Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Those seemingly flippant words echoed, but when they materialized and guided the trigger on the lever, they spewed forth a torrent of fiery flames.

'Da da da da'

Machine guns—if they were conventional firearms, military transport trucks could find a way to withstand them.

However, this is a machine gun of a mobile suit—120mm in caliber, which in the old days… no, strictly speaking, 10 years ago it should have been called a 'cannon'!

"boom"

'boom'

Even though he could hear the firing intervals caused by the extremely slow rate of fire, when those 'machine gun bullets' landed on the ground, Barbery felt his truck swaying from side to side, as if it would be overturned by the blast wave at any moment.

"Captain, what should we do now...?"

"Retreat to the designated location and immediately move the counterattack plan to the second phase. At least we still have the mines to use—wait, what are you doing?!"

Just as Barbery was explaining the plan, he saw the vehicle that was supposed to be driving alongside him suddenly begin to tilt left and right, as if searching for an angle to fire.

"If we slow it down like this, it will be..."

'boom'

Even faster than the warning, the machine gun shells landed directly in the center of the truck, detonating it. The soldiers of the second squad didn't even have time to cry out before they were completely engulfed by the flames of the explosion.

"Damn it, didn't I tell you to retreat? Why didn't you listen to orders... Lewis, how are the other squads doing?"

Barbery caused a problem with his throat from choking:

"If other squads can reach the firing range, then they can..."

'Sizzle'

Suddenly, the sound stopped abruptly.

When Lieutenant Barbery looked in the direction of the sound, he saw only a rain of metal fragments falling from the surrounding sky:

"S-Ray?!"

'boom'

As the explosive rain of iron fell, two trucks not far away were overturned by the impact.

"Third squad, fourth squad!"

"Captain, watch out!"

'boom'

Suddenly, a violent explosion rang in his ears, and Barbery felt a boiling tremor in his head, as if his brain was boiling.

When the dizzying sensation finally subsided, all that remained on his face were scalding hot metal shards and blood.

"I'm alive?"

"Team... Captain."

"Lewis!"

"There's still...there's still a chance."

That once cheerful, smiling face was now covered in blood and grime, and his entire body was covered in unblemished flesh.

"I've loaded the 'Queen' with ammunition."

Beneath the sergeant, the cannon seemed to remain intact. He held it tightly in his arms, never letting go, as if protecting that last hope.

but……

"How stupid."

Just as Lieutenant Barbery instinctively picked up the Queen Cannon, he only saw the white Zaku already approaching.

"At this distance, the initial velocity is simply not enough."

Lieutenant Barbery abruptly tossed the cannon aside, feeling his brain boiling.

The noisy silence made Lieutenant Barbery look up, only to see the white giant looking down at him.

At that moment, he even felt a hint of mockery emanating from that mechanical eye that shouldn't have shown any emotion:

"It seems to be over, Federation Forces."

He wanted to say something, but his sluggish mind seemed unable to come up with a complete sentence.

Amidst the cacophony of communications, only those heart-wrenching cries echoed:

"I'm sorry, Captain, I'm so sorry!!"

"Fifth Squad..."

He wanted to say something, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a car speeding away into the distance.

"Is that so? They wanted to escape. Come to think of it, they didn't even fire a shot at first."

However, after learning this fact, Barbery did not feel angry.

"In the end, he was just a recruit who hadn't received much training."

Yes, they were just new recruits.

New recruits...

"Aaaaaah!!! They...they're just young people!!"

The moment reality crashed into his heart, Lieutenant Barbley's expression suddenly twisted:

"Damn Zaku! Damn Zeon!!"

"Hahahaha!"

Amidst the frenzied roars echoing across the battlefield, there was also a distorted and deliberately unrestrained laughter.

The lieutenant drew his gun and fired, but the bullet couldn't even scratch the steel giant; instead, the shadow of the metal rose high into the air.

"Let's end it here, you foolish Federation."

Of course, that wasn't a weapon.

All the lieutenant could see was the soles of her feet getting closer and closer.

Compared to these 18-meter-tall metal giants, flesh and blood are as fragile as ants:

"Death will curse you, you damned Zeon beast."

"Death? If that thing exists, then let it come out..."

'Didi Didi'

'boom'

The sudden explosion ripped open on the Zaku's shoulder shield, abruptly silencing both the loud laughter and the furious roar.

When the violent dust settled, the white Zaku's shield, which should have crushed him, was shattered. At the same time, the powerful shockwave caused him to lose his balance and fall directly into the mine pit.

'boom'

Lieutenant Barbery looked up and saw something falling from the sky.

'boom'

'boom'

'Da da da'

It was as if metallic flowers and gunpowder were constantly blooming, and the attacks from the sky caused the surrounding Zaku to flee in disarray.

"What on earth is that thing?!"

"Wait, Captain, there's an attack!!"

Amidst the wailing that even he, an 'infantryman,' could hear, only a blazing light surged from the gloomy sky.

But as it drew closer, Barbery noticed a hint of crimson within it.

Just like that red light we saw earlier:

"The Death Star... has fallen?"

'boom'

After that pitch-black body, seemingly blending into the darkness, crashed to the ground, Barbery finally came to his senses:

"Angel... Death?"

Of course, there is also a more standard name:

"Mobile Suit?"

"This is the Earth Federation Joint Armed Experimental Force, codename: Lament. We are now officially carrying out a support mission."

Amidst the noisy communications, the distorted sound echoed.

But now, Lieutenant Barbery had no interest in that; all his attention was focused on the unforgettable scenery before him.

Under the cover of darkness, on the earth, the kneeling giant slowly rose, his eyes gleaming with a crimson light.

Then, he vaguely heard a sound.

Like a hunting signal, it seemed to carry a certain anger.

Like an enraged lion:

"Operation...begins."

Author's message

…………

The title number is wrong. [Scratching head]

Chapter 18: The Defeat of the White Ogre

Thick darkness enveloped the boundless desert, and a gentle breeze, carrying fine sand grains, seemed to wail in the silence like the mournful cries of ghosts.

At that moment, the battle-hardened Lieutenant Barbery completely forgot that he was on the battlefield.

All his thoughts came to a complete standstill, as if a rusty machine were unable to function.

Amidst the faint chirping sounds that seemed to be audible only to him, he simply gazed silently at the enormous figure that stood there.

The armor was as black as ink, and the body was as thick as a fortress.

He simply stared blankly up at the giant's 'eyes,' where a chilling red light emanated.

then……

"boom"

As the explosion rang out, he could see a flash of brilliant flame on the giant's shoulder; at that moment, his eyes seemed to be able to trace its general outline.

"What a huge cannon muzzle..."

how many?

180mm?

200mm?

"Could it be 240mm?!"

As the horrifying caliber numbers surfaced in his mind, the deafening roar of the collision echoed in his ears, accompanied by the explosion of fire.

'Boom'

When he finally looked back, he saw that the once invincible Cyclopes had fallen, their heads blown off and their cockpits severely deformed.

As if its head had been forcibly ripped off, the steel giant staggered and fell to the ground.

"A plane... just like that, gone?"

But before he could think about it for long, a voice echoed in his ears:

"Lie down!"