Chapter 134: Halftime
The abrupt and anticlimactic attack was heavily reported by the journalists on the scene. Some even captured the moment when General Revil and Dozle locked eyes amid the explosion's smoke and flames, turning it into a front-page story.
Incidentally, as expected, the media was prohibited from reporting on Dozle's remarks.
This brings up a rather absurd situation—despite Zeon having destroyed colonies and massacred space residents, a considerable number of people in space still sympathized with them, aside from those directly affected by their actions.
With the Federation's victory secured, the Federation Council even took the initiative to assume responsibility for colony maintenance and placed reconstruction efforts on the agenda—despite many ruins and debris on Earth remaining uncleared and unrepaired.
This shows that while the Federation Council was unwilling to relinquish power, they at least recognized that continued oppression of space residents would only lead to worse consequences.
With a slight reduction in the space forces' military budget, there was now some leeway to appease space residents.
According to the current plan, the first batch of reconstructed colonies would be operational by UC 0083.
Even so, the other three squadrons in Eli's battalion frequently reported experiencing hostility from local residents inside the colonies.
General Revil had been considering ways to address this issue.
Although it had not yet reached the point of affecting their operations, allowing it to fester long-term was not an option.
Moreover, the current trials were being broadcast live. While the operators swiftly cut the signal before the phrase "the righteousness of space residents" could be followed up, even that brief exposure was enough to cause headaches.
Words themselves may not be physically harmful, but when used properly, they could serve as a powerful banner.
However, none of this concerned Eli at the moment. He remained at the Torrington Base, having just seen off several high-ranking Federation officials, now waiting for the arrival of the Exorcist Squad.
During this period, Bask had already sent personnel to deliver the squad's dossiers to Eli.
Most of the team members required no special attention—Captain Yōg Koro and member Hugh Carter both had standard, complete records within the Federation Forces.
But the last member, former Augusta Base test pilot Sherry Allison, was the one Eli focused on the most.
As he studied the delicate features on the tablet screen in his hand, he contemplated how to make this person reveal herself as a Zeon spy.
Time passed quickly, and soon, a Medea transport plane slowly descended into Torrington Base.
As expected, its occupants included the members of the Exorcist Squad and their mobile suits.
Upon seeing that the Exorcist Squad was still using GM Command units, Eli suddenly realized something.
According to the original timeline, the Tears of the Sky operation was supposed to take place later in UC 0081, not at the beginning of the year like now.
But considering that even the Titans had already appeared, such details hardly mattered anymore.
A knock sounded at the door, and Eli called out for the person outside to enter.
"Federation Forces Special Operations Battalion, Titans-affiliated Independent Action Team, Exorcist Squad Captain Yōg Koro, reporting with my team!"
Eli looked at the solemn and upright Yōg, feeling a mix of emotions.
Any unit assigned a special designation was a sign of recognition, meaning Yōg must be an ACE pilot.
And indeed, Yōg was undeniably an ACE.
However, his grim and somber demeanor stemmed from the fact that he had lost all his previous teammates during the Battle of A Baoa Qu.
Another "Shinigami"—a death god.
After returning the salute, Eli immediately questioned Yōg about the Zeon remnants they were pursuing.
Unfortunately, to Eli's disappointment, the Exorcist Squad had only just begun their pursuit and knew nothing yet.
They weren't even aware of the Tears of the Sky operation.
So, Eli devised a plan.
"In that case, allow me to share what I know. When those Zeon remnants committed suicide, they mentioned their operation's codename—'Tears of the Sky.'"
While speaking, Eli's gaze remained fixed not on Yōg but on Sherry, who stood slightly behind him to his left.
As expected, the moment he uttered those words, Sherry's eyes widened, and her pupils shrank sharply.
"What's wrong, Lieutenant Allison? Do you know something?"
Although she quickly regained control of her expression, Eli—who had been watching closely—immediately turned to question her.
"Ah, no… it's nothing…"
Flustered, Sherry hurriedly tried to cover it up, even shifting her gaze upward to avoid looking into Eli's piercing eyes, as if trying to escape his scrutiny.
Eli smirked slightly but chose not to press further.
"Well then, I look forward to working with you, Captain Yōg."
Revealing the truth now would not serve Eli's interests.
In the original timeline, Sherry had only confessed everything after fighting alongside Yōg through multiple battles and realizing they both desired the end of war. Before that, she had endured round after round of interrogations from the Federation without breaking.
She was a person of strong convictions.
For now, Eli let the matter slide.
"Captain Yōg, your reinforcements, assigned by your superiors, are already stationed at Torrington Base. You should meet with them."
The implication behind Eli's words was clear—Yōg should take his team and leave.
Once they were gone, Eli stood up and observed the bustling activity around Torrington Base.
As mentioned earlier, the Federation Council had already passed the military reconstruction plan, and discussions on specific rearmament measures were underway. A final decision was expected within the year.
Despite being just a peripheral base, Torrington held an unusual distinction.
It had become Australia's new premier seaport—and the largest nuclear weapons base.
This was why Albion had come here to load nuclear warheads in the original story.
However, the signing of the Antarctic Treaty had greatly diminished the base's strategic significance, leading to a reduction in high-level oversight.
Eli exhaled lightly, then stood up from his desk and submitted a pre-prepared report.
The report was a request to strengthen security in the lunar cities.
Technically, it was beyond Eli's authority to propose such a measure, but he trusted that Colonel Wakkein, his battalion commander, would heed his advice.
After all, the best way to stop Tears of the Sky was not to chase down Zeon remnants scattered across the globe—
—but to safeguard the mass driver.