"Do they think we're fools?"
The Captain sneered as he looked at the images of the passenger cabin and the passenger list sent over by the other party.
Although the information they provided did indeed show the cabin layout, who would believe such a thing?
Their spies in South America had all insisted that the cargo was food, and there was a complete chain of evidence supporting each other's claims.
The Captain wasn't about to let the ship go just because the other side sent over a passenger list.
Even if the people on board were refugees, he would still keep them here.
Thinking coldly, the Captain waved his hand dismissively, his deep voice tinged with chill as he spoke.
"Stubborn fools! Sink that ship for me!"
"Commander... wouldn't it be better to board and inspect it first?"
Barnes hesitated but ultimately decided to speak up.
He was certainly not someone prone to excessive compassion, but he wasn't foolish either.
From the moment they locked onto this ship, he had felt a sense of unease in his heart. The operation had gone too smoothly, as if the people on the ship were waiting for them to attack.
Especially after the previous battle at Mendel, Barnes had grown even more cautious.
Having faced the enemy before and reviewed the battle afterward, he had naturally discerned some of the tactics of the opposing commander.
Simply put, wherever they could avoid using people, they absolutely would.
The armor of space vessels was specially treated to protect against cosmic radiation, which also blocked scans from various instruments, so they couldn't scan what was inside the other ship.
This situation gave him the feeling of a trap.
Not to mention, ZAFT's recent movements had been quite peculiar.
They had been relatively low-key before but had recently been provoking constantly.
The commander earlier was clearly one of the victims, already driven nearly mad with hatred.
Although it wasn't certain that the same commander would be leading this operation or that this was a trap, precautions still needed to be taken.
"I didn't expect you to be so soft-hearted."
Hearing this, the Commander showed no mercy, scoffing at the adjutant who had contradicted him.
"Have you forgotten how many of our people they've killed in our recent operations? Have you forgotten how many of our comrades died at the hands of these despicable Coordinators? Are you so eager to survive that you've forgotten the vengeance owed to your own subordinates?"
"It must be suffocating to serve under you, like being a grandson to the Coordinators."
Faced with the Commander's merciless mockery, a few malicious chuckles echoed in the bridge.
These were the Commander's people.
To them, Barnes' words felt like a slap in the face, and they were naturally hostile.
Meeting the gazes of everyone, Barnes kept his back straight.
He looked fearlessly at the Commander before him.
Like a wooden statue.
The eerie silence in the bridge lasted only a moment. Without giving Barnes a chance to retort, the Commander's eyes grew even colder as he spoke again.
"Then, if we board the ship and suffer casualties, should that be on your account, Adjutant Barnes!"
The Commander emphasized the word "adjutant" heavily.
The tone of the voice was unmistakably hostile.
Upon hearing this, Barnes stood with his mouth slightly agape, looking rather awkward, before finally shaking his head and stepping back.
Seeing Barnes like this, the Commander, who had finally vented his frustration, arrogantly glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before straightening himself in his Captain's seat.
The others, meanwhile, looked at Barnes with a hint of mockery in their eyes.
Even within Blue Cosmos, there were factions and power struggles.
And clearly, Barnes was not one of them.
As for Barnes, though his face was flushed with embarrassment and tinged with a sickly pallor, his mind remained remarkably calm.
His expression was mostly an act, and in truth, he wasn't entirely certain whether the ship before them was a trap or not.
But he had already done his part by warning them. If something went wrong now, it wouldn't be his responsibility.
After all, this operation was under the other party's full command, and with his earlier question, he now had recorded evidence on hand.
He knew exactly why the Commander had brought him along—to have someone to pin the blame on if things went south.
But it was a foolish and reckless move, driven by impatience and ambition.
Still, he needed to be prepared.
If things unfolded as he feared, the Commander would undoubtedly try to shift the blame onto him, the Adjutant.
Of course, while the Commander had connections, so did he.
