Chapter 4

CE 73, November 8th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, Jalula; Iraq

Evening 19 30

Kaguya leaned back into the seat of her Dagger L, and sighed. The convoy had spent the better part of the day after their tangle with the insurgents travelling; they had bypassed Baghdad in the afternoon, opting to press on towards their destination rather than stop for a rest. Even with their constant stopping to investigate trouble spots, no more incidents had appeared, and Major Nain had handed down the order that speed was of the essence for the next few days.

One more days on the trucks, and they would be in the view of the Lohengrin Gate by nightfall.

And then, she could see with her own eyes, the strength of the ZAFT ship Minerva.

She tapped a console button that flashed, bringing up a video feed from Ray. "Sakamoto," he said. "You're switching with Camelot. She's getting into her unit now, so you can take a rest if you want."

"Thanks, sir," Kaguya replied. She terminated the connection, but remained in her Dagger L. She closed her eyes, trying to subdue the feeling of unease that she felt. It was the same at that day, two years ago, at the Ptolemaeus Lunar Base… the day GENESIS had hit. She was sure that the feeling she felt now was the same back then. She glanced east, at the mountains encompassing the scenery.

In the first MS-carrying flatbed truck, Ray sat in the back cabin, slowly reviewing Nain's data and her conclusions. Ray had no trouble with her views because he felt the same way. The problem was dealing with the ZAFT commandos that had likely orchestrated the entire event; the convoy was highly vulnerable to attack from outside. Insurgents and dissidents they could deal with, but a full-blown attack from well-trained troops would be the end of them.

While allied data showed that ZAFT had yet to move from their Mahamul Base near the Persian Gulf, even Ray could see that it was just a matter of time. Taking Gulnahan would mean isolating the Suez Base and forcing the Eurasian Federation back, putting more pressure on OMNI to guard their Eurasian borders. ZAFT had learnt from the past war; preventing OMNI from amassing its forces would allow them to pre-empt any attack. This was especially true now, as the Eurasian Federation was no longer interested in open warfare, and the Atlantic Federation, as of yet, had no primary bases or establishments in the region. If ZAFT could keep the pressure at the right levels, they could force independent negotiations with the Eurasian Federation, even with the Earth Alliance's Security Treaty.

Ray switched the data pad off. The warmongering tendencies of his home nation's leadership notwithstanding, there was no point in fuming over events he had no influence in. He stood up and moved to the cabin door as the convoy ground to a halt. Close as they were to Suez, they still had a day's worth to travel, and the troops would be raising a riot if they were going to skip proper rest just to pander to some well-fed officer's demands to arrive too early for no good reason.

Ray walked past a few soldiers as the soldiers of the combined brigade force hustled around, setting up things for the rest. A few soldiers greeted Ray; he returned the salutes and a fist-bump, and continued on.

Sheryl was helping to unload things when a slightly dishevelled Nain walked out of the command truck, shaking her wristwatch in annoyance as she blinked the last of her sleepiness away. "This is the last time I visit that watchmaker," she said.

Sheryl gave a short laugh. "You should consider that one shop down the main street in El-Tor, Major," she held up her own wrist and shook her watch. "Hasn't given me any trouble since I transferred here."

"Oh, you bet I will, Sheryl," Nain looked around. "Have you seen Ray anywhere?"

"Off by the soldiers," Sheryl replied. "He should be with Mendez now."

Ray had gone over to see Bravo Squad; he passed by Mendez, and both men exchanged greetings.

"How are the injured?" Ray asked. Several of the soldiers had accompanied the Chief Warrant Officer into the control room during last night's sweep. Mendez had been fortunate enough to backtrack from the blast, but several soldiers under his command hadn't been that lucky. Nain had to move supplies into another vehicle so that they could dedicate a transport for some of the more seriously injured soldiers.

"They'll live, sir," Mendez replied. "Tough bunch we have with us. The only thing is how fast they can get back to the service; without the facilities at the Lohengrin Gate, we're not going to have any of them up and back soon."

Ray nodded. "Maybe we should make best speed towards Suez."

