"Alright! It's settled!"
Upon hearing Fred's words, the assertiveness on Lacus's face vanished, and her delicate, jade-like little finger extended toward Fred.
"Pinky promise."
Lacus's tone carried a hint of softness.
"Pinky promise?"
Fred was momentarily taken aback by such a childish gesture.
"Is that not okay?"
Lacus raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Fine, let's pinky promise."
Fred let out a bitter laugh before extending his hand. Their little fingers gently hooked together and swayed lightly.
...
Not long after this small interlude, another half a year passed, bringing them to the year 68.
The world continued to operate as usual, though the conflicts between the two sides were intensifying.
Despite this, Fred's original plans remained unchanged.
At present, increasing the influence of the Moderate Faction had become increasingly difficult.
He couldn't simply shift public opinion from radicalism to moderation.
What was needed was a channel that could allow both sides to calm down.
And war might be an unavoidable option.
It was in this atmosphere of growing war clouds that Fred, in his study office, had just set aside his work when Siegel approached him.
"As you said, there are indeed unusual movements near Mendel."
Siegel spoke with a serious expression.
Hearing this, Fred nodded in agreement.
"It seems the intelligence I gathered from Mendel earlier was indeed accurate."
"Hmm..."
Siegel wasn't sure where Fred had found the time to gather information from Mendel's researchers back then, but given his mentor's earlier words, he didn't bother dwelling on it. Instead, he continued.
"We plan to abandon Mendel, but we must evacuate the personnel."
Siegel took a deep breath, the gravity in his words unmistakable to anyone listening.
As Fred had anticipated, if Blue Cosmos continued its relentless attacks on Mendel, there was little they could do.
Blue Cosmos was based on Earth. If they truly engaged in a tug-of-war over Mendel, they could wear them down through attrition.
Moreover, from Ola's withdrawal, Siegel had realized they were truly intent on going all out. In that case, there was no point in holding out.
While they had some ties with that company, it was only "some."
Not enough to justify such sacrifices.
"Is that so?"
Fred wasn't surprised by this news, though a hint of curiosity stirred within him.
If they wanted to withdraw, why come to him?
His confusion was soon addressed.
"You were in charge of the previous operation at Mendel, so for this evacuation, I'd like you to serve as the action team leader."
Siegel explained in response to Fred's unspoken question.
"Of course, you don't need to go there yourself. Remote command will suffice. Communication technology has seen some recent advancements, and delays should be manageable within five minutes."
Siegel knew who was responsible for the success of the previous operation.
Fred's sense of meticulous planning was reassuring.
Having him as the action team leader would also provide another opportunity to gauge his capabilities.
After all, Fred's abilities and sources of information remained a mystery.
Observing and learning more wouldn't hurt.
Consider it an added layer of insurance.
"Is that so..."
Upon hearing Siegel's words, Fred pondered for a moment before asking.
"Does Uncle Patrick know?"
"No."
Siegel shook his head.
"I understand. In that case, I have one more request."
Fred stood up and spoke solemnly.
"What?"
Rarely hearing a request from the other party, Siegel asked curiously.
"I want a private development factory to build experimental units."
"..."
Listening to Fred's words, Siegel was stunned.
The information about his secret factory shouldn't have been leaked, right?
Fred must be guessing, right?
If he truly knew, that would be somewhat terrifying.
Although inwardly surprised, Siegel maintained his composed and steady demeanor on the surface.
"Your MS research..."
"It's progressing smoothly, but I'm afraid it might escalate the situation."
"I see."
Upon hearing this, Siegel lowered his head again as if struck by silence.
He concealed the light in his eyes.
Not long ago, he had discussed with Patrick how Fred's recent progress had slowed, thinking that perhaps his talent had reached its limit and his research would gradually return to that of an ordinary researcher.
But now, Fred was telling him that he had actually been hiding his research progress?
However, Siegel could understand. In truth, he too feared the current domestic sentiment, with people clamoring daily for Naturals to pay the price.
Even his own support as part of the Moderate Faction had dropped significantly compared to before.
They didn't even consider the disparity in strength between the two sides—they should just know when to stop.
A full-scale war would be difficult to win.
And Fred's earlier question about whether Patrick knew was also a form of probing.
Both of them had things they were hiding from Patrick. Given this, they could become closer allies and share more secrets.
Thinking of the hidden factory they had outside, after brief consideration, Siegel nodded.
"We have a factory, but it's only a small one. It can't produce many Mobile Suits."
"Mass production is absolutely impossible, but developing one or two units at a time shouldn't be a problem."
He didn't know who Fred's Mobile Suits were for.
But first and foremost, they would certainly have the data. It was a win-win situation for both sides.
Moreover, with the assurances from his mentor and Lacus, although Fred remained shrouded in mystery, he was still trustworthy.
"That's enough."
Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Fred's face.
This was exactly what he wanted.
And with Siegel and Lacus in the Clyne Faction, it was relatively reliable.
He had originally wanted to find an opportunity to bring this up but hadn't expected Siegel to mention Mendel just then.
Thinking of this, Fred felt even happier and immediately added.
"I'll do my best to ensure all your people are withdrawn!"
His joy wasn't revealed in his words, which remained as solemn as ever.
"Good, very good."
Hearing Fred's assurance, Siegel nodded.
"I'll give you all the recent data. The withdrawal operation must begin this week."
Siegel was also decisive. Soon, Fred was presented with various documents related to the operation.
In fact, even without Fred's involvement, the withdrawal operation had already been meticulously planned.
It even accounted for various possible accidents along the way and potential encounters.
However, since he wasn't that clever to begin with, Fred wasn't too surprised.
"I still need to make some additions," Fred muttered.
The journey was long, and along the way, he would need to launch a few more Surveillance Satellites for security purposes.
After that, he just needed to find and patch up some loopholes inside, and the task would be done.