Gundam: A Gundam Enthusiast's Journey with a Mecha Girl

"Don't rush, we only have one chance. We need to make sure Lohengrin hits the target and keep going!"

Despite the danger, Bakirulu remained calm and composed as she issued her orders.

However, the ZAFT warships were not easy targets, and the Archangel's high-profile attack naturally attracted the attention of Artis, who was in charge of the ZAFT fleet.

"Don't panic! The enemy only has one warship. Turn around quickly and engage it with the main guns! Also, have Gamow and our ship turn around together to form a crossfire and make sure to sink the enemy ship!"

But his reaction was exactly as Bakiruru had predicted.

"Missile launch tubes one through four, launch anti-beam detonators!"

The main guns of the Vesalius and Gamow fired simultaneously, and thick, emerald-green beams shot towards the Archangel from two directions. However, under Bakirulu's command, the defensive barrier formed by four anti-beam mines was deployed precisely in the trajectory of the ZAFT warship's guns.

"The beam disappeared; it was an anti-beam detonation!"

Amidst the screams of the Vesalius's operators, Artis saw the Archangel's silhouette drawing ever closer.

His ominous premonition finally came true.

Chapter 21 A Hard-Won Victory

Archangel, bridge.

"How is Lohengrin's charging status?"

"Power replenished, ready to launch!"

Miria stared nervously at the screen in front of her, answering Bakirulu's question loudly.

"On my command, the target is the ZAFT Laurencia-class battleship. Lohengrin, prepare..."

Bucky Lulu paused for a moment, mentally estimating the moment when the Archangel's hull would be able to pass through the defensive barrier formed by the anti-beam mines, before giving the order.

"Fire!"

A thick beam of red and white light shot out from one of the Archangel's "front legs," carrying devastating energy as it struck the Gamow. This powerful weapon, capable of piercing the outer armor of a fortress, easily penetrated the Lawrence-class warship, renowned for its formidable hull and cannons, cleaving the Gamow in two. Then, in a magnificent explosion, the Gamow was completely reduced to a pile of space debris.

But the sinking of the Gamov did not mean the end of the battle. Maru did not relax after sinking the enemy ship, but anxiously gave orders.

"Quickly, Sergeant Neumann, get out of the way immediately!"

Although the rudder of a spaceship no longer requires the same force as that of ships from the old days, the short-haired young man sitting in the controller's seat still turns the rudder with all his might, just like a sailor from the old days.

Under his control, the Archangel moved with the agility of a fighter jet, its massive hull rapidly flipping to the right, allowing the shelling from the Vesalius to pass between the Archangel's "legs".

"Set the target to the ZAFT Nazca-class warship. Missile launchers, numbers 5 to 12, fire! All gun mounts, fire freely!"

The Archangel fired its remaining missile tubes, which had already been loaded with anti-ship missiles. At the same time, the railguns and beam cannons on the ship also launched a salvo at the Vesalius. Although the Archangel's shells had a low hit rate due to the ship's high speed, several shells still hit the Vesalius.

Although these shells did not hit any key positions on the Vesalius and were insufficient to sink it, they did thoroughly suppress the Vesalius.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Archangel turned around in front of the Vesalius and left the war zone without looking back.

"Fire on starboard side!"

"Electromagnetic catapult destroyed!"

"Turret number two is out of service!"

Chaos had broken out on the bridge of the Vesalius, and Captain Artis was slumped in his captain's chair.

Artis seemed to have already envisioned himself being court-martialed for his poor command that led to the sinking of the Gamow, but his sense of duty as a soldier compelled him to issue what was likely the last order of his military career in a hoarse voice.

"Vesalius, slowly retreat to create distance from the enemy ships. Also, call Captain Kruze at the front and inform him of our situation."

-----------------

"The Gamow was sunk? Tch, what on earth is Artis doing?"

Upon receiving the message, Kruze decisively hurled his heavy slash at the short sword, maneuvering Xigu to retreat. The short sword, after dodging Xigu's thrown blade, did not continue its pursuit.

Both the Xigu and the Dagger were in poor condition. They appeared to be unharmed, but the Xigu had used up all its ammunition, and the Dagger had also discarded its two shoulder-mounted weapons during the high-speed maneuvering battle, and its energy was also depleted.

Raiwen's physical strength, like that of his machine, had reached its limit. Sweat soaked into his tight-fitting standard suit, and the slippery, sticky feeling made him extremely uncomfortable.

"Kruse left? How are the others?"

[Aegis, Thunder, Storm, and Duel have all gradually withdrawn from the battlefield.]

"Where are Kira and the captain?"

Both the Strike and the Mobius Zero survived, but their condition is far from ideal.

