Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

At 10:00 AM, Char received a report from VEDA: "Lord Char, the Atlantic Federation fleet is retreating. However, they have mobilized an orbital fleet from space and are expected to arrive at the orbital elevator space station within an hour."

Char's pupils contracted slightly. The universe—that was the true battlefield.

"Ground combat is to be under Ken Albert's command. Griffin Squadrons One and Two will continue to defend the coast, while Squadrons Three and Four will follow me onto the orbital elevator."

"Lord Char, the orbital elevator climber will take forty minutes to reach the space station—"

"We can't wait that long." Char walked towards the Zaku Kai. "The Zaku Kai can fly up directly using its thrusters. Attach the thruster backpack to me."

"From the ground to high orbit? Zaku Kai's thrusters—"

"That's enough." Char had already jumped into the cockpit. "Minovsky nuclear reactor at full power, thrusters at maximum thrust. No need to worry about return fuel. There will be resupply at the space station."

The hatch closed, and the red Zaku Kai stood on the launch platform, with two huge thruster backpacks mounted on its back.

"Char Langrad Athletics, Zaku II, launch!"

The thrusters ignited, and the immense thrust propelled the machine into the sky. Flames left a charred crater in the ground, and the red machine, like a shooting star, pierced through the clouds and soared into space.

Four minutes later, Zaku Gai broke through the atmosphere.

The universe was black—boundless, cold, silent black. Sunlight scattered without any scattering in the vacuum, creating a dazzling contrast between light and shadow. Char's eyes had adapted to this environment—the spatial awareness of the New Humans was already quite remarkable on Earth, but in the universe, it was magnified to its extreme.

He "sensed" the enemy ships' location. Not by radar, not by sight, but by an inexplicable "feeling." Three Earth Alliance orbital warships were approaching the Ame no Miyazaki space station, about 500 kilometers away.

"VEDA, give me the thrust curve."

"Current speed—three kilometers per second. Remaining thruster fuel—40%. If acceleration continues, the fuel will run out before reaching the enemy ship."

"Remove the thruster limiter."

"Limiter released. Thrust output—120%. Warning: Airframe structure may not be able to withstand this—"

"Show me what you can do."

The red Zaku II suddenly accelerated.

Acceleration pushed all internal systems to their limits. Char's body was pressed against the seat, but his mind remained clear. His hands gripped the control stick firmly, his eyes fixed only on the enemy ship ahead.

On the bridge of the Earth Alliance ship, the radar officer spotted a red dot approaching at an incredible speed.

"Target approaching! Speed—five kilometers per second! Six kilometers per second! Seven kilometers per second! This is impossible!"

"What is that?"

"Unidentified—too small, not like a warship. Too big, not like a missile. Too fast, fast like—"

"A crimson... comet..." the captain murmured.

The red machine, like a shooting star, streaked between the three warships. In that instant, the Zaku Kai's beam rifle fired in rapid succession, precisely striking the bridge of each ship. All three bridges were simultaneously breached—not just destroyed, but decapitated.

Without command, the warships fell into chaos and were unable to effectively organize an attack.

"All ships report damage! Ship number two's bridge has been breached, and its captain has been killed! Ship number three, same—"

Where is that MS?

"Gone! Disappeared from the radar!"

The Zaku Kai shut down its main thrusters and glided silently into the dark universe. Char adjusted his posture and circled around to the rear of a destroyer. The beam rifle fired again, piercing the destroyer's engine compartment.

The explosion was silent in the vacuum; only light was visible.

All three warships were rendered inoperable.

Char activated full-band communications: "This is Char Langlad Ashar, Commander-in-Chief of the Orb Defense Forces. You have lost your fighting capacity. I order you to surrender immediately. Orb will treat prisoners of war in accordance with international law. Resistance is futile."

silence.

Then, a warship's communication channel opened: "...You...you're not a Coordinator...who exactly are you?"

Char did not answer.

