Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 91 The Trajectory of Stardust

The golden machine and the Aegis faced off in the starry sky, less than three hundred meters apart. The light from their two beam sabers shone brightly in the darkness, outlining the silhouettes of the two machines in a cold, sharp way.

Aslan stared at the golden machine, his amber eyes filled with complex emotions. He knew he should fight, should pull the trigger, should complete the mission his captain had given him. But his fingers felt frozen, unable to move. The man's words pierced his mind like needles—"If your mother, Renoia Zala, were still alive, would she want you to do this?"

He didn't know. He really didn't know.

"Aslan, what are you doing? Open fire!" Yzak's voice boomed from the communicator, filled with anger and impatience.

"I----"

Before the words were even finished, the golden machine's beam rifle suddenly rose, but not pointed at the Aegis, but at the two GINNs approaching from the flanks. Two beams precisely pierced their cockpits, the explosions erupting silently in the vacuum. Char's voice came through the communicator again, calm and firm: "Athrun Zala, your time is running out. The Archangel is descending to Earth; once it enters the atmosphere, you won't be able to pursue it. Think it over—do you want to continue fighting a pointless battle, or go back and talk about it later?"

Aslan's pupils contracted. He stared at the golden machine, its deep red eyes holding no hostility, only a calm, almost pitying light. This person was giving him a chance—a chance to retreat, a chance not to make a choice today.

He gritted his teeth and pushed the control stick. The Aegis's thrusters ignited, the machine slowly reversed, then turned and flew towards the Wesalis.

"Aslan! You—" Yzak's voice was torn apart by rage.

"Yzak, retreat." Aslan's voice was calm, but carried an undeniable firmness. "That's an order."

""

The Aegis Gundam's thrusters ignited, and the mobile suit slowly retreated towards the Vesalis. Athrun didn't say another word.

But at that moment, two new spots of light appeared on the radar screen.

No—not specks of light, but two warships. They emerged from the shadows of the debris field, closing in on the flank of the Eighth Fleet at an astonishing speed. Their hulls were painted in ZAFT's dark gray, and the linear gun barrels at their bows gleamed coldly against the starry sky.

The Gamov, and another Nazca-class high-speed warship.

Char's pupils contracted. Kruze's true killing move wasn't the mobile suits, but these two battleships that had been hidden in the debris field. Amidst the chaos of the mobile suit battle, they had quietly circled around to the flank and rear of the Eighth Fleet, and were now rushing towards the Archangel's trajectory towards Earth.

"Captain Lamias!" Char's voice boomed through the communicator, "Two ZAFT warships are approaching the descent trajectory! Their target is the Archangel!"

On the bridge of the Archangel, Murrue's face turned deathly pale. She stared at the two rapidly moving red dots on the radar screen, her brain instantly calculating distance, speed, and interception time. Too late. The Archangel was descending into Earth's orbit; attitude adjustment would take time, and the thrusters needed to be re-ignited. If she changed course now, the descent would be interrupted; if she didn't, the two warships would collide with the Archangel within three minutes.

"Suicide attack—" Natal's voice came from the fire control console, steady but with a slight tremor, "They want to take us down with them."

Maru closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a resolute determination shone in her brown eyes. "Abort descent. All ships, hard to port. Main guns aimed at the Gamov, fire!"

"yes!"

The Archangel's thrusters reignited, and the massive hull abruptly veered through space. The twin beam cannons at the bow glowed with orange light, and then—both beams fired simultaneously, striking the Gamov's bow with pinpoint accuracy. The explosion erupted silently in the vacuum, and the Gamov shuddered violently, but did not sink. Its thrusters continued to operate, and it continued its charge towards the Archangel.

"Keep firing!" Maru's voice was tinged with anxiety.

"The main gun needs to be recharged!" Natal's voice came from the fire control console, tinged with urgency. "Thirty seconds!"

"Thirty seconds is too long—" Mu stood up, walked to the porthole, and stared at the approaching ZAFT warship. "It will crash into us in twenty seconds."

Kira's voice came through the communicator, urgent but firm: "I'll stop it! The Strike's thrusters are still usable—"

""

"No!" Murrue interrupted him. "The gravitational field at the edge of the atmosphere is too complex. If you leave the Archangel's protection, you'll be captured by Earth's gravity and won't be able to return!"

"But one"

"Kira!" Char's voice cut through the communication channel, calm but undeniable. "Obey orders. Let the Archangel handle the Archangel's affairs."

Silence came through the communicator. Kira's fingers loosened from the joystick, clenched again, and loosened again. His lips trembled, but he didn't speak.

The golden machine traced a golden arc across the starry sky, hurtling towards the two ZAFT warships. Char's hands gripped the control stick firmly, his crimson eyes burning with a cold light. Distance: 15,000 kilometers, 4,000 kilometers, 3,000 kilometers. The beam rifle's energy was dwindling, and the Minovsky nuclear reactor's output was also decreasing. But it was enough, more than enough.

"VEDA, how much energy does the Golden Machine have left?"

"Minovsky nuclear reactor output power has dropped to 40%. Beam rifle remaining energy - 15%. Thruster fuel - 20%."

"That's enough." Char pushed the control stick, and the Gold Frame's thrusters sprang to full power. "Transfer all the remaining energy to the beam rifle and thrusters."

