battles

Operation Star One, part 16

Prologue

Sharp boot heels approach the great Degwin Sodo Zabi from behind, their sharp staccato bouncing around the lavishly decorated grand hall of the Zabi Castle like freakish vampire bats. His face is creased in displeasure as he looks over a display an advisor had handed him, and each impending footfall makes the Zeon leader even more displeased. His displeasure came to a climax as his eldest son, Gihren, appeared at his left like a specter, his eyes illuminating just how far he had fallen. What sort of pact he had signed, and with who, eluded the elder Zabi, but it was certain that it was not of this earth. Devils ought not to meddle in the affairs of man, thought Degwin, trying to pull himself out of his son's sinister Medusa gaze and back on the matter at hand.

Gihren saluted his father in parade-like fashion and bowed, taking the extra effort to kowtow to his ailing forbearer before something, or someone, put an end to his unfashionable reign. He spied the source of his father's apparent crestfallen attitude.

“The Solar Ray is complete, father.” The words are oily, brackish. A thin smile edged its way onto his slim face and cuts it like butter. It doesn't fit him. It made his father uncomfortable.

“Yes, so I've heard,” he audibly sighed. “But at what cost, Gihren? We have displaced 20 million of our countrymen, squandered countless fortunes, worked--”

“We have ensured victory, father!” Gihren interrupted, his arm flung high in his signature propagandist pose. He continued, as if such magics worked on the man who had mastered many of them. “The Federation won't dare to oppose us now that we have the ultimate trump card. Zeon will finally have its glory!”

Absolute horror crossed the elder Zabi's expression, nearly paralyzing him. “To even talk of using such a device is madness, Gihren. You sound like Hitler, completely lost in his own legacy—ignorant of his own actions, as well as their consequences.”

The paper-thing smirk sharpened still. “I could only hope to live up to such a admirable visionary.”

Gihren turned sharply towards the exit, his cape unfolding behind him like a dragon's tongue. “I thank you for the compliment, father, but I have important matters to attend to.” He leaves the elder frozen in his throne, listening to the malevolent syncopation of his footsteps.

~
FEDERATION/ZEON RENDEZVOUS, FIELD W

The enormous hulk known as the Birmingham ferried itself closer to The Great Degwin. Never before had two enemy vessels of such immense size been in such proximity without aft guns blazing, and men dying. Each vessel was of vastly differing designs, showing just how much man had diverged from his original, Earth-bound roots. It was as if an alien race had wandered into our insignificant little solar system and decided to make contact just outside Zeon space, at this specific hour. Both parties were treating it almost as such, eager to make contact, but wary of one another's motives. Who knew what was lurking behind the supposed banner of peace, deep within the lumbering war machines whose sole construct was destruction. Though talk was all that either desired, each side's armada still kept the other in its cross hairs.

Degwin had sent his top aces back to A Bao A Qu so as to save them the humiliation of being the first to be disarmed. Shin Matsunaga looked back with real shame as the glorious flagship slowly vanished out of sight, his duty as Side 3's protector now diminished. What was Side 3 than little more than a bunch of floating pieces of metal and carbon spinning in infinity? The real heart, the real soul he dedicated his life to protecting was back on that ship, and he was abandoning him to his fate. He an several others handpicked, roared back to Gihren Zabi. He'd never forgive himself.

Aboard the Birmingham, the garishly dressed Revil sat behind an old plank and steel table deep within the vessel, arms crossed, but patient. Though he bore the title “the old man of the Federation,” he was still ripe with life. His trademark dishevelment did not make him out to be the grumpy old man he should be, but rather, a man more concerned with practical matters than trivialities. He dressed as though he'd just been sprung out of Zeon prison and didn't have time to change. At least, that's what his staff thought when the old man was out of the room. If Blex had been present at such gathering, he'd have something a little more pointed to gossip about.

The opposite door to the room opened and in walked an entourage of flamboyantly dressed Zeon officers. He counted two generals, three colonels, five majors, and a handful of unmarked, black-clad bodyguards who undoubtedly Gihren Zabis' renown Schutzstaffel. They filtered in like a stream, Zabi at the front, barely able to stand under his immense girth and age, officers on his rear. Suddenly the room didn't feel big enough.

Revil stood and bade his staff to do likewise. For a moment the two opposing parties merely stared one another down, clearly unwilling to make the first move, fearing what it might mean. Revil, the tactician he was, knew in order for things to go smoothly, Zeon needed to retain some of its dignity. That meant not being pushed into formal surrender. And a room full of secessionist-happy Federal bureaucrats would quickly eliminate at chance at a quick and painless proceeding. Luckily Revil was there to keep them at arm's reach, otherwise Zeon would feel cornered and forced to continue the conflict. There would be no end to the bloodshed if something wasn't made of all this, today. Either that, or a lot of young men would die.

Old men talking, young men dying, the old cliché went, Revil thought.

On the other hand, he knew they were unwilling to admit defeat. Who wouldn't? A full year of fighting, more than half the human race gone. It was hard to walk away from, especially when the initial objective of freedom had not been realized.

One of the Zeon generals began to step forward, but Degwin waved him off. “This war has cost me much, gentlemen. As much, I am sure, as it's cost every single sentient in this Earth sphere. We cannot go on like this—Zeon cannot go on like this. As it stands, we have no choice. Either way we will find ourselves back at this table. There must be an end to the bloodshed, and the Republic of Zeon is willing to negotiate the terms of our surrender.”

~
Gihren stood at the command and control center of A Boa A Qu, the quiet bustlng of preparation before him, yet he was almost certain he'd heard wrong despite his underling's carefulness.

“What did you say?”

“Mein Fuhrer, The Great Degwin has moved into the Federation battlegroup and is currently docked with the flagship.”

Gihren considered, but then didn't. It had taken him less than a second. “Prepare to fire the Solar Ray! Mark coordinates on the Federation battle group in sector W as originally planned!”

A sneer instead of a smile contorted his hircine features. So their glorious leader had betrayed them to the Federation, attempted to broker a deal behind their backs on the eve of this auspicious occasion. He had suspected his father's cowardice some time ago, but he'd played the obedient son and passed it off as mere paternal concern. He had no idea he'd turn on them all. What saddened him most, if anything made him sad anymore, was that his father had such little faith in him.

“You may fire when ready.”

A technician, hardly in any position to speak at such juncture, chimed in. “The Solar Ray has yet to reach peak readings. If we fire now, we may forfeit any chance to fire it again! We're simply not ready!”

Gihren ignored him and repeated his orders. “You may fire when ready.”

~
The talks had ended with unanimous agreement. The war would end, and a peace treaty would be signed by both parties. Zeon would relinquish the use of its ships, and the Federation would see to the disarmament of its military. It was all going to end.

...3...

Revil extended his hand. Each member of the Zeon delegation looked on with a sort of tired resignation, unable to voice the protest quelling in their hearts. Degwin appeared to be feeling that two-fold. He lifted a sagging hand, reluctance making it quake as it closed on the other man's.

...2...

The Federation delegation looked on, their tongues nearly hanging out of their mouths in anticipation as the deal progressed as though it were underwater. Revil's face was a complete mask of calm, as if the end of a war was inconsequential. Retirement was just over the bend.

...1...

~
Aboard the White Base, Amuro Ray suddenly perks to life from his incongruous spot by Sayla. He'd been looking out at the formations, Gundam, for once, far from his mind. A teenager during wartime had a lot on his mind, but girls were always at the forefront. But this sudden shock had sent him into an irrational burst of emotion that startled everyone on the bridge.

“Mr. Bright, Sayla, Frau—a lot of people are going to die. You need to warn General Revil. You need to contact him. People are going to die!” He rushed up to Mr. Bright, who had been making notes on placement before Amuro had started belching obscenities, and grabbed both of his cuffs. “Mr. Bright, please! Please. Call Revil. Call...”

Bright brushed him off and took several welcoming steps back. “Impossible. The General is in a very important meeting, he cannot be disturbed.”

“You must--” Amuro broke in.

“All communications have been severed due to the sensitivity of the meeting.” Bright started inquiring into the outburst, but Amuro moved away quickly, back to the window.

“No. This can't happen.”

Elsewhere in the Federation armada, Marion begins a loud, garbled screech, filling the Blue Destiny, as well as all neighboring communications, with a mind-shattering static. The only words that can be made out are “people” and “death.” No one knows how to console her, and all they can do is put on ear protection and let it tire itself out.

Similar events happen in the Zeon fleet. Zeon newtypes, Florian Cuyler and Persephone Dawn, receive matching visions of destruction and wide-spread death. Neither of them can stand the pressure amassing in their skulls, and they yell out to the surprise of their companions.

~
...fire... A light born from the energies of mad science and human ingenuity collected at the business end of the colony previously known as Mahal and formed a ball-point of solar-infused light. After a split second, the ball burst and streamed tens of thousands of kilometers from the base of A Bao A Qu, to meet Revil's Birmingham and countless other ships unlucky enough to be her escorts, were caught in the maelstrom. The explosion was immense, covering several kilometers in diameter, and enveloping every particle it encountered. Space was illuminated in that one glorious instance, its void revisiting energies unheard of since the Federation's Solar System—since the formation of the solar system by way of super nova. The light is blinding, and for an instance, all sides believe themselves dead.

But instead of standing in line at the heavenly gates, those with the best view saw only shimmering hulks of burnt out carapaces, formerly immense machines of death.

Revil, Degwin Zabi, more than half the Federation fleet in that sector, as well as The Great Degwin and all her souls, were reduced to fluttering space particles. Nothing remained those caught in the initial burst. Thousands of men and women lost their lives in the time it took to flip a switch. Peace was now farther away than ever.

Yoritomo Naizen was slowly regaining his eyesight aboard the bridge of the Jotunheim. He and several other crewers had been thrown from their feet. They were one of the only Duchy vessels still standing in the sector, all others completely annihilated. He watched on in horror as the aft section of the The Great Degwin, a semicircle where the rest of the ship once was, floated heedlessly in a outward course, as if propelled by some great force that defied all logic. He could not find the words to scream.

Elsewhere on the remnants of the Federation flotilla, Vann Kashky watched in similar horror as he awoke within his Gundam, far from the mother ship he last knew himself to be stationed on previous. He felt disoriented, alone. He felt as though the world had been turned completely on its end.

~
In the aftermath, chaos ensued. Frantic ships, on fire, flew in every three dimensional position, ramming into one another. Radios exploded in incomprehensible jabber—some human, the others the final death throes of the Federation vessels as they imploded. Mobile suits and Balls slid off jury rigged mounts and plummeted like falling stars back towards the moon.

Blex looked on at the mess with grim satisfaction. This is what happened when you trusted a fascist, he thought. Now with all obstacles out of his way, he'd begin his---His moment of reverie broke as he saw a neighboring Columbus begin to veer off course towards the Manticore. He barked out orders to correct. After the crisis was averted, he straightened his cap and issued supplementary executive orders, taking complete control of the Federal Forces Fleet. Though he doubted many of the vessels were receiving, or even understood, he needed for the record to read that he immediately took charge after the tragic fall of the late General Revil.

There would be no more talk, no more attempts at peace. The battle of A Bao A QU was about to begin.

New Years Day
Two Pegasus class ships, side by side. White Base and Orange Base had been ordered to the front of the forces at N field, the vanguard of the Federations assault. Reed and the Luna II defense fleet floated on behind them, Reed immensly happy that the crew of refugees and greenhorns he'd helped to orbit turned out to be some of the Federations most powerful aces. The fighting power of this field was lower than W or E fields in numbers, but in quality of its soldiers, N field was king of the hill.

While Amuro and the rest of the White Base crew prepared for the engagement, the Prince of Orange and his men did the same. The quirkiness of the Beam Team and Thorvald and the rest were not lost on their newest addition, who floated about the halls, his persona hidden behind a gaudy mask.

Breakfister Turbulance had been assigned to the Orange Base, which was in need of pilots matching Aurem, Slater and Thorvalds skill level, but he found nothing but jealousy on board. They were all piloting Gundams. Each and every one of them. Turbulance grumbled as he made his way to the hangar, looking at the EZ-8, the Heavy Gundam and the Blue Destiny. Orange Base was like a mobile testing facility, and Turbulance was still piloting a GM Command. Even it, a high performance model for ace pilots, paled in comparison to the Gundams.

Breakfister was unable to put up his usual persona, smothering others in his ego and manly spirit. Instead he simply prepared for battle, muttering to himself.

Also muttering was one Thorvald Siggurdson, who floated through the hangar bay, Victoria on his arm. They were so close already, after only a short while together. If Marion had a jealous bone in her spiritual body she may have tried to split them apart, but she felt nothing but happiness for Thorvald. Although he couldn't feel the same way.

A grim realization had dawned on them both. Marion was the only survivor of a failed project, and had been deemed uncontrollable by the military. The only reason the Blue Destiny hadn't been dismantled already was because of Thorvald, and because of his incredible record of successes in the unit. When the war was over, and it would surely be over soon, Marions un-life as she knew it would end. She and Thorvald had only talked about it once, while Thorvald was drunk no less, but since then they were both thinking the same thing. This would probably be their last real time together, regardless of what happened in the battle.

Aurem was moping, as had become usual since he'd left Arietas side. Kyle and the rest of the Beam Team looked tired of war, and sat together, wishing that it would all be over soon. Everybody wanted to get back to Earth, and to their families.

Aboard the bridge, Nigel was a little confused, but understood things for the most part. The orange Gray Phantom class ship was normally the goofiest, liveliest ship in the fleet, but the horrors of war had finally caught up with them. They had all been sobered by endless combat, for whatever reason. The Prince of Orange looked on at the fortress ahead, letting out a sigh. It seemed like only yesterday he was hiding in the back of a Medea, playing with monkeys and failing to take tiny Zeon mines. Now he was at the head of a gigantic fleet, with admirals and newtype prodigies looking to him for guidance.

They had come a long way, and the final stretch was there before them, its guardians glaring with teeth bared, like dogs at the very gates of hell.

~
Creed surveyed the battlefield, like he always did prior to each engagement. The somewhat arbitrarily-named "East Field" looked to be stacked heavily in their favor. Zeon had three ships: A Chivvay, a Musai, and some hulking giant of a ship that Creed had never seen before. What possible use could that thing have on the battlefield? Creed wondered. Their Magellans and Salamis would eat the Zeeks there for breakfast, if that was all the resistance that their enemy could martial.

"Jamitov reports that the unidentified Zeon ship is bleeding Zakus," Creed's comm officer relayed blankly. "Apparently, it's some sort of heavy carrier. The Musai and Chivvay have taken up defensive positions behind it."

"That probably means it's well-armored," Creed mused. "But it can't withstand a sustained bombardment." Even with the addition of the Zakus, he was still confident in their chances of success. Their GMs would make a strong showing against their inferior Zaku counterparts, and most of the pilots were skilled enough to know their way around the battlefield. He doubted the same could be said for Zeon's pilots, some of whom were probably seeing their first real action ever, having been holed up at A Baoa Qu for the duration of the war. They would overwhelm their opponents, capture their headquarters, and the war would be over.

The simplicity of it all, as well as the impending victory, disappointed Creed. If he'd had his way, their enemies would just suffer repeated tactical bombardments, losing their force bit by bit, until there was nothing left. A long, tortuous siege would have been best. He hadn't given much thought to what a man like him would do after the war was over, and he didn't have time to think about it now.

