"Hello! Can I ask a question?"
Hearing Haro's voice, Lacus frowned with worry, her tone somewhat gloomy. Haro's small eyes blinked as it mechanically repeated:
"Hello! Hello!"
"Never mind, you wouldn't have the answer anyway."
Lacus withdrew her finger from poking Haro and turned away, muttering discontentedly. Upon hearing this, Haro continued responding with its cheerful "Hello! Hello!"
Ignoring Haro's mechanical voice, Lacus calmed her mind and carefully contemplated the words Felix had recently spoken to her.
Those words echoed incessantly in her thoughts.
Each repetition made Lacus understand them more thoroughly, each echo strengthening her inner resolve.
About one or two minutes passed like this.
Sitting up straight from where she'd been leaning on the table, Lacus's beautiful eyes revealed firm determination as she declared: "I should be like Felix - I can't let myself remain stuck in feelings of sorrow and mere hopes and appeals for peace. I need to move forward, to keep advancing without pause."
Rising from her chair, Lacus turned and walked toward her bed. Sitting on the edge, she leaned forward to gaze through the cabin window at the lunar landscape and the darkness of space beyond.
"Only by moving forward without stopping can we eliminate the sorrow in this universe."
Watching the view outside, Lacus murmured to herself.
Several days later, at the Lorentz Military Base port
"Miss Lacus and everyone, thank you for the joy and comfort you've brought us during this time."
Looking at Lacus and the other cultural workers before him, Felix showed a sincere smile as he expressed his gratitude.
Lacus responded with a gentle smile and shake of her head.
"Captain Griffith, you're too kind! This is simply what we should be doing. Moreover, being able to bring happiness and comfort to everyone is our honor."
As she spoke, Lacus stepped forward and extended her hand toward Felix, her smile gentle as she quietly watched him. Looking down at the small hand Lacus had offered, Felix showed no hesitation, raising his arm to extend his own hand and clasp Lacus's soft, pale hand.
"I look forward to your next visit."
Looking at Lacus, Felix smiled openly, speaking the conventional pleasantry.
Lacus nodded with a smile and replied.
"We will definitely come again."
After speaking, Lacus loosened her grip on Felix's hand. Feeling her release, Felix also let go of Lacus's small hand.
Lacus looked at Felix, offering a sincere smile as she expressed her gratitude.
"Captain Griffith, these days interacting with you have been immensely beneficial to me. I'm very grateful for your help."
"You're too polite, Miss Lacus."
Felix responded courteously with a smile.
After hearing this, Lacus said nothing more. She glanced back at the prepared shuttle aircraft, then turned to bid farewell to Felix.
"Until we meet again!"
"Until we meet again!"
Smiling and nodding, Felix also bid farewell.
After saying goodbye, Lacus turned and walked towards the shuttle aircraft. Felix remained standing in place, watching as Lacus and the others boarded the shuttle.
Once they had all boarded, Felix no longer stood there and turned to walk inside.
"Arrange for our personnel to escort them for a distance. Meanwhile, have all units take off and create the appearance of preparing to attack Ptolemaeus Lunar Base.
Force Ptolemaeus Lunar Base to refrain from any rash actions."
"Yes!"
Aric, who was following Felix, nodded in response.
After hearing the reply, Felix asked,
"How is the cleanup of those unmanned optical reconnaissance drones that occasionally fly over our base going?"
"We've been continuously clearing them. The airspace above the base is clean, with no Earth Alliance Forces reconnaissance presence."
Nodding, Aric replied verbally.
Satisfied with the answer, Felix was about to say more when a communication alert sounded.
Hearing the ringtone, Felix pulled out his phone from his pocket, saw the caller ID, and swiped to answer the call.
As the call connected, Patrick's face appeared on the screen.
"Chairman, hello."
Looking at Patrick, Felix greeted him respectfully.
Patrick nodded, gave a calm "Mm," and said,
"How are the preparations for the attack on Endymion Base coming along?"
"Reporting, Chairman, the general plan is ready. The details have also been finalized after multiple adjustments and revisions. We can launch the attack at any time."
Felix nodded as he responded. Patrick nodded in satisfaction but said the opposite.
"Prepare to hand over your duties to someone else."
"Hand over?"
Confusion instantly spread across Felix's face as he muttered in bewilderment. Patrick explained,
"Our offensive on Earth has encountered resistance. I plan to deploy the Griffith Team under your command to Earth to assist our forces there in completing the corresponding campaign."
"I understand.Upon learning the situation, the confusion on his face vanished, and Felix nodded in agreement, though inwardly he wondered, 'I remember in the original, Andrew resolved the obstruction issue! Why send me down there?'
Puzzled, Felix suddenly realized that the situation on Earth had diverged significantly from the original, taking a completely different path.
'Inertial thinking!'
Felix sighed inwardly as he understood.
Looking at Patrick, Felix asked, "Chairman, who will I be handing over to? And when will the handover take place?"
"The newly appointed commander of Lorentz Military Base is already on his way. You can hand over to him when he arrives."
Patrick answered Felix's question.
Having received the answer, Felix asked no more.
The communication between the two ended at that moment.
Looking at the ended call, Felix tucked his phone back into his pocket.
"Captain, the shuttle aircraft has returned."
Aric, noticing the returning shuttle, quickly reported to Felix. Felix looked up in the direction Aric indicated and saw the shuttle aircraft descending from the sky once again.
"Why are you back?"
He murmured in confusion.
Under Felix's puzzled gaze, the shuttle aircraft returned and docked on the tarmac.
Once stabilized, the shuttle's hatch opened.
Lacus and the others disembarked under Felix's watchful eyes.
Noticing Felix hadn't left the area yet, Lacus smiled faintly and teased playfully, "Captain Griffith, could it be that you stayed behind because you couldn't bear to see us go?"
Amused by her remark, Felix joked in response, "Indeed! I couldn't bear to part with you all."