Chapter 16

Robo Reader 21- Oh, yeah. I know you excused him. I'm just saying it's still a valid thing to be concerned with. As I said, you can be equipped with the strongest defensive tech out in the world and you still be killed by primitive tech by a wide range of factors. Like tactics, numbers, and just how much stuff is thrown at them. Not arguing or anything. Just thought to point that out.

Jetslinger333- I don't think that's what they'll do, but we'll see.

Sometimes I feel Gundam should go into alien territory. Maybe someday, but not today or anytime soon. I guess aliens aren't really a big thing in Japan or something. I could be wrong though.

ZILLAFAN- Fair enough. Fair enough.

Warmachine375- Dude, you're bringing it up again. Stop doing that. Also, I'm not annoyed. If I was annoyed I would PM you or tell you to stop. Also, for god's sake, you have such a dislike for that show to the point you keep mentioning it. Seriously, get over it and stop acting like a child over the show. No offense.

You know, you're actually making me consider not doing that episode at all with how much you're talking about it. I mean I was already considering not doing it because I don't know the plot beyond what you described.

Also, please stop making such long reviews. I know it's your thing, but it's starting to get annoying with how you ramble on like an attention-seeking child. Which I believe is not your intention, but they're starting to become too long. So you got to tone it down. You're just rambling now. You're not even not talking about the fic on occasion. Just other stuff.

Ramba Ral

Zanzibar class cruiser

In a Zeon warship made for entering Earth's atmosphere, a man in his thirties had arrived at the bridge of the ship. His uniform insignia indicated that he was a captain within the Principality of Zeon military. Another thing to note was that the man's uniform was custom-made, signifying that he was an ace pilot as only ace pilots or those of high rank were allowed to customize their uniforms in any way.

Besides him was a blond woman around his age. Unlike him and the other Zeon soldiers, however, she didn't wear a uniform. Instead, she wore blue pants and a dark blue dress with a red scarf around her neck. Coughing a bit, the ace pilot walked up to a massive terminal where a Zeon soldier with a shoulder cape was monitoring something.

"Right, Clamp. What's this anomaly that you wanted me to see?" Asked the man as he addressed his right-hand man.

"Well, Captain Ral, I discovered a warship that doesn't match anything within the database." Said Clamp as he looked at Captain Ral, known fully as Ramba Ral, one of Zeon's ace pilots. Nicknamed the Blue Giant, like many Zeon aces, Ramba Ral earned recognition at the Battle of Loum, one of the most significant battles in the entire war that left both sides severely depleted, for his piloting skills.

"Really now?" Asked Ramba Ral, interested. "Then show me." With that. Clamp gave a simple picture of what the ship looked like. It was a picture of the White Base. Humming at this, Ramba wondered if this was the Trojan Horse, the same ship responsible for the death of Garma Zabi and is the reason that he was sent to Earth in the first place. Dozle Zabi, commander of Zeon's Space Attack Force and his superior officer, had ordered Ramba Ral to take his men and avenge the death of his little brother. While Dozle preferred to capture the ship, he had told Ramba Ral that the destruction of the ship was perfectly fine if he had no other option, showcasing his desire for vengeance against the Trojan Horse for the death of his brother.

"Do you think that it's the Trojan Horse, sir?" Asked Clamp, having never seen an actual picture of the White Base at all.

"It's possible." Said Ramba Ral and he cupped his chin as he wondered what to do. While it was his mission to avenge the death of Garma, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to pursue that objective so soon. It was then that the sole woman in the room, Crowley Hamon, spoke up.

"Do you think this is our chance to avenge Garma, dear?" Asked Hamon as she looked at Ramba Ral, who hummed in thought.

"Let's not be too hasty." Said Ramba Ral, catching the attention of both Hamon and Clamp. "Their position is quite far away from our base. We need to first determine if its actually feasible for us to pursue them. After all, we used quite a bit of fuel getting here from Side 3."

"While the Zanzibar is more than capable of handling it, our Komusai capsules may not have enough fuel to travel with us." Said Clamp, causing Ramba Ral to nod in agreement.

