Operation: Airborne Landing at Victoria Spaceport (2)

After shooting down the missiles and seeing that the Neutron Jammer remained unaffected, Felix felt a wave of relief. If that device had been compromised, the subsequent operation would have become significantly more difficult.

"All units, form up around the Neutron Jammer and begin our descent toward Victoria Spaceport."

Watching his screen, Felix broadcast the order to the others via the modified laser communication system.

With the notification sent, Felix turned his full attention back to his display.

Meanwhile, inside the command center of the Victoria Spaceport defense forces:

"What is going on?"

Observing the interference affecting the equipment before him, Lieutenant General Humphrey questioned the others in the command center. A soldier turned, stood at attention, and saluted to report.

"Commander, our radar and other equipment are suffering from heavy interference; they have lost effectiveness and can no longer be used."

"Commander, our communications are also being jammed. We have no way to contact other units via radio."

The communications officer turned to report to Humphrey.

Humphrey's expression darkened as he heard this, recalling rumors from the recent Battle of the World Tree. It was whispered that the ZAFT forces had utilized a device during that campaign capable of disrupting radio communications, radar, and nuclear reactors, causing them to suffer heavy losses.

Three fleets had been decimated, with less than a third escaping the battlefield, and the Second Fleet had been completely wiped out, with not a single soul managing to retreat.

Facing such a situation again left him feeling deeply unsettled, a sense of foreboding spreading through his heart.

Shaking his head, Humphrey suppressed these emotions. Though his face remained grave, he issued his orders with calm resolve.

"Switch all units to wired communication. Assign communications personnel to lay down lines wherever possible to ensure all units remain connected.

Since radar is down, deploy reconnaissance aircraft equipped with optical sensors and fiber-optic links to scout the skies. We must not lose our grasp on the airspace!"

"Yes, sir!"

The communications officer replied, immediately rerouting traffic to the wired network and coordinating with nearby units.

After confirming the information, he relayed the orders to the communications corps, who began mobilizing with their equipment to establish a wired network for all units.

On the tarmac within Victoria Spaceport:

Reconnaissance aircraft equipped with fiber-optic links and optical sensors were pulled from their hangars and launched via remote control to scout the airspace surrounding the spaceport.

Inside the defense command center:

"Order all Vanguard Fighter units to launch and prepare for combat. Detach a small group to fly to the other airfields where wired communication hasn't been established yet to alert them to scramble as well."

Watching the screen, which had partially regained its ability to track the skies, Humphrey continued his orders.

The command was relayed to the Vanguard Fighter squadrons.

Upon receiving the launch order, the Vanguard Fighter pilots already on standby on the tarmac began taking off in three-ship formations.

Squadron after squadron ascended, and soon, four hundred Vanguard Fighter units from Victoria Spaceport and four nearby airfields were airborne.

The dense swarm of Vanguard Fighter units filled the sky, looking from a distance like a plague of locusts.

Inside the defense command center:

"Commander, the airfields we were able to contact have successfully launched their Vanguard Fighter units."

The communications officer relayed the report from the field.

Humphrey nodded slightly and asked, "Have any Vanguard Fighter units been sent to notify the other airfields?"

"According to the footage transmitted back by the fiber-optic reconnaissance aircraft, a small detachment of Vanguard Fighter units has broken off from the main force and is heading in the designated direction."

The soldier watched the feedback on the main screen and translated it into a report.

In the air:

The launched Vanguard Fighter units split into two groups; one continued to climb to an altitude of 10,000 meters to establish a defensive perimeter, while the other surged toward even higher altitudes.

Reaching 20,000 meters:

The Vanguard Fighter pilots gripped their control sticks, faces grim, eyes fixed on the higher reaches of the sky.

As the optical sensors fed data back, the pilots saw the imagery and began maneuvering their Vanguard Fighter units into combat positions.

On the ZAFT side:

Felix, piloting his White Ginn alongside the rest of the ZAFT forces, had descended to 21,000 meters. Just as he was about to release the Gau Flight Support Craft to link up, he looked down through his optical sensors and saw the situation unfolding near the 10,000-meter mark.

Seeing the enemy fighters already in motion, he set his original plan aside. Without a wasted movement, he pulled the trigger. The White Ginn raised its Heavy Assault Machine Gun, and he squeezed the trigger.

Bullets erupted from the muzzle.

The test shot failed to hit the enemy, but the automatic ballistic correction program quickly adjusted based on the data in the database.

The moment the second burst was fired, the bullets struck a Vanguard Fighter unit flying in the sky with lethal precision.

BOOM!

A violent explosion tore through the air.

After blasting the Vanguard Fighter, Felix watched the maneuvers of another Vanguard Fighter through his display.

Judging by its movement, the White Ginn adjusted its posture using its equipped attitude control thrusters.

The G-force generated by such rapid, instantaneous adjustments made Felix frown involuntarily.

"Earth combat is such a pain!"

Despite his grumbling, his hands never stopped moving.

The White Ginn spun around and fired a shot, the bullet streaking straight toward the Vanguard Fighter.

Seeing the attack, the Vanguard Fighter pilot's face paled, and he hurriedly maneuvered his fighter to evade.

The G-force generated by the sudden, high-intensity maneuver exceeded the protective limit of his Anti-G Suit, sending a wave of intense discomfort through his body.

It was agonizing, and he desperately wanted to abandon the maneuver, but he knew that if he gave in to his body's impulses now, what awaited him would be far worse than mere discomfort.

"I have to hold on!"

He gritted his teeth, cheering himself on.

He had barely survived the sudden high-G maneuver and narrowly dodged the bullet, but before he could even catch his breath, his fighter was pierced by another round.

The explosion swallowed the fighter in an instant; he died without ever seeing where the incoming bullet had come from.

Inside the cockpit of the White Ginn.

"That's the one thing about fighters that's no good!"

Watching the Vanguard Fighter he had just blown up, Felix sighed, offering his assessment of the craft. At this moment, as he compared fighters to the MS, he seemed to have forgotten that as a Coordinator, his physical capabilities far exceeded those of a Natural, and the limit of G-force he could withstand was also far beyond theirs.

Under Felix's control, the White Ginn turned, its thruster angles adjusting to dodge incoming bullets with a slight movement.

He raised his rifle and fired!

The bullet flew out, aimed directly at the Vanguard Fighter.

The fighter pilot attempted to maneuver and dodge, but Felix fired a second shot.

Bang!

The bullet pierced the Vanguard Fighter.

The Vanguard Fighter pilot, who had been struggling to evade, died to the second shot.