Gundam UC Hunting Time

"Long time no see, Captain!"

"Yes, thank you for your hard work. How's the situation on the space front?"

Char, who floated into the bridge, returned the salute to everyone, then landed next to Lieutenant Dren, stood firm with his magnetic boots, straightened his back, and asked in a deep voice.

"As with previous reports, the Earth Federation Forces are frantically rebuilding the Luna II fleet, while our forces are focusing on reinforcing the Granada fortress on the moon and the Solomon space fortress in the SIDE1 airspace. Small-scale battles break out daily at each base in an attempt to disrupt each other's deployments."

“I thought so too.” Xia’s lips curled into a meaningful smile, then he looked up at the tactical screen in the center of the bridge, his tone tinged with urgency:

"So, where is the target enemy ship? Did I miss my opportunity?"

"No! The enemy ship is still within our detection range!"

The radar sergeant answered loudly, while Lieutenant Deren, with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, asked:

"Major, what exactly is that enemy ship? Why are you taking it so seriously?"

“That’s the transport ship for the Federation’s new MS.” Char sighed slightly, a rare hint of shame showing in front of his subordinates: “I am grateful to General Dozle for his magnanimity in not dismissing me from my post for the last defeat, but for me, that failure is an indelible disgrace. So no matter what, this time I will personally destroy the Federation’s new MS.”

"I see! Please rest assured, Major! Your subordinates will do everything in our power to help you avenge this humiliation!"

Lieutenant Deren immediately gave a solemn guarantee, and the other crew members on the bridge also cast firm glances at him.

"Okay, thank you all." Xia nodded, then asked, "What's the ship's armament like? How many mobile suits are ready for combat?"

"Reporting to Major, the ship's missile reserves are still sufficient, but in terms of mobile suits, including the one you personally pilot, there are currently only three Zaku available for combat."

"No further updates?"

"Yes, the military headquarters is prioritizing all production capacity for fortress construction, and there are no spare units available to allocate to us at the moment."

"Alright, that's the only way." Xia Ya pondered for a moment, then decisively ordered, "Maximum engine thrust, full speed ahead! We absolutely cannot let the enemy ship enter the Luna II's orbit!"

"Yes!"

Lieutenant Deren loudly accepted the order and then turned to give specific instructions to each battle station.

The triangular hull of the Musai-class cruiser began to accelerate and soon appeared within the radar detection range of the White Base.

……

……

The sudden, piercing alarm shattered the harmonious atmosphere on the bridge. Captain Paul immediately abandoned his relaxed posture, straightened his back, and sternly demanded:

"Where did this alarm come from!?"

"Large heat source detected! Consistent with warship engine characteristics! Distance ***, bearing ***, altitude ***, course ***, current displacement speed ***!"

"Warships... are actually behind our lines? Are they Zeon forces!?"

Captain Paul frowned – the Zeon forces now held control of space, so there was no doubt that they were the enemy.

"Has our navigation information been leaked?"

"It could also be a regular patrol by the Zeon army."

The crew on the bridge, who were completely unprepared to face the Zeon forces right from the start, immediately changed their expressions.

"In short, sound the battle alarm for the entire ship!"

"Enemy ship detected behind this ship! Enemy ship detected behind this ship! All ships to first combat readiness! All combat commanders to their positions immediately!"

The communications officer trembled as he turned on the microphone to broadcast, his voice tense and urgent, clearly indicating he was a newcomer lacking combat experience. On the large screen displaying the situation inside the ship, all the off-duty crew members immediately rushed out of their newly assigned quarters, frantically putting on their uniforms as they ran.

"Captain, should I deploy to engage the enemy?"

Lin Xingyuan volunteered, but was immediately rejected by the vice-captain:

"No! Our ship's core mission is to receive the new aircraft that has completed testing! Major, your aircraft also falls into the category of new aircraft. If we launch an attack now, the enemy will definitely do everything they can to harass us, and then our core mission will be a complete failure!"

Lin Xing originally wanted to say that he was fully capable of sinking the enemy ship and completely destroying the evidence, but Captain Paul spoke up at this moment:

"Judging from the current distance, MS probably can't reach it yet, right?"

