The first day of the naval battle between the New Misurugi Kingdom and the Atlantic Federation in Hawaiian waters concluded with the destruction of the Idola Windam.
What followed quickly turned into cleanup operations, with Atlantic Federation warships retreating to coastal waters while the skies swarmed with jet-powered Windams.
Any offensive move by the New Misurugi Kingdom would trigger overwhelming barrages of beams, machine cannon fire, and missiles.
Ordinary Union Flag Automatic Soldiers would be disabled by a single hit, while even the Ghost Jegans—despite their Gundarium Alloy γ armor—couldn't withstand sustained fire from specialized anti-air machine cannons.
The remaining Custom Machines might manage to destroy a few warships or eliminate some Mobile Suits, but that wouldn't turn the tide. Thus, Noin ordered a retreat after sunset.
The first day proved advantageous for the New Misurugi Kingdom. Most losses were limited to Automatic Soldiers, and personnel casualties—though numbering in the low hundreds—remained light given the battle's intensity.
Automatic Soldiers could be quickly replenished from rear bases.
After all, the vessels typically targeted in rear assaults were those transporting supplies and ammunition.
If the Atlantic Federation mistakenly attacked ships carrying Automatic Soldiers, they'd be in for a rude surprise—even Union Flag models could be launched equipped with depth charges for anti-submarine warfare.
The Atlantic Federation, however, suffered significant losses. While personnel casualties remained unknown, they lost at least twenty warships and over three hundred Mobile Suits on the first day alone.
This was largely thanks to Mu's squad, which had flanked the Idola Windam. Piloting the Son God Gundam and the new Rezel model, they weren't about to return empty-handed.
They shifted their focus to other Windams.
Funnels had been proven across multiple battlefields as ideal for clearing mobs.
Those mounted on the Son God Gundam could even latch onto enemy units like spiders for close-quarters cutting attacks.
Post-battle tally showed the Son God Gundam alone had shot down sixty-eight Windams—and that was without pursuing stragglers.
Mu's success inevitably spurred Salya and Hilda into action. They grumbled about being assigned as babysitters for rookies while he stole the spotlight.
So they targeted the Atlantic Federation's outer-ring anti-air destroyers.
Skimming the water's surface to evade dense anti-air fire, Hilda used her Destroyer Beam to obliterate three destroyers in one sweep before showering the enemy fleet with various beam attacks.
Meanwhile, Salya activated her Obscurant Umbrella System to stealthily approach, then began picking off targets with her backpack-mounted Magnum Beam Cannon and handheld beam sniper rifle like a grim reaper.
In that single sortie, the duo destroyed over a dozen warships before being driven back by overwhelming missile and beam barrages.
They actually wanted to immediately regroup and repeat the assault.
But Noin, seeing them getting carried away and attempting risky deep-penetration maneuvers, promptly recalled them to cool off.
Large-scale battles were nothing like elite squad combat in other worlds. They weren't in space now—there was no vast maneuvering room for evasion tactics, nor fellow ace pilots providing support.
Most critically, if they got surrounded, there'd be no Reid or Ange to unleash overwhelming force and break the encirclement.
Fortunately, Salya and Hilda were very obedient and returned as soon as they were called.
Noin's judgment was correct—the Atlantic Federation forces weren't fools. Having been approached once from the water's surface, they were now prepared.
If Salya and Hilda dared to approach again, the next wave to greet them would be specially designed electric net projectiles.
These projectiles were used by surface warships to attempt capturing enemy Mobile Suits. With a metal cable attached to the rear, they couldn't be fired very far, but it was a different story if the enemy actively closed in.
The electric nets could directly attack the pilot, and no one said the nets could only be deployed in a single layer. With so many warships present, they could simply cut the connection cables and layer seventeen or eighteen nets. Whether the target fell into the sea or not, its mobility would be severely restricted. Without teammate assistance, the Mobile Suit would likely be captured alive, or at worst, destroyed by various Beam weapons or missiles.
After Salya and Hilda returned, the jet Windam units retreated into a defensive posture after being repelled by Mu, and he himself came back as well.
The fifty Rezel pilots weren't complete rookies—they were elites, though it was their first time deploying these Mobile Suits in combat. They just needed some initial guidance, after which they could continue sniping on the frontlines.
However, when Mu learned that Jane Houston had brought back a prisoner—and that it was Rena Imelia—he immediately went to the interrogation room to see his old acquaintance.
