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

Of course, staying far away and acting as a communication relay node can be compared to following the federal warship, maintaining a distance that allows visual observation and speed measurement, and being wary of the dozens of doors on the ship who don't know who is fighting. Close-range defense artillery is much safer.

There were already many scouts who claimed to be good at speed racing but got too close to the federal battleship, and were overturned and killed by the sudden burst of firepower.

'That federal warship will never fire without purpose. Once it fires, either the missiles coming from the sky will turn into expensive disposable fireworks in the air, or the forward scouts will be unlucky. '

Most of the Zeon Army scouts present had this vague feeling.

Seeing the nervous and vaguely fearful expressions on the faces of his surrounding subordinates, Sergeant Lear tried his best to cheer them up and said sternly:

"Don't worry, that warship went deep into our army's control area alone. No matter how fierce it looks, it can't withstand our repeated attacks. Look -"

As he spoke, Sergeant Leal pointed to the Federation warship that was shrouded in flares from the Zeon army. Just as he was talking, several more sparks burst out from the ship. It seemed that it had been hit by a long-range bombardment.

"——They won't be able to hold on for long, not to mention that the air assault force led by Commander Kalma is recharging its strength. The enemy's arrogance cannot be sustained..."

"Ta-ta-ta-boom"

The core fighter jets roared past, firing out a series of smoke columns with continuous cannon fire, and aimed at the ground. For some reason, they got close to the Zeon Army's hoverbike reconnaissance force and fired a missile.

"Miss Platinum, destroyed one of the enemy's reconnaissance troop gathering points...but there are many more."

The Zeon army's attacks were non-stop. Considering that they were temporarily freed from the pursuit of the enemy's ground armored units, the remaining units that were still entangled were lightly armed and highly mobile units;

Captain Blade approved the temporary separation of the Guntank, allowing the two core fighters to be driven by Sera Mars and Dragon Jose respectively to drive away the Zeon Army reconnaissance force near the White Base.

"Please pay attention to the altitude and enemy traces in the upper hemisphere. There is still a Gaw-class aircraft carrier following us. It is impossible to confirm whether Dopp fighters have been deployed nearby."

Flying at night when the radar failed, and even carrying out low-altitude ground attack missions, were extremely challenging. Even someone as impatient as Kalma decided to launch a general attack at sunrise.

"no problem."

Serra sat in the cockpit of the core fighter, pulling the control stick backward to raise the nose of the aircraft and climb; only the surroundings of the white base were as bright as day under the Zeon army's flares, and the dividing line between the sky and the earth in the distance was It’s hard to make out in the pitch black, but that’s the confidence Serra has;

'This is...something I can do too. '

"Then there was a flare just fired about 6 kilometers behind the starboard side of the ship. Please go search and eliminate the source, Miss Serra."

In the dim white bridge of the USS Base, in addition to the emergency lights on the corners, only the platinum self-luminous special effects that appear here using holographic projection are clearly visible, and the yawning figure is clearly visible.

The ship body shook slightly.

"The mountain on the right side of our ship was hit by a bullet, and there was debris falling and impact. No signs of further collapse were observed, and there is no serious problem."

Platinum turned his head and reported to Brad, who had sat back in the captain's seat after a short and exciting journey.

'The current combination of RX-78-2 Origin Gundam + Amuro is still not enough to achieve a qualitative change. The Zeon army's numerical advantage can still be brought into play, although the efficiency of coordination is not high. '

In the background, Platinum counted the new damage to the ship's hull and the increasingly low ammunition inventory. However, now it only faced one battleship, the White Base. The numerical advantage was on Zeon's side, but as long as the Federation launched an overall counterattack ...'

"We have entered the valley area, are the enemies still pursuing us?"

Just a few hours ago, Captain Blade, who had watched from an angle that he had never seen before, how Gundam destroyed a mixed force of the Zeon Army at close range, relied on this shock. With the energy and the coffee I drank as water, I can still stay awake.

"When our ship entered the canyon, it shelled the winding mountain road passing through it. In this way, at least the enemy's tracked and wheeled vehicles on the ground will have a hard time catching up with us."

