"The Drake-class is heading toward the agricultural research center."
Fred felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Where it would crash no longer mattered.
Once the Drake crashed into Copernicus's outer wall at full speed, the air leakage would quickly kill everyone inside Copernicus.
He never expected this.
Something as vicious as a Julius-level incident was actually happening.
If they succeeded...
Thinking of his mother and younger sister being up there, Fred's heart sank completely. Seeing that the enemy had stopped attacking and instead focused their target on Copernicus and the continuously emerging Mistrals, the young man operated the mechanical arm to pick up the high-pressure energy canisters beside him.
"What are you planning to do?"
Athrun, forcing himself to stay calm, asked.
But even as the future strongest warrior, his voice trembled as he watched the Drake about to breach Copernicus's airspace.
Like Fred, his mother was also up there.
"Using the umbilical cord."
"No! The umbilical cord doesn't have enough pulling force!"
Before Fred could continue, Miha, who had barely regained composure over the comms, immediately objected.
Although the umbilical cord had cables, they were only capable of pulling Mistrals and some cargo.
Pulling a Drake-class battleship at full throttle was impossible.
Even if they managed to pull it, it would only make the Drake crash nose-first in a different direction.
The impact point would still be on Copernicus.
After all, that umbilical cord was a fixed structure on Copernicus's outer wall.
"I'm not talking about pulling. The umbilical cord has rocket propulsion. We'll aim for the main engine, attach these high-pressure energy canisters, and cause a secondary explosion in their engine delivery pipes."
These high-pressure canisters served as carriers for welding and various energy sources. Though relatively stable, that stability could be broken.
He would first activate the canisters, then use the umbilical cord's propulsion to throw them.
It would function like a simple rocket-propelled grenade.
For a clumsy battleship, that would be enough.
And with this many canisters, the power would rival that of a light missile.
"But even if the main propulsion unit is gone, there are still four auxiliary thrusters."
This time, before Miha could speak, Athrun interjected.
The four auxiliary thrusters were located around the hull, each with its own independent energy delivery pipeline.
They were designed to maintain some level of propulsion in case the main propulsion unit was destroyed.
As the saying goes, though the Drake may seem fragile and weak, it depends on the opponent and the era.
An ordinary boxer might not stand a chance against Tyson, but beating an average person would be effortless.
At least before beam rifles and Mobile Armors appeared, the Drake was sufficiently durable.
It was enough for the Council Nations to dominate this region of space with absolute superiority.
Fred then added, "We still have people. Copernicus also has several anti-aircraft guns."
"If I'm not mistaken, this Drake-class was stolen while still under maintenance. It probably doesn't have any missiles."
If it had missiles, with their range and powerful guidance capabilities unaffected by neutron jammers, Fred would have been dead several times over by now.
"So?"
Miha said.
"So, we'll use our anti-aircraft guns to take out the two Close-in Weapon Systems at the bottom of the enemy ship, and try to destroy the remaining auxiliary thrusters as well. We'll gather all the other Mistrals here - once we have double-digit numbers of Mistrals, the combined thrust should give us a chance to push the Drake-class back when it only has auxiliary power left."
Copernicus's anti-aircraft guns couldn't effectively target the bridge located above or the final anti-aircraft gun positioned in front of the bridge due to angle limitations.
However, there was still an opportunity to destroy the two Close-in Weapon Systems at the bottom of the Drake-class.
After all, they only needed to push the Drake-class upward from below. As long as they stayed in the blind spots of enemy fire, they wouldn't need to deal with the frontal anti-aircraft guns.
"..."
Fred's plan was bold, even bordering on fantastical, leaving Kira and Athrun momentarily uncertain about its feasibility.
But there was little time for hesitation.
"What if it self-destructs?"
Miha finally asked.
"The reaction heat source radar can detect changes two seconds before self-destruction, and I can observe the bridge from a blind spot, giving us enough advance warning. Using the tug as cover, we'll have time to avoid the core explosion source."
With only the Mistral's two mechanical arms, he had no chance of breaching the enemy bridge, leaving him no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
For such a large spacecraft, self-destruction couldn't be instantaneous.
The time gap between command issuance, execution, and completion of self-destruction could be life-saving.
"Of course, the premise is that we can't let the Drake get close to Copernicus."
It wasn't about stopping it completely, but at least ensuring most people wouldn't be killed by the explosion.
But how many people would actually do this?
Risk their own lives to stand between Copernicus and danger.
Fred wasn't sure about this, but at the moment, he didn't even have time to hesitate.
"We'll split up. I'll handle targeting, you communicate with the control tower."
As Fred spoke, his gaze became sharper than ever before.
Though he didn't know where this ship came from.
He wouldn't let any attack that threatened his family succeed.
"Alright!"
"You... need to aim carefully."
Miha's voice trembled slightly as he tried hard not to pressure the other, but every aspect of this plan was crucial, and the primary prerequisite was Fred's missile hitting the Drake-class's main propulsion unit.
Time was tight. According to launch preparation calculations, there was only one chance.
If they failed, everyone's home would be destroyed.
"Brother..."
Kira, also on the comms, wanted to say something, but encountering such a situation for the first time, he remained completely disoriented.
Unlike the circumstances six years later, the current Kira was still too young and had no knowledge of operating systems.
"Athrun and I will protect them, don't worry."
Fred said softly.
His deep voice carried a reassuring quality.
It also calmed Kira's agitated heart.
Even while speaking, Fred continued operating his welding tool, steadily welding energy-filled gas tanks onto the umbilical cord device.
Thanks to his diligent training, his movements were highly proficient.
And Miha hesitated no longer, flying toward the port while contacting the command center that had already descended into chaos and growing despair.
"Uncle Heier! Fred is preparing to snipe the Drake's main thrusters! Deploy all available Mistrals! We're going to push the Drake back!"
Amidst the collective despair, Miha's communication was like a stone cast into already turbulent waters—no one heard it clearly.
Despair, cold as the vacuum of space, had seeped into every heart.
But there was an exception: the Uncle Heier Miha had mentioned.
As deputy commander of the command center, he had always looked out for Fred's team. Now, facing certain doom, Heier's resignation to death was suddenly pierced by a faint, uncertain glimmer of hope upon hearing Miha's words.
He knew Fred was clever, but only clever—not clever enough, in his view, to take down a Drake-class battleship.
Yet with all options exhausted, things couldn't get any worse.