Expectations of peace soar to their greatest heights with the formation of the Earth Sphere United Nations. The year is After Colony 225. The dissolution of mobile suits and militaries from the human race has allowed veterans and civilians alike to a progressive new era for humanity. Grudges however are far more powerful than what many realize. Former members of the Romefeller Foundation have taken to the stars to act against the ESUN's pacifism policies. The horrors of war have revisited the Earth for a new generation of humanity in the form of the vengeful Falson Coalition. 11 years have passed since the conflict began. The ESUN's hope lies in the form of its own mobile suit project. Operation Rising Himalayas. The revival of GUNDAM.

Episode 2: The Crumbling Before the Walk

Franz overlooked the paper work from the earlier meeting when he heard Devine announce on his channel, "Lord Lindemann is here to see you sir."

"Let him in." Franz responded as he singed another signature. He saw Lord Till Lindemann enter a few moments after and greeted, "Good afternoon Lord Lindemann."

The Lord made his way to the front of the President's desk introducing, "Mr. President. It is fortunate that we have seen the new battle plans brought forward. I take it the resolution was passed without issue?"

The President offered a seat in front of him when he confirmed, "It has passed Lord Lindemann. The Ursa unit will soon become our standard for the Earth Sphere military. As anticipated, we did have opposition, but our majority makes their voice of little consequence at this point and even they are soon to see reason."

The Lord accepted the seat when he added, "I can only hope that this will be enough. We will require miracles by now to see that the Coalition can be pushed back. And from what I understand not just against the frontlines."

The President looked over the transcript of the recent house meeting when he agreed, "Indeed. The Pacifism Party is persistent in its attempt to hear out the enemy. It is very unfortunate that Madame Yuy has placed herself in such a box."

Till was attempting to hold back a scowl when he elaborated on the situation, "It was one that she placed herself in and has completely shut the lid from reality. The fact that she is capable of conceiving these sorts of thoughts is baffling. Had I not rallied our forces away from such ideologies early in the war she would have been the end of us all."

Franz didn't show any disapproval when he simply acknowledged, "There are those among us from the past who would hope that even without the permanent solution that there will still be a semblance of progress to be had."

"She is fortunate that I do not speak to her directly or else I would have choice words. She should learn her place as a spokesman of a past that will not again be revisited."

Franz nodded to the observation when he agreed, "As it may be."

Till collected his thoughts before he lost himself to another long disapproval of the Minority Leader's policies. He brought the next question, "I should like to know this much Mr. President. The completion of the Gundams has shown completion through prior test results. However, is there a reason for starting Rising Himalayas on the Martian colony?"

Franz looked up from his desk when he confirmed, "There is a reason Lord Lindemann. It is currently classified but once we have seen the results of this first step… The effects will be quite a sight to behold."

Till didn't allow his curiosity to bubble out of the situation when he reminded his leader, "It is not my place to question you as leader of the Earth Sphere Mr. President. I shall only hold good faith that you hold the wisdom to this decision."

"Wise of you to do so Lord Lindemann. I shall expect the first squads of Ursa units to be shipped from Berlin within the next few days. If you have any further projects to deploy on the battlefield, then I suggest now is the time to unleash them."

"Gladly Mr. President. I have several final projects passing through the final testing stages. They shall require more time to complete but it will be time well worth investing."

"I have faith in your abilities Lord Lindemann. Your efforts will be among the most well recognized in our effort."

Before Till stood to leave he asked of the President, "I have nothing but respect for your judgement Mr. Kecker. However, I would like to know. Who are the current pilots of the new Gundam units?"

Franz opened a file when he answered, "We have recognized your daughter Lady Donna taking the first unit as per your request. For our Wing Zero variants we have enlisted Private Mercurio Yuy for Unit 2 and Captain Dana Houston for Unit 3."

"Yuy…" The Lord chuckled at the notion when he took in the revelation and pointed out, "Now even Madame Yuy's own blood can't stand for her ideals I take it?"

Franz was ever as stoic on the matter when he agreed, "It was hard on her indeed. When he enlisted two years ago, we have noticed a considerable amount of passion drained from the Minority Leader. This war has nearly gone for half a generation and has pressed the children of the past to endure a war we promised would never occur."

Till ran a hand across his face when he agreed, "Perhaps it shows there is hope for our children after all. Raise them on the ideals that pacifism only restrains violence temporarily and we will prevent such idealism from creating another disaster of this scale."

"And I understand that this is what the Lindemann estate has hoped to achieve in favor of supporting its home government?"

"For both this reason and the fact that you will not shy away from demonstrating what war is to the people. The fact that the colonies have resorted to using mobile dolls alongside pilots is something that will prevent them from tasting true victory or realizing the consequences of their actions."

"A worthwhile philosophy to live by. Sometimes perhaps prior generations do have a grasp of what is correct."

Lord Lindemann stood when he prepared to part, "In some few cases there may be. I promise that the Ursa units shall be completed when they arrive, and we will hopefully be able to stand against the Coalition soon."

Franz looked down to his paperwork when he thanked, "Very good Lord Lindemann. Please keep us updated on the progress."

Till began to show himself out of the room when he parted, "Of course Mr. President. I only hope that you will see that this war brings us back to the basics of what makes humans what they are."

As Lord Lindemann made his way out of the office Franz offered a parting word, "It will be accomplished Till. It is only a matter of time."

Gawel observed the loading process from the highest base tower and saw at the same time the enemy radar was picking up the enemy. He contacted Dana on the nearest monitor, "Captain, it looks like the enemy is closing in on our location."

Dana checked to her left on the other screen when she responded, "Looks like Capon was right. If we even try to push them back this time, the weights gonna be on the shoulders of the Gundams. What's our status on the loading for the mobile suits?"

"We've got the Gundams and the other mobile suits loaded. Maganac Team should be ready to move as soon as we are. Securing our Intel from the enemy will require a system purge of about fifteen minutes."

Dana looked back into the screen ordering, "I'll give you five and then be ready to go." Without even a chance to debate the order Dana's screen shut off leaving Gawel to his order.

