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The battle continued, a chaotic dance of destruction painted across the backdrop of the void. Despite their early successes, the limitations of even the most advanced weaponry began to press upon the Antares pilots.
Inside the cockpit of the RX-78-4 Gundam Unit 4, Reika Fujimoto grimaced. "Mega Particle Cannon overheating, insufficient energy supply," she reported, her voice tight with frustration. The cannon, her Gundam's most devastating weapon, was now a useless piece of metal bolted to its shoulder.
In the RX-78-5, Sakura Fujimoto mirrored her sister's plight. "Gatling machine gun, zero bullets," she announced, her voice equally strained. The rapid-fire weapon that had shredded so many Pirate MS was now silent. Only their Beam Rifles remained, reliable but far less potent than their primary armaments.
The Fujimoto sisters' initial barrage had been nothing short of cataclysmic. Reika, in a mere two minutes, had unleashed three Mega Particle Cannon blasts, each one a searing wave of annihilation. The energy drain was immense, pushing the Gundam's systems to their limits. Sakura, meanwhile, had emptied her Gatling gun in the same timeframe, the weapon spitting out a relentless stream of solid rounds that tore through armor and ignited fuel tanks.
Though their "reckless" consumption had left them vulnerable, the damage they inflicted was staggering. Ten modified spacecraft, hulking behemoths of cobbled-together technology, had been reduced to drifting wreckage. Nearly two hundred MS, the mainstay of the Pirate fleet, had been vaporized or torn apart. Forty fighters, nimble but fragile, had been swatted from the sky like insects. The Fujimoto sisters had carved a swathe of destruction through the Pirate forces that would be remembered for a long time to come.
From his command center, Tarou Sayama surveyed the battlefield with growing desperation. The situation was spiraling out of control. He had to act, and fast. With a grim resolve, he made a difficult decision. He couldn't afford to send more troops to their deaths against the Gundams, but he couldn't afford to let them run rampant either.
"Redirect all available units to engage those two MS!" he ordered, his voice carrying a note of urgency. Tarou Sayama's redirection was not to send his subordinates to their deaths. The reason was that the Fujimoto sisters had already broken through the defense line. If other troops were not immediately deployed to defend, the enemy would use this to rush into their abandoned space transfer station. He needed to contain the breach in his defenses, to prevent the Antares forces from exploiting the opening and overrunning his base.
Inside the RX-78-4 Gundam Unit 4, Reika Fujimoto watched as the enemy began to shift their focus. "Damn it, the enemy is moving their troops!" she exclaimed, her hands flying across the controls. The pressure was mounting.
"Sis, you go back to the mothership to replenish energy first," Sakura instructed, her voice calm and focused despite the chaos around them. She knew that her sister's Mega Particle Cannon was essential to their continued success.
Reika glanced at the screen, checking the status of her Gundam. The Mega Particle Cannon had cooled down, but its energy reserves were critically low. It could fire, but the shot would be weak, almost useless. "Roger that," she replied, knowing that her sister was right.
"Sis, I'll connect the Mega Particle Cannon's power cable to your Gundam," Sakura offered, a plan forming in her mind. It was a risky maneuver, but it could give them the edge they needed.
With practiced precision, Sakura maneuvered the Ancestral Gundam Five alongside her sister's RX-78-4. The two Gundams, symbols of Federation might, were now linked by a single, fragile cable. Reika looked at the screen display; the Mega Particle Cannon showed it could fire. Sakura looked at the enemy in front of the screen.
A predatory grin spread across Reika's face. "Good night, babies," she purred, her finger hovering over the firing button. With a savage glee, she unleashed the Mega Particle Cannon, drawing power from her sister's Gundam to fuel the blast.
A searing wave of beam energy erupted from the cannon, tearing through the Pirate formation with devastating force. Over twenty MS were instantly vaporized, their armor offering no resistance to the concentrated beam. Three modified spacecraft, caught in the blast, exploded in spectacular fireballs, their wreckage scattering across the void.