El enlarged the appearance of the Strike and Mobius Zero on the screen.

The Strike's unloading backpack was now tattered, its shield was reduced to half, its beam rifle was missing, and only half of its V-shaped antenna remained on its head, clearly a mark left by a beam. However, the mobile suit itself was undamaged, which should save Sergeant Maddock, who was in charge of maintenance, a lot of trouble.

Mu's Mobius Zero had returned to the state it had first appeared in, now just a bare shell, its four wire-controlled cannons presumably destroyed in the battle with Storm and Duel.

However, Mu himself...

"Captain Murrue, Lieutenant Basiluru, I love you two to death!"

Judging from his wailing and howling over the phone, he's probably alright.

[Raven, the Archangel is here. Let's go back together.]

As the white behemoth came into view, Raven's highly tense nerves finally had a chance to relax.

"Okay, let's go back together."

-----------------

At this moment, the bridge of the Vesalius fell into a deathly silence.

The Gamow was sunk, and the newly replenished mobile suit force suffered heavy losses again. Even the Vesalius was damaged in several places.

This is the first time since the Kruse team was founded that it has suffered such a great loss.

Artis, who was in charge of commanding the fleet, was devastated. He was certain that the responsibility for the sinking of the Gamow would fall on his shoulders. Therefore, since the Vesalius had escaped danger, he had been sitting motionless in the captain's seat with his head down.

Aslan and the others who gathered on the bridge didn't look much better. They couldn't defeat their opponent even in a two-on-one situation. Diego and Yzak looked even worse. The two of them were attacking not a mobile suit, but a mobile suit, yet the opponent still managed to escape alive.

Is it because the enemy is very strong?

That short sword was indeed difficult to deal with; apart from Kruze, no one had the strength to stand up to him alone.

As for the remaining two enemies, the battles between the Strike Force and Mobius Zero were entirely advantageous for ZAFT.

At the beginning, the Strike's movements still carried a hint of the rawness of a new recruit. When Nicol's Thunderbolt joined the battle, the combined attack of Aegis and Thunderbolt did indeed push the Strike to the brink of defeat. However, the Strike's momentum suddenly changed, and its movements became swift and agile, completely exhausting the energy of Thunderbolt and Aegis.

Yzak and Diego were initially suppressed by the short sword in a single attack, and then turned to besiege Mobius Zero. Unexpectedly, the opponent was determined to escape in all directions, and even used the wire-controlled cannon as bait to save his life. Until Kruze ordered a retreat, they were unable to take him down.

In the midst of this somber atmosphere, Kruse, having changed his clothes, walked onto the bridge.

"What are you all doing gathered here? Go back and get some rest first, and remember to send me a battle report later."

"team leader?"

Everyone was surprised by Kruse's lenient treatment. After suffering such a heavy defeat, he didn't even utter a word of reprimand. This could not be explained simply by being magnanimous.

"All right."

Kruse raised his hand, signaling his men to stop dwelling on the topic.

"The biggest responsibility for this defeat lies with me, the commander, for my misjudgment of the battle situation. I underestimated the enemy's strength. It has nothing to do with you. That's all."

Before anyone could reply, Kruze walked to the porthole on the bridge and looked in the direction the Archangel had left, reliving the feelings he had experienced in the battle with the Dagger.

'Unlike the Vladas, you have that straightforward and simple quality, but in this era, how long can you retain that straightforwardness, pilot of the dagger?'

Chapter 22 Rest Time

"Cheers to the brave drivers who fought so hard!"

Starting with Miria's lively voice, a small victory celebration began in the Archangel's dining hall.

Various dishes were already laid out on the table. Although these dishes were just military canned goods that had been slightly processed before being served, this long-lost peaceful atmosphere was a rare moment of relaxation for them, who had been on the run.

Several students were particularly excited, letting loose their true nature without any restraint. After all, the idea of ​​holding this victory celebration was proposed by Bakirulu, the strictest student on the Archangel.

The Archangel achieved a great victory this time, not only successfully rescuing friendly forces but also launching a proactive attack that severely damaged the enemy's mobile suit forces and sank a warship.

The Archangel is currently at a position where it only needs to travel a short distance to rendezvous with Halbarton's Eighth Fleet. At that point, the Archangel will be able to completely escape its predicament of constantly having to flee.

However, the cost was that the three pilots, who were the main combat force, were exhausted, and their machines also needed a time-consuming comprehensive overhaul.

Therefore, Bakiruru used this small victory celebration as a way to boost morale and also to allow the three pilots who had just finished a major battle to adjust their condition.

Of course, drinking alcohol is not allowed, and even relaxation must have its limits. Bakiruru requires every driver to be ready to be deployed at any time.