Gawel restrained a groan when he agreed, "Yes Captain. Well I should start on the most critical stuff first then." Gawel began to work as fast as possible on purging the critical battle data from the main computers. If the enemy was going to invade Warsaw, enemy intelligence was going to be the first thing they would want to eventually pierce into the main capital.

"Damn. Looks like we don't have much time left. Better get to the others." Zachariah made his way to the nearby hangers where the remaining Leos were stored.

"Well it's not like we needed more emphasis the new guy was privileged isn't it?"

Zachariah overheard the comment when he found the commenting pilot. He wasn't talking to anyone in particular but Zachariah reminded him, "Two-year experience doesn't exactly put someone into new guy territory Roy."

Roy turned to face Zachariah to meet his face. "Yeah maybe. But you know how there are people who think they are destined for greatness just because of their lineage."

Zachariah found Donna preparing the Sandesgeist when he pointed her out among her brothers, "So you think that Lindemann girl is privileged then?"

Roy was briefly disrupted from his thoughts when he conceded, "I'll leave the jury out on that one. She has four older brothers from what I counted and she somehow managed to get the Gundam. How does that work exactly?"

Zachariah pointed to the flaw in the Roy's statement, "Being privileged for inheritance is one thing. By now that's a pretty petty thing."

Roy showed more of his cynical side when he asked, "Even if it is, who's to say they don't exactly have petty reasons to join this war?"

Keijo arrived behind them when he observed, "I'm guessing Mercurio didn't really give you guys the lowdown on what made him want to rush out here."

Roy shook his head when he agreed, "Guess he's not much of a bragger when it comes to these kinds of things. Where's he at now?"

Keijo gestured to one of the Gundams, "Preparing the Uriel right now. From our previous briefing we'll be headed out soon, so it'll have to be quick."

Zachariah gestured towards the central hangar when he agreed, "Sure thing." The two pilots made their way to the Uriel while Keijo made his way to the other base pilots. Keijo followed behind while checking around the base to notice its scrambling personnel. Zachariah and Roy arrived at the Gundam when Zachariah asked, "Hey Yuy, got a minute?"

Mercurio shut the pilot seat door when he turned to them answering, "Yeah it doesn't sound like the Coalition has arrived yet."

Roy brought his question to the forefront asking, "You really think you were the one picked to pilot this thing and the Major isn't getting cold feet at the idea of piloting something this powerful?"

Mercurio considered the question before he reluctantly agreed to answer, "He said that I was the one who qualified for the most to pilot this Gundam. Out of the two I think I understand why."

Zachariah remembered the two possibilities when he agreed, "'Cause this one has the big ass sword and the other has the big ass rifle right?"

Mercurio nodded when he "Yeah. That might have been what made me get this one. Can't really complain about anything though outside of the arm cannon taking some getting used to."

Roy gave his final question to the matter when he asked, "One thing I really want to know Yuy is if you really think you have the right to be there."

Zachariah smacked his shoulder when he reminded, "You're not the Major you know."

Mercurio didn't show any disdain for the question when he answered, "I was given this Gundam to pilot. My only objective now is to make sure it doesn't fall into enemy hands."

Roy shook his head when he commented, "Damn. He's got nothing. I should probably know by now he's just the good little soldier boy unlike the rest of us." He walked away from the site while Keijo and Zachariah were left to observe.

Keijo shook his head as the two parted, "Sounds like some of our guys still have the luxury to be jerks even in hours like these."

"Not so much jerks. They're just acting like most people would in a situation such as this. They seek relief from the stress of a situation such as this one." Mercurio reminded.

"I guess. But it's not like agreeing or disagreeing on this matter is going to make us any more prepared for what's ahead."

"It won't. We have a long journey ahead of us and if we're lucky it won't be after reaching Rome."

"Yeah. Unfortunately, that's what we have waiting for us."

Zachriah walked with Roy as he told his fellow pilots, "He's only meeting the requirement of being committed to the mission. Just follow his example and we'll be alright."

"Yeah sure." Roy turned to ask, "So Ludwika, refreshing chance to finally use some medical skills out there?"

Ludwika turned to answer, "You think casualties are something to brag about on either side Gilliam? If you don't know who to respect, I might have another to work on."

Zachariah gave a light agreement warning, "Someday those attempts at lightening the mood are going to get you in serious trouble Roy."

"And just what are we supposed to do when things get worse?"

Ludwika said through gritted teeth, "It's his funeral Zach. I'll make sure the obituary reads, "Death by Oral Exertion"."

Roy offered a quip asking, "Why not? It's got to be better than Death by Medical Malpractice."

"Pilots. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

The three snapped to attention before Major Capon when they saluted, "No sir."

"No one is able to feel the stress of this situation more than you people. It's your duty however to manage that stress and turn it towards the enemy. Spend more time making that the case and we might be closer to winning this war. If the Gundam pilots can understand this notion, then you all have the same capacity." Alberto saluted when he dismissed, "Complete your duties before preparations to move out."

"Yes sir." The three accepted when the Major left.

"Seriously you see what I'm talking about? Him comparing the Gundam pilots to us?" Roy was the first to point out.

"I think we've had enough Roy. We've got an evacuation to be ready for." Zachariah said ending the conversation.

Roy crossed his arms in defeat from the argument as he cursed, "Just a bunch of sorry gits is what we are..."

Donna heard the argument between the three pass underneath the scaffolding holding the mechanics of the Sandesgeist. "Everybody is quite on edge right now."

"We've got no idea when the Coalition is going to get here, and we know full well they're here to make sure the Gundams don't do any real damage to their mission." Christoph reminded as he hoped down from the Sandesgeist's vulcan panel.

Flake was still focused on his blueprints when he added, "Especially if it means preventing us from having a chance to defend the capital. Month or two tops and they'll have the prize in sight."

Donna saw the stress pressed on her fellow pilots. After a brief consideration she asked, "Do you think I should press for a chance to remain behind? I think I would be able to prevent them from reaching us."