Mendez gave a crooked smile. The man had served with the OMNI infantry corps from as far back as CE 50, and he was both lucky and skilled enough to survive the First Bloody Valentine War's ground campaign against ZAFT, even as part of the anti-mechanized infantry. On his right forearm were etched four tattoos; three resembled a GINN's head, while one was in good likeness of a BuCUE's head. Ray knew that he kept count only for units he was personally responsible for destroying, which made the old man all the more impressive, considering that most anti-mechanized teams worked together to bring down a single mobile suit. "The soldiers would not be happy to have to skip dinner just to join in the oppression."

Like many from his era, Mendez looked unkindly upon the Atlantic Federation-dominated OMNI forces of the present. Especially for Mendez, who hailed from the Eurasian Federation; his former handpicked squad was at JOSH-A, the OMNI HQ that the Atlantic Federation had used as a sacrificial lamb to lure ZAFT in, during Operation Spit Break. Like some of the campfire tales amongst the soldiers of Sinai Base about his escape from the doomed OMNI base, rumour had it that Mendez had eventually "arranged" for the accident of the officer who had handed him his deployment orders, but like many of the tales surrounding the older man, one could only know what was true if he personally confirmed it.

"I'm sure that with the Minerva coming in, they won't have time to go out of their way to be bastards," Ray said. Nain had briefed the Manhunters early on during the one-week trip on the capabilities of the Minerva; its twin beam guns, shell-firing cannons, and even its missile launchers and multiple CIWS, paled in comparison to the ship's trump card; its Tannhauser Positron Laser Cannon. Ray knew that the town behind the Gate made poor hostages; the pass that the Lohengrin cannon was built into was too far from the town for any collateral damage from the Tannhauser to have a lasting effect, should the ZAFT ship choose to fire it rather than avoid antagonizing the locals. "What worries me is the confidence the forces at the Gate seem to have. They're not even adding in heavy stationary turrets to the fortification. Sure, the Lohengrin cannon is a powerful weapon by itself…"

Mendez tipped his jockey cap, his grizzled face etched with the barest hint of a resigned smile. "Once we reach there, everything will be revealed."

"I only hope it will," Ray said. "OMNI's upper echelons tend to hide many secrets…"

CE 73, November 8th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, SarPol-e-Zahab, Iran

Night 19 50

The convoy had stopped just after crossing the borders of the Iraqi region into the Iranian area, putting them in the same zone as the Gulnahan Gate. Dinner had been a short affair, with most of the people eager to get proper rest for the night. Ray had watched as Sheryl challenged Mendez to yet another shooting match since her assignment to the Sinai forces, with both of them tying scores with each other.

Nain had come looking for him, and they had shared their thoughts about the recent developments. Nain had spent quite some time grumbling about being forced to travel overland in search of false targets, and was in particular extremely unhappy that OMNI was allocating an equal number of their forces that they used to hold back ZAFT in "peacekeeping operations" in the Middle Eastern and Southern European regions. Recently, anti-Coordinator sentiments in the Atlantic Federation had been increasing to near-unbearable levels, with tensions between the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation escalating over the way the war was handled.

In a way, Ray hoped that the other nations that comprised OMNI's combined military would threaten to pull out of the war effort altogether; even if it was supposed to serve as revenge for the Junius 7 Incident, in the first place the entire thing was ridiculous, since the presence of a few mobile suits, and unmarked ones at that, could not have been definite proof of ZAFT involvement in the abandoned colony's descent. But those thoughts were from before combat between OMNI and ZAFT forces had began in earnest; after seeing OMNI deploy forces for "silencing dissidents" in their own member nations, Ray was no longer sure if pulling out would work, or just cause the main body of Atlantic troops to renew their bloody fervour. The war was heating up; the only thing that prevented OMNI from wholesale slaughter were the majority of the Asian and Eurasian forces, who managed to keep the Atlantic forces on a leash by virtue of enforcing a tight watch on their own territories. One misstep, however, and Ray was sure that the Atlantic forces would use any excuse to step in for "intervention". And that was not counting OMNI deploying forces in disputed territory everywhere, like the build-up in and around the Suez region, or along the equatorial belt.

