Since Reid had received the distress call, it was only natural that the nearby Artemis Fortress had as well. Reid even simultaneously received an emergency mission notification from the system.
As a result, the communication channel between the NT-X Gundam and the fortress instantly descended into chaos. Reid could clearly hear Gerard Garcia's furious roar:
"What?! The Foreign Minister is on that transport ship! What are you all standing around for? Deploy all battleships and Moebius units immediately! The Foreign Minister's safety must be guaranteed!!"
Reid actually understood why Gerard Garcia was so frantic—the Eurasian Federation's Foreign Minister was directly tied to his career. If the minister were shot down by ZAFT right outside the fortress, Gerard Garcia would undoubtedly be held accountable. Whether the intel he had obtained from Reid could offset this blunder was uncertain, and any hopes of promotion would be all but dashed.
However, from Reid's perspective, this whole ZAFT operation seemed like nothing more than an act.
The NT-X's cameras had already captured the battle scene. The Eurasian Federation's Third Supply Unit was just an ordinary logistics convoy, consisting of one large transport vessel and five heavy cargo shuttles (think of them as space freight trucks) towing massive containers.
Leaving aside the fact that these ships were, at best, lightly armed civilian vessels equipped with only a few anti-aircraft machine guns, the current situation was downright absurd—five Moebius units, serving as escorts, were somehow managing to fend off an equal number of GINNs, preventing them from effectively damaging the convoy.
Since when could Moebius units go toe-to-toe with GINNs in one-on-one combat? Were all these pilots ace-level experts or something?
And then there were the three Laurasia-class battleships chasing the convoy. Had their main cannon targeting systems malfunctioned? At such close range, their beam shots were only grazing the edges of the transport ship. It was impossible to tell whether the gunners were skilled or incompetent—were they seriously just scratching the paint without hitting the ship? Could they make this charade any more obvious?
To be fair, Reid was being a bit harsh on the Laurasia-class captains. They were well aware of how unconvincing their "attack" on the convoy looked. The problem was, they had no other targets, so they had no choice but to keep up the act.
That said, Reid wasn't surprised to hear the Eurasian Federation's Foreign Minister was aboard one of the ships. The minister's visit to Artemis Fortress was undoubtedly related to Reid himself, so traveling incognito was a given. Blending into a supply convoy was a smart move.
Under relentless pressure from the GINNs and the pursuing battleships, the convoy had no time to wonder why they hadn't been blown to bits yet. After all, no one wanted to die. With beams from the main cannons practically skimming their heads, they were pushing their ships to the limit, racing toward Artemis Fortress with everything they had.
Meanwhile, back at the fortress, Gerard Garcia wasn't so much rescuing the Eurasian Federation's Foreign Minister as he was salvaging his own position as a lieutenant general. Without bothering to analyze the battlefield situation, he simply roared orders, throwing every available unit into the fray to save his career.
Within minutes, all the Nelson-class ships blocking the Archangel's path had been mobilized. The first wave alone sent over thirty Moebius units into the fray—nearly a third of Artemis Fortress's total Mobile Armor forces. (Due to the prolonged absence of combat, only a basic defensive garrison had been maintained.)
However, these few Nelson-class battleships weren't as fortunate as the transport fleet. The moment they entered the battlefield, the gunners from the three Laurasia-class ships at the rear instantly awakened. Within two minutes of exchanging fire, they were directly blown apart by the enemy's main cannons.
Meanwhile, the GINNs besieging the transport convoy began to display their true strength. The thirty Moebius units scattered like sheep chased by wolves, forced to desperately flee while drawing enemy fire, hoping to create opportunities for possible allied attacks.
To make matters worse, after the Artemis Fortress forces joined the battle, the repaired Duel and Buster also entered the fray. Against these two Gundams, the Moebius units couldn't even penetrate their defenses. Like humans swatting mosquitoes, they were swiftly picked off and shot down.
Fortunately, Artemis Fortress quickly dispatched a second wave of reinforcements—over thirty more Moebius units, four Nelson-class ships, and two Drake-class vessels. These reinforcements managed to stall the advance of Duel, Buster, and the GINNs.
Reid estimated that after these two deployments, the fortress likely had only the Archangel left as its mothership. The remaining third of Moebius units were probably preparing for launch as well, with fortress security likely reassigned to fixed gun emplacements.
Reid then sent a message to Ange's private communicator:
"Ange, has Gerard Garcia left the Archangel yet?"
