Enemies Arrive, Battle Begins

"I will do my best, Captain!"

Raising his hand in a salute, Felix Leo Griffith replied with a resolute expression and a firm tone. Hearing this, Hawkins nodded in satisfaction, gave Felix a final pat on the shoulder, and departed first.

After Hawkins left, Felix followed in his footsteps and departed as well.

PLANT

Aprilia City, Sector One

Ministry of Defense

Inside the office of the Chairman of the National Defense Committee

"Is something the matter, Eileen?"

Patrick pulled his thoughts away from his official duties, looked up, and asked Eileen as she walked in. Standing there, Eileen placed the documents in her hand onto the desk and looked at Patrick.

"The military just received a report from the commander of one of our subordinate units."

"Regarding the Earth Alliance?"

Gazing into Eileen's eyes, Patrick asked. Eileen shook her head, and seeing this, a look of suspicion appeared on Patrick's face. At this moment, Eileen spoke.

"It is about nuclear weapons!"

The words "nuclear weapons" reached Patrick's ears, and in an instant, his expression turned grave.

Eileen continued.

"An MS pilot from this unit has raised the possibility that the Earth Alliance might use nuclear weapons."

"Nuclear weapons."

Patrick sat in his chair, muttering the words in a dull voice. He pondered with a serious expression for a long while before speaking.

"This is indeed an oversight on our part! The treaty signed in C.E. Year 1, the Junius Treaty, has numbed our judgment.

It has caused us to be negligent in our preparations."

"The Junius Treaty has indeed made us negligent, causing us to momentarily forget that although the Earth Alliance banned and destroyed nuclear weapons and declared they would no longer use nuclear energy for the production of nuclear weapons, they still possess the technology and the capacity to manufacture them."

Nodding slightly, Eileen echoed in agreement.

After saying this, Eileen continued.

"However, I do not think the high command of the Earth Alliance is crazy enough to use nuclear weapons against us directly. After all, using nuclear weapons would mean a war to the death, a situation they do not wish to see.

Therefore, I believe the probability of them using nuclear weapons is relatively low."

"While the probability may be low, it does not mean it is non-existent. We must take this matter seriously."

Nodding in agreement, Patrick corrected her. Eileen did not refute him and nodded in concurrence.

At this moment, Patrick looked up at Eileen and asked.

"What is the name of this MS pilot?"

"Felix Leo Griffith. He is the top graduate of the Military Academy this year and has set the best graduation record since the academy was established."

Looking at him, Eileen explained Felix's situation. Hearing the name and the corresponding achievements, Patrick formed an impression in his mind and nodded with satisfaction.

"Such an outstanding talent, and one with such foresight—he is someone worth focusing on and cultivating. We should pay close attention to him."

"Mm! My thoughts align with yours."

Nodding with a faint smile, Eileen agreed.

The clock hands turned, time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, it was February 14th.

On the defensive line one thousand kilometers outside the borders of PLANT.

A military-green Ginn moved through the pitch-black void of space.

Inside the cockpit.

"Felix, don't be too nervous. We just need to do what we are supposed to do."

Heine's comforting voice sounded over the comms.

Felix, gripping the control stick, smiled slightly, though the gravity on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

Having been informed by Captain Hawkins, he knew that the Ministry of Defense was already aware of his hypothesis and had already made the appropriate alerts and notifications.

But ultimately, the time was too short, and there was too little that could be done. In the end, it was up to them, the soldiers of ZAFT, to rely on themselves.

How could he possibly lower his guard under these circumstances!

"Everyone, prepare yourselves!"

As he pondered, Captain Hawkins' voice rang out over the comms.

The brief words acted like a bugle call for the charge, causing Felix to tighten his grip on the control stick once more.

His eyes fixed on the screen, he watched several thick beams of light streak forward from behind him, while equally thick beams erupted from the pitch-black space ahead.

Where the beams intersected, violent explosions blossomed in the cosmos.

In the wake of the firelight, The warning radar began to beep incessantly, and Felix cast a glance at it from the corner of his eye.

After a quick look, he began to maneuver his Ginn through space.

The large-caliber heavy machine gun in his hands spat fire from its muzzle.

Several rounds surged out from the barrel.

The high-speed bullets tore through the silent void, illuminating the space ahead.

Watching the explosions rise in front of him, Felix pushed his Ginn forward.

"Felix, do not push too far ahead!"

Over the comms, Hawkins' stern warning rang out.

Hearing his captain's order, Felix calmed down slightly, and the Ginn's acceleration slowed.

Beep-beep-beep-beep...!!!

The urgent radar alarm showed no signs of stopping; although he could not see the enemy in the battlefield before him, Felix knew that danger lurked everywhere.

A single moment of carelessness could lead to being taken out by an attack.

With a flick of his controls, the Ginn strafed through space to dodge.

He evaded an incoming missile, then adjusted the attitude control thrusters to spin the Ginn in place.

He opened fire with his heavy machine gun.

Two bullets struck the missile, detonating it.

Watching the explosion, Felix turned his Ginn around once more.

Working in tandem, the radar and display screen provided their data.

An Earth Alliance Forces MA in the distance was magnified on his screen, and as Felix interpreted the information fed back by the computer, He manipulated the controls, raised the Ginn's heavy machine gun, and pulled the trigger.

A three-round burst fired!

The bullets flew toward the target.

He watched as the MA on the screen maneuvered while firing a Combat Missile; a flash of explosion erupted, and the bullets were swallowed by the blast.

Passing through the explosion, the MA continued its charge, its mounted autocannons opening fire.

Although the distance was significant, the feedback on the screen allowed Felix to clearly see the tongues of fire spitting from the autocannons.

Judging by the muzzle flashes, Felix tightened his grip on the control stick and made the necessary adjustments.

The Ginn moved according to his commands, dodging the incoming fire.

He raised his weapon and fired at the MA again.

Three more bullets were unleashed in an instant, heading straight for the MA.

Inside the MA cockpit, The pilot discovered the three incoming bullets via the radar warning system and detection array.

The Fire Control Radar automatically locked onto the projectiles, and the pilot pulled the trigger, launching a Combat Missile.

The Combat Missile detached from the MA and, guided by its front-end guidance system, slammed directly into the three bullets. An explosion occurred in an instant, and the bullets were consumed by the blast.

"Damn it!"

Watching the explosion, Felix let out a low, frustrated growl. He cursed at the radar under his breath.

"Annoying radar!"

Seeing the distance displayed on the screen and reflecting on the recent exchange, Felix began to adjust his tactics.

The Ginn began to maneuver through the area.

Compared to the three-round bursts he had used before, Felix now prepared to fire in single, precision shots.

Just as he was about to open fire, the MA took the initiative, launching the last two Combat Missiles from its frame simultaneously. With flames trailing from their tails, the Combat Missiles surged forward at high speed.