Not only could it strike the enemy's high-end combat power, but it could also continue to fuel public opinion.
Moreover, once this Enhanced Person facility was gone, they would inevitably fall back on Replicas, which would provide an opportunity to probe out where the Library was.
Of course, with just this, forcing the higher-ups of Blue Cosmos to make concessions was impossible—in the end, they would still have to go deep into the Atlantic Federation to carry out targeted strikes against those Death Merchants.
"Oh..."
Hearing the exact time once again, Lacus nodded.
And looking at the girl before him, Fred reeled back his previously heavy thoughts.
A confession?
With so many things happening every day, he hadn't even considered that option until Flay brought it up.
The current atmosphere probably wasn't the best, either.
And what was Lacus thinking?
"What's wrong, looking at me like that?"
Lacus tilted her head slightly.
As if she knew exactly how adorable she was.
"Forget it, I'll just say it."
On the battlefield, people died at any moment.
If there was something to say, then just say it.
No matter what the future held, saying it first meant at least no regrets.
Having thought this far, Fred cast aside the confusion in his heart and said bluntly, "I like you."
"Wh... cough."
Hearing Fred say this so suddenly, Lacus froze.
She was even choked by her own surging emotions.
She had thought about having someone confess to her, but never this abruptly.
And... the "like" he spoke of—it was real.
Not because of those connections or abilities, but a genuine affection from the heart...
"I... I like you too..."
Once everything was out in the open, both of them awkwardly avoided each other's gaze.
But this situation didn't last long. When they raised their eyes again, in a perfectly synchronized motion, each of them suddenly saw, in the other's pupils, a reflection of themselves with a face flushed red.
"Then... come back safely."
Lacus was the first to break the silence.
At the same time, she raised her left hand, as if making a silent invitation to him.
"Okay."
Their hands joined, and the warmth between their fingers seemed to reach all the way into their hearts.
...
Once everything was ready, their operation officially began after half a month of preparation.
However, although the Freedom had the capability of a direct orbital drop, the other Mobile Suits in the squad did not.
Besides, dropping straight down would be alerting the enemy.
That was obviously not an option.
First, they arrived at Yggdrasil, which currently served as a neutral buffer zone.
Yggdrasil was currently jointly administered by the East Asian Federation, the Eurasian Federation, and PLANT.
The Atlantic Federation still coveted this place, and there had been no shortage of battles, large and small, fought here.
But at the very least, the space station hadn't been blown up yet.
The reason Fred had come here, apart from resting up before descending to Earth, was one other important matter.
"We meet again."
Before him, Commander Chen, whom he had crossed paths with a few times, was looking at the young man with a warm, honest smile.
Deep in his eyes, there was still considerable curiosity.
They had originally wanted to establish a connection with this Fred for the sake of cooperation.
They had never imagined that it would end up turning into a development partnership with the Clyne Faction.
Everything had gone surprisingly smoothly.
And although the people from PLANT hadn't said anything, in Chen's view, the masked young man before him had probably had a hand in it as well.
"Yes."
"We'll be counting on you again this time."
Fred nodded in acknowledgment as he spoke.
Landing in the Black Sea wouldn't require their help, but when it came time to seize the moment and build momentum afterward, they would need the other side's support.
"Of course."
"If what you say is true, we would never condone such inhumane acts."
Chen nodded, thinking of the Enhanced Person base the other had mentioned. Though Fred didn't have much concrete evidence, Chen felt no surprise at all about the Atlantic Federation's actions.
After all, that was just the kind of people they were.
They even ate people—there was no humanity to speak of.
To them, Enhanced People and enhanced livestock were probably no different.
"But how do you plan to land?"
"A place like that is bound to have a self-destruct program installed."
"And it's deep in Eurasian Federation territory, not a combat zone."
Chen asked curiously.
"This humble one has his own clever plan."
"Fine, then."
Seeing how mysterious the man was being, Chen just shrugged and didn't press further.
He simply extended his hand toward the young man.
"Then I hope your plan goes smoothly."
If it succeeded, public opinion would surely swing back the other way.
"Thank you for your kind words."
Fred also rose to his feet and shook the offered hand.
He continued, "And what about the Death Merchant matter?"
"Still under investigation, but there should be results soon."
"Thank you."
Fred lowered his eyes again and said quietly.
"It's nothing."
Chen smiled, and there was a hint of regret in his gaze as he looked at Fred.
"A pity you weren't born in the East Asian Republic."
The young man before him, though their interactions had been few—
was quick-witted and sharp, a rare talent.
More importantly, the man's thinking aligned perfectly with their own.
"As long as our goals are the same, that's enough."
Fred replied with a smile.
Truthfully, more than striving, he really just wanted to retire.
But along the way, watching his former home grow stronger wasn't a bad thing either.
Even if that home was no longer the home it once was.
"Well said."
At those words, the smile on Chen's face grew a little wider.
They didn't chat much longer—the two busy men soon parted ways.
"As expected of the Captain—you've even got connections in the East Asian Republic."
The moment they stepped out the door, Dearka came up to greet him, looking at him with admiration.
"Something like that."
Fred said, without slowing his pace.
"Don't go wandering off these days. Get ready for the battles ahead—and the others too."
"Got it. Yzak and the others are still doing their gravity adaptation training right now."
Dearka nodded as he replied.
If he hadn't been pulled out to serve as Fred's temporary guard, he'd probably be training too.
But even though Fred was already a formidable fighter, Dearka felt no resentment about being assigned to him.
Over this stretch of time, under the influence of Fred's personal charisma and the daily example set by Yzak and the others, he had long since been won over completely.
"Mm."
Fred gave a nod of acknowledgment, then turned to gaze at the Earth beyond the reinforced glass.
From here, the Earth looked enormous.
Far larger than it appeared from L5.
And precisely because of that, one could feel all the more keenly how small they themselves were.
Before they knew it, they had already made it this far.
Aside from scientific research, his various abilities were already approaching the very top.
Just a few final steps remained before he could retire.
At this thought, Fred took a deep breath, his gaze growing several degrees sharper.