Mobile Suit - Mass Effect: The First Contact War

by Mister Smallville

Two worlds collide, neither prepared for the other. The Solar Sphere Congress -successor to the long gone Earth Federation- unwittingly starts a galactic crisis when it makes first contact with a very angry, very trigger happy Turian Hierarchy.

30. Ep 26: Collision in Space

Relevant Notes Will Be At The End Of The Chapter

-000-

Mobile Suit/Mass Effect

Episode 26

Collision in Space

-000-

Klaxons rang loudly around the Amber Celica, even as it remained in its berth. Captain Tai Wen-Li rushed from his room, still putting on his uniform as he ran down the halls of the almost 80-year-old battleship.

"Alright, give me a SITREP!" He ordered as soon as he made it to the bridge. "What's going on?

On to the right of the bridge's main holographic projector was a fellow survivor from the Milo and the man in charge of the ship's repairs, Chief Engineer Charles Crowe. To the left was Old Amber's CO from the Secession Crisis, Captain Shinzo Okita, now serving as Tai's XO. In fact, many of the battleship's current crew were Crisis Era veterans who had previously served on the Amber Celica and other Dragon Class Battleships. All of them without exception voluntarily came out of retirement when they heard that the Space Force was planning to reactivate the mothballed battleship. Their assistance helped speed up the reactivation process, which could've taken much longer without their expertise.

"Oh, it's not looking good, Cap'." Crowe was the first to speak, his voice gruff and rough and tinged with an old North European accent. "A large enemy fleet is bearing down on Risima Station and they've got one of those Dreadnoughts leading their charge. The Commodore Autumn and Admiral Lohengrinn are mobilizing to hit them from behind, but there's no telling if they'll be able to get past Chenxing's Pass in time with that garrison fleet standing in the way."

"Definitely not good." Tai understated. "XO Okita, how are we on combat readiness?"

"Old Amber's as ship shape and seaworthy as we can get it, given the circumstances," Okita answered, scratching his thick, greying beard. "We can bring her underway anytime you want, Skipper. Question is whether we're waiting for our delivery from Argus before setting off."

"We're going to be a target once the battle kicks off, " Tai said. "We can't risk Arsinoe getting caught in the crossfire while we're still docked to her. Let's take Old Amber out and let Arsinoe withdraw to a safe spot."

"And what'll we do about installing the weapon?" Crowe asked. "We're going to have to push back installing that thing to another time."

"We'll just cross that bridge when we get there." Tai put his foot down. "XO, send the word out."

"Aye aye, Skipper." Okita nodded, before turning to the PA system and making his announcement. "Attention all hands! Attention all hands! Now hear this! The Amber Celica will undock from the Arsinoe shortly and enter Readiness Condition 3! All Space Force personnel, report to your battle stations immediately! All civilian personnel, either disembark at once or report to the closest designated safe zone! I repeat-"

As Captain Okita delivered his announcement, Crowe got close to Tai and took the opportunity to voice a few more concerns.

"Sir, what are we going to do about that prototype?" The Chief Engineer quietly asked. "We were pegging on it to tip the odds, but now we haven't even gotten a chance to test it!."

"We'll figure it out as the situation develops," Tai reassured Crowe. "For now, we'll have to do what we can with what we have."

-000-

"All hands, now hear this!" Kessler's voice boomed through Risima's PA system. "Fleet Intelligence has confirmed that a major alien fleet is moving in on Risima Station. We are pushing up our launch schedule to within the hour! Squadron 13 will now enter Readiness Condition 3! All hands to battle stations and prepare for immediate launch! I repeat, all hands to battle stations and prepare for immediate launch!"

The announcement came as something of a shock to all of us. We had expected to be launching a few hours after midday, not before lunchtime... but of course, the enemy had plans of their own. Risima's crew fell into the usual 'organized chaos' as we rushed to secure all loose objects and to get to our battle stations. It was in the pilot's ready room that I finally saw Rosen again, the first time since last night. As I paid attention to her as she got into her piloting gear, I saw that the usual sparkle of enthusiasm in her silver eyes was gone, as was the usual spring in her step.

It was clear to me that she hadn't fully recovered from last night.

I rushed my own preparations, quickly zipping up my normalsuit before walking over to the young pilot. Gently, I placed a hand on her shoulder. Rosen froze for a second before coldly continuing her routine.

"Rosen, are you alright?"

She paused for a moment yet again, before continuing.

"I'll be fine." She said.

Her voice was steady and measured. Bereft of the usual energy she usually had.

"Are you sure?" I asked again. "If you need to-"

"I'll be fine, Lieutenant." She repeated in a slightly harsher tone.

By the sounds of it, she really wasn't... but I knew I couldn't press on it yet. I reluctantly had to pull back for the moment.

"Okay, okay. I believe you" I said, nodding along. "I was just checking in."

I gave her a reassuring squeeze before letting go and heading over to my machine. Barcus had already spooled up my Gundam's reactors, same for Verns' and Rosen's. Our weapons were rushed into the hangar from the magazine, and then secured into place in preparation for launch. Sitting down and putting my helmet on, I listened in on Squadron 13's chatter on the battle net. As expected, things were rather hectic as the various officers speedran their pre-flight checks.

Eventually, Risima went underway. We left Port Tsingtao's industrial harbor within thirty minutes of the announcement being made. The Monty and Darrian followed closely behind, taking up the spots in our immediate left and right respectively. Then came the three Schnee Class Destroyers that joined us for the liberation of New Taiyuan. The CSS Jean-Pierre Dubois took up position directly behind Monty, while the Joseph M'beke stood behind Darrian. Finally, Paulus Hutapea took the spot between Jean-Pierre and M'beke, rounding out the squadron's formation.

The ships waited for another ten minutes for the go-ahead from Port Tsingtao's ATC, at which point we finally launched. First, the ships accelerated on the surface, breaking through waves and picking up speed. Next, the Minovsky flight systems were engaged, taking the warships into the air. We kept climbing up, high above the clouds. It was only when we reached the extreme altitude limits of the Minovksy flight system that the Mass Effect systems finally engaged, reducing our mass and finally allowing us to escape Shanxi's atmosphere.

During this whole process, sitting quietly in my Gundam's cockpit, I couldn't help but wish I was on one of the ship's observation decks instead of preparing for battle. Knowing we were riding into battle against one of the alien's Dreadnought types...

Well, saying that I was nervous would be a severe understatement.

-000-

Admiral Bardford grumbled as he put his cup of tea down on his command seat's cupholder. From the elevated seat, he looked around the Einhorn's bridge, watching as his crew rushed to raise the Arc Class Battleship into Readiness Condition 3 - that is all hands on their battle stations, locked and loaded, and safeties set to off.

The aliens have forced the timetable to be moved up. Both he and Drescher had hoped that the counteroffensive would be launched whenever Lohengrinn decided he would launch it, but with a major attack coming straight for Risima Station... it was now or never.

On the ship's other command seat was the Einhorn's CO, Captain Shion Lux, who was at the moment busy yelling at her crew to get the ship ready for departure. Not wanting to disturb her with his orders, he took the communication handset on his seat and called Einhorn's other half, the CSS Hearthfire, a dedicated fleet carrier.

"Commodore Fischer, this is Admiral Bardford. I hope I'm not imposing." He spoke to the subordinate flag officer who was in charge of the fleet's rear.

"Not at all, Admiral." Fischer answered quickly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"There is. Prepare the Gundam Teams." Bardford gave the order in his usual no-nonsense-but-casual tone. "They'll be our vanguard for the coming battle."

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd give the order." The sub-flag officer said with a chuckle. "I've taken the liberty to have Hearthfire's flight technicians spool up their reactors. They'll be ready to go as soon as we cross the Relay."

"I knew you were my favorite for a reason!" The Admiral laughed.

Commodore Fischer was the best sub-flag officer Bardford could've asked for, a man after his own heart. That's not to say that Bardford didn't like his other sub-flag officer, but Commodore Lorica could be a little... intense, sometimes.

"Thank you, Commodore. Carry on." Bardford said.

The Admiral then placed the handset down and sipped on his cup of tea while waiting for the rest of the Sol Fleet to report in. As expected of the Sol Fleet, all the ships under his command gave their report within ten minutes. Now that they were ready to go, Bardford once again took his handset and addressed his sailors through the fleet-wide battle network.