Yes, Rena Imelia was also an old friend of Mu's.
Mu had originally received his assignment as one of the designated pilots for the five "G" series units from Rena Imelia.
Given Mu's playboy personality at the time, he naturally had vivid memories of Rena Imelia.
Mu rushed over because he was afraid Jane Houston might not know who Rena Imelia was and might resort to violence, leaving him caught awkwardly between his girlfriend and his former comrade.
Moreover, as an MS instructor for the Earth Alliance Forces, Rena Imelia had trained almost all of the Earth Alliance's first generation of MS pilots.
If those pilots were still active in the military now, they would hold at least the rank of captain serving as frontline squad leaders. It wouldn't even be surprising if some had become field officers commanding frontline operations.
But when Mu arrived at the interrogation room, he found the atmosphere was actually quite calm. Jane Houston was sitting beside the interrogation staff, and it seemed they were still at the initial information verification stage.
Seeing Mu arrive, Rena Imelia, as an old acquaintance, naturally teased him:
"I didn't know I was important enough to warrant the Hawk of Endymion coming to interrogate me himself."
Mu pretended not to hear Rena Imelia's teasing. Pulling up a chair to sit beside Jane Houston, he said directly:
"Stop joking. I came because I was worried you might clash with my girlfriend."
That Mu and Jane Houston were a couple wasn't any secret within the New Misurugi Kingdom military—otherwise, given Jane Houston's looks, the flowers she received daily would probably fill her entire room.
Furthermore, as a trusted subordinate who could personally block Reid's door to drag him out for drinks, the interrogation staff simply ignored the fact that Mu's presence technically interfered with the process. After confirming Rena Imelia's identity, Deputy Commander Bargiruel had already ordered that she be recruited through gentle means. (While Bargiruel didn't personally know Rena Imelia, she had certainly heard of her reputation.)
Mu mentioned that Jane Houston was his current girlfriend. Rena Imelia merely nodded without commenting further. As for Edward Harrelson's state after Jane Houston went MIA, he deserved to be dumped.
Since Rena Imelia was fairly familiar with Mu, she directly changed the subject:
"Alright, since you're here, Mu, let's get the procedures over with. Though I've been captured, I have no intention of betraying my country, so I won't disclose any intelligence."
Mu wasn't surprised by Rena Imelia's refusal to share information. Like Bargiruel, she was a soldier with firm convictions, and her family was still in the Atlantic Federation. To make her surrender, the Atlantic Federation would have to actively betray her first.
But getting the Atlantic Federation to betray its own wasn't difficult. Mu gave the interrogator a look signaling the need for a private discussion, prompting the interrogator to announce:
"Very well, identity verification is complete. Since Captain Rena Imelia (she was a lieutenant during the original South American War of Independence) refuses to cooperate, I have no choice but to detain you for now. I hope you enjoy the conditions of our ship's brig."
Given Rena Imelia's situation, she would undoubtedly be held in the Mystic Angel's brig, as Bargiruel would likely want to speak with her later.
The Mystic Angel's brig was modeled after the Ptolemy's design, with padded walls and ceiling to prevent detainees from self-harm.
It included a small toilet on one side and nothing else.
For a prisoner, these conditions were quite reasonable, so neither Mu nor Jane Houston raised any objections.
However, Jane Houston decided to check on Rena Imelia periodically, recalling her own experience of being captured and going long stretches without anyone to talk to.
Rena Imelia's matter was temporarily handled this way. After several subsequent conversations, Noin concluded that she wouldn't surrender until the Hawaii Naval Battle was over.
So Noin and Bargiruel stopped pressing the issue, focusing first on winning the war as planned.
Afterward, the New Misurugi Kingdom and the Atlantic Federation's Pacific Fleet clashed for a full two weeks south of Hawaii Island.
This duration doubled the originally planned one week, but it was unavoidable—war is a battle of attrition, and the Atlantic Federation had substantial resources to draw upon, making them exceptionally resilient.
During these two weeks, Noin and Bargiruel adhered to the principle of "death by a thousand cuts," continuously deploying Mobile Dolls alongside elite strike teams to wear down the Atlantic Federation Pacific Fleet's combat strength.
The Atlantic Federation Pacific Fleet lost ships at a rate of 10 to 30 per day.
