Upon hearing Lacus's response, Aisha turned to face her, a curious expression on her face as she asked, "Miss Clyne, you seem very happy. Did something good happen?"
Lacus smiled and nodded openly in reply, "Felix is coming to pick me up later."
Aisha understood immediately.
Lacus then addressed Andrew, "Mr. Waltfeld, while I'm away, I'll leave the specific matters in your hands. Please contact me promptly if anything comes up."
Andrew nodded with a bright smile and replied, "No problem."
After speaking, Andrew looked at Lacus, his smile softening slightly.
Lacus responded with a gentle nod and smile.
...
About ten hours later,
The Eternal and its crew arrived at the designated coordinates.
A communication came through at that moment.
As soon as it connected, Felix's face appeared on the screen.
Lacus looked at Felix and called out his name with immense joy, "Felix."
Felix gave Lacus a warm smile, "Lacus."
While the two were talking, Andrew issued a command.
The rear hatch of the Eternal opened.
"Felix, come inside if you have something to say."
"OK!"
Glancing at Andrew, Felix chuckled.
Under Felix's control, the Genesis Gundam moved to the rear hatch of the Eternal.
Through this opening, the Genesis Gundam entered the interior of the Eternal.
After docking at a temporary berth in the hangar, Felix floated out of the cockpit. As soon as he removed his helmet, he saw a pink figure rushing toward him.
Smiling tenderly, Felix casually tossed his helmet aside and opened his arms to welcome her.
The moment she was in his embrace, Felix tightened his arms and lowered his head to inhale her scent greedily from her hair.
The two held each other in a silent embrace.
After a long while, Felix spoke first, "Lacus, I missed you so much."
Nodding gently, Lacus replied with longing and affection in her voice, "Me too."
Hearing his lover's response, Felix's smile grew even sweeter. Lifting his head from Lacus's hair, he noticed Andrew, Kira, Athrun, and the others not far away.
Gazing at the group, Felix finally fixed his eyes on Athrun, feeling a twinge of embarrassment.
Athrun noticed Felix's gaze, met it calmly, and gave him a straightforward smile.
"Captain Griffith."
Hearing Athrun's candid tone, Felix set aside his embarrassment and replied with an open smile, "Athrun."
As the two exchanged greetings, Andrew asked Felix, "Have you been waiting here for a long time, kid?"
"No." Shaking his head, Felix released Lacus but kept holding her hand as he continued, "Before arriving here, I went to scout the situation at the Ptolemy Military Base."
"You're really bold, kid!"
Hearing the answer, Andrew was momentarily stunned before praising him with a hint of amusement.
After hearing this, Lacus looked up at Felix, her expression tinged with worry and frustration, and said,
"Felix, you're making me very worried."
Turning to face her, Felix reassured her gently,
"It won't happen again."
"Chairman Zala is very likely to order a withdrawal of troops from the Moon."
Felix shared his speculation with everyone present. Upon hearing this, Athrun was the first to speak.
"My father is withdrawing troops from the Moon?"
"That's right." Felix glanced at Athrun and nodded. His gaze then swept over the others as he continued,
"Moreover, I believe Chairman Zala may end the war through other means."
His words left everyone momentarily stunned.
"Other means?"
Nodding again, Felix went on,
"Prolonged conventional warfare to secure victory would lead to sustained military losses. If this continues, it will inevitably cause severe population decline in PLANT and fuel anti-war sentiments among the people.
Thus, using alternative methods to swiftly end the war becomes a necessary choice."
By this point, Lacus had fully grasped the situation. She looked at Felix, nodded, and voiced her agreement,
"You're absolutely right."
As Lacus expressed her approval, the others turned their attention to her.
She continued at that moment,
"And I believe these 'other means' are likely weapons similar to the Earth Alliance's nuclear arms—
weapons capable of inflicting massive casualties."
"Massive casualties?"
Andrew murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
At that moment, Athrun spoke up,
"If that's the case, wouldn't the war escalate further?"
Felix nodded in response,
"Yes, it would escalate further."
Hearing this, Athrun's expression shifted. He clenched his fists tightly, and a look of anguish spread across his face.
Seeing Athrun's distress, Kira reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Athrun, it's alright. We'll stop any actions that escalate the war."
Hearing his friend's words, Athrun turned to Kira and softly called out,
"Kira."
Kira responded with a faint smile.
Shifting his gaze from Athrun, Kira looked at Felix and spoke seriously,
"Brother, do you think this weapon could be a nuclear bomb?"
Felix met Kira's eyes and replied gravely,
"Nuclear bombs have limited destructive power in space, so they don't quite fit the bill. I believe this weapon will be even more terrifying than nuclear bombs."
Taking a deep breath, Felix continued,
"It's a weapon capable of wiping out a large number of combat forces in one strike."
Andrew looked at Felix and nodded in agreement,
"If that's the case, it would indeed fulfill the goal of ending the war quickly."
Felix turned his attention to Andrew, glanced at the time, and said,
"It's getting late. I won't stay to talk further. Let's continue our discussion online later."
Upon hearing this, Andrew asked Felix.
"Are you leaving already?"
Felix looked at Andrew and nodded.
"I've been away for quite some time. Staying longer might cause problems."
As he replied, Felix turned his gaze to Lacus, his expression gentle as he asked.
"Lacus, are you all prepared?"
"Everything... is ready."