"Attention everyone, this is Admiral Bardford speaking." He started. "In a few short moments, we'll be sailing into battle against the aliens who've dared to invade Shanxi. You are all sailors of the Sol Fleet, the greatest fleet to ever grace the stars. You've trained for battle, prepared for it. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll emerge on the other side as victors. But as important as it is to win the battle, it's more important to come back alive. Your lives are more important to me than any medal, ribbon, or commendation. No unnecessary risks, no theatrics. We go in, we kick ass, and we go home to our families waving our flags, not wrapped in it."

Bardford let his words sink in for a moment before wrapping up his speech.

"Now then, let's begin the operation!" He said. "All Primary Sol Fleet elements, begin relay transit!"

All at once, the 166 ships of Bardford's main force engaged their main thrusters. The bulk of the Sol Fleet accelerated away from their mustering location, where they moored beside Admiral Drescher's Arcuturus Fleet, and closed the distance to the Valhalla-Shanxi Relay. A few short minutes after they set out, the ships of the Sol fleet made contact with the ancient Mass Relay and were launched through space at superluminal speeds.

In but a few short moments, the aliens would feel the full might of a Congressional Space Force Battlefleet.

-000-

"Brother Crowe, we're in position." a Golden Beacon bridge officer reported.

Willhelm Crowe, one of Oswin's most trusted enforcers, got up from the command seat of his cruiser, the Red Lancer, and spoke loudly.

"Then it's time to start." He said, his voice gruff and grizzled, merely one indicator of his veterancy on the battlefield. "Brothers, sisters. I know none of you are fans of the Congressional Forces. I'm not either. But today isn't about them or us. Today, it's about the people of Shanxi and presenting a united front in their defense. Remember the real reason we are fighting, don't let your pride get in the way."

He looked left to right in the Red Lancer's bridge, looking for signs of disapproval. Seeing one, Crowe loosened up just that little bit.

"Right, if there'll be no objections, then let's get this operation started!" The Golden Beacon veteran announced. "All ships, ahead at flank speed! Launch all Skip Jabbers and disperse Minovsky Particles at full combat density!"

Emerging out of the Sanggan Belt, Crowe's Squadron quickly accelerated into combat speed. Each ship then deployed what appeared to be bulky and oversized sub-flight systems at first glance, but closer inspection revealed it to be something much more sophisticated.

Sub-flight systems were common among Secessionist Organizations like Golden Beacon. The ability to double or even triple a Mobile Suit's range was extremely desirable, especially for an organization that relied heavily on asymmetrical hit-and-run tactics.

These particular sub-flight systems have been heavily modified, hence their added bulk. Enhanced cooling systems and APUs were grafted onto the sides of the craft without a care for how it would affect its appearance. While the Skip Jabbers now looked... less appealing than they originally did, the modifications were deemed a necessity given their upgraded capabilities.

The Skip Jabbers accelerated away from their respective mothership, each carrying four Skodas - two on the 'top' and two on the 'bottom'. They continued accelerating, and accelerated, and they wouldn't stop accelerating until they reached speeds that a few months ago would've been inconceivable for a craft of its size. This was the work of their latest upgrades - Mass Effect Impulse thrusters, taken and reverse-engineered from the carcasses of alien machines.

Before the integration of these alien engines, it would've taken Crowe's force several hours to reach Shanxi from the Sanggan Belt and deploy their mobile suit teams. Now, the mobile suit strike force could reach targets even without the warships.

Researching the alien technology is opening up all sorts of new possibilities for Golden Beacon. The Skip Jabbers were just the first addition to Golden Beacon's arsenal. More projects were underway. They may not surpass the Congressional forces any time soon... but it was enough to even the playing field...

...and an even playing field was exactly what Golden Beacon needed.

-000-

"Enemy battleship is firing! Brace for impact!"

Mere moments after one of Old Amber's bridge crew yelled out the warning, the battleship was violently rocked by a shell striking its belt armor. The squash head shell detonated on the outer armor, but the battleship's thick hull absorbed the shock almost in its entirety, leaving only minor blemishes and some scorch marks on the surface.

"Status report!" Tai quickly yelled out. "Are we alright?"

"Hah! They ain't sinking this battleship, no way!" Okita almost scoffed at the question.

"Stations are reporting negligible hull damage, all systems are green!" Chief Crowe reported, confirming Okita's words.

"Then return fire!" Old Amber's CO then ordered.

The two main turrets on the ship's fore quickly turned to face the alien battleship that had dared to fire on the venerable battleship. A brilliant beam of pink energy leapt from the two cannons' respective barrels, flying across the empty void and striking the offending ship. The alien's shields broke instantly, letting the hyper-mega particle beams cleave through the alien battleship's armor like a blowtorch running through butter. A violent explosion capped off the enemy ship's life and Old Amber's main battery turned to find another target.

"That's another battleship downed!"

The Amber Celica continued to fly, targeting enemy ships individually and blowing them away with her superior firepower until eventually, she came across an allied squadron.

"That's Captain Lapp's formation." Tai then pointed to the Nikos Class Battlecruiser leading the line of cruisers and destroyers. "Get him on the horn for me!"

It only took a few short moments for Captain Lapp's voice to ring through the speakers.

"Tai, I thought Old Amber's refits were still ongoing?" He immediately asked.

"She can move and she can shoot. It'll have to do for now." The blonde captain dismissed before immediately cutting to the chase. "Who's taking point?"

"Doesn't seem right for a battleship to play second fiddle to a battlecruiser." Lapp quickly answered. "Take the lead, we'll follow."

"Understood." Tai nodded before turning to Old Amber's bridge crew. "Take us to the head of Lapp's squadron, we'll be taking command of this engagement!"

The ships of Lapp's squadron quickly revised their formation into a spear formation. This classic gun-line formation provided a wide field of fire for the leading ships while still allowing the squadron's faster elements to easily peel off whenever necessary. Akuo sailed to slightly behind Old Amber's left flank, while a Chariot Class Cruiser took up the opposite position to the right. The two remaining Chariots shifted back into a position in the gaps between the three leading ships, completing the tip of their spear. The eight Curran Class Destroyers then formed the shaft of the spear, trailing behind the rear Chariots in two staggered lines.

Now in command of a squadron, Tai could finally do proper work.

"Helm, change course to 44 degrees relative to bow!" The captain gave the order. "All ships, follow behind! We're diving straight into the fireworks!"

The new course that Tai had charted would place them in between the enemy's main thrust and Risima Station. In short, he was going to hold off the enemy's advance with a wall of firepower. If things went well, they'd be able to exact such a toll that the aliens couldn't continue their offensive.

Knowing his luck, Tai guessed it wouldn't be the case.

Their fate would rest in the hands of Squadron 13 and the delivery of the prototype.

-000-

The Arc Class Battleship Einhorn emerged from Relay Transit in a bright flash, and so did all the other ships of the Sol Fleet shortly after. Far ahead of them was the enemy's blockade force, which stood ready to hold any major Congressional force from reinforcing Shanxi. They were in a defensive position, with several defense stations holding in a concentric formation. The positioning of their stations gave them overlapping fire, which added to their numerical advantage - an advantage the aliens held by a significant margin.

"Alien contacts are holding at their defensive positions." An intelligence officer reported. "They're waiting for us to make the first move."

Three possibilities stood out to Bardford. The first was that the enemy was staying still and goading his fleet into a trap. The second was that they were extremely confident in their defenses and didn't feel the need to seize the initiative. The third was that his forces had caught them by surprise and that the enemy wasn't yet sure what to do.

Never being one to err on the side of caution, the Sol Fleet Admiral decided to initiate the offensive.

"Disperse Minovsky Particles at full combat density and saturate the enemy formation with Emitter Missiles!" Bardford gave the order. "Once that's all done, launch the Gundams. They'll clear the way for us."

Emitter Missiles streaked across the void, dispersing Minovsky Particles among the enemy's ranks. The enemy's point-defense systems fired away, taking down many of the missiles... but the sheer volume of them being sent downrange was overwhelming.

But the Emitter Missiles were just a screen.

At the rear of the fleet was the Sol Fleet's secondary flagship Hearthfire, which was a Maiden Class Fleet Carrier. Of the many mobile suit teams that Hearthfire carried, four of them were Gundam teams - that's one for Earth, one for Mars, another for Jupiter, and the last for Mercury.

Four Gundam teams, numbering twelve machines in total, sortied from Hearthfire's launch decks in short order. While Bardford had ordered their deployment, the actual details of their sortie would be up to Fischer's discretion. At the Commodore's direction, the Gundam teams will be jumping straight into the belly of the beast, engaging in a high-stakes Suppression of Enemy Air Defense mission. Their goal is to destroy or disrupt the enemy's point defense laser and flak batteries, allowing the more vulnerable Gunstrikes to roll in with their anti-ship weaponry. With this, it was hoped that a breach could be made in the overlapping network of Defense Stations, which would allow the CSF's warships to bring to bear the full might of their combined firepower.

