Gundam Assault

"Amuro, another one is heading your way!"

Eli roared over the comms, straining to maneuver his Mobile Suit to parry the Heat Saber of a mass-produced Gouf before thrusting his Beam Saber forward, melting straight through the Gouf's cockpit.

The Gouf he had let slip past was promptly finished off by Amuro with two shots.

"Mr. Eli, the canyon is just ahead! Bright says we need to push through!"

"He doesn't need to tell me twice!"

After confirming that most of the enemies in front of him had been dealt with, Eli drove his Gundam Ground Type toward Amuro to link up.

The path from White Base toward the canyon had been cleared of enemies.

Soon, White Base, having accelerated to its maximum combat speed on Earth, came barreling forward like a moving iron fortress!

Several Dopp Fighters were circling near White Base, attempting to launch an attack, but they were temporarily held back by anti-aircraft fire.

The Gundam immediately raised its Beam Rifle, intending to provide cover for White Base.

However, it was held back by the Ground Type.

"Trust your friends. If we stop now, we're all finished."

Eli's voice came through, calming Amuro's anxious heart.

"Bang!"

Sure enough, the Mobile Suits on both flanks of White Base unleashed their firepower, instantly taking out several Dopps.

Eli also noticed that the G-Fighter had been launched, with the B-component connected to a Core Fighter to form the G-Sky Easy Type (hereafter referred to as G-Sky; I'm too lazy to have the Gundam dock with this thing anyway), which was also soaring through the sky.

Is that Sayla?

Eli shook his head, refusing to let useless thoughts occupy his mind at such a critical juncture.

"We're moving out, Amuro!"

With that, Eli stepped on the pedals first. The thrusters on the back of the Ground Type flared, propelling the entire machine forward!

He saw them: a mixed defensive unit of Zaku and Gouf, five units in total, guarding the canyon entrance.

We can do this!

"The left side is yours!"

As Eli gave the order to Amuro, his Gundam Ground Type, still in mid-air, gripped the Beam Rifle with both hands and assumed a firing stance, taking out a Zaku with a single shot.

By the time the Ground Type landed, two Zaku were staring them down.

No, "staring them down" wasn't quite right; Eli could sense that they were merely putting on a brave front, and there was even a hint of hesitation emerging.

Needless to say, the reason was the head of the Ground Type.

Eli couldn't care less what they were thinking. As long as they hadn't surrendered and were still armed, they were the enemy!

He holstered the empty Beam Rifle behind his waist, and the 100mm Machine Gun that had been stowed there was now gripped in the Ground Type's left hand.

"Da-da-da-da-da-da!"

After a burst of gunfire, the Zaku in front could only collapse powerlessly, black smoke billowing from its body.

However, just as Eli finished off one Zaku, two near-simultaneous explosions occurred on the other side!

"Amuro, huh? Truly impressive."

Eli didn't even need to look to know that the Gundam piloted by Amuro had already finished off its assigned targets.

Eli was no longer surprised by this, but the remaining Zaku clearly didn't feel the same way.

The scent of fear began to permeate from the cold iron giant.

The next moment, the pilot lost the will to fight and turned to flee!

Since the enemy had exposed their back on the battlefield, Eli wasn't merciful enough to let them return to harm his allies. He immediately used the 100mm Machine Gun to sever the power cables in the Zaku's legs.

Seeing that the enemy still had no intention of surrendering even in this state, Eli didn't hesitate further; he closed in and used the claws on the tip of his shield to smash the Zaku's cockpit.

By now, White Base had begun to enter the canyon, and the circling Dopp Fighters were forced to gain altitude.

They had no room to maneuver within the canyon, and their limited payload capacity meant they couldn't carry heavy bombs.

"Not bad, Bright. You've got a trick up your sleeve."

Seeing the Dopp's movements, Eli realized that the greatest threat to White Base had been neutralized.

Meanwhile, the Guncannon and Guntank were now heading toward the stern of the ship to intercept the Zeon Forces pursuing them from outside the canyon.

"Amuro, take this chance to recharge your Beam Rifle!"

The Beam Rifle technology hadn't yet developed E-pack capabilities, so its capacity was limited, requiring a return to the ship for recharging.

Even though the Gundam's Beam Rifle had a higher capacity than the Ground Type's, it likely only had three or four shots left.

With that, Eli noticed the G-Sky taking the initiative to scout ahead, both to search for targets and to buy them time to replenish their energy.

"Miss Sayla, please stay safe."

Eli, who was maneuvering his mobile suit into the hangar, thought for a moment before sending a communication to the G-Sky.

"I will."

Sayla's reply was concise and professional, clearly indicating she was fully focused on piloting the fighter and dared not be distracted.

Seeing this, Eli stopped insisting. He opened the cockpit, leaned out, and took an energy supplement from the maintenance crew on the gantry, popping it into his mouth.

This paste-like substance had no flavor; it was designed entirely to replenish the energy pilots consumed during combat.

"How long until the Beam Rifle is fully charged?"

"At least another six minutes."

After receiving a definitive answer from the maintenance crew, Eli signaled to Amuro, who had just walked in, and watched as Amuro jogged over in his pilot suit.

Come to think of it, did Amuro's pilot suit have air conditioning? Otherwise, how could he manage to wear it all the time?

For no reason, Eli thought of this, contrasting it with Shiro Amada, who had been unable to stand the heat when he first arrived on Earth wearing his pilot suit.

"What is it, Mr. Eli?"

"We'll be traversing the canyon in about ten minutes, which is just enough time for the Beam Rifle to charge. Since we've already entered this canyon, and it leads directly to M'Quve's base, we will inevitably be intercepted by heavy Zeon Forces upon exiting. It will be difficult for us to secure the big picture and break the stalemate on our own."

Eli took a tablet from the maintenance crew nearby and pointed out the likely distribution of enemy forces at the front of the canyon.

A normal commander would likely arrange their forces in a fan-shaped defensive formation, positioning Mobile Suits at key points.

"The problem now is that if we can't break through the enemy's blockade immediately, we will have to face bombardment from Zeon land battleships, and the White Base will be in danger."

If Mobile Suits had replaced the original battlefield niche of tanks, then in this scaled-up war, the new "tanks" were the land battleships.

According to intelligence received before the battle, Zeon had a total of five Dabude-class land battleships deployed in Odessa, and their main guns posed a massive threat to the White Base.

"However, by the same token, we can also request fire support from the Federation."

Eli added this point immediately.

Since Zeon would deploy land battleships, the Federation naturally wouldn't fall behind.

The Federation's battleships were Big Tray-class, one of which would serve as General Revil's flagship and command vessel.

This time, the Federation had committed 30% of its total ground forces, determined to win this first counter-offensive.