Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Southern European Front – Mariage Quarry.

Almost two months have passed since Zeon's first landing operation.

The sky was overcast, and yellow sand filled the air.

When the hot wind blew onto his face again, the man opened his eyes, which were almost entirely shrouded in darkness.

Lieutenant Ben Barberley of the Earth Federation Forces, currently serving in the 44th Mecha Composite Battalion, is an instructor of MS special skills soldiers and the leader of a special operations squad.

Of course, he wasn't a major character, and he never considered himself the protagonist of any story.

Initially, he was just an ordinary non-commissioned officer serving in the Union Army.

In fact, before the Zeon landing operation, almost no one cared about the so-called army. Barbery also thought that he might never encounter a battle in his life, and that he was just gaining experience in the army's combat exercises.

But it was precisely under these circumstances that war broke out.

The flames of war ignited before his eyes in an instant. Before the theories he had learned in military academy and the tactics he had practiced in daily training could play their due role, the 18-meter-tall steel cyclops that accompanied Zeon's HLV (Heavy Loaded Launch Vehicle) descended from the sky and tore everything to shreds.

At that moment, he felt like a child who had just begun to understand the world, and even the familiar environment of Earth seemed strange.

This is no joke. For example, right now, as an Austrian, even though he is still on his homeland, he no longer recognizes the weather here because he has lived in Europe since childhood.

In his memory, at this time he should have been able to smell the fragrance of flowers, and the temperature of no more than 20 degrees Celsius brought by the sunshine would have made him feel extremely comfortable, while he would have needed to put on an extra layer of clothing at night.

However, the weather effects have not completely faded since the Principality of Zeon crashed its colony satellite onto Earth.

"29 degrees."

He glanced at the numbers on the temperature recorder and simply removed the towel from his forehead.

"Captain, are you awake?"

"Yeah, after all, it's impossible to sleep in this kind of unfamiliar weather."

Barbery glanced at the young, dark-skinned face sitting next to him, and simply took a deep breath:

"What's the situation now? Has the enemy arrived?"

"No, according to the reconnaissance team's report an hour ago, they did not find any trace of the Zaku or the Majera tank."

"The sky... no, I almost forgot, Zeon still hasn't fully adapted to Earth's gravity."

Looking at the gloomy sky where the moon was nowhere to be seen, Barbery couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Even though the army was being pushed back, those Zeonians couldn't launch airstrikes outside the main battlefield, which is probably why our 'acrobatic squadron' was still able to operate."

"We are MS Special Forces, Captain."

Hearing those words, which could only be described as naive, Lieutenant Barbery couldn't help but laugh:

"It's simply a matter of insufficient tanks and effective equipment, so we have to resort to old tactics from the last century as an emergency force."

He took a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it gently:

"Honestly, don't you think it's ridiculous? Steel from outer space is like an alien monster. The tanks that should have been traversing the plains were directly destroyed. We can only use our own flesh and blood to fight against that steel."

"...I think this is a very brave act."

"idiot!"

Before the dark-faced man beside him could spew any more outrageous remarks, Barbery slapped him on the head:

“Listen up, Sergeant Lewis. So-called bravery means nothing here. People like us just do everything we can to survive.”

"However, we are dealing with the MS Special Forces squad..."

"That kind of thing is just for deceiving people. If you ask me, we should actually send those Type 61 tanks to deal with the Zaku."

"But Major Michael said..."

"Now is not the time to retaliate, is it?"

After taking a deep drag on his cigarette, Barbery couldn't help but sneer:

"It's precisely because of all that messy stuff that we're now stuck in this godforsaken place, doing this godforsaken job..."

He clenched his fist.

'Zizzi'

"Report...report."

Even with the addition of various anti-interference devices, the sound from the large communicator remained muffled.

but……

"MS...Zeon, discovered."

"Captain, the concentration of Minovsky particles here has also suddenly increased."

"Is that so? Then let the reconnaissance team withdraw. Their mission is complete."

After taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Boone instinctively reached to throw away the rest, but then reluctantly put it back in his mouth.

"Now, squads one through four, take your positions and get our big equipment set up!"

"Yes!"

Although the order sounded impressive and the young soldiers under his command responded with great enthusiasm, Lieutenant Boone Barbery's heart sank to the bottom.

After all, there was only one thing they could truly threaten those steel giants:

“M101A3-Queen (Regina)”.

At first glance, it seems to have a very good name, but in essence it is just a personal weapon. Even with the AMSM (Anti-MS Missile) classification, it is just a 'good name' forcibly given to compensate for the tank's lack of maneuverability in war.

Its essence is nothing more than a temporary creation that completely abandons the radar technology of the Universal Century in the Minovsky particle environment, adopts the technology of the old-fashioned TOW anti-tank missile, and enlarges its size.

"That's why those things are needed to play their role."

'state'

After gently patting the cannon barrel, Barbery looked towards the sand dunes directly in front of him.

That place is where high-energy explosives cobbled together and anti-MS mines modified from anti-tank mines are buried.

Compared to the various pre-arranged artillery positions, these are the real main force!