The twelve Specter Gundams -clad in dull low-visibility colors- split into their respective teams as soon as they left the Hearthfire. With their RAM-coated armor and the generous application of Minovsky Pollution interference, they were able to slip through the alien anti-air grid practically undetected. By the time the enemy realized exactly what was going on was when a Gundam from the Mars Team landed right on top of an alien battleship's bridge. The shocked bridge crew was stunned to silence, before panicking as the Martian Specter raised its rifle and shot right through the warship.

All hell broke loose after, as the aliens scrambled to find and swat down the Gundams before it could destroy more of the Blockade Force's warships... an effort that would only become more difficult as the fighting intensified. The Earth and Jupiter Teams quickly followed suit, striking at two defense stations simultaneously. Finally, the Mercury Team went straight for what appeared to be a mobile supply base - which Fleet Intelligence figured, judging by the large umbilical lines connecting from the station to various cruisers and battleships. As beam shots penetrated the supply station's hull, secondary explosions erupted within, detonating the massive load of munitions and fuel stored within. Most of the alien ships had been able to purge their umbilical lines in time since they were in the process of doing so anyways, but a few weren't so fortunate. The exploding fuel cascaded from the station and into the ships, destroying them from the inside.

Chaos and confusion quickly spread among the alien forces. Though they were able to rally into smaller formations and squadrons, the enemy's overall got off on the wrong foot, disorganized, and lacking cohesion... which worked perfectly to Bardford's advantage.

"Move the fast squadrons ahead into the gaps in the enemy defenses!" He quickly gave the order. "I want Newtype Mobile Suit teams diverted from Combat Air Patrol to screen their advance! Long-range support formations, provide covering fire!"

Like a well-oiled machine, Bardford's Sol Fleet sprung into action on his orders. All the Fleet Admiral needed to provide were objectives, his subordinate officers would take care of the rest at their discretion. That was how he had drilled and conditioned his subordinates, allowing the Sol Fleet to act as a fluid and fast-moving formation. While the aliens rallied their forces for a proper counterattack, Bardford's forces pushed their advantage, destroying several of the enemy's defense stations with unparalleled speed and aggression. With more gaps created in the alien defenses, the Sol Fleet dislodged the Blockade Force and pushed them back. It was only much later into the engagement, once the aliens had reorganized and rallied their scattered forces, that they were able to hold their ground. With this, Bardford's lightning offensive was brought to a halt and the engagement turned into a brutal slugging match.

The alien Blockade Force held onto a glimmer of hope, believing that if they made the Sol Fleet bleed enough, they'd have to retreat and abandon their plans to reinforce the system...

But Bardford would soon snuff out this hope, violently.

Despite the engagement having turned into a bloody battle of attrition, the Sol Fleet had achieved its immediate objective. By dislodging the alien forces and forcing the aliens to abandon half of their positions, Bardford and his forces had corralled and pinned the Blockade Force off to one side of the Mass Relay. Once this stalemate had set in, Bardford quickly gave the go-signal to his counterpart in the Arcturus Fleet.

Admiral Drescher and the Arcturus Fleet arrived in short order, flying in a tight formation and giving a wide berth to the battle between the Sol Fleet and the Blockade Force.

From her flagship, the Crocea Mors, Drescher gave the order for the Arcturus Fleet to bypass the engagement. As much as she'd rather stick around and help, she knew that her forces were needed elsewhere. As her fleet accelerated away, she saw that the enemy attempted to disengage from their battle with Bardford... a futile attempt, given how quickly Bardford was able to put a stop to their movements.

This battle, she would leave to the capable hands of her friend.

-000-

Admiral Lohengrinn sat quietly on the Huginn's command seat. Dressed head-to-toe in ceremonial regalia as he always did, it almost appeared that he was a king or emperor looking down on his subjects. Many of Huginn's crew have started to jokingly call the ship's command seat 'The Throne', though they'd never say it while he was in the room.

From his Throne, Lohengrinn eyed the battlefield like an eagle watches its prey from above. The enemy holding Chenxing's Pass had proven to be more... stubborn than he expected. With the combined forces of the Odin Fleet and the Shanxi Outer Sphere Fleet should've been... no, it is enough to break through. The outcome of this engagement was already set in stone. It was just that the aliens seemed to be in denial of their inevitable defeat.

"Have Captain Bittenfeld tighten his squadron's formation." He told his comms officer to relay his orders. "He's spread too thin."

Just as Bittenfeld finished tightening his formation -almost as if on queue- a large force of alien mobile suits and strike fighters swooped in on Bittenfeld's squadron. Had the squadron not tightened its formation, the enemy may have been able to slip through the stretched-out air defense network.

"Ehrenheit needs to press his attack." Lohengrinn gave another order, his voice calm and measured throughout.

The comms officer transmitted his orders and Lohengrinn returned to observing the battle on his holographic map. But while the golden-haired Admiral was calm throughout this whole ordeal, the same could not be said of a few of his subordinates. On the section of the bridge where the Fleet Intelligence officers were stationed, Lohengrinn noticed from the corner of his eyes that a pair of them were bickering in hushed tones. The argument appeared to become more heated by the second. He had half a mind to stand up and ask them why they were causing such a ruckus when one of them seemed to convince the other to stand down before standing up from his seat and starting his way towards the Throne.

Amused by this, Lohengrinn leaned back into his seat as the junior Fleet Intelligence Officer approached.

"I assume there's some pressing matter you mean to deliver?" Lohengrinn spoke, preempting the Junior Officer.

Judging by the bars on the officer's collar and shoulders, it appeared he was an Ensign.

"I-I... I mean, aye, Sir." He answered, initially caught off guard.

"Well, speak freely."

"Right." The Junior Officer cleared his throat and steeled himself before delivering his report. "Based on several intelligence reports from our Deep Space Patrol Teams, I believe it's highly likely that a separate enemy force may attack us from behind."

"With what force, Ensign?" Lohengrinn questioned, highly skeptical of the young officer's claims. "Our scouts were thorough. We have confirmation that their defensive fleet by the asteroid base hasn't left their stations."

"With all due respect, Sir, that report hasn't taken into account the various patrol and escort squadrons that the enemy has scattered throughout the system. Current estimates have them numbering between a hundred to a hundred-fifty ships in total."

"That's true, but it's as you say, Ensign. They're scattered throughout the system." Lohengrinn challenged.

The Golden Haired Admiral could see some cold sweat start to form on the Ensign's brow and a quick glance at the Fleet Intelligence table showed that the Ensign's colleague was wincing in embarrassment. Still, the Ensign didn't back down. The young officer steeled himself and defended his position,

"Well, that's not all, Sir." He continued. "We've noticed that one of the alien's battleships was stationed further on the edge of their formation in a way that doesn't line up with what we know of their combat doctrine. Moreover, we've been detecting low-frequency transmissions coming from that battleship, which they've more commonly used for long-distance communication. Because most of their patrol ships are confirmed to be of cruiser tonnage, I believe the possibility that they could quickly regroup for an attack on our rear is high."

The pieces were lining up, but Lohengrinn still had other concerns.

"This hypothetical fleet of yours," Lohengrinn challenged again. "What would you say it would take to counter their movements?"

"Sir, considering their lighter composition, I believe a preemptive strike on their rally point with a detached force would be sufficient to disrupt their efforts and buy us more time to break through at Chenxing's Pass. Once the defending enemies have been routed, we can reorganize our formation to prepare for that incoming force." The Ensign said after putting some thought into it.

"Detaching a force? You want to detach a force from our offensive efforts while we're already running behind schedule?" Lohengrinn shook his head. "That's going to be a big ask, especially since we don't even know if this threat is real."

With a question like that, his subordinates usually wouldn't press the matter further... but this Ensign was different. Even though Lohengrinn could see his discomfort and nervousness clearly, the Ensign stood his ground.

"The threat is real, Sir." The Junior Officer said. "I-in fact, I could predict with high certainty where their rally point will be."

It was surprising enough to meet an Ensign who had the guts to stand up to an Admiral. More surprising was that last statement. With his interest piqued, Lohengrinn pressed the Ensign on it.

"Oh? Then enlighten me, Ensign." The Admiral questioned the Junior Officer. "Where will this enemy force rally?"

From his Throne, he could see the Junior Officer hesitate for a moment. Lohengrinn wondered if perhaps the young man was just blustering, but that notion was quickly dispelled when the Ensign stepped up to the holographic projector and began drawing on the tactical map.

