"...That is the operational plan. Meeting adjourned."
"Understood!" x N
Returning to their station, Yang Hui immediately gathered the two captains and the squad leaders of each team to assign their respective tasks. They were all battle-hardened veterans; what kind of dangerous battles had they not experienced while following Yang Hui?
This mission was as dangerous as ever, but what of it? They had long since grown accustomed to it. In the past, they might have raised doubts about Yang Hui's orders, but now, they only needed to obey and execute.
Everyone dispersed to prepare. Once the equipment swaps were complete, the three forces split up. Yang Hui led the 1st Squad to the coast, gazing out at the emerald ripples of the sea.
"Preliminary estimates put the strength ratio at 1:30. Scared?" Yang Hui asked jokingly before they submerged.
"Heh, Colonel, when has the strength ratio of any of our missions ever been smaller than that?" Ford Romfellow replied with a smile.
"It wasn't like that in the Reef Starfield," Amuro chimed in bluntly.
"..." Ford Romfellow was speechless. The mission in the Reef Starfield was undoubtedly the most dangerous task he had ever undertaken since joining the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, but the strength ratio... it really was the smallest one. It was even the only time they had more people than the enemy.
"Alright, it's almost the scheduled time. Let's head out."
"Understood!" x 8
Nine Astray Gundams equipped with Underwater Specialized Equipment jumped into the water together. The curved armor on their flanks folded and closed at the front, and the thrusters on their backs spun at high speeds, trailing long plumes of bubbles as they charged toward the Zeon underwater line.
Beep, beep, beep...
"The detection system is reacting. Discovered Principality of Zeon MS units. Database comparison... Z'Gok, Acguy, Gogg, Juaggu. Detected 32 U-Con-class and 6 Mad Angler-class... Unknown targets, heat source comparison... likely MAs, quantity: 12."
"All units, tactical formation S10. Strike into the enemy defensive line from the flank. Cut right through them, and don't fall behind."
"Understood!" x 8
In tactical formation S10, Yang Hui acted as the arrowhead, while the others followed behind in a straight line, piercing through the enemy line like an arrow through the clouds.
Beep, beep, beep...
They had discovered the Principality of Zeon forces, and naturally, the Principality of Zeon had discovered them as well. A dense swarm of torpedoes lunged toward them like an airtight wall.
Hummm—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The barrage was too dense, leaving no gaps. There was an advantage to this, as it left the target no room to dodge, but there was also a disadvantage: it was far too easy to trigger sympathetic explosions.
Positioned at the end of the formation, Christina Mackenzie's machine slightly deployed its curved armor, and two large Sonic Cannons unfolded. Invisible sound waves diffused through the water, distorting the surrounding seawater and forming a special passage within the sea. All torpedoes along that passage were detonated.
One torpedo exploded, then two... the explosions spread outward like a contagious disease. The airtight wall of torpedoes transformed into a wall of bubbles, obscuring all vision.
"The second wave is here," Amuro said, looking at the large number of markers rapidly approaching them on the detection system.
"Understood," Christina Mackenzie responded. The Sonic Cannons fired again, erecting another wall of bubbles behind the first. In this manner, several walls of bubbles isolated the 1st Squad from the Zeon submarine fleet.
With both sides completely unable to see each other, one side buried its head and charged toward the walls, while the other fired blindly without regard for accuracy.
Until...
Unit 01 burst through the several walls of bubbles, appearing directly in front of the Zeon submarine units. Its curved armor opened instantly, and the Trident in its right hand swept across, severing several underwater MS at the waist. Its left hand was not idle either; it raised and fired two shots, blowing the MS on the left to pieces.
Due to the combat, Unit 01's speed inevitably dropped, and the arrowhead lost its unstoppable momentum. But... who said there could only be one arrowhead?
Ford Romfellow's machine, ranked second, bypassed Unit 01 to take the lead. His dual multi-barrel Torpedo Launchers fired in unison, once again clearing out all the Z'Goks and Juaggus blocking the path.
The Acguys and Goggs, specialized for melee combat, lunged from both sides. Cima's machine and South Burning's machine flanked the left and right, meeting the enemy with Tridents in hand. With thrusts, vertical slashes, upward parries, and horizontal sweeps, they neutralized them in a few moves.
Meanwhile, Shiro Amada's machine, following behind, moved into the arrowhead position, launching a charge while maintaining high-speed movement to keep up the momentum of the advance.
The machines that had stopped, such as Unit 01, quickly closed their curved armor and caught up from the back of the line, restoring their tight tactical formation.
They continued until they had pierced into the center of the line. All Astray Gundams then disengaged their high-speed movement modes, returning to MS form as they launched a charge toward the submarine array behind the MS units.
Beep, beep, beep...
