Chapter VI: Beating The Odds
Ayers City, Moon,
March 14, UC 0088
"Hey el-tee, how much longer we have to sit here? My ass is busted flat!"
Jack Pielhau's comment brought fresh wind through the comlink. The GraveWalker squadron had been sitting still for 10 long hours, waiting for Task Force Alpha to make the first move, but instead they never came. The tactical officers at the New Desides command center detected some movements on the Fed's formation, a standard formation if they wanted to make planetary drop. The GraveWalkers, as well as the New Desides and the Ayers City Militia, were ready for them. But the Fed's was still shy to attack, and the extended lull drove everybody crazy.
"What's a matter Pielhau? You have a date tonight?" Armus quipped, followed by a burst of chuckles.
"Thirty minutes and I'll definitely find a date!" Jack chimed. "Did anybody see that chic at the bar near the command center? The one with blond hair, acne-ish cheeks, and a mole on the chin? Sweet Mother of Lord, she has the roundest tits I've ever seen!"
"What is it with men and tits?" Lynn snarled. "Can't you ever see a woman with great personality, kind heart, or religious kind of type?"
"Aw, jeez Lynn!" Jack cackled. "Praying chic is not appealing to men! Right, el-tee?"
"Whatever," Armus replied apathetically.
"Hey, el-tee, what type of girl do you like? Lynn's type of girl, or mine?"
"Drop it, Pielhau!" Armus snorted.
"Yeah, how come you never told us about your love life?" Lynn joined in. "We know Jack is a perverted loser, and I am looking for Mr. Right, but we don't know anything about you!"
"If you don't shut up, the only think you'll ever know is woks and brooms!" Armus barked.
"Come on, el-tee! Don't be afraid to get a little sentimental!"
"I'm not sentimental! There has never been a girl, nor there will be in an imminent future!"
"Then what's your type... suppose the time is nigh for you to pursue a serious relationship?"
"I don't know what I want," Armus sighed. "I guess I will know if I meet her."
"Pardon me for interrupting," Josh Offshore's voice boomed in the comlink, "but we have movement! Task Force Alpha is pushing their invasion! Keep your guns hot, but hold your fire until the command center shoots the Logistic Bomb!"
Armus boosted up his reactor to maximum and connected his radar to satellite uplink. Fifteen miles from Ayers City the Task Force Alpha cruisers spat their innards, mainly consisted of Nero mobile suits with 3 FA-010 FAZZ, 2 MSZ-006C1 Z Plus, and the MSA-0011 Superior Gundam, Task Force Alpha's prodigal weapon, painted in its archetypal blue-white scheme with long drab beam rifle. The myriad tubes and fins on its back almost looked like a pair of wings. For further investigation, Armus ran his tape to record every movement of the S Gundam as Task Force Alpha started to move toward Ayers City.
The Neros quickly regrouped into 2 massive clusters, while the S Gundam, FAZZ and Z Pluses took the center stage, creating a triple-pronged attack. They ate the distance quickly, guns hoisted up to engage the city's defenders. They were 10 miles and closing fast.
"Hold your fire!" Josh Offshore commanded.
"Delta-One, I'm firing if they reach 5 miles!" Armus stated, eyes glued on the S Gundam.
"Negative, GraveWalkers! Hold your fire until the Logistic Bomb is fired!"
"What if it doesn't work? We don't have enough time to dodge! I'm firing..."
"No, dammit! It WILL work, so hold your goddamn fire!!"
"All units, this is command," another voice crackled. "Firing Logistic Bomb in 3... 2... 1..."
One second later, the speed of the attacking force reduced, and confusion broke out within the ranks of the Neros. Some were frozen dead in the sky, others tumbled about like losing control of their own bodies. The formation of the Task Force Alpha turned into a complete clutter.
"I'll be damned!" Armus mumbled unbelievingly. "It does work!"
"Blest be thou who hath not seen yet believeth!" Josh snorted irritatingly. "New Desides... CHARGE!!"
Josh's battle cry became the impetus of the fray as dozens and dozens of Xeku Eins rose up to the sky. Traces of light leapt out of their guns, and one by one the bedazzled Neros burst up in flames. The Neros, trying to get a grip of the whole situation, tried to fight back with everything they had left. But the Logistic Bomb destroyed their computer system like Sclerosis disease eating up their nervous system. The Xeku Eins plowed them without mercy.
Meanwhile, the GraveWalkers roared their cannons from the city, adding insult to injury to the rank of Task Force Alpha. Strands of light flashed from their nozzles, blended well with the fireballs at the end of their path, until the sky turned brilliant with colorful flares and sparks from exploding Neros.
"Neros keep falling on my head," Jack hummed while firing wildly, intentionally misspelled the soundtrack of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. "And just like the Feds whose ass are to be kick-ed..."
"Don't lose your focus!" Armus yelled, agitated by Jack's overconfidence. "Concentrate fire on the S Gundam! Kill it and Task Force Alpha is doomed!"
The GraveWalkers swung their rifles and fired off at the S Gundam. Beam streaks zipped in the dark void like fingers from hell, trying to crunch the bedazzled Gundam. But miraculously, the S Gundam regained control and flinched at the nick of time, missing every single attack.
"Sonofa..."
"Delta-One, the S Gundam broke your Logistic Bomb! Get your men out of there!" Armus screamed, realizing that the Xeku Eins were busy frying the Neros, insensible of the danger that loomed before their heads. But it was too late. The S Gundam burst its rifle in quick succession, and 3 Xeku Eins exploded into brilliant flares. The New Desides force ceased their action as if traumatized by the sudden death of their 3 comrades. The S Gundam fired again, and 2 more Xeku Eins blossomed into fireballs. Chunks of burning metal flew in every direction as the explosions ripped the Xeku Eins apart from inside.