"We will advance with Jamitov and Ohm. Tell our mobile suits to be ready to launch as soon as we're in range, and tell everyone to be sharp." Despite the tension in the air, his voice was calm, as always. Creed was a calm, dangerous man. He felt secure in the company of Ohm and Jamitov; he sensed that they were like-minded, intelligent men, capable of bringing the war to a decisive close, but who also enjoyed a good, bloody battle.

"Yes sir. We are beginning the assault now." The Richmond began its descent into the maelstrom, and Creed smiled as he prayed he'd live long enough to thoroughly enjoy the battle to come.

~
"We've spotted both White Base and Orange Base in this sector, we assume the main offensive will come from this side." Delaz said, the lights from the Gwazines bridge blinking off his shiny bald head. He was one of the most noble supporters of the Zabi cause, a man of ethics and morals, protecting those with none.

"We were thinking it would be. The Cajun has been more than helpful." Banks said, the communication was barely discernable, even though his mobile suit was less than a kilometer from Delaz's ship.

"I'll tell Wu and the ZEF to redeploy." Richard added. Veronica and the rest of them had decided to hold in reserve, in case there were any undue surprises. Banks and Florian had gone on ahead with the Delaz fleet, which stood resolutely in the way of the Federations advance. The Perfect Zeong and Gelgoog Marine commander looked a funny pair, hidden behind the mass of Delaz's warships. The giant newtype mobile weapon looked like an ogre, barely reigned in by the small Gelgoog beside it. Richard told himself that he would make sure Florian made it out of this battle alive. Emil had been too young to die, and he would not let Florian go as well.

Florian, as had been his norm the past few weeks, had mixed feelings about most everything. He was stll fighting, and he still felt an intense loyalty for Banks, but his newfound independence was slowly getting to him. He wondered what would happen when the war was over. Would he be put back in a white cell on Granada? He sure hoped not.

The two sides slowly floated towards each other, stopping only briefly when an intense flash of light crossed their paths, the Solar Ray firing on the Federal fleet in W Field all the way from the safety of Side 3. They would not find out until much later that Degwin and Revil had both been killed in the blast.

~
Meanwhile, in the bowels of A Bao A Qu, the devilish flash of light went by huge glass panels, brightening the void outside the mobile suit hangar. Char Aznable had been called here by Kycillia, the two having just arrived ahead of the Earth Federation.

"It doesn't look finished." Char said, looking at the legless Zeong. He'd heard about these mobile suits before, designed specifically for newtype pilots. He'd had a small number of training hours on the Elmeth, but mostly just to slate his own curiosity.

"It is 80% complete. The legs are merely cosmetic after all." Kycillia said. She was unable to finalize her plans to have a complete platoon of newtype soldiers, mostly due to the exorbitant costs of mobile weapons like the Zeong and Elmeth. But she felt that just giving this Zeong to Char would win them the battle, and the war.

"But will it defeat the Gundam?" Char said, more to himself than anyone else.

Elsewhere in the hangar, and angry Redan Hsuodrak was watching tech crews fail miserably at refitting his Gyan. He had ordered the cannon refit done by the time the battle started, and when the Mechanics told him that was impossible, he simply thought they were lazy.

"What do you mean three more hours?!" He yelled, looking at the half dismembered machine.

"It should take six, but I think we can get it done in three. If you want us to change it back to the standard config it'll be 15 minutes." The chief mechanic said. This Gyan Cannon idea was turning very bad, very fast.

"Alright fine, change it back to the standard. I'm needed out there now!" Redan mumbled. He didn't know how far he would get blaming the mechanics after this was over.

Just outside the fortress, Veronica Wu and the ZEF recieved a signal from Richard Banks that the main push was to come at N field. Veronica ordered her fleet to advance towards the north, the Cajun watching her go about her business.

"I thought you wanted to end this war, madam." He said, oozing an aura of aristocracy that even Veronica could not ignore.

"Of course, but we have to get out of here first. I cannot abandon my duty, at least not yet." Veronica said. The two had come to an agreement that the war had lasted too long, and at this point more death was simply unwarranted. Unfortunately, Kycillia, and especially Ghiren did not agree.

"Ahh, right you are, right you are." Lavache answered, not the least bit uncomfortable on the Wraths bridge.

~
Caleb DeGrau stared in wonder at the massive Federation fleet before him. This was the EFSF's much-hurrahed Grand Fleet? As far as he was concerned, it just meant more targets for his Gelgoog Cannon and his massive beam machine guns. He and Haifa had been instructed to follow the Bigros under the main part of the battle, to attack the flank of the Federation ships. They wouldn't last long against his Gelgoog, and if the numbers they'd gotten from command were correct, their enemy would be too busy swimming through a sea of Zaku II Fs to do a damn thing about it. They would waltz around the battlefield, and if they managed to avoid the heavy AA fire, they had the potential to do some real damage.

Haifa stared at the Gelgoog Cannon, and then settled back into the cockpit of her GM Command. With any luck, her suit choice would throw off her opponents; the Federation had a few GM Commands on its side, but she had Zeon's one and only. She doubted her opponents would notice an enemy GM Command with all the Zakus they'd have to deal with. She intended to act as one of the Federation's own, catching the occasional GM in a spurt of accidental friendly fire. By the time they figured out who she really was, they'd be too overwhelmed with Zakus, Bigros and DeGrau to do much about her - or at least, so she hoped. She slapped the safeties off the firing controls and ducked out of the hangar into the emptiness of space, which was quickly filling with Zaku II Fs. Let's do this.

~
The opening shots at N Field were light, Reed groups missiles exchanging fire with that of the Delaz fleet. Delaz and his forces were already withdrawing, unwilling to engage in a head on battle before the ZEF came and offered its support. Warheads streaked into each other, flak barrages providing cover for mobile suits which slowly but surely launched towards each other, one by one and two by two. At the head of the line were the aces of the Orange and White Bases, a quartet of Gundams heading the charge.

Minovsky particle density was too thick to speak, but these aces were so sure of themselves, that teamwork was but an afterthought, the two groups working seamlessly with each other. Marion and Amuro felt each other dashing forwards, slicing through the Zakus in the front line and quickly breaking into the thick of Delaz's forces. Kyle and the rest of the Beam Team engaged a group of Zeonic MS, while Aurem in the slower Heavy Gundam provided fire support. Breakfister, Hayato, Kai and Job John mopped up the remainder, the group easily busting through all opposition.

Anaval Gato saw the group of Federal aces moving towards Delaz and the rest of the fleet, and moved quickly to respond, his Dom Funf as fast as even the Federal Gundams. However, he was stopped by a shot from a beam rifle, turning to see a GM Sniper II heading for him. Yazan Gable and the rest of Reeds GMs were hot on the Pegasus class ships heels, ready to pound hard into the Zeonic lines. Delaz launched a pair of bazooka shells towards Yazan, the crazed fighter ace dodging both and responding with his own fire. The two were evenly matched, quickly circling each other and starting a most deadly dogfight.

Kyle, Breakfister, Amuro and Thorvald were just about to make it to the Zeonic Musais when a pair of monstrous mobile suits, if you could call them merely mobile suits, rushed towards them, a lone Gelgoog following suit. Amuro and Char quickly recognized each other, the two blasting off to the side of the battlefield and launching death at each other with beam rifles and MPCs. Florian and Richard were less identifiable, but the Perfect Zeong packed a bit more reactor power than its legless cousin, and thirteen streams of mega particles forced Slater and Siggurdson to pay attention. The two Gundams dodged the blasts, Richard Banks moving straight for Breakfister and nearly destroying the GM Command with his first shot. Kai and Hayato responded, their cannons forcing Banks back and giving the masked GM pilot some breathing room.

~
The space between the Zeon and Federation fleets was quickly filling with mobile suits and beam fire, as the battle began. It was chaos. The Zaku II Fs already made an impressive display, but they continued to swarm out of the Dolos like bats from a cave. If the sky had not already been dark, they would have darkened it. The GM pilots, once so confident in the superiority of their machines, and their skill in combat, wavered slightly at the numbers advantage that Zeon enjoyed. Could they really fight that many Zakus? Even a lion could be brought down by enough hyenas, or ants.

The pink beams and missiles from their ships thundered past them overhead, and their confidence was restored somewhat. Most of them shouldered their beam spray guns in favor of their machine guns; the Zakus would not be able to stand up to their projectile fire, and the machine gun was slightly more convenient, with a larger clip that could be refilled without a trip back to a friendly ship.

Many of them had packed spare ammo, including Remington “Rem” Hace, who was waiting for the charge to begin in his GM II. The next iteration of the GM was slightly more powerful and a tad nimbler, but it was leagues more awesome, as far as REM was concerned. He was itching for the fight to begin, to remove without remorse every obstacle that stood in the way of achieving his goal: He wanted a piece of Zeon’s giant ship.

Really, it didn’t seem like too much to ask. The ship was gigantic, and there was plenty of it to go round. He just wanted to do a little light remodeling of the ship in question: Take a few shots at it with his 305mm bazooka, maybe carve it up a bit with his beam sabers, all while subtracting a few Zakus from Zeon’s army. The GM II would be able to blend in with the main Federation force rather well, and Rem was confident that he could remedy the shortcomings in his machine and his plan with his own piloting skill. He would remind Zeon that you didn’t need a particularly awesome machine to take the fight to your enemy!

Beside him, Cassandra Elaine Beckett was also psyching herself up in the face of apparently-poor odds. Her Guncannon MPT was also clutching a 90mm machine gun to supplement the firepower of the suit’s twin 240mm shoulder-mounted cannons. She would need it to keep the Zakus off her back, and her suit in the game. Her primary weapons wouldn’t be useless against the sea of Zakus before her, but when there were that many enemies, it almost never hurt to carry more guns – especially when her suit didn’t need to carry its primary weapons anyway.

She wondered how many women there were, out there piloting or doing something similarly awesome. She was one of the only women in the EFSF, and she hadn’t met another like her, with good looks, good piloting skills, and a good chance of surviving the war. Sure, there were a lot of hot mechanics in the Earth Federation forces, for some reason, but there just weren’t as many pilots. She counted herself lucky to have risen so high in the military hierarchy. It wasn’t often that a woman like her got the chance to display her skill in an arena like this. She tightened the straps on her cockpit chair, and joined her comrades in the charge.

Lutz Leon wasn’t far behind in his Powered GM. The highly-mobile suit was one of the first to strike the wave of Zaku IIs, and he drew his beam saber to jump right into melee range. It was difficult maneuvering through the hail of bullets from the Zakus’ machine guns, but he figured that as long as he was close enough to stab, hack and slash, the enemies would be too afraid of hitting their own to fire at him.

He jumped straight into his first Zaku II, kicking it in the cockpit to jar the pilot inside, before cutting the cockpit out of the suit like the center of donut. He held the suit in front of him as he pressed further into the cloud, grabbing another Zaku by the neck as he pressed on. The captured Zaku struggled, its pilot unfamiliar with space combat, and unsure as to what the best way to escape a GM that had grabbed it would be.

Fortunately, he did not have long to decide, as another beam saber thrust stole the ability to decide from him. The pilot was vaporized almost instantly as the cockpit slagged, and Lutz kept his beam saber stuck through the hole in the suit, twisting it in almost to the hilt. He now had two Zakus impaled on his beam sabers, and he held them to either side like shields. His maneuverability and speed suffered, but the heavy machine gun rounds thudding into the Zakus thick masses did not touch him. He moved to the next group of Zakus, a battle-fired gleam in his eyes. This was going to be fun.

~

It was like watching an angry bee hive. Except the hive is kilometers in diameter and the bees were three stories high or more.

Sublieutenant Ray Tatsuma frowned from the seat of his command chair. The Salamis Revised-class Ruby swung around as its heavy turrets realign towards the forces of A Bao A Qu. Even at the outer edge of bombardment range, his eyes can pick out the movement of mobile suits deploying from a massive Zeon vessel. Tatsuma is hesitant to confront such a thing with his ship. The vessel seems bottomless; it has been launching mobile suits for much of the last hour.

Mutlipe shadows passes through the Ruby's bridge windows, reminding Tatsuma that he is not alone.

"Captain? Admiral Tianem is on the line."

"Thanks Pixy," said Tatsuma as he reaches for his headset. The female communications officer shook her head. She wonders if the captain even reads their dossier files.

"Sublieutenant Tatsuma," said the admiral's voice over the radio," prepare your crew to advance as fire support for our mobile suits. It seems we have a lot of Zakus to chew through."

"Understood admiral."

"Minovsky levels are reaching battle density. Communicate with laser links only when necessary. Tianem out."

Tatsuma had barely set down his headset when the massive formation of RB-79 Balls rush past his ship. Dispersed among them are Federal mobile suits. They have come a long way from the days where Zeon held the monopoly in that technology. Now they are repaying their past humiliations in full with the modern GM and the advanced GM Command and Guncannon MPT types.

One particular mobile suit caught his eye. Tatsuma smiled a bit as he gestured at his radio officer. His radio officer rolled her eyes as she patched her captain through to the mobile suit pilot.

"Lieutenant Kerrigan reporting."

"This is Tatsuma of the Ruby."

"What now..."

"Hey G.I. Jane, you ready for this?"

"I'm waitin' on you!" insisted Sublieutenant Arleana Kerrigan. Inside the cockpit of the GM Command Kai, she pushes the throttle forward. She is eager to get out of communications range with Tatsuma as soon as possible.

"You know, since tonight will be the end of the war...?"

"Doesn't take a telepath to know what you're thinkin'."

"So is that a yes?"

"You get off on annoying people, don't you?""

"I find myself charming, as do everyone here." A few doubtful glances are exchanged by the bridge crew.

"Easily amused, huh?"

"I find it gives me a good outlook on life and I won't mind sharing it with you."

"You may have time to play games..."

"For you? Any time of the day and especially at night."

"... But I've got a job to do." A sharp cackle of static suddenly floods the channel.

"Sir?" said Tatsuma's radio officer," Kerrigan's unit has entered a heavy Minovsky particle area. Communications are difficult at this point."

Tatsuma sighs. So close and yet so far. "Alright then. Go to action stations! Prepare all missile and rocket batteries! Gunnery crews stand by!"

As the Ruby and her crew went to full battle stations, the rest of the Federal forces in S Field continue their march forward. Wakkein's Magellan kept in stride with Tianem's battlewagon. Ahead of them is Henken's Salamis Revised who is leading the smaller Federal warships into battle.

On the giant tactical screens on both Zeon and Federal vessels, the inevitable clash of might seems would be as violent as a collision between two freight trains. Both sides have men and machines in the hundreds.

In one small cluster of units in the advancing Federal horde, a bunch of Saberfish and Balls fly cautiously. They give the only mobile suit with them a wide berth. Not for tactical reasons but as a result of past experiences.

A childish song and humming is heard over their headsets. Minovsky interference is making the greater fleet communications tedious and difficult, but short range communications is still possible.

To the unsuspecting eavesdropper, Yuka Kazami seems like any other sweet innocent girl. She even looks younger than the age listed on her dossier. Usually found playing with flowers and baking varous recipes, many people often wonder how someone like Kazami is a soldier. Nevertheless the pilot of a machine like the GM Sniper II.

But to the pilots who fly formations with her, they know better than to be tricked by the innocent demeanor.

"Hey Captain, blue line perimeter in three," spoke up one Saberfish pilot

"I can read my instruments as well, Jonesy," replied the squadron leader

"You think we ought to tell the missy?"

"I ain't doing it."

"Hey man," spoke up a different voice," I may be in a Ball but I don't got the balls to be 'it' again."