Even though the supply line from the Atlantic Federation mainland to the Hawaiian Islands remained unbroken, with new ships and Mobile Suits constantly being delivered, the losses far outpaced the reinforcements. The Atlantic Federation couldn't possibly divert all domestic production to fully support the Pacific Navy's shipbuilding efforts.
Thus, the forces under Admiral Dres's command dwindled over time, and he sent three daily requests for reinforcements to headquarters.
Ultimately, after about a week and a half, Admiral Dres had no choice but to gradually redeploy troops guarding the northern part of the Hawaiian Islands to the south to replenish his combat capabilities.
Otherwise, if the front line collapsed and his headquarters was destroyed, the Hawaiian Islands would be ripe for the taking.
Admiral Dres had been very cautious, transferring the northern troops to the south in batches. To mislead the reconnaissance units of the New Misurugi Kingdom, he moved damaged warships from the frontlines requiring repairs to the northern sector, hastily restoring their exteriors to create the illusion that troop numbers remained largely unchanged.
Unfortunately, while Admiral Dres successfully deceived ordinary scouts, he could not fool the Jet Black Hunter, which could conduct ultra-long-range reconnaissance while cloaked directly above them.
Noin observed that the northern combat forces had been almost entirely depleted and secretly dispatched two transport ships carrying surprises, detouring from the west of the Hawaiian Islands to the northern tip.
The western part of the Hawaiian Islands had been blockaded by the New Misurugi Kingdom fleet since before the war began. Thus, two clearly identifiable supply transport ships openly moving from the main force to the west did not raise significant concern from the Atlantic Federation.
After all, the blockading fleet in the west also required supplies, and the Atlantic Federation could only watch helplessly as two enemy supply ships passed by. With their own forces stretched thin and depleted, they dared not risk annihilation by the New Misurugi Kingdom forces to attack two easily replaceable supply vessels.
When these two transport ships reached their designated positions, the Archangel, which had been hiding in the northern Hawaiian Islands all along, received its next operation orders.
The Archangel's external armor repairs had been completed two weeks prior. Though battle scars remained, it had regained over 90% of its combat capability.
During this period, Neil continuously served as a scout, while the four pilots operating the High War Crabs occasionally sortied to destroy one or two Atlantic Federation transport ships.
Shinn remained on standby aboard the ship throughout, spending his time between daily training and deck scrubbing to burn off excess energy.
Thus, when the new operation orders arrived, Shinn declared his sea-wind-chilled body had nearly rusted and he could finally engage in proper action again.
The Archangel's orders were to cooperate with orbital drop troops in seizing control of Kauai Island tonight.
Truth be told, the orbital drop troops' movements couldn't be concealed from the Atlantic Federation.
The moment forces from Balki Fortress began moving toward the airspace above the Hawaiian Islands, the Atlantic Federation detected them.
However, the Atlantic Federation's current extraterrestrial orbital combat capabilities were insufficient to stop the Balki Fortress forces. Their defense of local space was already stretched to its limits, and Atlantic Federation military command even considered deploying the large force assembled at their lunar base to contest orbital supremacy over Earth.
Fortunately, Atlantic Federation military leadership retained their rationality - the main force on the near side of the moon represented one of their final strategic reserves and couldn't be deployed recklessly.
This troop designation excluded Daedalus Base. During the previous war, due to Reid's intervention, the Earth Alliance lunar base hadn't been destroyed by Genesis, enabling the Earth Alliance to develop a massive fleet there again, essentially rebuilding all fleet losses from the last war.
However, with the East Asian Republic fleet now deployed to the L4 Colony Cluster, this lunar base was once again dominated by the Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation.
Consequently, the Balki Fortress forces reached the airspace above the Hawaiian Islands without significant opposition.
Unfortunately, the Atlantic Federation misjudged this force's objectives, believing they were deployed to support the New Misurugi Kingdom's decisive battle offensive in the southern Hawaiian Islands.
The fleet currently stationed in the Hawaiian Islands has indeed shown signs of fatigue, making it the right time for a decisive battle.
To this end, the Atlantic Federation urgently dispatched a large number of anti-aircraft guns to the Pacific Command on Hawaii Island to fend off the orbital drop troops.
Unfortunately, as night fell, the sleep-deprived Pacific Command could only watch as the falling meteors in the sky headed north.
By then, Admiral Dres realized the dire situation, but it was already too late.
His frantic orders—shouting for the northern defense forces to hold for half an hour while he immediately dispatched reinforcements—were of no use.
(End of Chapter)