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

Although the coalition's operations were met with protests from the Eurasian Federation afterward, in the end, the coalition traded a inferior horse for a superior one from Zaft.

The balance of power seemed to tilt toward the coalition forces at that moment, but the coalition's advantage lasted for less than three weeks before the ZAFT invasion of Panama turned the tide again.

ZAFT forces have deployed a new weapon, the Odin Gundam. When activated, the Odin Gundam generates a massive electromagnetic pulse that can paralyze all electronic devices within its range that have not undergone special treatment.

The introduction of this new weapon rendered the Allied Forces' newly formed Assault Daggers unit a pile of iron coffins, completely failing to demonstrate its full combat effectiveness.

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Odin's Spear, ZAFT forces stormed the heavily fortified Panama base, destroying the last mass accelerator in the hands of the coalition forces and completely sealing them off on the ground.

This is why Orb is now in a dilemma.

The saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

Of the four mass accelerators on Earth, the Victoria Mass Accelerator was captured by ZAFT, the Kaohsiung Mass Accelerator was destroyed by the retreating ZAFT forces during the counter-offensive of the East Asian Republic, the Panama Mass Accelerator was just reduced to ruins, and the remaining one is Orb's Kaguya Mass Accelerator.

Just days ago, the Atlantic Federation, which leads the Earth Union, put forward a "either-or" policy to neutral countries, demanding that their governments join the Earth Union in an almost intimidating manner.

Seeing the Atlantic Federation's aggressive attitude, Uzumi knew that if Orb rejected the proposal, the Atlantic Federation would definitely choose to resolve the issue by force in order to obtain the Quality Accelerator.

Given Orb's size, it is no match for the Atlantic Federation.

In addition, behind Orb is ZAFT's Capantalia base.

If Orb were to abandon its neutral stance and side with the Earth Alliance, the ZAFT garrison at the nearby Capantaria base would certainly not stand idly by.

If Orb chooses to adhere to the principle of neutrality, it will face hostility from both sides.

This is the worst option, and Uzmi knows that better than anyone else.

Orb was too small, but what he held was far too important.

Just as Uzmi was struggling with this dilemma, a message from Halbaton brought him a fourth option.

"A third force?"

Uzmi repeated the word to make sure he hadn't misheard.

"Yes."

Halbarton's voice was steady and powerful.

"I am planning to establish an international organization independent of the Earth Federation after this war ends. Its members will include various neutral countries, the Klein faction within PLANT, and the East Asian Republic, one of the three giants of the Earth Federation."

Of the forces that Halbarton attacked, apart from the Klein faction, the rest had all received Halbarton's MS technology sharing. These forces all had one thing in common: they hated Blue Cosmosism and the interest groups behind it.

“Orb’s technological capabilities will be an important asset to us. Mr. Uzumi, I hope Orb can join us.”

"This is like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. The Atlantic Federation is determined to take over Orb."

Uzmi had a very pleasant working relationship with Halbarton before, and he was not opposed to continuing to work with Halbarton, but if Halbarton could not solve the survival problems facing Orb, then there was no point in saying anything.

"I have already discussed this with the high-ranking officials of the East Asian Republic. If Representative Uzmi is willing to join, a fleet from the East Asian Republic will set sail soon and arrive in Orb a week later. They will guarantee Orb's de facto independence. That fleet is equipped with the latest batch of Dagger L rifles, which performed exceptionally well in the East Asian Republic's recent counterattack on Kaohsiung and are enough to deter the Atlantic Federation's fleet."

Halbarton's proposal was indeed very appealing, allowing Orb to maintain its status as an independent nation while also resolving the current security crisis.

The East Asian Republic is, after all, one of the three giants of the Earth Federation. No matter how domineering the Atlantic Federation is, it would not resort to force against its allies during wartime.

After some hesitation, Uzumi ultimately chose to accept Halbarton's offer, which was far better than the Atlantic Federation's demand to dissolve the government and military.

However, the Atlantic Federation acted much faster than Uzmi and Halbarton had anticipated.

The East Asian Republic's fleet had only been at sea for a few days when the Atlantic Federation Navy's Fourth Fleet was already stationed off the coast of Obu and sent Uzmi a 48-hour ultimatum.

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

Uzmi's representative office was in complete chaos, with the long table covered with all sorts of diplomatic documents and military maps.

Soldiers were coming and going, keeping up with the latest situation, and anxiety was written all over their faces.

The phone rang incessantly, with each department hoping for precise instructions.

To fight or to make peace?

"How much longer until the East Asian Republic's fleet arrives?"

Uzmi's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire office.

"According to the timetable provided by the East Asian Republic, it is expected to take another four days."

'So, we're supposed to hold out for two whole days on our own?'

Uzumi rubbed his temples, mentally assessing the difference in combat strength between the two sides.

The Atlantic Federation forces were also equipped with mobile suits, so there was no generational gap in weaponry between the two sides. However, in terms of manpower, Orb was far inferior to its counterpart.

