The silver hull of the Starry Sky cut through the deep cosmos, followed by the three Lauria-class warships of its attached Silver Wing Angel Team, as it slowly sailed into the ZAFT outer fleet rendezvous point—a secret sector of space located between PLANT and the Boaz Fortress. Aboard the bridge, Mei Hock stood in a white commander's uniform, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze calmly fixed on the communication report transmitted from the holographic projection ahead, his dark brown eyes holding not a ripple of emotion, as if he had anticipated everything long ago. Notably, the three Lauria-class warships of the Silver Wing Angel Team were specially configured with GuAIZ mobile suits rather than standard Improved Ginn, and combined with the formidable combat power of the Starry Sky, their assault capability was exceptionally prominent. More crucially, as an advanced ZAFT flagship, the Starry Sky possessed core parameters that could be called top-tier, specifically designed for high-speed commerce raiding, multidimensional command, and frontal combat: 380m in length, 105m in width, 32m draft, with a standard displacement of 280,000 tons, making it thicker-armored and more maneuverable than the Archangel. It carried three self-developed ZAFT high-output Deuterium Nuclear Power reactors, adapted to the neutron-jamming environment, and matched with six sets of vector thrusters plus four sets of emergency thrusters. Its peak speed reached 120% of the Eternal's, and its cruising range was 1.8 times that of a standard capital ship, allowing it to rapidly switch between High-Speed Assault and Stable Combat modes. In terms of mobile suit complement, it standardly equipped ten elite mobile suits (including one command-type mobile suit, with models primarily being the ZGMF-600 GuAIZ and ZGMF-1017 Improved Ginn), while the backup hangar could additionally carry four emergency mobile suits. Two high-speed electromagnetic catapults increased deployment speed by 40% compared to the Archangel, enabling the simultaneous deployment of three mobile suits to adapt to cooperative combat. For defense, it adopted 1,800mm thick heavy Phase Shift composite anti-beam and ballistic armor, paired with a hull emergency repair system, granting defensive capabilities exceeding the Archangel's that could rapidly repair minor armor damage. In terms of command and reconnaissance, it was equipped with an omnidirectional fleet command system, quantum reconnaissance radar, and mobile suit cooperative command links, capable of connecting up to ten warships and fifteen mobile suits, with a reconnaissance range of 150km and a command latency of less than 0.5 seconds. Its weapon configuration followed the principle of frontal suppression as primary, single-ship raiding as secondary, and omnidirectional defense as a fallback. The triple high-energy particle beam main cannons on the bow rivaled the Archangel's Lohengrin positron siege cannons, and were paired with six-link medium beam secondary cannons, twelve-link close-in defense machine cannons, and eight-link raiding-dedicated missiles. It could operate independently as a mobile support force weaving through the battlefield, and could even frontally withstand attacks from the Dominion.
"Captain, communications from the PLANT military department have arrived, confirming no inquiries regarding our unauthorized assistance to the Three Ships Alliance. Instead, we received a notification from the Supreme Council stating that 'the Silver Wing Angel Team timely returned to its defense zone, effectively containing the remaining Earth Forces forces in the Mendel airspace, and hereby issues a commendation'." The communicator's voice carried a trace of unperceivable relief as the message was simultaneously projected onto the main screen.
The adjutant stood to one side, a relieved smile on his face. "Just as you anticipated, Captain Le Creuset did not squeal and even helped us cover for it. I suppose that genetic research report and treatment plan truly left him unable to refuse."
Akira nodded slightly, his fingertips tapping gently against the edge of the command console as he spoke in a composed tone. "Rau Le Creuset has spent his entire life fighting his own genetic flaws. That report can not only resolve his hidden dangers, but it can also allow him to take control of his own destiny; he has no reason to disrupt the tacit understanding between us. Moreover, he and Patrick Zala were already at odds. My existence can help him contain Zala's faction, which is also a profitable trade for him." He paused, shifting the tone of his words as his expression turned solemn. "However, we cannot rely on Le Creuset for long. The most important task right now is to defend this strategic stronghold and build a solid outer defensive perimeter for PLANT."
As his voice fell, Akira picked up the communicator and directly patched into the supreme command center of the PLANT military department. "This is Mei Hock of the Silver Wing Angel Team, requesting a transfer to defend Boaz Fortress, and taking full responsibility for the fortress's defense and surrounding airspace combat command. As the core outer fortress of PLANT, connecting the Jachin Due Fortress and the PLANT mainland, Boaz holds vital strategic importance. Its current defense forces are weak and likely unable to withstand a large-scale Earth Forces offensive, so I earnestly request the military department's approval."
The other end of the line fell silent for a moment before the voice of the military's chief of staff came through, carrying approval and trust in its tone. "Major Hawke, your concerns are extremely thorough. Boaz Fortress is indeed the weak link in our defense, and the military has been worrying over a lack of available personnel. Since you are volunteering, the military immediately approves your request. The current orders are: the fleet belonging to the Silver Wing Angel Team shall immediately proceed to Boaz Fortress, take over all defense forces of the fortress, and coordinate with the ZAFT Seventh Fleet already assembled around the fortress, taking full responsibility for the defense mission of Boaz Fortress and its surrounding airspace. The military will do its utmost to supplement you with supplies and troops."
"Understood, we will hold Boaz to the death and will not fail the military's trust!" Akira snapped a salute. After hanging up the communicator, he immediately gave orders to the entire bridge crew. "Attention all ships, adjust course, target Boaz Fortress, engage engines at maximum output, full speed ahead! Inform all escort vessels to maintain formation, remain vigilant of the surrounding airspace, and guard strictly against Earth Forces surprise attacks."
"Understood, Captain!" The crew responded in unison, and the engines of the Starry Sky erupted with dazzling blue exhaust flames, its speed suddenly increasing as it led its fleet galloping toward Boaz Fortress.
Boaz Fortress, situated in the sector northwest of the PLANT mainland, was a critical node in PLANT's outer defense perimeter and a necessary passage to Jachin Due Fortress. The fortress was elliptical overall, constructed entirely of asteroids paired with high-strength alloy, its surface dotted with Beam Cannon turrets and anti-air missile silos of all sizes. Its apex mounted two ultra-high-power main cannons capable of executing precision strikes against long-distance targets. At this time, in the airspace surrounding the fortress, the original garrison fleet deployed by ZAFT and the main fleet reinforced by the military had all completed assembly, forming a dual-layer defense system: the original garrison fleet totaled twenty-five warships, consisting of five Nazca-class and twenty Lauria-class ships, while the reinforced main fleet totaled forty warships, comprising ten Nazca-class and thirty Lauria-class ships, bringing the combined total of the two fleets to sixty-five warships. Coupled with the fortress's own defense forces, the individually assigned GuAIZ battalion, and the subsequently arriving Silver Wing Fleet, they formed an indestructible defensive line. In terms of frontal combat capability alone, it was sufficient to contend with three main Earth Forces fleets. All warships relied on high-strength hull armor and tactical evasion to defend against attacks, with no energy shield configurations whatsoever, making battlefield confrontations appear all the more brutal.
