Gundam, the Gundam journey of a certain glue guy and his mecha girl.

Although he witnessed the mechs he had led the development of shining brightly in battle, the fact that this formidable combat power was being unleashed by the enemy was a bit too darkly humorous for Halbarton.

How much longer do we need to wait before the Archangel begins its descent?

Halbarton suppressed his inner anxiety and asked loudly.

"Ten more minutes until the designated landing point!"

Ten minutes...

Halbarton broke out in a cold sweat. Given the current efficiency of the ZAFT forces, even if the Archangel managed to penetrate the atmosphere as planned in ten minutes, the Eighth Fleet would likely cease to exist.

However, he immediately rejected the idea of ​​abandoning the cover for the Archangel and allowing the Eighth Fleet to retreat directly.

It's not old people like him who can create a new era. It's Raven, Maru, and the young man piloting the assault vehicle who are the truly outstanding young people who can shoulder the responsibility for tomorrow.

However...

Halbarton gripped the portable hard drive he had brought back from the Archangel. He had just acquired the chips to change his twisted homeland, but before he could even make his mark, he was about to be defeated here.

This left Halbarton feeling extremely resentful, but given the current situation, he had no more cards to play.

"Admiral, please grant permission for the Archangel to join the battle!"

"The Archangel's communication has been connected," Maru said in an anxious voice.

"No way! What do you think the Eighth Fleet sacrificed for? The sooner the Archangel completes its landing mission, the sooner the Eighth Fleet can withdraw from the battlefield."

"But the Eighth Fleet can't hold out until then. If this continues, the Eighth Fleet will be completely wiped out! Admiral, please grant us permission to join the battle!"

Maru, who is usually mild-mannered, was unusually argumentative with Halbarton at this moment, but Halbarton remained unmoved by Maru's request.

"You think you can turn the tide of battle with just one Archangel and two mobile suits? Don't underestimate the enemy!"

Halbarton angrily rebuked Maru for her immaturity, but at that moment, Dagger's communication came through.

"The Admiral has more important things to do and can't die here. Besides, don't you want to see how Project G's mobile suits shine on the battlefield?"

"Dr. Lei?"

Halbarton looked at Raven on the screen in surprise.

"I will turn the tide of the battle for you. Captain, I'm counting on you."

The short sword's signal disappeared from the channel, while Maru on the other side made up her mind and shouted the order.

"I will take full responsibility. Now, begin the ejection procedure. Dagger and Assault aircraft, please sortie immediately!"

-----------------

[Raven, you really trust that General Halbarton, don't you?]

Alco knew better than anyone the value of the data contained on the hard drive Raven had given Halbarton.

“He’s Halbarton, the ‘strategist.’ I can’t find another trustworthy person in the Allied Forces.”

[But as far as I know, Halbarton hasn't demonstrated any political talent before. If Raven wants to use that data to change the status quo of the Earth Federation, shouldn't there be someone more trustworthy to entrust him with?]

"I have more faith in honest men like Halbarton than in smooth-talking fellows, and..."

Raven scratched his head awkwardly.

"In the Allied Forces, besides Halbarton, I don't know another general well. You know, I'm a standard 'I' man."

【ha……】

Raven successfully made an artificial intelligence sigh helplessly.

[Raven, sometimes I really feel that being your assistant is a very challenging job.]

"Feel sorry."

Raven chuckled, put the standard uniform helmet on his head, and after Mirialia announced in her energetic voice that the launcher was ready, Raven gripped the control stick of his short sword.

"Short sword, iwsp equipment, attack!"

Chapter 31 The Low Earth Rail Campaign (Part 2)

"Enemy mobile suits confirmed to have appeared; they are the Dagger and Assault rifles reported in intelligence!"

The communications officer's report echoed through the bridge, but ZAFT commander Diesel remained unmoved and shouted at him.

"Don't panic! What trouble can two mere mobile suits cause? Order the frontline mobile suit units to intensify their attack and sink Longlegs before it escapes!"

However, his adjutant was not as optimistic as Diesel. After hesitating for a moment, the adjutant leaned close to Diesel's ear and whispered something.

