Gundam, but from the Ground Alliance to the Human Alliance to the out-of-control servitor

"Commander, you..."

Cunningham just waved his hand, still staring at the information display screen with a serious face, watching the densely packed small red dots representing missiles and mobile suits approaching the federal fleet.

A positive breakthrough?No, we definitely can’t do it with the existing combat power; turn to evacuation again?No way, he will be overtaken, and his morale may not be able to hold on; Cunningham bit his thumb, using the pain to keep himself awake, his brain was running wildly, how did the federal fleet get to this point? In this situation?

The fundamental reason is that in the meter particle interference environment, the combat efficiency of the warships designed by the Federation for long-distance bombardment is not high enough. In terms of attack capabilities, it is limited by the low hit rate and cannot quickly annihilate the Zeon warships that attract firepower. In terms of maneuverability, It cannot catch up to Zeon's mobile suit mothership, and its defense capabilities cannot stop this extremely large number of mobile suits from approaching and firing nuclear rockets.

How can we use tactics to make up for such a gap in actual combat power?

The first missile that broke through the interception hit the missile launch tube between the two turrets on the upper part of the Marco Polo's hull. However, the missiles it carried had already been fired, and only the grid structure of the launch array was left to disperse the hit missiles as much as possible. The impact of the explosion.

The second missile hit the protruding observation bridge on the starboard side of Marco Polo, which is not important here either.

The third missile hit Marco Polo's port side and destroyed several close-in defense guns.

Damn it, Marco Polo watched helplessly as the missile, which seemed to have been unlocked and was about to fly directly past him, suddenly turned around at the last moment, hit, and exploded, sweeping away the two remaining close-in defense guns on the port side.

After this wave of missile attacks, the remaining combat power of the federal fleet further declined.

After the fire and smoke of the explosion dissipated, Marco Polo stared at the large number of Zaku that were coming. The word "send" slowly appeared in her memory. The Zaku that Zeon invested in this battle were much bigger than she expected. There are many more, and the total number may exceed two thousand.

However, at this moment, the Zeon fleet blocking the front of the Federation fleet suddenly fired several flares. Marco Polo did not know what it meant, but she found that most of the incoming Zaku began to turn around and fly back to Zeon. fleet.

"Boys, it seems that the big-brimmed hats who usually fly battleships arrogantly need our aviation team to help them!" Major Franklin Noportny, commander of the 17th Carrier Air Wing of the Federal Space Force shouted excitedly in the communication channel.

On the other side of the Zeon fleet, more than 600 Swordfish fighter jets from the Federation rearguard fleet had finally arrived at the edge of the battlefield, approaching menacingly.

-

At the same time, in a corner far away from the battlefield.

"Ha, isn't this the body of Second Lieutenant Matsunaga? Let's go over and see what the results of this semi-monastic boy are." Zaku, who was returning, fine-tuned the nozzle of the main thruster and moved closer to the friendly aircraft on the other side.

"How's your harvest going? Our team sank two federal cruisers!" A veteran from the mobile suit training group mocked in the short-distance communication, facing this man who had never been to a military school and had even joined the army less than a month ago. said the second lieutenant.

"Ha," before Matsunaga could speak, his wingman yelled on the channel, "Only two ships? We, the second lieutenant alone, sank 1 federal battleship and 3 cruisers!"

"what…"

Second Lieutenant Matsunaga curled his lips in disdain and interrupted the meaningless comparison of military exploits in his eyes. "Sergeant, where are you flying? Aren't you going back to the mothership?"

"Well, you... lieutenant, Lord Dozuru's fleet has suffered heavy losses, and the remaining ships are still fighting hard. It may be impossible to contain and prepare the mobile suits. We just received the signal. The original Dozuru The mobile suit teams belonging to the fleet will go to the Papua supply ship of the [-]st Special Assault Team for preparation."

Hearing the news that the Dozuru fleet was seriously damaged, Matsunaga felt a flash of worry in his heart, "Then hurry up, the current battle situation may require us to dispatch again!" After saying that, he took a look at the remaining propellant, and he was embarrassed. When it is enough, push the thrust to the maximum, adjust the course, and accelerate forward.

