Gundam, the Gundam journey of a certain glue guy and his mecha girl.

Although the coalition's operation was met with protests from the Eurasian Federation afterward, in the end, the coalition traded a inferior horse for Zaft's superior one.

The balance of power seemed to be tilting in favor of the coalition forces at that moment, but the coalition's advantage lasted for less than three weeks before the ZAFT invasion of Panama turned the tide again.

ZAFT has deployed a new weapon, the Odin Spear. When activated, the Odin Spear generates massive electromagnetic pulses that can paralyze all electronic devices within its range that have not undergone special treatment.

The introduction of this new weapon rendered the Allied Forces' newly formed assault dagger unit a pile of iron coffins, completely failing to demonstrate its due combat power.

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Odin's Spear, ZAFT forces stormed the heavily fortified coalition base in Panama, destroying the coalition's last mass accelerator and effectively trapping them on the ground.

This is why Orb is in its current dilemma.

The saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

Of the four mass accelerators on Earth, the Victoria Mass Accelerator was taken by ZAFT, the Kaohsiung Mass Accelerator was destroyed by the retreating ZAFT forces during the counter-offensive of the Republic of East Asia, the Panama Mass Accelerator was just reduced to ruins, and the remaining one is Orb's Kaguya Mass Accelerator.

Just a few days ago, the Atlantic Federation, which leads the Earth Alliance, put forward a "either-or" policy to neutral countries, demanding that governments join the Earth Alliance in an almost intimidating manner.

Seeing the Atlantic Federation's aggressive attitude, Uzmi knew that if Ob rejected the proposal, the Atlantic Federation would definitely choose to resolve the issue by force in order to obtain the Mass Accelerator.

Given its size, Orb is no match for the Atlantic Federation.

In addition, behind Orb is ZAFT's Capantalia base.

If Orb were to abandon its neutrality and side with the Earth Federation, the ZAFT forces stationed at the nearby Capantaria base would certainly not stand idly by.

If Orb chooses to adhere to the principle of neutrality, it will be met with hostility from both sides.

This is the worst choice, and Uzmi knows it better than anyone.

Orb is too small, but what he holds is far too important.

Just as Uzmi was struggling with this dilemma, a message from Halbarton offered him a fourth option.

"The third force?"

Uzmi repeated the word to make sure he hadn't misheard.

"That's right."

Halbarton's voice was steady and powerful.

“I am planning to establish an international organization independent of the Earth Federation after this war ends. Its members will include various neutral countries, the Kleinist forces within PLANT, and the Republic of East Asia, one of the three giants of the Earth Federation.”

Of the forces that Halbarton attacked, apart from the Klein faction, the rest were forces that had received Halbarton's MS technology sharing. These forces all had one thing in common: they hated blue cosmosism and the interest groups behind it.

“Orb’s technical capabilities will be an important asset to us. Uzmi, I hope Orb can join us.”

"This is like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. The Atlantic Federation is determined to get our Aub."

Uzmi had a very pleasant working relationship with Halbarton before, and he was not opposed to continuing to work with Halbarton, but if Halbarton could not solve the survival problems facing Orb, then there would be no point in saying anything.

"I have already discussed this with the high-ranking officials of the Republic of East Asia. If Representative Uzmi is willing to join, a fleet from the Republic of East Asia will depart soon and arrive in Aub a week later. They will guarantee Aub's de facto independence. That fleet is equipped with the latest batch of Dagger L-class destroyers and performed exceptionally well in the Republic of East Asia's recent counterattack on Kaohsiung, enough to intimidate the Atlantic Federation's fleet."

Halbarton's proposal was indeed very appealing, allowing Orb to maintain its status as an independent nation while also resolving the current security crisis.

The Republic of East Asia is, after all, one of the three giants of the Earth Alliance. No matter how domineering the Atlantic Federation is, it would not go so far as to use force against its allies during times of war.

After some hesitation, Uzmi ultimately accepted Halbarton's offer, which was far better than the Atlantic Federation's demand to dissolve the government and military.

However, the Atlantic Federation acted much faster than Uzmi and Halbarton had anticipated.

The East Asian Republic's fleet had only been at sea for a few days when the Atlantic Federation Navy's Fourth Fleet was already deployed off the coast of Obu and issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Uzmi.

-----------------

Uzmi's representative office was in complete chaos, with the long table covered with all sorts of diplomatic documents and military maps.

Soldiers came and went, keeping a real-time update on the latest situation, and anxiety was written on everyone's face.

The phone rang incessantly, with each department hoping for accurate instructions.

To fight or to make peace?

"How much longer until the East Asian Republic's fleet arrives?"

Uzmi's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire office.

"According to the timetable provided by the Republic of East Asia, it is expected that there will be four more days."

'So, we're supposed to hold out for two whole days on our own?'

Uzimi rubbed his temples, mentally assessing the difference in combat strength between the two sides.

The Atlantic Federation's forces were also equipped with mobile suits, so there was no generational gap in weaponry between the two sides. However, in terms of manpower, Orb was far inferior to its counterpart.

