As the distance between the 13th Fleet and Earth closed, the livestream latency sharpened.
Every soul aboard the fleet was transfixed by the screen, watching the HWS components dance through the sky in a trail of crimson light before locking onto the ν Gundam.
"Is that... a technology deepened from the Miracle of Axis?"
Bright's adjutant stared, his worldview shattered. "No... the way those components moved suggests remote control, like funnels. Is this a successor to the Psycho-Frame?"
"There's no visible propulsion fire while those parts are floating; it defies all common sense. And that glow bleeding through the gaps in the ν Gundam..."
While his adjutant reeled from the technical impossibility, Bright remained eerily calm.
"Things like that... you only understand them once you've touched them," Bright muttered. He rubbed his clean-shaven jaw and donned his pressure suit helmet.
Seeing the sheer power of the ν Gundam allowed Bright to breathe a small sigh of relief. If this machine was on their side, then the stronger it was, the better.
Yet, a shadow of worry lingered: could he still reach a mutual understanding with the man Amuro had become?
"North American forces are still funneling MS units into the New York assembly grounds. The new model MS has already led a retreat..."
As the Ra Cailum approached its designated orbital slot, the radar operator utilized specialized high-altitude surveillance gear. "ν Gundam locked. Magnifying view... Dammit! Why won't these guys just pull back?!"
"They've likely been given a 'dead or alive' order. The Federation's greatest fear has manifested today," the communications officer replied. "After today, the Federation might be torn asunder. They're banking everything on killing Char and Amuro first, then dealing with us."
"The ν Gundam is engaging the North American MS. Is he waiting for Char's speech to end?" The radar operator adjusted the parameters. "Projecting the feed to the main screen now."
On the screen, the ν Gundam HWS wasn't just suppressing the attackers—it was annihilating them.
"Captain Bright, the Federation Cabinet has issued a new global order to all Earth-side forces." The operator's brow furrowed.
"What is the order?" Bright asked sharply.
"Eliminate the ν Gundam and Char at any cost."
"Those bastards in the Cabinet... they're just sending recruits to the slaughter," the radar operator hissed, gripping his console. "The Federation forces are being pushed back by Amuro... Wait! Look at that!"
On the radar, a sharp ping signaled the detection of ballistic missiles.
"North American region, California—a base has launched two ballistic missiles! The target is the New York venue!"
The radar operator stared at the launch site, his eyes widening in shock. "California... could they be nukes?!"
Upon hearing the operator's report, Bright leaned forward and spoke anxiously.
"...Data comparison complete. That is a base equipped with nuclear weapons. They are nuclear warheads!" the radar operator shouted in terror after completing the site identification.
"If we descend to Earth now, can we intercept them?"
After a brief moment of thought, Bright hit upon the idea of having the Ra Cailum descend to Earth to intercept the nuclear missiles.
"Comms, can you reach Amuro or Char? Try contacting the venue directly!"
No matter what, at this point in time, nothing could be allowed to happen to Char and Amuro inside the New York venue.
"Unable to establish contact! No one at the venue is picking up!"
"It's no use, we won't make it! The nukes will hit the New York venue while we are still in the middle of our descent!"
As one piece of bad news followed another, Bright couldn't help but clench his fist.
"Damn it..."
Bright slammed his fist onto the armrest. "Regardless, Ra Cailum, begin atmospheric entry procedures!"
"Understood. Ra Cailum, beginning Earth descent procedures."
Following Bright's command, the Ra Cailum's helmsman gave a thumbs-up and began the scheduled process of lowering the battleship's altitude.
"Wait... an unknown battleship has appeared off the East Coast of the Americas!"
The radar operator cried out as if he had spotted something impossible.
On the screen's projected image, a massive, streamlined battleship was rising from the surface of the sea.
-----------------------------------
Outside the New York venue, with the assembly of the HWS (Heavy Weapon System) equipment complete, Roz was finally free from the predicament of fighting empty-handed.
While he could have wiped out everyone present with just a single beam saber, Roz preferred a more efficient method.
The ν Gundam raised the Hyper Mega Rifle in its hand. From the muzzle of this massive beam rifle, a thick, pinkish-purple beam erupted.
It precisely pierced through a Jegan; the anti-beam coating on the Jegan's body was eroded and punched through in an instant.
Subsequently, a violent explosion tore the mobile suit into a field of debris.
Facing the sheer power of the Hyper Mega Rifle, however, Roz clicked his tongue, seemingly unsatisfied.
Today was another day of missing the Beam Magnum.
Unfortunately, his current position was still too close to the crowds; the splash damage from a Beam Magnum was no joke.
With that thought, Roz maneuvered the ν Gundam, using a shield bash to send one Jegan flying, slamming it into another unit.
Then, Roz controlled the Nu Gundam to move in a hover-like fashion, finding an angle that allowed him to aim simultaneously at the two staggered units and the Keisaria transports carrying MS squads behind them.