"Well she will find out sooner or-"

"KEEEEEEEEHeheheheheheeeeeeeekeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!"

"Oh shit," echoed the entire squadron of Saberfish and Balls.

"Break off!" ordered the squadron leader," peel into your assigned groupings!"

The GM Sniper II's thrusters flared brillantly like minature suns, as the outdated fighters and gun pods moved out of Kazami's way. Her colleagues deem her as a certified psycopath but insisting on the matter is pointless.

The GM Sniper II blazes forward as all around Kazami, a million tons of Federal steel closes the distance with a million tons of Zeon metal. The signatures of hundreds of missiles lit up the airspace as the first bursts of mega particle fire erupts from the ships.

It is like a colorful orchestra of destruction. To anyone with a god-like point of view, it is utterly awe inspiring. History seem to held its breath as the seconds tick by before the two forces reach each other right about...

...Now.

~
THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP-THMP

Empty catridges spill out of a 120mm Zaku machinegun like candy from a broken vending machine.

FWEEEM... FWEEEM... FWEEEM... FWEEEM... FWEEEM... FWEEEM... FWEEEM... FWEEEM

Beam spray guns test the limits of their capacitors as they pour energy like a beer tap at happy hour.

P-WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH... P-WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH... P-WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH...

Bazooka rounds left their launchers, detonating their high explosive warheads in the tightly packed battlefield. Friend and foe alike are baffled by constant explosions.

Nothing is going well for both sides. The Federal forces face a wall of Zaku IIs. More than they had seen at Solomon. The flood of green warmachines seem endless despite the numbers that die in the opening exchange of fire. Saberfish and Balls try to use their smaller size to weave deeper into the Zeon lines but the sheer amount of munitions going everywhere hinders their efforts.

It is equally frustrating for the Zeon pilots as well. Many of their comrades are green and untrained. They barely know what all the knobs and buttons in their cockpit do. Time and time again, the more expirenced Zeon pilots groaned as tactical advantages are missed and people die unnecessarily to rookie mistakes.

It is utter chaos everwhere.

Kerrigan's GM Command Kai popped up from a line of RB-79 Balls with her beam rifle blazing. As the smaller Balls are picked off by frantic 120mm shells, the female Fedeal pilot trains her gun on one Zaku II F after another. Five unsuspecting Zakus are downed before a wall of bullets came at her. On reflex, Kerrgian raised her shield and felt the GM Command Kai shook like a rattle from the impacts. She is tossed around so badly that her GM Command Kai was literally pushed a full kilometer back where she came from.

All the skirmish line, mobile suits began to resort to close range weapons. The barely trained Zaku II pilots kept to their machineguns however since it's the only weapon they knew worked. Beam sabers ate into heathawks as a gladiatoral conflict began.

A limb here. Another limb there. Bullet holes and melted armor plates. Death came in every form. A hapless GM pilot saw the warning lights on his overloading beam spray gun but was unable to throw it away before it exploded, taking him with it. Not even ten meters away, a Zaku II F drifted silently with no less than ten beam sabers engorged in its body. It bounced off a certain rampaging GM Sniper before being lost into the darkness of space.

Kazami leaps onto the back of an unsuspecting Zaku II F. With a single motion, she drew her beam saber and cleanly impaled it into the side of the Zaku's head. A simple twitch of the controls and the upper torso of her victim is skewered into uncountable pieces. Another Zaku II F challenged her only to have Kazami's shield bash it in the face. The stunned pilot was not given a chance to recover as he is swiss cheesed by beam shots.

All of this can be seen by Ray Tatsuma, who has a front row seat on the bridge of the Ruby. "Nat! Roll us twenty degrees portside and give me a five round volley from the port guns!"

Mumbled around the reply of "Aye aye" came the reminder that her name is Jennifer.

"Sir! Henken's reordering the battleline! AA picket formation!"

"Counterroll!" grunts Tatsuma before shouting at his helmsan," correct our trim and get us back in position!"

On the other side of the big whirlpool of combat, the Zeon ships grouped together. They are outnumbered greatly by the Federal warships which leads them vulnerable to be picked off by multiple Federal warships. Their best strategy is to stay together for mutual protection. Hopefully the heavy guns of the Dolos and the guantlet of mobile weapon combat can wither down the Federal cruisers before the lighter Zeon ships engage.

Almost unnoticed in the battle are the waves of missile boats flying defiantly at enemy fleets. Publics and Jiccos push their engines to the max as they went on their bombing runs. Once in range those who survive let loose their payloads. Even less would return to the rear areas.

Even though the entirety of S Field has devolved into a cloud of destruction, observers can see the Federal line still advancing. It had slowed from a march to a snail crawl but the mass of Federal equipment is visibly struggling forward. Federal pilots feel for every meter of space but they are taking many Zeon pilots with them.

To those commanding the battle on their bridges and command intelligence centers, the battle plays like a silent movie. They know the ear deafening sounds of combat that must be rattling their soldiers, yet none of it reaches here.

The next six hours would tell who will keep control of S Field.

~
The battle had begun in earnest, and although the Federation held a considerable advantage, it was clear that they would not be able to break the back of the Delaz fleet before Veronica and the ZEF arrived. “You sure we’ll be okay out there?”

“Of course not, idiot! It’s a battle – that’s the whole point! We’re fighting, they’re fighting – everybody’s fighting!”

“Why?”

“’Cause you need to fight for what’s important to you!”

Roslyn came out from the Zinnia in style, flourishing with the recently-cleaned Kampfer, and the Zaku trailing behind, somewhat unsure of itself, it seemed. They had never been ones to get directly involved in the war – this was the closest they’d come, really – and the gigantic battle in front of them was a little intimidating. A couple pilots could get eaten alive in a battle like that, without anyone even noticing.

Would they be noticed? Would they be missed if they didn’t make it out? Would the Zinnia escape? With an effort, Roslyn pushed these questions and more out of her head. She had always approached life – and the war – with a mix of opportunism, lone star tactics, tight-knit grouping, serious thought and a bit of light-heartedness. Taking part in A Baoa Qu had been a big step for her, and she wasn’t going to give it anything less than her best.

“It’s a Zaku!” Roslyn’s comrade gesticulated wildly at a mobile suit-shaped dot in the distance.

“That’s no Zaku, silly. That’s a GM,” Roslyn corrected, as the thing – or at least, what was left of it – drifted into view. The top half was horribly marred by AA fire, and the bottom half had been melted clean off by beam weapons. It was like stepping on a corpse on your way onto the battlefield.

“Right. What happened to its legs? What happened to its top?!”

“Doesn’t matter; it’s not going to happen to us! We’ll watch each other’s backs. After all, we’re not in the military; we don’t have to follow orders. We can just focus on protecting each other, getting through this thing safely, and fighting for what we believe in, not for what the military wants us to fight for. That’s part of why we’re human, after all: We get to choose.”

The two pilots made their way cautiously into the melee, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves, while trying to shoot at everything that looked like an enemy from extreme range.

~
What remained of Revil's legacy now lay in spattering cinders across cold space. Hulks teaming with fire, not life, flickered among the starscape, motionless. Any survivors of the major cataclysm were either on their last leg, begging for a good gunshot to the head, or they were too wounded or shell shocked to even know what a gun was. These men would never see their Earth again, the brilliant globe of chaos they'd all fought and died for. Maybe in another life they'd see the end of the war, but not today. This day both side would know only disappointment.

Remnants of both sides slowly began to rally, vessels forming upon one another, action stations beginning to supersede collision or fire alarms. Working turrets were primed, torpedoes loaded into their proper bays, and soldiers manning their post, shaking the feeling that they were merely ants under a giant, colony-sized magnifying glass.

Shin Matsunaga had already turned himself about face when the Solar Ray had finished firing, and was streaming his way back to his Glorious Leader's side. He needed to do his duty. He had been wrong to leave, even though he had been under orders. The sting of defeat was already palpable. This couldn't happen again. Being sent to Side 3 in shame was one thing, but standing idly by as the heart and soul of Zeon went up in flames? It was a reality he thought he'd never have to live.

Right now he was too pissed to sulk, and it was all due to the Federation's false promises of peace that had lured Degwin Sodo Zabi to his grave.

As he and the remaining Zeon aces approached, they saw the Federation rallying their forces, lining their Saberfish and GM in wings. They were outnumbered, but certainly not out-manned. He would even the odds.

“Richter, Eizel, Wlen--move to my flank. One of you call those ships for support. We're going straight in.” The modified Gelgoog HMT sped forward, two Zaku Kai's and a Rick Dom positioned to either side and rear. They did not wait for the Jotunheim or either of its escort's response, but streaked toward the hastily assembled Federation line.

~
Haifa Hahnemuele and Caleb DeGrau maintained radio silence as they made their way below the mess of GMs and Zakus toward the Federation fleet. A few of the ships had already noticed them, and it was hard work dodging that much AA fire. The rest of the ships were too busy tossing missiles and beams at their Dolos, which dominated Zeon’s side of the battlefield. It was turned to present most of its guns to the Federation fleet, to ensure it did the maximum amount of damage. Unfortunately, this also meant that it was almost unmissable as a target.

Scores of missiles and beams thundered into the ship’s thick hull, and Haifa grimaced, thinking of how much damage was being caused. The tough ship was holding together though, and it appeared that the steady stream of Zakus had finally slowed to a trickle, as the last few mobile suits made their way out of the gigantic ship via its 7 catapults. Many of the ship’s guns still thundered into the Federation fleet, hitting several of the enemy’s Salamis. They weren’t enough to sink the ships, though – not on their own – and the Federation ships would eventually win the shootout, despite the ship’s unbelievably thick armor, and its many guns.

The space battle didn’t seem to be going overly well either, despite their numbers advantage. As she’d suspected, the green pilots and green Zaku II Fs were getting eaten alive by the Federation GMs. Sure, the Zeon troops had made some progress, but with the support of the Federation ships, the cloud of GMs was slowly advancing.

The Musai and Chivvay class vessels that were behind the Dolos were faring a little better. Out of the direct line of fire of the Federation ships, they were able to use their ordnance a little more tactically, and the Federation ships were paying for it. The cloud of ships weaved around each other, trying to evade the beam fire from the two Zeon ships, but there were just too many targets for Zeon’s gunners not to hit something. A few of the ships had sustained minor damage already, and the battle had hardly started yet. The Musai and Chivvay, however, were in pristine shape.

Time to try evening the score. Caleb thought grimly, as the Bigro in front of him tore into one of the Publics with its megaparticle cannon, twisting away from the anti-aircraft fire as it neared its next target. The explosion of the Public had drawn some attention, however. A GM Command was waiting for it at the next ship, nimbly dodging the fire from the Bigro’s megaparticle cannon, before pumping it full of beam rounds. This time, it was the Bigro that was on the receiving end of the explosion.

Caleb sent his Gelgoog Cannon bursting through the explosion, heading for the fleets’ flagships in the back. He wanted to bag a prize worth bragging about, and the Magellans would fit the bill perfectly. He kept the GM Command at bay with his two beam machineguns, knocking one of its legs out from under it, as he careened through the AA fire from one of the Salamises. Another GM Command started to give chase, and again, the pink beams flew his beam machine guns. The GM Command with the missing leg had settled into a support role, and it hounded him with beam fire from long-range, ducking out from behind ships and broken mobile suits to take potshots at him, while its companion took a more active role.

He didn’t have time for this. He thrust ahead, the GM Commands hot on his heels. The Gelgoog handled smooth as melted butter, and he plotted a course through the battlefield that he estimated would take him within firing range of one of the large battleships. The AA guns of the Salamises sent round after round at him, but Caleb DeGrau would not be stopped. This time, he was going to attain his goal. This time, there’d be a notch in his belt.

It would just be a smaller notch than he’d planned on. A squad of GMs, held back from the fight in reserve, swooped in front of him, blocking his path. The beam machine guns flashed, and two of the suits were disabled, but his forward progress had been halted. He was a better pilot than any of his Federation counterparts, and the Gelgoog a far better machine. It hurt that he would have to fall back to deal with 6 mobile suits.

But Caleb was not going to let his push go unrewarded. One of the Salamises was rather close to him, and the beam cannon shuddered as it unloaded the massive amount of energy into the Salamis’ hull. For a brief moment, Caleb could see through the hole to the other side of the ship, where the beam had bored halfway into another Public, and then the rapid decompression of the ship created a large explosion.

Caleb was ready for the explosion, but his Federation opponents were not. Whether blinded, distracted, or simply because they weren’t as good as he was, they were left vulnerable for an instant. Another two of them fell victim to his beam machine guns, adding to the debris that already littered the region.

Gotcha! One of the GM Command pilots roared, slashing toward the Gelgoog with a beam saber.

Gotcha! Haifa Hahnemeule smirked, sending the GM Command spinning with a well-aimed grenade, leaving its favored sword arm hanging useless at its side. Caleb turned to the source of the explosion, and another volley from his beam machine guns took care of the the would-be Federation hero.

“Thanks, Haifa.” He wasn’t sure how he knew her name – musta picked it up from somewhere. Maybe the listing of the GM Command on their assets list had caught his eye. There really wasn’t time to think about it now, as the remaining Federation warships were moving to concentrate their AA fire on the two Zeon aces. The other Bigro had already been obliterated in the thick rain of death from the Federation ships, and they moved quickly out of the hornet’s nest of ships to avoid the same fate.

~
Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Athena’s wrath, Veronica Wu was entertaining the decidedly-different Dagobert Lavache. The two were settled over a table of tea, set for two. Veronica had decided that there was no reason to keep the man in the brig – not when he was so well-behaved, and articulate to boot. She hadn’t had many people on her own side to reflect on the war with, during her time in the ZEF, and having a high-ranked Federation officer on board was proving to be quite cathartic. And since M-particle interference was too high to do much in the way of coordination… She listened as he continued talking.

“Everyone on both sides is just so completely understood. All the Zeon forces just assume we’re a bunch of space-hungry bastards, bent on domination and against personal freedom. On the other hand, there is widespread anti-Zeon sentiment in the Earth Federation forces. Lots of people just think Zeon wants to rule everything, too, and that they don’t really care about freedom, really. Without this demonization, I don’t think most men could bring themselves to participate in a war like this.”

“It’s amazing what a bit of propaganda and fear-mongering can accomplish. One minute, everyone is a human being, just trying to carve out a place for himself and his family, and the next, he feels that he has to join the army, or risk losing everything to the big, bad enemy. The scary part, of course, is that it might be true! If the enemy manages to monger fear better than you, and pushes the war to your doorstep, what can you do? Even though you aren’t in the military, you’re still ‘one of them’ – little less than a traitor, in their eyes. Do men have a choice to fight when their governments call them to it?”

Veronica sipped her tea.

~
“Where the hell are my panzergrenadiers?! Raven Tarasova cursed. She had gotten behind enemy lines with the help of Hans and they were both ready to complete their operation, but they had to wait for the support from Zeon’s elite infantry. The job would be much more difficult without them. Die Spinne would not be pleased.

“I do not know. If I were them, I’d be ashamed to keep a beautiful woman like yourself waiting.” Zeon’s smoothest, best-looking, most awesome spy was always calm, always ready to make a witty comment in combat, and always kept his eyes open for opportunities to hit on sexy ladies. It was part of his charm. The fact that some of the men here, unfamiliar with his exploits on Earth, had taken to calling him Chan’s Bond, bothered him only a little, if at all. After all, a rose by any other name…

“Shut up,” Raven interjected. “I am going to kill every man who survives this mission with my bare hands.” It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy Hans’ company; she just took serving Zeon a bit more seriously, it seemed. “Anyway, keep your eyes open.”