Orb's chances of winning are not high.

If one were a weak person, they would probably choose to kneel down and surrender.

The Lion of Obu was never a weak man.

"As the representative of the nation, I hereby declare that a state of emergency has been declared throughout Obu, the military has begun combat readiness mobilization, and the civilian population is being evacuated. If we can hold on for just two more days, that will be our victory."

Chapter 74 The Battle of June 14th (1)

June 14, 1971 C.E.

With the ultimatum deadline passed and no response received from Orb, the Atlantic Federation's 4th Fleet launched an attack on Orb.

The first wave of the offensive was launched by the surface fleet of the 4th Naval Fleet. Dozens of cruisers and destroyers lined up in formation on the outer edge of Aubu's territory. Cruise missiles and air forces bombarded the defensive facilities at the head of Aubu Beach. The land-based anti-ship missiles were bombarded and sent into the air before they could even fire. The bunkers at the head of the beach were a key target of the coalition forces and were destroyed one by one by the artillery fire.

Once this round of firepower was over, the MS troops followed closely behind, landing through the gap created by the artillery fire and advancing towards the Orbne lands.

The mobile suits equipped by the 4th Fleet are the Strike Daggers, manufactured by LOGOS's military industrial enterprises. Although these mobile suits have a similar appearance to the Dagger designed by Raven, they lack backpack interchangeability and the quality of the mobile suits themselves is quite low. However, their advantages are ease of production and maintenance, and a very low difficulty of piloting. Even new recruits can develop a certain level of combat capability after simple piloting training.

Coincidentally, due to the complete annihilation of the Atlantic Federation's MS training squadron in the Panama campaign, the MS units of the 4th Fleet were almost entirely composed of new recruits. The few veterans who had transitioned from fighter pilots were not yet accustomed to the differences in combat methods between fighters and MS.

The Strike Dagger, a unit with a low skill ceiling, is sufficient for the current 4th Fleet.

The coalition's attack on the beachhead went very smoothly. The fixed defensive structures were almost completely destroyed before they could play a role, and the coalition's MS troops successfully landed on the beachhead.

However, this was precisely the situation that Orb had meticulously planned.

Instead of wasting its limited number of M1 siege units on passive defense of the beachhead, the Orb forces deployed them in concealed positions on the second line. Once the Allied mobile suits landed, the Orb forces would use their superior performance and mobility to launch a surprise attack on the Allied mobile suits.

"We're about to go, everyone!"

On a beach at Onogoro Island, Jun, Mayura, and Julie, piloting the M1 Heretic, launched a surprise attack from the flank of the landing Assault Dagger squadron.

"The essence of MS warfare lies in mobility!"

[The M1 Assassin took the lead, mimicking the opponent's movements in the simulation battle that day. With the thrusters on the back of the machine at full power, the M1 Assassin drew an irregular arc on the open sand and rapidly approached the Assault Daggers unit.]

Mayura and Julie flanked her from the left and right, firing their beam rifles in turn.

The new recruits piloting assault rifles were caught off guard by the surprise attack and several of them were shot down before they could even raise their shields.

Meanwhile, the quasi-machine drew its beam saber and cut into the close range of the assault dagger squadron. She used her shield to block the enemy's attack from the left, while her right hand stabbed the beam saber into the chest of another enemy machine.

However, her offensive was not over yet.

"The essence of melee combat lies in imagination!"

The M1 Heretic suddenly turned its head toward the enemy aircraft still wrestling with it on the left, its head-mounted Vulcan cannons firing at close range, destroying the head-mounted surveillance camera of the Assault Dagger on the left, before taking a step back.

The pilot opposite had his head monitor damaged, causing the main screen in front of him to go black. He didn't notice the precise movement. The machine continued to output power even when the M1 Assassin gave way half a step, resulting in the entire machine falling forward due to inertia.

The next moment, he was caught off guard and struck with a single sword.

"How about it, you bunch of trash!"

A smug voice rang out on the channel, but she was quickly rebuffed by Mayura.

"You idiot, come back now! There are still a lot of enemies around, we need to move!"

-----------------

The Orb army's strategy worked; the M1 heretics' counter-charge caught the poorly trained coalition MS units off guard, and the offensive was quickly suppressed.

Meanwhile, the Orb Fleet, supported by the Archangel, launched a surprise attack on the Allied surface fleet.

Because of its unauthorized withdrawal during the Alaskan campaign, the Archangel was labeled a deserter by the Allied Command and discharged from the military. Now, it could join the fight against the Allied forces without any worries, and without having to consider Halbarton's position.

"Lieutenant Bakiruru, if you don't want to participate in this operation, you don't have to force yourself."

Maru turned her head to look at Bakiruru sitting in the CIC command seat.

"No, Captain, please allow me to participate in this operation. A true soldier would never use unsuspecting friendly forces as bait. We must thoroughly investigate and punish those who devise bait-based operations!"

