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

However, even with basic equipment, the short sword L would theoretically still have the upper hand when facing King, who is only equipped with bullets.

But how it actually works needs to be tested in real-world scenarios.

Drop drop!

The sudden sound of the alarm pulled Lieutenant Rand back to reality. He saw the muzzle of an enemy warship flash in the distance, and his heart skipped a beat. Before his brain could make a judgment, his body had already begun to act. Muscle memory made him pull the joystick instantly, causing the short sword L to perform a pre-recorded emergency dodge maneuver.

The Rand machine made an unexpectedly smooth dodge maneuver, and the enemy ship's gun fire didn't even graz the edge of the Rand machine.

Let alone outsiders, even Rand himself thought that the dodge was really beautiful, and it was not like the move made by a newbie who had only been using MS for less than two weeks.

Lieutenant Rand once again marveled at the skill of the short sword he had encountered that day. It was said that the preset actions recorded in the short sword L were all developed based on the combat data of that short sword.

"Lieutenant, the enemy is here!"

The voices of his subordinates roused Rand to focus, and the combat support program instantly marked the location and model of the enemy machine.

Rand glanced at it and saw that there were a total of 10 Kings and 2 Shigus.

The number of ms is exactly equal.

But Rand dared not relax. The enemy pilots were all modulators, and they had been using mobile suits for far longer than they had. But Rand remembered the blue light she had seen that day and mustered her courage.

"Attention everyone! Maintain combat formation! Don't be afraid, we have the advantage in terms of machine performance!"

The other squad's two gun-mounted Dagger Ls opened fire first, and the fierce bombardment disrupted the ZAFT's MS formation. Rand seized the opportunity and led his squad straight into the enemy lines.

The ZAFT forces, engaging in their first large-scale MS battle against the Allied forces, were clearly unprepared. They spread out in formations designed to counter MA, but reality soon taught them a lesson.

A King unleashed a barrage of bullets from a heavy assault rifle at the incoming Dagger L, but the bullets only left a few craters on the shield that Dagger L was holding in front of him.

King's pilot quickly realized that frontal fire was not very effective, so he used two fancy maneuvers to dodge the short sword L's shots and then moved to the side and rear of the short sword L.

But before he could pull the trigger, a beam of light from another direction pierced through his machine.

After losing three Kings, ZAFT realized their mistake and began to move closer together to provide cover for each other without waiting for orders. Meanwhile, the two Sigmas took the initiative to advance, attempting to disrupt the Allied forces' formation.

Only the elite of the ZAFT army are qualified to drive the HIGH, and Rand is certainly aware of this.

Because the RAND was equipped with empty backpacks, it was mistaken for the command aircraft by the pilot of a Šiku. Following the principle of capturing the leader first, the Šiku aggressively attacked the RAND.

"Lieutenant, we're here to support you!"

The two wingmen also noticed the enemy plane's movements and were about to move forward to provide support when they were driven back by a hail of gunfire from King from other directions.

Seeing that his wingman was unable to come forward to provide support, Rand suddenly felt a desire to retreat. The memory of being ravaged by MS that day resurfaced, but that blue streak of light once again flashed past Rand's eyes.

"If he escapes from here, when will I ever catch up with him?!"

Rand aimed at Shigu's shadow and pulled the trigger hard.

Chapter 51 Short Sword L's First Battle (Part 2)

With a move far more elaborate than the short sword L, Shigu narrowly dodged Rand's shot. The green beam grazed Shigu's fuselage, and Shigu's pilot began his counterattack while making the dodge.

The heavy assault rifle spewed fire, and 76mm armor-piercing rounds rained down on the RAND machine gun.

The sudden shift in the balance of power caught Rand off guard, but the mech's combat assistance program automatically pulled the shield in front of him, protecting Rand from the deadly projectile.

Although the first attack failed, the pilot of the Xigu lived up to his reputation as an elite pilot. Taking advantage of the RAND's shield being pulled up, the Xigu's thrusters maintained their power, and he raised the attack shield on his left hand, using the Gatling gun mounted on it to continuously suppress the RAND's firepower. His right arm held the heavy assault rifle behind his waist and drew the heavy slashing sword worn on his side.

A dull sound rose continuously in the cockpit of the Dagger L, causing Rand's heart to race. Rand, who was defending with his shield up, did not notice the enemy's movements. He only felt a violent impact coming from the shield of his machine. Shigu rushed in front of Rand's machine and kicked the shield away.

Higna's single eye, flashing red light, almost filled the entire screen of Rand, while the heavy cleaver gripped tightly in his right arm was about to fall in the next moment, ready to cut Rand in two.

