In the sky, the Luna and the White Base were already surrounded by dense swarms of enemy aircraft. The CIWS Array Vulcan Cannons spat tongues of fire desperately, while the Gottfrieds and Valiants fired in succession.
"Turn rudder 30 degrees to the left! Fire the Valiant! Load the missile launchers with anti-air buckshot, lock coordinates A35, G12, and S91. Fire!"
"The barrage on the port side is too weak! Modify the CIWS Array's programming; prioritize destroying the Dopp Fighters. Leave the MS to the main cannons and MS units."
Natarle Badgiruel and Brad commanded the warships with orderly precision. The sky was filled with Dopp Fighters circling like a swarm of bees, and there were also many MS riding on Dodai YS. They posed a massive threat to the two Kirin-class ships, even with four squads of Astray Gundams acting as escorts.
"Damn it, there are too many of them! I should have asked the Colonel to let me join the ground forces!" Fred Reber cursed. Faced with piles of incoming enemy planes, especially the mosquito-like Dopp Fighters which served as the main force, Fred Reber abandoned his favorite Multifunction Beam Gauntlet in favor of dual-wielded Dual-linked Beam Gatlings.
Although a single sweep could turn a large cloud of these "mosquitoes" into scrap falling to the ground, this wasn't his preferred style of fighting, making the battle feel incredibly frustrating.
"Fort would probably love this scene; he should have been the one to swap with us!" Blog Karl, who also excelled in close combat, complained as well. Mid-range Gatling fire was Ford Romfellow's favorite way to fight; he couldn't get enough of that feeling of being an unstoppable force holding a pass alone.
The current situation in the air was perfectly suited for that style of combat because the enemy numbers were simply too great. Especially the Dopp Fighters—they were like swarms of mosquitoes. Aside from weapons like Vulcan Cannons or cluster missiles, wiping them out was exhausting.
Of course, a full-power sweep from Unit 04's Super Mega Cannon would also be quite satisfying.
But for Blog Karl and Fred Reber, who preferred cutting people down with blades, they could work themselves to death and still never finish slicing through them all.
"The regular army's aerial strike units have already taken off. Now is when the real outcome will be decided," Travis Kirkland reminded them.
"Understood!"
Their primary mission had always been to draw the attention of the California Base's air forces and provide a safe corridor for the regular aerial strike units. Now that the true protagonists of the operation were finally online, it was time for them to fulfill their duties.
"Orders." At that moment, Natarle Badgiruel's voice rang out across everyone's communication channels. "Squads 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are to break out in different directions, then perform a counter-encirclement of the enemy."
"Break out and then counter-encircle?! Understood!"
After a quick mental calculation, Travis Kirkland and the others understood Natarle's plan. They would use the Luna and the White Base as bait to draw the enemy's attacks, while the MS squads would break out from the center of the battlefield and then surround the enemy from the outside, pinning them down so they couldn't interfere with the progress of the aerial strike units.
It was an extremely dangerous plan, but it was the best way to ensure the safe advance of the regular forces.
In an instant, the Astray Gundams abandoned their protection of the Luna and the White Base, breaking out in five different directions and instantly tearing the enemy formation surrounding them into six pieces.
"Scatter!"
The five squads spread out, forming a circle that trapped the Principality of Zeon's aerial forces in the middle.
"All units, fire all weapons! Do not conserve ammunition!"
"Understood!"
Dozens of Astray Gundams poured every ounce of firepower they possessed into the surrounded enemy swarm. For a moment, it was like a swarm of insects hitting insecticide; they fell to the ground in massive waves. Densely packed wreckage and fragments fell like a torrential downpour.
Just as the Zeon forces tried to turn and deal with the Astray Gundams surrounding them, the attacks from the Luna and the White Base at the center arrived. Thick pink beams sliced the sky into several segments, missiles were fired in salvos blooming into countless fireworks, the Valiant electromagnetic cannons released destructive lightning, and the CIWS Arrays turned the two warships into "hedgehogs"—any enemy aircraft trying to get close would be torn apart by tongues of flame.
Nearby, the regular army's aerial strike squadron passed through safely. For a moment, they were stunned by the sight. It was the first time they felt the Zeon aerial forces were so weak.
However, they knew all too well that they could never achieve such a feat themselves, nor could they execute such a dangerous operation or protect themselves so effectively under such hazardous conditions.
...
Inside the California Base, Som sat in the command center, his face dark as stagnant water, his expression contorted, and sweat constantly dripping from his brow.
"The Osborne and the Gondola have sunk. The Xeras, the Quezel, and the Libon are heavily damaged..."
"Signal lost from the 24th Underwater MS Squadron! The 45th, 46th, and 47th Underwater MS units have suffered heavy losses and are requesting reinforcements!"
