Gundam, Gravity Elegy

After forcefully pulling the emergency release and opening the Zaku's cockpit, Gao Ren simply stared at the lingering flames with his naked eyes:

"The MS's own nuclear fusion reactor is also a bomb. If these people had any brains, they wouldn't have continued to attack me when my machine was unstable."

"However, the Hump is still being watched."

At this point, Ms. Lutz looked up and gazed at the mobile suits outside through the exposed bridge of the Hump.

The blue giant holding a shield hadn't moved an inch from the beginning. She could even clearly see its single, scarlet eye slowly turning, as if trying to take in all the scenery, including the warships.

"If this continues, even if we release MS, we'll be targeted by concentrated fire."

"And I have to say something even more worrying..."

Just then, another voice cut into the channel:

"This is 'The Avengers.' Command received a message from outside the base, from 'Southern Cross Squad,' requesting that the base prepare supplies for the new type of machine."

"Wait, if we're asked to prepare supplies now, it means..."

"We'll probably have other 'guests' soon."

Upon hearing this, Gao Ren's pupils dilated in surprise.

"At a time like this?!"

…………

Beneath those seemingly eternal, cold stars, the roar of the engine shattered the eternal silence, almost shaking the earth and waking the little girl from her deep sleep.

"Well……"

The child's active nature made her unable to resist turning on the bedside lamp.

What is that?

Knock on the window that was closed, and the girl couldn't help but peek out at the gloomy sky, only to see an indistinct black shadow.

"What's that... a bird?"

But before she could continue guessing, an 'uninvited guest' suddenly barged into the child's little world:

"Yuri, what are you doing?!"

"mom!"

"Turn off the lights right now! Didn't I tell you not to turn on the lights at night?!"

The woman, who called herself "Mother," turned off the lights with a fierce expression, but under the cover of night, what remained between her brows was the essence of panic.

But the little girl didn't understand any of this. She didn't know what her mother was angry about, or what she was afraid of. She just stared blankly out the window.

The fleeting glimpse of light brought a smile to her face:

"Mom, there's a shooting star!"

"!!!"

She didn't see anything else; the girl only saw her mother rushing towards her.

then……

'Boom'

"Mother?"

Disaster, flames.

"What happened?"

"Quickly, put out the fire!!"

Shouting, roaring.

That tragedy that fell from the sky eventually turned into a tiny speck of dust that spread upwards from the earth, almost unnoticed by anyone.

"Waaah~ The light source has disappeared, it must have hit the target."

As the flickering lights went out completely, an irrepressible excitement echoed in the sky:

"Honestly, this 'Tiger' is really amazing. Its sensor accuracy is much better than that of the old Zaku, and the power of this rocket launcher seems to be much stronger than the one used on the Zaku."

"You just caused a huge scene this morning, and you're still so excited."

"After all, it's a new type of machine..."

"Alright, are you guys done making a scene? We need to hurry back to base to receive supplies."

The noisy sound filled the channel as several cyclops-like aircraft, painted in brown and adorned with the Southern Cross constellation on their chests, stepped onto their flight ramps and soared into the distance.

Special markings and distinctive paint schemes—in the Principality of Zeon, which encouraged individual heroism, these were all symbols of the elite.

And just like their paint scheme and markings, they are referred to as follows in the military:

"Southern Cross..."

Gazing at the team emblem he had affixed to the cockpit, the current captain—Aigba Atla—couldn't help but reveal a proud smile:

"See that, Doan? Even without you, I can still keep this team going. Whether it's those fools who believe in you or yourself, I will never let anyone tarnish the reputation of this battle-hardened team!"

At that moment, a questioning voice suddenly echoed in the channel:

"But, Danan, what exactly did you hit?"

That was the only female member of the team—Selma Revans, and the moment her question arose, Danan couldn't help but scratch the back of his head:

"I don't know. I saw a light and fired at it. Maybe it was some kind of air defense system?"

"But shouldn't this be Zeon's war zone? There are no anti-aircraft defenses targeting us here..."