Now, both officers sat a distance away from where the soldiers were. Mendez had ordered an early night, and the campfires had died down, but silhouettes could still be seen in the night. They had both progressed to talking about the new additions to the Manhunters.

Nain paused for a while to gather her thoughts. "So... what do you think of Sakamoto?"

Ray pondered the question for a moment. "Skilled, definitely. Experienced, too. As I would expect from a former Captain." Ray directed his gaze over the night-wreathed horizon. "I do wonder why neither Rahabinod nor you made a mention of a possible change in squad command, though."

"Well, in terms of desert warfare, you'd be the undeniable expert, wouldn't it?" Nain replied. "There's also the issue of making things difficult for the others. Reputation does not always guarantee compliance."

Ray gave a wry smile and a snort. "I suppose that's true, if you put it in that way."

"Still..." Nain wondered aloud. "There is something off about her record."

Ray was silent for a moment. "Like?"

Nain kept quiet for a while, before standing up and heading back to the trucks. "Never mind. It's probably just my paranoia. Turn in early tonight."

As the intelligence officer walked away, Ray stood up and dusted himself off, rolling down the sleeves of his desert-camo uniform to ward off the cold. On his way back, he spotted Kaguya staring into the distance. It was unlike her to do something as frivolous as just standing there, so Ray went over to check on the problem.

Ray approached without the ever-alert Kaguya turning her head; another sign of something preoccupying her, Ray thought. "Tired?" the team leader inquired. "Or just enjoying our last night of peace?"

Kaguya shook her head. "It's a feeling of unease. Like something terrible is about to happen."

Ray pondered the statement for a while, Nain's words briefly flashing through his mind, before he set them aside. He had been through too many battles to dismiss another person's own sixth sense as mere superstition. "Tell me about it."

Kaguya closed her eyes as she struggled to put the feeling into words. She had fought many battles, but that feeling had only come twice, counting now. "It's like seeing a gigantic wave coming towards you, but being unable to dodge it." She slowly opened her eyes. "Apprehension. The feeling of impending incidents."

As ridiculously vivid as the description had sounded, Ray couldn't help but be interested. "Anything else?"

Kaguya looked towards the setting sun, eyes glazed over as she dredged up her memories. The feeling had gotten so intense that she was having trouble keeping her stance straight. "During GENESIS's firing… at Ptolemaeus Base…"

Kaguya swayed, and Ray worriedly held her in place. "Sakamoto? Kaguya! Can you hear me?"

To Kaguya, Ray's voice sounded like it came from a mile away. Something's coming. I have to warn him-have to warn them. Focus. Kaguya tried to keep calm. This feeling… there is a direction coming from it.

Ray looked in astonishment as Kaguya slowly raised her head towards the hills overshadowing the convoy's night camp. "There…" She slowly spat out the words. "Something will come… from there…!"

CE 73, November 8th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, SarPol-e-Zahab, Iran

Night 19 59

Alex licked his lips as he took aim. "Raider Leader here. On my mark," he said, and waited for the firing reticule of his Gunner ZAKU Phantom to slowly align itself. On his display, two waypoints lit up; the markers for the start and end points of the sustained weapons blast he was about to unleash upon the unsuspecting OMNI troops.

Two acknowledgement signals flashed; one from Grace, and another from his third teammate, Fredric Koherng. The man had participated in the First Blood Valentine War from the famous Carpentaria drop operation onwards, and Alex had fought beside him many times since the Second Casablanca Sea Battle; he could trust Fredric with his back without worries.

A beep echoed throughout the cockpit as the computer achieved a lock-on on the lead truck. "Mark!"

The night sky turned bright as the powerful beam cannon fired.

CE 73, November 8th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, SarPol-e-Zahab, Iran

Night 20 00

The moment Alex had fired, Kaguya had recovered enough of her wits to stand up again. It was too late, however, as the beam lanced from the mountains overshadowing the camp, and swept into the command truck through the front of the driver's cabin. The entire vehicle erupted into flames as its engine exploded, raining fire and debris upon those nearby who had survived the beam's backwash.

Squinting from the sudden flare in the otherwise star-lit open area, Ray hurriedly tapped the comm unit on his belt. "Enemy attack! Camelot, Leon, respond!"