When the Starry Sky led the Silver Wing Angel Team to arrive at Boaz Fortress, the commanders of the original garrison fleet and the reinforced main fleet immediately led their core staff aboard the Starry Sky to report the current defensive situation to Akira. "Major Hawke, welcome to Boaz! I am Raymond Costa, commander of the garrison fleet, and this is Allen Thorne, commander of the main fleet reinforced by the military. Currently, the defense forces of the fortress and its surroundings are as follows: the fortress's internal defense forces total 8,000 personnel, equipped with forty-two beam gun turrets, sixty anti-air missile silos, and twenty-four heavy torpedo launch tubes; the original garrison fleet consists of twenty-five warships (five Nazca-class, twenty Lauria-class) standardly carrying a total of 135 mobile suits (seven per Nazca-class, five per Lauria-class), all of which are Ginn Custom models; the reinforced main fleet consists of forty warships (ten Nazca-class, thirty Lauria-class) carrying a total of 220 mobile suits, likewise Ginn Custom models; the fortress is independently assigned one GuAIZ battalion totaling twenty GuAIZ units, responsible for rapid reinforcement of the fortress's core area; deployed around the fortress are six defense platforms, each equipped with two medium beam gun turrets and one mobile suit docking point, carrying a total of twenty-four mobile suits of the Ginn Custom model." As Vice Admiral Raymond spoke, he projected the holographic defense map onto the screen, while Vice Admiral Allen added, "Our two fleets have completed coordinated deployment and can enter combat at any time. All warships have reinforced hull armor protection and prepared for tactical evasion." Raymond then continued his report with a solemn tone, "However, according to intercepted intelligence, the Earth Forces have already assembled five main fleets at the Moon Base. According to Earth Forces organization, a main fleet consists of forty warships, with each fleet equipped with four Agamemnon-class space carriers, eight Nelson-class capital ships, and twenty-eight Drake-class conventional warships, carrying a total of 200 mobile suits per fleet-primarily Dagger and Strike Dagger types. The five fleets total 200 warships and 1,000 mobile suits, alongside advanced warships like the Dominion and the three new advanced gundams: Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden. Their strength far exceeds our estimations."
Akira stared at the holographic map, his brow slightly furrowed as his fingertips rapidly calculated the forces of both sides. On ZAFT's side, adding the Starry Sky flagship of the Silver Wing Angel Team and its three Nazca-class warships, the total was sixty-nine warships, specifically configured as follows: eighteen Nazca-class (five garrison + ten main + three Silver Wing Fleet), fifty Lauria-class (twenty garrison + thirty main), and one Starry Sky flagship. Total mobile suits numbered 451, specifically distributed as: 135 Ginn Customs in the garrison fleet, 220 Ginn Customs in the main fleet, twenty-four Ginn Customs on defense platforms, twenty GuAIZ units in the fortress GuAIZ battalion, and thirty-one mobile suits in the Silver Wing Fleet (seven GuAIZ units per each of the three Nazca-class ships, totaling twenty-one; ten elite mobile suits on the Starry Sky, including one command type, with models being the ZGMF-600 GuAIZ and ZGMF-1017 Ginn Custom). Additionally, four emergency mobile suits in the Starry Sky's backup hangar were not yet activated, and Akira's custom unit, the Justicar Gundam, was deployed independently and not included in the regular mobile suit count; its performance was not a whit inferior to the Earth Forces' advanced gundams. The Earth Forces fielded five main fleets totaling 200 warships (twenty Agamemnon-class, forty Nelson-class, 140 Drake-class) and 1,000 mobile suits. The numerical disparity remained evident: the number of warships was approximately 2.9 times ZAFT's, and the number of mobile suits was approximately 2.2 times ZAFT's. Especially regarding mobile suits, Ginn Customs faced a weak advantage against the Earth Forces' massive number of Dagger and Strike Dagger type mobile suits, but ZAFT's GuAIZ mobile suits (twenty in the fortress + twenty-one in the Silver Wing Fleet, totaling forty-one) boasted outstanding mobility. Coupled with the Starry Sky's two high-speed electromagnetic catapults capable of simultaneously deploying three mobile suits-a deployment efficiency 40% higher than the Archangel's-they could rapidly form coordinated assaults. Regarding warships, the Earth Forces' Agamemnon-class carriers could deploy mobile suits in batches, Nelson-class warships possessed fierce firepower, and Drake-class destroyers featured prominent mobility. Their overall cooperative combat capability was extremely strong, and their error margin was much higher than ZAFT's. However, relying on the replenishment of warship numbers, particularly the formidable combat power of the Starry Sky-featuring 1,800mm thick Phase Shift composite armor plus an emergency repair system, triple high-energy main cannons, and an omnidirectional command system-ZAFT's frontal interception and mobile support capabilities were vastly enhanced, and all warships had undergone armor reinforcement to withstand a certain degree of frontal impact.
"Vice Admiral Raymond, Vice Admiral Allen, thank you for your hard work." Akira's tone was calm, devoid of the slightest panic. "Although the current defense configuration has been upgraded, it is still insufficient to withstand a large-scale Earth Forces offensive. We must adjust immediately, focusing on leveraging the assault advantages of our striking fleet, the mobile support capability of the Starry Sky, and the cooperative capabilities of the two fleets. First, immediately pull out half of the anti-air missile silos from inside the fortress and deploy them to the defense platforms in the surrounding airspace, while adding one heavy Beam Cannon turret to each defense platform to strengthen anti-air and anti-ship capabilities. Second, redeploy all mobile suits into three echelons, fully utilizing the mobility advantage of the forty-one GuAIZ mobile suits: the first echelon of eighty mobile suits (sixty Ginn Customs + twenty GuAIZ, of which fifteen are Silver Wing Fleet GuAIZ) will be deployed in the asteroid belt region directly in front of the fortress, relying on the asteroid belt to form the first defense line, focusing on containing the Earth Forces mobile suit cluster, with the GuAIZ tasked with ambushing Earth Forces mobile suit reconnaissance squads and vanguard clusters; the second echelon of 180 mobile suits (140 Ginn Customs + forty GuAIZ, of which six are Silver Wing Fleet GuAIZ + twenty fortress GuAIZ) will be deployed between the defense platforms on both flanks of the fortress and the warship formations as a mobile support force, ready at any time to respond to Earth Forces surprise attacks, with the GuAIZ undertaking rapid repositioning, emergency support, and flank assault missions; the third echelon of 191 mobile suits (171 Ginn Customs + twenty GuAIZ, with all remaining Silver Wing Fleet GuAIZ incorporated) will be deployed inside the fortress and around the warship formations as a reserve force, responsible for the defense and emergency support of the core fortress area, the flagships of the two fleets, and the Starry Sky. Third, adjust the warship formation array, using the Starry Sky as the mobile core deployed independently on the forward flank of the fortress, ready at all times to weave through the battlefield to support operations in various sectors while undertaking the task of containing the Dominion. The garrison fleet flagship, the main fleet flagship, and another twelve Nazca-class warships (five garrison + ten main + three Silver Wing Fleet, with twelve drawn) will be deployed directly in front of the fortress to form the firepower core, utilizing the mobility and firepower of the Nazca-class to intercept Earth Forces warships and mobile suit clusters head-on. The remaining fifty-five warships (six Nazca-class, forty-nine Lauria-class) will be divided into left and right wings, deployed on both flanks of the fortress to execute a flanking maneuver relying on the fortress's fire cover, focusing on striking the Earth Forces' Drake-class destroyers and supply ships to sever their flank support, with the two fleets cooperating by division of labor: the garrison fleet takes the left wing, and the main fleet takes the right wing. Fourth, activate the two ultra-high-power main cannons at the apex of the fortress to begin charging preparations, ready at any time to execute devastating strikes against the Earth Forces' Agamemnon-class carriers or dense formations. Fifth, all warships and defense platforms will fully reinforce their hull armor protection, focusing on fortifying the bridge and engine areas while enhancing radar monitoring and expanding the early warning range to ensure the Earth Forces' movements are detected at the earliest possible moment, with the two fleets establishing real-time cooperative communications to avoid friendly fire and relying on tactical evasion to reduce hull damage."