Lin Xingyuan looked up at the distance between the two sides displayed on the big screen and shut his mouth completely.

Unlike surface warships, mobile suits (MS) have difficulty catching up to their targets when both sides are maintaining high speeds. Enemy ships can easily turn around and create distance after spotting the target, and if they attempt to attack, they may run out of fuel and be unable to return.

"Can we shake off the enemy ships behind us?" Captain Paul asked the helmsman.

"I'll give it a try!"

Although the opponent was a Musai-class cruiser known for its speed, the White Base was also the Federation's newest and most advanced warship, and it wasn't impossible for them to put up a fight. The helmsman gritted his teeth and pushed the throttle valve, and the White Base immediately accelerated a second time, slightly increasing the distance between the two sides—but then, the Musai-class cruiser opened fire!

The blazing Mega Particle Beam shot from a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers, passing by the white base at a distance of tens of kilometers to its port side. Even so, the atmosphere inside the bridge instantly became extremely tense.

"Enemy ships have opened fire!"

"Captain! Let's counterattack immediately!"

The staff officers began to shout in panic, and Captain Paul frowned and reprimanded them:

"What kind of panicked behavior is this! At this distance, the enemy ships can't possibly hit us!"

Due to interference from Minovsky particles, radar guidance is completely ineffective. Artillery fire at this distance relies heavily on optical aiming, and unless extremely unlucky, it is very difficult to hit a high-speed moving target.

No sooner had he finished speaking than another beam of mega-particles struck, again veering far away from the white base, proving his point.

"This is preventing us from aligning our orbit toward Luna 2."

Captain Paul pondered for a moment, then quickly issued the following orders:

"The stern missile launch tubes are loaded with decoy flares, and the course is adjusted to...SIDE6 and Solomon."

"captain?"

The new weapons officer looked puzzled, but Captain Paul wasn't annoyed and patiently explained:

“SIDE6 is a neutral public area, so it is reasonable for our ship to sail there; while Solomon is an enemy fortress, and if we put on the appearance of a special forces unit, they will only become more nervous.”

"I see!"

The weapons officer suddenly understood and immediately carried out the order. Brad, standing nearby, couldn't help but whisper:

"Captain, will the enemy fall for our trap?"

Captain Paul smiled: "Whether they fall for it or not, as long as we can confuse them temporarily and buy us time to adjust our true course, that's enough."

"I see." Brad nodded in realization.

Captain Paul then turned to Tim Ray, who was still standing there in a daze, and said gently:

“Director Tim Ray, it’s dangerous here. Please return to your cabin for safety. Vamas, take the director there.”

"receive."

Vamas stepped forward and led Tim Ray away from the bridge. Captain Paul then looked at Lin Xingyuan and the other two:

"Major, we will take command here. The three of you, please proceed to the MS hangar and wait. I will notify you immediately if needed."

"clear."

Lin Xingyuan gave a crisp military salute, then turned and left the bridge with Lei and Shirley Page. As soon as they entered the elevator, Shirley Page couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Captain, do you think that Musai-class ship will catch up?"

"Who knows?"

Lin Xingyuan suspected that the person sitting behind him, Museri, was Xia Ya, but he had no proof.

"So the New Humans' sensory abilities are useless then?"

"The new humans aren't omnipotent!"

Lin Xingyuan hated this topic the most, and immediately raised his hand and gave her a chop to the neck.

The three quickly arrived at the MS hangar and began their combat readiness standby mission. However, they waited for nearly ten hours!

The Musai-class cruiser was completely unfazed, relentlessly pursuing the white base. The two warships, locked in a tug-of-war, advanced in a zigzag pattern, gradually closing in on the Luna II area!

Just as Captain Paul was about to call for backup from Luna II base, the radar officer suddenly screamed in terror:

"Captain! A large amount of heat signature has been detected gathering in the vicinity of Luna II! It's a large force of Zeon forces!"

……

……

Please give me some support!

Chapter 161 Death Returns

"As you can see, the Zeon fleet is gathering in the nearby space, and its operational target is most likely Luna 2. I'm very sorry, but in order to complete our core mission, our ship will abandon its original course and will no longer head for Luna 2. Instead, we will sail directly to SIDE 7."

