Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 111 The Deadly Battle in the Red Sea

The Red Sea, 4:47 a.m. The night was as black as ink, and the sea was as calm as a giant black mirror. The moonlight peeked through the clouds, occasionally casting a patch of silvery light that shattered into countless shimmering scales on the waves.

The Archangel hovered low over the sea, its thrusters leaving long white trails in their wake. On the bridge, Marlene Ramias stood by the porthole, her brown eyes fixed on the dark horizon. The Red Sea—if they could cross this sea and enter the Suez Canal, they could reach the Mediterranean Sea controlled by the Allied forces. But "if only" is never synonymous with "easy" in war.

"Captain, sonar detected an underwater signal!" Natal Bakiruru's voice came from the fire control console, tinged with tension. "Number—six! No, more—at least ten! Model confirmed, it's ZAFT's underwater mobile suit—Zono!"

Before the words were even finished, the first torpedo was launched from the deep sea.

A white contrail traced a deadly arc in the sea as it hurtled toward the Archangel's hull at over a hundred knots. Mu La Fraga's pupils contracted instantly; his body acted before his brain—his right hand yanked the helm, causing the Archangel to list violently on the surface. The torpedo grazed the hull armor and exploded on the port side. The shockwave propelled the ship to starboard, sending a column of water tens of meters high from the blast site, resembling a white tower suddenly rising in the moonlight.

"Minor damage to port! Armor not penetrated!" Natal's voice rang out amidst the alarm. "But a second wave of torpedoes is approaching—six! Spread out!"

"Kira, the sword-wielding backpack is ready!" The technician's voice came from behind, tinged with anxiety. "In the water, you'll use a beam saber, missiles, and a rocket anchor, but underwater mobility will be greatly reduced, so be careful!"

Kira didn't answer. He leaned out of the cockpit and glanced at the sword-wielding backpack that had been hastily moved next to the Strike—a massive anti-ship sword hung on the right side of the backpack. This was the Strike's only weapon underwater, and his only hope.

"Change clothes!" Kira's voice was calm.

The robotic arm was activated, and the wing-shaped air combat backpack was detached from the assault vehicle's back. The sword combat backpack was then mounted within thirty seconds.

Kira's finger slid across the control panel; the OS was automatically adjusting the machine's parameters—thruster output decreased, joint torque increased, and weapon system energy distribution was re-optimized. On the full-scale screen, the surface of the Red Sea was being torn apart by torpedo explosions.

"Strike Gundam, Kira Yamato, sortie!"

The catapult activated, and the Strike burst from the Archangel's hangar, but instead of soaring into the sky, it plunged into the sea. The aircraft plunged headfirst into the Red Sea, the white spray it kicked up resembling a blooming night-blooming cereus under the moonlight.

The underwater world is completely different from the universe.

Darkness. Not the "vacuum darkness" of the universe, but a thick, oppressive, almost tangible darkness. Seawater surged around the aircraft, the drag slowing down every movement. The Strike's thrusters were only thirty percent as efficient underwater as in the air, the attitude control nozzles needed to be recalibrated, and even the beams were distorted by the refraction of the seawater.

Kira's eyes struggled to adapt to the low-light underwater environment. He could see the Zonos on the radar, swimming in the darkness like deep-sea sharks, their streamlined bodies moving with incredible agility in the water. Each Zono was equipped with underwater missile launchers and sonic cannons; their tactics were simple—surround the Archangel with superior numbers, then saturate it with torpedoes until the behemoth sank to the bottom of the sea.

The first Zono rushed in from the front, its torpedo tubes already open. Kira pushed the control stick, and the Strike veered sharply in the water—the drag slowed the unit's reaction by half a second, and the torpedo grazed the Strike's left shoulder armor before exploding in the seawater behind it. The shockwave propelled the unit towards the seabed, and Kira pulled the control stick, allowing the Strike to regain its balance before crashing into the seabed.

"Kira, six o'clock!" Maru's voice came through the communicator.

Kira didn't turn around, nor did he need to. His SEED ability extended his perception range to the entire battlefield, and he could "sense" the location of the Zono—it was behind the Strike, approaching at an extremely fast speed, its sonic cannon already aimed at the Strike's back.

Kira drew his beam saber from the water. The orange beam refracted eerily in the seawater. The instant Zono fired, Kira sidestepped, his beam saber slicing upwards and severing Zono's sonic cannon barrel. The seawater instantly vaporized under the intense heat, forming a string of enormous bubbles. Zono's pilot tried to retreat in terror, but Kira's left hand had already seized its head.

