Gundam: From Piece to Player

The main fleet maintained its course toward Abaoa.

"My loyal and valiant soldiers, just now, half of the Earth Federation's main fleet was evaporated by the solar rays of our Zeon. This radiance is the righteous light of our Zeon army. No matter how many Federation fleets remain after our decisive attack, they are nothing but paper tigers."

“I can say this—we have already won, and I can assert that the Federation forces cannot break through Abaoa’s territory.”

Inside the lobby of the Abaoa airbase, Kilian stood on a suspended platform illuminated by spotlights from all sides.

He began his speech to the soldiers below, and his image was projected onto the outer perimeter of Abaoa, where he was seen by the fleet, appearing as a giant.

"Zeon was founded by us, the chosen race and our great people, and it will live on forever. We are the true future of humanity, and we must show those corrupt and incompetent bastards in the Federation what that means."

"Now is the time to fight for the future of humanity."

After saying this, Gilian put his left palm together and raised it high in the air.

"ZICK ZEON!" The soldiers below the stage also raised their hands.

"ZICK ZEON!"

Kilian echoed the shout, and the surrounding fleet flashed the corresponding Morse code in response (sound cannot travel in a vacuum).

Having just left the main fleet group to wait in near-Earth orbit on the moon to avoid being taken away by map weapons, the Laffey, as the fleet commander, has now returned to the Federation's main fleet, much like a sheepdog managing a flock of sheep.

Receive information returned by the flagships of each fleet via laser communication.

How much damage was incurred?

"About one-fifth, Commander."

Only 240 warships remain, Tiam thought.

"It's much better than expected. Order a full-speed advance to engage the enemy as soon as possible. As long as we engage the enemy fleet in close combat, their strategic weapons will be rendered ineffective."

"Yes."

Recalling the nuclear bombardment of the lunar war and the subsequent attack by strategic weapons, it didn't feel so scary—Tiam felt he had overcome the cowardice and fear that plagues humanity.

He is now merely the brains of the Federation fleet, and there's only one thing he needs to do.

Commanding the fleet to the very last moment means either victory or death on the battlefield.

Laser communication is sent to the flagships of each fleet, and then the flagships relay the information to ships of all ranks.

In contrast to Zeon's emotional rhetoric, the Federation's concise communications reaffirmed their determination to take revenge on Zeon.

Propelled by nuclear engines, the two fleets rapidly closed the distance.

Facing the Federation forces was Abaoa's N-sector—a defense zone comprised of the massive Dolos mothership and numerous Musai-class cruisers.

Chapter 153 Quantity vs. Quality

There was nothing particularly new; the Federation forces continued to operate according to the "Fortress Attack Manual."

Dozens of attack boats carrying beam-disrupting screens began their assault, firing and dropping bombs.

However, unlike in the Solomon Islands where they could return to port, attack craft would be destroyed by crossfire regardless of whether they fired missiles.

These attack craft were not targeting Zeon's mothership, but rather to get as close as possible to the fortress and drop bombs.

After nearly 200 attack craft were lost, the beam disruption screen was finally deployed on the surface of the Abaoa Sky Fortress, successfully limiting the firepower of the fortress's guns.

"The enemy has deployed a beam disruption screen."

Inside Abaoa's command post, Kilian listened to his subordinates' reports with a frown and issued orders:

"Base coastal defense guns, respond with wire-guided missiles... MS forces, move half of the fleet from S area to N area, Dolos, do not move."

"The Purple Widow, which was spotted by Major General Kycilia, and the assault fleet are now in area E."

“Send them to Area N to assist in the defense as well,” Gihren replied.

Kilian's mobilization was for a reason. After approaching the fortress, the Federation's 2nd and 3rd fleets did not choose to force their way in, but instead chose to spread out to the sides in a horizontal formation and enter a firing position with maximum firepower.

Battleships and cruisers unleashed their fire on the Zeon defense fleet in front of the beam disruption screen within area N.

It's like adding an impenetrable "membrane" between the fortress and the Zeon fleet.

— (Abaoa Sky Fortress || Membrane || Zeon Fleet Federation Fleet)

This prevented the fortress's shore guns from providing fire support for the Zeon fleet in Sector N.

Meanwhile, the relatively small fleet in region N was completely suppressed by the larger Federation fleet's cannons, and there were signs that it was about to be crushed by the Federation's artillery bombardment.

Only then did Kirian realize the pressure that Dozru had once faced.

He anticipated that after being struck by strategic weapons, the actual number of fleets destroyed by the solar radiation system would be very limited, and the anticipated collapse did not occur.

Kilian felt a pang of regret; perhaps he shouldn't have gambled everything on strategic weapons.

If he could call Karma back and make full use of the fleet and mobile suits to engage in high-speed mobile warfare with the Federation forces... but this thought only briefly crossed his mind before he dismissed it.

While Garma's military talent is undeniable, entrusting the entire fleet to his military genius brother is also dangerous for Gihren.