It took a few seconds for the response to come through; by that time, Kaguya and Ray were racing for their units. Thankfully, their MS trucks were covered with tarp like the supplies truck; with any luck, they might get to their units in time, as long as they weren't singled out as targets.

"Camelot here," Sheryl replied breathlessly, as the whine of a second beam echoed through the air, the powerful energy attack striking a supply truck. "Sir, just what the hell is going on here?!"

"It's an enemy attack," Ray shouted back. "Get into your units; prioritize your own survival over those of friendly forces for now!"

There was a second of pause, then, "Done."

Ray reached the first MS truck, slipping under the tarp cover and getting into the cockpit. He was an atheist, but right now he silently prayed, although to no particular being, that he wouldn't get hit, as a third beam shot hit another truck. Ray could see burnt bodies everywhere; the screams, moans, and shouts of the wounded, the dying, and the panicking were everywhere.

His MS' comm unit crackled; as his mobile suit, the Manhunter Command, booted up its systems, he could see Guy and Sheryl's machines bounding over the plains in boosted jumps. "This is Hunter Three," Guy said. "I'm free and taking battle position. Seems like the beams are originating from some point south of the camp."

The mountains. Ray cursed as he booted up the final systems for the Manhunter Command. "Hunter Two, work with Three; find their positions, and silence that bombardment!"

"Aye sir, on it." Sheryl replied, her voice cold as ice. Ray allowed himself to relax a little; he recognized the tone of voice Sheryl used, and she only used it when she was about to put everything into bringing down her target.

The Manhunter Command tore itself out of the tarp; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaguya's unit do the same at the fourth MS truck.

"This is Hunter Three here," Guy radioed again. "Two incoming units, confirmed to be ZAKU Warrior units." A pause, then Ray heard Sheryl's voice this time. "One Blaze ZAKU and one Slash ZAKU. This could get ugly."

Ray pushed his mobile suit's speed to max. "Hold your position. Sakamoto and I are on my way."

The Manhunter Command pumped its legs, the scream of metal joints and the crackling aura of supercharged superconducting cables permitting even the shielded cockpit, kicking up clouds of dust as it reached its top running speed of 55 kilometres per hour, preparing for a boosted jump. Ray could see the two ZAKU Warriors at a distance; Guy was holding the Slash ZAKU Warrior off, the Launcher Dagger L's shoulder gun roaring a thunderous challenge with its 120mm rounds, while Sheryl kept the Blaze ZAKU Warrior at bay, the two units trading beam rifle fire in a mobile battle. Good choice, thought Ray. The armaments of the Launcher Dagger could be put to good use in enemy suppression as well, and he didn't want the Slash ZAKU with its close-in capabilities to be anywhere near his team's only pinpoint sniper. Still, if he and Sakamoto didn't get there in time, they wouldn't be able to free Sheryl up to take out the enemy gunner while it rained fire on them.

Something stirred in Ray's memories; the ZAKUs had the same colours as the one that the Manhunters had fought at the insurgent base. Pushing the Manhunter Command's back thrusters to full, Ray gritted his teeth as his mobile suit jumped forward, reaching 95 kilometres per hour in speed as it pushed through the air with all the subtlety of a thrown brick, the frame rocking violently from the air resistance. It seems that the answers to their mystery had come knocking down their front door, and it couldn't have picked a worse time to do so.

At the foot of the hills that the bombardment was coming from, the barrel of the Launcher Dagger L's 120mm shoulder vulcan had changed from a drawn-out tracers' stream of large-calibre shells to the blinding flashes of quick bursts, the rounds kicking up a cloud of dust as they traced a path towards the Slash ZAKU Warrior; the ZAFT MS effortlessly dodged every burst, its leg thrusters flaring as it kicked against the ground, using a combination of footwork and thruster pressure to dance across the land.

"Gee, has anyone tried to make these things dance on television?!" Guy shouted on a private link as the Slash ZAKU continued to evade his vulcan shots. He was firing in bursts to conserve his ammunition, but at this rate, he would run out soon enough. And there's something awfully familiar about that fighting style…

"You tell me," Sheryl said, as she clashed with the Blaze ZAKU again; bolts of lightning arced across the MS frames of both units as beam sabre met beam tomahawk. "This guy isn't a slouch close-in either!"