"Don't kill him." Kira's voice was soft, but he didn't know who he was talking to. Was it another version of himself from the SEED ability, or Butterfield, who had said in the desert, "Fighting won't protect anything"?

He didn't kill. The beam saber pierced Zono's thrusters, causing the machine to lose power and slowly sink to the seabed. The pilot was still alive, but trapped in the powerless cockpit. ZAFT would come to rescue him after the battle.

But more Zonos are coming.

Ten. No, more. Like sharks smelling blood, they charged at the assault from all directions—torpedoes, missiles,

All the weapons of the sonic cannon fired at the same instant. Kira's SEED ability was pushed to its limit at this moment. He could "see" the trajectory of every torpedo, "sense" the firing angle, and "predict" the movement direction of every Zono. But between "seeing" and "dodging" was the chasm of seawater resistance.

Kira's right shoulder was grazed by a missile. An alarm blared in the cockpit, and Kira felt a sharp pain – it was G-force.

Every maneuver the machine makes underwater challenges its physical limits, and its body is under load far exceeding the design values.

"Kira, the Archangel is breaking out!" Mu's voice came through the communicator, "but Zono is in pursuit; you need to intercept them!"

Kira gritted his teeth and pushed the control stick. The Strike's thrusters sprang to full power, leaving a white trail in the water as it hurtled towards the Zonos that were pursuing the Archangel. His right hand gripped the hilt of the Anti-Ship Blade—this massive, solid blade was far more deadly than a beam saber in the water, because beams were refracted by seawater, while solid objects were not. The blade sliced ​​through the water, slashing with immense kinetic energy toward the head of the leading Zono.

The machine was cleaved in two, the flash of the explosion flickering in the water before being extinguished by the seawater. Debris flew everywhere, and oil and fuel spread in the seawater, forming a dark stain. Kira didn't stop; the Strike used the shockwave of the explosion to turn, its gun blade swinging horizontally, severing the second Zono at the waist.

Two units. But there are still eight units remaining.

On the bridge of the Archangel, Murrue stared at the dwindling red dots on the radar screen, her brown eyes heavy with sorrow. Kira was fighting alone underwater, the damage from the Strike Force building up, his body teetering on the edge of its limits. But she couldn't stop—if the Archangel didn't leave this area, Kira's sacrifice would be meaningless.

"Captain Buggyuru, full speed ahead!" Murrue's voice was calm but firm. "Don't look back! Kira will catch up!"

"Yes!" Natal's fingers flew across the control panel.

The Archangel's thrusters roared to life, its hull leaving a white trail on the sea as it hurtled toward the Suez Canal. Behind it, the flashes of explosions beneath the surface resembled the heartbeat of some deep-sea behemoth.

An unnamed, deserted island in the southern Red Sea.

About two hundred kilometers from the sea where the Archangel and Zono clashed, there lies a small island unmarked on any map. It's so small that even ZAFT's reconnaissance satellites would miss it. The island has no fresh water, no vegetation, only exposed rocks and white sand beaches. Under the moonlight, it resembles a skeleton abandoned on the sea.

Athrun Zala sat in the cockpit of the Aegis Gundam, looking out at the desolate coastline through the screen. His face was pale, his lips were cracked, and there was a shrapnel wound on his left arm where the blood had already clotted, but the pain was still sharp.

His transport plane was shot down two hours earlier.

It was a large ZAFT transport plane, carrying the Aegis Gundam and spare weapons and ammunition. It was flying from the African Front base toward the Red Sea, its mission to support the underwater forces pursuing the Archangel. But the Alliance radar picked up its signal—perhaps luck, perhaps an intelligence operative leaked the route, or perhaps it was simply the randomness of war.

Two missiles struck the transport plane's engines with pinpoint accuracy. At the last moment, Aslan activated the Aegis's thrusters, ejecting from the burning aircraft. His back armor was hit by shrapnel, and his body sustained minor damage, but the overall structure remained intact. He piloted the Aegis through the darkness for nearly an hour until he ran out of fuel, finally making an emergency landing on the unnamed desert island.

"Athrun, this is the Vesalius. Please respond." Kruze's voice came through the communicator, calm and cold.

