The combined strength of the three superpowers forming the UN alliance, mobilized to deal with Celestial Being, Roz Links, and the others, was a force that could not be ignored.
Shortly after receiving the GN-X, they had completed the analysis of the blueprints and the integration of production lines. This culminated in the deployment of the first batch of fifty GN-Xs.
From here on, unless there were restrictions or upgrades, the number of GN-Xs produced in each subsequent batch would only increase.
A GN-X raised its beam rifle, firing incessantly at the Psycho Zaku, while its left hand drew a beam saber with a red blade.
The Psycho Zaku's right-hand ship-slashing sword accurately bisected the GN-X at the waist. The beam gatling gun on its upper-right sub-arm skillfully followed up with a few bursts. Then, the machine's thrusters flared, weaving through a chaotic web of red beams.
In contrast to the intensity outside, the cockpit held a strange sense of tranquility.
A massive amount of data flowed through a cable connected to an interface behind Stellar Loussier's right ear. Various data analysis results flashed across her prosthetic eyes.
Both her hands and feet were linked via data cables to perform precise operations on the Psycho Zaku. It could be said that the Psycho Zaku was now an external manifestation of her own limbs.
It was fortunate that Stellar Loussier's body had been modified and optimized, with built-in relays to alleviate the pressure of data analysis. Otherwise, she would have succumbed to Cyberpsychosis within minutes due to the massive data flood.
However, to prevent a situation where there was no time for a data connection, the Psycho Zaku was also equipped with the standard control sticks and pedals found in conventional cockpits.
Delivering a kick to a GN-X that had just closed in, Stellar Loussier operated the Psycho Zaku's thrusters to boost the machine upward.
The two sub-arms beneath the unit drew beam gatling guns and opened fire on the GN-X she had just kicked away.
Flames accompanied by red particles erupted in space. Set against the backdrop of the explosion, the Psycho Zaku's colors turned dark and somber, but its bright, sharp mono-eye made several GN-X pilots instinctively pull back.
"Stellar, this is Murrue."
At that moment, Murrue Ramius's voice rang out over the Psycho Zaku's comms.
"Just a moment ago, the space cannons on the solar power orbital track suddenly began attacking Earth. Numerous military bases and cities have been destroyed."
"The satellite cannons are hitting their own side? What kind of move is that?"
Lunamaria Hawke, piloting the Impulse Gundam equipped with the Blast Silhouette and standing on the Nahel Argama while sniping at GN-Xs with twin beam cannons, voiced her surprise. "Besides, that satellite cannon beam they just fired toward us missed by a mile."
"It's likely a hint intended for the three superpowers. According to the computer's calculations, the impact points for those five satellite cannon beams are all at a single location on Jupiter," Natarle Badgiruel analyzed over the comms.
"An old-fashioned but practical method. Bombarding a mysterious location right in front of your opponent; once the battle is over, curiosity will drive them to investigate."
"Alright, back to the main point. Although the three superpowers have urgently organized MS teams to launch from the orbital elevators to destroy these satellite cannons, it will still take a long time."
Murrue Ramius pulled the drifting conversation back on track. "We are very close to the satellite cannons. The Nahel Argama will lead the Impulse Gundam and the Jesta squad to destroy them. We must destroy at least a portion of them to prevent civilian cities from being further bombarded."
"The battlefield here will be left to the Psycho Zaku and the ReZEL. No problems with that, right?"
"...No problem."
Looking at the remaining thirty or so GN-Xs, Stellar Loussier fell silent for a moment. All four sub-arms of the Psycho Zaku each drew a beam gatling gun. "I will annihilate them all."
The Jesta squad and the Impulse Gundam began to disengage, flying back toward the Nahel Argama.
Seeing this, several GN-Xs attempted to give chase, but in the next second, a massive Sturm Faust missile flew out from nowhere, striking one of the GN-Xs and blowing it into fragments.
Her free left hand grabbed the beam bazooka stored on the backpack. The machine's thrusters roared to life, propelling the unit through a storm of red beams.
The barrels of the beam gatling guns on all four sub-arms began to spin, weaving green beams into a dense curtain of fire.
"That's..."
Watching the Psycho Zaku begin its high-speed maneuvers while unleashing a torrent of fire, Soma Peries's eyes widened.
She raised the GN shield generator on her GN-X's left arm; the pylons on the generator spun rapidly, dispersing red particles to form a small circular shield of red GN particles.
But in the next instant, as soon as it made contact with the green beams from the beam gatling guns, the small GN shield was pierced after being struck multiple times in a split second.
The shield generator, along with the left arm of the GN-X, was blown apart.
"Agh...!"
Feeling the massive impact from the explosion of the left arm, Soma Peries let out an instinctive cry of pain despite wearing a specialized pilot suit.