Christian shook his head when he reminded, "You heard the President. He needs the Gundams out on Mars to help our guys trapped over there."

Richard set his tools down when he agreed, "If he's asking for all of them then this has to be something important. Right now, your biggest concern is building a bond of trust with Captain Houston and Private Yuy over there."

Donna brushed her arm lightly when she asked, "I guess I will have to at some point wont I?"

"It's not going to be so bad. You and Yuy already have the common ground of being nobility sent to the frontlines. There's got to be something else there." Christian assured.

"One of the key requirements of our unit is to build a mutual trust. And they will be the only people I will get to meet for a while." Donna said as she observed the Gundams across from her.

Christoph shook his head when he turned to his brothers, "Still like little Donna there. Treating any new meeting like it's some kind of diplomatic mission to prepare for."

"If she's lucky she'll at least pick up some new social skills after this." Flake added.

Dana made her way to the Central Hangar Bay when she ordered to every pilot near the trucks, "Let's hit the dirt pilots! The Coalition isn't going to show any mercy this time!"

Roy was rushing towards one of the trucks when he questioned, "Well damn, not even a last stand? Can't we just get the Gundams to fight the war for us?" Ludwika did her best not to give a stink eye in that moment as she stood at attention before the Captain.

Dana turned to him when she ordered, "If you don't want them to hog all the glory, you better get your ass ready for Ostrava! And I do mean sooner than ASAP!"

The pilots next to him didn't bother questioning orders this time but with the familiar chorus of, "Yes sir!" The loading process began. The evacuation of Warsaw base would be the first step to making a way to Rome and the only people to be left behind were the Coalition forces and whatever unfortunate soldier didn't bother listening to protocol.

Dana turned to face a few remaining soldiers when she asked, "Has Major Capon begun finishing the loading procedures?"

"He has sir. He's speaking with the local leadership on the current situation."

"Major Capon. I must ask if you are truly willing to follow with this. Can you not stand a final defense against the Coalition before leaving? We will not be able to handle ourselves against the invading forces without your assistance."

Alberto faced the image of the city mayor when he forced himself to answer, "I recognize the dilemma we have placed the people of Warsaw in Mr. Mayor. However, we have been instructed to move forward with Rising Himalayas as soon as possible. If we remain here any longer, we will not be able to move forward with this part of the operation." He answered with regret.

"I will hope that it is enough to assist us in the long run then. Please be certain to provide assistance to the Earth Sphere upon returning." The mayor requested.

"We only ask that you endure the occupation for a time. We will return with nothing but the intention to allow our United Earth to endure." Alberto promised before hanging up. He took a look around the communications room before he made his way out of the base and towards the gathering of base pilots waiting for the final order.

"Time to report our status. It seems everyone is prepared for evac." Dana picked up a nearby phone when she entered the channel to Major Capon's office. As soon as she saw the mobile suits were ready for evacuation, Dana reported to Alberto, "We're moving out now Major. The forces have been fully loaded."

Her superior thanked, "Good work. The enemy is going to be within our sights pretty soon."

Dana offered a sense of regret commenting, "I guess the only concern we have now is if we can make it back to Earth in time before we risk losing the home front."

Alberto seemed to recognize this sentiment and could only agree with him when he said, "We'll just have to hope that once we get there the Mars forces will be able to supply us with the support we need." He announced to the personnel prepared for the evacuation, "Last call. We're moving out in five."

The Testudo continued to march forth when Edward observed the activity on his screen. There didn't seem to be any sign of the Gundam units the first attack force came across, but the devastation was still evident. The General looked over the battle map when he confirmed to himself, "It would seem they are anticipating a chance to escape before we take the city. We will have to stop them before they are too out of range."

One of the operators announced the status of the enemy, "We're closing in on the enemy base sir. We have them in our sights."

Edward looked up from the map when he ordered, "Perfect. I want the leader of Brest Forces to lead the attack. Send in our defensive squadron and we'll have the forces necessary to engage the enemy."

One of the operatives overheard the order when he contacted, "Captain Belyakova. Are you within range?"

A feminine voice answered on the other line confirming, "Affirmative sir. We don't have any enemy presence yet. We shall continue to await your orders when the enemy begins to move."

Edward was the next to order, "Our squadron will enage with yours and we shall prepare to cut off their escape. They must be caught by surprise Captain. Do not permit them a chance to escape. The success of our mission here on Earth depends on it."

"They will not escape sir. We will prevent the Earth Sphere from going through with this mission." The channel broke to leave Edward to observe the potential battlefield.

Edwards strategist observed the field when he asked, "I am to believe that we have chosen to act on our secondary strategy by effectively attacking their forces to clear a path?"

Edward reviewed the strategy discussed earlier, "We shall. Our mobile suit forces will attack the base but still have a timeframe to catch up with the Gundams before they are out of our range. It will be up to the competence of our men to see the Gundams are destroyed before they have a chance to progress any further from this location."

Edward's strategist observed the advance towards the city on the map before them, "Good to see this is one situation we won't have to use the cannon. Our forces will need to feel like they put a dent in the enemy somehow."

Edward agreed with the strategy when he reminded, "Using the cannon would only be a waste of ammunition and resources. We must ready for our arrival in Berlin before we can see this creation of ours used to its potential."

"This war is about to come to an end at one slow step after another."

"That is certainly one way of anticipating the end. Either way we shall see that this war ends to pave the way to something truly glorious."

The head engineer of the Testudo oversaw the stored Leo III units while the final preparations were made to forward the invasion. He saw one of the pilots nearby when he commented, "Looks like the Testudo is going to be ready for taking another city."

The pilot looked up from the hangar bay when he agreed, "Saves us some trouble for sure. We'll be headed for Berlin before long."

The head engineer was curious about the lack of comment on the pilot's part when he pointed out, "I take it you were planning on getting more than just a few battles from the advance into Berlin?"

"Not really. I could care less either way if I'm needed at this point."

He remembered the pilot's situation when he agreed, "Ah, you still got that family to return to."