Aslan pressed the talk button, his voice hoarse: "Captain, this is Aslan. The transport plane was shot down, and I've crash-landed on a deserted island in the southern Red Sea. The Aegis isn't badly damaged, but we've run out of fuel and need resupply."

There was a few seconds of silence on the communicator. Then, Kruze's voice came through again: "Location?"

Aslan gave the coordinates. Kruze was silent for a moment, then said, "The rescue team will take at least forty-eight hours to arrive. Until then, you'll have to rely on yourself. The Aegis's solar charging system can replenish a small amount of energy under sunlight, but it's not enough to sustain combat. Don't leave the island, and don't reveal your location. The Combine are searching for targets in the Red Sea region—including you."

"I see."

The communication was cut off. Athrun leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. The image flashed through his mind—Kira's Strike Gundam starting up amidst the ruins of Heliopolis, its white armor gleaming coldly in the red light of the emergency lights. That was their last "peaceful" encounter. After that, every meeting was a battle.

He opened his eyes, opened the cockpit canopy, and climbed out. A sea breeze blew in, carrying a salty, fishy smell. Moonlight spilled onto the white sand, turning everything silvery-white. In the distance, firelight flickered on the horizon—that was the area where the Archangel and Zono were fighting. Kira was there, in that direction, fighting.

"Kira," Athrun whispered, "are you still alive?"

No one answered. Only the sound of waves crashing on the beach echoed in the silent night.

Under the Red Sea, the Assault vs. Zono.

The battle had been going on for nearly twenty minutes. Kira's arms were completely numb, a protective hibernation response to overload.

His body was telling him to "stop," but his brain was telling him "don't stop." There were eight Zonos, six left, and four left. With each one destroyed, the Archangel would be one step safer.

But he can't hold on much longer.

The gunblade became stuck in the Zono's frame during a slash. Kira pulled the control stick to try and pull it out, but the machine lacked the strength. Another Zono rushed in from the flank, its cannon aimed at the Strike's cockpit. Kira's pupils contracted as he released the gunblade, drew his beam saber from his waist with his right hand, and threw the beam saber the instant the sonic cannon fired.

The orange beam spun through the seawater, flying towards the Zono and precisely piercing its cockpit. The explosion flashed in the water, the shockwave pushed the Strike aside, and the gunblade detached from its jammed frame, caught by Kira's left hand.

"Kira, the Archangel has moved out of the combat zone!" Natal's voice came through the communicator, tinged with relief. "You can retreat now!"

Kira didn't answer. His fingers clenched and unclenched on the joystick. Retreating meant leaving this area to ZAFT, meant that the Zonos that hadn't been destroyed could return safely, and meant that next time they would return with even more powerful weapons.

But he had no choice.

The Strike's thrusters were down to only 15% fuel, the joints of the machine were emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound, and the oxygen level in the cockpit was dropping. If he continued fighting, he might die. If he died, he would be unable to protect anyone.

"Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam, return to base."

He pushed the control stick, and the Strike slowly rose from the deep sea. As the nose of the machine broke the surface, he saw the silvery-white hull of the Archangel moving slowly on the distant horizon. Moonlight shone on the hull, making it look like a layer of silvery-white armor.

"Kira! You're alive!" Thor's voice came through the communicator, trembling with tears. "You scared me to death! I thought..."

"I'm still alive," Kira said calmly. "The Strike is damaged and needs repair. Prepare for recovery."

"clear!"

The Strike rose slowly from the sea, its thrusters spewing faint flames as it flew towards the Archangel's hangar. As its feet touched the catapult deck, Kira's fingers loosened their grip on the control stick. His arms hung limply at his sides, completely numb. The cockpit door opened, and technicians rushed in. Some helped him out, some checked the Strike's damage, and some simply stood there watching him, their eyes filled with the light of relief after surviving a near-death experience.

"Kira, your hand—" Miriam's voice trembled.

"It's nothing." Kira's voice was weak, but his eyes remained resolute. Thor rushed over and hugged him tightly. "You always say that! You always say it's nothing! You always say you're just tired! Do you know how worried I am?!"

Kira was breathless from the hug, but he didn't push Thor away. He simply patted Thor's back gently. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"You always say that!" Thor's tears finally streamed down her face. "But next time you'll still fight tooth and nail, still get hurt, and still make us worry!"

Kira didn't answer. He just stood there quietly, letting Thor hold him. Moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the hangar, bathing the two of them.