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The ships of the Zeon Expeditionary Force had gone dark. The lights were off. Minovsky particles were spreading. The only light to be seen were the backlight monitors. In front of them, the face of Veronica Wu was illuminated. The monitors showed her assets - 2 Chivvays, a Zanzibar, a Tivvay, one Musai and a Jicco. Around them, the estimated positions of her mobile suits were shown. Formations of Zakus were to hold the center zone, led by Scharfurher Ghettid, assisted by Corporal Wilds. At the core, Rick Doms led by LTJG Banks and Petty Officers Baklitskaia and Myberg. Flanking was unit under the command of Private Mendalshon, hand picked to lead the assault - supported by Petty Officer DeGrau, Private Cuyler and Specialist Naizen. On the screen, it looked like a simple enough battle. The Zakus and Doms would open up the defenses, creating a wall of fire for any enemies to dare fly through. Then, the Val Varo - supported by the Schnee Weiss and Action Zaku - would break the Federation lines, then flank from behind. On paper, it would lead to a full rout, enabling the ships to dock and seize the colony. On paper. Veronica was notified the mobile suits were in position. She gave a final look at the monitor. She'd reviewed the strategy twenty times in her head. Now it would be time to see if it was worth its weight in blood. ~ Scharfurher Junichi Ghettid was doing last checks with Corporal Wilds when the order came in. To a fault, he was indignant that it seemed like he'd be enduring the prunt of the assault. To some degree, he was happy to be taking the spotlight. He was only there to hold the battle lines until Private Mendalshon came in - but he'd be damned if he let some showboating private take all the glory. "Wilds - we're going in. Form up on me and stay close." The two Zakus led an imposing swarm of bretheren units. Combined with selective dispersion and minovsky particles, they were imitating a unit three times their size. The pilots, well trained in academies and camps, eagerly waited the signal flares. A red shot from the Athena's Wrath unleashed a firestorm of ordanance. The lone mobile suit defense, a GM Light Armor, spent the brunt of the assault inside the colony. He knew he was outnumbered and outmaneuvered, but he'd be damned if we was to be irrelevant. Two Balls and two Saberfish deployed from the dark side of the colony. They waited in ambush. Inside, makeshift headbands with the Federation emblem were around their heads. They were kamikazes. The GM walked into the colony proper, trailed by two Fanfans. Marines in normal suits were burning documents, ransacking offices, shredding what they could and throwing molotovs at what they couldn't. The plumes of smoke filled the inside of Texas Colony. Combined with the strange winds, the entire installation was engulfed in smoke. The GM led the Fanfans inside of the desert area. Wild horses ran around in disarray. Solemnly, the three pilots set up for their own ambush. The Zakus and Doms had overextended. Veronica was weary of a trap. She sent the command for them to withdraw - but Minovsky dispersal and hotheaded pilots foiled her. She'd have to impose discipline better when she got back. The ships of the fleet came ever closer, pre-empted by the giant schools of mobile suits. The Zakus landed on the colony - confused by the obscured black nature of the giant windows. This alarmed Veronica even more. The debris from the Shoal Zone led to a few false alarms. At one point, half a Magellan came into view, nearly striking the Athena's Wrath. It maneuvered out of the way, the long idle cannons scratching the ship fiercely. Superficial damage. The ship pressed on. Inside, the four kamikazes of Texas Colony were hiding, along with a defense satellite. When an opening just passed the bridge of the Athena's Wrath, the four units burst to life. Two balls and two saberfish, poised to strike. Wu screamed at defenses to open up on the enemy units, but it was too late. A flurry of missiles trailed towards the bridge. Intercepted, by none other than Private Florian Cuyer. The Schiene Weiss flew directly in front of the bridge, erupting with bits, destroying the barrage. A defense satellite took aim, only to be destroyed by a beam from the passing Val Varo of Private Mandelson. From the far side of the ship, Petty Officer DeGrau appeared in his Gelgoog Cannon. Specialist Nizen in an Action Zaku cut off their retreat. The would be ambushers were surrounded. The