5th December 0079

"Now, I think we understand why we're heading for Side 6," Keith began, as he addressed the crew of the Speranza. The discussion was also being beamed to the Osiris, which had tagged along for the battle.

"We're, according to reports, the only Federal units going to stop the Zeons from invading the colony cluster. They've probably got an entire fleet heading to take over, we've only got two ships. But we're the only hope the people in those colonies have left."

"And I pray to whatever's up there that we win..." muttered Michel from his seat on the bridge as Keith continued his speech.

"There's a good chance we won't make it back alive. But if you're gonna back out, think of the innocent people in those colonies first. They might end up being gassed in another colony drop, they might get blown up once the Zeons have taken over and the rest of the Federal fleet gets its ass in gear. But I have faith in you all. We have powerful weaponry at our disposal - see the Osiris out there? As you probably know, it's got a railgun capable of taking out three ships at once if it's aimed properly. This ship's been upgraded and its firepower's been given a boost, and of course we have the Gundam. But we need a plan of action."

"I suggest I and a few volunteers move in to attack the enemy ships head-on. The rest of our mobile suit forces will ensure that none of the enemy have entered the colonies themselves."

"That's insane! Are you out of your mind!?" Tiff shrieked.

Keith turned to Tiff, sighing. "Look, you've seen what the Gundam is capable of. Why are you doubting it now?"

"Powerful as it is, it's still only one suit! The Zeon fleet has its own mobile suits, and no matter how powerful Gundam is it's still horribly outnumbered. You don't stand a chance alone!"

Keith's eyes narrowed. "It's either my life or those colonists' lives. Those maniacs coming to take the colony are gonna do something awful, I can tell. I can't stand by and watch it happen." he said, the cold edge to his tone silencing even Tiff. When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he continued.

"All right. Anyone else willing to fight outside of the colonies? It's a lot easier than being inside them, but you'll be fighting more of the enemy..."

Michel raised a trembling hand. "I-I'll volunteer..."

Keith moved beside Michel, lowering his voice. "Sorry, that's out of the question. Your girl's in one of those colonies, you've gotta protect her. It's no good if you get yourself killed without doing something to stop the enemy.... you need to stop the Zeons from getting into the colony. If we win, that's good... if we don't, you can always abandon your suit and hide. With any luck nobody'll notice." he said quietly.

James grinned. "Don't even think about that, Keithy. We're gonna win this!"

6th December 0079

Keith sighed, his eyes fixed on the rapidly-moving empty space before him.

His Core Fighter shot through the blackness as he began the task of patrolling the area around the Speranza.

"You know, I think I'm more used to stuff like this." came James' voice through the comm. Keith's head swung around, his eyes fixed on his craft's twin, under the control of his friend. "Oh? Why's that?"

When he spoke again, James' voice was tinged with emotion. "I wasn't always a mobile suit pilot, y'know... before the war, I always wanted to be a fighter pilot." he muttered wistfully.

"What happened?" the ex-Zeon pilot replied, curious to know.

"I got my wish. But I was assigned to the Air Force rather than the Space Force. Meaning I was stuck on Earth while the Zeons started blowing the living hell out of us. After they invaded, the Federation wanted test pilots for their new mobile suits... and I got the job." came the reply through the comm.

"Oh..."

"Then the brass sidelined me again," James' voice bit out, "by assigning me to the Jaburo defense battalion! Can you believe it? Mind you, 'cause Jaburo was so important, they didn't spare much expense in retraining me. Captured enemy suits used as drone targets and opponents for melee combat practice, the works. Came in handy, eh? Considering what happened?"

"Suppose so. But you don't exactly want to hear my life story, James... too painful." Keith replied, an air of finality in his tone. Suddenly, something caught his eye. A piece of space debris? It didn't look like your average lump of asteroid...

"I've found something interesting. I'm gonna go check it out." Keith said into the comm unit, before pushing on the throttle and speeding towards the mysterious object.

As he got closer his suspicions were confirmed: it was the remains of a Zaku. It had been mangled; its legs and most of its left arm were missing, though its right still gripped a machine gun.

There was something different about it, Keith noticed. It was much bulkier than a regular unit, and there was a strange boxy feel to its structure.

Was it an experimental suit? Expressly designed to test new technology?

There wasn't anything different about its armament, so it had to be something internal.

"What is it?" James' voice asked, through the comm. For a split-second, Keith could almost visualise the suit's last hours: shooting into space for a simple test, only to be attacked and annihilated by Federal battleships. Why it had even been tested in such a remote area was a mystery to him, and, he theorised, to its pilot.

"Well?"

"...It's just a wrecked Zaku. Let's return to the ship." Keith replied wearily.

A day later...

By the time the Speranza and Osiris made it to the outskirts of the Side 6 colony cluster, an urgent communication came in from the Osiris.

"You picked up WHAT?!?" Keith exclaimed.

Kawada nodded, biting his lower lip a bit. "No joke. We just picked up a series of nuclear explosions on the surface of Earth...a lot of them centered around California Base, but a fair share in Africa and the Oceania region as well."

