Koopman's willingness to temporarily relinquish battlefield command had two simple reasons. First, he saw a glimmer of hope for his own survival. Second, the Archangel's swift destruction of a Laurasia-class ship didn't resemble the performance of hastily assembled rookies at all.
Moreover, it was clear that Reid couldn't be commanded, so Murrue Ramius naturally took charge. After witnessing Reid instantly eliminate Duel, Buster, and Blitz, Koopman knew that if he continued opposing them, George Allster beside him would mutiny.
In truth, the dozen or so Moebius units from the Eighth Fleet strongly supported Koopman's decision—mainly because Reid's command style perfectly aligned with their preferences.
The pilots unanimously agreed: if they couldn't handle GINNs, surely they could take on a warship without Mobile Suit escorts? After all, the Moebius had ended the era of giant battleships in space warfare. Thus, the Moebius squad followed Reid's orders and charged straight at the Gamov.
The Gamov, now a tiger at bay, was being bullied by dogs. Selman lamented that if only his ship still had three G Weapons—or even just a full complement of GINNs—those dozen Moebius units daring to provoke him would never return alive.
But a ship without MS escorts truly had no defense against Moebius harassment. As long as the Moebius avoided close-range engagements, the ship's anti-aircraft guns struggled to hit them. Beam cannons were even less effective—like using artillery to swat mosquitoes, their hit rate was negligible.
While the Moebius's Linear Cannons dealt minimal damage to warships, damage still accumulated. Given enough time, the Gamov might actually be whittled down. Worse, the Moebius carried anti-ship missiles. A single well-placed hit wouldn't just scratch the surface—it could sink the ship entirely.
This proved true. The heavily damaged Laurasia-class ship, previously crippled by the Archangel, was finished off by several anti-ship missiles. The Gamov could only desperately retreat toward the Vesalius, hoping its allies could disperse the swarm of pests. One mothership was easy prey, but four motherships weaving a crossfire would turn those Moebius units into cannon fodder.
Yet both sides faced the same dilemma regarding their motherships. Sixteen GINNs, Strike, and Astray couldn't possibly block everything.
After the missile barrage, the enemy's casualties remained zero. Creuset, having studied the Gamov's mission report and learned from its failures, hadn't equipped all GINNs with anti-ship heavy armaments. Instead, five units were outfitted with machine guns to intercept missiles, while also carrying bazookas for supplemental anti-ship firepower when needed.
Aegis immediately engaged Strike, and the two resumed their elaborate dance, exchanging flashy but harmless shots to simulate intense combat.
Meanwhile, Green Astray could only take cover within the Archangel's defensive fire, shooting at approaching GINNs to keep them at bay.
Thus, the two Drake-class escort ships on the flanks were obliterated in just two concentrated volleys.
Creuset had realized missiles were ineffective against the Archangel, so most GINNs—except those assigned to escort or distract enemy MS—were armed with Heavy Particle Beam Cannons.
By the time Reid and Ange returned, only two of the four warships remained.
This outcome didn't surprise Reid. In truth, having Montgomery, Bernard, Raul's three ships, and Archangel form a defensive formation was already doing everything humanly possible. At least Montgomery hadn't sunk yet.
So Reid swept his Heavy Particle Beam Cannon again, temporarily dispersing the GINNs besieging Montgomery.
Ange charged directly into the GINN squad attacking Archangel, instantly obliterating one, causing the remaining GINNs to scatter like frightened birds.
However, Creuset had come prepared to deal with both Reid and Ange when he launched this assault on Archangel. The method was simple: saturation fire.
Ten GINNs equipped with Heavy Particle Beam Cannons instantly formed a three-stage firing formation while three Nazca-class ships at the rear locked all their beam cannons onto NT-X and Empress Flag, maintaining continuous suppressive fire.
This overwhelming saturation attack relied purely on brute force. Seeing this, Reid could only curse "Shit!" while desperately dodging. Even knowing the enemy's firing rhythm was useless—beams came from every direction, leaving no choice but evasion.
Moreover, Reid and Ange couldn't dodge toward Archangel, or those beams would rain down on the ship instead.
Thus, they had to deliberately separate themselves, drawing all the GINN and Nazca-class fire away.
