December 10th, UC 0079
The Principality of Zeon, now secured in their dominance over the Earth Federation, begin a systematic campaign of wiping out or conquering all remaining pockets of possible Federation resistance while gaining supporters. The most obvious target is the cluster of colonies in Side 6, where a secret Federal base has been rumoured to be located. In a direct violation of the treaties of neutrality, Zeon forces under the command of Captain Conscon head for the colony cluster under orders to root out the Federal forces...by any means necessary.
However, ex-Zeon pilot Keith Holt leads the two E.F.S.F battleships Osiris and Speranza to the same colony cluster, under the impression that the ships are an invasion force.
The Battle of Side 6 has now begun to unfold...
"Heads up, I got visual on the targets! Looks like...Zaku IIs. This shouldn't be too tough," James called over the radio.
"Okay...Eledore, you go with Sanders and Michel, but I want you to cover the colony as best you can. Don't let any more mobile suits get in, while we clear out the assault force," Keith commanded.
Three acknowledgements met his orders, and both GMs, along with the Space Tank, arrowed off toward the colony.
In response, six Zakus broke off from the enemy formation to cut off the rescue force, but before Keith could shout a warning, the remaining nine opened fire, forcing himself, James and Norris to scatter.
Instantly, Keith lined up a shot on one of the passing MS...but it seemed to take forever for the Gundam to bring its beam rifle to bear. Finally, the shot was snapped off, piercing the suit right through the cockpit, followed by a detonation seconds later.
Packard, though flanked by two enemies of his own, seemed to have a fairly easy time. It almost seemed that his opponents were confused at fighting another Zaku II. In response, the former Zeon captain snapped off a shot at one with a borrowed EFSF Hyper Bazooka, but the MS showed an unusual amount of dexterity and nimbly rolled out of its way, spraying a burst of machine gun fire in return. This return fire Packard barely managed to dodge, only to have to hit his thrusters again to avoid a bazooka shot from the other Zaku swooping past. Flipping on his radio, he called out, "These aren't normal Zakus! Everyone watch yourselves...I think they've got upgraded maneuverability!"
Gritting his teeth as he did so, Norris began to close the distance with a Zaku that was unwise enough to stop moving. By the time it noticed him, it was too late: Norris lifted his machine's bazooka and fired a shot into its chest. The blast battered his own Zaku around, but Norris didn't mind too much, as his target obviously came off worse.
As he searched for another target, he saw the Gundam blast a hole in another enemy Zaku with its beam rifle.
"Damn you!" Sanders cursed as the Zaku he was fighting shoulder-tackled him, sending his GM flying back. Struggling to bring his suit under control, the veteran could see his opponent lining up a shot with its bazooka...only to be blown away by a beam weapon before firing.
"Don't expect those Zeek bastards to fight fair, Sanders! Stay sharp!" Eledore said.
"Right...thanks, Eledore."
Michel, in the meantime, was trying to force his way past the Zaku that confronted him to get to the colony. Spraying machine gun fire in a deliberate pattern, he tried to get the Zaku out of his way, but the pilot simply weaved through the bullets, the enemy suit reaching for its heat hawk.
Letting out a strangled cry of frustration, Michel dumped the weapon, and activated his beam saber, moving almost instantaneously. As the mobile suit neared, the young corporal closed his eyes, expecting at any second for it to attack with a deadly blow…
Which didn't seem to come. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, and blinked in surprise as he saw the Zaku neatly impaled on his saber. Acting on instinct, he reversed his thrusters and removed the saber from the dying suit, just in time to avoid the explosion.
He had barely blown a sigh of relief when Sanders' voice screamed over the radio: "Michel, behind you!"
Somehow knowing that taking the time to look would mean his death, he simply spun to his left, and brought the GM's beam saber around in a powerful, blind slash...managing to catch the Zaku that had snuck up on him right at the waist. The explosion blinded him momentarily, and then he quickly glanced around, relieved that the other two had apparently been taken care of.
"Looks like that's almost all of them...okay, you go do your shining knight routine, okay kid?" Sanders joked.
"Sure thing...but don't call me kid, old man!" Michel called back.
The Speranza and Osiris, in the meantime, were taking a beating from the enemy ships' main guns.
Another explosion shook the Pegasus-class assault carrier as one of the Musais connected with a beam cannon barrage. In response, their own gunners concentrated their firepower on the green ship as they attempted to maneuver out of its range.
"Missiles coming in fast from one of the Chivvays!" the sensor officer called out.
"Fire our countermeasures! And tell the gunners not to let up!" Tiff called out, pulling double duty as the acting captain and comm officer.
"There's too many of them! We won't get them all...maybe not even half!"
"Then instruct some of our gunners to focus on ship defense!" she called out disractedly. The ship lurched from a glancing shot as she opened a line to the Osiris. "Osiris, this is Speranza...what's your status?"
