ALL NOVEL Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Shooting at the Reaper
Chapter 14: Shooting at the Reaper
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!"
"Bang!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sound of gunfire erupted suddenly and without warning. On duty and already anticipating trouble, Eli immediately woke the others, ensuring the entire team was battle-ready in no time.
"Has Zeon gone mad? At this time of all times!" Amada Shiro exclaimed, barely awake as he jumped into his mobile suit, furious at the unprecedented large-scale surprise attack.
Thanks to the rainforest terrain, it was nearly impossible to organize a large-scale MS (Mobile Suit) assault in this area. Yet the Zeon forces seemed to disregard tactics and losses entirely, throwing everything they had at the defensive line.
The once-low concentration of Minovsky particles—due to the unfavorable nighttime combat environment—had suddenly surged again, cutting off their communications with the rear.
"This is insane..." Karen instinctively glanced at Eli, worried that the situation might affect him as it mirrored a prior incident. Even Sanders temporarily ignored his so-called "curse" and focused on the unfolding crisis.
"Eledore, scan the area immediately. The enemy is nearby but hasn't spotted us yet. See if you can intercept their communications," Eli instructed, his gaze fixed on the flashes a kilometer away—bullets tearing through the darkness, followed by the retaliatory fire of allied forces.
In an instant, the tranquil jungle was transformed into a battlefield engulfed in flames.
"Karen, drive them off!"
"Roger!"
Karen maneuvered her mobile suit forward at 11 o'clock, firing her 100mm machine gun incessantly. The Zaku she targeted withdrew immediately without engaging in a prolonged fight.
"Don't chase too far! Eledore, any findings?" Eli commanded Karen to hold her position before checking with Eledore, who was monitoring enemy communications.
"Yes, I'm picking up something... strange howling... wait, got their channel! Relaying now!"
The team fell silent as the sounds from the intercepted Zeon channel filled their comms:
"East... 25 kilometers... defense in place... protect the Apsalus!"
Eli's squad had managed to eavesdrop on Zeon's orders. If this breach were discovered, the Zeon frontline commanders would be in serious trouble.
"Looks like something is heading our way," Shiro deduced, signaling Sanders to crouch his mobile suit alongside his.
"Apsalus? Never heard of it. Could it be a product of that secret factory?" Shiro speculated, seeking Eli's opinion while confirming his own thoughts.
"Not sure, but to be safe, how about we ambush them here?"
"Agreed."
The two leaders, both possessing command authority, quickly reached a consensus. The four mobile suits spread out, each finding cover within the dense jungle.
"Uh, BB..." Michel's voice came through the comms as he called out to his girlfriend, inching toward the mounted machine gun on the hover truck to act as a gunner.
"Wait, Michel. We don't need that machine gun. Stay in the driver's seat and be extra cautious. If anything goes wrong, retreat immediately with Eledore," Eli ordered, halting Michel's actions.
Eli vividly remembered how Michel, in his inexperience, had prematurely opened fire during a past operation, exposing their position. Determined not to let that happen again, especially with the Apsalus as their target, Eli was taking no chances.
"About 40 seconds until contact from the east... this pressure vibration... it's larger than an MS. And multiple aircraft... it's a noisy mess," Eli muttered, frowning.
Initially, only the Apsalus and two Dopps were expected. Suppressing any assumptions based on prior experience, Eli steeled himself for this real-life battle, refusing to let complacency lead to disaster.
Suddenly, the surrounding mountains grew eerily silent. Zeon had likely drawn their allied forces elsewhere, igniting combat in other areas. But the stillness didn't last long.
The unmistakable roar of jet engines soon approached from the east.
The peculiar aircraft shapes came into view—the unmistakable Dopps of Zeon. If Federation engineers had designed such aircraft, they'd likely have been executed. Only Zeon, isolated in their colony habitats and unfamiliar with Earth's conditions, could embrace such designs.
"Let them pass," Shiro and Eli quickly instructed the others.
Under the cover of trees and darkness, the Dopps failed to notice Eli's squad, even as one's wake rustled the leaves above Eli's mobile suit.
"The big one is coming!" Eledore's voice broke the silence.
"This size... it's like a reaper in steel form..." he muttered, awestruck.
"What?" Karen was puzzled, but soon, the reality of the Apsalus revealed itself to her.
It wasn't an exaggeration—it was as if a mountain of steel was moving before their eyes. The immense structure wasn't just massive; it was surprisingly swift, advancing through the low-altitude terrain in mere moments.
"Shiro, Sanders, get ready! Karen, handle the Dopps," Eli commanded, his eyes glued to the screen capturing the Apsalus's massive form.
He adjusted his mobile suit's beam rifle, aiming directly at the enormous circular underside of the Apsalus. That was where the Minovsky particle flight system was located—destroying it would bring the giant down.
"Now! Fire!"
As the Apsalus passed overhead, Eli gave the order and pulled the trigger.
The beam rifle discharged a thin, pink beam of light that streaked toward the Apsalus. The sudden attack startled its pilot, who instinctively pulled the craft upward.
That reflex saved her life.