The Luna, along with a group of Midia transport planes, headed for Jaburo under the escort of airborne MS units. It wasn't that they didn't encounter interception attempts from the Zeon Army along the way, but every time the enemy showed their heads, they were either shot down by the escorting MS units or consumed by the Luna's ferocious firepower.
"There shouldn't be any more of them now, right?" Having just repelled a wave of Zeon attacks, the 2nd Squadron was returning to the Luna for resupply, while the replacement 3rd Squadron launched in sequence.
"We're about to enter Jaburo Base's airspace. There probably won't be any more."
"But you know Captain Badgiruel's cautious style."
"That's true."
Everyone understood Natarle Badgiruel's caution. After all, the Luna was surrounded by vulnerable Midia transport planes. If they were caught off guard by a Zeon air raid, a single hit could cause a crash.
"Colonel, we have entered Jaburo's airspace," Natarle Badgiruel reported to Yang Hui on the bridge.
"Understood. Let's decrease altitude. Have the 4th and 6th Squadrons launch to expand the interception perimeter."
"Roger."
Jaburo Base was the headquarters of the Federal Army and had always been a target Zeon was searching for. They only knew the base was underground somewhere in this region, but they had never found the specific entrances and exits. This had led Zeon to abort more than one attempt to strike at the heart of the enemy and launch a major offensive against the Federal Army's headquarters, all because they couldn't pinpoint the target.
Even now that the Federation was beginning to deploy MS units on a large scale, the location of Jaburo headquarters could not be casually exposed. Firstly, the Federation's MS units had not yet fully matured. Secondly, they had to prevent Zeon from taking desperate measures. The Antarctic Treaty... held little sway over a madman like Gihren Zabi.
Following the guidance from Jaburo Base, the Luna and the Midia transport planes landed one after another. After confirming the safe landing of the transport force and finding no Zeon reconnaissance units, the escorting squadrons also returned to base.
"General Revil, General Gopp."
"Yes, welcome back, Colonel Yang Hui. The operation to return to space will begin in ten days. You can rest and recuperate at Jaburo Base for these ten days."
"Yes, General."
"Come with me."
"Yes, sir."
The others were dismissed, and Yang Hui followed Revil and Gopp to their office. There, a familiar person was already waiting for their arrival.
"Long time no see, Mr. Yang Hui. No, I should be calling you Colonel now."
"It's been a while, Assemblyman Creuset."
The fact that Yang Hui and Creuset greeted each other did not arouse any suspicion from Revil and Gopp. They had seen Yang Hui and Creuset have a brief exchange at Cardeas's birthday banquet, so they must have known each other.
"General Revil, General Gopp, is Assemblyman Creuset the person you wanted to introduce to me?"
"Yes. Creuset is now an influential member of the Federal Assembly, and his ideals are the same as ours," Revil explained.
"I see. It seems our collaboration is about to gain a reliable member."
"Yes, that's right," Gopp nodded. "Since Mr. Cardeas's birthday banquet, Assemblyman Creuset and I have been in constant contact, and I've been observing him. I can confirm that he is wholeheartedly working for the good of the entire Federation, unlike those corrupt individuals. Therefore, I believe he is worthy of joining our collaboration."
"I've also heard a few things about Assemblyman Creuset's deeds. To fight for more rights for the common people, he didn't hesitate to confront the Aristocrat Faction. It's rumored he has even faced many dangers like assassinations, kidnappings, and threats."
"This is my duty as a member of the Federal Assembly. Compared to the rewards I've gained, this small price is nothing."
"Alright, everyone, let's stop with the flattery," Revil interrupted the exchange of compliments. The four of them sat down and got straight to the point. "The vermin in the Federal Army have been mostly cleaned up. We can ignore Koneman's side for now. The problem now is with the Assembly."
The military and politics were never separate. Although the Federal Army was currently in the hands of Revil and Gopp, the Federal Assembly could still exert influence over it—or rather, be a drag on it.
With the Federal Army's internal situation stabilized, the next target would naturally be the Federal Assembly.
"The biggest problem right now is the several leaders of the Aristocrat Faction, especially the 'Continental Revival Foundation' they created." Creuset, with a serious expression, recounted his findings to the other three. "At first, I thought it was a small organization, but after investigation, I discovered it's a huge problem. On the surface, this organization has been supporting public welfare, including post-war reconstruction, and sheltering and raising war orphans. But in reality, it's an institution for transferring and laundering funds. Any illicit funds held by its members flow into the foundation and are then cleaned through a series of procedures."