At that moment, the internal communication channel in the Fujimoto sisters' cockpit rang, a video of Avina wearing a helmet popped up.
"You two sisters return to the mothership for resupply; leave this to me," Avina ordered, her voice confident and commanding. She was ready to take the lead.
"Understood," Reika and Sakura replied in unison, acknowledging the order. They trusted Avina's skill and knew that she would hold the line until they could return.
The Fujimoto sisters immediately piloted their Gundams back to the Albion, leaving Avina to face the brunt of the Pirate assault.
Avina, piloting Gundam Unit 6 (RX-78-6), surveyed the battlefield with a calculating gaze. Her Gundam was a versatile machine, bristling with weaponry. It had missile launchers on its wrists (4 rounds per wrist, 8 rounds total); it was equipped with two 300mm low-recoil cannons on its shoulders, held a shield in its left hand, a Beam Rifle in her right hand, and a rocket launcher placed on its lower back.
However, like the Fujimoto sisters, Avina was facing ammunition shortages. The wrist missile launchers had zero missiles. Her most effective anti-MS weapon was now useless. Avina looked at the two locked MS targets on the screen, pressed the firing button, and the two shoulder-mounted recoil cannons fired, forming two fireballs the moment they hit the targets. She would have to rely on her cannons and Beam Rifle to hold her own.
"Comrades whose units are damaged, return to the mothership immediately for repairs," Avina instructed her GM MS comrades in the same area, her voice calm and reassuring. She knew that they were outmatched, but their courage and sacrifice were vital to the mission.
Several GM MS with severed arms or legs immediately turned and limped back to the Albion, leaving Avina to face the onslaught.
"Come on, Pirates, no matter how many of you come, I will kill them all," Avina declared, her voice ringing with defiance. "As long as I have my Gundam Unit 6, I will never be defeated by you." From the start of the battle until now, she had already shot down 40 MS, three fighters, and one modified spacecraft from the Pirate Group. Her confidence was unwavering.
As time passed, Tarou Sayama watched the battle unfold, his anxiety growing with each passing moment. He had already lost over 400 MS, his fighters were almost completely wiped out, and over 20 modified spacecraft had been shot down.
Only ten minutes had passed since the battle began, yet he had suffered such immense losses. The enemy side had just received the results: not a single warship was shot down, and only three MS were lost. The disparity was staggering.
"Notify the Vice Captain and the others to return quickly," he ordered, his voice laced with desperation. He needed reinforcements, and he needed them now.
"Yes, Captain," the communications officer replied, relaying the order.
Meanwhile, in another sector of the battlefield, Pani piloted the Original Gundam with a ferocious intensity. She held a Beam Rifle in her left hand, firing precise shots that tore through enemy armor. In her right hand, she wielded a Beam Saber, its glowing blade a beacon of destruction. She engaged in close combat whenever an enemy approached, a whirlwind of motion and steel. The electromagnetic cannon on her shoulder had zero rounds, and the rocket launcher that was originally hanging at her waist was nowhere to be found after firing all its rockets.
Pani was piloting the Original Gundam, but where was Hayato?
Hayato was currently piloting another newly developed Gundam.
Pani, fueled by adrenaline and a burning desire to prove herself, pressed the attack. She piloted the Original Gundam and rushed below a modified spacecraft, firing several Beam Rifles. Intense explosions continuously occurred below the modified spacecraft, weakening its structure.
Several Pirate MS, seeing an opportunity, swarmed the Original Gundam, hoping to overwhelm it with numbers.
Pani, however, was ready. With lightning-fast reflexes, she pressed the pedal control stick, and the Original Gundam rapidly dashed towards a Pirate MS in front of it.
The MS Pilot of the Pirate MS, seeing the Gundam coming towards him, immediately switched to a melee weapon, a crude axe designed to cripple enemy machines.
But before he could switch weapons, he was directly cut in half at the waist. The Beam Saber, its blade burning hotter than the sun, sliced through the MS like butter. The cockpit, along with the pilot inside, was vaporized in an instant.
