Chapter 66: Ambushed

In the dark expanse of space, the battlefield was filled with a kaleidoscope of colors.

Green lasers streaked across the void like meteors, their blinding light appearing especially vibrant and lethal against the backdrop of the universe.

"Test data is stable. Units 1, 2, and 3 are outputting steadily, but the weapon on Unit 4 won't ignite properly."

"It should be due to space dust," Shi He quickly added.

"The weapon's seal has been compromised, causing a short circuit in the power component."

"Record it and update the memo. What about the other units?"

"All functioning normally, Director He. I suppose we can consider this a success?"

"Mm, a success, but we'll celebrate later."

With that, He Kui felt a weight lift off his shoulders. As long as nothing unexpected occurred, they would be fine.

He glanced at the large screen ahead, which displayed the battlefield in the distance, where explosions lit up the scene. Among the chaos, a Zaku was moving gracefully, wielding a beam rifle, its armor reflecting the eerie light from the explosions of Nelson-class ships.

That was Kruze.

He Kui recalled seeing Kruze's performance during the World Tree battle; he had already been able to cut through the Earth Alliance's fleet effortlessly back then.

Now, equipped with beam weapons, he was even more formidable. The Earth Alliance had no means to defend against beam attacks.

All they could rely on were the thick rock walls of New Star.

Of course, He Kui believed they had anti-beam coatings, but it was clear they hadn't anticipated that ZAFT had successfully miniaturized their beam weapons.

Caught off guard, the Earth Alliance's defenses quickly began to collapse.

Moreover, having just been attacked by the Cyclops on the Moon, the soldiers' hatred had not yet been fully vented. They surged forward like hounds chasing after prey.

Just then, the radar operator's panicked voice broke through the tension.

"From behind! Distance 1,000! Enemy Second Fleet!"

"What!?"

"Is it coming from the Moon? They pretended to be out of resources, then took advantage of our neutron jammers being activated to launch a surprise attack."

Shi He quickly deduced the most likely explanation.

At this point, however, few paid attention to her conclusion.

The atmosphere in the command center shifted abruptly from relaxed to grave.

"What about the forward fleet?"

"Locked by New Star, unable to turn around."

The communications officer repeated the information he had received.

If the forward fleet turned around now, they would become targets themselves. The same went for recalling the MS units; without MS protection, the forward fleet would also face the same fate.

"It's a trap! MS units, deploy! Engage the enemy! Notify the nearby ships to coordinate defense!"

The captain issued the command firmly and immediately turned to He Kui and the others.

"Director He, please head to the escape pod and standby. If this ship encounters misfortune, we will send you out first."

"No, we can also engage. There's still a test Zaku docked on this ship."

He Kui had calmed down and decisively rejected the captain's suggestion. 

He thought about it; it would be impossible to activate the escape pod in the event of an explosion. Even if they did, they would be sitting ducks on this battlefield.

As for the Zaku, since it was a prototype, its cockpit armor had been reinforced, offering much more safety than sitting in an escape pod.

Moreover, he remembered that Su Lei was on a nearby Loran-class ship.

At this moment, only he could protect himself.

"Very well, that's acceptable."

By protocol, the captain couldn't force He Kui and the others to leave, especially since one of them was a red suit pilot who could contribute something useful.

"Thank you. Hoss?"

"There's also an extra Kin here!"

Unlike the others' tension, Hoss was excited, eager to jump into action.

"And I can cover for you! Small unit operations are the most reliable, right?"

"Then we'll go together."

"Great!"

After hearing He Kui agree, Hoss seemed energized.

"...Don't die; I don't want to be the one delivering bad news."

If Hoss died here, it would be He Kui who had to report the news to his parents.

"Don't worry, Director He."

"Then let's go."

The three of them headed to the hangar to change into their pilot suits, and He Kui and Shi He returned to the familiar cockpit.

"Shi He, I just…"

"I understand; we have to protect ourselves. Clearly, this is better than waiting in an escape pod."

"Yeah."

As he spoke, He Kui took out an inconspicuous black Haro, quickly connecting its controls. The Haro's eyes lit up.

"This is your targeting assist Haro?"

"Yeah, the back beam cannon is up to us. Just focus on evading and responding to threats."

He Kui felt a bit anxious. He hoped Lacus had received her gift by now. Even with the targeting assistance, he still had to take responsibility for a part of the operations.

The environment outside was nowhere near as pure as it had been on the Moon, and the parameters would change based on the mobile suit's movements.

His accuracy would certainly not be as good as before. If he became a red suit pilot, his accuracy would likely improve significantly, but there wasn't time to think about that now.

After a quick complaint about the inefficiency of the Lacus support group, the Zaku was already mounted on the launch pad.

"Director He, the main system check is complete."

Hoss's voice came through the communication system.

"We're ready here as well. Let's move out, but don't stray too far. Cover our flagship and the nearby Loran-class ship."

"Okay."

After a brief exchange, they climbed onto the launch catapult.

"Shi He, Hanifus, He Kui, launch."

With no time to read a lengthy script, they simply reported their identities as they were catapulted into the chaos of battle.

Quickly adapting to the tumultuous scene before them, Shi He dodged a flurry of Gatling fire from a Mobius and retaliated with her machine gun.

The Second Fleet had eight Nelson-class ships and twenty Drake-class ships. Fortunately, it seemed the enemy's flagship, the Agamemnon, was not present.

However, the situation was still grim, as they only had three Nasca-class ships and five Loran-class ships.

Of course, at this point, wishing for more wouldn't help; they could only brace themselves for the fight ahead.

While constantly planning how to defend, He Kui aimed at a nearby Mobius.

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