One command after another was issued by Akira in an orderly fashion, each one precisely striking the vital points of defense. The worry in Vice Admiral Raymond's eyes gradually faded, replaced by admiration. "Understood! Major Hawke, I will immediately transmit the orders, organize the troops to adjust the defense configuration, and ensure all deployments are completed before the Earth Forces strike!"
"Speed is essential; the Earth Forces could strike at any moment." Akira admonished. "In addition, inform all mobile suit pilots to immediately conduct pre-battle training, focusing on practicing cluster combat, terrain ambushes, and containment tactics, familiarizing themselves with the weaknesses of the Earth Forces' Dagger and Strike Dagger mobile suits. Particular attention must be paid to handling the three new advanced gundams-Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden-avoiding head-on single combat with them and instead adopting multi-on-one tactics to contain their movements and create opportunities for warship firepower strikes. Inform all crew members of the Starry Sky to prepare for mobile support, ready at all times to respond to the Dominion's attacks, and rely on hull armor and precision firepower to frontally withstand its assault."
"Yes!" Vice Admiral Raymond saluted and withdrew, immediately organizing the troops to adjust the defensive configuration. For a time, Boaz Fortress and its surrounding airspace became busy. On the defense platforms, soldiers were tense as they installed heavy beam gun turrets and anti-air missile silos; within the warship formations, crew members were adjusting warship arrays, inspecting weapon systems and hull armor, and practicing tactical evasion maneuvers; mobile suit pilots were piloting Ginn Customs to conduct pre-battle training in the airspace surrounding the fortress, practicing various tactical combinations, and a thick atmosphere of pre-battle tension permeated the air. Akira sat commandingly on the bridge of the Starry Sky, using his ACCORD Ability to monitor every single detail of the defense adjustments in real time while analyzing the Earth Forces' possible offensive routes and tactics, formulating response plans in advance.
Just four days later, all defense adjustment work was completed. At this time, around Boaz Fortress, the firepower of the defense platforms had been vastly strengthened, mobile suit deployment was more rational, and the warship formations had formed a solid crossfire network. Relying on the fortress and the asteroid belt, three defensive lines had been constructed, with the Starry Sky standing by on the flank, fully prepared for mobile support. It was precisely at this moment that the radar operator suddenly issued an emergency alert: "Captain! A large number of Earth Forces warship signals detected! Located 300 kilometers directly in front of Boaz Fortress, numbering approximately 200 ships, with mobile suit signals numbering around 1,000, rapidly closing in on our forces. Among them, signals for the Dominion and the three new advanced gundams-Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden-have been confirmed, alongside signals for multiple Agamemnon-class carriers and Nelson-class warships!"
"They couldn't have come at a better time!" A sharp glint flashed in Akira's eyes as he immediately issued orders. "All units enter Level 1 combat readiness! Warship formations prepare for tactical evasion, main cannons charge, target the Earth Forces vanguard fleet! First echelon mobile suits immediately enter the asteroid belt region, conceal yourselves, and launch an attack once the Earth Forces mobile suits enter the ambush zone to contain their movements! Second echelon mobile suits prepare for support, ready at all times to respond to Earth Forces surprise attacks! Fortress main cannons continue charging, lock onto the Earth Forces flagships, and await my command! Radar monitor Earth Forces movements throughout, reporting changes in their formation and offensive routes in a timely manner! All hands on the Starry Sky, maintain mobility, ready at all times to intercept the Dominion and support operations in all sectors!"
Following Akira's orders, all ZAFT forces immediately entered combat status. Warships successively adjusted their courses, preparing tactical evasion plans, while beam gun turrets and anti-air missile launchers fully deployed, aiming toward the direction of the incoming Earth Forces. The eighty mobile suits of the first echelon (sixty Ginn Customs + twenty GuAIZ) rapidly drove into the asteroid belt region directly in front of the fortress, utilizing the cover of the asteroids to conceal themselves. Among them, the fifteen Silver Wing Fleet GuAIZ mobile suits relied on superior mobility to lurk in the vanguard of the asteroid belt, their pilots gripping their control sticks tightly as their vigilant gazes stared into the forward airspace. Akira put on his pilot suit, proceeded to the Starry Sky's hangar, and boarded his custom unit-the Justicar Gundam. Ten Zaku mobile suits carried by the Starry Sky prepared for standby simultaneously, ready to support combat at any time.
The Justicar Gundam, official model ZGMF-X17A (Japanese: ジャスティカー・ガンダム, English: Justicar Gundam), was an X-series new nuclear-powered gundam secretly developed in January C.E. 71 by the ZAFT Naval Rhein Design Bureau (Earth Alliance Arsenal No. 1 R&D team). It was positioned as an "all-encompassing domination-type assault mobile suit," with only one prototype completed before the war ended prior to mass production. Its R&D foundation stemmed from the high-mobility equilibrium of the Freedom Gundam (ZGMF-X10A) and the long-range suppression power of the Providence Gundam (ZGMF-X13A), specifically designed to make up for their shortcomings-the Freedom lacked large-scale long-range lethality, while the Providence suffered from weak close combat and insufficient mobility. Its core purpose was to break through the Earth Alliance fleet defenses and deal with the Three Ship Alliance's high-end combat power. The unit stood 18.52m tall (falling between the Freedom's 18.03m and the Providence's 18.86m), with an empty weight of 85.7t and a fully equipped weight of 98.3t. It carried an ultra-compact nuclear fusion reactor (NJC, equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceller), with an output power superior to the Freedom's and slightly lower than the Providence's, granting unlimited endurance (subject only to pilot stamina) capable of executing solo raids or fleet suppression missions for extended periods. The armor adopted reinforced Phase Shift armor, drawing upon the Freedom's armor lightening technology to improve anti-beam performance by 15% over the Freedom while balancing defense and mobility. It featured a single-seat full-surround cockpit equipped with a Psycommu Support System, allowing stable operation of DRAGOONs without requiring an Extended. Adapted for both space and terrestrial environments, its optimized terrestrial mobility could adapt to complex terrain such as deserts and mountains.
