"No, that's not right. Passive sonar usually..."
"No, that's completely wrong!"
"Hey! You're being too loud!"
"Oh! It's this one!"
"I told you not to touch that!"
The trio on the bridge, despite never having used the sonar system before, were arguing like experts about how to operate it.
Natarle Badgiruel covered her face in exasperation, Miriallia giggled softly, and Sai sighed.
"Is this what they call... being terrible yet obsessed?" Yang Hui quipped.
"Pfft—" Natarle couldn't hold back, completely undone by Yang Hui's remark.
"Then how do you use it!?" X3
The three being mocked glared at Yang Hui and shouted in unison.
"I don't know either." Yang Hui shrugged. He was practically a polymath—skilled in politics, excellent in command, formidable in combat, and perfect in research—but even he didn't know everything. At the very least, he had no clue how to operate sonar.
"Then why are you talking!?" X3
"At least I'm not arguing about it. ╮(╯▽╰)╭"
The trio:凸(艹皿艹)
Just then, the crackle of electronic static interrupted the lively atmosphere.
"Ra... radar contact!"
At Katz's report, everyone tensed up. The arguing trio quickly dispersed and returned to their stations.
"It's fast! The interference is severe, can't confirm... but this is definitely not a civilian craft!"
"All hands, Condition Two! Identify the model immediately!" Though unconfirmed, Murrue didn't dare take chances and immediately sounded the alarm.
Soon, the unknown craft approached the Archangel.
"Database comparison suggests it's a ZAFT Forces atmospheric MS—[DINN]!"
Purple full-body paint, the distinctive mono-eye main camera of ZAFT Forces, two gun holsters at the waist, an MMI-M1001 90mm anti-air shotgun in the left hand, an MMI-M7S 76mm heavy assault machine gun in the right, and silver stabilizer wings spread out on its back, resembling an angel's wings.
"All hands, Condition One! Major Flaga, Ensign Yamato, and Mr. Lyle, please proceed to your mobile suits."
"Captain, the Strike..."
"I know it can't fly or swim, but we can't just sit here and do nothing," Murrue explained.
"Equip the Strike with a bazooka. Beam weapons already suffer high attenuation in Earth's atmosphere—they're useless underwater," Yang Hui quickly added.
"Underwater? You mean..."
"The nearest ZAFT base is Carpentaria. The [DINN]'s maximum range doesn't allow it to engage us after finding us—there must be a mothership!"
"In other words... an underwater MS!"
"Exactly! Have the Strike carry the bazooka, and Lyle's [GINN] equipped with a long-range sniper rifle to provide fire support from the Archangel."
"...Maintenance team, immediately re-equip the Strike and [GINN]!"
With preparations underway, Yang Hui took his seat as the fire control assistant. Currently, he had no mobile suit to pilot, and with one hand injured, he couldn't even operate a Skygrasper. His only option was to assist with the Archangel's fire control system.
"Yang Hui, is your hand alright?" Natarle asked with concern.
"No problem."
"[DINN] approaching! 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock directions!"
Natarle Badgiruel withdrew her gaze and returned to her duties: "Missile tubes 7 through 10, load Wombat missiles and fire! CIWS Array activated! Valiant units under Yang Hui's command!"
"Roger that!" XN
...
Six Deens led by Marco Morassim rapidly closed in, evading the missile barrage but finding themselves unable to advance further under the concentrated fire of the CIWS Array.
The Skygrasper, Strike Gundam, and Lyle's GINN seized the opportunity to launch. With underwater enemies still unidentified, the Strike Gundam and Lyle's unit positioned themselves above the Archangel to intercept approaching Deens.
"Kira, rocket ammunition is limited. Don't fire recklessly," Lyle reminded.
"Understood."
Though the Strike wasn't designed as an aquatic MS, its superior sealing and reinforced armor/frame could withstand underwater pressure - capabilities Lyle's GINN lacked. When enemy aquatic MS appeared, only the Strike could engage them, making its ammunition conservation critical.
The Archangel's anti-air defenses proved formidable, yet the six Deens under Marco Morassim's command still managed to press closer despite heavy losses.
"Hey hey hey, am I invisible here? Lyle Dylandy, commencing sniper fire."
With that declaration, Lyle's unit fired. An electromagnetic round wreathed in arcing electricity struck true, blasting a smoldering hole through a DINN's midsection.
"BOOM!"
"Whew~ Impressive. Can't let you show me up."
Perhaps stung by the pride of the "Eagle of Endymion," Mu erupted with 200% fighting spirit. His Skygrasper dodged the DINN's anti-air scatter shots before annihilating it with simultaneous blasts from the Flame God hyper pulse cannon and turret-mounted beam cannon.
"Damn that stubborn Long Legs!" Marco Morassim cursed. Despite the Archangel having only one aerial unit, his six Deens were struggling - two already lost so early in the engagement.
