"Damn it! Who the hell are these people?" On the battlefield, the Impulse Gundam initially caught the Gaia Gundam and Chaos Gundam off guard with its twin greatswords and sheer power. However, equipped with the Sword Silhouette module, it lacked effective long-range weapons beyond the Beam Rifle and two RQM60 Shining Luster Beam Boomerangs. The complex battlefield environment, filled with too many obstacles, rendered the Beam Boomerangs ineffective. Every time Shinn tried charging forward with his blades, he'd be forced back by enemy suppression fire, leaving him no choice but to engage in a Beam Rifle standoff. This frustration only deepened the resentment boiling inside him.
"Stay calm, Shinn! Maintain suppression fire—don't let them break through!" The order came from Rey Za Burrel, piloting a white Zaku Phantom. Though assigned to the Minerva as just another mobile suit pilot, he was actually the captain of its MS units. Even Shinn, piloting the Impulse Gundam, and Mayu, slated to operate the Abyss Gundam, were under his command.
"But—"
"Rey's right, brother. Stay focused. If you act recklessly, you'll give them an opening." Compared to Shinn, who was prone to battle frenzy, his younger sister Mayu displayed far superior combat discipline.
"If only we could use the Odysseus..." Lunamaria Hawke muttered. As part of the Minerva's MS unit, she piloted a red Zaku Warrior outfitted with an artillery-type backpack. Yet her most powerful weapon, the M1500 Odysseus High-Energy Long-Range Beam Cannon, remained unusable—firing it risked catastrophic damage to the Colony.
Forced to make do with scavenged Beam Rifles, Lunamaria seethed at the additional restriction of capturing the three stolen Gundams intact. Otherwise, she'd have gladly reduced both enemy units and their cover to molten slag.
Beep beep beep... x4
Simultaneous comm alerts chimed across all four cockpits. Recognizing the Minerva's signal, they immediately accepted the transmission.
"Ch-Chairman!?"
"Your Excellency!?" x3
The screen displayed not Minerva's CIC Meyrin Hawke, nor Captain Talia, but Durandal himself, eliciting gasps from the pilots.
"No time for pleasantries. Keep them contained—reinforcements are en route. Once they arrive, you'll fall under their command."
"This..."
"Understood!"
"Rey?"
"Follow orders."
"Y-yes, sir."
Shinn's blood boiled. After struggling to corner the Gaia, Abyss, and Chaos Gundams through sheer grit, now not only were outsiders swooping in to steal their achievement, he'd have to take orders from them too.
Yet Rey's rebuke was justified—he was a soldier, bound by duty. Still, resentment festered. He'd see for himself who dared arrive late and still throw their weight around!
BOOM!
An explosion suddenly rocked the Colony's outer wall, the violent tremor diverting everyone's attention.
"Luna! Look out—"
"Wha— AHH!!"
At that moment, the Gaia Gundam seized the opportunity, transforming into its quadrupedal beast mode and charging swiftly toward the Zaku Warrior piloted by Luna. With a powerful thrust, it flipped the mobile suit onto the ground before breaking through the encirclement.
"Nice work, Stella!"
The Abyss Gundam and Chaos Gundam followed closely behind, the three machines successfully escaping the encirclement.
"Luna!"
"Ouch, ouch... I'm fine, hurry—"
Lunamaria had only suffered an impact, with no injuries, and her mobile suit remained operational. She quickly got back up and joined her teammates in pursuit.
However, the speed of the Zaku Warrior couldn't match the Abyss and Chaos Gundams, let alone the four-legged sprint of the Gaia Gundam.
Just as the enemy machines were about to shake them off, two beam shots cut across the Gaia Gundam's path.
"What!?" x7
Not only did the retreating trio halt, but even Shinn and the others chasing them froze in surprise. There shouldn't have been any allied forces in that direction.
"Reinforcements are here!" Lunamaria felt a surge of relief. It had been her lapse in focus that allowed the enemy to break through, but now that backup had intercepted them, she had a chance to redeem herself.
Sure enough, in the distance, two ordinary green Zaku Warriors came sprinting forward before leaping into position, blocking the path of the Gaia, Abyss, and Chaos Gundams.
"Just two units?" At first, Rey's squad was thrilled at the prospect of reinforcements helping them reclaim the stolen new-type mobile suits. But when they looked around and saw only two Zaku Warriors, their excitement turned to disappointment. They were Red Uniforms—elites—and even they hadn't been able to stop the enemy. What could two ordinary Zaku Warriors possibly do?
But soon, their doubts vanished as a familiar voice—one everyone except Lunamaria recognized—came through the comms.
"From this moment, you are under my command. White, red, green, Impulse—designated one through four. One, move to coordinates A09; two, coordinates B24; three, N42; four, A45..."
As the orders were issued, the Gaia Gundam trio had already engaged the two newly arrived Zaku Warriors. Rey and the others snapped back to attention, their expressions varying.
Rey and Mayu wore excited grins, responding decisively: "Understood!"
Lunamaria also acknowledged the command, though hesitantly, as she didn't recognize the voice. But seeing her captain and teammates comply, she had no choice but to follow.
Only Shinn immediately rebelled: "Who the hell are you to give orders!? This is a ZAFT battle—what's it got to do with you!?"
Before anyone could react, Shinn charged forward in the Impulse Gundam, slashing his sword to separate Yang Hui's Zaku Warrior from the locked struggle with the Abyss Gundam. A sweeping dual-blade strike not only forced the Abyss Gundam back but also disrupted Yang Hui and Athrun's formation and rhythm.
"Shinn!" x2
"Brother!"
Rey, Lunamaria, and Mayu were stunned—they hadn't expected Shinn to act so recklessly, letting his emotions override discipline in battle.
"Tsk tsk, sending a soldier like this onto the battlefield... he's gonna die young! Athrun! Target one!"
"Roger."
Seeing the Abyss Gundam temporarily entangled with the Impulse Gundam, Yang Hui abandoned his own target, letting Impulse and Abyss play their little game. He and Athrun set their sights on the Gaia Gundam instead—since Gaia was the fastest on land, eliminating it first would prevent any unexpected escapes.
"Units One, Two, and Three, triangular suppression fire to pin down Chaos."
"But Shinn, he—"
"Let him keep Abyss company."
"R-roger that."
"This batch of Red Uniforms... what a fucking joke!" Yang Hui cursed—not just at the momentary lapse that nearly let an enemy slip away, but also at Shinn's bratty defiance and their sluggish execution of orders. Having to question commands before acting? Absolute zero performance!
With that muttered complaint, Yang Hui and Athrun moved simultaneously in their Zaku Warriors, flanking the Gaia Gundam from both sides.
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