"Also, this foundation secretly engages in very dark underground dealings, the most typical of which is human trafficking. They gather people affected by the war, as well as the children they've taken in. They first select the children worth cultivating and then raise them to be their own people. Now, their people have infiltrated every aspect of the Federation. It's almost impossible to eliminate them all in one fell swoop..."
"Wait! They select promising children from those they've taken in, cultivate them, and then send them out? Does this mean the foundation has been around for a long time?" Gopp asked.
"Yes. At first, I also thought the Continental Revival Foundation was established after the war broke out. But it turns out this organization was founded 50 years ago. It wasn't called this back then. Its name was the 'Restoration Society'."
"'Restoration Society'..." Revil and Gopp both tried to recall the name but found no similar memory. They had been influential figures in the Federation for decades, yet they had never heard of the existence of the Restoration Society.
"What role does Jamitov play in this? Is Koneman connected to this organization?" After failing to find an answer, Revil asked about the issues that concerned him. Gopp and Creuset were responsible for both planning and executing political matters. He only cared about affairs within the military. Among the top personnel of the "Restoration Society" that had been uncovered, only Hymen Jamirov was from the military.
"Hymen Jamirov is one of the founders of the Continental Revival Foundation. That's his identity on the surface, but secretly... he is the son of the first president of the Restoration Society, Emil Gism."
"Kleismann? The Kleismann Family?" The three of them frowned. Fifteen years ago, the Kleismann Family's status in the Federation was on par with the Vist Foundation; they were both behemoths whose every move could make the Federation tremble.
But fifteen years ago, a behemoth like the Kleismann Family collapsed spectacularly. There was no warning, no process; it simply ceased to exist overnight, leaving everyone in disbelief.
The Federation had sent people to investigate, but they found nothing, only publicly announcing that the main members of the Kleismann Family were either dead or missing.
The industries under the Kleismann Family were quickly carved up by other families, which meant no one cared how the Kleismann Family fell. In fact, they were probably glad to see the great mountain fall.
"Yes. The investigation revealed that Hymen Jamirov is Emil Gism's illegitimate son, whose identity was never acknowledged."
"Hmm... The collapse of the Kleismann Family remains a mystery to this day. So, Jamitov... might he know something?"
"We haven't yet found a link between Hymen Jamirov and the collapse of the Kleismann Family, but it's worth investigating further."
"Alright. What about Koneman?"
"Currently, we have found no connection between General Koneman and the Continental Revival Foundation."
"I see. It seems we can't make a move just yet."
It was a delicate situation where one wrong move could have wide-ranging consequences. The tentacles of the Continental Revival Foundation had penetrated every aspect of the Federation. They were still in the midst of a war; a stable front line required a stable rear. If chaos erupted in the rear, the situation on the front line would become an unstoppable, raging torrent.
"Yang Hui, what are your thoughts?" Gopp asked Yang Hui. With no outsiders present, no one treated him as just a soldier who only knew how to fight.
"Hymen Jamirov—his past, his relationship with the Kleismann Family, and his connection to that major case from back then. These must be the top priority. Only by understanding these things will we know what cards the other side holds and how we should deal with them."
"Alright, let's do that."
The discussion on political matters ended there. Next were the affairs of the Federal Army. However, the next course of action for the Twelfth Independent Technical Division had long been decided. So, it was mainly Gopp venting to Revil and Yang Hui, nagging them about spending money like water, not taking care of their equipment, and not understanding his hardships, and so on. Revil and Yang Hui were sweating profusely as they listened. If not for Gopp's vice-like grip holding them down, they would have gotten up and fled without a moment's hesitation.
Creuset was naturally happy to watch the show from the side. He had just been made a fool of by Yang Hui not long ago, and now that he could get one back, he certainly wouldn't waste the opportunity.
After Gopp had finished venting, Yang Hui and Creuset left separately. Yang Hui still had to check on the rookies' training, and Creuset had to return to the Federation to continue his investigation.
Revil and Gopp, however, remained in the room, both standing with their hands behind their backs, looking out the window.
"Acting is quite tiring," Revil complained.
"Then why didn't you expose them?" Gopp asked, smiling like a fox.
"Since they have their own plans, it wouldn't be good to ruin them by exposing them."
"Is that so? Or are you just afraid he'll quit if you do?"
"...Don't kick a man when he's down!"
"Hahaha..."
In truth, Revil and Gopp had long noticed the relationship between Yang Hui and Creuset, especially after Athrun and Gai Murakumo left Creuset's side to join the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. Back then, Revil had failed to recruit them. He didn't believe for a second that Yang Hui, as a stranger, had more clout than he did.