CHAPTER SIX: ECLIPSE OF BLOOD AND FIRE
June 2, Cosmic Era 70
ZAFT frigate Galvani
Battle of Endymion
Endymion Crater
The Galvani opened up with a salvo of high-energy lasers and magnetically propelled slugs at the limping Drake 0class EAF vessel, tearing a gash in the hull of the ship, small explosion lit he hull of the dying warship. Below, closer towards the lunar orbit, a large-scale operation took place, the tell tale shimmer of machine cannon rounds and wrecked mobile armor showing the ferocity of the battle.
Inside the hangar of the ship, Commander Le Crueset activated his communications interface with the bridge. "It appears we were correct to move the ship in these coordinates. However captain, keep the ship at this distance, there are more than enough vessels left to fill the void left by the destruction." Cutting of the comm., He smiled at the thought and closed the hatch of the cockpit. Running over the mobile suit's diagnostics, he waited for the system ready signal. Rau felt the blood flowing through his veins; his head was filled with the clear awareness. Yes this will be most interesting. "Rau Le Crueset. Heading out."
Endymion Crater Air space
Battle of Endymion
Endymion Crater
Mwu maneuvered his Moebius Zero as several squadrons of mobile suits streamed into the territory of Endymion base. Ships were dying left and right, debris from both sides littered space, but the 3rd fleet's remaining vessels continued their losing defense. He spared a glance at his radar and saw that the Zero Corps was scattered near the base proximity. He lost his wing mates in a crossfire; only his piloting skills saved him from sure death. Colonel Keyes's IFF transponder showed him coming up to the rear with Elsa's zero. Both fighters looked worn down due to the damaged sustained, even his zero, Mwu acknowledged, was in terrible shape but still battle ready.
"Colonel, did you hear? The Dividend retreated towards the resource base over ten minutes ago." Mwu informed his superior.
"What about the rest of the fleet?" inquired Elsa Dupre.
"Still holding out, but things look bad." Mwu said with a dark expression on his face. "If we're lucky enough we might be able to retreat back to Ptolemeus. The 1st and 4th fleets are enroute but won't get here for another two hours. 2nd fleet's encountered resistance and aren't sure when they'd get here. Colonel, wasn't this supposed to be a rear guard mission? Weren't we supposed to hold out for as long as we could?"
"Mwu's correct Colonel. There's no way we can hold the lines any longer-----" Elsa's voice was drowned in the explosion of static and flame as her mobile armor was gunned down from the rear. A commander's white mobile CGUE firing its machine cannon started targeting Mwu and Ed Keyes, forcing them to evade.
"There's no escape." Rau said coldly as his mobile suit unit rained metal rounds at the two strangely shaped mobile armor. "Units 2,3 and 4 continue firing at them! This battle is already decided." He felt a flash of insight as the two armors started releasing their wing-mounted weapon pods. What's this feeling? Rau increased the thrust from his verniers and moved his GINN upwards as rounds of linear cannons flashed where he was just a second ago. His radar beeped a warning as three of the blue weapon pods zoomed into his position. Firing his cannon at the incoming pods, he hit one of them and it exploded. Yes…this feeling, a warning. They must be like me. But I'll be the only one like that after this.
"What the hell!" Ed Keyes said as the commanding CGUE evaded the attack from his gun barrels. He wasn't sure if he felt what he felt. It seemed that just moments before the maneuver, the insight flashed, just as if he was with the other elites of the squadron. His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him, this guy was like them. "Mwu, be careful! He's not like the other pilots we've faced."
"Colonel, look at the base …" Mwu announced as an eerie glowed flowed out from the center of the base.
From the dark warrens of the empty resource base, a device built secretly by the Atlantic federation in the lowest level started powering up. Being time delayed, it ran unnoticed. Within moments the huge expanse beneath the base began powering up and released its radiation. The CYLOPS system is really nothing more than a microwave generator. But the radiation generated by it is enormous. Even interstellar gases ignited as the force generated by it passed over. Water was brought to its boiling point in a matter of seconds. Lubricants and propellant liquids reach critical temperatures soon after. Everything in its path got ripped apart molecule by molecule. Soon only these particles float across space. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Colonel Barr watched in fear as a purplish pink glow emanated from the base below. He shouted a command to his bridge crew, but wasn't sure if it reached them. He felt as if he was growing. It felt as if Hell's fire engulfed him. The explosion of his ship swallowed his screams and all those in his command. There were no ending thoughts, no peace, only death…
Earth Alliance and ZAFT ships in the path of the continuous radiation explode in a shower of superheated metal and flames. Mobile suit and mobile armor get torn asunder as volatile liquids ignite. In just less than three minutes, a ten-mile radius of destruction was all that was left of the battle of Endymion.