"They'll need my support, but I can finally help them enter a normal life one day."

"That's the thing that really confuses me. You said you're a Tsubarov and you're just here on the frontlines hoping to earn the next check rather than demanding it from another lowly soldier."

The Tsubarov pilot agreed when he shrugged, "What can I say? My granduncle never thought his brother would do much and from what you might have seen none of us were able to."

"Well you've had something to drive you this far. I say if you have the guts to keep going then you'll be able to return home with a clear conscience and at least something to keep living for."

The conversation was cut short when an intercom voice announced in the hangar bay, "All Testudo pilots report to the main hangar. Prepare to escort Brest forces to the enemy city."

The engineer waved him off when he parted, "Looks like you'll have to get ready for action after all. Be seeing you Oleg."

Oleg stood up when he prepared his suit, "Yeah. Later."

Oleg was within the cockpit of his Leo III when he waited for the order to move out. It was a few moments before he heard the Captain announce, "We're heading out to meet with the Brest forces. Stay close and prepare to meet up with the enemy if they have prepared anything."

"We read you sir."

"Stick close and meet against any enemy resistance."

"Squadron Captain we are picking up your signal. We are prepared to begin the operation."

The Brest Captain Aglaii Belyakova observed the Testudo squadron moving in towards her positions when she ordered, "Roger that Testudo Squadron. Move in on the base and stick close. If we're lucky we should be able to intimidate the enemy from numbers alone." Aglaii shut of fher channel for the moment as she promised, "They're right to celebrate against one squadron but they won't survive against this many."

The remaining five minutes had passed the three Gundams and the remainder of the Warsaw base was making its evacuation from the invading Coalition. The only worry now was whether or not any enemy forces would be able to catch up with them.

Zachariah looked over his radar before contacting, "We've got the Gundams prepared for the travel. Let's get ready for escort guys."

"'Bout right. Their royal highnesses are going to reach Rome nice and pretty before too long."

Ludwika reminded them of a nearby truck, "The remaining pilots are still down there. They won't be able to offer any assistance until we get to Ostrava."

"When we get there, we better have something that can make them worth more than lining up for enemy target practice."

Zachariah didn't respond to anyone on the channel when he hoped to himself, "If these units work like the higher ups promise then we might have some kind of chance."

The Leo II took its place among the remaining Leo mobile suits. Pavel was contacted on the other line when he heard Alberto ask, "You are certain it's your preferred position to be that far up in the lines Kolek?"

Pavel answered without concern, "Maybe it isn't if I'm trying to survive for much longer. But the Gundams are going to be enduring the most fighting. I have to remain up there and offer the best firing support we can give."

Alberto permitted himself to be friendly when he requested, "Anything you say pal. Just make sure you return in one piece."

He contacted the other mobile suits, "Ok, listen up here, if there's gonna be a fight we'll be severely outnumbered - that's my estimate of the situation. I know I'm not the CO of this operation, but at least some of you know that I'm good at what I do. I suggest we avoid heroics and try to keep our flanks and rear as secure as possible." Pavel paused for a moment when he tried to come up with words other than stating the obvious. "Seems like the obvious choice is the only one if they're going to have any shot." He commented to himself before re-establishing contact with the other mobile suits. "I'm not going to claim that this evacuation is going to be easy. But I want to see that we are all soldiers in the face of this issue and don't let the possibility of failure cause you to run towards the enemy. I suggest we head out now. The sooner we have arrive in Rome the better." Pavel rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to stand in the face of adversity, but it seemed that he couldn't help but notice how they were probably going to face the worst regardless of their hopes.

Donna got inside her Gundam. When she turned her comms on, she heard Major Kolek's speech. "Roger that." She replied.

The Maganacs followed the Gundams and the Leo II. Under orders from Donna, they are part of the squad as well.

"Man, we still have pieces of history among us." Said Christoph. "Is it really the highest of the elite we have right now?"

"Yeah." Richard responded. "Jump into a warfront this late and it's the best we have to go with."

"Can't say it won't be an improvement over the current situation but there had to be a way to prepare for this better." Christoph enthused.

Donna interrupted the conversation. "The Earth Sphere is doing what it can to prepare." She said to her brother. "Focus on the mission."

"Report support unit. Current observation for our status?"

"All clear Maganac 1. Not picking up anything yet."

Flake checked the radar in his machine. Suddenly there were dots of enemies closing in.

"Enemies closing in!" He reported. "On our guards!"

"Captain Houston we are picking up signs of enemy activity heading our way!"

"Do not engage the enemy. Our current mission is to make our way out of here."

"How far are they from here?"

"Not very. They're probably going to pick us up considering our luck."

"Would not be surprising. Houston, have all Gundam pilots prepared for emergency engagement."

"Yes sir. Issuing orders now."

The siege of Warsaw was met with no real resistance once the Coalition forces had arrived. The only form of any fighting the Coalition received was from unhappy civilians who were frightened by the presence of Leo IIIs in their city. Forces that would be easily put down once the Coalition military had sent its ground forces.

The Coalition Leo III mobile suits approached the city of Warsaw and found the civilian population making last minute escapes from the city. One of the pilots was disappointed when he asked, "This is what we have to look forward to? How did the last few guys have an issue with this place?" As he prepared his Leo's rifle.

"Best bet is they didn't. We should have been able to take this city earlier if those Gundams General Blare warned us about are as built as we think they are." The Captain warned.

One of the pilots kept his mobile suit's rifle ready when he voiced his concern, "Well damn. The stories of those Gundams bringing around destruction are about to be revisited?"

"Only if we let them. Our objective is going to be making sure they don't use any of them or have them leave Earth. Report to the General on our current hold on the city." The Captain ordered against the concerns.

Oleg was among the worried when he cut off his channel for a brief period, "Damn. And we thought this wasn't supposed to happen again."

"Yes sir. Reporting now." One of the nearby pilots adjusted the channel to report, "General Blare sir. We have met with minimal enemy resistance, but the city is ours for the time being."

General Blare's voice across the systems, "Keep watch over any activity. They will attempt to distract us if they have prepared properly."