In terms of mobility, the Justicar Gundam drew inspiration from the Freedom Gundam's design of large variable back thrusters plus omnidirectional attitude control nozzles. The two main thrusters on its back had an output power increased by 20% compared to the Freedom's, and it was equipped with a total of twelve auxiliary thrusters distributed across the shoulders, waist, and legs, while discarding the Providence's large back DRAGOON mount to reduce weight. Its space speed could reach 1.1 times the Freedom's, and its ground speed was on par with the Freedom's. At the same time, it integrated the Providence's high-precision attitude adjustment system, enabling complex maneuvers such as mid-air hovering and high-speed turning. Its close-combat mobility far exceeded the Providence's and approached the Freedom's melee adaptability. Its weapon system was all-encompassing, with the core concept of retaining the Freedom's balanced firepower and multi-lock system, introducing the Providence's DRAGOON System, and supplementing it with close-combat enhancement weapons. The head mounted two MMI-GAU27D 12.5mm CIWS (improved Freedom type, increased rate of fire, used for anti-missile and close-range interception of enemy mobile suits); it was equipped with one MA-M21KF high-energy beam rifle (optimized Freedom type, 10% increased output, capable of switching between single-shot and three-round-burst modes, adapted for multi-lock, able to simultaneously attack three targets); close combat relied on two MR-Q17X beam sabers (Freedom + Providence fused design, lengthened blades, combinable into a twin-sword form, adapted for high-speed melee); long-range suppression depended on seven DRAGOON-7 small funnels (optimized Providence DRAGOONs, smaller in volume and lighter in weight, stowed on both sides of the back, supporting Psycommu plus manual dual control, with a maximum attack range of 10km, achieving omnidirectional coverage strikes with firepower slightly superior to the Providence's funnels and stronger mobility); the chest built-in two MMI-M100 twin beam cannons featured adjustable firing angles and could be concealed within the armor for surprise attacks or suppressing enemy fleets; additionally, there was one MX-703 dedicated defense shield (newly designed, lightweight Phase Shift armor material, with a built-in small beam barrier generator capable of withstanding beam cannons and ballistic attacks, and usable as a close-quarters melee shield).
Regarding core systems, the Justicar Gundam was equipped with an entirely new system upgraded from the Freedom's MCS Multilock System, capable of simultaneously locking onto twelve targets (the Freedom locked onto eight, the Providence eleven), balancing conventional weapons and the DRAGOON System to achieve "lock-on and strike." It optimized the Providence's Psycommu Support System to reduce pilot operational pressure, increasing DRAGOON hit rates by 30%. It featured an optimized Phase Shift armor control system capable of automatically adjusting armor energy concentration areas based on battlefield conditions to reduce energy consumption and enhance survivability. Furthermore, borrowing from the Freedom's cockpit ejection design, it added an emergency energy shield capable of withstanding short-term attacks during ejection to increase pilot survival rates. In exterior design, it leaned toward the Freedom's streamlined aesthetic, featuring clean and crisp lines that avoided the Providence's bulky feel, with a torso slightly wider than the Freedom's to accommodate the nuclear reactor and DRAGOON control system. The head fused features of the Freedom and Providence, featuring a blue monocular paired with small sensors on both sides of the head (Freedom style) without prominent sharp angles, possessing basic radar stealth capabilities. The paint job followed ZAFT X Series standard styling: the main body was silver-white, the shoulders, back thrusters, and leg edges were dark red, the chest beam cannon hatch was black, and the shield was silver-gray, providing extremely high recognition that distinguished it from the Freedom's blue-and-white and the Providence's silver-gray. In details, the two sides of the back featured DRAGOON storage bays (seven funnels placed on both sides), the shoulders possessed fold-out auxiliary thrusters, the waist housed beam saber storage slots, and the legs featured anti-slip treads to optimize ground mobility. Its overall styling combined a sense of assault with balanced aesthetic perfection, perfectly fitting its positioning as "all-encompassing domination."
When Akira piloted the Justicar Gundam out of the Starry Sky's hangar, the Earth Forces fleet had approached to within 200 kilometers. The distance between the two sides continuously shortened, and a major battle was on the verge of breaking out. The Earth Forces fleet formed a multi-wedge cluster formation, with the five main fleets clearly divided in labor: Agamemnon-class carriers were located at the core of each cluster, Nelson-class warships formed a firepower barrier at the front, Drake-class destroyers were distributed along both flanks, and the Dominion was located at the vanguard of the left cluster, rapidly closing in on the ZAFT defense line with its powerful mobility, pointing its objective directly at the Starry Sky. The three new advanced gundams-Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden-were positioned at the vanguard of the mobile suit cluster, taking the lead in breaking through ZAFT's early warning line and heading toward the Justicar Gundam, evidently intending to first eliminate this highly threatening new advanced unit. The remaining mobile suits successively sailed out from each Agamemnon-class carrier, forming a massive cluster that swept forward like a swarm of bees, the vast majority of which were Strike Dagger and Dagger type mobile suits, presenting an immensely shocking momentum.
"All units pay attention, the Earth Forces mobile suit cluster is about to enter the asteroid belt ambush zone. First echelon, prepare to launch an attack!" Akira's voice spread through encrypted communications to all units. The Justicar Gundam's thrusters were engaged at full output, instantly charging toward the three new advanced gundams while his gaze swept over the battlefield holographic projection, issuing commands with divided focus. "Starry Sky, immediately maneuver toward the Dominion, rely on hull armor for frontal interception to prevent it from breaking through the defense line, main cannons target the Dominion's engine section for precision strikes; left-wing garrison fleet, contract 5 kilometers toward the right wing to evade the firepower coverage of the Earth Forces' Nelson-class warships while concentrating firepower to strike the Earth Forces' Drake-class destroyers; I will go contain Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden, you focus on striking the Earth Forces' Dagger and Strike Dagger mobile suits to disrupt their formation!"
As his voice fell, the Justicar Gundam had already arrived before the three new advanced gundams. Concurrently, the Starry Sky received its command, relying on the strong support of three high-energy Deuterium Nuclear Power reactors and six sets of vector thrusters to rapidly switch to High-Speed Assault mode. Its silver hull cut through the airspace like a sharp sword, rushing straight toward the Dominion. The triple high-energy particle beam main cannons on the bow took the lead in initiating Single-Shot Anti-Ship Mode, their single-barrel output of 2,200kW precisely hitting the side of the Dominion's hull and stirring up bursts of sparks. The Dominion launched a hasty counterattack, its main cannon beam striking the Starry Sky's forward armor, leaving only a shallow scorch mark-the Starry Sky's 1,800mm thick heavy Phase Shift composite anti-beam and ballistic armor successfully withstood the blow, and should minor damage occur, the hull emergency repair system could rapidly repair it to support prolonged combat. The Starry Sky did not rush to launch a fierce attack, instead utilizing its mobility to circle and spar with the Dominion, its six-link medium beam secondary cannons firing continuously to suppress firepower while locking onto its engine and main cannon sections to execute containment. Its objective was very clear: rather than hastily destroying the Dominion, it would entangle it firmly, preventing it from sparing any attention to support the three new advanced gundams and creating conditions for Akira's melee skirmish. On the battlefield, the three new advanced gundams had already formed a tacit converging assault formation. The Forbidden Gundam initiated the attack first, the beam cannons on its shoulders instantly erupting with a scorching beam that went straight for the Justicar Gundam's cockpit. Concurrently, the Raider Gundam utilized its extremely high mobility to quietly circle around to the rear of the Justicar Gundam, its beam saber already drawn and primed for action, while the Calamity Gundam set up its main cannons in the distance, locking onto the Justicar Gundam's torso to form a triple convergence of "frontal containment, rear assault, and long-range blockade" with exceptionally tacit coordination. Akira's gaze narrowed, his fingertips rapidly manipulating the control stick as he utilized the precise attitude control of the Justicar Gundam's twelve auxiliary thrusters to violently roll to the left, narrowly dodging the Forbidden Gundam's beam. Simultaneously, the main back thrusters erupted at full force, the fuselage instantly darting forward by several meters to evade the beam saber thrust by the Raider Gundam, which grazed past the Justicar Gundam's shoulder armor, leaving a shallow scorch mark. With no time to catch his breath, Akira utilized the Starry Sky's omnidirectional fleet command system (with command latency under 0.5 seconds) to issue orders via communicator once again. "First echelon, launch attack! GuAIZ mobile suits focus on assaulting the flanks of the Earth Forces mobile suit cluster, Ginn Customs rely on asteroid cover to execute cluster strikes; main fleet flagship, lead three Nazca-class warships to flank around to the rear of the Earth Forces, strike supply ships, and sever their material supply!" At the same time, he manipulated the Justicar Gundam to turn, the MA-M21KF high-energy beam rifle rapidly targeting the Raider Gundam and firing a beam with single-shot precision to force the Raider Gundam back. The Starry Sky simultaneously activated the six-link medium beam secondary cannons on both sides of its hull (three per side, single-barrel output of 1,000kW), rotating 360 degrees to target the incoming Earth Forces mobile suits. Its firing rate of thirty rounds per minute rapidly formed suppressive firepower, with a response speed 30% faster than conventional warship secondary cannons, precisely intercepting Dagger mobile suits attempting to approach while continuously containing the Dominion to leave it not a shred of leeway for support.