Orb's chances of winning are not high.

If one were a weak person, they would probably choose to kneel down and surrender.

But the Lion of Orb was never a weak man.

"As the representative of the nation, I hereby declare a state of emergency in Aub. The army is on standby and the people are to be evacuated immediately according to the plan. If we can hold out for just two more days, we will have won."

Chapter 74 The Battle of June 14th (1)

June 14, 1971 C.E.

With the ultimatum deadline over and no response received from Orb, the Atlantic Federation's 4th Naval Fleet launched an attack on Orb.

The first wave of the offensive was launched by the surface fleet of the 4th Naval Fleet. Dozens of cruisers and destroyers lined up on the outer edge of the Aubu territory. Cruise missiles and air forces bombarded the defenses on the Aubu beachhead. Land-based anti-ship missiles were bombed into the air before they could even fire. The bunkers on the beachhead were the focus of the coalition forces and were destroyed one by one by artillery fire.

Once this round of firepower was over, the MS troops followed closely behind, landing through the gap created by the artillery fire and advancing towards the interior of Orb.

The mobile suits equipped by the 4th Naval Fleet are the Strike Daggers produced by LOGOS's military industrial enterprises. Although these mobile suits have a similar appearance to the Dagger designed by Raven, they lack backpack-changing capabilities and the quality of the mobile suits themselves is quite low. However, their advantages are that they are easy to produce and maintain, and they are quite easy to pilot. Even new recruits can develop a certain level of combat capability after simple pilot training.

Coincidentally, due to the complete annihilation of the Atlantic Federation's MS training unit in the Panama campaign, the 4th Fleet's MS force was almost entirely composed of new recruits. The few veterans who had transitioned from fighter pilots were still adjusting to the differences in combat methods between fighters and MS.

The Strike Dagger, a unit with a low skill ceiling, is sufficient for the current 4th Naval Fleet.

The coalition's attack on the beachhead went very smoothly. The fixed defensive structures were almost completely destroyed before they could be used, and the coalition's mobile suit forces successfully landed on the beachhead.

However, this was precisely the situation that Orb had meticulously planned.

The Orb forces did not waste their limited M1 heretical units on passive defense of the beachhead. Instead, they deployed them in concealed positions on the second line. Once the Allied MS units landed, the Orb MS units would launch an assault on the Allied MS units, taking advantage of their superior performance and mobility.

"We're about to go, everyone!"

On a beachhead on Onogoro Island, Asagi, Mayura, and Julie, piloting the M1 Heretic, launched a surprise attack from the flank of the landing Assault Dagger squadron.

"The essence of mobile warfare lies in mobility!"

Asagi took the lead, mimicking the movements of her opponent in the simulated battle that day. With the thrusters on the back of her machine at full power, the M1 Heretic drew irregular arcs on the open sand, rapidly approaching the Assault Dagger squad.

Mayura and Julie flanked her from the left and right, firing their beam rifles in turn.

The new recruits piloting the Assault Dagger were caught off guard by the surprise attack and several of their aircraft were shot down before they could even raise their shields.

Asagi drew her beam saber and cut into the Strike Dagger squadron. She used her shield to block the enemy's attack from the left, while her right hand thrust the beam saber into the chest of another enemy machine.

But her offensive wasn't over yet.

"The essence of close combat lies in imagination!"

The M1 Heretic suddenly turned its head to the left of the enemy aircraft still locked in combat with it, and fired its head-mounted Vulcan cannon at close range, destroying the head monitor of the Strike Dagger on the left, before taking a step back.

The pilot opposite had his head monitor damaged, causing the main screen in front of him to go black. He didn't notice Asagi's movements. The machine continued to output power even when the M1 Heretic gave way half a step, and as a result, the entire machine fell forward due to inertia.

The next moment, he was killed by Asagi, who seized the opportunity.

"How about that, you bunch of small fry!"

Asagi's smug voice rang out in the channel, but she was quickly rebuffed by Mayura.

"You idiot Asagi, come back right now! There are still a lot of enemies around, we need to move!"

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The strategy employed by the Orb forces worked. The counter-charge of the M1 Heretics caught the poorly trained Combine MS units off guard, and the offensive was quickly suppressed.

Meanwhile, the Orb fleet, supported by the Archangel, launched a proactive attack on the Allied surface fleet.

Because of its unauthorized retreat during the Alaskan campaign, the Archangel was labeled a deserter by the Combine Headquarters and discharged from the military. Now, it can join the fight against the Combine without any worries, without having to consider Halbarton's position.

"Lieutenant Bakiruru, if you don't want to participate in this operation, you don't have to force yourself."

Maru turned her head to look at Bakiruru sitting in the CIC command seat.

"No, Captain, please allow me to participate in this operation. A true soldier would never use unsuspecting friendly forces as bait. We must eliminate those who devise such decoy tactics!"

After saying that, she took charge of the Archangel CIC as usual.