"Affirmative sir. It won't be long." The pilot agreed while observing the buildings.

Captain Aglaii Belyakova received a transmission from the General, "Scout ahead and ensure the way is clear for the Testudo. Follow proper procedures if the enemy is nearby."

"Yes sir." The Captain changed her frequency to order, "Tsubarov. Take the two nearest units and scout ahead to the West area of the base. Ensure that we have a clear path to make way towards our next target city."

Oleg suppressed a sound of impatience when he answered, "Yes sir. I'll report any activity I find ahead."

Attempting to understand what made the siege so easy, the Captain of the Brest forces kept her camera fixed on portions of the city near the abandoned base. One of the nearby scouts had just arrived from the lines of the city and reported, "I see them sir. It looks like they decided to pack and leave before we got here."

The Captain of the forces deduced, "I guess we could have expected that much. Looks like we'll have to divide our forces if we're going to take them."

"How shall we proceed sir?"

Captain Belyakova overlooked the path the Earth Sphere mobile suits were taking when she ordered, "Second squad form up on me and prepare to flank them."

"Confirmed sir." One of the Leo III mobile suits followed with its rifle gun at the ready.

The Captain changed her frequency to meet with the Testudo and reported, "General. We believe we have confirmed the location of the enemy convoy. We will require all available squads to ensure these Gundams are taken out."

The General answered her, "You have the forces available Captain. Attack them when they least expect it and you will stop them. For this mission you shall have command over all squadrons and I expect to see results."

"With all due respect sir, I'm worried that our attack may just be a bit of skin off their nose. How do we secure the city if we're just down to the Testudo's emergency forces?" The Captain brought out this question and only afterwards felt any sense of being out of line.

Edward didn't show any sign of displeasure when he answered, "We don't. We are here to reach the Earth Sphere capital. Not take territory Captain. When the capital falls, we will have the entire planet at the most opportune moment for the colonies to stake their claims."

Belyakova sighed before she agreed, "That is one way of accomplishing this mission. We'll just have to hope the rest of the way there is this easy I suppose."

"It will be Captain. I have been behind this mission since the beginning and it is time the Earth Sphere felt the full consequences of permitting this war."

Belyakova prepared her Leo III's thrusters when she ended the call, "The purpose of the Coalition sir. Moving out." She switched off her channel with the General as she ordered the other Leo squadrons, "Attention all squads. General Blare has issued me command for this mission. Secondary Brest squadron prepare to advance. Primary squadron move in and assist." She made contact with the Captain of the Testudo squadron, "Testudo Squad form up on me. Stay outside the engagement zone while our guys handle the convoy up close. We'll provide long range support while they get up close and personal."

As soon as the Captain had issued the order, sixteen of the mobile suits that had been sent to take Warsaw were now on their way towards the escaping convoy. Belyakova's unit led the mobile suits towards the best possible spot to blindside the Earth Sphere forces.

"Shouldn't we have the rest of our units out here Captain? Those Gundams are going to be enough of a target as it is."

"We have to make do on what we have right now private. I don't want to lose everyone in case our mission turns out to be a total failure."

"Doesn't sound like something the General is going to approve."

"The General will have to understand that there are some victories we just can't achieve right away."

She pointed out to a nearby unit, "They're right down there. They should be in range."

One of the Leo III mobile suits prepared a rocket launcher when he reminded, "It's possible they might have seen us by now sir."

The Captain pressured him to hurry when she ordered, "That's why we need to be quick. Fire on the nearest portion of the convoy and advance."

"Roger."

At that order, the pilot of the nearest Leo III had fired a rocket launcher towards the convoy. It was guaranteed to hit one of the trucks, it would only be a few more before the convoy was finished.

As soon as the rocket had hit one of the trucks at the end of the convoy, Dana knew who it was that would seek such instant destruction of military property. "Shit! Well that sure didn't take long!"

Alberto turned to her when he cleared, "You have full clearance Captain! Order the Gundams to move out now!"

She turned on a communication grid ordering, "All hands keep advancing on the road! Move forward as fast as you can! We'll push them back for as long as possible!" Turning to a nearby screen, she ordered to the other two Gundam pilots, "Donna! Mercurio! Get the Gundams ready! Don't worry about the truck integrity, we need to close in on the enemy now!" Within moments of giving the order, she rushed out of the truck's back door across the truck bed towards the Artemis. It wasn't long before Dana thrust herself up to the pilot seat area of the Gundam ready to again demonstrate her abilities as a pilot again to the Coalition.

Roy saw the damage that was being done outside when he cursed, "Aw damn! The enemy is trying to make its way towards us!"

Ludwika prepared her mobile suit's rifle when she asked, "What do we do Zach? Should we move out to their assistance?"

Zachariah observed the situation and saw the Gundams prepare to move out. "We can't do much with these Leos. Stay back and we'll be able to provide some covering fire."

"Sounds right. No heroics today." Roy commented as he began to fire on the enemy.

Zachariah commented on the suggestion when he answered, "None ever."

Mercurio heard the order from Captain Houston as he rushed across the truck, "It's time to enter battle. Any last-minute changes are going to have to wait." He rushed to the Uriel and saw Keijo working on some minor repairs.

Before Mercurio got into the cockpit, Keijo warned, "The blaster is still empty! We'll have to reload once we enter Ostrava!"

Mercurio assured him, "Won't be a problem!" He rushed into the pilot seat while Keijo jumped off the holdings and onto the back door of the truck carrying Uriel.

The Artemis stood with its rifle at the ready while the other end of the truck carrying it was crushed under its weight.

Sandesgeist got up from its resting place on the truck carrying it. Donna found the heat shotels from the adjoining truck before contacting, "Emergency engagement. I shall require my primary weapons."

The driver was on the other line answering, "Feel free to take them little lady. Survival is top priority now."

Belyakova saw the Gundams preparing to move out. "They had their big guns prepared in the right position. Move out and give the suppressing fire."

