Gundam, Gravity Elegy

"How are the others?!"

Clutching his throbbing head, Shen Weina couldn't help but look around.

Amidst the comings and goings of people, those self-propelled artillery pieces and tanks that still stand seem to... still retain their complete outer shells?

"No damage?"

Even in the dim light, Kamui's gradually clearing vision was still able to perceive this.

"Lieutenant, can you hear me?! Lieutenant!"

Although someone was still shouting loudly, neither the tanks nor the artillery showed any signs of damage.

There was no emergency medical team, and no pungent disinfectant smell.

"Haven't they moved me down yet?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? The battle isn't over yet."

"Wait, it's already dark, and Zeon hasn't retreated yet?"

"It's dark? Don't you want to take a closer look at the situation? Did you fall off the motorcycle and break your head?"

"But it's clearly black now..."

Hearing that mocking voice, Shenwei didn't even have time to get angry.

When he subconsciously looked up, what he saw was a huge, dark shadow.

"Mobile Suit..."

At such close range, the figure kneeling to the side stood like a mountain, blocking the orange-red, branding sunlight from his view.

"Gundam?"

This figure was one he often saw on television, a figure he was very familiar with, but now it did not exhibit the excellent aesthetic that the Federation still possessed.

Metal shrapnel was firmly embedded in various parts of the body, the scarlet sunglasses were completely shattered, one of the 'eyes' had lost its luster, and the shoulders, chest, and even the cockpit were densely covered with sharp shrapnel that would trigger trypophobia.

"The injury is very serious!"

"Disheveled"—Kami-Nai wanted to say that, but the memories that kept flooding his mind prevented him from uttering those words.

"We're being protected by this guy—"

"Lieutenant, are you alright! Lieutenant!!"

There was no response, but the heavily damaged Gundam still stared straight ahead, its viewfinder, which seemed to have only one eye still functioning, still flashing a scarlet light.

In fact, the battered shell made Gundam's damaged 'face' even more ferocious.

"The Federation's Luna Titanium Alloy can actually stop even a fragmentation grenade used by mobile suits!"

Gazing at the Gundam's seemingly precarious shape, Char couldn't help but tighten his grip on the control stick.

"And there's this pressure too..."

For a moment, he even found that he couldn't find an accurate word to describe what he was seeing, let alone describe his feelings at that moment.

What should be surprising now? Is it the inherent sturdiness of the Gundam itself?

No, perhaps it should be the pilot!

This guy lunged forward almost the instant the grenade left his hand. Even though the legendary red comet seemed to be at a disadvantage in the battle, he ignored it and used his sturdy body as a shield to block the soldiers!

This can no longer be explained by the protection of military equipment and facilities. The materials used for those cannons and tanks combined may not even be as expensive as the maintenance cost of a single mobile suit.

This guy was genuinely protecting those soldiers, even though his own cockpit was at risk of being hit directly!

He had seen similar situations on Earth and on a satellite in Side 5, Texas—an instinct that people in the current cosmic century have long lost, an instinct belonging to animals.

A hen guarding its eggs, a cow protecting its calves—no, perhaps this creature should be described with something more majestic.

"The male lion protecting the pride..."

His gaze unconsciously locked onto the unicorn tattoo on the shoulder, and Xia involuntarily closed his eyes.

At that moment, he didn't know what he could think.

Perhaps it was a memory of the old man named Kimba Ral who had fought so bravely to defend them, or perhaps it was the uprising against the Side 3 Federation garrison that was launched near graduation season.

Or is it……

"Lala—"

The magical girl who was once saved on Earth and brought back to the universe.

Come to think of it, how did I come up with the idea of ​​saving that poor girl?

Because of a family photo?

Because of her pitiful experiences?

Or was it subconsciously that I could find something in her?

Looking back now, Char finds himself completely unable to figure out what motivated him back then, but he feels like he has caught some incredible wave.

"The Federation Army has truly produced an extraordinary figure—"

"A great opportunity!!"

Suddenly, the thoughts that should have been flowing and surging were interrupted, and a certain sound echoing in the communication channel disrupted them completely.

"Wait! Lemon! I said we were going to retreat!"

At that moment, a highly maneuverable Zaku, which should have followed orders to retreat, suddenly made the exact opposite choice. With its engine at full throttle, it charged forward wielding a heat axe.

"If the Gundam has lost its power, the Federation's tanks and artillery are no threat at all—"

'boom'

But before the frenzied sound could fully travel, the deafening artillery fire caused the high-speed machine to lose its balance.

Federal rocket artillery?!

"All personnel, fire!!!"

Amidst that near-mad roar, the infantry charged forward, their recoilless rocket launchers firing directly at the frontal armor of the highly mobile Zaku.

