The opposing team was clearly made up of aces.
Though they considered themselves aces as well.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been assigned to guard such an important location.
But the fact that the enemy had managed to get into a Special Ops Unit meant they were the cream of the crop among aces, and with their Mobile Suits, the confidence in their words gave him the impression that they were orchestrating everything from above.
Orphee had already moved to the flanking position, while Fred, on his end, had also locked onto the noticeably bulkier Moebius units hiding behind the Agamemnon-class ships on both sides.
"Confirmed nuclear warheads present."
Fred synchronized the feed and reported through the communication channel to Alec, as well as directly to Patrick and Siegel.
At that moment, Patrick's voice came through as well, still taut, carrying a calm that seemed unshaken.
"Confident you can shoot them down?"
"I can try. If not, I'll have the people behind me cover it."
Fred didn't feel particularly troubled, nor did he feel any pressure that he absolutely had to shoot them down.
It was just a matter of identifying and locking on as quickly as possible.
He hadn't gone at full speed earlier, instead waiting for the Mobile Suit Force behind him.
Once he charged in, he'd be in a melee within moments—if he couldn't kill them, it would be a hit-and-run, perfectly safe.
With that thought, Fred glanced back at the system window in front of him.
[MS Control (Beginner): 68.53/100]
His piloting ability was already approaching ace level, and combined with his various skills like Spider Sense, he could now fully match an ordinary ace.
Moreover, there was the gap in Mobile Suit performance. As long as he could control this MS, he had complete dominance over the enemy in both technique and performance—and Alec was there to back him up.
With the advantage in mobility, his safety margin was substantial.
It was also a great opportunity to test his own abilities.
As he spoke, Fred's hands moved fluidly, and before the others could even react, he had already dodged the Close-in Weapon Systems on the surrounding Drake-class and Agamemnon-class ships.
"Dodging" was more like a preemptive, anticipated maneuver.
He had faced Drake-class ships countless times by now, having long since figured out the firing patterns of their Close-in Weapon Systems.
After all, these CIWS were controlled by a unified computer system.
And the Atlantic Federation's software had barely been updated, so it was like reading a script—easy to avoid.
Not to mention, he had his danger sense as a foundation.
Unless the sheer volume reached a critical mass, a small-scale Drake-class fleet posed no threat to Fred whatsoever.
As for the countless missiles, those could barely count as a volume threat, but he still had Alec's help.
Together, the two of them were enough to compensate for the slight gap in his current abilities.
Meanwhile, on the other side, watching the two Mobile Suits carve through their formation like they were in an empty field, the Atlantic Federation captain gritted his teeth with a look of stubborn disbelief.
Those two units, distinct from the ordinary GINNs, far exceeded their expectations in both speed and agility.
"Coordinators..."
This time, the captain's murmur carried no usual contempt, but rather a hint of wariness.
The abilities of Coordinators were far too terrifying, and they even dared to try to encroach on their living resources.
This kind of power had to be suppressed by Naturals.
Those people from East Asia and Eurasia would never understand.
With that thought, the captain's resolve hardened once again.
No matter how unbelievable it seemed, the time they had left was running short.
Amid the entanglement, behind Fred, the GINN units among the ZAFT defenders surged forward under Fred's calculations, locking into fierce combat with the Moebius units and several Drake-class ships—both sides trading blows in an intense back-and-forth.
Fred's earlier display of skill wasn't just showing off; it was also a form of psychological pressure on the enemy.
Using his High Mobility Type to provoke their caution, he helped draw the crucial first wave of fire away from the defenders behind him.
It wasn't that the Coordinators would lose without him, but at the very least, they'd win more easily.
"Evade! Destroyer Squad, evade!"
The captain saw what was happening and knew it was bad, immediately barking out the order.
The two fighter jets equipped with nuclear warheads reacted swiftly.
Before Fred even appeared in their view, they were already weaving evasive maneuvers under the cover of the Agamemnon-class ships.
After all, they were aces selected for this Ambush—they moved like startled rabbits. Even Fred found it quite troublesome with the Agamemnon-class providing such massive cover.
As for striking directly at the Agamemnon-class's vital point, that simply wasn't feasible in such a short time.
After all, the Bridge was the most heavily defended position.
Combined with the CIWS on the surrounding Drake-class ships, there were at least dozens of Close-in Weapon Systems that could lock onto him.
Not to mention the countless missiles.
Even if Fred went in, the odds of being riddled with holes were still very high.
"So, we should have developed a Mobile Suit with stronger defense a long time ago."
Fred sighed inwardly.
If they had the Hyperion, or even the Glory Defender, in this battle, would he have had to fight so hard?
No matter how high the defense, it can still be destroyed. Don't forget that a Mobile Suit's energy can't compare to a Battleship's.
Even without corresponding abilities, just lifting a finger would still be enough to resolve this crisis.
Of course, if someone else got their hands on that kind of power first, it would be terrifying.
Pushing that urgent thought to the back of his mind, Fred moved with even greater speed.
Their time was ticking away second by second.
Energy was running low.
But before retreating, they had to at least leave one of the enemy's Mobile Suits behind.
"Surrender and leave your Mobile Suit! We'll spare your lives."
Hearing the threat in his ear, Fred didn't respond. He only glanced at the remaining energy before pressing the special signal on the internal Communication Channel.
"Thirty seconds left."
Fred said to Alec.
"The timing is about right."
"Send the signal."
"Yes!"
Alec acknowledged, and in a spare moment, his fingers quickly pressed one of the buttons on the control panel.
"Fire!"
The moment the signal appeared, the Commander stationed aboard the Laurasia-class at the rear didn't hesitate for a second and immediately gave the order.
Though he didn't know the reason for the command, since it came from the Special Ops Unit, there must be a reason for it.
"Yes!"
With the weapons officer's shout and the tension of everyone present, several massive sickly-green beams shot toward that coordinate.
As if by magic, the enormous beams appeared right in front of the path of one of the nuclear Moebius units, as if they had anticipated its movement.
In an instant, they blocked the Moebius's route and shattered its original trajectory.
The rhythm that had belonged to the Atlantic Federation on the battlefield was suddenly thrown into chaos by this unexpected attack.
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