One of the pilots prepared the rocket launcher when he announced, "I've got targets in sight sir." The rocket flew towards the convoy, but it only managed to hit the crossfire of a Leo unit that managed to shoot it down. "Damn. Those Leo units are getting in the way."

The Captain began to fire her mobile suit's rifle when she ordered, "Don't find some excuse for it we need them taken out!"

The pilot next to her saw the Gundams rise without warning as he pointed out, "Aw shit they're both headed this way!"

The leading officer on the other side of the flank announced to his units, "Fire everything! Don 't let them advance!"

Aglaii led the charge as the two squads moved in to close contact with their enemy. As soon as she was certain her squad was in range she ordered, "Set down here! Provide covering fire for our squads!" The Leo IIIs planted themselves to the ground and began to fire their beam rifles in succession. "Take them down! For our survival and the Coalition's!" Aglaii ordered.

It was too late as one of the pilots noticed, "Captain. The enemy Gundams are getting up!"

Aglaii was quick to respond to the report, "Maintain your position! We're not any more helpful over there!"

"We'd at least provide them some kind of support!"

The pressure continued to build on Aglaii as she gave a stern order, "Keeping the enemy distracted is key to cutting them down! Maintain strategy!"

Oleg continued to fire from afar with the Testudo squadron but cursed to himself, "Damn... Our guys will just get creamed at this rate if they don't have some stroke of luck."

In just moments after finding the first target, the Artemis fired with its rifle towards the enemy. The shot was powerful, but the distance allowed the enemy to have time to evade it. On impact, two of the Leo IIIs were destroyed. The remaining fourteen would only be up for grabs in comparison with the other two Gundams coming up.

Dana observed the Leo III units making their way in when she warned, "The enemy is reaching in close. Prepare for any close-range combat." The Artemis fired at some of the further away enemy units when Dana reminded herself, "We let any of the debris get in the way we'll have a hard time getting to our destination."

The Sandesgeist picked up its heat shotels when Donna announced, "I am now about to engage against Coalition Leo IIIs." She reported. Just seconds after the warning the Sandesgeist charged towards two Leo IIIs. The heat shotels were combined with the shield to make the cross crusher.

Flake promised her, "Head in there Donna. We'll cover everything from behind and we won't let the enemy get the better of us."

"Over there! Don't let them get any closer!"

With the combined weapon, she crushed a Leo III in half with the cockpit cut horizontally while the second enemy was stunned after being elbowed when the shotel was withdrawn to cut the first Leo III. The second Leo III attempted to draw it's beamsaber until it was stunned again by a punch from the Sandesgeist and eventually sliced in half like the other Leo III.

"There should be twelve left now." She observed. "The other Gundams or the Maganacs should be able to help make short work."

As soon as Uriel stood up, Mercurio saw twelve remaining Leo IIIs with Sandesgeist leading its attack on the enemy. Jumping forward with buster sword in hand, the blade began to resonate with heat and was sliced into the nearest Leo III. Turning to his right, the Uriel saw a Leo III that was attempting to fire a rocket in the way of Sandesgeist and was targeted in that second. Dashing forward, Uriel sliced the Leo III in half without it even being able to try pulling the trigger. "Ten left." The Uriel brought its sword into shield mode to block against the long-range attacks. "Possibly more than we expected." With the far-off targets in sight, Mercurio pulled the shield back on his arm and threw it into the distance.

"They're taking our guys out real easily captain! I don't know how much longer they'll hold!"

Aglaii held her nerves together when she ordered, "Maintain position! No one is to move in!"

Oleg continued to fire when he cursed the situation, "Ah shit that's not going to help!"

As the shots continued there was a circular object from a distance away. Aglaii made a desperate warning, "Private! Move back and avoid the attack!"

"Damn it! Not much to breathing space!"

"Watch the line of fire!"

"Captain, what the hellll?!" Oleg was caught off guard when he recognized what was happening. Aglaii's Leo III ran into Olegs as they both fell to the ground beneath the incoming shield.

Oleg looked up from his lap when he caught his breath. "Huff... huff... Thanks Captain."

Aglaii contacted him, "Later. We have an enemy to supress."

Oleg's Leo unit took out a rifle when he agreed, "Understood sir." Before either of the Leo units could get back up Oleg warned, "Down Captain!"

"What?!" Before Aglaii could discover what happened she saw the shield of the Uriel Gundam coming back like a boomerang. Oleg's Leo unit unfortunately didn't duck its rifle in time and found the barrel snapped clean off.

"How the hell does that happen?" Oleg wondered to himself.

"The enemy just keeps coming up with all sorts of ways to one up us." Aglaii answered to herself. She repoened her channel to Oleg before ordering, "Drop the rifle Private. We have to maintain our numbers."

"Acknowledged Captain." Oleg groaned in defeat.

The leading Leo II was still out of enemy fire when its pilot checked the surroundings. "Well how do you like that? It seems like I'm too slow to be considered worthy of this mobile suit doesn't it?" Pavel asked himself. "You hold up there guys. I'm not going to be totally useless for this encounter!" Pavel rolled his knuckles when he quickly moved the Leo II to the fray. Two of the enemy Leo's hesitated at the sight of the slightly older mobile suit. It provided a moment of opportunity when their armaments and mobility were lost as the Leo II used a beam saber to completely disable nearby foes. One of the Leo III's managed to get a glancing hit before it lost its legs. The Major prepared to use his Leo unit's rifle before he allowed himself a brief reward, "Seven remaining by my estimate." He stated to the com and made a quick spin to stab through a Leo. Pavel turned to his nearby panels when he noticed one of the blinking red lights next to his left hand. "Damn. If I keep this up, I'll be out of power again... Oh well, it's better than staying out here and letting the enemy get any further." He activated the Leo II's thrusters and slammed shield first to one of the remaining enemies.

As the Coalition mobile suits continued to do nothing but take loses, the status was reported, "Sir! Those things are too powerful!"

Aglaii attempted to contain her anger when she cursed their luck, "Half of our numbers lost and no casualties on the enemy?" She did notice that one of the opposing mobile suits was rushing towards them. Taking the chance to surround this one, the Captain ordered, "Move up on the Leo II! We'll take at least one down!"