These pilots from the Principality of Zeon, who were either complacent in comparing their military exploits or eager to fight again, did not notice that a Federation reconnaissance plane was quietly hiding behind the fragments of the colony not far away. .

"Lieutenant Dan, let's retreat to the mothership quickly. Zeon's Zaku are everywhere here!" Dan and Wells, the Swordfish reconnaissance plane driven by these two lucky guys, after experiencing a thrilling chase, Finally, he got rid of Zaku who came to intercept him in the wreckage area of ​​Side 2, and hid on the edge of the battlefield until now.

"What are you afraid of? Can't you see that these Zakus have just returned from the battlefield and have run out of ammunition?" Lieutenant Dan carefully pushed the throttle valve, allowing the reconnaissance aircraft to silently follow the Zakus on their way back. behind them.

"Looking at this, they definitely want to return to the mothership hiding behind for preparations. If we can discover the location of their mothership, it will be a great achievement!"

Second Lieutenant Wells still looked timid, but the control stick of the reconnaissance plane was in Dan's hand, and he had no choice but to stare at the electronic warfare console in the back seat, praying that they could reach it from a distance. Once Zeon's mobile suit mothership is discovered, there is no need to investigate it at close range.

Lieutenant Wells's prayers worked.

"Lieutenant, these are Zeon flares!" Wells pointed excitedly outside the hatch. Three green flares shot out in three directions with long tail flames. The place where the lines converged was the Principality of Zeon. The location of more than twenty Papua-class transport ships of the Special Assault Team.

"That will save trouble. It seems that the Zeon guy who is walking around with rice particles needs to have the mothership send a signal flare to indicate his position if he wants to go home. Send a signal to the fleet quickly!"

"But, we have already left the fixed communication point..." Second Lieutenant Wells said with a sad face, "I will try using a low-directional wide-area laser signal, but I don't know who can receive it. .”

Lieutenant Dan was also stunned, and then he remembered that the two of them had long been separated from the command chain of the Federal Space Force. "Then try sending more, someone will always receive it."

...

"Major McCluskey, I've received a strange communication!"

Chapter 31: A fight to the death (5)

The Principality of Zeon's Assault Mobile Force, which originally planned to end the battle decisively with a rear attack, was now caught between the oncoming Federation's remaining main fleet and the Federation's rear guard fleet.

The Zakus who hurriedly returned relied on the limited anti-air firepower of the Zeon battleships to fight against the incoming Federation fighter force; the Swordfish fighter's main attack method, the air-to-air missile, had a worrying hit rate under the interference of rice particles, but Zaku, who also carries an anti-ship rocket launcher, is definitely not efficient in fighting federal fighters. (Note 1)

For a time, the mobile suit, as an epoch-making weapon, was competing with the fighters of the old era under the most favorable rice particle interference environment.

"Quick, find a way to eject both the Zaku machine gun and the bullet disc, and send a signal to the nearby Zaku to pick it up!"

Zeon's shipboard officer suddenly came to his senses and directly opened the door of the ship's Gnaku. He threw the Zaku machine gun, which was more suitable for anti-air combat, directly with the manipulator arm. It was grabbed by the Zaku passing by nearby.

"Thanks, this thing is much better at killing mosquitoes in the federation than a rocket launcher." Zaku's pilot hesitated and threw away the rocket launcher and the remaining three nuclear rocket magazines that had not been used at all. After all, every time the mass is reduced in air combat, the maneuverability can be increased by one point.

Two Federation Swordfish fighter jets struck at high speed from the back of Zaku, one after another.

"Zeon man, watch your move!"

mm bullets easily shredded the fighter plane's wings.

Then Zaku relied on quickly changing the direction of the main thruster nozzle to make several "Z"-shaped sharp turns. While throwing away the missile, he avoided the cannon fire of another Swordfish fighter jet.

The federal fighter pilot made a mistake. Seeing that the lead plane was destroyed when it broke away, he tried to keep the nose of the plane pointed at Zaku and fired continuously with the 30mm caliber cannon, but failed to cause effective hits; In the follow-up turn, the speed advantage of the federal fighter was exhausted, and in the end it was easily destroyed when it passed by Zaku.

