Due to the radar-jamming properties of GN particles, the three major powers—having acquired the GN-T type Solar Furnaces—had adopted Celestial Being's own assault tactics. Consequently, the nine GN-X units were only detected once they had closed to a dangerously short distance.
On the Nahel Argama, the crew was in the midst of frantic sortie preparations.
Upon hearing the combat alert over the intercom, Graham followed close behind Roz, changed into his pilot suit, and climbed into the cockpit of the brand-new Flag.
The Flag was currently secured in the hangar racks in "Flight Mode." Its nose section, which originally housed the linear rifle, had been modified by Roz to integrate the Beam Anti-Ship Sword and the Beam Spray Gun into the forward fuselage.
"Mr. Graham, even though your physical condition has improved significantly, you still shouldn't engage in overly intense combat."
Jack, the ship's doctor, floated near the Flag's cockpit. Though he offered words of caution, he nonetheless produced an anti-G-force stimulant. "Even with this injection, it will only support you for 30 minutes of low-intensity maneuvering."
"That's enough."
Graham took the syringe from Jack, gave it a quick glance, and injected it directly into his system.
"There's only one goal this time, anyway..."
"I won't try to stop you further. I assume Big Brother Roz already briefed you on the modifications."
Jack watched Graham finish the injection, his cybernetic eye constantly scanning Graham's vitals. Only after seeing that his physical status had reached the minimum threshold for MS piloting did Jack breathe a sigh of relief.
"Yeah. How strong the Flag becomes in his hands... I'm looking forward to it."
Graham took a deep breath and donned his helmet.
"His machines never disappoint," Jack remarked, drifting away from the Flag as he glanced at two ReZELs being raised to the launch deck via the elevator. "You're effectively my first real patient. Don't go dying on me."
"I'll do my best, Doctor."
Graham allowed himself a small smile as the Flag's cockpit retracted into the fuselage.
At this moment, the mounting rack securing the Flag began to move, transferring the mobile suit onto the elevator platform.
"Static... You have already been assigned to the IFF as an ally. Watch your fire."
The voice of Shinn appeared over the Flag's communication channel.
"But be careful, you might be attacked by your former teammates in a moment."
On the elevator platform on the other side, the Destiny stood there quietly. Having returned to the cockpit of his own "Tamashii," Shinn subconsciously flexed his wrists a few times to regain his old sense of touch.
"Yeah, although I'm conflicted about it, on the battlefield, I can only do my best not to deliver a killing blow."
Regarding this matter, Graham Aker had no better solution at the moment; he could only ensure as much as possible that the pilots defeated by his hands would not die. "As for whether they can survive in the hands of others, I suppose that can only be left to fate."
"Fate is something that changes nothing if you just accept it submissively."
Watching the view gradually rise, Shinn gripped the control sticks of the Destiny. "Only by fighting against your predestined fate can you make a change."
"You're clearly not that old, yet you speak such world-weary words, boy?"
As the view shifted from the Hangar to a battlefield where beams flew across the sky, Graham couldn't help but feel a hint of tension. "I thought you'd be a bit more flamboyant. Being too old-fashioned won't get you liked by girls."
"Want to lecture me? Try keeping up with my speed first."
Shinn shook his head. Seeing the launch indicator turn green, he rapidly pushed the throttle forward and stepped on the floor pedals. "Shinn Asuka, Destiny, launching!"
Since it was an emergency launch, the linear catapult channel used for acceleration was not activated. The Destiny was propelled by its foot pedals, and the thruster nozzles burst with blue flames as it flew toward the end of the deck.
"The Destiny, huh..."
Hearing Shinn say he would "fight against fate," yet seeing him launch in a machine named "Destiny," Graham's expression became somewhat subtle.
However, he quickly recovered, pushing the machine's throttle. The GN Drive Tau behind the Flag, which had been modified by Roz Links, began to emit orange light particles.
"Graham Aker, Over Flag, launching!"
As Graham stepped on the pedals, the Flag was pulled by the catapult, rapidly sliding to the end of the deck. Trailing a wake of orange particles, it flew out like a shooting star.
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"Damn it, they aren't launching a heavy assault... Are they holding position as beacons, waiting for follow-up forces?"
Watching the nine GN-Xs refrain from a direct charge, instead doing their best to evade while sticking close like gum, Tieria subconsciously knitted his brows.
"After all, there are fifty more MS behind them, and there are only a few of us. Of course they want to crush us with numbers."
Compared to the other members of the team, Lockon appeared much calmer—or rather, staying calm was the best option right now.
At this moment, taking advantage of the GN-Xs' attention being drawn by the constant fire from Tieria's Virtue, Allelujah piloted the Kyrios toward the GN-X formation.
But in the next second, an overwhelming barrage of red beams forced the Kyrios back.
"The barrage is too dense; they've had specialized focus-fire training!"
