Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 89 Solo Journey Through the Sea of ​​Stars

February 19, CE71, at the edge of L4 test area, in front of the Eighth Fleet.

Only one day had passed since the Archangel rendezvoused with the main force of the Eighth Fleet, and everyone was still immersed in a brief sense of security. But the tranquility was shattered completely at 4:17 a.m.

Alarms blared simultaneously on the bridges of every warship in the Eighth Fleet. Red warning lights flashed frantically along the edges of the portholes, and radar officers cried out in alarm: "Large enemy signal! Behind us! Distance—30,000! Number—over thirty!"

"Impossible!" The radar officer on the Menelaus stared wide-eyed, his fingers flying across the screen. "The Kruze squadron only has one Nazca-class destroyer and a few escort ships, how could they possibly have thirty signals—99?"

"It's an ambush," Admiral Halbarton's voice came from the captain's seat, deep and calm. "PLANT has sent reinforcements. They know the Archangel is here, they know the Eighth Fleet is here. They're going to wipe them out."

Halbarton stood up and walked to the holographic screen, his dark brown eyes fixed on the approaching red dots. Thirty GINNs, four G-series battleships, and two Nazca-class high-speed warships—twice the strength of Kruze's team. PLANT's intelligence network was not just for show; they had known the Eighth Fleet's movements for a long time, simply waiting for the perfect opportunity.

"General, the Archangel has sent a communication!" came the communications officer's voice.

"Take it."

Maru Ramias's face appeared on the holographic screen. Her expression was tense, but her eyes were resolute. "General, Kruze's team's target is the Archangel. If we remain with the fleet, we will drag everyone into danger. I request—" She paused, "I request that the Archangel act alone to draw the enemy's attention and buy time for the fleet."

Halbarton stared at her for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Rejected. The Archangel carries not only over eight hundred civilians, but also PLANT's songstress, Lux Klein. If you are sunk, the war between PLANT and the Union will be completely jeopardized."

The Archangel remained behind the fleet, under the cover of the Eighth Fleet.

"But General—"

—

"That's an order."

Communications were down. Halbarton turned to face everyone on the bridge. His gaze swept over every face—officers, soldiers, communications officers, radar officers—all of them tense, but not fearful. They were professional soldiers; they knew their duty.

"Full fleet, deploy into defensive formation." Halbarton's voice was steady and powerful. "First line: Möbius mobile armored group, attack. Second line: Nelson-class battleships, provide gun support. Third line: Agamemnon-class aircraft carriers, stand by. The Archangel, at the rear of the fleet, must not be exposed to enemy fire."

"yes!"

The atmosphere on the bridge suddenly became tense. Confirmation calls came through the communication channels from each ship as the Möbius mobile armors launched one after another from the catapult decks of the Agamemnon-class carriers, leaving dozens of white trails in the starry sky. These small mobile armors, though far inferior in performance to mobile suits, could compensate for the quality gap with sheer numbers—at least that's what Halbarton hoped for.

Bridge of the Archangel.

Char stood by the porthole, his crimson eyes fixed on the approaching red dots on the radar screen. His Newtype abilities became exceptionally sharp at this moment—he could "sense" the emotions of the ZAFT pilots, "sense" their killing intent, and "sense" the ferocity of the battle.

"Commander-in-Chief Asha, the Eighth Fleet is deploying its defensive formation," Natal's voice came from the fire control console. "The Möbius mobile armored group has launched, numbering 148. However, the enemy has 30 mobile suits, so the numerical difference isn't as large as we thought. Moreover, the performance of the mobile suits far surpasses that of the armored vehicles."

"

Mu crossed his arms behind his head, but his eyes were wide open. "Mobius would have a hard time winning against GINN one-on-one, let alone three against one? General Halbarton is paying with lives."

Maru's fingers tightened slightly. "But we have no other choice. If the Archangel is sunk, it's all over."

Kira stood in the corner of the bridge, his eyes fixed on the radar screen. His heart was pounding, but his hands were steady. He knew this battle would likely be more brutal than any before. But he also knew he had to fight—not for the Union, not for PLANT, but for the people living on board.

The battle officially began at 4:41 a.m.

Forty-eight Möbius tanks deployed in skirmish lines, simultaneously charging towards Kruse's thirty GINNs from different directions. Linear rifle shells traced dense trajectories across the starry sky, like a closing net of fire. But the GINNs were far more maneuverable than the Möbius; they weaved through the barrage, the linear rifle shells precisely striking the cockpit of each Möbius.

In the first round of fire, twelve Möbius fighters were shot down. In the second round, another ten were shot down. In the third round, eight were shot down. In less than ten minutes, only less than twenty of the forty-eight Möbius fighters remained. And GINN's losses were only three.

Halbarton stood on the bridge, staring at the fireballs exploding in the starry sky, his eyes heavy with sorrow. He knew Mobius was no match for the mobile suit, but he had no other choice. If the GINN were allowed to get close to the warship, the losses would be even greater.

"General, the enemy's G-series aircraft have launched an attack!" The radar officer's voice was filled with panic.

On the holographic screen, three brighter dots burst forth from the GINN swarm, approaching the Eighth Fleet's defenses at an astonishing speed. Duel Gundam, Blitz Gundam, and Thunder Gundam—three G-series units—deployed in a triangular formation, their phase-transition armor reflecting a chilling light in the starry sky.