"No chance..." Major McCluskey led a whole brigade of Swordfish fighter jets equipped with anti-ship missiles, maintained a high cruising speed, shook off the entangled Zaku, and flew past the edge of the battlefield. .

Zeon's humanoid mobile suits rely on their rogue-like turning abilities to put Federation fighter jets approaching from any direction into the unfavorable position of having to shoot head-on with 30mm cannons and 120mm Zaku machine guns; and Zeon's fleet also Being protected by a large number of Zaku, it is not an easy target.

"...But so many Zaku should far exceed the carrying capacity of dozens of Zeon battleships." Major McCluskey swept his eyes across the battlefield, observing the direction of movement of the Zeon mobile suits, "near here There should be other MS motherships."

"Major, look at this!" An intercepted communication message was forwarded by his subordinates. On it was a string of positioning information and the identification code of the federal reconnaissance force.

"The location of Zeon's mobile suit mothership..." Major McCluskey slapped his thigh suddenly, "Every time I doze off, someone rushes to bring me pillows. Dan is worthy of being lent to us by our fighter team."

The leading aircraft turned an arc, leading the entire fleet away from the battlefield and flying in another direction.

In that direction, the Principality of Zeon's First Special Assault Team, composed of more than twenty Papua-class transport ships, is already in chaos: hundreds of Zaku belonging to different groups are flying here one after another, Request supplies and repairs; and in order to accommodate mobile suits to the maximum extent, this batch of Papua-class transport ships did not install such a thing as a take-off and landing deck.

Therefore, the returning Zaku must rely on its own power to stop next to the transport ship, and then fix the body to the containment robot arm before it can be taken back to the Gnaku. Such a delicate operation may have been repeated by Zeon pilots in normal training. Thousands of times, but after experiencing a great battle, the broken aircraft body, the propellant that was on the verge of exhaustion, and the pilots' mental and physical exhaustion after experiencing continuous and high-intensity battles, the recovery process became difficult. Accidents occur frequently.

When Second Lieutenant Matsunaga returned home, he saw this scene: the transport ships of the Special Assault Team were anchored here, and the cargo bay doors were open. Zaku, who was returning to the mothership, grabbed the door frame and then used a simple lock. Fixed; pipes carrying propellant extend directly from the ship, supplying fuel to the nearby Zaku.

The maintenance crews had to wear spacesuits and float in a weightless vacuum environment together with Zaku's ammunition and equipment. They tried their best to speed up the preparation progress, but unfortunately the results were minimal - few Zaku returned intact. , and the Principality of Zeon, which is devoting its entire nation to a decisive battle with the Federation, naturally cannot store spare machines or sufficient replacement parts on the transport ship.

"My aircraft does not need maintenance. Let me replenish fuel and ammunition first." Second Lieutenant Matsunaga accessed the busy communication channel. It was as if dozens of people were talking at the same time in the channel, and no one could respond.

Matsunaga really had to suppress his anger and controlled Zaku to circle the fleet for half a circle before slowly slowing down and stopping next to a transport ship that didn't look so busy. A maintenance officer was carrying a small propeller for a single soldier on his back. Come closer.

"Is it...Second Lieutenant Matsunaga?" The maintenance officer stood on Zaku's shoulder and connected to the contact communication. "Our storage robot arm was knocked off by a reckless guy just now. You can hang it on the deck first. , go to the bridge at the back and walk into the airlock room. Turn left and you’ll find the toilet. We’ve prepared energy drinks and food in the lounge where you turn right.”

After that, the maintenance staff hurriedly left. Looking at the messy pipelines and parts in the cabin, Matsunaga knew that they would not be able to take care of him in a short time.

I don’t know why, but a sense of anxiety prevented Matsunaga from leaving the cockpit to enjoy a moment of rest like other Zaku pilots did. No, what is it, it’s coming!

Zaku's one-eyed main monitor scanned the surroundings, finally raised his head, and finally noticed that dozens of light points were rapidly approaching from directly above the transport fleet.