But the empty pack on RAND's aircraft saved its life. RAND instinctively pressed the pedal, unleashing the full power of the empty pack. The powerful thrust of the pack allowed RAND to force its way past the Shigu, widening the distance between them once again.

Rand was panting heavily, his back covered in cold sweat.

He survived, albeit thanks to the machine's performance, and escaped certain death.

Rand knew that this tactic could only be used once, and ZAFT's elite pilots would not give him a second chance.

Although caught off guard by the performance of the RAND machine, Xigu quickly adjusted his posture. RAND used its automatic lock-on to retaliate against Xigu with a beam rifle, but all the beams fired were dodged by the opponent.

Shigu's movements were as graceful as ever, spinning her body in a continuous, dance-like motion, narrowly missing the beam of the Rand machine, while simultaneously firing all the remaining ammunition in her attack shield toward the Rand machine.

Rand had no better option than to continue holding the shield, but this time, he didn't just passively defend. He estimated the time in his mind, and just as Sigu came in front of Rand again and was about to kick the shield away, Rand took the initiative to let go of the equipment he was holding with his hands.

Xigu's flying kick easily deflected Rand's shield, but the next moment Rand used its free hands to draw two beam swords from its waist and slashed out, leaving an X-shaped wound on Xigu's chest and body.

The next moment, the silver-white Cyclops exploded into a dazzling burst of sparks in front of Rand.

Rand gasped for breath, and it took him a while to finally calm down as he watched the wreckage of the Higu drift past his own machine.

'This way, we're at least a little closer to that stream of light...'

As Rand thought this, a faint smile appeared on his lips, one that he himself did not notice.

In the few minutes that Rand and Sigur fought for their lives, the skirmish gradually came to an end.

Another Shigu that broke into the formation was shot down by the Dagger L piloted by Major Bobran. The remaining Kings were eliminated one by one by the swarming Dagger Ls, while two gun-mounted Dagger Ls began bombarding the ZAFT warships.

Combined with the bombardment from the Eighth Fleet ships behind them, the two Nazca-class ships belonging to the ZAFT forces were quickly turned from battleships into space junk.

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

"Your Excellency, the battle is over. Our fleet has completely annihilated the enemy force at the cost of losing 5 mobile suits. This is a complete victory for our fleet!"

Colonel Hopman, who had previously been at odds with Halbarton, changed his attitude, straightened his back, and loudly reported the final results of the battle.

However, this is not his fault. With this victory, Halbarton has solidified his position in the United Space Forces.

All those doubts and gossip will disappear completely after today's clean and decisive victory.

Halbarton initially pushed forward Project G despite pressure from various parties, and later brought the design of the short sword L and the accompanying Natural Man OS to the United Space Forces.

With today's victory, there is simply no other general in the United Space Forces who has achieved the same level of merit as Halbarton.

With today's victory, Dagger L's position as the main mass-produced weapon in the United Space Forces is now unshakeable. Halbarton will be in charge of the future large-scale production of Dagger L.

This gave Halbarton the opportunity to cultivate his own power within the Space Forces and eliminate the influence of Blue Cosmos.

This was Halbarton's long-cherished wish, and Halbarton himself would never forget who gave him the opportunity to realize his dream.

Raven, this talented young man.

Halbarton initially thought the young man's knowledge was useful, so he assigned him to the G Project team. However, he never expected that Raven would eventually give him such a significant gift.

The straightforward look Halbarton had seen that day resurfaced in his memory, causing a smile to unconsciously creep onto his lips.

'To live up to your trust, I still need to work much harder.'

Such a thought flashed through Halbarton's mind.

However, Halbarton did not allow himself to linger too long in the joy of victory and the sentiment of reminiscing. He did not forget the purpose of leading the Eighth Fleet to Earth's orbit.

"Enough with the unnecessary talk, hurry up and recall the MS unit. Also, have you made contact with the Archangel's location?"

Halbarton raised his hand, interrupting his subordinate's enthusiastic report, and his voice returned to its usual calm and steady tone.

"We have made contact, Your Excellency."

“Then proceed with the planned deployment and drop the supplies.” Halbarton nodded, then added.

"Also, don't forget to send them the coordinates."

Halbarton never forgot the Archangel, which was fighting alone on the surface. After hearing the news that the Archangel had defeated the Desert Tiger on its own, Halbarton took the opportunity of conducting a live-fire test of the Dagger L to send supplies to the Archangel.

Halbarton felt even better as he watched the supply ship drop its drop capsules onto the ground.

I hope you like the surprise I sent.

Chapter 52 Controversy (Part 1)

A month has passed since the battle that defeated the Desert Tiger. At this time, the Archangel is floating on the surface of the western Pacific Ocean, surrounded by the wreckage of ZAFT mobile suits that have just been destroyed.