"Quite fast reactions, but do you think you can dodge like this?" The voice of the Forbidden Gundam's pilot came through the public communication channel, carrying a hint of disdain, before maneuvering the Forbidden Gundam to launch another attack. Its shoulder beam cannons fired continuously, forming a dense beam net that blocked the Justicar Gundam's evasion route. The Calamity Gundam responded synchronously, its shoulder missile launch ports deploying as dozens of missiles roared forth. Rather than flying straight, they formed arc trajectories in the air, precisely predicting the Justicar Gundam's evasion direction. Seizing the opening, the Aegis Gundam accelerated once more, wrapping around to the side of the Justicar Gundam like a phantom with its beam saber pointed straight at its waist joints—the location where the armor was relatively weak and the core pivot of the mobile suit's mobility. The three units coordinated as smoothly as flowing water without the slightest flaw, evidently honed by long-term cooperative training. At this juncture, the entanglement between the Starry Sky and the Dominion also entered a white-hot phase. The Dominion attempted to break through the Starry Sky's containment, repeatedly adjusting its course in an effort to support the three new advanced gundams, only to be forced back each time by the Starry Sky's secondary cannons and close-defense cannons. Relying on a peak speed 1.2 times that of the Eternal, the Starry Sky kept the Dominion trapped firmly within its firepower coverage range. The bow main cannons periodically fired single shots to bombard the Dominion's weak defensive points; while failing to cause fatal damage, this forced the Dominion to divert attention to defense, rendering it utterly incapable of pulling forces away to support other sectors of the battlefield. The Starry Sky's emergency repair system also promptly handled several minor armor damage sites struck by the Dominion's secondary cannons, maintaining a stable suppressive posture throughout.
Akira felt not a shred of fear; his ACCORD Ability and SEED Factor activated simultaneously, and everything around him instantly became crystal clear. The attack trajectories, mobility, weapon cooldown times, and other data of the three new advanced gundams, alongside the movements of warships and mobile suits across the battlefield, instantly flooded into his mind, where they were rapidly analyzed and processed to formulate the optimal response plan. Facing the dense beam net, the missile trajectory predictions, and the flanking assault of the Raider Gundam, he chose not to take the hits head-on, instead manipulating the Justicar Gundam to initiate Instant Burst Maneuver. The two main thrusters on its back outputted at full capacity (with power increased by 20% compared to the Freedom), causing the fuselage to instantly hover and stall before soaring rapidly toward the upper left. Simultaneously, he activated the head MMI-GAU27D 12.5mm CIWS, firing a high-speed barrage to intercept the incoming missiles. Several missiles exploded beneath the Justicar Gundam, the resulting shockwaves shaking the fuselage slightly while flying debris grazed a deeper scorch mark into the shoulder armor. "Trying to catch me in a pincer, it won't be that easy!" Akira's tone was icy. While manipulating the Justicar Gundam to adjust its posture, the chest MMI-M100 twin beam cannons quietly deployed, firing a high-intensity beam toward the Calamity Gundam to force it into emergency evasion and disrupt its long-range blockade rhythm. Simultaneously, he divided his focus to command: "Starry Sky, continue to contain the Dominion, give it no opportunity for support, focus on striking its main cannon cooling system; second echelon mobile suits, draw ten GuAIZ to support the left defense line and intercept the Earth Forces mobile suit cluster assault; defense platforms, concentrate firepower to intercept incoming Earth Forces missiles and protect the warship formations!" Before his voice faded, the Justicar Gundam whipped around, its two MR-Q17X beam sabers popping out simultaneously to collide with the beam saber of the approaching Raider Gundam. Clang-! A piercing screech of metal on metal rang out, the powerful impact forcing both units to step back several meters simultaneously. The Justicar Gundam's arm joints trembled slightly, while the Raider Gundam's leg armor was scorched by the lingering shockwave of the beam sabers. Both sides suffered losses, yet this made it all the clearer to Akira that the cooperative combat power of the three new advanced gundams far exceeded expectations; they could only be suppressed gradually, not rushed.
At this very moment, the Forbidden Gundam seized the opening when the two units were entangled, rapidly closing in on the Justicar Gundam's rear with its beam cannons aimed straight at the thruster section-once the thrusters were damaged, the Justicar Gundam's mobility would drop drastically, plunging it into a passive state. Meanwhile, the Calamity Gundam adjusted its posture, its main cannons re-locking onto the Justicar Gundam and waiting for the optimal firing window; the moment the Justicar Gundam was hit by the Forbidden, it would immediately launch a fatal strike. The three units' coordination remained seamless, granting Akira not a moment to breathe. Relying on the precognitive predictions of his ACCORD Ability, Akira sensed the danger in advance and without a shred of hesitation, manipulated the Justicar Gundam to dive forward abruptly while activating the three back DRAGOON-7 small funnels. Relying on the Psycommu Support System, the three funnels rapidly popped out, precisely locking onto the Forbidden Gundam's shoulder beam cannons and firing synchronized beams to strike its shoulder. While failing to completely destroy the beam cannons, this inflicted a certain degree of damage that sharply reduced its rate of fire and threw its attack rhythm into disarray. Concurrently, Akira rapidly issued commands: "Left-wing garrison fleet, abandon the flanking maneuver, immediately support the Starry Sky, cooperate with the Starry Sky to strengthen suppression against the Dominion, and completely seal off its support route; first echelon mobile suits, do not get bogged down in prolonged combat, shift to the right side to contain the Earth Forces central mobile suit cluster and create opportunities for the warship formations to attack!" At this moment, receiving its command, the Starry Sky closed in on the Dominion, the triple high-energy particle beam main cannons on its bow switching to Rapid-Fire Suppression Mode to continuously bombard the side of the Dominion's hull. Beam after beam struck the armor, leaving dense scorch marks; the Dominion's main cannon cooling system was struck, causing its rate of fire to drop noticeably, and the suppressive posture was further consolidated. The Starry Sky then utilized its vector thrusters to rapidly switch back to Stable Combat mode, turning toward the Earth Forces' left cluster. Its six-link medium beam secondary cannons fired continuously, destroying two Drake-class destroyers and successfully supporting the left defense line. During this, several minor armor damage sites appearing on the hull were rapidly repaired by the hull emergency repair system, maintaining complete combat capability throughout and firmly containing the Dominion.