"Based on reports from our Deep Space Scouts and our current position relative to the enemy at Chenxing's Pass..." The Ensign said as he processed the data in his head and turned it into something the average layman could understand. "The enemy's scouting and escort forces will rally on... this location."

On the holographic projector, the Ensign highlighted an area in space around 1500 clicks wide - a massive swathe of territory for anyone to comb through... that is, if they weren't part of the Space Force. Lohengrinn scanned through the diagrams and data on display that supported the Ensign's conclusion... and he found himself somewhat agreeing with the assessment. Still, despite all the pieces lining up, there was no guarantee that the Ensign's prediction was right.

"What guarantee can you make that we will find the enemy in that location?"

The Ensign looked as if he wanted to immediately answer, but held his tongue for a moment. He was probably thinking of how to rephrase his answer to be more polite. What he would actually say caught Lohengrinn by surprise.

"Sir, if I turn out to be wrong and the enemy isn't preparing to strike us from behind, then I've failed in my duties as an Intelligence Officer." The Ensign said, readily proclaimed. "I will willingly submit myself to whatever punishment you deem fit, even a Summary Court-Martial if you deem it necessary."

The Admiral couldn't help but smile at the young officer's words. This one had a fire in him. Lohengrinn liked that.

"Bold words, Ensign. I will hold you to it." He said as he leaned forward on his Throne. "Comms, get Commodore Kirch on the horn. Tell him we've received intel of a possible enemy force rallying on gridmarker 30-November-30. His orders are to form a detached force of a size and composition of his choosing and to investigate the veracity of these reports."

Lohengrinn dismissed the Junior Officer and had him return to his station. There, his colleagues scolded him for speaking to the Admiral the way he did, which the Admiral had to admit was quite amusing to see. A few moments later, the Battlecruiser Muninn disengaged from the battle line, taking with her three squadrons' worth of ships - close to a third of the Odin Fleet's combat force. Lohengrinn returned to directing his forces, taking even more care to position them correctly. He also ordered Commodore Autumn's Outer Sphere Fleet to plug the gap left by Commodore Kirch's departure... an order which she certainly wasn't too enthused to take.

Regardless of this, the engagement at Chenxing's Pass continued. Progress in breaking through the enemy's defenses slowed down considerably with the departure of the detached force, but victory was just about a certainty.

It wouldn't be until a long while later that a report from the detached force would finally reach the Huginn.

"Admiral, we're receiving a transmission from Commodore Kirch!" The comms officer reported.

"Put it through on speakers." Lohengrinn casually ordered, himself eager to hear the results.

The comms officer quickly complied and Commodore Kirch's voice soon filled the battlecruiser's bridge.

"Huginn, this is Muninn-Actual, reporting contact with a large enemy force at gridmarker 33-November-30!" Commodore Kirch reported to the surprise and astonishment of many on the bridge. "Looks like the report was accurate."

"Off by three thousand clicks." Lohengrinn chuckled before picking up his handset and speaking directly to the Commodore. "Acknowledged, Muninn-Actual. Engage the enemy at your discretion. Terra Firma."

"Wilco, Huginn! We are moving to engage the enemy!"

The officers sitting on the Fleet Intelligence station broke out into cheering as they congratulated the Ensign who not only successfully argued against his admiral, but also correctly predicted the enemy's plan. An exceptional achievement such as this demanded an equally exceptional reward.

"Looks like you were right, sailor," Lohengrinn called on the junior officer. "What's your rank and name, son?"

"Ensign Steven Hackett, Fleet Intelligence Department, Sir!" The Junior Officer answered, standing up at attention.

"Ensign Hackett," Lohengrinn said. "I am hereby promoting you to Lieutenant Junior Grade, effective immediately. Keep up the good work, I see a bright future ahead of you in the Space Force."

-000-

Tai and the forces under his command exchanged fire with the enemy for what felt like an eternity. Between the Akuo, Amber Celica, and the Chariots, there was plenty of firepower to sling downrange - enough to blunt the worst of the enemy offensive. Mobile Suits from both sides zigged and zagged in between as they fought to the death while they screened their respective fleets. As the engagement dragged on, more and more ships joined in. By the time the battle crossed the two-hour mark, Tai had somehow found himself in command of four squadrons - all of which deferred to his command for the sole reason that he commanded Old Amber.

"Group Three, fire Gungnir and Hellstorm missiles!" Tai ordered. "Group Two, come about and prepare to launch torpedoes on my mark!"

A group of nine Curran Class Destroyers, and three Chariot Class Cruisers opened their missile tube hatches and launched a terrifying hail of firepower towards the enemy. The Hellstroms were first, separating into dozens of submunitions each once they got close, saturating the enemy's point defense systems. The Gungnirs came in next, most being able to slip through the enemy's defenses and hit the ships.

The alien ships were still reeling from the Gungnir hits when Group Three reached their designated firing position.

"Mark!" Tai yelled out.

With eight destroyers firing a spread of twelve torpedoes each, the alien ships' fate was sealed. Barely recovering from the missile attacks, they were in no condition to respond to the many, many torpedoes bearing down on them.

"Heavy casualties confirmed on enemy squadron! They're retreating!" One of Old Amber's bridge officers reported. "Damnit, two more are on the way from their rearline!"

"Never a moment's rest, is there?" Tai cursed, before throwing out an impromptu plan. "We're splitting our force into two! Group Three will follow us and pin the enemy with a frontal attack, Groups Two and Four will attack the enemy from either flanks!"

The hodge-podge fleet quickly carried out Tai's plan. Tai's squadron and Group Three faced the enemy force head on, dealing out death and destruction in spades. He had forced the enemy's advance to a standstill, but the cost in doing so was grave. Casualties mounted for every passing moment that Tai's ad hoc fleet held the line.

"Any word from Squadron 13?" Tai asked hesitantly.

"Negative, sir. We've no further communications from... wait a minute, stand by..."

"What's wrong, son?"

The comms officer furrowed his brows as he checked and rechecked the data he was reading.

"Sir... we're detecting transmissions from the other side of the enemy's formation." He explained. "But it's the ident codes, Sir... they're Golden Beacon!"

Suddenly and without further warnings, Old Amber's sensors officer reported dozens upon dozens of contacts appearing almost from thin air behind the enemy's lines. They were Golden Beacon mobile suits, different Skoda types carrying all sorts of equipment, with a pair of Hroegers taking the lead. The Secessionist mobile suits came down on the enemy rear like a tidal wave, striking fast and hard and catching the enemy off guard.

In the midst of all this chaos, six new allied contacts appeared on Amber Celica's sensors, though it went largely unnoticed.

This, of course, was none other than Squadron 13.

-000-

The shuddering inside Risima's hangars finally subsided. I could tell it had ended because even though the Specter Gundam's cockpit had subdued the worst of it, it couldn't stop it all. It was as clear a sign as any that Squadron 13 had finally escaped from Shanxi's atmosphere and that we were finally back in space... which meant it was going to be go-time soon enough.

"Mobile Suit Teams, it's Bullow." Our CO spoke through the battle network, her tone far more serious than I've ever heard before. "We don't have much time, so I'll make this briefing short. Our primary objective is to deliver the weapon prototype to the Amber Celica and to ensure that ship's survival. I don't have the time to get into the details, but trust me when I say this weapon and Old Amber will be the lynchpin of our counteroffensive."

This weapon was going to be the key to winning the war? This sounded... desperate. I know we've won the ground war, but I've only realized now that I've very little clue about how the war in space was going. For all I knew, we were reinforcing a losing battle.

"Blue Team," Bullow spoke to Raszchak, who had taken over as Blue Team's leader in my absence. "You will be in charge of directly transporting the prototype. It's far too large to be loaded into our heavy transports so your Gunstrikes will have to physically handle the container and bring it to Amber Celica's bow."

"Aye ma'am, we'll get it there a-ok!" Raszchak answered.

"You better." She said before turning to us. "Gundam Team, you're on escort duty. Make sure the delivery doesn't end up in disaster."

"Gundams for escort?" I asked. "Isn't that kind of overkill? Our machines would be better taking the fight to the enemy."

"You can take the fight to the enemy once the prototype's been delivered." Bullow chastised. "The delivery of the weapon could very well determine whether we win or lose this war, so we're not taking any risks. The Gundam Team is on escort duty until then. Am I clear?"

"Understood, ma'am." I relented.

"Good." She said before moving on to the next set of orders. "I want Teams Red, Green, Gold, and Purple on Combat Air Patrol. Everyone else is on reserve, be prepared to launch on my say so. Any questions?"

