The final showdown with the Desert Tiger was underway.
Our main fighting force consisted of the Blitz, the Strike, and the Archangel itself. The Skygrasper, equipped with the Launcher Striker pack, packed enough firepower to rival a mobile suit. As for the Desert Dawn... well, as Mu had noted before the sortie, they weren't exactly a combat asset. Though, to be fair, they were serving their purpose as a distraction.
Opposing us were the ZAFT forces: six remaining BuCUEs (excluding the one I'd already downed), the Lesseps, the artillery-use ZuOOTs deployed on its deck, and the units that had yet to launch—Waltfeld's custom LAGOW, the Duel, and the Buster.
And then there was the ambush unit—the land battleship lying in wait.
"Whoops!"
Three BuCUEs encircled me, unleashing a barrage of missiles and railgun fire. I glanced toward the Strike and saw Kira locked in a fierce melee with three BuCUEs of his own.
I sprayed bullets from my assault machine gun—a weapon I'd scavenged from a GINN back in space—to intercept the swarm of missiles closing in on me. As for the railgun rounds, I kept the Blitz in constant, erratic motion to minimize direct hits. Phase Shift Armor or not, taking too many impacts would drain my battery dry. I needed to thin their numbers fast. Fortunately, only one of the three carried a railgun.
My machine gun fire detonated the missiles in mid-air, shrouding the area in black smoke. Seizing the moment, I spoke the command.
"[Accelerate]."
Triggering the Spirit Command, I felt the surge in speed. I closed the distance to the railgun-equipped BuCUE in an instant. The pilot tried to backpedal in panic.
Too slow!
"I'm not letting you go!"
I fired the Gleipnir anchor from my left arm. The claw clamped onto the machine's neck, and I yanked it toward me with brute force. The BuCUE tried to dig its four limbs into the sand to resist, but once stopped, it was nothing more than a stationary target.
"Drop!"
I pulled the trigger of the beam rifle built into the Trikeros shield. The beam tore through the BuCUE from the front, causing it to explode and scattering its debris across the dunes.
Retracting the Gleipnir, I turned my sights on the remaining two.
For a split second, they seemed to hesitate. Maybe it was fear, or maybe I was just imagining things. Regardless, I saw an opening. I sprayed the sand with the machine gun, kicking up a massive dust cloud to blind them. Simultaneously, I dropped the Phase Shift Armor and activated the Mirage Colloid.
I charged straight toward the BuCUE on the right.
In space, the Mirage Colloid offered perfect stealth. Here on Earth, the atmosphere meant I couldn't mask the sound of my movement. But in this chaotic melee, the distinct sound of the Blitz was hard to isolate. Besides, simply vanishing from their visual sensors for a split second was all the advantage I needed.
"Haaah!"
I slipped right next to the confused BuCUE, deactivated the Colloid, and re-engaged the Phase Shift. In the same motion, I ignited the Trikeros's beam saber and cleaved the machine vertically in two.
As the missiles on its back detonated from the saber strike, I pointed the Trikeros at the final BuCUE and fired three Lancer Darts. Propelled by rockets, the spears flew true—piercing the right leg, the head, and finally driving diagonally through the torso. The darts exploded internally, blasting the mobile suit into shrapnel.
"Phew... that's one group down. How's Kira doing?"
I looked over to the Strike just in time to see it kick a BuCUE's head off, then shoot the missile pod off another's back as they passed each other.
Kira didn't need my help. That left...
The Archangel was trading heavy fire with the Lesseps. If the plot followed the original canon, a land battleship should be hiding behind them as an ambush unit. I'd better take care of that first.
I fired my thrusters to streak past the Archangel, but before I could clear it, a comms channel opened.
"Axel, what are you doing?"
"Given the terrain and the fact that we're up against the Desert Tiger, there's likely an ambush waiting behind the Archangel. I'm going to confirm and, if possible, destroy it."
"Wait, Axel Almar. Do you have proof? In our current situation—ugh, Gottfried, Helldart, fire!!"
Natarle's voice cut in, trying to maintain command despite the visible strain on her face.
"Look, we're barely holding even as it is. We've taken out most of the BuCUEs, but they still have reserves. If the Blitz leaves the line now..."
Natarle tried to argue, but my monitor had already picked it up—a land battleship emerging from the shadow of the rocky cliffs. Several missiles launched immediately.
"Not on my watch!"
I reflexively sprayed machine gun fire, intercepting the missiles mid-air. The warheads meant for the Archangel detonated harmlessly in the sky.
"See? That's why."
"Tch... understood. Captain!"
"Yes, take care of the battleship in the rear!"
"Roger that."
Giving a short reply to Murrue and Natarle, I shot past the Archangel. A quick glance backward revealed a large, orange machine—the LAGOW—trading fire with the Strike.
