"Mm!"
Patrick gave a quiet acknowledgment over the comm, and the connection ended the next moment. Watching the comm go dead, Felix got up and left the room. He explained to Andrew and Doug that he was about to be transferred.
He wanted them to be mentally prepared as well, and to start handing over their work in advance.
April 12
"The base in the Oceania Union has started construction."
Andrew sat in his chair, murmuring to himself.
Doug turned to him and asked,
"How are things going?"
"So far, everything's going smoothly. The Pacific Fleet, which tried to stop construction, was soundly defeated and sent packing."
Andrew took a sip of coffee and replied.
Doug nodded when he heard that.
Felix spoke up then.
"According to the latest intelligence, the Earth Alliance Forces stationed around Victoria Spaceport are gradually being withdrawn."
"They're just leaving like that?"
Doug sounded a little surprised.
Felix looked up at him and smiled faintly.
"Both the East Asian Republic and the Atlantic Federation have spaceports they need to protect. Now that the Neutron Jammer is spreading, they feel seriously threatened. Naturally, they can't keep grinding away at Victoria Spaceport alongside the Eurasian Federation's forces."
"True."
Doug nodded in understanding.
Felix set down the cup in his hand and addressed the two of them.
"The East Asian Republic and Atlantic Federation forces have both withdrawn, and there aren't many Eurasian Federation troops left stationed nearby.
"I'll be returning to PLANT in a few days, so I'll leave the defenses here to you."
"Now that you mention it, I am kind of sad to see you go."
Hearing Felix talk about leaving, Andrew felt a little reluctant. His words carried that same feeling.
Felix reached out and patted Andrew on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. We'll have plenty of opportunities to work together again."
"Yeah! We'll work together again when the chance comes."
Andrew nodded slightly as he replied.
April 15
With everything stable at Victoria Spaceport, Felix completed the handover and led the Griffith Squad, whose ranks had undergone a major shake-up, through the spaceport's mass driver and into space.
Accelerated by the mass driver, the transport pod quickly reached first cosmic velocity. At that speed, it shot into the sky and soon disappeared from view.
Earth's near orbit
Once there, the transport pod deployed the MS units piloted by Felix and the others.
Felix piloted his MS toward the Griffith Squad's battleship, which was waiting nearby. The transport pod continued to orbit, waiting for the right moment to descend and return to the spaceport.
Aboard the Sebastian's bridge
"Captain, welcome back!"
Yalik stood and saluted Felix, greeting him warmly. Felix gave him a slight nod, then looked out at space and asked,
"You've been under quite a bit of pressure here in near orbit, haven't you?"
"We haven't been under too much pressure here."
Yalik stood beside Felix and replied, then explained,
"The Earth Alliance Forces' space fleet has been held in check by the containment operation planned by the Ministry of Defense, so they haven't been able to send large numbers of troops this way. We haven't faced many enemies." He paused, then added, "However, the orbital strike missiles the Earth Alliance Forces launched from the ground have caused us a lot of trouble and put us under considerable pressure."
After hearing that, Felix nodded slightly and gave an order.
"Return to PLANT!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yalik saluted, then took his seat and gave the order to set course.
At the command, the three Griffith Squad battleships docked there set off again, turning toward PLANT.
PLANT
District One, Dissenbell City
ZAFT Forces' base
Felix's apartment
"I can finally get a good night's sleep."
Lying on the soft bed, Felix wore an expression of relief unlike anything he had shown before. His voice was tinged with happiness as he murmured.
Ding-dong!
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
Hearing it, Felix frowned and grumbled to himself,
"Who is it? Can't they let me rest?"
He complained inwardly, but got up and walked toward the door.
He opened it to find Heine standing outside.
"Is something up, Heine?"
"Captain, Miss Lacus is visiting our base today to give a performance for the troops. Want to go watch?"
Heine raised his phone and showed Felix the details. Seeing the digital poster on the screen, Felix instinctively shook his head.
"I'll pass."
"Captain, are you sure you don't want to go?"
Heine asked again, sounding uncertain. Felix shook his head at him.
"I've decided not to go. I think I'd rather get some proper rest while I have the time. I'll think about everything else once I've rested."
"All right, then. I won't press you, Captain."
After hearing Felix's firm answer, Heine stopped trying to persuade him. He saluted Felix, lowered his hand, and turned to leave.
Felix said nothing as Heine walked away. He watched until Heine was out of sight, then shut the door and went back inside to rest.
The next day
After a full day and night of rest, Felix felt refreshed and better than ever. He got up, made a simple breakfast, and ate it in the dining room. Then he went into the living room, turned on the TV, and got ready to play a game.
As soon as the TV turned on, the first channel that came up was showing footage of Lacus Clyne's performance for the troops. Felix watched her sing onstage for a little while.
"Wonderful!"
He praised Lacus's song and voice, then switched the TV to the game screen and picked up his controller to choose one of his favorite games.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Near noon, the doorbell rang again. Hearing it, Felix put down his controller and got up to answer the door.
He opened it to find Heine standing outside.
"Is something up?"
"Captain, want to go out for lunch together?"
Heine invited him with a warm smile.
Felix glanced at his watch. Seeing that it was nearly noon, he accepted Heine's invitation.
"I'll go change. Wait in the living room for a bit."
Felix let Heine in and spoke to him.
Heine nodded and sat on the sofa to wait.
Felix then went to the bedroom to change.
With nothing else to do, Heine looked around Felix's apartment. Seeing the decor and spacious rooms, he couldn't help feeling a little envious.
"No wonder it's the captain's apartment. It's a lot bigger than the ones we live in!"
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