Stellar Loussier, however, did not care about her condition. It was a known fact that Stellar Loussier's ruthlessness in combat was second only to Roz Links.
She continued to manipulate the sub-arms, aiming one beam gatling gun directly at the upper torso of Soma Peries's GN-X during her high-speed charge.
"Second Lieutenant!"
At that moment, Sergei Smirnov, who had been following close to Soma Peries, frowned. He activated the shield generator on his GN-X's left arm, interposing his own small red particle shield in front of Soma Peries's machine.
In the next second, a massive volume of green beams easily tore through the small GN shield, riddling the upper bodies of both GN-Xs with holes.
Two explosions, mingled with red GN particles, erupted suddenly, flinging away the mangled lower halves of the GN-X remains.
"Cough... Second Lieutenant, status report!"
Though older, Sergei Smirnov's physical conditioning and experience were top-tier; he recovered his senses much faster than Soma Peries.
"Colonel... I'm still alive," Soma Peries replied, slowly recovering from the shock. "But my machine is no longer operational."
"We've lost the Solar Furnace; it's only natural we can't move," Sergei Smirnov breathed a small sigh of relief upon hearing she was safe. "For now, we can only wait for rescue once the battle is over."
It must be said that the GN-X's cockpit placement—located in the crotch armor area—was quite counter-intuitive. Stellar Loussier's instinctive habit of strafing the upper torso had, ironically, saved their lives.
At that moment, the Psycho Zaku was tearing through the battlefield at an incredible speed. Like a chisel, it used its beam gatlings and beam bazooka to punch a hole directly through the defensive line formed by the thirty-plus GN-Xs.
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At this moment, within the fleet of the United Nations Forces, Kati Mannequin—who had been urgently reassigned from Earth to this fleet just a day ago—subconsciously knitted her brows.
Unfortunately, Patrick Colasour, who usually followed Kati Mannequin around like a persistent shadow, was unable to participate in this battle; he was currently bedridden in a hospital receiving treatment after being soundly beaten by the Nahel Argama and falling into the ocean back on Earth.
"That red mono-eye machine... what exactly is it doing?"
Just as Kati Mannequin was wondering why the Psycho Zaku was breaking through to such a strange position where it was surrounded on all sides, a report from the radar operator made her eyes widen: "The enemy warship is moving?!"
The Nahel Argama detached from its formation with the Ptolemaios. Its thrusters erupted with massive flames, propelling the Nahel Argama at incredible speed through the "corridor" the Psycho Zaku had just punched open.
The anti-aircraft batteries wove together a dense barrage. The red beams fired by the GN-Xs struck the deck, leaving only traces of glowing heat, but as the ship's heat dissipation kicked in, those marks quickly vanished.
In the next second, the four MS standing on the deck followed the lead of the anti-aircraft guns, opening fire on the GN-Xs besieging the Nahel Argama. Almost instantly, three GN-Xs erupted into fireworks.
At this time, through a newly designed rack installed on their backpacks, the three Jesta units were able to carry Jegan heavy anti-ship missiles to serve as the weapons for the upcoming assault on the satellite cannons.
The three Jesta units had not returned to the Hangar just moments ago; this equipment had been ejected through the launch ports used by the Impulse Gundam's flyers.
The quick-load mechanisms on the racks allowed them to skip the process of using Haros to operate engineering machinery for installation during an emergency.
After all, it was just a disposable rack; as long as it could securely hold the missiles and allow the machine to launch them, it was enough.
Seeing the four large missiles on the Jesta backpack racks, many GN-Xs and United Nations Forces transport ships instinctively moved away.
"Gottfried batteries deploying, commencing charging and pre-heating."
Murrue Ramius, seated in the captain's chair with her seatbelt expertly fastened, looked at the projected screen at the highlighted satellite cannons.
Carrying an unstoppable momentum, the Nahel Argama charged through the battlefield, bypassed the United Nations Forces' transport group, and flew toward the nearby satellite cannons that had not yet fully re-oriented themselves.
"Then I'll go first!"
Watching the satellite cannon draw closer, Bridget laughed inside her Jesta cockpit and pulled the trigger on the fully locked target.
Two giant anti-ship missiles detached from the Jesta's shoulders. They lagged slightly due to initial velocity, but as their thrusters kicked in, the two anti-ship missiles overtook the Nahel Argama and slammed directly into the satellite cannon's outer armor. The violent explosion tore a hideous gash in the satellite cannon's side.
"Fire!"
Seeing the massive amount of GN particles and electrical arcs flickering near the breach, Murrue Ramius issued the firing command without hesitation.
Eight Gottfried beam cannons struck the gap. Violent energy brewed within the satellite cannon until it finally erupted, sending a massive spray of fire and GN particles flying across the power generation array.
With this, the first satellite cannon was destroyed.
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