Herman looked at Eileen and replied to her in a calm tone. After finishing his response, he stared directly at Eileen and asked a question in return.
"Eileen, aside from the neutron jammer which is currently the optimal solution, do you have any other method to restrict the Earth Alliance's production capacity and ban their nuclear weapons?"
After Herman's question, Patrick, Ezalia, and other pro-war faction members turned their gaze to Eileen, quietly waiting for her answer.
In the silence, Eileen thought for a long time before finally lowering her head in frustration. She couldn't answer this question, nor could she think of any equipment more effective than the neutron jammer.
Despite this, Eileen didn't give up completely. Shifting her approach, she addressed Defense Committee Chairman Patrick.
"Zala, have you considered how to handle the situation our allies will face with this neutron jammer diffusion?"
"Of course we have! And we won't act suddenly. We'll inform our allies before taking action, helping them cope with the impact of the neutron jammers and assisting them in achieving a soft landing from the crisis as much as possible.
Additionally, we'll notify neutral nations, allowing them to make appropriate preparations to face the coming crisis and achieve a soft landing, while providing them with some assistance!"
At this point, Patrick paused briefly, his expression turning colder and his voice growing sharper.
"For Earth Alliance member nations hostile to us, we'll also issue public channel warnings to their civilians before commencing operations, allowing them to make some preparations."
Here, he looked at Eileen and stopped speaking for a moment before continuing in a more resolute, uncompromising tone.
"This is already the utmost we can do in terms of benevolence. Anything beyond this isn't our concern."
After speaking, Patrick turned his gaze to Siegel. Though he didn't speak, his eyes clearly signaled that it was time for Siegel to act.
Understanding Patrick's look, Siegel broke his silence and addressed the council members.
"Now we shall proceed with the vote!"
After speaking, Siegel was the first to make his selection through the screen before him. Others quickly followed suit, and soon the results appeared on the central screen.
After excluding abstentions, the pro-war faction's votes exceeded those of the moderate faction. Seeing this outcome, Patrick revealed a smug smile at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing the results, Siegel had no choice but to announce the outcome.
"I declare the neutron jammer diffusion proposal approved."
After announcing the result, Siegel turned to Patrick and continued.
"Zala, your defense department should quickly compile the corresponding diffusion plan and the content you mentioned during the meeting into a report for submission.
We need to review the plan's contents."
"No problem, we'll submit the plan tomorrow."
Patrick nodded as he spoke.
Victoria Spaceport
After ending his communication with Patrick, Felix walked out of the room and headed toward the temporary command center.
Walking into the command post, he asked Andrew,
"How's the situation?"
"Things are manageable for now. The Earth Alliance Forces launched a batch of missiles toward us, but they were intercepted by our patrol MS and ground defense units."
Looking up at Felix, he replied before asking in return,
"How did your communication with the Chairman go?"
"It's done. The first batch of resupplies is on the way. The MS unit departing early will reach near-Earth orbit tomorrow, and the initial supplies should arrive within a day or two."
Sitting in a chair, Felix responded to Andrew.
Andrew glanced at Felix, pulled out a chair, and sat down, studying the electronic map before him.
"With reinforcements coming, we can hold our position more securely."
"Exactly! The additional troops will significantly boost our chances of holding out. Once the follow-up supplies arrive around the fifteenth, we can fortify Victoria Spaceport further.
Dealing with the Earth Alliance Forces will become much easier."
Nodding, Felix answered.
Just as he finished speaking, a report came from the doorway.
Both turned their gaze to the entrance, eyeing the soldier before asking,
"What is it?"
"Captain Griffith, your MS may be out of commission for the next day or two."
The soldier saluted before delivering the report.
Felix frowned and asked,
"What happened?"
The soldier pressed his lips together, respect in his eyes, and explained the report.
"Captain Griffith, according to the maintenance team's inspection, your piloting has subjected the MS to extreme stress during combat. Many components have worn out far beyond their designed lifespan.
To ensure your MS is in optimal condition, a major overhaul is required, which will take about two days."
"Understood."
Accepting the outcome, Felix asked no further questions and replied before inquiring,
"Anything else?"
"Nothing, Captain."
Shaking his head, the soldier turned and left.
After he departed, Andrew moved closer to Felix, slinging an arm over his shoulder and teasing,
"Impressive! You might be the first to nearly pilot an MS into scrap."
"It's not my fault! If I kept the limiters on to protect the components' lifespan, I couldn't execute many maneuvers. To enhance combat effectiveness, I had to disable them.
And this is the result!"
Shrugging, Felix looked at Andrew with an innocent expression. Andrew studied him carefully, admiration in his voice.
"You're truly fearless! If something had gone wrong mid-battle, you could've lost your life."
"Don't worry, I know my limits. I understand how far I can push the components and operate right at the edge."
Smiling slightly, Felix replied with confidence.
Having said that, he turned to Andrew with a playful grin.
"You could try turning that off. After disabling it, the MS's mobility would improve significantly, making combat much smoother and more fluid."
Teased like this, Andrew waved his hands repeatedly, refusing outright.
"No! No! No!"
After his refusal, he continued speaking.
"I don't have your incredibly precise and extreme-level control skills, nor do I have your amazing brain to push the limits and show off like that."
After all, what you're doing is walking a tightrope. The slightest misstep could snap the wire, and your life could be over in an instant."
"No worries! You'll get the hang of it with more practice."
Smiling, Felix teased him again.