If any of us pilots had any questions, we didn't voice them. If things were as dire as it seemed, and if victory really did hang on the delivery of the prototype weapon aboard Risima... well, we couldn't afford to be distracted,

"Very well then. The CAP Teams will launch first, followed by the Gundam Team, and only then will Blue Team launch. Good luck and Godspeed to all you. Terra Firma!"

-000-

Casualties were starting to mount. Things weren't going well.

Despite keeping up a strong appearance, Admiral Desolas Arterius knew in his heart that the tide of battle was hanging precariously in the balance. Coalition Forces had the numbers advantage as well as the tactical initiative, but it was an advantage that was slowly slipping away. Even inside the Thanix, one of the most advanced Dreadnoughts in the Turian Navy, the mood was tense. Reports of allied casualties kept streaming in, even more so since the enemy deployed that heavy cruiser.

By his observation, the Humans appear to have rallied around that single warship. Arterius dared to say that the humans revered that old cruiser, given how quickly they deferred to its commands. It evoked bad memories of when he was an ensign during a raid in the Terminus systems. The pirates there rallied around an old Krogan Heavy Cruiser that they had salvaged and pressed into service. Like all Krogan warships, it hit well above its weight class thanks to a main gun that surpassed its tonnage peers. It was a shameful day for the Turian Navy, having taken heavy losses in what was supposed to be a routine raid.

Now Arterius saw that the same thing was playing out again, right before his very eyes... but at a much larger and more terrifying scale.

His pride would never let him admit that defeat was a very real possibility, especially not in front of his subordinates... but his devotion and duty to the sailors under his command also meant he couldn't stand idly by while they died by the hundreds in pursuit of victory. The Admiral's eyes darted here and there, taking in all the tactical data provided by the holographic display in front of his command podium. He calculated all the odds and considered all the options, but what finally pushed him to make a decision was the realization that it wouldn't be long until the Humans could force a breakthrough at Chenxing's Pass. It would take a proper counterattack to dislodge them from the channel's entrance... a counterattack he didn't believe was possible if he had to tend to all the casualties he had piling on.

With a heavy heart, the Admiral chose a course of action.

"Comms, send an encrypted message to Commodore Magarius." Arterius said. "Tell him, he is to initiate Case 49 at once."

"Case 49, sir?" The comms officer asked.

"He'll understand." Arterius simply said. "Once Magarius gets the word, send out new orders to the rest of the fleet. We're going to refocus our efforts on that heavy cruiser of theirs."

-000-

"Sir! Incoming coded transmission from the Thanix." Magarius heard his comms officer say. "It says... initiate Case... 49?"

Hearing that, Magarius sighed. He had already suspected that the offensive was running out of steam, but he had thought they still had a chance. To take that colony station they've identified as the headquarters of the Human Navy and to end the war in space.

Now, that last sliver of hope was dashed.

"Damnit all..." The Commodore cursed. "Send a message to all the rest of the squadron. We're going to reorganize into a defensive formation around the casualties and the hospital ships. Ships too damaged to fight will take up positions in the interior alongside the hospital ships, everyone else will form a tight anti-air ring around them. Ashtareus will take point."

The orders came as a shock to the ship's bridge crew, many of whom took offense.

"Sir, w-we can't just run away from the fight!" One of the anti-air directors protested. "We're still needed here!"

"It's the Admiral's orders." Magarius simply said, careful not to show his personal dissatisfaction. "If he says we're withdrawing, then we're withdrawing. That's the end of it."

Hearing his words, the crew grumbled but ultimately relented.

The reorganization of the flotilla was slow, as many captains were reluctant to withdraw from the field. It took several heated calls from Magarius, even a few threats before things got back on track. Despite all of this, it wouldn't be long until they formed up and began sailing towards Chenxing's Pass.

Coalition Forces at Chenxing's Pass held the way open, even as they took grievous losses. Magarius offered to help push the Human fleet back but was rebuffed by Commodore Ragus - who was in charge of the Blockade Force. His force was more of a liability at the moment, Ragus told Magarius bluntly and without concern for tact. As far as Ragus was concerned, the most helpful thing Magarius could do was to vacate the combat zone and chart a direct course to The Forge.

Magarius didn't take that well, largely because he saw the tactical situation for what it was - hopeless. Assurances that Ragus and his force would quickly follow behind as soon as Magarius and his ships cleared the combat zone were... unconvincing. However, Magarius didn't have any other option -or at least, realistic options- to choose. He still needed Ragus to hold the Humans back and stop them from hitting him from behind. Reluctantly, Magarius ordered his force to leave.

The Commodore was entirely unsurprised when hours later, he received word that Ragus' force had been wiped out, almost to the last ship. A few of the survivors trickled in with their battered warships, though most arrived in an escape pod or transport of some kind. Reports from those that made it back all spoke of enemy reinforcements arriving, decisively turning the battle against the Coalition Forces. Where this force came from, Magarius wasn't entirely sure. Most of the survivors seemed to describe them as 'fresh forces', likely from out of the system... which if it was true, was extremely concerning. Commodore Ragus' demise made it difficult to verify these claims. It wouldn't surprise the Commodore at all if these new Human forces were indeed out-of-system reinforcements that broke through the blockade around Relay 316.

What surprised the Commodore was a sudden and short burst of extremely bright light, almost as bright as the star at the system's center. The flash came and went in all but a few seconds, but the impression remained.

What the hell was that light, and why did it come from Shanxi's direction?

A million different thoughts swirled around Magarius' head, trying to figure out just what in spirit's name that flash could've been... but none of his ideas came close to the reality of what happened.

-000-

Shells and beam bolts flew all around as Squadron 13 fought our way toward the Amber Celica. The battle we found ourselves in was far more intense than I could've imagined. Even the initial battle at the Mass Relay didn't quite feel as vicious. An air of desperation hung over the air in this engagement, both sides knew how this fight ends could very well decide how the war turns out... and they were giving the battle everything they've got.

Trying to get to our target was a challenge in of itself. The old battleship was always on the move, never in one place for long. We had to change course multiple times trying to keep up, and the thick Minovsky pollution wasn't making it easy tracking the ship. It didn't help that Old Amber was throwing herself where the fighting was thickest... and that the enemy was only too eager to respond with equal ferocity. Between all this chaos and the thick Minovsky pollution, we were only able to contact Old Amber much later than we had originally planned.

"Amber Celica, this is Lieutenant Hedder of Squadron 13." Verns announced over the battle network, trying to reach the ship's captain. "We have the package with us."

"You do?!" Tai exclaimed, his radio discipline lapsing for a moment as he heard the news. "Alright, Captain Lapp of The Akuo will take command of the engagement while I sort this whole thing out. Do you hear that, Lapp?"

"Loud and clear, Tai. Let's hope your gambit pays off!" His friend answered. "All ships, form up behind Akuo, we have to hold the line!"

As he said that, Akuo surged forward past us with the rest of the ad-hoc flotilla. Old Amber stayed behind, slowing down its speed until it was at an almost leisurely pace. The six ships of Squadron 13 quickly formed a perimeter around the age-old battleship as Blue Team delivered the prototype, and we in the Gundam Team joined the other teams in Combat Air Patrol. As we settled into our patrol patterns, I saw that the package was opening from the inside. Taking apart the container from the inside were a dozen or so Argus Labs technicians who had stowed themselves inside so that they could immediately work on installing the weapon the moment they arrived. Then a group of force technicians and a few leftover workers from the Arsinoe also made their way to the forward flight deck. Between the two groups were some fifty-odd people, rushing to install the weapon on Amber Celica's bow.

But while this was going on, while Captain Lapp and the Akuo led the charge, the enemy redoubled their efforts to get to Old Amber. The way they came at us, the way a large chunk of their forces threw themselves at us... this was intentional. To them, Amber Celica wasn't a target of opportunity, this was intentional and purposeful. I wondered for a moment if the enemy had somehow learned of our gambit with the prototype weapon. Since they knew our language, it's not out of the question that they'd be able to figure out our plan.

None of that mattered right now. Whether they knew our plan or not, the enemy still came down hard on the old battleship.

We Gundam pilots took the lead in the defense of Amber Celica, engaging the enemy's ships and mobile suits as they came. Even with Captain Lapp turning his force around to defend the battleship, the fight was still far more intense than I was comfortable with. Ships on both sides took damage, with many falling out of formation after being rendered non-combat operational. Between us Gundams, we must've taken out a dozen ships on our own... though the enemy's determination seemingly didn't waver.

"Come on! We just need to hold a little longer!" Verns yelled into the battle network, encouraging us all.