"The 4th Ground Mixed Division has suffered heavy casualties and is requesting a retreat..."
"Signals lost from the 7th and 8th Ground Mixed Divisions..."
"Signals lost for the Demon Wolf Squad and Hyena Squad. Signals lost for Valkyrie Unit 1 and Unit 2..."
"Signal lost from the 10th Mixed Aviation Division, signal lost from the 23rd Aerial Regular Strike Squadron..."
...
One piece of bad news after another arrived. The entire command center felt like a funeral parlor; every message signified the disappearance of a unit. Before one disaster could end, the next followed immediately without pause.
These reports were like a sharp steel blade, carving into his heart over and over again. Zeon was fractured, and the situation on the Earth front was deteriorating by the day. They were loyal followers of the Zabi Family; for the sake of the Zabi Family and the victory of this war, they were willing to give their lives.
But... not like this. Not like lambs led to the slaughter, being massacred at will by the enemy!
These men were the foundation of the Principality of Zeon, the support required to win the war. If they all died, how could the ambitions of the Principality of Zeon be realized? How could their loyalty to the Zabi Family be demonstrated?!
It was that unit again, the unit that had given him nightmares for so long—the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. They had torn the perfect defensive line he had meticulously prepared into shreds.
"Dammit! They're all useless! It's just a few dozen MS—can't they destroy even one?!" Som roared in rage. From the start of the battle until now, all he had received were reports of his own units' destruction, while there wasn't a single piece of bad news regarding the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. The battle had been going on for nearly half an hour; despite having dozens of times the enemy's numbers and fighting from a prepared position, they couldn't destroy a single enemy craft. Som could not believe this was real.
"Com... Commander!"
"What now?" Som glared at his Adjutant. There was already enough bad news; he didn't want to hear any more.
"The Federation... the Federal Army..."
"What about the Federal Army?!"
"It's the main force of the Federal Army! The main force of the Federal Army is closing in on California Base!"
"What?!"
Som immediately looked at the tactical map. His mind had been so scrambled by the influx of bad news that he hadn't paid any attention to the regular Federal Army units, not even glancing at the tactical map.
But in that span of time, the tactical map around California Base had become densely covered with red signal markers.
"Those... those bastards!"
Som had been misled by his habitual thinking. Whenever the Twelfth Independent Technical Division appeared on the battlefield, they usually completed all objectives alone. The regular Federal Army forces were essentially a cleanup crew, responsible for tidying the battlefield and reclaiming lost territory after the fighting was over; they never coordinated their operations with the Twelfth Independent Technical Division.
Thus, Som had initially judged that this operation was another solo performance by the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, and that they intended to take California Base by themselves.
If that were the case, Som was confident that he could use his pre-arranged defensive positions and overwhelming numbers to grind them down in California. Even if the losses were heavy, it wouldn't matter; at worst, he would lead the surviving troops to evacuate California Base and rendezvous with Mark Be on the European front.
As for the blame for losing California Base, he wasn't worried. The plan to completely abandon the Earth front and return to space for the final showdown with the Federation had been decided some time ago. Before leaving, being able to trade one base for the Twelfth Independent Technical Division—the unit they viewed as a nightmare—was a bargain.
Who could have known that this time, the Twelfth Independent Technical Division would act contrary to their usual pattern, using themselves as bait to draw their attention? Everything they had done was to allow the main army to advance and directly attack California Base.
"Com... Commander, what do we do now?"
If it were just the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, they might still hold out hope that numbers and preparation could wear them down. But now that the main force of the Federal Army was attacking, there was no longer any hope of winning this battle.
"Notify the submarine units, we will—"
"The Constantine, the Juggernaut, and the Zala have sunk! The submarine fleet is wiped out!"
"What?! Have the Zor prepare for takeoff! We're evacuating!"
"Federal aerial units have reached the base! They are currently engaged with our anti-air units!"
"We retreat—"
Boom boom boom boom...
"Aaaahhh!!!"
"What happened?!" Som demanded furiously as the ground shook violently and muffled explosions rang out.
"It's a bombing run by Federal bombers! The airport runways have been destroyed!"
"How... how can this be..." Som slumped to the ground in despair, the light fading from his eyes. California Base's airport and the Gau-class attack carriers stationed there were his last hope for evacuation. With the airport destroyed, the Gau-class lost their chance to take off. Moreover, with the Federal air units directly above the base, even if they could take off, they would only be shot down.
Seeing Som in such a state, the rest of the command center fell into total chaos. No one knew what to do. The only thing they could think of was to run for their lives—regardless of whether there was a chance, regardless of where they were running. Running was the only thing they had left.
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