"Captain, according to the intelligence from the Cruze squadron, those two mobile suits possess extraordinary combat capabilities. Shouldn't we keep an eye on them?"

But when faced with his subordinates' advice, Diesel simply curled his lip in disdain.

"That guy Kruze is just trying to cover up his mistakes by exaggerating the enemy's combat capabilities. MS ultimately needs a pilot, and naturally, how can a human pilot compare to us Regulators?"

But no sooner had the ZAFT commander finished speaking than the communications officer reported in a panic.

"William, Chris, Alexander, signal lost!"

Diesel remained unfazed. This loss was entirely expected; the destruction of three mobile suits was no threat to ZAFT's current overwhelming advantage.

But from that moment on, the course of the battle gradually deviated from his expectations.

Half a minute later, the communications officer reported again: "Zoe, Andy, and Theodore have lost their signals!"

Bad news kept coming, and Diesel finally realized something was wrong. He rushed to the holographic sand table behind the bridge that recorded the battle in real time. There, the dots representing ZAFT mobile suits were disappearing one by one.

Diesel's thoughts froze on the spot, with only one idea remaining in his mind.

"What happened? What on earth happened?"

-----------------

Meanwhile, in the heart of the battlefield.

The Dagger swept past a battered Drake-class battleship at an astonishing speed, its attitude control nozzles continuously spraying air as the Dagger's fuselage rapidly flipped, aiming its two railguns on its shoulders at King, who was preparing to deliver the final blow to the Drake-class.

"This is the sixth one!"

Raven pulled the trigger, and the electromagnetically accelerated shell hit King precisely, snapping the King plane in half.

"El, how's the iwsp backpack?"

[All units are operating normally; no problems have been found; ammunition remains at 70%.]

As soon as El finished speaking, a piercing alarm sounded in the cockpit of the short sword.

The Dagger's high-profile act of shooting down six Kings quickly attracted the attention of the ZAFT forces. The ZAFT mobile suits that had already penetrated into the Eighth Fleet's formation and were spreading out to attack the Allied ships turned around and surrounded the Dagger's position from all directions.

[Nine enemy aircraft are approaching from three directions. Please be careful.]

"Just in time!"

The iwsp backpack is heavily armed, boasting the highest firepower of all assault backpacks, making it ideal for situations like the current one-against-many confrontations. Although its equipment, aside from the beam boomerang atop its composite shield, consists entirely of live ammunition to ensure endurance, the iwsp backpack can unleash its terrifyingly abundant firepower against King and Sig, who are not equipped with PS armor.

Raven pushed the thrusters to maximum power, and with the powerful thrust of the iwsp backpack and Raven's keen sense of killing intent, the short sword slammed countless bullets behind him, breaking through the encirclement formed by King and Shig in just an instant.

"What exactly happened to that machine?"

"So fast!"

"Why can't I hit him at all, even though he's a natural human?"

ZAFT's MS units were left behind by Raven, and the situation changed from ZAFT MS surrounding Dagger on three sides to ZAFT MS chasing after Dagger.

[Raven, it's time.]

"it is good!"

Raven pulled the control stick, and the short sword drew a sharp arc in space, completing the turn and facing the pursuing ZAFT MS. All the weapons on the iIWSP backpack deployed simultaneously, at full power.

"I'll handle the hand weapons, but you can have the railgun and cannon, El!"

[Understood.]

The enemy aircraft lock-on notification sounded repeatedly in the cockpit of the Dagger, and then, a barrage of bullets launched from the IWSP backpack instantly obliterated the ZAFT's mobile suit.

Beams, Gatling guns, railguns, and cannons fired in rapid succession, the beams and bullets intertwining to form a deadly web of fire that pierced through one mobile suit after another. Without a shield, King was unable to withstand the combined firepower of the short sword and was repeatedly turned into fireballs.

But one sigu escaped the hail of bullets.

Shigu, shield in hand, weaved through the barrage of bullets fired from the short swords. Although its fuselage appeared battered and bruised, the pilot skillfully maneuvered it, managing to evade all the short swords' attacks on its vital parts.

