Reid handed Shinn over to Lunamaria, letting her use him as she pleased for a while. Lunamaria took the opportunity to step down gracefully and stopped dwelling on Shinn's rudeness.
After all, Reid had already given Lunamaria plenty of face.
To put it bluntly, even if Reid had shielded Shinn in this matter today, Lunamaria wouldn't have been able to protest. Who told her she had been recognized before making contact? It just showed her lack of experience.
However, since Lunamaria wasn't a professional intelligence agent, no one would blame her for such a minor slip-up.
Over the next two days, through Lunamaria, Reid made contact with Talia Gladys.
From their communication, Talia Gladys didn't seem to harbor much resentment about being transferred from North Africa to a dangerous position to carry out an interception mission.
This was because Athrun's plan was strategically quite feasible, and intercepting the combined forces of the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation at the Old Capital Base as they returned to Europe wasn't exactly a suicide mission.
The ZAFT Earth Forces in North Africa would still tie down most of the East Asian Republic's forces along the Suez Canal line. Meanwhile, the Eurasian Federation's punitive forces in the north first had to deal with the Noble Alliance in the south. Moreover, in the past two days, Reid had already connected the Dawn Company with the Noble Alliance. Both sides agreed that the Dawn Company would develop and mass-produce Mobile Suits for the Noble Alliance.
Of course, the Dawn Company was very savvy and offered Reid, the intermediary, a twenty percent cut of the ongoing profits from this arms deal.
Since it required absolutely no effort from Reid and would also create future trouble for the rulers of Europe, he had no objections to this share.
Therefore, the pressure faced by the force led by the Minerva wasn't as great as imagined. Furthermore, Gilbert wouldn't let Talia Gladys, his own trusted faction, be easily wiped out. Support would surely be ample when the time came.
Thus, on the third day after Lunamaria arrived at the Old Capital Base, Reid and Talia Gladys simultaneously sprang into action.
At the Old Capital Base, twenty Antietam-class Freighters descended directly from space.
Reid also ordered eighty percent of the base's ammunition stockpile to be cleared out and loaded onto the ships.
At this point, the commander of the East Asian Republic's Middle East Expeditionary Force, who had been closely monitoring the Old Capital Base's movements, immediately concluded that the New Misurugi Kingdom could no longer tolerate the continued threat posed by the force he had dispatched.
Reid Isaac was preparing to take all his supplies and charge out of the base, heading directly south to engage the East Asian Republic forces in a real fight.
Consequently, the East Asian Republic force that had been advancing toward the Old Capital Base immediately retreated upon the descent of the twenty Antietam-class Freighters, pulling back over a hundred kilometers in a single day.
Simultaneously, the Minerva, leading a naval force, set out from Alexandria Port in the former Egyptian region, heading directly north. It appeared as if they intended to assist the New Misurugi Kingdom in intercepting the retreating East Asian Republic force.
The East Asian Republic forces on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal naturally couldn't stand by and watch ZAFT cut off their ally's retreat.
They hastily mobilized naval forces from Beirut to intercept, determined not to let the force led by the Minerva approach the southeastern Mediterranean coastline.
At this moment, the East Asian Republic had no idea what tricks the New Misurugi Kingdom and ZAFT were playing, leading them to make the wrong judgment.
By the late night, the East Asian Republic discovered that the New Misurugi Kingdom had loaded all ammunition and supplies onto ships but did not head south at all, instead moving directly westward.
By the time they realized that the forces led by the Minerva had no intention of approaching the southeastern Mediterranean coastline and were instead heading straight for the Old Capital Base of the New Misurugi Kingdom, it was already too late.
The East Asian Republic had no time to dispatch troops to seize the Old Capital Base of the New Misurugi Kingdom first and could only watch helplessly as the forces led by the Minerva entered the base.
Faced with this situation, not only was the East Asian Republic momentarily at a loss for words, but even the Eurasian Federation temporarily shifted its attention from the liberation war in the southern region to the Old Capital Base of the New Misurugi Kingdom.
At this point, both the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation had only one question: what had PLANT given the New Misurugi Kingdom that would make it hand over its only European stronghold and former capital to them?
Could the pillow talk of a single Lacus Clyne really hold such power?
However, the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation had no time to dwell on this. In space, almost simultaneously with the Minerva's entry into the Old Capital Base, the airborne forces led by Athrun had openly emerged from the Circum-Terrestrial Debris Belt and were moving toward the Space Zone above Europe.
In the eyes of the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation, these forces were undoubtedly reinforcements for the Old Capital Base. However, according to calculations, it would take about a day and a half for the spaceborne troops to reach the skies above Europe.
From the perspective of the East Asian Republic, this day and a half was the best opportunity to turn the tables. As long as they launched a surprise attack and captured the Old Capital Base, whatever the New Misurugi Kingdom and PLANT were planning would be severely disrupted or even fail.