Yzak Joel's Duel Gundam charged ahead, its beam rifle firing in rapid succession, each shot precisely piercing the cockpit of a Möbius. His voice boomed through ZAFT's communications channel: "These flies are annoying! Diego, Nicole, cover me!"

"Understood, understood." Diego Elsman's Storm Gundam appeared from the flank, its orange beam from the high-energy beam cannon drawing a deadly arc across the starry sky. Two Möbius Gundams were struck by the beam and instantly turned into fireballs.

Nicole Amalfi's Swift Gundam did not participate in the attack on Mobius. His mission was to break through the defenses and strike the main battleships of the Eighth Fleet. The Mirage Particle System activated, and a ripple of optical camouflage appeared on the surface of the machine before it completely disappeared from radar and the naked eye.

Duel and Storm continued their frontal assault, beam rifles and high-energy beam cannons firing alternately, shooting down the remaining Möbius one by one. Twenty, fifteen, ten—the number of Möbius was rapidly decreasing, while the number of GINNs remained at twenty-five.

Halbarton's fingers gripped the armrests so tightly his nails almost dug into the metal. "Get the Nelson-class battleships to fire! All guns, aim at the enemy's G-series! Forget about the GINN!"

The linear cannons of twelve Nelson-class battleships fired simultaneously, their live ammunition creating a dense web of fire across the starry sky. But the Duel and Storm's PS armor easily withstood these attacks—the live ammunition exploded on the armor's surface, sparks flying, but the mech remained unscathed.

"The G-series has PS armor!" exclaimed the captain of the USS Montgomery. "Ordinary weapons can't penetrate it!"

"It's PS armor," Mu's voice came through the communicator, tinged with a hint of helplessness. "It requires a high-output beam weapon to penetrate it."

Halbarton's brow furrowed even more. "All missiles, lock onto enemy G-series missiles. Saturation attack!"

Hundreds of missiles were launched from the Nelson-class battleship's launch tubes, streaking towards Duel and Storm with white trails. But the missiles were too slow, and Duel and Storm easily avoided most of them. The remaining few exploded on the surface of the phase-transition armor, and after the flames subsided, the machine remained intact.

"Damn it—" Halbarton muttered under his breath.

Bridge of the Archangel.

Char stared at the battle situation on the holographic screen, a cold light burning in his crimson eyes. He knew the Eighth Fleet wouldn't last much longer. The Möbius was almost completely wiped out, the Nelson-class battleships' guns were ineffective against the G-series, and their missiles were easily evaded. If this continued, the Eighth Fleet would be annihilated by the Kruze squadron within an hour.

"Captain Ramias, the Archangel must land on Earth." Char turned around, his voice calm but firm.

Maru's pupils contracted. "What?"

"Kruze's objective is to use the Archangel to hold off the Eighth Fleet. As long as the Archangel remains in space, the Eighth Fleet will continue to intercept ZAFT from attack. If we land on Earth, the Eighth Fleet can retreat and preserve its strength."

"But descending to Earth requires breaking through the atmosphere—Kruze won't let us succeed so easily," Char's voice was so calm it didn't sound like he was talking about a life-or-death situation. "The Golden Machine will stay behind to hold off Kruze's team. The Archangel will take this opportunity to descend to Earth."

The bridge was deathly silent.

Kira burst out from the corner, his eyes glaring at Char. "No way! Staying behind alone? You'll die!"

Char looked at him, his deep red eyes showing no fear. "Kira, on the battlefield, dying is the easiest thing. Living is the hardest. You must live, live to Earth, live to Alaska, live until the war ends. This is my order, and this is my request."

Kira's lips were trembling, but his eyes were red and he didn't cry.

Natal stood before the fire control console, her eyes fixed on Char's retreating figure. Her fingers loosened from the console, clenched into a fist, then relaxed again. She wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing. Because she knew Char's decision wouldn't change.

Maru stared into Char's eyes, those deep red eyes holding a light she couldn't refuse—not a command, not a request, but something deeper, more essential: a trust.

"Commander-in-Chief Askha, you promised me you'd come back alive." Her voice was hoarse. "You promised."

Char's lips curled into a slight smile. "I promised I'd come back alive. Not immediately," he said, "alive." "I will."

He took out an encrypted terminal from his pocket and handed it to Maru. "Keep this for you. VEDA will continue to provide you with intelligence support. If you encounter danger, use it to contact Orb. Orb's fleet will provide support as appropriate."

Maru took the terminal, her fingers clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Char turned and walked towards the bridge exit. He stopped at the doorway and glanced back at everyone on the bridge—Maryu, Natalie, Mu, Kira, Thor, Miriam, Seymour, and Lacus standing in the corner. His gaze lingered on Lacus for a moment before shifting away.

"Miss Lux," he said softly, "keep singing. Someone's listening."

Lux's eyes glistened with tears, but she didn't cry. She simply nodded and whispered, "I will. You will too—"

Come back alive.

Char didn't answer. He turned and walked out of the bridge.

Inside the hangar, the golden mobile suit was ready for sortie. Its golden armor reflected a cold gleam in the red glow of the emergency lights, like the breath of some creature. Char climbed into the cockpit, his fingers swiping across the touchscreen to activate all the systems.