"Yes, which is exactly why I'm so skeptical of us pursuing them now." Said Ramba Ral as he sat on the captain's chair of the Zanzibar. It was then that he felt a hand touch one of his shoulders, causing him to look behind him to see Hamon giving him a small smile.

"Dear, are you suggesting that we let them go?" Asked Hamon with a small hint of amusement in her voice, knowing that Ramba Ral would never even suggest such a thing. Closing his eyes, Ramba Ral spoke.

"Of course not, dear." Said Ramba Ral. "Especially with how these orders come directly from Admiral Dozle himself. He'll tan my hide if he learned that we let the White Base go even though we possess more than enough resources to defeat them."

"But dear. We're still doing an atmospheric reentry which means we'll be at a disadvantage if the enemy decides to fire back at us during these critical moments. So please be careful." Said Hamon, causing Ramba Ral to touch her hand in comfort.

"Hamon, you know as much as I do that you hate the type of man that just let the enemy go without even trying to stop them." Said Ramba Ral. With that, he began ordering the crew to pursue the enemy ship.

Meanwhile

Fernando Esparza

"I think that's what the problem is." Said Fernando as he inspected a terminal in one of the White Base's hangers. The terminal had been causing problems as of late. It always seemed to create static here and there that caused transmissions to always end up disoriented or never come through at all. Fernando, being friendly with the engineers of the White Base, volunteered to help out in figuring out and hopefully fixing the problem. Having been a civilian contractor in the UNSC Infinity for engineering, Fernando was more than qualified for the job. Even more so given how primate the White Base was compared to the Infinity. It took a bit for Fernando to get used to the inferior tech that he was used to working with, but he eventually got the hang of it, especially since none of the technology on the White Base was more complicated than the Infinity's systems or even just modern-day UNSC warships.

"So, what's the problem?" Asked one of the White Base engineers.

"It's the damn internal frame and wiring." Said Fernando as he pulled his head out of the insides of the terminal. "They're all worn out from overuse. I can fix it, but you'll need to get new replacement parts if you want this fully fixed."

"I'll tell Mr. Bright, but it'll probably be low on the priority list because of how much we need other supplies." Said the engineer.

"Yeah. Our food supplies are running low along with our engines." Said Fernando as he recalled a conversation, he had with the ship's cook on how they were running low on food and other essentials. Not only that, but he checked the engines a while ago and their constant usage had placed a good of strain on them. They needed to land and let the engines cool and let the engineers do a proper checkup on them for any wear and tear. Otherwise, they'll suffer in performance. Or worse. "Then I guess we should be thankful that this thing isn't high on the priority list then. You can make do without it, right?"

"Yeah, it's not really important overall in the launching of the Mobile Suits, but I'll still tell Bright about it." Said the engineer. "Thanks for the assistance."

"No problem. Rather be doing this than being out there like those guys." Said Fernando as he looked at the regular Mobile Suit pilots, including a blond boy, being trained by the Master Chief. This time they were doing pushups with Master Chief observing alongside Lilith, who was conversing with a girl named Fraw Bow while the children of the White Base were playing around the two.

"What training or being out on the battlefield?" Asked the engineer.

"Both." Said Fernando simply as he watched the boys breaking out a lot of sweat from Chief's workout routine. "Must be insane being out in the field with those giant things. I don't think I can ever do that."

"Yeah, I don't want to be a pilot either." Said the engineer, just a teen like nearly everyone else on the ship. "Even without that guy training them constantly, just the thought of being forced to go out there and fighting against Mobile Suits with pilots that have better training and experience than me keeps me awake at night. And then there's the fact that it's a giant robot and is a big target for enemy artillery or missiles. Man, I don't want to ever be a pilot for a Mobile Suit ever."

"I can understand." Said Fernando, remembering all the close calls he received while serving as a pilot for Master Chief on Zeta Halo. So many close calls. "Guess your lucky engineers are just as, if not more important, than pilots, huh? Otherwise, this ship wouldn't function at all." The engineer nodded in agreement. The two were about to resume their conversation when the ship's alarms blared out, catching everyone's attention.

