Chapter 186: The Truth Behind Operation Stardust
"Eli, when did all this start?"
Compared to the still relatively young Amuro and Kou Uraki, Arcadia immediately grasped the implication behind Eli's words.
Of course, the immortal members of Squad Four—like Monsha—understood as well, but since they belonged to a different command structure, it wasn't their place to speak up.
"It's likely been going on for quite a while. I only just received the intel from higher-ups. But let's not talk about that now. The MK82—everything's functioning normally, right?"
Eli spoke casually to Arcadia, also subtly letting the three Titans members know that his actions were authorized—meant to prevent any potential conflict.
"Don't worry, we've got expert mechanics."
Thinking of Istha's technical skills, Eli felt reassured.
"Take care of yourself first. I'll give you the details of the operation plan shortly!"
With that, Eli activated the GP04, drew his beam saber, and slashed at the red Gyan Kai that had only just managed to recover!
Cima's response was swift; she immediately drew her sword to meet the straightforward attack path.
The two mobile suits clashed and quickly disengaged from the raging battlefield, heading off in another direction.
"Now can we talk? About the truth behind Operation Stardust."
Not only had they established a voice link, they were now connected via video communication.
Eli wasted no time showing the blank pardon document that Jamitov had given him to the woman before him.
Cima verified the document's authenticity as fast as possible. Breathing a sigh of relief, she began to answer Eli's question.
"Yes, just like you said—the Delaz Fleet's objective is to drop a colony satellite."
Cima's first words drew Eli's irritation.
Come on, the colony satellite was literally falling right beside them. Was this supposed to be some kind of literary nonsense?
"But the target of the drop isn't Earth!"
Sensing Eli's displeasure, Cima quickly followed up.
"This colony satellite isn't headed for Earth. The real target is the Moon—Von Braun on the Moon! Delaz plans to fire the thrusters in lunar orbit to decelerate the colony."
"What's the goal behind that?"
Eli wasn't expecting an answer to that particular question from Cima.
"Then where is Delaz now?"
He decided not to dwell on the 'why' and instead pushed for something more actionable.
"He's personally leading the Gwadan to intercept the remaining Federation fleet. Even though most of it's been sunk, the Federation still has nearly thirty warships left."
Cima immediately shared what she knew.
"If they can break through the blockade before the rest of the Federation forces arrive, nothing will be able to stop the colony from falling."
Setting aside the question of why Delaz ultimately chose the Moon as the target, what Cima said was undeniably true.
The Federation's interception strategy had been designed under the assumption that the colony was headed for Earth.
Everyone thought that the lunar pass in the drop trajectory was just a gravitational assist maneuver—that the colony would use the Moon's gravity to change direction, ignite its thrusters again, and accelerate toward Earth.
That was why Eli and the others had considered attacking the colony's thrusters in the first place.
Eli suddenly boosted GP04's output. The beam saber drew a brilliant arc, forcing Cima to retreat.
"Pretend to retreat. Take me to where Delaz is."
That was the last thing Eli said to Cima.
Without hesitation, she understood that he was planning to go after Delaz directly.
The red Gyan Kai turned and withdrew, signaling to her team to put on a show.
Naturally, Eli also instructed his people to cooperate.
In an instant, the mobile suits under Cima's command began to fall—legs, arms, or heads shot off. Monsha even had GP01 fake a dramatic double slash that lightly damaged two of the Marines' suits.
"Watch out!"
Noticing this, Daryl shouted at his "comrades" while simultaneously firing a volley from his MEGA particle cannon at Orchis. Then, he launched his wire-controlled grappling claws straight at Monsha!
The sudden rear attack caught Monsha off guard—but a thick beam saber slashed in first, intercepting the claws of Neue Ziel.
It was GP02, who had been protected behind GP01 all along.
As the beam saber clashed with the claws, it slowly heated them until they glowed red.
"Tch!"
To accommodate the nuclear warhead, Neue Ziel had removed all of its original missile launchers, and now found itself lacking in anti-MS firepower.
Igniting a beam saber on its secondary arm, Neue Ziel dodged the MEGA particle fire from Orchis and began dashing across the battlefield!
During this maneuver, he swung his saber wildly, even driving Eli—who attempted to give chase—back.
An MA equipped with an I-field cutting across the battlefield was nearly impossible for most MS to stop.
What Neue Ziel was doing amounted to holding off the entire Federation pursuit single-handedly, buying time for the Marines to retreat.
No matter how you looked at it, Daryl was a Newtype. He should've been able to tell real intent from falsehood.
Maybe he'd already gone insane.
The green MA surged across the battlefield—straight toward the edge, where two mobile suits were locked in fierce combat.
"Colonel! I'll help you!"
Daryl shouted as he swung his large beam saber at Amuro, who was locked in a stalemate with Char.
Inside the Dijeh, Amuro instantly sensed Daryl's hostility and malice. He broke free from the deadlock without hesitation.
Faced with the perfect opportunity, Char didn't press his advantage. Instead, he allowed himself to drift backward, letting Daryl's MA fly between the Dijeh and his own suit.
Amuro quickly realigned, aiming the twin railguns on his shoulders at Neue Ziel, who was slowing down to gain altitude. Without waiting to lock on, he fired!
This wasn't a hasty shot. It was as if he'd anticipated Neue Ziel's movements—the MA practically flew right into the electric blasts.
Amuro glanced at Char, noting that while his machine was undamaged, he had withdrawn along with the Marines.
Amuro twitched at the corner of his eye but didn't pursue Char. Instead, he ignited his thrusters and launched a renewed assault on Neue Ziel.
His rocket launcher fired a continuous barrage, pounding the already-crippled rear thrusters that had been taken out by the railguns—clearly trying to disable its mobility completely.
But Neue Ziel, somehow, still managed to spin away just before the Dijeh reached him, using its remaining thrusters. At the same time, it countered with a beam saber slash.
The blade landed cleanly on the Dijeh.