Platinum used a small pop-up window to display the surrounding map in front of Captain Blade. Although this area was sparsely populated, it was still compared to the coastal urban agglomerations of California before the war broke out;

After all, this is one of the areas on the surface of the earth with infrastructure that far exceeds the average. The road network extends in all directions. Even though many road sections have been neglected and gradually abandoned due to the transfer of population to the universe, we want to stop the pursuit of the Zeon army's ground troops once and for all. Still impossible.

"But even so, within 24 hours, our ship has been intermittently maintaining combat status for more than one-third of the time..."

Although he will deliberately yawn and produce dark circles on his face, as long as there is no problem with the host hardware, the work efficiency will not fluctuate at all. The operation of the White Base battleship cannot go wrong, but——

Captain Blade cast his gaze forward on the bridge;

Guncannon is lowering its center of gravity, squatting on the open deck at the front of the White Base, using its beam rifle to intercept incoming Zeon missiles and rockets.

The one who was able to do this was naturally Amuro, who climbed down from the Gundam, and then switched to the cockpit of Guncannon to control it.

Although the beam rifle has a limited amount of ammunition for a single attack, it can be returned to the battleship to recharge. Compared with the platinum-controlled live ammunition close-in defense cannon, it can still be regarded as having unlimited ammunition.

Most of the live ammunition rapid-fire close-in defense artillery cannot escape the problem of ammunition load. For example, if you hold the trigger of a machine gun and don't let go, then all the bullets that a single soldier can carry will be fired out, and it may not even be used for one minute.

Although Platinum has consciously controlled the ammunition consumption of the close-in defense cannon, in order to intercept the Zeon army's large number of frequently incoming long-range strike weapons, the isolated White Base had just been in Luna 2 a few days ago. It may be difficult to support the replenished inventory.

There was some worry in Captain Brad's eyes, but in the end he shook his head and chose to trust Amuro: "That's something only he can do."

……

Heading east from California, on the two interstate highways running from Los Angeles and San Diego respectively, the long Zeon military convoys stopped, while in the desert in the distance, they avoided the highways and construction areas along the roads. A Dobday-class land battleship also stopped with the convoy.

"Mo... Your Excellency, Commander Mo Tian, ​​is it true that you issued the order to stop the march?"

The anxious voice of a Zeon officer came from the bridge of the Daboud-class land battleship.

"Hmm... Haqie, that's right. Don't report such trivial matters. As I said, the entire army should stop, spread out to the surrounding area, and build blocking positions. You won't understand such a simple order. Bar?"

"But--"

The Zeon officer in the communication seemed to want to say something more, but Major General Motenko tapped the button on the console and cut off the communication.

"Order, order, order from above, [Side 3 expletive], he, Albrecht, is a major general and I am also a major general. I am half a month ahead of him in terms of landing on Earth. We at the California Defense Command only have 4 GAW-class aircraft in total. , he wants to leave two people after just making a phone call, and he wants us to send ground troops to support him, why?"

Major General Motenko complained cursingly. As one of the first brigade commanders of the Zeon Earth Attack Force to land on Earth, most of his colleagues who airborne with him at that time are now front army commanders and main division commanders on various fronts. The group leader;

Only he, because the battle damage was quite ugly, and he didn’t know who was snitching behind his back, but he just relied on the overall victory in the North American Theater——

They also promptly raided several local wineries in California, immediately seized a rocket-assisted return capsule used to transport the wounded, and sent back a lot of high-end wine to Zeon's local dignitaries, which has been shipped to other colonial satellites. Luxury goods signify loyalty;

He was only promoted to one level and continued to stay in the rear area of ​​California as the commander of the garrison division.

The staff officer in the bridge looked at Motenko's face and said cautiously: "Your Excellency, division commander, this is not to support Karma..."

"Kalma still needs to call me uncle even if it's a relationship—"

Major General Motenko glared at the staff officer, then changed his tone and said:

"But am I not familiar with our Colonel-in-Chief? Since he failed to penetrate Panama to the south and completely suppress Alaska to the north, he is probably eager to make some new achievements now. We are eager to join him. What are you doing up there?”

"Then we just stop halfway?"

"It is to deploy a blockade to prevent enemy ships from escaping into the Pacific——"

Major General Motenko stood up, walked to the map and gestured;

"——Look, that Federal Army air battleship has fled to the next state, and has been heading east. Doesn't this mean it wants to escape to the sea and then circle back to the Federal Army's control area?"