Balls and Saberfish were made quick work of. Soon, the kamikazes were no more than debris among the shoal. She was lucky to have held back the flank. Veronica owed her life to these mobile suit pilots. Meanwhile, the Zakus had penetrated the colony. A few booby traps were disarmed, though one Zaku fell victim. Spearheading the movement was Scarfurher Ghettid, Corporal Wilds at his side. Securing the rear port exit, Petty Officers Myberg and Baklitskaia. LTJG Banks coordinated the exterior defense, a unit of Dom behind him. As the Zakus entered the colony proper, a barrage of missiles met them. The two Fanfans, pouring missiles and vulcan fire out of every place they could find, hit Ghettid's Zaku hard. It fell to the ground, its sensors destroyed. Madly, Wilds unleashed bullpup machine gun fire, destroying them in a vengeful assault. Ghettid reliquished command to Wilds, escorted by two Zaku. Wilds was even more nervous now. She trekked through the smoky, desert winded territory. There were no mobile suits to be found. Then, a communication cut into her frequency. "Zaku pilot! I challenge you to a duel. If I win, I will surrender. If I lose, you may kill me. If you refuse, I will destroy this colony. Do you accept?" ".. Where are you? I guess I have no choice.." The GM Light Armor's thrusters signaled its arrival. It landed in front of Anya Wild's Zaku. It unsheathed a beam saber, then sent the signal. The colony door closed. Two platoons of marines were holding the mechanism. Divided from its allied forces, three Zakus - including Anya's were now cut off. The GM Light Armor kicked Anya's Zaku, threw a beam saber at another, then withdrew a beam spray gun - firing at the last. The two Zakus ruptured, making an intense explosion. It killed the marines, damaged the Zakus outside, and re-opened the port. As the GM Light Armor was to give its coup de grace, a flying Beam Tomahawk cleaved into its back. The cockpit was struck; the mobile suit falling over dead. Behind him, Junichi Ghettid's Zaku Kai. It helped Corporal Wilds to her feet, and the two damage units let the Doms secure the colony. Within a few hours, Myberg reported that there were no survivors. The colony was secure. Veronica Wu: 1 vp gained, no damage Felix Mendalshon 1 vp gained, no damage Florian Cuyler: 1 vp gained, no damage Yoritomo Naizen: 1 vp gained, no damage Caleb DeGrau: 1 vp gained, no damage Junichi Ghettid: 1 vp gained, no damage Anya Wilds: 1 vp gained, no damage Richard Banks: 1 vp gained, no damage Olivia Baklitskaia: 1 vp gained, no damage Emil Myberg: 1 vp gained, no damage A few miles off the coast, away from the central complex at Jaburo, the combined naval might of the Duchy of Zeon prepared for war. Having finally beaten the Federations navy at Odessa, and recently destroyed the shipyards at Rio de Janeiro, they were prepared for an all out assault on the complex. Char's scouting information had sealed the deal. Jaburo contained a secret underwater entrance, which was found by means of large rivers that moved into the ocean. A mobile suit team could easily move upstream and into the fortress. Even a small ship would be able to do so, albeit with some difficulty. Garma and his men were late, repeated attacks by the African Union delaying them, and this would make the coming siege only capable of blocking off Naval targets. Char had received word from Garma that he was on his way however, and would make the scheduled assault date. Char himself had mixed feelings about the attack. There were too many things to do. He had to defeat the Gundam once and for all, and also had to find his sister Artesia. Plus, if the opportunity presented itself, he was fully planning on making sure Garma didn't make it out of the South American jungles alive. The Mad Angler rested comfortably beneath the ocean waves, the Pendragon moving to join it, the Anglers sister ship captained by the now single most infamous naval commander in the entire Duchy, Marina Nimue. She and Sebastian Brennan had arrived, signaling the Autonomous Forces participation in this, which would be the last and greatest Duchy attack on Earth. Comm links connected between the two ships, and Marina, Char and Sebastian saluted each other with grace and respect. After a short discussion of tactics and strategy, Sebastian left the bridge, moving to his private office. Something was worrying him. He had sent feelers out for contacts amongst local less than reputible contacts, something that was not characteristic of a Brennan, but