Of course, Ms. Tarasova,” Bond smiled, splitting his focus between Raven’s luscious curves and the battlefield around them.

~
“We have to pull back! We can’t take much more of this!” The voice of the Dolos’ captain rang out across the Zeon frequency – at least, to those who were close enough to hear anything but a crackle. The Minovsky particle interference was worse than awful. The Musai and the Chivvay had come under fire recently, as the Federation forces advanced. Both sides had taken heavy mobile suit losses, but Zeon had taken the worst of it, by far. There were simply too many Federation ships.

The Dolos had begun to retreat when Rem finally neared it. The Zakus were too busy shooting everything that shot back to notice him streaking wide of the main fight. The Chivvay had done its best to keep him away with concentrated AA fire, but he’d been far enough away from it to make dodging fairly simple.

The 305mm bazooka felt heavy in his hands as he raised it to threaten the dying ship. He aimed at its middle, to be sure he wouldn’t miss, and fired. The 305mm round hit the ship dead-center, along with another volley of missiles and megaparticle fire from the Salamises and Magellans behind him. He shot above their line of fire, narrowly avoiding the pink beams, watching as the Dolos slowly split into two pieces. Atmosphere vented from several spreading cracks in the ship, and parts of it were crumpling a little like a tin can. The amount of air inside the thing was considerable.

He barely got clear of the explosion, and had to turn to dodge pieces of shrapnel that shot his way. The monstrous ship was no more, and he had helped to bring it down. He retreated past a squad of Zakus who were staring, stunned, at the space that the massive ship had once occupied. He joined the diminished lines of GMs as they continued to advanced, pushing the Zeeks closer to the center of A Baoa Qu.

~

Since the beginning of the conflict between the Earth Federation and the Duchy of Zeon, new regions of debris and hazard zones had sprouted across the Earth Sphere. Junk and wreckage clutter the vast emptiness, forcing travel routes to change constantly. In some areas, travel is outright discontinued due to the likelihood of fatal collisions.

On December 31, 0079 the region around A Bao A Qu is becoming one such area.

The two opposing forces continue to grind each other relentlessly. An unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object. For a while, the only thing that changes is the amount of people who die.

Until one side got an edge and held onto it.

~
The scene that Oberscharfuhrer Junichi Ghettid and Provisional Perspehone Dawn found at S Field is alarming. The swarm of Zeon MS that was supposed to keep the EFSF fleet at bay had been pushed so close to the Dolos-class Doloroa, that the massive vessel is using its weapons against GMs rather than Federal warships.

Junichi Ghettid cocks the Kampfer's shotgun as he rockets straight into the melee. A distracted GM looked just in time to be struck in the face by the butt of the shotgun. Two rounds later and the GM became abstract art. The bald SS officer slapped the sad excuse for mobile weapon away like trash before continuing onwards.

The Zaku II Manipulator Type is not to be outdone as Persephone Dawn launched Panzerfaust after Panzerfaust into the mass of Federal mobile suits. The resourceful newtype uses the four manipulator arms to reach for hand operated ordinance left drifting by dead mobile suits. The ripple of explosions is large enough to be mistaken for a missile volley from a capital ship.

The sudden appearance of two Zeon aces rallied the dwindling defenders as Zeon retaliated agains the Federal advance. Ghettid introduced several Federal pilots to Zeonic steel as Persephone Dawn grabbed extra rifles. The multi-limbed killing machine opened up a path with a storm of bullets.

The commotion did not got unnoticed however. From above, beam fire assaulted the two Zeon veterans. The hysterical Seaman Yuka Kazami giggles with glee as her GM Sniper II pounced. Her face is twisted as though she is on the biggest sugar high in the world. Not surprisingly, there are no friendlies around her.

"Why don't you just roll up into a ball and die?!" taunts Kazami to Persephone Dawn.

From a different direction, the more calm Sublieutenant Arleana Kerrigan took calculated shots at her adversaries. To her surprise, heavier mega particle fire flew past her towards the Zeon lines. The head of the GM Command Kai turns to see a Salamis Revised bearing down on her.

"Need some heavy lifting, Sarah?" asked the ever flirting Ray Tatsuma.

"My name is Arleana, you pig!" corrected Kerrigan as she flipped her GM Command Kai out of the way of incoming fire.

"We got some suppressing fire going. DOn't know how long we can keep it up in this mess so you better move your ass!"

"You begin to annoy me, lieutenant..."

"Hey! Finally a reaction!"

"But don't think that I need you."

"Oh but you do."

"Should you become a nuisance..." Kerrigan stopped mid sentence as Ghettid unloads several bazooka round in her direction. Dawn is keeping the loony Kazami at bay by hosing her like a bad puppy.

"... I'll kill you myself!" shouted the GM Command Kai pilot as she lunged at the Kampfer with beam saber drawn. The Schuzstaffel pilot reacted quickly as he parried the blow with his own beam saber. Their blades locked for a moment that stretched into eternity. Then the Kampfer's foot shot up and kicked the GM Command away, as Kerrigan braced herself in her cockpit, Ghettid pressed the attack. The SS soldier open fire with his 40mm head vulcans while closing the distance to use his beam saber again.

But a meddling GM got in his way, allowing Kerrigan to disappear behind a wall of RB-79 Balls. Not that far away, Kazami did the same though but at the expense of tons of Zeon ammunition. The multi-limbed Zaku II is out of new guns to seize and is now beginning to switch to heathawks. But even Persephone Dawn's advance is halted when the Zaku II Fs accompanying her exploded in rapid succession.

Henken's line of Salamis cruisers are upon them. They had hesitated to provide covering AA fire for each but are now advancing in fixed formation. The phalanx of light cruisers took the weight of the Zaku swarm off the advancing GMs. As the Zeon line flinched in response, the Federal mobile weapons seized the opportunity and pushed with all the strength they had left.

The fighting suddenly got more fierce than either side has anticipated. The three main warships of the Zeon defense line are now under heavy fire from the advancing Federal warships. The two Musais reared off in an attempt to scatter, least they get allowed a Federal gunner a two-for-one prize. The Zanzibar Kai-class Lili Marleen did better as it tries to blunt the Salamis push. The Dolos-class Doloroa struck out angrily at the approaching formation. Two Salamis cruisers crumble under the combined might but that does nothing to stem the tide.

But it happen too fast and too hard for the Zeon defenders. Dogfighting soon crowded the exterior of the Dolos carrier. With so many targets swarming the Zeon ranks, the already meager Zeon volleys became even more diluted. Officers scramble from station to station, knowing fully well that once the heavier Magellans get into range, they would crack the Zeon ships open like wallnuts under a hydraulic press.

The Bancastle's sudden explosion foreshadowed the fate of the other S Field Zeon ships. Ghettid spat as his Kampfer is knocked off course. The heavily armed and lightly armored mobile suit is great for fast assaults but left much to be desired in endurance.

Kerrigan took this chance to attack, her shots depriving the SS pilot the use of a bazooka. Everything came at a price however as Ghettid used the now free left hand to grab the GM Command Kai's wrist and rip the gun out of Kerrigans hand.

It didn't end there however, as the nozzle of a shotgun found a gap in the shoulder joint of Kerrigan's mobile suit. Two quick trigger pulls later and Ghettid now has a souvenir.

Once again however, Kerrigan disappears into the depths of the advancing Federal wave. Kazami's GM Sniper II is becoming sluggish to the touch but the insane former pastry chef is continuing her mindless rampage. In the midst of her bloodlust, Kazami grabs a Ball by its gun and flung it at Persephone Dawn. The newtype pilot kicks the spinning Ball back at Kazami who skewers it with a beam saber before rushing Persephone again.

These signs of vicious and unrelenting fighting is spilling across the Zeon edge of S Field. The gates to A Bao A Qu are cracking and it is only a matter of time before it is blown wide open.

~
Still aboard the Jotunheim's bridge , Yoritomo Naizen's mouth hung open, aghast. He saw the white Gelgoog blur past, only somewhat breaking him from his temporary paralysis. He shook his head to clear it and remembered who he was. Protégé of the Zabi's, leader—distinguished Zeon test pilot. He soon found himself envying the white Gelgoog, who could be none other than Shin Matsunaga, the White Wolf, and his preemptive retaliatory measures. Before he knew what he was doing, he was prepping his Action Zaku for launch. He and a handful of assorted Zaku's and Rick Dom's spilled out of the Jotunheim's massive hangars.

They did there best to catch up with the White Wolf, but it was fruitless. Instead, Yoritomo directed his meager squadron towards a different sector—a less suicidal sector.

Balls had formed around two disabled Columbus' that, though dead in the water, still harbored life. The meagerly armed Balls created a tight net, able to provide flak support if enemies came too close. What they lacked in firepower, they made up for in numbers. Though several Saberfish moved to intercept them, it was clear that the Federation had deployed their mobile suits elsewhere, to more practical targets. Whoever was in charge had a better appreciation of firepower than cargo capacity, it seemed. The Columbus' were out of luck.

Yoritomo swept sideways in a feint, showing the Saberfish why they were a thing of the past. The Zaku made impossible maneuvers that the fighters simply couldn't match, and soon found bullpop rounds in their afterburners.

“Deploy to target M1A, remove all resistance and sink those eagles.” Yoritomo didn't know these men, but their quick response told him they could be relied upon. They, too, cleared a deep swath into enemy's defenses. Soon, the Columbus' were afire like their brethren.

~
“What do we pay you for?!” Vaan Kashky wanted to reply with, to womanize?, but he'd developed an air of sophistication since his assignment to the RX-78-1. He was no Amuro, for sure, and that's what he was trying to prove. He wasn't a whiny, undeserving little spacenoid plunket with authority problems. He was a professional. Anyway, this was a serious time, and it called for seriousness.

“Sir, yes sir, we're launching. There were some delays due to wrecked pilots from when we receiv--”

“Save it. Launch, and protect our asses.” He wanted to say, who's breathing down your ass?, but he held it in.

Apparently he wasn't the only one thinking this, as just then Bernard Monsha broke over the comm in a squeaky shrill, “GIVE MY REGARDS TO THE COMMANDER.”

Kashky wanted to facepalm, but couldn't since he was pulling several G's. He knew, somewhere, a furious Blex was plotting his reprisal. But somehow he knew a man like Monsha had other, more important things on his mind.

“We're circling to the conflict zone. Lead the way, skipper.” Chap Adel in his Guncannon MPT signaled to the squad leader, South Burning—their ace in the hole. None of the other experienced pilots would ever attest to it, but they were somewhat relieved to have him at the lead. He'd shown true in whatever battle he was thrust into, and though he was one of those reluctant warriors, he could fly circles around just about any Zeek krautmuncher.

“Kashky and Bate need to high-tail it to those transports. Monsha, Adel, and I are headed for the small contingent b-lining it to the fleet. I have an inkling that they're going to stir up some trouble.”

The GM Sniper II, Guncannon MPT, and GM Command expertly broke formation and moved to intercept, leaving the Gundam and other GM Command to fend for themselves.

“Welp, I suppose this is better than nothing!” Kashky finally broke from his oath of maturity.

“Repeat last,” asked Bate, trying to focus on what was to come.

“I could be rotting away in Jaburo, wiping some general's ass!”

Bate shook his head, “I doubt you're even qualified.”

They both had a good laugh, smartly easing pre-encounter anxiety with a little last minute camaraderie.

~
Where are those damn Panzergrenadiers?! Taravosa was fuming. They'd managed to sneak aboard the Solar System control ship, but without Panzergrenadiers... They had both donned Federation uniforms, provided courtesy of two unwilling Federation soldiers, one of which Hans had lured into a dark corner with his charm, the other silently dispatched with his strong arms.

The Federation uniforms were terrible. Scratchy, hot, stuffy and old-smelling, like the Federation's ideals. She longed for a skin-tight Die Spinne bodysuit, or something else that would make her feel more comfortable. Hell, she'd even settle for something that breathed, and didn't make her look frumpy - not that she cared what she looked like, overmuch. They were supposed to be sneaking, and God knew that there weren't many hot women in the Earth Federation's Solar System control ship.

"We're just going to have to do this our way: By ourselves. Who knows when those damn Panzers'll stop jacking off and actually get here."

"Yes, madame. Of course. Let us proceed." Always calm, always cool, always Bond.

The two unlikely comrades began making their way through the bowels of the Solar System command ship to the control room, like two spiders creeping

~
Meanwhile, where Haifa had slaughtered squads of GMs in a display of epic bad assness that no one got to witness - at least it seemed that way, in the confusion. She'd lost track after 4, not because she couldn't count very high, but because there was just too much going on, and she didn't have much brainpower to spare for counting.

A strange-looking mobile suit had engaged her, and while it was clear that she had the upper hand in the battle, she was finding it difficult to take it down without sacrificing some damage on her own machine. She'd seen plenty of openings, but she wanted to keep her GM Command in great working order for the next part of the battle.

The battle had been somewhat "meh" until she'd found the Zephyr Phantom. Apart from the main bulk of the fighting, with only a few out-of-reach Federation ships, a duo of Bigros that died too-quickly, and a few of those ubiquitous Zakus. But ever since she'd found an opponent worth of her skill, things had been more interesting.

She'd had to dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge repeatedly since the LUCY system had engaged her in the Federation's prototype mobile doll mobile suit. The movements of the machine were hard to predict; they weren't the sort of movements that pilots usually made, and were difficult to predict. But she wouldn't be beaten!

Spinning away from another burst of fire from the strange mobile suit, she advanced with her beam saber. The enemy suit matched her tactics, coming to her with its own beam melee weapon. It ends here. She brought the beam saber down in an arcing motion, cutting into the enemy mobile suit's arm. The enemy mobile suit slashed at her rear thrusters with its remaining arm, then kicked her GM Command away, taking out its beam rifle as it did.

Haifa flew through space, fumbling for her beam rifle while trying to stabilize her damaged unit. She was drifting away from her enemy, but she was a sitting duck for any attack that came her way. She looked back, and the pink beam nearly blinded her. How could it end like this, after all the work she'd done on Earth, and now in space? The mobile suit evaporated, and when the debris had cleared, Caleb DeGrau stood in the space the Zephyr Phantom had recently occupied, with his beam machineguns drawn.

He casually tossed them away. "Out of ammo anyway. Anyway, we've been ordered back to the fortress. Troops are too thin in this area to-"

Caleb was cut off as an even brighter light filled the space "east" of A Baoa Qu. Haifa stared as the Gelgoog Cannon only a few hundred meters in front of her was burned away in a ray of concentrated energy that seemed to cut into the very fortress itself. The might of the sun, harnessed by over one-hundred and twenty-five thousand mirrors, burned away everything in its path. The alread-decimated mobile suit forces were burned away further, and the Musai and Chivvay that remained melted into the bright light. There was no way they'd be able to hold the line now.

Most of the Federation ships were still intact, and though they had only a handful of mobile suits supporting them, their AA fire would make short work of her if she tried to attack. Taking a deep breath, trying to postpone mourning for her fellow soldier, she joined the advance on A Baoa Qua with another Federation GM, hoping he wouldn't notice the small Zeon markings on her mobile suit. if she played her cards right, there would be time for vengeance later.