Guy's intention to reply was forgotten as the Slash ZAKU Warrior took this moment to close in and attack, its MA-MR Falx G7 beam pole-axe swinging a tight arc. A last-minute block by the Launcher Dagger L's shield saved him from being cleaved into two at the waist, but the impact pushed his unit to the side all the same. Guy returned fire with his shoulder vulcan, and snarled in frustration as the Slash ZAKU Warrior lightly sidestepped.

"Hunter Two! Get back!" Ray's voice cut in, the Manhunter Command, creating a gigantic cloud of dust as it smashed its feet into the ground, landed in-between Sheryl and her opponent. The Blaze ZAKU Warrior backed away as Ray pushed his mobile suit to the maximum; drawing its beam sabre, the brilliant beam blade traced an arc through the air in front of Ray's unit to clash with the ZAFT unit's beam tomahawk. "Hunter Leader to Hunter Two. Get that ranged unit!" Ray ordered. "Leave the brawling to Sakamoto and me!"

On one hand, Ray was slightly put off by the fact that they were being kept at bay while the long-range unit up on the hills, no doubt a ZAKU variant with a Gunner pack, rained hell down on their camp. Ray watched in anger as it fired its fifth shot and prepared to deal another. On the other hand, he was somewhat relieved that the people at the camp weren't panicking outright despite the surprise attack, and were more focused on seeking cover; Ray was hearing less casualty reports and more rallying commands over the allied line.

Guy backed away as Kaguya caught up. "Thanks," he said, heaving a sigh of relief. "I'm not really much of a close-combat person. Watch out for that Slash ZAKU Warrior though; there's something about that machine…

"No problem", Kaguya said. Something in her voice made Guy pause for an instant, as her Sword Dagger L faced the Slash ZAKU, its holstered anti-ship sword swinging into deployment position over its left shoulder. "You will need to deal with that bombardment as fast as possible. It has been five shots since."

"And here goes…" Sheryl's voice trailed off as the Oracle Lance levelled out its rifle, and aimed it at the point where the long-range beam shots were originating from. She breathed out a long breath and focused on her target, ignoring the fact that not a kilometre away the rest of her teammates were locked in a desperate melee to keep her from getting shot up. A beeping noise emanated as her mobile suit synced itself with Guy's unit for improved target acquisition, and confirmed the data from both their sensors.

Sheryl could see a bright glow started to emanate from the barrel of the Gunner ZAKU Phantom's cannon, as it began to charge its eighth shot.

"Screw you," Sheryl whispered, and pressed the trigger. A green glow flashed for a second as the beam shot erupted from the barrel of the Oracle Lance's custom rifle, speeding like a javelin of green death, into the night sky.

CE 73, November 8th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, SarPol-e-Zahab, Iran

Night 20 07

Alex noticed the shot a half-second before it actually hit, but he was after all, just a human. A Coordinator, but still a mortal being nonetheless.

Alex cursed as the beam slashed through the air less than a meter away from his cockpit, the beam slicing through the Gunner ZAKU Phantom's "Orthros" beam cannon with the length of its sustained fire; only a last-second dodge had saved him from fulfilling his role as Sheryl's intended target. Detaching the Gunner pack, Alex put his ZAKU Phantom's front thrusters into full boost, as the MS lurched backwards; barely a second later, another beam lanced up and split the air where his unit had been before.

"Raider Leader to Raider Three," Alex said. "I'm changing to close-quarters assault on the enemy camp. Continue to harass their MS forces."

"Roger," Fredric replied. "Be warned; one Dagger L has detached itself from the team and is heading towards you."

The ZAKU Phantom's head and mono-eye turned to face back, just in time to see the aforementioned Dagger L land from another jump. Alex took in the unit at a glance; grey instead of white, with two antennas instead of one, painted red. Like some pale copy of a GUNDAM-type unit, Alex thought.

