Gundam: Changing the World Even with a Mass-Produced Unit

Chapter 87: The Burning Solomon

On December 24, UC 0079, the Battle of Solomon commenced.

Eli's recently acquired sense of pride was immediately shattered—not due to a setback or a direct defeat but because he realized his efforts were ultimately insignificant.

A barrage of bullets zipped past Eli, prompting him to locate the enemy's position using the system's targeting. Without even raising his hand, the fully armed EZ-SR's missile launcher on its left shoulder fired two missiles straight at the Zaku that had launched the attack.

The first missile was intercepted mid-air, but the second hit its mark, piercing the Zaku's chest.

Eli had lost count of how many such takedowns he had achieved. He had already returned for resupply twice, but it was all futile.

Even with Amuro piloting the NT-1 and Sayla operating the similarly enhanced Gundam, racking up kill after kill, it made no difference.

How many troops had both sides deployed in this battle for Solomon?

Eli couldn't even estimate.

Looking around, the friend-or-foe identification system displayed an endless string of enemy and ally markers.

Beams and live ammunition crisscrossed the battlefield. A single moment of carelessness could result in being struck by a stray bullet.

Dying like that would be far too frustrating.

On such a battlefield, no matter how hard one fought or how many enemies they took down, it was impossible to tip the scales decisively.

Unlike the Battle of Odessa, where White Base's combat power had been sufficient to dominate the battlefield, here, White Base, no matter how powerful, couldn't break through the entire frontline as it had in Odessa.

No wonder the Federation, as depicted in the original work, was unimpressed with White Base's combat performance.

In the end, victory was determined by numbers.

"Zzt! Zzt!"

Eli fired two shots from his beam rifle, destroying a Musai's bridge. At the same time, he launched all the remaining missiles from the left shoulder at the Zaku carrier that had just taken off.

With beam-diffusing membranes actively deployed by the Federation, precision shooting with beams required close-range attacks.

Against the backdrop of countless insignificant fireballs erupting across the battlefield, Eli once again set course for White Base.

Under Wakkein's orders, White Base acted as the spearhead of the assault, leading from the front.

White Base's unique design and paint scheme made it an obvious target for concentrated attacks.

If not for Bright's skilled command and Mirai's intuitive evasive maneuvers, White Base wouldn't have been in as good a condition as it currently was.

"What's going on with the solar system? Why hasn't it fired yet?"

Eli pondered this question as he maneuvered his unit into the landing procedure.

By now, Tianem's main fleet should have activated the mirror reflection system to scorch the Solomon fortress, gaining an advantage for the full-scale assault.

Could something have gone wrong on Tianem's end?

"I'm heading back out!"

After confirming that his unit was fully resupplied, Eli lowered the light shield and called out to the ground crew.

"Wait! We've received an evacuation order—White Base is moving off the firing axis!"

The ground crew's response lifted Eli's spirits.

Finally, it was happening!

Eli remained seated in his unit, quietly watching the observation feed relayed from the bridge.

At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual, but upon closer inspection, one could see something defying common sense:

Enemy mobile suits and warships were inexplicably melting into nothingness, followed by on-the-spot explosions.

The Solomon fortress itself was suddenly rocked by a series of massive explosions!

"Solomon is burning..."

Eli murmured as he watched the flames and smoke rising from the fortress.

"Friendly unit approaching, Lieutenant. Please clear the deck!"

Eli glanced ahead and maneuvered his EZ-SR to clear the platform. A severely damaged, smoke-spewing GM approached the deck.

"Fire suppression and arresting net, prepare! Geez, where did this reckless guy come from?"

As the arresting net rose, the damaged GM barreled into the hangar. Engineering teams immediately sprayed fire suppressants and coolant to prevent an explosion onboard.

Hiss...

The cockpit opened.

"Thanks! My mothership was sunk, and my suit's in such bad shape—I had nowhere else to go."

The pilot floated out of the cockpit, his tone exuding frustration as he addressed those around him.

"Wow, a Gundam. That's impressive."

It was only then that the pilot seemed to realize he was aboard White Base. Staring at Eli's unit, he spoke in awe before turning to salute and address the maintenance crew.

"Do you have any spare mobile suits here?"

As an MS pilot, he clearly wanted to get back into the fray.

"How many mobile suits did you shoot down just now?"

While the solar system was still active, Eli leaned out and questioned the man.

"Five! Plus one Musai."

The man waved and responded.

"Not bad. What's your name?"

"Arcadia Pastor, Ensign!"

Eli blinked. That name...

Boom!

The ship suddenly shuddered, reminding Eli that they were still in the middle of a battlefield.

"There's a captured Zeon Kampfer available, but it hasn't been fully adjusted. For now, pilot the G-Fighter—it's better than a Ball!"

Eli shouted at him before retracting his head and sealing the cockpit, preparing to launch again.

"As long as it can fight Zeon, I'll fly anything!"

Arcadia, surprisingly, picked up the ground crew's communicator to address Eli. After that, he kicked off and headed toward the innermost part of the hangar.

Eli blinked again, a few guesses about Arcadia's background forming in his mind.

Still, that name...

As expected, a familiar feeling stirred within him.

"Doesn't matter. Time to launch!"

Shaking his head, Eli stepped on the pedal the moment all the indicator lights on the catapult turned green.

Outside, the battle raged on.

Each explosion—far brighter than starlight—marked the deaths of dozens or even hundreds of lives.

From a neutral perspective, it was tragic.

But from the standpoint of the Federation Space Forces, this was a battle for vengeance!

"General Tianem orders: inflict heavy losses on the enemy. All forces, launch! We must completely overthrow the Zabi family's tyrannical rule!"

Since the Battle of Loum, the Federation Space Forces had been in decline. Now, seeing the enemy suffer such significant losses reignited their fury.

Commander Wakkein ordered all his MS units to advance, disregarding mothership defense.

As the commander of Lunar II, how could he not be harboring a burning determination?

Having steadfastly guarded the Federation's final stronghold and advanced MS development—starting with the Zanny and culminating in the GM series—Wakkein had proven himself a true hero.

"Advance! Even if it means using up every last bullet, advance!"

Note: This chapter introduces a custom character as part of the ongoing narrative. Since the protagonist will establish their own faction, there will be room for custom characters alongside those from the original series. However, they will be limited to avoid overwhelming the storyline.