"Osiris here...we're taking some hits, but we're almost in position...just a few more minutes..." Kawada responded. As if fate decided to play a cruel joke, a broadside barrage from one of the Chivvays impacted the Magellan, causing it to visibly rock. On screen, Kawada and the other officers present staggered from the force, some falling out of their seats, others managing to grab onto railings or supports in time.
Kawada turned to his crew and shouted, "Damage report!"
"Generator three has been knocked offline, while generators one, two and four are marginally damaged...we can reach eighty percent capacity at max!"
The gunnery control shouted back, "We've reached optimum firing distance! Angle checks out...thirty seconds to fire railgun!"
Kawada nodded in relief and relayed the news to the Speranza.
"Captain! The Mobile Assault Force's Zakus have been all but obliterated! Surviving units report they were ambushed by Federal mobile suits - and one of them is the Gundam!" shrieked the comm officer aboard the Gwanza, a look of terror upon his face.
Conscon felt as though he had been dragged into a nightmare. The MAF were supposed to be the best of the best, answering to Lady Kycilia they were outfitted with some of the most powerful suits in the Zeon fleet. Deploying this part of the Space Attack Force two days prior to the slightly nearer Mobile Assault Force had been a stroke of genius, and in retrospect Conscon had to admire that sort of plan. Both forces combined and arriving at their target at the same time…
But good planning wasn't enough, evidently. If the MAF could be swatted aside so easily, what chance did his portion of the fleet stand? Still, there was that new weapon his Rick Dom divisions had been outfitted with. The designers had said it was more powerful than the Gundam's beam weapon… now was the time to put it to the test.
"Deploy all mobile suits! And tell the Rick-Dom pilots to switch their weapons before they launch!" he ordered, a look of determination upon his face. The Feddies were strong, but they were vastly outnumbered. Surely this would crush them.
"Target locked on!"
"Shell's loaded!"
"Energy levels are fine!"
Kawada nodded and smirked at his various officers, then gave the order. "Fire!"
A burst of light fountained through space as the heavy, white-hot shell sped from the railgun towards its targets. Smashing into the bridge of one of the Chivvays and destroying it, it continued straight through on its destructive flight, knocking aside several defending Zakus before coming to rest in the side of a Musai.
Kawada's grin widened, but from the bridge he saw blue flashes of electricity arcing around the barrel of the railgun. His cocky expression dying on his face, Kawada turned to the gunnery control officers. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
One of the officers whimpered audibly, before answering. "There's a fault with the magnetic coating! If we fire another shell, the friction from the barrel could set off a chain reaction and destroy the ship!" he squeaked.
"Damn…See if you can repair it somehow!" The Federal captain's eyes narrowed as the enemy mobile suits launched, coming closer and closer to the melee…
"We need to get more aggressive! Get in there and cause as much damage as possible! Try to stick to close-combat, it's easier for your ammo supplies!" Keith yelled into the comm, watching the Rick-Doms speed into the battle.
"Easy for you to say.." sighed James, seconds before firing a cavalcade of cannon shells at one of the advancing, highly-mobile enemy suits.
It easily dodged shell after shell, before returning fire with some sort of massive bazooka-like weapon slung on its shoulder.
Frantically yanking at the controls, James narrowly avoided the wide beam of energy it fired by inches. "Holy… what the hell is that thing?!" he shouted, his eyes wide with shock.
"Dunno! Just stay away from it!" Keith scowled and gritted his teeth as another of the bulky monstrosities fired a beam at him, quickly joined by a shot from another Rick-Dom.
Hitting his thrust engines in order to dodge a third Rick-Dom's attack, Keith was once again reminded of how slow the Gundam felt to him. It was as if the suit's frame was made of lead, it maneuvered so sluggishly.
Though despite this, it seemed he was the only one finding the suit slow. All three beams had missed, and although one had came close to a colony it hadn't impacted.
Not as though I have much time to worry about that at the moment, though... Keith thought as the Gundam lifted up its beam rifle, blasting a hole straight through a Rick-Dom's chest and reactor. It hung there for about a second before exploding in a blinding ball of flame.
Keith's eyes narrowed as one of his enemies lifted its beam bazooka for the second time. "Oh no, you don't!" he growled, dropping his beam rifle and speeding straight for the Rick-Dom in one smooth motion. Bracing himself for either impact or a destructive beam, Keith fervently hoped it would be the former.
He was rewarded for his quick thinking with a nerve-shattering jolt as his suit rammed the opponent shield-first with a clang, its beam sent askew and shooting harmlessly past. Smirking, Keith grabbed his beam sabre, hurriedly ignited and swung it, striking the still-stunned Rick-Dom as its pilot tried to recover control.
Keith was eerily reminded of the Rick-Dom he'd faced at Luna II as the enemy suit was vapourised by its own energy, visibly cut in half for a second beforehand, seemingly before the laws of physics could catch up.
Suddenly, a huge beam blew half the shield off the Gundam's left arm. Quickly turning the suit around, Keith saw the third Rick-Dom casting its beam bazooka aside and drawing its heat sabre. He tugged at the controls, lifting his still-ignited beam sabre up into a defensive position, readying himself for the inevitable lunging attack.
