Victoria Spaceport Defense Battle (4)

BOOM!

An explosion rang out.

The Vanguard Fighter maneuvering in the air disintegrated in a blast, its pilot killed the instant the explosion occurred.

Following the detonation, the White Ginn pivoted to face the other Vanguard Fighter, banked left to evade incoming fire, and opened up with its Heavy Assault Machine Gun.

Two rounds flew along different trajectories, one after the other; the first forced the fighter to alter its flight path, while the second struck the Vanguard Fighter right along its evasive route.

"Ah!"

The pilot inside the cockpit let out a cry of terror.

Just as he reached for the ejection handle to escape, the explosion swallowed him whole, his life coming to an end along with his Vanguard Fighter.

Having destroyed it, the White Ginn was about to continue firing when ground-based tanks targeted it with suppressive fire. Felix maneuvered the White Ginn to dodge the incoming shells, lowered his muzzle, and opened fire on the ground.

Two rounds left the barrel, accurately striking two tanks.

BOOM! BOOM!

The sounds of explosions erupted on the ground, one after the other.

After taking out those two tanks, the White Ginn banked right, dodging a long-range attack from a Vanguard Fighter. Seeing the situation, the Vanguard Fighter pilot attempted to maneuver and change course to re-engage, but the White Ginn, propelled by the immense thrust of its Guul, surged directly in front of it.

At close range, the Vanguard Fighter held no advantage whatsoever. With a single swing of the Heavy Slash Blade, the threat was eliminated in an instant.

Accompanied by a violent roar, the fighter exploded in mid-air.

The battle continued for twenty minutes.

Under the coordinated assault of Felix and several other ZAFT MS pilots, the second wave of Vanguard Fighters and ground fire support units had been whittled down to a mere third of their original numbers.

Of these losses, more than half were caused by Felix piloting the White Ginn.

However, the ZAFT forces had also suffered heavy casualties.

The two consecutive engagements had cost the ZAFT forces over a third of their strength, and following this second clash, Felix was the only one left fighting in this sector.

"Captain!"

A teammate's voice crackled over the comms. Felix turned his head to see the reserve Ginn units arriving on the scene.

"Enter combat status immediately!"

Felix spoke only two sentences over the comms before continuing the fight.

"Roger!"

The arriving ZAFT soldiers replied over the comms.

They maneuvered their Ginns and quickly threw themselves into the fray.

With their arrival, the battle became much smoother, and Felix felt the pressure on him diminish significantly.

The White Ginn maneuvered to dodge an attack and opened fire with its Heavy Assault Machine Gun.

A single shot struck a Vanguard Fighter with precision.

After blowing it to pieces, he shifted his target to continue the fight.

In the rear command post of the Earth Alliance Forces.

"How is our offensive progressing?"

Hope stared at the large screen before him and asked Horton, his adjutant, who stood by his side. Horton turned to look at Lieutenant General Hope, the commander-in-chief, and raised his hand in a salute to report.

"We have made gains in all directions, but our units have also suffered significant casualties."

"What is the casualty situation?"

Hope looked at Horton and continued to ask.

Horton replied.

"The northern front has suffered the heaviest losses; almost all the units deployed there have been wiped out, while the situation for units in other sectors is somewhat better."

"Order the units to fall back!"

After hearing this, Hope pondered for a moment before finally ordering a halt to the offensive.

Upon receiving the order, Horton quickly executed it.

Soon, the frontline units received the command and began an organized retreat.

On the frontline battlefield.

"Captain, the Earth Alliance Forces are retreating!"

The voices of teammates from other sectors rang out over the White Ginn's cockpit comms. Hearing the report, Felix thought for a moment before issuing his order.

"Do not pursue, lest we fall into an enemy trap. Conduct an orderly withdrawal!"

Finishing the command, he pulled the trigger and took out a Vanguard Fighter ahead.

With the explosion of that fighter, not a single Earth Alliance Forces aircraft remained in the entire airspace. Seeing this, Felix piloted his White Ginn to strike at the Earth Alliance Forces ground troops.

A few minutes later, After firing the final shot, Felix ceased combat operations with the White Ginn and led his unit back toward Victoria Spaceport.

Victoria Spaceport

The Guul carrying the White Ginn descended continuously toward the ground, and as it neared the landing site, the connection between the White Ginn and the Guul unlocked.

Relying on its own thrusters, the White Ginn landed steadily on the ground and strode toward the Temporary Hangar.

Under system control, the Guul completed its own landing; its tires rolled as it also headed toward the Temporary Hangar.

Inside the Temporary Hangar

The White Ginn came to a halt on the maintenance platform.

Once settled, Felix opened the cockpit hatch, climbed out, descended from the MS via the walkway, and exchanged a few words with the Maintenance Crew before leaving the area.

He took off his helmet as he walked.

Holding the helmet in one hand, he shook his head, flicking away the sweat that had soaked his hair.

His other hand unzipped his combat flight suit to let his exhausted, weary body breathe and find some comfort.

"Exhausted, aren't you?"

Inside the Temporary Command Post

Andrew watched Felix return and, seeing the fatigue on his face, asked with concern.

Looking up at Andrew, Felix nodded without pretense.

"Exhausted!"

He finished, placed his helmet on the table, and pulled out a chair to sit down. Once seated, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

"Today's battle was easily one of the most exhausting ones I've ever participated in."

He let his mind go blank for a moment and sighed.

Andrew, who had poured a glass of water for Felix, placed it on the table and leaned against the desk with a smile.

"It's only natural to be tired; after all, the Earth's environment is different from space."

Felix nodded upon hearing this, turned to look at Andrew, and said with a slightly serious expression.

"In today's battle, although the Earth Alliance Forces suffered heavy losses, our own losses won't be small either. We can handle it once or twice.

But if the frequency keeps increasing, we might not be able to cope."

"Mm! You're right."

Andrew nodded in agreement. After a moment of thought, he continued.

"However, after today's battle, I don't think the Earth Alliance Forces will be in a rush to launch the next one. To minimize casualties, they will certainly readjust their tactics."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"That's why I believe we should have a brief period of rest tomorrow, enough for us to catch our breath."

"Just because they aren't attacking doesn't mean there won't be missile strikes!"

Felix retorted as he looked at Andrew.

After the rebuttal, he adjusted his posture and continued.

"During today's battle, I noticed that the Earth Alliance Forces have replaced the guidance modules on their missiles; they won't be like they were before.

So, even if they don't launch a ground assault, they'll still use missile strikes to keep us from resting."