The next day, Desert Dawn entered a state of intense preparation for battle. Children clung to their fathers, wives worried for their husbands, and mothers prayed for their sons.
"Hurry! Move these over there!"
"No time to waste!"
"Alright, that's good."
"Bring as many as you can!"
"But there's no space left."
...
As the Archangel lifted off the ground and officially set sail, Desert Dawn's armed trucks also roared to life, moving ahead like an escort formation before the massive ship.
"Tch, they really don't have to do this," Lyle muttered inside the cockpit of his Desert Spec GINN, watching the impassioned Resistance Organization members with a sigh.
To conserve energy, Yang Hui and Lyle's Desert Spec GINNs weren't following the Archangel on the ground. Instead, they had been loaded into the ship's hangar, ready to sortie only when the enemy appeared.
"Neither do we, right?" Yang Hui teased.
"Haha, true enough."
Lyle understood—Yang Hui wasn't just talking about now, but the past.
Back in the world of Gundam 00, when they had joined Celestial Being, they had knowingly risked their lives as a tiny force standing against the entire world. How was that any different from Desert Dawn here?
"Get ready. As expected, our movements have been detected."
"Roger that. Gundam Cherudim, preparing to snipe targets."
"...Not only did you steal your brother's line, but you're also cucking Cherudim now?"
"Heh, my brother's not here anyway. And since I'm piloting Cherudim, there's no cucking involved."
"Pfft, first time I've seen a scumbag act so shamelessly."
"Like you're one to talk."
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield—
Andrew Waltfeld had already pinpointed the Archangel's location the previous night. However, the Desert Tiger had been in rare high spirits, unwilling to resort to underhanded tactics like ambushes or night raids. He wanted a proper, honorable battle against the Archangel's crew, which was why he had delayed the engagement until now.
"They're making their move?"
"Affirmative. They're heading northwest."
"That direction... They're moving toward the ruins of the Tapadia factory. Just as predicted."
From the start, Andrew had anticipated that the Archangel would choose this route to break through their blockade. The other paths would be nearly impossible to traverse, even with clever tactics. Thus, he had already set up his forces near the factory ruins.
"Perfect, Captain. This time, we'll definitely take them down," Dakosta said excitedly. The "Legged Ship" had already made a name for itself within the ZAFT Forces—breaking through the pursuit of Creuset Team and descending to Earth was no small feat. But that also meant sinking the Archangel would bring immense prestige. Forget rewards—just the reputation boost alone would elevate them within ZAFT's ranks.
"Don't get careless, Dakosta. You might end up dead instead," Andrew warned. Despite his preparations, he wasn't underestimating the Archangel. The Strike Gundam's previous performance had been terrifying, and then there was Yang Hui—an enigma whose role in this battle remained uncertain.
"Understood, Captain! Shall we sortie now?"
"Mm. La Seine, set sail. Altitude 02. Signal the Petrie, Henry Carter, and Steve to prepare. The operation begins."
"Roger!" XN
...
"Boom boom boom boom..."
Before the battle even began, with neither side yet within sight of the other, a sea of flames erupted across the desert ahead of the Archangel, signaling the start of combat.
"That's the direction of the Resistance Organization's minefield!"
Both the Archangel and Desert Dawn came to an abrupt halt, staring in shock at the towering crimson glow and billowing smoke.
For Desert Dawn to stand against ZAFT Forces, armed jeeps and 75mm armor-piercing rounds alone wouldn't suffice. They'd laid numerous minefields across the desert as traps to contend with ZAFT.
They'd chosen this particular route precisely because it contained their most extensive minefield deployment.
What they didn't know was that Andrew Waltfeld had long since discovered these mines. Playing along, he'd used them to deduce Archangel's movement direction and made counter-preparations.
"Stay calm! We're not under attack!"
"But the mines... wiped out in an instant..."
"It seems the Tiger is finally bringing his full strength against us."
Led by Sahib, a few remained clear-headed, aware that Andrew Waltfeld had never taken them seriously before. Otherwise, the Desert Dawn organization would have been wiped out long ago.
With the mines cleared, even fools could tell the enemy had discovered their position. Not daring to delay further, Archangel and Desert Dawn resumed movement toward the factory ruins at Tapadia. But just as the ruins' edge came into view, radar alarms sounded.
"Beep beep beep..."
"Radar detects possible enemy aircraft signatures! Heavy interference makes numbers difficult to confirm - bearing 1:30!"
"Two large heat sources detected behind them! Suspected enemy destroyer-class mothership!"
"Commence anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-MS combat operations!"
"Strike, Skygrasper, GINN Units 1 and 2 - launch!"
The moment of battle had finally arrived, and both Yang Hui and Lyle were itching to go.
"APU activated, catapult connection established, all systems normal. GINN Unit 1, cleared for launch!"
