"Mm!"
The Commander-in-Chief nodded slightly, then looked at Felix and reminded him again.
"Felix, more than half of your squad are new recruits. Make sure to look after them when the time comes, and do everything you can to reduce their death rate."
"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief."
Felix nodded, accepting the assignment.
Two hours later,
the video conference ended.
After stretching a little, Felix contacted the MS squad leaders aboard the other two warships.
The call connected, and the faces of Phipps and Miles appeared before Alex. The two saluted Felix and greeted him respectfully.
"Squad Leader!"
"Mm!"
Felix raised a hand in return and acknowledged them.
Looking at the two men, Felix relayed the contents of the recent strategy meeting.
"Our squad will attack from the flank this time. We won't be taking part in the frontal assault."
"Not taking part in the frontal assault?"
Miles muttered, looking a little frustrated.
Phipps asked outright, "Squad Leader, did the Commander-in-Chief assign us this because there are so many new recruits in our squad?"
"That's right. Since we have so many new recruits, we've been assigned to attack from the flank to ensure the stability of our fighting force and protect them."
Felix nodded. He didn't hide the reason, and told them directly.
The two still looked somewhat frustrated and disappointed, but accepted the assignment. Seeing that they had stopped complaining, Felix continued.
"Even though we'll be attacking from the flank, that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. The enemy forces blocking our way will still be formidable. We'll have to fight hard to win.
"So no one can afford to be careless.
"We also need to step up protection for the new recruits and prevent them from suffering excessive losses on the battlefield."
"Don't worry, Squad Leader. We'll stay completely focused throughout the battle, and we'll do everything we can to protect the new recruits."
The two men looked serious as they made their solemn promise.
After they had assured him, Felix continued explaining the plan.
Meanwhile, on Earth,
the Earth Alliance headquarters received new intelligence from space. After learning of its contents, the Earth Alliance Commander-in-Chief immediately contacted the Council.
"Is something the matter?" the Atlantic Federation leader asked over the call.
The other two leaders waited calmly for the Commander-in-Chief's report.
The Commander-in-Chief relayed the relevant intelligence.
"Leaders, based on information from our reconnaissance satellites and other equipment deployed in space, we've established the general movements of the ZAFT Forces."
"What's their target?" the Eurasian Federation leader asked gravely.
The Commander-in-Chief continued his report.
"The ZAFT Forces are heading for L1. Their target is very likely the World Tree space station we're building there."
"Send the nearby fleets to the World Tree to establish defensive positions immediately. We'll also arrange to evacuate the personnel stationed there to prevent even greater casualties."
As soon as the report ended, the Atlantic Federation leader issued the order. The leaders of the Eurasian Federation and East Asian Republic agreed and raised no objections.
The Commander-in-Chief received the order, stood, and saluted.
"Yes, sir!"
After his reply, the call ended.
The Commander-in-Chief began making the necessary arrangements.
"Which fleets are closest to the World Tree?"
"Commander-in-Chief, the closest are the First, Second, and Third Fleets. The other fleets are too far away to reach the World Tree in time to establish a defense."
The secretary standing beside him reported the situation.
Learning that the three fleets could be deployed, the Commander-in-Chief gave the order at once.
"Order the First, Second, and Third Fleets to establish defensive positions around the World Tree. Their mission is to hold off the ZAFT Forces and do everything they can to protect the station."
"Yes, sir."
The secretary replied, drafted the order, and handed it to the Commander-in-Chief. After checking that it was correct, he signed it.
The signed orders were quickly sent to the fleets concerned.
In space,
the ZAFT Forces received intelligence brought back by the reconnaissance squad sent ahead.
Aboard the Sebastian,
in Felix's quarters,
Felix had just finished speaking with Phipps and Miles and hadn't even had time to rest when he received a call from the Commander-in-Chief.
He patted his cheeks to wake himself up, then answered the call.
"We've just received intelligence from the reconnaissance squad."
The Commander-in-Chief paused before continuing.
"According to the report, the Earth Alliance's First, Second, and Third Fleets set out an hour ago and are heading for the World Tree.
"Given their distance and speed, they'll reach the World Tree and complete their defensive deployment one to two hours before we do."
The Commander-in-Chief then began showing him images of the Earth Alliance fleets and continued explaining.
"These three Earth Alliance fleets have a total of eighty warships. The First Fleet has thirty ships, while the other two each have twenty-five.
"Sixty are combat ships, mainly Drake-class and Agamemnon-class vessels.
"The other twenty are supply ships.
"There are forty Drake-class warships, each capable of carrying eight MA Moebius units. There are twenty Agamemnon-class battleships, each capable of carrying more than twenty MA Moebius units.
"Based on our current estimates, the enemy's defensive force will include no fewer than six hundred MA Moebius units. This will be a serious test for us."
"This force is much stronger than the Eighth Fleet from the later part of the story! Compared with these three fleets, the Eighth Fleet was downright shabby!"
Hearing the strength of the three fleets, Felix couldn't help mentally grumbling about how pitiful the Eighth Fleet from the later story had been.
It couldn't compare to these three fleets at all.
"Commander-in-Chief, the enemy's defenses are certainly strong, but our forces are powerful too. We're not necessarily unable to deal with them. We're deploying fifteen units for this attack, with thirty warships and more than one hundred and fifty MS units. We may not have an overwhelming advantage, but we're still more than capable of taking them on!"
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