proved Xu De was sharp and could adapt on the battlefield.

Xu De had tremendous talent and deserved to be nurtured.

Especially since they were short on elite space combat pilots.

Even Revil had only fought in space a few times, in training simulations and during anti-piracy operations.

The tactic could only be used in limited circumstances, but it was still highly creative.

Innovative, technically skilled space combat talent like this was exactly what they urgently needed.

"That tactic has a lot of potential, though it's rather situational," Revil said gravely after a moment's thought.

"Yes."

Xu De didn't say that he had chosen the battlefield with the collapse of the World Tree in mind.

Once the World Tree collapsed, the entire near-Earth orbit would be littered with wreckage.

Earth's gravity would pull it into a formation much like the one in the training simulation.

If he said that aloud, they might send him off to be dissected.

"You passed the assessment under my command, so you're now one of my men."

"About that, sir, would you allow me to start out with the World Tree Garrison Force so I can get familiar with things?"

Hearing Revil say that, Xu De spoke quickly.

He was afraid that if he waited any longer, he'd somehow end up in Revil's unit.

That wasn't what he wanted.

"Why?"

Revil asked sternly.

By the usual Western way of thinking, joining a flight squadron as a second lieutenant and setting out with the main force as an elite officer—earning everyone's admiration and being treated like a hero—was a dream come true for many. It was the sort of thing they'd gladly die for.

There was no need to look further afield. The other ninety-nine new recruits had just fought tooth and nail for the chance.

As for the Garrison Force, it was stationed in the rear. Usually, only the children of high-ranking officers looking to pad their records or people with connections went there.

It was safe, but utterly pointless.

Those with connections only wanted a record of having taken part in the war so they could get promoted later.

No one really cared about their combat performance.

But Xu De had no connections. There was no benefit to going there.

Could he be trying to avoid combat?

As the thought crossed his mind, Revil's manner grew more confrontational.

His words seemed to imply that if Xu De's explanation didn't satisfy him, he'd have him cut open.

Xu De seemed not to notice and continued,

"According to the president's countdown, ZAFT will launch its attack in no more than seven days."

"I'm worried I won't have enough time to get used to the other officers under your command."

After all, this would be a major war—and ZAFT was throwing the full strength of its nation into it.

They believed they had a good chance of winning, but poor coordination in a battle of this scale could make them a liability.

Xu De had great potential, and losing him because the unit failed to work together would be a terrible waste.

More importantly, he needed a position with enough freedom to keep himself alive.

If he joined the other man's squad now, he'd have to take orders from the squad leader.

Even acting on his own could get him court-martialed.

He had no desire to let someone who didn't understand what was about to happen on the battlefield give him orders.

Rather than that, he'd be better off in the relatively independent Garrison Force.

He'd have some freedom, and it was close to the World Tree.

When the structure collapsed, he'd have an excuse to go somewhere else.

"Hmm..."

After hearing Xu De's stated reasons, Revil fell silent for a moment, then raised a hand and waved it.

"All right. You can join us later."

Revil agreed to Xu De's request.

"Thank you, sir."

Xu De rose smoothly and gave Revil a military salute.

His crisp, decisive movements made him instantly more likable.

After all, Xu De's salute was even more textbook-perfect than those of the honor guard.

His spirited bearing lifted Revil's mood as well.