A department head in the kitchen wouldn't show respect to an ordinary communications officer.
There was a clear gap in their statuses.
Moreover, judging by Freed's demeanor, there was no way he could be just a communications officer. That mask alone was distinctive enough.
However, he didn't expose the other party. For one, there was no concrete evidence, and secondly, even if that ship truly belonged to ZAFT, it was targeting Blue Cosmos. They had no reason to help those bastards.
"Let's go. We'll figure it out later."
That Freed definitely didn't seem like an ordinary communications officer.
But these matters would require further investigation back at base. There was no need to rush things now.
"Understood."
Seeing his superior appear pleased, the adjutant promptly lowered his head.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in a private estate in Washington, D.C., at the heart of the Atlantic Federation.
The aged face of the Blue Cosmos leader was taut with tension.
His eyes were like those of a cruel hyena, enough to give anyone nightmares with a single glance.
"Which squad took unauthorized action this time!?"
"Who was in charge?"
As the hoarse voice fell, the black-and-gold cane struck the black marble floor with a heavy thud.
The loud impact caused the middle-aged man kneeling before him to tremble violently.
"It... it was Lieutenant Colonel Miles Minsker!"
"That useless fool!"
The voice, brimming with fury, pierced the man's eardrums, making him shrink back even further.
His body trembled visibly more.
"Dispose of him! And cover up all traces."
"Have a secondary organization claim responsibility for this attack!"
Although attacking Mendel was indeed something they wanted to do.
It should have been a swift, lightning-fast strike.
And, what the lower-ranking members of Blue Cosmos suspected was correct.
The upper echelons of Blue Cosmos were indeed engaged in dealings with Mendel.
But it wasn't as simple as it seemed.
The higher-ups, including this old man, were trading with Mendel for research on immortality—or rather, life-extending technology.
Most people fear death, especially those in Blue Cosmos's upper ranks. Holding high positions and great power, they indulge their desires freely. Beneath their polished exteriors lie monstrous, ugly hearts.
They commit every evil without restraint.
Blue Cosmos is merely one of the means through which they achieve their goals, control public opinion, and manipulate the masses.
But immortality is their unwavering objective.
To forever enslave those modern-day slaves—ordinary people corrupted by their rules—to eternally indulge in pleasure, to forever experience the thrill of tormenting and dominating others. That is their true aim.
And now, this goal was nearly ruined by those fools.
How could they not be furious?
At the very least, in their view, if they were to truly move against Mendel, they should have notified the researchers in advance to evacuate with the research materials.
Instead, they almost lost everything.
So, in a way, they might even owe gratitude to those Coordinators.
Of course, this old man felt not an ounce of gratitude.
After calmly watching the middle-aged man still kneeling and trembling on the floor for a moment, he continued speaking.
"Investigate the backgrounds of those Coordinators, track their traces, and retaliate against their strongholds!"
He certainly couldn't let those restless Coordinators go.
After years of open and covert struggles between both sides, it was now basically confirmed to be ZAFT's doing.
But what was their purpose?
That remained an unknown.
While investigating, they would also carry out retaliation.
This was their approach.
Whoever it was would have to pay the price.
"Yes!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man roughly guessed that the conversation was over and felt relieved inside, though he didn't dare show the slightest relaxation on his face.
...
Unaware of the turmoil within Blue Cosmos—and not particularly concerned even if they had known—Fred and the others had a smooth journey for the remainder of their trip, soon returning to April City.
Looking at the familiar metal port before him and smelling the familiar scent of disinfectant, Fred felt a sense of reassurance.
Stepping onto PLANT soil meant his plan this time had truly been successfully completed.
Creuset's threat had been eliminated, and now he could peacefully continue developing for a while.
At least until the Copernicus Conference, aside from finding a few children for Crab Captain, he had nothing else to do.
However, what Fred referred to here were matters other than progress.
With more time on his hands, he naturally intended to continue striving for progress.
Only by first developing the MS could he pilot it.
Thinking of this, Fred felt a sense of urgency.
Amidst this urgent train of thought, Fred had just disembarked when he encountered Lacus floating toward him.
"Brother Fred, you've worked hard this time."
Lacus's smile was exceptionally sweet.
"Not at all."
Fred collected his thoughts and shook his head seriously.
"This serves the interests of both sides. However, there are still many Replicas, and ultimately, we must address the root cause."
"Do you have any information, brother?"
Lacus blinked and asked.
She wanted to destroy the organization that created the Replicas, as they had deeply experienced Creuset's despair.
Allowing these desperate madmen lurking in the shadows to roam freely was terrifying.
Unfortunately, they didn't have any substantial information.
"This... I don't have any for now either."
Fred shook his head.
The young man only knew of an organization called the Library.
But the specific location of this organization's stronghold was unknown.
Although this organization later broke away from The Clan, the external intelligence was fragmented and scarce.
Destroying the Library would require slowly following the clues.
It wasn't something he could accomplish at present.
He could only gather information while strengthening himself.
"Alright."
Seeing that Fred's words didn't seem false, Lacus nodded in agreement.
The two walked side by side away from the area. Haken, who had been quietly following them, watched their retreating figures and slowly withdrew his gaze.
"Miss Lacus actually came in person."
Haken remarked with admiration.
"Is Miss Lacus valuing Freed?"
Herbert, chewing on a toothpick beside him, looked at Fred ahead and bit down hard on the toothpick as he asked.
Though Lacus was still young, as trusted aides, they naturally knew she was gradually learning to take over these covert forces.
And for such a gentle young girl, aside from respect, they also felt deep affection.
"If you fall for her, you probably wouldn't stand a chance anyway."
Haken shot an annoyed glance at the young man beside him.
As close comrades, he naturally understood what the other was thinking.