The dense Southeast Asian jungle pressed in from all sides, humidity thick enough to cling to armor and instruments. Athrun Zala's Ground Gundam crouched behind a shattered outpost, sensors flickering as he scanned the horizon. Smoke spiraled from destroyed Zaku units littering the perimeter. Every movement could reveal him; every beam blast could carve a new path of destruction through the dense trees.
Through the comm, chatter crackled with tension. The GED squad moved with coordinated aggression, their Dom units rising above the foliage like predatory birds. Mila's voice came sharp, clipped, authoritative. "Flank left! Trap him between our lines!"
Athrun's visor tracked the movements automatically, calculations running faster than he could consciously comprehend. He knew the Federation ace targeting the command unit and White Base couldn't be ignored, but first he had to deal with the immediate threat. The GED squad's elite could annihilate his support if left unchecked.
The ground trembled as a Dom slammed its massive thrusters into the muddy terrain, sending debris flying. Athrun shifted his Gundam's weight, pivoting with precision, using every sensor to predict the trajectory. Juno's Dom leaped forward, firing a volley of missiles. Athrun gritted his teeth and fired his beam rifle, intercepting three, while dodging the remaining salvo with a short, violent hop across broken earth.
"Nice shot!" Juno barked through comms, excitement mixing with irritation. "Thought you couldn't hit a moving target in this mud!"
Athrun smirked faintly, though his visor tracked Zhou Wei closing in from the other side. "You'll have to do better than that," he muttered, voice calm, almost eerily detached. Every movement from the GED squad, every missile launched, was a data point. He adjusted thrusters, calculated recoil, and countered with a rapid burst of beam fire, clipping Zhou Wei's Dom shoulder. Sparks erupted as the Dom twisted violently, forcing Zhou Wei to adjust mid-stride.
Mila's Dom altered its trajectory, realizing the corner Athrun had maneuvered them into was now shifting. "We need to split him up!" she ordered, signaling Zhou Wei and Juno. "Attack simultaneously, left and right! Don't give him breathing room!"
Athrun anticipated the maneuver before it happened. He activated the Ground Gundam's thruster-assisted knees, leaping over a fallen tree stump and landing behind Zhou Wei's Dom. With a precise beam saber strike, he cut into the Dom's left leg actuator, spinning it violently into the mud. Zhou Wei cursed, barely regaining balance.
Juno tried to close in from behind, but Athrun twisted and fired a side-mounted beam gun, forcing her to retreat slightly. Sparks flew as the Dom's armor absorbed some of the energy, but the momentum had shifted. Athrun's eyes narrowed; the battle was turning in small increments, favoring the one who could think faster than their enemy.
"Stay sharp, Juno! He's predicting us!" Mila warned through comms, voice tight with controlled anger. "He's not just fast; he's calculating!"
Athrun remembered the ZAFT drills, the long nights training with Orb's finest. The instincts honed there were carrying over perfectly. He could feel the subtle fluctuations in Dom movement, anticipate beam weapon cooldowns, and exploit their overconfidence.
Richter's Zaku II joined the fray, attempting a flanking maneuver from the southeast. Athrun's sensors picked him up, but the Zaku moved with a clumsy caution, unsure in the dense undergrowth. Athrun twisted, his beam saber slicing upward, cutting Richter's left arm unit. Sparks danced as Richter yelped, retreating back behind a tree trunk.
The GED squad adjusted formation, attempting to corral Athrun into a kill zone. Their coordination was nearly flawless, a testament to elite training, but Athrun had something they didn't: experience, instinct, and memories of battles from a world they could never know.
He recalled, fleetingly, a world of crimson-painted suits and the sound of sirens cutting through Antarctic storms. He didn't dwell; there was no time. Every second was life and death.
"Don't give him an opening!" Mila shouted, trying to regain the initiative. Her Dom surged forward, targeting the exposed thrusters of Athrun's Gundam. Beam fire carved the air, scattering leaves and splintering tree trunks.
Athrun's reflexes were a blur. He ducked, rolled, and fired his own weapon in controlled bursts, severing the targeting sensor on Mila's Dom. Sparks cascaded down its side as she cursed through comms, momentarily blinded to his movements.
"Still moving?" Athrun muttered under his breath, eyes scanning for Juno, who was preparing a rear assault. He angled the Ground Gundam, swinging the beam saber in a wide arc, forcing Juno to hesitate and retreat behind foliage.
The ground shuddered again as more Dom units approached. Athrun noted the pattern: the GED squad's elite aimed to neutralize him first to prevent support to the command unit. Their plan was logical, but predictable.
He ducked behind a collapsed communications tower, calculating trajectories. With a swift kick from the Gundam's leg actuator, he launched debris toward Zhou Wei's Dom, forcing a quick evasion and throwing off their synchronization.
Mila attempted another coordinated strike. "Now! Surround him!" she yelled, thinking their combined weight could crush him.
Athrun activated the Gundam's thruster packs, leaping high over the mud and fallen trees, slashing downward with the saber to strike at Zhou Wei's back actuator. The Dom twisted violently, sparks flying as systems overloaded. Zhou Wei groaned, struggling to regain control.
