r18novel Chapter 27: Waltz on Low Earth Orbit and the Vanished Ace
Chapter 27: Waltz on Low Earth Orbit and the Vanished Ace
February 13, CE71, low Earth orbit.
The prelude to war began in the most explosive way without any warning.
Crimson particle beams and emerald green energy cannon fire intertwined to form a web of death, slicing the dark cosmic backdrop to pieces. Dozens of ZAFT's standard mobile suits, "Zeon," like a group of bloodthirsty sharks, viciously pounced on the Earth Alliance Eighth Fleet's somewhat clumsy mobile armor "Mobius" formation.
The flashes of light from the explosion were like cheap neon lights flashing across the universe, each one representing the loss of a life.
[ZAFT command ship "Gamov", bridge]
"Report! The enemy MA formation is retreating. Our vanguard has successfully breached the enemy's first line of defense!"
"very good."
Xiao Ran sat calmly at the command post. His gaze was not fixed on the overall battle map, but rather on the data stream representing the four G-series mechs.
But soon, he sensed something was wrong.
The Eighth Fleet's defenses collapsed faster than expected, but not completely. Their retreat appeared chaotic and their formation scattered, yet they always managed to hold off their most lethal attacks at the most critical moments with broadside fire from one or two warships, or suicidal charges from a small squadron of mobile armor.
The entire game presented a strange sense of disjointedness. It was like an amateur playing chess, every move was completely haphazard and outrageously bad, yet somehow they always managed to capture your key pieces by sheer luck.
"This feeling..." Xiao Ran tapped his fingertips lightly on the control panel, "It's too amateurish, so amateurish it seems like it was done on purpose."
His mind raced, inputting all the variables into the tactical simulation system. Finally, a possibility emerged.
"Are they using the chaos of the fleet to cover up the true ace's movements?"
Xiao Ran's gaze finally settled on the "Archangel," which was surrounded by four G-series Gundams. There, the white Strike Gundam had just launched its attack.
"That's right, exactly. Using a fleet as a smokescreen to give that monster pilot the opportunity to carry out a decapitation strike. A classic ace tactic. Unfortunately for you, your opponent is me."
A slight smile played on his lips as he issued new orders: "Order Yzak and Diego not to rush into an attack. Their only mission is to hold off the Strike Gundam. No matter what tricks that pilot tries, they absolutely cannot let him escape the encirclement."
In his view, as long as he held onto his strongest trump card, victory was assured.
[GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, Cockpit]
"Warning! High-energy reaction detected to the left rear!"
"Warning! Enemy aircraft locked on the right!"
The piercing alarm echoed wildly in the cockpit. Kira's forehead was covered in sweat, and he gripped the control stick tightly with both hands, struggling with all his might to make the machine perform a clumsy roll, barely dodging two deadly beams.
Through the monitor, he could clearly see the four MS with similar or even better performance than his own.
The crimson of the Holy Shield, the azure of the Duel, the dark green of the Storm, and the pitch black of the Thunder.
They were like four top hunters, playfully surrounding the young beast that had just stepped into the jungle, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.
[The collective bewilderment of ZAFT's four core members]
Itzhak Jur's brow furrowed into a knot.
"What the hell? What is this guy doing?!"
The Strike Gundam on the screen moved so slowly it looked like it was giving a tutorial. It dodged beams with brute force, relying on simplistic, unskilled rolls, and its shield was always a beat too late. This was a completely different person from the red monster he remembered, who had toyed with him like a demon throughout the advance team's battle!
"You bastard! Are you acting like me? Do you look down on me, Itzhak Joel?!"
Enraged, he pushed the control stick, and Duel Gundam raised its beam rifle, firing a precise burst at the Strike Gundam's head monitor.
However, just as the beam was about to hit, another beam came from the side and accurately deflected his shot.
"Yzak! Stop!" Aslan roared over the communication channel.
Aslan Sara's heart was already in turmoil.
That movement, that clumsy yet incredibly familiar control habit...
"It's Kira...it really is Kira! Why is he on this ship? Why is he piloting an Earth Alliance mobile suit?!"
He instinctively reached out to stop Yitzhak, but this was followed by a deeper sense of confusion and pain. What should I do? Shoot him? Or…
Meanwhile, in the cockpit of the Blizzard Gundam, Diego Elsman stroked his chin, looking suspicious.
"No, something's not right... This kid's too bad. Was that crazy guy with the red machine last time just setting a trap? Did he deliberately send a newbie up to lure us over, then pop out from some corner and shoot us?"
The thought of that man's flamboyant movements and unpredictable attacks sent chills down Diego's spine. He silently increased the distance between himself and the Strike Gundam.
"No, I need to stay away. Anyone who tries to face me head-on... pshaw! Only a fool would do that!"
Only Nicol Amalfi, after a brief moment of relief, quickly adjusted his mindset.
"It's not that person...that's great."
This thought lasted only a second.
"No! This is a battle, I must concentrate! Thunder's 'Mirage' system is the key to breaking the stalemate!"
Four people, four different minds, turned what should have been an instant battle into a bizarre stage. They were toying with the "newbie" before them, unaware that they had already become actors in another drama.
[CGUE DEEP Arms Custom "Ghost" Cockpit]
On the most chaotic edge of the coalition front, a modified Zeon, painted entirely in matte gray-black, silently shut down its main thrusters under the cover of the firelight from the explosion of a Nelson-class battleship.
Like a crocodile lurking in the darkness, it slowly and patiently slid towards the rear of the ZAFT fleet, using the shadows of the wreckage as cover.
Ling Yu leaned comfortably in the driver's seat, a cigar-shaped energy bar he'd swiped from his dad dangling from his mouth, while the screen showed Kira's "tragic" situation.
"Tsk tsk, Kira is still too honest. Let him play a rookie, and he really plays himself."
He exhaled a smoke ring of energy with a sense of satisfaction and brought up the system panel.
[Card Equipment: Char Aznable (R Card)]
[Card Trait: 'Crimson Comet' - Increases the unit's base propulsion efficiency by 30%.]
[Activation Dialogue (Optional): "Let me see the performance of ZAFT military mobile suits."]
Ling Yu looked at that classic line and grinned mischievously.
"No, no, no, it's a waste to use that line now. We should save it for the most crucial moment and give that 'order maintainer' little brother a surprise."
He turned off the control panel, his gaze piercing through the layers of the battlefield, precisely locking onto the massive silhouette of the "Gamov". The defenses there had become incredibly weak because the main mobile suits had been deployed to "observe" Kira.
"Alright, kids, warm-up time is over."
Ling Yu stretched lazily and gripped the control stick.
"Dad said, what's wrong with a man being a pervert? It's normal to enjoy watching other people's backyards go wrong, right?"
The next second, the three instantaneous burst thrusters on the back of the modified Zeon, along with the main thruster, spewed out a ghostly blue flame.
The "ghost" transformed into a streak of light too thin for the naked eye to see, drawing a death arc that went unnoticed between the explosion and the wreckage.
Almost at the same time, Xiao Ran, far away on the bridge of the "Gamov", suddenly felt a pang of fear. He turned around sharply, just as the piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire bridge.
"Warning! A high-speed heat source is rapidly approaching from behind the ship! Unidentified! Repeat! Unidentified!"