This bullet-hell evasion game was slightly easier for Ange. By transforming into MA mode, she could speed out of the saturation zone. But every time she tried circling back for a counterattack, Heavy Particle Beams would block her path.
The GINNs had learned—they no longer hoped to hit Ange directly. Instead, they simply fired ahead of her projected path using coordinates from the rear ships. Faced with this net of particle beams, Ange couldn't charge through, forced to keep circling.
Creuset's goal was simple: he never intended to shoot down both Reid and Ange here. After returning to PLANT, he'd been warned against dragging neutral parties into conflicts again. As for those already aboard Archangel—Reid and Ange—they were to be captured alive if possible.
But Creuset had his own agenda. He wanted to shoot down one of them and let the other escape. Knowing their relationship, the survivor would seek vengeance against PLANT, reigniting the cycle of hatred.
Here, Creuset preferred shooting down Ange. Reid was a technical genius—if driven mad, he might invent superweapons for revenge, causing far greater casualties later.
Seeing Ange slip through his grasp like an eel, Creuset escalated. The three Nazca-class ships completely ignored Archangel and Montgomery, directing all missile silos at Empress Flag to "reduce" its mobility through saturation fire.
Of course, to everyone except Creuset, dealing with Reid and Ange was secondary—their primary mission remained destroying Archangel and Strike. Thus, the remaining five conventionally armed GINNs moved against Archangel and Montgomery.
Dealing with an unescorted mothership, even a standard-equipped GINN would suffice. Even if they couldn't penetrate the mothership's armor, the engines and bridge remained vulnerable—find an opening, and it could be shot down. Moreover, among them was the recovered ["Twilight Phantom"] Miguel Aiman.
His newly assigned high-mobility GINN with yellow paint stood out conspicuously in the formation.
But Mu stepped up, engaging the Strike while the Aegis tangled with it. Now, the only one who could counter the ["Twilight Phantom"] was himself.
Mu was smart. After all, they were up against four GINNs. The Green Astray's performance was only slightly better than a standard GINN in mobility and firepower, not a significant advantage. Against high-mobility GINNs, even that slight edge was nullified. Taking on four alone wasn't wise.
So Mu stubbornly defended the front of the Archangel's bridge—for a warship, this was the last shred of dignity for an exposed maiden. Once taken, the mothership would be at their mercy.
And Mu wasn't just standing still. He deliberately lured enemies, dodging or chasing them toward the ship's front to create opportunities for frontal fire or missile attacks. Unfortunately, after one unlucky fool was ambushed, the others stopped falling for it, and both sides reached a stalemate.
Though both battlefields were deadlocked, the overall advantage still leaned toward ZAFT. Reid's side truly had few chances to counterattack—it was like playing a one-life bullet-hell game from the Touhou series. Survival depended entirely on the rocket thrusters' speed. But this drained energy rapidly, and once the power ran out, Reid would be left with nothing but regret.
Ange's situation was slightly better. Creuset targeting her for elimination was overthinking it. The Union Flag was inherently adept at high mobility, so missile-based positioning tactics were useless against her. However, the heavy particle beam suppression left her no choice but to harass the GINNs equipped with those cannons, easing some pressure on Reid's side.
In short, both Reid and Ange were holding their ground. The real deterioration of the battle came from the Archangel and the Montgomery.
The Archangel was tough-skinned, and with Bargiruel's command and Mu plugging the gaps, the machine gun barrages kept the four GINNs at bay. Scattered rocket fire hitting the hull was absorbed by the laminated armor, only shaking the crew inside without causing real damage.
Frustrated by the prolonged assault, Miguel Aiman began strategizing. Watching the Aegis locked in a dance with the Strike, he couldn't help but gripe over the team comms:
"Athrun! What's taking you so long? It's just one Strike—not even a New Misurugi Republic MS. Can't you handle it? If not, switch with me. You deal with the warship."
With that, Miguel Aiman barged into the Aegis-Strike duel, unloading a burst at the Strike.
Of course, 76mm bullets against PS armor were like a massage—just rattling Kira in the cockpit to remind him this was war, not child's play.
Athrun knew the GINN's armaments were useless against the Strike. Unwilling to attack his friend, he seized the opportunity to disengage, charging straight for the nearby Montgomery to take down at least one ship—lest his superiors think he was slacking.