"Confirmed. Energy redistribution in progress — complete. Beam rifle output increased to 150%, thruster thrust increased to 130%. Unit load has exceeded safety threshold. Recommendation 1."

No advice is needed.

The golden machine transformed into a golden lightning bolt in the vacuum. The bridge of the Gamov rapidly magnified in his field of vision, and Char could clearly see the terrified faces of the ZAFT officers on the bridge. He did not hesitate. He raised his beam rifle and pulled the trigger.

A beam of light shot from the muzzle, precisely piercing the bridge of the Gamov. The explosion erupted silently in the vacuum, sending debris flying. The Gamov began to veer off course, its thrusters shut down, and the ship slowly rotated through the stars. But it hadn't sunk yet. Its engines were still firing, still attempting to reignite.

"Commander-in-Chief Ashar, the Archangel's main guns have been recharged!" Natal's voice came through the communicator.

"Then shoot."

Two beams of light shot from the bow of the Archangel, striking the Gamov's engine room with pinpoint accuracy. This time, the explosion was far more violent; the ship broke apart from the midsection, the fuel tanks detonated, and flames formed a massive fireball in the starry sky. The Gamov sank.

But another Nazca-class warship had already broken through the Golden Machine's defenses. Its target wasn't the Archangel, but the descent trajectory itself. It intended to crash into that location—the very path the Archangel would inevitably take as it descended to Earth.

"Damn it—" Char pushed the control stick, and the golden machine veered towards the warship. But the distance was too great. At its current speed, the golden machine couldn't catch up.

On the bridge of the Archangel, Murrue stared intently at the ZAFT warship hurtling towards its descent trajectory on the radar screen, her brown eyes heavy with worry. She knew what that warship was going to do—not ram the Archangel, but block its descent trajectory. If the descent trajectory was blocked, the Archangel would have to change course. And changing course meant—

"We can no longer land in the coalition-controlled area as planned." Natal's voice was calm, but every word weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. "The descent path is blocked. If we force a descent, we will enter ZAFT-controlled North Africa, the Sahara Desert."

The bridge was deathly silent.

North Africa. The Sahara Desert. That's ZAFT's territory, the "Desert Tiger's" domain. If the Archangel lands there, they won't be met with reinforcements, but with enemies.

Murrue closed her eyes. She remembered Char's words—"In war, no one can choose their own destiny." She opened her eyes, her voice hoarse but firm: "Set a new course. Break through the atmosphere and land in North Africa."

"Yes." Natal's fingers flew across the control panel.

The Archangel's hull began to vibrate. The friction of the atmosphere caused the surface temperature to rise sharply, triggering a piercing alarm from the heat shield's temperature sensors. Everyone waited in silence, awaiting their unknown fate.

The golden machine hovered in the starry sky, watching the Archangel disappear into the azure atmosphere. Char's deep red eyes reflected the outline of the blue planet, and a slight smile played on his lips.

"Live on," he whispered. "Live to Earth, live until the war ends."

He pushed the control stick, and the golden aircraft turned and flew towards the Eighth Fleet.

Halbarton stood on the bridge of the USS Menelaus, watching the battle unfold on the holographic screen. The remaining forces of the Kreuzer squadron were retreating, the Gamov had sunk, and another Nazca-class warship had begun to change course after its descent was blocked. The Archangel had entered the atmosphere. Although the Eighth Fleet had suffered heavy losses, its main force remained intact.

"General, Kruze's team is retreating," the adjutant's voice came from behind. "Should we pursue them?"

"No." Halbarton shook his head. "Our losses are already heavy enough. Of the forty-eight Möbius, only six remain, and three Nelson-class battleships are damaged. Continuing the pursuit will only increase unnecessary losses. Order all ships to gather the survivors and prepare to return."

"Yes."

Halbarton turned and stared at the starry sky outside the window. In that direction, behind the Eighth Fleet's lines, that golden machine was slowly returning. Char Langlad Ascham—the Supreme Commander of Orb, the Crimson Comet. If it weren't for him, the Archangel wouldn't have been able to land safely on Earth, and the Eighth Fleet might have been completely annihilated.

"General Ashar," Halbarton whispered, "I owe you my life."

On the bridge of the USS Wesalis, Kruse sat in the captain's seat, his eyes behind his mask fixed on the holographic map of space.

The Gamov's logo had turned gray—it had sunk. The Archangel's logo disappeared into the azure atmosphere—

They entered Earth. Kruse's team suffered heavy losses, with all four G-series units destroyed, and GINN losing more than fifteen units.

"Captain, should we give chase?" the adjutant asked cautiously.

"We're not going to chase them anymore." Kruze leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips behind his mask. "The Archangel has already entered Earth. The Allied Forces' sphere of influence is on Earth; continuing the pursuit will only put us on the defensive. Besides, the Desert Tiger won't let us down."

"You mean one?"

"Andrew Butterfield," Kruse's voice held a hint of amusement, "the man known as the Desert Tiger. If the Archangel lands in North Africa, he'll give them a good 'welcome'."

He closed his eyes, and the image of that golden machine appeared in his mind. The piloting skills, tactical judgment, and those deep red eyes that seemed to see through everything—Char Langrad Athha. He wasn't a Coordinator, not a Natural; he was—something higher.

"Char Langlad Ashar," Kruze whispered, "we will meet again. On Earth, in space, on any battlefield. Next time, I will make you feel true despair."