Despite his derision at the Dagger L's appearance, Alex had to give the pilot some measure of credit, as it closed distance with his ZAKU Phantom effortlessly, the pilot's judicious use of the mobile suit's thrusters for microsecond bursts giving the OMNI unit far more speed that it was usually seen moving at, had it been just any other unit in another skirmish. Drawing his beam axe, he parried a straight slash from the Dagger L, sparks lighting up the space between them as they strove against each other. Alex saw the twin eye cameras behind the Dagger L's faceplate flash red, as it put more strength into pushing Alex back.

Since it wants to go forward, then I'll let it be. Alex shifted the thrusters slightly, causing the ZAKU Phantom to turn a hundred-eighty degrees on the spot; the Dagger L lost its balance as the ZAKU Phantom dodged the other way, disengaging from the melee deadlock. Alex brought up his unit's beam rifle with its left hand, and fired from the hip at the OMNI unit.

The Dagger L hit the ground, but not in the destabilizing manner that Alex expected; it used its shield to prop itself and rolled right, causing Alex's first shot to slam into the parched, sandy ground. By the time Alex adjusted his aim, the Dagger had positioned itself behind its shield. Thrusters roaring, the Dagger L leapt forward again.

The two mobile suits slammed shield to shield, as Alex decided to take the rush head on; the Dagger L had adjusted so that the ZAKU Phantom's shield spikes stabbed at nothing but air, preventing the extra edges from destabilizing the deadlock both mobile suits were now in. Alex's ZAKU Phantom pushed hard, throwing the OMNI unit back, as it dropped its beam tomahawk and pulled a grenade free from its hip holder. On the ZAKU Phantom's Heads-Up Display, Alex saw the grenade arm itself; a high-yield standard explosive.

The Dagger L turned its head to face the grenade.

You want to stop me? Alex thought. Then try your best.

The ZAKU Phantom let the grenade fly, throwing the device in an arcing, overhead throw. The canister tumbled through the air; even as the OMNI unit struggled to regain its balance, Alex saw its head track the grenade, CIWS guns firing uselessly as the rounds missed their target.

The grenade hit the ground, rolled, and exploded, taking three trucks out in its area of effect. Judging from the remains, those must have been MS carriers. Alex mentally noted that the front trucks he had hit were most likely supply or command trucks; then again, when covered with tarp, and in the night, they all looked the same.

Alex's ZAKU Phantom bent down and picked up its beam tomahawk; it had embedded itself into the ground, fusing the rock and sand the short-lived beam edge had touched, into smooth polished surfaces. The ZAFT MS hefted it weapon and held it in front of it, the tomahawk reactivating its beam edge as the power connecters begun transmitting energy between mobile suit and weapon.

"Raider Three to Leader," Fredric's voice filtered through the comm unit. "Another Dagger L has broken free. I apologize."

Alex looked at the wreckage of the convoy, then abandoned his ZAKU Phantom's stance, and hefted another two grenades towards the convoy; one was a napalm grenade, and the other another high-explosive device. The Dagger L tracked one with its CIWS and attempted to shoot another with its beam rifle, but as Alex fired his mobile suit's rifle, the Dagger L was forced to hide behind its shield again.

"Raider Leader here," Alex said, as the napalm grenade doused the area with fire, and the follow-up HE grenade sprayed the area with shrapnel. A large number of trucks were wrecked beyond recognition; Alex was confident that they would never arrive in Suez in time to interfere with the Minerva's assault. "Give me data for the unit. I'll deal with it first."

"It's the Dagger L with the sniper rifle," Fredric said. Alex could practically smell the distaste in his voice; the man preferred facing his opponent up front instead of having to think of ways to backstab him. If Fredric had been Alex's superior, he would have planned for this attack in a different manner. "Be advised, it might take up sniping position."

"Acknowledged," Alex said, as he saw the Dagger L charge his ZAKU Phantom. He tried to sweep his axe in from the side while hiding his mobile suit's frame behind its large shoulder shields, but the Dagger L's pilot was smart, its beam sabre already in position to slip a blow in should he choose to stand his ground.

In-between the incoming sniper and the Dagger L in front of him, Alex wanted to be in a position where he could choose the conditions for combat; the thrusters on his unit heated up as he prepared for a boosted jump. But he never got the chance, as his ZAKU's left leg buckled.

