Captain Flaga, Noer's Flight for His Life (Still Three Chapters Today)

At the same time, on the streets of Heliopolis.

A terrified Noer was making his way toward the emergency shelter marked on the noticeboard. Although he did not know whether Cruze would attack Heliopolis today—

Whether it was today or not, Cruze would attack sooner or later. Without a shuttle, Noer could only choose to enter an escape pod.

He had considered seizing one of those five new MS units to save himself, but having become familiar with MS, he had no choice but to abandon that tempting idea.

Because those new MS units would definitely have self-destruct devices installed. If the identity verification did not match, they would immediately self-destruct.

If he could not solve that problem, he would die even if he got inside. Once an MS's built-in power pack exploded, even a body of steel and iron would be reduced to slag.

There was a way to disable the self-destruct device, but it required the specific parameters used when the MS's self-destruct code had been set.

And such codes were surely highly classified. Noer did not have them at all.

Come to think of it, why would Cruze have the self-destruct codes for the Earth Alliance's new MS units?

"Forget it, why am I thinking so much? I should just honestly run for my life. A miserable kid like me can't take this~~~~"

As Noer walked, he wailed without stopping.

Looking back over the year since he had come to SEED, he really had a lifetime's worth of bitterness with nowhere to pour it.

First, he had been hit by a car right after transmigrating. Of course, maybe he had transmigrated after being hit by the car. Either way, it did not matter—the pain of getting hit by one was something he had definitely experienced.

Compared to those who transmigrated and had nothing happen to them, he was miserable as hell.

Then, after finally getting out of the hospital, his body had not even fully recovered.

He somehow took some Gene Potion No. 4, turning a healthy, vigorous young man into a sickly wreck who had to take medicine every day just to stay alive.

Of course, it was also thanks to that that he had managed to keep his life.

After that, he was inexplicably attacked by an employee from a ZAFT school piloting an MS, making his already unhealthy body even worse and leaving him buried in debt.

Now he had finally graduated from the ZAFT school and was mooching off Cruze, waiting to die. Then, in a moment of madness, he accepted a mission—and it turned out to be the opening setting of the SEED anime plot.

Seriously...

"Ugh~"

"Just my luck~~"

Thinking about what he had gone through, then thinking about the experiences of other protagonists, Noer's useless eyes quietly reddened.

Meanwhile, outside Heliopolis, a cargo ship was entering the harbor.

The ship's bridge was receiving the same urgent information as Heliopolis's command center.

"Who are the enemy?"

"Two ZAFT military warships! A Nassau-class and a La'Lia-class! Before the communications interference was confirmed, MS units had already launched!"

"Where are those rookie pilots for the Gs?"

"They should already be at Akatsuki Industries."

"Good. Luke and Gale, get into your Mobius units and stand by! Don't launch yet—remember to wait for me! Otherwise, don't blame me if you get shot down the moment you fly out!"

A tall, thin blond man of around thirty issued instructions over the ship's communications.

There was a somewhat carefree air in his words. Though the situation was urgent in wartime, the teasing curl at the corner of his mouth showed that he was not nervous at all.

After speaking, the man immediately turned and headed for the hangar. Inside, rows of space fighters—MA units entirely out of place aboard a cargo ship—were neatly lined up.

"Eagle of Endymion," Captain Mu La Flaga. That was his name.

On June 2, during the offensive and defensive battle at Endymion Crater, the Earth Alliance resource supply base on the Grymaldy Front—

He piloted the space fighter MA Moebius Zero, successfully destroying four MS units and tying down Cruze's MS, earning him the title Eagle of Endymion.

(Moebius Zero: A space-combat MA developed by the Earth Alliance Military, mainly issued to special units including Mu La Flaga. Its performance was roughly equivalent to one-fifth that of an MS.)

(In other words, five MAs could only match one MS. That comparison alone showed just how impressive his record was.)

(Mobius unit configuration: yellow graffiti paint, limited radar-jamming capability, and four wire-guided attack pods that could detach for all-directional attacks. The linear gun mounted beneath the nose was its primary weapon and possessed firepower capable of contending with ZAFT MS units.)

