Chapter 255: Breaking into Battle Mode
For a time, two remarkably similar speeches sent shockwaves throughout the entire Earth Sphere.
Both addressed the deteriorating living conditions for space residents, both criticized the corruption within the Federation's power struggles, and both condemned the unchecked violence of militarized organizations.
These speeches echoed across the Earth Sphere and were even transmitted as signals to distant reaches of space.
The Earth's relatively comfortable inhabitants might not have given these speeches or their similarities much thought—at most, they grumbled about the worsening environment or discussed the Titans' disgraceful performance in Dakar.
Of course, some still insisted that Earth's defense should remain in the hands of the Titans. To them, Eli—born in space—had predictably betrayed the Federation. Naturally, if some supported Undertaker's stance, there were also those who supported the Titans' ideology.
A closer investigation would reveal that most Titan supporters fell into the category of the "propertied class."
But their true commonality wasn't wealth—it was the convenience they enjoyed, sustained by supplies from the space colonies.
Crucially, both speeches declared the intent to restore equality between Earth and space.
Eli made his speech within the Federation, representing a faction striving for change from within.
Char—also known as Casval—made his declaration as a space resident, revealing himself to be a former AEUG member, a Zeon ace, and the orphan of Zeon Deikun.
Both called for change within the Federation, signaling the emergence of a powerful historical momentum.
Yet even under these circumstances, the proposal to grant the Titans full authority over Earth's defense continued to advance.
With the Federation's Prime Minister about to be replaced, the bill's progress was slow but proceeding steadily through official channels.
It appeared Eli's speech had not succeeded—unlike in the original timeline—in frightening the Federation Assembly into reining in the Titans.
Still, many Assembly members who had personally witnessed the Titans' MS units rampaging without restraint were beginning to question whether giving the Titans full control of Earth's defense was truly a wise move...
Grim Wyatt, with his deep academic background, immediately sensed this unspoken shift within the Assembly.
A manhunt targeting Eli and his allies began—no need for Wyatt to give the order. Bask acted on his own initiative to launch it.
Woody's troops, due to Eli's maneuvers, had managed to retreat from Augusta Base. Most conventional units were rerouted to other bases, while a handful of MS pilots chose to head for space.
Two Garuda-class ships were naturally left for Augusta Base's use.
But after Eli and Jamitov created an uproar in the Assembly, there was no way the Titans would simply let them leave unchallenged.
While the Assembly had ordered both sides to stand down within Dakar—prohibiting combat in the Federation capital—once the White Chaser departed the city, the Titans' forces immediately launched pursuit like a curse that clings to the bone.
"Amuro, lead the squad and take them out!"
Only MS units had been dispatched for the pursuit, and with a fully recovered Amuro on the field, Eli didn't believe they posed any real threat to the White Chaser.
But that wasn't what was truly bothering him.
"Can't we do something about the fleet in orbit?"
"With just the White Chaser alone…"
Eli rubbed his temples, eyes fixed on the shadowed figures displayed on the monitor.
It was the Titans fleet—the same one that had driven the White Chaser back down to Earth.
The ship trembled slightly, likely due to an explosion nearby.
"If we could deploy a squad to provide cover right now…"
Eli traced his finger along the map, trying to identify a window to break through the orbital blockade.
According to intelligence, most of the Titans' mobile suits had already been deployed in the Jaburo invasion operation, leaving the orbital defenses undermanned.
Even so, the fleet still retained the core strength of a naval unit. Intercepting a single warship attempting to escape the atmosphere wouldn't be any harder than what Amuro was currently handling outside.
Only if another fleet engaged the Titans in orbit could the White Trojan Horse break free of the atmosphere safely.
But calling in Undertaker's fleet would take time.
Eli had actually prepared a mobile squad for this exact contingency—namely, the other two Pegasus-class ships under Undertaker's command: the White Base and the Albion.
However! The moment Char began his speech at Side 5, both ships immediately rushed to the Sweetwater sector to confront the AEUG fleet.
In other words, although both organizations had independently proposed near-identical goals—changing the Federation and resisting the Titans' violent domination—lack of prior coordination had led to one being left in a crisis.
That said, while Eli and Char's speeches might sound identical at first, a closer listen would reveal their motivations for "changing the Federation" were actually quite different.
Eli spoke from the perspective of the Federation's—and humanity's—future, concluding that if the current path continued, it would lead to destruction.
Char, however, spoke from his observations of the suffering around him and concluded—based on what he had seen and heard—that the current Federation was already wrong.
At this stage, the two positions were naturally compatible, even complementary, laying a natural foundation for cooperation between their respective factions.
Whether these differences would eventually lead to more serious problems—at least for now—most people remained optimistic.
"The pursuing units have been taken care of!"
Captain Otto's voice came through internal comms, reporting the latest update to Eli.
"We need to head north, loop around the Tropic of Cancer, and enter the Indian Ocean."
During the post-battle shipboard briefing, Eli shared his thoughts.
"The Indian Ocean? Where exactly are we going?"
Captain Otto stared at the route, unable to figure out the intended destination.
According to this path, none of the bases under the Revil faction's control could offer the White Chaser any shelter.
"We're going to Hong Kong."
"There? Sure, Hong Kong's unique political and economic status has kept it relatively stable, but I doubt the Titans will respect that."
"I know. I just have something I need to confirm there."
Eli opened his tablet and addressed the crew onboard the ship.
Especially General Jamitov, who rarely voiced opinions these days.
"I need to confirm who exactly is supporting the AEUG's operations."