"Roger. Yang Hui, GINN Unit 1, launching!"
Propelled by the electromagnetic catapult's thrust, the GINN accelerated sharply before being hurled from the launch deck. Flames erupted from its back and legs, slowing its descent until it landed steadily on the desert surface. Utilizing numerous leg thrusters, it glided above the sand like an ice skater on solid ice.
Following Yang Hui's desert-specialized GINN came Lyle's Unit 2, the Strike Gundam with its Aile Striker pack, and the Skygrasper carrying the Strike's artillery combat pack.
"Quite the warm welcome."
No sooner had the four units launched than they were greeted by a formation of ZAFT attack helicopters - though in Yang Hui's eyes, these aircraft were as fragile as mosquitoes.
"Lyle, tactical formation A02."
"Copy that."
The two desert-specialized GINNs maintained precise spacing, transforming the desert into their stage as they glided along graceful arcs - approaching, crossing, separating - like elegant dancers performing a magnificent routine.
Yet beneath this elegance and splendor lurked deadly scythes.
The two machines continued their sliding maneuvers, their 76mm heavy assault machine guns spewing tongues of fire, adding dazzling fireworks to the stage while also decorating the sky with beautiful bursts of celebratory sparks.
"Oh..."
Everyone witnessing this scene was stunned. Initially, no one believed Naturals could pilot MS, but now they watched as the two machines performed elegant, spiraling dance steps with graceful brilliance, simultaneously sweeping through the sky like the Grim Reaper clearing away insects.
"How is this possible... How is he doing this?"
Cagalli was the most shocked among them. She didn't know Lyle well, but she was familiar with Yang Hui—or so she thought. Now... Cagalli realized Yang Hui had been right. She truly didn't understand him at all.
"Cagalli, watch out!"
"Huh—?!"
Just as everyone marveled at Yang Hui and Lyle's performance, the enemy's reinforcements had already closed in—twelve [BuCUEs] charging menacingly, with their mothership and destroyers looming ominously in the rear.
...
"Desert-type [GINNs]? No, they've been modified... They actually have something like this?!"
On the Lesseps, Andrew Waltfeld froze for a moment before being astonished by the two [GINNs'] performance. Frankly, even he couldn't pull off such maneuvers. Moreover, their tight formation and seamless coordination proved they were anything but rookies—they were absolute aces.
"Could it be him? Hah, so he was hiding this kind of skill. Impressive."
Andrew Waltfeld had already guessed that one of the [GINN] pilots was Yang Hui. The Archangel had no Coordinators besides Kira, nor any Naturals capable of piloting an MS, let alone access to modified [GINNs]. Otherwise, they would have used them in previous battles.
"I'm heading out too, Dakosta. The rest is up to you."
"Yes, Captain. Be careful."
"Don't worry, I won't die that easily."
...
With the armed helicopters completely wiped out, the next enemies were the [BuCUEs].
The numbers had changed again, but Yang Hui wasn't surprised—this was the expected scenario. Andrew Waltfeld was, after all, the ZAFT Forces' commander in the African theater, practically a regional Commander. It would be absurd if he only had six or seven [BuCUEs] under his command.
"Twelve [BuCUEs]... This is really gonna be a pain," Lyle said with a "panicked" grin.
"Could you at least drop the smile? It's not convincing," Yang Hui retorted, rolling his eyes.
"Just setting the mood."
"More like mocking."
"Fine, I am mocking them."
"Then get ready. B71."
"Roger."
As they prepared to engage the [BuCUEs], the two [GINNs] shifted formation—no longer side by side, but one in front of the other. Yang Hui's machine held a gun in one hand and a sword in the other, shielding Lyle's machine, which carried a rocket launcher on each arm, concealing his position.
Missiles and shells rained down, but the two machines weaved through the explosions with elegant arcs, occasionally shooting down unavoidable missiles as they closed in rapidly.
Upon contact with the [BuCUEs], the high-speed machines attempted to ram them head-on using their momentum.
Just as the collision seemed imminent, Yang Hui's machine leaped lightly, rolling over the back of the BuCUE and swinging its sword, slicing it in half at the waist.
The electromagnetic cannons on the backs of the BuCUEs on either side had already locked onto Yang Hui's machine, golden electricity beginning to spark. But just as they were about to fire, two rockets struck them with pinpoint accuracy, blasting their heads to pieces.
Yang Hui's machine landed, its heavy machine gun unleashing a torrent of fire. As one BuCUE was about to launch its missiles, the bullets detonated them, blowing the BuCUE apart in the process.
Not to be outdone, Lyle's machine fired its remaining two rockets, disabling two more BuCUEs.
"So... so strong..."
The Strike Gundam, arriving late, hovered in the air, watching Yang Hui and Lyle's performance. Kira was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
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