Signal flares ignited in the dark void of space, spotted by nearby warships. The captain of one vessel issued an order upon seeing them.
"Fire the retreat signal!"
"Yes, sir!"
The tactical commander acknowledged.
The command was executed, and the warship launched its retreat flare.
As one ship followed suit, others that saw the signal also began firing their flares. Soon, all surviving Earth Alliance Forces warships along the battle line were launching retreat signals.
On the front lines, Mobius pilots, though unable to communicate directly with their ships, observed the flares through their optical sensors. Seeing the retreat order, they immediately began withdrawing toward their mother ships without hesitation. In moments, the Earth Alliance battle line contracted toward the Yggdrasil space station.
Inside the White GINN cockpit, Felix saw the flares lighting up the cosmos but showed no hesitation. Instead, he pursued the retreating enemies relentlessly. The White GINN's Heavy Assault Machine Gun roared to life, rounds firing from its barrel. The bullets crossed the silent vacuum, eventually striking the propulsion system of a Mobius.
The propulsion system exploded, leaving the Mobius without sustained acceleration. Though inertia carried it forward in the weightlessness of space, it could no longer gain speed.
"Bastard! Bastard!"
The pilot raged helplessly in the cockpit, unable to change the situation no matter how frantically he operated the controls.
Felix's White GINN closed in on the crippled Mobius, Heavy Sword in hand. With a single decisive slash, the Mobile Suit was destroyed.
After eliminating that target, Felix moved on to attack other Mobius units and warships. Explosions flared along the White GINN's trajectory, each burst of light marking another Mobius destroyed.
After a sustained offensive, Felix noticed the energy reading on his screen. The High Energy Battery Pack was nearly depleted.
"If only it were nuclear-powered," he sighed.
Firing the last rounds in his Heavy Assault Machine Gun's magazine, Felix piloted the White GINN toward the Sebastian.
Aboard the Sebastian, Aric saw the returning Mobile Suit and knew it must be low on energy.
"Open the hatch!" he ordered.
The command was relayed, and the Sebastian's hatch opened. Felix guided the White GINN back into the hangar.
Exiting the cockpit, he addressed the maintenance crew. "Prepare it for redeployment as quickly as possible!"
"Understood!" The maintenance chief saluted in reply.
With that, Felix headed for the Mobile Suit Pilot ready room.
Not long after stepping into the waiting room, Felix saw Heine enter as well, followed by two other members.
Seeing the three of them and noting the absence of the remaining two, Felix already had an inkling of what happened.
Heine sat beside Felix, his expression heavy, speaking with a tone of sorrow.
"Doron has fallen!"
"I know."
Hearing the news of his subordinate's death, Felix was momentarily stunned, but he suppressed the grief in his heart and replied to Heine in a calm tone.
After speaking, he reached out and patted Heine on the shoulder.
"Loss is a constant in war! We must recognize this reality and accept it. Only then can we keep moving forward."
Having offered this comfort, Felix continued.
"You're a veteran too. You should understand this."
"I know."
Heine nodded seriously in response.
Hearing Heine's reply, Felix turned to the other two and offered them words of consolation as well.
After comforting them, Felix waited there for the Mobile Suits to be fully prepared.
Aric's voice came over the intercom in the waiting room.
"Captain, please come to the bridge!"
Hearing the call, Felix opened his eyes from his rest, glanced at Heine and the other two, then turned and headed for the bridge.
Bridge
Upon arriving, Felix saw the scene of Yggdrasil exploding on the large screen.
"Did the Earth Alliance Forces detonate Yggdrasil themselves?"
He asked Aric while looking at the screen.
Aric stood up and saluted Alex, replying.
"Correct! The Earth Alliance Forces detonated Yggdrasil themselves. They must have realized that with their current strength, they could no longer protect Yggdrasil. To prevent us from capturing it, they chose to destroy it outright."
"What about the status of the Earth Alliance Forces' units?"
Nodding slightly, Felix inquired about the Earth Alliance Forces' situation.
Aric reported to Felix.
"The remnants of the Earth Alliance Forces regrouped their Mobile Armors while our units were returning for resupply. Their warships are now fleeing the battlefield at full speed.
Just now, the flagship launched signal flares. According to our prearranged code, these three flares indicate that we are not to pursue."
"If the Commander has ordered no pursuit, then we won't pursue!"
Learning the Commander's decision, Felix didn't comment further. He accepted the outcome easily and turned to Aric.
"Notify me if anything comes up."
With that, Felix turned and left the bridge.
Thirty minutes later,
As the Neutron Jammers were deactivated, communications between warships were restored. Sitting in his captain's quarters, Felix established contact with the other two warships.
Once the connection was stable, Felix breathed a sigh of relief.
After exchanging a few words with the captains of the two warships, he switched the communication channel to Miles and Phipps.
"Phipps, Miles, what are the losses in your MS Squads?"
"Captain, our squad lost two Mobile Suits. Two Mobile Suit Pilots fell in this battle."
Phipps was the first to report to Felix.
After him, Miles also spoke.
"Captain, our situation is similar - we lost two Mobile Suits and two Mobile Suit Pilots."
"Were the casualties all new recruits?"
"Both casualties from our squad were new recruits!"
"Same for our squad casualties."
The two reported to Felix one after another.
Upon learning this outcome, Felix showed neither surprise nor shock, as if this had been expected all along.
"This battle is somewhat special. New recruits inherently lack practical battlefield experience, and coupled with the unique nature of this engagement, their inexperience became even more pronounced. Such outcomes are quite normal."
"Indeed! This battle is very unusual. Even I had trouble adapting at first and nearly lost my life at one point."
"My situation was similar to yours - I also came close to dying."