At this moment, the East Asian Republic's thinking was clear: if ZAFT successfully took control of the Old Capital Base, their own forces in the Middle East would face attacks from both sides. Once ZAFT's next wave of reinforcements arrived, they would likely have to cede the eastern bank of the Suez Canal, allowing ZAFT's Earth forces to completely choke off one of the Mediterranean's two key passages.
By then, the Eurasian Federation would be dealing with internal strife from the Noble Alliance, cut off from external support, and constantly threatened by attacks from ZAFT's Gibraltar Base. Meanwhile, its major forces in the Middle East would be unable to return to Western Europe. Under such circumstances, the Eurasian Federation could very well collapse, and the new Noble Alliance was clearly aligned with the New Misurugi Kingdom.
Therefore, the East Asian Republic forces that had retreated over a hundred kilometers earlier were ordered to reach the entrance of the New Misurugi Kingdom's Old Capital Base within a day and launch a surprise attack.
At the same time, half of the forces stationed at the Suez Canal were urgently mobilized to march toward the New Misurugi Kingdom's Old Capital Base, with orders to capture the base before the airborne reinforcements arrived.
It must be said that the prototype forces of the East Asian Republic's military were indeed the legendary super army capable of marching 120 kilometers a day on foot. Now, with infantry fully mechanized and Mobile Suits as the mainstay of warfare, covering a mere hundred kilometers—the distance they had retreated the previous day—took less than half a day. They swiftly advanced and launched a high-speed assault directly toward the Old Capital Base.
Thus, the battle to defend the Old Capital Base, which belonged to ZAFT, began on the morning of the second day after the Minerva entered the base.
Fortunately, Reid had left the Minerva with twenty percent of the ammunition originally stored in the base, and the base's defensive facilities were fully operational and stocked with ammunition.
Therefore, even though the troops brought by the Minerva were unfamiliar with the environment and base structure, they were still able to immediately join the defensive battle.
Moreover, just as Reid had anticipated, how could Durandal not give his old flame a little special treatment?
The main MS Squad aboard the Minerva had all been re-equipped.
Heine, who had replaced Shinn in joining the Minerva to pilot the Impulse Gundam, had his Mobile Suit directly swapped for the Destiny Impulse Gundam—a design that, originally by this time, was supposed to be sent back for redesign.
Thanks to the existence of the Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactor, the most criticized issue of the Destiny Impulse Gundam—its energy consumption—was resolved.
It should be noted that originally, the Destiny Impulse Gundam typically required three deuteron beam power supply sessions during a single sortie to maintain full firepower throughout. This was why, despite four units being built, it was deemed defective and sent back for a complete redesign, ultimately leading to the development of the Destiny Gundam.
Reid didn't know whether solving the energy problem for the Destiny Impulse Gundam would mean the Destiny Gundam never came to be, but it was clear that this Mobile Suit would definitely not be sent back for redesign as in the original.
In terms of firepower, the Destiny Impulse Gundam actually surpassed the Destiny Gundam by a considerable margin, equipped with two high-energy long-range beam cannons and two MMI-710 laser anti-ship swords.
At the same time, since PLANT had also obtained data on the Starlight Transmitter, this Mobile Suit was equipped with the first-generation experimental Halo Propulsion Wing System.
With Heine switching to the Destiny Impulse Gundam, the original Impulse Gundam was naturally handed over to Lunamaria to pilot, just as in the anime, serving as a reward for her role as a secret communications officer.
Of course, Lunamaria's gains this time weren't limited to just this Gundam. As far as Reid knew, her relationship with Shinn had shifted from dislike to concern for a "mentally challenged child" in just half a day. After a series of simulation battles where she was thoroughly beaten, it changed to "this guy actually has some skills, and he's quite straightforward."
It was said that when Shinn was leaving, Lunamaria, who stayed behind at the Old Capital Base waiting for allied forces, even came to see him off, and the two exchanged contact information.
Of course, since Shinn's bruised and swollen face wouldn't heal in just a day or two, when Stella helped explain the situation to others, she tended to answer whatever she was asked honestly.
In the end, the story of how Shinn and Lunamaria met became: Shinn saw Lunamaria on the street, was overcome with lust, tried to stop her to flirt, accidentally tore her clothes, and was then beaten up. However, through the fighting, feelings developed. That kid Shinn, who seemed quite simple-minded, had his "lucky pervert" attribute maxed out.
In short, Lunamaria, in her role as a liaison officer, gained a Mobile Suit and also encountered the man of her destiny (though in every sense, he was secondhand). She really hit the jackpot.
As for Rey, Durandal hadn't forgotten him either. However, his high-altitude recognition ability offered no advantage on Earth. Although the space forces had already begun deploying mass-produced Providence Zakus, the unit assigned to Rey at this time was only a Cerberus-type Zaku Warrior.
