Gundam, Gravity Elegy

On its heavy body rested a massive cannon barrel.

"A shelling-type mobile suit?"

Although there were subtle differences in both armor thickness and details, the massive cannon on its back, the way it carried a gun, and even the iconic large sunglasses all made her guess its name:

"Could it be a steel cannon?!"

"But the enemy only has one aircraft..."

Sofia attempted to analyze, but was quickly interrupted by Top:

"Impossible. MS should operate in groups of at least two or three."

"But Levent has already charged towards the enemy!"

In just a brief exchange, the green Zaku reacted swiftly, charging forward while its machine gun spewed fire.

But amidst the flying sparks, the completely undamaged armor was even more astonishing:

"Wait, live ammunition seems to be completely ineffective against that armor!"

Immediately, the steel cannon accelerated rapidly, its heavy body displaying extraordinary agility.

'boom'

With a powerful impact, Zaku, unable to dodge in time, was thrown to the ground.

"Oh no! The Levent aircraft has crashed! Captain... Captain is charging towards us!"

[Hurry up, I don't have any weapons right now, but you must have a usable mech, right?]

…………

"The urgent message has already been sent out."

As he pressed down on the Zaku's pedals, Lieutenant Barbery gritted his teeth:

"If the other party still has doubts about us..."

No, it won't.

The sound came from outside, through the metal cockpit.

"Mobile suits generally form a squad of three or four units, especially heavy firepower mobile suits like the Guncannon that have mobility deficiencies, which further reinforces this implication. As a result, they completely ignore those incongruities."

Although the voice still inevitably revealed a touch of immaturity, its calmness and composure seemed to possess a magical power capable of calming one down.

"The battle—compared to something for which there is no evidence, the 'battle' that has already broken out in front of us is clearly more concerning."

Moreover, this magic is traceable:

"...You seem to be very good at grasping the situation on the battlefield."

"Just some book knowledge I learned temporarily at school."

Is it a military academy?

“Yes, the Gabro Military Academy. The Federation sent me there.”

Even though he was just sitting in the cockpit of the Zaku, Lieutenant Barberley could only feel his heart pounding.

Under the immense pressure that made it almost impossible to breathe, he couldn't help but clench the nameplate he was holding tightly in his hand.

Under the still-functioning light source of the cabin, a name emerged:

“Papa Heane Lewis—”

"Ok?"

"He was a new recruit in my squad, not even 18 years old. He had only undergone a few months of training before going to the battlefield. Until his death, he believed that the so-called 'anti-MS special soldier' ​​was an ace."

"...I'm sorry I'm late."

No, that's not what I meant.

Upon hearing the unexpected apology, Lieutenant Barberley couldn't help but raise his voice:

“I…I never expected you young people to go to the battlefield.”

"..."

“At your age, you should be playing at home and quietly waiting for this war to end.”

"But I no longer have a home."

Suddenly, the sound coming from outside the hatch made Barbery almost stop breathing completely.

He instinctively opened his mouth, but no sound came out; all that could be heard was that final declaration:

“I have nowhere to go back to, so that kind of thing doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

Outside the hatch, the Zaku's undamaged inner cabin was quietly attached using a magnetic device.

Behind them, communications within Zeon could be clearly heard:

"Get the pilot ready for battle, then open the hatch directly—Isn't that guy At already waiting in Zaku? Let him go first. Elmer, hurry up and get on. If necessary, you can have my machine."

Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but glance at the green anti-King's uniform he was wearing, which belonged to the Zeon army:

"Anyway, let's leave these minor things aside and get ready. The important part is coming up."

Chapter Twenty-Five: Xia? I hate that name.

As a land-based battleship used by the Principality of Zeon to conquer colonies and operate in conjunction with mobile suits, the Gallup-class possesses almost all the hardware requirements for a Minovsky particle environment:

It can be equipped with mobile suits, has an exposed bridge that allows it to determine direction without relying solely on cameras and radar, possesses a certain degree of air defense capability, and has a steerable main gun. Its specially designed command turret can also maintain a certain level of communication even in jammed environments.

However, it has its own problem—its size.

As a command ship capable of housing mobile suits, Zeon simply lacked the financial and material resources to support this excellent design, resulting in its excessively small size.

