This sector of space around the Mendel Satellite wreckage was filled with silent deathly stillness, broken only by the afterimages of beams slicing through the vacuum.
The alarms inside the cockpit had nearly become one continuous wail, red warning lights reflecting off Mu La Flaga's face, slick with cold sweat. Strike Gundam's power reserves were screaming warnings.
That Commander-type Gates was like a shark prowling the deep sea, with not a single unnecessary movement. Its muzzle remained trained on him at all times.
"Damn it, does this ever end?!"
Mu gritted his teeth and rapidly worked the controls. Flames briefly burst from Strike Gundam's thrusters as it rolled sideways, narrowly evading a green beam that grazed past it.
Just as he tried to raise his weapon and return fire, the enemy machine seemed to anticipate his move. Its thrusters erupted with blinding light, and its massive body closed the distance in an instant with astonishing mobility.
The Assault Shield System on Gates's left arm suddenly flipped around. The beam generator extending from its front immediately condensed into claws, their intense heat seeming capable of scorching his senses even through the screen.
Mu instinctively pulled back on the controls, but the enemy machine was unbelievably fast. The oppressive force of it bore down on him like a gigantic bird of prey swooping in for the kill.
The nauseating safe distance it had maintained like a ghost until now had been abruptly shattered by its own initiative.
The beam claws swept across with devastating heat, and the space before Strike Gundam seemed to warp beneath that terrifying temperature.
Mu's instincts reached their limit in that instant. His hands worked the controls as his foot slammed down on the pedal. Strike Gundam performed an extremely forced braking turn in midair, barely dodging the