Keith leaned heavily on the communications console, the blood draining from his face. Behind him, he could feel the horror from everyone else present. "God in Heaven...the Zeons are gonna contaminate the whole damn planet!"

Kawada turned to someone off screen, exchanged a few words, and came back, looking at a clipboard with a puzzled frown. After a moment of silence, he blinked, and looked up at Keith. "That's not the weird part, though...reports say none of our forces set off the nukes."

Keith's brows furrowed in surprise. "...I'm not sure if that's supposed to comfort me or not, captain..."

"You and me both, Keith...you and me both." Kawada sighed.

Not surprisingly, there were no patrol ships awaiting their arrival once they passed the markers for Side 6, which only added to Michel's unease. Keith did his best to comfort the kid (try as he might, he couldn't get over thinking of Michel as a kid...had to be the looks), but it didn't help.

As soon as they crossed the border, Keith called everyone together for one last meeting to hash out details.

"All right, let's go over this one more time: Eledore, Norris and James are with me; we'll cover the colony as best we can from any additional forces. Michel and Sanders, you two will enter the colony and take care of what you need to do there. The Speranza will try to lay some cover for the MS, but focus primarily on protecting the Osiris until it gets into firing position. Any last minute questions?"

No hands were raised.

Nodding, Keith shouted in what he hoped was an authoritative voice, "Alright, to your stations, let's GO!"

Kojima clasped Eledore, Michel and Sanders' shoulders briefly, wishing them luck before he approached Keith. Looking the older man in the eye, Keith couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably until the Lt. Colonel smiled. "You take care of my boys out there, alright?" he said. Keith nodded firmly, replying, "I'll do my best, sir."

Kojima nodded. "I know you will...now give those Zeons hell!"

Keith grinned and sprinted off to the MS hangar. As he entered, he was pleased to note that everyone was beginning final preparations for their suits to launch, with the exception of their GM Command unit, which was already positioning itself on the catapult. Assuming it to be Sanders, he did a double take when he saw the man in question settling into the cockpit of a standard GM as he floated to the Gundam. Flipping on his suit radio, he said, "Sanders, do you copy? Who's in the Command model?"

"Michel...I figured he could use the extra thrust power and armor better than this old man," the veteran chuckled. Keith had to concede that point, and was pleased to see that he wasn't the only one trying to watch out for the young soldier.

Shortly after he and his MS were ready, everyone else had launched and assumed an advance screen for the two ships. After launching himself, Keith moved himself into position and flipped on his radio. "All right everyone, this is it...remember, this isn't for the Federation: this is for the innocent civilians who will die if we fail!"

"Feels like Britain all over again," Norris muttered.

"Operation British ain't gonna happen, Packard! Not on MY watch!" Eledore bit out from the Space Tank.

"That wasn't what I was referring to," the Zeon colonel replied. "I was referring to the Battle of Britain from Earth's history...a small, outnumbered force, fighting a desperate defense against a seemingly invincible foe. Sound familiar?"

Keith smirked grimly, as he got the reference: the Battle of Britain had been one of the most famous battles of 20th-century history, with Nazi Germany's attempt to bomb the island of Great Britain into submission with hundreds of aircraft.

This time, mobile suits were the new technology both sides were forced to get to grips with, and the stakes were much higher.

Though he only dimly remembered learning tactics from the World War II era during his training at the Academy, Keith had taken an interest.

All of a sudden everyone's comm units beeped. Tiff appeared upon the comm screen, her face looking anxious. "Everyone, we have the enemy force on screen! Looks like...eight Musai class cruisers, and four Chivvays. Space is swarming with multiple bogeys, too. Looks like they're carrying a full complement of MS each." Biting her lip, she shook her head, and said, "Be careful, everyone! And good luck!"

Each pilot preoccupied with their own thoughts, the suits and their accompanying ships shot into battle.

Seated in the captain's chair on the bridge of his flagship, the Gwanza, Conscon surveyed the Side 6 area with eagerness. This quick visit would serve two purposes: not only could their presence help spur the Riah authorities to officially support Zeon, they could also check out rumours of a Federal base in the region.

"Captain! Enemy ships detected at 10 o' clock!" the radar operator reported.

"So, the Feddie bastards have finally gotten the guts to die like men, eh? How many are there?" he asked.

"I'm reading two ships! One looks like the Trojan Horse...and the other seems to be a Magellan. But some of their equipment is nothing like standard for either ship!"

Conscon frowned at the mention of the Trojan Horse, but shrugged. "Two ships against our fleet? This is barely worth our time, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get a little exercise," Conscon admitted. "Request that the Mobile Assault Force ships launch their suits out to meet them, but let the others have fun with the patrols...and inform all ships to secure a new heading. If they want a straight up fight, then we'll give them what they want. All gunners, pick and choose your targets!"

With those orders given, fifteen Zaku II Kais launched, arrowing toward the advancing Federation force.

The Battle of Side 6 had begun...