~
Creed stared back at the Solar System. It was in position, and should be firing soon. He wondered what it felt like, to press the button that fired the damn thing – to have the power to make your enemies melt before you, literally. For now, he’d have to content himself with driving the Zeeks further towards A Baoa Qu. The more ground they gave, the less room they had to run, and the more damage the Solar System could do. It was a goal worth fighting for, even if it did mean they’d be one step closer to the end of the war. Elsewhere, Orange Base was struggling to advance behind its contingent of mobile suits. Aurem, Kyle and Thorvald were doing their best, but the clouds of Zakus, along with the ZEF’s best, made space a difficult place to travel. Zeon was holding the line. Florian and Richard had been dispatched to deal with the 3 Federation aces, and they were having a similarly hard time holding the line. Fortunately, the friendly support from the Zakus was helping them overcome the 3-2 odds.

Breakfister Turbulance had been called over to help push the flagging advance, and charged into the battle with all the fervor that he imagined the Red Comet would have. The GM Command space type was handling smoothly, and he felt that he could take on anything.

“That’s the bastard that killed Emil!” Florian screamed, immediately breaking away from Banks to pursue Breakfister’s GM Command in his Perfect Zeong. The massive mobile suit tore through space with its powerful thrusters, belching beams from its many beam cannons.

Breakfister’s confidence quickly turned to discretion, which he had once heard was the better part of valor. And though he wasn’t sure what the meant, he knew that it meant you were allowed to run away once in a while. He shuddered as one of the massive beams passed a few meters from his suit, thundering into the space below Orange Base.

Orange Base had thick armor. Orange Base had a crack crew of gunners. Orange Base would make the perfect retreat location. Jamming the throttle to the max, Breakfister jumped below the large battleship, the twin of White Base, and over to the other side. The GM Command was fast, and he turned to deal with the assault from the giant mobile suit, which he expected to be right behind him.

There was nothing there except Orange Base. Oh well. Guess I got away.

Florian was filled with rage. That man could not be allowed to survive, not after what he had done! Orange Base was just an obstacle in his way – a small one – and he would not tolerate it. He saw the Heavy Gundam, Ez8 and Blue Destiny pursuing him, but he didn’t care. He drew his giant heat sword, ready to cleave the ship before him in two, heedless of the AA fire that glanced off his machine’s thick armor, dodging the megaparticle fire from the Gundams that were attacking him. Orange Base would pay. The GM Command would pay. All of them would pay!

Suddenly, where before there had only been Orange Base, there was a Blue Destiny Unit II

“Stay away from Orange Base, ye great monster! You won’t take the Prince of Orange on our watch!” I’m with you, Thorvald! Marion assented. The Blue Destiny held up its arms to block the attack, shunting it to the side as it tore through them – but not enough: The reactor of the Blue Destiny II had been breached.

“Och. We did it lass. It’s been a pleasure serving with a faerie like you.” That we did, Thorvald. I mean, yes, we did. And yes, it was.

Florian stared in disbelief as the Blue Destiny II exploded in front of him. He felt the death of its pilot, and it was hitting him hard. He hadn’t known that there was a Newtype aboard the Blue Destiny. He hadn’t known that there was another Newtype besides Breakfister.

Why was it so hard to raise his sword again? Why was he feeling so much grief, and why now? The deaths of Florian, Lalah, and now this new presence, all rushed into him at once, and he tried awkwardly to pull the Perfect Zeong backward. He had to get out of there.

“Bastard!” Aurem shouted, as Kyle put a GM Sniper II round into the Perfect Zeong’s legs. Florian couldn’t move. He was paralyzed with grief, and resignation. If this is what war was like…

“Thorvald was our friend, and Marion was his faerie! For Arieta, and for all those we hold dear!” Aurem twisted by Florian’s half-hearted thrust with the giant heat sword, and plunged it deep into the Perfect Zeong’s cockpit. He blasted it with his cannon as he pulled it out, thusting backward away from the resulting explosion.

So much death. The young Newtype thought, as he joined his brothers and sisters in dark silence.

~
Damnit! Raven barely stopped herself from screaming out loud in frustration, as the countdown to the firing of the Solar System was completed on board the command ship. The Panzergrenadiers had radioed in a few minutes ago, saying that they'd just been dispatched to the area, and were making their way toward the command ship.

Raven had just told them to go fuck themselves. With any luck, they'd been caught in the blast, damn inept recruits. They'd let anyone with a mean look in their eye join the SS these days, it seemed.

In any case, they still had a job to do. The Solar System was a weapon with unlimited ammo - How could one exhaust the might of the sun? They'd just get to the command center, hold someone important at gunpoint, and get everyone to point the mirrors any way they wanted. It was a simple plan, but Raven knew it would be successful. These Federation types were sentimental pansies; they wouldn't dare try to rush her if it meant the death of their precious commander.

They were almost there, and Raven was glad for it. Their Federation uniforms had allowed them to escape notice, and a few smooth words from Hans Bond and the best smile she could muster had proven sufficient to get them past anyone who was curious about them. After all, it was a war, and people died and were replaced all the time in war. A few introductions and their forged Federation papers were all they needed to escape suspicion.

"Alright, everyone. There is no need to panic," Bond said, raising his hands non-threateningly and stepping into the control room as Raven slid out from behind him toward to guy who looked like he was in charge.

"The Solar System is currently under attack by a few Zeon agents, but we believe that we have the situation completely under control." Raven stuck a gun to the back of the Corporal in charge, and he yelped in spite of himself.

"Quiet!" Raven growled. "Nobody move. Nobody even look at me, or my buddy here will shoot you in unpleasant ways that leave you crying in pain, but still able to do your job. Nobody has to die - at least, not any of you." Her lips curled in an evil smile. Why had they even bothered waiting for a few Panzergrenadiers? This was going to be simple.

"Now, I need you to point the mirrors at the following coordinates:" She began to recite the coordinates she'd memorized for Orange Base. Better not to tell everyone what she was aiming at.

"But those are the coordinates for - " The navigation officer's words were cut short by a bullet to the head.

"My mistake; he moved," Bond said apologetically. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

"You won't get away with this, Zeek bastards! We're knocking at your door, we're putting the last nail in your coffin, we're - "

Another bullet turned the corporal's triumphant outrage into tears, as he crumpled, clutching his ruined knee.

"Anyone else?" Bond asked, grinning? No one spoke. No one moved. No one breathed.

"Good. Would you proceed with the plan, Ms. Tarasova?"

The man could certainly be useful when he wasn't busy chasing down skirts.

The Earth Federation Solar System command ship cooperated reluctantly with the Zeon operatives. The few men in the control room didn't know what to do. They hadn't really trained for something like this, and they had a feeling that even if they rushed the two strange Zeon agents, they'd all end up dead, and the Solar System would still fire. Instead, they waited for an opportunity - a moment of weakness in the agents, or the chance entrance of an oblivious officer into the control room, perhaps.

But whatever their intentions, the mirrors began to move, Raven's smile began to grow, and the seconds continued to tick forward. It was only a matter of time. Orange Base and its compatriots would pay for the hurt that they had done to Zeon, and the Zabis would recognize the might of Die Spinne, who succeeded even when unsupported, who would turn the tide of this battle-gone-to-hell.

"Fire on my mark. Ten... nine... eight... seven..."

~
Cassandra Elaine Beckett and Remington Hace stared in disbelief at the decimation before them. The relayed radio orders to evacuate the field of fire had barely reached them through the Minovsky interference, and then only just in time for them to flee through clouds of Zakus. Cassandra thought she could feel the back of her Guncannon MPT melting, still, and Rem's GM II looked a little like a plastic toy that had been grilled over an open flame for a bit.

"Can you even move anymore?" she queried, turning to put a few rounds of 90mm fire into a Zaku that had also escaped the inferno.

"Appreciably. Barely." Crusted, melted metal groaned as Rem punched the controls, breaking fusions in the joints created by the blast. His GM II wouldn't handle like a dream anymore, but at least he was still alive. He scanned the battlefield for any other survivors, but saw only a smattering of mobile suits - probably not more than 30, he estimated, and certainly not more than 50. Where nearly 300 had once gathered, only a fraction remained.

The Federation ships continued to advance, an the remaining Zakus fled before them, back to the relative safety of Zeon's reserve force. Lutz Leon gave chase as best he could, but the Solar System had fried most of his electronics, and the best he could manage was erratic directed motion, with equally erratic shooting. A couple GM Commands settled in beside him, motioning for him to head back to a ship, but Lutz refused. He wasn't going to miss out on any of the fighting.

~
“I agree with you to a certain extent, but a lot of the men out there are fighting for ideals which clash with our own. It’s all well and good to say that everyone’s just human, tossed around by their governments, but in the end, every man has to make the choice, and some don’t,” Veronica returned, peeking out the window at the battle outside. Things were going about as well as could be expected.

“Some of the men may be like gears in a machine, but others are actively turning, fighting for something real – something that they can only attain through force in war. Of course, all of Zeon’s men would claim they’re fighting for freedom for the Principality, but a few of them understand what that means, and they want to fight regardless. They’re not fighting out of fear of losing what they have back home, or just out of battle-lust; they really think they can change things.

“I’m sure it’s the same in the Federation. Some people understand that Zeon won’t stop until the Federation military poses no threat to their independence, and that means that there will be collateral damage, no matter how hard we all may fight to avoid it. They are simply fighting to protect what they hold dear, and to put down what they believe to be a maligned rebellion against a fair government. They are more than duty-driven; they are driven internally, by their own ideas, not by circumstances. They’ve made sacrifices, and they keep fighting – not because they’re resigned to it, but because they believe their cause is just.” Veronica’s face was a bit flushed with excitement as she finished.

Dagobert smiled as he cut in. “That is true, and these men are certainly admirable, but at this stage in the war, there is so little left to fight for (or against)! The Principality exists as a mere shadow of what it once was. The infrastructure of the Side 3 colonies have changed to support the war effort, and millions of people have died. The Federation has gained in strength, and Zeon’s military might, though still impressive (and well-commanded, I might add!). At the end of the war – which the Federation will almost certainly win, by the looks of things – there won’t be a Principality proper left. There will only be men and women intensely interested in the cause of freedom, who have to rebuild their normal way of life.

“There are different kinds of people left fighting this war: Those who believe they must continue to fight for their ideals so that they do not betray them, those who feel they must fight until the opposition is completely crushed, and those who wish to end the war, accept the political ramifications, and continue on with their lives. Most are a mix of those three, and there are good and bad things to be said of them all, but which kind would you say you are, Brigadier General Wu?”

Soldat McFortune, the strangely-christened Zeon ace, was fighting a fierce battle alongside the difficult-to-spell and harder-to-pronounce Olivia Baklitskaia, and the ever-bubbly Anya Wilds. Their opponents were the cream of White Base’s crop, minus Amuro: Sayla, Hayato, Kai, and Job John. While the GMs and Zakus exchanged 90mm rounds, these 7 mobile suits dominated the battlefield. It was generally accepted by the others that to interrupt the higher-tier battle was to invite doom upon oneself, and those engaged in it had little attention to spare for a quick shot to anyone else but on their opponent.

They’d all switched targets several times, and had all sustained minor damage, but neither side had been able to get the edge on the other, no matter how much they dodged, blasted, anticipated, twisted, thrusted, flashed, circled, strafed, double-teamed, attacked, retreated, or any combination of the above. Windows of opportunity closed almost before they opened, and they were small, to boot.

Fortunately, Olivia was very good at making her own windows. “Crimson Flash!” she cried, opening her arms wide, shooting with her beam rifle as she did so, simultaneously slashing with her beam saber in the other hand. It was a risky maneuver, but Job John did not expect it, and he never had a chance to get over the surprise at such an unorthodox maneuver on the battlefield from one of Zeon’s aces: By the time his neurons would have had time to register surprise, they were vaporized, along with the rest of his body, and most of his cockpit.

But the odd position had left Olivia vulnerable, and Hayato and Kai were quick to press the advantage. Only a combined defensive front held by Soldat and Anya kept the Crimson Flasher from paying more than she could afford for her kill. As it was, she escaped with her right arm half blown off from a strike from Kai’s Guncannon.

~
"Sir, the Solar System is pivoting away to target another area of the battlefield!" An officer aboard Ohm's ship turned, years of military discpline keeping the panic out of his voice, and his face - but not his eyes. Ohm always looked to the eyes.

"It's possible that the system has been infiltrated by Zeon; the command ship should know that the mirrors would be destroyed if a second attack were attempted so soon after the first - the mirrors wouldn't be able to handle the strain."

Ohm thought for a moment, then gave the order: "Destroy the command ship." He couldn't be completely certain that it had been compromised, but a deviation from the plan like that strongly suggested it, and they couldn't afford a weapon like that falling into the wrong hands. The ship was small, lightly-staffed and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. It was expendable, and the risk of infiltration far outweighed the regret he felt at killing his own men.

Years of military discipline kept the surprise and horror out of the gunnery officer's voice, but Ohm knew he would be able to see it reflected in his eyes - at least, if the man had turned to hesitate. He didnt'; he relayed the order, "Main guns, prepare to fire on the Solar System Command Ship. Ship has been compromised."

~
"Six... five... four..."

One of the Federation officers raised his hand, fear dancing in his eyes.

"You better put that hand down unless it's damn important," Tarasova sneered gleefully.

"Missiles inbound," was all he managed to say, his face white.

"Fire, you idiots! Fire!" She ran to the control panel, searching frantically for a large red button, or something similar. A Federation officer, made brave by the realization that he was going to die, raised his sidearm to fire at the young SS officer, but Hans Bond dropped him before he'd gotten the gun halfway to horizontal. Raven began pounding buttons on the control panel, cursing.

Then, she saw it: A red button under a plastic box. It appeared

"Looking for this?" The Corporal with the bloody knee taunted weakly from the floor, holding up the control key.

Bond started toward the fallen man, as Raven shot him in the head, but their efforts were interrupted as the bridge of the Solar System control ship glared pink.

Did we get it? Was Raven's last thought, as megaparticle fire from Ohm's Magellan joined the inbound missiles in obliterating the small, lightly-armored ship. The mirrors ceased rotating, little more than debris now.

~
The Federation ships had completely overrun the Zeon resistance in East field, and moved on to Zeon's keep: The center of the battlefield. It was there that Zeon's final resistance would be mounted, and there that the Federation's last charge would be led. Creed, Jamitov and Ohm pressed on, harbingers of the rest of the Federation's forces.

~
“We've got targets at oh-zero-seven,” exclaimed a frantic Zaku I pilot. He wasn't sure he trusted the man based on his choice of mobile suit. Choice? He'd probably been thrown into it with little training, all the higher-end models either broke or given to aces. He felt sorry for the man. If he even was a man and not some backwoods Side 3 child with a wooden boat still in his hand. Yoritomo stopped caring.

“Attempt to create a perimeter. Use shoal as cover. It's our best option.” He knew space provided very little comfort for the neophyte, but then again, all they really could do was wait. That, or intercept—maybe...

“Cancel last. I want four volunteers on me, now. We're going in.” Instead of waiting for any of the trainees to pipe up, he motioned to several odd looking Zudah's and a Rick Dom II, the least weak-looking of the bunch. “I want the rest of you to move to the next target and then wait for our ships to catch up.”

They broke rank, his chosen comrades blasting away with finality. He could only hope that the winds were at their backs and the bullets in their guns deadlier.

~
“What's that?” Kashky attempted to take another reading.

“Several have broken off from the main group and are on our opposite heading.” Bate seemed calm. “It looks like we may need back-up.”

