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

Although he witnessed the mechs he had led the development of shining brightly in battle, the fact that this extraordinary combat power was unleashed by the enemy was a bit too darkly humorous for Halbarton.

How much longer does the Archangel need to wait before it can begin its descent?

Halbarton suppressed his inner anxiety and asked loudly.

"Ten more minutes until the designated landing point!"

Ten minutes...

Halbarton broke out in a cold sweat. Given the current efficiency of the ZAFT forces, even if the Archangel manages to re-enter the atmosphere as planned in ten minutes, the Eighth Fleet will likely cease to exist.

However, he immediately rejected the idea of ​​abandoning the cover for the Archangel and allowing the Eighth Fleet to retreat directly.

It's not old people like him who can create a new era; it's Raven, Murrue, and that boy piloting the Strike—these outstanding young people are the ones who can truly shoulder the responsibility for tomorrow.

only……

Halbarton gripped the portable hard drive he had brought back from the Archangel. He had just acquired enough leverage to change his twisted homeland, but before he could even make his mark, he was about to be defeated here.

This left Halbarton feeling extremely resentful, but given the current situation, he had no more cards to play.

"Admiral, please grant permission for the Archangel to join the battle!"

"The Archangel's communication has been connected," Maru said anxiously.

"No way! What do you think the sacrifices made by the Eighth Fleet were for? The sooner the Archangel completes its landing mission, the sooner the Eighth Fleet can withdraw from the battlefield."

"But the Eighth Fleet won't last until then. If this continues, the Eighth Fleet will be completely wiped out! Admiral, please grant us permission to join the battle!"

Maru, who is usually mild-mannered, unusually argued with Halbarton, but Halbarton remained unmoved by Maru's request.

"You think you can turn the tide of the battle with just one Archangel and two mobile suits? Don't underestimate the enemy!"

Halbarton angrily rebuked Maru for her immaturity, but at that moment, Dagger's communication came through.

"The Admiral has more important things to do and can't die here. Besides, don't you want to see how the MS of Project G shines on the battlefield?"

"Dr. Lei?"

Halbarton looked at Raven on the screen in surprise.

"I will turn the tide of the battle for you. Captain, I'm counting on you."

The short sword's signal disappeared from the channel, while on the other side, Maru made up her mind and shouted the order.

"I will take full responsibility. Now, begin the ejection procedure. Dagger and Strike, both units, please sortie immediately!"

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

[Raven, you really trust that General Halbarton, don't you?]

Alco knew better than anyone the value of the data contained in the hard drive Raven had given to Halbarton.

“He’s the ‘strategist’ Halbarton. I can’t find another trustworthy person in the Combine.”

[But as far as I know, Halbarton hasn't demonstrated his political talent before. If Raven wants to use that data to change the status quo of the Earth Alliance, shouldn't there be someone more trustworthy to entrust him with this task?]

"I trust honest men like Halbarton more than smooth-talking ones, and..."

Raven scratched his head awkwardly.

"In the Allied Forces, besides Halbarton, I don't know any other general well. You know I'm a typical 'I' man."

【ha……】

Raven successfully made an artificial intelligence sigh helplessly.

[Raven, sometimes I really think being your assistant is a very challenging job.]

"Feel sorry."

Raven chuckled and put the standard uniform helmet on his head. As Milia announced in her energetic voice that the catapult was ready, Raven gripped the lever of his short sword.

"Short sword equipped with iwsp, attack!"

Chapter 31 Low Earth Orbit Battle (Part 2)

"Enemy mobile suits confirmed to be present; they are the Dagger and Assault units from the intelligence!"

The communications officer's report echoed in the bridge, but ZAFT commander Diesel remained unmoved and shouted angrily.

"Don't panic! What kind of trouble can two mere MS cause? Order the frontline MS units to intensify their attack and sink Longlegs before it escapes!"

However, his adjutant was not as optimistic as Diesel. After hesitating for a moment, the adjutant leaned close to Diesel's ear and whispered something.

"Captain, according to the intelligence from Kruze's team, those two mobile suits have extraordinary combat capabilities. Shouldn't we be careful?"

