329"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week."
- George S. Patton
Chapter XXVIII: Burning of Cibola
Zeon supercarrier Dolowa
Bhatan System
October 15, GC 379
Strange, Admiral Lutjins thought as he analyzed the enemy fleet formation, his eyes scanning between the various Earth ships as they converged on the Dolowa. His instincts told him there was more at play with the Feddies' strategy – that they intended far more than a simple brawl with a superior opponent – yet Lutjins could not come up with an adequate explanation for what they designed exactly. For all accounts and purposes, this was all a very conventional battle on the Feddies' part, their fleet of lesser ships focusing their firepower and efforts on the great beast that was the Dolowa while the mobile suits played amongst themselves. From that, the odds were split evenly, with the more numerous Earthnoids easily matching the Dolowa's sheer power and endurance; a traditional slugfest between ships, in other words, with the victor being the one who lasted the longest. All were very straightforward and very standard in Galactic Century warfare.
Yet, the more Lutjins tried to analyze the Feddies and their fleet actions against his lone supercarrier, the more he felt he was missing something crucial. There was something more out there. His instincts were again telling him, even more fervently now. After all, the Feddies had originally attempted a nuclear attack to bring down the Dolowa; surely, they didn't think a conventional battle could supplant that effect. And still, no matter how much he gazed over the battle at hand and the accumulated data, Lutjins did not see any outward indication. Outside the presence of the damnable Titans, whose black ships and mobile suits easily stood out amongst the grey of their "regular" Space Force counterparts, everything had fallen within the Admiral's range of anticipation. Short of the Earth blackcoats intending to gas the Dolowa – an admitted possibility given their record, but a very slim one for just as obvious reasons –there wasn't much else the Earthnoid filth could have planned. Much as it continued to vex Lutjins otherwise.
Inwardly sighing, Lutjins ultimately forced that line of thinking back, at least for the time being, and concentrated more on the battle as it played out. Whether the Feddies intended more, their operation admittedly tied the Dolowa down enough. Such was the downside of being only one ship against an armada. No matter how powerful that one ship was, there were only so many enemies that it could dispatch at once, especially when said enemies were as spread out as the Earth forces presently were. By contrast, the Earthnoids had no problems concentrating their firepower on that singular target. While the Dolowa could certainly hold up against such an onslaught for a time, her movements were extremely limited by that same element. It was a battle of attrition, in other words, dependent upon which side could outlast the other. Would the Feddies eventually overwhelm the Dolowa, or would the Dolowa whittle them into oblivion?
And that was before one brought the mobile suits to mind, as Lutjins caught sight of a Zaku team attempting to intercept one of the Project V units, the one piloted by the Eagle of Arcturus if Lutjins wasn't mistaken. The Vice Admiral sneered as all three Zeon suits were sniped from space by the Eagle's pinpoint fire, the blue mobile suit then gunning its thrusters and flying out in search of new prey. Additional flares of stricken units soon appeared along the lowborn wretch's flight line, much to Lutjins' aggravation toward the detestable sight.
If there was any consolation to the presence of those three – potentially four, though reports were sporadic – advanced mobile suits, it was that the Dolowa yet held the overwhelming advantage in the area of mobile suits. In sheer numbers and through the Zaku's greater performance, the Zeon held court regarding mobile weapons, coupled with the Dolowa's sheer size and firepower neutralizing the Guncannon's superior anti-ship capabilities. Indeed, if the Earthnoids had any hope of stopping the Dolowa, it would be through their capital ships. The mobile suits would contend to themselves, and no matter how skilled the Feddie aces were, Lutjins knew that they would only last for so long, especially against his resident aces.
One way or the other, the Vice Admiral assured himself, the battle would end in his victory. He admitted that the enemy remained innumerable, and their attacks were as irritating as they were insolent, but he and his flagship would triumph all the same. No matter how long the duration would last or what else the lowborn vermin could throw at him. Despite whatever lingering, rather agitating, feelings to the contrary, Lutjins held. No matter what else really could have been out there, just beyond.
Sleggar managed to keep from hissing as he felt a beam shot grazes his left shoulder, forcing him to snap on his beam shield to deflect the rest. Sure enough, a pair of Act Zakus were gunning for him, advancing in a spiral maneuver while firing both rifles in tandem. To this, the commander reversed his vector and retracted, firing his vulcans to dissuade the two Zeon pilots somewhat before banking right. That allowed him ample room to aim and fire his beam rifle on the fly, striking one of the Zeon mobile suits in the flank and obliterating it while its partner switched to a beam saber. Sleggar would have likely one-shot killed that one as well had it been a regular Zaku, but the enemy suit easily banked off of the snapshot while closing in, forcing Sleggar to again fall back on his vulcans. This time, the Zeek's error in drawing behind his beam shield again granted Sleggar the opening he needed to ascend up and over before blasting the mono-eyed suit in the back. The glare of the explosion barely died away as Sleggar turned Unit Beta about and launched off again.
