The void burned with light. Solomon's perimeter was chaos incarnate—shattered hulls drifted like silent tombs, while broken GM units and Ball shells spun through the debris field. The Federation's vanguard pressed forward, their formation tattered but their engines roaring in defiance.
Gary Lin's Strike Gundam tore through the blackness like a comet. Every thruster flare left a white arc in the void as he fired beam rifle bursts at a squad of Rick Doms that tried to flank him. The recoil shook the cockpit, but Gary's grin was sharp and unyielding.
"White Base, this is Strike—defense line still holding! Where the hell is the main push?" His voice cracked under static and pressure.
Bright Noa's calm but strained tone came through, "Keep your position, Strike. Miyuki's fleet is approaching from the rear. We can't lose momentum now."
Behind Gary, the heavens split. Shirogane Miyuki's fleet had arrived — sleek Salamis-class cruisers moving in perfect formation. His flagship, the Argent Dawn, cut through wreckage like a knife.
"Federation reinforcements, open fire!" Miyuki commanded. Despite the chaos, his tone carried the crisp authority of a disciplined officer — yet beneath it lingered something youthful, a trace of that high school idealism that once defined him.
The combined barrage lit up the void. Mega particle beams crashed against Solomon's outer shields, hammering the Zeon perimeter. Several Musai cruisers shattered under the onslaught, their armor peeling like molten foil.
Gary let out a low whistle. "Not bad, pretty boy." The system on his HUD pulsed.
[Comment: Host showing mild jealousy detected.]
"Oh shut it," Gary snapped. "Not my fault he's got protagonist energy."
Further ahead, the Zeon line trembled—but didn't break. General Delaz's voice thundered through Zeon channels, cold and commanding. "Hold the first line! Every Musai counts! Dozle-sama demands we hold to the last man!"
The response was instant. Rick Doms regrouped, Gelgoogs reinforced weak points, and dozens of Zaku IIs surged forward with suicidal courage. The stars themselves flickered under the density of beam and shellfire.
White Base shifted formation, side turrets flaring as Fraw coordinated field recovery. Kai and Hayato in their Guncannons provided covering fire, vaporizing any Zaku daring to approach Gary's flank.
Inside the Strike's cockpit, Gary's breath fogged the glass. He wanted to push forward, to carve straight through Delaz's fleet and end the war himself.
But then, the system chimed.
[Mission objective updated: "Eliminate General Delaz." Bonus: 200,000 points.]
[Secondary: "Sink 5 Musai-class ships."]
"Damn it," Gary muttered. "I'm being railroaded again."
He throttled forward anyway, ignoring Bright's call to regroup. The Strike's wings flared blue as he dove into Zeon's defensive swarm, beam saber ignited.
The first Musai fell in seconds—beam through the reactor, fire blooming across the hull. Gary didn't stop. The second was crippled by his shield bash. He was no longer a pilot; he was a storm given form.
White Base's bridge fell silent watching his rampage. "He's insane," Kai whispered.
Bright exhaled, "He's also buying us the chance we need."
Shirogane Miyuki's fleet advanced alongside, coordinated and precise. His calm commands balanced Gary's chaos.
But for all the destruction, Delaz's line refused to collapse. From within Solomon, Dozle's booming voice echoed through Zeon comms, "If the Federation wants hell, then give them hell!"
New thruster trails streaked from Solomon's launch bays. Tanya von Zehrtfeld's GED squad entered the fray. Fifteen elite MS units in tight diamond formation—an island of discipline amid madness.
Tanya's tone was cold and steady. "All units, form perimeter. Mila, left wing. Ritcher, cover at 600. Zhou Wei, prioritize suppression fire. We hold until Delaz breathes easy."
Mila's reply was quick, "Understood, Commander. Targeting the Federation lead unit—designate: Strike-type!"
Ritcher's sniper sensor locked in. "Reading clear. Confirmed—Federation ace."
Tanya's eyes narrowed. "Then let's see if his name is worth remembering."
The GED squad's descent was surgical—Rick Dom variants and custom Gelgoogs weaving between flak trails. Federation GMs crumpled like paper as beam rifles lanced through their armor.
Gary's sensors screamed. "What the—new contacts! Elite signatures!"
[System: Warning. Enemy squad exhibiting commander-tier cohesion.]
He pivoted the Strike and saw her—Tanya's crimson-accented Gelgoog, moving with predatory grace, leading her formation with clinical precision.