The ZAFT MS barely managed to block the Dagger L's sabre strike as Alex tried to stabilize the unit in its new position. The diagram of his unit on-screen showed that his ZAKU Phantom's left knee joint was at less than 20% operability; something had been done that had destroyed the armor protecting the joint, heavily damaging the internal mechanism.

Alex put his mobile suit into a backwards boost to put distance between himself and the Dagger L, his unit's leg almost trailing behind him, the left knee joint close to being totalled. The ZAKU Phantom sped across the land, and Alex braced for when his unit would have to stop and hit ground.

The bone-jarring impact never took place. Instead, the hand unit of an MS reached out and grabbed Alex's ZAKU Phantom, stopping the acceleration as both mobile suits slid for a short distance, a massive dust cloud forming around their mobile suits' legs. Alex cut the power on the thrusters and found himself facing Grace's Slash ZAKU Warrior. His right-hand pilot's unit had lost both of its MMI-M826 "Hydra" beam gatling guns, its right shoulder armour, and its long beam polearm; machine oil stained its right side, which sported a gash in the torso armour. Grace's Slash ZAKU Warrior turtled behind its shield as a beam shot lanced out, the green energy splashing over the shield's laminated surface.

Alex had never seen his subordinate's unit get damaged that much before. "Raider Two, status report," Alex said, crouching behind his shield as well.

"It was the Sword Dagger L," Grace said, her voice monotonous. Alex had worked alongside her long enough to know that when her voice was a monotone, it meant that she was trying to hide how angry she actually was. "The pilot was… more skilled than anticipated." The mono-eye of her unit turned to face his ZAKU Phantom. "Are you all right, sir?"

"Could be better," Alex said, managing to have his unit's auto-balancer compensate for the loss of control over his unit's left leg. He positioned his unit so that the shields of his mobile suit overlapped with Grace's, and returned fire at the Dagger L that was once his opponent, now catching up to them. The lone unit ducked behind a rock outcropping and returned covering fire that randomly arced around the ZAFT units. "What about Koherng?"

As if summoned, Fredric's Blaze ZAKU Warrior landed beside them after a jump; it was in better condition than Grace's unit, but it was down to its last beam rifle magazine, and was missing its tomahawk. "Raider Three reporting. We're being overwhelmed," Fredric said, his voice breathless.

"I have to concur with Three's statement," Grace said, her Slash ZAKU Warrior returning fire with its beam rifle. "We're being overwhelmed here; especially that Dagger L equipped with a close-combat weapons package." Her unit hid behind its shield as a beam shot hit, the energy from the blast charring the surface rather than dispersing properly. Alex could see that the shield's anti-beam coating was failing rapidly.

None of the people in Alex's team were born yesterday; they were all veterans of the first Bloody Valentine War, with their battlefield experiences going as far back as the war's first week. If Grace said that there they were in danger of being overwhelmed, then the danger was as real as it got. "Raider Leader to all units. Objective complete; we're pulling out. Split your paths; we'll regroup at point Red-Three."

Two acknowledgement lights winked green; Grace's ZAKU Warrior took off in a blast, her unit's thrusters flaring to life. To his right, Fredric's ZAKU Warrior did the same, and Alex took off after his teammates as well.

"Mission accomplished," Alex whispered, and all three ZAKUs let loose a grenade each as they boosted away from the battlefield.

CE 73, November 8th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, SarPol-e-Zahab, Iran

Night 20 24

Ray had just arrived to meet up with Sheryl's unit when the grenades exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. The Manhunter Command went down like a pile of bricks as its left leg, stretched out beyond his mobile suit's shield to brace against the force of the boosted jump landing, took the brunt of a combination of a shower of white-hot metal and high-explosives, the blast pockmarking much of the mechanical limb's outer armor, and destroying the Manhunter Command's left leg joint. It wasn't until after another thirty seconds until Kaguya and Guy arrived on-scene; they found Ray half-perched over his fallen mobile suit's open cockpit, helmet off and looking into the sky. Sheryl's machine, arriving at the same time, was otherwise undamaged.