something he felt he needed to do to ensure that the war was won at this stage. However, Doctor Konishi as he liked to be called had not fullfilled his end of the bargain. He had not made the rendezvous with the Pendragon, and was nowhere to be found... As the Duchy fleet lurked beneath the waves, Commander Woody and the EFGF 1st Supply Fleet was seen flying through the heavily controlled Federation airspace, making its way to Jaburo proper. Not one hundred miles north, the battle was already raging between the 87th Brigade and the units of JAF Sigma. Sebastian Brennan: 1 VP Gained, no damage There is a sense of excitement and adventure among the ranks of the Schutzstaffel Tactical Fighting Unit. For the past week they've been one step ahead of the Earth Federal Forces. In fact, they had navigated the world, tearing death and destruction into the vital organs of the Earth Federation. Their pursuers chased shadows and those few times the EFGF made contact with them, the STFU manages to slip away. Now they are in the enemy's home territory on the continent of South America. Their journey here however came at a price. They are in need of repairs and supplies. Staying in one place to do so would allow the Federal forces to corner them. Fortunately, the Jaburo Assault Fleet Sigma was nearby. As the two fleets linked up however, they soon discovered that it was not the Schutzstaffel Tactical Fighting Unit the EFGF was after. On the bridge of the Dobday-class Odin, the fleet's Zeon commander discussed the situation with his staff. "How many are we looking at here?" asked the commander. "At least three Big Trays, lots of aircraft, and a ton of armor. We also confirmed mobile suits but we weren't able to get a count." "We need to conserve our strength for the rest of the Jaburo Assault Fleets," said the commander," who found the Federal attack force?" "That would be Sergeant Haifa Hahnemuehle, sir. The... GM Command was being repaired and the pilot was suspicious about an ambush." "Ironic how the test pilot of a Federal MS is saving our ass from a Federal attack." The commander points to a location on the map. "If we can get the fleet through this gap, we can lose them." "Sir, what about the STFU fleet?" "We picked up any snails or naval warships?" "No sir." "Advise the submarines to pull off to sea. They're too damaged to do anything about this fight and if the Feds have now ASW assets then they can just slip away with them noticing." "Aye sir." "Prepare a defensive line as we withdraw. Launch whatever aircraft we have. Let's get this fleet moving." The 87th Integrated Fleet came down the Brazilian coast with determination. They had fought the Schutzstaffel Tactical Fighting Unit back in New York. But the submarines had slipped through their fingers. Their comrades in the 42nd Brigade tried to corner them in the ruins of Rio de Janero. But once again, the Zeon force slipped through their fingers as the EFGF arrived too late to save a Federal fortification. Today is different though. They spotted what has to be a Zeon land force; probably here to take advantage of the chaos the STFU is creating. The EFGF has to nip this one in the bud before things get out of control like with the STFU. Also, unlike the STFU, this land force cannot hide in the ocean's depths. As the mass of Federal airpower from the 87th Integrated Fleet pushed forward, a lone Tin Cod is brought in for a landing. Lieutenant Jim Irwin landed the aircraft with the skill of a man who had done this one too many times. He won't be fighting this time. The wounds from the battle at New York City haven't healed yet. Upon enterring the bridge of the Big Sioux, the Tin Cod pilot walked up to the officer in charge. "Ah, Mr. Irwin, just in time," greeted the Lieutenant Jarvis Ackart. He is dressed in his pilot suit, ready to join the upcoming fight in his GM Command. "Thanks," replied Irwin," where are we now?" "I've moved the air units forward. We're still waiting on that artillery support but somehow it is being delayed. Something about some aerial support is delaying the coordination. I also been told there is a GM Ground Sniper team in support..." "That must be the 42nd Brigade and Lieutenant Ferdinand." "Sir!" shouted an operator," some of our units are detecting odd signals in the waters of the coast." "Damn, keep everyone on the lookout for an amphibious attack. Ah, here comes the artillery now." As the shells from the distant Guntanks came down, the Jaburo Assault Force Sigma is already on the move. The