His determination was contagious, and I found my own spirits renewed.

The three of us held the line, forcing the enemy to bleed for every inch of space they advanced. I would use the High-Speed Specter's to do hit-and-run attacks, coming down on enemies whose focus and attention wavered even for a short moment. Rosen efficiently picked off the enemy with her beam sniper. Occasionally, she would detach the Full Armor Specter's massive flight pack, siccing it at her enemies like an autonomous mechanical attack dog.

Verns seemed to be doing the most of all of the three of us, which shouldn't have surprised me... and yet seeing him in action still left me astounded. Knowing what the Specter NT was capable of on paper was one thing... Seeing him use the machine to its fullest potential was something else entirely. Long-Funnels flew every which way, firing on enemy mobile suits and ships whenever the opportunity arose. The constant aggressive use of his Long-Funnels drained its energy rapidly, eventually forcing him to only use three at any given time while the rest recharged.

We fought, and fought, and fought... mobile suit by mobile suit, ship by ship... until unexpectedly, the enemy Dreadnought started pushing its way towards the front.

To say it was massive was an understatement. It was like watching an entire city district move by itself, a massive metal bird of prey a kilometer long. Ships that size shouldn't move the way the Dreadnought did - unbelievably agile for its size, able to make precise micro-adjustments to its movements and positioning, to stop and turn on what might as well be a dime. It drove home how much more advanced the aliens' understanding of Mass Effect technology must've been.

We had ships that were over a kilometer long as well -titanic cargo haulers would go to and from Yunnan to deliver Helium-3 to Shanxi- but none of them had Mass Effect cores. They were old-school, using massive nuclear pulse engines to propel them forward at slower-than-light speeds. We simply didn't have the technology to build Mass Effect Cores powerful enough to drive a vessel of that size and tonnage.

Knowing that the aliens did, gave me more than enough reason to worry about how we were going to deal with the Dreadnought.

"God, how are we going to deal with that thing?!" I asked loudly, to nobody in particular.

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out, buy some time for Old Amber if we have to!" Verns said, his spirit burning with incredible determination. "We're the only ones who can!"

Watching Verns charge into the enemy formation, a strange sensation crept up inside me. Watching him throw himself into danger, loudly proclaiming that he could stop the avalanche as he did so... I thought he was stupid, reckless, idiotic... but also incredibly inspirational. Despite my fear, I was overwhelmed by a desire to move heaven and earth to stop the enemy.

Verns was right, if anyone could buy enough time for the technicians to install the prototype on Old Amber, it was going to be us.

-000-

Tai watched in astonishment as the Gundam Team committed themselves to a full frontal assault against the alien Dreadnought.

"Those brave, beautiful bastards..." Tai shook his head in disbelief before turning to his crew. "What's the word on the weapon's installation?"

"We're getting there!" Crowe answered, unhelpfully.

After Tai gave him 'the look', the Chief Engineer finally gave a clearer answer.

"Plugging in the prototype to Old Amber's Minovsky pumps is a lot trickier than we thought it was going to be." Crowe explained. "We're trying to figure out how to bypass the forward regulator without blowing the ship in half with the raw output!"

"Why the hell would you need to bypass the forward regulator?!"

"Because if we don't, we won't have enough power to run the damned thing!" The Chief Engineer cursed. "Amber Celica is an old gal! Her forward pump regulators were only rated for beam vulcans and hyperbeam cannons, not... whatever the hell kind of monster we're grafting onto her bow!"

"Can you make it work?" Tai then questioned.

"On paper? Probably? Hopefully!" Crowe answered hesitantly, afraid to give a definitive answer. "Won't know for sure if the Minovsky particle channels can handle the pressure we'll be running through them unless we do some stress testing."

The captain cursed under his breath. These aliens -the Turians, he learned they were called from an intel package included with the weapon's instruction manuals and operating system- had thrown a spanner into his gambit. With the assault underway, there was now no way to tell if the weapon would even work, let alone be able to help in the breakout from the inner sphere.

But that wasn't the most pressing issue at the moment.

The most pressing issue was the Dreadnought type bearing down on them.

It was terrifying enough facing that gigantic ship aboard the Milo. A Nikos Class Battlecruiser could dish out more firepower from its main batteries than an aging Dragon Class Battleship like the Amber Celica. That a full salvo from the Milo struggled to break through the Dreadnought's shields did not bode well for Old Amber's chances...

Tai watched as the Gundam Teams pushed their attack against the titanic ship. They were able to evade Dreadnought's anti-air grid, but outside of the Full Armor Specter, none of their weapons were powerful enough to penetrate the invisible barrier protecting the warship. Even with more mobile suits joining the fight, it wasn't looking good.

If the weapon couldn't be successfully installed, then the only option left to deal with the Dreadnought was to wear down its shields... which while undoubtedly possible, the casualties that they'd undoubtedly take were simply too high for Tai to accept.

"Fine!" Tai cursed. "Figure it out quick. If we have to burn out Old Amber's forward sections to get the weapon working, then that's what we'll have to do!"

-000-

Try as we might, but it didn't look like we would be sinking the Dreadnought anytime soon... at least not on our own. Rosen's Beam Sniper could just barely take out the small turrets through their shields, and it wasn't punching through the damned ship's armor.

Teams Red and Gold soon joined us after most of the enemy's anti-air defenses had been gutted, but even with Red Team's beam bazookas, we barely got any results.

"How the hell are we supposed to take out this God damned Dreadnought?" I frustratedly yelled.

Before anybody could say anything in response, a bright flash burst out of the Dreadnought's bow followed shortly by a massive projectile leaving at insanely high speeds. I only realized a split second later that the giant warship had fired its spinal gun, and its sights were squared solely at Amber Celica.

Thankfully, the first shot missed by a large margin. The giant shell whizzed just beside Old Amber's armored superstructure. If that shot had connected, I had very little doubt that it would've decapitated the ship outright.

"Damnit, we need to disable this thing's main gun!" I called out over the battle network. "Shoot right down its barrel or something?"

"Tried it, didn't work!" Someone from Red Team answered. "Their shields must be thickest right there! My beam bazooka couldn't even punch through!"

I started to panic, my mind racing a million miles a second as I tried to find out what we could do to thwart the Dreadnought from firing again. There was no telling how long we had until the enemy ship chambered another shot into its spinal gun. Every second had to count!

"What about physical weapons?" I desperately asked. "Has anyone tried throwing a grenade down the barrel?"

"Negative, they have an armored panel that slides open for a half second right as it fires," Raszchak answered me. "The window's too small, it's suicide!"

"Then what the hell do we do?!"

We threw out every single idea that went through our minds, though we quickly realized that most just wasn't feasible. The cacophony of voices only stopped when Rosen cut through with an extremely distressed voice.

"L-lieutenant Kreusgluck!" She frantically called out "I-it's Lieutenant Hedder, he's-"

I whirled around and saw what Rosen was talking about. While the rest of us were scrambling to figure something out, Verns distanced himself from the Dreadnought. He positioned himself in between Old Amber and the alien warship... right in the firing line. We were all too distracted going through all our options, and only realized when Rosen spoke up.

"What the... Verns, wh-what are you doing?" I asked him, panic creeping up my voice. "You can't stop

"Protecting the Amber Celica, no matter the cost!"

He deployed all six of his Long-Funnels, spreading them out in a defensive ring formation ahead of him. When the Dreadnought next fired its spinal gun I reflexively closed my eyes, fully expecting Verns to be obliterated by the shell.

Amazingly, that wasn't what happened.

As my eyes opened, I saw the great fireball that had engulfed the Specter NT dissipate. I couldn't believe my eyes when Verns and his machine appeared, entirely unharmed.

It...

It was...

Miraculous.

The Dreadnought fired again, and I quickly discovered how Verns survived the first shot. He braced behind his shield to protect himself from the shrapnel, and then using his Long-Funnels, he opened fire at the incoming shell. The margin of error was ridiculously small. He only had the chance to fire one shot from each Long-Funnel before the shell would hit him. This time, it was the third funnel that landed a hit on the Dreadnought's shell.

Then the Dreadnought fired a third time, and the fifth Long-Funnel was the one to make the intercept. I feared that the fourth shell wouldn't be intercepted in time, and I was right. The Long-Funnels missed all their shots and only came together just in time to form a beam barrier. A hexagonal barrier formed far ahead of the Specter NT, a mere split second before the shell impacted it.

A massive explosion went off right on the beam barrier. The Long-Funnels drained themselves of what power they had remaining, trying to hold back the explosion. The barrier broke apart just as the explosion subsided, scattering the Long-Funnels every which way.

