Inside the palace-like bridge of the battleship Gullveig, the flagship of the Foundation Kingdom fleet.
A young blonde girl sat upon a vintage, opulent throne, her expression dark as she watched the bridge officers continuously report an increasingly worsening battle situation.
She was Aura Maha Khyber, the Queen of the Foundation Kingdom and the creator of the modification surgeries for the Black Knight squad. Her pride and joy—the Black Knight forces—had been almost entirely depleted in the fighting.
Currently, the only MS left to the Foundation Kingdom, aside from some unmanned combat units, was the Cal-re.A, which was engaged alongside the Providence in an attempt to suppress the Unicorn.
The root cause of all this was that ship, the Nahel Argama, and that cursed Unicorn!
As she watched the METEOR-equipped units that had been blocking her path break away from the main battlefield, Aura grit her teeth and made a decision.
"Fleet advance! Wipe out that wretched combined fleet!"
Hearing Aura's words, the officers on the bridge seemed as though they wanted to object, but they ultimately sighed and obeyed her command. The Foundation Kingdom fleet began to accelerate, breaking formation with the ZAFT fleet and surging toward the Nahel Argama.
"Bzzzt... This is the ZAFT-affiliated fleet. Foundation Kingdom, your fleet is too far forward!"
A warning from the ZAFT fleet crackled over the comms, but Aura completely ignored it. In her current state of emotional volatility, her mind was occupied by a single thought: "Destroy the Nahel Argama."
Aura's fleet, having broken formation, naturally drew the attention of the combined fleet.
"The Foundation fleet has detached from the main ZAFT force and is approaching us!" Sai Argyle reported from the radar observation post on the bridge of the Nahel Argama.
"Analyzing enemy warships... Detecting positron cannons... twelve of them?!" Miriallia Haw's eyes widened instinctively as she looked at the armament analysis results on her instruments.
"Move the Nahel Argama to the front of the fleet! All other ships, hide behind us!"
Hearing Miriallia's report, Murrue Ramius frowned. If there was anything in the entire fleet capable of withstanding a barrage of positron cannons, it was undoubtedly the Nahel Argama's crystalline armor.
"Christina, we are facing twelve positron cannons. Can you confirm the crystalline armor will hold?" Murrue opened a channel to Christina Sierra, who was currently working in the hangar.
"It's been reinforced according to the predetermined plan; blocking a strike from twelve positron cannons won't be an issue," Christina replied without looking up from her keyboard. "However, be aware: the Nahel Argama's crystalline armor can only be deployed three times."
"Once is enough," Murrue said, looking toward Natarle Badgiruel.
Natarle met Murrue's gaze and nodded.
"Phew... Nahel Argama, prepare to execute the Steel Spike tactic! Everyone, prepare for impact!"
Following Murrue's order, everyone fastened their safety harnesses.
"I've been waiting for this moment!" Arnold Neumann cracked his wrists, gripping the helm with one hand and the throttle lever with the other. Since the tactic was named "Steel Spike," its core was naturally the ship's heat ram; it was finally time for him to take the stage.
"High-energy signatures detected from enemy ships! It's their positron cannons!" Miriallia exclaimed as she saw the energy readings spiking from the enemy fleet.
"Turn the ship to nine o'clock! Deploy crystalline armor!"
Considering that the Foundation fleet's positron cannons might hit other ships in the combined fleet, Murrue decided to turn the ship broadside to provide as much cover as possible for the rest of the fleet. The Nahel Argama didn't fear positron cannons thanks to its crystalline armor, but the other ships in the combined fleet were not so lucky.
Hearing the Nahel Argama's instructions, the other ships of the combined fleet reduced their cruising speed, allowing the Nahel Argama to shield them.
On the other side, aboard the Gullveig, Aura felt a surge of joy seeing the Nahel Argama turn broadside, presenting a much larger target for attack.
"What is the charging status of the positron cannon battery?"
"Charging complete. Ready to fire at any—"
"Target that giant ship ahead. All positron cannons, fire!"
Aura issued the command without a second thought.
