In short, the conclusion was that even if the Neutron Jammer was used on Earth, it would only be deployed on a small scale during ZAFT's landing operation.
It wouldn't be spread across the entire planet.
If he didn't know the story, Xu De would probably have thought the same thing at this point.
But the Coordinators here had a technological cheat code.
"What if they use geothermal energy?"
Xu De's tone remained calm, but Halberton shot to his feet at his words, his brows drawn tightly together.
"Geothermal energy... Impossible. They couldn't have researched it that quickly."
Halberton muttered to himself.
"But they already have the Neutron Jammer. If I were them, I'd definitely drop the Neutron Jammer on Earth."
"Otherwise, even if the World Tree wins them military honors, they still won't be able to secure their food and resources."
Xu De spoke seriously.
Halberton fell silent for a long while, then gave a bitter laugh.
"You've given me quite a problem."
"They're not going to want to hear about this."
As Halberton had said, if this really happened, they could forget about counterattacking. They'd probably be beaten to a pulp.
With nuclear power suppressed, their production capacity would certainly plummet across the board.
And that was on top of their disadvantage in space.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down Halberton's spine.
"We can't afford to ignore the possibility."
Xu De replied.
"Of course I know that!"
Halberton said helplessly.
"But if it happens the way you say, how are we supposed to defend against it?"
"The range of our air defense systems is limited by Earth's curvature. They can't cover the whole planet."
Xu De replied.
"At the very least, we should do our best to protect the nuclear power plants."
He didn't actually expect them to be able to protect every single Earth Alliance power plant.
There was simply too little time. The Earth Alliance had no contingency plan, and ZAFT's Operation Downfall would begin in about ten days. That wasn't nearly enough time for them to do anything.
There wasn't enough time to set up air defenses, let alone develop countermeasures.
Xu De only hoped they could preserve as many power plants as possible, giving more ordinary people a chance to survive.
"We'll consider it, but we can't put air defenses around every power plant..."
Halberton trailed off. His expression turned grave as he continued.
"In any case, we'll need to verify this."
Xu De nodded in acknowledgment. This wasn't something he could influence with a few words.
Even someone in Halberton's position was no different.
Everything required a meeting.
After the meeting, they'd probably send spies to test whether the information was genuine.
How much they could accomplish in the end was up to Halberton.
Given the circumstances, Xu De had done all he could.
Next, he had his own concerns to consider.
"Admiral, will there be any other candidates from the California Military Academy?"
Xu De stood up and asked one last question before leaving.
"Five positions, ten candidates."
"But we still don't know whether this plan can be carried out smoothly. That's not something you need to worry about."
Halberton shook his head.
"I understand."
Xu De saluted, then turned and left the office.
"Cheers!"
At a mid-range restaurant inside the base, which resembled a tavern, Xu De raised his glass with Hans and the others.
"Told you Xu would make it!"
Hans declared cheerfully after taking a big gulp of beer.
The place was noisy, but Hans's booming voice still carried clearly.
At the neighboring table, some people heard him and looked over in annoyance.
When they noticed Hans was only a corporal, they were just about to tell him off.
Sometimes, after a few drinks, a conflict could start over something as simple as someone speaking too loudly.
But when their contemptuous gazes landed on Xu De, whose complexion was different from theirs, they spotted the bright second lieutenant's insignia on his shoulders. Their drunkenness faded a little, and they quickly exchanged an understanding look, wiped the arrogance from their faces, and turned away.
A second lieutenant this young was either a war hero or someone with connections.
Though he was probably here because of his military merits, he still wasn't someone they could afford to provoke.
Xu De noticed, but didn't care.
Besides its practical benefits, rank also meant a higher social standing.
Here, status could mean a great deal.
Hans and the others were corporals, while the men at the next table were sergeants.
That was enough to let them throw their weight around.
But with Xu De, a second lieutenant, right there, they were too intimidated to cause trouble.
Commissioned officers were different from ordinary soldiers.
Xu De's promotion might have seemed easy, but most people couldn't manage it.
Most corporals couldn't cross that class divide.
"Funny, coming from someone who couldn't sit still or sleep properly every day."
Faced with Price's teasing, Hans glared at him, then turned to Xu De.
"When are you leaving?"
"Probably in about a week."
As Xu De spoke, he felt a faint headache coming on. According to the original schedule, they might arrive just as ZAFT launched its attack on Victoria Port in South Africa.
It would probably fail, of course.
But he didn't know the exact details.
In any case, it would be best not to run into it.
He'd have to keep an eye on things. If anything seemed off, he'd postpone the trip.
He didn't want to be aboard a spacecraft when ZAFT began dropping troops onto Earth.
Those lessons had been learned in blood.
After all, if ZAFT was going to make a drop, they would certainly send troops to harass the Moon as well, while avoiding it themselves, to ensure the operation went smoothly.
They'd still have to keep training during that time. That went without saying.
But how they trained was something worth thinking carefully about.
His ability to use both hands was worth investigating. From now on, in addition to improving his reflexes, he'd have to work on training his hands to perform different tasks.
If he could really strengthen that ability, he'd be able to hold his own against an ordinary Coordinator in a fair, head-on battle.
At the thought, Xu De's mood lifted, drawing him out of his worries about the war starting up again.
While Xu De was lost in thought, the others didn't notice anything was wrong with his expression. He usually didn't show much emotion anyway.
Aside from seeing him as steady, they couldn't read anything else in his face.
"You've decided to stay with the Eighth Fleet, right?"
Xu De asked again to make sure.
"Yeah, we've decided."
Flint nodded, then continued.
"Lieutenant Colonel Revil will be transferred to the Eighth Fleet too."
"And thanks to you, the higher-ups have given us a three-month intensive officer training course. He'll be the instructor."
As Xu De had said before, this was one way for enlisted men to become officers, aside from receiving a direct commission.
Three months of intensive training, followed by an interview and a written exam.
Xu De may have played a part in it, but the group had already earned enough military merit on their own.
Even if the equivalent of a third-class award wouldn't be enough to earn them an immediate promotion, they could still get the chance to attend a specialized training program.
Especially now that the Moebius was beginning to see widespread use.
"Then once you've become officers, you'd better treat me to a meal to pay me back."
Hearing that Revil, Hans, and the others were all heading to the Eighth Fleet, Xu De smiled and, for once, made a joke.
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