“Redirect GM's from the fleet, they've surely got some to spare.”

“That's negative. It appears they're being extra ornery on defense over there. We're on our own.”

“Break left, I'll go right. Here they come!”

The comm chatter seemed to pump them both up as some seriously modified Zaku's blasted past. Kashky wasn't even sure they were Zaku's at the way they seemed to defy regular Zaku logic. The two Zudah's pulled a zero-g stop and opened up with machine guns. Both Kashky and Bate broke their respective distances, but were too preoccupied with tracer fire to notice additional mobile suits slam headlong into them. One, actually a Zaku, performed a 360 degree kick to the Gundam's beam rifle, sending it packing. His companion Rick Dom attempted a similar maneuver on Bate, but was swiftly countermanded with several quick doubletaps from his beam gun. The Dom pulled away, seeping flames from a direct hit to its sensor package.

“Kashky, I'll handle these guys. Try not to get too caught up with that lowly Zaku.”

Vaan Kashky was too busy taking a sturm faust to the head to hear his wingman, or see that the Zaku was pulling him away from his companion. He'd been marked as the bigger threat.

~
Theirs was not the only battle being fought on a level far above that of their peers. Two more such battles raged on in North field, the first between Yazan Gable and Anaval Gato. Gato had always been a man of few words, and he was not responding to most of Gable’s persistent taunting. There was little reason to, in his mind. The reasons why he was fighting were clear to him, and if his opponent was devoting resourcing towards talking, he was a less effective mobile suit pilot, and no amount of bold claims or shouted words would change that.

They danced around the battlefield, and around them, men almost stopped to stare at the exchange. Watching two skilled men at work in their mobile suits was a rare treat, and the two aces were putting on an excellent show. Gable’s GM Sniper II was not well-suited for one-on-one combat, but he was making the best of the weapons he had on hand, trying to stay out of reach of Gato’s MMP-80 and his one remaining Panzerfaust, while conserving his GM Sniper II rifle rounds. He had already shot 4, and that meant he only had one more chance at a long-range attack before he’d be forced to retreat for more ammo.

Gato was in a similar situation; he’d exhausted his Giant Bazooka ammo already. One of the Federation ships had gotten a bit too close, and he’d let them have it. He was saving his last Panzerfaust round for an opportune time, but it was hard to find an opening. Finally, when he thought he’d found one, his opponent darted behind a piece of debris, and the Panzerfaust shattered harmlessly against its surface. He spent the remaining rounds in his MMP-80 to cover his retreat back to Delaz’s Gwazine; he could resupply there and make a second attempt at taking down his rival.

But even that fight did not hold a candle to the one between Amuro and Char. Their battle was far from silent on both ends, however. As they fought with their machines, the Gundam and the Zeong, they also traded words.

“Lalah would not have died if it weren’t for you! Why’d you have to get her involved in this war, huh?!” Amuro cried, lancing out with his beam saber.

“It’s people like you who made her necessary in this war! And remember, you’re the one who killed her!” Char said, rather unfairly, as he tried to counter the swing with an attack from one of the Zeong’s hand-bits.

“Why are you still fighting in this war? All it does is kill people who could be enjoying life!” Another swipe with the beam saber.

“We have to fight to protect the things that are important to us. You know that.” Another parry.

“What’s left?! Lalah is gone, and another 2 Newtypes have just died – you must have felt them!” This time, Amuro connected with the Zeong, and one of its hand-bits floated away, sliced clean off.

“I am fighting for her memory, and for what I know myself to be true!” This time, the counterattack cut through one of the Gundam’s arms.

The duel continued, ranging far from where it had started, past the Zakus and GMs, past the ships still cutting themselves to pieces with megaparticle cannons, near A Baoa Qu itself. And as the duo reached the giant asteroid, the forces in the reserve field stared in wonder at the ferocity of their resolve.

~
Veronica Wu set her teacup down firmly. “I know what kind of person I am, what this war is about, where it is headed, and why I have fought.” She stood up, and started walking toward the bridge. “And I know what I should do about it.”

~
“Lord Ghiren, we have lost both the Dolos, the Solar System takeover has failed, and Federation ships are moving in on the fortress. What are your orders?” The officer was shaking, though it was not apparent whether from fear or rage.

Ghiren Zabi’s rage, however, was apparent. “We continue to fight! The battle is not lost yet – not until the last man!” His face, normally smug and calm, was marred by dark circles under his eyes, and a peculiar gleam in his eyes that spoke of lofty dreams, madness, or maybe both.

The young officer was about to ask how they were to go about fighting against such a fearsome force, when Kycilia saved him the trouble, entering abruptly onto the bridge.

“Degwin was on that ship – the one torn to pieces by our Solar Ray – one of our ships, carrying our own men. Did you know that when you ordered it to fire? Did you, Ghiren?”

“The demonstration of the might of Zeon via the Solar Ray was necessary, as was the eradication of General Revil. The tactical value of such a strike cannot be denied, Kycilia. Why was Degwin there, if not to give in to the Earthnoids’ pitiful demands for surrender?! Why would we surrender? We are the future of humanity in space! We represent the greatest of humanity, the strongest, and the most adaptable! And Degwin wanted to come to terms with those backward-thinking people, at the cost of our dreams! If he was there to make peace on their terms, he deserved what he got, Kycilia.”

“So do you,” Kycilia said, pulling her handgun from the holster at her side, and shooting Ghiren in the forehead. The commander fell, the look of surprise, horror and pride frozen on his face.

“Remember your valiant leader, Ghiren Zabi, who died bravely in battle,” she said as she turned to leave.

~
Elswhere, Monsha would not shut up. Burning was beginning to see why no one else but a select few ever hung around him. If it wasn't insubordination, it was womanizing, or drinking, or yelling. He was a veritable prima donna. And he wished he'd shut up.

At that instant, a beam of energy shot past and struck Monsha's GM Command in the leg, disintegrating it. Burning shot his GM Sniper's torso around, dodging another lancing beam. A white Gelgoog finally came into view and he was suddenly aware why this group had been separate from the others. These Zeeks were not part of the others. These guys were aces.

Burning tried to holler out to the others, but Gelgoog was already in his grill, its gleaming red eyes filling his screens. The GM Snipers advantage had suddenly diminished, and Burning cursed himself at having been too caught up in Monsha's drama to attempt any real sharpshooting. The Gelgoog's companions were overwhelming his companions, but he could do little to help them out.

He parried an attempt by the Gelgoog to thrust its flaring armcannons into his chest. Burning swung his sniper rifle, it being almost useless now. The white Gelgoog caught it in its armpit and locked the GM into place, kneeing it in the sternum maliciously.

They were seemingly at a stalemate, and Burning felt sweat collect in his collar. And he was slowly losing even that.

~
The Gundam and Zaku seemed to be panting with exertion, but really the Action Zaku had paused to reload and, instead of expending fuel making him a hard target, he took his time. All the Gundam had were its alleged headcannons, and apparently the pilot was keeping them in reserve. All the Gundam had at its disposal was its shield, which was slowly disappearing. A spectator might mistake the encounter for one between the Red Comet and the Gundam, not realizing that it was a cheap Hong Kong knockoff.

Yoritomo had little experience soloing a Gundam, but he'd had plenty of experience killing the enemy, and right now that was all that seemed to matter. His volunteers were not fairing well, he apparently had miscalculated and unknowingly pitted them against a Federation ace. He knew they were going to be little more than time savers, so he didn't afford it much more thought. He couldn't succumb to distraction, not now. He was finally gaining the upper hand.

And then two explosion occurred back-to-back, that being the two remaining Zudahs that were formerly engaged in fierce combat with a lone GM Command. Apparently the contest was over.

Yoritomo swatted the Gundam once more his remaining sturm faust and prepared to turn tail. Something he would sort out later.

~
“BURNING. THESE GUYS ARE KILLING US.” Monsha's voice shattered Burning's eardrums.

“Come on, Monsha, don't tell me you're getting soft!” Bated Chap Adel, pulling away from a short explosion. His Guncannon's main batteries ejecting a pair of shells and replacing them with fresh ones.

Monsha snorted and pressed the Zaku Kai harder, not willing to let his friend best him. And people wonder why he sometimes eats alone.

Burning focused back on the white form in front of him. He was still worried despite their small rearranging of the odds. Move after move he seemed matched. He couldn't gain enough ground to use any conventional weaponry, and the Gelgoog, apparently lacking hand-to-hand weaponry, pressed on. Fed up, the Federal ace keyed the beam sabers on his waist and pulled one free. But before he could bring it down, to his surprise, the Gelgoog produced a double-edged sword from its backrack—something he'd completely overlooked throughout the sortie.

The twin beam sword came to life and struck the GM in the torso, crippling part of Burning's operating mechanics. He couldn't move the GM's left arm. Luckily, the beam saber was in his right. He recovered from the blow and swiped the sword completely in two, shorting it out. The Gelgoog recovered quicker and grabbed the GM's offending arm and held it, Burning unable to make another attack.

Monsha cried out in pathetic triumph, having killed his Zaku Kai finally. He moved to help Adel with the remaining Rick Dom.

They were winning.

Then, suddenly, his communications picked up a broadcast. He hastily patched in, still managing to keep his mobile suit from backing down.

“Identify!”

“Zeon is not one man. He was not the soul of Zeon. Even in a hundred and after killing millions, it will still exist. You can't ever hope to destroy it.”

Burning had no idea how to respond. “Stand down. Surrender. We have you out--”

Monsha quickly saved him from having to. “BURN, WE HAVE AN ENEMY FLEET BARRELING OUR WAY. HUGE SIGNATURE. I THINK IT'S ONE OF THEM MOBILE ARMORS.”

Burning saw several Musais and an unknown cargo vessel, headed by what looked like a cetacean. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the thing engulf several Balls as if feeding on them.

The Gelgoog disengaged and flew back several yards. Burning stared him down, unwilling to let things end to suddenly and so undecidedly. The fleet would be on them in moments. Look back one last time, he and the others blasted back to the safety of their own remnant armada.

The White Wolf watched in solemn disdain.

~
Yoritomo was suddenly entangled in an array of chatter from his radio. His radar showed a massive movement of objects, streaming in his general vicinity. He guessed the poor slobs had did it. Destroy the Columbus and waited for backup. They'd had the good graces of remembering him, at least. The GM and Gundam saw what he'd seen and appeared to spend less than a moment deliberating. The looked his direction, then blasted away towards several other fast moving objects.

He'd been spared. He decided he'd thank the pilots when he returned to the Jotunheim.

It'd been a long sixty minutes.

~
“Thorvald?! No…” Nigel almost put his face in his hands, but he was the Prince of Orange, and the expression of grief during battle was neither prudent nor proper. “Concentrate our anti-aircraft fire on the remaining Zeon ace; we need to support Kyle and Aurem out there! Comm officer, radio in for some mobile suit reinforcements, if any can be spared! Navigations, advance with the other ships! We need to keep formation!”

Orange Base, once the butt of almost everyone’s jokes, was strangely serious now. No one laughed at the strange plaid color scheme. No one joked about fishing in space, or about bets between the ships’ officers. They were a team, and they were in battle. Somehow, like White Base, they had grown to be an effective team in combat. And like Bright, Nigel felt a certain kinship with those who served under him.

“Sir, we’re receiving a transmission from… from the Athena’s Wrath, sir! From Brigadier General Veronica Wu of the Zeon Expeditionary Force!”

“Put her through immediately!” Nigel said promptly. Whatever she had to say to him, it had better be short.

“Captain Ferdinand, this is Brigadier General Veronica Wu, with your Rear Admiral Dagobert Lavache. We need to talk.”

“I am rather busy, Ms. Wu, but I can spare a few moments.”

“The path this battle is taking is clear, as is its destination. Why should we continue on it, knowing what we will find: More death, more sacrifice, for the same result. To put it more plainly: Your Rear Admiral and I have been talking, and have come to the conclusion that a cease-fire would be to our mutual benefit, in this case. Would you be willing to help us arrange this?”

Nigel was silent for a moment, thinking of Thorvald, and all the other men he had lost under his command. Would they accept a cease-fire? Then again, surely Wu had lost as many or more under her command, including some of her own flesh and blood – her husband, some said. If she could bring herself to stop fighting, then so could he.

“Lavache says he can make it an order, if you like,” Wu interjected, interpreting his silence as unwillingness.

“No, that is alright. We will work together with you on this, Brigadier General Wu. I will spread the order to my pilots, and to the other ships in our area.” He glanced at the stunned faces of those on the bridge. “Now, let us discuss the details…”

~
Monsha was running his mouth again, but this time barely anyone heard it. They were all decompressing from the previous encounter with the White Wolf in the mess hall. Between large scoopfulls of imitation mash potatoes, Monsha cursed and whined and sprayed his dinner in all directions. Though his ego was easily bruised, it wasn't the only one at the table. Burning, the usual cool rook of the Invincible 3rd, was battling with his own feelings of inadequacy. To either side, Bate and Adel were stirring their corn, not contributing to the circlejerk. Save Burning, they'd all sunk their share of Zakus, so they didn't really have much to complain about. Burning, on the other hand, had been defeated on even ground by a superior opponent.

It appeared he had an ego after all.

Van Kashky stuffed his face with the creamed corn, turkey leg, mashed potatoes, and gravy the others had shoveled onto his plate. Apparently he, like Monsha, still had an appetite. Burning envied them: to be that oblivious.

The executive officer stumbled onto the speakers, barking out half-hearted commands. The Zeon fleet was still looming about, too close for comfort. They were all to immediately launch without further delay and push them out of their sector. The real battle was happening elsewhere, and they felt a long way from the front lines. That's where the Invincible 3rd had always shined—in the thick of it.

~
Shin Matsunaga didn't have to argue with the acting Zeon commander. He strode across the bridge, his mere presence commanding every soldier he passed. Though there were protests, they were still to engage the remnant Federation in this sector. If not for convenience, but honor. He held them responsible for what had transpired, and if he had some method of retaining but a shred of his former dignity, it would be this. Stopping them here. Their mobile suit compliment was pitiful, the experience pilots already used and discarded like contraceptive agents. He didn't pity them. They were all tools, expendable down to the last man.

Maybe this was what gave him his edge. He'd stopped caring about his own survival. It was a typical method of coping with war, he knew, but to actually have lived it, he was starting to think it wasn't as cliché as he originally thought. Sometimes he wonder if he was a newtype like Char or that Feddie runt, Amuro. He'd felt a surge of offending emotions and had to act on it, that is why they'd make the first move. It was all so stupid, he thought. He didn't even know if he believed in such an inhuman capability. He motioned to several other pilots and left for the hangar.

The White Wolf ran his gloved hand across the white Gelgoog. It was a marvel of machinery, far superior to his old Zaku. He didn't linger on it long. He'd let down Dozle, now Degwin himself. It was time to cut our the flesh that was owed.

~
Richard Banks had lost himself completely in the rage and grief that Florian’s death had wrought. Stacked on top of the recent loss of Emil, it was all he could do to keep from screaming, as he brought the Gelgoog Marine Comander to bear on the two Gundams from Orange Base with a ferocity in battle that could only be compared to Aurem’s, when Arieta’s mobile suit had been obliterated by the enemy.

He fought with little regard for his own life, but his considerable experience as a mobile suit pilot kept him from death, even matched against two of the Federation’s finest. One each for Emil, and Florian, he thought grimly, as he fought for an opening to strike at either suit’s cockpit. The joy of battle was gone, as was the camaraderie, replaced by an emptiness that only the death of his enemies could fill, now. His machinecannons thundered, forcing Aurem and Kyle to seek refuge behind pieces of debris, which he hacked to pieces. The mobile suits fled before him as from a demon.