What the hell are the Tit-wads doing out there? Sleggar thought, momentarily stealing a back glance toward the space where the Solar System was being composed and aligned. He didn't want to be caught in the thing's line of fire, but he hoped it wouldn't be too long. As wholly badass a pilot as he was, he could only take out so many Zeeks at a time, and there appeared to be more Zakus there in Bhatan presently than there had been at Arcturus. Neither he nor the rest of his fellows would last forever against such numbers, which appeared to be the precise amount of time the Titans were taking to put the Solar System together. Was reflecting starlight off a giant mirror that complicated?
Not that Sleggar had much time to contemplate that last part, as his sensors alerted him to several more enemy suits closing in on his position, Act Zakus, and a fair smattering of regular Zakus. Yellow beam bursts soon rained across the immediate space, forcing Sleggar to maneuver and alternate between his beam shields to deflect. Again, he retaliated with his vulcans once some of the mono-eyed monstrosities entered range. However, this had little more effect beyond causing his targets to either maneuver or bring about their beam shielding. Not that it mattered to Sleggar, as that brief pause allowed him to fire another snapshot from his hyper beam rifle, nailing one of the standard Zakus through the cockpit block, and then follow up by hitting another square in the apollo reactor. The glare of the latter's detonation had barely died when one of the Act Zakus drove forward, beam saber drawn and set to be head. To that end, Sleggar engaged his left arm shield and deflected the strike right before firing point blank into the enemy mobile suit's belly. He then kicked the corpse away before it exploded, then jetting back as more beam rifle and beam machine gun bursts trailed after him, soon followed by their pursuing originators.
The Eagle of Arcturus glowered back at said pursuers right before reangling Unit Beta around to snipe another one of their numbers out of space before continuing. That naturally invigorated the other Zeeks to drive forward, hellbent on overwhelming the ace with rapid, coordinated fire, which Sleggar continued to evade and deflect nearly systematically. A rather frustrating way of fighting, even compared to all that Sleggar had endured and survived up to that point. However, he still managed to keep ahead of his opposition, even gunning down two more – a regular Zaku and another Act Zaku – at a certain interval. At the very least, this group of Zeeks was too concentrated on him to go after anything else, though it remained an aggravation to the Commander.
Stifling back said aggravation and choice words he would have uttered had he not been preoccupied, Sleggar focused back and performed another snap maneuver, adding another sniped Zaku to his increasing tally. Unfortunately, one more amongst the legion, as the rest of its still active brethren remained all around him, once more trying to overwhelm through sheer rapid fire. More of their number fell to the Eagle's attacks through this. Yet, these, too, were barely registered, as many more of their brethren remained well within the Bhatan System, bringing havoc upon their Earthnoid contemporaries just as their great mothership was doing the same with the defending Earthnoid fleet.
I'm getting tired of these new models, Amuro thought through grit teeth as he evaded more beam rifle fire, only retaliating with his vulcans when an opportunity presented itself. The two Act Zakus naturally broke formation and attempted to flank, but Amuro was faster, scoring a direct hit on one with a beam rifle snapshot. The other, he was forced to reengage his beam shield to deflect its oncoming saber attack before knocking the opposing weapon aside and bringing his rifle back around. A standard Zaku would have easily been shot down at that point, but the Act Zaku was faster in going into a climb as Amuro pulled the trigger. The enemy mobile suit then switched back to its rifle and rained yellow beams after Unit Alpha, forcing Amuro to employ his beam shield again as he dashed right, returning fire with his vulcans as he went. Though the latter attack wasn't properly aimed, it still clipped the Zeon suit in the leg, the explosion of which knocked it off its flight path. That was enough room for Amuro to gun the rest of the suit down, turning and flying away as it exploded.