Gary's gut twisted. "You've gotta be kidding me. That's a Zeon ace unit?"
He wanted to disengage, but Bright's voice came through again, "Strike, White Base is pinned. We need you to hold them off!"
Gary clenched his teeth. "Copy."
The void erupted in close-range combat. GED's precision met Federation's desperation. Tanya's unit carved through GMs, while Mila and Zhou Wei flanked Gary's Strike from opposing angles.
Miyuki's fleet adjusted to cover White Base's exposed side. "Redirect fire pattern delta. Support Strike Gundam with flak net," he ordered, his voice shaking slightly—still adjusting to the brutality of real war.
Meanwhile, far away from the frontline, Hikigaya Hachiman's Blitz Gundam danced through darkness. Invisible under Mirage Colloid, he fired quick beam stabs at the incoming Zeong units. But the enemy's beam hands followed unpredictable arcs.
"Tch—damn these telekinetic hands!" Hachiman cursed. "Komachi would kill me if she saw this mess."
Mikazuki's Duel Gundam slammed into another Zeong, beam saber locking with the floating head. Sparks illuminated his deadpan stare. "Too slow." One thrust—Zeong down. But two more replaced it.
Lockon Stratos, in Buster Gundam, fired long-range bursts toward the Elmeth—Griveous's machine. The cyborg general parried with the psycommu bit barrier, his mechanical laugh echoing through comms.
"Your aim is sharp, sharpshooter. But my bits are sharper."
Then came the giant silhouette—the Great Zeong. Char Aznable's crimson machine towered even among wreckage, its segmented limbs moving like a predator's. Amuro's Alex Gundam charged forward, thrusters screaming.
"Char!" Amuro's voice cut through the noise.
"Amuro Ray," Char replied, calm and cold. "Our dance begins anew."
Their beam sabers clashed—blue and pink light tearing across the void, dueling above the burning wreckage of a Federation cruiser.
White Base rattled under shockwaves. Bright braced against the console. "Two monsters fighting," he muttered. "If they clash any harder, they'll tear space apart."
Gary, still locked in his own storm, sensed the shift. His Strike's alarms blared—energy readings everywhere, but he refused to retreat.
"System," he growled, "give me something!"
[System: Suggestion—stop charging like an idiot. Cooldown for beam saber: 12%.]
"Really helpful, thanks."
He banked hard, missiles firing at a Rick Dom squad trying to flank the White Base. Explosion after explosion tore the darkness apart.
But even as they gained ground, Delaz's fleet remained anchored. Every ship fought like a fortress. Gary had managed to sink four Musais, but the fifth evaded him under intense fire.
"Damn you, Delaz…" he hissed.
Shirogane Miyuki's fleet pushed closer, but their line was thinning. Damage reports rolled in. "Left flank collapsing!"
"Hold formation!" Miyuki barked. "Even if the stars burn, we hold!"
White Base and the GED squad traded blows, explosions dotting the void like dying suns. Tanya's commands were crisp. "Don't chase. Anchor and bleed them dry."
Gary's Strike weaved between her units, firing bursts to draw attention. Tanya tracked him with hawk-like precision.
For a moment, their paths crossed—his visor flashing against her crimson Gelgoog's sensor. Neither fired.
Something in that instant—a flicker of recognition neither understood—passed between them.
Then the war resumed its scream.
Elsewhere, deep inside Solomon, Lelouch von Zehrtfeld stood before a holographic display. His eyes were cold, calculating.
"The Federation's assault line is stretched too thin," he murmured. "If I alter Tianem's communication relay by 3 minutes… their rear fleet will turn on itself."
He input the command. "Operation Mirror Shatter—begin."
A single pulse of false data flashed through the Federation network.
Unaware, Revil's staff read new coordinates—wrong ones.
Back at the front, Bright's radar flickered. Gary's system pinged red.
[Warning: Transmission anomaly detected.]
Gary frowned. "What now?"
But before he could react, an entire Federation cruiser opened fire—on their own formation.
Shirogane Miyuki's eyes widened. "What—? That's our ally fire!"
The stars turned red again. The war was shifting once more, and no one understood why.
As explosions consumed the black between Solomon and the fleet, Tanya's eyes narrowed in confusion. "That… wasn't our doing."
Lelouch smiled in the dark. "Let the board reset."
And amid the fire, Gary Lin's Strike Gundam, battered and burned, steadied itself.
"System," he muttered, "you better have a plan."
[System: Affirmative. But first—try not to die.]
The war at Solomon had only begun.