Although Luca's Boxer and the Solar Furnace-equipped Dark Goddess models (based on the Gundam Astraea) were formidable, they weren't inherently designed for single-stage-to-orbit flight.
Even in the original Gundam 00 universe, third-generation suits—more advanced than the Astraea—still relied on orbital elevators to reach space discreetly, with the exception of specialized units like the Gundam Kyrios with its Gust booster.
However, getting a Gundam into space wasn't exactly rocket science for Luca.
He could easily compress the mechs into cubes, stuff them into a conventional rocket, launch them, and deploy them once in orbit.
But that wasn't the point.
His goal was to grab the attention of the Skrulls—and every other major power on Earth. Since he wasn't actually building a "Psychic Detection Spire" on the ruins of New York, he decided to repurpose the site.
He took the schematics for Yuri's "Genetic Mutator" satellite launch platform, tweaked it into a massive electromagnetic mass driver capable of launching Gundams, and built it right out in the open.
No one knew what a real Psychic Detection Spire looked like anyway.
The distinct design served a dual purpose: it confused the Skrulls, ensuring they didn't connect this structure to the actual Psychic Detection Spires hidden away in Sokovia.
But I digress. Back to the action.
The massive structure on the ground split open, revealing two towering electromagnetic rails.
Red signal lights lit up in sequence from the base, ticking up like a countdown timer.
When the lights reached the top, the launch sequence entered its final phase.
Arcs of blue electricity crackled wildly, overflowing from the rails.
Underground, inside the Boxer Gundam—now encased in a streamlined launch shell—Luca slammed the throttle forward.
"Boxer, launching!"
HUMMM—!
A deafening electromagnetic hum resonated through the air.
propelled by both the mass driver's magnetic force and its own thrusters, the Boxer Gundam shot straight up like an arrow released from a bow.
As it reached a specific altitude, the booster rockets attached to the external shell ignited.
The blue GN particles, usually dispersed, were concentrated entirely within the thrusters.
With three stages of acceleration, the Boxer Gundam transformed into a streak of blue light, leaving the earth far behind in an instant.
On the ground, the various factions monitoring the situation were thrown into chaos once again.
No one understood what Luca Aurantius was doing. He had just used three mechs to effortlessly crush a military force that could have toppled most nations. Now, he was shooting something into the sky?
What was his endgame?
The Skrulls, already on edge after their failed assault, were even more panicked.
They suspected the Avengers' "Shapeshifter Detection Spire" was finally operational and that this launch was deploying the necessary satellite network.
But before anyone could formulate a theory—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three more massive sonic booms erupted from the mass driver in New York.
This time, as three streaks of red light pierced the sky, even the dimmest observer made the connection to the three black mechs from earlier.
"They're sending the mechs into space!"
"The Earthlings must have found our home base!!"
"Notify the Queen! Scramble fighters for interception! Do not let those mechs reach the station!!"
Panic erupted inside the Skrull space station.
Even though Nick Fury had spent a fortune helping them build this station—and it wasn't defenseless—no one believed their current weaponry could stand up to those three "Red and Black Demons."
However, the chaos and alarms within the station were music to the ears of Natasha and Bucky, who had just infiltrated. They realized Luca had made his move.
The confusion was the perfect cover for them to slip toward the prisoner holding area.
But let's leave Natasha and Bucky for a moment.
Back to the Boxer Gundam, rocketing into the void.
As it broke through the atmosphere and reached Low Earth Orbit, the temporary rocket armor shell disintegrated and fell away.
Inside the cockpit, Luca took a moment to admire the view of Earth from this angle. He calmed his racing heart, knowing there was no time to sightsee.
Once the three Dark Goddess units formed up on his wings, he pushed the throttle to max, heading straight for the Skrull space station.
I really need to get that Macross SDF-1 built soon.
Relying on Gundams for near-orbit skirmishes is fine, but if we end up in an interstellar war, I'm going to need a proper capital ship.
Luca had almost forgotten about the wrecked Dark Elf mothership he had in storage, mostly because he hadn't needed space capabilities until now.
But the research value and utility of the Dark Elf ship—and the SDF-1 Macross fortress he could synthesize from it—were immense. Even if he didn't fight space wars, just having the tech reserves would be worth it.
Plus, the Macross came with Variable Fighters (Valkyries) capable of single-stage-to-orbit flight. If he had those, he wouldn't have needed to build this mass driver in the first place.
While Luca's mind wandered through tech trees and future projects, his radar pinged.
As they approached the Skrull station, they detected the interception force.
Thanks to the GN particles' jamming capabilities, the four Gundams were practically invisible to Skrull sensors once they hit space. To the Skrulls, the mechs had simply vanished.
Luca's GN radar, however, locked onto the enemy immediately.
Looking at the screen, where the optical sensors magnified the enemy "fighters," Luca curled his lip in disgust.
"Nick Fury, you generous son of a bitch. I haven't even seen this many Quinjets on Earth!"
He signaled Shamila and the others to hold position.
Then, he sent a message to The Spot, instructing him to take Gwen, Banner, and the rest to rendezvous with Natasha inside the station.
Finally, with everything in place, Luca maneuvered his mech.
The Boxer Gundam raised its arms, mimicking the drawing of a bow. Luca smirked, whispering to himself:
"Alright then... it's time for..."
"Space Invaders: Whac-A-Mole Edition!"