"I won't let you!"
I used my beam saber to slice through a shell fired from the land battleship, protecting the Archangel as I closed in on the enemy vessel.
Several ZuOOTs were stationed on the battleship's deck, acting as fixed turrets.
"[Accelerate], [Focus]."
With the effects of the Spirit Commands boosting my speed and concentration, the sluggish ZuOOTs didn't stand a chance of hitting me. Their shells hit nothing but sand.
"Disappear!"
Capitalizing on my speed, I flashed past a ZuOOT, bisecting it with the Trikeros saber.
"You too!"
I fired my beam rifle at a second ZuOOT that couldn't track my movement, blowing it apart.
"Next!"
I fired the Gleipnir. With the claw closed, I drove the sharp tip straight into the cockpit of a third machine like a pile bunker.
"Whoa!"
The remaining ZuOOT and the battleship's main turrets focused their fire on me, sensing the threat I posed. Combat helicopters swarmed, trying to pin me down with machine gun fire.
But with [Focus] active, evading them was child's play. I pulsed my thrusters in small bursts, dancing through the hail of lead. Dodge, dodge, approach... As I flew directly over the final ZuOOT, I fired a single beam shot down into its head. It exploded.
Still...
"If only the machine's response time was a little faster."
Even with Kira's adjustments, the Blitz struggled to keep up with my reaction speed. I couldn't complain too much; he had tuned the OS to the absolute limit. This sluggishness was simply the mechanical ceiling of the hardware. It was better to have a slightly slow machine than one where the OS crashed from overload.
Venting my frustration on the enemy, I shot down the hovering helicopters with the rifle and swatted others out of the sky with the Gleipnir. I then pumped five beam shots directly into the land battleship's bridge.
The massive vessel ground to a halt.
"That takes care of the ship."
As I muttered to myself, the Skygrasper entered my field of view.
"Axel! I came to... help, but looks like you didn't need it."
"Yeah. I'm good here. Go support the Archangel. The Lesseps is still... actually, never mind."
I looked over just in time to see the Archangel's Gottfried beams tear through the Lesseps and the ZuOOTs caught in the line of fire. Immediately after, the Valiant linear cannons drove their rounds into the now-crippled landship.
Elsewhere, the Duel and Buster—likely having jumped off the Lesseps—were bogged down in the sand, unable to move effectively. The Desert Dawn's technicals were circling them, taking potshots at the stranded Gundams. It was almost pitiable.
"...We won."
I kicked off the wreck of the land battleship, using the momentum to drift back toward the Archangel. The Strike and LAGOW were still fighting, but my energy was critically low. If I tried to intervene now, I'd likely just get in the way—or worse, create an opening for the enemy to exploit.
"Axel, what's the plan?"
Mu asked from the Skygrasper flying alongside me.
"For now, the Blitz is out of energy..."
As I said it, the Phase Shift Armor deactivated, and the Blitz's colors faded to dull gray.
"As you can see, I'm dry. Fighting like this would just get the machine wrecked. I should head back. The battle is decided anyway."
The Lesseps was evacuating its crew in a flood of vehicles. The Duel and Buster were retreating, their movements a clumsy series of jumps and landings that could only be described as pathetic.
And then...
"So ends the Desert Tiger."
In the distance, the LAGOW lay ruined in the sand, its head pierced by the Armor Schneiders of the Strike—which had also turned gray from energy depletion.
"Bridge, do you read?"
"Axel-san, what is it?"
It wasn't Murrue who answered, but Miriallia. I felt a twinge of disappointment, but since MS traffic control was her job, I couldn't exactly complain.
"The Blitz is out of power. The fighting seems to be over, so request permission to return to ship."
"Please wait a moment... Yes. Permission granted. Axel-san, please land."
"Roger. Good work."
"No, good work to you too, Axel-san."
I cut the comms and brought the Blitz into the Archangel's hangar. As I landed, I noticed something.
Skygrasper Unit 2 was sitting right there.
"...Ah, I see."
Because the Archangel hadn't been ambushed from behind, it hadn't been forced into a crash landing. Consequently, the chaotic situation that led to Cagalli hopping into the Skygrasper never happened.
...I really wrecked the original plot here, didn't I?
With a wry smile, I followed the mechanics' signals and moved the Blitz into its bay.
Name: Axel Almar
Level: 36
PP: 600
Melee: 250
Shooting: 268
Technique: 260
Defense: 257
Evasion: 285
Accuracy: 307
SP: 430
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Increases unit performance by consuming SP)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
Terrain Ratings: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: B | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate (SP 4)
Gain (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Zeal (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recover & Focus)
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Limit Break (Will)
Geass (Gray)
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Shot Down Count: 275
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