"Barriant and Gottfried, deploy! Load all missile launchers with anti-MS and anti-ship missiles! Freedom and Strike, launch immediately!"

Inside the cockpit of the assault vehicle, Mu rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"I can't wait to try out the Strike's new backpack. Speaking of which, this new backpack was made possible entirely thanks to Kira's hard work."

"No, I just improved the design drawings left by the teacher. However, in order to meet the deadline for this battle, the backpack was rushed out of the factory and did not complete all the testing items. Major Mu, please be careful."

"Since it was designed by you and Raven, there can't be any problems."

As the system self-check completed, Mu took a deep breath and gripped the control stick of the assault rifle.

"Mu La Frada, Assault Phoenix Suit, launch!"

The assault was launched, and the Phoenix Backpack spread its wings in mid-air.

"Kira Yamato, Freedom, Launch."

Freedom followed closely behind, advancing one after the other with the Assault, heading straight for the Allied fleet.

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"What? The Orb fleet and the Archangel are coming for us!"

The commander of the 4th Naval Fleet looked in surprise toward the direction from which the Archangel was approaching.

He hadn't expected the Ob army's actions to be so audacious.

The Orb Fleet lacks the capability to carry mobile suits and is far fewer in number than the 4th Naval Fleet. Even if the 4th Naval Fleet were to deploy all of its mobile suit forces, the Orb Fleet would still be unable to counter them.

"The commander of Orb probably doesn't think those deserters are that great."

The commander snorted coldly, then turned around and, in a completely different tone of respect, asked a blond young man in a suit sitting behind him for instructions.

"Director Azrael?"

"They've come at the perfect time. Let the three of them go. It'll be a good opportunity to test their capabilities."

第75章 6月14日的战斗（2）（4000字）

From the flagship of the 4th Naval Fleet, three mobile suits—Strike, Calamity, and Forbidden—quickly launched. Strike transformed into Mobile Armor, carrying the flightless Calamity, and together with Forbidden, soared into the sky alongside Strike and Freedom.

Before the three Gundams arrived, the Atlantic Federation's Vanguard Fighter Squadron, which was circling in the air, swooped down from high altitude.

This multi-role fighter jet can be equipped with air-to-air missiles and anti-ship missiles depending on the mission.

These vanguard ships split into two groups during their dive. One group was clearly armed with anti-ship missiles and headed straight for the Orb fleet and the Archangel, while the other group was armed with anti-aircraft missiles and actively engaged in dogfights, attempting to cover friendly forces attacking the fleet.

"Those fighters are targeting the Archangel and the Orb fleet; we can't let them pass."

With only a glance at the enemy's tactical maneuvers, Mu, a former pilot, discerned their operational intentions. The assault team immediately changed course, attempting to intercept the wave heading towards the fleet.

Meanwhile, Freedom took the initiative to intercept the Avangard, which was mounted on an anti-aircraft gun. The Avangard's missiles and machine guns were unable to penetrate Freedom Gundam's PS armor. Freedom then unfolded its wings and entered a high-mobility air combat mode. Its various weapons fired in turn, destroying the Avangards in front of it one by one with astonishing efficiency.

Kira's homeland, Orb, is under invasion, and he shows no mercy.

On the other side, the Strike Phoenix Pack fired for the first time in actual combat. Mu fired all eighteen missiles on the Phoenix Pack in one go. Before the missiles hit, he activated the pulse beam cannon and railgun on the pack, and together with the beam rifle in his hand, he indiscriminately sprayed bullets at the diving fighter group.

Within a few dozen seconds, half of the vanguard aircraft that had been aggressively diving down at the fleet were reduced to wreckage.

The Vanguard aircraft that managed to get through the barrage of attacks were driven away by the anti-aircraft barrage launched by the fleet before they could lock onto their targets, and one after another they crashed into the sea, trailing thick smoke.

The vanguard attack was quickly thwarted by Mu and Kira working together. However, before they could catch their breath, three mobile suits—Strike, Calamity, and Forbidden—arrived in the air and approached them.

"Fly more steadily, Kurot."

"Annihilate!"

Kurot, who was flying at high speed in MA form carrying Calamity and not listening to Olga at all, pressed the fire button on Strike and Freedom.

The Calamity, which had arrived in the air by force, did not hesitate to launch a volley of fire at the Assault and Freedom.

Various beams of light and physical projectiles streaked across the airspace between the Strike Gundam and the Freedom Gundam, forcing the two machines to scatter urgently to the sides. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Forbidden Gundam charged straight at the Strike Gundam, its heavy scythe slashing down heavily towards the Strike Gundam with the speed boost gained from its fully activated thrusters.

Looking at the huge and sharp scythe in Forbidden's hand, Mu had no intention of gambling on whether the PS armor could withstand the scythe's slash. He quickly retreated, while the shield on his left arm blocked the front of the machine.

With a sickening metallic clang, the forbidden scythe blade slashed deep into the shield's surface, carving a deep groove in its wake.