On the other side of L4, twelve Naska-class ships silently advanced, now close enough to visibly observe the fierce battle unfolding ahead.
"So... what now? I didn't expect the battle to have already begun."
"Aside from Eternal, there are two other ships—one is the Long-Legged Ship... while the Earth Forces seem to only have one vessel," reported Captain Addis.
"Regardless, we're completely in the dark about the situation. There's no way to proceed without intel. Yzak and I will infiltrate the Colony to gather information first."
"You're going personally?" Captain Addis exclaimed in surprise. Their current forces were more than enough to encircle both the Earth Forces and the four ships of the Three Ships Alliance. "With our current combat strength, we could easily catch them off guard. Whether it's Eternal, the Long-Legged Ship, or the Earth Forces' vessel, none can stand against us, right?"
"Numerically, we do hold the advantage. But Addis, you're overlooking the importance of intelligence," Creuset shook his head, rejecting Addis's suggestion.
"Intelligence... you say?"
"Correct. Freedom, Justice, Rebirth, and Covenant were originally our military's most advanced MS. Their power is immeasurable."
"But it's just four MS. We only need to target their mothership—"
"Carelessness will cost lives, Addis."
"...Understood."
"Still, you're not entirely wrong." Creuset didn't fully agree with Addis because he knew Yang Hui was on the opposing side. Against Yang Hui, without someone to restrain him, numbers alone would be meaningless—like offering themselves up on a platter. Yet, he couldn't completely dismiss the idea either. After all, Patrice Zala had assigned him this many units to pursue Eternal precisely because they anticipated Yang Hui might be with it. If they returned empty-handed, he'd have a hard time justifying it.
"So, Captain, you mean..."
"Yzak and I will still infiltrate the Colony for reconnaissance. You approach from the flank but avoid engaging in full-scale combat immediately. Focus on buying time until we return. We've brought twenty-four of the new Gells units—as long as you don't recklessly charge in, stalling them shouldn't be an issue."
"I understand."
"Colonies Sadley and Mendel... If things go smoothly, many problems could be resolved here. Do not act rashly. Understood?"
"Yes!"
...
Amid the battle, Dominion didn't grow overconfident. Facing three enemy ships, Murrue (Carbon) and Badgiruel (Carbon) chose to hide within the debris field, engaging in guerrilla tactics against the trio—with Archangel as their primary target.
"What about Dominion? Can we locate it?"
"Negative! There's too much debris in the vicinity!"
Beep beep beep...
Just then, alarms blared as Dominion—previously unseen—emerged from behind a massive wreck, positioning itself directly above Archangel.
"Dominion spotted in Green Zone 19A!"
"When did it—?!"
Dominion's sudden appearance in that location caught Archangel completely off guard, leaving it vulnerable to a point-blank assault.
Seeing Dominion's main cannon, Gottfried, charging up, Murrue urgently commanded: "Evasive maneuvers!"
Helmsman Arnold sharply turned the ship's wheel, barely maneuvering the Archangel out of the enemy vessel's line of fire.
"Starboard CIWS Array ready! Load anti-air missiles into the launchers!" Natarle Badgiruel immediately issued the command, causing everyone to pause momentarily—there was clearly nothing in that direction.
Yet their long-honed teamwork prevailed. Without questioning, they snapped to attention and executed Natarle's orders.
Sure enough, the next second...
"Beep beep beep..."
"Missiles rapidly approaching in Orange Zone D!"
"Shoot them all down!"
The sudden missile barrage startled everyone—they were dangerously close. Had Natarle not prepared them in advance, this wave would have been impossible to intercept.
"Natarle..."
"We're still in combat! The enemy is ourselves!" Natarle reminded Murrue. Though she couldn't fathom why another Murrue and another version of herself were aboard the Dominion, being her own counterpart meant she could anticipate their tactics through shared perspective.
"Understood." Murrue nodded, coordinating with Natarle to stalemate the Dominion's overwhelming advantage.
"What about the White Tiger and Eternal?" Murrue asked Miriallia. Their mission wasn't to fight the Dominion but to escape swiftly—especially with ZAFT forces also in pursuit.
Speak of the devil. Miriallia urgently reported: "Incoming transmission from White Tiger and Eternal! ZAFT Forces detected—12 Naska-class ships, 70 MS units, including 24 of ZAFT's new model MS! They're requesting backup!"
"What!?" The update shocked everyone—both at ZAFT's timing and the staggering scale of their pursuit force.