Ange replied almost immediately:
"Yes, there are only four guards left on the Archangel now—two in the hangar and two on the bridge. The rest are just some engineers who don't know whether they should leave or not."
Seeing that Gerard Garcia had withdrawn all security from the Archangel, Reid scoffed at the man's shortsightedness. Did he really think the Archangel wouldn't dare flee without supplies?
Without hesitation, Reid sent back two words:
"Execute now!"
This was why Reid had visited Ange first before heading to the Archangel this morning. Ange wasn't just an elite pilot—her physical prowess allowed her to strike faster than a gun could fire within seven steps.
As for whether the guards would be wary of Ange's approach, her deceptively lean and unmuscular frame worked in her favor. Besides, they wouldn't dare point their guns at her even if given ten chances.
Predictably, Ange alone could neutralize all the guards aboard the Archangel before they could raise any external alarm.
As for the remaining engineers... Reid hoped they'd sleep soundly, since he needed to borrow their access keys. The program in Ange's computer was already set—once the final key was input, they could immediately connect to Artemis Fortress's mainframe and steal the Photon Wave Barrier technical data Reid wanted.
Of course, all those knocked out by Ange would be confined to the Archangel's brig rather than left to die at the fortress docks. Murrue and Bargiruel could decide later whether to keep them detained or put them to work.
With the Archangel situation handled by Ange, Reid focused on keeping Gerard Garcia distracted, preventing him from analyzing the battlefield if the frontline situation slightly improved.
After all, ZAFT's actions couldn't withstand scrutiny. Reid had likely guessed their plan—the Blitz was probably hiding somewhere among the transport ships, towing them to breach the Photon Wave Barrier.
So what Reid needed to do now was actually coordinate with the Blitz's movements. He directly opened a communication channel with the Artemis Fortress command room.
"Artemis Fortress command room, is Major General Garcia currently available?"
The Artemis Fortress command room naturally didn't dare delay upon receiving Reid's communication and immediately reported it to Gerard Garcia. Gerard Garcia didn't put on any commander's airs either, rushing straight to the communications officer and picking up the headset:
"Reid, do you have any intel to report?"
Reid replied indifferently:
"No intel. I just wanted to say the Moebius units on the frontlines won't last much longer. At the transport ships' speed, they'll be caught again soon. Then the sacrifices of the forward troops would've been for nothing."
Of course Gerard Garcia knew this - he hadn't reached his position solely through connections. He'd faced ZAFT head-on before. He'd even been punished by participating in the Grimaldi Crater battle on the moon because of Reid (the original work did mention this, though he was likely just observing from the sidelines, firing a few missiles from miles away before retreating faster than a rabbit). So Gerard Garcia could even estimate how long it would take for the frontline to collapse.
Thinking this, fine sweat began beading on Gerard Garcia's forehead. If they failed to rescue the foreign minister and he also lost the entire fortress garrison, he wouldn't even need to consider using Reid's MS data and OS to atone. Avoiding court-martial would only be possible if his backers pulled enough strings.
Moreover, with the power balance shifting, there was no guarantee Reid - who now possessed Mobile Suits - would continue cooperating. So Gerard Garcia immediately pleaded anxiously:
"Reid, help me out. I know I wronged you with the Roosevelt incident. But for the sake of your homeland's military in crisis, save your former comrades. I'm begging you."
Seeing Gerard Garcia play the emotional card, Reid inwardly sneered - where was this attitude earlier? And now resorting to emotional blackmail even at death's door, still trying schemes.
But Reid actually planned to go along with Gerard Garcia's words this time. He definitely needed to help - most soldiers in Artemis Fortress were just there for the paycheck, and saving them would earn him massive goodwill.
Plus, if Colonel Icelera followed his instructions, these soldiers might even replenish the New Misurugi Republic's Defense Ministry that only had rookies. After all, his Crimson Wings Mercenary Group would only accept summoners anyway.
With Une's administrative skills and Noin's professional military instructor abilities, they could easily handle these second-rate Eurasian Federation troops.
So Reid just smiled and replied:
"Major General Garcia, no need for such formalities. Since you want my help, give me command of the frontline. My direction would be better than their current headless flailing."
Without hesitation, Gerard Garcia immediately barked orders:
"Relay commands to frontline troops! From this moment, all personnel obey Captain Reid Isaac's orders! Anyone who disobeys faces court-martial!!"
