Hot Sand Front

If someone had told Eli that there was a desert in twenty-first-century Southeast Asia, he never would have believed it.

That would have been as absurd as saying an ocean had turned into land.

But when he looked out and saw the desert stretching before him, he couldn't help but feel shaken.

This was the Hot Sand Front.

It had been caused by humanity's reckless development before the Universal Century, which had inflicted irreversible damage on Earth's ecosystem.

"All units, report status."

"Normal." ×4

On the afternoon of the second day after White Base arrived at the Southeast Asia Base, four Gundams and a Hover Truck were making their way across the desert, steadily heading toward a rift valley.

It went without saying that this was 86 Squad.

"Eli, are you sure the Apsalus is really here?"

Shiro Amada wiped the sweat from his forehead and fanned himself as he asked Eli.

"I can't be certain. But they've already swept the rainforest with a reconnaissance plane, haven't they? They didn't find any trace of that huge thing. This is the only place left."

Eli pressed a button in front of him and checked the surrounding terrain to confirm their direction.

"The big rift valley ahead is the most likely spot."

After all, in this boundless desert, that rift valley was the only place where they could hide the Apsalus while conducting experiments.

86 Squad was heading there to investigate in person and confirm if that was the case.

After making another routine report since entering the desert, Eli crossed his legs in the cockpit and stretched, loosening his back after sitting for so long.

Eli had deduced that the Apsalus was being tested in this rift valley based on his memories of the 08th MS Team storyline.

But he soon noticed that things didn't match his memories.

"Zaku, of all things..."

On a dune, Eli and the others had their Mobile Suits crouch down to stay out of sight. Eli climbed out and made his way to the top of the dune to investigate.

They had already conducted a preliminary survey. Minovsky Particle levels here were high enough that such a bold move was reasonably safe.

Still, to be on the safe side, they had Eledore stay in the truck and keep listening for any transmissions.

"One, two... I can see six Zakus defending the ground. I can't tell what's inside the rift yet."

Shiro Amada scanned the area with binoculars and spotted Zakus standing guard on both sides of the rift.

Helicopters circled overhead, and Dopp Fighters occasionally flew past.

"This is bad."

Eli frowned.

Their squad could leave the base and operate for a long time because they had cargo containers to carry supplies.

But Zakus didn't have that capability.

In other words, there had to be a base or a land battleship nearby to provide those Zakus with logistical support.

"What should we do, then?"

Shiro Amada had clearly thought of that, too. He came over to ask Eli.

"We should be able to call White Base over now. This kind of setup pretty much confirms that the Apsalus is here."

That was Karen's answer.

White Base was enormous for a battleship. Bringing it along on a reconnaissance mission would have been far too conspicuous.

So White Base was currently hiding in a hollow in the mountains, near the defensive line in Federation-occupied territory.

Eli raised his binoculars again and looked toward the valley.

"I can't see what's inside... Karen, take Eledore and Michel back to the defensive line and contact White Fortress. Have them move this way under cover of darkness. Tell them to send out Core Fighters to scout the area. Bring them to this spot behind us and lay fiber-optic cable to maintain communications. The moment the Apsalus appears, have them come here at full speed."

Eli unfolded the map and pointed out the designated location to Karen.

"We don't know the Apsalus's testing schedule, so we don't have time to wait and observe. The moment it shows up, we'll attack."

"Yes!"

Karen gave a salute while still lying prone, then turned to leave.

"Wait. What if the Apsalus appears while you're gone?"

Karen had suddenly thought of that and turned to ask Eli.

Eli slowly turned around and exchanged a glance with Shiro Amada. After seeing the affirmation in his eyes, he faced Karen again and answered.

"In that case, we'll be leaving our lives in your hands."

After watching Karen and the Hover Truck leave, Eli climbed back into his Mobile Suit.

They were now a little too close to the canyon. Even though the Zeon forces had blanketed the area with a high concentration of Minovsky Particles, they still had to watch out for possible aerial reconnaissance.

So the three Ground Types had to spread out and camouflage themselves.

They didn't have any engineers with them, but Mobile Suits were the best construction machines around. At each designated spot, the Ground Types scraped at the ground with their toothed shields, quickly digging holes large enough to lie in.

They lay down in the holes, then the pilots climbed out and covered the Mobile Suits with desert camouflage netting.

That was all it took to complete a basic camouflage job.

By the time they finished, night had fallen.

Eli sat inside his Mobile Suit and checked the time on the onboard computer. He figured White Base should have covered about half the distance by now.

Eli had originally thought his plan would be carried out before the Apsalus's next test. But Karen's question before she left had given him a bad feeling.

It had nothing to do with being a Newtype. It was simply because her words had sounded so much like a line foreshadowing disaster.

"I've got a bad feeling about tonight."

Eli, on second watch, sat in the cockpit wearing a Federation Forces military T-shirt. He kept tugging at the fabric over his chest to let the air circulate.

Unlike the damp heat of the rainforest, the heat in the desert was dry. Given the choice, Eli would rather stay in the rainforest.

At least he wouldn't have to keep drinking water.

He took a sip of water that was still fairly cool, then used the periscope camera in the Ground Type Gundam's head to watch the rift.

There was still little sign of movement. Even the Mobile Suit pilots had left their Zakus. Eli began to think his premonition had been groundless after all, just needless worry.

But in the next instant, before he could even feel relieved, his face froze.

The pilots suddenly ran back to their Mobile Suits as one. Helicopters began taking off, and Dopp Fighters appeared in the sky.

"Speak of the devil. Shiro, Sanders, something's happening!"

Eli immediately opened communications. The wired communications line they had set up earlier that day proved useful, and he quickly woke the two pilots who had been sleeping in their Mobile Suits.

A rumbling sound came from the horizon.