The machine gun in Shigu's hand was damaged by a beam of light during the evasion, but the pilot did not retreat. Instead, he successfully approached the short sword with unstoppable momentum, his right hand reaching for the heavy slashing sword at his waist, preparing to draw the sword suddenly in the next moment in an iaido stance and cut the short sword in two before it could react.

However, Raven reacted faster than he expected. He decisively released his beam rifle and drew his physical anti-ship sword from his waist with lightning speed, blocking the heavy slash that Shigu swung at him. At the same time, El aimed the pair of cannons on his shoulders at Shigu, who was struggling with Raven.

The next moment, Xigu's chest was riddled with holes by cannon fire. This elite pilot, who had successfully approached the short sword amidst the hail of bullets, didn't even have time to feel death before he and his aircraft turned into cosmic dust.

"How many is this?"

Raven asked, panting heavily.

[The 15th aircraft. The enemy still has 21 aircraft. Raven, it's not time for us to rest yet.]

“I know, El, give me the next target.”

-----------------

"Report! The enemy has begun to withdraw from the battlefield!"

The messenger's report elicited cheers on the bridge of the Menelaus.

"He wiped out nearly half of the enemy forces in a single game; he actually kept his promise."

Halbarton was pleased with the improved situation, which also gave the brigadier general time to think about other things.

Raven's displayed power will surely attract the attention of the Allied Forces' high command, and Halbarton knows all too well what kind of people those are.

Jealousy and envy of talent are merely the least noteworthy aspects of their evil deeds. Those old men who only know how to manipulate power will do anything to maintain their status. After this war ends, outstanding young people like Raven will certainly be suppressed by those people, or even worse.

'For the sake of those who trust me, I must work even harder.'

A sense of responsibility rose in Halbarton's heart, but the relaxed atmosphere on the bridge of the Menelaus was quickly replaced by tension, punctuated by the radio operator's screams.

"The Duel, Storm, and Thunder fighters have broken through our air defense network and are rapidly approaching the Archangel!"

"what!"

Chapter 32 The Low Earth Rail Campaign (Part 2)

The Gatling gun atop the Dagger's composite shield spat fire, blocking King's movement path. Then, the beam rifle in the Dagger's hand precisely pierced through King's cockpit.

[The 18th aircraft has been confirmed to have crashed, with 30% of its ammunition remaining.]

"The surroundings are a complete mess... El, what's the next target?"

The short sword moved swiftly along the front lines, surrounded by debris left from the battle between the two armies, severely hindering its detection capabilities.

[Searching... Raven, the enemy is retreating. It's our victory.]

"What about the Menelaus and the Archangel? They weren't sunk, were they?"

Both ships are completely undamaged, please rest assured.

Hearing Al's reply, Raven finally felt relieved.

"Judging by the time, the Archangel should be about to begin its entry into the atmosphere, right?"

Yes, there are only three minutes left. We should head back, Raven.

Raven nodded, preparing to turn the plane around and return to base, but just then, the Archangel's emergency distress call came in.

"Shortsword, return to base immediately! Thunder, Storm, and Duel have broken through the defenses and are rapidly approaching the Archangel!"

-----------------

Kira, piloting the Strike, is chasing the Thunder, Storm, and Duel machines at full speed.

Because the IWSP backpack of the short sword is equipped with almost all live ammunition, the task of restraining the three machines, Blitz, Storm, and Duel, falls on Kira's shoulders.

Kira, not to be outdone, kept the enemy's attention at bay, using the high mobility of his empty backpack to constantly maneuver and harass the three Gundams, greatly reducing the casualties of the Eighth Fleet.

But when Raven single-handedly shot down more than half of the enemy aircraft, forcing the ZAFT commander to order a retreat, Yzak ignored the retreat order.

ZAFT is not known for its strict discipline. In order to maximize the individual capabilities of its commanders, ZAFT grants its frontline personnel a high degree of autonomy, making it a very flexible military force.

In the complex and ever-changing battlefield, frontline pilots can often make proactive on-the-spot judgments that are beneficial to the overall situation, tilting the scales of victory in their favor.

However, such freedom inevitably breeds acts of defiance, as is the case now.

"How could we go back so pathetically without even sinking Long Legs!"