Hearing this, Reid smiled even wider. First cutting communication with Artemis Fortress, he privately linked to the Green Astray Gundam and said:
"Mu, with just one beam rifle, two beam sabers, and a shield, don't get too close to the battlefield. Head over to the transport team and convince them to abandon their cargo containers and flee into the fortress. Then just hang around the edges near the Archangel in observation mode."
Hearing this, Mu laughed and said,
"Honestly, you're really giving me an easy job. Convincing the transport team to ditch their cargo, huh? Leave it to me."
With that, Mu charged toward the transport team, ready to work his persuasive magic.
Right after Mu, Reid used the Bit's rocket boost to dash into the battlefield. He then deployed the Bits, firing two heavy particle beam cannon shots that forced back the Duel and Buster. Following up with rapid beam rifle fire, he took down a GINN that had chased a Moebius deep into enemy lines.
The other GINN pilots had all witnessed Reid's prowess back at Heliopolis and knew their machine guns were nearly useless against the NT-X Gundam. Without hesitation, they all retreated, planning to return to their mothership to swap for heavy particle beam rifles before rejoining the fight.
As a result, the scattered Moebius units, who had been fleeing for their lives, suddenly found their pursuers gone.
Reid quickly assessed the battlefield: about a dozen Moebius units remained, all Drake-class ships were destroyed, and only one Nelson-class warship was relatively intact. The rest were either blown up or smoking heavily, their engines on the verge of failing.
He immediately opened a channel to the frontline troops and commanded,
"This is Reid Isaac. All Moebius units, regroup behind me in a fleet review formation. Crews of damaged Nelson-class ships, abandon ship immediately and transfer to the undamaged Nelson-class. Once personnel transfer is complete, withdraw at once."
The Moebius pilots were puzzled by the order to form a fleet review formation, but since the command had come from higher up, no one hesitated. Every functional unit flew behind the NT-X and hovered in position, forming a small cube.
As for the crews of the damaged Nelson-class ships, they felt as if Reid had descended like a savior. Without a second thought, they abandoned their vessels and transferred to the sole intact ship.
The ZAFT ships on the opposing side made no move to stop the Artemis Fortress forces from reorganizing or evacuating personnel.
In fact, they were more than happy to stall Reid here—the longer he was tied up, the fewer obstacles Blitz would face after infiltrating. There was no benefit in confronting Reid head-on now. Their primary objectives remained sinking the Archangel and the Strike.
Even Yzak, who was grinding his teeth in frustration at the sight of Reid, held back from charging into battle. Dearka simply kept his rifle trained on the distant NT-X Gundam, ready to counter its high-speed assault tactics.
Meanwhile, Mu had made contact with the transport team. Channeling his inner thespian, he opened a comm link and roared,
"This is Captain Mu La Flaga! What the hell are you transport units doing, crawling toward the fortress at a snail's pace? Ditch the cargo containers and get your people inside first! It's not like the supplies are going to explode or vanish if left floating in space! The frontline forces won't hold off ZAFT forever—we can recover the supplies after the battle. Any damaged goods can be written off as normal losses!"
The transport team was jolted into clarity by Mu's roar. Most crucially, the Eurasian Federation's foreign affairs director found Mu's reasoning sound—he understood why the Hawk of Endymion had appeared here and knew full well the difference in priority between his own life and those supplies.
Thus, the Eurasian Federation's foreign affairs director immediately overstepped his authority and bellowed:
"Are you all deaf? Jettison all cargo to lighten the ships! Everyone, full speed ahead into the fortress!!"
With the foreign affairs director's order, the transport ship's captain felt having him take responsibility seemed feasible, so he directly commanded all cargo to be released.
The cargo shuttles trailing behind the transport ships instantly detached their loads, then surged ahead of the transports with their powerful thrusters.
The transport ships opened their rear hangars, ejecting all containers inside. Their speed increased as they swiftly entered the photon wave barrier of Artemis Fortress—inadvertently bringing along a cloaked enemy into the fortress.
Reid currently had no time to worry about what happened behind him. Now that he'd secured frontline command, he had to act. After the Moebius units assembled, he ordered:
"All Moebius squadron leaders, move to the front line immediately. Then, maintain formation and withdraw from the battlefield. Circle around to the rear ships.
But don't charge—position yourselves at the maximum range of anti-ship missiles. Fire one missile per unit, no need for kills. If any GINNs attack head-on, unleash a linear cannon barrage. If enemies approach from the sides or rear, abort immediately and accelerate toward the battlefield's edge. GINNs can't match Moebius in straight-line speed—don't hesitate to disengage and circle back for harassment.