As for the emotions of those around him, they meant nothing to him.
Better them than him.
If these fools walked right into a trap, they deserved it.
And if it turned out not to be a trap, he could accept that.
At worst, he'd lose a bit of face—a small price to pay compared to the risk of being made a scapegoat.
The Commander paid no further attention to the young man behind him and instead barked out a loud command.
"Open fire!"
At his words, countless missiles from the surrounding Drake-class ships swarmed toward the cargo vessel like a dense cloud.
Of course, not all missiles were launched—only about twenty or so.
But the ship made no attempt to evade and was swiftly destroyed, as if caught off guard by the sudden attack.
Without exception, every missile struck the PLANT cargo ship.
The red glow of the explosion soon overwhelmed the searchlights, illuminating the excited, twisted faces of those watching.
Soon, cheers erupted across the Bridge, with no trace of fear that they might have destroyed a refugee ship—only exhilaration.
It was the thrill of completing a mission and reaping the rewards, as well as the satisfaction of eliminating Coordinators.
But Barnes was not among those cheering.
After all, the fact that the ship hadn't even attempted to evade was deeply suspicious.
Just as doubt began to stir in Barnes' mind, the onboard computer precisely detected a signal transmission from the transport ship.
"An unknown signal has exchanged data with this vessel!" the science officer exclaimed in surprise.
"Who? Are there enemy escorts nearby?" the Commander snapped back, quickly regaining his composure.
He hadn't considered the possibility of a trap, assuming instead that PLANT had escorts operating covertly.
"No... the signal's destination cannot be traced," the science officer replied.
While the others were still processing this information, Barnes had already turned and begun walking out of the Bridge.
His face turned ashen.
His premonitions had now come true.
This was indeed a trap.
The missing signal was clearly identical to the situation during their previous operation at Mendel.
While it wasn't unusual for technology to be similar, such advanced technology would never be so easily disseminated.
If he wasn't mistaken, the transmitted data was likely their recent actions and conversations.
Massacring refugees indiscriminately.
Blue Cosmos might not care about taking the blame, but those who fell into the trap could still face internal repercussions.
It probably wouldn't be long before news of their malicious attack on civilian ships spread everywhere.
This also explained ZAFT's unusual movements earlier.
They had assumed those movements were meant to cover the food ships heading to South America, but it turned out they were meant to provoke them.
For this plan, the Coordinator in command was most likely still that person.
Since things had already happened, he needed to arrange things quickly to extricate himself.
As for those fools still confused, it was better not to bother with them.
Not long after confusion and celebration simultaneously erupted within the Blue Cosmos fleet, Fred, who had long since arrived at the Central Hub of April City, received a distant message through his computer.
"Then I'll leave these materials to you."
Fred looked at the communication records sent back from the decoy, glanced through them, and then forwarded everything to Lacus.
"What do you think we should say?"
Lacus, having also finished reviewing the records, asked.
As she spoke, the girl's delicate brows couldn't help but furrow slightly.
Her frown wasn't because the operation had gone poorly.
It was because Blue Cosmos had acted excessively. Even though Patrick's side had been constantly provoking, their targets were always military facilities.
But now, if their side had truly been refugee ships, they intended to ignore and kill indiscriminately. Such methods were truly despicable.
However, considering they originated from the Atlantic Federation and recalling the Atlantic Federation's actions during the last Recombinant War, Lacus felt it wasn't surprising.
Of course, what was even more astonishing was that Fred's predictions had once again proven accurate.
They had actually launched an attack in the second month.
They had only one month left before giving up.
Thinking of this, Lacus felt a cold sweat breaking out.
If their Coordinator crew had really lost over a hundred people at once, the war would likely spiral out of control.
As for now, although there was still a risk of war, it was at least manageable.
"They attacked the wrong target. Just pin the label of indiscriminate killing on them."
Fred said directly.
"We can't let this chain of hatred begin."
"Yes!"