But now, Verns was left exposed. Without his Long-Funnels, he didn't have any other means of stopping the fifth shell.

"Verns, get out of there!" I pleaded, but it was too late.

The alien Dreadnought fired the fifth shell, and this time I knew there was nothing left Verns could do. He had nothing on his machine that could possibly stop an explosive shell with the punch of a small nuclear weapon.

The sudden, unearthly green glow and intense aura of determination that emanated from Verns' Gundam proved me wrong for a second time today, and I was only too happy to be wrong.

-000-

Tai couldn't believe his eyes.

The unearthly green glow, the intense wave of emotion seemingly emanating from it.

He's read about this before, during his time in the Military Academy... about what happens when you overload Psycho-Frame with human drive and emotion.

It wasn't something that made sense.

It defied the laws of physics.

It was something that historians and scientists still hotly debated... and yet here he was, watching it unfold before his very eyes.

Psycho-Frame Resonance.

As the light subsided, he could see the Gundam was intact and unscathed. While that was amazing on its own, it paled in comparison to what was found in front of it.

Directly ahead of the Gundam, seemingly held still by the mobile suit's right arm, was the shell that the Dreadnought had fired. It was large, half the size of a Gundamin length, and a quarter in width. Tai could only imagine what kind of damage a shell of that size, traveling at such high speeds, would've done to the Amber Celica.

Then, the shell started falling to pieces... no... it started disassembling itself, with the individual components detaching itself from each other. One moment, the explosive shell was there. The next, it was gone, having been taken apart by an invisible, intangible force.

Whatever the Gundam did, it seemed to have exhausted itself. The machine seemed to go limp, slumping in zero-g and going adrift. If its two wingmen hadn't come to recover it, Tai wasn't entirely sure what would've happened to it.

The battlefield had been stunned into silence. Human and alien alike had ceased fighting, dumbfounded by the sight they just witnessed. It was a moment that defied all explanation, an event that seemed to be ripped straight out of science-fantasy. Everyone stopped what they were doing to try and wrap their heads around what they had seen, but it was Tai who was first to snap out of his stupor. Quickly, he turned to his Chief Engineer and barked out.

"Crowe, how's the installation going?" The Captain asked.

Shaking out of it, Crowe turned to his CO and delivered his answer.

"That... uh... we're just about done, kind of." He said. "We still need to stress test the Minovsky pumps and-"

"How long would that take?" Tai cut in.

"Shit... if we want to be thorough, an hour, tops."

That was too much time to lose. With the Dreadnought bearing down on them, there was no telling if Old Amber could make it out of the next few minutes in one piece. Escape wasn't guaranteed, not with how fast and nimble the alien ships were. The thought that the Congressional Forces would inevitably overcome the enemy by sheer firepower wasn't comforting enough for Tai to resign himself to an honorable death... not when the death toll was going to be astronomical.

Tai only saw two ways out of this situation... both were equally risky... but it was worth a try.

"We're skipping those tests." The Captain decided, surprising everyone on the bridge. "Chief Crowe, make the necessary preparations but do not initiate the firing sequence until I say so. XO Okita, notify the crew and the rest of the fleet."

"But Capt-" Crowe wanted to protest, but he was quickly silenced.

"God damn it, Charlie! Just do as I say!" Tai snapped. "We don't have time to argue!"

Crowe was taken aback, shocked by how harshly his comrade was acting, but made no further dissent.

"Aye, Captain." Both Crowe and Okita said, simultaneously.

The XO picked up the handset on his station and began the announcement.

"Attention all hands! Attention all hands! Now hear this!" Okita spoke. "Prepare anti-flash and anti-shock contingencies. On Captain Wen-Li's orders, we will initiate the prototype weapon's firing sequence! Damage control teams, be on alert for fire and Minovsky particle leaks in the fore sections and hypermatter reactors!"

On the other side of the bridge's command section, Chief Crowe was yelling at the intercoms. This may very well be the last chance he had to make sure they'd done everything in their power to make sure the ship wouldn't tear itself apart trying to fire the weapon.

It was in this cacophony and chaos that Tai then spoke again, this time to the comms officer.

"Open a line to the enemy." He said, grimly.

"Sir?!" The comms officer asked, unsure if he heard his CO right.

"Open a line to the enemy, son." Tai reiterated. "The intel package that came with the prototype said the aliens have figured out Standard English. I'm going to exhaust every option we have before we fire that weapon. Now do as you're told."

"U-understood, sir." The comms officer gulped. "Standby.

This was the first part of his gambit. A long shot by any stretch of the imagination, but it was worth a try. Tai knew he had no authority to do this. The Admiralty was absolutely going to grill him alive for this, but with all the lives at stake, he knew this was the best course of action to take.

Once the comms officer confirmed that he was broadcasting on an open frequency, Tai steeled himself, and then spoke.

"Attention to all alien ships! This is Captain Tai Wen-Li of the Congressional Space Forces, with a message to the commander of the alien forces."

-000-

"I know you can hear me. I know you can understand me." Arterius heard the message relayed.

The Turian Admiral had been beyond shocked when he witnessed the Gundam catch the Thanix's shell. It was an impossible feat which broke all known laws of physics... and yet he had seen it happen with his own eyes.

Now, an officer of the Human navy was reaching out to him, trying to relay a message. Every single time, the Humans had found a way to subvert and even defy their expectations, to break the rules thought immutable. Arterius couldn't for the life of him begin to think just what exactly this message could be, and decided it was at the very least worth entertaining.

After having the comms officer patch the Human captain through, Arterius spoke from his command podium.

"This is Admiral Desolas Arterius, commander of the Expeditionary Forces." He said. "What's your message?"

"Admiral, the fortunes of battle change from moment to moment, and as of this moment fortune favors... the Congressional Forces." Arterius heard the Human Captain begin his message. "No matter how things play out after this conversation... One way or another, your expeditionary forces will be driven out of the Inner Sphere, and then out of the star system entirely."

"You're saying the course of this war has already been decided?"

"It has." Captain Wen-Li declared matter-of-factly. "This war will be over sooner, or it will be over later. In the interest of preserving lives, I am going to give you a choice - something your people didn't give mine. Surrender or withdraw from our home. If you surrender, we will treat you humanely. If you withdraw, on my honor, I swear that you will not be pursued beyond the Mass Relay."

The boldness in the way that the Human spoke was -Arterius had to admit- rather intimidating. With how unpredictable the Humans have been up until now, the Turian Admiral thought that there may very well be some truth in the Captain's claims...

And yet, it was just as Captain Wen-Li said. The fortunes of battle change from moment to moment. Arterius knew he still had a chance, so long as he played his pieces right.

"And if we choose to fight?" The admiral challenged.

"Then we unleash the mother of all weapons upon you." The Captain answered coldly.

It was a threat. A threat that the Humans could very well possibly be able to follow through on... and that was the question, wasn't it? Whether the Humans could follow through with Captain Wen-Li's threat.

That strange light that stopped a shot from The Thanix... was that the 'mother of all weapons' that the Captain was referring to? With how esoteric and alien it was, it may very well be... but after some deeper thought, Arterius concluded that it couldn't have been. The machine that emitted it had multiple chances to use it, and yet preferred to use its drones before using the esoteric light. Then there was the fact that it had to be escorted by its two sister units out of the battlefield after using the light. If the esoteric light was the weapon... then the Humans have already exhausted it.

"It's a bluff." Arterius muttered to himself.

There was no 'mother of all weapons'. If they had one, they would've used it long before the war had gotten to this point. The Admiral certainly would have.

No. Captain Wen-Li was using the uncertainty around the esoteric light to scare off the Expeditionary Forces. That's what was happening. A smart, but desperate gambit... which suggests that the Human's hold on the war is a lot more tenouos than the Captain was letting on.

Unmuting his mic, Arterius responded to the Human Captain's message.

"Captain Tai Wen-Li, I find your resolve admirable. However, it's as you said..."

-000-

"...the fortunes of battle change from moment to moment." Tai heard Arterius say over the comms. "It's premature to declare yourselves the victors in this war when we have yet to concede it. We have been given a mandate by our Primarch, to make sure your people won't pose a threat to the galactic order. We cannot turn back until that mandate has been fulfilled. The warrior spirit within each of us would not let us rest otherwise."

The transmission ended there and then, leaving the Captain equally dumbfounded and furious.

"Warrior spirit?" He spat out. "Warrior spirit?! It's that kind of stupid talk that causes people to die pointlessly in war!"

As the aliens began to reorganize their forces for a big push, Tai decided that he had to make good on his threat.