(However, this machine placed extremely high demands on its pilot, especially its wire-guided attack pods. Even ordinary ace pilots could not use them flexibly. At present, only Flaga in the Earth Alliance could skillfully operate all four at once.)

(PS: Because it was a space fighter, it could not be used within Earth's atmosphere.)

"Boom~"

Captain Flaga had just entered the bay containing his personal MA, the Moebius Zero.

When ZAFT's MS, the GINN, charged into the harbor. Amid violent shaking, piercing alarms instantly rang throughout the port.

In fact, the reason PLANT could remain deadlocked with the Earth Alliance was largely because of the GINN's existence.

"Set sail immediately! The harbor has been suppressed. I'll launch too and hold off the GINNs!"

"But the Archangel hasn't finished charging its energy!"

After confirming the GINN assault, Captain Flaga sent a message to the captain with his proposal.

On average, it took at least three MAs just to barely match and hold down one GINN. Judging from the information they had just received, there were at least a dozen GINNs outside. If the GINNs broke through the harbor under these circumstances—

Forget transporting the Archangel away; whether they could even keep the Archangel safe was questionable!

"Then hurry!"

"Launch the moment you're ready!"

Captain Flaga put on his flight suit and jumped into the Moebius Zero, speaking to the command center as he started the MA.

With the roar of its engine starting, Captain Flaga piloted the Mobius directly out of the harbor.

Yet the instant he emerged, he saw a huge number of GINNs.

"This is looking bad!"

Seeing the GINNs ahead and the destroyed MAs, Flaga immediately activated the four wire-guided attack pods.

Soon, the four attack pods separated from the Mobius and rushed toward the distant GINNs.

"Pew pew~"

"Boom~"

Several green laser beams flashed. With a violent explosion, one GINN, its back turned to Flaga, was blown into wreckage before it could react.

The other GINNs stopped attacking the remaining MAs and turned to fire on the Mobius.

In an instant, several laser beams shot toward the Mobius.

"There are a bit too many of them..."

Flaga hurriedly turned the craft's nose. Under tremendous centrifugal force, the Mobius spun as it evaded the attack.

At the same time, he controlled the four attack pods to strike the GINNs from every direction, forcing three GINNs back.

"This guy..."

The GINN pilots were stunned by the Mobius's maneuvers. Was that even something a human could do?

"Hm?"

At the same time, inside the space warship, Cruze seemed to sense something and could not help voicing his surprise.

"What is it?" Addis turned to look at Cruze.

"Nothing."

After saying that, Cruze folded his arms across his chest, his expression becoming somewhat grave.

Flaga also seemed to sense something. Even his attack motions paused for a moment as he looked uncertainly toward the distant space warship.

But as a soldier—indeed, as a highly trained professional soldier—he quickly cast aside that brief distraction and focused on the GINNs eyeing him hungrily.

"Beep~!"

"Beep~!"

"Beep~!"

"Boom~!"

Inside the passageway, as the countdown reached zero, the timed bombs Athrun and the others had planted in the harbor exploded at once.

Flames burst in every direction, followed by terrified screams from the command center.

The command center was reduced to ashes in the blaze. Even the bay where the Archangel was docked was affected, and dozens of operators heading toward the Archangel were swallowed by the fire.

At the same time, two MS units broke through the Earth Alliance's MA defensive perimeter and charged in through the harbor.

"What?"

The sudden explosion made Flaga's heart tighten. Seeing the fading exhaust trails of the GINNs, he hurriedly turned to provide support.

But before he could fully turn around, several laser beams came speeding at him from the direction of the GINNs.

Because he had been distracted, Flaga had no chance to evade. Left with no choice, he abandoned one attack pod and had it block the fatal strike.

The instant the two made contact, the attack pod exploded violently.

But it bought him a chance to catch his breath.

Then, under the GINNs' watchful eyes, he recalled the remaining three pods and flew at full speed toward the harbor.

"You think you can run after killing someone? It won't be that easy!"

"Get after him!"

Inside a GINN, a Coordinator cursed as he piloted his GINN in pursuit. The other GINNs immediately followed.

Green laser beams rained down upon the Mobius.

By the way... what should I do about the unit data?

There are also problems with the aerial combat descriptions. They don't feel very good to write, and I can't capture that feeling.

I just wrote it however I could. What do you all think?