New Combat Mission

After hearing Siegel's speech, Felix was about to leave as soon as the dismissal was announced when he heard a voice calling out to him from his side. He turned to look in the direction of the sound.

He saw a man dressed in a black suit walking toward him.

"May I ask who you are?"

Looking at the man, Felix asked with a puzzled expression.

The man stopped in his tracks and explained to Felix.

"Captain Griffith, I am Chairman Zala's secretary. I have been ordered by the Chairman to invite you to the Ministry of Defense."

"I understand."

Nodding, Felix replied.

Ministry of Defense.

In the Chairman's office.

"Felix Leo Griffith reporting for duty!"

Standing opposite Patrick, Felix raised his hand in a salute and spoke. Looking up at Felix, Patrick softened his stern expression, which had been tinged with grief, and calmly gestured toward a seat.

Having received the instruction, Felix sat in the chair and waited quietly for Patrick to speak.

"Felix, how have you felt during your rest these past few days?"

"Very good! I am ready to carry out missions at any time!"

Sitting up straight, Felix answered.

Patrick nodded upon hearing this and immediately handed a document to Felix.

"This is the latest operational plan formulated by the Ministry of Defense. You will participate in this battle to bring even more dazzling achievements to ZAFT while providing the people with heartening news.

Do you have the confidence to accomplish this?"

"I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Looking at Patrick, Felix answered with a firm tone.

After speaking, his gaze fell upon the document. Patrick understood Felix's look and signaled for him to pick it up.

Receiving the signal, Felix picked up the document, opened it, and began to read the contents; they were exactly as he had imagined.

Operation plan for the International Space Station "World Tree"!

The words appeared prominently before his eyes.

Staring at the title, Felix shifted his gaze further down.

He saw the objective of this operation!

It was to destroy the Earth Alliance's bridgehead to the moon.

To further weaken the Earth Alliance's power in space and diminish their ability to deploy forces into the cosmos.

"Go and make your preparations! Your unit will be assembled in two days, and you will be able to officially take up your post then!"

Seeing that everything that needed to be said had been covered, Patrick issued the order to leave. Felix stood up, saluted Patrick, and then turned to walk out of the office.

Two days later.

Dissenbell City.

Inside the ZAFT Military Academy.

Several children of high-ranking PLANT officials gathered here. Having known each other because their parents were acquaintances, the group quickly became familiar and stood together chatting.

The chatting group noticed a photograph hanging on the first floor of the military academy's teaching building!

The photo showed Felix in his graduation attire, and below it were written his outstanding academic results at the school and his excellent performance in combat.

Seeing this photo, the group stopped in their tracks!

"When I graduate, I'm going to have my photo hanging here too."

Dearka looked at the photo, saying this with a casual smile on his face. Upon hearing this, Yzak turned his head, rolled his eyes at Dearka, and snorted with a sharp tongue.

"Stop bragging! Just make sure you don't fail to even earn a red uniform by then!"

"Tch! Who are you looking down on! You just make sure you don't fail to earn a red uniform yourself!"

Having been retorted, Dearka did not show weakness and fired back.

Nicol, seeing the two of them about to start arguing again, stepped forward to stand between them to ease the tension.

"Alright! Stop arguing, you two. Studying hard is what we should be doing."

While Nicol was diffusing the situation, Athrun stood quietly looking at the photo. For a moment, his eyes lost focus, and through the image, a figure appeared in Athrun's mind.

He looks so much like Kira!

He murmured to himself.

Thinking of his good friend Kira, Athrun muttered with inner concern.

"I wonder where Kira is now! And how he is doing."

Out in the cosmos, aboard the Sebastian, the flagship of the newly formed Griffith Squad.

"I never expected that in just a few days, you'd have become a captain."

Heine looked at Felix, who was dressed in white, offering his congratulations with a playful tease. Hearing Heine's words, Felix waved his hand in a display of modesty.

"It was all luck! Pure luck!"

"There's no need to be so humble! This is all well-deserved. You were the greatest contributor in that last battle, so this promotion is entirely convincing. Just as I am convinced, I fully support you in this role as captain."

Hearing Felix's modest reply, Heine patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile.

Felix didn't respond, simply nodding calmly at Heine.

After checking the time, Heine decided not to disturb Felix any further. He released his grip on Felix's shoulder, gave it a final pat, and turned to head toward his own quarters.

Watching Heine depart, Felix walked toward the bridge.

On the bridge, Yalik, the captain of the Sebastian, turned to see Felix arrive and stood up to salute him.

"Captain Griffith!"

"Mm."

Felix raised his hand to return the salute, letting out a soft acknowledgment.

He lowered his arm and walked forward, speaking to Yalik.

"We will soon be participating in a new battle. As a newly formed team, our priority must be to hone our coordination as quickly as possible. Especially regarding the synergy between our warships; we must avoid any unnecessary losses caused by a lack of cohesion."

"Captain, rest assured. We have been working on that integration constantly."

Yalik stood beside Felix, offering his assurance. Hearing the promise, Felix gave a calm nod.

He said nothing more.

After lingering for a while longer, he stood up and left the area.

February 22nd, 12:00 AM.

Having received their official orders, the Griffith Squad set sail, following the main fleet tasked with attacking the World Tree international space station toward its location at the Earth-Moon L1 Lagrange point.

In the captain's quarters, Felix sat in his chair, participating in a video conference organized by the commander-in-chief of the operation.

"Felix!"

The commander's voice rang out through the comms.

Hearing his name, Felix sat up straight and looked toward the commander, waiting for his orders.

"Felix, I have heard of your combat record, but your squad is newly formed after all. Compared to the other units, you are lacking in cohesion. Therefore, I intend to place you on the flank. How do you feel about this arrangement?"

The commander's plan reached Felix's ears.

Felix nodded and replied.

"I obey the commander's orders in all things!"