For various reasons, the ZAFT military seemed particularly keen on creating War stars.
Surprisingly, despite being a military organization, ZAFT possessed exceptionally strong marketing capabilities for cultivating celebrities.
This was evident from their endless stream of so-called elites with various titles.
They always appeared tireless in bestowing soldiers with titles to build popularity and promote them externally.
The underlying reason was probably...
That the Celebrity effect could better attract public enlistment and boost morale?
But everything has two sides. The collapse of Fan effect caused by the shattering of Idol halo could be an exceptionally terrifying thing.
Thus, the Cruze team, as ZAFT's current top-tier idol group, not only gathered Plant's top-tier Creuset but also featured powerful alliances from numerous second-generation officials.
According to the original script of the Coordinator higher-ups, they only needed to fight a few impressive battles, get some GINN plating, and then they could be grandly launched to the outside world to reap a wave of followers.
However...
The atmosphere on the Vesalius was heavy, heavier than a corporate drone heading to work.
"Bam!" In the Mobile Suit pilots' lounge, Yzak smashed a locker door with his bare fist.
A heated argument had just taken place. During the post-battle review, everyone had discovered Athrun's half-hearted efforts in combat.
Yzak glared at the blue-haired boy with bloodshot eyes, but more than anything, he was filled with self-loathing.
"Huff... huff..."
He panted like an old ox plowing a field, utterly exhausted, his appearance frighteningly intense.
Just as everyone was worried Yzak might charge at Athrun and start a brawl...
The white-haired boy ultimately refrained from physically attacking his comrade. With a loud slam of the door—
"Yzak!" Dearka glanced at his friend who had stormed out, then turned back to look at the dejected Athrun.
"Sigh."
Transforming into a weathered old farmer who had toiled his whole life without even getting a decent meal.
Dearka said nothing and immediately chased after him.
Compared to Athrun, Yzak was more important to him.
"Athrun."
His eyes brimming with sorrow that threatened to overflow, he softly called his friend's name.
Seeing Athrun's despondent state, Nicol's face was full of heartache.
Yet scolding Athrun was something Nicol could never bring himself to do.
Standing silently beside his friend for a while, Nicol's eyes gradually filled with determination.
Then he left Athrun alone in the room and departed as well.
"Nicol?"
Only after his Plant friend had left did Athrun—who had been preoccupied with thoughts of Kira until that moment—finally look up.
"Have I disappointed Nicol again?"
His mouth full of bitterness, Athrun tilted his head back, because only this way could the tears in his eyes avoid wetting the ground.
"Ha." Feeling like a complete joke, Athrun sat silently alone for a while longer before finally staggering to his feet.
"I should go find Captain Creuset."
Uttering these words, he stepped forward into an unknown future.
"Captain Creuset."
Leaving Athrun's side, Nicol, now resolute in his decision, hurriedly made his way to the bridge.
As soon as the automatic doors slid open, he called out to Creuset, who was standing by the tactical platform.
With a wave of his hand, Creuset, holding a piece of paper, signaled his subordinates to remain calm.
"Captain?" Nicol murmured in confusion, then obediently stood aside, watching quietly without uttering another word.
"The Archangel is definitely heading to Artemis this time," Creuset declared confidently, leaning gracefully against the tactical platform as he studied the map displayed on the screen.
"But Captain Creuset, we later detected a large heat signature moving toward the Allied Forces' lunar headquarters," his adjutant voiced his concern, his eyes following the paper in Creuset's hand.
After all, their current adversary was none other than the cunning Wang Hu! The Cruze team had already suffered too many losses at Wang Hu's hands!
Previously, Captain Creuset had predicted that Wang Hu and his forces would flee to Artemis. But what was the result? The cost was the sinking of four battleships and severe damage to their main forces.
If another mishap occurred at this critical juncture...
Swallowing dryly, the adjutant gathered his courage and spoke again after careful consideration, noticing Creuset deep in thought. "How should we respond to the inquiry from PLANT? In my opinion, perhaps we should return first, Captain Creuset? We can leave the rest to the allied forces converging here."
Pausing briefly, the adjutant saw that Creuset was merely looking at him without voicing any objection. Believing he had guessed the captain's thoughts, he continued with more confidence, "Moreover, this ship carries the Allied Forces' greatest secret. Although we've already transmitted the data back, if the Military Industry Department obtains the actual machine, it would only benefit our research into their technology. Not to mention, PLANT has already ordered us to return to provide a detailed report on the events at Heliopolis."
In this way, he deftly shifted responsibility to the allied forces while ensuring they couldn't find fault with it.
A new order from PLANT? Or an inquiry into Captain Creuset?
Nicol, standing quietly, felt his heart tighten at these words. Attacking a neutral satellite and causing its complete collapse—after the Junius Seven Incident, this was bound to be an extremely sensitive matter for PLANT. Coupled with the heavy losses suffered by both allied forces and their own team due to Wang Hu of the East Asian Army, the situation was dire.
Gazing at Creuset, whose expression remained unchanged, Nicol grew increasingly worried. He had come to explain and make amends for Athrun, but now he feared both the captain and Athrun might face military repercussions.
"Leaving now isn't my style," Creuset finally spoke with a light chuckle after a long silence. Facing his subordinate, who had laid out all the reasons for retreat, he remained as composed and confident as ever, his demeanor unshaken. "Wang Hu and his forces are definitely heading to Artemis. What we detected earlier was merely a decoy missile to mislead us."
"All it does is buy some time to delay the allied forces rushing over from the lunar route."
"But..."
The lingering prestige remained. Even though Creuset's recent achievements hadn't been as brilliant as before, the adjutant looked at his supremely confident superior.
His lips quivered slightly, but in the end, he chose to cite the orders from headquarters as his final attempt at persuasion.
"What about the orders from headquarters then?"
"Nicol." Ignoring the adjutant's question, Creuset turned to another subordinate who had been standing nearby for a while.
"What do you think of Wang Hu from the East Asian Army?"
"Huh?" Startled, Nicol hadn't expected his commander to ask him this question at such a moment.
Looking at his captain's expectant gaze and the adjutant frantically signaling him with his eyes, Nicol quickly pondered the intention behind the question.
Being an honest man, Nicol decided to speak the truth.
"Commander Wang Hu of the enemy forces is an extremely formidable opponent, like an insurmountable mountain."
"In every battle, we've never been able to touch the limits of his capabilities. I believe he likely hasn't even shown his true strength so far."
"Captain Creuset, forgive my bluntness, but if he had access to weapons equal to ours, Athrun and the others wouldn't have had any chance of escaping in our previous encounter!"
"Indeed." Creuset nodded with satisfaction, having obtained the answer he wanted.
"Adjutant, what if I told you there's now an opportunity to completely eliminate such a formidable warrior?"
"To rid PLANT of this major threat once and for all—shouldn't we seize this chance?"
Today, seeing an old friend Seth has made me very happy.
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