"Initiate firing sequence! Activate the prototype!" The Captain sternly ordered, his rage barely kept at a simmer.

"Aye, sir!" The ship's gunnery officer confirmed. "Initiating firing sequence and plugging the weapon into the APU!"

From his command seat, Tai saw that the prototype systems were slowly being detected and then integrated into Amber Celica's internal computer network. It took only a short moment for the weapon to be fully operational, at which point the battleship's targeting computer registered its official name.

XXGW-704, Hyperwave Particle Cannon

"APU holding stable, Hyperwave Cannon systems are powering up... green across the board!" The Gunnery Chief reported as the firing sequence progressed..

"Fill her firing chamber to half capacity!" Tai then ordered, half hoping that firing the weapon at half power would mitigate any potential problems that might break out around the ship.

"Firing chamber compressor is active!" Crowe then reported. "Sealing emergency vents and opening Minovsky Particle circuit to the Hyperwave Cannon!"

Electronic beeping started ringing throughout the bridge, its tempo increasing as the chamber indicator rose from zero percent to ten, fifteen, and onwards.

"Disengage weapon safety!" The Captain ordered. "The target will be the enemy Dreadnought!"

"Disengaging weapon safety and activating forced injector system!" The Gunnery Chief confirmed. "Targetting computer is calculating a firing solution on the enemy Dreadnought, please stand by!"

"Firing chamber pressure rising... ninety... ninety-five... one hundred!" Crowe reported.

On Old Amber's bow, a faint glow could be seen from the Hyperwave Cannon's barrel. It started out a ghastly yellow, before turning neon pink as the energy being held in the chamber increased. Finally, it settled into a vivid blue as the chamber pressure topped out.

"Engage anti-flash and anti-shock contingencies!" Tai gave the next order.

At all at once, every single window on Amber Celica dimmed itself, protecting her crew from any potentially blinding flashes. Even then, most of the crew members were handed dimmed safety goggles, just in case the dimmed windows weren't enough.

"Firing solution is complete, enemy Dreadnought locked on!" The Gunnery Chief reported once more, his finger hovering over the big red 'fire' button on his terminal.

"Initiate final countdown!" Tai finally declared.

"We are firing in ten... nine... eight..." XO Okita started counting down, careful to pace his counting. "Three... two... one!"

"Fire the Hyperwave Cannon!" The Captain gave the order.

-000-

It was like a second sun was suddenly unleashed by the Amber Celica. There was simply no other way to describe it.

In a few short seconds, a previously unimaginable amount of energy was released from the Hyperwave Cannon's muzzle end. The weapon created what might as well be a compressed supernova right off of Amber Celica's bow, a massive ball of concentrated energy, and then shot it directly at the enemy's formation.

I don't know what possible preparations the aliens could've made, or what procedures they could've initiated to mitigate the worst of the damage. If anything could've been done to avoid the Hyperwave Cannon's shot, they never had the chance to put it into action.

The Hyperwave shot struck the alien Dreadnought right on its bow. The warship's powerful shields held only for a split second before being overwhelmed, the giant ball of energy then plowing through the ship, melting, warping, and carving its way through the Dreadnought in the blink of an eye.

But that wasn't the end of it. Halfway through the Dreadnought, the ball of hyper-compressed, hyper-excited particles cracked open. The energy it released was... terrifying. A bright blue light enveloped the alien fleet, bright enough that the panoramic cockpit display almost went opaque trying to shield me from the glare. The flash was followed shortly by an explosive wave of Minovsky particles, one which had enough energy to leave light carbon scoring on Congressional ships, thousands upon thousands of clicks away from the enemy. Even my Gundam wasn't immune from the energy wave, with most of the Specter Gundam's RAM coating having been burned off.

It was only after the bright light subsided that we could finally see the full scope of what had happened.

-000-

Amidst the fire alarms and warning sirens, Amber Celica's bridge crew stood silent. The damage control teams, who weren't entirely aware of what had transpired out there, would handle that well enough. It was for Captain Wen-Li and the rest, who witnessed the entire thing, to put the pieces together.

The enemy fleet was gone. They were no longer detected Amber Celica's sensors. At first, Tai had thought that it was merely a consequence of the thick Minovsky pollution left behind in the wake of the Hyperwave shot's explosion...

But there was nothing.

The Captain ordered for an optical sweep of the target area and then ordered the sweep to be done again when nothing came up on scope. It was only by the third sweep that Tai came to terms with what had happened, and only shortly thereafter did the bridge crew.

They had annihilated the enemy, leaving nothing - not the burned-out hulls, not debris... nothing.

The Captain knew that it would be a powerful weapon... but not even in his wildest dreams did he think it could be this powerful.

"What the hell did we unleash on this galaxy?" Tai muttered to himself, still wrapping his head around the aftermath.

As for the rest of the crew... some of them laughed, others cried... but most were silent.

-000-

In a secluded sector of the Valhalla Star System, a small flotilla of Congressional warships stood by. At the center of the formation was the Alexandria, which was one of the older Chariot Class Cruisers, being one of the first to be commissioned.

"Commodore Lorica, we've received a coded transmission from Admiral Bardford." The Alexandria's comms officer reported.

The man in question flicked his bright blue eyes away from the book, briefly glancing at the officer in question.

He already knew what the transmission was going to say, but he'd have the comms officer confirm it to him anyways.

"What does it say?" Lorica asked.

"Sir, message reads: the gates of Zedan have opened."

His suspicion confirmed, Lorica sighed and closed his book.

"Very well." The Commodore said. "Get Captain Kahoku on the horn. Have him mobilize the asset at once."

"Aye, sir!" The comms officer responded.

Lorica's flotilla quickly went on the move, leaving their stationary position and approaching the Relay that led to Shanxi. As the ships closed in on the Mass Relay, a massive shadow passed over Alexandria's bridge, blocking what meager sunlight was reaching the space force cruiser this far out in space.

This was the asset.

Passing by to the side of the flotilla, was a massive object. At a glance, it appeared to be like any other closed-type colony station - a giant metal tube, 36 kilometers in length, 6 kilometers in diameter, and missing the deployable reflective panels meant to bounce sunlight into the station. Further inspection revealed that extensive modifications had been made to the station - giant nuclear pulse engines were mounted to its 'rear', while rings of RCS thrusters lined the structure for precise maneuvering. Moreover, multiple 'hardpoints' were distributed along the colony, used by FTL tugships to latch onto the colony for long-range travel.

However, the most critical modification was the one made to its 'front'... or 'muzzle' may be a more accurate term. Taking a look at the front end of the colony reveals a massive lens array capping off an empty colony. The internals of the station had been gutted entirely. Cities and human accommodations were done away with, replaced with a titanic laser system.

In short, it was a Colony Laser. A powerful weapon capable of wreaking havoc at an interplanetary scale. There was a great stigma surrounding the usage of this weapon. Colony Lasers had a dark history, dating back to the tumultuous times of the One Year War. Most officers in the Space Force would've blanched at having to be responsible for such a weapon... but not Commodore Lorica. To him, the Colony Laser was just another weapon system - one he fully intended to use for the protection of all mankind, no matter the cost.

It wasn't long after the Colony Laser entered the flotilla's visual range that they rendezvoused with the giant laser system, taking up escort positions around it.

"Link up with Gryps 2 is successful." Alexandria's XO announced. "We're ready to initiate Relay Transit on your orders, Commodore."

"Excellent." Commodore Lorica said. "Take us through at once. Admiral Bardford's expecting us, and you know his stance on punctuality."

-000-

A/N: Christ, this chapter ended up blowing up in size. It was supposed to be 9k words at most and out by last week. Ended up hitting 13k. Whoopsie daisy.

Also -because I just know somebody's going to bring it up- the two separate characters sharing the name Crowe isn't a mistake on my end. I'll expand on that next chapter, so please refrain from raising a stink until then.

At any rate, we're still on track to reach the finale without further extensions. The next chapter will lead up to the final battle, and the two or three after that should cover the events surrounding it, though depending on how it goes I may have each chapter focus on a particular part of the battle since it's going to be pretty big.

Also also, don't forget to leave a question for the final Behind the Scenes and Q&A chapter that'll come out a week or so after the story wraps up (I need the time to write answers to the questions). Feel free to ask anything, even stuff not really related to the story. I'll do my best to answer, but I can't guarantee the answer will be satisfying. Also if it's meant for the Q&A section please mark it as such so I can keep track of it easier.

Also also also, I should have uploaded the mass production colors of the Specter Gundam on my DVArt page by the time this chapter goes live.

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THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND AO3