The twelve fully charged positron cannons situated along the center of the Gullveig's hull erupted, sending twelve red-and-white beams surging toward the Nahel Argama.
As the positron beams slammed into the Nahel Argama's crystalline armor, many crystals were shattered and sent flying by the impact, yet the overall structure remained remarkably stable.
However, Murrue and the others, along with the few Haros embedded in the instruments, suffered as the shockwaves reverberated through the interior of the ship.
"Ngh..."
Despite the violent shaking that left her chest aching from the impact, Murrue forced her eyes open, staring intently at the small screen on the captain's seat that displayed the integrity of the crystalline armor.
Under the continuous onslaught of positron beams and a massive swarm of missiles, the armor's integrity dropped steadily, creating a dense cloud of smoke around the exterior of the warship.
Finally, as the positron cannons ceased firing and the impact subsided, the crystalline armor's integrity stabilized at a value of 43.8%.
"Phew... Set engines to flank speed! Commencing the Steel Spike tactic!"
Murrue took a deep breath to dull the pain and issued the order.
"Understood... This ship is about to fly!"
Arnold Neumann slammed the throttle forward. The Nahel Argama's remaining crystalline armor dispersed, and the thrusters erupted with massive plumes of fire, propelling the warship into a rapid acceleration.
"Set fuzes for anti-air and anti-ship missiles, disperse from the rear! Aim the Gottfried cannons at the enemy ships and fire!"
Watching the smoke clear around the Nahel Argama, Natarle Badgiruel began her offensive performance.
On the bridge of the Gullveig, Aura stared at the thick smoke in the distance with a twisted expression.
"...Is it finished?"
But immediately after, eight thick beams tore through the smoke, striking the Gullveig's armor and causing several violent explosions.
"What?!"
Aura was knocked to the floor by the sudden shock, her face filled with shock.
As she scrambled back to her feet, her ears were met with the terrified cries of the officers and soldiers on the bridge.
"Enemy warship undamaged! The attack was ineffective!"
"It's penetrating our fleet! How can it be moving so fast?!"
Bad news arrived one after another. Aura grit her teeth and sat back in her throne.
"Lock onto it! Launch missiles! We must take down that cursed ship at all costs!"
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"Truly... I never expected this."
Aboard the Eternal, watching the Nahel Argama rampage through the Foundation Kingdom's fleet, Aisha—acting as the helmsman—felt her own hands itching for action.
"I didn't think the Nahel Argama was capable of such a tactic."
As Andrew Waltfeld's partner and a former LaGOWE pilot, she was naturally not one to stay still. At the very least, she felt a strong urge to join the Nahel Argama in its high-speed maneuvers.
Unfortunately, the Eternal was not her ship; it belonged to Miss Lacus.
"Contain those thoughts a bit, Aisha," Andrew said from his seat, his silver prosthetic tapping rhythmically against the armrest. "The Eternal isn't as tanky as the Nahel Argama. We can't go charging through an enemy fleet like they do."
"...But we can harass them from the perimeter of the Foundation fleet."
At that moment, Lacus spoke words that even surprised Andrew.
"But what about the Minerva? She's still right there," Andrew said, turning his head to look at Lacus. "The Izumo-class and Nazca-class ships alone won't be enough to win against her."
"I have considered that, of course."
Lacus shook her head. "A battle of attrition is not in our favor. We should utilize the Eternal's mobility; at the very least, we cannot simply keep taking hits like this."
"...I understand."
Hearing Lacus's reasoning, Andrew thought for a moment and agreed to the proposal. Since the ship belonged to Lacus, her vision naturally held the highest priority.
"I absolutely love you for this, Miss Lacus!"
With Lacus's permission granted, Aisha gripped the throttle lever.
"I'm sorry, my heart is already spoken for," Lacus joked, smiling as she played along with Aisha's excitement.
As the Eternal's thrusters erupted with massive plumes of fire, it officially joined the high-speed naval engagement.
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"Truly reckless. Have they all gone mad?"
Aboard the Minerva, Talia Gladys felt a headache coming on as she watched the Nahel Argama rampage through the Foundation fleet, while the Eternal zipped past the Minerva, unleashing a sky-filling barrage of missiles as it flew.