It wasn't long before he encountered another enemy formation, most of which were standard Zakus. As the Zeeks concentrated on the assortment of Guncannon types – both Space Force and Titan units – Amuro could break into the fold, snap-shooting two more Zeon suits as he went. Multiple beam machine gun bursts, and a fair smattering of rifle shots quickly trailed after him. Unit Alpha could evade the majority and deflect what little managed to reach. In turn, Amuro continued sniping with his rifle; he may not have had Commander Law's "dead eye," but he was a skilled marksman in his own right, as the line of obliterated Zakus attested to. Even as one Zaku approached him from behind, the axe raised to strike. It was too easy for the White Devil to sidestep its attack and then fire his vulcans into the Zeon suit's exposed back, reaching the cockpit quickly. The Zaku didn't explode, but it remained dead as it flung off to parts unknown, leaving Amuro to focus on another Act Zaku that was moving to flank him. He would have shot that one down, but one of the black Guncannon Troopers got to it first, annihilating the entire top portion of the Zeek unit with its shoulder cannons.
"Much appreciated, Shrike Three," the Titan unit acknowledged before returning to the end of the fighting, Amuro's Newtype senses discerning the pilot's thanks as genuine. His presence gave the Titan contingent and the Space Force regulars with them a serious morale boost, evidenced as they fought that much harder against the Zeeks around them. By contrast, the Zeeks, while still fighting, were cowed by the White Devil, such that very few dared attack him while the rest purposely focused on the Guncannons.
Amuro recalled Commander Law's previous explanation of being an ace and its effect on the battlefield. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it, but well into the present, as he fought alongside other Earth pilots who were not from the Ark Royal, he now understood what his commanding officer had meant. Perhaps he would have thought more about it had he not been so concentrated on killing everything that sported a mono-eye that was within range, as exemplified by his blasting the head off another standard Zaku. Again, he would have followed up with the rest of the suit, but one of the nearby Space Force Guncannons finished the job for him, blasting the cockpit open with its beam rifle. The Zaku then entered a dead spiral before eventually detonating, which was also when Amuro felt another, more volatile presence enter his consciousness.
There you are, White Devil! The projected voice of Mallet Sanguine howled as his commander finned blue and white Act Zaku swooped in, beam rifle already trained and firing after Unit Alpha. Amuro dodged yet again, but it took far more energy for him to keep ahead of the opposing Zeek ace, which, in turn, was forced to evade the following vulcan spray. More beam rifle shots followed to keep Amuro on his toes. I was hoping to meet you again!
I can't say the feeling is mutual, Zeek. Amuro sneered back at the crazed Zeon as he retaliated, alternating between his rifle and his vulcans. Unfortunately, the Act Zaku, which Amuro noted was tuned up well above the others he had encountered then, was too fast and erratic for him to get a bead on. However, he didn't make it any easier for Sanguine as he also evaded and deflected, doing well to keep ahead of the Zeek's crosshairs. However, I'll gladly shoot you down all the same!
Good! Mallet beamed in bloodlust as he stowed his rifle and drew one of his beam sabers. After wasting so many days slaughtering random, no-name Feddies, it was all too exhilarating to face a worthy opponent again. Even if that worthy opponent was a lowborn Earthnoid. Let's finish our dance from Zorres! Have at you, Feddie!
With that, Amuro also stowed his rifle and switched over to his saber before driving straight after the supped-up Zaku and its maddened pilot. Both magenta and yellow sabers locked against each other as either suit's eye cameras glared into the other with opposing malevolence.
The Act Zaku approached her again, forcing Sayla to raise her right beam shield to deflect the oncoming saber strike. The mobile suit was bad enough, leagues above the standard Zaku. Its Newtype pilot only capitalized on its effectiveness, such that the Valkyrie of Riah was increasingly forced on the defensive. Fortunately, she was no slouch as a pilot or a Newtype. She retaliated just as quickly with a snap vulcan burst that forced Lilia to abandon her attack and withdraw, narrowly evading the spray fire. If nothing else, it bought Sayla some time to maneuver, to which she circled Unit Gamma about and gunned her thrusters to charge, coming after the insipient Zaku with her beam saber set to strike. Unlike the prior attack, however, Lilia chose not to employ her shielding. Instead, she dashed out of the Gundam's line, only then coming into counterattack at the red mobile suit's exposed back. To that end, Sayla also rolled and evaded the intended slash, then reoriented Unit Gamma in time to evade the follow-up attack from the Act Zaku.
