He wanted to shout impulsively. He wanted to roar at the Earth Forces, bellow at whoever had pressed the nuclear launch button, scream himself hoarse at this expanse of space filled with wreckage—why had they done this? Why had they taken so many more lives? Why could hatred only ever be answered with more hatred?
But he could not do that.
He wanted to shout. He wanted to roar. But he had other things to do now. He was a ZAFT red-uniform elite, a member of the Special Service Unit, and one of the highest-ranking commanders on this battlefield.
The soldiers around him trembled in fear, frozen in despair. They needed someone to step forward and tell them what to do next.
Most importantly—Athrun absolutely could not allow himself to be so weak right now. His mother was already dead. The Boaz garrison was dead too. But if he allowed himself to be swallowed by emotion now, even more people would die here.
"This is Athrun Zala of the Special Service Unit! From this moment on, I will command the garrison!"
Athrun's voice spread through the entire region of space over the communications channels. It was firmer and calmer than he himself had expected.
He blocked the Goddess of Liberation Gundam's fierce assault with his shield, evaded Beam Rifle fire coming from the side, and issued orders at the same time.
"All ships, all units, withdraw from this region! Return to PLANT!"
The Goddess of Liberation Gundam's offensive came like a raging storm. Beam Saber slashes, Railgun fire, and the beam-gun firepower of countless units poured toward Athrun wave after wave. He weaved through the gaps in the barrage, blocking with his shield at times, evading by a hair's breadth at others, and firing back with his Beam Rifle to