It didn't come. Cannon shells hammered into the Rick-Dom's chassis, leaving massive dents as it flailed helplessly from the force, vainly trying to steady itself.
Seeing the red shape of the Guncannon, Keith smiled, before lunging forward and piercing the Rick-Dom's chest with his sabre. "Thanks for that, James. I thought he almost had me!"
"Dammit!" Tiff cursed as a missile smashed into the side of the Speranza. Formidable though the ship was, it wasn't invincible, and for all its technological advancements it still was built for Mobile Suit-based combat.
Thus, it was taking a serious beating from the large numbers of Zeon ships. Tiff personally doubted whether they'd survive much longer.
Suddenly, one of the Musais was hit by a torrent of particle cannon fire from the Osiris, and split apart. Though its main weapon was out of action, it could still rely on the Magellan lineage's heavy firepower to deliver destruction to the enemy.
"This isn't working! Move closer to our mobile suits!" the Acting Captain screamed, over the constant explosions and various sounds of weapons fire.
"...But that means we'll be going right into the melee!" wailed a radar technician.
"So be it! At least we'll have some of our mobile suits to cover us!" she growled in return, her eyes narrowed.
"Decompression complete. Access to colony granted."
Michel smiled grimly as the hatch opened, revealing the massive interior of his home colony. He only hoped there weren't any Zeons already inside...
"Speranza, do you copy? We've entered one of the colonies and are about to get into a defensive position. Over." Terry spoke into his comm unit, before igniting the GM's thrusters and leaping downwards.
Pulling himself together, Michel quickly followed him into the colony.
Meanwhile, just outside the colony, Eledore was facing an increasing number of enemies. The suit pilots had seen Michel and Terry enter the colony, and now they wanted to trap them inside, annihilating them inside its metal confines. Civilian costs be damned; the Zeon propaganda machine could always cover up their mistakes.
Only the citizens of this colony would know the devastation wrought if the Zeons won, the Side 3 faithful would only hear of glorious liberation.
The blonde musician-pilot growled as he shot at the hordes of Zakus swarming towards the colony. A beam blew apart two of the targets at once, but still more came, spraying the hard rain of machine gun bullets.
Eledore scowled as several bullets slammed into the Space Tank. However, its strong Luna Titanium shell resisted the brunt of the assault.
Those bastards.. Powering on the thrust engines, Eledore urged the Space Tank out of the way of the hail of deadly fire. To his horror, he saw that not all of the attacking suits were the standard Zaku IIs. A few individual units were the older Zaku Is, each carrying an eerily recognisable piece of equipment...
Suddenly, a stray shot hit one of the Tank's multi-missile pods. The entire set of ordinance exploded, catapulting the bulky machine aside with the force of the blast.
Rapidly returning fire with the beam gun while trying to recover control, Eledore screamed into the comm, "Enemies incoming!"
"Are you sure we have to do this, sir?" asked the Gwanza's comm officer.
Conscon sighed. He didn't like the idea of the "scorched-earth" policy developed by some of the more hard-hearted Zeon top brass, but orders were orders.
"Though it goes against my better judgement, we have to do this. Tell our Zaku Is to deploy their gas when they enter the colony."
Keith frowned as he viewed the battle before him. Things were going well, surprisingly. Though something felt wrong to him... a trap?
Norris' silver Zaku flashed past, ramming into and chopping an enemy Zaku in half with one heat hawk-laden hand while flashing him a thumbs-up with the other.
Keith forgot his fear and grinned for a second; if he were the doomed Zeon pilot he'd be more humiliated than sorrowful about his fate.
Suddenly he felt a massive sense of danger. Something was coming.... from the left of him.
Just as he hit the thrust engines, the surviving five Zakus headed straight at him from the direction of the colony, unleashing a spray of 120mm death.
Time seemed to slow, as to the Zeon pilots' horror, their target evaded every last one of their shots in a scene of terrible, graceful astro-acrobatics. First it executed a roll, then a sort of zero-gravity backflip.
At the end of the flip, the Gundam hurled its shield at one of the Zakus, before letting go of its beam rifle, drawing both beam sabres and charging at its foes.
The resultant melee was short and violent; at the speeds it was shooting towards them at, the Zakus stood no chance against the "White Devil". With each stroke of the magenta sabre, a Zaku was annihilated.
One quickly grabbed its heat hawk and attempted to attack it, but it was utterly futile. The Gundam's beam sabre sliced right through the metal blade into the foolhardy machine, causing it to vanish in a destructive fireball.
In fact, it was only just as the last Zaku had been destroyed that the white Mobile Suit came to a halt. Keith cursed, as he looked down to the combat computer's monitor.
The readout was a shocking display of red and orange, and in large letters the words "OVERHEAT: JOINT FAILURE".
However, that wasn't his only concern. Looking up, Keith saw the Sun's rays blocked by a gigantic humanoid figure, silhouetted against the blinding light.
He shuddered, as something about this figure exuded an incredible aura of power and menace...