"You got to be kidding me." Complained Kai as he heard the ship's alarms blare out. "Combat again?! Just when are we ever going to catch a break?"

"Shut up, Kai." Said Ryu as he ran to get his own pilot suit. "Just be glad that you don't have to fight in a sweaty pilot suit." It was true, they haven't done much training before the alarms went off, meaning they don't have to fight while sweaty. A blessing really.

"I'll be on standby with the Gundam!" Yelled Amuro as he went to get his pilot suit along with Hayato and the blond boy, whose name was Job John. Kai just sighed before going to get his own pilot suit along with Ryu. As the teens left, so did Fraw Bow and the children.

"C'mon kids. The ship is in danger now and we have to get you to safety." Said Fraw Bow as she tried to lead them to safety.

"Ahh, we want to stay with Lilith more." Said Kikka as she looked at Fraw Bow with a pout. Fraw sighed at that, feeling a little jealous at the amount of love the children had for Lilith over her, but couldn't blame them. Not every day that they met someone that can actually cast spells and use magic.

"Don't worry, children." Said Lilith with a smile as she patted all three children. "I'll be safe and once all this is over, we'll play again. For now, just follow Miss Bow to your rooms where you will be safe. Okay?" The children pouted at that but nonetheless nodded their heads, following Fraw to safety. Sighing a bit, Lilith went over to Master Chief, who was speaking to Fernando.

"Stay with the Pelican. I need to see how the bridge crew acts in a real battle." Said Master Chief as he made his way to the bridge with Lilith following. "They acted fine when there was no pressure involved nor was there an actual battle happening around them, but that may change if they're in a real battle. Or worse, against overwhelming opposition."

"I see." Said Lilith as she walked next to the Master Chief. "And you have a plan if they falter? That they collapse under pressure?"

"Yes." Said Master Chief. "If we don't act correctly or decisively enough, people will die. I'm not going to let that happen. Neither do you." Lilith nodded at that. She refused to let any of them die. Not when she had something to say about it. "Then come with me on the bridge. They may need you there as well." Lilith, upon hearing that, walked a bit faster than Master Chief, eager to help out any way she can. Joy giggled a bit at this, but Master Chief just kept his pace.

Later

Bridge

"What's the situation?" Asked Master Chief as he made it to the bridge, where the Bridge crew were at their usual places. He looked up at the radar operators, causing Bright to repeat what they just said.

"Well, we're detecting three enemy contacts coming from the atmosphere." Said Oscar. "Two are the same size as Komusai capsules, but the third is much too large to be a capsule. They'll be on us in just a few seconds." As soon as he said that, they suddenly received a barrage of fire from above them, causing the whole ship to shake and force Lilith to the ground. Helping Lilith up, Master Chief spoke to Bright.

"Sir, I've been told this ship isn't operating optimally." Said Master Chief. "Can we fight back at all?" Bright just bit his lip on the question. Truth be told, he wasn't sure. Their engines have been suffering a bit lately due to overuse, causing their ship to be slower than usual. They can still fight, but Bright wasn't sure if they should do so at all. He was about to reply back when another barrage hit their ship, this time at one of the main engines and shaking the entire ship with secondary explosions. Lilith was about to fall to the ground again when Chief caught her in time with one hand. As the Witch thanked him, Marker spoke up in alarm.

"Sir, we just received damage to Block 6!" Yelled Marker as he checked to see if they suffered any more damage to the ship. While he did so, Bright picked up the phone on the captain's chair

"Can't we outrun those ships!?" Asked Bright as he contacted the engineers.

"Bright, we can't!" Yelled Mirai. "Our engines aren't at full power and the enemy ships are using their reentry to increase their speed!"

"In that case, we have no choice but to find a way to even the odds." Said Bright as he ended the call. Looking out the window, Bright saw their opportunity to do so. "Mirai, head into that cloud on the starboard side!"

"What!? You want me to pilot the White Base in the middle of a thunderstorm?" Asked Mirai in shock at Bright's thinking.

