Chapter 179: The Mantis Stalks the Oriole
"What's the current situation?"
Sitting in the fleet command seat aboard the Birmingham, Jamitov looked out through the bridge's glass panels toward the direction of the colony satellite.
At this distance, however, the human eye could no longer perceive the massive object plummeting toward Earth.
By now, the colony satellite should have already passed beyond the Moon's orbit.
They planned to intercept it at the midpoint between the Moon and the satellite's critical descent limit.
"How's it going on Green's end? He should have everything set up by now."
To be safe, Jamitov still asked his staff for confirmation.
While their military advantage made it likely they could resolve this crisis, Jamitov had taken extra precautions to ensure that the Delaz Fleet wouldn't deplete the satellite's fuel, which would make it impossible to redirect even if they did recapture it.
That backup plan was "Tiam," a weapon belonging to Jamitov's faction, brought to the frontlines—a major trump card of the Earth Federation Space Forces.
Word was that Green had delegated the task to Bask, essentially handing it over to the rising Titans.
It wasn't a bad decision per se, but Jamitov personally disliked Bask.
If the Titans were to expand further in the future, they'd need a more trustworthy leader.
He'd heard that during the crackdown on the recent AEUG protest, Bask had authorized the use of force without restraint, which resulted in casualties.
Afterward, the Titans claimed the protest was incited by Zeon remnants and evaded punishment within the Federation.
Given the current composition of AEUG, this claim wasn't entirely unfounded.
Still, neither AEUG nor the space-dwelling civilians were buying it.
AEUG's steady growth up to now had been supported by Brigadier General Blex's network, but events like this were beyond what even Blex could shield them from.
That said, AEUG's members were no longer who they used to be. Many had recognized the power this organization now held.
With Zeon remnants discredited and the Republic of Zeon no longer championing the independence of space colonists, the people had no group to entrust their hopes to—
Until AEUG boldly raised that banner.
Even so, AEUG hadn't made any overt claims in this regard.
But by now, various factions that supported the idea of "space colony independence" had gradually aligned themselves behind AEUG.
In short, with support from these factions, the increasingly complex AEUG seemed to be considering stepping into its next phase of struggle.
And this shift had been accelerated by the Titans' increasingly radical actions.
That's why Jamitov couldn't stand Bask—someone who let personal ambition dictate his actions instead of prioritizing the Federation's interests.
"Yes, sir. Bask reports that deployment is 60% complete and will definitely be ready before the operation begins."
Jamitov crossed his legs, reasonably satisfied with the reply.
He could tolerate Bask for now, given the man's instincts and competence in warfare.
At this moment, only two hours remained before the battle commenced.
What frustrated Jamitov was that, unlike the Federation's formation—a narrow and elongated phalanx meant to maximize fleet firepower along the colony satellite's descent path—the Delaz Fleet had no intention of engaging in a fleet battle.
Clearly outnumbered, they weren't looking for a direct confrontation. Instead, they relied on the Federation's hesitance to attack the satellite directly.
A bunch of space colonists—once you take away their home turf, they can't even fight anymore?
How ironic.
"Have the three warships trailing the colony satellite choose their combat timing freely once battle begins."
Since preserving the satellite intact was no longer an option, destroying its rear thrusters had become imperative.
That way, at the very least, they could ensure the falling satellite wouldn't hit its true target as planned by Delaz.
Based on past experience, that target was undoubtedly Jaburo.
"Enemy signals—two of them, approaching fast!"
Just as Jamitov was analyzing Delaz's deeper intentions, the Birmingham's CIC suddenly shouted.
But this kind of situation didn't require Jamitov to intervene personally.
"Probably just another batch of substandard mobile suits. Send the GMs to chase them off!"
The ship's captain, seated just below Jamitov, gave the order.
These so-called "substandard MS" referred to the ones Delaz's fleet regularly sent to harass the Federation's formations—ramshackle machines cobbled together from Zaku and fighter jet parts, with the name "Dijeh" learned only from wreckage analysis.
To call them "mobile suits" was an insult to the term—especially in the eyes of veterans from the One Year War, who had seen MS evolve from reapers of death into loyal machines.
Still, since Jamitov needed enough battlefield achievements to climb higher in rank, he was willing to classify even these scrapheap abominations as MS for now.
So, when word came that only two enemy machines were incoming, he assumed it was just more Dijeh units from Delaz.
"All—All GM units have been wiped out!"
"What did you say?"
Two GM squads had been dispatched. Even if the enemy had top-of-the-line machines, it shouldn't have ended this quickly—unless their pilots were among the few elite aces.
"The enemy has entered visual range. Putting it on screen!"
Unwilling to get involved in command just yet, Jamitov furrowed his brow and turned to the screen above the bridge.
Two massive machine silhouettes appeared—one green and one red.
"They're MAs!"
CIC promptly pulled up the database. The red machine was identified as the Val Walo, but the green one had no existing records.
Compared to its reference model, the Val Walo had a massive shield mounted on its left arm, with numerous heat-dissipation vents bizarrely grafted onto it.
"Even though they're just remnants... Missile launch! Main cannon standby! Equip all MS with the electric needle backpack!"
As the Federation's newest flagship, the Birmingham had been designed with Mobile Armors—the greatest threat to warships—in mind.
If their numerous MS units could disable the MA's I-field generator with electric needle weapons, the Birmingham's mega particle cannon could destroy it outright.
When it came to firepower, nothing beat big ships and heavy guns.
Two GM squads launched from a nearby Salamis-class vessel, each equipped with electric needle gear, to intercept the enemy.
But before they could reach them, the two MAs came to a sudden halt.
Louie Jell unfolded the undercarriage of her machine, resembling the abdomen of a mantis. From within, dark cannon muzzles emerged, aiming directly at the Federation's phalanx formation.
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