Meanwhile, in the asteroid belt region, the eighty mobile suits of the first echelon (sixty Ginn Customs + twenty GuAIZ) launched an assault in accordance with Akira's commands. Among them, the fifteen Silver Wing Fleet GuAIZ mobile suits sortied first, utilizing outstanding mobility to rapidly weave between the asteroids, precisely assaulting the flanks of the Earth Forces mobile suit cluster with beam machine guns and rocket launchers striking their targets accurately. The sixty Ginn Customs utilized the cover of asteroids to launch synchronized attacks from all directions, pouring beam machine guns and rocket launchers forth like a torrential downpour. Unprepared, over thirty of the Earth Forces' Dagger and Strike Dagger mobile suits were struck instantly, transforming into balls of fire. "Damn it! It's an ambush!" Earth Forces mobile suit pilots cried out in alarm, immediately adjusting their formations to attempt a counterattack. However, ZAFT's mobile suits relied on the terrain advantage of the asteroid belt and the assault capability of the GuAIZ to hit and run, continually harassing the Earth Forces mobile suit cluster and completely disrupting their offensive rhythm.
On the warship front, the Earth Forces fleet had approached to within 100 kilometers. The main cannons of each cluster fired in succession, pouring countless beams and missiles toward ZAFT's warship formations and defense platforms. The main cannons of the Nelson-class warships in particular possessed formidable power, their beam trajectories cutting through the cosmos like sharp swords. "All warships, execute tactical evasion! Left and right wings cover each other alternately, rely on asteroid cover and fortress firepower to concentrate counterattack firepower!" Acting upon Akira's established orders, Vice Admiral Raymond and Vice Admiral Allen gave the command simultaneously. ZAFT's sixty-nine warships adjusted their courses in unison, executing irregular evasions to dodge the majority of incoming beams and missiles while concentrating counterattack firepower. Dense beams and anti-air missiles wove a sturdy interception net in the airspace, intercepting the remaining incoming missiles, though a small number of beams still struck the hulls of four Lauria-class warships. The decks of two warships were pierced and their propulsion systems damaged, forcing them to withdraw from combat, while the remaining two continued to persevere relying on their remaining armor. While manipulating the Justicar Gundam to grapple with the three new advanced gundams, Akira monitored the warship combat conditions via radar, supplementing his commands in a timely manner: "Damaged warships, immediately withdraw to the flanks for emergency repairs; remaining Lauria-class warships, rally toward the Nazca-class warships, relying on their fire cover to continue tactical evasion and counterattacks; Starry Sky, rapidly support the rear defense line and assault the Earth Forces supply ship cluster!"
Upon receiving the command, the Starry Sky relied on the mobility advantage supported by its three Deuterium Nuclear Power reactors to immediately adjust its course, maneuvering at full speed toward ZAFT's rear defense line. En route, it activated the twelve-link beam machine cannons positioned around its hull and stern (single-barrel fire rate of 150 rounds per minute, output of 150kW), effortlessly destroying three incoming Strike Dagger mobile suits-this close-defense weapon could simultaneously lock onto twenty incoming targets with an interception success rate of over 85%, perfectly adapting to close-range defense demands. Upon arriving in the rear airspace, the Starry Sky activated the eight-link heavy armor-piercing missile launch bays on the underside of its hull. The carried heavy armor-piercing demolition missiles could evade conventional radar detection (range 60km), precisely locking onto the Earth Forces supply ships to salvo-fire and instantly destroy two supply ships. Their supply bays detonated, sending massive amounts of ammunition and supplies floating into the airspace, completely severing the material supply of the Earth Forces' rear cluster and fully demonstrating its single-ship raiding advantage while indirectly easing front-line pressure and accumulating advantages for the melee. The garrison fleet flagship, leading two Lauria-class warships, utilized the firepower blind spots between the Earth Forces' various clusters to quietly flank around to the rear cluster of the Earth Forces, launching an attack against the remaining supply ships and Drake-class destroyers. Three Drake-class destroyers were struck by beams, their hulls heavily damaged and losing mobility before being thoroughly destroyed by ZAFT warships. At this time, Akira was locked in a tense grappling stalemate with the three new advanced gundams. After the Forbidden Gundam's shoulder beam cannons were damaged, it adjusted its tactics, shifting to close-range assault and attempting to ram the Justicar Gundam utilizing its own armor advantage; the Calamity Gundam maintained long-range suppression, firing main cannons and missiles alternately to seal off the Justicar Gundam's evasion space; the Raider Gundam remained tasked with flanking harassment, launching surprise attacks from time to time and retreating immediately after striking. The three units' coordination remained tight, and even with the damage sustained by the Forbidden, not a single flaw appeared. The Calamity Gundam's main cannon beams brushed past the Justicar Gundam's fuselage multiple times, leaving shallow scorch marks that accumulated until the Justicar Gundam's torso armor was covered in minor scorch marks. The Phase Shift armor control system automatically concentrated energy onto the damaged areas, reducing energy consumption while ensuring that no vulnerabilities appeared in its defense, while the Raider Gundam continually circled the Justicar Gundam, attempting to find a melee opening. Several times, its beam sabers narrowly missed the Justicar Gundam's joint areas, only to be narrowly avoided through Akira's precise attitude control of the Justicar Gundam. While manipulating the Justicar Gundam to evade the Calamity Gundam's main cannon fire, Akira retaliated with the MA-M21KF high-energy beam rifle (three-round-burst mode), striking the Raider Gundam's leg armor to leave a deep scorch mark. While failing to destroy its thrusters, this reduced its mobility slightly. Utilizing the Starry Sky's quantum reconnaissance radar (reconnaissance range 150km) to capture battlefield movements, he divided his focus to command: "First echelon mobile suits, converge entirely toward the center, cooperate with second echelon mobile suits to pincer the Earth Forces central mobile suit cluster; fortress main cannons, target the Agamemnon-class carriers of the Earth Forces' left cluster, execute precision strikes to destroy their mobile suit launch platforms!" Simultaneously activating the hangar-side mobile suit support beam cannons (single-barrel output of 800kW, range 40km), the Starry Sky locked onto ZAFT mobile suit combat targets synchronously, providing long-range firepower support to surrounding GuAIZ mobile suits and realizing a dual "warship + mobile suit" suppression that further accumulated battlefield advantages.
Upon receiving the command, the fortress main cannons immediately fired two ultra-high-power beams, precisely striking an Agamemnon-class carrier of the Earth Forces' left cluster. The carrier's deck was completely pierced, its mobile suit docking bay exploded, and multiple mobile suits awaiting launch were destroyed. The carrier's mobile suit deployment capability dropped drastically, the Earth Forces' central mobile suit cluster lost support, and their formation instantly plunged into chaos. Seizing the moment, ZAFT's first and second echelon mobile suits launched a pincer attack, with GuAIZ mobile suits weaving through to assault and Ginn Customs executing cluster strikes, instantly destroying dozens of Earth Forces mobile suits to further expand the battlefield advantage and depriving the three new advanced gundams of partial mobile suit support, rendering their situation somewhat difficult-this was the advantage Mei Hock had accumulated step by step, refusing to rush to rout individual targets, but instead systematically dismantling the Earth Forces' overall support system. On the melee front, Mei Hock finally seized a sliver of an opening in the three units' coordination: when the Forbidden Gundam executed a close-range ram, it required a brief posture adjustment, and while the Calamity Gundam's main cannons were on cooldown, it could not provide immediate support, whereas the Aegis Gundam suffered from reduced mobility due to leg damage and could not reposition in time. Deliberately exposing a flaw, Mei Hock lured the Forbidden Gundam in before suddenly spinning around, his beam saber piercing precisely into the Forbidden Gundam's shoulder beam cannons. Clang-! The beam saber pierced the Forbidden Gundam's shoulder, completely destroying its beam cannon and depriving it of its primary offensive weapon. "Damn it!" the pilot of the Forbidden Gundam roared, manipulating the unit to pull back and attempting to adjust tactics to shift to pure melee ramming, only to be locked onto by the Justicar Gundam's funnels under Mei Hock's control. Two beams struck its chest armor, leaving two scorch marks that forced it to head back for emergency repairs and temporarily withdraw from the frontal melee. The three-unit pincer formation was broken, and the advantage began to tilt toward Mei Hock. "Starry Sky, continue to strengthen suppression against the Dominion, give it no breathing room, and if it attempts to break out, immediately use main cannons to intercept; mobile suit cluster, focus on striking the Earth Forces mobile suits that have lost support, and thoroughly shatter their offensive formation!" Mei Hock's instructions remained steady and calm. While manipulating the Justicar Gundam to suppress the Forbidden Gundam, he turned his attention to the Calamity and Aegis Gundams, progressively widening his suppressive advantage.