Ray looked at his teammates as they approached in their Dagger Ls. "Looks like your opponents gave you guys quite the work-over."

Guy's Launcher Dagger L was missing its left arm; thankfully its Agni cannon was still intact. Kaguya's unit sported multiple charring spots, and her Sword Dagger L's Schwert Gewehr anti-ship sword was drawn. Machine fluid ran down the front of the blade's solid anti-armor tip like fresh blood.

"We lost them in the hills when they regrouped, sir." Kaguya said. "We only managed to find you after seeing those explosions."

"Don't beat yourselves up over this," Ray said. "Kaguya, Sheryl, your units are more or less undamaged. Get back to base camp as fast as you can and gather up the survivors; help out with anything that you can do."

"On it, sir," Sheryl replied as both units set off, Kaguya's Sword Dagger L holstering its anti-ship sword.

Ray looked as both units strode off. Sheryl's lack of battle damage I can understand, since she and Guy teamed up on that other unit, but judging from the lack of major damage on Kaguya's unit, she must have really gave her opponent hell, he thought.

Ray looked up at Guy's Launcher Dagger L as he clambered into the cockpit of his own machine. "Sorry to bother you, Leon, but you're with me. I need you to take this wreck back to camp."

"No problem, sir," Guy said, as he took off his helmet, and wiped a gratuitous amount of sweat off his forehead. The battle with the Blaze ZAKU Warrior had been particularly intense, and he did all he could to prevent the ZAFT unit from inflicting anymore damage that it already had; unfortunately, the pilot seemed to have been an expert, no matter which range Guy choose to engage him at. It's almost like he was waiting to counter my moves, Guy mused.

Ray could see that the base camp was a sorry state, even from several kilometres out. The Manhunters had managed to drive off the ZAFT team, but the damage had been done. Nain had managed to gather the troops and move them out of the camp, but still, the ZAFT troops had done considerable damage with the opening minutes of their sneak attack.

Nain turned back as a soldier ran up to her. "We've managed to set up three emergency triage centres, ma'am," he said. "We're overflowing, though."

"Understood," The intel officer said, biting her lower lip. "Treat those that you can; those that can still walk, bandage them up and move them somewhere else. We need to make space for those that still need saving." Nain looked around the field, surveying the wreckages of supply trucks everywhere. "What about medical supplies?"

"Almost gone, ma'am," the soldier replied, the despair in his voice evident. "We're making slings out of torn uniforms now."

"Just continue what you've been doing so far," Nain said. "There really isn't much we can do at this point." The soldier nodded, and walked off.

Nain turned as she heard the rumbling of mobile suits walking. To her relief, Sheryl and Kaguya's units stepped into the camp area. "Where's Feric?"

Sheryl took off her helmet as she descended from her unit's cockpit. "The lieutenant's with Leon, ma'am." she said, saluting. Kaguya joined her behind. "The Manhunter Command is incapacitated, and Leon's Launcher Dagger L has suffered moderate damage. The Lieutenant sent us over first."

Nain put her hand on Sheryl's shoulder. "A small victory in the midst of defeat," she said, her eyes downcast for just a brief moment. "I'm sorry to set you two to work again, but Mendez could use some help at the wreckage areas. Take a break if you have to, but make it quick." Nain quickly strode off towards another group of soldiers.

Sheryl's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the columns of smoke rising across the field. "Those bastards," she managed to say, her voice breaking. "If I see them again…"

Kaguya put her hand on Sheryl's shoulder; she could feel them shaking slightly. "We'll have time to plan our revenge later. Now, we have to save those that we can."

Sheryl turned away from Kaguya, drawing the right sleeve of her pilot suit across her face. "Yeah," Sheryl said, turning to face Kaguya again. "You're right."

Afterword:

Apologies for the long hiatus, real life got in the way. It was only about two months, but it feels like half a year has passed by. Ugh.

This is where the story truly starts. While I have may tried my best to balance the travel time and locations, I have to say that there might still be errors. Still, I wrote this with intention to serve as a prelude to the actions at the Gulnahan Gate, explaining how and why the Alliance defences were structured that way.