Not long ago, the Archangel unexpectedly received an encrypted message from the Eighth Fleet, which told them the coordinates of the landing of the supply crates that the Eighth Fleet had airdropped for them.

Upon receiving the information, the Archangel immediately rushed to the drop site, only to run into the ZAFT patrol team that was patrolling nearby.

Fortunately, the Archangel is now a battle-hardened vessel. Facing ZAFT's patrol, the Archangel repelled the enemy in just a few minutes and successfully recovered the supplies.

Raven hadn't even had time to change out of his pilot's suit; he simply strode onto the bridge, helmet tucked under one arm.

"Captain Lei, how's it going? What's in the supply crate?"

Maru asked eagerly, looking like a child eager to know what was in the gift box.

However, Raven could understand her feelings. Since the Archangel landed on Earth, it had not received any proper supplies or repairs.

The engines damaged in the battle with the Desert Tiger have not been fully repaired, and the Archangel can now only barely maintain low-altitude flight.

The ship's food and drinking water were replenished with the help of Dawn Desert, but the various missiles and shells on the Archangel were beyond their ability to obtain.

Even more critical is the MS's spare parts. After several fierce battles, the parts available for repair and replacement are gradually running out. If there are one or two more fierce battles, the Dagger and Assault will have to go into battle in a damaged state.

So Maru has been under a lot of pressure lately.

"Of course they're all good stuff, otherwise I wouldn't have rushed over here so quickly."

Raven handed Maru a list, which included ammunition and, most importantly, mobile suit parts, so that they could at least get rid of their current predicament of not knowing where their next meal would come from.

"And there's more than just this in the supply crate."

Raven pulled out a military-grade encrypted hard drive.

"What is this?"

Amid Maru's questioning voice, Raven spoke softly, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"This is a secret order given to us personally by Brigadier General Halbarton."

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

Twenty minutes later, in the captain's cabin of the Archangel.

"So, we're going to Orb next?"

Mu broke the brief silence in the captain's cabin with his usual casual tone.

"However, the orders issued to us by the Allied Forces Headquarters did not permit us to enter Aub. Aub is a neutral country, and it would cause a diplomatic dispute if Allied Forces warships rashly entered the territory of a neutral country without the permission of the headquarters."

Bakiru quickly pointed out the problems inherent in this decision.

"It's alright. His Excellency Halbarton has already reached an agreement with Uzmi, the former representative of Orb. All we need to do next is to sail the Archangel into Orb's territorial waters and put on a show for the Orb Navy."

"Please wait a moment!"

Raven's explanation did not satisfy Bakiruru.

"You mean the brigadier general bypassed the government and military and made secret agreements with foreign dignitaries? That's...that's against regulations! We are soldiers of the coalition forces, not Brigadier General Halbarton's private army! In short, I disagree!"

Baki Lulu managed to swallow the word "rebellion" with great difficulty, slammed her hand on the table, and took a step forward with imposing manner, staring directly at Raven.

Indeed, Halbarton's actions were not only a violation of military discipline, but could even be considered treason, so Bakirulu's opposition was not without reason.

The military is a violent machine that protects the country, and soldiers are just a cog in that machine. All they need to do is follow the rules and carry out the orders given by their superiors.

This is the philosophy that Bakiruru was instilled with from a young age.

Halbarton's actions, however, completely contradicted this.

Raven could understand Bakirulu's thoughts, but given the current situation of the Archangel, Orb was a must-go destination.

Although the Archangel had just received ammunition and mobile suit spare parts from Halbarton, its engines had not been properly maintained.

From North Africa to the western Pacific, the Archangel maintained its flight in a very difficult manner, and its damaged engines might break down at any time. The shipyard of the Orb Dawn Society was the only place in the vicinity capable of repairing the Archangel.

In addition, if Halbarton wants to completely eradicate the influence of blue cosmosism, he will have to fight against LOGOS, the organization behind the blue cosmosists.

At that point, Orb's support will be very important to Halbarton.

Therefore, regardless of Buggy's attitude, the Archangel must go to Orb, but if possible, Raven still wants to persuade Buggy.

Her tactical command skills were indispensable to the Archangel, and in addition, Raven did not want to part ways with his comrades who had fought alongside him all this time.

'Although it's still a bit early, since Halbarton has given this order, it shouldn't be a problem for me to express his thoughts.'

After a moment's thought, Raven patted Buggy's shoulder and began to speak.

"Don't get so agitated, Lieutenant Bakirulu. Calm down and answer one question for me: what's your opinion on the rampant 'blue cosmos' ideology within the Allied Forces?"

"Captain Lei, that's not the point we need to discuss!"

Raven rubbed his temples with a troubled expression and sighed.

"This is an order from the commander, Lieutenant Bakirulu, please answer my question!"