But Diesel dismissed his subordinates' advice with a disdainful sneer.

"That guy Kruze is just trying to cover up his mistakes by exaggerating the enemy's combat power. After all, mobile suits need people to pilot them, and how can a natural human pilot compare to us Coordinators?"

But no sooner had the ZAFT commander finished speaking than the communications officer reported in a panic.

"William, Chris, Alexander, signal lost!"

Diesel remained unfazed. This loss was entirely expected; the destruction of three mobile suits was not enough to shake the absolute advantage currently held by ZAFT forces.

But from that moment on, the battle situation gradually deviated from his expectations.

Half a minute later, the communications officer reported again: "Zoe, Andy, and Theodore have lost their signals!"

Bad news kept coming, and Diesel finally noticed something was wrong. He rushed to the holographic sand table at the back of the bridge, which was recording the battle in real time. There, the dots representing ZAFT mobile suits were disappearing one by one.

Diesel's thoughts froze on the spot, with only one idea remaining in his mind.

"What happened? What exactly happened?"

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

Meanwhile, in the heart of the battlefield.

The short sword swept past a battered Drake-class warship at an astonishing speed, continuously spraying air from its attitude control nozzles. The short sword's fuselage rapidly rotated, aiming its two railguns on its shoulders at King, who was preparing to deliver the final blow to the Drake-class.

"This is the sixth one!"

Raven pulled the trigger, and the electromagnetically accelerated shell hit King precisely, breaking the King in half.

"El, what's the status of the IWSP backpack?"

[All units are operating normally; no problems have been found; ammunition remains at 70%.]

No sooner had El finished speaking than a piercing alarm sounded in the cockpit of the short sword.

Dagger's high-profile act of shooting down 6 Kings quickly attracted the attention of the ZAFT forces. The ZAFT mobile suits that had already penetrated into the Eighth Fleet's formation and were spreading out to attack the Combine ships all turned around and surrounded Dagger's position from all directions.

[Nine enemy aircraft are approaching from three directions. Please be careful.]

"You've come at the perfect time!"

The IWSP backpack is heavily armed, boasting the highest firepower of all assault backpacks, making it ideal for situations like the current one-against-many confrontations. Although, to ensure survivability, the IWSP backpack's equipment consists entirely of live ammunition, aside from the beam boomerang atop its composite shield, it can still unleash its terrifyingly abundant firepower against King and Shig, who are not equipped with PS armor.

Raven pushed the thrusters to maximum power. With the powerful thrust of the iwsp backpack and Raven's keen sense of killing intent, the short sword hurled countless bullets behind it and broke through the encirclement formed by King and Higu in just an instant.

"What exactly happened to that machine?"

"So fast!"

"Why can't I hit him at all, even though he's a human?"

ZAFT's MS forces were left behind by Raven, and the situation changed from ZAFT MS surrounding Dagger on three sides to ZAFT MS chasing after Dagger.

[Raven, it's time.]

"it is good!"

Raven pulled the control lever, and the short sword drew a sharp arc in space, completing the turn and turning the machine so that its front was facing the pursuing ZAFT MS. All the weapons on the iIWSP backpack deployed simultaneously and operated at full power.

"I'll handle the hand weapons, but you can have the railgun and cannon, El!"

【learn.】

The warning sound of enemy aircraft being locked on rang continuously in the cockpit of the Dagger, and then, the barrage formed by the full-scale launch of the IWSP backpack instantly enveloped ZAFT's mobile suit.

Beams, Gatling guns, railguns, and cannons fired in rapid succession, the beams and bullets intertwining to form a deadly web of fire that pierced through one mobile suit after another. Without a shield, King was no match for the full barrage of Dagger's firepower and was repeatedly turned into fireballs.

But one XIK was not swallowed up by the hail of bullets.

Higu, shield in hand, weaved through the barrage of bullets fired from the short swords. Although its body looked battered and bruised, the pilot skillfully maneuvered it so that all vital parts were spared from the swords' fire.

