The void of space around Side 3 didn't scream, but the comms channels did.
The transition to a flanking maneuver was a cold, surgical strike. As the massive Zeon Musai-class cruisers flickered out of the immediate engagement zone, the rogue 12th Tactical Assault Squad found themselves suddenly abandoned by their foes.
The elite Gelgoogs they had been fighting peeled away like shadows, replaced by the relentless, churning wall of Zaku F2s and Rick Doms.
"They're running!" Aether screamed, her GM II's sensors struggling to track the heat blooms of the retreating Zeon heavy hitters. "Don't let them get away! Boosters to maximum!"
"Aether, wait!" one of her wingmates cried out. "The Zakus they're surrounding us! It's a kiling box!"
The "furious assault" I had predicted was meeting the grim reality of Zeon attrition. The Zaku pilots didn't try to match the MS Girls' grace; they simply filled the space with lead and explosive shells. For every Zaku Aether's beam saber carved open, two more moved in to take its place. It wasn't a fight; it was a slaughter.
Inside the colony, the atmosphere was thick with the scent of ozone and vaporized coolant. The Kampfer MS Girl skidded across the deck plating, her thrusters kicking up a storm of dust as she recovered from the chain mine's premature detonation.
She looked up at the prototype Gundam. It wasn't just a machine; the MS Girl wearing the RX-78-NT1 'Alex' armor moved with a terrifying, pre-programmed precision.
"your one tuff machine." the Kampfer spat, a jagged grin returning to her face as she drew her beam sabers. "We're Zeon. We back down to a fight!"
The Kampfer lunged, a blue blur of high-mobility thrusters. The Gundam didn't flinch. Instead, the Gatling guns hidden within its forearms swiveled forward.
TR-TR-TR-TR-TR-TR-TR!
A hail of heavy caliber rounds shredded the air. The Kampfer performed a desperate, mid-air corkscrew, the shells pinging off her heavy armor plates, but the Gundam was already moving. It closed the gap in an instant, its beam saber igniting with a hum that vibrated in the very floorboards of the colony.
"You are a variable that must be neutralized," the Gundam ms girl said.
They clashed a whirlwind of blue and white. The Kampfer's wild, instinctive ferocity met the Gundam's cold, calculated efficiency. Below them, the Federation defenders and Zeon infiltrators fighting their own skirmishes.
Back on the bridge, the tactical map updated with a series of sharp, jagged lines. Our fleet had successfully transitioned. We were no longer chasing the Federation; we were intercepting them at their most vulnerable point.
"Commander, the Federation's rear guard is panicking," May reported, her voice steadying as the plan took shape. "They're attempting a desperate formation change, but their engine signatures are red-lining. They weren't prepared for a pursuit of this magnitude."
"Target their propulsion," I ordered, my eyes fixed on the screen. "I don't want them destroyed yet. I want them crippled. If their ships can't move, their MS Girls have no place to return to for fuel or repairs."
A flashing amber light caught my eye. The "Aether" icon was still moving, but it was slowing down.
"The 12th Squad?" I asked.
"They've broken through the first Zaku line, sir, but they've lost multiple ms girls," May replied, her voice softening for a split second. "Aether is alone. She's... she's heading straight for us."
I looked at the lone green dot burning bright against the sea of Zeon red. She had ignored the retreating fleet. She had ignored the Zakus. She was coming for the head of the snake.
"Brave," I whispered. "And utterly futile."
"Should I divert a Gelgoog team to intercept her?" May asked.
"No," I said, leaning back into my command chair. "Let her come. If she survives the point-defense turrets, I want to see the face of the 'fanatic' who thinks she can stop a war with a broken beam saber."
The Musai's main cannons shook the deck as they opened fire on the Federation's retreating spine.
On the Federation Bridge
"Ma'am, they're tearing into us! We can't hold the rear!" a communications officer shouted over the sound of screaming metal. On the monitors, multiple Salamis-class cruisers blossomed into white-hot spheres of fire as Zeon's flanking maneuver took its toll.
The Federation Commander stared at the tactical screen, her face pale in the light of the explosions. "Signal all remaining units... retreat."
The bridge grew deathly quiet for a heartbeat. "Ma'am?" the soldier asked, his voice trembling.
She turned, her eyes sharp with desperate finality. "I said retreat! Do I have to repeat myself? Pull the fleet back before there's nothing left to save!"
"U-understood, ma'am! All ships, initiate emergency burn! Fall back!"
On the Zeon Flagship
"Commander, the Federation signals are shifting," Lieutenant May reported, a grim smile touching her lips. "They're turning tail. It seems they've finally lost their nerve."
I looked out the viewport at the distant, flickering engines of the Federation ships. They looked like wounded animals trying to limp into the dark.
"It seems they are retreating. Good," I said, my voice cold and echoing in the quiet bridge. "But do not let up. Continue the push. I want more Federation ships shattered; I want their entire command structure crippled before they reach the safety of the moon."
I slammed a fist onto the console. "No survivors for the history books."
"Understood, Commander!" the crew shouted in unison, their hands flying across the controls to redirect the final, lethal volleys.
A/n: did you miss me lads