The fighter group led by Major McCluskey entered the final dive.

Chapter 32: A fight to the death (6)

"Enemy attack!" Matsunaga grabbed the Zaku machine gun that someone left on the deck and pulled the trigger in the direction of the incoming federal fighter jets. However, the Zaku machine gun that had been empty of bullets could only fire when the machine gun was empty. 'Crack' sound.

"Bang," Lieutenant Matsunaga Zaku took out his thermal axe, which was the only weapon he could use anymore, and cut the steel cables used to secure the deck.

The chaos in the transport fleet was turning into panic. Zaku, who had completed preparations, was blocked in the transport cabin by messy pipelines and newly returned aircraft. Zaku, who was replenishing fuel, unplugged the fuel pipe on his own, and sprayed a Flammable and explosive liquid droplets, and the Zaku pilots who were resting ran to the nearest machine...

Major McCluskey stared closely at the stationary Zeon transport fleet below. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Zaku coming towards them with their thermal axes, and sneered disdainfully.

With no frigates and no escort aircraft on patrol, it was parked and it was a perfect target.

The federal aircraft fleet launched the missiles mercilessly outside the effective range of the Zaku machine gun. Then, without any intention of fighting, they turned around and left without giving the charging Zaku a chance to get close to the battle.

The sparse anti-aircraft fire could not stop the missiles from approaching, and with the limited thrust of the transport ship, it was completely impossible to speed up and avoid it from a standstill. In the desperate eyes of the officers and soldiers of the Principality of Zeon, the missile group quickly approached, smashing into the target like a celestial punishment. Among the Zeon MS transport fleet that resisted the force.

Fires radiated, molten metal splashed, and the winding and tangled pipelines twitched helplessly like a python with its head cut off; in the explosion where a large amount of propellant and ammunition were ignited, the nearly 18-meter-tall Cyclops was equally vulnerable at this time. Humans Together with the MS's broken arms and limbs, they were pushed into deep space by the shock wave of the explosion.

It was about half an hour later that Commander Dozulu learned that there would be no fourth attack wave in a short period of time.

However, the unexpected results of the federal fighter force could not help Marco Polo for a while; Kycilia's fleet seemed determined to eat the remaining federal main fleet, and was nailed between the two federal fleets. Zaku, who still had more than [-] aircraft, chose to continue attacking the remaining fleet of the Federation.

On the Marco Polo, the close-in defense guns on the front of the ship followed the high-speed passing Zaku, turning the turret in vain, but no more shells were fired; even Marco Polo, who had been paying attention to saving ammunition since the beginning of the war, successfully intercepted three Several digits of nuclear rockets were used, and after driving away countless Zaku's attempts, they also fell into a situation of running out of ammunition and food.

The CIC was shaking violently. A nuclear rocket fired at close range hit the bow of the Marco Polo, destroying the two main guns located there. Immediately afterwards, the main gun from the battleship Gwalib not far away hit directly. , leaving two deep gashes on Marco Polo's starboard side.

"Commander Cunningham, I suggest you again, please move the flagship immediately," standing in the empty CIC, Marco Polo rarely used a stern tone and said to the only human being still on the ship at this time.

Five minutes ago, Marco Polo announced that the damage to the ship's hull was too severe to carry out damage control. He issued a notice to abandon the ship as a captain, and asked Dr. Parsons, who had copied her data, and other ships to The human crew on board evacuated in lifeboats; but Major General Cunningham refused Marco Polo.

"I am the highest-ranking officer on the ship. I should have unlimited responsibility for the battleship. Naturally, I should be the last one to evacuate." Rear Admiral Cunningham sat firmly on the fleet commander's seat with no intention of leaving.

"All other crew members have evacuated, and I have also launched the lifeboat for you."

Major General Cunningham turned his head and looked at the girl in front of him, shook his head, and smiled again;

"General Ray Bill has fulfilled his duties. Now it is my turn. The next commander of the Federal Space Force after me will continue to be like me. Even if he dies, he will die at his post." Canning. Commander An said this, which made Marco Polo feel a little mixed.

