Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

The outer space region of Artemis Fortress.

On the bridge of the USS Wesalis, Kruze stood before the holographic screen, his eyes behind the mask fixed on the rainbow-colored orb shimmering in the starry sky—the light barrier of Artemis Fortress. He had been standing there for a long time, so long that his adjutant behind him began to exchange uneasy glances.

"Captain, all teams are in position," the adjutant reported cautiously. "Yzak's Duel Gundam, Diego's Storm Gundam, Nicole's Lightning Gundam, and Athrun's Aegis Gundam are all ready for sortie. Twenty GINN units are deployed in three directions."

"Where's Aslan?" Kruze didn't turn around.

"Lieutenant Athrun is on standby in the cockpit of the Aegis Gundam. But his mental state..." the adjutant hesitated for a moment, "...he seems to still be troubled by his encounter with the Strike pilot."

Kruze's lips curled into a slight smile. "Trouble? That's not trouble, that's clarity. Aslan is going through a process every warrior must go through—realizing that the enemy is also human. Once he gets through this process, he will become stronger."

"But what if he can't get over it?"

"Then he's not qualified to pilot the Aegis." Kruze turned around, his gaze behind the mask icy. "Order all teams to proceed according to plan. Phase One—Feint Attack."

"yes!"

Twenty GINNs launched sequentially from the catapult decks of each ship, leaving twenty white trails in the vacuum. They did not charge directly at Artemis—that would be suicidal; the light wave barrier would deflect their projectiles like pebbles. Their mission was harassment, attrition, and to put pressure on the fortress commander, forcing him to make mistakes under that pressure.

Duel Gundam, Storm Gundam, and Aegis Gundam followed closely behind. The three G-series mobile suits deployed in a triangular formation, with Duel Gundam in front and Storm and Aegis on the flanks. Their mission was to immediately breach the barrier if a crack appeared, and to create one if no crack appeared.

The Swift Gundam was not in the sortie order. It silently slid out of the other ejection port of the Wesalis, its Phantom Particle System activating the instant it exited the pod. A ripple of optical camouflage appeared on the black armor surface, and then the machine completely disappeared from radar and the naked eye. Not stealth—it was optical camouflage. The Swift Gundam's Phantom Particle System releases special particles to form a refractive layer on the machine's surface, distorting light and electromagnetic waves, making the machine appear "transparent."

Nicole Amalfi sat in the cockpit, his fingers gripping the control stick tightly. His heart pounded, and his palms were sweaty. As a ZAFT elite in red uniforms, he had participated in numerous combat missions and shot down several enemy aircraft. But this time was different—he had to infiltrate the enemy fortress alone and destroy the transmitter of the light barrier right under their noses. If he failed, he would be trapped inside the fortress, without any support or any way out.

"Niccol, relax," Aslan's voice came through the communicator, calm and gentle. "You've trained in this subject. Believe in yourself."

"I know," Nicole took a deep breath. "I'm just... a little nervous."

"Nervousness is normal," Kruze's voice cut through the communication channel. "Fear isn't a weakness; being dominated by fear is. Nicole, you're the most suitable person to carry out this mission. The Swift Gundam's Phantom Particle System requires precise operation, and you—have the most stable hands in ZAFT."

Nicole's lips curled into a slight smile. "Thank you, Captain."

"Go. Remember—do not reveal yourself before the barrier closes. Do not fire, do not be detected, and do not let anyone see you. You are a ghost, and ghosts should not be seen."

"Yes."

The Thunder Gundam's thrusters ignited at minimum power, and the machine silently drifted toward the Artemis Fortress.

Artemis Fortress, Command Center.

Colonel Garcia stood before the holographic screen, staring at the approaching red dots on the space map. Twenty GINNs, three G-series—this was the largest deployment by the Kruse team to date. A slight, arrogant, almost contemptuous smile played on his lips.

"Kruze finally couldn't hold back any longer." He turned around and said to the officers behind him, "We've been fighting for half a year and still haven't broken through Artemis. What's the use of sending more MS now? The light wave barrier is something he can't understand."

"Colonel, there are more than twenty enemy aircraft." The adjutant's voice carried a hint of tension. "We only have twelve mobile suits—"

"Our barrier doesn't need MS," Garcia interrupted him. "Let those ZAFT monkeys jump around outside. They'll get tired and leave. Keep the barrier at full power; don't conserve energy."

