Hearing the two men recount their perilous experience, Felix calmly nodded. After thinking it over, he had nothing else to say, so he ended the call with them.
A few days later
The ZAFT forces that had attacked the World Tree returned to the vicinity of PLANT. Griffith Squad, led by Felix, was assigned to garrison duty and recuperation near Junius City.
Felix himself took a shuttle from District One of Junius City to District One of Aprilia City.
At the spaceport in District One of Aprilia City
As soon as he stepped off the shuttle, Felix spotted someone familiar. The blond hair and the mask on the man's face left no doubt in his mind: it was Rau Le Creuset.
A madman who wanted to destroy the world!
At that moment, Rau turned and happened to meet Felix's gaze. Rau gave him a slight smile.
Watching him smile, Felix felt a shiver of dread spread through him, and he instinctively wanted to shudder.
Fortunately, he managed to hold it back.
"Captain Griffith, hello!"
Rau approached with a polite smile and greeted him in a gentle voice, rich with an alluring timbre. Felix gave a slight nod and politely replied.
"Mm! I received a communication from the Chairman and came over."
"I'm here for the same reason. Shall we go together?"
Rau invited him to accompany him.
Felix considered the invitation briefly, then agreed.
The two of them headed toward the elevators together.
They took the elevator and soon entered the satellite.
After getting off, they headed to the Ministry of Defense.
Ministry of Defense
The Chairman's office
"Chairman!"
Standing across from Patrick, Felix and Rau raised their hands in salute and greeted him together.
Patrick, who had been working, looked up at Felix and Rau. He nodded slightly and gestured toward the chairs.
Understanding, Felix and Rau pulled out the chairs and sat down.
"On the recommendation of the Ministry of Defense and with the approval of the Supreme Council, it has been decided that you two will receive the Nebula Medal in recognition of your outstanding achievements in the recent defense of the World Tree.
"At the same time, to boost morale and spread the word, we've decided to hold an awards ceremony for you both, which will be broadcast throughout PLANT.
"What do you think?"
Patrick asked as he looked at them.
Felix was just about to reply when Rau answered first.
"We'll follow your arrangements, Chairman!"
After Rau finished speaking, Patrick turned his gaze to Felix and waited for his answer. Feeling his focused attention, Felix spoke up.
"I have no objections, Chairman."
"In that case, you two will stay in District One of Aprilia City for a few days and wait for the ceremony."
Seeing that Felix and Rau agreed, Patrick arranged for them to stay in District One of Aprilia City for a few days.
Felix had no objections to the decision. He nodded to Patrick in reply.
"I have no objections! I will follow orders without question!"
"I have no objections either. I will follow orders without question!"
Rau spoke after Felix.
Patrick nodded. With nothing else to discuss, he waved to indicate that they could leave. Felix and Rau stood up one after the other and headed out together.
Outside the office
A Ministry of Defense staff member escorted the two men to their hotel to rest.
On the hotel bed
Lying on the bed, Felix took out his phone to pass the time. A message notification popped up. He ignored the other text, but the name Lacus Clyne caught his attention.
He took a closer look at the name, then read the message. After looking it over, Felix realized it was an advertisement for a Lacus Clyne concert.
"A concert, huh?"
He pondered for a moment, murmuring softly.
Then Felix continued, "If I can get a ticket, I wouldn't mind going. But Miss Clyne is so famous that there probably aren't any tickets left at this point."
After saying that, Felix put the matter out of his mind. Lying on the bed, he used his phone to search for other things to pass the time and stave off boredom.
Just like that, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
After spending two days in District One of Aprilia City, Felix received a communication from the Ministry of Defense. When he left his room, he happened to run into Rau.
He nodded in greeting, and they headed to the Ministry of Defense together.
Once they arrived, they followed Patrick to the venue where the awards ceremony would be held.
The hall hosting the awards ceremony
As soon as Felix entered, he saw many people seated below the stage. He didn't recognize over ninety percent of them; the only people he knew were a few seated in the front rows.
He followed Patrick onto the stage and stood beside Rau, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Once the ceremony began, Speaker Siegel was the first to speak. After he finished, Patrick began his address.
"Felix Leo Griffith!"
Patrick spoke Felix's name aloud.
Standing beside Rau, Felix stepped forward. He stood at attention, his gaze fixed straight ahead as he waited for Patrick to continue.
"In the recent campaign to attack the World Tree, Felix led Griffith Squad bravely and made an outstanding contribution to the battle. He personally shot down a total of 79 Mobile Armors and destroyed 12 warships, achieving an impressive record.
"In recognition of his outstanding contribution and remarkable record, I hereby award him the Nebula Medal!"
After announcing Felix's achievements, Patrick stood. Siegel, seated beside Patrick, rose as well.
The two men walked over to Felix.
As they reached him, an attendant brought over the tray holding the Nebula Medal.
Patrick picked up the box and opened it with both hands.
Siegel reached out and took the Nebula Medal from the box. Then he turned toward Felix and pinned it to his chest.
He patted Felix on both shoulders and encouraged him, "Keep up the good work. I hope you'll bring PLANT many more victories!"
"Rest assured, Speaker. I will not fail in my duty!"
Felix raised his hand and saluted Siegel in reply.
Siegel nodded with a smile, then stood to Felix's left. Patrick gave Felix an encouraging hug before taking his place on Felix's right.
After the photos were taken, the two men returned to their seats.
Felix turned and walked back to his place beside Rau.
"Rau Le Creuset!"
Just as Felix had come to a stop, he heard Patrick call Rau's name. From the corner of his eye, he saw Rau stride forward and stop where Felix had just stood.
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