"Fall back! Fall back!" Josh roared his command, so loud Armus thought he was going deaf. The Xeku Eins followed the order, but the S Gundam went berserk. Two more Xeku Eins erupted as they retreated, fried in the back. The FAZZ and Z Plu C1s broke the Logistic Bomb as well, and they followed the S Gundam to rain catastrophic fire upon the Xeku Eins. In a matter of minutes, the hunters had become the hunted.
Armus switched his rifle to automatic fire and let loose his fury upon the S Gundam and its entourage. Mutliple burst of beam speared out from his rifle, fringing the sky with eerie blades of energy. His heat tracker spiked up to half maximum, and warning sign blared into the cockpit. But Armus persisted with his attack, and soon enough his subordinates followed his action. The S Gundam had to use every bit of its dexterity to beat the GraveWalker's attack, and witnessing the full potential of the New Desides' fire support team, the S Gundam wisely drifted off to safety, followed by the FAZZ and the Z Plus C1s. The cover fire gave the Xeku Eins a chance to retreat. Methodically they flew back to Ayers City and regrouped, while the remaining Neros found a way to beat the Logistic Bomb, using the data from the S Gundam. They followed the S Gundam back to space to regroup with their ships.
"Alright, cease fire!" Armus said. "What's your status?"
"My Z Plus is a little sweaty, but she's okay," Lynn stated. "Not bad for 40 to 50 rounds."
"Must've melted without the cryogenic system," Jack added. "Other than that, everything's on the green. By the way, how could the S Gundam break the Logistic Bomb?"
"I'll find out," Armus replied. "Meanwhile, go to the hangar and have the techs check your mobile suit. It's the first time they get hot, so make sure no loose connections or melting parts on your Z Plus. I'll join you shortly."
As the GraveWalkers walked back to the hangar, Armus drove his mobile suit to meet Josh Offshore. He was in his RMS-142 Xeku Zwei: a big, bulky mobile suit that almost resembled a mobile armor. Armus' Z Plus looked like a mailbox pole compared to the humongous mobile suit.
"Good news and bad news," Josh said upon seeing Armus. "Good news is we busted 70 of the Neros during the Logistic Bomb attack. Bad news is we lost 50 of the Xeku Eins. Although we lost a lot of good pilots, we snatched a strategic victory..."
"A costly strategic victory," Armus interjected.
"Yes, costly, but still a victory," Josh defended his argument. "And the high casualties will hold them off for a while. We can prepare ourselves for their next move."
"I have something else in mind," Armus said. "The S Gundam that broke your Logistic Bomb..."
"The S Gundam," Josh explained. "It's a Gundam at its core, single-mindedly designed to dominate the battlefield physically and psychologically. Big engine - and I mean really, really big - with powerful weapons all along its body. Strong as a battleship, yet agile as a fighter. But its greatest arsenal is its artificial intelligent, called ALICE. I think that's the reason why it managed to beat our Logistic Bomb."
"How could you possibly know all these things?"
"I still have friends in the Federation who are sympathetic to our fight, hate the Federation's top brass, but too chicken to stand up to their principle. Do you think the Logistic Bomb is the fruit of our brainpower? No, for God sake! They smuggled the code to us so we can find a way to disrupt their computer system."
"I see," Armus breathed. "Anyway, I record the movements of the S Gundam. Something that you want to check. Maybe we can find a way to beat this monstrosity."
"Give it to our scientists," Josh said. "I have works to do. I hope it's of any use."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Next, on "I, Feddie" Chapter VII:
"I am Admiral Honsei, leader of EFF Eagle Force Battle Group. By this time I believe you have witnessed the strength of my fleet. You are surrounded, and there is nowhere to escape. You have 24 hours to lay down your weapons, vacate Ayers City, and surrender unconditionally. This is my last and only warning to the New Desides and all its accomplices. If we don't see any sign of surrender by this time tomorrow, my troops will descend into Ayers City and attack any armed units in the city. If you are sensible men, as I hope you are, then you'll notice that there is only one solution. Surrender, and I'll spare your lives."
"This is Captain Brave Cod, leader of the New Desides. I refuse to comply, and I will take any consequences of my action. I will not let myself nor my devotees to be ruled by the parasitic Spacenoids that hid behind the Earth Federation. The time is nigh for someone to stand up against your corruption. I am not intimidated by your fleet, and I will see your force in Ayers City."
"The EFF can have all the space they want, but Ayers City is ours! We must take the battle to the city, until they are forced to fight door-to-door. Urban fighting is not their forte, and they are too arrogant to learn a little bit about it. This is our chance to show them what we really are!"
"Urban fighting, Sir? With all due respect, it's not that EFF does not have the skill to fight in urban area. They don't want to do it because they want to avoid collateral damage."
"That's the exact reason why we have to bring them down to the city. They'll be reluctant to fight. They don't want to exchange victory with human lives. That's where we're excel, Lieutenant Gray. We believe in our cause, and we dare to take any measure to stand up for our cause. I don't think the citizen of Ayers City would mind a little mishap, as long as victory is at hand."
"Sir, I don't think this is a good idea. We can't let civilians be our shield against the Federation Force."
"Obviously you haven't left your old code as a Federation soldier, Lieutenant Gray. You and I have the same root. We know how EFF fight. We know their every little weakness, including their erudite rules of engagement. But we are not EFF anymore, so we're not bound to anything. You will carry this plan, Lieutenant Gray!"