Fiery did the magenta and yellow blades again clash, their conflicting light emanating against the visages of their respective mobile suits. Glaring through her Gundam's dual-eye cameras into the Zaku's characteristic mono-eye, Sayla's Newtype senses extended even further. It narrowed upon the Zeon unit's cockpit, centering on her opponent. Compared to their encounter at Zorres, Lilia Flaubert was even more driven to destroy the Valkyrie of Riah, albeit for the same assortment of reasons. For herself, and by extension all of Zeon, but perhaps most of all the approval of her commanding officer Mallet Sanguine. Beyond those things, Sayla found little else within the opposing Newtype's being; it was as though she were fighting something more akin to a doll than a full human being. Strangely, though, Sayla didn't let that deter her as she broke the blade lock and swept her saber about to behead the Zaku. The Act Zaku and its Newtype pilot remained on the ball; however, they immediately reversed and evaded the sweep before charging in again to impale Unit Gamma through the torso. Another timely dodge on Sayla's part and corresponding vulcan spray followed as Lilia maintained her offensive, not about to grant the Valkyrie any leeway.
The two mobile suits flew through the inferno, maneuvering around the various other bouts and explosions while continually intersecting with one another, beam sabers striking repeatedly. One more vulcan spray from the Gundam kept the Act Zaku on its proverbial toes while Lilia retaliated by attempting to flank Unit Gamma and attack it from the side. Naturally, Sayla raised her left beam shield to intercept the blow before putting her mobile suit into a spin that nearly cleaved the superpowered Zaku along the midsection. A fast withdrawal, far faster than a standard Zaku could ever hope for, on Lilia's part kept her suit from so much as being grazed, though she was forced to raise her beam shield to deflect the following saber strike from her opponent. Another exchange of beam blades soon followed, a virtual fencing match in space as the two physically and spiritually empowered pilots attempted to outmaneuver and overpower the other. Had Sayla not been so concentrated, it would have reminded her of the saber match she had fought against Amuro on Herod III seemingly long ago, though her opponent was far less endeared to her. Still, it could not be denied that Lilia Flaubert was a worthy adversary to her, and not just because she had similar gifts.
Even so, as the two mobile suits maneuvered around the exploding hulk of a random Chicago-class cruiser, narrowly evading fire from the Dolowa, both pilots understood that only one would come out of this contest alive. With that shared focus, they intersected increasingly, slashing, dodging, and evading with all the speed and efficiency their respective suits could afford them. Both Sayla and Lilia were wholly committed to ending the other as a present opponent and keeping the opposite woman from becoming a future threat to the Federation or Zeon. Should they survive the rest of the battle after that, of course.
Federation Lexington-class fleetcarrier Ark Royal
Bhatan System
"The Cleveland has been sunk! Tallahassee is reporting heavy damage!" Kikka called out as the main monitor shifted to show those specific Earth cruisers, one obliterated and fragmented while the other was on fire and barely holding together. Bright sneered at what he saw, alongside the knowledge that they were losing ships and mobile suits at an alarming rate.
"Maintain fire and evasion!" he commanded, knowing that there was nothing he could do for the others without putting the Ark Royal in a vulnerable position. So far, the Dolowa hadn't appeared to be paying great attention to her, but Bright knew that could change depending on Lutjins' mood. Thus, he had to get as many hits as possible before the enemy admiral decided that the Trojan Horse had been a thorn in Zeon's side for far too long.
The Ark Royal's six bow cannons roared, sending twelve magenta beams straight into the Dolowa, accompanied by another subsequent missile spray. Any other Zeon ship would have been obliterated straight out by such firepower, to say nothing of the different Earth ships firing as well. However, the Dolowa, in its sheer immensity, continued to weather the storm while her weapon clusters retaliated with their beams and projectiles. More Federation ships, either destroyed entirely or broken and crippled from the onslaught, while Katz, ever skillful at the helm, just managed to keep the Ark Royal ahead of the slaughter and maneuver her around the return fire. Bright wondered how much his helmsman could keep that up, but he was now grateful that the Ensign could do that much. The fleetcarrier continued her bombardment with those EFSF and Titan ships that were still capable, sending more beam and missile fire into the Dolowa's side and underbelly.
Even something like you can't last forever, Bright thought scathingly toward the ugly beast of a ship that was the Dolowa. Surely, the damage was mounting with her as well, given the collective firepower of the Earth fleet, and that was before one brought the Solar System back into account. Though he couldn't find any indication of it from his viewpoint, the commander liked to think that the Zeeks were having a time of it on their end as well and that, while the Dolowa wasn't about to go down, she was at least being beaten and bruised for the effort. She had to be, as Bright refused to believe that Zeon had indeed made that something truly invincible. Not even the Gundams were that.