"VEDA, notify the space station to dispatch tugboats to tow these warships away. Take all prisoners."

"You have already been notified."

Char leaned back in his seat, gazing at Earth through the cockpit window. The azure planet slowly rotated in the darkness, its clouds and oceans shimmering in the sunlight.

His machine—this hastily modified Zaku—was riddled with holes. Several bullet holes marred the armor, the thrusters were out of fuel, and the beam rifle had only one shot left. But the cockpit remained intact, and its pilot was unharmed.

"Zaku Kai," Char said softly, "you did a good job."

VEDA's voice came through the communicator: "Lord Char, the Earth Alliance 4th Fleet has retreated. Orb's defenses are intact. Battle over."

"casualties?"

Ground combat: No Orb casualties, seven lightly wounded. MS losses: One Zaku moderately damaged, one GM lightly damaged. Enemy: Approximately 300 killed, approximately 1,500 captured. Ship losses: Two battleships heavily damaged, one moderately damaged, and eight transport ships sunk.

Char closed his eyes.

He felt no joy of victory, only a weary calm.

"Notify the ground to prepare to receive prisoners of war. Inform Lord Uzumi that the threat from space has been temporarily lifted."

"Instruction recorded."

Less than 24 hours after the battle ended, the news spread throughout the world.

"Orb defeats the Atlantic Federation's Eighth Fleet"—this was the headline in the official media.

"Orb's Mysterious MS Demon?" — This is Blue Universe's advertising slogan.

"Red Comet"—that's the nickname that ZAFT pilots privately gave to that red Zaku.

"He flies at speeds impossible for humans, and shoots at reaction speeds impossible for humans. He's not a Coordinator, not a Natural—what is he?" a captured Earth Alliance officer said in an interview.

Patrick Sara watched the video footage of the battle in PLANT's conference room. He remained silent for a long time, then said to his adjutant, "Investigate this Orb commander-in-chief. I need to know who he is."

Siegel Klein turned off the recording in his study, smiled, and shook his head.

"General Langlad," he whispered, "you're more interesting than I thought."

At the Earth Alliance headquarters, a top-secret report was delivered to Murta Azrael's desk. The report was titled "Orb Defense Force Combat Capability Assessment: Urgent," and the first page contained only one sentence: "Do not underestimate the enemy."

Late at night on March 13, Char Aznable returned to Earth from the Orbital Elevator Space Station.

The Zaku Kai was sent to the Dawn Corporation's factory for major repairs. It had endured more than three times its design limits in this battle, resulting in fatigue cracks in multiple structural parts. However, its core remained intact—meaning its pilot was never truly in danger.

When Char entered the factory, he saw the red mobile suit surrounded by robotic arms. Technicians were busy disassembling the armor and inspecting the interior. He noticed a deep bullet hole in the Luna titanium alloy armor on the chest—it had almost penetrated the cockpit.

"Welcome back," Erica's voice came from behind.

"I'm back."

"Do you know what people outside call you? The Red Comet."

Char's lips twitched slightly.

"I don't like this nickname."

Why?

"Because it comes from... someone I don't want to be compared to." Char turned to look at Erica. "But that's not the point. The point is—the Atlantic Federation won't let this go. This time they sent a fleet, next time they might send two, three. We have to finish those four Gundams before they get back."

Erica nodded.

"The cargo module of the solar furnace has passed Mars orbit. It is expected to arrive in mid-August."

"Please urge them. The sooner the better."

Char walked out of the factory. In the night sky, the cables of the orbital elevator glittered in the moonlight. He stopped and looked up at the stars.

"March 13, CE69. First real combat. We won, but there was nothing to be happy about. I saw three hundred people die in front of me—though they were enemies, they were also human beings. They had families and dreams."

"I knew this day would come when I chose this path. But I still... can't get used to it."

"Perhaps this is the price. The price of protecting."

Char lowered his head and exhaled deeply.

Then he raised his head, his eyes regaining their resolve.

"keep going."