Hearing Fred's words, Lacus nodded in strong agreement.
After all, if this really started, the Radical Faction within ZAFT wouldn't show any restraint.
Of course, given the chance, these radicals might have carried out such extreme actions anyway.
They were merely being suppressed, and indeed, they lacked the ability to resist.
In short, finding a path between these two sides was not easy.
Thinking this, Lacus continued to ask.
"Then, brother, how do you think we should explain the origin of this recording?"
Why this thing could appear was definitely a question.
It would also be the most frequently asked question after it spread.
"We can say that someone within Blue Cosmos left this recording, having repented and turned over a new leaf. This could also sow self-doubt within their ranks, slow their progress, and make them suspicious of each other."
Of course, they had information transmission behind the scenes, but as long as ordinary people believed it, that would be enough.
"Lacus knows this too, right?"
Fred didn't believe such a small matter required Lacus to ask him.
Hearing this, Lacus finally relaxed her tightly furrowed brow, revealing a pleasant smile on her face once more.
Though it was only a faint smile, it was clearly much better than the low-pressure atmosphere from before.
"I was just asking casually."
As she spoke, Lacus stood up to bid farewell.
"I'll take good care of this information. I'll be leaving now."
"Take care. I hope our plan achieves its goal smoothly."
Fred spoke earnestly, also standing up to bid farewell to Lacus as she prepared to leave.
This trap seemed to have been set quickly, but they had waited a full two months. Even Fred was somewhat worried that his butterfly effect might have caused Blue Cosmos to abandon the attack.
Of course, this was just baseless worry.
After all, Patrick had frequently provoked them recently, and those in Blue Cosmos firmly believed the information their pawns had uncovered, so it was normal for them to fall into the trap.
With this successful strike, if handled properly, it might be possible to normalize their food supply.
As long as space agriculture proceeded smoothly from here, it would be a significant step toward future space migration.
Of course, aside from this great significance, they also needed to use this incident to label the Atlantic Federation, and even the Eurasian Federation, as evil in the court of world public opinion.
"Alright!"
Seeing Fred's hopeful expression, Lacus nodded firmly, showing her determination.
...
The two didn't chat much longer and soon parted ways.
Lacus returned to prepare for the next phase of the operation.
For her, the upcoming public opinion warfare was where she would truly contribute.
As for Fred, he boarded a shuttle heading toward Junius City.
On the way back, Fred was still reviewing the agricultural research materials in front of him. According to the action plan, the food production line would soon be rolled out.
When that time came, it would also be his and Reyna's moment to step into the spotlight.
However, compared to Fred, who was diligently studying, Alec beside him seemed hesitant, as if wanting to speak but holding back.
"Alec, what's wrong?"
Looking up from the materials, Fred asked.
"Fred... are you sure that evidence alone is enough?"
"I can't help but feel it's not that simple... The Atlantic Federation wouldn't stop targeting us just because of public opinion, would they?"
Alec's words carried a hint of hesitation and nervousness.
"It's not that simple."
Fred nodded in agreement.
Public opinion alone was unlikely to sway the decisions of those in power.
At least, that's how it is in most places.
Even in my previous life, it was the same.
They may curse each other, but the fighting is still fierce enough to make one's teeth itch.
As for here, if he doesn't intervene, ZAFT will eventually become such a place too.
"What I've done is simply to legitimize our actions and establish normal diplomatic relations with other nations."
"As for the Atlantic Federation, in the end, we'll still have to fight."
As he spoke, Fred felt a bit nervous, but not the slightest bit afraid.
After all, only by eliminating Blue Cosmos, the root cause of all this, would he gain his freedom and the world achieve peace.
At least, that's how it is now, while the Clyne Faction still holds significant control over PLANT.
"Alright, Lacus will arrange everything. We just need to focus on developing the food supply."
As Fred finished speaking, the shuttle slowly came to a stop at the port of Junius City.
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