Captain Paul explained the situation with a troubled expression, and Lin Xingyuan instantly grasped the current crisis—the barrage popped up with a timely reminder: the day after Char discovered the white base passing by Luna 2, the Zeon fleet did indeed launch a large-scale attack.

"I understand, Captain. Please allow us to disembark and proceed to Luna 2 Base on our own."

"...I'm sorry to have put you in such a dangerous situation."

Captain Paul looked apologetic. Given the White Base's current orbital angle, if they abandoned their course towards Luna 2, a single acceleration would allow them to rely on inertia to completely disappear from the thermal radar; and the departing RX-79E would become a conspicuous "thermal nova" in space, replacing the White Trojan Horse and being captured by enemy ships—Lin Xingyuan intended to use himself as bait to divert the enemy's attention.

"If it can attract the attention of enemy ships and help the White Base shake off its pursuers, I will do my duty without hesitation."

Lin Xingyuan laughed loudly.

These inspiring words moved all the officers on the bridge. Captain Paul was also deeply moved and immediately gave the order:

"Navigation officer, plan the shortest route for the major, ensuring the RX-79E enters the air defense zone of Luna 2 base before being overtaken! Communications officer, contact Luna 2 immediately and request backup! Weapons officer, prepare decoy flares to disrupt enemy ships' detection of the Gundam!"

"Understood! Good luck everyone, see you later."

The bridge immediately sprang into action. Lin Xingyuan saluted Captain Paul to express his gratitude, then specifically reminded him to be careful. Finally, he gave Brad a deep look before ending the communication.

Soon after, Ray and Sherry boarded the machine. The black RX-79E, dragging decoy flares, roared out of the Pegasus-class battleship and sped toward the lemon-shaped Luna 2 base in the distance.

On the other side—

"Huh!? Lieutenant! The target ship's bearing has suddenly changed, and multiple large-scale heat sources have been detected! Comprehensive analysis and predicted path: SIDE7, SIDE6, Luna 2, Solomon!"

"Here we go again?!"

Acting Captain Lieutenant Deren frowned and looked at Char, only to see Char gently shake his head:

"It's all a facade."

He walked to the holographic route map, carefully analyzed it, and then decisively gave the order:

"Pursue the heat source heading towards SIDE7."

"Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to go towards Luna 2?" Lieutenant Delun asked, his face full of confusion.

"It's a simple process of elimination: if they really are heading towards Luna 2, we can turn around and join the attack fleet; if not, we've completely missed our target."

Char pressed his hand on the pistol at his waist, his tone carrying a hint of certainty.

Deren suddenly realized: "I see."

“There’s another reason,” Xia added, “I don’t like being in groups, and in my experience, I often get more opportunities to make a difference by acting alone.”

……

……

Thanks to Lin Xingyuan's active intervention, the RX-79E was equipped with a spherical cockpit ahead of time. The style is very similar to the cockpit of the NT-1. Compared with the original core fighter, the space is much more spacious, and it does not feel cramped even when accommodating three people.

"That's great, the view is much wider than Jim's."

Shirley Page was clearly very satisfied with the spherical cockpit with its 220° field of vision, and kept praising it from the moment she boarded the plane.

“If possible, I would like the field of view to be wider, the UI interface also needs to be optimized, and the seams of the frame are still too thick…” Lin Xingyuan listed the shortcomings of the first-generation full-circulation cockpit, then suddenly remembered a question and turned to look at Shirley: “By the way, won’t you feel scared like this?”

According to his understanding, in the early stages of MS development, many OT pilots were not used to the feeling of 'facing the universe and falling at any time'.

"It's alright, I feel quite comfortable."

Shirley Page looked relaxed. Seeing that Lin Xingyuan only asked her questions and ignored Lei, she couldn't help but wonder – the relationship between the two of them was too subtle. Surely the captain couldn't be bisexual?

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Lei suddenly speak from the other side:

Do you think the enemy will pursue us?

Lin Xingyuan used AMBAC to maneuver and turn around without affecting the course and speed. He adjusted the optical detection system to the maximum magnification and looked toward the location of the Musai ship, but he could not distinguish the trace of the enemy ship in the dark background of space.

This is the difference in detection capabilities between mobile suits (MS) and battleships.