"I'll do my best, Captain!"
Felix raised his hand in salute, his expression resolute as he answered firmly. Hawkins nodded in satisfaction, then patted Felix on the shoulder and left first.
After Hawkins left, Felix followed in his footsteps.
PLANT
District One, Aprilia City
Ministry of Defense
Inside the Chairman of the National Defense Committee's office
"Is something the matter, Eileen?"
Patrick paused his work and looked up at Eileen as she walked in. Eileen placed the documents in her hand on the desk and looked at Patrick.
"The military just received a report from the commander of one of its subordinate units."
"Is it about the Earth Alliance?"
Patrick looked into Eileen's eyes as he asked. Eileen shook her head. Seeing this, Patrick's face took on a doubtful expression. Eileen then said,
"It's about nuclear weapons!"
The words "nuclear weapons" reached Patrick's ears, and his expression immediately turned serious.
Eileen continued,
"One of the MS pilots in that unit raised the possibility that the Earth Alliance might use nuclear weapons."
"Nuclear weapons..."
Patrick sat in his chair and muttered in a low voice. He thought it over with a grave expression for a long while before speaking.
"This is indeed something we overlooked. The treaty signed in C.E. 1 after 'the last nuclear war' has lulled us into a false sense of security.
"It caused us to let our guard down."
"The Junius Treaty did make us careless. For a time, we forgot that although the Earth Alliance banned and destroyed its nuclear weapons and declared it would no longer use nuclear energy to manufacture them, it still possesses the technology and ability to produce nuclear weapons."
Eileen gave a slight nod in agreement.
After agreeing with him, Eileen continued,
"Still, I think the Earth Alliance's leaders haven't gone so far as to use nuclear weapons against us outright. Doing so would mean a war to the death, and that isn't what they want.
"So I think the chances of them using nuclear weapons are fairly low."
"Even if the chances are low, that doesn't mean there's no chance. We need to take this seriously."
Patrick nodded in agreement, then corrected her. Eileen didn't argue; she nodded in agreement.
Patrick looked up at Eileen and asked,
"What's the name of this MS pilot?"
"Felix Leo Griffith. He graduated top of his class from the Military Academy this year and achieved the best graduation results since the academy was founded."
Eileen looked at him and explained Felix's background. Hearing his name and accomplishments, Patrick had some recollection of him and nodded in approval.
"Someone this talented, and with such foresight, is worth keeping a close eye on and cultivating. We should pay close attention to him."
"Mm. I agree with you."
Eileen nodded and smiled slightly.
The clock hands turned, the years passed, and February 14 arrived in the blink of an eye.
On the defensive line a thousand kilometers beyond PLANT's homeland.
A Ginn painted military green moved through the dark expanse of space.
Inside the cockpit
"Felix, don't be too nervous. We just need to do our jobs."
Heine's reassuring voice came over the comms.
Felix gripped the control stick. He smiled faintly at Heine's reassurance, but the tension on his face didn't ease.
After hearing Captain Hawkins's briefing, he knew the Ministry of Defense had learned of his suspicions and had taken the appropriate precautions and issued warnings.
But there had been too little time, and there was only so much they could do. In the end, they still had to rely on ZAFT's soldiers.
How could he possibly let his guard down in a situation like this?
"Everyone, get ready!"
As Felix pondered, Captain Hawkins's voice came over the comms.
The brief words rang out like a charge, and Felix tightened his grip on the control stick.
His eyes fixed on the screen. Several thick beams of light streaked forward from behind him, while more thick beams came hurtling through the darkness ahead.
The beams met, and fierce explosions flared across space.
Beyond the flashes,
the warning radar began beeping. Felix's peripheral vision fell on the radar.
He glanced at it, then piloted the Ginn into motion.
The heavy machine gun in his hands spat fire.
Several rounds burst from the muzzle.
The fast-moving bullets cut through the silence of space, lighting up the darkness ahead.
As explosions bloomed in front of him, Felix piloted the Ginn forward.
"Felix, don't push too far ahead!"
Hawkins's stern warning came over the comms.
At his captain's command, Felix regained some composure, and the Ginn slowed its advance.
Beep-beep-beep-beep...!!!
The urgent radar alarms showed no sign of stopping. Although he couldn't see the enemy on the battlefield ahead, Felix knew it was fraught with danger.
The slightest lapse in attention could get him taken out by an attack.
He worked the controls, moving the Ginn laterally through space to dodge.
He avoided the incoming missiles, then adjusted the thrusters to change his orientation and spun the Ginn around.
He opened fire with the heavy machine gun in his hands.
Two shots blew up the missile.
Watching the explosion flare, Felix turned the Ginn around again.
The radar and the display worked together.
A distant Earth Alliance Forces Mobile Armor appeared magnified before him. Looking at the MA, Alex interpreted the information relayed by the computer.
He worked the controls, raised the Ginn's heavy machine gun, and pulled the trigger.
He fired a three-round burst!
The bullets flew forward.
On the screen, the MA maneuvered while firing a Combat Missile. An explosion flared, swallowing the bullets.
The MA sped through the explosion and kept coming, its mounted autocannon firing.
Although it was still some distance away, the display gave Felix a clear view of the muzzle flashes from the autocannon.
Reading the pattern of fire, Felix gripped the control stick and made the appropriate adjustments.
The Ginn moved as commanded, dodging the incoming bullets.
He raised his weapon and fired at the MA again.
Three more bullets shot out in an instant, racing toward the MA.
Inside the MA's cockpit
Using its radar warning and detection systems, the pilot spotted the three bullets coming toward him.
The Fire Control Radar automatically locked onto the bullets. The pilot pulled the trigger, launching one of the Combat Missiles he was carrying.
Guided by its nose-mounted targeting system, the Combat Missile shot away from the MA and slammed straight into the three bullets. An explosion erupted in an instant, swallowing all three.
"Damn it!"
Watching the explosion unfold, Felix let out a frustrated growl. He glanced at the radar and muttered,
"Stupid radar!"
He looked at the distance displayed on the screen and thought back to what had just happened, then began adjusting his tactics.
The Ginn maneuvered through the area.
Instead of firing the three-round bursts he'd used before, Felix decided to switch to single shots.
Just as he was about to fire, the MA acted first, launching its last two Combat Missiles simultaneously. Flames streamed from their tails as they hurtled toward him at high speed.
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