"Alright, it's an air defense facility, and that's what will be written in the report later."

"There are no buts. I will absolutely not allow anyone to tarnish the reputation of the 'Southern Cross' again, absolutely not!!"

Hearing that resolute voice, Selma felt a deep unease rise in her heart.

"If it were Doan, he definitely wouldn't..."

"Don't forget that it was he who ordered us to send 'those things' to side 2 in the first place. Isn't it too late to pretend to sympathize with those so-called innocent people now?"

The echoing furious voice in the public channel startled Selma. She instinctively wanted to say something, but her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the deep night sky.

"Perhaps... we'll all go to hell."

"Haha, hell? We'd need someone to send us down there first. Look at who can... right now."

'Zizzi'

Suddenly, the noise echoing from the channel added a touch of bewilderment to that anger.

"Communication interference?"

"It's Minovsky particles... Wait, there are flames coming from the base!"

Author's message

…………

The Southern Cross is a setting from the theatrical version, while in the GTO Doan Island manga it's the 02 Test Battalion. Here, it's a compromise that they're both included.

In the comics, Doan's team is responsible for transporting G2 poison gas.

PS2: In the GTO setting, there is a test-type tiger with improved athletic performance, which is a reinforced Zaku with exposed power pipes. The finger cannon and heat whip are later additions.

Chapter 53: Ifrit Prototype

"Southern Cross Squad - This message was sent about 30 minutes ago. If we only consider the maximum carrying speed of their 'Fat Uncle' transport plane, they should arrive at this base in about 15 minutes."

"And it's a new type of machine."

Of course, it wouldn't be Ifrit.

"Does that mean at least three Tigers will arrive here soon?"

"That's right, these kinds of accidents are quite rare."

Perhaps because of the urgency of the situation, even Captain Cuvatro, who was usually frivolous, became serious at this moment.

Amidst the noise, his voice was exceptionally clear:

"So what should I say? There are no backup plans now."

Yes, Kuvatro didn't need to remind him of this at all, since the plan itself was decided by Gao Ren.

but……

"It's ok."

Gao Ren clenched his fist:

"Although the situation is somewhat different from what was planned, the overall approach remains the same; it's just that the timeframe is a bit tighter."

Yes, time is tight.

Clutching his heart, the boy felt something pounding wildly within him:

"So are you ready, our 'Athlete' Miss Jock?"

"Pfft..."

Amidst the clamor yet inexplicable silence, the sounds that came through were completely distorted.

Even so, one can still hear that lighthearted... reproach in it:

"You can still joke around now, but if I see any wounds on your body later, you'll have to try it."

Under the cover of darkness, the pale mobile suit gleams with its signature crimson single eye.

“YMS-08A…”

Her fingers gently traced the code that appeared on the panel, and her gaze finally settled on the name that had originally been reserved and stored inside the machine:

"Ifrit, codename: Jock, launch!"

…………

"Major Norris, what should we do now?"

Inside the Ruhr base, the flames, which were already beyond extinguishing, continued to burn.

But before the blazing flames, Norris Barcaard suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment.

Everything happened too fast. The Zaku, which was playing jazz music, went from appearance to end in just one minute. The speed of its 'mutual destruction' was so fast that even he, a veteran of many battles, could not understand it.

but……

"At least let me pay my respects to your desperate attempt to protect your comrades, unknown warrior."

But what about the others?

The source of the chaos?

What is the purpose of the Federal Army?

Questions swirled in my mind, eventually converging into the original question, or rather... the preconditions:

"Is the battle over?"

"No, not yet, the crisis is not over."

Upon hearing Lieutenant May's words, Norris instinctively rejected them.

He wasn't one of those new recruits; he didn't think that the lightning-fast battle was everything.

"The fire at the base needs to be extinguished. There are also definitely survivors in other parts of the base. We need to find a way to preserve as many tanks and other supplies as possible, as well as other mobile suits that haven't been activated..."

'boom'

"What was that sound? Was it an explosion?"

"No, that sound is from an engine!"

'Didi Didi'