Looking at the wall of fire woven by these nine GN-Xs, Allelujah subconsciously swallowed hard.
Fortunately, the machines of these three pilots possessed decent long-range striking power, so they were managing well enough in the skirmish against the GN-X unit, exerting considerable combat effectiveness.
However, Setsuna's Exia was a machine biased toward close-quarters combat; every time he closed in on a GN-X, the units would rapidly side-step to evade the Exia's swinging blades.
Just as Setsuna prepared to continue cooperating with his teammates to destroy the GN-Xs, a purple beam appeared from a tricky angle, precisely detonating a GN-X acting as the vanguard.
Louise was seen piloting a ReZEL equipped with the Defenser A-Unit backpack, charging straight into the wall of fire woven by the remaining eight GN-Xs.
Even though the density of the barrage had not weakened much, this ReZEL was somehow able to find the gaps within it, dodging the red GN particle beams.
"Now's our chance!"
Seeing the GN-Xs' attention drawn away by the rapidly approaching ReZEL, Lockon—standing atop the Ptolemaios in the Dynames—narrowed his eyes and pulled the trigger.
A white-ish green beam struck a GN-X's leg, instantly blowing apart its right leg along with a portion of the "X-type thrusters" that served as skirt armor.
Seizing the moment while the machine's mobility was compromised, Setsuna maneuvered the Exia forward. The physical blade, reinforced with GN particles, slashed into the crippled GN-X, cutting it in two.
The vacuum in firepower caused by the consecutive loss of two GN-Xs gave Louise room to maneuver.
A missile container on the Defenser A-Unit backpack opened, and small missiles chased after the remaining seven GN-Xs.
Boom, boom, boom...
Although sound cannot travel in a vacuum, the signals from the missiles hitting the GN-Xs were captured by the cockpit, playing simulated explosion sounds in Louise's ears.
Taking advantage of the gap in the red beam net caused by the missile attack, Louise transformed the ReZEL mid-dash. A beam saber extended from the muzzle of her ReZEL beam rifle, slashing toward the waist of a GN-X that was scrambling to evade the missiles.
The GN-X's armor offered no resistance at all, melting before the beam saber like butter touching a hot knife.
Just as Louise destroyed a GN-X, the Celestial Being pilots snapped back to their senses.
"Virtue, commencing bombardment!"
The Virtue raised a GN Bazooka in each hand. Without even charging them up, it fired white beams at two machines, accurately striking the two GN-Xs and turning them into blooming fireworks.
Meanwhile, the Kyrios, piloted by Allelujah, took advantage of the cover provided by the ReZEL's small missiles to lock onto a GN-X.
The beam cannons mounted on the rear of the Kyrios unleashed two white beams—no weaker than the Virtue's—easily destroying the GN-X as it struggled to maneuver against Louise's missiles.
However, for some reason, Allelujah felt the pressure of two very strong quantum brainwave signatures approaching. Even the stimulation brought by the "Super Soldier" in the distance felt insignificant by comparison.
In the blink of an eye, the situation had been completely reversed. Of the original nine units, only three remained struggling to survive.
But just as the Celestial Being pilots prepared to finish off the remaining three, several yellow beam shots flew in from nowhere, precisely striking the heads and arms of the surviving GN-Xs.
A Flag, trailing orange light particles, swept past the space between Celestial Being and the GN-Xs.
"A Flag? But why does it have an allied identification code?"
At that moment, the pilot slumped in the cockpit of a GN-X—its limbs and head destroyed—looked at the strange-looking Flag that had rapidly transformed on its own, as if seeing something miraculous.
Celestial Being was equally confused by this Flag marked with an allied signal, but now was not the time to fret over why Roz Links had designated this machine as an ally.
In the distance, a dense swarm of the GN-X force could already be seen, surrounding a golden MA that Celestial Being knew nothing about: the Alvatore.
"So it's you... the one who lured things into this state..."
Looking at the Alvatore, Graham Aker couldn't help but frown.
Just then, a familiar communication channel was patched into the Flag's comms.
"Captain Graham? Is that you? Captain?!"
In the transmission, a large african-american man wearing a standard Union pilot suit looked at the image on his screen in total disbelief. "Captain, why are you standing with Celestial Being? Have you defected?!"
"...Daryl, I have never defected. Continuing to pilot this Flag is the proof of my resolve."
Graham glanced at his former subordinate and shook his head. He tightened his grip on the control sticks, his eyes fixed on the golden Alvatore.
"It is simply that some things cannot be allowed to continue down the wrong path. We must end the ambitions of those who would drag humanity into the abyss right here."
"...I'm sorry, I must fight you then."
As if sensing Graham's unwavering resolve, the man named Daryl shook his head.
"I have no problem with that, but you all must stay alive..."
Graham sighed and slammed his foot down on the pedal. The Flag began to accelerate toward the Alvatore, which was currently flying in its MA mode.
"Because from here on out, I won't be able to look after you."
......................