While Ino was still wrestling with his thoughts.
On the bridge, Captain Le Creuset raised a hand and gave a slight wave toward the rotating Heliopolis colony ahead.
[Operation start!] [Repeating, MS capture operation start!]
The CIC announcement from the bridge sounded inside the cockpit.
"Here we go..."
As he spoke, Ino took a deep breath to steady himself.
All he could do now was take things one step at a time.
[ZGMF-1017 Ginn, Ino Kamal's unit, prepare for launch!]
"Ino Kamal, roger!"
[Catapult system linked!] [Flight path clear!] [Hatch opening!] [ZGMF-1017 Ginn, Ino Kamal's unit, launch--]
As the hatch opened, the distant Heliopolis colony came clearly into view.
"Ino Kamal, ZGMF-1017 Ginn—launching!"
Ino had barely finished speaking when
the catapult system activated.
Propelled by a powerful thrust from behind, the MS he piloted shot through the hatch.
His body, long accustomed to piloting an MS, instinctively engaged the engines, sending him flying toward the distant Heliopolis colony.
Whoop! Whoop!
The alarm blared throughout the Heliopolis control zone as it detected two ZAFT warships approaching without prior notice.
[Attention, approaching ZAFT ships! Your actions are in serious violation of our treaty. Stop your vessels immediately!] [ZAFT ships, stop your vessels immediately!] [Attention, approaching... kssh-kssh-kssh...]
The Heliopolis control-zone staff kept broadcasting their position: the neutral colony would not offer refuge to any armed warships.
But the Vesalius and the Gamow continued to approach, ignoring their warnings.
Static crackled through every operating system.
The people inside Heliopolis also discovered that their communicators had suddenly stopped responding.
"What's going on?"
"Why did we suddenly lose signal?"
"..."
"Strong electromagnetic interference! It's coming from the ZAFT ships!"
A communications operator inside the Heliopolis control city suddenly cried out in alarm.
A chill seemed to sweep through the control room, making everyone's backs go cold.
There was only one meaning behind such overwhelming interference that ignored all warnings.
"...This is an obvious act of war!"
When one of the staff named the truth, fear and disbelief gradually appeared in the eyes of everyone in the control room.
Meanwhile, a cargo ship was entering the port from outside.
The same urgent news was being relayed across its bridge.
"Who's the enemy?"
"Two ships! One Nazca-class and one Laurasia-class. MS units launched before the interference was confirmed!"
"What about the rookies?"
"They should already be at Morgenroete."
"Good. Luke, Gael, get to the Moebius and stand by! Don't launch without orders, or you'll get yourselves killed!"
The man issuing orders over the ship's internal communications was tall and slender, with handsome features and blond hair.
Strangely, even in such a tense situation, he still looked rather laid-back, the corner of his mouth curled up in a teasing smile.
After finishing his orders, he immediately headed for the hangar.
Rows of MAs—space fighter craft that looked completely out of place aboard a cargo ship—were lined up inside.
Though the ship was disguised as an ordinary cargo vessel, its crew were all military personnel. The man in the black flight suit was Captain Mu La Flaga.
Known as the Hawk of Endymion, he was the Earth Alliance Army's finest MA pilot.
Their mission was to deliver several prospective pilots to the colony.
Ino had no idea what was happening inside Heliopolis.
By then, he had already piloted his Ginn to the port.
Looking at Heliopolis, now so close, Ino hesitated for a moment with his gun raised, then engaged the engines and charged straight toward the port.
He'd better take a look inside.
As for the destruction outside, he'd leave that to the other Green Uniforms.
Beep-beep-beep!
But just as Ino reached the port, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded from the radar.
Without hesitation, Ino turned and raised his shield.
Sparks from bullets striking the shield quickly covered its surface.
Two Moebius Mobile Armors suddenly burst out from the side.
One of them took the opportunity to release its missiles. Two missiles, trailing flames, shot straight toward Ino as he held up his shield.
"Could you not come looking for trouble?"
Ino frowned and piloted his unit backward.
At the same time, he aimed his gun at the missiles and pulled the trigger, then turned away without looking back.
Using MAs like these to rack up kills? It'd be embarrassing to tell anyone.
Rumble—
The two missiles exploded just as Ino turned away.
Beep-beep-beep!
Bang!
But just as Ino was about to charge toward the port again, a flash from a linear cannon appeared ahead.
Bang!
Ino raised his shield to block the shot, then looked ahead.
It was a Moebius Zero.
Unlike the grayish-purple TS-MA2 Moebius, a standard mass-produced MA,
the Moebius Zero had, in addition to its standard cockpit, fuel-storage compartment, and propulsion section, four wire-guided gun pods mounted around its frame.
Each of the four wire-guided gun pods had its own thruster. When attached to the main unit, all five thrusters pointed backward, giving the craft better propulsion than an MS.
In terms of performance, the Moebius Zero surpassed ZAFT's ordinary Ginn MS.
However, the unit was only issued to ace pilots in the Earth Alliance. And at this point in time, there was only one ace pilot who could be here—the Hawk of Endymion!
Beep-beep-beep!
The alarm sounded as two more missiles appeared onscreen, trailing flames.
Bang-bang-bang—boom!
Almost the instant he turned around, Ino raised his gun and shot down both missiles.
In the same motion, he also forced the two Moebius TS units preparing to close in back.
"This guy—"
Captain Flaga couldn't help raising his eyebrows as he watched. That MS's reaction speed was off.
Without hesitation, Captain Flaga activated the wire-guided gun pods. "Stay back! You can't handle this guy!"
Flaga had spent years fighting and surviving on the battlefield. The moment he saw how this MS moved, he knew something was wrong.
This guy definitely wasn't an ordinary Coordinator pilot—
Bang-bang-bang!
What happened next only confirmed his suspicion.
The MS showed no sign of panic as Flaga pursued him. It even managed to suppress Flaga in return.
"An elite Red Uniform..."
Only a Red Uniform in ZAFT could have combat ability like that—and this guy might not be an ordinary Red Uniform, either.
"Mu La Flaga... This could be trouble."
Ino was also finding the situation difficult.
His opponent was too fast. Ino couldn't catch up, and the other pilot's reactions and handling were far better than an ordinary MA pilot's.
For a while, the two of them remained locked in a stalemate.
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