"But Colonel, full-power output consumes a lot of energy. If this continues for more than four hours, the energy reserves will drop below the warning level—"

"Four hours?" Garcia sneered. "Kruze won't last four hours. The batteries in his MS will only last two hours at most. After two hours, he'll retreat like a stray dog. Maintain full power output, that's an order."

The adjutant lowered his head. "Yes, sir."

On the command center's large screen, red dots were approaching Artemis's outer defensive perimeter. Garcia stood with his arms crossed, staring at the dots with confidence in his eyes. Behind him, officers whispered among themselves—"Has Kruze gone mad?", "He can't break through the light barrier.", "Maybe he's just putting on a show."

No one noticed that at the edge of the holographic screen, a faint, almost invisible signal was approaching the outer wall of the fortress.

Archangel, bridge.

Char stood by the porthole, staring at the rainbow-colored light barrier outside. His Newtype abilities were fully activated at that moment—not because he saw anything, but because he sensed something. The feeling was indescribable, like a fine needle pricking the skin; it didn't hurt, but it couldn't be ignored.

Someone is approaching. Not from the outside—it is from the outside, but in a different way. Not a direct breakthrough, not a flanking maneuver, but…infiltration.

"Commander-in-Chief Asuka, what's wrong?" Maru's voice came from behind.

Char didn't turn around. "Kruze has made his move."

The air in the bridge seemed to freeze. Murrue strode to the tactical table and pulled up the space surveillance data. On the screen, twenty-three red dots were approaching Artemis, approximately 20,000 kilometers away, and were expected to enter engagement range in fifteen minutes.

"Twenty GINNs and three G-series," Natal's voice came from the fire control console, steady but tense. "The number is several times that of before. Kruze is serious this time."

"No." Xia turned around, a cold light flashing in his deep red eyes. "This isn't serious. It's a feint."

Mu leaned back in his chair, his blue eyes slightly narrowed. "A feint attack? Then where is his main attack?"

Char didn't answer. He walked to the tactical table and stared at the space map on the screen. Artemis Fortress—Light Wave Barrier—Energy Core—Lightning Gundam. All the fragments pieced together in his mind, forming a dangerous image.

"Lightning Gundam," Char's voice was deep. "Mirage Particle System. Optical Camouflage. Can it penetrate barriers?"

Maru's pupils contracted. "You mean—one of the machines has already infiltrated?"

"I don't know. But if Kruse has a way to disable the barrier, that's his plan. Not to break it from the outside, but to destroy it from the inside."

Natal's fingers flew across the fire control panel, bringing up the technical data for the Swift Gundam. The screen displayed a 3D model of the purple mobile suit, along with an explanation of the principles of the Mirage Particle System.

"The Phantom Particle System... achieves optical camouflage by releasing special particles to form a refractive layer on the surface of the machine. Theoretically, if operated with sufficient precision, the machine's thermal radiation and electromagnetic signals can also be suppressed to a minimum. If the pilot's skill is good enough, it can penetrate enemy defenses like a ghost."

"Does Kruze have a driver like that?" Mu asked.

Char paused for a moment. "Yes. Nicole Amalfi. A red-clad elite, skilled in precision operation. The Swift Gundam's Phantom Particle System requires meticulous control, and he—has the most stable hands in ZAFT."

No one spoke in the bridge. Outside the window, the light barrier shimmered with iridescent light against the starry sky, beautiful yet deadly. But everyone knew that beneath its beautiful exterior lay a fatal crack—if Thunderbolt were to infiltrate, that crack would become a gateway to hell.

Twenty minutes later, in the outer reaches of Artemis.

Kruse's team launched a feint attack.

Twenty GINNs deployed in skirmish lines, firing simultaneously from different directions. The linear rifle shells exploded on the surface of the light barrier, scattering sparks, but the barrier remained unmoved—the rainbow-colored light flickered slightly before returning to normal.

The Duel Gundam charged in from the front, and Yzak's voice came through the communicator: "Captain, the barrier isn't responding! All the shells are being deflected!"

"Keep firing," Kruze said calmly. "Don't stop. Let them burn through their energy."

The Storm Gundam unfolded from the side, and Diego's voice carried a hint of impatience: "Captain, are we going to keep going? This is just a turtle shell that we can't penetrate, and it's a waste of ammunition."

