"Don't push yourself too hard this time. Just coordinate with me and the Archangel to defend the battleship."
Lu Tianming was waiting for the sortie order and the pre-battle adjustments for the Strike Suit... when suddenly Mu's voice came through the communication channel.
The Moebius Zero had now been fully repaired, and Mu planned to sortie as well this time.
He did feel rather guilty about having Lu Tianming fight alone for so long previously... If he didn't join the fight this time, he'd feel like he wasn't pulling his weight.
"What's the enemy's current situation?"
Lu Tianming nodded while coordinating with the hangar for sortie preparations, simultaneously asking Mu about the battle conditions.
"Only one Laurasia-class has been spotted, deploying what appears to be three units: Duel, Aegis, and Blitz. They're not attacking directly but are conducting diversionary harassment, seemingly trying to lure you out of the ship."
"The Nazca-class is currently nowhere to be seen, which is why I'm telling you not to venture too far from the battleship."
Mu's tone was serious. If both enemy ships appeared simultaneously, they wouldn't be too concerned.
It was precisely the sudden disappearance of the Nazca-class that put everyone on alert... worried that if they advanced too aggressively, it could leave their rear defenses vulnerable, giving the high-speed Nazca-class battleship an opportunity to strike.
"So the missing ones are the Nazca-class and the Blitz..."
Hearing this news, two thoughts immediately flashed through Lu Tianming's mind.
"When you sortie, don't get distracted by their harassment... just focus on buying time. Once the Archangel's Positron Cannon accumulates sufficient energy, it will fire directly at the Laurasia-class to create an opportunity."
Mu continued explaining the battle strategy previously discussed on the bridge. After a moment of silence, Lu Tianming suddenly countered.
"I think applying counter-pressure would be better."
"Hmm?"
Hearing that Lu Tianming had his own idea, Mu's first reaction wasn't to demand strict obedience to orders, but rather to hear what 'brilliant suggestion' he had to offer.
After all, when it came to MS combat, Lu Tianming currently held the most authority.
"I'll try to draw the main battle line away from the Archangel. You provide mid-range support, Mr. Mu... creating the illusion that the Archangel is undefended, while having the Archangel prepare in advance."
"If the Blitz and Nazca-class are nearby, the Blitz with its Mirage Colloid System will inevitably attempt a sneak attack... At that point, with your coordination and the Archangel's firepower network encircling them, even if we can't destroy it, we can certainly leave a psychological impact on that guy."
"Excellent strategy! I'll report this to the Archangel immediately!"
Mu was momentarily stunned, realizing that Lu Tianming's idea was actually quite feasible, and directly relayed the plan.
Lu Tianming nodded... The Strike Suit was now being transferred to the catapult deck. He took a deep breath, pulling himself away from the previous conversation. His eyes briefly glanced toward the hangar floor, where Kira and the crew members were praying just as before, and he took another deep breath.
"Fighting three Gundams this time... I'm actually feeling a bit nervous."
Though he smiled wryly as he spoke, his hands habitually gripped the control sticks, and his tone showed no trace of complaint or fear.
Perhaps hearing the lack of confidence in Lu Tianming's voice, Xia Chuan's voice immediately sounded in Lu Tianming's ears again.
"No worries bro, I've got your back, no need to hold back!"
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"Ugh, can't we just blow this thing to smithereens in one go? Testing the waters bit by bit is such a drag."
In the vastness of space, Dearka grumbled as he rhythmically aimed and fired Blitz's cannons at the Archangel.
It wasn't that he didn't want to target the Archangel's bridge directly... For one, the enemy's sensors were sharp—if he got too close, they'd likely detect him.
And secondly... It was Captain Creuset's order.
"No helping it, Dearka. Captain Creuset made it clear—the Archangel can sink, but the Strike Suit must be retrieved, even if it's just the cockpit."
Athrun shook his head helplessly. Ever since Creuset witnessed the Strike Suit's performance last time... he seemed to have developed a peculiar obsession with it.
As if he saw some... strange hope in that machine.
"Well, it's no surprise. That thing is seriously insane. From every angle, it's like it's from a different era compared to ours, right?"
Dearka wore an expression of resignation. He'd seen the combat footage of the Strike Suit before... and now, after testing his own Blitz, the gap in performance was glaringly obvious.
Though Blitz handled far better than ZAFT's GINN, no matter what... it couldn't match the fluidity of the Strike Suit in the recordings.
And what's more... the pilot of that Strike Suit was a Natural.
Now that's truly terrifying, isn't it?
"Focus! Enemy approaching!"
Yzak's sharp voice cut through the comms channel, snapping Athrun and Dearka to attention.
From the Archangel, a white mobile suit with a crimson backpack shot out like a meteor, heading straight for them.
"So that's the famous Strike Suit. Let's see what it's really made of..."
Watching the Strike Suit charge with its sword drawn, Yzak smirked, preparing to fall back and fire, coordinating with Aegis and Blitz to intercept and flank.
But that's when things went wrong.
"The fire control system can't get a lock?!"
To be precise, it wasn't impossible to aim... but it was incredibly difficult. There was always a half-second positional lag between the crosshairs and the Strike Suit's frame. Firing already required leading the target... now it was even harder to aim.
It wasn't just Yzak having issues—Dearka, ready for long-range artillery support, and Athrun, poised to block escape routes, both realized simultaneously that their fire control systems were malfunctioning?!
"...What kind of jamming tech is this guy using?!"
Yzak clicked his tongue in annoyance. He'd encountered situations like this before... but never in mobile suit combat.
...After all, before the Strike Suit appeared, ZAFT didn't have any MS that could put up a real fight.
The fire control system glitch wasn't a huge problem—they could always switch to manual aiming.
The real impact was the split-second of shock-induced delay. All three of them—Yzak, Athrun, and Dearka—missed their best window to attack, allowing the Strike Suit to breach their safe zone!
"Alright! Looks like this gamble paid off!"
Dodging a few manually aimed shots from Blitz and Duel, Xia Chuan closed in on Duel. In a flash of crimson light, he thrust his Beam Saber directly at the mobile suit!
"Damn it! How many tricks does this thing have up its sleeve!"
Yzak gritted his teeth as he manipulated the Duel to block with its shield. In their first clash, he hadn't yet grasped how powerful the Strike Suit's performance was... but he immediately experienced just how insidious the Strike Suit's equipment could be!