Chapter 73: SEED – Landing Operation II
Nicol Amalfi looked at the battlefield, and the scene unfolding before him was almost identical to the memory image Tolle Koenig had shown him.
With unease weighing heavily on him, he watched the Eighth Fleet's defeat. His heart ached, yet he could not disobey military orders.
He only targeted the battleships' main guns and the Moebius' thrusters, doing his best to minimize the killing.
Inside the Archangel's hangar, Mu La Flaga switched on the communicator and spoke to Murrue Ramius.
"Hey! Why are you keeping me on standby? Even if it's just the Eighth Fleet, facing those four Gundams at the same time is way too dangerous!"
Fuming, he continued,
"Sure, adding just one more unit doesn't make much difference, but to just sit here in the ship like this…"
Murrue Ramius cut him off.
"This ship hasn't received deployment orders yet. Please wait a little longer."
"But—" Mu La Flaga hadn't finished before Murrue disconnected the call and turned to the communications officer.
"Connect me to the Menelaos."
The comms officer quickly established the link. Murrue addressed Admiral Halberton.
"Admiral Halberton, our ship requests permission to break formation and enter the descent corridor."
At those words, everyone around her was shocked, thinking she was about to flee.
Murrue pressed on.
"The enemy's target is this ship. If we don't separate from the fleet, the Eighth Fleet will be annihilated.
Landing directly in Alaska may be difficult now, but from this position, we can guide our descent into Earth Federation-controlled territory.
As long as we hold until the critical point, we'll be able to shake off the Ginns and ZAFT warships."
Halberton fell silent, deep in thought. As yet another Eighth Fleet warship was destroyed, he sighed in resignation.
"You're still as reckless as ever, Murrue Ramius."
"Well, like commander, like subordinate."
Halberton issued his command.
"Very well. Archangel, prepare for descent immediately. I'll escort you to the critical point. Not a single wolf will get past me."
The battle raged on. Another Ginn was blown apart by an Eighth Fleet battleship's main cannon.
But the Eighth Fleet was faring no better—within the few dozen seconds of their exchange, three more battleships and a large number of Moebius units had been destroyed.
One battleship even went down after being pierced by debris from a nearby exploding Moebius, triggering its own detonation.
And the losses kept climbing. On the battlefield, three of the Gundams continued pounding the Eighth Fleet's ships.
Only the Blitz Gundam remained evasive, dodging fire from battleships and Moebius alike, taking several hits from beam cannons and missiles.
If not for the Phase Shift armor, the Blitz would have been destroyed many times over.
Nicol Amalfi felt powerless, praying silently for the war to end soon. He hoped Tolle Koenig could quickly fulfill their promise and bring about a better ending for this world.
Meanwhile, alarms blared aboard the Archangel: "All hands, prepare! This vessel is about to enter the atmosphere!"
On the bridge, Murrue issued commands.
"Reconfirm descent program. Test the ablative spray ports."
Kuzzey Buskirk followed the procedures and reported,
"Descent program check complete. Systems all green."
Sai Argyle added, "Orbital correction complete. Entry angle six."
Murrue then addressed Admiral Halberton through the communicator.
"Admiral, Archangel is ready."
"Good. Archangel, commence descent."
Breaking away from the Eighth Fleet's formation, the Archangel headed straight for Earth, preparing for atmospheric entry.
In the hangar, Mu La Flaga muttered irritably to Sergeant Marco.
"We're really going down to Earth? In the middle of this mess?"
Marco sighed helplessly.
"Complaining to me won't help. Besides, this is better than dragging it out endlessly, right?"
"Well, maybe, but…"
Just then, Kira Yamato rushed in, calling out to Mu La Flaga.
"Even if we shake off ZAFT's ships and the Ginns, the real problem is still those four Gundams."
Both Marco and Mu La Flaga stared in shock. They thought Kira had already left the Archangel, yet here he was again.
Kira, fired up with determination, continued,
"I'll be on standby in the Strike Gundam. It should still be at first combat readiness."
Marco turned to Mu in surprise.
"That kid—didn't he already disembark?"
Mu, his expression grim, looked at Kira climbing into the Strike. He spoke quietly to Marco.
"Starting a battlefield life at such a young age… Kira's future is going to be hard.
It's our shame as adults, having to rely on someone so young to protect us."
Meanwhile, aboard the Menelaos, Admiral Halberton broadcast to the entire Eighth Fleet.
"This is the Menelaos to all Eighth Fleet vessels!
This is Halberton. From now, our fleet will cover the Archangel until it reaches the atmospheric entry point.
This will be a tough fight, but since it concerns the course of the entire war, we cannot afford to lose that ship.
Reform the line! Show the spirit of the Eighth Fleet—we won't let a single enemy craft slip past our defense.
Let them see the power of the Earth Federation forces!"
ZAFT forces quickly noticed the Archangel breaking away from the Eighth Fleet, preparing for descent to Earth.
They accelerated their advance. The Aegis, Duel, Buster, and Blitz all headed directly for the Archangel.
Even the three ZAFT warships that had been shelling the Eighth Fleet from long range now moved to intercept.
The remaining eight Ginns stayed behind to continue harassing the fleet and its Moebius units.
The Eighth Fleet's ships concentrated their firepower into a single line of defense. Ignoring the Ginns' harassment, they turned all guns on the four Gundams approaching the Archangel, unleashing waves of beam fire and missiles.
Only the surviving Moebius units were tasked with continuing to hold off the Ginns.
Under relentless Ginn fire, more warships and Moebius units of the Eighth Fleet were destroyed. The battle was brutal.
Aboard the Archangel, announcements continued to echo.
"Descent Corridor, Phase One! Seven minutes until atmospheric entry point!"
Kira Yamato and Mu La Flaga waited anxiously inside their mobile suits, ready to sortie at a moment's notice.
The Archangel's radar lit up with an ever-growing number of hostile contacts. ZAFT's ships and suits pressed closer and closer toward their position.
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