Squad leaders, any questions?!"
The surviving Moebius pilots were all veterans, with many squadron leaders among them. Five voices immediately responded to Reid's order:
"Orders received!" ×5
Seeing this, Reid continued:
"I'll handle Duel and Buster. Move out after I engage. After firing missiles, all return to the Nelson-class for resupply. If too many can't dock at once, go in waves—those remaining guard the ships. Now, follow me!"
With that, Reid deployed his Bits again, firing his beam rifle from three angles in a coordinated barrage at Buster.
Inside Buster Gundam, Dearka's face turned green—why was the enemy targeting him? He desperately evaded.
But Bits were like extensions for someone with spatial awareness. Reid could precisely control each Bit's firing angle, making the shots extremely tricky to dodge.
Buster Gundam was a firepower unit, not built for mobility. During the second barrage, Dearka—focused on his heavy particle beam cannon—left an opening. Reid's beam rifle struck Buster's lower body.
Fortunately, Yzak remained calm this time, avoiding the poor strategy of charging Reid to relieve pressure on Buster. After all, Duel's current speed was no better than a Strike without its aerial pack—hardly impressive for assault. Reid wasn't a stationary target either; by the time Duel closed in, Buster would've been destroyed.
So this duel was just about firing a few shots from a distance to force Reid to dodge and reduce the frequency of his triple-shot attacks. However, given the NT-X's mobility, this tactic had minimal effect.
Yzak simply decided to use himself as Buster's shield. Seeing that Buster couldn't dodge in time, he rushed forward and blocked Reid's attack with his anti-beam shield.
At the same time, Dearka finally remembered their academy training on teamwork. Taking advantage of Duel's body blocking Reid's line of sight, he quickly assembled his beam sniper rifle, sidestepped, and took a snap shot at Reid.
Fortunately, Reid had the good habit of constantly shifting positions during combat. Since he couldn't see Buster, Buster likewise couldn't see him. Such instinctive snap shots had very limited accuracy, and even though Dearka was skilled in marksmanship and didn't miss, Reid still managed to evade the moment his alarms blared by boosting his thrusters.
Soon after, Dearka seemed to have an epiphany. He began coordinating with Duel to suppress the NT-X Gundam's movements. The G-series Gundams still had superior fire control compared to the NT-1 Gundam produced in UC 0080 (Reid's NT-X was fundamentally based on the NT-1).
So even though their piloting skills couldn't keep up with Reid's maneuvers, they compensated with their machine's performance. With Buster Gundam's missile barrages and beam sniper fire, they managed to trade shots with Reid.
Since Reid refused to target the cockpits, he really had no way to decisively deal with these two. The battle reached a stalemate.
The Moebius squad and the three motherships were also locked in a deadlock.
Following Reid's suggestion, the remaining dozen or so Moebius units completely ignored whether the GINNs would reinforce Duel and Buster, instead acting like relentless summer mosquitoes, constantly harassing the three Laurasia-class ships. Every time the GINNs attempted to flank them, the Moebius units would swiftly disengage. Then, when the GINNs turned back toward the Gundam battle, they'd swoop in again.
Now, these GINNs had all switched to bulky heavy particle beam cannons to deal with what they believed was an NT-X Gundam immune to physical rounds. These weapons were ill-suited for targeting the smaller Moebius units, and with insufficient numbers to encircle them from all directions, the GINNs were thoroughly tied up.
Of course, some Moebius units still failed to evade and were shot down, but the casualty rate had significantly decreased compared to before Reid took command.
However, while the frontlines stabilized, Artemis Fortress in the rear was breached. Just like in the original timeline, Blitz infiltrated and swiftly destroyed several wave generators, tearing a massive hole in Artemis' umbrella. The explosion's glow was impossible to miss for anyone on the frontlines.
Seeing his objective achieved, Reid immediately issued orders over the frontline command channel:
"Artemis Fortress is under attack! Moebius squad, break away from the enemy and return to defend the fortress immediately. Nelson, don't rush back yet—head to the emergency escape point and stand by. If the situation turns hopeless, assist in evacuating escape vessels."
With that, Reid controlled two Bits to unleash sustained heavy particle beam fire, forcing Duel and Buster to retreat. He then recalled the Bits, activated his rocket thrusters, and charged straight back toward Artemis Fortress. Simultaneously, he opened a direct line to Archangel and said—"Murrue, the situation is getting dangerous. Let's retreat. Have Kira deploy the Sword Pack to clear the way. It's time for us to make our escape!"