One of the eager pilots confirmed, "Confirmed sir!" As the Leo II made its way towards its next target, the remaining forces surrounded it in half of a circle with only a chance to retreat. It would have been too late to do so though when the leading commander of the forces drew a saber from its Leo III and warned, "You're mine!" The swing downward was mighty precise. Anyone capable of surviving it would have required nothing short of a miracle in this situation.

"Oh shit, this again..." Pavel knew he couldn't dodge the attack, nor could he retreat in his situation. Admittedly hesitation was not an option either, so he hastily activated all of the thrusters on the Leo II, lifted the shield slightly and charged at the enemy commander. As the saber cut the shield and damaged the left side of the Leo II, Pavel made a quick stab with his beam saber. If he had go down now, he'd at least take down their leader as well. "You don't know who I am, do you?" The Major muttered to himself and went for wide horizontal slice. With luck he'd get at least one or two of the bastards with him.

The battle was growing even fiercer as Mercurio made his attack but just in time managed to catch the danger Major Kolek was in. "I won't allow any more sacrifices that demand so much!" Mercurio announced as the Uriel prepared its jets to launch forward. The Uriel jumped forward into the fray with its main target on lock. "Hold on Major!" With a mighty entry, a swipe of his sword managed to swipe into the pilot area of the Leo III prepared to strike down the friendly Leo II. As soon as the explosion occurred, the other remaining Leo IIIs turned their attention to the Uriel and prepared to fire on the intruding Gundam.

"Damn! What now?!" As soon as Mercurio found the emergency lights near his buster sword controls, the Uriel's blade made its first transformation into a rounded shield. With all of the force placed into the shots, the shield was still able to stand and was protecting Uriel from damage. With this new protection he contacted the Major, "Sir! I've got you covered!"

Pavel let out a heavy sigh when he commented, "That was too close for comfort..." The Major let out a little sigh and continued the horizontal slice - cutting one of the Leo's like it was made of paper. Pavel noticed the Leo II's energy levels were getting lower on his computer's warning signals. "Damn. My beam saber is going too far into the overdrive setting. At least it served its purpose when necessary." He quickly reduced the blade's levels in to normal and unleashed few rapid bursts from the dual vulcans while backing away slighlty. "Thanks, I appreciate that. Be sure to continue with that sort of effort." Pavel smiled faintly as he answered to the other pilot's message.

"What good would it be on morale if I fell? What would the propaganda folks do in that situation?" He shook his head a bit and waited for the enemy to make the next move. The left arm of the Leo II was out of comission - not that it mattered that much but having no shield to use was a damnably bad thing in a situation like that.

Still firing at the enemy when she had the chance, Dana found herself nearing empty ammunition when the final Leo IIIs were making their stand. Their speed and persistence to avoid made her curse, "Rrrr… This isn't going anywhere." In a brief moment she found an opening to take out as many of the Leo IIIs as possible. Several of them were lined up and ready to be taken down after being forced against their impossible odds. She noticed that one was ready to attempt attacking Uriel and warned, "Mercurio! Parry the one on your left!" Regardless of what Mercurio did, she fired the buster rifle into the targeted Leo III and waited to see the damage that would be done. In the best-case scenario, it would be able to destroy most of what remained of the Coalition forces pursuing them. She could only hope that they were quick enough to avoid taking any damage from the explosions effect.

The attack wasn't going well for the Coalition squadrons as they were slowly but steadily picked off by the powerful mobile suits. As soon as the Artemis fired its mighty blast, there were only three Leo IIIs left. One of the pilots cursed, "Damn it! We can't hold them off any longer!"

Another one in disbelief could only ask, "The ESUN was seriously able to build something as powerful as these?!"

The leading Lieutenant couldn't answer either one of them as he attempted to make a desperate call, "Brest Captain! We can't hold out here any longer! Requesting assi-" With Dana's final shot, the remaining enemy Leo IIIs were finally destroyed.

The destruction was quick and decisive while Belyakova observed her men butchered one by one. Helplessness filled her veins while she made an effort to maintain her soldier's attitude. She ordered the remaining squadron, "We can't engage them any further. Fall back and retreat." There were only a few more shots from the beam rifles of the Leo IIIs as they made their retreat from the convoy. It was the second victory for the Gundams that day.

The Uriel had its sword in shield mode as it absorbed every blast that came close to them. There was a brief silence before its pilot noticed there was no longer any shots headed its way. "Most fortunate the shield can bear this much punishment." Mercurio observed. He contacted the rest of the convoy, "They've ceased fire. We should be clear to move."

The Sandesgeist stepped forward within the safe range to spot any further enemy activity. Dana observed the activity on her radar when she contacted, "Picking up anything Lindemann?"

"Radar isn't picking up any activity sir." As soon as the sweep was finished Donna reported to the Gundams following her, "It looks like they've all been destroyed. I think we can finally rest now."

General Blare saw what the results of attacking Gundams even unprepared would result in. In one day twenty-four Leo IIIs had been destroyed. This would not pose very good news for the war effort in the short term. He could only evaluate to himself, "It would appear the Gundam models are as powerful as we feared."

One of the operators asked, "Should we send in another team sir?"

The General shook his head, "No. Discover their target destination. We won't throw any more of our resources at them until we can pinpoint their destination. Wait for their next stop and we'll see if we can send in another strike."

"Understood sir." The operator noticed a hail on his system when he reproted, "Sir we have a signal from Captain Belyakova."

The General signaled to him, "Patch her through."

Aglaii's voice came through on the monitor requesting, "Testudo Command come in. This is Mission Commander. Come in."

Edward stepped forward when he requested, "We read you Captain. Status report?"

"I regret that we were unable to engage the enemy sir. Both Brest squadrons have been destroyed."

"The reports have been as accurate as we believed. Fortunate to see you are alive with some left standing Captain. Not to question your efficiency but it would seem the Gundams are a significant challenge as it is even for our Leo units."