However, the Cerberus-type Wizard pack on this Cerberus-type Zaku Warrior was specially customized. The connecting metal beneath the two Baku Hound heads on the pack could rotate 360 degrees without blind spots, just like a snake's body, and could even extend outward over ten meters, though the metal's strength was rather average.
Of course, this pack wasn't only notable for its two "hound heads"; its propulsion was also greatly enhanced, allowing it to fly.
It must be said that this custom backpack, due to its software-controlled retractable metal and additional large thrusters, costs over three times more than the original Cerberus-type Wizard pack, and its performance simply doesn't justify its price. However, it happens to be perfectly suited for Rey's use in atmospheric conditions.
After all, no one else can flexibly control the agile turning of the two "heads" at the rear of this backpack—only someone with high spatial awareness can manage it.
Of course, the main squad aboard the Minerva couldn't possibly remain a three-person team at this point. As shown in the anime, Durandal had already attempted to expand this squad to five members: Athrun, Heine, Shinn, Rey, and Lunamaria.
Thus, the two additional members Durandal later assigned had also arrived: Courtney Hieronymus, piloting the Savior Gundam, and Male Stråle, piloting the Abyss Impulse Gundam.
The combined combat strength of this five-person squad was actually much greater than that of the Minerva squad during the period when Shinn wasn't "awakened" and Athrun was only half-heartedly participating.
Additionally, the other grunt units were all high-performance artillery-type Zaku Warriors and Mirage Zakus, while the East Asian Republic forces, in their haste to advance rapidly, were mostly equipped with lightweight Mobile Suits. As a result, the first wave of the East Asian Republic's attack was relatively easily repelled by the forces led by the Minerva, with the support of the base's firepower.
However, Captain Talia knew this was only the beginning. With few reinforcements available to her, the most difficult phase would come when the East Asian Republic's heavy firepower arrived.
Fortunately, while ZAFT and the East Asian Republic forces were engaged in intense physical combat at the Old Capital Base of the New Misurugi Kingdom, other plans were proceeding very smoothly.
None of the three nations of the Earth Alliance suspected that the space forces led by Athrun had ulterior motives.
Even the East Asian Republic, at most, only considered the possibility that this airborne unit might not land directly inside the Old Capital Base.
What the East Asian Republic predicted was that this unit might land directly on their own bombardment positions during their assault or airdrop behind their lines to encircle them.
Therefore, during the subsequent East Asian Republic's strong assault on the Old Capital Base, they went to great lengths to ensure their bombardment positions were dispersed, with each position heavily guarded by new-type Tengu Kai units equipped with quadruple anti-aircraft machine gun packs.
However, this space fleet, which was supposed to support the Old Capital Base of the New Misurugi Kingdom, openly bypassed Southern Europe under everyone's watchful eyes.
This prompted the Earth Alliance to urgently recalculate the fleet's route, only to discover that it appeared to be heading toward the Gibraltar Base.
This immediately made the Eurasian Federation nervous. They speculated whether this airborne unit was intended to reinforce the Gibraltar Base and if Gibraltar was preparing to launch a ground counteroffensive into Europe. "Damn it," they thought, "the forces currently stationed at the Gibraltar Base are only half of what they used to be. How are we supposed to fight?"
Thus, the Eurasian Federation urgently sought assistance from the Atlantic Federation, requesting that they deploy troops from the Paradise Island Base to support the former Spanish region. Their reasoning was that if Western Europe fell, the Atlantic Federation would be left fighting alone.
However, just as the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation were negotiating terms—with the Atlantic Federation preparing to take advantage and demand a high price from the Eurasian Federation—the Atlantic Federation received alarming news: the Paradise Island Base had detected the Gran Chaos leading a small fleet suddenly appearing near Irish waters, heading straight for the Paradise Island Base.
The Atlantic Federation instantly understood upon hearing this, signaling to the Eurasian Federation: "Don't ask for reinforcements anymore. I'm being blockaded by the Gran Chaos here. If any support forces dare to venture out, they'll have to face the full might of the New Misurugi Kingdom's main forces."
Moreover, rumors had it that Reid had already abandoned the Old Capital Base with his troops, so it was no surprise he was now appearing aboard the Gran Chaos. It seemed the forces from the former Old Capital Base were heading straight for my Paradise Island Base.
Seeing this, the Eurasian Federation still wanted to argue, saying, "It's just a small fleet of one mothership and three to five small vessels. Is that really so terrifying? Why don't you dare to face the New Misurugi Kingdom head-on in a real fight again?"
Before the Atlantic Federation could retort to the Eurasian Federation's words, ZAFT's airborne forces launched a surprise attack on the British Isles.
At this moment, the Atlantic Federation was utterly dumbfounded, exclaiming, "Why am I, who's been watching the whole show from the sidelines, getting attacked? ZAFT, you're playing dirty with sneak attacks! You have no honor!"
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