With peripheral vision catching the blaze of explosions, Felix maneuvered the GINN. Executing a leftward evasion in midair, the mobile suit followed with a somersault to dodge another assault.
Having avoided two consecutive attacks, the GINN opened fire with its Heavy Assault Machine Gun.
Bullets erupted from the muzzle.
A single shot instantly obliterated a Vanguard Fighter.
After downing the enemy, the GINN resumed evasive maneuvers.
Dodging incoming fire from the right, it raised its weapon to engage targets behind.
"What?!"
The pilot of the pursuing Vanguard Fighter gasped in disbelief, face contorted in shock. An instant later, the fighter was shredded by gunfire, transforming into a fireball in the sky.
Having destroyed this attacker, Felix shifted focus to other approaching fighters.
These aircraft maneuvered while simultaneously targeting Felix's GINN with concentrated fire. As the mobile suit tracked its targets, it maintained constant evasive actions.
Weaving through successive attacks, the GINN's Heavy Assault Machine Gun roared again.
Crack!
A bullet discharged from the chamber.
Boom!
Piercing through a Vanguard Fighter, the aircraft detonated with a thunderous explosion, fragments raining toward the ground.
Following this shot, the GINN executed aerial maneuvers, banking sideways to evade while drawing its Heavy Sword. A single slash cleaved through a Vanguard Fighter streaking past its flank, instantly destroying the aircraft.
Before the explosion expanded, Felix maneuvered the GINN clear, avoiding damage from the blast wave.
The retreating GINN immediately resumed evasive patterns, dodging coordinated attacks from left, right, and rear sectors.
It prioritized targets by firing leftward first.
After this shot, the mobile suit performed a midair flip to avoid renewed rear attacks while simultaneously reactivating its Heavy Assault Machine Gun.
Maintaining continuous motion during firing, the GINN evaded right-side assaults before engaging targets in that direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three explosions erupted simultaneously.
The trio of Vanguard Fighters that had surrounded Felix were eliminated.
Without pause, Felix immediately faced renewed assaults from the Vanguard Fighter squadron. The attacks came with relentless frequency and treacherous angles that would overwhelm ordinary pilots.
But Felix, seasoned against such encirclements, faced the barrage with composure. The GINN danced through the crossfire like an ethereal spirit, employing forward-backward shifts, lateral dodges, and aerial flips to evade the concentrated onslaught. All while its Heavy Assault Machine Gun maintained constant counterfire, unleashing torrents of retaliatory destruction.
...
Earth Alliance Forces Rear Base Command Center
"How goes the battle?"
Observing the large screen, Hope inquired of the Adjutant.
Horton turned to face Hope and began his report.
"The battle is intense. Although our casualties are heavy, we've also inflicted significant losses on these ZAFT Forces."
Hearing this, Hope interrupted Horton and continued questioning.
"What about that formidable MS of the ZAFT Forces? Has our unit managed to destroy it?"
Horton pondered briefly before responding.
"The ZAFT Forces deceived us. Their Mobile Suit Unit numbers far exceed what our scouts reported. Our troops besieging that MS were attacked and disrupted by their supporting MS units. We haven't completed the assigned mission yet."
Hope checked his wristwatch and noted the time before saying.
"Our unit's ammunition is nearly depleted, and the enemy's ammunition is also running low."
At this point, Hope suddenly issued an order.
"Order the troops to return!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Horton saluted and acknowledged the order.
Turning to the Communications Officer, Horton relayed Hope's command. Upon receiving the order, the Communications Officer transmitted it to the frontline units.
After the command was delivered, Hope continued.
"Have the missile units target the frontline ZAFT Forces with missile strikes to cover our troops' withdrawal. The ground forces should abandon all damaged and inoperable tanks. Personnel from abandoned vehicles should board other tanks and retreat from the battlefield."
"Yes, Commander!"
...
Frontline
The Earth Alliance Forces, engaged in intense combat with the ZAFT Forces, received the command from the rear headquarters. Understanding the order's content, the troops began preparing for retreat.
Within just a minute or two, missiles from the rear struck the battlefield.
With the missile support, the Earth Alliance Vanguard Fighter units managed to withdraw smoothly. The ground forces also seized this opportunity to abandon their tanks and retreat into the forested area.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!!!
After a series of explosions, a wall of fire resembling a flaming Great Wall appeared before Felix and the others. Seeing this fiery barrier, Felix didn't act rashly.
"Captain, should we pursue?"
A voice inquired over the communications.
Felix checked the ammunition status and asked the unit.
"How is everyone's ammunition consumption?"
After a brief inquiry, the responses indicated that ammunition was nearly exhausted. Hearing this, Felix decisively ordered a retreat.
Under Felix's command, the unit returned to the spaceport.
...
Victoria Spaceport
Felix and the others piloted their GINNs in an orderly manner, landing on the internal runways of the spaceport. Under Felix's control, the GINN entered the hangar.
The maintenance team proceeded to inspect Felix's GINN.
While they were conducting the inspection, Felix exited the cockpit and left the hangar.
Headquarters
"How did it go?"
Andrew looked at Felix, who had just returned, placed a cup of warm water in front of him, and asked. Felix, resting in a chair, didn't rush to drink the water. After resting for a while, he picked up the cup and took a sip.
"Not bad!"
Looking at Andrew, Felix spoke these two words. Andrew heard this, glanced at the table, then at Felix, and took a sip of his coffee.
"After this battle, the Earth Alliance Forces will probably lay low for a while."
"We can only say there won't be a large-scale attack, but they certainly won't hesitate to launch missiles toward the spaceport. We still can't let our guard down."
Putting down his water cup, Felix responded to Andrew.
Andrew nodded in agreement, setting down his coffee cup at the same time.
"Get me some water!"
Doug's voice reached both of them at that moment.
Felix and Andrew turned together to see Doug walking in wearing his combat suit. Like Felix, he was drenched in sweat, with clear exhaustion written across his face.
"Back already?"
Looking at Doug, Felix spoke to him.
Andrew stood up to pour a glass of water for Doug.