The ZAFT Forces' Boaz Fortress found itself under the approach of the Earth Forces' 6th and 7th Mobile Fleets. The fleets spread out in a line, with numerous Dagger units clearing the path ahead. However, what baffled observers was the leisurely pace of the Dominion at the rear of the fleet, showing no intention of joining the battle—as if it were merely on a sightseeing trip.
But for ZAFT, there was no time for leisurely analysis of enemy tactics when the foe was already at their doorstep.
"Operation codename Hedgehog One, deploy Sicily Formation 3. From this moment onward, all commands will be relayed via Ghost City cipher. All units, let the cells of Naturals paint the void of space!"
With contempt and disdain, ZAFT began their counterattack. In their eyes, Naturals were just that—Naturals. Even with MS units, they were no match for Coordinators, save for their slight numerical advantage.
Meanwhile, the Naturals wore savage grins, hearts brimming with excitement. This was their first counteroffensive in space, a direct assault on a ZAFT fortress. Moreover, they had a decisive weapon waiting in the wings—an end to their humiliation and the beginning of triumphant victory.
"For the Blue and Pure World!"
Both sides roared their slogans, fueled by mutual hatred, clashing violently before Boaz Fortress. Countless flashes of gunfire illuminated the void as lives were extinguished, the debris of war accumulating in the cold expanse.
The battle grew increasingly fierce, with ZAFT struggling to comprehend the Earth Forces' tactics. Despite their numerical superiority, after half an hour of combat, the casualty ratio had skyrocketed to 1:3, steadily eroding their advantage.
Yet the Earth Forces seemed indifferent to their losses, pressing forward relentlessly even as they were encircled, as if reaching Boaz Fortress itself was victory.
"What are they trying to accomplish?" wondered Boaz Fortress's commander. Though he looked down on Naturals, he wasn't naive enough to believe the Earth Forces would launch such a massive assault just to throw lives away.
At that moment, the Dominion, lingering with the rear fleet, opened its catapult hatches. Nine Gundams launched, streaking toward the frontlines.
"All units, our mission is solely to clear a path for the Peacemaker team. Don't get carried away." The lead Gale Strike Gundam transmitted the reminder, ensuring they didn't lose sight of their objective in the heat of battle.
"Roger." x8
Eight Gundams responded in unison, though their tones betrayed reluctance.
In previous battles, they had lost three Gundams. Even the survivors had been pushed to the brink, barely escaping with their lives. As elite pilots, they had been stewing in frustration—unable to retaliate against their stronger foes, but surely these grunts before them were fair game? How else to vent their pent-up fury than by cutting loose?
Yet Leon's warning was a sobering splash of cold water, tempering their restless impulses.
A mission was a mission—it had to be completed. No matter how many enemies they shot down, failure would still bring harsh punishment.
Receiving their responses, Leon felt reassured. Although his subordinates were a difficult bunch to manage, he had full confidence in his own authority and the deterrent effect of punishment.
"Purple Zone 13, Mk66, B detects new contacts—nine MS units, the same nine reported earlier by Creuset Team. Behind them, one Archangel-class and four Agamemnon-class vessels at 500 distance!"
"Paineer Team, Klass Team, Gao Xi Team, intercept immediately! You must hold them off!"
"Roger!"
In truth, his orders were unnecessary. The combat units had already spotted the nine Gundams. MS units along their path moved to intercept. These Mobile Suits were clearly not mass-produced models. Since they were elite units, they represented greater achievements. The Coordinators, who looked down on Naturals, didn't take the Naturals' aces seriously at all—and thus paid the price in blood for their arrogance.
"What is that?"
"New models?"
"Hmph, just Naturals' toys. New models or not—whoa, they're fast!"
"Ah—!!!"
"Damn it! Cursed Naturals... Argh—!"
...
Without the appearance of the nine Gundams, the Earth Forces' offensive had been gradually pushed back. But the moment these nine Gundams entered the battlefield, they carved straight through the central passage, even covering the collapsing fleets on both flanks.
"Schwing—"
The Wing Saw Ship-Slaying Sword swept horizontally, cleanly bisecting two Gells units. With his other hand, Leon fired his beam pistol in rapid succession, obliterating all incoming missiles.
Leading the charge, Leon expressionlessly eliminated any enemy units blocking their path. Those following behind him, however, had gone berserk. Seeing the swarming enemy forces, they felt no fear—their bloodshot eyes regarded them as prey ready to be devoured.
"So many! Hahaha! This time, we can slaughter to our hearts' content!"
"Come on! Bring more! Damn Coordinators!"
"Here I come! Final blow!"
"Hmph~ My eyes are dazzled. Take this!"
...
