Listening to the report, Felix remained calm internally but showed a curious expression on his face as he asked with interest, "Earth Alliance Forces' battleship entered Orb?"
"Yes!" Benny nodded in response. "And that MS, which closely resembles yours, is on that battleship."
"That is rather interesting."
Leaning back in his chair, Felix revealed a playful smile.
Benny echoed in agreement, "It is indeed quite an interesting situation."
After a moment of thought, Benny inquired, "Captain Griffith, should we mobilize to pressure Orb into handing over the battleship and seize that MS along the way?"
"Our current intelligence doesn't support pressuring Orb at all," Felix replied to Benny's suggestion, gazing out the window before continuing. "Forcing such action would inevitably frighten other neutral nations, ultimately pushing them toward the Earth Alliance."
Shifting his gaze back to Benny, Felix watched as the latter absorbed his words. After some reflection, Benny set the idea aside and didn't bring it up again.
Seeing this, Felix added, "Report this intelligence to the Chairman."
"Captain Griffith, the intelligence has already been reported," Benny responded.
Felix then asked, "What was the Chairman's response?"
"No orders for action were given to us."
Shaking his head while looking at Felix, Benny relayed the outcome before continuing, "However, this all happened before your arrival."
"Since I didn't receive any such combat orders upon arriving either, we'll simply wait and see," Felix said with a light smile.
After this, Felix gestured for Benny to continue. Taking the cue, Benny proceeded to update him on the current situation, leaving the previous matter behind.
...
The next day
Seated before his screen, Felix focused on Patrick, saluting as he said, "Good day, Chairman."
"How is the situation at Carpentaria Base?"
Nodding in acknowledgment, Patrick posed the question. Felix consolidated the information he had and reported succinctly, "No issues at all!"
"Did Benny inform you about the Freedom matter?"
Nodding again, Patrick shifted the topic, his expression turning serious. Hearing the query, Felix matched the gravity and nodded toward Patrick.
"Commander Benny briefed me on the Freedom situation," Felix replied before asking, "Chairman, should we take action?"
"No action needed!"
Shaking his head in response, Patrick then emphasized the instruction.
"Felix, your mission is to defend Carpentaria Base and maintain control over the base and its designated area." The voice paused briefly before continuing. "As for the matter concerning Freedom, I've already assigned it to someone else."
"Understood!"
Nodding with a solemn expression, Felix saluted in response.
Before his arm could fully lower, the communication screen before him had already disconnected. Watching the now-dark screen, Felix lowered his arm and turned to look out the window.
'Athrun Zala! Kira Yamato!'
Murmuring these names inwardly, an involuntary faint smile appeared on Felix's face.
'I'm somewhat looking forward to seeing how things will unfold.'
...
Some time later,
While casually strolling through the base, Felix received a communication request from Benny. Seeing the incoming call, Felix accepted it and asked directly.
"What's the matter?"
"Captain Griffith, something's happened."
With a serious expression, Benny spoke urgently.
Seeing Benny's grave demeanor, Felix briefly wondered what the issue might be, but when nothing came to mind, he stopped pondering and began walking toward the administration building.
Inside the base administration building
"What's happened?"
Entering Benny's office, Felix inquired immediately. Benny looked up at Felix, stood up, approached him, and reported the situation.
"The Earth Alliance has suddenly issued an 'either with us or against us' declaration, demanding that nations on Earth either join the Earth Alliance or be treated as enemies."
"This isn't good news."
Upon hearing this, the thought crossed Felix's mind. Looking at Benny, Felix spoke with a serious expression. Benny nodded in agreement.
"Indeed! Such news is far from good."
"Continue monitoring this situation closely."
Felix gave the instruction to Benny directly.
Hearing this, Benny nodded and raised his hand in salute.
"Yes, sir!"
...
Several more days passed,
Carpentaria Base
Inside the base administration building
"Captain Griffith, the Earth Alliance Forces are moving south."
Benny entered and delivered the latest report.
Hearing this, Felix looked up at Benny and asked calmly.
"What's the scale of the Earth Alliance Forces moving south?"
"Approximately the size of a naval fleet."
Without hesitation, Benny provided the information directly.
Upon hearing this, Felix looked at Benny and smiled.
"It seems some nations are about to face trouble!"
"Captain Griffith, are you referring to Orb?"
Benny thought for a moment, and the name of a country immediately came to mind, along with its previous declaration in response. Considering this, he inquired.
Nodding, Felix replied with a smile.
"Exactly, Orb."
"Captain Griffith, do you think Orb can withstand it?"
"You should be asking how long Orb can hold out, not whether they can withstand it."
Hearing Benny's question, Felix corrected his subordinate's wording. Upon being corrected, Benny realized his earlier statement hadn't been precise enough.
"Captain Griffith, how long can they hold out?"
"It won't last long. The battle will likely end in a day at the earliest, or about two days at most. Anything longer is completely impossible."
Upon hearing this, Felix voiced his thoughts.
Benny pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"Captain Griffith, you're right."
"Next, keep a close watch on the movements from the Orb direction. Observe how Orb will react going forward."
Seeing Benny's response, Felix gave him instructions. After speaking, Felix added,
"By the way, among the things to monitor, pay close attention to the situation with Freedom."
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