Chapter 148: Zeon Remnants Are Like Weeds
Immediately, six SFS units swept past the Intelligence-Gathering GM and charged toward Zeon's artillery-type mobile suits!
"This is up to you now!"
"Of course!"
After confirming their task assignments with Captain Burning, Sanders led his team forward alongside Ryan, pushing further toward the frontlines.
For safety reasons, they left behind two mobile suits in case the Torrington MS forces fell.
With the support of SFS units, even the heavily armored EZ-8s could maintain high speeds, swiftly dodging Zeon's artillery fire.
The enemy's machine was a Xamel, a mobile suit specialized for artillery bombardment. It was developed near the end of the One Year War but had little impact on direct battlefield engagements.
The Xamel's main weapon was a 680mm foldable cannon mounted on its back. Despite its full-load weight of 121.5 tons, it was equipped with thermonuclear jet engines on its legs and rear skirt armor, allowing it to maintain mobility without hindrance. As a result, it could move across the ground at high speed, similar to the Big Rang.
In fact, aside from the Big Rang, few could rival its speed. Even ramming into enemies could cause significant damage.
Unfortunately, its only other weapons were missile launchers and a single Vulcan cannon.
Against six airborne mobile suits, the Xamel was at a severe disadvantage.
Even when it tried accelerating and using missile launchers for interference, it still failed to break out of the White Chaser MS unit's encirclement.
However, the 90mm bullpup machine guns and shoulder-mounted cannons of the White Chaser GM-modified units initially struggled to penetrate the Xamel's thick armor.
"Ryan, draw its fire!"
Sanders shouted toward Ryan.
Finally, after being heavily targeted due to his Gundam-head unit, Sanders could issue this order.
Ryan immediately maneuvered his MS off the SFS, landing in front of the Xamel and firing his beam rifle multiple times!
But the Xamel swiftly dodged at high speed, simultaneously launching a vertical missile barrage toward Ryan.
Ryan evaded the missiles and repositioned, continuously firing from the side to force the Xamel to stop.
During this maneuver, the Xamel suddenly unfolded its cannon barrel, turning its 680mm cannon toward Ryan's MS.
Because the Xamel was a two-seater mobile suit, its pilots could coordinate to pull off this sudden halt-and-fire tactic.
"Hah, checkmate."
Ryan wasn't fazed. He smirked as he spoke.
BOOM!
Two massive beam blasts suddenly rained down from above, completely obliterating the Xamel's upper half!
It was an attack from the heavily armored EZ-8s, using the twin D-type beam cannons mounted on their waists.
Since previous aerial attacks hadn't been effective, the Xamel's pilots had ignored the airborne threat—never expecting the enemy to possess such high-output weaponry.
"Captain, you don't need to come out after all."
Hearing his subordinates' report over the comms, Eli sighed and gave up on boarding his own mobile suit.
His machine was also a MS, but in the Assault Armor configuration, inheriting the technical lineage of the Assault GM from before.
Taking off the helmet he had just put on, Eli pondered when the last time he had actually piloted a mobile suit in battle was.
After thinking for a moment, he realized it was two months ago, during the assault on the Kimberlite base in Africa.
That time, they had borrowed forces from the African Federation Army to suppress the base. Once the MS forces were neutralized, the remaining personnel surrendered. The higher-ranking war criminals were executed, while those with lesser offenses were sent to clean up debris from the colony satellite wreckage.
His subordinates were becoming increasingly competent, leaving Eli with fewer and fewer opportunities to take the field.
Ideally, he would never have to deploy again.
As for the Zeon remnants that had attacked Torrington Base, they were eventually overwhelmed and annihilated under Captain Burning's MS forces.
With the battle settled, Eli contacted Hawkins, requesting a security sweep of the base's personnel to prevent any Zeon spies from infiltrating.
Better safe than sorry.
Although Eli had petitioned General Revil, the head of the Federation's Reconstruction Program, to move Albion and the Gundam units to Augusta Base for testing, he still had concerns—what if Char managed to sneak in?
If that happened, he'd have to deal with it himself.
Unfortunately, after Hawkins' investigation, no unknown personnel were found within the base, so Eli had no choice but to abandon the idea.
"Tch, those Zeon remnants are like weeds—they just keep popping up out of nowhere…"
Eli muttered under his breath before straightening up.
"Well then, this is White Chaser, under the command of Angede Tech, confirming receipt of MK82. We are returning to Augusta Base immediately. Over."
Still a Major, Eli saluted Brigadier General Hawkins via the comms before turning to Paolo and giving a nod.
"Understood. White Chaser is departing, maintaining Level-2 combat readiness. Destination: Augusta Base. Move out!"
---
"The Captain is already on his way back?"
"If that's the case, can he hurry up? I'm sick of looking at these three gamblers."
Arcadia and Io sat inside the base's command tower, resting their heads on their hands as they watched the Anaheim and Yashima personnel unloading supplies below.
Despite the political infighting among the higher-ups, the technical staff cooperated surprisingly well, organizing the supply transport efficiently without any unnecessary chaos.
That was… until three men in black military uniforms and black flight jackets appeared.
Their distinctive black attire made their identities clear—Titans soldiers.
Most of Albion's crew still followed Vice Admiral Kowen's orders, but the MS unit was entirely composed of Titans personnel.
This was largely because Anaheim's prototype mobile suits were onboard, making it logical to assign Titans pilots for testing.
Incidentally, Titans had now fully taken control of Konpeitoh.
As the Federation Assembly's most obedient military force, Titans had been granted one-tenth of the Federation's total military budget, an astronomical sum.
"Hey there, miss~ How about a drink with me tonight?"
"Get lost."
"Aw, don't be like that~ I'm a—"
The speaker, Bernard Monsha, sporting a toothbrush mustache, was hitting on—or rather, harassing—a female Anaheim employee.
At that moment, a slightly nervous voice cut in near Monsha's ear.
"Excuse me, Lieutenant, but I believe the lady isn't interested."
"Hah?"
Monsha turned with an arrogant expression.
Upon confirming that the speaker was just a low-ranking Ensign, he sneered and tilted his head upward slightly.
"You got some nerve, kid. You know who we are? We're Titans."
"And you're still Federation soldiers, aren't you?"
The young man was Kou Uraki, staring stubbornly at Monsha.
Behind him stood Chuck Keith, visibly nervous as he watched the confrontation.
"Sigh, looks like we'd better step in before the rookie gets wrecked."
Arcadia said to Io.
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