He would run out of ammo soon, he knew. If he pulled out his beam saber, and just drove forward, he could probably take out at least one of them, especially if he pulled out his puncher shield. The GM Sniper II rifle that Kyle held was powerful, but he could dodge it. The Heavy Gundam’s cannon would be problematic, but as long as he could limit the damage to the non-vital areas. A plan began to crystallize in Banks’ head, and he smiled grimly as he realized that there would be no way out for him.

It’s what they would have wanted. I should have protected them! I could have worked together with them better! He wasn’t sure how – he had always done his best to protect his fellow pilots in the Zeon Expeditionary Force – but he knew that he shared in the responsibility for their deaths. It was only a small part, though, and he was forced to bear the lion’s share of the grief, while his opponents, who had the larger part, were probably laughing it off! He shivered, as he prepared to draw his beam saber, prepared to charge.

“Lieutenant Commander Banks! Stand down! I repeat, stand down! This is Brigadier General Wu, and we have negotiated a cease-fire with the Federation forces in the area!”

Banks stared in disbelief at the beam saber, which was meters away from the Heavy Gundam’s chest. He should have died. Florian should not have. The Heavy Gundam should have fired, and the other Gundam too. Why was he still alive. He looked wonderingly at the GM Sniper II rifle floating past him, and at the upraised arms of his opponents. That’s it?

He funneled his rage into his duty. Voice even, he responded, “Acknowledged, General Wu. Standing down.”

~
The fortress of A Baoa Qu had stood relatively untouched, until now. Battleships from the Creed, Ohm and Jamitov groups swarmed in, along with whatever mobile suits remained, the first of their kind to penetrate the fortresses stalwart defense line. The Federation forces were tired, but healthy doses of adrenaline and excitement kept most of them going. The Zeon forces that had hung back were fresh, and nervous. What could they do against so many Federation ships?

Clancy Breen, however, was fairly confident that he could keep bombarding the Federation ships with his Musai until doomsday. He loved the feeling of battle, and sometimes wished he could pilot a mobile suit, but he'd take what he could get, and the Musai was exceptional at hitting your enemies where they couldn't hit you back.

The trouble was, wherever he moved, there always seemed to be another Federation ship nearby in range. When he moved away from that one, there was another.waiting. Fortunately, his navigations officer - Zeon Always Wins the Greatest Game of All 25 times, which stood for Zachary Albright, whose favorite drink was Wine, favorite food was Grilled Goose, and whose birthday was on April 25th - was doing an excellent job, a fact that Clancy took great pains to make very clear.

"You know, I've probably never had a navigations officer quite as good as you, Albright. If this were a porn movie, you'd definitely be the choreographer. If I were in a porn movie, I'd choose you to be my choreographer." He turned his attention to the gunnery officer, who was also doing a great job. "Jenson, you are also doing an excellent job. If this were a porn movie, you'd definitely be - "

"Sir, we need to retreat," the communications officer, Pamela Hauberk cut in, distressed equally by her commander's comparisons, and their situation in the battle.

"But Pam, we're doing so well! We're pounding the Federation flank! We're reaching the dramatic climax, we're..." He looked around the bridge, noticed everyone staring at him, open-mouthed and red-faced, and finished, "...going to retreat, for the glory of the Zabi family! To the fortress, everyone!" He said, as if that was what he had been planning it all along.

~
Johnny Ridden had been waiting for this moment for the entire battle: The moment when his enemies would finally reach him, and he’d be able to stop waiting and start fighting. The Gelgoog HMT was perfectly-suited for the Crimson Lightning’s combat style, and he was one of the first that crashed into the Federation units coming from East field.

He set his sights on the ships first, as most of the mobile suits were easy pickings and did not present a major threat to the combined Zeon mobile suit forces kept in reserve. It was the ships that outnumbered them almost 2:1, and it was the ships that he was going to take care of. He dodged the AA fire from a couple of Salamises almost without thinking. Choosing a safe flightpath, and dodging when he needed to were almost second-nature to Lieutenant Ridden, and he composed his plan of attack while he weaved through lines of fire.

Casually knocking a brave GM out of the way, he squeezed one of his beam machinegun rounds through its cockpit, killing it instantly, and almost as quickly regretting the decision. A waste of ammo. He had set his sights on one of the Magellans, and as he drew neared, the AA fire density increased. It was hard to get through without getting at least nicked, but Ridden was accustomed to this sort of thing. He was familiar with the gun placement on the Magellan-class vessels, and knew where he could go to take advantage of their blind spots. His almost prescient dodging skills took care of the rest.

He laid down a row of beam machinegun fire along the body of one of the Magellans, taking out several of the AA emplacements, and then made his way to the bridge, which was not covered now. The other ships surrounding the Magellan would not be able to fire if he stayed close to the ship, out of fear of hitting their own, and the only Federation mobile suits in the area presented no major threat.

Evander Creed noticed the enemy ace weaving through AA fire, and watched in stunned disbelief as the Gelgoog HMT appeared right in front of their bridge. It was right in front of them! That was how Evander preferred to do most of his torturing. He liked his enemy centered in his sights, knowing that he was being watched, knowing that someone else was witnessing his suffering, and enjoying it. He had never been on the receiving end of that exchange. So this is how it feels like to be completely helpless. He was not afraid.

“All mobile suits, engage the red Gelgoo-“ Evander began to order, as the Gelgoog’s heat swords tore through the bridge. Ridden broke away from Creed’s broken Magellan, zeroing in on Ohm’s next. A net of mobile suits was closing in on him, driven by the thrill of closing in on A Baoa Qu, the death of their commander and their own desire for glory: Anyone who shot down the Crimson Lightning would instantly be rewarded with a full rank promotion.

Cassandra Elaine Beckett was among those responding to the Zeon ace rampaging through their ranks, and was one of the first to arrive on the scene. At this point, however, the Zeon forces, encouraged by the success of Johnny, had entered the Federation’s lines in the Gelgoog’s wake, and were helping him wreak havoc among the Federation ships. Felix Mendalshon had already destroyed 2 unsuspecting Colombus carriers with his Val Varo, cutting down the number of Federation ships that the remaining mobile suits could refuel and re-arm at.

Ray Walker was also among them, taking advantage of the havoc that Johnny was causing, “the stampede,” as he called it. “Like hunting spooked buffalo!” he cried, zeroing in on a GM as it fled before Johnny’s beam machinegun. “That’s a shiny weapon, but you don’t need any shiny to punch through these little doggies,” he observed, punching through the suit’s armor with his 4 vulcans.

He noticed a Guncannon trying to get a bead on the constantly-moving Gelgoog HMT, and rode on over to it with a speed that would have surprised most people. “I’ve saved something special for you,” he promised, noting the suit’s especially thick armor. The Guncannon seemed almost not to notice the small fighter, and Ray Walker was using that to his advantage.

The missiles came at Cassandra faster than she could react, and she barely managed to pull the suit’s arms in front of the cockpit to prevent a mortal wound to her suit. Unfortunately, it left her completely open to the large rocket that Ray had sent directly afterward. Her time in space had been exciting, eye-opening, and rather short, but she had enjoyed it, and the freedom that it had allowed her. She hoped her family would understand that she loved them, and had just wanted to make something of herself, on her own – her dad, especially. Goodbye, everyone.

Walked celebrated as the Guncannon fell apart, then cursed as a large piece of the resulting shrapnel tore through the center of his ship. He would be out of commission for the rest of the battle, but he had no regrets. He could always jettison the small cockpit pod if things got too hairy; it was doubtful anyone would notice anything that was even smaller than the Gattle.

Redan Hsoudrak and his Gyan were also doing their best to cut down on the number of Federation ships assaulting the fortress, and was copying the tactics of the Crimson Lightning, who was currently pinned down by a couple squads of GMs. He was holding his own, however, and Redan continued the assault that his comrade had begun, keeping as close to the Federation ships as he dared.

He extended his beam sword as far as it would go, cutting into the side of one of the Salamis that had made it this far. Its charge would end here; it could not deal with the resulting rapid decompression, and the slash that Redan cut through its other side sealed its fate. It descended toward the fortress, as its commander tried to send it toward a target of tactical importance on the base.

Fortunately, Kenshiro Iwamano in the Bigro was near, and he saw the rapidly-descending Federation warship, and realized the threat that it posed. He threw the Bigro into high gear as he struggled to get in front of the ship before it impacted the colony. Swerving to a halt near the bow of the ship, he gripped it with his two claws, and fired the mega particle cannon. The force of the blast threw him almost into the asteroid fortress, but he recovered in time to see that his efforts had not gone unrewarded: The remains of the Salamis were halted in space, its vastly-reduced mass hanging in two pieces.

~
“THREE SUI--”

“Shut up, Monsha, we already see them. And there aren't just three of them. Three more are riding their radar shadow. I'm surprised they'd think--”

“We have missiles incoming.” Burning was all business. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. The suits had been a decoy, meant to draw their attention away. Now that they had to do go evasive, they'd have limited option.

It was then that he spotted the White One, as he'd come to call it. It was one of the ones trailing in the wake of a Zaku II F. Cowardly, but not quite cheating, thought Burning. They were down to playing parlor tricks, something that comforted him. They were desperate, which meant the end was near.

“Adel, smack the missile down that's headed towards the Viking, everyone else get ready to go vertical. We're the Invincible 3rd. I don't think I need to remind you of that.” He had had to remind himself, in fact. The others spread out, quiet descending finally. Why those moments just before the plunge seemed like hours, Burning didn't know. He hated it.

The missile bunch caught up with the incoming Zeon forces, then overshot them. The Federal force moved to intercept, suddenly realizing that an even larger force laid just behind the first. A mobile armor flanked by dozens of smaller pod-like vehicles emerged from betwixt a small Zeon convoy of Jicco's and a lone Papua. Somewhere in there a single Action Zaku rode atop one of the Oggos as if it were a sub flight system, or as if he were surfing the stars.

Then, without provocation, the initial Zeon attack force made a 90 degree turn in directional “up,” space having no defined positions. They were attempting to negotiating around them, to a less defensible part of the fleet. Burning knew that he couldn't simply let the White Wolf tear apart the fleet, ship by ship, GM by GM—he had to pursue. Ego aside, he was the only one could stop him.

“Adel and Bate on me, everyone else hold the line.” He started hearing protests, but cut them out as he began pursuit. A small contingent of GM's and Balls were the only thing standing in the way of a giant horde of Zeon. Vaan Kashky panned to take in the extent of Monsha's GM Command, he saw that the ace was dramatically reaching out to the remnants of his squad as they blasted off, a very gut-wrenching, tear-jerking scene if it hadn't been a grown man reaching out to two similarly grown men—and if it weren't for the impending doom of being crushed like a tin can between the giant pincers of that mobile suit.

Vaan wished he was back on the ship eating mashed potatoes and gravy.

~
The White Wolf sneered as he dodged several lances of accurate beam fire. A Zaku to his left exploded, and Matsunaga pushed the debris out of his way, firing his own beam rifle in response. He struck the GM Command in the torso, but it hadn't been enough to put it out of the game. The Guncannon MPT fired back, but Shin again dodged. His compatriots were circling around, doing as he'd instructed: get in melee range. It was one of his trademarks, a strategy that often worked. Many of the Federal weapons used to lack sufficient close quarters weaponry, and instead the pilots began to rely on conventional weapons to save their sorry asses. These newer models were better equipped, but he guessed the pilots stilled played the same game. They were talented, he knew—the the same ones from before—but they hadn't changed their tactics in the slightest.

The GM configured as a sniper (clearly the leader), sped directly towards him, continuously firing his beam rifle as if he weren't expecting to be holding on to it for long. And just like that, he'd successfully gained grown on Matsunaga, tossing the beam rifle aside and reaching from his beam saber rack.

Interesting, thought the White Wolf.

They locked like before, grappling like Greek wrestlers. Matsunaga had switched out his battered twin bladed heat sword for an old-fashion heathawk. It had been pinned to his skirt armor and now it was in his arm, bleeding red light. The GM Sniper flinched visibly as the heat hawk came down and nearly bisected him. They pulled away from one another, again at an impasse. Neither making a move until, far behind, explosions rang out all across visible space.

~
“WE CAN'T KEEP THIS UP.” Monsha downed several of the odd-shaped pods, punching another in the cockpit as it swam by. They were everywhere. A veritable school of metallic fish flew in and out of the combat zone. Visible was down. So far most of the pilot has been able to negotiate around them, but a few unlucky GM's and Balls had rammed, head-long into them.

“They aren't very accurate, but I'm guessing they can keep this up as long as they want. Otherwise, they wouldn't be taking their time.”

Monsha seemed to agree, but wouldn't admit it. The Oggo's were designed to replace mobile suits after many of the Duchy's production facilities had fallen to the Federation. They were cheap, could mount various Zaku weapons, and had a longer flight time. They were hardly any better than a Ball, but in great numbers, they apparently could surmount greater odds.

Vaan moved out of the way of 120mm fire and returned with a direct beam shot into the offending pod. It caught it, and then passed it on to two other pods as it crashed into them and detonated its ammo supply.

Then, out of the blue, the mobile armor decided to test the limits of their defensive line. It punched through a small cloud of Musai debris and floored it into Monsha, who screamed like a little girl the entire time. The ship killer grabbed ahold of the GM Command and took it for a ride, cutting down a GM with its other claw as it sped towards the Federation fleet's inner defensive line. MPC batteries shot out in every direction, the gunners seemingly awash with fear at seeing such a monstrous, ghastly looking machine coming right at them.

Monsha's crying wouldn't cease, but Kashky could see he was at least attempting to fight back. The GM Command fired its vulcans into the hulk, making little difference. The beast birthed two more little Oggo's which broke off towards other targets.

“STOP SHOOTING AT ME YOU TWITS.” A lance of MPC fire scorched the Big Rang's armor just to left of where Monsha was being held. He whimpered and tried squirming.

Vaan focused back in on his own situation. The Oggo's were thinning out, but their numbers were steadily dwindling. As if on queue, the Action Zaku they'd all completely forgotten about thrusted forward, expelling two sturm fausts from his knees. The Gundam caught one in his solar plexus, and the other destroyed a Ball that had been dawdling around near by.

Without hesitation, the Zaku was up in the Gundam's face, heat hawk submerged into several feet of the Gundam's chest armor. Kashky was stunned in place, mild concussion ringing in his ears. This was the second time a mere Zaku had overtaken him, and it was starting to piss him off. He was the new Amuro, for god's sake, not some cadet fresh out of Side 7. Reaching for the back beam saber rack, he ignited one to life. The Zaku pulled out, leaving the heat hawk embedded in the Gundarium alloy armor. Its bullpop came to life and peppered the Gundam from head to toe, making inaudible “plunking” motions as the magazine finally expended. An awkward silence befell them as it was clear the Zeek had run out of ideas. The Gundam then drew itself up to its fullest height, yellow eyes gleaming, and rocketed towards the Zaku. Little could be done. The Gundam speared the Zaku mid length, the Zaku's armor doing little to stop the intense beam.

The explosion was brief yet intense. The battle raged on around, but Kashky took the time to consider what had just happened.

“I wonder who he was.”