"Yes." Said Bright with confidence. "We'll lose power from our beam weapons, but we have no choice." Mirai bit her lip at that but choose to trust Bright and thus had the White Base head for the thundercloud. Just as they entered the enemy managed to launch one more barrage to the rear of the ship, cutting right through the armor.

"Sir, that last attack took out several storage units!" Yelled Oscar as he checked the ship's systems.

"What did they hit?" Asked Bright as he braced himself for the incoming lightning. Marker just looked at the ship's manifest before speaking.

"Looks like mostly our food units. None of the ammo, fortunately." Bright just sighed at that, relieved.

"Alright. Keep moving!" Ordered Bright as the ship continued its trek in the thundercloud. Being in a thundercloud, several sparks of lightning appeared in the vision of everyone, causing some to act in shock and fear at them, thinking it was a new Zeon weapon, but those that knew what it actually was kept calm and continued piloting the ship inside the cloud while keeping an eye on the enemy. They were straight in the middle of the cloud when a bridge crew member yelled out in alarm.

"Sir, the portside engine is losing power. I don't think it'll last any longer!" Yelled the crew member, causing Bright to scowl.

"That's something we don't need right now." Said Bright in frustration. Now they had to find a spot for them to land and deal with that problem. "How are our ECM countermeasures faring?"

"We're transmitting at full capacity, Bright." Said Mirai, causing him to hum.

"Alright, we're just wasting Minovsky Particles in this weather." Said Bright. "We need to find a place to land and deal with our engine problem. Mirai, if we find a place suitable for the White Base, can you pull it off?"

"I'll do my best." Said Mirai with a hint of anxiety. Bright gave her a nod at that before ordering the operators to find a suitable landing zone for the White Base. As they did so, Master Chief was observing them work. Although they did well enough against the attack, he still needed to see how well they do in an intense combat situation. A severe one. Staying silent, Master Chief watched as the crew found a place for them to not only land but also hid from the enemy. At least, for a little while.

Meanwhile

Ramba Ral

"Sir, we lost them. We're getting nothing from the radar or our laser net sensor array." Said a Zeon radar operator, causing Ramba Ral to nod.

"Not to worry. They won't dare to leave this storm. Not only does it provide them cover from our sensors, but it also gives them time to prepare." Said Ramba Ral. "Order the Komusais to reconnaissance operations. We'll remain here searching for them until our fuel reserves force us to retreat."

"Roger that, sir." Said the radar operator before switching on more passive and longer-range sensors in order to find the Trojan Horse. Unfortunately, because of the Minovsky particles in the area, no doubt from the Trojan Horse, the sensors weren't operating optimally. "There's a lot of islands out here. Some of them are large enough to hide the Trojan Horse if they want to pull that stunt. I'd start there." When he received a sir from the radar operator, he turned to Clamp and informed him to get their Mobile Suits ready. He had a feeling this now turned into a ground battle.

Later

Fernando

"How are the engines?" Asked Master Chief via an earpiece on Fernando's left ear that Chief gave him so they can communicate from different sections of the White Base. Fernando was currently at the damaged engine of the White Base with several other engineers. Since they needed the engine fixed as quickly as possible and because they got close to Fernando, the engineers of the White Base allowed him to help them fix the engine.

"It's nothing that can't be fixed." Said Fernando as he eyed one of the engine's core components. "We can get her working again, but you really need to tell that captain to find a place to set her down for a bit so we can properly fix her up. We'll do a temporary fix to get her running again, but we need to set her down for a while so we can do a full systems check and service for the engine. We can't do that if we're in combat. Not unless you like to fight without one of the engines!"

"I'll inform him now." Said Master Chief. "For just get that engine fixed." With that, Master Chief ended the call and spoke to Bright. "The engineers are working on fixing the engine, but it's only a temporary fix. We need to set the ship down longer for it to be properly fixed."

"Understood." Said Bright as he looked outside. "Hopefully the enemy won't spot us before the engines are fixed. If they do, however, our Mobile Suit team is on standby along with our main guns."

