In a vast region of space dense with debris, far from PLANT and in the exact opposite direction of the retreating Earth Alliance fleet, four warships—the Archangel, Eternal, Dominion, and Kusanagi—lay silently hidden within the deep shadows cast by enormous metal wreckage. Like colossal beasts lurking in the abyss, they held their breath, waiting for the next hunt to begin—or for the fate of becoming prey. Under the oppressive uncertainty of when ZAFT or the Earth Alliance might strike next, the maintenance crews aboard each ship raced against time, carrying out supply replenishment and unit repairs with tense, orderly precision.
"According to our reverse analysis of the observation data we gathered, that beam was essentially high-energy gamma radiation. That enormous funnel-like structure is actually a gigantic emitter."
On the Eternal's bridge, Xia Ya stood beside Lacus Clyne's captain's chair with his arms folded, his sharp gaze fixed on the screen. Over the communications channel came the calm, professional voice of Erica Simmons, the Kusanagi's chief technician. Every word carried immense weight.
Seated in the captain's chair, Lacus rested her clasped hands quietly on her lap. Her normally gentle blue eyes were now as grave as the deep sea.
Standing across from her, Jiliang clenched her hands tightly into fists, her rigid posture revealing her inner tension. Both women stared without blinking at the three-dimensional Genesis model Erica had constructed, listening intently to the terrifying analysis that could reshape the very nature of war.
"They... used a nuclear explosion as the initial radiation source, then used that enormous reflector system to coherently combine and amplify the vast energy produced by the blast. Simply put, it is the ultimate weapon: one that compresses, refines, directs, and ultimately transforms the energy of a single nuclear explosion into a massive gamma-ray laser." Erica paused,