The Minerva could never match the cruising speeds of the Eternal or the Nahel Argama. Rather than chasing them, it made more sense to turn their sights toward the Izumo-class and Nazca-class ships.
However, just as the Minerva turned to aim at the combined fleet's escort ships, the anti-ship and anti-air missiles that Natarle Badgiruel had scattered throughout this sector reached their activation timers.
A massive swarm of missiles surged out from tricky angles—some even emerging from the smoke that had yet to dissipate from the Nahel Argama's earlier position—striking at both the Foundation Kingdom fleet and the Minerva.
Amidst a series of explosions, red warning lights flickered across the Minerva's status display. Struck by high-yield anti-ship missiles, the Minerva once again entered a familiar state of heavy damage.
"...What is the status of the MS forces?"
Seeing this, Talia thought for a moment and decisively resolved to abandon the current mission.
"The Impulse and Saviour are entangled with the Destiny and that unknown ZAKU. As for the Legend... it's facing the Strike and is—heavily damaged?!"
Reading the report, Arthur Trine, the CIC, instinctively swallowed hard, his mouth hanging open in shock.
"Recall the MS units. Let's retreat."
After weighing her options, Talia sighed and gave up on continuing the fight. The Foundation Kingdom's fleet was doomed to destruction. Without their assistance, the Minerva certainly couldn't handle both the Eternal and the Nahel Argama at the same time. It was better to preserve their remaining strength and pull back to GENESIS for a final defense.
Nearby, a Foundation Kingdom Baldur-class ship was struck by the Nahel Argama using a combo of a main cannon blast followed by a ramming strike, snapping the vessel clean in two.
Everyone aboard the Minerva began preparations for a retreat—or rather, a "tactical repositioning."
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"Ugh... those damnable fools..."
Watching her fleet continuously dwindle, Aura grit her teeth, glaring deathly at the Nahel Argama as it moved at high speed across the radar. By now, the Foundation Kingdom's fleet had been scattered and broken, its combat effectiveness drastically reduced.
"Target the enemy flagship! Execute the Steel Spike tactic!"
Seeing that the timing was right, Murrue shouted the command.
The ace helmsman, Arnold Neumann, maneuvered the Nahel Argama into a drift, lining up the heat ram—which had already smashed through several Baldur-class ships—directly at the Gullveig.
As the Nahel Argama's thrusters erupted with massive plumes of fire, the warship began dispersing missiles while simultaneously firing its linear guns and beam cannons at the Gullveig. With an unrivaled momentum, it charged straight into the enemy flagship.
Just as the Nahel Argama was carrying out its maneuver, a piece of devastating news came through the Foundation Kingdom's communications.
"The Cal-re.A... has been destroyed. Prime Minister Orphee and Minister Ingrid are KIA."
The communications officer spoke the words with bitter despair.
Aura felt as if a string had snapped in her brain. Her eyes went blank, and she stood frozen for a long time. Finally, as if jolted awake by the vibrations of the Nahel Argama's continuous assault on the Gullveig, her expression twisted into a demonic, crazed mask.
Everyone knew it was over. The Foundation Kingdom was finished.
But she intended to issue one final command—at the very least, she would make the enemy's nation perish alongside her own.
"Requiem forces, aim for Orb territory! FIRE!!..."
Just as Aura finished speaking, the Gullveig's armor was pierced by the Nahel Argama's "Steel Spike."
"All batteries, point-blank fire!"
At Murrue's command, the Nahel Argama—now partially wedged into the hull of the Gullveig—began firing relentlessly. The eight positron cannons on its hull also activated simultaneously.
The Gullveig's hull was saturated with concentrated fire, leaving it in a crumbling state. The red-and-white beams from the eight positron cannons were the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Massive sections of the ship's structure were dissolved and detonated by the positron beams. Finally, the entire Gullveig exploded.
Thus, the curtain fell on the Foundation Kingdom. Its Queen, Aura, was consumed by the flames of the bridge explosion amidst her endless resentment.
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