After saying that, she took over command of the Archangel CIC as usual.

"Barriant and Gottfried, deploy! Load anti-MS and anti-ship missiles into all missile launchers! Freedom and Strike aircraft, launch immediately!"

Inside the assault cockpit, Mu excitedly rubbed his hands together.

"I can't wait to try out the new backpack for Assault. Speaking of which, the completion of this new backpack is all thanks to Kira's hard work."

"No, I just improved the design drawings left by the teacher. However, in order to meet the deadline for this battle, the factory rushed to make this backpack. It has not completed all the tests. Major Mu, please be careful."

“Since it was designed by you and Raven, there can’t be any problems.”

As the system self-check completed, Mu took a deep breath and gripped the attack stick.

"Mu La Vlada, Assault Phoenix Suit, launch!"

The Strike was launched, and the Phoenix backpack spread its wings in the air.

"Kira Yamato, Freedom, Launch."

Freedom followed closely behind, one after the Assault, directly attacking the Combined Fleet.

-----------------

"What?! The Orb Fleet and the Archangel are coming for us!"

The commander of the 4th Fleet looked in surprise in the direction from which the Archangel was approaching.

He hadn't expected the Ob army to act so boldly.

The Orb Fleet lacks the ability to carry mobile suits and is far fewer in number than the 4th Fleet. Even if the 4th Fleet were to deploy all of its mobile suit units, the Orb Fleet would still be unable to counter them.

"The commander of Orb probably doesn't think those deserters are that great."

The commander snorted coldly, then turned around and, in a completely different tone of respect, asked a blond young man in a suit sitting behind him for instructions.

"Director Azrael?"

"Perfect timing. Let the three of them attack. It'll be a good opportunity to test their capabilities."

第75章 6月14日的戰鬥（2）（4000字）

From the flagship of the 4th Fleet, three mobile suits—Kurok, Calamity, and Forbidden—quickly launched. Kurok transformed into Mobile Armor, carrying the flightless Calamity, and together with Forbidden, they soared into the sky alongside the Assault and Freedom aircraft.

Before the three jets arrived, the Atlantic Federation's Vanguard fighter squadron, which had been circling overhead, swooped down from high altitude.

This multi-role fighter jet can be equipped with air-to-air missiles and anti-ship missiles, depending on the mission.

These vanguard ships split into two groups during their dive. One group was clearly armed with anti-ship missiles and aimed directly at the Orb fleet and the Archangel, while the other group was armed with anti-aircraft missiles and actively engaged in combat, attempting to cover friendly forces attacking the fleet.

“Those fighter jets are targeting the Archangel and the Orb fleet; we can’t let them pass.”

With only a glance at the enemy's tactical maneuvers, Mu, a former pilot, discerned their combat intentions. The assault ship immediately changed course, attempting to intercept the wave heading towards the fleet.

Meanwhile, Freedom took the initiative to intercept the Vanguard, which was armed with anti-aircraft weapons. The Vanguard's missiles and machine guns were unable to penetrate Freedom Gundam's PS armor. Freedom then unfolded its wings and entered a high-mobility air combat mode. Its various weapons fired in turn, destroying the Vanguard in front of it one by one with astonishing efficiency.

Kira is showing no mercy as his homeland, Orb, is under invasion.

On the other side, the assault's Phoenix backpack fired for the first time in actual combat. Mu fired all eighteen missiles on the Phoenix backpack in one go. Before the missiles hit, he deployed the pulse beam cannon and railgun on the backpack, along with the beam rifle in his hand, and indiscriminately sprayed a barrage of bullets at the diving fighter group.

Within a few dozen seconds, half of the vanguard aircraft that had been diving down on the fleet with such imposing momentum were reduced to wreckage.

The vanguard aircraft that managed to get through the barrage of heavy fire were driven away by the anti-aircraft barrage launched by the fleet before they could lock onto their targets, and one after another they crashed into the sea, trailing thick smoke.

The initial attack was quickly thwarted by Mu and Kira working together. However, before they could catch their breath, three mobile suits—Snatch, Calamity, and Forbidden—arrived in the air and actively sought them out.

"Fly more steadily, Kurot."

"Exterminate!"

Kurot, who was flying at high speed in MA form carrying Calamity and not listening to Olga at all, pressed the fire button on Strike and Freedom.

The Calamity, which had arrived in the air by force, also launched a volley at Strike and Freedom without hesitation.

Various beams of light and physical projectiles streaked across the airspace between the Assault and Freedom, forcing both aircraft to scatter urgently to either side. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Forbidden charged straight at the Assault High, its heavy sickle, boosted by the speed gained from its fully activated thrusters, slashing heavily at the Assault.

Looking at the huge and sharp sickle in Forbidden's hand, Mu had no intention of gambling on whether the PS armor could withstand the sickle's strike. Assault quickly retreated, while simultaneously using the shield on his left arm to block the front of the mech.

With a sickening metallic clang, the forbidden scythe blade slashed deep into the shield's surface, carving a deep groove in its wake.