Such a bombardment was naturally insufficient to break through the outer shell of the ultra-high tensile steel, but the continuous resounding impact forced it to halt its advance.

Immediately afterwards, the irritable pilot saw a flash of red light.

Before he knew it, the jet-black Gundam had appeared in front of him.

'Sizzle'

There was a clear, audible tearing and explosion. He only saw the screen in front of him melt and twist, and finally, his body vaporized along with it.

'Bang'

The crimson eye dimmed, and the battered Gundam gently laid the Cyclops's 'steel corpse' flat.

"Hey—didn't I say we were going to retreat!"

The moment the communication broke down, Char gritted his teeth:

"These people are not easy to deal with now."

As the dark giant looked up, infantry and chariots charged out together, unleashing a roar that belonged to the earth, to this desolate land:

"Attack!! Don't let our hero... our Gundam fight alone!!!"

"These... soldiers protected by 'Gundam'!"

…………

July 30, UC.0079

Zeon special operations forces, together with African Zeon forces, raided the Sphinx base.

Results – unknown.

Losses – not accounted for.

Author's message

…………

The AI ​​couldn't consistently generate shoulder lines and markings, so it was abandoned.

The second update will still be a little late, but not as late as yesterday. I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have time to write anything.

PS2: I've revised the emblem style based on reader feedback, but this wasn't my decision. I can only say that it's best to leave it as is for now; it's definitely better than the original.

I originally wanted to include lion dance elements, but once I did, I couldn't maintain the minimalist style.

Chapter 55: Perhaps... Victory?

"So, three new aircraft were lost on the first sortie?"

"Yes, the new mobile suits assigned to the 7th Division were lost to the Gundam. My subordinate, Kaito, was also attacked head-on by Federation special forces when he broke through with us. The cockpit was blown open by a rocket launcher."

Location: Saide Harbor Base

In the old century, when the world still relied on coal and oil as its main raw materials, its excellent geographical location at the northern end of the Suez Canal on the Mediterranean coast made it an important resource storage point.

At the beginning of the Earth Federation, there were still many anarchic separatist forces in the world that were unwilling to join the federation.

Therefore, in order to protect the shipping lanes, a military base was built here—of course, it now belongs to Zeon. To be precise, this not-so-large but fully equipped base belongs to Zeon's special operations forces.

Commanders here receive supplies and discuss strategy with the garrison commanders who provide assistance and cooperate in operations.

Of course, a post-event summary report is also essential:

"Excluding other equipment, the two machine groups consisted of a total of 12 Zaku tanks, 6 Geganets, and 7 Zaku cannons. Including the four 'High Mobility Zaku' lost at the base, the total loss was 29 aircraft..."

At this point, the high-ranking officer named Nuin Bida on the screen couldn't help but rub his temples:

"However, the loss of the mechs is secondary. What's important is that both Raymond and Miguel were excellent pilots, and their sacrifice is an irreparable loss."

"I'm very sorry, Colonel Bida, it's all my fault. I failed to bring them back."

Seeing the distressed expression on the communication screen, Xia simply lowered his head.

As an officer of the Principality of Zeon, he knew very well that the so-called losses could not be made up for with sweet words.

For Zeon officers like Colonel Bida, it was better to simply admit their mistakes than to make up excuses.

"No, how can you blame yourself? Death is commonplace on the battlefield. Besides, they would probably rather be under the major's command than waste their lives following someone like me in this diamond mine."

After all, they are soldiers with very forthright personalities.

Even though the defeat in the Battle of Rouen was reportedly due to criticism that the 1st Division's failure to cover the death of the Keller family's heir led to the remnants of the entire 7th Division being sent to Africa.

Despite being a commander in charge of a region, he was forced to remain confined to a base, but this strategic and military exile and alienation did not discourage this Zeon giant in the slightest.

"Only in this way can we continue to be loyal to Commander-in-Chief Kiran."

Soldiers loyal to the Zabi family, loyal to Kilian...

Gazing at that forthright face, Xia's azure eyes, hidden beneath his mask, narrowed involuntarily:

"That's why I feel so ashamed. I was completely defeated when I first faced that Gundam."

"Haha, there's no need to say that. After all, it's the legendary red comet. It must have a way to deal with the arrogant Earthlings of today."

Colonel Bida laughed heartily:

"So please don't be shy. If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do my best, but..."

As he finished speaking, Colonel Bida's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Perhaps because the communication itself wasn't smooth, at that moment, Xia could even feel something pressing down on his shoulders.

It was as if the constant, tangible pressure from the Earth's sphere had completely taken effect on him:

"Don't let their sacrifices be in vain."

"Help me—"

"If the Gundam has lost its power, the Federation's tanks and artillery are no threat at all—"