Meanwhile, Kira was being overly protected by Reid. He still hadn't steeled himself to kill, and even without using the Freedom's beam weapons, he kept aiming for limbs—such underestimation naturally allowed Miguel Aiman to easily evade, achieving the feat of tying down the strongest Coordinator with just one high-mobility GINN.
At the same time, as if by fate, Flay aboard the Archangel felt intense unease from the ship's constant tremors.
With Ange not on board, Miriallia busy in CIC, and Lacus confined to her room during battle, Flay had no one to talk to.
So, worried about Ange and her father just like in the original story, Flay made her way to the bridge. Upon entering, she heard Bargiruel shout:
"What is Strike doing?! Aegis is heading for the Montgomery! Tell him to shake off that yellow GINN and return for support immediately!!"
Flay panicked and cried out, "What?! An enemy Mobile Suit is going after my father's ship?!"
Only then did the bridge crew notice Flay's presence. Seeing the distraught girl, Murrue suppressed the urge to scold her and simply said, "Unauthorized personnel, leave the bridge at once!"
Sai, knowing Flay shouldn't be there, moved to pull her away after Murrue's order. But to his surprise, Flay—driven by concern for her father—was stronger than expected, and he couldn't budge her.
Flay's true nature surfaced as she tearfully protested, "Let go of me! What's happening to my father's ship? What about Princess Angelise? Mr. Reid? Mu? Kira?"
No one needed to answer. The screens beside Captain Murrue displayed the status of all four Mobile Suits:
The NT-X and Empress Flag were pinned down by ten heavy particle beam GINNs and three Nazca-class ships, barely holding on with no hope of counterattacking soon.
The green Astray, facing three GINNs with only the Archangel's firepower for support, was also suppressed and unable to assist elsewhere.
As for Strike—though following Bargiruel's orders to shake off the yellow GINN—the high-mobility GINN's speed made it difficult even for the aerial combat-specialized Strike to break free. Counterattacking was out of the question; Miguel Aiman in his custom unit and serious mode wasn't about to be shot down so easily. He knew his mission: tie up Strike to free Aegis for combat.
Truthfully, Kira was doing his best, but compared to the others, his struggle against a single GINN made him seem painfully incompetent.
Before Flay could question Kira's performance, the Montgomery erupted in a massive explosion.
Freed from facing Kira, Athrun immediately regained his usual prowess. Aegis charged through the Montgomery's machine gun and missile fire to its flank, transformed into MA mode, and fired its 580mm "Siren Beast" hyper-impulse cannon—piercing clean through the ship's bow. The explosion not only crippled the Montgomery but snuffed out its engines entirely.
Meanwhile, Miguel Aiman—still harassing Strike—cheered over comms upon seeing Athrun finally in action: "Whoo! Athrun, you should've done that sooner! Next, take out the 'Long Legs.' I'll help you finish it off."
After speaking, Miguel Aiman maneuvered his yellow-painted high-mobility GINN, executing a sharp 90-degree turn to ignore the Strike Gundam, charging straight toward the Montgomery's bridge.
Reid, watching from afar, was speechless. Despite all his preparations, was the Montgomery still going to sink?
But desperate times called for desperate measures. Reid discarded his shield, using it to block a wave of beam attacks, then took advantage of the explosion's cover to deploy his Bits, attempting to drive back the yellow custom GINN with heavy particle beams.
Mu was also doing his best. Already positioned near the Montgomery, he saw the yellow GINN targeting the bridge and immediately opened fire, hoping to divert its attention.
Mu's efforts had an effect. Hearing the alarms blaring inside his cockpit, Miguel Aiman had no choice but to evade—he had no intention of going down with an Atlantic Federation ship. As he dodged, he fired a barrage at Mu, trying to push him back before finishing off the warship.
What Miguel didn't realize was that Mu's actions had actually saved him. Reid's heavy particle beams had gone completely unnoticed.
The yellow GINN's evasive maneuver at least avoided a direct hit to the cockpit. The heavy particle beam grazed its rear thrusters, sending it spiraling away, but the pilot likely survived once again.
This also forced Athrun to abandon his attack on the Archangel or finishing off the Montgomery. In Athrun's eyes, Miguel's life was more important. He swiftly transformed into MA mode, clamped onto the disabled yellow GINN, and hurriedly returned it to the mothership.