"As long as we block the coastline from California to northern Mexico, then no matter how hard this federal warship runs, it will just wander around in our 'little master's' hunting ground."

Major General Motenko sneered and lay back on his sofa;

"Give me my order, artillery and missile soldiers, and attack as soon as you get the shooting elements. Shoot out all the 4 base ammunition we brought. No rest until the attack is completed. The remaining ground troops will establish a blockade on the spot. That's it. ,I'm going to bed."

"We bring more than just about one and a half base bombs..."

The newly assigned lieutenant was a little confused when he heard the order, but before he could finish speaking, the staff officer next to him covered his mouth;

"Your Excellency, the division commander, said there were 4 base numbers. That's 4 base numbers. Don't talk nonsense."

Chapter 40: Encounter on a narrow road (1)

"There is a fire in the K1-4 area of ​​the port side open deck. Everyone has checked safety ropes and is preparing to leave the cabin for fire-fighting operations!"

On the narrow stairs leading to the open deck, several nervous crewmen of the white base were under the flashing red light of the emergency lights. In addition to the regular sergeant who stood at the head of the team and held the fire hose under his arm, there were also Able to keep calm——

No, it was the first time for him to conduct such damage control operations in actual combat. However, looking at the other volunteers fumbling around to check their protective gear, he had a feeling of "I'd be panicking." Who else could calm down the scene's feeling and force him to calm down.

"The Zeon Army has quite a few tricks up its sleeve..."

Captain Brad stared at the eyes that had bleeding streaks extending from the edges, and looked outside the bridge, which was like thick black smoke rushing towards his face.

"The Zeon army used incendiary bombs, Captain Blade..."

Platinum reads the output signal of the temperature sensor built into the hull and evaluates the damage to the hull.

After realizing that high-explosive grenades that could paralyze the Federation's Type 61 main battle tank if hit, seemed to be of limited use against behemoths like the White Base, the long-range artillery of the Zeon Army began to try more other types of ammunition. .

For example, the blazing flames currently attached to the port side of the White Base are the result of the incendiary bombs fired by Zeon.

The warhead of the incendiary bomb contains combustible materials, so even if the hull shell of the White Base has been treated with fire retardant treatment, it can still adhere to it and continue to burn. If left alone, there is the possibility of further damage.

"And we just observed signs of a suspected thermobaric bomb explosion, but luckily it didn't hit."

Bai Jin blinked. According to her observations, probably because of staying up late, although Captain Brad looked very awake, his nerve reaction speed had dropped by about 15%.

"...Ah...Ah! Fortunately there was no hit. Are those Zeon hovering reconnaissance motorcycles still following us?"

"It is temporarily difficult to observe because of the undulating terrain. However, considering the terrain crossing ability of the hoverbike, they should not be able to follow us at the highest speed in this area. Sergeant Long Jose is driving a core fighter to provide air cover."

Captain Brad came back to his senses. In a daze, he was tired and finally caught the trace of inspiration and incoherence in his mind. He quickly continued to ask:

"That's not right... How long has it been since the Zeon Army's Gau-class aircraft carrier appeared? The various live ammunition bombardments we are experiencing now are all models produced by the ground forces, right?"

"The accurate data is difficult to estimate. We have not yet had a direct direct exchange of fire with the Zeon Army's Gau-class aircraft carrier after entering the night, and it is impossible to tell whether the indirectly guided missiles came from the Gau-class aircraft carrier, but it has been more than an hour and a half. comfirmed."

The Gau-class aircraft carrier, which has both saturation strike capabilities and troop projection capabilities, and an air speed that exceeds that of the White Base, is one of the most threatening units to the Zeon Earth Attack Force in Captain Blade's mind.

"Are you worried about the location of the Gau-class aircraft carrier commanded by enemy leader Kalmar, Captain Blade?"

Bai Jin turned sideways and used a slightly deeper voice than usual, naturally bringing out a bit of worry;

Although Captain Blade also ordered the crew of the White Base to rest in shifts, there were still explosive fires outside, and the hull of the White Base suddenly vibrated from time to time——

Among the crew members who have not experienced such a test, few have nerves that are strong enough to sleep peacefully.

Not to mention that Amuro, who is driving Guncannon, has replaced his beam rifle that has been drained of energy for the third time. Captain Blade has just asked him to return to the ship to rest in view of the Zeon army's bombardment density and accuracy gradually decreasing. .