"Hopefully it can be of some use, otherwise..."

"Captain, five Zeon mobile suits have been spotted!"

"How many?!"

After hearing Sergeant Lewis say that, he also set up his binoculars.

From the somewhat blurry sand, the colossal silhouette of steel slowly emerged:

"It really is five Zaku... wait, the one in the middle is white, and there's a lizard mark and number on its shoulder—oh no, it's Zeon's 'White Ogre'!"

"The white ogres... is that the 441st Company that defeated our 6th Division's tank unit half a month ago?"

"That's right, he was even the ace of the first landing operation, and it's said that the rapid capture of Odessa was also thanks to him."

Meeting the soldiers' uneasy gazes, Lieutenant Barbery forced a smile that looked more like a grimace:

"So, get ready, soldiers, prepare for your first battle after training."

At this point, he couldn't help but look up at the sky, gazing at the crimson dot that seemed to be moving.

Under that light, which resembled a death star, the sighs gradually faded into the wind:

"Of course, it could also be the last battle."

Chapter Sixteen: The White Ogre

Elmer Snell – Captain Zeon, commander of Squadron 441, 1st Ground Mobile Division of the Earth Attack Force – codenamed Sand Lizard.

As a Zeon veteran who has served since the Battle of Loum, he has always considered himself to be a rather special case.

As an outstanding graduate of the Zeon Military Academy, he always believed that he would achieve unparalleled success and receive the honor he deserved.

Therefore, he pinned his hopes on the direct battle against the Federation.

The Battle of Loum—as the first large-scale battle where mobile suits truly made their debut—was a battlefield where he felt he could showcase his skills. Unfortunately, even with his best efforts, he couldn't catch a glimpse of those people in the battle record.

Blue Star Ramba Laar.

Char Aznabul, the Red Comet.

Even the Black Triad, which later rose to prominence and outflanked from behind, gained unimaginable fame by capturing General Reibill.

Personal markings and paint schemes, names that struck fear into the hearts of the Federation Army—once upon a time, these were things that Elmer envied and resented.

But now, he doesn't need to care about those things anymore:

"Today on the southern European battlefield, our Earth Attack Force has once again achieved a major victory. Captain 'White Ogre - Elmer Snell' took the lead and led his team to defeat the Federation Armored Division on the Danube Plain. His 441st Squadron achieved an astonishing triple-digit number of kills, making a great contribution to the liberation of the European front once again."

"It is because of your efforts that we have been able to liberate this ancient planet. We will stand under the banner of the Zabi family and realize the world that Mr. Deikun has always dreamed of!"

Long live Earth!

"Long live Zeon!"

'patta'

Finally, he reached out and turned off the increasingly indistinct broadcast, and Elmer's lips curled into a smile.

Since joining the 1st Ground Mobile Division, he not only has his own special paint scheme and insignia, but also commands a squadron of mobile suits, and has been a key figure in the propaganda of his own side.

Without a doubt, I am a hero of the Principality of Zeon!

However, this was not the end for him. After achieving this goal, he still needed a continuous stream of achievements and merits to maintain this status.

"But Captain, I've actually calculated it. Our kill count is only 50, not nearly that many, not even half."

"But that kind of thing isn't important, is it?"

Hearing that young voice, Elmer just grinned:

"Since the Federation Army claims to be a full-strength division and is trying to put on a show, then we'll just accept this credit for now."

"But, isn't it a bit inappropriate to do this..."

"Hmph, what's wrong with that? Right now, we're exactly the kind of people who need credit."

Elmer said coldly:

"Levent, don't forget that our ace team is now under challenge."

At that moment, the voice on the other end of the communication fell silent for a moment. In the video, the Zaku walking beside them moved its single eye, looking as if it were deep in thought.

"...You mean, the Southern Cross?"

"Tsk, don't mention that team that just went to a military court in front of me—it's all outdated stuff. Now that Doan is dead, they should just be swept into the trash heap."

"But they're allies, Captain."

"Friendly forces? So what if they're friendly forces? Did those guys ever treat us as friendly forces? After the reconstruction was completed, they acted all high and mighty, and then they brazenly poached people from our area. They simply don't respect us at all!"

Elmer slammed his fist on the metal control panel in front of him.

"No matter what, I will prove to those who look down on us that our Sand Lizard Squadron... I, the White Ogre, am the true ace."

"team leader……"

"Don't even mention the Southern Cross; even the Black Triad, the Blue Giant Star, or the Red Comet will be trampled under my feet."

"team leader……"

"Stop talking nonsense. If you want to make a name for yourself, follow me. You'll be living the high life."

"No, Captain, what I meant was that we've arrived in Mariage."

"Oh?"

Finally, after hearing the strangely tired voice on the other end of the line, Elmer smiled.

"Yes, Cade, you brought the particle dispersing device, right?"

"Yes."

"Increase the diffusion rate, and once the concentration rises to 7, we will launch an attack directly."

“But Captain, we’ve been separated from the main force for quite some time now. Lieutenant Top was already very angry earlier. Shouldn’t we…”