"I don't like our position, though." Said Master Chief as he looked outside. "We're too exposed to enemy fire. If the enemy warship spots us, we're good as dead."

"I know." Said Bright, knowing that he was right. Before Bright can offer some words of comfort, he spotted a Komusai reentry capsule passing them. Upon seeing it, Bright prayed that it missed them, but it wasn't to be. The Komusai crew detected a strong magnetic signature around the area they just passed and concluded that it came from the Trojan Horse. As a result, they sent out a flare to notify the Zanzibar about what they discovered. In just a few minutes, the operators suddenly yelled out.

"Sir, enemy aircraft approaching!" Yelled Oscar. This caused Bright to spring into action.

"Launch the Mobile Suits!" Yelled Bright as he sprang into action. "Fire missiles even if you can't see anything and prepare the main guns!" Upon hearing those orders, Master Chief immediately responded, finding them poorly thought out and would only endanger the crew and do nothing to the enemy.

"Sir, that's a terrible idea." Said Master Chief, catching Bright's attention. "Blind fire will only make the enemy's job of detecting us that easier. They may have spotted us, but that doesn't mean we can make it easier for them to zero in on our location."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Asked Bright, not raising his voice as he knew that would only cause the Spartan to stare him down again and he didn't want that. Besides, he may know a better alternative strategy that can get them out of this mess quicker.

"Have the Mobile Suit units launch now before the enemy arrives. We may need their support if the enemy decides to get in close. Do it now." Said Master Chief. The authority in which he said it caused the crew to scramble to launch the Mobile Suits immediately. "Next, have the gunners for the main gun and missiles be on standby and try to fire only when the enemy is in range and they have a clear shot on them. Blind fire will only help them zero in on our location and waste our ammo. After that, make sure the Mobile Suits are close enough to each and the ship so they don't get picked off one by one. Understood?" Upon hearing all that, Bright looked at his crew and ordered them to obey his instructions. Which they did. As everyone scrambled to heed his advice, Lilith went over to Master Chief and spoke.

"You certainly know what you're doing." Said Lilith as she looked at everyone working hard. "You have everyone more motivated to fight this enemy."

"That isn't enough." Said Master Chief as he looked at Lilith. "And I shouldn't be the one to order everyone around. That should be the captain's job. Not mine. He and I are going to need to talk. He panicked when he heard the enemy was approaching and would have made a bad call if he went with the original plan. A panicking officer is not something you want. Ever." Lilith can see the reasoning behind that.

"And you think your plan is sound enough to win us this battle?" Asked Lilith, causing Master Chief to shake his head.

"I can't make that call when we don't know the exact strength of the enemy." Said Master Chief honestly. "But I'll do my best to ensure that everyone gets out of this alive or, at the very least, with minimal casualties on our side." Lilith frowned at that and was about to reply to that when she saw the enemy warship flanked by two other ships.

Gasping at the size of the biggest warship, Lilith was amazed that such a thing can fly and be so massive at the same time. Granted, she shouldn't be surprised that because she was on a similar-sized ship, it still stunned her that such large ships can fly so easily. The Blight family would kill just to have proof that such concepts can work. It'll earn them more money than they could ever dream of.

She then watched the White Base's Mobile Suits being launched from the ship's catapults a few hundred meters from the ship. As they launched, she hoped that they'll all come back alive and that this battle won't be a difficult one.

"You better brace yourself." Said Master Chief as the White Base opened fire on the approaching enemy ships. Having received Master Chief's advice, the gunners aimed for the enemy first before firing the White Base's main guns along with a barrage of missiles. This barrage caused the enemy ships to return fire to intercept the barrage of missiles, but the main gun managed to hit one of the enemy ships, the big brown one to be precise. Despite that hit, it didn't seem to do much damage as the ship still continued to operate and thus returned fire at the White Base while deploying its own Mobile Suits.

"Now we'll see if the kids have actually learned anything from that training. And I'll get to see if these Mobile Suits are the effective machines as these people make them out to be." Thought Master Chief as a Mobile Suit battle was soon upon them.