Meanwhile, on Earth, directly opposite PLANT, within the Atlantic Federation's Washington D.C. headquarters of Blue Cosmos.
Inside the Leader's office, a high-level internal meeting was quietly proceeding via video communication.
"Who approved this operation?! Our military still has considerable assets in Copernicus!" a man dressed in a general's uniform shouted through the comm.
"No one approved it. Those people aren't our core personnel," a lean middle-aged man, the head of the Operations Planning Department, said through gritted teeth.
"This operation was completely outside our expectations."
No matter how crazy they were, with PLANT still under relative control, they hadn't gone mad enough to blow up all of Copernicus.
Or rather, they had joined Blue Cosmos for profit, and this operation offered them no benefits whatsoever.
In fact, this operation would only worsen Blue Cosmos's public reputation.
Although their reputation was already poor, there was still room for it to decline further.
"However, we accidentally discovered a promising talent through this. That's a good thing," one of the high-ranking Blue Cosmos officials interrupted the argument.
"Hmph, you almost killed his entire family. Do you think he'll still join? And I heard he's mingling with Coordinators. In my opinion... we should just eliminate him!" a burly, fierce-looking man, clearly from the militant faction, growled.
"Kill, kill, kill. Is that all you know?"
"No matter what, he's an Atlantic Federation citizen. He'll return eventually. Besides, his father is still here. It's not like he can just disappear," another retorted.
"Enough!"
As the two sides argued intensely, the Leader of Blue Cosmos, an elderly man in a suit with white hair, forcefully struck the thickly carpeted floor with his cane.
A dull thud, accompanied by the Leader's aged yet powerful voice, caused the others to quiet down.
"Test his father. Have his father join first."
"If he refuses the easy way..."
The elderly voice held no warmth, unlike that of a kindly elder.
Instead, it resembled an old venomous snake—the older, the more vicious.
The temperature in the already chilly room seemed to drop even further.
"Yes," the others responded with reverence.
...
Elsewhere, unaware that he had triggered Patrick's actions, Fred simply woke from a long sleep.
"Mom, why didn't you wake me?" Fred, realizing he had slept half the day, walked downstairs and looked toward his mother cooking in the kitchen.
This was the first time his biological clock had failed him.
Perhaps it was due to the extreme exhaustion from the previous day.
Although the hours were similar to his usual overtime maintenance shifts, he felt unusually tired.
"Our great hero, even if you slept until tomorrow, no one would dare call you absent. Besides, no one is working today—everyone's out celebrating in the streets," Heather said, walking out of the kitchen with an expression mixing exasperation and amusement.
"How do you feel?"
"Not bad. No major issues," Fred replied, clenching his fist firmly.
It felt no different from before.
But that wasn't entirely accurate. After yesterday's intense combat, under the effect of the Golden Finger, his proficiency in operating the Mobile Suit had improved.
The improvement seemed greater than his usual training sessions.
However, it probably hadn't directly elevated him to the level of an elite Coordinator.
He still had a long way to go.
"That's good to hear."
Heather said as she returned to the kitchen.
"Dinner is almost ready, have a seat."
"Where's Flay?"
As he spoke, Fred noticed several news articles displayed before him.
To be precise, they were clips on the dining table's virtual screen.
[Young Hero's Fearless Action: A Ray of Light on the Moon Amid Terror]
This was from Copernicus' local media.
[Lunar City Crisis Reemerges, ORB Reiterates Neutral Stance and Calls for Rationality]
This one was clearly from ORB.
[Lunar Terror Attack Thwarted, Atlantic's Son Shows Fearless Courage]
As for this one, it was naturally from the Atlantic Federation.
"Your sister dragged Kira out to watch the parade, said she wanted to broaden her horizons."
"Uh..."
Hearing his mother's tone that still sounded like she wanted to strangle someone, Fred turned on the television.
The screen showed the parade Heather had just mentioned.
It was grand.
Unlike previous anti-Coordinator demonstrations, this scene was orderly, with everyone's faces beaming with happiness.
The sheer number of people was staggering—the crowd filled the entire television screen, as if every resident of Copernicus had turned out.
Some even held signs with his name on them.
As the person involved, Fred still found the scene somewhat surreal.
"Want to go join the excitement?"
Heather emerged from the kitchen, followed by a household robot carrying dishes.
"If you go, you'll instantly become the center of attention."
"Better not."
Fred smiled wryly.
He had saved people simply because it was the right thing to do.
Not to bask in public adoration.
That wouldn't be cool at all.
"You..."
Heather approached and ruffled his hair.
"Mom, did you wash your hands...?"
Feeling the droplets on his head, Fred said helplessly.
"I did, don't worry about it."
Heather chuckled as she withdrew her hand, but soon her smile faded.
"Blue Cosmos is probably even more determined to get you now. Your father might be in danger."
"Yeah, the plan has to be moved up and changed."
Fred took the noodles from the robot's tray, his expression turning serious.
It was true—escaping on his own now would be dangerous.
"Faking your death? Are you sure PLANT will accept you right now? Because of this incident, emotions are running even higher there."
Heather asked.
"They know about Blue Cosmos' situation, and Mom, you don't know Aunt Lenore's identity."
He had saved Lenore and Athrun, after all.
Patrick probably wouldn't outright reject his request.
And even if negotiations with Patrick fell through, he had a backup plan—the Junk Guild was still an option.
At worst, he could scavenge with Rondo and still grow stronger.
Plus, the Junk Guild's passports were almost universally accepted, so rescuing people wouldn't be a problem.
The downside was that getting involved in main-story-level events that could shift the world's balance would be far more dangerous.
The upside was that it would smoothly connect him with left-leaning factions like Lacus later on.
"Lenore's identity?"
"And how do you know about that?"
Hearing Fred's words, Heather grew curious.
"Guess?"
"? You little rascal, think you're all grown up now, don't you!"
While the mother and son were having their lively exchange, the parade procession where Kira and Flay stood grew even more animated.
Ordinary youth: "That Fred guy is absolutely incredible!"
Child: "Mom, I want to be a hero like that big brother when I grow up!"
Female fan: "I want to have his babies!"
Male fan: "Stop it! The hero is only thirteen years old!"
Within the
celebrating crowd, discussions about Fred alone occupied nearly half of all conversations.
Hearing everyone around her shouting her brother's name, Flay was visibly thrilled.
Her large eyes kept scanning the procession eagerly.
Her heart swelled with immense pride for her brother.