Having lost the frontal containment of the Forbidden Gundam, the coordination between the Calamity and Aegis Gundams turned passive, forcing them to adjust tactics: the Calamity Gundam ramped up long-range firepower output in an attempt to suppress the Justicar Gundam and create a raiding opportunity for the Aegis Gundam, while the Aegis Gundam abandoned flanking harassment to engage in frontal melee, relying on its remaining mobility to cling desperately to the Justicar Gundam while waiting for the Forbidden Gundam to recover combat readiness. Mei Hock's gaze turned icy as he saw through their tactics, manipulating the Justicar Gundam to deploy all seven DRAGOON-7 small funnels. Relying on the Psycommu Support System, they split into two groups: a group of three to contain the Calamity Gundam, and a group of four to intercept the Aegis Gundam, while dividing his focus to command: "Starry Sky, return to the frontal battlefield, continue to contain the Dominion, and simultaneously support mobile suit combat; mobile suit cluster, focus on striking the Earth Forces mobile suits that have lost support, completely shattering their offensive formation; GuAIZ battalion, draw ten GuAIZ units to support Starry Sky operations and further seal off the Dominion's breakout route!" Seeing this, the Calamity Gundam immediately fired missiles to intercept the funnels, but the funnels relied on their flexible mobility (superior to the Providence's funnels) to dodge the missile interception and successively strike the Calamity Gundam's fuselage. Multiple locations on the Calamity Gundam's hull suffered damage, its main cannon cooldown time was prolonged, and its firepower dropped drastically. Its long-range suppression capability declined, rendering it no longer capable of effectively sealing off the Justicar Gundam's evasion space. Meanwhile, the Aegis Gundam was pinned down tightly by the four funnels; its beam sabers could not effectively assault, leaving it to defend passively while the damage to its leg armor expanded further, rendering its mobility worse and worse. During the melee, its shoulder was struck once more by the Justicar Gundam's beam rifle, resulting in severe armor damage. At this moment, the Starry Sky had returned to the frontal battlefield, re-incorporating the Dominion into its suppression range. Its triple main cannons and secondary cannons fired alternately, filling the Dominion's hull with scorch marks while its engine section suffered minor damage, causing its speed to drop drastically. Far from supporting the three new advanced gundams, even its own defense appeared strenuous as it could only rely on remaining firepower to put up a stubborn resistance. The Starry Sky's suppressive advantage was now thoroughly consolidated.
Right at this moment, the Forbidden Gundam, having recovered a modicum of combat capability, launched a renewed surprise attack, closing in from the Justicar Gundam's left flank and attempting to ram its fuselage into the Justicar Gundam's cockpit in an effort to turn the tide. Seizing the opening created by the funnels' containment, the Aegis Gundam poured its utmost effort into launching a final assault, pointing its beam saber straight at the Justicar Gundam's cockpit to form a dual convergence with the Forbidden Gundam. Meanwhile, the Calamity Gundam took advantage of this window to rapidly complete its main cannon cooldown, firing a powerful beam toward the Justicar Gundam. The three units once again formed a coordinated pincer attack; despite respective damages, their coordination remained tacit, attempting to rout the Justicar Gundam in one fell swoop in a scene of extreme peril. Relying on the precognitive predictions of his ACCORD Ability, Mei Hock sensed the danger in advance and without the slightest panic, manipulated the Justicar Gundam to violently roll to the right to evade the Aegis Gundam's beam saber while activating the MX-703 dedicated defense shield to block the Forbidden Gundam's ram. The shield collided with the Forbidden Gundam's fuselage, the powerful impact forcing the Justicar Gundam back several meters while leaving a shallow crack on the shield's surface. Simultaneously, he manipulated the three funnels containing the Calamity Gundam to rapidly pivot and fire beams at the Calamity Gundam's main cannon, striking its barrel and forcing the Calamity Gundam's beam to deviate in direction, skimming past the Justicar Gundam's shoulder to strike a distant asteroid and blast it into instant fragments. The sequence of maneuvers flowed as smoothly as running water. Seemingly perilous in the extreme, Mei Hock maintained absolute command of the battlefield initiative, executing them with ease. Seizing the opening, Mei Hock manipulated the Justicar Gundam to close in rapidly while issuing orders: "All warships, concentrate firepower to strike damaged Earth Forces warships and carriers; mobile suit cluster, thoroughly clear out remaining Earth Forces mobile suits and further expand our advantage!" Subsequently, the Justicar Gundam's beam sabers struck the Aegis Gundam's leg joints with precision, completely destroying its thrusters. Deprived of mobility, the Aegis Gundam could no longer execute high-speed assaults, leaving it to drift aimlessly in the airspace and unable to participate further in the pincer attack. The Forbidden Gundam was struck in its engine section by the Justicar Gundam's chest beam cannons, suffering a sharp drop in mobility that left it barely able to maintain flight without being able to launch effective assaults anew. The Calamity Gundam, due to its damaged main cannon, had completely lost long-range suppression capabilities and could only rely on missiles for weak counterattacks. The three new advanced gundams were thoroughly suppressed by the Justicar Gundam, losing the ability to form effective pincer formations once and for all. Through step-by-step tactical adjustments and unit performance advantages, Mei Hock finally grasped the absolute initiative in the melee.
By this point, the three new advanced gundams-Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden-had been thoroughly suppressed by the Justicar Gundam. The Raider Gundam had lost its thrusters, drifting in the airspace and unable to participate in combat; the Forbidden Gundam's engines were damaged and its shoulder beam cannons destroyed, leaving its mobility and firepower vastly reduced as it could barely evade the Justicar Gundam's attacks without any counterattack capability; the Calamity Gundam's main cannon was damaged and its missiles nearly depleted, erasing its long-range suppression capabilities as it was forced to rely on remaining armor for passive defense. While not completely destroyed, the three units had completely lost their capacity to threaten ZAFT forces, reduced to barely sustaining their survival under the Justicar Gundam's suppression. Akira did not rush to destroy them-he understood that leaving these three units alive would tie down a portion of the Earth Forces' rescue forces, further accumulating battlefield advantages while allowing him to concentrate on commanding the overall situation. Having engaged in a close-quarters melee for nearly an hour, Akira had continuously divided his focus to command the warship and mobile suit formations across the entire battlefield while responding to the tacit pincer attacks of the three new advanced gundams, step-by-step adjusting tactics to dismantle the Earth Forces' support system. This perfectly demonstrated his top-tier personal combat prowess, extraordinary campaign command ability, and the formidable performance of the Justicar Gundam's "all-encompassing domination" positioning. Throughout the engagement, the Justicar Gundam's torso armor was covered in minor scorch marks and its shield bore slight cracks, yet it suffered no core damage. The Phase Shift armor control system and emergency protective design effectively safeguarded the unit's combat capability. Meanwhile, though the three new advanced gundams displayed strong coordination that repeatedly plunged Akira into perilous situations, they were ultimately unable to breach Akira's piloting or the Justicar Gundam's performance edge, leading to their progressive suppression and reducing them to "burdens" that merely pinned down Earth Forces troops.
