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Far away from the chaos of the battles raged in Central Asia and near Side 5 lies the city of Granada. Here, the Mobile Assault Force under the command of Kycilia Zabi commit their efforts to the research and development of newtype weapons. It is for that research that Specialist E1 Adam Bremen found himself escorted across the Granada hangar bay floor. His destination is the monstrous Zeong. While the mobile suit is about as tall as most deployed Zeon units, the fact that it does so without any legs means something. The test pilot is silent as he is placed inside the head cockpit compartment. He is impassive to the commotion around him right before the hatch closes. Bremen's last thought before his mind connected to the psycommu system was the mental image of his child, Emma. On the opposite end of the hangar bay, another Zeon pilot climbs into his mobile suit. This pilot is Specialist E-2 Redan Hsuodrak and although he is not a newtype, he will try his damn best to outsmart one. Hsuodrak's mobile suit is no slouch either; it's a unique unit for a mobile suit line that is still undergoing trials. The Gelgoog Jaeger stands tall in the hangar, craddling the precious beam machinegun. Zeon has learned very well from the Earth Federal Force's new weapons and the Gelgoog line promised to pay those lessons back in full. The hatch closes with a hiss as Hsuodrak felt the Gelgoog-J being lifted up the elevator. He can see the Zeong raising too. They will soon meet high above the Lunar surface. Brillant flashes of light flicker across the lunar sky. Long lances of mega particle fire follow the stuttering light of a beam machine gun. The Gelgoog-J pops off the two external fuel cells as Hsuodrak ducks under the trailing wire of a hand-bit. He gambled his opening move on using a grenade to stun his opponent in order to close in. Hsuodrak found out that such a manuever only brought an instant spray of white-hot beam fire from the Zeong's chest weapons. Now the nimble Gelgoog-J find itself in a cyclone of wired hand-bits and mega particle fire. Inside the Zeong's head, Bremen wasn't doing too well either. This is the first time he's using the system under combat conditions. Although he can decently move the wire hand-bits around without tangling themselves, Bremen can only muster enough control to accurately fire one hand at a time. It was like trying to grab a fly with one hand. A fly that is continuingly trying to sting the palm of his hand. The sudden grenade explosion at the beginning wasn't appreciated either. It was during one of his evasive turns that Hsuodrak saw a chance and took it. The mobile suit twists as Hsuodrak flew directly under the palm of the right wire hand-bit. The five beam guns from the right hand fire into nothinginess as Hsuodrak uses his opponent's brief hesitation to close in. With the Gelgoog-J's free hand, he raises the MMP-80 90mm machine gun as he began blasting at the body of the Zeong. But at that moment Bremen's mind flashes and the Zeong responds. As the clammering of the machinegun join the whine of the Gelgoog-J's beam machinegun, Hsuodrak saw the giant machine attack. The Zeong held the huge heat sword in its left hand as it swings in a downward stroke. The Gelgoog-J easily dodges to the side of the attack and Hsuodrak briefly wonders why the vaunted newtype is bothering with such a clumsy attack. Suddenly something faster than his mobile suit overshot him on the way to the Zeong. Then, Hsuodrak saw the trailing wire guide. He had a split second to mutter one word before the rocket-propelled giant metal fist punches his Gelgoog-J in the chest with such force that the Gelgoog-J's head and arms went flying off. "OH." Adam Bremen is already passed out from his sudden burst of psycommu use even before the Gelgoog-J's head and arms bumps off the Zeong's chest armor. Adam Bremen - 10 VP gained, 2-1 days damage 3 days injured, Redan Hsuodrak - 8 VP gained, 4-1 days damage 1 day injured, The sun is setting on the South African landscape. But no one on the Zeon MS team takes notice of the growing darkness. Behind them in Central Asia, their comrades lie under siege. Their biggest concern, however, is their mobile suits sinking into the very soil of Africa itself. The land is flooded this week and the wet mud slows the Zaku Kai and three Goufs to a slow waltz. But Corporal Jon Lin pushes his MS team forward. They need to find dry solid land before they can stop. Otherwise they might wake up to finding only a Zaku spike still poking out of the dirt. Hope grew as they sighted a rock formation. Above them, the moon shines through the clear night. The four monoeyes are so fixated on the promise of rest that they were all startled when three grenades explode at their feet. The two more experienced Gouf pilots immediately went for cover, but the third Gouf found itself fixated between three lines of tracers. The Zaku Kai fell prone as Lin let loose a stream of 120mm rounds. It has to be EFF mobile suits, he mused. Lin is right. The 27th MS Team's three GMs hiding in the rock formation are pouring fire on the Zeon suits down below them in the mud. But the real culpit is a Type 74 hover tank hidden away from the fighting. The floods added a large quantity of water which amplified the sound of walking mobile suits. This nearly doubles the detection range of the Type 74's ground sonar, allowing the EFF to set up this little ambush. But Lin wasn't going to leave it at that. With his Goufs too slow in the mud to bring them to close quarters with the enemy, the Zaku Kai raised the 280mm Zaku Bazooka. Smoke trails leap at the rock formation protecting the GMs. The Zaku Kai kept firing rockets even as 90mm shells pelt the ground it lay on. Finally the fifth rocket broke apart the rock formation to the point that the GMs had to leave or risk damage. The brief pause allowed Lin to gather what's left of his squad and retreat out of range. By the time the GMs could pursue, the Type 74 already lost them to the sound of collapsing rocks and the GM's own movements. John Lin - 6 VP gained, 1 days damage |