GUNDAM: Universal Conflict

Chapter 3:

Kanjiro was shaken awake by one of his squad members. Kanjiro looked at his surroundings. Ambition and Mud company were deployed just 200 meters west of Dekka Airfield hidden behind some sand dunes. The RGM-79 [G] Ground mobile suits were deployed in in a neat double line horizontally facing the runway of the airfield. The company of mobile suits was flanked on both sides by infantry in jeeps. Kanjiro was on the the right side and riding in the back seat of his jeep. He noticed an RGM-79 [G] with a yellow visor and yellow head colorings in the second row of the line formation. The airfield consisted of two runways each flanked one side with a row of buildings consisting of barracks, hangars, and offices. Kanjiro's squad mate who was riding shotgun, Tohaku, informed Kanjiro that the attack was scheduled to commence at 6am local time. Kanjiro looked at his watch. It was 6:58am. After finishing checking his weapon for the last time the Jeep lurked forward.

The mobile suits and jeeps pushed over the sand dunes and in towards the airfield. When the attacking force was around 150 meters from the air field Kanjiro heard and air raid siren triggered. Kanjiro could make out men scrambling in and out of building on the airfield. By the time Kanjiro was 110 meters from the air field, a defensive force consisting of mainly ZGMF-1017 GINNs and a couple more advanced RMG-89 Jegans had formed to meet the assault. CCS infantry had also formed a defensive line in front of the runway. The firing commenced all at once. Light machine gun fire punched straight through the windshield and rattled the jeep. The other two cadets sitting next to Kanjiro were hit immediately. The one farthest from Kanjiro was shot twice in the chest and once in the head killing him instantly. The cadet sitting next to Kanjiro that had woke him up earlier was shot in neck. Kanjiro put his hands over his neck and applied pressure desperately but the blood continued to seep and squirt out and over Kanjiro's hands and the back seat. The cadet stopped twitching and went completely still.

Kanjiro let go of the cadet's neck and wiped his hands on his clothes. He looked to his left and saw the RGM-79 [G]'s engaged in a heavy firefight with the GINNs and Jegans, maintaining formation. The RGM-79 [G]'s were making quick work of the GINNs. Their beam rifles penetrating the GINN armor and destroying them in a single hit while the GINN machine guns took several hits to destroy the RGM-79 [g]s. However the two Jegans were causing problems. Their beam rifles and superior mobility were destroying RGM-79[G]s left and right. An RGM-79[G] fired its hyper bazooka from behind his allies and managed to hit a Jegan. The Jegan imploded violently engulfing its surrounding GINNs in flames. An RGM-79[G] with a machine gun mowed down the burning mobile suits. The second Jegan still presented a problem. The RGM-79[G] with the yellow visor advanced forward out of formation at the Jegan with its beam saber equipped. The RGM-79[G]'s still in formation all fired at the Jegan at once to provide cover for their advancing ally. The Jegan picked up a destroyed GINN and used it as a shield and blocked all incoming beam rifle shots. The Jegan then used the GINN's machine gun and fired it into the attacking RGM-79[G]'s legs. The attacking mobile suit tripped due to the damage to its legs but was caught by the Jegans shield which cut into its shoulder and raised it up to mid level and held it in place. Kanjiro watched on in horror. The Jegan equipped its beam saber and forcefully cut the RGM-79[G] in half through the cockpit. "Koji!" Kanjiro yelled as the following explosion blew sand and dust over the battlefield. While the Jegan was busy methodically destroying the mobile suit, the other RGM-79[G]s had encircled the Jegan and shot it from multiple directions. The Jegan also then exploded. The attacking mobile suits continued to combat the remaining GINNs and pushed on to the airfield.

