"Captain Barthfeld."
Felix called out to Andrew.
Andrew looked at Felix, and under his gaze, Andrew asked, "What is it, Captain Griffith?"
"What do you think of this deployment arrangement?" Felix inquired, pointing at the map before him.
Andrew turned to look at the electronic virtual map on the table. After studying Felix's arrangements and running a quick simulation in his mind, he nodded and said, "It seems fine for now."
"If there are no issues, we'll proceed with this tactical deployment to prepare for the upcoming operation," Felix confirmed upon seeing Andrew's agreement.
Andrew did not object and nodded in response to Felix.
Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Defense in Aprilius City, PLANT, inside the Chairman's office...
"Ezalia, Yuri, Herman, I've just received the latest battle report," Patrick said, addressing the three of them.
The three focused their attention on Patrick, eager to hear the results. Patrick continued, "According to the report sent back by Felix, they have successfully completed the occupation of Victoria Spaceport. Our operation has achieved initial success."
Upon hearing the news, expressions of joy appeared on their faces. After a moment, Yuri's expression turned serious, and he broke the calm atmosphere, saying, "Zala, although we have initially occupied Victoria Spaceport, this is only the beginning. The key now is how we hold it. The Earth Alliance won't allow us to occupy a spaceport so peacefully."
"You're right," Patrick agreed, nodding. "Felix also raised the same concern in his report and hopes we can reinforce Victoria Spaceport to ensure we have enough troops to defend it."
Just as he finished speaking, Herman asked, "Zala, what were our losses in this operation?"
"Our MS forces suffered approximately a quarter in losses, and the ground ZAFT forces lost over a quarter, with a significant number of casualties as well," Patrick replied, glancing at the report in his hand.
He then added, "The ground forces suffered heavier losses because the defenders at Victoria Spaceport held out inside the port, making the clearance operations more difficult and resulting in increased casualties."
"We definitely need to reinforce, especially the ground forces. Otherwise, even if we can hold the airspace, we might not be able to hold the ground," Herman said with a stern expression.
After a moment, Herman asked Patrick, "How did the Prototype Ground Combat Mobile Suit BuCUE perform?"
"Overall, it performed quite well, but there's a need for greater diversity in its weapon options," Patrick replied.
"There's no need to worry about this. Besides the three Missile Pack BuCUEs already produced, three more BuCUEs equipped with Electromagnetic Cannon Packs have been completed and can be transferred to the ground for use and testing."
Hearing this report, Herman immediately responded.
Patrick nodded upon hearing this, then turned to the three of them and addressed them simultaneously.
"What are your thoughts regarding reinforcements for Victoria Spaceport?"
"I believe we should deploy an MS force equal in size to the attacking unit to airdrop and defend Victoria Spaceport. At the same time, we should mass-produce equipment to expand the spaceport, allowing our forces to better defend and garrison it!"
Under this inquiry, Yuri was the first to speak.
After Yuri, Herman voiced his opinion.
"I think that level of force is still insufficient—it should be doubled. The three major council countries of the Earth Alliance possess over ten thousand combat aircraft in their combined air and naval forces on Earth. The number destroyed at Victoria Spaceport this time is less than a tenth of their reserves.
So, to be safe, I believe the reinforcements should be increased twofold to ensure we can hold Victoria Spaceport.
We must avoid failure in this operation!"
"I agree with Herman's viewpoint."
The moment Herman finished, Ezalia expressed her agreement. Yuri turned to look at Herman, thought for a moment, and did not raise any objections to this perspective.
After a brief silence, Ezalia spoke up.
"Zala, with the official outbreak of war between us and the Earth Alliance, another military expansion is imperative."
"I'm aware of that. A report has already been prepared, and the proposal for expansion will be submitted once the Supreme Council convenes."
Patrick nodded at Ezalia as he said this.
Having spoken, Patrick produced a document and placed it before the three. They looked at it and each picked up a copy.
The contents of the document detailed the Ouroboros Operation.
Reading through it, Yuri frowned and spoke.
"Zala, dispersing Neutron Jammers on Earth will inevitably cause nuclear power plants and some civilian facilities to cease operation. Such actions will plunge Earth into an energy crisis, affecting the lives and safety of many civilians.
This could intensify anti-PLANT and anti-Coordinator sentiments on Earth, which might be highly detrimental to our operations."
"Yuri, your concerns are overly sentimental."
Before Patrick could respond, Ezalia was the first to refute him. After this rebuttal, she continued.
"Using Neutron Jammers to block Earth's nuclear fission energy is about saving the lives of our ZAFT soldiers. Otherwise, with the industrial capacity the Earth Alliance commands, they would pose a significant threat to our ZAFT Forces, leading to even greater casualties.
Therefore, we must block Earth's nuclear fission energy to reduce the Earth Alliance's industrial output."
Hearing this rebuttal, Yuri opened his mouth but said nothing further in opposition. In contrast to the argument between the two, Herman calmly sat back, waiting for the meeting to conclude.
"Are there any further objections to the Ouroboros Operation?"
In the tranquil atmosphere, Patrick looked at the three individuals, particularly focusing his gaze on Yuri, and asked aloud.
In response, Ezalia and Herman shook their heads, while Yuri neither directly agreed nor opposed, answering Patrick with silence.
"Since that's the case, we will submit the proposals we prepared during the upcoming Supreme Council meeting and strive to get all three proposals approved."
Seeing no objections, Patrick stood up and announced the conclusion of the small discussion meeting. The other three rose as well, following Patrick out of the chairman's office.