"Exactly!" Felix nodded. "It's intelligence regarding military matters!"
Hearing this, Lacus shook her head with an apologetic expression.
"None."
Felix furrowed his brow slightly, asking with some confusion.
"Are they unable to participate in Earth Alliance's military decisions at all?"
Lacus pursed her lips, answering with a sincere expression.
"I'm not sure whether they can participate in final military decision-making matters. They haven't told me about that either."
"Alright!"
Seeing this, Felix stopped inquiring about the matter.
Noticing the fleeting disappointment on Felix's face, Lacus immediately spoke up.
"Felix, I'll contact them later to confirm the situation. If there's any intelligence, I'll give it to you right away."
Looking at Lacus, Felix nodded gently.
"Mhm."
After this calm response, Felix continued looking at Lacus, his expression becoming much more serious as he cautioned.
"Lacus, don't place too much trust in these doves within the Earth Alliance."
"Mhm." Lacus nodded solemnly, smiling as she said. "Don't worry, I know how to handle this matter appropriately."
"That's good." Hearing this, Felix felt relieved. Looking at Lacus, he set aside his business-like attitude and began chatting about ordinary matters with a gentle expression.
"Have you eaten?"
"I have." Lacus nodded in response before asking in return. "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet!"
Shaking his head, Felix replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Lacus furrowed her brow and said with concern.
"You need to eat properly!"
"Don't worry, I'll go eat right away."
Feeling warmth in his heart, Felix smiled and nodded in agreement. Hearing Felix and Lacus's conversation, Aric called the cafeteria and said quietly.
"Prepare a meal and bring it to the Bridge."
"Aric, I'll just go to the cafeteria to eat later."
Before Aric could hang up the communication, he heard Felix's voice beside him. Hearing this, Aric smiled awkwardly and naturally ended the call.
At that moment, Felix's voice sounded again.
"Everyone, go to the cafeteria in shifts to eat later."
"Yes, Captain."
Aric raised his hand in salute, looking at Felix as he replied.
Felix nodded gently before turning his gaze back to the communication screen.
Lacus's voice then came through the receiver.
"I won't keep you any longer. Go eat quickly!"
"It's fine, I can eat later too."
With a gentle smile, Felix replied tenderly.
Lacus shook her head, her expression suddenly becoming more serious as she urged.
"Go eat right now!"
With that, Lacus proactively ended the communication.
Looking at the darkened screen, Felix placed the communicator back on its base. Looking up at Aric, he said with a smile.
"You all go eat now!"
"Captain, you should eat first! We can hold out here a bit longer."
Looking at Felix, Aric urged with concern.
Felix listened to Aric's response, glanced at everyone seated here, and issued orders.
"Divide the tasks. Some of you come with me to eat."
As he spoke, Felix stood up.
Everyone on the bridge rose as required, with a portion following Felix out of the bridge.
...
Meanwhile, aboard the Eternal
"Miss Clyne, we currently have no way of knowing the specific operational details of any Earth Alliance Forces actions. The hawks have excluded us from military decision-making circles, so we cannot obtain any military intelligence."
"Is there really no way at all?"
Lacus asked with a hint of hope upon hearing this.
After her inquiry, a response came through the communication receiver.
"There's no guaranteed method, but we can try. Whether it will work is another matter."
Hearing this, Lacus didn't press further and simply requested, "Thank you for your trouble."
"Not at all. This is what we should do."
Nodding at the response, Lacus ended the communication. Afterward, she sat in her chair pondering before rising and leaving the room.
...
Half an hour later,
Aboard the Athena
After his meal, Felix arrived at the Central Hangar.
"How are the preparations for the Genesis?"
"All maintenance is complete!"
Taiber turned to look at Felix, saluted, and delivered his report. Felix nodded in acknowledgment, returned the salute, and then picked up his helmet to head toward the cockpit.
Seeing this, Taiber followed Felix.
"Captain, are you launching already?"
Taiber asked Felix as he was fastening his seatbelt. After securing the belt and placing a small pouch containing energy bars on his lap, Felix looked up at Taiber.
Meeting his gaze, Felix nodded.
"That's right. I'm launching."
"Won't you rest a bit more?"
Taiber inquired with concern in his eyes.
Shaking his head, Felix smiled and replied, "No!"
With those two words, Felix pressed the descent button.
Inside the cockpit
Felix pressed the one-touch start button.
The Genesis Gundam's systems began self-checking. Once all checks were complete, the Genesis Gundam officially activated.
"Aric, have the other battleships move in front of the Athena to provide cover!"
Gripping the control stick, Felix issued the command over the comms.
Hearing the order, Aric responded to Felix, "Yes!"
...
"Captain, you are cleared to launch!"
The voice echoed in the cockpit. Felix, staring solemnly at the view outside, declared, "Felix Leo Griffith, Genesis launching!"
...
Surging out of the Athena, the Genesis Gundam combined with the Meteor under the cover of a Nazca-class High-Speed Battleship ahead.
Once the combination was complete, Felix piloted the Genesis Gundam swiftly toward the lunar surface.
When they were less than twenty meters from the Moon's surface, Felix halted the Genesis Gundam's descent. With his feet on the forward and backward pedals, the Genesis Gundam began to turn.
Adjusting the control stick, Felix completed the rotation and then pushed the thrust lever forward.
The Meteor's thrusters erupted with immense power, propelling the Genesis Gundam as it skimmed the lunar surface at high speed.
Inside the Genesis Gundam cockpit
"Captain, please be careful on your way."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Hearing the concern, Felix smiled slightly and replied with complete confidence. After giving this response, Felix turned to Aric with instructions.
"Keep constant watch on the Earth Alliance Forces' movements. Launch the next attack at the predetermined time."
"You can count on me, Captain."
Aric responded with a solemn promise.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Felix ended the communication.