The machine gun in Shigu's hand was damaged by a beam of light during the evasion, but the pilot did not retreat. Instead, he successfully approached the short sword with unstoppable momentum, his right hand reaching for the heavy sword at his waist, preparing to draw the sword suddenly in the next moment in an iaido stance and cut the short sword in two before it could react.

However, Raven's reaction was faster than he expected. He decisively released the beam rifle and drew his physical anti-ship sword from his waist with lightning speed, blocking the heavy slash sword that Xigu was swinging. At the same time, El aimed the pair of cannons on his shoulders at Xigu, who was struggling with the short sword.

The next moment, Xigu's chest was riddled with bullets. This elite pilot, who had successfully approached the Dagger amidst the hail of bullets, didn't even have time to feel death before he and his aircraft turned into cosmic dust.

"How many is this?"

Raven asked, panting heavily.

[The 15th aircraft. The enemy still has 21. Raven, it's not time for us to rest yet.]

“I know, El, give me the next target.”

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

"Report! Enemy troops have begun to withdraw from the battlefield!"

The communications officer's report elicited cheers on the bridge of the Menelaus.

"He wiped out nearly half of the enemy forces in a single game; he actually kept his promise."

Halbarton was pleased with the improvement in the battle situation, which also gave the brigadier general time to think about other things.

Raven's display of power will undoubtedly attract the attention of the Combine's top brass, and Halbarton knows all too well what kind of people those are.

Jealousy and envy of talent are merely the least noteworthy aspects of their misdeeds. Those old fogies, who only know how to manipulate power, will do anything to maintain their positions. Once this war ends, outstanding young people like Raven will undoubtedly face suppression from those people, and things might even get worse.

'For the sake of those who trust me, I must work even harder.'

A sense of responsibility rose in Halbarton's heart, but the relaxed atmosphere on the bridge of the Menelaus was immediately replaced by tension amidst the screams of the communications officer.

"The Duel, Storm, and Thunder aircraft have broken through our air defense network and are rapidly approaching the Archangel!"

"what!"

Chapter 32 Low Earth Orbit Battle (Part 2)

The Gatling gun atop the Dagger composite shield spat fire, blocking King's movement route. Then, the beam rifle in Dagger's hand precisely pierced through King's cockpit.

[The 18th aircraft has been confirmed shot down; 30% of its ammunition remains.]

"This place is a complete mess... El, what's the next target?"

The short sword darted along the front lines, surrounded by debris left from the battle, which severely hampered its detection capabilities.

[Searching... Raven, the enemy has begun to retreat. It's our victory.]

"What about the Menelaus and the Archangel? They weren't sunk, were they?"

Both ships are completely undamaged, please rest assured.

Hearing Al's reply, Raven was finally relieved.

"Judging by the time, the Archangel should be about to begin its reentry into the atmosphere, right?"

Yes, there are only three minutes left. We should head back, Raven.

Raven nodded, preparing to turn the aircraft around and return to base, but just then, the Archangel's emergency distress call came in.

"Shortsword, return to base immediately! Thunder, Storm, and Duel have broken through the defenses and are rapidly approaching the Archangel!"

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

Kira, piloting the Strike, is chasing the Thunder, Storm, and Duel machines at full speed.

Because Kira's IWSP backpack is almost entirely equipped with live ammunition, the task of containing the three machines—Rain, Storm, and Duel—falls on his shoulders.

Kira lived up to expectations, successfully drawing the attention of the three Gundams. He used the high mobility of his empty backpack to move around and restrain the three Gundams, greatly reducing the casualties of the Eighth Fleet.

But when Raven single-handedly shot down more than half of the enemy aircraft, forcing the ZAFT commander to order a retreat, Yzak ignored the retreat order.

ZAFT is not known for its strict discipline. In order to maximize the individual capabilities of its coordinators, ZAFT grants frontline personnel a high degree of autonomy, making it a highly flexible military force.

In complex and ever-changing battle situations, front-line pilots can often make proactive on-the-spot judgments that are beneficial to the overall situation, tilting the scales of victory in their favor.

However, such freedom inevitably breeds acts of defiance, as is the case now.

"How could we go back so slinking away without even sinking the long-legged creature!"