Several days later,
Gibraltar Military Base
The assault fleet led by the Athena was docked at the military port. After disembarking, Felix met with Troy.
"Captain Griffith, it's a relief to see you unharmed!"
Seeing Felix safe and sound, Troy's worried expression faded, replaced by one of relief.
Hearing this, Felix understood that the Alaska front must have suffered heavy losses. His expression turned grave as he looked at Troy and asked seriously, "How is the situation in Alaska?"
"Huh?"
Troy's face immediately showed confusion, his eyes gazing at Felix with bewilderment. Seeing his puzzled and questioning look, Felix took out his phone and pulled up the secret operation order Patrick had given him.
"So that's it!"
Upon seeing the secret operation order, Troy suddenly understood.
Putting away his phone, Felix asked again, "How is the situation in Alaska?"
"The Earth Alliance used a self-destruct tactic similar to the one at the Endymion supply base, destroying all of Alaska and wiping out half of our assault forces."
As he spoke, Troy clenched his fists tightly, his calm eyes turning crimson with anger surging within them.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself for the losses, Felix was still shocked to hear the extent. The veins on his hands bulged as he clenched his fists.
Seeing the restrained grief and anger on Felix's face, Troy suddenly remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Noticing Troy's action, Felix guessed what was coming but remained silent, waiting for Troy to proceed.
Troy pulled up a photo of the Freedom Gundam on his phone and showed it to Felix.
"Captain Griffith, do you recognize this MS?"
"Yes," Felix nodded, looking up at Troy calmly as he continued, "This MS is part of the same new MS project as the Genesis I'm currently piloting." Then he shifted the topic, "What about this MS?"
"This MS suddenly appeared on the battlefield, rescued an Earth Alliance Forces warship, and broadcasted the Earth Alliance's conspiracy over the public channel during the battle." At this point, Troy pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and looked at Felix as he continued, "And it seems this guy had a command document signed by you!"
"A command document signed by me?"
Felix was stunned!
'I never gave Kira Yamato such a thing! Where did he get a command document with my signature?'
His mind filled with confusion and inner fury, Felix suddenly realized something, and his heart swelled with indignation.
'This has to be that girl Lacus screwing me over! She's really causing trouble for me!'
"Captain Griffith, were you unaware of this?"
Seeing Felix's clueless expression, Troy tentatively inquired. Felix snapped back to reality, looked at Troy and shook his head.
"This matter has nothing to do with me. I just found out about it myself."
"Is that so!" Understanding dawned on Troy's face as he lowered his head to look at the Freedom Gundam photo, his expression instantly turning serious. "If that's the case, then this situation has become grave indeed."
"Yes, quite grave."
Felix nodded in agreement while inwardly grumbling with frustration.
'This really complicates things for me!'
'But fortunately, our preliminary preparations were thorough enough to handle this matter.'
After his moment of annoyance, Felix felt a sense of relief in his heart.
...
Two hours later
While stationed at the Gibraltar military base, Felix received a communication from the homeland.
Looking at the incoming transmission, Felix took a deep breath and reached out to accept the call.
"Where are you right now?"
As Patrick's face appeared on the screen, his stern inquiry followed immediately.
Hearing this, Felix glanced at the scenery outside the window and replied with respect in his voice.
"Reporting to the Chairman, I'm at the Gibraltar military base."
No sooner had he finished responding than Felix heard Patrick's commanding reply through the communication, filled with undeniable authority.
"Return to PLANT immediately!"
"Yes, Chairman!"
Saluting sharply, Felix maintained eye contact with Patrick as he responded crisply.
Watching the already terminated communication, Felix lowered his arm and turned to look at the military cap on his desk. Standing up, he picked up the cap, placed it on his head, adjusted his uniform, and murmured to himself.
'Lacus Clyne, next time we meet, we'll have quite the discussion to settle.'
Setting aside his thoughts, Felix wore a faint smile as he strode out of the room.
...
PLANT Homeland
Aprilius City District 1
"Thank you for your hard work."
Stepping off the Athena, Felix saw the people waiting for him and greeted them with a warm smile.
The lead man approached Felix, his expression serious, voice carrying both respect and caution.
"Captain Griffith, please come with us!"
"No problem!"
Felix smiled amiably as he agreed readily.
Looking at the group, Felix turned to Aric, his demeanor calm and completely unruffled as he spoke gently.
"Aric, there's no need to worry about me. Just carry on with your normal duties."
"Yes, Captain!"
Aric saluted and nodded in response.
Hearing Aric's reply, Felix turned back to face the man before him and said with a smile.
"Let's go!"
...
PLANT Supreme Government Office Building
Chairman's Office
"Chairman, you requested my presence?"
Entering the chairman's office, Felix felt the oppressive atmosphere and dim lighting as his gaze settled on Patrick. Observing Patrick's silent, stern demeanor, he inquired calmly.
Hearing this, Patrick slightly raised his eyelids, glanced at Felix, but remained silent. His hand on the desk shifted slightly as he pressed a button with his finger.
When the content appeared on the large screen in the office, Patrick's voice rang out at that moment.
"Felix, what do you have to say about this matter?"
"Speaker, I know nothing about this!"
Hearing the question, Felix looked serious and flatly denied it. Upon hearing this, Patrick's eyes became inscrutable. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice.
"Based on the current evidence, it's difficult to clear the suspicion from you!"
"Speaker, what do you need me to do?"
Hearing this, Felix took a deep breath and asked with a serious and solemn expression.
Tap! Tap!
Two taps on the table reached Felix's ears. His gaze was drawn to Patrick's fingers, eventually settling on the document beneath them.
"This document specifies what you need to do!"
Patrick's voice then echoed through the office.