The jungle was suffocating that morning, damp air clinging to every breath, heat pressing against metal and skin alike. Tanya stood near the outer defenses of the secret base, her Gouf flight-type towering nearby, its frame glinting faintly in the haze. She folded her arms, watching GED squad scouts return from their patrols. Their faces told her everything before they even spoke.
"There's movement," Richter reported, voice strained as sweat trickled down his temple. "Not probing strikes. Too quiet. Too disciplined."
Tanya narrowed her eyes. "So, the Federation's finally here." She let a grin tug at the corner of her lips, sharp and wolfish. "Took them long enough."
Mila, her second-in-command, stepped closer, arms crossed. "The quiet bothers me. They're advancing, but not engaging. Like they're waiting for something."
"They're waiting for us to flinch," Tanya replied flatly. "We don't flinch."
The crunch of boots on gravel drew her attention. Norris Packard strode toward them, uniform rumpled but his presence calm and steady as always. Behind him, a technician waved hurriedly, bearing a sealed communiqué.
"Commander von Zehrtfeld," Norris said, saluting. "The Sahalin siblings want you inside. They've confirmed Federation mobilization in this sector. We may have hours at best."
Tanya gave a sharp nod. "Then we use them well."
Inside the base's command center, the mood was darker. Ginias Sahalin paced the floor like a caged predator, eyes fever-bright, his cane tapping in sharp bursts of frustration. Aina stood nearby, trying to ease the tension, but her worry was written across her face.
"They're coming for the Apsalus," Ginias snapped, slamming his cane against the floor. "They know the name, if nothing else. That prototype is Zeon's future!"
"And if we fall with it?" Tanya asked coolly, stepping into the room. "Will your precious project still matter then?"
Aina flinched, but Ginias ignored her. "You will hold the line. My machine must not be touched."
Norris exhaled quietly, almost in apology. "We'll buy you the time, Ginias. But remember—this isn't just about your Apsalus. These are lives on the line."
The alarms blared before any further words could be exchanged. The Federation was in range. Tanya turned on her heel, her voice sharp and cutting. "GED squad, to your suits. Mila, Zhou Wei, Juno—Doms forward. Richter, long-range support. I'll take point in the Gouf."
Engines roared to life as Zeon's defenders scrambled. Dust and heat blasted outward as Tanya's Gouf rose on its thrusters, the wings of the flight-type configuration extending wide. The three Doms of her elites followed, their sheer bulk shaking the ground as they advanced.
On the horizon, White Base appeared—an ominous silhouette breaking through jungle mist. Its escorts followed close behind, the Federation's might unmistakable. Then came the new forms: three Ground Gundams, their angular frames gleaming as they moved into position.
Tanya's eyes narrowed. "So, they've brought toys."
Her comm crackled with Mila's voice. "Not toys. Look closer—those are aces in the cockpits. And that's no GM leading the charge."
The RX-78-2 Gundam stepped into view, beam rifle raised, Amuro Ray at its helm. The young pilot's aura of danger pressed against Tanya's instincts immediately. She knew this would be no ordinary fight.
Lockon Stratos appeared in a Guncannon, his fire disciplined and precise, locking onto Zeon's defensive emplacements with surgical accuracy. Beside him, a Ground Gundam moved with a distinct sharpness in its blade work—Athrun Zala, his movements precise, practiced, almost aristocratic.
"Hell," Richter muttered over the comm, voice tight. "That's three top-line aces in one strike group."
"Good," Tanya said, a grin audible in her tone. "I was getting bored."
The battle erupted. Amuro's Gundam surged forward, beam rifle carving through Zeon's defensive line like a hot knife through flesh. Dom pilots rushed to intercept, their bazookas spitting fire, but Amuro weaved between them, striking back with impossible reflexes.
"Juno, flank him!" Tanya barked.
"I'm trying!" Juno gritted out, his Dom hammering forward. Athrun's Ground Gundam intercepted, blade clashing with Dom armor in a shower of sparks.
Lockon's Guncannon fired at range, shelling positions with unerring accuracy. Richter ducked his Dom behind cover, firing back with rockets. "He's locking me down—dammit, he's reading my moves!"
"Mila, Zhou Wei, with me!" Tanya's Gouf screamed forward, heat sword igniting as she closed on a squad of GMs. The Federation pilots hesitated, unused to the speed of her flight-type Gouf, and Tanya cut through them with ruthless efficiency.
Yet for every GM she downed, Amuro advanced further. He moved with terrifying clarity, almost as if he knew their every intention before they acted. Mila's Dom staggered, shield half-melted from a near miss with Amuro's rifle.
"Damn it—he's not human," Mila spat.
Tanya's eyes flicked to Amuro's suit, then to her own HUD. She recognized that aura of inevitability, that predatory instinct. "He's something else. Adjust or die."
Norris entered the fray with veteran poise, his Gouf cutting down advancing Federation tanks. "Hold the line, Commander! Don't let them reach the core facilities!"
"Tell that to Ginias," Tanya snapped, diving her Gouf past Amuro's rifle fire. She felt the heat lick her armor, systems screaming warnings. "We're the ones being sacrificed."
Inside the base, Ginias shouted over the comms, his voice half-mad. "The Apsalus must not fall! Do you hear me, Von Zehrtfeld? Hold them off!"
Aina's quieter voice broke in, trembling. "Please, just survive this. Don't let his obsession destroy you all."
The Federation tightened its grip. Athrun pressed Juno into a brutal duel, blades clashing as sparks lit the jungle canopy. Lockon's shells rained down, keeping Richter and Zhou Wei pinned. Amuro tore through the center, leaving wrecks in his wake.
By dusk, the base's defenses were shredded. Tanya's Gouf was battered, systems strained, but she fought on, teeth bared in defiance. Mila's Dom was scarred, Juno and Zhou Wei barely holding the line. Richter's comms flickered, his voice tight with panic.
"Commander—we're surrounded!"
Norris reappeared at her side, his Gouf scarred but unbroken. "Then we fight together."
On the command channel, Ginias shouted with renewed desperation. "The Apsalus is everything! Protect it, protect me!"
Aina's voice, softer but heavier, whispered, "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this."
The Federation encircled them fully now—Amuro's Gundam, Athrun's Ground Gundam, Lockon's Guncannon, and the swarm of GMs closing in. White Base loomed in the distance, guns still ready.
Tanya's HUD flashed red as warnings piled up. Yet she grinned, her voice hard as steel. "Cornered rats bite the hardest."
The GED squad tightened around her, battered but unyielding. Norris stood ready, blade raised. Ginias ranted, Aina trembled, and Federation firepower lit the horizon.
And still Tanya laughed under her breath, a cold grin cutting through the fear. "Let's see if gods are watching today."
The siege had reached its breaking point.