The two Hyper Mega Particle Cannons mounted on the shield fired two thick beams, reminiscent of the Nahel Argama's "Gottfried" secondary cannons.
Almost instantaneously, even though the Jegan used its hand-held shield, its upper torso was dissolved by the beam in full view of everyone.
The Kessarias and mobile suits along the attack path also exploded in the sky one after another, turning into bursts of flame.
"Are they still sending in more troops?"
Roz maneuvered the ν Gundam, its left leg thrusters flaring as he drove the machine into a sweeping kick.
The blow struck a nearby Jegan in the waist, sending it crashing to the ground.
The two twin-linked missile launchers atop the reinforced chest armor then emptied their payloads of small missiles onto the downed unit.
The Jegan struck by the small missiles exploded on the ground, sending various parts flying everywhere.
Some fragments were even deflected away by the gradually dissipating GN particles that still shrouded the civilians who had yet to evacuate.
"They should be retreating by now... what are they trying to do by pinning me down?"
Roz frowned, pondering the question.
Suddenly, Roz felt a bone-chilling, icy sense of danger, as if he were about to suffocate.
"Roz..."
At this moment, Kara's tone was no longer lazy; she had become serious. "Something is coming."
"Yeah, I can feel it... cold, chaotic, violent..."
Roz analyzed the sensation with a deep scowl. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he gasped. "Is it that?! Would the Federation really go that far?!"
"They actually want to detonate a nuclear bomb here?!"
Ignoring the remaining Jegan encirclement, Roz slammed down on the pedals. The various thrusters of the ν Gundam erupted with blue flames and green light particles, propelling the Nu Gundam into the sky.
"I have to stop it..."
Roz flexed his fingers slightly, feeling that malice drawing closer and closer, and raised the ν Gundam's Hyper Mega Rifle.
-----------------------------------
At this moment, on the Nahel Argama, everyone was still agonizing over how to deliver the Nightingale to Char.
"It's no use... Without the Nightingale being activated, there are no GN particles to simulate a space environment. If we use ReZEL Type Cs to transport it, they would have to tow it, which would cause a series of severe interferences due to inertia—it might even lead to the ReZELs colliding with each other."
Christina stood in the hangar, reporting her calculations to Murrue on the bridge.
"The internal OS is extremely specialized for Char. If our pilots were to fly it, we'd have to recalibrate the OS settings, which would delay the delivery time."
At this point, Cindy also spoke up. "But we are supposed to deliver this MS to Char today."
"In other words, the best solution would be for Char to come here and pick it up himself."
Murrue sighed, rubbing her forehead as she felt a headache coming on. "But Char requested to have her today; it's not like he can suddenly teleport into our hangar..."
Truthfully, even back on the Archangel, being chased across the world by PLANT until they were out of ammunition and food, Murrue felt those hardships were nothing compared to the difficulty of transporting the Nightingale today.
Watching the live broadcast on the screen of the ν Gundam rampaging through the battlefield, Murrue leaned back in her chair, pondering a solution.
However, Natarle Badgiruel suddenly voiced a different opinion.
"I think the Nightingale can be set aside for now."
Natarle stood before the radar station. Having discovered something, she looked toward Murrue. "The radar just detected movement from a military base in the California region near our position."
"I see it."
Looking at the distant horizon where two ballistic missiles were climbing, Murrue narrowed her eyes slightly. "What is the impact point?"
"Calculating based on the ballistic trajectory, the target is New York. Big brother Roz is still there."
At that moment, the crew member in charge of radar observations quickly calculated the approximate impact point. "Also... judging by the external profile, we suspect they might be carrying nuclear warheads. After all, both Roz and Char are there."
Upon hearing this news, Murrue immediately sat bolt upright.
"How accurate is this intelligence?"
Natarle Badgiruel also widened her eyes in shock.
"The probability is high."
The radar observer shook their head helplessly.
Looking at the two ballistic missiles as they continued their climb, an atmosphere of anxiety filled the bridge of the Nahel Argama. Regardless of whether they carried nuclear warheads or not, Roz was still at the New York venue.
"What are your orders, Captain?"
Prompted by Natarle's voice, Murrue snapped out of her brief trance.
After a moment of careful thought, Murrue made her decision.
"Nahel Argama, move to Level 1 Battle Stations. Deactivate the Mirage Colloid system and begin ascent."
Murrue reached out, inputting commands one by one on her armrest console.
"Check the status of the GN Drive; prepare to activate TRANS-AM."
"Natarle, use the Gottfried to destroy those two ballistic missiles. Any problems?"
Murrue looked toward Natarle and spoke with a serious expression.
"For Roz's sake, I will not miss."
Natarle nodded to Murrue, turned, and ran toward the CIC command room in the mezzanine below the bridge.
"...Maintenance crew, this is the bridge."
As if remembering something, Murrue pressed a button on her armrest and spoke into the microphone.
"Equip the Nightingale with parachutes as quickly as possible."