Regardless, the onslaught continued with the Ark Royal and the Enterprise beside her, all but leading the charge, pouring additional fire alongside their EFSF and Titan comrades into the great green beast of a ship. The Dolowa continued to respond in kind as well. By now, the Earth forces had acclimated to her firing patterns, and the lackluster maneuverability their enemy displayed, and more and more of them were able to maneuver around the fire much as the Ark Royal had been doing. It wasn't much, unfortunately, as still several cruisers and one or two battlecruisers were struck down and crippled or destroyed entirely, but it was still more than enough to keep the battle going. Again, Bright had to remind himself that the objective was to hold the Dolowa down long enough for the main attack. Everything else was about inflicting as much damage as could be done before then. "Status on Solar System?"
"All mirrors deployed. Focusing process ongoing," Oscar reported as he just managed to analyze the data. He then gritted teeth as the Ark Royal violently pitched, having been buffeted by the shockwave of another ship's death throes. As though they needed further indication.
Just a little longer, Bright assured himself as he retained his gaze on the target, which, at least from the perspective of the bridge monitor, appeared to struggle under the fire coming from almost every vector. They just had to hold out and hurt the green bastard for much longer until the real trump card came into play and finished the rest. "Left full rudder! Focus fire on that port engine, nacelle!"
More beam fire rained around her, forcing Emma to put Gundam Unit Delta into a full evasive pattern while returning fire as best she could. Through her Newtype senses, she was able to pick up on the death throes of at least three Zakus, her rifle fire hitting each one square through the center as she sped away. From that, an Act Zaku moved upon her with its beam saber ignited, to which she twisted about and fired a full burst from her vulcans, effectively shredding the next-generation Zeon unit before it could raise its beam shield. Another prompt and precise beam rifle shot finished that unit as well. The Zeek pilot managed to curse his Titan opponent before being sent off to oblivion, and Emma turned away again without paying any further heed. It wasn't as though there weren't additional Zeon out there for her to kill, and she imagined many of them would survive long enough to curse her, the Titans, Earth, or whatever before they were killed.
Naturally, it wasn't long before the next line appeared in the form of two Zaku teams – six mobile suits– gunning for her with their machine guns and bazookas. Once more, she put her Gundam into an evasive pattern around the beam fire, even scoring a hit on one of the Zakus, effectively beheading the mobile suit in one go. A follow-up shot quickly dispatched that unit, leaving five remaining, and the latter group not relenting despite losing their comrade.
Fools, Emma thought disparagingly as she swapped her beam rifle for a beam saber, the magenta blade flashing active as she charged at the five. The first, one of the two that held a commander's antennae was easily cut down with a diagonal slash through the torso, while the antennae-less unit following was bifurcated at waist level. The fourth of the group was quick enough to throw away his beam machine gun and launch at her with his axe blade ignited. Still, Emma had little trouble evading his overhead chop and then slashing that Zaku across the back, easily obliterating the cockpit and piloting with it. Then came the fifth, which also attempted to strike her down with its axe, only for Emma to put Unit Delta into a side dash that brought the Gundam directly at the Zeon suit's left flank, from which she slashed it down as well. Finally, the remaining commander unit came at her directly, axe raised to split the black Gundam's head into halves. Emma responded by raising her left arm and striking the gauntlet into the Zaku's torso. One beam burst later, and cockpit and pilot were vaporized, though enough of the latter remained for blood to splatter across the emblem on Unit Delta's left shoulder, an inverted red sword between two angelic wings. The same emblem that the Zeek recognized right before his death, managing to voice the Titan ace's infamous epithet before dying. Black Angel.
As she flew away from the exploding Zaku, Emma couldn't help but feel a little complimented by the recognition. As a black operations force, the Titans seldom left any enemy survivors for any information to be spread. There had been enough for Zeon and their fellow Outer Powers to recognize her and her accomplishments. For these things and others, the enemy had seen fit to label her the "Black Angel," much as Lieutenant Ray was the "White Devil," which Emma found to be a perfect contrast. To say nothing of how she imagined the Zeeks quaked in their jackboots whenever she was reported on the field.
If only it were enough to make them run every time they saw me, Emma thought as another team, this one made up of Act Zakus, came after her, forcing her to dodge their beam rifle fire. To that end, Emma restored her saber and switched back to her rifle, firing two shots that hit one of the Act Zakus in the right shoulder, removing its beam rifle from the fight while its comrade could engage its beam shield in time. No immediate kills, but that didn't matter as Emma flanked the enemy team, then shot the "untouched" third Act Zaku through the cockpit right as it was attempting to turn around and take aim. She followed that up by blasting the armless one as its remaining appendage tried to reach for its beam saber before putting Unit Delta into a climb to evade the final unit. More beam rifle fire followed, and Emma alternated between dodging and using her beam shields to deflect before she picked up an opening and fired the kill shot. The enemy pilot barely registered what hit him as the beam launched downward through his mobile suit's head, the cockpit, and torso, and then out the other end. The remains detonated after that from the runaway Apollo drive.