Once the three new advanced gundams were dealt with, Mei Hock piloted the Justicar Gundam to fly rapidly toward the Earth Forces' central mobile suit cluster. Firing its beam sabers and beam rifle simultaneously, it instantly destroyed five Strike Dagger mobile suits, prompting ZAFT's mobile suit cluster's morale to surge as they launched a final counterattack that completely shattered the offensive formation of the Earth Forces mobile suits.
Following the elimination of the three new advanced gundams, the Earth Forces' mobile suit cluster plunged into complete chaos. Deprived of core deterrent forces, coupled with damaged Agamemnon-class carriers that disrupted their mobile suit deployment rhythm, the large-scale mobile suit cluster lost its coordination and devolved into uncoordinated skirmishers. Seizing the moment, ZAFT's mobile suits launched a counterattack-most notably the forty-one GuAIZ mobile suits (twenty-one from the Silver Wing Fleet and twenty from the fortress)-which utilized outstanding mobility to weave through and assault the Earth Forces mobile suit cluster, focusing on striking the engine sections of the Strike Dagger mobile suits. Among them, the Silver Wing Fleet's GuAIZ mobile suits achieved a raiding efficiency far surpassing standard GuAIZ thanks to their pilots' superb skill. Combined with the cluster firepower of the Ginn Customs, they continuously destroyed Earth Forces Dagger and Strike Dagger mobile suits, causing the number of Earth Forces mobile suits to plummet rapidly until fewer than 450 remained. On the warship front, the Earth Forces' supply lines had been severed, and their left and right rear clusters had suffered severe damage. A total of eighty-two warships had been destroyed (including three Agamemnon-class, fifteen Nelson-class, and sixty-four Drake-class), while forty-five warships sustained heavy damage with pierced hulls and paralyzed propulsion, forcing them to withdraw from combat as they lost combat capability. One main fleet (forty ships) was nearly wiped out entirely, leaving a mere five ships barely maintaining flight to attempt a retreat relying on remaining armor. The Dominion had long since been paralyzed by the Starry Sky and drifted in the airspace, incapable of launching any further attacks. ZAFT's two fleets fought cooperatively with seamless coordination, relying on tactical evasion and the Starry Sky's mobile support to effectively minimize their own losses. The Starry Sky, leveraging its core parameter advantages, traversed the battlefield throughout, successively supporting four combat sectors and relying on its triple main cannons (freely switching between three modes), six-link secondary cannons, twelve-link close-defense cannons, and eight-link armor-piercing missiles to cumulatively destroy twelve Earth Forces warships and twenty-eight mobile suits. During this time, it repeatedly withstood enemy beam attacks, all of which were deflected by the 1,800mm thick Phase Shift composite armor, leaving only a few minor armor damage sites on the hull that were rapidly repaired by the emergency repair system to maintain complete combat capability at all times. Its two high-speed electromagnetic catapults also repeatedly deployed three elite mobile suits synchronously, which, combined with battlefield support, vastly enhanced cooperative combat efficiency.
"Give the Earth Forces no breathing room! All warships, pursue at full strength! Mobile suit cluster, focus on striking remaining mobile suits and thoroughly eradicate the Earth Forces' living forces!" Mei Hock's voice rang out across all units. The Justicar Gundam took the lead in launching the pursuit, leading the mobile suit cluster to charge toward the Earth Forces' remaining forces while continuing to issue commands. "Starry Sky, lead three Nazca-class warships to pursue the retreating Earth Forces main fleet, focusing on striking damaged warships to prevent their escape; remaining warships, clear out battlefield remnants and salvage prisoners and supplies; mobile suit cluster, pursue in three directions and completely shatter the Earth Forces' remaining forces!"
Following over an hour of pursuit, the Earth Forces' five main fleets were thoroughly routed. A total of 108 warships were destroyed (including four Agamemnon-class, twenty-two Nelson-class, and eighty-two Drake-class), fifty-two were heavily damaged, forty were captured, 680 mobile suits were destroyed, and eighty were captured. One main fleet was completely annihilated, while the remaining four fleets lost all combat capability. The Dominion was desperately rescued back by the Atlantic Federation, though one of its escape pods was captured by ZAFT forces, and Azrael escaped aboard another escape pod. The three new advanced gundams-Forbidden, Calamity, and Raider-were continuously suppressed by the Justicar Gundam until energy depletion forced the Atlantic Federation to desperately salvage them. All other remaining forces were either destroyed or forced to surrender. On ZAFT's side, only eight warships were lost (two Nazca-class, six Lauria-class, all from the garrison and main fleets; the Silver Wing Fleet suffered zero losses), alongside sixty-two mobile suits (forty-two Ginn Customs, twenty GuAIZ; the Silver Wing Fleet lost merely three GuAIZ). Twelve warships were damaged (four Nazca-class, eight Lauria-class), thirty-eight mobile suits were injured (twenty-eight Ginn Customs, ten GuAIZ), and the Starry Sky maintained complete combat capability, its hull bearing only the scorch marks accumulated from suppressing the Dominion. The Justicar Gundam similarly bore only torso armor scorch marks and slight shield cracks, with zero core damage. At minimal cost, ZAFT achieved victory in this outnumbered battle, successfully crippling a main fleet of the Earth Forces while preserving the core combat power of the garrison fleet, the reinforced main fleet, and the Silver Wing Fleet intact. The GuAIZ battalion retained twenty-one operational units (four in the fortress + seventeen in the Silver Wing Fleet), the Starry Sky's ten elite mobile suits were completely undamaged, and the Justicar Gundam suffered zero core damage. This victory was the result of Akira accumulating advantages step by step through his melee engagement with the three new advanced gundams and the Starry Sky's continuous suppression of the Dominion, rather than a transient surprise assault.
Following the conclusion of the battle, Mei Hock immediately issued orders to organize troops in clearing the battlefield, salvaging damaged warships and mobile suits, treating injured soldiers, and repairing and replenishing Boaz Fortress and the warship formations. "Vice Admiral Raymond, arrange personnel to repair damaged warships and defense platforms as soon as possible, replenish ammunition and supplies, and simultaneously interrogate prisoners to acquire more intelligence on the Earth Forces, especially their Moon Base troop deployment and subsequent offensive plans. Starry Sky, take charge of guarding the captured Dominion." Mei Hock instructed.
"Understood, Major Hawke!" Vice Admiral Raymond immediately organized troops to carry out aftermath operations. Atop the bridge of the Starry Sky, Mei Hock stared at the battlefield casualty report on the holographic screen, his brow furrowing slightly. Although victory had been achieved in this battle, the Earth Forces' strength remained formidable, with substantial forces remaining at the Moon Base. They would certainly not let the matter rest and were bound to stage a comeback; the next offensive would only prove all the more ferocious.
Before you continue