Indeed, Murrue intended to take advantage of this intercept to air-drop the Nightingale at the same time.
Char might not be able to teleport to the Nahel Argama, but the Nahel Argama could carry the Nightingale and crash right into their neighborhood.
"Nahel Argama, beginning takeoff!"
As Maho Nishizumi, serving as the relief helmsman, pushed the throttle levers forward, the previously dormant Nahel Argama rapidly shed its optical camouflage.
Its thrusters erupted with massive plumes of flame, instantly turning a great deal of seawater into steam from the sudden heat.
As the battleship disengaged its Mirage Colloid system and began its ascent, numerous Federation bases sent out inquiry signals.
However, the Nahel Argama ignored every single request, continuing its climb to gain altitude.
"Reached designated altitude. Target locked!"
Maho Nishizumi shouted loudly. After stabilizing the Nahel Argama's flight attitude, she placed her free right hand on the console beside her. "GN condenser tanks are fully charged."
"Gottfried preheating complete. Ready to fire at any time."
Natarle Badgiruel sat before her console, hands gripping the control lever. She watched the screen as the ballistic missiles appeared as two black dots.
The quadruple-mounted Gottfried cannons on the Nahel Argama deployed their turrets, entering firing mode.
"TRANS-AM, initiate! Chase them down!"
Murrue spoke loudly, her tone firm, her movements so forceful that her chest swayed slightly. "We absolutely cannot let those two ballistic missiles fall on the New York area!"
"Understood. TRANS-AM, initiating."
As Maho Nishizumi pressed the button on the console, the GN condenser tanks on the Nahel Argama began releasing their stored GN particles, tinting the entire battleship a vivid red.
Meanwhile, at the Federation military base, the radar operator saw the Nahel Argama's speed suddenly become erratic. The signal flickered like a glitch, disappearing from the radar screen after a few long-distance "blinks."
"Report! The unknown battleship... its speed has suddenly increased! They have already left our radar detection range!"
Under the ghost-stricken expression of the Federation radar operator, the Nahel Argama began moving at extreme speeds, even trailing a series of afterimages behind the hull.
However, the ballistic missiles had already finished their acceleration and had crossed more than half of the American region.
"Target entering range countdown: 3, 2, 1... Clear to fire!"
"Huff... huff..."
Natarle took deep breaths, trying to keep her mind as calm as possible as she locked onto the two ballistic missiles. Then, without hesitation, Natarle pulled the trigger.
Four thick beams erupted from the muzzles of the Gottfried cannons mounted above the deck hangar.
The massive yellow beams precisely struck one of the ballistic missiles; as the missile detonated, various components exploded in the sky, scattering in all directions.
"Just as I thought... they are nuclear warheads."
Seeing the scene before her, Natarle couldn't help but grit her teeth. "There are still so many civilians where Roz is. Is the Federation... really in that much of a hurry?"
If these nuclear missiles are destroyed in mid-air, it is actually relatively safe; after all, they are programmed to use computer-calculated destinations and must be detonated at specific times and according to certain patterns to trigger a nuclear explosion.
However, destroying them in this manner still carries the risk of radioactive material leakage.
"Wait... where is the other one?"
Realizing there was another ballistic missile, Natarle's eyes widened.
That was it—they had just detonated one, but the other ballistic missile hadn't exploded. Had it fallen toward the city below?
At this thought, Natarle began searching for the position of the second missile.
Beep beep beep...
Accompanied by a series of notification tones, a box tracking a falling object appeared before Natarle's eyes.
The explosion induced by the Gottfried's bombardment just now had sent fragments wedging into this ballistic missile; it was currently carrying its nuclear warhead as it plummeted toward the city below.
Suddenly, a pinkish-purple beam accurately struck the falling nuclear warhead.
The originally set precision detonation sequence was destroyed. After a series of small explosions, the nuclear warhead turned into a shower of components, falling from the sky.
"Phew... made it in time."
Sensing the cold threat in his mind vanish, Roz breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Ignoring the Federation troops, who had entered a brief ceasefire due to the appearance of the Nahel Argama, the red glow on the Nahel Argama began to gradually dissipate.
Under everyone's gaze, the Nahel Argama arrived above the New York venue. A massive red shadow was deployed from the hangar.
As the parachutes deployed, people finally saw what had been dropped by this "space-use battleship."
It was a gargantuan, streamlined MS that shared a common aesthetic with the Sazabi.
Watching the machine gradually descend on the live broadcast from outside the venue, and seeing the battleship hovering over the New York venue with an overwhelming presence, Char raised an eyebrow.
"I'll leave things here to you."
Char put away his phone and patted Hathaway, who had been in a state of shock ever since Char announced his true identity.
"Where are you going?"
Snapped back to reality by Char's pat, Hathaway looked at him.
"Where am I going?"
Char smiled and skillfully pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, placing them on his face. "To welcome my Nightingale, of course."
......................