Her latest victory had, with still many more enemies to defeat, Emma turned Gundam Unit Delta about and shot off after the next line of enemy mobile suits. All the while, in the distance, the now complete Solar System was entering its final pre-fire stages.
Titans Chicago-class cruiser Pittsburgh
Bhatan System
Nobody told me this would all be so goddamned complicated! Jamaican thought most disparagingly as he observed the final "fine-tuning" of the Solar System, for lack of a better description. By now, all the mirrors had been opened and deployed, effectively completing the weapon, but that still didn't mean it was ready to fire. Jamaican didn't understand, nor did he care to understand, the exact details. According to the engineers, the Solar System could only fire a third of its total power presently. To reach its highest level, a certain number of mirrors had to be adjusted for maximum reflection, among other factors. At the best of times, this would have been a "mere" headache for the Titans Commander. Now, with their target directly ahead and laying waste to so many of their own, and even worse, could very well turn on Jamaican's task force at any time, he needed the Solar System ready and ready, damn it! "How much longer!?"
"Approximately seventy percent of the mirrors have been adjusted for firing, sir," Pittsburgh's science officer reported as the data came in.
Jamaican would have openly cursed had it not made him look beneath his station. As tense and strained as he felt, he knew the calm, composed commander was the best image he could retain, especially if any of his bridge crew were to witness his next set of actions for the history archives or, even worse, actually write those parts of the history archives. And even then, letting out a string of most unprofessional words in a long, fiery tangent would not help the situation. As much as it galled him, he, and the rest of the fleet for that matter, needed the Solar System at full strength. Anything less would not be enough to kill the Dolowa or even stop her in her tracks.
To that end, Jamaican returned to the bridge monitor and watched as the onslaught continued. More and more Earth ships, EFSF and Titan, were being struck down with each passing second as the proverbial green giant lashed out with her various weapons. Simultaneously, Guncannons of different types were being destroyed, one after the other, as they barely held the line against those damnable Zakus. The only Earth units that seemed to be faring well against the horde were the four Gundams, who, as far as Jamaican could tell, remained untouched, though at least two of them – Unit Alpha and Unit Gamma specifically – were tied up fighting those next-generation Zaku units and their obvious ace level pilots. Unit Beta and the Titans' own Unit Delta were practically reaping Zaku after Zaku as they passed through the battlefield, but even they were not enough to turn the tide, only to take some pressure off the main forces.
Again, Jamaican wanted to curse but reneged from doing so. They were running out of time. The Solar System needed to be fired now, and Jamaican could certainly give that order, but again, the effect would not be enough to finish the Dolowa once and for all. As a result, the Commander could only hold himself in and keep watch as the battle waged on, hoping that whatever it was his engineers were doing with their "adjustments," they would hurry the hell up, preferably before the last of the Earth fleet was wiped away by the Dolowa's sheer, unrelenting power.
The blue and white Act Zaku came charging in again, saber extended to impale and moving far too quick for Amuro, even with his Newtype reflexes, to employ his beam shield. Thus the White Devil reversed Unit Alpha and narrowly evaded the charge, then twisting about to fire his vulcans into the enhanced Zaku's exposed back, only for Mallet to dash out of the line of fire. Even so, Amuro kept up the barrage, trailing after the Zeon ace as the latter turned about and launched after his Feddie opponent again, all in a maneuver quite reminiscent of a certain Red Comet. No, Amuro corrected himself. Aznable was never this bloodthirsty, this aggressive. Compared to the latter, Mallet Sanguine was more akin to a wild beast who could barely control himself. Not that it had any bearing on the present battle, of course, as Amuro raised his saber to parry his opponent's, with both mobile suits then flinging through space while intersecting at specific points.
Again, Amuro strained to defend himself from his opponent's offensive power, finding that the good Commander Sanguine's fighting style was as wild and uncoordinated as his temperament. Whereas Aznable, and Sayla for that matter, had fought with the speed and finesse of a master fencer, Mallet Sanguine was practically all over the stellar map, attacking from virtually every angle in a wild flurry of saber strokes, which only made him that much harder to predict even with Newtype powers. Even so, Amuro was not about to let himself be done in a Zeek like this. He deflected and maneuvered around every slash and stab to the best of his ability while attacking and counterattacking wherever the opportunity arose. A vulcan burst here, an attempted beheading slash there, and then a combo slash attack that would have cut off the arms of any normal Zaku and pilot, the White Devil acclimated well against his savage adversary, even managing to score one or two strikes along the Act Zaku's armor, though nothing deep enough actually to damage its internals. All the while, Mallet roared and bellowed in practical ecstasy as he maneuvered about and attacked with unrelenting fury, intent on accomplishing what neither Aznable nor Admiral Garma were able to perform and slay the White Devil then and there.