"What's their status?" Murrue pressed. While the Archangel-Dominion deadlock posed no immediate danger, White Tiger and Eternal faced crushing odds. With most aces tied up against Dominion's MS units, only 18 MS remained on defense—elite Orb pilots like Barry Ho, Jiang Kerry, Lowe, and Mu among them. Even these near-aces couldn't shield both ships against such overwhelming numbers.
Worse... this was just the beginning. Heavy losses now would cripple their entire operation.
"White Tiger and Eternal repeat: backup needed!"
"Damn it, we can't disengage either..." Murrue's mind raced. The Archangel couldn't break free, and with no updates from Yang Hui's team, they had no reserves to spare.
Then, abruptly, Dominion's assault weakened—even voluntarily distanced itself from the Archangel.
"What happened?" Murrue demanded.
"Two of Dominion's MS units have returned to ship—heavily damaged!"
"They did it!" Murrue realized Yang Hui's team had succeeded. Seizing the moment, she ordered: "Disengage from combat zone! Evade Dominion and proceed at full speed to reinforce White Tiger and Eternal!"
"Understood." Natarle Badgiruel immediately complied. "Missile tubes loaded with anti-beam missiles, coordinates I23, fire! CIWS Array and Valiant on standby! Prepare to intercept Dominion at any moment."
As Archangel turned around, twenty-four large anti-ship missile launchers unleashed a barrage of missiles that exploded directly behind the ship. Tiny anti-beam particles formed a wall between Archangel and Dominion.
Seeing that Dominion had ceased pursuit, Murrue immediately opened a communication channel to Yang Hui. "Yang Hui! What's your status?"
"Four unknown Mobile Suits heavily damaged and retreating. I'll assist the others in eliminating the remaining enemies—"
"Reinforce White Tiger and Eternal immediately! ZAFT Forces' fleet has arrived—it's the one pursuing Eternal!"
"Understood. On my way."
After ending the call, Murrue sent the same reinforcement request to Gundam Exia, Gundam Cherudim, Gundam Virtue, Freedom Gundam, Justice Gundam, Rebirth Gundam, and Covenant Gundam. Even if Archangel arrived late, as long as they could reach the battlefield first, they could stabilize the situation.
...
Aboard Dominion, Murrue(Carbon), Badgiruel(Carbon), and Muruta Azrael were locked in a heated argument.
"What are you doing? Why are we retreating!?" Muruta Azrael demanded of Murrue.
"Our MS units are heavily damaged and require immediate retrieval—" Murrue explained.
"Forget those useless scraps! Your mission is to sink Archangel!"
"Our engagement with Archangel has reached a stalemate, making it difficult to achieve victory quickly. If our MS units return to the ship, the enemy MS will be free to attack us. For safety, we should withdraw and regroup." Murrue continued her explanation. Despite her disgust for the fool before her, the command to obey superiors was hardwired into her brain, forcing her to suppress her frustration and patiently justify their actions.
"I ordered you to pursue—"
"Forbidden Gundam, signal lost! Gundam Raider and Calamity request retrieval!"
"Strike Gundam E Unit 3 signal lost! Units 1, 2, and 5 request retrieval!"
"Gale Strike and Hail Buster request retrieval. Gale Strike heavily damaged, Captain Leon critically injured!"
A cascade of bad news darkened Muruta Azrael's face like charcoal. Even someone as arrogant and foolish as him could see how dire their situation had become. The loss of Forbidden Gundam and Strike Gundam E Units 3 and 4 likely meant their destruction. The remaining MS units, half of them in tatters, were all requesting retrieval.
This battle was a complete defeat—their supposedly elite MS units had been nearly wiped out.
If they didn't retreat now while Archangel was preoccupied, the arrival of Dawn Gundam and other units would spell disaster.
"Director Azrael." Murrue stared at him intently, awaiting his orders.
"Hmph! Retreat! Useless! All of you are useless!"
Muruta Azrael stormed off the bridge, cursing as he went to reprimand the pilots who had embarrassed him. Murrue(Carbon), Badgiruel(Carbon), and the others exhaled in relief. While obedience was their duty, no one wanted to die—especially not Murrue(Carbon) and Badgiruel(Carbon).
Though they were manufactured Carbon Humans, with bodies, appearances, memories, and even abilities copied from their originals, they still possessed self-awareness and the will to live.
"Captain, the Archangel's sudden departure must mean something unknown has occurred," Badgiruel(Carbon) reminded Murrue(Carbon).
"I know, but we have no way to verify it. Our combat losses are too severe," Murrue(Carbon) replied helplessly.
"I understand."
"Let's retreat. We'll have to wait for another opportunity."
"Understood."
"Turn 180 degrees! Recover all MS units immediately and withdraw from combat zone!"