Boom!
An explosion rang out.
The Vanguard Fighter maneuvering through the air exploded and broke apart. Its pilot died instantly when the blast struck.
As it exploded, the White Ginn wheeled around to face the other Vanguard Fighters. It dodged left, then opened fire with the Heavy Assault Machine Gun in its hands.
Two bullets flew along different trajectories, one after the other. The first forced the fighter to change course; the second struck it along the path of its evasive maneuver.
"Ah!"
The pilot in the cockpit let out a terrified cry.
He was about to pull the ejection lever and escape when the explosion engulfed him. His life ended along with the Vanguard Fighter.
After blowing it apart, the White Ginn was about to continue firing when a tank on the ground drew its fire. Felix piloted the White Ginn to dodge the shells coming from below, lowered the gun, and opened fire on the ground.
Two bullets left the barrel and struck two tanks with pinpoint accuracy.
Boom! Boom!
The explosions sounded one after the other on the ground.
After destroying the two tanks, the White Ginn maneuvered right to avoid a long-range attack from a Vanguard Fighter. Seeing this, the fighter's pilot tried to dodge and change course to attack again. But propelled by the Guul's powerful thrust, the White Ginn surged right in front of it.
At close range, the Vanguard Fighter had no advantage whatsoever. The Heavy Slash Blade rose and fell, destroying it in an instant.
Amid a violent explosion, the fighter blew apart in midair.
The battle continued for twenty minutes.
Under the combined assault of Felix and several ZAFT Forces MS pilots, the second wave of Vanguard Fighters and the ground fire support units that had arrived were reduced to just a third of their original numbers.
More than half of those losses had been caused by Felix piloting the White Ginn.
The ZAFT Forces had also suffered heavy losses.
Two engagements had cost the ZAFT Forces more than a third of their forces. By the end of this second clash, Felix was the only ZAFT Forces pilot still fighting here.
"Captain!"
A team member's voice came over the comms. Felix turned and saw a Ginn from the reserve squad arriving.
"Get into the fight immediately!"
Felix gave the brief order over the comms, then continued fighting.
"Understood!"
The ZAFT Forces pilots who had arrived acknowledged him over the comms.
They piloted their Ginns straight into the battle.
With their arrival, the fighting became much smoother, and Felix felt some of the pressure lift from him.
The White Ginn dodged an attack, then opened fire with the Heavy Assault Machine Gun in its hands.
A shot struck a Vanguard Fighter with pinpoint accuracy.
After blowing it apart, Felix shifted his aim to the next target.
Inside the Earth Alliance Forces' rear command post,
"How is our attack going?"
Hope looked at the large screen in front of him and asked Horton, his adjutant. Horton turned to Lieutenant General Hope, the commander-in-chief, saluted, and reported,
"We've had some success on every front, but our forces have also suffered heavy casualties."
"How heavy are our losses?"
Hope looked at Horton and continued questioning him.
Horton answered,
"The northern front has suffered the heaviest losses. Almost all the forces we sent out have been wiped out. The units on the other fronts are in somewhat better shape."
"Order the troops to return!"
Hope considered the situation, then gave the order to halt the attack.
Horton received the order and quickly carried it out.
Before long, the frontline units received the order and began an organized retreat.
On the battlefield,
"Captain, the Earth Alliance Forces are retreating!"
A team member on another front reported over the White Ginn's cockpit comms. After hearing the report, Felix considered it briefly before issuing an order.
"Don't pursue them. We might fall into an enemy trap. Retreat in an orderly fashion!"
After giving the order, he squeezed the trigger and destroyed a Vanguard Fighter ahead of him.
With that fighter's explosion, no Earth Alliance Forces aircraft remained in the airspace. Seeing this, Felix piloted the White Ginn toward the Earth Alliance Forces ground troops and attacked.
A few minutes later,
After firing his final shot, Felix stopped piloting the White Ginn in battle and led his unit back to Victoria Spaceport.
Victoria Spaceport
The Guul carrying the White Ginn descended steadily toward the ground. Just before landing, the connection between the White Ginn and the Guul unlocked.
Using its own thrusters, the White Ginn touched down smoothly and strode toward the Temporary Hangar.
Under system control, the Guul completed its landing on its own. Its wheels rolled along the ground as it too headed toward the Temporary Hangar.
Inside the Temporary Hangar,
The White Ginn stood on the maintenance platform.
Once it had come to a stop, Felix opened the cockpit hatch and climbed out of the MS via the catwalk. After a brief exchange with the Maintenance Crew, he left.
As he walked, he took off his helmet.
Holding it in one hand, he shook his head, flinging sweat from his already soaked hair.
With his other hand, he unfastened his pilot suit to let the air reach his exhausted body and make him more comfortable.
"Exhausted?"
Inside the Temporary Command Post,
Andrew looked at Felix as he returned. Seeing how tired he looked, he asked with concern.
Felix looked up at Andrew and nodded without trying to hide it.
"Exhausted!"
After saying this, he set his helmet on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Leaning back, he gazed at the ceiling.
"Today's battle was probably one of the most exhausting I've fought in."
He let his mind wander for a moment, then sighed.
Andrew had brought him a glass of water. He set it on the table, leaned against it, and smiled.
"Of course it was exhausting. The conditions on Earth are different from those in space, after all."
Felix nodded, then turned to Andrew, his expression growing serious.
"Although the Earth Alliance Forces suffered heavy losses today, ours won't be small either. We can handle it once or twice, but if it keeps happening, we might not be able to cope."
"Mm. You're right."
Andrew nodded in agreement. After a moment's thought, he continued,
"Still, after today's battle, I don't think the Earth Alliance Forces will rush into another one. They'll definitely revise their tactics to reduce their losses."
He paused, then continued,
"So I think we'll get a brief rest tomorrow and have a chance to catch our breath."
"Just because they don't attack doesn't mean they won't launch missiles!"
Felix looked at Andrew and countered.
After saying this, he adjusted his posture and continued,
"During today's battle, I noticed the Earth Alliance Forces had already replaced the guidance modules in their missiles. They won't be like before.
"So even if they don't send in their forces, they'll still attack with missiles and keep us from resting."
Before you continue