'Are you treating me as a crew member who has not yet evacuated... But brother, we are not like this. Fleet Commander, why don't you learn to sink with the ship? Admiral Ray Bill also abandoned the ship, but he didn't run away and was killed. Caught. '

And Marco Polo didn't intend to just fall down on the way to charge - in fact, according to the standards of the Federal Space Force, Marco Polo has indeed reached the state of abandoning the ship. When the Anankai was abandoned, it was probably in a worse state than she is now. Okay——

The entire bow of the ship has been burned into a twisted wreckage by nuclear explosions and Mega particle beams. The airtightness of more than 65% of the ship's cabins has been destroyed. Only the two rear-facing main guns of the seven can still be used. , missiles and close-in defense artillery ammunition were exhausted.

However, as an automated control battleship, only about 6% of the cabins of Marco Polo are truly crucial, including the fusion reactor and thrusters that still drive Marco Polo forward, the ship's computer room where Marco Polo's thoughts are contained, and A few manned cabins including CIC. (Note 1)

Now on both sides and rear of the Marco Polo, the remaining federal warships firmly occupied the position of the screen flagship, protecting the rear hemisphere of the Marco Polo. One ship was destroyed, and the next ship in the battle line immediately accelerated. To make up for it, the Zakus who have been trying to destroy the propeller of the Federation flagship have never been able to succeed - they want to stop this scarred battleship that seems to have been destroyed long ago, but is still continuing to move forward.

In this atmosphere, Marco Polo, who originally wanted to wait until all the human crew on the ship had evacuated, then turn off the thrusters, stop and pretend to be dead, and then restart after the war to find another way out, could no longer maintain his original plan. As of now, Ji The losses suffered by Weng Lao were enough to put them in no mood to clean the battlefield carefully.

Compared with the highest authority in the fleet command system, the officers and soldiers of the Federal Space Force are using courage and faith to show Marco Polo what a flagship is - what the military flag points to is the direction in which the Federal Space Fleet is heading; as long as the military flag does not fall, even if No matter how heavy the losses are, the remaining part is still an army, not a scattered mob or a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

And now, even though Marco Polo has almost lost all combat capabilities and his tactical value is close to zero, the remaining battleships of the 1,2st and [-]nd fleets are still pushing her up and guarding her - even if Zeon's mobile suits have stopped in an emergency. Their thermal axes were raised in front of the bridge, ready to chop down, and the ship's artillery was still aiming, firing at the enemies around the Marco Polo.

Marco Polo could not turn a blind eye to this - this kind of sacrifice, this kind of trust, she could not live up to it, she must face the blows like the wind and rain, and continue to move forward.

Chapter 33: A fight to the death (End)

What is now timid and trembling is the fleet belonging to the Assault Mobile Army. This fleet, like their thoughtful mistress who is good at weaving conspiracies, is looking forward to backstabbing the unsuspecting enemy in a well-planned ambush. They annihilated their opponents with very few losses, but now, facing the remnants of the Federation's 1,2st and [-]nd fleets whose morale was still high, they cowered.

We are a battle carrier capable of carrying mobile suits. Why do we have to engage in gunfire with the capital ships built based on the cannon theory of the old-era Federation giant ships at such a distance?As long as our fleet is still there, even if the remaining ships of the Federation cannot be eaten by this wave, let the MS return to resupply and organize another attack. Repeatedly, the Federation Space Force can always be completely wiped out.

With this idea in mind, the fleet of the Assault Mobile Army was not as tenacious as Dozuru's Space Attack Army fleet in the artillery battle that gradually increased the distance. Faced with the slightly higher losses, it soon became unable to bear it and began to turn. , fled away from the federal fleet.

Even the Zaku formation, which is still capable of fighting, has become passive and inactive - it is not worth exchanging one life for our noble Zeon people and the idiots of the Earth Federation. Now that the Federation fleet is far away from their home base, it is only a month away. Shen No. 2 still has nearly two days of flight;

And our Principality of Zeon still has nearly a thousand mobile suits scattered around the battlefield, either preparing or returning. Wouldn't it be better to reorganize and concentrate our forces to destroy them?Why fight head-on with the desperate assault of the federal fleet now?