Kruze's voice remained calm. "Continue to consume it. The light barrier requires a lot of energy to maintain. Their reactor power is limited, and it can only operate at full power for a maximum of four hours. After four hours, they must reduce the power or shut down the barrier. At that time—"

"Thunder can make its move now," Aslan said calmly.

"That's right." Kruse's lips curled into a slight smile. "Now, keep firing. Put pressure on them, make them think we're going to launch a full-scale assault, make them use all their energy on the barrier."

The barrage lasted for a full hour. Twenty GINNs took turns firing, and the Duel, Storm, and Aegis G-series units also joined the attack. The orange beams of beam rifles, the shells of linear rifles, the white trails of missiles—all the firepower was concentrated on the same point on the barrier, attempting to create a localized overload.

But the barrier wasn't overloaded. It just flickered, faintly flickered, like a lamp swaying in the wind.

Artemis Command Center.

Garcia stood in front of the holographic screen, staring at the sparks that kept exploding on the barrier. His expression changed from initial arrogance to impatience, from unease to irritation.

"Are they still fighting?"

"Yes, Colonel." The adjutant's voice carried a hint of anxiety. "It's been going on for over an hour. The enemy's firepower hasn't lessened; in fact, it's intensifying. Our energy consumption has exceeded expectations—"

"How long can this barrier hold?"

"At the current rate of consumption, it can only last for two more hours at most. After that, we must reduce the power or shut down the barrier."

Garcia frowned. He stared at the red dots on the screen—they were still firing, still consuming energy, still buzzing around Artemis like flies. His intuition told him something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Colonel, should we send out MA to intercept them?" the adjutant asked cautiously.

"No," Garcia interrupted him. "The barrier is our advantage. Without the barrier, our MA is no match for ZAFT. Let them fight; they'll get tired and leave."

"But what if they're not tired?"

Garcia didn't answer. He stared at the screen, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

Archangel, bridge.

Time ticked by. Char stood by the porthole, staring at the sparks exploding on the barrier outside. His Newtype abilities became exceptionally sharp at that moment—he could sense every tremor of the barrier, every fluctuation in the energy core's load, and the ghost silently lurking in the darkness.

He was there.

"Commander-in-Chief Ashar, enemy firepower is decreasing," Natal's voice came from the fire control console. "Of the twenty GINNs, the thruster output of four has noticeably decreased. They may be running low on fuel or ammunition."

"As expected." Xia didn't turn around. "It's a retreat."

Sure enough, five minutes later, the Kruze team began their retreat. Twenty GINNs were the first to turn, their thrusters firing at full power, disappearing into the shadows of the debris field. Duel, Storm, and Aegis followed closely behind, the three G-series units withdrawing from the battlefield at high speed.

In the Artemis command center, Garcia watched the receding red dots on the screen, a proud smile returning to his lips.

"What did I tell you? They won't last long." He turned to the officers behind him and said, "Kruze is nothing special. After all that fighting, he hasn't even scratched a hair on the barrier."

"Colonel, our energy reserves have fallen below the warning level," the adjutant said with a hint of unease. "We need to reduce the barrier's power to replenish them."

"Then reduce it." Garcia waved his hand. "ZAFT has retreated; they won't be coming back. Reduce the barrier power to the minimum and prioritize restoring energy reserves."

"But Colonel—what if ZAFT returns—"

"No, they won't," Garcia interrupted him, his voice full of confidence. "Kruze's fleet is almost out of fuel and ammunition; they'll need at least half a day to resupply. Half a day is enough for us to restore our energy. Execute the order."

The adjutant hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, sir."

Bridge of the Archangel.

Char's pupils contracted.

The barrier was weakening—his Newtype abilities allowed him to directly "sensitize" the change. The iridescent light dimmed, then became almost transparent. The power of the light barrier was decreasing, and its defensive capabilities were diminishing.

"The barrier's power has decreased." Natal's voice came from the fire control console, tinged with surprise. "What is the Eurasian Federation doing? ZAFT just withdrew—"

"They're replenishing their energy," Char said calmly. "Garcia thought Kruze wouldn't come back. He was wrong."

"Then what do we do?" Maru's voice tightened slightly.

Char turned around and looked into her eyes. "Prepare for battle. The moment the barrier disappears, Kruze will launch the real attack. It will be the all-out assault."