With the Aegis temporarily retreating, Reid breathed a sigh of relief. However, by this point in the battle, the Archangel was at a severe disadvantage. If his contingency plan didn't materialize soon, he'd have no choice but to follow the original script—using Lacus as a hostage to force Creuset's retreat.
Just as Reid was about to play the villain, ordering Bargiruel to fetch Lacus from her room, three new heat signatures suddenly burst into the battlefield from behind the GINN units suppressing Reid and Ange.
In an instant, six of the ten GINNs surrounding Reid were hit—three obliterated by beams, three struck by large rockets. The remaining four barely had time to react before half their squad was wiped out.
Both sides soon identified the culprits: three pitch-black Kampfers.
Miguel's voice crackled over the NT-X's comms:
"Boss, finally found you. You guys really know how to hide."
No sooner had Miguel spoken than another large heat signature appeared. The Archangel's CIC announced:
"New large heat signature detected! Thermal pattern matches a Laurasia-class vessel. Visual confirmation—it bears the insignia of the New Misurugi Republic!!"
Seeing Miguel and his team, Reid felt a wave of relief. His backup plan had arrived just in time.
These forces were part of the instructions Reid had left in the letter entrusted to Colonel Ikucella. All Ikucella had to do was reach the Star Palace Colony Satellite, where Une would receive the letter and carry out Reid's next orders.
Reid's orders were simple: have Une deceive the fleeing forces from Artemis Fortress to assemble a team capable of piloting battleships, led by Noin, and dispatch them in the previously captured Laurasia-class battleship to search for the Archangel between the Eighth Fleet's location and the Circum-Terrestrial Debris Belt.
There were two reasons for this arrangement. First, Reid absolutely could not allow the Archangel to actually rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet. If they entered the Eighth Fleet's formation, Reid feared he might never leave.
Thus, Reid would inevitably demand to disembark during the final leg before meeting the Eighth Fleet. Without a mothership at that point, he'd have no choice but to drift through space in his mobile suit, towing an escape shuttle for a while.
Second, this was insurance for situations like the current one. As long as the battle was loud enough, Noin would detect the fighting unless she was unlucky enough to be in the completely wrong direction. Then, her forces could enter the fray as reinforcements.
That said, Reid wasn't entirely confident Noin would actually show up. Still, it was better to have the plan in place—just in case it saved their lives. After all, unless absolutely necessary, Reid didn't want to use Lacus as a hostage. There was a world of difference between "protecting" Lacus to deter enemy attacks and outright holding her hostage to force a retreat.
Moreover, the moment the New Misurugi Republic's Laurasia-class ship arrived, Noin immediately broadcasted an open-channel message:
"To the ZAFT forces currently attacking our head of state: According to PLANT's official response to our nation, the conflict in Heliopolis was entirely a misunderstanding. Yet now, your forces continue to assault our leader. We demand an explanation. Otherwise, we will consider this an act of war by PLANT, and all ensuing consequences will be your responsibility."
The moment this broadcast went out, Creuset clicked his tongue in annoyance. Still, he signaled his troops to halt their attack—this battle could no longer proceed.
Before leaving PLANT, Patrick had secretly instructed Creuset: as long as Reid and Princess Angelise were eliminated before the New Misurugi Republic officially located them, Patrick could protect himself.
But once the Republic officially found the two, all hostilities had to cease immediately. Otherwise, the PLANT Supreme Council would undoubtedly punish him severely. That said, they could still force Reid and Princess Angelise to leave the Archangel before resuming pursuit.
Besides, with the New Misurugi Republic's reinforcements now present and half his GINNs already lost, continuing the fight was far from a guaranteed victory.
After ordering his subordinates to withdraw, Creuset responded on the public channel:
"Our nation has no intention of war with yours. However, your leader has persistently shielded an Atlantic Federation vessel, obstructing our mission. Thus, we had no choice but to attack. That said, considering your leader has been out of contact with your government and may be unaware of the current situation, we will grant you two hours to communicate.
We will not initiate further attacks during this time. You may use this window to retrieve Princess Angelise. If, after two hours, your nation still insists on interfering with our mission, then it will be your nation that has chosen hostility with PLANT."
(End of Chapter)