"In the art of war, the so-called "encirclement of three and missing of one" must be like this."

With such a natural thought, the Zaku no longer actively broke into the fleet's air defense circle in groups and shot at close range. Instead, they patrolled outside the federal fleet, saving the remaining propellant and shooting from a distance from time to time. Several rocket rounds to prove that he has been involved in the battle.

In this way, the remaining dozen Magellan-class battleships and more than thirty Salamis-class cruisers of the 1st, 2nd, and 9th fleets of the Federation Space Force, under Zaku's 'escort', broke through the interception line and successfully attacked the Federation. With the support of the remaining fighter formations, they merged with the rearguard fleet.

The fleets of the Zeon Assault Mobile Army kept their distance, but did not choose to disengage; both sides fired signal flares intended to gather, gathered the remaining forces, then resupplied, reorganized, and prepared for the next desperate attack.

"What, retreat? The federal fleet in front of us is exhausted, how can we let them go!" The commander of the Assault Mobile Army looked at the image of Dozlu Zabi on the screen in surprise. It was hard to believe that this man who always had a 'tough guy' image A general who shows others would issue such a cowardly order.

"That's enough. How could I not know that this is the best opportunity to annihilate the Federation Space Force!" Dozuru pressed his hands on the console, leaning forward with his tall body, feeling a little out of control, but he finally suppressed it. "The flash of a nuclear explosion was observed in the direction of Iphes Island. That direction can only be Tianmu's fleet in the federal army. He must have seen through our bait."

During the initial contact with the Tiam fleet, Dozru took advantage of the Federation's fear of mobile suits that might be ambushed in the Side 2 wreckage area, and led the battle after passing through the wreckage of the colonial satellite and briefly out of sight of the Federation. The fleet stopped and allowed the formation of Jicco-class assault boats that had been hidden here to set off and lure away about a quarter of the Federation's forces.

These old-fashioned assault boats have been modified to emit tail flame sources similar to those of Zeon battleships, which are difficult to distinguish in a meter-particle interference environment.

Although I never thought that I could always deceive the Federation Space Force, under the unexpectedly strong resistance of the Federation's main fleet, I now want to prepare the next attack wave before the Tiam fleet, whose current location is unknown, returns to reinforcements. A large formation of mobile suits is already an impossible task;

What's more, in order to achieve the effect of surrounding the numerically superior Federation Space Force with a small number of troops, Zeon's fleet, including the cruiser fleet that appeared in front of the Federation fleet and the mobile suit transport fleet hiding in various parts of the wreckage area, was extremely dangerously at one strength. Dispersed state.

"Now, first assemble the fleet and mobile suits, and then move closer to Iphes Island. There are currently only teaching and training troops driving this old mobile suit that does not have nuclear strike capabilities. If it is attacked by the Tiam fleet, which is still intact, It will be very dangerous, above." With these unquestionable words, Dozuru's figure disappeared from the screen.

At 52:[-] pm on January [-], Year [-] in the Universe, Dozulu's flagship Valkyrie fired a signal flare, asking all surrounding Zeon troops to gather towards him and then evacuate the battlefield; the Zeon army broke away from the Federation Space Force Observation view of the remaining fleet.

"The Zeon fleet has retreated!" The announcement from the flagship Marco Polo spread quickly among the remaining Federation warships. The correspondent wearing a space suit and standing on the depressurized bridge suddenly stood up and shouted at him with excitement. His comrades who were still alive reported the good news.

"We...won?" The first mate, who lost a leg in the battle, supported the console and stood up reluctantly.

"No, we survived."

About half an hour later, the Tiam fleet, which made a false shot near Ifes Island, fired a nuclear bomb from a distance, and then continued to rush to the main battlefield, finally arrived belatedly at the battlefield.

"This is..." Sitting on the shiny new battleship Titan, Lieutenant General Thiam looked at the wreckage and debris of the battleships scattered across the battlefield in disbelief, "How could..."