Kanjiro's jeep then drove right into the defensive barricade running over and brutally killing the light machine gun operator in a crunch of bone, metal, and a burst of blood. Kanjiro was relieved that their force had made it onto the runway making it impossible for the AMF-101 DINNs to take off. Kanjiro jumped out of his jeep with Tohaku and the other cadet in their squad following him. Tohaku leveled his weapon and fired two three round bursts with his AK-110 IM into the secondary light machine gun operator who was in a desperate attempt to unjam his firearm. He was killed instantly. Kanjiro and his squad moved off the runway and to the side of a building flanking the runway. Kanjiro could see the air traffic control tower, their squad objective, further down the runway. Kanjiro Pushed to the corner of the building facing away from the runway and peeped around the corner. Kanjiro immediately saw an enemy soldier no older than 17 nervously smoking a cigarette waiting for something. Kanjiro quickly flinched back behind the corner. Kanjiro held his finger to his lips to signal his squad for silence. The soldier was right around the corner and it was a miracle he didn't see Kanjiro. Kanjiro drew his survival knife from the sheath on his vest. As he heard the sharp hurried breathing of the enemy and smelled the stench from the smoke of his cigarette, Kanjiro suddenly wondered "Does he deserve to die? Is it right for me to take his life?". Tohaku nudged Kanjiro with his elbow and mouthed "come on". Kanjiro immediately remembered his training about how he was defending the ACSC and how the enemy soldier was threatening every man woman and child of the ACSC. Kanjiro sharply turned the corner. As the nervous soldier's eyes lit up in terror, Kanjiro slammed the soldier's head into the wall and then forcefully thrust his knife into the soldier's throat. Blood rushed uncontrollably from the soldier's neck and covered not only the knife but Kanjiro's hands up to his wrists. Kanjiro winced as the hot, dark red liquid spread everywhere. Kanjiro felt a sudden pang of guilt as he looked into the panicked, wildly afraid eyes of the enemy soldier as he helplessly struggled with a knife in his throat. But then Kanjiro remembered the cadets in the jeep who were shot and how they didn't deserve to die but were nonetheless killed. With extreme force, Kanjiro twisted the knife to the side and applied pressure until the soldier stopped struggling and his lifeless body slumped over. Kanjiro teared his knife free from the dead soldier, wiped its blade on the soldier's clothes and then Kanjiro sheathed the knife back on his vest.

Kanjiro and his squad pressed on to the traffic control tower. They stacked up on the front door and kicked it open. The first floor was empty but voices and footsteps could be heard. Kanjiro ran up the stairs into the main control room. Enemy officers were busily burning and shredding assorted documents and what seemed like important papers. Kanjiro pulled out his side arm and pointed it at the closest officer's head. When the officer looked over his shoulder he noticed Kanjiro and he froze. The officer looked into Kanjiro's eyes for five seconds. He looked middle aged and wore a gold wedding ring. Kanjiro briefly thought of Koji. Just as the officer was about to say something Kanjiro pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the officer square in the forehead. The exit wound caused the back of the officer's head to blow open in a bloody crack. Kanjiro proceeded to shoot two other officers as Tohaku and the other cadet fired from the hip with their automatic weapons and briefly gunned down the remaining personnel in the control tower. Kanjiro and Tohaku quickly seized what papers they could. Based on Kanjiro's quick glance, they seemed to be flight logs of all past missions conducted from the air field.

When Kanjiro and his squad emerged from the air traffic control tower the air field had been captured. As Kanjiro turned the corner to head to the hangars, an enemy soldier suddenly appeared and lunged at Kanjiro. Kanjiro had reacted just in time, he was holding the soldiers wrists, struggling as the soldier tried to impale him with the knife. Kanjiro spit in the soldiers face, stepped on his foot as hard as he could and then dislocated the soldier's shoulder as he was flinching from the first two attacks. Kanjiro then shoved the knife into the soldier's stomach. The soldier reeled in pain and fell on his knees. Kanjiro drew his sidearm and discharged five rounds into the soldier's chest. Kanjiro proceeded to kick the dying body to the floor. By the time Kanjiro and Tohaku had gotten to the hangar other members of ambition company had already boarded their AMF-101 DINNs. Kanjiro noticed dead enemy pilots littered the hangar, most no older than 20.

Kanjiro ran to the closest DINN and started shedding his infantry gear. He then extracted his pilot suit from his rucksack and wore it. The only gear that he would take on aboard the DINN would be his sidearm and survival knife. Kanjiro boarded the elevator which raised him to cockpit level. He then boarded the AMF-101 DINN. The mobile suit was very familiar to Kanjiro due to the fact he was used to piloting GINNs although some aspects were different. Kanjiro moved his mobile suit into the waiting line for takeoff. Kanjiro could count forty or so mobile suits. He noticed the air traffic control tower they had cleared previously was now being used by friendly forces. Kanjiro flipped on his comm switch and could now hear the chatter among his squadron. "Our first objective is to destroy their minor fleet currently docked in the Barbary coast. Intelligence says most of their mobile suits are already engaged in a separate battle. This means we can attack their ships while they are virtually undefended. The fleet may not even recognize us as a threat due to the fact we're piloting their own mobile suits. However speed is the key. I know a lot of you aren't use to flight in atmospheric conditions but we'll just have to make do." Kanjiro recognized this voice as Akahito Okita, their company commanding officer (C.O.).

"Ambition company, you are clear for takeoff, I repeat you are clear for takeoff" a voice from the air traffic control tower stated. One after another AMF-101 DINNs began to takeoff. Before long it was Kanjiro's turn. Kanjiro pushed the throttle all the way down with his foot and pulled his steering all the way up as he accelerated across the runway and took flight. Kanjiro forgetting that he was not in space took his foot off of the throttle. The DINN began to decline in altitude. Kanjiro realized his error and quickly reapplied pressure to the throttle. Kanjiro pulled his DINN into formation with the others. As Kanjiro flew to his next objective he couldn't help but think of Koji.