Twelve newly appeared MAs intercepted them at high speed, moving past the submarines. Torpedoes were fired in succession from their front ends, only to be picked off one by one by the Astray Gundams. However, just as the 1st Squad was about to burst out of the bubble cover, they collided head-on with the MAs. Grappling claws retracted at the rear ends unfolded, reaching out for the Astray Gundams with bared fangs and claws.
The Astray Gundams were like agile fish in the water, elegantly evading the grasp of the grappling claws before turning to slash with their Tridents, severing them at the base.
The MAs did not give up or show fear. Another set of mechanical claws struck from behind, but the Astray Gundams dodged nimbly again, hacking off the second set of claws.
The sudden attack with grappling claws having failed, the MAs accelerated to leave the battlefield in front of the Astray Gundams, intending to wheel around and use torpedoes for a long-range attack.
But... showing one's back to the enemy meant leaving one's life in their hands.
The Astray Gundams would not let them leave easily. The Sonic Cannons fired, striking the rear of the MAs at a speed of 1500 m/s. Though they weren't blown to pieces like the MS, having lost all their thrusters, the MAs were like birds that had lost their wings, able only to plummet toward the endless abyss.
In the less than a minute it took for the MAs to entangle the 1st Squad, the lagging MS units surrounded them once more, becoming a new obstacle standing between the 1st Squad and the submarine array.
"Cima, Ford, Burning, Amuro, Shirou, follow me to pin down the MS units. The rest of you, go destroy the submarines."
"Understood!" x 8
...
On the ground battlefield, Unit 04's Super Mega Cannon roared once again. This time, however, it did not unleash a full-power blast like the attack on Phoenix Fortress. Instead, thick torrents of beams pierced through all of California Base's defenses. Heavy fire bunkers, MS, firing points, and observation posts were all swallowed up and obliterated by the deluge of energy.
Following that, Unit 06's Super Electromagnetic Cannon displayed its might. Several bolts of blue-white lightning flashed horizontally. Along the way, whatever existed was reduced to fragments, scattered backward by the storm generated by the lightning. Two deep gullies appeared in the earth.
"Assault! Expand the gap in the defensive line." With the preemptive heavy fire attack completed, Jung immediately issued the order. Units 2, 3, 4, and 5 lunged toward the ground defenses of California Base like fierce beasts released from their cages, baring their claws and fangs.
Relative to the entire defensive line, the two small gaps were expanded infinitely the moment the Astray Gundam units launched their charge. Like a flood bursting through a dam, they were unstoppable.
"The gap has been opened. Notify the rear units to pass through quickly!"
The ground forces of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division stood firmly at both ends of the gap, acting as a natural chasm that blocked Zeon's counterattack. They provided a safe passage for the regular units, allowing them to strike directly at the heart of California Base.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gunfire filled the sky. The two defensive lines formed by the Astray Gundams were impregnable, but they could not block everything. Many shells arced through the air and fell into the regular forces, the resulting fire taking countless lives, yet the determination to attack remained undiminished.
"Captain, we can't hold much longer!" Lide Wolf said to Jung, sweat pouring down his face. The wreckage of enemy machines was nearly piled into mountains in front of them, yet the enemy continued to surge toward them like a tide. Some even bypassed them to pursue the advancing regular forces.
"...Tell the regular units that we are going on the offensive," Jung decided. They had always been hunters, a wolf pack; when had they ever engaged in such stifling defense? Only offense was the best defense!
"Yes!"
It wasn't just Jung; even Yu, Russ Kessel, and Giorgio Miguel had the same thought. To defend for long was to lose; to better distract the enemy and prevent them from interfering with the regular units' advance, they had to take the initiative. They would strike until the enemy was terrified, until the enemy could no longer ignore their presence.
"The First Army has replied; they will send people to take over our positions."
"Good. All units, spread out at 500m intervals!"
"Understood!" x 8
The Twelfth Independent Technical Division units holding the gap were liberated once more. Without their shackles, they were hunters, they were wolves, with eyes only for their prey. To win the battle and complete the mission, they would become the most cold-blooded and ruthless executioners, swinging their lethal blades at any enemy in their sight.
Unit 02, piloted by Jung, took the lead. His Beam Rifle fired in rapid succession, piercing through the enemy machines ahead, and his Beam Saber unsheathed, delivering a continuous stream of slashes and thrusts.
The team members following behind fanned out, maintaining the same speed as they surged forward, killing enemies bravely while remembering to cover their nearest teammates.
Soon, a large swath of the tidal wave of enemies was cleared. The surge stagnated and was even pushed back.
"Russ, George, leave this to us. You go intercept the enemy units pursuing the regular forces," Jung and Yu said simultaneously to Russ Kessel and Giorgio Miguel.
"Understood." x 2
With the tacit understanding between them, there was no need for concern or worry. As long as they completed their respective tasks, it was the best support they could give their comrades.