~
“Naizen's unit is down, commander.” Matsunaga checked the frequencies and felt a pang of regret. He hadn't known much about the young pilot, but he'd seen the boy after the news of Degwin's defeat had been circulated, and he'd somehow made a connection to the boy. Was he friend to the royal family? A protégé of Gihren? Or, perhaps he was secretly a Zabi himself, a love child who's life was a shroud of secrets. It was all speculation and pointless. He'd never know the full story, and he was beginning to sicken himself.

“Commander, look ou--” Beams enveloped one of Matsunaga's wingmen as he stood in reverie. The man had thrown himself in front of him and caught the shot meant for him.

Enough sentimentalities. This was going to end. The Gelgoog dropped below the field in several quick thrusts, taking full advantage of its extended fuel supply. Before either of the Feddies could tell what was happening, the white suit had round-house kicked the Guncannon, silencing it briefly, and sliced a giant chunk of the GM Command's head clean off. This was all happening behind the GM Sniper, who summarily took care of what remained of Matsunaga's assault force.

The Gelgoog had turned back to the Guncannon and fired machinecannons close range at its cockpit, annihilating the human soul inside. The Sniper was slowly catching on.

Matsunaga fixed on the crippled GM Command, ready to unleash everything he had to offer. But the GM Sniper was already there, beam saber slicing through the Gelgoog's shield and partway through its hip armor. Matsunaga threw the shield forward, the saber going with it. Sparks splashed out of the Gelgoog like raindrops, and the mechanical nodes that operated the leg began to die. The White Wolf was not deterred. Bringing both arm machineguns to bare, he prepared to fire.

All he got was a few disappointed, sputtering clicks.

~
None of the Zeon officers wanted to look at the tactical map anymore, but they have no choice.

So much hope and so much expectation was placed on the gargantuan Dolos-class supercarrier. But the Federal attack force had shrugged aside what appeared to be on paper the invincible capabilities of the Dolos. But now the super ship is listing like a dying whale as GMs swarm over it like hungry sharks. What little Zakus are left are barely recognizable in the cloud of Federal attackers spilling over the Zeon defense line.

There would be more, but many of the Zeon pilots were simply cut off from their support ships when the GMs surged through. Ammunition and fuel were already low, but once there were enemies between them and their supply, the Zeon pilots were effectively cutoff. Most of them fought until the last piece of ammunition was spent. Some made it as far as to charge their enemies with heathawks. A valiant few were still fighting after they lost use of their heathawks. They grabbed severed mobile suit limbs or anything big enough to bludgeon their enemies with. Not many survived this last level of defiance.

In an ironic turn of events, the hull of the Dolos-class Doloroa became a new battlefield. Federal and Zeon mobile suits alike land on the buckling armor plating of the Dolora to do battle like their terrestrial cousins. The ship is so huge that GMs and Zakus charged each other in a bloody reenactment of the Odessa and Jaburo campaigns on Earth.

It is more than what any ship could take. The Dolos has stood firm against an onslaught that would have disintegrated lesser vessels. But even the meters thick armor cannot support relentless bombardment and savage fighting. Like a collapsing balloon, the Dolos began to cave inwards. The Dolora will not die outright but in many stages. The first of those begins now as Zakus use the enormous scorch marks left behind by ship grade mega particle fire as trenches.

As the fight continued, the end has come to many others. Few would escape the metal tombs of their machines. Even if they do, mathematical probability is against their survival in an environment cluttered with weapons fire. A Bao A Qu will claim the lives of combatants and even those who lost their will to fight.

It is a horrible sight to see, yet there are a select few who relish in the carnage common to war. To them, this is where they want to be; against incredible odds but standing firm. This is their glory. This is their moment.

~
"COME HERE BOY!" bellowed Oberscharfuhrer Junichi Ghettid.

The Kampfer reached out and grabbed a surprised GM by the neck. Before the startled GM pilot can even think about using his head vulcans, the SS pilot shoved the Kampfer's beam saber into the GM's abdomen and through the cockpit.

"Catch this, Federal scum!" challenged the Kampfer pilot as he flung the GM corpse.

Sublieutenant Arleana Kerrigan bit her lip so hard, it bled. The GM Command Kai ungraciously swat aside the dead GM with its one good arm. Kerrigan uttered a prayer of forgiveness to the dead Federal pilot as she emptied another 90mm cartridge magazine at the Kampfer.

Ghettid spat in disgust as he is forced to dodge Kerrigan's attack. The Kampfer is a fine mobile suit but can't take damage worth a damn. If Ghettid survives this battle, he would make it his personal mission to hunt down the person responsible for giving the Kampfer such light armor.

Two other gladiators fought each other under the backdrop of the exploding Dolos. A still hysterical Yuka Kazami giggles in blood lust delight as she hounds Peresephone Dawn. The newtype pilot has never encountered this kalediscope of feelings from a person before. It is quite...

... Frightening.

Dawn throws two heathawks in quick succession while her other hands blast away with MMP-80s she picked up. Like tomahawks, the two weapons spun at the GM Sniper II. Kazami is no stranger to bladed objects. She is a baker afterall. It would only took the GM Sniper II the slightest of turns to avoid the spinning-

Is that a-? thought Kazami before the shockwave rocks the GM Sniper II.

It was gamble, trying to hit something with a Panzerfaust. Dawn didn't quite nail her target but it exploded close enough to temporarily imbolize her opponent. But once again, her target drifts behind the constantly advancing Federal line. Frustrated over losing the chance to deal the final blow to her enemy, Persephone took her rage out on a trio of GMs that got too close.

The fist of a manipulator hand punched through the green visor of one GM, grabbing hold of a fistful of circuitry and machinery. As the other two GMs try to score hits on her with their beam spray guns, Persephone flared her engines as two other manipulator arms reach out for the GMs. In one violent move, the Zaku II Manipulator Type lands on the hull of the dying Dolos ship while draggin the three panicking GMs behind her. The motors and gears of Dawn's mobile suit went to their highest setting as she slamms the three GMs to the "ground".

The force of the impact was so great that both the armor plate on the Dolos and the GMs buckled and broke loose. Steel reinforcement and bulkheads broke apart. A second or two after impact, the heads came off the GM bodies as well. Dawn stood there in her Zaku II Manipulator Type, clutching the heads of three GMs as the Dolora slowly ruptures.

For all four pilots, an andrenaline rush had taken control over them. It is more exhilarating than anything even drugs can replicate. Death is one misstep away and survival demands perfection. None of them were going to give up, but that is not for them to decide.

A global command network broadcast was what shook Perspehone Dawn and Junichi Ghettid out of their battle focus. They listen to the broadcast for a moment. Then a second time to make sure they really heard what was just said.

"Repeat that last?" demanded Ghettid as his Kampfer snapped a Saberfish in half.

"... Command... retreat to... Sectors in all fields... defense line... collapsing... regroup at Bravo-Delta-Sigma-One-One-Three..."

It is the news they've been trying to avoid but there's no way around it now. The Zaku II Manipulator Type leaps off the Dolora as it finally blew up in a splendor of colors and debris. The Zeon newtype is joined by Junichi Ghettid as the few remaining Zaku IIs relay around them. Against the glow of the Dolora's death, the Musai-class Bayrn and the Zanzibar Kai Lili Marleen limp away. There are visible hull breaches on both vessels and the only reason why none of the EFSF was pouncing on them is the chaos caused by the Dolos's explosion.

The reprieve will not last however and the survivors of S Field need to make use of it while it is there. Mega particle and missiles from Henken's Salamis line hounded the retreating units. But the fire is unguided and only succeeds in hastening the Zeon's withdrawal.

Sadly, not everyone would make it to the retreat force. Zaku IIs low on fuel would sputter and go silent to their pilot's dismay. Overzealous GMs also die as they pursued the Zeon force too far. Separated from their support fleet, the GMs are torn to pieces by vengeful Zeon pilots.

Then, just like how it began, S Field began to quiet down. The great symphony of weapons fire drop like a orchestra's descendo until only a few sputters are left.

Just like that, S Fields is now just another graveyard of the One Year War.

~
“Fuel supplies are low,” spat Burning. His eyes were leaking water despite his general manly bravado that he usually wore like a mask.

“Sortie time is zero, Burns...” He heard Alpha's weak voice over the radio. He must've hit his head pretty good when that Zeek surprised him like that. Hopefully internal fires weren't putting him to sleep.

“We're getting out of here. Give me a rundown.”

“Hun'ered percent, save one head, sir.” He was still cracking jokes, that was a relief.

“Grab what's left and book it back to base.”

Burning took one last look at the Gelgoog, who remained motionless with its arms raised as if in stalemate. Bastard's tenacious to the last. He'd won this small, meaningless skirmish, but he knew they'd win the war.

~
Matsunaga breathed easily as the two GM's spiraled away and lowered the Gelgoog's arms. He was alone in space. Flashes were visible from afar as, he guessed, the Oggos were slowly but surely taken out. Newer explosions were occurring within the Zeon line. They had been defeated.

“Commander Matsunaga, this is Captain Prochnow of the Jotunheim.” Matsunaga took a moment to remember his face. “We're retreating. We've lost our escorts.” Just then, a brilliant flash where a Salamis had been made Shin squint. The Big Rang had lost control of its verniers after its prey had finally managed to disable it. It had gone head-long into the Federation vessel. At least it had managed that much.

What a disaster.

“This is Matsunaga. Prepare to receive me.”

~
Char and Amuro had battled into the bowels of A Baoa Qu. Pieces of the large asteroid fell among them as the force of their battle tore the fortress apart from the inside. Both of their mobile suits were crippled, but their emotions still ran as high as when they had started, maybe higher. Their rivalry had consumed them, and they thought little now for the war, or the things they held to be important. The entirety of their beings was focused on destroying their enemy.

Finally, the broken mobile suits could take no more, and Char landed the battered Zeong near one of the access tunnels in A Baoa Qu. Amuro followed, intent on his quarry, and grabbed his sidearm in anticipation. The two danced through the tunnels of A Baoa Qu as their machines had danced through the air around it. Fighting your opponent with a sidearm was a little like fighting an opponent with a mobile suit, and many of the tactics and maneuvers were the same.

Unfortunately, the aiming mechanisms were not quite analogous, and they soon found that their clips were empty. The duel proceeded to the next logical stage, as they both reached for the weapon that had no ammo: Their swords. Amuro thought bitterly that Char must die now, since he didn’t have another Lalah to hide behind. This time, his stab would find its intended target, and Char would pay for interfering in this war, and with Newtypes! Char felt similarly, blaming Amuro’s recklessness for Lalah’s death. Amuro had to learn that war wasn’t just about passion!

Their swords clashed like miniature beam sabers, only this time, Amuro didn’t have the might of a Gundam behind him. His own muscles fed his rage, and amplified it. Finally, he saw an opening, and struck true. The small prick he felt on his arm was nothing compared to the killing blow he would deal his opponent! The sword pierced Char’s helmet, cutting him across the forehead. The penetrating power of the rapier-like weapon was not akin to that of a beam saber.

Amuro was considering what to do next, pondering what to do about Char’s next slash, when Sayla suddenly entered the room. Seeing her brother fighting Amuro, she urged them both to stop. Char’s rage, focused on Amuro, broke in the presence of his sister, and he remembered his true enemy: The Zabi family.

It was at that moment that the Federation assault on A Baoa Qu finally affected their battle: Artillery fire from one of the Federation ships penetrated the fortress, and a large explosion knocked the two combatants apart. Char rushed over to where his sister was to make sure she was alright. The Zeon soldier lying next to her certainly didn’t look too good, but Sayla was amazingly okay.

“Be a nice woman,” he told her, before questioning the dying Zeon soldier about the Zabi family. Fortunately, he knew, and told Char that Kycilia, the last remaining Zabi, was heading into space on her Gwazine. “Go back to Amuro,” were his parting words with Sayla, as he picked up a heavy bazooka on his way out of the fortress. If he played his cards right, he could hit the Gwazine before it had a chance to completely escape from the dying fortress.

After what seemed like ages of floating through tunnels, he emerged, to see the Gwazine slowly rumbling out of the fortress. His sharp eyes caught Kycilia’s distinctive hair color, confirming her as one of the passengers on the ship. ““Garma, I'm sending your sister to join you. Consider this my farewell gift,” he said, carefully aimed a bazooka round at the bridge. He fired, then turned back into the tunnels before the shrapnel had a chance of shredding him.

Meanwhile, Amuro had made it back to the Core Fighter, which was still mostly flight-worthy. He disengaged from the destroyed Gundam, floating almost aimlessly through space. He had not managed to beat Char – not really – and it was bugging him. He was distracted, and the Core Fighter struck a piece of space debris. It wasn’t really a big surprise – that particular area of space was saturated with debris – but it was a problem. Once again, Amuro was forced to abandon the machine he piloted, and he ejected into space, where he floated freely.

~
“I think Amuro is out there,” Katz said.

“Of course he’s out there. He’s fighting, just like the rest of us!” Bright returned, wondering once again how these children had gotten onto the bridge – during one of their most important battles, no less!

“No, he’s out there alone, and he needs our help!” Letz added, glancing wonderingly back at Katz, who had taken the words right out of his mouth.

“And we need to go that way!” Kikka added finally, smiling at having completed the thought.

Kids were rarely wrong about this sort of thing – at least these kids. Bright gave the order, and White Base lumbered through space toward its orphan pilot.

Outcome: Federation Victory
Nigel Ferdinand - 15VP Gained, Fatigued 2
Aurem Senaiha - 15VP Gained, Repairing 3
Kyle Slater - 16VP Gained, Repairing 4
Thorvald Siggurdson - 15VP Gained, Killed in Action
Marion - 15VP Gained, Killed in Action
Evander Creed - 16VP Gained, Killed in Action
Ray Tatsuma - 17VP Gained, Fatigued 2
Arleana Kerrigan - 16+1VP Gained, Repairing 4
Yuka Kazami - 16VP Gained, Repairing 4
Vaan Kashky - 17VP Gained, Repairing 3
Cassandra Elaine Beckett - 16VP Gained, Killed in Action
Rem Hace - 16VP Gained, Repairing 4
Lutz Leon - 17VP Gained, Repairing 5
Breakfister Turbulance - 16VP Gained, Repairing 5, Injured 1
Dagobert Lavache - 17/2VP Gained, Fatigued 1, Still Captured
Roslyn O'hara - 16VP Gained, Repairing 3+1, Injured 1
Soldat McFortune - 13VP Gained, Repairing 4-1
Olivia Baklitskaia - 13VP Gained, Repairing 4-1
Anya Wilds - 13VP Gained, Repairing 3-1
Felix Mendalshon - 12VP Gained, Repairing 3-1, Injured 1
Florian Cuyler - 12VP Gained, Killed in Action
Richard Banks - 12VP Gained, Repairing 5-1
Yoritomo Naizen - 12VP Gained, Killed in Action
Haifa Hahenmeule - 12VP Gained, Destroyed 6-1, Missing in Action 6
Caleb DeGrau - 12VP Gained, Killed in Action
Redan Hsuodrak - 13VP Gained, Repairing 4-1
Kenshiro Imawono - 14VP Gained, Repairing 3-1
Ray Walker - 12VP Gained, Repairing 4-1
Persephone Dawn - 12VP Gained, Repairing 4-1, Injured 1
Veronica Wu - 13VP Gained, Fatigued 2
Raven Tarasova - 12CP Gained, Killed in Action
Junichi Ghettid - 12VP Gained, Repairing 4-1
Clancy Breen - 13VP Gained, Fatigued 2