As a mature political animal, Kilian does not believe in so-called loyalty. Even if he maintains a superficial understanding with his brother, Kilian has no interest in testing how deep their brotherly bond is.

Following his great victory in Odessa, if Kalmar continues to crush the Federation fleet in the decisive battle of Abaoa, it will be a great success.

That is just like Caesar's famous saying—"I came, I saw, I conquered."

The loyalty of the Space Attack Force is hard to guarantee. Don't the Zeon want an invincible commander-in-chief?

"Deploy the Dolores to the MS forces and coordinate with the battleships to destroy the fleet in Area N."

Faced with pressure, Gihren chose to join the MS unit first.

The door to the command room opened, and the footsteps were crisp and not at all reserved, so it was clear who had entered.

"You're a little late, Kycilia."

"We were delayed on the way." Kycilia walked to the command platform. "Brother, how is the battle going?"

“Everything is under control.” Gihren looked at Kycilia. “Where are the Newtype troops? Did you bring them?”

“I ordered them to stand by in the outer airspace. My Newtypes said that the Federation’s attack on N District was just a feint; the real attack is in S District.”

"This is the first time I've heard of Newtypes being able to perform divination," Kirian said with a hint of sarcasm. "Have they predicted... whether our army will win or lose this battle?"

Kycilia seemed not to hear her and asked, "Is the Zeon currently at the base?"

"The machine body is not finished yet, and the legs have not been installed yet."

"It's usable even if it's not finished. Give it to me."

"Who are you sending to drive, Caspar?"

"Yes, he also possesses the qualities of a new human."

"The kid from the Deakin family has grown up quite a bit... The mech is in bay 34. Tell him to go and get it."

I thought Gihren would find an excuse not to give me the machine, but I didn't expect him to agree so easily.

Could it be that there's some kind of "safety" system installed on the machine?

Kycilia didn't say anything and sat down in a command chair at the back.

In Area N, after the Dolores deployed its mobile suit forces, the Federation's 2nd and 3rd Fleets also dispatched mobile suits to engage the enemy. However, when facing the enemy directly in front of them...

The situation quickly turned against them.

In fact, there is no significant difference in the number of new and veteran soldiers on both sides, nor in the average performance of the MS.

The difference lies in the calibration data entered into the control system—the Federation mainly uses Zani and a few battle data left by Gundams.

The fact that Units 2 and 3 were captured by the enemy during ground combat meant that the combat data could not be preserved.

Meanwhile, on the Zeon side, the OS systems of the Dom and the Warriors recorded the combat data of Zeon's ace.

This results in Zeon recruits having smoother mobile suit movements compared to Federation recruits.

In MS battles, a moment's hesitation can determine victory or defeat.

Not to mention the A-rank Zeon aces, who were practically slaughtering children.

The mobile suits of the 2nd and 3rd Fleets gradually fell into a disadvantageous position during the battle, while more Zeon mobile suits had broken through the barrier formed by the mobile suits and began to attack the fleet.

After focusing their efforts on dealing with mobile suits, the 2nd and 3rd Fleets no longer had an advantage in artillery battles and needed to devote more resources to evading and dealing with Zeon's mobile suit forces.

The balance in region N gradually tilts towards Zeon.

"Heh... It seems that artillery warfare is the Federation's forte, while MS warfare is still our forte."

Having gained the upper hand in the crucial battle, even Killian couldn't help but smile smugly.

"Commander-in-Chief, a large number of Federation fleets have been discovered assembling in Sector S."

"The main attack force? Kycilia, you guessed right—unfortunately, the attack rhythm was not well controlled, which instead gave our army a chance to breathe and failed to achieve the effect of pulling our troops away. It turned into a piecemeal tactic."

Kirian responded that this was all within his expectations, and he already had a countermeasure for the possibility Kycilia mentioned.

"Have the Dolores recover the MS forces and move to Sector N. The remaining forces continue to eliminate the enemy in Sector S."

"After an emergency replenishment of propellant and energy, a second strike will be launched."

With Gihren issuing a series of orders, the Dolores began to turn and move.

Meanwhile, the heavy artillery of the fortress in S District unleashed its full firepower, bombarding the approaching Federation fleet. Many of the warships were sunk by a single shot from the fortress cannons.

"The 2nd and 3rd Fleets have suffered over 30% combat losses, Commander, and they request a retreat."

“Tell them that even if it’s just to the last man, they must put pressure on Sector N,” Tianm said coldly.

Chapter 154 Abaoa Empty Meat Grinder

It's not a matter of tactical deployment.

It's a domino effect triggered by the quality issues at MS.

The Federation's GM also has superior average performance, but the problem is that better weapons still need to be piloted.

Not only in terms of driving, but also in terms of tactical choices, the Zeon MS forces are more at ease than the Federation MS forces.

For example, in the local battlefield observed by Tiam, the number of Federation mobile suits was three times that of Zeon.