Aside from the additional dome-shaped cargo containers, the Gallup-class land-based ships, which are only a hundred meters long, wide, and high, can only carry three mobile suits. Unlike other aircraft carriers, they cannot be equipped with additional armaments, and almost all of their combat capabilities rely on mobile suits.

Therefore, if any accident occurs, the entire warship will be trapped.

"For example, the MS being suddenly taken away or something."

…………

"Then, Captain, I'll head out to support that guy Levent first."

As they approached, the green Zaku leaped directly off the warship.

'Boom'

The sudden sound startled the Zeon soldier named At, but when he instinctively looked around, he could only watch the white Zaku brush past him and step into the hangar of the Hump.

"Hmm, is it just an illusion?"

After surveying the area, he found no figure that had bypassed the blind spots of the auxiliary sensors and was pressed tightly against the Zaku's body.

"Captain Cuvatro succeeded."

Standing on the white Zaku's shoulder, Gao Ren quickly turned his gaze away from the Zaku that had launched its attack:

"Then theoretically there are two more aircraft inside the warship."

The white Zaku walked step by step into the hangar, and the not-so-spacious interior came into view.

Perhaps for the pilot's convenience, the two mobile suits were already positioned on either side, and the white-painted mobile suit that looked different from the Zaku immediately drew his attention.

Of course, it's not a new type of machine.

The one on the left is still the well-known 'Zaku II', but the one on the right looks much slimmer, and even the power pipes are completely hidden inside.

"That's... a Zaku I?"

"That's right. This model had actually been relegated to a secondary role before the outbreak of war. It must have been a machine responsible for logistics."

Are there any differences in operation?

"A little bit, mainly in terms of weapons control."

"Then can I give it to you? The model used for testing at the school is the Zaku II, I've never used the Zaku I."

"Of course, no problem."

"Clang!"

Finally, having fully entered the hangar, the white Zaku stood still.

"However, if I try to steal that old-fashioned mobile suit, you'll have to face Zeon's pilots directly."

Just then, that slender hand gently touched his cheek.

Turning my head, I saw a worried face very close to mine:

“They’re not wearing iron shells; they’re real flesh and blood. You’re really okay.”

"Of course—no problem."

Facing that unreserved worry, Gao Ren involuntarily closed his eyes:

"Don't forget, Shirley, I've gotten used to 'corpses'."

"So, Lieutenant Gao Ren, what should we do next?"

The dry voice of Lieutenant Barberley echoed through the communication.

It was a panting sound, like that of a wild beast:

"Now, these guys... those Zeonians are right under my feet."

It was a hatred mixed with a kind of bloodthirsty excitement.

When sitting on the MS, one always looks down on all living beings from the perspective of a giant, and Gao Ren understands exactly what that feeling is like.

but……

"Calm down, Lieutenant Barberley. What you need to do now is protect yourself and the cockpit, then push all the way in and crash into the wall."

Looking around, Gao Ren deployed his jetpack:

"Operation...begins."

…………

"Captain, move it in a little further."

"Captain, you're blocking Dale's route."

Inside the hangar, Zeon soldiers in uniform waved flags and shouted through megaphones:

"Captain, move to the side a little."

But amidst the cacophony of noise, the experienced maintenance foreman sensed something.

"Get out of the way!"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the white Zaku's engine ignited, and the full thrust propelled its white body forward, crashing headlong into the depths of the hangar with unstoppable force.

The sudden impact left the hangar crew swaying and bewildered, and even the prepared drivers were drawn to the completely illogical action:

"team leader?"

The pilot, named Dell, was instinctively taken aback.

Although his veteran's experience allowed him to quickly regain his composure, after that period of time, he saw a figure rushing towards him against gravity.

"Jetpack?"

However, the green uniform still puzzled him:

"Why are you wearing that thing? Who are you...?"

'Click'

Just as he couldn't help but ask the question, a twisting sound came from outside.

Then, the computer and screen that were running suddenly went dark, replaced by alarms, mechanical sounds, and the sounds of doors opening.

Mobile Suit – This is a weapon that is frequently subjected to impacts, making its internal equipment prone to damage.

Considering the effects of Minovsky particles and maintenance issues, as well as the need to prevent pilots from becoming unconscious and being unable to be rescued in time, the Zaku, as a combat-ready aircraft, did not have a complex identification system, and its external emergency unlocking device was even simpler:

"It's like a valve."