"Dammit... our previous attacks were quite effective! How did it come to this..."
In the explosion-ravaged battlefield, a golden-haired girl named Cagalli stared at the devastated scene behind her, speaking with bitter resentment.
Cagalli Yula Athha—daughter of ORB's Prime Minister Uzumi Yula Athha—now found herself fighting alongside local resistance forces against ZAFT's invasion due to certain circumstances.
Their team had previously managed to ambush and shoot down one or two of ZAFT's Canine Mobile Suits, the "BuCUEs." Perhaps provoked by this, ZAFT had subsequently dispatched troops to destroy the town that served as their former base.
Although all residents, young and old, had managed to escape, the destruction of their homes and supplies had created numerous difficulties.
Driven by fury over their destroyed base and misjudging their previous success as proof of strength, some members spontaneously took control of so-called War Machines and launched retaliatory attacks against the BuCUEs.
They had planned to eliminate the enemy commander in his jeep and retreat immediately, but unexpectedly, the enemy had anticipated their ambush—a counterattack by Mobile Suits swiftly turned the tables, plunging them into crisis.
Vehicle-mounted cannons and bazookas proved utterly ineffective against BuCUE-type Mobile Suits. Countless resistance War Machines were crushed and sent flying by the BuCUEs... The enemy didn't even bother using their built-in weapons, instead toying with them like playthings, casually crushing a comrade to death.
And now... Cagalli was clearly about to become one of them.
Their War Machine had been swatted away in the earlier battle, its driver falling from a great height and left half-dead—had Cagalli's bodyguard not pulled her from the vehicle in time, she would have shared the same fate.
But one narrow escape meant little. The BuCUE's pilot, likely noticing his kill count hadn't increased and fearing he'd be seen as slacking, specifically returned to lift his tracked forepaw and mercilessly slam it down upon Cagalli and the others.
A massive shadow instantly descended from above... Even if they ran, they clearly couldn't escape the shadow's reach before the claw landed.
"Damn it... I haven't even avenged my comrades yet..."
Staring at the slowly descending giant claw, Cagalli felt no fear in her heart, only hatred—hatred for her own powerlessness, hatred for lacking the strength to avenge her companions.
But at that moment—a tremendous roar suddenly erupted before her, as if something had fallen from the sky onto the BuCUE, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Cough... What was that?"
Rubbing her dust-irritated eyes and coughing once, Cagalli looked toward the source of the dust cloud with astonishment and confusion.
The dust quickly dissipated in the wind, revealing the figure hidden behind the sandy curtain.
A azure blue longsword had pierced clean through the BuCUE, buried deep in the sand. Behind the sword, a white-bodied Mechanical Giant stood with one foot planted on the BuCUE's Mobile Suit, violently wrenching the blade from its body.
Those emerald green optical displays swept across the desert, radiating arrogance and confidence—as if challenging the entire wasteland, demanding who dared step forward to fight.
When Cagalli clearly saw the newcomer's true form, she nearly froze in place. Not only was she stunned by the monarch-like dominance emanating from the Mobile Suit, but also because—she had seen this very MS that saved her before.
Isn't this... one of the five Mobile Suits produced at Heliopolis?
Why would it appear here now?
On the other side, Andrew Waltfeld—the Desert Tiger who was originally the operation's target—curiously stopped his vehicle and turned back to observe the battlefield after something crashed into the combat zone.
When he saw the Strike Suit looking down upon all rivals, his eyebrows lifted excitedly.
The one previously spotted falling... was indeed the Archangel that descended to Earth some time ago.
"Order them to retreat."
Waltfeld didn't hesitate for even a moment. The instant he confirmed the Strike's identity, he issued this command to his red-haired adjutant beside him.
"Just... retreat that simply?"
His adjutant appeared somewhat confused. The enemy had only sent one machine as reinforcement, while they still had several BuCUEs remaining—there seemed no need to retreat so easily.
"Otherwise? Even four new-type machines piloted by Red Uniforms in space couldn't handle him. Do you think our BuCUEs stand any chance?"
Waltfeld shrugged. He was familiar with the Strike's combat record—thus he clearly understood that the pilots and Mobile Suits under his command stood no chance of defeating the Strike.
If there was any hope at all, it would have been to catch the opponent before they adapted to Earth's gravity.
But now...
He looked up at the red Flight Board circling above the battlefield and sighed regretfully.
Earlier, this Strike had flown over using that thing, then descended from the sky—piercing through one BuCUE while landing safely... Anyone capable of performing such maneuvers smoothly clearly didn't appear to be struggling with gravity adaptation.
After hearing his commander's analysis, the adjutant gained some understanding of the Strike's fearsome reputation—and no longer hesitated, immediately issuing the command:
"All units prepare to retreat! Avoid engagement with the enemy MS!Seeing the remaining BuCUEs not only refrain from attacking the Strike after its arrival, but instead turn and retreat like frightened beasts, Cagalli felt surprised.
"This... this MS has such intimidating presence against them?"
Cagalli looked at the Strike with disbelief. Her only impression of this machine was that brief glimpse before entering the shelter.
At that time, she considered it the source that brought war to ORB, harboring no goodwill toward this Mobile Suit—even feeling some disgust.
But the Strike's timely rescue and its intimidation of the enemy forces had now... sparked some change in her previously hateful heart.
"This guy has won numerous battles in space... ZAFT forces privately call it a demon-like Mobile Suit."
Cagalli's bodyguard—Ledonir Kisaka added. Unlike Cagalli, who merely participated in activities, Kisaka would seize every spare moment to monitor various battlefields and gather intelligence, naturally possessing deeper knowledge about the Strike Suit.
At that moment, Ashuman, leader of the resistance organization, also arrived by vehicle. After glancing at Cagalli's overturned car and then at the Strike Suit standing motionless on the sand with no immediate follow-up actions, he roughly grasped the situation.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Kisaka suddenly say:
"That Strike Suit seems to be waiting to make contact with us... Should we give it a try?"
Ashuman looked at the Strike Suit, then surveyed the battlefield littered with wreckage of War Machines. After bowing his head in contemplation, he finally made a decision:
"In that case... let's try."
"After all, things can't possibly get any worse than this."