'Even new humans have limits in terms of physical strength and concentration. '

Platinum is not only using Amuro's driving data as a reference for learning, but also integrating the driver's own driving level fluctuations in different states and using it as an imaginary enemy to conduct confrontation simulations.

In the Gnaku, facing Guncannon who stumbled back to the maintenance rack and never responded, Platinum forced access to the camera in the cockpit while guiding the maintenance personnel to use the external emergency switch. Open Guncannon's cockpit hatch;

Amuro lowered his head and had already begun to doze off. His right hand was still reaching for the switch to open the hatch, and he was pulling it out of memory, but the position was slightly off.

"Amuro!"

Frau shouted with some distress. Although she did not participate in the combat mission, she had been moving around the White Base with Kaz and three other children, delivering meals and water to the overwhelmed crew members. ;

But now, after sending the three children who really couldn't bear it to the bedroom to rest, Frou, who heard that Amuro was returning to the ship, still forcibly cheered up and went to the Gnaku.

"Miss Frau, please take Amuro to the pilot lounge next to Gnaku to rest for a while."

Platinum's voice came from the speakers in Guncannon's cockpit, and Frou, who was already familiar with Platinum, could hear the emphasis in her words.

"The lounge, not the bedroom... Amuro is already tired to this point, do you want him to continue to fight!?"

Frau looked a little shocked. She was supporting Amuro, and together with the maintenance crew on the side, he was lifted out of Guncannon's cockpit.

"Now white..."

"I'm fine. The battle is not over yet. There will definitely be a chance to use the Gundam in a while."

Before Shirogane could finish speaking, Amuro spoke. He shook his head from side to side to wake himself up, but his voice still sounded a little confused.

"First take Amuro to the pilot lounge to restore his status, Miss Frou. There are recliners there, blankets in the storage room, and the brightness of the lights can also be adjusted."

Shirogane instructed Frau to temporarily take Amuro out of the noisy Gnaku, and now, the maintenance staff, who had also not been able to take a good rest for a long time, continued to restore Guncannon to the point where it could attack again.

"That's right, in addition to ground forces, our previous intelligence also mentioned that Kalma can mobilize air assault forces with Gau-class aircraft carriers as the core across North America, and he really gives me the feeling that he will not give up easily. people."

Captain Brad took a gulp of the second pot of black coffee that was later delivered to the bridge of the White Base and said thoughtfully.

"Is this all intelligence you got from local people who claim to be guerrillas? Is their information...reliable?"

After Captain Blood's return, Miley Hachishu, who returned to the helmsman's position, asked. She felt a little bit about Captain Blood's experience when he went out for reconnaissance and happened to meet personnel belonging to the Federation Army. curious.

"The map was very detailed...it shouldn't have been made up on the fly, and Kai and I's appearance in that town was not a predictable event."

Captain Brad shook his head at Milai. Whether it was a coincidence or not, the intelligence they provided was roughly consistent with the scale of the enemies the White Base encountered along the way.

"But it's still hard to believe... The commander-in-chief of the Zeon Earth Attack Force is also the ruling family of the Principality of Zeon, a core member of the Zabi family. Now he is gritting his teeth and trying to destroy us. This is worse than a 'Red Comet' Be more scary.”

Milai leaned against the porthole in front of the bridge and looked out in ecstasy——

The fire on the deck has been extinguished, and the surrounding undulating valleys outline a vague outline in the moonlight; in the distance, explosions and fires from time to time continue to break the tranquility here, but they also indicate the Zeon army's attack on the White Base. The position of the number is not accurate.

'Indeed, although after meeting Karma, there has not yet been an MS pilot as oppressive as Char, and the coordination and command of the Zeon army and the selection of attack timing are also lackluster——'

'——However, the scale of the troops that the two can mobilize is very different. Kalma only needs to keep squandering the troops in his hands and continue attacking, and he can always create a window in which the White Base's combat power is seriously reduced. '

Bai Jin analyzed in the background that for an artificial intelligence like her whose body data can be copied and installed at will, the number of mechanical bodies she controls is the factor that has a greater impact on her combat ability.

"Karma..."

Captain Brad pondered for a moment and said hesitantly: "Well, I can't say clearly, but I have a vague feeling that he might be easier to deal with than Char."