More! Mallet called out through his Newtype powers to his opponent, pushing his attacks that much more in the process. Viciously did he slash his beam saber about, executing several attacks that the White Devil had to put more power into evading and deflecting. Give me more, White Devil!
Amuro didn't respond; instead, he focused on staying ahead of his opponent's rabid onslaught. He managed to counterattack only when an opening presented itself with his vulcans, forcing the Act Zaku to veer away before its head was overwhelmed by beam fire. From that, Amuro brought his saber around to try and slash at the Zeek's sword arm, but the enemy suit's left beam shield intercepted the blow. His blade knocked away, and as a result, Amuro put Unit Alpha into a climb right as Mallet brought his saber around to bifurcate the Gundam at waist level. Another vulcan burst followed, forcing Mallet, who was beginning to wish the designers at Zeonic Krieg Systems had fitted the Act Zaku with additional firepower, to reverse and climb to pursue the white mobile suit. Once more, Amuro intercepted the intended saber blow on his own, initiating another blade exchange as either mobile suit attempted to bypass the other's defense and strike the enemy directly.
Not enough! Mallet rambled on in Amuro's consciousness, his words emphasizing the Zeon pilot's now vibrant bloodlust. I demand more! More!
Again, had he not been so concentrated on the fight and killing Mallet Sanguine, Amuro would have told the deranged Zeek off in some way, likely to do something anatomically challenging. As it was, however, Amuro Ray would much rather have seen his enemy dead and so retained his focus, maneuvering and parrying each saber stroke with his own blade or beam shield while striking back at nearly every chance. If the Dolowa were going to go down in that battle, then Amuro would certainly do his part and see that this Zeon went down with it before Mallet Sanguine became a viable threat against Earth in his own right.
Through the clash between magenta and yellow beam saber blades, Sayla glared deeply into Act Zaku's mono-eye, her Newtype powers easily extending beyond that visage and conceiving of the pilot within. For whatever skill she possessed as a combatant, Sayla would be the first to admit that Lilia Flaubert was a cut well above the average Zeon pilot. Her opponent was tedious, and it was beginning to wear upon the Valkyrie of Riah. With few exceptions, she preferred killing her opponents immediately, well before they could emerge as a viable threat against her. Unfortunately, the good Lieutenant Flaubert was again quite tedious, deflecting and maneuvering around each of her saber strokes while continually regaining the offensive and forcing Sayla to dodge and block in kind. Only the occasional fire of Unit Gamma's vulcans or the attempted use of its left gauntlet otherwise broke up the monotony of the saber duel.
Despite it all, the Valkyrie remained as focused on ending her present adversary as the reverse. The camera eyes of their respective mobile suits flashing against the other, the Gundam and Act Zaku flung themselves across the space, appearing as intersecting red and green lines to those who had a brief moment to witness their bout. It was all rather spectacular, even against the battlefield's continuous beam blasts and explosions, as both Feddie and Zeek pilots contended with the other. The immense shadow of the Dolowa remained well in the background, the excesses of her weapon batteries firing out around the two aces as they continued their dance.
Would you die already!? Lilia called out in frustration to her opponent, who banked around her fencing-style thrusts as though truly dancing. Another burst of vulcan fire kept the Zeon pilot from pressing her attack too far, instead reversing the Act Zaku and then circling in an attempt to flank. Naturally, Sayla was ready for this, angling her beam saber to intersect and deflect right before executing an empowered spin slash that threw the Zeon suit back. Only a second timely reversal kept Lilia's suit from being cut diagonally across, and equally timely employment of her left beam shield to block the follow-up attack. For a brief moment, both sword and shield remained contended, with mono-eye and dual eyes glaring into the other, right before Lilia broke the lock and forced the opposite ace back in turn.