For the Archangel, Basiluru's presence was like that of a family's head steward. Without her authority to keep things in check, the Archangel, a ship composed of students, refugees, and a small number of soldiers, would have become incredibly disorganized.

However, it is clear that among the Archangel's pilots, there is one who seems to be inherently intolerant of strict rules.

"Ah, I really want a drink! Little Maria, could you get me a bottle of wine?"

Mu lay disheveled on the chair against the wall, looking like an uncle who had just finished playing pachinko.

This disheveled fellow, with his uniform draped loosely over his shoulders, is named Mu la Vlad, and surprisingly, he appears to be a captain, and seemingly even has the title 'Eagle of Endymion'.

"Hey, AI over there, I can hear you!"

Mu turned his head and spoke to a mechanical toy on the table that looked like a surveillance camera with legs.

This little thing is the new body Raven made for El. It can carry El's mental core and move freely on the ship. The camera-like body also has a built-in speaker so that El can send out her sharp comments anytime, anywhere. On the body, there is also a small display screen with the image of a white-haired girl on it. According to El, this is the image she designed for her future humanoid body.

"Lieutenant Bakirulu specifically instructed the captain not to drink alcohol when she took him away. Captain, have you forgotten so quickly?"

Raven walked over, patted Mu on the shoulder, and handed him a glass of orange juice.

Incidentally, at the beginning of the banquet, Maru also sneaked over to join in the fun, but was quickly dragged back to the bridge by Bakiruru.

Mu took the orange juice, hooked his arm around Raven's shoulder, and made him sit down.

"Tch, of course I know. But even if I drank a little now, it wouldn't matter. Anyway, my Möbius Zero can't be fired. There are no spare parts, it can't be repaired, and if something happens, it can't be used. Isn't your short sword the same? I heard Chief Maintenance Officer Maddok complain that even though it looks fine on the outside, the internal parts are badly worn out. If it wants to continue fighting, it will have to be thoroughly maintained. Just how outrageous was your battle with Kruze?"

Raven shrugged.

"There's no way around it. Without fully utilizing the capabilities of the short sword, I simply can't keep up with Kruze's movements."

Raven recalled his previous battle with Kruze.

"That guy completely figured out the performance of the Shigu, and he could dodge my attacks with minimal maneuvering. On my side, I had to make several times more maneuvers to keep up with his movements. If it weren't for the superior performance of the short sword, I wouldn't have been able to hold him off at all."

"I know, I know, that guy is really troublesome. It's all thanks to you holding off that most troublesome one, otherwise I don't know what would have happened."

Mu, who had suffered a lot at Kruse's hands, nodded repeatedly.

"Don't even mention me, Kira's performance this time was also outstanding. He single-handedly held off both Blitz and Aegis from start to finish. Their destructive power is much stronger than Shigu's. Hey, Kira, stop spacing out!"

Kira had been staring at the plate in front of him since the beginning. Even after resting for a while, Kira's body still hadn't forgotten the state he had entered when he was attacked by Aegis and Thunder.

When Lightning joined the battle and, together with Aegis, cornered Kira, his senses suddenly became incredibly sharp, and his physical reflexes improved dramatically. He could easily see through the enemy's movements and react in time.

It was thanks to this state that Kira was able to hold out until the end amidst the combined attack of the two machines, but no matter how much he tried to recall it later, Kira could never recapture that state.

"Kira, what's wrong?"

A cool sensation came from his cheek, and Kira came back to his senses.

“I…I’m just worried about what to do if ZAFT attacks at this time. Teacher, your short sword is still under repair. The only thing I can use right now is my Strike Sword.”

Kira instinctively made up an excuse to cover up his true feelings.

"When soldiers come, we'll deal with them; when water comes, we'll dam it. There'll always be a way. Right now, your task is to rest well. Don't always frown at such a young age, or you'll get wrinkles."

Raven chuckled twice, using a half-joking remark to dispel the gloom in the boy's heart.

However, Kira's words were not unfounded. With his troops and men severely damaged, Kruze would certainly not let the Archangel go easily, but the pursuit by Kruze's team also presented an opportunity for Raven.

A legitimate opportunity to put Lux back into PLANT.

"Oh my, what is this child? So cute."

A cheerful female voice rang out from the table, and everyone looked over to see that the girl with the signature long pink hair had appeared at the table at some point, holding El in her hands.

Miss Lux, I am Al, not a toy.

"Oh, that's really rude of me, I'm so sorry, Miss El."

Lux apologized and put El back, while the people around didn't pay much attention to this young lady who shouldn't be there, acting as if it were nothing unusual.

However, Miriamia and Kaz's expressions changed. They had been present when Frey and Lux ​​clashed a few days ago.