Yoshida Haruka held on to the railing of the disguised freighter she'd been assigned to for the mission as it gently rocked on the waves. She could see in the distance an island where, according to new intelligence from a Luggun patrol, several Zaku Is had somehow washed ashore in perfect condition with no signs of damage caused by either water or battle. The suits had been sitting on the beach for almost a day and small plumes of smoke rose into the sky around their reported location, as if the pilots were setting up a camp. Her radio chirped, a signal from a Luggun patrol indicating a strange sighting: a European freighter was on a direct course with the island.

"Smugglers?" she thought to herself. "Or spies?"

The Luggun pilot began describing the ship when his tone suddenly changed to panic and, in the distance, two streams of tracers could be seen heading into the sky, followed by a sudden burst of static from the recon plane.

"Damn, they shot him down," Yoshida growled. "They killed one of our own!"

She quickly climbed into her Zaku, willing the transport to go faster as the European freighter began closing in on the island. One of her squadmates, powering up his Recon Zaku's own sensors now that they were necessary, reported that the Zakus had all powered up.

"I'm taking off!" Yoshida announced. "Cover me from here!"

Her Zaku's thrusters kicked in to life, rocking the freighters slightly as it rocketed towards the island. She quickly raised her machinegun and fired, taking the Zaku Is by surprise. As one fell to a crippled knee, the other raised their guns to fire.

"Shit!" one of them shouted. "How'd they get here so quickly?"

The commander-type Zaku II kicked the incredulous pilot in the chest, firing on the other Zaku as she did.

"It doesn't matter," the other pilot said, shielding his cockpit. "That bastard's gotta die now."

"I'm a woman, so the proper term is bitch," Yoshida scolded, drawing her heat hawk. "And you're all under arrest for desertion!"

The European transport saw the battle and halted its progress as a lone GiNN rose from the deck. The pilot hesitated to get involved though, not wanting to hit any of the defects while they were still locked in combat with the loyalist. Out of the corner of her eye, Yoshida saw the GiNN lining up a shot, but with two Zaku Is surrounding her, she couldn't deal with that problem.

Her squadmates could though, bombarding the ship with the Zaku Cannon's main gun.

"We've got your back, ma'am," the Zaku Cannon pilot reported.

The captain of the European ship immediately began barking orders, getting the ship to turn around while his vessel was still seaworthy. The GiNN turned its attention in the direction of the Japanese ship, firing its own machinegun, though at long range he did little but waste ammo. The three defectors watched their escape vehicle begin to turn away and abandoned the fight, leaving their downed comrade to fend for himself. Yoshida quickly dropped to one knee and fired, sending shot after shot into one Zaku I's back until its thrusters died, sending it into the sea. She shifted her aim onto the next Zaku, but it had managed to make it to the safety of the European ship, being helped below decks by the GiNN.

"Damn!" she growled. "Can you hit them?"

"Affirmative ma'am," the Zaku Cannon pilot reported. "Just lining up a shot."

Moments later, the rear end of the escaping ship erupted into flames as the Zaku Cannon's shots hit their mark. The flames from the ruined engines began spreading across the ship, sending thick, black smoke into the sky.

"Nice shooting," Yoshida congratulated. "Report their position to the fleet so the traitors and their European accomplices can hang."

Outcome: Yoshida Haruka wins
Yoshida Haruka: 5 Xp, Repairing 1