Yet Marco's forces proved battle-hardened. Though initially staggered by Lyle's precision sniping and Mu's opportunistic strike, they quickly regrouped. One DINN pinned down the Skygrasper while Marco personally engaged Lyle's unit. The remaining two, noting the Strike's passive stance, focused on attacking the Archangel.
"Tch, what a pain!"
Under assault, Lyle's machine abandoned sniping to raise its shield defensively. Without this protection, the 76mm heavy machine gun rounds and 90mm anti-air scatter shots would have shredded it.
Fighting Deens over open ocean severely limited the GINN's mobility, leaving it virtually unable to evade. Had Lyle not borrowed the Strike's shield beforehand, his unit would've been in grave danger.
Kira grew increasingly anxious. Though conserving ammunition for potential aquatic MS was necessary, with both Mu and Lyle locked in difficult battles and the Archangel under direct DINN assault, he could no longer remain a spectator.
Just as he raised his rocket launcher to lock onto a DINN, Natarle's command came through:
"Enemy aquatic MS detected! Strike, dive and engage immediately!"
"But... understood!"
...
"Sonar detects targets, count 4... no, 5... this speed... propulsion signature... confirmed as MS!"
"They're coming? Aquatic MS..."
"Sudden noise detected on sonar! Torpedoes this time!"
"Captain!"
"Evasive maneuvers!"
"Too late!"
"Maximum thrust, surface now!"
Murrue immediately gave the order to ascend. Arnold followed instructions and sharply pulled back on the helm. The Archangel shuddered violently as it broke the water's surface at an extreme angle, narrowly avoiding the torpedoes as several small shadows passed beneath the hull.
"Enemy aquatic MS detected! Strike, enter the water and engage!"
The Strike Gundam hesitated briefly before plunging into the water upon receiving the command. Though the aerial battle was intense, only it could handle the underwater threat.
As it submerged and fired its bazooka, the shots were effortlessly dodged by the [GOOhN] units, which retaliated with a volley of torpedoes.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"So fast!"
While distracted by the frontal assault, another [GOOhN] slammed straight into the Strike's back from behind.
"Hmph, a space-use mobile suit..."
"...How could it possibly stand a chance against [Goons] underwater?!"
The five [GOOhN] units then began toying with the Strike like a ball, using their superior mobility to batter it back and forth without even employing torpedo suppression fire.
"Damn it! Haaah~!"
Kira's anger flared. A sharp "crack" echoed in his mind as something shattered within. His pupils vanished, leaving only solid color in his eyes.
When another [GOOhN] attacked from behind, the Strike moved as if it had eyes on its back, sidestepping the charge. In that split second of passing, it aimed the bazooka point-blank at the [GOOhN] and fired.
"Boom~!"
The [GOOhN] exploded under the direct hit, its fragments and the explosion's bubbles enveloping the Strike. The bazooka roared again.
"Boom! Boom~!"
Two more rockets pierced through the bubble curtain, striking two additional [GOOhN] units.
"Sigma! Marx! Dilante! You bastard!"
The tide of battle turned instantly. The consecutive losses of comrades ignited fury and hatred, overwhelming reason. One remaining [GOOhN] raised both arms and fired wildly, exhausting all its ammunition in a desperate barrage through the bubble screen concealing the Strike.
Still unsatisfied, it clasped its hands together and charged headlong toward the Strike.
But the reckless charge only carried it through the bubble cover—without even grazing the Strike—before a steel dagger embedded itself in its back.
"Wha...?"
The pilot's astonished last words went unfinished as deep-sea pressure crushed the [GOOhN].
"Boom~!"
"Dalilu~! You... what!?"
The final [GOOhN] roared in rage, but its cry turned to horror within seconds as the Strike burst from cover, appearing right before it with a gleaming dagger poised to strike.
"Ah~!"
"Schwing~!"
There was no time to retreat. The Strike seized the [GOOhN] and drove the blade home without hesitation, sending it to join its fallen comrades.
"Boom~!"
With all [GOOhN] units destroyed, Kira sat panting heavily in the cockpit.
"Pant... pant... It's not over yet, the Archangel is still—"
"Strike, please respond! Ensign Yamato, please respond!"
"This is Kira Yamato. Is the Archangel alright?" Hearing Natarle Badgiruel's voice, Kira tensed up again.
"The enemy forces have retreated. What's your status?"
"Yeah... I've taken them all out."
"Good. The battle is over—return to the ship immediately."
"...Understood."
The comms cut off. Kira watched the wreckage slowly sinking into the ocean, a painful dread rising in his chest. Because those sinking fragments weren't just debris—they represented countless lives.
"I know... But if we don't fight, we'll..."
A man is a lone wolf, licking his wounds in solitude, burying all his pain deep inside. The Strike Gundam's thrusters flared as it surged toward the surface. Kira wanted to leave this place—maybe if he escaped the sea, his suffering would ease, even just a little.