Dobdays and Gallops returned fire as they try to move away. The Big Trays respond in kind. Seth Yamanu and his marines ducked for cover as their Guntank MPT is straddled by counter battery fire. As the artillery duel continued in full earnst, Tin Cods and Dopps clash in a tornado of vulcan fire and air-to-air missiles. Fly Mantas sweeped under the air battle as they covered the advancing Type 61 tanks. Charles Gano and Edmund Blackadder were the first to found the hastily erected Zeon defense line. Persephone Dawn rose her Zaku II Manipulator Type to its full height as she blasted her machineguns at the enemy. The newtype had sensed the enemy's arrival and even in her damaged state rains effective fire down on the approaching Federal units. The two GMPGT pilots rushed Persephone's position. Their Lunar Titanium armor taking the bulk of the punishment while Thierry Mersault covered them in his Guncannon. But just as they are about to pounce on the Zeon newtype, they are struck from the side. As the Zaku II Js and Goufs of the JAF Sigma battled the wave of tracked armor, Marko Dresner opened fire with his damaged Gelgoog Test Type. The two GMPGT pilots fell back a bit before opening fire on Dresner. The brief respite allowed Persephone to fall back. The battle had barely began and the Zeon forces were already falling back towards the retreating Dobdays. Out to sea, the STFU left the area without so much as a shot fired at them. For the JAF Sigma however, things are about to get more tense. Flying in at full speed, the 42nd Brigade charged into the collapsing Zeon defense line. The Beam Team deployed from the Gray Phantom-class Orange Base as the Depp Roggs began their bombing runs. Cray Vermillion's tank parachuted onto the ground, the canvas chutes pulling away as his Type 61 joined the armored wave pressing forward. Of the Medeas that accompanied the flying assault carrier, the new Medea-class Bear is cut down by Dopps before Tin Cods arrived to screen the new arrivals. Kyle Slater in his EZ-8 touched down with Aurem Senaiha's GM Ground Sniper followed by Arieta in her Land Combat GM. But before they can train their heavy weapons on the Dobdays, they a surprised by Haifa Hahnemuehle and her Zeon colored GM Command. But it is all in vain. No matter how quickly the Zeon forces tried to fall back or counter a Federal move, there are just too many enemies around them. The surprise charge of the Federal captured Gallop-class Hogan alarmed the Zeon defenders, forcing them to destroy it. This distraction costed the JAF Sigma dearly. Jarvis Ackart knocked over a Zaku II J into a Gouf before impaling both with his beam sabers. On his command the 87th Integrated Fleet rallied with him as they press their attack. From an ambush location on a hillside, Aisha Vemunio and her rogue MS Team open fired on the Dobdays. The 42nd's Beam team did the same just as the GM Sniper in support opened fire. Two Zeon land battleships exploded outright. The Dobday-class Fenrir collapsed on itself as beams compromised its structural integrity. The Gallop-class Huginn is pounded to a pancake by Federal aircraft. That would be the last of the Zeon losses today, however. The burning hulls of the two land battleships blocked the path to chase the rest of JAF Sigma. Surviving Zeon mobile suits used the wreckage to harass the Federal force as they did a tactical retreat. Marko Dresner's MS Team covered Haifa Hahnemuehle and Persephone Dawn as they exited the battle. Although the main fight had concluded, the JAF Sigma would be hounded by Federal aircraft for the rest of the day. But without land support, the Federal aircraft only managed to make life uncomfortable for the Zeon fleet. As the sun sets, all became quiet. Thorvald Siggurdson - 1 VP Gained, No Damage Nigel Ferdinand - 6 VP Gained, No Damage Kyle Slater - 6 VP Gained, Repairing 3 Aurem Senaiha - 5 VP Gained, Repairing 3 Cray Vermillion - 6 VP Gained, Repairing 2 Edmund Blackadder - 6 VP Gained, Repairing 1 Charles Gano - 6 VP Gained, Repairing 3 Seth Yamanu - 6 CP Gained, Injured 2 Jarvis Ackart - 5 VP Gained, Repairing 3 Scott Archer - 1 VP Gained, No Damage Thierry Mersault - 7 VP Gained, Repairing 3 Jim Irwin - 1 VP Gained, No Damage Aisha Vemunio - 6 VP Gained, Repairing 2+1 Alec Irusk - 1 VP Gained, No Damage Gil Krundel - 1 VP Gained, No Damage Esther MacKernan - 1 VP Gained, No Damage Marko Dresner - 4/2 VP Gained, Repairing +2 Haifa Hahnemuehle - 4/2 VP Gained, Repairing +2 Persephone Dawn - 4/2 VP Gained, Repairing +2 |