Chapter 19: SEED – Flames of War
Tolle Koenig knew that directly ahead of the Archangel, Athrun Zala was rushing over in the Aegis Gundam.
Behind them were the Duel, Buster, and Blitz. The Archangel was now completely surrounded by the ZAFT's stolen Gundams.
Tolle Koenig kept grumbling inwardly:
[Man, the Earth Alliance Forces in this world really have a knack for digging their own graves. Then again, in every Gundam universe, there's never a military branch that doesn't ask for trouble. Isn't it nice to just quietly build your Gundam on your own turf? Nope—every time they have to go outside their own territory to build it, and nine times out of ten it gets stolen. Sure, that's the writer's fault, but if Gundam worlds actually exist, then the writer's nothing more than a TV antenna—just there to pick up the signal and turn it into an anime. There's no way the "creator god" is actually some shut-in otaku who decided to materialize his favorite worlds. But if that is the case, then give me a whole stack of those creator gods. Then I could hop around all sorts of anime worlds. Hehehe.]
Kira Yamato, piloting the Strike Gundam, soon encountered Athrun Zala's Aegis Gundam head-on in front of the Archangel.
At the rear, the Duel, Buster, and Blitz spread out, preparing to encircle and close in on the Archangel.
"Begin counterattack! CIC, what are you doing?!" Murrue Ramius shouted.
Natarle Badgiruel glanced anxiously at Murrue, then immediately barked orders:
"Target on radar, understood? Missile tubes 13 to 18—load large-scale missiles—fire!"
After a brief pause, Natarle continued:
"Missile tubes 7 to 12—reload.
Missile tubes 19 to 24—large-scale missiles—fire!"
Twelve large stern-mounted missiles from one side of the Archangel roared toward the Duel, Buster, and Blitz behind them.
But the three Gundams were not to be outdone, shooting down the incoming missiles one after another, continuing to close in fast.
Up front, the Strike and Aegis wove around each other in high-speed passes.
Had Tolle Koenig seen this scene, he would have known that "Chicken" and "Wolf" were definitely in the middle of a heated war of words.
Before long, the Duel pulled away from the Archangel to assist Athrun Zala, preparing to attack the Strike.
The Buster and Blitz kept up their fierce assault on the Archangel.
The Archangel, as if money were no object, fired defensive anti-air missiles nonstop, occasionally launching high-energy beam cannons and linear cannons as well.
A blast from the Buster's anti-armor shotgun detonated a large number of defensive missiles.
The Blitz, with pinpoint shots from its beam rifle, destroyed missiles one by one as it closed in.
The Archangel had no choice but to fully unleash its automated Vulcan anti-air system, the ammo stock dropping rapidly.
Forced back by the dense Vulcan fire, the Blitz had to retreat temporarily to avoid the barrage.
The Buster also found itself unable to break through the Archangel's defensive web, forced to attack from a distance with its ultra-high-impulse long-range sniper rifle.
A narrow beam lanced toward the Archangel's bridge.
"Evasive maneuvers! Now!" Murrue commanded, and the helmsman promptly steered clear, dodging the shot.
Seeing the Archangel under siege by the Buster and Blitz, Kira wanted to break away and return to defend it.
But Athrun in the Aegis blocked his path, forcing the Strike back in the opposite direction.
The Aegis pressed relentlessly, and the Strike could only keep falling back.
At that moment, the Duel arrived and opened fire with its beam rifle in rapid succession.
With the Aegis and Duel attacking from both sides, the Strike was in a perilous situation.
Inside the cockpit, Kira was tense and sweating, barely managing to raise his shield in defense, occasionally firing a few return shots at the Duel.
The Archangel's own situation wasn't looking much better. The Buster and Blitz were closing in step by step.
"Evasive action—maximum acceleration!" Murrue ordered.
"Deploy anti-beam chaff!" Natarle followed up.
The chaff burst, scattering reflective particles around the Archangel.
"Gunners, set all automated Vulcans and anti-air missile systems to auto-fire—don't let them near the ship!" Natarle commanded.
The Blitz and Buster were both struck repeatedly by the dense fire; if not for their tough Phase-Shift armor, they'd have been destroyed.
Ignoring the Archangel's fire, the Buster kept blasting away with its beam rifle, solid rounds, and micro-missiles.
But the beam shots were blocked by the chaff screen, and the solid rounds and micro-missiles were intercepted by the Vulcans and missiles.
Still, the shockwaves from missile explosions shook the Archangel hard, the tremors reaching inside.
Finally, under the Buster's fierce assault, one beam shot struck the Archangel's hull.
It didn't pierce the armor, but the impact sent powerful vibrations through the ship, leaving Tolle Koenig numb all over.
The refugees aboard were thrown off balance, stumbling and falling.
Seeing the siege dragging on, Nicol Amalfi in the Blitz decided to change tactics, diving beneath the Archangel to attack the weaker underbelly.
"Enemy MS moving to our underside!" the radar operator warned.
Natarle reacted instantly: "Activate underside Vulcans—engage!"
"Use single linear cannon—down left thirty, starboard twenty!" Murrue added.
The Archangel rolled hard, constantly shifting its defensive angles.
Inside, the refugees were once again thrown into disarray by the sudden maneuvers.
At the same time, the Archangel opened fire with its dual high-energy beam cannons, blasting at both the Buster and the Blitz.
Faced with the incoming attacks, both Gundams had to break off their offensives and dodge frantically.
Meanwhile, the Strike's situation was growing more desperate, dodging continuously under the Duel and Aegis's crossfire.
The Duel kept doggedly pursuing, blasting away with its beam rifle.
Seeing the Strike in such a pitiful state, the Aegis eased up on its own attacks, watching from the side as the Duel chased it down.