Shiro, Bound by Gravity

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat..."

A dense, muffled sound soon reached the special operations squad.

They had advanced close to the opposing forces' defensive line and quickly encountered enemy units.

"Already this close..."

Eli, who had been fighting here for nearly three months, immediately recognized the sound of a Zaku Machine Gun firing.

That meant at least one Zaku had broken through the defensive line.

"Stop. We can't rush in. First, confirm the enemy's position. Eledore!"

Eli immediately adjusted his Mobile Suit's position and lowered it into a half-crouch, switching off the Gundam Ground Type's searchlight.

Karen, who had plenty of jungle experience, and Sanders, a seasoned soldier, both followed Eli's order at once and stopped moving forward.

Shiro Amada, who was practically on his first ground combat mission in a Mobile Suit, took a few more steps before crouching down as well.

It was night, and the Minovsky particle density was high. The squad's radio communications had been cut off, leaving them with only laser-based directional communications. There was no way to contact the allied forces ahead and confirm the situation, either.

"Understood."

Eledore, who was operating the Hover Truck, replied with practiced ease. He turned the vehicle sideways and stopped in an open area.

The turbine fans that replaced the wheels stopped spinning, gently lowering the truck onto the ground.

Then a mechanical arm extended.

As the high-pressure gas inside was released, a probe sank firmly into the soil.

Eledore had an unparalleled gift for hearing. By comparing the sound patterns, he quickly made out the situation.

"Two o'clock, three units. Zaku!"

Eledore reported the information in the briefest terms.

"Good. It's not the worst-case scenario."

Eli relaxed when he heard that.

If it was just a squad of Zaku, rather than a large force, their four Mobile Suits could take them down.

"Good! Then I'll take the lead!"

Before Eli could voice the plan he had already worked out, Shiro moved his Mobile Suit forward.

"Hey!"

Karen was so used to following Eli's orders that she instinctively started to object.

"Karen, back me up as we support the lieutenant. Sergeant Sanders, assemble the Cannon and get it ready!"

Eli's tactical orders came before Karen could say anything else.

Only then did Karen remember that Shiro Amada, the second lieutenant, held the highest command authority in this special operations squad.

"Tch. Just got here and already in a hurry to get himself killed."

Eli and Karen moved their Mobile Suits forward as well, advancing stealthily from either side.

Karen understood that Shiro intended to use himself as bait to create an opportunity for them to attack.

But when she saw Shiro's Mobile Suit switch on its searchlight and head straight for the Zaku squad without a care in the world, she couldn't help thinking how foolish he was.

Shiro had indeed managed to take out a Zaku Custom Type with a Ball, but how much could this squad leader, who had only just arrived on Earth for the first time, accomplish on this gravity-bound world?

Karen worried as she kept glancing toward Shiro.

Just as expected, the three Zaku quickly spotted the Gundam Shiro was piloting.

Without hesitation, they opened fire, and rocket after rocket exploded near the Gundam Ground Type.

The blasts couldn't damage the Gundam's Lunar Titanium Alloy armor.

But the shockwaves from the explosions struck the Gundam Ground Type's legs, suddenly making it much harder for the pilot to control.

This was the countermeasure the Zeon Forces on the front lines had devised against the high-performance Ground Types after fighting them for so long!

Shiro Amada wasn't used to fighting in a gravity environment in the first place, and now, faced with such a dangerous situation, the control stick in his hands felt heavier and heavier.

The Gundam Ground Type staggered a few times, then caught on a small mound of earth and toppled straight over!

To make matters worse, the Gundam Ground Type was only thirty meters from the nearest Zaku.

By Mobile Suit standards, that was practically point-blank range!

Sure enough, the Zaku pilot stopped worrying about the possibility of other enemy units. He pulled a Heat Hawk from his back and lunged forward!

This was a Gundam-type Mobile Suit. Even the Zeon Forces had only managed to shoot down a handful of them so far.

If he could destroy one, it would surely earn him a major commendation. His mother, still living on Side 6, might even be spared the heavy taxes and get to move into a better home!

Thinking this, the Zaku pilot staked everything on his Heat Hawk.

As for Shiro Amada, his hands and feet went numb at the sight of the situation. No matter how hard he tried to get the Gundam Ground Type back on its feet, he knew he wouldn't be able to beat the Zaku's charge.

"Got you!"

"It's over!"

Even though he was terrified of dying, even though he cried out as if he had already accepted his fate, Shiro Amada wasn't a man who would give up.

Though his posture was unstable, he still opened fire with the 100mm Machine Gun, relying on his instinct for controlling the Mobile Suit.

Unfortunately, how could such a hurried attack stop the Zaku in its tracks?

The dense stream of bullets only struck the dirt beside it.

But this was Shiro Amada, the man who had scored a kill with a Ball.

He corrected his aim at once, shifting the Ground Type's right arm to the left.

As luck would have it, one bullet tore straight through the power pipe behind the Zaku's knee.

Power to the Zaku's right knee joint cut out, and it lost control of its lower leg.

The Zaku couldn't help but pause for a moment.

But fortunately, the two units were already close enough. The Zaku didn't need to move any closer. All it had to do was bring down its axe, and Shiro Amada would be killed on the spot.

Bang!

In the next instant, an 180mm shell struck the Zaku directly. It fell on the spot, its chest armor blown open in a gaping hole that revealed the cockpit within.

It was probably better not to look inside that cockpit...

"Wha..."

Shiro Amada stared in disbelief at the fallen Zaku.

"Don't just stand there. Get back up, now!"

Eli's voice came through, and Shiro Amada couldn't help looking toward Eli's Mobile Suit.

Eli's Gundam Ground Type had somehow appeared beside the two remaining Zakus.

Together with Karen on the other side, he had them surrounded.

"Get up. We'll take them out together!"

"Eli..."

Shiro Amada stared blankly at Eli's Gundam.

Eli wasn't angry with Shiro Amada for rushing in recklessly or anything like that.

The 08th MS Team had once been his favorite Gundam series, so he knew a little about Shiro Amada's character.

Besides, Shiro Amada had the ability to take the lead. He was simply being held back by gravity.

Inside his cockpit, Eli calmly lined up his sights on the enemy Mobile Suit, thinking to himself.