After the Original Gundam cut down an MS, it turned and fired several shots, directly blowing up the Pirate MS that were attacking it. Then it dashed upwards and blew up the control console of the modified spacecraft with another shot.
Pani looked at the radar display and found that a breach had been opened here. She immediately opened an internal communication line to contact Captain Feikesi of the Albion aircraft carrier, who was also the person in charge of this operation.
Captain Feikesi received Pani's report.
"All fleet captains, listen: order all suppression troops to infiltrate the enemy camp," he commanded, his voice decisive. He knew that Pani's actions had created a golden opportunity, and he intended to exploit it to the fullest.
The entire fleet launched small airships, all heading towards the breached defense line Pani had previously reported, to penetrate the Sea Wolf Pirates' abandoned space transfer station.
"Comrades, cover our brethren as they infiltrate the enemy camp," Pani issued instructions to her unit, her voice filled with pride. She had done her part, now it was up to them to secure the victory.
Pani looked at the screen display, and in her vicinity, there was another companion piloting a newly developed Gundam, and it was from a different series.
I didn't expect the GP series developed by the boss, the kid piloting the GP01 Gundam Zephyranthes, to be so powerful, she mused, impressed by the Gundam's performance.
The remote function on the screen captured the newly developed Gundam Orchid of the new series penetrating deep into the enemy lines, single-handedly unleashing a massacre.
The GP01 Zephyranthes Gundam (its appearance was the same as the GP01fb; under Ryuuichi's improvements, its data was 10% higher than the original, and it could be deployed in both space and gravity environments). It held a Beam Rifle in one hand and a Beam Saber in the other, with a laser cannon hanging at its lower back. Using its superb mobility, it jumped left and right like a rabbit, not only preventing the Pirate MS from locking on but also firing shots to shoot down enemies while moving rapidly. The pilot was weaving through the enemy formation with impossible grace, the GP01 Gundam a blur of motion and destruction.
The Zephyranthes Gundam had single-handedly shot down a total of 10 modified Pirate spacecraft, 100 MS, and 20 fighters. It was a one-machine army, a testament to Ryuuichi's genius and the skill of its pilot.
The battle had lasted over half an hour. Tarou Sayama's forehead was already sweating as he looked at the radar display. He only had over thirty modified spacecraft left, less than 500 MS remaining, and his fighters were confirmed to be completely wiped out. The situation was critical.
Tarou Sayama reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then looked at his slightly overweight body and realized he was sweating all over. Tarou Sayama knew he was nervous.
The Pirate Group he had taken over from his father had expanded considerably under his leadership, and he had never encountered anything like today. He was facing annihilation.
"Captain, the enemy has penetrated our camp. There are 60 small airships in total, all in these three locations," the announcer reported, his voice trembling with fear.
The announcer projected the image of the abandoned space transfer station in front of the Captain.
Tarou Sayama saw the three red dots and immediately mobilized the Pirates within the transfer station to meet them.
"Connect the camera feeds from these three locations to me," he ordered, needing to understand what was happening inside his base.
"What's going on? Where are the people?"
Tarou Sayama looked at the images from the three cameras, his eyes wide open in confusion, because the cameras only captured small airships and not a single person. The airships were empty, drifting aimlessly through the corridors of the station. It made no sense.
"Captain, the Vice Captain has returned with his troops," an announcer reported to the Captain, his voice tinged with excitement, looking at his instrument.
However, Tarou Sayama showed no excitement, nor did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Tarou Sayama immediately contacted the Vice Captain, telling him to recall the Pirate members responsible for the suppression battle to the abandoned space transfer station.
Tarou Sayama now felt a sense of unease, which he couldn't quite explain, more so about the abandoned space transfer station than the battle outside. Something was terribly wrong.
As the Vice Captain and his troops began their recall, a chilling realization dawned upon Tarou Sayama. The small airships… they weren't troop carriers. They were decoys. And if that was the case…
A wave of cold dread washed over him. He knew, with a sickening certainty, that the Antares Mercenary Group had something far more sinister planned for the abandoned space transfer station.
***
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