Might I ask you the same? Sayla sneered back while simultaneously projecting her desire to kill Lilia Flaubert and be done with it. This only caused Lilia to sneer back in turn while jetting up and around the next vulcan burst. If anything, it was the fact Lilia didn't have any other weapons outside her beam rifle, which she dared not risk drawing given the Valkyrie's speed, that was fast irritating her the most. Even the regular Zaku had its hip missile launchers, which the young Zeon ace wished her Act Zaku had possessed, if only so she had more to throw back at Sayla Mass than just her saber. Still, that was only a minor inconvenience to her, far from a crippling weakness that would leave her open. Lilia quickly emphasized that point as the Valkyrie charged in again, executing a triple slash with her blade. Lilia dodged the first two attacks and then intercepted the third.
Again, both women's aces glared through their Newtype senses and their respective suits' camera eyes into the other as though attempting to break the enemy through their scowls alone. This time, the lock remained for several moments longer, their respective blades all but trembling between them as they strove to overpower. Though the power of Gundam Unit Gamma and Sayla Mass' force of will was potent, Lilia was no weakling herself, and while it took a little bit more effort on her part, she held the Valkyrie at bay, both in her suit's physical power and her own will.
Then the lock was again broken, with Sayla following up with another vulcan barrage that forced Lilia back behind her shield. From that, red and green lines continued to fling through space, intersecting at select intervals amongst the death and destruction.
Titans Montana-class battlecruiser Littorio
Bhatan System
"We just lost the Brunei!" the tactical officer alerted, as though the dying flare of the former Titan cruiser wasn't evident enough. Om sneered back a curse on his part. That was the fifth ship, Titan or regular, to be destroyed in less than two minutes! And by all facts and accounts, the good guys were barely making a dent in that big green monstrosity from the Littorio's bow.
What the hell is taking Jamaican so damn long!? Om wanted to bellow out in the open but again reneged himself from doing so. They were fast running out of time, ships, and mobile suits, while the Dolowa remained ever strong. Om was beginning to wonder if the Zeeks had succeeded in making an invincible, fleet-killing warship. "All Titan ships, continue firing! Keep the Dolowa pinned down for that much longer!"
Though the Titan Captain felt "pinned down" was a bit of a stretch – as opposed to just giving the Zeeks more targets to shoot at – his orders were carried out all the same. The black Titan ships remained well in formation, their batteries coordinated with their regular grey brethren as they poured more and more fire into the Dolowa's back and underbelly. Any other ship, or fleet even, would have at least buckled under the onslaught, but for the moment, Om settled for seeing the Dolowa unable to maneuver as well as it could have. So long as they kept it down like that, they would stand a chance without getting themselves blown up in the process.
That being said, the Dolowa was far from crippled as more and more of her batteries lit up, sending beams and missiles back into the Earth ships. Yet again, both black Titan ships and the grey ships of the EFSF were obliterated as one, their fiery deaths well within the multitudes as they erupted across space. Had Om not been so committed to killing that big green bastard, he might have marveled at such destruction at hand. But he remained committed, and each destroyed cruiser and battlecruiser meant lessening Earth's chances against the Dolowa. Chances that even the two Trojan Horses in the fleet, which were doing well in keeping ahead of the Dolowa's fire, could not reinforce.
And then, right as the greater share of hope seemed lost, Littorio's communications officer lit up from her station: "Signal from Pittsburgh! All calibrations complete!"
Finally, Om thought to himself as he turned his red goggle covered eyes back on the Dolowa. He was not about to miss this particular act of the show, not for the whole galaxy. "All ships disperse! Standby for Solar System firing!"
Titans Chicago-class cruiser Pittsburgh
Bhatan System
Here we go, Jamaican thought as he subconsciously straightened his cap. It was now or never. "Focus!"
No sooner had that command rung out did the pure white light of Bhatan's sun spread across the collection of mirrors. The whole task force, Jamaican's included, watched and prayed for the promised deliverance.
Zeon supercarrier Dolowa
Bhatan System
"Heat spike detected!" the tactical operator alerted, causing more than one head across the bridge to snap up. "Source unknown!"
"Vector!?" Lindemann demanded. She could already tell something was happening. Especially as the Earth's forces, which had done extremely well in holding the line, had just broken and were in the process of dispersing.
After a short moment, the operator isolated that, which caused his eyes to widen in horror. "Captain…!"
A new window suddenly appeared on the main monitor, displaying the emerging heat's source. Naturally, it didn't take long for Lindemann or Lutjins to realize what that cobbled gathering of mirrors meant. And that the Dolowa was very much within its line of fire.
"Evade, now!" Lutjins commanded, already knowing that his order was far too late.
A very short moment later, all of space turned pure, unrelenting white. The mighty Dolowa caught deep, and wholly open, within the center…