"I regret that you may be correct General. We may require more numbers if we are to have a chance against them."

"If we can correctly estimate their next destination Captain, we will have such numbers soon. For now, you will follow your new orders. You are to fall behind enemy tracking and find their destination. Report back as soon as you have confirmation. And return alive. The Testudo shall require its squadron to defend itself very soon."

"Yes sir. We shall move out now."

Aglaii contacted what remained of the squad, "Attention squad. We have new orders from General Blare. We are to scout ahead and find out where the Warsaw convoy is going to be headed. Stay formed up on me and do not attempt to move in to attack unless I say so."

Oleg questioned the decision, "So we just follow them huh? At least tell me we should be heading closer into friendly territory."

"Good guess Tsubarov. The further south they go the closer they get to meeting with some of our front. We can expect a lot of help if things get desperate."

Another pilot was less enthusiastic answering, "Things are desperate enough as is. What we need is the chance to see those Gundams collapse under their weight."

Aglaii hoped to gain some confidence when she answered, "If the General is right then the enemy should be going against larger numbers than ours when the convoy reaches its destination."

Another one of the pilots agreed to the plan, "I like the sound of this. Any idea where they're headed sir?"

Aglaii considered the direction they were headed before she answered, "I'm not one of the military strategists. But the General definately has something planned." She adjusted her channel to all nearby units, "Everyone maintain radio silence. We can't alert the enemy of our presence unless ordered to."

"Understood Captain." Oleg cut off his channel when he prepared his Leo unit to move with the others. He didn't need to open his comms system to promise himself, "Keep moving Gundams. We'll get you soon enough."

Aboard the Testudo one of the operators reported, "Sir. Testudo squadron is moving out."

"Maintain observation of activity." A holographic map displayed itself in front of General Blare as they observed the movement of the remaining Coalition squad. "We shall continue our advance through Warsaw where we shall wait for the remaining squadrons and the general war effort to meet with us as planned." With that order, the operators of Testudo were keeping an eye on the remaining Coalition forces as they followed the Gundam convoy to Ostrava. It was all calm as the Testudo continued to march across the frozen grounds of Poland.

As Edward stood at attention to observe the fields and the map, his strategist reminded him, "Regardless of where they arrive sir, they will be arriving at their next battlesite. Unfortunately, an uneventful trip from their lost base will give the enemy pilots a chance to regain their vigor for battle."

Edward nodded his head before agreeing, "This is not a a luxury that either side should permit to give... Unfortunately, the best way to catch an enemy off guard is to place a false sense of security."

Edward's strategist stood next to him when he agreed, "Sufficient. We shall see if such a strategy manages to pay off."

Pieces of destroyed Leo IIIs were scattered everywhere. Donna saw only the Gundams and the older Leo models remaining in the field. It looked like a slaughterhouse of the enemy. "Things are probably going to get worse the further we go unfortunately."

The other Gundams and Major Kolek's Leo II seemed to take an amount of damage, but they were at least still standing. "With the trucks in their condition it seems everyone will have to keep their mobile suits active for the rest of the trip." Donna thought to herself. She contacted the Maganac units, "The enemy is finished. All units form up on the convoy."

The trucks stopped to allow the Maganac and the Sandesgeist to rest. Sandesgeist was loaded in first with the Maganacs guarding it until they were able to load onto the truck. The pilots the mobile suits however remained in their respective cockpits. Flake felt his unit slide down when he commented, "Damn. I don't know how much more I've got in me now."

Alberto sat in the front seat of Dana's truck when he observed the walking Leo II among them. He switched the comms channel of the truck to congratulate, "Sounds like you've managed to survive again Kolek. That old thing is going to fall apart on you one of these days. Just pray that your next mobile suit will hold up."

Pavel brushed off Alberto's comment when he assured him, "We've got three in older models don't we? I think I've got the chance to survive until we return to Ostrava."

When the other units made their way towards the convoy, Gawel reported to his Captain, "Thank you for the assistance Captain. The enemy is no longer on our radar. I'm afraid we can't help you with repairs though. That sudden rise totaled the back end of the trucks."

Dana accepted this report with a shrug and told the other units without their own truck intact, "Sounds like we'll have to walk the rest of the way. Everyone keep an eye out for the enemy if the Coalition tries to camp us again."

Gawel assured, "We'll try to keep you informed Captain."

Zachariah switched his channel to ask, "How do you like that Roy? Looks like the privileged kid got to prove himself again."

"Eh. I guess for now we'll have to let it go. No casualties, no reason to complain I guess."

Ludwika interrupted the conversation when she reminded, "We've still got the remainder of our pilots to protect guys. Just keep your eyes on them until we reach Ostrava."

"Yeah, hopefully they'll be more than luggage by the time we get there." Roy finished.

The Maganac team participated at the opposite side of Sandesgeist. All four members were battered from the combat. Flake was observed the ruins when he asked among his brothers, "Are we finished? If there are more after us, I will go crazy."

"They're all dead. We won't have to deal with them for now it looks like." Christoph confirmed.

While the other brothers showed visible weariness in their voices there was one who announced, "The Lindemann family was heavily involved with OZ." Richard stated. "It's in our blood to fight and we aren't going to back down from any challenge."

"But soldiers need to rest for efficiency." Flake added. "We're nothing without the energy to fight."

Richard nodded at the reminder when he added, "True enough. Let's just hope the Coalition has the same idea."

Mercurio saw the damaged state of the convoy after the battle and could only be thankful that it wasn't destroyed by the fighting. It would have been the only other outcome if they had not been ready to defend against the enemy. They would not likely be able to survive another attack though if their ammunition and energy were exhausted. Mercurio head Dana's command on the matter and confirmed, "Understood Captain." Mercurio shut off his comms channel for the moment when he asked no one in particular, "Out of one and into another right? I guess I should know that's what this mission will entail." The rest of the way to Ostrava, Uriel was set on autopilot to keep up with the convoy giving its pilot the much-needed time to consume a much-needed short breakfast from his supplies.