The heavy firepower of the Calamity Gundam and Hailstorm Buster Gundam unleashed their full might, recklessly pouring firepower into both flanks. The dense barrage shredded any enemy units attempting to approach. At the forefront, the Raider Gundam, Torrent Duel Gundam, and Nebula Lightning Gundam closely followed the Gale Strike Gundam, piercing through ZAFT's frontlines like a sharp blade. Meanwhile, the remaining three members of the quintuplets—the weakest in the squad—could only silently pick off stragglers from behind.
They were furious. They were resentful. But there was nothing they could do. Their abilities were indeed inferior to the others, and their Mobile Suits' performance was slightly worse. If not for the unique synergy of being quintuplets, they might not even have been able to join this elite unit.
"Hmm, not bad." Watching the battle unfold ahead, Muruta Azrael smiled in satisfaction for the first time since the operation began. "Despite suffering setbacks from the very first battle, it seems those guys are still formidable."
"..." Murrue (Carbon), seeing Muruta Azrael boasting about his prized creations, sneered inwardly, cursing that his works could only show off against cannon fodder. When faced with a true elite force they were meant to counter, they turned into weaklings.
"Washington calling!"
"Beep—"
The screen lit up, revealing a high-ranking official from the Atlantic Federation.
"The path seems clear. Peacemaker unit, deploy."
"Understood." Upon hearing this, Muruta Azrael's eyes widened with excitement and fervor. He had been waiting for this moment—the satisfactory performance of his creations was merely an appetizer, while the dazzling fireworks about to be unleashed by the Peacemaker unit was the main course.
Dozens of Moebius units launched from the Agamemnon-class ships, advancing toward Boaz Fortress along the path opened by the vanguard forces.
"Hmm? What's that?"
The large-scale Moebius unit stealthily approached Boaz Fortress, but their sheer numbers made it impossible to go unnoticed. Many ZAFT Forces MS units spotted them and attempted to intercept, only to be swiftly destroyed by the Gale Strike Gundam and other Gundams the moment they turned around.
This action further confirmed the unease among the ZAFT Forces, prompting more units to intercept. However, the Earth Forces fleet stood like an impenetrable wall, blocking their path.
As the Moebius units drew closer to Boaz Fortress, their pilots grew increasingly exhilarated—until the fortress entered firing range.
"Safety locks disengaged. Confirm fuse activation."
"Good! Die, you space monsters!"
"For the Blue and Pure World!"
The key to destruction turned, the button of calamity pressed, and fireworks representing disaster soared into the sky.
Just as everyone in the Earth Forces eagerly anticipated the grand spectacle of fireworks...
"Beep beep beep..."
Alarms blared as all radar systems simultaneously detected several light dots rapidly approaching the battlefield. Then, countless multicolored beams crisscrossed, weaving a dense net.
"Boom boom boom boom...!"
"What!?"
The fireworks spectacle erupted, plunging the battlefield into a momentary standstill. The ZAFT Forces were horrified—this energy level, this scale of explosion—it was a nuclear strike! The Earth Forces had actually used nuclear weapons against them! Yet they also felt relief, as some unknown force had saved everyone at Boaz Fortress.
Meanwhile, the Earth Forces were furious. They had witnessed the fireworks display, but it had unfolded in the wrong place at the wrong time—rendering all their previous efforts meaningless.
"Who did this!? ZAFT reinforcements!?" Muruta Azrael roared, leaping to his feet in rage. The moment he had been longing for had been ruined—this meant... yet another failure!
"Radar picking up signals... It's... Freedom! Justice! Dawn! Gundam Exia! Gundam Cherudim! Gundam Virtue!"
"What!?" Not just Muruta Azrael, but even Murrue(Carbon) and the others were stunned. They had assumed it was ZAFT reinforcements detecting their forces and arriving just in time to save Boaz Fortress. Never had they imagined the Three Ships Alliance would intervene in this battle—and even rescue Boaz Fortress.
"How... How could it be them... Damn it!" Muruta Azrael cursed. "Them again... Them again... Kill them... Kill them all!"
"But... the operation has failed. We should retreat now," Murrue(Carbon) reminded them. The battle had reached a point where allied fleets had suffered heavy casualties while desperately covering the Peacemaker unit's advance. With all nuclear weapons destroyed and their primary objective unattainable, they should withdraw to regroup.
"No retreat! We must kill them! They keep ruining everything—before, now, and what if they keep standing in our way? Are we just going to fail every time?!" Muruta Azrael demanded.
"But..." Murrue(Carbon) understood that the Three Ships Alliance posed a significant threat that needed to be eliminated. However, they weren't just facing them now—after ZAFT discovered their use of nuclear weapons, would they let them go?
At that moment, the CIC's report made it clear that retreat was no longer an option.
"Peacemaker unit annihilated! Gale Strike... Hail Duel... Hail Buster, Nebula Blitz—signal lost! Gundam Raider , Calamity—signal lost! Strike E1, E2, E3—signal lost! All MS units destroyed!"
"Enemy MS approaching rapidly—it's Dawn!"
"What?!"
(End of Chapter)