While the blueprints for Stellar's new unit were only half-finished, Kira had completed the adjustments for the machine known as the Strike Freedom.
"So, are we really going to conduct the training here?"
Sitting in the cockpit of the Unicorn once more and gripping the familiar control sticks, Roz felt his hands itching for action. Especially after installing the Armed Armor VN, he felt like he wanted to throw a punch at anyone he saw.
However, considering this was just a simulation exercise, Roz had swapped out all missiles for training rounds, and he had even deactivated the high-frequency vibration mode of the Armed Armor VN.
"According to the schedule, yes. After all, this asteroid belt provides rare cover," Kira replied.
Piloting the Strike Freedom, Kira looked at the Unicorn in the distance and instinctively broke into a cold sweat. The moment Roz had mentioned that the Armed Armor VN featured a high-frequency vibration mode, Kira knew that weapon was a devastating counter specifically designed to bypass PS Armor. Now, standing opposite the Unicorn and feeling the pressure radiating from Roz, Kira felt that the Strike Freedom's beam shield generators didn't offer much of a sense of security.
"The Strike Freedom is a long-range, high-firepower unit, right? Fighting here is quite disadvantageous for you..."
Roz glanced at the visual displayed in the Panoramic Monitor cockpit, shifting his attention to several units tagged by the system. "Honestly, those new mass-production MS from Orb, the Murasame, might even be better suited for this environment than you are."
Not far from the Unicorn, four red-and-white machines floated quietly. Stellar sat inside one of the Murasame units; the data cable from the adapter passed through her temporarily modified helmet, linking into the port behind her right ear.
Stellar remained silent, meticulously observing this "Phantom Machine" that existed within the legends of the Earth Alliance.
'Nothing... nothing... still nothing...' After a long period of analysis, Stellar tightened her grip on the control sticks. Fortunately, the output limiters had been set earlier, otherwise, she would have crushed the controls. Even though the Unicorn was simply floating there casually, it gave Stellar the sensation that it could "crush her machine the moment it launched an attack."
"Stellar, don't be too nervous."
Sensing a restless atmosphere over the comms, Kira spoke up to comfort Stellar, who was fighting Roz for the first time.
"Roz will hold back... probably."
"The more you sweat in simulation, the less you bleed in battle."
Roz glanced at the four Murasame units nearby. In his perception, three sets of tense brainwaves and one powerful wave—filled with the desperate emotion of a beast forced to fight its natural predator—were all jumbled together.
"Everyone, you may begin."
Erica's voice came through the communication channel.
In the next second, the machines accelerated almost simultaneously, scattering in all directions.
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"Which of these machines do you think will win?"
Standing in the control room of Industrial 7 and watching the movements of the mobile suits through various cameras, Erica asked the person beside her without turning her head.
"I'd guess... the Unicorn?"
Flay, who had specifically made time to come to the monitoring room to watch the synchronization training of these new machines, stared at the screen. She watched the dream-like machine leaving trails of blue light as it streaked between the asteroids.
"After all, we still don't know to what extent Roz has unearthed the Unicorn's true capabilities."
"Then I'll take the opposing view. I believe Kira's Strike Freedom has a better chance of winning."
Erica folded her arms, her gaze jumping between the screens capturing the units. "While the Strike Freedom's firepower will be somewhat restricted in this asteroid environment, Roz is more accustomed to a 'life-and-death' battlefield where every blade drawing blood counts. In a simulation like this, he'll be fighting with one hand tied behind his back."
"The inability to fully deploy weaponry can be overcome in various ways, but a forced change in combat habits will create openings."
Erica's analysis was perfectly logical, but Flay merely smiled and continued to watch the battle unfold.
"Then let's see how it ends."
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The Unicorn wove through the asteroids. Roz kept a close eye on the radar and the tags on the panoramic monitor, attempting to locate Kira and the others within the debris field.
As it turned out, he didn't need to look for long; someone had come right to his doorstep.
Three Murasame units in MA (Mobile Armor) mode sped toward the Unicorn from above, raining down training missiles from their wing pylons. Six training missiles streaked toward him, but Roz calmly tapped the controls twice.
Guided by the sub-arms on the specialized rack, the two Shield Funnels rose to flank the Unicorn's shoulders. The Beam Gatlings flashed, spraying a dense web of red laser indicators. The training missiles launched by the Murasame squad were "deactivated" the moment they intersected with the Gatlings' standard beam paths.
However, the Murasame squad didn't halt their assault. They dove through the anti-air fire-net woven by the lasers, positioning themselves beneath the Unicorn. It was clear that before piloting these Murasames, these pilots were veterans with extensive MA experience; the skill required to pass through that dense wall of fire unscathed was impressive.
The three Murasames quickly transformed into MS mode, raising their beam rifles to aim at the Unicorn.
But before they could fire, a thick red indicator beam swept over two of the units, instantly placing them in "Lock-Out" mode. The pilots inside found their controls frozen, unable to take further action. The Armed Armor BS on the Unicorn's right arm had deployed at some unknown moment, sniping the three Murasames from above.
Having narrowly dodged the beam from the Armed Armor BS, the sole remaining pilot of the Murasame trio breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to open fire. Suddenly, the Unicorn appeared directly in front of him, raising its left arm which was equipped with a gauntlet-like weapon.
Clack, clack...
The gauntlet snapped open violently, extending claws that shimmered with a red glow. Against the backdrop of these claws, the Unicorn—which usually appeared quite saintly—now looked positively "ferocious."
The Unicorn's left hand slammed into the Murasame's chest, the claws tightening slightly to pin the machine in place. Without question, this Murasame was also locked out; according to Erica's estimates, if the Armed Armor VN's claws were to strike PS armor or standard Murasame plating, the target would be torn to shreds.
Just as Roz released the locked-out Murasame, a sharp sting of intuition echoed in his mind. In the very next instant, a Murasame lunged at the Unicorn's flank.
This was Stellar. In MA mode, she unleashed everything—missiles from the wings and the hip armor—creating a small, dense barrage. The cannons on the tail and the beam rifle on the underbelly fired simultaneously, sending red indicator lines toward the Unicorn.
The shields that had been weaving the fire-net shifted their angles slightly, blocking the incoming beams. But Stellar's offensive was far from over. As an expert in transforming units, she maneuvered the Murasame through a mid-flight transformation, drawing a training saber and slamming it against the Unicorn's shield.
To her surprise, the sub-arms securing the Shield Funnels were incredibly stable, soaking up the Murasame's full-power slash without budging.
She didn't have time to dwell on it. The Armed Armor VN expanded into its predatory claw shape, lunging for Stellar's machine. In a split-second decision, Stellar ignited her leg thrusters, pushing the Murasame back to gain distance.
The two machines ended up at a standoff. Seeing Stellar's rapid reaction speed, Roz began to take the fight more seriously. Meanwhile, Stellar continued to hunt for a breakthrough, her instincts driving her to defeat the Unicorn and claim victory.
Round two was about to begin.
...................