Chapter 157: Concrete Pile, Strike!
"Where the hell is that bastard Monsha?!"
In the busy hangar of the White Chaser, Eli roared into the comms with Albion, demanding to know Monsha's whereabouts.
"Sorry! We don't know either!"
Bait, already seated in his customized GM, could only stammer out a nervous response.
"Tch! Fine! Then you guys head out first and hold the line for me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Eli dropped his headset and shouted to Ista.
"Get me a plane—I'm heading to the Albion! I'm going to pilot the GP01!"
The situation had indeed become urgent enough for Eli to personally sortie in the GP01, relying on its aquatic equipment for battle.
Because the Zeon remnants had arrived!
"Damn Navy, what the hell were they doing to let Zeon remnants get this close?! This is practically our own backyard!"
Cursing internally, Eli watched as his teammates launched in MS units aboard their SFS, flying out to intercept.
Since it was a maritime attack, the incoming Zeon forces were naturally piloting all sorts of aquatic units.
When it came to bullying the Navy, the Zeon remnants were still as formidable as ever.
The carrier sailing alongside two Pegasus-class ships immediately deployed its aquatic GMs and even re-deployed the GP-type Gundam that had only just returned and wasn't fully restored.
But this time, the Zeon attack seemed far from ordinary—among the incoming signals, there was a massive one!
A large Marine-use MA—designed for high-speed tactics—equipped with ten torpedo launchers, anti-air and anti-ship missile pods, and two melee claws.
Just from its design alone, it was obvious this thing was targeting the Albion during its aquatic equipment tests!
That's why, the Navy's carrier was singled out by the Grabro right at the start. After crippling the ship's mobility with torpedoes, it closed in and pierced the hull with its claws.
Useless Navy—pathetic!
Eli didn't believe the base commander who had welcomed them was the leak, but maybe someone at another base had the same thoughts Eli once had—trying to sabotage the rollout of the GP01's aquatic gear.
Two aquatic GMs had already been taken down. At this rate, the Navy's defensive line would be breached in no time.
And just when the GP01's firepower was desperately needed, they couldn't get in touch with its pilot—Monsha!
So Eli was prepared to take matters into his own hands.
But suddenly, the entire hangar shook.
A missile had been intercepted by the anti-air guns frighteningly close to the hangar, and the shockwave from the explosion forced the ship to adjust its posture.
"Major Eli, in this situation, taking a plane out—"
—it was far too risky.
Eli knew that.
Not to mention, the White Chaser wasn't outfitted with combat planes—only communication aircraft. With enemy missiles raining down from all directions, flying out now was suicide.
Even if they used SFS to engage the aquatic units on the surface, they still couldn't deal with the biggest threat—Grabro.
It could only be taken down with close-quarters underwater combat or with a high-powered weapon capable of penetrating its armor.
Sanders had already attempted a strike with his EZ-8, trying to fire a high-focus beam through the water from the air to hit the Grabro.
But it was no good. The Grabro's high-speed maneuvers made it impossible for Sanders to land a hit, while the Grabro easily launched missiles from multiple angles.
A defending aquatic GM had its armor violently shredded by the MA's mechanical claws, its pilot left helpless, staring in terror as seawater flooded into the cockpit and pulled them into the depths.
"Tch. Screw it. I trust my piloting skills—I can make it there."
Even if the system buffs didn't apply to aircraft, people often forgot—Eli had once been a Swordfish pilot.
And at this point, there was no other choice.
But just then, the comms link with Albion crackled with Nina's sudden shout.
"What do you think you're doing, Ensign Uraki?!"
Elsewhere, Nina had just seen Uraki—wearing only a flight jacket—step off the lift and approach the GP01's chest. He opened the cockpit hatch via the control panel.
"There's no one else who can get in now, right?!"
Uraki, not even in a pilot suit, stood there with one foot on the cockpit edge, turning to Nina with a determined expression.
That face, which just moments ago had looked like that of a fool, was now filled with a resolute intensity Nina couldn't understand.
"I…"
Though Nina had once considered using Uraki as a test pilot, that was for testing, not actual combat!
Logically, she knew someone like him—who'd never trained for the GP01's aquatic gear—couldn't possibly bring out its full potential.
"Go, Uraki."
While Nina hesitated, Eli's voice came through the nearby console.
"Take out the enemy, then come back alive. That's all you need to do. Simple."
At this point, Eli wasn't concerned with punishing Uraki for trying to board the unit. He was doing his best to calm the young man's nerves.
But clearly, Uraki—who had already seen real combat—wasn't about to panic.
"Understood! And… I'm sorry, Captain."
It wasn't hard to imagine the kind of heat Eli would face for letting a subordinate sortie without authorization.
Even though the urgency of the situation was real, this would be more than enough to fuel political attacks against him.
This wasn't some internal Augusta base project—it was a top-level development initiative under the entire Federation's scrutiny.
The hatch closed. Screens lit up one by one in front of Uraki.
What first caught his eye was Nina, standing on the boarding stairs nearby, watching with visible worry.
She treated the Gundam like her own child—of course she'd be worried.
It felt completely different piloting an MS without a pilot suit. The control stick in his hand had an unfamiliar texture.
So this… is what a Gundam feels like…
At Mora's signal, the maintenance frame disengaged from the GP01, and Uraki moved toward the Albion's lift.
The external electromagnetic catapult had been deployed. The aquatic-equipped GP01 was raised into launch position and stepped onto the foot clamps.
"Listen, Ensign Uraki—since the recent test used up some of our stores, torpedoes are only loaded to half capacity. Don't go charging in recklessly!"
Nina had accepted the harsh reality that the Gundam had to enter combat, and quickly patched through communications.
"Got it. I'll primarily use the beam rifle!"
Compared to the torpedoes he'd never used, Uraki was clearly more comfortable with the beam rifle.
"Launch path clear! All systems green!"
"Uraki Kou, GP01 Gundam—launching!"
With the CIC's announcement, Uraki stomped on the pedal. The moment the electromagnetic catapult flung him forward, the GP01's thrusters roared to life. It reoriented midair, upper body angled toward the sea, shield in front—and plunged straight into the ocean!
Nina shivered.
"That height, that speed… will Ensign Uraki really be okay?"
She voiced her concern to Mora beside her.
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