The battle intensified, mud and water spraying as each suit moved, dodged, and countered. Athrun felt the rhythm of combat, each movement an extension of himself. Every slash, block, and counter-strike was calculated to push the GED squad toward mistakes.
Juno's Dom lunged, trying to flank him from the left. Athrun twisted, beam saber slicing the thruster mechanism, forcing the Dom into a skid and crushing a tree in its path.
"Impossible…" Juno hissed, struggling to keep the Dom upright. "How can one pilot—"
Athrun's voice cut through comms calmly, almost politely. "Stop here, Federation ace."
Mila froze, recognizing the command tone. "Did he just…?!"
Athrun didn't wait. He pivoted, unleashing a rapid salvo from his arm-mounted beam guns, striking multiple targets simultaneously. The burst sent Juno tumbling into a mud bank. Sparks hissed as systems screamed under strain.
Richter attempted a desperate retreat, firing wildly, but Athrun's calculations predicted the trajectory. He twisted, firing a precise beam shot that cut Richter's Zaku II in the left shoulder joint. Richter howled, staggering back.
Mila's Dom tried a defensive maneuver, moving to shield her comrades. Athrun angled the Ground Gundam's thrusters to strike from above, swinging the beam saber with exacting force. Zhou Wei's Dom took the brunt, leaving her leg and left arm heavily damaged.
The GED squad's coordination faltered under the relentless precision of Athrun's assault. Panic and frustration crept into their comm chatter.
"You're… you're not just fast!" Mila exclaimed, voice tight. "You're predicting everything we do!"
Athrun's focus remained steady. "Experience," he replied simply, voice low and calm. "And preparation. You'll find limits in every tactic if you can anticipate them."
He recalled something deeper, memories from another world—the friends, the battles, the countless drills in the ZAFT forces. He felt the Coordinator energy coursing through him, enhancing reflexes and cognition. This battle wasn't just physical; it was instinct, intuition, and the echo of skills carried from another life.
Juno groaned as her Dom twisted in the mud, systems flickering. "He's… stronger than anything we've trained for…"
Athrun pressed the advantage. He leaped, pivoted, and delivered precise strikes to Zhou Wei and Juno, ensuring their units were incapacitated but not destroyed. His respect for their skill tempered his ferocity; he didn't need unnecessary death.
Richter's Zaku was limping, systems failing. He made a final desperate maneuver, only to be intercepted by Athrun's thruster-assisted swing. The beam saber tore through a leg actuator, forcing Richter to retreat entirely.
Mila, realizing the fight was slipping, ordered a withdrawal. "Pull back! We can't beat him head-on!"
Athrun allowed them to retreat, eyes never leaving their path. He tracked their exit, ensuring they wouldn't regroup immediately.
The Ground Gundam, however, had sustained serious damage. The right leg actuator was heavily compromised; the left arm barely functioned after the cumulative strikes. Athrun swore under his breath, assessing systems. He wouldn't be able to continue this pace for much longer.
Still, he stood tall amidst the mud, sweat, and smoke, proud of the small victory. The GED squad had been forced to retreat, their elite formation broken. Athrun had neutralized the immediate threat to the command unit without assistance, relying purely on skill, instinct, and the unspoken aid of his Coordinator abilities.
His mind drifted briefly to thoughts of the world he had left behind, friends who were waiting, and the people who believed in him. That memory, that hope, had carried him through each attack and counter-attack, each precise strike, and every defensive maneuver.
He lowered the beam saber, systems groaning. The battlefield was littered with destroyed and damaged Dom units, scattered Zaku II, and splintered foliage. Athrun's chest rose with steady breaths, though exhaustion tinged every movement.
"This is only the beginning," he murmured, voice low. "There's more to come, but… I've held the line."
The GED squad had retreated, but their comm chatter carried frustration and disbelief. Athrun knew they would regroup, learn from this engagement, and return in force.
He glanced at the horizon, sensing the distant movements of Federation forces moving toward the command unit and White Base. His mind calculated scenarios, predicting the paths they might take. The battle was far from over.
Mud, smoke, and the metallic scent of scorched Dom units filled the air. Athrun activated auxiliary systems to stabilize the Ground Gundam, readying for the next engagement even with compromised mobility.
His thoughts returned briefly to the ZAFT cadets he had trained with, the lessons learned, and the instincts honed. All of it had led to this moment, facing elite Federation forces in an unfamiliar world, using nothing but skill, experience, and the faint echo of Coordinator gifts.
The GED squad's retreating forms disappeared into the jungle, leaving behind the chaos of battle. Athrun surveyed the damage, making mental notes for repairs and upgrades.
Even in this strange world, his instincts remained sharp. He would survive. He would protect the command unit. And he would ensure that every enemy who underestimated him learned the cost of such arrogance.
The Ground Gundam, battered but still functional, stood ready. Athrun Zala's eyes scanned the horizon, unyielding. He would be ready when the GED squad returned, and he would fight again—better, faster, stronger.